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Test Drive Meme #1 (cw vehicular crash, moderate injury)
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
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
- 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.
- But like OOCly ask permission ofc.
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[ In other words: He couldn't believe that Rafa took anything that came out of his mouth seriously. ]
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[ He's not laughing. In better circumstances he'd probably say that that last part is probably true, and they ought to check the point with Alec.
Not now. ]
You said those things to Shane. If that is how you truly think of me then I am glad to know it, because I thought I meant something more. And I do not like to invest when what I feel is not returned.
If that is not how you feel? Then you said those things to my husband, to someone I love, to hurt him. I would never speak like that to someone you love. To your Mark. Or even to your Nico, despite him being my rival, I would not do that because I know it would hurt you. But you did it to him. So you tell me why, Vex. Make it a better answer than the last one. This is not a game to me.
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Yeah, sure, alright, glad that you're glad to know that, I guess we're all happy!
[ He wasn't about to point out that Rafa was believing shit that was patently untrue again, because he already said it and if that wasn't good enough for Rafa then FINE. ]
Speak to Mark anyway you want, I don't own him! And what are you on about my Nico? Rival? Have you been chewing on the local fauna?! [ He would've said 'flora', but since Rafa was a vamp... ] Rival for what?! Nico's not mine and the only person I love is myself!
[ Speaking of blatant lies... ]
What do you expect from me?!
[ Vex had done a lot of changing during his time in Eudio, but apparently throwing him into this survival scenario had made him regress back to his natural instincts: Which were petty, loud and defensive. The good news was that this meant he cared about Rafa, that he bothered rather than just rolling his eyes and hanging up- the bad news was that this probably got lost in translation. Great job, Vex. ]
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That doesn't make any of it all right.
Rafa's eyes harden. ]
I expect you to apologise. To him, not to me, because he deserves it and because you were wrong.
For the record, I would save you, and what we are doing is not meaningless to me. All he had to do was listen to you to know the truth of that.
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[ Because if he does do any apologizing, maybe over beers, it will be on his terms and not because Rafa told him. Though Vex rarely apologizes anyway. ]
Right, fine, yeah, I can tell I meant a lot to you since you're glad about believing the shit I told him on a public feed. You have a lot of faith in me, I can see why you'd wanna save me so badly.
[ It was the sarcasm that could be heard around the world. ]
What a relief to have that fae off your back, right?! Took ages but you finally ferreted out the truth and now you can kick him aside without feeling bad about it. Ooh, yeah, I must've meant a lot! Precious even!
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[ He might sound exasperated by this point. Dealing with Vex in this kind of mood is not easy.
Come to that, Rafa isn't even sure what kind of mood this is. He's seen shades of it before, but not like this. Not directed at him, anyway. ]
I do not know why you were at such pains to tell Shane you meant nothing to me! After what happened when I found you here...
[ Rafa trails away, shaking his head. ]
Why did you say those things? Why are you doing this now?
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[ Classic five year old comeback. ]
Mr. "I don't care what you think of me" King "I'm glad to know it". After what happened between us you open with that bullshit, and not even in person you're doing it this way so I have to scream at a bloody cat?!
Screw you too!
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[ Rafa's temper briefly flares. ]
Will you complain to me about how I come to you and you spoke to him the same way? I thought this was your preferred medium, Vex. I am doing it your way, am I not?
[ It doesn't last for long. His temper never does, but the frustration is still there. ]
You should not have said those things. Not about me. Not to him. I am not the one in the wrong here.
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Fine! You're right, I'm wrong! Happy now?! Good! Have fun with him! How do you hang this bloody thing up?! Why are you still broadcasting?!
[ He got up and swiped at the daemon, which deftly jumped out of the way and continued to stare at him- Vex growled and readied himself to pounce it. ]
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[ Rafa stares at him. He's staring through the eye of a unicorn, which is being far better behaved than Vex's daemon. It might be because he's not at cross-purposes with his. ]
You were never like this with Hunter, and he is as much my husband as Shane. You knew about both of them. And you have Mark, Vex! Why do you care who else is with me?
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[
Didn't give a toss about you when Hunter showed up. His mind suddenly went blank, uncertain as to why Shane's presence bothered him so much. ]Erg! Why does it matter?!
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Because you matter. I do not want you to tell people you do not, especially when they matter too.
[ That's as honest as he can tell it, and as simple as he can make it. ]
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[ Matter? For a moment the anger off Vex's face fell off.
The real question was: Would it last? ]
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Did you truly think you did not? Did you believe what you said to him?
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Look, I can't talk about this at a cat! Can't we meet somewhere?
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Send them my address.
[ There's an obedient little chirp from the other end, and then a street address filters through to Vex's cat. Rafa is looking up again. ]
This is where I live now, it seems.
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I will lead you there. [ The daemon interrupted, to which Vex looked absolutely annoyed by. ]
Fine. Go on, then.
[ He didn't really want to take the cat, but he had no choice and he supposed he should keep it with him at all times in case Mark wanted to call. So he followed, and scowled a bit as the floating screen continued to show Rafa's face. ]
You're still not hanging up?
You don't want to hang up.
Don't tell me what I want to do!
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Keep the feed open.
Of course! [ It says, happily. It turns to audio only, though, giving Rafa time to collect himself before they arrive. He washes his face, pulls his hair down and ties it up again.
This isn't going to be fun.
He ends up waiting by the door, ready to open it as soon as he catches Vex's scent. ]
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Audio-only mode.
Whatever.
[ He'd nearly panicked for a moment, though found himself suddenly speechless- a thing Vex normally never was. ]
Alright, you're not that far, apparently.
[ Which was supposed to be a good thing, but with the way things were right now he wasn't so sure. It was confusing and it could probably be fixed, but Vex was a pessimist who was all too ready to think that people were going to give up on him- he thought Rafa had in the very beginning of that conversation.
Just a few minutes and he was approaching his door, clad in a white t-shirt, black shorts, flip-flops and sunglasses. His curls were unruly because he didn't bother to tame them, stuck in that phase between too short to style and too long to look professional. Ah well.
When the door just opened he stopped and stared, unsure of how he should go about this. Meanwhile his daemon strutted up and gently rubbed it's body along Rafa's shin, a little affection before it made it's way inside. ]
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Well? You wanted it to be in person.
[ He's riled up, clearly. Now that he's not on video, the tension rolling through Rafa's shoulders is easy to see. ]
Did you believe what you said to him, or not?
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[ He thought that was resolved and looked annoyed that Rafa brought it back up. He huffed out a sigh and leaned his back against a wall, arms crossed over his chest in an unconscious defensive posture.
Wait. He meant about him mattering-- Vex sighed and dropped his head for a moment. He was always so ready to go on the attack. ]
In the grand scheme of things I don't matter, and I shouldn't matter even if you think I do. I'm not... really a part of your world, luv. All of this, it's just temporary innit?
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He shouldn't feel like this, because Vex is right. It is temporary, and he shouldn't be doing this. He should have walked away from this a long time ago.
The thing is, Rafa doesn't really walk away, either. Irritated, he shoves Vex against the wall. ]
Do not say that to me. You do not get to decide who matters to me. I do not want you to tell people the things you told Shane. I do not want you to say it, or anyone to think it, because it is not true. That is why I brought you here. Not to tell me how temporary we are.
[ He lets go, backing off a step. ]
I am not listening to that.
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[ He knew what it felt like now: that feeling of being loved by someone, of loving someone, and while he wasn't entirely blind to how important he was to Rafa he knew he could never compare. ]
I can't... Fine. Fine, I won't say it to anyone else. [ He conceded only because this was getting dangerously close to a lot of pain he wasn't ready to deal with, except for the fact that he already opened the barn door and let the cattle out already. ]
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We are not a fling. [ His voice is laced with tension. It's quiet, but biting. ] If you were a fling, I would have left you long ago.
Is that all you want us to be?
[ He tells himself it would be better to know, either way. ]
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[ It didn't matter. None of this mattered. Then he conceded with a low sigh, his eyes closed and his face defeated. ]
I can't give you anything, luv. You know that. I have nothing to give.
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end? <3