test drive meme # 3

[acatamods]

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! ♥

Comments

2B / nier: automata

[undeserved]

( ooc: this 2B is a CRAU from futurology! i don't think there's really any overlap with characters that she would know that don't know her in the game, but i'll let you know if there is. )


a / for arrival
[ this place is decidedly not Hathaway's headquarters. There had been word of some big celebration coming up - 2B couldn't imagine what the guild felt was worth celebrating, seeing as the last mission had come to a less-than-satisfactory ending, but she'd been told multiple times that humans (and human-adjacent kin) would throw parties just to keep up morale. Another one of those, she assumes. The truth will remain forever out of her grasp; the morning of the celebration arrives, and 2B arrives elsewhere.

It's fortunate that she's become relatively used to getting zapped off to places like this in recent months. She accepts all the information she's given quickly. Adaptability is a desirable trait in combat models. Unexpected situations occur constantly during missions. Such as, for instance, suddenly finding yourself completely displaced from all of your comrades and any semblance of normalcy. She is, of course, accustomed to this sort of loss; she's forced herself to be.

Faintly, in the back of her mind, she tells herself this. But her thoughts are dim. This - this is the reason she'd always kept her distance. Though she'd lost YoRHa before, and had been in the process of losing more than that, she'd gained Hathaway, she'd had 9S, she'd thought herself gaining a sort of understanding, a tentative peace that an android soldier surely was never meant to have. Now all of that has been snatched out from beneath her in the blink of an eye. She has nothing. She doesn't even have her Pod. If she stops to think about it, she will surely break this time, she knows.

So she doesn't. Instead, she can be found going through rooms methodically, one after another, searching through anything and everything - in drawers, under beds, behind closed doors. It doesn't matter if the room appears inhabited or not. The only thing that will stop her is the presence of someone already in one of the rooms - at which point, she'll stop in the doorway, expression blank and unreadable beneath the black blindfold covering half of her face. ]

I'm looking for someone.

b / for balloons

[ once that's ironed out --

she still has a lot of issues with the situation, frankly, and she should probably be taking time to sit down and figure everything out, but 2B is not known for her introspection. Instead, she's setting out to at least try and find something to do.

Or, well, that was the idea. The balloon animals might know 2B's needs better than she does. What appears to be almost an entire flock of balloon pigeons has gathered around her, and she looks positively mystified. Or maybe even petrified. Some of them are on her shoulders, and there's one on her head, too, probably expecting snacks (somehow? even though they're balloons?) - and she's standing there, perfectly still, looking completely at a loss. She doesn't want to hurt them by accident, but...

Any passers-by will be getting a look from her that says "help me, please," in spite of the blindfold, somehow. ]

C/ WILDCARD

[ DO SOMETHING CRAZY AND UNIQUE!! ]

B

[sundays]

[ . . . that's really cute.

So much so that Chiaki COMPLETELY MISSES that look that she gives him an offers an easy-going grin instead.]

Ohh, you seem really popular, miss! Do they have names?

[why would they have names, chiaki]

[undeserved]

[ the question is so completely nonsensical to her that it actually takes her a second or two to process it. Why would he ask that... Moreover, why would they have names?!

No, this doesn't matter. 2B shakes her head with a jerk, earning her a few bops on the head by a balloon-wing as the pigeon perched there flaps to stay balanced. ]

Get them off of me. [ a beat. ] ... Please.

[ he's a human; she can't just order him around. Theoretically. It's become harder to just accept that lately. ]

B. nier automata...spoilers ahead, sweats

[abandonware]

[Somewhere, in the distance, is a conversation, or at least a snippet of one. A2's voice filters through, not terse or quiet but sharp and irritated.]

— are these things?

[The response:]

Unknown.

Don't you know anything? [A delay, then the distinct sound of a pop, followed by a quiet, but emphatic:] Shit.

[She steps into view a few moments later, scraps of fuchsia latex falling out of her palms, Pod floating behind her. They are both covered in glitter, and both of them stop dead in their tracks at the sight of 2B.

The comical tilt this encounter has is dampened considerably, immediately. A2, midway into beginning what she will soon discover is the futile gesture of dusting glitter off of her, straightens up to her full height, and stares.

She is looking at a ghost.]

2B.

OH BOY

[undeserved]

[ And there's Pod 042 - right where she left it, in a sense.

This situation is stupid. If she were more prone to shame, maybe she'd be embarrassed about encountering A2 in this state. But there's not even a flash of that. 2B is hosting several brightly-colored balloon pigeons, A2 and her support unit are both covered in glitter, and there are so many complicated emotions rushing in that the absurdity of it all is blanketed in them at once. Her eyes widen just a tad behind the blindfold; she drops her arms from their locked position, sending the pigeons that had been taking a break on her shoulders fluttering away in a huff.

She and 9S had never discussed A2. They never talked about 2B's last moments at all, if they could help it. How should she be facing her now? Despite what had happened - despite everything - 2B finds she can't summon up even a shred of resentment towards her. All she has is uncertainty, and resignation, and a small sense of gratitude - the same emotions she'd felt when she saw her for the last time. She hadn't planned on meeting her again. ]

A2. [ The presence of Pod, and of her sword, don't go unnoticed. ] ... You kept your word.

A

[aviphile]

[The room 2B walks into is in the process of being transformed into a makeshift workshop. The bedside table has been pushed into the middle of the room and is covered in samples that have been carefully wrapped in napkins, plants and dirt alike. A map of the Circle and a few sketches of the sprites are tucked beside them.

Da Vinci herself sits on her bed, in the middle of sketching something on a large pad. She raises her head at the new visitor.]

And who would that be?

[Da Vinci knows it's not her because she's never seen this stranger in her life.]

[undeserved]

[ this room is -- quite unlike anything she's ever seen, actually. They took samples, certainly, but not like that, and androids didn't really draw very much.

If the situation were not what it is, she'd probably ask about what this woman is doing. But it is, and she doesn't. Her focus has narrowed down to a pinpoint. If she starts to stray from that, then... ]

A YoRHa scanner unit. He's called 9S. [ a beat. ] We should look similar.

[ although 9S obviously won't be wearing the B-type combat uniform... ]

a

[oathic]

[babo kim is lounging around in a bed like the lazy bum he is, glancing up when 2b enters.

huh. interesting fashion choice. he sits up and gives her a friendly smile.]

Who? Maybe I know them.

[he says as if he weren't brand new himself...]

[undeserved]

[ it's nice to encounter someone so willing to help. She just hopes that he actually can. Even at this late stage, some part of herself is admonishing her for going to humans for help on such a personal and irrelevant issue - but it's been easy for her to ignore that part of her for a long time now when it comes to 9S. ]

He's an android - YoRHa Unit 9S.

[ apparently, she finds this meager offering a satisfactory amount of information to share... or she just doesn't feel like talking more. ]

a

[lumberlady]

[She'd been new once. Very recently, actually, and despite all she's gone through since then, Konoha still doesn't feel like she knows well how this place works or why it is in the first place.

Recovering from the strain of Struxta, Konoha spends the first few days cooped up in her room, repairing her clothes. She'd managed to find a needle, at least, and made some thread by pulling bits from other parts of the fabric, so she lays down beside the bed in the room and leans on it, tongue sticking out slightly from between her lips as she concentrates. One stitch, two stitch, three-

And then there's someone at the door.

The centaur looks up with a touch of surprise, but it's... a person, at least. After a moment of mouth-someone-agape silence...]

Ah... what kind of someone?

[undeserved]

[ At first, she thinks this is Hayame - how can she not? She only knows one jinba. It's obvious within a few seconds of observation, however, that she now knows two; this is clearly a different person, from her coloration to her clothes to her tone of voice.

Strange. In spite of everything, 2B finds herself hoping distantly that Hayame is here, too, so that she can be with one of her kin again. But her focus doesn't stray for more than a moment. She's quiet for a second, too, before responding. ]

... Another YoRHa android. A scanner model. His designation is 9S.

b

[ateaist]

Hm?

[There's a woman under that flock of balloons on further inspection! Fancy that. Nobunaga stops to inspect the situation, a hand to her chin as if she's in deep thought...

Then she shakes her head.]

I've heard of this. This is what they call performative modern art, right? But it really isn't my thing. If this is some kind of social commentary, it's totally lost on me.

[undeserved]

[ Not helpful, Nobunaga!! 2B turns her head to look at the newcomer with a stiff motion, causing the balloon pigeon balancing on her head to flutter up for a moment before landing once more (which makes 2B stiffen up again.) ]

That's not what this is, [ she responds, tone edging close to flat. ] How do I get rid of them without hurting them?

a

[purrtagonist]

[white hair, thick blindfold (?), black outfit. . . she doesn't look exactly like 9S, but even so, the physical similarities are striking. so even though 2B has basically blocked off Akira's escape from his own bedroom, he doesn't have much problem asking a follow up question]

Huh. And I guess I'm not it?

[undeserved]

[ oh -- she remembers him. They interacted only briefly aboard that ship when she'd only just arrived on the team, after Hathaway saved her life, but androids have unbeatable memory. Not long after that, he was transferred away. Maybe this is where he ended up...?

Whatever the explanation is, he's a familiar face, and 2B feels herself back away from the brink of despair, if only a little bit. Once she's turned to face him, she shakes her head. ]

... You're not. [ a beat. ] Have you seen 9S anywhere?

[ the two of them were friends before, right...? ]

b i'm sorry sib you're already swamped

[parttimes]

[... Oh my god, 2B... she looks very familiar in an odd sort of way (he'll place the similarities to 9S and 2A in a moment), but for now he just sees someone who needs a fair amount of help and steps forward to gently but firmly scatter the balloon animal pigeons...

They react a lot like normal pigeons and flutter away, though not very far, and then Kou quirks an eyebrow at her.]

... You good to move now? I know, this entire situation is kind of a lot.

i feel the love........

[undeserved]

[ really, she should have guessed it would be that simple, based on the behavior she's observed in Earth birds back home, but these ones are different. To say the least. But they're gone, for the moment, so she relaxes, glancing over at them again briefly before looking back to the boy and shaking her head. ]

I didn't want to hurt them.

[ She's become acutely aware of her great strength compared to most organic creatures after a few incidents in the past. It wasn't the situation keeping her frozen. (The compassion isn't necessary, but she's never been able to stop it.) ]

B

[bleps]

[It’s the blindfold that makes him pause, for its a very familiar-looking thing — similar to what 9S wears. He takes in the rest of this young woman’s appearance, trying to form connections in his mind, already queuing up questions based on this single observation—

When one of the many balloon pigeons at his feet bump against his ankle, looks up at him, and makes a “coo!” noise.]

…Have you been feeding them? You’ve attracted an inordinate amount.

[He’s reminded of an apartment, filled with real pigeons. This instance is a bit more innocent than the association lingering in his mind, but there’s still irony in it.]

[undeserved]

What?

[ feeding them? Her tone is bewildered, bordering on irritated, though not quite crossing that line; she turns towards him just slightly, movements stiff in an attempt not to accidentally hurt (pop?) any of the "birds" around her.

If Pod 042 was with her, perhaps it would be able to identify this man as an android. 2B is alone now, though, and as far as she can see, he's a human. There's plenty of baggage to be unpacked there still after what happened on Drakstaden, but -- for the moment, she falls back into old patterns, perhaps due to stress, and bites her tongue on further nearly-rude comments. ]

... No. They just came up to me.

[ can one even feed a balloon pigeon is the better question ]

a-ish i’m sorry you’re being murdered by threads

[theseuschip]

[ Unlike A2, whose resemblance to 2B ends at her clothing (or lack thereof), everything about her is unmistakable even from the back, where Simon spots her stark black-and-white form through a half-opened door. Rummaging through things, which isn’t his main concern, since he did the same thing when he got here, and what’s more important is that she’s here. She is, right? It’s actually her. It has to be.

He steps over the threshold, unsure why part of him is afraid it isn’t. Because there’s more than one, because A2 said the one he knew was dead, and he didn’t believe her, but he once experienced a century slipping by like it was nothing, so.

he calls out, tentatively. ]

2B?

is this what it feels like to be popular!!

[undeserved]

[ She is probably one of few people to unexpectedly catch sight of Simon and feel relieved rather than unnerved. At the moment, she's busy going through some poor sod's drawers - if someone asked her what she was expecting to find there, she wouldn't know how to answer; a clue, maybe? - but she stops when she hears that familiar voice from behind, turning around to face him at once.

And she does indeed feel relieved. Here is something she recognizes. Maybe not everything is lost. He's not 9S, he's not Pod, but he's someone she knows, someone she can depend on, even. ]

Simon... You're here. [ despite her best efforts, there's a clear strain in her carefully-neutral tone. ] Where are the others?

[ to her, it hasn't been that long at all. It's a natural question to ask. If she's here and he's here, then the rest of their guild must be around somewhere. She doesn't even have an inkling of the uncertainty he's feeling, what he's learned - she and 9S have never even talked about what happened with one another, let alone with someone on the outside. ]

a

[flyingsolos]

... Um.

[ Hm? Actually, given the hair, the blindfold... ]

It wouldn't be someone who's got the same kind of dress code as you, would it?

[undeserved]

[ 2B is quick to nod in response. She even gets her hopes up a little. Foolish - normally she knows better, but now that she's tasted that brief peace, she can't give up on it again so soon, even if it will hurt when it falls apart. ]

His name is 9S.

c!!! unlike the others, i'm not sorry

[bestaround]

[ 2B won't be locating a certain other android by rifling through the living quarters one by, one; 9S is nowhere to be found, if only because he isn't in his room at all.

Fortunately, it wouldn't take too long to find him among the temple grounds, either. Settled upon what looks more like an old, large rock than the remains of an ancient structure, 9S is... struggling. An arrangement of ranunculus flowers sit gently in his hair, deep pinks with hints of purple, but try as he might to pull them off, he seems more like he's attempting to pry off an impossibly heavy weight than the delicate flora they are. ]

Nrrgh, come on... You've gotta know some way to get this off, Pod.

Negative. This Pod suspects it is being influenced by a magical force.

[ 9S can only groan in response. If they were just flowers, that would be one thing—but upon further inspection, the typically flesh tones of his synthetic skin has taken on an odd gradient of the same pinks and purples. It's not a new look that he wishes to keep.

To add insult to injury, a balloon goose that shares 9S' irritation continuously pecks at his boots (maybe it's feeling territorial?), pausing every so often to somehow honk at him. But it's a balloon, so... it just bounces off his feet with every attempted "bite". Still— ]

—Hey, cut it out! I told you, you're not helping!

[ Sorry this is how you gotta find him, Toobs. ]

a - hope this is ok...

[fashionabot]

[ Number 4 is another new arrival, finally deciding to settle into one of the rooms after failure to track down any of her comrades on temple grounds. She's only taking a small reprieve before she resumes her search. Transmissions to the Bunker are offline, as well as most of her functions. Despite what Command had put her through, she knows they would be able to tell her how many black boxes are still online.

Her back is facing towards the doorway, but she's quick to turn as 2B speaks up. The voice is the same and so is the face, even if there's a blindfold covering part of it. The uniform, not so much the same. She's quick to assume this is her squadron captain, comrade, and friend... unaware of any other android sharing the same model.

2B might not recognize Number 4's model, but the familiar YoRHa symbol can be seen on her wristband. Also, her blindfold is strangely worn in a diagonal that covers one eye like an eye patch. ]

Captain— Number 2! [ A pause as she quickly corrects herself. Neither of those names are correct. She wastes no time gawking at her and steps forward, reaching to grasp 2B's hands.] Thank goodness, you survived!