cursedcontent | TEST DRIVE MEME #1

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TEST DRIVE MEME #1

A Blood Offering

You wake up cozy in bed at the Saturn Motel. As you observe the room you may realize that it looks a little dated. Or, perhaps from your point of view the lamp and TV are wildly futuristic. Or, like Goldilocks, it may seem just right: close to the world you just left behind. Either way, you just had a very strange dream (see the arrival scenario) and now you're here. And you're not alone: there's a bed next to yours and someone else is waking up just like you are.

You can chat for a while if you like, but if you try to leave you'll find the door is firmly locked and no amount of kicking, punching, or hitting it with an object will do you any good. Instead, there's a letter on the nightstand which reads:

"Good morning and welcome to your new home!

You may be wondering why you're trapped in this room. Fear not, the door will open easily if you offer a bit of blood. More than a few drops but not enough to be a serious wound. A handprint's worth will do, let's say, and it only needs to come from one of you.

I'll let you sort that out yourselves. See you on the other side.

Sincerely,
The Mayor"

And indeed, a handprint's worth of blood pressed against the door will unlock it and let you out into the world. Do you volunteer your own blood? Do you take it from the other person by force? It's up to you! But there's no food in here, so you better figure it out eventually.

Roller Rink

As a celebration of your new lives here (and an apology for the whole blood offering thing - they were just testing something out, really) the Mayor has invited everyone to the Crazy Eight Roller Rink for a private, after-hours party.

Attendance isn't mandatory, but it is heavily encouraged so that you can meet your fellow Cursed and know who's in on the whole secret. It'll help you down the line at some point if your Curse gets out of control and you need someone to wrangle you.

As a reward, everyone who shows up and completes at least one lap around the roller rink (you must be wearing skates, but you can crawl the lap if you can't get the hang of them) will receive a free walkman with a mystery tape inside. The color, style, and mystery tape your character gets are up to you.

Mallrats

Everyone loves the mall! Right? Right! And this group of newcomers is lucky enough to be here for the White Pines Mall Grand Opening celebration! Feel free to walk around the mall and partake in sales galore, check out the attractions, or just get to know the layout of the place.

The Mayor has given everyone a gift card for $100 that can be used anywhere in the mall as long as they attend the Grand Opening.

They also strongly suggest that you familiarize yourself with the mall and its layout, just in case you ever get stuck there for a while and have to compete with others for food and resources. But that probably won't happen.

Extra Info

The test drive meme and the IC intro log will have the same prompts, and threads between two accepted characters can count as game canon.

The first prompt is flexible: technically you're supposed to be with one other person, but if you want to do larger groups that's fine.

Rooms at the Saturn Motel initially contain two beds for the prompt, but upon leaving and returning characters will find that they all have their own rooms with one bed. If you want a roommate, someone better be ready to sleep on the floor or snuggle up! The room doesn't have to look exactly like the reference image as long as it's not too fancy and suitably dated.

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after the blood offering

[ she's woken up in the dark ages. that's how it feels like for christine, anyway, and that impression is not helped any when she goes to look for something to clean the cut she's made on her arm. (handprint or no, hands have a ton of nerve endings in them and getting her hand bloody worked just as well from a cut on her arm.)

her own cut taken care of, she'll still stop every time she spots someone with a bloody hand, arm, other other body part. ] Do you need me to take a look at that? I'm a nurse.

[ who knows how hygenic this motel is? christine's guess is not very and focusing on a — minor, admittedly — medical issue is better than focusing on the fact that she has no idea where she is, how she got here, or how to get back to the enterprise. ]

roller rink

[ she's found no answers (yet) and the truth is, she's feeling unbalanced with it, stomach heavy —but what can she do but make the best of it?

so christine's exchanged her uniform for an outfit that allows her to blend in a little better. the skating rink, at least, is fun and she's done more than one round and collected a pink-and-teal walkman that is now clipped to her hip.

she's also trying to figure out how to skate backwards right now. she is looking over her shoulder, but there's still a chance she'll accidentally skate into someone's path, right into someone, or that she'll stumble and threaten to fall unless someone helps out. ]

network (un: chapel)

does "starfleet" mean anything to anyone here?

and honestly, when i said i was interested in archeological medicine, a free trip into the past wasn't quite what i had in mind

wildcard

[ ooc; run into her at the mall or at a bar somewhere, let her know you need medical attention, idk, the sky's the limit ]

Edited 2022-08-21 14:05 (UTC)

Oh thank God, yes.

[Rodney immediately sticks his hand out almost demandingly at the offer to help. It's, admittedly, a small and relatively harmless cut that speaks volumes about hesitancy and frequent stops to try and see if it was enough.]

Should definitely get that cleaned. Place like this? You probably die from even a mild infection! Let's hope penicillin was already invented. Oh, uh, you don't happen to have some emergency rations on you, do you, because I am on the brink of a hypoglycemic reaction...

[He is also very dramatic and very hypochondriac.]

[ that's a more enthusiastic response than she'd been expecting, but hey, better enthusiastic than disgruntled, right? her fingers close around his wrist to steady his hand while she peers at it.

it is small and relatively harmless, but christine's inclined to agree: better to get it cleaned. ]

If penicillin hasn't been invented yet, we're in even deeper shit than I thought. [ that's a little absent-mindedly. her bedside manner leaves something to be desired, never mind that there's no bedside involved here at all. ] There's soap and running water and alcohol for anything requiring more than that, at least.

[ for his cut, that won't even be necessary. ]

And there's a café. [ but her gaze sharpens. she doesn't know about the dramatic and hypochondriac, so she's inclined to take this serious. ] Are you diabetic?

[ he's not slurring his words or seeming confused —at least not in the way she'd expect for a hypoglycemic reaction, and the situation certainly warrants some confusion, so it probably isn't imminent. ]

[Huh. That's very candid and he has always liked candid. A whole lot more than empty words and trying to put him at ease, at least. It's enough to shut Rodney up and stop his incessant whining and it's also enough to have him hold still. But he cranes his neck nervously, watching her inspect the wound.]

How bad is it? Is there any nerve damage? Do I need stitches?

[He so does not need stitches.]

Should have insisted on the other guy offering himself up, that's what you get for being heroic, I guess...

[And then he pauses again because while he complains and complains and complains on missions, it has actually numbed his team down to a point where they tend to ignore it. Justifiably so.]

Yes. Uh, I, yeah. Hypoglycaemia. And I was in that room for a while, so...

[She's right and he's miles away from an actual reaction, though. Not from the worries about having one, however.]

[ she's a little too blunt sometimes, but christine figures it's part of her charm. anyway, she's in research more than actual nursing, she hasn't had to develop a real bedside manner. (that's not entirely true, but —true enough.)

if she's surprised that her remark seems to have a calming effect on him, she doesn't show it. instead, she allows herself to grin a little at his questions. ]

Happy to report you're not going to need stitches. And it's just a minor flesh wound. Barring infection, you're going to be right as rain, and if we wash it out, it shouldn't get infected, either. I won't even have to break out the rubbing alcohol.

[ that's the best she's found here for now, so. be happy. ]

So we'll do that first and then we'll get some food into you. Deal?

Really? Huh.

[He turns his hand, scrutinizing his palm and wiggling his fingers.]

You sure about that? I should, uh, maybe watch it the next couple of days. Let you know if it gets any worse. Just in case, you know.

[Except he immediately brightens and the prospect of food. Instant distraction and he holds his hand out again to let her take care of it without any more immediate commentary.]

Deal.

I'm sure. [ that's firm, but she's smiling while she says it and nodding when he mentions keeping an eye on it and letting her know if it gets worse. he seems like the kind of guy to be nervous about injuries. possibly prone to exaggerating about them, but christine's not going to mind telling him he's fine after having a look. first, better safe than sorry. second, it'll be something she knows how to do. this place feels like an extremely old-timey holovid; it's throwing her off balance. or it would, if she let it.

she takes care of his hand with quick and sure motions, although she's already missing the state of the art equiment of enterprise's med bay. it's not that she needs it for a wound this small, but —

all she's saying is, there people here had better already invented antibiotics.

(she's reasonably sure she knows which century this is, at least, and what she knows of medical history means penicillin was discovered earlier, but that's assuming she's been somehow transported into the past of the earth she knows, rather than some other earth. and given how no one's mentioned knowing starfleet yet to her network ping, she's not so sure she can make that assumption.) ]

There, all done. You'll live.

[ she drops his hand. ] Food's this way.

Thank you. That's the best news I've heard all day, you know, with all the being trapped in a different universe and time and potentially suffering from a deadly, horrific curse... What's up with that, huh?

[Yeah. Considering what he knows of this place so far? He'll take living for now. It's quite high on his priority list, actually? And it's nice to get professional confirmation.

When she lets go, Rodney inspects his hand and flexes his fingers again. He's still a bit tentative but for now seems reassured.]

And food sounds great, I'm starving. Could be all of that blood loss, I should probably, uh, get something sugary, some orange juice...

[Okay, almost reassured. Fortunately, he doesn't continue the litany because they are about to fix that little problem too. Instead he offers his good hand to her.]

Name's McKay. Dr. Rodney McKay.

I wish I knew. [ about the (alleged) curse, about this place, this earth, how in the exact hell she's time travelled, somehow. how any of this is possible. whether she should be hoping for rescue, trying to escape, or advocating for everyone to stay put because quarantine is actually necessary.

she hates the uncertainty, the feeling of the floor being pulled from her. so she's trying hard not to think about it too much just yet. ]

Christine Chapel, hi. [ a beat, while she shakes his hand. ] So, what kind of doctor? [ it's obviously not medical. ]

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energyfieldgood - 2022-08-24 20:54 (UTC) - Expand

[The woman who stops her is a stunner. White blonde hair lopped stylishly short, perfectly cut jaw, slender and sweet. Fukawa immediately hunches away. Her cut hand is cradled to her chest, the napkin pressed to it now blotting red. If anyone saw them together, they'd probably ask this woman why she's bothering to humor a total hag.

Just what she needs. Lost, bleeding, and being demoted the ugliest woman in the room.]

Wh-what's it to you? I don't know you. Anyone could say they're a nurse right now and get away with it. [Her eyes narrow.] For all I know, you m-might be working with the creeps who set this place up. M-maybe you're just after more blood!

[Though perhaps she could do with a little help. Conspiracy theories aside, there was little reason to lie about being a nurse. And Fukawa had been looking for something to sterilize the wound with.

Hygiene may as well go out the window. Fukawa may not have been stupid about it — she'd done the best she could with shaking hands and a mounting urge to faint, using a fresh napkin to stifle the bleeding — but if the motel wasn't sanitary then her clothes ought to be burned. The drab school uniform she's too old to wear is practically rags and has picked up a bouquet of curious odors. You can thank the smoking debris of Towa City for that.

In spite of all due precautions, she's nervous that some superbug might crawl up and wriggle into the wound anyway. It would be just her luck.]

[ there's blood seeping through the cut, but the girl holding her hand cradled to her chest is hunching away and all but hissing at christine, so she holds her hands up in a (hopefully) universal gesture for peace. ]

Just trying to help. [ christine's not happy to be here, but at least if she's focused on helping others, she's not going to freak out, so it's not entirely selfless, but —the desire to help is real enough. there's a reason she chose the medical profession and not something else. ]

If I was after more blood, wouldn't it be in my best interest to let you bleed all over the place like you're doing right now?

[ she's trying to be patient and calm, but a little sass bleeds into her tone, regardless. ]

[It is indeed universal. And her words are reasonable, the argument sound. Fukawa balks, feeling suddenly foolish.]

Well — I d-don't know! It's only natural to be c-cautious in a morbid situation like this! Who knows what else this place will ask of us?

[It won't end with blood at the door. Mark her words.

But it's time to swallow her humble pie. After a beat Fukawa grimaces and torturously extends her hand to the woman. She juts her head the other way, not daring to look.]

Fine. Just be quick about it. I c-can't stand looking at blood.

[She's gotten better with it, she hasn't fainted in ages. Still, it'll never be pleasant.]

You can close your eyes, if it'll help. [ christine's quick to say, because fukawa is looking a little pale. unsure, too, and christine's too much of a healer, deep down, not to want to soothe that, even if she's been told her bedside manner leaves something to be desired. ]

I'll just clean it out and wrap it up, all right?

[ it's not really a question so much as it is making noise and keeping fukawa appraised of what she's doing, like she would anyone looking that spooked.

and while she doesn't say it out loud, she has to agree: this place is creepy, it's good to be cautious, and who knows what else is going to happen. the blood to open a door was the stuff of a bad horror movie, christine figures, which doesn't bode well. not to mention the abduction, which is even worse. ]

I— [Don't want to close my eyes with you around?

She already made a fool of herself. And maybe she'll still keep them open, locked onto an old stain in the hall carpet, but she wants this over with and she needs to have a little faith. It's what Komaru would tell her.

That's the thought that settles her stomach, has her nodding curtly when the woman announces her plans. If only she were here with her, this all might be bearable. Her optimism would even out Fukawa's suspicion, and they could rely on each other to get by.

In the meantime, she's stuck with Mrs. White in the hall with a bloody napkin. Let's hope this doesn't turn out like a game of Cluedo.]

I don't know how you stand it. [She says suddenly. Conversation is far from her strong suit but the silence is eating at her.] The human body is disgusting. Just a fleshy sack of goop and guts. I always th-thought people who worked in hospitals m-must have a secret fascination with death.

[ for what it's worth: christine would also prefer it doesn't turn into a game of cluedo. and what's more: she's working quickly and efficiently, hands certain, cleaning out the wound after she's removed the bloody napkin before moving to wrap it more securely.

meanwhile: ] I'm not so interested in death. More in life, I guess. How bodies work, how to keep them working.

[ she thinks about mentioning the epigenetics project, but —somehow, she's not so sure that wouldn't get misinterpreted.

instead, she flashes a quick grin. ] The human body is just a fleshy sack of goop and guts and yet somehow, we're managing to walk and talk and build things and go places. I think that's pretty great.

[The swiftness of her work speaks to her skill, especially considering the lack of amenities. Maybe she could have been a contender for Hope's Peak in her time. There had been another student whose talent was nursing, but what little Fukawa remembers of them was...unpleasant.]

So it's th-the miracle of life for you? [She grimaces. Flexes her fingers, testing the sting of the wound.] I sh-should have guessed. Beautiful people have the luxury of staying optimistic. The world seems a brighter place when everyone is t-tripping over themselves to pamper you.

[Even if she's seen evidence to the contrary in spades, it's a hard belief to dislodge. She's met pretty folks with plenty of hardship and an ocean's worth of bitterness. It's just that things still work out for them in some measure. Forgiveness always comes easier when the person begging for it has a winsome smile.

Or a big rack. You could get away with murder if you're packing a D cup.]

Still. Why did they need our blood to let us out? It c-can't be just to check our blood type. [Not that that was a likely theory in any situation.] You don't buy this curse crap, do you?

Yes, it does, but I doubt for the same reasons it does for you

You time traveled?

[ that sounds almost ominous ]

yeah? what does it mean to you?
and if this really is the 1980s then yeah, i time travelled

I wanna hear what it means to you first.

Same here. About 20-some years for me.

it's an exploratory and scientific organisation of the united federation of planets

apparently, it's been a couple centuries for me

Well, it means that to me, too.

Seriously? That's gotta be frustrating when it comes to the technology of this place.

— hey, whoa!

[ That would be the sound of a young man Christine is about to crash right into — at least until the swerve of Steve's skate pulls him out of the other woman's orbit and saves them both from winding up on the ground. Saves his own walkman from getting bumped into as well. (They're durable, sure, but not impervious to damage either.)

She still looks unsteady, however, especially without something (or someone) to stop the trajectory of her backwards-path, so yeah, Steve readjusts his own balance and slides in to help. Not everyone spent their peak high school years hanging out in places like these, after all. ]

First time on the roller rink?

[ christine thinks for a first time, she's doing a pretty great job at this, actually, but —his swerve-and-slide manoeuvre is impressive. she definitely couldn't have managed anything requiring that kind of control just yet.

so she lets him steady her and grins, pushing some strands of hair out of her face while she's at it. ]

What gave it away?

It might've been the wobble.

[ There's no judgment though, honestly. He smiles in response and lets go once she seems to have regained her footing. He'll hover around in case she still needs a support-guy though.

He's helpful like that. ]

There was a little wobble. But otherwise, it's really not bad.

[ it's a good thing that christine is many things, but insecure in her physical abilities isn't really on the list. so her grin doesn't dim when he mentions the wobble. there absolutely was a wobble; admitting it doesn't hurt her pride. it wouldn't even if he was more judgmental about it, but that he's not is nice.

as is the way he hovers helpfully. ]

Forward's a bit easier than backwards, but I'll get the hang of it. [ she shrugs. glances at his walkman, glances at him, decides to ask, ] Are you staying in the Motel, too.

[ "staying", like anyone's given them a choice. but if he's a local, well. a large reason why christine's with starfleet at the moment is to help starfleet develop better tools for not interfering in local populations of planets that have not yet discovered space travel.

probably best to apply that same caution here as well. ]

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TEST DRIVE MEME #1

christine chapel | star trek: strange new worlds

blood offering

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after the blood offering

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Un: Pegasus

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nothing like a classic bump-into at the roller rink amirite

heck yeah

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