TEST DRIVE MEME #8

[expiationmods]

Test Drive Meme #8

Welcome to Expiation, a pan-fandom adventure game with elements of fantasy, science fiction, and some subtle horror.

TDM top-levels are open to all, whether you are already in-game or not. New characters, please put TDM in your subject header so we’ll know you’re trying things out! You can also put your top-level in the TDM DIRECTORY at the bottom of the post. New folks are welcome and encouraged to use TDM threads as samples in their application. Current players may use TDM threads as part of their AC proofs.

April's TDM is forward-dated to the end of Gogol, Dara, and Seimei's player plot on April 20th.

You can view our CALENDAR to keep important dates in mind. RESERVES open on April 20 and APPLICATIONS will open on April 23 After this, applications will next open in June 2024.

NEW FOR APRIL 2024: there is now a top level for everyone to post their TDM top levels into! This is for new characters only. Thank you!

Full Navigation

Arrival

You remember a room of blinding white light—so bright that you couldn't make out any details. You heard voices, speaking in muffled tones. It sounded an awful lot like they were talking about you. You were just on the verge of figuring out what they’re saying, you were so close...but what happened after that?

Ah–that's right. You fell into blackness.

New characters are most likely to wake in one of the following locations:

THE DOCKS
You wake to the gentle sound of waves, your body rocking with the movement of the water. Wait—water? Since when was there water beneath you?

Since now, apparently. You appear to be in the lower rooms of a boat…and you might not be alone. There are several of these crafts in the harbor, ranging from larger cruising vessels to small sailboats. The one thing they all have in common is this: they are all half-built, as if someone realized very recently that there is a whole ocean to explore. Wonder where they might be going? Either way, you’d better get out of here, before the construction crew finds you and brands you as a stowaway.

ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT
When you come to, the first thing you hear is the commotion of distant voices and running feet. You feel a warm light on your face…it’s too bright to look at directly, so when you open your eyes, you have to look away. It’s probably for the best. Those stage lights can’t be good for your eyes.

… Stage lights?

That’s right, you seem to be just offstage in an entertainment venue. Someone is fussing with you, powdering your face with some last-minute touch-up makeup, vaguely coaching you on. “You’ll be great! Just get out there and have fun!”

With little room to argue or ask questions, you are immediately shoved out on stage, and find yourself in front of a sold-out crowd. What you find on the stage to help you perform is up to you: a microphone, musical instruments, magician’s tools, a full-blown play, the sky’s the limit.

Break a leg…?

CITY CENTER
“These new statues are so lifelike!” Click.
“I wonder which artist installed all of this? It’s almost eerie, isn’t it?”
“I feel like they could move at any second!” Click click.

You wake in a garden. Not just in a garden—amongst the flowers, almost as if you’re an installed piece of artwork. Are you alone, or posed with someone else? Up to you. You may even find yourself entwined with vines, half-buried in the ground, or subtly hidden beneath a large bush. A few hapless locals stand in front of you, taking pictures. Do they really believe you’re a statue? They’re in for a rude awakening whenever you finally move…

Well. Better dig yourself out of here and figure out what’s going on.

However you awaken, the next time you’re able to stand still and take in your surroundings, you’re approached by a small mechanical creature, which reveals a handheld tablet with a rolled-up parchment within it. Booting up the tablet for the first time brings you the following message:

WELCOME, CHOSEN.
WE ARE SO GLAD YOU ARE HERE.

So…now what?

These new familiar streets

The unexpected expansion of Aldrip means that there's suddenly a vast uptick in things to do. The locals don't seem to find any of this unusual or surprising at all, but the Chosen seem to remember that Aldrip wasn't always like this...how unusual! Well, whatever the case, the city is abuzz with activity…and wildlife, apparently. Thanks to some recent events, there seems to be a surplus of poisonous snakes slithering haplessly through the city, as well as, perhaps, a few lingering pockets of miasma. Best to watch your step…

i. This smells like a sidequest
Businesses and individuals all over town will be giving out quests ranging in size, scope, and request. Any of these will net you a prize from the right requestor. These prizes are mostly just silly little knick knacks, and they don’t seem to have any value, but the locals are adamant that they are quite important! At the same time, some locals may offer more useful rewards, such as money, clothing, food, or even a month’s rent at the local inn, especially for newcomers. Either way, you might have to team up to complete some of these challenges. Grab a partner!

Quests and requests can include, but are not limited to, ideas such as:

A local art collector looking for striking photographs of local flora and fauna
The neighborhood food cart owner on the hunt for new and interesting ingredients and recipes
Your neighbor’s search for their missing cat
Requests to clear monsters out of certain areas
Scavenger hunts to find local landmarks, such as murals on the side of buildings, a specific statue, or a hole-in-the-wall business

You're free to use your imagination, the setting, and local NPCs to come up with whatever ideas your heart desires.

ii. Should’ve waited for the patch
This sudden change is going fairly well, but it could be better. Some areas of town will be subject to something that seems like glitches. These effects could range from things going missing or suddenly changing (your favorite lipstick just changed from red to blue?? how odd!) to streets and doorways going into places they logically shouldn’t go to. Your front door isn’t supposed to be at the end of the dock, is it? Better watch your step, because strange things seem to be afoot.

Day and night life

While it’s not an official festival by any means, the beginning of spring is the cherished start of the planting season for the farmers outside of Aldrip, and the entire city comes together to promote it! Chosen are encouraged to take part in the planting process if they desire, but there’s plenty more to do, for those who don’t have a green thumb. Flyers can be found all over town for various competitions, shows, businesses, and events. Just be careful—the city has grown rapidly in a short period of time, and that means crime rates have grown as well. It’s unwise to linger alone after dark. Who knows what someone may find down a dark alleyway…or who knows, maybe they should be more afraid of you.

iii. Iron Chef: Aldrip
Fire up those pots and pans! The highlight of the town center is a huge cooking competition, where locals and Chosen alike are encouraged to bring their finest culinary skills to the table and create a spectacular dish. Those who would rather cheer from the sidelines, or even act as judges for the competition, are encouraged to do so as well. Anyone may enter—and we do mean anyone, so judge at your own risk.

iv. This is not Aldrip’s Best Friends Race
Many local businesses in the Commercial and Entertainment Districts are putting on all sorts of shows and competitions: talent contests, arm-wrestling competitions, fashion shows, dance exhibitions, the sky's the limit. Local business owners will tempt the Chosen into participating by offering rewards: free items, the option to keep costumes they put you in, trophies, all manner of comforts that could entice wary newcomers into volunteering.

Chosen who own or work at local businesses are also encouraged to participate by starting their own shows or contests. They’ll be rewarded with an uptick in business and free advertisement.

The Events Center will be hosting a lavish and well-advertised drag show and competition, and some locals will encourage participation from Chosen of all genders. Most of them will lay off if the Chosen are really not interested (they’re not putting their lives at risk for this!) but some of the more determined and charismatic ones might not take “no” for an answer.

Wildcard

Just because it’s not in the prompts doesn’t mean it can’t happen. We encourage you to look at our new setting page for Aldrip, as well as the world map. Anything that looks interesting there is fair game, so have fun with it!

♡

Comments

rafal | fire emblem engage

[nilhilistic]

( i. arrival — tangled up )

[ well. this bodes well.

rafal dearly hopes he hasn't been responsible for ending another world. the darkness is frightening. and rafal is not one to be frightened. he's the one who gives nightmares and horrors to others. he's furious at the idea that someone would think to turn the tables on him.

that remaining thought is what he wakes up, enraged and frustrated. his fingers twitch for his axe or at least his dragonstone. ]

Where are my weapons?!

[ he snarls, tearing at the vines. ]

And why is the greenery accosting me?!

( ii. monster killing )

[ once he's gotten the measure of this place, rafal settles in more pragmatically. he commits himself to performing good deeds, even if the banality of such deeds gnaw at him. he was a dragon, meant for greater things. not for this.

but that may be his father whispering in his ear, so rafal pushes it aside. he can do any task. he is determined. prepared. with that, he hefts his axe, ready to go monster hunting. he glances at his partner with a frown. ]

If you are weak, you should go with someone else.

( iii. network | un: revanche )

Do you truly believe your crimes can be forgiven?

( iv. wildcard )

[ got a different prompt you’d like to do? pm this journal ]

ii. monster killing

[totheno1]

[The nerve of this man.]

The frog in the well knows nothing of the sea.

[Is it an insult at just rushing without knowing who he's fighting with or just being confusing? With Nanjo it might just be both.]

[nilhilistic]

[ thankfully it does take a lot to insult rafal. ]

I assume you are the frog.

[totheno1]

[There's a brief smile on his face, so fast one could miss it before be silently pushes up his glasses.]

That remains to be seen, young man.

[He grasps the large sword with one hand.]

We can exchange pleasantries once our foes are defeated.

iii.

[memori3s]

[ Well. That's one hell of a cold opener.

In any event, here's another username Minato doesn't recognize. He's started to keep track of them, given how there isn't anything better to do while bedbound. ]

That depends on the other person, doesn't it?

[nilhilistic]

The people I've wronged are all dead.

Hence why I ask.

[memori3s]

[ All right then! ]

Oh. Then maybe not.

Is that something important to you?

[ There's no use in dwelling on a past that can't be changed. ]

i

[feintofhart]

Uh, this place has it out for you in particular? I came with my weapons and with a fortunate lack of immediate violence, but I couldn't tell you any rhyme or reason to any of this, [ a cheery voice rings out. A knife, deadly sharp and more ornate than any killing weapon has any right to be, cuts through the vines and deftly avoids scraping at Rafal's skin. ]

Do me a favour and stop wiggling. I'll have you outta there before you can say boo. [ As one particularly ornery vine is cut away, right across Rafal's vision, Claude's face bobs into sight. ]

Theeeeere we go.

[nilhilistic]

[ rafal freezes for a moment because that is claude. not claude as a glowing spectre with his companions, just claude by himself. he rummages through his pockets for a moment. no, no bracelet.

his fingers clench around a dragonstone though and he relaxes a little. ]

You're . . . older.

[feintofhart]

Y'know, that's not the first thing a guy likes to hear about himself. I'm hardly aged, [ Claude fusses, dragging a gloved hand through his hair as he looks Rafal over, trying his damnedest to place where he knows him from. He's not Almyran, so that rules out most of his life. Maybe one of his old classmates at the Academy? Or some noble's son he was introduced to at some dinner, never to be seen again?

He doesn't much like being caught lacking, but he smiles through it anyway. ]

You'll have to forgive me. I can't seem to place your face.

ii

[baldrshand]

[Oh. Okay. So this is how he's going to behave.

Ethlyn manages not to roll her eyes.]

Don't fear. I'm a swordswoman. [As much as part of her is saying that she's a respectable widow who lives to organize events and mind people's affairs, the feeling of the sword at her hip feels right--too right to ignore. As does the healing staff across her back.]

And if you are overconfident, then I definitely should go with you--you're sure to need a healer sooner rather than later.

[nilhilistic]

[ a healing stave . . . interesting. ]

I am a dragon. My confidence is merited.

But I'm unpracticed in defending others.

[baldrshand]

[A dragon?

That actually causes a break in her step. Dragons are legendary. Dragons are--dragons are gods. It's even thought by some scholars that the gods who blessed the Twelve Crusaders were dragons.]

--You're in a very good disguise, if that's true.

[THAT'S PROBABLY NOT THE CORRECT WAY TO ADDRESS A DRAGON, if he's not pulling her leg, but. Really. A dragon?]

[invinciblemikey]

doesnt matter

what matter is who are these people to forgive them

[nilhilistic]

The victims? Or someone else?

Whom do you mean?

ii

[theskyaccepts]

[Tsuna, admittedly, doesn't look like much. He's kind of weedy, looks a little nervous, and seems to be wearing a pair of mittens. To be perfectly honest, he doesn't like this job very much, but it has to be done. It's about keeping people safe, after all.

He nods, trying to pull out a confident smile.]

I'll be fine, don't worry.

[nilhilistic]

[ rafal scoffs. ]

I would hardly worry.

[ a brief pause. ]

I do hope you're not afraid of dragons.

ii

[aurulline]

[-and at that moment, comprehension dawns. Rafal can probably see it in the way that Maria's ears sort of prick up, and her tail (long and horse-like, because she comes from the planet of the furries, everyone has ears and a tail, if she discovers she's with a dragon she'll just relax because suddenly someone makes more sense than everyone else here) swishes. Swish!

This is probably the worst thing to do, but Maria laughs. Not in a bad way? Well, it might be in a bad way...not in a mean way. In a pleased way. And then she blushes, covering her mouth as if that can undo the laugh.]

Um. [Shit.] I'm so sorry! It's just that you...reminded me of someone I knew.

[nilhilistic]

[ rafal doesn't look much like a dragon. save for perhaps, his red eyes, but that is not characteristic of dragons themselves. he makes a face at that laughter, but does not seem perturbed. ]

And who would that be?

iii.

[hedonistic]

nah
"rehabilitation" is a joke
the guys running this show are fucking with us

[nilhilistic]

A joke?

How so?

iii. un: barlupin

[humandispel]

Is forgiveness necessary in the first place?

[nilhilistic]

Many seem to think so.

iii

[entreats]

You should ask the people in charge.

I bet they'd be all for having some deep philosophical discussion about the nature of crimes and stuff like that.

[nilhilistic]

By all means, direct me to them. If it is possible.