AUGUST 2019 TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to August's Test Drive Meme! This month's Test Drive's theme is: DYSTOPIAN 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: Physical violence, monster violence, creepy ogre-like monster in link, being hunted by a monster.
Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!

Prompt One
Prompt Two
Character Arrival
Master Navigation

BLOOD IN MY VEINS

With supplies low and food getting even more scarce, things in Deerington, Maine seem to be getting that much more tense. For those who pay attention to the habits of the townspeople, there’s something that might add to that feeling of stress; all of them seem to be involved in some kind of physical training, whether it’s archery, hand-to-hand combat, or fighting with firearms, they all seem like they’re getting ready for something and it definitely feels like it might be something big.

But no one wants to train against a townsperson - it’s highly likely they’re not going to fight fair with the way they’re all glaring at the Sleepers, as though they’re to blame for everything that’s been going on. Unless you’re sparring with people in your own backyard though, it seems like there isn’t any space to get your own training in.

The Betties are starting to pop up around town pretty regularly, waiting until they find Sleepers on their own, and quietly waving for them to come closer. “You need to prepare,” they’ll whisper to you in hushed urgency, before grabbing your hand to try and get you to follow them. If you fight, they’ll insist only once more, before leaving you alone. But there’s something inside of you urging you to comply and follow.

They’ll lead you down an alley, pushing aside a large dumpster, and revealing a trap door in the middle of the concrete. You’ve never noticed it before, even if you’ve been down this alley a hundred times. The Betty leading you leans down, pulling it open, and the ladder that goes into the tunnel is long and dimly lit. You could leave now, but the Betty will insist this is for the best.

“Knock twice. No more or less. Show them what you’re made of.”

Once you get to the bottom of the ladder, there’s an equally long hallway that leads towards a closed metal door. You knock twice and the door shakes before sliding open. The light that comes through is almost blinding with how bright it is compared to the dim tunnel, but as your eyes adjust, you can finally step in to a fully stocked training room.

There are instructors in basics for beginners, areas for intermediate, and most abundantly there are one-on-one sparring areas. The moment you come close enough, you’ll be immediately paired with another Sleeper, and the two of you will be locked in the room together to be observed. You could choose to not fight, of course, but you’ll be stuck there for a good long while if you do. It might be best to just get it over and done with.

So feel free to help others who seem to be struggling or show off your strength for everyone to see. It looks like everyone is going to need to be ready for some kind of fight.

I AM THE GREAT UNKNOWN

Maybe you got knocked out during a fight or maybe you fell asleep in your own bed - or maybe you don’t even remember closing your eyes at all, especially if you don’t usually have the ability to go unconscious for one reason or another. No matter the cause, everyone will wake up in the same place, surrounded by tall, thick hedges in the middle of a... maze?

It doesn’t take you long to realize you aren’t the only one waking up, too. Someone is next to you and it seems like you’re stuck finding your way out of here together. Literally. On each of your wrists is a metal cuff with a long chain connecting them. It can’t be broken, no matter how strong a person is or how powerful a weapon or spell they try to use against it. You’re in this together whether you want to be or not.

Once you can pick a direction to head in, it seems like this might almost be boring - that is until you start to hear the sounds of rustling leaves and breaking twigs. At first it seems like it might just be a trick to spook you, but the more you ignore it, the louder it gets, until finally you see it, charging down the row at you, scythe raised and ready to strike.

You can try to fight, of course, but it’s hard when you’re chained to one another. Learn to work together quickly and maybe you can make it work. It seems to go down with normal attacks, though it takes a long time to get the creature to fall unless you cut off the head. Ultimately your best interest might be set in running as fast as you can to get away. You can lose it in the maze if you’re quick about it. But then you might also be lost yourself.

If you do manage to lose the monster rather than killing it, stay quiet and you might not attract its attention again. It may take a while to find the end of the maze. The hedges feel like they stretch on forever and the sun is blaring down. You’d think there would be shade with all the height of the bushes, but there’s no relief from the heat. Hopefully you don’t burn easy.

When you get to the end of the maze, the two of you will come up on three doors. One door will lead out of the maze and back into the center of Deerington, cuff free. Another door will lead you right back to the beginning, forcing you to start again. And what’s behind door number three...?

The monster, of course.

Choose wisely.

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

i. blood in my veins

[ as a rule sean had never let the betties get to him, so it strikes even him as strange that he's letting one pull him down an alleyway. everything he knows about deerington tells him that's a bad idea —

everything he knows about deerington, memories filtering back slowly, like he's grabbing at the smoke wisp details of a dream. faces, bits of conversation. corr, somewhere — christ, he's going to have to find his horse again — how long has it been? how long was he gone, how long was he back?

show them what you're made of, says the betty. sean would really rather not.

he's not ready for a fight, but it looks like that's what he'll get, as he steps into the blinding room and is immediately pushed into a one-on-one spar.

for people he may know: a long, slow blink that gives away nothing of how fast his mind is working to recognize that face, that voice, until finally, ] Well, this isn't quite how I imagined a reunion.

[ for those he doesn't: ] You don't suppose we could just shake on it.

ii. i am the great unknown

[ sean rubs at his wrist almost absently as he takes stock of the surroundings. he's already clocked that he's chained to someone, but that's frankly the least of his worries: it's brutally hot, and everything around him indicates that they've been dumped straight into the middle of a hedge maze. ]

Brilliant. [ wry, barely inflected. ] Right or left, then? We should choose one and stick to it.

[ sean's no stranger to the right-hand rule, and it seems better to pick a direction and get started before starting any small talk. not that he's ever been good with that. ]

iii. the lay of the land

[ having more or less survived the training session — although he's looking a little worse for wear — sean takes to exploring. he's looking for his godsforsaken capall, but it doubles as a tour of the town, a way of reminding himself of things that were once familiar.

the veterinary clinic and the high school. the theater. the pharmacy and pet store. some new places: a restaurant he doesn't recognize, some businesses. a car dealership. it's like returning to your hometown and finding it different, but in ways that feel like it had always been this way.

sean asks a familiar question to passersby, at least those he doesn't recognize: ] You're not after seeing a red horse, are you? Seventeen hands tall, all teeth? [ with a hand up to indicate that at his shoulder, the horse would be about as tall as sean himself.

should he see anyone he knows, though... well, it's hard to explain how that makes him feel. he lifts his chin in greeting, accompanied by a wave of acknowledgment, and say something like, ] It's been a while, has it?

( ooc: hello ha ha,,,, the prodigal sean returns... happy to make new cr or reunite(?) with old cr, even casual cr! )

Edited 2019-07-27 21:59 (UTC)

[The Doctor is poised with his sword and eyeing the opponent, of course, doesn't like being hassled more than he likes his arm being figuratively twisted behind his back with having to fight]

We could but - would they then have us both killed?

[Ten doesn't want to fight for sport entertainment either but maybe they can be clever together?]

You never really know, here. Could be they'll kill us both if we don't fight, could be they'll kill us both if we do. For what it's worth, I haven't died yet.

[ even counting all the miscellaneous bullshit he'd been put through the last time he was in deerington, sean has, remarkably, avoided the clutches of death.

he looks down, to where he is armed with only his fists. ] But I suppose if you'd rather run me through, that's fair. Just do it quick like, yeah? Get it over with.

[No, one doesn't. At the haven't died yet, The Doctor's hearts ache. He can't - he can't and finds himself lowering the blade as being told to do it quick does push a button with him and feels chills in his veins. If anything there are times The Doctor does believe that he deserves to die. What if - what if he stuck the sword through one of his hearts? He'd permanently lose one of his hearts and have to rely on the function of only one but they'd get to walk away.

They could also fistfight and The Doctor could fake a heart attack and death, momently.

Ten does decide to toss the sword to the side]

What sort of fight is fighting an unarmed man with a sword?

[Which The Doctor approaches slowly and unharmed]

A quick one, [ wryly, but sean does appreciate the gesture. somehow he feels that being run through with a sword might be overall less pleasant than a good old-fashioned fist fight, if only for its unfamiliarity.

he tracks the other man's movements the same way he would watch a capall fresh from the ocean — warily, like a wild animal. ]

I won't take the fists personal. [ he might be small, but he's pretty scrappy. ]

No, I can't take you. I'm pathetic. Really, really pathetic.

[Why yes, he's going to play coward and slowly inches closer]

[ good try. sean, again, looks nonplussed — but his posture doesn't change, aside from the way his hands curl loosely into fists at his sides. ]

If I'd five pence for everyone who's tried that and still blacked my eye...

[ he'd have at least five pence, maybe more. ]

[Ten sort of puts up his fist and doesn't look as if he knows quite what he's doing. As The Doctor's fists aren't completely curled and continue to come slowly towards Sean]

Really, if you looked up that word you'd have a picture of me thar.

[Ten stands directly across from the other, he can't start the fight and will not give it another more than a show on his end. He wants Sean to beat the crap out of him]

[ the nonplussed look only deepends, and then sean takes a breath and turns to face the other man properly. he brings both hands up in a defense posture, boxing-like, and gestures vaguely that the other man should do the same. ]

If you want me to hit you, I'll hit you, but you have to say it.

[ he's not keen on punching anybody, but if that's what the guy would prefer over the sword or the handshake, well. sean doesn't shy from a fight either. ]

[The Doctor follows the defense boxing like posture. He can't kill them with a sword and if they shake it's a good chance they'll both end up dead]

I certainly won't hold it against you.

[But if The Doctor takes the beatings to a point and pretends to be dead. Least this way they both get out alive]

ii

[Puck sighs. There are enough difficulties day to day already without adding this.]

Absolutely brilliant. Best day of my life.

Right suits me.