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DECEMBER 2019 TEST DRIVE

DECEMBER 2019 TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to December's Test Drive Meme!

This month's Test Drive's theme is: PROPHETIC 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 death via exposure (freezing), Krampus imagery, possible vore, visual and auditory hallucinations, monster violence, stalking, decapitation

Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!

Prompt One Prompt Two Character Arrival Master Navigation

VANISH LIKE THE WARM STOVE

Winter has set in in Deerington and it’s as harsh as one would expect for the frigid mountains of inland Maine. There’s snow on the ground, icicles hanging off of most buildings, and black ice all over the roads. Better be careful where you step or you might just slip and hurt yourself while you’re walking around town!

But there’s something unusual about the cold. It feels bone-deep and no amount of layers or staying inside seems to make it shake. Your teeth are always chattering, you feel the need to hunch in on yourself to keep any heat from escaping, and if you look at your hands, you might see them go from bright red, to white, to even the slightest tint of blue throughout the day. You’re getting colder by the minute and it feels like there’s no way to stop it. Maybe you’re just doomed to freeze.

The box is waiting on a bench. You didn’t see who placed it, but there’s a small tag with your name on it, so clearly it was meant for you. If you ignore the box, it will start to show up on random surfaces around town wherever you might be; the kitchen counter, a desk or display case at your work, the floor of your bedroom… No matter where you are, the box is there too. Eventually, you might as well just give in and open it.

Inside every box are three matches. They’re relatively long, like the sort you’d use to light a fire in a fireplace, and they appear to be completely normal. People who can sense magic won’t get a reading off of the match and no amount of testing the wood or the tip will show anything other than the exact chemical make up one would expect. So maybe they’re safe! There’s a small note tucked inside the box with only two words written in childishly messy scroll; Keep Warm.

If you light the match, you’ll find that you’re instantly starting to feel a little less cold. It’s the first bit of heat you’ve managed to snag in so long that you’ll probably find yourself a little desperate to hold onto it. The matches burn at a relatively steady rate, not too fast or too slow, and the wind can easily blow them out, so be careful! You’ll have to protect the flame from the elements if you want to keep yourself toasty. The only strange thing that you might notice is that whenever you’re near another person who has a lit match, both the matches seem to burn a little stronger and stay lit a little longer. So maybe you’ll have to pair up and learn to share. If you’re smart, you’ll light just one of each of your matches at a time, giving you a total of six chances to keep yourself from freezing to death.

There’s always a catch though, isn’t there? Each match will come with a unique vision as the flame dies out. A vision that can be seen by both of you. The vision will belong to whoever’s match as burning and it will be as vibrant and detailed as if you were really in the middle of it.

The end of the first match will show you something you want. It can be anything; a warm meal, a new bed, an object from home you’ve longed for. You’ll be able to pick it up, taste it, smell it, do whatever you would normally do; but at the end of the day, it isn’t real, and ultimately you might find that you’re just chewing on your own (or your companion’s) hand.

The end of the second match will show a vision of someone that you miss. Whether it’s from home, a previous world, or someone who’s come and gone from Deerington, you’ll see them clear as day, calling for you and beckoning you to come with them. It’s probably best to not. After all, you’d have to leave your matches behind, and it’s cold out there.

The end of the third match will show you a vision of somewhere you miss. It’ll be like you’re standing in the middle of the very place you’ve been longing for ever since you arrived in Deerington — maybe even longer. It’ll look, sound, smell, and feel like the place you’ve missed most. It’s almost easy to want to stay and forget to come back to reality and light your next match.

If you both can make the six matches stretch until the sun sets, you’ll find that the cold has finally broken, and you’re able to keep yourself warm again. If you don’t? Well, it’s time to find someone else with a bundle of matches, and hope they’re okay with some basic invasion of privacy to stop you both from getting hypothermia.

BETTER WATCH OUT

Have you been a good person this year? Probably not! This is Deerington after all and everyone’s got a sin or two they’ve committed that they’ve been carrying around some deep shame about. Whether it’s something you’ve done here or something you did back home, the things your character feels guilt over will start to plague them more and more frequently as of late. Maybe you’ll start to see small little snippets of the memory flash before your eyes, or hear the voices of the people you’ve hurt calling out to you for mercy. No matter how it manifests, it’ll be gnawing at your insides, growing more and more impossible to ignore.

It might just be the paranoia from having to flashback to your worst memories at all hours of the day, but eventually you start to feel like someone (or something) is following you. You hear the scrape of nails against cement, the thud of heavy footsteps, or the sound of a heavy sigh by your ear accompanied with the smell of rancid breath. But every time you go to look, it seems like there isn’t anything there. No matter how logical a person you might be, you still end up feeling a little on edge, and you know you’re right about being… well, stalked. You may not be the sort who usually goes for comfort from others, but something inside of you tells you that maybe you’ll be a little safer if you aren’t alone. You seek out a friend, a colleague, or even a complete stranger— just someone who might make this creeping suspicion of being watched go away for a little while.

Except the moment that the two of you are together, Krampus finally arrives. He seems to fall from the sky, landing in front of you with a ground shaking thud, his long tongue hanging out of a mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. He’s ever bit the demon you’d expect him to be and he looks hungry. You can try to run or you can try to fight, but he’s quick and strong, certainly hard for any normal human to take down. And if you look into his eyes, then things are about to get a whole lot worse.

Whoever locks eyes with him will have the very thing you have been feeling guilt over put on display for both you and your companion to see. It’ll be like you’ve been transported directly into the memory, Krampus’ clawed hand gripping your shoulders and forcing you to watch whatever your shame is play out in front of you all over again. The detail is striking and there’s nothing left out, no matter how hard you or your companion try to stop it.

When the memory stops playing, Krampus will start to move his tongue around you, wrapping you in the long, blood red muscle like it’s a snake. You can try to break free and it’s possible to cut the demon’s tongue with a sharp blade if you or your companion happens to have one; whatever you do, it’s best to do it quickly before you end up a snack.

Krampus can be taken down in one of two ways; either the person who is experiencing the guilt must confess their sin out loud and profusely apologize, begging for forgiveness for their misdeeds or he can be taken down in a somewhat simple ceremony. The chains dangling from the Krampus wrists must be grabbed and somehow secured into the ground; this will weaken Krampus greatly and leave him more vulnerable to attack. Once he is secured, you must take off his head. It doesn’t matter if it’s cut off, ripped off or blown off, the moment the neck is severed from the rest of the body, the Krampus will turn a deep black, like coal, before crumbling into dust, leaving only the head behind.

A little messy, but definitely efficient.

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.

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[ is it enough? caroline isn't sure.

she isn't the doe-eyed, romantic fool she was when katherine had pressed faux-feather pillow into her throat. she's not even the girl who was once swayed by extravagant gifts of bracelets and promises of paris. she's lived and died and hurt and survived along the way, and these days, caroline cares a lot less about what someone gives and more about what they do. and it's the failure to do, she finds, that hurts the most. the failure to live up to promises, or barring that, basic expectations.

which, come to think of it, might be more important right now. setting expectations, rather than making jokes. so she considers katherine for a moment, settling her cup onto the table with a quiet clink of ceramic to wood, and lets out a slow, measured exhale before she puts words between them. more serious, this time, but by no means defensive. ]

I didn't poison your drink, Katherine.

[ that's never been caroline's game. ]

I'm pretty sure you know I don't know how to do that.

[ katherine tilts her head. ] You shouldn't write yourself off, Caroline.

[ that's much of a compliment she's going to get out of her. caroline may not think herself capable of poisoning someone's drink, but when push comes to shove, she can and will. katherine had never thought herself possible of outwitting the smartest and deadliest men she's ever met, but she's done it over and over and over. she's learned she's capable of anything when her survival is at risk, and so is caroline, even if hers extends to the idiots she cares about.

as a gracious act, katherine does take a longer sip of her drink to show that she doesn't think caroline would poison her, not that she doesn't think she's capable.

as she leans back in her chair, she nonchalantly shrugs, ] I mean, you did pick a drink I don't hate. Not many people can get that right even when they try.

[ it may not be the kind of compliment caroline doles out, but that doesn't make it any less of a legitimate one. it's the kind of grown-up compliment that no one ever bothers to give her — encouragement, yes, but acknowledgement too. the recognition not of what she's already done, but what she could do, given the motivation and opportunity.

caroline had once been so proud to fool katherine, even just for a moment. it's strange, but somehow, she feels prouder to have met her exacting standards. even if it is over just a cup of coffee. ]

I hate sugar in my coffee.

[ is that unexpected? maybe. but caroline has enough sweetness in her that she doesn't crave it in her drinks — she likes the bitterness of a well-roasted batch of coffee, the richness of a dark roast, offset only by a gentle splash of cream.

is it that surprising that katherine would like things the same? ]

It's not much of a Christmas gift, but it's the thought that counts, right?

[ who would have thought deerington would be the place to put a genuine smile between them? ]

[ but what's the thought? what's the play? caroline hadn't been there when the scooby gang had stepped foot in pennsylvania and upended her rather pleasant domestic life with elijah and compelled friends. what does she have to gain from all of this?

katherine can already see what she can get out of it. caroline's already shown her hand, even offered it up on the platter of her lifelines—she wants to be kind to katherine… to maybe get an in with her?

it's not as mind boggling as it had been trying to brainstorm the best way to win over elijah mikaelson, but it's enough to make her drink her warm coffee again and enjoy how it makes her feel temporarily hot in an otherwise too cold place. she hadn't wanted to buy herself a drink, thinking she could somehow outrun the cold... but caroline had the thought to do so. ]

You do realise we're not friends, right? [ with her voice pitching up just a little, she doesn't say it with as much seriousness as one would think. ] I killed you.

I know. [ and while there's a faint shift to caroline's body language, less open and more purposefully held together, there's less defensiveness than one might expect. a growth, if not outright stated, or an understanding. ] And I haven't forgiven you for that.

[ you can't just go around killing people, katherine. that's what makes people bad vampires. caroline might have once spat that out in presumed innocence, but she knows a little more intimately now — choosing to kill is a hard choice to stop making. once you start... it becomes easier to keep going.

she's having to choose now to suffer under her own humanity. it's no longer a blanket of superiority, but rather a weight of obligation, an ache. as desperately as caroline wants to cling to it, part of her still wants to shuck it off. she needs to learn to balance. ]

But I haven't forgiven myself for a lot of things, either, so I guess your murder problem just has to get in line.

[ katherine shrugs. she's not here for forgiveness—frankly, she doesn't know what that feels like. how does it feel to be forgiven? what does it take to forgive? 520 years of constantly looking ahead and never glancing back has left her unsure of only a few things. empathy isn't one of them.

she does expect a caroline taunt—a holier than thou reprimand that's more for caroline to place herself in a position of perceived superiority—but it doesn't come. maybe one person out of the gang has actually grown up.

leaning back in her chair, she acts like she's holding a glass of wine. her eyebrows rise and its very evident she's amused. ] Wow. I'm not first? That's upsetting.

[ it's really not. katherine's fine not being first on someone's list these days. quieter days are nicer—but she has a role to play, and she's fine ensuring there's distance between where she wants to be and the perception someone has of her. over 500 years of running has taught her it's much safer being unseen. ]

What have you done? [ it's obvious she's teasing with a laugh in her voice. ] Forgotten to say 'please'?

[ something hardens in caroline's expression. it isn't offense or rage, but rather a steeling of her own emotions, to nip the guilty shame spiral in the bud before she unloads on someone who neither cares nor offers any opportunities to soothe her spirit.

this isn't katherine's problem. it's caroline's problem, and she's dealing with it the best way she knows how. (which is to say, today: ignoring it.) ]

I don't want to talk about that.

[ katherine could find out. if she asked elena or stefan, the truth would come out as easily as the weather. caroline doesn't expect it to be a secret. she's just not prepared to have that conversation today. ]

We have bigger problems than how much of a goody-two-shoes you think I am.

[ oooh. she's hit a nerve. while it was a habit of hers to enjoy poking and prodding in the sore spots of those at mystic falls, she doesn't particularly feel shame in that flush of pleasure that runs through her. she likes getting under people's skin; it's one thing that's remained consistent throughout her years.

it's not exactly her objective, though, which is why katherine doesn't prod any further. it has nothing to do with her and probably never will.

leaning forward in her chair, her hands never leave her warm cup. ] Do we?

[ katherine's pursed her lips and arched her brow. she doesn't appear too worried being here. it's easier for her to play the part of a woman who's so used to being displaced it's now as comfortable as her home. but as she had dealt with being thrust into the world of england without so much as a helping hand, she knows that deerington will be easy for her to master once she understands what makes it tick.

by not appearing scared by it is one of her many important steps. ]

You may have bigger problems, but we don't. I'm problemless.

[ the problem of people in mystic falls: they want to include her in things that she can easily problem solve but exclude her from the celebratory drinks after that problem solving has been successfully completed. how many times has she helped them outwit a bad guy to still be met with derision? ]

[ katherine's nonchalance is a reminder — no matter how much more grounded caroline feels today than she had when katherine had smothered her with a pillow, it's nothing compared to the maddening serenity of five hundred years of experience. what feels like earth-shattering disaster to caroline may very well be just a tremor to katherine, who has survived so much by sheer will alone.

so, maybe she's right. maybe caroline has problems, and katherine doesn't. ]

Okay. So I have bigger problems.

[ conceding the point, for the moment, but not lost. if stefan is worried, caroline at least knows it's not entirely her own crisis to bear. damon might not be helpful, but stefan has always been there for her... even when he shouldn't have been. another twinge of guilt. ]

My point is, there are bigger problems than that. For me, if not for you.

[ why would killing caroline have ever been a problem for katherine, anyway? ]

Or do you not want to get out of here too?

Edited (ugh html) 2019-12-26 15:37 (UTC)

[ katherine lets out a very loud sigh.

of course it's important she gets the hell out of dodge, too. she had been on the very fringes of getting her freedom with the assistance of elijah until elena, damon, stefan, and rebekah had ventured into willoughby and destroyed it. there's no doubt in katherine's mind that that slim opportunity is gone. elijah's fickle in his belief in her, no matter what he says.

she has a big problem, but it's been a problem for her since 1492. ]

Of course I want to leave, Caroline. [ conceding to the obvious point is the least she can do. anyone in their right mind would easily know this isn't part of katherine's plan. she could almost roll her eyes, but it's not worth it—caroline's not the dumb blonde, after all. ] Who in their right mind would want to stay in the 1950s? It's not the best era for women.

[ she may be a vampire of considerable strength, but even she had to succumb to the stepford experience a few times. ]

But that's not my problem.

[ it's the after that is. what does she do after? give elijah the cure? leave elijah on the street? is elijah even waiting for her right now? ]

[ caroline was never looped into the entirety of the katherine pierce saga. the minutiae of her life, the circumstances of her death — but she knows, without having to say it, that there is one. as a result, she can haphazardly guess at what sorts of problems katherine might be referring to, ones that go far outside the realm of this nightmare dreamscape.

but it's not any of her business, and she has a sneaking suspicion katherine doesn't want it to be her business, so caroline doesn't ask. instead, she takes a breath, acknowledging katherine's sigh without feathers ruffling in the process, and presses her lips together for a moment.

redirection, apparently, is the name of the game. ]

Look. I get that you're, like, a one-woman can-do show on your own, and it's not like you and I have a ton of reasons in Mystic Falls to team up, but we did once. And I don't know about you, but I'm not super thrilled about being stuck in a place that apparently floods blood or has weird faceless nuns or nightmare blizzards every month, so it'd be nice to know that we can work together instead of having to be on the defensive against each other all the time, don't you think?

[ which is not... inherently katherine's fault, caroline realizes. she thinks she knows why. ]

You have every reason not to trust us. But I want to trust you, because unlike this freaky town, at least I know you.

[ we teamed up once.

katherine tilts her head at that, instantly a fish caught on a hook. she thinks of biting and asking, but what good would it do her? deerington is a strange place that has pulled each and every one of them in, and she intends to figure out the how and why before she delves into the intricacies of every person from that rotten home town.

she can ask later. maybe she'll trust in whatever caroline says about her then. right now, she's overly sensitive to what people who allegedly know of her say—it's been a long freaking week. she's out of sorts and wants to remain in some realm of control.

it's on the tip of her tongue to give caroline a hard shove away with you don't know me, but it's all wrong. it's too reminiscent of damon in her fake little pennsylvania house and of elijah and his condemnation. both men think they know her. caroline doesn't try to preach she even knows where to begin.

maybe that's the risk worth taking.

after pushing her cup to the side, she rests her arms against the table and leans forward. ] Why don't we meet back here in a month? You can tell me how many faceless nuns you've seen and I can tell you what I've discovered. Information for information. I have no reason to screw you over.

[ does she expect katherine pierce to play ball immediately? no. there's too much bad blood, too much reason for mistrust on both ends — but caroline hopes they can build a bridge over those troubled waters out of their common circumstances, even a temporary one. after all, two vampires working together are much more powerful than two working on their own. it's the same logic she'd used on damon and stefan before, when they'd been in fits at each other. it's the same logic she'll use on them now, too, if she has to.

but she doesn't think she'll have to convince katherine in the same way. she'll just need to let katherine decide for herself, and in the meantime, not do anything to make herself look like she'd be a threat... which should be easy.

just like katherine said to her, caroline has no reason to screw the other over. what would be the point? this place is enough of an enemy for a whole town of vampires. ]

Alright. [ easily given, a tip of her coffee cup in katherine's direction. ] But you're buying the drinks next month.

[ leaning back in her chair, katherine smirks and looks deeply amused.

it reminds her of pearl. i get this, you get that. it's the type of banter she recalls many years ago before she decided her self-preservation was more important than maintaining a friendship. she misses her. pearl would never have bought her a cup of coffee, though.

before she lifts her cup to her lips again, ] Where are you living? [ easily, and almost like she's making a joke, she says, ] I don't think it's a shock to you that I'm going to scope out the places there.

[ does katherine know where caroline is? yes and no. she's a paranoid 539 year old vampire—she's going to know the streets everyone lives on. ]

[ is it deeply personal information that might put her at risk to reveal? sure. but so was sitting down at this table, and so was extending the olive branch of a coffee cup. there's not much that caroline could tell katherine that the other woman wasn't capable of discovering on her own, given the desire and impetus to do so. ]

Out in the country, I think. Clarke Acres. [ in a big old virginian farmhouse, ripped from the history books of the countryside, like the ones her mother's parents had owned when she was little. ] I have ghosts for roommates.

[ is that a joke? whoooo knooooows. (get it) ]

[ katherine gives her a look. it's such a comfortable, judgemental look that a passer-by who didn't know them could mistaken them as comfortable friends. ]

You don't.

[ ghosts usually come in the form of vampires or witches, not actual casper ghosts.

she's over 500 years old, seen some crazy shit over the centuries, and still, she does not believe in ghosts. she believes in immortal, mythical legendary creatures, but when it comes to actual death, you're gone. donezo. ]

You just have a very creaky house, Caroline.

Creaky houses don't move candles, Katherine.

[ she knows what bonnie would say. it's witchcraft. the work of another vampire. it's caroline's lack of sleep or generally distracted mind that's leading her to forget where she put things or what time the grandfather clock read in the study.

it's not mostly-invisible protoplasm in the shape of small girls in victorian nightgowns, no matter what caroline thinks she saw. ]

[ one day, katherine will not believe she and bonnie have something in common.

as for the moving candles... that's easily explained away. ] Or you're in a new place and you don't know where you've put things.

[ yeah, not believing for a second there's a ghost here, blondie. she can bring her casper and katherine will still think someone's bewitched a sheet to appear like a corporeal person.

pursing her lips, she grabs her cup and casually murmurs over the rim, ] Maybe that senile vampirism is already settling in.

[ no one can't say katherine pierce isn't a shit stirrer. ]

[ would that she could roll her eyes hard enough at this entire exchange. of course katherine doesn't believe her. to be fair, caroline wouldn't believe herself, if she hadn't seen it with her own two eyes. ]

I didn't put the candles anywhere. They were on the countertops, and then I turned around, and they were on the dining table. They just moved.

[ candles don't move on their own. they don't have feet. they don't have brains. they're candles! ]

Very funny. If I'm senile, you're a vegetable.

[ katherine looks at her as though she's merely entertaining her. with her lips curved upward, she looks over the brim of her cup like this is the most humourous thing in the world.

a vampire afraid of alleged ghosts. ha. is the tooth fairy real, too? ]

This very fresh and young vegetable believes you. [ her tone of voice (which is a light laugh) suggests otherwise. she is, after all, openly smiling. ]

[ the tooth fairy could be real if katherine believed. caroline believed in santa claus longer than any of the other kids in her class because she wanted to believe. ]

You'll see, okay. Come have lunch with me sometime, and I'll introduce you.

[ she hasn't learned the ghosts' names yet, but she will. she will hold a seance and think of bonnie the entire time if she has to. ]

[ it seems highly unlikely katherine will ever be over at caroline's house for lunch or for dinner, but she can play along.

leaning back in her chair, arms crossed against her chest, she declares her disbelief with a shake of her head. ] Will these ghosts be your chairs covered in white sheets? Is one also called Casper?

[ ngl, she's having a lot of fun with this. ]

Don't be ridiculous.

[ of course they aren't sheets on chairs. she knows the difference between play and reality, even if it's impossible — but then, what really is impossible? they're in a nightmare, caroline's been apparently written in as homeowner of a strange new southern mansion, damon's around pretending he hasn't lived the last five years of his life...

why would ghosts suddenly be the limit of what seemingly impossible things can't be real? ]

I don't know their names yet. But I'll ask, and then you'll be introduced, because they're real.

[ she chuckles, shaking her head. ] We'll see, Caroline.

[ she won't be seeing it, though, because katherine knows 1) she's not being invited to caroline's place despite the friendly talk that she will be and 2) ghosts aren't tangible for anyone to see who wasn't jeremy bland gilbert. it's sheets! ]

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