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Entry tags:
the mock week experiment
[You awake in an unfamiliar bed.
The bed is comfortable enough, nothing luxurious but not bad, but it certainly is not yours. As you stir from your heavy slumber, grogginess slowly melting away, the room around you starts to sharpen. Solid stone walls surround you, the room lit by warm oil lamps mounted on the walls, with 8 sets of bunk beds, grouped into 4 "rooms" of 2 bunk beds each. Depending on how quickly you awaken, you’re likely to catch others (some strangers, for a select few of you familiar faces) going through the same motions of rousing.
Once you’ve come to your senses, the tower and grounds are yours to explore as you please. There doesn’t seem to be anyone actually “in charge” for you to speak to about how you got here, why you’re here or where you even are- for now at least.
Welcome to the Thanatos Institute, apprentices.]
(ooc: welcome to the Ars Arcana intro week log! As this is just the intro log, we'll be posting a proper weekly log for Monday through Thursday tomorrow. An investigation log will be going up on Friday, a trial on Saturday and wrap-up on Sunday.)
The bed is comfortable enough, nothing luxurious but not bad, but it certainly is not yours. As you stir from your heavy slumber, grogginess slowly melting away, the room around you starts to sharpen. Solid stone walls surround you, the room lit by warm oil lamps mounted on the walls, with 8 sets of bunk beds, grouped into 4 "rooms" of 2 bunk beds each. Depending on how quickly you awaken, you’re likely to catch others (some strangers, for a select few of you familiar faces) going through the same motions of rousing.
Once you’ve come to your senses, the tower and grounds are yours to explore as you please. There doesn’t seem to be anyone actually “in charge” for you to speak to about how you got here, why you’re here or where you even are- for now at least.
Welcome to the Thanatos Institute, apprentices.]
(ooc: welcome to the Ars Arcana intro week log! As this is just the intro log, we'll be posting a proper weekly log for Monday through Thursday tomorrow. An investigation log will be going up on Friday, a trial on Saturday and wrap-up on Sunday.)
no subject
What is this place? [She still has a hand on the bed as she asks, before frowning even harder and tilting her head.] Little Pummerin? Donta-tooth? Where are you? [She turns towards the chest after a moment, hurrying towards it and flipping it open before pulling out an ivory walking cane and a blue bell engraved with a dragon. She lets out a sigh of relief as she pulls them to her chest.] At least you're here...ah, and so is Mighty. [She reaches down to touch something inside the chest, before nodding.] Alright, I'll leave you here for now.
[Later on, she can be seen walking through the entire building, her bell tied to her belt as she has one hand on the wall, constantly whispering under her breath.]
Can't you tell me what's going on? Why won't you say anything at all? [She seems to slowly be growing more agitated as time goes on, before she finds the way to the outside grounds.]
Ah. At least there's this. [She shakes herself, shifting into the form of a golden dragon before taking off into the air, darting back and forth through the sky for quite a while before landing and sighing.] Well, that made me feel a little better, I suppose.
[OOC: Please take a look at the Powers section of her permissions post!]
bed
This might be a strange question, but are you... Are they haunted, and you're talking to them?
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dergon
[He's not saying anything, but he's holding up what is clearly a handwritten scorecard with a large '8.5' written on it.]
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What on earth is this? That wasn't what I meant at all!
[Pause, and she blinks and notices everybody else freaking out.]
Um... Did you all just get here, too?
[Once everyone gets exploring, Mei hits up the storage room, where she sifts through ink and paper carefully until she finds... a box of Pretz?]
How'd this get here? The same way we did?
[And she'll also try wandering the gardens, trying to puzzle out the plants.]
Doesn't look like there's a way out from here. I wonder who owns this place?
((Mei has an opt-out post because her canon deals with romanticized age-gap pairings. Otherwise, if you have any questions, let me know!))
Storage room
No, it grew legs and walked over here.
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gardens
[ people with too much money have weird hobbies. like, uh, kidnapping folks, apparently. ]
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Storage room
[Baldr peers at the box curiously. Certainly nothing he's seen before, but the pictures on the box do look kind of tasty...]
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For one of the most ordinary-looking people here, she seems to jump straight into it, not wasting much time on surprise or panic. She slides out of her bed - one of the bottom bunks, which she's not sure she loves - and looks around, drawing her black cardigan about her shoulders.]
And who are you, then?
[If you don't look threatening, she's probably already checking the nearest chest for anything interesting. Empty.
She moves out into the hallways then, sticking near the walls in something rather like a skulk. She's not too impressive: five-four and wiry, generally considered "plain", certainly not spouting flashy magic out of her eyeballs. She's quiet, too, plainly observing everyone but not making any real effort to engage herself just yet. Quite frankly, the more she sees, the less sure she is that she's not wildly hallucinating or something like that. It wouldn't entirely be the first time.
The first rooms she hits up are the storage room and the armory - rummaging through the supplies and then testing the points on all of the weapons, respectively. None of them quite pass muster yet, but you might be able to make something of them if you tried. She doesn't yet, as it's still unclear where she might need it or whom she might need to use it on, but it's something to keep in mind.
At the end of the day, Susan's wary, but she isn't going to leap into things without more information. She winds up in the music room, inspecting the instruments and idly pressing a few keys on the piano.]
Still in tune...
[Someone must spend quite a bit of time, on all of these instruments.]
Music Room
So this place has been well-maintained, even if none of the staff seem to be present now.
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armory;
I was about to be surprised when I saw they had an actual armory here, but from where I'm standing, it doesn't look all that impressive.
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dormitory
That's so funny, I was going to ask you the same question! My name is Penny Luckstone and it is so nice to meet you.
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Music Room
Hey, maybe this whole thing is just a really aggressive band recruitment effort.
[He blows a long, low note on the horn, testing it.]
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The last thing he remembers is setting his alarm for 6:00 sharp with the intention of trying to get some practice in before the game tomorrow, but it sure doesn't go off! As such it's pretty late in the day when he starts to stir, wondering when the shitty Hellmouth motel bed he collapsed into got so decent.
Pawing at the air next to his bunk in an attempt to check a phone that isn't there for the time, he slowly rolls out of bed. This is unfortunate, because he was on the top bunk, and hits the ground with a heavy and painful thud. ]
Fuck! [ Jarred into wakefulness by the unexpected fall, Mike scrambles to his feet, looking around in alarm. He's still dressed in his full Garages blaseball uniform, down to the grass-covered cleats, and as he looks around the dorm he seems to relax slightly but only grow more confused. This is not his shitty motel room! These are not his shitty teammates!
Later, he can be found in the kitchen, kneading a large lump of dough with the force of a man who is trying very hard not to freak out and taking it out on some flour and yeast as a coping mechanism. He sings to himself as he works, belting out power ballads with a rough but surprisingly well-practiced voice. ]
Every rose has its thorn
Just like every night has its dawn
Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song
Every rose has its thorn
[ If you are in here with him, he has absolutely not noticed you, too caught up in the stress baking zone. Saying hello will definitely not embarrass him. It's fine. ]
kitchen
Thank god. Are you from an actual, normal Earth?
[This is the most recognizable thing she's heard out of anyone here yet!]
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Kitchen
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kitchen
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Kitchen
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You there! Creature, tell me where in Equestria I am right now and why the hay you kidnapped me!
[Later on, Trixie can be found in the grounds, standing on the dock, practically glaring at the ocean. Apparently, she's still not all that happy.]
[Even later, Trixie is exploring the sights the storage room has to offer. A small bag of crackers hovers nearby her surrounded by a pink aura. Trixie sighs in frustration.]
What does a great and powerful pony have to do to get some peanut butter around here?
Storage Room
In the refrigerator, [ he says, shuffling bags of flour around looking for the right variety. ] One of those big restaurant stock sized jars. 'S already open. What do you need it for?
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Women's Bunks
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[Hey mens' dorm peeps, there's a skeleton sitting up in one of those bunks, surveying the new view and scratching at the back of his skull. That's probably unusual for a few of you, at least.]
[Sans looks down at the unfamiliar bed, checking his own form out a bit in the process to confirm everything's there.]
Well that's unexpected.
[He's quiet for a moment.]
[And then lays back down, snuggling down into the sheets and blankets.]
[He can, eventually, be found elsewhere. Notably, in the Tinkerer's Haven, poking at the available equipment and supplies.]
Not a computer in the bunch, huh.
[Later still, you might have a little trouble getting into the storage room. Namely, because a small table has been set up right at the entrance. A few handwritten signs indicate that the various and sundry supplies within are being sold at what is probably the very reasonable price of 1G apiece.]
[Sans is, of course, kicked back with his feet up on the table, apparently asleep at his post.]
[Also, uh. At some point he's clearly learned that the music room is a thing.]
[Because some of you might suddenly find each of your steps down the halls of the institute accompanied by incidental trombone music.]
[Or just wildcard it, he's wandering around basically everywhere except the women's dorms.]
Hallways
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storage room
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What the hell is going on? Where am I?
[Despite his earlier disagreement with gravity, Loki can be found later up one of the ladders in the library, perusing the odds assortment of magical texts. You watch as the book in his hand disappears as he goes for another.
After inspecting the library, Loki makes his way to the archery range on the grounds, though he doesn't have a bow. Daggers appear out of thin air, the god tossing them into the straw targets with exceptional aim.]
library
Are these books being stolen already? Honestly. No one respects the integrity of a library, these days.
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archery range;
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dorm
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archery range
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Stella's sure that her mother has something to do with this, and she's up in an instant-- she might be caught striding through the Girls' Dorms or the Entry Hall, with her head held high, a look of authority on her face, shouting commands--]
You! Where am I?
[-- But only for a short amount of time, because as soon as she gets the chance, she strides out the large wooden doors, and vanishes.
On the Grounds she makes her frustration known without being seen-- kicking rocks or dirt-- and then finally reappears at the docks, where the frustration of it forces her out of her illusion magic.]
"Opening Soon" [And-- if there's anyone around her--]
Feel like a swim?
Grounds
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grounds
Grounds
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Grounds
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Grounds
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Later you might find him wandering the halls. Occasionally he stops when there's no one obviously around, closing his eyes and focusing... scanning for thoughts, but trying to be subtle about it. But so far nothing that hints at whoever is running this circus. His expression becomes more and more pissed as he goes. Nothing worse than a question with no flipping answer!
Needing someplace quiet to calm down he makes his way outside to the garden. He's no farmer but... well he's a modern man, he knows weed when he sees it.]
Gwahahaha! Seriously? Will ya lookit that...
[ Please hit up my permissions post for info on Scanning and if you don't want any mindreading going on!]
halls
Heard courtesy of the girl in a kimono circa 1880-something, who's holding her head and trying not to freak out. She jumps a little and bows.]
Hello! I mean... this is a lot of people for a kidnapping.
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thots
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halls
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Garden
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[very very slight endwalker spoilers]
[The fact that he's awoken in a foreign place with no memory of ever having slept? Not at all. What was done was done, and he estimated the 'why' or 'how' of his arrival here would be made clear soon enough. (Rude of them not to make an appointment, but so be it.)]
[No, the problem was that the man in long robes and a birdlike mask was somewhere around thirteen feet tall and struggling a bit to extricate himself from a bed in the dorms. Luckily he managed it with some effort--unluckily, he then proceeded to land directly on the floor.]
Not a very promising start, I'm afraid.
[Eventually, mask lowered to the front of his robes, Hythlodaeus proceeded to explore this place full of equally clueless familiars(???); not quite looking for answers just yet, but examining the layout with some curiosity. The grounds didn't seem all that strange, even littered with unfamiliar plants as it was, but the chapel and the tinkerer's haven drew some mild confusion. Particularly the latter, where he was holding up a pair of pliers with the telltale expression of 'what even is this'.]
chapel
[Mei frowns for a minute before bowing to the newcomer.]
They put a lot of effort into whatever this is.
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dorms;
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Tinkerer's Haven
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(leave your hesitation)[Motoi stretches in his sleep, yawns, and eventually wakes up in a bottom bunk. The sight of the wood above his eyes makes his body freeze as he feels the mattress it's sinking into. Motoi Anazawa, Leader of the Purehearts, is in bed. As a blank smile starts to form his face, he realizes he had forgotten what that was like.
The temptation to simply accept it is overwhelming. To turn over again and go back to sleep, like everything that was and is could simply be a long dream. But hustle and bustle is his routine, and the itch to get moving, get started is already catching up to him. That being the case, his body couldn't take a siesta even if he wanted to. Slowly, he gets up and looks around the men's dorm, wondering who this pack of weirdos is. More importantly, where the other Purehearts are. Any sense of wonder he might have had about the situation goes cold once he notices Susukichi pretending to sleep in another bunk. Still a character, he sees. What cabeza hueca would fall for that? Let's just keep one eye on him and bother someone else in the meantime. For one thing, can they even see him? As soon as he finds someone else who looks to be fully awake, he'll hit them up.]
Scusi! Can I talk to you?
[Can he? It's a literal question in his mind. The fun of being a spooky ghost never ends.]
Exploring
[...Well, that's one word for it anyway. Having gotten the chance to collect his belongings, Motoi has his cell phone out and is taking pictures of whatever looks interesting.]
Ah, tres esthétique! [snap snap snap. He'll even take some selfies in the garden. What the hell are those for?]
garden
[Says the girl in 1880s clothes, staring incredulously.]
Wait, this isn't the time for that! We've been kidnapped, right?
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exploring
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exploring
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garden
1/2
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[ The first thing Maddie notes is that this room is way more boring than any room she would voluntarily go to sleep in. It's also more full of people than she's used to. ]
And the second thing she notes is the new narrator! Hello! You narrate a lot more closely than the usual narrators do, huh?
[ I... guess so? It's a style thing. ]
Oh, that's fine! I wasn't complaining, just noting! Nice to meet you, New Mister Narrator!
[ Uh... you too. Now then, you'd better get moving, huh? The other people around here are probably going to have questions about who you're talking to, if nothing else. Which is the point of the prompt, I guess. ]
True, true! Much to see, much to do!
3 - out and about
[ Having had her fill of conversation in the dorm, Maddie heads out into the hallways, looking for... well, anyone else who she hasn't spoken to, yet! ]
Hello and good day! Would you happen to know why I seem to have accidentally transferred schools in my sleep? I admit that it seems like something I might do, but not everyone here all at once.
Q - outer and abouter
[ Maddie finds herself out in the gardens after a while, looking around at the different... plants? ]
This is all certainly thorough, don't you think? For an empty school without any teachers around, they've kept up this garden very well.
[ Is she talking to herself or to me? Probably. But I'm going to leave answering to anyone else who might be in the area. ]
[ OOC NOTE: Maddie can hear me but she can't hear you! She will not comment on other players' bracket text. It's normal. ]
hallways
Whatever's going on, it isn't just you. I don't know who sent us all here or why. What's your name?
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garden
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3
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Q
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So of course, once the grogginess fades, he wakes up with a start and... proceeds to bonk both heads and his back on the bottom of the bunk above him, giving whoever might still be up there a rude awakening and himself double the sore head. He goes back down immediately, covering each head with one paw. ]
Ow, ow, ow...
[ As soon as he's able to he changes into his human form and is wandering the grounds trying to figure out where he even is, mumbling out loud to himself. ]
Strange... I've been to Avalon so many times now and never seen a place like this...
[ He stops a moment and puts his hand to his chin. ]
Was I still in Avalon...? Maybe I got lost...?
[ That currently seems more reasonable to him than the possibility of being kidnapped. Clearly it must be his fault some how. ]
(ooc: Since Orthrus is an OC I have a small little write up about him and what he is. (Minus a bunch of stuff that could be considered "spoilers") It also includes details about his appearance and a little bit of world info, if you need any of that. If you have any questions please feel free to message me on this account or on plurk/discord if you already have my contact info.)
grounds
[what the heck, who is this guy and why does he have horns. Mei might be staring incredulously.]
There's a lot weird about this place, that's for sure.
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[Thankfully, it seems Almond Cookie has been assigned to one of the lower bunks. Because there is no way he’d be able to get up to the top bunks. Not at ten inches tall. He can barely get up or down from the bottom one! He stands on the bed and scrubs his face with his little cookie hand, trying to get his bearings]
What is this nonsense? Did someone’s size-changing spell go horribly awry? What the… where is this?!
[It looks like a dorm room??? Did he get kidnapped to the Academy somehow]
You there! Giant cookie! [YOU! YES YOU! Almond Cookie takes his badge out from his coat] Detective Almond Cookie, Magical Emergency Handling. I need you to tell me everything you know about this place.
The Library
[Almond Cookie has made his way to the library and is standing on a table with a few books open. He is small enough to literally stand on the larger tomes, and it takes some effort to turn the pages. As he reads, he makes notes in a notebook that is much more his size]
Hnnngh. None of this makes a lick of sense. These spells… they’re all different… These potions are calling for things I’ve never even heard of! Ughhh… I am definitely too old and stale for this. I need coffee.
The Kitchen
Why must everything be so DIFFICULT?!
[it’s abnormal to hear Almond Cookie raise his voice. But all he wants, all he needs, is a cup of piping hot black coffee. But everything is SO BIG. The coffee beans are normally sized, of course, but the grinder is enormous! As tall as he is! And not to mention the stove…]
How’s a cookkie supposed to get a cup of coffee in this giant hellscape?
[please help him he’s about to spontaneously crumble]
Wildcard
[Almond Cookie is a detective. He’ll be all over the place… as much as his short little legs will allow]
kitchen
Um... wouldn't coffee make you soggy?
[Nailed it.]
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[Men's Dorms]
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dorms
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1/3
A voice, completely neutral and slightly robotic, crackles from unseen speakers. It echoes through the halls, in the rooms and even outside on the grounds:]
Good afternoon, apprentices. Please report to the dining hall to meet with your Ambassador.
2/3
3/3
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Catherd - time for Da Rulez
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... Or, possibly, literally dead to the world? The folded arms and the body beneath them certainly aren't rising or falling to indicate the passage of breath, and there's a waxy pallor to his skin -- not to mention the reddened hollows beneath his closed eyes -- that raise more than a few questions. Among them: is that guy dead? Is he breathing? Can I take his stuff? If he's not dead, what exactly is his hair care regime? Maybe you should check that out.
No matter what ends up happening there, it'll eventually come to light that if this guy is dead, he's doing a really great job at pretending otherwise! You know, on account of the getting up and exploring the tower and all. Still, there's an... awkwardness, is probably the word, to the way he inhabits space and holds himself. While he's traversing the hallways and passes one of the arrow slits, for example, he leaps back away from literally nothing, eyes wide, and yelps. Something rises from his right sleeve that might be smoke. ]
Are you kidding me with this shit?!
[ The chapel, on the other hand, is so profoundly offensive that he forgoes words, holds his arms out before him, and straight-up hisses at the door. The sound implies bacon dropped onto a hot pan more than an upset person making actual noises. As long as daylight exists outside the tower, you will not find this man venturing outside to explore the grounds. ]
dorms
[Because if it's sufficiently deep, there's a strong possibility Nandor will wake up to find that his eyebrows have been joined together into a a single, angry-looking entity via scribbling to the forehead.]
[If it's not, he may wake up in the process of this artistic creation.]
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chapel
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Chapel
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Hallway
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