test drive meme #11

[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 July 25th, and apps are open August 1st.

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: WORKING TITLE
[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.

Watch out as you explore the streets of Hadriel, because you're not alone, and there's always something lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect chance to swarm around you and chow down. This time, the Door has brought in a few Working Joes, from the Alien: Isolation video game series.

Once simply androids meant for mundane jobs, working Joes have had their programming altered to isolate and eliminate threats onboard their ship- which they now believe to be Hadriel. Super strong, yet slow and plodding, an android may ask you for identification before throttling you when you don't have the right answer. They are quite sturdy and difficult to destroy without the right tools. Have fun!]


H O P E

SCENARIO TWO: BEAUTIFICATION DUTY
[The city has always looked a little drab, but now with some tools from Hope, it's up to you guys to spruce it up a bit! Your character will find themselves in a shop filled with various paints, home improvement tools, window stickers, streamers, and various other items and tools used to improve the appearance of the neighborhood.

You're encouraged to add your own little flair to the project in order to improve living standards and make Hope the happiest god in the pantheon. So, what will you do? Paint a mural? Sweep up some rubble? Install a skylight! The cave is your oyster.

This is a mini version of our Extinction v2 event this month!]


S O R R O W

SCENARIO THREE: CRY ME A RIVER
[When you wake up in the morning, something feels... off. It feels like you just watched 20 ASPCA commercials in a row and then topped it all off with the first ten minutes of Up. You're beaten down, depressed, upset by all the horrific acts and trauma in the world, and it's enough to make you want to cry.

Turn on the waterworks, because Hadriel is about to have a shortage of tissues and everyone's getting dehydrated. You might run into your neighbor crying while you're scavenging for food, or you might just find that one whole asshole in the entire movie who isn't affected.

Either way, it's time to get some hugs, some kleenex, and maybe a little bit of chocolate. Happy... crying?]

Comments

[somuchlove]

[Chara stops just a little behind Frisk. Didn't it work better this way? A little voice saying things in the back of their mind, look there's a hole in the ground, didn't you know you can't scream during the Quiz Show and a lack of...anything when it came to Temmie.

And in their timeline, one thing: how many are left. That's all that mattered.]

It is not the Underground we know.

[If it wasn't apparent by the monsters that lacked the quirkiness and instead wanted to eat you. Or, in this flavor of the month, break your neck.]

But it is underground. A familiar setting.

[save_theworld]

[The company might be familiar, but the way it's presented needs work, as always. Never let it be said that voices in the back of your head are comfortable.

Especially when they start counting down.]

Is it?

[For two children of questionable ages such as themselves, is any setting familiar? Do they have the life experience to justify such a statement?

...

They're still avoiding the real issues, here. Of course they are.

They still haven't turned around.]

Chara?

[somuchlove]

[ * 91 left

Or not. Maybe they need to do a re-count. But in the sense of familiar settings, perhaps that was more Chara's area. They knew the Underground and explored every nook and cranny. First with someone and then finally for everyone.

* Everyone was there.
* And then I came.

But that's getting into the topic they're both hovering around. Chara is staring at the back of Frisk's head but they're not really looking. The benefit of being a narration in someone else's head was that you had a general idea of how they worked. General, though. Outside like this, Chara wasn't a mind reader. Besides, there was still nothing else to be said but the usual.]

Yes. It's me, Chara.

[Standing there covered in dust, a locket and a knife. Hello =)]

[save_theworld]

[They can't not turn, now. Already drawn their own cards- and in return, Chara's slapped on one of their own, a polite knock to the back of their head and a soft Uno to seal the deal. No reverse at hand. Can't skip a turn.

They've never actually seen them before. But even though they've never really imagined them as their own person, nothing Frisk sees is surprising.

It's just how they're supposed to be.

Hi. A rough exhale, and a purse of their lips. It's not so much about accepting that Chara's there (always are) and more that they're over there, not a shared thought between them.

...It's disconcerting.

It's lonely.]

How?

[somuchlove]

It seems this place decided. You and I. We are to be separated.

[They've caught themselves narrating when they don't have to. Observations to fill that strange void. Lv 20 and stuffed to the brim with LOVE means you are distant enough that you don't really see yourself anymore - if that makes sense. Yet they continue to observe like they are still inside Frisk. It was strange and persistent, much like the feeling of sin being crammed down their throat every time Chara saw Sans. But it's not like Frisk was the one to render judgement on them.

Chara flexes their free hand. Yes, it was strange. They came here in control and yet...]

You. How does it feel?

[save_theworld]

[Conflicted.

There's fifty different ways to answer that question, and counting. Like they're themself again, like they'll never actually be themself, no matter how hard they try. Like a pressure on their heart has eased, but there's empty impressions to remind them of the absence.

Like they've changed far too much to remember what it's like to to be like this. Individual. Not enough time has passed to say whether this is a blessing or a curse.]

I'm not sure yet.

[It's about as honest as they can be, without struggling to articulate things utterly beyond them. A somewhat useless wave of their hand to the child- ...?- in front of them. And you?]

[somuchlove]

[They'll take that. Some things are like pulling teeth to try and get an answer at best and at worse trying to get a straight answer out of Sans. Still, it wasn't worse case. They could change.]

I can stretch.

[Chara extends their arms, stretching but that wasn't the point. The dusty knife was there in their hands. Nowhere near Frisk but the point was made. A Reset from one person wouldn't change everything.]

But it is strange. You feel somewhat empty without that voice in the back of your mind.

[There they go into another narration. It's a habit that would never break. If a knife couldn't be the symbol of their bound, then this at least would remain.]

[save_theworld]

[No response to the first, aside from the way their eyes follow the path that knife takes. It's answer enough for now, to yet another question they haven't quite resolved, yet. Should they feel threatened, right now?

They suppose they'll figure it out one day- when there's something in front of them to be scared of.

...No response to the second either; though again, Frisk may as well have answered out loud. They aren't agreeing, but more to the point

They aren't about to disagree.]

[somuchlove]

[Chara lets their arms fall. They felt their point - HA! - had been made. An answer that was neither agreement or disagreement would have to work for now. Some things were really for the best.]

There are many people here. Some human, some not. Many in-between.

[Perhaps it was to get the conversation train rolling again. It was hard, after hanging around in someone else's mind and trying to avoid 'I totally know what you were going to say!'. Again, not a mind reader but they knew Frisk.

Besides, the people here were interesting. So very interesting.]

[save_theworld]

[It's a good topic to turn to. Frisk lifts their head just the slightest; acknowledgement to how drastic that change really is. Some human.

They're not sure how they feel about that, but they can guess at what Chara's first response would have been. Their eyes drift back down to the knife clasped LOVingly in pale fingers.]

We didn't do this.

[Should sound matter-of-fact, but it's still a question. After all they've been capable of in the past, would it really be a surprise if they'd caused something else?]

[somuchlove]

[The fun thing about that knife is that no matter how much dust it gathered it always was shiny. It's useless trivia but doesn't it feel great, somehow?]

We did not.

[They more or less just arrived here and have only existed as themself for one month. Beyond playing various degrees of chicken with Sans and one with a connection to a fairy tale nothing has happened yet. Beyond...]

Have you seen the new monsters yet?

['monsters', not 'Monsters'. Did Frisk try to Spare them? What a wonderful surprise that would have been!]

[save_theworld]

[A breath; just the slightest bit of dust off their chest. It's not nearly enough, but it's enough.

Maybe, for once, they can just be small fish in a big pond. Less of the main and more to the side; still capable, but not...everything. Maybe Chara can, too.

Maybe that would do Chara some good.]

Yes. [Their lips purse, mulling over the usage of words. A hand over their chest; called for it, of course. But nothing happened. A Monster wouldn't have ignored that.] ...They're not the same either.

[somuchlove]

[Maybe. But how much will it take to 'do some good' for someone who left the Spare button as dusty as they were? There's really no ignoring the fact that Chara is LV 20. There's no ignoring what they are.

There is no going back.]

They are not. They are more like me.

[Killing over and over. Fighting. Nope, not at all like the Monsters they knew. The intentions behind them were the same as Chara's.]

[save_theworld]

[Judgement is Sans thing. MERCY is Frisk's.

At the least, they'd like it to be.]

Not really.

[A calm observation, one given with the easy acceptance of what comes with that- the potential that Chara won't like their difference in opinion.]

[somuchlove]

[They catch themself almost copying Sans' narration. * That look on your face...

Chara liked to think they're a bit more subtle than that. But they're not. A little kid with big words but that didn't mean much in the long run before all this. And perhaps, because it was Frisk--]

You really believe that?

[save_theworld]

Yes.

[*Despite everything, you still believe they had a reason to start this.

A slow blink, and Frisk turns on their heel. Starts to walk, even though they still have no idea where they're going. They've never needed to know to do that, and if they're starting to stray into places they shouldn't be...Chara will either warn them, or they won't. If their partner decides to follow them at all.]

[somuchlove]

["Only a short while ago there was a story of a young child. Their journey began with a Froggit..."

*But you know that's not everything. Not at all.
*Because despite everything, you have to Continue.
*After all there is something here for you.

Chara decides to follow behind. They don't speak (unless Frisk examines something, they're back to the usual). Just a quiet, dusty old shadow.]

[save_theworld]

[There's not much to be said for this place.

It's in no better condition than the Underground; if anything, it's worse in so many ways. Every inch of space is made to be a home to someone, and every inch of space no longer is. There's no placards on the walls, lamenting the tale of it's people. Just rubble and decay, and a lack of those same occupants.

...There's items, here and there. Cast about the place like the last time someone used them, it was in that very spot. A broom. A bike.

A pram.]

...No people.

[somuchlove]

* You wonder out loud about the state of the city.
* It's nothing like the Underground you know.

[Chara themself was much of the same mindset. Yes, this was underground but it lacked what made it the Underground they both knew. There were things here but no monsters. Or humans. Who knew who ruled this place before they all started to come.]

They say that the people vanished. Only living and dead gods rule now.

[save_theworld]

[Similar enough to some steps that it could be mistaken for the Underground, at first glance. You step into the store, and you help yourself to whatever you like. She's left a note for you.

Please don't hurt my family.]

How'd they die?

[somuchlove]

[Some gold, a weapon and items. Passed that, a forgettable skeleton. Passed that was the Undying. Minus those items after that.]

No one knows. I have asked around but there is no answer. Perhaps only the living gods know.

[save_theworld]

[Undyne the Undying. CONTINUE. CONTINUE. CONTINUE.

And continue, severely lacking in resources, but strangely satisfied all the same. A ferocious sense of finally and a considerable lack of guilt born by frustrations at the repetition.

They don't know too much about gods, per say, but they imagine that one does not simply walk into Mordor ask them for a story. They'll have to find it out another way, and Grit gives a somewhat thoughtful hum as they draw closer to one of the buildings, peering through doorways and windows, but not quite ready to invite themself inside.]

[somuchlove]

[You could write a tune to that fight, punctured by the occasional scream of frustration because back then you could feel frustrated. And then the final hit and blah blah blah friendship before she turned to dust.

Chara didn't get to feel that for a long time until their judgement. And that was a hell of a time.

Frisk wasn't too far off with the gods, their answers hadn't really been answers. All that they knew was something Bad had happened.]

* You observe the building.
* As empty as it is , there may be something inside.

[save_theworld]

[And yet they still delay for a while longer, unsure about the rules of this particular setting. Are they allowed to go where they will? Is it right to deviate from the trodden path; a violation of privacy for those long since gone?

...

They enter anyway.

There's not much to it, honestly. A hardware store that's already been pilfered, for the most part; what remains are tools and buckets of nuts and bolts, items that are hardly useful for a child. But it's neat and orderly, a layer of dust on everything that still sits there, waiting to be used.

The cash register is the dustiest thing in the place, though peering around the counter, it seems like... it's been pried open.]

Is money useful here?

[somuchlove]

[Chara steps inside after Frisk. The dust was nostalgic, although they felt that Frisk wouldn't share in that same feeling.]

I do not know. We ran out of gold on this run.

[First was the Undying draining their supplies and the occasional fight that dragged on. Hotland took forever. Then the usual problem of Sans requiring the best. The best of everything, they thought.]

If you have some you can try. Taking is faster.

[Food for thought.]