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

Food Court

[dyeordie]

Natasha is observing a Twinkie, sitting low in an uncomfortable plastic chair, her boots crossed and resting on the seat across the table. She raises an eyebrow at Coulson's question.

"Yes." And she would probably take those over the chemical reaction in her hands. She turns the plastic wrapper and her stomach growls as if to encourage her to eat it. "Have you ever tried head cheese?" she asks.

[cheffeur]

[He's quiet for a moment, considering-- but at least isn't far enough in his thoughts to disregard Noctis's need for reassurance. He lifts a hand to firmly clasp on Noctis's opposite shoulder, arm over him in a sort of protective, fraternal half-hug. He keeps it there as the prince withdraws into himself, battles with the words to find.

Honestly, he doesn't know what they've gotten into. Why it's, so far, only the two of them. Even where this is meant to be, as the locations named upon his waking had absolutely no meaning to him. Maine-- A mainland, perhaps? Though, names were often next to meaningless, so that was simply grasping at thoughts like straws. 'United States of America'-- well, the name of it seemed to obviously point to a collective of powers banded together, perhaps a union of nations. And, really, none of that mattered nearly as much as the machine's next words.

That obedience ensured that their audience was immersed and entertained. Implying they're little more than pawns and actors here. Unconsciously, his hand grips a little tighter.]

...I can't say. This place seems to defy sense on its most basic level.

[He struggles with giving up on trying to understand things-- after all, that's always been his role. To break down and analyze and understand motivations and nuances to be able to give his liege the best guidance possible. But in sure a strange, dire situation, understanding is almost extraneous. Knowing where they are won't necessarily bring them any better chances of getting out when they're completely removed from their own world.

At the last question, he lifts his head, finally looking back to Noctis, as opposed to distantly out into the thoroughfare in thought.]

Hm? Well, aside from the mild heart-attack you gave me, I feel well enough. Mostly perplexed and frustrated at this whole mess we're in. Though, I'll be honest-- since I awoke, I've been unable to access the Armiger.

[A pause, and he'll skip over the implications that had initially held- his initial fear and terror that something had happened to Noctis, as he was unable to feel that faint thread of magic connecting them to the Crystal's power through him.] Are you able to access your magic at all?

[because if it's just himself cut off, it's frustrating, but fine.... If it's both of them, he'll have to reassess things altogether. But perhaps it would make sense... if they're in another world, and the Crystal itself is not. Perhaps even the power of the Astrals cannot extend this far.]

[middlechilde]

Like most people, I'm a dabbler.

[She only belongs to a powerful occult organization that saves the world. Like, a lot. But the Masquerade kinda prevents discussing it.]

Mostly philanthropy work.

And I'm a musician.

[outwear]

Oh yeah? Which is more fulfilling?

[personalquestions]

He's not a mind reader, but Connor would have to have all his processing systems down not to notice the man's excitement. It really did bring a bit of a bemused smile to his face, but the smile was genuine. Usually the presence of an android, even an android detective, would give most humans the creeps or make them angry. (Which was a surprise, considering how androids were so prolific where/when he's from.) This...was a nice change, actually.

"I honestly don't know," he replied, looking around himself, "I found myself here, and found new programming in my system that told me where to go. Now, I'm stuck here. If I try to leave, I'm told to get back to work. So...here I am. Someone must have thought I'd make a good salesperson, I guess."

Why, though? Of all the uses he could be put to, with all the software he had possessed before "they" stripped it all away from him, why the bottom of the retail food chain?

[middlechilde]

[It's an interesting question. She considers it for a moment, before turning to face forward again.]

Depends on the world.

[outwear]

How do you mean?

[ He slows as they near the entrance of the sporting goods store. ]

[middlechilde]

Sometimes the world needs music. Sometimes, it needs philanthropy.

And sometimes, music is philanthropy.

[You can take the girl out of the 1960s, but you can't take the 1960s out of the girl.]

The secret to saving the world isn't making it out how you think it should be, it's about giving it what it needs to be what it's meant to be.

[She pauses.]

That sounds totes cornball, I know. But it's true.

[catsuya]

[Katsuya might have thrown up his hands if he were a little more frazzled.]

Tatsuya, this isn't a game! Whatever's out there could get you seriously hurt or worse. What good do you think you could possibly do?

[motorcycle_noises]

[ It's too bad that Tatsuya doesn't know that Katsuya's from an earlier point in their timeline than he is— that might have prevented that feeling that he just got verbally slapped in the face. It hurts— it hurts far more than he would have given it credit for, that after everything Katsuya still thinks of him as a child, as somehow lesser than him.

It takes him a moment to recover from the shock, to hide the hurt from his face. When he speaks again, his tone is icy. ]

I'd say "you'll find out," but I already said I'd stay out of your hair. So you won't find out— not until I've figured everything out. On my own.

[catsuya]

Tatsuya!

[It bursts out of him without warning; just as suddenly, he grips Tatsuya by the shoulders, giving him a small shake, his desperation becoming something impossible to articulate.

He's only just gotten his brother back, and there's already danger--Katsuya absolutely cannot lose him again, and suddenly he doesn't care about keeping his composure about it.]

I need you to stay safe.

[He's breathing hard, he realizes distantly.]

Please.

[motorcycle_noises]

[ Tatsuya is still angry— and hurt— but that look of desperation on Katsuya's face, the ragged breathing... Well, it's a bit more than he's used to out of him, isn't it? It's as though there's some demon at his brother's heels, one that only Katsuya can see. So despite the anger and the hurt, he hesitates. He might regret not running off later, but he has to know— ]

Are you sure you're okay?

[ His tone is still guarded, closed-off. But he is concerned. ]

[catsuya]

[Katsuya closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, and then another. He knows he can't keep this up forever, especially with the slips he's already making. Despite all their difficulties, Tatsuya is a smart kid--he's going to figure something out eventually, and Katsuya may as well have it happen on his own terms.

He's going to have to give Tatsuya something eventually.

Finally, he lets go of his shoulders.]

Not now. Later, I promise.

[If he's lucky, that's a conversation they'll never get around to having.]

But you have to stay out of trouble. Do you understand me?

[motorcycle_noises]

[ It's an admission that there is something wrong, and although Tatsuya wishes he'd just say what it is already... He gets it. He understands more than anyone else that there are things that are too hard to talk about, not so easily. Whatever is bothering Katsuya... it can wait.

For now. ]

I won't make that promise to you.

[ Tatsuya stuffs his hands into his pockets and glances away. He's not going to lie. ]

I'm not looking for your approval. I'm telling you my intentions, and that's the most you're getting from me.

[catsuya]

[Katsuya's jaw tightens for a moment as he considers.

Well, if Tatsuya truly won't listen to him, then...]

Fine. Then we'll stick together. [So I can keep an eye on you, he doesn't say.]

[motorcycle_noises]

[ Tatsuya can hear what Katsuya isn't saying and there's an old, familiar flare of resentment that comes along with it. But he pushes that down for now. If he could work with Katsuya when Maya was there, maybe he could work with his brother without her. ]

Fine. [ And then he adds: ] --For now.

[ Because he won't rule out needing to go it alone if he has to. ]

[unshielding]

Steve reaches for his hand and gives him a firm handshake.

"Steve Rogers. It's nice to meet you, Vrenille." And he means it, too. Vrenille has been nothing but helpful and friendly to Steve. In a situation like this, it's all Steve can really hope for in a stranger. That he seems to have some interesting skills doesn't hurt, either. Maybe they can figure this out together.

"Let's see if we can find some clues out there." He slips his hand free, but waits to make sure Vrenille is moving before he does. There's one major exit he can see, but he knows he's a little hard to follow right now.

[unshielding]

Walking through the mist feels like walking through a dream. He wonders if that's what this is after all, because everything really has been this side of surreal and he knows Bucky shouldn't even be able to be here, wherever here is. The thing is that Steve isn't ready to find out that this is a dream yet. He's not ready to lose Bucky again and that means that this place has to be real and escapable. For both of them.

He stops only a second after Bucky does, invisible feet planted firmly on the tiles. Even though he's invisible, he can see the mist swirling around his calves and he wonders if Bucky's noticed, too. It isn't enough for Steve to let go of his arm.

"It sure sounds like one." His voice is quiet when he answers, trying not to draw more attention or make it any harder for Bucky to listen for whatever that is. "You got any idea what to do with one if there is one?"

[unshielding]

I don't know what to do.

[ His voice is low enough that no one else can hear. This isn't something he'd admit to many people. Natasha might be it. He feels like he has to be strong for a lot of people, but it's not something Natasha's ever demanded of him. They've grown close enough, built enough trust that he knows he can trust her with that just as he knows she can see through him, anyway. ]

[catsuya]

[Katsuya's eyes widen behind his sunglasses and he leans in to mirror her, his voice going low.]

Do you need help?

[Meaning: is this a hostage situation or something. He wants to reassure her he used to be a police officer, but considering he came to confess to shoplifting it might not have the right effect. Still--current law enforcement status or not, it's his duty to help civilians in need.]

3! SORRY FOR BEING LATE

[majormalfunction]

[This movie is stupid. But then, Motoko doesn't exactly have a taste for most films at the best of times. They're diversionary and distracting and, most of the time, pointless. But she can't get out and is sprawled in one of the seats, either ignorant of or directly ignoring the glares of people around her who, for some indiscernible reason, want the seats next to her.

Or maybe they're just terrified of the glare on her face, too.]

Is this actually supposed to be entertaining?

2! SORRY AGAIN

[mobilityassistance]

[EDI definitely stands out. There's nothing even remotely close in wherever this is to her. What few computers she's been able to find have been primitive and almost adorable. She's wandering in and out of shops looking for anything better, but everything she can find is limited in almost exactly the same way.

Disappointing, really, but maybe she can dismantle them and build something better...

Too bad she can't just pick one up and walk off with it without being completely conspicuous.]

how did i forget to respond to this

[catsuya]

[Well, it's not like he has money for drinks, but for all this place seems like some kind of simulation, perhaps they don't need any.

And fuck, but getting drunk sounds like a great idea right now. The grateful exhale should make it clear what he thinks of that suggestion.]

They are most definitely not off the table. Do you have somewhere in mind?

lol no worries!

[majormalfunction]

[They'd better sell this, so she slips an arm around one of his and started off in the direction of the last place she'd seen with alcohol. She's memorized the layout by now.]

Over here. I think I saw something.

takin the lead a bit hope that's ok

[catsuya]

[Katsuya immediately stiffens, but almost immediately there's a buzzing in his temples, so he screws his eyes shut and... crooks his elbow so she can hold onto it more easily.

It's fine. This is fine.

The place in question turns out to be a little nook separated by a velvet rope with a sign reading "NO ALCOHOL BEYOND THIS POINT." It's about as large and sophisticated as an airport bar, but it promises booze, so it hardly matters.]

Is this where you meant?