MAY 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

[sodder]

MAY 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to May's Test Drive Meme! This month's Test Drive's theme is: DARK FANTASY HORROR.

All Test Drive Memes contain at least one clue to the Deerington's upcoming in-game events for the month! Keep your eyes peeled! But...not literally.

Characters may die during TDMs, but you do not need to count it towards a game-canonical death unless you want to. Consider it a freebie. All TDMs can be considered game canon as TDMs introduce minor aspects about the world of Deerington that can be revisited by characters later on in the game. You may also use TDMs for your application writing sample as well as AC.

CW: Heightened mental health issues (anxiety & paranoia), auditory hallucinations, option for visions of canon death and violence, child death, corpses, possession.
Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!

Prompt One
Prompt Two
Character Arrival
Master Navigation

DEATH'S EYE

Desperation and anxiety are things that come easily in a place like Deerington, but lately it seems like it's being felt in waves. Maybe you're feeling more desperate to get home, maybe you're afraid of what will happen when you do leave here, or maybe you're dreading what the month to come has in store for you. Some people might just start to feel anxious and terrified with no real reason behind it. The worries are plaguing your thoughts, leaving you unable to trust those around you. You keep seeing visions in your dreams of violent wars, senseless murders, and all of it seems to end with a stand in the middle of the woods with a single glass orb.

There's no rationality for it, but eventually, you'll feel compelled to find the orb. You'll find that when you leave the house to go somewhere, you'll forget where you were headed, only to end up at the edge of the forest. Sometimes you might sleepwalk and wake up in the dirt by the trees. If you decide to fight it and keep leaving, you will grow more and more paranoid, isolated, and violently aggressive to those around you. If you can wait out a full week, you might find the anxiety starts to ease, and slowly over the course of five days, you will begin to return to normal.

If you don't fight it and head into the woods, you will feel pulled to follow a long and winding path through the woods. There are multiple branches off of the path, but you won't feel compelled to go down them. Keep heading straight. Another personal will eventually stumble down the path you're on as well and the two of you will walk together through the woods.

Eventually you'll find a clearing. It's the same clearing from your dream with the same orb displayed in front of you. One or both characters will hear whispering throughout the clearing that grows more intense the closer you get to the orb. They're urging you to touch it, to free yourself from the pain you've been feeling for days on end. The strong can fight it, but most characters will be too weak from the lack of sleep and the constant fear to refuse to give in.

If you do fight it, you can leave the clearing, but the same anxiety and paranoia cycles will follow you for another full week before it begins to ease. If you don't fight it and you touch the orb, you will be filled with a blinding pain that runs through your entire body. There will be a quick and heavy sequence of images that runs through your mind; they will be images of the most traumatic experiences that your companion has ever faced and you will feel as though you were experiencing every moment first hand.

When you break free, the anxiety and paranoia will be gone and you'll be back to yourself. It seems you two will have a lot to talk about on the walk home.

Note: It does not have to be just one character who touches the orb. Both characters are welcome to.

NOW YOU SEE ME

The first few signs you're being haunted are easy to miss. Maybe you think you just misplaced your keys or put that book you were reading down on a different counter than where you find it. Things get a little harder to ignore when random objects start to fall off shelves or glasses shatter without any warning. Eventually there's no denying you've got a full fledged poltergeist on your hands; the walls will shake and screams will echo in your head that you can't block out no matter how tightly you cover your ears. Lights will flicker and bulbs will eventually blow from the power surges. Objects that fly across the room will barely miss your head— some might not even miss at all.

If you know any tricks for getting rid of angry spirits, none of them will work. Trying them seems to only make the spirit angrier. If you try too many times to get rid of the spirit, it will eventually possess you, filling you with a blind and violent rage that can make you attack even your closest of friends. The possession will last for one full hour and once the spirit leaves you, you'll feel completely drained for the rest of the day.

But there's hope! In your blessing's basket, your character will find one-half of an antler wreath. The trick is to find the person with the other half. Each wreath will have a unique set of flowers on them and you will have to find the person who has the flowers that match your own. Both of you will have been being haunted by the same ghost, it seems; they were a busy little poltergeist.

Once the two halves of the wreath are connected, it will begin to glow, before a faint wisp of light starts to travel a path in front of you both. If you follow the path of light, it will take you through the town, down the roads, through the playground at the elementary school, and eventually stopping near the edges of Koji Pond. Continuing to search will eventually lead to both character's stumbling on the body of a young child. Rest the wreath against them and the light will encompass the body, becoming blindingly bright, before disappearing altogether.

Both characters will be filled with a sense of peace afterward and will be safe from harm for a full twenty-four hours after the ceremony is complete.

Character Arrival

You can read how all characters arrive in Deerington here.

There is not a collective "all these characters showed up at the exact same moment" occurrence in Deerington. Since characters fall asleep, die, or pass out at various times throughout all their worlds, it wouldn't make too much sense if they arrived in game all at the exact same time. There should be some discrepancy between character arrival, whether by a couple minutes, hours, or even days up to a week.

The players are entirely in control of how/when they want to play their characters arriving in Deerington. For TDMs, you can play it like your character has just arrived and that can be maintained as your game canon, or you can wait until game events for that moment. Or you don't need to acknowledge it at all. The flexibility for character allows a bit more of an organic feel to the character arrival situation, so please play it to whatever feels right for you.

If you are interested in having an "arrival" introduction for one of your TDM prompts, you are more than welcome to explore that option.

Comments

QUESTIONS

[sodder]

Re: QUESTIONS

[variantcover]

Can characters' pets be subject to the same psychological issues that characters are? (For example, the anxiety, desperation, and intense need to find the orb)

inosuke hashibira | demon slayer (kimetsu no yaiba)

[prettypig]

arrival;

[ Strange dreams are nothing new to Inosuke. But they do tend to put him on edge when he wakes up, and when Inosuke is on edge, the whole neighborhood is bound to hear about it. He isn't exactly subtle or quiet, not when he thinks there's something to fight.

Which he does.

Anyone nearby can feel free to see him bursting out of the home containing the bed he woke up in -- or worse, kicking the door of a random home in in search of what he seeks. That would be alarming enough on its own, but the boy has the head of a boar and two jagged, horrifying swords in his fists. ]

OI! DEER LORD! COME OUT AND FIGHT ME ALREADY, YOU BASTARD!!

now you see me;

[ Now that he's had some time to settle in, he can see that the situation here is quite dire, indeed. The people here need someone to lead them. To take care of them.

... So, clearly, the Great and Mighty Inosuke is the man for the job! If it was true that there wasn't much to be done about making it back to his friends for the time being, then his place was here, for now.

But he won't be satisfied with just declaring his position. He has to prove it to everyone in Deerington. How is he going to do that? Why, by catching something falling off the shelf, or moving you out of the way before something shatters right in front of you. And after it seems you're out of harm's way (not that he was very gentle about it), or the item has been successfully rescued from being broken (with his dirty, grubby hands) ... ]

Hah! The invisible demon is no match for Lord Inosuke! Hahahaha!

[ That cackle is ... a little much, isn't it? ]

[finaletea]

[ Probably lucky for both of them, Mami only catches Inosuke coming out of his house rather that break into someone else's. She can't hide her flinch from his yelling and immediately turns to snap at him. ]

Would you please not shout? No one is going to fight you.

[ Unless you don't put those swords away... ]

Katie "Pidge" Holt | Voltron: Legendary Defender | Duplicity CRAU

[pidgeypidge]

Death's Eye

Having spent the last six months in a place that could arguably be considered a type of prison, Pidge is no stranger to anxiety. A good portion of every day was spent on wondering what was going to happen to her, wondering how she was going to be able to go home... wondering if she was going to go home at all. So finding herself in a completely different place should be comforting. At least she's far away from the city and all the arbitrary rules placed on everyone.

Unfortunately, this new place has done nothing to ease her nerves. If anything, Pidge feels more anxious than ever. She's not sleeping well, and when she does, the nightmares are back in full force. There aren't really any new ones, but now there's a common theme amidst the terror: a clearing in the forest and, right at the center of that, a shiny glass orb.

One thing's for sure, though. She needs that orb.

So there's no hesitation as she marches out of her house and straight for the woods. Having something to focus on has always done wonders for her mood, and this time seems no different. Wanna tag along? Maybe try to stop her? Either way, she has a clear goal in mind, and it's going to take quite a bit of effort to deter her.

Now You See Me

After the ordeal with the forest, Pidge was hoping that things would calm down. Why is that so much to ask? Unfortunately, after a couple days worth of things that should've been innocuous on their own, Pidge is beginning to realize that something's up. Even more unfortunately, she has no idea what to do about the poltergeist.

Winging it seems to be her best option at this point. But for now, winging it appears to translate to sitting on her porch with the half a wreath she'd found in her basket.

At least the nonsense seems to be confined to inside the house?

Death's Eye

[tagartist]

Chloe is, surprisingly, not having the increase in worries and anxieties, or if she is she hasn't noticed it being any stronger than her usual constant state of panic. She's mostly just been going about her day as usual and wondering what shit is causing everyone to be so jumpy this month. Mostly she's ignored it. Right up until she sees a familiar face that she had thought was gone start to storm off towards the woods.

It's not like she doesn't get Pidge may not remember who she is, but she's not gonna just let her go off on her own in this place, even if she's probably a better fighter than Chloe could ever be. It just wasn't a smart thing to go at anything solo in Deerington. So she abandons her journey to work to follow after her, not even trying to be secret about it as she comes to jog up next to her.

"Hey, girl, where you off to in such a rush?"

Lucifer / s5 Supernatural

[dissemble]

Death's Eye

[ When you get to the clearing, it feels a few degrees colder than the rest of the forest. The closer you get to the blond man standing a few feet from the orb, the colder it gets. The grass around the orb is scorched black with what must be fire, along with a number of small craters.

Turns out the orb isn't flammable. Who'd have guessed.

Lucifer's standing with his arms folded across his chest, studying the thing. On principle he refuses to touch the thing, despite the compulsion that's brought him here having grown only stronger. He won't be controlled, even if he has been neutered. Already the grass is beginning to turn green again, which is the biggest fuck you he's encountered here so far.

He glances over at whoever's joined him, almost glad of the distraction from the compulsion that gnaws deep inside him. Now that he's stopped trying to destroy the thing, he's realised how exhausted he is.

Not that he'll let it on. He affects a bored expression, waving a hand at the orb. ]

Go on. Might as well get it over with.



[ He wants to see what happens when you touch it. ]

[cadimus]

[ Richard Pembroke doesn't like anxiety. Oh, don't get it wrong, he likes other people's anxiety just fine. Relishes in it. Grows stronger from it. Causing it makes him look good to the boss downstairs.

It's his own anxiety that he can't stand. He still hasn't gotten a feel for this new place he's ended up, though he's sure it can't be regular old boring small-town America. The psychological torment and forced visions of an orb in the woods make that clear enough. But, the orb seems to be the answer to getting rid of this horrid feeling. So, off he goes to see the orb.

When Richard arrives at the clearing, he's not alone. And it looks like the man who arrived prior to him has been busy. There's something about him... Something familiar, but not. But Richard is too preoccupied with the itch of this anxiety he's feeling to do the mental gymnastics required to suss it out.

When spoken to, Richard just smiles, gesturing with a hand before crossing his arms, the picture of nonchalance. ]

No, by all means. You were starting to make some progress there.

eobard thawne | the flash (dctv)

[hsalf]

one: grab the orb

[ eobard does not resist the urge to find the orb. he can feel the storm of anxiety and paranoia in him, amplified negative emotions fueling him. those dark emotions are his power, his source, and so he does not pull from them. but when he runs into someone in the clearing, orb seated on a pedestal, the prize for the taking, he stares down the other person with a hateful gaze. ]

You don't want to touch that. [ he warns with a cold gravel of a voice just above a whisper. ] Let me take it. I can handle it.

[ a new source of energy for his speed? he isn't sure, but he won't deny wanting to try. ]

two: now you see me

Finally...

[ the angry spirit has been causing quite a mess for eobard. he didn't want to bother trying to find the person with the other half of the antler wreath, but he saw no other option. the wreaths combined, and the path lit up, he travels with his partner down the path, through the town, and to the playground. together they come upon the child's body.

eobard isn't much into magic, thinking of it as a cheat from the couple magicians he has come across in his time, and looking at the body of the child makes him feel no compassion or sympathy. so whether or not his partner chooses to place the wreath makes no difference to him. he does what any reasonable person would do--

--he delivers a swift kick to the side of the body, causing it to turn over a little. ]

I've been wanting to do that for days.

wildcard

[ if you want a starter just shoot me a dw message, i'm happy to make them! ]

the orb is mine

[accelerate]

[ tbqh, he's not here because of some orb calling for him to come and touch it like a creep. he's here because he's bored. how many times can he run around this place before he finds something new?

barry narrows his eyes at the orb thawne's so intent on catching for himself. does he want to take it just to be a dick? thawne seems pretty hellbent on having it…

as much as he wants to touch the orb because he's an overgrown child who wants to touch everything… barry doesn't. crossing his arms against his chest, he shrugs. maybe his indifference will turn him off. thawne kind of takes offence to almost everything barry does, after all... from breathing to how he dresses himself to his lack of interest in things that barry's pretty sure thawne wants so he can better himself with.

or he just likes round things. what the frak does he know? ]

Okay. I mean, the orb looks pretty easy to handle.

[ wimp. ]

Zed Martin | Constantine/DCTV | OTA

[atoughbird]

Arrival:
It’s like she fell into one of her visions again. The sensation of being pulled across the ground, the sky above. A voice of a being she can’t recognize, a deer and… someone asking for her help.

Zed sat up in a strange bed, a gasp of breath coming to her as she jerked away from the deer in her dream. Just a dream. But it felt so real.

Getting out of the bed she looked around, almost a bit frantic. This wasn’t the hospital. This wasn’t the Mill House. Still a vision, maybe? She reached out to touch a wall, then walk, slowly making her way to the kitchen. After inspecting the basket she found a set of keys to her truck. Strange. Her drawings were there, and her art box. And a black glowing box that really shouldn’t be here. “Shit…”

Carefully she took out a purple velvet bag of chalk and dumped it out, sliding the box into it and tying it shut. “John, where are you?” She said to herself, wondering when this vision would end.

Headed out to her truck, it was parked in a parkway before the small house she woke up in. Interesting. So the note said it was a dream and she was here to help, so maybe this wasn’t a vision. She stood outside her truck, a hand running over her forehead and letting out a frustrated sigh.

“Now what?”


Death’s Eye:
Walking down a path she felt so uneasy. So many visions of battles and senseless killing, and an orb in the center of it all. She wanted to find it and that was how she ended up on this path. Following her gut feelings as she went.

Brows drawn together, her hands in her jacket pockets, she walked slowly, cautiously, looking down different paths but feeling like she had to keep walking this one. Keep going straight. She felt a bit lost, and yet on target too. Lost because everything about this felt like a fairy tale, or at least a nightmare of one.

As she moved on forward she saw someone else coming in off a pathway to join hers. She took that moment to jog and catch up to them. “Hey! Excuse me!” She called out to them, brow eyes looking concerned and unsure as she approached.

“Are you looking for the orb too?”


Now You See Me:
It started with her keys being misplaced. Then a shattering of glass. Yelling. The last straw was when the purple velvet bag she had put a box of black diamond into started to float. She snatched it out of the air and yelled at the ghost. “Stop it! This isn’t a toy! This is really dangerous!”

It seemed to stop for about a hour after that. She kept the bag tied to her belt loop for safekeeping after that. She really needed to do something with this.

In the kitchen she stood at the counter picking up shards of glass to throw out, only to pause as she looked at the half an alter round she had as part of her basket. It just seemed like part of the basket is all, but for some reason she felt compelled to pick it up.

When she did she felt startled, dizzy, and a bit light headed. The world faded into gray around her, making her feel as if she were in a fog. There was the antler wreath, pressed to another half. A path of light. A playground and a swinging swing. She turned as if to follow it, smelling damp-, wet-, a pond. Then there was a scream of a child, right in her face, before seeing the dead body.Her head snapped back and she gasped.

The lights of the house started to flicker once again, but wildly this time. Angerly. She grabbed the antlers and her keys and darted out the door.


Network Post:
[An image of a woman with long curls and a worried face showed up on the network. She’s holding the antler wreath half up.]

My name is Zed and I’m looking for, well, several things. One, does anyone know a man named Constantine? It’s really important I find him.

[She holds the antler half up a bit more and waves it.] Second, I know this sounds strange, but does anyone have a wreath half made of antler? I… I know what to do with it, I just need to find the other half.

If you’re having a problem with a ghost child, I might be able to help.

---

[ooc note: "Prose" or [action] okay! Will match format!]

Now you see me.

[imarealistnotacynic]

[Richard Strand is holding half of an antler wreathe covered in holly and other flowers staring at it. The whole object feels wrong and broken and he wants to cry more than anything. He exudes psychic energy (not that he'd notice it) but the thing has been pulling at every instinct he has as a father and standing at it, staring at her he wipes a hand across his eyes.]

...Can we see if we match?

[How do you do that who knows. He doesn't.]

Jezebel Disraeli | Godchild/The Cain Saga | OTA

[delilahs_death]

I. Network Post

So tell me, then...is this place hell?

[There is a man in Victorian-era clothes in front of the camera who seems to be vaguely in some sort of shock. A huge gash streaks across his neck, as if his throat had been slit and freshly healed over, and yet he scarcely acknowledges it.]

Everything I've seen on this network thus far -- the mention of curses, of torments each month, of people who die and yet are always brought back for more tortures -- all of it seems rather hellish.

I know I am dead. I remember it well.

So tell me, then: is this place hell?



II. Now You See Me

[It doesn't surprise him that there are spirits that are furious with him. He watches books and other items fly off his shelves without stopping, shrieks filling the halls as he claps his hands over his ears. Even as he stumbles out of the building, the wails follow him, screeching through his ears.

There's no stopping them. All he can do is move forward, but the spirits -- or whatever it is that follows him -- do not abate. If anything, they seem more furious at his resistance, their wails rising in volume as he's buffetted by winds and by items flying through the air.

Practically to himself, he murmurs:] What angry ghosts we have.

network

[funnystory]

It's a dream.

[The words have a finality to them, perhaps even a touch of shortness, as though she'll allow for no more questions on the subject. It's far too sharp of a reaction for such a young looking girl, who can't be older than 12, wearing such a demure expression.

Perhaps remembering herself (or perhaps because she didn't notice the tone of her initial words,) her tone softens, growing consoling.]

It's just a bad dream... Maybe dying was just a dream, too.

jonathan sims | the magnus archives

[itknowsyou]

ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ's ᴇʏᴇ
[ The first time he follows the path, it is out of curiosity. Dreams of war, dreams of slaughter— he thinks he understands that. He thinks he can handle it. (The first time is locked to Sasha James, and he will come to regret every second of it.)

The second time, and the third, and the fourth— those are a different story. He knows, by now, what lies in the woods. He tries to fight it. Jon spends stubborn, sleepless days and nights fighting the compulsion, recording increasingly shaky and paranoid notes, snapping at Martin over nothing at all.

Eventually, he gives in.

He follows the path through the woods and hates every step. When your character finally stumbles into view, he will stop on the path to size them up. He is a small man, short and skinny, with far too many scars: little round pockmarks up his neck and face, an old slice across his throat, the mess of a bad burn scar across his right hand.

With an irritable little sigh: ] I expect you're here for the orb?

[ CW: Tagging into this prompt does NOT mean your character needs to touch the orb and receive Jon’s memories; in fact, he will request that they do not. If they touch the orb anyway, they will be treated to a goddamn horror sampling platter: spiders, flesh worms, disorientation, violence, nonconsensual surgery, general mindfuckery, restraint & captivity, killer clowns, body horror, claustrophobia, choking, isolation, enjoyment of suffering. Let me know if you want some or all of these. Otherwise, Jon will be the only one to touch the orb, and only your character’s memories will be shared. ]

[flawgic]

[Sherlock doesn't so much stumble into view as he does pop directly into it, hanging upside down from a tree branch right in front of Jonathan's face with a pair of goggles adhered to his eyes. How does his hat stay on while upside-down? It's a mystery not even a great detective can solve.]

Orb? Hmm...doesn't ring a bell, sorry. In point of fact, I'm actually here for you! This isn't the first time you've come through this forest, is it?

[ooc: down for any effects if they happen!]

Alice Cullen | Twilight Saga

[envisioner]

1. Death's Eye

Alice was already feeling anxious and on a time crunch before she arrived in this unfamiliar place. Even if something wasn't influencing her, being here without Jasper by her side would heighten that anxiety. But she's lived her whole life (that she can remember) acting on her visions, and they show her a strange orb. Alice couldn't see if Jasper would be there, but the direction is better than nothing.

So she headed out, searching for a place that matches the one in her visions. If anyone were to decide to seek it out as well, she would see them and try finding them, too.


2. Now You See Me

[There isn't much that can take Alice by surprise, but things moving on their own is definitely one of them. She examines the strange wreath she received, trying to concentrate and see what she's supposed to do with this thing. She lets out a frustrated growl]

I hate going in blind.

[Better go find the person who has the other half of this thing]


3. Wildcard

[IDK run into her somewhere and strike up a conversation, do a misfire on the network, whatevs. She's a friendly vampire who sparkles in the sun, for crying out loud, why wouldn't you want to be friends?]

omg!!! also 2

[kroenleinia]

[Well, that's certainly a, uh. An antler wreath. Bella's been primarily distracted by trying to keep the house from completely falling apart in the face of whatever pissy, rude poltergeist is messing with it, so she honestly doesn't think much about the wreath until she knocks over her basket by accident.

Then there's a moment of debate before she finally shrugs and decides why the heck not? Better than trying to save various breakable items from a moody ghost. So she sets out, wandering the streets of Deerington with the wreath in hand, trying to figure out where the other part might be.

Honestly, she thinks it's another weird town trick when she first sees the familiar short, dark-haired figure. Bella freezes for a moment, before calling out, hesitantly, expecting to be wrong:] Alice?

Clementine l The Walking Dead

[darraig]

Arrival:

[Clementine is no stranger to waking up in some less familiar place. She's had knocks to the head and the like before. Ended up coming too elsewhere than she last recalls being. She's just not usually last recalling such an odd dream like that. And is never far from AJ.

So of course her first mission is to figure out where he got to. She looks around the house, turning off the music because of course if there were walkers around that would clearly alert them. Whoever brought her here is lucky they hadn't been attracted to the noise and attacked them. Clementine grips her pistol, biting her lip as she proceeds through the house but is unable to find AJ yet. She's getting more nervous the longer she goes without any sign of him.

Which is why she proceeds to head out of the house, glancing around cautiously, asking the first person she sees if they had seen a little boy. Who may or may not have bitten someone trying to help in his fear, especially if they approached him from behind.]

Death's Eye:

[Clementine....has absolutely no experience with this sort of thing. At all. Weird orbs that affect her emotions, pull her to touch them? She knows how to survive. How to look after herself and AJ. How to shoot. Which food is still safe to eat. How to drive. This? Nope.

She has nothing. No experience with this at all. So of course she gives in, wondering if following that instinct would make it stop. Make her stop being so jumpy. She usually was, anyway, given her situation back home, but. This was a whole new level of it, even for her. Which is why she follows that instinct, coming to the clearing. Her brown eyes widen when she finds the familiar orb she had been dreaming about.]

This is.....?

[Yup. Cue her being unable to fight it, reaching to touch it. Which may or may not happen at the same time as someone else finds it too.]

Now You See Me:

[Clementine keeps the wreath on her, figuring she should ask who it is for anyway, but doesn't initially think much if anything of it otherwise. It's...pretty much impossible to notice things escalating with the...ghosts? She's not sure if she prefers dealing with this or the walkers back home. At least she could see the walkers. Knew how to deal with them after years of surviving. This? She's less sure what to do.

But when items start flying at her, with her barely just ducking from being hit in the head or face? It's time she asks. Maybe someone else around here might know what to do? How to help? So she heads out, asking the first person she sees what she could do to stop the ghost almost killing her at this point.]

now you see me;

[nakedsingularity]

<sub>[At first she assumes the supernatural asshattery is her housemate at work, as unexplained phenomena are (somehow?) a part of her life now with him around. It's amazing what a person can adapt to in a town rooted in the inexplicable--you learn to pick your battles. She starts taking breakable items from high places and putting them on the ground. She locks her bedroom door to keep it from blowing open time and again in the night. She avoids the house more and more.

When the escalating strangeness follows her out of the house, it becomes apparent it's not Peter at all, and that has her wondering about the wreath in her basket.

God, what now?

Another near-sleepless night sends her into the arms of the coffee shop. It's been a rainy month and the sidewalks are glistening after another shower, and she's absently staring at them through the window, waiting for her order, when someone passes by with a familiar-looking item in hand. That gets her awake in a hurry.

Deerington really doesn't do that level of coincidence.]</sub>

Hey. Hey! _{[She lunges forward to rap on the window and flag Clementine's attention.]} Whoa, whoa, whoa--

Herc Hansen | Pacific Rim

[luckystriker]

arrival

Waking up is an awful and distinctly odd experience. Max is all too happy to lick at Herc's face until he sits up, biting back a little wince as he jostles his arm a bit. At least he'd dozed off with the sling on...

But this sure as hell isn't the Shatterdome.

The redhead can be found later quietly finding his bearings in town, the squat bulldog firmly leashed by his side so the little bugger doesn't just go wandering off. Max might drool and wag his stubby tail at anyone who comes nearby, though, and Herc will try to approach someone, asking about what the hell is going on.


death's eye

Herc doesn't know what to expect, but the paranoia and sleep walking are getting to both him and his dog, so he goes searching for that ball that keeps showing up in his dreams. Chuck would scoff and call him superstitious, but...

Hey, he's not around to tell his old man off any more.

Looking distinctly more haggard and scruffy around the edges than even Herc is used to, he eventually comes across the orb. Max barks excitedly at it, but Herc keeps a tight grip on the leash, something in his gut telling him not to touch it.

... Though it's definitely as alluring as a big, shiny red button.

When someone else arrives, he startles out of his staring of the ball and turns to greet them, managing a pathetic attempt at a smile that looks more pained than it rightfully should.

"Come here often?"


now you see me

Then there's a fucking The Exorcist worthy nonsense happening in his house and Herc can't cope. He's tried and tried and tried to keep it together, between Pitfall and waking up in this godforsaken nightmare, but with the paranoia and lack of proper sleep, he's about had enough.

There's a loud ruckus from the house, a pissed off Aussie throwing his own damn furniture around and roaring at the top of his lungs, while Max lays on the front porch, staring out mournfully as if waiting for someone to come calm Herc the fuck down.

Eventually Herc settles, slumped over outside with an empty bottle at his side, eyes tiredly shut as he absently pets Max's head.

He'll even manage a little SOS on the network:

Anyone any good with exorcism?

now you see me.

[witchering]

Something like that

What's bothering you

Alec Hardison | Leverage | ota

[stillageek]

cw: claustrophobia, being buried alive, suffocation, gaslighting, drugs, manipulation


i. Arrival - Network - un: iceman86

[Alright. Alright, cool.

Cool in the 'being so obviously drugged by someone who tried to pull the White Rabbit on him on a really impressive scale' kinda way, of course. It doesn't really help Hardison's sense of reality that he had done the exact same thing to a mark once and this is so obviously a ploy to get into his head, gather some intel, maybe change his personality. Oh yeah. He knows exactly how this goes.

Doesn't stop him from munching on the food while he goes through the stuff in the basket. That's some top notch locally grown organic hippie bullshit, maybe he got Eliot's basket by accident? The Fluid is pretty sweet, though. Too limited for his liking but he fiddles with it for a while, scrolling through the network feed, listening to all the crazy talk, trying to figure out the play, what they're trying to convince him of here. Whoever they were.

Not gonna lie, he's a little salty their props seem so much more real. And how the hell are they pulling off an entire city? Must be some top notch next generation projectors. Mmm.]

Man, I see you freakin' out about the creepy blood card roles but people, we gotta talk about something way more important here.

Alliance or Horde?


ii.a Wakey-wakey salty eggs and Death's Eye

[Aw, hell no, come on! This is the third time he's waking up in the dirt and somehow it has gotten all over him, his clothes, his face, it's like he rolled himself in a puddle of mud. Which he probably did. Hardison sits himself up, flinging excess mud off his fingers and thanks, he hates it.]

Seriously? Seriously. Y'all gonna play me like that. You, you, you just gonna make me Thumper in this messed up Bambi 3 With a Vengeance remake. Alright. I see how it is.

[Mutter, mutter. The pull leads him down the road and he wanders with a perpetual scowl on his face.]

Put me in a damn forest. I'll put you in a damn forest. Y'all be out here sniffin' some deer like a PETA Live Aid charity. I just about had it with this tally-ho bullshit. Can't a man be brainwashed in the privacy of his own imaginary home? Unbelievable. Un-be-liev-able.

[Mutter, mutter, mutter. When his companion shows up to share the road it could be an incentive for him to stop.

He doesn't stop.]

... smellin' like a tar pit 'cause y'all can't love yo damn selves. Do I look like I need the whole damn path to enlightenment metaphor? I'm balanced, man! I'm like, like, like the line in between the Yin and the Yang, alright, and you know what, I'm the eyes, too, that's how much I don't need this, you can call me the Yin and the Yang't...


ii.b Orbey me

[Okay, yeah, this is probably it. The getting to the bottom of his psyche reason for all this. Like the door in Dodgson's dream that he had to open to show them what they needed to know. And he's so torn because at this point he's tired and worn down and while he doesn't want to give in, maybe it would finally all be over? He just wants all of this to be over.

Still, he paces, throwing his hands up high in agitation as he circles the orb, shaking his head wildly.]

No. No, no, mm-mm. No way. That just, that, no. Mm-mm. I ain't touchin' that thing.

[He's so gonna touch that thing.]


((ooc: If characters touch the orb they will be pulled into a situation where Hardison was kidnapped and buried alive; trapped in a coffin with the air already running out. The sensation will be one of absolute, bottomless terror, fueled by his claustrophobia. Basically the feeling of your absolute worst nightmare coming true, yw.))

ii.a Wakey-wakey salty eggs and Death's Eye

[lookattheglass]

[And here comes Lindsey, walking down the same path, equally as grumpy because he's following his compulsions, too.

This can only end poorly, but it's become irresistible at this point.

It's the sound of complaining and huffs, because the last thing he wants is company on what is something that will probably destroy him in an embarrassing manner, too.

Lindsey stuffs his hands in his jacket pocket and brushes past him on the path.]

'Scuse me.

[The voice is gruff and annoyed. Totally not familiar sounding.]

Miles Morales l Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

[scansorial]

Arrival:

[Miles wakes, thoroughly confused, in strange surroundings that is definitely not his dorm room at school. Or his room at home. He frowns, a hand to his head before he figures to get outside and find out where he is. He proceeds to wander, exploring. Exploring by rooftop in getting a better view so he can figure his location. And quicker. So some might see a black and red figure swinging by as if using....webs?

Which....this apparently is definitely not New York, he quickly figures out based on the different buildings and skyline.

He perches on the roof of one of the buildings, legs swinging over the edge as he runs a hand through his hair.]

Now what.....?

[How was he supposed to get back home from here?]

Death's Eye:

[Miles is used to weird. He's had people show up from other dimensions back home and all. But he...isn't used to this. He's still got some lingering guilt and issues, over everything that happened. Sure. But he's been trying to move on. He can't even quite place what he's so anxious about. Well, aside from the obvious of suddenly ending up here that's...decidedly not New York. Not his boarding school, or his parent's house. He keeps having these dreams. Death. It has him waking with a scream, shaking as he remembers what had happened to his uncle. Because of him. Because his uncle couldn't kill him.

He's well aware of the risks of what he does. But that isn't on such a scale as this that he dreams of. War. The orb.

Miles tries to resist, but his curiosity gets the better of him. That and that tug, that suddenly finding his legs taking him to these woods. He finds the orb, his eyes widening when he actually sees it. He reaches to it, fingertips stretching out before him.]

Now You See Me:

[He was used to people from other dimensions. Sure. But that does not mean that Miles is used to ghosts. Which is clearly what is happening when things start flying around about to hit him and everything. He figures outside might be safer so he leaves the house, taking just whatever he had on him at the time, which includes the wreath he had found. Whatever that was. But it isn't something he recognizes as his? So it has to belong to someone, right?

Cue Miles asking people for someone who knows how to deal with angry ghosts.]

Arrival

[stillageek]

[Yeahhh, that's Spider-Man.

Is he surprised? Not really. As far as Hardison is concerned they're in his head, so of course there's Spider-Man. Hell yeah, they better give him Spider-Man? It's the least they can do if they wanna pretend this is all weird and multi-dimensional. Still pretty cool, though.

Really, really cool.]

Yo, Spidey!

[Hardison cups his hands, calling up to him.]

Got any good fights comin' up? Listen, you need a sidekick, I'm free tonight? I know it's not exactly your style but listen, man, I'm a pretty dope sidekick, I'm just saying. All cheerin' you on and moral support, baby, that's me!

leonard mccoy ( star trek aos )

[dark_ages]

I ▹ DEATH'S EYE

Anxiety? Boy, let him tell you about anxiety.

Being a doctor in itself is a great source of that. Doesn't matter where he practices, under what circumstances, or under how much pressure. But Dr. Leonard McCoy most certainly has plenty of experience with dealing with anxiety, because of course that practicing on a hospital back on Earth just wouldn't do for him, oh no. He had to go up on a goddamn ship in space, tending to a whole crew of stubborn, bullheaded officers, led by the most stubborn and bullheaded of them all.

And never mind that being on a ship surrounded by the cold vacuum of space is enough to keep his nerves constantly on edge, they also find themselves often thrust into dangerous missions and scenarios where he can't possibly imagine a way out. Naturally, because he's such a lucky bastard, he would find his way to some godforsaken horror town in the middle of nowhere (literally this time, they can't even leave the place).

So the anxiety isn't new. In fact he doesn't even notice at first when it kicks up a notch, seen as he's been feeling constantly anxious since he woke up here a few days ago. It's not until he finds himself drifting towards the edge of the woods one day that he realizes there's more to the anxiety and the dreams that have been plaguing him lately.

And yet, despite being well aware that something's affecting him, he still can't resist the pull that has him following down a path into the thick of the woods, the setting dark and heavy. He can hear his own breathing, fast and erratic, his own heart hammering in his chest the deeper he goes. He hears an animal in the distance and he startles, nearly trips over his own feet, then the cracking of dry branches being stepped on makes him turn around sharply, wide eyes roaming the bushes and the trees. "Who's there?!"

Yes, call out to whatever's probably chasing you right now, McCoy, what a brilliant idea.

II ▹ NOW YOU SEE ME

After that fun little stunt with the orb, it doesn't surprise him in the least when things start being misplaced around him. He cues it up to distraction or tiredness at first, but then he actually starts laying things around purposefully as a test. The fact that he figures out there's something else at play here doesn't really stop the poltergeist from surprising him anyway, and he finds himself hit on the back of his head with a book.

He turns around with a curse, hissing as he picks up the book, looking angry but actually feeling absolutely terrified. He rushes outside, trying to tamp down his panic, book still tight in his hand as he approaches the first person he sees.

"Hey! You!" Yes, you. Sorry, he's usually more polite. (Only a little but still.) "I'm just about done with my things being moved around the place, now I'm getting shit thrown at my head? Now, can you please what the hell is going on in this place?!"

II

[demonicbeauty]

Since she didn't really understand cars--and probably never would--Ariadne had become Deerington's foremost pedestrian. Or, so it seemed. She was getting so used to walking the streets, she was starting to wonder if she could do it blindfolded. Not that she wanted to test the theory at the moment. But it would be good to know, if she was ever struck blind. Stranger things had happened to her so far.

Anyway, she was glad she could see when she spotted a Human rushing out a door, looking more than a little manic.

And then sounding more than a little manic.

She frowned a little as he spoke. She too, had noticed things flying around and moving in funny ways. Without leaving a scent, which was the most irritating part. But still, apparently his ordeal had reached a whole new level.

"Something is throwing excrement at your head?" she asked, eyes getting wide in surprise. That hadn't happened to her.

geralt of rivia | netflix witcher

[witchering]

→ death's eye

[ It's the touch of unfamiliar magic. Well if it isn't just fucking annoying, but the emotions swell and crash without his permission and continue beyond his control. The thoughts of the road ahed start to dog his every waking moment — and the uneasiness follows him into sleep. ]

[ So Geralt doesn't — and that opens its own tree of problems. Every moment he opens his eyes, he finds himself at the edge of the forest. May as well go all the way to the end of the road. If you meet him along the path, expect no conversation until the clearing, where the orb hangs, inviting, the whispering reaching its crescendo. ]

[ Geralt plants himself at the entrance, makes a dismissive noise ]

Is it telling you to touch it? 

→ now you see me

[ Geralt runs the gamut of his own solutions first, making do with the herbs, and poring over every nook and cranny of the house. The first try fails — the second, Geralt abandons once it's obvious he's going to have his pick of cuts, bruises, or concussion, and an even more pissed off spirit. Or worse than that, but he's not keen on finding out. ]

[ It takes longer than he'd admit to get to the wreath, a small thing, green and little purple flowers. He holds out it, scouring for the other half. ]

Where's yours?

→ wildcard

[ ooc: hmu for your own adventure ]

[touchofrogue]

Yes.

[ She's disgruntled with this whole thing, and especially with herself for giving in to her curiosity and trying to figure out what's at the end of the path. She's good at resulting compulsions, but she dislikes leaving a question unanswered.

And now... whispers are coming from a glass ball in the middle of the wood. Following the instructions to touch it -- sure, THAT'S a great idea. ]

Lots of whispery voices?

[ Just to check. ]

jaune arc | RWBY

[sociallyarcward]

I. Arrival
Trees. A voice. Rocks in your back.

At least this time no one is calling his name -- no one is hurt except him.

The deer is a new one though and suddenly Jaune throws off the blankets and sits up. He feels disoriented for a moment and it takes him a second to realize why...this isn’t the dorm he went to sleep in. This isn’t Atlas.

“Where am I?” he whispers. He’s in his armor at least -- even if he hadn’t gone to bed in it. He scans the room and notices his sword as well. Reassuring in one sense, but troubling in another. Was this...another of their training sessions? This didn’t really seem like Ironwood or any of the Ace’s styles really. Not to mention they didn’t exactly have time for something like this.

He explores the house and eventually makes his way outside. He’s not exactly the stealthy person of his team, but he does his best -- after all better to be cautious until he can find someone to explain this. Whatever this is. Still, someone is bound to notice a young man in white sneaking around a suburban neighborhood, right?

II. Death's Eye
Jaune blinks and he’s standing at the edge of the woods. He thought...hadn’t he been heading elsewhere? What was he doing here? He frowns, his hand resting gently on his sword. Something...something isn’t right. Whatever it is, it’s tied to that orb. He’s so tired of chasing and protecting all these different items -- and he wasn’t even the one carrying the lamp when he’d been back in Remnant!

He lets out a breath. There’s no sense in putting this off. Jaune notices a trail out of the corner of his eye and heads towards it. Maybe he should have said something to someone before heading out -- but at this point he’s made up his mind and he’s going to see this thing through. After a few minutes of walking, he hears something rustling and he turns, his grip tightening on his sword, “Who’s there?”

He waits, but he can feel his fingers twitching -- something telling him to keep moving.

III. Now You See Me
Ghosts are not Grimm. Nothing Jaune has read or practiced is helpful for this. He’s tired of misplaced items and broken coffee mugs -- how’s a guy supposed to enjoy his mornings if his coffee mugs are constantly shattering? He sits outside with his back to the front door -- sometimes the only peace he can these days is here. Even that doesn’t last though as he can feel the walls of the house vibrating and suddenly the front window explodes in a shower of glass -- eerie wailing starting to permeate the area.

Jaune scrambles to his feet -- careful of the glass shards. He looks around and then, putting his hands over his ears, takes a few steps closer to the house. He shouts over the wails, “Just tell me what you want!”


((ooc: Will switch to brackets/action if needed. I welcome custom replies as well. Right now I'm thinking Jaune will be from mid-season.))

Arrival

[clickclickbloom]

Someone did notice Jaune the familiar Huntsmen snooping around. Jaune will hear the barking of a friendly corgi as Zwei rushes down the sidewalk to get a sniff at Jaune, his leash trailing behind him as he runs.

"Zwei, get back here! Where are you even going? We just passed the last fire hydrant and that's your favorite one!" Ruby called out from around the block before turning a corner only to find a familiar face standing before her. She looked a touch different than Jaune might remember. Her hair was still styled like it was when they were going across Anima.

"...Jaune?" She looked absolutely dumbfounded for a moment. Eyes focused on his hair.

cloud strife / ffvii

[meteorained]

death's eye.

( It's like breathing in the Lifestream all over again.

Cloud doesn't care for it, not with that much energy pulsing through his body and trying to rip him to pieces. He's helpless beneath it, careful with the way he interacts with anyone he's met here and avoiding as many of them as he can—for now. But the siren call of some distant nightmare isn't exactly the easiest thing to ignore when he's heard too many voices in his head already, sensitive to it. First, he hears Zack. Then Aerith. Then him. He doesn't dare speak his name, not when he's standing on the edge of the forest and so close to diving headfirst inside just to ease the piercing wail of it. Whatever it is, whatever those dreams are trying to tell him.

So... for a while, he pretends it doesn't exist.

Yet, that only lasts so long, anxiety clawing at his sanity until he reluctantly follows the path in search of something.

He's alone for the most part. It does nothing to ease the pressure in his chest, and when he looks up, catches the silhouette of someone else there beside him, he pauses long enough to decide it doesn't matter. They should keep walking. They should go and face it, hope for some closure that might come with peace. However, the clearing sparks deja vu, and a thrum of warning burns through the back of his head when they see the orb, causing him to reach out and grasp the person with him by the wrist. )

Don't – ( His voice wavers, fingers digging in almost hard enough to hurt. ) Don't touch it.

now you see me.

( Ghosts aren't a new thing for him to deal with. They're all around anyway—good, bad, something in-between. What's new is trying to figure out how to appease it. For a while, Cloud actually tries talking to it. Them? He feels a little out of his depth, especially when it doesn't seem to work, and eventually, the antlers he finds in the basket offer nothing. No solution, no hint. It means he's going to have to mingle with the people in the town, and he frowns the entire time, trekking across the street in hopes of finding someone who can give him some insight into what to do with a ghost that doesn't seem to want to cooperate.

(Even naming it hadn't helped anything.)

When he spots someone with a similar looking half a wreath, he approaches them slowly. The apprehension in his shoulders is obvious, frown sharp as he holds up his own antlers. )

Do you know what this is for? ( Please help him. He just wants to sleep without listening to the walls rattle. )

wildcard.

( hit me up with something else? or pm and we can hash out some stuff! willing to write another starter as well, just let me know. will match prose or brackets; canon point undetermined as of yet. )

now you see me

[funnyname]

[He.

Is so tired.

Apparently the whole getting your anxiety amped up by 100 and searching for a magical orb to relive other people's traumatic memories hadn't been enough, now ghosts had invaded his house and pretty much ruined all the projects he had worked on lately to make it more homely. To say he's in a bad mood is probably the understatement of the year and Luka's jaw is set in a way that makes it look like just about to burst.

But when Cloud approaches him he takes a shaky breath, nostrils flaring slightly, then exhales.]

I was trying to figure that out myself. Where did you find it?

Richard Pembroke - Eternal Law

[cadimus]

Arrival

[ Let it not be said that Richard Pembroke could not adapt to change. Indeed, he had long ago adapted to the biggest change in all creation, and look at him now! Thriving. Living the high life as a powerful lawyer in York, thwarting the attempts of his rivals at every turn. Life was good for Richard. Well, not "good." Nothing about Richard was "good." Richard's life was... grand.

Less grand, however, when he awoke in an unfamiliar house, unaware of where he was or why he was there. He isn't sure how he could have been kidnapped, but when he found whoever was responsible, he would surely make them regret ever messing with him. He takes to searching the house, coming quickly upon the basket. He reads the letter, dismisses it as curious nonsense and folds it away, tucking it inside his jacket pocket for later in depth analysis. Next comes a jar full of nuts he might expect to find in a bowl on a pub counter. He'll pocket that too, not going to eat it just because a letter told him to. Richard doesn't like doing what he's told. That's sort of the whole point of his life.

After that, he leaves the house, out to explore this town and see who is in charge. Surely it can't be this "Sodder" person. They seem like a fool. Except, as he walks, he begins to feel less and less... substantial. He pauses, to look down at his hands, and it looks like they're not all there. He really is fading away...

He can be found on a park bench somewhere, holding the jar of nuts in his translucent hands, contemplating the merits of giving in and eating them. ]

Death's Eye

Richard doesn't like compulsion, when it's used on him. It's usually he who compels other people, through guile and persuasion and maybe a wicked touch here or there. When he follows his compulsion to the forest, it's with the intention to tell whoever or whatever is there, putting thoughts and feelings in his head, to go and shove it. He doesn't expect to be accompanied on this path, and he will look at whoever is joining him in the forest with a curious eye.

"Couldn't take the strain? Here to do something about it, are you?"

Said haughtily, as though he's not here do to the exact same thing.

Wildcard

[ Want something else? Go for it! Or hit me up at objectpermenance / millennial falcon#9103 to come up with ideas. Will match prose or brackets. ]

arrival

[aeva]

( she'd slowly started getting used to this place, the strange things that happened, the people that seemed to not be from her world. she'd made some good contacts, people that were helping her settle into something here.

she'd been to the market, had picked up a few things in her basket, a couple of other errands to run before heading home. and that was when she saw him, sat on the bench. except-- something about him didn't seem right. well, nothing about him ever seemed right but this-- )

Mr Pembroke.

( sigh. of course. one earth wasn't enough? )

Abby Lockhart | ER

[abbyroad]

A. Arrival

[This isn't Chicago. This isn't her apartment, and Carter is nowhere to be seen. Clearly, this is someone's idea of a joke. Abby immediately leaves, only to run back inside after awhile because she was literally starting to disappear. She quickly eats a handful of the berries that were in the basket, so at least something in that damn letter was true.

There's a tattoo on her shoulder, so that's a thing, too.

This is crazy. This can't be real. Except it feels real, dream or not...she wanders around town, randomly asking the first people that she sees.]

So if this is a dream, and I kill you, will you just come back?

[She's not in the best mood, no.]

B. Death's Eye - cw: childhood trauma/mental health-related trauma, alcoholism, violence

[Sometimes, it's easier to pretend that she's just lost. That she was driving far, far away from here, and decided to spend a few days in this weird little town. Because that's so much easier than accepting the alternative. Accepting that the world's a little bigger and a little weirder than she's ever imagined. That being stuck in a dream was actually something that actually happened to people, and actually happened to her.

For a dream, this really, really sucks.

Abby stands near the entrance of the path. It's stupid. This is stupid. She's stupid.

She turns to look at the person that's showed up next to her.]

I've seen this movie before. Aliens, ghosts, or monsters? It's probably ghosts.

C. Now You See Me

[She probably shouldn't have been thinking about ghosts so much. Because apparently that's also a thing here. Abby wasn't exactly the kindest roommate to her ghost, and she's been trying to kick it out--and she's been getting possessed quite a bit lately.

Listen, if it throws stuff at her, she's throwing stuff right back.

Abby staggers outdoors, clutching her head.

If someone comes by, she's absolutely going to attack them.

Sorry?]

B and s c r e a m i n g

[funnyname]

[For a dream, this really, really sucks.

Already, Luka lives in this perpetual state of exasperation and the lack of sleep really doesn't help. He's grumpy, tired, afraid, lonely and of course he's somehow out here in the middle of an enchanted forest to find some magical orb that came to him in his dreams. While technically he was already dreaming. Because this was a dream. Christ, when he gets the thing, he hopes he gets to smash it against the next tree.

At least that's what he's telling himself. Truth is, he really wants to believe in that orb. That when he finds it, this latest torment would be over. That he won't have to see those flashing images anymore that remind him way too much of of his own war memories. So yeah. He's out here. Looking for a magical orb.

As you do.

But all those thoughts go straight out the window, just leave him when he steps up to the path and it's her.]

Uh.

[That's it, that's what he got.

Luka stares at her, a slightly disarmed expression on his face, then reaches out to poke her twice. One short, one long, like some deranged tactile morse code. Poke. Pooooke.]

I vote monsters. Don't ghosts go to the spooked houses?

Molly Solverson | Fargo (TV)

[oofta]

Death's Eye—

A. The Town Up Ahead

"Something tells me you shouldn't touch that," Molly says, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. She's been in town a couple of days and while there's no getting the hang of Deerington, at least not that quickly, she is catching on quicker than most.

Stepping up, she appears sweet and patient, but also tired and wary and uncertain and a heap of other things that probably aren't good for the soul. But she's nothing if not helpful, her law enforcement experience and background keeping her on her toes against danger and suspect situations.

"Why don't you come away from there?" she asks, offering her hand out as if she were entreating a child away from a dangerous ledge.

B. The Obstacle in Our Path

She's been coming back to the woods on occasion, mostly to see if the orb is still there. As of yet, she's resisted the urge to reach out, somehow plumbing deeply into her reserves, but as more and more time passes, she finds herself less and less able to cope. It's alluring in the most awful of ways, like a hot iron's beautiful glow begging to be reached after.

Molly had given it the appropriate distance every instance before, but now that she's tired and overdrawn from the awful dreams, she wonder if it isn't time to end it. To see what the orb wants, because it obviously demands something.

Hand extending, her fingers waver just shy of the damnable thing.

"What do ya want from us?" she asks, voice full of recrimination, getting louder and more accusatory by the moment. "Why won't you leave us alone?"

Now You See Me—

Sitting on a park bench, all she can do is cry. The tears come unbidden and unwanted, swiped away as quickly as possible, but still coming in an unspeakably strong flow, nearly streaming in rivulets down her face. Molly isn't a pushover — not by any means — but the experiences of the last several days are taking their toll and she doesn't know what else to do but sob uncontrollably.

Half a wreath in hand, her knees both bob as she fidgets nervously. The house where she'd found herself, while homey and inviting, has done a remarkable job haunting her and while she doesn't know what possessed her to take the combination of deer antlers and flowers with her, she's holding on to it now for dear life, like a weapon against the shattering dishes and slamming doors now left blocks and blocks behind her.

"Okay," she breathes out eventually, talking to herself. "Okay, Solverson," she goes on, burbles practically. "Time to pull yourself up by your bootstraps," she commands herself, gnawing at her lip and turning watery eyes heavenward. "You can do this." There isn't much she can't do, except perhaps argue with an angry poltergeist.

She chokes and sobs again on the realizations dawning on her, leaning over herself and shuddering through another wave of tears. "You gotta do this..." she reminds herself. It's desperate and plaintive. What choice does she have? It's that or give in to whatever awful experience is lingering in the depths of madness this place inspires.

Wildcard—

Anything goes! Hit me up with something random if none of the above floats your boat.

I WANT ONE OF EVERYTHING but this is for b

[wwrench]

Wes doesn't miss home. If he were to leave that place once and for all, the only thing he'd want from it would be Grady. Since his best friend his here with him, the whole thing can burn to the ground for as much as he cares. Deerington thus far has been like a wonderland. Despite warnings and protestations, he's found little reason to think this place anything short of a miracle. Which is why it doesn't make sense to the young boy that his dreams should want so badly to try to hurt him. Days into the nightmares, he's begun to worry that maybe the universe just doesn't want him to be happy. Maybe there are forces out there that have already determined he's supposed to feel pain and fear, and they'll stop at nothing to make sure it continues.

The edge of the forest is not so far from the strange little cabin where he's been making his home with Grady and a series of other fascinating and unusual characters. Still, Wes doesn't quite know how he got here, barefoot and red-eyed, rubbing at his nose and trying to act brave after another nightmare that's ended in agony. The little boy is stretched and pale. He moves a little softer on his bare feet, but the snap of twigs still give him away as he approaches.

Intuitively, he knows what he's looking for. But he doesn't expect to find a woman already there, and Wes nearly turns on his heel and runs when he sees her. He would if he could, but he's just so tired. And the glowing orb just behind her is the exact one from his dream. He can feel it tugging at him like a magnet, and he's compelled to step closer and peer around her.

San | Princess Mononoke

[stolensoul]

Death's Eye

San is no stranger to apprehension, even fear. There is danger in the world, brought on most often by foolish humans, but then again, danger can come from anywhere, even from vengeful spirits.

She prefers to remain outside, and not in the strange house that is supposed to be hers. It's too stifling in there, even with an open window, and it's not the same as being free to roam the forest as she pleases. And besides, even if she were to attempt sleep, the visions in her head are disturbing enough to render that impossible.

There's a strange force that's compelling her to walk along the forest path, and she's not sure what she might find at the end of it, but all she knows is that she has to see this through to whatever end. Even when she's joined on the path by another person, she doesn't stray from it. The force pulling her along is too strong for that.

What she does do is glance sidelong at them, expression inscrutable. Humans are annoying creatures for the most part, and she tolerates their company, but only barely. She would prefer not to speak to them at all, but the path is only so wide, and they clearly seem to be heading for the same place.

"Don't get too close." A friendly companion, she is not. Sorry for your bad luck.

Now You See Me

San's mood has gone from bad to worse. The discovery of the antler wreath incenses her; yes, it's possible that the antlers were obtained after they'd been shed by whatever deer formerly wore them, but she is more inclined to believe they were harvested in a different manner entirely.

"What's the purpose of this?" Decorations like this seem pointless to her, especially if an animal died in the process of making it. It might as well be a heinous sin, if that is indeed what happened here.

But she suddenly finds herself having bigger things to worry about besides a wreath made of antlers. Whatever objects aren't bolted down or otherwise immovable start flying around the room, some of them narrowly missing San while others actually make contact.

"What- What is this?" Clearly, it's a very angry spirit, but she can't even begin to think what she might have done to have angered the spirits so. Could it be that the mysterious wreath has something to do with this?

She doesn't see any other options, so she grabs the wreath, and dashes out of the door before she gets pelted to death by flying objects. The first person she sees is going to find themselves accosted by her, and having the half-wreath shoved unceremoniously in their general direction. "Have you seen anything like this around you?"

Wildcard

[ San can be found hanging out in the forest communing with nature or something like that, or wandering around the town, shaking her head at what silly creatures humans are. Feel free to have your character bump into her anywhere, or choose your own adventure~ ]

Now You See Me

[funnyname]

Luka know a thing or two about a mood that has gone from bad to worse. Today, he started at the bottom and somehow managed to go even lower when his latest refurbishing project is being flung back at him as if the house was offended by his attempt to issue any changes. Maybe he can just let whatever is upset with him sulk for a while, go for a long walk and hope that by the time he comes back, they had calmed down.

But that walk is just a testimony that Deerington was obviously at it again. Upset people left and right that were re-enacting Poltergeist in twenty parts.

"Yeah. A present from my new roommate, I guess."

He pulls out his own wreath, holding it up.

"Whatever happened to passive-aggressive notes on the fridge, huh?"

Vivi Nefertari | One Piece

[regal_azure]

Death's Eye

[ Dreams of senseless wars were nothing new to Vivi, but the images that she was seeing weren't of Alabasta, but unfamiliar places with strange weapons. She's unable to shake the sense of paranoia and dread that she gets from these dreams, and every time she tries to distract herself her thoughts come back to the orb in the woods.

She doesn't even know her way around town yet, but she finds that she can navigate the quickest path toward the forest without any difficulty, as though her feet leading her there of their own accord. Lost in her own thoughts and the fog of almost palpable anxiety that's overcome her ever since she began to dream of the orb, she doesn't realise that she's not alone until she hears a twig snap loudly from off to the side. Cursing herself for not paying attention, she whirls round, hands curled into fists. ]

Is someone there?



Wildcard

[ Send me a message and I'll put up a starter for your character, otherwise feel free to put a starter here! ]

sherlock holmes | the great ace attorney

[flawgic]

death's eye;

[Anxiety? Paranoia? What are these emotions, Sherlock is completely unfamiliar with them. Or rather, he's very familiar with them, he just prefers to think of them in different terms - it's not anxiety, it's just an eagerness to solve the mysteries surrounding this place! And he's not paranoid, he's just a genius who has multiple contingency plans for every possible worst-case scenario he can think of!

So when the compulsion to explore the forest hits, he doesn't even bother fighting it; instead he immediately gears up with all of his gadgets and heads out, humming to himself. If you're unlucky enough to bump into him while in the woods, be prepared for hours of chattering and a long journey ahead as Sherlock gets distracted and wanders off on every single branching path there is. Sure, there might be a lack of psychic compulsion pulling him down those useless roads, but that's not going to stop him from examining that oddly shaped branch and totally forgetting why he's here in the first place!

Alternatively, you can find him already in the clearing, wearing a pair of luminescent goggles and spraying down the orb with various vials of chemicals stored in his pouch. Sherlock's ignoring the whispers for now because...well, he's absolutely going to touch the orb. He's not about to let a mysterious object in the middle of the woods go untouched, that would be crazy. But before that? Science.]

Hmm...I see, I see! So that's what you're hiding. It's all so clear now!

now you see me;

[For a self-proclaimed 'great detective', it takes an embarrassingly long time before Sherlock notices that something may be amiss in his lodgings. Misplacing random objects and forgetting where he put them? Happens far more often than not. Shattering glass and falling debris? Probably shouldn't have stored those volatile chemicals so close to each other. Walls shaking and screaming? A good sign that he's drunk far too much coffee and should go catch up on the sleep he's not had in about a week.

Books flying around and smacking him in the face though? That one's new, and it's enough to finally drive him out the door and into the streets. That said, he's looking a lot more excited than scared, waving his wreath around in the air and flagging down the first person he sees walk by.]

You there! Help a fellow out, yes? We must find the other pieces of this gravity-altering device at once!

Geralt of Rivia | the Witcher (2020)

[willnotchoose]

eyes of the dead
[ Geralt is no stranger to nightmares. To dreams of almost a century of death and violence, committed by him and others for an allegedly good cause time after time. The process that made him was traumatic in and of itself, what he can remember of it, anyway, but even since then it's never gotten easier. Only something adapted to. It's long since stopped bothering him, only another facet of his existence stopped when he ultimately breathes his last, but this time is different. It sinks into his bones, itches and picks at normally unshakeable nerves, making him paranoid for the unfamiliarity. The more he dreams the worse it gets, blood and dismemberment, desecration of women and children and above it all this orb perpetually out of reach.

He wakes strange places, finds his patience rapidly escaping his reach. He reaches for drink more frequently, snaps at those around him even more frequently than usual, finds himself responding with violence when they push, or barely containing the impulse. But he fights against the pull of the orb because he knows its pull must be ignored. It's some kind of magic he's somehow not immune to, and therefore more dangerous for it. ]


the dead are awake
[Geralt is no stranger to spirits. He's banished more than his fair share, he knows the rituals and processes to get rid of more than a handful of types, except the more he tries the worse it gets. He goes through all the methods and all it gets him is a wreck inside his house, not that he has much in the way of belongings, but after that everything goes blank.

It isn't the first time he's been possessed, and like the first he's just as helpless to prevent it. Just as violent, only more indescriminant instead of focused, just as likely to attack friend as foe and none the wiser for it.

And having the full force of a Witcher coming at you is a force to be reckoned with, to be sure.]

Remy LeBeau | Marvel 616

[kinetically_charged]

Death’s Eye
[While he hasn’t been here as long as others have, that it hadn’t been long since he had been home, those gnawing doubts were still digging into him. What if he wasn’t able to get out of this place, what if he was stuck here? Would his world just keep going on without him? Was it worth the risk to even try to escape considering how little Remy knew about this place? It’s all sitting heavily in his stomach, a weight that won’t lift or shift to offer any relief. And those dreams weren’t helping anything, not that he was getting a lot of sleep as it was with those worries keeping his mind busy.

Getting out and about helped a bit, even if Remy would argue it’s just to be out in the night air while the world was normally quiet, not fully accepting it was the draw of something else calling to him. At least not until he finds himself wandering further into the forest before he realizes his own actions, stopping part way down that path before realizing he’s not alone and that other person is also there with him.] Happen to be out for a nightly stroll too?

Now You See Me
[You live in a school full of mutants long enough and you get pretty good at dodging random stuff flying your way, from something small like a pencil, to as large as a chunk of wall. The randomly moving and hidden objects were more an annoyance to someone like Remy, who liked to have stuff in a certain place so he could find it quickly, let alone being assaulted with those screams and flickering lights following him around.

Yep, this had to stop. He would be tempted to try some stuff he had picked up as a younger man, seeing a range of voodoo practices back home in New Orleans, but who knew how spirits worked in this place, and Remy really didn’t want to go upsetting anything beyond the physical realm. That stuff got messy, and fast.

So it’s a relief when that half a wreath showed up… even if he’s not sure what to do with it at first. Using the network to put a photo up of his version, Remy sends out a request for whoever may know what to do with this thing.]

Wildcard
[Another one I haven’t included? Or just want something more mundane? We can talk options.]

eyes with de-aged jean

[redheat]

[ There's always been something about the forest that seems to draw her in and especially during the night. Her telepathy doesn't go haywire, thankfully, but there's always some strange sort of pull that she can feel within it and with still trying to wrap her head around everything that she's learned thus far, she finds herself out and about. Through the forest. With apparently some company.

She doesn't recognize him, much like anyone else around here, and comes to tuck a couple strands of hair behind an ear as she looks to him from her ways off to the side, having come in through the bush for the path that he's stopped himself on. ]

Sounds a lot better than saying you're lost, right?

[ Which. She's not. Totally. Just saying is all. ]