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

[kiseijuu]

[ The response visibly leaves some sort of wave of relief washing over Shinichi, and he's taking a step closer without even realising it, the simple fact that this person is not one of them creating some sort of unspoken tether. At least, for him. (Which very likely means the other young man has just landed himself a stray dog that will be following him around from now on).]

The front doors?

[ That earns a pause, brow knitting in some mix of confusion and fear, always one to wear his emotions quite plainly on his face. And he's simply shifting closer; despite his tall frame, he's shrinking a bit towards the stranger. Never mind Migi very uncomfortably squirming a bit, as getting too close to anyone in this uncertain situation seems like a bad idea to him. ]

Are we.. under some kind of attack? I-I haven't heard any planes or anything like that. [ He's got the wrong kind of "attack" in mind, his first inclination being some sort of military-like explanation, perhaps. ]

[paenumbra]

Matt's smile faded a bit at Simon's less than enthusiastic expression regarding the year they met. It may not have been a good year for everyone but Matt figured Simon should have at least agreed with him that there was some good that year. It was best not to think too much about it, though. They had bigger mysteries to solve.

"I did. At first I thought perhaps you were getting inventive and trying to prank me, but then I remembered you're you and practical jokes aren't your thing."

There was a large thump against the glass doors at the end of the Mall. Something large and menacing slithered against the glass before disappearing into the mist. "I dont think I'll be taking a trip outside any time soon. I dont remember giant tentacle monsters taking over in 2007, do you? Or maybe I'm having a really fucked up hentai hallucination."

[flowerclip]

DO you think I could get senior discounts though if I keep saying I'm 104? [Discounts are too good to pass up, okay. She'll milk this if she needs to!

But she nods a little.] I completely freaked out when I first woke up, but even I can't keep that up forever. Eventually it just... became something I had to accept, you know? Just take it one step at a time! Ahah...

[honestly, what other choice did she really have? That thing in the beginning had said to survive and she couldn't really do that if she was flipping out like that the entire time, so...

Petunia pauses and then leans in conspiratorially, voice lowering to a whisper as if she's about to drop the utmost of covert information.] What's a cell phone? [Nailed it.]

ritsu sakuma ☾ ensemble stars!

[nemuru]

「employee of the month」

(a. the worst, actually)
[ ritsu hates working even normally, so to be literally trapped into it... is terrible.

at least the objective is "go to work" and not "actively participate in work"; he's bored out of his mind, and there's nowhere comfortable to sleep (a longing look at where he Knows the massage chairs are), but he can make it work. he's slept in worse places. like the gardens (very nice), or on the studio floor (the futon he had the transfer student bring is a lot nicer).

the people who bother him though—who Dare to ask he do his job as a bible selling kiosk person—get a dismissive wave and a grumble. and. there's not a lot of those, npc-wise, but there's enough— ]

Leave me alone, won't you..? I'm not used to being up this early... You're lucky I even showed up today.

[ where's maakun when you need him to soak up your busywork..... never mind the fact he literally couldn't have not shown up but, hm, you know. ]

(b. whatever, surely consequences can't be that bad)
[ except, surprise surprise, they are. it isn't so terrible at first—he can walk a decent way before he can't handle the dizziness and aches that come with being away from the bibles. carrying them and pretending he's just going off to sell them to some people at the end of the lane doesn't seem to trick the role either.

he's sitting at the edge of his six foot boundary, looking very pale and very not good. he's tried leaving a lot (those massage chairs.), and he just... cannot bring himself to go back to the kiosk proper, so being at the very edge of where he can be is good enough for right now. even if there are some confused npcs trying to get his attention, and he's definitely being a bit of an obstacle for normal mall walkers. ]

「wildcard」

((good for anything else though tbh! he's just a bit of a new muse for me so i decided to limit my own starter, whoops...))

[officerzeppelin]

Dean was at the same time relieved and a little hurt that the man had relocated. It was weird that he'd chosen a seat next to him in the first place, but to get up and choose another seat after they'd begun chatting? And then to turn around and continue the conversation? Who was this guy?

"Yeah, you know - the book you were talking about? The Spider by, uh, Bob Seger?" He was starting to think maybe he'd misspoken. How could one guy be both an iconic singer-songwriter and have written something that inspired such a great comic franchise?

[singingwhilecrying]

[ Pearl certainly doesn't listen. Not for the first few protests. But she does at least offer rebuttal. She isn't just going to ignore the poor boy. ] Out of the question! Even if you weren't barred by most child labor laws, this is no condition to continue working. I can't just let this continue!

[ The crack immediately stops any insistent pulling though. ] ... What was that? [ Her neck cranes to look back to the human trying to latch on for dear life to the kiosk, and her eyes near immediately draw to the newly injured finger.

Suddenly realizing her mistake, Pearl rips her hands away from Midoriya, instead slapping them over her own mouth to try and (poorly) hide her shock. At least it finally means she listens to Midoriya, but she looks like she's about ready to fall over. Why does she always end up hurting children she's trying to help? ]

The simulation!? [ Finally, someone who actually mentions that! Pearl has been so used to keeping secrets and assuming people know less than her that until now... she's pretty much just played along. Sure, she has been thinking of what it all means and how to solve a way out, but this is the first time those thoughts seem to come out from another person. Everyone else seemed so... content?

And then she remembers that warning. Play your role. The way that voice spoke in such a familiar Diamond-like tone. The injuries... it suddenly makes sense. It's Homeworld all over again, isn't it?

Pearl crouches back to Deku, covering his mouth with one hand and taking his injured hand into the other. ] Shh! I understand now. Please, whatever you do, don't say that anymore! We can't talk about that voice, this game, those rol—

[ Oops. Just as she disobeys her own warning, confirmation comes in the form of a sudden crack of her own. The gemstone on her forehead cracks neatly along its side, forcing Pearl to shut up more than fast enough. Her grip on Midoriya tightens, and she sports a shocked expression for a few moments before realizing what happens. The pain is absolutely horrid, but she tries to smile and laugh it off. ] O...OH! Well! Whoopsie-daisy! Let's just! Settle down and keep calm, right?

[sapphicvamp]

[ Carmilla laces her fingers with the other girl's, grateful for the ease of how things were going. At some point, maybe she'd be able to talk to her about it, assure her this wasn't how she normally went about things.

But also- this was kind of nice. ]

That is something I can definitely help with.

[ Even if she's not half as strong as she should be, she should still be stronger than most of the humans around. ] Lead the way~

[protagonized]

Simon ignores the jab about his lack of a sense of humor. Maybe because it’s true.

“It’s the movie.” Matt gives him a blank look, so Simon continues, “You know, The Mist. Based on the Stephen King book. We’re in it. Or whatever the hell is going on is pretending we are. The fog and the monsters in the fog—hell, I can’t remember exactly when it came out but what do you want to bet it was 2007? We’re in the movie.”

There’s more people gathering by the doors now, this time with—

“Where the fuck did they find those guns? This can’t end well.”

greatest movie

[nemuru]

It's not that bad.

[ ...granted, this is coming from someone who has decided that three of the movie seats in front of Val are like, His now, and he's stretched across them (turned away from the movie) like a proper cat? But anyway. ]

Once you get used to it, it's pretty easy to just sleep through... Though it'd be a lot easier if I had an eye mask or something.

[ The bright lights are... bothersome, even turned away... Loud noises are too, but he can sort of deal with that; he can sleep through Knights' bullshit, not to mention the literal construction of a stage, so. ]

[singingwhilecrying]

[ Another one? Pearl has noticed quite a few people acting so... odd in this environment. Takasugi's insistence of her 'acting' the part or that mention of 'they' only assures her that he must be one of the few who didn't seem to heed the opening warnings so well.

It's not as if she's devoted to them herself, but she also knows not to put herself in danger just to make small talk with some intimidating stranger. ]

... I have no idea what you're talking about. [ Pearl lets out a small huff, turning her head and trying to think of if there's any way to twist her words to avoid punishment. After all, she's far too petty to just act like she's out of the know. ]

Even if this is some set-up, I don't see a reason to agitate or disregard everyone else! There's clearly real danger out there. Planned or not, these people are actually afraid, and stirring those emotions can only lead to actual danger!

[verbo]

Dude, you're like, not watching it. That's cheating, but also the best way to deal with it.

[ She looks back up to Toby McGuire's awful hip convulsions for a moment. ]

I wonder though, if someone just zones out and spends all the time here, you're not actually breaking any of their rules. Interesting...

Then again, choking on my popcorn. Very tempting.

[singingwhilecrying]

[ Pearl lets out one loud sniff, noting almost immediately after that she's starting to bleed from her nose, too. She certainly is feeling less gung-ho about this prospect of delving into the fog, but she also feels committed to this voice on the radio. Is it still worth a shot? ]

Huh? Oh, me? Nonsense! Don't worry; I'm fine! Just, you know! Curiosity! [ Her sentences breaking up is certainly not a good way to act like things are fine. ]

But what do you mean by weird? If you don't mind explaining, Mr. Pine.

[paenumbra]

Matt didn't watch a lot of horror movies on his own. They were best watched in the company of an attractive friend or significant other. Matt didn't have either of those in 2007 so The Mist wasn't one he had the pleasure of seeing. He instinctively took a step back from the group of angry people with mean looking weapons, not needing his extrasensory perception to tell him that shit was going to go south very quickly.

"If this is the movie, then is this some sort of 4-D interactive experience? I can think of a million other films I'd rather star in than a Stephen King movie. Something a bit more sexy and less murdery."

themoreyouknow.gif

[nemuru]

[ Ritsu actually regrets making eye contact with this guy—he'd been looking for somewhere to sort of slink off and avoid people, and the library's never been an enemy to him. Tsumugi's the committee member for it at school, after all, and really, not a ton of people go to it...

The request makes him pout a little, though he plops down next to the table (not on it, not in a chair, next to it) and, after a moment, crawls beneath it. A good spot. ]

As long as you don't tell anyone else I'm here, sure... Whatever. [ ...He doesn't actually have to do work if he doesn't want to, and he really doesn't want to?

But he's his unit's strategist for a reason; idols and survival in some place like this might be worlds apart, but that doesn't mean he can't still do what he does best and collect a little information. ] Think we'd actually get anywhere though...?

mistakes

[verbo]

What, you could say that's all he's got left, got it?

[ Too soon? Maybe too soon. ]

C'mon, everyone was thinking that. Well, everyone capable of thinking, I'm not completely sure you're all not just preprogrammed NPCs.

[ And as in cue, she squints at Winnie. Are you real? You have that dreamy, floaty look that doesn't inspire much confidence in Val. ]

[nemuru]

[ He's good at finding loopholes, he knows. Ritsu hums thoughtfully, then tilts his head back to also... watch those awful hip convulsions... before he decides yes, staring at the chair is way better, and goes back to doing that.

...Well, technically, he's staring at the back of his eyelids, given he's decided to close his eyes again but—details, probably. ]

Mmm, think of it like this... [ He very lazily raises a hand, waving slightly with a sigh. ] Is this movie worth dying over?

[noblebeast]

[ Bakugou watches him return to his notes in silence. A pang of anger twists his stomach at the fact that he doesn't take the bait and fires back. If there's one thing Bakugou's good at it's reacting. It's what makes him a strong fighter. He's got good instincts, a head for tactics and the capability to use his power to their full potential. So long as he has a clear opponent, he can destroy them. But here, he doesn't have that. There's no clear enemy, no one to fight or destroy.

Only the fog.

He's been out in the thick of it more than once, each time trying to figure out a way to circumvent the stipulations that kept them here. And each time the fog rolled-in forcing him to retreat when blood started pouring. ]

You can't fight it. [ He looks up, his stance more stable than before. ] You fight the source. [ A declaration of war. ]

[ He stands more calmly. Confidant in his endeavor. He's ventured into the haze more than once not to understand what he's up against. ]

The density fluctuates. There's times when you can see 10ft out. You can move through when it's like that, but not for long. Soon, the fear and paranoia get to you. [ He hasn't been out there long enough for the hallucinations, yet. ]

It tends to thicken out of nowhere, going from light to moderate so you can only see a few feet ahead. [ A pointed look. ] When it's like that, you bleed from your nose, eyes, gums, ears, fingernails. Once you start bleeding you've only got 2 minutes to get out without incurring any serious blood loss.

[ A long pause, as if he's thinking how to say the next part. ]

There's dense fog too... I haven't encountered it yet. But from what I gathered. That's the same one that killed those guys at the start.

[sapphicvamp]

[ He's scared- it doesn't take a vampire to notice something like that. Carmilla pulls one knee up to her chest and rests her cheek there to watch him. ]

That sounds like the smartest answer I've heard. [ She glances at a few other people nearby, then back at him. Well, there was food here for her, but not necessarily for anyone else. ] I have a feeling most of them are here because it's the social thing to do.

[ She shrugs a shoulder, carefully ignoring his soaked legs and arm. Maybe it would come up later, but she didn't really care to ask why now. ] Food is down that way, though. If anything's decent, I don't know. I haven't gone to look yet. Half these people are acting like not a damn thing is happening outside- or in their heads.

[relieable]

[now Osomatsu's even more worried than before. he moves to the window to look out into the fog, as though he might be able to see Pearl wandering around. of course, he doesn't see anyone]

Just... a weird feeling, you know? When something doesn't feel right. It, like, made the hairs on the back of my neck, an' on my arms, stand up. Stuff like that. I just knew I didn't wanna be out there for very long.

[not to mention that there may or may not be a monster lurking out there]

[kiseijuu]

[ The smile that the young girl offers him somehow catches Shinichi so off-guard that it stuns him for a moment. To see a smile in this sort of situation (whatever exactly this situation is?) is so very unexpected. It's a small dose of kindness, warmth, humanity, and it touches him. He doesn't understand any of this, only that something horrible is going on, and he can only follow these bizarre instructions laid out before him.

And he isn't the only one. This girl is just as trapped as he is.

When she reaches for him, he draws closer, hugging her back. Despite everything, it actually feels very nice to have some human contact, and the hug he gives her is warmer than he anticipated it being. There's just a smidgen of desperation in it, and there are little tremours in his body, betraying how frightened he is by all of this, as he pulls back slightly after. ]

I...have been, too. Looking for you. Ah.. I was very worried about you.

[ He finally offers a little smile of his own, shaky as it is. Ordinarily, this would fluster the rather inexperienced young man when her arm moves to his waist and one of his does the same to her. But he's still so shaken by this whole thing, and afraid to feel the odd sickening movements in his stomach again, that he nods to the "I'm sorry", brows knitting together just briefly enough to convey that he is, too. ]

I would like that.

[ He turns his head and gently kisses the girl on her cheek, a soft peck that barely ghosts her skin. But it's too casual, like something siblings might do. This time the reaction is even more quick to strike, a pain in his abdomen that has Shinichi doubling over all of a sudden, coughing. He holds his glasses to his face as his coughs become more violent, and he can feel Migi shifting uncomfortably. The boy can only glance up to the girl to see if she's having any sort of bizarre reaction as well, his vision somewhat hazy. Whatever is moving inside of him hurts, and it frightens him, but despite this, there is worry in his expression for her. ]

[verbo]

Of course not. It might very well be the death of me if I have to watch it a third time, though.

[ She knows that, in theory, she could make a little loophole on her own to avoid having to even listen to the movie while in there, but Val isn't all that certain it wouldn't upset some higher power watching over. Better play it safe for the time being. ]

I might be assuming too much, but I get the feeling this movie isn't all that relevant to you as it is to me, culture wise. Lucky you, really.

[singingwhilecrying]

[ Pearl lowers the walkie-talkie a little, eyes clenching shut as that pounding headache just gets worse. Part of her wonders if she can listen close enough to hear the actual voice somewhere out there, some sign that she isn't potentially miles away from her mission.

But there's nothing there, even in the long pause that follows after he finishes talking. ] I don't think I can do this. [ Pearl mutters mostly to herself, doubts creeping up as her legs give out from under her. It's only been a few minutes, but she feels so tired, and the sound of her knees hitting concrete is followed by the radio temporarily being jostled as she catches herself from falling too far. ]

Has anyone else gone outside? [ Pearl tries to keep talking, hoping not to worry the receiver as she feels a distinct dread start to come to herself. ] Or has anyone been acting... strange there?

[nemuru]

[ WELL, SHE WOULDN'T BE WRONG... even if it was, he doesn't really go to the movies anyway, so. ]

Probably not. [ totally unbothered with saying so, too. ] There's a ton of wrird people at Yumenosaki, but we don't have any weirdos with spider powers.

[ .......okay. wataru might be able to do something similar but he's also. wataru. ritsu doesn't know him well enough to judge, but he was a friend of that thing he used to call his brother, so... ]

[relieable]

[what the hell is going on? Osomatsu grits his teeth as he stares out the window. he looks back at the other people who are with him]

No... Everyone's okay, I think. No one's gone outside. [this is starting to turn into some horror show, isn't it?] You... You should get back inside, too!

[verbo]

Eh, there's probably some variation of that running around my world. Or rather, crawling around some walls, whatever.

[ Big shrug, even if he can't see her. ]

I bet there's at least one thing that you wouldn't want to stay around for seconds no matter what, though. It's just not this garbo piece of film.