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acatalepsy_ooc2019-01-19 05:03 pm
acatamods) wrote in acatalepsy_ooc2019-01-19 05:03 pm
Entry tags:
TEST DRIVE MEME #5.
 test drive meme #5 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. You fall flat on your face. It's bright, warm, and humid . . . for now. Weirdly, the weather seems to be entirely in flux. One moment, it is warm and humid, and within the next handful of hours, it is starting to snow. Whatever is going on with Astoria seems to be messing with the atmosphere of the Temple, and as a result, you are having something of a wild entrance to Acatalepsy. It takes a few seconds for you to gain composure and catch your breath. 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. Indeed, it seems as if you have fallen down the rabbit hole. A weird, mysterious, snowing-yet-humid rabbit hole.  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. HAPPY UN-BIRTHDAY.  The kitchen has become overtaken with a flurry of activity. Vines have woven their way into the area of the Temple typically reserved for food, and there is a massive tea party! What a splendiferous thing -- surely this can't be all that bad. There is such a massive array of food here that it almost seems impossible to know where to start . . . tea and cookies set out with messages that read “EAT/DRINK ME." Well, if you insist. However . . . certain foods and drinks have certain effects upon your person that are wholly unexpected. Well, drat. If you taste the rosehip tea, you are suddenly infatuated with the first individual you lay eyes on. They are everything to you. You think you may even want to propose, immediately, right now. Weddings, I love weddings! Tasting the ladyfingers will cause you to spill your deepest secrets to whoever is nearby. Have a secret crush? Not anymore! The entire room has to know about it, and you somehow can't seem to shut up about whatever you've been trying to keep quiet. A sip of the chamomile tea will cause you to become ridiculously sleepy. That corner looks like a particularly delightful place to take a nap, doesn't it? Maybe someone else wants to nap too. The Madeline cakes cause a ridiculously high spike in happiness. Nothing can get you down, not even the grumpiest of people. Smile, smile, smile! You need to spread this joy to everyone in your reach. A nibble of the scones will prevent you from lying. . . and, in addition, you will be brutally honest on whatever question you're asked. Maybe now is a bad time to give an opinion on your friend's outfit or new haircut, hm? And, finally, the Earl Grey tea will cause an enhancement of your Astoria given powers. Make sure you have that under control, or you may accidentally blow out a window, depending on what it is. YOU'RE LATE, YOU'RE LATE.  The Unseen Servants will be a little, well, mad. Not that anyone will be able to see them, but there will seem to be things moving around the Temple at random, whether they be sheets, clothing, food, furniture, etc. with very little if any logical reason to it. It almost appears like the sheets and the like are moving throughout the air without any rhyme or reason to it . . . someone certainly isn't happy that the Temple is all astray.In addition, the Unseen Servants may also be attempting to steal things off of you. After all, you are also new to their world, and they want to make sure everything is put into their proper place, so beware any silent mischievous Unseen Servants dipping hands into pockets. Also . . . some of the rooms in the Temple are shifting around. Certain entryways could lead you to a select location at random. You may have thought you were entering your room, but it appears you’ve wound up in someone else’s. Or the bathhouse. Or the forest. Either way, you may find yourself lost for a bit...until the Temple decides to stop playing tricks on you. Keep track of your location, or you may wind up in the Forest of the Fey by mistake. OFF WITH YOUR HEAD.  Should you approach the fighting ring, you’ll find that isn’t quite what you’d expect — there are no training dummies to be found, the rusted gates are colored a lavish gold, and the dirt ground has been replaced with a red and black checkered flooring. More notably, the ring itself seems to have expanded to make way for seating so that it’s become more of an arena than anything. There is an audience of spectators: many of them are typically known as the bestiary of this Temple. They are a bit more, er, refined and chatty today.When you enter, the gates will shut behind you. They will not budge. You have now entered a makeshift Royal Court. Suddenly, a playing card manifests in your hand. It might be… A Heart: A princess-like figure is displayed on this card. She appears to be singing.On the back reads a message that states “This card withholds your role. You’ll be permitted to leave once we are thoroughly entertained. Best of luck!” No further instruction is given. Those who have entered with you are in the same predicament. How will you interpret your card? Who are you stuck with and how will you satisfy the audience? Or are you a member of the audience instead? Either way, good luck getting out — it’s up to you! 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! ♥ |
edward elric | fullmetal alchemist: brotherhood
SON
what a nightmare. but as roy is exploring the temple to find both new arrivals and maybe also food, he sees a fairly familiar shock of gold hair . . . punching a wall. and, for half a moment, roy almost cringes for the sake of his hand, when he seems to realize that edward doesn't seem particularly hurt by the action.
have edward elric show up, with his automail? fourth check of the day. ]
Fullmetal!
[ a familiar bark of authority, effortlessly slipping into the necessary role that edward is probably more familiar with, given the state of things, and as roy moves forward, his expression shifts from "authoritative boss" to "exasperated tired single dad" in about 3.45 seconds. ]
Can you make it more than ten seconds without destroying public property?
[ honestly this is probably someone's house smh ]
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Mustang?
[ He doesn't move, watching the way Mustang moves with certainty toward him. Something is wrong here. His stomach sinks. ] Doesn't matter much if I don't know where I am, huh?
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he slows, narrowing his eyes slightly as he scans Edward up and down, how he holds himself, his weight. automail still present, which means edward is from before father is properly defeated, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's prior to the promise day. it feels so long ago, for him, that it's a bit difficult to remember exactly how everything happened . . . and given that he was blind for most of it, it's even --
ah.
still. he doesn't want to guess, and so roy exhales slowly. backing up his thoughts, focusing on what's certain, rather than speculating. ]
You wouldn't believe me if I told you. [ a bit dryly, but roy inclines his head toward the more open courtyard-esque area of the temple. ] But we were taken here by a being named Astoria. This is the Temple of Beginnings, and we're stuck here until further notice. The story only gets more ludicrous from there.
[ he pauses, and while he knows the answer he's going to get to this question, roy can't help himself from asking it regardless. ]
Aside from the obvious, are you alright?
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[ No, he's not alright. The Temple of Beginnings? Astoria? None of this makes sense. He tries to tamp down the whiplash feeling, tries to center himself even as the weather begins to shift overhead. ]
We need to get out of here.
[ His fist drops from the stone, but he keeps the distance between himself and Mustang. The Elrics, for all their recklessness, have always had a healthy dose of caution. Whether or not they use it, however... ]
How long have you been here? [ What happened between the moment they parted and now? What could have gone wrong when he was wrapped up in his battle with Pride? ] Wait— where's Hawkeye?
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first, roy needs to tell him the truth -- that he has been stuck here, and other places, for nearly a year. getting out of here is outside of their control, which is another thing edward needs to hear. he also needs to tell ed about hughes, before ed finds hughes first. but all of those require a lot more explanation that edward's explanation affords, and finally, the teenager asks a question that is pretty easy to answer, though roy responds with a dry: ]
We aren't attached at the hip.
[ followed up with: ]
She's recovering inside -- and she's fine. [ to answer what roy is sure is the next question. ] I'm sure she'll be relieved to see you in one piece. More or less.
[ roy pauses before he sighs, inclining his head. ]
Come on, before the weather shifts again. You're of no use to anyone if you rust. I can fill you in on the way.
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[ He snorts. Anywhere Roy Mustang is, Riza Hawkeye is sure to follow, or vice versa. And last he saw the man... well, Riza was imperative to his safety more so than ever. But there's relief in knowing she's here, and she's fine.
He hesitates, still wary. Mustang seems like himself, and nothing seems awry other than the fact that he can see. If it weren't for the rain, he might continue questioning the man out here. Instead, he gives in and follows behind, keeping distance. ]
You didn't answer my question. [ A stubborn huff, all show, when his eyes are keenly focused on the man beside him. ] How long have y'been here anyway?
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still. the answers aren't going to be what he wants to hear, which is besides the point. ]
Everything I am about to tell you is going to sound untrue. You are going to hate it. And, most of all, you need to trust me.
[ he starts there, because this isn't his first rodeo, with introducing edward elric to this envrionment, and while roy knows that ed trusts him, saying it seems to cement that this is Serious (tm), rather than something they can fight their way out of. ]
Hawkeye and I have been away from Amestris for over a year. We've been stuck in this place -- and other worlds -- with this group of people for roughly nine months, give or take. It's hard to tell, because there is no calendar, and days pass differently here. But by my last calculation . . . we'll call it a year. We also aren't alone, here; there are quite a few people, from all over the universe, trapped in this place. The group of people, or the program, is called the Circle. This place is known as the Temple of Beginnings.
[ he pauses, there. mostly to give ed a chance to digest what he's been told, but also to ask a question of his own: ]
Your turn. What is the last thing you remember from home?
[ roy can vaguely guess, given edward still has automail, and he was demanding izumi and alphonse, rather than roy . . . but he could be wrong. ]
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Of course. Never. But maybe it's the shelter suddenly shielding them from the rain, or maybe it's the cool air now that his clothes are soaked to the bone, but he feels a sudden chill ripple through his body, head to toe. ]A year?
[ His voice is both awed and quiet. Edward Elric has stared down the most vicious of creatures, the most wicked of men, and portals to varying time pockets shouldn't be that surprising to him. But to think they could have passed through another kind of Gate, that this could be one more machination that Father had hoped they'd fall prey to... ]
You're lying. [ Firm, but calm. Edward remains in the doorway, the sound of the changing weather at his back as the rain drips from the top of the temple. ] I just saw you. You couldn't see.
[ His stomach gives a sickening turn and he leans into the doorway, heavy. ] What kinda game are you playing?
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still, he allows the (inevitable) argument, and roy sighs to himself before resigning himself to the fact that this, like most things in life, will not be easy. ]
You know better than most why I am in the position I am in.
[ finally, as he, too, leans against the wall of their shelter, watching edward with an impassive expression, but his eyes hold absolutely no shred of hiding anything. but then again, it's hard to tell when roy is lying, which is probably why he's still alive. ]
I lied when I swore fealty to King Bradley's army. I lied when I said I supported the coup in Ishval. I lied when they asked me whether or not I had discovered alchemists capable of performing human transmutation in Resembool, when they sent me to collect the adults stupid enough to willingly perform the taboo, and I lied whenever the brass asked me what I was having the Fullmetal Alchemist do. I also lied about every single mission I had Hawkeye, Falman, Breda, Havoc, and Fuery complete in order to further the resistance against King Bradley. And, for the most part, it has worked; I have made a fairly profitable career out of lying in order to avoid being decapitated in the town square outside of Central Command. But I don't lie unless there is a reason for it.
[ he pauses, there, before he sighs, allowing his shoulders to deflate, his tone softening. being harsh with him isn't going to solve anything except create a fight, and if the last ed saw of roy was that, then he's already upset. so he gestures with a hand -- a frustrated motion, but one meant to get his attention. ]
You know that I would not be here unless I was stuck here, but you also know what you saw. It's true, that you saw me a few minutes ago, and it's also true that I've been here for nearly a year. I won't pretend that it makes any sense, and there is no scientific explanation for it -- but both stories are true.
[ he pauses again. ]
. . . and my vision is fine. You don't need to worry about that.
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Nothing can be easy. There is so much left to do, and just when Edward had the chance to hope and maybe even believe he could bring Father to his feet, he's brought here. But Mustang, despite all the absurdity around him, seems very real, and for a small, miracle of a moment, Edward listens.
The sound that claws its way out of his throat cracks at the edges, a dark and exhausted sort of laugh. Ed almost sounds like he's in pain. ]
Of course you lied, you bastard.
[ He sucks in a breath and meets Roy's eyes, and as much as he wants to believe this is some strange, twisted mind game, he believes Mustang. He wouldn't lie for the sake of lying, after all. That's effort needlessly wasted. Sure, Edward knows by now that Mustang was hardly on Bradley's side, but hearing him say it outright is one for the books. ]
So don't go around giving me orders now. The effects of Human Transmutation aren't easily reversed. Seems to me like that's something I should worry about. [ Though his words bear some heat, his shoulders relax, his body slumping a little into the doorway. He's losing steam here. ]
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after all, hughes is here, and ed should hear that from roy, rather than find out on his own. again. ]
No, they are not, and they are something I intend never to experience again. [ finally, and a bit wearily, but his tone quickly becomes quickly sardonic. ] But luckily for me, I have a group of individuals who refuse to let me quit. Something about the future of the country.
[ stubborn idiots. he pauses, there, before he glances around the room, sighing before he pushes himself up off the wall he's leaning on, inclining his head further into the building. ]
The kitchen is warmer, and you can dry off, there. I can pick up the rest of story from home if you're ready to hear it, but there are some things you need to know about this place, first.
[ ugh. he dreads this portion of the conversation, every single time, and roy begins to walk down a hall, through a stone building that seems to connect to one adjacent -- and indeed, you can see shadows on the wall, dancing along, as if there's a flame somewhere. ]
We aren't alone here, from Amestris -- follow me, and I'll keep talking, keep up.
[ is this how riza lives her entire life, why does she put up with him ]
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That's something else he'll have to think about here, too, isn't it? His automail. His stomach drops. ]
Yeah, I got a lot to learn. [ He does his best to step into stride with Mustang (hilarious, considering he's so much shorter than the man) but an attempt is made all the same. ] So it's you, me and Hawkeye here, right? How many of us ended up here?
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[ roy zeroes in on the concern immediately, and once the enter the kitchen area, he pauses, eyes scanning the room . . . and finding it empty, he gestures to a chair closer to the fire, so edward can dry off, while he gets something to drink. he's almost tempted to give edward milk, just to see the reaction, but he settles for water for them both, as he keeps talking. ]
The first thing you need to understand is that time works differently here. The Promised Day, for me, was nearly two years ago. Lieutenant Hawkeye [ he'll use her former title, just so edward is a little more comfortable ] is on the same page as I am. Where you are is the past, to me.
[ he pauses, there, as he pours the water. ]
So . . . in that same vein, people can come from different points -- your past, your future. That means the people that come here are people you may not necessarily expect. People that shouldn't be here, or anywhere, in the first place.
[ it's . . . a delicate way to get to it, as roy takes a seat across from edward, setting the glass of water in front of him. and, after another pause, he sighs. ]
Maes Hughes is also here.
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Disappointment and confusion wash onto his face. ] So Al's back home...
[ Back in the fray, fighting Father and trying to win the Promised Day. He reaches for the glass of water, but doesn't drink from it, curling metal and flesh fingers around it. Giving him something to do.
And as he catches up to everything Roy is saying, the color slowly drains from his face, his fingers tightening, both confusion and something akin to terror lighting up behind amber eyes. He'll get to the whole future thing soon, the 2 year time gap between him and the man sitting across from him. All the warmth rushes out of him.
Maes Hughes is also here. ]
That's... that's impossible. [ Choked, like a child who has cried one two many tears after a tantrum. ] He's— he's dead.
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it's hard. it's always hard. and, usually, roy can protect edward and alphonse from the worst of reality, but there's no protecting him from this. not when hughes is up and wandering around. and it's better that roy tells him, and deals with the brunt of ed's inevitable refusal to accept the reality, than maes.
riza would probably be better at it, but this is his job, not hers. ]
He is.
[ finally, his tone carefully neutral. ]
But that doesn't change the fact that he's here.
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text.
[ there is a probably a lot more she could say about the rush of emotions she has seeing his name on the network, or how she's feeling about getting up. going and finding him. ]
It's working- you sent that message to everyone in the Circle.
[ honey.... ]
Where are you?
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The temple. It's snowing outside again. How do you use this thing
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Can you find the kitchens? I can meet you there.
[ she can imagine what he's going through if roy is the first one he's met with so far. ]
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[ He walks a little too fast. Sure, he heard from Mustang that Riza was there, but to see her with his own two eyes will be a breath of fresh air. And so it's with no tact and no grace that the fiery alchemist stomps into the kitchen, looking around eagerly for the Lieutenant. ]
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it's been too long since she's last seen him, she realizes. and the last time....well. it doesn't really matter, does it? as he won't remember. so instead riza pushes the thought away. ]
Edward, hi. When did you arrive?
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[ Excuse the sound of relief in his voice at seeing anyone other than Mustang. She's always been a consistent, stable presence in his journey, so the familiar face is welcome. He's been caught up on most things, but to see her well enough and not bleeding like when he saw her what feels like moments ago? A welcome change. ]
Just this morning. Thanks for sending Mustang to be my welcoming committee. [ Huff, huff. ]
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she huffs out something like a laugh. ]
He has a tendency to find newcomers a lot more quickly than I do. Truthfully, I think he likes giving the information. [ and then, because riza can't quite stop herself, she sets a hand on his shoulder, catching his eyes in a moment of seriousness. ] But I do know it's a lot to take in.
[ a beat, and then she gives him another small smile. ]
It's good to see you.
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[ This place is a little busy and overwhelming, so to have a quiet environment and a familiar face means a lot. His smile softens all the same, relaxing in a way he couldn't relax before. Not that he can't relax in front of Mustang, but the air is a little lighter here. ]
It's a lot, that's for sure. Hard to stop thinking about home, you know? [ And he won't ever stop, not while he knows Al still needs his body back, when he knows the battle with Father rages in wait for him. ]
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she shakes her head, squeezing his shoulder once before letting her hand drop. ]
It gets easier. General and I haven't been back to Amestris in... [ she blinks, thinking back on just how long it's been. ] Some...time.