soddersays | APRIL 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

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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!

Prompt One
Prompt Two
Character Arrival
Master Navigation

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.

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[ So focused on his small charge that he doesn't do much more than adjust their heading at first so that the other person on the path can go by unimpeded. Charles pats the pig's side as he stops, then looks up to ask a question: ]

Excuse me?

[ That was not the question he intended to ask. He had planned on asking if the stranger had seen a stream further up the trail. Despite the estate he grew up on, Charles was little more use than most city folk would be under the same circumstances. He was following the general directions he'd been given back in town.

Still, there was something vaguely familiar about the man. The gruff, sour attitude and the way he carries himself. He can't place it. ]

I---[ Charles clears his throat and adjusts the small creature in his arms. It wriggles and he closes his eyes briefly to focus on sending soothing feelings to it before reopening to look at the other man. ]---I apologize if I startled you.

[ He's not actively trying to read his mind. It doesn't mean he can't still pick up on sensations. Feelings. There's definitely upset. Not anger, though. At least he thinks there isn't. ]

I was wondering if you might've seen a stream up ahead on the trail?

A friend of Genji's is not the stirring recommendation Jesse thinks it is, and Hanzo's expression does not warm even by the barest of degrees. "You mean you are Overwatch. Or you were." He says the name like he'd rather not have it on his tongue. After all, while he certain bears his share of guilt when it comes to what happened to his brother, he also maintains that were his brother not swayed to betray the clan? All of what transpired could have been avoided.

So all told, if Jesse wants to address any issues with him and Genji, he is going to find Hanzo even less friendly than he does now. Which at this point, is about like saying the Arctic is going to get even colder.

The difference might not be noticeable, to the layman, but it will be present and recognizable to anyone familiar.

[ So caught up is Charles in trying to catch this once person, he hasn't noticed that he has an audience. His next attempt fails as the first did. It isn't exhaustion from the hiking or the chasing that makes him stop, but rather the ache in his head.

It just won't seem to go away completely.

He is about to give up for a moment and resign himself to keeping the pig in view. Then, he senses a familiar mind. His brows furrow and he looks around, it takes little to no time at all for him to recognize Erik, and he smiles in relief. ]

Erik! I woke up here and I thought I was alone---[ Only something feels strange. Stranger than the odd feeling of the town as a whole. ]---What?

What is it? What's wrong?

[ They've trained together enough. Traveled and had long talks over chess enough. He has begun to get to know his mind without having to read it. ]

Edited (wow html really does hate me) 2020-04-01 02:55 (UTC)

The question felt out of nowhere. Especially for someone speaking Common to ask it in the first place. "Well, yes." She paused. "Isn't it?"

Ariadne spoke in Common every day. So much so that she occasionally even dreamed in it. She couldn't say for sure what language she thought in, any more. But she knew it was probably some wicked hybrid of Common and the Alastrian tongue her parents had spoken.

Not something she questioned often.

But Deerington was raising a lot of unusual questions.

“Little bit of both. That a problem?”

No one who knows them could ever confuse the two Shimada brothers, physical differences aside. Their personalities are night and day anymore. But Jesse remembers when Genji was a different man. Angry. Quiet. He could brood with the best of them, and his silent displeasure could freeze even the sturdiest man in place. He can see that now, looking at Hanzo.

He shifts his stance a little in a way that wouldn’t look particularly threatening to the average person. To someone well-versed in combat, however… it might be a different sort of tell. His gun is fully visible at any rate. A deterrent, hopefully.

"No. I am not."

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?

Americans and their love of firearms. How predictable, such an unsophisticated taste from this...outlaw? Was that the term? He could think of a few he might choose, certainly less kind.

"That depends on what your business is with me," he replies, not quite grinding the words out between his teeth, but there's a quiet coil of tension in his muscles. He'll make a move if he has to, if he thinks Jesse is a threat in any way.

A decade of being chased by top-tier assassins does ingrain certain habits into one's nature.

[Albus looks him over, seeing grey in his hair and the age in his skin. With something like concern and caution in his voice, he says:]

This place does strange things to the people here. It may well be the fruit. You'd be wise to avoid eating more of it.

Thanks. You're...sweet. [Wrong, but sweet. Bella is fully resigned to the fact that she's one of the most awkward-looking people on the planet. It's fine. She's used to it.

She hiccups once (ew, pennies) and offers the little vial back.] Haven't met a witch before. Some other stuff, but...no witches.

[Bella is still red in the face, but at least she only trips over her feet once or twice as she hurries to fall into step with Johanna. The urge to follow along is still there, but it's...less embarrassing this way, at least.] Uh. There's...not a lot interesting about me, um. My name's...Bella? I-I already said that. Um. I'm a...Virgo?

Chloe had not been so lucky as to avoid the spinning wheels. While normally she’s way better about not getting herself tricked by Deerington’s usual nonsense, she was also a horrible klutz which meant that in the process of trying to sneak around one, she’d definitely stabbed her finger. She was waiting to fall into some kind of deep sleep or whatever, but then there’s... nothing. At all.

“Well that was anticlimactic,” she mutters under her breath as she goes to suck on the wound on the tip fo her finger. She was just about to head on her way when she noticed the man coming out of the alley — and the moment she accidentally catches his eye, she ends up finding herself walking over to him. Oh God.

Oooooh no.

There’s an awkward beat as she stops in front of him, still sucking on her finger, and she wonders if this is the weirdest thing to happen to her this week. It’s pretty high up there. Should she say something? She should say something.

“... Sweet tat, dude.”

It’s a good thing Hanzo didn’t insult his gun out loud, otherwise Jesse would be testing those reflexes of his right about now.

“You’re my friend’s brother. That’s my business, but hell if I know why he’s so eager to get you back on his team.” That dedication to not bringing up the murder thing? Yeah, that’s flying out the window fast. He doesn’t move either, completely still in the manner of a true standoff. The minute Hanzo makes a move though, he’ll have Peacekeeper in his hand.

“You probably just showed up here, right? He’ll want to know you didn’t get left in a back alley somewhere. This ain’t a normal town, if you hadn’t noticed.”

He’s trying to do you a favor here, in other words.

It's not hard to guess he's holding back, but she respect that. Despite that she talks a lot, she was actually extremely tight lipped about the important things. In fact, half the time talking a lot was a way in which to either distract someone, or get them to accidentally open up. Neither of which she was trying to do at that moment. She simply purses her lips and nods to his few words.

"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."

Ah. Yeah, I didn't...didn't really think there was. [The attention to the injury is...nice. Kind of reminds her of being around her mom or dad when she was little. Little enough to be taken care of, at least.

The question gets an awkward, unsure shrug.] No, nobody I know. I mean, I didn't last too long before dangerously injuring myself, but in that time I didn't see anyone. Have you been here long?

[ If Lavellan is uneasy here, then good. He should be. Shows he has a good instinct for trouble.

Jesse also has his own instincts in that regard, though he more often than not ignores them. His frequent wanderings around town are a little bit of both good sense and recklessness. He likes keeping track of the place, but also… well, you never quite know what you’ll find. A scared and confused elf is hardly the worst thing honestly. ]

You think this is hell or somethin’?

[ He turns a corner and sees the stranger, flashing him a smile he hopes is reassuring. ]

It’s no heaven, but it has its good points.

I mean...I guess I could go back to school. [Bella makes a face even as she says it, thinking ruefully of how long high school had seemed the first time around. Then again, if she's planning on halting her aging ASAP, she might need to get used to being in high school forever. Still. It's not her preference.

Then, after clearing her throat, she makes an attempt at humor:] I dunno, I think pizza's pretty basic. An essential, even.

[ then there's a skinny, slightly twitchy guy at his side, a red vine hanging from the corner of his mouth as he peers down in some concern at the pig. ]

You know, six months ago I would've thought I was imagining this. [ but things tend to be put into perspective once you hop realities once or twice. he's a lot.. better than he was when he first wound up on that island, too.

he bites the red vine, lifting the rest of it away from his mouth and turning to look at the stranger. for a moment or two, he looks kind of familiar.. but he can't quite place him. ] I hear it's probably some kind of spell. Like.. real magic.

I-I mean, um...not...not in so many words. [Bella laughs, suddenly, still red-faced, but definitely reassured in spite of herself.] That's...really nice of you to say, Usagi.

[Then she nods, looking around, trying to find other nice things.] And it's, um...the weather seems nice, at least. Sunny. Not rainy. I don't really like the rain.

[ He can't help but laugh; both at the rapidly-rising feeling of jubilation--he can grow old here--and at the concern audible in the man's voice. Ganymede is hardly as vain a creature as he is often made out to be. ]

I've rarely been accused of being wise before.

[ And just with that, he seems younger, some of the gray disappearing from his hair. ]

[ the diner pig has stopped at the edge of the bank, staring down into the water at its own reflection. it doesn't seem to be thrilled at what it sees, but erik is still too busy watching the distant figure to take notice.

instead, he silently observes as the man stills from chasing his own pig companion and turns around, searching.

time seems to slow as the stranger morphs into one of absolute familiarity. he can feel his breathing slow to a stop as every muscle in his body tenses at the sight of him — charles xavier. his old friend.

—except that wasn't him. it couldn't be.

a young girl informed him of the town's propensity to transform people. perhaps, this is one of those instances. it could be a manifestation created to taunt him by whoever is responsible for this dreamlike world. it could also be a shapeshifter.

in any case, erik currently does not see his old friend in front of him, but an imposter. ]

Who are you? [ there is no warmth or cordiality in the way he presents the question. it is a cold demand. a warning. a chance to tell him the truth before he loses his patience. ]

[ on the days billy doesn't train with loki, he practices sharpening his magic alone. most days, it's something simple, but today he's taken to isolating himself a little ways up the side of the mountain - away from the general public, where there's little to no risk of hurting someone if he slips up.

today, he's working with lightning. on and off for most of the afternoon, out in the middle of the forest of trees blanketing the side of the mountain, billy hovers a couple inches off the ground, and he directs a handful of arcing bolts of lightning between and around the trees, careful not to let the electricity touch any of them, lest he lose the purpose of the exercise.

lightning creation and manipulation has always come easiest to him out of all of his powers, but it's been a while since he's used it exclusively. he could probably use a little practice, just to make sure he's maintaining an appropriate level of skill and precision. the bolts twist and zap around thick trunks, just barely kissing the underside of leaves fluttering at the ends of low-hanging branches, and billy pushes himself a little harder than he probably should, considering the amount of work he's put in today and the strain it puts on his body here if he's not careful.

he feels the tell-tale, warm drip of blood start to creep down over his upper lip at the same time that he hears the very faint rustle of footsteps trudging through the twigs and underbrush that cover the mountain, and immediately drops his hands. the lightning that had been darting through the trees around him crackles out abruptly but the faint smell of ozone still remains, and billy wipes under his nose with the bone of his wrist as he turns around, swiping the drop of blood away as the footsteps grow louder.

who the hell is climbing up the side of the mountain in the middle of the day? billy takes a few steps in the direction of the footsteps, leaning a little to peer around the trees, eyes searching but finding nothing yet. ]

Uh... Hello? Who - who's there?

Edited 2020-04-02 17:06 (UTC)

[ Chloe grins when she hears her laugh; there’s a certain pride she feels with humoring pretty girls. ]

I guess I’ll have to go to the thrift shop and find myself a blazer. Just to be all official like.

[ His small charge starts to wander along the bank of the river, foraging for whatever it might find. It pays the two men little mind. Likely for the best, considering.

Charles is caught unprepared for the cold intensity of the question. He's felt Erik's pain, his anger, before. This is something far darker. It causes him to take a step back, jaw clenching. It reminds him of how he'd dealt with Emma in Russia.

He had no desire to watch him do something of that sort again, much less for that same upset to be directed at him. ]

Wh---Don't tell me Raven has been pretending to be me again. She had Sean convinced the other day---[ Beat. ] It's me, Erik.

What's gotten into you?

[ he takes it peter hasn't read the letter — or if he had, he didn't pay attention to who signed it.

he listens to his rambles quietly, observing his discomfort with mild interest. when did he become so nervous around him? what reason would he have to be? it isn't like he intends to hurt him. he has no interest in bringing harm to anyone. ]

That's what I'm trying to find out. I found a letter they placed inside of a welcome basket.

"... Why? You plannin' on offering me homemade candy." And that last part is said with air quotes, just to get the point across.

Speaking of points, he waves at the one she was looking at. "Wouldn't do that, though. Sharp, pricky. Enchanted a little. Bewitched, cursed, all that good stuff. I'm sure it's fine, though."

Well, at least he knows what's going on.

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APRIL 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

APRIL 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

YOU UNCULTURED SWINE

GOOD ENDURES

Character Arrival

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Re: Apples

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Spinning wheels

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Arrival

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diner edition

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Re: Apples

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mountains

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