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pluviooc2024-03-18 02:45 pm
pluviosamods) wrote in pluviooc2024-03-18 02:45 pm
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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.
no subject
What he finds, when he rounds the corner, is a beautiful armoured stranger clinging to a wall, trying to catch his breath. Childe is quick to stand beside him, concern worrying away at his chest.
"Hey, you okay? That sounded rough. Try to keep the lights down, the plants here grow fast."
His voice is sympathetic, soft.
"Let's find a room to hang out in until the ship leaves the mountains, yeah? You hurt anywhere? Need a hand?"
Childe is more than willing to help carry the man and his belongings until they could find somewhere a little more isolated than a hallway.
Tis But a Flesh Wound.
He straightens abruptly, attempting to smother his reaction as his body protests the movement, to see a ginger haired man in front of him, his expression full of concern and worry, worry that is directed at himself.
"O-oh, no, no, I am quite alright," He said breathlessly, still unable to get air into his lungs properly which was troubling, but he smiled through it all the same to reassure this beautifully kind stranger, "I simply had a small mishap."
Oh? The plants grew from the lights? His eyes widened and he cast a glance brief glance over at the foliage. Oh. Had he somehow caused it to react to his presence when he released his light burst? That would provide a possible explanation for his attacker.
"Thank you for the warning friend," He gasped out, smiling growing warmer.
"A-ah, a room?" he considered, yes, given how drastic that shift was, it would be safer to be in a smaller, less precarious area until it ceased. "That sounds like a wonderful plan."
He chuckled breathlessly, "Thank you for the offer, I'm very grateful for it. However I am capable of managing the journey myself," To emphasis this he fully left his perch against the wall, masking any flinches at the way his back and rib-cage ached, and also attempting to quiet his still short breathing.
YOUR ARMOR IS CONCAVE, SIR,
Luckily, it didn't take a genius or much time for him to figure that out, as the poor knight's chest plate was dented inward. If Childe had to guess, that was a pretty gnarly bruised rib, if not an outright break. He frowns, as the knight tries to downplay the severity here.
"You don't seem alright. You've had a nasty fall."
If he listened closely, he redheaded stranger's voice and breathing seemed to lean shallow. The poor fucker could barely breathe. The fatuus frowns. Sorry bud, you're in the company of a guy who would quite literally do the same thing. You are going to receive help.
"Oh, no. I know this place better than you. I'm not going anywhere until I know you're fine."
Childe means it, giving Argenti a concerned look. Determined, even, to find him somewhere safe and get that chest plate off him and make sure he was okay. He might not have much by way of medical knowledge, but knowing what they were dealing with was a start, at least. The Harbinger tries to mentally calculate how far they were from the makeshift clinic. He's not sure if Argenti's going to make it up the stairs like this.
Thinking quickly, he could go and grab supplies if they could find a room to hunker down in for the time being, but with how the other man was trying to hide his injuries.... Childe isn't confident he'd stay put. And with his luck, the ship could start tilting dramatically again and send the poor guy back to the world he came from.
"I know you're plenty capable, but it's better to stick together right now, anyways. I've got you if you lose balance."
Childe smiles at him. He was much stronger than he looked, honest! He reaches to wrap an arm around Argenti, attempting to support him. He'd try to carry him, if the knight proved difficult. Get helped, idiot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Argenti would like to level a gracious complaint at getting big brothered.
Before he could formulate any kind of protest however, the shorter man was slipping next to him and under his arm, wrapping an arm around his torso in a definitive gesture of aiding Argenti.
"I assure you this is wholly unnecessary-" He started to react immediately, tone somewhat panicky in his surprise-
His protest was strangled in his throat by his entire torso reacting PAINFULLY at the grip of the ginger. Unprepared as he was for the sensation, he choked on his words, gasping and doubling over, using the kind man as an anchor to just barley keep himself upright against the pain.
Th-this was not a good sign.
no subject
"Shit-- Sorry, are you okay?"
More than a little guilt digs at his conscious-- should he have just listened and walked away? No, Argenti neeed the help. It was much more obvious now.
They needed to get somewhere safer, and soon.
The fatuus' mind drifts to Foul Legacy. This probably constituted enough of an emergency, right? He wouldn't remain in the form long, just enough to transport the knight to the clinic. He'd be much larger, but Argenti wouldn't have to deal with so much... Bending and gripping if he could be simply held within two large hands.
Childe was afraid of hurting the man any further, but it was likely inevitable, if they had to take off the chestplate to see what was going on under there. The worst possible scenario being that the armor was what was keeping him together. He tried very hard not to think about that.
"Are you with me? I... know that hurt. A lot. And I'll try to be more careful. I can get you to a clinic, and we can see to your wounds, but uh. You'll have to trust me. And not freak out."
no subject
At least in the sense that he wasn't dying. But it was clear to him now that his fall had not been a simple affair of a few easily ignored wounds. This was serious and debilitating. He grit his teeth against his frustration and the pain but kept as much as he could of these emotions directly off his face.
After a heartbeat of silence between the two of them, the ginger haired stranger spoke again.
Argenti observed his new friend, noting the sincerity on his face and in his tone... he had worried the man... with his poor state... his stomach sank at the realization.
He would do better. For now... the best he could do to alleviate the concern of the other, was to allow himself to be helped. He nodded, smiling gently, "A-alright. I trust you."
magical girl transformation!!!!!
The moment the other man allows himself to be helped, and utters the words that he trusted him, Childe smiles confidently at him. Knowing it was hard to accept help. He himself was uh. Pretty bad at it too.
This... was the first time he'd transformed well and truly on the ship, having been hesitant in the case he was not as well recovered as he might have thought.
His body becomes enveloped with a fell light, increasing in size. A red mask with a single purple eye envelops his face, his body gains armor, and a long cape, reminiscent of a starry night sky, extends from the a fur trim around his neck. As the transformation ends, he looks down at Argenti, offering his hands and arms to the other, kneeling, so he might be able to rest safely within them.
"I've got you. It shouldn't take long for us to get to the clinic. I'll patch you up there."
Childe's voice is no longer the same, layered and strange. Deeper than before.
Once Argenti is safely nestled in his grasp, and his pole and shield are under his arm, Childe would take off down the hall. Decidedly not waiting for an elevator. Thankful that he was able to levitate, so even if the slip tilted again, the ride would be mostly smooth for the man in his arms.
beauty is in the eye of the beholder
He stood back on his own power, for whatever his friend intended to do, gritting his teeth against the growing pain now that he had to keep himself upright. As loath as he was to admit it, this truly was the best course of action at the moment. He couldn't promise he wouldn't have collapsed sooner rather than later underneath his own power.
The man before him, who had once seemed dressed well, but simply the same as any other man, goes through a strange and... un-earthly transformation before him. A light that seems to consume the existence around it envelopes him, and the man shifts into a towering being, covered from head to toe in a uniform and armor unlike anything Argenti had seen before. Behind him flowed a cape that seemed to have the contents of the cosmos sewn in-between its seams.
Argenti stared in awe. Pain temporarily forgotten. This- He's never seen anything like this before.
This-
This was beautiful.
The man kneels before him, reaching out his arms in a clear gesture for Argenti to climb into them. His voice no longer the light, playful tone it'd been before, but deeper and distorted... and yet Argenti can clearly hear the same kindly worry and concern behind it.
The desire to once again turn down the help enters Argenti's mind again, but he shakes it out of his mind, he was a man of his word, and his word he had given.
He walked forward and allowed himself to be lifted. Biting down on the inside of his teeth he was lifted off the floor. Stars, that hurt more than he expected. He had every belief his new friend was being as gentle as he could manage, with how attentive he'd been previously, there were simply some things that could not be helped.
He lost track of how little, or how much time the journey took. He focused entirely on containing what groans of pain tried to escape him and showing as little of his suffering as possible to his helper. He did not wish him to feel worse for doing such a kind service. Sometimes it felt like he'd blink and the surroundings around them would change entirely.
[[Argenti is not as successful at staying quiet as he thinks. And a few times he blacks out from the pain, but only for a handful of seconds.]]
i'm not sure teyvat has tylenol. sorry king
He tries so hard to be careful, gentle. The pain of adjusting Argenti's position was unfortunately inevitable, as would be the pain of removing that breastplate. But it was better than the ship tilting once more, and doing more damage. Argenti was ultimately, much safer within his arms. Childe was sure of it.
He feels the poor man go limp a few times, looking down at him in concern, picking up speed, especially with how he groaned. Childe basically throws himself up the stairs, soon making it to the clinic. It's a makeshift one, barely more than a bed. Medicines under lock and key.
The harbinger squeezes into the room, careful not to jostle Argenti too much. Very slowly and gently setting him down on the bed. He considers grabbing the pain medicine first, but he's not sure how long Argenti can go while struggling to breathe and passing out as much as he has been. He's also not a doctor.
"I need to get this off you." Childe warns, pointing at the concave breastplate. "It's going to hurt, I'm sorry."
Without a moment to spare, Childe reaches for the leather clasp at Argenti's side, slicing it clean off with a sharp claw. He holds it in place with his other hand, as he cuts through the strap on the opposite side, so that it may fully open. Once the straps are cut, he gently pries the chest armour apart, so they could see what they were dealing with.
Childe transforms back into his normal shape as quickly as he can, knowing he would be much more dexterous with smaller fingers unequipped with claws. There were still clothes in the way, but he grabbed a pair of scissors from the drawer, aiming to cut the brown fabric open and expose Argenti's skin.
"I'll do what I can to fix your clothes later, promise."
Roblox OOF sound
Now that he is on his back its even harder to breathe, that alone makes his instincts flare up with a need to do something about this situation, but there is very little he can do. He isn't even entirely sure at this point what's gone awry, and his awareness flits between his fingers like a butterfly, not solid enough for him to make any discernments under his own power.
His friend speaks and he cracks open his eyes again to look up at him. Through the man's.... armor, for lack of a better descriptor, he cannot see his face, but even in the distorted tone he can pinpoint the sincerity and gentleness in his tone.
He nods. At this point he had no choice but to trust him. But even that aside, he wouldn't have doubted him.
The warning was a fair one, he feels a gentle pressure come down on his chest plate, and even that feels strangling, causing him to gasp desperately for air with a choked cry. The pain only doubles as its moved . A strangled cry tries to rip through his through, ending with a painful coughing fit of protest from his abused lungs, which only serves to make the pain worse . But despite it all he feels a pressure lift from his chest, and breathing, even through the coughing, becomes minutely easier.
He can't make sense of whatever his friend says next, only belatedly noticing his voice has returned to its previous lighter tone, he- he must have transformed back to normal, or human shape. He didn't know which form would be considered normal by his friend.
The room felt like it was spinning, eyes closed or open, he couldn’t make much sense of anything- only continue to feel the consuming pain and strain.
Something was- happening, he couldn’t tell what, but he was being moved and moving hurt and he wished it would just stop-
Abruptly and in rapid succession he felt his torso become colder, (unbeknownst to him, his skin being exposed and his numerous scars on display) and a substantial amount of the pressure around his chest lessen to the point where he could take in a much more substantial inhale of air.
His body did so greedily, although it was interspersed with coughing and his chest still hurt excessively from doing so- but he needed air . He needed it desperately. And now. Now he was getting it.
[[Argenti has three cracked ribs, and substantial bruising littering his chest/torso from the fall.]]