test drive meme #20

[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 May 25th, and apps are open June 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: BURN BABY BURN
[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.

Or that... bonfire behind you? That's sure what it looks like, but if you get a little closer - which you probably shouldn't - you'll see a face in those flames This time, the Door has brought in some Doomers, from the Baten Kaitos video game.

Doomers are creatures made of flame that sure would like it if you were on fire too. It works for them, right? What do you mean you don't want to be engulfed in flames? These Doomers will send clouds of sparks in the direction of anyone that might be a threat (or anyone they don't like), searing them with the heat and trying to catch them on fire. Hot damn!]

SCENARIO TWO: IT'S JUST A CAT
[Why does it always have to be like this? There you were, going about your day, when you turned a corner and something jumped out at you. Maybe a monster with sharp teeth and claws, maybe a snake striking at your feet, maybe just a terrifying dark shape - whatever it was, it scared the shit out of you.

And then it disappeared in a puff of brightly-colored smoke and glitter, because that's just how Hadriel rolls. Awesome. And maybe if it just happened once it would be a big deal, but it's happening all the time. Practically every other corner you turn, half the doors you open, even just when you look over your shoulder. Careful about getting too jumpy, though - what are you gonna do if your friend taps you on the shoulder and you freak out? How embarrassing.

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

H O P E

SCENARIO THREE: I LIKE YOUR HAIR
[Everything seems normal today. No monsters, no weird shapes jumping out at you. Maybe it'll just be a normal day. Maybe it'll even be nice. No - it'll definitely be nice.

How can we be sure of that? Easy! Every time you touch someone today - whether it's an accidental bump or an intentional touch - you'll blurt out a genuine compliment. If you don't know them well, it could be something as simple as saying they look nice today, or that their eyes are a lovely shade of green. If you do know them, it'll be more specific. Maybe you're impressed by their work ethic, or you love the sound of their singing voice. Maybe you actually hate them but you really appreciate the way they always remember to put the toilet seat down (because that's the only good thing about them).

Whatever it is, you'll find yourself saying it out loud. Don't worry - nothing too personal will be blurted out, and you can stop yourself if you really want to. But isn't it great to be nice to people for once?]

Comments

Reno | Final FVII | Will match format

[batonrouge]

[O N E]

Waking up in the dirt is new. Not absurd, but new. Reno grunts as he pushes himself off the floor. He rubs his face and notices his baton nearby, which he reaches out and grabs. He examines his surroundings, brow furrowed in confusion. Just where did he end up?

Unfortunately, he doesn't get to wonder that for very long, as a spark flies past him, and he instinctively jumps to the side as he looks up to find the source. To his surprise, it seems to be a bonfire.

"...With a face?" Definitely weird, but a cocky smirk crosses Reno's lips. Monsters and self-defense mean a fight. "Alright, yo, I'm game!"

Reno will do alot, and playing with fire, literally, is one of them. In fact, he looks pretty pleased with himself as he charges at this bonfire-beast with a yell. However, when one of those sparks land on his coat and it starts to catch fire, he gives a very different yell, and quickly starts to pat the flame out.

"Oh, that's it!"

With a glare, he frustratedly charges at the monster with his baton, swinging through the flames. The only effect this seems to have, is to overheat the baton in his hand.

"HothotHOT! FUCK!" He drops his baton and quickly grips his hand. The glare on his face doesn't fade as he glares back that the fire-beast. However, he seems to have succeeded at pissing it off and it's advancing on him. And that's when Reno's expression changes to one of surprise and alarm.

"Oh, shit."

Quickly, he turns and runs, leaving his baton behind. He'll just have to come back for it later. Right, now, he's trying to escape the monster. If anyone could put that out, he'd greatly appreciat it.

[T W O]

Reno isn't terrified by alot. Really. Startled, infuriated, and intimidated, maybe. But to be genuinely scared, that takes alot. But that doesn't stop him from being caught completely off guard while he's napping on a bench, minding his own business. Hearing an earth-shaking roar and opening his eyes to see some nightmarish, large-fanged beast just inches away from his face definitely warrants a rather terrified surprised yell as he throws himself off the bench. And before he can hit the ground. the beast poofs into a glittery confetti and covers itself all over Reno.

"What the Hell?!?" He's not sure if he's more confused or angry, but he's definitely trying to ignore the way his heart felt like it jumped into his throat and is still pounding a mile a minute there. He tries to dust the confetti off of himself while still flat on his behind on the ground.

"Well, I'm definitely awake, now!" he says in a rather annoyed huff. No going back to sleep after something like that. He glances over at you as you pass by. "Hey, what's a guy gotta do to get a stiff drink around here, yo?"

He's definitely talking to you, make no mistake about that.



[T H R E E]

Alright, after that amount of Chaos, Reno's ready for some R&R. He's determined to do so today. He's avoiding monsters like Hell and you can't make him fight. Good luck bothering this guy if you have any problems at all. Last he checked, he just doesn't care.

He's wandering around the shops, checking out the wares. Seeing if there's anything particularly enjoyable. He picks up a couple of drinks off the shelf that look particularly interesting. And as he's looking around for a way to pay, he might not have noticed you right there as he bumps into your shoulder. Whoops.

As he turns to shoot a brief apology at you, something else comes out instead.

"Wow, man, you're really cool, yo!"

He blinks in surprise. Just where did that come from. Oh, well. It's mostly harmless. Right?

two

[blessedmaiden]

She had her fair share of jumpscares for the day... and just decided to keep wandering around the city allowing Fear to scare her with his cheap jokes if that's what's really needed to keep everyone alive. That being said Rydia is... no longer that jumpy, she expects horrible things to appear midair when the turns corner or monsters appear from the shadows so it's losing effect. It was good as long as it lasted, mh?

"Oh well... mh?" She turns, raising her eyebrow and almost waiting for the stranger to turn in Leviathan only knows what before reaizing she's just in front of another person "There's a bar, actually... someone said they have liquors and wine but I don't honestly know where that is." Guess who doesn't drink at all.

One!

[sister_bubbles]

As it happened, Eleanor was watching the whole thread of events unravel. She was mildly concerned for the red head at first, then simply amused at his stupidity. Then again, he seemed to display more intelligence than your average splicer, so perhaps he really was in trouble? Not that she cared at all.

It was pure curiosity and intrigue that had Eleanor spurring into action. First thing was first, the flustered chap seemed to have dropped his weapon. It was hardly a fair fight if he was unarmed now, was it? And she'd rather enjoyed his useless flailing and catching on fire. So, with the ADAM coursing through her veins and the genes altering plasmid in her DNA, Eleanor used a telekinetic blast, sending the red heads baton right at him. A clean shot, right at the back of the head! Oopsie~?

"Oi! You might want to stay down if you know what's good for you!"

Her voice, although slightly muffled from the diving suit helmet she wore as part of her Big Sister armor, was very well spoken and with a distinctive English accent. She charged towards the red head, the ball of fire charging towards her from the other direction and Reno was stuck right in the middle. She might have looked just like another monster as it was. What with that huge, vulgar needle attached to the arm of her suit and the cage like canister on her back. But for the time being, Eleanor was neutral towards Reno. If he was to get harmed, well... That was his won dumb luck, wasn't it?

Extending her arm, the palm of her hand began to glow a burning hot red. Time to fight fire with fire it seemed!

dos.

[fulminatory]

Jason is similarly hard to startle - he's seen too much in his (admittedly short) life, even came back from the other side of death, and that definitely takes the edge off the sorts of things most people find frightening. He wouldn't call himself unshakable, necessarily, but he does a good job of keeping his cool in tense situations.

This place, though ... it's testing his patience. If there were actual threats, something solid he could pummel with his fists or stab or shoot, that would be a different story. But as the lingering traces of glitter on what's left of his Red Hood uniform can attest, he has had quite a few encounters already with things going poof before he could achieve any kind of resolution.

"Wish I knew, dude," is his passing answer to Reno's query. A good stiff drink would be excellent right about now, in fact.

merle highchurch | the adventure zone

[weedbgon]

[ 001. So the Sacred Flame caster becomes the on fire??? Merle doesn't know what the hell is going on or what the hell that thing even is, even after a half-decent arcana check. Not that there's much he can do about it anyway, magically speaking, and it dawns on him that his right arm is just a wooden prosthetic from the elbow down. Just because it moves like a real arm, it doesn't make it very handy in a situation like this one.

This mostly occurs to him because he makes a bad dodge and has to quickly pat his own fingertips out.

Things aren't going great, all in all. He was in the middle of something. They were down a mannequin and a deity already and now he's down a wizard to boot, with an extra side of "this is not even at all the same building". He has an axe he stole from a dead guy a million episodes ago, which he promptly throws into a fire and loses, a warhammer he hasn't used in a dog's age that he just sorta whiffed with, and a lot of items that aren't viable for anything whatsoever. ]

Since when does killing a regular monster have to be this hard? [ Roll 2 reason with the fire spark monster thing. But just completely crit miss that deal, really just absolutely fail in every capacity to summon charisma. ] Listen, I've already got a lot on my plate right now, so if you could just go ahead and turn to dust--

[ His soul wood arm catches a teeny bit of fire again. Save This Dwarf. Or alternatively, catch him after things settle down. Merle definitely has a lot of questions in mind, and with no idea who exactly he's supposed to ask, he'll be making a few rounds to ask them of anybody who looks like they possibly might have an answer. ]


[ 002. Introductions and settling in aside, this place is the worst still, and that takes some doing to get Merle to decide, because he already did a few rounds in The Game Show Pan Forgot before he ever arrived here.

Suffice it to say, Merle's spooked as all hell, my dudes. There are some things that don't totally get the impact they're looking for, just by process of "seen a lot of shit" elimination, but having stuff pop out to scare you with no warning while you're going about your daily business wears a man down.

It feels like he's done this a million times. Still scary. So what Merle does is get proactive! Who can get scared turning a corner when they're busy jumping out and yelling instead of waiting for some spectral horse crap to do it to them? Nobody, that's who. It's the best idea he's ever had, absolutely. No regrets. No sir.

He hasn't really considered that other people are eventually going to be on the same corners or passing by the same alleyways. Even after that's come to his attention, he'd rather go out and seek than wait and accidentally warhammer something.

That said, he's got a lot of moments where his guard is down or he sort of loses the thread of what he's trying to accomplish. Walker beware, you're... probably gonna kind of scare your friendly neighborhood cleric or something. On the bright side, he'll probably be super chill about it afterwards. ]


[ wildcard. i mean if there's anything else you'd rather get up to shenaniganly-speaking, we can make it happen. all is possible in this wacky world. ]

1!!!!!!!

[armcollector]

[Magnus knew checking on the Colosseum in time for the new arrivals would pay off. Call him an optimist, but you cannot keep the Tres Horny Boys apart for long. It's just not right.

Except if he doesn't spring into action now, his dwarf is gonna end up served to him extra crispy. Not that he has to stop and think at all before he comes barrelling in, tackling the floating fireball shieldfirst, trying first and foremost to get it away from Merle so it doesn't light up his whole wood arm.]

Just cast something, Merle! Did you forget how to do magic!?

[Guess who isn't up to speed on missing deities? It's this big guy trying not to get his shoulder singed right here. Magnus is just assuming his general clerical shortcomings have come to a head right when Merle's about to get set on fire. Good thing Magnus has been replacing his arms collection with decidedly less-magic replacements.

'Cause yeah, that sure isn't Railsplitter Magnus is swinging, shield up. Thankfully he's rolling well enough not to get burnt in the process.

kicks the FUCKING DOOR IN, 2

[pocketspa]

[Taako is not the kind of dude who gets wrecked by jumpscares. He is good enough with reflex and magic to not get freaked out, obviously.

This is logically why, when Merle jumps around a corner and screams, he gets a face-full of umbrella and a momentary mouthful of words.]

What the fuck was that, this is already ridiculous, did you have to--

[... Wait. Small. Wood arm.

Holy shit.]

Wait, Merle? Holy shit. When did you get here?

Legolas Thranduilion | Lord of the Rings (bookverse)

[verdantprince]

[one]

Legolas was not used to finding himself anywhere not Middle Earth. And most especially unprepared, as he pulled himself to his feet and looked around, eyes drawn to the fire of the creatures brought with him.

He started to reach for his bow only to stop just as quickly. Arrows wouldn't do anything to a creature based in fire, they'd been useless against the Balrog- these were no Balrog's though. And yet he didn't want to risk his supply of arrows or his bow. And with his sword, it could grow too hot depending on how much heat they put out.

It's a risk he had to take though. At least until he could find a source of water. If nothing else, it would keep any burns he suffered to a minimum. So he drew it and gave it a few swings before also pulling his white knife out.

[two]

His first instinct when something leapt out at him in unfamiliar territory is to immediately draw his knife. It was less fear that drew him to act so much as having been startled. Especially after spending a year on a mission to save his world and fighting off Sauron's army as they went.

And when it disappeared? There was a few choice Sindarin swears spewed from the princelings lips. It kept happening though and while that should be enough to eventually train him not to draw his weapon, it actually wasn't. He grew up in Mirkwood and frights like this were always actually dangerous.

He at least had the reflexes to stop short if it's someone approaching him rather than some strange beast.

[three]

He wasn't truly familiar with many people yet but he was friendly, he always had been, so he didn't go out of his way to avoid anyone when he finally realized what was going on. In fact, he might actually have started bumping into people purposefully, just lightly enough to cause the impulse and brighten up someones day.

He could just compliment anyone he met but that might run the risk of him missing someone. And Legolas didn't want that.

Oops, maybe he bumped your shoulder just then-

"You look wonderful today."

Two!

[batonrouge]

Reno had been wandering around himself after his first handful of jumpscares, determined to get one of the nightmarish terrors before it managed to poof into something ridiculously harmless. Seriously, this has to stop. He's not fond of this annoying game, not that it's succeeding at scaring him at this point. When he sees some movement of a shadow up ahead, Reno's convinced he's got one this time as he charges at Legolas with a yell.

Although, when he sees that knife, he catches himself and staggers back, looking the Elf over and furthering his realisation that Legolas, indeed, isn't a monster, much less not having poofed into a pile of pink clouds and confetti. The look of surprise on his face ebbs to casual cockiness.

"You, too, huh?"

He rests his baton on his shoulder, tapping it idly. He really doesn't look amused.

"Have you been able to get one? Before it disappears?"

Leslie Knope | Parks and Recreation

[knope2012]

[ two ]

"Aaah!"

Leslie Knope wouldn't describe herself as "easily startled." But then, she wouldn't necessarily not describe herself that way, either. Especially today. Today breakfast had been waffles with extra-extra whipped cream from JJ's, followed by a coffee that had approximately twenty parts cream and sugar to one part coffee. And then a Nutriyums bar from Sweetums, as a mid-morning snack. Which, as Ann loves to remind her, are made entirely out of corn syrup. But they taste so good!

The point is, she's a little on edge.

She jumps when the...whatever it was appears, and then frowns, peering suspiciously at the cloud of bright blue smoke left behind. Stepping closer, Leslie looks down to see the floor dusted with glitter as the smoke dissipates.

"Okay, Tom, I know this is you." Squaring her shoulders and doing her best to dismiss the memory of the dark, ominous shape that had disappeared around the corner, she marches forward to investigate. "And this is not the time or place to test your new business idea! We have a campaign to run!"

[ three ]

It's a perfectly normal day. No monsters, no weird shapes. It's definitely going to be a great day.

And Leslie feels great. Every time she meets someone, she smiles and compliments them. Even if she's never met them before! Especially if she's never met them before. After all, most of these people had never had the pleasure of receiving a genuine Leslie Knope compliment before. There's no time like the present to make up for lost time!

And if she ends up complimenting a complete stranger's body in a slightly inappropriate way, or making wild speculations on what other wonderful qualities they might possess based on zero empirical evidence, well...there's actually nothing strange or unusual about that at all, really. This is Leslie. It's kind of what she does.

three

[wendigoner]

Hannah may get an average to above-average number of compliments in her life, but they're always surprising, somehow. Such is the life of someone with self-esteem as low as hers. Today, though, she finds herself giving compliments, compelled by a sort of chipper, bubbly feeling that is entirely foreign and almost definitely the influence of one of the gods. Delight, maybe?

Does it matter?

"Um - " She begins, stopping a stranger on the street, still hesitating with a shy pause in spite of her confidence in the next thing she says: "I... love your hair. I just had to tell you. I've always wanted to be blonde..."

And this woman has such a cute haircut, too! Hannah sighs wistfully, admiring it openly.

"I'm sorry if that's weird," she adds quickly, snapping out of it and laughing lightly, almost nervously.

Goro Akechi | Persona 5

[maeiga]

[one]

[When attacked by what appears to be a head engulfed in flames, there isn't really a lot of time to stand around trying to decide what to do. Luckily, Akechi isn't a stranger to having to think on his feet.

So, the facts: some kind of fire monster is attacking him. He does not seem to have any weapons, or in fact anything at all on his person. He doesn't know where he is, except that there seems to be a stone roof overhead. Since he doesn't know where he is, he doesn't know where safety might be. Therefore neither fighting or running is a great option, but standing around and letting himself get lit on fire is also, frankly, a terrible one.

In a split-second decision, Akechi chooses to run. He doesn't at all know where he's going, though, and dashing through unfamiliar streets is overall not the best plan. He's rather frustrated, really, but still manages to appear mostly calm as he swings around a corner and skids to a stop in front of someone.

Out of breath and a touch alarmed, he glances behind him quickly before speaking.]

Do you have a weapon? Or perhaps a bucket of water?

[three]

[Akechi still has little-to-no idea of where he is. It's not a Palace - or maybe it is? At this point, anything is possible. The best thing to do - the most obvious solution - is to find someone who does and wring every bit of information out of them as he can.

Politely, of course.

Then hopefully he can find out how to get back, since he really doesn't think there's much here for him except, apparently, flaming monsters. And those are not particularly appealing. So he reaches out to tap someone's arm and get their attention, preparing a friendly Excuse me, where are we?

Instead, what comes out is:]

Excuse me. I just wanted to say you have very lovely eyes.

[Well, that's weird. But not untrue, so he may as well roll with it.]

[batonrouge]

[Reno was mostly minding his own business, trying to find a bar or a way out. He probably really needs to get back to ShinRa, too. Though, if Rude and Tseng are there to protect the President, there's hardly anything to worry about. It's the principle of the thing.

He pull out the phone he found on him when he got here and tries calling them for what he assumes to be the millionth time that day. When the phone produces no results he moves to tuck it back in his pocket when his arm is tapped and turns to face Akechi. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't.... this; a compliment. His eyebrow cocks into an amused sort of confusion. Okay, what's with the flattery?]

Yea? I guess you're not bad-looking yourself. But if that's your idea of a pickup line, I've heard way better, yo.

jack "ryan" wynand | bioshock | cw body horror

[wynand]

fire at your fingertips!

[From one small, dark, cramped space to another. From the crimson-tinted, rocky walls of Hephaestus, full of the oil slick scent of gasoline and rusting metal, to someplace not nearly as hot. Not to start with.

Not up until something behind him flares to life with a burst of orange and red. Jack staggers back with a muted cry, his left arm igniting in a ripple of shifting heat waves. Scrambling, fumbling, to rearrange the plasmids at his disposal to something that will affect the creature appropriately. The creature, the thing that can't possibly be a splicer, because it's not saying a word, far from the loud, angry buzz of a splicer's rambling, vocalized mania.

It hisses a fountain of golden sparks in his direction instead, and Jack dives to one side, clumsily, before straightening out of his roll to swing something upward from the heavy pack strapped to his back. Something glinting and metallic, matte black, belching a hot spray of bullets with the sting of cordite and the tin-rattle of spent shell casings.

The machine gun may seem old and out of date, something cobbled together with a drum magazine, battered and renovated and put together with mismatched pieces, but nonetheless perfectly adequate at fending away what appears to be a sentient orb of very angry fire.]

did that statue just move...?

The hours spent combing the sea-floor city of Rapture have refined Jack's senses to a razored point - peculiar, as he would think he should have been, by all counts, long dead before he reached Hephaestus. Yet he adapted to the situation sprawled awkwardly before him remarkably well, just as he adapts to this one now. Even if the crumbling of something overhead, the chittering laugh of a splicer, occasionally prompts a halt, a pause, a tensing of his shoulders.

When something shifts just beyond his periphery, Jack spins around silently, opening the palm of one hand. He's not going to be taken off guard, not again. And hence, there's an almighty hum, and out from the honeycombed sores pocking his forearm like great, ugly sores, springs -

Bees.

Dozens and dozens of bees.

Hope you're not allergic.

2

[flyfisher]

No, Myia is not allergic to bees. You mostly see that in mammals, and she's very proudly chitinous, and the hair on her body is certainly not fur, thank you very much. But she's also never seen a bee as small as all that, so when a ton of them just start flying at her face, she shrieks and starts trying to punch them out of the air. She actually manages to strike a couple, somehow, but she mostly just keeps flailing and eventually curls into a ball on the ground, wailing.

"They're so small! So small! So small!" she whines to herself. "Why? Whyyyyy?"

There are definitely tears pouring down her face by now, so, congrats, you made an insect girl cry, Jack.

myia | original character | ota

[flyfisher]

i. MOTH TO A FLAME

[God! God!!! Myia had just gotten settled, really settled, things were going good for once in her life -- sure, Emet was weirdly quiet around her lately, and they never really recovered from their fight in the woods -- but, look. She's got a new wardrobe, new haircut, and a new lease on life.

And how is she supposed to strut her stuff in Maahi if she's all the way underground surrounded by!? Flame guys!!?

Myia isn't sure whether to brandish her fishing pole, which managed to make its way here along with her, or her actual dagger at it. But the pole has the advantage of distance to it, so she tries to wave away at the fireball-with-a-face with the end of it, wailing.]

Go! Away! You! Weird! Thing!!! I do not want to talk with you! You are too ugly! Ugly!

[It, being made of fire, and annoyed with getting a fishing rod all up in its business, just spits a spark out at her and she yelps, jumping back and actually getting a lot of air thanks to her wings. They don't seem to keep her airborne for long, though, and she drops to the floor hard on her butt.]

Yeep!

ii. SCARED OF HER OWN SHADOW

[Myia is jumpy at the best of times. So right now? Her little heart is beating faster than it may ever have before. She's shaking, curled in on herself, gripping her golden dagger in its sheath, compound eyes darting left and right.

She keeps getting snuck up on, tricked, bamboozled, what have you, and she's tired of it! The next flash of movement she sees, she pulls her knife on it with a shriek, determined to face her fears head on finally.

Only she is now slashing her knife at a person, not a thing. Whoops?]

iii. NICE SHOELACES

[Myia is not that used to looking on the bright side of things. Generally, whenever she starts to feel at ease, that just makes her all the more paranoid that something awful is going to happen. To her specifically.

So she's alternating between rare moments of peacefulness and being completely on edge as she walks the streets. But she just wants to stock up on some food for now, it'll only take a second, nothing's gonna happen! She'll have a nice day and get more free food in a way only Hadriel could ever provide. It's really a nice place, isn't it? No killing for food, no Harvesters, no nasty plants, no bear traps...

Well, usually no bear traps. She spares a glance at the ground to make sure she doesn't see any.

Okay, yeah, see? We're fine. She sighs and pats her dagger strapped to her shorts reassuringly. Won't need you today, li'l one. But given that she's staring at the ground for traps now, she's no longer really looking where she's going...]

NICK | L4D2 | OTA

[felons]

TAKE ONE | BURN BABY

[ Nick has seen a lot. It happens when one survives the god damn zombie apocalypse—the kind that takes normal shitheads and turns them into dangerous, screeching, choking vomiting fatasses. He's seen a fucking lot, all right?

Was this floating mass of fire and face another evolution? Another, what had CEDA called them, Special Infected?

He aims his handgun as he shuffles backward towards the exit, firing off a couple of shots to keep it back. It retaliates with a spit of fire that lands against the arm of his (once upon a time several thousand dollar perfectly white) suit. It catches fire and he yells a fuck. ]

Could this get any fucking shittier? [ He screams as she slams his palm against the small fire. Fuck. With the fire out, he quickly empties the rest of his pistol into the fireface's fireface. It hovers and then falls. Nick spits onto the ground, breatheless and pissed. ]

Where are the fucking fire extinguishers when we need them, right? [ Also, where the hell is his squad? He can't see Ellis or Rochelle or Coach. Shit. ]

Lancer | Fate/Stay Night

[fminusminusluck]

[ I. Burning Down The House]
[ For someone like Lancer, his death in the fifth holy grail war left a bad taste in his mouth. Lacking any wish of his own, he instead fought over the desire granting artifact simply to engage in an honorable battle to the death. However he found himself tethered to a treacherous priest who enjoyed the suffering of others, and the machinations of his master denied him the chance to fight for glory. Ultimately he found himself bleeding out in a store room of a mansion in some foreign country far away from his homeland, betrayed by the same master who fought for. Still her harbored no regrets in his heart. He fought to the best of his abilities and did everything that he could, and for that he felt no shame.

But when he finds himself waking up in a strange colosseum surrounded by dozens of flaming aberrations, Lancer can't help but smile. He no longer felt the magical ties of Kirei binding him, and he was free to do as he pleased.

While others cried and fled for their lives, the azure clad warrior steps forward fearlessly. After so long, he's itching for a good fight. As several of the monsters beset him, they lash out with sparks and flames that roar towards him. He effortlessly twirls his massive red spear with both hands, dissipating their offence before lashing out with his own. His speed borders on the impossible, that lance appearing as nothing more than a blur as it pierces the sides of one Doomer that crumbles into ashes. ]

Don't tell me this is the best that these things can offer. I was hoping for a real challenge!


[ II. Spooky Scary Skeletons]
[ To say that Lancer is annoyed with current affairs is an understatement. It feels as if every time he turns around the corner there's yet another specter or monster jumping out him, and before he can react said creature vanishes in a puff of smoke. He's overstimulated, and his nerves feel raw. Like a cornered dog, his fight or flight response keeps triggering, and for him the only reaction is fight. Constantly finding the fright out of reach is infuriating, and he's snappish.

So when he rounds another corner or enters into a room and finds someone already there, he gives a sigh and crosses his arm over his chest.]

You know all the other scares have been much more terrifying. Is this a joke?

[ III. Wildcard ]
[ The catch all generic create your own prompt. I'm open to pretty much anything so have at it, or if you would like to plot something out via messages I'm game! ]

screams, also 2

[sheathes]

[ She feels Lancer moments before she sees him, that overwhelming prana signature that screams Servant. But it can mean many other things, here, and so when he rounds the corner and simply crosses his arms while he talks — awfully casual, compared to most — she meets him with a raised eyebrow instead of instant suspicion. ]

It is not. And I am no apparition. [ Saber's on edge herself, but hides it well enough; armour in place but without Excalibur. No trace of recognition shows in her eyes as she speaks. ] Nor do I think they would be capable of answering that question.

[ Weewoo it's the fun police. ]

Spyro | Spyro the Dragon

[dragonshores]

[one]
Unlike other new arrivals to this strange and mysterious city, Spyro has the advantage of being small and, by extension, appearing harmless. The same goes for his dragonfly companion, Sparx, who hovers close to the purple dragon. It's best, Sparx believes, to put some distance between himself and the Doomers. As Spyro is already backing away from the bonfire despite going unnoticed by the Doomers, he must believe the same.

However, the pair do not run away. They come to a halt just behind the other arrivals. As the Doomers focus their attention on the others, Spyro and Sparx watch the creatures closely. They follow their movements and observe their strategies, noting their penchant for fire-flinging. Any other dragon would be dismayed. A match between magical creatures with fire-based abilities is not an easy one.

Spyro is no ordinary dragon.

Puffing soot from his nose, Spyro capitalizes on the distraction the other arrivals are providing and circles the group. The distraction gives the dragon the time he needs to dramatically paw at the dirt, flap his wings, and charge straight into the group of Doomers with his strong, sharp horns.

[three/free for all/I'm laughing]
Spyro and Sparx are officially free to roam about the cabin. They scout the pawn shop first, curious and a little suspicious. Because Spyro lacks thumbs and is vertically challenged, it is up to Sparx to open the door. With a little bit of magic inherent in dragonflies from dragon lands, little Sparx pushes the door open and leads the way into the shop.

Once inside, the pair browse the owner's goods in silence. Neither shows an interest in the dishes or the books. They're unnecessary for dragons. The curtains are equally useless. The blanket could be useful, Spyro surmises, unless his "housing" already comes with a blanket. It would be a worthless commodity then, especially when dragons have lived in alpine worlds for hundreds of thousands of years.

Everything inside the store is useless.

As Spyro readies to leave, he hears his glowing companion gasp. Sparx's eyes are glued to a container Spyro hadn't perused. Brow raised, the dragon moves to stand beside his flying friend and peers at the shocking stock. "What is it?"

Sparx buzzes in terror, "Spyro! Those are dragon teeth!"

The dragon freezes on the spot. Of all the terrible things he's witnessed, he never once conceived of a dragon teeth trade. Dragons lose teeth as frequently as fairies lose their tempers, but they have never been traded. Spyro swallows the lump in his throat and turns to flee, only to come face to face with his worst nightmare yet.
Dragon bones. Dragon bones available for trade.

This is a sick and twisted nightmare wasteland of a world, Spyro concludes, and scrambles with Sparx at his heels to escape the pawn shop.

three and also i lov u

[survivorsguilt]

He runs straight into Ellie, who is midway through stepping inside for her usual weekly scavenge. Gotta keep an eye out for anything that might make life here more bearable, or make stabbing things easier.

She lands square on her butt, and the bump of her hand against dragon scales forces a compliment from her lips before she can even comprehend what's happened.

"You've got really cool skin! Scales! Whatever? ...What?"

Help.

Destell | Original Character | OTA

[darkladyknight]

ONE: puttin' out fire with gasoline

Destell doesn't know where she is or what she's doing here, but she does know one thing for sure- the attacking creatures are made of fire, and her shield and armor can withstand flame. She moves to defend the people that seem less prepared for a fight.

A
The doomer is advancing on you fast. It inhales, winding up to spit another cloud of sparks towards you. There is a glint of shining armor and suddenly a woman is in front of you, the embers hitting her shield. She glances over her shoulder. "You alright?"

B
"Oh, piss on the Dead Gods' graves!" The newcomer exclaims (completely unaware of the irony of that statement). She's found herself surrounded by seven of the monsters, a spark having caught in her auburn braid. She pats it out with her shield hand, and another cloud of sparks catch on some exposed leather. She might have bitten off more than she can chew.

TWO: you wouldn't believe what i've been through

Of all the days to get lost in the city, it had to be the day that some unknown horror jumps out at her around every corner. The woman is now thoroughly coated in pink and lime green glitter. She's managed to keep a stern, controlled face, every new scare making her jaw set tighter.

It's a screeching bat that pops into electric blue powder that finally does it, making her let out a sharp yelp. She leans against the alleyway wall, her heartbeat rushing in her ears, and she slowly slides down to a sitting position.

She can just sit here until the event is over, she thinks to herself, drawing her knees in close to her chest and leaning her face into them, trembling slightly.

1A

[armcollector]

Magnus has been better off. He's been fighting for a while now, taken down many of the fire monsters, but it just takes one to catch you while you're hurt and not paying much attention. His beard is singed, he's got some nasty burns on both of his exposed arms that are surely going to scar, a case of his shield not being built to withstand heat, and sure enough, it is now discarded on the ground nearby. When this final Doomer surprises him, he lifts his axe as a makeshift shield, readying himself for the pain sure to immediately follow -- when, sure enough, Magnus' prayers are answered.

Finally. She's arrived. A competent woman willing to save his ass when he inevitably throws himself headlong into danger.

He is so amazed by the turn of events that his mouth is left hanging open for a while, not necessarily in surprise at her arrival -- though it is surprising -- but in awe of just how cool that thing she just did was. A grin stretches wide across his face.

"I've been better, but I've been a lot worse! Remind me to tell you about the time I lost my entire body!" he calls out to her.

Not one to simply allow anyone, even the exact type of person that usually saves his bacon, to take on a fight alone, Magnus moves to flank the Doomer, moving around it while it's distracted by the newcomer and slashes across its side with his axe in two quick strikes. It really doesn't enjoy it.

Abby Fontaine - Original

[37stitches]

Two

[They're not regular cats. But they're alive and purring and that's worth his attention.

Abby is currently knelt down on the ground, humming under his breath and watching a group of demon cats playing. If he holds very still and blinks often, they'll come to him. And while he waits, he weaves a pice of red string between his hands - cat's cradle - a protection spell. It doesn't look like much but you might be able to feel the power drawn into the knots.]

Don't hurt them. Please. They're not doing anything.

[He keeps his head down.]

They're just playing.

Clinic

[A healer goes where there's blood and Abby needs supplies. He'd kill for some morphine too, something to quiet the moment, but not when there's blood. He can sense it, charms humming from the proximity. People have been hurt here, been healed here.

You'll find him sitting on the ground, laying out scalpels and bandages in a neat row.]

Don't be mad. I just wanted to see.

Two

[amos_moses]

I won't. But be careful. They ain't really cats.

[They're...what Amos isn't sure, but he only gets the faintest sense of "feline" from them. He's leery of them, unknown to his senses and looking so strange. So far they haven't devoured anyone's soul but he doesn't even put that past real cats, let alone these.]

Seel har Parasiel | Wraeththu

[dreamsallotted]

[One]

This was insane. Was Thiede finally losing his mind? Had he been sent here on purpose? Or had all the ripples in the veils and the otherlanes recently just torn something open. That's what happens when you mess with things you don't understand. Seel sighed with annoyance, and reached for the gun which was no longer at his side. Because that's what happens when you put your toys away.

"Dammit," He turned around suddenly, feeling heat and put a hand up to try and keep the flames away when he realized it wasn't fire. Well, not in the ordinary sense. Was that a face? These things didn't like him. Go figure. No one liked him, why should they be any different? If he kept this up he was going to run out of energy, and get burned.

[THREE]

After the third forced compliment Seel was just trying not to touch people. It wasn't that he was opposed to being nice, it was that he preferred people to earn their compliments. This was cheating, and he kind of hated it. Glowering to himself, Seel frowned and tried to be the har his absent better half would want him to be. Sweet and nice. It was just so much harder without him there. He'd so much rather turn into a snarling bitch and tell someone that hair color doesn't suit them, or their work ethic sucks and he noticed how many breaks they were taking.

Instead, after brushing against someone's shoulder and inwardly groaning, he said, " You look lovely today."

Dammit.

Three because lolololol

[pyralisit]

Another day, another shitshow. Around here, Cal had learned to stop expecting much. When it could be terror and murder one day and soft fuzzy kittens the next you had to figure out to just accept anything without too much question and then loudly curse the reason once you were somewhere safer. A new and strange sort of hell, but one, since they're being so honest today, he wasn't entirely sure he absolutely hated.

With half of them disappearing, though, he was starting to get antsy, and he almost breathed an audible sigh of relief seeing another har, even if he wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to react. Maybe it was a mistake to know the future, but at least he knew enough now to approach cautiously.

"You seem so very glad to be saying that."

Eleven | Stranger Things | OTA

[theflea]

o n e

[ Eleven was used to darkness and being alone in said darkness. It kind of reminded her of the Upsidedown, however, it felt different. There was an atmosphere, terrain other than the wet, sloppy floor and eerie cobweb-like plasma that clung to the surroundings.

As she walked, slow and silent, Eleven looked around her, taking in every little detail. Puzzled over where exactly she was and how she got here. It was the glowing, floating object in the distance that caught her attention the most. Making her way over to it.

The Doomer wasn't facing and therefore not looking directly at her, as she approached from behind. Eleven extended her hand, going to touch the monster, noticing the heat that radiated from the licking flames that spat from its head. How curious. There she stood. Almost oblivious to the possible danger she could be in. ]

t w o

[ To say Eleven was now rather jumpy, was putting it lightly. The poor girl had spent the last hour startled, shocked and afraid because of things jumping out at her then vanishing or the feeling of being watched only to turn around and see nothing but a shadow leaving the area. She didn't like this, it was uncomfortable and scary.

A part of her just wanted to curl up, cuddle her knees to her chest and cover her ears with her hands, eyes closed until it all went away. But she knew better than that now. There was nothing to be afraid of, the boys had constantly told her how special she was, and she already knew how powerful she was.

Taking a deep breath, Eleven continued walking. The next thing to jump put or creep up behind her would be faced with a psychic blast of telekinesis. Raising her hand. Eleven stopped whatever it was following her just by looking at them. A trickle of blood from her nose as she concentrated all her energy on holding them in place. ]

t h r e e

[ Eleven was a stranger, not only here but to the world in general. She wasn't socialized properly, still have a very varied vocabulary and understanding of most words. So when she was accidentally bumped into, and her mouth opened to blurt out a compliment, Eleven was just as confused about what she was saying that you probably were. ]

You... Smell.

three.

[fulminatory]

[Jason's a fellow passenger on that being-a-stranger train, with his own less than perfect socialization, but he's usually better at avoiding bumping into people. (Usually.) Not today, though. The disorientation is probably to blame; he's not sure why or how he ended up here, only certain that this is a place he shouldn't be.

Most people ... don't say something like this when they literally run into another person. Jason gives the girl an arch of his eyebrow, unsure as to whether he should be on the defensive.]

You're very perceptive.

[It's. Yeah, it's a compliment, let's go with that. His dry tone might suggest otherwise, but perception is a highly valuable skill in his line of work, so.]

Eleanor Lamb | Bioshock 2 | ota

[sister_bubbles]

o n e

[ It was frustration more than anything else, that had Eleanor ignoring the possible threats lurking, looming in closer and gaining far too much ground on her than she'd realized.

She was lost. A lost lamb. In more ways than one.

This wasn't Rapture that was for sure, but what it was and its purpose seemed just as imposing. No gods or kings, only man, the slogan stuck in her head as she continued in her futile attempt of escape. Sure, this place might be the polar opposite of what Rapture was supposed to stand for, by it was still just a prison of monsters and machines, buried below the surface of the 'normal' world. ]

For crying out loud! Why isn't it bloody working!?

[ Crying out in frustration as she continued. Taking a little run up, Eleanor dashed towards a small, makeshift ramp she had composed of various bits and bobs laying around. Her aim was to sprint, take a leaping jump towards the roof of the cave system and teleport clean through the rock and earth. However, each time she took to action, a burst of purple energy emitting from her, Eleanor would indeed vanish... Only to reform in a heap of a fall, right back where she started.

It was while doing so, that she neglected the small swarm of Doomers gaining on her location. She was tired, this was her 12th attempt after all! And teleportation really jolted your insides about you know!. Still, oblivious as she was, Eleanor took to resting out of frustration and defeat, sitting in the dirt in her Big Sister, diving combat suit. ]

t w o

[ She was spooked alright. It had been going on for far too long now. The initial unease that came from constantly feeling on edge had finally caught up to her and now? Now it meant war. ]

Show yourself! If you have any ounce of courage, you'll step out and face me!

[ Turning suddenly to the slightest sound, Eleanor thrust her palm forward, sending a bright, blinding ball of fire soaring in her intended direction. She wasn't messing around anymore, this wasn't funny. Oh the heavens… the messiah is angry."

Again, to the other side now! Spinning on the heels of her clunky, oversized, rusted boots. That grim needle attached to the arm of her suit, now being used as a weapon. Stabbing it out as she turned with hopes of impaling whatever it was that had been stalking her.

The light that indicated her mood, attached to the inside of her diving helmet window, turned red from anger. She wasn't in the mood for games and so Lord help whatever it was that had been slowly creeping up on her then hiding. ]

Stay put! Make up your mind, you bastards!

1!!

[drilldaddy]

[ He knew that voice-- would recognize it anywhere, no matter what was going on. Delta wasn't quite near enough to spot her, but he was fairly certain he could figure out where her voice had been coming from with a little effort. He picks up the pace, heavy footfalls an early warning system to tell of his impending arrival-- while he's not incredibly well-suited for a power jog, to be honest, that doesn't stop him from doing it anyway. A turn to the left, followed by smashing through the battered remnants of a low wall to make himself a brand new shortcut; not that much further now, if he's been going in the right direction. One more corner to round, and he knows for sure. ]
[ He sees her, and he's not sure if he should be elated or devastated. She's here, and that means she's not safe-- but she's here. Delta's frozen in place, torn in how to respond; was this really for the best? Eleanor shouldn't be in this place. She should be topside, seeing the sun, feeling the breeze...and most importantly, living the life that she deserved. A new cage to keep her in was the farthest thing from that, and the fact that this place echoed Rapture so strongly only made it worse. He manages to take one more half-step forward, not quite realizing that he's holding his drill in a white-knuckle grip-- ]

[ And then he sees the Doomers. ]

[ The light from his helmet turns red in an instant, and that marks the last second he stays quiet. With a booming roar, he charges straight for them, drill at the ready as he makes to collide with as many of the flaming creatures as was physically possible. Eleanor seemed to have missed them, but he certainly won't if he can help it-- they'd already gotten far too close, and he wasn't about to let them gain any more ground. She was perfectly capable of handling herself, as he'd witnessed plenty of times before; something wasn't right, though. Had she been running from them? Was she hurt? Why was she on the ground? Dozens of concerns flash through his mind in the blink of an eye, filling the moment of space before impact. A combination of reflex and instinct made it impossible for him not to intervene, and it was way too late for him to back off now, particularly considering the fact that he'd just effectively gored one of the doomers and pissed the rest off. Whoops. ]
[ This isn't exactly the best way to have a family reunion, is it? Sorry, Eleanor, he'll do better next time. Promise. ]

Oscar | Syberia (Possible Syberia 3 Spoilers)

[onlyanautomaton]

1. Burn Baby Burn

Can't a fellow step outside for a walk here without being ambushed?

The dank air in this cave, while thankfully plentiful to those who need it, does leave a bit to be desired, but he cannot complain. All he wanted was some exposure to it while he exercised his joints. He must ensure he moves them regularly or run the risk of them locking up, making it rather uncomfortable to do much of anything.

Oscar is caught in quite a predicament. He must resolve it as quickly as possible or this body with its wheelwork covered in a fine sheen of oil will be the worse for wear, to say nothing of the comely clothing that was so generously donated to him, which is sure to be completely ruined.

Where was this lively fireball when Kate Walker needed a solution to her bat problem? Though he supposed its presence in the situation would have introduced an entirely new set of problems.

The roof upon which he stands is mercifully close to the ground. The fiery entity had cleverly blocked him from all other means of escape by chasing him into a dead end, one which fortunately came equipped with the ladder he used to climb up here. There is nothing on this section of the structure that can aid him further, however. He thinks it best not to dawdle as it is now apparent that obtaining higher ground has done nothing to dissuade the creature; a quick glance behind him informs him that the sentient flame is gaining on him.

The roof begins a gradual descent, closing the distance between him and the ground and lessening the chances of critical damage should he fall. He arrives at the edge of it and peers over the side, seeing the top of what looks to be a garbage receptacle a little under a meter below him. The top of it is made from hard plastic; sturdy enough that it shouldn't bend or break under the negligible impact of an automaton of his build falling from this short height. He carefully lowers himself on to the ledge, first allowing his legs to dangle over it, bracing his hands at either side of him, then lightly manoeuvring himself forward, landing with a startling bang and briefly waving his arms about to maintain balance.

He feels heat bearing down on him. With scarcely a second thought, he gingerly gets down from the dumpster and on to the ground, stumbling momentarily before setting off at a steady jog, the bothersome juddering of his chassis caused by the collision following him every step of the way.

Seeking refuge could prove to be pointless, not to mention foolish; the creature could attempt to tear its way through solid structures or, failing that, focus its sights on another unsuspecting target. That would mean victory for whoever had set this creature loose on the city. Oscar won't hand it to them so voluntarily.