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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!

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.

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[i. BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING]

[ The process of figuring out what do has taken a frustratingly long time for Matt. For the hallway, all he could do was walk, feeling along the sides of the wall for any hint of a door or a window, listening to nothing but his footsteps echo back to him. He saw no light, no hint of an end, so his steps were unrushed. Cautious, even, in a way. He knew better than to let his guard down.

At the end of the hall, in the room, he was acutely aware of two things in the centre. He still had taken the time to wander the perimeter, to see if there was a door - maybe the key was waiting for him - and at no success, he knelt to inspect the dollhouse. Strange. On the table, the food and the drink, and the cards just indented enough that Matt could feel the lettering. The handwriting was a bit harder to decode, but he's a smart man, he understood the gist of it.

Eat, or drink.

Opting for the drink (though both smelled too sweet to be appetizing), the enuing act of shrinking had been perhaps the most unbearable pain Matt had experienced. Which was saying a lot, he thought, or would if he could focus much following it. Whether or not his hypersensitivity had made it worse for him, who could say, but it takes him a long long moment before he can push himself to focus again.

How he knows what to do is beyond his comprehension in the moment, but he finds the door to the dollhouse, turns the lock, and steps inside. ]

I didn't expect anyone else to be here.

[ii. TAKE SOME MORE TEA]

[ This room unsettles Matt more than shrinking down to doll-size. Everything smells too fresh, too real - from the grass to the food - to be anything inherently natural. If his partner in all of this is gracious enough to point out that there's a place card with Matt's name on it, he'll sit down. He thinks he has no real choice in the matter. There's a game being played and he's not sure of the rules yet.

And, yes, okay, maybe he is a bit hungry now that he thinks about it. The thought that the last thing he drank put him here in the first place is far from his mind as he pours out a nice smelling cup of green tea and reaches for a cake.

What was that riddle you just read? Usually Matt's more clever than this, but he can't seem to recall the words. As the world starts to tip and turn in the darkness, he decidedly thinks that's enough. ]

Of names I have ... Many? No, one. [ What was that again? ]

[iii. I AM NOT MYSELF, YOU SEE]

[ Matt was over this a long time ago. He doesn't need a trip down memory lane, not his own or anyone else's, and he's more than a little agitated. Matt has never been a man to lay out his life for others to see. He keeps his cards close to his chest and carefully chooses what people get and what they don't. The fact that, walking aimlessly room by room, this house seems to lay out everything is getting under his skin. ]

Are you sure you don't see anything?

[ He can't hear anything. No sounds in or out of the house save for the two of them. What seemed to spark his sudden onset of annoyance? It could be either the smooth mask with devil horns on it or the old boxing robe featuring the name Battlin' Jack Murdock in gold letters. Matt's clutching the robe tight in his fist before he lets it drop. ]

Let's keep going.

[iv. WILDCARD]

Choose your own adventure. Matt's pretty intuitive but a lot of these clues are visual based, so he'll need to - reluctantly - work with someone and trust them here. I'm open to doing the chessboard one if you're willing to have your character take the lead and direct Matt to the appropriate squares. ]

[ Bucky's not sure how long he's been here. At first, he'd tried to explore on his own, but it had just gotten him turned around back to the door of the dollhouse and time is a funny thing sometimes, even for him. It's not that he expects someone else, either, but when he finally sees someone, the words just slip out: ]

You have no idea how happy I am to see you.

[ This is what he's reduced to: disproportionate excitement over a stranger. ]

[ For a fraction of a moment, Matt's mouth quriks up into a half smirk. He thinks about being a smartass, about saying something along the lines of I wish I could say the same thing, but ultimately decides against it.

There's a time and a place, and this is neither of those.

He does, however, raise his eyebrows. ]

I wouldn't get your hopes up just yet.

[ Bucky scoffs and moves closer and okay it takes him a moment to realize the guy can't actually see him, but he does realize it by the time he's moved to stand in front of Matt. ]

No offense, but I'd rather be stuck in a weird little nightmare house with you than by myself.

[ Not that he sounds particularly scared. All things considered, this is unnerving, but it's not the worst thing he's dealt with lately. Besides, the guy's got a face he hasn't seen around before and he doesn't want to scare the new guy. The new blind guy. Crap. ]

I'm Bucky, by the way.

[ At least this blind guy is more than capable. ]

Bucky. [ Interesting name. ] I'm Matt.

[ Good, so now that introductions are out of the way, they can figure out how to get out of here. ]

How long have you been waiting?

Couple of hours, I think.

[ It's hard to keep track of time when he's by himself like that, but he's spent enough time by himself to be better at it than most people might be. ]

There's got to be a way out of here, but I keep getting turned back around to here.

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trustinthedevil - 2018-11-13 02:31 (UTC) - Expand

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lednikovyy - 2018-11-13 04:21 (UTC) - Expand

[Peter had ran into Matt randomly in the tea room — and while he didn't recognize this particular face, he had immediately recognized the name from a particular business card a lawyer handed to him on the street. As Spider-Man, anyway. Now he's just plain ol' civilian Peter Parker, who helped the guy out with the whole riddle thing — kind of super rude, to drag a blind dude into a place that requires so much visual aid, right?

He ends up in the many endless rooms, and his hackles immediately rise at the newspaper on the table that details what a danger Spider-Man is to the public. He couldn't help but wince at the random little things here and there, reminders of his own past and... identity. Thank god the guy's blind, actually. Wait, no, that's rude. Just. You know what he means.

... Wait—

That mask...?

He carefully picks it up, expecting Murdock to not note his motion as he stares it down.

Daredevil...? Is it possible...

Absently:]

Uuhh... Nothing, no.

[He will just. Um. Put it down as quietly as possible.]

We should get out of here before something tries to — eat us or something.

[ Too bad for Peter that Matt absolutely clocks it. He hears it being lifted, and he can hear the detached tone in Peter's voice. It leaves Matt wondering what this guy might know about Daredevil and if he's smart enough to put the pieces together. ]

I don't think anything in here is going to try and eat us.

[ At least, Matt can't hear anything. No breathing save for their own, no extra heartbeats. Still ... ]

That's probably a good idea, though.

[He's still trying to decide just how involved Matt is with Daredevil, honestly; it's possible he just knows him — especially if he gave Spider-Man a business card. That implies he might just help heroes in need of a good lawyer? So... Well... uh.]

... You say that, but the last weird house I walked into had a backyard chock full of zombies.

[He watches him get around with some interest, too.

Guy is pretty damn good at that. But Peter's never known a blind guy, so what does he know?]

Since we're stuck trying to find a way out, though — wanna throw proper introductions at each other? Learn more about each other, while we're trapped in some Alice in Wonderland Reject World? All I know is you're Matt Murdock, and that's thanks to a handy dandy little placard on a lunch table.

Seeing as you know my name, the proper introduction really falls on you, doesn't it?

[ As far as Matt is concerned, Peter already knows more about Matt than Matt would like him to. He doesn't meant to be stand-offish, but - Yeah, okay, he means it, but usually he's more polite about it. ]

I'm a lawyer from Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan.

[ See? He can play nice. ]

... True enough. I'm Peter Parker. [What is the standard for offering a blind man a handshake? Not to do it? He's not gonna do it.] From Queens originally, but I've been living in Manhattan for a while. Been doing a lot of, uh... research work. I mean I was. I'm kind of unemployed now, I guess.

[Pete on the other hand is not standoffish at all, because his secrets totally aren't out on any walls that Matt Murdock can see. So that's... you know. Clearly not something that'll blow up in his face later. Besides, he... admittedly really is too interested in the correlation between Daredevil and Matt Murdock.]

How did law school treat you? Maybe I'll try that next, if my back alley culinary education fails and Gordon Ramsey kicks me out of his establishment.

[Don't listen to him, he's a shitty chef and would never.

Also he's trying to lighten the mood; how's he doing?]

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trustinthedevil - 2018-11-07 22:22 (UTC) - Expand

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quipsandthwips - 2018-11-07 23:00 (UTC) - Expand

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quipsandthwips - 2018-11-07 23:19 (UTC) - Expand

[Bruce slowly recites the riddle again for Matt, mulling over the words himself as he helps himself to the hot tea - hey, he stopped worrying about potential poisons a long time before arriving in Deerington.]

So this is something that shrinks or grows, can be fast and slow, and has scared people.

[Wrinkling his nose, because he thinks he has an idea, but he's not sure he's correct. He's better with numbers than words. Less ambiguity.]

Any ideas?

[ Excuse Matt while he quietly judges you for drinking more drug addled tea. ]

No. I mean ... It's not time. [ If you're willing to put up the argument that time decreasing is another way of saying it can shrink. ] Time has its own riddle.

[ Could there be multiple riddles about time? Matt feels like he just needs to sit down for a second and try to clear his head. ]

Death doesn't shrink or grow.

[Yolo, Matt. Or at least he's sure 'yolo' is what the kids call this kind of situation.

Siiiiip.]

Not really... no. Death is death. Unless they're talking about the 'little death'... but I don't think this place runs along those lines.

I'm running out of cliches.

[ That's what riddles always seem to end with, anyway. Some sort of convoluted cliche that's meant to make you go oh, how profound.

And maybe having a guy who doesn't think about shadows at all isn't really fair when it comes to a shadow riddle. ]

Drinking that won't help us.

Edited 2018-11-07 21:42 (UTC)

Maybe not you, but it's good tea to me. [Siiiip.]

I think I know what the answer to the riddle is, but it might be too simple? Maybe? [Words words words. He's not good with words.] Is it a shadow?

[Too quietly for Bruce to hear, the locked door lets out a soft 'click' as the tumblers fall in place to release them from their temporary prison.]

Probably not, right?

Oh! [Doug is a little uncertain at first because the Matt Murdock he knows is definitely a redhead, but everything else seems to check out. There are more important things to worry about at the moment.] Matt. Hey, boss.

[He stands there awkwardly, slightly raising his left hand which is currently still holding a plate. Matt may be blind, but he knows Daredevil has magic senses or something. He always seems to know what's happening under the mask.]

I, uh. I brought cake. Just in case. [In the books, the cakes made Alice larger. He figured they might need it.]

...Did you dye your hair?

-- What?

[ That's a lot to unpack and process right away, especially immediately following the act of having your bones and body shrunk down. Matt's still reeling too much to really focus on one statement at a time, so his eloquent reply can easily be applied to everything. ]

[Doug takes in that look of incomprehension and decides they're both better off focusing on their current problem instead. They can work out potential multiverses once they're not stuck in a doll house.

Of course, Matt could also be a part of the dream itself - a manifestation of his new boss who's change of hair color could represent... something. Yeah, he'll have to think more on that one.]

Sorry. It's Doug. I mean my name's Doug, if you don't remember. [Or Cypher, as Matt tends to use his "superhero" name more than his own teammates did, but simple is better right now. Weirdness and multiple dimensions are commonplace in his line of work, so he does his best to take all of this in stride.] Did you have to drink a potion too?

Edited (IT'S TOO LATE TO BE TYPING) 2018-11-04 08:13 (UTC)

[ Should he remember? Is that some new trick of this place, too? Matt decides that, no, he definitely doesn't know any Dougs, so now he's wary. ]

Yeah, I drank whatever that was.

[ He'll just stick to immediate conversation and not ask questions, in case this is some trick. ]

Have you been in here long?

[The bottle must be self-replenishing, or else they'd somehow entered from two versions of the same room. This is a dream, so he can't put anything past it. Holding onto the piece of cake like he is makes him feel ridiculous, so he sets it down on a nearby plastic table. Thankfully, doing so doesn't cause it to revert to its original size. They can still decide to eat it later.]

It's very Alice in Wonderland themed here so far.

[He'll have to keep his eyes peeled for the White Rabbit, a comment he would have said out loud if it wouldn't have sounded so inconsiderate in his present company.]

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trustinthedevil - 2018-11-13 02:41 (UTC) - Expand

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readtheworld - 2018-11-14 02:10 (UTC) - Expand

Nothing that would allow us to leave, not just yet. [Oh he sees something indeed-- agitation. Smell a hint of it too. But X'rhun endeavours to be polite, not mentioning the name on the coat, nor the strange, ominous mask.

One of the other doors is already open however, and X'rhun creeps towards it with feline subtlety after mentioning it to his companion, his tail swaying lightly as he walks. It gains a little curl at the end, but is hanging low-- half curious, half cautious.

But the moment anyone is closer to the door, the scent of blood will become obvious. Blood and burnt flesh and all other terrible things that could be attributed to the death of a person-- rather, several people, on hard, heated ground straight out from an arid mountain region, all dead. The only sign of life in that room is a clay version of the man with cat-like ears and a tail, standing among the clay-made corpses that have all-too real puddles of blood and sobbing softly.

If only Matt could see, he would have noticed all the corpses were wearing jackets and coats of red.]

Let's-- let us skip over this one. [Of all the memories, it had to be this one.]

Edited 2018-11-04 03:15 (UTC)

[ And isn't it just Matt's lot in life that he doesn't have to be close to the door to smell it. It's a smell he knows well, blood, and the acrid scent of burnt flesh assaults his senses for a moment. He hears the soft sobs, too. It takes him a moment to realize it's not his companion making them, but something else in the room. ]

I agree.

[ The smell is enough to make Matt's eyes water the nearer he gets. ]

Is there another door, or do we need to pass through here?

[X'rhun raises a hand, just so Matt knows to stop the moment he makes contact with it. Then he puts one foot into the room, reaching for the knob and pulling the door closed. Instantly the sounds are silenced and the scent of blood is gone-- as if they never existed in the first place.

Except for the lingering tang in X'rhun's nose.

He shakes his head, both to clear it and to silently lament just how bloody ridiculous Deerington is.]

No-- merely a room without windows. The hallway goes on. [Only now does he lower his arm.

X'rhun can only hope that Matt doesn't equate the crying to the Miqo'te-- he at least hopes his voice has deepened or changed since that time. It's been twenty years after all.]

S'pose we just ignore any and all doors from now on, aye?

[ Matt doesn't need to feel the hand to know to stop. But he plays along anyway, and his eyebrows go up. A room without windows? No problem for him, windows are useless to a blind guy. ]

Do you think we'll know which door is the way out if we ignore them all?

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vermillon - 2018-11-08 02:02 (UTC) - Expand

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