July Test Drive Meme!

[reddosmod]

JULY 2022 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: Colorful paper lanterns shaped like jellyfish lit up and hovering in the air. ]
[Image Two: A person with long hair wearing a crown dedicated with shells and rocks. ]

Prompt Two
[Image One: A GIF of waves breaking roughly out in the middle of the ocean. ]
[Image Two: Strong waves crashing into a lighthouse and rocks. ]

Prompt Three
[Image One: A large Ningen (a sea creature that is half human, half monster, and has no face except for a large slit for a mouth) towering over a deep sea diver. ]
[Image Two: A person standing out on the rocks with their arms out stretched as the tentacles of a large sea monster wave in the air above the ocean. ]

[NAVIGATION]

TDM Questions • Reserves • Taken • Applications • Full Navigation

[Jump to Comments]

STANDARD ARRIVAL

WHEN: August
WHERE: The Farther Shores/The Boardwalk
CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A

---

You're one of the lucky ones. Your journey is smooth sailing and you wind up exactly where you're supposed to: on the Farther Shores. You grow out of your squid body without a hitch, either with the help of another Sleeper or one of the Wakers, and you get to discover this new world. All new Sleepers might take some time to find their bearings. It might be tricky to remember how to use your body parts the way you're supposed to. You might stumble around the beach or forget how to talk - but don't worry! It'll come back to you sooner or later.

Hopefully, you've found something to wear, either in your Welcoming Bag or otherwise, and can start familiarizing yourself with your surroundings. Maybe you help some other squids out on the beach. Waking up sucks! You feel for the little guys. And hey, maybe you're hoping one of those squids is a good friend...Stranger things have happened.

SEASONAL DETAILS ON THE BOARDWALK
This month has an entire festival dedicated to Mariana. The people of Trench seem to be quite enamoured with her, despite her often cruel and unpredictable behaviors. The festival has gone all out with decorations. The boardwalk will be lined with lanterns in the shape of various sea creatures, such as jellyfish, dolphins, seahorses, and (of course) squids! These lanterns will be lit every night throughout the month and will burn through the night. They are bright beacons to a month that is otherwise becoming more and more gray and chilly as time passes.

The people of Trench are also decked out for the occasion. Blues and greens are the popular color choices for outfits, and many people will even decorate their hair with pieces from the ocean. Whether it's with full headpieces that are worthy enough for mermaids or just something as simple as weaving shells into a braid, everyone seems to have something on them that ties them to the sea. There are stalls set up to help newcomers (or oldies who just want to have some fun) decorate their hair as well and face paint for those who want to go the extra mile.

The festival comes with all sorts of celebrations that can be partaken in at absolutely no cost. There are food vendors, though they seem to be short on seafood this month. Likely it's due to the rough seas with waves so treacherous that not even the most skilled of sailors seems to be able to get out into them. They'll remark on how difficult is must have been to swim to shore in those awful waves. So instead of fish and shrimp, there are other sea-dedicated dishes: seaweed salad, noodle dishes made with seaweed broth, caramelized chicken in a fish and ginger sauce, etc. There are also ocean themed desserts, such as cupcakes with blue frosting shaped to look like a great wave. There are games such as dunk tanks, dart balloons, ring tosses, and other typical carnival entertainment. If you can think of it, it's probably there. At the end of the night, there's often a fireworks display over the rolling waves.

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

rough seas and high winds

WHEN: Last Week of July, First Week of AugustT
WHERE: Beach and Nearby Oceans
CONTENT WARNINGS: Threat of drowning, severe weather phenomena, Environmental hazards, possible death

---

For some reason, Mariana is particularly wrathful even as the month begins. Even leaking into the end of the month of July, the sea begins to foam and rage in ways that are almost impossible to imagine. As you stare out int the beachheads, you may see vast waves and surf that would daunt the most professional of surfers. Water crashes into each other in colossal spouts. Waterspouts can be seen as storms occasionally buffet the coastline and just out into the ocean itself. However, the one thing about this chaotic energy is that it is just that, chaotic. One moment the sea may be calm, and the next it is a roiling, seething force out to destroy everyone.

This is, naturally, dangerous for those who are just hapless squids trying to reach shore. They may find themselves inexorably being flung towards sharp rocks and shoals, threatened with being dashed upon the stone near to the coast, or they may find themselves constantly swirling in eddies and whirlpools to the point of near exhaustion. However, they are not the only ones so threatened. Even those on the coast are in near constant danger of being washed right back out to see by an unexpected wave and sudden rip-tide. There are wood planks and other detritus to grab hold of, but it is very much a battle for one's life out there!

The sea's rage, the locals say, is because Mariana is particularly incensed over something that occurred. They do not know what exactly, but many have said that sleepers have felt a particular brunt of this ire lately. For now, it is a game of survival and a constant battle to bring people in safely.

Notes:
-Any natural weather occurrence is possible in the first week of August and last of July. Seemingly impossible combinations may occur (A waterspout in the middle of the eye of a hurricane, almost anything.
-These threats will be upon anyone who is not far enough inland to enjoy the festivities. The beach is not truly safe and sleepers are hustled inland quickly.
-Death is possible, though sleepers who die in the ocean find themselves returning very quickly as squids for some reason, within 24 hours, only to be threatened again before they eventually find shore.

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

of monsters in the water

WHEN: Throughout August
WHERE: The coast and waterways
CONTENT WARNINGS: Monster Horror, Possibly Getting Eaten, Threat of bodily harm, Unnatural Physiology, Existential Dread

---

Something has been dredged up from the deep by the storms that rage. It is said that Mariana not only presides over the oceans, but also the most powerful monsters that dwell within the deep. Some of these, it is believed, may be the remains of Pthumerians whose minds and lives were lost during the hard times before, or the spawn of their mating with things other than humans. Whether these rumors are true, eldritch things have begun to emerge from the depths and darkness, things best left unseen.

Throughout the month of August, it is possible to encounter creatures that can only be described as monsters emerging from the water. With every passing storm, another emerges. Some are as large as small kaiju, while others are closer to human size, and each shares very little in common with the others, save for two particular details. The first of these is that they are all aquatic in nature and bear at least a passing similarity to sea monsters of ancient legend or particularly large and dangerous aquatic animals. Giant cuttlefish, Megalodons, Plesiosaurs, Octopi, Sea Cucumbers, Whales, or any of a number of other sea creatures appear to be their basis. The other similarity, however, is that all are hideously and grotesquely deformed. Tentacles, second rows of teeth, great clawed hands and feet enabling them to walk on dry ground, a thousand eyes all over the hump of a hunchback whale all shooting laser beams in the full moon, almost anything seems to be possible, though the changes are all chtonically horrendous in nature.

These creatures are violent, dangerous, and horrifying to behold. Just looking at them jars the mind and threatens to damage one's psyche while they try to understand what they are seeing. Bones are in seemingly impossible angles, bodies moving in ways that they shouldn't. Just looking at them can cause nausea, vertigo or mental breaks, though the danger does not stop there. They are agents of chaos, seeking to destroy mind or body, on a rampage whenever they reach ground, though they do not delve far into Trench beyond the waterways and beach, almost as if they are prevented by something. When one strays too close, an ominous light glows from the tops of the tallest spires in the city and they are inevitably repelled, but until they are killed or sent back to the deep from whence they came, they remain a threat outside of the city.

[JUMP TO TOP]

CODING

Comments

Hotaru Tomoe | Sailor Moon | Paleblood

[melodyofsilence]

(Arrival)

[ Drifting aimlessly, feeling drawn, crawling out of the sea onto the sandy shores, her body shifting and changing - none of this is unfamiliar to the girl that was once a squid... that was once a star. Reaching the soft sand was no easy feat, but she'd been determined to not crash among the rocks. Her arms and legs are as weak as a newborn's, yet she struggles to sit upright and fix her gaze upon the water that she's traversed in order to get here. To be with her.

Reforming a physical form is never easy, never simple. Yet she's managed it once again. Her dark gaze is distant. A child of approximately ten or eleven sitting upon the sand while pulling the robe from her back to cover her. ]

"Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise."

[ The words are quiet but she doesn't fumble over them, reciting them perfectly. ]

(Boardwalk)

[ Hotaru is drawn to the lights on the boardwalk, more them than the festival itself. Walking along to admire them as they glow softly in the various shapes of the sea creatures. However, she will be seen getting some shells braided into her hair and having part of her face painted with dolphins.

There's food to partake in and games to play, all of which this child can be found doing. She has scary good aim when it comes to anything involving throwing. Hotaru is just here to have fun and possibly drag others into it. ]

Here, try this!

(Of Monsters in the Water)

[ This small child can be seen near the beach when the eldritch monsters attempt to come ashore. One would think she would be afraid of these creatures, but she watches with nothing more than curiosity - not even with the thought to move out there to find some way to help. There is only one group of individuals who could get her to go help potentially fight off the creatures.

She links both hands behind her back, shifting her gaze away from the monster threatening to tear apart her mind and looks over the water. ]

How long will her anger last? What will ease it?

(Wildcard)

[ OOC: Hit me up for anything! ]

arrival

[dohaeris]

[sansa smiles serenely, carrying a basket of robes and trousers. lady, nearing her full growth, remains alert to the shore. they're both very glad of the change in weather, lady's padded collar matched to sansa's grey linen dress embroidered with wolves and ravens, an elaborate chatelaine clipped to her wide leather belt.]

It's a beautiful poem.

[she pauses, waits for the girl to turn around.]

I'm afraid it's not safe at the shore, right now. The tide is very unpredictable. If you'd come with me to the boardwalk, I could tailor your robes to fit.

[melodyofsilence]

[ Hotaru turns her gaze away from the water to look at the speaker, looking at Lady without a hint of fear before settling on Sansa. A small smile graces her lips. ]

Maya Angelou is a beautiful poet.

[ The smile slips a little and nods her head. ]

It was difficult to come in from the sea. I nearly ended up on the rocks. That would be nice, thank you.

[dohaeris]

[sansa smiles tightly, biting back the urge to explain away mariana's anger; there surely isn't time, and anyway it sounds stupid.]

Well, I'm very glad you didn't. The boardwalk is very nice, though. There are fine things to eat, and one of the Wakers will have a bag of things that belong to you.

[she offers her hand, trying to parse lady's senses for a change in wind or drop in air pressure that might precede something dangerous.]

[melodyofsilence]

[ She can feel the anger, not knowing what caused it, but certain that some being is bestowing wrath upon the land. ]

As am I. Something to eat would be lovely, along with my belongings.

[ Hotaru reaches up to take that hand, ready to get up onto her shaky legs and move away from the water that threatens to pull her back in. ]

My name is Hotaru.

Broadwalk

[loveandduty]

[Minako can never be dragged into anything, she is just drawn to fun naturally regardless of age and with the way the world had been with her the past number of months the fun and moments of happiness were nice for once. Gets her mind off things and pondering the negatives.

Currently She had been eyeing the food that the younger one had been trying perhaps salivating a tiny bit. It did certainly look delicious.]

You know, don't mind if I do. It looks so good.

[She happily went to take one and finally bite into it. Yes it was pretty good.]

Wow~

[melodyofsilence]

[ Very lightly tugged into the direction of something specific, then. Hotaru is the same when it comes to the Senshi, allowing the others to guide her into an activity. She's glad to see that Minako is having a good time here at the boardwalk with her.

There's a knowing smile at the blond, offering up the little plate of caramlized chicken for them both to share. ]

We should try more of the foods while we're here.

[loveandduty]

Yeah~

[With the way the world of a part of her is a bit cautious at times as to what could happen because nothing really goes perfect all the time. So apart of her was wondering if there was something in the food or was it in fact just food. But considering she didn't want to worry the other right now she was more than happy to share the chicken.]

I mean one thing I can at least love about this place is the food... So long as I'm not cooking it. But hey, I'm improving.

[melodyofsilence]

[ There's a lot to be cautious about in this world, but Hotaru is taking her cues from the others eating the foods. No one seems to be experiencing any terrible side effects or symptoms, so she'll give it a try. ]

Then let's try them all and find our favorites. Are you learning to cook from Makoto?

Arrival

[lightthedarkness]

[While Usagi has made new bonds and new connections here, the proof of that along the skin of her back, there are bonds that run deeper than anything Trench can create. Internally, if she focuses, she has a set of strings before her, there a handful of bright ones and then thousands more that glow much fainter. Two, at the moment are shining bright and if she pulls on them, she can locate the people they're attached to in moments.

The other strings, if she pulls or plucks them, merely lead her to the ocean. They glow but they are duller, but now? NOW, another string is glowing, bright and strong and it resonates within her.

She hurries to follow the string, and she can feel it get stronger and stronger as it leads her to the beach. She can feel endlessness, cycles, beginnings, and most of all... ends. She begins to run.

She runs and runs. She senses Hotaru before she sees her. When she does, she's quick and gathers up Hotaru in her arms in a fierce hug, holding her tight.]

Hotaru...

[melodyofsilence]

[ Hotaru can feel her coming closer, the two of them are intertwined so instristically together that she was the first fully formed thought. The need to be where hope was giving her the strength to battle the turmoilt waves of the shore.

All of the Senshi are a song playing together, and Usagi is always the leading notes. The song is quieter, but it hasn't reached its end yet.

Her head turns before arms wrap around her, before the voice comes saying her name. Both arms come up to wrap around the blond just as tightly, always glad to no longer be unwelcome among the Senshi. ]

Usagi. I've made it.

[lightthedarkness]

You did. [She felt the corners of her eyes begin to prick with tears as she smiled at Hotaru, stroking her hair. Her relationship with Hotaru was a unique one. Chibiusa was, admittedly, much closer to Hotaru, but that did not change that Hotaru was her Senshi and, to some degree, a part of the greater cycle Usagi was beholden to. Hotaru was the guardian of Death, Destruction, and Rebrith, without her, new life could not come, and Usagi was a part of building that new life.

She ran her fingers through Hotaru's hair and the back of her knuckles along her jaw as she smiled through tears.]

I knew you would come. [They were all linked together, they were destined to find one another.] Minako and Makoto are here, too. Let's get you someplace warm and fed and I can explain the rest.

[melodyofsilence]

I'm sorry I'm so late. [ Hotaru leans back just enough to be able to look up at Usagi, lifting a hand to touch her cheek. As a friend, she was closer to Chibiusa, but as a Senshi, she was the other side of Usagi. One without the other was simply incomplete, something that would be near-impossible to break.

The arm still around Usagi gives the blond a squeeze at the touches. ]

I should be where ever you are. Where we all should. [ Gone are the days of distance, now she fights besides her. ] Yes, I felt them. Okay, let's go.

boardwalk

[envoid]

[ It's been hours since his arrival and reformation and he's spent them all on the boardwalk, observing the comings and goings of the wide variety of both humans and non-humans alike. He's kept to himself, however. He's more at ease watching than he is engaging.

When a bright voice addresses him, he blinks his ink-black eyes in surprise. He's so unused to being spoken to that it will take him some time to adjust. Truthfully, he's not certain he likes it much but at least he's not in the void, worshipped by the mindless and cruel.

He takes the offered dart and turns his gaze to the board of balloons. He's watched others play this strange game and win prizes of shells and trinkets to place in their hair. He aims and tosses the dart with surprising precision and pops a balloon. ]

I've never played a game like this before. [ He admits to the young girl, a ghost of a grin on his lips. His tone is monotonous even if his mild expression betrays that monotony. ] Have you won anything yet?

[melodyofsilence]

[ Her smile only grows wider when he takes the dart from her and turns to consider the board, watching as his aim is true. The shot earns him an enthusiastic round of applause from the girl. ]

You have very good aim, for someone who's never played a game like this. [ A small observation that doesn't dig into why he has such good aim. Hotaru is unbothered by his monotonous tone, instead reaching out to offer a second dart. ] I won some shells to put in my hair.

(of Monsters in the water)

[distant_one]

[D is also out near the beach when the sea monsters approach. He looks at them only briefly before tilting his head until the brim of his hat blocks his view and the feelings subside. It's a relief to know it's only sight based, he can fight by sound if he truly needs to.]

She's a creature of chaos and endlessness, it's impossible to say when her constant change will override her anger.

[melodyofsilence]

[ She turns to look at the man in the hat when he speaks, humming quietly at the words. Storms like this can rage for such a long time, though it disturbs the cycle of rebirth in this world. That is the part Hotaru cares about most, but she wouldn't dare tread into Mariana's territory without permission. ]

Do you think there's anything we can do to appease this anger?

[distant_one]

We did a ritual that made things better than they were, but this is her month, and in the season of blood. She might have behaved like this anyway just to show that she can.

[D is not too concerned, but things like this are why he's working on building an outpost further from the sea and Pthumerian influences.]

[melodyofsilence]

Are all of the Patrons so violent on their month during the season of blood, or is it merely because her domain is the sea?

[ The sea gives life and it takes it away, it can be calm and beautiful or it can rage. These are both things Hotaru knows well. ]

boardwalk

[entreats]

[ After all the chaos of last month, Ange decides that maybe it's okay for her to relax for once. Even if it's just by hanging out on the boardwalk and enjoying the festival there.

Granted, her version of 'enjoying' doesn't involve a whole lot of interaction with other people. Ange seems content just watching others, maybe with some festival food she got.. until she's suddenly being spoken to by a little girl.

It makes Ange blink, and even glance around her to make sure that it's really her the girl is talking to.. but it sure doesn't seem like anyone else is around, huh. ]

.. you want to play that game together? [ She asks. Just as yet another confirmation. Look, she gets that kids just sometimes are this way, dragging random other people into their business, but maybe this kid just mistook her for someone else? ]

[melodyofsilence]

[ Enjoying the festival does seem like a good way to relax for a little while. There's plenty to do and eat, along with a lot less trouble from the ocean.

The girl is definitely looking straight at Ange and no one else, shifting over to stand near enough that conversation won't be difficult even if a crowd does come by.

She nods at the question with a smile. ]

Yeah! It'll be fun. [ Nope, no mistaking her for someone else. A girl has to make friends somehow when she's in a new world. ]

[entreats]

Well..

[ Ange's voice trails off. Usually she would say that she's not so sure whether it'll be fun or not, since Ange is a notorious party pooper, but there's a few mitigating factors here. One of them is the fact that Ange would actually like to have some fun here after the wild month she's had. Another one is the fact that Ange is truly bad at refusing little kids anything, so there's no way she's just going to say no here.

Hence why-- ]

I guess I should at least give it a try.

[ She even offers the young girl a tiny smile. ]

Are you sure you want to do this game? We can do any game you want, you know. Whatever you think is most fun.

[ .. okay, maybe Ange is really bad at not spoiling little kids. But she can't help it!! She's so weak!! She just wants all kids around her to be able to be happy, especially in a place that can often be as rough and dangerous as this one. ]

Boardwalk

[onerthes]

[Vira-Lorr was in the face painting booth at the moment, helping out. She took a certain amount of love in facial art, after all. Her own tattoos were a matter of pride, and she enjoyed little diversions like this, so she was happy to do a little painting since that seemed to be one of the celebrations the natives were doing right now.

Smiling at the girl, she nodded to the request for a dolphin, her three eyes sparkling.]

I think I can manage that. So, what is your name?

Re: Boardwalk

[melodyofsilence]

[ She settles herself upon a stool, her feet not quite touching the ground and yet she sits perfectly still. Wouldn't want to mess up the face painting and her dolphin, after all. ]

Can it be coming out of the water? [ Important questions a girl needs to know. ] Hotaru Tomoe. What's yours?

[onerthes]

Of course! Would you like the water to come up like a wave along the jaw, to your ear? We can use your cheekbone for the dolphin coming out!

[She grinned at the girl and nodded vigorously. Oh, she was going to have fun with this. Honestly, if she didn't actually enjoy fortune telling as much as she did, she'd probably have liked working at a tattoo parlor.]

I'm Vira-Lorr. It is a pleasure to meet you... now, is Tomoe ok? [She knew enough Japanese names to ask at least.]