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

I do adore how amazing people can be, that's true... but um... you humans so... that means you aren't one, yeah?

[She's not bothered by it, after all, Usagi herself is a Lunarian. It was nice to meet an alien who actually LIKED people and wasn't trying to destroy or rule over her planet for once.]

Oh, well, won't you be hurt by food they offer then? I don't want to put YOU in danger.

And actually, I'm pretty used to people and creatures from other planets and universes. At least five different aliens have tried to take over my planet... well, not the last one, she was just threatening to destroy it.

[This is why he needs Rose around to filter him. Though why does he hide the fact that he's not? Self prevention mainly; still feeling like an endangered species; even in the multiverse. The Doctor doesn't answer her question about him not being human. Maybe she'll forget. It is curious that she even picked that up]

Oh, I'll be fine.

[Then pauses for a moment when she mentions how aliens always trying to take over the Earth- which is another reason to not bring what he is up. Better to blend in even if in a crisis someone just screws his own rules]

You are?

[Then seems to be eyeing her more closely; she doesn't seem to be traumatized or if she is hiding that very well]

What do you do when they come?

Oh... well, um, but why? [Nope, she didn't forget.]

Mnn! Not all aliens are mean though! There are some super nice ones who protect and help our planet too! [She doesn't have time to be traumatized, oh sure, deep DEEP in her psyche she is, especially when it's an immortal gig she never gets to give up unless she stops existing. But HEY let's just SHOVE those thoughts deep, deep, deeeeeeep down where they will never ever ever see the light of day, yaaaay! But, no, in truth, she accepts her role as much as he does.]

Oh? Well, if they're nice aliens I would befriend them! I mean, what's any different to befriending someone from outer space than it would be befriending someone from a different country, yeah? Different customs and different appearances, but I don't see why them not being from earth would stop anything.

[There's a relief and small worn smile on The Doctor's face. He is very glad to hear that another universe - there's something of a balance.]

Sounds like you'll do just fine here. After all - multiverse and not everyone is human.

[After all, everything she just said is what The Doctor's human companions come to understand, eventually when traveling with him and of course, The Doctor has learned lives ago]

[A big smile]

And it's absolutely brilliant.

Edited 2020-04-18 01:43 (UTC)

[Well, she's the physical embodiment of the light in that balance... so...]

Well, thank you. Um, I just realized I don't know what to call you.

The Doctor.

Oh, what are you a doctor of?

Everything

[Thankfully for the Doctor, Usagi is used to titles as names, and he's not mean or evil like Wiseman is. She gives a small nod.]

Well, nice to meet you, Doctor, my name is Usagi Tsukino.

[Which it's awfully nice when others don't do that rule of three about his name; really not funny thing.

Ten smiles back; he can't help himself Usagi smile is contagious like -Rose's. Which dampens his mood - immediately like someone was left out in a rainstorm before finally, more neutral to try and hid that and with a calm remark]

The Dog Keeper is your friend and Sodder also wants to be. Remember that okay?

Dog keeper and Sodder... got it... [Usagi sees his smile immediately fall and she tilts her head. She frowns.]

What's wrong, Doctor?

Good.

[A hardy shoulder pat and does try to wiggle out of their hand holding]

Suppose I'll see you around.

[Why, yes, he's trying to run again. Oops]

[Her brow knitted together and she let go of his hand but she bit her lip.]

Oh...

Um... okay. [She didn't know what else to say to him, she clearly had hit a nerve.] Hey, I'm sorry if I asked you something that upset you. [Even... if that question was what was wrong.]

[Ten pauses in his retreat and looks over and calmly remarks]

It's okay. Really, it's okay. You didn't mean too. I know you didn't.

[A pause]

Just me promise me something? Keep being you, okay?

So long as you promise to talk to someone about what's wrong, Doctor.

[A slow thank you with his eye and longer pause as Ten starts to swing back and facing away from her and with a loud defeated exhale]

They know.

Then... please let them help, Doctor.

[She watched as he was about to walk away, taking him in.]

Or let me, if you'll let me.

They have... and I'll think about it. Okay?

[He does appreciate her kindness with reaching out to him but at the same time doesn't want to get more involved]

Ah yeah... um, guess I'll let you go.

Take care, Usagi