New OOTS products from CafePress
New OOTS t-shirts, ornaments, mugs, bags, and more
Page 7 of 50 FirstFirst 123456789101112131415161732 ... LastLast
Results 181 to 210 of 1479
  1. - Top - End - #181
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    5a Violista's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Next to the Mandolinist

    Default [Somewhere Wrong]

    Marin looks back at the eyes.

    They feel strange and she shivers, but at first she just assumes Honeysuckle can notice them.
    "Magtok's pretty smart. He can definitely figure it out and warn people," Marin says.

    Okay, these eyes are starting to be a little creepy.
    She glances at Honeysuckle to see if she's feeling that too.
    Then back at the other eyes.
    And then at Honeysuckle again. Honeysuckle's not really reacting to them.
    "...hey," she says.
    "You can 'see' those too, right?"
    Favorite sports:
    Fencing
    Football (Soccer)
    Figure Skating
    (and basically everything else that starts with 'f')
    ALSO! Come roleplay FFRPG in the Nexus!
    Nexus Characters.

  2. - Top - End - #182
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Recaiden's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Fever dreams
    Gender
    Male

    Default [Somewhere Wrong]

    The eyes continue staring at Marin, almost looking through her in disinterest. They blink (or perhaps wink, as it's individual per eyes) from time to time.
    And it seems, perhaps the eyes are disappointed in here?

    "Hope so. No transporter expert, here."
    But Magtok surely is, he's a famous, uh, something, Honeysuckle never really checked the details.

    "Just see you 'n this platform we're on." Honeysuckle says.
    She holds very still, trying to notice any small thing she might have missed.
    ~Inner Circle~
    Quote Originally Posted by Raz_Fox View Post
    He takes normality and reason and turns them UP TO 11!
    Quote Originally Posted by Anarion View Post
    Recaiden, stop using your mastery of the English language to confuse the issue.
    Echidna by Serpentine

  3. - Top - End - #183
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Shadowcaller's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Avatar by Gullara

    Default Re: Serious Plots 9: Srsr and srsr

    Quote Originally Posted by Murkus View Post
    [Platinum Star]

    "Home, then. And you may wish to go straight to bed," Maiel recommends. "As much as I would like another outcome--you should rest."
    [Platinum Star]

    "Hmph, just know that the servants will be quite concerned if I don't sleep half the day away tomorrow. Me awake before noon? They will think they woke me up." Telly remarks before reaching over to put her hand on Maiel and the next moment the world goes completely black around him as that the best way he can conceive the nothingness that his lack of eyes now perceives.

    It might feel like an eternity but just a few minutes later he's standing in Tellysandra's garden. The lady slouching in one of the fantastically sculpted stone benches nearby. "You know, if this VIGIL-thing goes through I might actually be able to get all this back on track again. Pull the city back from the brink, have Sargon's people saved... it will all work out..." She remarks, her voice remarkably clear despite her intoxication.

  4. - Top - End - #184
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    5a Violista's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Next to the Mandolinist

    Default [Somewhere Wrong]

    Hopefully they aren't stuck here for the rest of the week, because even though the worst effects of the collar went away with the removal of it, there's still the possibility of overdosing on and getting addicted to thinking about Honeysuckle. In such an empty void, there's not much else to think about.

    "Yeah, there's definitely some eyes here," the catgirl says. "They, um...look? No, they feel a little weird. After those probably-magic writings faded, they are the only thing here. Not sure if it would be a good idea if you saw them, but they're the only things around."
    Favorite sports:
    Fencing
    Football (Soccer)
    Figure Skating
    (and basically everything else that starts with 'f')
    ALSO! Come roleplay FFRPG in the Nexus!
    Nexus Characters.

  5. - Top - End - #185
    Halfling in the Playground
     
    Murkus's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2010

    Default Re: Serious Plots 9: Srsr and srsr

    Quote Originally Posted by Shadowcaller View Post
    [Platinum Star --> Telly's Garden]

    "Hmph, just know that the servants will be quite concerned if I don't sleep half the day away tomorrow. Me awake before noon? They will think they woke me up." Telly remarks before reaching over to put her hand on Maiel and the next moment the world goes completely black around him as that the best way he can conceive the nothingness that his lack of eyes now perceives.

    It might feel like an eternity but just a few minutes later he's standing in Tellysandra's garden. The lady slouching in one of the fantastically sculpted stone benches nearby. "You know, if this VIGIL-thing goes through I might actually be able to get all this back on track again. Pull the city back from the brink, have Sargon's people saved... it will all work out..." She remarks, her voice remarkably clear despite her intoxication.
    [Platinum Star --> Telly's Garden]

    Maiel's eyes twinkle like distant, dying stars in that drifting darkness. He can wait an eternity. It would be no trouble at all.

    Maiel kneels down next to her, his face a mask of... concern? He seems genuinely concerned, and skeptical of Telly's condition. "I think you should go to bed. Let me take you." He tries to lift her in a bridal carry across his arms, if the lady lets him, and straightens with a grunt. He'll try to carry her to her bedroom. "Plans go awry with the kiss of day. Sleep preserves us." He looks at her, curly bearded and dark skinned with his hair a little longer than usual, bound behind his head.
    My avatar was done by Gullara. Thanks again!

    "If you meet a spirit walking,
    Incline your head.
    Do not meet their gaze.
    Do not follow after."

    -Things Our Mothers Tell Us

    Nexus Characters

  6. - Top - End - #186
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Recaiden's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Fever dreams
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: [Somewhere Wrong]

    Quote Originally Posted by 5a Violista View Post
    Hopefully they aren't stuck here for the rest of the week, because even though the worst effects of the collar went away with the removal of it, there's still the possibility of overdosing on and getting addicted to thinking about Honeysuckle. In such an empty void, there's not much else to think about.

    "Yeah, there's definitely some eyes here," the catgirl says. "They, um...look? No, they feel a little weird. After those probably-magic writings faded, they are the only thing here. Not sure if it would be a good idea if you saw them, but they're the only things around."
    Who's to say? There's no obvious away back to HALO. But probably they can find a way out before then.
    Maybe if they could recreate the magic writings they could use them to leave? If Marin looks closely, there are faint marks left on the stony floor of the platform.
    Maybe if they jump down into the empty space they'll fall back where they came from?

    "Eyes, huh? Too far for me to get."
    It's clear, just from looking at them, that the eyes are disappointed in Honeysuckle too.
    "Does this make sense? A real alteration to the teleport, right after suggested it? After really fake, garbled warning?"
    "Guess the saboteur was listening in. But only to the entrance hall?"
    ~Inner Circle~
    Quote Originally Posted by Raz_Fox View Post
    He takes normality and reason and turns them UP TO 11!
    Quote Originally Posted by Anarion View Post
    Recaiden, stop using your mastery of the English language to confuse the issue.
    Echidna by Serpentine

  7. - Top - End - #187
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Arkhosia's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Gender
    Female

    Default Re: Serious Plots 9: Srsr and srsr

    Avenue of Unpleasant Dreams

    Fidelia looks a bit surprised as the gorgeous gown seems to flicker over her form, but she can't help the swell of pride and confidence that swells in her breast from lingering. This sense of purpose is certainly nice to feel, and almost assuredly a help considering the importance of the endeavor she's entered this strange quasi-dimension for. But it also teaches her something she's quick to note- she needs to be careful with what she says in here. Any turn of phrase might have its own unique way of influence and manifestation in here.




    As they step into Jenette's dream, Fidelia pauses to take in the environs. Her eyes widen as she swiftly recognizes the place they're in... or the place they're in a facsimile of, to be more accurate. A dark, ominous, bloody facsimile. This was a dream they'd have to be careful in.

    "Hello? Jenette? Are you out here?" Fidelia calls out, drifting towards the house to check for signs of entry. Surely, the dreamscape wouldn't have conjured up such an ambience if Jenette wasn't to witness it first.
    "Are we living a life that is safe from harm? Of course not, we never are. But that's not the right question. The question is: are we living a life that is worth the harm?"
    ~Welcome to Night Vale

    Spoiler: Quotes from Friends <3
    Show
    Quote Originally Posted by SliiArhem
    Arkh I may be slightly delirious but I don't think that would make sense even if I was coherent.

    Interested in the Nexus FFRP setting? Try joining our Discord server!

  8. - Top - End - #188
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    5a Violista's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Next to the Mandolinist

    Default [Somewhere Wrong]

    Jumping down is probably a horrible idea. What if you just keep on falling forever?

    "It seems like this sort of thing would take a while to set up," Marin says. She hasn't had a look at the teleportation tech, but she imagines it's more complex than just 'rerouting on a whim' immediately after it was suggested. "In the first place, they'd have to have this place planned out in advance."

    She lets go of Honeysuckle and crouches down (without really moving away) so she can get a better look at the marks on the ground and trace out a couple with her finger.
    "Like, planning all this out, selecting this place, and everything else would've taken a lot longer than the time it took us to walk over to and turn on the teleport. Either this was well planned out far in advance, or this just happened without any planning behind it."
    Marin tilts her head up. "The teleporter said it was working properly before we went in it, right? Would it be possible to make it give off the wrong destination before we went in?" This is important to figure out because then they can narrow down whether it was really well-planned or if it just happened.
    Favorite sports:
    Fencing
    Football (Soccer)
    Figure Skating
    (and basically everything else that starts with 'f')
    ALSO! Come roleplay FFRPG in the Nexus!
    Nexus Characters.

  9. - Top - End - #189
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Shadowcaller's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Avatar by Gullara

    Default Re: Serious Plots 9: Srsr and srsr

    Avenue of Unpleasant Dreams

    As soon as they draw closer to this dream home, or whatever you could call this place, Jaahlyn holds out her tail in front of her. Letting its glow illuminate the path before them as if it had been shrouded in darkness. Indeed, everything beyond that door is likely to be.
    The satyr ignores all the padlocks at the front door and attempts to simply try the handle and see if she can open it while Fidelia is looking for other points of entry. "Just don't stray too far from the light, Lady Fidelia. This appears to be a particularly unpleasant dream that I've stabilized."

    [Telly's Garden]

    Telly doesn't resist, seemingly relatively used to be carried considering how calm she's acting when Maiel lifts her up. She simply glances at him and waves her hand dimissively. "No sleep for the wicked is what I'd say, but now it seems like the wicked will finally get some sleep. Or at least a nap. I do have a meeting tomorrow..." The archwarlock let's out a subdued giggle.

  10. - Top - End - #190
    Halfling in the Playground
     
    Murkus's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2010

    Default Re: Serious Plots 9: Srsr and srsr

    [Telly's Garden --> Telly's Bedroom]

    "A meeting with whom?" Maiel asks as he carries her. When it's softened this way, his deep timbre is really quite pleasant to the ear. He nudges through her door with his shoulder and carries her through. She'll soon find herself lying on her bed.
    My avatar was done by Gullara. Thanks again!

    "If you meet a spirit walking,
    Incline your head.
    Do not meet their gaze.
    Do not follow after."

    -Things Our Mothers Tell Us

    Nexus Characters

  11. - Top - End - #191
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Recaiden's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Fever dreams
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: [Somewhere Wrong]

    Quote Originally Posted by 5a Violista View Post
    Jumping down is probably a horrible idea. What if you just keep on falling forever?

    "It seems like this sort of thing would take a while to set up," Marin says. She hasn't had a look at the teleportation tech, but she imagines it's more complex than just 'rerouting on a whim' immediately after it was suggested. "In the first place, they'd have to have this place planned out in advance."

    She lets go of Honeysuckle and crouches down (without really moving away) so she can get a better look at the marks on the ground and trace out a couple with her finger.
    "Like, planning all this out, selecting this place, and everything else would've taken a lot longer than the time it took us to walk over to and turn on the teleport. Either this was well planned out far in advance, or this just happened without any planning behind it."
    Marin tilts her head up. "The teleporter said it was working properly before we went in it, right? Would it be possible to make it give off the wrong destination before we went in?" This is important to figure out because then they can narrow down whether it was really well-planned or if it just happened.
    That would be pretty bad. You'd have to hope someone else falls down faster and can come get you.

    "Yeah, would a while, but what if sabotaged the other end of it?" Honeysuckle says, imagining her way towards a wrong answer. "Just in-case anyone came through..." That would have been harder to check once the crisis began.

    The marks are spiky unfamiliar characters, laid out in a circle. Each lights up for a few seconds as Marin traces over them. It should suddenly occur to her, even if there's no normal way to recognize is, that this is just a transporter destination, and is missing symbols that would send anyone away.

    "Think it coulda given off the wrong destination. If you changed the machine underneath, what looked like the right setup could do anything, right?"
    ~Inner Circle~
    Quote Originally Posted by Raz_Fox View Post
    He takes normality and reason and turns them UP TO 11!
    Quote Originally Posted by Anarion View Post
    Recaiden, stop using your mastery of the English language to confuse the issue.
    Echidna by Serpentine

  12. - Top - End - #192
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    5a Violista's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Next to the Mandolinist

    Default [Somewhere Wrong]

    Definitely would need someone who can fly and has great aerodynamics.
    I don't think that applies to either of the girls here, though.

    Marin has a sudden realization! Yeah, that could be possible. It'd make sense, if this thing was expecting people to snatch them out of teleportation.

    And then promptly starts to question why she realized this. There was a decent logical leap. Was it actually something to do with these symbols, or is it just her own mind playing tricks on her? She needs to find a way to verify this.

    Marin glances up at Honeysuckle.
    Coincidentally, there is someone right here who could probably help verify, too! She obviously can't tell Honeysuckle what Marin's thinking, just in case that taints her thought process, and then it would be a pretty poor verification. But if she comes to a similar realization, then it wasn't just her mind.
    "Hey, crouch down here and feel out these symbols," she says. "And tell me what you think about them. I had a thought about them, and want to see if you're thinking what I'm thinking."
    Favorite sports:
    Fencing
    Football (Soccer)
    Figure Skating
    (and basically everything else that starts with 'f')
    ALSO! Come roleplay FFRPG in the Nexus!
    Nexus Characters.

  13. - Top - End - #193
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Recaiden's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Fever dreams
    Gender
    Male

    Default [Somewhere Wrong]

    No, Honeysuckle doesn't have the sort of tail that's aerodynamic and useful for flying.

    She thinks Marin's request is strange, but she does as the catgirl asked...
    After a moment, Honeysuckle announces "This just half a transporter. Destination only."

    The constant glare of the eyes has softened. They are pleased with Marin.

    "Is there some way figure out the other half? A puzzle?"
    ~Inner Circle~
    Quote Originally Posted by Raz_Fox View Post
    He takes normality and reason and turns them UP TO 11!
    Quote Originally Posted by Anarion View Post
    Recaiden, stop using your mastery of the English language to confuse the issue.
    Echidna by Serpentine

  14. - Top - End - #194
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    5a Violista's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Next to the Mandolinist

    Default [Somewhere Wrong]

    "Yeah, that's what I thought, too. Weird how a touch made me think that." Then again, teleporting is always weird.

    The eyes suddenly changing their...mood or whatever? It kind-of creeps her out, that distant unknowable things are judging her based off of arbitrary actions.

    "Maybe if we knew the grammar of how this writing stuff worked, then we could figure it out," she says.
    ...
    "Or maybe...since the only things here are this platform and those eyes, there might be something on the bottom side of this platform? But I can't think if any safe way to look there."
    Favorite sports:
    Fencing
    Football (Soccer)
    Figure Skating
    (and basically everything else that starts with 'f')
    ALSO! Come roleplay FFRPG in the Nexus!
    Nexus Characters.

  15. - Top - End - #195
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Recaiden's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Fever dreams
    Gender
    Male

    Default [Somewhere Wrong]

    Oh, Marin. Distant unknowable things are always judging you for arbitrary actions. It's just that this time the feedback is more immediate.

    "Oh, easy. Just hold onto me 'n I reach over the edge to find any marks." Honeysuckle suggests, going ahead to sit down and put a hand on the edge of the platform already.
    "Is there pattern in the eyes matches the symbols?"

    Not an obvious one, but maybe on some layer of positioning or color...?
    ~Inner Circle~
    Quote Originally Posted by Raz_Fox View Post
    He takes normality and reason and turns them UP TO 11!
    Quote Originally Posted by Anarion View Post
    Recaiden, stop using your mastery of the English language to confuse the issue.
    Echidna by Serpentine

  16. - Top - End - #196
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    5a Violista's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Next to the Mandolinist

    Default [Somewhere Wrong]

    This time, though, it feels incredibly different. Probably because she can see them, so they're just unknowable and not invisible.

    Marin would rather not dangle someone off the edge with their life in her hands, but it's not like they have a choice.

    She moves next to her and puts her legs back and spreads them for balance, and then tries to wrap an arm around Honeysuckle's waist and with her other arm tries to grip at whichever article of clothing feels the strongest. "Nothing immediately obvious," Marin says. "Will look more closely once your life is no longer in my hands."
    Favorite sports:
    Fencing
    Football (Soccer)
    Figure Skating
    (and basically everything else that starts with 'f')
    ALSO! Come roleplay FFRPG in the Nexus!
    Nexus Characters.

  17. - Top - End - #197
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Recaiden's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Fever dreams
    Gender
    Male

    Default [Someplace Wrong]

    With Marin holding onto her waist, Honeysuckle stretches out and traces a hand across the bottom of the platform, feeling for any markings.
    "Nothing here." she eventually admits, pulling up to be more securely back on the top side.

    The eyes are still happy. Not every plan will work; that's okay.
    Last edited by Recaiden; 2021-02-04 at 01:04 PM.
    ~Inner Circle~
    Quote Originally Posted by Raz_Fox View Post
    He takes normality and reason and turns them UP TO 11!
    Quote Originally Posted by Anarion View Post
    Recaiden, stop using your mastery of the English language to confuse the issue.
    Echidna by Serpentine

  18. - Top - End - #198
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    5a Violista's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Next to the Mandolinist

    Default [Someplace Wrong]

    Having the eyes be angry again would be a little relieving, actually, because then at least Marin would think she knows what makes them angry or happy. Since they are still happy, it just makes them more unknowable since the they just disproved the catgirl's thoughts about their motives.

    Marin pulls, trying to get Honeysucke back up on decent ground.

    "Okay. So..."

    She looks around.

    . . .

    Maybe she can find patterns or things in the eyes, as was suggested? Marin had been trying to avoid looking directly at them because it was weirding her out and they might retaliate, but they don't really have much of a choice at this point.
    She looks at the eyes.
    Favorite sports:
    Fencing
    Football (Soccer)
    Figure Skating
    (and basically everything else that starts with 'f')
    ALSO! Come roleplay FFRPG in the Nexus!
    Nexus Characters.

  19. - Top - End - #199
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Deathkeeper's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Definitely lost
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Serious Plots 9: Srsr and srsr

    Mountain Temple

    Artorias blinks as he wakes up, stone under his hooves. His head is fuzzy. Did he go out drinking? No, he hasn't done that in ages, and never enough to make him pass out. He's dressed casually in a sweater, so he wasn't at class or-
    Oh. Wait. Now he remembers. He was out shopping, stumbled his way through a particularly disastrous conversation with a classmate, and bumped into Libra again. Then he lamented to her about his dreams and his luckless lovelessness and the slowly encroaching mortality of life after a drink and everything is fuzzy after that. And frankly he's having trouble remembering anything more specific than that. Looking around, he appears to be in some sort of huge stone room, ivy and moss having overtaken it a long time ago.
    Hooves clacking against the stones he looks about until he finds a window. Peering out it he-
    Oh dear. Oh, dear. He's very, very high up. Tree-choked cliffs and crumbling stone buildings surround him. There's barely any paths to be seen, and rocks and unstable footing abound. The exact kind of conditions someone with horse's ankles does not want to find themselves in.
    He wanders back to where he woke up and notices a package on the floor. A small, compact syringe and a stack of masks. The one on top is made of some sort of burnished metal and has some sort of feathery pattern on its surface. The others are under the first, but he can see that they seem to be some sort of pink-colored clay and something that might be iron or steel. He reaches out but spies a note left in a shaky, scrawl.
    Apparently he is not to touch the masks without protecting himself with the medicine. And yet he feels the strangest sense of ownership of them. Still, Libra has always put him in...troublesome situations, but never something that's been too overly dangerous. The needle seems clean and sanitary and dosing himself is simple. Though whatever it is, it does rather immediately make him feel off. Like he's put on a wet blanket of some kind.
    Then he goes and picks up the masks, oddly finding himself clutching them close to his chest.
    Spako Highclaws by Ceika.

    [Sorry Boss, but as always, I get the last word.]

  20. - Top - End - #200
    Barbarian in the Playground
    Join Date
    Aug 2007

    Default Re: Serious Plots 9: Srsr and srsr

    Mountain Temple

    Dizziness.

    Like that buzz of too much caffeine at once yet still being too tired for it to do more than just make one thick-headed and jittery. It was like all the qualities of a headache but without the actual ache. Heavy lidded eyes and a sour taste in the mouth as eyes behind eyes blinked. A yawn.. And... Confusion? Where were.. Oh, right.

    The masks just melted in his hands like warm chocolate, metal and clay smudging in his grasp yet no residue would come of him trying to wipe them off. Soon, it would be as as if they hadn't even been there in the first place. Just empty hands and empty air.

    Annoyance now. But not his? Or.. Sort of his? It was coming from inside of him at least... Or maybe it was like just knowing that someone wanted to give him a hard noogie to the point that he could just feel it in his imagination. Annoyance like a hiss through clenched teeth but a sense of growing resignation... And a tiredness born from ennui rather than exertion or extended wakefulness.

    For a brief moment, he might feel that having legs was kinda strange, though. Like, why have them and need to worry about how to put one in front of the other and work out how to not trip when it would be nice to just forget that. Walking was just a controlled forwards fall, is all.

    The warmth was nice, though. But.. Well, wasn't he always 'warm?'

    Weird..

  21. - Top - End - #201
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Deathkeeper's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Definitely lost
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Serious Plots 9: Srsr and srsr

    Mountain Temple

    Oh, no. Magic. Arty can’t exactly tell what’s going on. He feels strange all around. And there’s definitely something with his face. But with no water or glass in sight, there’s not much he can do to check that.
    Put one foot in front of the other he does. In this case, slowly stagger his way back out. Maybe he can find some dry wood to start a fire? And some water? He’ll need both to get through the night. Though it looks plenty bright outside. He probably has plenty of time.
    ”Hello?” he quietly says out loud. Just in case that strange emotion is from some nearby psychic and not just him being far too tired and/or having touched magic objects. There’s a sinking feeling in his gut. Both of them.
    Spako Highclaws by Ceika.

    [Sorry Boss, but as always, I get the last word.]

  22. - Top - End - #202
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Lord Magtok's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2006

    Default Re: Serious Plots 9: Srsr and srsr

    Avenue of Unpleasant Dreams

    Spoiler
    Show
    Quote Originally Posted by Arkhosia View Post
    Avenue of Unpleasant Dreams

    Fidelia looks a bit surprised as the gorgeous gown seems to flicker over her form, but she can't help the swell of pride and confidence that swells in her breast from lingering. This sense of purpose is certainly nice to feel, and almost assuredly a help considering the importance of the endeavor she's entered this strange quasi-dimension for. But it also teaches her something she's quick to note- she needs to be careful with what she says in here. Any turn of phrase might have its own unique way of influence and manifestation in here.




    As they step into Jenette's dream, Fidelia pauses to take in the environs. Her eyes widen as she swiftly recognizes the place they're in... or the place they're in a facsimile of, to be more accurate. A dark, ominous, bloody facsimile. This was a dream they'd have to be careful in.

    "Hello? Jenette? Are you out here?" Fidelia calls out, drifting towards the house to check for signs of entry. Surely, the dreamscape wouldn't have conjured up such an ambience if Jenette wasn't to witness it first.
    Quote Originally Posted by Shadowcaller View Post
    Avenue of Unpleasant Dreams

    As soon as they draw closer to this dream home, or whatever you could call this place, Jaahlyn holds out her tail in front of her. Letting its glow illuminate the path before them as if it had been shrouded in darkness. Indeed, everything beyond that door is likely to be.
    The satyr ignores all the padlocks at the front door and attempts to simply try the handle and see if she can open it while Fidelia is looking for other points of entry. "Just don't stray too far from the light, Lady Fidelia. This appears to be a particularly unpleasant dream that I've stabilized."


    "Shhh! Don't let it hear you!" calls out a young girl hiding behind a couch, popping her head out for just a moment, long enough to gesture with a shift of her neck for the two wanderers to take cover behind the furniture before she vanishes once more. If they follow along, they'll find that she's roughly half the height of Jenette, with similarly tiny armor concealing her features, but her zweihander is as large as Saint Lazarus's has ever been, the brutish sword towering over the small child.

    "It ate Mommy and Daddy. It'll eat you too, if you're not careful. I think I saw it go into the basement earlier, but the lights are out, and it's very quiet when it's hunting, so it could be anywhere," Smol Jenette warns the dream duo, pointing towards a spooky wooden door barely hanging on its hinges, marking the path to a spiral staircase into a shadowy abyss. Smol Jen's armor shifts into a pale green nightgown a moment later, soaked in fresh, sticky blood and viscera clinging to her body. She doesn't seem to notice or care though, her eyes darting wildly around the room, too fixated on finding this murderous creature to fret over her own appearance.

    ...wait, hold on, weren't Fidelia and Jaahlyn trying to open the door just a second ago? How are they already in the living room without so much as a single step forward? How stable is this dream, exactly, if geographic spaces just vanish in an instant like that?
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
    Unhooded Magtok avvie by urodivoi

  23. - Top - End - #203
    Barbarian in the Playground
    Join Date
    Aug 2007

    Default Re: Serious Plots 9: Srsr and srsr

    Mountain Temple

    Water? It was right over there, right? It was a place where water felt like it should be, at least, so it should be there. And if it wasn't then clearly something was hideously wrong with the world or someone somewhere was being extremely lazy. Probably the latter more than the former.

    There wasn't much of a hello back. More of an acknowledgement in that way of being in the same room but not necessarily interested in making friends. Kinda like sharing an elevator with someone but, well, the elevator ride was going to the ten-millionth floor. There was a bit of a 'wait and see' sense to things considering the mutual captivity in a strange sense but it was also like having to cram into a too-small car-seat that already had an occupant. Not 'cramped' but certainly 'cloistered and uncomfortable.' Why couldn't Arty just get out of the car anyway? Sure it was his car but, like, he left the keys right there and already had the deed of ownership signed so this was just a formality at this point, right?

    Still, more heat would be nice. Dry wood would have to be his own task though. Dendra was someone else's jurisdiction. As were organs. Two guts? Why not just one long one? Warm-things were weird. Tasty though. Ostensibly, of course.

    Sun being out still though.. He didn't need to be that active at least. Maybe take some time to at least enjoy a good sunbeam? At least cats knew the value of those. Certainly one of the smarter of the warm-sorts, them.

  24. - Top - End - #204
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Deathkeeper's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Definitely lost
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Serious Plots 9: Srsr and srsr

    Mountain Temple

    Oh, dear. This is definitely something strange. He can’t see or hear anyone nearby. So the presence must be perhaps of this place, or of those masks. Was this related to what he spoke to Libra about? He wishes he could remember what happened yesterday.
    Arty turns a corner. Indeed, there is water!
    But it’s a murky green pond. Not terribly useful for his needs. His stomach rumbles, though he doesn’t feel hungry. And oh...for some reason the sunlight shining down on him and his bare lower half does feel particularly nice today. Odd, as it doesn’t feel particularly cold. But he stands there for a bit, taking it in.
    That said, he was quite sure his car was in his name, thank you.
    And no one likes a back-seat driver.
    Spako Highclaws by Ceika.

    [Sorry Boss, but as always, I get the last word.]

  25. - Top - End - #205
    Barbarian in the Playground
    Join Date
    Aug 2007

    Default Re: Serious Plots 9: Srsr and srsr

    Mountain Temple

    First he wants water and now he's too good for water. Arty could feel the eye-roll so tangibly he might do it himself. See if he gets any help again when he asks for it.

    And Navigator, thank you very much. It's not like he can look at the map and the road at the same time. Accidents happen that way. But if he insisted, he could at least just drive to the right place and stop taking detours.

    Sunbeams were not detours, by the way.

    Also, how old was Arty, anyway? Like, was he going to last for only ten summers? Twenty? Horses live for around thirty and he certainly was of maturity, right? Pretty sure on that at least considering... Oh what's that thought? 'Hate to see them go but love to watch them leave' was it? Yeah, probably an adult of some kind if those kinds of ideas were in here. Also if he wanted to lock things up, he could at least invest in something stronger. Then again, locks really mostly only kept out those who obeyed the implication of, well, 'keep out.' Anyone with the right tools or just a good hammer could just bypass them.

    Speaking of.. What else was in here, anyway? Anything 'Fun'? No? ....The disappointment was palpable but not necessarily judgemental. Silver lining there, at least. Anyway, maybe there were other useful things in here. ...The hell were these 'meme' things? Oh hey that's a cute kitten there...

  26. - Top - End - #206
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Deathkeeper's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Definitely lost
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Serious Plots 9: Srsr and srsr

    Mountain Temple

    Arty does find his eyes rolling, which is more than a little concerning.
    And yet more than anything else he finds his frustrations mounting with this sentient feeling of his.
    He would love to know what the destination of its is if it has one in mind.
    Also, he’s twenty-two, and liable to live to at least sixty. And he does plenty of fun things! Even if he doesn’t get out as much as he’d like. It’s hard meeting people when you stumble and fumble over every word any time you see a pretty girl. He’s working on it! He’ll know what to say some day.
    He looks out to the cliffs below. He’s really not sure how it is that he’s going to get down. Most of the paths are too old and choked by plant life to navigate. And he has no supplies. But could he just stay in these ruins a while? Just as unlikely to be a viable option long-term even if they are shelter.
    Spako Highclaws by Ceika.

    [Sorry Boss, but as always, I get the last word.]

  27. - Top - End - #207
    Barbarian in the Playground
    Join Date
    Aug 2007

    Default Re: Serious Plots 9: Srsr and srsr

    Mountain Temple - Arty's Brain!

    Only sixty? That's like.. Nothing. It's a long blink at best.

    And the destination is.. Well, the ultimate destination is beyond him. And not even in a condescending way. Just that in the cosmic scheme of things, his part in it all would be scant. Not necessarily unimportant but.. Well, you don't exactly thank every thread in your shirt for doing their job but you can definitely tell when you get a run and just one starts to unravel. That was a best-fit analogy at least.

    Speaking of threads, he could stand to wear something more presentable, right? Maybe a little flair.. You know, make yourself approachable or at least interesting, Arty!

    Anyway, you need.. Biological things to not die sooner than you will already. Look, you handle the getting warm part, the water will sort itself out, okay?

    Getting down would be.. How did you get up here in the first place anyway? Like, really. You can't fly and your backside looks like the heavier half... Would that mean you've got a 'pear' shape to your body then? Never mind, the fashion can come later.

  28. - Top - End - #208
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Deathkeeper's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Definitely lost
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Serious Plots 9: Srsr and srsr

    Mountain Temple

    Arty is definitely not pear-shaped. He has a very good runner's build and he knows what the voice means but still!
    And he just woke up here. And he's dressed warm because it's cold out. Or at least it was where he was last he remembers. It's a lot more temperate here despite being high up.
    But he doesn't know the first thing about fashion. Lots of centaurs just eschew shirts but if he did that he'd look like one of those arrogant men who think they can get dates just by flexing a little. He's not that shallow.

    Still, survival first. Arty takes a while to wander around and finds some paths, though it will be difficult to navigate them with his delicate equine legs. He'll likely want to scout them out before he commits to trying to take one down. After a while he manages to find some dead wood and a piece of flint. He only has a tiny knife on him, but it'll do for now. Within the hour he has what he needs for a decent little fire for the night and can set it up in one of the ruined buildings with a convenient hole in the ceiling for the smoke to get out through. Luckily it doesn't look like it'll rain anytime soon.
    Arty feels...better? He almost feels like he's had a huge meal, and yet not at all like that. He feels...fuller. Maybe it's just that the drug is wearing off? He's not sure about any of this. And he'd probably like to know more about the voice in his head. He's had far too many people talk to him this way over the years.
    Spako Highclaws by Ceika.

    [Sorry Boss, but as always, I get the last word.]

  29. - Top - End - #209
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Shadowcaller's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Avatar by Gullara

    Default Re: Serious Plots 9: Srsr and srsr

    Avenue of Unpleasant Dreams

    Jaahlyn nods and crotches down behind the couch, gesturing for Fidelia to do the same thing as she hides the glowing bauble by pressing her tail against the couch. She seems to take all of this in stride, perhaps not even noticing the discrepancies within the dream. Fidelia certainly will however and she might also need to be the one that breaks whatever narrative this bad dream have.

  30. - Top - End - #210
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Recaiden's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Fever dreams
    Gender
    Male

    Default [Someplace Wrong]

    Quote Originally Posted by 5a Violista View Post
    Having the eyes be angry again would be a little relieving, actually, because then at least Marin would think she knows what makes them angry or happy. Since they are still happy, it just makes them more unknowable since the they just disproved the catgirl's thoughts about their motives.

    Marin pulls, trying to get Honeysucke back up on decent ground.

    "Okay. So..."

    She looks around.

    . . .

    Maybe she can find patterns or things in the eyes, as was suggested? Marin had been trying to avoid looking directly at them because it was weirding her out and they might retaliate, but they don't really have much of a choice at this point.
    She looks at the eyes.
    "Eventually, other two get back, realize we're gone." So if nothing else maybe someone will come help them.

    When she looks directly at them, the eyes are looking at Marin.
    Of course they always have been looking at her.

    Seeing them directly gives a very strong feeling that the eyes, they understand Marin. That everything about her, all her characteristics, hopes, fears, regrets...they are seen. Surely, the eyes know everything she has ever done wrong, and why.
    And at the same time she sees the eyes; they're right there. Well, a little far off, but plainly visible. And being visible, how could she not understand them as well? The eyes, for all their different sizes and colors, all belong to one being who is ever so far away. The unseen creature behind the eyes is reminiscent of a few things. It is like a fox. It is like a vast and intricate machine with thousands of gears spinning in perfect order. And it is like ice. It does not deign to communicate. It is simply obvious when you really look. He could show Marin how to make the symbols that correspond to the other half of the transporter ring, if only the catgirl lets him in. He is very far from the Nexus, you see. It is only a confluence of rare factors around Honeysuckle that let the eyes reach into the Nexus at all. But if someone else reached out...
    There is a plan for you, Marin. It's right there in the patterns.
    ~Inner Circle~
    Quote Originally Posted by Raz_Fox View Post
    He takes normality and reason and turns them UP TO 11!
    Quote Originally Posted by Anarion View Post
    Recaiden, stop using your mastery of the English language to confuse the issue.
    Echidna by Serpentine

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •