speirooc | TEST DRIVE.

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TEST DRIVE.

TEST DRIVE.
	LOG #1: PLACEBO. Congratulations! You've passed your interview. After successfully walking through the rather fancy and posh Welcome Door from the Doorman's Hallway, you've now found yourself in a section of PLACEBO. When you step out into PLACEBO, the first thing you'll notice is that you're feeling very warm. Don't look up, though; the sun's a little too bright at the moment and needs an adjustment from the Architect, so it's highly recommended you grab an umbrella, hat, or a pair of sunglasses. The second thing you'll notice is that it's bustling with activity. The town centre has people dressed in various clothing and styles walking around who greet you with a quick wave and a friendly "Hi." These are the people of PLACEBO. Most of them are nice. Right now, they have no opinion of you. If you ask these people any questions, they'll be as helpful as they can be, but they don't have all the answers. Some of them will do their best to assist you while others… won't. Nevermind the cold shoulder. Did you see the hot dog stand offering free hotdogs? Grab some food (it's delicious), go explore, perhaps get a nice pair of shoes? If you put your hand in your pocket (don't have pockets? you do now!), you'll find a little business card in it that has your new address on it. This business card is made of thick plastic and is unbreakable and does not burn. If you lose it, a cat will bring it back to you. This is your temporary key card. This might also be a good time to test out your new power. Just be careful of the cats—there's plenty of them running around town, sitting in trees, on tables, and sleeping in chairs. You don't want to make a wrong first impression. LOG #2: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE. cw mentions: drug use, dangerous animals. Welcome to Jumanji, better known as Earth-95. After Michael briefs everyone in on this mission, you walk through a door covered in vines with leaves poking through the thin gaps between door and hinge. You step foot into a beautiful jungle. Everyone starts in the same area—a thick canopy of trees, bushes and still vines—before wandering off in all directions. It's humid. The leaves around you are damp from a recent rain. The grass beneath your feet is ankle-high and thick and vines from trees slither out like long, unwieldy snakes at the pace of a sloth moving across the road. Remember how Michael said something about appropriate footwear? He was right about one thing: Van Pelt isn't here. It seems like the intrepid explorers of S.P.E.I.R. have been dropped off on Earth-95 before Van Pelt's time. Curious. You'll still need the weapons you brought in your backpacks—and if you didn't bring a backpack, you'll carry them in your hands or pockets. The jungle isn't safe for anyone. Watch out for the alligators in the water, the monkeys in the trees, and did we mention the snakes slithering through the grass? Try not to be bitten by any insects. Their bites have very intense hallucinogenic properties that can last from an hour to half a day if you're not careful. The jungle is also the home to many flourishing ripe fruits. Remember when Michael said not to come on an empty stomach? He really meant that. Eating the fruits of the jungle will lead to a few (and perhaps unwanted) side effects… Red berries: Roses are red, violets are blue, have you ever felt what someone else is feeling, too? After eating a red berry, you'll find yourself forming an empathetic bond with one or more people. You can feel their feelings. Gross. Purple berries: This is your NSFW option. It's getting hot in here, so get Nelly with it. Banana: Do you feel compelled to act on your urges and to say what you think? Bananas make characters more susceptible to being honest. How honest they are is up to you. Red apples: They're just deliciously sweet, beautiful big red apples. There's nothing wrong with them. Except for the fact you can suddenly hear what everyone's thinking. But don't let that distract you from the mission at hand. The fate of Jumanji (or Earth-95) is at stake here. Find the ruby red jewel and return it to the earth. Sounds simple, right? If you want your character to find the ruby red jewel, note that there are many of them out there. They look like a glass pomegranate and are the size of the Rock's palm and are found all throughout the jungle—in trees, ants nests, wasp nests, buried half in the dirt, in the mouths of giant hippos… All you have to do is bury it in some dirt. Super simple when you think about it… NETWORK #1: A/S/L. Did you check your other pocket? Or perhaps your bag? You'll find a very slim looking iPhone that instantly activates once you look at it. This phone will connect to you the wider S.P.E.I.R. network. It's fully encrypted, only requires a little charge every now and then, and has a few cat photos already in the album. You can't delete those. Why would you? The phone has a changeable username and a little profile picture of you. It's your best picture. No, you can't change this photo. How about you say hi on the network? Reach out to your fellow S.P.E.I.R. comrades? Pose an interesting, thought-provoking ice-breaker? Maybe you just want to show a picture of a cat (who doesn't—they're so cute!). @michael Did you know your universe is considered to be 104% perfect if Beyonce exists on it? Discuss. OOC. 'Sup. Welcome to SPEIR where cats rule and that's okay. This is serving as an interest check. SPEIR, as you guys know, is intended to be a chill gpsl. It's not meant to be hardcore like a game, but it is intended to be active—like when your cat awakens and chooses to play with you for 30 minutes and then promptly goes back to sleep. Hopefully the tdm has given you an idea of what the tone is going to be like for SPEIR whenever it opens. Please make sure you mark for any NSFW content. Most importantly, have fun!

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, I don't know. If I'm being honest, I'm wavering on the whole accepting being a hippie's friend.

I'll need some convincing.

[ like a flower behind the ear or her getting this cat to at least acknowledge he's sitting beside it. she's licking herself and ignoring him even though her tail brushes against his leg. ]

You're never going to let me live that down, are you?

[ She'd actually be bothered by it if she weren't as clearly non-hippie as she is. Not that there's anything wrong with that aesthetic, but it's definitely not what she's going for. ]

What kind of convincing do you need? And how much is it going to take? I'd really prefer not to be eaten by hungry cats if it can be helped, but if it's going to take a while, I might have to find someone else to take over.

[ he's never ever going to let her live it down, no. good thing she realises that. ]

I think you could buy me a croissant. Maybe one with Nutella? I'd feel a little more like jumping in front of a cat that wanted to eat you on a full stomach.

[ She's smart like that. ]

That sounds doable. I might even splurge and get your coffee, too.

I think I see you. Cafe with a red roof?

[ And a cute guy trying to get a cat to pay attention to him. ]

And a cool cat on the step? Yeah, that's me.

Just so you know, the cat loves me.

[ the cat is literally ignoring him.

even though he should stand and step out so that it's obvious she has the right red roof, he doesn't. god forbid the cat take that as a sign of offense... and he kind of wants to see if the cat will start to like him now that someone's coming that could take his attention away from her.

all the long-haired dark cat will do when izzy approaches is roll onto her back and stretch out, kicking dick in the leg. ]

Does stretching mean you're having a good day or you want me to leave?

[ the cat continues to ignore him. ]

[ Izzy slips her phone into her back pocket rather than sending another text since she's just a few feet away at that point. But when she gets closer and sees the cat kick him, she can't help but laugh. ]

I can feel the love from here. [ She circles around Dick and leans down, reaching a hand out slowly towards the cat. She eyes Izzy but otherwise stays put, which she takes as an invitation. The cat may not have paid Dick much mind, but she lets Izzy pet her, fingers scratching behind her ear. ]

Looks like I may have just stolen your friend. [ She glances over at dink, still petting the cat. ] I hope that doesn't ruin our plans.

How —

[ dick shakes his head and looks at the cat like she's betrayed him. he honestly thought perhaps robin would have had bad luck with cats (bats tended to, after all) but as nightwing? so betrayed, so utterly betrayed. ]

This isn't fair. The power of the hippie… [ he leans over the cat. ] You were supposed to be my friend.

[ the cat seems interested in licking izzy's fingers.

he peers up at izzy. ]

I can't believe you came and stole my friend.

[ When he leans over to talk to the cat Izzy takes the opportunity to look over his face (way cuter in person) so when he turns to her, he catches her looking. But she hardly looks embarrassed or ashamed. ]

Sorry. [ Even the apology seems a bit insincere with her smile, her gaze drifting back to the cat as it nudges her hand with its head. She scratches it for a moment longer before standing up again, the cat standing as well, taking a second to stretch before lumbering off to a stretch of sunlight on the opposite end of the cafe's porch. ]

Looks like we're both out of luck now. Feel like getting that croissant?

I'm starving. [ he leans closer to her, keeping an eye on the cat and mock whispers, ] She was keeping me here on purpose.

[ pushing himself to stand, he brushes his hands against the back of his jeans. with a quick glance to the cat to see that she is, indeed, no longer interested, he extends a hand to izzy. ]

Hogging you all to herself, hmm? [ She follows suit, voice low and intended only for him, her eyes on the cat.

But as he stands, Izzy looks to him again, smiling when he offers his hand. She slips her own into it easily, passing her thumb briefly over the back of Dick's hand. ]

I was thinking we could take the coffee and croissants to go, maybe walk and eat while we're flower hunting? Unless you don't think our new friend will let us leave that quickly.

[ with a glance down at the cat, dick knows what her answer is: she wants them to go. this is, after all, her stoop, and dick hadn't asked her if she welcomed company. ]

Uh, I'm okay if we walk. Leave her to her busy day of guarding her stoop.

[ the cat peers up at dick and with his free hand, he lifts it in greeting and in a very silent apology. then, she rolls around and ignores him.

he leans towards izzy and whispers, ] I'm very intimidated and I think she hates me, so I think we should go.

[ Izzy attempts, perhaps a little half-assed, to hide her amusement but it doesn't work very well. At the very least, she does manage to cover her grin with her hand as she looks from him to the cat and back again. ]

I didn't think you'd scare so easy. Maybe it's because you're part bird now. [ Which is... a weird thing to say, maybe, but she seems pretty unphased.

Regardless, she uses their hand-holding to lead Dick into the coffee shop, purposefully putting herself (with a bit of dramatic emphasis) between him and the cat. ] I won't let her eat you, I promise.

[ Never mind that they'd joked about the cats here eating hippies. ]

I appreciate it.

[ he glances down at her hand and then ensures to cover it by looking at the cat, feigning fright even though she's long forgotten about him. one of the few ladies he hasn't been able to impress. ]

I feel like she was eyeing me for her dinner. She's a cute cat, though. You have to admire how she's so protective of her stoop.

[ and friendly, she's definitely friendly.

dick doesn't remove his hand from hers. in fact, he merely grips it—not too uncomfortably, but strong enough to comfortably let her know he's a step behind her and not in a cat's belly.

the coffee shop only has one cat in sight lying luxuriously on a table. a few people mill about, but it's otherwise comfortably busy. dick doesn't foresee having any trouble waiting impatiently in lines as he has in detroit. ]

She and I have that in common. Or would, if I lived on a stoop. [ Which is to say that Izzy's protective of her home, especially those who live in it. (Or was back in New York; here she's on her own.)

As tactile a person as she is, Izzy doesn't rush to let go of Dick's hand once they're inside, even though the fearsome cat is outside and they've only just met. His hand feels warm against her own, almost inviting, and she likes the feel of it.

She does half-turn towards him as they settle in behind the other customers, though. ] So, Dick — are you a coffee purist, or do you prefer the fancy, sugar-filled lattes?

I like my coffee black, but I'm not against a good latte when the mood strikes.

[ he smiles at her. does that make him a very bad coffee fan? should he pick sides? leave it to dick to start a war amongst coffee lovers. he knows it sometimes frustrates rachel when he changes his order, but dick likes to live on the wild side. ]

What about you? [ his brows furrow playfully. ] What does a hippie like?

A hippie, I don't know. This hippie, however — [ she lifts their still-joined hands to point at herself, as though he needs the additional clarification ] — likes it sweet. Coffee or lattes, hot or cold; it doesn't matter as long as it's got sugar in it.

[ There are times, of course, when she has preferences or is in the mood for something particular, but the sweetness is the commonality between it all. ]

Oh.

[ he says it like he's been able to pack the one syllable with so much. it weighs like an anchor about to plummet deep into the ocean. scrunching up his face, he feigns looking awkward. ]

That's going to be awkward. I like sweet things, too. Does this mean we're going to be fighting over who gets the sweet thing? I've heard that sugar can break a friendship.

[ Izzy finally drops his hand, feigning offense as much as he is awkwardness as she crosses her arms over her chest and lifts her eyebrows. ]

I figured you'd do the gentlemanly thing and just let me have them every time. I guess I was wrong about you. [ She's not doing a particularly great job at selling this, though, as she's unable to contain her grin completely. ]

[ people being wrong about him is something he's used to, although he knows she means it playfully. he imagines she'd look at him and believe he's a cop, but nothing else, nothing more. he'd let her have the sweet things if it meant she was happy... but he's not going to admit that, not at all.

the corner of his lips curves upward. pressing his hadn't against the base of his neck, he looks at her earnestly and in amusement. ] I thought we could timeshare. One day, you have the sweet thing, the next three days, I have it.

[ that sounds plenty fair to him! ]

[ Considering there's more to her than meets the eye as well, Izzy isn't really the sort to assume much about others. Some secrets are just easy to hide in plain sight, only revealed with intention or — and she tries to avoid this — accident. But she also has no reason to assume anything else; he could as easily be a werewolf as he is a regular human.

Whatever he is, she likes him, even as she scoffs at his suggestion. ] Oh, that's fair, [ she says with a laugh. ] Why do you get the bigger share?

[ because he has two personalities and nightwing, robin 1.0. and dick grayson need a sweet thing a day.

momentarily looking like a deer in headlights, he somehow miraculously summons his very rare ability to flirt and small talk.

he shrugs, as if what he's about to say isn't a borderline pick-up line. ]

Because you're already sweet.

[ mic drop. ]

[ Izzy's smile, which had been there (but barely) in that moment he mentally scrambled to find something to say, stretches wide across her face, a mixture of amusement at just how cheesy that was and genuinely touched. It's cute, even if it definitely feels too close to a pick-up line for comfort. ]

And you're cheesy. [ Her hands return to her sides as the line moves and she steps past him to the counter. As she does, though, she fake-whispers to him, like it's some secret: ] It's a good thing I'm into that. [ Then she turns to order her sugar-loaded latte, staking claim on today's sweet thing before Dick has a chance. ]

[ somewhere, donna's howling with laughter. his poor attempts at small talk actually got him somewhere.

he smiles big and wide at her back, completely taken aback that his attempt at being funny and charming actually worked. maybe this small talk thing wasn't such a bad idea. ensuring to wipe the smile off his face, he looks slightly serious with his brows lifted, just in case she looks back at him. dick doesn't want to give up the game too quickly.

he steps closer to her and leans forward. ] I'll pay for her. Can I get a croissant, too?

[ the lady behind the counter merely looks at him then izzy, and wanders over to the cabinet to retrieve said croissant. ]

[ Feeling him that close to her, it's almost instructive the way she leans into him, half-pressed against him as he orders. She looks towards him as the woman walks away, eyebrows lifted slightly. ]

I thought I was buying you the snack?

[ Not that she seems genuinely upset at his kindness, even as her eyes narrow playfully. ] Or is this you trying to bribe me out of my sweet drink?

[ smiling close-lipped, liking the fact that he's thrown her (and in a good way), he glances at her from the corner of his eye and shrugs. ] Maybe I want you to buy the next one.

[ and donna says he has literally no game.

nothing nefarious here, izzy lightwood. dick simply wants to be a gentleman and ensure that this happens again. (now, that's where his ineptitude at small talk weaves its wormy way in.) ]

TEST DRIVE.

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oh no my good place chrome add on got that last tag, whoops

i didn't even notice!

good!

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