Test Drive Meme #7

[hadrielmods]

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 March 25th, and apps are open April 1st.

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: HOW UNUSUAL
[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.

Watch out as you explore the streets of Hadriel, because you're not alone, and there's always something on the rooftops watching and waiting for the perfect opportunity to separate you from your group and tear you into pieces. This time, the Door has brought in a few Rodents Of Unusual Size, from the film/book Princess Bride.

These large creatures are about the size of a large dog and can be stoked into a frenzy once they smell blood. They typically hide in the shadows and wait for an opportune moment to leap out of the dark and strike at you. Though they can sometimes look like overlarge puppets, take no doubt that these monsters are very much alive, and they love the taste of flesh.]

H O P E
SCENARIO TWO: MIRROR, MIRROR
[While exploring, you might be surprised to come across a pristine mirror in this underground city. It could be lying in your path, it could have been dropped into your bag by a mysterious someone, or it could find you some other way, but it will be there. This is no ordinary mirror, however- upon looking inside of it, the glass will show you a vision of a future that you hope for more than anything.

Regardless of what you want, the mirror shows visions that you believe are possible so that you can adequately hope for it- whether or not they actually are isn't really anyone's concern. Feel free to hide in a corner and stare for hours, throw it away, or try to peek at as many other mirrors as you want- we won't stop you!

This is a mini version of our Hopeful Future event this month!]


R A G E

SCENARIO THREE: PAY 2 WIN
[How cool are carnival booths? Super cool, right? And luckily, the grand prize in this one is something you've always wanted. It could be a briefcase of enough money to make all your troubles go away, that sacred amulet you've been questing after, or something a little less concrete- the approval of someone you want to like you, a curse upon someone you don't like, general freedom... the choices are endless.

And all you have to do to win it is play a game or two.

Something strange seems to be happening, though. Each time you finish a round of the game, the prize requirements just get a little higher, just stretch a little more out of reach. Play again, we're sure you'll get it this time! No? Well, you've definitely got it next time.

Get fed up and smash the booth for the prize? Well buddy, now you're disqualified, and tampering with the booth sets that thing you want most up in flames. Sorry, bud. Better luck next time! And look, there's another booth right behind you...]

Comments

this is clearly a terrible idea - one

[fleshing]

[For an axe-wielding Psycho, this whole thing is like a dream come true. Some good old violence to quell the voices and coat him in gore, and no one has to suffer for it but the rats that already had it coming.

More are coming, but hold on here. Just hold on. That's a...hat. Just lying there.

What are you doing now? groans the voice in his head, but he ignores it and instead picks up the little object on the ground and, after a brief moment's inspection, waves it triumphantly at its owner like a banner.]

You dropped your little hood ornament!

oh hey, you typo'd BEST idea

[bluffed]

[ Fiona wasn't in the best place to use her limited ammo. A melee weapon would work, if she had access, but her improvisation skills meant nothing when there were people taking them out for her. The chase left her breathing a bit labored, her worry over the hat trumping everything.

It was rescued, however, leaving her more concerned in giving it back. She's... not going to quite jump off her wall. Instead, she opts to keep mounted onto it, hoping to get the hat and disappear in the opposite direction.

His garb is familiar - totally familiar. ]

Hood ornament...? You mean hat? [ She sounds unimpressed. ] Yeah! Lost it when I was climbing up. Thanks, toss it up here.

[fleshing]

But we haven't even begun the barbecue!

[That is to say, there are more rats coming and Krieg is going to have a heck of a time dispatching them all. It hasn't really occurred to him that some people might be more inclined to run away from the threat rather than charge into it blindly.

Just give it back, moron.

If his face were exposed, Krieg would have grinned widely.]

There's going to be such a FEAST!

[bluffed]

[ Why.

Why this.

After adjusting (fairly well) to this situation she finds herself in, there's another wrench in the plan. Of course there will be a wrench in the plan! She's about to shoot the guy between the eyes before she lowers her hand, rethinking everything. Still.. still sitting on the brick wall, Fiona forces a smile. Biiiig grin. ]

Uh, can't we have a barbeque where I'm wearing a festive hat? Right? [ Talk your way out of it, Fiona. Just do it. Guy is nuttier than a toolbox. ] You're not- ... you're not gonna deny me the appropriate wear for the feat, right?

[fleshing]

[In Krieg's warped, messed-up brain, that sounds like a perfectly serviceable suggestion. He nods quietly to himself the more he thinks on it.

Exactly, the voice of rationality chimes in helpfully. So just give it back. Just give it on...]

CAAAAAATCH! [Krieg bellows, as he winds back and just goes and fucking hurls the hat like it's a discus, sending it spinning wildly in her direction at a completely unreasonable velocity.]

oh my god ignore my typos last post it was so late.

[bluffed]

[ It is a perfect suggestion because it's the one that results with 1: no bleeding or broken limbs and 2: no awkward begging. Fiona's pretty fond of that hat, dude. She will beg if needed.

But, for now, the fucking discus throw would earn him no medals and may God have mercy on his soul. It sails up and Fiona swears it's slow motion - because damn it, she's reaching. Stretching. Praying that she'll catch it. Her fingertips touch the fabric as the hat's trajectory is within grasp. But, nope. It sails over her and she's falling back with it in a sad, very sad attempt to catch it.

Fiona topples over the opposite side of the brick wall with a loud, unbefitting yelp and thud.

Did she get her hat?! ]

lol it's all good

[fleshing]

[You'd think we'd be better at aiming, mutters the head-voice, sounding halfway between amused and annoyed.

Krieg's single eye widens in either deranged laughter or surprise. Some lingering instinct urges him forward and he lunges at the wall, scaling it with a small amount of difficulty thanks to the cumbersome heft of his buzz-axe. He makes it to the top in time to lean over and inspect the fruits of his labor.]

Look out below!

[Yes, Krieg. How very helpful for you to say that.]

[bluffed]

[ Please imagine this as she falls.

Because wow, that was much more dramatic than she anticipated. A 6-8 foot drop on a wall really couldn't have hurt that badly, right? Tell that to the dip in her back and top of her ass. Please don't be broken. Fiona lays there a moment just to steady herself, shaking the cobwebs out.

Up she sits, looking over to the hat that rests at her feet. Reunited and it feels so good. Dusting it off as she examines it - looks good, so she'll put that right back on. Right around the time he gives her the warning! Great. ]

...Thanks. [ What the hell - he seems harmless, but she wants to keep her guard up. ] Aren't there more rats on your side of the wall that need.. uh.. feastin'?

[fleshing]

[She's not cut out for this like we are.

Krieg twitches, his head jerking to one side oddly. If both his eyes were visible, he might be going cross-eyed under the strain of information the different parts of his brain are trying to filter to him.]

Nnnghhhh. [A drawn-out, pained sound leaks out from behind his mask. It sounds like it takes a bit more effort to get his next words out.]

We spent so much time preparing the party, we forgot for who it was for.

[With that...less than coherent statement, he slides back down to his side of the wall.]

[bluffed]

[ Why is she doing this. When the strange psycho-looking stranger is up and at them, residing to his side of the fence, she's ... really going to go back and see what the hell he was doing. She should have ran - with hat in hand - to avoid this situation and the damn rats. But, no, she's here. Nudging herself up over the wall. ]

Wait! Hey! Are you going to seriously have this...uh... feast alone? There could be a lot more - I've seen seas of the jerkhats.

[ The worst kind of hats. But, she is skeptical, but also worried. ]

[fleshing]

[That's for the best.

Never stop the killing. Never. If you stop, you know where your mind goes. Dark, dark, dark. The way her eye-holes bled and bled, drawing the knife over the sternum, tasting blood, drinking the meat, and the bone split open like overripe drakefruit and you didn't bring any grocery bags.

Krieg laughs. He laughs, and laughs, and just keeps laughing even when it starts sounding pained.]

Party in my chest cavity! Everyone's invited!

[bluffed]

W-What the hell are you even going on about? [ She's going to question him. Very much so after that last outburst. To hear something so casual is giving her war flashbacks to the psycho race back on Pandora. He helped her out, the credit was there... but realistically - he looks like bad news. ] You don't even make sense. Maybe focus less on parties and more on... uh.. these guys?

[ Because there goes a small group of rats scurry in their direction. Their beady little eyes remained focus on the prospect of a good meal - and Krieg, they're looking right at you. ]

[fleshing]

[Krieg doesn't miss a beat. He doesn't even stop laughing as he swings around so the blade of his buzz-axe embeds itself right into the skull of the rat on point, nearly cleaving its head in two.]

Somebody should've brought NACHOS! [He bellows it like a witty pre-mortem one-liner as he yanks the axe out and brings it right around to butcher the next incoming, and the next.]

[bluffed]

[ That was #savage. Fiona flinches, nearly ducking back behind the wall because even a Pandoran like her got a slight uneasiness from close up carnage like that. ]

Holy shit -

[ She mutters under her breath. I mean??? Can she complain when he's offering his extermination services for free? And he did get her back her hat... ]

Good job, buddy!

[ More killing rats, less killing her. ]

[fleshing]

[Krieg flips her the bird with another hearty laugh.

That is not the equivalent of a thumbs-up.

THAT IS NOT THE EQUIVALENT OF A THUMBS-UP.

If he's aware of the implications of that gesture, Krieg does nothing to show it. He simply waves his axe skyward before hurling it down to land with a satisfying crunch on top of the rat that was trying to get a chunk out of his boot.]

Who wants LEFTOVERS?

[bluffed]

[ WOW?

PUMP THE BRAKES. Fiona's appalled. Shocked and appalled. This took a turn for the worse and -

She's flicking him right back. ]

Screw you, man! Have some manners!

[ Says the woman who is slowly sliding down the wall away from Krieg as he slays his last rat. She's grumbling around the way, kicking herself for dealing with that. She has to at least be appreciative that Rhys didn't see it. He'd never let her live that down.

Ever. ]

Aw, stick your leftovers where the sun don't shine!

[ She calls out aaaaand she's going to be dust herself off and walk the opposite way. Let's hope no impending conflict device appears?! ]

[fleshing]

[You remember the last time we did that?

A certain confrontation between a blue-tattooed Siren and a pack of rat bastards springs to mind. Unfortunately, Krieg's sense of recollection appears to be suffering due to its proximity with his insatiable bloodlust.]

BUT WE MADE SUCH MERRY MUSIC TOGETHER!

[He actually sounds a little despondent. Murder-buddy doesn't want to ride the death train anymore???

That's what happens when you flip people off, idiot.

And what's more, the rats are all gone, which means no more killing, which means Krieg's gonna get bored, which means it'll be even harder to leash those killing instincts in than usual. Great.]

[bluffed]

[ Why is Krieg horrible at this...

Why is Fiona doing anything other than think he could be a hazard to herself if she sticks around? Looking over her shoulder, there's a complete sigh escaping her lips. He totally has this guy pegged as a psychopath - which, technically? She's right! Fiona's less likely to deal with him when he's going off on tangents. ]

Sing solo, champ!

[ And she's almost away from earshot before -

boss fight? Fiona vs one big, fat, angry rat that effectively got the spring on her. It's weight sideswipes her, a sickening thud within range. Her palms pressed against the underside of the beasts jaw, trying to keep the yellow sharpened fangs away from her face. ]

[fleshing]

[She goes down remarkably easy, and lucky for her, Krieg's adrenaline is still up. No inner-voice needs to goad him on with threats or warnings about what might happen if he doesn't help. He bolts for the heap of bristling black fur with a reckless war cry.]

SOMEONE ATE ALL THE SANDWICHEEEEEEEES!

[Yeah, whatever that means.

He forgoes the axe entirely and gets his hands around the rat's tail, attempting to drag it off Fiona so he can, presumably, play helicopter with it.]