TEST DRIVE MEME #5

[sailmods]

1. not subtle revealings

[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! I'm very glad to have you aboard!

[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. a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling

[the reflections are missing. all of them. in mirrors. in television screens. on the backs of spoons. nothing looks back at you.

then, figures do show up. not your own, like you'd expect. thin, wispy apparitions, people with pleading eyes and hands, reaching out to place their palms against the surface, from their own end. faces familiar and not, beckoning, mouthing words you just can't quite make out. help me, it might be. get me out, perhaps. just until you're close enough, until your skin warms the surface of whatever it is you're peering into. and then, those same hands wrap, all too real, burning-cold against your flesh, and pull, trying to drag you through the surface, making up for their lack of strength with desperation. any flesh unlucky enough to enter the reflection comes back bone-white and cold, all sensation dead, though it will fade within a few hours.

in retrospect, it looks a bit more like they were saying something different. something more like, better you than me. or maybe it's not even words at all. they look a bit more like they're laughing.]

3. complex mementos

[but, hey. sometimes changes are good! like, today, in Playback, there's a brand-new game available for all the children to play! it's an old-fashioned sort of claw machine, the type that's so large, a particularly dedicated kindergartner could wriggle their way inside. the prizes vary, and sit loose: bags of candy, stuffed toys, firearms, painfully early-00s electronics, actually that one just looks like a dead iguana, tiny ship-branded knickknacks... like all the other games in the arcade, the game starts up automatically upon being touched; lack of quarters shouldn't keep you from having fun! pro tip: they are loaded, and they will go off if you suck at claw games and let it fall.]

Comments

chrissy cunningham | stranger things

[cheerleader]

not subtle revealings
[Guess who's having a terrible day? This cheerleader. Waking up here hasn't exactly been an improvement from the last terrifying place she was trapped. She's carried her letter on white cardstock with her all the way to the deck, following the crowd until she's gotten to the right place. And she knows it must be, because she sees exactly who Gal Friday is supposed to be. She's the one without a face. The faceless woman handing out leis like this is summer vacation.

After everything she's recently experienced, this whole situation is a big source of anxiety for her. So she steps behind the person closest to her, willing herself to be as small as possible as she tucks her hands up into her sweater. She's seen and approached anyway, and Chrissy can only stare at Gal with a wide eyed look of fear as the lei is slipped over her head.

In an effort to escape the close proximity, she side steps. This bumps her right into the person she's been trying to hide behind. Her legs really don't seem to want to work. She gives an apologetic look as she stumbles back.]

Do you think it's okay to walk around now? I really don't think I can be here.

reminder of a temporary feeling
[Someone's a little on edge. She's sure this boat has some really great qualities, but she can't shake the feeling that she's being watched. Or maybe like she should be being watched, most likely by her own reflection. But no matter how hard she tries, she can't find anything where she can see what she looks like.

That's how she winds up in front of a television screen, thinking maybe she can see herself if she looks hard enough. And there's something there, and it's only when she leans in a little closer that she sees what they are. She's completely transfixed, even when she realizes the faces aren't her own. Help me, they scream. Get me out.

As someone who was recently trapped in a hopeless situation where there was no escape, Chrissy's terrified. Still, she reaches out with a shaky hand to try and touch at the television screen. The second she does is when the hands reach through grab her, and she screams as she tries to pull away.

She flails and shoves wildly as they attempt to pull her in. Her screams grow louder as she struggles more. Go away, go away, go away! She's just as desperate as they are, but it takes a hand on her shoulder pulling her back to help free her. She's pale and trembling once she's free, and ducks away from the hand that's just helped her. It's rude, and she knows it. But she's about two seconds away from losing it completely.]

Wait. [she realizes maybe this wasn't another hallucination at all] Did you see that too?

complex momentos
[Chrissy doesn't really hang around arcades. But any teenage girl from the 1980s knows how to play the little crane games where you can win a cute stuffed animal. She's excited to give this much larger one a try, but wants to watch others play first. It's not that she's not sure how to play, but she's curious to see if this is one of those machines that drops everything it picks up.

She quietly watches someone play, rounding about to the side of the machine to look at the prizes inside. Her nose scrunches up in distaste once she finally sees the variety of "prizes".]

Is that a dead lizard? [It's definitely a dead lizard. Who would do a thing like that?]

Maybe you should try for that instead. [She's pointing to a stuffed animal all the way in the corner. Look at how normal and fun that looks compared to...just about everything else inside this machine.]

lucas kovach || original character

[woocas]

I. Not subtle revealings
“Come on, really!?” Lucas exclaims to no one in particular. The young man is stock still in the middle of the ship's hallway, an increasingly flustered expression on his face. This has to be a dream, right? Otherwise the office is going to have a field day and he’ll get an earful for being late to work.

Unless this isn’t a dream...

Sighing through his nose, Lucas considers the hallway before him. Nothing barring his way and yet he can’t move another step forward. This has happened a few times already, starting with the door to his cabin. A pattern that’s starting to shine through, like he’s being corralled into a certain direction. The note said to report to deck one, does that mean he’s being forced? The thought doesn’t paint the best picture. The only comfort Lucas has is the fact that he’s woken up here with both work jacket and ID tags. Combined they were a shield, a well-worn routine. It’s just like any other case; he can face this like any good officer would, like IOPSA - the large black letters on the back of his jacket - expects of him.

Lucas turns, catching a glimpse of someone else in the hall with him. They might notice his name patch on the front of his jacket embroidered with the name KOVACH. “This is gonna sound crazy but, like, something doesn’t want me going this way. Has this happened to you?”


II. a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling
Sitting cross-legged on the floor Lucas sits just beneath a mirror in one of the hallways. He’s carefully cradling his left arm, muttering and occasionally rolling his upwards in the direction of the mirror. Mulling something over rather than freaking out. The gears in his head are churning and at the rate he’s going there might be smoke soon.

“Oh, hey there,” He remarks casually whenever someone wanders by. His arm is deathly white almost up the elbow yet he seemingly pays it no mind. “Don’t know if it’s happening everywhere but, like, I’d stay away from the mirrors right now if I were you.”


III. complex mementos
[Lucas presses face into the glass, hands braced like a giddy twelve year old trying to peek at the fabulous prizes held within. It’d be a nice change of pace from trying to figure this ship out and how to contact anyone off of it. Like pounding his head against a wall.

Right?

Wrong.]

That can’t be a real gun!

[Lucas huffs, fogging up the glass. Now he’s up on his tippy toes, jabbing a finger into the glass, pointing.]

Are you seeing this? These can’t be real prizes!?


((ooc note: I‘ll match writing style, prose or spam!))

i. (not subtle revealings)

[opheliac]

(jinx isn't a newbie here. in fact, she has been on this boat for proximately five months now. so why is she here in the mix of all the new crewmates? simply because she finds it really amusing to see the new little fish struggle to get their bearings and being filled with confusion.

so being bumped into it, she quirks an eyebrow at chrissy and her appearance. huh. she looks really ordinary and nothing too much to gawk at. still, jinx smirks mischievously.)

Too late, Toots. You're stuck here forever like the rest of us. — Oh! If I were you, try not to get blasted or knifed by our lil' locals. They get reeeeaally excited when the excursions happen.

(with that, she turns on her heel -- her long blue braids follow suit and then makes her way down to deck to head to the nearest store.)

reminder of a temporary feeling

[woocas]

[Lucas throws up both his hands in a defensive way, taking a few steps back. his left is still bone white all the way up to the jacket sleeve rolled to his elbow. He offers the stranger a lopsided grin, hoping it brings a little calm into a very freaky situation.]

Woah there, take a few breaths alright? [He considers her question, then nods.].

I saw it, trust me. They also got a hold of me too actually, but we're both safe right now. [Probably.] Okay?

1

[treadwater]

"Yeah, it happens to everyone the first morning they wake up here. You need to do the muster drill before you get set loose on the ship. I'll go with you, if you want. The first time can be a little...startling."

After all, reactions to the faceless lady vary widely.

The girl talking to Lucas can't be more than fifteen years old, and her blue hair shows no roots, nor her eyes any indication of being contacts. It's magic, plain and simple. She's in a blue-and-teal sundress, a beach towel draped over one arm.

2

[serialskiller]

"Mirrors this time. Great, I'll make a note of that." Tall and broad, the figure who's approached doesn't make eye contact with Lucas. It's dressed in a gray blue hoodie with a logo and text that reads PreservationAux Survey Team, cargo pants (with bulgingly full pockets) and sensible black work boots.

It gestures at the arm. "Does it hurt?"

[woocas]

"Huh," is the only reply Lucas can muster at first. The blue hair and eyes combo has him wondering about the dream angle again. Maybe she's a fae...?

"Well, I'm not going to say no to some company, that's for sure." He grins, sheepish but earnest before jutting his hand out for a handshake. "Still trying to get my bearing, you know? Lucas, by the way."

[woocas]

"This time?" Lucas repeats, his tone edging dangerously towards incredulous. That implies it's not the first time, which gets his mind churning in different directions. As he mulls this over his pale eyes finally drift up to whomever's wandered up to him and it's not at all what he's expecting. Survey team. Huh...

"Oh, uh. I mean, yeah, but it's not so bad?" The direct question startles Lucas out of his thoughts. "I kinda did tempt fate going in twice...but I gotta know, this has happened before?"

[treadwater]

"Undine. Nice to meet you. I've been here for a few months, so I know how rough it is." Her handshake is very businesslike, practiced. "If you'll come this way, you'll be able to move again, going to the muster drill."

She starts to lead in the correct direction, smiling brightly.

[woocas]

"Rough? Aw come on, how bad can a cruise be?" Please don't answer that. Lucas gives her hand a brief, but firm shake before turning fully around to follow.

"I did notice that something definitely wants me to go in a certain direction only, if that's what you mean by that?" He'll just operate on the supposed dream logic for now, until any scrap of evidence gives him a solid lead on what the hell is actually going on.

[treadwater]

"There's times when we don't really have a choice in matters here. This is one of the most overt examples, but there's times when we're told what to do, or else. It's...bad. This isn't really just a cruise for fun. And like I said, I've been here for months. Without being able to go back home."

She lets out a bit of a sigh. "Um, when we get to the muster drill, try not to freak out. The cruise director looks a little...um. Unique?"

[serialskiller]

"Not this, exactly, but there's usually something going rogue. Restaurants throwing knives, the karaoke machine kidnapping people, furniture starting a conga line that forces people to dance...mirrors doesn't surprise me."

It sounds more exasperated than concerned.

"If you need medical care, there is an infirmary, a few decks down."

[woocas]

Frowning, Lucas absorbs all of this and rolls it around in his brain. So far it's a stark contrast to the chipper note left in the room, but lines up perfectly with the unseen force directing him towards the top deck whether or not he wanted to go there.

"Wait. What do you mean we can't contact anyone off this boat? Like, no wifi or sat phone?" How is he supposed to get in touch with IOPSA. Now this could be bad. Very bad.

Belatedly, he adds, "Unique? Like cryptid unique or just funny lookin'?"

[treadwater]

"No wifi, no sat phone. The ship phones will call or message other ship phones, but only if you have someone's room number and name. As for Friday...uh. She has no face? Like. No face. But you can read her body language pretty easy a lot of the time. She's sort of...the captain's. You'll see."

Yeah, she knows this is a Lot to take in, but he keeps asking questions, and she's not just going to not answer!

[woocas]

"Yeah, I'm starting to get that impression," Lucas grumbles. First the whole safety drill and now this. "Is it really that common for weird shit to go on?"

Still grumbling, Lucas shifts his focus to his arm. It only hurts where numb skin meets unaffected and seems to be working normally otherwise. "I'm not sure a regular doc can do anything about this. Unless they've got a...uh, ghost doctor on call or something."

[woocas]

The trick is to get Lucas to stop asking questions, honestly.

"Shit," He curses under his breath, brows furrowing for a heartbeat. No contact with anyone off ship. This isn't a dream, this is a slowly unraveling nightmare.

"No face?" Lucas squints skeptically at Undine. "I'll take your word for it...Guess we'll see soon enough. It's this way, right?" Finally, instead of just yakking, he'll start heading in the direction she had pointed out.

"So before you woke up here where were you from?"

[serialskiller]

"I think they call those necromancers." There's more than one of those on the ship--Murderbot's had to get used to all the weird magic shit around itself.

"But you're right. Dr. Watson's been teaching me basic medical care, and this sort of thing certainly hasn't come up."

[treadwater]

"The Founder's City. I'm guessing you're actually probably not from the same world as me; no one has been, so far." She walks alongside him with a sheepish little smile. Because her talking about her world has ended poorly repeatedly.

...and gotten her adopted a couple times, too.

"How about you? Where are you from?"

[woocas]

That gets a snort out of Lucas, accompanied by a wry grin "Necromancers raise the dead. A ghost doctor is there to fix boo-boos."

Bad jokes aside, he finally gives the man(?) a real good look-over. "Is that part of the survey team duties or what?"

[woocas]

"Now hold up, a different world?" Lucas sounds skeptical but not accusatory. He always tries to meet people where they are, first. The truth always comes to the surface after that. "So this boat is in a different plane or do you mean, like...this Founder's City place is?"

His head hurts. Too bad Miles isn't here to make sense of some of this!

"I'm from Virginia, actually." He pauses, one eyebrow crooking up. "If you've got a Virginia where you're from? Or...hey, does IOPSA sound familiar at all?"

[serialskiller]

It almost shies away from that look, pretty pointedly glancing off to one side. "No, I wasn't created to be a medical assistant. I'm a security cyborg construct. But Dr. Watson needed help."

[woocas]

After a few moments Lucas glances aside, too. Maybe staring at the dude isn't such a great ide--robot. The robot. The robot?? This is all a lot to take in still.

"Oh, uuuuh..." He trails off. There's a long beat of dumb silence before he recovers with an earnest reply.

"That's cool, actually." Real smooth. "Do you have a name? I'm Lucas."

[treadwater]

"Never heard of IOPSA." She's ignoring the question about Virginia entirely for the moment, because it's easier than telling him that she's from the last city on Earth, as far as anyone knows. That Virginia did exist, but probably doesn't anymore.

"Anyway, the running theory is that this is sort of like...a mini-plane, created and sustained by the Captain. That's why there's nothing living in the ocean, and no bottom anyone's been able to reach. He didn't think to put any animals or seaweed or plankton or anything down there. Or seagulls in the sky. Or things like that."

[serialskiller]

There's a bit of a sigh; Murderbot doesn't tend to give out its name freely. Humans don't seem to like what it thinks of itself as. "You can call me SecUnit, or you can call me Rin. I don't care which you use, I'll answer to either."

That's a little bit of a fib, honestly. It doesn't understand the human instinct to default to Rin as being closer to a name. Most people on the ship find 'SecUnit' dehumanizing.

...which is the point. It's not human.

[woocas]

"Hmmm." No IOPSA, at least as far as Undine knows. Lucas doesn't suspect she's lying, especially after the next bit of information. Who would think to make something like that up? It's weird she doesn't say a word about where he's from. Maybe she's not from Earth at all?

"So...it's just water out there? No land at all? We're just stuck in this boat?" Lucas sounds more curious than panicked, feeling out the situation as he goes.