dankmemes | Test Drive Meme #40

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!test drive

Test Drive Meme #40

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.]

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[She does hate him, equal to the amount that she loved him. She had believed the Gods had planned for her to meet and wed him, to give him the son he wanted. Now it seemed that they had brought them together to destroy each other. She was more like him than she wanted to admit.

But she knew her place and she knew how to survive. They were stuck here together, brought to this world to suffer. So long as they were trapped, she would need to think clearly and plan for herself.

Slowly, she moved to his side, carefully watching him as she sank by his side. He didn't have his usual braces, but she knew the pain he suffered. Wordlessly, she massaged at his legs, trying to help soothe the ache from his limbs, as she would have were things well between them.]

[He wants to push her away or say something scathing, but Ivar is only human. He's tired. Tired of fighting, tired of being angry all the time, tired of being denied the happiness he wants so much. So he's willing to pretend right now that everything is fine between them, just for a little bit.

The ache never truly leaves, but the contact soothes his muscles just a little bit. To have her hands on him at all calms his mind.

He moves one hand, slowly so that she doesn't think he's going to hit her again. Then Ivar brushes it through her hair in a moment of tender affection, one he would show to almost no one else. He wishes he could stop loving her. Maybe then it wouldn't hurt so much.]

[She couldn't bring herself to touch him after he took Baldur during the night. The thought of it had repulsed her in a way he never had before. His temper, his cruelty and violence, she had admired them before, they had spoken to the darker parts of her heart.

But there was only so long that she could keep away, and despite rage and hatred, love was still strong enough to compel her back to his side. They were locked together, not simply here but forever.

More than that, she needed him if she hoped to survive and a placated Ivar was easier to manage.

She nearly flinches under her touch, but only through sheer willpower does she remain still. She could let him pretend for as long as he wanted.]

[He knows he should keep his guard up around her. He can't trust his own wife any longer, not after all they've been through. But it's alright, just for a little bit, to pretend it wasn't his own fault that everything was broken between them.

His thumb, rough and coarse from a lifetime of using his hands to drag himself around, lightly skitters across her cheek. He'd wanted to be with her forever and thought the gods would allow them to be so. Instead, he wondered if Odin, Freyr, and the rest of them were laughing at all the misfortunes that had been heaped onto him as of late.]

[There was a time that she cherished this intimacy. She wanted always to be beside him and enjoy the little moments where they teased and played with each other. His laughter and smile had been a gift, as she was the only one who ever saw that side of him.

Now, she feels as if she has to constantly be on her guard. To watch him and predict when his temper will flare. It's a dance on a razor's edge and she will inevitably cut herself. It wouldn't take much to slip, a moment where his affection becomes familiar and warm to her. So long as she kept her heart distant, she would not be caught in his usual traps.

She lifted her head and met his eyes, quiet and thoughtful. There was no smile on her face, but there was no air of hostility either.]

[He reads her eyes and the expression on her face. His own eyes are full of his usual fury, but there's something guarded there, like he doesn't want her to know what he's thinking. It would have to be the one time he took responsibility for his own actions and mistakes was when it had cost him the life of someone he loved.

It seems like a truce, at least for the moment. If they can't stand each other, at least they're not in any danger of trying to pull off a murder-suicide drama either.

Abruptly, Ivar brings up another subject.]

Is there anything to eat in here?

[His hands weren't around her neck, which at least meant his rage wasn't directed at her. So long as they could manage and be content with that, they could avoid bloodshed...for now.

The change of subject broke the uncomfortable silence, allowing her to pull away and move back to the kitchen. There were cans and bags, but they made little sense to her. Fresh was better.]

If you bring me meat, I can cook for us.

You know I'm not much of a hunter.

[It's one of the things that is just beyond what his body is capable of. Hunting requires strength, skill, and agility. He has plenty of the former two, but the third is the sticking point.

He gestures towards the bags.]

Have you tried opening any of those?

No, but you know traps.

[More than her, at least. Once she knew how to care for herself in that way, she wouldn't need to rely so much on Ivar, needing to act so loving and gentle to him.

Perhaps she might be able to better protect herself against him? She was no shieldmaiden, but there needed to be some way to keep him from killing her again, even if it was only to seduce him?]

No. I do not trust anything given by those that brought us here.

They don't wish us dead. Not yet at least. The gods of this place need our emotions to feed them and give them power.

[Freydis and Ivar were going to be providing a lot of that with their current mindsets. There was no doubt about it.]

[Her thoughts drifted to the same direction, wondering if they ate their fill now with this reunion alone.]

And you? Do you wish me dead?

Part of me does. [There is a long pause.] And part of me does not. [The conflict is clear in his voice. He'll never truly be able to give up his wife no matter what had occurred between them.]

We're not slaves to these gods or anyone else.

We can live freely.

[Specifically she could live freely]

Is that what you want?

[He's not sure she'll give him a truthful or direct answer. She can be infuriatingly vague sometimes.]

[She meets his eyes before looking away, debating her words and preferring to remain a mystery. Her life was safer, so long as he couldn't predict her words.]

Are there any others from Kattegat?

[Indeed, she changes the subject rather than be honest with him. He should have seen that one coming.]

Not from Kattegat. But King Alfred is here. I am living with him.

[That's just going to make things a whole lot more complicated. Between the way he feels about Alfred and Freydis, his emotions feel far too mixed up to even begin the process of untangling them.]

[That was a surprising revelation. First that Ivar would choose to live with the king of the people they regularly raided and that it seemed to be peaceful.

But appearances were deceiving and she knew her husband better now.]

I see.

[At least it meant she could find a place for herself.]

Is there a village near here? I have only seen this cottage.

[Indeed, the idea that he'd ever room with an Englishman would have seemed preposterous four months ago. But now it just seems like a fact of every day life.]

There is a city nearby. It is nearly deserted, but there is shelter, supplies, and safety there.

[They were both Norse and knew that anyone who stayed outside safe boundaries was bound to be attacked eventually, and unlike home, here there were actual monsters.]

[She had at least a plan going forward. If there was a village with supplies, she had less an imperative need to rely on anyone. If she interacted with Ivar, it would be her decision and for her own purposes.

She considered the room for a moment before taking the knife she brandished before, tucking it into her belt.]

Which way? I should start walking before it grows any later.

[I? No, no, wrong pronoun to use, judging by the fact he struggled to his feet as soon as she mentioned leaving. We was the correct one.]

I'll take you there.

[What if she runs into nautilus monsters on the way there? Ivar was barely able to fend a pack off them off and he was a skilled warrior.]

[It was easy to make Ivar volunteer or do something she wanted by the simple use of her independence, but it was difficult for her to say anymore where the line between genuine and altruism was.

While she felt pleased that he insisted on helping her without her lowering herself to ask, there was still a frustration that she would be at his side (even as she longed for it.) There was no safety with this man, either physically or mentally.]

I'm not afraid of death, Ivar.

You wouldn't like a death at the hands of these monsters.

[It would be quite painful, and even as he hates Freydis, he doesn't wish for the tentacled beasts that roam the land to tear her apart. The thought is tempting, but if anyone is going to that, it will be him.]

Torn apart or strangled, does it truly matter? I have already suffered. One monster or another, I'm not afraid.

[Her look was pointed, watching him for his telltale rage.]

[Ouch. That hits him where it hurts. The rage doesn't come. Instead, a look of regret mixed with sadness flickers across his face for a moment. He had loved her so much. Though he won't show it, his heart is still truly broken.

Then he steels himself and his face hardens into that ruthless mask that she would know well, the one he used when he didn't want anyone to know what he was thinking.]

Say what you will, but you will not be rid of my presence that easily.

[If being around Freydis irks her, then he will continue to do so. He could be awfully petty like that.]

The gods mean for us to be together.

[In some shape or form, bound together in sorrow, joy and misery. It's not great victory to hurt him, however much she had needed to. Love was equally as strong as hate and she felt both for Ivar in great supply.

No matter how long she was in this world, she would never be able to sort between the two. Not with him.]

I want to reach the village before dark falls.

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ragnarsson - 2019-03-18 05:40 (UTC) - Expand

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