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singillppl2025-02-05 07:03 pm
singmod) wrote in singillppl2025-02-05 07:03 pm
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February 2025 Test Drive Meme
FEBRUARY 2025 TDM
PROMPT ONE — ARRIVAL: METHUSELAH'S FEAST: A new group of arrivals find themselves lost in the frozen wilds and vulnerable to the dangers of nature. With luck, they make it to the town of Milton, and to a friendly face offering food, warmth and shelter — and the current inhabitants, their fellow survivors.
PROMPT TWO — WINTER'S BITE: Tales of superstition from the Northern Territories appear to come to light in the form of fearsome creatures made of ice and bone.
PROMPT THREE — FROZEN HEARTS: A strange, new affliction causes Interlopers to find themselves figuratively and literally turning to ice, and there's only one way of saving them.
ARRIVAL: METHUSELAH'S FEAST
WHEN: Start of the month.
WHERE: Milton, Milton Outskirts.
CONTENT WARNINGS: potential animal attacks, potential injuries, potential cold injuries/hyperthermia risk.
'You are the Interloper. You are not part of nature’s design.'
It’s the last thing you hear. A dark, deep voice. Impossibly ancient. You feel afraid. Maybe you’re dreaming, maybe you’re wide awake. You saw the lights, and then your world went dark. But you hear it in the blackness, you won’t forget those words.
These are the words of the Darkwalker, you’ll soon come to find.
You awaken. You are not where you were before. It’s different for everyone, there doesn’t seem to be much of a pattern in where you find yourself. You may open your eyes to find yourself in a cold, dim and dank cabin. The air is stale, dust hangs in the rays of weak sunlight that shine through the tiny windows. Someone lived here once, but they aren’t to be found. This place has been ransacked, abandoned long ago. It is quiet. The wood creaks around you.
Or perhaps you may awaken to find yourself shivering in the yawning maw of a cave, the freezing stone below you. Or maybe you’re unfortunate enough to sit up to find yourself lying in the snow, in the middle of the wilderness. Snow lies thick around you. It’s freezing out. You haven’t felt a cold like this before in your entire life. Cruel and biting. You have no idea where you are, and what’s worse — you are completely alone.
The daylight is thin. Hours are few. It will get dark soon.
You may feel different, too. Any powers or magics you may have feel... absent. Disconnected. Things that may not have affected you previously now do. Something in you has changed.
You know you can’t stay where you are. You’ll need to move, try to work out where you are and how you came to be here. So you walk, head out into the unknown, in hope of finding a trail or a road. You’ll find one soon enough. It’s here you may find someone else in the same boat as yourself, equally freezing and confused. You’ll both need to keep going. It won’t be easy. You hear howls of wolves around you, and the terrain is difficult: slips and falls are likely. You’re completely vulnerable out here in the open.
Or it’s possible you may come across someone else here. Someone who looks far better prepared to deal with the freezing cold and frozen landscape, out hunting or gathering. They’ll likely offer help and get you into town. However, for the unlucky ones who don’t come across anyone, you’ll carry on until you see it: the lazy trail of smoke rising in the air. Fire. Not just one, but several. Civilization...?
Follow it, and soon enough the way you’ve taken will certainly become a path or road. Unfolding before you in the mountainous forests, you’ll see the most welcome of sights: a small mining town tucked up in the valley. Battered, rusted road signs will direct to “MILTON, POP. 947”. You’re almost there, you keep going, and it looks like other people have had the same idea as you. In fact, you’ll hear the muffled sounds of life. People! In the town!
As you head into the outskirts and then further into town, you’ll find it’s a little easier to walk but the cold has gripped you hard. You’ll find the buildings, both shops and homes, some are dark and lifeless, some of them are boarded up, some of them are occupied. People are going about their business, or stood watching from their tiny porches of their small, timber homes. For a town this big, there doesn’t seem to be many people. Several dozen at most, but no more.
Towards the center of town, you’ll find the building from which the biggest of the smoke trail rises: a school-house of sorts, or some kind of community hall. Perhaps both. You’ll find more and more people all drawn to this place, each and every one of them in the same position as yourself (and your companion, if you’ve found one). Some are in worse states than others: some are bloodied, nursing bite wounds or cuts; others might have some other kind of injury sustained in the journey here from falls. Others may look as if they could faint from the cold at any second.
The door opens, and you’re greeted by the gnarled, wizened face of an elderly man, dressed in thick furs. He has a kind face. He smiles warmly, and with pity, ushering you in with haste.
“They come again. I had thought we may not see more of you.” he nods gravely. No, this is not the first time that this has happened. “I am Methuselah. I welcome you, Newcomer, although I’m sorry for how you’ve come to find yourself here. You are not the only one, the lights are changing things. Come. Mother Nature has not been kind to you, but there are plenty here to help.”
The room is dim, lit only by natural daylight through the windows. A roaring fire sits at one end of the huge hall. It crackles, bright and cheerful... and warm. Even as big as this place is, the room is pleasantly warm. You’ll also find basic cots set up down one side of the hall, and while it seems there's a few people already living here, there's enough space for those in need of them. There's places to rest for a moment and get your bearings, or just trying to recover from the cold. Down the other side are tables and chairs, and long tables laden with food, drinks and bottled water similar to one might find at a soup kitchen. Once again, Methuselah offers a feast, aided by some of the other Interlopers.
There are canisters with hot herbal teas, mostly. But some coffee can be found. There’s also soup and stew and trays of charred deer and rabbit meats, plus some grilled fish. It’s very basic, but it’s hot and filling. A feast for those who have battled the cold to come here.
Methuselah will continue to busy himself, still; there is plenty to do. He will fetch blankets, tend to wounds, serve food and drinks — aided by a handful of others in the Hall. Your fellow survivors, but those who have been here for some time now. He does not have much time to talk. More and more people seem to be coming in from the cold. He will not stop to sit and rest until everyone is seen to, taking up a place by the fire to gaze silently into its flames.
He will encourage newcomers to get warm and eat, and when they are ready to — they can explore the town and find one of the many empty homes to call their own. He will not speak much, but gesture to your fellow survivors. They will have better answers than him.
WINTER'S BITE
WHEN: The Month of February.
WHERE: Everywhere.
CONTENT WARNINGS: supernatural beings; magical beings; potential cold injuries; potential cuts/bleeding
Amongst the original inhabitants to the Northern Territories, superstition and folk tales were much more prominent — stemming from a mix of superstitions that settlers brought with them to the area and those beliefs of people native to Northern Territories. Some are familiar to Interlopers, others may be less so.
Much of this is now lost, with the population of Milton dead or gone, but some writings can be found in the town. Some wrote of their superstitions in regards to the changing weather and wildlife in personal journals in the lead up to what is known as The Flare, which may still be found in the empty homes uninhabited by Interlopers. Some note feeling as if 'the souls of the animals are angered somehow' or that the changes to the Aurora may be as if 'the afterlife comes too close to the world'.
Maybe they had a point, maybe they were on to something. It’s hard to really say for sure.
Whether it’s magic, some supernatural cause, or something caused by the Aurora, there’s a strange shifting in snow that blankets the Northern Territories. Throughout the month, angry chittering and clacking — like glass or bones — can be heard out in the wilds. Out of the corner of one’s eye, they may see the snow move of its own accord — with confronting it leading to nothing, and stillness.
For a time.
Until whatever it is finally strikes.
Out from the snow, spectral creatures comprised of ice and animal bone spring forwards — jittering and clunky in their movements. Long bodies that twist and dance in the air, all sharp teeth and even sharper ice. Is it a kind of animal? Or spirit? Some mix of both? An angered spirit of nature or some long dead animal? It’s hard to tell for sure.
Despite their clunky movements, their bodies rolling and jaws chattering, these strange spectral creatures are fast and they’ll strike hard — looking to take a chunk out of the unsuspecting and unprepared Interlopers. Even just brushing against one of these strange creatures can lead to some nasty lacerations if they knock themselves hard enough against you. What’s maybe worse than the lacerations themselves is the wounds will burn with their chill, colder than anything you’ve ever felt.
But being made out of bone and ice means they are also just that. Blunt force may just be enough to end up shattering the bodies of these creatures, sending their remains flying. Be careful, though. Those shards are still just as sharp and will become flying projectiles which could cause further injury to Interlopers.
Alternatively, a way to battle back these ice creatures would be through the use of flame. Fire, torches, Interlopers with the Lightbringer Feat would prove vital in getting rid of these creatures long enough to get to safety.
Fleeing is also an option. The creatures will attempt to chase for a time, but will soon give up and end up returning to the snow once more.
FROZEN HEARTS
WHEN: The Month of February, into March.
WHERE: Everywhere.
CONTENT WARNINGS: supernatural ailments; body horror; characters turning to ice; potential character death.
The cold is a persistent thing in the Northern Territories. Even during the summer months, it doesn’t seem to get warm all that much. But the winter is a different kind of beast, and the cold seems to sink into your very bones.
It starts with a kind of cold that you find it hard to get warm, no matter how long you spend by the fire. In time, it feels like that cold has started freezing your body up: your joints feel stiff and sore. Moving around is a chore, even for the simplest of tasks like walking or sitting down. In time, it gets into the smaller joints: fine motor skills become tricky. You drop things, fail to grip on to items, struggle to close your hands into fists. Even talking can be a bit of a struggle, like you’re slowly getting lockjaw.
With that, it’s not surprising that your mood will dip. Sour moods, and even icy manners aren't out of the ordinary. It’s easy to be miserable when you’re so damn cold and you’re struggling to move and speak. It is so easy to find yourself with lowered spirits, to be irritable and closed off from your fellow Interlopers.
It feels as if nothing might warm you, physically or emotionally.
You find yourself being cold towards others, even those you care about most, your closest companions in this world. You may snap at them, or continually brush them off. You find yourself with little patience for them, and are often unmoved by their attempts to bring you some good cheer.
And certainly, what isn’t out of the ordinary is the strange affliction that plagues your skin. It isn’t frostbite, that you know of. Your skin doesn’t turn red, then white then black. No, it turns blue, frosted with white. Your skin looks less like skin and more like stone….. Or, rather, ice.
It starts in the fingers and toes, and will slowly work its way up your limbs, working its way towards your center. Even your hair may start to freeze. As it progresses, you find it harder to move. In enough time, you may find yourself completely frozen on the spot, and in time, unable to even speak as the ice slowly encloses around you.
If something isn’t done quickly enough, you may find yourself completely turning to ice and being trapped as nothing more than a statue.
Hope isn’t lost, though. They say in stories there’s such things that might save some terrible affliction such as this: An act of true love.
This cold isn’t beaten back by flames, but a different kind of warmth.
But what is true love?
It might just be enough to reverse the effects and undo this terrible affliction before it’s too late, to let the ice slowly melt back again and restore you to what you once were.
FAQs
1. Arrival threads can be treated as game canon.
2. Items characters have brought from home can be found either strewn around them when they awaken, or in the community hall — as if someone left them out for them to collect. Methuselah will not know how they got there, and will be quite bemused by the happenings.
3. Reminder that all characters are now depowered upon arrival. They can choose not to notice it at first, or can immediately sense something is different about them.
4. If asked any personal questions, Methuselah will smile and say "Oh, you don't want to know about an old man like me. But I have lived all over in these parts for all my life." He will be more concerned with trying to help Newcomers, and is genuinely concerned for them and their well-being. Other Interlopers will say much of the same — there's little to know about him.
5. More information about Milton can be found here.
1. Digging in the snow where the creatures have returned will prove fruitless, Interlopers will not even find bones.
2. The creatures can spring on Interlopers in groups of up to three.
1. The notion of true love is open to interpretation. Platonic love, familial love, romantic love could be deemed as acts of true love. Perhaps even the genuine compassion of a fellow Interloper could be seen as true love.
2. An act of showing true love is very flexible! It could be a kiss, a hug, shedding tears for the afflicted, some desperate attempt of helping the afflicted from freezing. Players are encouraged to play around with what this might entail!
joel miller | hbo tlou
A:
B:
feast b.
You've got to dry your hair, mate. [It's not coddling, just gently chiding, like this is something he'd expected a grown man to know.] Just 'cause you're inside doesn't mean you can't still get hypothermia.
[Not the sort of thing he might have expected to come from a slouchy punk with eyeliner, but Charles is nothing if not friendly.]
Want me to get you a towel?
no subject
By now, he knows he should expect compassion from the other interlopers and travelers that got sucked into this station. He was here from day one, he helped dig up bodies and shovel them into heaps and heaps below the snow. He'd helped clear out debris and damages in the main town so the stores could be sourced through. He knew what was waiting for them when only Methusalah was here to tell them anything. It's why he wasn't the guy's biggest fan. ]
I appreciate the concern but I know where the towels are, and I ain't goin' anywhere yet. Not for a while anyway.
no subject
Right. Tough guy.
[Charles shoves out of his seat a bit abruptly, and lopes off away from the table. At first it seems that he's abandoning his empty bowl like a rude diner, but after a couple of moments he returns with a worn, off-white towel in his hand. He plops it on the table with gusto.]
Pretty sure this isn't the one I used when I cracked my head open.
[Is he being annoying? Yes. But did he die of hypothermia while bundled up in blankets? Also yes.]
no subject
The tough guy comment makes his right eye twitch as his brows screw into the bridge of his nose. So does the pageantry of the kid's hasty exit, Joel shrugs shortly thereafter and shovels the slop into his mouth like their brief communication hadn't even happened.
This time, finding Milton had been no cake-walk and he'd worked up an appetite. Last time he'd been too pissed off to eat.
Joel is admittedly disappointed when the guy comes back, but impressed at his level of dedication to something as simple as drying off his hair and so with a gruff exhale through his nose he picks up the towel and throws it over his head to appease him, but he does none of the rubbing or winding necessary of the endeavor yet. ]
Looks like you managed to survive that incident and live another day. Congratulations.
[ It's a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgment of the severity of their situation here, and the constant grief that the aurora and the winter wasteland offered them. It's also a clapback to the earlier adolescent attitude. ]
no subject
No thanks to me. This girl healed it. Kate. [Operating on the chance that this guy's a two-timer. Everyone here seems to know - and love - Kate.] Magic powers, or something.
no subject
Yeah, she got her hands on me once too. Little blonde girl?
[ Joel gestures at about the height he remembers her being at when they sat across from each other on the table what feels like months ago now. It's hazy, and even then he hadn't needed her help and she'd clucked at him like an aunt so he let her do her thing. ]
winter's bite
it's one thing to be stuck in the middle of goddamn nowhere surrounded on all sides by snow. it's another entirely to have weird as fuck monsters attacking all of them out of nowhere for no good reason.
well. they probably do have a reason, he just doesn't care to hear it.
but he does hear the shit! from the guy down on the ground, and starts running for him. jason's a big guy, but he's still quiet. not that it helps much considering the dark coat, dark hair, and general refusal to wear anything that'd blend in well. but it still gives him time to sneak up on the wolf enough that by the time it's turning it's head around towards him, he's taking the crowbar he has strapped to his back off to swing it, hard, straight at the thing.
once.
(a piece breaks off, cutting into his cheek and leaving a small cut that bleeds bright red against the ice frost of everything else. jason doesn't care.)
twice.
until it's just pieces of brittle bone and ice in the snow. it's vicious, until it's over, and jason's left looking at the guy with his mouth twisted into a little half-scowl. )
Why the hell're you out here by yourself?
no subject
That said, despite a gruff grunt as he gets to his feet himself he's not saying thank you for the help yet, even though it is appreciated. Joel looks in the direction Callus ran off in before answering, not thrilled with Callus's new take on the old environment. ]
Oh, you know ...
[ He had been heading home, his old base was still standing, even though some of his hard work had been picked over. A lot of the meat reserves hadn't been found and his infrastructure adjustments were still intact. ]
Out for a stroll.
no subject
though him falling and leaving himself vulnerable to attack isn't great either. it'd be a real shame to find a body out here. granted - jason has been on the other side frequently enough also, so he's in no position to judge. the guy moves to pull himself up to his feet, and jason swings the crowbar down so the end is resting in the snow. places a hand on his hip, but doesn't move to offer a hand. he can handle it. )
You ever heard of the buddy system?
no subject
[ That's the thing about counting on other people in apocalyptic conditions, those people either became collateral or couldn't be trusted. Joel preferred to go it alone but he didn't owe this kid an explanation of any kind.
Joel doesn't even meet his gaze as he rifles through the remnants of bone, bone was some of the strongest material on earth and he wasn't going to pretend like it couldn't be used for something that could benefit them later down the line. He takes some of the sturdier pieces and shoves them into his bag. ]
You and that crowbar came in handy. Saved me some torn tissue and a potential infection so it's only right I thank you for the assist.
winter's bite
He really should leave that skeletal, ice-like thing alone.
He's not going to.
Bending down to the ground, Dorian quickly makes a snowball then throws it at the wolf, yelling out loud as he does so. ]
Over here! Come on, you ugly thing, you know you want me instead.
no subject
[ Joel isn't sure what surprises him more, the wolf he killed that last time he was here coming back for revenge or this total stranger trying to take on Night of Living Canine. It gives Joel a chance to scramble to his feet, though, and lift his head in the direction of the voice.
The wolf complete with rattling bones and gnashing teeth weighs his options between the two of them like he's sourcing which prey is easier to take down. Joel uses the distraction to grab his gun and use the barrel as a handle for the blunt force with the stock, just in case, and seeing that decision that wolf turns and levels its gaze at that stranger. ]
no subject
I know what I'm doing, [ he yells back at Joel. ] Shoot the damn thing!
[ And Dorian attempts to book it, running towards the farmhouse, swinging wide so that the monster also has to swing wide, hopefully giving Joel enough of a wide berth to do just what Dorian asked and shoot the damn thing. ]
no subject
[ By the time that he gets a word in edgewise the guy's already hauling ass toward the farmhouse, and Joel has no choice but to pick up the rifle and aim at a creature with no living tissue and do what he can to take the thing down.
A couple of things occur to Joel as he gets a line of sight, the first being that he'd have to knock the thing over before he could take a clearer shot. So, he levels the sight and pulls the trigger, separating the carpus bone on the front left leg.
The skeletal structure collapses into the snow and Joel hurries forward, gun still at the ready in case the guy doesn't have the handle on things he says he does. ]
no subject
The gunshot also takes Dorian by surprise, as he's more focused on getting away from the wolf beast thing. When the gun goes off, Dorian loses his footing, skidding slightly in the snow before falling over. And he's just going to try and scramble back to his feet, right at the same time that the skeletal wolf scrambles back to it's feet and lunges towards Dorian's legs. ]
no subject
It's going to take a whole lot more than just his strength and the blunt end of a rifle to break the bones and take apart the creature but it's a start and Joel brandishes the gun like it's a baseball bat waiting for it to climb back up at try again, one leg compromised but still gnashing its teeth. ]
(no subject)
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winter's bite
So she scoops up a rock, or maybe it’s just a chunk of ice, she doesn’t pay much attention, but she picks it up in the hand that’s not holding her makeshift torch and as soon as she’s in range she’s throwing it at the skeletal wolf as hard and as fast as she can.]
Leave him alone!
[She shouts, in a voice laced with what sounds like a rather proper English accent… if England existed in Exandria.]
no subject
He knows he should take off and find Callus, hopefully not already dealing with ghostly capers of his own, but he can't sit by and watch this teenager take on a monster either.
With the wolf sufficiently distracted it allows Joel to take the long rifle off his shoulder and use it to harness the wolf down by cutting the length of it into its scapula. The wolf angry, digs its bony claws into the snow below but the weight of Joel and his gun grounding them both is enough to keep it down and angrily gnashing it's teeth. ]
You got any more rocks?
[ It's not like the thing has lungs, so choking it out wasn't an option. Joel's got it wrangled in place but he doesn't see it tiring out before he does. Bashing it apart is the only option. ]
I could really use an assist.
B; isn't this just half of the fantastic four
Eddie had disappeared first, but he’s heard whisperings around the room that he’s not the only one to return this time around. ]
Hey, man—
[ He snorts and dholds up his hands (spoon pinched between his thumb and forefinger) defensively. ]
I was just wondering how long you were gone. Because, uh, apparently you were.
b; i'm shadoinking your sister
The food's enough to keep him planted, but the sour disposition ain't going anywhere. ]
I dunno. I'm still figuring that out. Some things come back easier than others.
no subject
He doesn’t let Joel’s grumpy disposition scare him off, though. He merely grins easily, rests his chin in his hand, and gazes pointedly at him. It's clear that he is not going anywhere. ]
Alright, see, I’m just wondering because, uh…apparently I’ve been gone since September. And I didn’t really remember...anything about where I was or that might have happened during that time? I thought we could compare notes, you know?
winter's bite
Though the other wolf that jumps out doesn't look like the skeletal creature in the slightest. This wolf is clearly made out of flesh and blood, coarse black fur covering it. It's rather large too - not in a supernatural sort of way, but it's definitely hitting the upper limits of how big a wolf can grow in the wild.
This wolf's focus isn't on Joel. Instead it growls at the skeletal wolf after it has jumped out, standing between the fallen the man and the other wolf. There's something weird about its positioning, like the wolf is intentionally choosing to stay between them, almost like he's protecting Joel.
With another growl, the black-furred wolf throws itself onto the skeletal wolf, trying to wrestle it to the ground. ]
no subject
Joel is no coward, but with a wrenched shoulder from the fall, he's not much use with one animal on top of the other. ]
Christ.
[There are gnashing teeth, snapping bones, and jaws and it's not easy to tell which of the two are making the most commotion. The sheer weight of the larger one is enough to keep the skeletal mass of the other pinned. ]
cw: nudity
There's a sound like something shattering, and that's exactly what the strange initial creature that attacked Joel seems to be doing. It turns into shards, some dropping to the ground, but a few definitely embedding itself into the black wolf, too close to avoid the blast of shards.
At least the good (?) news is that most of its body is blocking the shards, meaning there aren't quite as many flying in Joel's direction.
The black wolf rolls over and falls into the snow with a whimper because of the shards embedded into its flesh, but a second later there suddenly isn't a wolf lying there anymore, but a grown man. Unfortunately it's a naked man. Sorry, Joel, but Bigby didn't exactly get a choice either upon transforming back into a human form again. He's not really super focused on his state of undress as much as he is on groaning in pain, moving his hand to pull one of the shards out of his skin. ]
What the fuck was that thing?