Sodder (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sodder) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
soddersays2019-06-25 12:24 am
sodder) wrote in soddersays2019-06-25 12:24 am
Entry tags:
JULY 2019 TEST DRIVE MEME
JULY 2019 TEST DRIVE MEME
Welcome to July's Test Drive Meme! This month's Test Drive's theme is: DREAM 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: Violence, Freddie Kreuger references, fire, forced sleep with some drug-like references, stabbing, nightmares, monsters, possibility for extreme alcohol consumption, and lobster festivals
Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!
WHEN THE BOAT COMES IN
It’s July and July in Maine means lobster! The Lobster Festival springs up seemingly overnight down near Koji Pond. In the morning, there’s a large parade that makes its way through town, starting from the top of East Main Street and all the way down through West Main St until they hit the festival. There are tents, a few rides, games, arts and crafts, and most importantly, food pretty much everywhere behind the hotel and you can help yourself to free ice cream at the ice cream shop! Lobster ice cream and Blueberry ice cream are pushed to the forefront, but you can get just about any flavor you could possibly dream of in the long run. You can hear live music playing and a stage has been set up on the roof of the arcade. Live bands play everything from folk music to jazz to classic rock that you may or may not have heard in your lifetime. There’s a tent where local artists (including sleepers) are selling art, a craft tent where people are selling goods they’ve made such as pottery and homemade fudge, and a Do It Yourself tent where people are teaching you how to make your own buoy decoration for your front yard or how to weave your own baskets!
A seafood cooking contest is held for anyone who may want to show off their culinary skills. Any kind of seafood dishes are allowed, but they highly encourage showing your abilities to cook with lobster! Think you can beat the longstanding champions from Deerington? It’s pretty unlikely, especially since it looks like the townspeople keep trying to sabotage your meal as you’re making it. Did you mean to put in an entire half cup of salt to your stew? Oops. Guess you better figure out how to work with it anyway.
Across Koji Pond, there are floating crates set up for the great crate race! See if you can make it across the lake fastest – challenge a friend! These lobster crates wobble pretty heavily, but each runner is given a life vest for when they might inevitably fall in. Be careful if you do! Some of those strange looking fish in there definitely bite.
Each morning at the festival there will be an all you can eat blueberry pancake breakfast. Surprisingly, nothing drastic seems to happen, so have as many pancakes as your body can hold! They’re delicious, after all. Through the rest of the day, it’s easy to get your hands on lobster rolls of varying sizes, full steamed lobster meals (with corn on the cob and a buttered dinner roll), lobster salad, steamed mussels, scallops, haddock (baked or fried), fried clams, lobster stuffed risotto balls, blueberry cobbler, and strawberry shortcake are all available at any of the food stands. All the food seems perfectly safe. But you’re gonna need something to wash it down with…
The drink stand has a great deal to offer, but every drink seems to come with a particularly strange side effect to it. People who enjoy the hand crafted beers will find that it gets them drunk twice as fast and can even make people who would normally never drink completely wasted after just a glass or two. Every glass you have makes you thirstier than the last and it can be easy to want to reach for another beer to try and get yourself together. In fact, it’s particularly hard to reach for anything else. Urges to drink the beer will last for at least one full hour or can be cut short by being responsible and going to drink some water instead.
So maybe beer isn’t your thing; that’s okay! There’s also blueberry lemonade which will turn you the color of blueberries from head to toe! Fresh iced tea will make you feel particularly sarcastic, prone to mocking even your closest friends and gossiping with complete strangers about the things you may or may not have heard about the town. Got a juicy secret you were trying to keep for someone? Well, it’s out in the open now. Cream sodas will make you extremely cuddly, wanting to cozy up next to the closest person to you for a little while. The more you drink, the more touchy-feely you may get, so maybe try and stick to just one or two unless you’re looking for some afternoon delight. Hot tea will make you feel calm and relaxed to an extent you never have before. To the point where you might even want to just go lay down on one of the docks and take a quick catnap in the middle of the afternoon sun. Hopefully you wore sunscreen.
Effects from any drink will last for one to three hours or until you have some strawberry shortcake from one of the food vendors.
BLUEBERRIES FOR SAL
So maybe the lobster festival isn’t your thing or you got tired of all the crowds and wanted to go and do something else fun. Strangely enough, some of the fields out near the farmhouses apparently have a bunch of blueberry bushes that no one’s ever noticed before! They’re in full bloom and the berries look ripe for the picking. Perfectly round, juicy, warm from the sun – you could eat a whole handful of these and maybe never feel more satisfied. They’re deliciously sweet, perfect for pies and cobblers. And a whole basket seems to be reasonably priced, so why not go out and pick as many as you can!The longer you’re out in the fields, the more you’ll start to feel a little groggy. It’s easy to shake off as just being from the sun at first and you might think about heading back, but something in you wants to keep picking. So you trudge in deeper into the fields, and that sleepy feeling becomes more and more difficult to ignore. Eventually, you might find that you’re ready to just lay down and take a nap in the shade of a particularly large blueberry bush. It seems like a good a spot as any – the ground is nice and soft. Just curl up for a little while and close your eyes. Even people who are normally not prone to sleeping will find that they are compelled and even capable of taking a quick nap in these fields.
Any dreams you may have while sleeping will feel more vivid than normal – to the point where it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s not. Did you actually manage to find your way out of Deerington and back home? You can pinch yourself, but you won’t wake up, and it’ll hurt like a bitch, so it’s hard to be sure. Dreams seem to mostly be pleasant ones, but the occasional nightmare might find its way in to your otherwise restful sleep. Anyone who stumbles on you asleep in the fields might even hear you talking in your sleep, rambling out conversations and feelings you might normally have kept quiet. Got feelings for someone you were trying to bury? They might just hear you mutter them out loud if they’ve found you there in the dirt. Wanted to make sure no one in Deerington found out you had no home to go back to? That sucks, it sounds like you might have just spilled the beans without even knowing.
The real question is if the person who finds you will wake you up or just keep listening to find out more of your secrets without having to pry for them.
NINE, TEN, NEVER SLEEP AGAIN
It’s not just in the blueberry fields that sleepiness seems to be catching. Throughout Deerington, people seem to be having a harder and harder time staying awake for long stretches. The desire for a quick nap or even a long snooze becomes harder to fight as each day passes and you might find yourself nodding off in places you normally wouldn’t – behind the wheel of a car, in the middle of a store, at work… Hopefully no one gets too hurt or loses a job during these strange episodes.Only unlike in the fields, when you do give in to sleep, the dreams you have are now far from pleasant. Nightmares are running amok in your mind, but that vivid realism? That inability to tell when you’re awake or asleep? That has definitely not changed. You might not have even realized you’ve fallen asleep at all – most of the scenery around you seems to be Deerington itself, but something just seems off. You don’t have time to think about it though because it’s then that things start to get scary. Whether it’s reliving your most traumatic experiences, running in to your worst enemies, or seeing monster of your own creation popping up and chasing you, danger and fear are permeating every corner of these dreams. Horror movie fans might find they’re being chased by Freddie Kreuger, hunted down by Jason, cornered by the aliens from Alien. Or maybe there are terrifying monsters from your own world that have started to come for you and are trying to tear you limb from limb. It feels impossible to outrun, and maybe in the end, you don’t. But if you die in your dreams, you don’t really die in real life, right? So you might just snap awake with a particularly frightening jolt.
You think when you wake up that everything is fine. That sense of fear is gone and you’re able to just breathe. But as you go about your day, you start to see images from your nightmares out of the corner of your eyes. Was that Freddie’s claws scratching against the blackboard? Did you just hear the strange clicking of alien feet against the tiles? You hope it’s in your imagination, but this is Deerington. When does anything ever stay normal?
The danger from your nightmares is definitely invading your personal space and it will try to kill you. Anyone else can see these images just as plain as day as you can and they are welcome to either sit and watch or help you fight. Whatever is trying to kill you will go down in the same manner it would have back home – that means that it could be as easy as a bullet between the eyes or it could be as complex as an intense ritual. Guess you’ll have to figure it out for yourself before it really does kill you.
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.
aaaa, hello!! sorry for the delay! work also... destroys me...
In a different life, seeing Max half-asleep and drenched in coffee would bring a smile to her face. She might even say 'hold that pose' before snapping a photo because you can't beat the classics.
The thought crosses her mind and dies there.
She's waiting for it.
Waiting for Max to blame her like every other person in her nightmares does. Maybe she'll lay it on thick, like Nathan does, or maybe she'll just have those sad, sad eyes, all hollow and totally haunting like those Diane Arbus images, like sad mothers and children, like Kate Marsh. And when Max just stands there, Victoria knows something must be wrong. This isn't even the Two Whale's diner! Even in her dreams she would never be this inconsistent! It must mean that she's... )
No fucking way. You're real?
( It's one hell of a greeting. She waits a few moments for Max to shift and morph to some other scene, but she stays right there. )
i am glad we understand each other lol
Yes. [Her eyes flutter open.] Yes, I'm real, Victoria, and you-... [She gestures uselessly at her shirt, and then starts pulling at it so the wet fabric doesn't stick to her skin. It feels absolutely gross. On the plus side, she feels more awake than she has in days.
She lets out a long, slow breath.]
Why wouldn't I be real?
no subject
It wasn't that nice of a shirt to begin with. In a way, I guess you could say I did you a favor. You're welcome.
( The remark doesn't have the same amount of bite behind it as her usual snide comments do, but she's getting there. Still, an apology would have been more helpful.
Seeing Max dripping where she stood must have done something to Victoria's heartstrings, because she eventually resigns with a large sigh and an eye roll. ) God, you're so pathetic. You're like one of those charity commercials on TV. ( Despite saying this, she rises to her feet and slides out of the booth. She makes her way to the bathroom and gestures for Max to follow her.
Blame it on the sleep deprivation, but Victoria felt that she could at least offer to help with clean-up duty, even if she didn't plan on actually helping. )
no subject
God she is so sick of dealing with high schoolers. And her own damn conscience too. She takes a deep breath and strides after the other girl, cutting ahead of her into the women's bathroom and slamming the door behind her. They can talk through the door. Whatever.]
It's good to see you too, Victoria. [Sarcasm? Sarcasm. Dripping with it. She has to raise her voice a little to be heard through the door but the tone is still very clear.] I bet you're having a great time in Maine.
no subject
Are you kidding me? The people in this town don't even know who Christian Dior is. How am I supposed to make a name for myself in a place like this, Max? ( She leans her back against the door, arms folded over her chest. ) It's like starting all over. I don't even have my portfolio with me. ( She's more concerned about her hard work and her image than anything else. The real horrors this town has in store for her aren't something she seems too worried with. )
Are you... like, okay in there, or whatever? ( God, being nice is SO much work! )
no subject
I'm fine.
[A long pause follows. She's starting to remember what it's like to interact with Victoria - her priorities and concerns, her facade. It's been so long... but it's coming back to her now. When Max talks again she sounds far less annoyed and far more concerned, but there's still that mild irritation underneath.]
You woke up in a weird ass 50's town and your biggest worry is how you're going to make a name for yourself? [That might be an unfair judgment on her part, but that's exactly what Victoria makes it sound like.] Victoria, this place is really dangerous, okay? Photography... might have to wait.
no subject
( Taking everything she's encountered so far more seriously would work well in Victoria's favor. But taking things seriously would mean acknowledging this is all real — that waking up in some retro dreamworld is something that can literally just happen — and that's not something she's capable of accepting right now. She hasn't been able to come to any real conclusions that explain where she was and how she got there, but drugs seemed to be the most reasonable answer. Deerington and everything in it had to be a part of some really weird acid trip she forgot she had taken. )
God, this place seriously feels like that weird 90's show with the owls. And not even in a cool, aesthetic way. ( And after a pause: ) My parents must be freaking out right now. They probably think I'm dead, or something.
no subject
[She knows how unsatisfying that answer is, but it's entirely the truth. And she knows Victoria will grow to accept that all of this is actually real, however long that takes. It took Max a while.
There's a long pause.]
You're not dead, Victoria.
[There's something off in her tone - almost like she's not sure. And then, as though to drive the point home, but perhaps achieving just the opposite, she repeats herself:]
...You're not dead.
[She finally opens the bathroom door, jacket zipped up fully and coffee-soaked shirt in one hand. She'd rather lose a layer than have the icky feeling of wet fabric clinging to her skin.
Also, she probably should've given some warning that she was about to open the door, but how was she supposed to know Victoria was leaning on it?
Awkward.]
no subject
Sure, everyone wants answers, but no one wants answers more than Victoria does. Or at least it feels that way. The others seemed to have gotten used to their new 'home' pretty easily, either because they've been here for longer or because they're far better at coping with unusual situations than Victoria is. In either case, it would be nice to not be the only freaking out. Just one mass panic attack, that's all she's asking for here. )
You don't know that, Max. You don't know what this place is. ( And if she does know, she should just say it. Max is right with her second assumption: her attempt at reassurance only makes Victory more skeptical. ) This could be the afterlife. Purgatory as a retro chic period piece.
( When the door opens, Victoria falls backwards and stumbles against Max. In better circumstances she would have caught herself beforehand, but she's running on 0.33 hours of sleep and her reflexes aren't the best. Maybe she should have moved away from the door beforehand, but that's not her fault. It's all Max's fault. Somehow. ) Ugh, great job, twee. ( She rolls her eyes as she straightens up and is quick to brush herself off, more worried about the threat of coffee stains than actually hurting Max with that fall. )
Guess some things never change, no matter what universe we're in.
no subject
She's thought about this being an afterlife. After years in Wonderland and now Deerington... it's easy to wonder if she's ever going home again. To Arcadia Bay or Seattle - to see her parents. To say goodbye. And if she never gets to leave, then this might as well be the afterlife, right? Or... the life after her first one.
She does her best to catch Victoria as she stumbles into her, but it's an awkward, uncoordinated thing. In the end she more of just haphazardly pushes the other girl off.
Her eyes narrow.]
That's great - it's good to know I'll have to put up with the same old Victoria Chase.
[It's a snippy remark, her tone once again full of irritation, almost anger. She turns as though to leave, but spins on her heel and snaps at Victoria a moment later.]
Why would you be in the afterlife? And why would it be 'retro chic' or noir or whatever?
no subject
Whatever. ( Shooing away one of the only people connecting to her to her life back home is a great idea. This is fine. Everything is fine. She's not going to say that seeing Max whirl around to have a last laugh is almost something of a relief.
That feeling of relief dies pretty quickly with Max's next words and Victoria rolls her eyes because it's the easiest thing to do right now. )
Because I've done things, Max. ( She says it as if it were obvious but still has to swallow before speaking again. ) You've done things, too. And this is what we get for it. That's what this is.
( One doesn't have to be overly religious to encounter the concept of purgatory at some point. She's spotty on the details. It's been a while since she's been assigned to read Dante's Divine Comedy. ) Chased by monsters for the rest of eternity. Or at least until someone changes their mind.
no subject
Victoria, I... [She swallows.] I don't know if that's why we're here. [She wishes she had a better answer than that, for both their sakes.
She shuffles her feet, hostility soothed by Victoria's unexpected openness. Or maybe the girl is just being dramatic.]
...How long have you been here? In Deerington.
no subject
No one here is innocent. Everyone here did... something. ( Afterlife purgatory is about the only way she can rationalize the monsters she's encountered so far. Even the nice ones. ) But if you know anything, my suggestion box is totally open to better ideas.
( How about both? True sincerity but not without flair for dramatics. )
A while. ( A pause. ) Not that long. ( Another, longer pause while she actually thinks about it. ) A few weeks. I'm already over it.
( She's pressed pause on playing mean girl for just a few minutes. Enjoy it while it lasts. ) What about you?
no subject
[That's a bad start. Max was lucky enough to have Chloe here when she first arrived - and one of the first people she ran into, too.] Where are you staying? What have you been doing? Are you okay?
[The last one sounds like a fairly stupid question... but it's also a fairly important one. It bugs Max how she's suddenly so concerned about Victoria's well-being, but... weeks. In Deerington. She hopes to god that someone gave Victoria a briefer on the place, or else that would've been weeks of pure hell.] I've been here for, give-or-take a month... about two hours short of going completely insane. [She shrugs.] A little over half a year.