TEST DRIVE MEME #9

[inthenightmods]

TEST DRIVE MEME #9

Hello and welcome to the In the Night test drive meme for March! Thanks for your interest in our game! In an effort to streamline our application process and avoid future confusion between incoming and existing players, we will no longer have a reservation period. Applications open on March 22, and will be judged on a first-come, first-served basis.

While you're here...

• Take a look at our rules and faq pages to familiarize yourself with the game.
  
• Note that we have a (current) application cap of 15 apps this month for new players, as the game has a player cap of 70. 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 top-leveling is not limited to new characters! If current players wish to post a starter, 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).
  
• If you haven't already, please take a moment to look at our announcement regarding changes to the application cycle, which involves information concerning the 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

DANCING QUEEN (cw corpses)

When the ferry chugs up to the dock, its speakers are crackling with a happy song. What a fun way to bring in all the newcomers! Except... goodness, what's that terrible stench? The ferry docks and lowers its gangway as per usual, but the ship is quiet. No newcomers flock to the deck to disembark, and instead, the faint sound of buzzing flies can be heard over the breeze.

Boarding the ferry quickly reveals the source of the flies: decaying bodies, dozens of them, are littered throughout the ship. Some lie in bunks and could be asleep if it weren't for the rot, and others are strewn throughout the cargo hold and the deck. There are no lanterns among them, and there aren't any signs of fighting or struggle around the ship. Inspecting the bodies (if anyone seriously wants to do that) won't yield any definitive answers in terms of cause of death, but, oh. Though it's difficult to tell at first glance due to the decay, these bodies... They're residents of Beacon.

Maybe you find your friend or yourself or, oh, there's Rastus! And Robin! The gang's all here, albeit disgustingly—and Dancing Queen crackles over the speakers. Welcome, welcome!

—but before the ferry departs again, the corpses start to move. Moving about the ship, someone might first hear a sigh, or a sputter, or a little laugh, and maybe it could be brushed off as a trick of the mind until the bodies stand, hoisting themselves up with whatever limbs they have left, and drag themselves toward the deck. One by one, they slip clumsily over the railing and back into the lake, but not before they drop their disguises and slowly contort back into their usual forest spirit bodies (source).

Ugh. Frickin' spirits.

WELCOME TO OUR GAME: INTO THE DARK

In spite of the strange occurrences starting off the month, there's still work to be done in Beacon. Or perhaps it's precisely due to this that Rastus calls for the attention of anyone who will listen as they pass by his station at the bonfire. All but shoving a torch in your hand, he requests that you place it around one of the many locations that could use a source of light! A lot of new places have been discovered recently, after all.

In the event that you choose to choose to play with this prompt as game canon, please remember to report where you choose to place a torch on the item request page so the setting can be updated accordingly! For incoming players, this can be reported retroactively!

These efforts would be a great service to the community at large; Rastus reminds everyone that while the bonfire is a finite resource, it's still a resource that's meant to be utilized.

network prompts

IF YOU DIE IN THE GAME YOU DIE FOR REAL

Not long after the ferry shows up with, uh, no people and a whole lotta corpses (that turn out to be forest spirits playing a very uncool prank), Robin makes a post to the network!

Oh holy god uhhhh OK so no idea what's going on with the ferry this month, wow. Data from the portal is saying nobody new came through, so... nothing to worry about!!! Probably!! I really don't know anything more than you guys right now but I'm gonna get in touch with Dr. Solis. She'll have a better idea of what's going on than me. I'll get back to you all as soon as we figure out what's up.

In the meantime..........!!! I thought it might be fun to play some games to get our minds off stuff? How about hangman! Here's how to play if you don't know!

She attaches a little set of instructions for any characters not in the know. Fun stuff!

But, uh oh. If you get a letter wrong, you'll notice it's getting just a bit more difficult to breathe... Is the air particularly heavy today? Allergies, maybe? No, the feeling only gets worse as the game continues, each incorrect guess tightening an invisible noose around your neck.

The only way out is through, it seems, as nothing provides any relief save for winning a game. But what happens if you lose...?

(If asked, Robin also has no idea what's up with that. Heck! Maybe it's the lanterns acting up again? In any case, the weird hangman curse will resolve itself within a day or two.)

PARTICIPATION FOR CLOWNS

All at once, a notice arrives in everyone's inboxes. It appears to be some sort of strange attempt at a bingo card! It would, potentially, be a mystery as to who crafted this and, well, exactly what it's supposed to mean, were it not for the underlying message that accompanies it.

HELLO! HELLO? HELLO HELLO. ALL BRING CARD TO GET GIFT FOR ALL! YES! ONTO BODY LIBRARY GIFT IT GOES! THANK A MUCH!

The real problem here being, of course, that the librarian's apparent game is a bit, well, difficult to understand. Well, it's possible that it won't require any stringent rules. Ultimately, those who bring in a bingo card that has a row of marks in any particular fashion will receive a free gift compliment of the spirit as a way to promote the library. There might be some fabric missing where the shirt has been bitten into, but, hey, nobody's perfect.

QUICKNAV
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Comments

[callada]

"Laid claim? We all share it," he replies. He's sympathetic, of course - something like that at home would be personal property, just like land and houses and everything else. Adapting to the communal use of all resources here was easy for him, but not instant. Why this guy is so particularly interested in a greenhouse, he's not sure, but it's probably something that will come out in time.

"I've got some stuff planted there. I think Misty and Xayah might do the bulk of the growing and maintaining, though. Xayah lives there, in fact. But it's not hers. You can message her on the tablet though, she could come meet you outside it and show you who's got what planted where."

[sunsbreath]

Will it come out in time, though? Ephrim thinks it's obvious, but he also hasn't any idea if Rosinante seems to be invested in him in that way. Doesn't care to find out. It'll come up if it's important. Now's the time for initial inquiries.

Communal. Just like the university gardens at home, although the only people there were regularly were himself and Sunder Havelton. Uklan Tell. Red Jack, when the fancy took him. Throndir, when he wanted company.

(Best not to think of Throndir.)

"You, Misty, Xayah." He nods, committing those names to memory. "What is a tablet? No, don't answer that. It's what I have in my pocket, right?" He huffs a sigh through his nose. His hand is occupied. He'll do it later.

They pass by the church. Ephrim stares at it for a moment. Rosinante has already said that he doesn't know of any of the old gods or religions they had on this world, and yet here it stands, intact. It doesn't have any of the traditions of Samothes, at least. No rings, no suns, no crown, no hammer and anvil. No parable of Marielda on the doors.

"Do people gather here," Ephrim asks.

[callada]

At least he's quick enough on the uptake, this one. Rosinante gives a nod - yes, it's what's in your pocket, got it in one. It's always something of a relief to know he's not the only one who came here not having heard of such a thing, but it's also heartening to know that he seems to be sharp enough to put things together.

"Mm, sometimes," Rosinante confirms when asked about the church. "We've had people here in the past use it for worship, or just for group meals or other events. But if you die here, and if Dr. Solis can manage to retrieve your soul and put it back in your lantern, you wake up here. And no, I don't know how she does it."

[sunsbreath]

Process of elimination that Ephrim worked out a few minutes ago, but the confirmation was valuable in more than a few ways. He'll ask for help, especially if this tablet proves to be a totally alien technology, but only if he needs it. Ephrim's not interested in wasting time.

Worship for nameless gods who couldn't even save them from the darkness. Ephrim feels some distant disdain, at first, but then relents. Can't really blame them. The gods of his world did what they could to save them from the dark, too. It's bitter. Bad gods. Bad solutions. Ephrim could do with fewer of both.

Ephrim will continue to stare at it, noting where it is in relation to the other landmarks, before turning his attention forward. That's quite a bright light in the distance. Hm. He looks down at his own lantern. So... a manifestation of his soul. He wonders why it's fully light. The Heat and the Dark should be in there, too. And the Spring. And the Stars. More questions.

"What means of contact is there with this doctor? The tablet again?" He's more used to messenger pigeons and post-offices, but if this tablet is a source of information and a means of communication, he figures he might as well spend majority of his first few days working out how to use the thing.

[callada]

"Yeah. Or if you'd rather hand write, there's a post office that way," he says, gesturing. "The postmaster's reliable with deliveries. You'll have a box there too soon, if not already, so you can receive mail. Paper and ink and more are all at the general store."

Which is within sight, so this bit of pointing is a lot less vague. He trips and stumbles as he retracts his hand and crashes down into the mud and melting snow, but he climbs back up to his feet quickly enough. It's fine. He's fine. Normal stuff.

[sunsbreath]

Ephrim is looking in that direction when he hears the crashing tumble, looks back in time to watch this very long man get back up. Well... the second time is a coincidence, the third time's a pattern, and patterns are dangerous. Ephrim wonders, briefly, if he has an inner ear problem. He looks him over for any outstanding cuts or bruises before glancing forward at the bonfire again.

He'd rather not receive mail, but unfortunately, this will have to be a conversation, not him slapping ideas messily at some unsympathetic wall. He's equally as tired of that.

"'Already'." Ephrim looks at Rosinante. "Is the post office privately managed? By whom? At what point was my arrival expected?" Semiotics, perhaps? There's a dowsing quality to it, as far as Lem's been able to explain the concept, but he doesn't think that pattern magic can actually predict the future. (He shakes himself mentally. Best to disabuse himself of the idea that magic is the same here. Or the magical sciences, whatever. It's not like the pattern exists on the Rhizome. At least, if it does, it doesn't matter to him anymore.)

[callada]

"I don't really know. The spirits here are on top of things. Robin, up in the lighthouse, she's the one who brings people here so she must have some idea of who you are when she brings you through the portal. Gets you added to the network, you get a tablet somehow, the spirits keep her up to date on your status."

A whole lot of words that sound like an explanation but absolutely are not. He still doesn't know how the tablets happen. If you lose one, or break it, you get a new one fairly quickly and not even Will knows how or why. He's never asked Robin directly though, come to think of it. It's a detail he'd somewhat forgotten about until now.

[sunsbreath]

Ephrim's caught that this is a description of the process, not an explanation. He appreciates the honesty and the name. Robin in the lighthouse, Dr. Solis in the church. And Misty and Xayah for the greenhouse. Rosinante here, an ally. One more name and Ephrim will be quite tapped out for the day, thank you.

These spirits must be... prompt. (Is a spirit a ghost or some other manner of being?) And this Robin knows more about him than he should like, even if it's simply his name.

He keeps quiet for another moment. World Eaters, missing sun, a ship of Ordennan make and yet not, other planes. It's... enough to fuel his temper, a little. He had to find out about this after death? Other planes exist? Other planes where refugees could have found succor from their plane ripped apart by three or four apocalypses in a row? Fuck.

It's at the bonfire when he speaks again. "How long do we have? Until these things that devour light come for that." He swings his lantern at the bonfire. "And these," he adds, raising his lantern toward Rosinante's. Because it's a matter of time, clearly.

[callada]

He gives a soft hum as he thinks it over. Just how many months has it been, now?

"Just under a year and a half, if Robin's estimate is right - but it's just based on how long it took them previously. Could give or take a few months, I imagine."

The clock is ticking, and fast. Will they do it? He's trying to remain realistic about their possibilities, and realism doesn't suggest a lot of hope right now. They've accomplished a lot in eight months but still know almost nothing about their adversaries.

[sunsbreath]

What will stop their advance, Ephrim almost asks, then bites his tongue. Doesn't matter. (Doesn't it, though?) He has no interest in living piecemeal amongst the ruins of another dying world. He didn't spend the better part of a lifetime on this world. There's nothing for him here.

He has his plants. And this fire. And. And several people to write to get to the bottom of all these mysteries and secrets and histories and tales. Well. Old habits die hard.

"What does one do to pass the time here," Ephrim asks. He's standing in front of the bonfire, watching it crackle. Rosinante seems to be pleasant company, but there's something about this bonfire that seems to arrest Ephrim's attention. He'll pause in front of it, and if Rosinante is comfortable taking his leave here, Ephrim will stay.

[callada]

"Whatever you like. There's a library, there are group meals and dancing and drinks sometimes, there are buildings to repair and parts of the town we haven't yet uncovered out in the forest. Lots of craft supplies at the general store. Whatever you would normally do at home, you can probably do here."

With some limitations, probably, but he hasn't gotten bored yet. Always another project to work on.

"I'll leave you to settle in, find your place here. If you need anything, just ask."

[sunsbreath]

At what point does it feel less of a prison, he's tempted to ask. He continues to stare into the fire until Rosinante interrupts his thoughts. He turns and inclines his head, polite as he can muster. It's quite a bit, given that this man has given him everything he could have reasonably asked for. Useful.

Of what use is someone to him when he's dead? Fero's right, he's incorrigible.

"Thank you. Until next time," Ephrim says, level, before turning back to the flames. Well... no guarantees on that, but it's early. There's plenty of networking to do... if necessary.