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soddersays2020-03-25 05:21 pm
sodder) wrote in 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.
Good endures
Apparently she was not the only one in that corner of town who had a stubborn streak because glancing over, she sees a surprisingly familiar looking face, though she can't place him. At that particular moment, she wasn't in the alley hiding from anyone. Rather she was having a private conversation with another person who she pats on the shoulder, leans over to whisper something to them and then sends them on their way. Once alone, she gives the stranger a glance over.
He does look familiar, but she can't place him. Then again, she knows more people than she could possibly remember, and more that she doesn't know personally. Oh well, it seems of little consequence in the situation. Her guess would be that he's new to the town; new arrivals just have a look to them, not to mention the paranoia eventually fades.
"You lost or somethin'?" She finally speaks up, curiosity getting the better of her.
no subject
None he'll settled on, for the moment. His chin does lift slightly as she speaks directly to him, brow pinching.
"I am not lost," he replies tartly. "That would imply that arriving here was my own doing. I seek those who brought me here."
And perhaps she'll be of use in figuring out this mystery. Perhaps not. At glance, she does seem a fairly reasonable sort, and it would not do to dismiss the idea of 'help' out of hand so quickly.
no subject
As far as people who knew about the town, she was high up the list. She's made it a goal early on to know as much as possible about Deerington and she'd been fairly successful where the town and it's people were concerned.
"It's one person that brought you here, though there is some question on whether or not it was on purpose. Goes by the name Sodder, and most think of her as some sweet little girl locked away in a tower somewhere being abused and that we are here to rescue her. I have doubts about that myself, but either way gettin' to her so far has been impossible." Okay, so it was a laboratory and not a tower, but same difference as far as she was concerned. "I've been here a year and there has been no progress on gettin' to her. Not that we ain't tryin', just hasn't been workin'. So I can't take you to her, but I could help with other things if you've got questions."
no subject
A prudent move, as it happens. She does know quite a bit, more than he could have sourced on his own in his immediate surroundings. So much the better. The mention of a little girl being responsible earns an arched brow, however.
"I would have doubts as well. How would a child locked away bring us here, without our being aware of such a thing?" His arms fold over his chest as he speaks, ignoring a spinning wheel that seems to have formed just in his peripheral vision, not far behind the white-haired woman.
no subject
"Yeah, see, she isn't your average child, apparently she's got some sort of power or somethin'. It's hard to get a clear answer, but I've worked on puttin' as many pieces as possible together." She fancied herself a reasonable person when it came to reality, but Deerington had thrown enough at her that she's well enough adjusted to the supernatural at this point. "I know it sounds weird, didn't believe it myself when I first got here, but weird things happen constantly, as you'll find out."
Deerington threw plenty of curve balls. Such as the spinning wheel that starts to nag at her. She turns around and glances to it, feeling the urge but fighting it off with a sigh. "Take these spinnin' wheels for instance...they are poppin' up all over town and I guarantee they mean nothin' good. I got half a mind to start collectin' them and have a big ol' bonfire at my place tonight."
no subject
Hanzo's lip curls slightly. "Hmph. Not a bad plan," he notes, side-eying one of the contraptions that has just seen fit to appear. "I would happily assist, if I thought it would make a difference. But they seem to replenish themselves as quickly as one is left behind."
Though there's merit in burning them anyway. Just on principle. They're irritating enough that it would just feel good to have some sense of control in the midst of this...madness.
no subject
She gives a little shrug and a there is a mischievous glint in her eye. "You're right it's unlikely to make a difference, but sometimes it just feels good to make a statement. Especially with fire." There had been more than one occasion where she had set fire to something or got her frustrations out just by blowing something off, you had to let the steam off somehow. If she hadn't had some investment in the town at this point, she would have gladly followed through on her initial plan to burn it down.
"My only hesitation is that it would require I touch the things, and considerin', I'm itchin' too, that's typically a sign to keep your hands off." Which offered a good lead in to another point. "This place will make you want to eat things, drink things, and touch things. The more you crave it, the higher the risk. So best to not give in to temptation."
no subject
Of course it couldn't be as simple as rounding them all up and disposing of them. Regardless, her plan to burn them all still holds some appeal. Perhaps if they grow too numerous to ignore. For now, it's still a simple thing to push from his mind, instead focusing on Ashe.
"Temptations meant to distract us, no doubt. I have no intention to fall for such ploys," he assures her, clearly all too confident in his own ability to remain focused. "There are greater matters to contend with. I do not know what your plans are, but I would much rather put my efforts towards finding a way out of this wretched place."
no subject
"The key to it is to keep your eyes open and be ready. For example, I never go to a party without my own flask, and then I watch from the sidelines until I can figure out what's doin' what to people." That had mostly served her well, and allowed her to look after her own when they got themselves into trouble. "But it ain't always so clear cut, so soon as you get complacent you're doomed for it." She cocked her head to the side and gave him a look. "You don't strike me as the type to grow complacent." There was just something about him, maybe the fact that he'd gone right to the important stuff, that suggested he was stronger than most.
no subject
But to elaborate risks saying too much. Either offering an opening to a stranger to be taken advantage of -- always a possibility -- or simply wasting time on sentiment. Neither of which seems prudent, at the moment.
It seems his general suspicion and mistrust will be put to good use, if what she says is true.
There's a moment of grim contemplation before he presses on, shoulders relaxing ever so slightly. "You said you know where this girl is. Why have others not pursued her in the attempt to leave this place." Not necessarily to return where they come from, no. The place he'd been before arriving here had not been anywhere of great importance. It was his freedom that was the point. That someone would have the nerve to attempt to hold him against his will irked him greatly.
Who would have time for parties in a place like this, under such circumstances?
no subject
"Easier said than done. People have tried to get into the building and they just can't. And people, like yourself arrive ready to tear down the place to get their answers, no one's been successful. It's more than just that though. The thing most people won't tell you here, is that we are in a damn war. People like to pretend that we can get out of this by playin' by their rules. Some of the folks who ended up here are down right pacifists, and none of the horrible things that they attack us with seem to change their minds. It's the sleepers, as they call us, versus the townsfolk." She feels a growing agitation from the desire to touch the wheels again, and pulls out a cigarette and lights it to calm her nerves.
"Let's get out of here, I'm beginnin' to feel cramped."
no subject
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.
no subject
When Hanzo states so simply the solution that seems obvious, a smile grows on her face. "Yeah, that would make a lot of sense, wouldn't it?" She skirts around another spinning wheel as they step out into the street. It's not that busy downtown at that particular moment, but it's always wise to exercise some caution. "Convincin' people of that though is another matter, but I'm workin' on it." The ways she was doing that she wasn't ready to divulge so easily, but with the one statement, he'd already proven he was far more interesting than a majority of the people in this town and it wasn't going to require a spinning wheel to want to stay in his presence a while longer.
no subject
"There are those opposed."
Which is fair, he supposes. It's an extreme solution. It's also the most expedient, and more than deserved if they are being held captive here. Clearly the lines have already been drawn, and if they are not with them? They are against them.
Them. Suddenly it seems clear. It's not simply 'him', anymore. What a novel concept that is. Yet he knows he will not escape this strange place on his own. He will need allies, he will need information and tactics and a general something that has been lacking before now. It's an uncomfortable thing admitting to himself that this is the case, but if it becomes a matter of survival? Then there is only one true course.
no subject
"Maybe not opposed, but difficult to corral everyone when they are so busy panickin' every month. It seems most people sort of scatter when things go south here. I'm workin' on ways to congregate everyone, but work in progress. And like I said, some are extreme pacifists and feel like we should be kind and open hearted to the townsfolk. But they sacrificed a bunch of us last month to appease Sodder, so I don't think pacifism is gonna work."
Glancing around, she tried to think of what to do with him, so they could continue their conversation and she could assist with anything he was needing since arrival. "Hungry? There's a good bar close by that's run by a partner of mine, so I can promise the food is safe."
no subject
He could of course scout out somewhere to eat, given time. He'd already made plans to travel as much as he could of this place, and determine a plan from there. But at long last in his searching, he's found someone who speaks sense The chance to continue to do so is not without merit. There's the risk of being overheard by someone less savory, of course. But from he can tell, she does not seem the sort to take unnecessary risks, this...
Hm. There's the realization that he doesn't even know her name. And here he is following her to who knows where. Well, that won't do.
"I am Hanzo," he supplies after a moment, a faintly expectant raise to his brow as he waits for reciprocation.
no subject
As the traffic lightens up, she nods her head for them to cross the street. "It's that little place over there," She points the direction and makes her way across the street.