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soddersays2019-10-26 07:49 pm
sodder) wrote in soddersays2019-10-26 07:49 pm
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NOVEMBER TEST DRIVE MEME
NOVEMBER 2019 TEST DRIVE MEME
Welcome to November's Test Drive Meme! This month's Test Drive's theme is: DEATH/ZOMBIE 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: Possible mild cannibalism, organs (including pictures of fake food that looks like organs), mutant insect in linked picture, blood, sensations of starvation, possible binge eating, possible binge drinking.
Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!
NOT BEAST NOR KIN
The blood and organs that have been festering in the ground and walls of Deerington seem to not only be attracting rats at this point, but something far more dangerous and... just plain gross. These deadly looking maggots are roughly the size of an average human. They’re slithering in an out of the ground, filling up holes where some organs seem to have burst open, or writhing around in the wake of the red waves that have left bloody puddles in the street. If you keep your distance, they’re mostly just disgusting to watch, adding to the feeling of utter decay that the town has gone into.
But those who wander too close or who are unfortunate enough to go by a nest of these maggots without noticing could end up swarmed. They can leap farther than something that large should physically be capable of and the sharp teeth on the end of their bodies will pierce through even the toughest of skin and bone. Once they latch on, they won’t let go; not until they’ve finished their meal. If you aren’t quick, the blood loss will be, and you could end up an evening snack for a whole group of these creatures.
They are fairly easy to kill, luckily. Average weapons seem to take them down or you can smash their heads (if you can call it that) with a few good stomps from a boot. The only trouble is how quick they move and how strong they are; you might need to call for help to get away from them when you get cornered by too many of these monsters.
ALL YOU CAN EAT
Maggots aren’t the only things that want to eat, though! And it seems that the community center is aware of that as well. Advertisements are strewn all over town for an all you can eat buffet that will be set up, not even an entrance fee required (though donations are welcome at the door if you’re feeling generous). No one in their right mind would want to go and get food from a party into Deerington at this point though, right? Of course not. You’re way too clever for that.Except that as the party draws closer, anyone who saw the advertisements will find themselves slowly feeling like they’re starving. There’s a hallow belly feeling that no amount of food you consume will ever be able to fill. It feels like you might go crazy from how bad the hunger gets, craving something to fill your stomach, anything... And in the back of your mind, you might remember the buffet. You might start to feel a strange realization that the food they’re offering will actually help get rid of your cravings and you’ll be drawn to the party no matter how adamant you’ve been that it’s not a good idea.
The spread they offer isn’t something that should be appetizing to most on a regular basis; raw, very clearly human organs are laid out across the table on fairly decorative plates. A fountain of what looks like blood is put up in place of chocolate for you to dip your food into. No matter how disgusted you might normally feel, you find yourself practically drooling at the mouth and you’re quick to grab a plate and dive in.
At least the drinks look like they’re normal; sodas, beer, wine, champagne, and liquors ready to create your favorite cocktails. A menu will give you an idea of what pairs best with each organ, so make sure you select something that goes perfectly with your plate of intestines.
What would a Deerington party be without something tricky attached to all this. Even the smallest bites of any of the organs will offer sudden changes to the consumer, each power growing stronger the more that you eat.
- Eating BRAINS will make it so that you are able to hear another person’s thoughts. Anyone standing near by, really. They’ll trickle in slowly at first, but the more that you eat, the more you’ll hear, and eventually it could become overwhelming. Sometimes you can focus in on just one person if you stare at them intently, but that could make you look like a creep. Maybe you should just go somewhere quiet until it passes.
- Eating a HEART will make you feel compelled to confess your emotions to someone. Maybe a specific person or maybe it’s towards a complete stranger, but you just want to get everything out onto the table. You’re overcome with feelings so strong you don’t know how to contain them anymore and you’ve just got to get them out somehow.
- Eating LIVER will cause you to want to drink. A lot. You might find that you’re not able to get enough, even. It doesn’t make you immune to the alcohol though, so it’s got the potential to lead some pretty nasty alcohol poisoning if you aren’t careful. Characters who usually can’t get drunk will find that consuming liver makes them a total lightweight. Woops. Better have someone help you walk home.
- Eating the STOMACH will make you want to eat everything. You’ll no longer feel starving, but you just want to taste any food that’s near you, and you won’t stop no matter how full you feel. It’s not just organs, but any food consumed outside of the buffet. It might be a bad time to go to Peter’s Pizza for a late night meal.
- Eating INTESTINES will give you an abundance of courage. You’ll find that you’ve got guts you never knew you had and it might make you willing to go tell your crush how you feel about them, or tell off that one guy who’s been pissing you off for weeks, or maybe you might start to think it’s cool to go scale a building or fight a monster when you don’t have any skill sets to actually take one down. Hopefully you don’t do anything you’ll regret in the morning— assuming you don’t get yourself killed doing something stupid, of course.
- Eating EYEBALLS will allow you to obtain the memory of the first person that you touch. Depending on how much you’ve eaten, you may just see a small snippet or you could get sucked in to a full and heavy flashback. The memory will feel like it takes place in real time, but by the time that it’s over, you’ll find that whoever you touched is only just starting to ask you what’s wrong — or tell you to watch where you’re going, buster.
All affects from the food will wear off within about an hour if you’ve only had a bite — or they could last up to twelve if you really stuffed yourself. Please be sure to obtain OOC permission from any players for the brain and eyeball prompts!
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.
Ben Hanscom | It
[ That fucking clown got him after everything they'd been through that summer. Who knew that hope was so easy to quash, stomp, eviscerate, eliminate out of existence? Leaders knew that. Girls and boys with more confidence and better senses of humor. But not Ben Hanscom. He really was just a big fat loser, and now there he was. Being dragged into the woods straight from his bed. Tears sting at his tightly shut eyes, falling out and streaking his cheeks almost immediately.
His limbs are all surprisingly intact, though, no surges of pain. No bloodcurdling laughter ringing in his ears. Those voices, far away but persistent, tell him that he actually is dreaming. And the deer, something out of a fantasy novel, cements that fact.
But waking up in bed, he's not in his own bedroom. The music he hears is frankly more like a fit of Pennywise's and being utterly alone, he swallows hard and starts to stand. He doesn't go out the door to investigate the home he's woken up in. Nope. He cranks open a window and after his head pokes out and gives several glances around, he shimmies up and out, plopping onto the ground. Ain't nobody gonna die in that rando house today, tyvm! As he goes, old t-shirt and boxer shorts his only means of defense, he spots what looks like a...theatre? It's a start to detect something normal, so he heads for it.
If he's being honest with himself, the place looks an awful lot like Derry, too. Yet, there's a weirder, more unsettling, feeling in the midst of the unfamiliar town as he jogs slowly, huffing, and not daring to look back the way he'd come. ]
B] all you can eat ; hearts, brains, and eyeballs
[ Apparently in this town, the residents love organs as much as a fat kid loves cake? Er, Ben's not even a little upset when he starts to go to town on a few of the organ meats, eating a bit longer than most and to his heart's content. Those posters really did him in: and, honestly, all of this will probably be nightmare fuel. But what isn't?!
He's moving around the place, taking in the other people there, carefully eyeing some of the adults that have seemed like they're ready for last call, when he bumps into someone. ] Oh! Sorry. I, uh...got a little distracted. [ He offers a smile and just as he thinks he may wander away after an awkward nod, he blurts out -- ] I'm in love, and I feel like I'm going to explode if I don't tell someone right now. [ His face starts to turn beet red, a hand going up over his mouth. If he wants to flee, something clearly keeps in place. A w k w a r d.
As for the rest of Ben's trek across the floor, he definitely had a few bites of brains and eyeballs, making for a pleasant introduction to oh-so many new faces! ]
D] wildcard ; fill in the blanks as you see fit! Ben can be found at a variety of places as he explores after arriving.
[ ooc: please do PM this journal with any questions! I'm down for whatever may float about, so come at Ben, please! \o/ ]
Arrival!
Of course, that's far too idealistic. Even Helen knows that. Oh, but she can dream. And dream she does.
She remembers eating and drinking too much (and being berated for it). She remembers falling asleep by the campfire soon after.
That's when things got bloody weird. Now she's wandering about, convinced that she's dreaming because there's no other explanation. These surroundings are bizarre and alien to someone who has never even seen a car before, and she's feeling very confused. She's wandering about with her steel boots and body armor strapped to her. Her sword, oversized and heavy but wielded with ease, is drawn but held tightly in one hand. She looks completely out of place.
She has seen no-one so far, but consider her overjoyed to see a strangely-dressed human up ahead. Well. Strangely-dressed to her. She doesn't yet realize that she's the one that looks weird.]
Oi! Hey, kid! Small human, wait up! [She calls out, lifting her hand to wave frantically at him. She looks super happy to see another person and grins widely at him. She assumes that humans are cool with half-monsters like herself now, and she forgets that her inhumanely silver eyes tend to freak people out. Anyway, this is a dream, isn't it?]
no subject
That is until his curious face turns and looks to find who called out for him to stop. He doesn't feel darkness radiate from her, but he doesn't feel entirely easy, either. His inquisitive brows, raised high upon hearing a voice, falter as he stands frozen in place as she draws closer. ]
I, uh... [ can anyone fault him, no more than a boy about to trudge through his teenage years, if he's a bit uncomfortable with this whole predicament? He swallows loudly, and more color rises up on his cheeks and face. He's already a bit out of breath, face flushed, but if she's a potential ally rather than foe, welp. It's embarrassing to be embarrassed. ]
Where'd you get that? [ A nod and wave to her sword. She's the first person he's seen, and while a moment of trust may get him into trouble, he has to risk at least talking with her. His head gives a little shake. ] Sorry, you're the first person I've seen here, and this is starting to feel more like I'm in...Middle Earth, or something. [ A nervous chuckle. It really didn't seem like a high concept fantasy land, but she looks like she could be plucked from some other world, that's for sure. Please don't slice him in two, lady. And please let this be a dream, especially if she's out for blood.
She doesn't seem entirely dangerous? Then again, he's just now realizing that her eyes are silver. He squints at her, taking that characteristic in. ]
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She can see that he's flushed. Out of breath. She could give him a difficult time, but she refrains from it. She refrains because this situation is bloody weird and she's surrounded by strange buildings. Also, what's with the peculiar metal poles (street lamps) rising out from the ground like trees? The kid is the first person she's seen, and he doesn't look like he's going to be a thorn in her side. She's grateful he's stopped for her at all.
She laughs when he asks about the sword, though. She holds it up so the blade points towards the sky and then slowly lowers it back down. Doing it too fast might be seen as threatening, and she doesn't particularly wish to scare him off.]
This old thing? It was a graduation present. [She snickers at her own joke, and then grows silent, listening to him.]
Yeah, you're the first person I've seen too. [A head tilt.] Not sure what a Middle Earth is. [Is that code of weird shit? She's going to interpret it as such.] But, hey, I agree with you. This place is... It's weird as hell. Maybe we should figure this out together, yeah?
A omg hi
The theatre was one of the places that he ended up haunting around and while one might have called it pure coincidence, it was likely something more than that, considering who he ends up seeing running right towards the place. The Losers are far more prone to things like fate than coincidences, after all, and he's realizing that as he starts to make out the familiar figure, even if he has to squint to do it at first. ]
B-Ben...?
[ There's no mistaking it. Even if he's not in the kinds of clothes he should really be out in right now. Bill's face lights up and he can't stop himself from shouting loud enough so that he hopefully hears him. ]
Holy shit, Ben! W-W-Wait up!
Hi!! \o/
Then there's a voice. A familiar one! He abruptly stops, turns, and with wide eyes and the start of a smile, he runs straight over in Bill's direction. ] Bill! Oh my god, I -- [ A heavy breath. ] You don't know how happy I am to see you. [ It's clear on his face. The nerves dissipate, though they threaten to worm back in at any moment. With Bill at his side, there's nothing they can't conquer. He knows it's idealistic to think so and Ben doesn't care: Bill's their leader, and he's the best leader they could ever ask for.
Plus, the brightness on Bill's face is warm and comforting. It shouldn't be allowed to be so, not when Ben's just woken up in a weird town, where strange music had been playing, where he's certain that the menace that'd been threatening Derry was still after them. But, he's comforted. His brow furrows. ] Where are we? This isn't a dream, is it? [ When you have vivid dreams all the time, you know the difference between one and reality. ] I thought the clown finally got me...then I woke up...in a weird house. [ He glances back in the direction he'd come from. He points. ] Back that way. [ Sharing details is important, especially with Bill at the other end. ] What's going on, Bill?
no subject
I-I-It kinda sss-seems like it might be. B-But not our dream, it's Ss-Sodder's. The one wh-who wrote you the nuh-ote, if you uh... R-Read it.
[ He knows he'd bolted from his house without so much as a glance his first day. He wouldn't have blamed Ben in the slightest for doing the same. ]
I kn-now it's weird. B-But this place i-is called Deerington and w-we're still in Maine. Th-things are a little different than home, b-but not much, really. N-no clowns and the a-a-adults don't sssuck as much... A-And we don't have to go to sch-school and we can luh-ive all by ourselves.
[ He grins, like this is good news, because ultimately, the more Losers together, the better. He hates any of them being here, but it's better than being alone, the way Eddie was for so long. Five of them in one place is something neither of the boys had dreamed of when Bill had first woken up. ]
And the other L-Losers are too. M-Me and Rrrichie and Bev and E-E-E-E-E— [ ... He waves his hand to show that he can probably fill in the important name here. Fuck his inability to say Eddie. ] W-With you here, we're only mmm-issing Stan and Mike. FFfive out of ss-seven isn't bad, right?
[ A beat. Wait a second. ]
B-Ben, you need... pants.
swan dives into this. B.
Eddie who definitely doesn't really look like the Eddie Ben probably was used to. For starters he was like a whole ass inch taller, so jot that down, thank you. His right arm was also wrecked in at least five different levels of scarred carnage. But probably most evidently of all was the fact that Eddie was just...a vampire now. Somehow. Eyes yellow, skin pale, fanged teeth- the works. Can't really hide that sort of thing. He's got a hood up and an umbrella over head and when he's bumped into, he mostly just looks irritated.)
Watch it, would you? If I drop this umbrella I might literally combust into flames, thanks.
(He hugs his umbrella a tiny bit closer, scowling at this guy- this guy who was suddenly striking as Eddie as extremely familiar now that he was getting a good look at him. He gives his umbrella a slow, contemplative twirl.)
Uh, yeah, dude, who's not in love. Join the rest of us in suffering in permanent silence about it, okay. (Eddie doesn't really even think about his response, just kind of spits it out because he's far more distracted by...Wait.)
...Ben? (It's coming back.)
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Ben's eyes grow wide, and he just stares. He'd tried to look apologetic at first, but now he's just surprised. Not unhappy though, content with being around one of his best friends. Eddie has a way of filling in the blanks in conversation anyhow, so it kind of works out. It'd be more fitting if not for Ben having just dived into eating gross organs in conjunction with Eddie toting around an umbrella and looking like something out of a horror flick. Pardon Ben's squinting, the way his lips manage to actually stay shut in spite of the threatening word vomit that noshing on the hearts has conjured.
Then Eddie says his name and in spite of whatever the fuck truly is going on with his recent awakening in a weird little town, Ben starts to smile. On the pure side, genuinely happy to see Eddie. He gives a single nod. ] Eddie. You look...are you okay? [ A blink. ] Are you in a costume? [ Like, what's with the umbrella, seriously?? Mentions of combustion from sun exposure haven't totally registered.
He can't help but peek in more closely, ducking under the umbrella just a tad, really working to get a look at Eddie. Then with the grace of a galloping giraffe, he tacks on -- ] And what good does suffering do? I mean, if I could tell someone else besides her, since she's not here right now, I'd feel better. [ Does he though? Eh...not really. Maybe he just needs to be more specific?
Ah just what anyone wants: the effects of an event mingling in with talking to one of your close friends for the first time since you've arrived. Yay, Deerington! ]
no subject
Buddy I can't remember the last time I was ever okay. (At least he's not really lying. The question though is in some way a blessing. Eddie's memories were catching up with him now that he was actually talking to the real, living, breathing, talking Ben Hanscom. He wonders if Ben was from the fifties or the eighties, and he wonders...
His expression darkens rapidly and for a second Eddie says nothing at all. There's a weird metallic taste at the back of the throat that he has to swallow around. No. He shouldn't be thinking about that now. Eddie sniffs and shakes himself out of...wherever he just went mentally and gives a rough shake of his head.)
No. It's a long story- well- actually it's a pretty short story seeing as I have no clue how I wound up this way but uh...I'm a vampire now. Apparently.
(There's literally no elegant way of saying that. Like. None. And Eddie's never had social grace to begin with so it just sort of spills out of him in a jumble of fast words.
Eddie instinctively leans back when Ben leans in, but he doesn't actually move his feet, so he's clearly not trying to get away. God. It really was Ben. After a second Eddie leans in, his eyes growing big, and, admittedly, maybe a little wet. He does his best to blink that away.)
I mean. You can like. Live to see another day mostly. (What is privilege and where can Eddie pick a fight with it.
Eddie's not an idiot. Or rather Ben had never been all that transparent, so Eddie doesn't exactly need to ask who the 'her' is, but it occurs to him that during their violent little summertime madness they never exactly. Talked. About anything personal like that.)
Uhh...(He glances quickly around because he knows Beverly is here but Ben didn't. The last thing the poor bastard needed was to accidentally be overheard.)
In case you noticed I am not really her so. (That's Eddie's special way of offering an ear?? At least he's used to Deerington's weirdness by now so this isn't as shocking as it could be.)
B
It's not the food, is it? Because I gotta tell you, I think you can do better!
no subject
b (eyeballs)
but he hadn't been able to resist the pull of the advertisement for the buffet when he saw it, and he hadn't been able to resist the pull to eat something once he was actually there. even under the effect of whatever was responsible for this whole miserable event, richie steers far away and clear of the eyeballs laid out on platters like round glistening appetizers, and eventually settles on a bit of brain.
maybe, he thinks humorously to himself as he does, to help distract himself from the act itself, his own might benefit some from the ingestion. or maybe he just gets mad cow disease instead. probably still preferable to remembering this lunch, if he's honest.
his mind is set on the theme of remembering when he bumps into ben by accident, and upon collision ben winds up getting a flash of a memory of richie back in derry, standing on the kissing bridge alone with his pocket knife out. he leans in to the wood on the side of the bridge, carves out a large, careful 'R'... and then the memory fades.
and richie's left looking down at ben in mild surprise as he recognizes him. he can't manage much more of an emotional response than that because a) ben makes 5 losers in deerington now, and that's not really so much a surprise as it is a pattern and b) he's starting to hear low level murmurs of half formed thoughts rising in the back of his mind like static, and they're definitely not his thoughts which is... troubling. ]
Man Ben, you really should have gotten here last month instead. Sure, the candy they were handing out still fucked with you, but at least it wasn't actual human organs they were expecting you to eat.
no subject
He's about to apologize for the light collision when he instead gasps, a memory that's not his own playing out in his mind. It's how Richie comes to the front of his thoughts and as he's physically rocked back a bit when he comes to once more, he looks over to his friend with wide eyes. Why the heck did I see that? What was he gonna do -- Straightforward, yes, but he genuinely wonders. Then, there's the start of a smile when Richie's voice spills out of his mouth. He can't help the sincere relief at seeing another one of the Losers, thinking about each one of their names.
He's often a heart on his sleeve sort of kid, so he says precisely what he's thinking about. ] You've been here for a whole month? Wow... [ Air blows out of his lips, head gently shaking. Forever in the mind of a kid? Yep. ] And, we should never, ever, talk about the fact that anyone in this room ate any of that. [ Least of all me. He peers over in quiet disgust at the buffet of food, frowning just so. I guess it's not just people who already overeat that are going eating nuts on it though... his head shakes in spite of himself. ] Why'd I wanna eat it so bad? Do you know?
[ He falls into a natural cadence with Richie, pleased, relieved, happy to see him. And not wasting any time trying to draw together facts. ]
no subject
he's still definitely beginning to eye the exits and consider dragging the both of them somewhere a little quieter if he wants to be able to remember anything he says to ben today, which he figures he probably should in the long run, if only to avoid repeating himself later.
for now though he just waves a hand dismissively between them in an affected, casual gesture. ] That's nothing, Eddie's been here for more than a year. Oh, and he and Bill are from the 50's I guess? Shit's weird here, you'll get used to it.
Ben, buddy, you are talking to a Catholic boy raised in Derry, nobody does repression better than me, it's already been forgotten. In fact let's get out of here, huh? The scenery's depressing and I'm getting a headache from all the noise. I'll explain this stupid place when we're somewhere I can actually hear myself think.
arrival
Especially when one of them runs into her. Theo reaches up automatically, glad she's wearing her gloves, especially because the kid doesn't seem to be very well covered.]
Woah, woah, slow down. What're you running from?
b ( you choose what he just ate this is too much responsibility!!! )
She very nearly doesn't notice Ben as she stares with melancholy acceptance over the probably human organ buffet, until he bumps into someone in the crowd and she glances up.]
Ben from Soc?
[The odd nickname comes out automatically, and she's suddenly filled with a surge of relief. More Losers. Just like she impulsively promised Eddie.
She doesn't catch the majority of he says all that distinctly over the general commotion, which means he may not have even heard her either. She hovers nearer, trying to catch his attention.]
Ben! When did you get here?