countryclub | (August) 2021 Test Drive Meme

Entry tags:

meme: tdm

(August) 2021 Test Drive Meme

AUGUST 2021 TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to our first-ever live Test Drive Meme! Thank you so much for your interest! While our applications and reserves this upcoming round are for Early Access Members only, this Test Drive Meme is to open to everyone - both brand new players and old!

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: Lego face down on beach shore.]
[Image Two: Melting ice cream cone.]

Prompt Two
[Image One: Person screaming underwater.]
[Image Two: Waves crashing on rocks.]

Prompt Three
[Image One: Woman on a piano in the middle of the ocean.]
[Image Two: Pirate ship on wave during storm.]

Dates to Remember!
Read our Game Open information here.

Early Access is only applicable to those who played in Deerington from Dec2020-June2021. Public Access is applicable to everyone regardless of whether or not you previously played in Deerington.

August 27th: Reserves open for Early Access Members open.
September 1st: Applications for Early Access Members open.
September 26th: Public Access reserves open.
October 1st: Game officially opens. Public Access applications open.

[NAVIGATION]

TDM Questions • Reserves • Taken • Applications • Full Navigation

[Jump to Comments]

STANDARD ARRIVAL

WHEN: August
WHERE: The Farther Shores/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
August means colorful streamers and fairy lights twinkling over the Boardwalk, lighting the way. Although Trench is a grim world, there is a distinct summer vacation feeling to the Boardwalk in August. You can smell fried dough and hot dogs being prepared - and no worries! Everything on the Boardwalk is completely free to Sleepers. The workers know it's your first stop and that you, more than most, need a bit of charity right now. Stop by and get a deluxe sundae or ice cream cone at the temporary ice cream booth. Want something besides your welcoming robes to wear? There are a few small shacks selling some solid pirate and sailor-inspired looks. There are also some cute bathing suits for those who think taking a dip in the ocean could possibly ever be fun. Get these summer goods while the going's good. They won't be around in September!

Some people have even set up some crude form of volleyball out on the beach. Join in for a game! The ball is a little leathery and strange to the touch, but it's probably for the best if you just ignore that. Hit the ball around enough and you'll notice that if it gets away from your court, it seems to roll itself towards the ocean. Pick it up again and it's just a ball again! Weird...Just play with the ball and don't ask questions.

The Boardwalk really is a gentle introduction to Trench. It's easy to forget that you just woke up to a hellscape dominated by blood. But hey. The corruption here is low and maybe that's the point. Take it easy while you can, Sleepers. The tide is coming soon enough.

DIFFERENT TIDES

WHEN: WHEN EVENT
WHERE: Among the Rocks in small crevices and caves.
CONTENT WARNINGS: Drowning, crushing bones, intense claustrophobia, flesh eating crabs, possible animal death via burning, possible hallucinations via toxins.

While most Sleepers are lucky enough to wash up on the Farther Shores, not all are so fortunate. The ocean is unpredictable and in this world, the ocean also happens to be a temperamental living creature. Come in at the exactly wrong time and the Pthumerian Mariana might decide to send you on a harrowing course towards The Rocks. Having to wake up while being slammed up against slippery slopes of stone is no one's idea of a good time, and if you're not a strong swimmer, you might die before you even have a chance to realize where you are. Even if you are a strong swimmer, it's exhausting and brutal being slammed against slate again and again. But you're not the only one suffering. There are other Sleepers crashing against the Rocks with you. Maybe you can help each other out before it's too late.

If you have the ability, you can possibly grab hold on the side of the Rocks and cling for dear life. You might even discover the advantages of your newly reborn body and blood sooner than intended. Not too many can clash against the Rocks without spilling a little sacred blood but you might just be able to use that in your favor. Sometimes shedding blood in this world means getting a hell of an adrenaline kick - and you might need it right about now. Maybe you can climb to the top and back to safety?

Not everyone has to take a beating against the Rocks. Some are sucked into the undertide and carried directly inside of the Rocks. There are dozens of small caves and channels. If you're having a genuinely terrible day, you might break the surface of the water in a pitch-black space, with rock above you, rock all around you. There may be very little space between the water and the rocks surrounding you, making it harder to breathe and concentrate and easier to panic in. Cry out and you may get some help. Find your way to one of the open caves inside.

As you try to find your way in the dark, you hear a constant clicking noise all around you. It sounds like rocks bouncing together, clacking, clicking, some plopping into the water near you. You can feel them moving around you and eventually, one drops down onto your shoulder. It's a crab! The little guy is no bigger than a golf ball and he mostly just seems curious. Another little buddy joins him on your other shoulder. Looks like you have some friends! Maybe they are here to help you.

Then you feel a little sharp jab of pain. And another. And nope- these guys are not your friends. They use their small claws to take chunks out of your flesh and eat it. They are easy enough to brush off your shoulder, but the problem isn't their size, it's their quantity. As soon as you get one off, another is falling down. And some are a lot bigger than golf balls. They get as large as basketballs and when those land on you, brace yourself, because they are dense. You'll discover that the crabs seem completely impervious too. They have rock-hard shells and are resistant to blood magic - probably because they eat nothing but blood-and-flesh creatures. But like all living creatures, they do have a weakness or two: fire and light. You can completely stun and paralyze these creatures with a flash of light. The brighter the light, the longer they will be stunned. If you have a light source to carry around, the crabs won't come near you at all. Fire won't stun the crabs, but it does terrify them and will send them fleeing. If you set a crab on fire, you'll see why: it's the only way to kill them.

So congratulations, you have Trench Crabs. Not the best experience, but it's an easier experience for some than others. Unfortunately for Warmbloods, Palebloods, and Vilebloods there's a certain toxin in the crab's flaws that can cause mild hallucinations and confusion in response to your specific blood type. Hopefully, you're stuck with another blood type who isn't affected by the crab toxins. To get rid of the side effects, you will need to thoroughly clean out all of your wounds with warm salt-water.

Let's just hope you can all make it out of the Rocks alive. Good luck.

QUICK FAQ

1. Those whose Patron Pthumerian is Mariana will be much luckier in the waves. Some may even discover that the water urges them towards safer passages. If they ask for direct help, the water might directly respond with immediate help. In the most extreme cases, the water might heal flesh wounds, but it will burn a little. Never a good idea to put salt (water) on an open wound, but hey, better than bleeding out!

This applies to the third prompt as well. 2. Characters can either find their way across the Rocks and climb to the area around the Sanguine Station or wind up at the Farther Shores. Wakers would be quick to help any mangled Sleepers.

3. Other characters can go to the Rocks and try to help save the Sleepers being brutalized. Maybe throw someone a rope or if you have the power of flight you can try and get them to safety.

OVERBOARD

WHEN: Pirates continually sail the Pthumerian Ocean therefore this event could take place at any time.
WHERE: Somewhere beyond the Fishing Zone of the Pthumerian Ocean
CONTENT WARNINGS: Drowning, kidnapping, imprisonment, "human" trafficking, cannibalism.

Some Sleepers don't make it to the Farther Shores or the Rocks. Your body might regenerate in the middle of the Pthumerian Ocean and the only thing in your favor is at least you're not reborn naked here (unless maybe you are - dealer's choice). You're cloaked in some long, white garment - not that it does much against the crashing waves all around you. This is not a great place to wake up! And it looks like you woke up in the middle of the storm only it's not really a storm...This is just the natural state of the Pthumerian Ocean: violent and unpredictable.

Waves crash and pull all around you, thundering through the air, the wind and skies above just as hostile and aggressive. You can't tell if it's raining or if you're just being constantly splattered by the mist and water of waves nearby. Whirlpools spin in gurgling clusters and it's easy to get sucked into them. Thankfully, you're not completely alone in this terrible situations. You can see other Sleepers nearby...And furniture?

Chunks of furniture float by. Couches, mattresses, pianos, bookcases. There is the debris of ruined ships too: flanks of wood, doors that could probably hold two people if you actually tried, masts, barrels, and the like. Might not be a bad idea to try and hold onto some of that stuff. Better than the alternative! Another thing going in your favor is that you showed up in August. The Pthumerian Ocean is a brutal place, but you won't be freezing to death in these waters. At least not this month. But what about where you are? Where you need to go? Well. That's answered for you.

There are few things tougher in Deer Country than the pirates who live by the law of the ocean. Their ships have been coated in blood magic, cutting through waves, navigating the tidal waves and the whirlpools with abnormal grace normal sailors could only ever dream of. But the people aboard are not human. Not anymore. Most have become completely corrupt by the violence of the ocean and they're more than happy to scoop up poor, disoriented Sleepers they find along the way. You'll find no mercy from these pirates. Instead, it's off to the brig with you! The people on the ship have disoriented appearances, looking more like sea creatures than humans, and they have the manners you'd expect from pufferfish and tiger sharks. They cannot be reasoned with - after all, they aren't just rude. They are blood corrupted and some of them are borderline on their way to full beasthood.

Pirates will value Sleepers for their blood and plan to either eat the Sleepers, use their blood for blood magic, or sell them to other pirates and most won't immediately try to kill a Sleeper. They might be violent, but they aren't stupid. Pirates may simply throw you in a cell or chain you up. They may put Sleepers in a cell together or separate them into cages. If Sleepers are especially mouthy, they may make you walk the plank, tied up with heavy chains that will surely bring you to the bottom (if there even is a bottom) of the ocean. Players can choose the severity of the imprisonment of Sleepers and how Sleepers may escape their situation. Maybe they sneak out of bond and steal a lifeboat. Maybe they overpower their captors and kill most of them or throw them overboard and steal their ship. Either way, once they have met some kind of escape, the Pthumerian Mariana will be impressed enough by their hardiness to help guide them through the currents all the way to the Farther Shores.

CODING

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

1) OVERBOARD
[The last thing he expected was water.]

[But that's all it is. Water. It's not blood. Or the black, inky substance. Something corrupt and deadly. It's only water. Sure, it's cold, sure it stings his eyes and throat and he can almost feel it oozing into the seams and joints of his right arm. Is it Rapture again? Did that awful, sweltering doorway lead back down to the bottom of the sea?]

[Except then, metal fingers clamp down onto, of all things, an air mattress. If he had any humor left in him, he'd have laughed. Barked out a harsh sound at the irony of it. Instead, all he can do is hold on. Dig fingernails into plastic and hold on until something swings out of the yawning storm overhead, drags him up.]

[Look, at this point, he's ready to expect the worst.]

[But being thrown into chains? Into restraints? By leering human faces who look fresh out of some horrible period piece movie? That's new. That's new and sparking up old, buried terrors. Of course he struggles. Of course he tries to fight back, but there's something off about this body. It doesn't feel quite right just yet. It's all too easy for the pirates to overpower him. Throw him into captivity and set the panic burning fresh through every vein all over again.]

[... Hopefully you don't mind the man built like a brick wall wobbling around in the cell with you, desperately trying to free himself from both his bonds, and the locked door. His shoulder impacts it more than once. But the door doesn't budge]

You can't do this! I don't - where is everyone! Please!

2) THE BOARDWALK
[He may have laid on the sand for way too long before hauling himself upright. Before sitting there, on his hands and knees, coughing, choking out too much water to be healthy. It feels like he's been swimming for years. His limbs on fire from the exertion.]

[Shiro drags himself, slowly, up to drier sand. Out of the waves. That's about as far as he gets, before he has to roll over, and just flop down. Staring up at an unfamiliar sky. The rise of buildings he can't name. Maybe that's where you find him, sprawled out in the sand, just trying to catch his breath. Just trying to find a sense of self after... after everything. This doesn't feel possible.]

[How could he be on a beach, smelling fried food, after Deerington? Seeing twinkling lights dangling in the air. Like a fairy tale. Like when... like that last night in the greenhouse.]

[Or maybe you find him later, draped in those robes from the bag he'd found. At least they're dry. He's on his feet then, pacing along the boardwalk like he's searching for someone.]

[Many someones.]

I'm looking for my teammates. [Is all he seems to be able to say, for the moment. Looking for his friends, his family. They have to be somewhere.]

(( ooc: shiro is from over 3 years in Deerington, and before that, the middle of S2. Hit me up for just about anything!! I'm happy to match format, too! ))

Edited 2021-07-30 04:44 (UTC)

_{[ It's weird being around so many unfamiliar faces all at once and not a single denizen in sight. Jesse's memory is foggy and he feels like he can't think straight, but he's keeping the upbeat optimism despite his rough start. He had noticed a pacing adult who seems pretty desperate pass him a few times as he merely sits on the boardwalk, almost done finishing off the very last of his funnel cake. Jesse has acquired his clothes but he keeps the robe on over himself cause it just looks cool to him. His face appears a little swollen from his arrival, but nothing a little funnel cake can't fix, right?

Finally, he laps the last bite of powdered sugar off of his hands and stands. ]}

Hey! I can help you look for whoever you're looking for!

_{[ Shiro will get one eager looking teenager who is just... holding a little plate of maybe one or two more bites of his treat left over. He just kind of holds up the plate to Shiro. Want a bite? You look like you could use it, buddy. ]}

You said 'teammates'?

[His head snaps around. There's a lot of hope in his eyes for a heartbeat, before focusing on the teen's face. The unfamiliar face. And his expression briefly flattens, crumbles, as much as he tries to save face. Tries to square himself back up again.]

[Not one of his. But it's not the teen's fault. So... square yourself up, pick yourself up. Be in control.]

Hey. Yeah, yeah, I did. [A slight shake of his head. He can't remember when he ate, but the thought of food right now doesn't sit well.] Are you from...?

Here?

From here? Well, no. That's kind of a --

_{[ Weird answer? Long-winded answer? As to where he came from, actually. How does one explain to someone else they were previously on a "self improvement train" that went on forever? He just met this cool looking dude anyway. He probably shouldn't overshare, nope. Jesse looks troubled for a moment and when the answer comes out he's hardly confident at first: ]}

I mean, technically, I'm.. from Arizona! Yeah, that's right. It's been awhile since I've been back home but I'm totally not from here.

_{[ He'll finish off the funnel cake and dispose anything left over in a nearby trash can. ]}

I'm Jesse! I can help you look for your team mates though. What sort of team are you guys on? Like a sports team?

_{[ He's an athlete himself to of course that's what he assumes. ]}

Shiro | Voltron {Deerington CRAU} | ota

boardwalk;

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Overboard - lmk if I need to change anything

YOU'RE GOOD

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