test drive meme #16

[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 January 24th, and apps are open February 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: THE CREEPY CRAWLIES
[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 to impale you on its giant claws and crunch your bones between its mandibles. That's right, this time the Door is bringing you bugs from Starship Troopers, in all their giant and disgusting glory!

Bugs are, well, giant insects that come in all shapes and sizes, depending on the rank, and are way too tall or too heavy than they have any right to be. They can move quickly, most of them have the ability to fly, and their exo-skeletons means that it's difficult to really hurt them unless you've got some muscles on you. Or a really big boot, I guess.]

C O N F U S I O N

SCENARIO TWO: WHO'S THAT IN THE MIRROR?
[Something's lurking in the dark. Something that really wants to ruin your day by any means necessary- that includes preying on your darkest fears, or just, you know, simply killing you. But that's not a problem, right? You're big and tough! Except, so is this creature out to get you. And it knows all of your weaknesses and insecurities too because, well... it is you.

Doubles of characters will be flooding the city and attempting to ruin the originals lives by whatever means necessary. This generally involves killing the original and then impersonating them, but it can also mean killing people you love or just bringing up your awkward teenage years to traumatize you in front of all your new cool friends.

What can you do to stop it? Well, you could kill them first, that certainly won't require a few trips to therapy later! There's always locking them away, or maybe trying to befriend them because hey, who's better at ruining your life than you?

This is a mini version of our Dead Ringers event this month!]

T R A N Q U I L I T Y

SCENARIO THREE: CAN YOU JUST LIKE, CHILL FOR A SEC?
[Embrace tranquility! Or rather, get pulled, kicking and screaming into an event during which you magically have to find some chill, or else Tranquility will force chill upon you.

For this prompt, characters will find themselves in a state of sudden peace and calm, without much anger or meanness to go around. That guy you hate? Maybe you should give him a peace offering. The chick who stole your girlfriend? Maybe you should congratulate her! Everything is peaceful and everything is... sorta gray.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice to be able to relax, but we have an emotional spectrum for a reason. Pretty soon, the tranquility of this might turn into something a little creepy, even Stepfordish... but it's hard to really care when everything is so damn pleasant, right?]

Comments

[skelebro]

[Sans is super helpful, Mr. King Guy, what're you talking about. He's also great at delivering exposition in the heat of battle.]

My guess? It's the gods playin' their cards again. My money's on Rage or Confusion, personally. Or both.

[#nailedit]

[journalname]

[oh my fucking god sans]

I am afraid I still don't understand.

[skelebro]

[Sans is Super Good at this. Obviously. Give him a minute as he catches onto the fact that he is CLEARLY MISSING.]

You, uh... [three, two, one - noooooow he gets it] No one's given you the rundown on this place, huh?

[journalname]

No. I have not been here very long, and...

[well, obviously a lot of things were happening]

[skelebro]

You haven't...seen any of the kids then. Huh.

[That ain't a question. That's a slow, painful realization that Asgore's two dead kids are right freakin' here in the city and he has no idea.]

[journalname]

[........]

Is Frisk here? [He must mean them and their little yellow friend, right?]

[skelebro]

Frisk, yep.

[And uh those two kids who died horribly!!! Yeah this is fine!!!]

And, uh. Two others. One monster and one human.

[C'mon Asgore, put the pieces together so Sans don't have to be the one to drop the verbal bombshell. Please.]

[journalname]

.........oh...?

[Asgore seems to clearly be put off by where this is going, but weirdly, "both of my dead children have spontaneously come back to life" is not gonna be a conclusion he jumps to on his own.]

[skelebro]

[APPARENTLY NOT. All right. Fine. He'll put it out there. At this point he's just dragging things out. Don't benefit anybody that way.]

Asriel and Chara Dreemurr. [They take the last name "Dreemurr" still, right?]

Ring any bells?

[journalname]

That... [His eyes go wide for a moment. Then he looks away, and it takes a moment before he can continue with a level voice.] That is not possible.

[skelebro]

Yeah. I know.

[He passes a hand over the crown of his skull, scratching the cervical vertebrae, the lights in his sockets casting down to scrutinize the ground. What an interesting ground. He sure wants to just...look at it.]

But, uh, neither is facin' up a life-size clone of yourself that wants to kill ya. Place sure likes to...pull off the impossible yeah?

[journalname]

I would believe that first.

[It's not even like the clone was spewing anything totally outrageous. Asgore's still not looking at Sans, either; we can stare off in different directions and try to suppress our emotions together.]

How.....how...are they?

[skelebro]

Alive.

[Wow, okay, Mr. Sensitivity over here. What's he supposed to say, though, really? Oh, no problem, they're both absolutely fine. It's just that Asriel is consumed with bitterness that he can't feel anything, subsequently consumed with guilt for feeling bitter, and Chara pretty much wants to be takin' a dirtnap in the soil again.

Other than that? They're good. They're both doing just - just great.]

Endin' up here was a...shock. For both of 'em. They been livin' with Frisk.

[journalname]

I see.

[Asgore should be asking Sans to take him there at once. He wants to see them. Of course he does, but...god, Toriel should be the one who's here. He does not deserve a second chance. He's...

...he's a little afraid to face them, after all he's done. There's nothing he can say.]

That's good. I always thought...they would get along.

[skelebro]

[Can't blame him for that, really. He's got no clue what to say to the guy, or even how he images a dad is supposed to act around a pair of long-dead kids for whom he slaughtered six children. There's no handbook for this sorta thing. Sans is the last guy cut out to be of any use.]

You, ah...

[What now? They've got Asgore's murderous twin out and about, his deceased children in the city facing shadows of their own, and there's no guessing what Sans's own double could be up to, is there?

Everything in the city's gone straight to hell. Must be a day ending in -y.]

You wanna maybe...see 'em? They're around here somewhere. Gotta be.

[journalname]

...yes.

[He wants to see them. He doesn't really want them to see him. In the end, he definitely can't just sit up on this spire forever. Asgore nods faintly.]

Yes, that would be best. Do...you think they will be okay? [With this, springing himself on them out of nowhere. They must know what he's done. Frisk and Sans wouldn't be able to keep a thing like that secret, and they should not.]

[skelebro]

They're pretty sturdy kids. They been doin' all right.

[That's, uh.

That's a dirty lie. Chara died. Frisk killed 'em when a demon decided to play puppet with their body. Asriel's desperately tryin' to hold it all together, and it's up in the air what the it even is.]

We're near their place now. Not, uh, not real sure they're in.

[For their sake, he kinda hopes they ain't. That's the first place the doubles would think to look.]

[journalname]

[Well, what Asgore doesn't know won't hurt him. Now. It'll definitely hurt a lot later!]

Okay. [He sighs heavily.] Let us go see.

[skelebro]

[It'll definitely hurt later. Which is why Sans, selfishly, don't wanna be the guy to tell him. He's good at this sorta thing. Drawing even with the Spire he's come to think of as the one belonging to the kids and knockin' on the door yields nothing.]

Guess they ain't home.

[Probably for the best, all things considered. Don't lend his words much credence, but when has he ever been credible? Get real.]

[journalname]

No...

[He's not sure how he feels about that. Is it okay for them to be out on their own here?]

Where else might they be?

[skelebro]

I haven't seen 'em around. Been tryin' to get in touch but, uh, I don't trust that their doubles might'a nicked their phones.

[That complicates things. He's got a worried dad and no way to put his fears at ease. And for all his muddled feelings on the kids, he sure as hell don't want 'em gettin' hurt on anybody's behalf. Frisk'll fall on a sword as soon as it presents itself to 'em, and Chara's hardly any better.]

If we fan out, maybe we can find 'em.

[journalname]

There are more of those?

[Maybe that makes sense, but considering how that encounter went, he'd thought it might just be...well, because of the way he is. Honestly he hasn't had time to stop and give any of this a whole ton of critical thought, things have been happening a lot.]

[skelebro]

Everyone's got one. [Hence why Asgore should know his kids're here. Though that, uh, raises a lotta questions.]

You...if we run into their doubles, what's...are you gonna be able to...

[Handle it? Take care of 'em?

Who the hell knows how that sentence was planning on resolving itself.]

[journalname]

I will... [No, probably not, but they don't have time for him to not handle it.] ...be fine.

[skelebro]

[He'll be "fine." Well, that's about as much as they can expect. Sans is "fine" too. He's so "fine" that he's smiling like nothing is wrong.]

How 'bout, uh...we can keep in touch, fan out, see if we find any of the kids. Maybe come up with a word or somethin' so we know it's really us.

['Cause boy but would he really not put it past his own double to pull a stunt at Asgore's most vulnerable moment.]