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

[twelfthsong]

The leis as a device? [He raises an eyebrow and casts a glance down towards the garish thing around his neck.] That's a thought. Has anyone else explored it?

[He would have but with a fritzing Sonic Screwdriver and no other working equipment on board it's a tad more difficult than it normally would be for him. The Doctor seems to ponder it for a minute before tuning back into what Clara is explaining and she'd be able to tell that he's got that familiar, excited sparkle in them.]

Fascinating. It's not entirely out of the realm of possibility. Maybe this place is just a pocket universe functioning on its own. Anyone from your Earth? [Honestly, save for the sick micro management element to this place, the Doctor is having a pretty good time with that prospect in mind.]

[serialskiller]

Those who didn't sign up for the shore excursion--three days, camping, strenuous activity is what we were told--got to watch it on every screen on the ship. I...didn't kill anyone, during the battle royale. I got killed by Max. He was having the time of his existence out there.

[It might sound a little defensive when it says it didn't kill anyone. It sure did shoot someone, and have a huge panic attack. It wasn't a good time.]

[prefers_magneto]

"A construct that cares," he clarifies dubiously.

[serialskiller]

"Do you doubt that it's possible for a constructed being to experience real emotion?"

This is asked in a very even, flat tone. Because it knows firsthand how much caring, especially about irrational fuckers like humans, can hurt.

[prefers_magneto]

"Oh, I'll be looking for him, point of fact," Erik tells him, pretty intrigued by all of this. "Unless you'd care to introduce me."

[prefers_magneto]

"I just arrived as well. I don't know how it works. Someone told me the mysterious Captain brought us here. That we're part of some sort of mechanism for taking over the world," Erik explains.

[prefers_magneto]

Erik lifts an eyebrow. "Egyptian gods. That's... boutique."

Okay, so the one he fought thought he was an Egyptian god, too.

"And you destroyed her?"

cw: references to the Holocaust

[prefers_magneto]

"No, I doubt that a man building a weapon would add a feature that 'cares'. For real, I mean. The last death machine I walked into, there were people that pretended to care to make those powering it compliant... until the pretence didn't serve them anymore," Erik explains. "Then it flew up the chimney with their ashes."

Thank you for warning.

[serialskiller]

Murderbot tilts its head to one side. "People aren't always as well-aware of what it is they're building as they'd like. But what the fuck would I know, I'm just a death machine, myself."

And it turns to walk away, hands clenched in fists.

[prefers_magneto]

"I don't think you are," Erik says bluntly. "I think you're whatever you decide you are. You have a mind, so if they wanted you to kill mindlessly, that was their mistake, wasn't it? And now you're just you. They can't decide what that means."

[lower]

( unfortunately she's alive, and he can see her feet (thank god it's dark in there or he would have got the best panty shot) as she clasps her hand around the knob, pulling it so that he can't get in. it's embarrassing for him to do this to her— not only call her fat, but didn't even compliment her breast when she mentioned them! she may hate them because they place strain on her back, but he could have been supportive! )

Y-Your sword?

( that's right, she's a captain or something now, and he said that she would have to learn all sorts of war crimes to fit in? she can't remember, it's all rpg nonsense to her.

she's just an idol... )

What's your bet... it better make Riamu-chan happy, because if I'm not happy...!

( she'll scream, and she got a pair of lungs on her! )

[serialskiller]

"I'm kinda balls at deciding what that means, myself." It stops walking, but doesn't turn back around to face Erik.

[justneedsomehelp]

"Yeah, something like that." He tilts his head, eyes narrowing a bit. "You don't seem all that weirded out. Y'know, a guy tells you he fights god, most people think he's insane."

Although-- "You did wake up on a cruise ship, under the thumb of a wannabe God, so I guess maybe you've already gotten a taste of weird."

[pinballer]

"If this Captain guy thinks I'm gonna help him out with that, he made a big fucking mistake," he says, cracking his knuckles.

[pinballer]

[ He almost says he can't hurt me more than I've already been hurt, but that's not a possibility he wants to put out into the world. ]

Then what? We just sit here like scared little rabbits?

[makemeasong]

[ Reaching out with her free hand to touch his lei, she shakes her head before dropping her hand again. ] This is brand new information. Just found out and haven't had time to explore it yet.

[ Looking at their hands, she sighs and shakes her head, looking back up at the Doctor. ]

Everyone I've talked to has something happening I've definitely never heard of or seen. On one Earth, apparently, the US is so deep into technology that robots are pretty human. As an aside, there are robots here and they don't like being called that. It's offensive. Anyway, in another version, there's a virus that caused the entire population to have random mutations.

[latersgators]

"Um." Steven's gaze shifts left and right. "Yeah. Alright." Marc would be able to tell straightaway that Steven's not all that comfortable but hopefully he won't stage a full on intervention and just. Be nice and subtle and courteous about it.

"Our cabin's-- just up that way. Although I don't know if he's home right now." That would be awkward, if he was boozing it up at the pub. Steven wouldn't want anyone meeting Marc in that daydrinking, careless, self-destructive state.

i forgot to empty the subject line :,)

[qliphoths]

[ she frowns at him. that doesn't quite add up with the length of months as she knows them to be... ]

I see. And did you sign up to be on vacation here?

[ because she certainly did not ]

i love rita sm omg. sorry this is kind of rushed aaa njdkfdns QQ

[qliphoths]

[ she recognizes the familiar glow of an arte, the stretch of a glyph beneath the girl's feet. tear hadn't been expecting for her to be able to use any sort of ability like this and leaps out of the way, watching with widened eyes as the fire balls soar past them.

unfortunately the glass is able to reach her from where she'd leapt, a sizable piece slicing the exposed curve of her shoulder. tear doesn't notice it though, too busy concerning herself with rita. ]

... I wasn't expecting for you to be able to use artes.

[ there's a note of approval to her voice as she walks back over to the other girl's side. a part of her is a little glad to see a shred of familiarity here. ]

I made the mistake of assuming you were just a civilian. Thank you, for taking care of that monster.

[qliphoths]

I suppose that's a small comfort. What exactly is daily life like here, in your opinion?

[ if you die you're resurrected, people are apparently from different worlds, the crew are faceless creatures...
it seemed very much like a nightmare, or hostage situation. what's been keeping people here for so long? ]

[configuration_birdwatcher]

// You don't sound very upset about it. Their whistling audio turns downright sardonic on that remark. Yeah, he just said people come back intact when they die so they can see why Maximilien isn't bothered by gratuitous killing, but if suffering is what the captain wants it'd be less effective for someone to go around killing people because they're bored or mildly annoyed or curious than if the killer doesn't want to be doing it and is tormented by the painful memories it reminds them of as soon as they realise what they've done. Unless it's a quantity-over-quality thing where if you get enough victims it adds up to the same value. They're not sure exactly what the captain's looking for.

// Nice to meet you, they say, completing the social ritual and logging that name in their memory. Hey, wait a minute, Maximilien's one of the people the cyborg construct said it didn't like. It's not hard to guess why; the two artificial beings have opposite attitudes in virtually every way they've observed.

Bastion groans electronically and flips the palm of their manipulator arm upwards. They're giving it a genuine analysis, but they wish they didn't have to.

// I think I'm unlikely to begin firing without provocation, they say, thinking of the effort they've put into desensitising themself to gunshot-like sounds nearby, bulky humanoid shapes, and broken machines. // I'm concerned that I'd react to a genuine threat, fail to disengage afterwards, and kill uninvolved people I misidentified as enemies.

[winepouring]

What an agreeable guy! As much as Shi Qingxuan doubts there's any real muscle cramping occurring, this is a convenient excuse to get them going together—and to stick around without it seeming too strange, just in case something threatening does suddenly appear behind them. Stepping forward, he takes his place beside the other man, tucking his forearm under his to give a bit of nominal support. His own sleeves are long and billowing layers of silk brocade, and up close, one can even see a couple rings on his fingers. If he's at all bothered by the difference in their appearances, though, it doesn't show on Shi Qingxuan's face or in his easygoing demeanor.

"Ah, I thought so! So same is true for you," he replies with absolutely no concern for giving away his lack of knowledge. "I also found myself here when I woke up, just tossed on a bed with that weird letter by my head."

He rambles on as he tries his luck moving the two of them on and continuing down in the direction the man was facing when they met. But, as he had somewhat expected, his legs won't move that direction, and the only sign that he had even tried is his hand pressing against the other man's elbow a little more than before. It seems the only direction they're allowed to go is back around and further down the hallway.

"This entire situation is too alien and bizarre. There's clearly something at work here," he continues in exasperation. Their forced travel trajectory being only part of it. "But, if whatever did this truly had something terrible planned for us, then it would have already happened while we were asleep and unaware. Since that isn't the case, then shouldn't there be more to it?"

not at all, it's great!! these two scaredy-cats lmao...

[myagic]

[Rita's a bit more prepared (and maybe a bit too used to fireballing the scenery), shielding her own face with an arm when the mirror shatters. Ha, take that, stupid gho--mirror monster. But when she looks at Tear, she falters a little at the blood trickling down the other girl's shoulder. She's opening her mouth to say something--

--And then stops short, because artes?]

You're familiar with artes?

[That means--she must be from Terca Lumireis, or else...Jade's world, providing there aren't any other weirdly-similar worlds out there. Her surprise is brief, though, since it isn't like they know each other. Ultimately, whether or not they're from the same world, then, isn't really that important.]

I am a civilian, but I'm a mage, too. Rita Mordio.

[And then...she looks at the injury on Tear's shoulder again. She doesn't feel...too guilty, not when the alternative was getting attacked by that thing. But maybe she is, just a little...and it's not like she can just ignore it.]

...I guess...I should show you where the infirmary is.

[winepouring]

[ What a fiery personality... Shi Qingxuan thinks with a thin smile, already accepting that this is just the way Rita is. ]

How right you are... All right, now let's finish this up!

[ He claps his hands and crouches down again, seemingly devotedly looking for the correct capsule again. That beetle trapped in the capsule begins running around like a tiny hamster ball, skittering across the colorful carpet. There are other insects trapped inside, but they're not as lively. Shi Qingxuan is choosing to ignore that, along with the other questionable items like the tiny razor blades and bundles of knotted hair. ]

I say, how long have you been interested in magic? Have you been practicing for a long time?

[ He doesn't really need to ask; how could she create a spell like that without years of practice? Rather, he wants to make conversation, and magic seems to be her interest, and conversations are always the most fun when the other party is passionate about what they're talking about. ]

vampires might be too spoopy for her

[qliphoths]

If that's the case it would be nice for the captain to make a way home for us, too. [ she's notably sarcastic -- and a little bitter, as she says it. there's a part of her beneath the stoic façade that's still a little angry about being here. ]

You can regenerate? Is it like healing? [ her head tips, eyes rounding in curiosity.
she can't imagine that someone could just ... heal without any kind of arte or concentrated ability. ]

I may not look it but I'm a melodist -- and healer, myself.