cursedcontent | TEST DRIVE MEME #1

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[John makes a face, and goes over to the table, picking up a letter opener.]

And I'm the guy who might have to punch our way out of here, if it comes to it?

[He wants to poke fun at the whale thing but Rodney's seriousness cuts him short, plus the realization that they've had the same dream. Which points to the fact it very well may be real.]

It's not just a dream if we both had it. And if there's really a curse? We have to get rid of it first. We can't risk bringing it back to Atlantis.

If. Let's not give the disembodied nightmare voice too much weight yet.

[Rodney pulls a face even though he knows Sheppard is of course right.]

Except maybe Atlantis has equipment to get rid of multidimensional Curses.

[Still. Probably not a chance they can take, depending on how bad this might get.]

Doesn't mean we can't take it into account.

[But it's actually pretty terrifying to think about if it's true, especially when they don't know what it is yet.]

You willing to bet the city on that?

[He's just saying. He takes the letter opener and quickly slices his palm, wincing.]

You owe me. Also, I feel like this is pretty cursed in and of itself. Doesn't this feel like a scene in a horror movie? I better not get haunted cause of this.

[He puts his hand against the door, not realizing it wasn't enough blood.]

I owe you? For what? I'm not the one who brought us here!

[He thinks. He hopes. He wonders, which projects was he working on these past days? There's so many. He'll have to go through them one by one, figure out if there was a chance they were connected to something that could have caused... this.

But first things first, they have to get out of this room. Sheppard touches the door and he pauses in his thoughts, watching the door expectantly. Waits. Reaches out to pull at the handle.]

Huh.

[A beat.]

That didn't do it? Are you sure you cut it right?

You owe me for me having to do the blood sacrifice thing and probably selling my soul to a demon! If I die, I'm going to haunt you instead.

[He's just saying, he's seen those movies.]

That didn't...what, do they want more!?

[Just his luck. He makes a face, frowning, and smears more blood on it this time. And this time, it's more than a handful.]

Oh please, it's probably going to be a sexy demon in demon lingerie [whatever that is] and you're going to live your best enslaved life being fed hell grapes while I'm going to be working day and night trying to uncurse us...

[But that's a lot of blood on the door now and Rodney sobers, taking a step towards John, reaching that point where it's not fun and games anymore but starting to genuinely worry him.]

Maybe you should let me take a...

[And then the door makes a soft clicking sound, unlocking, and he trails off before he can voice the rest of his concerns. Not that he was concerned. Because he doesn't do concerned.]

... well. I guess that's that.

[Still, his eyes dart over at Sheppard's hand and he clears his throat, uncomfortable.]

You, uh, you okay?

Edited 2022-08-22 16:41 (UTC)

Wow, okay, you know what? That sounds great, being fed hell grapes, so maybe I should thank you!

[Also that is very specific, Rodney.

But his attention turns towards the door.

It worked.

Somehow it worked.

He's seen enough technology that looks like magic to be pretty certain that it's technology, but for a moment there he is...unsettled.

If there is such thing as magic, it would look an awful lot like that.]

I'm, uh. I'm fine.

[His hand is bleeding quite a bit and he reaches into his vest, pulling out a gauze roll, and starts wrapping his hand. Rodney sounds concerned and that's making him worried.]

We should get outta here.

Right.

[Rodney stares at the door, similarly creeped out (but in an annoyed way, because he, too, thinks there's a mechanism - one that he hasn't found and that is just unacceptable?), and then his attention is back on Sheppard.

He watches him for a moment, fingers opening and closing nervously and occasionally playing with his sleeve before he takes another step towards him.]

Look, just-- just give me that.

[He plucks the gauze from his fingers, applying pressure on the sterile compress as he wraps the rest of his hand.]

I'm fine, it's not even that bad a cut.

[It is actually a pretty bad cut, and he doesn't protest when Rodney starts wrapping his hand.]

So, uh.

[He looks awkwardly down at his hand, feeling the need to make conversation about it. He doesn't want Rodney to worry.]

You think the demons are on their way?

Edited 2022-08-22 17:55 (UTC)

[Oh God, he's making conversation about it.

Rodney frowns without looking up, trying to get through this and not make this a thing but apparently, no such luck.]

Probably. You think they'd show up on a lifesigns detector?

Depends on the kind of demon. Physical, yeah, would definitely show up.

[He has no idea what to do or talk about, so yeah. This is happening.]

As a newly minted soulless person, you should probably get away before they get here.

[A teasing smile, but there's something serious underneath. If something bad has happened to him because of this, he can't dare let Rodney get hurt because of it.]

If anything--you know, really happens, though. You get out of here. Don't wait for me.

Edited 2022-08-22 20:35 (UTC)

[There's the slightest pause in the bandaging and his frown deepens to a scowl.]

What, so I have to come back and save your empty husk later? That just sounds like resolving this situation with extra steps.

[So no. Unless he sees hard evidence, this is a very last resorts kind of action.

A beat.]

If you try to eat me though, all bets are off.

[Despite himself, he chuckles. Of course, leave it to Rodney to make light of a situation that has the potential to end horrifically.]

Okay, fine.

I'll let you know if I feel extra hungry.

[There's a beat. Which reminds him...]

You don't think this is wraith-related, do you? It doesn't seem like their M.O.

Replicators, maybe.

TEST DRIVE MEME #1

no subject

no subject

cw: blood

cw: blood

cw: blood

cw: blood

cw: blood

cw: blood

cw: blood

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject