wastemods: (Default)
wasteyard mods ([personal profile] wastemods) wrote in [community profile] wasteyard2019-05-18 02:36 pm

THE SKY WENT OFF-WHITE.

WHO: Anyone and everyone.
WHAT: Our inaugural test drive meme.
WHERE: Anywhere in the world core.
WHEN: Whenever your character arrives.
NOTES: Expect surreal horror and possible violence. Please use common sense when warning for other content.



Art by Basile Godard

THE SUNLIGHT SPLINTERED.

You reach the end of the ash-gray hall at a run, hands fumbling for an antique door handle. And then you stumble, fall, tumble—any number of adjectives, depending on where, exactly, the door opened—into a radio station.

The equipment is old and dusty, but devoid of cobwebs to the observant eye. And it's dark, save for whatever light makes it through the windows. They display disjointed locations; perhaps one shows an upside-down tower, while its neighbors frame the crumbling pavement of a rotting car park and the stripped out interior of a sewer. Whatever the case, peering through one window reveals a landscape that impossibly doesn't connect to the next.

The door is still there, the only exit to this grubby room. It opens somewhere, anywhere else in this distorted world. And once you leave, it no longer leads back whence you came.

Where do you go?


THE LIGHT, DIVIDED.

A sun on one horizon, a full moon on the other. They're luminous but unreal, like they were plucked from a sky and pasted to a flat, starless backdrop. You can see only one, depending on which side you entered; it's essentially random. Both "sides" overlap like alternate dimensions and you can't see anyone who isn't on the same side as you. Light or dark, you walk in the light of a muted sun or an overbright moon. It never feels quite real.

Neither star nor satellite seem to move from their position. The passage of time is at a standstill.

Regardless of which side you're on, you'll find signs that you aren't alone. What someone does on one side affects the other, so moving an item or writing something down will translate to floating items and mysteriously appearing letters. Speech doesn't travel...unless there's a radio. Radios may turn on and off, with voices audible through the white noise. And if you walk past a mirror, the reflection isn't your own. Instead, it acts as a window to the other side.

In-character observations:
  • Anyone sensitive to time, space, and related dimensional shenanigans will feel they're distorted. And it isn't something they can fix, at least not with powers.
  • It's possible to cross dimensions if a character has related powers, but they'll suffer backlash and significant stress from the transition. Successive jumps aren't gonna fly.
  • If a character is affected by the sun or moon, they'll find neither holds sway over them here; e.g., vampires can walk in daylight and werewolves won't shift in the full moon.
TL;DR: Whatever this is, it isn't natural.


THE SHADOW REALM.

Outdoors, there are shadows on the prowl.

Silent and eerily insubstantial, they trail after you like blind spots given form. Staring at them too long is unsettling but, for the most part, they're content to watch you back...if they can watch. They don't seem to have eyes.

When that isn't enough, however, they attack. Stealing the shape of monsters from other worlds, they may lack special powers, but that doesn't keep them from being dangerous. When in doubt, you're safest indoors.

But maybe that isn't good enough for you. Or maybe you just fucked up. Either/or.


RADIO WAVES.

If you aren't wondering how you got here, you're probably at least asking why. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be anyone around who can answer your questions. Everyone else is as clueless as you.

But, some time after you arrive—whether it's days, hours, minutes, or seconds—the dead air stirs. The atmospheric pressure drops and playhouse lightning arcs across the facsimile of a sky. It's a storm that warns of what's to come, as an earthquake shifts the ground beneath your feet. Around you, buildings flood, and water pours out in falls only half aware of gravity. Wind hurls debris at such high speeds, it turns into shrapnel. Rain pelts you from above and below as the temperature plummets. It starts to snow.

Somehow, the sun and moon remain visible through the turmoil. A collection of mirrors scattered through the world don't reflect their light; instead, it passes through them and illuminates the other side. These specific mirrors, all set in ash-gray frames that match the halls, are untouched in the unfolding natural disasters, and standing before them will shield you as well. Consider them havens in the chaos, proverbial eyes in the storm.

In the dark, a radio turns on of its own accord. Is someone—something—talking to you?


INTO ALL OUR DARKEST FEARS.

Welcome to THE WASTEYARD's first test drive! Some quick things to remember:
  • Our TDMs tie into the game plot. As such, any applicants can keep their TDM threads as game canon.
  • The network is exclusive to in-game characters. TDM characters can only use radios.
  • There is a language barrier, so please mention what language your character speaks somewhere.
  • We don't have a fixed day ratio; instead, you pace yourself at your discretion.
  • Characters may face backlash when using any powers.
  • Mark if your character is on the sun or moon side of the divide. The choice is yours as the player.
  • If you have any questions, please direct them to our FAQ!
And that's all, folks. So take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!


calculo: (T W O)

[personal profile] calculo 2019-05-20 05:24 pm (UTC)(link)
No. In case you haven't noticed, this place ain't really a tourist destination. ( everything was rotting and falling apart or it was shifting and switching, making him wonder if what he'd seen had been actually what he'd seen or was his mind playing tricks on him. )

You don't exactly look like you've been entertaining guests either. ( he nods at the broken tube that that she'd just come out of. ) Doesn't look very comfortable.

( decent hiding spot. )

I've seen shadows. I've seen reflections that aren't me but you're the first person I've talked to since whatever happened to me happened.
ascocarp: pt2a16.k | (i put you on hold)

[personal profile] ascocarp 2019-05-20 05:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[She rolls her eyes.] Yeah, yeah, you were late and missed orientation. [The way his eyes glide over her hiding-spot, to then comment on her comfort... it makes her nervous. It reminds her of the cold in a way this place's plummeting temperatures don't.]

You're saying you've- fuck!

[Speaking of shadows, there's one, right on time. It looks like the bleary memory of a dog, or something canine; the way the legs move aren't right in a way Ellie can't put her finger on, and doesn't care to analyze. In a moment, she's scrambling back up the slide, not inside but on top. Higher ground is good; the thing isn't huge, and might not be smart enough to figure out how to climb to her. What the other guy does, well, shit. It's not like she can help him.]
calculo: (F O U R T E E N)

[personal profile] calculo 2019-05-20 06:42 pm (UTC)(link)
( how the hell do you fight a shadow? this isn't like the ghosts the darkhold had created. he doesn't have the chain anyway and even if he did, he doesn't know if it'd work. he can still feel the rider inside of him but something about this place is twisting him up too, making it hard for him to come out.

so, when she runs, he doesn't. he turns to face it, arms at his sides and eyes flicking around the area. there's debris all over the place but would it hurt a shadow or just distract it. )


Look kid, I can cause a diversion if you want to get out of here. ( he takes a few steps back, rocks crunching under his shoes. the shadow moves closer and he moves away, keeping some distance. )

Because if this thing does whatever it does to me, you're not going to want to be here. (
¿entender?
)
ascocarp: pt2a16.k | (i put you on hold)

[personal profile] ascocarp 2019-05-20 06:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[She doesn't trust this guy, she doesn't understand this guy, she doesn't know this guy. And no fucking way is this guy dying because of her. The visceral reaction, no, is too fast and heavy to consider or refuse.]

[So she grabs something else out of her pockets, a rusty can full of bottle caps and casino chips. She shakes it vigorously, and it does get the shadow's attention.]
Hey, motherfucker! Go fetch!

[She throws it, and the shadow... doesn't follow. Instead, it begins rounding on Ellie, attempting to clamber up the slide like she did.] Ooooh, fuck. [She drops and makes to run, intending to lead the creature away.]
calculo: (F O U R)

[personal profile] calculo 2019-05-20 08:03 pm (UTC)(link)
( of course. of course. why does he always end up around people with no self preservation skills? he's more than happy to lead this thing away but before he can, she takes charge and he'd be angry if he weren't so shocked.

what breaks him out of that surprise is when the shadow moves towards her. that shoves him into action and he moves towards the two of them, reaching down to scoop up a discarded piece of wood on the ground. it's not much but he hopes it'll do something.

the shadow's attention is on the girl so he has a clear shot to move up behind him and he swings, hoping that, by some miracle, the board strikes solid and doesn't just pass through the thing.

give him this bit of luck, please. )
ascocarp: pt2a16.k | (wanna come to my house)

[personal profile] ascocarp 2019-05-20 08:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ellie would stab him if she found out he thought she had no self preservation skills, but then again, the list of infractions for which she would not stab him is currently short. Not that it's obvious, given how she's refused entirely to let this stranger take the bullet for her. Maybe there's a difference between preservation and survival. Preserves are pickled in a jar somewhere, right?]

[Anyway, the strike lands, though the temperature of the wood goes cold as ice upon contact with the shadow.]

[The shadow itself moves shape, unsure what to attack. This is compounded when Ellie begins to maddeningly stab it with her shiv, only to draw back in horror at how bone cold that was. Her hand feels almost burnt.]
Fuck fuck fuck! What are you? [But she's back to stabbing again, trying to get her hits in while she has the momentum.]
calculo: (F O U R)

[personal profile] calculo 2019-05-20 11:03 pm (UTC)(link)
( this isn't working. his fingers are almost numb from just swinging a hunk of wood at the shadow there's no way she's not feeling it too. this isn't working and it's only going to end in them getting injured with no medical attention in sight if they keep it up. )

Kid, we gotta go.

( he backs away, gesturing her closer. she's gonna have to make a choice to trust him right now or to try and keep stabbing a shadow that barely looks like it's taking damage. )

Dios, let's go. I don't want to leave you here but I will. ( he wouldn't. ) This isn't working so let's go before one of us gets hurt.
ascocarp: pt2a16.k | (i put you on hold)

[personal profile] ascocarp 2019-05-21 01:40 am (UTC)(link)
[We. It always becomes a we somewhere, doesn't it? She hopes she doesn't regret this. She doesn't have a choice. Deep down, she knows the truth: she could bolt in a different direction, sure, but she doesn't want to be alone anymore. She's spent what's felt like hours, maybe days, alone in this place. It felt like dying.]

[Not that she'd know what dying feels like.]

[She nods, quick as she can, before darting toward the nearest open doorway. Her hands ache, and if she's injured... fuck. She doesn't know what to think. She doesn't know what to do, but she can't let herself panic. So she just keeps running, not letting herself cradle her aching hand.]
calculo: (T H R E E)

[personal profile] calculo 2019-05-21 12:46 pm (UTC)(link)
( thank god. he actually hadn't been sure if she'd listen to him or if she'd keep stabbing the shadow until her entire arm was blue and about to fall off. but no, she runs and after a moment's hesitation to make sure the shadow's not going to follow, robbie takes off after her.

he keeps her back in front of him, occasionally shooting looks over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed. )


Keep going.

[ better safe than sorry to put some distance between them and any other shadows that might be lurking. then again, how did you even know where a goddamn shadow was? he doesn't know this place, doesn't like how it keeps changing and he feels constantly on his guard. ]

ascocarp: pt2a16.k | (i put you on hold)

[personal profile] ascocarp 2019-05-21 10:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[She slips in the door and, to her possible credit, doesn't immediately slam it behind her. She leaves it open, and keeps running up the steps behind it, a clear pathway blocked by a medicine cabinet and a grandfather clock crashed down and blocking entry.]

[She's seen this path before, if not... in this building. Wasn't it in another one, hours ago? Weird. But also convenient. She knows the way through this particular puzzle; she's done it before. She uses her off hand (her dominant hand is tucked inside her jacket, cradled and favored) to pull open the door of the grandfather clock.]


C'mon! In here!
calculo: (F O U R T E E N)

[personal profile] calculo 2019-05-22 01:11 am (UTC)(link)
( the kid's fast, he'll give her that. he can keep up but only because his legs are longer. if they were the same size, he's pretty sure she'd be leaving him in the dust. but she doesn't and she even leaves a door open, one that he crashes through, taking a moment to kick it shut behind him.

he's back running quick enough, closing in on her. she opens the door to something, he can't even tell what it is, but she waits for him so once he's close, he nudges her inside, slips in after her and shuts the door.

he puts a finger to his lips to keep her quiet and then waits to make sure whatever's out there passes. )
ascocarp: pt2a16.k | (of a long time ago.)

[personal profile] ascocarp 2019-05-22 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
[The grandfather clock opens a doorway to another room, though it's not the one Ellie remembers. Last time, it was a huge library full of blank books. This time, it's a giant kitchen, full of dusty ovens and sinks. The door behind them, once closed, vanishes.]

[Ellie is too distracted to notice. The adrenaline is still ebbing, and replaced by wonder at this huge room. She's never seen something like this before.]


Woahhhhh. [Without thinking, she murmurs,] You think this could feed, like, a billion people?
calculo: (E I G H T)

[personal profile] calculo 2019-05-22 12:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Maybe not a billion. ( but it is a good sized kitchen. the only thing is a kitchen's no real use if there's no food to go along with it. he peers behind him at the door that's no longer there. there's not even a trace of it.

he presses a hand against the spot it had just been and it's solid. nothing hollow, nothing hidden. what the hell was this place? )


You see any food anywhere? ( because the longer they were here, the more pressing things like food and water were going to become. he turns away from the wall and steps further into the kitchen, trailing a gloved finger along the dust. it's thick. this hasn't been used in awhile. )
ascocarp: pt1a14.k | sad (4353456)

[personal profile] ascocarp 2019-05-22 03:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Uh- [She frowns, looking momentarily guilty. Unused knives and other cooking implements hang above them. Her hand is so cold, her teeth chatter. The memory rises up, and she fights to kick it back down.]

[With her good hand, she reaches inside her backpack and tosses him a wrapped piece of jerky.]
That's all I could find.

[Still, unease remembered, she keeps her distance, unsubtly putting a counter between them. She fiddles with the sink, trying to get the water to turn on.]
calculo: (T W O)

[personal profile] calculo 2019-05-22 06:12 pm (UTC)(link)
I didn't mean you should give me your food. ( he puts it down on the counter, wisely keeping the distance she's set between them. he puts his hands on the counter next to the food and fixes her with a look. his own arm is still cold but he'd backed up much quicker than she had. he can't even imagine what she must feel like. )

Your hand hurt? ( even if she says it doesn't, he knows it has to. ) What's your name? Unless you'd prefer I just keep calling you kid.
ascocarp: pt1a14.k | sad (4353456)

[personal profile] ascocarp 2019-05-22 06:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[She finally finds a sink that works, and puts her hand under it. The water is lukewarm at best, but it feels burning hot on her arm, shaking beneath the water.]

Everybody else does anyway, [she murmurs.] Ellie.
calculo: (E L E V E N)

[personal profile] calculo 2019-05-22 07:14 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm not everyone else.

( he watches her quietly, trying to get a better look at her hand while she stands there but still not daring to try and get closer. )

Ellie. You're pretty good with that shiv. Have experience with that?
ascocarp: pt2a16.k | (but you're looking fine.)

[personal profile] ascocarp 2019-05-22 07:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[Her hand, and a fair half of her forearm, are bright red, prickling from cold. It shakes under the water, and Ellie grits her teeth, distracted by the pain of it.]

[After a few seconds, she turns the water off, and folds her throbbing arm into her jacket. She looks up at him with dull eyes, a very sulky teenaged version of fucking duh. Everything he says feels like he's trying to get on her good side. Distantly, she wishes she was still a person where that didn't set off alarm bells.]

[Less distantly, she's aware that that person would probably be dead.]


You didn't say your name. [Fair's fair.]
calculo: (T H R E E)

[personal profile] calculo 2019-05-23 12:21 am (UTC)(link)
Robbie. ( he doesn't introduce the rider because no one needs to know him until he decides to make his presence known. ) From Los Angeles.

( and they were somehow very,very far from the los angeles that he knew. )

In the same situation as you're in which is just trying to figure out what this place is.
ascocarp: pt2a16.k | (wanna come to my house)

[personal profile] ascocarp 2019-05-23 12:44 am (UTC)(link)
[She sighs and rolls her eyes.] That was, like, the most obvious attempt at guilting me I've ever heard. And I've heard a fucking lot. [She keeps her eyes focused entirely on him, not letting herself look up to the cooking implements that quickly make weapons.]
calculo: (N I N E)

[personal profile] calculo 2019-05-23 02:24 am (UTC)(link)
( robbie rolls his eyes. he can't really say anything about her suspicious nature but they really don't have time to go through the whole trust building thing right now. )

I'm telling you the truth. That's what I'm doing. You wanna keep acting like I'm five seconds away from snapping your neck, fine. But I could have done that yesterday, if I wanted to. I haven't because I don't want to.

( okay? okay. )

I'm here trying to do the exact same thing you are: figure this shit out. You wanna do it on your own? Fine. I'll walk. No necesito esta mierda.
ascocarp: pt2a16.k | (bout a creeper in the house.)

[personal profile] ascocarp 2019-05-23 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
Then fucking go! [Everybody leaves anyway, why should this be different?] You're not special, man. Everybody does this shit.

[She turns away, climbing one-armed up the counter to grab... a hanging frying pan. Not a knife. She can't make herself, though she intended to take it. She just- she just can't.]

I'm sooo fucking trustworthy, holy shit. I've never killed a fucking fly. I just talk about how goddamn strong I am. Totally fucking normal shit, here! [She begins stuffing the pan into her pack.]
calculo: (S E V E N)

[personal profile] calculo 2019-05-23 07:07 am (UTC)(link)
I got no idea what you're talking about. ( it's tempting to leave, though. he doesn't owe her anything. he owes one person something and that guy's just as confused about all this as he is. that's why he's stayed under wraps for the time being.

probably a good thing because suddenly becoming a flaming skull would probably be even worse than what he was already to her. )


You're making a lot of assumptions about someone who's done nothing to you, though. Only thing I did wrong was end up here. Just like you.
ascocarp: pt1a14.k | anger (45635)

[personal profile] ascocarp 2019-05-23 02:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[She stares at him, lips pursed in remote anger. It would be so freeing to scream, yell, or just fucking leave. The worst thing, though, is she knows she'd regret it all later, swallowed up by her own loneliness.]

[She takes a deep breath.]
If I was bigger than you, what the fuck would you do? [It's all she'll say. Anything else puts her position too much in the forefront.]

[The people who've really fucked with her, though, the people who really tried to hurt her, they... were nicer than this. That shouldn't be comforting, but it is.]


So what do you want, huh? I'm fucking lost, too. I don't think you can be not lost in this shithole.
calculo: (F O U R)

[personal profile] calculo 2019-05-23 04:11 pm (UTC)(link)
( robbie rolls his eyes and finally pushes away from the counter so he can walk the perimeter of the room. there's gotta be another way out of here since their previous exit was gone now. )

If you were bigger than me, I guess you'd just be yelling at me but in a deeper voice. ( jokes. )

I don't want anything from you, Ellie. ( he wants to get out of here but he figures that's a shared goal. ) Haven't asked you for anything despite you holding a knife on me.

( he's really been pretty nice all things considered. ) Right now, I want to find a door.

(no subject)

[personal profile] ascocarp - 2019-05-23 16:27 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] calculo - 2019-05-23 18:53 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] ascocarp - 2019-05-23 21:07 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] calculo - 2019-05-24 02:33 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] ascocarp - 2019-05-24 13:57 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] calculo - 2019-05-24 17:40 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] ascocarp - 2019-05-24 18:31 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] calculo - 2019-05-25 00:17 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] ascocarp - 2019-05-26 14:44 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] calculo - 2019-05-26 18:22 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] ascocarp - 2019-05-26 19:54 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] calculo - 2019-05-26 20:51 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] ascocarp - 2019-05-26 21:02 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] calculo - 2019-05-27 00:05 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] ascocarp - 2019-05-27 00:50 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] calculo - 2019-05-27 16:56 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] ascocarp - 2019-05-27 17:08 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] calculo - 2019-05-28 00:14 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] ascocarp - 2019-05-31 15:43 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] calculo - 2019-05-31 16:32 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] ascocarp - 2019-05-31 16:51 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] calculo - 2019-05-31 17:14 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] ascocarp - 2019-05-31 17:17 (UTC) - Expand