dankmemes | test drive meme #20

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test drive meme #20

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?]

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"Please, I don't need some damn game to get a compliment. Or several." Things hadn't gone to shit yet talking to Seel so that was a good sign. He even accepted the offered cigarette, then bought a few more seconds fishing in his pocket for a lighter. He wasn't going to push his lick asking Seel for one. Besides, he was always prepared to be smoking. Around here it was a necessity.

"Although I wonder whose have this is. Hope? Love? Hard to say anymore. You really that upset having to be nice to people?" Having to be nice to him, mostly. The tension was palpable and he'd have to be dead not to feel it. And if course it am came back to the nightmare that he hadn't had yet, the blood that he hadn't let. And yet somehow everyhar knew about. Damn the place. But bless it, too.

This place was weird. He was stuck with humans, and the only two hara around were Cal and Pell, except an earlier version of them. Being around Pell without having to bow and help him dress was weird enough. Being around Cal was just torturous. Seel wasn't even sure how to treat him. Did he bow? Did he curse?

"Yes." Seel growled back at Cal, daring to laugh a little while he did it. It was damn funny. He was actually upset that he had to be nice to people for no reason. Swift would be appalled.

Inhaling and exhaling in an almost orgasmic bliss, he thought it was fitting that the one that got him smoking in the first place would be the stress trigger that got him smoking again. This place was positively hysterical. Can't you hear him laughing?

"I'd say it'd be nice if they'd stop manipulating us, but it's not like we're not all used to it. Here, back home, what's the difference? Different beings, same strings."

Cal didn't bother to be so restrained laughing. Of course Seel would be upset about it. It might actually kill him to be so nice for however long this kept up. Or else he'd hole up in a room by himself and subsist on smoke and alcohol for a few days until it all blew over. Brooding. He was good at that.

"It's a veritable circle of shit, that for sure. If somehar doesn't get his fingers all over us, something else will step in to pick up the slack." That had been his whole life so far, really. He, at least, should be used to it. And Seel too, as much as he wanted to believe at least one of them had gotten out of the clutches of more powerful hara. There was always someone there, ready to step in and fill the gaps left in the fence, to pick the leash back up after the first person had dropped it.

"These ones are a little more...creative with their machinations. And much more transparent about them. They'll even admit right out they've done it. With not so much as one hem or haw about it. Whether or not that's refreshing depends on your particular feeling that day, I suppose."

It was almost too easy to fall into old patterns. Old loves. Talking to Cal was like slipping on a old pair of well worn shoes, or a comfortable sweater. The problem was sometimes the tags bothered you or the wool was itchy. But you couldn't quite throw it away. It was always there, shoved into the back of the dresser in case you needed it. Or that addiction you just couldn't quite. Cal wasn't good for Seel, he strongly believed that. But it wasn't like he could just avoid him here either.

Seel took another hit, smoking like a har who hadn't smoked in years and planning on doing some much needed catch up. He would have laughed at Calanthe's impression of him. OUt of the clutches of more powerful hara. That was hysterical. Everyone knew who pulled his leash. Even if it was from beyond the grave and into godhood.

"That's a lovely image, thank you." He shook his head, " I admit, this isn't the type of machinations I'm used too. Thiede is much more subtle. Although he leaves a bit of a hangover." And cleanup work, where Seel would have to apologize for going stark raving mad.At least, he could blame Thiede for that right? It wasn't really Seel, despite his nagging suspicions that Thiede couldn't make him do anything that wasn't already in his character.

"Can these gods make you do something against your character? Like make you put on a tutu or have sex with a woman?"

Okay, now he kind of wanted to see Cal in a tutu.

"What an unpleasant thought." He paused there, though, for a moment to breathe in smoke and consider the question. It wasn't a bad one, really. He just didn't have an answer for it. He probably should have but in the grand scheme of the place he hadn't been there that long. And it certainly could have happened before he arrived; Rage in particular made people do things they normally wouldn't. The last time shed had her way ot certainly had a dramatic effect on Pell. Cal hadn't noticed any on him, but he was mostly built out of anger aready.

"I haven't seen it, but I wouldn't put it beyond them, either. Someone else might know if they've been here longer. But then, we're supposed to be plying them with emotion and who doesn't have a little of Rage or Delight or Sorrow in them?" That was the whole point, wasn't it? And Seel didn't need to know what it had done to Pell. That wasn't any of his business. Yet.

"I'm sure you'd look fantastic in a tutu."

It figured Cal wouldn't have thought of that before now. Intricacies, they weren't his specialty. Cal was a blunt object. He tended not to think things through. He was emotional, too emotional, and thought more with his heart than his brain. He was far too human in that regard. Seel wasn't even surprised to find that Cal hadn't been either paying attention to his surroundings or simply hadn't gathered the right information yet. Even in his future, he wasn't a planner. At least, Seel didn't think so. He hadn't exactly endeavored to spend time around him.

"Why am I not surprised that you haven't considered the possibility before now? How far reaching these Gods go? What have you been doing Cal? Besides Pell." He listened, okay, so he has been gathering information. That's a start. Not a fantastic one though. "Did you figure that out through actually work or did someone else have to tell you?" Since it was Cal, Seel was figuring someone had to tell him because he was a lazy fuck.

"And I'll have you know I'd look fantastic in a tutu." Okay, he couldn't finish that thought without laughing.

Intricacies were for people more sensitive than Cal was. Diplomats and politicians. Cal was more a weapon, and not with the sort of finesse as the more civilized ones. He was there to incite chaos. No wonder he'd enjoyed the Uigenna so much. He fit right in with the anarchical glee they approached the world with.

"It was Flick too, for a while, before it all went to hell." He was still disappointed he'd vanished before he could fix what he'd broken. Now he'd probably always think Cal was a monster and nothing else. He was a monster, and he didn't deny that, but he was other things too. "Sorry I was more concerned with surviving the shit than figuring out the intricacies of where it came from. I did consider it, but the finer points of our manipulations become less important when you're in the middle of one." He glared. Seel was right--given a choice he'd much rather have been lazy, but he knew when to step up, too.

"Surprised I actually did something?" Or as much of something as he could. Or felt he could. "It's been me for months with the only skill to defend any of us. Lord knows Pell or Flick couldn't and I never trusted Ulaume." Unsurprising.

He couldn't decide whether it would have been terrible to laugh at the mental image of Seel in a tutu given their current conversation. So he restricted his reaction to an amused grin. "Learned that from experience, did you?"

Seel remembered how much you fit in with the Uigenna, Cal. He remembered how much you hated and loved it at the same time. It was sick, had that been when it all started? Cal's decent into insanity? Or had it been later, with Zack? Cal had enjoyed the raids, he had so much anger in him, and Seel wasn't sure it wasn't still building. Broken but not yet lost. What did he see in the humans that he hated so much? Himself? A lost childhood? Was he just angry at everything?

"Flick. You were roonig Flick?" That brought him back. Wow."Great. I can only imagine how that went. Did he hide in the kitchen after?" Seel was pretty sure he knew the answer to that one. No matter how much he could have changed, Flick wasn't Uigenna. This place would get to him. And he supposed, he hadn't helped any either.

"No Cal, I dont think you did anything useful.I think you stumbled on it because you're a walking hurricane and as you screw things up sometimes debris falls at your feet. I don't know what I expected. It's you. Of course you didn't do any actual legwork. " Seel let himself lose. It was kind of nice, having been leashed for so long. All the anger he was feeling being trapped here, not knowing what was happening to Azriel, it was just to let it out. In a trickle.There was so much more he could dish out. No need to waste it all right now. He'd already done that once. Seel couldn't afford to let Pell see him like this.

"Quite." Still he threw Cal a bone. "I have a son."

If nothing else, Flick was very good at hiding. And Cal had just let him for a long time. Maube he should have pinned him down sooner and forced him to confront the problem. If it didn't just make it worse. Not everyhar attacked everything head on, whether it was a monster or an emotion. Same difference, really.

"Just about." Until he'd completely screwed both of them over by asking a question. He hadn't meant for it to seem like that was the end he was looking for, using him like Seel did until he got what he wanted and then tossing him aside. If anyhar else had had the information, he would have asked them. He did have some kindness left in him.

All he could do was glare, though, while Seel went right on with being a petty little shit. Like always. Not that Cal was much better himself, but if Seel wanted to play that way, he could play. He half wished it was a more violent happening, so he could threaten to leave him to the monsters.

"How polite. And here I thought you were good at making friends. I don't have to share or play nice. To be honest it's much safer if I didn't." He almost asked if Seel would prefer to find someone else to interrogate, but he already knew the answer to that question. "I could just leave you here if you'd like." He would. "I'm sure someone else will show up eventually and they're all honor bound to be helpful."

He was so shocked by that declaration--completely uncalled for--that he forgot about his cigarette for a moment while he stared. Eventually he managed to say something, although it was somewhat less than intelligent.

"Surprising. I never would have guessed."

Flick was a problem. Flick was his problem. He'd been the one to really start it all. He should have actually trained him, like Orien told him too. Instead, Seel used Flick as a servant, but you know what? Flick let him. As far as Seel was concerned, it was a two way street dammit.

But this wasn't about Flick, it was about Cal. And Cal being a useless shit. Anything he wanted done right he really did have to do himself. That was it, wasn't it? He couldn't trust anyone to do good work.

"I'm perfectly capable of being diplomatic. You just don't deserve it at the moment." As far as Seel was concerned, if Cal didn't know he ended up Tigron with Pell, well, Seel wasn't going to tell him. Let him throw his weight around even more. This Cal he might be able to push around.

Seel sighed and watched as the other har became completely awe struck.

"Oh. Is that how I shut you up? You wouldn't have guessed? What? That I could care about someone who wasn't you?"

Really, Seel? Was that how you treated people who had information you wanted? Did it matter how he'd gotten it or where it came from? He'd tried to be polite and Seel, evidently, wasn't in the mood for it. Not that Cal could blame him. He hadn't been in the mood for polite when he'd first gotten here, either. Once he'd figured out it wasn't another torturous nightmare, he'd calmed down again, at least. As calm as he could be. Whatever.

He didn't hide the glare. He should have slapped Seel. The only reason he didn't was because Pell would yell at him for it if he did. With fewer and fewer hara around he could hardly afford to isolate anyone even if they weren't exactly allies. And doubtless Pell would make sure that Seel was around and he'd have to live with him anyway. Easier to do that if they weren't trying to murder each other.

"No, that you'd care about anyone at all. Don't be an ass." Ha. As if that was going to happen. "I know what I supposedly did. Flick managed to tell me that before he fell apart and left. I can say I don't remeber doing it and I'm sure you don't believe me. If you're going to punish me for the future, be my guest. I've gotten used to it. It might give you some comfort, though, to know I have no intention of leaving here so who knows? It might not even happen."

Seel sighed and took a breath. This wasn't going to work. He needed Cal, whether or not he actually liked it. If he alienated him, all it would take was a word to alienate Pell. He needed them to survive. He had to be polite. Neutral at the very least. At the very best, the har Swift believed he could be. He could almost hear his voice telling him not to let the worst parts of himself out. Cal and Seel together, they didn't work, at least that was the way Seel saw it. Water and oil; bleach and ammonia. Some things weren't meant to interact. Cal did bad things to him. All he had to do was just be there. Or Seel could just think of him.

But this was Cal. They had such history. They knew each other in ways that time couldn't erase. And he had saved his son. Alright. Fine. Time to be the har he knew he could be.

"I want too Cal, I really do. It's been over thirty years since you killed Orien and I still want to punish you for it. But you also saved my son. I'm not sure if that's a blessing yet, but you tried. I'm not ready to forgive you, despite what Swift wants. But I can try to be polite. For his sake."

Swift was another surprise, but this time Cal was smart enough not to show it in his expression or mention it out loud. Ulaume had been a surprise too. Apparently he had an interesting future, if he even went back to it. And he wasn't entirely certain he wanted to know all of it. He didn't want to know the parts he already did, but he knew that he needed to. So that maybe--hopefully--it wouldn't matter. There he'd lost his mind--he knew that because he'd felt the beginnins of it. Here he didn't have a reason to.

"I don't exactly blame you. But it hasn't happened. I haven't done anything." Yet. He knew that there were several qualifiers.

"You're welcome, I suppose. I don't remember that, either."

" I know. I realize that. I'll...try not to let what you have done affect my judgement. But your not blameless still Cal." What happened to Zack, Cal? You leave with him and then, wander into Saltrock without him. What happened to Zack?

Sometimes Seel wished he didn't remember either. He loved his son, but he wished he could remember him as he was, and not the empty husk he was now. He wasn't even sure if Azriel was in there anymore. " Well, you're lucky. I'm not sure I want to remember, either."

"I've never been blameless. I'm not stupid." He knew that. He'd never been an angel. He did what he wanted and damn the consequences. He should have worried more about that, but he didn't. Maybe that made him a child, but why should he worry what anyone else thought? He was happy. They didn't matter. Except he was starting to care a little too much for his tastes.

He couldn't even begin to imagine what Seel's family had been through and judging from Seel's reaction he didn't want to. He'd seen more than enough with Wraxilan to know that there were horrific things the world could do.

"Then I'm sorry, as well."

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test drive meme #20

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