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JULY TEST DRIVE MEME

JULY 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to July's Test Drive Meme! This month's Test Drive's theme is: JUDGEMENT HORROR.

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: Violence, possible gore, intense nightmares, possible death, religion, slow suffocation, melting skin, throat trauma, fire
Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!

Prompt One
Prompt Two
Prompt Three
Character Arrival
Master Navigation

STICKS AND STONES

Anyone who has been to school in Deerington likely knows about the possessed bathroom walls by now. The writing blasting your deepest and darkest fears, your best kept secrets, always manifesting the worst parts of yourself. It starts off slow, and grows, and grows... Anyone who looks at the wall only sees rumors about themselves, usually, but lately, people have started to be able to see rumors being written about other people. The writing slowly starts to leak out of the bathroom, starting to spread on the school walls and lockers. Eventually, it starts to spread out into the town itself.

Writing and drawings start to show up around town. It seems like they're exposing peoples worst memories, their darkest actions, but anyone who reads the writing about themselves will see that Deerington has taken a few liberties to make it seem even worse. Did you kill someone in self-defense? The wall will describe how you did it in cold blood. Or maybe you accidentally broke someone's heart? Everyone will read how you manipulated, lied, and destroyed the emotions of an innocent person. Eventually, it will start to make things up that may have never actually happened, but when it's mixed in with all the stories that hold a grain of truth, how can anyone tell the difference?

People will find themselves compelled to believe the rumors, no matter how well they know the person they're written about. Some people might even find themselves tempted to add to the rumors with writings of their own.

You can not scrub the writing off the wall, but it can be covered up or scratched out by markers and paint. The rumors will just write themselves back in within 24 hours, but at least you might be able to stop people from seeing the worst bits about your personality if you're quick enough.

MAY BREAK MY BONES

People will start to find themselves getting exceptionally tired as of late. Even those who don't normally sleep, or normally can't physically sleep, will still find themselves drifting off into whatever equivalent their body can manage. Maybe you curl up on the sofa for a little nap or you're crawling into bed at the end of a long day or you could even just stretch out in the park to get a little shut eye.

No matter where or when you fall asleep, it will be extremely restless. Nightmarish, even.

You "wake up" in a room with a large climbing wall in front of you and nothing but darkness underneath. You aren't alone; the person beside you seems to have just woken up here as well. Maybe it's a friend, maybe it's a stranger, but you're both going to want to take in your surroundings before you get to any kind of chit chat. You can tell you're dreaming, but it all feels, looks, and smells so real. The scent of rust, metal, and blood fill your senses to an overwhelming degree. If you usually rely on powers, you'll find that they aren't working here. You'll also find out quickly just how mortal you may have become.

The large wall is littered with traps. Spikes that shoot out of the wall, ready to skewer the unfortunate person in front of them. Large bear traps will snap shut, just the right height to cut off a persons head at the neck. Random large bouts of fire and sudden puffs of acidic gas that can melt skin. It's hard to tell what triggers each space or if it's entirely random, but you'll need to move quickly in order to avoid all the death traps that are awaiting you.

Especially once the wall starts to deteriorate in front of you. You have to start climbing. Now. You have to move quickly to avoid the wall falling apart while you're climbing it. If it catches up to you, you'll fall into the darkness below, eventually hitting the sharp rocks at the bottom. If you get injured by one of the traps, you'll find that you can really feel it. You'll bleed the same way you would have if you had been injured in real life— even if you don't normally bleed or feel pain at all.

If you climb fast enough and make it to the top of the wall, there will be a door waiting for you. Walk through and you'll wake up wherever you fell asleep. If you sustained any injuries, you'll find that they've been reflected on your body. Hopefully they weren't fatal. Those who don't have human bodies will still find gashes in their bodies where the injuries may have been sustained in their dreams.

Should you die in the dream? You'll die in real life. The body of someone who dies within the dream will suddenly convulse before turning to the same purple dust that all the other bodies in Deerington do before they're reincarnated a week later.

BUT WORDS STILL HURT LIKE HELL

Sometimes when you wake up from your nightmare realms, you won't be in your bed or on your couch. You'll find instead that you're stuck in a confessional booth, even if it means you've been resized to fit in the small space. There's someone on the other side of the screen, but it's not a priest; it's another Sleeper. You're both trapped, the doors refusing to open, and no amount of physical strength or destructive power will make a dent on the walls. The only way out... is to confess.

And you can't just confess any old thing; it has to be something that has been weighing on your mind for some time. Maybe a memory that fills you with guilt, or admittance to an unrequited love, or a deep desire to hurt someone... Anything that's been keeping you up at night, causing tension inside of you. It's your chance to really get things off your chest.

The longer you take to confess, the more dangerous things will become. The air seems to be slowly being sucked out from the confessional booth, slowly suffocating whoever is sitting inside. Even if you don't normally rely on air, you'll start to find yourself choking. It's like your very life force is being sucked out of you. The more you talk, the easier it becomes to breathe, and once you've both finished? The doors will simply unlock.

When you exit the booth, you'll find yourself inside the Deerington church. Turn around and you'll find there is no booth in sight. Guess it's time to just head home.

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

Don't lie to me.

[ She doesn't let go of him. In fact, his weak and pathetic apology makes her tighten the hug even more. Because she feels absolutely terrible, absolutely horrified at herself for allowing things to get this far, for allowing him to hurt in this way.

But even if she's an idiot in some ways, she can fix her mistakes. ]

It's okay... to not be okay, Atsushi.

[ Perhaps she can go back to being the Inaba Himeko that can support others. ]

No matter what other people say, and this is... hilarious coming from me, after I lied, but I will never see you as a monster.

[ There's a firm confidence in her words. Like she's assured this is the truth, even if he might not believe her, much less trust in those few words. If any gods existed in this world, she would pray to let the meaning behind her words reach him.

She would wish for nothing more.

He might believe that he doesn't deserve such kindness from her, after she's cried like this and hurt so bad that her heart it nearly in shreds, but that doesn't matter to her. It isn't important. ]

It was my mistake this time, so... I'm sorry. Really. I mean it, Atsushi.

[Is he really lying, though? Because he should be okay. Inaba just told him that it ends. It's supposed to end when you die, right? And Atsushi wasn't going to be the one to die, not ever, so it had to be the headmaster.

But it doesn't feel over.

He takes a sharp yet shaky breath in when she says what he fears: That it's okay not to be okay. It's like she can read his denial. She really does know everything about him, but it isn't creepy. It's comforting.]

You don't know that. [There's an automatic mumble when she says he isn't a monster. She may know everything else, but she can't read his mind. She doesn't know what kinds of thoughts are going through his head right now. Hideous thoughts, where he isn't even sad that someone died.

But he's still not sure what to say to her. Well, what to really say. Atsushi does start by very lightly, very hesitantly, putting one arm around her. The most half-hearted of attempts to comfort himself. It's almost an experiment, really, because Atsushi isn't used to giving or receiving positive physical contact at all. He doesn't deserve it. The effort is so light that it's almost as ghostly as the voice filtering through his head. One that is fading as he clings to Inaba's voice instead.

He takes another deep breath. Calmer now. At least not in a state where he would hound her for more answers.]

Thank you.

[ She might not be a mind reader, but she sure as hell can come certainly close.

That's what happens when you know too much, after all; when you're able to see everything, even how a person thinks.

And Inaba herself - well. She can't say that she doesn't sympathize with the thought, when she's had those horrible, terrible thoughts.

'This sucks. God, I'm trash.'

'Then again... I guess anything's better than letting her get too close to a monster like me.

'A monster like her was better off spending the rest of her days hiding out in her room with the lights off.

They were out of her league.'

But she takes a deep breath, trying to cool those thoughts, push them at the back of her mind. No, she's not like that. People care about her a lot, after all. Even if she's alone here, she still has those kind memories that allow her to connect to others.

And more than that... she can use them to connect with him.

Even if the thought of that is selfish. ]

I do know. Or, well... maybe I'm just being presumptuous. But the Atsushi that I knew always tried to protect me. And even when I knew about the tiger, even though I was scared...

... I always wanted to help.

[ That hasn't changed, even now. She still does want to help. After all, isn't that why she's decided to use her nullification in this way in spite of how much she's despised supernatural abilities? ]

I still want to. If I have to, I'll figure out a way to kick the ass of the voice that torments you. Even if it means I have to hold you like this the whole time, or I have to tell an embarrassing story. I'll do it.

[She even knows that. And Atsushi is so shocked to hear it that he snaps to attention, nearly shouting in preemptive fright, because he can't believe she knows about that voice. He can't imagine anyone ever understanding, so he wonders if the headmaster is physically there; Standing in front of him, behind her, actually present. In expecting to see someone there, he is denying for a moment that she could understand. The only explanation would be that man physically being there and yet--

Atsushi sees nothing.

The voice really is in his head. Inaba really does understand what lives there.

He relaxes again. Or at least, he tries to. It's hard to shake the fear is he just inflicted on himself.]

You don't need to. [In mentioning her hold on him, Inaba brings it properly to his consciousness. He stares beyond her, sorting through the mess of emotions that have fallen to the wayside during his initial outburst. Before this, he was trying to keep Inaba from being alone. He had expected she was about to leave. How the tides have turned in that regard. Now she's holding onto him and comforting him---

Oh. She's holding onto him. Where's his hand? This is improper--!

Atsushi loosens his already pathetically loose grip on her. As he's coming down from his panic and anger, he's landing in a pit of shame and embarrassment. At least the new emotion is powerful enough to smother whatever remained of the old. Perhaps it's not healthy to bury one's confused grief, but since when Atsushi good at mental health?

He's unaware that this is his own escapist tactic. He's giving her permission to stop comforting him, because he doesn't know how to be comforted.]

You really don't need to. Sorry. I don't notice.

[ And now it's Inaba's turn to get flustered, her face flushing as she finally lets go of him, pulling herself away in a sudden realization of how much she almost basically sank into the physical contact. ]

Ah - well - just because I really don't need to, doesn't mean that I don't want to! But it's weird, isn't it? I'm weird.

[ Time to bury her face in her hands now, a strangely uncharacteristic shift in her personality. ]

Uuu... I did something embarrassing...

[Atsushi here is going to hold both hands up in front of him, meek again and making sure both of them know exactly where his hands are. Not on Inaba. He's being good. Her embarrassment and his are an echo chamber of emotion, that successfully buries the last of his grief.

For now. He'll certainly be processing this more on his own, but also... Perhaps only in his subconscious does Atsushi know he has some complex emotions to process.

On the surface, he just touched a girl and he's really sorry.]

No - uh-- It wasn't weird, it was nice-- You mean, comforting? Ehehe... [He lowers his hands slightly, as if to physically lower both their fluster.] Thank you. I'll...

["It's okay to not be okay."

He swallows his instinctive answer. Maybe he won't be okay, but;]

I can handle it better now. [Since she's taken him down from his emotional extremes.] Thank you, Inaba.

...Oh.

[ Well, that's a relief.

Although it certainly does not lift her fluster, however as she lowers her hands from her face, cheeks hot with a lot of mixed emotions there. And she has to ask herself why is she like this? She is so glad that she did not have to confess something weird in that booth, back in the church, because that would have been an even worse first meeting. ]

You're welcome? A-And, um... I won't tell anybody else about this, so don't worry.

[ She promises. She'll be good. ]

[It's only because she brings it up that Atsushi even realizes she could have told someone. He already trusts her, it seems. Spilling your heart to someone can do that. But between her small stutter and her red cheeks, Atsushi finds a smile for himself. Still strained by his drying tears, but it's there.

He laughs, the soft pop of a noise hiding what will be his only sob. The last of his complicated emotions having sunk out of reach.]

I know you won't. You're kind, Inaba.

[Hopefully she'll accept it now. He can't imagine anyone less than kind would have handled him so gracefully just now.]

But... It is strange. You know everything about me and it feels like you've been looking out for me for a really long time. And we can't be friends? [It's a very light tease, calling back to the trainwreck of a conversation that got them here.

He holds out a hand again, hoping her answer has changed.]

[ How can he trust her so easily?

It almost pisses her off to the point where she opens her mouth to almost argue against him before shaking her head to clear her thoughts, deciding against it. And the way he says those words makes her feel...

Well, let's just say the short version is 'many things', as her gaze shifts away once again. ]

I -

[...]

I want to, but... it seems a little unfair, doesn't it? Not to mention, I'm sure it'll only hurt if we're friends.

[ It's enough that she was tempted to push him away, after all. ]

[He laughs lightly at that,] You know everything about me, right? So... You should know.

[Atsushi extends his arm just a smidgen more.]

Asking you to stay is pretty selfish of me. I'm not a very good person... And here, I'm even worse. If I heal around people, I hurt them instead of me. And I still don't know if my Ability is controlled like it has been since I joined the Agency...

[The worst friendship salesmen of all times has arrive. But he's still offering.]

I'd understand if you can't put up with all of that, but... I'd like to try, Inaba.

[ "You know everything about me, right?"

She does - or at least, she knows about the things that he's experienced, back in Yokohama. The admission of him saying that he isn't a very good person makes her almost want to cry, but she keeps those thoughts down, buried behind the proverbial curtains she puts up.

He doesn't have to know.

This much... she can hide, she's sure.

Her fingers curl in on itself, nails digging into the skin. It's not enough to draw blood, but it's definitely enough to show how tense she is about just hearing this. Enough that after he finishes talking, gives her a chance to speak, that... the smallest bit of anger that was bubbling up just bursts. ]

Don't say that about yourself. Don't say that you're not a good person.

[ Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. She doesn't want to hear it, as someone who has always seen herself as dark. Who has never seen herself as a good person, in spite of many people, multiple times saying that she is, that she's kind.

And she wholeheartedly wants to believe in those words.

But... it's hard.

The words he says reminds her of a conversation from last year.

"...Dazai-san saved me. He didn't teach me to kill people, or make me kill people. I never--

Not before here, anyway."

She takes a deep breath. If he says that asking her to stay is being selfish, then... isn't she allowed to be selfish in return? But hearing him say that his healing ability isn't the same, well... there has to be an explanation to it. It might have something to do with this world.

She'd have to do research on that, at some point. ]

...Ah, that's right. The person that kept the ability in check and allowed you to control it a lot easier isn't here.

[ That's a conversation that she had with another Atsushi, in another place.

Fukuzawa isn't here.

But this conversation is different; things have changed since the last time she spoke about this. She can- ]

If you want to try, I want to help. I have... experience, dealing with the tiger. And - if you need to deal with full moons, for whatever reason, I can stay with you and hold your hand the whole time.

Although if you're not okay with that, I have alternative options.

[He nods, relieved that she knows about Fukuzawa. There's something nice about not having to take the time to explain things to her; Atsushi is always afraid that his explanations will be wrong, or hard to understand, or that he'll leave out something important. It's calming to have her almost read his mind and be accepting of what's in there.

Does that make him awful, he wonders? Because he wants her there, for his sake? It's not all about protecting this almost-stranger, so he might be more wrong than usual.]

You don't have to risk yourself for me. Someone here already suggest that I uh... Find a cage...

[Can Inaba hear how much that horrifies him? Can she hear that he feels physically ill just to say it? Does she know how much the idea of being chained up or caged in a dark room, away from the moonlight, makes Atsushi want to lash out at phantoms?

Because he is trying to keep his voice steady. He's trying so hard to be selfless, not selfish; To value other lives over his own. Even if it means being caged up. If it saves people, he has to be okay with it.]

I wouldn't trouble you, I promise. [So please take his hand. Atsushi doesn't want to feel alone anymore. Inaba is the closet he has to a lifeline in this crazy town.]

[ She practically grimaces at the prospect of a cage, because she is very much aware of how it's pretty much universal for all Atsushis that she's met so far to despise the idea.

There's no hiding the anger and frustration about it. ]

I'm not risking myself, Atsushi. And even if I was, I can handle it.

[ She's died before and been on the brink of death plenty of times. Even if she isn't necessarily aware of what death would do to her in this world. This isn't the Foundation world - she could be gone for good.

Or worse.

There's no telling.

But she probably should explain a little better. ]

If your ability does, for whatever reason - go out of control... I can nullify it.

[ And she'll emphasize it by taking his hand, just to show him. ]

[She might be able to handle it, but this isn't about her! It's about selfish Atsushi and his selfish hero complex, and him not being able to handle if Inaba got hurt. He's quickly coming to care a lot about her; Helped by his selfish desire to be understood. She's the first person who doesn't make him feel alien and broken to be around. Atsushi is only now realizing that his polite relationships here in Maine are not real connections.

And he doesn't understand how much he likes her, because Atsushi has never had this kind of connection before. Not even the Agency truly gets it in the way Inaba does.

So when she takes his hand, offering her ability, he's stunned. He can't comprehend the feeling of "this is what a friend feels like," because he's never had a friend who fit him like a puzzle piece. What he does understand is that he's selfish. Too selfish to let her hand go.]

... That's okay? Is it really okay? I won't be hurting you?

[She would know if it's okay, right? Inaba seems to know more than even he does, after all.]

[ Hero complexes... are something that Inaba is way too used to.

And it's something that she finds herself drawn to, every single time. Even if she doesn't entirely understand why. ]

It's fine.

[ She tries to reassure him, squeezing his hand to show just how she'll be there for him. Even if it's slightly painful, that doesn't matter. She knows that pain is inevitable - especially in a place like this.

That isn't something she can stop, much less prevent.

But if she can ease things, even if it's slight, that's fine. ]

I'll be fine, Atsushi. Please trust me.

[Atsushi looks down at their joined hands, considering her assurance...

... And ultimately, sighs. He doesn't recognize his own relief and comfort for what it is; Just that there's some weight gone and he's got Inaba. It's also nice to think that he doesn't have to be in a cage anymore.]

Okay. I trust you. [And perhaps only Inaba can understand the weight of those words. Atsushi is a trusting person on a surface level, able to be dragged along and teased like a child, but his deep trust doesn't come as easily. Trusting Inaba not to be hurt? Trusting that he won't hurt her? That's more difficult.]

I don't think it'll come down to needing your ability... I hope it won't, at least. [He gives her hands a soft, but meant-to-be reassuring, squeeze in turn.]

But you must be exhausted. I was supposed to walk you home.

[ Even if she's aware of how he doesn't have the same trust issues that she does, hearing someone actually say that they trust her means a whole lot to her.

And she's willing to carry the weight of that trust.

And how she shouldn't break that trust.

Then she'd become the type of person she hates the most. ]

Thank you.

[ For many things that she decides to leave unsaid. Does she need to explain herself? Probably not. ]

And it's okay... I don't think I'd be able to sleep, to be honest.

[He worries for her confession; When Asushi can't sleep, it's because something is plaguing his mind. While Inaba could very well have had a coffee before the booth, or some other mundane reason, he is more primed to worry about her now.

Atsushi looks down the road. One way would take them back to the residential section. The other, towards the local shops and pitiful downtown life.

Still holding her hand, he tugs towards the shops.]

Then let's take the long way? [Maybe he can help her walk off whatever is preventing her from resting? Because he does think that Inaba deserves to rest. He knows that he himself is exhausted from the day's events.]

...

[ For a good few moments, she's quiet and contemplative. Her eyes gaze back and forth - from him, to the crossroads.

And when he tugs her towards the shops, she can't help but let out a sound of surprise. This was not what she expected in the slightest bit, nor was it something that she thought was planned. ]

Ah - I mean... you don't mind?

[ I'm not being a burden? ]

[He shakes his head, mixing a smile with his response;] Not at all.

Let's go. I'll get us a drink somewhere.

[Atsushi could never think of her as a burden now. If anything, he worries he might be imposing. His offer to buy her a drink is supposed to make-up for the fact he refuses to leave her side just yet.]

It's been a lot. I don't think I could get any rest either.

Do you have money for it?

[ She actually doesn't know if this world actually has currency - and even if it did, she isn't sure if the money that she even has would even work. ]

I don't mind paying you back at some point, though. [ Since she doesn't exactly like owing other things. ] It has, especially since I've gotten here... I do need to get back to the world I was in prior to this at some point.

[ Not "home". ]

["Does he have money for it," she asks. Like she knows that Atsushi has to sink a lot of money into replacing his shoes and pants. Even the deer knew to drop Atsushi in this town with only the clothes on his back and an empty wallet. A powerful statement.

So it may surprise Inaba when Atsushi gives an almost excited answer, as if this fact is bright enough to dispel any amount of gloom;]

Actually, a lot of the food here is free! [so that offer to get her a drink was just atsushi being polite out of habit.

His smile does dissolve when she mentions another world.]

... Mm. I'll find a way to get you home, don't worry.

Eh?

[ She finds herself pausing before the realization actually sets in at the comment 'free'. ]

What?! Seriously? Oh, thank god - I mean... it's not entirely relieving, but let's change plans. Is there a grocery outlet or something? I want to stock up on some stuff and I might as well do it while I have another pair of strong hands.

[ Is she going to take advantage of this? Absolutely.

Is she also going to pointedly not mention 'home'? Also yes. ]

[Her new dense friend doesn't realize that 'home' was the wrong word. He may realize he's being taken advantage of, but he doesn't mind. Being able to help Inaba will only help to drown out thoughts of an apparent dead man.

He hasn't forgotten. He probably won't. That's probably why he never let her hand go.]

Yes, there's a grocery store. I could use to pick something up too! [Atsushi doesn't want Inaba to ever feel guilty for asking his help, so tries to even it out with his own selfishness.]

This way! Oh. [Speaking of 'strong hands.' He's forgotten to let go of hers. Time to do that.] Sorry.

[ Maybe one day she'll explain what the situation is like for her, but right now is... most definitely not that time.

And even if she is taking advantage of him, it's not as if he won't benefit from it. ]

Alright, that's perfect.

[ Although her face burns a bright scarlet when he suddenly lets go of her hand.

Goddamn it. ]

No need to apologize, really... but I do want to get some ingredients for food, since I need to continue practicing my cooking. And - [ She shouldn't. Right? ] if you wanted to, you could come... visit? For dinner?

[ AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

She wants to perish just asking that. End her now. ]

JULY 2020 TEST DRIVE MEME

STICKS AND STONES

MAY BREAK MY BONES

BUT WORDS STILL HURT LIKE HELL

Character Arrival

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wow who made this icon thnx

fingerguns

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