test drive meme #28

[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 January 25th, and apps are open February 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: GOT ANY BREATH MINTS?
[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.

It looks like this time the Door is going for a little variety. You get to enjoy a couple kinds of chaos serpents, from the video game Hexen.

Chaos serpents are bipedal reptilian creatures with three horns, in two different colors. They can bite, as with most monsters, but the real threat is their breath weapons. The green ones spit powerful fireballs, while the brown ones spit clouds of poisonous gas. If you're lucky, they'll fight each other instead of you - but who ever gets lucky here?]

L O V E

SCENARIO TWO: ONE MINUTE IN HEAVEN
[Remember that first rush of infatuation, when your heart beats fast and your cheeks get red and you feel like you could do anything - anything - to get your crush's attention? Maybe you don't. Maybe you're too level-headed for that. Well, not anymore.

Now, whenever you meet a new person, you feel one solid minute of the most intense crush you've ever had. Their hair! Those eyes! Those incredibly attractive arm muscles! That tinkling laugh! Maybe you're the type to get nervous, maybe you'll swallow seven packets of hot sauce to show how cool you are, maybe you'll just lay down your very best pickup lines. Maybe more than one of the above - there are so many ways to embarrass yourself in 60 seconds!

But then time's up, and your insta-crush is gone, and now you get to deal with the consequences. What did you say? What did you do? That laugh you thought was beautiful and tinkling turns out to be obnoxious and honking. Also, you're pretty sure you just hit on your neighbor. But hey... maybe they actually are pretty hot, and you just made the first move. It's possible!]

C O N F U S I O N

SCENARIO THREE: THE PITTER PATTER OF LITTLE FEET
[There you were, minding your own business, when you suddenly fell into a deep sleep. Not that you remember that - now all you remember is being a child, as your consciousness has taken the form of your younger self. Here's your opportunity to run around and get into all the trouble you could hope for!

Or maybe you didn't become a child - maybe someone else did. Did some random kid just run up to you, confused and a little scared, or possibly just obnoxious? It'd be nice of you to help them out. Unless you hate kids, and hey, who can blame you? They're loud and somehow their little hands always seem to be sticky. Still. Make sure they don't run straight into the monsters outside the city, all right?

This is a mini version of our Hope of a Child event this month.]

Comments

ryuji sakamoto | persona 5

[wassup_persona]

one minute in hell


[ Well, of course he's experienced crushes before! It's not the most foreign concept in the world, but then there's usually some limit to it. Normally he can play it off by teasing the hell out of the person to distract from the real feelings, in the event he knows that's what the hell he's feeling. Usually.

... But then details don't matter when the fact remains that he can't stop staring at people he hasn't so much as greeted before. Or... even after greeting them, apparently!?

Maybe someone just said 'hi' to him, maybe they offered to help, or maybe they're too busy trying to figure out why he's been staring at them for the past several seconds......

Either way? Their guess on why is just as good as Ryuji's. ]



wildcard!


{{ ooc: i'm more than happy to do a customized starter for anyone! otherwise, feel free to toss your character at him while bitty mode or have a random monster out of nowhere. }}

[lowkeycrazy]

Good afternoon.

[A pleasant voice chimes. Akechi was rather used to the lingering stares of others— he put a fair bit of effort into maintaining his good looks, after all— though even he noticed that today, there was quite a few different people who seemed to be distracted, and not just by him.

So, it seems the gods are toying with people again... Akechi didn't take well to the idea of being a plaything, but at the very least he didn't get the short end of the stick, this time... small miracles.]

You look a bit troubled. Perhaps I can assist you?

[....... look, this is funny and akechi can't help but troll a bit, ok... case in point: he gives this particular blonde a particularly dazzling smile.]

[wantsnudes]

[Being one to just openly stare at anyone who catches his interest, either from an aesthetic or observational standpoint, Yusuke doesn't mind the staring, himself. He does, however, realise it's a little uncharacteristic of Ryuji, but simply offers a brief smile and a nod of the head as he approaches, oblivious to whatever's in store for him.]

Hi, Ryuji. Is everything all right?

[...Suffice to say Yusuke hasn't noticed the strange sixty-second crushes afflicting individuals around Hadriel yet. Maybe Ryuji's just spacing out a little, he figures?]

one minute in... hell-ooooooo ryuji

[jocoeur]

( akira couldn't help but stand back and watch, at least at first. why was ryuji looking so interested in that person that had just passed by? what was that look in his eye that could be spotted from even a mile off?

well... whatever. instead of drawing attention to it, at least immediately, here is your bro, blondie, one hand in his pocket, and the other one is summoning a persona upright in an open-palmed wave.

surely you're not too distracted to notice your bff? ) Yo—

[notladyluck]

Got Any Breath Mints?

[Ok. These things might not be demons, but they acted a lot like them. Fortunately for the moment, Lady hadn't been noticed yet. She double checked her guns and sighed. She didn't have much more ammunition left and she knew that she wasn't going to be able to get through all of these things with what she had left.

She cursed under her breath and pressed her back against the wall and tried to think of a way to get out of this without being noticed. One bullet wasn't enough to put these things down and she only had a few clips left.

This situation wasn't going to get any better and the sounds of fighting that she heard had quieted down. Maybe there was only a few left and she could take them out a lot easier. No time like the present to find out, so she quickly rolled out from behind the wall she had ducked behind and fired.]

One Minute in Heaven

[It was rare that Lady got a 'crush' on anyone. Too much had happened in her life and she wasn't a child anymore. She didn't get crushes. She was one of the best devil hunters around. She was too busy and her work too dangerous to have a relationship.

Still something caused her to forget what she was saying mid-sentence and she had to apologize and think about what in the world was going on. She didn't apologize a lot and whatever was going on had to be something major.

And as soon as it happened it was gone. She said nothing about it, but there was a slight pause in her response to whatever they had been talking about.

Alucard Emery | Shades of Magic

[solase]

LOVE
[Alucard Emery may be a serial flirt, but it's never meant anything before. At least, it hasn't meant anything. Not since that summer. Not for three years now.

And yet here he is, making eyes over the rim of his glass, the sapphire in his brow twinkling as his storm blue eyes twinkle along with it. And he could honestly care less as to who he's making eyes at except he has suddenly decided they are the most attractive person he has ever laid eyes upon and he doesn't mind if he does, if it's all the same to anyone else.]

[Offering his most charmingly rakish smile, he sidles up to drawl:] Has anyone ever told you that you have the most remarkable eyes?

[Let the minute begin.]


CONFUSION
[Alucard turns at the tug at the edge of his shirt, raising an eyebrow and opening his mouth to quip about what they thought they were doing -- was there something on his shirt perhaps? He can change if it offends them so? Or take it off he supposes though it's perhaps not the weather for it -- but there's no one there. At least, no one at eye level. Not until he looks down and catches sight of the youth before him.

Raising a saphire-studded eyebrow in confusion, he runs a hand through his hair and tucks it behind his ear before he bends forward to address the child.]

I'm sorry, are you lost...?

love

[anoshe]

[It isn't that he doesn't recognize Alucard. It isn't that he doesn't know all the reasons this should be a terrible idea, he should be angry or unwelcoming or simply not indulgent. Rhy knows them all, in and out, and if this were any other situation surely he'd listen to them.

Probably.

But it's like that first flush of infatuation all over again, and for a moment, Rhy simply doesn't remember that it's a bad idea. He smiles, instead, and does not hold his tongue.]

Plenty of times. But it sounds so much nicer coming from you.

[And it does - that would be true even without this, whatever this is.]

You do, after all, have impeccable taste.

[The tone in Rhy's voice implies that that is very much not the innocent statement it could be.

This is going to become very awkward in about 30 seconds.]

Love

[fracturedbeauty]

[Yukari visibly chokes on his drink, having to cough hard as he slams his drink down, making quite the splash of a mess, and he doesn't seem to care where the stray liquid lands.

And yes, his face is totally red right now. Thanks, Alucard.

His remarkable eyes narrow at the other man, after his coughing fit subsides. If looks could kill, Yukari's gaze would have turned the man before him to ashes, assuredly. And Yukari can't help but seethe. Killing people... innocents is no longer something he's permitted to do. So, unless this fellow proves to be relentlessly evil, he's going to have to choose tact.]

Rather forward, aren't you?

[Yukari runs his fingers through his own hair, trying to smooth out the alcohol that is now attempting to clump his gorgeous hair.]

Is that how you approach just anybody? [A condescending scoff as he tosses a curl back over his shoulder.] I feel pity for any person you deem suitable. There are far more flattering things to say.

Rashid | Street Fighter

[turbulentwind]

A. Got any breath mints?

[Something about this scenario feels familiar. It might be the Door, or maybe even the atmosphere. But what about the monsters oh my god they're snake men.

Our seasoned traveler has seen many things, but nothing quite like this. Rashid's about ready to throw down, but then the snake people seem to be more interested in attacking each other. That is until a fireball decides to graze him, giving him the cue to find a way out. If he sees others in trouble, he won't leave them behind.]

Don't worry. I'll get you out of here. These fire-spitting snakes aren't the worst thing I've faced.

[But they're still pretty scary.]

B. Pitter Patter of Little Feet

[Adult Rashid is enough of a handful, but now there's a pint-sized version running around. And what is he doing? Playing on his phone, of course! The little one's all bouncing around, using people as walls, and sending stupid text messages to anyone who happens to be in his contacts.]

HITHISPHONEISCOOL THX :)

🐉🐉🐉💨

C. Wildcard!

[Have something else in mind? Toss it my way!]

Carey Fangbattle | The Adventure Zone: Balance

[sneaklizard]

🗡️FEAR🗡️
[ Aw shit.

Okay. Okay! Okay. This is deffo weird surreal timeywimey weirdo dream shit, man. There are some weird ugly dudes or dudettes or otherwise walking around in this...weird arena? Are those stands all around the place?

This lizard gal stands up real slow, real careful, taking in her surroundings. It doesn't seem they've noticed her yet, even when she turns her head quickly, looking towards the signs of a scuffle between two of those gnarly dudes.

She doesn't recognize these guys, whatever they are, and first thing's first: always better safe than sorry, so she takes out two daggers from her belt, keeping them ready, eyes shifting quickly around, looking for an exit.

One of them turns, and they lock eyes. She shifts a foot back and grips her daggers, ready.]

Whooooa there, buddy. Hey now, lets just take it nice and easy...

[ The serpent watches her , still, considering... deciding on letting out a rather unfriendly roar and Carey can see flames about to come out of this thing's mouth.]

Welp, guess we're doing this.
---------

🗡️LOVE🗡️
[ Here's the thing about Carey. She's a cool gal. She's nice. She's smooth! Well, that last one might be up for debate, but the thing is that she doesn't exactly run up to people and go all googly eyes at them out of nowhere, in very not subtle ways. Subtlety is literally her job! And she's deffo not looking for people to fawn over!

But that sure just happened with a complete stranger. They probably just saw this scaley, dragon-like lass walk right over and compliment their cool armor. Or sweet shoes. Or...cool look, I guess? Or something else! Like the winning smile or a laugh, or how it looks like they might kick some butt. Maybe asked if they have some plans later? And kept a weird amount of eye contact for a full minute.

But, then, the time is over and her brain clocks in again, and her face drops. She remembers everything she says and it all drops on her like a ton of bricks and you can see it in her eyes, and in the way she immediately fumbles.]

Oh. Oh god. I don't--That wasn't--I'm so sorry.
---------

🗡️CONFUSION🗡️
[ Okay, is this some sort of weird town of children? She was sure she saw a bunch of actual adults walking around just a few hours ago. Which also begs the question as to why these kids are running around in the evening?? Or whatever time it is? Where the hell are their parents?

Thing is, Carey doesn't take into account - mostly because she just doesn't know - that most kids have never seen a dragonborn. A literal dragon person. So this oughta be fun. ]
---------

💣WILDCARD💣
[ What do you wanna do? ]

love;

[restinglichface]

[Carey comes to and looks utterly embarrassed, but the elf's grin just goes toothy and wide, Lup not seemingly put out in the slightest. Whether Carey knows her or not, Lup remembers this woman from her previous stay in Hadriel, where the two had become fast friends.]

Sorry for what? [She laughs, raising a hand to give her long braid a practiced flick over her shoulder.] Admirin' the prettiest elf 'round these parts? Trust me, that's not somethin' you need to apologize for, Car.

Party Poison | Danger Days: The True Lives Of the Fabulous Killjoys

[killthisparty]

❌FEAR
[ Static, and then silence.

But there's sounds behind it. He's hearing something - he's not sure, not at first, but then he feels...sand. Dirt? Something coarse under his skin. He's on the ground, and he feels heat- he's outside. Is he home? He can't tell, but it feels familiar, and there's something momentarily comforting in that.

The empty doesn't last long, though, and his eyes open blurry. There's something...moving. Feet? Weird colors. Not the white he expects to see- more of the sandy brown of home, but not the same.

In a moment, he snaps into attention. But he's dizzy, and just the gear up exhausts him. He sits up and he can taste something burning - skin? - Something hurts and he can't remember why. Then he does, and he's numb.

He pushes himself up onto his feet and there's still about half a minute before he notices the creatures. He looks at his own hands, feels the dirt on them. He looks dizzy, lost- maybe scared? Though the look in his eyes makes it hard to tell if he can even process that feeling right now.

Where is he? Is this it?]

--------
❌CONFUSION
[ He walks - almost looks like he should be stumbling - blaster in hand looking like a toy.

He's not entirely recovered since a few hours ago, but-- where the hell did all these kids come from?

If anyone approaches him, they might startle him. Specially a loud kid that sneaks up from behind, that might find a yellow toy-like laser gun aimed at them for a second. He's jumpy, sue him!

Or a kid that might not be as sneaky, that might approach without shame or bad intentions, his reaction isn't quite as defensive.

He's not a bad guy- just in a bad place right now.]

--------
💊WILDCARD
[ What do you wanna do? Talk to me!]

Fear

[thelastjoy]

[She comes to check the coliseum. It's only been a few months, but it already feels like an ingrained habit. When she hears new people have arrived, she goes out to the arena and creeps inside. She always means to just look. Just search for someone from home. And she always finds herself disappointed, then angry at herself for being disappointed when she's already been granted Ghoul. She images today will be no different, and she's braced for the bitter taste the unfamiliar faces will leave.

But today the Girl sees red and instead of acid in her throat, she tastes hope.

She runs along the crumbling walls of the coliseum, tunnel-vision for her target. Girl should be more afraid of the creatures here, but she can't feel much but the wild drum of her heart in her chest. She gets close enough until she makes out that the shape of the jaw isn't the angry clench of Val. She could laugh if her chest didn't feel so full.]

Party!

Ahmanet | The Mummy

[ahmagawd]

[ Compared to either being locked in a sarcophagus for over four thousand years and otherwise incapacitated by having all the energy drained from her, being in a strange world ruled by strange "gods" seems like a bargain. Not to mention, this world is so wildly chaotic and harsh that it practically worships her own patron deity. The gloom, the rubble, the fear, the violence... it's a psalm of its own accord, and one in which she will gladly join, if not aggravate for her own delight. ]

A: Battle [ Giant lizard monsters....? Well, the closest thing she's ever seen to them are crocodiles. But even then, the crocs usually keep to themselves unless they're hungry. Anyway, she's going to be back-handing them with her bare knuckles as soon as they get too close, after which she stomps on them to crush their skulls. And then spits on them. ] Know your place.

[ Oh-- hello there. You saw all that? Well: ] Who are you?

B: One Minute in Heaven [ More like, one minute in which she becomes a crazy stalker all over again. Ahmanet is the bride to a god, she loves him, she adores him, she'll do anything for him; in her eyes, he is the only one she will love. As such, what "love" she feels when she happens to see your character is confused with that obsession. So for this one moment, she will believe that you-- yes, you-- are the most suitable host to resurrect her god. Congrats!

Have a mummy grab your face and hoist it towards her, nevermind that her palms are deathly cold and nails are black and cracked. She's muttering something incomprehensible, something ancient-- an enchantment? a cruse?-- but no, that can't be, because her dark eyes are somehow full of warmth and for once, for once it seems that life has returned to her. You are hers, her chosen, she will never let you go... ] I have found you.

C Network: [ Remember those ~accidental videos~ that were so popular back-in-the day? Well here's another one! Have a ghostly and ghastly looking face appear wayyyy too close for comfort, peering at the screen on this phone. ] Stop talking at me. [ Seems like she's turned it on accidentally and never figured out how to turn it off. ]

D: Wildcard. [ Come at me brah. ]

cackles at A

[ghoulaid]

( Oh, yes. He saw that. And it was amazing. She's amazing. Everything is amazing right now.

Sure, she looks... slightly-corpse-like, maybe? But creepy things are totally Ghoul's aesthetic, and that aside, those were some pretty badass moves. She bitch-slapped them, stomped their heads, and then spit on them. Why wouldn't he stop and gawp at her and the whole Dangerous Queen Of The Undead thing she's got going on?

Except he kind of gets caught red-handed. Whoops. He blinks and makes an effort to tone down the heart-eyes, answering with an extremely eloquent: ) --Uh... Nobody? ( Smooth. His arm gives a nervous twitch at his side, his hand gripping a bright green laser-pistol that he won't even need if she's going to wreck everything in the arena bare-handed. )

Zelda | Hyrule Warriors

[divinusly]

A: Serpents [ Zelda's not unused to fighting large fire-breathing reptiles, just not of this sort. Still, the principle is the same: dodge the fire, distract them, break their guard, and unleash an attack. Should anyone be watching, the rapier she holds may seem far too thin to pierce their thick skin or horns, but it does just that as she dances through the battle until finally cutting down the last one. Not a drop of grime falls on her person, but her sword is caked in filth after. The blade whistles through the air as she brandishes it to the side, whipping the dirt, blood, and grime from its edge onto the ground, but does not sheath it just yet. Not that she actually has a scabbard on her person, mind you, but for now the sword remains drawn.

The woman looks down towards the last serpent she's slain, turning its head over with her boot. Her expression remains controlled and undisturbed as the monster's long tongue lolls out from its mouth and onto the ground. ] What are these things?

[ To her, better question is: can she salvage any part of them for her own use? Their skin looks tough and malleable, but more importantly... if they can spit fire, they must have some sort of highly combustible substance within them, perhaps some type of oil. That would be extremely useful to have on hand. Welp, better get to work. ]

B: Bitty Zelda [ The girl's hair is a tussled mess of gold after having spent an entire day skipping happily along an otherwise dreary setting. Still oblivious to what perils the world holds-- or, perhaps, not so much oblivious as simply ignoring it-- the girl has now found a place to perch and bring out a golden harp, at which point she begins to strum a few notes.

The song begins pleasantly enough, but then one note is struck oddly and she stops the melody altogether. ] --Ah. [ She whines, looking down at the harp. Her lips form into a pout, and stubbornly she pats the body of the instrument as if it would goad it to sound correctly. ] That's not it...

C: It's ~Wuv~ [ She's never been in love, really, for she's had a love for everyone in the sense that she adores the world and wishes to protect it. But love of the romantic sort? It's quite beyond her in that she doesn't even know how to recognize it herself. So when you, lucky you, happen catch her eye, she's struck with a strange sense you're suddenly the only person in the entire multiverse that matters to her, someone who she should cherish, someone who she should protect--

--Someone is about to step into a puddle. OH NO THE HORROR. No way can she let her newfound crush sully themselves!! ] Please. [ She will interject, a gentle hand tapping on your shoulder before stepping forward. ] Allow me.

[ Are you ready for some traditional chivalrous bullshit? Because that's what going to happen. She pulls out a white scarf, woven of fine but sturdy material, the kind one would use to temper fierce winds.... and lays it over the puddle. Zelda then gestures with her hand. There, your path is now without any puddles that may soak your boots. ]

B

[utulien_aure]

[Fingon bites back a laugh and turns, the sharp hearing of the Eldar leading the way to the little girl. Few are the harpists in Hadriel, and he is among their number- so the sound of a new instrument, and an unfamiliar voice, is quickly noticeable. As is the singer's youthful voice, and while there are few dangers to the city at the moment, the thought of a young girl off on her own concerns him.

He appears eventually, a tall dark-haired figure with too-bright eyes and ears pointed but shorter than hers. Fingon gives her a warm smile in reassurance.]

Might I offer some help, young miss?

dick simmons | red vs blue

[cybernerdic]

Fear

[ Oh god. Oh god. Are those things giant snakes? Please don't let them be really big snakes. You'd think a guy wearing full body armor and holding an assault rifle would be more confident against some giant lizard monsters. And you would be completely wrong.

His inner soundtrack is definitely fuckthisshitimout.mp3 right now.

Anyone nearby will definitely hear him trying to talk himself into not shitting his pants as one of the chaos serpents starts to advance on him. ]

Okay it's... it's probably not a snake. It has legs. Snakes don't have legs. Ohgodfuckme-! [ He scrambles away from a swipe from the chaos serpents and then actually remembers he's got a goddamn gun in his hands. He carries it around so much without actually using it that he forgets it's actually a weapon.

Eat lead giant lizards! ]


Confusion

[ When was the last time Simmons saw an actual kid? Like an actual kid and not Tucker's weird alien kid? Simmons has his helmet off which is probably a mistake because he has very vivid memories of middle school aged kids being fucking vicious when they sense weakness or think you look weird. And having some metal plating and a cyborg eye is definitely criteria for looking different. He'll probably try to edge away from any approaching kiddos unless they corner him.

To any adults in the area Simmons will ask the question that really ought to be on everyone's minds right now: ]

Is... is this normal? Shouldn't they all be in school or something?


Wildcard

[ Have anything else you wanna do? Let's do that thing! ]

confusion

[evocation]

[Kyna has scooted up to Simmons because she definitely recognizes that armor, and she's trying to be nosy without actually looking nosy. It's absolutely failing.

Plus, this means whatever kids she runs into aren't solely her responsibility. Two for two.]

Uh... There aren't any schools here. Plus, I'm pretty sure they were all adults like two days ago.

Hvitserk Ragnarsson | Vikings

[middleborn]

1. Fear
[Hvitserk stumbled a little, still trying to get his bearings. The large lizard-like creature was likely going to make that difficult, however.

He blinked, scarcely believing that what he was seeing was real, but the fireball that scorched his shoulder as he barely managed to roll out of the way and draw his sword was very real. He looked from his slightly singed tunic to the hulking beast, raising his shield he tried to assess whether or not to fight this dragon or retreat to a more advantageous position.

That's when he realized he wasn't exactly alone in this fight.] Hey! Hey, are you alright?

2. Love
[Suddenly very aware of how disheveled he likely looked, Hvitserk tried to quickly, but discreetly straighten his armor and clothing, running a hand lightly over his hair to make sure that there weren't any pieces sticking out haphazardly. Shit. He likely shouldn't have been staring that whole time either.

Clearing his throat, he looked at the ground for a moment before making eye contact again, trying to stand up a little straighter, aiming for flirtatious, but strong.]

Hello. [His hopeful little smile sort of ruined the whole tough, deadly Viking vibe he'd been going for.]

3. Wildcard
[[ooc - I'm down for just about anything! Feel free to hit me up on plurk (squissie) if you'd like or just throw something crazy at me :D]]

Fear

[ubbe]

[ Ubbe felt a bit disoriented to say the least but Hvitserk's voice had him more alert. What should have had him more alert was the very present danger that they were in. His hand went to his axe, but as he took in the enemy he's not sure what good it will do.

He hasn't answered Hvitserk, his eyes scanning their surroundings before pointing to what appears to be a better vantage point. They might be able to see a way to escape or at least have time to formulate a plan of attack if nothing else. ]

Over there. Run. [ His voice didn't leave room for his younger brother to question, all the same he grabbed his shoulder and pushed him in the direction he intended. ]

Floki | Vikings

[boats_n_hoes]

F e a r

[ At first, Floki assumed he was witnessing some kind of vision, like a shaman or a seer would. The crumbling Colosseum that surrounded him, the men, women and children all running and fighting.

Standing in the middle of the chaos, holding his Adz in one hand, his Axe in the other, looking around with a bewildered expression in his painted eyes. He had never seen anything the likes of this before. The structure of the building, the kinds of people, the clothes and weapons they had. It was all so overwhelming. Floki let out a strange sort of noise, somewhere between a fright and excitement, like a laugh trapped in a hiccup.

It was then that a shadow encroached around him, covering him in a blanket of darkness. The serpent-like creature, something resembling a beast of the time of Gods. Legs like a man, three goat horns and the body of a snake. Floki froze at first, in awe of the beast that towered above him.

He needed to snap out of it if he was to survive, yet all he could think of was that this was it, this was the start of Ragnarök! ]

L o v e

[ He'd been watching you for a little while now, scratching the side of his face, the dull dirty metal of his Adz, scraping scratchy beard and a sly smile on his face.

Yes, this was the look of Floki besotted. The strange trickster was already considering what ways to seduce you. Perhaps a sacrifice to your favourite God? Or maybe you'd prefer a handmade boat? Whatever he was thinking, he was now coming over, flighty and erratic in his movement as he came to stand right beside you.]

I wonder... Which God it is I have pleased so? To lead me here, to you.

Fear

[requiemshark]

[More monsters means there's finally something fun to fight, and that's reason enough to wander out into the tunnels. Besides, his flame throwers are back in working order and Ephemera has been getting that nagging itch to set something on fire.

You know. Just a little.

Some of the new monsters look like giant snakes and have their own fire. But they squeal and burn like anything else when Ephemera hits them with a blast of napalm. This one is no different, rearing back with what sounds like rage and pain.

So, naturally, he shoots it in the head a few times. Boom, boom, boom. It echoes.

The armor covers him from head to toe, black with red highlights, and a shark's grinning maw on his rifle. His expression is calm beneath the helmet, but there's no way for the stranger to know that.]

Motherfucker, move. Or help me kill that.

Lavernius Tucker | Red vs Blue

[lovernotafighter]

1. Love

[Look, the long and the short of it is that... it didn't feel any different, not really. It was the same damn thing after the Temple of Procreation: everyone else got their jam on and Tucker...well, Tucker was the same; he had even kicked the Temple and his key to make sure it was working.

There was a baseline with him, and this? Well, this was it.

So, it was no wonder that Tucker still smiled at whoever passed by, that Tucker still leaned against the nearest wall (or tried to because he misjudged the distance and stumbled a little), that he still said the magic words:] Are you a transformer, baby, because you are Optimus Fine.

[Because that, too, was baseline.

Enjoy.]


2. Confusion:

[The hardest part about being a dad was how in tune to other kids it made him. Sure, other children weren't as cute as his, weren't nearly as awesome, didn't have total noble titles and were alien ambassadors by the fifth grade, but not everyone could be perfect, right? It still didn't stop Tucker begrudgingly caring about the less fortunate.

So when the kid ran into him and Tucker was done checking to make sure his wallet was still there -- what?! he had seen a lot of movies where the kids robbed people, okay?! -- he looked around. Um, so this was weird. Really weird. Uncomfortably weird. Eyes scanned around looking for a pair of frantic parents, but saw...nothing.]

Hey, munchkin. Did you escape your kid leash or something?

[What? He used it ONCE with Junior until he gnawed through the thing in like, one bite. Don't judge.]


3. Wildcard

love!

[igniting]

[There are some fun side effects to being raised in near total isolation. Namely, flirting is a skill Aloy has no proficiency in, but that's fine, because apparently neither does Tucker. That was bad enough that she can default to her usual deadpan sarcasm rather than get flustered.]

I have no idea what any of that means.

Magnus Burnsides | The Adventure Zone

[disarmer]

A. Love

[ Today is weird. Like, weirder than normal weird. It's like everyone around him has caught some kind of weird flirting virus. Which would be pretty funny except he's been hit on, like, a lot today. It was fine the first few times! Weird, but fine! He just brushed it off, thanked the people, and went off on his merry way.

It's getting out of hand, though. He's running out of polite, non-awkward ways to extract himself from these situations. ]

Hey, uh. You don't have a crush on me or anything, right? I mean if you do, that's cool! Just...I think there might be something weird going on?

[ Nailed it. ]

B. Too Many Children

[ Children are cool. A whole city full of them, though? Not so much. It's kind of dangerous, none of them seem to have parents, and...It's dangerous! His conscious isn't going to let him just let all these little rugrats run around unattended.

So he spends his time chasing them around, trying to get them all somewhere safer than just around. Someone help him. ]

Hey, watch out! I saw a bunch of snake-guys around here the other day--

C. Wildcard

B! (too good to pass up omfg)

[barold]

[The boy Magnus is chasing around just laughs and runs away as fast as his tubby little denim-clad legs can take him. Normally, a big man running and yelling after him would be pretty scary - but honestly, this whole week has been full of weird adults and weird kids in this weird, weird place. He's getting used to it by now.

Little Barry Bluejeans is learning to have fun with it all.]

There's no snake-guys! Yer makin' it up!! [Barry laughs brightly, ducking around a corner of a tall, twisted building. Thinking he's hidden, he leans against the wall and pants for breath, adjusting the straps of his jean overalls hooked over his shoulder.

There's no way the huge man can find him here~.]

michael j caboose | red vs blue

[ctrlfu]

Fear

[ Well this is just not right at all. How does one person get so turned around trying to find the bathroom?

And yet here he is. A massive soldier in blue armor, almost seven feet tall with a gun in hand, turning to observe the two scaly monsters that have taken note of each other first.

He watches as they toss their horned heads, opening their tooth-filled maws to assault one another with their unique breath weapons. Claws sing through the air, jaws gnashing as drifting clouds of poison curl upwards into the dark. The soldier standing there to the side observing them has only one response to the clash of the colossal reptilians, as a fireball sails past his head and crashes into a nearby wall. ]

Neat.

[ Luckily, standing still to watch seems to have ensured their attention stays on one another. For now. That's not likely to remain the case, but Caboose is entranced and unlikely to leave on his own. ]



Confusion

[ One could argue that this is a somewhat natural outcome. That the body now fits the mind. In either case, the stocky space marine simulation trooper is now considerably smaller than usual. He looks as though he could be about nine or ten, though large for his age. Dark, untidy hair tufts in all directions, and for the moment he has determined that playing 'pelican landing' is the coolest game that there is.

Which means arms out, and careening at top speed in random directions. And as everyone knows, 'landing' a pelican simply means that you stop it flying. Usually with the ground. But people work too.

Don't worry. He'll be making all the appropriate alarm noises before crashing headfirst into you. ]

Fear!

[igniting]

[Aloy, meanwhile, is crouched just out of sight, watching the monsters fight. She's sneaking her way through this, ready to help if needed but not willing to draw undue attention to herself.

But then, this guy looks like he's about to get roasted. She can never catch a break.]

Hey! Get over here!

Roronoa Zoro | One Piece

[three_swords_stronger]

A] [well while the poison spitting snake is down for the count, ie. sliced in half, but he's casually riding the fire spitting one, hand on the upper most of his swords as he looks around. Spotting someone on the ground, he casually nods]

Know the way to a good bar?


C] [a child is running around, three katana strapped to his back. He is also carrying six sticks in his belt and balancing a large rock on his head, sweating slightly on the strain of it all. Upon seeing anyone who looks remotely strong he'll jog up to them and ask seriously: ]

Are you a swordsman?

D] [Wild Card!]

slams into oh A

[hot_mes]

[thank god Law's not pint-sized when he decides to see what the monthly ruckus at the coliseum is like. His thrill at seeing a shockingly familiar head of stupid green hair is tempered by the complete exasperation at exactly where Roronoa is at the moment.

Leave it to him.]

Lucky for you, the bar is the only thing functional right about now.

[dryly, from a seat three rows up from the monster-strewn floor]

Lucas Baker | Resident Evil

[1019]

I. Fear.

[Lucas comes to (comes to? Nuh-uh, no, no, no, there was - he was running, right, then what the fuck did he trip over that he's suddenly) on the ground with an OOF -- !

-- With a growwwwl, pushes himself up onto his elbows. Teeth on display and eyes wide open - looks up, around, shit, these is no part of the mines he's ever been in, what the --

Rolls himself over onto his back and rump to start getting himself onto his feet when what the hell is that, there is a frickin' lizardman looming right over him -- ]

FUCK -- !

[It's a mix of - outrage and alarm, more than real fear. He don't got much to worry about but pain. Pain and being hobbled when he freakin' has important places to go, as if this -- sudden detour wasn't enough, how long has this been here...

He totally gracelessly scrambles backwards - clearing some distance before he tips forward, presses and buckles one leg against the ground to push himself up...

Growls a motherFUCKERS -- ! like a transfer of weight onto a shoe in a gravel pit. A puffed breath, as he hobbles back into standing, and, still nasally snarled and breath-wrapped -- ]

-- Think they can keep shit from me, hunh -- ...?!

[Falling low in his throat. With his eyes wild and locked on the - thing, were there any notes around the fuckin' lab, anything that said anything at all about this, coulda given him a hint...!]

Well, let's see about that -- ...!

[Corners of his lips curving into a strictly nerve-excitation-driven smile - meandering shakes of his head... Still - backing up, hands just-raised -- throwing up higher for a second, ngck, a stumble over a rock...

A sizzling "hehhhhh...!" - and a hitching rasp of:]

Come and get it -- ...

["Geddit", he says.

Drawing a knife from the pocket of his hoodie, and...

Practically falling over himself as he turns heel and books it for the exit - a flailing partial turn to look with huge eyes over his shoulder...!

It's not... chasing! Heh - not very fast, anyway! There he is, grinning again like he's in the last leg of a race for first prize...!

The thing takes one step after him. And then another, and then --

There is a BURST of roaring noise and light and holy shit that's fire --

A curdling:]

WHOOOOOOA!

[He lets himself hit the dirt into a low-crouching duck and cover -- a blast of heat rushes over his back, and - there it is glowing past the edge of his hood...!

...He's not even getting up again yet. His hands drop hangin' like lifted rat's paws between shoulder and hip level, and he watches the rest of the fireball's course saucer-eyed...!

Anyone else in the vicinity! Ah - heads up...!]


III. Confusion.

[There's... a little boy, about five or six, sitting dead in the road.

By dead, I don't mean... dead! Just... there. All content-looking. Big bright eyes and a proverbial bushy tail. Drawin' away. Step on up to look, if you want to. He'll give you a big, fish-eyed smile and a "hi..." before looking back down and drawing away. Intensely. Like he's trying to show off.

What he's drawing, by the way, is... some... kind of really crude schematic. Something that can be vaguely parsed as a kindergartener's take on a Rube Goldberg machine, if labeled, with arrows, words like "weight" and "pulley" and "trigger".

Aaaall ending in a bear trap. Clamped onto the head of some kind of... reptilian thing - it looks like a bipedal alligator with stick appendages.

Somewhere in his drawing, the kid will look up at you.

Still with a bright, happy-as-a-clam smile, if a little... vacant in the eyes - his mind's on an important project, here!]

What do monsters eat?

[The kid's got a Huck Finn accent.

And an arrow pointing to the jaws of the bear trap, labeled "THE MONSTER EATS THE BAIT!"]


Wildcard!

[Would you like another prompt or scenario? Feel free to toss anything at me, or to hit me up for something else, be it by comment, PM, or Plurk (I'm schmendricks)!]

simon jarrett | SOMA

[theseuschip]

fear:

[ There are people here, and buildings — surface buildings. Simon’s lizard hindbrain may have gotten a recent experimental port, but it can still recite its lines but good. The roaring heartbeat, the icy panic at a sudden sense of inherent Wrongness that forces the air from your chest, when he scrambles to his feet from what moments ago was grimy tile — it’s a very convincing simulation, until of course his vision starts to jerk and tear into displaced pixels and strobing pain. ]

What the hell? Catherine? [ she’s plugged in. She can explain this, right? This is supposed to be hallways and pneumatic doors, sickly screen-glow and broken machinery. ] What’s—

[ and then he feels impossible heat singeing the back of his arm and yanks it away, turning to see some kind of fucking dragon-man — no, two of them, flames shooting from their mouths. He ducks clumsily under another stream of fire and suddenly his vision is obscured by... what he can only assume is smoke because he doesn’t breathe and wouldn’t know toxic gas from a hole in the ground.

So he runs, blindly, as only a guy in a specific ‘I have no weapons and my brain can fucking melt, I think’ type of life situation can.

It may be in your general direction, but that shouldn’t complicate things any. I mean, you can tell the difference between a friendly sprinting haunted 22nd-century diving suit with an ivy-like overgrowth of tentacled metal nodes and glowing red robotic eyes behind an eerie, unnaturally dark faceplate and a hostile one, right? ]

wildcard:

[ Though I didn’t write starters for them, I’m all the way open to the other two prompts (you know you want to traumatize your characters... bring them back to childhood and then ruin it immediately... imagine....,,,) and anything else you feel like throwing! i’m on plurk at honchkrow if you want to suggest anything specific! ]

holy shit SIMON

[igniting]

[Yeah, Aloy... can't tell the difference. This thing is humanoid, but it's also sprinting right towards her, and she's fairly certain most humans don't look like that. Machines, however, do.

Aloy nocks an arrow, draws her bow, and points it directly at Simon, but at least she's giving him a few seconds to announce himself before shooting, right?]

Agent Carolina | Red vs Blue

[uptightness]

[ONE]
[She can't explain it, as much as she would like to, and she really would. She doesn't like things that happen outside of her control, and arriving here as covered her daily quota of bullshit. The last time she had felt like this- well, it has been sooner than she would admit to most people. Yet even then, it hadn't encompassed it quite like this. She's still not 100%, knowing that her time frozen had taken a toll on her body, but even that doesn't explain it.

In the grand scheme of things, they aren't even the worst that she has faced. In fact, they're fairly mild, would barely register on a bad today. She's been trained as a soldier, pushed herself, always driven by that desire to do better, to be better, to be the best. Sure, it might have mellowed out a little since her Freelancer days, but old dogs don't quite just learn new tricks. It's a work in progress, although the whole band experience and watching them squirm had actually been fun.

The monsters are leaving her alone for the moment, although she is the one covered in a big metal suit, unlikely (maybe) to be too injured if anything decides that she looks like a meal. That hasn't stopped them from moving around, from attacking others. She should move, should try to stop the advance of the snake-like creatures. It would be fairly easy, a few steps, a shot or well aimed punch, and it would be over.

Yet she's frozen there, still, unmoving, until-]

Watch out!

[Hey. It's something, isn't it?]

[THREE]
[Kids? Not really her thing, although you could argue she has baby sat every day for the last... Well, long enough that she'd be earning some sort of medal for doing it. Or at least that is what the old her would have said. They're family now, the Reds and the Blues, even if they do drive her crazy sometimes. But that's all a part of it, isn't it? It had taken her too long to figure that out, to realize that being the best, topping the leader charts, didn't make her the best. It was only once everything was gone that she realized. Hind sight was twenty twenty, and she wouldn't make (quite) the same mistakes again.

Children are another matter. She is surprised to see one and does glance around, wondering if there is a parent or a guardian nearby, someone that she can pawn them back off on. Yet all there there is is the child. She likely doesn't look the friendliest, even without speaking or seeing her expression. The suits not exactly warm and cuddly. It's a machine, not a toy.]

Uh. Hey there... little fellow? Did you need a hand?

[Smooth is not exactly something that Carolina could be called.]

One!

[evocation]

[These crazy dragon things aren't the worst monsters Kyna has ever seen, either. Actually, they're not even the worst monsters she's seen in Hadriel, but they're still obnoxious. She's developed a sort of instinctive bias against anything remotely dragon-like, but she can't pass up an opportunity to help the new kids, either.

She's surprised, though, when she sees someone in what looks like crazy space marine armor hanging back. Maybe that's smarter, but still, Kyna wouldn't mind a little assistance. The person--a woman, actually--calls out a warning, and it gives Kyna just enough time to scramble out of the way of a well aimed tail. She makes a face, zaps the thing with a quick electricity spell, and turns her attention back to Carolina.]

Hey! If you're not going to help kill shit you should probably like... Leave.

MONKEY D. LUFFY (ONE PIECE)

[3d2y]

ARRIVAL

[ Even Luffy acknowledges that none of this makes any sense. One minute he's inside Bege's castle and plotting their attack, and the next minute - he's nowhere near where he knows he's supposed to be. Not even on the same island, it looks like. Whole Cake Island is colourful, whimsical and smells like sweets. This new place was dark and dreary. Was he captured? When did that even happen? Naturally, Luffy's first course of action is to go shouting at the top of his lungs for his other friends - or anyone, because being confused and alone is the worst. Subtlety? He doesn't even know what that means. ]

OIII!! Nami! Chopper! Carrot! I'll even take that stupid Caesar --! Where'd you all go?! [ When he spots the first sign of life, he'll stretch his rubber arms over to them and grab them by the shoulder. ] Hey, you! Do you know where's the wedding? [ What ... wedding. ]

SOMETHING SOMETHING BREATH MINTS

[ So, fire-breathing demons. They're trouble, right? Most people would want to stay clear of them if possible. For some reason, though, Luffy's got it in his head that it might be a good idea to tame the beasts instead. ]

Do you think ... if we made friends with them, they'll let us ride them?

[ It's really not the time to be pondering such things, because said serpent is looking right in their direction, and it's ready to deliver one of its powerful blasts of fire. ]

L...OVE???!?!?!?

[ A romantic crush isn't quite possible for a guy like Luffy, who simply isn't interested in that kind of intimacy, but what he does feel while under the effects is a great, overwhelming fondness for whoever happens to have caught his eye. He's so immensely fond, in fact, that it feels like his heart might burst with happiness just looking at them. He's not going to waste any time walking to where they are. Instead, he jumps off the tall building he's on, falling right into them with his arms open for a big, painful rubber hug. ]

I FOUND YOU!! [ If his object of immense affection doesn't dodge, he'll collapse into them in a pile of limbs and cheerful laughter. It's like he's reuniting with an old friend. ]

some variation of breath mints i guess

[meramera]

( there's ash in his lungs when the door spits him out face-first onto warm, dusty earth, and the first thing that comes to mind is incredulity at the fact that he still has lungs that work to start with —

but ace barely has the opportunity to dwell on that before something lunges with a roar into his peripheral vision and he sidesteps the massive beast with an ease that feels... just a little wrong, somehow. he's whole and unweary, no trace of the wounds he keenly remembers being dealt. probably got thrown into some kind of purgatory, the pirate thinks, before the flames come to his hands when called like an old friend and that's strange too, but he'll have more time to consider the implications of his current situation later. falling back into the fight is an easy, familiar thing; two of the creatures fall as he sends their flames right back at them, and ace wonders, briefly, if they'd taste good when roasted —

and then completely forgets about absolutely everything when he happens to turn and catch sight of someone across the coliseum who has no business being here at all, if this truly is purgatory. perhaps it's some kind of illusion, because there's no way ace can think of to explain the presence of his brother of all people; the alternative is a cold drop of dread in his gut.

still, there's no way to find out until he actually gets to speak to luffy — or this place's facsimile of him, considering he looks... different from the way ace remembered — so he breaks into a sprint, swerving in between the gnashing jaws of more of those beasts because he doesn't have the time for this shit, honestly. ) — Luffy!?

Kobra Kid | Danger Days

[goodluckkobra]

FEAR

[ Kobra has no idea how he got here. He would try to retrace his steps in his mind, but he's a little focused on the giant lizard monster. Really focused. He's never seen anything like this before and he's not entirely sure that he can believe his eyes right now, either. He's hallucinated weirder things, but believing it just seems like a real lapse in what little judgment he has left and--nope, it's running at him.

With a very brave yell, he draws his ray gun and shoots back at it as he takes off sprinting. Too bad he's a lousy shot. ]

Fuck! Ain't no way you're real, motherfucker.

[ That explains why the shot missed, right? ]


CONFUSION

[ Kobra's alone. He can't remember the last time he was alone. He's always supposed to stay with someone Party trusts if Party isn't there, but here he is alone and he can't remember why he would be. Maybe he should hide until Party finds him, but then what if Party needs help? Maybe he should be out there looking for his big brother.

He's small, even for his age, skinny and underfed and dressed in clothes that were clearly well-loved before he ever got them. One of the sleeves of his bright yellow jacket has been sewn back on a few times and the shoulder seam is a patchwork of thick, sloppy stitching and the T-shirt underneath looks like it was once white, but now it's a splotchy brown with a snake drawing sharpied on the front.

With a sigh that seems decades older than he looks, he trudges on, his oversized boots clonking the broken concrete. ]

Shoulda left me a note or somethin' at least.

FEAR obvs

[laststartofall]

[It as if from nowhere that an arm appears and all but clotheslines Kobra, catching him around the chest as he runs and wheeling him around to pull him against the chest of the person it belongs to.]

Whoaa---ey. Hey.

[He sees the lizard monster. You fucking bet he sees it, and the forced calm in his eyes isn't entirely crack-free as he lets Kobra go with far less care than he snagged him mid-sprint.]

Chill out. [Jet Star says, as he takes a step back, turning the toe of his boot into the sandy earth. The creature ahead of them is still coming closer, but now looks uncertain as to why the prey it was chasing has stopped. It makes an odd sound in its throat, like a fire crackling into life.]

Y'okay, Kid?