dankmemes | test drive meme #19

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test drive meme #19

Welcome to Hadriel's test drive, and thank you again for your interest in the game! As always, our reserves page is here, and our applications page is here! Reserves open April 24th, and apps are open May 1st. Please remember that there is an app cap of 20 apps.

Two quick points here as well:
1. Any thread made in Hadriel's test drive will be accepted as the sole Action Log sample in the application.
2. All threads made in the test drive can be considered game canon, either through handwaving or through a shared mental experience while coming through the Door!

Test drives will be broken up into specific god mini-events, during which your characters can see how well they fare under the watchful eye of one of the gods. Choose wisely or just simply pick 'em all, and have fun!

F E A R

SCENARIO ONE: WHAT A FUNGI
[The Door brings in all that is chaotic and evil in the world. This may include you, may include the person next to you... and may include the monster behind you.

There you are, walking along, minding your own business, when you come upon a strange... something buried in the ground. No sooner have you noticed it then it pops out, ready to attack. This time, the Door has brought in some Mushbooms, from the Secret of Mana video game.

Mushbooms are large mushroom-shaped creatures that seem to be quite upset that you've infringed upon their territory - though who knew it was their territory to begin with? They attack unpredictably, dancing around before lashing out, and if you're not careful they might just hit you with sleeping powder. But who doesn't need a little nap sometimes?]

S O R R O W

SCENARIO TWO: SHALL WE DANCE?
[You received your invitation - now it's time to attend. Yes, it's the night of Sorrow's masquerade, and surely you're coming prepared. You've found an outfit in the shops, and maybe even a matching mask. You've learned the steps to a dance or two, or maybe you're counting on your partner teaching you.

What will you do, now that you're at the masquerade? Will you enjoy the delicate refreshments on the tables to the side, stuffing your face to avoid making eye contact? Will you make like a wallflower and watch people dance, hoping to be asked yourself? Or maybe you're the brave type, and you'll walk right up to a lovely person and ask them out on the floor. Whatever you do, the night is young - there'll be time for plenty more.

This is a mini version of the last day of our Seven Days of Hadriel event this month!]

C O N F U S I O N

SCENARIO THREE: NEW PHONE WHO DIS
[So you called your friend - you're sure you did. You opened up your phone, hit their name in your contacts list, and started chatting. Maybe you have something important to say, maybe you just wanted to shoot the shit. Only - somehow, it's not your friend. It might be a different friend, a perfect stranger, or even someone you hate. Let's hope they speak up before you say something too embarrassing, right?

Or you might be the one getting the call. You answered the phone, and someone started talking as if they knew you - as if you're a close personal friend of theirs. But who the hell is this, anyway? What are you going to do, speak up or let them keep rambling on about their latest fight with their best friend? You might even recognize their voice - wait, did they just call you sweetie? Oh shit, they definitely think they called their boyfriend. Wow, this is awkward.

The longer you wait to speak up the weirder it'll be. Unless, of course, you have no sense of shame at all and are happy to let them make a fool of themselves.]

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[She's not as new to hostile creatures popping up and following her as she'd like to be, but Hotaru still has to admit she never could have seen this one coming. Not in a million years.]

What the heck kind of drugs do they have there?! And my arm still hurts -- [She doesn't have time to consider whether she was given the wrong medication on purpose as part of some weird scheme. Instead, she reaches with her good arm for her axe and awkwardly readies it towards the mushroom monster. This is really something out of Lyanna's games or books or something...] O-kay, here goes!

[Swinging an axe when your other arm is broken and causing a balance issue is Hard. So is dodging an unexpected puff of sleep powder.]

Augh -- not a zombie thing. You better be edible, shroom! And...non-hallucinogenic?

[Alternatively, a wildcard option! Hit me up w/ whatever, m'dudes.]

Edited 2017-05-05 22:20 (UTC)

( Entering through the door means two things to Elise. One: wherever she is now, it certainly isn't home. It's wildly unlikely that Ana Sofia had some arena hiding in the forest behind her house and she got dumped there as some sort of pre-emptive attempt on her life; she'd have woken up for that.

Two: her brother, Hotaru -- hell, no one is around. The ordering of that list is significant to the severity of her emotions at the idea that they aren't present. If they aren't here, that means she isn't with them. In kind, she isn't able to protect them.

She'd already had to deal with two of these "cute" bastards. The first was the most difficult since she didn't have any weaponry and just had to rely on trying to somehow kill it with her limbs somehow. By the second she'd learned to try and cover most of her face with the mouth of her long tanktop, and her own trick to mushroom murder was to treat them like the real thing: rip the cap off. It's a little awkward and not the most efficient method, but feasible.

The trick to maneuvering around them is to lay low, but it appears that other people haven't gotten that far. For instance, she spies this one person trying to bludgeon one with an ax while wobbling unsteadily. Whatever, her newfound skills aren't going to be used for life-saving handouts. Except upon further inspection...this damsel in distress is familiar to her. Despite the changes to her appearance, Elise actually recognizes Hotaru almost immediately as soon as her eyes lock onto her.

That's all it takes for her to make a running leap onto the creature, seemingly coming out of nowhere, and to wrap her legs around the bulk of the body while furiously wrangling it; she squeezes the head between her arms and grabs into the cap. It takes a few minutes to do what her crossbow and arrows could do almost instantly, but eventually, the dog-sized creature is dead amid a flurry of spores, sans the top of its head.

Elise gets up, slightly out of breath, dusting off her top before pulling down her makeshift dust mask. There's probably a lot she could say to Hotaru, but her eyes bore into the most concerning part of this picture. )

What happened to your arm?

[If she hadn't been sure she was hallucinating before, she sure as heck is now. It made the impact with the mushroom thing all the more confusing, since she can't figure out what would have made that particular feeling or reaction when hit with an axe, but what she's seeing now...? It's the girl of her dreams in one of the worst ways.]

Elise...?

[It was undeniably her, with all her brutality and charm. The surprise leaves her vulnerable enough that when Elise asks her question, Hotaru lets out a short laugh. What happened to her arm?

She needs to sit. This isn't the place to sit at all, but she feels like if she doesn't sit then she'll just skip straight to falling over, which doesn't seem smart, either. In a daze, she takes some steps towards Elise and reaches out before it really registers that oh yeah, she's holding an axe? Maybe don't gesture towards illusions of friends with weapons, no matter how sure you are that they, uh. Can't exist as they are. Still, if she was a product of some kind of drug trip Hotaru was on, then she could at least take advantage of it and use this part of her brain to help her. That makes sense, right? Right.

More than anything else about this situation, anyway.]

We need to get out of here! To some kind of safehouse, and then we can talk about arms. [And a lot of things, apparently.]

( The axe doesn't phase her. Even in her more wary state, Elise is aware that this isn't an aggressive gesture. It might be one that doesn't make total sense to her, but it's not a cause for alarm.

What does register is that she isn't just a lone wolf now, fighting to get back home. There's the safety of someone else to consider -- the safety of a person she considers to be paramount. Maybe they could have been a badass, mushroom killing duo a la their success at zombie hunting, but the broken arm...that's concerning. If Hotaru can't swing an axe very successfully, her position should likely move to one that's defensive. )

Right... ( She's aware that Hotaru has some survival talents, but she'll forgo any sort of humble feeling and stick out her hand while she covers her mouth with her shirt again. ) Give me that and I'll cover you.

[Hotaru hesitates at the request, ignoring her own urgent need for haste. It's...tough to give up her weapon. She knows Elise is more than capable -- their first kind-of-meeting/reunion was the other girl handing her ass to her by getting the jump on her, after all, and she's seen her kill a zombie using just an arrow. Elise with an axe is a formidable, kind of terrifying thought. But that's not why she hesitates. She also knows she can trust Elise with her life.

She hesitates because she doesn't want to be baggage that drags anyone else down. She should be able to do more, especially for Elise and even if she was some horrible drug trip from pain meds.]

I'll...I'll find our way out! You can leave that to me!

[She can't fight like she wants, but she'll be damned if she can't do enough and something happens to the other girl. Not again. Never again.

Hotaru manages a small smile as she passes the axe off, her eyes burning with an I trust you even with all her complicated feelings bubbling beneath the surface. Then she turns and sets about navigating their way out of the arena while...trying to not fall asleep. Stupid mushroom hallucinations!!! She can do it. She can do it.]

This way!

( The trickling sensation of sleep is also pulling at Elise's brain, but she's fighting it off with sheer willpower. There's no time to sleep when you don't know where you are and you're being attacked by video game creatures.

She takes the axe confidently and keeps up with Hotaru, continuing to examine her appearance. The lip scar is nothing new, but her outfit, her overall appearance and demeanor...something is just different. This doesn't seem like the same person she fell asleep next to the night before, and she would know.

She looks from the ground to Hotaru and back in quick checks. Maybe the sentiment is out of place considering the circumstances, but it never stopped her before. )

You cut your hair...I actually think it looks good shorter. ( It's almost like an uncontrollable urge to let a little of her emotions leak out, even if it's a disconnect from the whitened knuckles she's developed gripping tightly onto the axe handle. )

[this girl is going to be the death of her.]

O-oh, uh...

[How are you supposed to tell someone that they're actually the one that provided an impromptu haircut and it cost them dearly? Hotaru can't, not with everything else going on, so instead after clenching her fist tightly so her nails bit into her skin, she croaks out,] Yeah. Should have done it sooner.

[yes great excellent good going]

You, too? I mean, if you had shorter hair, you'd...look nice. I assume, ha. [burn her] Not that you don't -- never mind. It looks like no matter what way we go, we're going to be in a tunnel system.

[With regards to this arena place, too, ba dum tshh, no that doesn't make sense, brain shut up. She wants to stop and take Elise in. It feels like an eternity since she's seen her, even thought it hasn't been long, all things told. She'd seen her through a haze of pain of confusion, putting herself in the way so Hotaru could be safe...again. This girl was amazing.]

Hey. If I asked if this was a dream, would you tell me the truth? Just curious.

( Hotaru's weird, nervous ramblings almost make her forget about the emotional white noise throbbing at the forefront of her brain. After actually getting to know her, the vulnerability she held within her was endearing in spite of it being so different from her confident air as a basketball captain.

Elise kicks at the brush on the ground, checking for any mushroom hidey-holes. ) Totally. But do you think two people can share the same dream?

( wow that came out like a shitty romcom line ) ...Actually, that sounded pretty lame. I guess two people can have the same hallucinogenic experience somehow. Or maybe we've had a total mental breakdown and this is what psychosis actually looks like.

Shared psychosis, anyway.

[Her face still feels like fire, but those shitty romcom lines warm her in another way, too. It's sort of sweet, hearing this teen garbage. She's not used to it. She wonders if she'll ever get to be.]

Ahaha, that sort of reminds me... When I got my scars, Kayla said that if I turned, we'd turn together. [WHY does she have to like such LOSERS] It'd be nice to not have lost my mind all alone, I guess? Even if you're not real, it's nice to have you around.

[Talking to her, protecting her, making her feel something other than panic, pain, and frustration.]

But you feel like you?

( The sentiment is bittersweet; a reminder of some thorny, romantic realities but also a nice testiment to the fact that someone once totally out of her reach was now present in her life. Even if the catalyst was the apocalypse. Guess zombies taking over the planet wasn't all bad, huh?

Elise still can't get 100% gushy. Her desire to know where her brother is, how he's doing, to know he isn't hurt is still pulsating in her brain, only frying her already frayed mental nerves further. )

I feel about as "me" as possible. ( Even she can feel the noticeable, amplified intensity ruling her emotion receptors. ) I'm pretty sure I'm as real as I was yesterday, possible psychosis aside and all.

...Since the safehouse seems pretty unlikely right now, how about we revisit the whole broken arm thing? ( There's the pressing concern of who she may have to maim if it wasn't an accident or the fault of their new mushroom overlords. )

[Really...while they're still trapped in the weird, twisting halls and paranoid about mushrooms that may or may not be real... Well. Hmn. Hotaru can't exactly say that having Elise keyed up and ready with an axe was a bad thing, in this situation. Adrenaline wasn't something that was actually helpful in a dangerous situation -- something she'd had ample time and circumstance to learn -- but being out in some mystery cave was different than lounging together in a bed. Jumpy in the first situation was okay!]

Well, it's...a broken arm. [Hmmmn. On one hand, if this was really Elise, then explaining the situation it would be really difficult. On the other, if it was a dream version of her again, then it would just be Hotaru's mind prompting her to sort the situation out. Maybe to bring her back to reality? That could be it.

But man, it's getting harder to wave her off as fake.] Kind of a failed Lyanna plan. I felt pretty cool the second before I fell, though... That sounds silly and pathetic, huh? It's probably going to cause some people trouble.

( Elise listens intently, all the while scoping out their surroundings at all times. There are a lot of thoughts running through her mind, like "Where are the zombies?" and "Are there more creatures lurking around outside these weird fungi things?"

It's good to know the injury wasn't purposeful, but it does bring about some questions. Things didn't add up before, but now more mystery is added to the mix. )

Was I asleep for a week or something? When did you guys find the time to create some scheme and injure yourself..and why did you need to? ( She's not so dense as to ignore the absurdity of the situation -- how did she go from sleeping soundly indoors to waking up in this weird arena? But Hotaru doesn't appear to know that much. Her current mental bias also circulates the idea, "It's my fault that I wasn't there," despite being unaware of the context. ) What happened? Tell me.

[mmmmmmmmm]

Something like that.

Uh... Give me a minute, okay?

[She needs to weigh this all in her mind. This...could really be Elise. An Elise that's okay. She had been so prepared to run after the new Elise, the one she very much didnt know... It felt wrong to long for either of them over the other. They were still the same person, too...

Thinking on that didn't help her figure out what to do about revealing future events. She should have let Lyanna force her to read more comics!!! This is definitely something covered by nerd books.]

I'm not really clear on what was happening before with you guys, but Obi and Sun-Mi needed help. They were trapped in a room by a bunch of zombies... I think after I fell, it was Jörgen that carried me? You were, uh. Fighting zombies. [with your face.]

...You really saved me. [Hotaru looks down at the ground, sighing out those lingering nerves. They might not have been able to get free without Elise's help, it was true, but in her heart, the gratitude is for that time. She'd really, really saved her.] So... Thank you. Even if you don't remember it right now.

Jörgen carried you? So he was okay last you knew? ( Her first concern lies with him. She's glad to have parsed out something about her brother, even if it's confusing.

It blinds her -- to the oddity of the story, to the bizarre fact that she doesn't remember anything at all. Actually, no, that last part is inaccurate. Elise suddenly becomes hyper aware her memory may be deficient, and that so much could possibly be missing. )

Uhhhm. I...don't remember anything. I guess I hit my head or something. The last thing I remember is talking and then we went to sleep.

Oh! Yeah, sorry, Jörgen's fine! I should have told you that sooner.

[kind of indebted to an asshole, but they'll help with that, now that he wasn't going around hitting them with bats and stuff. so fine! Hotaru kind of kicks herself mentally for not making sure she knew that as soon as possible when she knew how much the twins mattered to each other. She actually feels a little guilty for not asking after her own brother the same way, but -- but they had to take care of the immediate situation before they could rendezvous with the rest of the group.]

Um. You're...okay, too. [As much as she could be, with everything that happened.] I was actually coming to find you again when I...woke up here. We should really be focusing on that...

[What an ideal final memory this Elise has. It feels like all she could do now is ruin it.]

Maybe it'll come back to you. I'll be here with you. You don't have to do it alone, okay?

( There's still that intense need to reunite with him, but knowing Jörgen is at least okay by anyone else's last account is news that dulls the present mind buzzing. It's not ideal, but it's a small relief. )

Yeah. Yeah, okay. Thanks. ( It's impossible to soften completely when things are so immediately pressing, but that reassuring vibe from Hotaru makes her feel more grounded -- as grounded as she can be. )

Uh, speaking of here. ( Which is still so far unidentifiable to her. ) This might be an obvious question, but you have no idea where we are, do you?

( since Hotaru might be the memory keeper...but it's mostly rhetorical; Elise is 99% sure she has no godly idea )

[Elise always was smart.]

I mean, I'm sure there's gotta be a video game about this, but yeah, that's about as much information as I've got. Shared psychosis sounds right.

My video game experience is limited to beating Jörgen at racing games and stuff on my phone. ( She had a decent Candy Crash score before civilization took a nose dive. ) Also the stuff Obi talked about, but I never actually played.

( elise playing dnd and mmos would be something else... She narrows her eyes and tries to think up a strategy. ) It's safer to think about this as a real experience. If we were in a video game, and we didn't have any lives left so we had to be really careful, what would we need to do to make it to the next level?

[Hotaru nods -- physical games were way more her speed. Most of her knowledge of this stuff came from everyone's resident gamer nerd otaku friend, Kerenuples Ouroboros. Er, Lyanna. That's who she'd normally rely on for strategy, too, but...Elise had never been half-bad at this stuff. From what little she'd seen, anyway.]

In a game, I'd make sure to go around killing everything, so that's maybe not the greatest application of my playing... We don't know the rules of these guys like we do the zombies, but making noise is probably bad for every kind of enemy.

[The goal is to reach the end of a level with a map neither of them had any familiarity with...]

We have to keep moving forward. They're ground enemies with, uh. The move Sleep Powder. [That's a real thing she's said in her real life. What a world.] Getting the high ground would be good, and...and fire, if we can manage it. It's super effective against grass Dokémon.

[Not that she's looking forward to involving Elise in yet another plan involving the two of them and fire.]

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test drive meme #19

Hotaru Kotobuki | ShootAround (webcomic)

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