reddosmod: (Default)
Deer Country Mod ([personal profile] reddosmod) wrote in [community profile] countryclub2022-09-25 09:57 pm
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SEPTEMBER TEST DRIVE MEME!

SEPTEMBER 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: Bread Cornucopia filled with fruits and veggies]
[Image Two: Creepy glass eye embedded in sand]

Prompt Two
[Image One: A Lone Lighthouse by night]
[Image Two: Ghost Ship in dilapidated condition]

Prompt Three
[Image One: Wasps, Wasp Nest made from human Mask screaming terror, swirling eddies in wasp Nest]
[Image Two: Horribly mutilated Cenobite in Latex gear with exposed teeth]

STANDARD ARRIVAL
WHEN: First Week of September
WHERE: The Farther Shores/The Boardwalk, Koz's Orphanage
CONTENT WARNINGS: Creepy Prosthetics buried in the sand


On some level, you are one of the fortunate ones. The storms of August are now a distant memory. It is the waning of the Blood Moon and the tempestuous state of the Beast Moon this year is fading finally while the harvest is being collected. Sleepers arriving find no particular difficulty in actually reaching the shores for the most part, and transformations back into their natural state of being are relatively easy. They are met by happy Trenchies and fellow Sleepers with robes of white and their bags as normal, and motioned towards the waiting tents set up along the

What is strange, however, is that when Sleepers arrive, they may find their eyes drawn to something disturbing amongst the sand. Water washes with the waves and tide, and reveals a body part! They are always prosthetics of some variety, and many are glass eyes that eerily stare at the person. They can be retrieved with some ease, though they're in bad need of cleaning. Perhaps they belong to someone in town? If not, however, asking around will get a suggestion to bring those to Koz's Orphange in Crenshaw. They have a Lost and Found there, and it is the season of finding what and who is lost. If they do, they might catch a glimpse of Koz floating mournfully through the area, and one of the children will gratefully take the item, saying that they will add it to the rest of the Lost and Found, before coming back with a photo in hand. "Here, I found this, and I think it might be yours?" The photo is, indeed, of the giver and someone from their past. Perhaps it is an actual photo taken, or one they cannot remember having been taken. Regardless, it is offered to them in a cheap wooden frame. How it got there, the orphan does not know. It was probably there when they arrived.

SEASONAL DETAILS ON THE BOARDWALK

The Boardwalk is quite the spectacle this time of year, and those who were here the prior year will remember many of the decorations and festivities. Pumpkins have been stacked on spikes lining the Boardwalk with grotesquely realistic carvings of faces decorated on them. Massive white linen has been hung in the air to look like ghosts floating back and forth against the ocean wind.

Delicious smells waft from the Boardwalk as fresh donuts, candied apples, and hot apple cider are sold at every other booth, along with complementary cornucopias given to each new Sleeper made out of bread that has fruits of all varieties but always seems to have a small jar of the favorite fruit, seed, vegetable (or even meat) of the person receiving it. If asked where it is from, the Sleepers shrug and say "The Orphans took up a collection to give a welcoming gift to new arrivals." If what is in the jar is eaten by the person given it, it will help to ease their mind and give them a calm that can last up to a week as they acclimate.

Preparations are in order for this year's Black Parade. An annual celebration, it is promoted among the excited locals as something that people can participate in. Face Painting booths and costumes are available to those who wish them, with the statement by the Trenchies, "We do it to disguise ourselves from roaming spirits and hungry beasts."
A FADED MEMORY
WHEN: Mid October
WHERE: In Swimming distance (Barely) of the Farther Shores
CONTENT WARNINGS: Ghostly Ship & Lighthouse, Threat of Corruption, Remains of Ghastly Murder and Dismembered Corpse


It is by accident that your eyes chance to look towards the Farther Shores. There, you happen to see a lighthouse, but you know for certain that it cannot be the lighthouse that is normally there and manned by the fishermen. You can't usually see that from this angle. The moment that you see it, a feeling of mounting dread falls upon you, and you realize that there is no light in the lighthouse. Though the compulsion to investigate can be resisted, there is an almost overwhelming urge to go, to investigate, to re-ignite the flame before it is too late!

The question is getting out there. The fishermen, when the lighthouse is mentioned, will make warding gestures and look terrified. All will resolutely refuse to sail out, muttering incomprehensible curses and lashing their boats securely to the shore. There will be no fishing tonight. The lighthouse, from the docks and shores, is out in the water on a rocky outcrop that nobody remembers being there, though any Trenchy asked will pale at the mention. The only way to get out there is to swim. It is a hard, dangerous swim, but the tide is coming in, rather than going out, so the riptide is not pulling down. It can be done, or a raft can be hastily made. When clambering up the stone steps to the lone lighthouse, it is apparent its door is ajar. And within? Horror awaits.

The insides of the tower are caked in viscuous, green blood. The Lighthouse itself is barely standing. It looks as if a thunderous, colossal fist has battered it repeatedly, the building nearly collapsing at every step. It does not actually break apart, but those who ascend the steps find themselves fighting not to slip on old, caked and thick blood that smells of roses. The contact with the blood isn't doing anything good to the person's sanity and hallucinations of the screams of the dying can be heard, along with shrieks of "What is it?" at the top of someone's voice. An increase in corruption is possible here, though not required. The more one contacts the blood, the greater the risk is. In the top of the lighthouse, dismembered, skeletal remains lay in gobs of what may once have been flesh. One of them holds desperately a torch in their hand, and there is a lighter present. One look out into the night will see a great vessel approaching, broken, its sails tattered and ruined. there is little time, and hopefully the lighter works!

The moment the torch lights the lamp in the lighthouse, the ship veers away from a collision course that would have destroyed the lighthouse and likely the flimsy rock outcropping on which it stood. Shades of dead sailors stare in horror at those who man the lighthouse today, the ship sailing away into the night. All are pointing beyond, and if you look over your shoulder, you can barely see a collosal figure in shadow walking into the town beyond, seemingly confused and wailing. Nothing further happens, and when the people in the lighthouse reach shore again, they will find upon turning back that it is gone, as is the outcropping, though a close inspection does see the remains of a shallow of stone there where the island once stood.

Note: The Ghost ship cannot be interacted with. If someone has the ability to reach it, they will pass through it only to realize it is nothing more than a memory in the land. Fragments of rotted wood and broken masonry can be found in the water below, covered in countless barnacles. Nothing within them shows any proof of what once transpired. There is a risk of corruption from blood exposure, though this is very much up to the players if they wish to incorporate it.

No Trenchy will willingly speak of what transpired, though a careful investigation at the Pale Sanctuary may find a tome among the sacred texts associated with Cloverfield. Reading from it, one might find a forgotten marking that the first sighting of Cloverfield, long ago, saw the collapse of the original lighthouse. No Disciple recalls the incident, and none will speak of it.

FRIEND OR FOE
WHEN: Anytime in October
WHERE: At the frindges of the main districts
CONTENT WARNINGS: demonic bugs, Bug Horror, Grotesque death, Self mutilation, Bug Infestation


The first thing that alerts you to the danger is the screams. They are agonizing, gut-wrenching and full of naked horror. When traveling near the edge of any of the districts, particularly the Crenshaw district, it is possible at times to witness a truly horrifying sight. The screams, if investigated, come upon the grisly attack of a horde of not exactly wasps but closer to demonic insects swarming over a person. They shriek, their whole form shrouded by the terrible creatures as they're being stun and the things seem to be extruding some sort of substance to cocoon them while still alive to one of the trees. There is no cry for help, as the person is clearly unaware of who is there, but do you reach out to save them?

If you do not, the scene is horrific and grisly beyond reckoning. The wasps trap the hapless victim against a tree, grafting the extruded paper all over their screaming visage to form a new wasp nest before they ultimately begin crawling inside of them, devouring them from the inside out and implanting their eggs in the new 'home' created for them. It is at this time that the palpable danger may dawn upon you. The infernal bugs have not yet seen you, but they seem to be aware that there is other life around. Do you take this moment to try and beat a hasty retreat, or do you fight it out with the bugs? They can be destroyed, but only by means of abilities and powers that destroy multiples at once, such as great gouts of flame. Hopefully you have a coldblood present! Fleeing them is easier, but can you leave this person to their fate? Still, if instead you observe and take no action, eventually the bugs seem to notice you, and though they swarm near, as long as they are not attacked, they seem to do nothing.

Strange.

If, however, you try to save the victim, a very different scene plays out. The same rules apply to fight the swarm, and if you stop them short of killing their victim, you will see just who it is that you have saved. There, mutilated through self scarification and brutally altered in horrible ways that seem almost fetishistic, is one of the blood crazed zealots. Despite being weakened and badly injured, they lash out at you, their defender. The power that they wield with their blood is incredible, and they demonstrate an ability to wield it that is well documented. The only note is that no Cold-blooded Zealots are present, and so their powers are not represented this time. However, they are drained and though they pose a threat to your life, they can be killed here with a bit of care, can be resisted with great difficulty and certainly be escaped. Either way, there is no true reward for having killed them other than knowing that you have done so. Why are they here? Alone?

It is almost as if they were an advance scout, and the wasps were someone's defense against them, someone's early warning.

CODING
monsterwife: (fifth)

[personal profile] monsterwife 2022-10-01 04:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The child knows her. It is a strange thing, being known. All the humans John loved were terrified of her, all except Anastasia. They never listened. They never wanted to see her.

How could Alecto blame them? She does not want to see herself either, as terribly ugly as she is. She does not hate them for that. What Alecto hates is that the humans saw what she was, feared what she was, and wanted it anyway.

She does not know what this child wants. There is something different about her body. ]


Are you hungry?
survivalthroughhate: ([TPM 39] Pensive)

[personal profile] survivalthroughhate 2022-10-01 05:40 pm (UTC)(link)
There was something almost amusing about Ritsuka's usual sassy attitude, a reminder of all the time Maul had spent in Deerington caught somewhere between his own selfish desires and struggling to do better. His relationship with Ritsuka epitomized that completely. "Now I'm convinced. You're real."

He watched the boy stand on wobbly legs like a little fathier colt and was reminded of what he learned about the catboy shortly before he'd disappeared from Deerington, how he'd gone through horrific abuse from his mother. His life really wasn't so different from Maul's at its core. He just had learned to deal with it by having a sharp tongue instead of learning to fight like Maul did in his childhood.

His scrawny frame and the marks Maul couldn't help but notice before he'd covered the boy was a clear indication things hadn't improved since then. Maul decided to try and be civil for the moment, trying to remember not to deliberately antagonize the catboy. "Are you able to walk? You look like you could use a sandwich." He paused. "Or ten."
hauntedsavior: (⚡ our shields were all but shattered)

[personal profile] hauntedsavior 2022-10-01 05:40 pm (UTC)(link)
[anna doesn't know what she wants anymore either. it's led to so many more problems than it reasonably should have. but here she is, inside a ruined lighthouse, speaking to a woman whose name she only thinks she knows. and maybe the poetry's getting away from her, but when you see a mysterious woman entombed on a sounding sea, what else are you going to call her?]

Is there food? [she says it with a quiet sort of amusement, looking around the room. the blood, the glass, the bones. it feels more like a car wreck than a lighthouse, but she'll leave her musical references for another day. she looks at the woman again, not in a scrutinizing way. it's pity. it sits on her face like it's not been there in a while.]

Is it all right to come closer?
monsterwife: (third)

[personal profile] monsterwife 2022-10-01 05:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Is there food? Oh, this human is something so many of them are not: she's funny. Alecto smiles, and it is a terrible thing, all teeth, like an animal marking its territory. ]

Not here.

[ Thankfully. Alecto hates food.

The child asks for permission, and that pleases Alecto. It is stronger than running away, and more respectful than merely approaching. Alecto nods, as if to beckon her closer, so that Alecto might see and know and introduce herself. ]


You are sad for me. But you do not even know why.

[ Alecto offers the child the skull. It is nice to have something to hold. ]

Shall I tell you?

[ There. Permission for permission. A debt, paid. ]
hauntedsavior: (⚡ with their sights in heaven)

[personal profile] hauntedsavior 2022-10-01 07:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[it's not a pleasant thing to look at, but anna watches the woman smile all the same. she has walked into dangerous places with her head held high. she has explored sublayers of reality and faced amalgamations of souls that threatened to erase her identity. she has forgotten her love for the suggestion of answers. she can handle a little terrifying smile.]

I don't. [she says it as she approaches. she kneels down gently on the ground, a little distance away from the woman but still there, touching the same floor. the blood and glass and sea-things accumulate under her coat; the coat itself spreads, and she shows her black band t-shirt, her torn jeans tucked into boots. her hands, from this distance, are matte black, and she takes the skull gingerly in them. it's a gift, isn't it? and she doesn't want to be rude or reject an offering. at this distance, she doesn't know if her souls can be felt, but she knows that she is a bizarre creature all her own one way or another, and that this skull is the only thing of bone that she still has within her. she's a monster, if she had to put a word to it, but she knows so little of monstrosity.]

If you want to tell me, then I'd be happy to listen.
Edited 2022-10-02 15:11 (UTC)
saltyadam: (adam-020)

[personal profile] saltyadam 2022-10-01 10:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Adam's expression softened, even while sending his partner a silent mental message.

No, I am not adopting him. He's just a kid who needs help.

"No money required. Its free for all newcomers. Then we can see about finding you a place to stay, or find out if you know anyone here."
saltyadam: (Default)

[personal profile] saltyadam 2022-10-01 10:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Adam huffed slighly, crossing his arms. Kids today.

"For given value of 'often.' It's not uncommon for people to lose limbs."

Eddie. Varian. The last name still kicked up that old, dull ache that gnawed at his gut. I failed him.

"It's not as bad here as the last place, but it's not great."
ezra_of_lothal: (Default)

Boardwalk

[personal profile] ezra_of_lothal 2022-10-01 10:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[Here's a teenager in blue tunic and orange tabards with an ash grey that may scream magic user, to some.

Or Jedi, to those who know that tradition.

But, hey, he does understand that question! And offers a reply, with a rueful smile.]


I really wouldn't count on it, sorry. There's...a couple of folks around who are either Jewish, or know something about Judaism, but not many.

[He's...also almost certain he knows who this is. But one thing at a time. ]
burnyoudown: (053)

[personal profile] burnyoudown 2022-10-01 10:45 pm (UTC)(link)
"Gross," he deadpanned. The idea didn't seem to bother him very much but he was pretty sure he'd been some kind of squid thing before coming ashore, so what was the notion of losing a limb compared to that? "Guess they don't grow back, huh?" Something about that seemed wrong, all things considered.

"What last place? Life?" He wasn't going to pull the whole 'life isn't great, get used to it' thing because that'd always seemed like bullshit to him even with the kind of person he was. Or maybe especially because of it. He knew better than some how unfair life could be and it fucking sucked.
gotaknife: by <user name=everchased site="tumblr"> (27)

[personal profile] gotaknife 2022-10-01 10:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Y-Yeah...

[He holds up his hands, still curled around his cup in return. He'd much rather remember having hands and forget having suckers. The longer he's out of the ocean, the more being a squid feels like some kind of strange dream, or nightmare.]

It happened to me too. I guess it's... normal? Or what passes for normal here?
saltyadam: (Default)

[personal profile] saltyadam 2022-10-01 11:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Gross was a pretty fair assessment.

"No, Deerington. It was a real hell hole, sometimes literally. We got moved here about a year ago."

Adam rubbed his nose, sniffing against the cold.

"Also, some people here were dead before landing here. Others alive. Or in between. Its a mixed bag. Do you want some... pants or something, by the way?"
burnyoudown: (103)

[personal profile] burnyoudown 2022-10-01 11:26 pm (UTC)(link)
"The fuck kind of name for a place is Deerington." Was it filled with lots of deer? Was it somewhere in the mid-east USA? It sounded like some kind of town in the middle of nowhere.

"What about you? Dead or alive?" He pointed the prosthetic hand at Adam, raising an eyebrow.

At least until he looked down at himself, like he hadn't realized he was completely naked before. Maybe he hadn't. Maybe he'd been too wrapped up in whatever the fuck had happened before he'd felt like himself again. Clothes weren't really a big concern for him though on the best of days.

"Why? You bothered by the sight of my dick?" He wasn't turning down clothes, he was just being a fucking gremlin, as was usual.
saltyadam: (pic#12973122)

[personal profile] saltyadam 2022-10-01 11:33 pm (UTC)(link)
"A name for some kind of hell." It did have lots of deer. At least most of them had been helpful. The other things that place conjured? Not so much.

Adam shrugs. "Dead." It was hardly a secret anymore, though it was a pain point for his partner so he didn't talk about it much. "What about yourself?"

He gets a raised eyebrow for his rather crude comment, and an evaluative once-over. "No. I'm used to bigger. You do look cold."

Adam inclines his head away from the shore. "There's free food and clothing further in, if you're done playing."
Edited 2022-10-01 23:49 (UTC)
truerevival: (There's a hole in my soul)

II

[personal profile] truerevival 2022-10-01 11:43 pm (UTC)(link)
I doubt they know. [Kazuma's voice may be calm, but there's a weight to it. He's used to making it carry in court, of giving an air of authority he hardly had the right to throw around. Still, it often worked in his favor so he'll use it where he can.]

If it's familiar to you, it likely just showed up here. Trench has a way of doing that.
gotaknife: by <user name=everchased site="tumblr"> (31)

[personal profile] gotaknife 2022-10-01 11:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Martin freezes as the girl's jaw drops. Clearly he is supposed to know her. Oh, god. He knew things were fuzzy when he first came to shore, but he thought he had a good handle on it and was remembering things far more clearly now. Who is she? She looks too young to be an old schoolmate, and he's fairly sure he never saw her at the Institute. An old neighbour or something perhaps that he's forgotten about?

He thinks it might just be a case of mistaken identity - a different person who looks kind of like him named Martin? Okay, a little coincidental perhaps, but possible. Except then she adds on 'different you' and that explanation isn't at all reassuring. Was he replaced like Sasha was? Is he doing the replacing, and doesn't even realize it? No, no, that's not possible. He's Martin, he knows he's Martin. Even if he was a squid before this.

"Oh. Um. A- a different me? I'm sorry, what?"
burnyoudown: (♚ Twenty-Four)

[personal profile] burnyoudown 2022-10-02 12:10 am (UTC)(link)
"So is this place some kind of hell, too?" It would figure. Where else would he end up after everything that'd happened?

He shrugged, lowering his arm. "Dead." He didn't care if people knew. What was it going to change? There wasn't much of a point in keeping it a secret.

"Well, for one, fuck you." But he grinned, all teeth. It was either a threat or he really didn't mind. Maybe it was both. "Who made you the dick expert?"

Glancing away from the shore, towards whatever was inland, he nodded. "Nothing's ever free, but I'll take it."
wordiness: (012)

[personal profile] wordiness 2022-10-02 12:12 am (UTC)(link)
No, [ billy says musingly, flipping the frame over as if it could possibly provide answers. if he really wants, he might be able to track it back to its origins, but if the broken spot in the universe is already closed, well.. that could be harder. ] It's just such a strange, specific thing to have here.. It's from my wedding, but it's not a photo I remember.

[ why this photo in particular? it can't just be a coincidence, can it? maybe one of the patron creatures here..?

he hesitates, then glances at the bag the stranger's carrying, brows lifting questioningly. ]
--Did you fill the whole thing up?
burnyoudown: (022)

[personal profile] burnyoudown 2022-10-02 12:14 am (UTC)(link)
[Kavinsky was far from impressed but he turned all the same, arching an eyebrow.

He was somewhere between holding onto the frame with white knuckles and treating it delicately like it would break if he held it too tightly. Which left him constantly shifting his grip on it.]


And how the fuck does that work? In my experience, shit like this doesn't just show up.
wordiness: (051)

[personal profile] wordiness 2022-10-02 12:18 am (UTC)(link)
[ he's never met a jedi before (to his knowledge), but he's definitely going to have a nerd moment once he realizes that's what it is he's sensing. as it is, it's kind of nice thinking there are other magically-inclined people here. ]

Honestly, in another reality like this, I'm just shocked I'm not the only one. [ this world isn't even earth-adjacent, it seems, other than the seemingly-human inhabitants.

he glances at the jar again, then tucks it back away, turning his smile back on the stranger. ]
I don't suppose you know their names..? I'm not exactly devout, but..
truerevival: (Shrugging off the dust)

[personal profile] truerevival 2022-10-02 12:21 am (UTC)(link)
[Kazuma bristles a bit at the cursing. The initial one he let slide due to what must have been an emotional discovery--but he's not used to the casual use of coarse language.]

If you would consider how you came to be here, it's a rather easy jump of logical reasoning. [He may not be used to casual cursing, but he is used to casually suggesting that someone is being an idiot through tone alone.

He sighs, subtly waving the child off. He could deal with this, they shouldn't have to.
] Things from our homes have a way of washing ashore or simply manifesting at times. You should get used to it if you'll be staying.
saltyadam: (adam-021)

[personal profile] saltyadam 2022-10-02 12:32 am (UTC)(link)
"Not as bad as the last place, but not great either. You'll get the hang of it and all the weird powers pretty quick."

Adam smiled. "What can I say? I've seen my fair share. While I'm no expert, as a scientist I can certainly judge length at a few meters."

Simply being here was costly. Honestly the squid thing was the best part if you didn't already have friends or family here.

"I'll walk you there. I'm Adam, by the way."
faceblocks: (Default)

[personal profile] faceblocks 2022-10-02 12:37 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you!
ezra_of_lothal: (sympathy by malagraphic)

[personal profile] ezra_of_lothal 2022-10-02 12:37 am (UTC)(link)
Kyle was the most observant. We celebrated a couple of holidays together this year. He's...gone back to the sea, unfortunately.

There's also the Pines family. Ford. Stan. Dipper. Mabel. I'm not sure who is still here, at this point. People come and go.

I'm Ezra. Ezra Bridger. And- [He huffs a laugh.] Technically, I'm not Jewish at all. There's no such thing where I'm originally, from.

But there is...a time and place. A life, where I believed I was from Earth. And in that life, my father's side of the family was Jewish.

[He gives Billy and another smile, ragged and bashful.]

And Billy Kaplan was my friend who didn't mind nerding out about comics with me.
wordiness: (024)

[personal profile] wordiness 2022-10-02 12:57 am (UTC)(link)
[ billy goes still as the stranger--ezra--says his name, looking startled for several silent moments as he processes that. it could mean.. anything, really. another version of billy from another reality; some other timeline; a past that billy's forgotten, or that was erased. ]

I'm sorry, [ he says once he can find his voice again, fingers curling in his shawl. ] I don't remember you. [ if he was just 'kaplan' back then, it was at least a couple of years ago, wasn't it? and what does ezra mean about another life? what happened? ] Did this all happen here?
ezra_of_lothal: (heh by malagraphic)

[personal profile] ezra_of_lothal 2022-10-02 01:04 am (UTC)(link)
[Calmly-]

I didn't expect you to. You could be from any timeline, right? It's just - I hid that life from someone here, because he was my brother, there. And well, it turned out I'd made things really hard on myself, when acutally he didn't mind, and we're still family. Just...a little different.

Trying not to make the same mistake. You just say the word, and I'll pretend none of that happened, ok?

[Then he huffs a laugh.]

And no, actually, not here in this plane of reality. This is my second stop in the multiverse go-around at least.

[His life as always been a little wierd.]

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