test drive.

[vivariummods]

TEST DRIVE

Want to test out the setting? Not sure if your character is a good fit? Need to start gathering some samples? You know how it goes: → Comment with the character's name and series in the subject. → Pick an option or make your own. → Tag around. → Enjoy yourself!! The Test Drive will be open up until Vivarium opens on July 5th. Check out these helpful links to get a sense of the game: G A M E  L I N K S ✖ FAQ ✖ Bracelets ✖ Locations R E S O U R C E S ✖ Virtue's Last Reward Wiki ✖ Virtue's Last Reward Trailer ✖ Virtue's Last Reward OVA option one. You're awake. You're lying on a cold floor, and your head is pounding. It feels like you've been hit with a sledgehammer. You can barely move, but you push yourself up anyway, and look around. You're in an unfamiliar warehouse, and on your left wrist is a bracelet. It feels heavy, and no matter how hard you tug at it, it refuses to come off. You can't remember how you arrived here, nor do you recognize anyone else. Try not to panic too much. ( For the purposes of the Test Drive, characters will be arriving in the warehouse instead of the Elevator/AB Room) option two. An Ambidex Game has just concluded. You have entered in your vote and there's no turning back. Did you trust your opponent and vote ally? Or did you double-cross them and vote betray? What did your opponent do? Did they vote betray while you voted ally, or did they vote ally while you voted betray? Why did you choose one or the other? Just what did you do? option three. Rules are meant to be broken. You've just reached a certain amount of BP, and you can finally have access to food (low or high quality) or to the dorms. It's great, things are getting a bit more bearable now, but seeing the others without the same "luxuries" as you, you feel like you should do something. It's against the rules to bring food or blankets out of their respective rooms, but Zero can't have eyes everywhere... can he? option four. Exploration and Escape. All the windows are bolted shut, and all the doors are locked. The exit is through the number 9 door, but no one can reach it until they have 63 BP. It'll take too long to wait for help to arrive, and to accumulate that many points. There must be some way out. Maybe if you search enough, you can find a tool to help you break down a door. option five. Wild Card. Want to try something else? Go for it! Have your own AB Game round, have characters argue against each other, try to keep the mood cheery, whatever! Make full use of the environment and mechanics, just remember to keep it within the game's structure.

Comments

[punintentional]

There's nothing rational about deciding to screw someone over for no reason.

[apolling]

[Apollo had also picked 'Ally', but not quite for the same reasons. He'd considered 'Betray' not because he'd been worried about anyone knowing, but as a matter of trust. No offense to the people he was trapped with, but could he really put his life in their hands when he had no idea how honorable, for lack of a better word, they would be? He couldn't help but be skeptical, considering the circumstances. Besides, if they both picked 'Betray', then neither of them would get hurt, right?

...But the thought of picking 'Betray' and potentially condemning an 'Ally' to death... No matter how hard he tried, he could never fully justify 'Betray' with that thought in mind. So in the end, he chose 'Ally', even though every cynical fiber in his body wasn't going to be surprised if he got screwed over for it.

He stepped out of the room, and the first thing he saw was a rather anxious-looking kid standing there, muttering to himself. Even though he knew the kid wasn't his opponent, seeing him somehow made Apollo feel more certain that 'Ally' had been the best choice.]

... It sounds like we're in the same boat. [Maybe making some conversation would help the poor kid out while they both waited for results on the score board. N-not that Apollo was nervous and looking for a distraction or anything.]

Two

[not_that_sasuke]

[He'd picked ally not long after the announcement. Not because he didn't consider the possibility of a betrayal, but rather out of the realization that if each person continued to ally, they could easily escape all at once.

Perhaps he'd been too optimistic.

Naho's expression speaks multitudes, and although he watches the screen intently nevertheless, it provides the results he had more or less expected. He was betrayed; and now his points have decreased to one.

Even when the announcement ends, he remains silent for a moment before turning to his opponent.]

...You chose betray.

Why?

[There isn't any malice to his voice. Tension, yes. But anger? Not really.

Regardless of her reasons, he'll need to be extra careful if he wants to survive the next round...]

[not_that_sasuke]

[Well there goes that plan. If it were energy bars or something solid, he might have been able to get away with it, but gruel...]

It's still better than what the others have. We should count ourselves lucky we have access to food now.

[...He keeps his tone carefully level, but there might be a small jab in those words. He's well aware how Jake came to acquire enough points to get into this room.]

[not_that_sasuke]

I just don't think someone would kidnap us all just so they could give us trendy watches.

[...Although what exactly they're for still eludes him. He examines his own, giving it a sharp tug and finding that it stays quite fast in place.]

[netting_nettles]

Y-yeah...I guess.

[Well, actually, since Apollo is stepping out of another set of rooms, he has no way of knowing that. Kariya can't entirely suppress the thought that, so far as he can be sure, this guy might have voted the opposite and just be putting up a good front. That's what the smart play would be, right, since he has no way of confirming it?

Suspicion (about Apollo anyway) doesn't help him any right now, though, and so he brackets that fear. Deep breath in. He just has to calm down, or he's going to end up making some stupid mistake here.]

...How are you doing on points?

[He holds out the wrist his bracelet is on towards Apollo, showing off a glowing, digital "5." Just enough that he won't be a step away from dehydration if his gamble falls through, but still way, way too close to zero.]

I don't think anything awful happens if I lose this round, at least. I'd still have enough for water...so, there wasn't any reason not to work together with those guys.

[lanvaldearest]

[ yeah okay. make way for saint jake, he'll save you but only if you donate $$$$. CAPITALISM.

natalia truly looks like she wants to say something, but all the pent-up frustration is being held with a bit tongue. she's tensed, but that goes away with her planned words. ]

... I'd much rather prefer to fix it, than be satisfied with that.

[ a sigh. ]

So with or without this pleasant talk, if we are to be pit against each other once more my vote will not change. [ ... ] Will yours?

[apolling]

[Apollo looked down at his own bracelet to check, before showing the number to the kid: 7. Better, but not by much.]

If I'm lucky, then I get to eat after this round. (About time, too...)

[...Maybe he shouldn't have said or thought that, though, when others weren't so lucky. The kid would be close to losing water if he ended up being betrayed, which was more serious than not getting to eat. (And it wasn't like getting to eat was guaranteed for himself, anyway.) Maybe Apollo should have tried to say something more optimistic, then? This was a kid he was dealing with, after all. He could imagine how scared he must be right now.

And not just because Apollo was also pretty scared.]

...W-well, either way, we'll both be fine no matter what our opponents pick, right?

[As fine as anyone could be in a situation like this, anyway.]

[netting_nettles]

Mn. We won't be any worse off, anyway.

[The dark tone he amends Apollo's comment with says plainly enough that "fine" is not a word he's letting anywhere near this situation. He's been abducted, and not even by, like, normal kidnappers or child slavers or whatever. This is like being in some psycho horror movie Hitomiko wouldn't let him watch before bed.

But having someone to talk to has actually calmed him down a little, so he doesn't snap at the guy, turning to stare off across the warehouse instead.]

Food would've been nice, though. I'd probably have enough for that if my team hadn't sucked at the last game.

[He huffs a little there, bitter but safe from panic for now. He can remember going without food before, the week his father had started coming back from his job-hunts without groceries. That had been right before he'd been left at the orphanage -- it felt terrible, but you didn't die or anything from missing meals for a few days.]

[apolling]

[Well...he could already tell what kind of kid this was. Or so was Apollo's knee-jerk reaction to his tone and the way he was blaming others. The former was understandable in this situation, but the latter...

...Then again, he was also just a kid.]

You know, we're all in this together. None of us are any better or worse at the end of the day. Shouldn't you try harder to help your team so you can all win next time instead of blaming them?

[He figured he'd try a more diplomatic response first.]

[fairsfair]

It's rational to pick the choice that has the least chance of screwing me over. Not my problem if they actually thought choosing ally for the first round was a good idea.

[ Sorry, Jake is pretty cynical and selfish... He's been betrayed pretty badly in the past and while he can't remember it, it has left an impact on him and how he acts. ]

[netting_nettles]

I was already trying my hardest. It's that or we get killed; I don't need a speech about teamwork to know that.

[In the back of his mind, Kariya knows he should be playing nicer. Apollo could be on his team next time, and it's better if he comes off as some sweet, innocent kid to everyone. Yet, with the fate of his AB game still hanging over his head, he can't help but sneer. Did this guy think he was stupid or something? He knows this isn't some schoolyard game.

Then, as if on cue, there's a digital chime from down at his side. Kariya flinches violently and brings his watch up to look at the display.

He goes very still.]

...Yeah, we're all in this together.

[He's not going to reach his hand over to show the new number, but the hollow, sarcastic heaviness of the words should give away what's happened. If Apollo leans over to look, he'll be able to see the "3" now standing out on Kariya's wrist in glaring red.]

[fairsfair]

[ IF YOU DON'T REMEMBER, he changed his price from $50 million to a mere $50 from the goodness of his heart. He deserves a good meal after killing god-knows-how-many zombies, okay. ]

[ And it's honestly best for Natalia to stop there. Jake isn't one to change his mind that easily and they would have gone in circles. ]

Yeah yeah, maybe, but I'm not making any promises.

[ To be honest, if he really did get pitted against her in the next round, he would choose ally... only because she has 1 BP now and even if he's a jackass, he's not going to kill someone (not unless someone pays him to...). ]

[apolling]

[...Yeah, that was about the response Apollo expected to get. He couldn't say he hadn't tried to be nice. So why did he feel annoyed anyway...?

He was about to drop diplomacy and say something more critical before the chime stopped him short. He didn't need the boy to explain for Apollo to understand what had just happened. The tone was enough. And immediately he felt his annoyance fade, and his eyes fell to the floor.]

...Some of us more than others, maybe. [He muttered. But at a normal volume (and after a pause):] We still have to do what we can to help each other through this. The people who refuse to do that...they'll be hurt more in the end when no one sides with them.

[So Apollo would have liked to believe. He was well aware that he was sounding a bit idealistic, not mentioning how easy it could be to get away with backstabbing in a situation like this - he was seeing evidence of it right now, even - but...he knew it wouldn't be to his or anyone's benefit to sit around being suspicious of everyone. They were kind of forced to rely on each other here to survive, whether they liked it or not. And besides...

...there was still no way he could justify 'Betray'.]

[netting_nettles]

[Kariya's biting down on his lip, not looking back at Apollo. The stress that he'd begun to let slide off of him before has come back full force, stinging at his eyes and making him struggle to hold on to his self-control.]

I don't know how someone could do that to another person. I really couldn't -

[Is what he says, throat raw and constricted. There's even the threat of a sniffle there at the end.

Though, all the while, the only thing he can think about is how he's going to get those bastards back. At least now he knows who to look out for. But he's not going to say that or try to hide how upset he is. If he just looks stricken and sad, that's sympathetic, yeah?]

Does yours say how your game came out yet...?

[apolling]

[Sympathetic indeed. Apollo was feeling pretty bad for the kid right now, thanks in part to the way he was reacting.]

Not ye--

[The chime on his bracelet that just interrupted him would say otherwise. After totally not jumping at the sound, Apollo glanced down at the new number, then up at the score board...before looking elsewhere, so that his unhappy expression hopefully wouldn't be visible.]

...I-it's fine. It...it came out fine.

(...So much for eating soon...it was a nice thought.) [And a better one than all the 'I told you so's he could already hear...but whatever.]

A-anyway...some people here are probably more concerned with themselves than others. But...like I said, it'll come back to bite them if they think like that.

[That could have been interpreted as a threat, perhaps, but Apollo honestly had no thoughts of revenge, even against the person who just betrayed him. Disgruntlement, yes, but not revenge.]

[netting_nettles]

[Yeah, with that falter in Apollo's voice, he doesn't even need to try to sneak a glance at his bracelet to guess the results. No way the guy wouldn't look relieved if he'd gotten a boost in points. The stakes were way too high not to be.]

I guess we're both suckers this time, huh?

[Just a depressed, little scoff, as he leans back against the nearest wall and folds arms across his chest.]

[fairsfair]

[ Yeah, good luck stealing that... You'll need to take it with a bowl and trying to sneak out with that is pretty hard. ]

For now. Never know when you're going to start losing BP, though.

[ ... Rich coming from a guy who betrayed his way here. ]

[apolling]

[...Yyyyeaaah he wasn't fooling anyone, was he... Might as well not bother to look away, then. Apollo folded his arms, before letting out a small sigh.]

W-well, there's no point crying over it. We're still fine, right?

(For now...but for how long?)

['Long enough to at least get out of here', he was hoping. Meanwhile, his openly expressed statement didn't stop him from shooting a frown at his opponent exiting the AB Rooms...]

[punintentional]

I don't know. I'd rather believe this is some weird marketing ploy than a way that a bunch of insane kidnappers try to number us or something.

[punintentional]

No, it's not rational, it's just you being an asshole. At least be honest about it.

[netting_nettles]

Not any worse off.

[Kariya mutters the correction this time. It's a rule now; every time Apollo says "fine," he's going to get stared at for a half-second like he's an idiot.

When the half-second's over, he tilts away from the wall to follow the man's gaze.]

Are those two the ones that were on your team? I can keep an eye on them if you want.

[Because, hey, even if he's harmless and innocent, that doesn't mean he's blind. He ekes out a smile over towards Apollo like the guy's the only trustworthy adult he's met in this place and trying to team up with him is only normal.

Hell, he probably is, too.]

I'll point mine out to you, too, alright?

[fairsfair]

Yeah yeah, you done bitching now? It's not like I can change my vote now.

[ And looking at his bracelet, it looks like the points have already been distributed. His number is looking mighty good at 6 BP. He's almost there to getting some food to eat. ]

[apolling]

[You could make all the critical expressions you wanted, Kariya, but Apollo was not about to let go of that word. Despite it being so small, he found himself saying it without realizing it. It made him feel a tiny bit better somehow, the more he said it.

But there were more important things for him to worry about right now than the reasons why he said certain words.]

(I don't know if that's necessary...) [...But knowing who would constantly pick 'Betray' was potentially a good idea. Logically speaking, it wasn't smart to pick 'Ally' with people who he knew with little to no doubt would select the other option, right? And besides, he wouldn't have to worry about accidentally screwing them over if that was the case.

So after a bit of thought, Apollo answered:]

...Okay, sure.

[punintentional]

[ Just shaking his head, looking at his own bracelet - thankfully, solid at 5 BP. Looks like he managed to get a decent partner after all. ]

It'll come back to haunt you, I bet. But hey, do what you want.