Test Drive Meme #27

[hadrielmods]

Welcome to Hadriel's test drive, and thank you again for your interest in the game! As always, our reserves page is here, and our applications page is here! Reserves open December 25th, and apps are open January 1st. Please remember that there is an app cap of 20 apps.

Two quick points here as well:

1. Any thread made in Hadriel's test drive will be accepted as the sole Action Log sample in the application.
2. All threads made in the test drive can be considered game canon, either through handwaving or through a shared mental experience while coming through the Door!

Test drives will be broken up into specific god mini-events, during which your characters can see how well they fare under the watchful eye of one of the gods. Choose wisely or just simply pick 'em all, and have fun!

F E A R

SCENARIO ONE: DON'T FEED THE WILDLIFE
[The Door brings in all that is chaotic and evil in the world. This may include you, may include the person next to you... and may include the monster behind you.

This time, the monsters are very large and very scary, with the crocodiles from Lake Placid, a 1999 movie that was about... well, giant crocodiles.

These critters are massive, measuring over 20 feet in length and full of raw power. They're capable of taking down bears, eating full cows, and decapitating unsuspecting victims. Despite their size, they are quite fast and could definitely take someone by surprise with their quick movement. Look out for those formerly-still ponds, they back a serious bite...]

A L L

SCENARIO TWO: SHINING, SHIMMERING, SPLASHING
[Everyone's gotta drink sometimes and when you're in a new environment, that dehydration is kicking in double. Unfortunately, the water in Hadriel right now is... tainted. Nothing about it tastes particularly off, but one drink of it and you'll find yourself with strange and unusual powers. These abilities aren't necessarily gamechangers, and they aren't the full power, but they're definitely there at your fingertips.

Give your friends nightmares, give your enemies a super strong punch to the jaw- the sky is the limit, but be careful for when it wears off and those you've affected seek their revenge with their own water-powered abilities. Maybe you should find the memory erasing pond...

This is a mini event, based off of our shining, shimmering, splashing event going on this month!]

S O R R O W

SCENARIO THREE: HAIR OF THE DOG
[Were you partying last night, or are the gods just exceptionally cruel? Either way, you have what seems to be a killer hangover. Stomachaches, headaches, and general feeling like the undead- it's all happening and you're feeling the worst of it.

You're welcome to try and attempt your own hangover cures, but little seems to alleviate this. It just takes time, and maybe a friend or two to rub your back and make some food for you- that is, if you can keep it down. Or maybe your friends are in the same boat as you are and you need to commiserate. Either way, you're in for a hell of a day.

Maybe just take it easy for awhile.]

Comments

Beyond Birthday | Death Note: Another Note

[gaslightsandtreachery]

[ TWO ]

((OOC: I will RNG for whichever ability he gets for every new person talking to him and work off of that, unless you want something specific, then hit me up at Tseil. Thanks!))

This heat, it's outright unbearable! Even if it isn't the same as burning yourself alive, at least that wasn't prolonged. Or... it wasn't supposed to be. But he's not going to dwell on that little detail, if only because he's dying of thirst right now.

And when he finds the nearest pool, he has no problems shamelessly scooping it with his hands to drink, crouched awkwardly with his knees bent up to his chest and set on the outside of his arms in just such a way to make his position look uncomfortable, unnatural. Not that he really cares how he looks.

But he glances over and sees you not too far from where he is. And, for some awkward reason, he's just staring at you. Maybe he recognises you from his last stay (or maybe you recognise him. He did create quite a series of murders before his last departure). Or maybe there's something interesting about you that he's examining. In either case, even as he drinks, he observes you. And if you dare to move, his gaze will definitely follow you.

Just what does he want from you, anyway?

[ascertaining]

Well. There may be a fairly decent reason for some staring going on right now, mightn't there? Granted, L has never exactly been adept at keeping to social norms. He knows them well enough; he just doesn't have time for them.

But that's not the cause of this particular staring contest. No, L is just trying to reconcile what he's seeing with the world as he knows it. Hmm. Shouldn't the past stay in the past? It definitely should. It's not a dream though -- if only because he doesn't sleep long enough to have this much of a dream.

Hm.

"I wonder if that's potable. Though... I guess you'll find out now one way or another." And so will L, by observing the unplanned experiment -- unplanned, but not an un-useful one.

Swift har Parasiel | Wraeththu (will match format)

[swiftlet]

Three

First hallucinations (albeit very real-looking and solid ones) and now Swift felt awful. And trying to figure out just exactly what happened and was not helping either. He couldn't quite bring himself to believe that this was even a real place--until he remembered through the pain what exactly had happened to Azriel and Aleeme and how they'd disappeared right from underneath everyhar. He grit his teeth and tried not to think about that, too. Breaking down would only hurt more.

Besides, this not feeling well was far more worrying. He'd never experienced anything like it, and hara were't supposed to get sick. At this point in his life, he wouldn't have put it past somehar to have figured out how to manage it (probably Lianvis) and he could come up with all kinds of reasons why it would be helpful to do it to him. Even so, it seemed ill-advised.

He had to pause for a moment to lean against a building and close his eyes until the world stopped spinning for a moment or else he felt like he really was going to be sick. If nothing else, it made him easy to find and hard for him to get away. He almost wanted to smile wryly but couldn't manage it--he'd gotten cynical. Not necessarily a bad thing in his position, but it had crept up on him before he realized it.

After a few deep breaths he managed to open his eyes again and put the best smile he could on his face, though it definitely felt pained and probably looked that way too. Someone here had to know what was going on, right? Maybe he could stop someone...

"Excuse me, and I'm sorry if this sounds strange, but could you please tell me what's going on?"

Re: Swift har Parasiel | Wraeththu (will match format)

[dreamsallotted]

Seel was lucky he wasn't feeling ill. Well, he wasn't hung over at any rate. he did, however, want a damn cigarette. Honestly, he might have traded that fate for what Swift was feeling right now. He both couldn't quite remember what it felt, and at the same time remembered just enough. He wasn't sure if what he remembered was imaginary or not.

Seel turned around with a smile on his smirk on his face. So formal, Swift. Even feeling ill, you were always so polite. He wanted to take him in his arms and hold him and ask him a thousand questions, but none of them honestly mattered right now and he wasn't sure Swift would be able to answer them in his current state. Not that he wouldn't try.

"You look terrible." Way to sugar coat it.

"Do you think you can manage a few steps inside?"

The consort offered Swift a hand and his arm, helping him a few steps in hopes of finding someplace he could sit or lie down that wasn't the street or the ground. You know, some place inside. Preferably clean and quite with no people.

Seel silently offered him some energy, trying to dull the pain and offer love in return, but he wasn't sure if he could cure a hangover. Was it these gods? Had Swift been drinking? Had the pain of what happened with Aleeme and Azriel been too much? Honestly, Swift had seemed fine to Seel. Maybe he hadn't been looking close enough. Maybe he'd been so consumed with his own pain that he hadn't bothered to ask what Swift was going through. Maybe Swift had been Swift and didn't want to bother him.

Asteroid | City of Hope

[asteroidperaspera]

[Two]

light light...light...LIGHTlight putoutthelight light put it out shutoffthelight....shut up, light

[Asteroid is a gaunt, lanky figure who walks stoop shouldered as he gestures wildly and mutters to himself in a constant stream with little to no discernible pattern. At odd moments his almost mechanic vocal rhythm will suddenly pitch higher, louder and seem almost frantic before returning to quiet, monotonous rambling. Now and again he'll stop and gesture desperately at his own reflection in a pool of water or in a store front window before returning to his aimless wanderings through the city.

His clothes are tattered, a torn sweater tugged haphazardly over an old paisley blouse and bellbottoms that are wearing through at the knees and the belt loops. They are too hot to be wearing in this weather but by outward appearance he does not plan to do anything about that any time soon]

We'vegotdeals...we'vegot...we've...um... we've got deals we've got bargainsWHY settle for less whenyoucanhaveitall? WHYsettleforLESS? ...when you can haveitall

[If he overhears you speaking you might find him starting to repeat your words ad nauseam. Maybe the whole phrase. Maybe just a part of it.

Or maybe he'll grab your arm insistently and try frantically to tell you something but it will only come out as the same seemingly nonsensical phrases that he's been mumbling already.

Eventually he will start to become overheated and will slump down against a wall, still trying to gesture and mumble but his words becoming slurred and his limbs now moving in slow, sluggish motions]

Shutuplight. Shut off...shutoff..why why settle for...less...shutoff...

[dirty_sanchez]

(ooc: hope this is okay and not too late? Rick can be an asshole so I apologize in advance for him!)



Jesus Christ okay! Okay, I'm up already!

[ Asteroid's incessant rambling was enough to rouse Rick from his alcohol-induced, coma-like state. Raising from the ground like some kind of reanimated corpse, his disheveled powder blue hair, still in some form of spikes, would be the first thing to emerge from his littered empty beer bottle pile he'd happily drank himself under.

A skeletal thin arm, shaking in the onset of his hangover, until finally, Rick pulled himself up, propped against the wall. Doubled over, digging through the rubble in search of a vessel that still contained something drinkable. ]

You must be the loudest, dumb piece of shit in this whoughle dimension.

[ He mumbled, belching mid-sentence as a trickle of drool formed over his bottom lip and down his chin. ]

I've got news for you dipshit, so you better listen up! You can't just shut the light off. It's a nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma! That son of a bitch is the center of this Solar System! It's- ... Wait

[ Yea okay, this doesn't look like any place Rick has been before. Oh God, he must have been on some kind of epic bender, crash landed on some backwater planet in the ass-end of the galaxy. Great. ]

Nevermind.

[ Uttering in discomfort, pulling a pair of shades from one of his deep labcoat pockets and slotting them over his loud compadres face. ]

That ought to do it for now. Oooh, look! The Sun's gone bye-bye. Now shut, 'cause I've got a headache the size of a Cromulons forehead.

L | Death Note

[ascertaining]

(( -One- ))

...that is interesting.

[For all that the words leave his lips, the young man doesn't sound all that excited, even as he's staring at the impossibly large crocodile with dark if somewhat distant-looking eyes, as though he's watching not just what's in front of him, but seeing something past it. The truth is, for once in L's life, he doesn't really know what to think.

Before he opened his eyes in this place, he was pretty certain he was taking his last breath. Wasn't he? Is this the afterlife? Now, not too long ago, he wouldn't have believed in anything like that, but with Shinigami being real, there's a great deal more evidence that he has to consider. Except...]

No, probably not an afterlife. [He's still alive. He can feel his stomach rumbling, the cold stone beneath bare feet. Hmm. Then if not the afterlife, what? The crocodile opens its mouth to hiss at him, and L tilts his head and informs the beast,] Not now, please. I'm thinking.



(( -Two- ))

[While it probably isn't entirely wise to trust the food and water in a strange place, it's not like L can go very long without water. No human can. It's detrimental to every life process, and it'll affect his ability to think clearly. And he can't have that. But honestly he's expecting poison, perhaps some intestinal discomfort.

He's not expecting to be a walking sleeping pill. But he's already felled one poor person straight to the ground.

Interesting, though. The tall young man walks with a slouch, hands in the pockets of his jeans. If he passes close by he may accidentally bump into you. It must be an accident, right? He's not trying to test out whether he can actually put people to sleep on some innocent bystander he's never met, is he? He absolutely is. Evidence must be gathered.]

two.

[torrefied]

[Mello isn't expecting to see L again. They hadn't parted on the best of terms, last time they spoke, and Mello's been busy in the time since - busy mitigating his own emotions after Sharon's disappearance and return, busy fighting off the Null and keeping them both safe. Busy surviving, and that leaves little time to dwell on the past.

Surviving now, in this heat, looks on Mello like this: dressed in boots and cutoff jean shorts and a plain white shirt with the sleeves removed; hair pulled back out of his face and off his neck; slat-lens novelty glasses over his face and a makeshift sling made from a bedsheet to haul water jars tied around his shoulder. He's older than L will remember - five years in Kira's world, after L was killed, and another year and a half spent in this ruined city - and the burn scarring over half his face, peeking out around the shirt on his neck and shoulder, adds the illusion of further age. He's accompanied by a large grey wolf, who stops and stares tensely at L when he's still a few yards away. Mello murmurs something low and commanding at the wolf and places a hand on the back of his neck.]

He only bites if you're an asshole.

[Which is probably not true, but it's what Emily told him the first time he met the wolf, and anyway, it's a test. Will L recognize him? Does L remember the previous time spent in Hadriel?]

Koushirou Izumi | Digimon Adventure Tri

[techknowlogical]

[One]

[Dealing with monsters isn't exactly a new thing for Koushirou, and neither is finding himself in another world. Both of these are situations he's used to handling, and so aren't initially as jarring for him as they might be for some others.

But in his previous experience with both of those situations, he wasn't alone. That's... Kind of important for his ability to not be eaten by whatever dangerous creature he's facing, which in this case happens to be a crocodile four times his size, and which he has exactly zero chance of being capable of fighting.

Running therefore seems like the best plan, and he immediately tries to go for the tunnel he sees cut into the wall of the arena. But the crocodile is fast, and its tail is incredibly long; it whips aaround and catches Koushirou in the chest, knocked down but not seriously hurt. He does, however, have the wind knocked out of him, and as the crocodile rapidly approaches he's also in very serious need of help.]

as if we're letting best boy be hurt.

[odinbolt]

I got you-

( She is so, so glad that despite being trapped here without Mog, or Noel, or anyone familiar, that her magic still works. Slow does its job in stalling the crocodile long enough for Serah to skid towards the kid she sees get clipped, quickly shifting her magic to something healing that bursts over him in a pale green. )

Better?

( It's always worked on herself and Noel, surely the same principle applies, right? )

Revan | Star Wars

[themiddlepath]

Scenario One/Two
[There's an irony to the blessing Revan receives that is not lost on the hooded spectre. The symbol is hidden by Revan's glove, but the symbol is fresh and dark, newly acquired and unused. The force user is crouched, listening to the drag of a heavy tail behind one of the massive reptilian beasts.

Revan has a lightsaber in either hand, turned backward and held close to the ground. The creature is close, but Revan isn't interested in an unnecessary confrontation. This is a waiting game, and one that is ruined by the sound of something cracking underfoot that causes both Revan and the beast's heads to turn toward the sound.

A low, muttered curse altered by Revan's mask hisses out, and the force user sprints toward the sound, intent on intercepting the vicious looking creature that has been set off on the hunt.]

Scenario Three
[Revan does not deal with pain and discomfort in the usual way. They are tools for power, inconvenient or otherwise. There are downsides to this influx of power and displeasure, however. Revan's temper is short, sense of humor slightly frayed, and vision fogged. It's far from ideal, and yet the masked figure is out of the comfort of bed, both red and purple lightsabers engaged, and going through the motions of daily routine and exercise. Fully covered from head to toe, despite the heat.

They say misery loves company. Perhaps it's true. Only one way to find out.]

Nathan Young | Misfits

[notaquaman]

three

[Was Nathan partying last night? Honestly, it's possible. The likelihood of him going on some kind of bender is about equal if not disproportionately greater than the likelihood of him being responsible. So, he's not exactly surprised to wake up feeling like he's been hit with a sledgehammer.

You can find him...well, facefirst on the ground. Just, on the ground. Like, he just gave up and this is where he lives now. Try not to trip over him...but it's hard to miss Nathan when he's grunting and groaning like the drama queen he is.]

I feel like a steaming pile of shite.

[asteroidperaspera]

[Asteroid has stumbled across this strange groaning, grumbling mass of limbs and leaning in dramatically close he peers intently into his face, all the while mumbling to himself erratically ]

Steaming pile of shite...steaMING pile of...SHITE....steaming...steamingsteami...neurosis..we'vegotDEALneurosis.Shite.

[He then grabs for Nathan's upper arm, giving it a firm shake]

SHITeshite

Evangeline Greene ● The Arcana Chronicles

[poisonprincess]

[One]

[This world wasn't like the one that she'd just been in. It seemed... well, she's not entirely sure what it seemed just yet. She'd find out more as she explored. Hopefully she'd find others that she knew. Jackson. Aric. Or any of the others would be nice. Even if she's not entirely sure that she'll find them. Which meant that they'd think she was dead. No, they'd know if she was dead.

Her eyes narrow slightly at the massive crocodile that slips from those still ponds.]

You don't want to do this.

[Kneeling down she presses her hand to the ground enough to hurt and to possibly bleed, roots slipping up and surrounding her like a shield of thorns.]

[Three]

[Partying? Probably not. That wasn't exactly Evie's style and with her condition she'd be a bit worried about what it would do. Her head was killing her and she felt like she was going to get sick. Maybe if she found some water and bread it would help. Assuming that this was what she thought it was.

So instead of exploring she sits where she is and tries to relax, to see if the feeling goes away.]

3

[deathstouch]

[ The last person that Aric ever wanted to see again was the Empress. He knew it was her, The Fool had provided him with enough insight to know her face and he could hear her call.

Come, touch, but you'll pay a price.

That's how he had found her and now that he did her tableau showed in the air briefly. His sword was drawn and it was tempting to behead her then and there but Eudio had changed him some. He's not as vengeful as he once was but seeing her, hearing her call the pain and anger festered back to life.

His centuries of loneliness ached deeply once more. ]

Sieva.

Aric Dominija ( The Arcana Chronicles - CRAU ) | will match formats

[deathstouch]

( Fear )

[ Aric was rather tired of this place already. He still didn't understand how he had come to be here, there's worry in his mind about what he left behind. There appears to be no way back that he can find. And now he's spotting a crocodile that's making it's way toward him.

It takes but a split second for him to draw his sword. He doesn't particularly fear the crocodile and it doesn't prove too difficult of a foe for him to fight. But once it's decapitated he kicks it's body over and glances around.

He supposes it's time to get away from the pools. ]

( Wildcard )

[ Open to anything else you might want to hit me with! ]

[hasitsthorns]

Savage, [ comes a familiar voice, though it lacks any hint of recognition. Now would be the moment she smiles and says 'Hey, dude.' But that moment never comes. Instead, he doesn't even get so much as a second glance. Instead, her attention is on the crocodile. He'd decapitated it pretty neatly; he'll do fine, in this place.

That's good. ]

You're pretty good with that thing.

noctis lucis caelum | ffxv

[nascere]

one;

[ It's the sound of screaming, as well as accompanying growls that pull the prince to wakefulness in record time. The ground underneath him is unpleasantly sandy, and, as he discovers as he sits up, unpleasantly clotted with what looks like blood. There are collections of massive foot/hoof/claw prints of indecipherable nature around him, haphazard and criss-crossing each other. But Noctis has very little time to parse this particular piece of information, especially when his last memory had been in Zegnautus Keep, facing down everything that was left of Ravus, a horrific tragedy that's seared into his heart, and --

-- and what the hell is that?

He barely manages to duck and roll out of the way of a pair of massively snapping jaws, getting a whiff of fetid, rotting breath as it passed narrowly by him. It's not nearly as massive as some of the things he'd faced down, but it's somewhere near the top of the list, and the beast moves faster than anything he's ever seen. ]

What the -- whoa!

[ And he brought friends! Bigger friends, Noctis notices with no small amount of disgruntlement as they start to circle around him, closing in. He thinks swiftly, his gaze caught on a familiar glint of metal -- his father's sword, stuck hilt-up in the sand just beyond the hungry animals. Right, this is easy, he can do this without getting an entire chunk bit out of him. The problem, you see, with creatures that big is that they lose at least some flexibility, what with all the bulk around -- and naturally Noctis does something very reckless very quickly, taking a running leap at the closest and largest, landing right between its eyes and sprinting down the immense length before its momentum could work against him.

Another instant, and his hand closes around the hilt of the sword, the familiar weight of it now in his hand as he hefts it --

-- only to nearly be ambushed by another one of their monstrous brethren; this time one surging out of a nearby pool narrowly missing him. This place is crawling with them! Which brings to his mind another dreaded thought; he doesn't see any of his friends around in this glorified animal pit, and he hopes against hope that it's just that they aren't here, as opposed to currently being digested by one of them. ]

Ignis! [ He calls anyway, because hope springs eternal and maybe one of them can hear him in the midst of all this chaos. ] Prompto! Gladio!

[ Crap. One of those crocodiles is turning back with uncommon speed, and Noctis swipes it across the snout once, twice, blade digging into its softer underside when it rears up in pain. He presses his advantage, shoves deeper before he drags the sword out, darting out of range before it can snap at him again, but it's wounded now, blood smearing across the sand.

Someone, however, should warn him about the crocodile that's about to come up from behind him. ]

three;

[ Hangovers are most definitely not his thing, and neither is drinking. Drinking necessitates keeping late nights, partying (most often both), and naturally a taste for the really awful-tasting alcoholic stuff that Noct's tried and summarily dismissed.

So, in short, not his thing, which makes the whole hangover fiasco a lot more unfair, and all about the cruelty of the gods. He feels like Titan got himself a girlfriend, had a whole bunch of giant earth babies, and then had definitely not stood on ceremony about using him as a welcome mat. To add insult to injury, his mouth is cottony and with all the possibility that he may have just discovered what the armpit of hell tastes like. It takes one hell all the effort he can muster to even get out of his bed. Is this his bed, even?

Where in the name of the Six is he? ]

Ugh... [ Will to live rapidly deteriorating, it takes colossal effort to make it from the bed to the nearest wall by the open door, propping himself against it and fighting to ignore the way the floor spins underneath him. His words, distant and muffled to his ears, comes out slurred. Even the heel of his palm pressing up against his temple does nothing to alleviate the excruciating headache. ] What's -- happening?

[ Also, asking for a friend: can one adequately function without a head attached? ]

one; / JITTERS IN HERE OMG

[claritatis]

[The Guard is a regular sight during the arrival of each new group through the door and Ignis, as ever, arrives with them just moments before people - and monsters - begin to be thrown out onto the sandy ground. He directs two of those with him to spread out while he heads forwards, fingers curled firmly around twin daggers to face one of the colossal crocodiles head on.

The aim is simple - find the people who, in their bewildered states, make easy prey for the creatures thrown in along with them, and get them out before anyone gets hurt. Giant crocodiles are by far not the strangest thing that has come through that door and the young man remains entirely unfazed as he cuts through them--

Ignis!

--he stalls mid-step, and it's almost fatal as a pair of enormous jaws come snapping down on the empty air he barely manages to pull his hand away from.

That voice. There's nowhere he'd be able to mistake it, and it's a few moments of frantic sweeping of the coliseum before he sees--

He sees him.]

Noct!

[And then--]

Behind you!

[He's not close enough. Everything falls away in that moment, nothing visible to him but Noctis and the two creatures closing in on him. Without thought he abandons the daggers in his hands and summons the ones connected to Noctis' power, the comforting familiarity resting in his hands only a moment before one of them is thrown forwards, slicing through the air to embed itself in the eye socket of the crocodile behind his friend.

'I will not lose you. Not now. Not to this.']

diana prince | dceu

[durare]

ONE;

[ After more than a century walking in the world of man, Diana has believed herself relatively inured to the myriad creative ways they come up with to destroy each other -- whether through war, mergers and acquisitions, or simply through bloodthirsty ambition masquerading as innovation. She's lived long enough not to be surprised anymore, her faith in humanity a sobering shadow of what it once was, wide-eyed and idealistic with no place in the real world. It's more than a lifetime ago since she was last taken by surprise, and today serves as an end to that centennial streak.

It's another world, strange and new -- she doesn't remember the moment when the winding, convoluted lines of Paris bleed into something older, dirtier, familiar in the way unpolished history is. She wakes in the heart of a blood-soaked arena, with the distinct, guttural roar of a beast a heartbeat away.

Close. Too close. Powerful jaws snap shut on thin air when it would have been bone, shield whisked into her grasp from where it had previously landed right in front of it. The weight of the shield provide scant comfort when she realizes just what it is, an immense beast that had no business being quite that size. ]

What --

[ There is more than one of those things, and there are more people like her within the arena (abandoned, it seems; there is no audience). But first things first; she puts distance between her and the crocodile. Scorpions sting, wolves hunt. ]

I have no quarrel with you. I --

[ It surges towards her, lunging with an impossible speed before she leaps out of the way, raising her shield to knock the mighty thing off-balance. No quarrel, but before she can put it down, there's another beast not too far away, meters away from closing in an individual. ]

Look out!

[ A cry of warning, seconds before the lasso comes into play, looping over its powerful jaws. Diana wrenches its jaws shut with a sharp, unforgiving tug, landing on its massive, thrashing back and working to find her footing. Even with her strength, she's working to keep the thing restrained, keeping a tight grip on it (not unlike riding the world's largest, most murderous bronco). And not too far from that individual, something familiar glints in the bloodied sand. ]

Sword there, toss it to me!

wildcard;
[ up for anything! ]

[hasitsthorns]

[ These things are like Waniguchi only bigger and more obnoxious. Rose had been trying herself to best them- Closing the jaws were key, but it looks like this woman also had that idea early on. She blinks at that lasso. Huh. That's new. Not your typical weapon though the blond isn't about to judge since she seems proficient with it and-

She's shouting to grab a sword. Well, hey, Rose isn't about to deny the lady another advantage. The blond darts quickly away from any other approaching crocodiles and then grabs the metal glinting in the sand. It doesn't seem like a good idea to just... toss it, but that's what the lady asked for so.

Without thinking too much about it, she throws the weapon her direction easily and hopes for the best. ]

serah farron / ffxiii

[odinbolt]

one/ and it feels so real to me

( Wherever this gate has led her, it's been alone. Serah pushes herself to her feet hurriedly, her eyes flicking from left to right, head spinning behind. Everywhere, sand and walls and... monsters. )

Noel? ( Why is she alone? ) Mog? ( No, seriously, why is she alone? Where are the others? Without Mog, she lacks the weapons given to her by- ) Lightning?

( Is Lightning here? Could that be the explanation? A place in time that finally allows her to see her sister?

But she has no time to answer that. Not when a monster snaps at her heels and gets her to jump back, pulling her hand in close to her chest. Without Mog, without the protection given to her by her sister through his ability to change forms, she can only pray that the magic she knows is enough. )

Please work!

( An eruption of, appropriately, lightning springs from nowhere as she tosses her arm out, hitting the giant crocodile. )

wildcard/ i could swear it's reality
( come at me I'm sleepy and rusty and full of bad decisions. )

[morethananame]

[The next crocodile to come lurching towards Serah is abruptly smacked across the snout by a boomerang - a flash of yellow and blue that sends the creature reeling before returning to its master. Said master is a young man in his twenties, with silvery hair and blue-green eyes, and a very surprised look on his face.]

Serah! [He calls out, breaking into a run and jumping over the already-slain bodies of two crocodiles on his way to her.

... He didn't know she could do that. Did he know she could do that? Hope shakes off his confusion at the sudden lightning flash he was sure he'd seen erupt from her fingers before he reaches her, boomerang ready in his hand once again.

Hope is no stranger to time paradoxes, but it is still so strange to stand beside her again.]

Aloy | Horizon Zero Dawn

[igniting]

one
[Aloy is crouched behind a wall, bow in one hand, watching a group of the crocodiles carefully. She's never seen anything quite like them—nothing living, at least. They remind her of Snapmaws, but her Focus insists they're called crocodiles, a creature she's never heard of before. If the Focus recognizes them, though, they must have existed once. These, she's assuming, won't spit projectiles at her, but those scales might as well be armor plating, and they're massive enough that she doesn't want to get anywhere near them. Unfortunately for Aloy, two of them are blocking her path to the colosseum exit, which means she really has no choice. She lets out a long suffering sigh.]

Warm welcome. Maybe I can sneak by.

[Someone likes to talk to themselves.]

two - idk what this is

[Aloy has planted herself on the ground, seemingly unbothered by sitting in the dirt. She's practically the physical embodiment of an anachronism—her clothing is mostly leather and hide, carefully hand stitched and embroidered, but her armor is all salvaged steel plating and unmodified machine parts. Even her bow, strapped to her back, is a mixture of wood and steel, decorated with feathers and circuit boards. She's got the standard issue phone in her hand, and she's pried off the back, in the middle of carefully removing the screws with a tiny scrap of metal in lieu of a screwdriver. She seems to be working methodically, at least, carefully examining the inside.]

[atravellerwithabow]

Where would be the fun in that?

[Guess who? It's that guy who always seems to show up when you're just about to jump neck-deep into a whole lot of trouble.

Nil is wearing his usual expression - passive, almost bored, but with a fierce aggression buried deep behind the surface of his eyes. He's just a couple of feet behind her, an arrow already nocked into his bow, and he gives her a meaningful look as they wait there.]

One of these days, that monologuing of yours is going to get you into trouble.

lunafreya | ffxv

[tenebrave]

one ; i never knew me a better time and i guess i never will

[ Eos has its own breed of crocodiles, but none quite this large. It has its own manner of beasts, but none quite this - well. Not quite like this. Having been preparing to speak with the Hydraean, Lunafreya might have been less surprised to find herself facing an enormous, water-based threat, but... not exactly.

This is not Altissia. A dream, then? The Oracle clutches her necklace as she tries to get her bearings, stepping back, heel sinking a bit into the sand. Ahead of her is a monstrous crocodile, one that is standing very still, but which has clearly spotted her. Her heart flutters in her chest, body tingling with survival instinct, with the demand to flee. 'Fight' isn't really an option, not for her. Wherever she is, the Trident is no longer in her hands, and there are no others nearby to step in.

Please... The crescent charm presses sharp into her palm as she squeezes, silently imploring anyone or anything that might be listening. This must be a nightmare; it wouldn't be uncommon for her to have drifted off, or else passed out, so far into the journey. Considering her health-... But, there's something very real about this, the kind of tangible sense of the waking world rather than a vision or anything else. Even knowing that, it's... difficult to say how she might have been in one place and then another in the next moment, feeling entirely disoriented and more lost than in the recent past.

The crocodile still isn't moving, but it also isn't alone. Another massive head rises from the water, rippling menacingly as its cold eyes stick to her form. I cannot fight or outrun them, she thinks, but has never been one to give up hope. There must be a way.

Luckily, there is... ]



three ; can't spend my life in your sheets of silk

[ Luna wakes feeling somehow worse than ever, which is saying something, considering. The Oracle begins to rise but stops in mid-action, hand moving to press to her middle as a wave of nausea wakes with her.

What is this? She knits her brows in confusion as she struggles to her feet, head pounding all the while. It... isn't exactly the normal symptoms, not the difficulties of communing with their gods, but something new.

She sways in place, briefly, but steadies herself against the frame of the door. Be strong, now. This will pass.

Even as she dresses and leaves to walk the streets, though, the sickness only increases. The bright light of the two suns is nearly blinding, and she has to come to a full stop to shield her eyes as the brightness sends stabs of pain through her head. Having symptoms in both her head and stomach is bad enough, but there's also a kind of daze, some strange heaviness, that hangs over her like a cloud.

Suffice to say, this is a new, and entirely unwelcome experience. ]

- I am so sorry, I... must not have seen you. [ She reaches out to the other person with a steadying hand, offering the most apologetic smile that she can muster after having bumped into them. ] Are you all right?

[ Better than Luna, hopefully? ]

one

[odinbolt]

( Did someone order a hero? ... Okay, so that's really Snow's thing, but Snow isn't here and Serah is, and she could no more leave someone to fend for themselves against these beasts then she could allow herself to bypass this chance to find Lightning. But we digress, what is really important at this moment is that Serah is here and she has her magic. No Mog, but-

A sphere of light and darkness bursts in between her two would-be attackers, dazzling and painful. Serah lands beside the other woman, brows knitted in concern. )

Are you alright?

Ravus Nox Fleuret | Final Fantasy XV

[glaivekeeper]

ONE
[An arena full of unusually large and aggressive wildlife isn't a concept unfamiliar to Ravus, but he was sure the Galviano Colosseum was trashed along with the rest of Altissia in the battle with the Tidemother. Perhaps the sport had spread wider than he'd imagined, but that still did not tell him why he was here, let alone the where.

Not that he has much chance to contemplate the matter, when a giant crocodile is sizing him up. It charges towards him with jaws open wide, which he neatly counters by leaping up and onto its back, twisting his blade and sinking it down into the base of the crocodile's neck. The beast thrashes and twitches for a moment, then falling still.

Ravus looks around, spotting someone else fighting -- or possibly fleeing -- nearby. He hops off the back of his kill, cleaning the flat of his blade on the beast's scales before sheathing it, then calls out to address them.]

You there. What is the meaning of all this?


TWO
[Drinking from the pool of Tranquility seemed like a better idea than dying of thirst, but now Ravus has a new problem, and that's that anyone he gets near seems to be sent into a deep sleep for a few minutes. He can't exactly just leave them, which leaves him with the equally unfortunate task of standing guard by any afflicted, taking off his longcoat and holding it up to try and provide a little shade for them from the sun. Sometimes it takes only a few minutes for the effects to wear off, and they wake up perfectly fine. Other times...

Well, he'll soon lose his patience if it takes any longer, which is right around the time you might be woken by Ravus aggressively shaking you.]

Wake up, unless you want the both of us to be burnt to a crisp.

[If you refuse to open your eyes or react in the space of a few seconds, Ravus is definitely going to try the tried and true method of slapping you. Hard.

...Good morning?]


WILDCARD
[Choose your own scenario! If you'd like to plot anything specific, feel free to PM or message me over at moonsilver.]

one / heyyyyy pretty

[odinbolt]

I don't know-

( The young woman he asks is coming off the back of her own kill, magic flowing freely from her fingertips to coat the sandy ground before her with fire.

She takes a breath in the reprieve, folding arms around herself and taking another look at this place. And the man who asked her. )

The last thing I remember... I was in the Bresha Ruins.

( Well. The last thing she remembers, she was floating through time after accessing a time rate in the Bresha Ruins, but all the same. )

Lucretia | The Adventure Zone

[slapsyouback]

ONE

[Ok. She's fairly certain there are not, and never have been, crocodiles on the moon. Her moon, her rules, after all, and while she is currently employing some people who are more than capable of bringing something like this about, she is fairly certain it's not really anyone's style.

She's having a hard time thinking through what should be done here. In the short moments in which she's allowed herself to look away from the hulking creature as it roams slowly from left to right and back again, she's started to gather that this...may not be the Bureau base. This may not be anywhere she's every been before, which is really, really saying something.

It would probably behoove her to think of some course of action here. Right. She has magic--she does have magic, right? This isn't a separate plane where that kind of thing doesn't work, is it?--She hasn't tried anything yet, but it's...it's just...it's right there. It's right damn there. And it is so, so big.

No. No, that's enough of that, she's well aware of what she's facing, she just needs to think her way out of this, like she always does, like she has a hundred times before. She can do this--she starts mentally going through the list of spells she knows for anything that could be helpful in keeping this thing away from her, getting her out of here, something...

She doesn't get very far, however, before the sounds of someone coming up behind her are a distraction, and a relief, enough that she has to turn around.]

Who's there?


WILDCARD; thought she'd found a Library there for a second...

Ah.

[She'd gone in search of information, as well as some where in this strange place that wouldn't feel completely foreign to her. A library ticks every box. A library would have been perfect, maybe even comforting. Books, and silence. Just for a while, to help her get her bearings.

But it's gone. Completely destroyed, just the rubble of a building spread out in front of her. Worse, she hasn't been here long at all and she has no idea what would have done this.]

Sure. No, of course. Why wouldn't this be the way things are? Just...yep.

Library you nerd

[restinglichface]

[As far as places to be trapped in, Lup much prefers Hadriel's new look.

After a decade imprisoned in an umbrella plus another few months trapped underground, the elf has spent almost every moment she can outside beneath this world's two suns since arriving, absorbing the full force of their rays as much as possible. Her already tanned skin has gone a few shades darker in the last two weeks, new freckles peppering over her bare shoulders and along her skinny arms.

It's precisely because of all of that sun exposure that the elf does a double-take when she spies Lucretia's familiar form standing in front of the destroyed library. She blinks--once, twice, three times--before giving her head a quick shake. But no, that's most definitely Lucretia. Older than Lup remembers from her last stay in Hadriel, but still the same woman she loved like family.

Lup approaches Lucretia as quietly as she can, sliding up beside the woman and dropping an arm around her shoulders.] So, what's a nerd like you doin' in a place like this?

vergil | dmc

[fraternalism]

SCENARIO ONE: NEW BOOT MATERIALS
[ Vergil really couldn't blame the crocodile for deciding to have a go. All creatures, especially ones that have been around for so long, always worked on base instinct. Very rarely did they take stock of what could be different or run actual scenarios through their heads before deciding to attack. It was nature at it's finest and worst all rolled up into one and Vergil can't fault it. What a shame the same couldn't be said for humanity.

Anyone who had been watching before the crocodile's untimely death would have seen it happen in a flash; a single dagger slung into the creature's head for a one shot instant kill making quick work of things. Said weapon is no longer there to be seen, but anyone looking close enough may realise the item in Vergil's hands isn't a stick but a long sword still in it's casing. Anyone watching now would simply see a normal looking man in his long black coat looking at his surroundings with nothing more than contemplation and the smallest of frowns.]

This isn't home or Limbo. Fascinating but not the best timing.

[ Seriously, he just wanted to leave and lick his wounds but it would seem even those have healed and disappeared since arriving in this place. Surroundings that shift and change are nothing new to Vergil, but already he knows that this is a whole different thing that's going on; it's new and concerning enough that his ire at his brother almost takes aback seat as he takes another look around. Almost. The only option that's seemingly available is the one Vergil opts for, walking towards what looks like a town and making sure to deal with any crocodiles that may cross his way.]

SCENARIO THREE: THE HANGOVER FROM HELL
[ Whatever party Vergil may or may not have attended is completely lost on him as he groans and covers his eyes with both hands. Everything hurts from the headache threatening to break his skull to his back where he's laying on the hard ground. Any semblance of elegance is gone right now as Vergil focuses on just staying alive and not puking. His hair is completely messed up, devoid of style and the rest of him isn't faring much better either. When hands are removed from his eyes there's only a glimpse of dark bags under them before Vergil learns the meaning of instant regret and covers them again.

This was obviously a new layer of Hell. He's died, landed in Hell and this is his punishment for whatever it was the higher ups felt he needed an ass kicking for (which, if you ask Vergil, is nothing because he was right!). Nothing else could explain this otherwise. It takes a lot energy to manage to roll over onto his side with a grunt, the rest of it spent on not being sick when he opens his mouth to grumble; ]

Turn the fucking lights off.

hey asshole

[payoff]

( hey, brother. you've spent some time in limbo, haven't you? you know that's about as close to hell either of you are bound to get, all things considered, and that … might be something of a blessing in disguise, or something. all things considered, dante here has had his share of what should be considered hangovers from another realm of hatred and self-loathing but. as one might expect, he's never been much for either of those things, and the fact that he tends to just pick up and carry on where he'd last left off shouldn't really be any surprise to anyone.

he's either killed his liver ten times over by now, or there is some super-awesome metabolism thing going on with those nephilim genes, but regardless of either of those — he's not dead yet, and you'll not be taking him anytime soon.

now.

he hasn't been in the murdercave very long, but he's been told enough times that … seeing people come and go is a regular enough occurrence that he really shouldn't do the double take he does when he sees vergil laid flat-out as he is, and he has to wonder. what the absolute fuck is going on here — because the last he'd seen of him, of course they'd been at odds, which of fucking course would be putting it about as mildly as the salsa one might find at a chain restaurant, but that's neither here nor there. the fucking question is.

what are you doing here?

which means he's going to have to play it cool, by whatever means he has in him in order to keep from losing what little restraint he has in him to begin with, because he has no idea if his brother is still on a handful of drugs and wants to take over the human world. since mundus is no longer in a position to keep his seat as the king of hell.

he approaches a bit slowly, about as carefully as he's never done before in his entire life ( whether he can remember as much or not ), and gives over a slight sort of tsking sound as he crouches next to where vergil is laid out. )

Problem?

( hey, bro. )

Dionysus | The Wicked + The Divine

[yoloo]

two;

Motherfucker--!

[Dionysus utters the word to the tune of abject horror, shock, and exasperation as yet another person who's been around him seems to fall into a deep sleep just from being around him. Drinking from the Tranquility pool was an absolute bad decision, even if he had been desperately thirsty.

There was something so deeply unsettling about making people sleep when he tends to do the opposite. He's a human dancefloor, not sleeping pill. Dionysus can't just turn heel and leave someone unguarded and asleep on the streets either... how could he possibly?]

Wake up... come on!

[He kneels down, reaching out to shake the person... and maybe check if they're okay. Hit the ground kind of hard, that's all.]

three;

[He can chalk feeling like death warmed over on the fact that he was very much dead before his arrival... or, at the very least, on his way to it. His head aches, his body aches... his stomach keeps wanting to rebel on him at even the sight of food. He hadn't been partying... he hasn't even been here long enough to get something like that going, so it really can't be the effects of a weekend of straight partying and no sleeping like at one of his raves.

It still doesn't feel good, and usually Dionysus is good at pushing through. He's trying to be here, as well, but what he wouldn't give for one fucking sugary drink for that little energy boost.

Dionysus eventually ends up... somewhere in the city, leaning against a nearby wall as he slides down. Just a moment to sit down, try to figure out what to do next... that's really all he needs. It isn't until he-- thinks he hears someone talking over the pounding in his head that he cracks open an eye to look and see what's going on.]

Sorry, phasing out... Could you repeat that again?

[A pause. Well, it can't hurt to ask--]

... Is sugar something they have here?

[What he wouldn't give for a coke. Or anything with sugar and caffeine.]

three!

[igniting]

[Aloy sees the man wandering through the city, and she picks up that something's wrong almost immediately. The way he slides down the wall only cinches that, and she crouches down beside him, expression concerned.]

I asked you if you're alright.

[As for the sugar, well...]

How long has it been since you've eaten?

Goro Akechi / Purses 5 (Major Spoilers)

[lowkeycrazy]

<< two >>

[Hadriel has thus far only proved to be slightly more hellish than his life back at home. But maybe he hasn't been here long enough yet.

Funny how often he's thought that things couldn't possibly get worse, and then life comes right back around and laughs in his face. Like taking him from his deathbed and throwing him into this world, where a god of fear reigned and regularly tortured those living here.

A fitting punishment for who he was.

Though, after having drank some water, he noticed that people started inexplicably drawing towards him. He was confused, a little wary... but mostly, rejuvenated.

Well. Right up until those people start getting... far too assertive, possessive and even touchy. The Charismatic Detective is used to dealing with crowds, but there was usually some sort of organization to the event that prevented them from crowding right on top of him.

Not so, in this case... and that pleasant mask is slipping as those people start getting more and more invasive. There even may be a slightly panicked look to his eyes, granted that you can even see them in the small group of twelve people that have suddenly taken such a liking to him.

Maybe you should intervene before someone gets hurt.]


<< three >>

[If there's something Akechi is used to, it's pushing himself well beyond his limits. While he doesn't regularly imbibe alcohol and has never had enough to actually elicit a hangover, the pain is something he's determined not to drag him down.

... but maybe the god of sorrow decided to pick on him in particular, because even he's having a hard time feigning wellness. Maybe his posture is just a bit too rigid, even for him, or the edge of his pleasant smile seems a little hard, or he holds a blink for a second too long.

He's fine? He's fine. And he'll insist as such if you ask him! His pantry isn't going to restock itself, after all— though it's debatable if that's the real reason he's out and about while he's feeling so terrible...]

three! - spoilers ahoy

[wantsnudes]

[The last Yusuke had remembered of home had been fresh off the back of a certain betrayal, Akira being dragged off and arrested, and the announcement of the demise of the leader of the Phantom Thieves. That, on top of everything that had happened to them in Hadriel -- another betrayal, and fighting just to survive for weeks on end against creatures determined to wipe out both them and the gods -- had served only to put Yusuke on edge far more than the paranoia and stress of fugitive life in Tokyo ever had. Things have been hard, and having Akira here for company had been one of the few things keeping him going.

So to see Akechi show up is almost the final straw. His first instinct is to leave and check his leader is safe, but then, he wonders if Akechi even knows he's here yet. No, better to stay and get whatever information he can. They've been playing him at his own game of lies for this long, might as well play a little longer.]

Akechi. [When he approaches, Yusuke will make little effort to disguise his hostility, tone cold and eyes narrowed.] When did you get here?

[There's something off about Akechi today, on closer observation. But then, everything about Akechi is off. There's more important things to ask about first.]

vax | critical role

[othlir]

one

[ He's seen these things before. He's almost been eaten by these things before. He's not thrilled to see them now.

( Thinking on it, there are far too many beasties that have all tried eating him. What exactly has his life been? )

Still, he's got his daggers, he's got his boots — he should be safe enough, not at risk of getting eaten this time. Funny how little comfort that knowledge actually is, though. He watches as a tiny wave ripples across the surface of the water, shudders at the thought of what is lurking beneath. ]

My luck is usually much better than this; what in the hells have I stumbled into this time?


wildcard

[ Vax is a stealthy idiot with a penchant for wandering into trouble; feel free to stumble over him however you like! as a note, he's being taken from the end of the campaign, so here there be spoilers! ]

leliana ( dragon age ) + previous memories

[chantes]

( fear )

( arrows fly before leliana even has a moment to think about it. she doesn't recognise the place but she knows the sensation -- the feeling of being taken somewhere else, and the fear. it's almost like a dream, but something else makes it ring true like a bad memory.

the crocodiles are large and strange, but that's also a way of summing up the most recent part of leliana's life. or all of it. it makes her quick to react and at the first sign of teeth her bow is drawn, first arrow hitting its target the moment it moves.

not that it has much of an effect on the beast but it at least gives leliana a second to move before it does )

( sorrow )

( leliana's in the speakeasy but not for any of the cures that some may have gone there for. she'd gone to look for someone, finding it a convenient place to meet and share information. at least that had been the case when she'd set the meeting up, yet despite how leliana feels she's still there. when information is on the line she needs to see it through

she's taken one of the few quiet spots that are there and coincidentally it's also in a more shadowed corner. that is just for standard leliana fare rather than to ease her headache. she has a drink at her table, though it sits untouched, and her gaze is continuously moving over any person in there, though she's careful not to look to the doors too quickly, not wishing to look as if she is waiting for someone )

sorrow

[closerift]

[ A woman enters the speakeasy, one who had been familiar with its previous iteration (Delight's bar) and who is a frequent visitor to this new option, too. She groans faintly as she enters, pressing a palm to her forehead: the green glow of that palm does nothing to alleviate her pounding headache and general unhappiness with how this particular day is going.

Hair of the dog it is she thinks, grimly, approaching the counter. It's too bright there, naturally, so the Inquisitor only spends as much time up front as is necessary before obtaining a glass of a deep, red wine, turning to carve out her own corner of bitterness, when -

She nearly drops the glass. Even in the dark, she can see the hood, the small flashes of red, the glint of silver mail. It's all very familiar, though the last time she had seen this person had been in a nightmare, and the bard had been anything but a friend, then.

Cecily does not approach, but she does stare, and she does... dare to hope. ]

... Leliana?

minerva mcgonagall ( harry potter )

[catrims]

( fear )

( monsters seem to be less surprising than crocodiles, though with the size of some of what resides in the lake at hogwarts perhaps this should have been an eventuality in her life.

they're far from the castle, and with no clouds up ahead minerva would hazard a guess that she wasn't in the same country. she doesn't have time to wonder how she got there, considering most forms of travel through hogwarts were impossible, with the beast quickly moving upon her.

her hand's reaching for her wand, only able to offer the briefest of looks around before the spell is wordlessly cast, sending the crocodile flying back. and then she aims and casts again, sending away another that had looked to be almost ready to pounce on an unsuspecting victim )

[expelliarmusing]

[ Not perhaps as unsuspecting as you might think (though, still somewhat unsuspecting). ]

Thanks, Professor. [ He'd been staring around at his surroundings, true, but he'd also had his wand out, so... half-unsuspecting? Harry exhales, hastily adjusting his glasses before turning back to McGonagall and attempting to look more in control of things. ]

Right. ... Any idea where we are?

[ It's possible this is only a dream, right? Harry's had more than his fair share of bizarre dreams, and one that involves Professor McGonagall and himself fighting off massive crocodiles isn't so unbelievable. ]

Magnus Burnsides | The Adventure Zone

[disarmer]

One

[ So yeah this whole situation is weird, Magnus is 60% sure it's a dream, and holy shit those crocs are huge. Huge and dangerous. So as far as he's concerned, it doesn't matter if this is a dream or not, because he's not about to let these big 'ol lizards run around eating people. Hell no. He's gonna put a stop to it.

Yep. He is going to wrestle a giant crocodile. Well, first he's going to try and shoo them away like they're pigeons or something. It's going to fail miserably and then he'll try to get one in a chokehold. ]

Heeere crocy, crocy, crocy. Lets get you out of here, huh?

[Get your bets ready ladies and gents. We're in for a wild ride. ]

Three

[ This is the end of the line for Magnus Burnsides. He lived a long, long, long life, fought some cool stuff, learned a bunch. It was great. The world will mourn the loss of this magnificent--Yeah, he's just lying on the ground. Just right on the ground, in your way.

He's dying. Everything hurts and oh god why is this happening SOS. ]

THREE

[restinglichface]

[A familiar face peers down at the man while he's flopped dramatically on his death bed, Lup's grin curling and wide, amusement dancing across her expression. She tuts down at him, attempting to school her face into something resembling pity, but the elf just can't tamper down her smile enough.]

Here lies, Magnus Burnsides. Friend. Protector. Absolute lightweight. He'll forever be missed, but mostly when it's his turn for chores.

england (arthur kirkland) | hetalia

[knackered]

Scenario One;

[The sweltering temperature, likely enough to fry eggs on solid ground it feels like, is disorienting enough. The addition of massive beastly crocodiles cooling in otherwise still pools is absolutely over the top. Arthur has spent enough time in desert climates to know he ought to make for shade, so he decides to press onward toward the outskirts of what appears to be a very unearthly, fallen city. His suit jacket comes off and he wraps it around his head for a little bit of protection over his face and neck and he loosens his necktie before setting off.

The first crocodile he saw had been a short distance away, the great lumbering thing slid into the water as if it was only half its size. Arthur therefore keeps away from the pools' edges as much as he can--immortality doesn't make being eaten alive pleasant and given that he doesn't even know where he is or why? Well. Discretion is the better part of valor, as the old saying goes.

Eventually the stifling air gets the better of Arthur, who can already feel his fair skin frying nicely under the glare of the unforgiving sunlight. He cautiously moves toward the edge of a pool to drink, but his caution is in vain. After a few sips from cupped hands, the low hiss of a large and irritated reptile immediately alerts Arthur to his peril and he feels his heart drop into his stomach. Arthur slowly drops his hands and focuses his gaze.]

... Hello... Don't worry about me, I'll leave you be. I'm not a fan of you looking at me like that, so if you could, please--[Within an instant the creature moves to leap forward lightning-fast and in the same moment Arthur shouts STOP!

The effect of the spell is immediate--the massive creature's maw is stuck wide open, just short of taking Arthur down by his legs and the lit runes under the old nation's feet are bright and clear before they begin to fade.

Arthur realizes he's cringing instinctively. He slowly relaxes but his heart is pounding in his chest and he stumbles back several paces, a little shaken.]

--To Hell with that! Cutting it a little close, are we? [He wipes the sweat from his brow and quickly moves on before time resumes for that crocodile when the spell wears off.

Whether anyone saw this stroke of luck or not, he isn't paying attention--although he really should be.

All the more reason to find someone, anyone, and ask them if they know anything about where they are and why.

If and when he does come upon a stranger, he will call out to them. It's starting to feel like the start to a novel or film of science-fiction and that's deeply unsettling (though not as much as nearly getting eaten by a giant croc).]

Hello! Excuse me! Can you understand me? [Ugh, he must look a sight with his makeshift head wrap and his burning face.] I've no idea where I am and I'd like very much not to die out here.

Scenario Three;

[The light is more than just a bane for the fair-skinned; it spears England's eyes and incites the hammering trolls knocking heavy mallets on the inside of his skull to hammer even harder. God in Heaven.

What is possibly one of the worst hangovers he's ever had pushes Arthur to seek the shade of what looks like a public establishment--a bar, ironically--and to find a cool corner to make it a little refuge until he no longer feels like an overcooked undead.

By now he's badly sunburned, however, and when he collapses into a chair he nearly collapses onto the floor.]

It's not fair, [he mutters to himself,] I haven't even been drinking.

Three.

[circumitus]

Hello, Arthur. Welcome to Rey's parlor bar. It's a nice place. Also quiet, since she herself has been contending with an excruciating migraine. She's even kept the lights dimmed so the main area has more of a cool blue glow to blot out the glaring sunlight outside.

By the time Arthur walks in, Rey is slumped behind the bar counter, arms folded and forehead pressed over the back of her hand. Her legs slid across the ground into what should be an uncomfortable position, but not one that she is adjusting from.

"Nothing in this fucking place is fair, asshole," Rey mutters under her breath, still not moving.

Wow, rude as heck.