test drive meme # 36

[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 September 24th, and apps are open October 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.

You don't want to ride them- someone already tried that. Near you is a horselike beast, one without any fur or skin or anything that might make it more palatable. It's a Nuckelavee, a Nordic mythological creature which terrorizes the Northern Isles.

This demonic creature seems to embody that of a man merged with a horse- but not in the cute centaurian way. They are natural swimmers and emerge from the deep to drag their prey down into the water with them- so terrible that even the scent of their breath can sap you of all will to live. Better hold your own breath and look out!]

L O V E

SCENARIO TWO: GET YOU SOME
[You don't know where you are or where you're going- or what you're even doing in this strange city on the ocean- but you do know that you need someone by your side to make it better. Even if you don't know them, even if you hate them, there's something comforting to having another person so close to you.

Closer.

Physical contact with another person seems to put your mind completely at ease, erasing all of your worries and doing better for your mind than a hundred meditation sessions. So it's time to get friendly, even if you're not really that friendly of a person in the first place.

This is a mini version of our A Little Touchy Feely event this month.]

SCENARIO THREE: 15 MINUTES LATE WITH
[Good news! Love has decided that since other liquids seem to be all the rage amongst you humans and they somehow learned about Earth agricultural crops, they've decided to open up a coffee shop!

Here's the space to live out all of your coffee shop AUs in a Hadriel setting! With a storm brewing over the island and a merry pink glowcloud somehow creating caffeinated drinks on the spot when you order them, get ready to tuck in and get nice and cozy for a few minutes.

But uh-oh! Your name is misspelled! Or it's someone else's name entirely, but it's your drink. Or something about your order is wrong- whatever the case, Confusion definitely wouldn't just stand around and let Love have their fun. Somehow, everything is wrong in this poor coffeeshop... what are you going to do about it?]

Comments

Rosalind Lutece | Bioshock: Infinite

[originallutece]

Love;

[Well, of course she misses Robert. Of course she's aching for someone by her side. And it only makes sense, doesn't it, that the urge grows worse and worse the longer she's here. Yes, it's particularly fervent, but then again, she hasn't been separated from Robert for years. Naturally she's a little skittish.

Nonetheless. Though it's quickly growing from desire to need, she refuses to give in. She doesn't know anyone here, and this is not how she intends to get to know them. A few people have tried, and she's snarled at them, but it seems that won't do the trick forever.

She catches sight of someone sidling towards her, as casually as you please. Perhaps it's in the street; perhaps it's in a laboratory somewhere, where Rosalind seems to feel most at home. Hell, perhaps she and this person have spoken before, exchanging efficient words and polite greetings.

It doesn't matter. She glares at them.]

Don't touch me, or it'll go very hard for you in a moment.

[Her voice is terribly cold.]

YEET

[completelycrazy]

[Newt freezes the second those angry eyes find him, nearly dropping the two mugs of coffee he's carrying in one hand. Man, the one time he tries to be welcoming to a fellow scientist and she's already pissed at him. Isn't this one of Love's events? Isn't she supposed to be all gooey and affectionate and crap? Yearning for human connection?

Well, Newt sure is, and it's annoying. Look at him, tiptoeing up to her with a gesture of good will like this isn't his lab, like she has any room to glower at him when he's been here as long as he has, all ready to dispense valuable knowledge. He pouts, clinging the coffee to his chest protectively.]

Wow, chill out. It's not like everyone is starved for attention around here. I mean, I wasn't—I just, uh.

[He glances down at the mugs. His pride prevents him from forking one over, but doublefisting coffee would look weird. He does not need to look any weirder, not while she's hovering over his workspace, probably judging the creepy defective centaur(?) corspe he has splayed out on the table.]

That's what he said.

[originallutece]

[It's Dr. Geiszler (or Newt, short for Newton, good grief)'s lab, of course, and she recognized that upon walking in. She'd acknowledged the hierarchy, the fact that he was being generous in giving her space to work. But she'd also looked around with a critical air, noting the various innards haphazardly placed, the bits of paperwork with god only knows what kinds of fluids dripped upon them. The messiness, in short, and she'd internally scoffed.

It's his lab. But at this point, Rosalind thinks, it's also her lab, because a man who treats his things like this doesn't deserve to have them.

Anyway. She glances at the two coffees, aware that perhaps she'd been a little too snappish in her approach. She opens her mouth to, if not admit that, at least say something vaguely acknowledging, and then--]

What.

[That's what . . . she stares at him in incomprehension for a long few seconds before sighing sharply and reaching for one of the mugs.]

[completelycrazy]

[Newt stares right back, mildly horrified that he let that come out of his mouth, but, well. He's a man with no sense of shame. He's more miffed that his joke didn't land.]

"It'll go very hard"...? You know.

[You know.]

Hey!

[He starts to lean away from her reach, but, wait, it was supposed to be hers to begin with, so lets her pull it away from him. Their knuckles bum briefly as he untwists his fingers from the handle, and he wishes it didn't send such a burst of warmth coursing through him. Jeez, this event. Get it together, Geiszler. He clears his throat, trying to shake it off.]

Right, uh, I thought you might want some coffee. Obviously.

[He nods at the cup in her hands. He's definitely nailing this interaction.]

I wasn't going to try to cop a feel or whatever, if that's what you were thinking.

[originallutece]

[Oh. Now she gets it, and she kind of wishes she didn't. A grimace comes over her face, but then there's coffee and accidental touching and--

Oh. She hates, she hates how good that feels. It's nothing more than a brief moment, certainly not intimate, nothing more than the slightest of touches, and yet the instant it stops her craving grows all the worse. He leaves her feeling cold, her skin prickling and her breath a little shorter.

She's been avoiding this for two days now. And like any addiction, it had been fine when she hadn't been thinking about it, but like it or not, it's the only thing on her mind now.]

It was what I was thinking, yes. You'll excuse me if I have a tendency to distrust people on sight, especially when most of them seem intent on lying with me in one form or another.

[Her fingers tighten around the mug. She wants badly to reach out and touch him, and refuses to on principle. Not only would he surely (surely) be obnoxious about it, but it would be giving in. It would be losing.]

How, ah, how long do these things last, usually? These afflictions.

[completelycrazy]

[His eyebrows shoot up. Unfortunately for him, he's already onto the next thing and doesn't notice her well-hidden reaction to the touch.]

Seriously? People have been hitting you up for sex?

[He's a little jealous, if he's being honest. No one's propositioning him for sex. What gives?

Wait.]

Oh my god, okay, for the record? I'm not intent on anything over here. I don't do, like, subtle games where me giving you coffee means I'm falling over myself to get in your pants, alright?

[But that little brush of their hands certainly wasn't the worst like maybe they could—no, nope, stop it. Newt is choosing to be above this. Staying in his own personal bubble makes him increasingly itchy and fidgety and, ugh, it's impossible to concentrate, but! He can handle it. It's fine. Totally fine.]

Uh, about a week or so? Week and a half, give or take? So not, uh, forever.

[He's optimistic...?]

[originallutece]

[It might as well forever, frankly. If she's this bad after two days, what will she be like in seven? How desperate will she be? Will her senses be affected? Her thoughts on propriety? How needy will she become, and, worse, what will she do for that fix?

God. She glances away, a muscle in her jaw tensing, glaring at the wall for a few moments.]

Give me your hand.

[Boy, she sure sounds happy about it.]

WHAT UP

[libraritology]

[The person doing the sidling quickly sidles away, not unlike a frantically scuttling crab, and from her quiet and contemplative post across the sitting area of what she can only assume is some kind of café, she suppresses a wry smile. Evelyn felt the compulsion to respond in a similar manner when another stranger wandered her way several hours before, and she knows the prickly signs of discomfort.

She has them herself, and is doing her very best not to let it show (it does).]

You told him right off.

[She remarks, not unfriendly, as she watches the poor fellow skitter out to another corridor.]

I had to do the same thing earlier.

HELL YES

[originallutece]

Of course you did.

[She glances around, making sure there's no one else preparing some kind of snuggly sneak attack, and then comes over to sit near this woman. She looks both sensibly dressed and with enough humor to make the conversation interesting without being inane, so fantastic.]

I'm shocked the incidents are happening as infrequently as they are. I rather expected to be mobbed, but I suppose most people are eager to, ah, shack up with one another, as it were.

[libraritology]

[As much as she would like to deny the urge for closeness Evelyn is, in fact, happy for the company and it shows. Hands folded neatly in her lap, she turns to open into the conversation. Speaking with women has always held a strange sort of challenge to her despite her years in preparatory, since the professional field is rife with men.]

Yes. [Here she has the grace to look mildly bashful, at least, with a faint laugh. Shack up sounds terrifically American.] I've noticed a definitive dearth of residents about these last few hours, no doubt occupied- ah, elsewhere.

[In platonic or carnal relations, as it were.]

[originallutece]

[She's lived with so many Americans these past ten, fifteen years . . .]

I suppose it's to our benefit. Have you been here long, or--?

[She hopes not. It would be rather nice to start this insane sort of adventure with someone who's just as new as she is.]

[libraritology]

I haven't, no.

[Which may or may not be reassuring to her new conversational partner. Evelyn doesn't much enjoy being out of her element like this, particularly when lacking the presence of her older brother. At least with Jonathan about things have a little levity.]

I arrived just this afternoon. One moment I was at my dig site in Egypt, and the next I was being chased by some sort of skinned horse creature in a replica of the Colosseum.

[originallutece]

You were-- you're an archaeologist?

[That is not the most interesting part of that sentence Rosalind, and yet it's what she's honing in on with clear interest. She leans in, one arm bracing against her leg, a slight smile lighting her features.]

Do you specialize in Egyptian works, or were you simply there for the moment?

have mercy

[fanfavors]

[Nie HuaiSang has never been more out of his depth in his life, and considering he was arguably born out of his depth and things only went downhill from there— well, it's turning out to be a very stressful afternoon, to say the least. What possesses him to approach a woman he's never seen before is the luck (or lack thereof) of the draw, really; he isn't known for his foresight.

And he folds instantly the moment she glares at him, taking a startled step back and hurriedly opening a very fine paper fan to duck his face half behind as he starts to sort of... dodge? Edge to the side, as if demonstrating that he's paying careful attention to her personal space.

It's a whole production. Hiding behind a paper fan and everything.]

I don't— I wasn't—

like this you mean

[originallutece]

[Well, at least he got the message. It's gratifying to see a man cower instead of take her snarl as a personal challenge. It's also sort of pathetic, and she watches for a long few seconds before sighing shortly.]

Stop that. I'm not going to hurt you, you can put your fan down.

[Why he's hiding behind it at all, she's sure she doesn't know. Perhaps he hasn't grasped object permanence yet, and thinks that he'll be hidden if he can't see her.]

i felt fear when i read that subject line, and yet

[fanfavors]

[You know, that may very well be the point, it works well enough when one spends all their time around very strict and serious people who are content to pretend a person isn't there if they aren't very talented. Maybe that's the point.

Or (that is to say, and,) he is truly this skittish, especially when someone gives him that kind of icy look. He peeks over his fan at her, but that's the best he'll do for now.]

Actually, I'm fine like this.

[originallutece]

I, however, am not. I don't care to talk to an object and not a person.

[And apparently they're going to talk for a while. Rosalind takes a step towards him.]

[fanfavors]

[Like a regular vaudeville skit, he takes a step back. He's the only stooge in this one. It's him. It takes him another couple seconds before, stilted, he lowers the fan and fidgets with it instead.]

Then I haven't committed any forbidden acts...? I don't know the rules of this place.

[They're not carved into a cliff face, how is he supposed to know what to do? Troubling.]

[originallutece]

I simply don't care to be touched by someone I don't know. It isn't about the place; it's a personal forbidden act, if you wish to think of it in those terms.

[But at least she's speaking to a person now. And an interesting sort of person at that; he's dressed unlike anyone she's ever seen before.]

Where are you from, Mr--?

Hey hope you're okay with backtagging my wifi is the worst

[such_a_teez]

I assure you that I had no intention to do so.

[Tyki is being honest, he was lost in thought and hardly that close. At least, in his opinion. While he feels the same itch, desire for contact and attentions turning towards desperation, he's not so desperate to reach towards a lowly human. He's a little irritated at her response, honestly. Who does she think she is, assuming that he was heading for her?

But a harsh lady is still a lady, and he has to be polite publicly... When all else fails, what would Cyril do? Socially, at least, as long as there aren't Akumas or Exorcists involved.]

Please forgive my indiscretion. I simply wanted across the way. [He tilts his head, making it a particularly humble looking gesture.

And then another train of thought comes to the station.] You're rather defensive. No one's tried to harm you, have they?

heck yeah i am

[originallutece]

No. Perhaps they'd intended to, but they quickly changed their minds.

[Still, he sounds as though he's honest, and that's nice. It's nice to see all the men here aren't using this as an excuse to grope and leer as they like.]

Your name?

:D

[such_a_teez]

Good. While it's best if men behave as gentlemen, better a cad back away than show his true colors.

[He's rather good at false sincerity. Especially when what little bit of touchy self-righteousness he had is fading. He'd mistaken stress for arrogance. And although a large part of him hates humans and sees their worst traits, another equally powerful side to his heart loves them. And that helps soothe the rest of his moodiness away.

After all, he's not feeling right today. And he's more than willing to let go.]

Tyki Mikk. [He smiles his most charming, the sort of behavior that he uses most often in the Portuguese courts. While he'd usually take a hand or offer an arm, she's made it obvious that she doesn't want to be touched. So he'll behave himself for the time being.] Who have I had the pleasure of acquainting myself with?

[originallutece]

Madam Rosalind Lutece.

[She wants very much to take a step forward; instead, she bites the inside of her cheek, ignoring the growing urge. Her fingers curl at her sides, but her expression is calm.]

From 1909, England, since that seems to be a common question.

[such_a_teez]

I'd assumed as much. We're from around the same time, but not the same place. I'm from Portugal, although I've visited England recently. It was lovely.

[Tyki looks towards her curling fingers for a moment, he's honestly impressed. He knows that he's managed to not simply go grabbing at people, no matter how things ache. But most humans just don't have that level of self control. She's not trembling or reaching towards strangers, there's no grimace or weakness in her face.

She really is an impressive lady.]

Have you been affected, madam? It's quite a trial to suffer.

[originallutece]

Of course I have.

[It's a little snappish, which is the first sign she's struggling from strain.]

. . . but I'm told it will end. Even if it takes weeks.