memesinthenight | TEST DRIVE MEME #01

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!tdm

TEST DRIVE MEME #01

Hello and welcome to the The Next Night's test drive meme for May-June! Thanks for your interest in this GPSL! In an effort to streamline our application process and avoid future confusion between incoming and existing players, we do not have a reservation period. Applications will be judged on a first-come, first-served basis.

At this point in time, characters have not yet ICly unlocked the ability to bring in new people. However, we hope that will change in June! As soon as we set a date for applications to open, we will post an update to the OOC community as well as to plurk.

While you're here...

Take a look at our rules and faq pages to familiarize yourself with The Next Night.

Note that we will have an application cap of 20 apps for new players for this upcoming round only, and that the game has a player cap of 60. In future months we expect to limit this to 10 apps per round. 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.

Threads with new arrivals must ICly take place after the mechanism for bringing in new characters has been re-enabled in order to be kept canon. We understand this makes keeping track of dates a bit tricky and may require some timey-wimey handwaving but please try to keep this in mind when deciding if a thread can be canon or not.

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. In addition, any threads from the TDM will be forward dated to when these mechanics are restored.

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.

As we no longer plan to have a bimonthly game-wide HMD meme, we will require all new applications going forward to have a HMD post somewhere on the journal and we will ask for this as part of the application process.

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

log prompts

EMERGENCY LANDING.

You've arrived.

Where, exactly? Well, that's quite hard to say. All around you is darkness. Even the stars above seem dimmed, as if it were possible to turn down the brightness on the sky. The only light immediately apparent is a lantern placed directly beside you. The handy-dandy tablet also provides light, but not enough to help much. Seems like you're going to have to find your way in the darkness.

Whether you find yourself in a dusted, rusted old amusement park, a spectacularly creepy abandoned orphanage, or what seems to be a museum with a very abrupt water feature in the middle of it, it's very clear you're not where you were when you closed your eyes. If you look back, what do you remember? Your death could be vivid, complete with the injuries that brought it, or a distant memory that almost seems like a dream. Either way it sticks to the back of your mind, whether you want it to or not.

And it might not be the best of ideas to worry about how you died or how you got here alone in the dark. Because turns out, maybe you aren't so alone after all. It might be a feeling, a crawl up your spine. Or sounds, bumps and wheezes and scratches hidden in the dark. Or it might be eyes, shining out in the shadows. It might be a good idea to start running, and hope you aren't the only one that found yourself stranded in this strange place.

Whatever you do, make sure you bring that lantern with you. Diverting too far from it makes you feel faint, and pushing past that feeling is not advised.

Turns out, it's not just new Beaconites that are turning up all over the place. The automated system is doing its best, but, there's some kinks to work out. The good news is, there's supplies coming into Beacon after almost two months of nothing! The bad news is, the supplies are showing up all over the place, with no rhyme or reason.

There are blankets and clothing items scattered on the dilapidated track of the Euthanasia coaster. There's a pile of food in the midst of the mostly destroyed sculpture garden, almost looking like an artistic statement on consumerism. Need some new tools? Hope you like climbing, because they seem to be precariously balanced in the branches of trees. There's a fax machine settled by the Bonfire, and nobody really knows what that's about.

Whatever it is you find, it's all helpful things that the residents of town could probably use. Though, admittedly, it'd be more helpful if it were in a place it could be used. Just like cargo off the ferry, it'd be a good idea to haul all this stuff from its landing place to the store, or wherever else it might be helpful. Or for those feeling less charitable, just grab what looks good and squirrel it away. Surely nobody is around to mind that you're helping yourself to more than your fair share!

As a final warning — tread with caution. Because with everything appearing at relative random, the next place it appears could be directly above you. And nobody wants to be under a pile of building materials when it ultimately lands.

KATAKLYSMOS.

All around you are signs of a devastating flood. Debris is still washed up against trees and buildings, walls have been knocked over, roofs caved in, and there's even a massive sinkhole in the Town Hall. Sandbags and trenches decorate the salvaged buildings.

And to the forest spirits, this seems to be cause for celebration! Are they excited that everything flooded? Are they just trying to cheer people up? Is this some festive holiday they've adopted from previous Beacon residents? Hard to say. But little pop-up booths reminiscent of a street market start to take shape around town, made out of collapsed homes and downed trees. The spirits offer snacks and drinks (probably pilfered from whatever was left of the sorry supplies, so think sliced spam and Tang), and "souvenirs" of people's ruined personal belongings that had washed out of their homes.

The best part, though? Water-based activities, fun for the whole family! Yes, the spirits are running around with buckets full of water to dump on everyone! Congrats, you survived the flood, here's more water! Watch out - if they can't find buckets they might just steal your shoes or hat and fill those with water instead!

As with most forest spirit prompts, feel free to NPC them yourselves - they're of slightly above animal intelligence and will come up with inventive ways to get you soaking wet when you least expect it.

network prompts

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.

So you've found yourself in Beacon's eternal darkness. Well done! One of the first things most do here is check out the folding tablet they arrived with. On opening it, a prompt requests that you enter a network username.

But the instant you hit "OK", the screen redirects you to a welcome app. Which seems like it should be a good thing! But whether you select that you'd like it to be read aloud or if you would rather read it yourself, it seems to be a completely glitchy, bizarre mess. Parts are barely readable, but some parts look perhaps intentionally altered. Surely this isn't how the people of Beacon intended to welcome you, right?

Once it finishes, or once you manage to close out of it (a challenge, perhaps, since finding the right button on the screen to touch is difficult - the X shifts, the screen gets covered in static, and what is that sound) the network opens, prompting you to read the latest posts or make a post of your own.

WHISPERS IN THE DARK.

It's late. Or it feels late, it's always hard to tell in Beacon. Something pulled you from sleep, or whatever you were working on. A whisper, just nearby. A familiar voice, quiet and distant, and getting increasingly louder.

After some investigation, it becomes apparent the voice is coming from the tablet. There's a cryptic post, asking simply Do you hear me? And any time that particular post is pulled up, the voices won't stop.

The voices are distinctly ones that seem familiar. Maybe someone you've met in Beacon. Maybe someone you knew before then. Maybe it's someone you shouldn't be able to hear at all, and yet, you do.

There's no chance at actual conversation, though — the voice is simply asking if it can be heard. Softly, at first. A tinge confused, in some cases. The confusion escalates and is tainted by panic, as the voice keeps calling for an answer, an acknowledgment, that seems impossible to give. Even as the voice begs to be heard, please, please just say you can hear me, even as it fades into screams of frustration or terrified tears, no amount of response seems to break through.

The comments are open — maybe you can get your answers that way?

QUICKNAV
comms	\|	network • logs • memes • ooc
pages	\|	rules • faq • taken • mod contact • player contact • calendar • setting • exploration • item requests • full nav

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I am not ready. I am not ready for more of this.

[She takes a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She's dead, after all, so what is there to worry about, really?]

But the last wave washes over all of us. I suppose I cannot fight this, not really.

[It's similar to the acceptance of the situation that he had to find in his first month here, and so he nods. She's practical and perceptive, and he can appreciate that.

A few minutes more finds them at the edge of downtown. The old buildings emerge from the trees, which are still oppressively close in the darkness. Concrete streets and plazas haven't really stood the test of time and decay well at all. Despite this, most of the buildings still look in decent shape, if a little bit weather-battered. He passes the hotel and its fountain, and notes the door still needs repairing - he'll have to get on that if nobody else has.

Ahead sits Kickaxe Brewing Company, though, and it's a cozy enough spot. He stumbles a little on the broken pavement as they walk up, then heaves the large garage-like front door open, which protests with a whine and grind of rusting metal. The bottom floor here looks a little barren, but someone has grabbed a few of the chairs from upstairs and set them at the bar downstairs, and those are in pretty good shape. He motions to them, but sits himself on the floor. Tiny chairs don't mix well with him, and when sitting on the ground he's still about as tall as anyone standing, anyway. He's used to it.]

This is the north end of town, these buildings here. Safer than the middle of the woods.

[Maybe. Safer by a slim margin, but he'll take it.]

If you hear music, this is a good place to hide. The door slides down easier than it goes up, and the Parade won't find you in here if you're still and quiet.

Edited 2020-06-10 00:47 (UTC)

[Merwen looks at the chair a moment, considering it; furniture like that isn't exactly the norm where she's from. She could sit on the floor as well, but his height would make conversation difficult. Very well. She'll take the indicated chair. That seems the most polite, anyway.]

It is good to know of at least one safe place, then.

[For a moment, she just breathes, trying to steady herself.]

What is the meaning of the music? Is it the spirits?

Yeah. We call them "The Parade". A bunch of spirits that roam around town, playing music and dancing. If you hear it, it makes you want to join. I know of at least one person who did, and he died, though I never got the details. Stuff your ears and tie yourself down, if you need to, and don't let them find you.

[His own few encounters have all been terrifying enough even with his sound manipulation abilities. It has to be much worse for those who can't just block out the music. It would help, of course, to know the full extent of what happens to those who join those dancing spirits but from how cagey Masaomi was about his experience, it can't be anything pleasant.]

[Well, that's mildly horrifying.
Merwen presses her lips together.]

If I put myself in whitetrance, in theory I should be safe. Of course, testing that comes with very high stakes.

[She shakes her head.]

And what happens if we die in this land of the dead?

Uh... Right now, that's a good question. Used to be there was a scientist here. Dr. Solis. She's the one who invented the portal, and the lanterns. She knew how to repair lanterns and bring back people who died here. Something about putting the light of their spirit back in the lantern, I guess. But she disappeared while working on some project, and now we're trying to figure out how to do what she did ourselves, and none of us are exactly experienced at it like she was. Even when she was bringing people back, the odds of returning were around thirty percent.

[Thanks to his own extensive records, which had initially begun out of curiosity and now are just something he keeps up with. It will be even more important now, since tracking their own effectiveness with repairs will possibly help them get better at doing so.]

It seems like if you die here, your lantern takes a beating and the more often it happens, the harder it is to fix. It changes you, too. Cracks in your lantern mean - well.

[He'll just show her. It's no secret anymore. His own lantern has its dents and scrapes, and he tugs the collar of his shirt down far enough to reveal where his sternum and the ends of his collar bones protrude through the skin.]

If your lantern's not right, you're not either. She was trying to fix that.

Edited (lmao sure did accidentally switch format there) 2020-06-10 03:22 (UTC)

By Shora.

[Well, that's horrifying. She stares just slightly too long, then wrenches her gaze upwards to his face.]

That is what this world shares with us? This world has a sickness, far more than I realised.

Does it cause you pain?

[It certainly looks like it could be painful. She leans forward in her chair, her eyes on his face, searching.]

No. I had a doctor look at it and it seems all right. It doesn't make sense, but it doesn't hurt, either.

[He'll just... skip the part where it's his entire ribcage like that, on top of his skin, intersecting and overlapping with muscle, and not just a few bones. His point has been made.]

I don't know what else can happen. It's not often people die several times over here anyway. I've pushed my luck pretty far.

[Yes, spare her, because she's only just arrived. Give her a chance to adjust at least a little. Merwen sighs, pulling her feet up to sit on the chair cross-legged, long webbed hands resting on the ankles of long webbed feet.]

I thought initially that we had been reborn, not as infants but as ourselves in this world instead of our own. Now I see it is something even more... unnatural. We defy death, persisting in a way we should not. And we pay the price for it, it seems. I am sorry, Rosinante.

Don't need to apologize. Just be careful, and take care of the people around you. Thankfully, most here know it's important to stick together.

[How many have wandered off alone and died? It's the ones who stuck together who survived, so of course they know its value. He can't guess at which causes which but hopefully survival, or what passes for it here, is itself convincing.

He turns to look back at the bar, but it's as empty as it was weeks ago. Nobody turned up any surprise alcohol cache? Shame.]

It's not all doom and gloom. I know it sounds like that. I'm trying to make sure you hear the important parts. But people here are good. I'd love to see this town come back to life a little more again.

Then this is a matter of healing. The healing of an entire world seems like no small feat, and I am no lifeshaper.

[She shakes her head.]

Still, I suppose I am here, and I must do what is right.

It's not so bad.

[They do manage to have fun here, despite it all. He has friends, somehow, which is something even at home he never really had the luxury of, barring a few brief exceptions like blips of light in his life. He has learned so much from these people and this place, and he has a purpose beyond the one he died with.]

I would never have thought I'd want extra time. When I died, I was... all right with that. I figured, I'd done my best and that was going to have to be good enough. But I'm glad I got all this extra time, now.

[A part of him is still just excited to know how much more is out there in those stars hanging above. Entire worlds full of people and stories. Little bright islands in a very dark sea.]

[She nods, understanding.]

I was lingering at the Final Door. I must have stepped through it, as I am here, but it is difficult to remember the moment. I was ready to die, though, as I feel I have shared all I know, and I was ready to let the ocean take my body. Yet, I am here, with new versions of old problems, and... perhaps there are worse things. I will not see my lovesharer or our daughters again, but I was prepared for that, anyway.

[That's tough. She must have it harder than he does. He left Law behind, but Law is smart and thanks to Pluto, he knows the boy grows up and finds his own future. He left Sengoku behind too, and he feels awful about the circumstances for his adoptive father does not deserve to have lost a son, but Rosinante manipulated and betrayed him in the end. Those he left will be fine without him. Leaving a lover and children is a different thing entirely.]

I'm sorry. I'm sure they'll remember you fondly.

[That's what's important, isn't it? It's all he'd asked for, in the end.]

I hope so.

[Still, she's noticeably deflated over at the thought. Merwen hangs her head, staring down at her hands. The last thing she ever wanted was to be cut off from everyone she knows for ever like this.]

But if I did step through the Final Door, it... may have been a mistake.

[There's likely nothing more he can say to reassure her, he figures. Some arrive having accepted death, others struggle. Usually he lets them work it out in silence once he's offloaded them to somewhere they want to stay, but usually they're human and expect things like clothes and shelter and have a desire to attempt some sort of normality as if they hadn't just died.

Different is good, but it leaves him at a bit of a loss, and so he stays quiet for a little while, watching the darkness outside. At least he's comfortable with dark and quiet in general.]

I should probably keep looking for people and supplies. With everything scattered like this, there's a lot of work to do. You should be safe enough here for now, and if you need anything, send out a message to the network, or look at the map that's in the tablet.

[He glances over, hoping that sounds all right.]

Yes, of course. I am sorry, you do not need to share my grief. Thank you for your help, Rosinante. I appreciate it, but I will not take up any more of your time.

[Merwen rises, taking up her lantern again.]

I will find a safe and quiet place here, and perhaps go into whitetrance for a time. You have helped me greatly.

Glad I could help, then. If you want, the Landmark Hotel we passed should be safe, but might be busier than here. Depends on if you want people around. Downtown in general should be all right, though.

[As far as he knows, anyway. Things do change, but most of the hostile creatures that lurked in some of these buildings have by now been killed or chased out of town.

He stands, too, but he'll let her leave first. Less awkward than them both walking off and somehow ending up going the same direction.]

Good luck. I'll see you around.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TEST DRIVE MEME #01

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