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

[Nosy is about right; Neji had known she was hovering. It hadn't occurred to him that the girl would actually approach, but that just makes his streak of wrong assumptions grow larger by one, today. He's visibly startled, though for a proud Hyuuga that only means the slightest widening of his eyes, and shooting the girl a quick glance.

His next course of action is to-- ignore her, basically.

For a bit. It's rude of her to intrude on the vendor's space, and it's rude of him to take that space in the first place. Neji hastily offers apologies to the seller, but no, he really doesn't think he can buy any of the food and thank you and excuse them. And in just about that same breath, as he straightens up

he doesn't look sick, does he? No, he doesn't even feel it, really, he'd been worse off last night at the soldiers' camp feeling like the eyestrain, the damned migraine, would never let up

anyway, he's not sure why he's baffled.] I'm fine. [Which is terse and, he figures, unconvincing. So he relents, and begrudgingly continues.] I'm perhaps a little nauseous but it's nothing to worry about. [Nothing said that wasn't obvious.]

Oh, well, I don't mind getting you something to eat, if you want? I actually have a little bit of money and I don't mind. But if you're nauseous you probably shouldn't eat something as heavy as pork! Why don't we get you some miso soup... or well... they probably don't have miso, but I bet they have chicken noodle or something!

[Oh, see, that

was embarrassing. Neji shook his head--] You don't have to get me anything. [--all the while his stomach roared, and he's left wishing to be borderline invisible again instead of accompanied by... a nice person.

But in all seriousness... feeling damn near faint wasn't ever supposed to be a new normal. Neji frowns, because that's a suspicious use of "we" and] I think I heard the diner offers a free meal to new Sleepers. It'll cover me. We could go there. [Please help, someone; he's complicit.]

Hmm, well, alright, I'll go with you! [The way his stomach was roaring and the way he seemed ready to fall over, Usagi could never let him go now until she was sure he wasn't about to faint.] Food always tastes better when you eat with some company so they say.

My name is Tsukino Usagi, what's your name?

[He can't help it, he spares parting glances this way and that, a small part of him hoping to see-- (who?) a familiar face, laughing at how quickly and thoroughly Neji had fallen out of his depth.

He starts off towards where he thinks the promised diner is. He tries to recall a Tsukino clan and comes up short.] Hyuuga Neji. [--] It's a pleasure to meet you, Tsukino-san. How long have you been in Deerington?

Nice to meet you too, Neji-san! [She smiled.] You can call me Usagi, no need to be so formal, yeah? And hmm? Oh! I've been here for a few hours.

I actually wound up here on this street by accident. I'm so terrible with directions!

[Usagi, then. He can do that-- she's his age, or the Rookies' age, and the revelation that his savior had a handful of hours worth of a head-start in this after-life-that-isn't doesn't even phase him.

Much.] You weren't lost. [It's a statement, but there's a definite question mark. It's his turn to radiate some

level

of concern, apparently.] Were you looking for something in particular?

Hmm? Oh, well, I'm trying to find my way back to the house I entered out of, apparently, that's my new home. But I have NO idea where that is right now, but it's okay, Neji-san! Food first! I'm not in any rush!

Honestly, I'm pretty hungry too after all this searching. But I could always eat.

[There's a lot to unpack there] If you're sure, Usagi-san. [and too little will to fight to make sense of a girl who is reminding him far too much of Lee.

Neji grimaces at the comparison and he-- nevermind. Dearly Diner, says a sign up ahead. Neji nods towards it, and makes to open the door so Usagi can step inside. It looked (smelled) innocent enough.] I could help you search. [For the house.]

Why thank you for being such a gentleman! [She said as she went in.] Would you!? Ah, Neji-san that's so sweet of you! Now I HAVE to treat you, I insist, no arguing! Eat as much as you want! Oh wow, doesn't it smell so good in here? And how cute, it's so retro! [Well, technically not retro.] Think they have milkshakes? Oh, that's probably still way too heavy for you, but I mean, you might need the sugar.

We'd like a table for two, please! [She smiled to the person who merely sneered before showing them to a table. Usagi took a seat, happy she stayed by Neji's side.]

You're so sweet, Neji-san. I'm glad I ran into you. [~~Forced her presence on him~~]

[He wants to protest everything that comes out of Usagi's mouth. Everything. For a second he's not even sure he's heard her right, because he's fairly sure he's only ever heard those words dry, or coated in sarcasm. A good distraction from the addled thoughts is to scan the interior as they enter, as they're seated. There's a potential danger with the few patrons who turn to outright glare at them, with the establishment if it encourages this from its staff, but he's been to towns where shinobi weren't exactly welcome, either. So he slides to sit opposite of Usagi

who's just said he's sweet, again-- is she okay, should he bother to correct her--?

She's not like Lee; she's essentially Naruto, the ramen-hearted idiot.

Apparently pleased with his hasty judgement, Neji lets himself relax; he still needs to be proper and all, he still puts effort into resisting to slouch, he's careful to keep his right hand under the table and out of sight, but it's... good to lean back against the plush booth. And just accept the company.] If we're both new, Usagi-san, we have the same provisional funds. It wouldn't make sense for me to take dollars from you. Helping you search will help me learn the town better; I already said you shouldn't worry about me.

[Says the guy who's fighting to keep hunger pangs away and who now is being rudely accosted by an urge to nap it away. Sure. He's trying, and being a tryhard has a tendency to work in his favor; the waitress returns, slaps menus and cold waters on their table before storming off without waiting for them to speak--- oh well.]

ah well... yes, that... IS true, but I ate! Actually! Did you eat, Neji-san? You should have, there was a basket full of food! So I mean, we should make sure you eat some of that. Do you have your basket on you?

I'm trying to find my way back to my house. I keep getting turned around by things cause suddenly East Main Street becomes North Main Street and the next thing I know I'm on the other side of town! I'm so terrible with maps, ya know? I only learn a place by walking around it. Like, I know every shortcut from my house to school but if you asked me to take a map I'd never be able to tell you how to do it.

[Usagi jumped when the waitress down on the table.] Well, that wasn't very nice. [She opened the menu.] Hmmmmm... I don't know much about American food. What about you Neji-san?