acatalepsy_ooc | test drive meme # 3

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test drive meme # 3

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 #3

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 the tinier inhabitants of the Forest of the Fey are acting a little cheeky.

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 -- the sprites that reside within the Forest of the Fey seem to be exceptionally active, today, and tricks abound wherever you look.

KINGS AND QUEENS.

Typically, the sprites of the Forest of the Fey remain within the protective canopy of the surroundings. However, there seems to be something different in the air, and these little bastards are flitting about and giving out flower crowns to everyone. They are beautifully made, intricate and gloriously decorative, and most people would be happy to adorn one!

There's just one problem, though -- they don't come off. No matter how hard you try, those damn flower crowns are stuck on your head, and you cannot remove them no matter how hard you try. Hope you enjoy being a fairy princess for a day.

And, if you are alighted with a flower crown, your skin turns the same color as whatever flowers now sit upon your head. A wreath of blue roses? Congratulations, Violet Beauregard -- you're now as blue as a blueberry. The effect wears off in about an hour, and you can remove the flower crown then -- but have fun being every shade of the rainbow as the sprites take their time to torment the new arrivals.

BALLOONS FOR EVERYONE.

Normally, there are some animals that wander within the ancient stone buildings of the Temple. Tiny little white bats, sheep that grow on the vine . . . that sort of thing. However, the sprites have elected to add a little bit more flair the Temple, and balloon animals have invaded the living space. Where the sprites got the idea for balloon animals, no one can really be sure -- Astoria seems to think the sprites are waltzing through the spirit realm and seem to have garnered an idea there, whatever that's supposed to mean.

So, no matter where you go, there are balloon animals. Little dogs, brightly colored fish, dinosaurs, giraffes . . . except they seem to move, and make noise, and act like their real counterparts. Tiny balloon dogs nip at your heels, balloon fish flicker about in the waters that sprinkle themselves throughout the Forest, and balloon birds float through the skies.

Bonus? If you pop them, they explode into (biodegradable) glitter.

DECAYED DECADENCE.

Despite the shenanigans from the sprites, however, there seems to be something happening within the Temple that may be cause of concern. Flower crowns and balloon animals aside, there seem to be odd spots of the Temple that suddenly wilt . . . flowers that bend over and wither at a moment's notice, saplings that seem to creak as if suddenly dried from the inside out . . . and it seems, oddly enough, that it happens whenever you, an Arrival, get closer to the wild life.

Astoria seems to think that something is wrong . . . perhaps something the Circle members brought back from their last trip. An illness, or something more? Care to poke about and see how far you're willing to take it? Or does your magical gift enable the protection of plant growth? Try out your green thumb and see if you can help.

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! ♥

Threaded | Flat

[A: Let's solve a mystery]

[Enter one duck, looking extremely skeptical. He looks -- well-- elderly, for a duck, but he's not about to let that stop him. Neither age nor supposed retirement can hold back the richest duck in the world. He sighs, and looks around with a slight eyeroll.]

Zeus, if you want another contest, let's get it over with, aye? I dinna have the time or the patience to be lazing around Ithaquack when I've a money bin and a manor to repair.

[B: Or rewrite history]

Scrooge is seeing red. That's not much different from usual, the McDucks and their relations tend to have bad tempers. It is, however, literal in this case, as he's staring at himself in a mirror. There's a flower crown of roses draped haphazardly over his top hat, and he gives it a poke with his cane, just to see if it'll move any.

"What I wouldn't give to have my magical defenses right now." Or, God forbid, even Gyro. Though that might end up exploding in his face later.

Bucky is staring at a balloon animal. To be fair, it’s been a while since he’s seen one. It’s even weirder because it’s well, barking. After a few minutes more of watching it curiously, he decides to ignore it. Unfortunately, the balloon doggie decides to follow him, still yipping. He’s tuning it out for now, but the animals decide to gang up on him. Soon enough, he has a small dog army following him, and he’s looking steadily more annoyed. Someone help?

「i. faeries」

[ Magic is REAL HERE......

Which would be a far more interesting and exciting idea if it wasn't currently attempting to shove a flower crown onto his head. Natsume had (politely) refused them initially, which had only made them more insistent, and now he's... sort of on the run from them. A very fast walk, actually, because he sort of doesn't like running, and he's swatting at them— ]

You don't have anyone better to bothER? HonestLY, I said I didn't want oNE.

「ii. decaying」

[ Ohhh, what an... interesting reaction. Natsume's power has nothing to do with plants and green thumbs—his is thankfully closer to the heart—so he's merely stepping through the flora, watching it wilt around him. Stopping for a moment to kneel down a bit away from a sapling, he slowly reaches out and listens as it gives an equally slow creak...? ]

...CurioUS. I wonder what my brothers would have to say about thIS. [ well, at least one of them would probably tell him to Stop Destroying The Lovely Aesthetic but, anyway, ] How far does this effect reACH?

[ .......he's getting up to test that, don't mind him, he's just passing through waving his hand over flowers and such. ]

「iii. communication」

[ Ooh, he... wants to take apart this device and install his own adjustments to it, but alas, he's without the tools to do so. He can proof it later, he supposes; asking for those things would just make people suspicious of his smartwatch, and he can't have that...

Well, anyway. It's nice and bright, so naturally: ]

Good night.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime offer, so if you fail to take it at this very second...
It's self-explanatory. Now:
Would you like to have your fortune read?

[ Option 1 - Kings and Queens ]

[Barabas knows full well that certain magical creatures ought not be trusted. And while he doesn't have any first hand experience with fairies or pixies, or whatever particular brand of small and annoying fey critter these may be, he is aware that they ought not be fucked with. Or trusted.]

No... No thank you. None of that.

[He's batting and swatting at the persistent little things.

But eventually they win, and the crown of vivid bluebells lands on his head and. Honestly the color that floods through his skin clashes terribly with the flame-bright orange hair.

Barabas notices at once that he's not the color he ought to be.] ...charming. This magic wave can end any time now. [He's never hoped for Tech to show up more in his life. But if he catches sight of someone, he'll be quick to call out,] Why can't I get this thing off my head? Actually. Better question. What the potentially-literal hell is going on here?

[ Option 2 - Decayed Decadence ]

[By now he's ditched the flower crown, returned to his own startlingly pale self, shock of red hair still as bright as ever. He's well-dressed, but he looks out of place. And out of sorts. By now he's realized that this is not Atlanta. Clearly. And it's not something that he can explain or put together on his own. Infuriating.

And now as he leans back against a tree and hears it groaning, sees the leaves above his head wilt and start to fall in sad, shriveled brown, he sighs. Clearly this place hates him.]

The feeling is mutual.

[ Option 3 - Video ]

[Barabas has chosen videos because he's hardly a recognizable face. He's not the Beast Lord. He's not some big wig in Pack politics, so he's unlikely to have a target on his back. But it may be the quickest way to find anyone who knows him.]

All right. I'm ready to admit that I don't have the first beginning of a clue what is going on here. And I don't particularly like it. At all.

[His tone is controlled enough, even.] So I'd appreciate anyone who could shed some light on any or all of... this.

Thank you.

I. Arrival

[ Sara doesn't stay in a vulnerable position for long. She jumps up, looking around carefully and taking the whole scene in. She slowly and silently moves through the hub, searching for clues and indications of what's going on. If someone were to surprise her, they may find themselves pushed up against a wall, her unoccupied arm searching for a knife that isn't there anymore. On the other hand, if someone were to make themselves known, they'd be greeted with a seemingly easy smile. ]

II. Flower Crown

[ Sara comes across a white flower crown and decides that maybe the hippie look is in and she can blend with the native population, such as it was. However, when she puts it on, all of the color drains from her and she is chalk white ]

What the...?

III. Communicator

[ Finally, Sara notices the watch on her right wrist. She taps it, looking to see what kind of features it has. Smart watches aren't an unfamiliar concept, nor are communicators. She hits a relevant button and speaks into the watch ]

Hello? Anyone there?

Edited 2018-08-29 04:37 (UTC)

A: POOL'S CLOSED

[It doesn't take long for Kay to begin wandering around what would be her new home for a while. You may or may not have seen her duck into the bathhouse, but in any case, here she comes, sprinting out and looking very excited.]

Can we get a water slide installed in there? [She points to the doorway of the bathhouse. Someone did not get the memo about how the bathhouse is supposed to be quiet and relaxing.] Does anyone have an ability that makes water slides appear outta nowhere?

B: FORGET ME DEFINITELY NOT

[Flower crowns are cute! Kay gladly accepts a flower crown made of blue forget-me-nots. You know what happens next.

...but did you expect Kay, blue in the face (literally) to be dancing about with the sprites and singing to herself:]

I'm blue, da ba dee da ba die...

[Yeah.

The dancing may also be a tactic to avoid any more flower crowns.]

Hey, one at a time, one at a time! I'm not sure my head can take all those crowns!

C: POP GOES THE WEASEL

Hey, come back!

[Kay is laughing as she pursues a balloon dog. It's yapping happily and enjoying this chase, but it clearly has the advantage - until she puts on a burst of speed and jumps to tackle the dog to the ground.

Unfortunately, since it is made of rubber and not bone and sinew, it will pop on impact, spraying Kay in the face with glitter. She gasps and jumps back onto her feet, brushing glitter off herself.]

Oh no - did I just commit balloon animal murder?!

WILDCARD

[WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO DO.]

Edited 2018-09-02 05:38 (UTC)

FLOWER CROWNS
[ Surrounded by so much magic after too many endless days bubbled away, Ilde is in an uncharacteristically cheerful mood. Although, cheerful for her means little more than a softening around the eyes, perhaps the faintest of quirks to her lips. She lets the faye put their flower crown on her, and doesn't react overmuch as the crown of daffodils turns her skin yellow. She stops to look at it, but upon determining it harmless and cosmetic... simply invites the sprites to nestle in her hair. A few accept, giggling about their prank and its pleasant reception. More join them, until there is a small party in her hair... ]

DECAYING
[ She wonders if it's the lingering wretchedness of the Void on her that makes the plants wither. Where the flower crowns caused her no upset at all, watching the local plant life wither at her approach causes a pinched expression of sorrow to cross her face. ]

Is that... how it is... ?

[ She says to herself, crossing her arms to hug herself with discomfort. That's not a fate she wanted at all. ]

COMMUNICATOR??
[ The thing on her wrist is entirely unfamiliar to her. She has already taken it off by the time she approaches someone to ask, ]

What is this?

1) Temple of Beginnings: Fighting Ring

[Jonouchi was just kind of. Trying to look around and get his bearings and figure out what the hell is going on. For the record, he still really doesn't know, but he managed to bumble his way over to the Fighting Ring and when he gets there, he's pretty sure he recognize what they're for. Giving a good whack to one of them might make him feel a little better at least.

...

...]

Oh, so you wanna go three on one, huh?! Bring it on, ya bastards, I'll take ya all on!

[Aaaaand that's how he wound up here.

He is, yes, trying to fight off three of them at once. For whatever it's worth, he seems to be holding his own, punching one in the face hard enough to knock it back.]

2) Kings and Queens

Hey! HEY!

[Jonouchi is.

Well, there's no way to get around it. He's pink. And he's wearing a very handsome crown of cherry blossoms on his head. He didn't so much have a problem with that part until he caught a look at his reflection. Now he's leaping around, trying to get his hands on one of the fae flitting about.]

GET BACK HERE AND TAKE THIS OFF, DAMMIT! YOU DUNNO WHO YOU'RE MESSING WITH, YOU LITTLE BUG THINGS!

[He leaps up, grabbing at one and lands on his face. They. They kinda seem to be getting just close enough for him to almost grab them, then flying away again. He hasn't yet picked up on this yet. He growls for a second...then spins and grabs the shoulders of some poor, poor soul who. Probably just saw him faceplant there.]

Oi!

We gotta team up to get those things! We can't let them get away with this! You're with me, right?!

[You can just walk away. Nobody would blame you.]

3) Network

[After poking at the watch for a while, Jonouchi eventually figures out what it does. Well enough, anyway. He pokes at it some more and eventually manages to get a message up.]

oi
what is this
did kaiba make this thing?
is this like another new duel disk? i don't even have enough money for the last one, he needs to stop releasing new crap already!!!
where does my deck go
also
sorta buried the lede on this one
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH ANYTHING
also how do i catch those stupid bug things flying around and make them take this thing off my head!?
i look like a freakin cotton candy!!!

Edited 2018-09-03 21:10 (UTC)

flowers

[Sooo, they're in some sort of magical forest, and little magic people are offering flower crowns. They seem harmless enough, so he cheerfully lets them drop a wreath of white flowers on his hair--only to discover he's suddenly turned ghostly pale.

Staring down at his pale white arms, he...laughs softly to himself.]

Thanks for the gift and all, but don't you think red's more my color? It brings out my eyes~ [Is he joking? He's probably joking.]

balloons

[what are these things seriously what are they Wuxian thought they were kinda cute at first but one of them? started barking??? And now he is literally scrambling up the nearest wall in a desperate attempt to escape what appears to be a tiny sparkly purple balloondog. Somebody help? Please...?]

wilting

[When he steps up to a sapling and watches it immediately dry up, he can't help frowning just a little bit. Thoughtful-like, you know. Are the plants here sensitive to something on the visitors? Is he himself exuding some sort of plant-killing aura? He needs a few more people to test this, probably....when somebody comes closer though, he'll turn that frown upside down and give an exaggerated sort of shrug.]

Looks like the plants here might not like strangers all that much, huh?

It's Wednesday, my dudes.

[well, actually, it's friday. or at least it would've been, if he'd stayed behind on earth. if he hadn't blown off his trip to moma and headed straight toward danger. he'd sooner be back on earth, of course. would rather be stuck wandering through the museum with his class. or better yet, curled up at home with may.

though given that his last memories are of himself being unmade--

this is definitely a step up.

wandering through the area, peter wastes no time in trying to explore as much as he can. despite all of astoria's support, he still has questions that he knows he can't find answers to by sitting still. and so, he's on the move from the moment she leaves to speak to somebody else, an edge of discomfort making itself known to him when he realises just how much he's come to rely on his abilities. the very same abilities he can't call on anymore.

how is he meant to reach rooftops if he can't climb up the walls?]

Can I pet ze kitty?

[no but really, can he pet ze kitty? because that's exactly what he attempts to do. with the assortment of balloon animals, peter finds himself enamoured by them all. the room he's claimed has long since become a safe haven for them, with peter taking up the smallest amount of space he can so that they're free to wander around without the risk of being popped.

one needless balloon death is enough, thank you very much.

of course, that'd be a lot easier to do if he didn't have a small pack of dogs to play fetch with. it's a balled up sock he's throwing (splinters are dangerous), and somehow they seem to be able to bring it back each and every time.

can he keep them?]

Who wants to get crazy for new years?

un: p.parker

so this smartwatch is kind of awesome
i mean
its got nothing on stark tech but
its not like i had one in the first place

[totally not the point of this message, pete]

um
im looking for anyone whos from a world where the avengers are a thing?
if you also happen to be from new york thatd be great
yeah
hi??

[Uncomfortable is probably a word for it. It seems to fall a little short of really describing what she's feeling right now, but sometimes you just have to settle for a close approximation. Trish doesn't show it though, the darkness of her sunglasses obscuring how much she's scrutinizing every detail of her environment.]

[It feels like a fever dream. Or more accurately, it feels like the kind of dream you might have if you hit the cold medicine just hard enough to add a little, uh, spice to what you're experiencing, but not make it something you can passively accept without questioning.]

C'mon, knock it off.

[Trish pushes the balloon cat gently away with the toe of her boot to deter it from rubbing against her legs any further. It doesn't seem to take the hint though as the balloon loudly squeaks against her foot with loud, loud purring. She sighs and puts her foot back down.]

You get stepped on, [she says, trying to carefully step over and around the cat,] you're only going to have yourself to blame.

[She's being a little cold right now, but it's because she's anxious. If it was just a weird new place she'd been whisked away to without explanation or just sudden living balloon animals, she could have rolled with it. But a very important something is distinctly missing from her that makes her feel like she's in a permanent out of body experience. That leaves her vulnerable in a way she hasn't felt in what seems like a lifetime ago. No, not vulnerable. Helpless.]

[Well, Trish refuses to feel like that. So, she's going to do the only thing she can do and try to get her bearings. Even if her companion is not particularly conducive to smooth exploration of buildings.]

[It's a little hard to miss the way the surrounding flora seems to instantaneously wither as she explores her new surroundings; so, it's not like Trish hasn't noticed before now so much as willfully ignored it in favor of getting her bearings. But now that she feels like she's got a firm enough mental map, Trish opts to kneel down to get a closer look.]

[She lifts her sunglasses off the bridge of her nose, pushing them up to rest atop her head and pulling her bangs out of her face. While one hand delicately straightens out a bent and dried flower, the other scratches at her knee just above her boots. The grass is already dry enough to be itchy against her skin. She shifts her position slightly to keep the knee off the ground, red streaks from her nails on full display. Trish tilts her head as she feels the desiccated petals between her fingers. Not that she's an expert in gardening, but nothing seems out of the ordinary about the dead plants outside the timeline.]

[Trish holds the stem steady where it bends under the weight of the dead bloom and gives it a small tug before standing up. She twirls the dead flower between her fingers.]

This isn't just me, is it? [she asks the flower, unaware of anyone else nearby. But it would be easy to misunderstand and think the question was directed at them.]

Threaded | Flat

Page 4 of 4

Scrooge McDuck | DuckTales

Bucky Barnes | MCU

natsume sakasaki ☽ ensemble stars!

Barabas Gilliam | Kate Daniels Series (circa Magic Breaks)

Sara Lance | Arrowverse