+The Sensory Deprivation Meme+

[winterbolt]

the SENSORY DEPRIVATION meme:
You know those things you rely on to navigate you properly through life?
Senses? Yeah, well, kiss those goodbye.

(TRIGGER WARNING: This meme deals with the loss of senses:
blindness, inability to feel. If the concept of blindness, deafness
and/or the loss of any of your senses bothers you, please do NOT play this meme)

✖ Post with your character name/fandom/options for scenarios
✖ Use RNG to pick your numbers (or don't)
1-5 for regular senses, 6-10 for moral sense, 11-16 for cracky senses.


The Basic Five

1. Sense of Sight - Whether you woke up that way, had an accident,or you had a bad reaction to something, you're now blind. Fully and completely. Watch out for that bu--*wince*

2. Sense of Smell - Did someone step in dog crap? It could be you, but you'd never know. You've lost your sense of smell. I guess there's no stopping by the roses for you, huh?

3. Sense of Hearing - "I'M NOT YELLING!!" Yes, yes you are. And no matter how loud you crank AC/DC, you're never hearing Highway to Hell again. Guess I shouldn't have gotten you the Stones compalition CD's, huh?

4. Sense of Taste - No, it doesn't taste like chicken. In fact, it doesn't taste like anything. Perfect time to get that friend that burns everything to cook for you - at least it'll make them happy and you can smile through the whole ordeal.

5. Sense of Touch - Where'd you get that bruise? Or that gaping knife wound? No clue. You have utterly lost the ability to feel anything, like your body is enveloped in fuzzy packing tape. Punch the wall all you want, you ain't gonna feel anything.

The Guiding Factors

6. Sense of Right and Wrong - Tripping people that get in your way? Taking candy from babies? Killing someone that hurt you and yours? All sound like pretty good ideas right about now. Your entire moral code has been thrown into the 'grey' area. There is no right or wrong, only what you want.

7. Sense of Decency - Things that just 'aren't done' are in play for you now. Evicting old ladies and orphans because they can't pay? Pff. Good. Lousy Mooching leeches. Deport and debauch yourself to your heart's content.

8. Sense of Self - You don't even know who you are anymore. What are you doing with your life? What's it all mean? What the hell's it for? Why even bother to get up in the morning? Are you going to go try and 'find' yourself? Or just give up?

9. Sense of Preservation - Your life? Means about as much as a mouse fart. Why should you step out of the way of that speeding train? You were there first. Mouthing off to that huge, angry, overpumped steroid-faced goon sounds like a good idea too. He took your seat. And he smells.

10. Sense of Empathy - That ability that lets you put yourself in the shoes of others, to relate to them? Gone. No, you don't know what they're feeling, and quite frankly, you don't want to. You have your own things to deal with, and they're much more important. Why? Because they're yours.

The Quirky Ones

11. Sense of Humor - Wait, am I supposed to laugh now? You have to take your cue from those around you, laughing when they do, usually a little bit late and a little too long. Not even a fart joke will crack a smile.

12. Sense of Direction - You couldn't find your way ten feet without a sticky-note pasted to your forehead screeching GO THIS WAY YOU NINNY, but even then you probably wouldn't get that far. Good luck man cause it looks like you're going to be stopping and asking for directions whether you want to or not.

13. Sense of Modesty - So what if you're using a belt as a skirt. It looks good, right? Bending over and showing off too much isn't an issue for you, neither is changing in the middle of the store if you just have to wear that cute little shirt now.

14. Sense of Fashion - Yes, you think a pink polka-dotted bikini top goes just smashingly with the neon green bellbottoms. Bubblewrap tops? Freakin' awesome. Put it on and flaunt it, and watch people's eyes bleed.

15. Sense of Timing - "What do you mean now's a bad time?" Yes, because you think trying to pick up a girl at her husband's funeral is a good thing. What? She's single. You're late to everything. A clock? Wassat? Strange, foreign words...

16. Mix and Match - You poor thing, you've lost more than one sense. 2? 3? The whole lot? Who knows, that's up to you.

(Taken [with some altercations] from bakerstreet)

Comments

[grizzlys]

[Who's going to make sure they all look like they just walked out of The Gap, if she's stopped shopping sales there? These are crimes against humanity here. Severe crimes. At least, Rachel would have thought so at some point.

That point is not today. ]

Is it really so bad?

[She's a little defensive now, crossing her arms.]

So what if it happens to be my mom's blouse? It's a nice blouse.

[No, Rachel, it's not. It's really not. How many times have you told your mother stripes were never in. Never.]

[thermals]

< I never said it wasn't nice, but....it's nice for your mom, maybe. I'm just saying the Rachel I know wouldn't leave the house until she was in no less than something she might as well have walked right out of the mall with. >


[Tobias turns his head briefly to pull at the feathers near his shoulder, still a bit anxious about how oddly Rachel seems to be acting.]

< And it's not...just your clothes, either. I mean you don't have to dress up for me or anything, I seriously don't care-

...no wait. That's not what I meant. >

[Tobias said as he firmly jammed one talon into his mouth.]

[grizzlys]

[She frowns, a little angry, and... something else. Something she can't quite put her finger on. She focuses on the first part though, the anger.]

What, am I supposed to look like some J. Crew model all the time? So I didn't take the time to look my best today? So I grabbed clothes that were just lying around for once?

I'm going to be bald eagle in a few minutes anyway, does it really matter?

There's nothing wrong with it!

[She throws out her arms, then tugs at her hair, fingers catching in a blonde tangle.]

[thermals]

[Hawks might not be able to make facial expressions, but the way Tobias is holding himself can only be described as "confused and concerned". In the long run it doesn't really matter, of course. But the problem here is that this is Rachel, and not Cassie, Jake, or Marco. Cassie is rather content with the way she presents herself anyway, and if Jake or Marco rolled up looking like this he wouldn't be too alarmed, at least not at first.

And then there's Rachel, who recoils in disgust at the very thought of wearing jeans that are a bit too short.]

< I guess you're right, Rachel. >

[He can tell she's starting to get miffed, so he backs off a bit, lowering his head. ...though there is one minor detail he feels like he should point out.]

< ....What are you going to do when you have to morph back? ..Since you're not in your morphing suit. >

[grizzlys]

[She opens her mouth for a smart retort, then stops, and glances down at herself. Wow she must be really out of it, to forget her leotard. She hardly ever takes it off.

And suddenly that feeling bubbling underneath starts to surface more and she can identify it.

Fear.

Something's not quite right.]

I...

I guess I didn't realize I wasn't wearing it. When do I ever take it off, right?

[She forces a laugh.]

[thermals]

[That's what cinches it for Tobias. It's hard to hide things from his eyes, even subtle changes in facial expression like that. More importantly, they usually don't take off their morphing suits in the event of an emergency. Even casually they'd still be wearing them beneath their clothes.

Tobias realizes that Rachel has perhaps the least sense of self preservation out of the lot of them, but not even she would be willing to risk not having her morphing suit in a pinch.]

< ...Right. What's really going on, Rachel? >

[grizzlys]

[She wants to tell him it's nothing. She wants to snap and tell him to lay of, and mind his own business. But... there's is something going on. Something not right.]

I...

I'm not sure.

[She glances away. It's not easy for her to admit when something is wrong. But this is Tobias, and if she can talk to anyone, it's him.]

Something's.... off.

[Not much of an explanation, but she's not sure how to describe it.]

[thermals]

< ...did you wake up this way? >

[He asks next, thankful that it's easier to keep the tone of a voice from your thoughts level than it is speaking aloud. He had a feeling something wasn't right here, and now Rachel's apprehension only confirms that.]

< Do you remember anything odd happening before you went to bed? >

[grizzlys]

Not really?

It was mostly a normal night. Mom cooked? That was the only difference really.

[She shrugs.]

[thermals]

< So how were you feeling when you woke up, exactly? You know, try to think back and compare it to how you felt the night before. >

[grizzlys]

Well...

[She, some what self-consciously, folds her arms and leans against a tree.]

I was tired mostly. I think I woke up at some point, and went right back to sleep. And...

[It's hard to describe, considering it's a feeling that's still there.]

Things just didn't matter. Like getting ready. Getting up at all.

[There's a moment of silence, and she stares at a bush.]

It still doesn't matter.

[thermals]

[He wants to interject and say "no, it kinda does", but he can tell that Rachel is upset by this, as much as she's trying to hide it from him.]

< So, you woke up this morning...and for some reason you woke up just...not caring about anything. Getting dressed properly, doing your hair, any of that.

...I'm guessing you probably didn't really want to come here either, right? >

[He isn't angry or accusing- just questioning.]

[grizzlys]

[She shrugs.]

No. Not really.

[If she could she would have laid in bed all day. She's aware, in the back of her mind, that that isn't something she would normally do. She would hate laying in bed all day, doing nothing. ]

It's not that big a deal either. Just...

Well, nothing is a big deal. Nothing...

[Matters enough.

And that's wrong. That's way wrong. Right?]

[thermals]

[Tobias shifts a bit, his talons digging into the bark of his perch.]

< So I guess it's safe to say that something- or someone- did this to you. >

[grizzlys]

I guess.

This is so unlike me.

[She knows it, and it scares her. Even that is muted by whatever is wrong with her.]

Sorry to ruin our flying date.

CW: GROSS MORPHING AHOY

[thermals]

[Tobias tilts his head a little, watching Rachel silently for a moment. Then, suddenly, he drops from the tree and down to the ground, suddenly starting to morph before his talons even hit the grass. The feathers seem to be the first to go, leaving him looking a lot like a freshly plucked chicken for a few moments before his body begins to grow in size, bones shifting and growing as they become a lot less hollow. Fingers sprout from his wings and his talons meld together into feet and toes, sending him unceremoniously onto his side as he becomes a strange lump of limbs and bird parts.

After he grows into his limbs he gets to the point where he can stand up, shaking his head a bit to get his unruly hair out of his eyes, bending his fingers a bit once they've fully appeared. The last thing to disappear is his beak, which seems to be sucked back into his face to make way for a proper human mouth and teeth.

He quickly takes advantage of this to offer Rachel a weak smile.]

Don't worry about it. Flying isn't the only thing we can do.

[grizzlys]

[She manages to return the smile. He's somehow helped alleviate the ridiculous urge to cry she had a moment ago, which is the last thing she wants to do. Looking decent in public might not matter to her at the moment, but looking weak and frightened still does to an extent. Hopefully she can hang on to that.]

Definitely not. Walking it is.

[She takes a deep breath, and pushes off from the tree, managing another smile, this one more like her normal self. Dazzling.

If you ignore the chocolate in her teeth.]

Think you can keep up?

[thermals]

[He'll definitely be making a valiant effort. It's not the worst he's seen, since hawks don't exactly care about dental hygiene.]

I'm pretty sure I can manage.

[He'd be lying if he said the change didn't feel weird, even now. Not having a roof over his head made him feel a bit more at ease, but it takes a lot of concentration to keep from wavering as he starts to walk at her side.]

I'm guessing none of the others know about this yet.

[grizzlys]

[She sticks beside him as they walk, despite her teasing, helping to steady him only if he needs it.

She shakes her head at his question.]

No. I haven't talked to anyone other than my family and you so far today.

Although...

[She tilts her head, letting her hand absently brush his.] Sara was still asleep when I left. She's usually the first one up in the morning. And Jordan wasn't even complaining about missing Saturday morning cartoons, while mom watched CNN.

[thermals]

Hm..

[Tobias lets out a thoughtful hum as he reaches over just enough to let his hand take hers as they walk through the meadow, his fingers intertwining with hers. He hopes that the gesture is somewhat comforting- he's not entirely sure, with Rachel as out of sorts as she is.]

So you're saying things were a little off for everyone, then. Though definitely a lot more for you than for them.

[grizzlys]

[It is somewhat comforting, and normally she'd be thrilled. Walking hand-in-hand with her boyfriend? What girl wouldn't be thrilled. Thrilled is a little beyond her though, but it does bring a smile to her face.]

Seemed that way, thinking back on it. I didn't think much of it when I left. I didn't really care.

[She shrugs again, the shirt dropping over one shoulder. She pulls it back up with her free hand.]

[thermals]

I can't imagine what's causing it. It has to be more than just an off day.

[Rachel just doesn't have off days, ever.]

Otherwise, it doesn't really make sense either, does it?

[grizzlys]

I guess so?

[She stumbles, herself, over a root sticking out of the ground. That's what she gets for wearing flip flops out in the woods. Good decisions, Rachel.]

I'm starting to feel the stupidity of my decisions, I think.

[thermals]

It's okay. At least that means you care, more than you did when you woke up this morning.

[He shrugs, keeping his hold on her hand tight when she stumbles.]

Maybe that means it's wearing off..?