ROUND 2 TDM

[foundationmods]

TEST DRIVE MEME

This is the test drive meme for The Resort. Feel free to use this to voicetest, gather samples for your potential app, or just have fun in the setting! Reserves open on November 9th. Hit up our Round FAQ with any other questions.

Feel free to come up with your own scenarios as well! This is just a sampling of scenarios that may come up during gameplay.

1. MORNING WAKEUP CALL

You wake up with a start in a hotel room - one with a single bed and it's own bathroom - due to the buzzing of an alarm on a Tablet by the bedside. You're in the clothes you last remember being in, but you sure as hell don't remember checking into a hotel or resort for the night...

There's a message from 'Resort Staff' after you manage to turn off the horrible noise, letting you know there's breakfast for all of the guests down at the Restaurant.

It's 7am, but if you don't ignore it and go back to sleep, there's a continental breakfast buffet spread out at the Restaurant, just like they said there would be. It's all free of charge, too...which is good, because you certainly didn't pay to come here. Maybe getting some breakfast first before demanding to see the management is a good idea - and you can also find out who else got brought here against their will, too.

2. RESORT EXPLORING

So, after your meal (or just more sleep), you're bright eyed, bushy tailed, ready to take on the day and find out what the hell is going on. However, the Staff is all cheerful but evasive, saying that you signed in last night, and even helpfully showing you your signature in their guestbook. And while you know that's a crock of bullshit, they're very insistent that you're here for a week stay...

If you decide to check the Resort out, you'll quickly find that the upper floors are currently undergoing maintenance. But, there's a Ski shop nearby - which isn't surprising, considering that the outdoor courtyard is snowed in. There's also an indoor pool and an outdoor Jacuzzi in case you want to soak in style! And there's a bathing suit in your room, along with a change of clothing...

There's also plenty of empty or unused rooms, oddly enough. Though the strangest thing about this entire hotel is all of the rats. They're all clean, tame, and friendly - but it's downright odd to see a bunch of multi-colored rats skittering about either in special sectioned off areas for them, or up in tubes on the walls, much like a really elaborate hamster run. If you decide to go near them in a sectioned off area, they'll happily just hang out with you doing rat things. Huh. And as long as you're friendly with them, nothing seems to happen. But if you're unfriendly...?

Well. Maybe some things are better left untried.

3. SKI TIME

So you've explored the hotel and seen all the sights you could. Now you're ready to brave the slopes with whatever equipment you took from the Ski shop (all free of charge, again), and have some FUN! Or just see what the outside is like in this weird place you found yourself in, either or. It's cold, but not too cold - and the snow outside is perfect for skiing and sledding. There are three slopes, all ranging from bunny to advanced, and there's even a Ski lift for you to get up there on! If you don't want to go on the slopes, there are some smaller hills to sled down on.

3-A. SKI.....TIME...?

It happens before you can even realize it. You're having a grand old time down on one of the slopes, going at a high speed, wind in your hair and the snowy landscape whizzing by you. It's perfect, except -

- hang on -

What the fuck is that?!

You manage to dodge it in time, but it simply follows after you at a high rate of speed, scraggly arms and legs flailing as it skitters across the snow. Out of the corner of your eye, you see an unlucky skiier get eaten in a single gulp, the horrifying creature barely stopping before beginning to chase you again.

It seems you'll have to ski for your life.

4. FOREST BREAKOUT

Alright, you're done with Skiing and this weird-ass Resort. It's time to brave the wilderness and get the hell out of this place. As you go into the forest, for a while, it's just you and the snow... But then it gets darker. And darker. And there's no end to the forest itself...

You hear whispers. Wolves growl and snarl in your ears, the trees - are they moving? Has a dense fog settled in, making it hard to tell where you're going? Why...why is there another set of footprints in the snow next to you? Your ears are ringing, your head hurts, y̝ơ͍̻̲̥̟u'̰͈̯̞̖̪͜v͙͚̙̘̲̝̖͢e̖̲̟̟̮̯ ̖̙͟m̗͙͍̙͢a̷̬̹̠̬d̡̼͙̳̭ͅe͏̱ ̖͔̠̭̺̬͝ͅá̯̪ ̹̻̠͖m̥̜̫̤̯i̘̲͈̼̮s̼̙͔͎̠̦̘t̪͠á͇̣̫͎̜̻k̫͎̠̫̦̻é̯-͓͍͘

And then you wake up on one of the hotel couches in the lobby, with a Staff Member smiling indulgently over you with a cup of hot cocoa in their hands, going on about how you just came right in and took a nap.

Hm.

5. RESORT MURDER

Somehow, you knew it was going to get worse. And when one of your fellow Guests end up dead, that just cemented it for you. Someone has been killed - in a horrible way - and now you have to suspect each other. Will you check out the body? Mourn for the dead? Or lay a critical eye on your fellow Guests, watching each of them carefully for any sign of Otherness? That person in the corner of the room - did their neck just bulge unnaturally a little? Are those fangs shining in that person's mouth? What about the people in the rooms next to yours? Don't you think they talk a little weirdly, move just a little unnaturally?

Will you do something about it, before they get you?

Comments

Battler Ushiromiya | Umineko no Naku Koro ni

[boardreversal]

2

['This has gotta be one of Beato's tricks, right?
There's no way I'd wake up in a nice ski resort somewhere, not after everything that's happened.
Maybe she's trying to catch me off guard again...?
Aaagh, just thinking about what she pulled makes me mad....
Well, it doesn't matter. I've got to figure out where I am, and what she's up to.'

Man, what's with this redhead in a white suit, poking his nose into absolutely everything? He actually kind of looks like the kind of person who'd come to an upscale ski resort like this, if it wasn't for the occasional confused expression that pops up on his face. He even attempts to go up to the second floor - only to be loudly asked to go back down to the first floor. Eventually, you can find him kneeling next to a sectioned off area for the rats, looking a little shocked - but kind of delighted at the same time as they sniff and groom the hand he's put in there.]

W...Whoa....are all American resorts like this? I've never been out of Japan before, but, haha, you guys are pretty friendly. I guess you can't really say they're a health hazard when they're like this, huh?

[Is he just talking to himself???? Or to the air???]

3-A

[So, Battler let his guard down and decided to go skiing. Nothing bad can happen when you're on the slopes, right?

Right?

Anyway, you'll hear him coming before you see him-]

UWOOOOOOAH?! WHAT THE HELL IS THAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!

[Though he's pretty easily seen while the Yeti is chasing him, frantically skiing for his life down the slope he's chosen.

Welp.]

5.

['Aah, I knew it. I knew this was just another game - I guess Beato's gotten bored of playing around with my family.
But I still have to play around with you like this? Great, just great, just show yourself already and cackle at me like always! Beato!!
....Beato?
...Hey, Beatrice. Answer me.
...Are you even there?
...Wait.
....Is this -']

Is this really...her game...?

[That's...definitely an odd thing to say when you're standing in front of a corpse, but Battler says it anyway - with a strange, conflicted expression on his face as he stares down at the unlucky victim. What in hell is he even talking about?]

2

[miirai]

Mii.

[ She blinks at Battler, who seems to be talking to himself with a cant of her head. ]

I wouldn't know if they're like this or not, either, sir. I've only lived in Japan my whole entire life, myself.

[ Well, more specifically it's "I've only ever lived in Hinamizawa", but details, details. ]

god bless u

[boardreversal]

[THAT'S A LITTLE GIRL which is kind of reminding him of Maria with the cute verbal tic, but also she's around the same age Ange is - which makes him smile at her in a pretty genuine way.]

Then I guess that makes two of us, huh? Here, wanna pet one? They're pretty nice - I've stuck my whole hand in and they haven't eaten it off yet, so I can guarantee they're safe to touch! Ihihihi.

[miirai]

[ Pet one? Her gaze shifts a little and she realizes what she's looking at.

Oh. ]

I don't think I should. They might get scared and run away, nyaa. ☆

[ And to cap it all off, she does a cat like pose with her hands to emphasize that she is a cat. Spoilers: she is absolutely not a cat. ]

[boardreversal]

[She's also kind of reminding him of that one (???) witch (????) he thinks he's met before and gave him some advice (Or was Bern talking to You, the Player? It is a mystery so it's vague as fuck), but he laughs anyway at her little joke.]

Oh, so it's that kind of thing, huh? I get it, I get it - looks like these little guys'll have to watch out for you!

[After a small shake of his hand to dislodge any grooming rats, he reaches out a hand towards her - a pretty western way of saying hello, but some of his family's habits have rubbed off on him.]

I'm Ushiromiya Battler, nice to meet you! What's your name, kitty-chan?

[miirai]

They definitely will, otherwise the big cats might eat the mice. [ Even if it might be a rather western greeting, she's familiar enough with it to take his hand in hers and giving him a firm handshake. ] It's Furude Rika, nice to meet you. Nipa~☆

2

[schwanenritter]

[Fakir was doing about the same kind as Battler - though going a step further and breaking up pieces of a granola bar to feed them - quickly jerking his hand away when he saw he wasn't alone and stepping away. While he mainly put his arms over his chest to look like he totally wasn't feeding the rats, he did feel a little chilly from walking around in a leotard and shirt]

Somehow I don't think that's normal anywhere...

[Let alone - he never heard of America before... now that he thought about it, he never heard of a place outside of Gold Crowne Town]

[boardreversal]

['Hm...?
Is he trying to act like he wasn't feeding the rats?
Well, it's not like I don't understand not wanting to look like you like cute things at that age.
It's a delicate time, to be sure.
...Actually, did he just come from calisthenics or something?'

Battler shrugs, stroking one of the rats with a finger.]

Maybe. I mean, I've read in some religions that rats are actually considered sacred. Can't I know exactly why, but...

[He read that in a fucking mystery novel.

Why is Battler like this.]

[schwanenritter]

[He considers the answer, mulling over it]

Or they're pets of the owner...

[That seems way more likely. Fakir peers up at the tunnels, first getting on the ball of his feet, then on his toes as if looking inside the colorful runs would give them an answer before he moves to resume a more normal position]

Where do all these tunnels go to...?

[boardreversal]

Hm, yeah. Though would you really put your pets out unsupervised like this? Not that I'd ever want to hurt these little guys, but there are some really sick people out there.

[He shrugs at the question, looking up at the tunnels himself.]

Probably to some kind of bedding area for them in a room we don't have access to. Though I'd kinda want to see it - They've probably got nice stuff if the owner of this place cares about them enough to put tunnels in the walls. Almost makes me want to be pampered like one, ahaha.

2 - I was going to go with 5 because Futayo and dead things but 2 is less sad

[cluelesscavewoman]

It is rude to call them a health hazard.

[She just leans over to peer at the guy, then crouches to look at the rats. To reveal the true purpose of the open fronted skirt.

...It's just so she can sit without taking of the armor. It fans out around her instead. But she's crossing her arms and nodding with a hmm hmm. Like she knows something he doesn't.]

They are pets.

1/??

[boardreversal]

Well, yeah, I figured that. But I mean, you don't normally see pets in a Resor-

[And he takes that moment to turn his head towards whoever's sit down next to him.]

[boardreversal]

Ah.....hah....nn?

[Battler.exe has stopped working. Reboot?]

[boardreversal]

['....Well, now I'm more convinced I'm in one of Beato's games.
Only Beato could summon up someone like this!
I thought the ass-nee-chans were pretty, but she's -!
Okay, okay. Keep it cool. Even though she's wearing a - what is that? A Skintight suit?
I can practically see everything...
...Damn, I could almost thank that witch for this.
A-Anyway! I just need to keep my cool.
I'm not going to give Beato the satisfaction of seeing me flustered over someone she summoned.']

[boardreversal]

A-As I was saying, you don't normally see pets in a resort. But you also don't see such pretty ladies, either! Ihihihi.

[He holds out his hand, laying on the ~Battler Charm~ that has made so many girls back in school swoon for him. He is absolutely Rudolf's son.]

I'm Ushiromiya Battler. And you are?

1/2 maybeeee

[cluelesscavewoman]

[The moment he says something about pretty ladies. She's tilting her head and looking around, then back at him.

What?]

[cluelesscavewoman]

[She stares, looking straight at him, then the hand, then him...]

Done

[cluelesscavewoman]

I am Honda Futayo.

[That's it. A complete lack of reaction, just an answer to what he asked.

But there is something there that gets her interest. Enough to get a head tilt.]


You are called Battler? Then you can fight?

[boardreversal]

[Welp. That's not a reaction he expected, so he just raises his outstretched hand to the back of his neck.]

That's, ah...not really true. I mean, I work out and everything, but my name's just because of my Grandfather being obsessed with western stuff. The old fart named all of his kids and grandkids with names like mine, anyway. Even though mine's not even a normal western name!

[cluelesscavewoman]

[Wow. You can see the interest fade.]

Names are supposed to have meaning...

[She's so disappointed, she's going back to look at the rats.]

2

[blutsauger]

[Just fucking. Looming over the crouching Battler, hands behind his back and with a slightly-too-wide grin on his face.]

They're beautiful little specimens, aren't they? All rats are, of course, but these ones are particularly tame. I normally prefer not to have mammals mix with my flock, too much risk of zoonotic disease transfer, but these ones are quite respectful.

[boardreversal]

[OH JESUS hello??? sir who is not respecting his personal space?? Battler startles a little with a 'whoa', rapidly standing up and taking a rat with him, which climbs up his sleeve and sits on his shoulder.]

S-Specimens, huh? Yeah, I guess so...Though I'm pretty sure these guys are just pets.

[Okay, there's a german accent there, so - he'll offer his hand to shake.]

Ushiromiya Battler - ah, I guess it'd be Battler Ushiromiya in the western way, right?

[blutsauger]

[Medic waves his hand dismissively.] Specimens, pets- not mutually exclusive, ja? [Though Medic has never used one of his pigeons for an experiment that didn't directly benefit them- increased lifespan, sturdier bones, extremely tiny Uber devices plugged into their hearts, et cetera. Not that Battler knows this, of course. Speaking of Medic's birds, one pokes its head free from under his shirt collar. It coos, then wriggles its way out, fluttering its wings. The dove is wearing a tiny knit hat and a sweater. The sweater has a suspicious stain across the front that may or may not be blood.] Good to meet you then- ah, hold on, then do you prefer Battler or Ushiromiya?

[boardreversal]

Battler, ple- was that bird in your shirt?

[THAT STAIN....is clearly ketchup, right? It is kind of cute, all bundled up like that, but - ]

...So that's why you were talking about disease transfer. Now it makes sense.

[And also why Medic didn't bother touching the rats.

He's getting the impression this guy miiiight be a little crazy, if not extremely eccentric. Then again, he belongs to a family where a man screams to the ceiling about Beatrice and drinks Absinthe like it's going out of style.]

Uh....what about you? I mean - what's your name?

me unsubtly dropping Facts from my work w/ wildlife rehab

[blutsauger]

Hm? Yes, of course. Why wouldn't he be in my shirt? It's cold around here, you know. [Archimedes finishes his escape from the confines of Medic's shirt and perches delicately on the doctor's shoulder. He ruffles his feathers and begins to preen. And of course Archimedes loves ketchup. Perfectly nutritious food for a bird. Archimedes definitely doesn't crave blood. As for the rats, there's actually a few of them crawling around inside his coat pockets, but they're nice enough to stay clear of Archimedes.] Mhmmm- many mammals contain bacteria in their saliva or under their claws that are essentially toxic for a bird. Particularly cats. Most birds attacked by cats require antibiotics within 48 hours, and that's not even considering the stress, the other potential zoonotic diseases, and of course the same can happen with other mammal attackers- [Medic finally realizes that Battler asked him a question and takes a moment to think of an answer.] Ah- call me "Medic", ja? Or Doctor, if you prefer. [Old habits die hard, and he's lived under this code name for quite a long time. Only a few of his teammates even know his first name, let alone the last.]