TEST DRIVE MEME #2

[sailmods]

1. this hotel room got a lot of stuff

[you wake up.

it doesn't matter where you were before. going to bed? dying? opening the door to face a great evil? same result. you wake up in a soft bed with starched sheets in a cool, darkened room, sunlight peeking out from behind thick curtains. maybe you're alone; maybe you aren't. maybe you immediately notice the folded paper on the bedside table near your head. if you don't, you better fix that real quick: you won't be able to even open the door before you read it.

the note itself is written in a neat hand on white card stock; there is a stylized logo of a ship with the words SERENA ETERNA printed underneath. the note reads as follows:

Dear Passenger(s),

As your cruise director, it is my great honor to welcome you aboard the Serena Eterna, your destination for fun and adventure! We know you could have chosen any cruise line for your vacation, and we're very grateful you chose ours! On behalf of the Captain, I would like to assure each and every passenger that will we do whatever it takes to fulfill all your needs and desires during your journey with us.

At your earliest possible convenience, please attend the mandatory lifeboat drill by the end of the day. I'm sure everyone is very eager to get started on all the fun and sun, but safety always comes first! You can find your life jacket in your cabin's closet; carry it to your assigned muster station on deck one, where I will take you through the drill. If you can't find me in the crowd, just look for the gal with the winning smile!

See You Real Soon!

Sincerely,
Gal Friday

you walk to deck one. you have no other choice: every time you try to step in a direction some unseen being considers "not towards deck one," you find your legs no longer move, staying stock still, frozen. whether compelled quickly by curiosity, or delayed by pure stubbornness, the result is the same, and you are left milling around with other similarly curious or stubborn people.

you see someone in uniform near the front of the crowd. she seems to be a gal, but is missing the winning smile, along with most of her other features. she seems to see you, though, rushing to your side and placing a lei around your neck with great formality. a voice, cheery but artificial, sees to come from nowhere and everywhere.]

Welcome aboard! We're so glad to have you!

[you touch the lei. rooster feathers, lotus seeds, and a carved circle of something white and hard, linked onto a silk string.

after the drill is completed, you are seemingly free to go. or, well, your legs work, now. and maybe that's as good as it's gonna get.]

2. and a touch-tone phone

[chatterbox isn't exactly the most popular venue onboard. it probably has something to do with the distinct lack of open liquor bottles. so, nothing personal. except it seems that it's decided to take it that way, suddenly.

anyone enjoying the other amenities of deck five will feel the distinct sensation of being watched while they do so. the kind of feeling a prey animal gets while being stalked on the grasslands. something may slither by their foot, or past their elbow while they rest it on the bar, but nothing appears to be there when they look.

until there is.

a black electrical cord originating from somewhere will, first, wrap around their ankle, tugging in a very clear "follow" instruction. should this instruction be ignored, a second cord will wrap around their other ankle, and, once again, tug. should this clear final warning be ignored... well, now they're being dragged down the promenade, and that's really their own fault, isn't it. don't struggle. struggling means more cords show up. and none of them seem terribly aware that most species need to expand their lungs to live.

their final destination, no matter the journey, is chatterbox's main stage, where the karaoke machine awaits. the cords place a microphone in their hand; the mic's cords bind it tightly to their hand.

they don't have to pick a song. there isn't an actual gun to their head, in any literal sense. it's just, those cords really don't seem that interested in letting go until they do.

and if you were heading to chatterbox anyway? welcome to the weirdest goddamn karaoke night you've ever seen.]

3. and a bucket of ice (cw: cannibalism mention)

[no longer will scoops be bound by the shackles of only having 31 flavors. for this month, and this month only, a sign that very much looks like Friday hand-wrote it announces, they will have 32!

what is that mysterious 32nd flavor? it depends, really: the letters on the display case seem to shift and change with each new pair of eyes that fall upon them, with the contents changing along with it. someone from the capital wasteland might find some Nuka-Cola ™ branded ice cream. twilight town residents will be thrilled to find sea salt on the menu. and a frankly concerning amount of people bring out a flavor that only describes itself as "long pig." it's a weird off-white color. don't think about it too hard.]

Comments

Luke Skywalker 🌣 Star Wars (Legends)

[blackclad]

🌣 Solos are fine but duets are romantic.

Luke isn't too pleased that he has a cable around his ankle, but for now, he'll go along to get along. It only took the single cable to lead him through the ship towards the Chatterbox. He doesn't try to tug free until he realizes that the miserable things want him up on stage to try and sing. Luke likes to believe that he has several skills, but he can't carry a tune in a bucket.

Eventually, and before the cables squeeze his ribs too tight, he relents and lets them stick a microphone in his hand. Scrolling through his song options, it takes him a while until he finds one that he recognizes.
    There's room up there for second chances
    Singles are fine but doubles are fantastic.

As soon as he's done, he scrambles down off the stage and finds somewhere to try and regain his equilibrium. (Or dignity. If he ever had any.)

🌣 Coldest with the kiss, so he call me ice cream.

Ice cream always has been and will be a novelty. As he stands at the counter, Luke is torn between trying something he's never had ('turtles') and sticking with a classic ('blue milk and papple'). Strangely, it seems that the blue milk is only here for a short time, so he supposed he might as well give into the novelty and get a scoop of that.

Still, he has questions: "Is the turtle one made from actual turtles?"

🌣 Dealer's Choice.

Want something else? Write a starter and let's cause trouble. Luke is most likely found exploring, meditating, or looking for somewhere to workout.

Coldest with the kiss

[hellonspectacles]

Of all the things Palamedes has learned about himself since landing on the Serena Eterna, the discovery that ice cream Does Not Agree With Him has got one of the biggest non-life-threatening disappointments. Thankfully, Scoops has some sorbet options available, and while they do not quite serve as a substitute, it is tasty. He has just ordered mango when the shop’s other customer speaks.

“It looks…chocolate-y, so probably not,” Pal answers, though he’s less certain about this than he’d like to be. “Hopefully not.”

Razor 🐺 Genshin Impact

[takemehunting]

I. Safety Orientation

[Waking up in an unfamiliar place was not a great start for Razor, not at all, much less to find himself in a bed. He rolls off of it, glaring at the furniture as though it personally offended him. It might have, because nothing in the room was familiar to him.

The note was completely lost on him, he didn’t even linger on it, he just tried to walk out of the unfamiliar room, worrying at his gloves a little bit as he couldn’t at all sense where he was. Nothing seemed familiar.

Not only did each thwarted attempt to move away from the designated path lead to him growling in frustration, he finds himself with other people. He lingers some distance away like he’s uneasy with the thought of being around so many people. That was the truth.

Technically, technically he’d attended and gotten his lei. How much of what was said being understood remained to be seen.]

II. There’s No Land!

[There was not a lot that made Razor sick, in general. Sometimes when he ate with his lupical, his stomach hurt but that was normal for him.

Nothing about this was normal. There was no land in sight. He was not on land, he was on some kind of structure. On water. Moving water.

He was leaning over the railing a little listlessly, likely what people would notice is the fact his hair was insanely long, matted and kind of a mess considering, but he looked miserable. His pants and boots were relatively normal, and he’s wearing a long, sleeveless, open hoodie and had nothing on underneath. He’s also scarred, very scarred.

Mostly though, he looked seasick.]

III. Exploring

[Razor’s posture was hunched as he moved through the decks, barely raising his eyes to look around. Everything around them was designed for people, of course. That was to be expected.

It made him incredibly uncomfortable.

Nothing appeared to be catching his eye, if he was even looking properly, at least not until the buffet. The buffet was food. Food was something he understood well and he grabbed a plate and started looking around until he found a carving station. Now they’re talking, how much meat could he get away with?]

IV. Wildcard

[Choose your own adventure. It should be noted that Razor is mostly feral. Not in the sense that he’s angry or dangerous, but his exposure to humans has been minimal at best, despite being one.]

ii.

[skaikru]

( sea sick and sick with worry were quickly becoming very recognizable expressions on the new arrivals here. clarke had gone through her own maddeningly unstable experience with constant nausea and a lack of balance on board the constantly swaying vessel. and despite all the small — and honestly quite large — misfortunes that had come to pass since she'd woken up almost two months ago, the sympathy for the new and suffering isn't something she can ignore.

with the proper caution of approaching a complete stranger, she'll eventually take up residence a few feet away from razor. forearms resting against the top rung of the railing, not immediately demanding his attention. but inviting herself to boss him around anyway.

a jerk of her head towards the bow of the serena eterna, a light invitation to: )

Turn this way. ( not off on the side of the ship, but instead facing the direction they're headed. it never feels like they move much based on the lack of landmarks abound, but the body knows when it's being pulled in one direction or another. this is the first step to curing seasickness. ) Pick a point on the horizon. Focus on it, and breathe through your nose.

( the next steps were nibbling on crackers, or distracting with conversation. and... one day she'll learn to carry those little packets of oyster crackers in her pocket, but today is not that day. )

Jack Rackham | Black Sails

[story_of_jack]

1.

The first moment he is free to move about as he pleases, Jack climbs upward from Deck One to find a door, any door, leading to the outside. Among the myriad of impossibilities he is grappling with currently is the idea that this sprawling complex is a ship. He can barely feel any rolling under his feet, and the engine, the cause of that low hum emanating through the walls, is technology a hundred years ahead of his time. Pulling back the curtains in that cabin where he awoke had given him no sense of the scale of the place. He won't be able to understand it until he sees it.

Once outside, he walks to the edge, to the railing, and places his hands on it. The sight of the sea is the only familiar thing here. The way the ship stretches out to both sides, the smooth, clean brightness of it, is dizzying.

"Dear God," Jack says to the wind. "It's a floating city."

2.

The cords don't like struggling, and they really don't like swords. By the time he stops trying to fight them off, Jack has one at each ankle and wrist, two wrapped around his torso, and another around his neck. He's managed to jam a couple of fingers between that last one and his skin, creating a gap that makes it still possible, if uncomfortable, to breathe. He resists the pull only as far as it allows him to maintain an unsteady upright position, and jerkily staggers his way through the theatre toward the stage.

At the stairs, he finally loses his footing. The cords yank him the last short distance onto the platform, then pull him back up to standing by the wrists and neck. An instant later, the microphone is attached firmly to his 'free' hand, while the other remains jammed between the wire and his neck.

"What in the fucking hell is this?" Jack barks, causing feedback to ring through the speakers. From somewhere in the audience, a voice calls out: "Pick a song!"

"I don't know any of these fucking songs." And it's rather difficult to consider looking for one he does know while he's trying not to be strangled. Why is everyone just sitting there watching? "Is this what passes for entertainment on this vessel?"

Wildcard.

Interested in something different? Jack can easily be found playing cards in the casino, attempting to relax by the adult pool, or admiring the gems in the jewelry store.

2

[creepyoldguy]

"Boo! Sing something!" A rasping voice yelled out from the audience.

"It'll probably let you go after you do," the corpse like heckler added, helpfully.

La Pluma | Arknights | OTA

[barfeathers]

1. The grim beaker has arrived.

[ La Pluma's been on, far too many boats in her life. When your dad is a navy veteran, things like that happen. With that in mind, however, she's not exactly thrilled to be whisked away to one without her permission. Far be it from her to actually try and protest about it, though. She goes through the motions, she collects her lei, and then she "attempts" to "explore" the ship. A kinder way of saying, "she wanders aimlessly and stares up at the sky with absolutely no thoughts, head empty."

If you happen to be unfortunate enough to be nearby, you do have to deal with the sound of metal scraping on metal as she trails a scythe behind her, and doesn't seem interested in carrying it properly. The only time she does seem interested in what's going on around her is when she finds a particularly warm spot in the sunshine to lie down. And she does. Just on the ground. In the middle of the cruise. Nap time. ]

2. I Scream

Oi.

[ She's crouched in front of the ice cream display, her cheek pressed against the glass to keep herself from falling over because that position is probably not actually all that comfortable. Though, she doesn't seem too concerned with what you're doing. She just points at the "long pig" flavor of ice cream. ]

Is there really bacon in this? Isn't that a horrible idea? [ She picks up her head a bit, squinting at you slightly. You didn't look like an employee or anything, but: ] Did you put this here? I have some criticisms if you did.

01.

[opheliac]

( so the captain is bringing along new shipmates? GOOD! because she is growing bored at looking at the same old faces day in and day out. somewhere up above in one of the rails, jinx is watching various people walking along the deck -- it's better to be out of sight juuuuust in case. although, what catches her eye is the scythe being dragged being this mysterious girl. hm, curiouser and curiouser.

and once the girl is nice and settled on the ground, jinx hops on down with a THUD of her boots hitting the wooden boards. casually, she makes her way over with a quiet hum before looming over. )

Nice weapon you got there? Can I touch it?

Xayah | League of Legends

[featherknives]

1. This hotel room got a lot of stuff

[She's seen a lot of weird stuff in the past, but this is something else. Never mind that they are on a huge ship in the middle of nowhere; the person with no smile has Xayah's feathers stand on attention as she pulls her cowl down and slinks back from the front rows of "demonstration".

She turns around to go back, wanting to take an actual proper look at this place when someone blocks her path.]

Do you mind? I don't want to stand around here. [She doesn't want to be here, but she'll keep her composure for now. No need to ruffle feathers just yet.]

2. HURIKANE and odd drinks?

[The bar looks... inviting, to say the least. She's seen worse. Trashed half of them too. It's how things go. Maybe a drink isn't a bad idea?

She's trying not to attract a lot of attention, her height and dark cloak doing her a favor, but it's hard to sneak out with three full bottles of alcohol from the room. The person she runs into, Xayah glares at, eyebrows furrowing.]

Got a problem?

3. PHOTOS AT SEA

[Xayah has been standing in front of the huge wall, eyes scanning rapidly over each and every photo as if frantically looking for something. Whether it's weird or not that someone's taking pictures of them doesn't seem to matter at the moment. Even ones that show her sneaking around the ship like some thief.

She's looking for someone specific right now. She'll deal with whatever or whoever is taking these photos later.]

02.

[opheliac]

( in her way is jinx, standing there in amusement. unfortunately for her, she can't grab a drink herself due to her age and if venti isn't around, she can't partake. it's an annoying rule, really. sometimes a girl has to let loose and relax! of course, one of jinx's way of relaxing is causing havoc and letting pow-pow play but it's still a drag when everything she destroys get rebuild the next day.

with a grin, she gives the stranger a nonchalant shrug. )

Nope! Knock yourself out. — Juuuust watch out for No Face.

detective anna morasca | original character

[itswhoyouare]

1. WHERE ARE WE? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?

The last thing Anna remembers is getting cold-cocked in the back of the head with what she's pretty sure is the butt of a rifle. That explains the pounding headache when she wakes up, but not the bed she wakes up in. It doesn't take long for her to bolt from the bed, draw her gun, and point it around the confines of her tiny room. The gun is holstered securely when she deems it safe and that's when she finds the paper.

This all has to be some kind of mistake or concussion symptom, right? Also... Gal Friday? Like the fictional character? None of this makes sense.

It makes even less sense once she finally makes her way to the drill station and gets her lei. As if by magic her legs finally work again and she begins an immediate patrol of the deck - perimeter first - to figure out where the hell she is. Pay no mind to the brunette detective in dark jeans and a black blazer, gun holstered at her waist next to an NYPD badge as she slinks around cautiously.

2. THE DUST HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN TO FORM CROP CIRCLES IN THE CARPET

Anna isn't one for sweets to begin with, so it's not much of a surprise that she's relatively unphased by the ice cream stand with all 32 flavors available to passersby.

...Until she notices that handwritten flavor. Long Pig. Oh, no. How many people actually know what that is?

There's someone nearby with ice cream... definitely not chocolate ice cream... maybe she should warn them just to be safe.

"I really hope you didn't get the Long Pig flavor."

3. SINKING, FEELING.

[ Wildcard aka Choose Your Own Adventure option! ]

[wotches]

Tonks has ordered a Fizzing Whizzbees Sherbert. The pink, orange, and yellow ice cream is almost as colorful as the fuchsia hair she's sporting. (Don't worry. It's not a shade that makes her look peaky.) She takes a lick of her ice cream. She's unfamiliar with long pig and what it entails. She's a witch, slack will have to be cut.

"Why not?"

Nymphadora Tonks - hp

[wotches]

Can't carry a tune, but she can karaoke!

There Tonks had been, minding her own business while contemplating Important Things, when a cord wraps around her left ankle. It isn't the first time she's found a cord around her ankle though it is the first time in public. Of course she's going to resist it. Of course she's going to be stubborn about it.

The first tugs are resisted by Tonks pulls her leg bag. "Rude, mate." There is some back and forth between the cord and Tonks. She grips the railing of the ship's deck. There is no way she's going where it wants her to go.

Her wand comes out just as a second cord wraps around her waist. She can no longer fight the tugging on her own physically. She tries every spell she can think of. She even tries to Apparate away. It is of no use. She is pulled by her left leg and waist down the deck. Only she can't properly walk, she is dragged but she's dragged hopping on one foot and being pulled at the waist.

She continues to be pulled until she reaches the Chatterbox and is foisted on the main stage. A microphone comes out from nowhere and is attached to her hand. She knows what to do.

It is her time to shine while hopefully not falling off of the stage.

Eventually she has some people in the bar singing along with her at the chorus of the song. It's an old song but a good one.

"Wot Cher!", all the neighbors cried!
Who yer gonna meet, Bill!
Have yer bought the street, Bill?
Laugh! I thought I should've died.
Knocked em in the Old Kent Road!

Effie Trinket | The Hunger Games

[baubled]

1. how about it's just bad manners?!?

The safety presentation ends and Effie huffs. "EXCUSE ME!" she nearly shouts. "There has been a mistake. I am not supposed to be here." it's not really directed at anybody, it just seems to be sort of a general statement.

She looks to her left and then right, trying to meet eyes with someone. "Can you believe this?" At least she's using a normal volume now. Effie gestures broadly - the ship, the life vest, the lei. And then, as the thought has just occurred to her, she adds "you didn't sign up to be here, did you?"

She's going to need to file a complaint. If anyone is transporting her anywhere, the least they could do is provide her something besides a dreary District 13 jumpsuit.

2. karaoke

The dragging down the promenade isn't fun and she complains the whole way, only to be semi-pleasantly surprised by being shoved on stage. She grumbles a little at the rough handling, though Effie really does love the spotlight. She chooses what is obviously a classic song having perhaps a little too much fun for someone who has been forced to sing a song in front of strangers.

The song over and finally free of the cords, Effie beelines to the bar and is almost immediately disappointed. "How does one get a cocktail around here?"

[juststayalive]

"I think you already know the answer to that." The answer comes from Haymitch, who simultaneously looks like he's not at all pleased to be here and like he's not surprised in the least that he is. Or, for that matter, that she's here too. (Although he doesn't mind that part so much, not that anyone would ever catch him admitting it.)

At least this place doesn't seem like it's trying to kill him. So far.

Honoria Crabb | Lavender Jack

[pointofhonoria]

1. usually, this starts with a headache

Historically, waking up in a place she definitely wasn't a few seconds ago means Crabb's just taken a surprise crack to the skull from behind and been dragged somewhere. Now, that said, being tucked into a bed all cosy like? That's new.

She's thrown off the sheets and tried the door within seconds of waking, and when it doesn't open she picks the room apart looking for key until she finds the note. The note which answers exactly one question and raises, oh, a thousand odd more, give or take. What in God's name...

The first thing she does is clear her head of any preconceptions to start from scratch figuring this out. The second thing she does is decide she's not going to Deck One until she's good and ready, thank you very much.

Easier said than done, 'course. It hardly takes a brain genius to catch onto why her legs keep freezing up, nonsensical as the fact itself is, but it doesn't actually stop Crabb from trying to skirt it. So it's a while before she makes it to and through the lifeboat drill and regains her freedom of movement. Maybe you catch the frustrated detective stubbornly trying to move against a force she can't beat to walk away from its desired destination. Or maybe you only see her afterwards as she grumbles under her breath about everything she finds objectionable about this situation, and resolving to explore now she's actually able.

2. never know if you don't ask

There comes a point where Crabb resorts to looking for people who look like they might have their bearings—a fact completely independent of the reality of if they do or not—joining them in whatever they're doing, and asking outright: "So. You got any clue what's up with this joint, or's everyone still just as in the bleedin' dark as I feel?"

The more subtle art of people thing was always Ducky's area, you see. As much as spending a stretch being down the two main cogs in the Lavender Jack machine and figuring out this detective business with Ferrier made Crabb pick up a few new things and there, some things never change. She's no blunt instrument, not anymore, but she's still not above kicking a few holes in something where subtlety's just not going to do it, either.

Wildcard

[ Throw something else at her, go wild. She can be found... honestly almost anywhere at least once, she is going to explore this place from top to bottom. ]

Wildcard

[businessorlibation]

It's when she visits Tauva that she sees the one familiar face on the ship--Johnny Summer, in his white dinner jacket, smoking one of his signature black cigarettes. He startles when he recognizes her, eyes raking up and down her quickly.

"Crabb! You're a sight for sore eyes. Is...has anyone else arrived? Madame Ferrier? Ducky? ...Mimley?"

That last is an odd mix of hopeful and almost...guilty?

"I've been here for, what, over a month now. Six weeks, perhaps."

Darlington | Ninth House

[more_magic]

it's not a portal, it's a m--

Danny ends in the dark and wakes to brilliant, streaming sunlight, still wearing the gloves and overboots a trip to Rosenfeld required. He even has a magnet still clutched in one hand, for God's sake, and for a brief moment he thinks about opening the wide, round window set into one wall and hurling it into the inexplicable sea outside. He doesn't, but he stares at the azure blue expanse for a beat or two too long, trying to put together the throughline that took him from there to this.

It's better than recalling Alex's impassive, feral face in those last moments; how she'd stood, and watched, and made no move to save him. Why should she, when saving him meant condemning herself? He should have known what she was capable of.

Eventually, he finds the note, leaves his gloves and his boots and his winter coat behind, the sleeves on his sweater pushed up in mainly symbolic deference to the bright warmth of his new surroundings. The sense of being compelled towards a destination is one he doesn't like, least of all when it sticks him in place, hindering him from any direction but forward. It's magic Darlington hasn't felt from any of the societies, a new mystery, and as exciting as the novelty is he's always preferred to be the one observing rather than acted upon. Upon reaching the gathering crowd, he's proud he doesn't startle at the appearance of their hostess, but as she bedecks him with a garland and flutters away again, Darlington can't help but exchange a look with the person nearest him.

"If she's the gal with the winning smile..." he starts, but leaves the rest unsaid.

upstate with your own ball of yarn

Darlington treats this like he would any Manuscript party: eat and drink nothing, and trust little that you see with your own eyes. Somehow, he still ends up making his way to Scoops, warily eyeing the ice creams in their cooler. He doesn't point at one, but somehow a cone appears in front of him anyway, the scoop on top a lurid purple that reminds him of nothing so much as the Merity-stained tongue of one of Caihe's acolytes. It's a thought that makes him shudder, a chance he knows better than to take, and as he turns away from the counter he manages to orchestrate a fumble that looks accidental enough.

"Oh no," he says as the cone splats to the ground, and tries to make it sound convincing. He's still quick to grab some napkins and crouch down, cleaning up the shattered cone and the slowly melting ice cream. He was raised with manners, after all.

a boy on an adventure

Wildcard option! Find Darlington...basically anywhere on the ship, trying to figure out what the hell is going on and how all of this works (good luck with that, Danny).

[[I literally just made a plurk two seconds ago and am already terrified of it, but ping me at gripyfish if you have questions/need info/etc?]]

ice cream

[baubled]

Effie's method has always been the much less cautious try everything but even she's wary enough to know better to try that here. It's hardly a Capitol party.

She watches the ice cream fall and wishes that she'd thought of it first. Her ice cream is caviar flavored. Once upon a time she would have been delighted but it feels rather lackluster now.

"Your shoes!" She hopes the sticky purple liquid won't stain. "Soda water will get that right out." Helpful tips from a lady who is just going to stand there watching him clean.

Percy De Rolo | Critical Role |

[baron_badass]

1> This Hotel

Percy is instantly on edge upon waking. It's a skill honed by years of living on the edge full of rage and fury. He's even less happy realizing that he cannot find his gun. Granted it was his newest one, but still he'd lived so long with one at his side that not having one was like missing an arm.

He glances over the note planning on disregarding what it said...that was until he found himself unable to move anywhere but where he was led. This made Percy even more unhappy so that by the time he was through listening to the safety talk he was about ready to punch someone in the face.

He decided to stalk over to the railing instead and stare out at the water trying to work out how he wound up here and how he was going to get home.


2. Touch Tone Phone

Percy is fascinated with the cord as it wraps itself around his ankle and pulls him along the stage. He's never seen anything like it outside of his drawings of possible inventions and the machine it leads him to. He examines it not even realizing music is coming out of it.



3. Bucket of Ice

Percy has seen foods like this in Emon before, but that doesn't mean he's tried anything. He'd always preferred to spend his coin on tools or pieces for his various tinkering instead of a mouthful of something that would be gone in moments.

Still his curiosity gets the better of him and he studies the labels trying to find a flavor he'll actual want to try against his better judgement.

3

[serialskiller]

Percy isn't the only one in Scoops today, nor is he the only one struggling to decide. A tall, broad figure is also reading each label, frowning over the difficult decision of what ice cream to eat. It's dressed in dark colors--a navy blue hoodie, black cargo pants, work boots, and it wears a thoughtful frown as if that's a default expression.

"The chocolate is good." It looks at Percy's reflection in the glass as it speaks, instead of at the man himself. "And the mint chip."

Stede Bonnet | Our Flag Means Death

[touchofcashmere]

x1x yo ho
"Erm..." He turned toward his fellow...passenger? Kidnapee? Hostage? "Is it just me...or does she not, precisely, have a face." It could be just him after all though he dearly hopes it's not.

x2x No stranger
It takes him a while to figure out what is going on really. Everything is new and strange! Odd enough that the cylindrical thing is pressed into his hand by the strange box thing with an odd little sign in it that has moving words.

"I do hate to be a bother but...help?" Because he has no idea what's going on.

x3x sweets for the sweet
"Oh! Ice Cream! What a treat! You know I haven't had anything of the like since I was a lad and so many flavors! I thought it only came in one. Turtle? My goodness. Long pig? Well that doesn't sound very appealing. I don't know. Which would you recommend?"

x4x Anything Else?

1

[baubled]

Effie sighs with relief, her hand pressed to her chest. "You saw that too? I thought surely I was hallucinating! Or drugged!"

How could it be true, though, for a person to have no face and yet be going about their business as if she did have one? "It gives me the chills." And not in a good way.

midori | your turn to die

[killed]

a. I roam these halls, search the night, in hopes that I may see
( deck one )

[ This isn't where he came from, nor is it any place that he recognizes. That is concerning in and of itself, but even more concerning yet is the gap in his memory between his time spend in the game and arriving here. The idea of having died and gone to Hell is charming enough, but the lack of flames or ice along with his still-beating heart do promise that he's yet still quite alive! Fortunate, as there's still much to do, so much to do that he thinks he hardly knows where to start. How fortunate, then, that the decision is made for him!

He's unable to leave past the perimeter, but he takes this in stride, hiding any misgivings he may have behind an easy smile as their teacher arrives and goes through the process of a drill before seeing them off. With that finished, he observes his shipmates once more before a soft chuckle escapes him, ]

Ahaha... Well! I can't say that's what I'd hoped to hear, but as they say, safety first! ☆

b. A remnant trace, a glimpse of you, I stare into the deep
( infirmary )

[ As a doctor and a surgeon, his first stop is of course the infirmary. It's... Well, to call it a disappointment would be an understatement. The medicine itself is nothing when compared to the fully stocked inventory he's used to, but does well enough, and so it's the primitive surgical supplies that draw his ire. He lifts them up one by one, examining each one with a disappointing frown before replacing them. Truly, whatever will they do in the event that there's an emergency?

It's not as though he would have an trouble working with such tools, but it does make certain tasks difficult. ]

Oh my... Is their budget so low that they can't even offer proper equipment? [ There's a small, dejected sigh. ] Truly, they should show more concern for their passengers... They deserve only the best care, after all.

[ Maybe that's why they brought him in. ]

c. Singing I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know my love can be
( scoops )

[ What a charming little ice cream shop! The special flavor is a little unusual, and the mention of long pig does give him a moment's pause and he will give the ghost pepper ice cream a hard pass thank you very much, but he's happy enough to try the rest. One can find him with a bowl that has several scoops in it - chocolate, salted caramel, vanilla, with a few cherries on top, along with chocolate and caramel drizzles, a display that anyone would find to be intended for only those with a true sweet tooth.

He's humming happily as he takes one more before pausing to look for an open seat with his pile of ice cream. ]

Hmhmhm~ ♪

d. The deep stares back, speaks to me, I know my love can be the killing kind
( wildcard )

[ Choose your own adventure, or hit me up at pfle and we'll work something out. ]

the ghost of me was true but you've been haunted too just (infirmary)

[skaikru]

( one man's trash is another's treasure, as they say.

as the apprentice healer for her people, and shoved into a caretaking position for a hundred or more souls before being violently ripped from her home and waking up under plush bedcovers... the infirmary had been one of clarke griffin's first stops too. near two months ago, she'd trickled in and stolen as many bottles of antibiotics as she'd been able to fit in her pockets, absolutely overwhelmed by the readily available resources on this ship compared to the archaic space station she'd been born on. from a world where life saving medications had been rationed over the last 100 years, to a place where they replenished themselves seemingly every day... of all the things on board the serena eterna she's experienced, the infirmary is only of the few that's actually come close to delighting her.

and yes, the trepanation tools and archaic scalpals are an alarming sight to behold at first. but end of the day, they'd cut flesh and drill holes through bone. she'd made due with less.

she still visits the infirmary often. just... as a sort of comfort. for the sterile smell of rubbing alcohol to remind her of her mother, and to remind herself that they have plenty of resources available to them in the event of someone getting wounded. the last of which would be death, as it was temporary. but the attempt to preserve life was still more important to resigning to their captors sick fascination with pushing the limits of human decency and morality. so, comfort, a reminder they don't have to capitulate, and this day in particular — because she intends to steal a bottle of morphine and a few hypodermic needles. and gauze bandages.

but instead of blessedly empty, or occupied by some of the faces she's come to recognize so far, this time it's... a stranger. tall, green haired, parsing through the tools like he's taking an informal inventory. the sight is enough to stop clarke in her tracks for a few, appraising moments — long enough to hear him snarking about their provisions — before...

scoffing. which will also have to serve as their introduction, because she's already headed for the drawers and cabinets that hold what she wants this time. )

They'll work in a pinch. In the hands of someone who knows what they're doing.

percy jackson — riordan mythos/percy jackson & too many damn books — ota

[ripstides]

♆ TRANS-DIMENSIONAL TRAVELING SHIP STEALS MY COOKIE

( forget what some people tell you about waking up on the right side of the bed, releasing the world’s loudest scream-yawn and walking on sunshine for the rest of the day. those people weren’t having their first five minutes alone since being charged with a rambunctious baby sister and about to go ham on some amazing, blue chocolate chip cookies as a reward.

…and they probably also didn't have the rankest morning breath ever discovered.

percy doesn’t want to talk about faceplanting on the floor, being sabotaged by unrecognizable sheets or the fact that he didn’t even get to taste those homemade treats.

maybe he’s used to finding notes or that the gods love tormenting their dyslexic children with long-winded prophecies in lieu of an oracle, but either way, it comes floating down to him as an effect of the whirlwind of disaster that is him. sitting upright, he skims it a few times, stops, tries to reread every word but knows ultimately it says, blah blah blah, you brought this on yourself, stupid demigod!

for a dramatic moment, he stares dead-eyed at the wall. he sighs. then, ultimately resigned to fate kicking him around like a hacky sack, he makes his way to deck one. what other choice does he have? nobody cracks a smile when he announces: simon says stop! to anyone willing to give him attention.

yes, he’s probably the guy that interrupted multiple times with his hand up during the drill. it’s finished now, they’ve survived ( did they? ) and he turns to the person on his right. )

Is nobody going to talk about the dead bird couture? ( and more importantly, does this lei come off? )

♆ I GET THE LIMITED EDITION STRANGLE SNUGGY™

( nothing like being dragged down the promenade to make percy feel right at home. honestly, this is a regular saturday for him. it’s saturday, right? it feels like saturday. chronologically speaking, that makes sense. he distinctly remembers it being a friday, zipping back to new yor—

Easy. You’re going to kill someone! ( this, from the guy being pythoned to death. someone goes spinning towards the rail, another person straight up gets taken out like a bowling pin ( hah, strike! ) and the only thing that saves Joe Unaware is a funky wave erupting from the sea below, suspiciously shaped like hands that shove them out of harm’s way.

you can be soggy or you can be … soggy, actually. dead’s not on the table.

although, maybe you wanna be in about a minute here? there’s one serious grimace on his face once the magic carpet ride’s over and the very grim reality of being on stage sets in. )

Really? Can’t we just fight to the death? No?

( rip to all passengers on board because of the drums and snares that are followed by the most flat, off-key rendition of some classic rock song. ) We're not gonna take it. Oh no, we ain't gonna take it. We're not gonna take it anymooooooooore!

♆ WILDCARD.

( come at me! you can find me over at talldarkandgay for plotting ideas if you’re interested in something else. you can bet that percy will be anywhere food is but also don’t be surprised if he’s off re-enacting titanic on the bow alone, either. the long short is that he's a 17/18 (depending on canonpoint, i'm indecisive) year old demigod with water/sea-related powers and he is So Over running errands for gods. )

Steals my cookie

[pepega]

The-- the wha? [What bird? Dead bird? Can Percy see him? Steven looks over his left shoulder and then his right, turns around in a circle twice, eyes darting around frantically.

It's debatable whether any of the briefing sunk in for Steven. He'd been standing there fidgeting the whole time, preoccupied with trying to see if he can catch a glimpse of Marc in any sort of reflective surface, or Khonshu, or even Layla - at this point he'll take the word of anyone familiar who would know what's happened while Marc was in control and how he ended up on this ship.]

Is he here?! Can you see him? [Does Steven sound slightly unhinged whisper-shouting at Percy? More than he's aware of, most likely. Don't mind him, he's just slowly losing his shit.]

saigou kurena | assault lily

[ulfberht]

(1) karaoke.

A. [Kurena has been on edge for much of the evening. What a romantic (or a fool) might call her "warrior's senses" keep twitching, like something is creeping up on her, even with her back to a wall or when she is in a chair.

Then, a flurry of movement catches her attention -- a stranger...? Pulled along the path?

She calls out to the struggling person.] I'm here to help!

B. [That. Didn't go so great.

The lights at Chatterbox are dim enough, and after the excitement of How We Got Here, it is easy to miss. But one who looks more closely would notice that despite how Kurena's clothes are scuffed, maybe a little ripped; her arms and legs have no broken skin or bruises, and carry no marks from the cords. She seems almost as though she came of her own volition.

The karaoke machine's display flashes, beckoning.

She turns to whoever is nearest to the stage.] I think those icons mean we're supposed to sing together.

(2) ice cream.

[The eponymous (?) scoop, is, for some reason, in a metal container of water far away from the ice cream display. It took her some time to locate. The water is slightly cloudy, and apparently did not do much to rinse off the strange greenish goop clinging to the scoop.]

There has to be a sink in this place...

(3) [Wildcard! Alternatively, PM this journal or hmu @ teufeld if you'd like to plot or to do a thread set in a different situation.]

B

[touchofcashmere]

Really? Gosh. I haven't done a proper singalong in ages. And usually not before I've had a [he makes a motion with his microphone strapped hand that might come across as a little suggestive]

Still! Needs must...apparently.

What song... Oh. What about 'The Roast Beef of Old England.' It's a bit dogmatic but it's not a bad tune for a duet.

April Ludgate | Parks & Rec

[snakeholed]

1.
[Waking up seemingly kidnapped and put on a creepy cruise ship? Amazing.

Being held captive on said cruise ship? Flawless.

Having to stare at Gal Friday's face and paying absolutely zero attention to any of the onboarding procedures? April thinks she's died and gone to her idea of heaven. She seems to be staring off screen at someone that isn't there, grinning wildly. This is the most fun she's ever had being kidnapped.]

I think I'm in love.

2.
[April's been sitting front and center in front of the stage at the chatterbox for the entire night. Yes, she has a cord wrapped tightly around her leg. No, she's not struggling against it. If anything, she's perfectly content to hold the microphone the cord is attached to in one hand, and run her hand over the top of the microphone like a James Bond villain petting a cat.

Her interest is focused on the other poor souls who feel it's necessary to go up on stage and actually sing. Each and every song is a terrible choice, but she finds great delight in watching the misery and embarrassment unfold as each person takes the stage.

And once they're done singing, she whoops and hollers louder than anyone in the room. Are you sitting nearby and can't quite figure out what she's doing? Are you up on stage and have just been subjected to her fanfare? Or are you someone that notices she's been corded and hasn't gone up to sing yet? Whatever the case, approach her with caution. She thrives on the misery of others, and has been well fed tonight.]


3.
[If there's anything that April can appreciate, it's ice cream. One of her favorite things to do is loudly complain about being lactose intolerant and hating all of the flavors that come dairy free, while she happily eats at a flavor that is full of lactose. Which she has every intention of doing now. Really, she does.

Except there's a flavor listed that has her glancing over at the person in line that's directly beside her. Long pig, really? Orin would love this.]

Do you get the feeling we're in the middle of someone else's serial killer documentary?

[With an excited smile, she glances off toward a camera that isn't there. Almost like she's already used to being filmed for a documentary.]

2.

[light_mischief]

[Skulduggery Pleasant is too well dressed for shame, and as such has just completed two songs back-to-back; one classy Rat Pack hit and one obscure, doomwave sounding bit of Irish pop-punk he's been forced to listen to since befriending an annoying teenager. The latter song gets rushed through, as if maybe these sentient wires and microphones recognize a stage hog when they see one. Maybe it has more to do with the next yowling, unhappy karaoke-goer being hauled into the room.

Either way, April's applause feeds his ego, no matter how sarcastic or mocking it's meant to be. The skeleton's not completely out of the bag, but his towel-turned-scarf has fallen beneath his nasal bone, and as he briefly lifts his hat off his head, his shiny white bone catches the lights. Look, there's only so long you can go around hiding your skeletal facade before it stops being worth the trouble. We are quickly approaching critical apathy here.]

Thank you, thank you. [He steps off the stage and gently settles on the floor.] Audience participation is half the battle. [Said like the kind of guy who isn't going to stick around to watch the next hapless act unfold. Not unless it's really funny.]

Skulduggery Pleasant (from the book!) - this game looks so fun!!!

[light_mischief]

1. waking up after the end of the world

[Skulduggery Pleasant figured a lot of things were about to go terribly wrong for him the moment he'd been yanked through an inter-dimensional portal, but this was... not exactly what he'd had in mind. He'd expected, you know, the usual sort of thing you'd find in a hell dimension run by insanity-inducing ancient gods: hellfire, brimstone, the wreckage of a dead or dying planet subjugated by the Faceless Ones...

But instead, he's apparently on an ocean liner?

...Okay. Sure. Why not?

Skulduggery reads the note twice, then sets about ignoring it for a bit, perusing the room and its contents. Two beds, but only one person, which would imply that somebody either already left, or might still be arriving. No immediate sounds of danger or mayhem outside.

But there's not much to distract him, and eventually, he makes his way to the muster station, occasionally playing with the physics that refuse to let him off course.

To anybody there, Skulduggery appears as a man in a suit wearing a towel like a scarf over his face. He stands utterly still during the presentation, and afterward, he goes to the railing and looks down. Like, you know, maybe he might try to jump and see what happens.

Does he momentarily light a ball of fire in his hand while he thinks nobody's looking? Yes, definitely. Just to see if he's still got his juice.]

2. you're locked in karaoke with me
[Oh, neat!

Skulduggery is absolutely thrilled by the weird little cords trying to force him into a good time. He's following out of curiosity -- also, he's already seen one wailing patron get dragged down the deck and he is not interested in humiliating himself.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth (or to refuse a funky little karaoke machine its wishes), Skulduggery makes every effort with his rendition of The Girl from Ipanema. And then, assuming nobody else is dragged in to replace him, Skulduggery goes ahead and tries a couple of other songs out, just for kicks. An off-key and unremembered attempt at Thin Lizzy's Jailbreak, the first Patsy Cline song that he can find, even an obscure song that consists mostly of drone noise and the occasional throat singing.

If the karaoke stage needs somebody up there, then by god, Skulduggery Pleasant is going to make it regret choosing him.]

3. we all scream, a lot, constantly

[Skulduggery doesn't eat, so. No ice cream for him. But he is absolutely devastated to know that he could be trying some Irish brown bread flavored ice cream. This is a cruel trick, a punishment for not allowing his teenage sidekick to get sucked into the hell-portal. He's never going to recover from this.

Oh, wait, no, he definitely is. He just... is going to order some and then stare at it. This is fun! Like eating, only without... the part that makes the ice cream go away.

Man, now he's gonna have to find somebody to eat this ice cream. If he makes eye contact with you now, you might be the one he tries to unload his creamy troubles onto.]

4. choosing your own adventure

[Skulduggery sets out to explore the ship, leaving his towel-wrapped, well-dressed self out in the open. He's just going to be poking, prodding, and pulling anything he can find. A door that opens? He's going through it. A bell that lets him ring it? He's ringing it! Is that lifeboat close enough for him to hop in and rifle around in it? Well, you know what he's doing!

Anyone who might be around would see an ungodly skinny man in a nice suit, hiding his face and exploring. If he's spotted, he'll make every attempt at friendly conversation. He'll even offer to share the brochures he's dug up while wandering around -- although most of them seem to be impossible to read for some reason. Huh. Weird! But delightful. Skulduggery, weirdly enough, seems to be having a great time.]

3

[serialskiller]

[Murderbot is, unfortunately, curious about new flavors and near enough to Skulduggery to be roped into trying something new. A tall, broad figure, the accidental brush of eye contact immediately leads to it looking away, like a housecat offended to be looked at directly. Proceed with caution, skull-boy.]

Kokichi Oma | Danganronpa

[violetlies]

[ONE]

[It's ironic, waking up on a comfortable bed considering where he was last. Kokichi's eyes adjust to the light - faintly - and he squints. Somehow, he thought dying would be more painful and the afterlife would be...less hotel-y. His brows arch. Hrm. That's when he catches sight of the letter near the bed.

He reads it, and he doesn't trust it for an instant. As could be expected. What he trusts even less is how even when he tries to deliberately turn the wrong way, he's directed the right way.]

Ghhh--are you kidding me?! Let me go!

[Nope. Nope. He's heading straight for deck one.]

Aaaaaaghhhh.

[And he's one of the last ones there, looking like a pouty brat the entire time.]

[TWO]

[It is equally as helpless when he's dragged along by two very insistent cords. He's loudly whining and crying the entire time, only to end up dead silent when he ends up on stage, giving whoever is out there a deadpan stare.]

. . .

[Normally, he might've been interested in livening this thing up with the most ridiculous song he could think of, but now? Now?]

So what's the deal with airline food.

[Delivered deadpan. Yes, boy, give us nothing.]

[THREE]

[32 flavors. And one of them is grape panta! Kokichi can't even remotely complain as he licks at his ice cream cone, humming to himself. Well, at least there's one good thing on this stinky boat. He's peering at the other cones to see what people have, and...]

Heeeeeeeeey. So. Um. What's that?

[He's peeking over at someone who got the elusive 'long pig'.]

Looks sicknasty. Is that your preference?

[WILD CARD]

[Anything else? Lmk!]

[techniques]

[Reigen almost feels sorry for this kid for getting dragged up onto the stage. But he's also feeling mildly irritated that he's even here to begin with, as once the "show" started, it seemed that the ghosts or whatever in the room causing this were not letting people leave yet, even if they weren't selected to be dragged out to entertain everyone else.

Maybe that's why, after an awkward silence sits in the room, Reigen sighs and offers to play along from where he's sitting... albeit, his tone is just as equally deadpan because this whole thing really is pretty stupid.]

Gee, I don't know. What do you think is the deal with airplane food?

wanda maximoff | mcu

[weirdone]

𝓉𝑜𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝓉𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓅𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓃𝑜 𝓇𝒶𝒹𝒾𝑜 𝒽𝑜𝓂𝑒

[ Wanda is, for lack of a better word - shaken. Before her abrupt arrival, she'd been isolated, hidden away in a small cabin in Sokovia, preventing herself from causing any further damage. She needed to learn to harness her powers, to learn more about herself about the magic that flows in her veins.

That, however, has been interrupted, it seems.

The introduction has Wanda nonplussed, stunned into silence at the introduction and the forced drill, but after she's released and able to move around, she finds herself unable to fly any further than the tallest funnel, hitting what seems to be an invisible barrier.

So there is no escape, it seems.

Wanda has, at the very least, learned not to let her fury and grief get the best of her, so the ship is not ensconced in a sitcom hellscape. Instead, she listlessly explores, hands dangling by her sides, red leather coat draped over body and shoulders.

The most peculiar thing that has happened yet, though, occurs when a black cable winds itself around her ankle, not letting her go any farther, instead urging her to Chatterbox. Wanda tries, to no avail, to remove the thing with her powers, and when that doesn't work and more cables show up, she scowls and gives up, because she has no interest in being choked to death by strange black cords.

So. It's karaoke time, apparently. ]

𝒷𝓊𝒸𝓀𝑒𝓉𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝒾𝒸𝑒

[ Growing up, ice cream had been a special occasion treat, something that wasn't an every day - or even monthly - occurrence. So when she stumbles across Scoops, a little piece of her stirs in glee, and she has to stop and take a look at the flavors, though that last one has her hesitating because Long Pig??

She pulls a disgusted face, a hand up, red tendrils of power licking at her fingertips. ]

That is disgusting.

(( ooc; feel free to run into Wanda anywhere on the ship re: prompt one, or come up with your own wildcard adventure! I am easy! also pardon her dusty account while I upload more age appropriate icons. ))

kneeslides in i guess it's technically a wildcard type deal

[wordiness]

[ he knew he'd seen her. the red ensemble sort of stands out, and even if it hadn't, he'd know his own mother's magic pretty much anywhere. still, she's walking almost like she's injured, like something's wrong--besides the waking up on a strange cruise ship in another dimension, anyway--and that.. worries him. ]

Mom! [ he breaks into a jog to catch up with her, belatedly remembers that she may not have children in her reality, and corrects himself a moment later. ] Wanda! Wait up! [ he waves so it catches her eye, particularly as he's in jeans and a shirt, not his suit and cloak. he doesn't much stand out if you don't know what you're looking at. ] --Hey, are you okay?

emil västerström ▶ stand still, stay silent ▶ asgard genesis crau

[enflame]

— one

❰ this is perhaps the umpteenth time emil has been on a boat, so that isn't abnormal. what IS is that he was previously in a world without an ocean entirely (as far as anyone had yet to discover), so this us something of a shock. it's a very stark notice to him that he is very far from where he'd settled down as 'home'.

he's thrown the sheet from his bed in an irritated manner, reading the notecard, flipping it over to ensure there isn't a second page, then back again to take it all in a second time. a year ago, a 'cruise' would have been a blessing. now it just gives his stomach a sunken feeling. (whether or not he ever shows up to the lifeboat drill is left to be seen).

for now, getting his bearings are his first priority — he's learning! except standing up, it occurs to him that oh— he hasn't been alone this entire time. which is somewhat creepy, to have been sleeping with someone unknown in the room and awares, but also helpful. ❱

Uh, hi. ❰ he offers a rushed wave, as well as a half-smile that reveals how frazzled he feels. ❱ Has it just been— Was there anyone else in here that you know of?

— three

❰ emil's first day plan of action: distraction and avoidance. being uprooted is devastating, but he's long since learned that there's no arguing or complaining your way out of being brought to a different universe of some kind. you have to play the game they give you, in whatever way you can.

it's a blessing that there are a lot of different locations to wander in and out of, some of which make it easy to push complicated feelings out of his mind. one thing this place has over asgard is modern ammenities, some even more modern than he's used to. food is plentiful, varied, and you don't have to do much to get some.

the food establishments that serve pastries bring forth too many memories he wants to get away from, but ice cream has no immediate emotional attachment. there's a comfort to utilizing his mind to go over each flavor, categorizing them into subsections: 'love', 'like', 'no idea what that is but i'll try it', 'no idea what that is and i never will'...until his eyes fall on one with a name that makes his mouth immediately screw into a grimmace. beast boil, with a colour that isn't unlike strawberry, and perhaps the faded chunks within could be mistaken for something appetizing. instinctually, he knows better.

so instead of taking anything from himself, emil has clumsily scaled the counter (and if you saw him slip and fall flat on his ass doing so, no you actually didn't) and is working to remove what proves to be a very heavy vat out from its place in the display. it isn't going very well, almost as if it doesn't want to be vacated. ❱

— sports deck

❰ there's a tingling notion that emil has, indicating his magic is still there. it was hard to feel how intense it was, situated in asgard where the air itself was magic. you got used to the feeling, a very vague sense of electricity that existed in everything and everyone. free from that environment, emil can much more easily separate his typical self from the now-foreign feeling inside of him.

as a way to prove it to himself, he's come up to the sports deck, away from any building or obviously well traveled area. the concern about burning anything down is much less present (not that it was at the forefront of his mind, regardless) when everything is surrounded by water. it's odd how second nature it is now to place his palms a handful of centimeters apart and create a contained fireball between them, letting it fall and float just above the deck's surface.

anyone who comes up can find the area well illuminated. mindlessly, he's created about ten fireballs in various stages of intensity, all roughly the size of a tennis ball. ❱

— wildcard

❰ anything else you want baybee, or you can hit me up at haseul! ❱

Sports Deck

[treadwater]

[Undine's surprised to see the fireballs, watching Emil for a moment to be sure he has control of so many at once. Once she's sure he does, though, she offers a bright smile.]

I don't suppose you'd like to do a little target practice together? I control water, and sending blorbles after your fireballs--or vice versa--might be a good way to work on aim.

Ayato Kamisato | Genshin Impact

[pillaroffortitude]

✿ I.

[The concept of a voyage at sea is not a particularly foreign one to him, given how far removed the islands of Inazuma are from the rest of Teyvat. Ships carry cargo of all kinds, and while he personally has not been far from the shores of Narukami long enough to grace the decks of a sea vessel himself, it was never quite a reach to assume that some day he might. Political ties didn't just end and begin in the lands of his birth, after all, and the title of Yashiro Commissioner certainly held enough weight to warrant such an excursion.

That being said, Ayato was fairly certain he would have recalled it if he had been sent out upon such a venture. Upon waking, it was instantly clear that he was not within the same quarters he had fallen asleep in the very night prior; the décor itself was also not something he could easily identify the origins of, so while the gentle rocking of the waves beneath the hull were more than enough to signify the lack of land beneath the floorboards, he was not able to infer which nation the ship itself belonged to.

How very... Strange. If he had been whisked away in the night without so much as alerting even a single one of his Shuumatsuban... Well, that would be a feat in itself. It's through the careful examination of the cabin that he finally comes across the folded note of greeting, and after mulling over the words for a few repeat readings, he can't help but chuckle softly to himself.

Vacation. He barely knew the meaning of the word, so clearly whoever had brought him onto this ship had stolen away the wrong person. Regardless, the motivations didn't seem particularly malicious at first glace; that certainly didn't mean there weren't any ulterior motives in play, but after careful consideration, Ayato decided it would be best to play along for the time being. Drawing undue attention before he was irrefutably sure what exactly what had happened to bring him here would be tantamount to self sabotage, after all.

He would have liked to explore the halls and amenities of the ship itself before following the requests of these people he did not know, though it soon became clear that such a feat was impossible given his path was denied any form of deviation. So be it. He knew how to feign compliance. He remains quiet and composed as he emerges into the crowd, lingering near the outer edges and attempting to avoid recognition or acknowledgement for as long as possible. It's short-lived, of course, and he takes in the appearance of the ship worker's missing features with carefully masked surprise.

The conclusion of the drill brought with it dispersal, though he himself lingered in his spot. Lifting the lei up off his neck to scrutinize it more thoroughly, he hummed softly under his breath in thought as he tilted it about in his grasp.]

What an anomalous situation I appear to have found myself in.

✿ II.

[It's some time later that he can be found up on the deck, still keeping mostly to himself as he lets his eyes scan the horizon. His posture is rigid and proper despite the elbow he leans against the railing, back ramrod straight and shoulders squared. They must have gotten quite far from Inazuma within his unconscious state, as he can't seem to spot even a single distant glance of his home land.

Only water, as far as the eye could see. It didn't seem like his potential captors were doing much in the way of limiting his wanderings after the initial bout of being sure he was present for the safety drill, and it's now clearly apparent why. Even if he did decide to launch overboard in an attempt at escape, it wasn't as if he could flee anywhere conducive to his desires, even with the assistance of his Vision. Not before he tired himself to the point of meeting a watery grave, at least.

Stuck here, then. Unless he wanted to meddle in gaining control of the ship's controls and steering it himself, of course.

Unfortunately, within the education of his childhood, his father had neglected to pay a tutor to teach him the art of sea voyaging. Therefore... Perhaps that method would not be entirely productive either.]

✿ III. Wildcard!

[Feel free to toss any other thread ideas at me, I will Catch Them.]

I.

[opheliac]

( all day, jinx's been lingering around up above in the deck's rafters. since more and more new shipmates are arriving on the ship, she can't help but to be curious just who would be stuck here along the rest of our poor, poor, souls. lying on her back and one leg dangling, she occasionally turns her head to glance below to see if there's someone worth any interest.

she spots ayato and her first immediate impression is... fancy. so she already made up her mind then he is probably some sort of richie type individual that doesn't know the heads or tails of things. his attire reminds her of venti's, however. she wonders if he's from where he's from. ... hm. )

Yyyyep! And there's plenty more where that came from.

( she says from high above. )

rion | nier: reincarnation

[exiledwill]

ii. help he doesn't know what karaoke is

[Waking up on a boat was undoubtedly alarming when Rion just so happened to be in the "dying" camp for what he was doing before, but he's rolling with it! Or trying to, anyways. Being alive certainly doesn't hurt, even if he finds that his rather frail health remains the same. It isn't quite so terrible as when he last opened his eyes though; truthfully, he can't remember the last time he felt well enough to so much as walk about on his own.

And there's plenty to walk towards, it seems. Suffice to say that Rion has never been on a cruise ship before, let alone even knows the concept of it. After that earlier drill, he really is more than content to simply walk about and explore. While it concerns him that his clockwork companion is nowhere to be found, the bizarre circumstances he finds himself in means he figures it's likely for the best, and at the very least, nothing seems dangerous here.

Of course, that's proven wrong in just a moment thanks to the black cords. Honestly, the struggle Rion tries to put up hardly even qualifies as one. He's always been a bit sickly, so it takes no more than the two cords wrapped around his ankles before he's carted off into karaoke night.

Now if only he knew what the device bound to his hand actually was.]

Ah, excuse me! [Even as he calls out to anyone who might be in the audience, his voice is soft and even. Not much of a shouter, this one. Despite the mildly distressing situation, he keeps his cool rather well.] I can only assume you came to see some kind of performance... But what exactly do I perform with this?

[Look, he can tell that he's not getting out of this until he does whatever these cords wants, but he doesn't even know what kind of list the machine is showing him! What is he supposed to do here!!]

iii. who will he share ice cream with

[Now here's something a little more familiar! It's been a long time since Rion had the chance to have a treat like ice cream—let alone even have the strength to eat it—but he figures, well... Why not have some now? If this place isn't some kind of bizarre afterlife where his poor health no longer matters, at least he isn't so weak anymore that one sweet treat won't affect him poorly.

Frankly speaking, even 31 flavors seems overwhelming to him, let alone 32. It doesn't help that the special new flavor looks... somewhat alarming, both in name and appearance. He stays clear of that, instead asking for two scoops of vanilla. But alas! It seems they mishear him, and instead of bringing out a cone with two scoops, he now has two cones with two scoops of vanilla ice cream each.

Sure, he could just have them both on his own... But even with his newfound somewhat-better health, he doesn't really want to have all this ice cream on his own. So instead, the next person approaching the ice cream stand will find Rion smiling politely and extending one of the ice cream cones.]

I'm afraid they misheard me and gave me more ice cream than I can finish. Perhaps you'll find vanilla to be a bit of a plain choice, but could I interest you in this?

iii. wildcard me babyyyy

[if none of these suit your fancy, feel free throw something at me instead! i'm down for pretty much anything.]

ice cream!!!

[sabigoe]

[ In the time that Fio has been staying on the ship, surprisingly she hasn't paid the ice cream parlor much of a visit, despite passing the area numerous times. Usually she opts to have her meals at the buffet and when it comes to dessert, she often decides on having a slice of cake. But for today, she decides to skip on the cake and try something new for once. It's fun to switch things up a bit.

Pressing her face close to the glass display window, she eyes the numerous options. For the supposedly strangely named flavors, she doesn't bat an eyelash. As if she would know. She's never had ice cream before!

The vaguely familiar voice draws her attention away. When she lifts her head up, what she doesn't expect to find is one of the people from her dreams. Her eyes grow wide. Sorry, she's too distracted to see him alive and here to respond to his offer of ice cream! ]

...The Prince?

[ She looks around, expecting to find someone else in his company. From what she remembers, the mechanical man was always found by his side... ]

Nell Crain | Haunting of Hill House | tw: mentions of suicide

[paralyzingly]

( this hotel room )

[The youngest Crain doesn't feel like this is real, like she's still in some sort of dream. She barely reads the card itself, and walking wherever her body is taking her only solidifies that her head isn't all the way there. She tries not to think about walking, as if she didn't just see her mother in front of her beckoning her in the same manner her legs seem to be on autopilot.

The concept of a possible afterlife is lost on her, and she's only brought to "reality" when the lei is placed over her neck. Nell doesn't seem to react though. Call it shock. Call it still being in the grip of Hill House despite not being anywhere near it. It doesn't matter. The girl looks like a ghost.

Perhaps for a reason.

There's no reaction to her though, whether she's supposed to comply with the drill or if she's supposed to mingle after. The pale, dark haired girl simply lingers for a moment, like she's already wishing she could fade back into oblivion, not yet ready to handle the truth of it all.]

( i scream, you scream )

[She isn't any more sure of this place now than when she arrived, but she at least seems like she's more present and in the moment. The idea of ice cream isn't the most appetizing, but then nothing really is to a dead girl. She doesn't realize it's her turn in the line, blinking when someone urges her to order.]

Sorry-- you go, [She steps out of the line.] I shouldn't be here.

( wild card )
ooc: feel free to give me something else. nell's mental health is shaky at best though, so just warning for that

( i scream, you scream )

[ripstides]

Mood. ( he shrugs, gesturing with one hand for her to retake her place in the line. ) Please. You were here first. I'm pretty sure they're going to ban me soon for coming back like it's endless scoops day.

Where else are you going to go? ( they're stuck on this luxurious boat. ) Do they have ice cream there?

Cirilla of Cintra | The Witcher

[surprisedly]

( hotel of too many things )

[Ciri is still holding the white card when she stands at the edge of the deck. She doesn't really care about who is greeting her nor any of the other people around her. She seems to be shorter and younger than most, tilting her head around. It's clear she's only looking for one person.

Is this some dream or a trick meant to deceive her? She's quiet as she tries to figure it out. Geralt should be here, too, right? Or maybe Yen. She might know what kind of magic this might be. If only to possibly end it. The more she searches, pushing past and around though, the more frantic she seems to be.

For anyone else sensitive to magic, they may feel hers, bubbling at the brim, but not tipping over. Ciri is aware enough despite being desperate for her essential caregivers. The girl is still very new in her training though.]

( i'm not the bard )

[To say she tried to fight off the slithering chords is an understatement, but by the time they're pulling her on stage, she's got a few wrapped around her now. Blinking seems to be of no use. Even as she manages to disappear and reappear only a few feet away, the chords just snap back to her leg and arms.

She struggles for another moment before shouting:]

Fine, fine! I'm here. [She stops fighting as the mic is put into her hand. This isn't her skill. Maybe if she were back in the courts of Cintra, waiting for a suitor good enough for the Princess. But she isn't that girl now, and she's no bard.]

( wildcard )
ooc: also totally up for any other prompts that you may have thought of. just also mentioning that ciri is ~14 in her canon point

it's hard to be the bard

[sictransitgloriamundi]

[was there some bearded dude sitting cross-legged on a chair before she got on stage? not really. and yet that's happening. looking on expectantly.

... actually no that might be boring. helpfully:] You need to tell it what song you'd like. It can't read minds.

[... that'd be kinda cool, though...]

adrian chase/vigilante — peacemaker

[sebrings]

01. TOUCHTONE PHONE

[ he is never going to hear the end of it if it somehow gets back to his friends that he was felled by a fucking power cord. he would argue, though, that it was two power cords and they were heavy duty cords that are apparently impervious to the fucking machete that he's been trying to hack at them with ever since they got around his ankles.

he's still swinging wildly while he's dragged, trying to grab things to stop him with his free hand but nothing works. he's dragged and he starts praying even though he doesn't believe in anything. he just doesn't want to die! he doesn't want to die via power cord. that's not cool at all. he wants to explode so various parts of him end up all over the place.

he's thought about this. so, adrian closes his eyes and waits wait waits — until he realizes that the dragging's stopped. he opens his eyes from behind the visor and finds himself on a stage with a bunch of stunned people staring at him.

he laughs and gets to his feet. the cords are still there and, after a cursory look around, he figures out that he's the entertainment for the moon eyed people in the crowd. ]

So hey, hello, I'm Vigilante and I guess you're here to hear me sing.

[ he tries to deepen his voice so no one actually recognizes who's behind the mask. he clears his throat and then blows out a breath. he tries to think of a song but his mind goes blank and the only thing that he can bring forth is: ]

Anyone know the classic Sussudio by Phil Collins? If you do, sing along!

[ and so that's what he sings. it's not great but he puts his heart into it and eventually the power cords release him and, once the song is done, vigilante sheathes the machete and hops off the stage, quickly moving away.

lived to fight another day! ]

02. AND A BUCKET OF ICE CREAM

[ you know who can't have ice cream? it's this guy because he doesn't want to take his visor off and reveal his secret identity to a bunch of people he doesn't know. he's going to be their hero, their savior and he doesn't want his superhero life and his adrian life to cross.

but he really wants ice cream. it all looks so good and you might find him with his helmet pressed up against the glass, looking down at the ice cream longingly.

god, his mouth is watering which is really not good when he's locked inside the helmet. he's going to have to wash this thing again. ]

03. WILDCARD

[ if you'd like to do something different, let me know. adrian's going to be keeping his helmet on for the first little while but he's kind of a shitty superhero irt identities so it'll come off pretty quickly. ]

02 excellent character choice tbh lmao

[violetlies]

[So. Kokichi's just eating his normal grape soda ice cream, it's good, and...and that's about when he notices, a bit away from him, some weirdo in a getup pressing his face against the glass. Why is he even dressed like that? Why's he looking at it so weird?

Immediately, this gets a brow-raise, but he leans over.]

Hey, dude, you know they're not charging, right?

If you're that desperate you can just get some.