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tdms

JANUARY 2019 TEST DRIVE

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.

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Special Agent Dale Cooper.

[he meets that handshake with the same zeal he's shown in every hand and with every sip of champagne]

You're not bad yourself, Blake. I'm having quite the good time, tonight.

[he taps his chips] And I'm not about to be a sore winner. Buy you a round?

Definitely, but let's do a couple more rounds first — gimme a chance to win some back.

[ Said with good humor, although he's mostly just hoping to make conversation over the card table where it's a bit quieter and less raucous. ]

Special agent, huh? For the FBI, or...?

[ He seems American enough John thinks it's a decent guess. In the meantime, he receives his cards and doesn't yet bother to look at them, although he antes, of course. ]

But of course.

[he puts down his own ante and signals for another round for the table, dealer included]

Got it in one! I've been with the Bureau for a few years now.

[without skipping a beat:] How long have you been on the force?

Not long enough, and not anymore. Good guess, though. Got a specialty?

[ Some people are jacks of all trades, some are specialists. Some people don’t like to talk about work. He doesn’t care so much about how Dale plays poker, but he’s exuberantly interested in knowing how Agent Cooper works. And not just thanks to the champagne. ]

Not a guess so much as an observation, though I'm sorry to hear you had to leave before you woke up here. I guess you could say my specialty lies in finding answers through unorthodox manners where the orthodox has failed. I've worked with a number of departments, including the NRA and the DEA, but my most recent assignment was a serial murder case.

[the new round arrives, and he thanks their server with a smile and a generous tip, raising his glass]

Here's to protecting and serving, Blake, no matter what the jurisdiction or circumstance.

[ John nods to the server, then raises his drink in thanks and in toast. It's difficult to be so dedicated to just that — to serving and protecting — when so much of the world is looking to do so, but with or at a price. On the bright side, when you're one of the good ones, you tend to recognize others who are probably on the up-and-up. ]

We could all use a bit more of that. Just watch you don't come down on the wrong side of the Authority. Near as I can tell, they're pretty cool cats — literally — until you do somethin' you shouldn't.

[ Shuffling his cards, he sits back and eyes Dale. ]

So, what exactly does "unorthodox" mean in this sense, Agent Cooper? Wouldn't normally ask, but that's a bit of a slidin' scale dependin' on where you're from.

The authority. Your inflection implies a superlative, that's interesting. I'd like to hear more about that, if you feel like sharing.

[he inspects his own hand, poker face decidedly intact. if John's asking him about his specialty, it means he's still concerned for the folks here, even if he's not part of any formal force ... and that, for him, speaks volumes about his character. he has a feeling John would be a bonafide Bookhouse Boy back home in Twin Peaks, in an instant, and can't help but already feel a quiet sense of cameraderie with him]

As far as me ... I tend to have a very strong intuitive sense, and a way of reading people most agents have foregone in favor of stoicism and a certain ... preconceived notion of how folks in my profession should behave.

[in layman's terms, he gets along better with the civilians because he treats them like equals and doesn't walk around like he has a stick up his ass.]

[ There's a subtle nod at the mention of sharing — John's always happy to do that, and he's gathered at least an opinion on everything.

He's probably throwing away these hands a little more easily now that they've established that neither are there to clean anyone out, but John doesn't mind folding with a decent pair if it gives him a couple seconds to talk without having to concentrate on betting. ]

Heh. Bet that makes you popular with your colleagues.

[ For Blake's part, he'd made similar enough waves before things went south, usually because he was the guy asking everyone to do their damn jobs. He walked a beat when most people wouldn't, got to know people even as he was taking them in for whatever petty crime. Respect could go a long way with people, but only if you're the kind of person that believes everyone deserves it. ]

There's no one like you mentioned here at least. Police station's empty and there's no organized enforcement beyond the very large, quite supernatural cats that you might catch roamin' 'round town. Dunno what gives them actual authority, but it's fairly succinct what they will or won't stand for, and some of the lighter crimes— [ He antes in, gestures to the pot. ] —like gamblin' seems to go unnoticed.

Haven't seen it myself, but I've heard it's closer to an eye-for-an-eye than we're prob'ly used to. So, no murder, theft, trespassin', arson, et cetera.

[Cooper's counting less and playing genuinely more, himself, now that he has a fine conversation to focus on, in place of the game. so interestingly enough, John may not be throwing away quite as much as he'd expected to.]

Noteworthy, perhaps, but as for popular, I try not to pay attention one way or the other. That's not what the job's about. But this conversation's not for soapboxing - or even choir preaching, if it applies - now, is it?

[he flashes a small yet bright smile, rearranging the cards in his hand before tossing in his own ante and listening to what John has to say about the Authority with open ears and focused gaze. most might have been disturbed by the cats, but Cooper is only reminded of the Giant's message]

"The owls are not what they seem". And neither are the cats, apparently. Tell me, Blake, what's your opinion on Sodder: specifically, the letter she leaves folks, and what it has to say about dreams?

[he glances casually at the three cards the dealer sets out for them, then tosses an additional chip into the pot]

[ John calls but doesn't raise, not wanting to push his luck before the turn. He's been gambling (and not even for the fun of it) a good part of the night and he's getting toward the bottom of his stack of meager chips. ]

Consider me the suspicious type and I'm still led to believe Sodder's okay and the advice's good. Not to say I wanna believe everything I read and anything I'm told, but for what time I've been here, nothin's contradicted it.

[ The next card's dealt and Blake gathers his cards together, shuffling them between his hands while he waits to see if Dale bets. ]

What's this about the owls, though? Haven't heard that.

[Dale considers his hand, though it only takes a matter of seconds. as he seems to scrutinize the cards, he's really thinking more about their conversation. he's a good judge of character, and he thoroughly approves of what he's seen of John's. which means his thoughts about Sodder are probably right on the level. Blake's a sharp character, and he trusts his assessment of things. he can't help but be reminded of Harry, and how good it had been to have that particular officer of the local law on his side. he hopes that John might prove to serve the same happy purpose during his time here, and tosses down a single chip - not for faith in his own hand, but for faith in this possible friendship]

You trust your eyes and your ears and your gut, Blake, and I think that speaks volumes more for Sodder than just her letter could. Thank you for your opinion: I have a feeling it's got a great deal more value than some would assign to it.

As for the owls ...

[he rearranges his cards simply for something to do with his hands]

That's something I heard back home, having to do with a particularly singular phenomenon that probably doesn't apply here. I was simply reminded of it by the way you spoke of the Authority. ... Has anyone ever attempted to communicate with them?

Oh, I'm sure of it. But not me. I've got a friend that'll be apt to adopt one if he gets close enough, and another that'll charm anything with four legs and fur. Odds're pretty good you'll find at least a few people who've engaged. As long as you stay on their good side — follow the rules, I mean — they seem to kinda keep to themselves. Same with the deer, but maybe that's just when I'm 'round. They're always leavin' gifts, too.

[ He sets down his cards — two low-end pairs — and then sits back to wait out the verdict. ]

I like the dogs. They like the treats. And they do good delivery, too — always to the right person.

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