TEST DRIVE MEME #3

[sailmods]

1. you're the only one you owe (GUEST STARRING: selenokinesis and creepyoldguy)

[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 Passengers(s),

You'll be unable to leave your cabin until you read this note. Congratulations on making it past the first step. Keep reading if you wish, as I have information to share with you, as a fellow passenger stuck aboard this ship. Or don't continue reading, and burn the note. I'm not particularly invested either way, especially if you choose to throw away valuable warnings.

Watch out for the Captain.

Be cautious what you sign up for.

If you die, you'll come back to life eventually, though I would recommend you try not to die.

Your life is the Captain's plaything.

Do not think for one moment that someone isn't watching you.

With that aside, I am now contractually obligated to tell you the following: You will find a life jacket within your cabin's closet, and you are required to bring it with you to your assigned muster station on deck one. A companion and I will take you through the drill. If you cannot find us, look for a tall male with white hair and blue eyes and a friendly-looking man with unkept brown hair and a winning smile.

Respectfully,
Moon Master Ebalon

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 two people standing at the front of the crowd: an exhausted-looking man with white hair who seems rather displeased that he's been roped into this, and a man with a wide grin, bright green tips on his hair, and amber eyes. the latter is waving cheerfully, having an armful of leis. he quite happily puts them around people’s necks and while they’re distracted, attempts to dip them into a kiss.

as he’s basically a walking corpse, and smells like one to boot, it’s not exactly hitting the jackpot. but, he does at least listen to the word “NO”.

the tired-seeming man ignores this and announces over the drone of chattering passengers like yourself,]

Welcome to the Serena Eterna. Do try to enjoy your stay here; it is rather permanent in nature, huhu.

[and from next to his companion, the… er, overly-affectionate man who sounds as though he smokes ten packs a day rasps,]

You’re all doomed!

[you touch the lei. rooster feathers, lotus seeds, and a carved circle of something white and hard, linked onto a silk string.

after the duo complete the drill, you'll find that your legs suddenly obey your command, for what that's worth.

welcome aboard, passenger. we hope you enjoy your stay.]

2. one by one they'll do you in

[it starts, as most things do, with a table lamp. floating down a hallway, or the length of the promenade. ambling at a distinct clip: one-two-three-KICK, one-two-three-KICK.

and that's... not immediately concerning. after all, things float around here all the time; usually plates and drinks, but maybe the shades want to mix it up a bit. the lamp is alone for about a half hour before it is joined by others. a pillow. some knickknack from the ship store. Friday's clipboard. an empty vodka bottle. all have lined up, one in front of the other, and lead a procession snaking around the ship, growing with each passing hour. anyone familiar with the concept would begin to recognize it as a massive conga line.

there is a small chance you will want to join of your own free will. most likely, you will not want that. this does not matter: something compels you, like pins and needles in your feet, to join the dance. and once you have joined in... your body fights your mind on the subject, even as it grows more and more tired.

you pass by a familiar face. they could help pull you out. or you could pull them in.]

3. the price of vice foretold

[the scent of citrus and coconut rum hangs heavy in the air. there is a new storefront on the promenade, tucked between Sand Dollars and John's in a place where you are very certain there was not enough space to tuck a store before.

the clothes for sale are... a lot. like, a lot a lot. but, there are quite a lot of choices, though they do seem to repeat a little, once you've gone in far enough. in fact, even if you actively attempt to find it, you can't seem to find the back of the store. you can see a wall, sure, but it never seems to get any closer, even as you walk towards it.

be forewarned: the infinite tommy bahama does not have food or water.]

Comments

alex chen » life is strange: true colors

[colorwheels]

» you're the only one you owe

[ More alarming than waking up on some foreign ship is the blank in Alex's memory before that. She remembers...Pike, and the station. The affidavit she'd refused to sign, another attempt by Typhon to wash away all responsibility for Gabe's death. A folder, full of pictures of her and Ryan and Steph; a threat. Taking his fear, desperate to push him in the right direction. Then she'd gone back to the Black Lantern, hadn't she? And something important had happened. Something with Jed...?

But thinking of it now makes her head ache and throb. So she turns to the note instead, confusion only growing as she reads it over once, twice, three times. It's like the start of a weird indie game, she can't help but think, placing it back down.

With nothing else to do, she follows as directed, glancing cautiously out into the hallway before making her way to the deck.

Despite the way she's visibly trying to keep to herself and get her bearings, Alex stands out anyway when she nearly decks Beetlejuice as he goes in for a kiss (sorry Beetlejuice). Foster kid instincts and all that. But, guarded or not, she obediently goes through the motions of the drill anyway. If anyone needs help with a life vest, she'll get it on and secured for them. She's quiet but, almost punching someone aside, doesn't seem to be actually stand-offish or rude.

But when free, despite the situation, she's immediately off to peer over the deck at the expanse of water. Weird situation or not, it's her first time on any sort of boat, nonetheless a freaking cruise ship. And for just a moment, hair drifting in the sea breeze and eyes closed, she seems calm, if only for the moment. ]

» one by one they'll do you in

[ The floating stuff is going to take some getting used to. She thinks as she dodges the floating objects, staring back at them in complete bewilderment. ]

If they start singing 'Be Our Guest', I'm out.

[ It's half to herself and half to whoever is standing closest to her.

Still, it's impossible not to get pulled in despite her wishes, and eventually, Alex can be found in the conga line, looking particularly weirded out, unable to escape. Get close and she'll start waving you away. ]

Unless you want to start a musical number, stay over there!

[ Someone help her, she's starting to look tired. Or grab her hand and join in? ]

» the price of vice foretold

[ But out of it all, it's the clothes that finally get the strongest reaction out of the quiet girl. She holds up one of the Hawaiian print shirts with a laugh before holding it in front of her as if to test it out. ]

They want us to dress like drunk frat boys?

[ Pulling it away she looks at the shirt again, than at her own, before holding it out to whoever else is looking. ]

Wanna give it a try? I think I'm good.

[ DJing cat sweater > Frat boy shirts. ]

» wildcard

[ wildcard however you want! alex is a new muse, so i'm down for anything and everything if none of the above works for you! she'll easily be found anywhere she can listen to/play some music and looking around for anyone she knows, writing in her journal in the library, etc. she's quiet and introverted at first, but actually pretty friendly, so she'll talk to anyone who approaches her.

a head's up that Alex has empathetic abilities that allow her to hear thoughts of people she is in close proximity to, as well as see a colored aura indicating their emotional state if they are feeling strongly. i'm still working on how to handle this in an RP, so unless it comes up, she'll be avoiding doing so for the moment. ]

Wildcard - Feel free to pick up on as much or little of the inner dialogue as you want

[treadwater]

[Undine was aware that there were still new people showing up on the ship, but she still somehow was surprised to see an unfamiliar teenager in the library. Look, look, there's a lot of adults puttering around and doing adult things, but not so many people her age to make friends with (even though she's conflicted for being happy to see someone new, because, like...this place sucks, and no one should be here).

Right. Anyway, she doesn't want to startle Alex, so she hums as she approaches, heading to a nearby shelf instead of immediately accosting and probably scaring the new girl. It seems more polite that way.]

ty ty!

[colorwheels]

[ It's the gentle hum of thoughts that pulls Alex's head out of her journal. It feels like more of a violation here, to delve into the thoughts of the people around her. This isn't Haven, with problems she can solve or mysteries to unravel. As such, she's been trying not to focus in on them, or go poking around in people's feelings.

Still, some of it she can't control. The attempt to not startle her is appreciated, and Alex closes her journal slower than she might have otherwise. If Undine catches a glance, she'll see a splash of colors, and what looks like song lyrics. But now she sets it down and away, looking up to Undine with a small, cautious smile. ]

You know, I was kind of surprised there's an actual library here. Is there anything good you could recommend?

[treadwater]

It's all fiction, so hopefully you're into that. But the interesting thing is that it's all from different worlds, so there's a lot of stuff you might not be familiar with. I've been working my way through some of the science fiction and fantasy.

[She looks along the shelves, which are in no apparent order. People have tried to put them in order, but the library becomes chaotic again the moment someone turns their back.]

There was a series I started about dancers being sent to communicate with aliens that had a language based in movement, but I don't see the first book here...

[colorwheels]

That's not so bad. Non-fiction is boring anyway. Though, non-fiction from other worlds would be pretty cool.

[ She sets her journal on a table near her, rising to come look at the stacks as well. ]

Do you remember the name? Maybe I can help you find it.

[treadwater]

I think it was called 'Stardance'? It was a paperback book, like an old one with yellowing pages.

[Undine drags her finger along the spines on the shelf.]

The captain thinks non-fiction is boring too. That's why he doesn't have any here. Or a least, that's what he said.

i.

[opheliac]

(ah, new freshmeat. they're always fun to watch and mess with. and so far, not many peak her interest until she spots alex. but what intrigues her about this girl is how ordinary she looks. there's so many magic users and the like on this ship but very rarely there's someone just...normal. it's strangely refresh because if you take away her weapons and explosives, jinx is pretty normal, too. well... actually, now that she's mixed with chemical substance, shimmer, maybe she isn't as normal anymore.

either way, jinx is watching over her from above in the rafters -- debating whether to disturb her or let her stand there for awhile. hm. actually, toying with her would be more fun. so jinx digs into her pocket for a moment and pulls out only pocket lint and one small crumbled piece of paper.)

( with her fingertips, she rolls it up to a little ball and tosses it down to alex's head. )

jinx is best girl

[colorwheels]

[ Daydreaming isn't something Alex lets herself do very often. If going in and out of foster homes has taught her anything, it's that getting too wrapped up in your own imagination could build hopes that would only be crushed later.

Still, as she leans into the railing, she lets herself drift for a moment. She's on a cruise with-- Gabe. Gabe and Steph and Ryan. Charlotte and Ethan. All together, the first time she and her brother have ever been on a vacation. They're all just inside, Gabe, Ryan, and Steph messing around with the ugly shirts, Charlotte showing Ethan around where he could play or make friends. Just for a moment, it can feel okay.

The paper ball, slight as the weight is, pulls her right out of it and she's pushing away from the railing, glancing around. But there's no one, everyone else milling about further on the deck.

Was it carried by the wind...? She picks the ball up, examining it in her hand. No emotion attached to it, nothing to read off of it.

There's been enough of them thrown at her in her life, it's not hard to believe it was on purpose, though. So she calls out: ]

Seriously? I'll give you credit for the disappearing act but that's it.

[ I'm gonna look pretty silly if I'm just talking to the wind. ]

she queen, we stan.

[opheliac]

Is it a disappearin' act if I wasn't there in the first place? NOPE! — Don't think so, try again...!

(finally deciding to come out of hiding, jinx drops down from the rafters with a big THUD of her boots hitting the floorboards. a short blue-haired girl approaches alex with her hands behind her back with a sway in her walk. jinx is practically... overwhelmed with emotions -- a lot has happened to her in the past few days to a week and she's still handling them all one by one. and despite the crazy glistening pink color of her eyes, her most upfront emotion is playful as she hums quietly. )

Hope you like the ocean 'cuz that's all you'll see and nothin' else.

i have a vi journal called gaypunch that i keep swearing i'll do something with one day lol

[colorwheels]

[ Subtly, Alex rests back on the railing to steady herself. That is...so many emotions. The faint flickering of colors, changing, fading in and out, even with the distance between them. Colors she's not even sure she's seen on someone before.

If she tried to dig in, would she drown? What would the world even look like, through this girl's eyes?

But, there doesn't seem to be ill intent, at least. So the defensive set of her shoulders drops some. ]

I've actually never seen the ocean or been on a boat before, so that's okay. If we're going to be stuck here, might as well get something out of it, you know?

[ Maybe Haven Springs has made her a little more open, after all. ]

:SHAKEYES: u have a vi you say????????????????????///////

[opheliac]

HA! — That's exactly what I've been sayin', Goggles...!

(she does a spin before hoping over beside alex but instead of leaning against the rail like she is -- jinx literally jumps on the rail with her arms sticking out to balance herself.)

Yeah yeah, we gotta fight each other and blah, blah, yadda, yadda. But ya really can't talk down on the digs of this place got. Have you seen the buffet place, yet? You totally gotta!!

The price - because César is wearing stuff like this now

[pineapplesalmon]

César laughs. He's wearing a grey doubt-breasted waistcoat over... a Hawaiian shirt with brown pants, brown mid-calf equestrian boots, and apparently a loose belt that loops around twice that has actual belt bags on it. Man looks like he could've come out of a low-key steampunk convention.

"They're not too bad if you layer them like this. But alone? Drunk frat boy for sure." César's smiling, but he's a little worried about yet another teenager without parents on the ship.

cesar pls

[colorwheels]

Don't knock his style, Alex. This is all they've got. She has to remind herself. It's not like she hasn't been there herself. But it's...certainly a look he's rocking. Not bad, given what they have to work with.

"I guess we're going to have to get creative. Eventually, anyway. Is this really all they offer?"

Re: cesar pls

[pineapplesalmon]

"Deck One has Bric a Brac, which has branded polos, t-shirts, PJs, undershirts, underwear and undergarments, swimsuits, dresses, annnnd unfortunately more Hawaiian shirts. Pretty slim picking."

He's looking amused, though. "But everyone's in the same boat, so to speak. My waistcoats were 'gifts' that I've slowly amassed. I'm going for vacation steampunk lite with them now to amuse myself."

Re: cesar pls

[colorwheels]

"I guess if we're going to get hauled off to a mystery boat, steampunk lite isn't exactly a downside." She goes digging for another shirt, holding it up for him. It's an ugly yellow, covered in little blue boats.

"Do you think they do it on purpose? No one can look at these and think it actually looks good, right? Except for dads, I guess. Maybe the captain is a suburban dad."

[pineapplesalmon]

"It certainly isn't... and I no longer look shabby next to the two men I spend most of my time with! They're from earlier time periods, and they're always wearing nice clothes...." You know, his boyfriends, that he's not directly saying are his boyfriends because Watson's still not used to being open, yet.

César makes a vaguely horrified face. "Money doesn't buy taste, I'm afraid. If it sells." He does pause for a moment. "I've only ever seen the Captain from a distance. All I know is that he delights in torturing us, and Friday brings us back after we die so he can continue it."

1 - feel free to mind magic, he'll do it back

[selenokinesis]

[For one reason or another, some passengers catch Ebalon's attention, and those are the ones he's quick to approach after he's done giving the drill spiel and wanting to die a little bit. This one has his interest because he, as a mind mage, could feel something reaching for the outer fringes of his own mind — and isn't that just fun?

And very, very dangerous for him. His thoughts and emotions are finely-controlled when he approaches to speak, curiosity getting the better of him, because who needs to be wary and avoidant when you can be suspiciously overly-restrained?]

How are you feeling, miss?

alex meeting another mind reader: surprised pikachu face

[colorwheels]

[ At first, she's expecting some kind of lecture when he approaches her. After all, nearly punching someone leading the drills, even if he deserved it, probably wasn't the best idea.

So the lack of reprimand is relieving. She really didn't need it right now.

Still, there's a different feeling at the edge of her mind, something she's never felt and can't quite put a name to. Should she try feeling out for it...? ]

Uh. Better, I think? Now that I've had some time. I'd say sorry about the whole... [ VAUGE HAND GESTURES almost punched a dude, you know how it goes. ] But he shouldn't be just doing that kind of thing, no matter how weird everything else is.

[selenokinesis]

[If she does try feeling out for it, she'll discover that Ebalon's mental state is about as steady as a flatlining heart monitor, until the point where he feels she might dig too deep and then he simply responds to that feeling with a "Greetings!" The theoretical emotional heart monitor will show a single "spike" of interest before flatlining back to that weirdly controlled state again.

Is this messing with someone? Perhaps. It might be seen as that, and if it is, that's valid, because Ebalon does enjoy fucking with people from time to time.]

No need to apologise. I had no idea he was going to try that stunt. When we were asked to do this, I could not possibly have predicted the level of immaturity. He... [Ebalon makes a face; the emotional graph blips with mild confusion.] ...really enjoys women, I suppose. If he or anyone tries it again, a punch is warranted to be certain.

[colorwheels]

[ It's lucky, maybe, that she can't dig in too far. It'd be unnerving, send her reeling, to be able to actually fish through someone else's mind like a rolodex. As it is...Emotions, surface thoughts, the way the world changes around her to reflect someone else's perception when she dives too far in... Could she handle all of that right now?

At her side, her hand raises slightly, a motion that would seem innocuous to most anyone. But then there's a gentle impression in his mind, like someone is quietly asking how he's feeling. At the very least, it's not a malicious force.

All she can feel is calm, like a still pond. It's always relieving when there's no aura, no flood of emotion coming at her. Still, it's...unusual. She's felt those who are calm and peaceful before, and those who aren't feeling anything.

They were never quite this...still.

The spark of interest has her dropping her hand, startled even though it doesn't show on her face. As soon as her hand is down, the impression fades away. ]

Right. Well. Hopefully he's learned his lesson. Are you...part of the ship crew?

[selenokinesis]

[Interesting. Ebalon doesn't dare reach back — giving up too many secrets this early in the game is always detrimental — but his incredible control can be related to his own magic as well as the fact that he lies as easily as one might don a new sweater. Outside of this flatlining mindscape, he appears cordial and polite, friendly-if-measured, though he's not in one hundred percent control of every emotion despite masking over much of it with magic and an insane sense of self-control. If someone passes by that seems interesting to him, there's a blip there. If he manages to spot someone he doesn't like off in the distance, there's the briefest hiss of anger that he's quick to reel in.

She looks around his physical age, he thinks, perhaps a year or two older. Though, his height makes him appear somewhat older on the surface anyhow.]

No, not at all. I've been trapped aboard this ship for three months now, give or take — I volunteered to take care of this for the only staff member who is currently... out of commission, I believe? [He's pretty sure that's what's going on. There's a beep in the emotion monitor of uncertainty.] She ought to be back in due time. —Forgive me for not introducing myself, actually. Ebalon is my name — I'm your note-writer, as it were.

ii

[starfleetcleaner]

"Oh, hold on! I'll try to get you out..." Tendi, a green girl in what looks like a rather formfitting blue and black uniform grabs ahold of Alex's arm, and gives a pull, breaking her free of the Conga line, and moving to a side hallway, watching the line of people move past.

"Whew...been avoiding that for a while, what IS that? Reminds me of the Chu Chu dance, but the Zebulon sisters do it better. Oh, also hi! I'm Tendi." Tendi gives Alex a big smile, holding out a hand.

[colorwheels]

As soon as she's free, Alex leans into a wall to catch her breath. "Thank you. I've been trying to get out for...a while."

She turns, but the sight of someone green stops her in her tracks. Normally, Alex isn't the staring type. And she tries not to now, but--

Green person.

"It's...a conga line. And I'm Alex."

She takes Tendi's hand, shaking it with a smile.

[starfleetcleaner]

"Nice to meet you Alex! Are you feeling alright, you look a bit tired, but I don't know how long you were in there. I can give you some medical scans if you like, don't worry, I'm trained! Been on the Cerritos for almost a year."

Tendi does pick up on the slight surprise from Alex's turn and gives a bit of a laugh. "Oh yes, not many other species on this ship! I'm Orion, but don't worry, I'm not that kind of Orion, not a pirate or thief or anything!"

[colorwheels]

"Oh, no, that's fine. I'm alright."

When it's clear Tendi has noticed her staring, Alex's smile turns apologetic and a little sheepish.

"Right, sorry-- I've just...never seen someone green before that isn't make-up. Um, what's Orion?"