Test Drive Meme #22

[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 July 25th, and apps are open August 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: THE WRONG KIND OF SCARY
[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.

There's an odd shuffling to your right and to your left. Do you know what that is? Maybe not, but at least nobody else does either. You might peek at an eye stalk or a stinger, you might catch a glimpse of something that can maybe pass for fingers... or maybe it just has a mouth on its butt because its creator was feeling particularly sadistic that day. That's right, you're looking at the creatures from Spore, EA's infamous alien creation game with the most awkward alien creator imaginable.

These particular Spore creatures are the carnivorous kind, the kind who seek out and eat other creatures so that they can instantly procreate to pass on their victim's genetic code and make their species even more wild. You might not want to stick around and watch the mating process. I promise it's just as weird as you think.]

T R A N Q U I L I T Y / C O N F U S I O N

SCENARIO TWO: STEPFORD SUNDAY
[You wake up one lovely weekend morning to the sounds of birds chirping outside and sun streaming through your window. What a wonderful day to be perfectly normal and happy in the suburbs! Your family is all around you, like a Norman Rockwell painting, happy to go about their average day in their average life in their average city.

So what if your sister is an archdemon? Or your father is somehow a dragon? It's just the way that things have always been... isn't it?

The perceptive of you may begin to see cracks in the veneer, may begin to wonder why everything seems to be so perfect... and as the truth begins to unfold, it paints a much darker picture than the one you're seeing. Are you sure you don't want to stay, just a little while longer?

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

R A G E / D E L I G H T

SCENARIO THREE: CAKE WARS
[There are plenty of ways in this world to rouse your competitive spirit. Many of them involve athletics- few involve such beautiful edible artistry as this.

That's right, you're in a cake baking competition, and no matter how competitive you normally are, thanks to Rage's influence, you want to win. Competitors can be in teams of two or alone, and they have until morning to bake their cakes to the fullest and bring it to Delight's temple for judging.

So what kind of cake baker are you? Do you revel in your artistry? Do you measure everything and carefully prepare each icing tip? Or do you know that you suck at cooking and decide to use the opportunity to sabotage your opponent's cake instead? Nothing is off limits, and all's fair in cake and war, after all!]

Comments

[fehus]

one.

[here's the thing about living in a place with 540 doors to all the 9 worlds; sometimes, you open a door and expect to head into a game of Marco Polo to the Death, where your friends are waiting to try and kill you in your swimming trunks. and then you step through that door and find yourself in a hostile place full of weird monsters with faces on their -- well, not where faces should be. Magnus would like to say that he's surprised, but he isn't; what's more concerning him than his improbable setting is that Jack, the sword that handles all that fighting stuff for him most of the time (when he's not feeling difficult), is currently schmoozing with some polearm, since he doesn't use Jack during daily war games (he's not bringing a tank to a paintball fight). he just has his regular viking short sword and bossed shield with the fehu rune on the front, the latter of which comes in handy as something that is? almost entirely arms? bangs off the front of it]

[okay, let's just back up some -- ]

[oh cool there's more behind him]

[it'd be better if he had some clothes on, too, and not Hawaiian print swimtrunks with cheerful turtles on them]

Uhhh. Uhhhhhh. Back. Stay. Heel?

[they're not listening. wasn't he supposed to be descended from a nature god? shouldn't animals listen to him or something? well, these things sort of fall outside the spectrum of nature, so. time for actual fighting, he guesses, and falls into an uneasy stance (man, he just wanted to swim)]

three.

[Magnus isn't the most competitive guy, which... sure is a Thing in Valhalla, where everyone competes over everything all the time, to the death, usually. but he's in this cake competition suddenly, and being told to meet his partner at Station #7. so, hello, Station #7; here some disaffected kid that looks like Kurt Cobain is, to bring down your batting average, probably (or however cake success was measured? -- haah, measured, get it?)]

One!

[yearrounder]

[Gods as if things weren't strange enough around here...what even is that thing? It has way too many arms (because he can talk about things like that right) and it looked gross. Not like anything she could even name. Until this stupid cave that was a rare occurrence.

But...wait hold on. The guy holding that shield looks familiar. Which is also stupidly weird. Until she realizes who it is and then it makes a whole lot more sense. Or as much as it will ever make, anyway. It seems like a bad choice as far as fighting monsters goes, but he probably didn't have much warning. Like, you know. Everyone else.]

Magnus? What...what are you wearing?

Re: One!

[fehus]

Turtles. Uh, hey, Annabeth.

[this little horrorshow decides to interrupt their blissful cousin reunion, leaping up over Magnus' shield and sinking one pair of its teeth into his shoulder, arms tangling in his hair to hold on]

Ow, ow, ow --

[while he wasn't a fan initially of the einherji body upgrade, he's grown to appreciate it; Magnus raises his shield, swats it off, and it goes flying into the opposing wall like a rocket. cool super strength!]

That sucked, these suck, where's the exit --

Re: One!

[yearrounder]

[Annabeth's sword is in her hand pretty close to instantaneously and then the thing goes flying. Oh well. It's convenient if nothing else.]

Yeah it looked like it sucked. [A lot. At least they had a break now?] This way. Someone at the clinic can take a look at you. Or I have some ambrosia with me if you're feeling brave.

Re: One!

[fehus]

Ambrosia? Isn't that a gross marshmallow fruit salad? Uh, and I'm fine, it's okay.

[this isn't bravado, he actually is -- the bitemark is healing, slowly but surely. the bleeding's already stopped; sometimes it pays to be the son of a healing god in the world's most violent pantheon. Magnus keeps pace with his cousin, his eyes (the same as Annabeth's own), watching out for more abominations]

Where am I? I opened the wrong door at the Hotel, I guess.

[he'd given Annabeth the rundown of Valhalla's ...quirky... system of organisation when they'd chatted last, after all that hammer nonsense]

Re: One!

[yearrounder]

Yes. And also no. We don't have much of it here, but we've got a deal worked out to get more when we need it.

[Or that. That works too. She's mostly concerned with looking for more of those...whatever-they-ares, but hey, she remembers what it was like to get here and immediately be attacked by something stupid. Because life was never easy or something.]

Someone told me it's called "Hadriel." It's a rave that's way too big to exist and the gods here are... [how does she say this politely...] ...more meddlesome than I'm used to. No one seems to know exactly where it is.

Re: One!

[fehus]

Meddlesome gods, strange plane of existence... sounds like a Thursday.

[no one has ever been more Over It than Magnus Chase; he takes the opportunity of moving away from the Where the Wild Things Are (and Should Stay) to glance over his cousin. she looks okay, about the same as when he saw her last]

Does this cave have an exit?

sob I am so sorry ;3;

[yearrounder]

Pretty much.

["Could be worse" is about as good as it gets these days.]

Not that they're telling anyone about. Or that we can get to. They said something about a "Door" but so far it pretty much seems one-way.

happens to the best of us

[fehus]

I am obviously a master at doors, so we got this covered.

[see: the swimsuit situation]

How long have you been in here?

Since Annabeth chose one, Three!

[sonofacesius]

[Will likewise wasn't the most competitive demigod, but he still wanted to win. Unfortunately, he'd never operated an oven in his life. Or baked, or cooked in general. There were harpies for that. So, here's comes your partner Magnus, a guy wearing flip flops, shorts and surgical scrubs with a bag slung cross body over his shoulder. Just in case cake baking and decorating proved hazardous. Mini Kurb Cobain, meet the Apollo's mini me.

"....I should probably start by saying I've never done anything like this before in my life."

Re: Since Annabeth chose one, Three!

[fehus]

[Magnus is poking the aprons hanging off the station like they're carnivorous when his partner shows up, and he straightens, a little caught in the act]

-- Me either. We're obviously going to win the golden cake. Or whatever the prize is.

[the surgical scrubs are... interesting and alarming]

Are you the competition medic? How intense does cake baking get around here?

[he's not joking. this is his life]

[sonofacesius]

[Will put the apron on. That much he could do and knew how to do. Hey, at least he could be clean before he most likely completely screwed everything up. Sorry you weren't getting a better partner Magnus. Like maybe someone from Demeter cabin or anyone who had actually cooked before. Like Leo. He vaguely remembered how to make eggs and basic stuff like that from watching his mom, but he was a medic, not a cook.]

Oh yeah. No experience or skills with baking what so ever. But we are totally going to win this. .....The icing gets to be gold right?

[Magnus should probably be thrilled he managed to get Paolo's blood off the scrubs first. He'd been taken mid surgery and was really hoping the Gods here brought him back at the same time so the son of Hebe wouldn't bleed out.]

I work over at the clinic. But you know how thing are when people want to win. Sometimes things happen.

[Probably something Camp Half Blood and Hotel Valhala had in common. They all wanted to win. And if that included someones head getting put into a BBQ pit? Well these things happen.]

[fehus]

[does he really have to wear the apron...? well, his partner did. he can't leave a guy out in the cold. Magnus ties the apron on as well, a little relieved that Will is as clueless as him, honestly]

I have no artistic problem with gold icing. Let's do this thing. What... are cakes made of.

[this is clearly a match made in heaven; Magnus sets about looking at the provided ingredients]

Uh, I'm Magnus, by the way.

[he doesn't put his hand out, but, hey]

[sonofacesius]

[Will figures it's either wear the apron, or get dirty, and unless there's blood on him, he doesn't want to have to change.]

Uh, flour and sugar and eggs.....that's about the end of my knowledge.

[Will started grabbing bowls, presuming they had to at least mix some of the ingredients together. He paused when Magnus introduced himself. No handshake. Okay. sure. Whatever.]

Will.

[He held up a bowl]

I don't think we're going to win this.

[If they were lucky, they might end up something vaguely resembling a cake. If not, well, at least they didn't have to eat it?]

[fehus]

[the deadpan retort;]

Where's your team spirit, Will?

[Magnus picks up some eggs, figuring they're a pretty standard bet. pops the top, takes one out, and cracks it into the bowl in front of Will. okay... some shell got in there. he scoops it out with the bigger piece of shell, handing the next egg to Will without looking up]

Can't be harder than whatever you do at the clinic, right? Stitches need steady hands.

[sonofacesius]

[Cute Magnus, oh so cute. Will took the next egg and broke it on the side, flipping it over briefly to ensure a clean break before cracking open the two halves and letting the contents plop into the bowl.]

Is that your way of telling me I should beat together the ingredients and you should measure?

[How many more eggs did they need?]

Think we need another one? What else does cake usually have? Flour? Butter? Sugar. Sugar's a pretty good bet.

Emily Davis | Until Dawn

[unfollowing]

((Using this meme's monsters--))

[One minute she's walking out of the interrogation room to go talk to Matt for the first time in four or five fucking hours, and the next she's getting dropped on the floor of the colosseum.

The memories of Hadriel come back to her fast, like they'd never left (it's hard to tell if they did when you got dumped back onto that fucking nightmare of a mountain to get chased by wendigos again), but Emily herself doesn't look the way she did the last time she was here. She's not rail-thin anymore, and the extra muscle mass she'd built from all the walking back and forth in shithole cavetown is gone too. Instead, she's got that gash in her leg and the bite on her shoulder, plus soot from the explosion in the lodge.

As if that isn't enough, there are creepy-ass monsters crawling along the walls and holy fucking shit are those wendigos?]

Are you fucking KIDDING ME? [comes the shrill protest. FUCK no. She got off the mountain alive, and now this shit?] Motherfucker.

[She gets up and starts to run, not even stopping to think about it until she sees a familiar pair of glowing green eyes.] Glacius!

[Suddenly, shit doesn't seem as hopeless.]

yesss yesssssss

[glacius]

[By now, the new arrivals being dumped in the colosseum and being immediately beset upon by monsters is to be expected. What Glacius did not expect this time was to hear that voice, to see that face--barreling towards him in a frenzied panic, fear and desperation clear in her eyes. The ice alien barely has the time to process the slight shift in Emily's gaze towards something more hopeful as be surges forward, shrieking with furious indignance that this creature dare threaten and frighten his friend.

He'll have more time to actually process her being here later. Right now, this thing needs to be dealt with--and deal with it he does, forming two huge boulders of ice around his fists as he advances. He boxes the zombie-like thing thoroughly to the ground, stomping as he does so; it gets knocked down onto a jutting spear of ice, which skewers it as it lets out a guttered growl. Blood and shards of ice spray to the ground; the brutal but efficient attack is over nearly as soon as it began. Glacius regards its rigid body coldly, watching to make sure it doesn't somehow spring to life again.]

[unfollowing]

[The monster is more than dead, not even twitching once Glacius kills it, and Emily stares in awe. Goddamn. She'll never get over how powerful Glacius is, or the fact that he's on her side. She may hate Hadriel on principle, but she's not so angry anymore about being back.]

Thanks. [She's still on edge here in the colosseum, especially with the gash on her left leg and the bite on her right shoulder slowing her down -- but she's got her head together enough to tell her friend she's grateful.] But let's get out of here. There's never just one of these fucking things. I need to get to the clinic.

[It's a fact that they'll get there, that they'll be okay. Glacius won't let anything or anyone hurt her. She can't help but smile a little at that.]

[glacius]

[That's one of the sad facts about Glacius' life before being brought here--humanity never knew just how lucky they were that he was on their side, that this powerful but benevolent being saw them worthy of standing besides despite the pain and suffering they had wrought--not just upon their own world, but upon him. But Emily does, and if the alien knew just how adamantly she believed that it would just be one more reason to regard her as one of his truest, most gracious friends; one he is profoundly glad to have back.

Glacius turns towards Emily as she speaks up. The derision for his foe in his gaze melts away as he looks upon her--first to her face, confirming that yes, it's really her, and the bite in her shoulder before finally dropping to the gash in her leg. It's all a lot to take in, and the alien really just wants to make sure that she is alright while he basks in the relief of having her back--but his friend is (always) right. This is no place to hold a reunion, and he needs to make sure that she's seen to before blood loss or infection become a problem.

So he gives a worried whine, but agrees.] Alright. But--you're hurt. Let me at least carry you, so you don't have to put weight on that wound.

[unfollowing]

[Well, fuck them. As long as she can, Emily will stand by Glacius's side no matter what.

And speaking of standing, her first instinct is to decline his offer to carry her. Then it hits her: the exhaustion of a sleepless night spent half afraid of a murderer and half running for her life from a literal cannibal monster. She could tough it out and walk to the clinic if she were alone, but over a year in Hadriel after a horror movie night with her friends have taught her that she doesn't need to be so fiercely independent.]

That's a good idea. [She gives him a weak, sincere smile.] I'm ready when you are.

[glacius]

I'm ready. [In so many more ways than one. Glacius steps up before Emily, starts to lower himself down so that he can get a proper heft--but being this close makes some of that longing unbearable, and the alien finds himself gently butting the smooth curve of his forehead against her cheek.] I--I missed you, my friend.

[The alien hesitates a moment more, clearly having more that he could say... but he must steel himself. So he pushes himself into action once more, hooking his burly arms around his friend's shoulders and under her legs, carefully hoisting her.] How's this?

[unfollowing]

[Leaning into his touch is instinctive. Emily may not have consciously remembered Hadriel while she was gone, but she did miss Glacius and her other friends here. Some part of her remembered, and now she feels whole again, his cool forehead against her cheek a familiar comfort.] I missed you too.

[When he lifts her up, she leans against him, relaxing into his secure but gentle hold. She feels as safe now as she did when the police got her and the others off the mountain. Back in Canada, the wendigos couldn't hunt her anymore. Here in Hadriel, nothing will hurt her if Glacius is here.]

It's perfect. [Now that she doesn't have to stand, all the exhaustion from last night hits her at once. She feels like could fall asleep against him, maybe even not have nightmares. But instead she'll stay awake. The night's not over until she gets patched up. Whether it be Pell or Carlisle or anyone else at the clinic who heals her, she'll be better off than if she were still at home.

Shithole cavetown has its perks.]

[glacius]

Gracious, as always. [Glacius murmurs, giving her a quiet and slightly rueful smile. He can't imagine that anything about this situation is perfect, what with the fact that she's been dumped back in cave where she's to be tortured for the power gain of depraved beings--and sporting fresh injuries to boot--but then, he is perpetually underestimating the impact he has had on the lives of his friends here.

In any case, said injuries are pressing. The alien starts walking, his strides quick but even--he doesn't want to jostle her.] I'm sorry that I... did not arrive soon enough. If I could have kept you from this pain and suffering...

[unfollowing]

Damn right. [She is a gift to whatever world she may be in, okay.

It's not graciousness that gets her to gently protest, however. It's honesty, and it's the fact that she cares about her friend.] Oh-- no, I got like this on the mountain. I fell into these creepy mines from pretty high up, a piece of the fire tower got me in the leg, and the bite is from a wendigo. Then Sam blew up the lodge, so I mean, I was gonna look like shit no matter what. You saved me from that fucking wendigo wannabe though.