Entry tags:

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!

Prompt One
Prompt Two
Prompt Three
Prompt Four
Master Navigation

BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING

The hallway you've ended up in is long and narrow, almost seeming to twirl in on itself as it spirals a long way out of sight. There's no means to go back the way you came - it's walled off now, somehow, though you're not sure when or how it happened - and so you realize if you want to leave, the best thing to do is just move forward. You walk along the checkered marble floor, the click and the clack of your shoes echoing off the twisted walls, the only sound in the whole place as you move.

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

Sometimes dreams just don't make sense. And this room seems to be the one that sticks out the most. You can see the ceiling, decorated with whimsical paintings and colorful chandeliers, and you can see the four walls, but the ground is definitely grass and dirt, and somehow there seems to be a fresh breeze blowing through, bringing in the crisp air of fall and the scent of burning leaves. Strange, since the grass is so green, strikingly so when compared to the white linen of the table cloth covering the expansive table in the center of the room, and there's not a fallen leaf to be seen anywhere.

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:

I'm as small as an ant,
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

The strategists might enjoy this next room when they open it; in front of you is a giant chessboard, one half of the board all set up and ready to go, and the other half of the board just missing a few pieces in order to get started. The Knight seems to have gone off to do his own thing and, much to the dismay of those around them, the Queen seems to have made herself scarce as well. But luckily for you both, there's two of you! And you seem to be just in time to take the place of these missing players.

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

This dollhouse is filled with tons of rooms, all of which seem to have their own unique flair, and sometimes they seem to be very much filled with the uniqueness of you. As you and your companion explore each door, you eventually start to open ones that seem to contain pieces of them or pieces of you put onto display. How is that possible? Well, you're not quite sure, but it certainly seems like they've managed.

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Due to the peculiarities of this dream, Majima was without his usual array of weapons, but he did consider the idea. ]

Don't sound much like Deerington to sit still and let that happen.

But if you gotta do it, might as well go big.

[ He glanced at the opposing king, tall and imposing on the other side of the board. ]

Then, the nightmare will work against us? [That sounds familiar enough. Then again, last time she was part of the nightmare that worked against the Hunter.]

It is that or we play this game without losing either of ourselves as pieces, or our King. I think... a fight may just be the best solution, unless you're particularly versed in strategy like that.

[Maria glances over to him, then over to the advancing pieces, and the pawn battle happening in the frontlines. As a Knight, it wouldn't be too far of a stretch for her to jump the line - that's one of its uses, and she knows it.]

They may turn on you, as well. Would you be prepared for that? [She's ready for a fight, but she's not just going to put him on the sacrificial altar.]

I'm pretty good at games. Haven't played much chess, though.

[ Which... didn't necessarily mean anything, Majima was weirdly good at anything that might show up as a minigame somewhere. ]

Let's try and beat this thing. If it looks like we're losin', smashing our way through's always an option.

[ Now that the field had cleared a bit, Majima took the opportunity to walk forward, into one of the enemy pawn's squares. It cowered, but did not retreat, seemingly waiting for something. He was pretty sure what it was.

He slid a hand through the crumbling remains of one of the other pawns, retrieved its sword, and drove it through the pawn's thick 'throat'. It toppled over, leaving the square free for him to move into. ]

Hm. I've not had much of a chance, myself.

[But she pulls her hands from her sword - at least not in the "I'm going to dash in there and just kill the damn thing anyway" sort of way. Tempering, slowing a bit. They'll do this the right way, and once one of them is in danger, they can do things the exciting way.

Maria is more than a little impressed at the way he grabs the sword from the piece and uses it as a weapon as he 'captures' the piece. The opponents move as she tries to figure out the best strategy for this... she tends to work a bit more on instinct than strategy, but she is a knight, she could probably figure something out.

As she ponders, she realizes it's their turn on the chessboard, so she moves, herself. As a Knight, she's allowed to jump her own pawns to attack an enemy. She does as such by using her Quickening - and her body disappears in a flash of whitish mist through one of their pawns, only to reappear atop an enemy Rook that had been sneaking its way up the side of the board. The Rakuyo snaps apart, and she dismantles the castle in two or three sparking strokes.]

If strategy is a strength of yours... then please, help out.

Alright, let's see if these guys take orders.

[ He began calling out one move, then the next -- and oddly enough, the chess pieces on their own side seemed to have some critical period between turns during which they'd wait for instruction before moving of their own accord. As long as he made decisions fast enough, they moved like clockwork, gliding strangely (but obediently) across the board with deceptive quiet to their next location.

This setup had some spillover effects, namely that he didn't have a wealth of time with which to consider more careful strategies. In other words, he played like he might have in a street match: quick, aggressive, losing some but taking more. It wasn't long before an opposing knight showed up to stem the carnage. ]

No sense chasin' each other around.

[ He moved to pin down the piece, leaving it with little choice but to move into Maria's path. ]

Not when this is just as effective. [She sees it, though, she can feel the way he's doing his strategy. It'll be a bit messy on their side, but as long as they capture the enemy King while preserving the two living pieces and the King on their side, it won't matter how messy it is.

... Quite literally, there's shards of dust and marble all over the ground, it makes moving around a little bit strange, a little bit slippery with the dust on the other marble, but she'll make do. Knight was a good choice for her, given her speed - and if she actually needs to get out of here, she will.

For now, though, they have something going for them, and as the Knight is pincered between them, she moves as she needs to to take it. An unfortunate side-effect of all of this is that the captured pieces seem to go so... still. So helpless. So like the Fishing Ham-

She cuts it down. It's not a real being, it's just animated stone. It crumbles beneath her blades and into a new pile of dust and huge chunks of marble. Still, Maria looks dissatisfied as the Knight falls to pieces, the head of the horse smashing into the ground with the loud crack of rock on rock.]

We are winning now, I think. Be wary of what is behind you, however. I don't think the enemy will let us get away with this so easily. [Somewhere between a Bishop, a Rook, and a Pawn, it looks like some kind of trap is being set up on the other side of the board. She's not quite sure to what extent, but it's there.]

[ Majima swept some of the rubble aside with his foot as the other side hesitated. A knight wasn't as flexible as a pawn, to be sure. But inexorably, the next move came. ]

I'm pretty sure whoever's playin' has caught on by now.

[ After all, even if they were blind to which pieces were played by live people (doubt...ful?), it was obvious which positions Majima was favoring. What a bother. Playing defensively cramped his style. ]

I'm gonna ask you to be bait next. [ He said, indicating a nearby space. ]

Like to find poke at the edges, see what they're up to.

[To be bait next, hm? Alright, she can play.

She quietly makes her move, in the L-shaped way Knights do, to the spot, and lowers her weapon. She still holds it, but less like she's ready to attack - like she's more vulnerable.]

Then, I pray your strategy holds true. Otherwise this may become hectic, very quickly.

But maybe, with that glint in your eye, it may suit you more. [She can figure out a stronger tendency for aggression out of him pretty easily based on these strategies, too.

It doesn't entirely matter to her. She can defend herself if need be. And maybe even him, as well.]

What can I say? I can appreciate a good altercation now and again.

[ Rather than moving toward Maria, however, the opposing king simply moved one square to the right. In other words, definitely a trap.

And now that he had the chance to examine the board a little longer, he thought he understood what this phantom player was up to. He moved up himself. ]

They're just stallin'. Players like that're a real pain.

A fight is sometimes a good thing.

[Oh yeah, it's moving. A little away from her, a little deeper into where there weren't many pieces from Maria's side.]

Yes. We can try to play more aggressive to drive them out of their hole, but it runs risk of going right into whatever additional layers of traps they're laying.

[She scuffs a bit of rock with her toe, kicking it back toward the corpse it came from.]

I trust you have something. If not, I would suggest moving a couple more of our own to that far outside edge.

Well, figure I know what they're goin' for, and it looks like they're not gonna move until we make 'em, so...

[ Ordering pieces forward it was. Majima told a remaining pawn to move up on the safe side of the board, and got a few other pieces going up on the suspect side. If the other player wouldn't budge, they'd simply have to deal with a promoted pawn.

Suddenly, the opposing player was moving again, but not with the same smooth precision as before. Rather, the movement of the knight was distinctly more violent than usual, rocking the board slightly as it slammed down. ]

Someone's in a mood.

[ Good for them, probably. ]

A very safe and defensive way of doing things, yes. Boring, predictable, but dangerous if we are not careful.

[Tried and true strategy. However, Maria has found that practically speaking, the faster and more aggressive one is, the easier it becomes to dispatch enemies. It works wonders for Beasts, especially, but even more sentient beings.

And there comes the Knight. Maria shifts her grip on her swords.] I believe this is the part where they counterattack. They're quite weakened in numbers; we may be able to just... finish this. If you think the two of us can finish off what is left.

[ The knight was still a square or two away from Majima, but its lance was coming straight for him, so he didn't bother to argue sportsmanship here, only deflected the point of its blade downward in a sharp movement that dislodged the rider from his horse. The knight's boot was caught in the reins; it flailed wildly as it was dragged along the chessboard by the panicked beast, taking out one of his own side's pawns in a crumble of stone.

Yep.

All bets were off. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only