memesinthenight | Test Drive Meme #7

Entry tags:

!tdm

Test Drive Meme #7

TEST DRIVE MEME #7

Hello and welcome to the In the Night test drive meme for November! Thanks for your interest in our game! Reserves open on December 20, and applications open on December 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 cap of 20, and a (current) application cap of 2 apps this month for new players, as the game has a player cap of 60. An accurate count of current players will always be available on the taken page.
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. They are welcome to make posts in the main comms for TDM events as well. Please note, however, that actual plot clues or happenings will not occur in TDM prompts.
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

MAGIC CASTLE IN THE LAND OF SWEETS

You wake up one morning to find that The Night Market has come to Beacon, rising from the depths of the lake to set up booths and stalls all around the square. As a market, they offer a variety of goods and services typically unavailable to the good people of Beacon. Lantern charms that grant special and boosted abilities? Check. Magical potions to imbue the imbiber with fun but temporary effects? Got 'em. Specialty goods from home? Can do. Cigarettes? You bet your buns. The only catch? It all comes at a price.

Accepted currencies at the Night Market include: Building and scrap materials, old tablets, old lanterns, captured forest spirits, torches, information, and most importantly... Plutonium. Of course, attempting to barter is always an option... but these currencies are your best bet for dealing with the various vendors offered by the Night Market.

And finally, if bartering isn't your speed, The Night Market has also brought with it a host of activities akin to a street festival. Warm up with a hot toddy or gourmet latte from the pop-up coffee booth, sample a treat from the candy shop, or win your bae a stuffed forest spirit or mechanical goldfish from the carnival games. Above all? Have fun!

This prompt is a mini version of the game's Pleader event.

BATTLE WITH THE (RAT) KING

Throughout the month, the residents of Beacon will discover that a familiar and not particularly wanted visitor has returned. Strangely, the creature appears to be incised by the holiday decorations that have been put up by those so inclined. It goes after any decoration it can, intent to rip them down, tear them, sometimes even run off in a tangle of garland. In particular, the Rat King goes into a frenzy any time it spies a nutcracker, and won't stop until it sinks its teeth into the wooden soldiers. It could be worse, you suppose. The thing doesn't seem to be paying mind to people unless they get in its way. Still, there are some residents that went to a lot of trouble to put this all together. Maybe you should help?

Or maybe you're scrooge and just want to watch the Rat King do its business. That's also fair. Just expect to get some coal in the secret santa exchange.

network prompts

MARCH OF THE TOY SOLDIERS

At some point while you were out and about, minding your own business, you find yourself in quite the troubling situation. All of a sudden, you're surrounded by what appears to be a small army of tin soldiers. The reality, of course, is that they're all somewhat small forest spirits that have decked themselves out in pieces of scrap that act as army-like uniforms, and not real toys at all...but still, the effect is unsettling. They're not all that threatening, really, aside from being creepy, but there are so many of them, and they hold sharpened, bite-sized spears that they keep trying to jab into you any time you try to move out of the circle they've made to sequester you.

Ultimately, you're able to more or less make out what they want: a ransom, of which they do not have the ability to properly communicate. They won't rest or let you go until you post of your plight on the network and give them what they want. You know, just, who knows what they actually want. That's still up for debate.

CHILDREN'S GALLOP

RINGLE DANGLE JINGLE JANGLE!

This is the nosie that greets you on an endless loop from the Bonfire Square. A small group of spirits have gathered there and set up what appears to be a donation pan, which they keep smacking and rattling as they provide all of Beacon with a rousing and unending set of holiday caroling. Unfortunately for everyone who isn't a spirit, this basically just sounds like coordinated screaming. And the screaming does not stop. Maybe for some of you, this would be easy enough to ignore in one capacity or the other, but it seems the spirits have accounted for this, and are very insistent on being given the attention their cheery efforts deserve.

Which is to say: throughout the day, everyone receives what is effectively spam emails to their tablet in the form of...very loudly written words. The emails pour in, over and over:

WE WON'T GO UNTIL WE GET SOME WE WON'T GO UNTIL WE GET SOME WE WON'T GO UNTIL WE GET SOME WE WON'T GO UNTIL WE GET SOME

QUICKNAV
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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

lots of trees!

okay that doesn't help

i think i see the sign for a post office nearby? does that ring a bell?

Post office. Got it. Might take me 20 min to get there, so try not to get yourself killed in the meantime.

can do
well not the getting killed part
the not getting killed part

[ Once Rosinante gets there, he will be treated to the sight of Sora using the tablet's camera to snap selfies himself and his hundreds of captors. Yeah, captivity pals!

(If Rosinante knew Sora from before, he may or may not recognize this one - he's a bit too old, a bit too tall, a bit too short-haired to be the Sora he knew. An alternate universe? A possible future? An older brother? It is a mystery. ]

[By the time he arrives, Rosinante's knees are scuffed, his coat is still slightly frosted with snow from a fall or two, and a half-finished cigarette hangs from cherry-red lips. Such is the nature of a twenty-minute walk, it seems. He slows a little at the sight he sees lit by the lantern up ahead - all those armored spirits stand in a ring around the young man, and while they seem like they're no longer entirely sure what they're supposed to be doing, they're insistent on doing it anyway. Whatever it is.

Strange. Daylight would be better at dealing with this but Daylight isn't here. He walks up and cautiously eyes the spirits, some of which turn to face him with their spears as if refusing to let him pass. Maybe the postmaster knows what's going on here. The young man, meanwhile, does look vaguely familiar, but he doesn't place the resemblance right away.]

You're still here, so that's good news. And no green-eyes. They give you any better idea about what they want?

[ Sora turns around at the voice, tablet still open to the camera app, and waves to his savior (?). He stands and dusts off the seat of his pants, grinning his boxy grin. The spirits directly ringing him don’t seem to want to look at the new arrival. Whatever they want, presumably Sora has it. Maybe! ]

No idea! I don’t think they know what a selfie is either. Everybody loves a selfie. [ He’ll look down at the little forest of bristling metal spears. ] I tried giving them everything in my pockets - except for the pictures in my wallet, I’m keeping those - I’ve tried talking to them, singing, doing tricks. [ He shrugs. ] I was trying making friends with them when you go here. Hard to say if that’s working.

Edited (english) 2019-12-29 08:08 (UTC)

[Goddamn he does look familiar, though. Sounds familiar. He squints, thinking it over - and it only takes another second to come to him. He looks something like Sora, doesn't he? He didn't know the guy extremely well, but they'd spent enough time around each other, building the boats. Smart kid. Riku hadn't fared well when he vanished, and as he recalls, a body was never found. Is this him, altered by the church spirit's work, or someone else? Some sort of cross-world doppelganger?

He takes stock of the ring of spirits, and listens to the curious ramble about selfies before the young man covers what he's tried so far. Now isn't really the time to question him on his name, they should probably deal with the spirits first.]

Some of them take to that better than others. There are a lot of them, aren't there?

[The candy plan might not work, there are just too many. And it's hard now to discuss what else they should try - most of these creatures understand their speech well enough, even if they can't reply in anything but their own tongue. One way translation, for some strange reason, when it's two-way for those who have lanterns.

But maybe he can at least draw enough away for the guy to make a run for it. Delay the spirits in chasing after them. He kneels where he is, still several feet away, and reaches into his pockets for the handful of candies he'd brought along before addressing the spirits.]

I have candy here - sweets. I'll give it all up to you if you let him go.

[ Friendly spirits, huh? Sora's going to have to make himself a list of spirits to meet. Friendship! ]

I dunno if that's gonna... [ Sora is completely unaware of the series of small epiphanies his new friend is having. He's actually a bit confused as to what he's doing; for a hot second, he's positive he's lost it. Why offer so little when they're so many of them?

When the spirits directly in front of him turn around, one by one, focusing in on the stranger and his offer, and when the guy from the network doesn't move to give them it, Sora trails off. Oh. Huh.

He will very quietly and unobtrusively pick up his lantern, and then, when he's sure all of the attention is on the treats... he'll start to sidle to the side, away from the wall of shrubs the soldiers had cornered him against and back toward the road. He'll keep his eyes on his rescuer just to make sure they're on the same page. This is the plan, right? ]

[Close enough. His eyes flick up to this Sora lookalike and he gives the slightest of nods, but he doesn't want to be too overt in case the spirits catch on before the guy has had a chance to get away.

In the meantime, he'll keep talking to the spirits. Hopefully at least one or more of them will be able to get the gist of what he's saying. Hopefully this isn't a group from the deeper parts of the forest that truly need to be spoken to only in their own tongue. Although he's kneeling, he still towers over the things, and as they draw closer he lifts his hand a little to keep the candy just out of their reach for the moment.]

Someone ordered you all to do this, right? I'm a friend. You're not here to hurt anyone. Friend?

[To make sure he's made his point - hopefully, anyway - he attempts his best friend, peace whistle-call that he has far from perfected, but maybe they'll appreciate the attempt, if he hasn't entirely butchered it. If their attention wavers to maybe-Sora, or if the young man manages to slip farther away, he'll lower the candy to keep their interest on him.]

[ One problem with this plan, Sora discovers very quickly, is that it's impossible to hide the bobbing globe of light that comes with having to carry a very pretty (but very bright) star-shaped lantern with him. The spirits are starting to hop and slide away, attracted by the offer of instant gratification, but a few of them pause, as if to note the movement of the lantern behind them. Sora stops whenever this happens, waiting for the spirits to lose interest and focus back on the candy, but it's slow going. At some point, he knows both of them are going to have to make a break for it.

He'll note the whistle for later - a couple of spirits seem to move faster, more interested in what the guy has to offer - but for right now, he still has the lantern problem. He considers just sticking it up the front of his sweatshirt but reconsiders as soon as he lifts its hem - if he hid the lantern now, the sudden darkness would only make the problem worse. What to do...

At about the halfway point back to the road, Sora stops. It's about as far as he can get without the soldiers catching on and there is a very unfortunate patch of twigs and ice in this particular area - he can't go any farther without attracting attention. He'll hang his lantern on his elbow and, very obviously, and in a way that the other guy can see, tap out a message on his tablet. If the guy doesn't get a chance to look at it, he'll just make the text big and hold up his own. ]

ON THREE?

[ He'll hold up three fingers on his free hand and wiggle them to get the meaning across. ]

[Whatever they want from the kid, they're serious about it - serious enough, anyway, to keep periodically glancing toward him as he retreats, even though they're chirping at Rosinante questioningly, which he assumes means they're asking when they get the candy, or something like that. As a few start to try and shift toward their former captive, he follows their gaze and sees the tablet, and nods. All right. On three.

Which means it's time for one last distraction. For those three seconds, he hands out the pieces of candy to whichever spirits can grab it first, and some among that closest group begin to squabble with each other on who gets to keep hold of it. Rosinante immediately turns and begins to sprint before they can turn on him, because he knows what these candies do - or, more specifically, he doesn't know what they'll do.]

Message me when you get to a building! I'll come find you the long way around!

[He calls to not-Sora as he then runs out toward the southern bridge, clutching his lantern tight so it doesn't swing and throw off his stride. Meanwhile, the spirits are split - some, more devoted to whoever gave them this task, head toward Sora; others try to follow Rosinante, though with his long legs he can outpace them handily so long as he doesn't trip and fall.

The third group, well. One spirit suddenly turns bright purple and inflates, Willy Wonka-style, scattering pieces of armor that no longer fit. Another starts spouting steam from its ears, nose, and a row of pores down its back. A third grows tremendously long legs, and those legs grow legs, and the thing topples over, unable to figure out how to walk in this new configuration. The candies wreak their own form of chaos and Rosinante was really all too glad to be rid of them.]

Gotcha! [ When Rosinante splits, Sora finally, finally gets the chance to do the thing he actually tried first, but was pulled down bodily by a wave of tiny tin soldiers before he managed to get away - he takes a running start through the frost, crunching loudly, and kicks off into the air, gliding low to the ground. Some of the soldiers lunge belatedly at him, but he shakes them off as he zooms away, letting them clatter into the streets of Beacon.

Sora hears the explosions of the rapidly transforming soldiers from behind him, but when he looks back, all he sees is the shaky aftermath, and even that is quickly sucked into the darkness. What did he do to them? He puts that on the mental map of his questions to ask. He's got a lot on that list.

He turns back to the task of making his way through an unfamiliar city, swallowed completely in darkness and trying to navigate by shaky lamplight alone. It doesn't take long for him to get to a point where he's lost sight of his pursuers, so he launches himself onto a nearby building - he doesn't really notice which, he finds the nearest climbable ledge and hauls himself up to the roof, not bothering with the stairs - and pulls out his tablet, breathing heavily as he picks out letters on the keyboard. ]

safe i think
i'm in town high up
did you make it somewhere
dunno where i am

[There's a delay before the reply comes, mostly because in trying to retrieve his tablet from his coat pocket, the distraction and shift in his balance caused him to tumble slightly down the riverbank - but he grabbed hold of the rocks and hauled himself back up before the water could sweep him or his lantern away. Phew. Close call. He sits up once on solid ground and waits, but not even the clatter of armor can be heard anymore. Then again, the water isn't quiet. Not like he is.]

Most of the buildings in town are sort of close to each other. I'll head that way while you work out where you are. I'm just south of the bonfire, I can see it off in the distance. Won't take me long to get there and hopefully by then they'll have found someone else to chase anyway.

[ Sora posts up on the rooftop, peeking down to catch any last stragglers that may be looking for him. If it seems safe enough, he'll go to the edge and let his legs dangle, resting properly as he types back to his new friend. ]

the bonfire huh

[ He looks around. He'll spot the bonfire to the.... left. Wherever that might be. ]

i see it but i don't know where i am
i'm not really too far tho! and there aren't any soldiers around
i could set off some fire if you get close but i don't know how much that will help :/

Can you flash something in front of your lantern?
Might see you anyway if you're up high.

[He just has to get there first. A damn shame he can't just walk to the bonfire from here with his own lantern wrapped up and hidden in his coat but there are just too many things to trip on, on a cloudy night like this one and with the bonfire so far off.]

okay hang on

[ He sends the message, and then realizes a split second later that he doesn't actually know what he's talking about. Does he mean, like... turning the lantern down and then back up, or physically putting something in front of it so it blinks?

He considers his lantern for a second. He is pretty sure he is not supposed to put this thing out, especially if his life really is connected to it. Bad idea.

After a moment of consideration, in which he considers all of his spells (none of them are helpful, unfortunately).... he does end up doing his best to put the lantern under his sweatshirt, then pulling the hem up and down again. What? It's cold and this works. Besides, his lantern is rather big and he doesn't really think his arm can cover it in a way that would be noticeable. Shirt lantern it is.

Blink, blink. Can you see him? ]

[He draws closer and shields his eyes from the bonfire's glow, and - ah. Yep, right there, on top of the town hall.

Before heading toward him though, Rosinante does a quick glance around, but it looks like those armored spirits must either have grown bored or found someone else to chase after. So he proceeds forward, and raises his lantern higher to get a better look up there. If he stretches, he can almost hook a hand around the lowest part of the roof, so there's that.]

I think they left. You need a hand down?

I got it. [ Gee whiz, he's as big as Sully was. He'll peer down and, double checking to make sure the coast is clear, he's going to slip off the edge of the roof, kicking off the walls on his way down. He'll land next to his rescuer in a way that's practiced, but also rather heavy? He's not a small person, but that's the thump of a larger person touching down.

He'll straighten and look up at this guy. Phew, he really is enormous. ]

Thanks. [ ... ] Why are you so wet? Aren't you cold? Let's go back to the bonfire.

Wind was blowing snow off the trees and into me. Soaks you slowly when it melts, I guess.

[Which, okay, that's probably true? But he'd rather not also talk about the number of times he slipped and fell and rolled through the snow on his way here. He's just lucky the river was a close call and not an actual plunge in or he wouldn't be here to talk about it.]

Bonfire sounds good. Or we can go inside, get something hot to drink. Even better, if you ask me. The bar's right over there.

[Like a couple hundred feet away, maybe, as he points to it. It looks like an old medieval-style tavern - or maybe a tourist's idea of what medieval architecture would look like were they visiting ye olde quaint towne. But the windows, noticeably, are all boarded up from the inside, and ruins of wooden barricades sit stacked outside the front door.]

[ Sora wrinkles his nose. Snow. He grew up with the stuff, but he also grew up on a tropical island. Lots of mixed feelings there. ] Sucks, man. Let's go.

[ He'll start walking toward ye olde tavern when indicated, moving when his new friend does, but he'll reach into his pocket and pull out his wallet. ] They don't card you or anything there, right? I mean, I guess we're all dead anyway, but I'm still not old enough to drink. Not in America, anyway. [ ... yeah, he's looking at his driver's license. ]

[Nearly six months in this godawful place and he still hasn't heard it all. What is that, some kind of ID card?]

No, it's just a - they have all kinds of drinks. No bartenders except ourselves and sometimes some bored spirits that live in the stockroom. What kind of place is America, anyway? I mean, I've heard about it, but you're too young to drink there?

[Crazy talk. Lots of kids discover ale by eight or so on the backwater islands, but surely by fifteen, anyone would be old enough, and this guy looks older than that.]

[ Yep! If Rosinante has sharp eyes (and can? Read English? I guess??), it'll say that Skyler Felipe Oozora y Veracruz is authorized to operate a motor vehicle with the state of New Jersey until August 14, 2017. Not that that would mean much to him.

Sora looks up at him. Oh, right. Not everyone here would be from Earth. Technically... he supposes part of him isn't from Earth, either. It shouldn't be that weird. It isn't! But somehow, a part of him thinks it should be. ]

Yeah, I'm 19. In America, the, uh, federal drinking age is 21. [ ... ] It's not really enforced, though? Like, I don't think you can go to jail for it. [ He shrugs. ] Anyway, I'm glad they have other drinks there!

[Spending too much time studying the ID would be obvious. He catches the name - not Sora - and the "New Jersey" and that's about it. Convenient that they come from worlds who use at least partially the same lettering system; doubly convenient that often, Beacon's strange translation system extends to written text if he hadn't recognized those letters.

As they draw up to the door of The Invincible, Rosinante opens the door for Skyler and enters after him. The interior is lit by a single torch at the bar's countertop, the tables and chairs are scuffed but mostly intact, and the walls are painted with murals in stark contrast to their surroundings outside - fields of green grass dotted with flowers, broad seas with white-sailed ships, brilliant blue skies, and here and there swirls of abstract color. In fact, it still smells a bit of fresh paint in here.]

Yeah, the coffee is all right by me but some people here get picky. Black tea is fine, green tastes like paper, though. If you see General Hughes around here ever, he's a damn good bartender if you want a cocktail.

[With a conspiratorial little smirk. Kid, 19 is more than old enough.]

[ Sora flips his wallet shut again as they walk in, putting it in his pocket. He's too distracted by the sudden warmth and the interior design to realize his ID technically just introduced him. It sure is pretty in here, after all. It kind of reminds him of Manila, or the Destiny Islands. Did the barkeep paint all of this? Even if there's still a world to save here, people still do need their hobbies, even if they happen to be dead.

He'll snag an empty stool at the bar, hopping up and turning himself so he's facing his new friend. He's already 100% down for a getting to know you session! ]

General Hughes... A cocktail, huh? [ Sora puts his chin on his hand and rests against the counter, thoughtful. He'll keep that name in mind! He's good with names. For right now, though, he'll shoot a grin back. ] Is that what you usually order? Somehow, I thought you'd go harder. [ This is a first glance observation, though. He also may be going tit for tat on the playful vibe. He is both teasing and also being very truthful! ]

Nah, whiskey for me. But it's fun to try something new every now and then.

[Mostly, he'd just figured Skyler being young might mean a cocktail was more his style. They tend toward sweeter than straight liquor, after all.

General Hughes is sadly not here at the moment, and so he waves over the spirits that are otherwise bouncing around, ready to make trouble. These have no armor, though one is currently wearing a strange mask - almost blank, plain, just a rough brown surface of what might be bark with holes poked into it for its four eyes. He used to find that sort of thing creepy but now it's just normal. He asks for whiskey by the name of the drink, but also points to the bottle he can see on the back shelf just in case.]

These ones usually understand drinks well enough. I don't really know why they're here serving them, but some of the spirits seem to prefer living around us instead of out in the woods. Looking for protection, I'd guess. A lot of them don't like the green-eyes much.

[ Sora whistles. ] Drink to forget, huh.

[ ... That brings up some uncomfortable memories. Not his, technically... but yeah, his too.

Mm. Right, enough of that.

He'll stare the spirit straight into two of its four eyemask holes, then say, with a completely straight face: ] Ginger ale and cherry grenadine, please. [ It's just a Shirley Temple. He's not really a drinker! ]

The green-eyes? You mentioned them before. What's that about? I don't think they were in the welcome message, right?

8') no worries my dude

omg and then I lost this notif? I am so sorry, I just saw this never was replied to!

no worries! just glad you ended up coming back :D

YEAH THANKS I sure don't know what happened but I'm here now!

i’ve been losing tags too! something something dreamwidth please keep it together 😭

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