[Interest Check] Blind Application for a Game

[Quimnthemaster]

I like the idea. But it would involve a ton of work on your part and not a whole lot on ours.

[BlackIvory]

Dude! don't tell him....

[kingmonkey]

This game is now open for applications.

Since I am not divulging any details about this game, due to the concept of blind applications, applications are going to be handled differently.

Instead of a character concept, I am going to be accepting applicants solely on merit of writing ability. What I would like to see is a single post describing an act of cruelty. This can be first, second, or third person. It can be in any setting in any genre. It can be prose or poetry. It can be as long or as short as you want. All it needs to do is convey the commission of an act of cruelty.

1. 7 - 8 players
2. Ideally one post per day, more if we can
3. Exclusive role-play with no mechanics involvement on the part of the players
4. Fun where permitted (optional)
5. Mature gaming (not as in 'adult' but as in 'no munchkins or Mary Sues')

Applications will be considered closed on , March 28. On Monday, I will begin reviewing all applications. I will then post the list of accepted players here, instead of going through the effort of tracking you all down by PM as I am too lazy busy for that sort of thing.

Good luck and good writing!

[BrassOne]

Since I don't want this to be too long, I'm going to do a kind of cold start, right into the beginning of the action. So here it is, my application:

"Here's the door" I thought as I quietly entered the exquisite bedroom, the television was still on, but muted giving a flashing light to the room. I looked at the bed and saw him, sleeping like a baby. It was him, the one who had caught me just ten years ago, dishonorably discharged for the simple act of selling army goods on the black market. It had destroyed my life, I was just looking for money to support my family, but he had to report me. I spent my time in prison, my wife has long since left me, my kids hate me, and its all his fault. He destroyed my life, for the past ten years he's been hurting me, and tonight was my chance. Me, a civilian ex-con who can't get a job; him, a general, now. I shook myself out of my thought and focused on the task at hand. I pulled out my syringe and removed the cap, squirted just a bit out to ensure that there were no air bubbles, no, he needs to be paralyzed by this, he needed to live. I walked over, covered his mouth and simultaneously stuck the syringe in his neck and injected the paralyzing agent, and his eyes shot open, looking terrified, and I just smiled.
"Why, hello general." I said as the agent took effect, "Just sit quietly as the chemical takes effect, then we can talk, but by then, you'll only be able to get out a whisper." And with that I uncovered his mouth and pulled out my knife.
"Who are you? What do you want" he said as loudly as he could.
"Oh? You don't remember me, I was selling goods on the black market when we were both Captains, you ratted me out, cost me my life, and I want yours in exchange." I said, and raised my knife as his eyes darted to it, I said, "Oh, don't worry, you'll know what's happening, I want you to feel this, and I'll go slow so you can keep up." With that, I started to cut off his fingers, one by one, reveling in his attempted screams of pain, then moved onto his toes. "Now, I would feel so much better about this if you just apologized, maybe I'd even let you live." I said to him with a smile and waited.
"Fine, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have reported you." he said in his disgusting voice. I could tell he was lying right then and there, so I lunged towards his mouth and pulled out his tongue, pulling it out of his grubby mouth and cutting it out.
"Your apology wasn't good enough you liar. You'll never say another lie again, though. But we can't have you drowning on your own blood can we? Thats too good for you." I had nearly yelled and I turned him on his side, allowing the blood to flow out onto his sheets. I then stabbed out his eyes to make sure he never sees anything else to report. "And now, the only thing left to do is kill you, otherwise this would be too messy." I said, and held my knife up, ready to plunge the knife into him when the door creaked open and I turned and saw the security guard there, pulling out his gun. I gave him a quick wink and stabbed down into the heart of that little rat and stood there, the guard yelling the usual hands on your head junk, and I just reached for my gun pulling it out, I guess he took that as an attack because the next thing I knew, I was on the groundclutching my leg in pain as it was spilling out blood, but it was done, and I'm going to trial today, maybe to get the chair, but who cares? My life was over long ago.

Just to add, I was inspired for this by the Dexter series, so I am not just so strange macabre sicko writing stuff from a twisted brain... just to attempt to put people at ease.

[Iriel2010]

hmm... act of cruelty... okay then!

The day had not started well, but then again, when did it ever seem to go well when everything around you was what he hated. Cephas pulled off his jacket that the girl had vomited on, and threw it on her unconcious form. He pushed a button on the telecom, "Come get this... thing. It is in my way." Cephas snapped into it before turning it off. He turned and went back to work.
He had been working with the genetic scanner for awhile when he found a few different genes where most of the mutations that were common could be found. It was also a high tech scanner that noted any other anomalies that were found in the genome, minus the typical variations. He smiled. One thing going right today, it was one that was recognized. "Ah, a telepath." He patted her cheek surprisingly gently. "Wonderful. I can definitely use you." He turned to Thomas, "You! Record this data." He handed the scanner to him, before turning back to the girl, another tool in his hand. One that he had invented himself. "Perfect timing actually." He said talking to her. She couldn't move, but she could still see and hear him. "See this? I just finished making it. You're going to be my first test subject. So, I don't know what exactly is going to happen. It might do what I designed it to do, it might not. I'm sure that, because its not done that this will hurt, enough so that you will scream, even while drugged." It didn't matter to him. He wasn't going to be his own first test subject on this one. It was in the initial stages for his side project. To turn masked into normal people. The tool that did that part was still being built in his lab. "If it works properly, which it likely won't. It will cause you to have severe and agonizing muscle cramps from all of your muscles contracting at once. It's like tetanus, only its not tetanus, and there is no cure." He took the tool and placed it against her neck, a spike injecting the toxin into the girl.
A moment later he removed the spike, and set to cleaning it. The girl, even though paralyzed was in obvious pain, though from what, it mattered little to him because he enjoyed their suffering regardless. He drew some blood, and proceeded to do a few other tests to find out what exactly was causing the pain as the girl's temporary paralysis wore off and her screams echoed in the room.

[copatt]

Good morning, ladies. I'm all smiles as I kick the OR door open- and why shouldn't I be? I love my job. The kicking, yeah, it's a bit dramatic, but the girls, they all dig it; and it's not like I can use my hands. I've spent the last five minutes scrubbing, and time is money, plus I don't want the patient to get an infection. The government keeps a close watch on that kind of thing now, much closer than when I was a young surgeon.

Kami gowns and gloves me. I'm always happy to work with Kami. She's been here at the hospital longer than have I. She already has the patient prepped and draped. I call her "the consumate professional," and I mean it.

I linger at the patient's foot for a moment. It's orange-brown from the prep, but I can tell that the skin beneath is fair, pretty. I tickle her sole, tug on her toes. She can't feel anything. Nina has her paralyzed. Nina, she's a crusty old thing, but she adores me. I don't discourage her affection. Maybe she'll let me do her next colonoscopy.

Blade-icus, I say, and Kami hands me the 10 blade without hesitation. I never studied Latin; Spanish always seemed so much more practical, useful, but I still enjoy adding the "-icus" suffix to various words. It amuses me. That's Latin for blade.

Wait, wait, wait, we've gotta do a time out, Melissa, the circulating nurse, calls. If Kami is a professional, Melissa is a Nazi, but I can't deny that she is good at her job, one of the best in the OR.

Alright, alright, time me out.

We have Emily Brown, age 19, medical record number 094237, for an above knee amputation. She has no allergies, and she had a gram of ancef.

I waste no time making my initial incision- circumferential, fishmouth, mid-femur. Blade back, I say as I pass the instrument back to Kami. The bovie slices through the muscles of the patient's thigh, its heat and the tourniquet keep bleeding to a minimum. The primary vascular bundle is in a posteromedial position. I ligate the artery and vein individually, divide the sciatic nerve sharply.

Ten minutes into the operation, the patient's leg is connected by nothing but bone. I divide it with a gigli saw. Not unlike the wire saws that were stored in the survival knives made famous by Sylvester Stallone as Rambo and beloved during my youth, the gigli is my favorite surgical instrument. Any 98 pound weakling can use a power saw, but it takes a man to use the gigli, or at least a little upper body strength. I can divide the femur with the gigli in less than twenty seconds. There was a fat girl who trained with me who could do it faster. She was a beast.

I toss the leg off the surgical field in Melissa's general direction. Leg, I say, instructing her how to label the specimen.

I close the wound with 3-0 vicryl and 4-0 monosoft, both absorbable, so the patient'll require minimal post-op care.

Kami dresses the wound with kerlix fluffs, a kerlix roll, and a couple of ace wraps while I take care of the paperwork. Dr. Chet Patton dictating an operative report on Emily Brown, medical record number 094237. Date of operation, 3-20-25. Date of dictation, same. Primary offense, unlawful assembly. Secondary offense, resisting arrest. Procedure performed, right above knee amputation...

[Thybeli]

Just a note first, this was typed on my iPod touch, so any weird typos are because of that. I'll look at it again when I have my computer again tomorrow and fix anything I miss tonight.

 

I sat in the darkest corner of the room, nothing more than a pair ofgleaming eyes staring out at you. You'll tell me what I want to hear you know. Maybe not today, or even tomorrow, but you will. I'm not going to beat it out of you. I'll be breaking you piece by piece. I stand and glide silently over to where you are lying silently on your cot. Step one, I whisper as I grasp your pinky and swiftly snap it.
I return to my corner, enjoying your whimpers of pain while they last. When you finally begin to drift off to sleep I speak again. You know, it's amazing how well the body can adapt to pain if it needs to. It doesn't deal as well wiu sleep deprivation and dehodration though. It is quite amusing to watch all three together. Are you willing yet to speak? No? Then perhaps it is time for round two.. At a gesture of my hand a voice is piped into the room.
Daddy? Mommy? Where are you? Why did you leave me? What did I do wrong? Don't you love me anymore? I promise I'll be better if you come back, please?.
This time I get to sit back down to the sweet, sweet sound of your tears as your heart is wrenched from your chest after hearing the voice of your little girls. I wait calmly for the tears to stop, for you to reach the point where the tears have emotionally and physically exhausted you.
So you are here, and your little girl is somewhere, alone, where we are nearby enough to record her voice, or more if we wish. Have you begun to wonder what we've done with your spouse yet? On a whim, to highten his pain I reach down casually and break his left hand before hitting the switch that illuminated the room next door, sepperated only by a panel of floor to ceiling unbreakable glass.
There on the floor lays your spouse, barely recognizable. One hand is so mangled you're not sure it could ever be corrected, the other appears to have third degree burns. One leg is lying at a strange angle, and while you can't be certain because their eyes are shut, you think that one eye socket looks emptier than before. You aren't sure whether or not you should be relieved to be able to visibly see the breathing.
We cut out their tongue too. Hope you don't mind silence, I watch as you begin to succumb to shock. I lean over the bed and whisper. Tell me everything and it's over.
I listen closely as you tell me everything you know, never noticing that my hands so casually placed to support me as I lean in close to whisper are perfectly placed to snap your neck as soon as you're done telling me what I needed to know.
I step out of the torture chamber into the embrace of your spouse. From this angle anyone can see the projector that fed you the fake image of their torture.
There's my little actress, I say as I hug your little girl. You were incredible. I walked away with every person and every piece of knowledge you held dear entirely mine.

[Ericg1s]

Turning down the alley, I see a scene unfold...one I will never be able to forget, no matter how I try.
I watched in horror, unable to look away...
The knife comes down, once, twice....many times more.
The screams fill my ears, the blood splatters everywhere.
Thoughts flood my mind, trying in vain to block out what I am seeing.
At first, I thought that he merely wished to kill her, and was making certain she was dead. Then, I realise that he is intentionally missing anything vital-that he wants her alive but maimed and crippled!
Can no one else hear this? Why do I watch but not act? Is the shock and fear causing me to freeze?
I finally manage to break away and run back the way I came...or at least that's where I THOUGHT I was going.
Turning through many side streets, I come upon the same scene from behind. The woman has passed out, but is still breathing. The man is now cleaning his knife off, and seems to be ignoring her for the moment. I run away again before he notices me.
Finally reaching the main street, I wonder if I should go to the police...Or was it all even real? I'm not certain if the street I just came out of is still there anymore. Is this just a dream? Am I losing my mind?
I made it home after that, and I dare not go far from home. My workplace is only a few minutes travel from here, and I dare not travel further than that until I am certain it is safe...after what I have seen, nothing seems safe anymore.

[Felyx Zephyr]

"Ricky, Ricky please no. Please don't leave me behind. Please don't Ricky I'm sorry. I'm sorry Ricky. I'm SO sorry Ricky!"

"Pull yourself together Lily. Really, you are disgusting me." Ricky tried to shake Lily's hands from his right leg, but to no avail.

"Ricky, you know it wasn't me! I swear that it wasn't me who wrote that letter! Why would I ever do something like that? I love you Ricky!"

"Lily, that's not it. I don't care about that stupid letter. I just don't want to talk to you anymore. You are nothing to me. You have never been anything to me. Frankly, I never even saw you as more than just a friend anyway. I never thought of you as a girlfriend, despite what you thought."

"B-but... but... but you said that you loved me. You used to tell me that all the time! Ricky, if it isn't this, then what have I done? I will do anything Ricky, I love you so much. I don't even have to be your girlfriend, we don't have to go out, you don't even have to love me. Please Ricky, just let me still be your friend. That's enough for me I swear! Just don't say you hate me, don't say that I can't see you and be by your side anymore."

"You. Really. Do. Not. Get. It." Ricky growled looking at the woman making a fool of herself grabbing onto his pants leg. "Your face sickens me, being around you is physically painful to me."

P-painful...

"You wear on my soul."

Lily let go of his leg.

"Because of you, I can't find a proper girlfriend."

Her mouth opened and closed.

"Besides, you've changed."

Tears ran down her face but neither words nor sobs would come out.

"I know people; I know their intentions."

I... I am causing him pain. The only person that I love... I am causing him pain.

"I am never wrong about these things. I know that there has to be some ulterior motive you are using. I'm not gonna stick around for it."

What... am I?

The door slammed.




"I love you Ricky"

Ricky smiled at me and kissed me on the lips. After a few moments, I broke away from him, even though I didn't want to.

"Ricky, you know what I love about you the most?" I stroked his chest.

Ricky brushed some hair out of my face, "What?"

"Everything." I curled up against his chest and fell asleep.

[Moridain]

"Daddy!" cries the glorious girl. I smile at her timeless cuteness.

She sits on the floor, gold locks falling carelessly across her shoulders, her pink lollypop dress like a blanket on her small frame, and sitting perfectly on her, as normal.

Crouching in front of her, he pats Mr Jenkins, her teddybear. "And how is Mr Jenkins today..?"

"He's feeling a bit sad. He wants you to hug me." comes the perfect voice of my little angel.

Smiling warmly, I crouch down, giving her a big hug, being careful not to squish her or shift her in any way.

"I love you daddy..." she says into my ear.

"I love you too." I reply, a tear rolling from my eye.

I pause for a moment, taking in the perfect, timeless moment. I then sit back, sighing.

After a moment I reach quietly forward, running a hand across her face. And thrust my hand into her mouth. My questing fingers sink deeper and deeper, pushing past her throat. She is silent of course, she is the perfect daughter.

Eventually I find what I am looking for. The tape recorder. I reset it, as usual. And remove my hand from the interior of her perfect head.

As usual the moment makes me sad. I really wish she hadnt made me do it to her. But she talked too much, or too little. Was too messy or not messy enough. And she was growing so fast, I couldnt let her leave me... I just had to maintain this perfect moment. The poison, followed swiftly by home taxidermy, really was the only option.

And now she will love her daddy forever...

[Malikane]

The shadows played hell with his victim's eyesight.

It wasn't so much that this Shadow enjoyed being cliche; rather, he felt that there was great power in the symbolic fear of the dark. This was one of the most beneficial aspects of living in the great city--the buildings provided plenty of shadows at night, and the inhabitants learned to fear the darkness because of extensive reliance on torches and lamps. As his victim stalked through the night, this Shadow could almost taste the minute shiver that went through the man's spine. It was glorious.

The silent pursuit lasted for the better part of an hour before the victim finally reached his destination--a warehouse near the wharfs. This Shadow knew what the victim expected to find there (as well as what he would actually find). This Shadow entered through the door on the roof, so as to get into position before the man reached the room he was looking to enter.

Two hearts beat faster in that warehouse. One, from excitement. The other...the other was from fear.

As the victim looked through the warehouse for his quarry, this Shadow looked through the warehouse for his. It was a delicate game of cat-and-mouse, the kind this Shadow had not enjoyed in months. The victim called out several times, hoping for some response from the associates he was planning on meeting. Nothing. The warehouse was devoid of life--all but the two hearts beating.

Finally, the victim found the room. It was not the room of allies and friends he was hoping to find--or rather, it was not filled with the living and intact allies and friends he was hoping to find. This Shadow made certain of that several hours before, when those people were setting up this area for this meeting. The wet blood spots and gore covering the walls and floor were laid out in such a pattern to illicit some horrendous response. This Shadow was delighted to see that it worked.

The victim, having found what he was looking for, let loose a scream that would make a banshee proud. He dashed back toward the entrance, hoping and praying to his pathetic gods that he could escape with his life. He found the door locked and barred, and threw himself at it for several minutes before collapsing for the first time in a pile of helplessness. It would not be his last time to do so this night. This Shadow relished every second of it--the gasps for air, the sobs of fear, the look of despair.

This Shadow made his image visible to the victim. The man saw the visage and ran, trying to find a door, a window, a vent, anything. But there was nothing. He felt that he was a mouse in a maze with no exit, simply running from a cat that was everywhere. It was crushing to the man's spirit, a well-planned and well-executed plot to destroy the soul before even beginning on the body.

This Shadow took its time catching the man, not unlike a cat playing with its food. Not that this Shadow would eat the victim--that would be barbaric. By the time this Shadow captured the victim, they had returned to the original room of the man's meeting. The surroundings gave the man even more reason to be terrified while this Shadow dragged him slowly to the center. The victim was not bound, as the first two cuts were delicately executed to the hamstrings, hindering the man's physical ability to escape. After that, every cut was a kiss of pain, a lick of agony, an embrace of despair. This Shadow fed on the depths of emotions that night, and enjoyed every minute of it.

The next morning, a nondescript city councilor walked out of his mansion and heard the early yells of the town crier. "Councilor Allegretti was found to be brutally murdered last night in a warehouse by the wharfs with several other unidentified bodies! More news to come after town guard does an investigation!" The nondescript councilor stopped walking and stood, careful not to let this Shadow's smile break across his face. What a beautiful morning this is...

[kingmonkey]

Oh, and by the way...

If anyone wants to revisit, edit, revise, rework their entries between now and Sunday, feel free. Since I'm not going to read them more than briefly between now and then, if you feel you'd like to tweak your application, go right ahead.

[Aethera]

Thud. The limo slid to a halt, brakes squealing. What is it? Why are we stopping? the woman in back asked, pressing the call button for the driver with one long finger, nail neatly painted so dark a red as to be almost black.

A boy, milady, chased his dog front of the car. I hit them, came the driver's voice, along with the sound of a car door opening.

A long finger on the other hand pressed the window toggle, rolling down the window only so much as to just barely see the driver on one knee next to the car. Be quick about it! Seeing his startled incomprehension, fingers slid out of the open window and she made a quick hand gesture, flicking her fingers away from herself. Get it out of the way so we can be going! I am now running one minute behind schedule.

But, milady...

An upheld finger cut him off. If you don't want to touch it, I'm sure one of these will take it off your hands, she told him, gesturing again, this time at the few people walking along the sidewalk at this before-the-rush hour of the morning, most with briefcases or backpacks. Be quick, I will not be more than fashionably late to breakfast with my sister. We have haven't seen one another in a week! The fingers retreated into the shadows of the car, and the window rolled closed once more, allowing one last command to slip out, And get the car cleaned before you pick me up.

In a moment, the car began moving again.

[Manijin]

Aha! Da' blood iz still warm! Oh... it feelz so good against me body!

Gofgrog raised his hands high, surveying the remnants of the town, slaughtered by his and his brother's hands. C'mon, Ladz! We gotz work ta do! The warband lets out a primordial howl, still in a frenzy of bloodlust over their latest triumph.

Gofgrog smears the blood on his body and promptly kicks open the nearest door. An empty room greets him, and in dismay, another door comes crashing to the ground... And again, the story is the same. Filled with a growing anger, and hearing the pleased howls of fury coming from his brothers. He kicks in another door, and another, and with each door his fury grows.

And then, he found the woman.

The only thing Gofgrog remembered was the incoherent screaming in his head getting louder and louder. He hefted the woman's dead husband off of her body, flinging him like so much garbage. His body hits the wall with a heavy *thud*, and he grabs the woman.

Dat's right! I'm da' baddest! I'll show her! I'll show dem all! Nofing can stop me! Nofing! Nofing!! The pounding was unbearable; her ragged body slamming against the wall, over and over again, with the frenzy of a dozen berserk orks behind her.

Gofgrog had hardly realized what happened when he came out of his frenzy, his front covered in blood, and her arms in his hands, with her body on the floor. He promptly fastened them to his belt, and went to join his brothers in the continued slaughter, not even a drop of sweat falling from his dirty, earth-colored brow.

[kingmonkey]

Looking good so far, guys. Thanks for the superb entries. Just a reminder that the deadline is Sunday for finished entries. Entries can be adjusted any number of times between now and then, if you like.

Once everything's posted, I hope to have a thread and the final roster within a couple days.