An imageboard-based RPG styled as a text adventure, created and DM'ed by a certain person nicknamed Weaver on the /tg/ board of 4chan. It's now concluded.It begins when a rabbit named Ruby wakes up in a cell/locker. Together with a cat named Tom she soon meets, they perform puzzles, fight horrible abominations, and try to escape the massive underwater complex they're in. They also meet Red, a creepy but helpful enough fox with a truly awful Evil Laugh; Ace, a giant bird and servant to an unknown master; Filbert, the former head doctor turned delusional; and several unnatural abominations, all of whom used to be normal and innocent.You can get more info on the plot, characters and also participate in discussions, making theories and guesses on possible plot developments here. For the story itself, look here. WARNING: Some of the threads there contain very NSFWfan art, as does the 1d4chan-article. There is also been both a Facebookfan-page and Tumblrsite created for discussing, posting news, ect. for Ruby Quest and also its Spiritual Sequel, Nan Quest. Weaver's own /tg/ Tumblr blog can be found here.A Flash retelling of the whole story, cutting out most of the discussion, fan-art, and additional jokes/threads/clues (but leaving in choice comments) can be seen on Furaffinity right here with a FurAffinity account (disabled Mature Content Filter), or on InkBunny right here, no account required if you meddle with the Allowed Ratings. The InkBunny version can also be read here, with no settings-fiddling required. You can also read the full story on evilcorporation in three versions: a slideshow-like sequence, a scene selection screen, and a long single page.A music album based on Ruby Quest has been made. It can be found here or downloaded here In addition, the artist has put up a high quality version of the album that can be purchased here. All the money made off of this album will go to Weaver.Now has a character sheet. For additional details and those not directly related to the plot, see Trivia. For a list of quotations relating to the game, see Quotes. For a series of relevant images, see Image Links.Compare to the white chamber, a Point-and-Click Game with several thematic overlaps (and which Weaver has acknowledged as an inspiration).
Alien Geometries: The Metal Glen, itself, displays aspects of this. First there's the metal shutter in Ruby's room, which sometimes opens to a window and sometimes to a passage. Then half of the Brig turns upside-down, gravity and all. Then it gets worse.
Already Undone For You: It seems most everyone else can get around the facility just fine without solving all the elaborate, extensive puzzles like Ruby and Tom, apparently.
Arc Symbol: Multiple occurrences of this trope in the story.*
(including Ace's ♠ and especially the "Barbed Wheel" symbol)
Art Shift/ Splash of Color: Weaver's works are very distinctive in such occurrences as when he shifts from simple, low color, MS Paint-ish sketches to highly-detailed◊, other-worldly◊, and amazing illustrations.
Astral Projection: Apparently, the white-eyed black bird was this; created by Jay's infected blood running through the facility's water systems.
Bottomless Pits: The chasm that forms as the Brig begins to separate.
Brick Joke: The severed hand in the pneumatic tube makes an unexpected return.
Came Back Wrong: Everyone... whether they wanted to or not. On the other hand, it's also inverted, as dying and being reanimated sets back the mutations.
Closed Circle: As long as Bella is alive, she is going to maintain the lockdown of the facility. Tom and Ruby have been in the facility for a year, and have gotten to Bella three times before, but never farther.
Continuity Crossover: [Warning: Somewhat Spoilers!] The symbols◊ from Weaver's World Eater campaign also play big role in Ruby Quest.
Continuity Nod: When the connection between the poem and the facility the events are taking place in is established.
Dark World: The alternate world Ruby sees when using her third eye.
Deadly Gas: Averted once with Ruby's efforts, and another with Bella's.
Deadly Rotary Fan: One room has a catwalk crossing over a pair of giant fans. They're proven deadly in a flashback, when Ruby shoves Stitches into them.
Earn Your Happy Ending: There are not very many Cosmic Horror stories that feature a genuinely happy ending, but Ruby Quest is one of them. And it's all because the players did things that weren't supposed to happen.
Eldritch Abomination: Its name has never been given, and an eye chart implies that it is "Cjopaze"*
(it comes right before "Fhtagn", which is a reference to Cthulhu Mythos "Cthulhu fhtagn")
. It's sometimes also called "Perogra"*
(a reference to a campaign known as "World Eater", also DM'd by Weaver; the association is a result of similar symbols and mutagenic effects)
(Often when one of the characters experience something very alarming)
.
The Faceless: Subjects 2 and 3 are mentioned and named but never seen. Subject 2 likely never will be, since it's a major plot point that she didn't come back from being killed like the others.
Also, the top men who had retreated the facility and left Bella in charge of a lockdown.
Foreshadowing: Early in the game, Red called a "survivor", though it was still not clear that there was any sort of major disaster.
For Science!: Filbert, especially with Subject #2.
Friend or Idol Decision: There was going to be one wherein either they escaped or Filbert told them about their past; however, by that point Filbert was dead.
Furries: The cast of Ruby Quest are often mistaken as such by n00bs.
Genre Shift: The story quickly departs from its original relatively cheerful puzzle solving into the realms of unimaginable horrors, and doesn't turn back.
Groundhog Day Loop: Heavily implied by Bella and of course the ending, though somewhat nonstandard as it appears to relate more to death/resurrection with manual resets than an actual looping timeline.
Heroic Sacrifice: Subverted when Tom attempted it, only to be rescued by Stitches instead. Then played straight with Stitches immediately afterwards.
(Since Weaver's text is the closest this game has to an interface, it counts)
Interspecies Romance: Ruby and Tom are a rabbit and a cat, respectively. Their relationship takes a backseat to all the action and horror, but it's still there. There was also, apparently, a romance between a raccoon and a pig, but the latter is now either escaped or dead.
Implacable Man: Ace qualifies:He seemed to survive an explosion, wasn't even slowed down by a crowbar in his thigh, and walked away after getting impaled by a giant hook*
(Although, this part was not actually seen)
.
Irony: When Tom and Ruby had inquired the date near the end of the game, Bella states that is was October 31st, otherwise widely-known as Halloween.
Rule of Romantic: Tom could have had enough time to save himself too, but his heroic last stand invoked a very nice and romantic kissing scene, so everyone pretty much ignored it.
Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Near the climax, /tg/ finally got stuck and asked Weaver for a hint. An adventure UI popped up, hint button included, and he gave them one
Load-Bearing Boss: "It would seem Bella's death has also caused a minor systems/power shutdown."
Meaningful Background Event: Several: both Filbert and Bella are first shown like this, for instance. In either case, when the players tried to prompt Ruby in looking at them, they would be gone by the time she did.
Whenever past events are shown though some mannor, there are a few minor differences that have a big meaning; such as the horrific area of wall that Stitches body was bound to showed*
(or what looked like)
a beautiful landscape painting*
(strikingly similar to that of the High Roller from Dive Quest)
Mercy Kill: Bella. After three opportunities for Ruby and Tom to end her life, and failing to do so, she finally snaps and gives them no other choice.
Subverted with Jay, A.K.A. Emobird. By Weaver's own words: "His role was never originally going to be as an ally. He was in torturous pain and asked to die. I figured you'd kill him or leave him, but then like a billion people were like SAVE HIM, and I'm like "Well... I... OKAY!". I honestly couldn't think of any reasonable excuse not to let you save him: I mean, he wasn't locked up or anything."
(i.e. if one does not pay close attention to the details/rules of the story)
Mood Whiplash/ Mood Dissonance: Despite being mostly rather horrific, the story has its occasional comedic moments: Often, when the players suggest something silly, Weaver is more than willing to comply.*
(Which sometimes tends to downplay the horror somewhat, when this is done at the wrong moment)
Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: The facility in which the entire story takes place in—known as The Metal Glen—was, in a nutshell, built out of an odd, isolated, geological-formation from out in the middle of a secluded loch for the specific purpose of doctors and medical researchers practicing/ testing treatments*
(treatments that would likely be deemed as "unconventional" by most)
without the need of the proper permits, license, or the possibility of criminal prosecution.
Narrow catwalk over huge fans... in a medical research institute for the blind. Granted, there are handrails, but still.
Also, the often deadly capabilities of the "Z-Hatch".
Mostly Lampshaded due to the fact that the whole facility had been improvised and most likely ran on limited funds; and in addition, there is the matter of the staff generally giving more concern over progress than safety.
Note to Self: DO NOT TRUST #7. Also, Filbert's note that he has recurring amnesia and is still clean.
Power of Trust: As said in the poem: "The flock that could not work together are sure still trapped in hell". It can be pretty safe to assume that unless Ruby and Tom trust each other and work together, they will stay down there.
Or the line could have possibly been a hidden joke by Weaver in reference to /tg/'s normally chaotic, uncompromising nature.
Psycho Serum: Red discovered too late his "cures" had a few side-effects.
Quest for Identity: Neither of the characters know very much of their past.
Subverted in that they never actually find too much answers, either.
Weaver originally intended to have Filbert try to use the information about the characters' pasts to keep them from getting on the tram. When the time came this was impossible, for obvious reasons.
Railroading: A common accusation by the trolls. Used later literally (and justifiably) in a flashback, when Ruby completely ignored the players when they wanted to have a pleasant chat with Stitches and instead threw him into some deadly fans. Lampshaded at the end sequence, when Weaver describes the automated tram, including the phrase "CHOO CHOO".
Also, Word Of God says that Red had rigged his riddle so that even if they had answered right, he would still not let them in.
Reveal Shot: Ruby opens a door: the camera shows a close picture of her and a face of a bear, looking at each other. When it pans out, it is revealed that the head is the only good part of him, while the rest is just bloody chunks.
Room Full of Crazy: Red's room, which was revealed to be almost normal when compared to Ace's room.
Weaver has admitted that the white chamber was one of the main inspirations for Ruby Quest. Several scenes, in particular the fan scene, are taken directly from it.
An early command suggests carving a pumpkin into the shape of a keycard to solve a puzzle; Ruby, however, is stated not to be sleuthy enough to do so.*
(Given the similarity of the two projects, this reference was probably inevitable)
There is also a couple of System Shock references with a Body Horror shouting "Please kill me! and another inserting 0645 into a keypad. This was also probably inevitable.
Weaver references two William Murdochs in the game; as both the engineer*
(creator of the pneumatic tube)
and the poet*
(to which he accurately mimicked the style of while writing his pseudo poem, The Metal Glen — Possibly a Literary Allusion Title)
Super Losers: Tom and Ruby apparently had a possibility of escaping by breaking through a outside leading window; but unfortunately, neither of them knew how to swim.
Take That: Remember all those people calling "Railroading!"? The end has Ruby and Tom ride a tram to safety. Weaver even threw in a "CHOO CHOO".
Tomato Surprise: Tom was the (allegedly) incredibly dangerous Subject 6 all along. The only thing even vaguely hinting to it was how he felt good smashing inanimate objects, and the notes from later in the adventure mention that Subject 6 was transferred to the brig at some point due to the extreme danger he posed. Which is where Ruby first meets Tom...
Tragic Monster: Mostly everyone, except for Ruby and Tom, who aren't monstrous enough, and Ace, who's not tragic enough*
To be fair, the only obvious difference between the two are the ears — But, then it's not that easy to miss the fact that the girl in the coffin has short puppy ears rather than long bunny ones.
That's pretty much because many readers probably weren't expecting a true happy ending. Due to the theme, they were expecting the Mandatory Twist Ending, which ended up misleading them. The difference wasn't that blatant, after all. Their ears were actually almost the same size, but Daisy's were bent backwards and pointy.
Who Wants to Live Forever?: As things are, everyone still inside the facility is being promised an eternal life as unholy mutants. Hopefully this can be averted.
Word of God (Weaver) states that Red's death was indeed a permanent one.
Ruby Quest Discontinuity/ Additional Quests/ Jokes by Weaver
Along with the feature presentation, The Weaver also DM'd several other small adventures within the same campaign as Self Parodies and additional reference.The archives to both God Quest and Daisy Quest can be found here.
Identity Impersonator: It was hinted that not only was Daisy impersonating Maddie, but also Lucy and Ruby, as well.
Jerkasses/ Kick the Dog: Most of /tg/ are all bullying, taunting, swearing, and giving "Maddie" a vicious tongue-lashing by the fact that she is neither Ruby nor "Thursday?".
Pet the Dog: At least a few Anonymous treated her to a few nice words, and one was nice enough to comment:
"Hey, don't listen to that guy! You're doing great, Maddie!"
Keep your chin up, man, things are going to be great for you. You'll see."
Kick Them While They Are Down: Even after the "Maddie" confesses that Filbert had been sexually abusing her, as well as the rest of the patients; most of /tg/ are unsympathetic and still continue to taunt and harass her.
Tempting Fate/ Sarcasm Mode: One Anonymous makes a remark referencing Maddie's monster-mouth mutation which had appeared in her right eye during Ruby Quest.
"Nice pair of eyes. I sure hope nothing happens to ruin their symmetry."
Cargo Cult: The totem of the local "Goddess of Pleasure".
Comically Missing the Point: Weaver has Ruby insert a set of stinkhorn mushrooms into a totem of the local Goddess of Pleasure, mistaking /tg/'s suggestions of "giving the idol what it wants" by having Ace... Well, you kinda get the idea...
Mad Doctor: Filbert is seen standing over Ruby while holding his signature bone-saw and the scalpel, uttering the classic "Trust me, I'm a doctor" line.
Flipping the Bird: Hard to tell with those scrawny little appendages, but it's presumably what she is doing in the last image.
Mind Screw: At one point, water begins to quickly seep in Daisy's cell through the small air-holes. Once she makes outside, there is not any water visibly seen near the locker for there to be seeping through.
, William Murdoch
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"Barbed Wheel" symbol)
