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

[ Eames leaves the teasing comment that he almost has typed out and simply replies: ]

Sure.

[A wise decision.

It means Arthur will actually be outside the bar without looking ready to murder when Eames gets there.]

[ Eames has found something else to wear than his sleeping gear. Most likely his salmon pink shirt wasn't available but he made sure to reach for it, just because, neither were the tan trousers but he made do what he had and dreamed loosely.

Arthur looks the same he did when Eames last saw him just yesterday, maybe a little healthier. There had still been traces of the illness readily clinging to him in Eames' orange room.

A year is a long time, though, and it plays unfortunately to the tune that Eames has been already composing with Arthur for a long while. He doesn't expect this to be pleasant.

But he smiles when he arrives and reaches to push the door open for Arthur. ]

Sorry to make you wait, [ he starts, not that he's much late, but perhaps he's not talking about the meeting itself. ]

You always make me wait. Why start apologising now?

[It's not said with any venom, at least. Just the usual levels of cool disdain and hidden amusement as he somehow manages to give the impression of looking down his nose at someone who's the sqme height as him.

While none of the plague scars are left on his face (the only part of his body bared), there's a faint red, raised line that goes along his jawline, all the way around his head, visible along the bottom of his hairline at his nape. Two more lines join that at his ears, running down the sides of his neck as if someone had tried outlining him with something sharp enough to scar.

He steps into the bar, nodding in thanks at the door being held open.]

Found anything interesting since you got back?

Ah, I forgot, I was supposed to be an arsehole all the time, [ Eames replies easy enough, immediately challenging the irritation that mildly frustrates him. Step forward, two steps back, rinse and repeat.

There is a little bit of whiplash that follows, though, and he sighs when Arthur's back is turned to him.

The scar is new - don't think he didn't notice that - and it thrusts a bang of anger through Eames. Suppressed, it still lingers on his brows as a frown a moment later when they walk into the bar. ]

How about we get drinks and you'll tell me what's happened since I disappeared? [ he suggests instead of answering Arthur's question. ]

Edited 2020-04-10 11:04 (UTC)

[Come now, Eames. You're used to Arthur being a prickly bitch.]

You want it chronologically? It's a long list of events.

[Even so, Arthur's not going to turn down drinks. He could use it after the past several months.

At least his Eames is back, which reminds him:]

There's another you running around, by the way. From an alternate world or something.

[ He's used to it. He also finds it rather entertaining when he doesn't need someone he can trust, and he needs that right now. Because the situation is troubling him a lot even if he's not showing it. Arthur is it, his choice of a person when he needs someone he doesn't need to double-guess even once. ]

Give it to me in any shape or-- [ he pauses there, staring at Arthur with a deepening frown. ] Another me? [ What the hell does that mean? ]

You heard me. This isn't some lookalike, either. His name is Eames, he's involved in dreams somehow other than through dreamshare or extraction work. [A pause, and then:] And he's got a dog.

[ The thought makes Eames obviously troubled, his eyes gone wider and his stance suddenly very defensive. You probably don't want to touch him right now.

His ears are humming and he reaches up to rub one finger under his nose while he thinks.

Another one of him. That's... Not possible.

Whoever this impostor is, they probably are good when they have Arthur hooked on the lie. ]

A dog? [ he asks instead and then shakes his head and turns to look at Arthur in the eyes, steady and focused. ] You know he isn't what he says he is, right?

There've been multiple versions of the same person in Deerington before. You can't just assume either of us will be the exception to the rule.

[Shaking his head, he picks a seat at the bar.]

There's also a new guy in town that showed up more recently. Irish, looks and sounds a bit like he's from the early 1900s. Opened a pub.

[Lingers a moment on that before shrugging and adding:] He's got Fischer Jr.'s face. So don't get confused if you come across him.

[ Eames follows after Arthur to the table with a dread deepening the frown upon his brows. This is... He feared Arthur would say that. ]

There's always the possibility of there being more of us in a dream, Arthur, [ he says as he takes a seat at the other side of the table and searches for Arthur's gaze. ] But there are other ways to get to the same results. [ He has a feeling Arthur has already fallen into believing this person, though. And it worries him greatly. ]

How long this other me has been here? [ he asks and completely ignores the little detail about Fischer. Robbie will just have to come second right now. ]

Since August, so... around 9 months?

[Don't you dare suggest he's going crazy, Eames. Not you, Mr. "Orange is the New Everything".]

[ Eames stares at Arthur with narrowing eyes. That's a lot longer than he thought. If this person means to harm Arthur by getting close to him under this guise - Eames doesn't know why they would pick him and not Dom Cobb, though - they've had a long time to establish a bond.

He leans forward, licking his lips with a look that says he's going to bring something serious to the table. ]

Has he asked favours from you? Did you... [ How is he going to say this without Arthur hitting him square in the face?

Just out with it Mr. Eames. ]

Have you become to... trust him?

[That earns an unimpressed stare.]

Are you actually sitting here asking me if I slept with him?

[ Eames rolls his eyes, frustrated. ]

Did I ask you if you sucked his dick? I think I didn't.

[ He knows they're getting dangerously close to that punching territory here. ]

Are you being slow on purpose?

[And this ladies and gents, isn't going to win him any favours. But it gets away from him. Why? He isn't completely sure. ]

Don't make me shoot you. You're not the only one who reads between the lines and I know what you were implying by asking if I 'trust him'.

[Rolling his eyes, waving the barkeep over to get some drinks for them both.

And even if he should leave well enough alone, he can't help a little jab of his own:]

Why should you care, anyway?

[ Eames bites his teeth together and finally looks away, obviously frustrated and irked.

He drums his fingers against the table until the waitress walks up to their table to take orders. ]

Bring me a scotch, [ he says and gives her a smile that doesn't reach up to his eyes. ] Make that double. Thank you, luv.

That's not an answer, Eames.

Did you answered any of my questions, Arthur? I don't think you did.

[ Kettle, meet pot. ]

[Deadpan. Star.]

Ask a stupid question and you'll get no answer from me.

[ Eames doesn't respond but there's a quirk on his brows that says Arthur can pretty much say that back to himself.

The waitress brings them back their drinks. Eames picks up his glass and takes a gulp. ]

There's a scar on your jaw I haven't seen before.

[Arthur knows better than to stiffen up. That doesn't stop him from clenching his jaw a bit right before he knocks back his drink.]

You should find other faces to look that closely at.

[ Apparently they're not talking about that either. Just how many things will Arthur keep from him? Maybe all of them.

Eames leans back in his seat and drags his drink closer.

He says nothing at all, leaving it to Arthur to lead this time. ]

[Taking Eames' silence as permission for Arthur to continue going through events that happened in his absence, he takes another sip of his drink as he goes through a mental log of it all.]

A bit after you vanished, the Townspeople got violent. Some houses got broken into, people got attacked. A food shortage, which got used as a way to force the Sleepers to participate in some violent 'games' to get supplies for winning. Some second-level dreaming, but again, no detectable Dreamer or Subject.

[A thoughtful tilt to the head as he thinks back on that.]

They called it the Great Sleep. Killing yourself to get out of it didn't work, either. I tried.

[He remembers walking through the desert with a hole in his head, feeling numb and cold as blood dripped down his face. At least that had been easy enough to recover from.]

Then back in town we got some 'evil clones', but they weren't too hard to kill off. The town got a gothic redesign for a while, then flooded with blood... Some zombies, except these were loved ones and then they turned violent.

[Finishing off his drink, he gestures to the waitress for a refill. Somehow, thinking back on all the shit that's happened makes Arthur very thirsty.]

[ And lead he will. Eames doesn't doubt the things he recalls. There's no reason for Arthur to lie to him about it.

It sounds horrific and Eames is done with his double by the time Arthur keeps a little break. ]

I would imagine that we're quite well tranquillised up there that killing would do very little.

[ That's what he decides to say. Arthur doesn't like him to ask what happened to Arthur himself, so Eames is gearing up for that. ]

APRIL 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

YOU UNCULTURED SWINE

GOOD ENDURES

Character Arrival

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