purgastory | test drive maze.

test drive maze.

The fog spits you right out.

Where there had once been cloud and murkiness obscuring your vision, in the next instant, you blink and it’s gone. Instead, here you are. Among the woods. Dead, fragile leaves crunch beneath your every step. Tall, ancient trees tower above you. Sometimes, somewhere, you hear a skitter or a shudder of what might be wildlife or friend or foe. No matter how you might call out, you hear only your own echo–for now. Distantly, you recall the pact that brought you here. Welcome to Purgatory. Perhaps it lines up with what you always imagined, some dreary place washed in grayscale and so terribly, terribly lonely. Or maybe it’s worse. (It probably is not better.) All the same, you chose to come here, even if its specifics were unknown to you. There is something you are looking for–and of course it’s not so simple as to be found at the entrance.

No, you must head further in. Even though the trees seem to turn into natural barricades at some spaces, guiding you down paths until you hit inevitable forks–or sometimes dead ends. There is no map or rhyme or reason, but so much of the scenery looks the same. Overhead, there is the occasional dimming or lightening of your surroundings but with the perpetual gloom, it can be easy to lose track of days. How long have you been here? Do you need to eat? Sleep? Or do you just want to, just to feel something? It’s hard to say. Nonetheless, you persist.

No way forward but through.

i. compati falls

The sound of water comes first to you as a whisper, then a roar. Following the noise will bring all travelers to a waterfall. Where the water is coming might mystify you, as the land you are traversing has been so flat this entire time, but it falls nonetheless as though amnesia has stolen its memories of being able to do anything else.

Speaking of memories…

Perhaps you might spare the waterfall merely a glance, but it will suddenly become very hard to look away. Within its reflection, you might see a memory play out, or perhaps a fantasy. Maybe even a fear. However, this selection of snippets is specific. Every memory or illusion carries with it strong feelings of either kindness or envy. The most common are:

✦ A concrete memory of the greatest act of kindness you ever received, or ever gave to another.
✦ A fantasy of the type of kindness you crave most–whether it be from someone you know, or some faceless ghost granting you what you yearn for.
✦ A concrete memory or delusion of someone, familiar or not, receiving something that you wish that you had.

ii. arachnix borough

The ground gives way underneath you. You tumble, scramble, fumble your way down overgrown roots and eat dirt until you finally find yourself caught. A silk embrace awaits you, alarmingly sticky despite its delicate-looking strings. Strong, too. Thrash about as you might, it’s harder than you want to admit to even lift a limb from where you’ve been ensnared. For those of you with powers, they flicker worse in here, like something is cutting off the energy before it takes shape. Yell for help and perhaps someone will hear your echoing screams, but at present there is only you, the darkness, and the skittering.

You won’t have to wait long. The spiders felt the reverberation from your fall and have come to feast. Monstrous things. Gargantuan. Where most spiders have eight legs, these have so many more. The skittering turns into mocking, pointed insults that sting worse than poison. You may die soon, but they also won’t let you keep your pride. Their fangs widen, sickening venom dripping from their gaping mouths as they stare at you with too many eyes. Though as you stare too long, those horrible faces shift–instead you are staring into the too many eyes of your rival, or perhaps your best friend. Someone you desperately wish you could be more like, that has traits that you only wish you could inherit. Maybe then you could be better.

The trees above whisper a hint to you. Admit it. Swallow your pride and speak your green eyed monster into reality. Only a beast can kill a beast. Should you speak your horrid truth out loud–admit your ugliest feelings–you will receive a boon. Enough strength to break the webs, certainly, but you may take on monstrous features. Horns, fangs, claws–whatever it takes to defeat the spider.

Or you could wait for the kindness of someone else to help you. Unlikely, as they may just as well get stuck in this web too. Fucking loser.

iii. mirrorshift willows

The trees shift and warp over time, evolving into what you might be able to recognize as weeping willows. Their trunks curve protectively over your path, as if to shield you from any watchful eyes. Their long leaves drape, possessing an unearthly shimmer. The vines sway and dance, catching against what little light there is to be found, until they resemble strings of light. It possesses its own kind of uncanny beauty as you amble along, though it may grow a beat unsettling as you find that the trees and foliage swift and swoon to the rhythm you set. Or perhaps you’d find that type of thing charming if you like attention.

Should you find yourself with another in the grove, you’ll find that the copycat tendencies of the trees reflect upon their visitors. Any act you do unto someone else, they will feel compelled to do back to you–and vice versa. Picking a fight? Well, even the most demure person will end up throwing an insult right back. Baring your heart on your sleeve? The other person might feel moved into sudden vulnerability. Are you touchy, whether in the form of a handhold or a punch? Well, hope you are ready to receive what you dish out because it’s coming right back to you!

The golden rule–to treat someone else the way you want to be treated–really backfires in practice, doesn’t it?

iv. house :)

You reach a clearing. Is this clearing in the middle of the maze? Is it the sign of the exit? You’ve no longer been able to tell right from left, but there is probably something so thrilling about seeing some sign of civilization… for in this clearing, there sits a house. The walls are a dark brown, its tiling a myriad of colors, and even from a distance, you can see smoke billowing from its dusty chimney and oohhhh, something smells so good.

As you approach, you make out that the tiling on the house seems to be… gumdrops? Not to mention the doorframe made of chocolate bars, and as you walk in, the furniture all looks so delectably edible. Even for those who don’t have a sweet tooth, there’s plenty that’s sour, tart, salty, whatever you might be craving after having nothing to eat in this godforsaken forest besides spiders. Not that you ate the spiders. (Did you?)

Something beckons you to eat. There’s even a small note on the table saying: Welcome, weary traveler. Indulge as you please. They’re like, begging you to help reduce food waste. It’s a moral imperative. It’ll take immense willpower to resist. You should eat. Just a bite. A nibble. A lick. Yum.

Depending on what color of candy you indulge in, you might experience a different tingle. (Effects last as long or as short as a player wants them to.)

🟠 Orange: You suddenly feel compelled to demonstrate kindness, even to total strangers–though that may vary from person to person. Maybe your kindness is brutal honesty. Maybe it’s handholds. Maybe it’s bold declarations of devotion. As long as you can look back and say, “Wow, I was truly fulfilling a kind deed, even to this total rando.”
🟢 Green: Is it you, or is the nearest person suddenly kind of… all that? There’s something about them that you suddenly feel ravenous envy over. Their hair, their eyes, their impeccable charm, their godlike athleticism? Pick a feature! How did you not notice this five seconds ago?! And here you are, looking like such a naive peon in comparison! The dirt under their shoe! Disgusting!
😈 Purple: Oh… well… maybe you’re starting to feel a little bit… cheeky? ;) You know, just a smidgen mischievous? Maybe you’re in a weird situation with a bunch of strangers, but what could liven up the atmosphere better than a prank? Or a little razzing? Go get ‘em, you little tease! Rascal that you are!
🔵 Blue: God bless you and the fact that you’re the only sane person here. Some might call this behavior a bit sanctimonious, but as far as you’re concerned, you’ve just seen the grace of the heavens and must now walk upon the righteous path. And because of all the goodness in your heart, you will also grab hold of everyone else without their permission and make sure that they too will be saved. Go forth, my child.

Though eventually you might hear some heavy footsteps indeed.... get it together! A giant witch is coming. And she finds that you might be the one sweet enough to eat. Won't you let her have just a nibble? Just a taste?

mod notes.

✦This Test Drive Maze is canon to the game! Players may bring characters that they aren’t planning on apping as well if they would like to voicetest, and invited guests may play on the TDM without apping as well. Characters who are not apped into the game will disappear out of sight, back into the fog…
✦ Characters do not need to eat or sleep any longer, though it’s variable how soon they might notice that. Their circadian rhythm might encourage them to sleep or feel something like hunger, but they’ll find that they actually can still keep going without either. It feels a little… out of body.
✦ For Compati Falls, mods will not be policing what memories (trululus) or fantasies (delulus) you choose to have your character share, but please keep to the themes of kindness/envy! Moreso, memories must have a canon basis, even if they’re headcanon. However, fantasies can be from alternate route paths (otome/visual novel/AU style) as long as they’re within the set parameters. There will be more opportunities for this in the future, so don’t worry about not being able to give out your lore. Have fun!
✦ Questions specific to this TDM can be directed to the #mod-questions channel in the discord!
✦ Maze Runs are available for the Test Drive Maze. Since the TDM will be open for two weeks, you may submit one run per week! You may begin requesting second runs on Friday, November 7th.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ oh. actually, yes, this puts things into way more context. ]

So you had him under custody but for your own protection you had other members of your team standing by for back-up. Yeah, that makes sense. [ he has half a mind to ask if the guy's dangerous or if he's just a little insane, but he does not. ] Is he really less unpredictable now? Or have you just been around long enough you've gotten used to it?

[ he's currently thinking of his own team of misfits and how they've all acknowledged they're a bunch of weirdos but they've grown on each other. ]

He's just as himself as always. [ Truly hard to say if this is affectionate. It is incredibly like when you have to take care of an animal out of the blue and you want them to do well but also you are so much sometimes. Looks into camera. Method rp. ] But don't worry! I know what he reacts to the best, and if he doesn't listen, I won't play GameStation with him anymore.

[ the thousand yard stare says this really does sound exactly like his roommate situation with teddie and it exhausts him. welcome to method rping, i hope isaac is well.

why does this make him laugh though? probably because it's a little absurd. ]

Hey, if it works, it works. Who am I to tell you your methods are wrong? Maybe it is too bad he's not here then.

[ in part because he kind of wants to study him under a microscope. ]

[ Isaac is my Obikawa... ]

Probably for the best. I don't want to cause him any trouble either...

[ understandable. he nods along, but then he pauses for a second while he debates his next question. ]

You decided to come here, too, right? Did you tell anybody else you were leaving? [ i.e. is that a thing you remember? ]

It was my decision.

I probably asked for a few days off or something. I can't have them thinking I suddenly died if not just gone missing, that's a lot of man hours and paperwork.

[ hm. yeah, okay, fair. ]

I guess it'd be a bigger problem for the government if one of their agents went missing without warning, sure. It can be your decision and you can still give people a heads up though, that's all I'm saying. [ in case tokinaga thinks yosuke is implying he had to ask for permission. ]

Are you worrying for me even though we're strangers? That's nice of you!

Don't worry. Like I said, I don't want them thinking I suddenly died or anything.

[ Though if they never get out of Purgatory then that's a whole other issue, but hey... ]

You're pretty insistent about giving the people around you a heads up. I hope you've done that for yourself too, then.

[ don't just call him nice. ]

W-well. We're all here for the same reason and we don't really know where we're going from here, right? It's not a big deal to check with people!

[ but also yeah sometimes you really are a little too concerned about other people. tokinaga's smart and at least cleared it with his people, which is probably more than yosuke can say given the way he suddenly finds the waterfall way more interesting again. ]

We probably won't be here for that long... [ h. hopefully. fuck, maybe he should've told the others where he was going. ]

[ He's a nice boy. ]

It's not! Don't worry. I think it's normal to be concerned about other people.

We should get you back to your folks as quick as we can then.

[ for whatever bizarre reason, being reassured his behavior is normal makes his shoulders relax. he also seems to consider the second half of that statement before shaking his head. ]

They're pretty busy right now, so I have a little time. [ he doesn't have a poor relationship with his parents or anything, but he is at least aware they both are putting in work to keep things afloat and he's fine with that. ] If I'm already here, I'd like to try to remember why.

[ (Yosuke voice) Thank god I'm not a freak, this man has validated so ]

It'll definitely save some time floundering around. I wonder if that's what this is for?

[ Looking at the privacy-invading fountain... surely you are here for a reason... ]

[ yeah! sorry, he constantly craves validation idk what to tell you. ]

What, you think if we look at it long enough an answer'll come up?

[ not the worst idea, he supposes. but while tokinaga is looking at the waterfall of terrible options, the reflection seems to ripple briefly before it displays an image of... a trash can. with legs sticking out of it, rolling around on the ground in a vain effort to be free. ]

[ Truly a Ty teen. ]

It's showing something that happened to me before. You don't think that could be a coincidence with trying to remember what it is we're looking for?

[ Observes this scene . . . What legs though. Like, regular human legs? ]

Maybe. But that was obviously something you already remembered wasn't it? [ though there could be something said about the subconscious and he squints at the water because okay, again, fair.

which is about the point he also realizes what's being shown and he makes a face, hand abruptly reaching out to swat at the memory to try and get rid of it. the memory wavers, but not enough that tokinaga can't make out that they are in fact regular human legs wearing pants that look like a high school uniform. as the memory slowly grows more clear, there appears to be a bike crashed at the scene as the trash can continues wiggling. a handful of people walk past, and there's the sound of someone calling out from help echoing inside the can that go ignored. but eventually, a silver-haired teenager stops, watching the scene for a moment before setting his bag aside and approaching to stop the can and pull on the legs. his arms are around the waist, yanking yosuke out of the trash and setting him down with an almost bemused expression on his face.

the memory yosuke looks sheepish as he bounces to his feet, grabbing his bike and standing upright as he flashes a grateful smile to the other boy.

"Whew, you saved me. Thanks! Um..." he appears to be at a loss for words for a second before his eyes light up in recognition. "Oh yeah, that's right. You're that transfer student, Narukami Yu."

the real yosuke seems to have stopped to watch this for a moment before swiping the water again. you stop that. ]

Yeah, I don't know about that, actually.

[ Why are you in the trash. ]

Private memory? I can look the other way if you want.

[ Though his tone suggests that it doesn't seem like it, and seems, if nothing else, like just a nice little memory. ]

One of your friends?

[ believe it or not, tokinaga is witnessing the second time this happened, the only difference is this time someone grabbed him. ]

It's not... [ private, he means, and he says that while it continues.

"I’m Hanamura Yosuke. Nice to meet you. "

"Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, I’m fine." yosuke brushes it off, partially because he's embarrassed and partially because he's more curious about the boy in front of him. "Say, did you hear about the incident from yesterday? They found that announcer lady hanging from an antenna! You think it was some kinda warning? There’s no way something that weird could’ve been an accident."

"You might be right." yu agrees calmly, and it's yosuke nodding along. the fact that the new guy agrees with him and is humoring him seems to make him happy, and his eyes widen as he continues, the two of them alone in the empty street of the quiet country town.

"Dangling a dead body over a roof like that… that’s just messed up. Then again, it’s pretty messed up to kill someone in the first place." there's a grimace. who would do this? but he checks the time, jumping in surprise and cramming his phone back in his pocket. "Oh crap, we’re late. You wanna ride? It’s a little squeaky, but it should be fine."

the last remnant of the memory is yu's look of surprise before he shrugs, approaching yosuke and his bike so they can book it for school. besides the talk about murder, it really is a nice memory. ]

Yeah. That's my partner. [ a little sigh, and he smiles briefly before he gives up and stands to his full height. messing with the water clearly doesn't stop it and now his hand is wet. great. he says partner to mean best friend and partner in crime, but he doesn't clarify this and assumes everyone will just get that. ] He moved to town last spring for the school year, we were in the same class. I, um... sort of thought maybe he'd be here, too, but no luck.

[ this does not encompass everything but it's a brief overview. ]

[ Objectively starting off a conversation by talking about a murder is wild but Tokinaga is funnily in the in-between where he's civvie enough to acknowledge it's probably unusual but also shit happens so much that he can understand. ]

He seems level-headed. It's always nice to have someone like that around especially in dangerous times.

I don't know if it's a good or bad thing that he's not here with you, but I'm sure someone like that is doing alright, if nothing else.

[ honestly he's just glad the guy isn't asking because he has no idea how to explain what happened last year to someone seemingly normal. instead, he latches onto his other favorite subject, a kind of easiness and casual air taking over as he nods. ]

He is. He kinda brought all of us together and always knew what to say or do. I've never questioned him. [ that was their leader... ] He's one of those guys that's usually pretty quiet, so when he does say something you know it's important to listen.

[ yosuke, painfully aware he would not be remotely the same person he is now without yu narukami, and currently aware how obvious his absence is. ]

Anyway of course he's fine. He's probably back in the city and has no idea I'm here. [ a light laugh, but. ] I haven't seen him for a little while.

Sounds like a good leader in the making.

Separated beforehand? How old are you anyway? You don't look like a college student.

[ yeah, he would agree. yosuke has a tendency to be the ideas guy and come up with plans more than a person would think, but it's like he'd told yu. "i don't mind being second banana." which is why there's a grin of agreement before he thinks there are probably a few other pressing matters.

you know. like being here. ]

I'll be eighteen in a few months. The school year just started a couple of weeks ago. [ so. no, not a college student, but his third year of high school. to explain the absence though: ] He moved back to the city at the end of March.

[ Second banana. ]

Transferred in then away?

[ Huh. Well it isn't his place to ask more personal questions about this kid's friend. ]

Well, we better find you a way out before your birthday then at least.

[ some of the shit he says makes me want to die, please understand this. also please understand that if given the chance he would yap about yu for hours but that's embarrassing. ]

Yeah, his parents were working overseas so he was staying with his uncle. He had to go back when they got home. [ and there's a tiny bit of resentment to that because of course the universe would give him someone like yu as a best friend and then take him away. but details, details. ] It's fine, he'll come back and visit if he can.

[ all of that aside though: ]

If we're here for a couple of months, that's gonna be bad for everybody. Mooostly because I doubt anybody really planned to be here that long. And I guess... depends on what day it is here, too. I can't really tell how long it's been already.

Oh, that makes sense. You'll always have summer vacation at least! Stay safe when you're traveling across the country!

[ Gives pointless advice for no reason. ]

I don't want to stay overlong either. I did put in a request for leave, but I don't think I can be gone for months, after all. So, we'll just have to stay focused and try to remember as best we can.

[ He does phrase this as being about himself and as "we", but he pretty distinctly means Yu should probably get back to school soon. ]

[ thank you for the advice, he will probably take none of it for a variety of reasons despite the polite smile he'll give for that. more than that, he can kind of pick up the vibe and he shakes his head. listen, first of all, he does not give a shit about school on a good day, let alone right this second. and secondly, he's still concerned about the fact that there are multiple people involved in this and all of them are strangers. it was one thing to say yes and hope his friends had also said yes to coming here, but this is...

... signs are pointing to "this is whack", actually. ]

Definitely. The more people we find, the more we can ask them about what they might remember or where they came from to get here. Somebody has to remember something, even if it's small.

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