countryclub | August Test Drive Meme!

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meme: tdm

August Test Drive Meme!

AUGUST 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: Hands making a fish net]
[Image Two: A Skyrim Mudcrab staring menacingly]

Prompt Two
[Image One: Dingy, empty and creepy old backroom]
[Image Two: Cryptic, Creepy words scribbled on yellow wallpaper]

Prompt Three
[Image One: Skull on top of book]
[Image Two: Book with pages shaped like a whirlpool]

[NAVIGATION]

TDM Questions • Reserves • Taken • Applications • Full Navigation

[Jump to Comments]

STANDARD ARRIVAL

WHEN: First Week of September
WHERE: The Farther Shores/The Boardwalk
CONTENT WARNINGS: Monstrous Crabs, Environmental Threat

Normally, the people of Trench would say that September is a fortunate time for sleepers to arrive at it's shores. However, the aftermath of the violent and inconsistent storms in the last month continue to batter the city. The waters are choppy, though they are beginning to calm. The swim is difficult and unsafe, waves threatening to crash unwitting squids into the rocks. It is unlikely to be fatal, but many arrive battered and bruised, gasping as they awaken from their squid form.

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
With theme music! The weather is awful, and so the mood of the beach is a bit more subdued than on other occasions. Food is hearty and dry, easily packaged in oilcloth, and containing mostly hard tack, mushrooms and dried, cured fish. Bottles of water are included with the food, enough to ensure that the sleepers are well fed, and enough packets are offered for a few days in case they need them, but they are certainly not the most flavorful or exotic, reflecting much more the day to day food of Trench.

The people leading the waking are gathered and huddled around makeshift structures and lean-tos to deal with the awful weather along the coast during this period. Sleepers are brought here, to fires to warm. Among those who are present are the fishermen and women who work at the docks. They, along with several of the Architects from in town, have set up booths. Though they do not demand it of anyone, they politely hint that in the season of change, it is good to learn new trades and to find a place in this strange world the sleepers have been brought to. As part of this, they are willing to offer a chance for the sleepers to help craft fishing nets and other gear for those who will brave the waters to bring back food in the season.

The task is arduous and taxing, but it is not without reward. To those who choose to participate, one of the fishermen will approach them and wordlessly drop a waterlogged box into their lap. It looks dilapidated and in poor condition, but they will say nothing more, staring off into the sea from which it was dredged. When the sleeper opens it, they will find that there is one additional item within the box, which might have been included in their welcome bag normally. If pressed, the fisherman will only say that they found it dredged up along the shores in the midst of their work.

For those who brave the coasts or the waters, there is an increased threat of monstrous presence, though nothing compared to the prior month. Poisonous crabs lurk along the edges of the waterways. Much larger versions of small crabs known to live in caves along the shore, these beastly adult versions stand about three feet tall, and have particularly strong pincers which secrete a hallucinogenic venom. Victims of it are prone to paranoid delusions of danger around every corner, and known for mistaking those around them as threats. The crabs are themselves carnivorous to boot, so they are certainly a threat on their own, though they are very much killable, and supposedly very good eating. Bring in some crab meat, and it should be good to trade for additional food and supplies this month, if you dare! As with their lesser cousins, the venom of these crabs is particularly dangerous to the psychically sensitive, Palebloods and Darkbloods.

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

LOST BETWEEN STEPS

WHEN: August 31st-September 29, January 2, February 4, March 6, April 8, June 10, July 12, October 20, November 1, December 24
WHERE: Somewhere, you're not certain where
CONTENT WARNINGS: Labyrinth, Liminal Horror, Severe Disorientation, Autophobia, Monster Horror, Fear of Falling

You just took one step back. That's all. A step backwards while you weren't paying attention, and the sensation of falling assailed you. With a grunt, you found yourelf landing hard, but not hard enough to actually break or turn anything. Around you is a carpeted space. There are old, stained wallpaper walls on every side, set up in variable sized cubicle spaces that look like they should be occupied by an office of some sort. Everything smells like mold, stale and sharp. The carpet is a little bit moist and the wallpapers all seem to be hiding hints of mildew. It feels familiar, but even if you have been in this "place" before it is not quite the same. The wallpaper shades are not exactly right. It always feels like you should know it, but you cannot quite place it.

You are not alone in this place. Another seems to have fallen in this place, thank god because the muffled sounds of these halls are already getting oppressive. The electric hum of fluorescent are buzzing in your ears like a plague of locusts and you can practically feel the migraine coming from the unremitting light, but you dare not take shelter to let your eyes rest in the gaps in the lighting. It feels like there is something there. You should probably be leaving, though that's where the problem really begins. No method seems to clearly work. There are no identifiable features to pick out. After several turns, you might find yourself facing impossibly thin hallways or a dead end. Attempts to keep track of your passage with writing, torn wallpaper and balls of twine fail, as it becomes increasingly and inconsistently disorientating, inevitably causing the lead to be lost, or worse? It might seem to be going the wrong direction. Did someone move it? Magic compasses, even those given by the Pthumerians do not work in this "place" This should not be possible, but it is true.

An hour in, because it always takes longer than that, or does it? Time can be hard to keep track of and omnis don't tell time properly here. Whatever, an hour in, and the need to get out of this place will be getting to those trapped within. They do not belong here, and must escape. The harder you run, the more that the dank odor gets under the skin, worsening even if you should not be able to smell it. Occasional items can be found, but all are useless. If you are fortunate, perhaps you will eventually find a hole in the floor. But, looking down it, you cannot see the bottom. Do you dare leap down, not knowing the end? If you do, the passage seems to go far too long to be healthy. The rush of air and the feel of fraying wallpaper comes until you find yourself deposited on the ground of Trench, in front of the statue of the Tower, or in front of the gates of Gaze.

The less fortunate may finally find writing on the walls. Someone else has been in this place. But, as the cryptic words proclaim the need to S̵̨̡̟̗̰̝͚̲̦̗͔̥̞̈͂̆̿̐́̅̓͐͝T̸̠̥̰̭͎͙̮̬͋̀͛̓̽̚Ā̷̧̮̣̪̤̠̫̤͔̩̥̾̊̍̊̀̇͋̍̚͜͝͝Y̶͓̟̍̆̍ ̴̭̲̀͘͝S̵̨͖̩̻̰͇͎̠̻͚͓̱͇̭͖͒̋͆̀͐͋̾̆͝͝T̴̮̹̫̞̘̈́̏̐̒̋̎͛̂̽̅Ĩ̵͙̖̟̥̤̲̆̈́́͘ͅͅL̵͖̣̫̙̹̊͜L̷̫̠̒̽͌͘͠. A ghastly sound erupts from behind you, complete with unnatural, horrid breathing. Steps come towards you unnaturally fast. If you move, look to turn, there is a vision of something black moving into your field of vision, just before a bone-crushing force claims life and in the next moment you wake, screaming at the feet of the gates to Gaze, or the Tower's statue. Remain absolutely still, and the puff of a breath, the smell of cow hair and breath grazes over the shoulder before eventually storming away behind, until the sound is gone, and the unlucky are left to continue searching until they find a hole leading out.

NOTES:
1. Any step backwards can cause someone to end up between places, participating in this event. Exiting requires either falling through one of the holes in the floor or being killed by the unnamed creatures residing between spaces.
2. If a character dies in this event, they do not undergo normal death effects. They awaken in one of the locations indicated, gasping for breath. While harrowing, and possibly a source of nightmares for the next few days, not to mention chills for an hour or two, there is no further apparent harm.
3. It is possible to encounter this prompt throughout the year. At one random, unpredictable day each month (listed above), the space between spaces is accessible. A person could theoretically fall in on that day, following the rules as above.
4. Mapping the space between spaces is difficult, but not impossible. Perhaps there are other locations within the labyrinthian mass, but for now at least they are not findable.
5. If the natives are asked about this place, they will make a warding sign and refuse to speak of them. At most, they will say something about the "veins of the tower."

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

ABSOLUTE IMMERSION

WHEN: Last Week of August through all of September
WHERE: Gaze, and somewhere else
CONTENT WARNINGS: Possible Life-threatening experiences, Distorted Realities, Fourth Walling, Content Depending upon the Canon Referenced

As the month of September approaches, and Mariana shows signs of having cooled in her wrath, the people of Trench begin to relax once again. Hoping to keep level heads and to promote learning, the Arcane Scholars of Gaze have opened the private stores of more rare texts from the Archaic Archives. Trundling carts of books are being brought out by roped and masked individuals who kindly offer one to anyone who wishes to partake. They limit each guest to three, though they seem happy to trade a book for a book, so it's always possible to get more. They ask only that the books be returned by the end of the month for cleaning and maintenance. Whispers among the Disciples still with ruffled feathers at Mariana's wrath are that this is Never Mind's way of reasserting himself after strange magical books have been found around town. No Arcane Scholar will acknowledge such gossip, however.

The books seem harmless enough. What is wrong with a little light reading? The fiction within is quite enthralling, though after a page or two, a creepy familiarity to the book's contents comes to whoever reads. There is a sense of deja vu, and only when it is too late do they realize that it feels like they are reading the memories and recollections of someone else, perhaps someone that they know! In that moment, they will feel an inexorable pull as the book seems to literally suck them into it, along with anyone unlucky enough to be next to them!

Those who read these magical books will find themselves trapped in an event within another canon reality. The intent, of course, is to broaden their horizons and experiences, to teach moral lessons through new memories, but as always Never Mind seems not to understand the possible perils. The scenario that they find themselves in, which may be of any canon, is always one of immediate and very real peril, a time in which the character's life is put into immediate and very real peril. They have to prevail or flee successfully to escape the chapter and end the book, though for their troubles it is quite possible that they might bring something back with them. Hopefully it's nothing dangerous!

NOTES:
1. Any Canon may be used, including canons not present in the game. Players are encouraged to use their imaginations, though it is worth being aware that the entirety of the Cthuluh Mythos may be found among these collections, should one wish to utilize these books.
2. There is an actual physical threat that is present in whatever scene is viewed. If it is necessary, a threat is fabricated from the fringes of the memory, even if this changes the canonical scene. It is a real threat and can cause death or harm. However, these threats are killable through all normal fashions, and can be escaped by clever captives. Once escaped or defeated, the sleeper is deposited out of the book.
3. The books are absolutely indestructible, and even if the sleeper does not return them, ravens will break into their home (ruining a window and making a mess) to retrieve all books by the end of September. Multiple books can be enjoyed throughout the month.
4. Items retrieved may be anything from any canon which does not count as a significant power acquisition. Weapons can be brought, though they will be mundane once they emerge in Trench. Players are limited to retrieving one item from another canon per character during the month.

[JUMP TO TOP]

CODING

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

i. Deja Vu (arrival for the second time) // sept. 1st

[ Even as a squid being actively tossed against rocks and stuck in the churning waves, Akko feels like she's done this before. Tentacles flail for purchase against the slick rocks on the shore, but she fails to grasp anything meaningful and winds up back in the surf. This process repeats two or three times before she realizes it's not viable. It would help, she thinks, if she WASN'T a squid right now. She's wrong, of course. Just the thought alone is enough to make her start changing into a human form again, and as it turns out, it's way harder to be human-shaped in the ocean. There's a lot of sputtering and thrashing before she is fully formed and breaks through the surface, is slammed bodily into a rock, rolled over by a wave, and deposited on the beach. Bruised ribs aside, it could have been worse.

This time, she knows what to do, though. Akko stands up slowly, determined not to vomit like she did the first time she arrived on these shores. She blinks the seawater from her vision, wobbles on unsteady legs towards the nearest welcome pack in the sand. A brief check confirms it must be hers, because it's got her wand in it, and thankfully there's a nice robe inside to placate her need for basic modesty. It's a bit of a struggle to get all the limbs to remember how to put on a robe, but she's impatient and chomping at the bit to try her hand at Trench again. She knows more. Feels like she can do it better this time. Hopefully her favorite house is still empty.

As soon as she's clothed, she starts with a lurching step towards the boardwalk. It's too much, too fast, and she's clearly struggling to move. Her knees keep locking, her hands keep contorting and clenching/unclenching. Even holding her head up straight is a bit of a task. Plus the increasingly sharp ache in her ribcage hints at damage from the rocks. But Akko ignores all that in favor of focusing really hard on not falling over. You'd be forgiven for thinking she's possessed, but if you aren't giving her a wide berth maybe getting her to slow down and take a minute would be good. ]

ii. two steps forward, one step back (lost between steps) // sept. 3rd

[ It's an innocent step backwards, to do a double take at something or get out of someone's way, she doesn't even remember what or why because she is hurled downwards by an unseen force and that seems way more pressing than any other thought. Akko screams in surprise as she falls, but the instant she hits the ground, all the air is knocked from her lungs. Coughing and sputtering, she grips her ribs, still sore from her arrival ordeal just a couple days prior. ]

Ow! Hey, what gives?!

[ This place...is wrong. Akko's nose scrunches up in distaste. She can feel the damp air sticking to her skin and filling her lungs and she instantly hates it. Instantly wants to be anywhere else - hell, she'll go back to the ocean if it means not being here. The more she looks around, the more she starts to get scared. Genuinely scared, not just her normal nerves. The fluorescent lights are too impersonal and buzz too loudly. The air is too wet. The walls are too decayed and faded. Mercifully, as she tries to figure out which way to go, someone else lands in the room behind her.

Expect Akko to rush over and kneel beside you with tears prickling in her eyes. ]

Oh, thank gosh, I thought I'd have to do this all alone. Hey are you okay, can you walk?

iii. aftermath (+ wildcard) // sept. 4th onwards

[ After her ordeal in the space between spaces, Akko is unusually subdued this month. It's the first time Trench as a place has treated her unkindly. It's the first time in a long time she's been scared and felt genuinely at the mercy of the world around her. A new sense of dread plagues her, knowing that things like that exist here. But she also seems determined to prepare - she spends time making her home a safe and comfortable space to return to, explores the town, wanders the beach looking for newcomers. Just generally tries to make Trench feel like her new home. You can run into her in a lot of places as she explores, and she's prone to asking what people are doing to boot.

And in between it all, she practices her magic. It's finicky and doesn't work half the time, but she spends a lot of time in Crenshaw at night, practicing channeling her will and her blood powers through her wand. In the dark, you might see a sputtering blue light appear and disappear. It might be worth investigating.

((Otherwise, hit me up via pm or on plurk @ runebranded to plot! Or just go wild tbh.)) ]

[If Akko is on the boardwalk, she might see a slightly familiar face at some point, though the person is dressed very differently from their first interaction. She's also, uh...floating through the air, propelled by tiny thrusters in the heels of those poofy boots, and draggin along behind her a downright massive bundle of crates, barrels, and rolled tarps, all held together by a sturdy, woven net. This is how Ochako is helping out today, as a Hero - she's not as adept at water things like Tsuyu is, but she can haul cargo like it's nobody's business, and vessels going out to sea usually have a LOT of cargo.]

Wide load coming through!! Everyone, please watch your heads!

[Because she can float the majority of the larger, heavier items, but small knickknacks and such can and sometimes do fall through the netting. She has a spotter who's doing the same - calling out to people to move out of the way, and also picking up what falls sometimes. He's also directing the young Hero the particular vessel that needs to be loaded, the crane prepped and ready to receive its haul to load on deck in the distance.]

[ Akko came to the boardwalk to clear her mind. After the...incident, with the weird office labyrinth of doom, she's been feeling kind of. Well, helpless. There's so much she doesn't understand about what happened. The how's and the why's are impossible to guess at. But the fact that when she closes her eyes she sees that wall of blackness rushing up to her, hears those sounds again...it's made it hard to feel safe anywhere. She could fall back in, couldn't she? She could have to go through that again?

A familiar voice shakes her out of her thoughts and fills her chest with warmth. Ochako! Akko wasn't sure how long she was gone from Trench. She had been worried that maybe Ochako wouldn't be here anymore. Or wouldn't remember her. She had been meaning to visit but. Well. The incident kind of made her forget.

That's right, she remembers now. Trench isn't all bad - it's just dangerous and sometimes scary, like Ochako said.

In a flash, she's running across the boardwalk and waving wildly. It's true she doesn't recognize the outfit Ochako is wearing, but she figures it's some kind of superhero suit. Must be, since Ochako's a real live hero and all. ]

Eh?! Ochako-chan!! Wow you really can fly, that's so cool! It's Akko, do you remember me?

[Ochako notices someone coming towards her right away, but because, she's currently directing a pretty large load, she doesn't really react in time. Thankfully, her spotter does, though he's, ah...a bit less friendly than the young Hero. She is in the middle of a job, after all! But Akko is halted by a stocky man, a sailor no doubt, urging her to stand back until the cargo is loaded onto their vessel. He motions to a flatbed he's pulling along as well, loaded with smaller, but still heavy, items that fell from the netted load.

'Any one'a these'd give y' a whopper of a headache, litt'un. Shove off a tick, aye?'

And, poor Akko, is going to be manhandled a little bit. Not too roughly, but definitely with some assertive force. It is a dangerous place to just rush up to, though Ochako does call out to her in a far more polite and gentle manner.]

Akko-chan!! Ne, wait for me to finish here, okay? It shouldn't be long, this is the last large load they need boarded for the day. [She claps her hands together (making sure NOT to touch all her fingertips together, lest she accidentally deactivate her quirk and...drop this huge load in the middle of the pier) apologetically, bowing her head a bit.] Wait for me, please!! Then we can hang out - I'll show you around!

[ There is a brief kerfuffle as Akko firmly rejects being pushed out of the way and the man firmly rejects her rejection, but Ochako is here and Akko doesn't want to disappoint her by getting kicked off the pier. Reluctantly, she steps back and (sticking her tongue out at the sailor) clasps her hands behind her back, rocking on her heels while she waits. That being said, she wishes she could be helpful like Ochako. Until she sorts out her wand and gets her magic back in line, she's just a kid.

"Can I at least help with picking up the stuff that falls?"
"No."
"What about-"
"Stay back, kiddo."
"I could totally lift...some of those boxes!"
"Aye, I'm sure y' can."
"Then why-!"
"No." ]

Kagari "Akko" Atsuko | Little Witch Academia | Paleblood

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