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

sam carpenter | scream

[requel]

( ooc: comes in late with baked goods feel free to switch to prose or whatever tense you prefer, i'm more than happy to match! also feel free to pp or hmu on plurk shookspeare if you'd like to plot, talk puppets, bad movies or get dog pics. i'm a need an invite person so i won't be able to app until next round but i can't help myself! )

🔪 ARRIVAL

[ it's not the nakedness that bothers sam, it's the not knowing. not knowing how she got here, not knowing where here was and no idea what had happened leading up to this. she was always careful, always aware of her surroundings - she had to be. that's when the nausea hits her and for a few minutes she can't do much other than sit in a hunched position. when she finally gets to her feet, she's now determined to get out of here. but first, she needs a weapon. it's her first instinct, it's always her instinct. when it's fight or flight, it's always fight. even if she won't actually need it, she'll feel better if she has something in her hands. her eyes scan the surroundings, there really isn't much that could work as a weapon. eventually, she grabs a branch and just as she does that's when she notices the spiders. ]

What the hell?

[ she takes a few steps backward before swinging the branch down on the spiders - killing some of them. she does it without a second thought. there were so many of them, how were there so many of them?! then she sees the larger spiders. ]

Shit!

[ she takes a few steps backward, weighing her options. she's never been the type of person to just run from a fight but right now it might be her only option. ]

🔪 EVERY DAY

[ the mesh bodysuit is surprisingly comfortable or maybe sam was just so grateful to finally have clothes that anything would feel comfortable. at least it was easy enough to move around in, she's still on high alert - still in fight or fight mode. the outfit makes it impossible to hide any sort of weapon because her instincts are still screaming at her that she needs to find one. she also had so many questions that needed answering but for now, she's walking through the marketplace. she's trying to get a better feel of this place, a better feel of where the hell she is so she can plan her next move. but if anything it's just making her more confused and more on edge.

it doesn't help when the townsfolk seem to imply she might as well join in the festivities because she's going to staying here. she backs away from the person offering to pour hot wax on her body. ]

That's not happening.

🔪 ROOM AND BOARD

[ the last thing sam wanted to do was rest. she needs to get out of here, she needs to find out what was going on but she also realizes she won't be any good on empty. she's trying to find an unoccupied room because she doesn't think she'll get much sleep if she's sharing with someone else.

she finds a room on the top floor, that's empty. she doesn't hesitate in going in and claiming one of the beds. but as she lies there she can't sleep. there are too many thoughts in her mind, she's too tense. so she just lies there, staring up at the ceiling. ]

every day;

[somatosensory]

I'd say you'd get used to it, ( the response is level, calm — and tinged with amusement. he's familiar with that look. the deer-in-headlights, new arrival look. that had been him a month ago. although he's not sure he'd be able to pull off the mesh suit quite as well.

nestled against a corner, a cup of something warm and probably alcoholic in hand, he looks almost like a local. almost because while he's dressed in a little too much leather, it's probably leaning slightly more toward hells angels than it does fifty shades of grey. ) but you don't, really.

They won't take offence if you decline.

[requel]

[ sam turns in the direction of the voice and frowns. that wasn't really what she wanted to hear but then it isn't like this was something she wanted to get used to. what she wanted was to find a way out of this place and get back to her sister. that would always be her priority now, no matter where she was. and being in this weird, creepy... sex place. ]

Will they get offended if I tell them to fuck off?

[ because that was what she really wanted to do. she was just trying to get a better idea of this place before doing anything. ]

[somatosensory]

( it's a fair ask. almost no one that's arrived here takes it well — with the long trek and creepy crawlies, being practically naked is just the icing on an already terrible cake. )

What reaction are you hoping for?

( he sounds more curious than discouraging. )

[requel]

[ sam sighs and runs a hand through her hair. honestly, she doesn't know what she was hoping for. she doubts that these people would suddenly tell her that she could go home or this had all been some way too realistic prank. maybe the angry part of her she normally tried to keep suppressed was coming out. because these people annoyed her - the way they were acting so nonchalantly at all of this made her angry. ]

I don't know. It just might make me feel better.

[ she looks back at him and purses her lips for a moment. ]

I'm guessing you're not ...local either?

[somatosensory]

( again, fair — it won't do much for her, of course, because the townsfolk are just insufferably pleasant like that. right up until they aren't.

but that revelation can probably wait.

aristaeus inclines his head at the question. ) Arrived about a month back. ( so far he hasn't found anything resembling a calendar around, so this is mostly an estimate. )

Curious if you took the same route into town.