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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Chloe had been starting to open up the comic shop when she'd seen the girl on the bench in a passing glance and she can't help but be a little confused when she starts walking over. Her greeting makes Chloe look over her shoulder, like she's pretty sure that the girl is talking to someone behind her and not to her directly. Predictably, there's no one there.

Well... okay. ]

Uh, hey. We're not open for another like... fifteen... If you're super anxious to get hella out dated comics for some reason.

[Oh wow, what a cute girl... Wait no, focus! Wait- comics?! REALLY!? Usagi brightened up and then took several steps back.]

Oh my gosh! I love comics! I mean, even outdated ones. Um, sorry though for just... popping up on you like that. It's not... okay so full honesty my feet kinda moved before I even realized what I was doing. [She gave a nervous laugh.] I'm sure that sounds super weird, I'm sorry.

It's a good chance to really dig into the classics.

[ It's said more off-handed as she finishes lifting the gate from the doors, letting the rest of her ramble sink in as she does so. My feet kinda moved before I even realized.

She hums in thought, shaking her head. ]

Nah. That sounds... pretty normal for Deerington. You eat something the locals were offering? That's sometimes the case.

Actually, I pricked my finger on a spinning wheel! Can you believe that? I just turned the corner and BAM, ran right into it and the next thing I know I can't resist touching it. [Good thing she was already asleep considering her true love was back... in the waking world? God this was so confusing.]

Who just leaves an entire SPINNING WHEEL in the center of the sidewalk? The only thing I've had to eat were some strawberries in the basket. Which, actually are really super-duper good. [Her brows knitted together.] Um... but wait, should I worry about the food the locals give me?

[ Her forehead creases because she definitely would have expected this to go a fairy tale route instead, but she's not exactly looking at someone in a never ending sleep here. ]

The stuff in your basket's fine, but if it's free food offered at a party or a fair or whatever, the stuff is either gonna make you hella drunk, or make you do all sorts of weird shit. You should be able to cook your own food and be safe though.

[ ... If only... she knew... ]

Spinning wheels are new, though. Definitely sounds like you got yourself cursed.

[ The conversational tone she's using for this is probably very ill-fitted for the information she's presenting, but this is like talking about the weather after two years. She pushes the door to the comic shop open and goes to head in, hesitating before she keeps holding the door open for her. ]

Just don't touch anything until I say we're open, okay?

Yes, ma'am! [Usagi doesn't have much of a choice as she's compelled to follow Chloe inside. She nods though, and salutes, and then snaps her arms to her side and even accidentally holds her breath before realizing she was and letting it go.]

Sooo grocery store is fine or like... am I going to have to learn to hunt and fish and garden? [Makoto would be thrilled about that last one.] I'm not sure I could bring myself to kill my own food...

[ She lets the door shut behind them, going to the front counter and hopping up and over. ]

Groceries fine. Food's free, too, so long as you've got a job or go to school. Sometimes when this place gets particularly bad we end up with a food shortage, but the other Sleepers are real good about sharing in times like those. Makes it a little easier to get by.

Um... about the job thing, how do I... okay this sounds weird but how do I get one? Like, should I work for the citizens or... not...? You seem to be doing okay though. Is it really okay to just... be talking out in the open like this?

[ She shrugs. ]

It's... mostly safe, yeah. At least about stuff like this. The townspeople can say mean shit and sometimes they're cruel, but it's more based on how uh— [ She cuts herself off for a second, trying to choose her words carefully. ] Different you are.

[ She clears her throat, going to start to count the money in the drawer quickly. ]

They mostly try to avoid us, though. They'll definitely hire people for shops, like one of them runs this place, but I've never seen them in it, and I get treated like the manager a lot. You can get paid for going to the high school or college. Basically you can start showing up for classes and they just... know, I guess. And with jobs, you just hand in an application and they'll pretty much hire you then and there.

[She gave a small nod.] I'll... give it some thought about the college or job thing. [She took a deep breath.] I've never had a proper job before. I mean, volunteer stuff and like, school cafes but not... [She pressed her lips together.]

Oh, gosh, by the way, I'm Usagi Tsukino, sorry about just dropping all these questions on you. Um, how long have you been here? You said they can say some nasty things, have you been okay?

[ She offers her a reassuring smile over the top of the register. ] I never had a real job before this place either. You'll be alright. And hey, you can always work here if you want. Reading comics all day and getting paid for it ain't such a bad gig.

[ But then she goes and asks if she's okay and Chloe goes quiet, not even returning the introduction for a moment. That's probably one of the most loaded questions anyone can ask here. She's got more than a few visible scars that run up her neck and one that's hard to miss across her nose at this point; okay would certainly be a stretch.

She closes the register drawer a little quickly. ]

Almost two years. [ She can't even try to follow that up with comfort anymore about how she probably won't be here that long. ] I'm fine.

[ She moves out from behind the counter again, going to flip the sign from closed to open. ]

Chloe Price. I'm used to the questions. We're all new sometime.

I may take you up on that, Chloe-san. [She smiled at the offer. Wouldn't that be the dream! Reading comics all day and getting paid to do it.] Once I get more settled I'll let you know, yeah?

[When Chloe goes quiet, Usagi watches her and knows she's hit the nail on the head and her hands clench. Not so okay, then. She'd deal with this town, she wasn't sure, but she would somehow. She'd get everyone out of here, somehow, even if it killed her.

She took a deep breath and then smiled a bit kinder.] I'm sorry you've been here so long, Chloe-san.

I guess... I don't know, I guess I hope you get home soon.

[ She did her best to let the tension out of her shoulders at her response. The best thing Deerington had probably done for her was to help her learn how to stop taking out everything on people who had no hand in her misery. Usagi seemed like one of those genuinely kind people that were unfortunate enough to get stuck here. It was sad, in a way. ]

I don't want to go home.

[ She said it more gently than her previous words, going to pull herself up onto the counter again and using it as her seat, legs dangling off the edge. ]

This place might suck, but some things suck a lot worse.

[Usagi listened and wondered what was so terrible back home that being here was... maybe not better, but... she nodded. She wouldn't push Chloe, not when they literally just met. At the comment that some things could be worse, that meant...]

Then, I guess I hope this place gets better. [Maybe it wasn't just about getting people home, but making this place better too.]

You've been here a long time, so you must know this place like the back of your hand, in a way, huh?

[ That was a hope she could get behind and she decides to focus on the positive (a new phenomenon she's trying to embrace these days). Giving a confident smirk, she nods. ]

Sure do. I could probably start a tour group and relay all the history of Deerington we've got in all it's fucked up glory.

[She laughed, which honestly, it felt like she hadn't done in weeks despite only having been here a few hours.]

We'll get you a little headset and a flag so no one leaves the group.

[ 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.

And here on your left is a cursed spinning wheel! While on your right is a deer.

[She covered her mouth to try and stifle the remaining giggles but she gave up.]

I'm so glad this curse I'm under had me find you, Chole-san! I mean, even something as weird as... well, this is easier when someone so cute and nice is around.

[ She gave her own laugh, biting down on her cheek to not make it too loud.

And then she goes and says cute and she almost chokes on said laugh, feeling her ears burn slightly. She's still not used to girls calling her cute, alright. ]

Guess that's one way to look on the bright side of the weirder shit that this place has done. I wonder if there's a way to break the curse. Have you felt any change since you got in here?

[Seeing cute girls blush always makes Usagi happy... Maybe she learned too many things from Haruka. Ah well.]

Hmm, well, honestly, besides the feet thing I didn't feel all that weird to begin with! But maybe we can try to see what the curse even wanted me to do. I mean, how do curses usually get broken? If it's a spinning wheel I should be asleep, but I'm already asleep, right? So maybe I... well, storybook curses are usually broken by kisses... or weddings.

[ Chloe hops down from the counter, walking the short distance between them while she's talking, nodding along with her explanation of not feeling so bad and how she ought to be asleep and such. Her assessment is correct. ]

Well, I dunno that we could get a wedding thrown together that quickly, but...

[ One out of two ain't so bad, right? There's a pause before she definitely goes to put her finger under Usagi's chin so she can tilt her head up a bit and she leans in to kiss her.

Look, she's helping. ]

Hm? Well, I mean-

[Oh.

OH!

Usagi is not at all complaining when she's being kissed by Chloe. In fact, she's blushing a bright red because Chloe is very pretty and has very soft lips is an excellent kisser. Not that Usagi is a slouch when it comes to kissing herself. She closed her eyes and deepened it a little before pulling away.

She giggled, bright red in the face.]

W-w-well, shall we see if it broke the curse?

[ This has probably been the most confident Chloe has ever been with a girl in her entire ass life, and boy does it feel awesome. She pulls back when Usagi does, giving her a small smirk as she sees the blush over her face.

She could totally get used to that. ]

Sure. I’ll head upstairs, gotta set up some tables for gaming anyway. Stay... down here if you can, I guess.

[ She goes to head for the staircase in the back of the store. ]

Edited 2020-04-08 05:15 (UTC)

[Unbeknownst to Usagi, the way to break the curse was not a kiss but telling information about herself, which she did in spades. So when Chloe leaves, Usagi doesn't feel the urge to follow.

However, she does, immediately to hug Chloe. Have a tiny blonde hugging you like crazy, Chloe.]

YOU DID IT YOU DID IT YOU DID IT! Your kisses are amazing! You're my curse breaker! You saved me, Chloe-chan!

[ Chloe’s eyes widen and she stiffens up at first at the sudden hug. Despite the kiss, she’s never been the best at affection she didn’t initiate, and surprise affection is that much more jarring. But she relaxes quickly enough, albeit still bemused as she puts an arm around Usagi. ]

I did...?

[ She had seriously not expected that to work in the slightest. There’s a small laugh that escapes her because hey, she always wanted to be the prince in a fairy tale before. ]

Uh... Cool.

APRIL 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

APRIL 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

YOU UNCULTURED SWINE

GOOD ENDURES

Character Arrival

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