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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.
doesntpaint: (delete 65)

[personal profile] doesntpaint 2020-04-08 05:45 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, that's clever. Thanks for the help.

[ He did walk right into that one, though. ]
lightthedarkness: (Usagi) (Usagi knows best!)

Hee thank you, I try

[personal profile] lightthedarkness 2020-04-08 05:51 am (UTC)(link)
Oh no, not a witch, but I had to help someone else who got turned into a pig earlier today. ( ´(00)ˋ )

You are in safe hands! (b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b
lonelynotforsaken: name=everchased site=tumblr.com> (annoyed | hmph)

[personal profile] lonelynotforsaken 2020-04-08 05:52 am (UTC)(link)
It's a sensible name! [There's just a touch of defensiveness in his tone at that. Which... honestly, he didn't name the planet, but it's... it is sensible. And... good, thank you very much!] Yes, it's where I'm from. What's your planet called?

[His own fingers have started flicking through the coats, checking price tags. These aren't that bad. He... maybe he has money for this? Just to get her something so she doesn't catch her death of cold. Martin pulls out something big and fuzzy.] What d'you think about this?
lednikovyy: IW (Now there's no point)

[personal profile] lednikovyy 2020-04-08 05:55 am (UTC)(link)
couldn't help it. are you currently in Murder Bucky Mode or are we on speaking terms this time?

[ He's too tired to not just jump at it head-on. ]
itknowsyou: used with artist permission (+ i'm a long way)

[personal profile] itknowsyou 2020-04-08 05:59 am (UTC)(link)
[ He leans into that hand, drunk on the feeling of it. He doesn't even have to think about it. Martin is so warm, so solid, so real.

For this one, small moment, everything just about makes sense.

Then Martin asks that question, and he focuses again on where they are. Where they shouldn't be. ]
Um— a few doors down. It looks identical, near as I can tell.

[ His tone is stabilizing to something normal. Jon has more or less finished rebooting, now. ]
itknowsyou: used with artist permission (/ you'll know it now)

[personal profile] itknowsyou 2020-04-08 06:05 am (UTC)(link)
[ There is a long, silent beat where that hangs in the air. ]

I... [ He chuckles, wry and humorless, and a little more raw than he would prefer. ] I'm not entirely human, anymore. Maybe not very human at all.

[ He doesn't die. He barely bleeds. He suspects that sleeping and eating are fairly optional, at this point. ]
stauncherhearted: theredbrickroad (I suggest we drink)

[personal profile] stauncherhearted 2020-04-08 06:09 am (UTC)(link)
Well, the vampire's my ex. We dated for over a year, lived together. He was absolutely wonderful to me, but my friends couldn't stand him, and made it pretty clear. But he was nothing but sweet and loving to me. [And one time he put a guy through a wall for her, but that was technically before they started dating?] We both knew the relationship wasn't going to last, though.

As for my werewolf... He's incredibly fierce. I've been with him most my life, on and off. We've just always been... drawn to each other. No matter what. He's got a temper, but they all do, if I'm being honest. But he's mine. Granted, my friends can't stand him either. But I want to spend the rest of my life with him.

Was that good?
shoplifter: (Default)

[personal profile] shoplifter 2020-04-08 06:09 am (UTC)(link)
[She nods slowly.]

There are some mutants. Some who are X-Men. I don't know if they're any you know; many of them are from different universes. [She doesn't particularly talk like a normal 12-year-old, but, well... that's just how it is, sometimes. She glances aside, unsure what she should say; that uncertainty is palpable.] I don't know very many mutants from home... Most of them are gone now.

It's nice to get to meet them here.
lonelynotforsaken: name=everchased site=tumblr.com> (uncertain | okay...)

[personal profile] lonelynotforsaken 2020-04-08 06:12 am (UTC)(link)
Right. We can grab your things and bring them back here on the way back after we look around the town.

[It's said with certainty and the soft clatter of a kettle going onto the stove. He grabs the little book of rules from the basket that's sitting in his kitchen and comes back out to lean in the doorway and read it.]

I don't see anything about it being illegal for people to live together. Um...

[Hold on a minute. Martin looks back at the basket. His mobile had been in there along with his glasses this morning when he'd pulled himself together to answer the door.]

Jon... did you have a basket with a letter and things in it at your place?
slayertude: (pic#6692902)

[personal profile] slayertude 2020-04-08 06:14 am (UTC)(link)
I'm right there with you. I've- Well, okay, I haven't lived it personally or anything, but like, the olden days kind of sucked.

[ No offense to anyone who lived during that time, but she's met "individuals" who are way older than they have any right to be, and she's definitely not a fan. ]

You know, I like you. You get things. [ Whatever those mysterious "things" are... But Buffy's sensing a kindred spirit here, and she likes it. It's not every day that she meets someone on the same wavelength as her. ]
slayertude: (pic#6692293)

[personal profile] slayertude 2020-04-08 06:18 am (UTC)(link)
[ Well, okay, if he wants to be serious, then she's getting serious too. ]

Okay, I can do serious. I do serious a lot. Or- We do serious a lot, don't we?

[ Playing along, playing along... ]

All right, let's fix that outfit right now. [ They've just reached the nearest thrift shop, and she doesn't waste any time going in. ]

Hey, what's your favorite color anyway?
slayertude: (pic#6692346)

[personal profile] slayertude 2020-04-08 06:19 am (UTC)(link)
Hey, I'll take any kind of idea here. I'm a Capricorn.

[ What, every teenage girl took those silly magazine horoscope quizzes. Right? ]
yolos: (xoxo 07)

[personal profile] yolos 2020-04-08 06:20 am (UTC)(link)
It is!

[ Hey, it's simple and simple is always good. For most things, if not everything! ]

Cooool. [ Wiggling a bit, because that's pretty awesome - she's never met someone from another planet before! To his question though: ] Khaenna! My world history teacher said that no one actually knows what the etymology of the word is, but there are sites all over that show artifacts with that name and it's been around forever.

[ Zooming her attention to the jacket now, with her mouth making an Ö expression.

Smallish voice now: ]
It's pretty. And soft. [ She tests the fabric between her fingers before looking up back Martin the Tall. ]

I don't have any money though...

[ If she had kitten ears, they would be drooping.

(She checked her pockets while wandering around town. She may have fallen asleep in her working clothes - which may be why she's wearing them here - but when you're testing out potentially magnetic surfaces, you learn not to have anything that might get you embarrassingly stuck.) ]
lonelynotforsaken: name=everchased site=tumblr.com> (uncertain | okay...)

[personal profile] lonelynotforsaken 2020-04-08 06:34 am (UTC)(link)
[Oh! Well, good! It's good she recognizes the value of something straightforward. Martin cocks his head slightly at the mention of her own planet's name and files it away. It doesn't mean anything to him immediately, but astronomy has never been an area he'd got much into. If it's even a planet mapped in his and Jon's universe. He starts to ask what her species is, but then that look.

Martin feels color creeping across his cheeks. He doesn't feel especially attached to this girl at the moment, but the way she's looking at him.]


I think... you got a license with your welcome basket, right? Um... I'm pretty sure they're like bank cards or credit cards? We can check if there's any money on them and I can-I can help if you need a little extra. You shouldn't be wandering out in this weather without something warm.
slayertude: (pic#6692294)

I definitely want it!

[personal profile] slayertude 2020-04-08 06:40 am (UTC)(link)
[ The warning is appreciated, or at least, it would be if Buffy actually were listening to it. She's already moving closer to the spindle, her hand outstretched, and- yeah, that sure is some blood bubbling up. ]

Ow.

[ With the prick of the spindle, some of Buffy's senses seem to come back to her. ]

Note to self, spindles are sharp. [ She turns to look at Jon, and she arches an eyebrow. He does look a little Watcher-ish, but there's something else about him that she can't quite put her finger on. ]

Who are you, anyway?

[ Okay, so maybe that's not the nicest greeting. ]
mysterioisthetruth: (Huh)

Video; un: Mysterio

[personal profile] mysterioisthetruth 2020-04-08 06:50 am (UTC)(link)
[He'll be in full damage control mode if she brings up what went on in London - as in totally lie that he's from a different universe entirely. Very plausible given the multiverse has been proven real here. He doesn't want to lose the hold he currently has on Peter's loyalty.]

That's very morbid.
itknowsyou: used with artist permission (/= through life)

[personal profile] itknowsyou 2020-04-08 06:51 am (UTC)(link)
[ He sighs. He doesn't have a posh handkerchief in his pocket, thus proving that he is not, in fact, a Watcher. But, yeah, similar vibe.

Dry: ]
Someone attempting to tell you that spindles are sharp.

[ He steps forward, weary. ]

I touched one earlier. They seem to carry a compulsion that restricts movement and, um— [ faltering here, because it's strange and has gone kind of sideways for him twice today ] —it's broken by sharing information. Not... secrets, necessarily, I don't think.

[ In the tone of 'here, I'll start': ] My name is Jonathan Sims.
mysterioisthetruth: (Advanced tech)

Text; un: Mysterio

[personal profile] mysterioisthetruth 2020-04-08 07:04 am (UTC)(link)
The tech is highly lacking in most areas.

[Tony is the last person Beck wants to see - but he can't help poking him just a bit. With the username 'Mysterio', he shouldn't even be recognized until he either shows his face or says his name. At least, that's what he assumes - unless this isn't the Tony from his exact world.]
vlogged: (pp | 003)

text. un: (√-💩)²

[personal profile] vlogged 2020-04-08 07:05 am (UTC)(link)
there was a pig with human hands??

[sorry, future lady. he has no idea what you're talking about]
vlogged: (pp | 034)

text. un: (√-💩)²

[personal profile] vlogged 2020-04-08 07:07 am (UTC)(link)
the deer and the dogs=good
locals=bad
sleepers=it varies



is this
whats your name?
oldhound: (a place to sleep so take this)

[personal profile] oldhound 2020-04-08 07:48 am (UTC)(link)
it's a pain but it's honest enough considering my usual.

[ He gives hell for it but he'd do a lot for the other man. The rest of them by proxy too, he supposes. It takes a bit to earn that kind of loyalty from John. He doesn't just cast his lot in with anyone. ]

if it's all right with you i'll skip that part.
good luck on that. you should try the hurt eyes. works better than frustration on you, squire.
redheat: redheat. (❝voices speak to her from within❞)

[personal profile] redheat 2020-04-08 08:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ She's toweling her hair some and trying to wrap her mind around different universes when Laura says the word gone and Jean's focus is entirely on the girl once more, hand dropping down to her lap with the blanket. ]

Gone?

[ The first thought to come to mind is the Mutant Registration Act. The next is what that could mean for everyone she knows and loves. ]

What exactly do you mean by gone? Did something happen?
knewaguy: (2334)

[personal profile] knewaguy 2020-04-08 08:42 am (UTC)(link)
[Jokes about senility roll off him pretty easy in the moment, even with all things considered. He makes an amused snort before moving closer, dragging the kit with him and holding out his hand for hers. He's got a packet with an alcohol swab in it but just to play off her joke he says:]

No, but you can tell me this is what I think it is so I don't need to break out the glasses you definitely don't need to see me in.
redheat: redheat. (❝so stay in this moment a little longer❞)

[personal profile] redheat 2020-04-08 08:55 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's familiar to be this way with him and considering where she- where they currently find themselves, a little familiarity is much needed and appreciated in this moment here between them.

With a gentle curl of fingers from her other hand, she slowly draws the alcohol swab towards her through the air, a slight tilt of her head as she watches it drift on the whims on her mind. ]


I feel like I'm learning a lot about you all over again.

[ Plucking the swab from the air, she's careful in tearing it open. ]

Anything else I should know?
sathan: (☀ 𝓈𝑒ℓ𝑒𝓃𝒾𝒸𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓊𝓈 𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓃𝒹𝒾)

[personal profile] sathan 2020-04-08 11:30 am (UTC)(link)
It's-- a reprieve.

( lucifer wasn't here-- her lucifer wasn't here and it meant that she had time to figure out plans whilst she was here. would she remember them when she returned? possibly not but she'd try to find some way. but she'd have time to live at least )

And far from the worst place I've ever seen, even with all it brings.