AUGUST 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

[sodder]

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!

Prompt One
Prompt Two
Character Arrival
Master Navigation

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.

Comments

kurogane | tsubasa reservoir chronicle

[truestrength]

i - arrival;

[ New worlds aren't anything new to Kurogane, and feel more like routine at this point. It's the fact that his traveling companions aren't nearby that has him concerned. He's out of the house almost immediately, looking around the town for signs of any of them.

He'll stop anyone that looks like they'll answer him. ]

Hey. Tell me about this place.

[ Anything that can point him to his group is good enough. ]

ii - are you afraid of the dark;

[ He hates the s'mores. They're too sweet, and if he wanted something sweet it would definitely not be something like this. Yet he can't keep himself for going to make another anyway. It takes a while for Kurogane to figure out what he actually wants out of these s'mores, deciding after he's made on that it smells too sweet and making another. Unfortunately the second one isn't much better and he now has two different kinds—chocolate chip cookie and nutella. Might as well eat one and offer the other. ]

Want one?

iii - ahhh! real monsters;

[ The Specter Moose certainly gets Kurogane's attention, and he watches it for a while even if it's hard to look at with how blinding white it is. He's careful not to do anything to draw the moose's attention, but when he comes across someone else his hand immediately goes to the sword at his side. ]

Watch out.

[ Although he hasn't seen the moose do anything, he has no idea if it's going to suddenly attack. With the sheer size of the moose, it's best to be cautious. ]

iv - wildcard;

[ Choose your own adventure! Feel free to use any parts of the prompts I didn't use or give me a network starter! I'm up for anything! ]

Real Monsters

[chenqing_player]

[Wei Wuxian has been keeping a safe distance from the moose, but staying with it..making sure it doesn't do anything to harm anyone that might get in its way. He doesn't know how much he could do against it but if it is a ghost..that means he could potentially control it and get it out of the city.

When he hears a voice, he turns to the source and lifts a finger to his lips. He moves over to the other man and looks down at the sword. As someone who is used to cultivators fighting ghosts with swords, he hopes that will be of some use but he's not confident about that.]

So far it doesn't seem to be here to harm anyone.

[truestrength]

[ Kurogane looks over at Wei Wuxian, considering him for a moment. He doesn't seem too worried, not yet at least, so he takes his hand off his sword for the time being. ]

You think so? [ Still, he's a little weary as he keeps watching it. ]

Have you seen it around before?

[chenqing_player]

[He shakes his head.]

I haven't. He's definitely new..or at least hasn't ever ventured in this far before.

[his grip tightens on his flute as he sees the moose pause as if hearing or sensing something. But it quickly relaxes again and so does Wei Wuxian.]

But this place is always full of these kinds of surprises.

[truestrength]

[ Kurogane's eyes flick over to the flute before going back to the moose. If that's his choice of weapon, that'll be interesting. ]

Really? What other surprises are there?

[ Monsters, he guesses. But maybe there's more than just that. ]

[chenqing_player]

We've had fairies, Orcs, murder trials, despair shadows...It's a long list.

[And he's only been here about three months.]

Never a dull moment. But he might be the biggest thing I've seen.

[truestrength]

I've seen bigger creatures, but not many. I'm surprised I'm seeing something like this my first day here.

[ Which makes this moose even more concerning, and why Kurogane's trying to keep as close as possible in case it charges at something.

But one of those things he mentioned... ]

What do you mean by despair shadows?

arrival

[keystaff]

Hm? Ah, it's.....hm. Like a dream land? There's kind of a lot going on here, but that letter you should have gotten should cover the basics? I can try answer questions though?

[She was new once not too long ago herself. So of course if she can help she wants to at least try. Not that she might be the most experienced in helping newer arrivals but still. Sakura can't really turn away someone that needed help. That was new and still confused and figuring Deerington out exactly. So she turns at the unfamiliar voice asking her to tell him about the town. Not realizing that for a second time that she would be igniting some sense of confusion the same way she had with Fai.]

[truestrength]

[ Truly, Kurogane should be used to seeing the same people in different worlds, living under different circumstances. Seeing Sakura, however, throws him for a loop. The fact that she's younger is what keeps him from letting out a surprised "Princess?" but there's still a noticeable pause before he responds.

His expression softens considerably. It's not the Sakura he knows but it's still Sakura. ]

I was actually wondering about that letter. It was weird to have something like that.

[ The fact that it looked fresh was concerning too. He can't help but be suspicious of it. ]

Do you know if whoever wrote it actually wants to help us?

[keystaff]

Mm. I had questions when I woke up here about the letter too. But I think it seems like Sodder is trying to help us. I mean. She hasn't been like Mother Superior....she was trying to get us against each other. Writing things about us that we did that we might not have told our friends here about. Putting some on trial for things that happened back home.

[That all seems to be over with by now? Mostly? But at the same time, Sakura is still upset over it and that hurt still lingers with Mami and her fate. In the trials leading to some being killed. She bites her lip then, shaking her head and trying to figure focusing on Kurogane and his questions. If she notices the pause or the way he immediately softens with her, she doesn't say anything about it.]

[truestrength]

[ He furrows his eyebrows when she shakes her head. If Sakura thinks Sodder is trying to help them, then that might very well be the case. Regardless, he's going to keep an eye out.

Still, he can't get past that last thing. ]

Putting people on trial? For what kind of things?

[keystaff]

For.....well, all kinds of things. Murder, all sorts. Things that I guess would usually be illegal back home? But I haven't been watching too many of them. I was just trying to keep track on which of my friends were getting involved at least. There were a lot of trials.

[She's still upset about Mami. To say the least. So she is kind of down in comparison to her usually much more upbeat self. It isn't like her to be this reserved and upset, but she doesn't want to lie to him about this place being happy and safe or anything either.]

[truestrength]

[ He crosses his arms. Sounds like most of them were violations of the laws here too.

But the fact that there were a lot of them is concerning. Regardless, he's glad that she's being honest about it even if he is a little worried now for her sake. ]

I guess doing a lot of them at once is a good way to put everyone on edge. [ And when people are on edge, they can turn against each other, like that Mother Superior that Sakura mentioned wants. ] Is that the first time something like that happened?

are you afraid of the dark

[cardcaptured]

[Syaoran, on the other hand, doesn't necessarily mind the s'mores too much. They were good in moderation, and anything with chocolate in it wasn't a bad thing in his book (except for maybe choco-mint flavored stuff). Cerberus would probably be over the moon if he was around for this... and, honestly, it was probably good that he wasn't. There wouldn't be any materials for s'mores left once that little glutton got through with them.

He's about to reach over for another marshmallow to toast, when the other man's question takes him by surprise. He blinks for a moment, glancing at the s'more dubiously, then back to the man in question... before carefully accepting it.]

Ah... yeah, thanks.

... I don't think I've ever tried one of these with nutella before. Is it any good?

[truestrength]

[ Kurogane freezes for just a moment when he realizes just who he offered a s'more to. He'd given up on finding anyone he knew for now, so the surprise is double when it happens to be a Syaoran he doesn't know.

Even though this is a different Syaoran, he can't help that his expression softens almost immediately. ]

No idea. I just had a regular one earlier and thought I would put something else on it. Go ahead and give it a try.

[cardcaptured]

[His head tilts ever so slightly, puzzled by the softening expression on the other man's face. Maybe he didn't realize he was offering it to a kid? Regardless, he wasn't about to question it-- it certainly cut the tension when he didn't look quite as intimidating.

He nods at the suggestion, though, before taking a small bite of the s'more and munching on it thoughtfully.]

... hm. It's not bad? The nutella makes it really sweet, though.

[His eyes glance over to the other s'more in Kurogane's hand, a bit curious.]

How's yours?

[Because, congrats Kurogane, you've encountered the Syaoran from a world that dedicates a third of it's plot to food!! So of course he's going to be a little interested in whichever combo Kurogane's put together for himself.]

[truestrength]

[ Kurogane is glad Syaoran at least likes his, and he's secretly glad that he didn't end up eating the nutella one himself. Until he bites into his chocolate chip cookie s'more. ]

Terrible. [ ...But he takes another bite anyway. ]

I thought using cookies would make it more interesting but it's even worse than the one I had earlier.

[ He should've known better. ]

[cardcaptured]

[Syaoran's brow knits as he watches Kurogane take another bite, despite his distaste, quietly wondering why he was still eating it. Maybe he just didn't want to waste food?]

Hm... maybe it's too much chocolate? Those plus the chocolate already in the s'mores could make it overwhelming. Maybe they have something here that could balance it out? I thought I saw salted caramel with some of the other stuff...

[But then he glances at his own s'more, considering. He'd offer Kurogane the one he gave him, but it was already kind of a mess now that he took a bite.]

We could make another nutella one, too, if you want.

[truestrength]

[ He considers that for a moment before there's a nagging feeling that he really should finish what he has, no matter how much he dislikes it. The feeling is so strong that he can't let it go. ]

It'd just be a waste.

[ Kurogane's quiet for a moment, looking out at other people gathered around sharing stories. ]

So, kid, do you have any stories to share?

[ There's a few stories from his home world coming to mind right now, but he wants to give Syaoran the chance to go first. ]

iii. (also, KUROGANE!!! <33333)

[faimommy]

[Well, he shouldn't be surprised that he's not the only party member to land here. He was bound to find someone else eventually that weren't bitties of the kids.

But it's Kurogane. Nope, he's still mad, even if he is a tiny bit happy to see him. But he won't admit that. He's still got some sulking to do.

And, of course, Kurogane's ready to defend him... again. It takes everything Fai has not to roll his eye.]

I can defend myself, Kurogane.

[Stop protecting him when he doesn't ask for it. Don't even think he's forgiven you for saving him and turning him into a vampire, Kurogane.]

<33333

[truestrength]

[ That takes Kurogane aback and his eyes widen in surprise. Really, he should've known this was a possibility when he saw Fai missing an eye. Still, he's surprised nonetheless and it takes him a moment to recover. Of course he wasn't going to have an easy time here.

Good thing the clothes from Clow include a cloak, since he doesn't exactly want to have that conversation. Especially not with a huge moose like that right in front of them. ]

...

[ He doesn't have anything to really say to that and besides, Fai is perfectly capable of defending himself. So he takes his hand off the hilt of his sword, still keeping an eye on the creature nearby. ]

How long have you been here?

[faimommy]

[A sidelong glance as Kurogane stares and then releases his sword hilt. He steps closer to look at the mysterious moose himself.]

Not long. A couple weeks, maybe.

[A beat.]

What about you? Are the others with you?

[He wonders if they're just now managing to cross paths? Or is Kurogane just arriving? Nothing too out of the ordinary for Mokona, really.]

[truestrength]

No. I woke up by myself in some townhouse a few hours ago.

[ His eyes follow Fai's gaze back to the moose. ]

I guess you came here by yourself too? Have you found any leads on where everyone else is? I ran into the princess and the kid already, but they're not the ones we know.

[ If Fai's been here a few weeks, then Kurogane guesses he's probably come across them too. ]

[faimommy]

[Fai shakes his head a little.]

No leads. I met the same ones; guess we're separated again...

I don't think they're far, though... I can understand everyone here. Even you.

[The last part is said a little sharply, bitterly. He watches as the moose begins to move.]

[truestrength]

[ He smirks. ]

That's too bad, huh? Wonder if it'll take six months again to find them.

[ The moose is closer now, but still hasn't taken any interest in them. Kurogane's hand drifts towards his sword's hilt again. ]

You think it'll end up attacking us?