test drive meme # 4

[acatamods]

I ▫ main IV ▫ premise       XI ▫ applications XIV ▫ activity II ▫ logs V ▫ rules VII ▫ bestiary   IX ▫ canon updates XII ▫ taken XV ▫ drop/hiatus III ▫ ooc VI ▫ faq VIII ▫ setting   X ▫ mods XIII ▫ reserves XVI ▫ players test drive meme #4 It happens in the blink of an eye. One moment, you are home. Perhaps you are with your family, perhaps you are at work. It's a completely normal day . . . and then, suddenly, your stomach drops. You are overcome with a sudden sense of vertigo. You cannot see up, or down, or where you are. All you hear is a voice -- light, bubbly, warm, soothing, in your ear: Don't worry, darling. This won't hurt a bit~ ♥ For those who recognize the voice, it will sound a bit strained. Possibly tired. But the moment happens so quickly it's hard to pin down, and once that moment is over, you fall flat on your face. It's bright, warm, and humid. It takes a few seconds for you to gain composure and catch your breath. You think, for half a moment, that a hand is on your back, rubbing between your shoulder blades in comfort, but when you open your eyes, no one is there. You are surrounded by ancient stone buildings, with carvings you do not recognize etched into the stone. There's a sense of nausea, overwhelming and sudden, when you realize you aren't in Kansas anymore. Even worse, it looks like Astoria has started to feel a bit festive, maybe even a little spooky. THE TEMPLE OF BEGINNINGS. Welcome to the "Home Base" of Astoria's Circle. What the actual name of the base is called is lost to the ages, and there's no sense of where you could find it, unless you started asking around. At any rate, this is a central hub of the Circle, a place of powerful magic and mysterious energy. It is a scattering of ancient stone buildings and for the most part, it looks abandoned . . . except for what seems to be a few items, some rooms taken, items moved or organized, even a small garden planted. These are just the smallest hints that there are people here that have been here before you arrived. Overall, it's fairly beautiful. However, it is definitely not modern. Upon exploration, you find that the buildings are kept up by some kind of magic. Some of the rooms have items, things from other Circle members already settled, and others appear to be unclaimed. Pick your rooms, explore the grounds, see the beauty and wonder all around you in such a magical place. However, be careful -- there is some additional movement around the Temple that seems specific to the time of year. THE GREAT PUMPKIN. Fall has certainly arrived in the Circle . . . rich colors adorn the leaves, a crisp breeze is in the air . . . and in the center of the Temple itself appears to be a massive pumpkin. And, really, the word massive doesn't appear to do the gourd justice. It is nearly twelve feet tall and twelve feet wide, round and bulbous in nature. But what is even more bizarre is that the entire structure seems hollow . . . and the front of it, in a Jack-O'-Lantern facade, has a large grinning face. No one says you have to go inside it, but if you're so inclined to scale through the mouth of the massive Jack-O'-Lantern, you will find a couple of things inside! One, the thing seems to be full of bowls of candy. Some candy might look familiar, but most of it looks a little weird. Two, there are floating candles spread throughout the pumpkin, creating odd shadows that cast about as the sun goes down. Three, the pumpkin changes expressions throughout the day. When you aren't looking, it goes from grimacing to smiling -- and it never seems to happen when you look! Have fun celebrating the holiday, Circle. Astoria is just getting started. SPOOKY SCARY SKELETONS. If the pumpkin wasn't quite enough of a giveaway that Astoria has become spookily inspired to welcome her new guests, then this will have to do. Because right along the outside of the Temple of Beginnings, there seems to be a somewhat constant and fairly thick fog. It's the kind of fog that makes you think there's something there. And with some exploration, you'll find...there is. Right in the distance there is movement, unnatural and sporadic. Any further investigation into the movement will involve you moving further and further into the fog. But be careful, because this fog is thick enough to lose sight of where you've come from. With enough time, you can catch up with the movement, to find that what you've heard and seen just beyond your peripheral, are...skeletons. Animated skeletons. They're humanoid, almost cartoon, and are moving with little to no direction. They just seem to be shambling in whatever direction they can, with no purpose or reason. They are entirely harmless. Except that if you get too curious, and get close enough to touch them, their heads will jerk towards you. They won't do much more, until you try and step away. It seems that by touching the skeletons, you've attracted their attention, and as you try to move away from them they will follow. And as they follow, they will attract the attention of other skeletons, and others, and others. If you're not careful, you'll collect an army. They will not follow you across the boundary around the Temple of Beginnings, but everywhere else you wander, you will have an entourage. Depending on how long you spend with your skeletons friends, you might even find out that they will answer simple commands. Like dance. FALL FEAST. No matter how Astoria's thoughts on holiday cheer, she seems to have at least gotten one fall related item down- because on one of the days, you will wake up and find that in the middle of the Temple of Beginnings, where there is usually some green space and open grass, is now a very large table, extravagantly decorated. It seems to go on forever in each direction, which feels...a little impossible (but what isn't impossible here?) with plenty of chairs. The table has been decorated with fall ornaments (anyone familiar with the American 'Thanksgiving' will find quite a few similarities) with the only difference instead being the wide variety of food available. Astoria is not limited to Turkey and Stuffing on this day - but rather, almost any kind of food or drink (minus any kind of magical abilities it may contain) is here on this table. Food and snacks from every reach of every world and galaxy is on display. Maybe you're going to spend some time searching out your favorite from home, or maybe you're feeling adventurous and want to try a piece of whatever is in front of you - you think it might be some kind of potatoes? If potatoes were slightly bioluminescent? Also, did that side dish move just now? COMMUNICATIONS. Upon arriving, you will notice on whichever is your non-dominant hand, you will have a fairly simply screen. A smart watch, if you will. Upon exploration, you will find that it has a directory of all those here with you at the Temple of Beginnings- names, and access to a direct message to them. The watch also has video, audio, and text capabilities, as well as what looks like a collection of messages sent to everyone who wishes to open them. This is your 'network', and also how Astoria can reach out and communicate with you. There is nothing keeping you from removing and/or losing your watch! But remember that you will not have access to this network without it. OOC: Also feel free to join us and other possible players on our discord server! enjoy! ♥

Comments

Sho Minamimoto | The World Ends With You

[algebro]

1. The Great Pumpkin

[This is all really weird but one thing that you can count on is Sho Minamimoto doing something dumb for curiosity or aesthetic and climbing into the mouth of a pumpkin that is easily the size of a master bedroom is definitely something dumb and mostly curiosity. What is the aesthetic value of such a big pumpkin anyway? It was just going to rot eventually, then be a big stinking trash pile in the middle of the temple, so that's great.

He's just goign to take a look inside before deciding that no, he doesn't want to deal with floating candles. Candy isn't worth it, and he's trying to watch his figure ANYWAY.]

Any of you oblique asymptotes wanna go in there and check this out? It's probably safe, even for you.

2. Spooky Scary Skeletons

[Now THIS was a good time. Sho had only planned on exploring outside a little, but after touching a skeleton and assessing that it wasn't interested in hurting him, he was glad to amass a small army of them. Good. He doesn't have a megaphone, but he does have an enraptured audience and that is almost as good.]

Hell yeah, let's get this party started! Listen up, paraboloids! Anyone who comes into your vision cones, you're gonna be taking them prisoner! I don't care how ya do it, tie 'em up, throw 'em in a hole, whatever, but I'm gonna be takin' over this trash heap and we got a lot of work to do...

Well, whaddya waiting for?!

[SIMPLE commands, they've got. This wasn't simple enough though so they just kind of stare at him dumbly, which just enrages Sho, getting him to stomp his feet, fuming and pointing at the nearest person he can see in this awful, thick fog.]

Go on you pathetic polynomials! Get 'em!

[OH! Okay. 'Get 'em' they got, so now the skeletons lurch and start heading out to 'get' whoever is nearby. Whatever that means.]

3. Fall Feast

[Okay so.

Food is great. Of course it is. Everyone likes to eat. But when will Sho see bioluminescent potatoes again? Never, probably. Now was not the time to eat, it was the time for art, and anyone coming even slightly near him would notice that he's just taking anything colorful and weird-looking and arranging it in a pile. It's kind of organized but also let's be real he's not known for sculpture, he's known for throwing trash into a junk pile so it might just look like he's REAL hungry.]

2 - seriously? sic'ing skeletons on simpletons?! sho sucks.

[soundsurfing]

[It had been fun at first - after the initial feeling of being in a horror movie - to have his own little skeleton following, but when they started to crowd more and more, he'd sent as many as he could on their way.

Except now they were coming back? Directly at him.]

Bros, he said go away, this ain- h-hey, yo!

[Conversation went out the window when the nearest skeleton grabbed. It wasn't hard to break the grip, but it just got promptly replaced by another skeleton, then several more, all who seemed intent on trying to drag their definitely-weighs-more-than-them capture in a certain direction. Not that it was doing much good, so Beat just sort of stood there awkwardly being skele-groped.]

Leggo, this is weird! Why ain'tchu listenin'?

Boney buddies best Beat, bro

[algebro]

[well this was just sad, honestly.]

Huh. Hadn't factored in their subpar strength. A minor miscalculation.

[Still annoying though. He hated making mistakes...]

Wait a picosecond. Just what the hyperbolic paraboloid are you doing here?!

[All the while, the skeletons are very uselessly tugging on Beat. Turns out things without any muscles just don't work for much. UGH. He wished he could make some Noise right about now.]

I sat here too long trying to think of a reponse for this area but alas, I failed

[soundsurfing]

[Oh no, not him!

Uncomfortable as it is, it is rather easy to ignore the ineffective plucking at his clothes and limbs by bony digits as Beat tries to decide between fight and flight.

On one hand, running is so lame it almost physically hurts to consider it. On the other, it's Tabo-wait.]

How'd you get out form under the pile, yo?! [A question for a question is the right way to have a conversation. He slams a hand on his beanie as a skeleton tries to grab it to tug that way, leaving it half on and half off his head.]

it's ok it took me too long to think of the last one

[algebro]

[First of all, rude. Secondly, he's going to lie anyway, what's the point in asking?]

Pfft, that scrap? Hardly left a scrape. You didn't think that'd really be enough to subtract me from reality, did ya?

[He has no idea, also it was really uncomfortable still to think about the weird caressing on his back when he woke up here. Gross.]

You zetta moron.

low5, we suck

[soundsurfing]

[Whose the rude one, ruder mcrude. Rude.]

Rrrrgh, whatever, yo, I weren't the one takin' a trash nap!

[Beat honestly feels bad for attacking Neku Week 2, he already had this guy to deal with. And Prissy. Yikes.]

An' I ain't tellin' you nothin', so there! Wouldchu call off your skeletons?!

[Of course he knows Sho wont but frankly, there's enough of them now that he's had to slowly shuffle in Sho's direction or suffocate in a mass of bone, so the question sort of slipped out in annoyance.]

why did i choose this jerk anyway if im this bad at wordplay? Sad low5

[algebro]

[You know what? That's fair. He is the ruder of the two of them, since Beat was at least not trying to have an army of ineffectual skeletons capture Sho during the conversation.]

Uh, duh. No way! They might not be able to solve this problem, but it does keep you occupied.

[He's just going to back up while wearing a shit-eating grin, because honestly the fact that it's annoying Beat is probably the best result he's going to get out of the skeletons that honestly just look like they are just Beat's BIGGEST FANS.]

You should be grateful. This is the most attention a yoctogram like you will ever get. I'm doing you a favor, if you think about it.

because math sang its siren song on you and you listened, you fool

[soundsurfing]

[Beat doesn't understand that insult enough to get upset over it, so the noise he makes is in simple annoyance of having himself shepherded around as the skeletons have figured out he's easily directed by pressure against his back, rather than something tugging at him.]

Well, take your favors an' shove 'em!

[Finally, finally, Beats had enough and he starts flailing his arms to knock skeletons away. And apart - there goes Skelebro #45s head, some fingerbones from #21 and, for good measure, Beat throws a rib from #56 right at Sho.]

I am a fool and several other fools combined

[algebro]

[Oh hey, that's a bone that just got thrown at him. Now he's actually mad and not just annoyed, not that it looks literally any different on Sho.]

Alright, that's it. All of you get outta my way!

[Well, there's another simple order that the skeletons understand, though like. How are they supposed to both get Beat and get out of the way as Sho approaches, rolling his sleeves up? They can't, so they just follow the second one, letting go and shambling away, even as Sho reaches out and grabs one of their arms, just... yanking it off.

He doesn't have his reaper powers OR his taboo powers anymore ok? He's gotta make due.]

Time to get crunched!

[And then he just starts swinging a skeleton arm at Beat. This is fine.]

by your fools combined, i am... captain fool!

[soundsurfing]

[No, Beats not expecting to suddenly get straight up slapped by a skeleton arm. It less hurts and more just surprises the hell out of him.

He just got skeleslapped. He's utterly flummoxed. Enough so he gets smacked again, and that snaps him out of it.]

You're goin' down!

[With a GRR! he grabs a skeleton before it can get away and yanks it's arm off too, so he can flail the limb in Sho's direction in return. Which is sort of hard when the elbow and wrist keep flopping the arm everywhere but he does his best.]

[algebro]

[Two slaps is pretty good. Really ineffective, but it makes Sho feel a little better. And then of course Beat has to do it too, and he's somehow not expecting it either, so he gets in at least one good slap before Sho returns fire.

And now they're just having a skeleton arm slap fight and it doesn't actually hurt either of them. The armless skeleton is kinda sad looking, though.]

Son of a digit...!

[Then he just throws the arm down and tries to grapple Beat. What is he going to do when he gets him???? Who knows?]

[soundsurfing]

[At least one of this bizarre slap fight is slowly growing less angry over time and more... well, amused. The absurdity of it is slowly overwhelming him. He's standing in a field with Tabooty himself, using arms ripped off of a skeleton (how does it manage to look sad, it has no face!), to vaguely annoy the other. He might be starting to grin, he really wants to laugh.

It's like some bizarre dream and not for the first time since coming here, he wonders if it actually is.

Then Sho is suddenly coming towards him and grabbing at him and he takes as step backwards hastily, reminded that this is Tabooty and he is, or was, painfully powerful.]

W-whoa, yo!! Back off! [The arm gets thrown at Sho's face as Beat takes another step back - right onto the dislocated skeleton fingers from earlier. They roll one way and he topples the other, grabbing at skeletons on his way down with a loud BWAAAAAA!]

[algebro]

[Luckily for Beat, he is not that much more powerful than any other normal human 18 year old, so it's like fighting your big brother and not like fighting some fallen Reaper that's aiming for some kind of godhood.

He super hates it! He can't erase anyone like this but he's going to choke Beat out if he can.]

Ugh.

[And then Beat throws a skeleton arm at him and trips over some fingers. What is even the point?! Sho can't even muster wanting to kill him anymore, so he just. Starts laughing at Beat.

It's NOT with him ok. It's AT him.]

God, you're pathetic.

1- now he is the one on top of the pile

[giveuponyourself]

Aaaw, what's the matter?

[The voice comes from a position perched on top of the giant pumpkin, and there Joshua was sitting with one leg crossed over the other, looking down at Sho with a smirk on his face like he belonged there. How in the world did he get up there without the ability to levitate??

Well, as much as he hated it, there was still the old fashioned methodology of just climbing up to the top, and in his defense this thing did make for a pretty good vantage point. He'd gained... not exactly any of the insight he'd be hoping for, but every now and then even he lost a coin flip.]

You're not afraid of going inside the big scary pumpkin, are you?

HEY! Sho is the trash king here!

[algebro]

[Waitaminute.

He knows that voice immediately, and turns to glare up at Joshua from where he was hanging off of the pumpkin.]

No! I ain't SCARED.

[Now, he didn't want to admit that the floating stuff was really suspicious, and he DEFINITELY didn't want to admit that Joshua sitting on top of it just made it 300x more suspicious. That little jerk always had something up his sleeve.]

I just don't wanna get gross guts on my sweet digs.

YOU'VE BEEN DETHRONED, NERD

[giveuponyourself]

[Oh, this was just too good. This was possibly too much fun. The big bad Grim Heaper, totally definitely not scared of what was inside a giant pumpkin, no sirree.

Joshua didn't even bother to hide the laugh that came out of him thanks to Sho's excuse.]

Is that so? I never knew you were so scared of getting a little dirty; maybe I overestimated you. [He propped one elbow on top of his knee, leaning forward a little so he could rest his chin in his hand.]

But if that's all you're worried about, I can assure you there are no 'gross guts' inside of it. Go on, see for yourself.

WOW GET YOUR OWN THRONE

[algebro]

[Josh has a stupid face and Sho wants to punch it real bad. It's really a pain in the ass that he doesn't have his powers anymore.]

No!

[Now that he was told to, he didn't even WANT to look in there. Curiosity thoroughly squashed. Instead, he was going to continue climbing, which is definitely not as threatening as it would be if he could just jump up there and punch what is ESSENTIALLY a child.]

I ain't got no business in the gourd! Now get down here before I get up there!

he does have his own...................it's the one he stole from u

[giveuponyourself]

[This guy was literally a child that didn't like to be told what to do. Joshua knew that, on some level, but it was much less obvious during the Game, and this was also way more hilarious.

To point, he is thoroughly Un-threatened-looking with Sho trying to climb up the giant pumpkin.]

Why would I do that? You seem to be having fun trying to get up here all on your own.

[Maybe Joshua didn't have his powers, but Sho clearly didn't either, and also no one had to know that right now.]

You're a JERK PERSON, Josh

[algebro]

[Not having your powers sucks. Climbing a pumpkin wasn't threatening even a little. Also if Josh had his powers still, Sho wasn't going to be able to do anything to do anything to him, but that doesn't mean he was going to stop.

And once he gets to the top of the stupid thing, he's gotta catch his breath. This sucks. This all sucks.

He's just going to sit down instead of choking Joshua like he wants to do.]

This wasn't worth it.

lol yeah

[giveuponyourself]

[For a moment his mind races to formulate a plan if Sho did try something-- the guy's murderous intent had been clear the last few times they met, after all, and even if the Reaper didn't have his powers, he was still physically bigger than Joshua was right now. His mental energy was concentrated in preparing himself to jump off the pumpkin and trying not to stumble, should Sho carry through with his angry intent.

...Thankfully it seemed the guy was more out of shape (or less motivated) than Joshua thought he would be, and he practically admitted defeat right then and there.

It took an incredible amount of effort not to laugh again. He should get a medal for that.]

There, there. Feel better now that you got it all out of your system?

[algebro]

[His motivation was just not there right now. Like any good predatory animal, he's not going to just waste his energy. At least, not more than he needed to.]

Piss off. I just wanted to be on top. And I ain't a Reaper anymore, so I don't gotta go doing what I'm told.

[His wings had shattered back before fighting Neku some time ago, and he was revived with Taboo magic. Nothing about him followed the rules anymore.]

Besides, you probably already figured out a way to crush me with this damn thing.

[giveuponyourself]

Very sharp, Sho! [There was not a damn thing Joshua could do with the pumpkin, or anything he could do to crush Sho involving the pumpkin or otherwise. But, if he wanted to keep believing that he could, then Joshua certainly wasn't going to correct him!

He lifts a hand as if to pat Sho on the shoulder, but he wisely doesn't actually make contact, so instead it simply became a gesture in the air.]

Don't worry your pretty little head now. I have no intention of punishing you for a little pumpkin snafu. [Although he did giggle a little, because it was still hilarious.] That wouldn't be very fun, would it?

[algebro]

[If Joshua had his powers, he'd probably have already crushed him somehow. Probably. Sho wasn't dumb enough to think that Josh was beyond deceiving him and others into a false sense of security.

Sho shoots a glare at Joshua when he lifts his arm, long before he decides that patting him was a bad idea.]

You know what would be fun? Pushing you off of this pumpkin and seeing if you can fly.

[giveuponyourself]

Aw, and here I thought we were having a moment.

[He doesn't really seem that disappointed, though, as he shrugs his shoulders.]

I hope I don't have to inform you that killing me here won't do you any good. Especially not when you don't have your own powers?

[Even if Joshua did still have his own powers, he's not sure how the rules work if he gets killed outside of the UG. And he doesn't much fancy finding out!]

[algebro]

[Joshua, you really need to learn how to not accurate people into trying to kill you, because you know people already kind of want it. Speaking of people who want to kill you, Sho is just gonna sidle right up next to Josh and hook an arm around his neck.

And squeeze a little.]

Hey, buddy. Friend.

Every time you open that pretty little mouth of yours, killing you would do me just a little bit more good. And hey! Imagine this: I make it back to Shibuya, and you... don't. Whaddya think would happen then, smart guy?

[He's gonna squeeze a little harder there too. Maybe think about your answer for more than two seconds.]