acatalepsy_ooc | TEST DRIVE MEME #5.

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TEST DRIVE MEME #5.

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 #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.
A Diamond: A gallant knight-like figure is displayed on this card. He appears to be fighting.
A Queen: A refined queen-like figure is displayed on this card. She sits atop a throne, her finger pointed right at you.
A King: A triumphant-king like figure is displayed on this card. He stands on a podium for all to see.
A Joker: A jester-like figure is displayed on this card. He is dancing, laughing, and making a general fool of himself.

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! ♥

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Quentin is well aware he shouldn't have blurted that out, and he's looking around to make sure no one but Toby heard. Somehow that doesn't stop him from reaching for another scone before he realizes that his knight is looking at him rather like he's a guinea pig in an experiment that he put himself into. He drops his hand and sits up straighter in his chair. Ahem.]

Yet. If anyone has any trouble to give, you'll find it before too long. I'm mostly surprised no one is bleeding yet. Especially you.

[This is also blatant honesty. However, it sounds like what he'd normally say to her anyway. So there's that.] So I guess we're doing pretty good.

[Also.] That tea smells really good. I don't even like tea. [He should probably be stopped or things will wind up very awkward.]

Oh, I'm sure I'll be bleeding soon enough. At least Tybalt won't be here to glare at me for it.

[Yeah, the amusement is there, and that amusement is almost palatable, but mixed in with some relief that things were back to a somewhat normal keel between them. There was a few brief dark moments when she was very worried that she was going to have to watch him sleep for a hundred years and give up the last of her humanity in the process (and she would have, for Quentin, for Tybalt, for all of them she would have), but that didn't happen, he's here and teasing her for her tendency to bleed, as per usual, and it's almost like it's another day in the life.

Except for the fact that they were kidnapped to an Alice in Wonderland experiment gone horribly, horribly wrong.]

Maybe we should take a walk.

[He is being unnecessarily forthright. While it's not new for the two of them alone, if it happens to be compelled, certain secrets should probably not slip out for the rest of the world to hear - whether they're in an alternate universe or not.]

Just this once I'll pick up the slack for him, but he better not get used to it.

[Teasing. But that's better than launching into the whole truth about what he thinks of Tybals -- which admittedly, is a lot kinder than it used to be, but he still is convinced Toby could do better. But she's happy, and Tybalt cares and watches her back and fights for her. So that counts. And.

That train of thought gets stopped and he sinks down into his chair before looking back up as Toby speaks up.]

Yeah. I think that's a good idea. I feel kind of funny.

[He makes a face, nose and brow wrinkling.] I don't think I should've eaten the scones. It was pretty dumb. But I was starving.

You're a teenage boy. We'll try not to hold your metabolism against you.

[She gestures for him to get up with her and start to lead the way towards somewhere quieter.]

Eating scones laced with a truth potion is probably better for you than chewing off your own arm.

[Quentin smiles a grateful little smile in her direction even as he climbs to his feet, giving the food on the table a dirty (and remorseful) look. Goodbye traitorous food. Delicious, traitorous food.

He falls into step behind Toby, and the familiarity of that settles something in him.]

Probably. I have a pretty limited supply of arms. I should save them for when I really need them.

Exactly. It should be drugged, questionable food, then probably my arms as who knows, I might be able to regenerate them, and then your arms.

[There's a hierarchy of who's body parts are getting eaten when. This is a little more morbid than their normal conversations, but as she said - they were kidnapped.]

Then again, given my magic situation, including me in this may not be the best idea.

[Only slightly more morbid than their usual. Very slightly. Quentin snorts though, shaking his head.] I'm not eating anyone's arms. ...unless chicken wings count. I like chicken wings.

[Now he wants chicken wings. Sigh. Life is hard.]

Wait. What's the situation with your magic? Toby?

[Should he be worrying already? He's not worrying already, but he can start if it's that time.]

Well, my illusions are even less illusion-y than usual, as you can see.

[She gestures to her very Fae looking state.]

I've decided not to cut myself to test if my healing is still working. I'd rather just be careful and be pleasantly surprised in the heat of the moment.

Right, yeah. Do you want me to..?

[He'd be happy to spin her a disguise if she wants him to.]

Good. Please don't cut yourself.

[Except it might be a good idea to find out before Toby defaults to her usual strategy which is "put my body by sharp and dangerous things" and "some blood is good more blood must be better!" so she can adjust her approach.]

[Right now, it's just a problem for Future Toby. Another reason why it's probably a good thing Tybalt isn't here - he'd be burning through so many of his lives.

She considers his offer for a moment, before nodding. As much as it hasn't seemed like she's needed the disguise, there's something about being without it in the "human" world that makes her feel a little naked.]

Please. If you don't mind.

Got it.

[Easy enough, given that Quentin hasn't noticed the change to his magic yet, and it responds well enough to the way he normally uses it that it seems natural enough. Except what is likely more noticeable for Toby rather than him is the fact that there's no scent to it.

But oblivious to that Quentin weaves the illusion for her, the usual human-cloaked-Toby details that he's used to.]

And hey, there's no blood to cover up this time. We're doing pretty good.

[At first she almost doesn't notice. She's so used to the smell of heather and steel when Quentin does magic that her brain almost inserts it in, just because she expects it. It's why it takes a few seconds, after she feels the illusion settle, that she realizes that in those lingering moments, something about it doesn't feel right.

She stares at him for a moment, before reaching for a stick nearby and holding it out to him.]

Make this look like a snake. Just ... humor me.

...right. Okay.

[Quentin trusts Toby so implicitly at this point in his life, that even if he's giving her a very skeptical look, he's doing as she asks. Toby usually has reasons, even if he has no idea what they are right now.

So, a very teenage look and a quick few lines of a sea shanty ('Lukey's boat is painted green, the prettiest boat that you've ever seen') later there's a snakey looking snake slithering about in place of the stick, flicking its little forked tongue at Toby. And no steel, no heather, no nothing.]

Snake. [And then he looks expectant. Why the spell?]

[Yeah, that's very worrying.]

Your magic doesn't smell right. In fact, your magic doesn't smell at all.

[Which, in Toby's mind, means it's not Quentin's magic and is something else entirely.]

What? That's...

[Quentin knows Toby is way better at the magic scent thing than he is. And now that he's thinking about it, he can't catch the familiar scent of his own magic either. Blue eyes go wide and he looks at Toby bewildered.]

That can't be good... right? It's still working though.

[Wait another second though.] Toby... are we sure I'm me?

[What if he's an impostor! Except, wouldn't he know if he were?]

[Honestly? She doesn't really know the answer to that question. There's probably all kinds of magic that would cause some sort of sleeper agent illusion but when she has no magic to test him, she can't say for sure.]

You seem like you. And you also seem like you were dosed by honesty cakes before, so I think if you were some kind of impostor it would have come up then.

I feel like me.

[He agrees, and nods quickly.] Right yeah. The truth scones. [The delicious truth scones, but now he's almost relieved he ate them because that is a good point.] You're right. It would've come up. Maybe it's something about this place messing with magic.

[Quentin will almost relax about it. Almost.] ...but if I'm not me, don't let me do anything bad, okay? I don't want to hurt you. [Even if that is harder to do than meets the eye.] Or anyone else.

[Toby nods because she doesn't want him to do either of those things either.]

If you look like you're turning into a sleeper agent, I will force you to take a long nap. And then we'll figure out how to fix you. Promise.

[Quentin nods, in relief and agreement.]

Okay. Good.

[He'll trust Toby to do that. He trusts Toby in general, so this makes him feel better.]

So until then... where do we go? The weird Temple?

[Toby takes a deep breath before nodding.]

I guess? It doesn't really seem like there's anywhere else to go.

Nope. Which isn't great.

[But what are they going to do.] Do you think anyone will come looking for us? Has Tybalt stuck you with a tracking device yet?

[Someone may have been watching too many spy movies. But casting the magic equivalent of a find my iphone on Toby has crossed his mind more than once.]

[She snorts, before shaking her head.]

Not unless he stuck it into my food when I wasn't looking. But maybe we'll get lucky and Chelsea will accidentally teleport herself here to take us home.

That'd be pretty great. But we're never actually that lucky.

[Ever. That's just facts, Toby.]

We'll figure it out though.

[He says, all confidence before looking to Toby with a hopeful little 'right?' sort of expression on his face.]

[Toby nods, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder because if nothing else, they do tend to bulldoze through things until they find solutions.]

We will figure it out. I am bound and determined.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TEST DRIVE MEME #5.

Tobyyyyyy :D :D

i'm a little behind, but i just finished once broken faith, so swinging back in for some feelings

I'm in the midst of Brightest Fell, so I'm a couple books behind myself :D

we can live in the past together

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