//TESTDRIVE15.EXE

[reparator]

//testdrive15.EXE

The clock strikes twelve. The gong of the grandfather clock in the foyer tolls out the time in slightly unnecessarily obnoxious loud noises. The ambiance of this old mansion demands respect, care, awe -- Okay, no, wait, why are you even in this stupid dusty house? No reasons are forthcoming, because everyone knows that people just end up in places like this sometimes. That's just how the narrative device works. The hows and the whys don't matter -- all that matters is that you're all here, so you'd better get cracking and start exploring, because it's not like you can leave yet. Or ever, maybe. Good day, sirs and madams. Might I interest you in a nice glass of blood...y mary?

//SCENARIOS.EXE

PHASE I [ 0215 ] All you see is white. The crash of thunder hits your ears next, punctuated by the piercing pitch of white noise in the background. After a few blinks, your vision comes back to you. Oh good, glad that you’ve joined us in the land of the living. Unlike the nondescript corpse at your feet – it looks like… a butler? Oh dear. You’ve already killed Murder Suspect Number One in most situations. How terribly ironic. After all, who could’ve killed him but you? You might not remember, but there is definitely a murder weapon in your hand. It’s probably a knife or a poisoned glass of wine or- Wait, is that a toaster? A full on toaster? Or maybe it’s a taser. Maybe you bludgeoned this poor guy with an entire encyclopedia. Either way, it looks like your murder weapon is a little unconventional, whether it’s a stranger’s pair of underwear or a hair curler. Are you really supposed to believe you committed a murder with these? (Yes.) That said in the next second the double doors will be opening up. It’s pretty clear you’re not alone. Think quick! PHASE II [ 0600 ] Exploring more around the compound, you’ll find plenty of those tall, oil portraits of people hung around the walls. When you start walking, they’re all strangers. However by the time that you feel like you’re wandering around for an hour, two hours, they might start looking a little bit more… familiar? Mom? Is that you? You don’t have time to think about that, though. You were clearly framed! You don't’ have a motive for killing some random NPC – “Or do you?” a portrait will ask. Oh. Holy shit. Well it’d just be rude to leave, right? Whether you stick around for conversation or not, you’ll find that was just the beginning. The portraits are going to start grilling you. Welcome to CERES Central’s Roast of You. What was your motive? Don’t you know you should respect the servants? How would you feel if you were caught like that? Careful turning your back on them though, because if you ignore them for too long, the subjects in the portraits may just reach out and snatch you to join them in their portrait world. At that point, the only way to get out is to swap places with some other poor, unsuspecting soul wandering around. PHASE III [ 1045 ] You know what makes me hungry? Murder. What’s the point of making a mansion this big anyway? Who’s even here? Either way, whether you’re looking for the kitchen to make a fine post-homicide sandwich or just trying to escape, you’ll eventually make it to a stairwell. The most finicky stairwell ever. Is that a trail of bloody footprints leading up the steps? What? No. Stop it, just climb. Or well – don’t climb too quickly now. The staircases apparently have a mind of their own, swapping from one doorway to another. You definitely haven’t seen this before. It would seem that these stairs might even be interested in keeping you in a circle forever, no concern for whether or not you’re hungry or, god forbid, need to use the restroom. However the portraits in the stairwell will provide a little tip: “The stairs are gossips, you know. Why don’t you tell us a little something about yourself? Make it good!” Weirdly enough, sound advice – that is, if you’re interested in shouting out your most embarrassing secrets into the void so a mansion can keep talking shit about you. Oh well. Your alternative is just being a stair golem. There are worse fates. PHASE IV [ 1430 ] This hall is oddly quiet. Well, until you hear it – the soft sniffles coming from down the hall, the broken sobs. It sounds like someone’s crying. For one reason or another, your footsteps take you forward – there’s really no point in going back now after all, right? Yet as you continue to walk… walk… walk… the crying becomes louder and louder. More desperate, more despaired. In time, it’s clear that this person is wailing, screaming, “How could this happen?!” Within the span of a breath, all the lights in the hallway go out, leaving you in pitch black. It occurs to you then that you hear a second set of steps. When did you stop walking? A cold chill runs down your spine and you find yourself running then, despite the fact that it feels like this pitch black hallway goes on forever. The other footsteps pick up, remind you that you’re not alone. No, certainly not. Best hope that you find some assistance soon – otherwise it looks like the Butler Association is going to ignite some righteous vigilante justice on your ass. BONUS [ why o'clock ] You’re in the grand ballroom now, ready to present your case. Armed with a cob pipe (don’t smoke inside, it’s rude), a detective hat, and a single spotlight aimed right at you, you now have to explain how you came to the conclusion about the True Killer that is Obviously Not You. Rather, it’ll just be the character of whoever tags into this prompt – yes, you are suddenly so very sure that they’re the ones who are the ultimate mastermind of this entire game and… you’re just going to have to bullshit the reason why even if you know virtually nothing about them. It’s a dog eat dog world out there, you know? Sorry about that. Should you actually provide enough of a compelling case or they take pity on you, having a villainous breakdown for the sake of the plot, you’ll be awarded with a coupon that’ll give you three free scoops at your local ice cream parlor! (Note: you must buy the first two scoops in order to qualify.) Of course, if you’re not able to nail them down as the killer, you are obviously the killer yourself (citation needed). From there, you’ll be dragged off to face your punishment: for six grueling hours you will be tickled mercilessly. [ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ]

//RUN.EXE

Welcome to Cerealia's fifteenth Test Drive Meme. For your convenience, we have compiled a post detailing everyone's arrival experience and a FAQ that should explain everything in more detail. Please read them thoroughly before playing. Thank you!

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Motomiya Daisuke | Digimon Adventure 02

[gogglesandramen]

Phase I

You've... gotta be kidding me...

[The body - and it's still hard to think that word right now, but the body is spare feet away from him. Between the corpse and the lightning flash that just lit up the room, his heart is pounding hard in his chest.

And is that- Yes. Yes, it is. The absurdity of it almost pushes a laugh out of Daisuke, something edging on hysteria, but the inappropriateness of it holds him back. But there's no mistaking it - there's a deck of cards in his hand. And several of them are covered in what looks like dried blood.]

It's a bad joke, or a bad dream. Has to be. There's no way...

Wait-

[A warm weight in his lap; he feels it when his legs shift. Looking down, he spots Chibimon laying on his thighs, unconscious but unharmed. Tension leaves his body, makes his limbs loose with relief.

Seeing Chibimon reminds Daisuke about the Jogress connection. Hard to describe, but he focuses his heart and- ah. There it is. Good. Far fainter than it should be, but he can still feel Ken... somewhere. Not here, obviously, but that's probably for the best.]

Ken... Hikari-chan... I need to find them.

[And suddenly, something creaks behind him. Daisuke whirls around, gripping the cards tight as if he can actually use them to defend himself. He spots double doors behind him, one of them slowly edging open.]

Someone is in here with him. But are they friend... or foe?]

[dereban]

[ This place might be a little creepy, but honestly? It isn't as horrifying as she thought it would be, given the many vast experiences she's had with ViViD. As the door creaks open, she finds herself in this room and sees—

Oh. That sure is a thing, isn't it? Just give her a moment to just doubly stare, first at the crime scene, and then at the person who seems to be holding the cards rather defensively. She finds herself laughing rather bitterly, to the extent where it almost sounds like a villain's laugh, before yelling out: ]

What the hell is going on here?!

[ Because yeah, she's mad. Of course, her question is half rhetoric, half serious. She knows half of what's going on here, but she can't see the full picture? A murder mystery? What is she supposed to do here, what's her role... is it to solve the crime; was this boy framed? Or were they the true "culprit" all along?

It's going to be a pain if it's the latter, because that's a bit traumatizing... ]

[gogglesandramen]

[The laugh makes him jump a little, unnerving him just a little. He tries to keep his cool and not let it show, but it's debatable how successful he is.]

I- I don't know! I just woke up here, I don't know what's going on... What is this place?

[This is really bad. He knows this looks bad, and he can't even defend himself. Hopefully Chibimon wakes up soon; he doesn't want to have to fight his way out of this, but it might be necessary.

He isn't sure he would trust himself in this situation, either.]

[dereban]

[ She can't help but swallow hard, straightening herself out as she sighs, running fingers through her bangs. He doesn't know what this place is— guess she'll have to play welcoming committee. ]

You just-- [ A beat. ] Cerealia. More specifically, "you're not in Kansas anymore" or whatever city or world you're from or were in prior to this. Technically, this is ViVID. It's a video game, essentially.

[ Wait, she needs to ask... ] You do know what a video game is, right?

[gogglesandramen]

[Really?]

Of course I know what a video game is!

[He should probably try to chill; this is his only guide and source of information. Last thing he wants to do is antagonize her.

But still! Video games!]

What the heck... I don't remember anything about that at all. Do you know how we got here? Does this have anything to do with the Digital World?

[dereban]

[ That kneejerk reaction was a bit... well, it's not unexpected and it causes Inaba to flinch slightly out of surprise. But that makes things a little more easily. ]

CERES brought us here. Our planets were supposedly "destroyed" [ air quotes included ] by this group called the Flamines and we were restored through the Nexus Code, basically. It doesn't have anything to do with this Digital World that you were probably in earlier, although the concept might be similar in the fact that we are, in a sense, digital.

Or, at the very least, we're made of "code"... if that makes sense to you.

[encourageous]

[It's a friend! Kind of... if one that doesn't know Daisuke yet. The eleven year old Taichi had just suddenly found himself in the house, without Agumon by his side this time.

Once he opens the big doors, the first thing Taichi notices is the fellow kid who looks ready to try to attack with those cards! He tries to raise his hands innocently in response.]

I - I come in peace? [He might not recognize the kid, but those goggles look an awful lot like his own. And... could that be a digimon? But something else about this scene doesn't seem quite right.]

...What's going on here?

[gogglesandramen]

Wait a minute...

[Those goggles... He looks younger - probably around Daisuke's current age, actually - but there's no mistaking it. He would know them anywhere!]

Taichi-senpai?! You're here too?!

[encourageous]

...Eh? [Now Taichi just stares blankly at the boy.]

We... know each other? [And he even calls him senpai. Taichi's put a hold on everything because he's baffled right now. Sure he doesn't have the best memory for everyone he's ever met in younger classes, but he still feels like he should recognize this kid.]

[gogglesandramen]

[Oops. If this is a younger Taichi, then maybe... Daisuke shouldn't have called him senpai... Hopefully this doesn't cause any weird time travel problems.]

Um... You look younger than the Taichi-senpai I know, but... Do you remember an underclassmen named Motomiya Daisuke...? I don't know if you've met me yet or not, but I definitely know you.

[Maybe talking about so much of his history with this younger Taichi is bad, but he's the only thing familiar and safe in this place. If they work together, maybe they can get out of here sort of unscathed...]

I'm gonna be hella slow this weekend because holiday but I had to tag this

[givesalittlewhistle]

...you need to...find me?

[This is not the Hikari-chan you are looking for, Daisuke.]

[Just...younger. Notably younger. With a whistle hanging around her neck instead of a camera. And wide, child-like eyes peering up with a notable degree of curiosity. Hair about the same length, though her bangs were free of their usual red clip, and her clothing was the same yellow and pink color scheme. Similar, and yet obviously not.]

[But what definitively marked her as Hikari was a certain feline companion standing by her side. One who still possessed her Holy Ring.]

Did something happen? [She didn't seem scared, at least. If only because she knew they were inside a Game, and whatever happened in the game...it wasn't real. Mostly. Which meant, when her eyes lowered to the figure laying on the floor...] Is somebody hurt?

It's okay, same here (kinda still getting used to this too)

[gogglesandramen]

[His heart skips a bit. Daisuke has sat next to her too many times in class; he'd know her anywhere, but this is when she was younger. She must be... eight? Maybe nine? Just depends on what point in time this Hikari is from. Longing makes his throat ache, but he knows, somehow, that she won't recognize him as her classmate; he can try to talk to her, but she won't know the things they've been through together. And that's not her fault, but it still hurts a bit.]

Hikari-chan...

[Wait. Oh no. The body. Hikari- she can't see this, she's too young-

The panic makes him fumble with the cards and they slip out of his hand. Only one lays face up - the six of hearts.]

I don't know... I don't know what's going on here. I just woke up here like this, I'm still trying to figure things out.

(well you're doing great so far!)

[givesalittlewhistle]

[The older boy...he really was acting like he knew her. Not just her name, but her face. And yet, Hikari could detect a certain sadness in his heart, though she couldn't tell why. But she could guess.]

[Especially when she saw the face-up card; if she'd learned anything from her times in ViViD, it was that even the smallest of incidents could hold greater significance.]

We're in a game. [First and foremost. No matter what bad things had happened to him, she could offer that much. That it wasn't real. That whoever was hurt would be okay once they left.] Finding out what happened might be what we're supposed to do in here.

[Their mission, so to speak. Although, she allowed him just enough time for that to sink in before adding:]

I'm...sorry. That I don't know who you are.

(Awwww, thank you!)

[gogglesandramen]

[Hikari apologizing, for something like that... That just made his heart hurt even more. But there was a bittersweetness to it; even if she didn't recognize Daisuke, there was something comforting about how in the middle of this mess, she was still so... Hikari.]

You don't need to apologize! It's not your fault, you know?

You look really young, so I think I'm from your future, but... Maybe you remember me from class? I'm Motomiya Daisuke, just a lot older than you know.

[And this is a game? Really? Someone would have to have a few screws loose to make a game like this...]

I don't know how I got here, but if we work together, we can try to figure out what happened here.

(Throwing a few assumptions in here since canon never confirmed, if that's okay)

[givesalittlewhistle]

[Motomiya...Daisuke...]

[Education in Japan had one benefit when it came to situations like these; children attending school, so long as they didn't move or end up reassigned, attended classes with the same group throughout their elementary years. Which meant, since she first began at Odaiba Elementary, Hikari had gone to school with a boy named Daisuke. They weren't close friends (yet), but familiar enough with one another that...after a moment's time...Daisuke would see her eyes widen in familiarity.]

Ah! [Recognition, however faint. Which was quickly replaced by a realization that he was right. They had to work together. That was how these games worked, right?] But why are you here, Daisuke-san? [-san, not -kun. Not when he was older than her now. It wouldn't be proper.] Did you see anything before I showed up?

[hopetype]

[It was most definitely a friend all right! Or at least, Takeru sure hoped that Daisuke thought of him as a friend! After spending a few minutes in this creepy place, Takeru and Patamon wasted no time in trying to find an exit and fast! Whatever this place was, it was sending some scary vibes that either of them liked.

So when Takeru opened the door, that's when he just found himself staring at a familiar person. Suddenly, he couldn't help but give a sigh of relief!]

Daisuke-kun! I didn't expect to see you here!

[....Although, his happiness quickly turned into horror. If him and Daisuke were here, does that mean there were others here as well?]

[gogglesandramen]

Takeru! What are you doing here?!

[Okay, not quite who he was hoping for, but... Takeru was still a friend, even if they didn't always see eye to eye. And in this place, where everything was scary and creepy, he was certainly a welcome sight. Him and Patamon both.]

Do you know what's going on? How'd we get in this weird place?

[hopetype]

[Now that was the question for the ages! Despite being here before, Takeru's memory of this place remained foggy. After all, it's been 3 years since he last played a game in the ViViD. But boy was Daisuke going to have to sit for this one. As Takeru gave a small sigh, he crossed her arms trying his best on how to explain this]

Well....you know anything about Cerealia? Or the ViViD? Because it's going to be something you're really going to have to listen to.

[But at the same time, he can't help but look down at the mysterious dead body. Did Takeru even want to know what happened?]

[gogglesandramen]

No... Cerealia? ViViD? What are those?

[He notices as Takeru's attention goes to the body on the floor and unease sweeps through him. How the heck is he supposed to explain that?]

Man, I just want to know what's going on... All I know is that I woke up here with Chibimon, this dead guy, and these bloody cards... But I've never seen him before in my life! I swear, it's almost like someone's trying to set me up...

[Takeru will believe him, won't he? He and Daisuke are teammates; they're supposed to trust each other, right? And he knows that Daisuke would never, ever do something like this.

...Please. Let Takeru believe him.]

[notsosolo]

[There are still too damn many kids here. ANd something about this one reminds Han of Taichi. And then he asks for... well, the kids havent' mentioned a Ken, but he recognizes the name Hikari.]


You looking for Yagami Hikari?

[gogglesandramen]

[Daisuke blinks, unable to help his surprise. He's sure he's never met this man before, and yet somehow he knows Hikari. He isn't sure how he knows Hikari, per se, but right now it's Daisuke's best chance of finding her.]

You know Hikari-chan? Is she here too?

[notsosolo]

I've been looking after her, Takeru and Taichi.

[And Yamato, but he's not here anymore, one thing at a time]

[gogglesandramen]

Oh man, you know Takeru and Taichi-senpai too? What a relief!

[If this guy is watching after his friends, he can't be a bad person. Daisuke will trust him.]

Say, what's your name anyway? I'm Motomiya Daisuke, another one of the Chosen Children!

[doesactivities]

Look, even I can't make jokes about killing people. Bad or otherwise. So let's go with dream, okay?

[Sokka is an entirely neutral party! Here to... survey this scene with... wow, that is dead all right.]

It'd be way, way too convenient for you to be the killer. As an experienced murder-solver, that's my professional opinion.

[gogglesandramen]

[The older boy that comes into the room doesn't look like a threat... And the fact that he doesn't believe that Daisuke killed the guy on the ground is reassuring, to say the least.]

Then... Do you know how this guy died? Who killed him?

[He still doesn't really know what's going on... But at least there's a friendly face here.]