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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.
Enjoy more random information from your loopy GPS, Kaeya
Kaeya's scolding to slow down is a bit like Ratio, so he does kinda see why he made the mistake...still. Embarrassing.. It is a relief to lay back down, and the coolness against his heated skin is a bonus...
He does tense a bit about owing the guy one. Being in debt...he supposes it's fair in this case. He doesn't have to like it. "Yeah...'kay. Owe ya one...don' keep me hangin' too long, kay?" he slurs, his smirk going crooked.
Well...he's been dragged off unconscious before. Drugged, beaten, chained...and met with some not so fun outcomes. He always came out on top, but....he'd like to avoid it when possible...and Kaeya seemed to understand on some level...that drained the tension from him, just a bit. "More like worlds 'f problems, yeah..." he mumbles as Kaeya works to stand with him in tow. He feels the unsteadiness, and the room spins around him. He groans, raising his hand to cling to the man's shirt again. "Y...yeah. Boat legs take...a b't...you'll get it...jus' don' drop me, heh..."
As Kaeya starts moving, Aventurine thinks over his other words. He nods, eyes heavy. "Yeah...c'f'ter'a has like...rolling tree trunks...? But they're easy t' avoid...good food there too..." He sighs, tired, pressing his cheek against the man's shoulder. It really is...blessedly cool...
"Ques'ion...are ya like...hm. Ya got ice pow'rs 'r somethin'...? I could be overheatin'...but y'r like 'n icepack...s'nice..." He's got enough brain power for directions. He has that. But if he were healthy and fully lucid he would not be saying all this. But then he wouldn't need a cold compress if he was healthy, would he...?
...he should stop talking. But then he might nod off. Not a great situation. He's really lucky Kaeya has been so hospitable.
Im checking the memory and relogging the information in the databanks of Google searches
Kaeya nods, relaxing at the so called deal. “The sounds like a fine deal to me,” he agrees in a chipper tone. Having this man owe him a little bit is quite the nice bonus after all. A stepping stone in terms of survival.
“I won’t drop you, I’ve at least kept a record of that,” he chuckles as he heads up the stairs and around the corner. He’s thankful that Aventurine’s mind has come back enough to at least be sensible enough to get him the rest of the directions. He makes his way there with a semi unstable gait, but the progress is at least better than before.
“Worlds does sound more accurate.” Kaeya tenses a little at the question. Although he’d like to keep it himself, the cat was already out of the bag. “You are overheating... but you’re intuition isn’t wrong. I have ice powers. Where I’m from... we call it Cryo,” he states. Either Aventurine will forget due to the fever, or he gains a small bit of information that’s about somewhere worlds away, he figures tossing the gambler a crumb about himself is a good enough compromise to trust.
“What about you? What was that gold shield?” he asks. “You spoke about some kind of cornerstone?”
Your queries keep gps from going into sleep mode, good job
He huffs a weak laugh at the man's easy acceptance of a deal. At least someone's happy about it.
"Good...thanks f'r...the care..." he murmurs. Really did seem like Kaeya was trying. He watches their progress through half lidded eyes. "Ther're less...plants closer to th' cafeteria...almost there..." He considers their location. "Down thi' hall...take a right...elevator...um..." His eyes flutter closed with thought, and stay there. "R0...button..."
Ice powers. Makes sense. "Like...pathstrid'r...." he says, forcing his eyes back open at the info and questions. "Nice...hel'ful." He considers how to explain his shields in his state. "Com'licated...I can use...imag'nary energy. With pow'r from the Pre...servation aeon. Like a god...you have those...?" he asks, remembering that even if this guy is from his cosmos, he might not know. "I had a...focus. Cornerstone..." He fumbles in his coat pocket, searching for a piece to show, since that'd be easier than talking. Are there...less pieces than he thought? Oh no, here's one.
He holds up a shard of the Aventurine of Strategems, blue-green in color. "Used t'...make me str'nger...I broke it though, haha..." He laughs, exhausted, and not just physically now. "Pr'bly part of why m' like this now...s'rry."
Re: Your queries keep gps from going into sleep mode, good job
"It's fine, aside from the deal, you've done well enough to pull your weight," Kaeya hums. "I'm afraid until I get my bearings on everything, I am limited in what I can do. I'll take being the walking human ice pack for now."
He nods and adds, "Alright, sir." He takes going down the hall as instructed. As predicted, the plants do begin to lessen as he walks. At least he's still semi-accurate.
"Sure... We don't have a term for them where I am from like that, vision holders is probably one of the most common though," Kaeya mentions. "A tad more rare where I am from it seems."
His interest is peaked when he hears about the strange kind of power Aventurine has. "Imaginary, like... make-believe? Creative type maybe?" The kind of power doesn't really make sense to him, he ponders it and adds, "We don't have anything like that where I am from."
"We do have those, we call them archons where I am from, our powers are given to us by the gods as well," Kaeya pipes up. Considering Aventurine's headspace, giving a little bit of information wouldn't be terrible. "So it amplifies these 'imaginary' abilities of yours?"
He takes a right finding himself by a set of doors quite quickly. It takes a moment to find the button, thankfully. He adjusts Aventurine in his grip to try to push the button. However, keen not to drop the man that's looks very much ready to have a second nap, he adds, "May you do the honors?"
Sleepy yapper is yappin
"Oh...'kay. Good...hate bein'...useless..." he mutters. "Ship isn't so bad...'side the ghos's an' plants...which you saw th' plants..." Aventurine's face scrunches up, as he tries to remember a very specific term Ratio said. "Photo...tropism? Crazy stuff...grow real fast n' matter what's in the way...when there's light." If Kaeya didn't understand what was happening before, he should. He needs to know.
"Hmmm...visions..." Someone talked about that recently...oh yeah. "Yeah...ok. Childe said somethin' bout those...makes sense." He should probably not talk about Childe when his tongue is so loose. Redirecting. "I dunno 'bout more rare, I think our universe jus' has more...vague requirements..."
"Yeah, uh-" he stifles a cough in his elbow. "Bit more removed...m'boss is an Emenator of Preservation, and he gave me this...he's gon' be so mad I broke it...if I ever make it back. Problem for f'ture 'venturine!" he chuckles weakly, tucking the cornerstone piece way again. "Made me stronger, makin' my life dif'cult now though..."
"Mmm?" he hums, his eyes indeed closed again when he didn't mean to. Oops. "S'rry, yeah...yeah one sec..." He turns his head from Kaeya's shoulder, missing the chill but...ok. Button. His vision is pretty blurry but....with some fumbling, he hits the right one. The elevator opens with a ding. "All ab'rd, friend."
Listen Hindsight is 20-2o as I play Kaeya knowing how future Kaeya is doing
"I'd hate to see the ghosts," he jokes, not exactly worried about that prospect. He's heard (and told) some scary tales about them before. It'll be fine if he runs into one or two. Kaeya pauses at the word and says, "No idea what the photo is other than photographs... which I doubt is what you are talking about."
Kaeya shrugs, "If anything, I wish they were stricter." He means it, because the weight on his side sometimes is much too heavy. Enough to remind him of exactly what happened and what he can never do: the truth will try to kill him... No matter what he does. Before he freezes in that cruel cold truth, he can at least try to bare through the storm with a small fire and hope he can make it through the eternal winter alive.
Kaeya chuckles, the man's near drunken antics really making him think a night drinking would be a generally interesting time with this man. Kaeya steps in and mumbles, "Alright... let's go then..."
An apple a day...makes the Doctor less likely to kill you. Probably.
"You're not s'possed to see the ghosts, Kaeya. Th's the point," Aventurine hums, laughing lowly, his eyes closing with dizziness as the elevator rises with them in it. Ugh. Ratio's gonna kill him if this headache doesn't. "No no no phototrop-whate'er has like...light. Somethin' abou' light."
Wishing they were stricter? Where's the fun in that though..."T'each their own..."
Aventurine knows he's nodding off, and he knows he's babbling near deliriously. But it's...not like the IPC is on the boat. He doesn't have enemies he knows about here, and Kaeya has been pleasant enough. It's probably fine. Still, his head hurts, and he's pretty sure his fever is just getting worse. When they reach the right floor and Kaeya exits, Aventurine blinks at the brighter lights, his head swaying as he goes to bury his face against the other's shoulder.
"Ugh...um. Go down this hallway n' take a right. Then a ways, th'n any door 'n the left. Caf'teria's big..." He pauses for a moment, then deflates a bit with a huff. "N' as much as I'd love to share a meal, y'might...have t'drop me off at the uh...clinic inst'd...don' feel good..." Which is a massive understatement, but it's something. He blinks slowly, thoughts moving as if through honey. "Try 'n bring...I dunno...let's bring an apple or two, maybe Rotio'll be...less mad."
Buddy they say feed a fever
He pauses for a long moment, even pausing in his steps for just a minute at the response Aventurine had. Losing people was certainly something he knew about. "Any storm can take people away..." he mumbles quietly.
Kaeya chuckles, "Thank you very much, Mr. Ghost Expert Aventurine~" Even if he lacks the information that Aventurine is trying to extend to him, he tries his best to understand it and adds, "We can ask the good doctor about it. No need to strain yourself."
Kaeya continues to walk down the hall as per instructions. As they head into the cafeteria, he glances around and sets the man on one of the chairs for a minute. "That'll be our next stop." He pauses at the man and adds, "You should try to at least try eating something just in case. They say you should feed a fever." The last thing he wanted was an ally to be under the weather.
He pauses and states, "I'll get the food and we'll head down, alright? Just stay put."
But I'm not hungry (Says the guy who set out for a snack in the first place)
They finally make it to the cafeteria. And then he's getting put down on a chair...huh? He blinks up at Kaeya, dazed. "M'not...super hungry 'nymore, but I c'n try..." he mutters, his head sinking down to rest on the cool table. Not as good as Kaeya's cryo, but still nice...he flops his arms on the surface for good measure.
Feed a fever..."M'kay..." he agrees, eyes closing, too worn out to argue. What actually sounded at all appetizing though...? "...soup or...rice...? Migh' be okay..." He and his sister couldn't be too picky with their food when they had so little. But he does remember her bringing foods like that when he was sick in bed...
If I had a nickel for every time I needed the cafeteria meal list I'd have two nickels- its my curse
Kaeya goes to examine the available food. Everything looks to be in perfect shape and quality, despite the fact they are on a boat with killer plants. It was quite strange.
He looks back at the tired man flopped on the table and breathes a sigh. It reminds him of certain people who would come to work much too tired and simply struggle through the day. He sighs and takes it upon himself to get a bowl of minestrone soup and a spoon and place it on the table by Aventurine. "Here."
Reliability is one thing; not getting a lecture is another. He just hopes that this 'Ratio' character isn't like Jean or Diluc.
He goes back to the fruit cart he spotted and quickly goes to grab a few apples, including one for himself. He takes a moment to look over the man he ended up carrying around, in these strange circumstances, and would likely have to drag him to his friend's place.
What a day it has been.
It is an extensive menu, you gotta know the options!! (the end~)
As an afterthought, he relays the directions to the clinic from here. It's not too far, thankfully.
He's congested, but he smells the food before he sees it come into view in a bowl placed on the table. He's...a little hungry? Maybe? It's hard to tell...he represses a groan. This was very kind of Kaeya to do...all of this. He needs to try.
"Thanks..." he murmurs, sitting up to attempt eating. The taste is muted, but pretty good...for his stomach's sake, he tries to avoid the meat in it. He knows it's plant based meat. He knows, it's just...not now. He's not dealing with that right now. The noodles and vegetables are still plenty good, and the warmth actually does help settle his stomach.
Except now he's sleepier than ever. He's about halfway through the soup, his head propped up on his hand, eyes refusing to stay open.
Kaeya, y'all should probably head to the clinic before he falls into the soup.
Off to the doctor! (END)
He notes down the information and nods a little bit.
He eats the extra apple he's taken and lets the other man poke around and eat a bit of the soup. Once the man starts eating, Kaeya nods a little and ponders over everything he's learned.
It's not until he looks particularly exhausted, looking like he's fighting sleep, that Kaeya finishes off the apple and throws it away. He goes to pick up Aventurine again and mutters, "Next stop, clinic~"
He heads out of the cafeteria with a better sense of where to go now that he's explored a bit. He just hopes the good doctor doesn't completely chew them both out.