Test Drive Meme #7

[inthenightmods]

TEST DRIVE MEME #7

Hello and welcome to the In the Night test drive meme for November! Thanks for your interest in our game! Reserves open on December 20, and applications open on December 22.

While you're here...

• Take a look at our rules and faq pages to familiarize yourself with the game.
  
• Note that we have a reserve cap of 20, and a (current) application cap of 2 apps this month for new players, as the game has a player cap of 60. An accurate count of current players will always be available on the taken page.
  
• TDM threads can become game canon if both players wish. If the situation isn't something that could happen in-game, you're free to chalk it up to some strange hallucination, a shared dream, or other mysterious circumstance.
  
• Note that this is not limited to new characters threading with characters already in-game. If current players wish to thread out the TDM prompts as canon events, they are welcome to do so. They are welcome to make posts in the main comms for TDM events as well. Please note, however, that actual plot clues or happenings will not occur in TDM prompts.
  
• If you plan to apply, please keep in mind that we do require at least one sample thread on the application to be from our TDM (though it doesn't need to be the current TDM).
  
• You're welcome to use the provided prompts or come up with something on your own, but we do ask that all threads take place in our game's setting.

Thank you again, and we hope you'll choose to join us!

log prompts

MAGIC CASTLE IN THE LAND OF SWEETS

You wake up one morning to find that The Night Market has come to Beacon, rising from the depths of the lake to set up booths and stalls all around the square. As a market, they offer a variety of goods and services typically unavailable to the good people of Beacon. Lantern charms that grant special and boosted abilities? Check. Magical potions to imbue the imbiber with fun but temporary effects? Got 'em. Specialty goods from home? Can do. Cigarettes? You bet your buns. The only catch? It all comes at a price.

Accepted currencies at the Night Market include: Building and scrap materials, old tablets, old lanterns, captured forest spirits, torches, information, and most importantly... Plutonium. Of course, attempting to barter is always an option... but these currencies are your best bet for dealing with the various vendors offered by the Night Market.

And finally, if bartering isn't your speed, The Night Market has also brought with it a host of activities akin to a street festival. Warm up with a hot toddy or gourmet latte from the pop-up coffee booth, sample a treat from the candy shop, or win your bae a stuffed forest spirit or mechanical goldfish from the carnival games. Above all? Have fun!

This prompt is a mini version of the game's Pleader event.

BATTLE WITH THE (RAT) KING

Throughout the month, the residents of Beacon will discover that a familiar and not particularly wanted visitor has returned. Strangely, the creature appears to be incised by the holiday decorations that have been put up by those so inclined. It goes after any decoration it can, intent to rip them down, tear them, sometimes even run off in a tangle of garland. In particular, the Rat King goes into a frenzy any time it spies a nutcracker, and won't stop until it sinks its teeth into the wooden soldiers. It could be worse, you suppose. The thing doesn't seem to be paying mind to people unless they get in its way. Still, there are some residents that went to a lot of trouble to put this all together. Maybe you should help?

Or maybe you're scrooge and just want to watch the Rat King do its business. That's also fair. Just expect to get some coal in the secret santa exchange.

network prompts

MARCH OF THE TOY SOLDIERS

At some point while you were out and about, minding your own business, you find yourself in quite the troubling situation. All of a sudden, you're surrounded by what appears to be a small army of tin soldiers. The reality, of course, is that they're all somewhat small forest spirits that have decked themselves out in pieces of scrap that act as army-like uniforms, and not real toys at all...but still, the effect is unsettling. They're not all that threatening, really, aside from being creepy, but there are so many of them, and they hold sharpened, bite-sized spears that they keep trying to jab into you any time you try to move out of the circle they've made to sequester you.

Ultimately, you're able to more or less make out what they want: a ransom, of which they do not have the ability to properly communicate. They won't rest or let you go until you post of your plight on the network and give them what they want. You know, just, who knows what they actually want. That's still up for debate.

CHILDREN'S GALLOP

RINGLE DANGLE JINGLE JANGLE!

This is the nosie that greets you on an endless loop from the Bonfire Square. A small group of spirits have gathered there and set up what appears to be a donation pan, which they keep smacking and rattling as they provide all of Beacon with a rousing and unending set of holiday caroling. Unfortunately for everyone who isn't a spirit, this basically just sounds like coordinated screaming. And the screaming does not stop. Maybe for some of you, this would be easy enough to ignore in one capacity or the other, but it seems the spirits have accounted for this, and are very insistent on being given the attention their cheery efforts deserve.

Which is to say: throughout the day, everyone receives what is effectively spam emails to their tablet in the form of...very loudly written words. The emails pour in, over and over:

WE WON'T GO UNTIL WE GET SOME WE WON'T GO UNTIL WE GET SOME WE WON'T GO UNTIL WE GET SOME WE WON'T GO UNTIL WE GET SOME

QUICKNAV
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Comments

The Baubledook

[inthenightmods]

All Prompts; [What's up boners. The Baubledook isn't immediately present. But this is his favorite holiday, see, and he just loves to watch people . . . enjoying themselves. Isn't that great? He'll just be lurking around in the background, watching . . . waiting . . . If you want some ornaments, maybe he has some for you.]

[withsadness]

[Mary is not afraid of The Baubledook. She probably should be, because this creature is absolutely terrifying. But isn't he here to share the holiday spirit? And isn't she here to love all spirits no matter how unsettling? That's right. Both of those things are true. Some of her siblings are kind of scary, so she doesn't really see him in the same sort of light. She smiles as she approaches him, a bundle in her arms! It looks like...a present!

It's wrapped in some pretty colored paper she found in the general store, though not too gracefully. She did her best.]

I've brought you a present, good sir.

[She gives a curtsy.]

[arsarcanum]

[ Okay, objectively? Kinda creepy! This is not his first Heartless-like rodeo, so he doesn't get any particular reverb off of this weird dark thing between the line of stalls and the outdoor bathroom, and he is very tempted to just... walk... right... by...

but then he turns back because what in the hell is that

He has a little paper sack of candied almonds that he purchased with a small lump of plutonium that he had gotten from a wizened old info broker for the name of the current leader of his world ("Uh... President Obama?"). He'll pop one in his mouth and chew as he raises his lantern and peers to really take a look at this thing. Phew, that's a look. ]

Hey. What are you doing here?

Hope Estheim | Final Fantasy XIII

[distantfuture]

Magic Castle in the Land of Sweets

[ Ever since awakening on that ferry, Hope had been rather despondent. Who wouldn't be? He was only fourteen and he was, apparently, dead. He also had no idea how it happened and what the fate of Cocoon was because of that unknown variable in all this. He didn't regret his actions, but he wished he could at least have found out if his dad was okay or if the others made it out alright as well.

But it wasn't like he was a grump. Upon waking up to the festival, it was difficult to not feel excited. Beacon was tough, but he had been through worse it felt like. This festival seemed to help make things easier now, although he had no idea what the occasion was. So, he simply wandered around the stalls and vendors and activity location. He had no money to pay for the items, nor anything to barter with. He was too new to have established anything like that. The information he had was all from his own world, a world that no one else knew about, and he wasn't sure that sort of information was valuable. Besides, just because his brand remained frozen didn't mean he wanted to discuss it with some unknown person.

Eventually, he found himself a somewhat secluded spot to watch the festivities. His gloved hands nursed a sample of some gourmet latte that a vendor had given him. Hope suspected that answering her question about Palumpolum (a simple "where are you from?" question, really) was enough information to give him a little more than the usual sample size. He wouldn't complain. ]

Battle with the (Rat) King

Ow!

[ Hope landed right on his backside, the Rat King making off with the garland he had been trying to fix and a rather nasty scratch on his arm for his troubles. He winced with a jump when the rat outright hissed at him menacingly in warning, as if daring him to come closer again. But Hope knew when to pick his battles and instead initiated a small Cure spell. Just because he already died once didn't mean he wanted to again, from infection no less.

As usual, there was no real light like usual from the spell, but the deep scratch began to mend itself and Hope scoffed lightly. ]

What does it even want with that stuff, anyway?

March of the Toy Soldiers

Um, does anyone know what a bunch of tin soldiers would want? I can't escape their circle and they've already nicked me a few times. They want something from me, but they won't (or can't?) tell me what.

Wildcard

[Got something else in mind? Let me know! Or hit me up on my plurk at ravenclawed]

Toy Soldiers

[worthallthis]

[A typed message comes through from @ Soldier.]

Where are you. I can come and ask them.

Battle with the (Rat) King

[bunny_suit]

[D.VA was already picking a fight with the Rat King when he noticed someone else get affected by it's actions. Giving up on the king for the time being, she approached the 14-year-old instead.]

Isn't that just rude?! Eolgan-i.*

[Offering a hand to help him up now. She was going to ask if he needed any bandages or something for the scratch but...]

Oh. Looks like you've got it. I... have no idea. It looks like a lot of work was put into the decorations.

[*What a jerk.]

Magic Castle

[reigniter]

[Thankfully for Hope, the items are all free. A lot of people have been plundering the sweets stands (along with Ignis, although he was trying to be moderate), so if he decides to make another round, he could get some candy. The bartering stands though... even Ignis didn't have anything he wanted to pawn off for some of the items. He hopes he'll come across something eventually.

Ignis was looking for a spot to sit down when he comes across the young man. This place keeps getting children... It's not as if Ignis is very old, but this guy is way below eighteen. Taking a seat nearby, he crosses his legs and takes a sip of his coffee.]

Did you come with new arrivals?

Hana Song "D.VA" | Overwatch

[bunny_suit]

A; I Play To Win!
[D.VA hadn't been here long, but seeing a market place was a... surprisingly nice surprise. Too bad she didn't have anything to barter so she'll focus on the treats instead. She's already gotten a few pieces of candy and definitely got herself a coffee. Now she's just looking at the games and activities. There are prizes at stake and she can't turn down a good challenge.

.... Too bad it's not going so well so far. She's too competitive to let this go though, so she's going try even harder. If anyone tries to offer to win her a stuffed forest spirit, she's probably going to be stubborn about doing it herself.]


B; Bah, Humbug!
[Even in death, it's nice to see that people have attempted to put up decorations for Christmas. Despite not having much to work with, it looks like people worked on it and put a lot of time into making and putting them up. Seeing the Rat King trying to destroy their work makes her annoyed. Annoyed enough to approach him and say something about it. Probably not a great idea, but that's not right.]

Hey! Don't you think that's a little rude? People probably worked hard on these, so you need to knock it off.

[Somebody stop her.... Or back her up, either way.]


C; How Could This Happen To Me?!
[How the hell did she get surrounded by toys? Or... at least they looked like toys at first? She's not really sure what they are, but they're moving and that instantly makes her weary of. Well, whatever, she's just going to step over them and-- never mind. They.... literally aren't letting her go. This was ridiculous.]

So uh... It appears I'm being held hostage or something by.... toys? I don't even know if they're toys, but they're creepy.

I could use some assistance. B|

[She doesn't know what they want exactly, but that seems to be what they're looking for.]


D; Wildcard
[Want to do anything else? I'm open for anything! Hit me up! I'm byefelicia if you'd prefer to talk to me there. I will need to link icons because she did have a paid before, but that's no problem. I just thought I should throw that out there.]

b

[incinerators]

[ stop her? no way, pyrrha's here to back her up. ]

I agree. [ she puts a hand on her hip. ] A lot of us worked hard on these -- is it that you don't enjoy Christmas?

[ the rat king just...kinda stares at them before it goes back to gnawing at the wooden soldiers. pyrrha looks over at the other girl with a raised eyebrow. ]

I have a feeling it doesn't understand what we're saying.

lucius | original character

[diastima]

the market
[ Lucius is afraid of the dark. This is an unnatural darkness, one that was different from the quiet serenity of home. He's drawn instinctively to the Night Market and to the lanterns that accompany it; a slim youth with white hair idling underneath the lights. A lot of the traders attempt to entice him with their wares, but he doesn't quite approach them, only watching from a distance.

A torch... Lucius shakes his head. ]

I'm sorry. I don't have money.

[ Where does one get currency, though? Much of the traders want things from the woods and... he's kind of scared to go. He's just hanging around the market at this point, watching people and wondering if there's something he could do. ]


running after the rat king

Hey, come back here!

[ What is weirder than seeing a clump of rats tied together is seeing it run off entwined with makeshift garlands. Someone's probably spent a lot of effort making this, so he feels duty-bound to get it back; but it's also a huge rat and he's just a desk worker.

He has to stop and pant for breath once the rat runs away from the bonfire's square and into an alley. If there's someone around, he calls out to them ]

'Scuse me, can you [ huff ] help me?


screaming children
[ God, this noise is awful. He has to wonder how the spirits are even managing to send these emails just by screaming. After trying to put up with it for a couple of hours, he gives up and tries to ask an actual human. ]

How do you turn off the screaming?

Market

[worthallthis]

They don't want money.

[The big guy with the metal hand peeking out from their coat and a coffee cup in the other hand pauses next to Lucius to explain.]

It's barter. You give them something. They give you something.

Screaming children

[bunny_suit]

[She's gotten the emails herself and she's so done with it.]

What do they even want to begin with?

why not?? eat?? the rat???

[sunborne]

[ daylight - who just got off of garland making duties - happens to be passing by the bonfire square when he hears someone calling out for help.

that alone causes his previously carefully thought out plans to be thrown right out the window. whatever he was going to do before jogging up to the poor guy can wait. someone needs help. ]

Sure! What do you need, buddy?

rat king

[arsarcanum]

[ Sora is walking back toward the bonfire when this stranger waves him down...? Sora could probably say no, but he likes helping people! Also, he's dead. Not like he has much anywhere to be. ]

Sure! You okay? You look kinda beat.

yorha type A no. 2 (A2), nier: automata.

[precedents]

▶ [n]ight market.

[ it's less the lights that pull her to the harbor, but the amount of people they attract. she watches them all file onto the bridge and enter the submarines, some alone and some in a group; just the sheer number of them congregated in one place is enough to make her stare for a while before she finally makes her way over.

all the baubles and charms and shiny goods puts the little market at the resistance camp to shame. A2 wanders among the booths, looking at the wares of each before stopping at one. on the table are round objects in perfect circles, all in one uniform size. the booth keeper notices her staring and asks if she'd like to purchase one, but A2 ignores them, continuing to stare at the heads. a moment later, a white sword materializes behind her, hovering at her back. ]

Where did you get this?

▶ rat [k]ing.

[ maybe you were trying to get into the festive spirit and put some lights up in your room, or maybe you were fixing that wreath over your door before the rat comes and decides to be an asshole. either way, here's A2 coming back with it, the wreath and lights slung over her shoulder while she finds the rightful owner. don't mind her looking a little scratched up along her arms and legs; oddly enough she isn't bleeding, and rather than flesh being supposed, it's a metal chassis instead. ]

Is this yours?

▶ wild[c]ard.

[ hit me up with anything! ]

Rat [K]ing.

[bunny_suit]

[It wasn't actually D.VA's stuff, but she was trying to keep the Rat King from destroying someone's hard work herself. Too bad she didn't think to worry about a fight, so she's a little scratched up herself, aside from the remainder of the ash from the explosion that she missed. Seeing that she wasn't bleeding and it was metal instead of flesh didn't really faze her.

If anything, it made her feel a little on edge considering what happened before arriving here. Still, she didn't look like a typical Omnic that she'd seen around or even the Gwinshin in particular. Perhaps she wasn't a threat?]

Ah, no, but I'm glad that you were able to salvage it. That jerk is ruining someone's hard work and I can't stand for that.

👀 2

[evulsed]

[ Vanitas wants to know, and he makes it as far as the crest of the hill. The festival is alluring, all glittering lantern lights and the shimmer of those submarines. Everything about it screams Disney Town, the sounds that float up, the smell of the food and the candy, the low murmur of conversation, the constant drone of music from a place Vanitas can't quite pinpoint from all the way up here.

It fills him with unfathomable envy— a jealousy that runs deep, that festers and rolls and boils over into the shape of Unversed that look like they could be rats, if they didn't also look like raccoons. He's furious about this limitation— this utter horror that he just can't shake when he just looks at the black, still surface of the water.

The woman is pale in a way that draws his eye, though; and while she isn't made of light, there's something uncanny about her that he feels like he should know, or remember. A memory that isn't his own, maybe— but she's the only other person that's standing aside, instead of going down to join anyone else. It isn't a sense of camaraderie that makes Vanitas approach, just his own selfish need to push buttons. ]

What's wrong? [ He sounds snide. ] Can't bring yourself to join in all the fun?

Link | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Manga)

[sublimebeast]

[A] Night Market

[Link is drawn to the dancing lights and pauses a moment to let the cacophony of voices drown out the cold, existential sorrow gnawing at his heart.

Is this really the afterlife? Am I really here?

He's died once before and the Light Spirits had brought him back. If they haven't done it this time, what does that mean?

Link suspects they're angry at him. They've realized they have the wrong guy.

Maybe he's being sealed in this world of perpetual night until his soul is tempered and he can learn to restore the light not just here, but in his own world...

...Maybe...

He's snapped out of his sorrowful musings by the shouting of merchants who've noticed his presence. There's a lot of "Hello, handsome"s and a few comments about his ears, all from people trying to trap him in a conversation long enough to sell him something.

He can be seen backing away from them here and there, making defensive gestures and sometimes bumping into people in his hurry to get away.]

[B] The Rat King

[Link is sitting on a bench, resting his chin in his hand. The sound of frantic squeaking is enough for him to lift his gaze and he watches with vague interest as a tangle of rodents scurries past with holiday ornaments and garlands. It isn't until some frustrated vendors run by in pursuit that he drops his hand and sits up.]

...Is something wrong?

[C] Network: Children's Gallop

@ link (voice)

Someone keeps sending me a message that says "We won't leave until we get some". I don't get it. Get some what?

What do you want?

If you won't tell me, would you just leave me alone?

NETWORK | @ elvira

[vampirella]

spirits gonna spook, dude. that's just what they do. maybe this is their version of caroling.

unless you've got figgy pudding, i'd suggest ignoring it until they get bored of spamming.

Data-Riku | Kingdom Hearts Coded

[debugged]

A: Arrival-ish

[You know what's interesting? Death. Death is interesting, because data doesn't die. Computers don't die. Neither of them require a lantern to...exist?

And yet here he is, apparently dead or deleted or whatever happens to digital constructs when they reach the end of their existence in one plane.

On the plus side, there don't seem to be many ill effects to being 'dead'...except that there are feelings like 'wet', 'cold', and 'hot', even if he doesn't feel them exactly like a normal person. Which is why he's standing nearly in the Bonfire, because it's super interesting that his hand is practically touching the flames and yet he's not sweating because of it. Fascinating. Where is Rastus when you need him?]


B: Now with less fire

[Also interesting is the lanterns! One might be approached by this digital teenager for a conversation--or rather, he's more interested in their lantern, but conversation isn't bad, either.]

Do you mind if I make a sketch of your lantern?


Toy soldiers

[He's never been held hostage by a small tin army. It's not something that's ever been a high priority, and he can safely say that it still isn't. He would very much like to leave this patch of ground, but it's difficult when his ankles get stabbed each time he tries.]

Has anyone managed to successfully fend off the metal spirits? You can't walk or jump past them; they're surprisingly fast. I only stepped outside my cabin for for a minute.

B

[evulsed]

[ He hears the voice first, and that alone is strange. Riku can't sneak up on him, because he can always feel him— the shape of his light, the specific angle of his darkness. His shoulders stiffen and his arms unfold from where they'd been across his chest, trying to keep the heat in near the bonfire and against the chill of winter. ]

What kind of stupid—

[ The snarl is half formed on his lips, and dies when he turns around to set his eyes on... not Riku. Vanitas reels. Not by stepping back, but by pulling himself up to his full height— open surprise shattering the prepared caustic expression on his face. That replica... he hadn't exactly been close with him. They certainly hadn't been on what Vanitas would have considered a first name basis, even if he knew the guy's chosen moniker. But— ]

Dawn?

[ But that isn't right, either. Dawn's darkness had a specific feel, too, and this guy feels like— mostly nothing. Vanitas' chin drops and his eyes sharpen, shock quickly giving way to suspicion. ]

Zelda | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[trilight]

[A] Lights just like home
[This is the most at home Zelda’s felt since... well, since she arrived in Beacon, really. She looks around, sat down on a rock near the edge of the market, and thinks what she sees looks just like the markets back in Hyrule in the castle courtyard or one of the settlements; they even had night markets, sometimes, so if she closes her eyes and just listens to the music, the chatter of voices and the loud, booming calls of the vendors with the chatter of crickets and the cold night air on her skin to back it all, she can picture that she’s home.

You could find her like this, lost in thought; of course, the memory of home also hurts, so she’s quick to move on and start browsing the stores for something useful. You could also find her here; she’s mostly around the stalls with more techy wares, looking for something she can use for some sort of invention, or maybe even to repair her sheikah slate, which is hung on a belt on her hip and visibly broken.]

[B] Not all that glitters is a gold, Mr Rat
Hey! [Zelda’s running after the Rat King, who’s scurrying away from her with something orange clutched in it’s paws, around the size of a Christmas ornament and shiny like one too.]

That’s not an ornament! Mr Rat, please, give that back! [The Rat King pauses, bangs the orb on the ground as if trying to break it and then scurries off before Zelda can get too close. It’s so focused on Zelda that it doesn’t even notice it’s getting dangerously close to you; you could interfere, if you’d like, or just step back and watch the show. If you’re particularly observant, you’ll notice a stall nearby with a pile of the orbs for sale. You can’t read the sign saying what they are from here, but the store seems to specialise in tech from various character’s homeworlds.]

[D] So now the forest is screaming
(@ princesszelda) Is anyone else receiving a stream of emails to their tablet from the spirits? This is fascinating, I’ve never encountered forest spirits capable of interacting with technology before! Has anyone else encountered this behaviour before? Also, has anyone been able to email them back and get a response? They seem quite... insistent, in Bonfire Square, so I’ve tried replying to their email to ask exactly what they won’t go until they get but I’ve encountered no response yet.

@estheim

[distantfuture]

I haven't gotten a response, so I've ignored them for now. It seems like it's spam to me, so I don't see a reason to try and speak with them.

[ Normally, he's a curious boy about this sort of thing. But he has his limits. And he also knows was spam is. ]

Somnus Lucis Caelum | Final Fantasy XV

[meridio]

A. [He doesn't even know what a hot toddy is, yet here he is with a glass of it pressed against pursed lips. It's got that familiar tang of which he was never fond. He pauses to savor the taste before addressing the nearest person:]

What is this?

B1. [For those who posted to the network for help with the tin soldiers, there comes a most sophisticated reply from one (1) @somnus, who is a bonafide master of capitalization and punctuation:]

where

B2. [It's his turn in the circle. This drowsy Debbie Downer will brook no tomfoolery and promptly hurls his sword into the darkness. He disappears—but not before the forest spirits get a stab or two in, the pricks—and reappears at the hilt, having warped the short distance. Did he almost hit someone? But he didn't, so get over it. Dull blue particles accompany the dismissal of his sword into thin air as he straightens and walks briskly.]

Come. The spirits are moving.

C. [He's had enough of the screaming and emails. To the network he goes, and it's very fortunate that this technology allows him to speak as opposed to type at 5 WPM.]

What is the purpose of these messages?

B

[luxoraculi]

[ Lunafreya raises a hand to try and stop Somnus, but it's too late. Off he goes in true Lucis Caelum style, and she can understand where Noctis gets his recklessness from now. Not that she's one to talk, but that's hardly the point right now. She can only watch helplessly as he warps and reappears, before she sighs. ]

This is not that big of a deal, you know. They are tiny. Also, you are bleeding a little bit.

eddie kaspbrak | it

[casts]

— magic castle in the land of sweets.

❪ and so, one very needed panic attack later, eddie finds himself drawn to the lights filling the harbor and the people milling about the festival. it was better than sitting around, quietly (and sometimes loudly) freaking out about his apparent death in the sewers below derry to some demonic clown monster. worse yet, he has no idea what might have became of the other losers or where they might even be. there's a possibility they might not even be here and he's the only one to die in that gray water.

eddie probably stands out too. a tiny, angry mess of dried blood from lethal wounds that no longer exist, the murk of the sewers and demonic black leper puke. perhaps most notable is the cast on his arm with only one word written on it reading LOSER with the S crossed out by a bright red V.

currently, he is holding a cup in his hands and is frowning at it. sniffing once before shaking his head and sticking out his tongue much like a thirteen-year-old would. ❫

Who the fuck thought pumpkin spice should be in coffee?

— battle with the (rat) king.

What the fuck!?

❪ that's all one might here before a mop of a kid in a cast is tripped to the floor in the tangle of garland and lights as the rat king makes off like a bandit in the night. eddie, meanwhile, is anything but amused and fights to detangle himself from the mess that he's found himself in. it's quite the sight but it's clear that the kid is anything but amused both because of the current situation and the fact that there are just rats running around attacking folks and their decorations. ❫

Awesome, fucking great. First, I die in a sewer and now I'm going to get rabies. ❪ can the dead even get rabies? ❫

— march of the toy soldiers.

@ kaspbrak

So if anyone knows what the tin soldiers want just feel free to pass that knowledge along because I'm like super tired of standing here being held hostage by toys.

— wildcard.

❪ for anything not mentioned above! feel free to hit me up through PM or shout at me on plurk at kaldwin. ❫

[trashmouthed]

[Richie makes regular trips to the Night Market when he's bored and he's exhausted all other platforms and options of curing that boredom. There's always something to look at, some poor fool to watch, and it's better than sitting at home twiddling his stupid thumbs stuck with his thoughts of how he wished things could be different.

It's surprising what a complete and total lack of a sweet tooth death can give a person. Richie doesn't have the same enthusiasm for sugary snacks he did before, sometimes he stares at his food for minutes before eating at it- like it spontaneously became sentient and said something about his stupid glasses or the fact that he'd been wearing the same shirt since he showed up. His white button-up is slightly stained now, scuffed and dirty, and fuck it wouldn't you know, despite his best efforts he hadn't been able to get those stains out.

It's running from more of the same thoughts, pacing the cage, that brings him to the night market and he's been perusing what there is to offer for longer than he can really remember. It's not until he happens upon some of the more festive bullshit that a familiar shape catches his eye.

Small, with haunched shoulders, wisps of chocolate brown hair combed just so under muck and mud and vile that it has to be him it has to be. Richie sprints forward doesn't ask to do it- just does it, he whirls him around by his shoulders to get a better look. To be sure, because this place liked to fuck with people.]

Eddie?

Sora (CRAU) | Kingdom Hearts

[arsarcanum]

The Night Market.

A. [ Sora's been walking around in the market, hands in his his pockets, taking in the sights, looking very curiously at everything. After figuring out that he can trade information for small items, he's been writing down two lists with a scrap piece of paper and a stub of a pencil - one for information he thinks is valuable enough to give to a vendor, the other for things he wants to find in the market. (Yes, he could just use the tablet for that, but this is Sora. He is going to find a way to break it and he knows it.)

He may, in the darkness of the festival, end up butterfingering one of the three and leaving it on the ground. Hurry, go catch him! Or read the list, if you got one. It's nice to be nosy sometimes. ]

B. [ If you need a more direct approach - phew, this is a long line! The kind that snakes around and probably crosses itself a couple of times. He'll tap you on the shoulder. ]

Hi! Uh, is this the end of the line?

[ It is, unfortunately. The line is also made up of mostly forest spirits who seem to be lining up for the novelty of it. Might as well get comfortable. ]

The Rat King.

Hey! Yo! Noooononono, stop it. [ Sora's going to chase down this miscreant - he's a hero, that's what he does! He'll eventually grab him by the tail - ] Gotcha! [ - and pull it back, but uh. He really didn't have a step two to this plan. And this thing is pretty big! ]

OW! QUIT THAT! STOP!

[ Please, please, someone give him a hand. He's had his rabies shot, and he can handle a whack or two, but still. This is very painful. ]


The Toy Soldiers.

[ Several, several extremely bad pictures here. None of them are well lit, and what are lit are very blurry as he tries to keep the solders from noticing that he's documenting them. It's worth noting that each picture is its own post without any text or context besides the occasional keysmash.

Eventually, there is a single text post. ]

@ langit

Yeah okay that's the button. So I took like five six pictures. Can you see them? Anyway there are toy soldiers here and I don't think I have what they want and they keep poking me whenever I try to go? I could just kick them but I wanna see if that's a bad idea. Or uh if I do have what they want. Then I'll probably just give them it. Okay thanks!

Children's Gallop.

[ ... Yeesh. Sora does not have the technological know-how to even avoid all this, so eventually... he joins them. ]

@ langit

we're up all night til the suuuuun
we're up all night to get sooooome
we're up all night for good fuuuuun
we're up all night to get lucky

we're up all night to get lucky
we're up all night to get lucky
we're up all night to get lucky
we're up all night to get lucky...

[ Is this helpful? No. Is this also annoying? Yes! Will he attract another person who knows Daft Punk's 2013 hit "Get Lucky" (ft. Pharrell Williams and Niles Rodger)? That is for you to decide! ]


Wild Card.

[ If you got something, hit me up! Open to anything :) ]

[[ ooc: Hello! This is a CRAU version of Sora from a very old AU game called savetheearth. I have his (mostly complete) app in his journal here, and also some smaller infoposts here and here. However, most of this information is unnecessary to know if you'd just like to play with a vanilla Sora, because that's essentially who he is - just a few years older, and with a few appearance changes.

The only immediate differences should be that he's 18-19, has shorter hair (still spiky though), has as many memories of modern day Earth as he does of the KH universe, is a little heavier built, and is either five foot seven and a half OR at least one inch shorter than Riku, whichever ends up being shorter. I will NOT let him be taller than Riku in any universe, thanks! ]]

toy soldiers | @silent

[callada]

Hm. Don't recognize those. Probably don't kick them though, things here tend to fight back. You think they want something? Any idea what?

Eliot Waugh // The Magicians

[endlessflask]

[i. MAGIC CASTLE]

[ All things considered, the concept of ending up somewhere strange with no real explanation is pretty much the norm for Eliot. That doesn’t mean he likes it, but he can take the whole Weird Land Of Eternal Darkness with a grain of salt.

It helps, too, that he’s had years of practice at pushing down any and every emotional response.

Which is more or less how he’s been managing here. Though without a friend or a drink in sight, and with little more than some finally made Fillorian clothes, he’s having some struggles. So the market is nice, until he has nothing to barter or give. And he’d really wanted those cigarettes he saw, too. His saving grace comes in the form of a hot toddy, which he’s going to drink as fast as humanly possible before getting back inside to some warmth. ]


[ii. TOY SOLDIERS]

so when i used to imagine myself being at the mercy of a group of men in uniform, this isn’t what i had in mind

also my height is apparently no help to me at all and its incredibly humiliating that i need to ask for help with this
but consider this me punching my damsel-in-distress card

also also bring cigarettes if you can


[iii. WILDCARD]

Choose your own adventure, all prompts are fair game. Life is crazy rn so hoping to use this TDM to get a head start on maybe apping in Jan. Feel free to hit me up for starters/questions.

ii. text from @ Soldier

[worthallthis]

You have to get cigarettes from Rastus, and they come on the next ferry. They aren't just available at the store.

Also where are you. I can come help.

[Because they've already dealt with this once with someone else, they know what the spirits are up to and how to make them go away.]

Wesley Wyndam-Pryce | Angel: the Series/Buffyverse

[especiallyparanoid]

i. Night Market

[Wesley warms his hands on a steaming mug and watches rather curiously, studying the festivities with the occasional, thoughtful sip. Relocating here has been a fairly recent event and it weighs on his mind as he explores this strange new world. He doesn't know what he expected from any sort of afterlife – or whatever curse, soul prison or interdimensional plane this will turn out to be – but this kind of leisure surely wasn't part of it.

Oh well.

Time to mingle, be merry and meet his fellow... fellows! His voice is soft and rather polite when he addresses someone he meets.]

Pardon me. If it's not too forward, how did you die?


ii. Rat King

[Well now, this feels a lot more like home. Granted, the creature seems to be more interested in petty theft and mischief than attacking innocent bystanders but Wesley doesn't think he should wait until it changes its mind. Since it seems so interested in decoration that is what he goes for, grabbing a festoon and trying to capture it with a festive makeshift lasso. He digs his heels into the ground and tugs in an attempt of pulling it back.

It achieves...

... absolutely nothing as he is suddenly yanked forward and flung through the air, jingling merrily as he crashes into a decorative garland and scrambles to get away from any claws or teeth that might follow.]


iii. March of the Toy Soldiers

Greetings.

I'd like to enquire if anyone happens to have attempted an animation spell because I am currently looking at the rather unpleasant effects of it and I had no intention of playing out the Christmas version of Gulliver's travels today. If the offending party could contact me in a timely fashion, that would be appreciated.

As an alternative, if I could borrow a large broom. That would be great.

The larger the better, really.


iv. Children's Gallop

For the sake of eardrums and sanity, has anyone tried to pay the Florence Foster Jenkins Boys?

What goes for spiritual currency around these parts?


v. Wildcard

[For anything else c: Will match format for all of these if prose is preferred!]

—i

[webshoots]

[ it's not a topic of conversation peter's indulged in often, not since that first month with the graves when it had not so much been a question asked but something wholly, utterly experienced. unpleasant had been a word for it, and for everything since, well—

he'd been quite happy not to revisit it.

the man (british? so very british) that asks the question isn't someone that peter recognises, so his first assumption is that he's newly arrived; the question makes a little more sense with that in mind, although it's one of those that peter's found most people just dance around. he's still not entirely sure if it's true, if they're actually dead, but that doesn't change the recollection. the memory of the experience.

surprise, then, quickly graces his features and he glances up at the sky, just for a moment; a flash of hesitation, almost sheepishness, and he lifts a shoulder in a loose shrug. ]

Animal attack in Central Park. [ beat. ] Turns out, rats really aren't to be underestimated...