sodder: (Default)
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.
littlelesshelpless: (hello darkness etc etc)

[personal profile] littlelesshelpless 2020-03-30 01:41 am (UTC)(link)
Well, I definitely would if I could, but I'm...pretty sure that isn't how this works. [She says this all a little helplessly, still clutching her bandaged finger to her chest.

Then she looks down at it. Blinks. Frowns.
] A...spinning wheel.
littlelesshelpless: (hello darkness etc etc)

[personal profile] littlelesshelpless 2020-03-30 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
Sodder. [That...doesn't sound at all like a real name, but that's probably par for the course re: creepy human-zoo-keeping people.

The mention of school has Bella frowning lightly, looking down at her left hand and absently twisting her engagement ring around on her finger.
] I was just accepted to UAF. Do they...not have colleges here?
littlelesshelpless: (love that journey for u)

[personal profile] littlelesshelpless 2020-03-30 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
That's...amazing. I've never had my hair past about this long...it get in my face while I sleep. [Bella can't believe she's having this conversation rather than the obvious "hey so who do you think kidnapped us" one, but it feels...sort of nice?] Uh, Forks. Washington state. [A pause.] United States.

...huh. Can you -- I mean, are you speaking Japanese right now? And this place is just...translating for us?
vatical: mooncons | ij (013)

[personal profile] vatical 2020-03-30 01:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ .. a human. she's a human. it's.. like him, kind of. only she seems to remember everything, and he definitely doesn't and isn't sure he wants to. ]

It's.. why I was, uh.. self-medicating. I was.. seeing things, hearing things. I thought I was hallucinating, and nothing else was helping, and it was all.. impossible.

[ he pushes a few loose strands of hair behind his ear, frowning uncertainly. ] Michael.. found me. He usually sticks close, because I.. they're not hallucinations, it's my brain trying to.. make sense of what I'm supposed to be able to perceive. He's able to help with it some.
etincelledefierte: (a real actual smile)

[personal profile] etincelledefierte 2020-03-30 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
[She nods. Of course it wouldn’t be obvious.]

...though, now that I’ve taken a minute to think about this, you had a good point about calling it a Rapunzel thing.

[And that’s when she actually grins.]

I’m Claudine, and I am a Stage Girl. Back home we needed to fight against something that was changing the stories we love to put on the stage. So if I can figure out what this particular story wants from us...

[A pause.]

I mean, either that or I go get my sword and destroy the wheel I pricked myself on.
aeva: (ɴɪɴᴇ)

[personal profile] aeva 2020-03-30 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
( a human with such a talent was a rare thing indeed. and a little terrifying to an angel. to be seen and known? )

Michael's doing the right thing.

( though she was concerned he'd stepped too far. angels weren't supposed to interfere )

I won't be able to do exactly what he does but I can talk to you about it, about what you see. Help you to understand it.
acidwashjeans: (God I'm wrong)

[personal profile] acidwashjeans 2020-03-30 01:54 am (UTC)(link)
They're not-- I mean. That's. [ Okay, how does he say what he's trying to say. ]

This place is weird, okay. It messed with people and does-- weird shit. Like turn you murder happy or into a pig. [ Them's the breaks. ]
vatical: hozierspam | tumblr (003)

[personal profile] vatical 2020-03-30 01:59 am (UTC)(link)
I-- [ his lips part, then press thin again, brows knitting. he's not sure if he should talk about.. what he is. does it really matter here? no one's going to bother him about it, probably. he has his migraines to think of, but.. ] Um.

[ a nervous sideways glance. ]

Can I.. ask why you became human? And.. I mean, you-- you remember everything about who you were.. before?
portraitor: (and then it rises)

[personal profile] portraitor 2020-03-30 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
[Don't even worry about it Claudine, it's totally fine having this little girl here, especially when she's so nice and cheerful to have around, right?]

Nice to meet you, Miss Claudine Saijo! I'm Mary!

[... She will call you by your full name like that until she's given an indication its okay to do so otherwise.]
sororis: (150)

[personal profile] sororis 2020-03-30 02:05 am (UTC)(link)
[ Izzy's stare turns into a little bit of a dead-eyed glare at his response, and his nonchalance, but after a moment she sighs and rolls her eyes heavenward. At least she's not hallucinating the atrocity on her face. ]

Do people often wake up with pig snouts on their face or should I feel special?

[ She clarifies, over-enunciating just a little because she's annoyed, and that's easier to parse than the fact that she's worried. One of her ears twitches, mostly hidden by her hair, but also most definitely pointy and pig-like now as it peaks through. ]
aeva: (ꜰɪꜰᴛᴇᴇɴ)

[personal profile] aeva 2020-03-30 02:07 am (UTC)(link)
I--

( she looks away from him. the first time one of the angels had asked her about it she'd snapped back that they were never to ask her. but then she'd told him. it was a story filled with joy and pain and she carried it all with her )

I'd fallen in love. I asked God to make me mortal, to be with him. ( she sighs, hoping to close the page on it ) But yes, I remember it all.
lednikovyy: CW (Here's what I've got to say)

un: barnes

[personal profile] lednikovyy 2020-03-30 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
puns. you can pry them from my cold, dead hooves.
vatical: hozierspam | tumblr (003)

[personal profile] vatical 2020-03-30 02:22 am (UTC)(link)
Oh.

[ not.. exactly the same, then. he fiddles with the bag on his arm, then a button on his flannel shirt. ]

I don't.. remember much. Just.. l-like snapshots. [ he chews the inside of his cheek, tasting copper, anxiety crawling up his veins. ] The first notes of Lucifer's first song. Galaxies. The.. garden, I think. It hurts to focus on them.

[ he shudders, folding his arms self-consciously. ] Michael wants me to remember everything, to.. be.. what He was. But He did this for a reason, right? He-- He became human.. for.. a reason. Right?
lednikovyy: CW (I did it all so maybe)

un: barnes

[personal profile] lednikovyy 2020-03-30 02:22 am (UTC)(link)
Midge,

if you're from new york, nothing passes as a deli here.

warm regards,
-Bucky
incandescentfaith: <user name=cupcake_graphics> (Dark Look)

[personal profile] incandescentfaith 2020-03-30 02:25 am (UTC)(link)
You don't tell them. Just...don't hesitate to change, in front of them. You can explain after, because there is no natural way to share it. It's...not...natural anyway. Not to them.

[That's all she can get out, before she's being pulled into a hug, and the tears roll down her cheeks. She buries her face against Usagi's shoulder, a heavy sigh the only sound she makes. She's...pretty good at not crying loudly. She certainly isn't sobbing.

She's just tired, more than anything. And while Usagi being here is a whole other pile of stress inducing moments, it's nice seeing her again. More than nice, really.]


I'm...not...going to accept that apology. I wanted to spare you and the others this. Deerington is hell, Usagi. You should be getting ready for your wedding, not worrying about a bad dream.
oldhound: (and it's taking over me)

[personal profile] oldhound 2020-03-30 02:27 am (UTC)(link)
be glad of that.

you sure he wasn't just pulling your leg, old son? right, okay. say we do this. the hiking, the pig drinking and all---

i am not singing it lady gaga.
lednikovyy: IW (And it looks like I'm the queen)

un: barnes

[personal profile] lednikovyy 2020-03-30 02:29 am (UTC)(link)
I have a goat the pig could graze with in the pen in my backyard, but I've never had pigs. how is he a person, exactly?
aeva: (ᴇɪɢʜᴛ)

[personal profile] aeva 2020-03-30 02:35 am (UTC)(link)
( she nods slowly along with what he says, not thinking too much on it.

and then-- michael wants me to be what he was. he became human.

it makes her stop walking, looking up at him, hand laying on his arm to stop him )


You're saying that God became human?

( that was impossible. she'd met god, still heard from him in signs, in the angels she was with. god wasn't human )
vatical: hozierspam | tumblr (003)

[personal profile] vatical 2020-03-30 02:44 am (UTC)(link)
[ he flinches a little at the touch, not quite able to look at her, staring down at his boots. ] Y-Yeah, [ he manages shakily, tightening his hands on his arms. ] A.. long time ago, He.. left.

[ at least, that's what michael tells him. he doesn't remember any of this. ]

And now He's.. [ he uncurls a hand to tap the center of his chest. ] He's here.
sororis: (151)

♥♥♥

[personal profile] sororis 2020-03-30 02:48 am (UTC)(link)
Izzy doesn't want to imagine braving this place without Alec. She could, of course, she would survive, but having him here has been a strength she wouldn't find any other way.

But if it weren't for speed runes and enhanced skills to begin with, she would never agree to run so regularly with someone whose legs were twice as long as hers.

She tilts her head side to side, cracking her neck just a little, and settles naturally into a wide stance, hands on her hips, as she considers his question. They've mostly agreed that not much good comes from running too deep in the forest: there are no clues, following the strange noises leads nowhere, and the paths aren't great for moving quickly, on top of it.

Slowly, she grins. "Circle the reservoir? Unless you want to canvass a new neighborhood."
kapiushon: (let)

[personal profile] kapiushon 2020-03-30 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
I'll ask Barry for clarification. Maybe he was being colorful. Singing in general, I believe more over -- Lady Gaga.

To be honest, Constantine, I wouldn't be surprised by anything.
oofta: (Default)

[personal profile] oofta 2020-03-30 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
Molly racked her brain momentarily, trying to decide whether Ariadne had been Greek or Roman when she'd done her studies in high school, but the question quickly left her when she realized it hardly mattered; there was no way they were the same, obviously (although she had heard some pretty far-fetched stories since arrival and couldn't put anything past this place, apparently).

"Valeria? No, I don't know it either. But I doubt there's a lotta folks here that would know Bemidji, so we might as well say we've got that in common." Molly, who had every right to think of the world in negative terms always seemed to look for the bright side of situations. She had to, if only to keep her sanity during frightfully tough times.

She glanced back again, slowing some while curiosity read on her expression. "What did you do in Valeria, Airy? If you don't mind me asking."
accelerate: ⚡ FLASH. (pic#13857854)

[personal profile] accelerate 2020-03-30 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
How can you not know Poker Face? You're Oliver Queen. You know everything.

[ except poker face and quite possibly all the dance moves to beyonce's homecoming. all of that is reserved for one bartholomew henry allen.

his look of utter betrayal lingers for just a long moment longer before it's gone. this news definitely does take precedence over the pig situation.

without invitation, barry's already half-eaten oliver's sandwich. with his mouth full, ]
I can take him up the mountain. Did you want this? It's so good. [ except he takes another big bite without swallowing what he's already chewed, anyway. ]
kapiushon: (babbled)

[personal profile] kapiushon 2020-03-30 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
He was a person before he was a pig. Unless, he's always been a pig and he was cosplaying as a person. Honestly, I have no answers. All I know is, someone ate a sandwich in a booth near me and then the next thing I know, a pig is crawling out of a pile of his clothes.
aeva: (ꜰɪꜰᴛᴇᴇɴ)

[personal profile] aeva 2020-03-30 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
( her hand drops from him but there is legitimate silence, a very confused expression and-- bafflement. she honestly feels lost and even though she has no reason to believe him, she knows her own truth, for some reason part of her does.

slowly she looks down to where his hand had tapped, focusing on it, trying to decipher what he'd meant. and then remember how to speak )


You-- you can't be saying that you're--

( it just sounds too insane for her to voice. but also if she voices it it makes it that bit more real )

His vessel?

( or-- him.

she'd met god which was why it all felt wrong but-- if he'd left, locked himself away, taken on a vessel-- she was mortal, she couldn't sense anything anymore, she couldn't know. and the story had come from michael )