Entry tags:

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

content warnings for heathers in general: Heathers, and the movie that it's adapted from, is a black comedy about two teenagers who murder people and then stage them to look like suicides. Veronica's tags may mention murder and suicide (faked, attempted, and real) of teenagers, but she and her narration may also mention and treat in a mostly flippant fashion: self-harm, bullying, peer pressure, mental disorders, eating disorders, slut-shaming, homophobia, violence, unhealthy relationships, and attempted school bombings. let me know if any of this subject matter is sensitive to you and I'll write around them instead.

[one: vanish like a warm stove]

A. [It's fucking cold.

And not just the sort of cold that can be warded off with enough layers, no. Veronica's wrapped herself up in three layers, topping them all off with a warm blanket and it's still, somehow, not enough. This is the kind of chill that's settled into her very bones, determined to sap even the memory of warmth from her. She tries to keep it, anyway, wraps a scarf around her face and rubs her hands together, blows into them as if that'll help warm them up.

She didn't come into Deerington in winter wear, so she's been making a lot of trips to Main Street to pile on the layers, blowing through the department store and the thrift shop with a shudder as she makes her way over to the winter wear section. She makes for an odd sight, keeping her blanket draped over her shoulders like a cape, but Veronica's stopped caring what she looks like and started caring more about not freezing to death, so she's trying to scrounge through what remains with a determined look on her face.]

Come on, there's got to be something left—huh?

[She frowns down at something, then pushes aside the (very few) sweaters left to take out a box. When she opens it, her eyebrows knit together.]

Just three matches, huh? [She shakes her head, then closes the box again, tucking it away under her innermost jacket.] Later.

B. [It's later.

Veronica's first match is burning. She cups her fingers around it to shield it from the elements as she pushes through the streets, taking careful note of how it seems to react to other people with lit matches around her. She doesn't know how long hers will last, but she doesn't want it to go and leave her cold and exposed, so she catches sight of somebody else with a lit match, she decides: well, fuck it, right?]

Hey! Hey, uh—d'you mind if I take a seat here? Just for a little while. It's pretty cold out, [and she winces at the understatement,] and I need some warming up. Just until I can get back home.

[Not home home, back in Sherwood, but just—home here in Deerington, where hopefully there's a warm fire waiting for her. (But god, does she miss Sherwood all of a sudden, despite all the shit she's gone through.)]

[two: network || un: veronica]

Dear network:

If you're trying to rent a movie in this town (not watch in theaters, rent for home), where would you go? I've been looking for a copy of The Princess Bride to watch, but so far the most I've found is the book version in the library. It got a little glitchy at the end, so I didn't try to check it out.

Also, do you really need to go to high school in this town? Because I went once and it was hell. [Which is saying something considering that how Veronica's year has gone lately.] I can't help but feel that high school in a nightmare dimension should be optional, considering there's no way anyone back at home will be able to track my grades here.

[three: wildcard]

[if you have an idea for a scenario not covered by what's above, this option is for you! alternately, hmu @

robbstark, and we can work something out.]

if you ask your blessings basket for stuff, it might give you a DVD. mine gave me a brand new Nintendo and some games.

Seriously? Like: just leave a note in the basket, and I get a free copy of The Princess Bride?

I’m not gonna lie, it’s tempting. But also, I don’t know, with what I keep hearing about this place, I can’t help but wonder if I should ask for something more useful than that instead.

oh yeah, the basket can give you all kinds of stuff. i got a bunch of ammo for my gun in there, too.

[ The gun she... doesn't know why she has, because she can't remember ever needing a gun before coming to Deerington. ]

It sounds useful, but I don't know, I don't wanna just blow it on a VHS copy. What if something fucked-up happens and all I've got is a tape with Princess Bride?

Why, you couldn't get any here?

my gun is from a comic book it has... unique ammo that you can't just buy in a store.

You put a gun together based off something you saw in a comic book? What happened to just buying one from a store?

no, like it's ACTUALLY from a comic book. i came here from a comic book universe.

[ Alice's match is almost out when Veronica walks up to her, and even though she'd rather be alone, the prospect of being warm without using one of her own matches overrides her inclination towards solitude. ]

Yeah, go ahead.

[ She's shielding her own match, observing how the flame burns hotter and brighter as Veronica sits.

Then it goes out. ] Shit.

[For a moment Veronica’s match burns hotter and brighter, a twin to Alice’s flame. Then Alice’s flame sputters out, and Veronica’s own fire dims a little more. Shoot.]

Hey, I’m gonna huddle in—it’ll warm both of us that way. [And without waiting for Alice’s permission, she does as much, scooting close enough to Alice that she can press her side against hers and hold her match out so it’s situated between them, cupping her fingers around the flame so it doesn’t burn out quickly. Every second counts.]

Please tell me you’ve been in town a while, I have no goddamn idea where I’m going half the time. I definitely have no clue how to get anywhere warm.

[ This place seems intent to surround her with touchy-feely people, but at least this time, it's about survival (sort of, probably). Even though she'd rather not, Alice lets the newcomer settle beside her. ]

I've been here almost two months. I'm not sure the cold will stop when you get inside. It's... It feels like more than that.

[If it weren't for the cold, Veronica'd be content not to touch Alice, too. Personal space is a thing, after all, and Veronica's not really the type to push into it, but under desperate circumstances, she's willing to go—pretty damn far, actually, to make it to the other side. She's not proud of that, but there it is.]

Even if you sit by a fire? [She shivers, then looks down, alarmed, at her match. Oh, shit. It's climbing ever downward, nearing her fingers already.] I mean, it's worth a try. And if it is more than that—which, how do you even know that—then at least we'll be out of the wind.

[The cold, biting wind, tickling over the back of Veronica's neck even when she's wearing a scarf, pushing through her skin to seep into her very bones.]

Less wind, less matches getting blown out.

I'll give you the wind being a factor we can control.

[ Her eyes are on the match too. It's time to move. ]

Come on. I saw a store that's still open.

[ It is, admittedly, not the nicest looking place in the world, and it may be the site of illegal dealings or at the very least backroom flings, but it's fucking cold, and Alice too is liable to do horrible things in the name of survival or saving people she cares about.

She leads the way there and finds a corner booth, huddling up against the wall because yes there's no wind, but she's still freezing. As soon as Veronica is seated next to her, Alice checks the state of her match and pulls out one of her own. ]

They last three hours. I counted. We'll be okay for a while if we're smart about using them.

[Veronica comes with, cupping her hand around the flickering flame all the while. If it blows out, that’s one out of her three gone, and she needs it to stay until they can make it out of the blowing, howling wind. Miracle of miracles, it stays all the way to the corner booth, where Veronica slumps against the wall next to Alice.

Her teeth are chattering even as her back hits the wall. Fuck. Alice was right, she’s still cold under her layers.]

Jesus Christ, I haven’t been here a day and this place is trying to kill me already. [A huff.] At least high school waited until senior year to do it. [She glances over at Alice, then.]

How many have you got left? After this I have two.

Wait til you go to grad school, if you decide to go.

[ Bad joke, except it's... not really a joke. Brakebills is a mess. ]

Two. [ She shivers. It's better now that Veronica is here with her match, but it's still cold. ] I don't know you, but if we stick together, we should make it until morning.

[ Unless the cold keeps on going or happens tomorrow night, in which case... death. Just death. ]

I'm Alice. I'll go next with the matches.

Sweetheart, we're decades before Blockbuster here and even blockbuster doesn't survive. If you want to settle in on your snow day and enjoy some light laughs or some gritty drama, your best bet is using the fluid for content.

As far as the high school is concerned, there's an unfortunate amount of kids here and not all of them attend. No one's going to patrol your attendance.

This really must be a nightmare town if I can’t just rent a video from Blockbuster.

I’m still trying to figure the Fluid out. There’s nothing like this back home in Sherwood, but I’m guessing you’ve figured that part out already. Can it show me a specific movie, or do I have to ask the basket for that?

Good, then I won’t have to attend. Also: what the hell, really? Why are there so many kids here? Does this place have some creepy preference for them?

That's hardly a qualifier for a nightmare town, but you're better off accepting it under whatever circumstances you have, even if they're wildly misled and inappropriate.

It takes some time with the fluid, but you'll get the hang of it. I'm not sure about specifics, but you may have to ask the basket. I've never made any requests, so, I don't know what happens where that barter system is concerned.

If it's a preference, I'm sure it has to do with the fact that we've been brought into the subconscious of a child.

There's plenty of teenagers too, and adults. If someone's done a census I haven't seen it yet.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only