The Fifteen Strangers Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
strangerpeople) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
notasstrange2019-06-23 07:54 pm
strangerpeople) wrote in notasstrange2019-06-23 07:54 pm
Entry tags:
ROUND 5 MODIFIED TEST DRIVE
MODIFIED TEST DRIVE MEME
That's right! It's that time again, for a new mock...test...moctesdriek...Modified Test Drive Meme!
Wait, what? I hear you ask. Why not just have a mock week and a test drive? Well, there is a reason, and...well, we were thinking about making a mock week, but unfortunately we realized a full mock week would unfortunately be impossible to make properly in the limited time we have. So, we have a this instead, a test drive with modifications that come from a mock week, including:
So to start, the OoC FAQ page for Round 5 can be applied on the whole to this Modified TDM. We also have a few other things to point out for this Modified TDM:
|
And with that, welcome...to the HML Vespertine!
There are 15 strangers in this place. Someone knows why. And its clear the odds are stacked against you. Also, you're on a train. Choo choo.  |
Yes, you are looking at this right. But this train is more than just a mere train. This is the pride and luxury of a nation. This is state of the art, especially for a train that looks to be from the turn of the century, with gold trim striped by black, wood paneling, velvet plush chairs, and nary a bump as they ride along. However, there are strange signs and anachronisms of a more futuristic civilization that lurk within the inner workings of the train. The few phones in the train are more akin to what one would find in a modern office, the bedding in the cabins are memory foam, flat screen televisions dot the lounge, and a rudimentary network of a sort exists to print things from special cuffs that can also take rudimentary, and tiny, instant photos. The entire train is also powered by electricity.
Every train window is fitted with thick, color-stained windows, which seems to block the light from outside, giving inside of the train a purple-red glow when the lights are out. It also makes it difficult, if not impossible, to figure out what is flying past outside.
Hence, it is a luxurious prison, but for the Strangers, it is still a prison. And who knows where it's taking them...and what might await them when they get there.
The lounge is the caboose of the train, and what a caboose it is. It is akin to a sitting room in a mansion, with soft, plush, velvet chairs, couches and chaise lounges, decorated with crocheted pillows. Flat televisions dot the room, which can be summoned from or hidden behind the panels with a single button. Likewise, a great theater screen and projector can be summoned through sliding wood panels, though the movies for both TV and projector are all silly romantic comedies, and all in black and white. Likewise, the few books that are on the shelves are the most banal works that could be found in English, and those that could be considered classics seem...different. Truncated, even.
And let's not talk about the records for the gramophone. They are all classical, and a majority of the work is German and English from the turn of the century and before. Though some sound weirdly familiar...but, at least there's complimentary booze and cigars! Though not all varieties of alcohol are available for some reason, but hey! Free alcohol and deathsticks!
These are first-class rooms, with memory foam beds and soft pillows. Every room has a dresser set that also conceals a television and phonograph within. There is turn-down service every evening on beds. No mints on the pillow, but there is a complimentary tea set with leaves that are refurbished each day for everyone's personal tea needs.
Oh, and the good news: you also get complimentary towels, because there is a shower here! The bad news is that it's a communal stall at the end of the hall, and the hot water tends to run out quickly if people don't get there early enough. Bummer.
The dining car has two levels-first-class and second class. And wow there is a difference. Not that the second-class car is bad, on the contrary. Though the meals aren't as sumptuous as they are upstairs, it's still incredibly good, and something you'd get at a hotel. The mess on this level also tends to be open all the time for cooking, so if anyone wants to make food, it would be best to do it here. Just remember the meal times, especially if anyone wants someone to cook for them so they don't have to!
Up a spiral staircase in the dining car is the first-class dining-and you can see the difference immediately. The first-class level is luxury itself, with each table appointed with linen tablecloths, napkins, and sumptuous plush chairs to settle into as you eat. And these dishes, brought out from a full kitchen, aren't just amazing, they are three course banquets fit for a royal, and an amazing tea service that is second to none. They are also only served at appointed times, so if you want to have any of this unbelievably delicious-albeit somewhat exotic, as the menus will show-food, you're going to have to get to the car on time!
What? It's perfectly normal to have giant shooty shooty weapons of death in plain view for passengers (well, ok, behind movable wood panels and with slides on the floor to move them to their respective windows, but still) to use! The only downside is that these guns point outwards, so if anyone wants to use them, they will have to wait until their victim is outside the train. Though, it doesn't look like you're going to be let outside of the train, so boooo, what's the point!?
The weapons are:
B - A machine gun! Pew pew pew! Unfortunately, this thing doesn't have much range, and gets really hot, really fast. Ten shots in and you could fry an egg on the barrel.
Z - This weapon pops mines out of it and to the outside world! Which is pretty handy, especially if you need to have a timed attack. Just aim and shoot, and wait a few seconds for the fireworks to begin! Just, you know, don't walk over the mine yourself.
V - This weapon looks like a sniping contraption. It's got a good range, and you could probably aim it pretty far. And-if you're looking to cause some trouble-fire it and get the hell out of Dodge before anyone comes back to look for you.
T - Uh...this weapon is a chain gun that shoots out...explosive...glass bullets. And...really, that should be enough to know that anyone who is wielding this weapon is not messing around.
W -This weapon is-well, we don't know, because no one is allowed to use it except the Conductor. No one can even move it. Given how terrifying some of the other weapons are, just what the hell kind of weapon could this be if no one is even allowed to touch it?
There are several rooms that are accessible in this car, strangely enough. Not all of them. The bridge is especially cut off to you, so don't bother trying to get in.
But you know it's there.
Engine Room - Yeah, no one's allowed in here except for crew. And just to make doubly sure, there's actually a card reader that you have to have a card for to access this place. How does this place have the technology for card readers!?
Conductor's Cabin - Of course she gets the best cabin in the whole train. And of course, she's not going to let you in unless you have a really good reason. What, do you think her having an office is just a suggestion? Don't be so crass!
Office - Well...ok, this is odd. This is a decidedly more modern-looking room than any of the others. Despite the fact that it looks utterly out of place with most of what's on the train. True, you can schedule a visit or just hop in quick to talk to the Conductor, but seriously, what the hell is going on?
 1. ARRIVAL Well, it seems you have awoken on a train. Why are you here? What happened to your powers? Your memories? Who else has been so unlucky as to be brought in with you? What are you wearing? What are these strange rules? And--where is the Conductor, anyways? 2. POWER You have been, er, "blessed" with a power. Its not a power you want or care for, but its yours now. You might want to try an control it, lest you hurt someone else. That is...unless you want to. Or, hey, go ahead and blow things up - as long as you clean up. 3. HOME So now you live on a train! Maybe living here forever won't be so bad, since there are things to do with your free time. Unless you're looking for a way out, but surely, you wouldn't do that, right? You should read a book! Or or play a game! Or...watch a movie? huh?? 4. FOOD Holy snow crabs the food here is amazing. You know those 12 course meals that are fit for a king? They serve that here! You don't see who is serving you, but...surely...surely they're just invisible. That weird skittering sound is just in your head! 5. YOUR ITEM You know you had an item with you before you woke up here. Probably lots of items, depending. You're going to find it if it's the last thing you do. Or maybe you're already found it, and you want to show off what your item does. Or...hey, someone else has your item! What the heck, they need to give it back! 6. CLUES Oh heeeeell no, you're not taking this whole "you're on a train and everyone's going to kill each other probably" lying down. You're gonna find a way out of here! You're going to search this train from top to bottom until you figure out a way to escape! Who knows...you might find something that could help 7. MOTIVE Oh, great, the Conductor has announced the motive for the week. Clearly someone out there really wants to give you a reason to kill someone else. How will you react? Will you stand against such an insult and help others to fight the temptation? Or perhaps, you yourself are tempted...? 8. DEATH One of your own has died - no, been killed. Definitely killed. The Inquisition has started. The body lies before you, as does the evidence, and now you must discern the truth from the clues before you. But can you when you mourn? Or, perhaps you don't mourn the dead. Perhaps you're only playing along because you know more than you let on. Or maybe you're just a robot. Steampunk as a concept has robots, you never know, it's possible. 9. TRIAL Well, it looks like the Conductor wasn't lying when they said there would be a trial if someone was murdered. So now you're here, in the Lounge, looking to condemn the responsible killer among the smoke of cigars and the stench of booze. If you do figure out the culprit, they die. If you don't, well, you'll end up killing an innocent person, as the Conductor has explained what would happen if the majority votes incorrectly. Whatever happens, you have to figure out what happened. Can you? The clock is ticking! 10. SCAPEGOAT Oh dear...the Conductor just revealed that the person everyone just voted for...was actually completely innocent! Not only that, but they've revealed who the real culprit was! Maybe you're that innocent person, trying to say your goodbyes or beg for your life. Maybe you're one of the ones who voted for the innocent person, trying to cope with the horrible act you've just committed. Or maybe you're the true culprit, who now has to not only deal with an innocent dying for your actions, but also the fact that you can now be killed without repercussion!... 11. WILDCARD Anything not mentioned above. Go wild! |
Bridge
But that's not the only thing Charlotte's curious about...]
I should have asked before, but will we be picking up other cars, or are the fifteen of us really your only passengers on this run?
no subject
Oh no, it's just you fifteen that are on here. If we had any more, the train wouldn't have enough room for people to sleep.
no subject
Well, with the cars we've got linked together now, sure, but... well, this definitely isn't an express from Austin to Chicago, so nevermind my asking, I guess, but if it really is just us, then... why us? Wouldn't my partner have been a better fit? And - and why can't I remember his name?!
[It's been... wearing at her. Worrying at her, worrying her, keeping her unsettled from the moment she woke up onward.]
no subject
I told those who were at the first meeting who asked but everyone who is here was chosen by volunteering or lottery. I just get the list in the end and make sure the ride is alright for everyone.
As for why you can't remember...it feels for like an unforeseen inconvenience. I'm sure it will clear up soon.
no subject
Well, I can't even say I don't remember putting my name in any hats or fishbowls, if I've got problems with my memory that are that significant. Don't tell me there's actually foreseen inconveniences, too....
[Charlotte bows her head, fairly obviously in an effort to hide the look on her face. She's out of her depth, here. Nothing she's read has prepared her for this, and the very laws of reality don't seem to apply like they do back home. She's overwhelmed.]
I know I should have been there, and I'm sorry that I wasn't. I just couldn't, I... I was indisposed.
no subject
[Kind of hard to argue about the things when you're already there.]
no subject
[Sarcasm is so much more - her best friend's thing, but backed into a corner, even a rhetorical one, she fights however she can.]
no subject
[Sarcasm, meet Bluntness.]
Besides, my boss wants the destination to be a surprise for everyone.