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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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Bucky Barnes.
Brooklyn, United States.

looking for a punk with a big mouth who's been missing for months
if found, please return to 202 Dorian Circle

[ And whether Steve texts him back or just shows up, Bucky really doesn't care, but it had better really be Steve this time. ]

Looking for a jerk with a big head who's been

[ He accidentally sends the message before finishing it. He's confused. Who's been missing for months? Bucky left for war and wouldn't know about Project Rebirth yet. ]

Give me half an hour, Buck.

[ Steve is good with directions but is in unfamiliar territory. ]

or I can come find you if you tell me where you are

[ Bucky, meanwhile, is changing out of his work scrubs, pulling back his hair and trying to make sure the goat hasn't eaten so much of his couch that he can't offer Steve a seat, because he hasn't seen the guy in months and last time he saw Steve, he'd been in a rough state--far rougher than Bucky, who's straight from Wakanda with a less than smooth replacement arm he'd had built for him here and what probably constitutes too much hair by anyone else's standards.. ]

[ Steve would agree to that if he had any idea where he was. Right, signs. ]

The corner of Street and Street.

[ He looks the way he assumes Bucky would remember him as. The only way Steve thinks he's ever looked. 5'4". 95 lbs. Blond hair and blue eyes. And Bucky, his best pal, will have short brown hair and a clean-shaven jaw. The surprised that lay in store will be a lot to swallow for the less than average guy from Brooklyn. ]

I'll wait for you.

stay put

[ Bucky pulls on his coat and heads out to meet him. Timelines don't always add up here, so he's not sure exactly what Steve will remember. Enough that he doesn't seem surprised that Bucky's alive and talking to him, so Bucky thinks he has an idea of the timeline, at least.

It only takes Bucky about ten minutes to get to Steve. He's lived here for months and he knows the layout of the town pretty well as long as nothing changes it.

It's on the final approach that Bucky catches sight of how small Steve is. So that throws a monkey wrench in his entire thought process. ]

What the hell?

You got it, pal.

[ Steve folds his arms over his chest and huddles in on himself to stay warm. Bundled up and still chilled all the way through. Skin and bones don't provide much insulation. He's only waiting for about ten minutes, not long. He'd wait forever for Bucky if he asked him to.

He hears that familiar voice and turns around with a smile to greet him. A smile that falls. Confusion replaces it. ]

Bucky?

[ He hasn't been gone that long. Stubble makes sense. Though that much of it? And his hair. It can't have grown that quickly. He's known Bucky his entire life. It's impossible. Wait, he's bigger. ]

What happened to you?

[ Bucky opens his mouth and closes it again, looks down and realizes that the coat he'd grabbed is his old Howling Commandos coat and this Steve wouldn't even know the difference. It fucking figures.

He laughs, hollow and awkward. ]

About seventy years of life, I think.

[ But he's already shrugging out of the coat, of course, because Steve looks like a twig shaking in the wind and Bucky will be damned if there's any version of Steve he won't help. Once the coat is off, his metal arm is on full display, but he doesn't even think about it, because he's already moving to wrap the coat around Steve's shoulders over the rest of his clothes. ]

Let's get you warmed up and I'll tell you everything you want to know, okay?

[ Seventy years of life? Steve shakes his head. ]

I'm fine, Buck, really.

[ He was cold but he'd be alright. Steve didn't want Bucky worrying, but knowing that he will, Steve doesn't stop him from placing the coat around his shoulders. It gives him a better view of all of Bucky's changes. Steve almost chokes out his best friend's name. His arm. It's gone. Replaced by metal, all sharp and shining in the light. ]

You were hurt in the war? You haven't been... [ No, Bucky hadn't been in action for that long but war was brutal. It was possible he was injured that quickly. ] I didn't know.

Bucky.

[ Emotion catches in his throat, hot and thick in his lungs and he can't breathe. Steve inhales, fast, all that cold air burning its way down. His hand flies out to grab Bucky as he begins to cough. ]

[ Bucky smiles a little at Steve's insistence that he's fine, because Steve could be bleeding out with a foot cut off and he'd say the same thing and Bucky's going to look out for him whether he needs it or not, because that's what they do.

The smile leaves quickly, though, when Steve starts coughing and grabbing for him. He wraps an arm around Steve's back, half hug and half support. ]

Hey, breath. I've got you.

[ He feels like he used to know what to say in situations like this--maybe not exactly like this--but now he feels like he's at a loss. ]

I'm okay. Right now, I'm here and you're here and we're both okay, right?

[ And maybe it's a reassurance Bucky needs, too, because he hasn't seen Steve in months. ]

[ It's a few minutes of rough breathing before it calms down again. There are those pesky black spots around his vision, face hot and flushed from the exertion. He frowns at Bucky. It wasn't okay. None of this was. He was missing something and it felt bigger than the breath he couldn't catch. ]

No, it's not, Buck.

[ He leans into Bucky's chest, taking the support and reassurance for what it is. Their situation was already off and this added to the misplaced dysphoria that was sweeping through him. ]

But we'll figure it out together.

[ That much he was sure of. Steve and Bucky always made it through the worst. When he's ready he straightens up to take a look at that metal arm of Bucky's. ]

If it's really been seventy years we've got a lot of catching up to do.

[ Bucky's got nothing but time for Steve, so he waits patiently, ready to react if it seems like he might get worse instead of better. With Steve here, it's too easy for everything else to melt away just a little and fall to the wayside, especially when the Steve that's here is so small and vulnerable and Bucky knows that Steve is tough and he'd never want to hear it, but there are things here that Bucky knows he'll have to protect him from when he's like this. ]

Well I was asleep for part of it if that's any consolation.

[ And he should be careful with what he tells Steve. There are things he's going to have to leave out, even if it kills him to keep secrets between them. ]

Come back to my house?

[ It wasn't. Bucky had been hurt, he can see that much. It's more than the metal arm or the physical changes, it's the way he talks and holds himself. It's even in his eyes. A man's eyes spoke volumes and Bucky's weren't the same. Steve should have been there to help him. He'd tried and made it as far as Project Rebirth but never met Bucky on the front lines. ]

Yeah, let's go back to your house.

[ They could start there. Where it was warmer.

He follows Bucky, shoulder to shoulder, and boy did he miss this. A couple of months felt like years. Steve only needs to stop a few times to catch his breath again. It didn't take much to stress his lungs and if he showed any annoyance it was because of that. ]

[ Bucky waits with him every time he stops and it's not just Steve who's hanging close. Bucky almost doesn't want to take his eyes off of Steve now that he's got him here.

When they get to the house on the quiet cul-de-sac, Bucky pulls out his key on the porch and lets Steve in. The house is cozy and lived in and a little messy, not helped by the fact that there's a goat in the living room chewing on a throw pillow. It's obviously a little too big for just one person, especially someone who grew up as modestly and they did. ]

Damn it.

[ The goat bleats gently and walks into the kitchen with the pillow still in her mouth. Bucky makes no move to go after her. ]

She showed up when there was already snow on the ground and I couldn't build her a place outside, so she's wreaking havoc.

[ He heads for one of the closed doors. ]

Make yourself comfortable. I'll grab you some warmer clothes.

[ If he was with anyone else or the situation was different, he'd be mad at how easily it was to get out of breath. He knows how his body responds to cold air but he'd allowed his emotions to win out and lost focus of how he should be breathing in this bad weather. Now he has to deal with feeling winded alongside trying to suss out how Bucky is so changed from last he saw him and why he's here in this place.

But Bucky is here and Steve has to keep up. He needs him. ]

What's your roommate's name?

[ Steve smirks up at Bucky. It was a goat. A. Goat. In Bucky's house and she was tearing the place up as if she owned it. The house was bigger and nicer than anything Steve's lived in but he's happy for Bucky, glad that he'd had something like this for himself. He hangs his jacket up and lines his shoes up near the door, mindful of the nice rugs that he won't muddy.

He sits on the couch with a heavy sigh. ]

You live here alone? [ Well, he laughs softly. ] Besides your four-legged friend.

[ Steve shows more care than Bucky or Peter tend to and it makes Bucky smile. He'd been careful when he'd first moved in here, but Wanda isn't here anymore and left with a teenaged boy and a goat for company, Bucky's sense of tidiness has slipped. ]

That's Lefty. Don't let the fact that she's a little shit bother you. That's just how goats are.

[ And Bucky, being who he is, is completely fond of her for it. He likes little shits who bring him trouble and he comes back out of his room with a handful of sweatshirts and other layers for his favorite little shit. They get dumped gently next to Steve and then Bucky settles himself on the couch, too. ]

A teenager lives here with me. His name's Peter. You'd like him. He's a good kid.

[ Steve hasn't had the chance to live in a place as nice as this. He'd be respectful even if that weren't the case but there are certain things a fella should do and treating another person's property carefully was one of them. Now, tidiness is an entirely different beast. ]

... [ His smile widens. ] You've got a type, James Barnes.

[ Little shits for friends. Stubborn little shits. He's already slipping a spare sweatshirt on while lumping the others in his lap as if they're blankets. They're warm and smell like Bucky. That's comforting. ]

Two kids, Buck? A lot sure has changed.

Peter's more like an excitable almost-adult.

[ Not that Bucky's going to spill the beans on Spider-man. He'd promised and Steve hasn't even met the kid yet, so he'll leave that for Peter to completely blow on his own. The kid isn't a good liar. ]

So, from what I can tell, this place seems to... I don't know... sometimes people are missing memories or people can remember stuff that feels like it hasn't happened yet. Most of the time, I can remember things no one else can and to be really honest, my brain's not in the best shape in general. What's the last thing you remember?

[ Sometimes on his worse days, he wonders if Wakanda is even real. For all he knows, he's in HYDRA custody again, sleeping in a cryo tube. Most days, he can use logic to get away from that line of thought, though, and he has more good days than bad. ]

I'd like to meet him.

[ Any friend of Bucky's was a friend of Steve's, how he saw it. Bucky had always had a way with people and why would almost-adults be any different? Steve would do his best to get to know the young man. ]

Well, Buck, here's the thing.

[ Which is code for Steve did something reckless and stupid and hadn't had the chance to tell Bucky about it. Though going by what he's said he might anyway. ]

I found a way into the army. Did bootcamp, was selected for something called Project Rebirth. Um, Howard Stark had strapped me into his machine and I woke up here.

[ It's thankfully specific, so there's that. Specific and kind of a highlight reel of Steve's Dumbest Hits: The Early Years. ]

Of course you did. You were always going to find a way in, because you're the stubbornest guy I've ever met.

[ His voice is impossibly fond and even a little impressed. Steve finds a way even when things should be impossible. It's something Bucky's always admired about him. ]

Okay, so I probably shouldn't give you too many spoilers about your future, but you gotta know I owe my life to you at least three times over by now, so you're gonna have to let me look out for you here.

[ The more he talks, the more he relaxes and the more his old Brooklyn accent creeps out. ]

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