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

Dude, really? [ Chloe's eyes lit up at that. What a dream, man. ] What kind of music do you play? [ Even if it wasn't something she'd listen to, it's still cool. She has a deep admiration for people who are doing things they enjoy instead of whatever people might expect of them.

She went to toss what remained of her cigarette into the glass she'd been using as an ashtray, before going to take on of the offered clove ones from him. ] Thanks, dude. [ She lit it quickly, holding it out to him again in case he still needed it. ] Some people just like to suffer, I guess. [ The words were slightly muttered around the cigarette in her mouth, and once his is lit, she goes to finally pull it out from between her lips and let out the smoke with a quick sigh. ] There are a lot of people who wanna save everyone, protect their friends - can't do that if you have to admit the only way we're going home is on a whim.

Yes. Some would say I'm a prodigy of some kind. A natural. [He says it rather dryly that would imply that he finds it rather tiring to hear.] I went to Juilliard and mostly play classical. The dreary classical recitals. Not my favorite crowd. I'm more fond of playing jazz at clubs in between long tours. They're far more entertaining and interesting in my opinion. [He truly was a natural at heart, but he likes to think he still puts a lot of hard work into what he does.

Also music beats following his father's footsteps or whatever.] Hope you're fond of vanilla. I've found I'm unneedlesslg picky about my cigarettes. [He takes the lighter and lights a new cigarette after discarding his last one with Chloe's. He holds it back out to her.] I don't know about you, but I do hate suffering. Allergic to it. [He says like he isn't a complete troublemaker at times.]

There's protecting others to the best to one's abilities and there's being a self sacrificing fool.

That sucks. [ Chloe hadn't been a prodigy, but she'd been labeled 'gifted' and it had been enough of a bear for her to wish she'd been just an average nerd and not a smart one. She also had wasted her potential, supposedly, but that was beside the point. ] No one's gonna force you to throw around any Bach or Schubert in this place, but you might be able to find a space to play jazz somewhere. They've got shit from all sorts of time periods around.

[ She gave a hum of satisfaction at the new flavor, nodding in her approval. It was different - but definitely nicer than the cheap cigarette pack she'd picked up in town. ]

I'm too lazy to put up with something as time consuming as suffering. Or self sacrificing. Way too much effort when I could spend half as much energy into letting things be wherever they need to be.

It is what it is. Small talk is rather dreary and you grow to just smile and thank them after you've heard it for years. [He absolutely hates the after parties.] I don't think I'll be too pressed. I'm sure I can work with what I got. It'll beat taking some dull normal job. Even if I can pull the sexy secretary look if I tried.

[He looks back at the crowd of partygoers.]

Then we're in agreement. Suffering is shite and I feel like saving energy for a worthwhile endeavor would get much farther than flinging oneself into whatever pops up. [He says that like he probably wouldn't do the latter depending on the situation. Denial.]

I don't think you'd have to try too hard at all. [ It's said more in humor than in actual flirtation, a small and certainly amused smirk on her face. ] I dunno how many musician jobs they ultimately have, but as long as you're doing something, you tend to get paid. They aren't really picky on what it is.

[ She went to finish off her champagne, placing the empty glass onto the tray of a passing waiter and grabbing a full one to replace it. ]

Hopefully you know how to use a weapon or have some crazy powers like a lot of people in this place. You'll get dragged into a lot of bullshit no matter how hard you try to avoid it, ultimately. Fucked, but it's just how things run.

You say things like that to other people and you'll easily wrap them around your fingers. People do love being told things like that. I personally love to be reminded that I'm attractive. [Cain laughs a little.] Well, I imagine I'll find something to do here for money. As long as I can buy cigarettes. [The era of this place may work in his favor as far as cigarettes go. Or so he hopes.]

Sounds like shite for people that have neither. [Cain doesn't confirm or deny that he can do certain things.] You've been here awhile then. [Sounds like she's seen plenty to say something of the sort.]

Oh, trust me, I know. How to properly people is the number one thing to learn for getting out of trouble, after all. [ And Chloe was always good at talking her way out of a paper bag if she really needed to. ] Cigarettes are definitely aplenty, my friend, but -- Well, you might not find the vanilla kind. These are really fucking good, by the way.

[ She can absolutely confirm it's shit, because she is one of those people, and it's clear from the nod. ] Eight months. No shiny powers, had to learn to use a gun. Luckily most people here are willing to teach everyone else how to protect themselves.

Edited 2019-01-19 20:27 (UTC)

You are a wonderful conversationalist. [He thinks he's going to get along quite well with her.] Ever since I started them, I can't possibly switch off them. I suppose I'll figure out what to do if I run out, but that's neither here or now.

Perhaps once I run out, I'll finally be able to quit. [Haha, He's been smoking since moving to America. That's not happening anytime soon. He has tried.]

Dreadful. I can't say I'm looking forward to my stay here at all. I thought this was supposed to be a dream. Not a nightmare. [He is at least gifted with magic, but god, he didn't really care to use it in a combative manner.]