JANUARY 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

[sodder]

JANUARY 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to January's Test Drive Meme! This month's Test Drive's theme is: OCEAN 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.

PLEASE NOTE FOR CHARACTER ARRIVALS: This month, all players can choose to have their characters wake up in the town of Deerington or on the Titanic.

CW: Ghost of a child, rotting corpses, drowning, hallucinations, paranoia
Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!

Prompt One
Prompt Two
Character Arrival
Master Navigation

WHERE FEET MAY FAIL

For those who were left behind in Deerington while everyone else was whisked away in the flood during the New Years Eve party, they will find that the town is a little more wet than usual. The streets are still flooded, houses are damp, and the chill of winter isn't making it easy to deal with. Your hands can feel like ice any day of the week and it's hard to focus with how badly you may find yourself trembling from the cold.

But it's almost preferable to the visions. They start off while you're sleeping; large sea monsters roaming the ocean, waiting to pull you down into the darkened depths; or maybe it's a strange, ghost looking girl with glowing eyes and tattered clothing, her skin blue and rotting the way a body does when it's been submerged in water for too long. She's calling out to you, beckoning you down, and all around her are the strung up, floating corpses of the people who were foolish enough to listen.

It's just a dream though, right? Slowly you start to see the girl around town. She's still calling to you, watching you, waiting for you. If you get too close, she'll even be able to grab onto you, pulling you down into the waterlogged streets, and into what you thought was only a puddle of water. It's as deep as an ocean, and just as dark and cold too. Someone near by can grab onto you before she can drag you under and the vision will disappear. If no one does, maybe if you're a strong swimmer, you'll be able to struggle free, but when you resurface, there will be a bruise forming on your arm in the shape of a hand – something to remind you that maybe these visions are a little more real than you gave them credit for.

The only way to stay safe is to travel in pairs. The girl seems to keep her distance when there's more than one person around, but it doesn't mean she won't try to find the means to separate you. Whether it's increasing the flooding in certain areas of the street or trying to distract one of you long enough to put some distance between you and your comrade, she'll do whatever it takes to try and grab onto whoever she can.

GHOST SHIP

Those who are on the boat might find that life is a little easier, depending on what class you've found yourself in. The struggles between first, second, and third are certainly rough on everyone, but many seem to find themselves thinking this is just the way of things. Maybe your mind has been altered to just accept the class differences or your memories completely rewritten and you think you've led a completely different life so far; either way, only a handful of passengers seem to fully understand that this isn't the way things are supposed to be.

There's nothing anyone can do to change things, though, and so many find themselves getting lost in day to day activities. Whether it's working on the ship, enjoying the finer foods in the first class dining halls, or enjoying the rowdy parties in third class storage after hours, everyone seems to be finding something to keep themselves occupied. As the days pass, even those who know full well what's coming seem to forget the looming doom, and you might even find yourself feeling lost in the monotony of day to day life.

But those who stare into the water too long, who look at the strange, large shapes swimming just under the surface might find a sense of dread filling them. The paranoia will shake you to your very core, leaving you with a sense that all is not right with this journey. You can try to tell people, but most will look at you as though you're insane. Eventually, your fear will become so heavy that you start to see destruction all around you. Whole sections of the ship will look flooded, rotting wood and rusted steel taking over every inch of the once proud ship, and every section is covered in algae. You might start to realize it looks uncannily like an old shipwreck.

The ship is still floating, though, and the coarse steady. So it's all in your head, right? Staying away from the water will make the visions and paranoia eventually ebb, but any glance at the floating shapes will cause it to come back tenfold. Maybe just stay inside and away from the ship's edge. It seems a lot safer that way.

Character Arrival

You can read how all characters arrive in Deerington here.

NOTE: Character's this month can wake up in Deerington or on the Titanic.

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

"they doesn't" look at me and my good grammar

[notgneiss]

Oh, like I have any pathetic lungs to drown with.

[shale will die getting the last word in. they've always been like this. they always will be. even when they were still a little fleshy dwarf, they're sure they didn't take any shit from anyone and always came out on top.

they're pretty amazing, after all! it's a crying shame the maker didn't put "obnoxious" into their vocabulary.]

I had thought I'd seen the Warden, but unfortunately it was just another organic that looked like they'd been runover by ten carts. Screamed an awful lot, too.

[especiallyparanoid]

Wesley is too stunned to resist, still caught up in the events and he pulls out a handkerchief to dab at his nose while he's bustled outside. The cool night air hits him like a second punch and he pulls away, pointing at Lindsey.

"You hit me," he proclaims, outraged.

He turns away to steady himself on the railing, taking a few sniveling breaths.

"When my father hears about this, he will--"

-- probably be disappointed and scold him for getting into a physical fight in the first place. Suddenly, there is something incredibly wrong about the thought of getting him involved and Wesley pauses, bewildered, staring at Lindsey as if he forgot what he was about to say.

[phaseflex]

[she just really, really wants to get away from the ocean. benefit in taking louis with her is getting him away from it too, no?]

Alternate timelines, hm? [amara doesn't sound too skeptical about it.] Well, I'm second class, anyway. They shouldn't ask too many questions.

[teamfun]

Last I checked, the Titanic wasn't a thing in the twenties. I think they're a decade out.

[They can both avoid the shitty-ass ocean and all the creepy hallucinations that go with it. Everyone wins!]

And I'm first [he sounds less happy about that than you'd imagine someone to be, he admits it like someone admitting to a minor crime] they love bending over backwards for me. It's great.

[He doesn't make it sound great.]

sunset and don't ask me what i'm doing

[nastygram]

Hey, don't sell yourself short, babe.

[Darlene looks from the hand on her shoulder all the way up to the goddamn big Amazon of a tree of a woman beside her. She smirks.]

You look like the kind of ill-advised I could really get into.

[So, she's a little drunk. But, c'mon. Why the hell not? Three days into this weird-ass trip of a dreamscape, might as well fucking go for it. Her paranoia is an itch at the back of her brain that can be subdued by self-medicating, a.k.a., getting absolutely shitfaced on beer and dancing with the unwashed masses in third class.

Which is where she belongs too, thank you very much. What would the vernacular be for Darlene Alderson in 1920-what-the-fuck-ever. A woman of loose morals, a hell of a lay and a hell of a dancer, thanks, even in these butt-ugly shoes. The heels aren't high enough, the skirt isn't short enough, and the cold air of the open deck feels so good on her skin. Sweaty, flushed, her hair slipping loose from the chignon that she inexplicably woke up with, she leans her forearms on the rail of the ship and rocks forward, tipping a little over the side.]

Except you are not a dancer, huh.

[phaseflex]

[she doesn't understand what he just said right now, and it's clear in the quizzical look she gives him.]

Yeah? Sounds like you'd rather they just leave you alone.

[lookattheglass]

The cool air helps clear his head, and there's a sudden flush of shame. He paces a little, working off the excess energy.

The other guy didn't hit back, so...there's that.

"Yeah, I did."

He doesn't want to say sorry--he's not exactly apologetic about it, but he wishes he hadn't done it...hadn't lost his cool so quickly.

Finally, after a long, awkward pause, staring back at him, he shrugs.

"Does that count as a duel?"

[sscuriosity]

Why would I do that?

[Dustin likes a good prank as much as the next guy but not when someone's life is at stake, and definitely not when it revolves around creepy bottom-feeding little girls. No instead of tipping the ladder, he supports the weight, it's gotta be hard enough climbing up soaked anyway.]

You must be new. I'm Dustin, and this was my solution to Linda Blair underwater. It's half-cocked but it's kept me off the radar.

[wronganswer]

I don't know, [ she says shortly. ] But I know that it... mentally affects me. Badly. I'm assuming it affects everyone else, too.

[ Anderson is in some ways more susceptible to mental influence, since she's more attuned and sensitive to it, and in other ways more resistant. This one is subtle enough that she wouldn't be surprised if it was the former, and she's getting the effects worse than everyone else, but she has no way of knowing that for sure. It doesn't help that her constant baseline paranoia is a healthy foundation to build off of. ]

[wronganswer]

[ What kind of person says indubitably? Yet she's still a little dumbfounded at how cordial and professional this exchange is. It's really driving home how out of her element she is. ]

I've been here less than a day, [ she admits, grimacing. ] Haven't even gotten to find other clothes yet so I stand out less. I'm -- [ Anderson pauses, letting out a breath, making a decision. ] I wouldn't say I'm familiar, but I have psychic abilities and training. I can recognize when I'm being messed with.

[ For all the good that's doing her here. It helps her affirm reality, that she's not losing it, that the people around her are similarly real and caught up in this trap - but that's about it. ]

[hedon]

The experience that Magnus had with magic, with demons and the downworld made him more understanding of what most mundanes had no ability to comprehend. That combined with several months spent being subjected to what this place was capable of had him careful and concise about his choices knowing ultimately where they could lead him.

The gentle brush against his sleeve gets a response from him unbidden, maybe not the one that Alec is looking for, but kind eyes and a tip to his jaw in the direction of his fingers curiosity on his face instead of something negative. His nerves had been hot-wired to be on edge, nothing escaped notice, and so it made it impossible for him to be blind to small gestures like that.

"If you need a weapon, I can try to craft one for you but it might take some time." Maybe a bow and a quiver, something not unlike what Alec had before. Of course that had been part of why he'd first noticed him begin with, the methodical proficiency and the way that he carried his broad set shoulders like an entire world of burdens had been thrust upon them.

The next words out of his mouth are enough to turn Magnus around, he'd been trying his best to smooth the thin linens on his bed out into something more presentable something idle for his hands to do in the growing silent divide between them but the notion that he could have such a deep impact on Alec's life has Magnus swell with pride. Of course, he wanted that, he thought of it often and the same feeling of flighty erratic wings beating around behind his breast bone always followed suit. Alec awakened something in him he hadn't felt for some time, and time dragged on for him a steady and unwavering thing. "The last time I saw you- we kissed in front of your wedding congregation. You left your bride at the altar."

[aurebesh]

[ she's torn. her plate is mostly empty, just small crumbs and sweeps of sauce or gravy or whatever they were calling the wetness on offer, and her stomach is mostly full — but she knows instinctively that if she lingers in this mess hall, there will be opportunity for more. maybe it will come from someone leaving behind a plate, or maybe she'll be able to sweet talk her way into another portion, but she knows it's possible.

but finn is here, and finn wants her to come with him, and part of her does not want to leave his side now that he's here.

it's a tough, painful battle — but eventually, after a few minutes of internal deliberation, rey sweeps the last piece of her dinner roll over the plate to sop up the wet and stuffs it into her mouth. a decisive chew and swallow, and then: ]

We're coming back later, and you're getting me another portion.

[ compromise!!! but for now? scooby squad adventures!!! ]

I would never question perfection

[villieldr]

( Magni considers the woman, faintly bemused. Her expression shifts only very slightly, so saying she raised an eyebrow would be dramatically overstating it, and so would saying that she smiled, but there is— something. A ripple on the surface, so to speak. )

It is not myself that I caution you of.

( She was the mountain of the mountain, of the line that leads Eidverfell, and now here she was, having an odd conversation with a woman who was asking her about dancing. )

But you speak it true. I am a weapon smith.

( There is no need to talk about the forge keeper of Talonhold, how she helps to protect the keep and their townships and their people. It is immaterial, and she has some clue that no one in this place are going to have any fucking clue what she's talking about, if only because a lot of the time she has little idea what they're talking about as she observes them.

Her gaze flickers to the railing, watchful in case the woman should slip or tip too far. ) Dancing and hammers are not natural bedfellows, I suspect.

unsinkable

[kissingbridge]

[ so you know that troublemaking son that barry was looking for earlier? turns out he'd been right to go looking for richie down in 3rd class because that's where he's been spending most of his time, when he wasn't actively inciting problems in the upper classes, anyway.

point in fact, he might have caused just a little too much trouble in his last jaunt up above, since he's actively hiding in an out of the way nook when hank manages to come across him, and makes a point of bringing a finger up to his lips and hissing out a low: ]

Shhh! You didn't see me.

on a boat

[kissingbridge]

There's a lot of something out there, dude, it's the ocean.

[ richie clearly doesn't take the warning all that seriously, clears the rest of the distance over to the railing, in fact and leans out over it as he fishes for something in his pockets, squinting out in the distance behind the thick lens of his glasses.

after a moment richie seems to find what he was searching for, and his hands emerge from his pockets with a large, sparkling gemstone at the end of a delicate, tangled gold chain. he holds it up in front of him with a discerning glare, like it's done something to offend him. ]

Hope whatever's out there likes shiny things.

[ this is the only real warning richie gives before chucking the clearly expensive necklace over the side of the ship. ]

\o/

[bulletgram]

[ Hank spots him on the way down the hall, eyes widening in surprise; sure, the description only went so far, but it's close enough, especially when coupled with the plea. So he grins at him widely, waving in greeting. ]

Hello! You must be the one everyone is looking for. Why did I not see you?

[weiward]

Ah - only the pretty ones.

[wei wuxian holds three fingers up as a part of his promise, and gives his brightest smile in case that's not enough. it's not a lie! it just so happens that yunmeng has lots of pretty girls, so he has a lot of practice when it comes to compliments.

he lowers his hand while watching her, waiting, able to guess her answer before she even says it.]

I don't remember anything before being in third class, and the liquor isn't good enough that I'd forget.

[bulletgram]

[ Hank nods along to the explanation, and grins at him over the repetition of the phrase, if only because the kid seems mildly pleased about it.

But the talk of more ghosts well that's something else entirely. ]

So you know other ghosts. Real ghosts?

[doggypaddler]

Fuck if I know.

[ He climbs onto the roof, giving a skeptical look to the ghost girl below before looking at the kid better. ]

As long as it doesn't flood this far, anyway. I'm Willy.

[blackwaterchild]

[Wei Wuxian please. Miu kind of rolls her eyes in an exasperated--but amused--way and gets back to focusing on the fact she can't remember anything substantial here.

So something ehre was definitely messing with her memories and that pisses her off more than anything. She stomps her foot against the ground in frustration and then takes a breath, her jaw tight with irritation.]

The captain.

[She blurts it out and turns to him sharply, her eyes fierce with determination.] There has to be a captain somewhere, right? If we find him, he'll have to know where we're going.

[She says, having apaprently decided that her and Wei Wuxian are in this investigation together and obviously he's going to follow her around this ship looking for this guy.]

1 / hi ev whats up

[lonewatcher]

[For a Londoner, being suddenly approached by someone with a French accent is extremely common.

For someone who's just spent the better part of a year closely affiliated with the Lonely, the cosmic entity that embodies pure fear of being and staying alone, being suddenly approached by just about anyone is startling. Martin jumps and lets out a shocked noise before he can cover his mouth.]

Oh! Um... Oh. Well, yes, I-I guess that's alright. —Wait, no, sorry. I'm supposed to see a badge before I talk to police. And are you asking me personally, or...

[Because if the police are asking for an opinion of the situation from the Magnus Institute itself, well, his answer will be. Different. Mostly in that he won't be able to give one.]

hiiii javid!!

[pinballs]

[Kim is far too aware of how different people react to the police, and his expression remains unflappable even after he's apparently startled Martin.]

I apologize for startling you, sir. And I suppose they're more personal questions--I'm just trying to make sense of where I am. It's not...really related to any sort of criminal investigation.

[His tone sounds apologetic, at least.

He's not going to mention the fact that he literally couldn't find his badge on him when he woke up. That would be incredibly unprofessional, not to mention the fact that this stranger doesn't need to know that. He'd surely think he was some sort of...terrible cop who doesn't keep track of his belongings. Like the drunken detective he was supposed to meet with a few days ago at Whirling-in-Rags who, upon finally greeting Kim, promptly informed him that he was missing his gun, his badge, and his memory.

Hopefully, if he just doesn't make reference to it, Martin won't bring it up again. Maybe.]

[lonewatcher]

[Even before Martin's life had, well, become markedly more terrible, he had been awkward around the authorities. Particularly once they started to interact more and more with the Institute and the workers within it, as things went more and more wrong. Having Basira and, later, Daisy join up didn't change that very much.

Now, though, he's spent enough time alone and feeling absolutely nothing to sober his response.]

Mm. Well, that's fine, I suppose?

[He doesn't feel Peter anywhere near here, but that usually doesn't mean anything. The boat setup hasn't gone anywhere yet for Martin to make any guesses as to who might have caught him somehow. And... also caught a ton of other people.

...That might be more why Martin thinks Peter isn't around.]

Oh. Sorry, Martin Blackwood. I don't... think I'm meant to be here. But, uh, ask away.

[Whether Martin's grappling with general memory loss or what, it's unclear. Even to him, actually.]

[hitactor]

The handshake I'm- a little distracted.

[Is he still going to point it out? Absolutely even for a widower ex-naval officer he's every bit as socially inept as he always was.]

He's a teenager. This is a boat. He'll go anywhere he can get into. These days he's been hanging around with another group of kids his age, so, that's an option.

[effinphd]

[It's like there's a spark there, where the other woman almost-touches her -- and Theo knows that spark. She's felt it in Boston and in Paris and in a thousand late-night parlors with "close personal friends". She catches her breath a little, leans back just a tad to avoid skin-to-skin contact, keeps her eyes on the other woman's face.]

Perhaps. I think it depends on what existence entails.