Test Drive Meme #33

[hadrielmods]

Welcome to Hadriel's test drive, and thank you again for your interest in the game! As always, our reserves page is here, and our applications page is here! Reserves open June 24th, and apps are open July 1st. Please remember that there is an app cap of 20 apps.

Two quick points here as well:

1. Any thread made in Hadriel's test drive will be accepted as the sole Action Log sample in the application.
2. All threads made in the test drive can be considered game canon, either through handwaving or through a shared mental experience while coming through the Door!

Test drives will be broken up into specific god mini-events, during which your characters can see how well they fare under the watchful eye of one of the gods. Choose wisely or just simply pick 'em all, and have fun!

F E A R

SCENARIO ONE: WEARS HIGH HEELS WHEN SHE EXERCISES
[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.

And this one is, well, particularly creepy. Especially if you dislike body horror, or spiders, or being eaten. This time, the Door has brought in Virginias, from the video game The Forest.

Virginias are rather disturbing-looking monsters, looking a bit like multiple bodies all squished together. They move quickly, they can charge and leap at you, and those creepy arms and legs hurt like hell. They also make skittering noises, if you want to be even more creeped out. So have fun with that!]

L O V E

SCENARIO TWO: YES, LIKE THAT
[Today, it's you time. You woke up this morning and you knew it was the perfect day to practice a little self-care. To put yourself first. To treat yourself. And that's what you're going to do!

Whether that means drinking too much, skipping out on unwanted obligations, telling people what you really think of them, or eating that last donut - you're looking after you now, and it doesn't matter what anybody else thinks! All that matters is that you're happy. So party on, and let's hope your fun doesn't get in the way of anyone else's life.

This is a mini version of our Love Yourself event this month.]

R A G E

SCENARIO THREE: JUST ONE OF THOSE DAYS
[This morning you didn't wake up wanting to treat yourself. Oh, no. You woke up wanting to show your anger - to the world, to yourself, to anyone watching. You want to break shit, start fights, get into pointless internet arguments. They're wrong, after all.

So why not? Find a stray piece of wood and start smashing windows. Tell someone you don't like the way they're looking at you. Post something incendiary on Twitter Hadriel's network. And wait for the responding anger. That's what you want, right? Someone to face off against?

Let's just hope you don't go too far.]

Comments

[hyperverbose]

[ annnnd he can't help himself. he's gotta peek. and then immediately regret it, but at least wheel to the side for her. ] ... Who am I to argue with the nice lady with a sword?

[roseofthetyrells]

[that was a bad idea. he's gotten its attention, so it skitters a little and moves to strike.

or it would, if Margaery hadn't gracefully leapt the distance between her and the Virginia, striking it neatly through the head. she twists her sword and what's left of the creature's head makes a squishing noise.

once it stops twitching, she withdraws her sword, wiping the blade clean with a handkerchief she's retrieved from the bodice of her gown, then holding her blade at the ready in case more Virginias are attracted by the noise]

That's wise of you, ser. If you'd like, I can escort you to the exit?

[hyperverbose]

[ it happens quickly enough that he's a little dazed by both the fucked up nature of the creature, the calm demeanor of the woman who swiftly dispatches it, and the matter-of-factness of her offer ] ... Yeah. Yeah, why don't we go with that?

Couple of questions though. [ he points at the thing ] What was that. [ he points at her ] Who are you. [ and his finger ambles around, indicating the general structure they're in ] And a more general-ish where the hell am I.

[roseofthetyrells]

[this is not Margaery's first time assisting someone at the Colosseum. she goes there every month, hoping to find her brother or grandmother. every month, she's disappointed, but at least she can help others and practice her swordplay] Very well, then. This way. [she gestures to her left]

Certainly. That was a monster from another world. I am Margaery Tyrell, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. [she laughs a little and smiles warmly at him] Which you've likely never heard of. And you, ser, are in Hadriel. You were taken from your world by something called the Door and left here on this planet to serve as a--a food source for beings called the gods.

[hyperverbose]

[ he's not complaining.

well. until she gets to the end of all that. then he'll very audibly complain, pulling up sharply and turning back towards her ] Serve as a what-now?

[roseofthetyrells]

[her smile turns wry and more than a little bitter, as does her tone of voice, changing from its pleasant sound to something a little darker] We serve as a food source to being calling themselves gods. They aren't gods, of course, but they have powers beyond ours. Once a month, sometimes twice--excuse me a moment--[she skewers another oncoming Virginia]--they make us feel a particular emotion very strongly by--by playing with our minds and perceptions.

There are seven of them in total. Hope, Fear, Sorrow, Love, Rage, Confusion, and Tranquility.

They also provide the food, the [she stumbles a bit with this word] electricity, and the goods at the shops. So there are many here who blindly accept what the so-called gods do without much complaint. I am not one of them.

[hyperverbose]

I know the type. Godly not-gods, I mean. Their names tend to be a little less on the nose, though. [ the verbal diarrhea is his brain's way of pushing away the reality of what she's saying, of trying to give himself some time to actually cope with what she's telling him. ]



... How long have you been here, exactly? [ he's not digging the sound of 'once a month'. ]

[roseofthetyrells]

Do you? Your world must be very interesting. [it’s understandable. When she first came here, she embarked on a massive charm offensive to cope with the disorientation and her death] And the so-called gods are not terribly creative unless it involves coming up with different ways to torment us.

Me? It’s been so long, I barely remember. Ten months? I think?

[hyperverbose]

Potentially better question. How long has this been going on overall?

[roseofthetyrells]

[she thins her lips and sighs] Two years. At least. It's the rare person who's been here from the beginning, but there are some.

[hyperverbose]

What happened to the rest who were here early on?

[roseofthetyrells]

We assume the Door took them back to their worlds. Some people have come and gone and then came back. The Door is . . . very strange. They say that Sorrow knows the most about it.

[hyperverbose]

Oh, well she just sounds like a friendly and forthcoming demi-god, with a name like that.

[roseofthetyrells]

Actually, Sorrow is a he. And he was not precisely friendly, but he was forthright about our future and what we need to prepare ourselves for.

[hyperverbose]

Is there something else coming?

[roseofthetyrells]

Oh, yes. Coming back. Ser--I'm afraid I haven't gotten your name, how rude of me!--are you a man at arms? I take it that you are, given what you said about saving the galaxy.

Several months ago, we were attacked by mechanical beings known as the Null. Their goals are to wipe out all of the so-called gods and purge the universe of emotion. Last time, they only attacked those who fought back. Next time, I fear we will be shown no such mercy.

[hyperverbose]

Tony, and yeah, man-at-arms is one way to put it. Going to presume not everyone here is exactly battle-ready.

[roseofthetyrells]

It's a pleasure to meet you, Tony. [she curtseys gracefully] And I'm glad to hear that. While we do have many skilled fighters here, you're right in saying that not everyone is battle-ready.

Also, people here generally don't take to hierarchies of any kind, meaning that there's not much we can do to organize ahead of time and the fight becomes a free-for-all.

[hyperverbose]

Sounds like a well oiled machine. [ he said, sarcastically, although it's clearly not directed at her specifically ] Casualties?

[roseofthetyrells]

[a bitter laugh] Far from it. Last time, there were at least ten deaths, likely four times that many who had to go to the Clinic.

[hyperverbose]

You would hope that people would want to prevent that from happening again.

[roseofthetyrells]

You would, would you not? However, the so-called gods continue to run and drag us along with them, hoping that they can always stay one move ahead of the Null. I think that's foolish. Eventually, they'll find us again. The first time, we had the benefit of advanced warning, but next time will likely be a complete surprise.

[hyperverbose]

Not exactly saying a lot for their so called godliness, making calls like that. Puts a real damper on the illusion of omnipresence.

[roseofthetyrells]

Indeed. But as I said, I don't believe that they're gods. I don't believe in any gods. Nothing I've seen at home and nothing I've seen here has convinced me otherwise.

[hyperverbose]

Which means they have a weakness. Making our job to find it.