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

Guzma | Pokémon SPECIAL

[nihiletgo]

A; Golisopod, we're not in Alola anymore...(Arrival)

[The transition from his world to this one made no sense, but he's never been one to be hung up on details like that. Last he remembered was the captains in Po Town, and the UBs he released making a mess of things—his town, his team, hell...even him. One had grabbed him, dragged him away, and then the next thing he knew he was in a forest being dragged by what looked like a Stantler maybe?

Everything happened too quickly, and now he's here, wherever here is, with no better idea of what's going on than he did back in that forest. Waking up in some unknown bed, in some unknown house, in an unknown town, not to mention who even knows what world this is.

Certainly not his, the lack of Pokémon cements that, but there's no Ultra Beasts neither, which raises even more questions. None of which are truly in the forefront of his mind as he makes his way through this snowy town, hardly dressed for the weather with his short sleeve zip-up hoodie, muscle shirt, and baggy sweat pants.

He's also not alone. Guzma's large arthropod companion seems to be fairing the cold better than it's trainer, at least. Guzma's general poor state of being certainly doesn't help hide how terribly he's handling the cold, but otherwise he seems unbothered by the strange new place he's found himself.

Certainly hasn't hurt his confidence, neither. Not when the moment he spots someone else, he's quick to approach. Walking with a slouch that cuts about five inches off of his height, hands deep in his pockets, as his grey-colored eyes lock onto his target. Golisopod likewise wastes no time to block their path, swinging one of those large arms in an attempt to hook the person by their shirt, lifting them off the ground.

Successful or not, Guzma inquires all the same:]

Yo, where the hell are we? No playin' games, the temp's low and so's my patience.

[Golisopod gives a low rumble of a growl in agreement, those cross shaped eyes locked on.]

B; Child Spooks In My Mind? More Likely Than You Think! (Where Feet May Fail)

[Even past his initial introduction to this town (which wasn't much of anything), it's still cold, it's still shitty, and he's still not fully sure why he's even here. He's even less sure why he keeps having weird dreams. Not that he's a stranger to the torment his messed up and damaged mind subjects him to, but rather he's never had dreams about sea creatures quite like the ones that have been plaguing him.

Even less so visions of an oddly bloated and decayed little girl. He's not nearly as bothered as he should be, not when he's hardly a stranger to morbid thoughts and the like. However, when he begins to see the girl around the freezing town, calling to him, beckoning him...perhaps that's enough to get his attention—and his ire.

See, Guzma doesn't frighten easily, and he's no stranger to ghosts. Not when ghost Pokémon are a thing, not to mention the ones that plague Alola are particularly nasty (looking at you Palossand).

Perhaps to most what Guzma chooses to do about his poltergeist pest seems a bit rash, but never has the Skull boss cared what people thought of him and his decisions, least of which when it concerns some annoyingly persistent ghost. Releasing Golisopod, it's not Guzma who gets close to the specter, but rather the Pokémon as it charges the water-bloated child with First Impression, as commanded by his trainer.

To little success does the attack land, when the girl dissipates like mist as those large blade-like claws should have connected, leaving both Golisopod and Guzma surprised. Just as Golisopod turns back to Guzma—he sees her. The girl rising from the depths of the puddle behind his trainer, only half of her torso emerging as she grabs onto his ankles and yanks him down.

He's pulled down to his waist, fortunately having enough ground to grab onto in his desperate attempt to keep from fully submerging. His Pokémon rushing forward to aid him, but likewise finding itself being pulled down into one of the puddles it stepped in.

The two of them make for quite the sight: both halfway submerged in a puddle, desperately (and angrily) trying to pull themselves free. Who do you help, if either at all: the strung out looking gangster, or the giant bug monster?

Either way, should Guzma notice someone nearby...]

—Hey! Get yer ass over here!

B

[phaseflex]

[that certainly is a sight, and amara takes a moment to enjoy it. they're in trouble, sure, but you gotta enjoy the little things. she saunters over (fortunately without her weaponry, else she would've open fired on golisopod. she knows better from FL4K and their companions, anyway.]

Having fun? [she asks sardonically.] You're supposed to avoid the angry magic child. It's not hard.

[maybe not for someone with literal space magic, but she's overconfident as ever. it's hard to see, but guzma might notice there's several hand-shaped bruises running up both her arms, dimming the glowing tattoos on them slightly. when she gets to guzma, she crouches down and holds her hand out.]

Come on. Let's get you and your friend out.

[nihiletgo]

Tch... Time of my life.

[Maybe he should be annoyed at her response, but somehow he finds it more amusing than not.

After all, the little ghost girl on his ankles is far more a nuisance than the woman reaching out to help him. Those tattoos catch his eye before the bruises, but right now he's just focused on getting the hell out of this freezing puddle. His grip is strong, perhaps a little stronger than needs be, but using her as an anchor, he pulls himself free of that ghost's grip and out of that icy water.

...But now half of him is soaked, and it's not any warmer for it!]

Avoidin' the weird ghost girl might be easy, but you ain't lookin' like you avoided much else.

[He comments coolly, eyeing the marks on her arms now that he has the chance to. The tired glance doesn't last long before he's making his way over to Golisopod to likewise help him, waving for her to follow him to the distressing bug monster.]

Get his other arm.

[phaseflex]

I am here to help people who cannot protect themselves, [she says, matter of factly.] You are together? What a big boy!

[please, like she can't do this herself. she presses her hands together briefly, tattoos lighting up as she summons six ethereal arms that float behind her back. reaching out, she grabs golisopod with all 8 of her hands.]

Kick! I've got you!

[with her helping hands, so to speak, she figures she can probably pull this big bugger out the pool no problem.]

[nihiletgo]

Yeah, we are. And I can protect myself just--

[His indignation dies in his throat just as the pairing expression shifts to amazement when he sees those arms. His mind jumps to wondering if that ghost girl sunk more than just her fingernails into him, but some sort of delusional madness...is he hallucinating, here?

It doesn't matter, not when she's lifting Golisopod, and who knows how much his kicks do anything when his legs are so small and those arms are so incredible. Once free of the pool of water, Golisopod grunts out his thanks. Quickly returning to Guzma's side as both Pokémon and trainer step away from the offending puddles, leveling their own appraising stares at Amara.]

...what exactly are you, lady?

[phaseflex]

[she's always been a show-off. amara grins as golisopod returns to guzma. exactly like FL4K.]

You don't know of Sirens? I am one of only six in the universe, the Tiger of Partali! I am Amara.

[she holds a hand out to shake.] And you are?

[nihiletgo]

Sirens?

[The way he says it is as if the word is utterly foreign to him, and for the most part, it kind of is.

Or, if anything, what his world would call a siren would definitely not be some 8 armed tattooed lady. Not that the moniker matters to him, not when her raw strength and power was far more his speed.]

Yeah, ain't familiar with none, nor no Partali. Only six in the universe, huh? Awful special, ain't ya?

[But he shrugs it off, like it's not a big deal, even if it is. His eyes falling to her offered hand, but his remain nestled in his damp pockets. Damn, he really needs to get out of the cold.

His gaze flicks back up to meet hers as he offers her a wide grin.]

I'm the great Guzma—the hated boss of Team Skull.

[phaseflex]

We are certainly something. [look, when you have the skills to back up your boasting and more, you sure as hell boast all the time. her power and celebrity went right to her head, but amara's thing is that she didn't let it warp her morals like some others did.

doesn't mean she can't be insufferably arrogant at times, though.] Hated boss, eh? Doesn't that give you worry for a mutiny?

[she's being sardonic-- doesn't care he doesn't shake. he's not trying to shoot her, so honestly, that's a step up from 99% of the people she's met in the last year or so.]

We should keep moving, by the way. That makes it harder for her to grab us again.

[nihiletgo]

[Hey, he can't blame her. He knows all too well what it feels like to flaunt power, and how rewarding the awe and fear of it can be.]

Nah—my own know better than to cross me. Ain't no one more feared in Alola than ya boy here.

[Alola fears him and hates him... His team fears him as much as they love him. Or, maybe they just fear him, it's all the same to him. He shrugs at her suggestion (despite agreeing), waving for Golisopod to follow them as they start to make their way.]

Moving and avoidin' them puddles. I'm no stranger to ghosts, but I can't say I've ever dealt with one like that.

Little shits like that common here?

B

[neverstudied]

[Frankly, when Venkman arrives on the scene, the first thing he does is point his proton gun at the Golisopod.

Look. You give the Ghostbuster a giant, multilegged monstrous bug and a guy yelling for help, and he's gonna make some assumptions about whether or not the bug is the root of the problem. He figures out his mistake rather quickly, though- and just as quickly realizes his proton gun really isn't gonna cut it here. If he shoots the puddle, Guzma and Golisopod are probably both getting fried. But he's a bit too far away to reach them and grab them in time...]

Shit- here, grab this-

[In a particularly stupid, somewhat desperate act, Venkman flings the gun towards the duo. It's still attached to him and his pack by the hose, and with any luck, the two can grab on and pull themselves to safety.

So long as no one accidentally pulls the trigger. And the hose doesn't pop off. And the gun doesn't go off on impact with the ground. And Venkman can hold on tight to something and not get pulled in with Guzma and the Golisopod...

Look, no one said he was the smart one.]

[nihiletgo]

[For the mere moment Venkman aims his gun at Golisopod, Guzma's irritation with his situation shifts to anger at his would-be hero. Sure, he might be getting dragged into a puddle of unfathomable depth and bone chilling temperatures, but what did that matter when his partner had a gun aimed at him?

Not that Guzma could do much, considering the circumstances, but the error is quickly corrected—though perhaps corrected isn't exactly accurate. Not when it's merely replaced with a slew of possible mistakes.

First, the gun hits the ground, the force causing it to fire off, narrowly missing both Guzma and Golisopod, which makes both of them nearly lose the grip that's barely keeping them from being dragged under.]

Watch it, asshole!

[Second, Guzma grabs for the gun (after a moment of hesitation he could ill afford), but his hands stay clear of the trigger. Third, the Skull boss begins to pull himself free of the puddle, wrapping that hose around his arm as he does so. It's much easier than anticipated, until (finally) there's the added weight of Golisopod as the Pokémon takes hold of his trainer's offered hand. There's no leaving that big lug behind!

Venkman might not be a smart man, but we better hope he's a strong one, because that's roughly 400lbs pulling on that hose. This isn't including what strength that waterlogged little girl ghost has, and who knows how ripped those ectoplasmic biceps are!

If Venkman doesn't give under the pull of it all, that hose might, but at least Guzma's nearly free of the puddle.

[neverstudied]

[He winces as the gun hits the ground- here's hoping he didn't damage the equipment again- but at least no one's gotten shot. Yet.]

Hey, my bad, just trying to save your life here-

[The good news is, Venkman actually is pretty fucking strong, especially in a crisis situation once adrenaline kicks in. He's more than capable of lifting a full grown man wearing a proton pack, so a man without one isn't a hard task. Golisopod, though...

As soon as Venkman registers the fact he's going to be pulling that up with Guzma, he glances frantically around for anything he can hold onto to keep himself grounded. They're near to an alleyway, so he winds up practically wrapping himself around the supports for a fire escape and hoping for the best.

The hose is straining at this point- it's built to withstand a lot of abuse, but this is really pushing it. Only a few more seconds before Venkman knows for sure he'll be coming to see Ray with a very broken proton pack. Better make them count!]

[nihiletgo]

By throwin' a gun at me? Didn't really think that one through, didja?

[Says the man who tried to attack a ghost, but look lets not get too wrapped up in the details. Fortunately, those few seconds are enough for Guzma to get himself fully out of the water. Which means Venkman isn't entirely alone with pulling that big bug out once he's able to get his own two feet firmly on the ground.

Whatever hold there was on Golisopod below the depths of that chilly water seems to let go, because in the next instant all resistance gives way (well, other than what Golisopod's fat bottom naturally has). Which means Guzma's losing his balance and falling right on his ass rather unceremoniously.

...And finding himself being crushed by his Pokémon. It's a good thing Guzma's a large dude, and hardly fragile to boot, or he might have gotten more than some bruising from the impact! Instead, he lets out an annoyed grunt, and pushes the bug off of him. Though, more accurately, Golisopod clambers off of him the moment he feels Guzma push.]

Well, that was annoyin'.

[Guzma huffs out as he rises to his feet, looking over his soaked clothes with a scowl, before directing it at Venkman as he frees his arm from the poor abused hose, taking the gun in his other hand to do so.]

What the hell is this thing, anyway—and who're you, huh?

[neverstudied]

Using what I've got, here- don't exactly have a rope...

[The end of the hose connected to the pack sparks ominously on the final tug. As Guzma's Golisopod collapses on top of him, Venkman nervously examines the worn material, debating if he should take the whole pack off and throw it aside. Just in case it gives up entirely and self-destructs.

He only looks up again when Guzma addresses him, and he eyes the gun in his hand.]

... Dr. Peter Venkman. Ghostbuster. And you probably don't want to keep holding that.

[nihiletgo]

[Guzma's eyes follow the other man's to the gun, and a grin spread on his face. As he levels his gaze back to the—ghostbuster, was it? He aims the gun at him with a side grip, the menacing crease to his brow helps nothing.]

Yeah? And why's that, doc?

[Whether or not Guzma intends to pull that trigger is absolutely left up in the air, maybe even Guzma doesn't know, but he can't help but be contrary to people... Even those who just saved him.]

[neverstudied]

[Flatly:]

Because you're holding a nuclear weapon that you and your giant cockroach just damaged. The odds of you actually shooting me are about as high as the odds that you're gonna kill yourself with it. Or knock yourself right back into that puddle.

[Venkman's had his life threatened by everything from gremlins to Sumerian gods. This is nothing.]

[nihiletgo]

[Guzma doesn't seem fazed by the news, his eyes merely going back to the gun in his hand, before lowering it with a casual shrug.]

Pretty dangerous stuff—makes it even more stupid you chucked it around like that.

[He says, and then tosses the thing back to Venkman.]

Ain't no cockroach—he's Golisopod, and he can handle a lot more than you think.

[Just ignore this mishap with the ghost girl, that was a fluke.]

A; suffer my one icon

[hauabunga]

[Hau's transition to this new world has been an interesting one so far. Despite the basket and the note, he's left feeling confused and a bit over his head with more questions than answers. He thought exploring the town might help him, but the dismissive responses from the townspeople just leave him more frustrated than anything else. Man, he could go for some malasadas...

He's actually wandering about looking for a malasada shop when Golisopod suddenly blocks his path and effortlessly lifts him by his shirt.]

Waaaah!

[The motion is so sudden he can't help but cry out in surprise, but it doesn't take long for him to see that both his assailants are very familiar to him. Despite his position, he gives a friendly smile to them both.]

Woah, Guzma! I didn't know you were here too!

murders u

[nihiletgo]

[True to form Guzma acted before thinking, which is why it takes till he hears Hau's voice to fully realize who it is that Golisopod has in his claws. There's a momentary shift in his expression as he stares at the dangling boy, before that grin resurfaces. A dangerous look in his eyes—were Hau not just part of that merry band trying to storm Po Town, maybe he'd let his guard down a little more, alas...]

Seems I ain't the only one who got swept up to this town, huh?

[He glances to Golisopod, and for a second they exchange looks, before Golisopod lowers Hau. He doesn't release his claws from his shirt, mind you, but rather allows the kid to stand on his own two feet.]

One of them UBs get ya too, huh?

FINE I uploaded more

[hauabunga]

[Hau laughs, lighthearted and seemingly careless in the face of the situation being discussed. When Golisopod lowered him enough to stand on his own two feet he simply rubbed at the back of his head with one hand. The fact that Golisopod still hadn't fully let go of him doesn't escape him, but he figures there must be a reason...]

Haha, I guess so! I don't really get how we got here though.

[Ah, Guzma mentioned UBs...?]

Oh! It wasn't any Ultra Beasts though— Sun took care of all that, yeah?

And people say violence doesn't solve anything!

[nihiletgo]

[As he watches the boy, he can feel his guard slipping bit by bit. Not entirely, however, not when they're both in a strange place, and nothing he's read nor seen has given him an explanation worth believing. However, Hau's reminding him of the non-threat that he is, and that's a little disarming.

Golisopod, however, continues to watch Hau, keeping his hold secure and firm.]

Sun?

[Guzma squints at the name, trying to recall who that even—]

You mean the part-timer?

[Was he even there? He guesses he was...there was so much going on at the time, he didn't really do much of a headcount when he unleashed the Ultra Beasts down upon the crowd.]

[hauabunga]

[Hau watches Guzma with interest, head tilting slightly as he did. Did Guzma not know who Sun was? But they were just talking recently....]

Part-timer?

[He repeats confused.]

Um... he might of done some work. I dunno! Do you really not remember him?

[Maybe Sun did something like Pyukumuku chucking during his island challenge? He wouldn't be surprised.]

[nihiletgo]

[At the question, Guzma tilts his head even more. However, he does gesture for Golisopod to lay off. Thus Golisopod retracts his claws, freeing Hau completely, before returning to Guzma's side, watching the boy still.

Guzma scoffs.]

Should I?

[He does, but he's playing off his initial reaction as the more valid one. He shrugs his shoulders, downplaying it even more.]

Don't matter, the brat's not here.

Guessin' you ain't got a bone to pick with me no more—or did those captains just drag you along 'cos "strength in numbers" or some other silly nonsense like that?

[hauabunga]

[Hau breathes a sigh of relief at being fully released, taking a moment to stretch before ultimately resting both his hands comfortably behind his head.]

Well yeah! We, like, were all just talking weren't we?

[The way he called Sun a brat though... well, ok that checked out somewhat just by this being Guzma, but then he goes on about Hau ever having a bone to pick with him and the trial captains? That just makes Hau's face scrunch up in confusion.]

Wait— What are you talking about?

[nihiletgo]

Huh?

[Hau's confusion...confuses Guzma. Well, that and the fact he was talking about the three of them chatting? That's never happened, hell, the last time he had any sort of "chat" with that part-timer was at the tournament, when he wrecked the boy's arm, and then got crushed...

His expression sours recalling that, but also because he's not sure what to think of this Hau before him. Narrowing his eyes once more, his brow furrows, those scars adorning his forehead pronouncing the creases.]

I don't got a clue what the hell you're talkin' about, kid. I suggest you start makin' sense.

[Everything so far has been strange since he's arrived, so he's starting to wonder if this Hau is just another part of the oddity this place seems set on. If maybe he's some sort of...delusion, or illusion, or...something. The way his posture stiffens and becomes tense when just before he had eased, isn't a good sign...]