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TEST DRIVE MEME #1
1. now it's fun to wake up in a strange chateau
[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! We're so glad to have you!
[you touch the lei. rooster feathers, lotus seeds, and a carved circle of something white and hard, linked onto a silk string.]
2. messing with my mind was fun at the time
[freshly lei'd, your legs are forced to lead out onto the deck and towards your muster station. the same woman is there, carrying a clipboard. this time, she introduces herself as Gal Friday, the cruise director, before immediately going into the muster drill spiel. it is very boring, and you are not allowed to move, except when you are required to show you know how to put your life vest on. you could try to not do this, but Friday will move to stand in front of you very closely and just. look in your direction until such a time that you decide to do it. and I'm sure your fellow passengers want you to just get on with it, too.
but, once it ends? she reiterates her desire to welcome you aboard. and, then, you're free.
well, free to move about the ship at your own leisure, of course. which is a kind of free, and probably the best one you can hope for. you could try to escape, maybe, if you have the means to; Friday certainly won't be one to stop you. that's what the barrier is for, after all.
but, wouldn't you much rather have fun?
the buffet is full. the pool is open. the casino jingles and chimes.
welcome aboard.]
3. lots of mystery in the history of the devils I knew
[you were never alone.
a few days have passed since you first arrived on the Serena Eterna. perhaps you've made yourself a little routine, and settled in a bit. or maybe you haven't done that at all. either way, you're here, and it looks like somebody is pretty pissed off about it.
it starts small. sometimes nearby plates skid off tables, or a pool chair upends while you're walking next to it. and sometimes that chair is aimed right at your head. objects are moving with quickly increasing frequency, and a wide variety of styles: some are dropped, or pushed, and others and others are tossed, but a few of the items are thrown, with great force and odd accuracy. if Friday is around during the lighter moments, she simply titters and cleans up whatever mess is made. if a pot of soup sails off the buffet line and nearly drenches you in boiling minestrone, she simply walks away.
and then there's the voices. hundreds, maybe thousands, calling out. not all are intelligible English, but you seem to understand them anyway. some sound scared, or angry. some are screams, others whispers. some sound entirely strange, while others are achingly familiar. and they're all saying the same exact thing:
Get Out.]
peter parker | tasm | ota
[ It's easy enough to pretend he knows exactly what he's doing. This isn't Peter Parker's first rodeo, facing weird things; weird things are actually kind of part and parcel when it comes to his life these days. You get lizards trying to take over the city, and guys made of electricity and you tend to pick up the pace real quick.
Thing is, he's still adjusting to Gal Friday's .... uh. Lack-of-face. It's especially creepy, right? How does she even breathe? Or eat? He's so enrapt in these vital questions to the mysteries of life that he doesn't even realize she's standing right in front of him until she is. And her blank face, skin over every place where a discerning feature ought to be, is so freakin' eerie, he just ... sort of stares.
Maybe you should nudge him, hard, to get him to refocus.
Literally seconds later, once the commotion has passed, Peter will lean in and whisper his gratitude with a heartfelt 'thanks'. And then: ]
So, I've got a confession: I've never actually been on a ship like this before. Or, like, any ship.
●●● 3. the devils i knew — ;
[ Get out.
Peter clutches at his ears as though he could drown out the chorus of the very ... very angry voices. His spider-senses have been on the fritz since orientation, never quite accurate but also very constant, as though everything on this ship has been trying to warn him. Which is, you know, ridiculous, right? After a point, you kind of learn to ignore it — right up until a plate goes sailing at his head, anyway, and then everything becomes hard to ignore. ]
Hey — hey! Would if I could, all right?
[ And then to you: ]
Did you hear that? Please tell me you heard that. And saw the — [ The buzzing sensation at the base of his neck goes off again and he moves to push you out of harm's way of a tray of hot sausages coming right at you. ] — watch out!
●●● wildcard — ;
[ ooc: feel free to leave your own prompt below if nothing above jives; hit me up over PM or plurk (
3!
It's a real nasty trick, isn't it? Hiding from us and saying all of these rude things! Whoever's doing it ought to show themselves before they get too carried awaaaaaaay!
[She's taken by surprise when Peter shoves her out of the way.]
H-hey! What was that for!?
isabelle!!!! (i screamed)
Peter gestures to the way some of the sausages have now started to leave a greasy trail down the side of the ship wall as sausages slide to the floor. ]
— you're welcome. [ He straightens back to his feet. ] Never get in the way of flying sausages.
3
he would have to be deaf not to hear them when they're all shouting at once for him to get out, like he had any choice coming aboard this cruise ship in the first place. never thought that his impromptu vacation would become a hauntfest though. it would be more amusing if it wasn't so damn annoying.
well, at least it doesn't seem like he's suffering alone. he opens his mouth to confirm that he does, in fact, hear the angry spirits, but unfortunately (or fortunately), he is suddenly shoved out of the way of an incoming platter of sausages. as he watches the tray clatter on the floor, kai throws up his hands in outrage. ]
Oh come on, that's just a waste of food! [ he gestures at the meat scattered on the floor. ]
Thanks, by the way. [ he turns to regard his knight in casual wear. ] The last thing I needed was like a face full of weiners.
no subject
[ Peter drags a hand down his face, but he offers the other man a small smile. Because it's almost kinda funny, right? The sausages being flung about like something out of a comic strip? ]
You don't think that creepy lady is behind this, do you?
no subject
[ he tilts his head thoughtfully as he extends his hand out towards the mess on the floor. ]
She does look like the type who would murder you in your sleep and turn you into an angry, vengeful spirit trapped forevermore in limbo, doesn't she? [ he levitates the sausages and gathers them into a pile on the tray before he moves the platter back onto the table. ] Buuut I don't like to judge a book by her faceless cover, even if she's kinda bossy. I think something else is at work here.
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2~
That's not really a confession. It would be if you had made me think otherwise beforehand.
no subject
[ Peter huffs out a breath, watching as their line-up of new shipmates (is that what they're even called? No, no, he remembers something about being referred to as a passenger) begins to dissipate, probably to explore the rest of the decks or something. He should ... probably do the same.
But first! This riveting conversation. ]
So, what about you? This your first time or are you one of those annual cruise ship pass-holders? Those are a thing, right?
no subject
No, I've never been on a cruise ship before. I don't like taking holidays.
(no subject)
2 💖
to start, she needs to do the low-key thing of blending, assessing the situation and getting the cold hard deets before she really goes in swinging. lucky for her, the initial steps are pretty standard to her experiences since she's gone on one or two (or seven or eight or—) cruises in her time.
she actually has to stifle a yawn in the middle of the whole drill before she shows off her lifejacket skills with absolute ease (hell yeah). the guy next to her seems to have a tougher time getting into focus, prompting her to give him a little jab with her elbow. ]
Oh, well, it's not like super scary or anything. Aside from, you know, turbulent sea storms and, whoa, steer clear of the Bermuda! [ she holds her hand up next to her mouth like she's shouting out that last part in warning, following it with a laugh that's definitely in response to her own humor before she clears her throat awkwardly. ] Sorry, that was — joke. Anyway. They're usually pretty chill. Except ... well, people usually have faces. Usually.
💖💖💖!!!
However, now that the drill demonstration and general safety protocol are over with, he watches their faceless cruise director continue further on down the line, which means Peter can ... uh. What should he do with this life vest? Keep it on? Or are they allowed to take them off? Is this something he's gotta wear for the entirety of his trip? He's overthinking this, hands still gripping at the edges of the vest as though he's still deliberating his next move.
No, no. It's fine. He lets his hands fall back to his sides, real casual about the whole kidnapped-on-a-cruise-ship thing. At least this girl seems friendly, and has all of her face features, which is apparently something he's gotta be aware of now. ]
So, okay, cruise ship expert. What do we do now?
2! i'm sorry, kind of
and then, deeper in the crowd somewhere, she hears a familiar voice. that can't be right. he's not dead, is he? he can't be. he can't be. so maybe she survived, too, and this is.. something else. ]
Excuse me-- [ she squeezes her way between bodies, trying to head in the general direction she'd heard him.. and then she sees a familiar head of hair, the profile of his face as he speaks to someone else there. she smiles helplessly, feeling her chest tighten with familiar adoration, and then steps closer and reaches to curl fingers in his sleeve. ]
Making friends already?
oh my god 😱
Gwen? [ He lets out a shaky exhale before his brain kicks it up a couple panicked notches, before he's turning to fully face her, hands on both her arms. ] No, no — you can't be here, you can't —
[ By now the person he'd been speaking to sees that this is more than just a quick 'hello' and leaves them to it. And Peter — he swallows, looking at her with wide eyes that can really only be described as 'haunted', his mouth suddenly dry.
He whispers, more to himself, but right at her: ] You're not really here.
no subject
[ oh god. she is dead, isn't she? the look on his face says it all. she's not supposed to be here, and-- he does look older, doesn't he? how long has she been dead?
wetting her mouth a little nervously, she gently frees her arms so she can reach up, cupping his face in her hands. ] I'm sorry. I know-- Well, I don't know, honestly, because I haven't been there, but I guess this is a.. shock. But it's really me, Peter.
[ she strokes his cheekbones with her thumbs, her brows knitting together. ] What can I do?
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2
His gratitude earns a double thumbs up from her, and it at first might seem like she's being sarcastic and trying to just shut him down. But the smile on her face is genuine enough, and she leans in to whisper back to him.]
And I've never actually been on a ship that wasn't stolen and on fire before. Twinsies!
[It's exclaimed as she reaches over to link her pinkie in his, giving it a little shake. Their situations are exactly the same, clearly.]
no subject
[ — not exactly the same thing at all, no, but he seems pretty helpless to her enthusiasm, so yeah, he'll let it happen. He lets the pinkie-linking happen too. Sure, she seems a little eccentric, but she isn't striking him as creepy: at least she's got all of her face features — yeah, that's the bar we're going with — and he kinda likes the dark red and black of her hair. ]
Waitwaitwait, hold on — did you say 'stolen' and 'on fire'?
no subject
Guess you've never heard the warning that nosy little shits get tossed overboard, huh?
[Is she serious?
It's hard to tell by the way she laughs and snorts.]
But listen, kid. Sometimes you get mixed up with the clown prince of crime and through no fault of your own, and wind up hobnobbing with all of Gotham's elite in the middle of a fire, smack dab in the middle of a benefit gala on one of those megayacht thingies.
[She's leaving off the fact she was the one who had set things on fire. And that hobnobbing was actually her holding everyone hostage with a flamethrower.]
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3
when Friday falls forward and hits the ground, there's the clatter of the clipboard, but the overall sound is leaning more towards "wet tissue hitting a wall" than "flesh hitting tile."]
screeches
He's crouched by the faceless cruise director when she goes down, trying (and failing) to sus her state of being out. And he's a little hesitant to touch her, too. ]
— uh. Uh — ma'am? Ma'am, are you okay?
Re: screeches
she gets back up. which you'd think would involve things, like, pushing herself off the ground. or kneeling. instead, it's more of a "rising up until she's just right back in the position she started." you're familiar with weebles, I'm sure.]
I never really get a chance to look at things from below. How interesting! Thank you!
1, hopefully this is ok
[He pauses.] Or you know, kidnapped. That's kind of a new one.
[Peter doesn't count the spaceship thing, he kind of jumped into that one himself.]
totally ok, c'mere bro
This may or may not be largely due to general media and the advertising industry, but Peter's a product of daytime television and Saturday morning cartoons. It was gonna be a thing.
He huffs a laugh and shakes his head in rueful agreement. ]
Yeah — yeah, kidnapping. That's gotta be a new one for me too. I can't imagine volunteering for this, despite whatever it is that letter said.
(no subject)
3
He's distracted, wandering through the rooms with his eyes going from wall to ceiling to door, and that's why he misses the moment the chaos decides to lash out toward him. The stranger leaping to knock him out of the way of hot food is a sharp wake up. ]
-oh! ...Well, that would have been unfortunate.
[ Dangerous, actually, and Seimei checks to see if Peter was hit in his effort to help. ]
Thank you, sir. Are you all right?
no subject
Guess these voices just really don't care for sausage, huh?
[ His mouth quirks at his own joke. ]
And you're okay? We should probably find a way out of here, maybe find a room full of pillows.
[ You know, in case the ghosts still feel like throwing things. ]
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2
[ dimitri looks at him with a slight smile, and then his eyes flit towards the crowd for a moment. it seems most of them are in the same situation, having brought here with some difficulty and mystery that nobody really knows what to make of it. for himself, he knows for a fact that he's too busy to be here, but he tries not to let that bitterness and confusion overtake him. it's very easy to do that at this stage. ]
... Let alone one this modern. I did not know pleasure craft can be built at such a size. [ he frowns. ] It has almost all the amenities one would expect from a small town, and then some ... how interesting.