countryclub | November 2021 Test Drive Meme

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meme: tdm

November 2021 Test Drive Meme

NOVEMBER 2021 TDM

Another month, another test drive meme! Our test drive memes are open to anyone interested - regardless of whether or not you join our game!

All Test Drive Memes are game canon. Players can choose to keep their TDM threads canon or not. TDM threads can be used for AC and can be used as your writing sample for your application.

Our TDMs serve as a way to build into the actual lore and worldbuilding of Deer Country and we strongly encourage everyone to enjoy and participate! Current players are always welcome to pull prompts from the TDM to reference on the Network or bring into logs as well as tag out to new characters top-leveling on the TDM itself.

Characters will always be able to actively die during TDMs as this is an extremely dangerous world. You can still have this be game canon! Check out how character death in Deer Country works here.

If you have any questions about the TDM, please ask down below!

IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: Perfect dog curled up in falling snow, tilting head to side.]
[Image Two: Dead man floating in water with signs of hypothermia.]

Prompt Two
[Image One: Frozen ship wreck.]
[Image Two: Frozen staircase.]

Prompt Three
[Image One: Bloody tentacles attacking soldiers.]
[Image Two: Tentacles coming out of astronaut suit.]

[NAVIGATION]

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[Jump to Comments]

NOT SO STANDARD ARRIVAL

WHEN: November - December
WHERE: The Farther Shores/The Boardwalk
CONTENT WARNINGS: Drowning, freezing to death, trapped under ice, hypothermia, frost bite.

Washing up on the Farther Shores towards the end of November and the beginning of December isn't the best experience. Normally there are some Sleepers who can show up without a hitch, but as winter nears, the waters begin to freeze and it gets increasingly dangerous to arrive on the Farther Shores. Many Sleepers wind up trapped under ice. Wakers must especially be diligent this month to make sure they don't lose valuable Sleepers. Drowning and freezing to death is extremely probable. If you're lucky, you might be able to break through the ice to shriek for help. Let's just hope someone's around to hear you!

Most of the Boardwalk has been converted to save the Sleepers that do make it. Tents have been put up and inside are mattresses stuffed with hay and blankets made from wool and furs. Contained coal and wood fires keep the tents cozy, but it might take a while before you get feeling back into your toes. If you have warmblood or coldblood you will not have nearly as bad of a time with all of this. Some coldblood Sleepers might not even notice the cold! Might be good to put them on the frontlines for helping people out.

Another oddity this month is that most Sleepers seem to arrive at night rather than the typical daytime arrivals. Maybe it's because daytime hours are much shorter in December...But maybe it's something else too. This has led to Wakers making search parties to try and find Sleepers in the pitch-black night. It's a precarious situation and all hands on deck are strongly encouraged.

The Dog Keeper has come out to help the efforts. His dogs can be seen running frantically around the beach to help find people buried under ice and to help break through the ice to get them to safety. Dogs are available to help Sleepers swim to the Farther Shores, and they are also available to help Sleepers warm up by cuddling up afterward. There isn't much food to offer at this time, but you can still expect to be greeted with some hot soup. It might leave you hungry, but it definitely seems to help warm you up!

FROZEN RELICS

WHEN: End of November, early December
WHERE: Farther Shores/Pthumerian Ocean
CONTENT WARNINGS: Mutilated corpses, frozen bodies, possible frost bite/hypothermia, disaster-centric setting.

Sleepers aren't the only thing struggling in the Pthumerian Ocean this time of year. Boats come crushing in through the ice, frozen over completely by blistering winds. The ocean seems to be spitting up boats from times long past, leaving their skeletons strewn along the Farther Shores. Some are small boats, barely worth a second glance, but others are massive vessels, cutting intimidating shapes against the dark sky beyond.

Some Sleepers may even wake up in the water-submerged bowels of these boats, having to navigate a metallic graveyard. Other Sleepers might just have the sense to go and scavenge the boats for useful supplies and parts. Valuable metals can be extracted from the boats as well as other mechanical pieces - but not just that. Sleepers who explore thoroughly will discover small non-magical items from their home might be on the boats, floating in the water, or in random debris. Some boats are trader boats, having entire crates of sealed food goods like rare chocolates, fruits, and other food that is difficult to find this time of year.

You will want to thoroughly bundle up for this trip because it's much colder inside of the boats than it is outside. It's as if they have been transformed into giant freezers. Coldbloods may be able to provide their companions with steady warmth, even if their abilities are typically more ice-centric. It seems like coldbloods can manipulate the cold in these boats to be less intense. Some of the boats may have more grim discoveries: dead bodies, some skeletal, others still with the flesh intact and frozen over. It's never easy to discover the corpses of those who have tried to brave the ocean and failed.

It's easy to believe that what killed these people was the ocean or the cold...But the more bodies you discover, the more thoroughly you explore these shipwrecks, you begin to have a creeping feeling that these aren't ordinary crashes. These weren't natural causes. Some of the bodies look as if the chests had been ripped open while others, the faces have been completely distorted beyond recognition. There is an undeniable presence of something on these ships and you have a feeling whatever killed these people has now been brought to Trench...Great!

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

WHEN: During Bone Season
WHERE: Throughout Trench
CONTENT WARNINGS: Parasitic monsters, tentacle horror, crushing/bursting styles of death, a form of beasthood, mild auto-cannibalism/self-harm.

You notice specks of blood that seem to appear from nowhere among the snowdrifts. When you pay closer attention, you may see more blood dripping...up. It doesn't look like any Sleeper Blood you're familiar with but instead appears to be black-blue colored, reflecting like glass, bubbling up out of the ground. It makes a small, glass-shattering noise when it appears before it bubbles back into the ground. It leaves a rotten odor in its wake.

The moment you get too close to the blood, even a foot away, it will expand rapidly. Bloodied tentacles will grow out of the blood and start violently lashing around at whatever living creatures are nearby. These tentacles are powerful, impervious to any weapons not reinforced with Sleeper Blood. They will grab up people and break their bodies, throwing them through the air or tearing them apart, seeming to nourish from the bloodshed.

However, some people are less lucky than a swift death. Some of these tentacles may snap right into your chest, opening up some blood portal into your soul, where this Thing will consume you. On the outside, this looks like a rush of this black-blue blood rushing into a Sleeper and then nothing. You'll feel disoriented and strange at first but will become increasingly agitated, violent with those around you. You will start to gnaw at your fingers to shed your new temporarily altered blood. Eventually, you will begin to attack other Sleepers, able to summon these bloodied tentacles and destroy anything in your path.

But this is a parasitic monster you carry. It eats away your sanity until nothing is left, and then the tentacles will burst out of you, your body left to ruin. Parasitic monsters can be removed by Blood Ministers or by forcing vileblood into the infected's body. The vileblood seems to purge the parasite without killing the host body...As long as you don't use too much. Once the parasite has consumed the body, there is no saving the Sleeper except through death. These parasites can be tracked back to the boats where people can find streaks of the unusual black-blue blood throughout the boats. This blood can be contained and isolated by darkbloods and/or Architects.

CODING

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Likewise...

["Lazarus" nods stiffly, committing the name to memory. He speaks Chinese, at least Mandarin, though he's beginning to sense that it doesn't matter here. He's spoken a few different languages to his own ears to those he's met, and it doesn't seem to matter. Comprehension seems to be universal.

He'd reflect on it more, if his attention wasn't so very needed in the present moment. He jumps back hastily as the floorboard breaks under Chin Yisou's heel. At least he appears uninjured.

He peers ahead in response to the invitation, squinting, before his features relax. Gradually, his eyes grow wide, though his tone remains placid and calm.]

It's clear to me that this was a futile battle. Whatever they were up against dealt with them like a child with a dollhouse...

[The fact that the box isn't scattered and akimbo like everything else in this chamber draws his notice. Was it placed there after? He glances away from it, back to Chin Yisou.]

What stands out to you?

[ Chin Yisou's gaze passes along the three bodies. He bends towards the corpse with a dagger. As though unmoved by the thought of robbing he Priest the object out of the corpses hand. ]

Just in case, this dagger may prove useful.

[ He looks closer at the blade. ]

It appears that the steel is a tad rusty.

[ While showing Lazarus the object, the demon also points out another oddity. ]

Whatever they were fighting was strong enough to break that sword. What else strikes you odd?

[ The demon enjoys this game of investigation. Although he is uncertain of whether or not danger lurks beneath the surface. ]

[L fidgets; there's something inherently bothersome about disturbing a crime scene, he thinks. The moment someone lays hands on bodies or weapons, or the slightest little detail that can crack the answers wide open, it's all tainted. Important to number everything, photograph it, document the scene, before it gets dismantled by meddlers like him and his people.]

If it was wet enough in this chamber to freeze the water on the floor and their clothes, it would stand to reason that the moisture levels were high enough to rust the blade. That could have taken... perhaps five days? No less than that, I'd think.

[L enjoys it, too. It's when he feels the most like himself, fully inhabiting his body and mind without straying to doldrums or darkness. He lives here; it puts a light in eyes that otherwise appear deader than many corpses'.]

Ordinarily... I'd think that blunt force trauma was responsible for most of this. But this isn't frostbite...

[He indicates some burns on a dead man's cheek, white and sunken.]

Acid did this, and it also increases the concentration of hydrogen atoms. It would have speeded the rusting of that blade, in other words, meaning it's possible that we're looking at a more recent time of death.

[ Chin Yisou studies the other's discontent. Has he done something wrong? Social etiquette doesn't come easy for one who has limited experience with others. Without wanting to cause further offense, the demon deems to return the dagger to its owner. ]

The thing was rusty anyways.

[ His eyes widen as maneuvering the deceased hand causes a tear. One of the fingers falls to the floor. Rather than apologize, Chin Yisou deems to divert the attention towards the other bodies. ]

If acid caused damage, then would that mean the killer might be present?

I'm... aware that the blade is rusty. But it's like taking pieces away from a partly-finished puzzle if you...

[What is he saying? He's explaining this as though the police will be here soon, to tag and bag and photograph the evidence. That's not the case.]

It's no matter. Not here, I'm sure.

[Deep breaths. Slow, so they're less noticeable. Even if he's a squid now, inherently, there's still the occasional panic rising in him, reminding him what he left, what his responsibilities are, before it's swept away by the notion that this is his new world, the one he belongs to now, and what came before is, likewise, no matter.]

It was awhile ago. This corrosion isn't recent... if it was a person they've long since fled. If it was something... significantly larger... I imagine it set the craft off course after the attack, and the tide brought in the wreckage.

[ Chin Yisou smiles. He has not expected to come across someone as perceptive as Lazarus. This adventure, despite its early start, seems promising fun. The demon steadies himself to hide his excitement. ]

So, we shouldn't disturb the scene? I'll be more careful then.

[ The demon provides an apology half heartedly. After all, it's hard to understand a situation without getting one's hands dirty once in a while. Chin Yisou's attention returns towards the box. He points to the third corpse. ]

Yet, knowing what's inside that frame is very tempting.

[ He eyes Lazarus as though to ask: should we touch that? ]

[L is not habitually trusting of the smiles of others, whether he knows them well or glancingly. He regards Chin Yisou's smile and ensuing question with a strained kind of smile. It doesn't quite possess guile; it's clear that he is put off-guard by the demon's presence, and struggles to balance it with what he knows and accepts as normalcy.

That's admittedly weird, considering the man who knows and accepts things as potentially normal (or not.)

It's always tempting, but... to truly know is often a drawn-out process. We can't learn what's been spoiled, do you understand?

Edited 2021-12-28 08:14 (UTC)

Very well.

[ Chin Yisou's voice sounds a little disappointed. Yet, he understands the point. ]

Though a box and milk are two different things.

[ The demon glances from the box to Lazarus and the box again. Releasing a sigh, Chin Yisou decides it's best to forget this small detail. ]

Perhaps, you would like to lead onto the next room?

[ Chin Yisou indicates the door with a wave of his hand. ]

Different things may share vital similarities that make all the difference in the end.

[Softly. His great gift, after all, is discerning patterns where none seem to exist otherwise.]

Are... you concerned about what awaits?

[Exactly the reason he, himself, would want another to lead.]

[ The demon pauses to run his mind over what seems to be a riddle. He turns his attention to the other's question. ]

Well, I assumed that you would like to lead this time. After all, I found this room and you located the first.

[ Chin Yisou replies with an honest expression. Though at the same point, he wouldn't want Lazarus to know his concerns. How safe is this vessel that they're investigating? ]

Is that enough reason for you sir?

[A riddle only insofar as the game-oriented man is thinking about his own self-preservation. He's only human, after all, at least after he was a squid and metamorphosed into that general shape. Was his back always his bent, his limbs always this scrawny?

Yes, probably.]

I suppose there's no reason I couldn't.

Aside from monsters, acid, sudden drops due to rotten floorboards, or any number of dangers.]

But the following really falls to you... it's only fair.

[He pushes through to the next chamber, needing to force it a bit with his shoulder to account for where the door had slightly frozen shut. He breathes a soft sigh of relief; there's nothing immediately threatening in the dark room.]

[ Even with night vision, the demon has difficulty making out shapes from the darkness. If his slitted eyes can't capture much detail, then how would Lazarus' human gaze fare? ]

Looks as though we need more light on the subject.

[ Chin Yisou pulls out a small grey creature. Once planted on the floor, the creature evaporates into smoke. As the smoke clears, a lit lantern unveils. The demon holds the lantern up and moves it across the room. ]

Well, that's just lovely, I should've watched where my feet were treading.

[ Chin Yisou crosses his brows while stepping in cold water. Bending down, he can see that there's a hole in the floor. ]

Isn't it odd that other parts of the boat aren't drenched?

[ He looks towards his fellow investigator. ]

[As humans go, with his huge dilated pupils, L's nightvision is above average. When he was younger it was much better, even excellent, but in the last few years he's noticed some eye strain after reading, or staring too long at brightly backlit screens. His lifestyle hasn't been kind to him; it's kept him stunted in some ways, aged him before his time in others.]

Most definitely.

[He watches, with some interest, as Chin Yisou expertly utilizes something he's aware of in his own bag, but has felt too much unease to actively spend time getting to know it. It's like a mewling infant, or a wrinkled old man, all the most uncomfortable aspects of both combined into one uncanny creature.

He lets Chin Yisou overtake him, secretly grateful that he's no longer at the foremost risk of danger. He's used to having far more people between himself and danger, but one will do where none is the alternative. Stepping carefully, he tries to avoid the water that will soak his canvas sneakers in an instant if he stumbles or strays into it.]

Not necessarily. There are reasons that a wrecked ship might not be evenly saturated or submerged... pockets of air in locked rooms, the weight of the water and other fixtures... it all affects balance and buoyancy. That said... holes in a ship are never precisely a good thing, especially if it's coming through the hull. I suspect our time on this vessel is limited.

That is fascinating, though I guess we ought to hurry.

[ Chin Yisou sighs. A rushed adventure does not yield many answers. His disappointment is short lived when something catches his eye. On the other side of the room is a heavy wooden chest. ]

Well, what have we here?

[ The demon's excitement returns. He holds the lantern upwards and walks carefully across the floor. Chin Yisou kneels down next to the chest. He knocks on the mysterious frame. A dense sound echoes from the disturbance. With a delighted grin, the demon asks: ]

Shall we open this?

[L stares, considering, seeming to visibly weigh the possible risks and rewards. Reward wins out, in the end, and he takes a few ginger steps forward.]

If you have something like a hairpin, I can pick the lock without much trouble, I'm sure.

[A light-fingered little parlor trick that turned out to be a lot more useful than tying a cherry stem in a knot with his tongue, after all.]

I do have high quality mahjong counters that may do the trick.

[ He holds the lantern above his bag. With excited finger, Chin Yisou pulls out a mahjong counter. He holds the unexpected tool to Lazarus. ]

You are full of surprises sir.

Mahjong counters are not what I would have expected to find on this ship, but that's true for nearly everything we've encountered. Unless those are just yours...

[He likes games. He pauses, as if debating with himself whether to ask if Chin Yisou fancies playing sometime, but takes two of them.]

I should warn you that these might be damaged. There might be chips or scratches. Is that an acceptable cost for opening the chest?

[He asks, not because he particularly cares about the aesthetic integrity of mahjong counters, but because he doesn't want to be on the hook for replacing them.]

All is well, I have plenty.

[ The demon smiles like a child excited to open a present. He watches Lazarus admirably; further, appreciating his unique lock picking skill. ]

A broken counter would be only a small price to pay for a potentially greater reward.

[ He keeps the lantern close to the chest. With each movement, the demon's anticipation grows. What will the mysterious chest yield? ]

How did you come to learn of this skill?

[He turns them in his slender fingers, examining them, determining the best way to handle them in tandem, before kneeling next to the chest. Fortunately, the lock is almost comically large.]

As long as it's escaped damage or sticking from rust... this won't take long.

[Tension, torque. Scrub. He's delicate about his work, yet certain.]

Secrets agree with me. Things that stand in the way of their answers don't... it's really that simple.

[The lock gives. He tosses it away, rising to grasp the heavy lid.

It gives, a little, but he finds quickly that he can't raise it alone. He looks expectantly at Chin Yisou.]

[ The demon looks absent mildly at first. He then shakes his head and returns his attention to the present. He pauses for a moment for responding. ]

My apologies, I was too busy thinking about what could be inside.

[ Chin Yisou provides a smile. He places the lantern down to give a hand. The hinges have clearly rusted and screech while in motion. Together the two investigators are able to open the heavy chest. Chin Yisou excitedly grabs the lantern, while holding the light above the chest, the demon...]

(What's in the chest?)

Prompt 1:

[ ...cries out in disappointment. He peers from the empty vessel to Lazarus with a dropped jaw. ]

The damned box is empty!

Prompt 2:

[ ...scowls. The chest is vastly empty except for a piece of parchment. Chin Yisou picks up the paper and reads: ]

"Beat you, N. P."

[The demon turns to Lazarus. ]

It seems we didn't make it here in time.

Prompt 3:
[...turns to fellow investigator. ]

What is this?

(Lazarus makes the call)

Edited 2022-01-11 16:32 (UTC)

[When they manage to raise the lid, the piece of paper is all that's in it. L watches Chin Yisou lift it out, catching the lettering as he does so.]

"N.P.?" Does that mean anything to you?

Edited 2022-01-13 03:49 (UTC)

[ The demon lowers his gaze towards the initials. "N.P.," what could they mean? ]

Do you think that these are letters for a name...or maybe an organization?

[ Chin Yisou could believe that the name may correspond to the one who procured the contents of the chest. Yet, perhaps, the initials are from a greater identity. Either way, it seems that as the investigation continues further, the more questions surface. ]

Because of the comma placement's ambiguity... perhaps intentional... it depends on how you read it. It could be a taunt, addressed to the person who would have liked to find the contents... or this could be the signature of the one who removed them.

[He stares, shaking his head.]

"N.P." Could be the "Japanese Police," but. That, I doubt.

[If only because they could never beat L to a conclusion or a discovery, not with a head start of a thousand years.]

The Japanese Police?

[ Chin Yisou tilts his head to the side. Ever since coming to Trench, he has forgotten the names of other locations that may have once been familiar. Yet, with all of that aside, it seems that a new concern is raised. ]

Perhaps, "N.P." has made entry in some of the other frozen vessels. We may gain more insight while investigating the nearby ships.

[ The demon tucks the letter inside his bag. Turning towards his fellow investigator, Chin Yisou grins. ]

Does that sound like a good plan to you, Lazarus?

[ Clearly, he anticipates a positive response. After all, the case must be solved. With a new clue, what doors will open to the unexpected duo? ]

[He nods, considering the work that would involve, the potential reward of uncovering some truth that was previously hidden. He lives and aches for that, where some others might ache for food, drink, or lovers.]

It sounds like a starting point to establish a pattern... regarding matters such as these, it's one of the better plans, all things considered.

[More cold, more wetness, and possibly more danger, but the notion of an answer heartens and encourages him.]

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2!

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