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

[cheerleader]

[If this were any other time, Chrissy would focus in on that second part and let it be the start of an incredibly happy and likely very cute conversation. But it's hard to focus on that when the first thing he said is replaying in her mind over and over again.]

Really? A skeleton? [Okay, so maybe it is the afterlife. Or one really complex hallucination. But she's pretty sure she's not capable of hallucinating Eddie Munson quite like this. In fact, she doesn't think she's creative enough to hallucinate someone like him at all. So she's banking on the hope that just maybe this all is real. It's weird, and it's confusing.

But she desperately wants to be alive.

Which means that maybe she shouldn't sound so excited about a skeleton guy just walking around. But she's curious.]

That sounds pretty freaking metal, if you ask me.

[She can't bring herself to say fucking yet. But someday she'll get there. Just like she's managed to pull a smile out now. This place is scary, she's still seeing things, and she probably died back in Hawkins. But she's got a friend here, and that's a good start to trying to feel more like herself.]

[killed]

[ How nice it must be to be young. Hiyori himself isn't all that old, but he's past the age of throwing himself into danger without worrying about the consequences. He does chuckle though, offering an agreeable nod in return, a hint of amusement working its way into his voice, ]

Well, I do so appreciate the warning.

[ It's only fair, then, that he's offering his own. ]

From what I understand, it's something like a truth serum. Once the water touches your skin, you'll be compelled to speak in truth or lies for several minutes. The former is harmless enough so long as no one thinks to pry into personal details, and so long as it's not a lie it does seem to count. Lies are a bit trickier though, and I believe that should have the potential to lead to real harm when none can tell the difference.

[ How...? Well, plenty of ways. In a world where information is power and currency the truth can be dangerous to expose, but one only need skirt around or refuse to answer. Lies can be a fair bit trickier, particularly when most don't know how to navigate and utilize them properly. ]

[serialskiller]

"Mm. Not a cohesive one. There's pockets of conflict and dissent. A bunch of individuals, people poking at the captain and one another. Some people are...alright. Cooperative. Not everyone, though. And that seems to be according to his plan, if I'd guess."

The vibe is a garbage can omelette.

[woocas]

Aw, shucks, hah. [Lucas raises his good hand over the name patch on his jacket, dutifully ignoring a bit of heat in his face as much as possible. It sure is nice to hear someone be grateful, genuinely. Amidst all the unsettling weirdness and feeling in over his head it's almost like a lifeline.]

Well, I think you're selling everyone else short. For me it's kind of part of the job. Back home, that is. [Chrissy's question throws him off his last question.]

Oh, dude, I just got here like today. Unless I'm dreaming, but the jury's still out on that. [He shrugs his shoulders, casting a hapless look in her direction.] What about you?

mementos

[killed]

"Now, don't you know better than to try and cheat at games?" The voice that comes from behind them is light and teasing, light footsteps coming to a stop a handful of feet away. He cups his chin in his hand as he leans forward, inspecting the machine. It seems to be a regular crane game, one that works free of charge. How lucky to be offered free firearms at such a low cost, one only need to make sure they have a steady hand and aren't standing too close to the prize drop. But that's not his point of focus right now.

Hiyori steps close, tapping the glass as he continues, "I'm quite good at these games, you know," He claps his hands together, "So, do tell me! Which one would you like? I'll get it for you on the first try. ♪"

[woocas]

Huh, truth or lies. [he scratches his head. At first blush the whole idea sounds crazy. Then again, all of the reflections have vanished and a ghost physically affected him. That's never happened before.

And then the investigator part of his brain kicks back in. Curiosity getting the better of him.]

Has this been happening since you've been on the ship? Like are there any patterns to it, or just luck of the draw for h-two-oh-truth-or-dare?

[woocas]

"'All according to his plan' makes this Captain guy sound like some mustache-twirling super villain." The laugh that follows sounds hollow, like Lucas is trying to convince himself.

"How many people? I know I'm asking a lot of questions, dude, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of this."

[opheliac]

Then I gotta have you meet Rin. He's a robot but get this — he looks completely human! Skin, hair, everythin'! There's another chick here that's the same, too.

( munching still, jinx pushes herself off the wall to glance down through the glass wall elevator. they still have a bit to go before they reach the playback floor.)

I would love to rip 'em apart to see what makes them all tick. Too bad I'll get all the whackos will be on my ass if I tried. Guess I'll just hafta deal with imaginin' it in my dreams.

a.

[millay]

Maeve looks up, spotting the...well, she knows it's not human, but the language on the ship is one that requires care. "The Captain of this vessel took us all from our home worlds and brought us here," she says after a moment. "The why behind that is mostly a collection of people's ideas. I don't know if we're being used for something or just because the Captain is bored."

She offers them a small, apologetic smile. "My name is Maeve. I'll do my best to answer questions, but I'm still figuring things out myself. Rin and Max seem to have some answers. I believe Ava as well. To be honest, there are a lot more people here with answers than me. Still, I'll try."

a

[actuallyawolf]

"Wait. You talk?"

Ylva circles at a safe distance, with the attitude of someone trying to look for a weak spot in a dangerous animal, but she straightens a little. Her pose remains tense, though, ready to leap forward or back. Her feet are bare, and she's still wearing her leather armour, but she's at least left her sword and shield behind today.

i. hi butthead doofus. im at work so have a smol tag. deal w/ it.

[opheliac]

Sorry to break it to ya, kid, but there's no treasure.

(says someone up above in the rafters. jinx has her leg dangling side to side while she peers down at this red hooded girl. her get-up looks...meh but this just means this girl is not some fancy type which she can't necessarily stand.)

'Least you mean killing people as a prize then yeah!

iii

[actuallyawolf]

Ylva drops to the ground when the bullet goes flying, but she's back on her feet and coming over to see what's happening a moment later.

"What was that? What are you doing?" Oh, this crane machine is fascinating, they absolutely don't have things like this where she's from. Or guns. Well, some people might have guns but she's not very familiar with them.

She is, for the record, a grubby half-elf in leather armour. With bare feet. Ylva presses her face and hands up against the glass of the machine, watching the crane. "You're trying to get that... that thing?" She points, vaguely.

[killed]

[ There's a thoughtful little hum as he considers that. He hasn't been here as long as some others, but it wasn't exactly hard to catch up. ]

Hm... I don't think anyone has been here long enough to pin down a definitive pattern. As far as I can tell the entire place was empty until just a few months ago, and people come and go with no discernible rhyme or reason. Isn't that interesting? Though I do worry for those who have left.

[woocas]

That's...uh. [Not the answer he's expecting. Actually Lucas has no idea what he's expecting at this point. Better roll with it.] Sounds like someone should start doing that. Looking into it, I mean.

['Those who left.' Turn of phrase or does this guy mean it literally?]

Now, you don't mean people dying, right doc?

[killed]

[ Well, that does happen too, but that's an entirely different issue. It could be said that it's a less pressing one when people are brought back, but who knows with the details behind that are? At any rate, there's no need to overwhelm him. ]

I believe there have been efforts, but our hosts are quite cagey about anything of actual significance. But I mean it quite literally. They simply vanish one day, as though they'd never been here at all. Even Miss Friday acts as though they were never here, although it may just be that her memory is especially poor.

[ Either poor by design or poor by tampering. The end result is the same. ]

Though we are floating in the ocean, so I suppose ridding oneself of them would be as simple as throwing them overboard... Ah, but I should truly hope that they're not so heartless.

3 HEY YOU

[pineapplesalmon]

César has to come over and inspect, looking immediately worried. A real gun? In the arcade?

He comes over to the claw machine and stares into it, long and hard. César says nothing for a long moment, just... stares.

"... it might be real." Faintly horrified.

[munstar]

"Yea... That."

Is this just his life now? Dealing with progressively weirder shit until he finally loses his mind for good? It doesn't sound pleasant, but it's somehow still not as dire as the reality waiting for him back in Hawkins.

Eddie's staring, now, more curious about what this guy has to say than worried about what might happen if he gets too close to the defective mirror. When he does speak up, Eddie actually snorts.

"Shit. I am not high enough for this conversation." Or maybe he's too high? He's still on the fence. That name, though? Really? "I'm Eddie."

[woocas]

[Add that fact to the creepy list. Lucas puffs out his cheeks, shaking his head.]

Nawh, I mean I haven't met the Captain but Gal seemed alright. Aside from the whole face thing going on, that is.

Anyways, here's me running my mouth and jumping in the deep end without so much as a nice to meet you, what's your name? [He cracks a grin.] Unless you don't mind bein' called doc all the time.

HAAAAAAY

[woocas]

"Dude, no way. This place is crazy and all but..." Lucas stares at the game for a moment longer, then casts his gaze in the other man's direction.

"Only one way to find out, right?"

[killed]

[ He shakes his head. ]

I suppose you could if you wanted to, but I'm certain that you can do better than some variation of "hey you." My name is Sou Hiyori, it's a pleasure to meet you Mr...?

[ He holds out his hand for a shake. ]

[cheerleader]

[The idea of taking something apart just because you can, or because you're curious, unsettles Chrissy. She understands robots aren't human, but ones that look human were made for the purpose of being like a person. Weren't they?]

Why would you want to do something like that?

[As shy as she's sounded before, she definitely doesn't sound the same way now. She doesn't sound angry, either. But given that she feels like a person that someone ripped apart just to see what makes her tick, she's a little on edge when she expresses her curiosity.

But Jinx is the first person here that's close to her age and could be a friend. She doesn't want to entirely push her away, even if she's a little weirded out.]

[munstar]

I know. It doesn't make much sense to me either.

[But what about this place does make sense? So far, his time here has been spent pouring his guilt over being a coward on someone he was pretty sure he was never going to see again and having a confusing conversation with a literal skeleton. Eddie feels like it's probably safe to assume that this is either a dream or a bad trip. But neither of those options would explain why Chrissy would be here.

There's no time to question her about it, though, before she speaks up again. Eddie blinks, as though he's trying to wrap his head around what has just happened.]

It was metal as fuck.

[Maybe it wasn't the most epic thing he's ever seen but in terms of weird shit he's seen during one of his trips, this was still pretty up there. What does that say about this place? He honestly has no idea. That thought should probably terrify him a bit more than it does, but after everything that's happened during the last handful of days, Eddie feels like he can probably handle anything this place can throw at him.]

[woocas]

I dunno man, I can come up with some pretty dumb nicknames. [Lucas goes to offer his left hand first, but stop short and swaps out for his good hand. It's an awkward but firm handshake in return.]

Lucas Kovach. Nice to meet you, Sou. Wish the circumstances could have been better, but beggars can't be choosers, right?

B

[makesomedeals]

That sound.... That sound is extremely familiar even though Maximilien hasn't heard it in.. well probably years actually. He immediately heads towards the source not sure what he's expecting but a full Bastion unit that just got its arm knocked offline isn't it.

"What are you doing here?" He sounds almost accusatory like it was their choice to show up on a cursed cruise ship. "Don't touch the mirrors."

He puts his metal hands on the unit's back and shoves them away from this mirrored wall. "This way."

Ben Gunn | Legends of Treasure Island

[likealeech]

1. Not Subtle Revealings

[ When he first wakes up, Ben spends a fair amount of time bouncing on the bed. He's never encountered one this soft and springy before, and he'll be damned if he's gonna waste that.

Eventually he looks at the note though, and, seeing nothing better to do, puts on the life jacket and leaves the room. He makes a few failed attempts to explore the place, before finally following his feet to deck one and the safety drill. ]

Glad to be aboard! [ he's not. Or well, he is. Maybe. He's not sure yet, there's more people here than he's seen in a very long time, and everything looks a bit odd, but what else is he supposed to say to the woman who's just given him a very nice necklace?
Once she's gone, he licks the lei, just to see what it is. And not just the white fragments either, but the seeds and feathers too.

After the drill, he races to the railing and leans over, looking out into the distance for any sign of, well, anything. Treasure Island, the Hispaniola, molten lava where Treasure Island used to be, something.

Oh well, he's here now, may as well make the most of it. ]

This is nice, isn't it? [ he grins at whoever's closest, and shoves his paw at them. Probably to shake ] The name's Ben Gunn, pleased to meet you!

2. A Permanent Reminder of a Temporary Feeling

[ The mirrors made him curious, if anything was going to convince him this ship was some strange working of Treasure Island that he'd somehow not encountered until now (maybe it's because the place had self destructed, that hadn't happened before, it follows that something new and equally weird would result), it was the strange ways the mirrors were behaving.

Find him staring transfixed at his lack of reflection, or clutching his now bone white arm against his chest and yelling at the nearest reflective surface ]

You won't fool me again, no you won't. Like a leech you are! Like. A. Leech.

3. Complex Mementos

[ Ben has no idea what a claw machine is when it's at home, but he does know he wants that lizard. The complex workings of such a machine are a bit beyond him, so he's taking a very thorough approach to working it out. Including, but not limited too: jabbing at the controls, kicking the sides, and, of course, trying to worm his way in through the prize slot.

Come by bit later and all you'll see is a beaten up straw hat in amongst the other prizes. ]