TEST DRIVE MEME #10

[sailmods]

a. that's where we both belong

[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! I'm so happy you could join us!

[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.]

b. and there's plenty of that down by the sea

[it’s strange to think about, isn’t it? how all those new passengers, the ones grumbling or shouting their way through the forced muster drill, have absolutely no idea what happened just last month. no idea about the labyrinth. no concept of why anyone around them would be a bit more hesitant around shadows.

they’ll learn.

sometimes a shadow is darker than it’s supposed to be. very rarely does anything come of that; just a vague sense that someone is watching you, and little more. sometimes, though, the shadows move. sometimes they grab at your ankles as you walk. sometimes they give you a shove as you go down the stairs. sometimes they pull your hair, or pinch your arm.

sometimes you feel something sharp cut into your lower leg.

that’s not a shadow, though. that’s a fiddler crab. you see the crab, sometimes. the cut isn’t from its claws, which don’t look very intimating; it’s not a very large crab. the cut is from the large kitchen knife crudely taped onto its back. it’s probably fine. it's not chasing you. there isn't evil in its heart. probably.]

c. think I'll go back to the Keys

[one day, in the atrium, two pedestals suddenly appear. on each is a large button: one green, and one blue. pressing the blue button gives you a little treat, popping out of thin air next to you. pressing the green button sends a small electric shock through your body. weird, but, hey, pretty avoidable, right?

except, it seems to be spreading. to every other button on board.

in the elevator. on the soda machine. the arcade. your phone. the bell on Friday’s desk.]

Comments

[guildmastermind]

"I do drink alcohol. What are you offering?"

See, he thinks he knows what sort of questions she's about to ask. And he doesn't need anything too strong for that. But she might, it seems?

[conclusively]

"Oh yes, I'm sure that there's dedicated historical accounts here, right next to..."

Pause. Whatever small flicker of self respect he still has after being dazed and confused all morning stops him from reading the phrase In the Lair of the Rakish Reptilian aloud. Huh. Over here, with the cover turned away, he cracks the spine with only what must be a deeply held desire for punishment emerging.

And then closes it after two pages, silently placing it back on the shelf, tucking it behind other books so no one else has to deal with that.

"As I was saying. I think it is fair to assume none of these stories have any basis in reality."

[ablativeholopleather]

Oh, this guy is really in his wheelhouse, huh?

"Nah man, you're speaking to a career support," he replies easily. "I work in Gestures. Statuses, debuffs, defense and healing, though I'm not as good at that as others on my crew at that last one. Never managed to figure out Foam Armor properly." He lifts a hand at that, screwing his face up briefly and manifesting an odd little clay device between his fingers, though it doesn't do much more than produce a single tendril that isn't really capable of making anything worthwhile. "I stockpile food for that though, and this place has a lot for me to pocket. I currently have like uhh...a full stack of hotdogs ready for deployment. They're great for keeping your Flesh up," he explains.

[crushed_pearls]

"My guy, I'm mostly blind, question is what're you picking." That goblin grin again, sharp and playful. "But if it's all the same to you I'm thinking we get wine out of Topy and then hit Bobby B's so I can smoke. Topy's is where the sake is too but uh. It's real old sake, so decide how badly you wanna die first."

[dupli_arms]

He listens quietly as she explains the multiversal aspect of this place, and yeah, that falls in line with what he'd learned from Dedue when he'd met the man out on the sports deck.

"Fukuoka originally, yes." She's very astute, it seems. Even if they can all understand each other here (something not lost on him in the slightest) they still retained their original accents. "Have you come across other people like me? Or is this just information gathering?"

[guildmastermind]

"Sadly, I don't heal, myself, but I can buff another healer. It sounds like different systems, but I'd almost like to try working with you to see if they're compatible enough that we could work together. Mine doesn't require food to work, but I'm limited by skill cooldowns."

He is lighting up like someone told him he arrived just before Christmas. Someone else who knows the pain of the Enchanter life???

Edgar | Snowpiercer (2013) (with CRAU)

[hate_gettin_older]

here we go for the hundredth time (before the muster drill)

There's a young man in the guest cabins corridor, not going anywhere at the moment. He's built slight (an uncharitable narrator might say scrawny), with a short shock of reddish brown hair and dark blue eyes. Those eyes are looking just a little wild right now, between building rage and existential alarm at the fact that he cannot move his feet in the direction he wants to go.

He's muttering under his breath if he doesn't see you. If he does, he'll turn those slightly wild eyes on you and say aloud: "What the fuck."

goin out of my fuckin mind (after the muster drill)

The question of what the fuck has not, to Edgar's mind, been adequately answered. But at least he can walk where he feels like walking, right now.

That is, he can walk where he feels like walking when he isn't transfixed by the view of the endless ocean. Of all the bizarre things he's seen, this ... vastness is one he can't look away from.

Find him staring at the horizon, or wandering the outdoor decks, trying to figure out the bounds and boundaries of this new world. It doesn't occur to him to wonder whether there are any; of course there are boundaries. He'll find out what they are when he runs into them.

so why try ignoring him (time for crab)

Okay, now the repeated question of what the fuck? has taken on entirely new levels of bewilderment and ire.

"Who puts a knife on a fuckin crab?" he demands of the immediate vicinity, stepping backward as the creature idly advances sideways on him. "No, you stop that," and that is, apparently, directed at the crab.

make it a dirt dance floor again (wildcard)

[Hit me up on discord (batyatoon#2432) or surprise me!]

[crushed_pearls]

"Depends on what you mean. Japanese? Not here lately." Ignore the several years she spent in Japan in Max's memories it's FINE. "Clear and present issues with moving through a conventionally human society? Throw a brick, you'll hit someone. Or didja mean something else?"

[guildmastermind]

"Wine works--perhaps something red and tart, and I'll tolerate your smoking as well. But you'll need to point me in the right direction, mostly blind or not. I have no clue where I am yet."

Beat.

"If your next sentence is to point out I'm on the Serena Eterna, I will smite you."

[guildmastermind]

"Astral Bind!" The voice comes from behind Edgar, as a shimmering ribbon of blue light ties Ody in place so he can't pursue any further. The guy who cast the spell is in a white cloak, holding a staff.

This is normal for him, really.

[conclusively]

"Douglas." The immensity of the reassurance that pours through him at that voice, that hand on his shoulder that he does not draw away from -consequences to the wind, cannot be easily measured. But whatever unsettling turn of events has come to pass, they will have each other's company, hopefully through it all. "I confess this is one of the few times in my life I find myself unable to answer that question."

But Cyrus looks much the same as he has the last time Mycroft saw him, and that stands for something, even though he has that accursed lei on. If it was only feathers, seeds, it might have been tolerable, but the bone puts it over the edge. Mycroft will resist the urge to tear it off of him, and instead just ask the immediate questions.

"How do you feel physically? Injured? Drugged in any sense?" There has to be an answer, even as he feels as physically fit as ever.

[ablativeholopleather]

"My go-to is a debuff-plus-armor-reinforcement that keeps my tanks in the fight longer. If I can enable them, then I'm doing my job." He's satisfied with that, too. It feels good being useful to the rest of his crew, and if Shiroe is already thinking about how the two of them might collaborate, who is he to turn him down? "I could probably hit up my partner to help with all this, he's got the makings of a full-offensive tank, and there are a few people that would probably be happy to try practicing this stuff. It's a safe place to do so, and all."

[crushed_pearls]

"I don't know you well enough for dad jokes yet. Besides, you're in your body." Congratulations fuckboy you earned a downgrade to a SovCit joke. Erin waves a hand for him to follow and Sets Off. "The bars are mostly near each other. Topy's is the wine place, Bobby B's is whiskey and cigars, it's got the nicest chairs. Fucking..." She shudders. "Stan the Man's has the stuff for those insane chemical cocktails with the balls of liquor in them an' shit, and Drunken Sailor does ale with pretzels and fish and suchlike. There's another bar at the adult pool, mostly does your tropical drinks, but uh, do me a favor? You see a dude about this high, messy hair, tends to be somewhat depressing and overshare completely batshit facts from their past? That's Klaus, he's comin' off the drink and could use people not being a dick about that."

[bubblegumheart]

Chrissy shrugs, too, and pockets the lei for now. Her happiness wasn't dependent on whether or not he decides to hand over that ridiculous accessory. She'd only figured that he'd be more likely to give it away if he wasn't already inclined to keep it.

"It's only occasionally dangerous." It's not much of a revelation. In fact, she's pretty sure that most worlds are only occasionally dangerous. This one just happens to be particularly weird on top of being dangerous.

[personachords]

"Enchanter. Support caster?" Shinsou continued to frown before shaking his head. If he put it to something he knew maybe it would help. A support caster might be closer to a support hero then? Like 13 maybe? Well not exactly like her. Still.

"Okay...what sort of things can you do then? If I can ask."

[guildmastermind]

"I love a good tank. I've got a Guardian, a Swashbuckler and an Assassin for other senior members of my guild. The Swashbuckler's a dual-wielding build, and the Guardian's sword-and-board. They're used to working with me, too."

Battlefield strategy is one of his kinks favorite topics of discussion.

"I also tend to fall into the role of field monitor for battles. Someone's got to have a clear picture not only of what's going on right now, but what the situation will look like in the near future. Monitoring cooldowns, monster abilities, things like that."

[guildmastermind]

Shiroe lets out a snorting laugh. "I think you only have yourself to blame for your reaction to that. But some of these books are more grounded in possible realities."

[conclusively]

Thankfully, he's had practice at keeping his face entirely neutral while phrases he doesn't want to repeat bounce around in his head.

"Possible, but what is the probability? As far as I can tell, almost nothing on this vessel reads as grounded in any sort of reality."

There's a walking skeleton he spotted earlier. That's when part of him decided to give up.

d - FAMILIAR FACE!

[personachords]

Shinsou had all but completely given up on seeing anyone he recognized on this stupid ship. Not one but two people now have told him that he is not only not in the right UNIVERSE, but that he's not even the real him!? He's frustrated and maybe on the verge of panic...so many that's why when he sees the familiar large form of class 1-A's youngest member her can't help but rush over.

"Shouji!?" Please be the right guy, please. PLEASE! "Please tell me you're actually Shouji Mezo from class 1-A because if you just look like him I might have an actual fit right here."

This is probably the most Shouji has ever heard Shinsou say, between the sports festival, the co-training with 1-B, and then everything after...they don't really interact much. Which is too bad because Shouji is a nice guy and he's definitely more calm than Midoriya or Kaminari who seemed to take Shinsou's 'I'm not here to make friends' as a challenge.

[guildmastermind]

"...for some definition of my body." The murmur is quiet, mostly to himself. He follows Erin nonetheless, paying attention on the tour.

"I promise not to be a dick about that, specifically. I'm not a big drinker, anyway. Slows the reaction time. It's a social thing for me, at best."

[guildmastermind]

"It's easier to demonstrate than to explain, perhaps. May I buff you?"

There's a little bit of a daring smile there.

[personachords]

Shinsou listens, he really does, but there is a visible flinch away from that hand. It's nothing against Wayne, this kid is just fresh from a war with a guy who can steal peoples quirks by just touching them so, yeah.....no touchy. He does offer an apologetic look however before slowly blinking and nodding, taking a deep breath.

"Right, if I'm just a copy then the real me is taking care of things. That means that the plan isn't messed up because I'm not there. Because I'm there...and here. And I'm going to try not to think about how weird that is."

He again follows Wayne, seeming to relax even more when he actually sees the food laid out.

[crushed_pearls]

Erin's ears twitch and swivel in the direction of that murmur. She'll remember that.

"Good to know. I don't get like, smashed-smashed a lot but sometimes you really can only drink about things." She gestures grandly to the entrance of Topy's and takes a moment to adjust her sword belt, tightening it back up. "Choice of bottle is yours, I can't read labels. Well. Lemme correct that, if you find me a label I can read and it isn't in braille? Yeet that bottle into the sea."

[personachords]

Weird and dangerous are two ways that he would luckily describe his own world so...it works.

"Right...uh...I'm Shinsou, Hitoshi Shinsou. Nice to meet you?" Awkward teen go-.

[guildmastermind]

"...you may need to broaden your definition of reality, if that's the case." That's said gently, as Shiroe considers if he wants to blow the guy's mind totally. "The world I was brought here from is one where elves exist. That's outside your reality's laws, isn't it?"