acatalepsy_ooc | test drive meme # 4

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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! ♥

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Oh! She may have a taker. ...should she feel bad about this? Quite possibly. Offering someone vaguely luminescent food probably isn't good manners. Hmm.]

It is... definitely a weird color for food. Or anything, for that matter.

[But well, she glances from the food to the other woman and back.]

Well... I don't know if I'd call it sharing. I haven't decided if I'm brave enough to try it myself yet.

[There. She's at least come a little clean.] I can say I've never eaten anything that glows.

Not weird for a firefly!

[... though that's the only example she can come up with for a thing that glows like that naturally, now that she thinks about it.]

Everything here should be safe, since I'm pretty sure the witch doesn't want us to get food poisoning?

[Though it's not like she doesn't understand some healthy caution? Especially since this woman might be new, Konoha certainly hasn't seen her before.

Her turkey finally located, Konoha finally stands back up- all nearly seven feet tall, four legged and hooved standing, as if being half horse was totally normal (well it was to her), inspecting her meat for any grass that might need picking off before she eats it anyway.]

[Asami is not expecting this woman to stand up and suddenly be quite so tall. Or part horse.

Both are surprising. One perhaps a little more than the other. She blinks, realizes she's staring and fights back a blush. She shouldn't be rude. This woman isn't staring at her for only having two legs after all!]

I guess... but I'm still not sure how I feel about eating something with its own light source.

[Call her old fashioned. She blinks for a moment.] Have you met the, uh... the witch?

[Thankfully? Konoha is rather used to being stared at, at this point. As normal as she thinks she is, as used to both humans and her own kind, she'd learned rather quickly that most humans didn't know jinba here... but that was okay. She doesn't even point it out, just... smiles.]

If you don't like it, I'll eat it.

[Best not to waste food after all.]

I've never met her in person, not like... a one to one talk, but. She shows up sometimes... and on the watch things, too.

[She taps on a pouch attached to one of the leather harnesses she wears across her withers without realizing that... that would be confusing since most people actually wear their watches properly on their wrists and not tucked away.]

Oh? Really?

[Well, here is Asami holding it out to her, curious.] Will you let me know what it tastes like?

[She's curious, but not that brave... in a culinary fashion anyway. But at least she catches on to what Konoha means even with the gesture to her harness.]

So she communicates over the devices? That's interesting. Has anyone ever met her in person?

[Wait. She's asking all these questions and hasn't even introduced herself. Offering a sheepish smile, Asami adds,] Sorry. I think I've been impolite. I'm Asami.

Oh, no, it's fine- when new people show up everything gets hectic! I'm Konoha!

[Without quite realizing yet how she knows that name, Konoha just bows lightly, maybe a weird motion on a centaur, but it segways nicely into straightening back up and taking the offered glow fruit, turning it over in her hands a moment and sniffing it before she cautiously takes a bite.

Hmmm...

Putting a hand in front of her mouth, she speaks before swallowing, her voice... suspicious.]

It's kind of like... akebi rinds? Like cooked ones, not raw ones.

[Konoha your experiences may not be universal...]

This happens a lot?

[Asami isn't sure what she thinks about that. But.] It's good to meet you.

[She will at least be polite, moving to duck a little bow as well, watching as Konoha actually goes and tries the fruit.

Huh.]

I'm not sure I've eaten those. But... at least it tastes like food?

Two or three times now since I've gotten here... and I heard there was one or two more before I came...

[Finally she swallows the weird glow fruit with a bit of a smack of her lips... but she... keeps... taking bites of it, despite obviously not thinking it was delicious.

Even though food appeared magically here, one still shouldn't waste food...]

Basically, yeah- Did you want to try now, too?

Oh. Wow. That's definitely a pattern then.

[Asami watches, curious now.]

Do you... like that?

[Because it doesn't appear that way. But she can't entirely tell. ...it's suspect though.]

Umm... actually, I think I probably have enough with what I've already had.

[Glowing fruit can wait for another time.]

[A pattern sounds right! Konoha isn't sure the time on it, but...

Asami's question makes her actually stop chewing a moment, staring a bit slackjawed with one cheek full before she remembers to finish and swallow.]

Um... no, it's not that great. My mother just always said wasting food was a sin...

That's probably true -- but I think trying it and discovering you don't like it isn't necessarily a waste. It would be a waste if you took a bite, threw it away and took a bite out of another one after you found out you didn't care for it.

[Maybe? Then again as she looks down at this feast, she doesn't think there's any way that anyone would be able to eat all this, so how that factors into wasting food she's not sure.]

[Konoha stares a second, blinking as she tries to think over whether that worked out in her head. She's not great at math though, so in the end she just smiles a bit, shrugging.]

It's not so bad, I guess. I ate some real bad bamboo shoots once, that was way worse.

[Though she feels like she's forgetting something... something related to the name Asami...]

Can I ask a weird question?

[Around a bite of not-great glow fruit.]

Are you rich?

Oh... I mean, that sounds like it would be bad.

[Asami winces in sympathy.

She tilts her head at the question about asking a question. Of course she can ask a question. Though, the question that comes is a surprising one, and she blinks.]

I... I mean, my company is doing pretty well these days, yes.

[...yes. She's rich.]

[It was real, real bad.

But some dots are connecting in the back of Konoha's mind, some words she'd heard in a conversation, a very normal one, so it had taken a while to register.

Asami... Rich...]

And... do you know a man named Mako, by chance... ?

[Asami straightens right up at that question.] You've met Mako? Is he hee? Is he okay? Is Bolin with him? Or Korra?

[Sorry, Konoha. Asami will stop with the sudden barrage of questions and manage a sheepish smile. Okay. Breathing now.

But if her friends are here...]

Yeah, he's-

[It's suddenly very hard to get a word on edge wise, but Konoha can hardly blame the woman, since it seemed she had guessed right, and that meant her friends were here. Anyone would be happy to find out they hadn't been spirited away to this weird place alone, like Konoha had, so, she can hardly blame her!]

Bolin and Korra are here, I think? But Mako definitely is! We were cooking just yesterday!

[So she can definitely vouch for him!]

Also a big dog thing called Naga!

test drive meme # 4

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