test drive meme # 38

[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 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?]

Comments

[often_impaled]

[Almost everything Dante does is exaggerated. It's like being over the top and ridiculous is embedded into his DNA. Maybe it's the demon blood within him, or maybe it's just something that comes from having a wild personality and rough go at things in his younger years.

No matter what the reason for his style, he's always ready to party. Even here at Hadriel.]

See? A man with good taste. [They're both kids, but Sal has somehow gotten Dante to warm up a little already. So he gets to be a 'man', and not a 'kid' in the description. Even though they're both young, and Dante only marginally older than Sal. It's the principle of the matter, though. And man means status.

Maybe. It's hard to tell with Dante.]

Jackpot. When hell breaks loose, someone's gotta mop up the mess. [Or more cause a mess. Dante will save the day, but someone else will need to be brought in for damage control.]

[sallyfaced]

[Wow, literally no one has referred to him as a man before. Well, maybe his dad when he's being all...dad-like. He's a tiny kid even to teens his own age, so it's not like he blames them. It also doesn't really bother him, just a thing he notes.

But ah, that wasn't just something he said then, it seems like.]

Wow, and I thought ghost hunting was dangerous. [Well, Sal's brand of ghost hunting, which just leads to murder scenes and cult conspiracies apparently. And hostile red eyed demons. He's glad he hasn't seen more than one of those. He also doesn't count all that stuff yous see on T.V that's completely fake!!] Demon hunting is on a whole other level though. I guess it's easy for someone who casually defies physics though, haha.

[often_impaled]

[Sal isn't acting like a kid. Or speaking like one. So Dante's giving him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, not everyone can be comic book ripped. Dante would probably be a skinny little thing himself if he didn't have dear old dad's demon heritage to help him out on the genetics front.] Wouldn't know. Where I'm from, you don't see ghosts around. Twisted souls? Maybe. Humans can become demons that way. [And he hates it, he hates that corruption is such a part of humanity. That they don't even need help to be led down the path to hell.]

But actual ghosts? Ha, those are for Halloween specials. [He leans back a little more, before shoveling in some mashed potatoes. He doesn't particularly have nice manners, but he manages not to be gross somehow.] You into the supernatural?

[sallyfaced]

["Twisted souls" makes him wince, but it barely shows through the holes of his mask. He's quick to wipe the look off his face, at any rate.]

It kind of sounds like the opposite where I'm from. I've only ever seen one demon but the ghosts are everywhere. [But to answer his question.] That kind of stuff really changes everything. But I guess I mostly want to know more about the other side to like, help them better, you know? They're pretty vague about what goes on there, though.

[It doesn't sound good at all, is what he thinks, but he refrains from saying as much.]

[often_impaled]

[It's quick, but Dante for all of his aloof acting is very perceptive and he notices something. It's hard to guess what the face was, with the mask covering most of his features, but it got a reaction from Sal. And he takes note of that.]

Yeah? That's cool. [He's about to say something else, but his mental train has left the station only to violently crash and derail.] Wait, you talk to dead people? That's hardcore.

[sallyfaced]

[Sal snorts lightly. This guy is apparently a demon hunter and he just called talking to dead people hardcore. He supposes it's a testament to how different a person's perspective can be. Especially in a place like this, where some people acknowledge the craziest things as normal, and the most normal things as crazy.

Perspective. Yup.]

Dead people are kind of hardcore. I'm not sure what I expected them to be like before I even knew you could talk to them but nothing could ever really prepare me.

Like, did you know goats could become ghosts? Because I didn't until I saw one.

[often_impaled]

[Hey, for Dante it is hardcore stuff. Most humans don't even come across the supernatural in their day to day lives. And to find one that manages to handle it, that finds it interesting, and even seems to be unafraid? That's beyond hardcore. And Sal has definitely impressed Dante.]

Wait, seriously? Damn. What does a ghost goat even do?

[He knows that there are goat type demons, but Dante is a city kid. He's never seen a goat in person, so he doesn't know much about them.]

[sallyfaced]

It bleats.

[Sal is also a city kid, so seeing a goat for the first time in person as a ghost sure was something else.]

Well, it took me a while but then I realized it was bleating in code? Helped me out of a jam. I wonder if that means goats are smarter than we give them credit for or being a ghost somehow enlightened it.

[He can sit here and ponder all day so he'll stop right there.]

[often_impaled]

Figures. I don't know what I was expecting.

[He listens though, and his eyes widen just a little at the idea that this is even possible. Yeah, that's pretty wild.] Damn. Maybe it was demon goat? They're pretty smart for hellspawn. But then again, if it was, it wouldn't be helping you. [Dante has no idea what to think.] Got any other weird ghost stories to share with the class? [He's more than willing to offer up some demons for show and tell.]

[sallyfaced]

I sort of got the impression it was sacrificed, so maybe not a demon. Not that I know how that stuff works exactly.

[Can goats turn into demons? Who even knows? It certainly wouldn't be the most surprising thing he's seen, that's for sure.]

You know, that might have been the weirdest so far. It's hard to beat a ghost goat. Most of them are just sad, really. [And in the spirit of keeping this conversation from going down a somber road he'll avoid digging deeper in the department. At least for now.] What about you? You're a demon hunter, right? What are demons like?

[often_impaled]

Fun stuff. [His tone implies that it's anything but, though. With Dante, at least you don't have to wonder if he's being sarcastic or not.] You know, it'd be a hell of a lot better for everyone if humans kept out of the occult. Just sayin'.

[Dante blinks, and shakes his head. This is a big question, and hard to answer.] Well, there's a lot to it. There's demons, devils, demonic animals and spirits, demonically touched and altered people and even items too. And there's the whole theory of the Infernal planes and it's counterparts. Which is all boring. [He huffs.] You get some weirdos that are human sized, spider demons that explode with spider demon babies when they die, that's gross as all hell, demons that look like whale-snakes that are big enough to fit cities into, and the worst? Demons that look like people, and act like 'em too. But wait, there's more.

[Dante stops to take another bite or two. That was a mouthful.] Too much more.

[sallyfaced]

On that we can agree.

[Humans should definitely keep out of the goddamn occult. Then maybe his apartment building wouldn't be plagued by this sense of impending doom constantly.

At any rate, Sal listens, sometimes sipping on the straw of his drink shoved under his mask for his own convenience as he does so. It's easy to tell he's held at rapt attention despite the covered face, marveling at the idea that something called "the infernal planes" could be considered boring. Then again, it's new to Sal so of course it doesn't seem it to him. But that just makes this conversation all the more interesting to him. The "demons that look and act like people" line sends a bit of a chill down his spine, so he avoids that bit.]

Whale-snakes big enough to fit cities into, huh? You actually, like, hunted something like that?

[often_impaled]

Yeah. Too bad we can't make everyone else get on the program.

[He can't keep all humans safe. They throw themselves into trouble, and drag innocent lives down to hell with them. And he hates that.]

Well, if I'm gonna be honest? It ate me, and the hunting took place inside and I killed it to get out. But that's how it is. The thing was huge.

[sallyfaced]

[Sal's brows lift slowly, his eyes widening with them. His muffled voice raises a bit in awe.]

Dude...you killed it from the inside? That's pretty metal. [That sounds about as metal as you get, honestly.] So, you just do stuff like that all the time? Hunting demons and stuff 24/7?

[often_impaled]

[Okay Dante actually really likes him and he doesn't know what to do with a young person to hang with that isn't forced adult mode. This is fun and not violent and what the hell does he do now?]

Yeah, that's right. I had to find it's heart, and kill it that way. And then when it fell outta the sky I cut my way out through it's eyeball. [He grins, this is way too much fun to talk about.] Too bad it's blood stank up everything. I think my coat still smells like it. [He nods though, shoving food into his mouth means he has to wait for a second to answer.] Hmm, mmf. [Chew, chew. Swallow and back to his consistent chatting.] That's what I do. I mean, if I don't, who's gonna? Devil hunters aren't exactly easy to find.

[sallyfaced]

[Sal laughs in almost disbelief — not that he thinks Dante is lying, just that it all sounds too fantastical to be real. He's seen some strange things but...wow.]

Holy shit.

[Sometimes those two words have to suffice for a proper reaction.]

Wow. So you're pretty much doing this on your own, huh? That's pretty incredible. I guess your, uh, city? Town? Whatever — they're lucky to have you.

[Here have literally all of the encouragement.]

[often_impaled]

[Okay, Sal. Somehow you're just amazing. Usually he'd be suspicious and weirded out, waiting for the fall or the taunt or something. And he is weirded out, but it's kind of a pleasant thing. And after a second he nods. Trying to find some words that don't sound snarky or rude. But sincere is hard sometimes. Especially when it's a little embarrassing.] Yeah? Well. They probably hate me already, I'm a one man wrecking crew. But I figure it's better to have a little non-living collateral damage than risk another person dying.

[sallyfaced]

[Sal catches that delay. A second can be pretty noticeable, and Sal has spent a lot of time watching and observing from the sidelines. He wonders if maybe sometimes his complimentary nature can be too much for strangers. Or maybe Dante doesn't hear it enough. Clearly this means Sal has to make sure he does. Like with George, who doesn't seem used to "thank you"s.]

People's lives are definitely more important than non-living collateral damage. I'm sure even they don't actually realize it, they're grateful. The unhappy just happen to be the loudest. It's like when you turn on the news you only hear about the bad stuff, and it makes the world seem like a bad place. But there's good stuff going on you're just not hearing about, you know?