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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.
hsalf: (im so damn charming)

[personal profile] hsalf 2020-03-30 05:25 am (UTC)(link)
I thought the French and the Sherlock versions were the same? They're not the same?

[ he's so baffled, it makes no sense! why are there so many wells and why do they all dress like they're going to the world's lamest halloween party! it defies all logic! ]

I'm glad I picked one of the few normal Wells. Really lucked out. I hate that damn Council.
vatical: hozierspam | tumblr (003)

[personal profile] vatical 2020-03-30 05:25 am (UTC)(link)
Then I.. [ he trails off for a moment, then shrugs helplessly. ] I don't know. I don't.. remember. Maybe He-- Maybe I-- Maybe we don't want to remember. Maybe it's.. safer this way.

[ he glances back to her again, looking pained, as something impossible drifts between them, obscuring her face briefly but not the glow. but there's something.. there's something about her brightness.. ]

Oh, [ he says dazedly, feeling strangely disconnected. ] It's.. like a scar, isn't it?
aeva: (sɪx)

[personal profile] aeva 2020-03-30 05:28 am (UTC)(link)
( he might be right that even though she wants to know that it's better not knowing. if she found out and it ruined all she believed? )

Scars should be left alone. They ache but they're a reminder of what you gave up.

( she says from experience )

You gave up this knowledge. That's your scar.
accelerate: (pic#13857866)

[personal profile] accelerate 2020-03-30 05:30 am (UTC)(link)
I don't… [ barry looks concerned and confused. did he get it wrong? they didn't wear name badges. tbf, he honestly doesn't remember any of them. ] I don't know…

[ hand to his chin, he ponders this. ]

What about the painter dude? I thought he was the French one. Sherlock had a weirder accent. Like… weird, weird. You know? [ he's not redoing the accent because lbr no one cares about that wells. ] Then Dumbledore was just... frightening.
vatical: darklandsicons | dw (010)

[personal profile] vatical 2020-03-30 05:37 am (UTC)(link)
Maybe, [ he agrees softly, lips tilting crookedly, tired and aching. ] I don't know if I can.. be what Michael wants me to be. I don't want to be.

[ sunny's never been.. enough, but that doesn't mean he wants to give up himself, give up the life he has. if god gave up the throne, maybe it's because he needed to. ]

Um. Anyway, that's-- that's where my migraines come from. That.. part of me.. has started, uh.. coming out more.
smoakshow: ᴄʟᴏsᴇ (Default)

good endures — not apping for anyone prospectively interested but YEETS

[personal profile] smoakshow 2020-03-30 06:55 am (UTC)(link)
( family is complicated. no, scratch that. family isn’t supposed to be complicated but considering she comes from a long line of recovering and relapsing liars, it is. hers is. mia’s feelings toward oliver in particular? she’s spent so many years resenting him for abandoning them ( her ) that she doesn’t know how to reconcile the memory and the emotions with the man she has come to know. in the wake of her losses, she almost doesn’t want to bother getting attached but none of it accounts for the way one word ruptures from her lips. )

Dad?

( she wants to _____. hug him, swing at him, leap at him like a wild banshee and walk away, not necessarily in that order. he has a pig. why does he have a pig? no, you know what. of course he has a pig. he's oliver queen. he does what he wants, he goes where he pleases, and obviously, this farm animal is now a part of that. sucks, man. her heart goes out to him. that whirlwind fills her and yet, she still takes a step towards him, measured but thoughtless. she doesn't permit herself to do it. it just happens to her. she barely stops herself from scrambling for him, catching herself at the very last second by crossing her arms and holding herself instead. right, yeah. strong, independent woman over here. he's muttering something but she misses it at first, too invested in her own turmoil. )

Um. ( think, mia. ) Friend or food?
aeva: (ᴛᴡᴏ)

[personal profile] aeva 2020-03-30 07:02 am (UTC)(link)
( she sighs, knowing that michael's overstepped. she starts walking again, leading them to a nearby bench to sit on. the cafe would have to wait )

It's your own choice. Free will. I can't do what Michael did but I will let you choose -- choose whether or not you want to remember.

( she nods just to back it up, serious about it )
incandescentfaith: <user name=cupcakegraphics> (Skeptical)

[personal profile] incandescentfaith 2020-03-30 07:45 am (UTC)(link)
[Rei remained quiet for several long moments. Just, letting it out, forcing the tension out of herself, and out of her mind. The one sob was all that she gave, she could control herself better than that...and she knew it. This wasn't okay, she shouldn't be throwing herself down like this and letting this hellhole win.

But it did help, having someone hold her for a change.

Shifting her face so she could stare off over Usagi's shoulder, she loosened her hold and slipped arms around her too, pulling her tight against her.]


...So much has changed. [She almost croaks.] ...Yet here you are. Helpful as always.

[Internally, she resolves to do everything she can to make sure Usagi never sees the worst of this place. What little she can do.]

...I won't...say I didn't need that. It's very tiring, supporting people and being the optimist. I don't know how the others, and you, do it.
accelerate: (pic#13857818)

[personal profile] accelerate 2020-03-30 08:34 am (UTC)(link)
Timone's a pretty good survivalist and everyone listens to him.

[ his pumbaa is sitting right in front of him, btw.

he shrugs a shoulder. ]
They're family animals. They're also pretty small, so I guess they can also hide pretty well. I figured if I said the giraffe, it'd be pretty predictable. [ since he's a beanpole in human form, and maybe even a giraffe. even barry likes to be unpredictable sometimes. ]
quipsandthwips: (pic#12635264)

[personal profile] quipsandthwips 2020-03-30 09:16 am (UTC)(link)
... Yeesh. [Very professional response, Pete. He considers this whole situation a bit more carefully, though, pretty quick to notice this guy is totally a newbie.] You might be going full pig-mode. Which would be something this town would do.

Don't worry, though! I'm sure there's... something we can do about it...

[Squinting and wincing at the hooves, he has to reconfigure a minute here.]

Right. No problem! We'll just figure out what we've gotta do here.

I'm guessing you had bacon or something included in that breakfast?

shoplifter: (Default)

[personal profile] shoplifter 2020-03-30 09:43 am (UTC)(link)
[She shakes her head, honest as ever.]

... No. Turning into animals is new.

But people change all the time. Townspeople and Sleepers both.

That's just how the town influences people.

[Subtle clues provide an idea that she's not quite usual — the accent isn't particularly out of place, sure, but the experience in her calm, dark gaze feels a little too weighty for her age, and the dried blood on her sleeve leaves some room for imagination. She grows quiet for a moment, considering if she wants to talk anymore, or if she wants to go back to demolishing food on her plate.]

You just arrived, yes?

Your scent is new.

[A very normal thing to tell someone.]
aeva: (Default)

( network | un: mrs.s )

[personal profile] aeva 2020-03-30 11:24 am (UTC)(link)
It's not the strangest day I've ever had.

( but she also used to be an angel. strange is a little different to her )
shield_heroine: (Picks Up The Rice)

[personal profile] shield_heroine 2020-03-30 12:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Not rules, but... It seems... dangerous.
pineneedles: (rneg (47))

network; un: treebitch

[personal profile] pineneedles 2020-03-30 01:07 pm (UTC)(link)
I've seen a guy with big hair.
prettybitchin: (18)

[personal profile] prettybitchin 2020-03-30 01:08 pm (UTC)(link)
yeah... I live with Steve
vatical: mooncons | ij (013)

[personal profile] vatical 2020-03-30 01:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[ he's grateful in spite of himself for the bench. and sinks down into it, not realizing how wobbly his legs were beginning to feel until just now. he sets his shopping down at his feet, and crosses his legs neatly at the thigh, smoothing absently at his jeans and staring down at slim, scarred hands. ]

The-- The thing is, I don't feel like someone that should be.. Him. [ her. them. do pronouns matter to the creator of the universe? they matter to sunny. ] I.. Did you know I was an atheist before all this? [ he laughs a little sadly. ] My family spent my whole life tellin' me I'm going to hell because sometimes I'm a she and because I date boys. Now I'm supposed to be the person they think would hate me?
thecareergirl: (Heart over head)

Network

[personal profile] thecareergirl 2020-03-30 02:01 pm (UTC)(link)
[In the middle of making herself a cup of tea, a young woman with short, dark hair sets aside her kettle and cup to concentrate on the message coming through her device, tucking aside a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear as she considers how to answer Lavellan.

Tina is still getting used to this device, herself. The Fluid is convenient in many ways, covering many of the basics of the magic she knows and combining such convenience into one device. Communicating with people by speaking with them directly, seeing their countenances and all, feels very much like using the Floo network, only without the fire or powder involved.

The young man speaking now looks elven, though not like any elves Tina knows. He's much taller, for one thing.]


I'm not sure what the Fade is but this is a strange place, and I don't know that anyone knows why, exactly, we're here.

If you want answers, you'll want to talk to the other Sleepers here. They'll be more forthcoming than the townsfolk.

I'm Tina Goldstein, and I'm fairly new here myself, so I'm not as knowledgeable as others here. But if you have questions, I can try and help. Or at least point you in the right direction.

[She refuses to be useless; as frustrating as being here can be, she refuses to let her current situation get the best of her. If she can try to help others out, whether through her work as a security guard at the local college, or answering the questions of newly arrived Sleepers, she will.]
aeva: (ᴛʜɪʀᴛᴇᴇɴ)

[personal profile] aeva 2020-03-30 02:13 pm (UTC)(link)
( as human as she now is she really can't relate to this, never having parents per se or having grown up. she'd wanted to be a parent but that opportunity was taken from her.

there is one thing that she does know though -- someone's soul, possibilities of hell. and maybe she can soothe him )


Your parents were wrong. About Hell.

( she's calmer again, putting aside the revelation that he's given. ignoring it is easier, just talking and soothing, guiding-- that's what she can do )

I don't know you but you seem to care what other people feel. Why would only one thing destine you for Hell?

( also ignoring him being god. not ready )
enumerator: (side eye)

apples

[personal profile] enumerator 2020-03-30 02:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[ arya has just emerged from peter's pizza, enjoying her favorite thing from their menu -- a 2-liter bottle of coca-cola with a straw stuck in it, for good measure -- when an adult man stops her in the street to ask what arya thinks is a stupid question. this guy is at least twenty-five, maybe thirty. of course he's old.

arya stares at his hands briefly, then looks back up at him. ]


Yes, but you are old. [ like, duh! ]
onerthes: (Default)

[personal profile] onerthes 2020-03-30 03:11 pm (UTC)(link)
As in your housecat? Oh no, I'm afraid that they all live and work together from the abandoned police station. Sodder created them to take the place of the police, so they're sort of based out of that.

And good. If you can handle yourself against a few spiritual threats and monsters, you should be fine, but never be afraid to ask for or offer help to others.
demonicbeauty: (Default)

[personal profile] demonicbeauty 2020-03-30 03:16 pm (UTC)(link)
If Ariadne was being perfectly honest with herself--and she lied so much that she often felt like she had to be--there was little that pleased her so much as having something in common with another person. Probably because it so often wasn't the case. She was forever the outsider, the pretender, the misfit. So the notion of both of them being from places that no one knew actually kind of appealed to her.

Enough to make her smile, anyway.

"Oh, in Valeria?" She shrugged. "I was serving an apprenticeship to the court translator," she said. "Who also happens to be my aunt, although I promise you that isn't why I was given the appointment."

It more had to do with the fact that she was Alastrian. And that pretending to learn languages was an excellent excuse for when she had to leave the kingdom suddenly, to do work for the resistance.
vatical: hozierspam | tumblr (002)

[personal profile] vatical 2020-03-30 03:41 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't have parents, it was my-- [ he starts, and then pauses. ] Well, I guess it don't much matter. [ it amounts to the same thing in the end, doesn't it? they were people that should have loved him and didn't.

he turns to smile wanly, apologetically at her. ]
That's.. just how things like that work with people like that. With parts of that region, really. Doesn't matter how good a person you try to be, being different's enough to condemn you.

[ he spreads his hands in a small shrug. ] It's why I rejected all of it eventually.
aeva: (sᴇᴠᴇɴ)

[personal profile] aeva 2020-03-30 03:47 pm (UTC)(link)
( trust her, she might be an angel but there's no religion to her. humans had gotten it very drastically misinterpreted millennia ago and they couldn't be corrected )

No one could blame you.

( maybe even god wouldn't. it was complicated. but perhaps it was more the idea that someone had tried to push on him that had been rejected than entire belief. since he did believe in god and angels, accepted their existence. religion was something else )

But what is happening to you is something different.
oldhound: (con g frakkingcylon)

[personal profile] oldhound 2020-03-30 04:41 pm (UTC)(link)
yeah you read that right, speedy.

[ Lucky he'll humor you. He does like to peacock around sometimes. ]

course it wasn't angelina jolie. it was a mean old bat trying to cause trouble way back during the salem witch trials. which is hilarious, really.

only magical being i ever met crazy enough to stir things up in that crazy town. most magical types know to avoid it.
Edited (words what are those) 2020-03-30 16:41 (UTC)
trancheuse: (10)

[personal profile] trancheuse 2020-03-30 05:02 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh right, that. Yeah, apparently Sodder brings us back, but the pieces don't work quite right each time and it gets worse? It's muddling up my memories for the moment." Of anything to do with her home other than Roxas, which left her a bit unmoored in her usual villainous attitudes.

"You'd have to ask someone else about it, though. It's not exactly something I plan to make a habit." said the girl on her second death so far.