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Sodder ([personal profile] sodder) wrote in [community profile] soddersays2020-03-25 05:21 pm
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APRIL 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME




APRIL 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME









Welcome to April's Test Drive Meme! This month's Test Drive's theme is: ENCHANTMENT HORROR.

All Test Drive Memes contain at least one clue to the Deerington's upcoming in-game events for the month! Keep your eyes peeled! But...not literally.

Characters may die during TDMs, but you do not need to count it towards a game-canonical death unless you want to. Consider it a freebie. All TDMs can be considered game canon as TDMs introduce minor aspects about the world of Deerington that can be revisited by characters later on in the game. You may also use TDMs for your application writing sample as well as AC.

CW: Enchanted food, possible body horror, mild finger injuries, magic based mind control, rapid aging, possible death
Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!











YOU UNCULTURED SWINE


Pork is on sale!! Time to buy it up for all your family meals. It also means anything with pork in it in all of the restaurants is on special and super affordable for just about anyone. New arrivals can even get a free meal of bacon, sausage and eggs at the diner! Seeing all the low prices, you find yourself craving pork more than ever. But who doesn't love bacon, right? Maybe you had ham and pineapple pizza at Peter's or those delicious and mouthwatering pork dumplings at the Hot Pot. You could have cooked a nice pork loin with your friends and family for a large get together. Candied bacon is a real treat to munch on in the park!

You're cooking it yourself or getting it from the local restaurants, so nothing bad could happen with a little self-indulgence, right? Just about everyone has learned not to trust the food at a giant feast in Deerington, but short of the lunch and dinner menus at the diner, the restaurants and the grocery store have never done a Sleeper harm! At least, that's the way it's always been before. Two years is long enough to start taking things for granted.

Anyone who has any of the specials from the restaurants or who cooks any kind of pork related product at home will find that once they have finished their meal, they will slowly turn into... pigs. It seems to vary on how fast a single person turns, some moving slowly over the course of days while they eat more and more food, and others will turn into a full blown pig in a manner of minutes. At first you can still talk to others and display your usual personality in pig form, but the longer you stay a pig, the more boarish you'll become.

So how do you break the curse? Locals say there's a magic stream up on the mountain that will stop these kinds of enchantments, but you can't go alone. Someone will have to carry you up and sing to you while you drink. It might be a friend or a lover or a complete stranger, but whoever you can nudge into it will have to physically carry you in their arms up the side of the mountain looking for this stream. It can take a while— the walk is fairly long, a few hours at best, but you'll know it when you find it. The stream sparkles unnaturally in the sunlight and it seems like none of the animals are willing to drink from it's unnaturally cold waters. The moment you take a long sip while your companion sings whatever song pops into their head, you'll turn back into a human. Hopefully your clothes turn back with you.

If your character does not eat meat/pork, then they'll be safe from this event!


GOOD ENDURES


Mirror mirror on the wall...

The pork doesn't seem to be the only enchanted object around Deerington this month. There are several of them cropping up all over the place and each one has a different outcome for those unfortunate enough to run into them.

Spinning wheels seem to be in the most random of places. Some of them will even just appear in your house. Sometimes multiple spinning wheels show up. Anyone who gets to close will have the strong urge to prick their finger on the spindle, the needle very easily cutting the tip and making you bleed more than you might have expected. Hopefully you have a first aid kit around.

Anyone who pricks their finger will find that they are forced to follow the next person they see around everywhere. They'll follow them to work, to school, to the bathroom, to the kitchen, even to bed. It doesn't matter if it's someone you've never spoken to in your life, you will follow them like a lost duckling every hour of every day. It's enough to drive anyone bonkers.

Mirrors will also suddenly be being displayed in every home and every shop, even if you never had them before. It doesn't matter whether or not you have a reflection, any person who looks into the mirror will find that they are forced to imitate the next person they make eye contact with. This can be their personality, their posture, the way they speak, their basic movements— you'll start to become a total mirror image. If it goes on too long, you might even start to find the two of you start to look more and more alike...

Apples start to pop up in all the stores as well as in your fridges. They're bright red and look so delicious, you can't resist taking a bite. Even if you don't like apples or are normally allergic to them, you'll want to eat these, and you'll find they taste delicious and don't bring harm to anyone. At least... not at first.

A few hours after eating the apple, you'll start to notice differences in your appearance. Your hair has start to thin and become gray and limp, your skin is wrinkled and covered in spots, your hands become frail and shaky. You're aging, and rapidly at that. Before you know it, you've turned into a hideous hag, one that would frighten children in any fairy tale book. But how do you reverse it?

The cure for all three enchantments is to tell three facts about yourself. Even just introducing yourself will show improvement if it's to someone who never knew your name before. Those who ate the apples will have to seek someone out, but anyone who pricked their finger or looked in a mirror will specifically have to confess these three facts to the person they're enchanted to follow/imitate. Once three facts have been shared, you'll be able to leave, return to normal, and age back to your regular self.



Character Arrival

You can read how all characters arrive in Deerington here.

There is not a collective "all these characters showed up at the exact same moment" occurrence in Deerington. Since characters fall asleep, die, or pass out at various times throughout all their worlds, it wouldn't make too much sense if they arrived in game all at the exact same time. There should be some discrepancy between character arrival, whether by a couple minutes, hours, or even days up to a week.

The players are entirely in control of how/when they want to play their characters arriving in Deerington. For TDMs, you can play it like your character has just arrived and that can be maintained as your game canon, or you can wait until game events for that moment. Or you don't need to acknowledge it at all. The flexibility for character allows a bit more of an organic feel to the character arrival situation, so please play it to whatever feels right for you.

If you are interested in having an "arrival" introduction for one of your TDM prompts, you are more than welcome to explore that option.
kapiushon: (lean)

un: queen

[personal profile] kapiushon 2020-03-29 04:35 pm (UTC)(link)
( Perhaps, it's time for one more Mar Novu sponsored detour Oliver hasn't seen coming. He's used to his friends being involved, but not like this. Not yet. He does know something is coming and that maybe it will come down to banding together. But, small town life? It feels smaller scale. So, he'll play this casual for now. )

Against all odds, I do find this endeering. That's the only one you'll get from me. Especially, considering we've ended up in the same part of the multiverse again. Not that there isn't a time and place for deer-related puns, Barry.
hsalf: (havin' a chuckle)

[personal profile] hsalf 2020-03-29 04:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Maybe you should eat it to find out?

[ eat the apple barry, you know you want to. ]
kapiushon: (no)

oliver queen l arrow

[personal profile] kapiushon 2020-03-29 04:55 pm (UTC)(link)
YOU UNCULTURED SWINE

( This isn't Oliver's first multi-layered multiverse rodeo. With Mar Novu nowhere in sight, and, likewise his friends and team, he supposes this is yet another lesson he'll have to learn on his own time. It has nothing to do with his past that he knows of, as he's visited small towns before, but none named Deerington. The letter is a specific touch and it gives him pause, as does the Blessings Basket and the vodka awaiting him in the jar nearby. He's not normally one to partake this early, especially when he has a mission to -- decipher -- but he's compelled to drink its' contents anyway.

By the time he explores the home he's woken up in, a vehicle left for him and the general property around it, whatever he drank has made its way through his system. His metabolism always was something to behold. That, and his extensive training.

He's hungry and realizes he should get something to eat. Nothing like a time loop has happened yet and he still hasn't run into anybody from back home.

Pork is on special and everything is better with bacon, so he does accept an order of bacon and eggs. He waits for it to be made, scrolling along whatever device had been provided him. it's only him and one other guest, which Oliver does pay attention to. With everything that's happened, every single mission, he knows every detail matters. The other person pays the check and the waitress disappears into the back. It's when that person elicits a noise - one familiar to him and one he's not expecting, that Oliver takes notice.
)

Hey. Are you okay?

( He's sliding out of his booth, slowly approaching the person as he witnesses first hand what eating pork is doing.

Oliver Queen has seen it all.

And now Oliver Queen has watched a human being turn into an honest to Sodder pig. He frantically looks around him and watches as the pig attempts to scamper over and out of the raised boot but Oliver swoops in and catches him before he falls to the ground. He's a little at a loss with a squealing pig in his arms, and one that used to be human.
)

Um. Help. Out here. Someone - come! ( Nobody is coming, and so Oliver... rushes the pig out of the diner, forgetting the bacon and eggs that are set down for him as he passes the window outside. Timing, right?

He stops on the corner. What... does he do?? Now??

A little later in the day, he's accepted responsibility for the NPC pig and has found an outdoor cafe and something that resembles a leash. Feel free to pass by as he casually eats not pork while the pig below laps at a dish of water. As far as lessons go, he's got zero idea at what he should be learning. But, the pig is kind of cute.
)

GOOD ENDURES

( With pig still in tow, Oliver wanders the shops along one of the main streets. He stops at a window, catching sight of an antique mirror. He finds himself in the reflection and part of the pig he's claimed at the bottom. Huh. Someone, you, sidles up next to him and he congenially gives them a smile. His lips remain together and it's in complete politeness.

It's then that suddenly Oliver feels compelled to match their gait, their steps and their walk. It's a bit odd considering he has a pig in tow, but his demeanor and posture completely changes.

And then if they speak, say anything, he just repeats it. At first it's only repeating, and it's under his breath, but pretty soon he tries to overlap and even beat them to what they're saying and how they're saying it.

It's probably not fun to be a part of.

Believe him, it's less fun for him to be doing.
)

NETWORK SPAM

un: queen

Is anybody else on this thing having the strangest day they may have ever experienced? This includes accidentally switching lives with one of my close friends and traveling to different universes. This wins over both of those experiences, and they happened at the same time.

Does the name Mar Novu mean anything to anyone here?

Also. Does anyone feel like adopting a pet pig. He's also a person, though, he isn't right now. He's very well behaved.
Edited 2020-03-29 17:00 (UTC)
incandescentfaith: <user name=cupcakegraphics> (A Little Down)

[personal profile] incandescentfaith 2020-03-29 05:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes. But they're things that are a little more personal.

[Rei was a touch reluctant to let go of Usagi, but for the moment she did, slumping forward and folding her arms across her chest in a not quite sullen way. She could tell Usagi wasn't quite...her...Usagi. Just a slight difference, and a bit like Minako, but it wasn't a big deal. Certainly not enough to qualify as important. Usagi likely knew she was older anyway, though...she wouldn't age further, if what she knew about Senshi biology was correct.]

Sometimes our powers don't work exactly right. It's sometimes hard for me to control the fire, and my senses act up. I...try to avoid looking into the future here. It only shows me darker visions. So, I would be careful, no matter what. You may have to rely on others, and on more conventional means of defending yourself. A ring of salt, a lighter to make fire to burn some kinds of monsters, and even some scrolls I'll make for you.

There are other people out here too, people that you can trust. Chloe Price, Shiro Takahashi, Gwen Poole...and a few others all know I'm Mars. You don't have to hide who you are, if you don't want to. The people here sometimes need protection and secrecy isn't always an option

[She turns in her seat, sitting up cross-legged and looking at Usagi seriously, her eyes just beginning to turn silver with unshed tears.]

...And...I think it's important to know how much I've missed you.
noblebeast: Coloring <user name=uzumaki2810 site=tumblr.com> (Hero: Flying)

[personal profile] noblebeast 2020-03-29 05:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The summoning throws off his initial assessment of her. Is this her quirk then? The summoning wasn't anything like Tokoyami's Dark Shadow in that it looked like an actual bird instead of a conglomeration of darkness in bird form. He'll keep an eye on it, though. ]

What? You can't even control your own summons?

[ Like Tokoyami then, except without the cool prince of darkness vibe. ]

Fine. I'll keep an eye on your wings.

[ He limits the output of his explosion by another notch to slow his speed down to keep an eye on the owl, but he's not slowing down anymore. If she can't keep up then she'll have to throw in the towel. ]
choking: (pic#13782166)

[personal profile] choking 2020-03-29 05:15 pm (UTC)(link)
( james certainly wouldn't have expected him to. not that he wanted anyone to know what exactly happened to him-

all anyone knew was that he had driven that little car of his....somewhere. )


Is that so? Ah....

To me all of this is very modern. Apparently it isn't 2001 anymore.
holybeasts: (045)

[personal profile] holybeasts 2020-03-29 05:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[If only this guy could have a conversation like a normal person. The worst part of this really is yelling at him.]

I can but they're my friends as well. I would like to treat them as such.

[Suzaku easily keeps up as he slows down and in spite of her yelling Maria sounds entertained. It's not often she gets to do this while not taking down some monster or other. Her tone is a laughing one as she adds:]

I can show you the others I control more directly if you wish.
billiam: ⛧ ᴅɴᴛ (⛤ 032.)

[personal profile] billiam 2020-03-29 05:24 pm (UTC)(link)
No, yeah, it's no problem.

[ if this were a video, billy would be casually shrugging his shoulder and flapping one of his hands like it's no skin off his back. and it isn't! but he's also trying way too hard to play it cool, which might play a little into his voice. he clears his throat, seeming to hesitate for a second before he presses on. ]

Where, uh. [ can you ask a blind man, brand new in town, where they are? is that stupid? billy feels like that's stupid and rude. it'd be one thing if this was new york. he rephrases. ] Where would you like to meet? I can come to wherever you are if that's easier.
pineneedles: (Default)

[personal profile] pineneedles 2020-03-29 05:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Magic... (You believe in it when you wake up in another dimension and find yourself wanting to prick your finger on a spinning wheel. You believe in it when a deer drags you from your home.)

Well, thanks for the scarf. I'll wash it and shit, try to get it back to you.
noblebeast: (King: Try it)

[personal profile] noblebeast 2020-03-29 05:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He's heard Tokoyami say the same thing about Dark Shadow. He doesn't get it, but he knows it matters him. ]

Whatever!

[ He yells from up above, timing his explosion's so he's heard. ]

You got others?

[ This time, the explosion that goes off is directly beneath him. He keeps his hands pointed down so he can hover in place as he looks down at her with a curious sheen in his eye. ]

Prove it!
laminae: (yes HELLO I am dog)

[personal profile] laminae 2020-03-29 06:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[He (wisely) doesn't ask for any details, just knowing that she still has her memories of him is more than enough. He's cheered up considerably, giving her another squeeze before letting go.]

It's been months! This place dumped us on this huge ship called the Titanic where a bunch of people forgot who the rest of us are! Then that stupid thing sank, and we all almost died, and then we were stuck in a city under the ocean for weeks!

[It's sucked, a lot.]
sathan: (♛ 𝓊𝓃𝒸𝒶𝓇𝒾𝒶 𝓉𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉𝑜𝓈𝒶)

[personal profile] sathan 2020-03-29 06:13 pm (UTC)(link)
I shouldn't be surprised that the magic here is also time magic.

( not when coming here was almost like time travel itself. though her hands fall back to her side she studies him, as if seeking in his expression the questions she doesn't want to ask -- did he die? )

Your memories are in tact though.
threelayers: (08)

[personal profile] threelayers 2020-03-29 06:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[A shrug. Yeah, basically. Anything else would involve explanations that other people could get into. For her part, she was fine with this much. The offer got a shake of her head and a pointing of the finger at her.

It was jut a handkerchief. Johanna could keep it. The scarf she wore and the hat were far more important to her than that.]
howlett: (curious)

[personal profile] howlett 2020-03-29 06:34 pm (UTC)(link)
He can feel her there too, just around the edges of his mind. It's not invasive, but it's not entirely familiar either. The impression of her mental presence so similar to the one he knows and expects and yet... it reminds him of so many versions of the woman he's met, either inhabited by something else or displaced by time.

"We all are, Jeannie," he says. It may not even be entirely true, but it seems to be the best guess of some of Deerington's brightest. "This place... no one knows what is it is. How it's made. Where it exists. But I'm here. And so's Kurt. And Jean-Paul. There's more and more of us gettin' stuck here everyday." He steps a little closer, tentatively still but growing in comfort just to know she does seem as real as any of the Sleepers here do. Not merely some figment of their keeper's imagination, designed to torment him some more. Or maybe he's being naive to believe that.

"How long has it been? How long have you been here?" he asks, holding his hand out more purposefully now. Waiting to see if she'll take it.
droptheious: (On a platform in space)

[personal profile] droptheious 2020-03-29 06:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Uh... sure, likewise?

[Don't answer that like it's a question, Varian, that's rude. As she continues to babble excitedly at him, he realises that she's another Perky Person and something in his soul shrivels back a little. God, how do they keep finding him? ]

A spinning wheel? That's- not something I've really seen around here. Was it just...lying around? On the street?

[Fantastic, he's only just got over all the cult stuff and already Deerington's being super weird.]

Sometimes the food is drugged. Especially if a townsperson gives it to you. I'd suggest getting food from Sleepers, if I were you.
holybeasts: (007)

[personal profile] holybeasts 2020-03-29 06:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ah, he seems interested. Since he's hovering in place she can at least stop. Suzaku hovers in place himself close by, at least until Maria gestures to him. Then he flies back before disappearing altogether in a blink of blue light.]

Sure! I like introducing them to others anyhow.

[So she's happy enough to gesture and call out Seiryuu's name much the same as with Suzaku. The dragon slips out of it's own blue light and she's only somewhat surprised at his diminished size. Is it the effect of this dreaming world?

He's no less eager to listen to Maria's silent commands though even if he is the size of a very large dog now. He skirts around the hovering man, blue scales luminescent against the light of those flames and sleek in the air.]


He can be quite friendly with the right people. He does like to bite otherwise though.
onerthes: (05)

[personal profile] onerthes 2020-03-29 07:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Is she now? Well, I think you'll like the ones in town. They're very nice unless you're doing something bad.

[And if you tried to kill someone? Well... they were a lot less nice.]

As for what I mean? Some of the creatures aren't entirely safe. Sometimes they're cursed. Sometimes they turn into monsters. It's best to just be a tiny bit wary. You don't need to protect yourself usually, but it's good to be cautious.
accelerate: 💪🏼ARMS. (pic#13857822)

[personal profile] accelerate 2020-03-29 07:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[ that seems like a good idea! barry moves the apple to his mouth and before he can take a bite… ]

Did you know apples ripen six to ten times faster at room temperature than in the fridge? [ he looks at his apple, turning it with a twist of his wrist. ] I wonder if these were ripened by room temperature. I wish there was a way to tell.

[ your favourite and best husband is a nerd and a tease. 😌 ]
accelerate: (pic#13858033)

[personal profile] accelerate 2020-03-29 07:22 pm (UTC)(link)
[ he is so excited he broke down oliver to the point where he got two deer puns. two! ]

At least there's no deer aliens!

[ wait. that sounds like a really great idea. welcome to barry continuing to text out a conversation he practically has with himself: ]

OMG, I hope there are deer aliens with cute extraterrestrial horns and hooves and little snouts. Bambi would look so cute in an alien suit. Do you think J'onn knows any aliens? Maybe Kara does. I should give her a deer-buzz.

My phone doesn't work. Reception is fawnty.
kapiushon: (let)

[personal profile] kapiushon 2020-03-29 07:27 pm (UTC)(link)
And no Earth-X Nazis. That we know of.

( Oliver texts with Barry pretty often. Maybe not in the past ... can he call them weeks? However long it's been on the path with the Monitor, but regularly? He's used to Barry being in his inbox. He's always liked his energy and over time he's become one of his closest friends not in Star City. )

Barry.
Barry.

Focus. There will be plenty of time to make deer-related puns. Maybe even scout out alien deer. But, for now, don't you think we should try and figure out everything else? Do you know anything about the Monitor, Barry? He calls himself Mar Novu.
accelerate: (pic#13857850)

[personal profile] accelerate 2020-03-29 07:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[ if oliver had typed a third "barry", he'd be standing to attention and know that this is some deery serious business. but he does focus. they're in a weird and whacky earth run by deer and adorable, ferocious cats, and barry has to focus. the cats are so cute...

okay, his nonchalant attitude about being in another earth needs to stop for just a moment. everything is fine; he'll get them out of this. ]


Is that some computer repair place? Because I need to get my Macbook Air fixed. I kind of maybe accidentally did fry it while speed typing...

[ HE'S FAST! if oliver ever needs someone to type out his conversations... ]
redheat: redheat. (❝you orchestrated this good bye❞)

[personal profile] redheat 2020-03-29 07:35 pm (UTC)(link)
"I don't know," she confesses, feeling a tremor of uncertainty throughout her body, the a lamppost nearby beginning to flicker. "I lifted the jet and then the water came down and I..." She remembers saying goodbye to them. To Scott. Was she still not enough to save them all? The fear of not being enough bend the lamppost some at the top and she closes her eyes as she tries to regain control of herself. To try and make the throbbing within her head stop.

"I woke up here, just awhile ago and I..." she reaches for Logan's hand then, gripping it tightly with her own trembling. She needs to stay grounded. To not let her emotions drown her as Alkali Lake must have. She needs to know that he's real despite some part of her not wanting it to be true. Because she wanted to save them. From... so many things. From even herself, maybe.

With his hand still held by hers and everything flooding back to her of her last moments before allowing the water to crash down on her, she falls into him with a trembling breath as the lamppost continues to twist and bend and her head throbs but finally... it stops.

"Logan... it's really you, isn't it?"
kapiushon: (investigate)

[personal profile] kapiushon 2020-03-29 07:36 pm (UTC)(link)
( The cats are called the Authority. Oliver is standing on the side of caution with them. As for the deer and everything else, it is still serious business. Even the deep deep silliness of the pig he's adopted. )

No, Barry, the computer repair place isn't a 'he.' How about, tell me where you are right now. I'm sitting outside a cafe.
finalrequest: (☔ disorder)

[personal profile] finalrequest 2020-03-29 08:07 pm (UTC)(link)
What?

[That gets him to look at James, bafflement on his face before he goes back to not meeting the guy's eyes.]

That was the better part of a century ago.
accelerate: (pic#13857897)

[personal profile] accelerate 2020-03-29 08:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Drop me a pin. Unless you want to come to me? I can probably do another round of golf.

[ or six, since oliver is sloooooow. ]