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

skeletons

[cmyk]

[ Hmm, no, don't come this way. Bakugou himself looks scary enough, but there are skeletons in plural behind him and Yachi doesn't want anything to do with them, backpedaling as fast as she can to maintain the distance, even though she knows he's just approaching so he can ask for help.

The wrong person for help, incidentally, because she wouldn't know how to get rid of them, but she has to suggest something before the things decide that following isn't good enough and what they really want to do is attack. ]

What— what did you do to get them to follow you in the first place?

[ Do the opposite of that?? she doesn't know ]

[explosivo]

[ they can either scent fear or maybe jackassery and want to punish it.

WHO KNOWS. ] If I knew I wouldn't be having trouble, right? Think I said something like 'fuck off and die'...

[ ........ ] Why don't you try saying it. [ what, are those the magic words?? maybe the skellies will follow anyone who says them? anything's worth a shot right??? ]

[cmyk]

[ Um. She'd already reflexively taken a step back when Bakugou said the words, but the thought of saying them herself? Sorry, Bakugou is doomed to be the pied piper of skeletons forever.

...Nobody deserves that, though, so Yachi squeezes her eyes shut and paraphrases. ]

Go back home!!! [ —she cracks and eye open and almost screams, because rather than going back home, the skeletons start surrounding the both of then and she shouldn't have closed her eyes and gotten dragged into this. ]

Go away! Stop! Heel!! Sit!!! [ Like they're dogs...

but at "sit," the skeletons plunk to the ground one by one. ]

[explosivo]

[ he's getting the feeling, yes. ]

They can be trained? [ somehow the idea of this is kind of gross, but-- ] What, why can't they obey 'fuck off'? [ that's a perfectly decent command right there!

just for the hell of it, then. let's try-- ] Roll over.

[ it does so.

... this is definitely getting surreal. ]

[cmyk]

[ Does anybody ever fuck off when he tells them to fuck off though? It might be a matter of pride, but then there they are rolling over, so Yachi doesn't think that's it. ]

Maybe it's because "f—" [ nnngh... ] ...because that phrase is slang, and they don't understand it. "Roll over" is simple and direct, so that even animals can be trained to understand the meaning and obey.

[explosivo]

[ look.............. you're right... therefore shut up. ]

If you tell a dog to fuck off and it's smart enough it'd get the idea too. [ 'if it's smart enough' being the key phrase here because... he supposes these guys are literally missing brains. but the idea that they could obey commands is. an interesting one. ]

Think they'd obey 'kill'? [ the one instance in which he might consider keeping a skeleton army. ]

[cmyk]

NO!!?

[ It's not even "no, I don't think so," it's "NO DON'T EVEN SAY IT," with her voice raised high as if she can just shout over Bakugou and maybe the skeletons won't hear him. Shhhh, don't give them ideas like that!! ]

DON'T EVEN JOKE LIKE THAT!! DON'T SAY IT! TELL THEM YOU'RE NOT SERIOUS!!!

[explosivo]

I'm dead serious, what are you yelling for? [ it'd been a rhetorical question but now that she mentions it he seems to give it some thought.

only... there's nobody actually kill-worthy in the area.

also come to think of it if why send skeletons at an enemy when he could attack them personally. maybe this girl could use them though, she looks terrified, probably because she has less skeletons than him.

he starts shoving skeletons at her. ] Here, you take these assholes. Tell them to kill your enemies when you meet them. [ there. problem solved. ]

[cmyk]

[ Yachi has exactly one skeleton, that's inside her body, and that's all she'll ever need, thanks!! She doesn't want any more skeletons, let alone murderous ones, and she yelps when Bakugou starts shuffling them her way, stepping close behind him because he'd originally wanted them to go away, right? So if she stays close to him, maybe they'll take his aforementioned advice and fuck off. ]

I don't want them!

[ —uh. She shoots a terrified look at the nearest skeleton, as if she'd just said something unforgivably offensive. ]

I mean! I don't need them! I don't have any enemies!!

[explosivo]

[ what are you talking about, don't have enemies... ]

If you don't have enemies, maybe you're not trying hard enough.

[ EVERYONE HAS ENEMIES. ]

[cmyk]

I don't want to try to have enemies!! Why do you have enemies?!!

[ Nobody has enemies, please, Bakugou. Maybe there's people you don't get along with, but you can work things out! How can she convince him of this. ]

[explosivo]

[ work things out, him??? ]

What do you mean why, what kind of question... [ they're just there. enemies just Exist. it's like asking 'why do you have bones'. weirdo girl... ] Fine, sic 'em on your friends. I don't care.

[cmyk]

I don't have—!

[ wait. no, yes she does ]

My friends aren't here!!

[ If she wasn't on the verge of tears already, she sure is now. If her friends were here... or, her team, rather, the volleyball team full of people two heads taller than her, they're sure to scare the skeletons away and make them leave them alone. ]

Weren't we figuring how how to make them back to where they came from?! Instead of making them follow other people— that's not solving the problem, that's just making it somebody else's problem!

[explosivo]

... That's what you're worried about? [ yeah, that's news to him. as far as he's concerned here his end goal is to just ditch them, so. ]

I don't care about returning them or what the hell ever. If you want to do that you could grab a shovel and dig them a grave and tell them to jump in, maybe they'll even do it. [ but yeah, he personally can't be assed. in his scope this wouldn't count as anything like hero work, it's just an inconvenience. ]

They don't even attack people so they're only a problem if you let them be one.

[cmyk]

[ Of course she's worried about that, because at the end of the day, she's afraid she's going to be the one sacked with ten dozen skeletons chasing her if she can't figure out how to make them go back to where they came from. ]

They're- they're scary even if they aren't attacking anybody... Being followed by anybody everywhere would be scary! Will you help dig graves with me?

[ SHE'S WILLING TO DO THIS.... IF IT WILL HELP...... ]

[explosivo]

[ this face... does he LOOK like a volunteer grave-digger to you. ]

No.

[ yeah n o p e. ]

[cmyk]

[ Yachi looks shocked, like she didn't even expect to be rejected.

But that's... fair... Nobody is obligated to help her, even if she asks for it, so she can't fault Bakugou at all for not wanting to. ]

Alright... Then, do you know where I can find a shovel?

[explosivo]

No. [ god. what's with this girl. he should just ditch her. and he would, normally but--

................

he starts to make his way back to the central temple, towards the glowing pumpkin as a landmark. not exactly expecting her to follow, but slyly looking over his shoulder to see if she would. ]

[cmyk]

[ She does follow, even with that "no," because even if he doesn't know where to find a shovel, she can optimistically assume this is his way of saying "but I'll help you find one". Besides, she'd rather not be left alone with the skeletons, so she sticks as close as she can to him, ducking her head every time he glances back and pretending to watch the skeletons follow behind them.

Please, please go back underground or wherever you came from, guys. ]

[explosivo]

[ he does his best to ignore the girl and their little conga line of skeletons following him all the way to the center circle.

he ventures into the temple, looking over all the gaudy decorations and whatever with this deadass look--seriously, what is this. what is with this place. even just arriving and being a newbie here he'd barely be impressed by something like this... he gives the pumpkin a glare as if expecting it to glare back, then enters it, still somehow looking just more and more pissed off that he's exploring this place. ]

Is this some festive shit or what...

[cmyk]

If it is, it's out of season... Do you think the skeletons came from here?

[ Yachi sticks close to his heels up until he gets to the pumpkin, not stepping inside herself, but lingering outside the pumpkin's mouth and trying to peer inside without leaning forward, aka presenting her neck to the guillotine. ]

Oh- careful about those candles hanging from the ceiling! It'd be bad if something caught on fire and burned down.

[explosivo]

[ shrugs-- ] I don't know. Do I look like a skeleton and I'd know? [ rhetorical question, but he doesn't sound too annoyed. he gives her an odd look that she doesn't enter but... she seems to be a nervous type, so. it wouldn't matter too much to him, he'd investigate whether he's disadvantaged now without a power or not. ] I don't even know if pumpkins can burn.

There's jack shit in here except for those candles and candy.

... You want to get those things to leave you alone? [ their skeleton friends. ]

[cmyk]

[ She didn't think he would know for sure, but it'd be nice to get some sort of answer to everything going on here. Candles and candies aren't things she's immediately interested in, either, as much as the prospect of getting those skeletons to leave her alone— and at the question, her head whips around to look for the implied skeletons.

...She can't see any. But that doesn't mean they're gone- they're probably hiding around the corner, waiting to ambush them as soon as they let their guard down, and it's a good thing Bakugou brought them up again or Yachi might've completely forgotten about them and they would jump her at the next available opportunity and shank her and gut her and--

You know what? She's just going to step inside the pumpkin now, and press her back against the inside wall so she can at least have that protected. ]

I do! If you know how to get them to leave, that would be amazing! Please!!

[explosivo]

[ damn she's really that scared about skeletons of all things... let's just not mention that he'd been pretty unnerved by them too. i mean, annoyed. yeah. what irritating assholes.

he shoves a pumpkin bowl against of them, watches it catch it clatteringly. ]

You see all this candy? Give it out. There might be other assholes out there who have no idea this place is full of this sugary shit... give it to them or bring them back here if they're hungry.

[ and the creature gives him a wide-eyed-socket look before enthusiastically clattering its bones at its friends. it takes only a short amount of ruckus and skeletal bony noises before the troupe of them head out, arms laden with pumpkins and candies. like reverse trick or treaters bringing it out to random passerby. ]

Those bastards probably have too much time on their hands.

Just put 'em to work. [ THERE. now they're out of their hair. finally. ]

[cmyk]

[ .............AND THEY'RE GONE.

A part of Yachi had thought Bakugou's solution to getting rid of the skeletons would be grabbing the candles and setting them on fire, but look at this peaceful productive solution— she's utterly shocked and it takes her a moment to find the words. ]

YOU'RE SO SMART.

[ Unexpectedly! except it'd be rude if she said that out loud!! so she just keeps making this face at him ]