Test Drive

[uploadedmods]

TEST DRIVE 001


-TDM threads can be considered game canon if players involved agree & if it suits any roles you may decide to choose for the current plot.
-Any reserving player that does not submit an app by Saturday morning will be subject to challenging applicants.
-Participation in the Test Drive is worth a flat 10 points per month rather than per thread, and you must have a minimum of 5 comments in that month to qualify for it.
-This TDM is good for the duration of the Mist setting. A new TDM will go up before the next setting.

The NETWORK for this setting is a voice-only walkie talkie system that can be used to communicate between all locations. The default channel will be open to all walkie talkies, but characters can change to an unused channel for private conversation.
of note: There seems to be something strange about these walkie talkies, in that there is no static. The quality is disturbingly crystal clear, like the person you're speaking to is right next to you instead of miles away.

CONTENT WARNING: Some prompts contain gore, character death, and substance abuse.

Reserves will open on Saturday, September 8 until Saturday, September 15
Applications will open Saturday, September 15 until Saturday, September 22

General Prompts


The lights above you are a blindingly, pristine white. The walls around you curve up into the ceiling like the inside of an MRI machine. Your hands, feet, and midsection are strapped to a clinical table, and minutes seem to tick by, with no clear course for escape presenting itself to you.

The curved white space above you flickers with color, and a perfect square like a television screen expands before your eyes. It pans over what appears to be a town, something small and simply populated.

“Hello, and welcome to your first setting,” a neutrally cadenced feminine sounding voice begins, riding the line between human and machine. As she speaks, captions of the text type themselves in neat and perfect Arial font. “The location is loosely based off Bridgton, Maine, United States of America, Earth. The year is 2007. You have been selected to participate. Obedience ensures an enjoyable and immersive experience for our audience. If you have been granted a role, instructions will follow. Do not talk about the role. Do not attempt disobedience. If you have not been granted a role, your objective for this round is simple: survive.”

After that, the shackles may release promptly and allow your character to roam free. Or perhaps not — perhaps they've been given a role to play, and if so, further instructions will play out upon the screen. Once suitably briefed, characters will be released to their own devices. Beware the mist.

CHECK OUT THE CURRENT SETTING PAGE FOR DETAILS ABOUT THE LOCATION.

learn from the mistakes of others

A pair of unperturbed mall inhabitants decide to chance the mist. They're the first of a handful to trickle out the front doors, and they seem to get by just fine. About a minute ticks by, and they disappear completely into the dense fog that presses in from every direction. It's so anticlimactic that for a moment it almost seems stupid to feel uncomfortable by the sight of it.

Until precisely one half of a body is hurled abruptly and with great force from an indeterminate point in the obscurity. It's not a top half or a bottom half; no, it's a cleanly sliced left half, head to toe as though a neat line were cut down the middle. It slams into the transparent glass doors and crumples before them, still and obviously unmoving, slowly leaking.

After a few seconds, a dark tendril of something reaches out, curls around the jutting left ankle, and drags it with painstaking slowness back into the fog.

At least the rest of them probably made it, right?

Right?

Hopefully you weren't one of the others to follow their lead. If you were, that dark shape seems to be closing in awfully quick.

eff this, let's bounce

A pair of car keys can be found discarded or perhaps dropped in their owners' haste. Braving the mist when it's at its lightest and pressing the key fob will cause a car to beep politely, flashing lights to indicate its location in the fog. Take anyone willing to go with you and pile in. Try to get the hell out of dodge!

An excellent idea....

Within five miles of the car's journey the battery will die and the engine will stall. Consider yourselves effectively stranded and with no one but yourselves to blame. Perhaps help will come if you wait long enough? Hours, surely no more than a few days... Maybe you should consider braving the fog to get back? Five miles can feel like a hundred in conditions like these.

Either way, it seems like you're trapped in the car for about as long as R. Kelly got trapped in the closet during that one unfortunate CD.

radio chatter

Characters in the library and the church will be able to communicate via walkie talkie radio chatter immediately! Characters in the mall will not have this ability until later in the month, so any network style threads with a mall character will take place during Week Two of the October plot or later, after most people have already been fully introduced to the setting and given time to adapt.

Roles

Employee of the Month (Multiple)

Some characters will be printed wearing a designated kiosk uniform, their name sloppily stickered in slightly crooked letters onto a Dippin' Dots badge, or whatever store they may happen to be assigned to. The cool voice that introduces them to the mist will carry on to tell them that they'll be playing employee # _____ in this month's immersive experience. Their motivations and objectives are simple: go to work.

Except the role seems to be bugged, because they can never not go to work. If they leave the five or six foot radius of their designated post they'll begin to experience consequences, which worsen in severity based on distance and duration. The role doesn't end at mall closing, it doesn't end on Saturdays, it simply doesn't end. Hopefully next month's code push will have a bug fix; we apologize for the inconvenience.

(If choosing to keep these threads as game canon, the role will wear off within the first in-game week)

Aggravated Assault

Congratulations, participant! You will be playing the role of a CONVICTED FELON having recently been released on parole. Your motivation for this month's immersive experience is frustration. Having undergone hard time, you'll find that we have increased your aggression and temper characteristics, and lowered your inhibitions. Your objective is to find and begin an altercation with Snuff the Rooster, who will be playing the role of the person who turned you in, NARK. Your altercation must take place in a public space with witnesses, and may not stop until Snuff the Rooster is unconscious, evicted from the mall, or someone intervenes.

Thank you for your participation!

Consequences for not completing the objective in this role can be moderate to severe.

Snuff the Rooster

Congratulations, participant! You will be playing the role of NARK. Formerly a close friend and ally of CONVICTED FELON from Aggravated Assault, you were quick to roll on them during police questioning in exchange for your freedom. Your motivation is to turn over a new leaf, and get your shit together. Your objective is to survive the altercation.

Thank you for your participation!

The Lovers (Duo Role)

Congratulations, participant! You will be playing one half of a partnership role! Please seek out (character 2). Your motivation this round is love, and the need to protect your partner from threats both inside and outside of the mall. Your objectives is to greet your lover with a kiss and place them above all others. Do not act like strangers.
Consequences for not completing the objective in this role or failing to present a convincing couple can be mild to moderate.

Pathological

Congratulations, participant! You will be playing a background character in our current setting. Your motivation is to tell lies; at least one third of what you say must be unarguably untrue. Your objective is to keep these lies from being discovered as false.
Consequences for not complying with this role can vary from mild to severe, with the compulsion to tell larger and larger lies growing as time goes on.

Scared Speechless

Congratulations, participant! You will be playing a background character in our current setting. You may choose one person, stranger or otherwise. This is the only person you may communicate with, either verbally or through writing.
Consequences for not complying with this role are severe.

Glitches

potency error

Someone seems to have miscalculated the relative strength of intoxicants; all inhibition-altering substances seem to have been cranked up to eleven. One shot has the strength of three, though the taste seems to stay exactly the same. One or two drinks will quickly creep up on you. One of the joints found discarded in the bathroom trashcans will easily green you out. God forbid you've got anything stronger.

greatest movie of all time

Settling in to the relatively nice theater found at the far end of the mall is a decent way to make the time go by. The projectors are automated, and there are six different theaters that show flicks at scheduled times.

Except that every single one of them is showing Spider-Man 3. Every single one, every single showing, no matter what is advertised, becomes Spider-Man 3. That's how you know this is a horror game. Hope you didn't wander in by mistake because the doors will shut behind you and leave you to watch the entire showing. Please keep your feet off of the seats.

please replace toner cartridge

It seems there was an error in printing someone this first time around; everything came through but the visuals somehow. Your character is flesh and blood, fully formed, wearing tangible clothes even, but are completely invisible. Donning additional clothing causes it to clip out and then promptly disappear. Taking clothes off will cause them to reappear. Hopefully this gets fixed in the next lite patch.

(If choosing to keep these threads as game canon, the glitch will wear off within the first in-game week)

code bases by tricklet

Comments

[becomesenpai]

[Oh. Oh that was lovely, the way he paled, the way he hurt himself again to try and pull away, how he just gave her an excuse to hold tighter...

What a good hero.]

Me~! I got here just the same as you, I'd think. Waking up strapped in a big pod, watching a movie, being sent on my way here... [A sigh, and she leans her head on his shoulder like they're on far friendlier terms.]

I'm so glad I found you~~

[Small mercies: she hasn't been to the sporting goods store yet. Ergo: she's unarmed.]

[relieable]

[why is she shouting into the walkie-talkie? Osomatsu leans back a little when her voice comes blasting through on his end]

A disc jockey, ma'am! I play tunes on the radio, entertain the listeners. Stuff like that. [a beat, then] Over!

[singingwhilecrying]

Perfect! Mr. Pine, would you be able to tune this radio towards the nearest authority signal? Police, military, emergency services, any will be fine! [ One can just hear the congratulatory fist-pump she gives herself, both in just how loud she's still being, and in how hilariously wide she missed the meaning of 'tunes'.

Worse yet, at this rate, she's going to start deafening anyone in both locations. ]

I will hold off for now on the entertainment, thank you. Over!

[lightsped]

[ Amilyn's brow furrows as he greets her- not the Han she remembers. Not the Han she knew.

A much younger one. ]

Yes. [ She purses her lips. ] I'm sorry- you are... not quite the Han Solo I remember.

[shipyards]

Makes sense, cuz I don’t know you. Must be this place.

[He presses his own lips together before brushing off a hand to extend to her.] Suppose it’s nice to meet someone from back home though.

[velocispider]

[ Makishima stares up at him. Everything about this guy is huge. In a way, he reminds Makishima of his teammate Tadokorocchi, and that, in and of itself is strangely comforting. Also because it gives him something for his attention to fixate on, beyond the carnage and the (other people) screaming.

He starts to nod...

But just then, out of the corner of his field of vision not completely blocked by not-Tadokorocci, he can see a tendril of something dark twisting towards them. His eyes go wide. ]

MMMM! MMMMMMM!

[basking]

[The Chevalier lets out a relieved sigh. If this new lover of his were his own sweetheart's brother, that would have been far too cruel a game. Even for this place. He smiles at the man and bows.]

My King. I am glad to see you. This place is confusing indeed, in all its splendour. [The Chevalier wouldn't say anything of course, but with its vast expanse and walls of windows, it almost puts Versailles to shame.]

[vengaboy]

[Uh, he's pretty sure that the only important thing is that he can hear well enough to tell when someone can't sing... Who the hell is this guy?]

You don't have to act out just because you're jealous. I can save the first dance for you, Smooth Pine.

[flowerclip]

Aliens! Right! [She stands up straighter again] Because, that's gotta be what happened, right!? I mean... Everything's so... [She looks around, leaning against the counter on her elbows again and frowning down at the remains of her pretzel dog. She eats the rest of it in a sort of sullen contemplation.]

It's a lot more advanced than anything I've seen. I can't wrap my head around any of this. [She trails off, frowning.]

lovers!

[pharmaka]

Circe is not so resistant to playing her role. She's deeply alarmed -- not ashamed to admit she's afraid, either -- but as an immortal being, the concept of biding one's time for the opportune moment to rebel is first instinct to her. When she's disoriented and at odds and completely devoid of all of her spell ingredients is not the time to test whatever force is at work here.

So, alright. She can find a 'lover' of hers in this strange, broken down village of men. Whoever it is could not possibly rival Hermes for infuriating her. Circe tells herself this to combat the tightening in her gut that says it is, in fact, very possible they are worse than Hermes.

No. Play her role. Deal with what comes.

She goes about tentatively exploring, her wariness more like a mortal's than a goddess's manner, and she scrunches her face up in distinct displeasure at this cavalier treatment when she does at last run into her lover. Circe is not much of a goddess, in truth: she has a messy braid over her shoulder, is distinctly uncomfortable in her modern garments, and there is no telling resonance to her voice at all. She mostly just sounds plaintive.

"You may perhaps attempt to address me rather than the ceiling, if you wish to please the creator of this scheme."

[relieable]

[she's still shouting]

L-like I said... I don't know how to reach the authorities! I dunno if they're listening to us. Over!

[relieable]

[uh]

Are you callin' me an ugly bastard, you ugly bastard?

[what a comeback]

[lightsped]

I was hoping the confusion was only memory related...

[ She breathes out and accepts the hand, giving it a firm shake. ] Rest assured, we are on speaking terms in your future.

[ As she lets go of his hand, she glances around and offers up a smile. ] Looks like you've found quite a few supplies around here. That's good.

[vengaboy]

Hey, hey. Cool it. Looks aren't everything. I haven't even met you face-to-face yet, but now I can hardly wait.

[AW YES BACK IN THE MOOD TO FIGHT. Just in a petty manbaby way this time.]

radios... IRL??

[pharmaka]

Circe could not look more out of place. She's used to garments she's made herself, not just hand-sewn but spun and dyed, the yarn from wool she harvests from her own sheep. Literal centuries to herself on Aeaea have turned a necessity into a pleasant past time for her, and the clothes are the least of what she's left behind. She barely recognizes anything here.

That may be evident in how tensely she holds herself, standing nearby in her fresh-out-of-the-3D-printer standard attire. She waits politely for Tex to finish speaking into her radio nonetheless.

"May I trouble you for an explanation of what that device is? I am not familiar with it." There's a lot of adjusting she needs to get started on-- immediately.

[relieable]

[what does... that even mean... Osomatsu squints at the walkie-talkie]

Why...?

mistakes

[pharmaka]

"A monster, I imagine," Circe answers, remarkably matter-of-fact. Life as a Greek goddess has prepared her not at all for this specific scenario, nor even for the clothes she's wearing, but the monsters? The mysterious mists, the demanded roles?

Those parts almost feel like home.

Even so, her voice is tight with suppressed fear. She has not gone near the exit; she surveys through the windows the gory remains of those who have gone before, expression grim. "It seems well-placed to keep us within this sprawling building."

lovers!

[pharmaka]

[ It actually relieves her immensely to have someone else in her assigned role duo who seems to be going with the program. Circe is, at heart, not a rebellious sort. She tries to uphold her duties no matter how difficult others make it for her, and she is afraid, very afraid, of what power those responsible for this must hold, to be capable of all of it.

She fully intends to comply with these demands, as best she can, unless she sees an opportunity to rebel that is not suicidal.

For now... ] Does any such place exist? [ she sighs, but with a wry answering smile, knowing better than to taunt the fates. There's a moment's awkward hesitation before she complies to take his hand. It has been a long time since she's touched a mortal man, and it was not pleasant then, but she has nothing against them. His hand is warm and real. Hers is calloused, worn from working the garden, and it looks foreign to her that it is devoid of dirt and dye smudges.

She tries to recall some of what it was like with Glaucus, back at the very beginning, eons ago. Tries to recapture some of that feeling. Circe feels as if she fails miserably, but goes on, ] I'm relieved to have found you. It was fearful to wake up here alone. [ That much is very true. ]

[shikomizue]

[Stopped in his path, Takasugi can only manage enough patience to allow Gintoki's monologue to finish. They'd all been ignorant virgins together - conversations he'd rather not remember, even when supping on sweet nostalgia. And Gintoki's cartography has always been piss-poor, somehow rendering his rambling descriptions of topography more useful than his scribbling.

Responses flood into his mind, but that's where they stop. Flicker and die, an old flame no longer strong enough to maintain. Everything's been burnt through, even the ash beneath consumed.

What flares up in its place is the memory of his fists cracking against Gintoki's skull.

They never had finished-

When Gintoki reaches for him, Takasugi pivots. Grabs the man's wrist to peel him away while drawing his filet knife and lunging forward with it - all one motion. With no hesitation, he's aimed for the man's eye.

No matter the connection, he pauses in his onslaught to hiss,] What do you say we settle our draw, Gintoki?

A

[pharmaka]

[ Circe is a goddess, and a nymph, and the renowned Witch of Aeaea, which all sound very impressive. Sounding impressive is about all she has going for her, she thinks dourly, without any of her herbs or spell ingredients here to assist her. She will have to start afresh, gather everything new, learn the voice and character of the elements of this place. It is slow, grinding, tedious work. Until then, there is nothing impressive about her at all.

Even so. She is a goddess and a witch and there is nothing remotely alarming to her about an invisible person (?) moving things about. She could hardly fail to notice it, with everything here new and freakish to her, and this one thing, it and the monsters, ringing familiar.

She says nothing the first time she observes it, but some time later, tired of being cooped up and useless in this haven, she says tartly to the air, ] It is quite rude to observe others without letting them know you are there. I request you introduce yourself.

[vengaboy]

[Capable, maybe, but his brand of calm is more "calm before the storm." Give it time.]

Hah. I couldn't just sit back here and let you have all the fun anyway. Looks like I have no choice but to go out there myself. You just tell me where they keep the horses around here.

[If she's going to bring up the hypothetical of her going out, then he's got to go even further and volunteer himself for real. Now it's a challenge, and he can't just let that pass him by. Besides, he's really curious about what could be capable of doing that to a human body. The Devil King himself? Here? Wherever here is? Hm.

He pauses in his bench-dragging to grab it by the edges of the seat and back and lift it high above his head with a groan of mild exertion. It's... an awkward carry, for sure. But this is faster.]

[apollogized]

[ Chris honestly didn't know. Maybe they could find a space place, maybe not. All he was certain of was that he didn't have a damned clue what he was doing. Playing along and hoping for the best, for now. ]

Yeah, for a second there I didn't think I'd find you either.

[ He leans in to kiss her, those were the rules, but keeps it light and chaste. Nowhere did it say that they had to make out, just put a lot of affection into what they were doing. Which he tried to do. Chris gently squeezes her hand, tipping his head as he looks around them. ]

Don't worry, though. We're together now.

[ Was that laying it on too thick? His brows pinch and he frowns, then rolls his shoulders and blows out a light breath. ]

Any idea which way we should go?

mistakes!

[pharmaka]

Circe is not the sort to waste time mincing words in a dangerous situation. To her eyes, a seventeen year old boy is a man grown, old enough to be married and off to war if he wishes, or ruling his kingdom if he is a prince. On the other hand, as a goddess, a seventeen year old boy seems impossibly young, so close to childhood it astonishes her that mortal parents let their children leave home at all.

And there is a protective streak in her for mortals that she has never managed to quash no matter how much grief it has brought her. Seeing him unresponsive, Circe reaches out and down to grab him by his shirt and drag him backwards if possible. She says sharply, loudly, in case it helps, "Move if you don't wish to meet the same fate! Fear only makes it sweeter for them."

She can't know that for sure, but given her own experience with gods and monsters, it seems impossible not to be true.

[yorozuya]

[The diversion in his trajectory sends Gintoki into high alert. His eyes widen, teeth clenching downward as he works against inertia to change his own movement. His own body slips to the right, and the filet knife slits just beyond its intended - knicking the flesh just off from the orbital and displacing his glasses.

It causes the man to hiss, and he's quick to hop backward to avoid a secondary strike. His stance widens to support himself and he reaches up to adjust his glasses. Blood dribbles down from the fresh cut, staining the jacket he had just intended to be borrow. Tch.]

Draw? Don't remember being the one eatin' dirt at the end there.

[This wasn't the time. God, for a Richie Rich, you sure suck at reading the atmosphere, huh?] So how 'bout a 'Fuck you,' instead?

[pharmaka]

[ She accepts the kiss with the still acceptance all gods learn, especially poor nymphs such as her with so little power of their own. Circe intensely dislikes this forced parody of affection, but there are so many things she dislikes here, it seems to come out in a wash. What is one more violation of her will, in a long string of them?

It is not this man's fault. He is as much victim as she. And right now, she has no way to defend herself, besides... ]

I am unfamiliar with any location like this, but away from the exits seems wise, [ she answers, as levelly as she can. ] There is... a lurking monster, of some sort, around the grounds. It is a consumer of flesh, and I am in no state to challenge it. [ The practical necessity of this discussion soothes away her discomfort with acting as lovers do. That seems so impossibly long ago and far away from her, as something she is capable of now. ]