AUGUST 2019 TEST DRIVE MEME

[sodder]

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.

Comments

[leavesof3]

As soon as he speaks, any concern that he's behind this is immediately removed from Ivy's mind. He's young, and he's oblivious. She studies him for a moment before bothering to respond to such a statement.

"I'm Poison Ivy," she says in a proud tone, which makes for her introduction. Hopefully one that explains the lack of an offered hand.

Her voice then softens as she adds her own stating of the obvious. "You're a boy. A child of grass."

[laminae]

Oh, wow. With a name like that there isn't really any room left for doubt as to what she is. Fern, despite being a plant himself, isn't overly familiar with flora, but he knows what poison ivy is.

She's a plant, too. Even more plant-y than Maggie is. She's also incredibly pretty, to the point where it's a little intimidating.

"Uh - yeah! One hundred percent grass, that's me," he responds, the beginnings of a smile brightening his expression. "I'm Fern. It's nice to meet you."

[leavesof3]

"That is magnificent, Fern." Ivy herself is now physiologically much closer to plant than human, but can woefully never boast to be made fully from plant life.

"And under most circumstances I would be delighted to meet you. But I'm afraid we must have been targeted for... I don't know what, honestly." She frowns at their bonds. The two of them here together couldn't be a coincidence, could it? Then again, she's still trying to figure out what this all is about. "What I do know is that we need to get out of here."

[laminae]

Getting called magnificent is a new one for him, and makes him blink in surprise. Most of the time he's gotten either confusion or, in the case of meeting people who are very used to the bizarre, a reaction that takes his whole situation in stride. He isn't sure 'magnificent' is all that accurate, and part of him wants to argue that no, he's actually terrible, but he takes another look around and realizes she's right.

He can get his fill of self-loathing later. Right now they need to do something about the maze. "It's probably some messed up town thing," he says, scowling at the hedges as if they're the ones at fault. That's only momentary though, as he notices the chain and cuffs around both of their wrists. That's easy enough to take care of.

"I got this!" He holds his free hand up, a blade of grass extending from his palm and forming itself into the shape of a sword. With a quick movement he brings the blade down on the chain, fully expecting it to get sliced cleanly in half.

Nothing happens.

Fern stares for a moment, then tries again. And again, but his sword doesn't make even the tiniest nick.

[leavesof3]

Growing a sword from a blade of grass is an impressive feat. Failing to cut through the chain that binds them together is less so, but makes for a valiant effort on Fern's part. Ivy tries to convey both her appreciation and concern in one look as she raises her free hand to try and prevent further futile attempts.

"I think that's enough, my dear." Whatever the chain is made from is certainly strong, and she has to hope that it isn't magic. "Perhaps something in the maze can help free us. Or perhaps we can find our way out and back into town where our options are less... limited."

She doesn't like the idea of asking others for help, but it appears that their combined strengths are nothing of an advantage here. His sword has failed him, and the green surrounding them has not called out to her or come to their aid.

"Either way, we should get moving. Come, I don't trust these quiet hedges."

There is something wrong with the plant life in this place, she's sure of it. She can feel it. There's no communion, no connection. She slowly makes a start for the path ahead.

[laminae]

Fern will at least stop when she raises her hand, though from his dejected expression he's blaming himself for the sword not being sharp enough more than the chain being unbreakable. But he nods; she's right, sitting here trying to cut through it isn't going to work.

The sword retracts back into his palm and he follows after her, kicking a stray pebble into the hedges.

"What do you mean 'quiet'? Can you talk to plants?" A few people have asked him if he can do that, but his abilities don't extend to flora beyond his own body. He isn't sure if Maggie's do either, so Ivy might be the first person here with that sort of power. He's intensely curious, unsure of whether that's something all plant people can do and he just sucks, or if it's some unique thing he'll never be able to figure out.

[leavesof3]

Ivy watches the sword retract with a keen interest before turning to wistfully glance with at the hedges. Back in Gotham, these bushes would have parted before her like the waters of the Red Sea.

"Under less bizarre circumstances, yes. I communicate with the Green, respect and revere it, and in return the flora of my world defers to my will."

Here in the maze, she's reduced to playing some sort of sick game without any sense of direction to guide her. She pauses as they reach their first intersection.

"Is it not the same with you?" she asks, in a curious voice that earnestly lacks judgment. It just feels unusual. "You seem strong... Perhaps it is your age. I've never met someone like us so young."

[laminae]

Wow, she sounds a lot more serious about the plant thing than himself. Knowledgeable, too, if she can really communicate with other plants. He barely knows how his own body works beyond the whole photosynthesis thing, she could probably run circles around him.

"I... I don't know. I don't think so," he says, coming to a stop next to her and pointedly looking away, down one of the new paths. "I don't have tree senses, or whatever."

He's just some lame grass... thing. No talking to plants, no plants deferring to his will. He reaches up to scratch his head. "Stuff grows on my body, and I can make the swords, and -" Holding his unchained hand up, it shifts and extends into a thorny vine. It doesn't feel like much, but he can do some plant-y shape-shifting. "That's about it."

[leavesof3]

"Perhaps left," mumbles Ivy as she gently steers them in the new direction, though she honestly couldn't say whether or not it was any better than the path on the right. She hates the feeling of being lost.

She smiles softly at Fern's vine hand.

"That is no small feat, my child. I have more control over my body's chemical make-up than it's physical structure. My own form is less malleable, more human." She says the word as if it leaves a bad taste in her mouth. "You could learn still how to connect with the Green, but I will never possess your natural beauty and ability."

She means it. In her eyes, Fern has the potential to become greater than she is. He's young. If taps into the ability to communicate and control plant life, he could be another Swamp Thing.

[laminae]

As they talk, being trapped in a nightmare hedge maze is quickly dropping downwards on Fern's list of priorities. It's still unnerving and it's not as if he's forgotten all his bad memories, but talking to another plant... person... thing is more than a little distracting.

Especially one that keeps on complimenting him. His hand snaps back into being a hand and he drops it to his side as his face flushes a darker green than normal. Geez, she's got to be the first person he's ever met who has been so genuinely passionate about plants. It's kind of embarrassing that he doesn't feel nearly the same.

"I don't know," he says quietly. "I kinda miss being human. I can't do basic stuff like eating and breathing anymore."

[leavesof3]

"You're evolved. You're stronger for not having to deal with such trivial things. Trust me, Fern." Considering that she does need to eat and breathe, Ivy's even a little more than jealous. Maybe he'll allow her to study him in full, to see how such a complete transformation could be possible.

She tilts her head as she asks, "How long have you been this way? Do you know how you received your gift?"

[laminae]

He doesn't think being able to eat his favourite food is all that trivial but somehow, it doesn't feel entirely appropriate to argue. Fern falls silent instead, giving a small scowl at the grass they're walking on instead.

At her question he glances back up uneasily. "A couple of months, I guess? It's... complicated." He's at least had enough practice explaining it here, so he continues. "I used to be two swords, the Grass Sword and Finn Sword. Finn Sword used to be human, but there was this whole time loop paradox-thing," he waves a hand. "And I wound up a sword. Both of the swords eventually merged, making me."

[leavesof3]

"Swords." Ivy sounds unsure if she even heard him right, and part of her expects him to correct her. To say the least, it is not quite the backstory that she had expected. She's clearly out of her depth here. Her own transformation had been far more science-based than magical in nature.

"That sounds like some powerful magic..." Is about all that she can manage to comment on the strange set of circumstances. "But in any case, you're very new. I'm certain you are just skimming the surface on the whole of your abilities so far."

[laminae]

He's quiet, a little self-conscious of his situation. Despite their similarities it's clear this is something new to her, and he's well aware of how crazy it all sounds. A human to swords to some weird grass monstrosity, there's no real logic behind it, only a lot of coincidence and bad luck.

"Yeah, I guess so," he says softly. Ivy isn't wrong, even with all his memories he feels like a new existence. "For a while it felt like I was learning something new about my body every day."