soddersays | AUGUST 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

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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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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.

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. ]

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. )

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. ]

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. )

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... ]

( 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... )

[ 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.

( 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. )

[ 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--

( he's about to start running the heck away but his own curiosity grounds him. )

... ( the view is a little more disgusting to him than it's terrifying, but it's not cute what the hell, it's a thing from ~~his~~ nightmares! and that's before it shows those teeth. ann is a little faster than him, dragging him with her, but he quickly catches up with her. )

I cannot fucking believe this shit is still coming back to bite me in the ass! ( god dammit! give him a damn break already! he also didn't meant that to be such an literal statement. )

[ For being a shitty short stack with no legs, this thing is propelling itself after them like it's very life depends on it. The last she checked, people were meant to eat pancakes, not the other way around... ]

This is a sticky situation we've gotten ourselves into! [ NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR PUNS. She rounds the corner with Akechi, and, that thing is snarling and gaining ground on them. ]

If it's just pancakes, there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to like... tear it apart or something, right?!

Did you just... really--!? ( how dare she! oof! )

I'm not getting close to that shit! ( ann, ann... it's so icky, please... loki would hate his guts if he dared to use his precious lævateinn to cut a pancake! )

Someone had to do it! This is a little crepey, right?! [ She's banned from hanging out with Ren for a while, probably. ]

My place isn't far now, anyways! [ There's maple scented goop crawling up towards them -- maple scented though it may be, it's... making the ground beneath it sizzle, which probably isn't. Good.

She tugs Akechi around another corner, and relief is in sight: her small abode, at the end of the street. Her legs are on fire, but she is determined, and it's a good thing that she didn't bother locking the door behind her because as soon as they are close, she flings the door open, pulls Akechi in, slams it closed, and leans her body against it to hold it in place as she locks it, just in time to hear an audible thud against it. ]

Holy...

Oh, my god! Enough of that!! ( ಠ ∩ ಠ he's going to ban both of you forever. )

Save your breath, just hurry! ( the maple scent is actually making goro nauseous, it's an awful reminder of how many of those he had to eat before the media and for his social accounts and... ugh, are they there yet?

and they make it! he doesn't even mind how roughly ann pulls him in. before even he attempts to regain his breath, he brings himself to an awfully tense fighting stance, as if the thing were to devour the door and get them. it doesn't happen... he finally leans on the first wall he sees, breathing hard. )

Where is your... ( he swallows hard. ) ... your bathroom? ( does he look a little green to you? it's probably your imagination! )

Sorry, sorry, I can't help it! [ COME ON, MAN.

Fortunately, they are able to make it inside, and despite the growling and clawing outside the door... they're safe. For now. She turns to face Goro again, blinking because... oh.

Oh. ]

Oh, yeah! It's just down the hall and to your right. [ Wow, he wasn't kidding when he said running after s'mores was going to make them sick. Though, she thinks more or less he'd been talking about her at the time.... ]

( it's hardly the 'smores what made this all wrong, but he's got no time to explain that, nor he would want to, especially because he bolts as fast as he can down the hall. sorry about that slamming door, and... even more sorry about the awful noises that come just seconds later as he hugs the toilet. nope, he did lock that door, so don't come in here, thanks.

this is absolutely fucken disgraceful and embarrassing. he should have stayed back there and obliterated the damned thing, but he was... afraid....? what gives? afraid of a pancake?! just... ugh.

excuse him, but he's gonna stay in this bathroom for a little while. don't worry he's not doing anything weird, he's just gonna sulk for a moment or two. maybe three. )

[ It doesn't really matter what made this all go horribly, horribly wrong. There were s'mores and pancake monsters and that's really all that's needed to have a Bad Time. Which is what they've just had. Except Goro's having an even worse time at the moment.

She stares down the hallway towards the bathroom because his noises are a lot louder now than the growling and banging at the door, before deciding that he's probably going to need a glass of water whenever he comes out of there. So, that's what she's going to get for him.

At least she's giving him his space, right? Even though she's growing more and more concerned as the minutes tick by... ]

( hopefully, ann is patient enough, and truly it doesn't take him that long though it probably feels that way. if he stays there any longer the already awkward situation will get worse. he's not about to leave a mess in here so at least he makes sure there is no trace of what when down (literally) in here. he has to admit that somehow he does feel a little better after letting go, physically at least, he doesn't have to make it bigger than it is, just... make as if nothing happened, it's not like he doesn't have years of experience doing just that, right? and then, it just occurs to him that ann hasn't made any noise and that's not a good sign. is she even still alive or did she get eaten? better make sure.

he finally comes out, truly looking as if nothing had happened. )

[ While Akechi is busying himself with... unpacking, so to speak, Ann's set about getting her sofa ready to sleep on. There's no way that she's letting him go back out there on his own tonight, after all. She's brought a pillow and a small blanket out and folded them neatly up on the cushions when he finally pops back out of the bathroom. ]

Hey, are you okay? I've got some water on the table for you. Also, you can stay in my room tonight, I'm sleeping out here.

[ It's been decided for him, anyways. No choice now, dude. ]

I'm fine. ( he cannot be lying when he actually looks fine, right? wait, water...? he hadn't realized how thirsty he was until she mentioned it. he should thank her, but instead a gutural sound comes from him before downing that refreshing glass of water. he then, takes a little detour to the kitchen to leave the glass and pads back to her. he silently judges the little nest she's built for herself before taking a seat on the floor, his back leaning on the sofa's seat. )

Sleep, then. ( she's a little crazy if she thinks he's gonna leave her alone after the night they've had. )

I'm glad. [ The noises from the bathroom earlier determined THAT was a lie, but she won't mention that. He doesn't look as green, and that's a big improvement. Also, they're both safe, and... wow, look at him down that water. Okay, then.

When he returns, she blinks as he takes a seat on the ground, and she tips her head to the side. ]

Wait a second, you're supposed to be crashing in my room, silly. You don't need to stay out here.

( it doesn't look like the comfiest place to crash at but this is his choice! it's also very unlikely that he will sleep at all, things considered. )

Did you really just call me silly...?

( did he really hear that right? is he also trying to change the topic? yeah, prolly. )

Edited (...there was no question???) 2020-08-04 20:31 (UTC)

[ WOW. What a great idea. Ann sighs, shifting to the side, and patting the space next to her. ]

I did. Now get off of the floor and get up here.

[ Stop deflecting and sit your butt down on this couch, Goro. ]

... ( okay, that's... a little unexpected turn. he looks up at her as if he was staring at an alien of some sort. heck, he was even less surpirsed when morgana talked to him. )

But, that's your space. ( stop making things difficult! ... hello, kettle, pot here. )

AUGUST 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?

AHHH! REAL MONSTERS

Character Arrival

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i'm so sorry i couldn't resist.

LMAO I'M CRYING

nyahahaha

i'm d y i n g

lmao don't die!

these two are wonderful 10/10 i must perish

that doesn't make sense! live!!!

nope it's too late now #deceased!!

/samarecarm?? ✨

thanks fam i needed that 💖

good good, no more dying~

i can make no promises :>

dying is really bad for the skin tho

that's what makeup is for silly!!!

gasp, you're right... also :x been waiting to show you this https://i.imgur.com/gc2EJmY.png

sCREAMS THAT'S ADORABLE and 10/10 has to happen now thanks

right?? i didn't even know i needed it