TDM #004

[bequiet]

TEST DRIVE MEME
You wake, standing. A thick, muddy red dust coats your skin and clothes - it sticks to your tongue and blocks your vision. Inhale and it chokes you, exhale and your breath puffs out in front of your face in a transparent maroon cloud. It tastes of copper, tangy and harsh. Movement is difficult, every limb tingles and aches. Look to your left, your right. Evenly spaced in each direction stands another person indistinguishable in every way from the next. You're disoriented and lethargic, unable to grasp onto a single thought. A pinprick of light blooms ahead and grows steadily larger; a door has opened.

Hands grip your wrists, push at the small of your back and guide you out of the darkness into a room with four walls and a thin, sagging ceiling. The plaster is peeling, the air is musty, and the floor is slick. White plastic piping juts up from the center and curves into multiple spouts, clean water flowing in uneven streams. Those hands pull your clothes off and clear the dust from your body, redress you in handsewn jumpsuits.

A finger is pressed to your lips. Kind eyes meet your own and a single word is whispered - hush.

Led out of the room in a line, you’re taken down a short hallway and into another, much larger room. There’s a woman waiting for you there, a child hugging her leg, and a cloth bag in her hands. She reaches in and pulls out a device, passes one to each of you. Once finished, she begins to move both hands in graceful gestures, a language. One of the people who helped you lifts their device and the screen lights up, tracks the woman’s hands. Letters appear on the screen and you understand the device’s purpose. She tells you what she knows and it’s not much.

This world is haunted. Noise attracts them, so it is not allowed. Communication is through body language, soundless writing, and the device. She tells you that your feet must be light and your mouth never used. There is a community outside these doors, where you can survive together, but only if you agree to one thing: complete and total silence. You'll have time to talk it over. Acceptance allows you to journey outside. The ground is marked in pathways of sand, lining the paths to each building and everywhere in between. You notice that the locals hold their devices always, aloft and glance to it often. It will not vibrate or make a sound to signal a message.

Notices appear. The bulletin board feed lights up so you can read about the history. Rules. Guidelines. Feet on the sand and never anywhere else. To open a door you brush your fingers along the hinges - oiled and you may enter. If not, take the brush from the can sitting nearby and coat the metal with the dark liquid. You're to settle into your new home.

Take a peep
Content Warnings: Possible animal-thing death
Themes: Slice of life, it's like gremlins... kinda

On the first of April, small piles of dust with brightly colored eggs at the center will spring up over night. After a few hours the eggs will begin to hatch and out will come the smallest and brightest bunny-like creatures (the only notable differences from regular bunnies are the colors, size, and that they make no noise). They're friendly and immediately attach themselves (bond) to the first person to pick them up. One of the natives calls them "peeps" because they don't make a sound. All with unique personalities, the creatures can be found nibbling on the dust and needing no other form of food, and will shy away from any and all water sources.

If, however, any of them get wet - there will be a sudden and brief rain shower at noon - the creatures fur will turn black and they will begin attacking the others that didn't get wet. Stopping them is key, and the black creatures will either dash away from the community if given the chance or will need to be stopped.

OOC: All characters can keep a Peep! Any color! They are palm-sized and never grow larger than an adult hand.

OOC
From your mods:

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NAVIGATION

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Comments

[theinariway]

You're a wolf if what you say is true. You seem to enjoy biting. [ If she wasn't pretending to be a sheep. That must be it. Yusuke becomes a bit more relaxed in his posture. He brushes a loose strand of hair from his eyes. ]

[personify]

Only when provoked. [Raven smiles, baring her teeth a touch ferally for emphasis. She watches him relax.] Am I still worthy of your brush strokes? [Why she cares, Raven's not entirely sure.]

[theinariway]

Is that the only time then? [ He really hadn't meant to provoke her if that's what he had. But she did get prickly first with her insults towards him. ] Perhaps this is your true self. You don't hide from it. I would have changed my mind only if the teeth actually sank into the flesh and caused blood to spill.

[personify]

Mostly, yes. [But there are also a great many things that can provoke her. Small or large. A comment she doesn't like. Something someone does to her or someone else. Some kind of perceived or obvious threat.] I won't actually hurt you unless you give me a really good reason to.

Or I'm finding you really annoying. [Smirk.]

[theinariway]

Mostly? [ He's not sure if he likes the sound of that. He's not too fond of unruly behavior or mannerisms. There's a bit of a list at this point. He wouldn't enjoy encountering horrible people, once they show themselves that way. ]

Only my words tend to hurt or upset people. [ But... he won't be changing that part of himself. He says what he feels. ]

If you don't really enjoy what I have to say it's easy enough to walk away.