» TEST DRIVE #001

[reveriemod]

TEST DRIVE #001

( 0 0 1 ) » WAKE UP

Were you asleep or were you unconscious? It doesn't matter: when you come to, there's an odd taste in your mouth and there's a low-level mechanical hum in the air. Your head hurts and you feel nauseous. You aren't anywhere you know: everything around you is metal, from the floor you lie on all the way to the ceiling. You are dressed in a jumpsuit you definitely weren't wearing before.

"We tried to save the world. I think— I think we did the opposite."

The message repeats on a loop. If you look for its source, you find a comms device on the floor next to you. The logo on its wallpaper says REVERIE TERMINAL. Upon closer inspection, you find the same logo on your jumpsuit.

Welcome to your new home. What choice do you have but to explore your surroundings?

( 0 0 1 . 1 ) » WAKE UP WHERE?

When you wake up, you find that you're not alone. But more importantly, you find that you're in a closet. An empty closet, bar you and your new companion. It's small, cramped, and there is no door that you can see. The ceiling is low, there is barely any lights, only some coming from the tiny flashlight clipped to your suit's shoulder. You cannot be sure that there is any air coming in to the room.

Are these grooves in the wall supposed to mean something?

( 0 0 2 ) » OBSERVATION DECK

There were no windows in the corridor you woke up in and no windows in any of the crew quarters you might have checked for occupants — but there are plenty of windows on the uppermost level of the station, deck 1. In fact, there are windows from floor to ceiling all along the circumference of the station's circular deck, and it's possible to walk along it all. What it shows is a strange solar system you've never seen before and a planet that might resemble one you know, but certainly isn't the same.

You're in space. You don't know where you are. Neither does anyone else.

( 0 0 3 ) » BAR

On deck 3, you find the bar. Tucked away from the crew quarters, it's dimly lit, there are bar stools thrown down on the floor and what looks like some very old drink spills, crusty and dark against the bar top. But there is alcohol here, or at least, what you think is alcohol, in bottles with faded labels, most of them indecipherable. Take a drink, get drunk, start a fight, or start a party? You're stuck on this station, might as well make the most of it, right?

( 0 0 3 . 1 ) » VIRTUAL

But the alcohol isn't even the most interesting part of your discovery (depending on who you are, of course). No, what catches your interest is a second, smaller room off from the main bar room, which looks to be some kind of arcade. There are a few VR sets lined up against one of the walls, and surely, they can't be working, right? Nothing is on this rust bucket. And yet, if you put it on, the display comes to life.

It's a pretty simple HUD, and when you move around in reality, you move around in the virtual world you've just entered. It's a luxurious world, full of brightly, saturated colors, making it just a little obvious that it isn't real. Ahead, there is a jungle, a temple, and a city. You can play around, slay some monsters, have some fun, but you can feel yourself growing hot, like the VR helmet is burning your forehead.

And when you try to take it off, you find that you can't. The HUD glitches, the sound cuts off to a blaring alarm, and an error message appears, in glowing, blinking red letters: FINISH THE MISSION. Will you, despite not knowing what the mission even is, or will you fight to get the helmet off?

( 0 0 4 ) » MALFUNCTIONS

(cw: body horror, bodily functions, gore, blood, death)

The fabricators function well enough, until they don't. One day, one moment, everything's all right — the food doesn't generally taste amazing and sometimes downright awful, but it's nourishing and filling no matter what your dietary needs — and the next, things go a little haywire.

In short, the fabricators are malfunctioning.

Oh, they're still producing food that looks and tastes much the same as before, but now there are some unexpected side effects.

NB: Characters may experience any of the following side effects: nausea ranging from slight to debilitating, the sensation of being happily and affectionately — but not overwhelmingly — drunk, bone-deep exhaustion and weariness that makes it hard to move, or repeated hallucinations of loved ones screaming for help, reaching out to characters and leading them down abandoned corridors or being killed by unseen forces.

The extent to which characters are affected is up to players, as is whether you'd prefer to play this more lightheartedly or tackling more serious themes. If the latter, please provide warnings in subject lines where necessary.

( 0 0 5 ) » NETWORK

The comms device you found next to you when waking up connects to a station-wide network, REVERIE NET. You have the option to post video, voice or text messages.

What will you share?

( 0 0 5 . 1 ) » NETWORK USERNAME

When you first turn on your communication device, it requests for you to pick a username to identify you on the network. It can be anything you want. However, as you try to input a username in your wristband to access the network, you get the following message, along with a small, but irritating, warming sound:

this username is already in use.

What does this mean? Is there other people around? Were there other people around?

( 0 0 6 ) » WILDCARD

The station features a variety of locations, from sleeping quarters free for the claiming to a dirty swimming pool and a bar that still holds alcohol (though some of the bottles seem to have been opened a while ago).

Go wild, but don't wreck the place. It's your home for the foreseeable future, after all.

Comments

j̶o̶s̶e̶p̶h̶u̶s̶ » miller | ｔｈｅ ｅｘｐａｎｓｅ

[pampa]

» ｗａｋｅ ｕｐ

[ he comes to with a groan, not noticing anything amiss right away. he just had too much to drink, that seems perfectly reasonable for a whole minute; and it's one he relishes, slowly coming to with that pleasant asmr thing going on at the base of his skull. just like when the alarm goes off, when he hears the bitch in the box, miller slaps the communicator like an old clock even though he certainly never had one. she's still yapping away so he grumbles at it, still without realizing fully what's going on-- ] Stop program. [ it's hoarse and scratchy like his throat feels right now, but the program keeps running and someone keeps saying something about saving the world-- miller sits bolt upright with a sharp gasp. ] Eros!

[ his eyes focus slowly on... a ship. is he...? this isn't the rocinante. and it sure as fuck isn't eros. somehow he's traded a vac suit for this ugly jumpsuit and he squints at the insignia on the wall. ] Reverie Terminal... Sounds made up, but okay.

[ he wrinkles his nose, strapping the communicator on and stumbling haphazardly to his feet. no hat, no guns, no phone. no nothin'. ] Great. [ he murmurs under his breath as he starts stabbing buttons to try and turn the recording off. he walks almost stooped over a little, with a slightly lurching gait. that's what growing up in 0 G does to a person, and he's too focused on the screen of his device to watch where he's going. he's still disoriented from that charming wake-up call. ] Come on, you stupid thing... [ eventually he manages to get past the weird looped audio to the log-in screen, but it keeps kicking him out again. miller is a no go, that username is taken it says. he wrinkles his nose in distaste, right as he knocks into someone in the corridor. ]

Can't you watch where you're going, you-- [ he blinks, slowly orienting his gaze upwards like it's a strain to do so. ] Lowlife.

[ not on ceres. not on the roci. not on eros, like he was supposed to be. maybe he shouldn't be such a dick if this person can actually tell him where he is??? he pushes some of his awful hair back and tries again. ]

Thought you were someone else. All Earthers look the same to me. [ that was... friendlier? at least??? ]

» ｍｅｓｓ ｈａｌｌ

[ alright alright alright, at least this place seems normal in a totally disturbing way. he walks into the room with that same awkward gait, his eyes oriented low, almost at the floor like he isn't used to looking straight ahead. he makes his way up to the replicators and punches in specifications with practiced ease, but the sludge that comes out has him tilting his head in confusion, one of his eyes twitching at the sight. he ends up just sighing and moving on to sit as far away from everyone else as he can. ]

This is just your luck, Miller. You deserve this. [ an isolationist who talks to himself - how original. he shovels some of his gruel down and it harkens him back to a simpler time. stealing for food yet never going hungry. he's always been good at survival, but just the bare minimum. something tells him this place won't go down as easy as his shapeless meal. ]

Hey, Earther. [ he greets softly as someone happens by his creepy alone seat. ] This look anything like what they serve back home?

» ｎｅｔｗｏｒｋ - ᵘˢᵉʳⁿᵃᵐᵉ: millerlite

Ive been here about a week now and my assessment in summation is that this place really blows. It blows hard you guys.
I thought I was from a garbage pit but this is what
No really what even is it? A research vessel? A freighter? Some kind of escape pod from an uninhabitable crapheap
like Mars?
No offense to you Martians out there.
Dont get me started on the talking walls because the whole disembodied voices thing isnt working for me
I might space myself by noontime and do you all a favor
Anyway if you think you have anything that WONT waste my time come by [ room number here ]
I used to be a cop which means I might actually be able to figure some of this shit out.
No promises though they fired me for a reason
(A stupid reason)
Miller out

un: burton

[tumang]

[ Well, fuck. ]

Miller
Ceres cop, Miller?

You're dead

[pampa]

You WISH
Im starting to wish too actually

[tumang]

I'm serious
You walked back into Eros, blew yourself up

[pampa]

Youre always serious
its a little eerie

Your pilot told me
I was on my way there when I got dumped here with you losers instead
I guess we cant get rid of each other huh Burton

[tumang]

[ Untrue, but it's truly hard to tell sometimes. ]

shit
so not only does this place took us away, but it's also fucking with time

I didn't ask to be rid of you, Miller
that was the Cap

[pampa]

I guess so?
dont look at me

Where is he by the way
all of you guys are usually inseparable

[tumang]

not here
this isn't our ship, or even our solar system

[ He'd say he doesn't care where Holden is, but that'd be an obvious lie. ]

he's probably still on the roci

[pampa]

Ive been on the Roci remember? I know this isnt her
Howd you get separated from your fearless leader??

[donkeyballs]

Pal, I know there's a hell of a lot of 'em, but I ain't an Ear--

[He'd started replying before he'd actually seen who it was he was replying to, then he stopped very suddenly, looking like he'd seen a ghost.


Probably because he had.]


... Miller?

[pampa]

[ oh -- that's... not who he expected to see. not that he knows who he expected to see instead. ]

I know, I know. My reputation precedes me. [ this is exhausting all of the sudden, but alex has his full attention now. ] Did you get lost on the way to Eros, pilot?

[donkeyballs]

[Alex looks a little sick, but almost kind of - hopeful isn't the word, but in awe. Like this whole situation is fucked up, but maybe it's almost fucked up in a good way--]

Ain't no Eros anymore, hoss. She crashed into Venus weeks ago. With you on 'er.

[pampa]

[ no eros anymore... he knew it would be a one-way trip. logically, that's what it had to be. right? what the fuck did he have to live for anyway? this fucking mystery? he hears julie's voice in his ear, his breath quickening as he tries to focus on what's real -- if this is. ]

Weeks ago, yeah. Right. Why not? [ all the other unbelievable shit that's happened makes this seem... almost normal, really. ] So, what. Are you dead too? [ experimentally he reaches out and... pokes alex's arm. he feels real. ]

[donkeyballs]

[It was a thought that hadn't occurred to him, but not one that stuck around long. His arm was still in a sling - he was pretty sure ghosts couldn't break bones. So he just looked a little helpless.]

Not as far as I know, but I'll be honest, this place is weird enough to make you think twice. I just--

[There was a brief pause as Alex pulled a little taller upright, something catching in his throat.

Talking to ghosts, now, but there were some ghosts he could be pretty happy about seeing. He reached out with his good hand, clasping Miller's shoulder and squeezing it.]

Damn, Miller. It's good to see you. You saved a helluva lot of lives.

[pampa]

[ he eyes the sling, then his eyes slowly edge back up to connect with alex's again. they widen perceptibly when the man claps his shoulder, tipping backwards just an inch though he lets the contact happen stiffly. is this a thing they do now...? cool. ]

So... it worked? Our plan? [ it's hushed like conspiracy, this whole different timeline thing is really not computing, but alex wouldn't joke about him being dead. it's not much of a room-pleaser. well, unless you're on ceres probably. ]

[donkeyballs]

[Get used to it, Miller. Even if you are kind of a shit, you're a shit who did something really selfless and saved a lot of people, and that makes up for a lot, as far as Alex is concerned.

Plus no one speaks ill of the dead so they've all been thinking very well of you, for a while.]

Sort of. [He drops his hand after a little while.] Not exactly. The Navoo missed. But you went in, and I don't know what you really did in there, but - it changed course. Crashed into Venus.

[A pause, and then a look that was somewhere between sympathetic and proud.]

You saved just about everyone on Earth, hoss. Somehow.

[pampa]

[ he looks relieved when alex stops touching him, looking away for a beat as he tries to process the information he's being given. ]

Julie. [ he whispers it, barely above mouthing her name. but it had to have been-- she's alive. or some version of it anyway. he reluctantly turns his focus back to alex, looking chagrined from all the support. ]

Just cool it until I actually do the thing you're so happy about me doing, okay. [ he runs a hand nervously over his head and leans back another inch. ] Shit. I'm gonna go down as the worst Belter in history. [ saving the whole earth? what an asshole. ]

>>messhall

[perservering]

[ The food situation is the worst thing about being on this space station. Not being so far away from everybody. It's what she wanted, anyway. And eventually she'll stop seeing them in the other people around. She'll stop thinking they're just around the corner. She'll stop hearing the sound of a familiar drawl in the crowd, thinking it's somebody she knows.

Somebody she loves.

They're all back home. Not safe by any means but at least not here. Wherever here is. She stirs her slop with a plastic spork and tries to work up the will to actually eat it. And tries not to pay too much attention to the man talking to himself on the other end of the table. She rubs the back of her neck, trying to work out a kink. But then he asks her a question. It takes her a minute to realize he's actually talking to her. She looks from him to the slop and then back, feeling tired. ]

Only when we're really desperate.

[ She is really missing the breakfast cobbler. ]

[pampa]

[ oh no, stop doing that gooey-eyed remembering thing. he hates that, even when he does it himself. but her answer gets an incline of his head - commiserating almost. ]

Guess Belters and Earthers aren't so different after all. [ he takes a big bite of slop and raises his eyebrow. ]

[perservering]

[ She doesn't care what he likes, thank you very much. So her eyes will goo as much as she wants. She is quiet a moment as she tries to figure out what he's talking about, before giving up. ]

What's a Belter.

[pampa]

What's a Belter. [ he sighs, leaning back in his seat so he can meet her eyes. ] You really askin' or is that some kinda joke?

[perservering]

[ She gives him a level look. ]

I've heard of geeks, monsters, walkers, biters, creepers, lurkers, floaters, roamers, rotters, skin eaters, lamebrains, dead ones, and cold bodies. I've never heard of a Belter.

[pampa]

That's a little mean, but okay. I've been called worse. [ he has no idea what carol means and thinks she's naming things she calls belters tbh ]

[perservering]

You're not a walker. But if you are a Belter I'm going to assume it just means "annoying".

[ She sips something that's pretending to be coffee. ]

[pampa]

[ that actually gets a snort. he drops his spork and sits up straight for once in his stupid life. ]

Okay, you first, huh? What the hell is a walker if it's not a nasty name for a scumbag from the Asteroid Belt?