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soddersays2019-07-27 01:49 pm
sodder) wrote in soddersays2019-07-27 01:49 pm
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AUGUST 2019 TEST DRIVE MEME
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!
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.
no subject
[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.
no subject
[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.
no subject
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.]
no subject
[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.
no subject
...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.]
1/2
[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.]
2/2
[This is, technically, arguing back. It's not mere criticism. They didn't even swear aloud.]
no subject
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.
no subject
[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.
no subject
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?
no subject
[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.
no subject
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.]
no subject
[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?
no subject
[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?
no subject
[They can already say they've lost all claim to dignity. So.]
Open
the door.
Stop having it
be closed.
no subject
They don't even mind if they lost.]
You win. Much victor. Very meme. Wow.
no subject
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.]
no subject
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?]
cw: blasé suicide ideation
[Their smile is unchanging the entire time as they smack the door with the butt of their palm a few more times, experimentally.]
no subject
But they don't say it, because they don't have the chance to.
Mostly due to the fact that when Chara slaps the door, they push it open a crack.]
...It opened.
no subject
[All right, well. Chara wasn't expecting that.]
[They recover quickly, as they do with most things. With a bright smile, and a magnanimous inclination of their head as they step back.]
Well, then. After you!
no subject
It's fine. It's totally fine- Frisk doesn't even blink at the offer. They would've told Chara to wait if they'd tried to go first, so this works out better for everyone. Take out their knife, make sure it's pointed carefully at the opening. Shuffle closer and nudge the door with their free hand.
It creaks when it swings open wider, from age and general wear. The Betties should get that checked.
They should also be here. Or- within sight, at least? But when Frisk carefully leans out, they don't see anyone. Not a SOUL.]
...I think it's clear?
no subject
[They still step out slowly to glance both ways, eyes flicking restively across the hallways. No one presents themselves. Not for nothing, Frisk, but they don't know you, and trust is a hard-won thing.]
[Though it is best that Frisk remembered to arm themself before departing. For all their refusal to fight, it seems that they're not unable to.]
Let's move before someone changes their mind.
no subject
Frisk doesn't try the handles. There's a ladder, right at the end of the hall, and that's all they're going to go for, staring up at the opening overhead before taking a deep breath, and starting the climb.
Hopefully, no one's waiting to push them back down. They're pretty tired of falling.]
no subject
[They have one way out. One straight shot. Other doors are ignored, despite the sounds issuing from the other side. The ladder, though, that's the safest bet.]
It's likely you'll end up in an alley. Possibly the same one through which you entered.
[They're just waiting to make sure that they're not going to have to fight anyone to get out of this place.]