dankmemes | test drive meme #21

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!test drive

test drive meme #21

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.]

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Maybe, maybe. Don't prove yourself 'til you're healed up, though.

[ He straightens up again, gently lifting Ephemera's leg for him and helping him to lie down. One of those nice soft pillows he's so fond of is going under his knee, raising it a little. ]

It's no big, but you're welcome. I just wish we had ice. Or painkillers.

[ While his new friend rests a little he picks up the damaged chest plate, examining the metal. ]

What's this made of?

[He laughs a little. Decides he's going to be Ephemera for a while and not Sharkface. Just for a bit.]

Won't lie, ice would be awesome.

[Or some good drugs. Oh well. He'll settle for real pillows. Jesus these things are fluffy.]

The armor? Some alloy with too many syllables. Takes a hit pretty well, though.

[He twists, lifting his hair a bit to show the implant site at the base of his neck.]

Hooks up with my implants, see.

[ Drake lowers the armor and leans in to look, blinking when he realizes that the implant is angled to go into Ephemera's brain. ]

That looks painful. What's it for?

Hurt like a bitch when I got them, yeah.

[Sharkface blinks. He can't remember the last time he met someone who didn't have implants, civilian or otherwise. There were a few bastards on the Tartarus who'd had theirs ripped out, but that was bad luck. Grudges and someone with a scalpel and battery acid going nuts on their spinal cords.]

Everything. Full tactical package. Hooks up to GPS, radio, weapons calibration, automatic targeting.

[He makes a face.]

Also migraines. Gotta pay to play.

That's amazing. And kind of terrifying... people in my time are worried about the government watching us through phones and computers and they went and jacked one straight into your head.

[ He gestures to the base of his own neck, a little awkwardly. ]

Can I?

Gotta do what you gotta do. Armor's got too many systems to run just on brainpower.

[Besides, the implants have firewalls. Easier to hack the armor, if you're going to bother. They still go wrong sometimes, though. Sharkface tries not to think about that, or the time he watched his sergeant collapse and seize up when her implants short-circuited in Basic. Not much he can do about it.

He watches Drake for a moment, curious, then sits up.]

Sure, what the fuck.

[He pushes his hair out of the way. It's a mass of raised scars, old and new. Tender still, sometimes.]

Guess I could never take it for a test drive, then.

[ He sits carefully on the edge of the bed, reaching up and pressing his fingertips lightly to the implant, surprised somehow that the metal is warm. Of course it would be, it's drilled into Ephemera's head. His touch skims lower, pressing lightly, experimentally, at the skin just below the visible metal. To see if the implant attaches to spine or skull or both. Half of his new friend's head is covered in scars, though, and Drake trails a finger down the line between scarred and unscarred skin. ]

Can you still feel it? Like when you move?

What, you wanna try it? Anybody can wear it. Just can't run the programs.

[Which include the stabilizers and GPS, but so long as they don't try jumping off any buildings it should be fine. Probably.

He holds very still as Drake examines the implant site. It hurts sometimes, skin pulled too tight over the plates in his skull, all the staples holding his face together. The implants have been updated a few times, nicked or tinkered with by various engineers and medics over the years. When he first got it, he'd had nightmares about everything freezing inside his skull. Things going crack before he could do anything.

Stupid, teenage fears. He shook them off after deployment, in favor of more pressing threats. The implants do their job. Keep him alive. He's only had a seizure once and doesn't remember it at all, a fact he's perversely grateful for.

He twitches a little. It doesn't hurt but it's been a long time since anyone's touched him outside of a fight. And now Drake's sitting in his blind side.

Weirdly, it doesn't bother Sharkface. It probably should.

He huffs, blinking his good eye.]

Uh. Yeah. You can tell when it's running programs, when you're locked in with the armor. 's like a charge.

Yeah, I bet I'd look badass. I can fight without armor, but it'd be pretty cool.

[ Ephemera is someone used to pain, obviously, and Drake doesn't miss that he twitches more from being touched like this than he did while his ribs and knee were being wrapped. He drops his hand, not wanting to push it, but stays sitting there for a moment longer. ]

That's wild. You're not scared of it malfunctioning, though?

Yeah? What'd you do in your world, anyway?

[Everybody's got something, alien attack or civil war notwithstanding. Sometimes he thinks about what he would've done if things had been different. Learned how to paint for real, maybe. They have art schools on the fancy planets. Even a dumbass like him can learn something if they've got the money and Sharkface still has a few hidden accounts tucked away that the UNSC didn't find.

But that's not his life. Not anymore.

He snorts, turning his head to watch Drake with his good eye.]

Not really. Kinda low on the list of shit that might kill me. 'sides, I turned out okay the last time. Just blacked out for a while.

I uh.

[ It's a more complicated question than it seems. Does he keep his cover intact, just in case others show up? That'd probably be safest. And it's not like he isn't used to giving the cover constantly, he just... really hates it. He's so tired of hiding.

But it's safest. So he sticks with it. And there's plenty of truth there, it's not like he's starting out this friendship with lies. It's just not the whole truth. ]

Right now I'm working as a bouncer. You know, breaking up fights or just plain ending them, one way or the other. I've taken martial arts my whole life.

It's not 'soldier' but I can hold my own.

[Sharkface flops down, resting his head against his arm. There's not much to see on the ceiling - it's a ceiling, what'd you expect? - but it gives him a better bead on the room. And where Drake is sitting.]

That's cool. 's good to know how to fight.

[He nods, grinning.]

We'll spar sometime. Yeah?

[ Drake turns so they're facing each other again, and nods. He bets he could learn a lot from the soldier, things that'd come in handy here where there were monsters and he didn't have a gun. ]

Yeah, sure. It's been awhile since anybody kicked my ass.

[ Since he has no doubts that Ephemera will win. ]

I do know a few dirty tricks though.

[Sharkface grins up at the ceiling. It probably doesn't look right with his scars, but who gives a shit.]

I'll show you some more, pretty boy. Won't even charge you extra.

[It's said cheerfully, but he means it. Sharkface - Ephemera, he's Ephemera today - might not be the best instructor, but he likes Drake. He's easy to talk to, doesn't stare at his scars. Hasn't even said a word about them. Only asked about his tattoos. Ephemera doesn't take his armor off around other people much, even on the Tartarus, but people stared a lot. Probably wondering exactly what sort of hit he'd taken to look so nice in the aftermath.

Drake hadn't asked.

That's nice, Ephemera decides. He likes Drake.]

[ Drake only has the one scar and everybody always asks about it; he's wondering what happened to Ephemera, obviously, but he thought it'd be nice to be the guy who doesn't ask. Everyone needs a break from that shit. ]

Uh oh, I thought you were charging for the lap dance, not the spar. You that hard up? [ He pauses. ] What do they use for money here anyway? I got the impression it'd be a barter system.

[Ephemera laughs. It hurts his ribs, but only a little. He'll be fine in a day or so. Back to the fight. Or whatever he's going to find here. It's better than Chorus, he's decided. No civil war, no kill counts, and - best of all - no Felix.] No idea. All I got is the armor and I'm not trading that away anytime soon.

[A soldier without their armor is already dead. You can run out of ammo and allies, but never your armor.]

Figure I'll kill some shit. Earn me some good will. You know how to use a gun?

[Because there's fighting people and then there's fighting.]

[ Drake nods. He wouldn't trade armor or weapons away, either. ]

Yeah, I'm a crack shot, actually. But I don't have one on me here, and the armory doesn't have any. I'm gonna have to learn to use a sword or something.

[He watches Drake for a moment.]

Crack shot, huh?

[Good to know. And he's got a rifle alongside his pistol. He doesn't offer right then, though. Wait and see how things play out. Besides, teaming up with someone out of armor - even if they can fight - is begging for disaster, and Ephemera's not in the mood to watch someone he likes die anytime soon.

He'd totally pay money to watch somebody blow Felix's head off, though.]

Dunno much about swords, but one of my squadmates used an axe.

[Goddamn, he misses CT.]

Could probably figure something out with that.

Totally. I've got some long range pistol awards, actually. And I learned to shoot with either hand.

[ Most of his training was on the force, something he isn't disclosing yet, but he's sure got a ton of certs. ]

An axe? I saw some, yeah. That might be easier, with how they're weighted...

[ He's never had to think about these things before, fighting monsters with bladed weapons. It's all pretty surreal. But hey, he's had to deal with waking up a zombie before -- Drake's pretty good at rolling with the punches. ]

I'm guessing the learning curve is gonna be pretty steep. Any tips?

[Ephemera whistles. It hurts his head a little, but he does it anyway. Feels appropriate.]

Goddamn. Now you're just showing off. You ambidextrous or just stubborn?

[He's quiet for a moment, thinking. Teaching was CT's thing, just like knives were Chica's and Barrows was a goddamn artist with explosives. Ephemera was the middle man, filling in wherever needed. He can do a little of everything. Hopefully that involves teaching, too.]

Focus on the footwork. People start with knives and shit, they think it's all in the hands. They overcommit, get off balance.

[He grins.]

I did. Got my ass handed to me so many times.

Just stubborn. I thought, 'what if someone's got my right pinned?' Learn to use the left. It's like hitting, you can't slack on your weak side, right?

[ Footwork. He's not sure where to start with that for swords or axes, but keeping his balance while swinging a heavy weapon around will definitely be a thing. He'll ask around for someone to train with, and pay close attention to how he holds his weight. ]

Good advice. How much use did your friend really get out of that axe, though? Your armor doesn't scream cqb.

's a good idea. I can do it with my helmet, but that's with the targeting system. No way I'm doing that blind.

[He's got one good eye and shitty depth perception. There's no chance he's shooting with his off-hand and actually hitting anything.

He has to laugh at that.]

You're kidding, right? Oh, wow, okay, you're serious. We do close quarters all the time. Armor's tough, sure, but it's got weak points like anything. And people just don't see an axe coming. Knives, sure. But not a goddamn axe.

[There's a pause. Ephemera sighs, fond and sad all at once.]

CT loved that thing. Would've called it his girlfriend except his actual girlfriend would've kicked my ass.

[ Drake nods; it took him a long time to be able to use his off hand, and he's got two good eyes. But he figures he can brag a little around someone who's so obviously a badass. He picks up a gauntlet while Ephemera talks about weak points and blades -- the joints of the armor would probably be where to hit, he thinks, it's unlikely even an axe could cut through the metal.

He looks up at the change in Ephemera's tone -- It sounds like CT is no more. It sounds like all of Ephemera's unit is dead, which Drake can't imagine. How did it happen? In whatever incident he got his scars, maybe? He's not going to ask, but he wants to. He wants to tell Ephemera he's sorry about his squad, but he doesn't. The other man probably doesn't want the sympathy. ]

What's your weapon of choice? The guns?

Me? I'm the utility--whoa, okay. Don't move.

[He sits up suddenly, ignoring the sharp pain from his ribs, because Drake has one of his gauntlets and is getting dangerously close to the manual activation for the flame thrower. Nobody needs a blast of napalm to the face. This close Drake probably wouldn't even survive it. Definitely not without armor. It doesn't have much fuel left in the canister - barely enough for one good blast without reloading - but it only takes one to fuck up somebody's day.]

You're cool, man. Just...hold still.

[Steady hands, steady voice, they're all good. He takes the gauntlet back carefully. He laughs a little, because what else are they gonna do?]

Okay! That could've been interesting! But we're cool.

[He nods again. Totally fine!]

That's a flame thrower. Just so you know.

[ Obediently, Drake freezes when he's told. He doesn't even breathe, just holds himself motionless while Ephemera takes the gauntlet from him, wondering what the hell was about to happen. Luckily for them both he isn't the random-button-pressing type, but he's half expecting something to explode in his face any second.

Once the other man is holding the gauntlet instead his shoulders ease a little, and he breathes out. They're cool? Okay good. ]

A flamethrower? [ Well, he would have survived it, but it would not have been fun. ] Shit, I guess that answers my question. That works against the armor too?

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