October 2018 Test Drive Meme

[sodder]

OCTOBER 2018 TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to October’s Test Drive Meme! This month's Test Drive's theme is: HALLOWEEN HORROR.

All Test Drive Memes contain at least one clue to the Deerington's upcoming in-game events for the month! Keep your eyes peeled! But...not literally.

Characters may die during TDMs, but you do not need to count it towards a game-canonical death unless you want to. Consider it a freebie. All TDMs can be considered game canon as TDMs introduce minor aspects about the world of Deerington that can be revisited by characters later on in the game. You may also use TDMs for your application writing sample as well as AC.

CW: Wet and rotting corpses/zombies, ghosts, violence, blood, knives, possessed dolls, options for underage drinking

Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!

Prompt One
Prompt Two
Character Arrival
Master Navigation

IT’S JUST A BUNCH OF HOCUS POCUS

It’s not Halloween if you don’t make a trip to a cheesy haunted house. At least, that’s what everyone in Deerington likes to say. The old Victorian stands at the top of a hill, rickety and in desperate need of a new paint job. The yard and porch have been decorated with what you’d expect for your typical haunted house; fake spider webs spread across the overhang, painted foam grave markers with cheesy names like “Here lies Richard Cranium” and “BEWARE!!” in creepy letter etchings. You can see the blinking of variously timed strobe lights in some windows and the shadow of what you’re pretty sure is a full-sized doll standing in the window, meant to look like someone staring out at you. The rocking chair on the porch near the door has a skeleton with a bowl of candy in his lap, and a sign is propped up against the wall next to him.

“ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK. TOUCH NOTHING AND NOTHING WILL TOUCH YOU!”

Well that sounds promising.

The first few rooms you enter are appropriately cheesy. There’s the silly burst of air that you hear just before a plastic figuring pops out of a poorly constructed coffin, the clicking sound of the machinery inside echoing in the room when it starts to pull back and the lid closes once again. There’s fog machines trying to give the appropriately spooky air, stuffed sheets shaped to look like dead bodies wrapped up laying in piles on the floor with fake blood staining the white fabric, black lighting to show off words scribbled on doors like “TURN BACK NOW” and “SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES.” Nothing you haven’t seen before. It might be even worse than things you’ve seen before, over the top cheesy, boring enough to give a yawn. Each door seems to open on its own so you don’t even have to touch the handles.

As you make your way through the next automatic door, the room you walk into is different than those before it. It’s a regular children’s room. A bed against the wall near the window, a dresser in the corner, a small desk with a chair. Nothing out of the ordinary, save for the lights not being on, and the strange flickering light in the closet. You step towards it, figuring you’re in for another jump scare, but the door doesn’t open. Whether you’re naturally the curious sort or not, something in the back of your mind makes you want to open the door and see what’s on the inside.

If you fight it and walk towards the next automatic door, you’ll find you’ve walked out to the backyard of the house, those same foam decorations and a dozen or more jack o’ lanterns lighting your way on a path back to the town.

If you choose to pull the door open, however, it’ll take you into yet another room, with a flickering television playing nothing but static. Once you step past the doors of the closet, they slam shut behind you and whoever else dared to enter. The doors won’t lock no matter what you do, no matter how strong the person shaking the handles or pushing against the wood may be. You realize you broke the one rule; you’ve touched something. But can things now really touch you?

The only light source in the whole room is that television and it’s not lighting up much inside the room around it. If you squint when the TV is at its brightest setting, you can just make out another door. Your exit, you hope. But as you make your way towards the door, the flickering suddenly stops, the TV steadily bright, a low humming noise coming from the screen, and suddenly the door seems several more feet away from you than it was a second ago. Before you can reach the door, there’s the sound of trickling water from behind you. If you choose to look back, you’ll see something coming out from the screen - a girl with soaked clothing and pale, rotted skin. She emerges fully from the glass and starts to move towards you. You know it’s best to start running for that door. If you stay and try to fight, you’ll find that no regular weapons work on her, though special weapons and powers that are effective against spirits will definitely do the trick. For those who don’t have any of these at their disposal, however, there is one more hope besides just trying to run; two old school VHS tape sit on the table near by, a fancy machine between them that is meant to copy one to the other. Work as a team and have one distract her while the other records, and you’ll find that she disappears as quickly as she flickered on the screen and the TV will return to static.

Regardless of what you choose before carrying on, the next room you come to as the door slams and locks behind you is entirely different. Brightly lit and filled with what seems like hundreds of porcelain dolls, it’s almost hard to tell where there could possibly be another exit hidden among the massive shelves. You can start to wind your way through them, but before long, you start to hear the sound of running feet, the jingling of bells, the swish of satin, and most eerily the sounds of children giggling - but there’s nothing that sounds save about them. Some of the dolls you saw on the last shelf seem like they’ve moved and are sitting in the corner or laying in a new position on a new shelf. Sometimes you swear you can see their heads turn to watch you pass, but it has to be a trick of the light, doesn’t it?

That is until one of those dolls runs by you, brandishing something shiny in their hands - something sharp. A knife, you realize too late, as it tries to slice at your legs and knock you down. You can kick them away and they’ll go flying, and when the porcelain smashes, the doll will scream in agony. You notice there’s blood pouring from the hole that formed, spreading quickly across the ground. The dolls are easy to kill, but are they really just dolls? You can take your time to contemplate that later, as now you have to fight your way through the violent and armed toys to reach the door at the end of the maze of shelves. Hopefully you can get out without too many severe injuries.

When (or if) you do manage to get to the next room, you seem to have a chance to take a breath and tend to any wounds. It’s decorated like the room of a small cottage, a large pot over the fireplace that isn’t lit, and several jars full of (possibly rotting) food and herbs on the shelves. You see a book on the stand in the center, latched shut and covered in dust. You can open it, if you want, but remember the warning you ignored that got you in trouble in the first place. It’s probably better to carry on to the next room.

If you do choose to open the book, though, there will be eerily glowing text lining the pages, the light will seem to poor out and fill the room, and you’ll be transported back out in front of the house.

Those who continued through the door will find themselves out in the backyard. Just like for those who got out sooner, there are dozens of jack o lanterns, but the graves don’t look like they’re made of foam this time. They’re real stone, engraved with real names and real dates this time. And the ground underneath them seems to be moving, like someone’s trying to crawl out of there. Better not to wait around. Soon as you start to move down the path, you’ll start to hear the sounds of groans as the undead start to crawl from their own graves, pulling themselves up through the dirt, and determined to get to the only food source they see - you. The zombies seem like they’re never ending, coming from every inch of the yard, but at least they’re just like normal zombies - completely incapable of being killed unless you cut off the head. There are shovels lying next to a few graves if you need a quick weapon, but there’s also still always the option to run as fast as you can up the stone path to the front of the house and back towards the street.

When you do finally manage to get back to the front, there’s a momentary blinding flash of light, disorienting anyone near it for a few seconds. When it finally fades, any leftover zombies chasing you have disappeared and the house looks like the same, cheesy haunted house you walked up to in the first place. If for some reason you decide to go and explore the backyard again, the grass will be back to normal, and the graves will all be replaced by cheaply painted foam once more.

Was that all in your head? Who knows. But maybe it’s best to just get out of here.

WE DID THE MASH

Somehow the street lamps have all been converted to oil based flames, the Authority are in witch hats, and every where you go there is music that seems to be playing from faintly glowing bats hanging upside down from telephone wires. The bats will open their mouths in succession, seeming somehow capable of producing the sounds of instruments and singers alike of popular Halloween songs.

Yards are decorated as thoroughly as the front of stores. Maybe you haven't bothered to decorate, but your neighbor sure has! Fake gravestones are propped up in yards, giant fake spiders in trees, and no matter where you walk, the ground seems covered in thick, rolling fog from machines. Or at least you hope it's coming from machines. Hell, you can't even find it in yourself to be too worried! Everyone around you is having way too good of a time! And God, there is food everywhere! Might as well grab a bite while you're out, huh?

It's tempting to break loose and dance. Jack-O-Lanterns absolutely crowd the streets. There's more than you can even begin to count, and all of them are lit all throughout the night. Even if you accidentally trip over some, they don't seem to catch fire to anything or go out! Some neighbors have camp fires set up with marshmallows to roast, while others have...are those broomsticks? Well that's kinda cool, you guess. Correction: it's really cool since you can actually pick one up and take it for a fly! Make sure to attach a little lamp to the front though because God knows it's dangerous flying at night. The brooms only work if you wear the appropriately provided hats, of course, but you can keep both the broom and hat indefinitely and have a readily available means of flight in Deerington after! Be forewarned though: the brooms are as easily broken as regular brooms and the hats easily blown away in the wind.

TRICK OR TREATS

At any of the events, especially the nighttime partying, you can find any number of the following treats (and their potential side effects):

Donuts (Will make you deliriously happy. Everything is amazing to you. May cause a lot of affection. A lot of affection.)
Candy Apples (You will eagerly tell someone everything you like about them. Talk about a sweet tooth.)
Candy Corn (Will make you extremely sad. Like god, you'll be wondering why you hate yourself so much.)
Pumpkin Spice Lattes (Causes suspicious amounts of obedience and a desire to do what you're told.)
Hot Chocolate (Can provide some minor healing. Best stuff to drink with a common cold!)
Hot or Cold Apple Cider (Nothing will happen. It's just really good.)
Alcoholic Cider (This isn't your grandma's apple cider. This stuff will knock you on your ass. Anyone who drinks this will get wasted regardless of whether or not they are immune to alcohol or even ingest regular food. It only takes one or two before you start to get tipsy, but any more than that and you'll be well on your way to drunk. Please drink responsibly. We don't need any FUIs.)

Character Arrival

You can read how all characters arrive in Deerington here.

There is not a collective "all these characters showed up at the exact same moment" occurrence in Deerington. Since characters fall asleep, die, or pass out at various times throughout all their worlds, it wouldn't make too much sense if they arrived in game all at the exact same time. There should be some discrepancy between character arrival, whether by a couple minutes, hours, or even days up to a week.

The players are entirely in control of how/when they want to play their characters arriving in Deerington. For TDMs, you can play it like your character has just arrived and that can be maintained as your game canon, or you can wait until game events for that moment. Or you don't need to acknowledge it at all. The flexibility for character allows a bit more of an organic feel to the character arrival situation, so please play it to whatever feels right for you.

If you are interested in having an "arrival" introduction for one of your TDM prompts, you are more than welcome to explore that option.

Comments

Pidge Gunderson | Voltron: Legendary Defender | Season 7 spoilers

[tinygreen]

[Arrival]
[Nightmares are fine. Not passing with a perfect grade, memories of past battles with the others, almost dying a few times. Nightmares could be handled. It was just a form of dreaming that scared whoever was having them. But something that realistic? It's enough to unnerve Pidge to the point where she's sweating and breathing hard upon waking up.

It was too real to be a dream. The room must be a clue. It's not her room, an engine room, anywhere near her computer... a strange place, but at least there's no music playing indicating she was in a game show. She gets up and heads outside. The outside would have answers. It has to. Please don't let that deer-thing be out here...]

Hello? Where in the quiznack is this...


[Hocus Pocus]
[Haunted houses could be fun. Figuring out what kind of machinery was being run in the animatronic creatures. Who the actors were. What kind of silly tropes they recycled from movies and games. It was too easy. There was even one of those "warning signs" that all those places had.

Pidge didn't think any of this was particularly scary till the door slammed shut behind her, locking her into the room. 'Another gimmick' she figures as she tries the doorknob. Doorknobs didn't count in nothing being touched, right?] Come on! Open up!

[Whoever is in the room with her might want to let her know that there's something wrong with the TV as Pidge tugs at the door.]


[Wildcard]
[Throw any prompt this girls way that isn't listed here, or come up with something completely different! PM this journal or hit me up @chromatus for something!]

Hocus Pocus

[tagartist]

[ Chloe really needed to wisen up about not being able to have nice things in Deerington, because this haunted house is not the cheesy ride she had hoped it to be. She had kept telling herself to follow the signs instructions, to just go to the door, but the pull into that room had been just as strong for her as it was for Pidge.

She jumped when the door slammed, watches her try to struggle, but doesn't go to help because she seems like she's got the unsuccessful knob jiggling down for both of them and instead goes to look around the dark room. Just in time to see a pair of hands starting to press against the TV screen and then go right through them, like they're made of water. ]

Uh -- [ Well, she's gonna smack the back of her shoulder now. A few times, even, for good measure, as she tries to get her attention with a slight bit of setting in panic. ] Creepy ghost chick - super realistic Ring reenactment and I don't wanna find out how far it goes so let's ditch the locked door and find another answer, maybe?

[tinygreen]

[The smacking on the shoulder sure jolted Pidge out of trying to rip the doorknob off.] Ghost chick?

[It was still enough to make her look at where Chloe was with an undignified sound.]

You've gotta be kidding me! [She glances around to see what was in the room before looking at Chloe.] I'll try and distract her! Try and think of how to stop this thing.

[tagartist]

How to -- Are you fucking kidding me? [ It was said more to herself, because when the other option was distraction, she was absolutely going to pick solving the mystery. She noted the other door, immediately going to try and see if it would open, but hey - no such luck.

She kicked it with her heel, like that would somehow help, continuing to look around the room. If one North Western blonde could defeat Samara in the US version of this bullshit, so could she. That's... gotta be comforting. ]

Don't suppose she just wants a hug, do you?

[ It was offered as a suggestion as she started to shuffle around the edges of the room, looking through the dark to see if there was anything else of use. ]

[tinygreen]

[What to distract this ghost girl with... There's not much and Pidge isn't sure how well her bayard would work against ghosts, which are definitely not supposed to be real but she's been in space for a while and seen crazy things, so...]

I don't think she wants a hug!

[Another quick look around gives her a weapon idea! A machine she has no idea what it does because Pidge is far into the future compared to something like a VHS.] You think if I throw this at her it'll stop her?!

[Please answer quick as this shambling creature gets closer.]

[tagartist]

Affection and understanding slowed her down in the movie, okay! [ She said with some defense in her logic here.

But the recording machine being brought to her attention makes a lot more sense and she's quick to snap; ] Nonono! [ As she goes to grab the blank VHS tape that was next to it. ] Shit, this is perfect - okay - I - [ She's gonna scramble back a bit when she notices how close the girl's hands have gotten to her thanks to her shouting and getting attention. ] Fuck!

[ Out of reach for the moment, she tries to edge back towards the recording machine again. ] Get her to the other side of the room or something, I need to make sure she doesn't interrupt me.

[tinygreen]

I'm not showing affection and understanding to something trying to kill me. [Especially if it's trying to kill her.

Okay, so plan for tossing something heavy is out the window. Time for Plan Use That Machine for Whatever Purpose It Serves! Pidge is on board with that.] Right! Make it quick.

[Pidge runs at the TV and grabs it.]

Hey ghost girl! I'll wreck this if you don't come after me!

[This has got to be the dumbest plan ever, but hey, low on options means desperate measures. Chloe will for the moment have some time to work.]

[tagartist]

[ Well, that'll certainly do it. She can't help but admire her guts, at least, before she rushes to start fiddling with the VHS recorder. She's lucky her family as poor as it was, because it means she was one of the last in her generation who didn't have to dig too deeply to remember how this shit worked.

She shoves the blank tape into one of the slots, the recording in the other, and goes to press record. She's watching as the wheels start spinning, looking up at the ghost girl as she shuffles her way over towards Pidge. These things really needed to move faster.

Luckily she at least seems to have started flickering - slowly, but with enough of a rhythm to show she's weakened. ]

This thing is only like three minutes tops, so just - stay out of reach of her hands for a little while longer.

[thenovice]

[Diarmuid's been wandering along in a bit of a haze himself; to be expected for anyone who wakes from a nightmare like that, he imagines. Now that he's out here in his cloak and without a sense of direction (every definition of the word, honestly), he hasn't a clue where to run to or how to escape whatever danger he may be in.

... He absolutely skipped the magic baskets that explain everything, in the houses, is the problem. But to be fair, he also was terrified that he was either cursed to a terrible place for his transgressions against the church — or that Sir Raymond De Merville and his men have survived his mute friend's defense and continue to pursue. Either way, he looks unsure where to run to when—

Oh! He startles, looking back at this boy who has suddenly appeared from one of the homes. He doesn't look threatening, though; nobody so far has really. So he uses some of that newfound bravery he's been hoarding from his pilgrimage to speak up.]

I know not where, I'm sorry. I woke here, same as you, and —

Sorry, what is a quiznack?

[tinygreen]

[Going outside was more of a priority than the house. It was too much like the beginning of a horror movie and houses tended to be a danger.

Hearing someone speak up in what sounds like old English, Pidge turns to the new person.]

An Altean swear word. [That barely explains anything. Not important. She needs answers.] When did you wake up? Was it in a room you didn't recognize, too?

[thenovice]

[See, that's absolutely the right response. Granted, Diarmuid knows nothing of horror movies, but he knows plenty of horror. Being attacked or kidnapped is nothing knew to the entangled web of chaos that is 13th century Ireland. He can't help but study the odd style of dress — as he has been doing for most everyone he's seen in passing.

But then, he's never seen structures like these before, either — lived in relatively quaint standards, with hay-stuffed mattresses on the floors and only the occasional wall built up by rock. So many new things he's trying to wrap his head around. Things like — a 'swear' word... Interesting. Perhaps not at all what he's envisioning it to mean.]

I did, yes, and just this morning. In a room with an odd music playing — my clothes were left at my bedside, and I made haste to leave in fear of... I — I'm not sure what. Many things. [He glances toward the distant tree tops, frowning.] I had planned to flee into the forest, but it was... ill-advised.

We seem to be safe, in the meanwhile.

[tinygreen]

[Not used to seeing girls in spacesuits and pants, are you. Pidge isn't too bothered, just wondering what this guy's deal was.]

No, I get that. I woke up like that, too. Like I should get out of the house as fast as possible.

[Which now that she's really thinking about it heading back in might be a good idea. Maybe. Depends on if she can convince this guy to come along. For as brave as Pidge can be, there's safety in numbers, and numbers tended to up the chance of survival in horror movies. Unless it's one of those bad end ones where everyone dies.]

Maybe... I don't know how long we'll be that way. I'm pretty sure we're on Earth, but I could be wrong... We should see if there's anyone else around here.

[thenovice]

[... Not used to seeing girls in anything, really. It's a shame.

(Not that he thinks Pidge is a girl yet; bless his soul.)

But he seems interested in following along, regardless — if this boy and him work together, maybe they can find more answers than not? The idea that they can make any sense of it all might be a hopeless endeavor, but it's one he's willing to launch into with the grace of god. He finally drops the hood to his monk's cloak, revealing unkempt curly locks in full, along with finger-shaped bruises along his neck he'd forgotten about since waking earlier.

Unfortunate remnants of home, of a struggle for his everlasting soul. Quite literally, as it turns out.]

I'm content to follow, if you'll have me. Perhaps four eyes are better than two.

... But I must ask: where else would we be, if not on the earth herself?

[He's a little worried she'll say something particularly alarming, like Hell.]

[tinygreen]

[What kind of a life has he led where he hasn't really seen a girl...

Okay. With the hood down and those bruises? She's now wondering what caused that and why. It might be a little rude to ask, but she's curious. That line of questions can be left for inside the house. Something feels off about this place and she wants to go back inside despite previous misgivings... Yes they need to find people, soon, but right now? She wants to go in.]

How about we go inside the house again first? There might be something in there. [Like maybe a kitchen knife or something she can defend herself with.]

I've been on other planets, but this feels like earth. None of the other planets ever had structures like this that I can recall.

ARRIVAL

[shiro2hero]

[When your fellow teammates are all either being moon-crazy or sleepless and irritable, it falls on you to take care of things. Like patrolling. Like making sure there's actual edible food in the apartment. Those things fall on this guy. Who likely isn't dressed anything like the last time Pidge saw him last, loose sweats, a bandage around the old scar over his face.]

[He's just passing the house she walked out of. Heading on his way. The voice stops him dead. On the one hand, he hopes he's hearing things, and Pidge isn't actually behind him. She's not here in this insane dreamworld.]

[On the other?]

Pidge! [On the other, he's turning on his heel to face her. And there's no way to keep the relief out of his voice.] Pidge, it's okay! We're here too.

[tinygreen]

[Relief. That's what she feels. Followed by her head screaming "HE SHOULDN'T BE HERE". It was two very conflicting emotions as Pidge momentarily stares at Shiro. Then stares some more. This... was Shiro. Right? Why did he not look like the Shiro she knows? What was with the clothes and the bandages?]

Hey Shiro... [He knows her. But so did the clone. Was this another one? Pidge feels on edge, not coming any closer to her friend.] What do you mean "we're here too?"

[shiro2hero]

[Because the last time this guy saw you Pidge he was yelling at Slav]

[The way she stops... is odd. It throws him for a second. He'd wanted to just go up and, at least, grasp her shoulders. Make sure she was real and not some hallucination. But she doesn't move.]

Everyone but Hunk and Coran are here. Even -- [Wait hold on.] Do you know who Krolia is?

[Because he sure didn't.]

[tinygreen]

[That's so long ago welp

Hunk and Coran not being here meant the rest of the gang was. The way he asks about Krolia makes Pidge subtract Romelle. And if Krolia is not someone this Shiro knows, that means he wouldn't know the wonderful space wolf companion Keith has.]

Yeah. She's Keith's mom, she's Galra, really strong, and with the Blade of Mamora. One of our allies. [What is going on and can it stop???]

Is she here?

[shiro2hero]

[hahah yep sure is]

[He's a little taken aback by the way Pidge rattles off that information. Then again, Lance hadn't been fazed either. So... maybe she's from whenever he was? Or Keith or Allura or...? He blows out a breath, pushing his hand through his hair.]

She's here, yeah. And... clearly I'm the only one who didn't know who she was. [Yeah, that was a fun introduction. He chews his lip, absently, looking at the street around them.]

It's... really good to see you, Pidge.

[tinygreen]

[Strange... The clone knew who Krolia was in the end, but this Shiro... A few more questions have to be asked before she can make herself move. Shiro looks as stressed as she feels about this.

Krolia being here is good news. A little bit of relief. Still....]

Shiro, can I ask you something? [Deeeeep breath. Stay calm, as calm as you can. This will make sense with answers, or so she hopes.] What do you remember before waking up here?

Arrival

[princessences]

[ It's been a trying several weeks, to say the least. Allura has been more than on edge and, really, is in no condition to be welcoming anyone to the town--it's hardly a welcoming place as of late. But it seems that she's in the right place at the right time, though she doesn't realize it. It has to be one of the mice that does.

Chulatt squeaks. Allura blinks, looking like she's seen better days. Then all four mice hop off her shoulders and take down the street.

She's seen this happen once before... ]

Wait--...

[ Much less enthusiasm than last night, but Allura does trot after them. However, the sight before her gets her to perk up a few degrees almost instantly. ]

...Pidge??

[ Sure enough, Pidge is exactly what the mice are running towards. ]

[tinygreen]

[It would be a nice welcome to see Allura. Even if Pidge still isn't sure what's going on, and the worry about Allura being here instead of back home. If Allura would even call the Garrison home. Home was where the heart was, so who knows. Pidge won't ask. It seems like something that Allura would either love or dismiss.

All this time with the Altean princess, and there's still so much culture and customs shocks. Aliens. That's what it comes down to. Aliens.

Her thoughts on Allura are interrupted when she looks down to see the mini-stampede coming here way.]

What the- You guys shouldn't be here! [Mice being here means...!!!] Allura!

[princessences]

[ Doesn't it always come down to aliens, Pidge?

And that sure looks like an alien right in front of her--of the Human variety. Though she's come to realize that she's the alien in this place. Such an odd feeling. ]

Pidge!

[ Yes, second time she's said the Green Paladin's name, but she's surprised to see the younger girl. Allura hurries over despite her exhaustion as the mice circle Pidge's feet before Chulatt and Chuchule climb right on up. ]

I can't believe it...you've arrived as well?

[tinygreen]

[Now you know how the others felt all that time in space. Isn't it weird?

Pidge doesn't mind the mice climbing up too much. This place is stressful enough where it's a strange little comfort to have the mice do so. A small comfort as she tries to figure out just what Allura means by that question.]

What do you mean "arrived"? Where are we?

[princessences]

[ It's super weird and she isn't sure how she feels about it. Allura comes to a stop a couple of feet away--a friendly distance--and takes a deep breath. ]

Deerington. It's on Earth.

[ Though perhaps she made the same mistake Allura did. ]

I take it you did not see a "welcome basket" when you awoke?