dankmemes | TEST DRIVE MEME #4

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.

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: A FACE FIT FOR A MEME
[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 trolls, from the Dungeons and Dragons tabletop roleplay series for you meet.

These trolls have a height of nine feet and weigh up to five hundred pounds. They may be slower and less intelligent than you, but their regenerative abilities make them difficult to kill. Trolls are capable of healing nonfatal damage dealt to them and can use simple tools, like swords and knives- all the better to incapacitate you so they can roast you alive!]

SCENARIO TWO: RED SNOW
[It's cold. A layer of snow envelops the city, turning the caves into a winter wonderland. Feel free to have snowball fights, scrounge for blankets and coats (there's never enough to go around), and make snow angels! It's just like back home during the holidays, isn't it?

That is, if your home had yeti and white walkers roaming around trying to kill you. Be careful when wandering out and about, because they seem to blend in with the snow, and they definitely want a snack.

Or, uh, to raise you from the dead to murder your friends at their behest. Either way, you're dead.

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

H O P E

SCENARIO THREE: HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS
[You're sitting on a couch in a living room. All around you are hints of magic- the mirrors seem to flicker with moving objects and people, the fireplace crackles with light, but no heat. There's a Christmas tree in the corner with soft, glowing lights that are unattached to any sort of wires.

Underneath the tree are four presents- two of them clearly marked for you, two of them clearly marked for the other person in the room with you. Inside one of these gifts is something you badly want- a stack of cash, a magical bow, an out-of-print book- but inside the other is something a little less pleasant. There may be spiders or snakes, or the box may be empty but coated in acid. It could be a wolf in sheep's clothing- wonderful-looking fruits, rotted on the inside- or it could just be a particularly nasty smell.

You can only open one, and there's no way to know which is which. Which gift will you choose?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

one | who is that meme i see, staring straight back at me?

[ he doesn't like it here. the buildings are taller, straighter than he's used to; shadows darker, longer, meaner, an impressive feat when compared to the Spire. he's been searching for a sky, for the sun, for hours now, and found no sign of it, and yet the clouds, the air itself... it doesn't make sense here, and he doesn't like it at all.

at least he has his daggers, Cole thinks, and almost on impulse, he slides one into his palm as he continues down the street. it's a good impulse, he finds, when a roar off to his right shakes the air, and Cole freezes, jumps away when a huge figure comes barreling toward him. it's easy to fall back on instinct: vanish from view, jump on the ogre's back, dig his daggers in deep and rip. the ogre falls, as he expects it to, and there's a moment of confusion when he realizes that it doesn't look like the ogres he's fought before. if not one of those, then what is it?

what he doesn't expect is for it to get back up, nor for a nearby door to open. Cole runs over to stop them, and maybe he forgets that he's got bloody daggers in his hands. ]

No! Get back inside, it isn't safe!

three | knew a spirit of hope once. he was a dick.

[ the mirrors don't bother him, not after seeing what Morrigan had stashed away in Skyhold. the fires surprise him, however; they're different from Vivienne's, and Cole spends a good minute or two sitting in front of them and skimming his fingers through the flames. ]

Strange. It flickers and dances, but it isn't real. How does it work?

[ the boxes are completely forgotten. they don't hold any special interest to him; Cole never celebrated Satinalia when he was alive, and holidays at the Spire were never so cheerful. he's already studied the tree, wondered if the lights were borrowed from the Fade, but it's unclear. they don't feel like ghostlights, but it could be possible.

he's reminded of Skyhold, somewhat: cheery and welcoming, but with a quieter, somewhat uncomfortable note beneath it. it sets him on edge, just a little bit, though he doesn't bother turning to address whoever else might be in the room. ]

They're not mine. [ he's too busy studying the way the cold flames part around his fingers to care about pointing to the gifts, and can't read the labels to know two of them are for him. ] Did somebody leave them for you?

[Rainier has to resist the urge to physically pull Cole back from the fire - the flames aren't damaging, but there's still the desire to keep him from it since he clearly doesn't understand do not stick your hand in potentially harmful things. The kid is going to make him go gray.

Rainier looks down at the boxes and away from Cole when he mentions them. There are two with his name on it, 'T. Rainier' in neatly printed handwriting. However, while he's looking, he notices what his illiterate friend misses.]

Two of them have your name on it, here - [He takes one of them, holding the tag out to show Cole.] C, O, L, E, that spells 'Cole'.

[ he only idly pays attention when Rainier points out the letters, still more interested in the false fire; still, it might be a good idea to recognize his name, at least. he's never bothered before, but then again he's never exactly received a gift like this. Cole eyes the letters for a moment, before frowning. ]

Rounded and curving, before edges and angles. Sharp, at the corners. It suits me. [ finally, he pulls his hand away from the fire, to take the tag and study it more closely. ] How do you know it's spelled properly?

[Kid, do not make him come over there. What if the fire was actually the kind that burned, would you just go stick your hand in it? Probably, he thinks with exasperation. Running herd on Cole is an impossible task on good days. At least his heart is in the right place and things usually turn out okay.]

Because the rock is spelled differently. C-O-A-L is the stone, C-O-L-E is the name.

[In spite of his frustration with the fire related antics, he is patient as he explains the differences in spelling.]

Not if it hurt. This one doesn't hurt.

[ his voice is quiet as he says it, almost defensive. almost...petulant, even, but he won't acknowledge it. he'd think that Rainier was Dad-ing him, if he knew what that was like. instead, Cole sits back on his heels, and finally pulls his hand away from the fire. he'll just have to experiment with it more later. ]

Cole. Coal. They sound the same. It shouldn't matter how they're spelled. It doesn't matter to me.

[ still, though, two of the gifts have the letters identified as his on them — that must mean the others are Rainier's. right? Cole looks over at the tags, takes one of the ones that aren't his. ]

This is your name, then? [ he nods appraisingly as he looks over the letters. ] It's complicated. Yours suits you, too. Who are they from?

[Rainier nods, gesturing to the tags.] T - for Thom, then Rainier. R-A-I-N-I-E-R.

[because this is totally the best time for an impromptu spelling lesson. He looks at the gifts, all missing 'from' tags even if they have 'to' tags.]

Could be from the one that calls himself 'Hope', he left us books at one point.

Of course it isn't- Cole?

[ The Inquisitor does a little double-take, bouncing immediately from mild exasperation to stark surprise. Her gaze flickers past him to the troll that's risen a short distance away. It's not a monster she's seen before, but the trend of unknown beasts isn't unfamiliar, considering the months she's now been in Hadriel. ]

It's all right, he isn't anything to worry about. [ Cecily says in a low voice, encouragingly, but her eyes are on the troll. It's a good thing she doesn't go anywhere in their temporary city-home without the weapon strapped to her back, and before long she removes the bow and holds it ready, staring intently at their ugly foe with scrutiny. ]

Are you hurt? [ She asks, glancing sideways at the boy, wondering distantly if he'd arrived alone, what he may or may not remember. ] Can you fight?

[ Naturally, what she means is 'can you fight now;' Cecily is well aware of the rogue's abilities, how he's kept them from the fire in more than one case. ]

Inquisitor?

[ Cole's eyes go wide at seeing her, reeling back just a little. of all the faces he'd hope to stumble upon, hers would be at the top of the list. a quiet fear at the back of his mind wonders if this is the Fade again, if she isn't actually here, but that can't distract him now. even if this isn't real, it still hurts to get hit in the Fade, so the not-ogre has to come first. he nods at her questions, stepping back and out of her way as she draws a bow. ]

I'm fine. He attacked me. [ and then he adds, confused: ] They're not supposed to get back up. Why did it get back up?

[ Cole freezes when it roars again, turning to find that the not-ogre is — healed? ] How is it doing that?

Some of them can regain their strength. [ "I think." Because this one is new and not quite as nasty as some of the others, but no less dangerous. With a curt nod, she releases the string and an arrow snaps through the arrow, burying itself into the troll's thick throat. It roars, garbled and unhappy, but doesn't falter much at all. ]

Ah. Well... we may need to run. [ Wouldn't be the first time. She hates these instances and it shows in the way her nose flares and she mutters: ] Too many blighted things here we can't stop.

[ Like the so-called gods, for example, and most of Fear's monster lackeys. ]

We have a safe house; I'll explain on the way.

Magic, I assume.

[And Dorian kneels down next to Cole and sticks his hand right in the flames, too. How are you supposed to figure things out if you aren't willing to take a few risks? Besides, it clearly wasn't hurting Cole. He retrieves his hand once he's properly satisfied that it isn't actual fire.]

But not any that I recognize. Odd.

[His attention turns to the brightly-wrapped packages, and he picks one up, reading the names on the labels.]

Two of them are for me, and two are for you. A secret admirer, perhaps?

TEST DRIVE MEME #4

cole | dragon age: inquisition

Three

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

one

no subject

no subject

three