sodder: (Default)
Sodder ([personal profile] sodder) wrote in [community profile] soddersays2020-03-25 05:21 pm
Entry tags:

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 whileβ€” 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 movementsβ€” 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.
stauncherhearted: (tumblr_inline_pblxsse7SV1sza9v1_100)

[personal profile] stauncherhearted 2020-04-01 04:58 am (UTC)(link)
[None of this is cute. She keeps watching him, popping a hip to give him all the attitude she can summon. Which was quite a lot of attitude.]

Fine. You stay there, and I'll walk away. Close your eyes.

[Just in case. And if he had a problem with keeping his eyes closed, she'd happily fix it for him. She waited until he complied before turning on her heel and marching off back the way she came.]
stauncherhearted: (tumblr_inline_pblxsx7T0p1sza9v1_100)

[personal profile] stauncherhearted 2020-04-01 05:01 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks.

[She plucks the vial from Bella's hand and pops it back into her purse.] Yeah? Like what? And don't say I won't believe you.
casaerotica13: by <user name="tesseractheart"> (like you know)

[personal profile] casaerotica13 2020-04-01 05:02 am (UTC)(link)
Spinning pokey things is the proper term, thank you.

[ Great. It's this guy. And as full of laughs Gabriel tries to pretend he still is, he's sneering a little bit now. ]

When'd you show up, anyway? Unless, of course, all this is your fault.
possessum: (πŸŽπŸ‘πŸ’)

spinning wheels.

[personal profile] possessum 2020-04-01 05:03 am (UTC)(link)
[ Peter realises he's being followed, and his breathing halts with a sharp exhale β€” heart pulled tight and aching under his ribcage with the sting of fearful, sudden awareness. The kind that makes his stomach drop, like the lights have suddenly been flicked off and he's left standing in pitch dark. It's that kind of feeling.

His pursuer isn't outwardly too intimidating, but he could be anybody at all and Peter would react the same. He slips so naturally into the role of prey, and anyone tailing him like that is a perceived predator to his frayed nerves.

But the man speaks to him then β€” 'S'cuse me' β€” which means he's not intentionally avoiding being seen, which is... unexpected. Peter's ogling him with wide, wet eyes that are dark and murky, opaque oceans. The teen is tall and thin and not terribly foreboding himself, but there's something raw to him that makes it almost impossible to be at any real sort of ease around him. The way he twitches as he turns to face the man, like some overgrown spider, restless. He looks like he hasn't slept in a long time, dark circles puffy under his eyes.

At the stranger's words, the younger's eyes drop to the pocket, bloodstain leaking through the material. Peter's throat flutters unpleasantly, and he tenses. ]


Thβ€”there's a pharmacy. Not far from here. For bandages andβ€” stuff.

[ He lifts a hand slightly, points down the sidewalk in the direction of a few buildings. ...But something gives him pause, despite his every desire to get the hell out of here now. Just how bad is this guy hurt? His guilty conscience won't let him run off. Not just yet. ]

...Or do you think you need like a hospital?
casaerotica13: by <user name="tesseractheart"> (whatdowhatdo)

[personal profile] casaerotica13 2020-04-01 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
There's probably a joke here about women flinging themselves into his arms, but the idea escapes him. Instead, what comes out is a squeaky yell when she practically bulldozes into him.

The hell?

He jumps back from her, giving her the eye, and then: "I knew I was handsome, but you flatter me, madam." Oh, there's the joke.

"Unless I should be scared of- of... spinning pokey things." He's been calling them that all day. Might as well keep it running.
casaerotica13: by <user name="tesseractheart"> (that didn't come out right)

[personal profile] casaerotica13 2020-04-01 05:17 am (UTC)(link)
[ ooc: it's great!! ]



[ Gabriel senses... a lot of things, actually, some more familiar than others. Unlike his little brother, he can pinpoint it all a little better. Get a feel for who's who, general areas, that sort of thing. This place is still really screwing with his holy radio network, though.

But he does find Thing One and Thing Two's buddy pretty quickly once he realizes that Castiel is popping around pretty much everywhere. Looking for him, no doubt, unless he's picked up new hobbies lately.

He could keep to himself, bide his time, observe a little more. But. That's boring. And, frankly, he could use some allies right now. ]


Dumpster bins. [ He appears next to his brother, clearly trying to think. ] It's always dumpster bins. Have you sifted through a few tons of garbage yet?
dissemble: (High ho Triple psycho)

[personal profile] dissemble 2020-04-01 05:22 am (UTC)(link)
Does this look like something I'd throw together? [ Gabriel please. ]

Trapping people in sub-par alternate reality situations is your shtick.
fluss: (thirteen)

[personal profile] fluss 2020-04-01 05:28 am (UTC)(link)
[ his eyes sharpens to steel as raven's name leaves the imposter's mouth. he has the same voice, posture and movement as charles does β€” to the point where he would be impressed by how spectacular the mimicry was if it didn't piss him off so badly.

he is by no means convinced. riled, though? absolutely.

as his muscles relax from their previous strain, his expression betrays no visible emotion except for the hard set of his jaw and the frigidity in his gaze.
]

You are not him. [ the calm control of his voice is remarkable given the tautness of his words, like a string drawn too tight, ready to snap at any minute. ] I will only repeat myself once more β€” who are you? [ each word of the question is punctuated with an underlying threat. please don't test him. ]
casaerotica13: by <user name="tesseractheart"> (chestnut)

[personal profile] casaerotica13 2020-04-01 05:36 am (UTC)(link)
[ Lucifer please. ] That is my shtick, I'll give you that, but the fact also implies that I'm good at it.

This? This mental gymnastic, cursed earth, edgy town that doesn't exist? In Maine? That has 'daddy issues' written all over it. C'mon.

[ im sorry, mods ]
cohabitations: (pic#13881762)

[personal profile] cohabitations 2020-04-01 05:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ Never once has Charles found himself thinking Erik was to be feared. Especially not by himself. Did he know the things he had done? Of course, he'd been in his mind. He'd already seen it. He had been afraid for him in the water.

Right now, for the first time since they met. He feels afraid of Erik. It takes every ounce of stubborn will to resist the urge to step back. He's not at all certain what has happened but he will not be bullied by him. ]


Erik. [ His tone is one of warning. ] Erik, that's enough!
dissemble: (I'll show you)

[personal profile] dissemble 2020-04-01 05:55 am (UTC)(link)
Watch yourself, little brother. [ Probably he's not actually going to do violence on his brother, seeing as he's the only other angel in town worth talking to.

But that doesn't mean he has to take this blatant slander. But after a second he lets the scowl ]


This place barely has 'B-grade horror flick' written all over it.



[ mods i'm not sorry ]
heraldingangel: (Human: Emmanuel)

1/3

[personal profile] heraldingangel 2020-04-01 06:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ Castiel flickers from place to place and only lingers in the alley when he senses a power wrapped in grace hurtling toward him a microseconds before the archangel appears. ]

Gabriel?

[ There's a note of surprise in his tone. ]
Edited 2020-04-01 06:28 (UTC)
heraldingangel: (Guardian: The End is Near)

2/3

[personal profile] heraldingangel 2020-04-01 06:28 am (UTC)(link)
You're supposed to be dead.

[ Killed by Lucifer. Yet, he looks very much alive.

His brows crinkle distorting the neutral facade as his eyes narrow in suspicion. ]
cohabitations: (pic#13881764)

!!!!!

[personal profile] cohabitations 2020-04-01 06:28 am (UTC)(link)
[ So engrossed with the transformation of the townsperson into a pig, he doesn't realize he's not on completely alone. ]

Only six? I've been here a matter of days and I still find myself questioning whether or not it's real or something else entirely. [ Perhaps some strange side effect of Cerebro? He had yet to use those particular muscles in that way for such an extended amount of time. There could easily be repercussions he hadn't considered. He tries not to think about Erik's misgivings and jabs about being a lab rat.

He looks over at the other man, and his brow knits together. He offers a gentle scoff at the idea of magic being the means to make all of this happen. ]


No, there has to be some kind of rational explanation.

[ Surely. That would be the same as saying a mutation was magic. It isn't. It's genetics. It's evolution. ]
fluss: (four)

[personal profile] fluss 2020-04-01 06:33 am (UTC)(link)
[ it doesn't seem like he is willing to relent, steadfast in holding his ground, shamelessly calling his name with that far too familiar tone.

erik is barely paying mind to his words now, his right hand slipping into his pocket to retrieve a stainless steel ball bearing.

he brushes his thumb over the cool metal, his eyes drifting down to watch it start to hover in the air above his palm. it was one of two provided to him within his welcome basket, an amusing find at the time and a convenient weapon thereafter.

a subtle smile curves his lips as his gaze shifts back to the imposter. wordlessly and without warning, he shoots the metallic ball forward, stopping it abruptly a few feet from the man's face.
] Choose your next words carefully. [ he expects an answer to his question or else he will drop whatever little restraint he has left. ]
heraldingangel: (Dom: Pissed)

3/3

[personal profile] heraldingangel 2020-04-01 06:35 am (UTC)(link)
Is this your doing?

[ It's a straight out accusation. No beating around the bush. Little brother has no faith in you or too much depending on how you look at it. But so help him!!! If you've been pulling the strings this entire time! ]
lovesrush: πŸ™…β€β™‚οΈ πšπš˜πš—'𝚝 πšπšŠπš”πšŽ. (Default)

[personal profile] lovesrush 2020-04-01 06:51 am (UTC)(link)
[ He's got a pretty big reason why he feels nervous around the guy. Just, you know, that would involve talking about it and he's not quite sure he's ready for that yet. He wants to say it. He really does. But the rejection might... suck. A lot. Didn't he tell his mom he wasn't afraid of him? Totally different being face to face with him. So, back to this Sodder fella. ]

A letter? [ He drags a hand over his chin, head tilting. ] Oh yeah. Got that on me actually.

[ Shifting a bit on his side with a silent ow being mouthed to the window, he pulls out said crumpled letter from his back pocket and drops it on the table. ]

I glanced it over. Was going to give it a proper read when I wasn't running away from a pig, so. [ Or something, but he shrugs. ] Beats me who Sodder is, though. Not a mutant I've ever heard of before. You know, assuming that's what this is. A mutant behind this.

[ Straightening up, he opens his mouth but nothing comes out and he deflates almost before he drops an elbow to the table and hangs his head, fingers carding through gray hair. ]

Can I ask you- I mean, just, you know, a general sort of thing? [ Chewing on a fingernail, he clears his throat and plays with the salt shaker a bit as he stares to it. ] Do you think it's important to tell the truth to someone when they don't really know that you have some sort of truth to tell them?
Edited 2020-04-01 06:57 (UTC)
knewaguy: (11580)

[personal profile] knewaguy 2020-04-01 07:29 am (UTC)(link)
[There's something about this that is just pure salt in a deep and ugly wound. Charles, the Charles he knew for the last fuck knows how many years... was so much older, had become so much more frail. Seeing him in his youth, his prime? And standing, no less. It pulls Logan way back to vague old memories and the reminder that the guy was almost a whole different person way back when.

Again, Logan thinks of nothing in this moment but the peace of disengaging. It's a selfish first thought, namely because it's so easy. He doesn't need to deal with the fact Charles is here, Charles doesn't know. Know him, know the future, know what and how it all went down decades in the future. Logan can say not my problem the way he wants to. But the fucking word Sunseeker is in his head. He's still tense, teeth grit, staring at Charles the way he is.]


Little ways back up there. Do I wanna fucking know about the - actually, I don't.

[A gesture was made toward the pig. Then it halted.]

Can't miss it, Chuck.
cohabitations: (pic#13881763)

[personal profile] cohabitations 2020-04-01 07:37 am (UTC)(link)
Erik---[ Usually calm and steadfast, Charles feels none of those things at this moment. He didn't feel this helpless in the ocean trying to drag him out of the black nighttime water away from his fruitless quest for revenge. He didn't feel this helpless when he attacked all of those men in Russia.

The last time he felt this helpless--- His thoughts nearly grind to a halt at the introduction of the ball-bearing floating in front of him. He's seen what Erik can do with a satellite. A ship's anchor. It takes no imagination whatsoever to realize the gravity of the situation. It's equal parts fear and anger that have him lashing out with his mind.

His voice a sharp retort of: ]
I said stop!
yolos: (xoxo 03)

kaya fajardo | original character | ota

[personal profile] yolos 2020-04-01 10:25 am (UTC)(link)
arrival.

    [ Bad dreams have a habit of leaving her out of sorts. By that, she wakes up feeling wrong in her skin and wrestling with brain fog that lasts the whole day.

    Sometimes, she's back in the corridors of her school. Rain falling in thick sheets of grey that obscure everything not protected by a roof. Beyond that, rapid footfalls and screams. Always, the screams.

    Sometimes, she's in the workshop at TALOS. There's flood water up to her knees and out of the corner of her eye she realizes the sparks at the far end of the room are the reason why the water's getting really warm. She can't ever leave the room, and the lights end up shutting down one by one.

    Waking up here was different: in the dream, there was a forest. But it's not like the protected areas from back home. These are like the ones she's only ever seen on TV with really tall trees and that eerie silence.

    Her ankle still hurts. Or she thinks it does. But walking helps. ]


    What the hell is this place?

    [ You'll find her standing in the middle of the street; a little wide-eyed and worse for wear.

    Fuck, it's cold.

    She's from the tropics. They don't get weather like this over there. ]




good endures; spinning wheels

    [ She's plunked her butt down on a bench in the middle of a park of some sorts and has tucked her hands squarely in the pockets of her jeans. It's a little weird that she's come across a couple of spinning wheels and even weirder is that feeling of wanting to stick her finger on the spiky end.

    She's not a big fan of needles (thanks, childhood trauma) so wanting to touch it is freaking her out ten ways to Sunday.

    Also, what is it with this freaky town and why has she seen that same person in the last five places she's been in? ]




dealer's choice.

    [ Kaya's short a couple centimeters of five feet tall and looks like she should still be in gradeschool even if she's been fourteen for the last five months. Feel free to chat her up or... something. ]
Edited 2020-04-01 10:26 (UTC)
nockturnal: (pic#13784361)

[personal profile] nockturnal 2020-04-01 12:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Being new to this town, still uncertain of what it all means or how to leave, Hanzo is understandably somewhat on edge. He expects whoever brought him here to make an appearance at some point, to make their demands so he can rightly refuse them.

He isn't expecting Chloe. She looks like she could be one of the locals, perhaps making an effort at being friendly to the newcomer. She would be the first, however. Most have been willing to keep their distance thus far.

So she doesn't get the friendliest welcome. He stares her down, gaze flicking once up and down to make certain she isn't armed or otherwise a threat. No. Just a girl.

"...thank you."

Threats he can deal with. People trying to be pleasant to him? He's less prepared for, and his hesitant, wary tone says as much. Alright. What's her angle?
nockturnal: (pic#13782976)

[personal profile] nockturnal 2020-04-01 12:47 pm (UTC)(link)
"Then let them be frightened!" Hanzo turns to snap at Genji, anger taking hold in place of confusion and horror. Anger is easier. He knows what to do with that, how to focus it and put it to use.

And the use he's thinking of is turning the restaurant upside down until they correct this. The instinct is there, and growing. Building inside, until he can scarcely think of anything else.
nockturnal: (19)

[personal profile] nockturnal 2020-04-01 12:54 pm (UTC)(link)
A favor? Seems fake, but okay.

If he is -- or was -- Overwatch, then he knows. If he did not see what was done, he would have heard. He can only imagine what stories were told by those who were not present, who did not understand what happened, or perhaps Genji might have told the man himself. In either case, he knows what he sees in the other man's eyes as he looks at him.

Disgust. Kin-slayer. Butcher. Things he's called himself and far worse. Why help a man such as that, willingly?

He'd be a fool to trust him. Better to take his chances with a stranger.

"Do not trouble yourself. If my brother is here, I will find him. I do not need your help." And his strain on that last word is very similar to that of 'Overwatch'. Something he has very little regard for.
nockturnal: (pic#13784362)

[personal profile] nockturnal 2020-04-01 01:00 pm (UTC)(link)
"Hn."

He gives the spinning wheel another sideglance before nodding towards the mouth of the alley. Offering her the lead, which he will follow for now.

Especially if it means leaving this strangeness behind him.

"If they are all so poorly disposed towards us, can we not simply kill them and be done with it?" There's remarkably little hesitation there. The taking of life is not to be done lightly, of course, but if it is a war as she says? A body count is inevitable.

From the sound of it, things will not be quite so simple. Yet it bears asking, all the same.
yourule: (smug)

[personal profile] yourule 2020-04-01 02:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[ ah, teenage boys. what glorious creatures. ]

Oh, I bet. I did say you were self-sufficient, didn't I?

[ a grin. this guy's even easier to rile up than steve! ]