DECEMBER 2019 TEST DRIVE

[sodder]

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.

Comments

stefan salvatore — the vampire diaries

[prescind]

A. PANDORA'S BOX

( he's been staring at a box for going on ten minutes now. it's not the first time he's seen it but he'd left this particular box on the bench it had shown up and now, hear it was, on the barstool next to him. the nametag where his name is written flutters when someone opens the door behind him.

stefan can't stop himself from glancing around, trying to figure out who might be following him so well that he hadn't heard them or seen them drop this box off. he's lost in thought when someone grabs the barstool next to him, sending the box to the ground. )

Don't apologize. I'm pretty sure that whatever's in that box is something I don't want.

( he's just going to leave it there to be swept up by whatever janitorial staff this bar employs. he doesn't want to deal with it. )

B. STAY WARM

( the box doesn't disappear. it shows up at his home, in his bedroom, in the bathroom, everywhere. but stefan refuses to open it. whatever's in there he doesn't want to deal with.

but, it doesn't go away and when stefan actually kicks the box across the sidewalk because it suddenly just appears in his path, he gives in and opens it.

he expects some ancient evil to be released, some new doppelganger to pop out of the box, something bad to happen but all there is are three matches and a note to stay warm. )

That's it?

( so, he lights a match. if all he has to do to get this to stop is burn a piece of wood, fine. the flame flickers in the cool night air and stefan watches it until something else catches his eye.

the muted light from a nearby shop catches on something red, something old. stefan recognizes it immediately and starts forward, unable to understand how his car got here. it hadn't been with him when he'd arrived but it's there now, parked and sparkling, looking beautiful under the moonlight.

his boots slap against the ground and just as he reaches it to touch, the car disappears leaving him in the darkness. his breath puffs out in front of him and, without thinking, he reaches inside the box and lights another match.

when he brings it up to illuminate the area, it's not his car that's there but — )

Lexi?

( that was...so much better than his car. )

C. WILDCARD

( i'm game for other scenarios too. feel free to throw different things at me. )

a. hello!

[reaction]

( the last time he'd seen his brother was when he'd told him about that werewolf bite. sort of saying his goodbye in a way. hoping that stefan would just let him go. it's not exactly a surprise to see him in deerington. just weeks ago a bunch of people in town had been getting visitations from those they knew back home. except of course they were all zombie-like and messed up. so damon's taking a good look at stefan and he seems normal-ish. healthy. there's good color to his skin even. he reaches out to pinch him on the cheek -- hard -- before letting out a smirk. )

Well, well, well. Look what the deer dragged in. ( he ignores the box on the floor because he has one of his own that keeps appearing next to him wherever he goes. it's like a little lost puppy without the added adorableness. he kicks at both of the boxes before settling in and getting comfortable, ordering up a drink: the usual bourbon for himself and a glass of warm milk for his itty bitty bro. gotta stay warm, right? )

sup, friendo!

[prescind]

( it's utterly surprising how unsurprising the presence of his brother is. even at his worst, when miles separated them, damon was still there, a presence at the back of his mind, never able to be truly banished.

he barely reacts when damon pinches his cheek and only arches his eyebrows when the glass of milk slides in front of him. )

Your generosity knows no bounds. ( he doesn't reach for the glass, turning to glance over at damon instead. ) You following me?

( or was it the other way around? )

[reaction]

I don't know. Are you doing anything dastardly, reckless or at all interesting? Hm? ( he raises his eyebrows at him. ) Oh wait. That would be me. ( he'd be guilty of all three because stefan is a goody two shoes. so heroic. so adorable. so disney. ) Come on. What are you waiting for? Drink it up before it gets cold. ( yes. he's playing the role of the controlling big brother. they're not in mystic falls anymore. they're in the worst place ever. deerington's no joke. it's the worst. he only has like two expensive designer leather jackets from home. it really sucks. )

[prescind]

I don't know if it escaped your notice, Damon, but I'm not eight anymore. ( he flicks the glass forward a little, leaning his elbows against the empty space and sighing. )

And the answer to your question depends on what you find dastardly, reckless, or interesting. I'm here, aren't I? I think that qualifies as interesting. Not that I'm really sure where here is.

( some place called deerington is what he's gotten so far. he doesn't recognize the name which means he hasn't been through there at all. a fresh start without even looking for one. )

stay warm but before the lexi

[manipulative]

[ katherine has experienced many things in her long, long life—love, loss, sort of love, sort of loss, great dancing and music, and some questionable boyfriends—but having a box kicked toward her is a new one.

thankfully it's not at her. she's done nothing to piss off the swifties lately.

stopping right where the box rests in all its undamaged glory, she picks it up and assesses the weight in her hands. it feels like the one she's carrying in her large handbag—light enough to be comfortable to lug around but heavy enough to mean something. briefly she wonders if those matches have been jostled inside, but she doesn't dare take a peak. ]

You know this is called littering, right?

[ she's not giving back the box, btw. allowing herself to feel nothing and show nothing, she easily puts on her katherine pierce mask, juts out her hip, and smirks. ]

good yes

[prescind]

Report me.

( for the first time since that boxed showed up, he wants it back. he wants it out of her hands even though he doesn't know what's inside. could be nothing, could be everything but he doesn't want it in her hands because she'll find a way to use it against him.

but, he's not going to beg. he's not going to ask her nicely. he's going to stand there, arms loose at his sides while he watches her. )

When did you become a law abiding citizen? I must have missed that new leaf you turned over.

[manipulative]

[ despite actually thinking she has turned over a new leaf, she still can't help the pleasure she instantly feels at his obvious aggravation. earning herself a reaction from stefan—and damon—has always continued to prove that she can get under his skin. she still makes an impact. in a way, she still matters.

she gives him a sweet smile, very much reminiscent of lady katherine. ]

Since always, Stefan. [ there's a laugh in her voice, like she's gently chiding him as if he were a child. ] I've always loved a man in uniform.

[ like damon, like elijah—even if he wears those suits like a second skin instead. despite fondly propping herself up as a monster, katherine has always been a young girl dazzled by the people around her.

some people, at least.

looking at him then at his box, she quickly weighs up whether she'd prefer him to come to her or for her to slither to him. she doesn't need his box, and from what she knows of stubborn stefan, he's going to need these matches sooner or later. easily making up her mind, she keeps his box in her hands and walks over towards him. ]

[prescind]

( she moves and he stays where he is. for what reason, he doesn't know. he should turn, walk away, forget this encounter happened but he knows that's just a lark. he wouldn't be able to forget no matter how hard he tries so he just stands there, watching her come closer to him like he's done so many times before. )

So noted.

( she's in front of him when he finally speaks, eyes flicking down to the box in her hands (his, his mind supplies) and then back up to her face. )

Should I even ask what you're going to do with the box? ( she could kick it into the sun for all he cares. he just doesn't want to open it and risk whatever's in there causing chaos. )

[ultimatums]

[ Bold of Stefan to assume he was going to apologise. Raylan's just finished a shift and he's tired as all hell, but if he goes home without his bourbon then what on earth is the goddamn point of working in a bar in the first place. Still, he manages a smile and half a laugh, really just a sharp exhale through his nose as he props himself up and takes his hat off, setting it down flat on the bartop. ]

Good instincts. Word to the wise, [ because he hasn't seen this guy around before, would have remembered those eyebrows, and he's feeling generous, ] nothin' comes for free around here.

[prescind]

I don't think that's true of just this place. ( nothing came for free anywhere. even if it looked like it did, there was always a consequence waiting for you, biding its time, and ready to knock you down when you least expect it to.

he's not touching that box, not unless it's a matter of life and death. nothing good came of mysterious boxes with his name on it. )

This kind of thing happen often? ( he nods at the box. ) Unasked for gifts showing up and following you around?

[ultimatums]

[ Raylan almost laughs, not because it's a stupid question or anything, it's just that he's pretty much summed up Deerington in one sentence. ]

Oh, yeah. Uh huh. [ Raylan nods. ] Ain't always as pleasant as a little box of matches or whatever the hell that is, either. Had my dead father trailin' around after me all week, for example. [ Actually, speaking of... Raylan checks over his shoulder and around the area, just in case. Nope, no shambling undead old man, at least not for now. Probably lost him on his way over here. ]

[prescind]

Your dead father? ( what's it say about stefan that he...doesn't actually sound all too surprised or shocked by that concept? he doesn't really want to open his door to giuseppe salvatore's face but it wouldn't surprise him.

much. )

What brought that about, if I can ask? Witch with a grudge? Or some other form of magic that opened up the other side to this place?

stay warm—

[magija]

[ there's parts of this world that have proven better than home, but for all that wanda's learned to appreciate certain aspects of what this place has brought her, she still knows better than to grant it the full scope of her trust.

she's received the matches but there's been no real temptation to light them. mostly, because over the past two months, she's been trapped in a form that grants her little sensation in being able to feel the chilling changes of the weather anyway. she isn't proud of the translucence of her body, but admittedly, it has granted her a few advantages against some of the threats that loom quietly in the night.

the same, unfortunately, can't be said for everyone, and as she walks along the street through the overwhelming darkness (sleep is another thing she's found herself needing none of), she notices the cautious figure ahead of her, the box of matches in his hand and one lit between his fingers.

perhaps it's the dazed look he wears, the confusion that sparks in his expression, but instincts are what drive her to step forward fast, closer to him. ]

Don't trust it! [ so says the semi-solid girl with a faint glow around her that easily paints the vision of a ghost. very trustworthy. ]

[prescind]

( the match burns, warm blooming from the wick but that doesn't seem possible. it's such a small thing but it's almost like there's a fireplace in front of him because he's warm. he's used to being cold, doesn't really bother him but a part of him hopes that this match never goes out so he can always feel this warm.

the longer the match burns, the stranger things get. he blinks and sees one thing. he blinks again and it's gone. but it doesn't feel like a hallucination. it feels like something else entirely but it's not something he's going to question until the hurried, frantic statement reaches his ears and his focus tears away from the match to the girl.

there's a glow to her and she looks almost blurry. he blinks again, shakes his head but when he opens his eyes, she's still there but she hasn't solidified. )

What's happening to me?

( what had this box done to him? what had this match done to him? it doesn't hurt but it's definitely causing some kind of reaction in him that he can't stop. )

[magija]

[ she forgets how she may appear to an opposing eye, often not taking into account how the flickering translucency of her might not always appear welcoming, especially in a town so often haunted by surrounding ghosts and mystic illusions, such as whatever might be taunting him now by the confusion in his gaze.

she looks down at the box in his hands to see if there's any hint to their trickery now that he's put it to use, but there's no hint of any difference aside from the lasting flicker of the match. ]

It's likely playing with your mind. Most things that they offer for free here tend to have that effect. You can't always trust what you're seeing.

b but also wildcard, as per tradition

[gasping]

[ caroline's first match was a bit of a dud. to be fair, while she's always been a girl of particular tastes, there's never been specific things she's coveted — that honor has often gone to more intangible concepts, like the favor of a friend or the attention of a tall man who'd gone for someone else instead.

so, perhaps, it's unsurprising that the what illuminated by a struck match is something caroline could live without. it's the who that catches her breath in her throat — someone who calls out to her, first in a ghostly echo, then more loudly: caroline, in a voice she knows so well it feels both like memory and dream at once.

only, suddenly, for the vision to vanish. only, suddenly, for it to be replaced by itself, only... more real? solider, even amongst the chill in the air. only now, the vision calls her by the wrong name, and caroline can't help but choke out a laugh. ]

You know, we're not interchangeable!

[ just similar. in so many ways. ]

can't argue with tradition

[prescind]

( that's not lexi's voice. that's not lexi's voice but it is familiar in a way that settles something in him that he didn't even know was agitated. he swallows and shakes his head, trying to clear his head and hide just how affected he'd been by the thought of seeing his friend again. )

Are you sure? Because I swear, you could be another pair of doppelgangers. ( just what everyone needed. ) Caroline.

( he knows that voice. he knows it's not lexi but it's no less unwelcome. he flicks the match away, turning his back on it and walking towards her. )

How long have you been there?

[gasping]

[ the last match in her hand begs to be struck and lit, but caroline holds off. instead, she meets him in the middle, careful not to slip on the black ice that coats the ground, and peers up at features that feel so familiar and yet so far away. how long has it been? for her, or for him? ]

I think you just have a type. [ blonde girls that pulled him out of his shell and pushed him around a little, maybe. despite the bitter cold, untouched even by the bright sun overhead, caroline manages to smile up at him. ] Long enough for you to miss me?

[ if he hugs her, maybe she'll warm up a little. ]

a. + wildcard, elena is a lady and will not push a box off a stool

[rehashing]

( Elena for her part has kept her box close. She refuses to open it, but if it's going to keep appearing everywhere then she's going to keep it with her. This way, she can keep an eye on it, and not be compelled to open it. Of course, the jury's out on whether she'll give in. For now, she's the stubborn Elena everyone remembers. Of course, it's annoying carrying a box everywhere. She'll tire of it eventually, and then wake up the next day with it on her bedside table. Because of this inevitability, this is the devil she knows. Carting around a big box.

Hell, it's smaller than a family of caskets.

She sees him from afar first, but, deciding what to say, if to say anything is taken out of her hands because he looks in her direction. There's a lot to say, and somehow the opposite. Instead of freezing in place, Elena steels herself and makes her way to the bar. She sees his box then, and looks down at hers. )

As far as gifts go, this is a relentless one. ( Not that she thinks anything about being here is a gift. ) Can I join you, or is that seat reserved for when you finally open the box?

( It's easier to make light of it, to refer to the box and not the past few months of their lives. They can get into that. )

what a good you are, elena

[prescind]

No, please join me. Take my mind off of this...thing. ( he reaches for the box and tosses it onto the bar, nudging it away with his hand. it skids a bit but stays within his line of sight.

he's just going to ignore it. )

Elena. ( a smile flickers across his face for a moment, quick but genuine. ) When did you get here?

( he's seen...so many people from mystic falls already and yet, the one person he hadn't seen up until now had been her. but, here she was. here she was, a part of his life once again. )

she's such a good except when she's a bad

[rehashing]

( She sets her box down close to Stefan's and takes the seat at the bar beside him. Her signature straight hair may be wavier than he remembers. She hasn't been introduced to the idea of separate timelines. Only this one, in a horrific dreamscape possibly run by a deer-shaped god. Their lives.

She keeps another box secret, one in her back pocket, but one she keeps close. If they're in a dreamscape and one as dangerous as she's read, taking the cure shouldn't be an option here. It's still in the back of her mind, but it's a much lower priority, and it wouldn't be a smart move until they all know what they're dealing with.

They all being an increasing number of familiar faces. )

About an hour ago. Maybe two. ( She fidgets with her Fluid bracelet, checking the time. ) It's hard to believe any of this is even real. ( Being here, dealing with Damon and Stefan's mother. The aftermath of Stefan and Caroline's spree. It's enough to deal with in Mystic Falls, but it's entirely something else here. )

Pandora's Box

[wordsarevibrations]

[Cecil bends to pick it up, turning the box over a few times in his hands.] It looks like a matchbox, to me.

So either it's housing a very small monster -- possible. Or it's holding matches. Either way, nothing to be scared of.

[prescind]

I've learned that when someone says that, you should absolutely be scared.

( because it typically meant that something terrible was about to happen. )

I'm glad you're not concerned but I think I'm going to keep my distance. Better safe than sorry. ( damon would call that boring, stefan thinks it's just being cautious. he doesn't want to be caught off guard when he's already on his back foot in this town. )

[wordsarevibrations]

Well if you don't try, you won't know, will you? It could be something wonderful, after all. I could be worth all the risk in the world.