dankmemes | test drive meme # 38

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test drive meme # 38

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 November 24th, and apps are open December 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: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC MOTHERFUCKER
[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.

Of course, a War Unicorn may not seem too lethal, but anyone who's seen Cabin in the Woods knows that they pack a powerful, uh, stab (cw for gore). War Unicorns are mighty beasts, larger than most horses and made of raw muscle. They might seem cute and cuddly in concept, but they're trained to use their horns to blind their opponents before trampling over them with their ironclad hooves and their two thousand pound bulk.

Want to try to bring one down? It's harder than it looks, thanks to their natural magic resistance- many offensive abilities and spells simply don't work on them, and you might piss them off if you try, so be careful...]

C O N F U S I O N

SCENARIO TWO: REMEMBER ME
[It may have just been a brush against the shoulder, a quick handshake, a simple hug- but at the first touch of skin on skin, suddenly you see the other person's memories. This can range anywhere from a recent moment to something traumatic from their past and can be done willingly, if you like.

Of course, once you realize what's going on, you might want to bundle up and avoid contact with everyone- though you might look a little strange, so don't be surprised if someone asks you what you're doing!

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

T R A N Q U I L I T Y

SCENARIO THREE: PASS THE TURKEY
[It's that special time of year again, where you get to hang out with people you only kinda sorta know and catch up with every other month or so and pretend that you're all really close for the sake of food.

Because of course, there's a splendid feast waiting for you- juicy turkey and warm stuffing and your very favorite potato dish! The only downside is that you have to spend your evening with these losers, but we're sure you'll find something to talk about!

Well- maybe not religion, relationships, or politics. How 'bout that weather we're having?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He means no harm. Usually. He's just not the most tactful of people. He's a traumatized, perpetually violent brat who means no harm to most, takes no shit from demons, and ends up being shot at or stabbed through by people as a reoccurring act. He just doesn't have the social skills to be nice, at least the traditional forms of nice.]

I'll pass. I'm sure you'd be a great talent agent, but I've got other plans. [Like wondering why he got here, how he got here, where the hell his stupid brother is, and how he's going to get back because he's been gone long enough that he knows Vergil got to finish the job if he stayed behind.] The name's Dante. [He has no problem with telling, it's not like it's going to mean something here. Probably. ~~Maybe.~~]

[Oh good, it's trauma table. It's part of why even on nice sunny days Rosi doesn't care to show bare skin, preferring to cover up in collared shirts and long pants. One part disciplined upbringing, one part self-consciousness about the lingering old signs of wounds from gunshots and knives and fire. He quickly tired of being asked what happened to you, son? and that was that. The answers were never fun to give.

Thankfully the guy sitting across from him seems to take his reply with the expected sense of humor, and so he gets an introduction in turn.]

Rosinante. [They rhyme!

Another drink of wine, then, before asking the expected question.]

Then let's hear them - what are the big plans? This place doesn't have much to offer.

[Ah, the good old trauma table. Like the kid's table for people with family issues of the worst kinds. They can sit there and sass each other, and not speak about anything serious or emotional. Good times, good times.

At least the food is good, even if their family situations aren't.]

Oh, the usual. Kick ass, take names, go home. I'd settle for just the first and the last of the three. But I'll take what I get. [As long as it involves the going home part. He's got a big demon to kill, and a brother to kick the ass of and then reconcile with. Dante has all of these dumb delusions of things working out if he just gets back, but unfortunately his future isn't as happy as he thinks it's going to be.]

Couple of people have been here from years, as far as I've heard. It's a good plan but it might be a long one.

[Nothing wrong with that, though. Just because he doesn't see himself going home and living happily ever after doesn't mean he's going to tell other people they shouldn't bother. He doesn't want Law getting stuck here, that's for sure. He has goals of his own and a life to live at home.]

Got something good waiting for you back home?

Fun. Just what I needed, a boring party that extends way after hours. [Dante rolls his eyes like the petulant teenager that he is. And he takes a bite of mashed potatoes to help distract him from the urge to sulk a little. Badasses don't sulk, it's unbecoming. He's not going to end up doing that.

Not in front of people, anyway.]

Good? Maybe. I've got a couple of loose ends to tie up. [With a gun.] Then I'm gonna get to work. [Hopefully with Vergil by his side. Lady too, she'd be a great devil hunter. The idea of the three of them working together really makes him feel happy, and restless. He needs to get back. And fast.

Things went from hopeless and hellish to hopeful back home in a very short amount of time. So he wants to get back and sort things out for the better. He finally has a chance at getting his family back together, what's left of it at least. And he doesn't want to waste time in some weird city when there's a chance at fixing the mess his mother's death left behind.]

What's the work? Since it seems you're not actually a one-man juggling act.

[Something physical, the guy is pretty fit. Hard to guess what, though. Maybe a coliseum fighter, which would explain the flair for showmanship.

He'll let the guy answer for himself while he munches on the last of these delicious sprouts. What a perfect holiday food.]

I'm a hunter for hire. [He doesn't add more to it, but his tone suggests that he's not irritated. If Corazon asks more, he'll probably talk without any real reluctance.

But there is something he's reluctant about. Perhaps even horrified. And it's in Rosinante's mouth right now. He looks scandalized as Rosinante eats the last sprout left on his plate. He usually would hold back, but this smell of them mixed with the remembrance of what the last sprout he ate tasted like spur him into verbal action.] How can you eat those? They smell like ass.

[Have some tact, kiddo. Not that Rosi shows any outward sign of disapproval at the question - in fact, he smiles a little as he swallows it and washes it down with a drink of his wine.]

They're sweet and delicious. And they're covered in butter. What's not to love?

[Clearly rhetorical, as he pokes at what's left of the food on his plate. Pretty good stuff, especially since he didn't take any of the rolls, or the dressing, or really much of anything that wasn't vegetable with maybe a side of protein.

Anyway, back to the real topic at hand, here.]

Hunter, huh? What's the quarry?

[Nobody hires people to hunt deer, now, he's wise to that sort of language. Bounties and high-profile targets are a lot more profitable. The guy's a merc and if this wasn't another world with a pleasant conversation around a meal, he'd probably consider arresting him.]

Can't get past the smell.

[This is the brat that jumped off of a building, got swallowed by a giant demon, and cut it's way out of it's eye after killing it. Subtle and tact just don't go hand in hand with him. He decides that Rosinante is crazy, and has no sense of smell and that's why he likes them. And he leaves it at that.

But back to the talk of hunting and prey.] You probably wouldn't believe me. [Dante shoves a mouthful of stuffing in his mouth, it's drenched with gravy and it makes him a happy dude. It's not anywhere near as good as his mom's was, but nothing can really compare to her cooking. He swallows, and shovels another large spoonful in before continuing. After swallowing of course. He's a rude teen, but his mom managed to instill at least basic manners.] I take out what takes humans out. That's the gist of it.

Your loss.

[And his gain. He's happy to tease about it anyway, since clearly he's the one who benefits the most here.

Anyway the guy can sure put down plenty of the rest of the food. Wild. Eats like he's got a hollow leg, reminding him vaguely of Buffalo - though that kid showed his gluttony on the surface more readily, too.

The admission of what Dante does gets a raised eyebrow, though it's not one of disbelief so much as uncertainty.]

And where you're from, what takes humans out?

[Sea kings are vicious, but other humans are even more so, in his own personal experience.]

[There's a bit of a pause, and Dante shifts in his seat. He doesn't like casually talking about this. He's not sure if it's something to be prideful about, it's not like he even has a shop anymore. The stupid demons his idiot brother sent wrecked it. He's so going to make him buy them a new place. But it's not like he's going anywhere, and awkward silence is worst than chit chat about what he does for a living.

At least he's not an accountant or something like that. Talking about that kind of thing would be beyond boring.] Usually demons. Whatever hunts down humans, I hunt. I've got a shop ready, I just have to get back and get to the customers. [His wrecked ruins of a shop, that hasn't even opened yet. But hey, he still owns the land so he guesses that it counts.]

[He's been in this strange city for all of a day or two and yet somehow this isn't the first reference he's heard to 'demons'. But then, in a city ruled by things calling themselves gods, perhaps that's to be expected. Thankfully as far as he's determined, the gods and demons both are in fact other species of people, rather than the labels that certain humans in his world try to apply to each other, or to themselves. That's the kind of religious, supernatural terminology that leads to so many troubling problems.]

I'm used to demons being a thing of myths, but I've heard since coming here that that isn't the case in all of the worlds. What are demons like, where you come from?

[Thankfully, there is still food on his plate to focus on, as if that's a far more interesting topic and questions of monsters and myth are typical casual dinner conversation. All of that would be true anyway if not for the unfortunate personal associations with such words.]

Assholes, usually. [Dante knows that's not what Corazon meant when he asked, but it's the first thing that comes to mind.] They're like humans, all different. But they usually want the same thing, across the board. Power, and lots of it. No matter how many humans they crush in the process.

[What a perfect description of his own brother. Remarkable.

Well, maybe it just means they have something in common. Demon hunter Rosinante. It has a nice ring to it. Shame he utterly failed.]

Sounds dangerous. How many have you managed to put an end to?

[If the kid is just a merc, at least it sounds like he's on the right side of things, though it's not hard to tell big stories to a stranger. It's also no longer his job to worry about things like this, even if it's habit, and so he figures he'll just listen. Let the guy tell his tales. Maybe it'll be interesting.]

[His brother too. Or at least a perfect description of him in the past because hopefully that's all changed, Dante has such high hopes for Vergil right now. He wants to become close to him again, to love him again without bitterness in his heart, to be the brothers they're supposed to be. And a part of him knows that one show of solidarity isn't enough to show that Vergil changed his ways. He stabbed Dante through with his own sword and left him for dead. But despite that, Dante wants to make the best possible outcome happen. If he saves Vergil from his evil ways, they can do amazing things together. With Dante's determination and his twin's might, nothing can stand in their way. And they could save the worlds in a heartbeat, just with that bond.

It's a nice sentiment that won't come to be. Dante fails too. Only it's Vergil that meets an end of sorts, not the brother that wants so much for him to survive and thrive.]

It doesn't matter. They just keep comin'. Besides, keeping count is for bookkeepers. Killing demons is for demon hunters. [He's hardly all talk and no game. He's just not the smartest or most organized of young men. He's mauled hundreds easily in the last day, but bragging about the numbers sounds like something someone weak would do.] You know, I don't feel any here, or smell 'em. If they're here, they're not on the same level as the ones back home.

Mm. That's good, then. I'd hate to meet something like that.

[Naturally. Who would want to? But if this place brings in people from many worlds, perhaps the demons in Dante's realm feel and smell differently from ones other places might have. Maybe his senses are simply blind to them.

Hard to say, he's just seen enough trouble in the world to find optimism hard to come by. There is plenty of goodness in the world, but it has to be fought for, and once it's found, protected with everything you have.]

You say you can feel them, though? Are you a haki user?

Haki? What's that? [No, he's not. That answered itself well enough.] No, shit. It's like this. When they're close, it's like my skin crawls. The smell gives them away most of the time, but when I'm around one I just feel it. I know it doesn't make sense, but that's how it works.

[Dante isn't sure how to explain how his heritage works, how the demonic instinct within him reacts to what he perceives without meaning to as 'weaker', or 'lesser' demons.]

Sounds like haki to me. Maybe your world has another name for it.

[Shrug. Then again, maybe not, if it's limited to certain types of creatures. Can haki do that? He really should have tried harder to learn it himself. Would be useful.]

Like another sense, like seeing or feeling but without your eyes or hands. Some sort of innate energy. That's how they talk about it, anyway. I'm no good at it.

Maybe. It's not like I'm a warlock or anything like that. There's libraries full of crap like that locked away, but I was too busy doing other stuff to bother with it.

[Educated is anything is a bit of a stretch for Dante, unfortunately.]

That sounds kinda like it, though.

Where I come from, they say everyone has it, at least to some degree. Or everyone has the potential, anyway. Some people are just better at it than others, or they train hard to develop it. There's people who can use it for more than just seeing, too, they can use it to protect themselves like a shield, or make their weapons stronger.

[Or be absolutely terrifying and drop people to the ground by sheer willpower but you know, we don't need to go into every little detail right now, that's fine.]

Must be one of those things multiple worlds have in common. Maybe it's just something all kinds of people can do.

Yeah? I don't know if that's a good thing or not. Like, cool that anyone has a chance to be a badass. But that also means that every asshole on the globe gets a chance to be a bigger one.

[Yeah, he's worried enough about the idiots of his own world. He doesn't need to worry about the poor bastards in Cora's too.]

Maybe. I dunno. Stuff like that bores me. I'd rather talk weapons.

They manage to keep each other in check. The ones who are really good with it are pretty rare.

[But he shrugs. It's not really a concern right now, just an interesting coincidental comparison.]

Weapons, though, huh? Why, what have you got?

A few guns, some swords, things you put on your hands and feet, more guns, and this swirling frozen set. Nunchaks? Nunchaku? Doesn't matter, the three blades will put any demon on ice. I'm collecting Devil Arms like they're going out of style.

Damn.

[No really, his eyebrows raise up behind the edge of his bangs, because that's quite the list. He's a little jealous, maybe.]

"Things you put on your hands and feet"? What does that even mean?

Right? If you wanna see anything, let me know. I'll pull it out for you.

[Dante looks over, trying to figure out a way to describe what he's talking about. He didn't even know the right words to describe Cerberus without digging, and this is harder for him.] Y'know, things you put on your hands and feet so you can kick more ass? Like clawed metal boots and gloves.

[So descriptive. So helpful.]

test drive meme # 38

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