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soddersays2020-07-24 05:49 pm
sodder) wrote in soddersays2020-07-24 05:49 pm
Entry tags:
AUGUST 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME
AUGUST 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME
Welcome to August's Test Drive Meme! This month's Test Drive's theme is: CRYPTID HORROR.
All Test Drive Memes contain at least one clue to the Deerington's upcoming in-game events for the month! Keep your eyes peeled! But...not literally.
Characters may die during TDMs, but you do not need to count it towards a game-canonical death unless you want to. Consider it a freebie. All TDMs can be considered game canon as TDMs introduce minor aspects about the world of Deerington that can be revisited by characters later on in the game. You may also use TDMs for your application writing sample as well as AC.
CW: Violent animals, ghosts, hallucinations
Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!
ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?
Everyone loves s'mores, right? Of course you do. If you've never had them, you're gonna love them, and if for some reason you hate them, well, as it usually goes in Deerington, something inside of you will nag at you about how maybe you ought to give them another chance. There's a variety of different kinds of s'more flavors to try and plenty of perfect campfires to roast your marshmallows over. There's promise of wholesome and innocent fun to be had! Surely that won't be a lie this time.Everyone who gathers around the fire for some tasty treats will find themselves in the mood to share creepy stories from their home worlds. Maybe they make one up on the spot or maybe it's an ancient legend that was passed down through the ages. Regardless, there's gonna be a whole variety of spooky stories, and the flavor s'more you're eating seems to dictate the theme that you'll end up leaning towards.
🔥 Traditional S'Mores will have people wanting to tell classic ghost stories. Maybe it's a haunted house you ended up in or a spirit who possessed the friend of the brother of this guy from your town once. The main theme here will be ghosts of all varieties.
🔥 Peanut Butter & Chocolate S'Mores will have people wanting to tell slasher stories. A famous serial killer from home, maybe, or the story about a group of kids who went up into a cabin in the mountains where there was once said to be a creepy caretaker and they were never heard from again...
🔥 Chocolate Chip Cookie S'Mores will have people wanting to tell monster stories. Local legends, maybe, or the classic stories about werewolves, vampires, and Bigfoot. Any kind of monsters will do.
🔥 Salted Caramel S'Mores will inspire people to tell revenge stories. These could be legendary warnings that exemplify why vengeance always leads to digging two graves. Or maybe it's your own story of revenge from home— or the fantasy revenge you'd like to get someday.
🔥 Nutella S'Mores will have people wanting to tell personal horror stories. These stories are ones that hit extremely close to home. The scariest, most bone-chilling memory you have, no matter how silly or serious it may be in comparison to those around you. Hopefully most people aren't fans of chocolate hazelnut?
Regardless of which story you hear, anyone gathered around the campfire will listen intently to all words spoken, and they will find themselves believing every word. On your walk home, you'll be filled with a sense of paranoia and dread, seeing things move out of the corner of your eye that may or may not be there. Is that a man with a hook for a hand or is your imagination just playing tricks on you? It's certainly hard to tell.
These can stay as harmless hallucinations, but for those who end up stuck in the paranoia for too long without being talked down, they will slowly start to become real. Eventually, they can become solid enough for other people to start seeing them, and the creatures from your mind may even start to attack. They can be defeated with normal weaponry or by the power of positive thinking! Wish your attacker away with enough conviction, and poof! They'll be gone.
Let's hope you can do it before you end up the victim for the next slasher story someone tells.
AHHH! REAL MONSTERS
It seems that the monsters from these stories aren't the only ones popping up in Deerington, though. There's talk from locals of multiple sightings of classic Maine legends all over town. They're easy to ignore as the townsfolk just being easily spooked for a while. But when enough stories start to line up, you might start to think maybe there's some truth to them. Or maybe you'll even end up seeing one of the monsters for yourself.Down in Lake Tomoei, the legendary Cassie can sometimes be spotted peaking up from the water, or trying to attack anyone who even tries to go near the lakes shores. She's a nasty beast with one hell of a temper and she's quite possessive of the lake she's found herself in. 100 feet long with a skinny neck and a fish like tale, she definitely seems like a force to be reckoned with. Cassie is easily injured by ordinary weapons, but her skin is thick, so it will take a while to draw blood. Most likely, she'll disappear into the depths of the lake before she can be killed.
Up in the mountains, there's talk of the ancient evil Pamola. Penobscot legend describes him as half-man, half-eagle, with the head of a moose and a temper to match one. Pamola can't stand people visiting his mountain, even for a casual hike, and will often try to deter people away with random and unpredictable storms; thunder, snow, and powerful winds will beat down on whoever goes looking for Pamola. If you manage to find him, he will show no mercy when he attacks. Most who have tried to find him have been killed and eaten by the evil spirit. Because he's an ancient spirit, he will be particularly hard to defeat if you manage to find him; he can not be killed, but you can offer a sacrifice to quell his anger. If you have magical powers that can hurt deities, these will still be effective in weakening him until he retreats.
The final creature that seems to be wandering about is the Specter Moose (pictured above). This moose is thirteen feet tall, with thirteen foot wide antlers, and is a blinding white color. The moose can be found wandering in the park, usually, but sometimes it comes out to look around town. He may seem harmless, even cute, but don't get to close; moose are dangerous and locals fear them for a reason. They can charge at the drop of a hat and not even large vehicles tend to survive an encounter with a creature that big. The Specter Moose also seems to be incapable of being injured by normal weapons; solid objects mostly go right through it, unless it's purposefully aiming for them. You'll either have to get a shot in while he's slamming into something (or someone) or just run. Anyone who has magic or weapons that can hurt spiritual beings will be able to fight the Specter Moose as they normally would.
Character Arrival
You can read how all characters arrive in Deerington here.There is not a collective "all these characters showed up at the exact same moment" occurrence in Deerington. Since characters fall asleep, die, or pass out at various times throughout all their worlds, it wouldn't make too much sense if they arrived in game all at the exact same time. There should be some discrepancy between character arrival, whether by a couple minutes, hours, or even days up to a week.
The players are entirely in control of how/when they want to play their characters arriving in Deerington. For TDMs, you can play it like your character has just arrived and that can be maintained as your game canon, or you can wait until game events for that moment. Or you don't need to acknowledge it at all. The flexibility for character allows a bit more of an organic feel to the character arrival situation, so please play it to whatever feels right for you.
If you are interested in having an "arrival" introduction for one of your TDM prompts, you are more than welcome to explore that option.
Ann Takamaki | Persona 5 | ota
[ There's absolutely NO ONE in the world who has the ability to stop Ann Takamaki from partaking in sweets when the mood hits her (which is near anytime sweets are in her line of sight). The warmth of the fire is what draws her in first, though the smores are coming in a real close second.
There's stories being passed around, and as Ann chomps into her first (of probably MANY) ooey gooey treat, something hits her: the urge to tell a ghost story. She knows of a few, of course, but she clears her story to tell the first one that comes to mind. ]
I've got a good ghost story. [ She clears her throat -- if she had a flashlight, she'd be shining it under her chin right now, but alas. ] So, I'm from Japan. We've got plenty of ghostly things, you know? But the one story that sticks out the best is story of the Inukane Pass Tunnel. Now, I've never been there...
[ She takes another bite, because look, priorities-- ]
Many years ago, a young girl was murdered there, and her body was never properly laid to rest. They say that if you enter the tunnels, you'll hear whispering. You don't know what it is at first, until you get a little further in. That's when you hear a young girl whisper 'stop', pleading with them not to venture any further. Others have said that even after trying to deeper into the tunnel, a force pushed them violently back out....
[ She hums as she finishes her smores. ]
...We've also got a ton of haunted schools, too. I've heard of ghosts in the school I attend, as a matter of fact.
[ Later on, after smores and horror stories have been had, Ann takes her leave. Except now she's a little more than spooked, and she can't help but think she's hearing someone telling her 'stop' every few seconds, hearing odd, otherwordly, disgusting gurgling noises.
She's pretty sure, at one point, that she is being followed. Someone... may or may not want to reassure her. Maybe. Or laugh. ]
[ 2 - AHHH! Real Monsters: ]
[ The evening after her adventures in ghost stories and smores, Ann finds herself in the park. It's quiet enough, at least, not that she can complain. She takes in a deep breath and exhales slowly, before something catches her attention out of the corner of her eye. What was not there moments ago suddenly is -- a moose. It's a gorgeous creature, really, and for a few seconds, she's in awe.
Except that it wasn't there moments prior. ]
...Hey. [ You. Yes, you-- ] You see that?
[ She jerks her thumb over towards the moose, who seems to be paying them little attention as he slowly meanders along. ]
C - Wildcard
[ Got any ideas? Toss them my way! Feel free to PM me if there's anything you'd like to hash out. ]
2
( ren hasn't had the pleasure of seeing a moose in its natural habitat before. if... anything about any of this could be considered "natural" he supposed. )
It's— ( impossibly white? intimidating? ) ...a lot bigger than I imagined.
( helpful, really. )
Maybe we shouldn't get too close.
no subject
They're pretty huge, yeah. Um... this one is a lot bigger than the ones I've seen, though.
[ Large and intimidating, but beautiful in a way all the same. ]
You're probably right. Something tells me it isn't the type to eat apples from our hands and play nice.
no subject
( it really is huge.
ren, for his part, is keeping his voice down— hoping not to alert their new furry friend and draw any unneeded attention their way. reaching up, he slides two fingers under the rims of his glasses, rubbing at one eye. )
The colour of it is almost blinding.
( albino animals exist, sure. but do they normally come in only the supersize option? )
They, uh... are herbivores, right?
no subject
[ She tips her head to the side slightly, before shrugging. Male, female, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that there is a majestic beast standing at a distance from them.
Her arms are crossed, and she drums her fingers against her elbows before she drops her arms back down to their sides. ]
Yeah. It's... strange. Then again, I guess nothing here is quite like it is at home, huh?
[ As Ren asks that question, the moose suddenly turns its head to face the two. It stares. ]
Yeah, they're herbivores. [ She's quiet for a second, before she suddenly leans in and lowers her voice, deciding the quieter they are right now while in its line of sight, the better. ] Did you know that you can domesticate them? I'd imagine that would take a lot of work, though.
no subject
( as the moose seems to notice them, perhaps by habit, ren quickly crouches down. pressing himself against the nearest tree, he looks over ann's way with a concerned glance, almost as though he was trying to suggest she do the same, with a hushed: ) You can say that again...
( he remains quiet, moving just a little out of his coverage to steal a quick glance to make sure they aren't directly in the thing's immediate path. )
It's reassuring we might not be on the menu, but— it still might not be the best idea to get on the bad side of, you know.
( he raises his hands up, making moose horns on both sides of his head; the thing's antlers, he means. just one of them is bigger than the two of them combined!!
but as he considers her pro-tip, he lowers his hands again, with an added, quieter— )
And I don't think I'm ready to try my hand at training one just yet, either. You?
no subject
She doesn't duck down after him just yet, at least, and instead turns her attention back to the moose. It takes a few steps forward, and then stops again. ]
Hey... so, other than color and size, something seems... off with it.
[ She glances back at Ren and his handy dandy moose antlers, and really, it's hard not to snicker. If there weren't a ginormous animal in their line of sight, she probably would, but desperate times call for desperate measures, or something like that. ]
Not this one, no. I mean, if it were a baby--
[ As it takes another step forward, it is at this point she realizes something; the closer it gets, the chillier it seems to grow. Ann decides that now is the time to sort of side step behind a different tree, though she peeks out, mostly to keep an eye on the animal and to be able to look over at Ren, too. ]
Never mind. Even if this thing was a baby, I think I'd take my chances elsewhere. Speaking of which, uh, we might... want to do that, too...
[ Go elsewhere, that is. ]
no subject
( something definitely seemed off with it. in addition to, you know, the fact that it was almost as big as a house.
almost as if it was in response to the beast inching closer, ren's hand reached behind to rub at the back of his neck, feeling the chill. )
We should wait for— ( he went silent at a grunt from their visitor, wincing a bit at the slight breeze that accompanied it. ) ...for a chance when it's attention is elsewhere.
( or maybe a distraction to lead it off their trail??
his head pokes out just a little more, to catch sight of another half-step in their direction.
uh oh, could it... smell them? )
no subject
Ren, I don't think it's alive... [ She finally takes her gaze off of the moose, looking over at her companion instead with wide eyes. ] I think... it's a ghost, or a demon or something. I don't know what that means for us, though.
[ Maybe this thing doesn't go by moose rules. Whatever moose rules are. Either way, she's looking around for something -- anything, when she suddenly looks up into the treeline. ]
...Do you know how to climb trees? I think we might have an advantage if we can get above it, yeah? Not gonna lie, I'm not the best tree climber myself. Either that, or we can maybe just... back away and hope for the best?
no subject
( it's dead?
i mean. that wouldn't be the strangest thing to happen, probably not even this week, but it is enough to get ren to stop and think for a second. climbing, huh? sure, it's not like he was a pro at it— when was the last time he even tried to scale a tree??— but in the metaverse? hm.
this place, if it really was tapped into the collective unconscious too, then... ) Yeah.
We can do it. ( and he sounds pretty confident when he says so, at least. ) Just like we've done dozens of times.
( there's a nod. and... slowly, he raises to his feet, stealing a glance at their guest, then reaching up to try and get a grip on a hearty branch.
you know what would really come in handy right about now?
a grappling hook. )
no subject
[ Ugh. She glances up at the treeline again, then back over at Ren, trying to see what he thinks about this idea. It's true, they've done this enough times, but those times were different.
Even still, it's a good thing that he's as confident as ever. It's just enough to rub off on her, too, and she nods. ]
Yeah, we can. Just be careful, okay?
[ She pushes herself up, too, and peers up at the tree, shifting a little bit. She's glad for all of their Metaverse adventures, and their trips to the gym; she's become a lot stronger because of that. She'd... second that grappling hook idea, honestly. But right now, they're going to have to settle for sheer willpower and muscles. She presses her foot against the bark and pushes up hard, grabbing onto the closest branch that she can reach. She grunts, struggling to pull herself up because this is a lot harder than she remembers when she was was like... seven... ]
no subject
( it's a pattern that they could really do with less of after the last few times, you know??
ren is only a half branch above, but he has a sure enough footing that he reaches down to pull at ann's wrist to try and give her a little boost in climbing power.
unfortunately for them the rustling of the branches and scratching of bark has attracted their visitor down below, who is now approaching the trunk of their chosen tree with an unhappy grunt...
uh oh... could— could we get a run down of those moose rules again, please?! )
no subject
[ Nature is great and all, but Ann's pretty sure that she never wants to get this up close and personal with it again. She's also half wondering if it can even be considered nature if it's... not alive.
She breathes a sigh of relief as Ren is kind enough to help tug her up. ]
Thanks -- it sucks that we're in this situation, but at least we're together, right?
[ There is safety in numbers, and at least they sort of know what they're doing. Kind of. Except the hideous moose is coming towards the tree and soon, it stands below, staring up at them. If it could frown, it probably would.
Moose rule number one: STAY AWAY FROM THE UNDEAD MOOSE. Ann squeaks as it snorts, feeling an icy breeze shooting up at them. They are lucky enough to be just high enough, that at least they're out of reach. Which is probably a good thing, because as if on cue, the moose lowers his head and begins rubbing his antlers against the bark of their tree. ]
...I don't think I like nature anymore, Ren.
no subject
I'm... not so sure it's the biggest fan of us, either.
( he chances a glance downwards, just to catch the moose's eye directly... as it grinds at the earth beneath it with a mighty hoof.
okay, so, moose rule number two! do not make direct eye contact!! )
H-... Hang on! ( oh god, was it going to charge?? )
no subject
How is this even remotely fair? We didn't even do anything--
[ Oh. The moose stomps its foot, dragging it through the ground beneath, and her eyes widen. It is at this point, that Ann stiffens, her entire back straightens. ]
Oh, hell no--! [ They don't even have any sort of weapons. Ann looks to the left, and then to the right, before she grabs for the one and only thing that she can: a twig. She snaps it off of the branch, leaves and all, and hurls it down towards their spectral visitor. ]
No! Go away! Shoo! Bad moose!
[ The twig, which had twirled magnificently, just sort of awkwardly flies through the moose. In turn, the creature snorts and stomps its hoof again, taking a few steps backwards from the tree and lowering its head. Moose rule number three: do NOT throw twigs at them!!
It's definitely going to charge-- ]
Oh no...
[ The moose is gearing up for a full on charge... and here it comes. It slams into the tree full force, causing the entire thing to shake, but they're lucky because despite the shaking... the tree remains standing. And Ann's basically clinging onto the stupid thing at this point. ]
It has to give up and go away, right? Maybe if we go further up, it'll forget we're here?
no subject
( wow, helpful ren. especially because that scenario would mean they're dead?? but hey, without ryuji here, someone needed to take up the 'dumb comment' mantle for their exploits. something something coping mechanism.
his eyes follow the twig ann had enlisted in their cause, the corner of his mouth dipping into a frown as it sailed through the beast with an audible— ) Mmn... ( of disapproval.
okok, well, on the bright side, if that didn't work then maybe it wouldn't be able to hit the tree, righ—? )
Yeah, we—— !!
( NOPE. moose rule number four, THERE ARE NO RULES..... )
Hang on here it comes again! ( this time he's ready, clinging to the thickest part of the trunk he can find, and his other arm reaching to cling to ann as well, bracing for impact. )
no subject
[ To be fair, she's not sure they aren't dead. That this isn't some weird place between 'heaven' and 'hell', if such places even exist. She can't even question that right now, though, not when there's an undead moose on their case.
This entire situation sucks. And their moosey companion is not giving up. ]
I think we're fine as long as we stay up here--! [ And here he comes. She grabs onto the trunk with one arm, Ren with the other, because really, she wants to protect him just as much as he wants to protect her here. The moose makes impact again, slamming his antlers into the tree, causing the entire thing to shake.
Something miraculous happens this time, though. Its antlers are stuck, and it huffs and snorts as he begins to try and pull free. ]
I lied, this may be our chance to get out of here...
no subject
( but his thoughts are right in line with ann's turning back her way quickly with a curt nod and a— ) Mm.
( in agreement. )
Go, go! I'm right behind you.
didn't submit my app in time.... orz
On it--!
[ Once she's close enough to the ground, she jumps, quickly back pedaling away from the moose. She's going to wait for Ren, of course, because the last thing she wants to do is abandon the poor man.
Their moosey friend is snorting and pulling back hard -- the bark is starting to clip and snap apart. Better hurry, kids... ]
oh no ;; i hope you decide to join us next month, still!!
If all else fails we could always lead him on a— ( don't do it, ren. don't you fucking dare— ) wild moose chase.
Planning on it!! At least I can submit my app first thing LMAO
Fortunately, she takes the leap and only staggers a little when her feet hit solid ground. And then Ren has to go and say that because of course he would-- it makes her laugh despite the situation, at least. ]
... I guess laughing at that makes me [ she glances off to the side. ] easily a-moosed.
[ this is probably how they're going to die, honestly. Killed by a hideous moose creature while having a pun off. Nice! ]
Hey. Jump, and I'll catch you. [ This will work out, probably. She can catch Ren and whisk him away bridal style. Or collapse the minute he hits her arms. Either way!! It's probably a solid plan!! ]
ayyyyy :D
10/10 looking forward to these two doing more stupid things and probably lowering akechi's iq 8D
oh you know it!! make him regretti friendsetti (ര̀ᴗര́)و ̑̑
give him a reason to go crazy tbh ôヮô
1
M-My! That's quite the story you have! B-But it's just a story of course!
[ But ghosts really do exist in Deerington... ]
no subject
[ Ann hums, squeezing at the remainder of her sweet treat, causing marshmallow to ooze out, ]
I guess, if I were a ghost, I'd be angry with that, too. I don't know if I'd really want to stick around and haunt such a secluded place though, you know?
1
But, he's more than willing to believe it now as that creeping sense of fear comes over him. He's sitting there looking a little tense. So, even while apart of him is more than willing to believe it, sheer denial kicks in;]
You're kidding, right? That's just a story.
Ghosts don't exist...god no, Deerington would totally make them exist wouldn't it.
no subject
No, it's true. I mean, a girl did get murdered in those tunnels, so, her spirit is angry. I'd be angry, too. I can't really vouch for the ghost thing, though... haven't been there, but there's been way, WAY too many stories stating otherwise.
...Ghosts are real, and yeah, it sure would.