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

[ That smile was a gift Margaret Carter was choosing to give him. Steve's own widens. It was a pleasure to find someone he knows in all of this chaos and for it to be a strong and passionate person like Peggy only multiplied the good feeling. ]

Well, ma'am. How are you?

[ He doesn't know of the gaps in time between them or anything that happened during the war, but she was kind to him. He's happy she's here. ]

What are the odds we'd both be brought here?

[ Was something sinister going on? ]

[ It was a gift she was happy to give. Steve was special, and what's more, she was rather fond of him. Perhaps she was even a bit more than that, even though there was quite a bit of time and distance between them. ]

Very well, thank you. This gathering is quite impressive, wouldn't you say?

[ Even with the gaps between them, it feels as though no time at all has passed, regardless of the truth. ]

I'd say they aren't very good odds at all, and yet here we are.

[ The gathering was... something Steve couldn't put a word to. As someone new in town and not quite having come to terms with the situation, he couldn't support the party as nice as it may seem. There was missing information. Too much to ignore. There was the underlying threat of danger. He was uneasy. ]

Can't recall the last time I was at a gathering like this one.

[ Being near Peggy was easy. ]

Here we are.

[ What a way to put it. Steve wouldn't actively want her in a dangerous place but the more intelligent and capable people, the better their chances. ]

Have you come across anyone else, ma'am? Doctor Erskine? Howard?

[ Peggy was thinking along those lines as well. As festive as the mood seemed to be, she couldn't help but wonder how many strings were attached. ]

Yes, it's been awhile for me as well. But I find that however long it's been, it's still possible to enjoy oneself, if one is inclined to do so.

[ Being around him was easy as well. It was one of the things that had endeared him to her in the first place. ]

Have you had a drink yet?

[ She appreciated the concern, but she'd been in dangerous positions before, and from the outside, this didn't seem too threatening just yet. But then again, threats could be concealed, and she couldn't help but wonder if something like that was going on here. ]

I have not, not yet. I assume you haven't, or you wouldn't be asking.

No, ma'am, I haven't.

[ Steve would have mentioned it sooner had he come across anyone else that they might both know. For a town that may or may not be based on dreaming, all the people Steve would choose to have here in a situation like that weren't around. ]

I can grab us a drink, if you want?

[ Where were his manners? It's a party and Steve's out of his element, but that didn't mean he couldn't try to make up for it now. ]

That's unfortunate, but I suppose hoping for anything else was a bit too optimistic.

[ She knows Steve would have said something if he had encountered anyone they knew, but it still is a bit of a disappointment. Still, she figures that any acquaintances of theirs are better off where they are. ]

That would be lovely, thank you, Steve.

[ She graces him with another warm smile of appreciation. ]