![[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.
no subject
So, she left. She went out, and she found a place in the desert, and she walked out at night and spoke to no one. A good memory, on balance.
She puts it away. She watches this man closely. Focusing, again, on the scars. Some are older. Others, far less so. ]
A long way from here.
[ She says it softly. She'll have to get used to speaking again, she supposes. A body can fall out of the habit so easily. ]
A long way from this.
no subject
Where're you from?
[ Because it's only fair, right? If she's going to interrogate him? Even so, he has no idea if she'll actually answer. ]
no subject
Once, she might have felt something about that realization. Right now, she doesn't feel much of anything. ]
Did these people do that to you?
[ She doesn't have to specify what, she thinks. Given the way he's moving. ]
no subject
But she just looks at him like she's got every right, and Jesse has no idea how to react. How to address it. And when she outright asks, he flinches like he'd been physically struck. ]
No.
No, it...they didn't.
[ He blinks, mortified to discover that his eyes have filled with tears. ]
no subject
She gives the stranger another silent, impassive look. Marking the way his eyes go bright with tears. How he flinches.
Reactive, she thinks. Pope would have beaten that out of him. Or, perhaps, killed him outright. She wonders where she falls in that equation, in this place, where the rules have been muddle. ]
Mhmm.
[ Her gaze drifts back to the crowd. All these people who don't know how easily they could die. ]
These things happen.
no subject
Eventually, it works, and he's able to look back at her with some tiny degree of dignity. Even rally a little, actually try to have a conversation instead of just standing her letting her ask her questions while she ignores his own. ]
What things? Gettin' - gettin' abducted naked to some...fuckin' dark ages town?
[ He forces himself to keep his chin up, maintaining eye contact as best he can. ]
That shit happens?
no subject
It did happen, [ she points out. Therefore, there's no sense in fighting back against the inevitable. She accepts what's in front of her. ] And now we're here.
no subject
Where do you think we are?
Or, like - when, maybe?
[ Because this sure as fuck doesn't seem like 2010 to him, wherever they are. ]
no subject
[ That bothers her. The not-knowing. It shows in the way her brow furrows, trying to make sense of the information she's gathered. The way people are dressed, the tools they carry. The way none of them - not a single one - is dying of starvation. ]
The woods are wrong for Virginia. They have a wall, but -
[ Her frown deepens. ]
No rotters in the woods.
no subject
[ He perks up a little, interested. Not that he knows anything about Virginia, but it's information she hadn't given him before, when he'd asked.
He frowns, trying to remember what he'd seen of the woods, in between the spiders and the running and the panicked terror. They're just...woods, as far as he could tell, but how would he really know the difference? Are there differences? Apparently, but Jesse has no idea what they might be. ]
Yeah, the, uh, the trees look pretty healthy. I guess.
[ Nothing rotting, not that he remembers. He looks back at her, shaking his head helplessly. ]
It's definitely not New Mexico. All we got is deserts.
no subject
[ For now. She's hunting in Virginia, now. Too many of her ghosts are walking through the Virginia woods these days. Once she's done - or perhaps she's already done? - then she'll go elsewhere, and never speak to another soul as long as she still breathes.
Her gaze flicks to him again. ]
What do you remember? Before you came here.
no subject
He remembers too much. All of it. ]
I...it...doesn't matter now, right?
[ He forces his shoulders into a shrug, trying to go for casual. Unaffected. ]
Like, who cares? It doesn't change anything. We're here now. Right?
no subject
Pope’s voice is a low thrum in her ear. A reminder. A comfort, once. Right up until she put a blade through his throat. It shouldn’t have come to that, but.
Well.
She watches him for a moment. Close to impassive. Then: ]
I was killing a woman.
no subject
Jesse's eyes bug out a little, and he feels a wave of...what? Dread? Nausea? It's not even the words - well, it is, but more so it's the way she says them. Almost bored. Like it means nothing. ]
Oh.
[ It surprises him how normal he sounds. Like they're just having a conversation. Not at all like he wants to turn on his heel and put as much ground between himself and this woman as possible. ]
Why were you...
How...how come?
no subject
[ She ought to feel some way about this, Leah thinks. About telling a complete stranger what she started and ultimately failed to do. But mostly, she feels empty. Almost like Maggie Rhee promised.
Funny, that. ]
She took my family, [ Leah explains, and this is - perhaps - the simplest part. ] And she was a liar, so she deserved to see it coming.
no subject
[ Only half of that makes any sense. Jesse nods, trying to keep his own expression neutral and sympathetic without being pitying. Trying not to lie, whatever that might mean in this woman's eyes. ]
I'm sorry about your family.
[ He is. He doesn't know the backstory, he's keenly aware, but he doesn't need to. No one deserves that. He shifts from one foot to the other, wiping sweaty palms on his too-short shorts. ]
I'm sorry.
no subject
Until, one day, she was.
She regards him silently. Taking in the scars, the careful way he shifts his weight. Then: ]
What's your name?
no subject
[ He answers reflexively, then pauses. Then takes a step closer. She'd ignored his question once before, when he'd told her where he came from and he'd asked her the same in turn. And once is whatever, but if she pulls it twice? Not cool.
So. It's not quite a challenge, but there's a little more steel behind the words now. ]
What's yours?
no subject
Not so nervous now, is he. ]
Leah, [ she replies after a while. Perhaps this is a place where people share their names, where they don’t merely die. She’s not certain just yet. ]
no subject
Leah, though. He nods. ]
It's...nice to meet you, Leah.
[ He doesn't sound certain of that. She'd just told him that she'd killed someone, after all. But then again, so has he.
And besides, isn't that just what you say? Nice to meet you. ]
no subject
[ Is it nice? she almost asks. Is it really? But that's slipping into a game, something with an edge, and she's in no mood for that here. Not just yet, at least. ]
This is a strange place.
[ She regards him. ]
You should be more careful.
no subject
[ Yeah, no kidding. Although Jesse has a feeling that no matter how careful he is, this place is gonna end up catching him off guard again, one way or another.
Still, she's not wrong. He nods. ]
Yeah, for sure. Sorry again.
no subject
Even so. The way he holds himself reminds her of Bossie, just a little. Wary, alert, ready for something to go wrong. Trying to convince himself that it won't.
She looks away. ]
You should find a knife, [ she says finally. ] Something small, that you can hide.
no subject
What? Why?
...You're not gonna attack me, are you?
[ He's only half-joking. If that. ]
no subject
[ Her voice doesn't change from that soft, mild tone. Maybe one day, if he has something she needs. If he gets in the way. She has always been a practical monster. ]
You just never know in places like this.
(no subject)
(no subject)