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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.
HE'S JUST SHORT OK 🤣
He chuckles at the ghosts not being real statement. "I would have thought the same, if I'd not heard of and seen many like ghosts in my travels." He sighs, smiling sympathetically. "They seem to be real here. And some are quite mischievous. I've had less than pleasant encounter with the whistling one here, even."
There's something like...fear in her countenance. It's very slight; if he'd not spent essentially his whole life training himself how to read people, he might have missed it. Still, she gets down and comes toward him when he continues talking so he'll...keep talking.
"It's no problem at all, Miss Miku, I'm just glad that you're-" and he stutters to a halt when she reaches forward to- pat his head? His first instinct is to quickly pull away, but it's very gentle. He instead goes very, very still.
Good job.
I'm happy you came back safe, Kakavasha.
His breath catches in his throat yet again, his cheeks dusting pink from experiencing something like embarrassment for the first time in....a long time. But it's not quite that, either? One simple action has his thoughts reeling, and he's not sure how or where to start parsing them.
Bottom line is, however, it's not. It's not bad. Painfully nostalgic, maybe but...not bad. He clears his throat whenever she pulls her hand back, rallying himself. "I'm...just doing what anyone would do, really, i-it's nothing," he says, his voice a bit rough. Stars, man, get it together. "I haven't been here too long, but I'd be happy to show you around if you're looking for someone? Or something?"
no subject
Aventurine-san is like Mizuki, isn't he? Using pretty words and pretty smiles to hide how deeply sad he is on the inside. Sometimes, the facade of unshakeable, untouchable confidence is its own armour, stronger than anything--but heavier, too. Brittle.
When he stammers, Miku lets her hand move from the top of his head to briefly cup his cheek, before letting her touch fall away so he can have a moment to process. She tries to smile at him. She's not sure it works. She doesn't smile a lot.
"But it's...not anyone doing it," she points out. "It's you." Deflecting gratitude by trying lessen or generalize the scope of it...is Aventurine-san someone who thinks that noticing kindness is equivalent to staking a claim of debt? After all, thanks, I owe you one, can so swiftly become and now you owe me.
His voice is rough when he asks her more questions, and Miku wishes it wouldn't be highly inappropriate to go in for a hug right now. She's already overstepped, probably, if he isn't someone used to soft and gentle touches. She'll have to work on coaxing him up to hugs.
"Aventurine-san," she says, because this is the most important thing she has to know, "is there someone called Mafuyu here, too?"
Mans doesn't know he's touch starved and it shows
He's so stunned he doesn't realize he's unintentionally leaning into her hand, just a little.
Then her hand falls away, and he can breathe again. He sees that she's smiling, a very tiny, somewhat stiff expression. Something she looks...almost unused to doing, but genuine in intent. A far cry from the fake smiles he wears every day. He's used to reading small expressions like that, but this is...well. He finds himself hoping she has more reasons to smile in the near future.
Which is silly; he'd just met her. Perhaps he empathized a bit more than he'd like with someone so close to jumping over the figurative edge...whatever her reasons were.
She's insisting it was him who helped. She didn't want to form a debt, did she? "Oh. Well. I mean." Aeons he sounds horrible. What's wrong with him?? He clears his throat, completely off balance on the social scope here. Her gaze is unwavering, her words firm yet gentle, and strangely musical? "I suppose I'm...glad I found you in time then, Miss Miku," he manages.
It's almost a relief that she asks something so definitive after. "Mafuyu? I do not believe I've heard the name, I'm sorry," he answers, truly regretful. He holds up a finger. "However! I'm newer to this ship, too, so I might have just not met them yet! I can take you to someone who knows more people on the ship, and we can ask them! How's that sound, Miss Miku?" Whether it be someone like the Iudex, or asking the Ship itself...they'll figure it out.
hugs could heal him. miku will prescribe them (mild parental abuse cw for reply)
"Thank you, Aventurine-san," she says, glad to have found someone so truly kind so fast. "I put myself in your hands. Please take care of me."
oh the incredible wonder of being trusted-
"Oh-" And then she thanks him, and is incredibly earnest about it. He never knows quite what to do with that. Well...confidence got him this far. So he smiles, and presses forward. "You honor me with your trust, Miss Miku. I will do my best."
He will turn and gesture for her to follow him. "I think we can start with the lounge. There tend to be people there more often than not." He can't help eyeing her...lack of shoes. He knows over time, bare feet get used to rough environments, but when you didn't have to..."Let's see about getting you some shoes too, hm? The floors around here can be quite dangerous." He then wonders if he should offer to...carry her? He can think of several broken furnitures, plants, and maybe glass that would be hell on bare feet.
no subject
She thinks seriously on his next comment. "I think...that would be helpful," she says. "But it is...okay if we can't find any shoes. I've never worn any before, anyway. I don't know my size."
Aventurine makes some unfortunate (wrong) conclusions
He pauses for a good moment at her last statement. Aventurine would consider himself unflappable in most situations, but this girl kept setting off all sorts of alarm bells in his head.
Something dropped in the pit of his stomach at the possible implications here. "Well, that just won't do, will it? Let's see..." He looks down at her tattered outfit, at her dirtied feet, shoving down the extra alarm to guess her shoe size. "Maybe like a 7...? We can figure it out, but...first. Miss Miku, I need to ask you," He forces a smile, even though he's feeling maybe a little nauseous at what kind of answer he'd get here. "This Mafuyu..." His eyes flick to her feet again, dirty, possibly scraped up, no shoes, why was she never given shoes? To keep her from running? He doesn't see any bruises from shackles but there are other ways to trap someone- then back up to her face; mostly blank, minute expressions, quiet....to not stir up anger? "Are they someone who has...been hurting you?"
miku continues to not help him come to correct conclusions
Miku, while being VIRTUAL, is still nevertheless more 'human' in her makeup than you'd think. She isn't precisely a computer program or anything like it--it simply isn't possible for her to 'glitch.'
That's what her brain feels like it's doing right now, though.
Mafuyu? Hurt her?
Aventurine-san is only trying to be nice, she tells herself. Aventurine-san is concerned, and is doing the thing all concerned adults should do, she tells herself.
It doesn't help. At the mere idea of Mafuyu being like that--like her mother--the sheer offense she feels spills over to something akin to anger. She wants to yell at him, to stamp her shoeless feet on the ground until he admits that he was wrong and apologizes to Mafuyu.
Mafuyu, who isn't here. Mafuyu...who doesn't need Miku to protect her right now.
Slumping in on herself, Miku sighs and shakes her head. "I seem to have given you...the wrong idea," she says, though she's not sure how. "Mafuyu is...my friend. She's the one who is hurt. Not me. I exist for her. To make her feel better."
Wow I didn't think I would actually get to use this icon
He could be wrong. He'd be relieved if he were wrong. But all the factors before him keep painting an alarming picture.
And then she answers, and the picture gets even worse.
"I--Miss Miku, I apologize if I offended you," he says, giving an apologetic bow. How do you just...talk about this...
Perhaps ask for honesty with...some honesty of his own. He doesn't want to upset her further, but if it can help break her free... He swallows.
"I suppose I'm just...worried because, well...the things you're saying remind me of a situation I used to be in. And had to fight to escape." Slowly, he raises a hand to touch the mark on his neck. "I was...owned by someone. Who hurt me. Alot." His voice gets softer; he's not talked about it like this before. But he needs to be clear. "I'm sorry to hear your friend is hurt. I'm just...concerned that it's a situation that might be getting you hurt, too. Forgive me for jumping to conclusions."
no subject
No one owns Miku. But in the eyes of the law, Mafuyu's mother owns her. And she doesn't treat her kindly. A home is never meant to be a hell. But the Asahina household is--and that's why Miku exists. So the songs Mafuyu sings aren't silenced by someone who doesn't deserve her.
But. How to explain that to Aventurine-san, who has bared his heart to her and told her something so hurtful and so private, just because he was worried? Because Miku is too silly to know how to explain things right the first time?
"Aventurine-san," she says, as gently as she can. "Miku...is not real. I am a VIRTUAL SINGER. A...therapy companion. I was made for Mafuyu...because she needs me. I am not hurt, or treated badly. I am happy helping her--it's what I was made to do. And the things that you are thinking...I am not human. They cannot be done to me. I am very sorry that they were done to you."
She holds out her arms. "Would you like a hug?"
no subject
Not real? Virtual singer? But…her hand on his head and face…that was real, wasn’t it? He’s heard of virtual concerts, but this…what? Therapy companion?
…like how Numbie provides comfort for Topaz? Made to…everything she says just confuses him more. And the talk of not being human… being made for this…for someone else…
It still leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. And then she apologizes…for what was done—
“You didn’t do any of that, you’re okay,” he insists, starting to rub at the back of his neck instead. He sucks in a breath, that lump back in his throat. He was not—expecting this. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but not this. And now she’s offering a hug—
“I…” Does he? Is he allowed to…choose that? What does one do for this? His hands twitch toward her, a little. He tries to smile, but it’s weak, he knows. “Miss Miku, you say you’re not real…I’d gladly take a hug if it could prove that notion…inaccurate.” If it’s for her, it’s okay, right?
He refuses to examine why he feels the need to rationalize the want for comfort like this, how he doesn’t deserve it—no subject
Because even though she's in this space, physically--even though she's already made contact with Aventurine-san, in the brief time they've spent with each other--she's so very deeply aware that this shouldn't be possible, and that no matter how much she wants to help, the only person she was made to be equipped to help isn't the one standing before her. What if they hug, and it doesn't do anything. Or--what if they hug, and it makes it worse?
What if they hug, and Miku feels and cold and inhuman as she is?
"I am...real," she acknowledges, because she honestly never meant to imply she was false or 'fictional,' "but Miku is not...alive. Not like a human is. But even so...I am glad that I am here and able to do this."
She wraps Aventurine-san in her arms and squeezes tight, the way she'd never dare to do to anyone in Nightcord at 25:00 just yet except maybe Mizuki. The way Len will cling to her arm, sometimes, except it's Aventurine-san's whole entire ribcage.
Ah, she thinks, as emotion briefly overwhelms her--hers or his, how is she to know?--and she has to hide her tear-filled eyes against his shoulder, it's warm.
no subject
This is...nuts, isn't it? A hug won't fix anything, and how dare he impose upon her like this, they met only moments ago...
But...but she did ask, and he finds himself stepping forward anyway. Into her space, her arms-
There is a brief, panicked moment where he expects a knife in his back. It's ridiculous, the girl didn't have shoes much less a weapon--
And the arms wrap around him and squeeze. Not painfully, never with the intent to hurt. And how could someone not alive communicate such from a touch?
Aventurine inhales and exhales, shaky. His hands stay aloft for a moment, overwhelmed, unsure where to put them. He finds himself irrationally afraid to mess up, to hurt her somehow. When was the last time...
He thinks of his sister again, her relief for his safety. The warmth of her as they curled around the fire telling stories. His eyes burn with the simple, old memory. How kind the embrace is. Gentle but secure. How the embrace feels...feels like that.
Safe.
His eyes burn again, with grief unprocessed, with gratitude. Is that a heartbeat he feels? How can she say she's not alive..?
"I-....I'm glad, too," he says, his voice rough, his vision blurring. He finally wraps his own arms around her shoulders, holding tight. He feels dampness in the fabric of his shoulder, and...he might be reciprocating that. Embarrassing. He's not sure he's doing this right, and yet...yet he finds himself smiling tearfully. His fingers curl into the fabric of her dress, and he presses his face into her shoulder as well.
"Thank you, Miku," he murmurs, voice wobbling and muffled. If it's hidden it's OK. It's OK.
no subject
He clings to her like a lost child, and though Miku herself still feels a little cast adrift at the warmth and comfort that surrounds her because of something as simple as physical touch, she holds herself as steady as she can and lets him cling. Just as she has thought throughout their entire conversation: Aventurine-san needs this. Whatever he went through before arriving on this boat was hard--not just the immediate before, but all that came before that, too. He's lived...a painful life.
"We can stay like this as long as you want. As long as you need," Miku reassures him.
no subject
But his sister is dead. He can't put that on Miku.
And yet he clings...pathetic, miserable. He's so tired. He's...he's selfish for taking advantage of her kindness like this. His arms squeeze tighter. "I...haha. I don't...I don't know how long is normal. I don't know...sorry. I know it's a dumb thing to worry about." She said as long as he wants. But how long was he willing to impose on her like this? How long is really allowed?
He doesn't know. He doesn't know. And yet he holds on still. Because this way, no one is looking at him. He can't see reactions or judgment for talking, for just...being. It's terrifying, this kind of gamble. But. But just a little longer. He'll pull himself together soon. In a moment.