singillppl | August 2023 Test Drive Meme

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August 2023 Test Drive Meme

AUGUST 2023 TDM

PROMPT ONE — ARRIVAL: METHUSELAH'S FEAST: A group of newcomers find themselves lost in the frozen wilds and vulnerable to the dangers of nature. With luck, they make it to the town of Milton, and to a friendly face offering food, warmth and shelter.

PROMPT TWO — HOPE NOBODY NEEDS THIS ANYMORE: Once recovered from their journey, newcomers are free to explore the town of Milton for supplies and find any signs of the townsfolk.

PROMPT THREE — THE SIREN OF MILTON BASIN: A mysterious woman haunts the frozen lake of the Milton Basin, trying to lure newcomers to their deaths.

ARRIVAL: METHUSELAH'S FEAST

WHEN: Day One.
WHERE: Milton, Milton Outskirts.
CONTENT WARNINGS: potential animal attacks, potential injuries, potential cold injuries/hyperthermia risk.

’You are the Interloper. You are not part of nature’s design.’

It’s the last thing you hear. A dark, deep voice. Impossibly ancient. You feel afraid. Maybe you’re dreaming, maybe you’re wide awake. You saw the lights, and then your world went dark. But you hear it in the blackness, you won’t forget those words.

You awaken. You are not where you were before. It’s different for everyone, there doesn’t seem to be much of a pattern in where you find yourself. You may open your eyes to find yourself in a cold, dim and dank cabin. The air is stale, dust hangs in the rays of weak sunlight that shine through the tiny windows. Someone lived here once, but they aren’t to be found. You look around, it seems like no one has been here in several days, maybe longer. The fire is cold, the dishes in the sink are a little mouldy. It is quiet. The wood creaks around you. Or perhaps you may awaken to find yourself shivering in the yawning maw of a cave, the freezing stone below you. Or maybe you’re unfortunate enough to sit up to find yourself lying in the snow, in the middle of the wilderness. Snow lies thick around you. It’s freezing out. You haven’t felt a cold like this before in your entire life. Cruel and biting. You have no idea where you are, and what’s worse — you are completely alone.

You may feel different, too. Any powers or magics you may have feel... absent. Disconnected. Things that may not have affected you previously now do. Something in you has changed.

You know you can’t stay where you are. You’ll need to move, try to work out where you are and how you came to be here. So you walk, head out into the unknown, in hope of finding a trail or a road. You’ll find one soon enough. It’s here you may find someone else in the same boat as yourself, equally freezing and confused. You’ll both need to keep going. It won’t be easy. You hear howls of wolves around you, and the terrain is difficult: slips and falls are likely. You’re completely vulnerable out here in the open.

But it won’t be long until you see it: the lazy trail of smoke rising in the air. Fire.

Follow it, and soon enough the way you’ve taken will certainly become a path or road. Unfolding before you in the mountainous forests, you’ll see the most welcome of sights: a small mining town tucked up in the valley. Battered, rusted road signs will direct to “MILTON, POP. 947”. You’re almost there, you keep going, and it looks like other people have had the same idea as you. As you head into the outskirts and further into town, you’ll find it’s a little easier to walk but the cold has gripped you hard. You’ll find the buildings, both shops and homes, are dark and lifeless, some of them are boarded up. Other than those heading in the same direction, towards the smoke, you won’t find any townsfolk coming to greet you, or even looking at you from behind curtains. … Where is everyone?

Towards the center of town, you’ll find the building from which the smoke rises: a school-house of sorts, or some kind of community hall. Perhaps both. You’ll find more and more people all drawn to this place, each and every one of them in the same position as yourself (and your companion, if you’ve found one). Some are in worse states than others: some are bloodied, nursing bite wounds or cuts; others might have some other kind of injury sustained in the journey here from falls. Others may look as if they could faint from the cold at any second.

The door opens, and you’re greeted by the gnarled, wizened face of an elderly man, dressed in thick furs. He has a kind face. He smiles warmly, and with pity, ushering you in with haste.

“It seems like a great deal of you have come.” he muses finally. “I am Methuselah. I welcome you Newcomer, although I’m sorry for how you’ve come to find yourself here. Please, warm yourselves. Eat. Get your bearings. Mother Nature has not been kind to you.”

The room is dim, lit mostly by the weak natural daylight through the windows. A roaring fire sits at one end of the huge hall. It crackles, bright and cheerful…. and warm. Even as big as this place is, the room is pleasantly warm. You’ll also find basic cots set up down one side of the hall, places to rest for a moment and get your bearings, or just trying to recover from the cold or any injuries. Down the other side are tables and chairs, and long, foldable tables laden with food, drinks and bottled water similar to one might find at a soup kitchen.

There are canisters with hot herbal teas and coffee, along with soup and stew and trays of charred moose, deer and rabbit meats, instant mashed potatoes, and tinned vegetables. It’s very basic, but it’s hot and filling. A feast. The old man has been busy. And Methuselah will continue to busy himself, still; there is plenty to do. He will fetch blankets, tend to wounds, serve food and drinks. He does not have much time to talk. More and more people seem to be coming in from the cold. He will not stop to sit and rest until everyone is seen to, taking up a place by the fire to gaze silently into its flames. He is troubled, thoughtful.

If you ask him where you are, he will simply respond: “This is Milton, of the Northern Territories.”

If you ask how you came to be here, he will shake his head: “Something has changed. The sky, it was… full of light. The Flare. I felt you coming, a great arrival. But I cannot say for certain how, or why you are here.”

He is regretful, genuinely so. He wishes he had more answers for you, but he does not. Instead he will simply insist you rest, get warm and eat. There is plenty to go around. Eventually, when you feel well enough, Methuselah will gesture to the door: “When you are ready and able, explore the town. Many left, others could not make it out. I have found no one but the dead. They will have no use of the place now, perhaps you might in the meantime.”

HOPE NOBODY NEEDS THIS ANYMORE

WHEN: First couple of weeks since arrival.
WHERE: Milton.
CONTENT WARNINGS: frozen dead bodies, unexplained deaths, suicide, murder.

Other than Methuselah in the Hall, the town of Milton is void of life. While not a particularly large town, there’s a few stores and even a gas station. Life here is rustic. Function over form. Homes are simple but sturdy and warm, it’s a rugged place and one can easily deduce that the folk living here led simple, self-sufficient lives.

Commercial buildings and stores of note include a bank and post office, a hunting/fishing supply store, a grocery store, and a clothing store. There is even a church just on the outskirts of town. The buildings are ripe for picking, with most of them still with the doors unlocked, including the residential buildings. Others are locked, but can be broken into easily enough. A few are even trickier, with some of them boarded up or with entrances blocked. In terms of contents, a third of the residential buildings seem to be almost empty, as if the owners moved out long ago. There might still be things left behind of use: old, warm clothes good for the wintery weather, tools and cooking utensils — but little in terms of food. Even if the former residents move some time ago, they didn’t completely empty their homes.

Most of the homes in Milton seem to be left as if the owner stepped out only a short while ago, and with very little disturbance. Some houses, however, seem to be abandoned in a hurry, with a mess of items strewn about in some last-minute dash to grab essentials: keys, identification, treasured personal items, supplies for a quick exit. Cupboards are typically filled with an abundance of canned goods, and some chilled goods might have survived in the cold weather within the fridge-freezers, but it might be a gamble if one wants to try and eat them. Any and all electronics within homes: televisions, computers, mobile-phones — although dated, will all appear cracked and damaged, and will not function or turn out at all. The same will go for any vehicles around the town: there is no hope of starting any of them.

Diaries and journals kept by the former residents may remark on a change in the weather, with the cold and harsh climate becoming more hostile as of late. Others remark strange lights in the skies, dating several weeks or so ago, strange noises in the air, issues with power and electrical items. Some make mentions of changes to the wildlife, with wolves coming close to the town even when they had never done so before. One or two mention problems on the Mainland, with increasing difficulty of reaching out to loved ones who don’t live in the Northern Territories, or deliveries being unable to arrive. The growing trend is that something odd and terrible has been happening, although no one can truly explain what, and the problems have been growing increasingly worse and worse up to the final entries. You might note that the actual years and dates might not line up with your own: the current year given in these entries is 2014.

The newcomers are free to take over these homes, if they wish. No one appears to be stopping them, and even Methuselah seems to shrug about moving in. And as he’d mentioned, he has found no one but the dead: and plenty of them can be found.

Bodies of the town’s former residence can be found scattered over the town. In homes, in stores, out in the snow. They appear still relatively fresh, although it may be hard to tell if it’s from the cold or if it’s from very little time passing. Most appear to have died from cold exposure, some appear to have simply dropped dead on the spot. Others may be found with a gun in hand. Some, worryingly, appear to have perished by another’s hand. You won’t find the entirety of the town’s population, but there’ll be at least several dozen. Men, women, children.

Methuselah seems to have begun laying the dead to rest, but there’s too many for one man to do. Maybe you can work out what to do with them, try to bury them in their backyards, or try to take them to the churchyard.

THE SIREN OF MILTON BASIN

WHEN: Until the next Aurora.
WHERE: Milton Basin.
CONTENT WARNINGS: mental manipulation, malevolent mythical creatures, falling through ice, attempted drowning/possible successful drowning, potential character death.

Those who venture further south of the town will find themselves traversing the steep, winding paths down towards the Milton Basin. The way down is treacherous, but if enough care is taken you should be able to make it down in one piece. The water is just about completely frozen over down here, thick and sturdy enough to walk over for the most part. Within the Basin there’s more wildlife to be found: deer and rabbit are plenty. And there’s even plenty of foragables, too.

Out on the water are two small ice-fishing cabins, enough to fit one or two people inside comfortably, which hold a few forgotten supplies to try out some ice-fishing if you want to see if anything bites. Both even hold little log burners to keep warm. An old hunter’s shack can be found along the water’s edge, for those not quite brave enough to travel out onto the ice, to take shelter in for when the weather gets a little too difficult, with an old log burner still working within it.

But it’s calm down here, for the most part. Peaceful even. It’s an excellent place for fishing and hunting, and a little more sheltered from the freezing winds.

Until you hear the voice. Something soft and feminine, echoing across the ice. The Basin helps to amplify the sound, and for a long time you can’t quite be sure of where exactly it’s coming from. It’s singing, she is singing. Something old, in a language you can’t quite understand. Maybe it’s not even a language at all, but simply melodic vocalizations. It’s... beautiful, you’ve never heard anything like it before in your life.

And then you see her: a woman standing upon the frozen waters of the Basin. You realise she’s probably the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen in your life, even if you can’t quite even begin to describe her. She appears different to everyone who beholds her, some one might see her hair is long and dark, others might see her with neat red curls. Some swear her skin is dark and rich, that looks almost plum when the light hits it just so, others claim it to be cool-toned that glistens like sunlight on snow. Whatever someone might find aesthetically pleasing is how she’ll appear, and even then to describe her to others will bring you at a loss for words. And she’s singing… to you, for you.

You’re compelled to go to her, although you can’t explain why. You’re drawn to approach her, to hear her better, see her better. Your feet carry you onto the ice, out into the midst of the Basin. You ignore the calls of everyone and anyone around you, fixated on the woman before you. She smiles when you’re close enough, beckons you a little closer.

… Then everything changes. Without warning, the woman leaps for you, her face contorting into something hideous, mouth opening to scream to reveal rows upon rows of tiny, needle-like teeth. She collides with you, and the force (paired with the slippery ice below you) is enough to send you off your feet. As you fall back, the ice cracks beneath you with an almighty sound, plunging you into the frigid depths below.

The woman fights to put you beneath the water’s surface, those needle-like teeth bared like some ferocious beast. She can be fought off easily enough, but she might just drown you before you’re able to. If you’re lucky, someone might be able to help pull you out. Tools or weapons made of iron or silver are especially harmful to her.

Once you’re pulled from the water, getting somewhere warm will be the utmost priority — otherwise the cold will kill you quicker than the woman would. The woman, you’ll find, will have vanished, and the ice where you’d fallen will have restored itself, as if it had never been broken at all.

FAQs

ARRIVAL: METHUSELAH'S FEAST

1. Items characters have brought from home can be found either strewn around them when they awaken, or in the community hall — as if someone left them out for them to collect. Methuselah will not know how they got there, and will be quite bemused by the happenings.

2. Reminder that all characters are now depowered upon arrival. They can choose not to notice it at first, or can immediately sense something is different about them.

3. If asked any personal questions, Methuselah will smile and say "Oh, you don't want to know about an old man like me. But I have lived all over in these parts for all my life." He will be more concerned with trying to help Newcomers, and is genuinely concerned for them and their well-being.

4. If asked how he knew that the Newcomers were arriving, he concedes that although it is a strange thing to know, it is much like how one knows a storm is coming.

HOPE NOBODY NEEDS THIS ANYMORE

1. Characters are welcome to take up residency in any of the homes of Milton. Methuselah will strongly advise characters to leave a huge, dilapidated house — known as Milton House — well alone, due to extensive fire damage.

2. More information about Milton can be found here.

THE SIREN OF MILTON BASIN

1. Characters with hearing impairments will not be susceptible to the Siren's song, or may only be somewhat susceptible depending, but may be entranced to a degree by looking at the Siren. However, this will be far easier to snap out of.

2. The Siren cannot be killed, only fought off. She will disappear for a length of time to recover before she attempts to lure her next victim.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A. Arrival

[Jiang Yanli is unacccustomed to the cold, being from a much warmer and temperate region of the world. As the daughter of aristocrats in ancient China, she's also not used to setting foot outside her home without an escort, whether they be disciples of her sect or her protective younger brothers. The fine hanfu of violet silk is just as ill-suited to the climate as she is. It doesn't take long for her matching shoes to become soaked in the snow or for her to start struggling through it. She's shivering and her teeth are chattering violently but she keeps walking through it regardless, jaw set stubbornly and chin held high in a way that'd make even her critical mother proud.

The trek's hard going. The longer she goes on, the harder it becomes to focus or even remember anything but the harsh, relentless cold exhausting her and wearing her down. She stil has enough strength and mental capacity in the face of rapidly approaching hypothermia to understand that she needs to find shelter and fast or she's going to die out here, alone and separated from everyone she knows and loves.

Fortunately, her stubborn efforts are rewarded in time. Spotting a nearby cave to take shelter in, she makes a beeline for it, stumbling through the entrance and collapsing immediately. The impact hurts, honestly more than falls usually hurt her, but she's too exhausted to think about that now. She simply picks herself up as best as she can, dragging herself deeper into the cave, oblivious to anyone or anything else that might be currently residing there. After Jiang Yanli rests for a bit, she'll have to look around for wood and build a fire. The situation could be worse; at least, she has a lighter on her. She is a cook, after all.]

B. Hope Nobody Needs This Anymore

[After she's somehow managed to find her way into town, been fed, and obtained some new clothing that's a little more suitable than what she'd been wearing before, Jiang Yanli sets about exploring the ruined town. This might have to be her new home for a while until she can eventually make her way back to Lotus Pier where she belongs and it'd be best for her to get know it, at least a little. She doesn't know where she is or how she got here but it's clear it's the wake of a some kind of disaster. The situation is dire and she knows from personal experience that those require every able person to do their part.

And it's very clear to Jiang Yanli from the moment she gets her bearings in town that there is a lot for her to do. She immediately gets busy, systematically going into each and every building, regardless of the bodies inside or out. She barely seems to pay the corpses any mind and certainly shows none of the visible shock or horror one might expect from a young woman of her breeding. All that's visible is a calm, placid expression but it's not hard make out a stubborn glint of determination in her eyes. She simply sets out the task of gathering whatever useful supplies she can find and starts efficiently organizing them into several large piles in one of the buildings: one for clothing, one for blankets, one for tools, and other for cookware.

Before getting to work, she doesn't really think to inform anyone about what she's doing or even ask for help. Her demeanor seems friendly and approachable enough and that sure is a rather large amount of vital supplies she's apparently hoarding without any clear intention on what she plans to do with it.]

C. The Siren of Milton Basin

[Normally, Jiang Yanli isn't one to venture far from home but once she's built up enough of a solid foundation on other tasks, she takes it upon herself to investigate the surrounding area a little bit. While living in frigid temperatures is very new to her, she's used to living near the water and feels naturally drawn to it. If she closes her eyes and imagines hard enough, maybe this foreign land might start to feel a little more like home to her with time. After all, she's stuck here for the time being whether she likes it or not.

She's been quiet for the most part since her arrival, only really speaking if spoken to and maintaining a low key presence. It's simply the way she is until she has more time to adjust and warm up to people However, when the siren starts singing, she speaks without prompting, with a quiet edge of authority to her voice.]

Be careful. Not every spirit that dwells near water is friendly.

[Even if the song truly is beautiful and she herself feels a pull to investigate it further herself.]

D. Wildcard

[Choose your own adventure!]

[OOC: I'm a bit rusty with Yanli and completely undecided on canonpoint other than at some point before she hooks back up with Jin Zixuan. Yanli's novel timeline with supplementary canon from the donghua.]

[Jin Guangyao was having a very bad day, or he was before he woke up to wherever he was now. He was left in charge of making certain the Phoenix Mountain event went without a hitch. ~~Maybe then he could prove his worth and his father would see that he was a worthy son~~ But between Nie Mingjue and Wei Wuxian, eliminating two-thirds of the prey and being put down by his stepmother in front of everyone...It was terrible.

He must have passed out. He had no idea where Er-ge or Wangji went. They were right next to him, everyone was there... It was cold. Colder than Heijan ever was. Colder than Qinghe, It was a good thing that he had found a cave and was in the process of making a fire, with dry grass and wood he had gathered.

His eyes widened at the newcomer. He scurries to his feet to give her a formal bow.]

Maiden Jiang. Please have a seat and I'll get this fire going as soon as I am able to.

Edited 2023-08-10 19:53 (UTC)

[The elements have taken their toll but she perserveres anyway, dragging her numb and shivering body further into the cave. The promise of fire, of warmth, is enough to keep Jiang Yanli moving. She barely registers at the person bowing to her or that she recognizes him. Sort of. She thinks. It'll probably come to her after she warms up a little more.]

Th-Thank you.

[Her teeth are chattering, her words slightly slurred, but at least, she's speaking and capable of following instructions. She takes a seat like she's been told, allowing some of her bone deep weariness to show. Even before whatever strange event transported her here, she's had a rough go of it lately. Losing her home, her parents, and nearly everyone she's ever known will do that to a person. Forced into separation from her brothers by circumstances during the war hasn't helped. And neither did Jin Zixuan's rather creative take on who and what she is as a person when all she'd been trying to do was help out at Langya. And help him specifically.

The chapter of her life that revolved around Jin Zixuan is well and truly done now. And in such an unfamiliar, inhospitable place, she has bigger problems to worry about than a failed romance. She falls quiet for the time being, once a fire is going and she's able to get out of some these wet clothes, she might feel better and be up to talking more.]

[Jin Guangyao did his best to start a raring fire sooner than later though he was worried about her chattering teeth. Once the fire was large enough he sat upon his heels and undid his belt enough to slip off his outer robes, handing it to her.]

Please Maiden Jiang, if I may be so bold, please wear this. It is dreadfully cold outside today and it'll help you warm up faster. This one will go see if there is anything nearby we can make a meal from.

[With that he stood up and brushed the dirt from his knees. He had spent enough time on his own to know how to care for himself in dire situations, and they needed a hot meal. He had seen some fat rabbits nearby and if he were quick enough he could probably catch a few for their dinner.]

Please warm yourself in the meantime. [He gave her a bow and a warm smile.]

[That snaps her to attention.]

If you go out there with fewer layers, you'll catch your death out there.

[The words come out sharper and more agitated than her typical soft, melodic tones but the whole situation she's in is one giant strain on her. She's seen too much death, known too many who haven't come back, and even the thought of a stranger perishing out there is too much for her to bear in the morning.]

Please. Just wait by the fire a little while longer. Once I've had a litte time to recover, I'll give your clothes back to you and one of mine to take out with you. It's not much but it'll give you a little more warmth.

[As the mistress of the struggling Lotus Pier, she knows how and when to allocate minimal resources if necessary. It's one of the lesser known or lauded skills a lady of a house.]

[He stopped in his tracks. It has been a long time since anyone was worried about his health. It was more that than anything else that made him stop and come back, looking cowed. Perhaps it was the snapping of a woman from Yunmeng that gave him the Pavlovian response to obey. He sat down near the fire like a good child.]

Ah...Alright, Maiden Jiang.

[He put his hands over the fire to warm them.]

This one is Jin Guangyao, of the Lanling Jin sect. [He wasn't sure if she would even know or remember him. He was really of no importance other than a war hero for his father to flaunt. So and introduction seemed polite. Especially since a lady being alone with him without a chaperone was rather uncouth.]

Did you wake up here as well?

Jin Guangyao? I'm afraid I can't recall anyone by that name...

[But he recognized her and knew her by name. Curious. She thought she knew many of the young men within the Lanling Jin Sect. But the name suggests a much older generation. Of course, apparent age means nothing to a powerful cultivator. Whether he is or he isn't, her spiritual powers are sealed and she's unable to detect a thing.

However, the more she studies him, the more she feels she should recognize him. Clearly, he's a relative of Jin Zixuan's and a close one at that. The familial resemblance it too strong for him not to be. Perhaps he was one of the Jin cultivators she'd met in Langya?]

Regardless, it's nice to meet you. And yes, I did. Out in the snow.

[Throughout this exchange, she's stripped off her outer layers and laid them out to dry near the fire, exchanging them for the borrowed ones. She feels warmer already.]

Jiang Yanli | Mo Dao Zu Shi

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The siren

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