memesinthenight | TEST DRIVE MEME #1

TEST DRIVE MEME #1

Hello and welcome to the In the Night test drive meme for June! Thanks for your interest in our game! Reserves open on June 20, and applications open on June 22.

While you're here...
Take a look at our rules and faq pages to familiarize yourself with the game.
Note that we have a reserve/application cap of ~~20 apps per month~~ (this has been waived for the first month!).
TDM threads can become game canon if both players wish. If the situation isn't something that could happen in-game, you're free to chalk it up to some strange hallucination, a shared dream, or other mysterious circumstance.
Note that this is not limited to new characters threading with characters already in-game. If current players wish to thread out the TDM prompts as canon events, they are welcome to do so.
Though threads can become canon, they cannot count toward AC.
If you plan to apply, please keep in mind that we do require at least one sample thread on the application to be from our TDM (though it doesn't need to be the current TDM).
You're welcome to use the provided prompts or come up with something on your own, but we do ask that all threads take place in our game's setting.

Thank you again, and we hope you'll choose to join us!

log prompts

YOU'RE DEAD, JIM

You haven't been in Beacon long when you find yourself in Bonfire Square, staring into the flames and thinking about how you ended up here. Maybe it was an accident, a sudden freak thing that you never saw coming until you woke up on the ferry, or maybe it's a miracle you made it as long as you did. Maybe death was a relief. Maybe it was just your time. Whatever the case, you can't help but reflect on your final moments as you linger in the firelight.

But however you died, it's behind you now, and you're here, stuck in this little town with just a few buildings and a smattering of other people. You're going to be here a while, so you may as well get to know your neighbors, but... Would it be cathartic to commiserate about your deaths? Or is your time better spent stocking up at the general store? Then again, you've got plenty of time, so why not catch a drink or two (or three) at the Invincible? Pretend you're unaffected by your death, and, well. Fake it 'til you make it, perhaps.

Point is, you have options. You're dead, you died, and this is your "life" now. Better get used to it.

AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES

Currently, there's only one place to live (technically speaking) in Beacon: the Invincible, a tavern and inn located in Bonfire Square. Luckily, the place has working amenities (minus light), and the forest spirits don't charge anything for your stay. Unfortunately, it seems there may not be enough rooms for everyone. Guess you'll have to get cozy!

Maybe you'll try to pick a roommate from around town or in the bar downstairs, or maybe you'll just walk into the first room you see and choose that way. Want a room all to yourself? Get ready to fend off any potential intruders. And the fun doesn't end there.

The Invincible's rooms aren't all created equal. Some may have had their furniture stolen or become a dumping ground for unwanted pieces, resulting in a single bed, five dressers, and other equally distressing situations. Will someone sleep on the floor? Will you nail two beds together to form bunk beds? Maybe you just want to make this room into something more like home— potentially to your roommate's chagrin. Whatever you decide, this is where you're staying for now, so you might as well get comfortable.

network prompts

HACKER VOICE: I'M IN

In order to use the network, you have to register a username. Er, at least, that's how it's supposed to work. For some reason, new users have recently been able to bypass that requirement, allowing them to post anonymously. Time to troll strangers on the magical internet!

Eventually though, you'll need a username in order to use the tablet's other functions, like the direct messaging system. So hey, why not take advantage of the ability to source opinions, and workshop your potential usernames on the network? Share ideas, get feedback, steal ideas, critique others, and figure out what you want everyone to call you.

TURN ON YOUR LOCATION

When you wake up, you're in the woods. An iron shackle complete with a chain leashes you to a tree, and the only light you have is your lantern. You've never seen this area of the woods before. You certainly didn't go to sleep here.

Hm.

But, all is not lost. You find your phone in your pocket, as well as a scrap of paper covered back to front in cryptic scribbles. Are these clues to your location? They must be. You also spot a key dangling from a branch, though it's hanging from a tree you'll never be able to reach from here. Perhaps someone on the network will be able to lend you a hand...

QUICKNAV
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pages	\|	rules • faq • taken • mod contact • player contact • calendar • setting • exploration • item requests • full nav

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Because the way Cao Zihuan, King of Wei, Heir of the Hero of Chaos, has very much seemed to present himself, we'll assume that Mary finds him seated alone at the tavern, maybe brooding in a forlorn corner. Something super edgy, super dramatic, you know how it goes. The point is, he'll find his thoughts and his solitude broken when suddenly a little girl is standing in front of him, hands hidden behind her back.

But she can hardly contain herself, so she very quickly shows what it is she's hiding, and presents him with a hand-drawn picture! It appears to be a rough approximation of himself as a young child would draw him, prancing with his swords in his hands and surrounded by flowers! He has a big smile on his face.

"You seemed sad, so I drew you a happy picture!"

One of the small comforts: a glass of grape wine. How nice is it to find some here, and be able to relax in a quiet corner with his glass, observing from a distance? It would be a lot nicer if he wasn't interrupted.

Cao Pi arches an eyebrow at the drawing presented to him and for a long moment doesn't move to take it as he processes. "...what?" he finally says flatly. What is this? How dare anyone presume? Also, why is he smiling?

"See? This is you," Mary puts the drawing on the table in front of him and begins to explain. Clearly, his question was honest in his lack of understanding and had nothing to do with the situation as a whole. "And those are your swords, because, um...I thought you probably have fun playing with them! And so that's why you're happy. And there's flowers, because, I like them!"

You're welcome.

Well, it's not poetry, but...

Sighing softly, Cao Pi decides to indulge for a moment, sitting up and resting an elbow on the table. Uh huh, those sure are his swords. "What kind of flowers?" he wonders, because sometimes colors doesn't tell the whole story.

"They're roses." She definitely sounds fond as she explains. "Because roses are the most beautiful, and everybody loves them. They smell nice, and they have such soft petals."

Somehow this is actually captivating. Zihuan knows roses...well, one or two varieties. Not his favorite, but he's seen them. He rests his chin on his fist. "So do peonies. Though, I'm not overly fond of peonies. I suppose that makes roses a decent choice." He doesn't smile, but his eyes take on a distinctly sly glint. "Can you draw lotuses?"

"Ummm..."

Mary has to take a moment to think, but seems to recall an image of a lotus flower in her mind, and from a pocket in her skirt pulls out a new piece of paper and something to draw with. Spreading it on the table, she gives it her best shot. Like the rest of her art, of course, it's a childish attempt...but as she surrounds it with round lily pads and squiggles to represent water, it gives off a decent approximation.

"Like this?"

You know, he'll take it. "Close enough," he murmurs. They're more common where he's from, and they remind him of his wife. He's under no delusions that he can do any better, so imperfect glimpses are as good as they get, right now.

"Is this what you enjoy doing? Drawing, for others?"

"Oh, yes!"

She gives him a big smile! Like maybe if she keeps smiling he'll smile, too. A girl can dream. She sure, sure can.

"Drawing is my favorite, but it's my most favorite when I'm drawing for my friends."

She'll be lucky if she gets more than a smirk, which isn't always happiness. "Mm. And, I assume, you've arrived here without your friends."

He shouldn't be surprised that his solemn mug attracts friend-wanters, but he is. Cao Pi is used to servitude and loyalty, not...feelings.

"Yeah...but that just means they get to live and be happy, right? I guess that's good." Even if she misses them. Even if they don't miss her, back. Mary frowns as she looks at the lotus drawing. "I can make new friends now."

It's true. All things considered Cao Pi is glad he's alone here - it means the others should have escaped the Hydra, as he planned. One life sacrificed for the better of his people. "Yes, I suppose it's better that our loved ones live on, even if they have to do it without us."

He doesn't address the concept of making friends here. He doesn't have any to start with.

Well, you've all gotta know where this is going. And she's not gonna take no for an answer, either. "You can keep this picture, okay? And when you get lonely, remember that I'm your friend!"

Oh boy. He really should have anticipated that, shouldn't he? Cao Pi's lips twist slightly, as he considers he can no longer avoid that topic. "You would consider yourself that?" he challenges dryly, taking up his wineglass. "You don't even know my name, nor I yours."

"I'm Mary!" So, there's one problem solved. "So once you tell me your name, we'll know, and we won't be strangers anymore, so we can be friends!"

Ugh, bested again. How does this happen to him?

"Cao Zihuan," he says with a deliberate pause at the end, and then adds, "you may call me Cao Pi. Only that."

She may not grasp that he's using names to put her at arm's length, but he is. It's going to take a while before he catches on that other people don't do that.

TEST DRIVE MEME #1

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