soddersays | FEBRUARY 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

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FEBRUARY 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to February's Test Drive Meme! This month's Test Drive's theme is: DYSTOPIAN/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 in Rapture. More information can be found in February's Prelude post.

CW: Centipede-like insect picture (linked), potential for bugs burrowing into skin, mind control, violence, potential for murder, potential for suicide, death by explosive device, genetic modification (Splicers by default)
Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!

Prompt One
Prompt Two
Character Arrival
Master Navigation

A SLAVE OBEYS

Adjusting to Rapture may already be a challenge for most; the lack of sunlight, the constant worry about whether the glass and metal surrounding you is really going to hold, the lack of powers you might be used to... Especially when there seems to be something or someone looking for a fight around every corner. Maybe you were lucky and found an abandoned apartment to crash in or maybe you were unfortunate enough to have to find some gap between rubble piles to curl up in out of sight; no matter what, it's doubtful you're getting a restful nights sleep very easily.

Those few moments where you're left unaware still leave you vulnerable and there's one creature that will take advantage of your moment of rest: a strange bug that is looking for a host. If you're fortunate, it will latch on to the base of your neck without you being fully aware; once discovered, these bugs can be pulled off with the help of a friend with a strong grip. They may take a chunk of skin with them, but at least they'll be gone, right? The less fortunate are in for more of an ordeal. The bugs will bite the skin to numb it before burrowing itself inside, latching on directly to the muscle surrounding your spine. These bugs will have to be surgically removed — whether that's from an actual skilled doctor (of which there are few) or someone willing to cut into you with a (hopefully) clean knife all depends on how desperate you are.

Whether it's latched or burrowed, the effect is the same: anyone with this bug attached to them will be unable to refuse the commands of the people around them. It can be something as simple as standing still or something as significant as killing another person... or even yourself. If you're someone with a particularly strong will, you may be able to fight off these commands with an extreme amount of effort, but it will leave you with blurry vision, dizziness, a severe migraine, and muscle weakness when you try for too long. Let's hope you run into someone altruistic rather than someone vengeful. For your sake.

NOTE: Characters can be controlled by other characters or players are welcome to utilize NPCs who might make their character attack other characters.

AN INVITE TO THE FISHERIES

If you're the investigative type or if you really just want to look for answers to what the fuck is going on, you might get a few helpful Splicers who are going to direct you to one place: Fontaine Fisheries. They won't tell you anything about the place or who you might be looking for, but they will tell you knock twice and make sure you do what you're told if you're not looking for trouble.

If you follow this advice, you'll end up in front of a large steel door with a sliding door peephole built in. Knock twice and the sliding door will open, a pair of eyes glaring at you from the other side with suspicion. If you're alone, you'll be ordered to come back with someone who's willing to vouch for you, promising you aren't working for the enemy and who you're willing to vouch for in return. If you already brought a friend, you'll go through the process of these paranoid promises, before being told to deposit all of your weapons into the bin beside you. The door won't open until you've shown you're empty handed.

Once inside, you'll find yourself in an old fisherman's warehouse, covered in ice and fog. Going inside, you won't be able to see the man who opened the door for you, almost like he's run for cover. If you decide not to turn around and leave, venturing further inside will make you hear the paranoid shout of the man:

I CAN SMELL 'IM ON YA! YOU'RE FONTAINE'S DOG!
A second later and you'll hear the sound of something heavy skittering across the ice. If you're quick, you'll notice it's an explosive, and hopefully duck for cover. Once you know what he's tossing, you have just enough time to pick these explosives up and throw them back at their owner if you're hoping to kill him. For the more peaceful types, you can team up and use the fog and ice to your advantage to sneak up on your attacker and knock him out.

If one or both of you manages to neutralize the threat and survive the attack, you can move further into the warehouse to find a medium sized box filled with a small supply of small weapons (pistols, ammo, a wrench), EVE hypos, some canned food, some medical supplies, and a map of Rapture.

No answers, though. Seems like you were sent on a wild good chase by someone hoping you might not come back from it.

Character Arrival

You can read how all characters arrive in Deerington here.

NOTE: Characters can arrive in Deerington or in Rapture this month. More information can be found in February's Prelude post.

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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Arrival: Deerington or Rapture

There are days that Stephen really wishes that he could say that waking up in a different dimension from the one in which he went to sleep was unusual. It's alarming, yes. Dangerous, inconvenient, and problematic for a myriad of reasons. But unusual? No. Sadly not.

The first thing he does is try to portal back to his proper location. When the spell fails to stabilize, completely falling apart on every metaphysical level, the Sorcerer Supreme checks both his hands themselves and the ambient magic in the air. He focuses and tries again-- for the better part of half an hour, just to be sure. After which, it's on to other spells in a fruitless attempt to return home.

Eventually, he resigns himself (temporarily) to his situation. The best course of action now is to get the lay of the land and to see who and what occupies this particular reality.

in Deerington:
This sleepy little New England town seems to have been the recent victim of a series of bizarre catastrophes. Armed with the information gleaned from the basket that had been left for him, he's off to explore the town.

in Rapture:
Stephen has found a suitcase with his name on it, packed with a curious selection of supplies that make him wonder quite what he's gotten himself into. First taking the initiative to hide it--as well as leaving the Cloak behind to protect it--he starts walking. This underwater city is impressive and (not so) vaguely menacing, and the faster he can work out what's going on here, the better.

A Slave Obeys

On the positive side, the glass that separates water from the submerged city provides a really nice reflective surface in which to view the creature that has latched itself to him while he slept. He can see it, but he can't seem to get it to release of its own accord. On the negative side, while Dr. Strange is (was) a skilled surgeon, removing something from the back of his own neck poses quite a tricky problem. If his magic had been working properly (ie. at all) this would pose no worry. Alas....

Stephen's head is beginning to ache. Stress? or something worse? He suspects the attached insect is the cause, but he isn't yet sure what the results of this bite will be.

An Invite to the Fisheries

The peephole slams shut with a clang, leaving Strange blinking at its abruptness. While it does not strike him as a particularly unusual request, the good doctor has yet to encounter anyone who would vouch for him with any actual knowledge of his character. He fails to see how mutual vouching accomplishes much more than allowing two persons with ill intentions to enter, but if that's the way they wish to run their operation, who is he to question their nigh infallible logic?

He will attempt again after locating either a friend or an accomplice. Whatever is behind that door, he needs to see it himself.

No one expected to find themselves in a place like Rapture. Not the people who were in Deerington before and not the ones who've arrived here now. Naturally, they're all looking for a way out or, at least, a way to survive. Given that the world tends to do what it wants without giving a shit about what they might want, Walker focuses more on the survival aspect.

It's while she's hunting for supplies that she spots a man doing some sort of magic trick with the air. She looks down at him from the 2nd floor of the room, which overlooks the open area below. Since it's kind of interesting, she sits there, legs off the side of the platform. When the display ends, he gets a slow *clap... clap.. clap* for his efforts.

"Nice light show."

Because Stephen had needed to concentrate in order to achieve the best results from his (failing) spells, he hadn't heard anyone approach and thus certainly hadn't realized that he is being observed. A brief conflict of emotions ensues in his mind as general annoyance or civility vies for dominance. Stephen decides to err on the side of caution and keep the irritation from his voice. His magic's poor performance likely has nothing to do with his audience. It's just something that happens to him in some realities. Or in some timelines. Far too often, he admits to himself reluctantly.

"I think the water may be dampening the effect," he observes, "but it still makes a spark."

Stephen gives a half-hearted wave of acknowledgement to the woman on the platform. "I regret to have to ask this, but do you know where we are?"

He's not the first person with magic to show up in this realm, which likes to throw them into other strange places from time to time. It appears his powers have been dampened just like so many others. Walker's given up on the idea that someone will show up here with the power to get them home. Mostly, she focuses on survival.

"Rapture. That's what the posters say." She saw a few of them hung up around the city declaring this some kind of utopian civilization, though it doesn't look like one.

"Before this, we were on the Titanic. And before that, we were in Deerington. Or.. maybe not you, if you just got here."

"Well, that's disgusting."

The remark itself may be dry, but it is still sufficiently marinated in disgust to make it believable. And indeed it's by far not as much a lie as many other comments Loki has made during his life have been. And even though he isn't clarifying whether he is talking about the worm or the human, it remains safe to assume that he means the insect.

Granted, he has many reasons to (still) be angry with the sorcerer, but a couple of recent developments have caused a bit of a shift in priorities for the Asgardian. His own still too recent death being one of them. Finding himself in this realm rather than simply, you know, dead - That's another. Lacking access to his magic? Well, that one he's truly mad about. So in a way Stephen may consider himself lucky that Loki's wrath is currently preoccupied elsewhere when the Asgardian stumbles across the human and his little insect-problem.

It's also thanks to Loki being rather displeased with his own situation that he refrains from making any further unrequited comment or settling back to watch Stephen struggle, but instead grabs the man by the shoulder with one hand and grabbing the worm with the other while directing a simple command at Stephen, unaware of the effect the bug has on the other man.

"Just hold still."

Strange turns at the quip of a familiar voice with a facial expression on that betrays a complete lack of surprise at its owner's presence here. Having made a point to become intimately familiar with the Asgardian's particular skill set and tendency for mischief--to the extent that he arranged an audience to with Thor to address the potential risks of Loki's continued unchaperoned freedom and had sent the pair of them on through a one-way portal to Norway--seeing Loki wandering nonchalantly through the streets of a sunken city that the Sorcerer Supreme had made no conscious choice to visit lies distinctly within the realms of expectation.

"Loki. To what do I owe the privilege?" Stephen knows that his own magic is weak, failing, or worse. Picking a fight before he knows the other's intentions is beyond foolish. The trickster's attention seems to be on the creature attached to Stephen's neck at the moment, but Strange does not have long to wonder at his interest.

At the sound of Loki's command to 'hold still', something truly horrifying happens. Stephen obeys, halting all motion quite against his own will.

It's not as if the sorcerer hadn't taken the proper mental precautions. In fact, there are few minds in the multiverse more secure than that of the Sorcerer Supreme. However, his reaction to Loki's voice seems to be originating from the insect creature. Biological rather than mystical? he ponders. That is a very big oversight on his part that he'll be sure to correct for future encounters.

With an effort of will disproportionate to the result, Strange raises a hand just enough to point to the insect. "Friend of yours?"

Loki doesn't miss the fact that Stephen does very exactly and very abruptly what he has been told. It's less the part where the man stops moving at all, but rather the odd suddenness in which Stephen ceases to do anything. The Asgardian raises a brow in response, putting his plan to jerk the nasty worm free on an at least temporary hold while shifting his attention back onto the insect for a bit of a closer look.

"Not yet...?" He muses, loosening his grasp around the creature enough for it to begin squirming more aggressively and attempting to - Burrow into Stephen's neck?

The Asgardian watches these frantic movements for maybe two and a half seconds, lips pressing into a thin line before his hand closes around the worm again and he plain yanks it out, tearing skin and flesh along with it. The worm is tossed onto the ground and almost instantly impaled by a small blade thrown right after it by a still sufficiently disgusted Loki.

"No." he declares with a simple finality before shifting his attention away from the insect and back to the sorcerer "Please tell me you weren't as attached to it as it was to you, because this was gross."

Gwen would recognize that cloak anywhere. Especially paired with that salt and pepper haircut. She would have thought Sodder would wait until they're all back in Deerington to bring new people in, but guess not. Being on the Titanic didn't stop new people from arriving, why would being in Rapture be any different?

"Dr. Strange! Hey!" She rushes up to him, quickly realizing he's got one of those gross spine-burrowing bugs on him. "Yeuck... Want me to get that off for you?"

She may or may not have an understanding that this isn't the same Dr. Strange who helped her out before.

Because the Cloak is so recognizable as part of the accouterments of the Sorcerer Supreme, some may say iconic, it's no surprise to Dr. Strange that someone in this bizarre place might recognize him. When he turns to see who is calling after him-- his face will look familiar to Gwen, although not as the Strange who helped her in the past. (He does look startlingly like Buttercup Cumberpatch.)

It occurs to him slowly that when she called for him to get his attention, he could not have ignored the summons if he had tried. Stephen had taken great care to seal his mind from invasion, but this creature seems to be a little more persistent than most.

"That would be appreciated. I cannot seem to quite be able to reach it myself." He hastens to add, "Gently, if you can."

Okay, the face is a little different than the Dr. Strange she knows. A little too Bendydick Bramblepatch. Different Strange then. MCU Strange. She'd popped into Earth-616 before she ever got to see his movie, but seeing him here in the hair and makeup and costume, all doubts she had in her mind about the casting are wiped away.

"Sure, let me take a look." She comes up behind him and peers closely at the back of his neck, pinching the little worm carefully and giving it a light tug. Frowning, she advises, "Boy, he's really glomped onto you there... I might have to cut him off. Is that okay? I promise, I'm real good with a knife."

Says the mercenary to the former brain surgeon.

Depending on Dr Strange's timeline and world, he may or may not recognise Quentin Beck by name or reputation. Regardless, Beck does recognise the the Sorcerer Supreme. He'd done a decent amount of research in the past about the Avengers and any associates - and Nick Fury had filled him in with some other details. Nothing too classified, but still, things a new hero in their midst might need to know about joining a team. He had enough knowledge to have a basic idea of Strange's talents and what he looked like.

So he did address the man, seemingly friendly if slightly cautious.

"They're very unhelpful, aren't they? Need a hand?"

There wasn't anything odd about his current attire. Casual clothing, he was neat and nicely groomed. Although in this place, that may be a little surprising. He had had access to his luggage so a change of clothing and comb had definitely helped after the ordeal of the sinking.

Aside from his arcane studies and lofty intellectual pursuits, Doctor Strange does his fair share of mundane research as well. While he definitely wouldn't have bothered looking into former employees of Stark Industries under normal circumstances, a word from Fury had put Quentin Beck on his radar. A man claiming to be from a different Earth is a person of interest, after all. Even so, the Sorcerer Supreme is a busy man with many responsibilities, and in that capacity, he'd been unavailable during the conflict involving Mysterio.

In conclusion, Beck's face and name are a familiar subject to the displaced sorcerer. Beck's reputation? Not so much. Unverified claims of inter-dimensional travel are as good as rumor.

And currently, there seems to been a bigger issue. He ignores the 'hand' quip with a straight expression, having no reason to believe the comment had been made with prior knowledge of his injury.

"If they're not careful, one might be lead to believe they don't want anyone entering their clubhouse. Unfortunately, I find myself in need of exactly that." He jerks a thumb to indicate the closed door, incredulous. "They are asking for individuals to vouch for one another to enter."

"Then you're in luck, aren't you?" Beck's expression breaks into a grin.
"I vouch for you. You vouch for me. Doctor Strange, isn't it...? You don't know me," he assumes. "But I have heard of my fellow hero." And he holds out a hand to shake. "I am Mysterio, a recent Avenger. You were unavailable during the last huge battle we had but myself and Spider-Man took care of that, under Nick Fury's supervision."

Yes, he is name dropping all over the place.

This guy looks... interesting. Baby does his best not to stare, but it's sort of hard not to when a tall man in a goatee who looks like he belongs in a kid's magic show is striding by you.

At least his sunglasses hide most of the staring. He could just be looking off into the middle distance. Totally.

For a man who typically dresses in the peculiar fashion of his title, Stephen Strange is frequently oblivious to (or unconcerned with) the potential reactions of those who have never seen the Sorcerer Supreme in action. While it's true he could have disguised the Cloak of Levitation as something a little less flamboyant (perhaps a red scarf with gold fringe), the immediately present complication of his clearly weakened magic means that he both needs to limit his spell casting to necessities and have the Cloak ready at a moment's notice should he find himself in need of its brand of assistance.

He's on alert as he walks down the street of this strange place, and thus he does feel a watchful gaze fall on him. Stephen passes a young man in sunglasses wearing earbuds, likely the source of the staring he feels. He pauses, then turns on the spot to face Mr Sunglasses, tapping his ear as if to request an earbud be removed.

Stephen doesn't, however, wait for the request to be complied before asking his question. "This may seem like an odd request, but could you tell me where I am?"

The young man in question does not, in fact, remove his earbuds. Or turn his music off, for that matter. Instead he watches the other man's face and nods a little to show he's understood.

"From what I've been told, we're in Maine. Somewhere in Maine, no one I've talked to is really sure the details. We might be in a different time, too?"

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FEBRUARY 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

FEBRUARY 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

A SLAVE OBEYS

AN INVITE TO THE FISHERIES

Character Arrival

Dr. Stephen Strange | Marvel Comics / MCU

Arrival

so sorry for the very late response!

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A Slave Obeys

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A slave obeys

sorry for the lateness, but it's good to see Gwen!

never too late!

Fisheries

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Arrival: Deerington

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