rubimemes | TEST DRIVE MEME 001

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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.

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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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Awakening

[When Ivar awoke, he wasn't sure where he was, but he knew for certain it was neither England, Norway, or Valhalla. He had no idea how he got here but he wasn't about to lay about in the middle of the woods all day. That was a good way to end up eaten by something with sharp teeth.

He was further motivated by the sight of the spiders. Well, wherever they were heading, he was going the opposite direction!

Slowly and very painfully, he began to crawl through the woods, over rocks and grass, around trees and bushes. He hoped there was a town nearby but he was confident in his ability to survive for a length of time out here if necessary. He'd been in far rougher conditions than this before and come out on top. He could do it again now.

When he got far enough along, he stopped and began to sharp a rock into a crude knife. A Norseman with a weapon was never completely helpless and so he'd make sure he could deal with whatever he came across. The berries looked edible enough and so he gnawed on some to give him strength. Coming across a meadow where it looked likely that there would be rodents like rabbits or squirrels, he began to construct a crude snare for one of them. Patience was always the key. If you waited long enough, the food always came to you instead of having to do it the other way around.

If he came across someone else in the same condition during this time, he gave them a once-over look. His sharp, ice-blue eyes missed nothing and already he was trying to get a read on the sort of person before him. He'd always had a talent for that, being able to pick up on people's personalities even after just a sort conversation with them.]

Don't suppose you've come across anything better to eat?

[He'd ask conversationally, popping a berry into his mouth as he sat there. Honestly, the nudity didn't bother him as much as it could have. That was life when you lived in a place where people were in close quarters, even if you were son of the king like he was. What Ivar was painfully conscious of was the fact that his own legs, withered gaunt things with emaciated ligaments and no trace of muscle, were on display. He decided the best strategy was to just ignore them and hope the other person did too.]

Town

Once he'd gotten to the town, Ivar began to slot things into his mind a little bit easier. Much of the town's structure was familiar to someone from the ninth century even with the more "modern touches" in place. He set himself up right on the main street and decided to just sit there, observing what was going on around him so that he could gain a sense of the town's rhythm and its occupants. It also gave him a chance to observe those coming in through the gates. "I don't suppose you've got a better idea of what's going on?" He would ask some of them, in-between asking questions of the townsfolk.

Eventually, he was able to find some pants, thank the gods. It was always easy to gather sympathy playing the "sad helpless little cripple unable to walk" act and he used that now to get some clothes, just acting pathetic enough for one of the townspeople to cheerfully part with a (regular) pair of pants. He'd felt uncomfortable enough as it was having them on display for the whole world to see as long as he'd had. While he'd gotten pants, the most he'd been able to find in way of shirts was a leather vest that left pretty much his entire chest exposed. Eh, oh well, it would do for now. He'd been in far colder places than this.

Ivar began learning as much as he could about the god of those in the town, he seemed a bit reluctant to participate in the festivities. While he did believe there were other gods, the Norse ones of course were far superior. He'd engage others who had come in through the forest while talking with the locals about this. "Hey, you, listen to this!" He'd gesture for someone to come over and engage in conversation with the person he was already talking to, Ivar still sitting down on the ground or on a nearby chair. "Take a listen to what they just told me!"

Room and Board

[Ivar was quick to claim territory. Part of that is purely pragmatic. He wasn't about to try and maneuver his way up and the stairs each day just to get to his bedroom. Part of it was also that he could be a bit territorial when it came to what he saw as being "his."

One who came into the first-floor bedroom he'd decided was going to be his would find him sitting on the bed, still dressed in the clothes the townspeople had given him, and slowly sharpening his crude stone knife with a whetstone. The overall impression was one of a casual nature. He looked up for a moment before going to his work.]

Need help with something?

[OOC: A few notes about Ivar! He's sixteen, underage by most modern standards, but considered an adult in his own time period. He has osteogenesis imperfecta aka brittle bone disease, made most evident by the fact he's unable to walk without help since his legs cannot support his weight. Other signs are a bluish tinge to the whites of his eyes and the higher risk of his bones breaking by simple everyday activity. Unless a character such as a doctor from the twentieth century is familiar with the condition, it will not be evident what's wrong with him beyond the obvious fact he can't walk. He canonically is referred to by others and uses for himself quite often ableist slurs such as cripple in reference to his disability. Please let me know if you'd prefer for this not to come up! I can be reached at

Light_shade or Lightshade#4738.]

Edited 2023-05-19 09:45 (UTC)

[ mavis lifts her gaze to him, watches as he complains about eating. her expression stays neutral, mostly flat, like she's not used to thinking about what anyone else is getting out of the twitch of her facial muscles. ]

What's 'better'?

[ not that she's found anything more substantial, but there were days that cactus fruits were the only thing she had to eat at all, and it'd felt like very good food. the sheer wealth of edible fruits and berries in these woods feels like paradisiacal to her. ]

[Ivar continued to eat a few more berries, doing his best to assuage the feeling of hunger within him. It was hard work, dragging his body from place to place using only his arms, and it burnt up a lot of energy when he didn't have anyone else around to assist him.]

Meat is always better than just fruits and vegetables. Keeps you stronger for longer.

[That being said, he offered some berries to Mavis. There was more than enough to share and Ivar had good enough manners to know to share with others, especially when it wasn't clear when the next meal might be coming. Besides which, most people who ate together were less likely to stab each other in the back, at least for a temporary basis.]

It's also harder to get.

[ she looks around, casting her gaze over the forest and how bereft it is of — well, anything manmade, really. ]

What would we hunt with?

I know how to make some snare traps. If you can find something and drive it towards them, we'll have the meat come to us instead of having to rely on hunting it down.

[Adapt, improvise, overcome. The story of Ivar's life.]

No rope. No corn.

[ the husks are the only fibers that she knows how to weave properly. in a pinch, she thinks she might have been able to do something with cactus fibers, but there's none of that, either. ]

If we walk til we find water, I can get fish.

[ a sharpened stick is an easy enough tool. but either way, she doesn't think meat is on the menu for this evening. she knows exactly how long she can go without eating any, too, without losing too much of her strength to be functional. ]

[It looked like there was a 'we' now. He was glad. Much as Ivar was used to doing things on his own, he'd never turn down a helping hand. It was better than stubbornly trying to go it alone when he knew that he needed others. Ivar glanced around at the vegetation that surrounded them. They appeared to growing thicker the more one went downhill.]

I think water might be in that direction.

Ivar "The Boneless" Ragnarsson | Vikings

awakening

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Town

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UBBE! :D

xD ivar needed a visit from his big bro

Yes. Yes he did.

Awakening

cw: ableist language

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town!

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