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pluviooc2024-03-18 02:45 pm
pluviosamods) wrote in pluviooc2024-03-18 02:45 pm
Entry tags:
TEST DRIVE 02
TEST DRIVE
Hello, and welcome to the second Pluviosa Test Drive!
This Test Drive corresponds to Days 4-12 in the ship calendar, and will run until around the game's next major event. You can get a better idea what's going on in the most recent Game Update which covers Days 5-8. Currently, character IC housing is not in operation yet; it is expected to open on Day 9 (part of the way through the Test Drive period). Otherwise, the ship is largely in the state described on the Setting page and in other game information.
Test Drive threads involving characters who are accepted are considered canon to the events of the game unless otherwise agreed by players/mods. Pluviosa does not do welcome mingle logs nor does it have any kind of in-character welcome information, making your test drive threads your character's arrival to the game setting. That said, mod-run interactions such as formal exploration and/or interactions with the Ship as an NPC are not available on the Test Drive.
It is advised that potential players familiarize themselves with the Premise page, the Rules/Session Zero page, and at least the first few paragraphs of the Setting page. As Pluviosa is a horror game, we especially encourage players to be aware of the content warnings that will be major themes of the game. If you have any further questions, you can ask them on the QUESTIONS header in the comments!
If you're test driving a character, you're welcome to join the game Discord and hang out and meet your fellow players!
You wake up. You remember waking up, right? In another place, another time...
There's blood running down your fingers. Outside, the rain isn't pounding, yet, just a gentle patter...
Or is it?
As characters gain fuller awareness of their surroundings, they will realize that there is, in fact, no blood on their hands (save any that might have already been there). It feels as though they lost focus for a moment and hallucinated, but the hallucination ended with them somewhere else entirely.
There is not actually the sound of rain. If characters are near enough to a window, balcony, or even a hole in the ceiling, they will find that it is cloudless, beaming sunlight outside. The emptiness in the distance rolls on and on, completely absent any signs of life.
That being, of course, because the signs of life are all in here. Characters might wake up on any of the decks on the upper side of the ship - anywhere that isn't the cafeteria or lounge where previous arrivals spend most of their time is free game. This also means, of course, that they have the jungle of plants to contend with...
Most areas in the ship are dark when characters arrive. That doesn't mean that they stay dark. Occasionally, lights overhead flicker on and off for a few minutes at a time.
The problem with this isn't the lights themselves (cool white and kind of industrial). It's the reaction that the addition of the extra light causes the plants in the dark areas of the ship that's cause for alarm. To describe the growth as explosive isn't an understatement - vines, saplings, and even thicker branches surge with growth, pushing outwards towards the distant sunlight and upwards towards the flickering bulbs.
The growth is sudden enough to take all but the most aware characters by surprise, and if they're in the wrong corner of the room, it's very easy to get tangled up, wedged in by a tree trunk, or otherwise trapped against some corner or wall. If you're lucky and skilled, you might be able to cut yourself out from there (or break down the wall you're shoved up against), but otherwise, there's only one solution left.
Yell like your life depends on it, and hope somebody out there can hear you. And that whoever hears is someone who is inclined to help, rather than leaving you there. Or worse.
Oh, and the lights flicker back off after a few minutes, of course. Hopefully you're not waiting for rescue in the dark (with the smell of mold and the general faint dampness of the forest) for too long.
Occasionally, the whole ship tilts.
This is not simply the side to side motion of a ship on the water (or the equivalent motion brought on by the way this particular ship moves); it's an extremely forward or backward tilt that sends things sliding across the floor if they aren't secured by roots or something else. Unlike storm-tossed ships, the tilt is somewhat prolonged - rather than everything sliding back and forth a couple times a minute, the tilt lasts for five, ten, maybe as much as twenty minutes.
Although it's not enough to knock a well-balanced character off their feet, it's quite likely that new arrivals will not be particularly on-balance. And attempting to traverse the ship with the tilt is a tall order... especially when the ship's angle does unexpectedly change... to the exact opposite direction. All that goes up the mountain must go back down, and a glance out the windows reveals that that's exactly what's going on, as the ship progresses across a mountainous landscape without real regard for the concept of mountain passes.
And for characters who have managed to make their way to the "civilized" parts of the ship, namely the cafeteria and the lounge above it... None of the furniture in these areas is secured. The cafeteria carts under the direct control of the Ship don't seem as inclined to go anywhere, but the tables and chairs in the cafeteria and the couches and armchairs upstairs... Well, it's a good thing both spaces are surrounded by railings. Large chunks of tree trunk also still littler the lounge, sliding back and forth and occasionally rolling with great force across the floor.
Better hold on tight.
While wandering around the ship's interior, characters might occasionally hear a person whistling.
The sound always seems to be coming from just around the corner, but it sounds alive in a way that other sounds don't. Maybe more alive, even, than the rustle of leaves, the occasional drip of water, and the sounds of things sliding back and forth across the grimy, leaf-covered floors. The whistler, whoever they are, doesn't actively respond if called out to - but the whistling does pause, as though indicating that the call was heard, before starting up again.
If characters choose to follow the whistling, they're inevitably led to the same place - somewhere overlooking the great gap down the middle of the ship, whether an internal suite's balcony, one of the bridges crossing between the two halves, or one of the hallways that runs alongside it. Once they're there, there's no whistler in sight; however, characters will be filled with the overwhelming urge to look over the edge of the railing and down into the lower parts of the ship.
Exactly what they experience after looking down varies. Some will hallucinate that they've fallen over the side, feeling their balance go haywire and seeing the floor rushing up to them right up until the moment of "impact," at which everything returns to normal. Some will feel a stranger's hands on their shoulders, threatening to push them over with a great shove that goes through them with incorporeal fingers. Some will just hear unidentifiable laughter right up close to their ears, and experience the distinct sensation that there's someone laughing at them, in a haha-made-you-look kind of way.
But whatever happens, when they look up, there's no one there - or at least not anyone that physically close to them. The one good thing about being drawn to the middle section of the ship by whatever prankster this is is that it makes it a lot easier to run into people if you're all drawn to the same, highly visible place.
And at least the other person is flesh and blood, right? Probably.
This Test Drive corresponds to Days 4-12 in the ship calendar, and will run until around the game's next major event. You can get a better idea what's going on in the most recent Game Update which covers Days 5-8. Currently, character IC housing is not in operation yet; it is expected to open on Day 9 (part of the way through the Test Drive period). Otherwise, the ship is largely in the state described on the Setting page and in other game information.
Test Drive threads involving characters who are accepted are considered canon to the events of the game unless otherwise agreed by players/mods. Pluviosa does not do welcome mingle logs nor does it have any kind of in-character welcome information, making your test drive threads your character's arrival to the game setting. That said, mod-run interactions such as formal exploration and/or interactions with the Ship as an NPC are not available on the Test Drive.
It is advised that potential players familiarize themselves with the Premise page, the Rules/Session Zero page, and at least the first few paragraphs of the Setting page. As Pluviosa is a horror game, we especially encourage players to be aware of the content warnings that will be major themes of the game. If you have any further questions, you can ask them on the QUESTIONS header in the comments!
If you're test driving a character, you're welcome to join the game Discord and hang out and meet your fellow players!
ARRIVAL - LIKE THE RAIN
You wake up. You remember waking up, right? In another place, another time...
There's blood running down your fingers. Outside, the rain isn't pounding, yet, just a gentle patter...
Or is it?
As characters gain fuller awareness of their surroundings, they will realize that there is, in fact, no blood on their hands (save any that might have already been there). It feels as though they lost focus for a moment and hallucinated, but the hallucination ended with them somewhere else entirely.
There is not actually the sound of rain. If characters are near enough to a window, balcony, or even a hole in the ceiling, they will find that it is cloudless, beaming sunlight outside. The emptiness in the distance rolls on and on, completely absent any signs of life.
That being, of course, because the signs of life are all in here. Characters might wake up on any of the decks on the upper side of the ship - anywhere that isn't the cafeteria or lounge where previous arrivals spend most of their time is free game. This also means, of course, that they have the jungle of plants to contend with...
LIGHTS ON, SHOW START
Most areas in the ship are dark when characters arrive. That doesn't mean that they stay dark. Occasionally, lights overhead flicker on and off for a few minutes at a time.
The problem with this isn't the lights themselves (cool white and kind of industrial). It's the reaction that the addition of the extra light causes the plants in the dark areas of the ship that's cause for alarm. To describe the growth as explosive isn't an understatement - vines, saplings, and even thicker branches surge with growth, pushing outwards towards the distant sunlight and upwards towards the flickering bulbs.
The growth is sudden enough to take all but the most aware characters by surprise, and if they're in the wrong corner of the room, it's very easy to get tangled up, wedged in by a tree trunk, or otherwise trapped against some corner or wall. If you're lucky and skilled, you might be able to cut yourself out from there (or break down the wall you're shoved up against), but otherwise, there's only one solution left.
Yell like your life depends on it, and hope somebody out there can hear you. And that whoever hears is someone who is inclined to help, rather than leaving you there. Or worse.
Oh, and the lights flicker back off after a few minutes, of course. Hopefully you're not waiting for rescue in the dark (with the smell of mold and the general faint dampness of the forest) for too long.
TILT-A-WORLD
Occasionally, the whole ship tilts.
This is not simply the side to side motion of a ship on the water (or the equivalent motion brought on by the way this particular ship moves); it's an extremely forward or backward tilt that sends things sliding across the floor if they aren't secured by roots or something else. Unlike storm-tossed ships, the tilt is somewhat prolonged - rather than everything sliding back and forth a couple times a minute, the tilt lasts for five, ten, maybe as much as twenty minutes.
Although it's not enough to knock a well-balanced character off their feet, it's quite likely that new arrivals will not be particularly on-balance. And attempting to traverse the ship with the tilt is a tall order... especially when the ship's angle does unexpectedly change... to the exact opposite direction. All that goes up the mountain must go back down, and a glance out the windows reveals that that's exactly what's going on, as the ship progresses across a mountainous landscape without real regard for the concept of mountain passes.
And for characters who have managed to make their way to the "civilized" parts of the ship, namely the cafeteria and the lounge above it... None of the furniture in these areas is secured. The cafeteria carts under the direct control of the Ship don't seem as inclined to go anywhere, but the tables and chairs in the cafeteria and the couches and armchairs upstairs... Well, it's a good thing both spaces are surrounded by railings. Large chunks of tree trunk also still littler the lounge, sliding back and forth and occasionally rolling with great force across the floor.
Better hold on tight.
SOMETHING WHISTLING
While wandering around the ship's interior, characters might occasionally hear a person whistling.
The sound always seems to be coming from just around the corner, but it sounds alive in a way that other sounds don't. Maybe more alive, even, than the rustle of leaves, the occasional drip of water, and the sounds of things sliding back and forth across the grimy, leaf-covered floors. The whistler, whoever they are, doesn't actively respond if called out to - but the whistling does pause, as though indicating that the call was heard, before starting up again.
If characters choose to follow the whistling, they're inevitably led to the same place - somewhere overlooking the great gap down the middle of the ship, whether an internal suite's balcony, one of the bridges crossing between the two halves, or one of the hallways that runs alongside it. Once they're there, there's no whistler in sight; however, characters will be filled with the overwhelming urge to look over the edge of the railing and down into the lower parts of the ship.
Exactly what they experience after looking down varies. Some will hallucinate that they've fallen over the side, feeling their balance go haywire and seeing the floor rushing up to them right up until the moment of "impact," at which everything returns to normal. Some will feel a stranger's hands on their shoulders, threatening to push them over with a great shove that goes through them with incorporeal fingers. Some will just hear unidentifiable laughter right up close to their ears, and experience the distinct sensation that there's someone laughing at them, in a haha-made-you-look kind of way.
But whatever happens, when they look up, there's no one there - or at least not anyone that physically close to them. The one good thing about being drawn to the middle section of the ship by whatever prankster this is is that it makes it a lot easier to run into people if you're all drawn to the same, highly visible place.
And at least the other person is flesh and blood, right? Probably.
guess what! it's also whistling
He hits the ground, except he doesn't. He is still standing leaning over the ledge, which he hastily scrambles back from, falling onto his butt. Breathe. Breathe. You're alive, Mario, you're okay.
The laughing sounds like - it reminds him of a Boo, and the pranks they like to play. This would be right up their alley, for sure. Except. Except. As the laughter continues, it gains the quality of a villain Mario knows, a lilting Ahahaha~ that should by all accounts be accompanied by a finger snap, a flash of magic.
No, no, this is not a prank of Dimentio's style. Mario shakes his head rapidly, then pats his own cheeks. Stop thinking about that stupid magician, Mario. Get back on your feet...
Oh. There's someone else here! Reinvigorated, Mario trots towards the person - someone he hasn't seen before? Someone who looks just as shaken as Mario himself is. When Mario calls out, he sounds collected and cheerful, but if you're watching him closely, you can see he's definitely still trembling, and his face is a little pale.
"Ah, the ghosts prank you too?"
Re: guess what! it's also whistling
"Ghosts?" he asks, voice rough. He clears his throat. "Oh, ghosts. Alright, was that what that was? Makes sense..." He sucks in a breath. Not Sparkle then. In another time, it may be, but now...still half expecting a prank from her, he turns and...huh. Very much...not. Her.
Beside him is a rather short, round man, only slightly taller than him even while sitting on the ground, and wasn't that a feat? His proportions actually remind him of a cartoon character like Clockie from Penacony's amusement parks...it's so unexpected that much of his wound up tension just...drains.
Because the question sounded genuine and cheerful. And yet...ever the people watcher, he sees the trembling, gloved hands, the little too pale face. He does a good job covering it, but then, Aventurine knew alot about covering up nerves, didn't he?
"I'd thought I was playing a game with someone in a new place, but turns out it was more of a hazing from a mischievous ghost..." he sighs. He stays seated, finding himself already roughly on eye level with the man. He knows sometimes someone significantly taller can be. Off putting, to say the least. As is having fear pointed out when you're trying so hard to hide it. He absently adjusts his watch, and one of his shields drifts to the side and around, to float resolutely at the man's back. For insurance, not out of any sort of empathy, of course.
"But you look real enough to me in comparison. Name's Aventurine! What's yours?" he asks brightly, only a bit forced. He holds his hand out for a handshake, if the man is up for such a thing.
the shields ill cry 🥺
It's a joke, like, he's laughing. That was a harrowing experience, and his heart is still racing, but at least he has the comfort that it was just something the ghosts were being - silly? mean? ....anguishing? - about. He can cope with ghosts. Really.
It is comforting, though, when the shield floats around to cover his back. Mario knows that it should be safe, but then again, given how the ghosts were acting the first night he arrived here... He breathes, deeply, putting that aside.
The newcommer before him seems nonchalant, and Mario's not the kind of guy - nor is he in the mood - to worry about why the guy's so casual about the whole, uh, terrifying ghost prank thing. So Mario just smiles, and takes the offered hand.
"Yep! I'm'a more solid than a ghost, at least - Name's Mario!" He shakes the hand vigorously. "Nice to meet you! We haven't seen any new faces on Ship for a while yet - Sorry the ghosts got to greet you before anyone else... But at least you-a missed the plants..."
Just speaking of them, Mario shudders.
<3<3 <3
"Ah, so have you been here a long time, then?" he asks, crossing his legs and leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, a nonchalant but interested pose. A steady throbbing starts making itself known behind his eyes as he keeps his shields up, but it's worth how they seem to be helping. They're calming to him, and apparently to Mario as well; not to mention they illuminate the otherwise dim room. He'll keep it up for now. It'll be fine. It's not because his heart is still racing away in his chest, not at all.
He tilts his head quizzically at that last part. "What's wrong with the plants? I've seen some around...are they poisonous?" The man seems rattled by them. Better keep an eye out, regardless.
no subject
Mario scratches his head. A long time, eh? "Er, well, how long would you count a two weeks as?" He laughs. "Though I've been here the longest, for sure - me and the other firstcomers! We're'a still figuring Ship out."
If Mario was thinking about it, he'd lead Aventurine elsewhere, to the less dire parts of the Ship. But Mario is notably, well, not thinking about it. He gets like that, sometimes. He figures himself and this man with the shields both plenty capable, anyway, if another new threat comes their way. And at this point they'll be expecting it, so... Why bother moving?
"Oh, no, no, they aren't'a poisonous! Er, I think. Maybe don't'a rule it out." Another awkward laugh. "Two weeks hasn't been long enough to learn everything, you know? We're still working on it-- Anyway! It's just'a the last time it got really bright in here, the plants like, exploded." No, wait, wrong word. Mario rapidly shakes his head and flaps his hands, as if pushing that word away. "No uh! They grew really fast, I mean. Really Really fast. Lotsa people got trapped... We were able to get them out, but..."
This is the face of a man embarrassed that he was one of the ones who got trapped.
no subject
Aventurine also considers relocating, but he's frankly tired, and that's easier to hide while sitting and talking like this. It's pleasant, even, slowing his heart rate and racing thoughts. Talking takes his focus off the shields, the accompanying headache, and what might attack them, thus making the energy easier to maintain, just a little. And nervous as he is, Mario has a warm disposition he can't help smiling more easily at.
"Got it; this place does seem rather big," he chuckles, nodding. He raises an eyebrow at the comment about exploding plants, but Mario walks that back so quickly he realizes it's more of a social slip. "Well that sounds like quite the handful! Does it get "bright" in here often? Should we...move?" He eyes the plants in the area with interest. What sort of risks would these pose in his stay here?
He picks up Mario's embarrassment, and what it meant in this context. Probably not good to give too much attention to it; he was making a valiant effort at a poker face, after all. "Well, it's good that everyone got out safely, then," he says, smiling in such a way that implies an unsaid you included.
no subject
That's how he thinks of it, in his head. Though the flood would probably be a much better descriptor.
"No, no, we don't'a need to move! Ship knows to keep the lights off, now, or to keep them low-power. Hopefully the plants don't get rowdy, anyway! But if they do, I don't'a think it will be Ship's fault. But, uh..."
It's sweet of Aventurine, and it nearly banishes Mario's embarrassment, making him break out in a large, proud grin. "Well, I'm-a glad everything worked out that first time, anyway! It may have been a bit sketchy, but we made it. We made it!"
Mario's grinning wide, confident in another job-well-done, an adventure put behind him, or whatever. But also...
Mario considers their surroundings, for a second. Considers the shield protecting him, protecting them. Clearly Aventurine doesn't feel wholely safe, here, and Mario. Well. It's not like he wants to be here, even if he's fine. Mostly fine.
"...we can move elsewhere, if you'd like? I'm'a okay here, now that the ghosts are quiet, but there's definitely comfier places to sit... Ship isn't completely full of plants, you know!"
no subject
He understands the other man's reasoning, and it is comforting in its own way to hear his assessment...the place is just...eerie to Aventurine now, though. He can see fine ((Mario might notice Aventurine's eyes emitting a soft glow in the dark lighting)) but with the ghosts...and now moving plants? What sort of nightmare has he landed in?? But Mario doesn't seem too bothered about the plants so it's. Probably fine. "So be careful if the lights turn on then...got it."
Aventurine's customary 'business' smile...softens at Mario's pride for everyone making it out safe. He doesn't run into the kind, heroic sort often (the Trailblazers are a bit of an outlier in his occupation) to the point he'd be suspicious. But this guy just...exudes earnest care that he can't help believing him. A gamble of its own, to trust someone like this. "With you around, I'm sure the passengers here have little to worry about," he says, shoulders relaxing a little.
His head still hurts, but he can't bring himself to lower the shields. Not yet. His hands still tremble slightly. And Mario, while regaining color in his cheeks, still seems a little pale. He nods at the man's suggestion.
"I'd like that. I think I've had enough of these overgrown, haunted heights anyway," he agrees, going to stand up. "What comfy place would you- woah-" He stumbles over his words when he gets to his feet and the room seems to spin for a couple seconds. Wow. Something like a migraine setting in...for just a couple shields? Clearly his energy reserves aren't back up fully from the amusement park...he takes a deep breath. "Sorry, what places would you recommend, Mario?"
no subject
Mario shakes himself, a little, but he draws himself up at Aventurine's praise. "Well - I dunno! I think a lot of them can take care of themselves with or-a without me, but... Yeah, I'll-a be sure to do everything I can to make sure everyone is safe, anyway." He presses his fist to his chest in promise. It's his duty - it always has been.
Which means when Aventurine stumbles, Mario is already doing his best to steady him - shorter or no. "Whoa, careful there!" Mario says. "Well... That-a depends, do you want a meal, or do you-a want somewhere quiet and comfy to relax? The cafeteria is-a the only place to get a refreshing meal around here, but... Well, I know a place or two to relax and recuperate - it just depends on how noisy you like it!"
no subject
Mario's determination settles Aventurine's nerves, just a bit. He believes him. So much on little shoulders...but then, some games get turned around by one little factor, one chip in the right place...he nods. "That's reassuring. Remember though, that a team effort can sometimes get you further than you would alone-"
Like now. Woah. Head hurts. His blurry surroundings clear, and his shields are in place. It takes him a second to notice Mario's gloved hands on his elbow and arm, steadying him, warm. "I...yeah. Thanks. Still recovering from that fight I guess," he chuckles, straightening his posture so Mario doesn't have to worry anymore.
Aventurine considers the options, and his aching head makes itself known again. Probably dehydrated or something. He huffs with good humor. "Food sounds good, I think. And I think I prefer noise, if that makes sense?" he adds, shrugging with a sheepish smile. "It's fine if it's noisy in the cafeteria. Always found it more relaxing."