TEST DRIVE.

[speirmod]

TEST DRIVE.

LOG #1: PLACEBO. Congratulations! You've passed your interview. After successfully walking through the rather fancy and posh Welcome Door from the Doorman's Hallway, you've now found yourself in a section of PLACEBO. When you step out into PLACEBO, the first thing you'll notice is that you're feeling very warm. Don't look up, though; the sun's a little too bright at the moment and needs an adjustment from the Architect, so it's highly recommended you grab an umbrella, hat, or a pair of sunglasses. The second thing you'll notice is that it's bustling with activity. The town centre has people dressed in various clothing and styles walking around who greet you with a quick wave and a friendly "Hi." These are the people of PLACEBO. Most of them are nice. Right now, they have no opinion of you. If you ask these people any questions, they'll be as helpful as they can be, but they don't have all the answers. Some of them will do their best to assist you while others… won't. Nevermind the cold shoulder. Did you see the hot dog stand offering free hotdogs? Grab some food (it's delicious), go explore, perhaps get a nice pair of shoes? If you put your hand in your pocket (don't have pockets? you do now!), you'll find a little business card in it that has your new address on it. This business card is made of thick plastic and is unbreakable and does not burn. If you lose it, a cat will bring it back to you. This is your temporary key card. This might also be a good time to test out your new power. Just be careful of the cats—there's plenty of them running around town, sitting in trees, on tables, and sleeping in chairs. You don't want to make a wrong first impression. LOG #2: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE. cw mentions: drug use, dangerous animals. Welcome to Jumanji, better known as Earth-95. After Michael briefs everyone in on this mission, you walk through a door covered in vines with leaves poking through the thin gaps between door and hinge. You step foot into a beautiful jungle. Everyone starts in the same area—a thick canopy of trees, bushes and still vines—before wandering off in all directions. It's humid. The leaves around you are damp from a recent rain. The grass beneath your feet is ankle-high and thick and vines from trees slither out like long, unwieldy snakes at the pace of a sloth moving across the road. Remember how Michael said something about appropriate footwear? He was right about one thing: Van Pelt isn't here. It seems like the intrepid explorers of S.P.E.I.R. have been dropped off on Earth-95 before Van Pelt's time. Curious. You'll still need the weapons you brought in your backpacks—and if you didn't bring a backpack, you'll carry them in your hands or pockets. The jungle isn't safe for anyone. Watch out for the alligators in the water, the monkeys in the trees, and did we mention the snakes slithering through the grass? Try not to be bitten by any insects. Their bites have very intense hallucinogenic properties that can last from an hour to half a day if you're not careful. The jungle is also the home to many flourishing ripe fruits. Remember when Michael said not to come on an empty stomach? He really meant that. Eating the fruits of the jungle will lead to a few (and perhaps unwanted) side effects… Red berries: Roses are red, violets are blue, have you ever felt what someone else is feeling, too? After eating a red berry, you'll find yourself forming an empathetic bond with one or more people. You can feel their feelings. Gross. Purple berries: This is your NSFW option. It's getting hot in here, so get Nelly with it. Banana: Do you feel compelled to act on your urges and to say what you think? Bananas make characters more susceptible to being honest. How honest they are is up to you. Red apples: They're just deliciously sweet, beautiful big red apples. There's nothing wrong with them. Except for the fact you can suddenly hear what everyone's thinking. But don't let that distract you from the mission at hand. The fate of Jumanji (or Earth-95) is at stake here. Find the ruby red jewel and return it to the earth. Sounds simple, right? If you want your character to find the ruby red jewel, note that there are many of them out there. They look like a glass pomegranate and are the size of the Rock's palm and are found all throughout the jungle—in trees, ants nests, wasp nests, buried half in the dirt, in the mouths of giant hippos… All you have to do is bury it in some dirt. Super simple when you think about it… NETWORK #1: A/S/L. Did you check your other pocket? Or perhaps your bag? You'll find a very slim looking iPhone that instantly activates once you look at it. This phone will connect to you the wider S.P.E.I.R. network. It's fully encrypted, only requires a little charge every now and then, and has a few cat photos already in the album. You can't delete those. Why would you? The phone has a changeable username and a little profile picture of you. It's your best picture. No, you can't change this photo. How about you say hi on the network? Reach out to your fellow S.P.E.I.R. comrades? Pose an interesting, thought-provoking ice-breaker? Maybe you just want to show a picture of a cat (who doesn't—they're so cute!). @michael Did you know your universe is considered to be 104% perfect if Beyonce exists on it? Discuss. OOC. 'Sup. Welcome to SPEIR where cats rule and that's okay. This is serving as an interest check. SPEIR, as you guys know, is intended to be a chill gpsl. It's not meant to be hardcore like a game, but it is intended to be active—like when your cat awakens and chooses to play with you for 30 minutes and then promptly goes back to sleep. Hopefully the tdm has given you an idea of what the tone is going to be like for SPEIR whenever it opens. Please make sure you mark for any NSFW content. Most importantly, have fun!

NAVIGATION • speir • speirnet • speirooc

Comments

[descendent]

Honestly? Not really. But after a series of unfortunate events, I challenged myself to look at the bright side first.

So, bright side. Surprisingly, there's a few to be found here.

[heliophilous]

I don't really do bright sides.

So, why don't you tell me what bright sides you've found so I can keep up.

[descendent]

There's interesting people here. And really good food—the donuts are really cinnamony, which I like. You don't have to pay a plan for your phone. And I've never been anywhere outside of Virginia.

A few bright sides.

[heliophilous]

I've never been to Virginia so you have me beat there.

I'm glad someone's a glass half full person. I'm not very good at that.

[descendent]

Do you like your glasses half-empty?

[ she rereads that. ]

That meant to come off witty. I'm definitely a glass half full non-witty my-jokes-fall-super-flat person.

[heliophilous]

You don't have to try so hard to be witty with me. It's fine. But yeah, I like my glasses half empty. Especially if it means I've already finished half my drink.

( look, he can try and be funny too. )

[descendent]

And you tell me I don't have to try so hard.

[ she laughed. she'd "lol" him but she wants to come off completely cool. ]

What about food? Are you happy when your plate's half-empty?

[heliophilous]

No, but I'm kind of used to it.

( street kid and all. )

[descendent]

[ elena isn't so sure, but she thinks she may have steered them into an uncomfortable corner. either that, or he has a very dry sense of humour. ]

I'm Elena. I figure we should know each other's names if I'm going to be watching you eat.

[ ... yes, she hates herself. ]

[heliophilous]

Marcos.

( wait. )

You're going to watch me eat?

[descendent]

Are you a shy eater?

[heliophilous]

No but that doesn't mean people need to watch me eat.

[descendent]

So, what do you do when you go on a date? Do you sit with your back to your date? You don't go out to eat?

[heliophilous]

I don't really date.

( he'd been with lorna for awhile and they hadn't really gone out on dates and then she'd left and he was just...too busy. )

[descendent]

[ oooooooooh my god. is she going to open a kettle of fish here? ]

You don't go on friend dates?

[heliophilous]

Friend dates? How do those work?

[descendent]

[ is he pulling her leg? she doesn't even know him so she's going to give him the benefit of the doubt. ]

It's when you go out with your friends, sort of like you would with a boyfriend or girlfriend. Dinner, dancing… Having a good time.

It's a thing single people say.

[ jsyk. caroline would kill her for sinking this with that mention. "you're coming off desperate, elena." ]

[heliophilous]

Oh.

There hasn't really been a lot of time for me to do that. Here or back home.

[descendent]

[ that sounds depressing so she'll focus on a particular thing he said instead. ]

Are your friends here?

[heliophilous]

Not that I've seen.

Are yours?

[descendent]

A few people I know are here. One friend.

[ no matter what, she'll always call stefan a friend. the rest of them... nah. ]

Not to air my laundry to a complete stranger, but even though I have people I know here, I still feel very much alone.

[heliophilous]

Why?

( wouldn't a friend make you feel less alone especially if they were a good friend? )

[descendent]

[ she should have just left it at "i have friends here." instead, her stupid fingers opened her big fat mouth and now she's going to make this awkward with someone she barely knows. ]

One of those people is my ex-boyfriend.

It's a little uncomfortable.

[heliophilous]

Ah.

You don't get along?

[descendent]

[ she could lie, but she has nothing to gain, not even sympathy, if she was to do that. ]

We get along really well.

That's the problem.

[ does he see her issues? how can she hate stefan when he's so freaking nice? ]