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soddersays2021-01-24 11:29 am
sodder) wrote in soddersays2021-01-24 11:29 am
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FEBRUARY 2021 TEST DRIVE MEME
FEBRUARY 2021 TEST DRIVE MEME
Welcome to February's Test Drive Meme!
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: Prompt 1; Grimp Reaper image, feelings of being stalked, repeated death, Groundhog Day/Russian Doll themes, talks of car accidents and suicide/murder. Prompt 2; Image of a heart, organs on the outside of the body (heart), very mild body horror.
Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!
BEREFT OF HOPE
The day feels the same as any other in Deerington. You wake up, you go through your routines, you wait to see if something creepy is going to be lurking around every corner, and then you go get breakfast. There's nothing too unusual going on, though sometimes you get the strangest feeling that someone might be looking at you from afar. Watching you. Waiting. For what, who knows, but isn't that just the normal vibe in this town anyway? You're starting to maybe get used to feeling perpetually anxious that you're being stalked. It might not even really make you think much of it at all. You continue to go about your day. Things still go as normal.Until you die.
Maybe you were hit by a car, or you choked on your morning bagel, or a piano fell on you, or a townsperson who was going off the deep end decided to drag you off and murder you in Deerington Park; however it happens, you absolutely remember dying. The details are a little fuzzy around the edges, but you do remember seeing someone standing near by when it all happened, a shadowy figure you can't quite recall the face of. Maybe that's who had been watching you.
Dying isn't necessary the weird part, though. People die in Deerington all the time and come back remembering the details, usually with a fancy new scar to show off to everyone (or more likely keep desperately hidden because of your trauma ridden guilt). This time, though— this time sticks out. Because you don't go through the normal death process. There's no calming valley with a strange deer, there's no fruit, nothing about it is the way that it's supposed to be. You just were dead one second and now... you're not. Maybe it was a bad dream? You're in your bed, that's usual, but you're in the same clothes (or lack thereof) that you went to bed in the night before. The sun is shining through the window and...
Everything is exactly the same as it was yesterday.
If you've ever been a fan of Bill Murray at home, you can probably guess what's going on here. Or at least have your suspicions. You go about your routine again, you greet some of the same people, you eat the same breakfast (or maybe you switch things up just to try and break the cycle), and you still have that strange feeling of being watched. Every person you meet doesn't remember seeing you before your death and certainly none of them remembering you dying, no matter how public it was. You can try to convince them, but they're probably not going to listen, or they'll think that it's Deerington just fucking with your head again.
So you go outside. Same time, same place. And you die. Again.
Things start to repeat. Some people might start to snap from it and start to try and die in different ways. Some people might try the age old rule of learning from your mistakes, of being a better person, and try to spend the whole day being kind or trying to find some significant moment they're supposed to focus on to make this all better. Some people might just break down after a while and think there is no way out. Because nothing seems to be working. It's happening over, and over, and you're meeting the same people over and over, and you're doing the same things over and over, and you're dying over and over, so what's the point of even getting up out of bed now?
But there is a way to end it; find someone who is going through the same thing. All the other people you've seen, Sleepers or not, have had no recollection of you dying or of this all being a repeat day. Eventually, though, you might start to notice another person who is having the same discussion with another, desperately trying to tell them that this is all happening repeatedly and you can't figure out how to make it stop. When you realize there's another person having the same issue as you, you can start talking to them. Maybe you won't realize what you need to do at first, you might even end up dying together a few times before you finally realize— you have to save the other.
Every day you've died at the exact same time in roughly the exact same place, whether you took your own life or it was done outside of your own control. Prevent your comrade from dying all together until the sun goes down and the cycle will finally be broken for both of you. It just might be hard to do when the forces of the town are pretty hellbent on making sure you both die.
THE BEATING OF HIS HIDEOUS HEART
Happy Valentine's Day! Deerington seems to be trying to get somewhat in the mood of romance this month, the town decorated with hearts and tiny cherub statues and all sorts of delicious displays of chocolate in the windows of most stores. Don't worry! They're just normal chocolates. Eating them will do nothing to you unless you've got problems with controlling your blood sugar levels or an unfortunate allergy. Buy some for your sweetie! There are even some beautiful looking chocolate covered strawberries at the Hart Mart that could be perfect for a romantic evening...One morning, you'll wake up to a gift wrapped in pink paper with a red bow on a table in your home. It's clearly marked for you and it's from a secret admirer. Did you even know you had a secret admirer? If you choose to not open the gift (this is Deerington, this could obviously be bad news), it will do exactly what one would expect it to in a town like this; the package will follow you. It will show up on your desk at work. It will show up on the counter at the store you frequent. It will show up on a bench. In your car. Next to your bike. On your porch. On your best friend's porch. Anywhere you go, the present will be there. Waiting. You can't ignore it forever.
When you finally cave and open the gift, you'll find a truly fitting present for such a romantic holiday: a heart. It might be human, it might not, but it's still beating. You can watch it pulse, but it's surprisingly neat, no blood to be found anywhere in the box or in the heart itself. It just sits there, thudding away, waiting for you to pick it up. No one really wants to touch a heart, but if you know Deerington, you know this heart probably actually belongs to someone, and if you're new? Well, you're gonna figure out how this all works pretty quickly.
Pick up the heart and you'll get a flash of memory. Someone else's most precious moment. It will be burned in your mind and the heart will start to faintly glow as you hold it. Walk with the beating heart in your hands and it will start to change. The closer you get to who the heart belongs to, the stronger the glow will get, and the faster the heart will beat. Eventually, you'll find them— someone who looks empty, soulless, like a walking ghost more than a person. You can save them by putting the heart back where it belongs— you'll have to use some strong force, but slam the organ against their chest, and it will sink right back into place. Your hand will even go a few inches into their chest before you let go and yank yourself free. There's no scar, no hole, no blood. But the life will come back into the person in one fell swoop, like breathing again after almost drowning.
If you choose not to put their heart back in their chest, they will be forced to do whatever you say so long as you are in possession of their heart; however they will get steadily weaker and by the end of a full day, they will die.
Enjoy your Valentine.
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.
Mollymauk Tealeaf | Critical Role | OTA
ARRIVAL
[ The last thing Mollymauk remembers – is dying.
Then, the dream. He recalls wincing in pain, a horrible searing sensation as stones and rocks dug into his back. He was being dragged along, he thinks, though he isn’t sure. He recalls being afraid, though he’d never admit it – and thinking to himself that this had better not be the afterlife.
He’s rapidly losing hope on that front, though. Gods, is this really it for him? Two years of life, he’d had, and they’d been good years, make no mistake, but… dying like this leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. He hopes Yasha is okay. That she doesn’t miss him too much.
But Yasha… she’ll grieve for him, won’t she? He hates that. She should be happy, she… she shouldn’t have to lose anyone else. Hopefully she’ll remember him with a smile and a laugh, knowing that’s what he would’ve wanted. The legacy he’d want to leave behind.
But she’s still captured, isn’t she? Is she okay? …Of course she’s not. What about the others? That fight hadn’t been looking good for any of them. Maybe he’ll be meeting them here sooner than he thought…
…Dying sure hurt more than he expected. Molly is used to pain, but that was… not a pleasant experience, on any level.
It takes a while before Molly finds the energy to sit up. Lying here in his own misery isn’t going to change the situation he’s in – he’s dead, better get used to it. He can’t quite manage to shake off that bitterness, that empty, hollow feeling in his stomach, but… that’s only natural, right? No-one can blame him for that. Time to deal with it.
He picks up the letter, and takes the basket. And an hour later, he’s out of the house, ready to explore – and figure out just what the hell is going on.
To those who have never seen a tiefling before, and to even those who have… he’s probably quite a sight. But standing out has never been something that put Molly off. ]
BEREFT OF HOPE
[ Death. It seems Molly just can’t get enough of it.
By now, he’s lost track of how many times he’s died. Each and every time, it hurts, and each and every time he wakes up like nothing had ever happened. He’s been stabbed more times than he can count, he’s fallen from heights, he’s been hit by one of those weird cart-like contraptions… he’s choked, he’s… he doesn’t want to remember it, to be honest.
And, come on. Molly knew that he was going to die eventually, though to be honest, he’s not sure that he’d ever quite come to terms with that fact… but, fair enough. If he’s dead, he can accept that.
But now, for the first time in a long, long time, he’s starting to lose hope. This is what his afterlife is like? He hadn’t been the best person, he’d been an asshole, he knows that – but he hadn’t been that awful, had he? He tried to bring happiness to people’s lives. He didn’t like to hurt people, and sure, maybe he’d laugh at them and maybe he’d scam them, but he tried to make people’s lives better, too. To leave every place a little better than he found it.
Is this punishment for something Lucien had done? No – that can’t be it. Because Lucien is somebody else.
Sitting on a bench in the middle of nowhere, Molly starts laughing hysterically. Because, okay, it’s not funny – but it is a little funny, isn’t it? This whole situation is just- absurd. And if his laugh sounds a little unsettling, a little unhinged, well, that’s his business.
Eventually, Molly notices someone staring. And smiling as though nothing is wrong, he turns. ]
Sorry. It’s a long story.
THE BEATING OF HIS HIDEOUS HEART [ cw: mention of stalking. ]
A | Finding the heart
[ Well, Molly can safely say that he’s never received a gift quite like this before.
It looks like a heart. A beating heart, just sitting there in a box. It is a heart, as far as Molly can tell. Luckily, he’s never been particularly squeamish, though that’s not to say it’s not unsettling. So once he’s past the initial strangeness of it, he’s not quite sure what to do with it.
Looking up for a second, Molly checks around him to make sure that no-one’s spying on him, or anything creepy like that. Having a stalker would be a new experience for him, but there’s a first time for everything. Once he’s confident enough, he slowly… ever so slowly decides to poke it with one finger. Not his smartest idea, but hey, whoever said he was smart?
And with that – images suddenly flash into his head. He sees…? ]
B | Needing a heart.
[ Empty.
He’s empty again.
He’s barely even aware of it. With a lifeless, soulless expression, Molly wanders. Aimlessly, without meaning or purpose, he walks - and it’s if he’s barely alive at all.
Deep down, he’s afraid. Deep down, he knows that something is wrong, very wrong. It doesn’t feel right. It’s not good. But it’s all swamped by that horrible emptiness, drowning everything else out – and with barely a thought in his head, all he can manage to do is walk.
And walk.
And walk.
Until he wanders right past you. ]
WILDCARD
[ Feel free to throw anything you'd like at me here! ]
finding the heart
The person the heart belongs to?
Listlessly wandering around just nearby, trying to kick a rock down the sidewalk and failing miserably, because his foot just keeps passing through the rock. Richie’s easy to spot: he’s a little older than he was in the memory, hair a mess, but those are the same Coke-bottle glasses he had in them.
Also he’s ineffectually trying to kick at a rock, that too.]
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It takes him a while to actually notice Richie, he's so caught up by the- well. The heart. He's not planning on touching it again unless he has to, so carefully, he picks up the box with the organ still beating inside it, placing the lid on top. As for what he's going to do with it, that's something he still hasn't decided yet.
But as Molly looks around again, he spots him - Richie. The kid looks older than he did in that vision Molly saw, whatever it was - but he's still young, and he's recognizable as the same person.
After a moment's thought, Molly decides to approach him. He looks... well, he doesn't look like he's doing all that well, really. ]
Hey. [ he presents the box, though he doesn't show what's in it yet. ] Do you have something to do with this?
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He looks down at the box, frowns. Something about it is tugging him towards it, and he reaches blindly out for it without responding, as if he didn’t hear Molly’s question at all. Or as if he doesn’t really care to answer, like he doesn’t care to do much right now.]
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[ Molly pulls the box away from Richie's grasp, holding it up in the air where he hopefully can't reach it. He's not so sure that giving away a human heart is a good idea - and pretty much everything about this situation doesn't sit right with him. But what is he supposed to do about it? Who is this kid? ]
This belong to you?
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There's some animation now to this almost ghostly teenager, as though being in reach of the heart is breathing a smidgen of life back into Richie. Frustration bleeds into his face, as if he wants the heart back.]
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Maybe the heart does belong to him after all...? ]
Alright, alright. You can have it.
[ Cautiously, though everything in his body is telling him that this is a bad idea, Molly hands the box over to Richie, watching to see what he does next with curiosity. To be honest, he's glad to have it out of his hands. ]
arrival, spoilers for uh ep 115
And then she spots a very familiar face.
Last time she saw that face, Molly—or someone wearing his body—had jumped out a window, a book in hand, fresh off murdering an archmage. Jester freezes up now in shock.
Her voice comes out small, and sorrowful, like she doesn't know if this is the right name anymore:] Molly?
aaaaaa JESTER!! hello! <3
When he spots Jester... he practically lights up, a cheery expression appearing on his face as he runs over to her. He's not alone here, after all! ...But that brief moment of happiness doesn't last long. Jester looks sad, and she sounds it, too - which is no surprise, considering what had happened to her the last time he saw her. And if she's here, does that mean...?
...He doesn't know how to ask. But it's better to get straight to the point. ]
Jester! You.... didn't die, did you?
time for PAIN
No—No, I didn't die. [But there's pain in her eyes, and she looks at him, really looks at him, wonders if he blames her. If he blames them.]
What happened to you? What—Molly, [and her voice breaks on his name,] I thought we were friends.
oh boy, it's suffering time............
Of course we're friends, dear! Why would you say otherwise?
[ He completely ignores the question about what happened to him, so caught up in trying to figure out what Jester's talking about. They are friends, aren't they? Molly hasn't known her for that long, but he likes Jester. So why is she looking at him with that anguished expression?
And, ironically, he can't help but ask the same question that Jester's asking about him - does she blame him? For letting her be taken? At the thought, a feeling of dread settles in his stomach as he awaits her reply. ]
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[Jester has no real hard feelings about de Rogna's death, honestly. It is a shame that they'll likely not be paid, sure, but the woman herself? Jester speaks of her death as an afterthought, more heartbroken by the fact that Molly didn't even stop to talk to them, that he knew he was being scried on but continued on anyway.]
We missed you. We miss you. Why did you do all that? If you needed our help with something you could've gotten a message to us, you didn't have to sneak around.
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Now Molly's baffled, and it shows on his face. What is she talking about? Eiselcross? Vess de Rogna? He... killed someone?
Now that he looks at her properly, Jester's dressed in clothing that's very different to what he remembers her wearing before - and he doubts she got that lovely coat during her stay with the Iron Shepherds. They're clearly talking past each other, too.
Molly... doesn't understand what's going on. But something is very, very wrong. ]
Jester, I don't know what you're talking about. Last I remember, you'd been taken by the Iron Shepherds, with Fjord and Yasha. We were trying to get you back. But then I-
[ At the word died, he falters just a little. It's still hard to accept that that's what really happened. ]
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That was nine months ago. [There it is again, that pesky number nine.] We're, we're okay, the Shepherds are all dead now, they've been dead for a while now. But Cree and some other people dug you up and brought you back, and we only found out like a week ago. And you—
[She stops, then steps closer, her eyes on Molly, searching for any sign she's being lied to. This is Molly, this is her friend, and she has missed him so, so much, but she can't help but think of the tiefling smiling directly at her and leaping out the window, a book in hand.]
Are you mad at us? Are you mad at me? [Because she wasn't there. Because she couldn't bring him back.]
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[ But that- can't be right, surely? He remembers it so clearly. It had happened just hours ago. And she's saying that Cree brought him back, something he doesn't recall at all, meaning that his body's been up and about without him knowing it for months and... he feels a little like he's going to be sick.
But he does his best to hide the flurry of emotions he's feeling. The confusion, the fear - all of it. Jester doesn't need that, not now - not with that awful look on her face. ]
Oh, don't be stupid. I could never be mad at you. You didn't do anything wrong, you hear me?
[ That's what's important, now. He needs her to know that, more than anything. ]
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It’s really you.
[Her tail wraps around his leg. She sniffles.]
I missed you so much, we all did. [When she does pull away, she keeps her hands on him, meets his eyes.] Do you know what’s going on here? Have you seen anyone else or is it just us?
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He didn't know if he'd ever see her again... And Molly's found that he's grown quite fond of Jester in all their shared time together. Not to mention... for her, it's been nine months, hasn't it? She hasn't seen him at all for so long, and from the sounds of it, might even blame herself for his death. It's surprising, though, just how upset Jester is. To be honest, Molly never thought he'd be missed that much.
It's... nice. Though it hurts, too, to know that he's been the cause of her suffering for such a long time. ]
I missed you too. [ It hasn't been nearly as long for him, but it's true. ] I haven't seen any of the others. But I haven't been here for that long - it wouldn't surprise me if they were around somewhere.
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But this is Molly. She knows that down to her core.]
I can try to send a message, see if they're here. But, um, they'll probably be pretty suspicious, because you were acting weird whenever I checked on you. [A beat. Then, as an afterthought:] And I guess because you killed our employer too. But I'll vouch for you!
[Anyway it's fine, Veth was totally gonna kill her anyway.]
Hey. This is gonna sound really weird, but—the last time I scried on you, or whoever it was that had your face, you knew I was scrying the whole time. You said you could "see many things with your nine eyes." Do you know what that means?
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He loves Jester, really, he does, but... this is not a conversation that he wanted to have. Ever. ]
Firstly, that person- isn't me. [ And boy, does it make his skin crawl. The thought that Lucien might be back in his body, getting up to things that sound, quite frankly, shady as hell... it makes him feel ill. And sure, Molly was shady himself, but- it's not the same. Lucien is just... everything about him is wrong. He just knows it. ]
Okay? I know it might be confusing, but I need you to get that. ...As for what he meant... sorry, I've got no clue.
[ It's not... entirely a lie. Of course Molly knows about the nine eyes on his body, but he has no plans of bringing them up - he doesn't know anything useful about them to tell Jester anyway, right? ]
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Finding the Heart
Someone's hands, maybe? A man's face looks down at him as sitting next to him, watching.
A voice -- his? -- croaks out "I'm truly amazed you were able to come back..."
And then it ends.
Sitting nearby Mollymauk is a man in Victorian-era dress, idly reading a book, a cat perched next to him on a bench. There's a long slash across his neck, like an old wound. Maybe the same one as in the memory?]
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It's hard to figure out exactly what it is he saw. Looking around, Molly spots the man sitting on the bench, and his eyes linger on him for a moment - noticing the injury, of course. His mind draws the connection between it and what he saw in the vision... but he hesitates for a moment, not sure if it's his imagination.
It's almost a full minute before he decides to approach. Why not? ]
What'cha reading?
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His cat notices Mollymauk before he does. The cat swishes its tail, standing up and watching Mollymauk curiously when Jezebel hears his greeting and looks up. Normally, he'd be somewhat suspicious of someone approaching him out of the blue (with a heart in tow, no less), but his current state leaves him less apprehensive.]
I'm not sure. I don't remember. I haven't been able to read it.
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[ Now that Molly gets a better look at him... Jezebel's really not looking so good. It almost looks as if he doesn't feel anything at all... Molly can't just leave him like this, but he's not quite sure what to do - until suddenly, a thought occurs to him, and he offers up the box with the heart inside it. Then, opening the lid, he reveals the heart within. ]
This isn't yours, by any chance?
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After a while, he says:]
I...I'm not sure. Perhaps.
[The cat seems to try to answer for him. He meows before perching on Jezebel's lap, raising his face to sniff at the box in Molly's hands.]
Arrival
He approaches on silent cybernetic feet, coming up to Molly. His demonic looks are quite at odds with his voice, which is soft, rich, and pleasant to listen to, a vaguely British accent clipping his words.]
I take it you are newly arrived?