Test Drive Meme #1 (cw vehicular crash, moderate injury)

[spoofer]

Test Drive Meme #1

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

You don't need an invite to test
but please remember we're currently invite-only

CRASH LANDING

Exit one dimension, enter the next. It was chaos: pressure against your ears, light bending in an impossible, unimaginable way. The very molecules of your body vibrating against one another. If you have windows, the view outside makes no sense. Even if not, your hands, your face, your feet seem like an uncertain thing. It's the feel of reality itself tearing apart, reshaping, reconnecting, thread by thread.

And suddenly, there's a beach— or ocean, whichever you land in. Smoke. Fire. Salt water churning up, fizzing around.

Maybe you crash, in a ship wrecking into sand. Maybe you merely stumble out of a portal, a ragged wormhole in space. Or maybe you fall off the back of an incredible steed, some creature that carried you into this place. Either way, there's pandemonium around you. Incredibly, severe injuries are far and few between— nobody's screaming about the dead. But you might have to help pull someone free of wreckage, or move quickly to salvage burning belongings from the landing craft. Maybe it's the crafts themselves, that you're trying to salvage.

Likely, you don't know them, these other strangers who arrived here^[1]. Maybe you don't trust them— you just came out of a dying world, after all. But you all have one thing in common: you're here now.

When you get a second to breathe, maybe you'll see it. The brilliant green forest across the sand. Beyond that, the glint of a faraway city.

INTO THE WOODS

Your first night at Xistentia does not feature five-star accommodations, but as the sun begins to set, the forest offers everything you need to survive. By now, you may even have met your daemon, who'll help guide you through this. There is fallen wood to make fires for warmth and cooking, any number of rabbits, deer, and fish if that's what you're into eating. Those very same animals also provide guidance as to what vegetation is edible, including a variety of vine mushrooms, fruits, and flowers. If you're the kind of creature that mostly eats other sentient creatures, well. Technically, there are a lot of those hanging out too^[2]! Now and then, you'll see tiny, winged humanoid creatures the height of a finger dart in and out of view.

A resourceful group, the multiversal refugees have determined ways to create shelters, using wreckage, supplies, and basic survival knowhow. There aren't enough blankets to go around, but the weather is mild and the fires seem to keep out any aggressive creatures.


Things get quiet. This could be a good time to meet the others under less fraught circumstances. Maybe you'll see some familiar faces and reunite with others who fled from your dying world; maybe you'll meet someone new.

Try not to seek out and fight any Rock Trolls. It's still early.

ENTER THE CITY

The city is beautiful, even with the vines covering everything, the streams running down half the streets, the massive white deer leaping off under the highway overpasses. The architecture of the skyscrapers is incredible to look at, modern and sweeping. It's clear that terraced gardens were part of the building design, and some of the greenery that lines the street had been part of the original city plan. This is a city of great potential.

And it knows you're here. As you walk by, beacons like streetlamps begin to emit a gentle glow, registering your presence. No doors are locked, though you might find yourself chasing out nests of silver-winged birds and bug-eyed rabbits.

Here, you can claim empty shops or the clothing and other sales items inside of them. Apartment complexes aren't difficult to find in a range of sizes; nor are standalone homes, brownstones, loft studios. Penthouses may not feel like penthouses when there's a thin layer of dust growing on everything and a flower growing out of the sink, but you know what? Maybe that little bud is gonna be your first roommate.

It's the strangest thing. After a few days, the lights begin to work and the water begins to run, fully operational within the unseen sewer system. At some point, the keys to your house or residence are going to turn up. Your daemon will help you find what you need. F.A.TE.S. welcomes you.

NETWORK

By now you've settled in. You have some time to explore the city, the woods, and your new kit.

Chances are pretty good that your daemon is not a phone or a computer or a wax-sealed piece of parchment or a Howler, nothing with a convenient camera or a keyboard; it probably isn't even a pocket sized. Likelier, it stares at you with eyes that contain the lenses-- or powers-- of a camera, and some part of its body projects a holographic keyboard into the air. For those of us who are not accustomed to manipulating intangible light prisms, it's about as intuitive to type on as shaping a cloud with your fingers.

But here's your network access. Accessible to all your fellow travelers in XISTENTIA.

Misfires, typos, and blurry video footage are likely. Time to feel like a Luddite!

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

hells yeah

Footnotes

1. Some of these can be nameless, plot-device NPCs to facilitate interactions! But even in this case, please avoid gore in describing their current state of being. Anyone dead or catastrophically injured will have disappeared by the time your characters make it to Xistentia. There are no corpses or dying here.
   
   
2. But like OOCly ask permission ofc.

Comments

katniss everdeen | the hunger games ( eudio crau )

[hangingtree]

INTO THE WOODS

[ With soaked pant legs and boots, Katniss makes her way immediately into the woods. She doesn't have her bow on her (didn't have in back in Eudio, except the one she taught with at the Wolf's Den) but she breaks off a decently-sized stick to beat anything worrisome that comes near her with. It's not the best weapon, but she's had to make do before, she can do it again.

Her steps are quiet aside from the slight squelching of her boots. After making her way about ten yards into the tree line she stops, leans a hand against a nearby tree, and pulls her boots off. Then she continues on barefoot, boots in one hand and stick in the other. When she hears movement nearby - whether it's an animal or another person - Katniss freezes, squinting some as she peers deeper into the forest. She's not dumb enough to call out, but she's there, quietly watching and waiting to see what it is that's come near her path. ]

NETWORK

You are Katniss, correct?

[ The feed, blurry as it is already, shakes as Katniss spins around, a furious (or is that frightened?) look on her face, causing the poor creature to startle and jump back. ]

Who-- [ Her eyes narrow. ] What are you?

Your daemon, Katniss.

You say that like it makes any kind of sense to me. [ Her hands are clenched into tight fists at her sides, obviously uncomfortable and on edge, ready to break this thing's face. It seems like some kind of muttation and the thought makes bile burn the back of her throat. ]

I am your guide to the city, and your tool for accessing the network. It allows you to speak with other people and for you to broadcast messages, as is happening now.

The-- [ She scowls but stays quiet for a moment as her daemon pulls up the network menu, brings out the keys. And then she leans forward somewhat, inspecting it, almost forgetting that it's broadcasting.

Almost. ]

Who's out there? [ She's hoping for a familiar face but she's not holding her breath. ] Is there anyone from Panem? [ There's a brief moment as she presses her lips together, thinking. Then she adds: ] Or Eudio?

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

hmu with whatever you want, dudes.

network - also eudio crau heyooo /o/

[rekt]

[ murphy recognizes her face first, knowing he'd seen it before. it had to be eudio - the only other people who knew so well were the 100, or the 40 or so that's left of them. after hearing 'katniss' twice, it sinks in. ]

Hey, Districts girl.

[ that awesome talk they had about horrible dystopian futures. yeah, good times. ]

Having fun with apocalypse yet?

woo! \o\

[hangingtree]

[ Katniss stares at the feed (or maybe it's her daemon she's staring it; it could be hard to tell) for an uncomfortably long moment, brow furrowed in a deep frown. But then she seems to place his face, her expression clearing, although one would be hard-pressed to call the residual look on her face happy.

She snorts. ] Depends on your definition of fun, I guess. [ It's not him that she's unhappy with, though, so once her distaste for all of this is made abundantly clear, the corner of her mouth lifts faintly. They'd only ever had the one conversation, but it's someone she's at least adjacently familiar with, and that's better than nothing. ] And it's Katniss, not "Districts girl."

[rekt]

What, you didn't dig the crash landing on an abandoned planet thing? After barely surviving an apocalypse? It's cozy, starting to feel like home already. [ he smirks, letting out a short, amused snort, because that is home for him, and the irony is the sort of 'i laugh to keep from crying' sort of brand. thus - ]

And that would be the sarcastic kind of fun.

[ meaning, not fun at all. anyway, nonsense aside, it's nice to see someone he'd known in eudio, and more over, she'd seemed like someone smart and capable. two things you need in a place like this. ]

Katniss, right. I'm Murphy.

[hangingtree]

[ Katniss lets out an amused huff; she'd already felt like they were bonding over their fairly equally shitty homeworlds but his sarcasm now makes her like Murphy even more. ]

I think I'd rather be in the mines digging coal. [ Which... probably makes little sense, him not knowing that's what people did in District 12 to make a living. But whatever. ]

You're the first familiar face I've seen. [ Which is Katniss speak for "It's nice to see you." ] Have you come across anyone else from Eudio?

[rekt]

Could always just sit on the beach and refuse to acknowledge all the rest of this place. [ murphy shrugs. its a tropical paradise, so long as you don't look at any of the wreckage. ]

Pretend you're vacationing.

[ there's a small smirk, murphy's way of saying "hey, i'm glad you're alive too", and then he nods - yeah, he's seen them. not the entire city, but there's some. ]

A few. Kavinsky, Aric, Rafa. Not many. A lot of strangers.

[hangingtree]

I'm not a big fan of beaches. [ At least not enough to hang out on them and pretend like everything's shiny and good. The expression on her face makes it pretty clear that vacationing isn't something Katniss has ever done in her entire life. ] I'm not very good at sitting still, either. I'd rather be doing something productive.

[ Like finding something to eat, or something to use for protection. Or, better yet, a way home.

There's a brief nod on her end, although the only name that's actually familiar in that list is Rafa. She's glad to hear he made it out of Eudio alright, even if it means ending up here. ] I wonder how many of us there are. [ And if it means anything. ]

[hangingtree]

[ Katniss may not smile at the sight and sound of Axel, but she does visibly relax somewhat, her scowl fading. ]

I'm fine. [ Physically that's true. Emotionally and mentally? Jury's still out. ] Just... unsettled. [ That's a good way of putting it. ] Where are you?

[ She'd feel better, talking with him in person instead of over this weird daemon-controlled-network. What Katniss doesn't realize is that her daemon's going to follow her around no matter what... ]

[hangingtree]

Probably, [ Katniss says, the quip a knee-jerk and said with the smallest of teasing grins. It's a brief respite from the panic of being somewhere so unfamiliar, the amusement and pride she feels, but it's nice.

The question gets a nod, both her and her daemon turning around, heading back towards the woods. She had been at the edge of the city, the buildings in sight, but she doesn't mind doubling back to find Axel. ] Yeah. Murphy, that guy from space? [ "That kid that has an almost equally shitty home as me," she doesn't say.

Her daemon's following behind her, meaning Axel mostly gets to see her walking with purpose to the forest. But she turns after that comment, something just dawning on her. ] Stay put and I'll find you; if you wander, you might end up going further into the forest instead of coming out on the right side. [ It's the most demanding he's probably heard her, but she's shifted into survival mode now, after the surprise of the landing and her daemon (which still really hasn't gone away, it's just been pushed aside). ]

network

[helical]

Katniss? You okay?

[ she looks freaked out, and even without knowing all of her story, he doesn't blame her. ]

It won't hurt you. The daemon. They're there to help us.

[hangingtree]

Maybe they shouldn't stalk us, then. [ The comment's more for her daemon's benefit than Alec's and it, in response, lets out an almost indignant sounding huff. Then, in its low, growly sort of voice says: ] I wasn't stalking you, I merely came to find you. There is a difference.

[ Katniss rolls her eyes but ignores it, focusing instead on the feed. ] I thought you went home, Alec? [ A beat, then she adds: ] Please tell me this isn't where you come from.

[ In true Katniss fashion, she ignores the inquiry to how she is to focus instead on figuring out where she is. ]

[helical]

We thought that was where we were going. [ back home. after making one final request — but this is far from home.

whatever her daemon is, it seems to have a bit of a personality, as most others seem to as well. alec wonders why they couldn't make programmed assistants to be more polite and agreeable. maybe it's a protection of some kind, but it's irritating.

his is not speaking at the moment, but a long, white and grey tail swooshes in front of the camera lazily a moment, while alec fusses with it and nudges it away from the screen. ] Did you get here directly from Eudio, like the others?

[hangingtree]

[ Katniss frowns; while it would've been strange, ending up in Alec's world, at least then someone would know where the hell they were. But she tells herself not to panic just yet, even if that's all she wants to do; someone has to know where they are. And, more importantly, how they ended up here instead of where they all intended to be.

She notes the tail, curious as to what form Alec's daemon has taken, but she puts the question aside for the time being. It's not the most important thing right now.

Her own sits down roughly, making the feed shake briefly, and lets out another gruff sounding huff of air since apparently they're not moving anytime soon. ]

Yeah. I thought I was going home. I wanted-- [ Pausing for a brief moment, Katniss clenches her fists at her sides, digging her nails into her palms. Now's not the time to get emotional about the uncertain state of both Eudio and home. ] I thought maybe Panem was dealing with the same thing.

[helical]

Sounds like if it isn't yet, it will eventually. [ that's what he's gathered, at least, from pestering his daemon with questions about what this place is, how they got here, what's going on. some of it is unclear, confusing, muddled, but alec has kept a clear head by focusing on the facts.

and not what might be happening to his family.

seeing familiar faces here has helped, too. ] We need to focus on finding shelter, food, all of that first. There's a city, apparently.

network

[mordacita]

[ Another familiar face. There's a lot of them here. Rafa is relieved, in theory, but it can only mean dire things for the state of Eudio. He touches his unicorn's face, gently bringing it to the right angle. ]

The creature is harmless. It is a program. An impressive one, but not...fully alive, in truth.

[ The unicorn makes an offended little huff and shakes his hand off its face. Rafa's eyes slide to it, his tone dry. ]

You have no heartbeat, my friend, what else can I say?

[ It's not happy. But it can't actually argue with that, either, so Rafa returns his attention to Katniss' face. ]

There are many here from Eudio that I have found. How are you?

[hangingtree]

[ Katniss's own daemon lets out a grunt (that sounds much more like a low, rumbling huff) at Rafa's words. She doesn't try to placate it, however, her focus more on Rafa's face than anything. Maybe she thinks that ignoring her daemon means it'll leave her alone. ]

Fine, if you ignore the world ending and the crash landing on some weird beach I've never seen before. [ Sarcasm: the best defense she's got. But even with her somewhat harsh tone, Katniss looks visibly less shaken at the sight of Rafa. That's four people she knew, however loosely, from Eudio and even if it's not people from home that she wishes she could see again, that she desperately misses, it's a comfort all the same. ]

How many are here? You're the fourth one I've talked to so far.

[mordacita]

[ Rafa smiles at that answer. He'd crashed in the sea. Much as he enjoys the water, he wouldn't have chosen it at that particular moment. He can't blame her for that attitude. ]

Enough that I cannot call it coincidence. They must have interfered with Eudio's transporter. I should have been at home, not washing up in the tide. Hunter is missing, though.

[ His face darkens at that. They had been together when they left Eudio. Somehow, they'd been separated in transit, and that doesn't please Rafa at all. If they'd stayed together, he wouldn't have complained. ]

Not all are from Eudio. This place has its tendrils on many worlds, it seems.

[hangingtree]

[ Katniss, being the girl that she is, doesn't offer any words of sympathy to Hunter not being here. She does frown somewhat, however. Or somewhat more than she had been already. ]

Which is going to make it even more difficult to get back. Or get home. [ Obviously the preference there would be home versus Eudio since the latter is guaranteed being destroyed, but if they made it back to Eudio maybe they could try again to get home.

She runs a hand over her face in frustration, a sharp edge of fear and worry evident in her eyes, even as she scans her surroundings. There are trees behind her, suggesting she'd only just made it out of the forest. ] I wonder how many worlds people here have come from. If it's only a few... [ She's not sure where that thought is headed in all honesty, but something tells her a select few would be better than hundreds or more. ]

Network

[healingdork]

Katniss, hey. Good to see you. You get out okay?

[hangingtree]

I've got a few scrapes and bruises, but it's nothing I can't handle. [ It's this place that she's not sure she can handle. ] It seems like a lot of people I knew in Eudio came here instead of going home. [ And that concerns her as much as the fact that she's here as well. ]

[healingdork]

Yeah... I wonder if home would have been any better off than Eudio was. I sure hope so....

[hangingtree]

My guess? It probably isn't. [ Katniss Everdeen, always the optimist. ] I'd like to know either way, though.