In the Night Beta Tester Sandbox

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Hello, beta testers, and thank you again for offering to help vet, proofread, and test run our game! Feel free to use this open post as a sandbox/TDM of sorts to collect tag samples for your example application. We'll also be using this post to voicetest and practice donning our NPC hats before the game officially goes public, so again, we appreciate your help in this.

We do ask that, if you're planning to app your example app character for realsies, you update your real app with thread samples from the official TDM once it goes up on June 15. Thank you!

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[withsadness]

[Mary hates it here. Not because it's a particularly bad place. In fact, there are a lot of good things about it: like new friends, and new places to see. But there isn't really much that can be seen truly, not with the way that Beacon currently is. That's the problem. It's just so...so dark. It reminds her of emptiness.

What's worse is the only thing that keeps out the darkness is the only thing that could possibly be worse: fire.

For once, however, Mary has emerged to confront the, er, the day with renewed vigor! Because she has...a pile of sticks! These sticks are her grand plan to, to, well, to make improvements on the issue at hand. She starts straightaway, setting about a wide circle around the fire pit. They'll probably slide against the cobblestones but you know what one thing at a time.]

[donttalktome]

[Will can only watch this display for so many minutes before he has to open his mouth.]

And what exactly is the point of this?

[He gestures to the stick circle with the hand that isn't holding his ever-present tablet.

He definitely knows how to talk to children.]

[withsadness]

[She gives him a look that, for a second, has a very distinct air of What's the point of you? Instead, Mary just stares at him before answering.]

I'm going to make a line of safety! I'll say Mr. Fire, you can't come over this line! That'll be the new rule.

[donttalktome]

[Wow don't get sassy!]

Right, you're going to give orders to the bonfire. You do know that's not how that works, don't you?

[withsadness]

Why shouldn't it? A lot more things can listen than you'd think. Have you ever tried talking to it?

[She'll be as sassy as she pleases!]

[donttalktome]

I haven't needed to.

[He's not even going to dispute the "fire might talk" thing. Who the hell knows in this place.]

The fire never gets bigger. It can't leave that space unless you move it yourself. Although you know, putting wooden sticks close to it might just accomplish that.

[withsadness]

[That nearly-confident air she had fades quickly at the simple mention of the fire potentially growing, and her eyes go wide. All at once she drops her sticks.]

No! Anything but that!

[donttalktome]

[Oh god is this child about to start crying? What do you even do with that? Will hasn't so much as seen a baby in like, fifteen years.]

Come on, don't start screaming. Look, the situation is easily fixed.

[He moves forward and kicks one of the sticks away from the fire. Sorry about your hard work, Mary.]

[ghostlocked]

[Harlan has seen Mary around—the town is dinky and she's hard to miss—but he hasn't had much reason to talk to her. Thinking about the fact that she's dead bums him out. She's gotta be, what, like ten? Fuck that.

But now she's got herself a little construction project and, dammit, he's curious. He's got no clue what she's doing, but...]

Want some help?

[It's not like he has anything better going on, anyway.]

[withsadness]

...yes!

[She only thinks for as long as it takes her to see who’s talking, and then she smiles, holding out her stick bundle.]

We gotta make sure nobody gets too close so they don’t get burned!

[ghostlocked]

[Hm. He takes a few sticks from the bundle. Why not?]

I don't see anyone being stupid enough to run into a fire that big, but okay.

[He follows her lead and starts arranging the sticks anyhow.]

What's your name?

[withsadness]

Maybe, but I don’t trust the fire, either.

[What if IT moves? And what if people start taking some of it?]

I’m Mary! What’s your name?

[ghostlocked]

The fire's not alive. It's not gonna do anything besides sit there and burn.

[He assumes, anyway? Fire is weird here.]

Harlan. It's nice to meet you, Mary.

[He bites his lip. He shouldn't ask, but he's going to be fighting himself until he does. May as well get it over with.]

How old are you?

[withsadness]

Maybe. A lot more things might be alive than you realize.

[She goes quiet for a moment as she solemnly continues lining up her sticks.]

I'm nine.

[patriotnow]

[A small child was not exactly what Ashford had expected to find but sure. This might as well be happening.]

Little girl, what is it you are doing?

[He doesn't really make any effort to sound less gruff than usual. On the whole children of the Belt aren't coddled, it would be to their detriment. So why should that change here? This girl is going to have to fend for herself if she is alone here like he is.]

[withsadness]

I'm making a warning circle to keep away from the fire!

[It's wholly unnecessary, but to her, very important.]

Fire is very dangerous, so it's important to keep far, far away!

[patriotnow]

[Being warned against the dangers of fire feels...well...ironic to some degree. The pitted, wrinkled, cracked and tightly stretched scarring across half his face and a third of his body would, at least in his case, be enough.]

Ah.

[His tone thinly veils the fact that he thinks this action is pointless and his brows furrow as he takes another step forward]

So, the fire frightens you ya?

[withsadness]

Yes...

[She looks down, almost ashamed, at her bundle of sticks.]

It hurts to get burned.

Imma just throw everyone at you

[ryanreynoldsvoice]

[Don't mind a fuzzy yellow creature just making off with one of your sticks, little miss. He needs it so that makes stealing okay, right?]

O:

[withsadness]

Hey...wait!

[As soon as she sees him, Mary drops the rest of her sticks and darts after him. Maybe, in part, she's just excited about seeing a furry creature.]

Come back!

[ryanreynoldsvoice]

[Would it have been more practical for him to grab the stick in his mouth so he could run without being inhibited by his stick-bounty? Yes. Is he instead awkwardly trying to run on his back legs while hugging the aforementioned to his upper body? Also yes.]

This, uh, this is my stick! I already had it!

[withsadness]

What are you gonna use it for? Is it important? Let me know!

[She strides over as fast as she can, which, of course, being longer legged, makes it easy enough for her to catch up when he's not going at full four-legged speed.]

Come here, pretty kitty!

[She has no idea what he is, so, that's the first thing out of her mouth as she reaches down to try and scoop him up.]

[ryanreynoldsvoice]

WELL FOR STARTERS I'M GONNA--- wait.

[He stops too hard and slides in the dirt]

Did you just call me 'kitty'? -- no..no wait....did you just answer me??

[withsadness]

Uh-huh!

[Nothing weird about that, right? She doesn't even skip a beat in picking him up and giving him a cuddle.]

Do you want to be my friend? Let's be friends!

[ryanreynoldsvoice]

Hey! HeyWOAHTHERE hold on just a sec

[This is a lot to take in at once and at first he wiggles a bit against the cuddling but quickly relents and lets it happen]

Okok...ok. Ok. ......ok......but we've gotta straighten out some stuff first cuz I'm sort of freaking out.