acatalepsy_ooc | TDM # 6

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TDM # 6

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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 #6

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 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.

. . . or maybe you are. It seems oddly like a state fair, except a bit more mystical, and a bit more . . . well, touched by faerie-magic..

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.

Once you're done with that, though, get ready -- there's a carnival in town.

FEAST FOR THE PEOPLE.

An array of familiar scents welcomes you — it reminds you so terribly of your roots. Perhaps it’s the clam chowder your grandmother used to make, or the distinct smell of your least favorite kind of enchanted crabapple pie traveling through the air.

Regardless, it leads you to a variety of food stands, each and everyone being manned by one of the unseen servants.And lo and behold, you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for: food from the very place you’ve come from. The plates and portions are . . . er, floating in air due to how unseen the servants are, but when you reach forward to have a bite, you are promptly stopped. It seems as though the servants are asking for something in exchange.

A sign floats up before you…

“The food is free ♥ But first, find someone and show them…
Your best smile!
A flower! Spring is abound ♥
A neat trick using the power I gave you~”

You’d best get on it — of course, you could try to simply steal if you’re hungry enough, but well...we’ll see how well that goes over.

Ironically enough, the foods you may not be especially partial to will be offered to you without any trouble. Huh.

TEN TICKETS GETS A PENCIL.

There are a large variety of other stalls too. While the food definitely follows you wherever you go, there are small booths set up with games. Anything from a ring toss, target practice, games of strength or games of balance have been constructed and set up all around this patch of grass. You might notice a game from home, no matter how specific or seemingly out of place it appears to be in this festival. You’re here to have fun! And maybe the person standing next to you does too. Will you challenge them? Or let them go ahead?

Besides, don’t you want those prizes? There is a wide selection of "stuffed animals" made out of grass and flowers to be won, but it all comes down to you. These prizes won't wilt or die, either! How lovely. Additionally, some of the booths give you out some arbitrary amount of tickets, regardless of how well you do. If you win, you seem to get . . . less tickets? But if you lose, you get the lot.

Astoria doesn't seem to really get the point of carnival games.

There is a booth to turn in said tickets, though! Ten tickets will get you a bright pink pencil. Fifty tickets will get you a kazoo that makes you irresistibly happy for thirty minutes at a time. A hundred tickets will get you a massive stuffed puppy made out of flowers. And two hundred tickets will get you a tiara made out of flowers. . . . these gifts seem to be Astoria-centric, but you'll surely like them, right?

LOVE IS IN THE AIR.

What is a festival without some carnival rides? They’re scattered around the faire grounds at random intervals, and seem familiar enough, if not for the fact they seem to be held together primarily through magic.

The ferris wheel is made entirely from giant leaves and vines, but is still running, and absolutely safe. You might want to jump on it to see the entirety of the Temple . . . in the (near-ish) distance, you can see Lake Dona, stretching on for what appears to be miles. You can see the Forest of the Fey, equally massive and sprawling . . . and neither seems to have an end in sight. But hey, at least you got a free carnival ride.

Bumper cars? More like bumper logs, floating in a small lake of sorts that (for those who have been in the Circle for some time) definitely wasn’t there before. Crashing into one another is a load of fun, but if you get up-ended, you might wind up being shoved back into the logs unceremoniously by some kelpies. Where in the heck did they come from? (They're harmless, for the most part. Astoria seems to have recruited the more tame ones.)

And, even better, the unseen servants are keen to get new people to know one another! Are you in line with someone you know? Or next to a complete stranger? Either way, you’ll get shuffled into the next cart and put on your way. The Tunnel of Roses is a great place to meet someone, right? It's seemingly sprung up out of absolutely nowhere . . . a dark, quiet, romantic ride on a tiny little boat, just big enough for two! You’ve got some...time to break the ice. The ride apparently lasts four hours.

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

Please. You would get bored if I never argued with you.

You're terrible. I'm not saying never argue, I'm saying maybe don't always argue.

[ Though he is fond of their good-hearted bickering. That's how they kept each other alive for so long, after all, taunts and insults they didn't really mean but had to prove wrong. Matthias squeezes Nina's hand. ]

...how long is this boat ride meant to be, anyway?

I'm not sure. I'm not even sure where we're meant to be going.

[So that's... fun.]

Are you getting sick of me already?

Not sick of you... [ Matthias grimaces a little, the words coming out reluctantly. ] But I'm not known for my sea legs.

Oh.

[Nina can't help it—she smiles a little.]

So this isn't as romantic as they've intended.

Perhaps not. If only it would stop swaying.

[ Maybe if he focuses on something else instead -- he lifts his eyes back to Nina's, and finds them shining even in the dim light of the tunnel.

Yes, he thinks, this is a good distraction. ]

Boats tend to sway.

[Still teasing, but her tone is gentler now. She hesitates, then reaches up to brush her fingers against his cheek.]

Thank you for staying with me on the way back to Ketterdam.

Edited 2019-03-30 23:44 (UTC)

[ Matthias is reaching for something snappy to say back about the boat when Nina reaches up to touch his face, and thanks him so gently. He blinks. ]

...Nina. Djel himself couldn't have pulled me from your side. I'm only glad you're well again.

["Well" is a bit of a relative term. She has good days and bad days, and days where it's a struggle to focus on anything but the sawing need for parem at all, but she keeps telling herself she's through the worst of it, and that's thanks to Matthias.]

I couldn't have managed it without you.

[ At least there's no parem here, Matthias is relatively certain. And as much as he wants to tell her she would have made it, that she's strong enough on her own... he also understands the sentiment and suspects that none of their lot besides him could have handled her as well, with Inej gone. So he won't wave her gratitude away. It wasn't easy on him either, honestly. ]

You've saved my life several times, in more ways than one. It's the least I could do in return.

[She doesn't argue with that—they seem caught in a bit of a loop, saving each other over and over again. Hopefully that won't continue here.]

If I could rescue you from this terrible seasickness as a thank you, I would, druskelle.

[ It's not so terrible as of yet, just a mild sense that he shouldn't have partaken of the little cakes Nina insisted on sharing earlier, but Matthias doesn't argue. He nods instead, smiling faintly. ]

The thought is appreciated, drüsje.

[She laughs a little.]

Maybe we should start planning our escape in case this ride never ends. What do you think?

We know we make a good team swimming... I could certainly move us faster than this current.

[ He glances away from her to peer at the water, but it's too dark to make out if there's a visible bottom to this lazy river they seem to be traveling. ]

Hm. I never thought I'd say that night was a fond memory, but here we are. For all that I never want to be shipwrecked again.

[Nina reaches her free hand over the side of the boat, letting her fingers trail through the water. At least it isn't freezing.]

If we do sink now, it's going to be your fault.

[As if to punctuate her point, she turns to him again, grinning as she flicks water at his face.]

Why would we si-- [ He's cut off to splutter when Nina flicks water at him, lifting his own free hand to wipe the drops away. ]

That was unnecessary. And I'm sure you'd be displeased if it resulted in you getting soaked somehow.

[ Not to say he's going to tip her out of the boat or anything, but he may be tempted to splash her back and these things do tend to escalate. ]

[Her eyebrows go up, her grin widening.]

Is that a threat, Matthias?

You think I would threaten you? It's just an observation.

[ As his hand dips into the water on his side of the boat..... ]

[Betrayal!]

I'm not sure you could hold your own against me. I'm giving you fair warning.

In other matters, I'd take heed. A splash fight, not so much.

[ Matthias scoops up some water and goes to flick it at Nina, but despite making the usual gesture in her direction she remains dry... because the water is "stuck" to his hand, shaping around it like a glove. ]

Nina? Do you see this?

[ He sounds rather disturbed, and shakes his hand sharply to try and get the water off. At first it doesn't budge, but when he does it again it seems to release, dropping to form a little puddle at the bottom of the boat. Matthias stares at it uncomfortably. ]

[Nina sees it alright—her eyes go wide, all thoughts of their little battle gone, and she gasps when it refuses to budge.]

Try it again.

I don't want to.

[ He says it, but dips his hand back into the water and scoops out a handful again... as they watch it does it again, spreading over his hand. Matthias looks outright freaked now, struggling not to shake his hand violently to make it stop. ]

This is ridiculous. What purpose could "water gloves" ever serve as a power? Cease.

[Nina, on the other hand, looks absolutely delighted. She leans closer, reaching for his hand, encased in water.]

They aren't water gloves, Matthias. Try making it move.

If I could make it move I'd make it release me.

[ He shakes his hand stubbornly, then sighs... alright alright he'll try it Nina's way. Holding still and focusing on the water, however, causes a very dramatic nothing to happen. It just seems to be water gloves, honestly, until Nina actually touches it. When she does there's a faint glow, that causes Matthias to jerk his hand back from her because who knows what that means?! ]

Careful, Nina.

[Nina's eyes widen, but she keeps her hands hovering under his.]

It's alright. I'm not afraid.

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