test drive meme #17

[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 February 22nd, and apps are open March 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: SHOOTING HOOPS
[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, calmly exploring this super cool cave city, when all of a sudden you see something roll toward you. What could that possibly be? Why, it seems the Door has brought in some hoop snakes, which are definitely real.

Hoop snakes are poisonous and aggressive reptiles, able to pursue fleeing prey by grasping their tail in their jaws and rolling after them like a wheel. Wow, so efficient! Hard to get away from, though, and kind of... terrifying? If you want to get away, you better be a fast runner. Or maybe you should climb something. Good luck!]

S O R R O W

SCENARIO TWO: YOU GOT THE BLUES
[You woke up this morning on the wrong side of the bed. Not the angry side - the sad side. Somehow, everything just seems to be going wrong, and you don't know why. You were out of milk for your cereal, the fruit you picked just yesterday is already going bad, and instead of getting frustrated all you want to do is feel sorry for yourself.

Even the good things aren't going too well. Maybe your friend just told you your hair looks nice today - doesn't that mean it looks bad the rest of the time? Probably. They've just been too nice to tell you. And your crush smiled at you - that probably means they know about your feelings and are getting ready to let you down easy. That's the only explanation.

No matter what happens, your mind is giving you the worst, most depressing interpretation. You can try to fight it and be aggressively upbeat - or maybe you just want to cry on somebody's shoulder. Yeah. That sounds good right about now.]

D E L I G H T

SCENARIO THREE: PUCKER UP
[For once, Hadriel looks rather lovely, all covered in snow and seasonal! Sure, it's not quite the right season anymore, but who really knows what month it is? Not the residents, and certainly not the gods. But for whatever reason, Delight has decided there should be snow on the ground and ugly sweaters in the shops.

And, of course, mistletoe. On your wanderings around the city, you may find yourself under the mistletoe with a friend or a stranger or even an enemy. Regardless of who they are and how you really feel about them, the mistletoe will give you a gentle compulsion to plant a kiss right on those appealing lips of theirs. You can resist if you want - it won't force you - but don't you kind of want to go for it?

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

Comments

[queensberry]

[Jacob had been waiting to follow after Ned, as per usual, so he stops when Ned stops. It's a good thing he'd behind him: his disappointed look would provoke endless shaming. Still, he'll try to be smart,] Yes, any day now, Wynert.

[He pulls the coat off Ned's shoulders for him, mostly because the thing is ridiculously heavy with all his murder tools. Not because he's helping Ned again or anything.] I'm sure the single beds are up higher. If only we could use my hook...

[trainspotter]

Feel free to go on ahead. [Please don't actually abandon him here to play hooky, but he's not going anywhere via hook and rope, either. He lets Jacob take his coat back without any complaints.]

The higher up, the less willing someone'll be to come all the way and shoot us, so come on.

[Let's keep going... See, he only has Jacobs best interest at heart, as simple as it would be to stop here and just deal with a double bed apartment. His privacy trumps his desire to stop climbing all these stairs.]

[queensberry]

Planning on making enemies? You know, people would normally prepare to invite friends over. [Jacob doesn't actually mind climbing all these stairs. He does twice the exercise daily, so he's only sticking close to Ned for the company.

Not that he's overly-fond of it, or anything. He's an associate. But when they reach a floor of one-bedrooms, his attention wanes.] A little homelier than expected, for a... tower.

[trainspotter]

[Invite friends over... that is funny. Ned only entertains in public, thanks.]

Well, trouble seems to find me whether I'm looking for it or not. [Like Jacob, for example, ohhh. Now, let's casually walk into an apartment, surely they have some kind of indicator of whether or not someone lives there... time to go inside.

What is this round room nonsense.] This is a crime against architecture.

[queensberry]

What are you talking about? This is magnificent. [Of course, Trouble has terrible taste in more than just clothes. He steps into the room with a grin, more or less because he knows Ned's going to be disgusted.]

It has a... [Stovetop. But it's far too updated for Jacob to name it.] ... counter. Already up to my standards.

[trainspotter]

[Seriously, what is that thing?? Here's Ned to join Jacob in staring at it, perplexed. It might be a stove? If a stove were a toy?

What is this apartment?? He has a new criticism, anyway,] I don't like the look of the walls.

[queensberry]

I'm sure you'll be able to cover them with wanted posters soon enough. I hope they get my good side. [All his sides are good sides. He wants posters from every angle.

He is going to investigate this stove, though. He turns a stove knob, and like a true genius, touches the top. Behold, Jacob Frye, pulling back a burned finger like a genius.] Well-- This is the kitchen!

[trainspotter]

[That is a little weird, Jacob. Ned is about to sass this comment before Jacob touches the stove?? Apparently it's a stove—at least Ned looks concerned first instead of laughing at his misfortune.]

Are you gonna get yourself killed the second I turn my back on you, Frye? [like, jesus] Why don't you keep your hands to yourself for ten minutes?

[queensberry]

My hands are great at doing things, so. [So. Yeah. Shut up, Ned, he's going to go touch the sink for... scalding hot water on that finger. The appliances were questionable after all.] For fuck's--

[He'll tuck his hands under his arms, now, shut up,] I think you can cook.

[trainspotter]

[my hands are great at doing things. master assassin, ladies and gentlemen.]

I— [Fuck, is he really responsible for making sure Jacob doesn't die? Is this what it's like to be Evie Frye, because Ned would like a refund. He half-turns away, raising a hand to press against his temple and just... sigh. Goddamn it, Jacob.]

Someone needs to open a pub around here so I'm not responsible for making sure you don't starve. [is this real??] I'm no five-star chef, but... [He sort of. Gestures. He'll make Jacob some food, he guesses.]

[queensberry]

Or you can drink your sorrows away. [Even burned twice, Jacob still has the cheekiest grin. He's set on making light of this situation somehow, but it just turns out it won't be the kitchen. Maybe the... laundry room.

He doesn't know what to do with it when he opens that, either.] What do you suppose these machines are for?

[trainspotter]

[Ned gives Jacob a look, like honestly that doesn't sound like a bad idea already, if he has to live in this weird round apartment with mysterious objects everywhere. Once again he follows Jacob over to see the... machines. Whatever they are.

Before he can stop himself after Jacob's episode with the stove, he says,] Why don't you climb in and find out?

[Which has him reaching out to put a hand on Jacob's arm a moment later, when he remembers he's dealing with a very suggestible loser.] Don't actually do that.

[queensberry]

Oh, because I was so tempted to. [Jacob rolls his eyes, as if the notion were ridiculous and that was definitely not the plan. It might have been. He'll never tell.

He glances between Ned's face and his hand, quirking a brow before he steps out of it to go push a button. More water...] It's nice to know you do care, Neddy.

[trainspotter]

[Oh it was so the plan, Jacob can't fool him. He's known him long enough—and he hasn't even known him that long, so it's extra telling. He's not fooled.

And—shit, don't accuse him of caring. The answer is on the tip of his tongue before he even thinks all of it: Of course he cares, Jacob is a useful pair of hands when he needs someone's cargo lifted or face messed up. But that't not everything, and even thinking it feels shallow and dishonest.

So naturally he pulls his hand back to himself, crossing his arms tightly and frowning at the machine spitting water now. What is it doing? It has a better handle on the situation than Ned, which is embarrassing.]

I forget— Is this supposed to be your apartment or mine? [don't TOUCH everything...]

[queensberry]

[Jacob doesn't actually expect an answer from Ned in that regard. He doesn't even think he'd have one other than a denial. Care? About Jacob? Laughable.]

I'm testing the waters for you, clearly. [Jacob says offhandedly, more attention on the other machine. This one doesn't spit water, and it's just as baffling.] I'll have a box outside, remember? Guarding your door.

[trainspotter]

[don't u get secret sad on him u fuck]

Don't crowd me, Frye. [This he says as he once again shuffles along at a safe-but-still-close distance to watch Jacob playing with all these mystery machines. If he blows something up or figures out what these things are, Ned wants to know... that's all.] The neighbors'll talk if you're skulking in the entryway all the time.

[There is another apartment... right next to this one. Come on, big guy, get the hint.]

[queensberry]

Well, I suppose I could move my box. [Give him a minute. Jacob's so busy trying to figure out why this thing has stopped filling with water. It's... spinning? This is too modern for him to understand.]

...Put it in a place next door. [He's got it, he's smiling, shut up.] Neighbors can't complain if I am one.

[trainspotter]

[Holy shit, what is it doing?? Ned's distracted by this new development, but not too much to chuckle and relax his posture a little bit. He's not touching any more arms today, but he looks a little less like he's waiting for someone to pop out around a corner and shoot him. All while he smiles at a mystery machine, don't speak.]

That'll work. Just make sure you, uh— [no, fuck this sassy comment, he has to know,] Alright, what the hell is this thing doing?

[queensberry]

I haven't the slightest idea. [Jacob looks away the machine in a search of some sort of explanation, reaching out for a bottle of detergent. He doesn't hesitate to open the thing, thankfully deciding he best not try to drink it.] This is awful.

[Let's open the washer and pour it in, shall they? Of course he doesn't know what it is, it's soap.] Oooh, bubbles.

[trainspotter]

[Ned watches this all, incredulous, like he can't fathom there is really a person in the world whose first response to something big, metal, and spinning is to dump more weird shit in it. He should have known better. Jacob isn't climbing in, though, so he just stands there and witnesses this. Wow.......]

A bubble machine? [no words have ever been spoken more flatly than this,] Well, there's no point in wondering what these things are worth if you're going to break them.

[Ned, don't sell the appliances... He's not interested in watching the bubbles, so he's off to look at the bathroom or something. A full bath with a shower is fancier than cramped, shitty Victorian bathrooms, so it's impressive... it's so elegant??] Come look at this.

[queensberry]

I'm not breaking anything! [He says with such offense, but he isn't entirely sure he isn't. He sets the detergent down and his coat over the side of the machine, following after Ned and leaning in the doorframe.]

It's... dare I say it, better than the train.

[trainspotter]

[Yep, that washing machine full of soap is going to be a great idea in five minutes. Too bad they're both too ye olde to realize it now. Meanwhile in the surprisingly nice bathroom, Ned laughs, waving a hand dismissively at the very hint that this round apartment is nicer than that train.]

I'll give you "more spacious," but it's all about how you use it. [He will fight for the train's reputation!!] Look at this, though—a bath big enough to lie down in, and they're just giving them away for free? That make sense to you? I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

[But he will go and admire the bathtub and fiddle with it in the meantime.]

[queensberry]

It might be compensation for, I don't know, waking up in an abandoned cave city with no foreseeable way out? Just a thought. [Jacob laughs, but it's short-lived. Jacob knows there's suspicion was reasonable. He just didn't want the conversation to slip into discomfort.

How to remedy that? Poke fun at Ned's height, obviously.] It's big enough for one of us to lie down in, Neddy. Some of us aren't tiny. I do like these, though...

[Thankfully Jacob's incapable of turning the showerhead on just by touching it.] Next they'll tell us we have warm water without boiling it. Think of it! A hot bath with little effort. I just might bathe.

[trainspotter]

[Ned throws Jacob a look over his shoulder, clearly meant to convey that there is nothing that can compensate for taking him—taking both of them out of London. Their glorious goddamn city needs both of them, for more than a handful of reasons, and Ned isn't that forgiving of the mysterious powers-that-be here.

Thankfully, Jacob says something dumb next. Less thankfully, it's about how short he is...] Ha ha. He's a comedian.

[He rolls his eyes and goes back to poking around the bathroom. At least they know what this room is. He thinks for a moment, then,] Didn't you burn your hand in the sink?

[Holy shit, was the water hot the whole time?? Ned was too busy worrying...]

[queensberry]

[Jacob freezes, slowly turning to look at Ned as it dawns on him. Only Jacob could exclaim his idiocy in excitement.] I burnt my hand... I burnt my hand!

[And only Jacob would rush to the sink to do it again. Thankfully, he catches himself, turning the hot water knob down once he realized it'd burn the rest of his fingers.] Aha!