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soddersays2020-07-24 05:49 pm
sodder) wrote in soddersays2020-07-24 05:49 pm
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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.
Angel Dust | Hazbin Hotel | ota
[Number one best thing about being a spider demon - spidey sense.
Nah, just kidding, that's all bullshit comic book stuff, the only thing Angel gets extrasensory tingles about is some hot dude being completely bewildered by his presence. Bonus points if they're also completely uninterested in him in any way, that really gets his motor revving.
No, the real best thing is the extra limbs. Three times as many sets of arms has come in handy (hah) in a variety of ways throughout Angel's afterlife, whether those be practical (making sandwiches takes about 30 seconds), perverted (six hands = six guys) or somewhere in between. Right now Angel's making use of his three sets of arms to roast marshmallows, stack up peanut butter, chocolate and graham crackers, stuff an already-made s'more into his mouth and slide one fuzzy limb around the shoulder of whoever's nearest.
The aforementioned s'more must be one of the salted caramel sort, because Angel is current drawling in a thick, Italian/New York accent:] So there I was, tryin'a have a good time at the family reunion and all'a a sudden, cousin Vinny decides to spill his ma's good penne all over the floor!
[A heavy sigh, and hopefully whoever he's talking to isn't too freaked out by a tall, fuzzy spider demon lounging against them and smearing marshmallow goo everywhere.] It was the good shit too, with the romano cheese? Yeah, Vinny slept with the fishes that night, you betcha sweet ass he did... [Angel licks melted chocolate off his fingers, then glances at his seat partner.] ...what? What's the look for?
ii. arrival
[Honestly once you die once and wake up in a bizarre hellish city where you can easily get crushed, shot, exploded and/or otherwise maimed, it's sort of boring after that. Angel can be found post-waking up, wandering down the streets with a supremely unimpressed expression, occasionally pausing to tap at one of the lampposts or cross a set of his arms and examine a kitschy storefront.
It's...hard not to stare, considering he's a six-armed, pink-and-white, eight-foot-tall spider demon, but if anyone catches his eye, Angel's going to be legging it right over to them, flashing a mouth of sharp teeth and asking sweetly:] Hey, toots, ya know where the nearest bar's at? I ain't goin' through this shit sober, if ya get me.
iii. network: un; spiderboots
soooooooo this some secret inner circle of hell i didn't know about?? cause it's a little all-american cutesy bake sale potluck for me, ya dig?
when's the kinky torture shit start up again?? or is this just straight-up regular torture through boredom??
thank you for this gift
It took a lot of cajoling to get him at a campfire circle in the first place, and now that he's here, he cannot leave. The stories keep him fixed in place. They are all horrible and they are all true, and therefore he must witness them. He knew it from the moment he sat down and felt, more than heard, the attentive click of the tape recorder at his feet. Every word feeds him and keeps him entranced.
So coming back to himself and realizing that a too-long, prickly limb has settled around his shoulders shocks him out of it with a strangled screech. ]
Wh— d-don't TOUCH me!
[ It's a yelp and a flinch away, wide-eyed and bristling like a spooked cat. The spider has nearly three feet on him. The spider towers. And the spider is touching him. ]
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The spider demon obligingly pulls back the long, gloved limb, crossing it over it's twin, while another set of limbs reaches for the bag of marshmallows and the third one comes up for him to prop his chin in. This all happens seamlessly, perfectly coordinated, just in case Jon thought this was some sort of well-done costume. Those are all arms, and the little winking pinkish circles under Angel's eyes are also eyes.
Another of those hungry, sharp grins, gold tooth catching the firelight, and Angel pops another marshmallow into his mouth.] All right, all right, cool it, babe, keep ya shirt on. [A beat, where he chews at the marshmallow, then adds, with a wink:] Or don't, y'know, hot night an' all, who'm I ta tell ya what to do?
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It's fine. This is fine. Deerington is just like this, sometimes. In the past month alone he's been murdered by a robot and stabbed by a child made of grass. Of course there would, at some point, be a talking spider. Martin would have rather a lot to say about appearances and an open mind. It's fine.
This doesn't stop his skin crawling at the movement of all those lanky arms, or when that jagged smile catches the firelight. He shouldn't even be afraid of the teeth. Spiders don't have teeth. It's not even logical.
Jon starts up a new round of spluttering at babe, and then another, still more horrified, at the wink. ]
I- I— what? No.
[ He does not even have the first idea of how to deal with this. He is so far out of his depth, already. Someone help this man. ]
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Still, Angel is nothing if not adaptable. He sets down the marshmallow stick, then scoots along the log they're both seated on, until he's about as close as he can get without actually touching Jon, mismatched eyes bright with wickedness. There's a disturbing sort of cracking sound as his middle pair of arms retract -- don't need them right now -- and the lower pair smooths out his clothes and fluffs up the...fuzz...cleavage? Whatever that is.]
No, no, you're absotively right, punkin', it's waaay too chilly to start sheddin' layers. Kinda night where ya just wanna...cuddle up n' stay warm, yeah? [Angel grins even wider, somehow, sprawling out on his stomach, legs kicked up in the air, batting his eyes up at Jon.] Betcha I could keep ya warmer than any fire~
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are you afraid of the dark?
He pleasantly puts a marshmallow on a stick and holds it over a fire, eyebrows raised as he listens, and eventually chimes in with an over the top accent of his own as he looks at the campfire:]
'... Little did the family know, cousin Vinny'd be back — in his underwater Anti-Fish-Sleepin' submarine he'd built, knowin' his ma would drop him like a sacka' rocks if he ever spilled the penne... He was gonna get his toif back, so help him, Gahd...'
[What? Just because he's depressed over someone he loves vanishing, doesn't mean he can't be an idiot.]
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Instead he laughs, skewering a couple more marshmallows and reaching out a spindly limb to rest a hand on Peter's shoulder, casually tactile.] Ya know, Vinnie wasn't the brightest bulb in the box, but he sure could hold'a grudge. Wouldn't put that kinda thing past him. Hell, maybe he did come back -- I was dead by the next family reunion, so who the hell knows?
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He's in the middle of chomping on a s'more when he finishes that commentary, and Peter nearly chokes on his bite, thanks. He thumps a fist to his chest a few times before gulping.]
Geez, uh — sorry for your loss. Not Vinny, I mean — the whole dying thing. Not that I want Vinny dead either. You know, because I would absolutely be into a free submarine ride around New York.
[Yes, he could tell you're a New Yorkian.
Easy as pie, even if you're a spider furry.]
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[He tilts his head, skittering a little closer in an unnervingly spider-esque way.] When'd you go? Must be a new thing, huh? [...he still thinks this is some other circle of Hell.]
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text; un: tranquilitea
I was told this was just a simple town. Was that not correct?
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unless i got into heaven? if i did, the whole thing's a rip-off, cause this place's borin' as fuck.
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In that case... maybe there is some merit to this being the afterlife...
I expected more spirits, myself.
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spirits? or demons?
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are you afraid of the dark?
Kyoko has a bag of marshmallows in her lap, and has been eating directly from it as much as she's been biting down on s'mores. Her first response to his question is to shovel another handful of confectioneries into her mouth.
The second response is a disgruntled sound. Where does she even start???]
Oi. Hold on a second. What the Hell sorta messed up family reunions were you attending?
[Is she referring to the spilled penne or the implied murder? The answer is yes.]
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[He shakes his head woefully, skewering a few more marshmallows onto a stick and poking it at the fire.] Way less violent in Hell. Less fires, too.
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Kyoko quirks an eyebrow at his claim. She follows his lead, placing a pair on a stick and letting them hover near the fire. Her free hand takes out another handful, popping them into her mouth one after another. ]
Sheesh. Your family sounds like a real pain, y'know. You gonna tell me that you died to get away from them next? 'Cause I'd believe it.
[She shrugs.]
Though I guess most people'd rather just skip town or make up some excuse. Or fake their own death or whatever, think it depends on how much you wanna mess with 'em.
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Can't pick yer family, yeah? But nah, the dyin' thing wasn't on purpose, though it gave me a couple decades of peace.
[One of the marshmallows on his stick catches fire, and Angel lifts it up, blowing it out.] Course, dyin' young runs in the family, so they all joined me sooner or later. Not much different, now.
...hey, I been meanin' to ask, this some kinda secret...tenth circle? Never seen you around before.
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hey there demon it's me, ya boi (arrival)
Actually, I do, on both counts. I work at a piano bar if that's your scene? I mean, it has actual alcohol there, so-
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Ya lucky I'm desperate, boyo. Wouldn't catch me undead in a piano bar back home, but it's been hours of this shit dead sober and I'm over it.
[Angel waves a bossy gloved hand.] Lead me ta the watery wine, kiddo.
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Will it help if I say it's guarded by a literal magical pixie who fucks with people she doesn't like?
[He seems the type who would dig that. He gives off those vibes. He shrugs and starts idly heading towards Pixie's.]
No one should have to deal with this shithole sober. Welcome to Deerington, by the way, it's a depressing horror town, but I've seen worse.
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Deerington, huh? [He looks around, then shrugs.] Cute. Very postcard.
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iii. un: fern
[Honest question, he's still trying to wrap his head around such a dumb concept.]
torture with boredom would be a lot better than the junk the town likes to throw at everyone
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yeah? what, you guys got some legit torture round here? tell me, hit me with the worst, i can take it.
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they don't have any relation to 50 deadworlds do they?
[It seems unlikely, but he might as well ask.]
well there was one month where the sun disappeared and the ground turned to guts
there was also a river of blood
it was a bad month to be a plant
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that's disgusting. the guts stuff, i mean. the river of blood sounds pretty fun.
...wait, you're a PLANT?
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