dankmemes | test drive meme # 39

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test drive meme # 39

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 December 25th, and apps are open January 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: HE MADE HIS LIST
[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 were hoping for something seasonally appropriate, right? Well, the Door doesn't know it's December, so this must be a coincidence - because this time, it's brought in the Krampus.

This creature is the opposite of Santa, and if you've been bad (and let's be real, who in Hadriel hasn't), it'll be all too happy to punish. Maybe you'll get lucky and it'll just scare the crap out of you and give you some coal... or maybe it'll decide your punishment needs to be much, much worse. Don't you wish you'd been good this year?]

R A G E

SCENARIO TWO: HADRIELITE VANDAL
[Last night everything was fine. You went to bed happy and content - well, as happy and content as you ever are. But this morning, as you stepped out of your house, something was wrong. Maybe you didn't notice it at first - maybe someone had to point it out to you. But there it was, in big bold letters: someone had painted an insult across the front of your house.

Maybe it's a rude name. Maybe an insulting comment. Maybe just a picture of a dick with an arrow pointing to it that says your name. Whatever it is, someone did it specifically to fuck with you. But who? And why? Maybe you already think you know who, and all you need to do is hunt them down. Or maybe it's time for an investigation. Or... maybe all you want to do is clean it off before someone sees.

Good luck. That paint is already dry.]

C O N F U S I O N

SCENARIO THREE: ALL FLIPPY-FLOPPY
[You didn't realize there was anything wrong, not until you saw that person you've always thought was your best friend. They seem the same as ever, it's just - you really don't understand what you saw in them anymore. They're kind of whiny, they're way less cool than you remember, and that hair? Ew.

It's not just that. You ran into your worst enemy earlier, and maybe... you were wrong about them? It really seems like they have some good points, and that annoying expression they always make actually seems kind of cute now. Maybe it's time to kiss and make up, possibly literally!

This is a mini version of our Your Best Enemy event this month.]

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[she'd never do such a thing ~~unless it was to Howe and he'd have it coming~~ and she may have a temper, but it takes a great deal to rouse it. or a threat to Alistair. then, all bets are off and she will unleash a breathtaking degree of violence at the perpetrator, or at the very least ruin them socially and politically.

she stares back with an equally curious expression, given his]

I am. The second child of Bryce and Eleanor, the [she blushes slightly] Hero of Ferelden, and the bride-to-be of King Alistair. [she knows Wynne quite well. she was by Mariane's side for nearly the entirety of the Fifth Blight, even following her into the final battle against the Archdemon]

[ The only people to ramble off their parents names like that are nobles but then she says it: Hero of Ferelden. The fact that she's the future bride to King Alistair becomes lost to a rush of noise in his head. Wynne had spoken of her time with the Hero and King, told him stories of adventure and hardship, and then she'd gone, just like that. A part of him had grown to resent those stories and the people in them simply for Wynne's own lies, never bothering to fulfill her promise to return to him, leaving a deep void.

He's grown out of that, mostly, but it's still a bit of a rush to suddenly be right before the one to defeat the Fifth Blight and survive. He can almost hear Evangeline telling him to be on his best behavior. ]

Ah, now I certainly can't have you rub away at this pile of nug shit. [ It's just a play at her title and formality. He returns his attention to the words, scrubbing at them; the brush works wonders. He returns his gaze to her every now and then when he speaks. ]

I'm Rhys, former Senior Enchanter of the White Spire of Orlais, current head of Aequitarians and... the son of one of your previous companions during the Blight. A mage from the Ferelden Circle, Wynne?

[ From her stories, he knows the Hero had some close relationship with his mother and, inwardly, he's always been jealous of Wynne's time with that group and the warmth she held for them. But he knows now she held that warmth and love for a great many people, including himself. ]

[someone has to remember her parents and the way they lived, not just the way they died. she tries to focus on the happy memories, but often finds herself feeling like she's back in that pantry, her father bleeding out on the floor and her mother swearing to die protecting him as she's forced away, conscripted by the Grey Warden, Duncan.

she misses Wynne. Wynne had grown to be a surrogate mother to her and like with her birth mother, she was eager to please. Wynne's initial objections to her relationship with Alistair had hurt, but in retrospect that made her ultimate blessing of their romance that much sweeter and more meaningful. and her stories of the Grey Wardens made it seems like not as much of a curse as it had seemed at first]

You certainly can. I'd be happy to. [such a slur against anyone's mother is not to be borne]

It's a pleasure to meet you, Rhys, and you--you are--? [her eyes widen at the news that he's Wynne's son and one hand briefly flutters to her mouth before returning to holding the ladder steady. she's certain her eyes must be round with amazement. not that she didn't know that Wynne had a son, she'd heard her speak of him with Alistair on more than one occasion. but knowing and meeting are two entirely different things.

and she finally finds her voice] Yes, Wynne is--is very dear to me. I appreciated her wisdom, her courage more than I can ever hope to say. And her humor. She was always very good at getting me to see a problem from another angle. And she was by my side all the way to the battle against the Archdemon. She--she taught herself how to use a trebuchet against it as I stood guard. [she bows her head] She told me she was going to help Shale recover its mortality. I--miss her. [and she raises her head to look at him directly] And it a great honor to meet her son.

[ The smile he offers is both warm and heavy, brows drawn, the skin around his eyes crinkling lightly, a testament to how often he grins. She speaks so kindly of Wynne that it sends pangs to his heart and fills him with a yearning, her words a reminder of all the things he'd nearly missed due to his own inability to understand her.

Rhys steps down a few rungs of the ladder so that he can better give Mariane his full attention; the subject deserves that much and more and Wynne wouldn't object if he left those words up there just a little longer. ]

The honor is mine, Lady Cousland. [ He knows his formalities (even if he mostly uses them to tease Evangeline). ] I... I must admit that I miss her as well. [ Far more than he'd ever expected. She gave him one of the greatest gifts in the world in her death and he'll never be able to express his gratitude properly. ]

Have you heard of her passing? [ Softly, heavily, delicately. He's unaware what she might know but believes in treading the subject carefully. ]

[the smile she offers in return is slight, but warm. it's likely clear that she's unaccustomed to smiling, being plagued by melancholy since birth. but that was part of the reason why her companions were so important to her. after the slaughter of her parents, they became her family. they loved her and she loved them back. and she misses them terribly.

she backs up a few steps to let him come down the ladder. though, the words are even more offensive now that she knows who they refer to]

Please, call me Mariane. [after being called nothing but "the Warden" for so long, hearing her own name is a blessing] I understand. [she misses her mother every day.

but at his next words, the smile falls off of her face and she blanches] No, I--I had not. When? How?

I... do not feel it's my right to discuss how she passed, my apologies, Mariane. [ Rhys radiates sympathy and empathy, his brows drawn down. He can see her pain, her shock. It feels wrong to be the one to inform her, to inform her now and here of all things, and it's worse knowing that he doesn't feel right sharing the exact details of her demise. He wonders if Wynne would want him to, if Evangeline would want him to. ]

But she gave her life for others. [ He bows his head a little, frown controlled. He could have lost everyone that night and it's no easy memory to look back upon, filling him with profound sorrow and rage in equal proportion; it didn't need to end that way but it did, all because of the actions of the thoughtless and fearful. ] She was instrumental in rescuing mages during the revolt of the White Spire; without her, I don't know how many of us would have made it. Her, Shale, Leliana... Without them, I imagine Lord Seeker Lambert would have have found a way to invoke the Right of Annulment.

[ She was a hero, again. He doesn't know how things would have gone if Wynne and Evangeline hadn't managed to escape and, honestly, he doesn't even want to know. ]

I. . . suppose I understand. Such matters are private, after all. [just as she would not want to go into the last moments she saw Bryce and Eleanor Cousland alive, she imagines Rhys would not want to discuss his mother's. it will have to be enough, to know that Wynne has gone. and Mariane never really had the chance to say good-bye, to tell Wynne what she meant to her. that regret hurts like a sudden stab wound]

I--I cannot imagine she would want to go any other way. Rescuing mages--exactly how I saw her again after Ostagar--yourself, Shale, Leliana. She was the bravest of us, even in--perhaps especially in--the battle against the Archdemon. [as queen, she intended to try to do something about Ferelden's Circle. loosen the templars' leashes on them, enable them to keep kin with their families, something. anything would be better than the less-than-benign neglect they currently suffered.
they were Fereldans and she owed them that much at least] And who is this Lord Seeker Lambert? [she says that name with scorn.

she was always a hero. she. . .supposed it made sense that she died a hero as well]

[ It pinches at him not to reveal the details but, truth was, no matter who she was, he didn't know her. And who is he to speak of Wynne's possession? Of the spirit of Faith? Of Evangeline's possession? Maybe one day, should he have the chance to get to know her, but until then the information he's given will have to do.

Rhys winces at the mention of the Archdemon. He never once encountered the real thing but the monster from Wynne's nightmares would leave a scar, just as much as the sight of the Darkspawn do. He manages to dip his head in solemn agreement.

At her question, his expression sours, turning dark and grim. ]

A cruel bastard. [ Rhys won't forget the pains Lambert forced upon him, won't forget how he hunted him and Cole down like rats; how he forced Cole to fade away; how he killed Evangeline and, in a way, Wynne as well. Rhys never that hate like this could exist but it did. ]

He's the Head of the Seekers of Truth, part of the Chantry. [ Rhys can't keep the venom from his voice. ] He would slaughter every mage in the world if he thought he could get away with it. He's no man that'd a woman like yourself, or anyone, should have to suffer through.

[ Not because she appears so young and not because she's some delicate lady but because she doesn't deserve to suffer that insufferable nugfucker. ]

[she knows of the spirit of Faith, witnessed Wynne collapse and was told the story of how she joined with the spirit. of the rest, it's all in the distant future to her.

she hated taking Wynne into that final battle, but knew that her healing magics and her courage would be beyond value. if it hadn't have been for her, Mariane and Alistair (and Morrigan, much as she would hate to admit it) would never have made it to the Archdemon.

she worries that she's asked the wrong thing at the turn in his expression.

she listens to the explanation and has to close her eyes for a moment] I see. I'm sorry that you and yours had to deal with him. As Queen of Ferelden, I would--I would try to ease the burden on mages, at least those who live within Ferelden's borders. Perhaps, if we succeed, other nations will follow suit.

When I saw the Circle of Magi and heard the ease with which the Templars discussed implementing the Right of Annulment, I was . . . greatly disturbed. I couldn't not help the mages.

[she was only sixteen when she was drafted into the Wardens by the Right of Conscription and has yet to see her seventeenth year. there are times when she feels ancient and others where she feels ridiculously young]

[ The more Mariane speaks, the more certain facts don't seem to fit as they should. The Hero of Fereldan, slayer of a tainted god, was Queen as well? And at such an age?

Time, you idiot. Maker's breath, that's right. She may not be from his own time and he suddenly feels very foolish. Her words are sweet like honeyed wine and, somehow, he's inclined to believe they're not tainted. ]

She spoke to me of your time together. I was... I am very proud of her. [ She was not the mother he'd dreamed of but she'd managed to be so much more. His expression becomes both pensive and curious. He doesn't want to pry but tell his curiosity that ]

I'm curious: what year is it you come from?

...did she? I'm glad to hear that. I thought very highly of her, I felt close to her and I would like to believe she thought and felt the same towards me. [and she sees the shift in his expression and a vague sense of dread settles over her.

it seems as though this place is always giving her a sense of security, only to rip it away from her without warning. it plagues her mind, makes it hard to reach out to others, and sharpens her melancholy to the point where it seems to stab into her like a sword, leaving her breathless]

It's--it's 9:31 Dragon. [she forces the next words out] Why do you ask?

She... believed in you, perhaps even loved you—No, I know she held a love for you. [ The young woman, a child in Wynne's eyes, Rhys' as well, would have brought out something protective and loving in the elder mage. Back then, that was the type of old mage he'd met and she held a warmth for the party she'd traveled with back then.

Her reply gets him only to nod, expression shielded; giving away only a curious understanding. That explains how young she appears to him. ]

Ah, see, I'd expected as much. I come from 9:40 Dragon, quite a few years in your future. For a moment, I thought you'd been just a babe slaying the Archdemon. [ Rhys can only assume that she's between the ages of 15 and 19, though he's leaning on the younger end of the spectrum. If she'd been from 9:40 Dragon, she'd have been a mere 10 at best when the Blight came about. ] I must admit it would have been a sight to see a child commanding soldiers and mages alike.

[ Rhys is good at adding some humor to dark situations, even if it's often unwarranted or tasteless. He can't help it. Doom, gloom, that's all mages seemed to want to talk about and he'd rather grin in the face of it all. ]

I loved her as well. After I . . . lost my mother, she became as a mother to me. [a pause] I hope that it's not presumptuous of me to say so. [because after all, she's standing before Wynne's true son. but it's the truth. she valued Wynne's opinion of her highly and was overjoyed to finally get Wynne's blessing of her relationship with Alistair.

she watches, nerves knotting in her stomach.

and her eyes widen at the mention of what year he's from]

9:40 Dragon? What is--what has happened between our two times. [a small smile] No, not a babe, though I was but sixteen. It was quite a feat, to be commanding an army made up of those far older than I am, but Alistair asked that I serve as general and so I did.

[and Mariane would appreciate that as she has such a hard time dropping the mask of seriousness. she's always been terribly serious, even as a child, so she appreciates those who can break through it. it's a large part of the reason why she fell for Alistair]

[ Rhys had heard of what happened to the Cousland family, though it never meant much to him; it was a tragedy a world away and, as a mage, he was always dealing with his own troubles. Facing it now, though, his heart hurts a little for her. He was glad he was never born into nobility. Orlais taught him nobility was a dangerous game and it seemed Fereledan held a similar, albeit in another form of, danger. ]

You've certainly impressed all of Thedas, deservedly so. [ Before him, she did not appear to be the Hero that so many spoke of. They'd turned her from a young woman thrust into responsibility who was able to take control into someone far more fictional, far less human. You'd have thought she could breathe flames and devour Darkspawn with the way some would speak.

It was nice to see that the praises had yet to go to her head, though she did have many years ahead of her. ]

The world has gone a bit mad since 9:31. I can't say much of the political climate, though it's less than ideal, but the Circle has been disbanded. A few years back, the mages of Kirkwall rebelled, and it had a ripple effect. It's likely that this will result in war.

[ It's grim sounding but it was bound to happen. He's sure Mariane has seen what mages go through, though he knows she will never truly understand their plight. ]

I'm afraid to say the future is a mess right now and I can't be certain when it will all settle again.

[Mariane was almost dragged from her family as Duncan had to invoke the Right of Conscription on her. she resented him for it for a long time, but given the looks Rendon Howe had been giving her over the past year, he likely wouldn't have given her a quick death. it took time to come to peace with what Duncan did.

she blushes] Thank you for your praises. [they haven't.

deep down, she still feels like the socially awkward, shy, melancholic young woman she was before. she doubts that will ever change, even when she's wedded and crowned queen.

she considers a moment] I'd thought that the mages deserved better, ever since visiting the Circle in Ferelden and seeing the Templars so eager to condemn all to death for the actions of a few. When I become queen, it is my intention to do something about it. And should it come to war, I will discuss matters with Alistair and see if Ferelden can give the mages safe haven.

[she worries after the mages, especially after seeing children as young as Oren being locked away with no hope of freedom and would do what she could to help them]

Alisitar will need me then more than ever. He has King Maric's blood, but he was never raised to rule. I was, even if it was only over a terynir.

[ Her words are sweet but, ultimately given what Rhys knows of her possible future, her actions or words did little to quell the rise of anger and fear. And, as a mage, Rhys knows better than to hold nobility to their words; history has taught him that they're often given freedoms when they're necessary and then locked away again when no longer needed.

He didn't doubt Mariane but he was wise enough not to hold her to those promises. ]

The mages will need all the help they can get and I believe the King and Queen of Fereldan would go a long way towards that. [ And Maric had been a child when he'd taken the throne, had he not? Rhys had read the tales of a child thrust into the war after the murder of his mother, though the Orlesians often told the tale differently. He worries Mariane may not understand what she's getting herself into but, in the end, it hardly mattered here. ]

It's nice to see the King will have someone with a bit of a political head on their shoulders. I've only heard stories of him and most of them are rather heroic and... well, others involve cheese.

[she would be greatly disappointed to hear that and resolve to try even harder. when it was time to face the Archdemon, it was her, Alistair, and two mages, one an apostate. as skilled at fighting as everyone else were, she didn't trust them to have her back as much as she did Wynne and Morrigan.

she knows nothing of the years to come]

Then I promise that the King and Queen of Ferelden will do what they can to help. [she feels that Alistair will be easy enough to convince. he, too, loved Wynne as a mother and he'd chafed at his Templar duties in the past. in fact, it was his unsuitability for those duties that had led him to become a Grey Warden]

My father and mother taught me well. And Alistair is terribly heroic. [slowly] And he does enjoy cheese, though not to distraction. He also enjoys cats, though that's best not spoken of in high Ferelden society.

[ Her promise is sweet, though he fears that it's idealistic given what he knows of the world's current state. Fereldan, he was sure, was still dealing with its own issues, not that he paid them any heed, no more than he did that of Orlais. But, still, it's a gesture he can appreciate it. The mages could always use greater voices among them, though he fears his fellow mages may radicalize.

But these aren't things he wants to put on Mariane right now, not when it was so far in her future. Instead, he raises a dark brow at her mention of Alistair's fondness for felines. ]

I feel like this may be information I could use as blackmail in the future. [ It's clear he does not mean it one bit, though it would be a ridiculous scandal, the kind the high class ladies would twitter about. ]

[she knows not to underestimate the problems facing Ferelden. she's seen enough Blighted land which had been good farmland to worry that they may be in for food shortages. and she also has heard that many Fereldans fled to the Free Marches with nothing but the clothes on their backs. and she's well aware of the fact that many people will try to take advantage of what they'll see as a green boy of a king.

she worries incessantly and tries to figure out what she could have done differently, better. nothing she does is ever quite good enough]

I'm afraid it is. None would ever let him live it down. [and that's her ides of a joke. it may be a poor one, but Alistair was always the funny one in their relationship]

[ Ferelden was a dog-loving country, from what Rhys had heard, and could only imagine the elborate conspiracies the local drunks would conjure up if they'd learned. He smiles and he touches his finger to his lips, as if sealing them. ]

No one will hear of this from my lips.

[Ferelden loves its dogs. so much so that it has two Mabari rampant as its sigil on signs and shields and banners. she nods solemnly with a hint of a smile at his words]

I appreciate your discretion.

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test drive meme # 39

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(cw: mental illness)

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(cw: rape implication, mental illness)

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