soddersays | AUGUST 2019 TEST DRIVE MEME

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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

[When they're both out. They say that like they're going to come back.
Maybe they even believe they will. It's...nice of them. To think it.
Frisk shrugs in response, breaking eye contact.]

You should hurry. In case they're listening.

[Disacknowledgment. No recognition whatsoever. It wouldn't be so glaring, except that Chara tends to adhere to that same mechanism, when faced with something they don't wish to recognize. A similarity too glaring to be outright ignored.]

[But not addressed. Not yet.]

[First, they have to see if they can get out of here.]

Fine. Boost me.

[They don't sound happy for someone who's about to break out. Still, they get no verbal response, this time- Frisk is busy holding out one of their hands behind their back, so Chara can use it as a step up. If- when Chara's on their shoulders, Frisk will stand-- slowly, and with no small amount of effort.

They aren't strong.]

[It's not really an effort destined to succeed. Chara is too quick, too desperate to get away from being in a position where someone else is holding them up, and too pointy and uncontrolled. The bones in their elbows and wrists jut out and probably end up poking once or twice when they scramble up, lunge for the vent.]

[They don't have the requisite upper body strength to actually follow through. Malnourished, thin, underfed, and lacking the strength to haul themself the rest of the way up, Chara dangles for a moment. Then their arms begin to feel like they're tearing.]

[They let go only when the muscles in their fingers and arms cramp to the point where they can't hold on any longer.]

[That's easy, at least. Falling is always easy.]

[They try, at least. Try to steady themself, reach up and curl their hands round Chara's ankles to try and steady them, until Chara kicks them in the head as they leap away. Frisk barely gets to see the attempt itself, turning round to see white-knuckled fingers losing their hold, and

They let Chara's body hit theirs on the way down. They get an elbow in the eye for the effort, air pushed out of their lungs in one heavy whoosh of breath as they hit the floor. Eye hurts- quite a lot, actually, but that doesn't matter. Gotta push back up, gotta move away. Gotta press one hand over their face, good eye opening a little wider to make up for the one that's throbbing.]

Are you okay?

[The fall is harder when there's someone beneath to break it. It's harder because now there are bones and sharp angles and scrambling and they think they may or may not have jabbed the other child somewhere in the face in the process.]

[Handling them roughly. Sharply. The way they do everything.]

[Bruises are nothing new. Chara hisses out between clenched teeth. They've bitten their tongue on the way down; they can taste copper. Aches in their knees, on their ankles, like they jarred bones on the way down - breathing hard. Winded.]

I've had worse.

[Muttered darkly, between the throbbing in their knees.]

I should have known it'd never be that easy.

...Sorry.

[They stay on the ground, cupping their eye. Quiet and apologetic- maybe if they were taller, Chara wouldn't have to jump. They could've held them up properly, so they could climb right in. Or maybe if they'd been a little stronger, Chara would've steadied themself before making the leap.

They don't even have the pie on them. Nothing that could help with the scrapes and bruises Chara's obtained, all because their idea was...really silly.]

I'm sorry. That was stupid.

Don't be!

[Their smile has a sharpened edge to it, but it's directed outward - a cold glower at the door, at the vent, at escape routes that don't work. Circumventing the rules sounded like such a welcome change from the Deerington standard, and they'd nothing to lose by trying. Naturally, it would never be that simple.]

[It seldom is.]

Deerington does so love to keep us on rails.

[On rails, huh?

Sounds like somewhere else they know. Frisk sighs slowly, dropping their hand down. The edge of their eye is a bit red- they'll have a nice bruise there later, once the swelling's kicked in. It stings but- that's okay. Chara's words sting more.]

I won't fight you.

[Not, I can't. Not, I don't want to.

They won't. Even if there's no way out.

Or if Chara's changed their mind.]

[Hurt them. Not surprising. They're all jagged fragments and hard edges. They're as bladed as any knife, and tend to cut those who remain in close contact. Someone somewhere said something, once, about children being knives.]

[An apology is worth nothing. They could say sorry, they could say they didn't mean to, they could say anything they liked. It won't bandage a bruise and it won't make it so it never happened. So they don't. Remember it, instead. Commit it to memory: this is what you've done.]

[They'll remember that.]

[I won't fight you isn't an admission to a lack of skill. It might be - well, who knows, really? It's a refusal.]

So don't. There are more ways to fight than with fists or blades.

[It's fine, really. Chara got hurt too, so they're even. And... no one meant to get hurt, either. Or to hurt. They tilt their head at Chara's declaration, thinking it over. More ways to fight than with fists or blades...

...It's been a long time since they've heard a fight like that. It feels like a world ago. But if Chara thinks they should (or at least, they're suggesting it), maybe... there is something they can do.

Maybe.

Hopefully Chara gets it.]

....

What the eff did you just effing say about me, you little b?

[Yep. It's

fighting. See, they even raise their voice a little, to actual normal levels of conversation.]

...

[Give the kid some credit.]

[That's not what Chara meant, and certainly not what they expected. For the first time in a long, long while - maybe the first time since they ended up in this wretched place - someone manages to take Chara by surprise.]

That is the least inflammatory thing I have ever heard someone say.

[This is, technically, arguing back. It's not mere criticism. They didn't even swear aloud.]

[Well, they'd not mad.

They also don't seem to get it, but they're not mad. Which is all the encouragement Frisk needs to continue, puffing up a bit. Their words can so be inflammatory!

Whatever that is.]

I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals, and I've been involved in numerous secret raids on Al-Quaeda, [A pause for breath. They're pretty obviously reciting, but they're putting...some energy into it. They even wave their hands for emphasis.]

and I have over 300 confirmed kills.

[Unbelievable.]

[They're...really very committed to this, aren't they? It's not really a fight at all, and it's unlikely to appease their observers, but the audacity of it, the bold-faced refusal to play along, the shamelessness of their recitation...]

[Well. There's an appeal there.]

[Really, why not?]

You have made a massive mistake.

Doing this for me would have made you a symbol in the world of intellect and literature. It is so typical for someone like you to forget this.

[Are they-

Reciting a meme? Frisk actually opens their eyes, even the sore one, staring at Chara with a sense of bemusement that quickly gives way to a small, very delighted smile. Good job- they know that one too.

Time to change it up then. Really set the pace.]

Has it not occurred to you that the voice you've read my post in is in fact the voice in your head? It's your voice, it bears your tone, and your judgement values. How about this:

[Frisk cups their hands around their mouth, not- yelling, but loud enough that their voice is certainly being picked up outside.]

Why are you being a little bitch?

[Frisk. Honey. You have no idea how many times Chara has issued a meme to someone else here only for them to not understand it in the slightest. So many people here have never even heard of a meme. It is honestly tragic and you are the first person since their arrival here to have actually been the first to utter a meme in their presence.]

[They deliberately raise their voice in tandem. Is this the kind of fight you wanted, Betty? Is this sufficient.]

You just did a swear. You know what that means, right?

You're going to prison.

[It's on like donkey kong, Chara. You may have risen up to the occasion, but memes are only half the battle. Sure, you can meme

But can you vine? Once again, Frisk raises their voice. It takes effort. This is about as loud as they're going to go.]

I'm eleven so shut the ef-fuck up.

[Two! Two swears, ah ah ah.]

[Finally someone who understands Gen Z humor. There's a temptation there to say something cruel - you kiss your mother with that mouth? But Chara knows better than to reference parents in a conversation with another child. They're not keen on opening that door.]

[So, instead:]

I am disgusted.

I am revolted.

I dedicate my entire life to our lord and savior Jesus Christ, and this is the thanks I get?

How dare you put us through this.

[They turn towards the door, nudging it gently with their foot. No parental memes here, Chara; this is a child-safe space.]

We are the Toronto people. We want to shop!

Why are you closed! Why? Why?

[Chara, by contrast, has no problem raising their voice to something louder than a mumble. And so they do, cupping their hands to walk straight up to the door and shove their face against it.]

[They can already say they've lost all claim to dignity. So.]

Open
the door.

Stop having it
be closed.

[Despite themself, Frisk's smile widens, practically a grin before they muffle a laugh into their sleeve. This kind of FIGHT, they could really get into.

They don't even mind if they lost.]

You win. Much victor. Very meme. Wow.

[Unfortunately, the door remains resolutely shut. Chara bangs on it with the heel of their fist a few times, just to be sure.]

One of us has admitted defeat! I emerged triumphant! You can let us out now - we've proven to you very well that words mean more than weapons, so how about you just let us out so that we can all go about our business, instead?

[Talk to the door, instead of acknowledging that this is the first time they can remember, since him, that they've ever made another child laugh.]

[Chara has a nice smile. They don't get to see all of it, viewing the other child from the side as they direct their witty commentary at the door, but it's- a smile. Not like the exhausted neutrality that met them at first...or the angry curves when they both fell down.

Maybe they lied a little, when they said Chara won. Their smile doesn't feel like a consolation prize.]

We showed you what we're made of, so you should open the door now. [They tell- the door.] That's all you said we had to do.

[They're made of memes, Betties. Can you handle that?]

Honestly. If you'd rather I slit my wrists and be done with it, I could manage that just as easily, but I think you've learned the wisdom of abducting two children to embark in some ill-conceived gladiatorial endeavor, so I'd thank you to give up the ghost, now!

[Their smile is unchanging the entire time as they smack the door with the butt of their palm a few more times, experimentally.]

AUGUST 2019 TEST DRIVE MEME

AUGUST 2019 TEST DRIVE MEME

BLOOD IN MY VEINS

I AM THE GREAT UNKNOWN

Character Arrival

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cw: blasé suicide ideation

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