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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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You're used to war, huh?

[Doug isn't used to leading, nor does he care for it. There are alternate timelines where he leads, where he brings the world under his control, and he's had too enough nightmares about those scenarios that he's perfectly willing to just be a follower unless he's needed for something like this.

Thankfully, enchanted chess games aren't commonplace.]

If you're good at strategy this might not be too hard for you.

[He directs another piece, and as his pawn moves to diagonally attack an opposing one he finds himself shaken by the violent method in which it's carried out. Pieces of the pawn are scattered everywhere. Their own deaths wouldn't be nearly so clean.]

R-right. I should mention... pawns don't attack forward. They attack frontways diagonally.

War has been a constant companion of my friends and I for longer than I care to remember. I can barely recall the halcyon days of my youth and the freedom from the constants of sieges and pitched battles.

[Not entirely true. She had a strong recall, and could still remember some of her earliest years well right down to Leonhardt's face, and he had been dead now almost eighty years. But being dramatic like this could be fun, and it didn't harm anything.]

I would not say I am especially skilled at strategy, but I have had the time to pick up the details from watching Vashtor at work. It is picking up as I go.

[When the pawn was smashed to pieces before their eyes, she folded her arms in front of her and simply nodded. Exactly as she should have expected. Why shouldn't they have to fight it out with the golems arrayed before them? And here she was, without stave, hammer or blade. Inconvenient.]

So I would see, and it appears that we are expected to crush our opposition? I do not know that I trust my powers without an implement, so this could be interesting.

[Halcyon days? Doug's not sure he's ever heard anyone speak so melodramatically of -- nah, who's he kidding. He's worked with the X-Men and fought super-villains. He's heard all of the melodarama. Especially in the 80s.

...Did he live through the 80s? Of course not. He's not nearly old enough. Best not to think about it.

Hopefully she picks up things as fast as she says, just in case she decides to make a move without his instructions - or in case something happens to him. That's unfortunately likely, given how they're unarmed.

His gaze falls upon the knights of the opposing team.]

There are two weapons with the other side. If we can take out the knights we might be able to retrieve them so we can attack too.

Edited 2018-11-05 04:52 (UTC)

[Melodrama was so fun sometimes. So overplayed. But time to focus on what was happening right in front of her. Her eyes watched each motion before she pondered a moment and then chimed in with what now seemed all too obvious.]

If it comes to it, should we sacrifice our own knight, we could draw their blade from the rubble as well could we not?

[Obviously not him. She watched as pawns traded and their bishop slipped out. When she did, she could see an opening that they'd want to protect against and frowned. About to suggest a pawn, she shook her head. No, a bad idea.]

Send out the other knight. It should, I think, keep the bishop from coming in for now. I think... F3? What do you think?

Edited (bad html, no biscuit!) 2018-11-05 21:08 (UTC)

[Is she directing the plays now? Here he'd thought she was supposed to be the newbie at this. Her ideas aren't entirely bad, but part of him wants to reject them on principle alone.]

If it comes to it. I'd rather keep as many of our own pieces as possible, though. Better to cut down their numbers first rather than thinking of sacrificing our own.

[Not that it isn't logical, but even though these pieces aren't likely sentient that's still frowned upon by most X-Men. Not all of them, but most. Doug himself has been willing to make sacrifices that others might have balked at.]

I think our own bishop can take one of their knights in two moves. I'm moving it to B4.

[She might have been trying her hand at it, but when he made the suggested move, Vira simply nodded for him to make the command. He was right, after all. Why waste pieces? Sacrifices were their own problems, after all, and she could only guess two, maybe three moves ahead at best.]

I trust you. You, after all, do know these rules better. It's a little difficult to be sure what they will do...

But yes, the fewer of their pieces that they have, the more we have to work with. Still, getting my hands on a sword would be nice.

We'll get you one.

[It's a little stressful, having the trust of a complete stranger like this, but it's also good to know that she won't be second guessing his choices. There are plenty of others that would, whether they were familiar with the game mechanics or not.

There's another loud crash of shattered stone as he takes out an opponent's rook.]

After I get the knight down you should be in position to move up next to the pieces.

[She watched the rook get crushed with a bit of satisfaction, observing the other pieces' move to retaliate. They were clearly trying to make it a painful choice, but when a bishop took a rook, reprisal was always hard in the early game.

She folded her arms, watching him call the moves and observing their pieces quietly.]

If it comes to it, we will see if I can channel my power properly with a tool. I should be able to crush a piece if I can do that. [Or at least use a needle of earth to knock it over.]

If it works for you as well as it works for the other knight it should be fine.

[The knight in question is cutting through one of their pawns as he speaks. Unfortunately that loss was inevitable, and it will give her the room she needs to get close enough to the weapon once that knight is destroyed. As long as the other team doesn't decide to break the rules, anyway.]

Are all your abilities based on being able to channel them through something?

[If not, there's no reason they shouldn't be trying to use them on the pieces now. He doesn't think she would hold back on him like that, though.]

[She nodded, even if these swords were bound to not be as good as her proper weapons. They were far more physical ones, rather than tools of the arcane, but they would cut, would suffice. She could cope, she hoped.

Thankfully, the other team wasn't breaking the rules and seemed to be sticking to moves that were entirely legal and only the 'taking' piece moved to strike down the taken.]

My sorcery works through sword and staff. It feels muted right now, so I will want a blade to do it, but it should work with any sword. Even a pitiful, pitted and rusted piece would work. Not as well, but it would work.

Be careful.

I do my best.

[Well. Usually. In the past he might have been known to take one for the team even though he was no good at physical combat. But he'll definitely be careful for her sake, as her life is in his hands.

A bishop slides across the floor and faces off against the opposing knight, crushing it to pieces. The sword drops with a clatter, easily within his companion's reach.]

All yours!

[Now he just has to figure out how to get the other one for himself...]

[She hefted and tested its weight. It was a proper sword, not unlike the orichalchum blades that were given to the soldiers in the war. Nothing special, better for physical attacks, but it would do. She whispered a few words and felt a hum thrum through the blade.

It was muted, dull. She didn't like that, but it would have to do.]

I'm going to stick to the simplest spells. I'm not sure I trust anything truly powerful right now. They should do for these. [The other side had finished its move and she smiled a little.]

Let us make these pieces regret getting in our way, yes?

Just make sure you only attack when it's your turn legally. I don't want to find out what happens with this board if we try and cheat.

[All the pieces could turn on them, and that would be a mess. Literally. Hopefully he didn't even have to say that to her, but he'd rather have crossed all his Ts than not.

Simple spells are good. Even if she could destroy every piece in this room in one fell swoop there's no way of knowing how they'd be punished by the room itself. He doesn't know enough about how these dreams work to take risks.]

And I'm not sure any of these chess pieces have emotions, but I do appreciate the idea.

I'll hold my spells until you've told me to take a piece. I dislike the idea of fighting this many golems at once with only the two of us.

[She'd faced ugly odds, but why push it? Waiting, her eyes scanned for openings, not spouting out one or two after the first time she saw what looked like an opportunity that would have been far more costly after the next move. It was hard to see beyond two or three moves.

At some point, however, the inevitable would come and there was a chance to move forward and claim the other of the knights.]

Are you thinking it is time? I can send its blade back to you if you send me forward.

[Doug's eyes narrow as he scans over the board again. There can't be any mistakes, especially ones that would put either of them in danger. Having to watch over three pieces instead of just the king has increased the difficulty level of this exponentially, but he has a useful set of abilities for this.]

You should be in the clear. [Though she'll have to move down the turn after.] I think the swords were meant to be taken, so you shouldn't have any trouble.

[If she does they'll have to re-evaluate the whole situation and that won't be fun. This is a fairly simple answer, though, and from what he's seen so far it doesn't help to overthink things.]

[As soon as the command came, she moved forward with an easy, almost casual gate. Upon entering the opposing piece's square, she brought her sword up in front of her and uttered an incantation. Suddenly, what had been so difficult almost seemed deceptively easy. It was like the rules of this dream 'allowed' what happened next.

A spear of earth shot up from the tile beneath the knight, sending it toppling to the ground, shattering as it struck. She watched the rock descend into the tile again and picked up the second sword before sending it skittering to Doug with a wink.]

I suspect that the pieces are designed to be defeated this way. Likely magic. We might be able to fight them ourselves, but 'taking' will work without fail.

It would've been unfair if they didn't.

[They're already starting with a handicap, after all. They'd had to work for their weapons. Frankly, he believes they should have just been able to touch the other pieces to have them explode.

Maybe they could have? He hadn't thought to try punching a bishop in the face. He likes not having all of his knuckles busted. At least this way there's no potential damage to himself. That's how he prefers things.

He reaches down to pick up the sword. The other pieces are taking their turn as he does.]

I'm not gonna look nearly as fancy when I use it.

Since when should we expect our dreams to be fair to us? Even my proper nightmares are no kinder. Still, it is nice that they obey this rule at least.

[She smiled and turned back to wink at him. At least the move that had been played out around them wasn't threatening either of the two of them.]

It isn't really about appearances so much as results. Have you a thought on how we are going to threaten their king?

[He half expects it to be too heavy for him to lift, given some of his past experiences, but thankfully the sword is much lighter than it has any right to be. They're clearly designed to be used by the dreamers, no doubt about it.

Doug hefts it carefully, turning it around in his hands a couple times to get a better look at the blade.]

By trapping it. Same as any good game of chess.

[He takes a few steps for the first time since the game began, maneuvering himself in a position that's both safer and gives him a decent shot at their queen if everything plays out right.]

If the rook moves next, take it out. If not, move yourself next to that lone pawn up on the right.

[Well, it was a dream, so that probably had something to do with the situation. Or at least hopefully it did. Vira-Lorr listened and looked on as the next moves were made. She nodded carefully.]

I think that I understand. Use their pieces against them. [And when he said that, the rook moved almost obediently into position. Vira-Lorr strode forward confidently and, when the spell echoed, a small bolt of lightning shot down to shatter the thing. Her arm raised to shield from a few scattered pieces and she coughed, shaking her head.]

Sorry, I should probably have warned you.

[Doug lowers his arms from where he'd had them up to shield his face.]

It's alright. I saw it coming.

[He couldn't exactly get out of the way, seeing as that would mean leaving his spot, but he managed to avoid any damage. Being able to read someone's intentions quickly helped with that.]

And that should be... check.

[They hadn't won, not yet, but the board shuddered for a moment in recognition of that call before the other side took its turn. With some luck they'd have this finished soon.]

[She was glad for that, at least. When she felt the shudder, she could see some of what was going on. The king was threatened, and no pieces were able to move in to defend it. It forced it to move into a more exposed place just to get away. Every check would keep it more busy avoiding, rather than fighting.]

Should I remain to keep it hemmed at this angle?

Yes, just be careful and don't get hasty.

[He'll be watching her back too so he can yell out in the event that she doesn't realize she's leaving herself open to an attack from another piece. Not that any of the other pieces can move as long as their opponent is focused on keeping its king safe.

The game is all but won, now. It's just a matter of making it official. Once they call it, he's certain a door will open. It's another riddle to solve to move forward. Whatever comes after this might not even be the true exit. They could be at this forever.]

[Very soon she was in a position to hold out against the king's movement. It only had one way to go at this point, and check was followed by check, with each move causing its field to become more limited. It meant no threats were coming near to either of them.

And by the looks of it, she was pretty sure he could sneak in a way to block the last exit that it might have, along with her and a bishop on their side.]

I believe you may have the killing blow here.

Looks that way, doesn't it?

[He'd been willing to let her have that move if it worked out that way, but a victory is a victory. All that matters is getting out of this room. It's not important who lands the killing blow.

Of course he might not have to make any actual strikes at all. Winning should be a matter of moving onto the right square and saying:]

Checkmate.

[The floor rumbles and shakes after he says this, and all the pieces around them begin to crumble.]