soddersays | JANUARY 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

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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.

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[ yang is burning up on the best of days (thanks, semblance!), but she can't get warm enough. somehow, it's even colder than it is argus. wetter, too. she pulls the collar of her jacket around her neck and heads off in--some direction. any direction that looked like it might be someplace warm to spend the night before coming up with a plan.

she heads down a side street, prepared to wander for another fifteen minutes when she hears a voice she'd recognize anywhere. when she glances up to see that even more recognizable cloak, yang grins from ear to ear. that's one out of three people she's desperately been waiting to see. ]

Ruby? [ she barrels toward her with a speed that almost rivals her younger sister's. ] Rubyyyyyyyyy!

[For just a second Ruby thinks that she's hearing things. There's no way she just heard her sister here. It's the second calling of her name and the those loud footsteps that brings a bright smile to her face.]

Yang!

[She turns around and matches her sister's pace. Leaping up and letting her arms wrap around her sisters shoulders so that she can hug and literally hang off her sister for as long as she can.]

Oh my gosh, I had no idea if you were here or not. I couldn't find anyone and my scroll isn't working.

Like I'd leave you by yourself! [ yang is more than happy to let ruby hang off her neck, ruffling her hair a bit in the process. c'mere, you. ] My Scroll's been out ever since I got here.... If ours our broken, maybe Weiss's and Blake's are, too. They've gotta be here.

Wait, did you have that weird dream? [ she pulls away just enough to give the other girl a serious look. ] The one with the voice saying they need you and the deer?

Says Ms.I'm Going To Hang With My Other Friends On My Sisters First Day At School.

[She tries to look serious while she says it, but she can't help but smile as her sister messes up her hair. Ruby shakes her head and let's herself drop back down to her feet.]

Makes sense to me. I don't see why only we'd get dragged here.

[She blinks at the mention of the dream.]

Yeah-You too!?

...You haven't had a weird girl following you around at all this morning, have you?

[Ever since the first time he'd seen the shadows gliding beneath the water, Alec's come back every night to prove to himself that something was really there. After meeting Magnus and having his memory partially return, he continued his nightly visits, trying to determine what was near the ship.

He might not have a copy of the Codex with him, but Alec knows enough about the Downworld to recognize the most common, and a few uncommon, species of the supernatural.

Noticing the being at the rail, he steps closer, making sure not to crowd him, shoulders slightly slumped to seem less threatening. Nodding toward one of the shapes in the water, he considers what to say, choosing his words carefully since he doesn't know if the person beside him has the Sight and has witnessed those shadows.]

Do you see anything out there?

Edited 2020-01-04 04:26 (UTC)

Hey, that was ages ago. [ thinking on it, beacon had been years ago. from beacon to creepy, haunted town that can't be anywhere on remnant. grapes. ] Whatever we do now, we do together.

[ like fun bonding activities such as being watched by a ghost? maybe? it's hard to say. ] She's been tailing me the whole time, no matter how long I've kept moving. It's like being stalked by a Grimm.

[He smiles, and it's absolutely wincing.]

I hate to tell you this, but that's not the last time you're gonna do that.

I haven't gotten to team-up with any spider-people back home, but — I did finally get said Kingpin locked up. Oh, and I accidentally helped an unstable scientist turn into an eight-legged super-villain.

[Ouch, that hurts more out loud. He clears his throat, glancing aside.]

S-so. You know. That's... that.

He's locked up now, though, so.

It still counts.

[It doesn't but some teasing lightens the mood of this place. She thinks that's important right about now. She'll shift to Yang's side and reach to take her hand, the best way to show that they wont be splitting up anytime soon.]

We got this. Let's start by doing a look around town to see if we can find Weiss or the others.

[Okay. So Yang's been seeing her too. That doesn't make Ruby feel any better but she hoped they at least had strength in numbers. Did that count against creepy spooks?]

Yeah, she's been giving me a total case of the creeps.

Hey! Get away from her! It's dangerous!

[It was the red glow that caught Ruby's attention and urged her to check out what was going on. Her eyes went wide when she saw Ren staring down the apparition. He had to get out of there and shouting wasn't getting his attention. She tried moving into his view and waving her arms but that didn't do the trick either.]

Fine, be that way! Ignore this!

[And Ruby kneels down as though she's preparing to dash at him. Except when she kicks off it's in a burst of blinding speed as she's surrounded in rose petals. Maybe just tackling him out of the way will do the trick?]

[Ruby was just innocently swabbing the deck when she comes across Amara. She can't help but feel a pang of worry for her as she glances over the edge of the boat. The last thing she wanted was to see someone not enjoying themselves on this trip.

She sets down the mop and moves toward Amara, about to reach up and put a hand on her shoulder. That is until Amara suddenly turns around and decks her right in the face. Ruby stumbles back eyes wide with fright and confusion.]

Wh-what the heck was that for!?

Her curious reply was almost enough to make him hope that maybe she was one of the people who weren't supposed to be here in the first place, that maybe she remembered her real life. And a normal second class passenger wouldn't tend to talk to someone dressed like a first class passenger, even if his shoes were pretending to be a bow tie and not actually on his feet.

So after a moment, he gave a quick, timid grin and turned back to face her fully.

"...Do you have any particular opinions about...icebergs...?" If she got the hint, then Oh, Thank the Lord Above, maybe he could get someone else involved in his hopefully non-futile plans. If she had no Earthly clue why a massive chunk of ice in the middle of the Atlantic would worry a passenger on a not-so-Unsinkable cruise ship, then the less time wasted trying to explain what was happening, the better. He'd already tried that more then once before, and he knew how much good it would do.

He didn't answer her questions at all, and she was still curious to why he was sneaking around taking night stands. She almost asked him to try again, but it was his own curious reply that took all of her attention.

Icebergs.

Her face seemed to light up. Someone else who understood. She took in a breath and "Oh, I have opinions. Especially for this ship." Then she whispered "You can't call a ship unsinkable and expect it to not sink. You know, don't you!?" Someone else who gets it. Someone else who knows.

[ Had Adam been paying closer attention to his surroundings, he may have noticed something unusual about the person approaching him now. He's old, even among his kind, but hasn't been out in the world in quite some time. He doesn't fear for his safety from this person, and that's the only thing that matters.

What he fears-- after nights of this, it's causing a bit more than mere concern-- is what lurks beyond the railing of the ship. Whatever it is. ]

Movement. Under the surface of the water. I can't quite make it out, but there's something out there. Something that shouldn't be there.

Me? Oh, I am.

[ A beat, thinking it over, and then he shrugs. ]

I am between jobs at the moment.

[Barry doesn't even want to consider what kind of accident would hurdle his son into that mess. He knew that his boy had a mouth on him, and what's more, he encouraged him to speak his mind so long as words were gauged wisely but at his age, the wild streak came out more emphatically than it had for him. That cockiness got him into trouble all the time.]

Yeah. The good news is, even on a ship this size, he's still here. Somewhere.

Oh, are we? Are we all screwed if it makes it up this far?

[ No shit they're screwed. Willy's pretty sure he'll fucking drown if it gets that bad, tentative swimming skills or not. ]

Just got here like. A few hours ago maybe?

[...is it a good thing or a bad thing she's not originally from earth? her knowledge of all of this isn't even real. it's so vague and mixed in with the memories from her travels on other planets-- especially pandora and eden-6.]

Have you tried telling them to piss off? [she offers, slightly joking.] I've been around the super-rich before. Done jobs for them, all that stuff. You'd be surprised what they pay people to do.

[a beat.]

Or not. Maybe you can pay them to leave you alone.

[she's not usually like this. really-- amara is usually far more level headed and aware of things that dig into her psyche. the main problem here is... this isn't the normal amara. that amnesia is a hell of a drug.

poor ruby gets the brunt of her water-induced paranoia. she'll feel pretty terrible about this later, but right now she thinks... surely the workers have some idea of what's going on.]

Deckhand, no? Tell me what is wrong with this ship! What have you brought us onto?!

Exactly. Is piece of pie.

[ Yes, he looks particularly proud of himself for that one. ]

[ PHEW. Sounds like ol' Clint's off the hook! He steps the rest of the way out of the young woman's room, into the hall proper. ]

Well, no harm, no foul, right? That's a lovely room you've got there, but, ah... it's yours. Not mine. Definitely not my room.

[ possibly! ...maybe. ...hopefully.....

yang tightens her grip on ruby's hand and nods once in affirmation. she's ready to get the band back together. she continues making her way down the street, taking care to avoid any deeper looking puddles. the vague memories of unfathomably large creatures swimming in the darkness in another dream she's had since arriving casts the most innocent-looking puddles in a dangerous light. ]

Yeah, it's kinda been the worst. Not to mention, it's freezing out here. Hard to believe Argus gave us a better welcome, right?

sorrow found me when I was young - the deck at night

Fate has lifted Grady out of one life and into another. He wakes up out of a vague dream of snow falling against his face to see sun shining through a porthole, his head full of memories from someone else's history, and climbs out of bed to resume that man's existence.

Abraham's time aboard the Titanic is spent mostly staying out of the way of anyone who looks like an authority figure. It's not difficult to do on such a ship, where the holds and lower decks are packed with men and woman in equally desperate and clandestine circumstances, fleeing the dark claws of European conflicts as much as they are seeking a new life in America. The forged documents which have granted him passage weigh heavily on his mind, as does a certain feeling of unease, of something left incomplete, that he attributes to his hasty departure from Poland.

It makes him restless, driving him towards a certain longing for escape, and he spends much of his time at the rail, a dark and huddled figure in a heavy coat and eyes glinting out from under a flat cap, staring out at the water as if he can pull a few more miles under the prow of the ship just by wishing for them. Though he reacts with a certain amount of suspicion towards anyone who might approach him, he's sympathetic to those who seem to be seeking a similar escape and will offer a small flask of Krupnik from a coat pocket before cupping his hands around a cigarette and match, opining in quiet Yiddish: « Cold enough out here to freeze the balls off a polar bear. »

sorrow waited, sorrow won - the dining hall

With his home many months and a series of uncrossable borders behind him, Abraham is trying to adjust to what most of his fellows hope to be a far better life in the Americas. He thinks he sees the shape of it in the casual luxury all around him, in the sprawling vowels of the English spoken in most parts of the ship, in the photos of the New York skyline alongside the images of London and Paris on the walls of the lounges. The men he meets for games of cards talk about being welcomed with open arms, about work in plenty and apartments with running water and heat all year round.

The food and drink served up in the dining hall is, he assumes, designed to welcome them to this American palate, and quickly proves too rich for his stomach. For a few days he lives on bread and coffee alone, then, daring, decides to try the soup. This is what he's carrying, carefully, to his table, eyes on his hands and his thoughts caught somewhere between the meal ahead and more existential troubles, when his path is suddenly interrupted.

Hot chicken broth splashes across his suit and over his wrists; the bowl clatters to the floor. He yelps in surprise and disgust, then turns his attention on the person who had the temerity to be so clumsy as to walk into him. His anger resolves itself in furious and demonstrative Yiddish, his expression thunderous as he gestures to his clothes, to the staring audience of passengers around them, to the idiot in front of him.

« What the fuck do you think you're doing? Look at what a mess you've made! »

AU information

Edited 2020-01-04 22:00 (UTC)

If not for his curious spirit and genuine reverence for humanity's impossible diversity, Walter's outcomes in life may have been much changed from the path the man has managed to forge. He owes much, of course, to his family name, and even more to the small fortune to which it is attached. Nevertheless, it is a resilient spirit of his own making that has led to the majority of his learnings, and now urges the man to the parts of this ship rowdy with activity and variety. The days at sea are wearing, however. With nothing of interest off the bow but more of the dreary same, the passage of time seems strange and meaningless.

So Walter tries to structure his days along some kind of a routine. Waking, working, reading, taking meals. The latter of those points has proven the least interesting part, save for the people he has the chance to spy on in the dining halls. For two dinners and three lunches now he's sipped vermouth over the spine of a book, and that distraction takes him now as he pushes out his chair and steps into the walkway between tables without venturing a glance behind him. He feels the collision at his back and turns, adjusting his gaze to the already-contorted expression of a man several inches shorter.

The words are too rapid first for Walter to recognize the additional layer of unfamiliar tongue, but fury is a universal language. "Don't raise your voice at me! Go and find someone to fetch a cloth."

[Ruby keeps pace with Yang. Happy to have at least one of her teammates with her. Bonus points because it's her sister. ...Now that she thinks about it she'd give bonus points for it being any of her teammates. So maybe she should just give Yang extra bonus points?

She shakes her head to get herself back on task.]

I don't want to say I'm rethinking the skirt, but I could at least go for a earmuffs and some gloves right about now.

...It kind of makes you wonder just what they expect us to do here. The dreams weren't exactly specific. I mean at least back home we had an idea what we're up against.

[Ruby's eyes wander off and for a second she thinks she sees that girl again. Except she's a bit further away this time but she doesn't look particularly impressed that Ruby and Yang have found one another.]

Yang, over there.

Not caring that his raised voice and quick gestures have stilled knives and forks across the room, Abraham glares up at the goyishe man whose stupidity and poor spacial awareness has derailed his supper. He shakes droplets of soup from his fingertips, scowling as he's remonstrated in turn. He picks up a few of the English words, the awkward inflection and narrow look in the man's green eyes giving conflicting signals that only inflame his confusion and deepen his anger.

« You spilled my soup, idiot! » He reaches out and tents his fingers against the man's fine clothes, pushing at him. « Why don't you look where you're going? Is there something wrong with you? »

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JANUARY 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

JANUARY 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

WHERE FEET MAY FAIL

GHOST SHIP

Character Arrival

in town!

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On Deck

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Option A

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Grady Numbers | Fargo TV

no soup for you 😍

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