soddersays | MAY 2019 TEST DRIVE MEME

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MAY 2019 TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to May's Test Drive Meme! This is our first Test Drive ever so let's make it a good one. This month's Test Drive's theme is: SUPERNATURAL 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: Sin related things? There's not much this month, actually.
Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!

Prompt One
Prompt Two
Character Arrival
Master Navigation

VISION OF A WORLD

Everyone knows that people with special powers who show up in Deerington always seem to end up having them altered. Healers can't quite fix people the way they used to, teleportation can't ever seem to get you out beyond the town lines, resurrection ends up a little... messy. Whatever the case may be, people should be pretty used to the idea of their powers never being quite right.

That seems to have gone to an extreme. While some powers seemed to work just fine before, anyone with any kind of special ability will find that there's some sort of glitch occurring whenever they try to use them these days. Even those with technology-based powers that are usually left alone will find that their tech just isn't functioning the way it's supposed to. Some will find their powers have gone into complete overdrive, unable to control them in any manner - maybe you just meant to use your fire abilities to light a cigarette and instead you burnt down an entire tree, or if you're usually a strong telepath, you're suddenly unable to filter out anyone's thoughts.

On the opposite end, powers may cease to function at all. Maybe your super strength disappears and you're suddenly as weak as a child, or your self-healing no longer heals, leaving you vulnerable and capable of extreme injuries you've never felt before. Ever wondered what it was like to be "normal"? Now's your chance - hopefully you don't end up in any tricky situations where your powers may have come in handy after all.

Stranger still, people who have never had powers may find they're suddenly able to do incredible things. Those scrawny arms can suddenly lift cars over your head, or your usually slow and clumsy feet can now move faster than the speed of sound. Anything can happen - but now you're stuck trying to learn how to control powers you've never tried to use before. Maybe you'll be lucky and won't hurt yourself (or someone else) too badly...

NO SINNER LIKE A YOUNG SAINT

What's a better way to welcome the coming end of the school year than with a music festival? The record store has set up a nice party for everyone to attend outside their store, closing off the whole street so that everyone can have plenty of space to attend! Vendors are set up along the sidewalks with food of all kind (no negative side effects, honest!), clothes ranging over a vast number of styles, and merchandise for bands that people have probably never heard of. Maybe you can find their record inside and give it a listen!

Most importantly, they're trying to focus on the tunes. Record players are set up with headphones if you want to try out an album you've never heard before. Otherwise there's a nice mix of different genres that play throughout the day, cycling through in a random loop. If you don't like what you're listening to one minute, just come back in a few and you'll probably hear your favorite song coming through the speakers instead!

Each genre of music seems to cause a unique effect to those who are listening. Whether it's the records in private or the music flowing out into the streets, characters will find themselves acting a little differently throughout the course of each song.

Classic Rock will entice people to act a bit more prideful. Boasting about your greatest experiences, telling everyone about your greatest success stories from home, showing off your awesome skillset that you think is entirely unique to you. You're feeling good about your own abilities and accomplishments and you want everyone to know about it.

Metal will have people acting more wrathful. Anger will sky rocket and the desire to get into a fight will be high. Maybe you just verbally attack someone else, or your anger gets great enough that you start to physically lash out. Hopefully someone is around to calm your rage before someone else gets hurt.

Country will bring people a feeling of envy. Suddenly everyone around you has something you want but don't have. Anything from a haircut you wish you could rock to a significant other you wish was yours or a personality trait you want to possess. You'll find yourself wishing you had what everyone else did. It might sink you into a deep depression or it might even make you try and take what they have - at any cost.

Pop music will fill you with a sense of greed. You want anything and everything, whether it's something you would normal try and possess or not. A person, a food, a piece of jewelry, one of the records that's in the store, clothing -- you want all of it. It doesn't matter if you have the funds or if the person you've got your eye on wants to be near you, you're going to get what you want and no one is going to stop you.*

Jazz music will bring about a suddenly make you feel a little bit lazy and sloth-like. Everything has slowed down for you and you're not wanting to really try and speed them up. You're ready to lounge and forget about responsibilities. Just chill in the corner with your records - who cares about fun or work or eating when you can just listen to the smooth notes from Coltrane?

Punk suddenly makes you feel gluttonous. Your stomach won't stop growling, your throat feels parched, and you're trying to buy everything those vendors and local restaurants and cafes are trying to sell in order to satisfy your belly. It doesn't matter if your stomach keeps feeling uncomfortably stuffed or you're slowly getting to a point well beyond wasted, you're going to keep eating and drinking everything in sight until you feel better.

Blues will make people feel a great amount of lust. Is there someone you've been wanting for a long time but never had the guts to make a move on? Or maybe you're desire for a complete stranger hits you out of nowhere. Regardless, you want to feel close to them in any way you can, your body aching and your mind only able to focus on feeling your body against theirs.*

All effects of the music will last as long as the tracks are playing, changing the moment a new genre is playing. If you are pulled out of earshot of the music or take the headphones off your ears, there will be a lingering effect for five to ten minutes before it will finally start to fade off. Let's hope you're strong enough to fight it - or that you at least don't make too many mistakes you might regret by the time the track changes.

*Please remember that there is no non-consensual sex in this game. Do not use these prompts to try and maneuver around this rule.

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.

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I don't know, Nat.

[ He looks off into space for a second, as if trying to piece everything together, but then he just shakes his head and returns his attention to his coffee. ]

Either they're just trying to figure it out, or they're trying to give us a false sense of security.

I don't really think they know either of us.

[ He furrows his brows at his cup. ]

Think they have a darker roast?

Rhetorical. [She offered apologetically. She was thinking out loud, but right now, it wasn't helpful. She knew that.]

'Trying' is the key word.

If they did, they wouldn't have brought us here. Especially together. We can cause too much trouble.

[She slides from her seat, resting the hand that wasn't acting up with borrowed Spidey powers on his shoulder.] I'll order you a stronger cup.

[She returned a few minutes later with a darker roast and slid back into her seat beside him, setting the cup down. Mercifully, it didn't stick to her.]

So, what's the plan? We need to figure out how to get your strength back.

Thanks.

[ He finishes his off anyway, doesn't seem to notice anything too weird about Nat being sticky. ]

The first thing we need to do is figure out why they want us here.

I don't need my strength for that, it's not a priority.

[ He says this, even as he holds up a hand to pause speaking, turn his head to the side, and then cough violently into his other one. Steve regains composure. ]

They brought both of us, that can't be a coincidence. But then I don't think this really is Earth.

[He sees some of that confidence returning to him as he starts to lead, but then it all crumbles as quickly as it resurfaced when he coughed. Nat sat rigid beside him until he recovered. She remained tense.

Sorry Steve. Everything you just said went in one ear and out the other.]

You need an inhaler. I can hear the wheeze in your chest from here. Whether it's Earth or some kind of dream, these symptoms are real enough. I'm sure they have a clinic around here.

[She was already on her feet, fishing out payment for both of their coffees. She was not testing the 'die in the dream, you die in real life' theory.]

It's been worse. It won't kill me yet, Nat, we haven't had breakfast.

[ He stays rooted, and takes one of the slightly-sticky diner menus and puts it on her seat. ]

You can take me to the clinic after, but I already know what I need.

[ Yeah, a miracle. It's just about one that Steve ever left his house at all. ]

What are you feeling? Pancakes? I'm paying.

[She stood firm for a moment, giving him a hard look. Steve, you're stubborn. So is she. When he agrees to go after they eat, she sighs and picks up the menu, sliding back into the seat. That didn't mean she wouldn't be watching him like a hawk the whole time.]

If you die on my watch, I don't think Wilson will forgive me. [She tried to tease.] Pancakes sound good.

[Natasha folded the menu and set it down, keeping Steve in her peripheral vision at all times.]

Yeah, I know, but you can tell him I ordered you not to.

[ Technically he didn't order her, but he wouldn't order her around if it weren't necessary. And he would if she kept pushing, because he just wants something to eat and then to figure out what's going on and how to reverse it. Then he'd like to get them home. ]

But I promise you, I'm alright.

Have you ever been in Maine, by the way? Can't remember the last time I was here, and even then, it's been years.

I can't say that I have. SHIELD didn't really have much interest here and before SHIELD... [She shrugged lightly.] Maine wasn't really on the radar. If the whole state is as quaint as this diner, maybe that's for the better.

Apart from a few hiccups, this place seems pretty calm on the surface. Makes me wonder what's beneath.

Well, you know what? I think we're just gonna have to find out for ourselves.

[ But first, pancakes. He can smell them cook from over here and his stomach is growling in response.

It really is more unsettling when they try to make it seem like home, but something about it is just... wrong. ]

Sounds like a plan.

[She could agree wholeheartedly that this place seemed a bit too Stepford to her. She just hoped she was wrong.]

For now, it's probably safer to play their game and stick together.

[Speaking of Stepford Wives, one of the odd locals that calls themselves 'Betty' passed behind them and Natasha visibly stiffened, almost startled. The reaction of this weird new sense in her head was intense at times. The hand holding her coffee sizzled with bio-electricity in reaction to the startle. The static popped across the surface of the coffee, making her jerk her hand away from the mug. Fortunately, their food was just arriving, pulling her attention away from the coffee.]

[ Well, it wasn't like Steve was going to leave her high and dry in the first place, but he agrees. They want to split The Avengers, they're gonna have to try a little bit harder than that.

And Steve, perhaps foolishly, believes they're more suited for it this time. He's got nothing to hide and Natasha has too much, but she should know that it's safe with Steve. By now. ]

Speaking of, you find a place to stay yet?

[ 'Cause Steve moved nextdoor to Sam and Buck for this reason. ]

[It wasn't that she didn't trust him or even that she didn't feel safe with him... Natasha was just too used to being secretive. She was also not exactly sure what was going on at the moment and that made it difficult to explain.]

I did. A place on Crimson Drive-- [The words left her lips and she realised it sounded a bit cliche. There was strategy to it, okay? While Steve was looking for familiarity in numbers, she wanted to keep a blanket of their numbers around town. Close enough for easy back-up, but with enough distance that they could each react to different threats in different areas if it came down to it.] I'm surprised you didn't move in with Wilson.

[There was a hint of a smile there, but it gave away that she'd done some research before she settled on a place. She snooped. What of it? It's her thing.]

[ He definitely raises an eyebrow at "Crimson Drive," because really Nat? Well, at least it'll be easy to remember. Which-- he also doesn't remember telling her where he's going but of course she already knows. She probably knew before he chose a place. ]

Moving in with Sam, Buck, their giant dog and their goat? Think it's already a full house.

Besides, we're neighbors, it's not like I can't just string two cans together when I wanna talk.

[ Okay he's not literally going to do this, but you know what he means. He isn't that disappointed that Natasha's far away - they're all stuck in this small town, and he does have his bike. In either case. ]

Or, I could teach you how to use that little toy they gave us.

[She said and lifted her wrist, tapping the phone clasped around it. The device had come with a very comprehensive manual, so she wondered if Steve just didn't trust it or if he hadn't even paid it any mind.]

I can't speak for Barnes, but I think Wilson might appreciate that more than the old cans and a string method. ...why a goat? [Yes, that was an important question! She was curious. And curiosity was only known for killing cats, not spiders. She would admit, she might've scoped out the neighbourhoods and snooped some, but she'd never gotten close enough to investigate the full inhabitants of the houses, like pets.]

[ He's not that technologically impaired. He pulls his own up just to show her the screen where he's downloaded a couple games, some actual utility apps, a Russian keyboard, and what appears to be several different emoji dictionaries. ]

I don't know why the goat, I think it just showed up and they didn't want to get rid of it.

[ Which could really kind of explain how he and Bucky became friends in the first place honestly, so. ]

[Of all things, a Russian keyboard wasn't one she expected to see on his phone. Nat raised an eyebrow and fixed him with a curious look. Was this because of Barnes?]

Learning Russian?

[She smiled, imagining the three of them wrangling an unruly goat.]

I mean, I guess that's as good a reason as any to keep it.

Picked up French during the war. Thought I might want to learn a language I could actually practice with someone.

[ Yes, he's doing this as a hobby. It keeps his mind sharp, and gives him something to distract himself when his thoughts get overwhelming. Crosswords are also nice, but modern references and resources are just so easily accessible that it's hard to resist taking advantage of them. He switches over to Russian and asks: ]

You practice me?

French is useful. Most people don't vacation in Russia, thought.

[It's a joke, but she'd be more than happy to help a friend out. She joins him in the language switch albeit, amused.]

Of course. I am impressed. [She switched back, unsure if he had gotten far enough along to pick up on her words.] Of course I'll "practise you".

[ He's shaking his head and taking mental notes. ]

You are not impressed. You speak...

[ He forgets how to count and switches back to English. ]

What, like twenty languages?

[ One of them being latin, and honestly does anyone speak latin? He also doesn't mean that she isn't impressed, but that she shouldn't be impressed. His skills are just not that advanced. ]

[Her smile is both amused and fond.]

I speak a few. That's not the point.

[Tony learned that one the hard way, Steve. Though, she may not have been entirely honest with the translation of her comeback to him: "Appearances are deceptive."

She's deliberately speaking simple sentences for him.]

You are learning. That's why I'm impressed.

[ He mentally makes a note of how to conjugate this form, and then tries to figure out which of the verb endings he should give it in its infinitive, and then translate that to first-person. ]

Yes, I am learned.

[ No, that wasn't right, he quickly tries again before Nat can correct him. ]

Learning. I am learning. But I have to admit, you've got a way better talent for this.

[She was about to correct when he jumped on it himself, sounding his way through it and landed on the right form. However, his next comment drained just a bit of the genuine feeling out of her smile, making it just slightly tighter.]

It's how I was raised. I'm sure you read my file. [She shrugs it off.] So, if you think about it, it's not nearly as impressive as you learning other languages because you genuinely want to.

It has been a while since I have spoken so casually in my native tongue. This might be good for both of us, provided this place allows for leisurely activities.

[She wasn't sure how far along Steve was. Whether he'd get all that or not. It would give her a feel of where to start.]

[ He's about to say that he knows she was raised to just absorb knowledge for missions and therefore is quite excellent, but that it's no less impressive on her as a person -- but he gets completely distracted by trying to understand her Russian. Yeah, sorry Nat, most of that is lost on him, since he's such a beginner. He's barely made headway into an online textbook for children. But he pauses and knits his brows as he tries to parse what she said, playing it back in his mind and slowing it down.

His own response is stilted, hard to understand if only because he keeps pausing. ]

I don't know what 'leisurely activities' is. Is 'casually' a synonym with 'free'?

Sorry... I speak very slow. Before this, I only speak to the phone.

[Steve, you're precious. Don't mind her.]

I was just testing what level you were at. We'll start with something slower. I take it you've been practising the Cyrillic alphabet, too? You probably tried your name already.

[Natasha asked a passing staff member for a spare pen and smoothed out her napkin. She scrawled out "Стив Роджерс" and wrote his name beside it in English.]

Something you'll notice is the soft "g" and the "j" sound is represented with two characters, [She writes out "дж" separately.] It's more of a "dz" or "dzh" sound, but it's the closest you'll get to the soft "g" in Rogers. Russian can be a mouth full of consonants, as you're probably figuring out.

[ He nods. ]

Yeah, I tried learning it so I could use the keyboard.

[ He tries writing it out. While he does so, he says: ]

Tell me about it. I'm still trying to get my mouth around здравствуйте.

[ His accent is regrettable. ]

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