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November 2018 Test Drive Meme
NOVEMBER 2018 TEST DRIVE MEME
Welcome to November's Test Drive Meme! This month's Test Drive's theme is: WONDERLAND.
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.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the nature of November's plot, character arrival prompts are unavailable in this month's Test Drive. Throughout each prompt, all characters will very clearly feel as though they are still stuck in a dream, and are working on a way to get out.
CW: Body horror (growth/shrinking), implied drugging, violence via swords and bludgeoning
Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!
BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING

You're almost convinced you're never going to find the end of this hallway, until you start to see a pinprick of light in the distance. Maybe you even pick up your pace when you start to see it. Regardless of whether you keep at an even walk or you sprint towards the light, you eventually get to the end of the hall. The ceiling has stretched up way out of sight at some point, but there's still a light shining down from somewhere, casting a large spotlight on the only two objects in the room: a fairly large dollhouse on the floor and a table with a cup filled with what looks like punch and a plate with a piece of cake on it. There's a sign, neatly handwritten in black ink: EAT ME! DRINK ME! At least it's to the point.
You can choose to ignore that sign, but as you observe the dollhouse, or the hall you're trapped in, there are two things that might persuade you into realizing it's your only option: 1) There's no door at the end of this hall in order to let you out of it, which means you're still as trapped as you were at the start. And 2) There is a door on the front of the dollhouse and if you squint, you can see a tiiiiiiny key stuck in the lock.
This all might be looking familiar to a fortunate few.
Eventually, you'll have to cave, or end up sitting there forever. Whether you choose the cake or the cup, the moment you swallow, you'll start to feel an uncomfortable ache through your whole body. Soon you can start to feel your bones caving in on themselves, your muscles tightening and shrinking, and your whole body might even start to feel like it's about to implode. It's agonizing - worthy of a scream or two as the magic works through your body, and you see the world starting to become bigger and bigger...
And all at once, it stops. The dollhouse now looks as big as a real house and that key? Is just the right size for your hand. You turn the key, push open the door, and enter into a grand foyer, brightly lit and covered in flowers and ribbons. On top of that? You're no longer alone - someone is in the room with you and they seem to have been stuck waiting for someone to help them explore the house.
TAKE SOME MORE TEA

There is, however, several place settings, several tea cups, and several tea pots. Your favorite treats are stacked high on the plates in front of you, smelling so fresh your mouth is watering already. It seems like a feast just for the two of you and your stomachs are starting to growl. Maybe sitting for a little while to rest and eat wouldn't be so bad, right? You notice name cards in front of each place setting and eventually, you find your own names, neatly printed in bold lettering. It's best to take a seat if you're going to dig in.
As you start to pile food onto your plate, you notice there's a card between the two of you, with a fun riddle printed out for you to solve:
as big as a whale.
I'll approach like a breeze,
but can come like a gale.
By some I get hit,
but all have shown fear.
I'll dance to the music,
though I can't hear.
Of names I have many,
Of names I have one.
I'm as slow as a snail,
but from me you can't run.
What am I?
It might seem like fun and games, but you'll find that as you eat, your mind is getting a little foggier, and the words are blurry and harder to understand. You think it's time to go and you get up from your seat to do just that, but the door you came through - the only door in the room - is locked.
Chances are that riddle is your only means to get that door open. When you finally do solve it, a bright light will appear, and you'll need to stand in front of it, lining your shadow up with the handle, and miming turning it in order to get the door to open itself.
OFF WITH THEIR HEADS

Once you each settle into your chosen square, the game begins. It seems pretty tame at first - pawns moving to various pawns, and maybe one of you is taking charge and shouting for where each piece should go next. Best left to the Knight, likely, considering the strategy needed for that particular piece. And all is well and good and fun - until the first piece gets taken. Or, rather, not so much taken, as suddenly smashed to pieces by their opposition.
It doesn't take long to realize the same will happen to you if either of you are captured by your enemies. You have to rethink now, figure out the best strategy to not only win the game, but to make sure that neither of you ends up dead on the way there. You see the other Knight has a giant sword, one that seems to slice through the marble pieces around you like they're made of butter.
If you fail, you can try and dodge the blast, and you could also choose to run from the start; but there's a high chance the pieces will begin to revolt and come after you. You can either play the game or try and fight your way to the door. An interesting dilemma, considering that you're unarmed.
I AM NOT MYSELF, YOU SEE

Some of these rooms may hold memories playing out like strangely made stop-animation films; clay versions of yourself and anyone who was in the memory with you, mocked up to put your deepest secrets or your happiest moments into a visual reality. Other rooms may hold objects that relate to your very being - either physical items from home that were exceptionally important to you or metaphorical symbols of who you are as a person. A heart for loving, a stuffed lion (or a real lion, though you'd better hope it's friendly) for courage... All those stereotypical links people have created to show who they are over time.
There's no choice but to keep searching these rooms, though, learning more about yourself and your companion than either of you probably ever wanted to know - because eventually, one of those rooms? Is your ticket out. You'll know when you see it. A giant mirror will be leaning against the wall, the image fuzzy and rippled and not at all the reflection of the room around it. If you put your hand to it, it will sink right through. So long as you don't shy away in fear, you've finally found the end to this dream - or nightmare, as the case may be for some.
Goro Akechi | Persona 5
[ When you enter the house, you'll find a young man examining the foyer, wandering slowly around as he inspects the decorations. He seems largely unfazed, more thoughtful than alarmed, which might be odd in a situation like this. But it might not be. Either way, he'll turn when he hears the door open, his expression shifting into just the right amount of concern. ]
It seems I'm not alone here after all. Are you alright? I thought I heard screaming.
[ Strange. Did this young man not go through the same thing? Did you just imagine hearing shrieks on your way here...? He doesn't look like someone who just went through something agonizing... ]
[ off with their heads ]
[ Without consulting you, Akechi will take the place of the missing knight. It seems he feels it's just a natural fit. But he will offer you a reassuring smile and a gesture for you to join him on the chess board. ]
I'm well versed in the rules of chess, so if you're willing to place your faith in me, I believe I can get us through this safely. Are you ready to begin?
[ i am not myself ]
[ Well, this might seem odd. Akechi is arrested in the doorway of a room that is empty except for a simple brown countertop bare of anything except a single, plain mug of coffee. He's got a gloved hand on the door frame, and has not stepped inside. The look on his face is deeply pensive. ]
... I wonder.
[ ... seems that's all he has to say. He'll turn to you, inclining his head, seeming faintly embarrassed. ]
I think it's best we move on.
off with their heads
[ Majima stepped into the only other open position -- the queen's square, which seemed to come complete with a goofy flower crown waiting for him on the polished little square. He was not going to put it on.
This seemed like the world's worst idea, so why not. They could call him when it was a shogi match. ]
Let's get this show on the road.
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[ true to his word, akechi will direct the game fairly deftly, though he is given pause when the first pawn is felled. ]
... I see. I suppose the stakes are meant to be our very lives...
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Excitin'. How good are you at not getting things lopped off?
[ He was sure Akechi was great at chess, but you know. If the worst should happen, maybe they ought to consider whether running or fighting was the better option. ]
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You're awfully calm. Well, I'm confident I can keep both of us with our heads intact.
[ smug shit. A few more moves, and two more pawns fall, one on each side. ]
Am I to assume you've faced danger before?
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[ It wasn't just facing danger, of course -- it was the feel of confronting it, of being a hair away from certain ruin. There was a thrill in that sliver between skill and chance that was worth it, all of it.
They weren't at that point yet, however. Majima watched as the opposing rook took a nearby pawn. A little lean forward, and he was able to snag the broken piece's sword. ]
Never hurts to be prepared. Where to now?
imma straight up admit i have no idea how to play chess so please forgive my vagueness weeps
ha, don't worry it's been years since I played !
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i am not myself
Allura spares a glance at her current companion, needing to use the doorframe on the other side to take some of her weight. Her stamina for wandering is normally much higher, but after having her body twisted inside and out from monster and then back into herself, she's still healing. At least she's walking on her own, now. ]
You know this place?
[ That's...typically not a good sign. ]
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[ that coffee does seem pretty innocent. you can smell it from here, though. assuming you like coffee, then it smells pretty amazing. ]
Will you be alright to keep going?
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A piece of your home world.
[ It's a statement, not a question. That is usually what manifests in these places, whether it be an exact memory or some sort of recreation of what one might want, they usually reflect at least a mixture of real and fantasy.
Allura offers Akechi a nod and takes a step back, forcing herself to stand as straight as possible. ]
Yes, I'm fine. Perhaps the smell is getting to me.
[ Excuses. ]
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It is, but a fairly innocuous one, as dream signs go.
[ isn't he on top of things. his companion uncurls her spine, and given her attitude, Akechi makes no move to help her. she seems quite determined to move under her own power. ]
It does smell wonderful, doesn't it? [ is that wistfulness? nah. ] But best we leave it alone. I think I've had enough of food and drink in this dream, personally...
[ but he'll guide them away from the door. there's more exploring to do. he remains calm, if not unaffected. ]
Still... either that was an uncanny guess, or you're familiar with the rules in this dream we seem to be sharing.
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[ It's an honest wish and a bit of warning. She's relieved too many of her own painful memories and witnessed others to be off her guard. ]
Yes, I agree on both accounts.
[ The last thing they need is to turn into something unseemly or uncontrollable thanks to one tempting pastry. (Been there, done that.)
Allura follows his lead, letting the smell of coffee fade away. ]
I am familiar. This place has a tendency to manifest itself in ways that we recognize, but they are often not the memories of your choosing.
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The Beginning. A little later than I would have liked.
Which is what makes his question all the stranger. She definitely looks as though she's been hurt, a hand pressed against the front of her sweater and a ginger step...but...]
I'm fine. Nothing I haven't dealt with before.
[She eyes him, both physically and spiritually.]
What about you? Don't tell me you didn't feel that when you came through.
yeah wow how dare you not tag me immediately at all times
[ He offers her a look of gentle confusion. ]
I'm afraid I don't know what you mean. I came to in here.
[ huh. that's weird. probably not important! ]
If it's not too forward of me to ask, can you tell me what happened to you?
Yeah. A true tragedy. Also hit my permissions, nerd.
There was a potion on the table. I drank it, and like Lewis Carroll's book, I changed. Shrank. And obviously the sudden shift in density hurt.
WHO YOU CALLIN NERD, NERD
"Obviously," [ he muses, ] when I don't recall Alice herself crying out in pain. Perhaps this dream isn't following the book to the letter. Will you be alright, miss?
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was written as a fantasy, and unfortunately for both of us, this is quite real.
[Exhaling one more time, some of the tension drains from Rei. Some, not all.]
I'll be alright. Again, I've had worse. [Flicking her eyes to meet his, she bobs her head in a casual greeting.]
I'm Hino Rei. Who might you be?
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Off with their heads
Are you sure? We're not even sure if the opponent is going to be able to do.
[Really quite hesitating on that Queen spot, tyvm. It was weird enough getting stuck down a rabbit hole - kind of literally, if the Alice in Wonderland motif was anything to go by - with someone that really shouldn't be here.]
Besides, I'm not dressed appropriately for a queen.
1/2
if only for a moment. ]
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At least now I know this is a dream. Or perhaps a nightmare?
[ He smiles at his ... "friend," though it couldn't be called a normal smile by any means. ]
I'm hardly much of a knight, am I? Yet here we are.
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He's not quite sure, but there's something about the tone that makes him... not feel so great about any strategies that might be planned. Which means he should probably just figure out how to survive this on his own and... hope Akechi can do the same. Not much love lost, but there are some regrets, and he'd rather not see what happens if the Knight is defeated - that also gives him a bad feeling.]
There's no prince in chess, after all. [Point to him, there's not even any bite to the word 'prince'.]
But if you're so confident you can win this match, I'll be counting on you. [Keep playing dumb, keep playing dumb, keep watching his back for daggers coming for it.] Please take good care of your Queen~ [He's going to die, and maybe this time he'll deserve it a little.]
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Though... that someone... he's right here, isn't he?
Bite or no, Akechi's jaw clenches when he hears the word "prince." He doesn't otherwise react, doesn't look at the other boy. However... unlike Akira, he does not feel a need to act like everything is just fine. ]
Well aren't you trusting? [ There's an edge, a dangerous false cheer to his voice that Akira might find familiar. ] Let this knight guide you to safety, then. My queen.
[ There is all at once too much pressure, too much energy, under his skin. Why does Kurusu always make him feel this way? Too much and not enough all at once. He isn't even sure why he's so angry.
Regardless of his obvious instability, the moves he barks out are -- for now -- seemingly sound. ]
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KICKS DOWN THE DOOR HELLOOOO; off with their heads
Yup! Don't worry. [She pulls a hairband out of her pocket and ties everything up out of the way, clenching her fists and raising them in a distinct kickboxing move.] I'll take care of anything that comes my way.
HELLO!!!!!!!
not that Akechi won't make use of it. he even smiles a little at her readiness to fight, though there's a certain concern to it... ]
Well, let's hope it won't come to a brawl, miss...?
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i am not myself
What is that place? [It barely even occurs to her that that might be rude to ask when he clearly wants to leave, but she's go not idea what sort of place that is in there and he does, so... She wants answers!]
It looks... Homey? [It's said in a way that suggests she knows the meaning of the word, but only vaguely, and has never had the opportunity to use it before]