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

[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.]

[ Jon manages to look acutely embarrassed and fondly bemused in equal measure. ]

I, um. I take it that's a compliment? [ It's not any kind of given that Martin doesn't mind the scars. Jon can't fathom why he wouldn't mind the scars; they are each uniquely horrible. The worst of the worm-marks are visible now, but he knows there are more beneath his shirt.

It is... more likely, but still not guaranteed, that Martin will find him particularly attractive without clothes on in the first place. He is small and skinny; he knows this. Georgie had a lot to say about twigs and toothpicks. Compared to the broad, soft shapes of Martin, he feels... vaguely insufficient.

Regardless. Jon pulls his shirt off, and sits bare-chested and feeling acutely exposed in the cool, still air of the house. He notices the smell of recent rain. He is now too busy not quite looking at Martin to worry about the drawn blinds.

The tattoo is spread across his back: a pair of sweeping black antlers, loosely stylized. In all their crevices, and at all their points, are the tiny inked shapes of eyes. ]

It is definitely a compliment.

[Martin nods vigorously eyes cast to the side. Out of the corner, he does notice that Jon's stopped moving and bites his lip as he looks toward him again. He's stolen little glances here and there, but he does his best not to stare at Jon, so this is... new territory. The last time he'd seen him in a serious state of undress for any extended period had been... the coma. And hooked up to machines that said he should, by rights, be very dead isn't the best memory of someone you're fond of. Shirtless or not. It's not one Martin lingers over for his fantasizing. This? This... might be.]

Could you turn a little bit for me? Oh!

[His eyes widen at the sight of the thing. At the eyes. Of course. The Beholding just couldn't resist adding its own touches. Big stupid... bloody eyeball!]

It's on your back, Jon. [He kneels down and gently taps the major 'corners' on it.] It's um... really big. But it doesn't look bad or anything. Just... lots of eyes.

Edited 2020-04-10 05:00 (UTC)

[ He glances up, sees Martin fervently staring at a wall, and now there's the warmth of a smile in his voice. ]

You can look, you know. I believe that was the point. [ He moves obediently when asked, eyes still not quite on Martin. At those fingers on the bare skin of his back, he tenses for a moment; then consciously relaxes. He leans back, just fractionally, against Martin's fingers.

Massive and made of eyes. He can't help the little, hissed sigh. ] Of course it would be.

[He feels Jon press back against his fingertips and Martin's heart thrums faster and he slides his hand up to one of the other man's shoulders and gives it a squeeze.] You're really beautiful, at least. [A beat.] It. It's really beautiful! You are, too, it's just- I meant- I- um...

[Martin gives Jon's shoulder a little pat and then pulls his hands away.]

Edited 2020-04-10 05:34 (UTC)

[ When Martin draws away, he becomes aware again of how cold the air is. His skin prickles at the loss, and Jon reaches up to run one hand back over his shoulder.

He doesn't know what to say. Jon genuinely doesn't have the first idea. So he turns, and catches Martin's hand in his, before he can properly flee. It's the burned one, he realizes distantly; there are numb spots in the shape of Jude's hand, where he can't feel the warmth of Martin against his fingers. ]

I, uh. It's alright. [ God, how has he ever done this? Why isn't he good at it? He must be at least as red as Martin. ] That felt... very nice. Your hands.

[ This can be approximately translated as thank you and please don't go. ]

[This is not the time to be thinking about snogging Jon. They need to go out and explore and find out what's going on. But God, he's so perfect. Martin licks his lips and settles for lacing their fingers together and leaning back in. Kneeling, he's actually lower than Jon for a change.]

They're always available, free of charge. [He manages a nervous smile.] B-but we should probably get going. Judging by that map I saw, there's a lot of ground to cover. Tonight, we should- I can... Whatever you'd like.

R-right. [ He loosens a bit at that smile, though, and mirrors it with one of his own. ] Tonight, then.

[ This is. Really doing unkind things to his priorities. Jon clears his throat and attempts to refocus on their supernatural kidnapping, not the low aching drag of exhaustion or the sweet sensation when he looks at Martin's smile.

He turns away to put his clothes back on, trying not to be too acutely aware of the tattoo he can't feel. ]

Well, first we have to live that long. Do you want to fetch the map?

[Martin's smile widens to a grin as he rises and grabs up their mugs to rinse out in the sink while he grabs the map.]

Well, I don't plan on us dying today. It's not on the schedule for at least another week. The world will just have to accommodate.

[Martin heads for the door once he's done and flashes another big smile at Jon, offering him the map as he fetches up his hatchet again.]

Off to adventure.