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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.
no subject
Sunday was not one that was inclined towards skepticism towards authority figures (They knew best, didn't they?), and as such, was willing to take the man's words at face value. At any rate, even if he reached out with his halo to try to grasp what the other might be feeling, there is an air of genuinity that seemed to exude from the Iudex.
"Perhaps many have already figured it out, and are deciding to instead allow you the honour of declaring your nature yourself." Sunday suggests, a smile gently tugging at his lips. "You have been a constant in their lives for longer than they have been alive. Surely there is a deep respect for you in that."
And yet... there was a handful who wished to play along on board. Perhaps he would, too. Sunday wonders, faintly, who might have figured it out already, and who hadn't quite reached the conclusion just yet. If anything, it might be a chip to bargain with.
God, had that gambler rubbed off on him?"A being of condensed emotion... I will keep that in mind. You really are an interesting man, dear Iudex. Are there specific emotions that linger in Hydro innately, or does it run off from other sources?"
He considered it a fair question, really. Sunday himself couldn't grasp the emotions in objects or simple energy, just living people. He wondered what that must be like, and if the Iudex were able to filter out the extra noise. But perhaps their empathy sense came from very separate means, as Sunday had been born with a halo that constantly emitted frequencies, his emotions gently thrumming through it, even if he lessened them to a dull whisper.
"My people.... We are relatively common, at least as denizens of Penacony. Every Halovian on the planet is part of The Family itself, with quite a few of us taking on responsibilities of some importance." He says, more than a little proud in having followed his adoptive father's footsteps. Sunday's voice leans soft and wistful, as he continues, "Throughout the universe itself? I couldn't say. My sister Robin is much more informed about the affairs outside our little star system than I am. She is often on tour, spreading songs of hope and Harmony to any and all that wish to hear."
no subject
Despite the content of the words, there is some definite fondness to his voice when he speaks of Furina's closer relationship with the people. Neuvillette does not know how to make himself approachable in the same way, nor does he know if that's a thing that would be desirable in the current circumstances.
"It is largely the intensity of emotion that is a factor, though there is some bias towards the retention of negative emotions," Neuvillette says. "However, most living beings are predisposed to remember negative emotions themselves, so it is difficult to separate that out as a factor."
But as for the description, Neuvillette nods, and there's a slight dip in his smile as he says, "There are very few dragons on Teyvat, and no others of the Hydro element so far as I am aware. Melusines, an aquatic race native to Fontaine's waters, are dragon-kin, but not quite the same; their perceptions of emotion are not akin to mine. I love them dearly, but I am I suppose a little envious."
no subject
It's a thought that leaves him with some discomfort. Originally he was content to stay there, and watch his sister from the sidelines, from a safe distance. Now, he wonders if that has left him worse off than he might have been. It's not one he lingers too long on, for now.
"Of course. Personal feelings should never get in the way of maintaining one's society. All are capable of the same sins. Order means little, if you are lenient because you feel... overly attached."
There was a gentleness, a fondness, in Neuvillette's voice, however, as he speaks of his god's more... personal relationship with the humans she watched over. It's curious, but Sunday doesn't push the subject further. He wonders what a society would look like, with a god that mingled amongst their devout.
A god that answered, at all.
Thankfully, Neuvillette's musings on the emotions within hydro, and water itself, proved themselves to be a good distraction from that quieter, sadder thought.
"We really are, aren't we?"
The poor water. Look, it's got anxiety."To think our worries and fears carry through water itself."And that same water then fed the world around it. Perhaps that was a more miserable way to look at it than he liked. Sunday found the idea interesting, even so.
No kin, no family to speak of. No wonder he had turned to the children of his race's usurpers, and joined their legal games. Sunday cannot imagine how lonely that must be. And even those that could be close to him, do not fully understand him. But he loved them, and cared for humanity, and maybe that was enough.
"Envious of them? Whatever for?"
no subject
The water only has anxiety because you do, Sunday."And so too do joys and sorrows," Neuvillette agrees. "Despite everything that has happened in the last four hundred years, I have no regrets in taking up this position. If anything, I might only wish that the other dragons have the chance to come to know humanity as I have."
He smiles lightly in response to Sunday's question. "Melusines are, by and large, an unburdened people," he says simply. "There is a strong bond of sisterhood between them, few as they are, and they have a place to which they know they can always return. To be naturally comfortable in any situation and surrounded by many supportive friends is something to be admired, is it not?"
no subject
"I hope so." They deserved a chance, both humans and dragons, to create a world in which they were both welcome. Sunday wonders if the man before him knows of rest, of stepping back and simply enjoying all he had wrought. "I also hope you took some time for yourself, too. I can't imagine any of it was easy."
To live so freely, unburdened, with loved ones nearby... Sunday smiles gently, in return. The Iudex has managed to build a welcoming, safe society for his kin. The halovian can only imagine the work it had taken... And yet. Now, they seem to be comfortable, and truly happy.
Perhaps even if there was strife among the people of Fontaine, they were well sought after, taken care of by those in power. Hundreds of years of work... It makes him think of those who had come before, the Heads of the various Families, how they too had all strived to create a perfect world for their people. How they had united to establish Penacony and its Dreamscape.
"The effort you've put in to ensure they get to live well... It's admirable."
no subject
All of her being went into her finale. Cleaning up the theater afterwards is a task that falls to him, and not one that he resents.
"And I cannot take credit for all of that effort," he says. "There are others who have worked far harder and sacrificed more than I did, who have offered their freedom and their very lives to create this nation. All I do is my duty to ensure that their efforts do not go to waste."