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Entry tags:
- !event,
- !tdm,
- athena | borderlands,
- benedict dearborn | original,
- carver hawke | dragon age,
- denji | chainsaw man,
- eliot waugh | the magicians,
- ellie | the last of us,
- ivar ragnarsson | vikings,
- logan | marvel,
- octavia blake | the 100,
- quentin coldwater | the magicians,
- robbie reyes | marvel,
- ruth aldine | marvel,
- will graham | hannibal,
- william | westworld
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.
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 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:
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.
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.
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?
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!
no subject
I'd ask where you are, but I have a feeling your surroundings are just as...temperamental as mine. [ Will can't help the sliver of hope that means he looks out the windows of this bus, even though he can't say he expects to actually see anyone. ]
no subject
( in the grand scheme of things, not too exciting. )
I don't think it was there five minutes ago.
( he's not going to admit he's lost but he sure as hell doesn't know where he is. this place didn't exactly come with a map and this guy's voice is one of the first things he's heard that isn't his own thoughts rattling around his head. )
I'd give you a landmark but it'd just be...dust, debris and rocks.
no subject
Yeah. Walls appearing out of nowhere sounds par for the course, now. ]
I've got...a bus where I am. I don't know if you can see one from where you are.
[ ...How far can a radio signal travel, anyway, and are these things following any more laws than the rest of the landscape? ]
no subject
( if it wasn't, he might be able to get it running. there was a lack of tools to think about but he'd done more with less. )
I don't see a bus but I guess I can...start walking.
( what the hell else was there to do? )
What's your name?
no subject
No sign of a person yet, though. ] And— no, it isn't.
There's no wheels. [ In case anyone thought fixing this bus was a remote possibility. ] It looks like it's...grown into the ground.
[ The question is a stark, humanizing moment. Will's quiet for a little too long out of pure surprise. ] Will, [ he finally shares over the radio. ] What's yours?
no subject
( so walking it was. he keeps moving, eyes flicking from one spot to another for any sign of a wheel less bus. )
Robbie. ( mice to meet you and all that. ) If it's grown into the ground, means it's been there awhile. Means this place has been here awhile.
( and yet, this is the first he's hearing of it. or seeing of it. ) Robbie. ( nice to meet you and all that. )
You okay on your bus?
no subject
[ A fellow mechanic, huh. Will feels a flicker of nostalgia for a job that's distant enough from him to be just a hobby, now. It's such a familiar thing that it's almost comforting, even here.
Will frowns out the window, staring out at the impossible landscape. ] It's either been here a while, or...something's letting it rot faster than it would back home.
[ The 'you okay' is so mundane and unexpectedly kind that it catches Will by surprise. Knocks him right back out of his thoughtful fussing. ] Uh. [ Good job wasting airtime there, buddy. ] I'm not injured. Or starving. Yet.
What about you?
no subject
now he was right back to confused and wary. )
I'm good, man. I'd rather be back in Los Angeles with my brother but I'm in one piece. ( so, small favors. ) Haven't exactly figured this place out which is bothering me. I've been to a few fucked up places in my time but this might top the list.
( and he'd been to hell dimensions regularly. ) You seen anyone else but me? ( not that will was seeing him but whatever. you know what he means. )
no subject
He's starting to think there's no blink-and-wake-up from this, though.
At the question, he clicks his radio to answer, and then...hesitates. Silence crackles for a beat too long before Will gets his head together enough to remember to re-form a response. ] Ironically... I have. Seen someone else, I mean. But I couldn't hear him.
[ Another lingering pause. Will's really hogging his half of this 'two-way radio means one person speaks at a time' thing. ] The exact opposite of what's happening with us, right now.
What about you, have you— talked to or seen anyone else?
no subject
( well. unless you counted... )
Shadows. Have you seen anything moving?
( he almost doesn't want to say it because he thinks it makes him sound crazy. shadows don't move independently. they don't follow you, they don't chase you and they're not violent. except these shadows were. )
Or am I losing it?
no subject
I have. It was like a...memory of a dog painted over empty space. [ Okay, Mister Metaphor, calm down. Shadows, though - that's what Will had instinctively called them too, even if they were too other to really look like actual shadows. ]
I guess we might just both be losing it, though. [ There is...just a hint of sarcastic humor to Will's voice, there. It's meant as a joke, he's just...a bit flat. ] Did yours-- do anything?
no subject
( which isn't too surprising since shadows did typically move if the person attached to them was moving too. he shakes his head. )
Independently. Came after me, actually. I've seen...things like that before but this was just a void. Just nothing.
no subject
What worked on the ones you've seen before? [ Even if these are different...it's a place to start. ]
no subject
Probably not a great conversation over a radio.
( probably not a great conversation to have ever. )
A weapon, basically. But those were different kinds of shadows. They had shape, they talked. Very different things.
no subject
And then he laughs, just a short burst of it, because his own shadows were shaped like dogs, and: ] I'd be pretty alarmed if a dog talked. Guess they aren't the same thing, then. Or they can't be yet.
For all we know, they'll keep...changing.
no subject
( and the fact that it was, the fact that things were never the same when you looked back made it hard to figure out where you were in relation to someone else. one minute there was a door and the next it was an appliance. )
You have any idea what could cause something like this? ( please don't say magic. )
no subject
The question gives him pause, and he's possibly not answering it in the way Robbie had intended it. ] ...Curiosity.
And I've met the...unconscionably curious enough to be worried about what else this place will show us. [ At least he didn't say 'magic'?? ]
no subject
Do I have to be worried about that when it comes to you? ( there weren't a lot of people here that he could tell. if one person got a little out of sorts, it was going to affect everyone. )
no subject
...Unfortunately, when directly questioned about his trustworthiness like this, Will tends to err on the side of...unwisely not reassuring. His very real, sudden frown likely carries into his voice. ] Guess it won't even matter unless we actually meet face-to-face.
no subject
And I guess that's not a guarantee, is it?
( not with the world shifting like it does. )
One of us might die out here from lack of food.
( very reassuring. )
no subject
...The last comment gives him pause. ] Have you found any food yet? [ Added quick: ] Because I have. It's definitely here, although...I suppose it's possible it's a limited supply.
no subject
( all right, that's a bit of positivity because he has definitely not found food. he's found some dirty looking water in a puddle that he scraped into a bottle but no food. )
What'd you find?
( he's not expecting anything gourmet but really, any kind of sustenance is going to be welcome at this point in time. it's good to know that food does exist. )
no subject
So we might get scurvy, but... [ A dry, mono-syllable chuckle. ] We shouldn't starve to death. [ Except that Robbie apparently hasn't found any. And they've already established that they can't find each other based on verbal directions alone. Will's smile fades fast. ]
I'd share what I found, but... [ But he literally can't. There's a tight apology in his voice. ]
no subject
( he hopes. he doesn't think the demon's going to let him die but he'd rather not go through the pain of starvation either. )
My brother used to do the finders keepers thing to me all the time. It's yours. I'll find some. There's gotta be more where that came from. If not, there's gotta be animals around here somewhere.
no subject
Will hasn't been able to talk to many people so far, and he's only seen one through one of the mirrors. He doesn't like the idea of any of them here slowly starving to death - for reasons both altruistic and selfish. ] For your sake, I hope you find some.
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