![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
TEST DRIVE MEME 001
⚰︎ ⍢ ⌲ ⍚ 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
cw graphic description of dead animal / emotional manipulation/abusive dynamics from here on out
[ Hanseok's eyes light up as he says it, mouth opening in a broad, synthetic smile. His face drops a moment later, as unaffected as it was before, and he reaches over his shoulder, frees the hind legs of one of the hares from the twine he'd tied them together with and holds it out to him: lukewarm as the last traces of life fade from its body, bloody-mouthed and glassy-eyed. ]
For you. You do remember how to gut an animal, right?
[ It'll probably go to waste, but it's worth more as a gift to him than given to one of the locals who will actually use it: Han-seo has always been faint of heart, and he could use a reminder of it, lest he get any ideas here, while they're far from Babel's reach. ]
no subject
Like the idiot he is, some of his sad hopes show in the lingering expression on his face. Until he's getting an armful of dead animals that he doesn't dare refuse. He squirms and grimaces, and knows that something this small won't actually satisfy his brother's aggression for too long. Maybe it's good that Vincenzo is here... ]
Eugh... S-sure, hyung.
[ He would like to forget. He would have gladly taken on any of this world's challenges, if he could have just forgotten. Instead, the puppet master is here to pull his puppet strings. ]
You're such a great hunter...
[ Way better shot than me. ]
no subject
[ He never could have imagined himself as a career outdoorsman, and doesn't intend on it in the longterm—it's messy, undignified work when it's a job as opposed to recreation—but lawyers don't seem well-regarded here, and he's needed to figure something out over these past three days. ]
By the way, it might be best if people don't know we're related for the time being. [ There's not really any particular detriment to it, aside from people associating him with his brother's generalized idiocy, but it can't be a bad idea. ] And I've been going by Henry here. It seems easier for them to pronounce.
[ He has no frame of reference, in truth. He doesn't know how well or how poorly they would pronounce the name Hanseok, how well Eastern Europeans might grapple with that, but he doesn't want to be Jang Hanseok here. He's missed wearing another man's skin lately, even if coming forward as the real CEO has been a positive change overall. ]
no subject
[ He agrees because there's no good reason to dispute it. Except maybe the usual humiliation that his brother doesn't want to be associated with him. And except maybe because it's not as if he gets real freedom from this arrangement. Han-seok will still come for him behind closed doors because he doesn't let go of things he thinks he can use. ]
Your American accent is pretty good too.
[ There's so many new people here for Han-seok to make feel small, lives to ruin, rules to break. Han-seo might at least get a break, sometimes. There's no responsibilities to hand to him here. That would be great, that would be... something. ]
I'll just, uhm... you know. Do my own thing?
no subject
Don't get too many ideas. [ He steps forward and pats him on the cheek, holding eye contact. ] You know what tends to happen when you start thinking for yourself too much.
[ Things going wrong, half-baked ideas, challenges to his authority. People getting shot and put in the hospital. ]
cw: han-seo's addiction thing
Of course, sir.
[ He complies, shaking a little as the hand comes near him, clutching the dead rabbit closer. What pathetic comfort that is. ]
I definitely won't do any thinking.
[ See how dumbly reassuring his smile is? He's totally harmless and stupid. Maybe if he's harmless and stupid enough, everyone will stop seeing him. He really just wants to disappear. Why the family put him in rehab and pulled him back into this is beyond him, he doesn't need to be here and remember any of this. ]
no subject
I'm sure that won't be a problem for you.
[ The implication, of course, being that that is his native state. More or less true; he's always been kind of stupid, not quick enough or cunning enough to do anything other than be led along like a donkey. Even when they were kids. But he lacks a donkey's inoffensive presence; his submission is cloying, maddening. Sometimes he wants to strike him just for existing, for the stupid stammering and tripping over his words and avoidance of eye contact, but he keeps that in check for the moment. They're in public, and he hasn't committed any serious offense. He's cooperating, he's remembering his place. As it should be. ]
no subject
That's... that's right.
[ He swallows thickly and is indeed checking just how in public they are so that he can better gauge his chances of just walking away a bit jittery. ]
What was it the pigeon said... "Like an echo chamber, totally empty up there?"
[ Wasn't that video where Vincenzo and Hong Cha-young dragged him for being a moron great? He loved it. It was awesome. ]
no subject
That's about as much as he wants to think about the guy right now. Bizarre start to this experience. He still needs to kill him. At least there are a few marks to ensure Hanseok stays on his mind until that day comes. ]
They almost know you better than I do. Almost. [ Beat. ] By the way, if you see Vincenzo Cassano around, don't engage. I think we both know what happens when you try to 'help'.
[ He'll probably end up inadvertently assisting him by running his mouth and disclosing something he shouldn't, the dumbass. ]
no subject
[ He definitely didn't know that! Of course not! Totally new information to him. Nothing to see here. ]
Yeah, I mean, why would he want to see me anyway? [ A tap to his temple. ] Empty like an echo chamber. Can't tell the dead economists from the living ones.
[ 🙃 ]
no subject
Yeah. Weird.
He might want to play with you to get to me. [ Said like it's a thought that would never naturally occur to the younger. ] You're the weakest link, baby brother. You know that, right?
no subject
Oh.
[ Nevertheless, it's always an excellent feeling when he is reminded that he is all but dead weight, dragged along and protected by a big brother who wouldn't leave him behind. Supposedly. ]
Right. You're right, hyung.