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

[Martin squeezes the other man gently, propping him up through it all. When Jon starts to hug him back, Martin drops his hands down a little to make it easier. And he just breathes. Slow and steady, something for Jon to match, if he needs it.]

I was really scared there. I thought-I thought this was really a nightmare. If you didn't remember, I- [But he has remembered.] Are you sure you don't want tea?

[Look, he has his go-to comfort activities and fussing over making sure Jon has a nice cuppa is one of them.]

[ He falls into Martin's pattern of breathing before he's fully realized it. Slowly, things stabilize. Jon knows where and when he is again. (He's with Martin.)

Not that he didn't know— but now he can narrow things to just one experience. To here. ]

Tea would be lovely. [ It has the tone of both thank you and whatever you want. ]

[Tea does, of course, require letting go of Jon. Martin seriously considers just picking up the other man and carrying him along to the kitchen, but that would be a little much. So, he lets up on the hug and finally cups Jon's cheek like he's been wanting to do.]

Stay here. I'll have it ready in just a bit.

[He leaves Jon to the sofa and steps over into the kitchen, which isn't terribly far away.] Where did you wake up, anyway? I never did ask. I just sort of... thought you'd woken up here and left while I was sleeping.

[ He leans into that hand, drunk on the feeling of it. He doesn't even have to think about it. Martin is so warm, so solid, so real.

For this one, small moment, everything just about makes sense.

Then Martin asks that question, and he focuses again on where they are. Where they shouldn't be. ] Um— a few doors down. It looks identical, near as I can tell.

[ His tone is stabilizing to something normal. Jon has more or less finished rebooting, now. ]

Right. We can grab your things and bring them back here on the way back after we look around the town.

[It's said with certainty and the soft clatter of a kettle going onto the stove. He grabs the little book of rules from the basket that's sitting in his kitchen and comes back out to lean in the doorway and read it.]

I don't see anything about it being illegal for people to live together. Um...

[Hold on a minute. Martin looks back at the basket. His mobile had been in there along with his glasses this morning when he'd pulled himself together to answer the door.]

Jon... did you have a basket with a letter and things in it at your place?

[ He nods slowly. The idea of trying to sleep apart, separated by houses and whatever might lurk between them— no. He's not letting Martin out his sight for a while, if he can help it. Overbearing, he knows, but it feels good that he can. ]

Yes. A phone, a keychain, and [ a hollow little laugh ] a tape recorder. And the jar of berries.

[ He'd waited to eat the berries until his fingers had started fading away. It had been, from a certain perspective, a shame not to see what would happen if all of him were to fade. He can't help but be curious.

But he is also, contrary to popular belief, not an idiot. ]

[There's a jar of blackberries in Martin's basket, as well. He returns to it and picks it up, curiously. He takes a look at the letter while he's at it. And then he sees he needs to eat this or he'll start fading away? His eyes widen slightly.]

Did you... eat one of the berries?

[Because this has 'this may be poison' written all over it. But if Jon did it, it should be safe, right?]

I did. If you don't, you'll begin to... dissolve.

[ a beat. with their background, that sounds much more graphic than he means it. ]

That is, you'll... fade away. I'm not sure what will happen then— if it would take us back to where we were. But, ah... I doubt it.

[ So. He took the risk. There's so much to figure out about this place, anyway— surely there will be some way out. Jon has, at this point, escaped from worse. ]

[Dissolving sounds horribly graphic and even as Jon's speaking Martin's getting a berry out and stuffing it into his mouth. It tastes... fine, really. Juicy and tart. He breathes a sigh of relief and closes that up, putting it into the refrigerator. The kettle starts to whistle and Martin rattles around getting tea--there's some in the cupboard, thank goodness--prepared. He doesn't have milk, but there's some sugar, and he puts some into his, fixing Jon's as best he can to the other man's usual tastes with what he has.

He brings a pair of plain mugs out and offers one to Jon.]

So. Sodder. I... don't remember seeing a name like that in any of the Statements. Or any of the books I read in the library. Ringing any bells for you?

[ He takes the mug gratefully, just enjoying the warmth of it in his hands and the calm rhythm of Martin's movements. ]

No. I don't know it. [ He sighs. ] Nothing here is familiar, honestly. I can't... I can't Know about this place, even when I try. I can't see the shape of it. Even the Eye feels distant. It's... a bit like being in the Buried.

[ Which is. worrying. ]

[Martin purses his lips for a moment, thinking.]

Is that... a good thing or a bad thing?

[Because in his book, anything that dampens Jon's connection to the Eye is probably a good thing. But at what cost is really the question.]

[ He grimaces, a little. ] Both?

[ Jon takes a sip of his tea, for something to do with his hands. They're shaking a bit, and he watches this dispassionately. ] I still... I don't feel— [ another little huff of a sigh. ] It's further away, but I do not feel less hungry. Maybe I'm just... tired.

[ He's not sure how well he can really distinguish between eldritch hunger and general exhaustion, these days. ]

[Concerning. Martin shifts his tea to one hand and wraps his arm around Jon's shoulders.]

We'll figure something out, whether it's one or the other. I can... I'll get some statements for you. A place like this? There are people who're bound to have all sorts of stories, right? If it's... really a dream. I just need you to hold tight for a little while, okay?

[He will make sure Jon has enough to manage. There has to be enough.]

Edited 2020-04-08 21:50 (UTC)

[ A little bitterly: ] Oh, if there are, I will be able to find them.

[ All right, that's. Probably not the best thing to say. Martin is making an incredible effort to be strong and comforting for him, and he should try to return the favor— or at least be worthy of it. Jon relaxes into the one-armed hug and offers a tired smile. ]

Yes. Yes, we'll find something. I'll be alright— I know you'll see to that. Thank you, Martin.

[Martin's lips thin a bit at that first comment, but he holds his tongue, letting Jon think about it and reassess for a moment. He just sips his tea.]

I'll have to see about getting a few things in writing. We can start a little private collection for you here. Just until we get back home.

[By hook or by crook, Martin will make this work. He won't have any more... mistakes that come back to haunt Jon. He has enough on his plate without all that.]

And if it is really weird here, maybe that'll be enough? Just-just experiencing it, right? That helps?

[ He nods along, too tired to protest. A private collection. Surely they'll find scraps enough here to keep him going. He doesn't presently have the energy to worry about what will happen if it's not enough. ]

Maybe. I hope so.

[ He is so, so tired. John leans his head back against Martin's shoulder— and frowns when this gives him a clear view of the new patterns ringing the man's throat. ]

May I... look at this? [ His fingers hover over the tattoo, a little crease of worry forming again between his eyes. ]

My mole?

[Martin's brows knit in momentary confusion as he tries to crane his head to see where Jon's reaching. He knows he as a few moles here and there.]

Um... sure?

The... tattoo.

[ His fingers brush the design, and then slide to cup Martin's cheek and gently angle his face away. He neatly tugs Martin's collar out of the way, shifting up onto his knees on the couch to get a better look.

Antlers wreathed in... fog. It sends an awful pang through him, and Jon lets go. Sits back. ]

The letter said we'd each been given one.

[Martin tilts his head immediately at Jon's gentle touch. There's a blush that colors his cheeks as Jon tugs at his collar, and this is not the time to think about things, but he kind of likes Jon scrutinizing him like that. He's about the only person Martin likes looking at him closely anymore. The tattoo mention has him wanting to find a mirror, but one thing at a time.]

Right. Um... where's yours?

[He cocks his head, gaze scanning Jon's neck, then moving to his hands and... really, that's about all that's visible.]

I don't know. [ Said irritably. ] There have been other priorities.

[ He hadn't wanted to get undressed in that empty, untrustworthy house. He... is deciding whether he feels safe enough to get undressed now. Nothing has come for them yet, and the ritual of sitting with tea does, he has to admit, help calm him down. He is more exhausted than wired, right now, though Jonathan Sims is an expert at combining the two. ]

I don't feel anything new.

Yeah, well... neither did I.

[Martin's got his own nervous sort of energy going.]

I could look, if you want? [He bites his lip. This is not a sexy scavenger hunt across Jon's body. This is not a sexy scavenger hunt.] We don't have to do it right now, though.

[ He hesitates. Cranes his neck to peer out the window, as though he'll happen to spot some new horror preparing to strike at them. He doesn't. The house, the street, all look at the same as before. ]

I... suppose things are quiet for the moment. The letter implied a certain baseline normality.

[ A beat. ] It wouldn't hurt to check. We've, uh... found yours.

[Okay, okay. This is fine. it might just be on Jon's stomach. He'll lift up his shirt a little and that will be that. Still. Martin sets down his tea and rises, moving to the window to shut the curtains for privacy.]

Right. I assume you took a look at your feet when you put your shoes on? So... start with your top and work down? [Is that too eager?] O-or you can go to the loo. There's a mirror in there.

[ Martin shutting the curtains makes him very... tense. Like they're cutting off their ability to see danger coming. But it's just for a minute, isn't it, and he just said it would be fine. It will be fine. ]

No, it's all right. I'm fine here. [ This is. A bit of new territory, isn't it. But that's ridiculous— they've been getting dressed and undressed in the same room for days now, and they're not teenagers.

Still. It has more intent behind it, more focus, than merely sharing space. Jon doesn't quite meet Martin's eyes as he takes his glasses off and sets them gently on the arm of the couch.

He hooks his fingers into the hem of his own sweater and peels it off. It rumples his hair and bares his forearms: nothing there but a light dusting of hair and the little round divots of worm-scars. He frowns down at the collection and glances self-consciously back up to Martin. Shirt next, he supposes. ]

[Martin does his level best not to just... ogle Jon from across the room. He steps closer and glances off to the side while the other man actively removes clothes, but looks back when he pauses, offering Jon an encouraging smile.]

I'm really sorry about this. Hopefully, it'll be quick to find. But, um... I mean, you don't have to worry about- you-you know I think you look- I mean, you're always- It's- I'm going to stop talking!

[And he'd go and stick his face in a corner if he weren't actively using his eyes at the moment.]

APRIL 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

APRIL 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

YOU UNCULTURED SWINE

GOOD ENDURES

Character Arrival

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