dankmemes | test drive meme #15

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!test drive

test drive meme #15

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 December 25th, and apps are open January 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: YOU SMELL SOMETHING?
[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 lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect chance to knock you out, drag you back to its cave, and hang you upside down for some reason. This time, the Door has brought in a number of Wampas, from the Star Wars movies.

Wampas are large and furry, in order to stay warm and alive on their native ice planet of Hoth. While their white fur helps them blend in at home, it's less helpful in Hadriel - but that's fine! They're giant and terrifying with big claws and teeth, they don't really need camouflage too. They'll be more than happy to hunt you down - and if they don't eat you right there, they could knock you out and take you home for a later meal. If you wake up in a wampa cave, let's hope you remembered your lightsaber.]

R A G E

SCENARIO TWO: WE'RE ALL PISSED OFF HERE
[For some reason, something's just pissing you off today. It's something weird, too, something that wouldn't normally bother you at all. Maybe it's jackets or buildings with too many windows. Maybe it's animals or the simple act of sleeping. Whatever it is, it's total bullshit and you hate it.

What are you gonna do about it? Smash some windows? Kick a puppy? Or hey, maybe you'll run across someone who hates that thing just as much as you do, and you'll make a new friend! Or a new enemy, if they're wearing that most horrible of wardrobe items, a jacket.

This is a mini version of our Why Do You Have To Be Mad? event this month!]

D E L I G H T

SCENARIO THREE: THE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON
[Generosity and charity have infected the city! And hey, that's a good thing, right? Hadriel could use a little more kindness. Who knows what's causing it - Delight is probably bored - but whatever it is, maybe it's affected you, too.

If it has, you'll be inspired by the desire to give gifts to your friends, your family, that stranger across the street. Of course, Hadriel doesn't have a lot of gift shops, so... well, maybe you should just give them the shirt off your back? Or hey, smash a shop window and grab that can of beans, they'll love that! You could even steal your friend's favorite jacket and give it to your other friend. How generous of you!

Or maybe you're totally unaffected, and a complete stranger just ran up to you on the street and tried to give you a shirt they ripped off their friend. It's, uh. Not weird. Aren't you gonna say thank you?]

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Will had never seen Hannibal display much of any expression really. The odd flicker of a smile here and there during their sessions and sometimes a glint in his eyes, though Will could never really tell what that meant.

As his bare skin was touched, Will muscles pulled tight, a small shiver and tingle under Hannibal's touch. He wasn't used to the contact- but his attention and concern turned to Hannibal's words.

"I'm at a loss, Hannibal..." First, he was comforting and reassuring Will that he was very much real, now he was asking if he was dead? "Well... If you're dead then I just might be too..." He felt as like death warmed up anyway. Will didn't know what waves Hannibal was talking about but he could relate to the Hades part, this cave acted as a constant living hell at the worst of times.

Leaning forwards, setting a hand on Hannibal's shoulder, Will wanted a better look at his doctor, the sudden change in decorum was rather worrying. "Is everything okay?"

Hannibal took a breath, closed his eyes, restoring his calm. "I cannot determine if everything is all right, because I cannot claim to understand what the facts of our situation are." He opened his eyes finally, and smiled mildly at Will. "But I will be all right."

he put a hand over the one Will had on his shoulder, and squeezed it fondly.

"Tell me more about this place."

Will frowned a little. He'd found it hard when he arrived here, in fact, a lot of what has already happened, Will liked to pretend was all just in his head. Just the hallucinations of an overactive imagination.

When Hannibal's hand covered his own, Will's first instinct was to withdraw. He'd never really been one for much human contact, though he was trying to make sure Hannibal was alright, he'd allow it for now. Letting a small, sad smile pull the corners of his lips, hoping that it would offer some comfort to his Doctor.

"This place? ... Where do I start?" So much had happened in the few months that Will had been here. He was aware that most of what he was about to say would make him sound crazy, so he took a deep breath before he started.

"I was attacked by a great red dragon when I arrived." Not to mention the other two dragons that followed it, but Will never actually interacted with those ones. "Then the dead came back and flooded the streets... came in the same way you did, same as me too." Sighing, looking around his small apartment and watching Winston take to laying down at Hannibal's feet. "There are Gods here, Hannibal, or so they claim to be. They bring us in through a door they've made. Said they feed and gain power off of our emotions, that's why they do the things they do... If you ask me, it all just sounds like some experiment... I've only spoken to one of them, Hope ironically."

He had to stop, catch his breath and lean back. He was feeling dizzy, his vision shaking back and forth as he tried to concentrate on what he was doing and saying.

Hannibal helped Will back down, taking his wrist to feel for his pulse. It was faint, doubtless due to the infection that was ravaging Will's brain. "Rest, Will. I'll stay with you."

What Will was saying sounded, quite frankly, like the delusional rantings of an unwell mind. Dragons and undead and gods...all fanciful. But then there was the fact that Hannibal couldn't remember how he got there. He just woke up in an arena. And then there was the rage, an emotion that was so unusual for him and yet suddenly so strong...

He needed time to process this. To retreat into his mind palace and contemplate. Come up with some sort of a plan.

"...Thank you." Will uttered out, rubbing the back of his neck where the ends of his wavy hair were damp and sticking to him. He felt disgusting, the room was spinning and his vision trembled as you'd see from behind closed eyelids during REM.

Will heard heavy hooves, footsteps, echoing through his apartment. The sound resembled that of his own heartbeat. Slow, echoing and unstable, much like the pulse throbbing through his temples. And there it was. As he looked past where Hannibal was sitting, into the arch of his living room doorway. A great, midnight blue and petrol black, nightmarish Stag. The sight made his heart race, it looking back as it slowed down, only to pass by. Sinking back on the couch, almost sliding cleanly out of it, Will spoke in a breathy voice. "I think..." Heaving his breaths, labored and fast. "... I think I'm ... Going to draw me a cold bath..."

Hannibal turned his head to follow Will's gaze to the empty doorway. He turned back to his friend, taking in his paleness, the trembling and sweating. It appeared that he was hallucinating, and the vision terrified him.

"What is it Will?" he asked, watching Will's eyes. "What do you see?"

Letting his eyes close as he heaved on the couch. Rubbing the damp, slickness from his forehead and letting out a deep, troubled sigh.

"Something that's trying to consume me whole..." Talking before thinking, Will let the words slip from his mouth. He'd never really be able to tell anyone what he actually saw. They wouldn't believe him, wouldn't know what it meant. Hannibal though, perhaps he'd be able to help analyze what it mean. Only that would mean letting the doctor into his head... More so than he already was.

Hannibal smiled faintly, wondering if what Will saw was, in essence, Hannibal himself, or some representation thereof. At this point, Will was not yet consciously certain of the truth of Hannibal's manipulations, his homicidal activities, the sources of his ingredients. Yet his subconscious was possibly quite aware that Hannibal was indeed intent on consuming him whole, metaphorically and possibly literally.

For now, though, he'd leave the question. Will needed relief from the fever.

"Where is your bathroom? I'll prepare a cold bath."

There was still a part of Will, that had suspicions about Hannibal. He's spoken to few people about it and each time he was treated like he was talking gibberish. After all, it was rather unthinkable to presume that someone with Hannibal's credentials was capable of the horrendous accusations Will had claimed.

No, it was much more easy to believe that it was, in fact, Will how had and was committing the crimes, that he was mere trying to push the blame away from himself and onto his therapist. Still, Hannibal was the only one Will could trust at the moment. He's spilled most of his mind to him already, and Hannibal had let Will slip past certain tests and protocols that Jack would have forced him to take. No, Will did trust Hannibal to a certain extent, and that thought alone was a scary one.

Better the devil you know, and all that?

"Second door on the left... I'll be right there." Forcing himself to sit upright, Winston coming over to greet him, giving his hand a lick and wagging his tail happily. The affection made Will smile a little.

Hannibal rose and, following Will's direction, made his way to the bathroom. He sat on the edge of the tub, plugged the drain, and turned on the water. As the tub filled, Hannibal stared at the water and tried to remember what had happened after that moment on the cliff, when Will had surprised him by making a bid to end both of their lives. Hannibal could remember the sensation of falling, Will's arms wrapped around him, Hannibal wrapping his arms around Will in turn, an embrace at death's door.

But he could not remember hitting the water. Or, if they were either very lucky or unlucky, depending upon your perspective, the rocks.

Once the tub was three quarters full he turned off the water.

It took Will a moment to gain his balance once he was up and on his feet. Slipping off his shoes, having to lean against the wall as he did so. The carpet the covered his floor felt strange against his toes, and as Will looked down, he saw mud and grass. Stopping for a moment, closing his eyes as his head throbbed.

"Not now... Not now..." He uttered, hoping that the hallucination wouldn't last long, that he could still navigate his way through the small apartment and it actually still be the same building.

As he entered the bathroom, with blurred and troubled vision, Will spotted Hannibal sitting on the edge of the tub. Only, Hannibal didn't look at all like himself. Instead, he was a jet black being with glistening obsidian eyes. Ribs protruding and long, terrifying antlers protruding from his head. Will had to catch himself from falling backward, slumping into the wall and sliding down onto his behind. It was then that Hannibal finally looked him himself once more.

"These... These hallucinations, when will they stop?" Pulling his shirt off from over his head, clumsy and with far too much effort, letting it drop beside him where he sat. He was too warm, he could feel the sweat trickle down the pattern of his spin, the bath looked so apealing.

Hannibal looked up as Will entered, and he saw Will's expression, the look of horror, and he wondered what Will saw, what terrified him so much, what he knew, if not in his mind but in his heart, that transformed what he saw. Hannibal immediately sprung to his feet and caught Will, helping to ease him to the ground. He helped with the shirt as much as he could, then went to Will's trousers, undoing the button and the fly with precise, impersonal movements, those of a doctor with nothing but clinical interest.

His other interests, romantic, homicidal, and culinary, remained locked inside.

"They will subside when the fever subsides. Which should happen soon after we treat the encephalitis."

Will's expression was that of pure exhaustion. He attempted a smile, though it came across deranged and crooked. "Thanks..." He huffed out, weak and limp as he tried to shift his hips as Hannibal undressed him. It felt uncomfortable, undignified even, to have another disrobe him like this, but given the circumstances, he was more thankful that embarrassed.

Using Hannibal as an anchor, Will attempted to pull himself back up to his feet. Leaning in and against the doctor, his body heavy and fragile whereas Hannibal's offered him strength, comfort and yes, even safety. deep down, Will knew everything about Hannibal he didn't want to know. He could understand him, see his point of view and agree with him... He just didn't know it yet, or maybe he did? And maybe that was why his heart showed him what his head tried to deny?

His feet left wet footprints in his wake, as he leaned away from Hannibal and towards the bath tub.

"And how exactly are we going to treat my swollen, fat brain?"

Raising a brow, holding onto Hannibal's arm and moving to sit where Hannibal had been only moments earlier.

Hannibal handled his weakened friend with the ease and grace of someone who had experience caring for the infirm...or the drugged and/or slowly dying. He supported him, keeping him steady and secure, all the way to the tub. Once Will was safely perched, Hannibal crouched to peel off this friend's socks, the last bits of clothing on Will's body.

"I'm going to have to see what our resources are. Until then, we treat the symptoms."

He straightened and reached out his arms. "Here. Hold on and I'll help you climb into the tub."

Looking down at Hannibal as he removed his socks for him, it was strange, seeing the other doing for him what he was incapable of doing for himself. Had Hannibal always been this kind? Will recalled him bringing him soup in the morning, not long after their first encounter. He recalled him falling asleep at Abigail's bedside in the hospital, yes, Hannibal was indeed kind and Will gave a small, quick smile down towards him as his socks were pulled free.

"You'll struggle to find much of anything here. You can ask the Gods for help but I don't like to toy with their already narcissistic tendencies."

Taking Hannibal's arm and standing, weak as he was. Turning his back and slowly stepping into the cool water. It made him catch his breath at first and once he lowered himself down, it was only a few moments before he let himself slip under to become fully submerged, eyes still open and bubbles popping from his nose to the surface.

The idea of these gods Will spoke of intrigued Hannibal. Were they real, or another creation of Will''s fevered mind? Regardless, Hannibal had never been one to cower before God or gods, and he could easily imagine taking them up on their game.

He helped Will into the water and watched as he fully submerged himself. That was good. Hannibal had been thinking of recommending that, to enact the body's reflex to cold water on the face, a slowing down of one's metabolism, which would lead to a further reduction of the fever.

Hannibal reached into the water, pressed a hand over Will's mouth and pinched his nose shut.

Will still didn't believe in the Gods here, he'd met one and seen a few of the others. They felt too human to him, nothing great and almighty about them. Their promises and deals could easily be done by a human in the position of power. But maybe that was just Will's skeptical mind, his imagination working overdrive and causing him to read more into the situation than was called for?

The water felt good as it swayed over his body, the coldness was well welcomed indeed. Normally he'd only splash some water over his heated face, why he'd never thought to do this sooner was beyond him.

As Hannibal's hand came down and covered his mouth and nose, Will blink a little startled at first. He assumed he was trying to make sure that Will didn't gasp and swallow some of the water, that he was helping him. But once his ears began to pop as he decompressed them by trying to breathe, Will started to panic a little. Was Hannibal trying to suffocate him where he lay in the bathtub? Feeling the sensation and need as his body cried out for air, Will flailed his arms about, his skin squeaking the side of the porcelain tub, water sloshing out to spill a little.

Throwing a hand up and tapping Hannibal's wrist before grabbing at it. He had to close his eyes then, the water began to sting them. Now he was alone, in the dark silence of the water, with no air or control. It was truly terrifying!

Hannibal's intention had been to help, even if there was also some satisfaction in holding Will below the water for less altruistic reasons. When Will panicked, Hannibal's grip tightened, concerned that the frightened Will would inhale water. "Will..." he called as the man thrashed. "Will!" He plunged his over arm into the water, wrapped it around Will's back, and hauled him out of the water, his hand releasing Will's mouth to wrap that arm around him as well, holding him tight. "Shhh...calm down."

Hearing Hannibal's voice, faint ad fading only made Will panic more. He couldn't see him, he could only feel him, his hand over his face. As much as he hated to, Will's mind leads him to places he would rather not, as his thoughts were often not tasty. For a second he believed that Hannibal was indeed trying to kill him, suffocate him then leave him to drown, just a nasty, untimely accident by a very sickly man.

No, no he had to stop thinking like that, and as Hannibal's arm came under the water and helped pull him back to the surface, Will gasped and spluttered. Water dripping down his face, cascading from his curled, soaking hair. "Hha!! Guh!" spluttering and heaving his breaths, his eyes searching Hannibal's as he held him still.

"I thought... "He panted, swallowed then sighed.

Will didn't have to finish the sentence. Hannibal knew what he thought. He wondered what would have happened had Will remembered everything that had happened, remembered them trying to kill each other time and again, remembered how he had struck the last blow, dragging Hannibal over the edge and into the sea. Would he have panicked? Would he have believed Hannibal meant to kill him? Would he have found that some sort of justice?

"I know," he said, gently cupping Will's face. "I promise you, I do not intend to kill you."

Perhaps, had Will known or remembered what had happened and what could still happen, maybe he would have had no fear while submerged with Hannibal's hand over his face. Perhaps he would have tried to pull him in alongside him and he be the one to hold Hannibal down? Or maybe he wouldn't have gotten into the water in the first place, maybe he would have been fearful or guilty of bringing back unpleasant memories of swirling water and the cold bite of waves?

As Hannibal cupped his face so gently, Will's face contorted and pulled into various expressions. Confusion at the brow, curiosity in his eyes and concern in his lips. To so boldly state he had no intentions of killing him, suggested to Will that Hannibal already knew of Will's doubts and his accusation.

"I ... I know? I'm sorry..."

That expression on Will's face was so strange. Hannibal remembered, with perfect clarity, Will's face that fateful night in Baltimore, the moment before Hannibal buried the linoleum knife into his gut. It wasn't much different. Of course, Hannibal was a lot less bloody now, though. And far more wet. "No need to apologize," he said. "Next time I will let you know." He nodded toward the water. "You should continue your bath."

Studying Hannibal's face for a moment, Will never could get a read on his from his expressions alone, but something told him he could still trust him. So, with a nod and almost embarrassed look away, Will lowered himself back into the bath.

Keeping his head above water for a moment this time, he inhaled deeply and closed his eyes.

"It's all going to change now that you're here..." He started, sinking more into the cool water. The surface licked his face, shaping it as it covered his ears, forehead, and chin. A few more inches and he'll be completely submerged once more. "...I finally have an ally." Smiling faintly before he vanished back under, keeping his eyes closed this time, much calmer, steadier breathing.

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test drive meme #15

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D'oh! Wrong account!

xD It happens!

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