APRIL 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

[sodder]

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.

Comments

[acidwashjeans]

I'm at home. [ Which is so normal by now he doesn't even think to explain it. ]

Where are you? I'm making mac and cheese right now but I can get Billy or Jonathan to take over while I come get you.

[yourule]

I'm by some place called Arcadia Arcades. [ she's just looking for places that seem familiar enough, and the arcade is one of them.

robin doesn't realize that steve's talking about billy hargrove and jonathan byers -- she's just happy that mac and cheese is in her immediate future. ]

[acidwashjeans]

Okay, that's not too far.

[ Then there's a muffled sound of Steve yelling for someone to come stir the mac and cheese, followed by more muffled male voices either arguing or teasing each other.

There's a fond shut up from Steve, and then a door shutting. ]

I'll be there in about five minutes, okay? Don't eat anymore pork.

[yourule]

Wasn't planning on it. [ robin deadpans, and then hangs up. meeting two very hot girls as a pig is enough for robin, thanks!

robin's sitting on the curb outside the arcade, still in her dirty scoops ahoy uniform, smelling like an unholy combination of the russian base, a movie theater bathroom, and bacon. she's checking out the emoji keyboard on the fluid when steve pulls up, and as soon as she sees him, she stands up and waves. ] Nice ride!

[acidwashjeans]

[ Somehow, seeing Robin sitting there in her Scoops uniform has Steve properly panicking even more. She was fine, not as messed up as he'd been, but still. ]

Robin-- shit. When are you- what's the last thing you remember back home? Is it still July 4th?

[yourule]

Yeah? [ robin says, confused at first, as she climbs into the passenger seat. why wouldn't it be july fourth? but then she gets a better look at steve -- he's not in the uniform, his face is healed, and he looks older. now it's robin's turn to be spooked, and there's less levity in her voice when she continues: ]

We were at the radio tower with Dustin and Erica -- he was singing that song with his girlfriend? It was super embarrassing. [ a beat. ] How -- how long have you been here?

[acidwashjeans]

Almost a year, just about. [ but that isn't the weirdest part ] But back home, it's been a few months for me. Since July 4th.

[ He can't tell if she's believing him or not, since he has to drive. ] That's how this place works. People arrive here from all different times. A bunch of the kids from Hawkins are here, and they don't know what happens yet, at the mall with Billy.

[yourule]

Shit. [ a whole year? multiple timelines? kids who don't know about the mall, and all its danger and destruction? robin finally lets it all sink it, and it's a moment before she speaks again. because if steve's been here for almost a year, then that means -- ]

Woah, are you twenty now? [ robin snorts. ] You're an old man, Steve.

[acidwashjeans]

Shut up. [ He laughs, still kind of embarrassed that he's not a teenager anymore. it's weird ]

It isn't just the kids who are here. Billy's here too. From after... [ you know. After. ]

[yourule]

[ billy’s here? but from after? that doesn’t make any sense — for billy, there was no after. robin gets quiet again, and this time, she looks a little worried. ]

But Steve — Billy, he — [ robin can’t do it, can’t voice what happened. ] — are you sure it’s really him?

[acidwashjeans]

Yeah, I'm sure. That-- the mind flayer's still inside him, but he's in control.

[ he doesn't want to say it, hates the fact that there's nothing they can do about billy playing host to this monster. but this is robin. if there's anyone he trusts enough to be completely honest with it's her. ]

It's fine, though. We're keeping it under control. I'm not letting it hurt anyone.

[yourule]

[ there’s a part steve’s caring instincts that robin thinks is really, really noble. and there’s a part that she thinks is incomprehensibly stupid. right now, she’s having a hard time figuring out where “taking in a possessed high school bully” lies. ]

Just be careful. [ robin says, solemnly. for once, there’s no joke here, no sarcasm in her voice. billy better not hurt anyone — and especially not steve. ]

[acidwashjeans]

Yeah.



[ and maybe steve shouldn't have led with "there's a monster in billy" because billy lived in their house and is kind of steve's.... well whatever the word is.

He drums his fingers on the steering wheel. ]

Okay, so there's more, but you have to not freak out.

[yourule]

I won’t. [ robin shrugs. she owes steve that much, after all. it can’t be that bad. ] What is it?

[acidwashjeans]

So. You remember how you were telling me about how you. Were into Tammy.

[ Steve's told plenty of people about him and Billy. Most days he forgets that back in Hawkins it'd be suicide being that open, because here everyone acts like it it's just normal. But Robin's just got here from Hawkins, and it's making him nervous.

But it's Robin, he tells himself. She trusted him, so he can trust her too. ]

Well. I'm-- not just into girls. Apparently.

[yourule]

...You're into Billy.

[ robin fills in, connecting the dots so quickly only because she's lived that -- and lived it recently. she still remembers how it feels, not knowing if her palms were sweaty becuase of the drug or the nerves, her heart beating a million miles a minute, like it was about to jump out of her chest...and then the relief, when steve wasn't an asshole. when he'd accepted her, even joked about it.

so even though he's picked billy -- or at least, robin's like 95 percent sure it's billy, why bring this up right after mentioning that he's helping billy manage the mind flayer? -- of all people, robin just smiles, and offers steve a high-five, even though he's driving. there'll be time to talk about the rough details later. ]

Welcome to the team, dingus.

[ there's a genuine warmth to her voice, now. ]

[acidwashjeans]

[ steve can't duck his head because he's driving and that would be dangerous, so there's nothing to hide how he winces, then blushes and grins when she gets it right on the first try.

jesus, he hadn't realised that he missed being called a dingus

he gives her a high five in return, briefly catching her eye in a grateful look ]

Team terrible taste, that's us.

[yourule]

[ at steve's comment, robin has to laugh -- and she does, letting out a big hah! ]

Woah, woah, easy there, Steve. I've got much better taste. I'm pretty sure Billy, like, stuffed Neil's head in a toilet once.

[ that poor, poor tuba player. ]

[acidwashjeans]

[ Steve keeps grinning, turning back to the road. ]

Neil-- [ it takes a second to think who that is ] What, like tuba Neil? Yeah, probably. He was such a douchebag back in school.

[yourule]

Oh, you don't even know the half of it.

[ robin pinches her nose and whines: ]

Joy Division's sophomore effort, Closer is really superior to Unknown Pleasures in every way, both sonically, and musically, to the point where it really set off a whole new genre...

[ robin makes a gagging face. ] So he might have deserved it.

[acidwashjeans]

[ steve's expression freezes in that look he used to get where he has no idea what's being said but he's not going to let on. ]

Uh-huh. Yeah. Definitely deserved that swirly.

[ But then he laughs, because he's older and doesn't care ]

He does really care about music, though. You should hear him and Byers go on and on about bands and genre stuff that literally no one cares about.

[yourule]

You mean Jonathan Byers? He and Billy actually talk to each other?

[ robin raises her eyebrows -- forget creepy townspeople with mallets, that's the strangest thing she's heard since coming here. ]

How many people from Hawkins are here anyway? There's you, and now me, and one of your kid friends, the one with the bad attitude and long hair, and Jonathan and Billy?

[acidwashjeans]

Okay so there's you and me. [ Steve counts off on his fingers on the steering wheel ]

Billy, Jonathan Byers, his kid brother Will, Dustin Henderson, Mike Wheeler, and El. [ That's everyone? ] Nancy Wheeler was here for a while, but she's gone. So that's eight. Not too many.

[ Wait there's something he should share. ] We're all living in the same place, actually. It's pretty busy.