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

[menaretrash]

[ DOESN'T SEEM LIKE IT! He's a good kitty, okay. A very good, amusing kitty. Poor Ryuji, though... ]

Killing you with sugar and kindness, sure. Of course. [ A very CATCHY song... ] Either way, guess you're stuck with me for the foreseeable future~.

[cawnfidant]

( :x he deserves it. )

Sounds better than the alternative. ( ouch, he went there. ) Lucky me. ( sarcasm? who knows? )

[menaretrash]

[ >_>! Most of the time, yes..... ]

Don't worry. I'll keep you safe here. [ Probably. Mostly. If she's not the one dragging him into doing something stupid. ] Yes, very lucky you. And since we're hanging out together and we're best friends now, that means we're going to have lots of fun.

[ This is escalating quickly... ]

[cawnfidant]

( :>?

stop saying this kind of things! his heart cannot take it! is she for real, is she just trying to impress him? he doesn't know! gotta put his foot down here. )

Don't be ridiculous, if anything it's me who will have to take care of you. ( look, realistically talking, it took all of the phantom thieves to take him down, she has no chance. even though he knows she means well, he will not put his teammate in risk because of him. ren would never forgive him. )

... That's it, you've had more than enough sugar for a day. ( she's talking so much nonsense... he finally gets up and apparently is about to walk away. this is also him trying to run away from that idea, okay? only he looks down at her. ) Let's go.

thank you and yes, i do too. this is the quality content we deserved!!

[menaretrash]

[ .... :>

No. She won't. She'll never stop. ]

Liar. I can take care of you just as well. I can be very domestic, you know. And fierce. [ Like a PANTHER. A dom...estic panther. Whatever. The point is, she is currently Filled with Determination. ]

I'm getting cut off?! [ She pouts as he stands up, before blinking. Oh. Well, she's not going to turn this down, so she stands up and stretches. ] Okay, okay! At least we'll get to burn those calories off...

[cawnfidant]

I'm not talking about tha--! ... You know what, whatever. I'll take your word for it. ( this is a lost cause. she's also filled with far too many 'smores. )

You're gonna get sick if you start running right now. ( why does he even give a damn about this... oh right, joker. he starts walking home, hers, at least. keep up, yo. ) I have to ask, do you really eat that much all the time? ( it is not rude to ask if he's actually curious, is it? )

[menaretrash]

It's true! I am VERY domestic. I bake a mean cake and I can make chocolates. If we can get our hands on some ingredients, I'm going to make a ton of stuff for you so I can proveit. [ Either way, this is a win! She's not filled with nearly ENOUGH s'mores-- ]

Yeah, probably... so, walking it is! [ Which is also a win, because she's feeling lazy and she'd much rather walk and talk. She trots to catch up to his side, and then hums. ] Oh! Well... it just depends on the day and my mood, really. Or... how serious I'm feeling about the whole modeling thing.

[ She'd like to think that, most of the time, she's a good person when it comes to eating. But truthfully, most of the time at home she barely keeps anything in the refrigerator and she mostly just survives on things from school and crepes. Oops. ]

[cawnfidant]

I... actually am not that fond of sweets as I might have lead you to believe. ( he hadn't really told many people about it, if anything, he had only personally told ren and yoshizawa about it.

but the almost flippant response manages to madden him a little, is she or not serious about her so-called dream? )

Is that one of those things that do not matter here? Or is everything you do based on your mood? ( it's a little hard not to get personally offended by that, given how much he had to do and how much he had to put up with over his life to get what he wanted, it just seems to him that she's getting everything she wants without even having to lift a finger. )

[menaretrash]

Really? Then what sort of foods do you like best? [ Pretty sure she remembers him saying something about d e l i c i o u s p a n c a k e s at one point.

She shrugs. ]

Uh... [ Jeez, talk about a mood swing. ] I mean, no, it doesn't really matter here? I can't model here. Does it really matter in the big scheme of things? I've had to fight to get as far as I have with my little hobby.

[cawnfidant]

Why do you want to know? Will you cook for me too? ( hedoesn'tknowwhatyoutalkingabout

welcome to everyday akechi. may you not enjoy your stay. )

I was under the impression that it was something rather important to you. I guess I was wrong.

[menaretrash]

I mean, yeah, if I can get my hands on the ingredients. Can't really promise it'll be the best, but I can try. [DON'TBEASHITHEAD

Oh, good. There he is. ]

It is, but I'm not going to obsess over it and make myself crazy. I'm not exactly seeing photo ops popping up left and right here. The most important thing to me right now is surviving, honestly. Or am I wrong to focus on that instead?

[ Because really, Akechi, which one would take priority to you? ]

[cawnfidant]

Sushi. The traditional kind, not the conveyor belt kind. ( yep, just like certain non-cat they know. )

I didn't say you should, that's not what I meant. ( she's not wrong, but... ugh... trying to make some miserable effort to get to know someone takes so much out of him nowadays. ) Forget I said anything.

[menaretrash]

...Ren actually might be more suited to make something like that, honestly... mm, I can see what I can do, though. [ J e e z e.

She shakes her head at him. ]

No, you're right. I shouldn't be so back and forth on it, I guess being here has just... changed my views a little bit, you know? [ Nope. She's not going to let him close up on her again. She hooks one of her arms around his and tugs gently. A gentleman escorting a lady, or something like that. ] This place is a little strange, and extremely unexpected. If we ever get home, I'll focus more on the modeling thing. I guess, here we need new dreams. Do you have any new dreams for this place?

[ Don't be mad at her anymore, Akechi. Please? ]

[cawnfidant]

... I prefer his curry. ( not that he has ever tried his sushi or anything, but he cannot imagine him making it for some reason... now that's something to think about when he's bored. ) Either way, you don't have to do anything, that's what restaurants are for. ( that's is an open invitation, if anything.

he's absolutely not mad at her, and that's just another thing that might get hard to get by, it's not her, it's not anyone, it's him. even though he does find it a little strange that she's trying to explain it to him. he didn't ask for it after all. he also didn't give her any permission to approach him, let alone to even touch him, but there she is, all over his space once again... she's so absolutely exhausting, and yet, he doesn't move away. which is good because he's sure he heard something behind them. )

I think you're confusing me with one of your friends, the kind that talks about the many things they want to do when they get out of college and open their cute little coffee shops. ( oops, sounds familiar? it's the first example that came to him. ) I merely want to pay my debts and be over with it.

[menaretrash]

He does make really good curry, I'll give you that much. [ Ren is definitely more domestic than she is. Mostly because she doesn't care about cooking very often, she's too busy most of the time to really stop and bother with it. ] That's true, but I want to. Though, I wouldn't mind a restaurant, either. [ She'll take it.

She may be exhausting, she can agree with that, but he's... confusing, to say the least. He's hard to read. So, perhaps they're both exhausting in their own, special way. Either way, she's... pretty sure she heard a twig or two snapping behind them, too, but she's going to ignore it for now. ]

We're friends, so I'm not confusing you with anyone. [ Blunt, and to the point. Whether he likes it or not. ] Stop that. You must have some kind of wants, even here, right? That aren't "debts".

[cawnfidant]

Good. ( they should ultimately kidnap him so he cooks for them.

you know what? no one has ever told him that before, and it might be something he's not even aware of, not that he might give many damns about it either, truth to be told.

it's quite sad to have a one-sided friendship, ann, don't do it. but between his own musings and becoming aware of the sound, he goes silent for a pause too long. )

Must I? ( really? must him? he doesn't have the time to be thinking of unattainable "dreams"—okay that clearly wasn't his imagination, and for the first time he turns his head behind them, just to see, absolutely nothing. ) I told you what I want, and that's it.

[menaretrash]

Maybe he can teach us a thing or two. [ Yes, they should. In the most friendly way possible, though. Probably.

She's had one sided friendships before, okay. They aren't pleasant. But she's pretty sure she can win Akechi over, eventually. ]

Yes, you must. [ Duh. When he glances over his shoulder, she stiffens a little bit, slowly looking over, too. ] Yeah, but that was at home, right? What about here?

[ You know what, she's just. Going to tighten her grip on his arm a little bit and walk just a tad bit faster, gently tugging him along. ]

[cawnfidant]

Maybe. ( where is the fun on that? )

It wasn't the same. ( back home he hadn't set to pay any kind of debt, here, he could at least try, even if it seemed a little fruitless, but the truth is that he owes him, hmm... them that much...

the change of pace is actually welcome, even the fact that she tightens her grip so he doesn't have to do it himself so she doesn't fall behind. )

[menaretrash]

It would be something to do, right? [ Cooking classes are fun, especially when it means being able to harass the person attempting to teach you how to cook and then ultimately making him do all the work for you. ]

...You know that we don't want you to do anything like that, right? [ Especially Ren. He's not that kind of guy. ] We just want you to be happy. Even if this place isn't... ideal.

[ Not ideal is... a nice way of putting it. She can feel her pulse speeding up, she feels like for sure they are being followed.

There's some kind of horrible gurgling noise behind them, too. ]

Hey, once we get back to my place, you should stay for a while and hang out. [ And maybe. Not go back out tonight. Because there are bad, bad things in the darkness. ]

[cawnfidant]

I'll pass. ( it is curt and right to the point, not only because he has the very real feeling that they are being followed and this conversation seems to distract him from it, but the truth is that he's a terrible cook. he'd rather skip that part and just get the food, thank you very much. )

You don't get a saying in this. ( what about what he wants? what if doing so actually makes him happy? no one is making him do it, that much is clear. it really doesn't seem to be the moment to talk about something so sensible, because not only her seems to be on edge anymore, he might say something he might (or not) regret later. the sound gives him pause, there is something horribly familiar about it. )

If you're trying to get into my pants, allow me to stop you right there, it will not work. ( is he trying to lighten the mood? maybe. it's terrible, he knows it, but he doesn't want to focus on something he had noticed for a last few meters, it cannot be his imagination at this point. he has to ask... )

... Does it smell like maple to you...? ( ...oh. )

[menaretrash]

For now. [ Whatever, he'll probably come around. Either way, right now, cooking classes don't matter because there are bigger proverbial fish to fry. Like, whatever may or may not be following them. ]

Isn't that an oxymoron? [ H o n e s t l y. It doesn't really matter, because he's going to do what he wants anyways. And if that is what makes him happy, then, who is she to stop him? She'll let Ren try and deal with all that. That's what he gets paid the big bucks for is the leader for, after all.

His next words have her turning a bright, hot red in the face, thanks. ]

What-- no, no, it's not like that! I don't want in anyone's pants! I don't even want in mine! [ She flails her free arm about a bit, before staring wearily up at him. Why are all of the guys in her life so much taller than she is-- ]

I... a little? Maybe? [ Is he thinking about pancakes right now... ]

[cawnfidant]

( her flailing would be considered a little cute (and a success) if he wasn't actually worried the... whatever thing that might be following them. sorry, ann, there is little to no reaction to that.

contrary to popular belief, he is not always thinking about pancakes! even though he probably is right now? but, well... they were talking about sweet things and how damn scary they are... oops? )

... ( so she can smell that too... he cannot decide what to do next, to turn and face this thing or just run. if only ren was here he could take care of ann, if he was here, goro wouldn't doubt, they'd fight the thing and be over with it, but ann clearly isn't ren, there is no way she'd keep up with him in a fight, he's reckless and one-track mind when he puts himself out there and he knows it, he'd probably end up putting her in danger instead. if that doesn't add to the lingering dread that's been slowly forming in the pit of his stomach, another disgusting splotchy sound comes a little closer now. )

When I say, go, start running, and do not stop until you get home. ( his idea, of course, is to stay behind and deal with this alone so she can get to safety, because that always works... )

[menaretrash]

[ She doesn't need him to react to that, she's glad he doesn't, this is embarrassing enough! UGH.

Fortunately, or in this case at least, UNfortunately, there's far more pressing matters at hand right now. Something hideous is following them, and she's not sure what yet. But it's definitely there.

And then he has to go and say that. ]

I'm not going to just leave you, that's not how this is going to work. [ That's not how teammates operate. They don't just leave one another behind. ] Either we go together, or I'm staying back here with you. I don't need you to protect me, if that's what you're worried about.

i'm so sorry i couldn't resist.

[cawnfidant]

( did she just read his mind or something? it's so easy to get caught up in old habits that he forgets how the thieves are almost joined by the hips. she's right, though, that's not how a team works. but fighting might actually not be the best course either. especially because he doesn't know what the hell that is and it's giving him some serious creeps. )

I just— ( he didn't mean to call her weak or anything, but it's a bit too late and out of place to start justifying himself. ) Fine. I guess your wish is about to come true. ( he skillfully manages to free his arm off her grip, only to hurry up to and take her hand instead. tightly. ) Ready? ( he's trying to be as calm as possible, maybe only because he's actually afraid that his fear might show... the irony. though, she probably doesn't have much time to say anything since something that seems to be this.. strange mash of pancakes with teeth comes out of the shadows. yep, that just happened. )

LMAO I'M CRYING

[menaretrash]

[ Ren might not be around to play leader, but as far as she's concerned, he's here in spirit and she knows that he'd be saying the same thing right now. He wouldn't abandon his team, and she won't, either. It's just that simple. ]

Wow, I actually win~? [ What's her prize? Oh. It's hand holding! She blinks, pausing just long enough to crouch down and pick up the nearest object she can find -- a rock, of all things, because it's a weapon. Mostly. Rather, it... WILL be. ]

I'm definitely ready. [ That delightful smell grows closer, and for a second or two, she thinks maybe they're just overreacting. That second passes, however, when some sort of... pancake with teeth appears. She stares blankly at it for a few moments; there's a spike of fear that runs up her spine, of course, whether she likes it or not, and at the same time... it's... kind of hilarious.

Hilarious enough, in fact, that Ann can't stop the snnnnrrrrrrrk that escapes her throat. ]

Seriously? It's kind of cute! [ The aforementioned monster draws slightly closer, trailing syrupy goop behind it. It's cuteness doesn't last long, however, when it opens it's mouth to reveal those teeth.

Ann throws the rock at it has hard as she can, dinging it and causing it to hiss lowly, because maybe this is like punching a shark in the nose or something. Either way, her own grip on Akechi's hand tightens as she suddenly bolts, dragging him along with her. ]

ILIEDLET'SGO--