dankmemes | test drive meme #28

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Another day, another fight. Ephemera sets off into the tunnels when the newcomers arrive, prepared to stick his neck out for complete strangers. At least the new monsters are simple. They fight, they go down, and eventually they die. And - even better - his frame throwers have been repaired. His armor is in awesome shape, he's got plenty of ammo, and way too much anger to burn off in a good fight.

This one has fire, but it also squeals when it gets hit by napalm.

Cool. That means it can die.

Ephemera is feeling pretty happy about the prospect of this thing's loud and very messy death, until he notices someone else.

Someone with a fucking sword and shield.

Now, a few months ago he would have pretty much screamed in frustration, but if Hadriel has taught him anything, the people here are resourceful. Even if they really should be using guns.

Ephemera grunts, lifting his arm and blasting the thing with napalm again.]

Flank me. If it gets too close, stab the shit out of it.

[Hvitserk frowns a little at the orders, not liking that he was being told to basically stay out of the way unless the creature got close, but he did as he was told without argument. He stepped to the man's side, standing just slightly back, and quickly scanned the room in case this dragon creature had any friends, but they seemed to be safe of that happening.

He turned back to watch in awe as the thing screeched in pain, his new comrade had a weapon somewhat like a crossbow but it fired like he'd never seen before. It stumbled and then fell, still screeching horribly. Without thinking, Hvitserk walked over to it and swung his axe down on its head, putting it out of its misery before turning back to look at the stranger. Strange weapons and stranger armor.] Thanks?

[Well, that was easier than expected. Ephemera tips his head to the side, scanning the monster with his HUD. Definitely dead.]

Uh huh.

[He deactivates the flame thrower.]

You all right?

[Hvitserk tilted his head to give the armor a curious once-over, even leaning from side to side to get a better look at it before tapping one of the leg panels lightly with the side of his axe.] Fancy armor. [He offered him a lopsided smile.

Seemingly prompted by Ephemera's question, he glanced down at himself, going through something of a mental checklist before nodding.] Fine, yeah. [He frowned a little as he spotted the bit of singed fabric on his shoulder, pulling at it to assess the damage.]

Are you... a dwarf? [They were in a cave, so his best guess was Svartalfheim and the bizarre, but awesome looking armor immediately had him thinking dwarves, who were known for their blacksmithing.]

I get that a lot.

[Apparently the armor is pretty unique to his world. Ephemera is a little proud of that.

The next question gives him pause.]

A what now?

A... dwarf?

[He sounded even less certain now.]

Uh. There are stories about a race of people where I am from who dwell in an underground land. They're skilled miners and the best blacksmiths and inventors in all the nine worlds. I thought maybe... you were one of them.

[Ephemera pauses, then removes his helmet. Not so long ago he would have laughed at the thought of revealing his head in the field. There are easier, less messy ways of getting oneself killed. But he's learned that people respect what they can see, and it helps, sometimes, to show a human face. Even one as scarred and fucked up as his.]

Sorry. I'm human as they come.

[Hvitserk doesn't seem to bat an eye at the old wounds. To him, it simply meant that the man was likely a great warrior who had battled through his injuries. He'd fought alongside men who had been burned or who had taken an axe to the face who had somehow survived. It wasn't common to recover from injuries like that, but it was far from unheard of.]

Uh-huh. [He gave the man a lopsided, almost sly smile like he was onto Ephemera.] Everyone knows dwarves don't look any different than humans, but I will take your word for it.

[He holstered his axe and peered around.] Do you live here? Is there a way out?

News to me.

[Ephemera shrugs.]

No way out. You're stuck here like the rest of us. And yeah. I live here.

[He frowns, a slew of emotions passing behind his eyes.]

What about the things that were happening when I left? And the people I left? Will they think I just... disappeared? [That thought alone is the worst part of any of this, that his brothers will think he just ran away from everything.]

They won't realize you're gone.

[Ephemera is too keyed up from the fight to be gentle. He shakes his head.]

Sorry. Just how this works.

But... I won't be there anymore. How would they not realize that I'm not there? They might not... care [he's going to try not to think too hard about that], but they will at least see that one moment I was there and then I was not.

[One of his brothers would likely assume he'd died, or run off to disappear like their father. The other would likely assume he'd abandoned him and switched sides again. Once a turncoat always a turncoat, right?

Neither thought was reassuring.]

Time doesn't pass the same way here.

[Ephemera watches him for a moment.]

Just how it is. I don't make the rules.

test drive meme #28

Fear

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject