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Sodder ([personal profile] sodder) wrote in [community profile] 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.
fayzedandconfused: (it's your life)

[personal profile] fayzedandconfused 2019-11-05 06:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Um... sure, I guess.

[ She sounds warier than she did before, though. Not entirely suspicious, but bordering on the edge of being suspicious. Killing maggots together was fun and all, but she doesn't know Theo at all, really. ]
effinphd: (tea & me)

[personal profile] effinphd 2019-11-06 01:06 am (UTC)(link)
[Theo offers her best reassuring smile, tugging up her gloves a little more.] I have an ability too. I've never met anyone else outside of my family who does. It used to freak me out really bad when I was your age.

[She exhales, trying to keep her voice even, professional, not belie how mind-blowing it is to find someone else who can do strange things, even if it is a kid.] I think you being proud of what you can do is almost as cool as being the deadliest girl. I wish I'd been proud of what I could do when I was a kid.
fayzedandconfused: (drive by)

[personal profile] fayzedandconfused 2019-11-06 01:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ She figures whatever Theo is about to do involves her hands somehow—which tracks with how abilities in the FAYZ work, too. Even Brianna's powers center around her hands, as weird as it sounds. So... that's okay, although it still begs the question what the hell that power is, if she was so freaked out by it. ]

Well, some powers just suck. [ Which is her lame attempt at cracking a joke, though she's clearly still a bit uncertain about what's about to happen. ]
effinphd: (soft moment)

[personal profile] effinphd 2019-11-06 05:39 am (UTC)(link)
[Theo nods, looking down at her gloved hands again.] Yeah. Especially if you don't understand them. Or...if people don't understand you.

...I can learn things, about people. When I touch them with just my skin. I can learn what they're thinking, what they're feeling, sometimes learn their memories. [She pauses for a moment, then tugs the tops of her gloves, making sure they're on firmly.] That's why I wear these. So I don't learn things I don't want to.

I wanted to tell you so you knew. So that if I act weird after touching something, you'll understand why. [A hesitation, then she adds, quieter:] So you'll be careful around me. I don't want to take anything out of your head that you don't want to give. That isn't fair.
fayzedandconfused: (we don't want your body)

[personal profile] fayzedandconfused 2019-11-06 06:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Brianna whistles, half impressed, half sympathetic. ] No wonder it freaked you out.

[ Getting other people's memories... their feelings... jeez, it sounds like a total nightmare. Brianna's own feelings are bad enough. Carrying around a bunch of other people's sounds like torture. ]

Well, I have nothing to hide! [ This is a complete lie, but as with most of Brianna's lies, it comes out without any forethought. She has plenty to hide, but she's also confident enough to believe she can fake whatever is in her head. At least for the amount of time Theo would be looking. ]
effinphd: (pretty girl)

[personal profile] effinphd 2019-11-07 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, it was pretty bad. [There's a flicker of a frown on Theo's face, but she quickly pushes it away, going back to the soft, half-smile.] I can get stuff from objects, too, so I couldn't really touch anything without it getting in my head. Then my mom got me my first pair of gloves, which helped a lot.

[That gets a quirked eyebrow.] Just because you don't want to hide it doesn't mean you want someone knowing it. You should get to tell things in your own time, at your own pace. Your thoughts belong to you, and only you, yeah?
fayzedandconfused: (rise)

[personal profile] fayzedandconfused 2019-11-07 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
Sure, I guess. [ Getting philosophical about thoughts and who they belong to is fine and all, but there are bigger things to discuss right now. ] But you should prove that you can do what you say.

[ It's not that Brianna doesn't believe her—she clearly does—and more that she wants a little show. The best part about having powers is showing them off, right? ]
effinphd: (whimsy)

[personal profile] effinphd 2019-11-07 05:17 am (UTC)(link)
[She laughs, a little startled, but straightens up and slowly peels off one of her gloves.]

If you're sure. Think of something -- a number or a color or...anything, really -- really hard. Picture it in your mind. [She offers her bare hand.] Touch my hand when you're ready.
fayzedandconfused: (one foot)

[personal profile] fayzedandconfused 2019-11-08 12:59 am (UTC)(link)
Okay.

[ First she thinks of the number 13, her age—but aren't "psychics" supposed to guess stuff like that just by observing? A color or a shape would be too simple, too easy to guess by accident. Finally she settles on a pair of red sneakers—dusty and travel-worn, practically falling apart. With the image in her head, she focuses on it and reaches over to touch Theo's hand. ]
effinphd: (Default)

[personal profile] effinphd 2019-11-08 05:31 am (UTC)(link)
[Theo closes her eyes -- not necessary, but it helps to focus, a bit -- and lets the image fill her mind. After the space of a couple heartbeats, there's a throb in her neck and forehead, like the beginnings of a migraine, which is...strange. She frowns, pulling away a bit, but the image is clear.]

Red sneakers. Really...old and dusty ones. Almost falling apart.

...am I close?
fayzedandconfused: (i want you to know)

[personal profile] fayzedandconfused 2019-11-08 06:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Brianna's eyebrows shoot up in pleased surprise. ]

Yeah, that was totally it. Cool.
effinphd: (proud sister)

[personal profile] effinphd 2019-11-09 04:12 am (UTC)(link)
[Theo grins, pulling her glove back on and shaking off the weird headache.]

Toldja. Comes in hand sometimes, fun party trick. Not so great when you just wanna pick something up, but other than that...
fayzedandconfused: (call me maybe)

[personal profile] fayzedandconfused 2019-11-09 04:27 am (UTC)(link)
It's more useful than some. I know someone back home, her only power is that she can tell how powerful other people are. She has to hold their hand to see it. She says it's like cell phone reception. One bar, two bars...

[ Brianna shrugs, like, "can you believe that shit?" It does fit Diana as a person, though—always using other people's information to her own advantage. ]
effinphd: (Default)

[personal profile] effinphd 2019-11-09 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
That's it? [Theo lets out a low whistle, shaking her head. Her weird magic hands have their downsides, but at least she's not a human meter reader.] Yeah, she got the short end of the superpower stick. That sucks.
fayzedandconfused: (we come running)

[personal profile] fayzedandconfused 2019-11-09 04:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah. She kind of sucks, though, so don't feel too bad for her.
effinphd: (Default)

[personal profile] effinphd 2019-11-09 11:00 pm (UTC)(link)
I'd probably suck too if all I did was tell people how powerful they were. And hold their hand. [Theo's not touchy-feely in general, and the idea makes her shudder.]
fayzedandconfused: (good time)

[personal profile] fayzedandconfused 2019-11-10 12:57 am (UTC)(link)
She sucked way before she got her powers, trust me.

[ From the closed off look on her face, it's pretty clear that this is a sore subject for Brianna, but she doesn't offer anything more. ]
effinphd: (whimsy)

[personal profile] effinphd 2019-11-10 04:46 am (UTC)(link)
[Theo hums softly in acknowledgment, but wisely lets the subject drop.]

So, besides machete-ing things to a pulp, what's there to do around here? Creepy carnival? Haunted mansion? The works?
fayzedandconfused: (one foot)

[personal profile] fayzedandconfused 2019-11-10 05:33 am (UTC)(link)
[ Brianna glances around Main Street with a shrug. ]

This is pretty much it, unless you want to check out the National Park or the lake or whatever. There's a carnival, but it closed this month. I guess a lot of people have jobs or go to school. That takes up some time.
effinphd: (i need vodka)

[personal profile] effinphd 2019-11-10 05:55 am (UTC)(link)
Huh. [Theo sets her hands on her hips, looking up and down the street with a critical sort of grimace.] I guess people are still people, huh? Gotta have some kind of normalcy.