memesinthenight | TEST DRIVE MEME #1

Entry tags:

!tdm

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...

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Log - Bonfire

This was not the Netherrealm, that much was immediately obvious. But it wasn't entirely unpleasant either. Nothing had attacked him, he wasn't in pain, he didn't feel like a revenant nor was he possessed. The darkness so black that light couldn't penetrate was disconcerting, but not an immediate worry.

He'd parked himself near the fire, watching how the flames crackled and leapt in the air, yet none of the wood seemed to be breaking. There was no ash and the fire never diminished in size. It definitely reminded him of something. Or perhaps someone.

Nodding politely to anyone who came near him, his gruff monotone voice not sounding too troubled about the surroundings, "Do you know the source of the magic keeping the fire lit?"

Network - Turn on your Location

Is anyone reading this?

Death was hardly unfamiliar territory by this point, but this? This was new. The jury was still out on whether that was for good or ill; while it did appear to be an improvement from the usual, these things did have a way of spiralling rather quickly. Better to err on the side of caution, at least for the time being — Not that Hanzo planned to linger any longer than was strictly necessary.

For his part, he had taken the time to investigate what he could of the small town, perhaps familiarize himself with the layout. It had proven a brief outing — The buildings were sparse, and the oppressive gloom had hindered his efforts more than he’d initially anticipated. In the end, he’d circled back in the direction of the bonfire, planning to take a minute or two to centre his thoughts before continuing.

At least, he had until he’d heard the voice.

The blood froze in his veins, and for a moment, Hanzo caught himself hoping that he’d been wrong. If it had truly been his own death that had brought him to this plane, then it would stand to reason that his friend had met with a similar fate — Not at all far-fetched, given how he’d left things. Even had his younger self honoured his final wish, there had never been a guarantee that it would be enough to stop Kronika’s plan. Perhaps they had managed somehow, but then, the victorious could still suffer casualties.

He would hardly call himself an optimist, but Hanzo had never considered that their next meeting would be under these circumstances.

Rearranging his expression into something carefully neutral, he finally stepped out into the warm, orange glow of the flames. The question may not have been directed toward him, but it didn’t stop him from answering.

“No. It is none that I am familiar with.”

Hello, Kuai.

Edited 2019-06-16 07:33 (UTC)

Kuai had set the lantern down next to him after inspecting it, its soft amber glow casting odd shadows around him. It looked incredibly similar to the ones adorning the stone temple back in Arctika: rectangular with a pointed top and a dragon curling around the base as if to protect the fire. He nearly kicked it over when he heard both the familiar footsteps followed by the voice.

Standing up he turned to face him, not sure if the sensation he was feeling was relief or dread or maybe a mixture of the two. He was more than aware of the fact Hanzo had been killed, a revelation that had gotten the best of his emotions and caused him to act without thinking against the messenger of that news. But he'd always secretly thought that Hanzo was incapable of actually dying, that he'd always return like a spectre, that the Netherrealm couldn't hold him.

So to be seeing him here, in this place that seemed to be lost between realms, between death and living, was unsettling. What had Kronika done to the timeline to cause this? Had they been thrown out of time altogether? Was this permanent? All valid questions that ran through his brain without even a moment to consider them.

It took Kuai a little longer to wipe all the emotions off his face, something he'd never been particularly good at; hence the mask most of the time. Inclining his head he gave Hanzo a formal Lin Kuei salute - the best he could do that wasn't rushing forward to embrace him, something he wouldn't ever do in public. Or likely in private either.

"I would say it is good to see you, but given the situation..." He trailed off, because it was good to see him. Kuai could let himself be selfish right now, just the once. "Have you been here long?"

The greeting was returned in kind, Hanzo dipping his head respectfully. He had certainly noticed the concern in his expression, but said nothing of it; there was an unspoken understanding between them, their relationship being one built on reading between the lines. Connecting those particular dots wasn’t particularly difficult, however, given the timing of his own end.

He did have questions of his own, but now was neither the time nor place — Better to focus their attentions on the present, as there was little either of them could do for the others from there anyway. Kronika had apparently anticipated his defeat, but for the threat he posed to her plan, was this level of effort necessary? If this was a more widespread phenomenon brought on by her temporal meddling, should there not be others they knew? He failed to see how this could serve her purpose, when her goal had been to rewrite their very existence.

“Less than a day,” he said evenly, setting his own lantern down next to the other one. Like Kuai’s, its design was a reflection of what he knew, inspired by those found in the Fire Garden — Traditional and plain, with a wood frame. It was only for utility’s sake that he had kept it close by; he was still ignorant as to its significance, but he had noticed that its light was somehow able to penetrate the darkness, where even his own fire could not.

The silence hung between them for a moment, his brow knitting as he considered his next words.

“You should not be here, Sub-Zero. If this is truly a place for the dead..."

That fit with what he'd discovered after speaking to those he'd encountered. Everyone seemed to be newly arrived, the only commonality being their deaths, the lanterns and the tablets. He hadn't inquired after how other's were killed but he doubted that was a common theme either as likely no one else had been overrun by Netherrealm demons.

He managed a wry grin at Hanzo's words, glancing to the ground briefly, "I've evaded death so long that it was bound to catch up with me eventually."

And unlike Hanzo he'd not experienced this before. He'd had his soul ripped out of his body and put into a machine, and then subsequently torn out and put into a body again, but he hadn't truly died. For all the tales he'd heard, and the time he'd spent in the Netherrealm, his current surroundings were not what he'd expected. Especially with so many other people that were likely not of his world. Other realms. Other places. He wasn't sure yet, but ever the optimist he was simply glad they weren't under attack or suffering.

"We brought the fight to Kronika's keep, but the bridge to the hourglass was overrun with her revenants and Shao Kahn's army." There was a pause before he continued, answering the unasked question he knew was on Hanzo's mind. "Your younger self kept his word to you."

The smile did little to lighten the mood, Hanzo’s own expression remaining stern.

It had been an honourable, if ill-timed death. It was the only consolation he could think to offer, though it did hold some weight; the path they’d chosen was not one of longevity, Hanzo’s unique relationship with mortality aside. Death was inevitable, so better that it be with purpose, upholding their oath to defend Earthrealm.

Thankfully, it would seem that his own end had not been in vain either. Trust Kuai to know what he was thinking, selfish as the concern was.

He had hoped that his younger self would learn faster than he had. It had been difficult to face that mirror, to see the grief and pain alive again in Scorpion, but too many years had been lost to his misdirected quest for vengeance already. Kronika knew too well how to manipulate him, just as Quan Chi had — Her promises appealed to the most desperate, broken part of himself, and Hanzo had had only his word that things could be better.

He nodded, dropping his own gaze for a moment.

“Good.”

There was a certain relief in knowing that, even if only temporarily, that he could still be reached. What Scorpion would do now, without his family or the level-headed influence of Sub-Zero, was less clear — But he had come through when they had needed it most, and when Hanzo himself could not.

Then again, there may not have been a future to worry about, at this point.

“From what I have seen, this place does not fit with her new era,” he said finally, glancing back over his shoulder at the town. “Unless her tampering has affected realms beyond our own.”

Which was a possibility, but it seemed an unnecessary effort. Erasing Raiden from the timeline would certainly alter the course of their own history, but its ripple should have been restricted to their own world.

Kuai Liang || @Grandmaster || Mortal Kombat

gosh, I wonder who it reminds him of...

it's a mystery

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Bonfire

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@rastus

@Grandmaster

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Bonfire

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network -- un: @cmmdrcage

@Grandmaster

@cmmdrcage

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@cmmdrcage