Test Drive Meme #3

[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 November 24th, and apps are open December 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!

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: GIMME A HUG
[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 large slithering beast for you meet.

This Titanoboa is not the friendliest of snakes. Over fifty feet long, it requires quite a lot of meals in order to keep going, and it seems to be most interested in making you one of them. A giant anaconda, this is a constrictor rather than a venomous snake - but don't worry. It's got teeth, too, in case it needs to do a touch of nibbling. We're sure you'll get along just fine.]


SCENARIO TWO: THE DOCTOR IS IN
[You awaken on an operating table. How did you get here? What's going on? You don't remember checking into a hospital or seeing a doctor, and when you try to get up you quickly discover that your hands and legs are secured tightly to the table, the straps digging into your skin.

Next to the table is a tray of gleaming steel surgical instruments, their sharp blades glittering as the overhead light flickers. They seem to be the only clean thing in the room, as you begin to realize that the walls of this operating room are moldy and stained, and there's something dripping from the ceiling. This may not be a legitimate hospital at all.

There are footsteps outside the door. It could be a friend - or not. Will you call for help? Try to free yourself? Lay back and wait for the doctor to arrive?]


H O P E

SCENARIO THREE: HOPESGIVING
[You find yourself in a kitschy, brightly lit, utterly pleasant gift shop. Lining the shelves are all manner of stuffed animals, inspirational figurines, greeting cards, and delightful ornaments. Some even look familiar, like something you might have seen before.

The door isn't locked. You can just leave, if you want. But on a pedestal where the registers should be is a globe of glittering light, and within it, a picture of the person you care for most in the world. Carved on the pedestal are the words Bring someone hope, and you will bring them happiness.

Of course, you aren't alone in there. Will you find something on the shelves to show to your companion, something that might bring them hope? Or maybe you brought something from home. Or maybe you don't care at all, and just want to smash everything in there. It's all up to you.

This is a simplified version of this month's Hope event.]

Comments

hannah washington ☠ until dawn

[wendigoner]

fear ; two

[ She's in Hell. What other explanation is there? After - After what happened, after the nightmarish memories that are corroded and bent out of shape in her mind, there's no other place. The light above her head flickers, a stereotype within a stereotype, and she realizes she has a headache throbbing in her temple before she really realizes where she is. ]

Oh - Fuck. [ It's quiet, sharp, and she struggles against her bindings. It's for naught, though, given that they're so tight and she is (now, somehow) only human. Thin arms flail as much as there is room, but, mostly, she isn't able to make any headway.

Hannah Washington hasn't been afraid like this recently, but now it hits her full-force. Stuns her in a way that clears aside other fears and memories that are surfacing like bubbles rising to the top and which she can't bear to face or own up to at the moment. ]

Is anybody there? [ She calls, her voice wavering. There's got to be a way out, somehow, and then she can figure out why she's in this fucking creepy place to begin with. Her eyes fall on the surgical tools and her stomach summersaults; Hannah swallows hard, blinking back tears, but it doesn't stop the terror that threatens to choke her before some mad scientist, or doctor, or... whoever comes in and - ]

Fuck, fuck, fuck - [ She whimpers, pressing her head back and into the seat, heart pounding out of control. ]


hope

[ Things seem kinder now. The brunette lays a hand on a stuffed animal, one that looks a little too much like another from her room at home for comfort. It'd been done on purpose, probably, but she can't think that way. Paranoia hasn't gotten her anywhere so far, and there's no use getting worked up just because of a plush bear. ]

It's like they know. [ She says aloud, tone one of wonder, fingers trailing over the lid of a music box. Hannah looks almost trance-like as she opens it and the melody of Frère Jacques plunks outward. ] About our lives, and... like they've seen our stuff.

[ Because it's almost exactly the same as the one Josh had given her for Christmas, minus the inscription he'd added. The hairs on the back of her neck prickle with the insane coincidence of it all and she shuts it with a snap. ]

Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. [ Hannah says hurriedly, upon noticing another person in the room. ] I'm just, um... getting used to this place.

[littlesoul]

She nods, wrapping her hands around the chain and looking to him for the cue to start pulling.

None of this feels right, everything twisted and dark. They aren't safe, nothing is safe here, and she is very much aware of this. She's not sure how much he is but she can feel the tings stirring, felt them looking for something to hunt.

There are monsters, lots of them, and they're waiting.

[closerift]

No. [ She admits a faint, humorless smile. ] But I've learned to recognize the look. I wore it myself.

[ Only two months ago. Has it really been so long since she'd woken up in the coliseum alongside Dorian and been face to face with a monstrous bear?

Cecily shakes her head, glancing over the shelves. ]

It does. [ Even in Skyhold they have merchants, stalls out in the main stretch of the fortress to encourage commerce. To make trade relationships that they desperately needed to improve their stock within their base. ] But we pay for it in other ways, I have no doubt.

[ That is, being under the thumbs of both Hope and Fear. Being subjected to their whims, their monsters and illusions. ]

I would wager a guess at forty, at least. [ She hasn't actually seen them all gathered together, but there are enough wandering Hadriel and speaking over the... "network" that it's easy enough to estimate. ] Not including whoever else may have arrived with your lot.

[deadmeat]

[He's still staring as Yaha goes on about-- whatever it is he's going on about. Maybe Brandon doesn't pay that much attention in general. Or maybe this sounds like the ramblings of someone post-a line of coke and all he's going to do is wait his turn.

Doesn't think anyone's called his helmet armor before but it kind of is, isn't it? That's one metal way of looking at it.]

This is basic bike safety, kiddo.

[He taps the side with one finger. There's dried blood streaked across the teal surface he's forgotten about.]

[scanner]

[Spectre doesn't lower the rifle. This man is in a panic. Perhaps the virus has reached his brain. What other explanation is there?]

Identify... yourself...

[Stepping forward, trying to corral him back into the small room and block the door. The escape.]

ramsay bolton | game of thrones/a song of ice and fire

[flayerhater]

hope

Initially, Ramsay finds himself traversing the brightly lit aisles of the quaint little gift shop with some level of wonderment and delight. Why, he'd never seen such a delightful little shop in his life! Such strange peculiar little trinkets and ornaments. Granted, the only thing that would bring the young Bolton any glimmer of hope or joy would likely be sharp and covered in blood.

Nope. No flaying doodads or instruments of torture here.

Anyway, after another few minutes of exploring the rest of the store, he stops at the registers and freezes. Ramsay gawks at the little pedestal for a couple of moments, the expression on his face akin to a manic chimpanzee. His eyes drift from the inspirational words of wisdom, up to the glistening globe of light, back to the words. Then, without even looking he simply reaches over to the nearest display of this year's Hallmark collectible ornaments and violently knocks it over. Little glass bulbs, porcelain Snoopys, and plastic obligatory Disney Princess Of This Year ornaments shattering and scattering all over the floor.

Ramsay then clears his throat and loudly shouts, "Is there an actual merchant here? I've a question about your wares!" You know what? He's going to just. Knock that cash register off the counter too.

[mangsting]

[Really, Oliver has no other purpose in being here save for scoping the place out. The mystical words inscribed over the pedestal hit home on some level, but it's not enough to hook his attention for too long. He's more preoccupied with getting a general feeling for the layout of Hadriel. Sentimental toys and decorations aren't exactly his style anyway. He struggles enough as is with the whole... domestic married life.

And that's when he hears the crash. Presently, he's in the back of the store, nearly debating about leaving but--welp. Obnoxiously loud commotion and the potential for an actual crime taking place is enough to drag him over to the scene of the action.

Oliver stomps on over to where Yaha is causing a ruckus. Frankly, seeing as that he's presently decked out in his Arrow gear, which is comparable to a LARPer on steroids, he could easily be mistaken for said shopkeep. If this were the 16th century.

He stalls momentarily and just sort of stares at Yaha for a moment. Stares at this androgynous elf tearing apart a stuffed animal right before his eyes. You know. Just when he thinks he's seen it all...]

That's vandalism.

[He grunts in his classic Batman voice. Okay really, all things considered, this is probably the most minor crime he's ever had to put a stop to.]

And completely unnecessary.

[caelus]

[ jim kirk doesn't settle. it's not in his nature. he's always pushing in some way or another. but then he hears a woman's voice, and he's a little confused at first before he realizes that was directed at him.

cell phone? that's, wait he knows this, some communication device from the 20th and 21st century, right? yeah. did he somehow go back in time? risa didn't have any indigenous peoples--carefully, he closes his communicator, and tucks it back into his pocket. there's a tricorder in his pack, but considering that it is out of view---he's not too worried about accidentally breaking the prime directive. ]

Right, I'll have to get that sorted out. [ jim grins at cashmere. she's pretty, that's easy to work out, but he doesn't know her. he doesn't even know where he technically is. ]

I'm Jim Kirk. [ he offers a hand. ] So, uh, I guess my first question is: where's here?

two

[cowardley]

[ the voice echoes down the halls, and it feels as if her heart stalls. ]

Josh?! [ the last she'd heard his voice, it'd been his screams as the metal saw tore into his abdomen. she's heard the truth: that the whole thing had been an elaborate prank in revenge for Beth and Hannah, but that sounds as much like the truth as the reality of their current situation.

she considers her options, wanting to turn around very suddenly and pretend she heard nothing, but she knows that wouldn't be right. she couldn't do that, not here. she steels herself before she jogs down the hall. ] Josh, I'm coming, all right?

Leonardo | TMNT (IDW comics)

[kamiizumi]

I.
[Clearly, this is going to be one of those days.

(But if he's completely honest with himself, Leonardo has to admit that his life in general has been a long series of those days since day one, so that's not exactly news.)

As soon as he rounds a corner and finds himself face to face with far too many teeth, he moves, bounding backwards towards the closest building, and grabbing a protruding bit of the doorframe to use as a handhold to start working his way upwards. A few leaps, swings, and pulls upward are enough to get him onto the roof - it's not out of the fire, he's sure, but at least it gives him a few more moments before the frying pan gets too hot to handle.

It could be worse, right? Unlike the last abnormally intimidating animals he's come face to face with, this one looks like it's just hungry, and not like this is personal.

On the other hand, that means he's not the priority target - anyone unlucky enough to cross its path is. And as he crouches at the edge of the roof and scans the street to see if anyone else is still stuck below, he's already expecting that someone will be - because why should anything ever go the easy way?]


III.
[This is very, very not Leo's element.

It's nothing he doesn't have a concept of, at least, but also nothing he's ever surrounded himself with or felt a need to. And so the message below the globe, bring someone hope, and you will bring them happiness, is harder to wrap his mind around than he feels like it ought to be - because what's hopeful about a teddy bear or a Hallmark card? Hope is having the people you care about around you, where you can see that they're still in one piece and remember what you have to to do to keep them that way. Hope is having a plan in the face of an overwhelming threat, and knowing that you're ready to do something and not only stand quietly.

And he's sure that Splinter, whose picture is hovering inside that globe, would see things the same way he does.

But put a challenge in front of Leo, and he still feels like he ought to be taking it on, rather than turning away, and so anyone else in the store is met by a strange scene: a five foot turtle in ninja gear, looking dubiously between stuffed foxes and cutesy figurines, apparently pondering these things very deeply as he says to himself -]

There must be something better than this.

hope

[cowardley]

[ The lid snaps shut, and Ashley startles, nearly dropping the elegant ornament that had stolen her attention just moments earlier. She hastily returns the orb to its original spot, nestling it up neatly against its siblings, and turns to Hannah. She wonders if she'll ever get used to seeing her friend's face again without a sudden shock of guilt. ]

I don't know if I'll ever get used to this place. [ She admits, quietly. She's been here longer, and she still feels as if she's just woken in the coliseum again. ]

[friendlyforce]

Identify yourself?

[ He carefully repeats the words before hesitantly stepping backwards. His helmet slowly moves side-to-side as he scans the floor obviously thinking on the words. One could almost see how his eyebrows furrow and face turns a little red.

His arms jerk upwards as he finally pulls free of the table. The table itself slams down hard on the ground before falling backwards into the room. Caboose has his arms up. ]

Oh, oh! Pick me! I got it! [ Pressing his hands on his own chest, he cheerfully announces: ] I identified me! See. I'm here. In this spot! Identified!

[wendigoner]

[ Is it weird having a number of her friends (??) around? Yes and no. Because it's definitely bizarre, but that's also an understatement. To say it's an understatement is an understatement. ]

Right... [ Hannah chews on her lip, gaze flitting toward Ashley briefly better turning back to the assortment of objects that line the shelves. ] But, you've been here for a while, right?

[ Alive. She'd survived... everything, hadn't she? The details of that night are foggy, faded, grainy, like a photograph that's all but eroded. Hannah can't exactly say with confidence who'd been killed and who she'd just tried to kill.

Not now, don't think about it now. ]

[barebacking]

[ That is enough to continue to calm him down. Confusion overrides anger, annoyance, at the very idea of "hope." He steps a little closer to tilt his head to get a better look at what is "basic bike safety." ]

What is a bike? I have never heard of such a contraption. A weapon? [ He tilts his head to the side before noticing the streak of red. Something familiar, finally. His hands reach out so that he could take either side of the helmet -- to draw himself close to taste that which has already dried. ]

[smited]

[ cullen shakes his head at the title. ]

Not for a few years now. It's just been 'Commander' since I left the Order.

[ and if fenris isn't aware of that, of the inquisition, then he must be further behind than the others. it never ceases to be any less strange, the way that memories and times don't seem to match up.

he places the mabari back on the shelf with a snort. ]

I'd rather not be indebted to Hope any more than strictly necessary.

2

[kamiizumi]

[He may have no idea how he wound up here, but Leo's never had a problem looking at what's around him and making a plan. Granted, coming up with a good one is sometimes harder, but the objective is clear enough in his mind: get out of here.

From there...well, from there, he'll improvise.

But as he's skulking down the hallway, the sound of a voice inside one of the rooms gets him to freeze midstep.

The objective has probably just expanded in scope, because whatever he doesn't know about this place, he knows that it's sketchy as hell and nobody should just be left here. So he crouches outside the door for a three-count, waiting for signs that anyone else has heard before he slips inside.]

Don't scream.

[He hopes she wouldn't anyway, but a guy gets used to expecting the worst, coming from a world full of people who have no idea just what science has done. Still, that's the only preamble he offers before he moves closer to inspect the straps keeping her on the table.]

Are you okay to walk once I get these off?

[barebacking]

Well...

[ He accents the start of his sentence with ripping the head off of one of the stuffed animals before turning to face the person interrupting his tantrum. Yaha pauses as he looks at the archer in mild confusion. The toy is discarded on the ground as he moves so that he can get a better look at the strange-dressed man (says the elf in six-inch heels). ]

That's hardly the right color to wear. You don't blend into much. [ That seems like an important piece for him to point out to the man. Yaha steps forward as he continues on with what he is saying. ] And unnecessary as my ... vandalism ... [ The word sounds odd in his mouth. ] is ... there is a lesson that is to be learned here, archer.

Tell me, do you understand what hope is?

[64th]

Cashmere. [ she shakes his hand. unfortunately, she doesn't have much useful information about the where. unless you find learning the name of someplace you've never been to be useful. ] They call it Hadriel. There's two guys who claim to be gods who seem to be in charge. They call themselves Hope and Fear. [ her tone says she hasn't decided how much of their story she believes. Cash gestures at the walls of gifts around them. ] This is Hope's doing.

[ and if that wasn't enough bad news: ] You'll want to find a weapon before you go wandering too far. It's not very friendly out there.

fear

[pighead]

[When he hears Hannah's voice, some part of Josh thinks that it can't be real. It can't be. She's gone. She's gone, and that's not going to change, they just have to figure out how to continue on. He doesn't know how many times he's heard things like that anymore, he stopped counting, stopped listening. Just a dull drumbeat that doesn't mean anything.

But he hears her, it has to be her voice, and - well - it's not the first time, but every time it seems so real that he has to respond. So he does, this time too, voice just on the teetering edge between panic and uncertainty.]

Hannah?

[The hallways are strange, nothing here is familiar, but he knows where that voice came from. He stumbles into the room and sees her, and part of him says it's impossible but the rest is just relieved, and he can't even think to question how or why, because if he does she might disappear.]

Hannah - hold still, hey, I'll get you out -

scenario two!

[swill]

[When the door opens, it's Hawkeye that's standing there like he's made a wrong turn and ended up in the girl's locker-room at the opposite end of the gym. That is, his eyes go to the first body he can see, and he's actually honest-to-god surprised there's a body to see at all. Then there's the straps securing the fella, and the table that's entirely too familiar. And speaking of- because it's impossible to not catch sight of those too- there's some good-looking non-rusty tools just waiting for something to happen.

And speaking of waiting for something to happen-] Yeah, yeah, it does, but I'm not the one who put you here. [So let's get that out of the way. And Hawkeye's seen enough boys with those sorts of smiles to give it much of a thought- only he does because this shouldn't be happening. That is to say, this one wasn't scheduled. Which meant a whole lot of other things he didn't quite feel would be welcome to dwell on at the moment. That big drop of whatever-that-slime-was that nearly misses the son of a gun tied to the operating table told him it was high time to get a move on.] I didn't even know we had this room. I didn't even know we had you.

[But he's moving quickly and deliberately to loosen those binds. Mistake? He can't really care.] How long have you been here, fella?

[twincurses]

[Well, that’s unexpected. Fai hadn’t had time to put much thought into who (or what) would greet him in this new world, but the man who appears still manages to catch him off-guard. He looks harmless - which doesn’t mean anything. Looks can be deceiving, after all. But he doesn’t sense any magic from him, and that’s a little more difficult to fake. Between that and genuine surprise on his face...he might actually be telling the truth.

The immediate assistance indicates that as well. Either he’s honest, or there’s something more going on. In either case, there’s no immediate threat. Once Fai’s able to get out of the bindings, he sits up, and takes a moment to rub at his stiff wrists. His smile never falters.]

Thank you. [Questions about who did put him here - and where here is - can wait. There’s something else he needs to ask first.] Actually, I just arrived! Or woke up, anyways. It's hard to tell the difference. [Laughs lightly, before continuing.] Hmm, have you seen anyone else nearby? There should have been four others with me. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to look for them.

[sparkler]

Of course.

[It seems clear enough that the elf isn't here of his own free will. Who would be, really? The markings attract Dorian's attention - they remind him of something, maybe a story he heard of? - but he's quickly distracted by a more important concern.

He hesitates.]

Ah - you aren't going to attack me if I release you, are you? That would be rather rude.

[And, he's suddenly realized, extremely likely.]

This isn't my doing.

np! :)

[justscience]

"I haven't." There is nothing more Chris wants to do than bring his daughter some hope. He doubts she'd be interested in the trinkets they were selling here, though. Veronica was a genius -- solemn, mature for her age, more interested in population growth than teddy bears or hair product.

It's only now that he realizes how much hope he's been holding onto. He's hoped that his daughter might still be alive for years. He never thought about it consciously, not often, anyway. That was too dangerous. He'd seen people in his corner at the end of the world go mad from longing for people who could very well be dead. But the hope was always there, in the back corners of his mind.

Chris speaks stiffly, not trusting his own voice to let any kind of emotion in. Chris McShell will not let himself look like a pining wreck -- he's got too much dignity for that. "I haven't. Aside from you, I've only seen one other living person here." He steals a look at Beyond and realizes that Beyond only fits the description of 'person' in the most minimal sense.

[justscience]

He gives the girl a sharp nod, and yanks. That's the signal. Chris has never been known for his social skills. He was always the cold, aloof type. It wasn't deliberate, of course. He liked plenty of people. He just wasn't good at socializing or building relationships. Chris understood math and science and patterns better than almost anything else. But people? People were nearly impossible to be quantified, and he was never interested in trying.

The chain breaks, and Chris is a little worried about what they're going to find on the other side.

[littlesoul]

She has a weird relationship with people at this point. On the one hand she enjoys the, has fun around hem and they make her happy. On the other hand, she knows everything, can feel their thoughts cursing through their minds and their emotions driving them. Sometimes it's too much, overloading her brain and making everything just go horribly wrong.

When she sees him nod, she pulls hard, hearing the chain give with and smiling at him. Even though she knows there are things out there in general, she's not scared of what's behind he door.

"Nothing there," she says, touching the door with one hand. "Nothing right outside. We an pretend we're safe."