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

[ Gwen nods a little piggy nod and continues up the trail at a pace that's quick enough for her little piggy feet, but slow enough that Charles won't have trouble keeping up. As they go, he may pick up a certain song running though Gwen's mind. It only seems appropriate.

Luckily for them, the stream isn't that much further. Gwen is delighted when she sees it, squealing happily and running in little circles around Charles' feet. C'mon! she seems to be saying, Let's go, let's go, let's GO! ]

[ An interesting choice for sure. He's only caught bits thus far and it isn't a song he's familiar with. It does, at least, seem to fit the theme of their current situation.

Charles can't help a laugh that bubbles up when the finally come within view of the stream. Her excitement is obvious and he has to be careful not to accidentally let her get caught up underfoot through it. ]

Yes, yes, I see! [ It's quite amazing that her excitement and optimism haven't wavered through this. Truly marvelous. ] We are nearly there and We'll have you set to rights shortly, I hope.

[ Gwen rushes over towards the sound of rushing water, and leaps right into the stream, swimming around to her little piggy heart's content. The water is cool and refreshing, and she can't freaking wait to be back in her regular body.

She swims in a little circle, coming back to stand in the shallow water and look up expectant at Charles.

Okay, dude. Start singing! ]

[ Her enthusiasm is hard to come up against with any other emotion. Bright and jubilant as it is, he can't help but find it heartwarming. So much so that it makes his eyes crinkle with mirth.

He gets to the water's edge where she's at and hunkers down. ]

I suppose it is that time indeed. I hope to meet you properly soon.

[ And he starts to sing this.

[ Wow. What a nerd. But then, she does suppose XMFC takes place in the sixties. It's period appropriate music.

And it is kind of catchy.

She stars doing a little piggy dance, when small flickers of light begin to surround her body, lifting her up in a swirl of wind. The lights grow brighter, almost blinding, and when they fade, Gwen's body is back to normal, splashing down back into the stream in a heap of limbs. BUT! Thankfully, they're human limbs. ]

Oh thank Cebulski! You really did it, Prof!

[ He can hardly help the time he's from, can he? It is incredibly catchy, though. Many a night he was pulled away from working on his thesis to dance with Raven.

Charles watches in awe as flickers of light start to swarm and lift her up with a wind that had not previously been blowing. He's so shocked by the change that he doesn't quite register the flailing of human limbs until she's splashing down into the stream in a heap. Oh, my. ]

Oh, dear! Are---are you all right? [ He chuckles as he wades into the water, which thankfully doesn't go up too high. He offers out a hand to help her up if she wishes. ] Here, let me help.

I'm amazed that worked. How wonderful.

[ Yes, thankfully the water is pretty shallow, so Gwen lying flat on her ass is in no danger of drowning. When Charles offers her his hand, she takes it, heaving herself to her feet. ]

Thanks. Yeah... I wasn't sure there for a minute about whether that was going to go the way we wanted it. You never know, with Creepsville.

[ That said, she's incredibly grateful to be back in her rightful body again. Even if she is dripping wet. ]

[ Once she's on her feet, he offers a friendly clap on the shoulder before shaking his head with relief. ]

Nor was I. I find, after all this, that your name for this place is entirely accurate and hardly endearing.

[ They should probably make for the trail so that they aren't caught in the dark like this. Despite her being a person again, he can't help but still feel somewhat responsible for her well being. ]

Is your home far from the trail? I can walk you back if you like.

[ Gwen grins, glad that Charles Xavior of all people likes her little nickname for the town. ]

Right? "Deerington" doesn't really tell you what you're in for. Creepsville's way more accurate a name.

[ She follows him over to the trail, keeping pace pretty well now that she's not anxious about finding their way to some weird magical stream. ]

Not too far. I live in the David Cliff apartments, off Main Street. You don't have to walk me the whole way or anything. But I wouldn't mind the company 'til we get back to town?

Not that I'm condoning vandalism of any kind but the sign for the town could do with something of a change. Perhaps we ought to put it to some kind of a vote.

[ Did he joke? Was he joking? He might have to sit down after that, it's been a little while. He slides his hands in his pockets as they go, pace easy and unhurried. ]

I hardly mind the detour. I did, after all, carry you up the mountain. I'll be happy to keep you company.

Hah. Yeah, I bet we could get a bunch of other Sleepers on the "Creepsville" bandwagon.

[ Professor X is actually kind of funny! Who'da thunk it? ]

Hey, and now we can actually talk instead of you just-- [ she taps her temple. ]

We could consider it a bonding experience at the very least. If someone doesn't like "Creepsville" then they might offer a suggestion of their own.

[ If only his sister appreciated his humor. She thinks he's just an old man in a young man's body. ]

Very true. Which I might add you took to quite well. I know some don't care to have someone in their mind like that but I didn't feel I had any other options available.

[ His humor is quaint, in a fuddy duddy way. He does sound like an old man, but then, that's the kind of Professor X that Gwen expects.

At the comment of her taking the telepathic connection well, she just shrugs. ]

I dated a telepath for a while. [ Never mind that Quentin always said Gwen's mind was so crazy he never wanted to read her thoughts. It still counts. ] Former student of yours. Well. Different you, anyway.