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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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(did someone say Party?)

[ Most people at the party are walking around with their glasses of champagne and the more Hunk looks at them the more he wonders just how normal that is. He sure isn't feeling normal after waking up to some spiel about Deerington and each time he spots a smiling face only serves to drive the surreal feeling even deeper. Are those people actually happy to be here or...?

If Hunk had been drinking the champagne foisted on him when he'd arrived at the party then the smile would have been plastered on his face too. Instead there's nothing but a put out look around the room. New places should have new things to try and there's one thing currently on Hunk's mind and it's probably what is currently saving him from drinking the glass of champagne and joining the happy crew.]

Hey - ! [ Hunk speaks to the nearest person, keeping his eyes on the surroundings and not on who he's talking to.]? Did they forget the food or am I just not seeing it?

(happy new year~!)

[ Hunk has totally noticed everyone starting to get more and more fidgety as the countdown starts. At first he'd just been watching the clock, wondering if the worst thing they'll get when it hits zero is confetti. Is that being too hopeful? Absolutely, yet Hunk can't help it; what's the worst that could happen? An explosion? The chances of that are so far removed though it doesn't stop the paladin from suddenly feeling put off by the whole thing.

8, 7, 6...]

Oh hey uh, guess everyone is friends here huh? [ Really, everyone is starting to crowd together now and the laugh that Hunk gives is 100% nervous as he tries to find some space for himself. Personal space, people! He doesn't know you! So naturally when the timer hits zero and the smooching commences the paladin is already on the defensive, ready to try and dodge any incoming affections as best he can.]

(arrival)

[ It's the first time Hunk has gone to sleep and woken up in a completely new world, though he can honestly say he's surprised it hasn't happened sooner. Sometimes weird stuff just happens in his line of work. Doesn't make it any easier though and Hunk is already making a mental note to find the others then find the exit pronto. The idea that the other paladins may not even be in this world barely crosses his mind. It's too busy trying to grasp the fact he's in a new place without the yellow lion to take him back to the ship.

How?

Waking up in a weird place with some weirder tattoo would normally mean a good night out for some people. For Hunk it's just another pain in the butt and he sighs as his stomach grumbles loudly, protesting this apparent lack of attention. So much for a jar of food, that thing barely touched the sides and now Hunk is wandering down the main street on a mission. He'd be lying if he said he was only looking for his team mates. There's nothing wrong with checking out the local delicacies, right? It's not like they can't both be in the same place.
Seriously though, he always thought dreams would be better than this.]

(wildcard)

[Anything goes, feel free to PM if need be. Canon point will probably be start of season 6.]

Edited 2018-12-31 07:21 (UTC)

[Sometimes weird stuff happens is probably the best way to put it. Considering the amount of weirdness this conversation is likely to bring up. It's still cold as all get out, so bundling up in multiple layers of increasingly ridiculous sweatshirts is a must, before venturing out on the hoverbike.]

[Main street is also a good place to start the supply hunt. In case the stores are open again...]

[He slows the bike. Drifting past someone abruptly familiar. And for a second, Shiro thinks he's gone and started seeing things again. Which would be great, really.]

-- Hunk?!

[He has to sort of. Whip his head around as the hovering vehicle slowly glides a few yards past his teammate. But hey! At least he wasn't going too fast.]

[ Hunk is taking a moment to study a nearby store window (or what he hopes is one) when suddenly his name is spoken out loud. There's not half as much shock for Hunk as there is Shiro right now and when he looks over it's with a hint of relief. For him it has only been a short time since he last saw the other, a time when Shiro was going through his "I'm a Paladin" phase in Monsters & Mana.

Seriously Shiro, how many twin brothers?]

Okay, that didn't take as long as I expected it to. When did you get here? [ The question is more aimed at the Main Street being here as Hunk is currently blissfully unaware of timeline shenanigans.]

[None?? What are you on about Hunk!! That sounds false!! If only because the last time he saw Hunk was when he and Keith had gone off on their deep space whale weblum thing adventure.]

This may come as a shock... [As he pushes the goggles up off his face, grinning widely at his friend.] But I've been here a lot longer than you're probably about to tell me.

It's good to see you.

[ Next time he's banning paladins from Monsters & Magic just to see how Shiro copes. It'll be a team exercise for the ages.

The grin is returned just as widely; for Hunk it's more relief than anything coming across a teammate in some strange place. It means he won't have to walk out of there on his own, or wake up, whichever it was. The whole thing still has question marks over it in Hunk's mind.]

A shock huh? Try me, I have seen some things. [ The grin is slowly replacing itself with a look of apprehension. There's something missing right now and Hunk can't quite put his finger on it.]

Yeah, good to see you, I mean what are the chances of running into each other so quickly in this place? [ A pause before Hunk finally caves in.] Okay fine, how long is "a lot longer" ?

[He'll be crushed. And he doesn't even remember it.]

Definitely a shock. [Slowly, he starts to power down the bike. Easier to talk without the motor droning in the background. And it gives him a second to figure out how to phrase this.]

I've been here since the spring. Maybe coming up on six months now. Allura's been here almost as long. Keith, Krolia, Lance and Pidge are here too. All showing up at different points.

And all of them say it'd been just a short while since they saw me. And Allura.

[A shrug.]

Wormholes, probably.

[ Rest easy, Shiro. One day Hunk will be sure to find a copy of that book somewhere.

And whilst it's easy enough to have some kind of bravado in the face of things, Hunk is quick to realize that this place is more messed up than they let on. Sure the nightmare on arrival had been bad enough, but even now just idly walking down the street is alerting the paladin to how crazy things are.

So when Shiro starts talking about who is around and how long they've been there, Hunk can't help but let his jaw drop.]

I mean we did just see you. Or I did. You're saying it's been six months?? And everyone else has been here for longer than five minutes? Man, that makes me really late. And it's gotta be wormholes, I mean what else could it be? [ Hunk pauses, expression shifting to extremely unimpressed.] Don't answer that one.

[ Hunk knows it'll be easy enough to freak out and he's already throwing his hands in the air. Places like this are confusing enough! There's no need to start messing with time lines and stuff either! That's just cheating or something like that.]

Great, so we're all stuck in this place without our ships and if you've all been here that long without leaving that means it's probably permanent. Is there no-one in charge of this place?

For me and Allura, yeah. [No sense in holding that back. He'll ind out soon enough.] But definitely more than five minutes on everyone else.

[It's a good thing Hunk stops him from really answering. Because he had a couple of explanations there. Neither of which would probably help the poor guy.] We're just going to go with wormholes until we know otherwise. It's all that makes sense so far.

[That's about the only thing that makes sense so far.]

Easy -- we're all here. We'll get it figured out. And we're not the only ones in this situation. [It feels better with the team all here -- selfishly so. But by the same token, if they're here, they can get out again faster. They can all work together. Figure it out.] We can do this.

[He shifts his weight all the way off the bike, to plant a hand on Hunk's shoulder.] Nothing's permanent when you guys don't want it to be. I believe in you.

As far as "in charge"... not really. Just the locals. And they're pretty much hostiles at this point.

[ There are going to be a lot of things that challenge Hunk's perception of the world and the universe it resides in. For now though he's more than happy to go along with what Shiro says; he's aware there's something else to it but right now what's being said is more than enough. The other details can come later, preferably when things feel a little more normal.

Still, the brightside is everyone is here. He's not going to have to go through this weird stuff alone and the hand on Hunk's shoulder is a great reassurance.]

Thanks Shiro, we got this right? Man this place is weird, no wonder there's no one in charge. I heard that there's a diner here that won't even serve burgers, just breakfast. Says it all though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't going to go there. All the locals are hostiles?

[No way - the universe would have to be infinitely crueler to make someone like Hunk have to deal with this place all by himself. The guy's just too good for that kind of thing.]

After all the goo? You'd be surprised how big a step up "just breakfast" is. At least we know what it is.

[Not to mention house Voltron basically runs on Oreos at this point.]

As for the locals... they... It's hard to say. They don't go out of their way to attack or anything like that. But they definitely aren't happy we're here.

Bacon, sausages, pancakes, waffles, eggs, so many eggs. I'm so excited I feel like I was born for this moment.

[ Really. The goo is good and all and can be made into a lot of things, but good breakfasts are a godsend. If Hunk ever hears about the oreos he'll be torn between disappointment and a mission to save his friends from their own life choices. How have they survived so long?

All this talk of food is enough to have Hunk's stomach rumbling again.]

I feel like I missed the memo. If the locals don't want us here then why keep us?

Head's up -- Allura is not a fan of anything from an animal. But I don't think that'd be a problem for you to work with.

[Unlike Shiro, who may or may not have introduced her to macaroni and cheese before realizing the kind he was used to didn't actually have any real cheese.]

[The poor guy's going to be the most disappointed when he sees the state of the Mouse House.]

I don't think they've got a choice. Someone named "Sodder" is the one running the show.

[ Chloe's managed to avoid drinking the champagne thus far - which for anyone who knows her, is honestly a gigantic feat that should be written about in the papers. The last party hadn't gone well when she'd helped herself to whatever it was they were offering and she wasn't really looking to repeat it. No matter how good the bubbles looked. Every once in a while, she'd be stuck staring at them, tempted to take a sip, and trying to tell herself she really should just put the glass down.

She was in one of those loops when she hears the unfamiliar voice directed at her, startled out of her thoughts as she looked up to Hank and tilted her head. Food... Shit, there probably had to be tons of it, but she hadn't hunted it down. ]

Probably somewhere. They're usually pretty good about buffet tables, but I honestly wouldn't trust anything they serve here. Last time, the room flipped and it turned into a bunch of moldy, rotten piles of crap.

[ It's only Hunk's curiosity over the food that is saving him from the urge to drink the offered bubbly. He wants to see what it's made out of, what's on offer and what people would consider to be good or terrible. Naturally it's just in a corner somewhere that the paladin hasn't yet checked.

Always the way.

Hunk is all for saying hello to a friendly face and he even opens his mouth to do so, pausing when Chloe talks about what happened to the last food.

What.]

Why is it always the food? I don't know what's worse right now, that or food that attacks you. [ The look on Hunk's face is nothing short of crestfallen.] Wait, it doesn't attack people here does it?

[ The dismay is understandable. She has a deep love for good food and watching everything turn into a mess at the last party was almost worse than anything else that had happened there. Almost. ]

Uhh... [ She actually stops to think, before laughing a little and shaking her head. ] Nah, dude, I don’t think it attacks. Unless you count the drinks that they up the alcohol volume in without a heads up. I feel kinda attacked then. [ Unexpected drunkenness and therefor unexpected hangovers are not her idea of a Good Time. ]

It’s only the food at the parties you gotta worry about, though. Everything else seems to stay normal. The water is fucked so make sure they boiled it if you go to drink any anywhere, and the diner only serves breakfast. They have other shit on the menu just... don’t order it. That’s all the food wisdom I’ve got.

[ If you can't eat the food in trying times then there truly is something wrong with the world. Hunk at least appreciates the heads-up; had Chloe not stepped in with the advice then the teenager would have found himself in a world of hurt.]

Got attacked by food once. I think that was the day my life changed forever. [ Forget paladins and space lions - when your food starts being launched at you it will always leave a long lasting impression. As Chloe starts talking about the dos and don't Hunk does his best to keep them in mind, especially the water and the diner ones. Both sound like traps that anyone would walk into unless specifically told. What was wrong with this place??]

Okay got it. Boil the water and only order the breakfast. [ Hunk pauses, head tilted as he peers over at Chloe.] What happens if you order something that isn't breakfast? Or if our idea of breakfast is different from theirs?

That's rough, buddy. [ And she sounds like she genuinely means it. Food is supposed to be one of those things that brings everyone joy, not pain and sorrow.

She shakes her head though at his question about breakfast. ] Same old usual Earth-based diner breakfast foods. Waffles, pancakes, eggs, french toast. I'm picky about my breakfast foods, but they rock it out of the park. The whole place goes into like temporary shock if you get anything else, though. They'll put the order in, but they're not happy about it, and you won't be either once you get it. Tastes like a TV dinner that's been sitting in the freezer forgotten for years. [ She shakes her head. ] Damn waste when you can't get a decent burger in a diner. My mom'd be pissed.

Never saw it coming. We gave as good as we got though. You could say we're now undefeated in food fights.

[ It's easy to envisage an entire diner going silent when some poor schmuck orders the evening meal from the menu, only the clatter of a fork hitting the ground the only thing to break it. The whole thing just doesn't make sense though and Hunk rubs his chin in thought as he ponders over it. Stuck in a new world? No problem. Food mysteries? An issue.]

Oh man, I've missed those kinds of foods, I could really go for some pancakes right about now. Gotta wonder what that diner has against not-breakfast foods though. Is there even a burger place here?

[ Now that was a pun worthy of a finger gun and she doesn't hesitate in the slightest. Food fights. Jesus.

The idea of a burger place is too distracting for good comebacks though and she gives a groan. ] There's a pizza joint, but the only decent burger I get is the ones I make myself or that show up in my freaky lunchbox sometimes. This place is lacking in the comforts of home. Hard.

[ Allura is now aware of exactly what sort of traditions counting down the New Year holds. Of course, she prefers affections over overly excited Humans coming at her with knives, that really isn't much of a contest. Truthfully she can handle both in the same way if necessary.

Thankfully, that doesn't seem to be the issue. Someone bumps into her, and when she turns around-- ]

Hunk!

[ And she quickly looks at his hands. ]

Oh good, you're unarmed.

[ Hunk knows about new year too but this place is taking it to a whole new level. He's never really understood the whole smooching at new years either (no rule against doing it the rest of the year) so when people around him start getting even more handsy he tries to back away, getting ready to apologise when he bumps into someone.]

Am I glad to see you.

[ No, really, this place has that weird feeling to it, the kind that just screams it's about to get worse somehow and that they really don't want to be around to see it. Thank goodness it's Allura he's bumped into. The relief is real.]

I'd be confused about you pointing that out but I'm pretty sure I just saw someone walk past with a machete....Please tell me I just imagined that.

[ A machete? Allura does have to take pause and scan the crowd for that. She...doesn't see one outright, but that doesn't mean it can't be revealed at any moment. Or something else.

Where are all these weapons coming from, anyway? ]

No, likely you didn't. I have already been forced to subjugate someone armed with a switchblade.

[ She turns her gaze back to Hunk with a furrowed brow. ]

We will need to be vigilant. I'm not sure what will happen when this countdown finishes.

[Lance has had the champagne, because of course he has. And he's still so unbelievably happy Hunk is here. Even though he kinda hoped he wouldn't sow up since Deerington is a shitshow, he still really missed him a lot. And Lance is already prone to trouble and impulsive idiot behavior as it is, so this bubbly drink definitely has him thinking some crazy things.

But right now, Hunk looks like he's not having a good time, and that is so not what Lance wants. He wants his best friend to be happy too! This is almost like those times he'd drag him out after curfew to go clubbing...]

Oh yeah! I'm sure it's gotta be around here somewhere. [Lance gets up on his tippy toes to try and see over the crowd, squinting and shielding his eyes against a nonexistent sun and using Hunk's shoulder as a support. Then he looks at his friend, getting a burst of inspiration.] Hey, let me get on your shoulders, big guy.

[Aaaand he's already starting to climb up before he gets an affirmative.]

[ Hunk has only been here five minutes and he can already tell the whole place is an absolute mess. Between people looking bizarrely thrilled to be alive and the hidden food it really says a lot. Still, Lance seems happy to be there and Hunk is going to give the whole thing the slightest benefit of the doubt.

It's just a bit weird and sometimes it's hard to differentiate if Lance is being weirder than normal. That question is thankfully answered in the form of one clambering paladin trying to get on his shoulders. Definitely weirder.]

What? Hey — [ Hunk could move, throw Lance's balance off and let the other hit the floor. But then that would be mean and a part of Hunk is curious to know if Lance will find anything.] Make it quick then, though I already looked, they've hidden it good.

[Lance gets up on Hunk's shoulders easily enough and perches up there like a kid at Disney World, bracing one hand on top of Hunk's head and using the other to make a telescope over one eye.]

Don't worry, bud. I'll find it. I got eagle eyes, remember?

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