Test Drive Meme #40

[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 January 24th, and apps are open February 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: SLURP SLURP
[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.

What's that on the ceiling? Who's that skittering along the wall? Why, it's none other than the the Licker, from the Resident Evil series.

The licker crawls around on walls and ceilings and can easily avoid all attacks with their creepy crawly acrobatics. Watch out for those tongues, though- they can whip you with them and catch you off balance. They love waiting in dark corners to jump at you and slash you with their oversized claws, as seen here. Luckily, their brains are exposed and they're quite blind- move quietly and avoid their notice, or attack them in their weak spot to get away safely. Be careful though, they tend to travel in packs...]

T R A N Q U I L I T Y

SCENARIO TWO: CABIN IN THE WOODS
[It's nice outside. There's a heat to the air that permeates through the muggy interior of the cabin, but at night, it's cool enough that you can relax and see all the stars in the sky. The hot tub is a nice contrast to the chilly night air and the possibilities are practically limitless!

So cook something up on the grill, go hunting, or just relax and definitely don't get murdered, because you do happen to have a bit of an odd cabin mate. Why are the two of you sharing this cabin? Well, that's up for you to decide, but whether you're close friends who decided to take a vacation together or random strangers stuck together by circumstances, you're here for awhile so you might as well take the time to relax and get to know one another up here in these mountains!]

R A G E

SCENARIO THREE: MONSTER HOUSE
[It seems like you've just misplaced a few items at first- but after awhile, it becomes apparent that the items are misplacing themselves. Weird, right?

Maybe not that weird, because soon afterward, items of all shames and sizes start to move around, now well within sight. Their intent is clearly to annoy or even harm you, depending on how dangerous the item is... maybe a deathly pair of pants, to a set of keys that keeps running away from you, to a house consumed with the desire to- well, consume you.

Be careful of everything, be suspicious of items that may be trying to lure you in with their stillness, and have fun! This event is based on Hadriel's It's Aliiiive! event this month.]

Comments

Liv Moore | iZombie

[amwhatieat]

[i.]
[There is that moment of grogginess, wherein Liv contemplates what exactly has happened. Even as a hand comes up to her head and her eyes open, confusion flashes. She had been... at the morgue. That much she recalls. A cupcake. Yes, she had been making a cupcake. Not just any cupcake, mind, but one from the brain of the most recent deceased murdered suspect.

While some may find it a little creepy down there, it holds nothing to where she currently is, which is certainly not a morgue. She rises slowly, brushing the dirt off of her lab coat and presses the wigged hair behind her shoulders. As it is, she is standing there, a puzzled expression on her face. She does, surprisingly, look like your average human being today. Her skin has been tanned from its alabaster white, and her seemingly bleached blonde hair is a softer blonde, longer in length than usual. Black shoes, dark blue jeans and a black top patterned with cherries are partially covered by that white medical jacket that she wears.]

There goes my meal.

[It is half muttered under her breath, because whatever this is, she really wants nothing to do with it. Bad enough that her picture is plastered all across the newspaper (nevermind which paper it is), but now she's going without her meal, and stuck in who the heck knows where. Well, there has to be some logical answer, right? Or something, maybe... Drugged? But Ravi? Is he okay?

She stands there for a while, brow furrows, sorting through what she knows, although the scientific part of her is wondering how she knows this. A memory wipe? Even that doesn't make sense to her. There is a huff, arms crossing over her chest as she looks around. It's... some sort of ruins? She takes a few steps, before her foot kicks something across the ground. Bending, she notes that it is a phone, but not the one she owns. Liv moves to turn it on, but pauses when she hears a noise.]

Hello?

[There is a chill that crawls down her spine as her eyes roam around the shadows above her head and in the darkened corners. Typically, Liv doesn't need to worry about things that go bump in the night, because she is something that goes bump in the night. Being a zombie does have a lot of minuses, but there are also some benefits. Still, there is something very off about this situation as she starts walking again, glancing around every few seconds.]

[ii.]
[She feels a lot more at ease than she has in some time- well, excluding the brain that she had eaten of the mindfulness yoga instructor, although that zen personality is quite far from what Liv generally is. A go getter, an overachiever. For a time she had lost who and what she had thought that she was, and thinking that maybe, just maybe, she could return to a human and have a normal life, only to have it taken away...

Add to that everything that has been going on, and not just ending up there. That is only the icing on the cupcake that she had not have the opportunity to eat. It had seemed to be one disaster after another, and just when she thought it might be getting a little better, good old life came and slugged her, again.

Yet she looks completely serene as she sits on the lawn chair, feet bent over to one side, a spicy bloody Mary in hand. She's paler than when she first arrived, her hair shorter and closer to white than the softer blonde than when she first arrived, if anyone happened to see her then. She takes a sip of her drink, a hum of pleasure. Not as good as brains, but it is spicy, and that is something. Her eyes do lift as she hears someone coming closer.]

Oh. Hi! Bloody Mary? They're... a bit spicy.

[ooc; will match any format]

ii

[braveoff]

[ Drake comes out of the cabin he's just found himself in to see something far more confusing -- because let's be real, he's been in Hadriel long enough that nothing is weird anymore. At least he's got his real memories this time, if the setting is another illusion. But he recognizes the head of white-blond hair, tells himself it can't be, until she senses someone approaching and offers him a drink.

...again? Really? Is this part of the trick? He decides to play along and see how she reacts, if she rolls with it she's probably not real. If she doesn't, well.

He doesn't mind doing this all over again, honestly. ]

Hey, Liv. I'd love one.

[amwhatieat]

[Of all the voices that Liv could have expected to hear, his falls quite low on the list, along with a certain other dead dead boyfriend that she'd had previous. Even with the lull over her, that calmness that seems to penetrate to her very fiber, there is a spike as her eyes dart to him.

And stay.

Time could pause for a heart beat or two, that is a human heart beat, which is barely one of theirs, but it's Drake... Or what appears to be Drake. Last time she had been all but dry humping the couch, and as pleasurable as that had actually been on that brain, it hadn't been real.]

Okay, either this drink is really strong, or I'm somehow hallucinating again.

[Because what other option is there... Then again the whole strong drink isn't really a viable option either, but she hasn't eaten anything recently that would explain why he'd standing there. There is a part of her that almost debates reaching out to see if her hand would go through him, but instead she settles for staring at him, as if doing so would have him poofing away.]

[braveoff]

[ ....well, it's her. Drake supposes they're doing this all over again, then. That's fine. He smiles at her slightly, and since her legs are already bent up he takes a seat on the end of the lawn chair but doesn't reach for her yet. Just sits in her presence, so she can feel the weight shifting the chair. A sign that he's real without totally freaking her out and reaching for her hand.]

You're not hallucinating. You're just somewhere else, somewhere that lets me be alive again. It's called Hadriel, and it's not actually a cute little cabin in the woods, this part's... not a hallucination exactly, but a trick. There's a lot to explain.

[ Which he's up for, but maybe not this instant. Not when she's staring at him like he's a ghost about to disappear on the wind. ]

You okay?

[amwhatieat]

[Her senses had been fooled before, although Liv also knows that it had been the brain that she had been on. That particular brain is long gone from her system, and she can't say that she recalls eating another- in fact, she had been going to eat one just before coming here, but she hadn't gotten the chance.

She should perhaps be a little more bothered by it, a little more unsettled, a little more something. She may look at where he sits, as if gauging whether it is somehow her having another conversation with air, and seeing what she believes to see, but even she can't explain what exactly all of this is.]

Drake? It's really- [Hadriel means nothing to her. He may as well say that she is dreaming, and maybe she is. Should she pinch herself? Would that prove anything? Read a book, because you're not supposed to be able to read in dreams, right? Ask him something that only he would know? But she would know it too, which makes it a moot point.

She does shift, shifting to sit on one leg, the other over the side of the chair. She may reach out, a hand moving to gently poke at his knee. What she really needs is Peyton, to see whether or not she is seeing what Liv is seeing.]

You're... alive? But, I had to- [That flicker across her face. She had come to a peace with it, but it is still a scar that will always remain. Her luck with boyfriends has been really bad, after all.]

[braveoff]

[ At the poke Drake figures it's safe enough to reach out and take her hand, squeezing her fingers gently but firmly. He's real, he's here, he's alive. ]

As alive as we ever are, I swear. And I know... you told me, the last time you were here. About the basement, about the visions on that one brain. You don't remember?

[ He doesn't know how to prove any of these things to her, how to make her believe that this is happening and not just a dream or illusion. But he's here, his hand lukewarm on hers. ]

It's me, Liv.

[amwhatieat]

[Her gaze does rest where his hand has taken hers, looking at it as if it were a puzzle to solve. In a way, it is. Her gaze does shift upwards again, regarding him as she mulls that over. While there had been some things that Liv hadn't understood when she had been alive, she knows that he is a good guy.]

I haven't been here before, Drake.

[Which perturbs her, starts to gnaw away at that tranquil air that has settled in the air. It reminds her of... lazy summer days, even if she had never been one to really sit back and smell the flowers, but now?]

It's not- I mean, I don't get it. How?

[braveoff]

You have, Liv. I know it sounds nuts, as nuts as being here, but you've been here before. The Door sometimes wipes people's memories, when they leave and when they come back. It also doesn't care about time and space, or whether or not you were dead.

[ He gestures at himself with his free hand as if to say case in point. ]

If you don't believe me I can introduce you to others, but I hope you do.

[amwhatieat]

No, I just- I mean, I've seen you after, but it wasn't you, so seeing you again...

[Is more than a little trippy for her. And hearing that this Door takes them and messes around with their memories? Wipes them? And how is he alive- or, you know, undead, again. Even with Ravi and his cures, he's never been able to bring someone back from-]

It's just more than a little strange, even by my standards.

ii

[unheeled]

I like them hot.

[ Rita takes a seat near Liv, all smirky and confident and (quite frankly) sick bitch. This is familiar, which is a change for this stupid city. This is a game she knows how to play.

Leaning her head back against the chair, she basks in the dappled sunlight and gives Liv a lazy, wide smirk. ]

So good to be roomies again, right?

[amwhatieat]

[That is that momentary crease that furrows her forehead as Liv glances towards the speaker, more than familiar with the voice. It's that serene air that still brushes as she twists her glass side to side, leveling a look that wouldn't curdle milk, but that comes pretty close. It is the tranquility alone that keeps the proverbial claws at bay.]

You were killed.

[unheeled]

[ Is that how it happens? She wonders who did it, how she went down in the end. Do raged out zombies kill their fellow undead in the quest for brains? Did her dad manage to kill her this time? (Third time's the charm, right?) Or maybe Liv did it. A mercy kill, or another stroke of poetic justice.

Rita considers her for a moment, twirling some pale, pale hair around one finger. At ease. So comfortable. She's been here longer than Liv; she's past the confusion and surprise of Hadriel's tricks. —no, it wasn't Liv who killed her. She's too much of a good guy for that. ]

I hope I went out with a bang.

[ The emphasis doesn't have anything behind it other than it just being how Rita talks when she's like this, but if there's something suggestive there, well... that's just who she is. At least it's not intentional this time? ]

Anyway. That's in the past. We're here now. There's so much to catch up on, right? [ She leand forward a little, and she lowers her voice, like this is just between the two of them. Even ber smug look and smile fade, like she genuinely means or cares about what she says next.

Some part of her does. ] What happened to Vaughn?

[amwhatieat]

There was a bang.

[But probably not the one that she was expecting. Likely not the person that she would have expected either. Sure, arguably Liv and her hadn't exactly been on the best of terms. Liv had trusted her, but it turned out to have all been a farce in the end.

In truth, Liv had been shocked to find Rita in that elevator, and it was only Major's appearance that had put a quick end to the other. Then again, she had been gone, eating her deceased father's brains, so... Perhaps something poetic about that?

It is still strange though. It talks and it talks and it acts like her, or at least Liv would say so. She had been duped for quite some time by her, so she may well be wrong. Liv does still give her a little look though, before asking, even if this could all be some strange thing that's only going on in her mind.]

... what is the last thing you remember?

[unheeled]

[ She'll take it. Not like it matters anyway. She's dead, and she's here now, happy to toy with Liv like nothing changed, even though everything did. ]

Hmm. [ Rita leans back in her seat, setting aside her question about her dad, for now. ] The ex-frozen zombies escaped. Major and I were trapped. My dad— [ she all but spits out the word ] —tried to poison us. And then Major, our hero, shot at the glass. Set us free.

[ The details about her father's rant about her selfishness and goddamn fucking Twitter need not be mentioned. Tranquility's influence keeps Rita calm enough that she doesn't even flinch as she remembers it all. ]

I guess I died around then. I don't remember anything past that. I'm sure I wouldn't forget something like you and Major falling into each other's arms to celebrate the end of Max Rager.

[amwhatieat]

[Her and Major. The whole zombie thing has really put a wrench in that, because it is more like her. And Major. Not herandMajor. But, Liv also recalls the pictures that she had found, and the certain item of clothing that had led Liv to punching Rita/Gilda in the face. Gilda had been her friend though, a farce, but Rita on the other hand?

Still, Liv's not quite so petty as to throw it back in her face what she had seen. She can still recall it quite clearly. Rita hunched over, picking through her father's scalp... Plus, she had helped, a little. Still, the comments do earn a look from Liv before she speaks.]

You can say that you took one last elevator ride.

[unheeled]

[ Rita assumes a lot from that alone, and it sates her thirst for revenge. For punishing Vaughn for making her into this. He must've tried to leave her behind, like the first time. Except she made it this time. She may have even killed him.

She chuckles, low, dark. Pleased. ]

Enough about me. What about you, roomie? Still solving murders? Dreaming of doing that here? There's not a lot of death here. Not the permanent kind, anyway.

[amwhatieat]

Not that you likely really care, but yes, I am.

[As for what she plans on doing here... Liv hasn't even thought that far ahead. Why would she? Surely there has to be come way to return... Maybe not a plane or a bus, but something, right? Spending any amount of time with Rita isn't exactly on her bucket list anyway.]

ii

[requiemshark]

[ Ephemera approaches slowly, watching Liv with some caution. He's out of armor and dressed in sweats, figuring it would be easier if he did this in civilian clothes. The armor could give the wrong impression, if she doesn't remember him. Sometimes people leave and don't recall anything about being here before. Ephemera hasn't decided if that's better or worse. ]

Hey, Liv. You remember me?

[ His face is...hard to forget. ]

[amwhatieat]

[Indeed, she has no knowledge of who he is, and does give a little blink when he does say her name. It makes Liv pause for a moment, shifting through her memories, seeking an answer, as his is indeed a face that would be memorable.

Yet nothing as she gives a shake of her head, focus shifting to him.]

Sorry. I don't have any recollection of meeting you, ...?

[Whether it is a lucky guess, her name, or not, she has no name to give to him in return.]

[requiemshark]

That's all right.

[ Ephemera runs a hand through his hair, shifting uneasily. He likes Liv - or he did the last time she was here. But things were complicated. Still are.

He owes her a decent explanation, at least. ]

You were here before. A long time ago. But sometimes people leave and don't remember.

[ He hesitates again, then offers his hand. There are black rings tattooed around all this fingers and small, faded scars. ]

I'm Ephemera. Hi.

[amwhatieat]

[That's a little... odd. It's not that her memories are always her own, as they aren't. It's part of her whole zombie eat a brain and have memories, which is what she has now used to help solve murders, but being here, before? No, no matter how hard Liv thinks about it, she can say that she hasn't been in this place.]

I'm sorry, but maybe you have me confused with someone else?

[Not that that seems like a probable solution, as Liv is not exactly someone you could mistake for someone else, unless you happen to come across another zombie who is the same stature and doesn't tan or dye. Yet she does take the hand, giving it a shake regardless, as he does seem friendly enough despite everything.]

Liv, although I guess you already know that.

[requiemshark]

You're Liv Moore. You work in a morgue and you've got some real weird dietary restrictions.

[ Ephemera rocks back on his heels, watching her. Hoping he isn't going to fuck this up horribly. ]

...I know this is weird.

[amwhatieat]

[Weird, when it comes to her life, is subjective. She is a zombie, something that Liv would have said didn't exist if anyone had asked her before the boat party. Now? Well, she is living proof of that fact.]

So, I told you that?

[Because there are other options for this whole situation.]

[requiemshark]

Some of it. [ Ephemera hesitates, not sure how she'll take the rest of the information. ] Drake's here. He told me the rest.

[amwhatieat]

Drake's here.

[Parroting what he said, if only because that doesn't make any sense. Liv knew that fact because she had been forced to shoot him, much to her dismay. Does she look dubious? More than a little. That calmness is the only thing keeping stronger emotions at bay.]

That's not possible.