soddersays | APRIL 2021 TEST DRIVE MEME

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APRIL 2021 TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to April'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: Ghosts, talk of suicide, drowning, violence, zombie-like humans, blood
Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!

Prompt One
Prompt Two
Character Arrival
Master Navigation

THE LADY IN WHITE

Swamps are hardly pleasant place during the day, but at night, they’re even worse. The creeping fog, the full moon, the overall sense of dread... None of it makes you feel comfy cozy and ready to pitch up a tent for the evening. You want to get out of here quickly, but it’s hard to see too far in front of you and it’s easy to end up straying off the path. As if alligators and poisonous snakes weren’t enough to worry about, there’s a chill in the air that is strange for such a ridiculous hot evening.

I’ve been waiting for you...

The voice seems like it comes from all around you but you can’t see anyone near you. You can keep walking or try and search her out, but no matter which direction you go in, you can still hear her voice like she’s standing right behind you.

I’ve missed you. I loved you... She never loved you...

The voice becomes more distressed and you start to feel more of a pull to find her. As you wander through the fog, she’ll start to talk of a past as though it’s yours; a deep love you shared for one another, a romance that was denounced by her family, but you never failed to come to her. She will talk of how she begged her father to understand and begged him not to hurt you. But all the while, you were straying. Eventually, she found out she was pregnant, she tried to tell you, she wanted you to love her and your new family. She begged her father not to shoot you for what you’d done to her, and in the end? You ran off with the new woman who caught your eye. You left her alone. You left her unwed and an expectant mother. She begs you to do her one last favor, to come and meet her by your tree.

Eventually, in the distance, near a large willow tree, you see the image of a woman, shining brightly in the moonlight, her large, flowing dress as white as her skin. It seems like she’s floating over the ground, before you notice she’s not floating; she’s hanging. Her body swings in the breeze, the rope creaking, and finally an anguished, furious shout rings through the air:

I LOVED YOU!

The woman’s body disappears, but the rope stays behind. It turns out you weren’t the only one to explore this voice, looking for the desperate woman in the trees. Another person stands on the other side of the trunk, another Sleeper, someone you can hopefully team up with in this lost wood. You can discuss the grief stricken past of the woman you just heard or maybe together you can work together to get out of this swamp.

As soon as you leave the shadow of the tree, you’ll hear a woman again. Perhaps the same one? Only instead of words, she sobs incoherently. Maybe it’s someone who’s been hurt. Try to leave or go to explore. Either ultimately takes you to the same place...

A FINE NIGHT FOR IT

The lady in white—though perhaps a different one? How many are in this damn swamp?—is crying by the edge of the water. It’s hard to ignore and as you get closer, the crying grows louder. Maybe one of you gets close enough to reach out and touch her. Or maybe you call out to her when you’re in hearing range. No matter what, she eventually looks up to see you, and her face is covered in blood that runs from her eyes instead of tears. Her skin is sagging and wrinkled, rotted like that of a body that has been left too long in the water after drowning...

She lets out a scream before she rushes at you. Luckily, if you have a weapon, magic, or are particularly fast and strong, you can get the best of her easily. She’ll go down with one shot and her body will seem to disappear into the depths of the swampy water around you. There’s just one problem: she wasn’t alone. Her scream has clearly alerted others.

Strange looking people, their pale faces painted with mud and ground powder, come rushing from out of the trees. Their skin has a quality to it that doesn’t seem right, the same sort of rot that the woman had had, but they are definitely alive. And extremely strong, unlike your most recent foe. They carry all sorts of weapons, but they’re all ones you’d expect from people living in the woods: pitch forks, axes, machetes, hatchets... Anything that could stab you or chop you into pieces. They’re also clearly coming for blood. Some will try to tackle you to the ground and get a rope around your wrists and neck to tie you up into the trees and hang you. The Night Folk who roam these swamps want nothing more than to kill the intruders who have come into their territory.

They won’t speak. They grunt and shout at each other, but never say any actual words. The best way to kill them is to cut off their heads, but they’ll also go down if you beat them badly enough. Make sure to double check that they’re really dead though: it’s not uncommon for one to spring back up the moment your back is turned to try and kill you. Work together and maybe you’ll get out of this attack alive.

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.

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Cue a lanky and young-looking man, running around in a suit with an open trench-coat. That dramatically flares up behind him. He felt that drop. It was impossible not to. In fact, he took out his yo-yo right away before getting up, when that drop happened.

For right now, he's running about, taking inventory in a sense. Noting what places have been damaged. Pausing for a moment, combing his fingers through his brown hair. He doesn't like this. He's sure that was just the first hiccup.

Someone is so lost inside his own thinking he hasn't yet noticed the familiar face not far away.

And, for the moment, all he notices is a young-looking man dashing about. He doesn't know what his future self looks like, so for he moment, he just stands there and watches.

"Anything I can do to help, my dear fellow?"

Asked, hands in pockets, save for his thumbs, with a friendly sort of smile.

Don't mind, gramps as someone is squatting over and then pokes the inside of the crater with his finger. Then - licks that. Ten then proceeds to waggle his tongue out in the open. He's trying to see if there is a clue in the dirt/dust. Nope. Ten makes a face. Just dust.

Ten pauses for a moment. He knows that voice. Does he know that voice! The Doctor knew that this place is capable of bringing others here from other points in the timeline to this pocket universe. Case in point, Jack and Rose being from different 'when's in The Doctor's universe. Behind and ahead of The Doctor.

Still - its quite different when yourself is here.

Ten eyes up in wander. It's been a while since he's seen - himself. The Doctor gives a small smile back. Then a thoughtful.

"Trying to figure out what caused these tunnels. At the moment."

"Oh, come along old chap - you're forgetting Llanfairfach. Look at the regularity of it, the consistency. You've got some form of worm on your hands."

He smiled.

"But it will keep for a moment, eh? Come along, lets have a look at you...well, well, Tenth one of me. Hmph."

He offers a hand.

"They sent me to check up on you," he added, "glad it was me - must admit I've been curious who I turned into."

That is a quick way to know when yourself is. Or about. This means this face knows Sarah Jane, at the very least. How close are you to going to Metebelis III?

The Doctor is waggling his tongue. No, he hasn't forgotten Llanfairfach. But - then why are these places being targeted?

"That doesn't add up. Worms here go after heat index. Why at the Ice Cream Shop?"

Ten accepts the offered hand. Then there's a very long stare. A horrifying stare at the word, 'they'. Horrified mainly for the fact, that's showing how broken things have become.

"Can't have all the answers, old chap - just got here m'self. But I know a ruddy great worm tunnel when I see one."

He hastens, though, to reassure him.

"Don't worry too much, it's, shall we say, in the family."

"Llanfairfach most have been rather recent for you." That felt so very long ago. Ten nearly had forgotten about it. Three might be able to see that Ten takes a while to reflect.

Ten's facial expression relaxes a bit. As much as he might be beaming at his old self. There's darkness in those brown eyes. There's been a lot that happened between their faces. Somehow Ten's younger face, those eyes of his make him look as old as Three appears.

However, this pocket universe is coming apart. One of himselves being here shouldn't be that strange.

"Welcome to Deerington. The pocket universe is imploding. Any questions?"

"Yes, it was," he said, with a sigh. When Jo had left. One of the early ones who'd made him feel it. The Lonely God. Everyone moving on with their lives, and him merely...moving.

"Yes, just the one - d'you have the equipment you need? A bit of a cheat, I suppose, but I could lend you a sonic screwdriver if in need. I take it you don't have access to your TARDIS."

Ten scoops his younger self into a big hearts-filled hug. There, there. He's sorry. He's so, so, sorry. But he also knows there will be others and no one will replace Jo.

"Yes. Right. Have my sonic of course. This isn't just reversing the polarity. This - The Toy Maker and family."

There's a hard-pressed look about The Tardis. He hasn't seen her for quite some time.

He laughs at that.

"Oh don't worry about me, it's you we're all worried about. Your other selves and I."

And oh, he notices that. He nods.

"Care to take a gander at the past, then?" He thumbs over his shoulder.

"Oh, I'm brillant. Jack's here." Translation the human is here to ground someone. As far as not having The Tardis for two years. He's kept himself busy with others' problems to not deal with missing her. That and, up to till the other month. Has been forced to need sleep. And would dream that he's traveling the universe inside of her in his dreams.

Quick tongue click and Ten is off. Keep up younger self!

Well that's all worrisome. Apparently the habit of dodging questions passes on down the ranks, as it were. Then there's this Jack person, who is that?

And he'll keep up a steady pace, thank you kindly. Advice Prinz von Bismarck had given him once - never rush to catch the train. If you're important enough to things, the train will wait for you.

To Bismarck it's about power, but he's about keeping his own side up in this. And rushing off after his much more manic future self doesn't feature into his planning, now does it.

He just smiles, beatifically.

"Brilliant, eh? Tell me - is one of our regenerations ever good at telling little white lies?"

The Doctor is quiet and gives himself a dreadful look, "Not with myself..."

He sighs, walking over with a nod and putting his hands on his future's shoulders.

"I know it gets harder. As things go on. And this place...well, this place would get to anybody. That's why I'm here, you see. To give you a small boost, as it were. Make sure you can carry on. And who else better to check on yourself than yourself, eh?"

There's an appreciated warm smile on Ten's face. Which of his faces would know the best what it was like being grounded on Earth.

"Hasn't been all that bad." That isn't a lie. There are people here someone really cares about. From other universes. That and given the apocalypse is coming - sounds about right that someone is here. Even if Three isn't, Ten's Doctor. Five, wouldn't understand.

"I'll always carry on." There's an undertone of 'even the days someone might not want to' Simply, because he has too. Even if Ten wants to bust out and whine like a child. Why do they have to carry on?
He very well knows the answer to this.

One of them always has to be, really. He suspects there's more to that than even the Time Lords know. Some ineffable, grander thing.

"That's us, eh? Always finding the silver lining."

And oh, he realizes that undertone. Because the thing is, he knows. He's seen Time Lords, down the end of their regenerative cycles. It's always been said that you lose something as you go along - like photocopies of photocopies. That one wears thin. But it's more than that. It's an existential weariness.

For someone who stands watch against the darkness, and the demons who think they're the light - it's harder still.

"Why don't you come with me instead, eh? The TARDIS isn't far. Spend some time in the zero room, maybe."

The Doctor beams at the remark of finding the silver lining. Then - Ten's hearts sink at the mention of The Tardis. His face only looking like dread.

"I'm sorry." Ten swallows hard, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Then his voice squeaks, "She's not here."

He claps him on the shoulder.

"I thought so," he said, quietly, "but mine is. For a little while, anyways. Come on. We'll fortify you a bit, eh?"

There's a clear 'what' and 'how' face on Ten's face. Ten wants to believe this. But something about this seems too good to be true. And if The Doctor's learned anything something too good to be true is more than often than not - a trap. He will of course, follow.

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APRIL 2021 TEST DRIVE MEME

APRIL 2021 TEST DRIVE MEME

THE LADY IN WHITE

A FINE NIGHT FOR IT

Character Arrival

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