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

The Master | Doctor Who | OTA

[darkpath_master]

1.Are You Afraid of the Dark?

He listens to the stories being told with a sigh, leaning back against a tree. A cigar rests in his hands, smoldering gently. At times, depending on the flickering light, it is the only way to see he's there, give the all-black attire.

They're all so mundane to him. And quite a few of them, he can attest, aren't true - well, aren't accurate, at any rate. But it is the vampire ones that annoy him the most. And, being who he is, he waits for the right moment to speak his mind.

"You speak of vampires as if they are from storybooks. I can assure you, they are quite real. And far more terrible than anything you can imagine. Their lore stretches from at least seventeen different worlds, and what you know as vampires are as nothing compared to the Great Vampires of old."

He smiles, mirthlessly. "The Yssgaroth could drain the life of an entire world. Imagine that power, just think on it, for a moment. A planet's worth of beings, looking up with vacant eyes as their lives are drained away, rotting them from within as you witness it."

Re: The Master | Doctor Who | OTA

[subject_013]

"Given the proper manipulation of the right genetic sequences, the creatures of myth can quickly become a reality. things of horror to the ignorant and of marvel to the wise," a throaty baritone voice speaks from the other side of the same tree. And if the Master looks for the source of that assessment, he'll spy a tall, young-looking man, dressed in a black suit over an unseasonable black turtleneck, his expression inscrutable due to the thick sunglasses he wears.

[darkpath_master]

"It's been done," he replied, with a half-sigh.

"That is how they survived. As lesser things, slaves to the will of a Master."

Useful, if you can ever think of how to turn them. Marvel to the wise indeed. A tool, nothing more.

[subject_013]

"Done in another world?" the other, clearly human (though he'd be incensed to be though of as merely human) asks. "Where, and I probably should add 'from when', I come from, it's only started to become a reality, though it's hardly commonplace."

[darkpath_master]

"Because realities do not travel at the same pace. The multiverse is thinner than you might wish to imagine. An event of sufficient magnitude - the defeat of the Great Vampires and their expulsion from the timeline - can cause...well, radiation might be the best term, for you. That reverberates through cracks and spots in the fabric of reality that are stretched thin. Thus, an event of sufficient magnitude in one reality can create reverberations in many - and any number of...mutations, shall we say."

[borntolove]

The Doctor stops in a spot before getting to the fire entirely. Himself still mostly in the darkness. Someone feels like he's seeing a literal ghost. Of an old friend. And enemy. One of The Doctor's lives is so, so, very sorry they weren't able to save one of the future faces of The Master, during The Time War.

Ten waggles his tongue in thought. How to go about this? Considering, The Doctor knows that The Master won't know this future face of The Doctor here. Their telepathic link is cut off. Unless, Ten, who has regained his telepathic/psychic chooses to engage that link they can share.

The Doctor's stomach twists though, about the story beginning. The Doctor isn't proud of what the Time Lords did. Part of a reason, The Doctor is glad he's befriended, Alice, who is a vampire. And Alice is a decent person, outside of being a vampire.

Cautiously, The Doctor steps into the light of the fire. Then stands for a moment, observing the other with his hands in his pants pocket.

There's so many things that The Doctor wants to say now. Mainly, how he's sorry, how they acted when they were younger and trying to kill the other. The Doctor of himself just as guilty of it as The Master. The Doctor didn't value to try to save The Master, after all.

This is a very well dressed man in front of The Master. Blue pinstriped suit and pants. Tie. Sneakers. And lanky. Very youngful in his facial appearance. Despite his actual age. And being older than the face of The Doctor The Master knows. If you ask, Ten, a much better nose now. Still - working on the ears.

Slowly sitting down, listens to the stranger's tale. Pretending, he hasn't heard this before.

Still the same Master. And asking to stop and think about power. Somehow, can't help but beam at that. Then again, it's been an awfully long time, since they've seen each other.

"Yeah, sorry. What's a Yss- whut?"

Definitely, a new voice.

The real question is - when is, his friend-enemy?

[darkpath_master]

He would, were all the facts put in front of him, value their antagonism for what it is. The defeats will sting, of course, but what matters is only survival and ultimate victory. They had been friends once, yes. But that is long dead. What is left now is the enemy. The Darkheart had seen to that, back when the Doctor still looked like a pipe-playing hobo.

"It is immaterial," he responds, waving it away. "Suffice to say that the tales are the remnant of something far worse. Extinct, by all probability. But pieces remain, and become legends. Awful monsters all, of course."

[borntolove]

What is his name? Can't be John Smith. That's a name he's used in too many incarnations. In fact, started using that name when working with U.N.I.T. And with the face, this Master knows the most of The Doctor's.

"Why are tales and legends something that is a great interest to you?"

Ten has yet to notice the cigar in the other's hand. His focus still on that face. Still having a bit of a hard time believing someone is here.

Multiverse and timelines of the same world. More than wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey, mess.

[darkpath_master]

Were this the normal universe, he would tell in moments. Such instincts are the gifts of the Time Lords, and in a future incarnation he will go to great lengths to disguise that. Great lengths indeed, even when it had been somewhat unnecessary. But that is in the future, a dramatic flair not fully developed in the early regenerations.

"Because they are so often true. Those tales are important because there is usually truth, somewhere. A power behind the words. Sometimes the words themselves have power. Under the right circumstances."

[borntolove]

There's a silent look of agreement. The Doctor himself would have said, 'Thar's truth in legends' If someone wasn't concealing themselves.

"Oh come on. You telling me you believe in magic? Really? Really?" The Doctor makes a face, rather baffled. That's not something he expected The Master to have faith in, if someone had faith at all.

However, given the possibilities of this place and the multiverse. The Doctor has subjected that magic is possible by math - somewhere.

[darkpath_master]

He sighs, folding his gloved hands in front of him.

"No. Magic is nonsense. I believe in the science hidden behind the...accoutrements. The mysticism swaddled around it to disguise its true nature, to invoke fear and control."

Which are useful enough things to use, come the moment. But he disdains them in other's unworthy hands. This one is clearly rather dense, too. But that is to be expected from lesser beings, isn't it?

It's why they need his particular...help.

[borntolove]

There is a bit particular eyeing of those gloves. Someone remembers those gloves.
Why do you think someone doesn't use his real name? There's power in that. All of this feels very - surreal. Hearing that voice go on about power and control. Typical of someone. Still surreal to hear that. Considering, for The Doctor. It's been centuries.

The Doctor has his mouth open and is waggling his tongue in thought.

"Ah-ha. Good to hear you're a man of science than."

Re: The Master | Doctor Who | OTA

[51stcenturyjack]

One handsome fellow holding a long stick with three marshmallows on the end looks up, grinning at the interloper. "Well, one person's reality is another's person's story," he says, his pale blue eyes snapping mischievously. "Told some whoppers myself, though they were all true; people don't always believe, but that's fine. The weirder the experience, the more likely they are to listen, because they think it's just a fish tale, That way it gets inside their head all the more easily." He makes a gesture with his free hand like something sliding under a door.

"Captain Jack Harkness, and who do I have the honor of swapping stories with?" he asks, offering his free hand.

[darkpath_master]

One of the things he hates most in the entire world is when humans have a point. He emerges somewhat from the shadows, puffing at his cigar.

"A perspective, to be sure. And my name is Mestre. Professor Edward Mestre." He does not move to shake, but does incline his head in greeting.

[51stcenturyjack]

Jack grins and tips his hand in a playful half-salute. "Pleasure to meet yah. You want me to address you as Professor? And that mention of planets: I take it you've either done some travelling in your time or seen some things the Earth humans haven't?"

[darkpath_master]

"If it so pleases you," he responds.

He smiles, seating himself on a log, brushing a speck from his Nehru coat.

"And I've traveled, yes," he mentions, as if it is the merest simplicity. A common thing. "I take it space travel is a common place for you as well?"

[51stcenturyjack]

"Professor it is, then," Harkness replies, and glances to his marshmallow stick - err, the stick with the marshmallows on the end of it - making sure they haven't charred.

"It's as commonplace where I come from, as taking the bus is here. I was born in the 51st century, further away and ahead than most people can imagine. That's where I got s lot of my wilder stories. Take it these Yssgaroth are something you encountered and lived to tell the tale?" he asks, putting a spooky "and I alone lived to tell the tale..." inflection on the end of that sentence.

[darkpath_master]

He allowed a smile to come to his face.

"Oh, goodness me, no. I'm well versed in the legends of the old times, you see. Archaeology was - indeed, is - my stock in trade. No, the Yssgaroth are long gone, at least from our universe."

He pauses, ready to drop a lure into the water, to see what this one really knows, who has clearly traveled through time.

"The stories tell that it was the Time Lords who drove them from our space, in the end. Have you heard of them?"

[51stcenturyjack]

"Archaeology, eh? didn't exactly do the exploratory part, but I moved a few artifacts in my time," Jack says, checking the marshmallows one last time, then removing them from the stick. laying them out on a bit of Hershey's chocolate set on what looks like a chocolate chip cookie, layering another on top. "So a reality that faded into legend? Guess that's where legends come from ultimately."

Jack might look up from his s'mores arranging with a look of wonder in his eyes. "Time Lords? Now that's something I'd heard about sitting around a campfire like this, back home on the Boeshane Peninsula. They'd speak of their society as a perfect world, the oldest and mightiest race in the universe, watching over time, observing everything that had happened, was happening and would happen. Heard people talk about God, and I've wondered if they got the notion from encountering a Time Lord somehow." The cockiness bleeds from his voice, replaced with a form of awe and respect.

[trancheuse]

The looks on some faces as he started to speak of the Yssgaroth were legitimately terrified. The mere thought of that kind of power was certainly something awful to behold, and it felt oh so real because of the power of the campfire.

There was another figure, mostly in black. Not all black. Her girlfriend had stolen away her hoodies and left her with the mixed outfits, so that she had to have a bit of a splash of white and blue, but it was still dark enough. A pair of golden hair antennae stuck up as she leaned forward, listening with avid interest and eyes that were a little too intense.

"See, that's what I expect when I think of a vampire. I got jyped when I was a vampire. All I did was fucking SPARKLE! It was paaaathetic." Someone was missing the horror of the moment, or maybe she wasn't? Even with Elrena's memories and emotions, Larxene was still deep down a kind of dark person. "Come on, tell us more. Don't just tease. Give these brats some nightmares man."

[darkpath_master]

This one's insolence borders somewhat on lèse-majesté, but in fairness, there is a good point there. And a former vampire? Unheard of, and he has traveled far indeed. That is of interest, if for later.

"Imagine, if you will, a planet-killing nightmare. But always, it wears the face that frightens you most. To the Ethran, it would take the face of their feared Demon-Emperor Ca'than, he of four arms and fangs and screams in the night. To a Dalek, creatures bred not to know fear, it would be a cloud of extinction, burning through their carapaces so that they screamed to death."

And he's just getting warmed up, really.

"But let me tell you what would happen to your world, were the Great Vampires to find it. Thorns would rip apart everything of stone and steel and flesh, while smoke smothered the air and created what you know as a nuclear winter. The land would bleed, the clouds themselves would turn against you. The minions of the Yssgaroth would go forth to prey upon the weak, blind and screaming, hunting by smell and warmth and fear on leather wings."

He pauses, taking a long drag of his cigar.

"And then, only then, would the Great Vampires descend to feed, and the entire time, those still alive would envy the dead."

[trancheuse]

Considering that her single favorite author of all times, even to this very day, was still the Marquis de Sade? Lèse-majesté would not have been out of the realm of possibility with this one. But, to her credit, where others were cringing at his descriptions, she was watching with a rapt fascination, licking her lips once. It was the kind of fear that one saw in the eyes of an adrenaline junkie.

The idea of it was scaring her, but it was also exciting.

"You... you have got to be here for October. Don't you dare disappear before that month. You are going to love it," she said as he got to the latter part. "Hehe, their minions sound fun. But the idea of it... It sounds like the sort of horror that tries to unmake a whole existence. How many of those things does it take to consume a world whole? Is it only one? Or a horde that sucks all life dry? The way you paint it, I almost imagine it's one vast thing that consumes a world."

The thought of 'the thing you fear most' just sounded like an added standard fare. All the rest she appreciated.

[darkpath_master]

"None alive know. They may have been one giant creature, or a gestalt. Nobody really knows what their true form was. Forever unknown, in some measure. But they were vast enough to physically rend a planet apart."

"And yet," he smiled, shaking his head, "to always reflect a familiar demon. To find the deepest fear in the base of he mind, and exploit that. Unnecessary, but an added touch."

"Nor indeed was any of this the worst of what they did. There were worse things, still."

[trancheuse]

(OOC: Huh, lost the notif on this one. Sorry about that.)

She listened to him, curiosity not piqued, but definitely starting to approach satiation. A few nods and she continued to grin. "I guess they don't exactly leave much in the way of a trace behind when they're done gorging themselves, so there aren't going to be too many reports period. How do you guys even know they exist?"

[darkpath_master]

"Because my people exterminated them in a vast Eternal War," he replied. "Drove them from our universe and locked them away forever beyond our reality."

Probably one of the few actions by the Time Lords that he could approve of.

"You can still visit the dead worlds," he added, for good measure. "Even those who do not know the stories avoid them. Superstition has done the work well."