Test Drive Meme #34

[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 July 25th, and apps are open August 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: OOZES GEOMETRICALLY
[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.

The only warning you may get is the squish slick sound of movement before a gelatinous cube is upon you. Leaving gross trails behind them and with their see-through bodies filled with the bones of those that they've dissolved in their jelly, these cubes have no real vulnerability other than their limited movement.

Gelatinous cubes are exactly what it says on the tin, giant translucent cubes of jelly whose main attack tactic seems to be cornering people in small hallways and just sort of absorbing them into its mass. They then digest all meat and flesh and leave only floating bones and various metals their victim may have been wearing stashed inside of their jiggling forms.

Maybe it's time to apologize for the last time you brought a jelly mold to a potluck.]

A L L

SCENARIO TWO: MY LOYAL SERVANTS
[Thanks for your service to the gods! In order to power each of them up, it's up to you to pick a deity you like most (or dislike least, as it were) and simply say their name in order to be influenced by them and encouraged to inspire their emotion in others!

What, you don't want to play? Too bad, accidental name calling works just as well, even if you didn't mean to incite them- you'll feel their presence pulling their chosen emotion out in you anyway. Hope you picked a good one!

This is a mini version of our In Need Of A Boat event this month.]

C O N F U S I O N

SCENARIO THREE: I MISS GPS
[Sure, you might be a little confused at being here at first, but that generally goes away within a few days. This time... well, this time, that feeling of befuddlement isn't quite going away. Roads that you take seem to disappear behind you when you turn around, your right turns are left turns on the map you're following, and you're pretty sure that everyone except for you put their shirt on backwards this morning.

Is everyone high? What they're saying makes absolutely no sense to you. You can't find your way out of a paper bag, let alone back to where you've been staying lately. Is that a dog or is it an eldritch horror coming up to lick at your calves?

During this prompt, everything will feel off and it can be very difficult to get your bearings at all. That's Confusion for you!]

Comments

Kara | Detroit: Become Human

[mamabot]

FEAR

[ The cold, windy, snowy touch of freedom, of Canadian soil beneath her boots, gives way to a damp chill and cloudy midday sky, and thr packed dirt of a place that sets Kara immediately on alert. A quick diagnostic scan reveals she's not injured, and that all her systems and biocomponents are functional. Good, now she can open her eyes and push herself off the ground. Looking around with trepidation, she sees no one and nothing familiar. Just ither people on the ground, like her, and ...weird, gelatinous cubes. ]

Alice--?

[ She whispers the name, afraid of alerting hostiles to her presence. Is this some kind of VR? A failsafe in her programming? Has she been captured by border officers and forcibly put in sleep mode until CyberLife comes to get her? Is it better to be reset or to die?

As she's thinking, processor going at top speed, a cube approaches her, and it's only when her occular unit registeres the bones inside the monster that Kara's attention shifts, her priority changing to her own survival. She doesn't scream, but she does run, scanning the area ahead of her for an exit out of what her memory banks tell her is an arena in the style of Ancient Rome. ]


ALL - LOVE

[ Of course Kara triggered Love for her patron.

You can find her anywhere in the archipelago, drawing in the sand -- perfect art of a nine-year-old girl with a bright smile on her face, a small Canadian flag in her hand. ]


CONFUSION

[ This is Zlatko's mansion all over again, or the Jericho, or even Todd's house on the night she took Alice and ran away.

Kara is afraid on top of confused. Her sense of direction is typically perfect, so to be bumping into buildings and people or to find herself knee deep in the ocean or to look at herself in a window and see herself wearing her uniform or as one of Zlatko's experiments--

It's not good.

Please help this poor lost android, she deserves none of this. ]


WILDCARD

[ I'm open to fun and sadness c: ]

Fear!

[missiondeterminant]

[Connor had returned to the arena partially as a part of being in the Guard and partially out of his own curiosity, wanting to see the arrival of new people in the city and how it worked. It's difficult to believe it's been a month since his own arrival, especially since Connor's only a few months old in total, and even more difficult to believe he's spent more time in this place than he did working with Hank on the deviancy case.

But he doesn't want to think about the deviancy case, or the revolution, or anything of those subjects that make him feel a complicated mess of emotions he can't begin to sort out and threaten to spike his stress levels. It's best not to dwell on any of that too long, and just stay focused on dealing with being here.

But the sight of another android--AX400 models are unmistakable--draws both the past and present together, and he immediately focuses on her. He's closer to the arena wall, where the tunnels out are, and he reaches out to the other android through their mental link in order to make sure she hears him over the chaos.]

This way!

all!

[inukage]

[ Kakashi isn't normally the type to be nosy, but he happens to catch a glimpse of the woman and the art as he walks past. ]

Ah. Did you draw this? [ A nice piece, especially in sand. ]

( // wow we had the exact same choices and path for kara! nice. : ) ]

Tinya Wazzo / DC Comics

[unphase]

Fear

[---pain! the last thing Tinya remembered before she awoke was unbearable pain. she was burning? she was dying? but the moment before had been so perfect, held in Jo's arms, words of love ringing in her ears, her own teasing confession of her love for him in return, and then pain.

she pushed herself up from the ground and then took to the skies, courtesy of her Legion flight ring, trying to get a better vantage point of where she was.

the ground was rocky and the plant life sparse, so it obviously wasn't the forest she and Jo had been just a moment ago and as she took a look around at the other people in the arena (why an arena?), it became clear that Jo wasn't with her. she worried at her lower lip as she took in her new surroundings. nothing looked like anywhere she'd been on Earth or on another planet and she forced down the gnawing dread that was growing inside her head. she had to keep a clear mind if she wanted to figure out where she was or how to get home or if she was actually de--no, she couldn't be dead. could she?

that was when she noticed the aliens in the arena. they were square and seemed like they were made of gelatin and had what looked like bits of half-digested humanoids inside them! one of them was dangerously close to one of the people milling about in the arena so Tinya took a deep breath, phased herself intangible, and flew back down to come to the rescue, flying through the cube and unphasing her hands so she could give the person she was helping a good push to get them moving and away from the cube, calling out]

--run! That thing was right behind you!

My Loyal Servants

[when it had come down to it, Tinya's choice was easy. she was a Legionnaire, meant to inspire hope in the United Planets and serve as an example of teamwork among worlds. coming to this strange new world didn't make her any less of a Legionnaire than she had been back home. if anything, it had only strengthened her belief in the Legion's values, seeing so many people from such different worlds living and working together.

so don't be surprised when you're confronted by an earnest-looking fifteen year old girl, reaching out to clasp your hands in hers and saying]

Would you look at everything that's been done here? Isn't it amazing, seeing all that can be accomplished when people from different worlds work together in harmony? Doesn't that make you feel hopeful for the future?

I Miss GPS

[Tinya was so frustrated! it felt like she'd been flying in circles all day long, trying to find the spire she lived in. she was sure that she was in Spire 4 on the West Island. or was it Spire 2 on the North Island? grife, she couldn't even be sure of where she lived, much less how to get there! she barely restrained herself from screaming out loud as she descended from the skies, back to the ground to ask for help.

she lands in front of you, her most beseeching expression on her face as she says]

Excuse me, but could you please help me find out where I live?

no GPS

[so_dark_a_road]

[ Curufin is walking instead of boating. . . for a change. He looks up and sees Tinya descending from the skies and his eyebrows shoot up. He doesn't know many people who can fly. And this one does look frustrated! Also, young. Damn Hadriel, the Door has no compassion whatsoever. ]

Yes, I guess I could try. Did you sign up for a house or apartment? Or are you just trying to find out how to do it?

I'm Curufin, by the way. Who are you?

Loyal Servants whatwhat

[itsnotaonesie]

[Actually, a random girl walking up to you and grabbing your hands out of nowhere is super surprising, and Peter looks like he has no idea how to react to this. Because he doesn't.]

Uh. Y-yeah, sure? You're not going to try to hand me some kind of pamphlet, are you?

[Look you seem nice but he doesn't want to join your weird religion or whatever's going on here, okay]

My loyal servants

[dreamsallotted]

[Oh Ag, here was little miss muffet come to tell him all about peace and love and working together. And she looked like she believed all that shit too. God.]

No, it doesn't. We were forced into this, these gods are incompetent assholes and we'd have done better work if we were allowed to just make do ourselves.

[If the irony of what he was saying occurred to Seel, it didn't show. He was just upset he was forced into it. Instead of the other way around.]

Fear

[theweakhavepurpose]

[The man standing there in the deputy uniform and holding a sledgehammer is caught totally unawares as he's shoved by someone. Unfortunately his first reaction is to turn and swing it at the apparent enemy because he is obviously under attack.

Even if she doesn't phase he'll likely miss by a mile because sledgehammers are not known for their pinpoint accuracy.]

no GPS

[bythewaves]

[ Maglor startles, still not used to all the myriad of abilities folk here have, but he smiles and bows a little ]

I can try, my lady. Do you remember what building you chose?

Katara | Avatar: The Last Airbender Comics

[wateriswet]

FEAR
[ Katara only feels the cold hard ground below her and the thoughts of what happened and how it happened to her quickly ran through her. One minute she was in the meeting, paying close attention to everything that was being said, and the next she is here. Katara slowly sits up to find the world she knows to be completely gone and replaced with something else entirely. She looks around, confused, at the other people around her as well. Some looked normal, others looked strange. This just didn’t make any sense. The young girl gets to her feet once more and looks around. Was no one else awake except her? ]

Hello? Anyone else...around?

[ She takes a deep inhale and a calming exhale. Okay then, Katara. She’s been in weirder situations but she is sure this one takes the cake. But not being level headed about it will not have noteworthy result. She, instead, focuses on the people that are still knocked out on the ground. They could be hurt or, even worse, in critical condition. She’d need to do her thing as a healer and help them first. Katara goes up to one of the other bodies that sat a little ways away from the large group of people and places a hand on their arm. Okay, there was still a pulse and nothing too erratic. Katara next places a hand on their chest and lets out a relieved sigh when she feels that there was steady breathing. It seems that they were...sleeping. That is toooootally not suspicious or anything. Katara slowly stands to her feet and is about to make her way over to another person when she hears a...strange sound. It is a very sloppy...pap sound. She hasn’t ever heard anything like it in her life but she doesn’t let it bother her. She continues on to the next person and only stops in her tracks when she hears it yet again. What was it? Katara quickly spins around and a disgusted look appears on her face. ]

What is that?!

[ It is definitely giving her the “oogies”. Katara knows all about fight or flight instincts and, while she is still logical, her instincts tell her to fight and protect. The bones inside that large...goop thing were certainly not a good sign. Her idea is to protect these people to the best of her ability. After all, they’re not exactly in the position to defend themselves. Her body moves like the tides themselves as she used her waterbending to bring out the water from the pouch she carries. ]

Bring it, Oogster!

[ She...doesn’t know what else to call it. ]

CONFUSION

[ Katara feels like she was young again, lost in the Cave of Two Lovers. All the directions that she thinks she would end up in weren’t what she ended up in at all. Left was right and right was up and up was— you get the picture. Katara had to go...somewhere. She was sure of it. Unless that was actually yesterday? Or maybe she is thinking of a different time? Katara pulls on the hanging pieces of her hair, feeling a headache coming on. She is usually a lot more level headed than this! ]

What is wrong with me?

WILDCARD

[ Come at me with whatever, if you want! ]

[inukage]

Trouble finding something?

[ Kakashi had been heading somewhere as well, but ran into the same problem. He's been sitting at a bench for the last 15 minutes. Given up? No, no, no. ]

FEAR

[blazingsword]

[Keith isn't trying to be condescending, he's not Sokka, okay. But from where he's standing all he sees is a youth who appears to be completely unarmed facing down a jelly cube. So he's got his bayard as a sword out and at the ready and is running to attack when -

Did she just summon water??

... You know what that's not even the weirdest thing to happen today. He still makes his attack from behind - from whatever serves as 'behind' for the jelly cube seeing as it didn't seem to notice Keith's approach but was focused entirely on Katara, slicing it down the middle but avoid cutting it clean in half because the last thing they need is more jelly cubes. This way it'll have to take time to reform itself.

Aaand that's when he sees the person passed out behind Katara. Okay, why she wasn't running makes total sense now.]

They alive?

Kakashi Hatake | Naruto

[inukage]

FEAR

[ There was the initial frustration Kakashi felt when he first arrived at this place that was not his village or anything like it. However, that feeling is quickly replaced at the sight (and sound) of a gelatinous creature approaching him.

He is immediately wary of it, and his suspicions are confirmed once it begins following him down the many maze-like corridors. The creature is not particularly fast, but it seems to know the area fairly well enough to corner Kakashi.

Luckily, Kakashi is no stranger to escaping difficult situations and quickly breaks through the wall to his right.

Unluckily for Kakashi, he didn’t anticipate someone being nearby on the other side of the wall. He manages to avoid hitting them and deflects a falling stone. ]

Ah. Sorry.

CONFUSION

[ Kakashi was trained in the art of genjutsu—illusions--, so his first instinct is to release the illusion he was obviously caught in. Why else would his surroundings and people be acting so strangely?

It doesn’t work.

With a sigh, he approaches the nearest person who seems the most “normal.” ]

Excuse me. Could you show me where we are right now?

[ He holds a small map out to the stranger only for it to suddenly begin melting and glop onto the floor like melted ice cream. ]


WILDCARD [ network ]

are there any good bookstores here?
or bad ones.

anythings fine at this point.


( I'm up for anything else too! It's been a while since I've been on dw. )

fear

[hot_mes]

[honestly, Law's used to this by now. Anything can happen on Door Day, from hapless newbies crying for rescue to overpowered idiots going a bit overboard. He's about to slot this guy into the second category when something about his appearance stops him.

It's not the vest or even the headband, but the rest of his outfit...

No no gotta play it cool. Never let anyone know you're a fanboy. Ever.]

It's....nothing. Really. Nothing at all. [cough] By any chance, are you a ninja...?

Sumireko Usami | Touhou Project

[occultician]

CONFUSION.

[Her head hurts. She keeps looking down at her phone hoping that somehow, magically, Google Maps will suddenly update and tell her where in god’s name she is, despite the fact it hasn’t worked a single second since she was dropped here.

Unfortunately, that moment never comes.

So there she stands, shoulders resting against a building, but certainly not the one she had been trying to locate. No, when she looked up, she had found herself clear across town, the exact opposite direction of the one she had intended to go. Was she blind? Just stupid? Former, maybe in about 20 more years, but the latter she was certain was untrue.

And yet, the minute she starts walking again, she seems to be going in circles. Indeed, after just a few minutes, she was back where she started- with her shoulder resting against the cream stucco of some unknown house.

No, she was now certain something was wrong- but what, she didn’t know.]

…Ugh.

I knew I should have just gone back to bed this morning.

WILDCARD.

[She feels strange to be rooting through seemingly abandoned buildings like this. But it's certainly not stopping her, either.

Kicking a shard of the brightly colored glass on the ground with a sharp tink, she flicks through the disorganized, sometimes toppled shelves. Though she's not looking for anything in particular, she figured some of the less-popular stores might hold something interesting. Not... that the regular ones were lacking in strange things, but at the same time, the interesting trinkets of this world wouldn't be magically gathering at her feet.

She lifts a bag of what seems to be snacks from the floor- unopened, but covered in a language she could never hope to understand- and squints. She doubts they're worth her time, but-

In the distance, something hits the ground hard, like a sack of gravel. No, perhaps lighter than that? Even still, it makes her jump.]

...Hello?

[Was it just the wind knocking over a shelf, perhaps? A chill runs down her spine.]

Wildcard.

[wateriswet]

[ Katara herself is rummaging through the warehouse herself. Though, she has her own reasons for doing so despite the fact that it could be considered weird to do so. She is surprised to hear some noises in the distance of the warehouse and is quickly on guard. Is someone after her? Katara is sure that she will get the drop on them.

She travels deeper into the warehouse, staying behind some of the larger boxes. She peaks to the side to get a look at her possible enemy and blinks when she sees...another girl? Just then, Katara's hand knocks something over. She cringes and the other woman definitely heard her. She steps from behind the box, her hands up in surrender. ]

Hi! Hello! I'm not...doing anything weird, I promise.
I thought you were something else.

Apollo (as Lester Papadopoulos) | Trials of Apollo

[popadop]

Fear
[Here lies Apollo
God of all the things awesome
Eaten by jello*

Apollo really hopes this is a bad dream. A really bad dream. He also hopes it's not a prophetic dream, because he does not want to be facing giant jello cubes that eat flesh in the near future.

But here he is, an ex god in the flabby, useless body of a sixteen year-old mortal, facing an enemy without ears, and one he's very sure shooting at would only make it angry. There are not vital organ to aim for. It is a gelatinous cube with bones in it. What he needs is fire. Or plants. Would jello be nutritious to plant life?

What he needs were one of two demigods that were not here at the moment--no, he promised himself he would take charge! He will be Apollo.

He will be Apollo running away from the jello cube for lack of better options.]

Meg! Meg are you here? Please tell me you did not get eaten by the jello! [Apollo looks back at the cube which is...thankfully slower than his puny mortal legs. And falls on his face.]

Confusion

[I miss GPS
Was it something that I said?
Look, another wall

This is obviously some new punishment cooked up by his father. Or has he become entangled in some enhancement? Did he fall back into the Labrynth? Is he simply doomed to walk in circles? He seems to be continually returning to a small dead-end alley, and everyone he asks for directions of help is very...unhelpful.

Maybe he needs to ask for help a certain number of times? Or perhaps he is being punished for something by losing the ability to understand any spoke language. Is he going to be doomed to interpretive dance as a form of communication? No, Apollo is not ready to sink that low.

So he puts his most charming smile on his less than charming face and tries again with renewed purpose to communicate with these people speaking slowly and carefully.] Excuse me, I seem to be very, very lost. Where is this?


*Apollo is canonically obsessed with (bad)haiku, further tags will not include more bad poetry, promise.

Fear!

[sonofacesius]

[Well. This was going to be awkward. He really hoped he didn't have to tell the rest of Cabin Seven about the time Dad got eaten by a giant cube of lime jello. Sorry Rachel, Delphi's still silent, Dad got eaten. Maybe he should bribe Zeus with more than just food offerings.

Glancing at Apollo to make sure that, oh my gods, yes that was his father, he sighed. All he had on him was his bag of medical supplies and a bow. Arrows were not going to work on that thing. And they didn't look like they had ears so, there went the idea of his ultrasonic whistle. As for a Couplets Curse? They really didn't seem like the bad poetry type. Since they had no mouths.

Actually, how did their bodies even work? If it wasn't so dangerous, Will kind of wanted to take another look. But, no. Unless those things were also giving off noxious vapors, that was Apollo running from them and he kind of had to go save Dad.

Which was actually going to involve them both running away. Will usually came to help out the newcomers, fight off any monsters or put back together anyone who came in injured or got hurt in the process. Today however? Live another day, find someone who maybe had fire. Maybe they could melt the moving jello cube? The bones inside them were creepy. Remind him to ask Chiron never to serve them jello.

He ran up to the former god, really hoping the living jello couldn't move faster now that it had two close targets, and went to help his father up, catching himself before he called out 'Dad'.]

Apollo! This way, they wont follow us outside! Usually. I hope.

[This wasn't going to be embarrassing at all.]

Richie Tozier | IT

[trashmouths]

i. Fear;
[ It's happening again: he's in a place that's familiar and not familiar all at once, groaning (he feels like this would be what a hangover is, or what it looks like in all the movies) and snatching at his glasses from the fall.

And he had fallen, that much he knows, but where? His bike? No, there's something that whispers to him, gently reminding. The Door, he remembers, and he shoves his glasses onto his face and picks himself up in time to come face to face with-- ]

Fuck.

[ He may not be D&D savvy, but anyone can tell that a giant goop-cube with bones in it can't be good. Richie scrambles up from where he'd landed, all scraped knees and bruises from playing in the Barrens, and takes a careful step backwards, eyes never leaving the monster coming towards him. ]

Stay back!

ii Confusion;
[ Congratulations, passerby, you get 1 (one) Richie Tozier following you. Not just close, but very close: literally two steps behind. Sometimes he'll take off his glasses, squint, and huff before continuing to follow.

Sitting down? Richie's there. He's squatting on the spot next to you, a little too close for comfort, squinting despite his coke bottle thick glasses magnifying the world. Apparently, today his specs don't seem to be enough. ]

Confusion

[mamabot]

[ Kara is only too happy to have a child nearby. She's mindful of how long she walks, if not of where she's going, because the exercise is good for him, but he shouldn't over do it.

They find themselves on the shore, where a tide pool is slowly filling with the rising water level. Kara glances at him, the two of them crouched side by side, with a smile. ]

What do you think can live in there?

[ This place is not in her memory banks, so she can't attest to the creatures that live here. Also, asking him to imagine means he doesn't need to actually look at anything. There's nothing she can do about his glasses, much like she can't fix her sense of direction. The next best thing is to distract him. ]

Maevaris Tilani | Dragon Age

[lacessere]

fear

[The strangest thing about this being something meant to provoke fear is that Maevaris Tilani is most assuredly not afraid. What she is is annoyed, aggravated, and a little distressed that she just stepped up to her ankle into some kind of jelly-like substance and ruined one of her favourite shoes.]

Oh, for all the-- [The woman spits out, tossing her hair back from her face as she stares down at the gelatinous creature not too far ahead. She wrenches her foot free from the goop half-holding it in place and magic crackles at her fingers, electricity gathering between her hands and shooting forwards in a thick, shining arc to hit the thing and...

Well, it knocks a sizeable chunk off it, at least.]

... Venhedis. [She mutters, pursing her lips slightly before glancing over her shoulder to the closest person to her.] Have you had any more luck with these things?

((also open to scenarios 2 and 3 if you wanna toss something at me))

[nasvares]

( Kell's head tilts, the shift of red hair revealing an eye wholly black, as he watches the woman a few metres to his side summon lightning to her fingers. It isn't possible back home, but as they're not in London - any of them -, who knows what kind of magic she might possess.

It's unique to his eyes, and therefore a little bit novel. Rather like the creatures, but they don't bother him quite as much.

The lack of water? That's a little frustrating, as it would be much easier to use water rather than his blood, but nothing he can't handle. He slips a knife out from under his sleeve, drags it firmly and quickly - the kind of way that suggests he's done this many a time before - across his palm, and dives right for the gelatinous creature itself. )

As Isera.

( Freeze.

And it does. )

Keith / Voltron Legendary Defender

[blazingsword]

FEAR

[Keith isn't a stranger to weird creatures trying to kill him, at least, though he would probably be more prepared for this particular monster if he hadn't been away during the D&D Episode.]

Shiro? Allura? Anyone? Can anyone hear me?

[The only reason the cube gets as close to him as it does is because he's busy trying to get anything except dead air from his comms system in his helmet. Then there's a distinct squelch sound from behind him, and as someone who has now spent several years dealing with aliens and strange planets Keith can say with absolute certainty that squelch is not a sound you want coming from behind you with no idea what it could be.

He turns quickly, bayard in hand, glowing as it shifts into the shape of a sword that Keith brandishes at the ready.]

... What the...?

[Jelly cube. This is new.]


ALL - TRANQUILITY

[Keith is no longer a ball of teenage rage as it were, but he's still an angry guy and he knows it. He also doesn't want to be that. So, given the rundown of what's happening he thinks first - 'What would Shiro do?' and the word "Tranquility" is out of his mouth before anything else. Peace of mind, a sense of calm - he personally needs all these things and if he gets into trouble he'll want the clear head that a sense of tranquility will bring. So, there you go. Keith, calmly assessing his situation and exploring the city.

He will literally never be this calm again so get that conversation while the getting is good.]


CONFUSION

[Yeah, speaking of...

The wall is already crumbling, so Keith beating on it doesn't really do a whole lot to worsen the wear of it. It does help wear down some of his restless energy and frustration, though. Bad enough to be in this strange place separated from his team, but now he's lost all sense of direction entirely and can't even find his way back to where he started. It's like his whole mind is in a fog that just won't clear.

Giving the wall one more good kick, he yanks off his helmet to toss to the ground before sitting right there against the wall, talking several deep breaths.]

Come on, you aren't a dumb kid anymore. Patience yields focus...

[He just... just has to figure this out.]

[theweakhavepurpose]

[Squelch is never a good sound. Neither is the horrific gloosh that happens when a sledgehammer cleaves the thing in two. It doesn't actually harm it, it'll reform and be good as new in a few seconds, but that's the time they need to escape before this thing gives them the worst exfoliation of their lives.]

Don't stare at it, RUN!

[Behind the cube is a man in a green police uniform brandishing a sledgehammer that he looks a little too weak to be swinging around. But he immediately pulls the hammer back before it can be sucked into the cube and uses the flat end of it to poke at Keith. Enjoy that goopy green imprint on your uniform.]

Come on. Move!

Lucretia | The Adventure Zone

[recordedstate]

[ Fear ]

[ There's a moment of vertigo as Lucretia finds herself in an entirely new place between one blink and the next, the deck of starblaster disappearing in an instant. A moment where she braces herself until she can pull herself together and get an idea of what the fuck is going on. It doesn't feel like an illusion which leaves more questions and absolutely zero questions. She might have stayed like this a little longer, motionless and trying to figure out where she is but the universe decides to intervene.

The cube isn't exactly quiet as it squishes and squelches its way towards her. And Lucretia with a voice that oozes gravitas even when she's disoriented takes in the sight of this glorified fucking jello mold coming for her and says: ]

You have got to be shitting me.

[ Roll for initiative. Anyone laid out from their sudden arrival gets a quick smack with her staff before Lucretia tosses some magic missiles at the quivering mass. Seriously, who is DMing this campaign? ]

If you don't want to be digested slowly and painfully you should probably start strolling for the exit.


[ Confusion. ]

[ This is stupid. This island isn't that big and Lucretia has taken plenty of time to memorize where all the landmarks are. Except every time she thinks she's on the right path she ends up completely turned the fuck around.

At this point she's not even on the same island she started out on and she's not even sure how that happened. This is... this is the opposite of acceptable, to be quite frank. One of the things Lucretia always prided herself on was the sharpness of her mind. She might not be as young as she once was but this is some seriously sudden onset senility nonsense that she can't stand.

Pride has kept her on this bullshit longer than she ought to have and now, with a deep sigh she reaches for the nearest person. ]

This is going to sound completely ridiculous when I say it out loud but; where the hell am I? Physically speaking I mean. And please, no smartass goofs about being in Hadriel.


[ Wildcard ]

[ Nothing catches your fancy? Whip up something brand spanking new and I'll totally roll with it ]

Confusion

[blazingsword]

I was hoping you'd know, actually.

[No smartass goofs from this corner where the somewhat too literal minded sometimes stand. Keith has his helmet under one arm, he feels like he's been walking in circles for hours.]

Seems everyone is just as turned around, even the people who've been here forever.

sanji | one piece

[deviledlegs]

fear;

[A logical reaction to turning around and seeing an oozing cube of sentient gelatin moving toward you may be to run away, even if only to warn others of what's coming. The thing about logical reactions is that you need a logical person around to do the reacting. Sanji Vinsmoke may value logic more than half of his crew mates, but he has something else he values exponentially more: love.

What other object in the world could embody love more purely than food?

Whatever a logical reaction may be, Sanji's reaction is not that. Rather, he leans closer to the cube, sniffing its deathly stench with abject curiosity.]

What's this, what's this? Killer collagen? Jailer gelatin? Ah, if only I had my kitchen knives... I've never seen anything like this before!

[Somebody stop him. He will taste test this thing if he gets the chance.]


confusion;

[Nope. No. Nuh-uh. Definitely not.

Very, very slowly, Sanji raises a cigarette to his lips. It's with equally measured motions that he then lights the cigarette within the crook of his not-at-all shaky palm. He may be new to this joint, but he'd just scoured the place yesterday. There's no way. It's not possible. He can't be... No. He just needs to cool his head.

He breathes in, feeling the nicotine burn in the back of his throat. He breathes out, trailing translucent smoke behind him as he stares straight ahead at a lovely bunch of trees situated in the middle of a park.

Has he seen these trees before? Has he seen this park before? What are those weird ass, shittily designed buildings in the distance? No. Really. He knows he walked through here yesterday. He knows he did! And yet! He can't deny it any longer. He is undeniably, completely, and utterly lost!

In a flurry of frustration, Sanji throws his cigarette to the ground and stomps it out.]

Shit! I knew it! That fucking marimo's contagious!

love/shizuo sent me, hello

[demoncutter]

[ Zoro doesn't know what everyone's making such a fuss about. The most unsettling thing to happen is that his swords seem to keep shifting positions, but he's pretty sure that's this place and not him. He's already gotten used to double-checking with a glance, noting the positions in a microsecond. He can adapt. Even the minute details that he's used to noticing, and the way they keep switching around, that he can chalk up to whatever the hell is wrong with this place, and not at all to issues he's having himself. ]

[ (See what unwavering self-confidence gets you?) ]

[ The one thing he does recognize, unequivocally, is that loud, obnoxious voice. At least there's another Straw Hat here, but ugh, did it have to be this one? ]

Oi, what's contagious? Did you suddenly learn how to actually fight?

Ethan Chandler | Penny Dreadful

[wolf_of_god]

Fear

[The sound had drawn his attention faster than anything else, and the hairs on his neck had already been standing up on edge since he'd walked through that door. On reflex he had drawn the pistol and pulled back the hammer, letting off a pair of shots into the cube before he could even really see what it was. Though seeing it certainly didn't help much since the bullets just seemed to slow and then sit inside of the damn thing.]

Well, that's not going to work.

[Judging from the way the bullets were sizzling in that thing it was certainly something he didn't want to touch.]

Confusion:
[Things had never really been that simple for him, not since before he was a boy. And as much as he wanted and liked for things to be what they seemed, it seemed that more often than not they weren't. Today especially it seemed that everything just went sideways. He'd wondered at first if maybe he'd drank a little too much and this was just some kind of drunken stupor, but it was going on far too long to be something as simple as that. When the very road he'd been walking on a few minutes prior vanished he found himself utterly lost, not something that he was accustomed to since he'd always been able to find his way.

Well not knowing his head from his ass meant that at the moment he only had one choice as to what to do. That was to simply take a seat and wait it out, continuing on this way would just get him further away from where he needed to be. And at this rate, he could wind up in the middle of nowhere without supplies faster than he'd find help.]

Well, I've served my purpose, so I suppose it's time.

Wildcard:
[I'm game for whatever you want to toss his way.]

confusion

[possidetur]

( this place could easily make vanessa confused. there were so many strange people, words that were english but didn't make sense. this felt more befuddling than usual.

if vanessa had been paying closer attention she had walked past the same building three times already but everything felt out of whack. it wasn't that she couldn't feel anything but that she felt too much, her sense about this place almost magnified and the information wasn't clear.

she finally stopped in the street, arms folded, and took a breath, trying to shake that feeling from her. it did little but that pause allowed one thing -- she picked out his voice.

ethan chandler. it felt out of place, a sound that vanessa hadn't heard in many months but one that she could never forget. she opened her eyes, daring to search him out in the crowd. he was only a few metres off, sat on a bench as if he'd been there all along. had she already walked past him?

her steps towards him were slow and vanessa found that she didn't quite know what to say. it had been months since he'd left, vanished with only his letter as word. now he was here in the awful place that she'd been brought to. was it some funny, universal fate? would this always be it? by the time her feet stopped at the bench vanessa still didn't have an answer so she opted to settle for simplicity-- )

Good day, Mr Chandler.

mollymauk tealeaf ( critical role) ota

[uncharisma]

I. FEAR cw: self harm

Do I really have to fight another one of these, by myself?

[The gelatinous cube in the Gentleman's ruins had proven itself a pain in the neck as it was, with six people and a cat on his side. Now, he's utterly alone -- and trying not to think about what that might mean, at the moment, unable to locate any of the Mighty Nein even when only looking for the ones that aren't currently kidnapped.

And isn't that appropriate, anyway? He knows where he is, or at least has an inkling of an idea of where. For all he knows, this could be the very same gelatinous cube they liquidated way back when. Although he doesn't see the point in killing the same monster twice, he can see a sort of poetic justice in the creature seeking revenge against him. He could almost appreciate its valiant efforts, if it weren't currently trying to consume him.

He draws the golden scimitar in his right hand along the back of his own neck, activating the Rite of the Dawn as his blood clings to the edge of the blade and glows a bright, shining white. He doesn't flinch; he's done this often enough, and the scars littering his body are proof of that.

And that's when he notices there's more than one gelatinous cube in this arena.]

...On second thought, let's not activate both swords, eh? It looks like we're playing the long game.

II. ALL

[Funny you should mention Hope; Molly didn't need convincing to choose a god to follow, speaking Hope's name in full confidence he knows what angle he's going with this.

So he lays out his extremely gaudy tapestry covered in religious iconography dedicated to the Platinum Dragon Bahamut across the ground near the shops, using it as a rug to set up his own wares. He's publicly shuffling his cards, showmanship very much a part of the advertising game as he awaits any random passerby. When they do, he calls out to them.]

You look like you could use some direction!

[He draws a card with a flourish.]

A quick look into your imminent future, free of charge. Well, I'll be accepting payments in the form of "a moment of your time".

III. CONFUSION

[Molly has absolutely... no recollection of where he's staying. Where he lives, now, he reminds himself, only he doesn't even really have that anymore. The feeling of reaching for memories on the tip of his tongue and being unable to find them grips him where it scares him the most; the thought that maybe Mollymauk really was just a temporary phase after all. The feeling that his memories could leave him again at any moment, and he'd have to start all over... or worse, revert back to what he was before.

That's the feeling that follows him as he tries to locate a spire -- or maybe one of those topsy turvy houses, that feels a bit like him -- that can jog his memory. Only he can't remember where any of them are at all. He keeps ending up following nonsense roads back to where he started: the edge of the ocean. The tides pull in and out as they pull him back again and again, urging him to give up.

He's halfway through wading into deeper waters when he realizes what he's doing and bodily recoils from it, dragging himself free of the water as if he had Nott's fear of it. It's not that he's afraid of the water. He just doesn't know why he keeps coming back to it. What if it's some memory trying to kickstart itself?

Mollymauk crawls out of the edge of the ebbing tide with a cough and a splutter of water. Gods, he really is doing his best impression of each of the rest of the Mighty Nein now, isn't he?]

II

[64th]

[ Cashmere's puzzled. she doesn't need directions. that clears up quickly - he's not offering navigation directions. she pauses, considers her options, and shrugs. a little fortune telling never hurt anyone. ]

All right, I'm game. But if you just say that I'll continue to be in Hadriel fighting off monsters and dealing with weird shit, I'm not going to talk to you anymore.

Hugh | Star Trek: TNG

[thirdoffive]

[canon point: after S7E1; Descent: Part 2

also open to wildcards!!!]

confusion

[This... is unsettling.

It isn't correct, and the young man (man? Is that what people see?) walks uncertainly down another unfamiliar street. He's avoiding eye contact as much as he can, his thoughts racing in silent confusion as he tries to piece together where he was to where he is and finds that any mental mapping he can try to bring up is hopelessly fragmented.

Eventually, Hugh stops. He takes in a breath and lets it out on a soft but audible sigh. No, he's going to have to speak to somebody. This is becoming too uncomfortable to bear.]

Excuse me. [The voice that comes out, despite the mechanical appearance of the youth, is threaded with clear emotional inflection.] I'm--... lost. Could you tell me our current location?

... hi :3

[subrecover]

( Ugh, what is with this place? Despite not being a Palace (she knows this, because the phone explained everything, because she can't access her Persona, because the others have already told her everything they know), it's almost as confusing as one. The winding streets are unusual enough to navigate, but right now every part of this island is feeling like one of the hallways in Shido's messed up head.

Though, at least there are no statues in Hadriel.

Futaba has been wandering for hours in an attempt to find a store, but every time she does, all that happens is she gets turned around and winds up near the shore again.

Not cool.

Frustration builds in the young lady, burning as bright as her hair as she walks towards a glass fronted building and instead finds herself near a Spire, and being asked a question. )

I don't know!

( The words stumble out before she turns to find the voice and the frustration dies and becomes a stammer. Oh man, she snapped at a stranger. For no reason. Crap. She's all alone and going to have to talk to a stranger.

Oh, come on, Futaba. Get a grip. C'mon c'mon, c'monnnnn... )

Uh.

( She's really gotta step up her work on that Promise List. )

I-I mean... ( She should have just stayed in the house. This was a stupid idea. )

agent maine | red vs. blue

[bloodbathing]

I. WAKE UP (cw: memories of gunshots, injury)

[ He wakes up spitting blood.

There's blood on his visor, inside and out, distorting the warnings flashing on his HUD. Maine blinks up at them, uncomprehending. There should be more, some part of him thinks — but how the fuck could he be alive if there were more? He spits again. Rolls himself onto his hands and knees. Sucks in air that feels strange in his throat, like there's something stuck. Tries to gain his bearings.

He's got that fancy new weapon in hand — the Brute Shot — and something's locked to the magnetic holster on his back. It takes him a moment to remember what it is.

The briefcase. The objective. The mission.

And he remembers the last minute of his life.

He remembers fighting on a flatbed in the middle of a city. He remembers taking a bullet under the chin and getting thrown onto his back, boot on his chest to keep him down. He remembers seeing a muzzle flash, rapid-fire — one two three four five six seven eight — aimed at his neck. Should've killed him. Would've killed anyone else. But he got up. Fired a grenade to throw the truck off course. Went flying through the air, and ... woke up.

Maine pulls a gloved hand away from his throat. Can't remember grabbing it. Can't understand why the pain is so dull, more discomfort than anything. Knows that, regardless of how it feels, he needs immediate medical attention.

So he shoves himself to his feet. Ignores the blood shining on his white armor. Takes in his surroundings. Turns a slow circle to really take them in, because they make no fucking sense. A minute ago, he was in a city. Now he's in some ... arena?

Then he spots a giant cube of jello oozing along, and Maine comes to a conclusion: he's either dead, or he's so high on painkillers that he's hallucinating. Hospital jello turned monster. Sure, why not?

The massive blood-splattered Freelancer turns his back on the blob and starts making his way out of the arena. Because fuck that shit. ]


III. CONFUSION

[ In retrospect, exploring a fake city born of painkiller-induced dreams (because that has to be what's going on) might've been a bad idea.

The giant Freelancer is currently standing in front of a shop, white armor still splattered with now-dry blood, the gold dome of his helmet tilted up as he squints at the shop's name. He's positive that he's read it at least seven times now, but no matter how hard he tries, he can't get the words to stick in his head. Can't figure out what the fuck is in the store. And sure, he could just go in and see for himself — but right now, he's too irritated by the fact that he can't seem to fucking read.

Maine lets out a low, strangely wet growl as he glares up at the letters, big hands clenching into fists at his sides. It shouldn't be this hard. He knows this. And the longer he stands there, trying to figure it out, the more anger and confusion builds in his mind. ]


WILDCARD: NETWORK

[ "Agent Maine" is the name attached to this account, and the message itself is short and sweet: ]

Need medic.


WILDER CARD: ???

( ooc: have another idea? come at me! )

III

[roseofthetyrells]

[he's stopped in front of Margaery's Sewing Shop. there's a painted mural on it of a needle and thread and picture windows displaying dress forms wearing pretty, if on the medieval side, dresses.

there is also its proprietor sitting in a chair, working on another dress. she doesn't notice him at first, but she's been training herself to be even more vigilant and aware of her surroundings than she was. her grandmother taught her well, but if she's to survive and thrive in Hadriel she must become even better.

so when she sees the stranger wearing armor similar to Wash's standing outside the shop, she chooses to leave her sword behind.

when she actually goes out to greet him, she finds herself wondering if that was maybe a mistake as he has what looks like dried blood on him and he seems. . . agitated.

oh well. not much she can do about that now. she puts on a friendly smile and says]

Hello! Is there something you need?