soddersays | SEPTEMBER 2019 TEST DRIVE MEME

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SEPTEMBER 2019 TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to September's Test Drive Meme! This month's Test Drive's theme is: CHAOS.

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: Torture (emotional and possibly physical), claustrophobia, potential weapon violence (guns, knives, spears, flamethrowers, etc.), possible body horror, emotional manipulation, emojis
Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!

Prompt One
Prompt Two
Prompt Three
Character Arrival
Master Navigation

DICE BLOCK

In case everyone hasn't had enough fun and games to last a life time in the good old town of Deerington, apparently this month brings you one more. Maybe you were just walking through the door to get into your own house, or maybe you were leaving from work — the moment you walk through any door, you'll find that it doesn't open up to the place you were looking for. Instead, you find yourself standing on a giant game board and you seem to be right on the start space. The doors already disappeared behind you, don't bother trying to run back. The only exit is at the end and you'll have to hope you make it there.

But you aren't alone! With you are other unfortunate souls who hopefully weren't just looking for a quick bathroom break. Some of them might look a little worse for wear. What happened? Well, looks like you may have to ask later, because you'll only really have time to exchange names if you don't already know one another before a large screen you didn't notice was hanging from the ceiling will light up. There's a giant image of a typical six-sided game die that's completely stationary. For the moment. Shortly after, a voice will come on over the speakers, echoing in the otherwise fairly empty room. It's overly cheerful, grating, and giggles at the end of every sentence.

Welcome, players! Is this your first time? Yes? Great!
Would you like to hear the rules?
Okay!
Each player will take a turn rolling their die.
You can then move the number of spaces shown — but only those spaces!
You can move forward, backward, right, and left, but not diagonally!
Each space will have a symbol.
The spaces with a clover are lucky spaces! Congratulations! You'll gain some fortune, whether it's an extra turn, moving ahead more spaces, or gaining an important item you can take with you on your journey!
The spaces with the skull are unlucky spaces! Boooooo, that's too bad! You'll befall some grave misfortune here. Hopefully it won't set you back too badly! Make sure to avoid these at all costs!
The spaces with a chest are item spaces! Here you'll be able to win prizes, like medical supplies or weapons! Maybe even a small something from home! Wouldn't that be nice?
Your goal is to make it to the end alive! Good luck! And remember to have lots of fun!

The first player's name will pop up on the screen, before the die will begin to randomly blink between numbers. Eventually it will land on a number. Once the player moves forward and lands on their space, it will repeat for the second player. This will go on until one (or both players) reach the end!

When they said to make sure to not land on an unlucky space, they certainly weren't kidding. Each one seems to come with some sort of random punishment or horror; it can be as light as having to move back a few spaces or go back to the start, or as heavy as breaking a random bone or feeling a blade slice open your skin. Maybe you'll start to slowly turn into a monster or become filled with the desire to kill your opponent. Anything can happen, but it's always going to be bad.

Players who reach the end will be able to go through the door and end up back wherever it was they were intending to go in the first place. Players who lose? Well... It's back to the beginning for you. Time to wait for the next player. Better luck next time.

DANCE DANCE

But what's behind door number two! People are going to start to get tired of walking around in their own houses at this rate. Even if you managed to escape the board game horrors, this new room you've found yourself in doesn't seem much better. In the center is a large TV screen and on the floor in front of it are two pads with arrows pointing in four directions; up, down, left, and right. Anyone who is familiar with Dance Dance Revolution might feel right at home! But fear not, there are instructions on the screen for you to follow if you need them.

Two players only, and you'll have to work together! It's a team dance and you'll want to encourage each other to stay perfectly in sync. The doors won't open until you finish, and should you mess up? Well, look up, friend!

The ceiling is covered in sharp, painful looking spikes and every time someone misses a beat or steps on the wrong arrow, the ceiling will drop down a foot. It's pretty high up there, but miss more than three arrows and you're gonna start to really feel the pressure. The spikes are looking a lot bigger and more ominous than they did when they were all the way at the top. Hopefully you've got some good rhythm.

But this is a good lesson in teamwork! Even the worst dancers might be able to get out of here okay if they've got someone who they can work together with. Maybe their perfect scores will make up for your two left feet. You can only hope you're both so lucky.

THAT'S NOT A "MEH" FACE!

Everyone loves to get a text, don't they? Of course they do! Which is why someone has been kind enough to send out a little special something to everyone's Fluid's this month! There's no name you recognize — in fact, it doesn't even look like a name is attached at all. The sender's identification only looks like this: 🥳

The message you've gotten is pretty simple though! Each person has received a text message with one emoji inside. No rhyme or reason applied! That's... random, isn't it? You can try to text back, but no one will answer, and so you might as well just close your device and forget about it.

Every person who received a text will find that their personality starts to shift. They begin to take on some aspect that's tied to the emoji they received. Did you get a simple smiley face? You're happy and relaxed for the time being! Or maybe a silly face will lead you to become more of a prankster. An eggplant could have someone feeling like sexting a Special Someone. An angry face might get you really riled up, even towards people you love. Did you get a knife? Time to start stabbing. A gun? Those people around you look like really good target practice...

The options are endless. Each emojis effects will last for twenty-four hours or until another emoji is sent from the same user.

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

[Getting bumped into and not being apologized to is very rude. Roxas turns to see who bumped into him and stops. Stares. Blinks a few times, because he never got the chance to actually meet Vanitas in person before.

But he knows it's Vanitas. He's seen this boy through Sora.

This damn world was really trying to get to him. Narrowing his eyes, he huffs at the black haired youth.]

You're the one who ran into me.

[Roxas' appearance strikes him too. If he didn't know better, he would have mistaken him for Ventus but his heart knows.

Their connection isn't gone and he feels something different from this one. Very faint, if there at all. It makes him wonder if maybe he's just losing it. But this isn't Ventus. Just a lookalike....a nobody.

Vanitas has never met Roxas before but he knows vaguely of him from talk in the organization. A nobody with Ventus' face. Someone Xemnes was interested in that could be a guardian of light. The details were vague since Vanitas never bothered to ask questions and only eavesdropped here and there.

Still....seeing him in the flesh is something else. He sneers at Roxas]

Doesn't change anything. Not with the face you have.

[If he were as cat like as Sora claimed, Roxas would be bristling up right now. Instead, he tenses up and his narrowed eyes become a glare.]

Says the one who stole Sora's face.

[Two can play at that game.]

What the hell are you doing here?!

I didn't steal anything from him. But...I guess I got the better end of the deal if we're comparing. You really have that stupid angry look down just like Ventus.

[The corner of his lips pull into a slight smirk. Look, his circumstance is different then yours Roxas so shut up.

Instead of answering Roxas, he starts walking again.]

Don't compare me to him.

[He's not Ventus! How many times does he have to prove it? Certainly can't take Ven's other eye... Vanitas walking away just makes a well of irritation spring up.

Vanitas won't be going too far as a Samurai Nobody steps out in front of the other, hand on the hilt of its blade.]

If you're here, then that means you can't just leave when someone talks to you.

[Vanitas stops at the Nobody cutting him off. His nose wrinkles slightly and he scowls at it before looking back to Roxas]

Oh, did I hit a nerve? You're not Ventus and you're not Sora, so what do you matter? I have nothing to say to a nobody like you.

So just because I'm not them I'm trash? Gee. Thanks. I should say the same thing about you, then.

[He pats his chest and huffs.] I'm human now. Something you'll never get to be because you're an idiot.

[It's been a stressful few months. And Vanitas is convenient for letting anger out on.]

[Vanitas blinks a bit at Roxas, at his statement]

Whoever said I wanted to be human? I don't have the same simple desires you do.

[He'll never get what he wants but being human isn't it. He just wanted to be whole.]

It might be simple, but it's better than what-

[Wait.

Waaaaaaaait

Something just struck Roxas hard.]

...... Did you eat the food in the basket?

No.

[And what do you care anyway?

Vanitas clicks his tongue at him before jabbing his finger at the Samurai nobody.]

Want to call off your pet here?

[Bad answer. Roxas ignores what Vanitas asks and walks over to grab the others wrist.]

Show me where you came from. Now.

What's your problem?

[He hisses through his teeth, already attempting to jerk his hand out of Roxas' grasp. Get out of his face, he's sick of looking at you already.]

[Sorry. His strength has only been temporarily strengthened by the world this month. Good luck.]

You want to see Ventus, don't you? He's here. But you'll disappear if you don't eat that food Sodder left for you.

[That makes his eyes narrow. Though its hard to tell if it's Roxas' odd strength or the mention of Ventus]

I already did once. Doing that from here can't be much different.

[He tries again to pull his arm free.]

Let go, freak.

[While is powers are faulty, a bit of darkness does flare up around his feet. Not a lot, but the Unversed he created earlier scurry back to their master, almost seeming to hiss at Roxas and glare with gleaming red eyes.]

Disappearing here is different. It's... bad. Not like back home.

[He doesn't let go, the Unversed not bothering him at all. He purses his lips and lets out a low whistle.]

If you won't show me, I'll just have Velvet track where you came from.

[A minute later a red colored husky comes bounding over and stops beside Roxas.] Don't try anything. She bites.

What do you care?

[He doesn't get it. They were just insulting eachother and now Roxas cares about him disappearing? He's getting those goody guardian of light vibes and he doesn't like it at all. It annoys him. There is no reason for Roxas to even bother with him. It'd be easier if he just disappeared.

Vanitas may be being stubborn but this is strange. It's like when Sora tried to reach out to him. At least that made a little more sense because Sora is a soft-hearted idiot. It's his choice if he wants to disappear or not. This is no different then before.]

I have my reasons.

[The biggest being Ventus. Even though they talked, someone needs to distract the other blond. Make him stop possibly brooding and avoiding anyone. A common "enemy" that could bring them together again. Though... Roxas feels like he wants to actually make friends. Weird... this place must be rubbing off on him.]

Tell me where you came from or I'll drag you along as Velvet tracks it by smell. I can easily break you if you try and fight me.

[He's quiet for a moment. He can't get his hand free, granted he hasn't tried removing Roxas' hand either but with his powers being on the fritz to where even his keyblade doesn't want to summon to his hand, he doesn't bother. He just gives the blond a flat look.]

Forget the mutt and let go unless you really are trying to hold my hand.

[One glance and it doesn't look like much of anything than an obnoxious fluffball. He moves, pulling Roxas with him if he's going to stay attached to his arm. If he lets go it'd be easier to ditch him.]

I woke up in some apartment...

Hold your ha- [EXCUSE YOU HE'S IN A WEIRD RELATIONSHIP STATUS, NO THANKS

But he'll hold on because who knows if Vanitas will try and escape. As for the mentions of the apartment-]

The David Cliff apartment? I live there....

[Just because he has Sora's face, Roxas, doesn't mean...

Vanitas blinks a bit at that]

Yeah, I think that was the name or something. It was the second floor.

[He sort of kicked over things when he first showed up though so the place is a mess. Vanitas didn't plan on living there for more then a few seconds. He remembers the basket because of the music but he was so angry that he didn't care.]

[Sora has a nice face, so... damn. That means Vanitas does too and Roxas would hate himself for thinking that.

Oh gods... Roxas lets out a soft, frustrated noise.]

I live on the second floor... now I know what the hell that noise was. You trashed the place.

[Don't worry Roxas, Vanitas doesn't smile like Sora does. Same face but they have wildly different expressions.

He squints at the blond as he walks in the direction of the apartments.]

So what if I did? I could trash yours next.

[Don't judge him. Though his attention sways as he flexes the fingers on his other hand feeling tingly or something.]

[Sora also has nicer eyes. Blue is a good color.

Vanitas will get a deadpan expression as the first part of the response.]

Do that and I won't hesitate to have Velvet and my Nobody take you out.

[Velvet will bite anyone her master tells her to... Roxas notices the flexing, not sure if it has anything to do with the situation or Vanitas feeling something.]

[He didn't choose his eye color. Don't start daydreaming about Sora now.]

You really think your mutt and creatures are a threat...

[He scoffs. He has Unversed too. Just...not the limitless supply he had before and they hurt more to create. A pain he was sure he was use to...but its stronger in this world.
Also don't mind the flexing. Just started to turn into dust, no biggie.]

[LOOK HE CAN'T HELP IT Roxas is a hopeless fool when it comes to the brunette... Daydreaming is standard.]

Velvet's bite is poisonous. My Nobody has a sword. If they fail, I have Stripes, and my Keyblades. Don't mess with me.

[Yeah. He knows that pain. Only able to summon one Samurai... And they should probably walk faster so Roxas doesn't have to princess carry a Sora-face. Only Sora gets princess carried.]

SEPTEMBER 2019 TEST DRIVE MEME

DICE BLOCK

DANCE DANCE

THAT'S NOT A "MEH" FACE!

Character Arrival

Arrival

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