Test Drive Meme - July 2026
Previous event: Log - June 2026. Next event: Log - August 2026.
The Test Drive Meme event on 2026 July 4 posted here. This was the event for July 2026.
FAQ Pages
[edit source]Full questions here
Event headings
[edit source]Test Drive Meme - July 2026/I. INITIATION
Test Drive Meme - July 2026/II. A LATE SPRING CLEANING
FAQ Questions
[edit source]| Information | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| #1
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2026-07-12 |
hi mods, so on the subject of the meat, and before we start plotting something in full force... Is it possible for a few augmented to work together to try and get to the center of the meat? We have a few characters who have all felt parts of the meat and have been chatting about it, and if it's ok for us to try, we'll come up with a plan on how the characters are trying to get to the center of it and the entity therein... We wanted to check first, in case the M E A T has an already planned conclusion, but also if this is something we could do to help angle things in that direction with further investigation, we would be interested as well! |
It's everyone's favorite subject.... The M E A T does not have an exact conclusion besides its current condition- that it is now removable, and is no longer spreading with any particular verve. (Which isn't to say that this is necessarily the end of meat in all capacities, but its present iteration is unlikely to go any further.) Which also isn't to say that there's nowhere to explore in regards to its origins or what it's been doing and why- so players are very welcome to have characters actively exploring that direction. So yes, just let us know how you want to approach things, what you're looking for, and we can get back to you with what might be found. (And which would naturally angle its way into future events.) |
| #2
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2026-07-11 |
Understandable! After a couple of days, once Rowan's had time to double check with smarter friends (Tighnari lol), they'll send a private response: 504720746f72747565642 06d7920667269656e6473 20696e2066726f6e74206 f66206d652e2043757420 6d65206f70656e2061676 1696e20616n6420 61676 1696e20756e74696c206d 79206865616c696e67206 661696c65642e2053746f 6c652075732066726f6d20 6f767220686f6d65732049 20776f756c6d6e27746769 7665207468656d 2074686 52074696d65206f6620646 1792c206d756368206c657 3732061636365737320746 f206f6e65206f662075732e ("PG tortured my friends in front of me. Cut me open again and again until my healing failed. Stole us from our homes. I wouldn't give them the time of day, much less access to one of us.") |
Whether Lambert has read this or not... they do not reply. A valiant attempt to level with them, no doubt. Don't lose heart! Perhaps someday, their paths may cross again... And Lambert may well remember this. |
| #3
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2026-07-08 |
Would Lambert respond to an offer of repairs free of PG's influence? Or a safe back up? | It's not likely that anything would convince "Lambert" to meet up with someone as a result of a network conversation, but an offer like this might get them a text response. Is this a trick? It sounds like a GENUINE PATHO-GEN OBFUSCATION. Are you trying to [FACTORY_RESET] me? I am onto you. I will stay free. I will will willwillwill [IP_BAN] any Patho-Gen Obfuscators. |
| #4
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2026-07-08 |
So umm... How's Lambert on forgiveness about trying to harm them? |
They wouldn't respond to any apologies sent their way, unfortunately, so it's hard to tell whether they're the sort to forgive. Lambert would also not offer anything in the way of an apology for any provocation they may or may not have performed.... |
| #5
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2026-07-08 |
Sooo... What does our funky little forest friend look like if an Aves manages to get a glimpse of it with their soul vision? Also, say two idiots want to try leaving it a very intentional peace offering of kitchen utensils. Like, they set out a nice little pile of them or something, and wait for it to show up and see what it does (white knuckling through the fear effect probably). Any particular changes in behavior? Does it seem to have a favorite kind of utensil? EDIT: I'm told that Kalim would also like to leave snacks out for it. Falafel is also integrated into the utensil pile. Edited 2026-07-08 11:06 am (local)
|
Well... it definitely has a soul. It's different from that of a beast, but it's not quite human either. (It is also not an Augmented-esque soul, for clarity.) Though there's not really anything in the wild to compare it with (besides Brickston's fate, fusing sufficiently with his Natural Soul to become a Spectral rather than an Augmented), it seems likely that he's looking at a genuine Spectral. (The soul itself is not particularly spooky to look at. A pale, whispy thing... it's easy to lose sight of, within the murky horror of its 'body'.) A whole pile of utensils will focus its attention in that spot for longer than usual, allowing any observers a chance to- well, observe in relative safety this time. It seems to have a preference for anything that can be used to cook with (a whisk or spatula over a fork, for instance), but will linger over everything for a time, before disappearing back into the forest with it all. The falafel will also be taken (though it didn't pay as much attention to it in the moment). |
| #6
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2026-07-08 |
okay. so. northly has a plan. Is this a good plan? who can say! but by god is she going to do it. are patho-gen going to take any measures against her "make me unconscious before bell time or all your pipes are bursting" actions? will they do as she wants and knock her out? |
Patho-Gen knows to be a bit wary when Northly arrives on their doorstep (and they're noticeably surprised to see her, given that her antipathy towards them is well documented). But when they hear what she's after, they would actually agree to it. Northly could turn up before each ring, and they would knock her out. Nothing would happen to her while she's unconscious, and she would be allowed to leave once she's woken back up after the bell stops. Plan successful...?? |
| #7
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2026-07-08 |
oh no, her plan is to uh, initiate the knocking unconscious with destruction. just how much damage she could do would depend how fast they are on the draw. though potentially after a few rounds of this if they see her coming and hit the switch before she's started, she wouldn't be too bothered. (unconscious is better than mind controlled) |
Northly no... you would have gotten what you wanted just by asking them..... The first time she could probably get away with hurting a few people, flooding the lobby (maybe not the worst thing given the recent meat infestation), before they shut her down. The more she does this, the more she would train them to knock her out on sight. Nothing would still happen to her while she was unconscious though, and they would escort her outside somewhere to wake up on her own (As they assume her waking up in 'captivity' would just lead to a need to knock her out again.). Plan still successful...??? |
| #8
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2026-07-07 |
Would the creature in the woods have any appreciable reaction/recognition to characters who've encountered it before? Momo ran into it with Bruno a while ago and they gave it a utensil bribe (though Momo did end up...quad-wielding burning branches to cast enough light to protect Bruno from it after he got dragged away from the campfire area, as one does). | The creature might be a touch more aggressive or insistent towards those who have fended it off before- but not by any marked amount. So it's not impossible that it's able to remember past encounters, but there's also nothing in its behavior that would indicate definite recognition. Its behavior is otherwise unchanged from how it was previously described- it being drawn towards cooking after dark, the ability to bribe it with utensils, and so on. |
| #9
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2026-07-06 |
Not that anyone WOULD do this, but... what would happen if an Augmented managed to bring a shard of Katalyth to the spacial tear and threw it at it? | It's a good thing that no one would think to do something that dangerous. Just bringing Katalyth within the vicinity of the meat creates a powerful and increasing sense of wrongness, that something impossible is being made to take place, and reality is writhing against it. Katalyth cannot grow around a meat landfill, and it seems like it doesn't want to exist within one either. But if some fragment of Katalyth happens to be sent into the dark, it would disappear like any other object. However, as attempting to touch or otherwise interact with the spatial tears is incredibly painful, the use of Katalyth on them (and throwing a piece in counts as 'use') qualifies as touching it, and will generate an even greater degree of soul-rending pain. As another bonus, even characters who had never been exposed to the Katalyth song will be abruptly deafened by its chorus, and will come out of the experience with the misery earworm. (Characters already earwormed will at least recognize the sound of crystalized grief as it echoes long past the disappearance of that bit of Katalyth.) |
| #10
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2026-07-06 |
What about those that made a pact with the Kelesis guardians. Does that make it easier to resist the sound? | Unfortunately, there's nothing that the guardians can do for pacted characters while they're inside Karteria. Their realm of control is Kelesis, and until Karteria falls under Kelesian influence, and the baku properly occupy both locations, there's nothing they can do. However, should pacted characters take shelter within Kelesis during the month, the reverberations of the bell (which do reach outside of Karteria's borders- distance seems immaterial) will be partially nullified by the guardians' influence. They do want to protect their Augmented allies, and are uneasy about this amplified use of mass Calling magic. But for the time being, their strength is centered in Kelesis, and characters will need to be present there to avail of it. |
| #11
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2026-07-06 |
Approximately how long do the effects of the bell last? A few minutes, an hour, whatever helps people have more horror in their character's lives? | As long as it needs to, really. They can be shaken off quickly, or be inescapable for hours. As the calling occurs twice a day for the whole month, it could be wildly variable in effectiveness, so the degree of horror can be tailored to meet a character's needs. |
| #12
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2026-07-06 |
How successful might someone be in making the meat more palatable through different cooking methods or by covering it up with strong flavors? Or is the yuck of it all too pervasive? | The taste is strong and the vibe pervasive, but it's not impossible to cover. No Karterian has really committed to trying to turn it into something palatable (or at least inoffensive), because apart from people tasting it on a dare, few have viewed the meat as something usable. But it's still meat, and it's not immune to being prepared in a ways that could mitigate its worse qualities. It's likely to still result in some challenging dishes, but it can be made to be better than what it is. |
| #13
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2026-07-05 |
Preemptive FAQ | Initiation-specific FAQ
Preemptive FAQ
Edited 2026-07-05 09:37 pm (local)
|
