JANUARY 2019 TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to January’s Test Drive Meme! This month's Test Drive's theme is: NEW YEAR'S.

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: Mind alteration, alcohol, options for self-harm, knife violence.

Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!

Prompt One
Prompt Two
Character Arrival
Master Navigation

YOU BETTER GET THIS PARTY STARTED

It's party night at the Grady Hotel and the hosts are pulling out all the stops. Champagne, funny hats, pictures, great music, and a wonderful countdown clock that let's everyone know just how much closer they're getting to the end of what has probably been a pretty crazy year for everyone. The glasses never seem to empty themselves and the citizens serving them out to people seem to be making extra sure that everyone has one for themselves. Regardless of whether or not you usually like champagne, anyone with a glass in their hands will eventually be tempted to take a sip, especially the closer it gets to midnight - the bubbles make you giggly, friendly, talkative in a way that you may never have been before. It lifts up just about anyone's spirits, no matter how rough of a time they've had before (or during their time in) Deerington. It doesn't seem to get you drunk, no matter how much you drink, but it definitely makes you more euphoric. Enough so that you might start to think you can do anything; tell someone how you really feel about them, compliment whoever you've had your eye on all night and see if they want to spend more time together, make up with someone you've been fighting with lately, do a magic trick you never were able to master, or even something as drastic as fly when you know you can't. Hopefully you start off trying to jump from a chair, but there is definitely roof access for those who are a little more daring - maybe someone a little more sober will have the wherewithal to stop you before it's too late.

There is also plenty of entertainment happening in various parts of the room. A table with beer pong for the adults who never outgrew their college days, a dart board, card games in the back, and a game called Guess the Candy for those who want to test their sweet tooth. Anyone who wins a round of any game will get rewarded with a small gift from home (no bigger than a toaster). Unfortunately will disappear once you leave the party, so make sure to enjoy it while you can.

The dance floor is also lively, the music upbeat and easy to move to no matter what your personal tastes might be. If you want a random dancing partner, take a dance card! Each one has a random, glowing number on it and it's your goal to find the person who matches. Once you do, no matter who it is, you'll find yourself literally stuck together (hopefully just by your hands, but it can be any body part) and will have to go through an entire dance (or maybe even two) with them before you come unstuck.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Everyone starts to gather around the countdown clock as it nears midnight, and when it's down to ten seconds, obviously you've got to start counting too! Everyone seems to be having such a good time as they shout out each number (10! 9! 8!) and you might not even notice the way some of the people around you have started to get a little... twitchy? (7! 6! 5!) Or the way some are starting to get more handsy, pushing themselves up close to whomever is beside them. (4! 3! 2!) And it isn't until they all shout 1! in unison that the room seems to shift in two very different moods.

If you're lucky, the person next to you will just have the urge to kiss you - and you might even have the urge to kiss them back! After all, sharing a kiss at midnight is supposed to bring you good luck for the rest of the year. And with the way everyone else is starting to act, you might need it. For some, the urge to kiss might be stronger than just a chaste peck. For those who find themselves wanting to get a little more intense, it might be best to try to sneak out the back and head back to your place. The moment you step outside into the cold air, though, the urges seem to disappear - unless, of course, you were in the mood all on your own.

If you're unlucky, there's a murderous rage that runs through you, and there seems to be a table of weapons near by to help encourage a messy time. Various knives, swords, machetes, and other blades are laid out, enough for almost everyone. You might find yourself driven to plunge your weapon into the closest person, or maybe someone you've hated for a long time, and even more - maybe someone you've loved. Whoever it is, the image of their face will be burned into your mind and you'll do everything you can to try and make them bleed. Hopefully they can fight for their life - or at least evade your attacks until they can trick you into going outside. Like the desire for love, the desire for murder will also disappear the moment that someone steps outside, regardless of whether or not they did so on purpose or just to try and hurt whoever they're after.

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

[ You know, this won't be the first time John's lost his control at a party. Hell, it's not even been a whole month since he'd tried to strangle a friend just because he'd gotten it in his head the guy was someone else. The fact that he immediately picks up a pair of scissors should be a sign that something's amiss, but instead that laser focus is turned on Peggy who appears to be impeding his advance on some unsuspecting prey. ]

Y'know, I'm just gonna make sure I put the 'happy' in my Happy New Year.

[ Who says those scissors are nefarious? Just because he grips them like a goddamn Bowie knife doesn't mean he's going to use them that way, right? ]

[ Peggy would wager it's neither the first nor the last time someone will lose control of themselves at a party. John is a stranger to her, so she can't speak to his own record, but it's hardly a brilliant first impression that she's being presented with at this moment. ]

And you'll stop someone from ever having another Happy New Year again, I assume. Is that what you want?

[ She supposes it is, because these murderous types aren't exactly thinking about other people's happiness. Still, regardless of what he wants, she wants to put a stop to it by any means necessary.

And the way he's holding those scissors means nothing at all, of course! ]

What? You don't know what you're talkin' bout—

[ He's dismissing her, waving her off in such a way that's very disrespectful. (When he finally comes out of this, he'll be mortified.) But John's got a singular mind and he's dead set on making someone... well, dead. Or at least deeply regretful. By making holes in them. ]

S'pose they deserve it, huh? Mine been ruined for— for too long and you wanna just sit there actin' like that's okay for me, but not okay for them?

What kinda double-standard bullshit is that?

[ The agitation has him tugging at the collar of his dress shirt, and in a vest and some slacks, it's clear he'd made an effort to dress up a little for the party, that he hadn't come here to pick a fight. ]

Don't I?

[ Dismiss her all you want, she's not going anywhere just yet. Besides, the disrespect doesn't bother her very much. It's something she's received before, and while it makes her frown, she knows how to let it slide. ]

Perhaps they do deserve it. I understand there are those out there who deserve punishment.

[ This isn't about grandstanding or being holier-than-thou. ]

Whatever double standards there are, I don't think they'll be addressed by you taking matters into your own hands.

[ You know, she's making sense, which is probably the absolute worst part about this whole scenario. John's angry, the wash of red obscuring his vision, but there's truth to Peggy's words that speaks to something deep within him. ]

No. You don't understand...

[ He tightens his grip and his resolve, the whole top half of his body pushing out like he's ready to bump chests with Carter, like he's challenging her status as top dog. He's probably more bark than bite, right? But then again, he'd stabbed Arthur in September, and nearly choked Jean-Paul not one month ago, so it's a bit hard to say these days. Not when Deerington starts getting up to its shenanigans again. ]

Now get out of my way.

[ That is one thing she's good at: making sense. Still, she didn't expect him to be swayed that easily. He hasn't been swayed yet, because he still has that weapon in his hand, but baby steps. ]

I don't, but I'd like to. Something tells me you aren't the type to shoot first and ask questions later. [ Or stab first, in this case. ]

Still, we are very much strangers, so I can only begin to guess at how you work.

[ She does take a step to one side, as a placating gesture, but she keeps talking. ]

Perhaps you could enlighten me, if it isn't too much trouble.

[ He looks like he wants to go through her and while he's somehow deterred, it hasn't stopped him from taking up a little pace, like a caged animal being challenged by an open gate. ]

Trouble— What d'you know 'bout trouble, huh? Trouble is— It's thinkin' things're good and wakin' up realizin' one day someone's— ruined it. Ruined it all a-and— and—

[ Clearly frustrated, John takes the scissors and swings them in a wide arc, plunging them into the wooden tabletop and leaving them stick there. ]

Fine!

[ He must have decided he could use his bare hands instead because he's discarding the weapon. Maybe now he can get past this woman. ]

[ She straightens herself up to her full height (which isn't saying much) and fixes him with her steeliest look. ]

What do I know about trouble? Well, I don't know, but I'll wager you're about to tell me all about your tragic experiences that led you to this moment. Go on, then, I'm listening.

[ She glances at the table that now has the scissors stuck in it, but her attentions are quickly back on him. ]

I don't mean to be flippant; clearly you've been through something, and you're in the mood to talk about it.

[ Or perhaps he isn't at all, but Peggy's offering him that chance. ]