test drive meme # 35

[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 August 25th, and apps are open September 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: GET YOUR RED CAPE READY
[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 they sure are big boys. Big and easily angered and ready to run right over you. This time, the Door has brought in Brontos, from the video game Dragon Age.

Brontos are large oxen-like beasts, though more sure-footed due to spending all their time in caves underground. There are domesticated brontos, bred to haul and be ridden and eaten... but these aren't those. These brontos are wild, one and all, and they are skittish and large and perfectly capable of running you over. Maybe just keep your distance.]

SCENARIO TWO: DESERTED
[You're alone. Completely alone, as far as you can tell. Nothing here works - oh, there's food in the stores, sure, but the water's not running, the electricity isn't working. There's not a soul on the streets, where you would normally expect to see at least a few people here and there.

So what will you do? Smash windows and grab food from the stores? (Well, the doors are all unlocked, but hey, who doesn't love smashing windows.) Shout in the streets in hopes someone will hear? Curl into a ball and cry? All valid choices. But then, what will you do when you do find someone, after thinking you were all alone? Someone you like, someone you hate, a complete stranger?

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

S O R R O W

SCENARIO THREE: ONE MORE CHANCE
[You can't stop thinking about the one who got away. They've been on your mind - well, it feels like forever, but maybe it's only been a few days. A few hours. But you can't stop thinking about them and regretting what could have been.

Maybe it's a failed romance. Maybe a broken friendship. Maybe a family member who walked away - or who you walked away from. Even a business partner who things ended poorly with. Whatever it was, you regret how things went down. If only you had another chance, a chance to fix things!

And then, there they are. The person you've been thinking of. What will you do? Beg forgiveness? Make amends? Run away? Make your decision and take action, because as soon as you do it you might realize it was never that person at all. You might have just poured out your heart and begged forgiveness from a complete stranger.]

Comments

[theweakhavepurpose]

We don't even listen to each other, let alone water.

[ He hesitates before continuing, feeling foolish for asking, but he's curious.]

What does it say?

[oldtonew]

Oh.

[ Privately, Kettara thinks that explains a lot about humans. At the question, she looks away. ]

I - I don't know. It's....quiet. Like it's trying to speak, but I can't quite hear it.

[theweakhavepurpose]

Probably because of this place.

[ Yeah that's it. And not because it's water and it can't talk. But he's not going to antagonize the much bigger Kettara who looks like she could end him without much trying. ]

Nothing works the way it's supposed to here.

[oldtonew]

There's something wrong here. Just - everywhere.

[ She doesn't have names for the wrongness, either, which worries her. If it's something completely unknown, she could be blindsided. But at least she's not completely alone? Kettara supposes that's all right. Deputy Pratt is a human and has their weird round ears, but he's not as bad as some of the others.

Kettara wrinkles her nose, then nods at the mess of supplies he's gathered. She might as well be helpful. ]

I can carry that for you.

[theweakhavepurpose]

Oh. Uh...

[His hesitation is palpable. For starters it would be admitting weakness to not be able to do it himself. And then there's the fact that she might just take all his stuff. She was obviously stronger than him, what would he do, bite her ankles?]

You don't have to. I got myself into this mess by taking too much.

Do you.. want any? It's mostly soup.

[oldtonew]

[ Kettara tips her head to the side, watching Pratt. He's nervous again. ]

All right. I can make more water. For the soup. Or if you need any.

[ That way it's more like a trade. ]

[theweakhavepurpose]

Ah.

[He hadn't considered that. And while she seems convinced that she manifested water from what was already there, he's still under the impression this is some sort of magic demon water that might kill him instantly.

Still... a source of fresh water is always a good thing should all the municipalities go down.]

Thanks. A trade then.

[He manages a small smile, digging through some of the bags.]

I've got rice and vegetable, cream of mushroom, corn chowder and lentil. What do you like?

[oldtonew]

[ There is a disappointing lack of meat in those options. Kettara shrugs. ] The mushroom one, I guess. Is there anything to hunt around here?

[ She really, really wants some protein. Real protein, the kind that bleeds. ]

[theweakhavepurpose]

[Lucky for her she found one of the only vegetarians on the island.]

There's bugs. Really big bugs, but I'm not sure if you'd want to eat them. And.. fish.

This place doesn't have a lot of wildlife or wilderness for hunting. Not like where I come from, it's a hunting paradise back in Montana.

[oldtonew]

[ Blasphemy. ]

Oh. I can make a spear, for fishing.

[ It's not as fun as running your prey down, but Kettara is pragmatic when she needs to be. If she needs to eat, then she'll eat. ]

What is Montana like?

[theweakhavepurpose]

[Hey he'd been a big hunter and all about venison until he was fed dog food and his dead friends for months. ]

Spear-fishing? Huh, never tried that before.

Lots of trees, lots of deer. Everything is very green, there's a bunch of little lakes with rivers connecting them full of big fat happy fish. At night you can see every star in the heavens. Big Sky Country.

[Boy he sounds wistful. He misses it so much.]

[oldtonew]

[ She'd understand if she knew but since she doesn't....blasphemy. ]

It's not hard. And it helps, if a crocolisk is trying to eat you.

[ Durotar is not an easy place to live. Kettara smiles a little as Pratt describes Montana. ]

Big Sky Country. I like that. You can see a long way at night, in Durotar. But it's not green at all. Barely anything grows there.

[theweakhavepurpose]

No crocodiles in Montana.

[Yep. That's definitely what she said. Crocodiles.]

Is it a desert? There's a weird sort of beauty to deserts at sunset.

[oldtonew]

[ Crocodile? Kettara blinks, but doesn't correct him. It isn't worth starting an argument. ]

Yes. When the sun sets and everything looks red...that's beautiful.

[theweakhavepurpose]

Sounds nice.

[He sighs, looking around. It's cold and overcast here. The scenery is rocks and dirt and dilapidated buildings in strange shapes. He's not a fan.]

The weather here is mostly like this. And rainy. They're islands though so lots of views of the ocean.

[oldtonew]

[ Kettara nods slowly. She misses home now that's away from it. ]

How long have you been here?

[theweakhavepurpose]

Little over a month.

[He actually knows down to the day from the hash marks he's keeping by his bed, but he's aware enough to know he sounds like a crazy person if he starts talking about it that precisely.]

I'd say it gets better, but it doesn't.

[oldtonew]

What do you mean?

[ This doesn't seem so bad. The isolation bothers her, Kettara admits, but she's survived harsher places. ]

[theweakhavepurpose]

I don't want to be here.

False gods. False ideals.

[He snorts. He's not impressed with this place.]

It's all wrong here. Like Purgatory.

[oldtonew]

What makes them false?

[ Kettara shifts curiously, watching him. She's not sure what purgatory is. ]

[theweakhavepurpose]

[His brain screeches to a halt. He ... has no idea how to explain this. He's not even really religious. Or he wasn't. Most of what he believes now isn't his own thoughts but Jacob's rattling around in his brain. Pratt has been broken and rewired so many times that some of the connections aren't all there anymore.]

They're ... not really gods. Pretenders. Blasphemers.

[He looks a little lost, like he's expecting someone to helpfully supply him some talking points.]

Using us like livestock.

[oldtonew]

I thought that's what gods did.

[ Orcs don't really have gods like the other races. Even the elements are temperamental and willful - not all-knowing or all powerful. Kettara scratches her head. ]

Why don't you just...not worship them?

[theweakhavepurpose]

Use people like livestock? No no. that's not..

[He trails off because he's so unsure about all this. And making him question the faith that isn't even his is doing odd things to his head right now.]

I don't!

[Angry, as if she accused him of something.]

[oldtonew]

[ Kettara frowns at Pratt. There's an odd, distant look on his face, and she's not sure why he's suddenly angry. Oddly, she thinks of Drek'Thar, the blind farseer and his violent, ever changing tempers. The others say Drek'Thar goes mad, sometimes. ]

Are you well?

[theweakhavepurpose]

Fine. Fine.

[He shakes it off. Shoving all those thoughts aside for him to dwell on later when he's sitting catatonic in his house alone.]

Doesn't matter. What matters is survival, and I'm doing alright there.

[Hence all the soup.]