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

[Newt is really enjoying just staring at their shoes. These shoes are very lovely. Wonderful shoes. Amazing.]

Well, I'll take it over being persecuted honestly. Besides, we've been having more than enough trouble with people doing things because of their discontent. I rather this than innocent people dying and that is really how it is. [Grindelwald's stance is a rather seductive lure for many and he's finding that there are many who would blindly agree with it because they technically shouldn't have to hide. Just that hiding was better than what the circumstances would be if they didn't.] I agree with that.

[He feels awkward not having a glass so he pulls his wand out and accio's the closesy flute of champagne to him. A little bit spills, but he's surprised most of it stays within the glass.] Uhm. Yes. Right.

And that is a perfect combination of the moral and the compassionate. It's not always easy, but it's commendable.

[he clinks glasses with Newt, but doesn't sip, out of deference to his conversational company's preference to abstain]

The trouble with activism is that it is an action of the heart which must be consulted with against the mind in order to be done properly and well ... and the two are not often well-suited for each other. In fact, I'm reasonably certain they don't always speak the same language.

[conversation being what it is, and him enjoying it as much as he is, he has to finish that thought before looping back around to the fact that A GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE JUST FLEW OVER TO THEM. he beams, thoroughly consumed with childlike wonder]

And you just did that, out of thin air, just like that!

[he snaps his fingers]

Real magic. Wow. Fantastic. Absolutely phenomenal. And extremely useful in practical situations, I'm sure.

Edited (how did I forget the MAGIC) 2019-01-05 15:18 (UTC)

[Newt takes a sip from his, but the face he makes is obvious that he isn't really fond of champagne. He's going to put the glass down or he might keep drinking it and regretting that choice.]

I wouldn't call what has been happening back home to be considered activism. For the most part, life has been peaceful. People are just discontent because they believe to be better. It's more like a rude lot with egos larger than Russia throwing a bit of a fit. [He thinks there are some widely backwards laws and thoughts, but the whole rise of popularity of Grindelwald is definitely because purebloods fancy themselves better than others.

He jolts a little. He hadn't expected such a...well a childlike response from the other.]

I...w-well that's how magic is I suppose. My use of magic tends to be rather mundane, although I'm learning that people from other places don't quite use their magic as much as I do. [Where wizards and witches back home use magic for even everyday life; he has found others only use it for things like combat or necessary situation. He really can't imagine getting through the day without his wand.]

[when Newt gives a little more context to the social climate, Cooper frowns a tiny bit and nods]

I see. I'm sorry to have jumped to a conclusion, then, it sounds like you've got yourselves a rather troubling socio-political climate to navigate in.

But this magic...! This is extraordinary. I can see why people who don't understand that it could have a time and a place could be very dangerous. But what else do you use it for, Newt?

Ah, well. I don't really let it affect me. There's a lot of things that I need to get done that doesn't include with dealing with the unrest of some individuals.

[His travels did a good job at having him be pretty far from the populace the last year.]

Uh, well. It's really better to ask what we don't use our magic for. For myself and my brethren; magic is an integral part of our lives. We use magic for basically everything. I'm sure you'll meet a few people who seem to use it a lot for combat, but it's more than that for us. It's an extension of ourselves and part of us. We use our magic from complex combat spells to something like doing household chores or cooking. There really isn't much we can't do with it.

That is, if you'll pardon my saying so, one hell of a fine way to live. [he beams] It sounds like people consider magic where you're from the same way people I know consider electricity. I take it, since it seems to be a sort of force of its own right, you can't create things with it, simply change or manipulate what already exists?

[sharp as a tack, this one]

I really can't imagine living any other way. It sounds so tedious not to be able to have it as an option. [It must take Muggles forever to get things done. No wonder they always seem to be in a hurry.]

That's incorrect. There isn't a lot that isn't at our disposal. We can create things, like. [He points the tip of his wand into the champagne glass he had abandoned.]

Aguamenti.

[Just like that, water comes out from the tip of the wand. He taps his wand a bit and stops the flow.] That is known as a water-making spell. The best way to think of magic is that it's limitless. Really, the real limit is determined by the individual and not magic itself.