TEST DRIVE MEME 001

[rubimods]

⚰︎ ⍢ ⌲ ⍚ TEST DRIVE MEME:

CONTENT WARNINGS for this game include: monsters, body horror, dub-con, non-con, religion, blood/violence, and marking/branding, loss of autonomy/self, and mental influences.

This log additionally has warnings for: nudity, spiders, waxplay, character death, and references to children in proximity to sexual situations.

✧ ✧ ✧

Welcome to RUBILYKSKOYE — a dark, horror-smut game where player choices will drive a mod-run storyline about the world and its NPCs. For the first round, this test drive serves as characters' arrival into game.

THESE THREADS CAN BE GAME CANON if both players are accepted into the game and agree to it. However, if players who'd prefer to start fresh are welcome to reuse these prompts in their own personal logs upon acceptance into the communities.

If you have QUESTIONS about the test drive prompts, please ask HERE. Questions about the game itself or the general setting should be directed to the FAQ.

FAQ ✧ SETTING ✧ CALENDAR ✧ RESERVES ✧ APPLICATIONS

AWAKENING IN PAJAK WOOD

The chirping of partridges in the treetops rouses you. Light barely filters through the canopy, just enough to suggest warmth of the sun. By the time it reaches the forest floor, the daylight has taken on a sickly green tinge. You lie amongst the mosses and ferns, the soil cold and just a little damp on your bare skin. Wherever you were before this moment, whatever you were doing or wearing, when you awaken in this forest, you find yourself naked and helpless as the day you were born.

Fortunately, you seem to be alone. The birdsong continues as you sit up and get your bearings — aside from a brief wave of disoriented nausea, you seem to be no worse for wear than you last remember. Amongst gnarled oaks and moss, you see nothing around. No sign of civilization or sentient life. Movement flickers at the corner of your eye, but it's just a curious animal — brave squirrels or lizards who have come to see what stirs in their home.

Then, like the rippling of the horizon at noontime, the ash-gray soil around you undulates. Sea, not earth. Something else has come to greet you — their grey bodies blended in so easily with the floor, but as you stagger to your feet, you see them. Thousands of spiders roll like waves underfoot. They crawl towards you from the darker edge of the forest.

attack

Individuals who attack the spiders will find the small spiders are easy to kill, but the pheromones released by their corpses draw larger spiders in their place. Huge, blood-red spiders the size of hunting dogs drop from the treetops. In addition to their venomous bite, which contains a fast-acting paralytic, these creatures are clever: they will attempt to use their webbing to handicap any trespassers, binding limbs together or to trees. If you're unfortunate to become fully cocooned, you don't have long before this forest will be the last thing you see.

FAQ: DEATH RULES

hunt

Any aspiring monster-hunters enterprising enough to try to follow the spiders to their nest will move eastward. This way, the forest grows darker and darker — though the sun never grows warm red-gold with sunset.

In the void, the birdsong is replaced by the click of mandibles and the skitter of many legs, but soon it is impossible to see. Even with the brightest magical light does not reach further than a few inches. The air grows heavy and thick, as if it were not air at all but some more solid mass. Almost like liquid-smoke, it presses down upon you. Slowing your movements. Soon, you cannot move at all.

Turn back while you still can — collapsing out here is dangerous. The void can play tricks on your senses. You may find yourself reliving unhappy memories or hallucinating your worst nightmares.

SETTING: THE VOID

But flee the spiders westward and you will discover that the wood is well-populated with the survival resources that someone might seek — berries bushes and trees bearing stone fruits; sticks and dry leaves to aid in the building of a fire; rocks big enough to fashion into crude weapons; small animals that can be hunted or caught; hike long enough, and you might just find the freshwater stream that runs north-to-south, populated by both poisonous toads and delicious crawdads.

What's more, you may run into others with stories just like yours. Some may have already formed clumsy nudist hiking parties, others may still be naked and confused and processing how they have no memory of how they got here. They all stagger vaguely, as you do, with only the sun for a waymarker — and even that won't last long.

Now is a good time to overcome any hang-ups you have about modesty, as it's going to be a long hike. If you sneak a good look at your new companions, you may four varietals of marks on their bodies. Maybe someone will even point out that you have one, too.

FAQ: CURSE MARKS

EVERY DAY LIKE THE ONE BEFORE

Hike far enough — or long enough that the sun does go down — and signs of life come into view. The glow of fires and lights, the smooth curve of a stone wall. A town sits at the edge of this wood, a reward to the survivors.

The fifty-foot wall of beige stone protecting the town's perimeter has only a single entrance — an iron gate positioned on the southern edge. When you arrive, the gate is already open, welcoming people into town from the winding dirt road. Attentive eyes may note that the road itself bears the mark of many wagon wheels and horse hoofs, but not cars.

guards

The guards grant entry to anyone who attempts a conversation with them. However, if your character is more likely to attempt to sneak in, overcome the guards, or attack them, please reach out HERE.

Inside the wall lies a quaint, historic town with a population around five thousand. The streets are cobbled, and their signs are lit by gas lamp. Wooden shutters protect otherwise open-air windows on the buildings, which are all under three stories with gabled roofs. A number of businesses hug the main street — a clockmaker, a cobbler, a bank — while residential homes sprawl outwards towards the wall. At the far end of the main street, visible about a mile to the north now that the trees and the enormous wall is out of the way, sits a castle with three towers.

No matter what time you pass through the gate, the streets are full of people. The climate of the bustle befits a night market or a busy friday downtown — plenty of people to ogle at your exposed body. But despite any efforts on your part to hide or make excuses, the locals don't seem offended by your nakedness. Even families with children don't gawk or look twice. In fact, the further into town you go, the more you may notice that they all wear revealing clothing that, to your sensibilities, may seem sexually suggestive. Some individuals openly expose their breasts and nipples, while some others may incidentally reveal when they turn around to tend to their errands that their dress is backless — entirely! If anything, they seem to be under the impression that you're naked to participate in the evening's events with the rest of them.

Those still determined to find proper clothing will find that modern clothing stores aren't a thing here. The closest this town has is a tailor's shop, which is closed for religious observance, and a stand in the central marketplace selling scarves and blankets.

Fortunately, the people of the town are very generous! The locals will gladly share what they have with those who ask politely — but those items are as revealing as what they're wearing. You might get a mesh bodysuit or drape outfit. Remember not to be ungracious! it's only appropriate for the occasion.

steal clothing

Anyone unwilling to ask nicely for help could break into someone's house or yard to steal some of their clean laundry. Notably, inside their homes, the people of the town also appear to own some more modest apparel. Be sure to alert us HERE if your character pursues this option.

SETTING: CRIME

And what is the occasion? The locals are excited and flattered by any interest in their ordinary weekly prayer: the folks dancing and selling their wares are all offering their energies to give thanks and ask for their god's patronage! The abstractions are all familiar — fertility, harvest, peace. Smalltalk makes them eager to chat and draw you into those festivities — including some ceremonial wax-dripping on the exposed parts of your body!

Anyone who chats at length with the townspeople will gather that the locals feel it's better for the newcomers to dive into the deep-end because, since you'll be settling in here, they expect you'll want to participate down the line. They seem to be under the impression that the new arrivals are a boon from their god.

In addition, many of the locals' choice of clothes reveal the same four types of marks on their bodies as the folx who were wandering out in the wood!

ROOM AND BOARD

Once you're tired out, the locals will help you find a place to stay. The boarding house is several stories tall and spacious, accessible through an embellished iron garden gate and obscured by hanging plants, trees, and vines. Beyond the overgrown yard is a bright red door, which opens into a spacious cottage.

The house has clearly been empty for some time — dust has gathered on various furnishings — bedding, sofas, curtains, wooden tables. According to the locals, it has remained empty since its last occupant passed away, and that's all they'll say about that!

Each floor of the house has a shared sitting room, but only the first floor has a kitchen — large enough to support feeding the entire household. Here, a few of the townspeople will help out — they stock the kitchen and help make dinner for the new arrivals.

finding roommates

Don't spend too much time in the dining room going for seconds, though. You'll want to claim a bedroom quickly because each one only has two full-size beds, and there aren't enough spaces for everyone. The last people upstairs will need to double up to squeeze in. Roommates will not be mod-assigned; players should coordinate directly with one another to determine their living arrangements.

Get a good night's rest. By the light of day, locals will help get the new arrivals set up on the coal stove with breakfast. You may notice they're dressed in a way you would almost call normal — at least, in a manner befitting 19th century Eastern Europe. As you find your way around town to get your bearings, folks are eager to help you find a place to apply your skills so you can contribute to your new home.

Comments

[morozova]

( "congee" isn't a familiar word to him either.

aleksander casts a brief glance at the other man, wondering if it's because he is shu. it's been centuries since aleksander has been able to visit that continent, so it's entirely possible that it's a new invention. )

No, not local, but it feels like something like home.

( barring the love affair with all things leather and lace. )

You? A fellow traveller, I take it?

[tantai]

( traveler is certainly one way to put it. )

An involuntary one, at best. I awoke in the forest, like many others here. ( the mysterious circumstances surrounding their arrival in the woods is troubling. he can't seem to think of any reason why he would end up in such a place, unless this is perchance another dream...? )

I've never even heard of Rubilykskoye until now. And our ability to communicate with each other is rather curious.

[morozova]

( that sounds about the same as his own experience. naked, confused and beset by spiders that had no business being that large.

the mention of language does catch his interest, though. brows lifting slightly. )

I confess I hadn't given the matter much thought. ( he was fluent in several languages, you see, and had assumed that either his new friend happened to speak ravkan or that his brain had automatically made the switch. )

[tantai]

( it's perhaps easier to glaze over for those who originate from more diverse regions. however, for tantai, he has never encountered foreigners until now, so it's all very quite new to him. he tries not to show it, of course; but he's incredibly intrigued by the people here and that much more conscientious of the fact that he can communicate with them flawlessly, whether they be locals or ones in a similar predicament as him.

it would be far too much of a coincidence for everyone to share his tongue. )

I suppose it's a minor concern compared to everything else. Convenient, too.

[morozova]

It is.

( there's something in the young man's answer that reminds him of david. it's in the way he hesitates, ever so slightly, before he speaks, as if unsure of the reception. )

I dread to imagine what would happen, otherwise.

( as it stands, there's already been fights over sleeping arrangements. another reason that he's kept to the kitchens. )

Have you spoken to many of the others so far?

[tantai]

Nothing short of chaos. ( panic and confusion — a combination not good mixed. )

I've spoken to a few. ( he has been gathering information from the locals and making acquaintances where he sees fit. whether you call them potential alliances or simple allies, forming useful connections can only serve him well, for the time being. ) We certainly have a diverse crowd.

[morozova]

( another twitch of a smile — mostly because that's simply human nature, isn't it? hungry and afraid, clawing at whatever semblance of control it can find.

as it is, it's a miracle that blood hasn't been spilt over the limited accommodations. while everyone is presently behaving, aleksander wonder how long that will last, particularly if more of them arrive. )

Have you recognized anyone?

[tantai]

( differing personalities are bound to clash under stressful circumstances. conflict may not have arisen yet, but the night is still young, isn't it?

even if a fight did break out though, it has nothing to do with him. )

No. ( he gives a cursory sweep of the dining area with his eyes. ) Have you?

[morozova]

( a slight pause — the space of several heartbeats, just long enough for him to weigh the pros and cons of revealing this information. )

Two. ( although genya had been scarcely recognizable when he'd found her. hysterical.

her accusation of him hurting david was not only implausible, it was absurd. she might as well have accused him of carving out his own heart. )

[tantai]

Enemies or friends?

( he finds himself fortunate to know no one here. it's one less trouble to contend with. )

[morozova]

( another telling pause.

finally — ) I'm not sure. ( if he'd been asked this question earlier, he'd have almost certainly answered "friend", but evidently something had changed between his departure for tsibeya and waking here.

it unnerves him to think of what he might have missed; and neither genya nor alina seem particularly inclined to explain. )

[tantai]

( well, that doesn't sound ideal. )

You may want to find out, for your own peace of mind. ( if they are a friend, then they will prove to be useful, but if they aren't, then it is best to know what they are before they become a potential problem. an unbeknownst enemy is always worse than one who is. )

[morozova]

( if only it were that simple.

genya knows him too well to be easily convinced by any overtures. being close to alina, it's inevitable that she would influence her. he isn't sure yet how to separate them, but it will become necessary—and soon.

he doesn't admit any of this outright, of course. pleasant as the company might be, it would mean sharing too much with this stranger than he's willing to do at this time. )

My mind hasn't been at peace for a long time.

[tantai]

Then, get what little you can of it.

( he is all too familiar with a mind afflicted by turmoil and conflict. the sinister voice in his head and the endless cruelties that have shaped and influenced his perspective of the world have plagued him as long as he could remember, yet he adamantly refuses to give away his control. )

No matter the cost. ( it's the only way to ensure one's sanity and survival. )