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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.
no subject
[At first, he wasn't alarmed since it sounded too far-fetched, but the way that Maul was looking at him forced his gaze down to look at his own hands. They seemed to be there, exactly as he remembered them to be.
He watched his brother march off and without question, he trailed after Maul too. This seemed of utmost importance to his brother, and he eased his way down from the roof after Maul until they hit the street.]
Yes, it was that direction.
[For all that he was quiet and fell to his brother's lead, he had an excellent sense of direction. He eased around Maul's arm to take them to the house where he had woken up in. It was only a few blocks away, and he hopped the fence rather than go through the gate.]
Do you have a house like this?
no subject
When they arrived, Maul went into the house, looking for the usual accoutrements that were supposed to be there when someone first woke up. He found them in the kitchen, the note, the Blessings Basket, and the jar of food.]
Eat. [He immediately held it out to Savage, answering his question.] Yes. It is a large one and was in disrepair when I first arrived. It has taken me a long time to get it to a livable condition.
[He'd inform him of the number of animals and the ghost on the property when it came time to do so. Best to just introduce the weirdness of Deerington as it came up instead of dumping it all on him at once. Maul had just automatically assumed that Savage and he would be living together. Where else would he have gone? Nope, they were sticking close by to each other. He'd have to inform the neighbors as to what was going on, lest Loki try to do something like arrest him or Eda cast a hex on him.]
no subject
Wait, you are doing home repair now? Not taking over the entire town and putting it under your thumb?
[He wasn't so certain why he had woken up in a house and what he was even supposed to do with that. Well, if Maul fixed one up, he could as well, though it wasn't so bad here. He had his weapons it seemed.
As he ate, he leaned forward to look into the basket and picked through the contents.]
It's strange to think you stay in one place, given how much we had to travel.
no subject
Brother, mere survival has occupied a majority of my time and I haven't even been entirely successful in that area either. I've died twice in the time that I've been in town.
[Granted, both of those times had been to opponents he considered a worthy challenge, but they had left deeper scars than just physical ones. He knew things were going to get grimmer the longer he stayed and the more he died.]
It has been strange for me as well, to be tied to one place on a singular planet instead of traveling from place to place. No one here seems to know what that is like.
[Save for Obi-Wan and Ahsoka but Maul was hardly going to count them in such a tally. They were still the enemy.]
no subject
He chewed and nodded his head, understanding that Maul was excellent at survival. He could never doubt it, not after all his brother had been through.]
I will learn about this place as quickly as possible and do whatever is necessary to keep you alive. With two of us, you can worry less about survival and more about conquest.
[He finished off the jar and set it down, picking up an amulet that he distinctly remembered Mother Talzin giving him. He hadn't worn that since she had healed his brother, but it had remained on Dathomir.]
What planet is this? Or supposed to be, since we're being held here by a god child.
no subject
It is a planet called Earth. [He hopes Savage finds the name as absolutely idiotic as he does.] It is in a completely different galaxy than the one we are from. They don't even possess the technology to create ships that can go any farther than their own moon. [The scorn in his voice is evident, especially when he pauses and then adds on:] Which they also named Moon.
[You'd think a people as creative as humans could be would have been better at naming things but apparently not.]
no subject
His fingers paused at the mention of the planet name, his brow rising as he looked questionably at the absurdity of it. Then he shook his head as he grabbed the note, opened it and found that he could actually read the language.] So we are on a planet full of sentient morons?
[He grunted and read through the note fully, consuming the knowledge as quickly as he possibly could.]
What's the power structure of this place's government? Or will you be slipping back into using the criminal underworld for your ends, brother?
[See, he was learning! As Maul had instructed him, it wasn't about knowing the right answers so much as asking the right questions.]
no subject
Essentially yes.
[When it came time to answer the second question, Maul thought best of how to phrase it.]
This place doesn't have much in the way of an organized government. There is no one single body of people that rules the place. Nor is there much of an underworld to use. But if I were to consider taking over this town, I am confident I could do so.
[He hadn't really considered it for months now, but with his brother back by his side, it had reinvigorated the part of Maul that was always interested in gaining more power.]
no subject
And this place? [He gestured with his flesh hand at the roof above and the walls.] Is it mine or did I wake in some random moron's house?
[He was slipping on the medallion from their mother, the last item she had ever given him. With her dead, he wanted to keep it close. For some reason, he felt unexpectedly drawn to it like it was part of himself. There was a very strange comfort to the weight of it around his neck and against his bare chest.]
That sounds like a potential power vacuum you could step into if you had the backing of the people or even a few certain powerful groups. How much conflict would a power grab cause?
[Any power grab was going to ruffle feathers, but if they could put down his brother's opposition....]
no subject
That depends on how many people on the side of light and good were willing to oppose us. Some would not care, too busy and wrapped up in their own petty little lives, but there will always be a few that dislike the dark and order of things being disrupted to oppose us.
no subject
And more than that, he had learned some time ago how to read between the lines with Maul. His brother couldn't say it - that moment of shock had passed - but it was evident to him what the other Zabrak wasn't saying. Able to emote more freely than ever, a smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he moved around the counter so he could lean his back against it while coming to stand next to Maul. He dipped his head so their horns bumped.] Would you be willing to have me where you live? Learning this place from you seems the best option.
[Having just arrived, he couldn't say he could stack up the risks versus the rewards of a coup here. It didn't sound like they were any more in control than anyone else here, so that meant that any plans they made might be pointless. His theory was that if they made their move, they would force Kenobi to make one and a rematch could occur. That would make his brother happy, yes?]
As it was on Mandalore. Common folk don't want involvement if it doesn't directly affect them. Together are we a match for opposition, or will we need to gather allies?
no subject
[The words were said with Maul's usual gruffness but he was extremely pleased beneath the surface that his brother wanted to live with him. He'd gone a long time living without anyone and he's missed the companionship he'd once felt when Savage was constantly by his side. He'd grown far too used to having his brother around even for the relatively short period it had been during his life.
As for whether or not they would need allies during their quest to possibly take over Deerington, Maul already knew the answer to that. One of the advantages that came with living in town for so long is that he was well aware of just about everyone's power levels already.]
We will need allies. There is someone I know here, a friend, who is powerful enough on the Light side to be able to kill either of us with only a thought.
[Fortunately, Usagi wasn't about to do that willy-nilly, but Maul wasn't so sure she wouldn't kick both their asses if push came to shove if she thought Maul was being too much of a pain. Trying to take over the town as the new ruler would definitely fall into that category for her.]
no subject
[This town couldn't be that big if it were a dream, and he had already seen some of the population just going about their lives. There would be important questions about subjegating the population little-by-little, but right now, he could appreciate their close proximity and how he felt settled in compared to the panic before eating that food Maul insisted he had.
Maybe it was more that he was settling into the role that he had come to be known for. While he could and did move independently during the building of Maul's empire, it was always for his brother's vision. Now he could fill that role again, gather information and also interrogate these 'friends' to make certain they were strong enough for his brother.]
And how many of your other friends will agree to our cause? [And because he hadn't had anyone he'd call friend, he could simply discount their importance if it interfered with Maul's vision.] If this friend is so powerful, we will have to kill them before they can think us out of existence. Right before your plan falls into place. [That whole 'death isn't permanent' part was a complication.]
no subject
[Maul's personal patience with people was absolutely horrid, but when it came to planning, he could wait years if he had to in order make his plans come to fruition. Just look at what he'd done when he'd wanted revenge upon Obi-Wan.
He felt more settled now that Savage was by his side. He could trust his brother implicitly the way he could do with almost no one else in his life, even with those he'd known for a long time now in town. He'd missed Savage as if he'd had another limb lopped off. The pain was something he'd learned to live with but it would never be something he'd get used to.
The fact he now had a second chance with him was something not lost on Maul. People like them didn't often get another chance to do things right. He was determined not to waste this one.]
There are a few I think who will find our plans agreeable. More will object but if we act swiftly, they shall not be able to stop us. [Uncharacteristic for Maul, he hesitates when he has to confirm whether they should kill Usagi or not. She's been....well, she's been kind to Maul, always fully loving him even when she doesn't always approve of what he's doing. Who else but Sailor Moon would have gone right up and hugged the rampaging Sith Lord until he calmed down instead of fighting him? But he's reluctant to try and explain all that to Savage, knowing it could be seen as weakness instead. So he compromises on his words instead.] Killing her may be....difficult and would take much effort. The best we can hope for is to incapacitate her for a period of time, however long it takes to lay claim to the rest of the town.
no subject
[Of course, Savage would do whatever he could to assist in that, and he expected that this new opportunity provided him more time to improve his skills. He had flourished under Maul, but his current body was a set back, since that exact head of height had served him well in combat. Now he would have to go back to the skill he had before Mother Talzin's alterations.
With the conversation turning to more of a planning stage of plans over the housing situation, he pushed himself off the counter he had been leaning on and made his way around again to give Maul physical space. He wasn't far away, just the other side of the island in the middle of the kitchen, but he was starting to fiddle with the talisman that he now wore. Something about it...
He nodded his head in understanding. He hadn't been the most patient in his big form, mostly because the anger and hatred that fueled him stacked upon his deep set loyalty to see Maul succeed. It made him reckless to charge ahead. Now, he could consider more readily what would be best for their situation despite the lack of experience or information here.]
Do people in this place gain power through combat like ours? Or are they a democratic system that require campaigning and popularity? [He imagined that both systems could be manipulated as necessary, though he had never had to manipulate a democratic political state before. Their negotiation tactics hadn't been without violence after all, but what would one expect taking over Crime Syndicates?]
If she is your friend, you are best suited to devise a way to incapacitate her. I will follow your lead.
no subject
[Maul almost smiled at the thought. What was the point of gaining so much glorious power if there was no one to share it with? His brother deserved to share some of it with him after all that he'd gone through as well.
Now that things were coming together, Maul could feel some of that strength and vitality that had been missing from him for so long returning. If they were to stay here long-term, they would need to be the rulers before too much time had passed, in order to gain the power he was always so desperately seeking.]
Alas, they prefer popularity. There are few who appreciate the honor and dignity of battle the way that the Nightkin and Mandalorians did.
[When Savage told him he'd let him take care of Usagi, he nodded. Maul didn't want to think too hard about how he'd have to take down his friend until it actually happened. He was immensely fond of her but even she wouldn't stand in his way.
He noticed Savage fiddling around with the talisman he'd put on. Maul felt something radiating from it, something that he can't quite put his finger on. He reached out through the Force, trying to figure out what made it special. There was some dim memory of seeing something like that glow, but it was all mixed up with his time on Lotho Minor, and he banished the thought from him as soon as he could.]
What is that?
no subject
Just Maul, his most important elder brother, his only kin alive.
He shrugged his shoulders at the idea of popularity, but it would have to be a system that they learned to play in if they wanted to retain power, right? He had risen quite high in the Nightbrother's ranks, lowly as that might seem to other more powerful beings, but theirs was a clan who valued physical strength, mental cunning but also versatility for hunting, building and solving disagreements.]
That sounds like we will have to campaign on your behalf. Perhaps you could still used the limited illegal trade to spread weapons and form a strong resistance?
[His fingers played over the talisman idly as if it were some sort of comfort to him, and he even did so subconsciously as he stood in this strange house. He sensed Maul's light pressure in his direction, sensitive enough for that, especially now that he had been trained formally to sense, use and manipulate the Force. His hand actually clenched protectively over the talisman and he curled a lip to show a hint of tooth at his brother.]
It's the Talisman Mother Talzin imbued magics of our clan into. It was my guide to finding you in the Outer Rim. It's... different then I remember.
[His thumb ran over the smooth edge, and it seemed to light up. The beaded necklace that held it had already began to eat its way into the flesh of his neck, but he didn't even notice.]
no subject
[Maul still had more people here who got along with him than those that didn't. It was surprising even to him. If they had to work a little bit harder in order to make themselves likable to people, then that's just what they'd have to do. It was a different sort of subterfuge than Maul usually used but he could learn to adapt.
I had wondered how you found me. I don't remember-- [Then he saw the necklace beginning to sink into his brother's skin, seemingly without Savage noticing.] What the--?!
[Maul suddenly jerked to his feet, eyes going wide. He was uncertain what was happening and hesitated for a brief moment, wondering if he should pull the talisman off or leave it in place. The only thing that kept him from immediately snatching it from Savage's chest was that it had been imbued with magic by their mother. He knew she'd never do anything intentionally to hurt them. Even if she had used Savage for her own purposes, it had never been done with any intent to permanently damage him.]
no subject
[He understood that not everyone was going to like everyone else, and Maul was extreme enough to push people to resent him. So far it seemed his brother had surrounded himself in powerful allies and 'friends', which he knew would come in handy. They would have to be mindful of the Jedi Kenobi speaking out too vehemently. Maybe remove his tongue?]
You were quite mad and broken when I found you. You could only remember your quest for revenge. [And he stepped back when Maul was suddenly alarmed, twisting around to check behind himself as if they might be under some manner of attack.] What is it?
[His hand clenched around the talisman itself and bright green wisps curled from the lines that now lit up. He made a noise of surprise and twisted around to face Maul again, but before he could speak, the magic of Mother Talzin poured out all around him, contracting about his body as he let out a howl of surprise over pain. Within seconds, the magic receded and Savage shook his as he stopped stooping and his horns very nearly brushed against the ceiling as he regained his seven-foot-one stature. He looked at his hands, no longer mismatched. The talisman itself was absorbed into his flesh completely.
He looked to Maul and suddenly grinned.]
We are in business, as they say, brother.
no subject
Well now. That certainly was a surprise. A final gift from their mother, perhaps? She had always been wise and had forethought aplenty when it came to planning out things for her two sons. Savage's grin, a rare enough sight on its own, was answered by Maul's own smile.]
Very good. Let us go and start putting these plans into action.
no subject
How long this form would last he had no idea. Unlike the first time, it didn't feel as... stable, which was an odd sensation. Still, he was going to use it and use it well. There was plenty that he had to learn.]
I'll gather the items sent with me, and we shall leave to crush your enemies.