sail_ooc | TEST DRIVE MEME #5

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TEST DRIVE MEME #5

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.]

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I don't mind at all!

I'm a Darkhunter. I've gotta be sharp with handguns if I'm gonna be good at killing monsters.

She effortlessly catches the bag, stuffing that one into her basket as she looks over her brand new gun. Testing its weight, finger far removed from the trigger. Discipline's key, of course.

"Mm... well, I hadn't really figured that far. A nice older girl told me there's killing sometimes, but if there's no money to be made, then..."

There was the problem! She thinks about it before... hmm! "Do you know if there's a place where I could get a little target practice in? Wouldn't wanna get rusty!"

Aww, you caught me~!

[ Part of her was thinking of ditching this guy immediately, but being great at dodging ambushes... interesting! She's impressed so far with the folks who keep saying fun things like that. ]

But if you're expecting an ambush, that means I'll have to work twice as hard, doesn't it? ♪

[And cue eyebrow.]

An adventure.

[Care to elaborate there?]

1.

Dave doesn't go anywhere very often. He's more or less reached the 'hermit' end of the scale from homebody. His soothes his need for company and physical affection by owning multiple cats and dogs, and his need for social and intellectual stimulation by chatting online. It works for him.

Better that than be overwhelmed and burned out from the constant onslaught of other people's emotions, crashing over him like a wave whenever he goes anywhere there's more than a handful people.

So he knows immediately when he wakes up in a bed that isn't his, and without the comforting presence of his pets' emotions, humming in the background.

Here, it's... He wouldn't know how to describe it. Oppressive and barren at the same time. There so much to feel, but so little of it feels real. It's horrifying.

It feels like a bad dream, but eventually he makes it out of the cabin he's somehow ended up in, and he stops trying to fight his way against whereever this place wants to take him.

But the closer he gets to deck one, the more overwhelming everything gets. He can feel all the people, and maybe several things that aren't people. All the fear and confusion and anger, amplifying his own, filling him and making it hard to even focus on his surroundings.

Eventually he just can't go further, and he drops to his knees, his head bowed and his hands over his ears, his eyes shut tight - as if it would help.

4. Wildcard

Find a scruffy, tired-looking stranger around the ship. He'll avoid crowds, eating at whatever hours there's no one around, and hide away if mostly abandoned places. It's better than staying in the cabins, where all the people are packed in.

Edited 2022-07-30 21:33 (UTC)

Pratt is aggressively trying to pretend that he didn't stab a few people, loose his shit and attack some others, and subsequently get himself killed. Everything is FUCKING FINE and there is nothing to be concerned about and if he mentally yells that at himself constantly maybe it'll work.

In any case he's walking back from the buffet, carrying an entire tray of garlic bread in his arms. He's still wearing his police issue boots and an oversized army jacket, but underneath he's wearing a silky button up shirt from Tommy Bahama with a pair of linen pants. It's a half-step towards retirement.

"Hey uh.. you alright?" Because dude sure doesn't look it.

Dave feels the person before he even hears his footsteps. An approaching sense of denial and repression. Other things too, but there's too much interference for him to even try to pick up the specifics. Guilt? Worry? Concern? Those all seem pretty likely.

He glances up when he's spoken to, and holds up a hand to stop him from coming closer. "It's okay. Please don't come any closer," he requests, his voice rough.

He stops where indicated, because he totally gets that. Touching him tends to make him flip out, so he will maintain a healthy six feet of social distancing.

"You sure? Cuz kinda.. doesn't look that way. I get it." Pratt sounds like he may smoke twenty packs a day and gargle with glass, his throat irreperably damaged from months of screaming during torture.

"Want some garlic bread? I could like.. toss you one."

Dave lets out a huffed laugh at the offer and the accompanying gentle concern. He doesn't think garlic bread will fix this.

He closes his eyes again and breathes in through his nose, focusing. Zeroing in on this guy's feelings, giving him an anchor, a specific point to hold onto. It doesn't block out everything, but it helps a little.

"I'm alright, really," he says, opening his eyes to look over again. It's at least a bit more convincing now that he doesn't seem to be in obvious pain.

It's while Dave is sleeping somewhere out of the way--perhaps behind the chair in a lounge or in the Calgona spa, that there will be first a feeling of c̵̡̭̟̮̄̄̑̑͠ó̸͔̯̓n̶̝͇̥͘͠c̴̹̹̮̟͊͗͠ẻ̸̬̳̠̥͌͊͝ȑ̶̪ņ̸͚̓̅̾ that passes relatively quickly as someone retreats, only to return a few minutes later to lay a weighted blanket on top of the empath.

The emotions are muted, but strong, like hearing an opera singer in the shower two floors above, singing in a foreign language.

"Aight, if you say so." Because he's definitely used the 'I'm fine' argument many times when he was absolutely not fine.

"You uh.. just get here? I'm Deputy Pratt, of the Hope County, Sheriff's department." A pause, "I gotta stop saying that last part because half the people here don't know what Montana is and it's super awkward."

Most of the time he doesn't wake purely from emotions - not unless they're pretty close, or very strong. This is both, but in a way that confuses him in his half-asleep state. He's had to deal with a lot of strange types of feelings lately, but this one is new.

And then suddenly there's a weight on top of him, and that's definitely enough to nudge him properly awake. He sits up a little, blinking in confusion - and a hint of startled worry - looking up at the bringer of the blanket. "Wha..."

He nods at the question of whether he's new. The addition is both amusing and confusing. People don't know Montana?

"It's okay, I know Montana," he answers, though by his accent Dave's definitely not from anywhere near it.

He's not sure whether this guy being law enforcement is a good think or not in this context. He does seem genuinely intent on helping, so there's that. Dave clings to that particular emotion.

"It might help you sleep. The weight is meant to be comforting." The stranger is large, clearly strong and possibly dangerous. It is also incredibly ş̵̟̋̀̆h̵̢̩̤̪̀y̸̟̙̏͑̂ ̷̣̅̔ȁ̷̲̤́n̷̠̞̿ͅd̶̗̱͑́ ̷̼̪̰̦̋̽̏̕ǘ̸̼̖ņ̶̜̥͖̌̕c̷̤̒͝ë̵͙̺́͠͝r̵̖̬͊̎̓̕t̴̝̫̩̳͋̇ă̶͙͜i̶̫̗̲̔͠ṉ̵̛̩̦̝͊́̆, stepping away from Dave instinctively as he sits up and avoiding eye contact--there's nothing in it at this moment that is threatening. "Though I will need it back, eventually."

There's a lot of confusing things happening right now, and he's not nearly awake enough to deal with it.

"Oh, uh. Thank you," he answers, then clears his throat to get some of the sleep out of it.

"Uh. What cabin are you in, so I can return it?"

What to do when you're an overwhelmed and confused Englishman? Lean on politeness and practical concerns.

"Cabin 119. I share it with Jinx. If you want to sleep a while longer, go ahead. That's part of what the blanket is for."

It shrugs, moving to sit down on the floor at a conversational distance, but out of arms' reach, in a spot where it can see the entrance of the room easily.

[ 'Used to be'? ]

Even doctors need doctors sometimes, though our doctor is a little bit out of date. You might be more qualified if you're from the 21st century. Is that when you're from?

[ Malcolm's trying to distract her, hoping that the corpse-white flesh will start to go away on its own. ]

Well, there's no way he's going to be able to sleep now without addressing a few things. Even if the... concern?? Protectiveness? Is appreciated. It feels like one his senses is broken - like when suddenly your eyes can't focus.

"Um..." he starts, no idea how to approach this. "I'm sorry if this is in any way offensive or something, I don't mean to be, but... Are you human?"

Because there's either something wrong with Dave, or there's something wrong with this guy. Or, maybe not wrong, but definitely different.

There's a flash of f̴̰̮̚͠r̷̟̯͗̕ư̵̦̗̲̓͐s̸̜̟̳̅̈́t̸͍͙̓͑̚ř̴̦͙̌a̷̢̪͎̾t̸̢̻̉i̴̮̗͘͘͘o̵̘̟̳͛̊̕n̵͔̝͔̍́̈́ followed immediately by r̸̗͎͝e̴̮̓s̵̲͌i̷̲̐g̵̹̒͘n̵̰̽̇a̷̝̳̒͠t̵̞̬̕ī̴̹o̷͖͍̿̿n̴̠̻̒. "I was manufactured using 30% cloned human tissue, but I am not a human, no. I'm a cyborg construct."

None of the emotions that Dave is experiencing, even as odd as they feel, come out in the stranger's voice yet. It's very much a customer service voice.

[He draws her attention with that last bit. She looks up, brow faintly furrowed.]

When I'm from? What do you mean?

There's a sigh of relief, "Oh good, I've never felt more unhinged then trying to explain what a tree is to someone who's never seen a forest."

He questions his sanity on a daily basis, but that one had been particularly distressing.

"You need anything? I can show you where the buffet is if you want some food? Or like.. the laundry room and library are both pretty good if you want a nice quiet place to have a breakdown."

[ That's the spirit! If one is going to be stuck in a mess of a place such as this, it's far better to at least be able to inject a bit of levity into it rather than a somber lecture about how there's death around every corner. There's more than enough who will default to that tone, but Hiyori should prefer not to behave like a cornered rat nor one confronted by a weasel. There's too much to do for either. ]

Mmhm! I'm afraid I haven't had the pleasure of going on these little excursions, I believe there's only been a couple of them thus far, and so the next one will be my first. But I've heard that one was a battle royale, and the other a quaint little camp... I'm certain that our hosts won't let us get bored.

[ The former is awful, of course, and he's glad to have missed it. He doesn't want to come off as completely incapable of grasping the gravity of things, so he adds, ]

Though, ah, I should hope that the former was a one time occurrence.

In her idle dreamings about what it would have been like to have someone to comfort her after her death, Darcy had envisioned something like this. A hug, soothing words.

She hadn't envisioned how much it was still going to suck.

For different reasons, too. Now that she'd weathered the worst of it, her brain was working again, jabbing herself with cruel comments about how this was going to diminish her toughness in his eyes, a growing mortification at needing comfort like a fucking child, his steady hold quickly shifting from supportive to constricting in her panic.

But then Dimitri reminds her that she'd done the same, and her hackles ease back down again. This wasn't a hand-down from someone steadier and stronger and more in control of his own shit. It was a mutual support. A real, genuine friendship between equal parties. No pitying, no superiority, no ties or tethers except what they chose to uphold, not seeking to replace a loss or fill a void like she feared she was doing with some of her other relationships. Two broken pillars, each holding the other up.

Darcy relinquishes her grip on Dimitri's shirt and reaches up to ruffle his hair again.

"Yeah, I did. Thanks and I'm sorry and... yeah. I sort of... i don't think there's a good way to put it, but the thing that saved me... didn't come with me here. Him gone is a hole in my heart and my head, and you just... reminded me that he's not here."

2.

Radley feels like screaming and freaking out when he can't see his reflection in the mirrors. He's not a vampire! This cruise didn't turn him into one, right?!

When the spirits start appearing, he backs up, slips, and sits down hard on the floor. At first he doesn't know any of them. Then they're the miners' ghosts, all the spirits of those Malcolm tortured to death. They're all reaching, trying to pull him in. There's even one in the spoon he's holding.

He stumbles up and screams, desperately trying to get away. The spoon clatters to the floor as he tries to run. It feels like they're all around him, closing in, trying to drag him to the land of the dead....

"Someone help me! Oh God, help me, please!"

He's a sobbing mess by now.

3.

Radley sees the claw machine and stops to look at it. "What the ... is that a gun in there?! In a kids' game?!"

3.

Radley is so appalled by the guns that he doesn't even see the lizard at first. When Rinoa exclaims about it, he takes a closer look.

"... Seriously?! That's sick! Why would anyone want that as a prize?!"

Which is pretty par for the course here, it seems, but he's new.

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TEST DRIVE MEME #5

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Dave Smith | OC

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Wildcard

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Radley | Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds

Re: Rinoa Heartilly | Final Fantasy VIII