Sodder (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sodder) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
soddersays2020-03-25 05:21 pm
sodder) wrote in 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 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.
no subject
I think it would be easier to say if you tell me where you're from? Why don't we go into that shop to talk?
[They should have a heater. He's motioning to the Wasteland Thrift Shop. If she needs a coat, that might be the place to go.]
no subject
Yes. Yes, let's do that.
[ She moves a little shy, like a kitten that's still making up it's mind whether you're okay to approach or not. But she falls into step beside you, not in the least bit bothered that she's teeny beside you tall person you. ]
I'm from Silay. Well - Silay's huge, it's a whole country after all. But if we need to go into specifics, I'm based in Nilar, which is the capital.
[ While she's talking like this is knowledge that most folk would know, she won't be totally surprised if you're not familiar with the specifics of Silay. ]
no subject
That's... is that in... Asia?
[It certainly isn't European. He knows European geography well enough. Probably?
They reach the door and Martin holds it open for her.]
cry this thread i'm so sorry
Thank you! [ She chirps up at him as she slips inside.
Oh yesss, warmth. Beautiful warmth.
Turning back to you now-- Right. She's not introduced herself yet. ]
By the way, I'm Kaya. [ Do people do handshakes here? After all, it's the polite thing to do with strangers. ] ...What's Asia?
He is trying SO hard for a common point of reference!!!
It's- M-Martin. I'm Martin. Blackwood. [Should he have her call him Mr. Blackwood? That would be polite, but god, he is not prepared to be addressed like that by a little girl.] Asia's a continent.
[He's going to look around and gently usher her towards what appear to be the girls section in the shop. Should he buy her a coat? Does she have her own money? Does he have money? He is not prepared for this level of involvement and responsibility with a stranger.]
How about the equator? D'you know what the equator is?
ha ha ha ha ha
She's fourteen. She knows she doesn't know everything. But she can learn. ]
Oh, cool! Yeah, we have those. The equator too.
[ She's letting her fingers idly moving racks of sweaters and shirts and coats, but in that non-committal I don't have money, I wonder if they do digital transfer here kind of way. ]
no subject
Your planet's not called Earth, is it?
[Well. He's met the human form of god and a person made of grass. This probably shouldn't be that surprising.]
no subject
There's a planet named using the word for the ground?
[ She's craning her neck backwards so she can look up at you. She's also blinking. up at. you expectantly. ]
Is that where you're from?
no subject
[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?
no subject
[ 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.) ]
no subject
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.
no subject
Welcome basket... welcome basket-- ]
Yeah! [ She'd woken up in an apartment that reminded her a bit of the small one-bedroom apartment that she'd been assigned to at the TALOS facility (small enough for her, big enough that there was a spare bedroom if her parents wanted to stay overnight during visits).
There hadn't been anyone else around and she'd found the basket sitting by the kitchen sink with a canned bottle of strawberries that she'd munched on while inspecting the contents.
Her eyes snap back up to Martin. ]
I left it in the basket. But I can pay you back once I head back and get it!
[ Hmmmm. She probably should have taken the map with her before wandering around town... but she'll worry about finding her way maaaaybe later. ]
no subject
Okay. Do you need anything else while we're here?
[What is he asking? Why is he asking? He doesn't want this. He doesn't want to be here or to care. He wouldn't have a month ago. Not really. He's struggling with wanting to and not wanting to now.]
hahahaha ohlord
You seem nice. ]
I think I'm good for now!
[ That comes out a little quickly. It's not that she doesn't want to cause trouble
trouble just has a tendency to find her, but more borrowing money is something she tries not to make a habit of doing. ]no subject
[Martin is screaming internally because he just met this little girl. What is he doing? This is too much. He wants to go away. This is maybe the third extended conversation he's had with someone who wasn't Jon in as many days, but also as many months, and it's beginning to wear his nerves thin.
So why is he drawing this out?]
no subject
[ She will take that jacket now and wiggle into it to test the fit because she is prematurely secure in the idea that you are a very nice man who has been looking out for her.
Doozy would be pleased. Hank would probably facepalm.
The fit is fairly good - it's a touch large along the shoulders for her small frame but it doesn't look like she's drowning in it. ]
How does it look?
no subject
It looks fine. A little big, but it should do. Why don't we bring that up to the front?
[Kaya will have to endure further herding as Martin gets them to the check-out and takes the coat from her to give to the cashier. The man gives him such a look that Martin can't help looking away. He doesn't like this, the scrutiny. It makes what should be the bland interactions that are easy to deal with that much harder.
He hands over his license when a price comes up at the till and then... the coat's being folded and bagged and that's it! Martin pulls out the coat to rip off the price tag and offers it to Kaya.]
There. You don't need to pay me back. Just-just get home safely. And make sure you're wearing something warm when you go out next time.
no subject
[ She folds up the bag and normally she'd return it because it seems like a waste of packaging when it's not carrying anything. But she didn't appreciate the look the cashier gave Martin, so she tucks the folded bag into her pocket instead.
She will, however, find a way to pay Martin back.
But he doesn't need to know that. Better to give him the money when it's actually there so he won't have any choice on the matter. ]
Are you heading off?
no subject
closing this off!
[ She'd give him a hug - but they only met today and while he's very nice and reminds her of Doozy a bit, he might not appreciate it. ]
Ingat ka-- take care and thank you again for the jacket!