test drive meme #21

[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 June 24th, and apps are open July 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: A LITTLE FRENZIED
[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.

Do you hear something weird? Some kind of strange, constant humming? Hopefully by now you know enough to know that it's probably not nothing, and maybe you should run. If you don't, well- the Door has brought in some Winter Lanterns, from the Bloodborne video game.

Winter Lanterns are rather hideous creatures that hum constantly and glow orange when they detect someone's presence. They can grab you with their tentacles and take a nice bite out of you, which is super fun, or they can mess you up just by looking at you too long. Yep, hanging out in the gaze of a Winter Lantern for too long will end with you being afflicted by Frenzy - blood shooting out all over the place. Not great for the health, really, so maybe don't get into a staring contest. Maybe just run.]

S O R R O W / L O V E

SCENARIO TWO: HAUNTED
[You thought you might never see them again, but now they're here. That person you loved - that person you miss terribly. Except that you seem to be the only person who can see them, and you also seem to be getting steadily weaker.

So that's what it comes down to, then. This ghost that's haunting you will take your life so it can live, even if it doesn't mean to. Do you have the ability to stop them? You'll have to kill them to do it, and you love them so much. Now's the time to make your choice - but be careful. They're strong enough to be visible now, and one of your friends or even a passing stranger might have something to say about your decision.

This is a mini version of our Ghosts That You Know event this month!]

T R A N Q U I L I T Y

SCENARIO THREE: SLEEPING SICKNESS
[For some reason you can't quite put your finger on, you're tired. Like really tired. Like slurring your words, stumbling over your own feet, nodding off if you stop for a second tired. You can't seem to get enough rest no matter what you try - because it's always a light sleep. The slightest sound or movement will wake you up, leaving you just as tired and irritable as before.

What are you going to do? Try to find a quiet place to nap? Good luck. It seems like a lot of other people have the same idea as you - it might be hard to find a truly empty place. Or maybe you just can't take it anymore, and you're going to lay down and take a nap right in the middle of the street. Or maybe you actually feel fine, but everyone around you is falling asleep - and they glare at you when you make the slightest sound.

Maybe you should wake them up? Sleeping in the middle of the street isn't exactly safe. But then, maybe you just want to join them and argue over who gets the most comfortable bit of road.]

Comments

Raidou Kuzunoha XIV | Devil Summoner

[the_fourteenth]

[I]

[Raidou isn't one to back down from a monster. But he's also never come across anything like this, and it's a lot tougher than he's expected. A few sword strikes, a few bullets from a pistol, and this thing is still perusing him. He even summons his own distractingly cute monster to shoot some fire and ice spells at it, which only slows it down. Raidou can tell that the gaze from this creature is making him feel Not Good at all, and on top of the hits he's already taken from it, he begrudgingly sheathes his sword and makes a break for it. Maybe some kind person can jump in to help him fight it off, or help him get away.]


[III]
[It's really difficult to investigate why something is making everyone so tired when it's affecting you, too. If he's going to fall asleep, Raidou would at least not like to have it happen in the middle of the street. How embarrassing is that? It takes some conscious effort on his part to step around the people who've already decided the ground is a fine place for a nap. And his apartment is so far away...

If he sees anyone else struggling to stay awake, he'll talk to them, in the hopes that maybe they can help each other.]

This... This is very unfair.

[III]

[drabsolutelynot]

Unfair?

[Rosen is still standing though he's taking a breather. The trudge back to the clinic has frustratingly winded him]

[the_fourteenth]

No matter how much I try to fight this off...

[That thought is cut off with a yawn. It's actually starting to make him angry, how unnaturally tired he was. The teen had to lean against a wall just to stay talking with Rosen.]

I don't want this.

[drabsolutelynot]

[There's a frown of commiseration]

It is unpleasant, and seemingly incurable, I'm afraid. Those of us at the clinic have been looking into it

[He involuntarily echoes the boy's yawn]

At least, when we can stay awake.

[the_fourteenth]

The clinic...

[That was much closer than the apartment. If he was going to be forced to sleep, maybe he could make it that far.]

Are you going there now? I'm... not sure I can make it back home.

I

[filmthenight]

[Tatara had been observing Raidou, from a safe corner of a building, for a little bit. Enough to see the cute creature try to defend the man. And the fire and ice spells were interestingly amusing. He's actually mentally cheering Raidou on.

But when Raidou bolts from the monster, Tatara tries to grasp his attention, ducking himself into the corner so that he's not seen by the beast himself. As Raidou runs past, Tatara calls out with a light, almost playful, voice.]

Hey, over here.

[If Raidou bothers to turn around, he'll see Tatara motioning for him to follow before he jogs off further behind the building himself.]

[the_fourteenth]

[Raidou comes to a quick halt, but his eyes quickly go from Tatara back to the Lantern. It's too late for Raidou to shake the monster off, but there might be space back there where he could lose it. That seemed like the best option right now.

He runs after Tatara and catches up quickly, and it seems like the creature is unable to follow. It tries vainly to send some tentacles through, but Raidou is luckily fast enough. He'd still like to get further away from it though.]

Thank you. Keep moving.

[filmthenight]

[Tatara can't help but laugh a little at that. But he doesn't slow his pace.]

Well, I certainly had no intention of stopping. But it did seem like bad news when you had to run away from it. It probably wouldn't be right if I just left you to be chased by it.

[Tatara leads the way as he weaves a path around the maze of buildings, trying to make sure to avoid direct places for the monster to see them. He has no idea how intelligent this beast actually could be.]

So, are you a soldier, then?

[the_fourteenth]

I don't like the idea of leaving it out there alive. It's going to hurt others.

[The idea that he couldn't defeat it on his own hurt more than he actual injuries he had taken from it.]

That question strikes him as a little odd,b but considering he's armed and his uniform he can see why someone could think that.]

No, I'm a student.

[He could explain further, but it's hard to explain succinctly.]

It's a long story.

[filmthenight]

Well... maybe. But if you can't beat it, aren't you more useful alive than dead?

[Like Tatara can talk, actually. He's always been the weakest member of HOMRA. He's a pacifist, and even if he did fight, he didn't really have the strength to do it with.]

A student? Well, I've always been fond of long stories. I've got an ear if you want it.

[He checks around a corner and then rounds it as he tries to look for a decent hiding place. He points to a nearby shop.]

There! Come on.

[He jogs toward the shop and then holds open the door for his new comrade.]

Hurry, I don't know how far that thing is behind us or how intelligent it is.

[the_fourteenth]

[Raidou keeps an eye on their backs the whole way, and as they dart into the shop, they seem to be in the clear. He lets out a short sigh of relief once inside, but he knows better than to let his guard down.

He uses this moment to reload his pistol while they talked. No modern student wore a uniform like his, and certainly no usual student walked around with a sword and gun openly on themselves.]

I'm a devil summoner. I've fought plenty of creatures along the lines of whatever that was, but few things so hearty. Everything has a weakness, we just need to find it.

[III]

[roseofwutai]

"Agreed."

Yuffie found her spot to rest: she claimed a wall as her own and just stood there, leaning against the wall and keeping her eyes close. She'd give anything to be able to walk back to her apartment but it doesn't look like she has enough strenght to actually stand on her own and find her way home.

"But I don't even feel like getting angry. Shesh, what's even the point of this...?"

[the_fourteenth]

Raidou's anger level has only reached to annoyance levels because that's all the energy he's got right now.

"That's just it. It's pointless. What if something happens while we're all just laying here, too?"

Naturally, Raidou's more worried about someone getting hurt, but that's a normal consideration when it comes to Hadriel.

[roseofwutai]

She groans, annoyed, still leaning full weight against the wall that has become her only support.

"I think that's the point. Have tranquility, I guess, feeding on our sleepiness. Rage on our frustration and fear on our crap what if anything happens feeling. Hadriel sure seems to know how to treat its guests... I envy whoever was surprised by this yawn wave whil..." and she yawns, loudly "... ya know, while at home."

She's trying to stay alert, okay? And talking is helping a tiny bit...

[the_fourteenth]

Raidou can't help but catch Yuffie's yawn.

"Yes, exactly. With some warning, we wouldn't be strewn all over the streets."

He stands up as straight as he can manage. "We need to keep moving. It's the only way we have a chance to beat this."

I is for I AM THOU

[jocoeur]

( the sounds of a scuffle are what draw joker near. so far, wherever he had found himself was turning out to be no fun at all, and he still hadn't solved the mystery of where his team mates had gone. where was a detective when you could actually use one, right?

he's battle ready with his knife in hand as he skids past a corner, only to be cut off quickly by a cape and... a mocking snowman? no, he could sense it— something different... jack frost?

so maybe this really was the metaverse after all? ) Hey, wait— ( could it be that this guy was another persona user? only, joker seems to have chosen the exact worst time to have been caught off guard and reveal himself from the shadows...

looking onward towards raidou he could finally feel the ominous presence coming up behind him. a feeling of dread accompanied by that horrible humming...

spinning quickly on his heel, joker curses a disappointed— ) Ch... ( at himself for being so careless. reaching up to tear off his mask in a bloody mess, blue flames engulfed him as quickly summoned... )

Arsene!

[the_fourteenth]

[Raidou was about to tell this guy to ru, but before he could, the Lantern's tentacles had already lashed out and struck him. Damn, this thing was fast. Since fire and ice hadn't worked, away went Jack Frost and out came the much larger Nue, already roaring and ready for battle. Good thing, too, since Raidou had gotten distracted by the other boy's cry and - demon? No, no demon he knows of is summoned like that, but there was something similar about it.

All the more reason to kill this creature faster, because it was time for a talk.

Nue's brute force was fairing better against the Winter Lantern than magic, so Raidou let him hold the monster in line while he fired a few more rounds at it with his pistol.]

[jocoeur]

( nue... joker knew that one, too. there was no way it was just an ordinary night chimera, especially as it seemed to obviously be following this guy's orders. using this turn of events to his advantage, the phantom theif turns with a dramatic twist of his trench coat, drawing a gun of his own. )

Ravage them!

( and heeding the command, the persona unleashed a cursed blow, eigaon to the currently confined monster while joker followed up with a hail of bullets... neither of which seemed to be doing the amount of damage he had hoped for.

as he fired, he stepped back with each shot, until he was side by side with raidou, not taking his eyes of the creature even once. not yet realizing his focus was making things worse, he blinked some of the blood from his eyes, touching his face again just to be sure his mask had been replaced. why was he still bleeding... )

Nn... It has to— have some kind of weakness.

[the_fourteenth]

You'd think...

[Nue reared back and cast a flurry of lightning bolts at the monster, which at least seemed to slow it down. That was something. While the Lantern was distracted by Nue trying to tear it to bits, Raidou holstered his gun and took his sword out again.]

Sometimes you have to create one.

[Raidou darted off in a flash, running behind the creature. Since the Lantern was on the top heavy side, he went for its legs with a dramatic swing.]

[jocoeur]

( unlike nue, who remained helpful, arsene disappeared into the same blue flames from which he came. just as soon as raidou's ally had taken the monster's attention for himself, joker had started to feel... remarkably better. that warning nag he had felt while remaining focused on the lantern had quieted...

as the other young man drew his weapon, joker followed up by firing several rounds, aiming for the same places the sword would hit. )

Don't get too close. ( it was only advice... but— ) There's something not right about it... It's not like the other Shadows I've seen. ( even so, his voice remained steady, calm.
maybe... raidou had had the right idea of it at first, with the whole running away option. )

iii

[theperfectcrime]

[The bags under Beyond's eyes are even baggier than normal, his slouch deeper; his trudge slower. This exhaustion thing is a whole other level. And he looks tiredly at Raidou, with his hands stuck in his pockets, when he addresses him. Nonetheless, he responds smoothly.]

Is it really? How interesting that you would think so.

[the_fourteenth]

[Was that answer sarcastic? Raidou was too tired to tell. He furrowed his brow as he tried to stifle a yawn.]

I suppose. I don't like it. It's... annoying. Potentially dangerous.

[theperfectcrime]

[Dangerous. This guy clearly doesn't know the half of it. Or of the brief glimmers of thought that cross Beyond's mind at the word. Quite the golden opportunity, really, with everyone pre-sedated.

But he pushes it aside. For now.]

If you fear injury, perhaps you should situate yourself somewhere to prevent it.

[the_fourteenth]

It's not myself I'm worried about. It's...

[He waves an arm toward all the people already collapsed and sleeping in the street.]

[theperfectcrime]

Oh? And what harm is there if it's so commonplace? Wouldn't it be one thing if it was two or three instead of most of the city? I don't think one or two conscious stragglers will really cause a concerning amount of damage.