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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
He finds himself quietly hoping that the Nameless and...certain other parties remain unharmed. He shakes his head a little.
"You mean Sunday? What's he up to now that I've made my exit?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. He smiles at the further bird analogies. "Right you are, dear fool. This bird's nest was lost long ago." The usual bitterness of it curls in his stomach, but not as badly since having to sort things out at the park. He at least maintained composure.
"Hmmm well...it's a bit old, isn't it? And haunted, apparently," he muses, tapping his chin as his eyes flick around. "Bit of a fixer-upper if you ask me. Wouldn't call it "safe" but...I've been worse, I suppose." It's no black sea with the void of Nihility blotting out the horizon. "It'll do, for now." It's not like either of them knew how to get out...supposedly.
no subject
"Chicken wing boy believes cages keep people safe, and he wants to keep everyone soooo safe, forever and ever and ever, never waking up to reality where things can go wrong! What do you think, honey-tongue, do you want to live in a beautiful dream with no exit?" Sparkle spins in a circle, goldfish flashing around them in a whirling imitation of a cage for a moment.
"It'll have to do, won't it? Nowhere else to go. You'll have to find your own luck here, and I'll have to find my own fun. And you're always good for fun, honey-tongue." Sparkle cocks her head and winks.
no subject
He listens with rapt interest about Sunday. Huh. So he was on the right track but also...not. He thinks of the Doctor's letter, and its words about dormancy. Was that a hint? Did he know...?
He huffs, bitter amusement clear in his face. "Well it seems I was not included in his "everyone", now was I? Sunday tied a noose around my neck and gave me mere system hours to escape, so I really had no choice." Hurt like hell, too. He has a suspicion his headaches might be lingering after effects from that "blessing"...at least exacerbated by it. Acheron did get rid of the bulk of it, thank Gaiathra. He watches Sparkle's little display. "Pretty! Still, again, not my style. I've had enough of cages and chains for one lifetime, thank you."
He sighs, clearly put upon. "Nothing too different about that." And all those honey names...you'd think her words would be sweeter for it, but no. "Good for fun, huh? You know fun can be better when it's shared." He flicks out a card from his vest pocket. "How about some games? It'll pass the time, and at least I can get some fun out of this, too."
Sparkle is not at all who he'd pick for company in this setting, but beggars can't be choosers. And annoying company is better than none at all, he supposes.
no subject
"But you stepped right into your next chain, didn't you, honey-tongue? The IPC owns you, body and soul, on a leash like a dog. Chicken wing boy left his chains inside your head, and the corporation, the Preservation, dressed you up in them, all gold and glitter."
She grins at the cards. "Sure!" she chirps. "What are the stakes, honey-tongue?"
no subject
He bites the inside of his cheek to keep from more visibly flinching at her goading about chains. Right. Okay, he walked into that one. He's tired, but should still watch his words better..."I don't see the IPC around here, do you? I believe I slipped that leash..." And the rest will sort itself out. Hopefully. Probably. He smiles wide and bright to cover his uncertainty. She digs at the cracks in armor, it's her thing he knows this...
"Well this is hardly an appropriate venue. I think we can find a place a little less overgrown to play," he says, walking by her and waving a hand to indicate she can follow if she wants. "But as for stakes...Hm...well. Money isn't really that interesting to you I'm sure..." He eyes her mask, her carefully constructed barbs and games. He grins. "How about betting on some honesty? Loser has to answer one question honsetly per game. How does that sound?"
no subject
Sparkle giggles, a bright and infectious sound. "We'll have to find out what leash tugged you here, hadn't we?"
She makes an exaggerated moue of distaste and toes at a plant, then skips along in his wake. "Not really either of our scene around here, is it, Preservation? Smells more of Yaoshi, or even Tayzzyronth."
When he offers stakes, she grins, too wide, too sharp. "What a delightful stake! I'll play, honey-tongue, and we'll see what kind of answers we can find!"
no subject
“I suppose so. It’s likely the same ‘leash’ that brought me here got you too, Fool, so I’ll let you know if I figure something out,” he drawls, not intending to make too much effort to follow through with that.
He looks over all the plants. Too many, in places they shouldn’t be, scrambling for light in deep darkness…”You have a point there. Let’s hope we don’t get a swarm disaster here of the plant variation, hm?” He hums, pulling out a deck of cards.
“Right then, I think we’re almost to the lounge. But why not start now? A simple game for now; pick a card, and whoever has the highest value wins the round. Sound good?” He does some cursory shuffling before fanning out the deck out for her, all while they walk. “Ladies first,” he invites, grinning.
no subject
Sparkle laughs. "And your luck is what you're known for, isn't it? All right, little peacock." She reaches out and pulls a card.
[I have an actual deck of cards within arm's reach, so: ...Queen of Diamonds. Oh. Okay.]
no subject
“So it is~” he hums, watching her pick and hold out the card. “Wo~ow, Queen of Diamonds! High value, that one,” he says airily. He picks his own card out, pretty much guessing at the low odds and…yeah, that’s a three of diamonds.
Oh well. It is more entertaining to have the House lose the first round or two, anyway. He flips the card for her to see as they approach the elevator. “Looks like you win, Fool. Got any questions for little old me?” He asks, wondering if it’d be something genuine or just her looking to find another button of his to press. Well, rules are rules.
no subject
"Hm... we'll start easy, then! O failed mute, did you mean to die like that, was that a mistake?" She turns to skip backwards in front of him, tilting her head to one side with an only slightly malicious smirk, and some genuine inquiry.
no subject
And of course he had to go and say that right before losing a round of cards. It's times like these where he does wonder if he was somehow "blessed" by Aha when he wasn't looking. He watches her skip in front of him, into the elevator. He sighs softly, pressing the right button, returning her grin.
"What a lovely question! I suppose I could say my "death" was the end of a long string of...trial and error, shall we say?" He laughs darkly. "I couldn't track down 'death' myself, so I just had her come to me, you know? It took alot of preparation to get the Emanator involved, but I'm pleased she decided to participate in my final act." More like he forced her hand...he didn't blame the woman one bit. Yes it hurt. But she helped so much more than she'd ever know, probably.
He raises an eyebrow. "Honest enough for you?"
no subject
She grins, sharp and sudden. "I think so! I tried to steer you right, to where you could work against his chicken-wing-ness, but you did find a way to make trouble for him, so I suppose that's something! He's even more boring than Qlipoth."
no subject
“And I’m so grateful for your help on that. I will say, he’s caused his own trouble for me,” and headaches, “so I’m happy to return the favor. And more boring than Qliphoth?” he exclaims with a feigned gasp. “That’s an incredible feat!” As he talks, he draws another card, the elevator carrying them up. Hmmm. Queen of spades. Much better. He holds the deck out for her to draw as well.
no subject
"He wants a whole star system frozen in changeless eternity, and what's more boring than that? Qlipoth wants to unite, but at least the IPC isn't smoothing out all our thoughts just yet. But taking down the Preservation is a task for later, isn't it, honey-tongue? I know you've no love lost for the Marketing Development Department."
She reaches out for the deck and pulls a card, showing it to him with a giggle. "Eight of swords!"
no subject
Changeless eternity? "That's...I'm not sure how he'd pull that off, honestly. That sounds like a big order. And...you're right. Not something I'd be all that interested in," he agrees, shaking his head. Smoothing out thoughts...? Yikes. He tries to suppress a wince when his head pangs with the thought. Thanks alot for that, feather head.
His grin grows sharp upon talk of the IPC. "I don't know where you've heard such a thing~ I'm just a humble manager..." Aventurine raises an eyebrow. "Why? Do you have some...events lined up with the IPC, Fool?"
He does give the card she pulls a deadpan look. "Nice trick. I know that's not my card; what, did you learn some things from Black Swan?" He sighs, eyeing the card. "Who has the winning hand if the decks are different, hm?"