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!

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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

[cried]

[ There’s an ounce of comfort that helps the grip on her lungs ease; the sound of additional footsteps slowly easing away earning a small sigh of relief. Waiting patiently and subconsciously trying to close her eyes even tighter — somehow. It really just makes her have an ugly face that’s a mix of fear and disgust.

When the voice returns, closer, and a presence near her, Waka lifts her hand from the dirt to find her glasses. Dirt under her nails, but she’s more than eager to stare at the ground like she’s found the answer to all her questions once she slides them into her face. ]

Ah, thanks! I can’t tell ya how much I appreciate the help. The vomits all down, woohoo!!

[ Pumping her fist into the air, Waka smiles brightly. ]

But, uh… huh. I’m pretty sure I ain’t supposed to be here. Wherever here is. [ She’s quick to rise to her feet, dusting off any remaining dirt off her jeans. ] Do I just jump back into the hole I was in to make my way back, mister? I’m really not tryin’ get in trouble bein’ late for curfew.

[laserguy]

[Seeing her face etched in fear is... well, maybe he actually hasn't seen such an expression on himself before, but he's sure that he's had a similar look when his own glasses were knocked off his face. Hasn't happened in ages, but he still remembers that fear of destroying things around him, hurting people, and he almost subconsciously presses his shades against his face, like making sure that it's really there. It really fucking sucks, huh?

So, it's nice to see it immediately disappear when she slides her glasses back on and whoa okay-- she's really happy. Well, guess he got the right one, huh? He lightly chuckles, the laugh leaving him with a small if genuine smile. Look, he's not going to make a big deal of this.]

Hey, no problem but jesus, don't call me 'mister,' it's Scott. [He answers as he rises to his feet as well, posture lax now that glasses are found and everything. There's still that curiosity pressing on Scott to ask her about her 'condition,' but he decides to push that down for the time being.]

And no, don't jump back in the dirt, the only thing that you'll fall into is crushed dreams and disappointment.

[cried]

[ It fucking sucks, Scotty!

The glasses are dark, anyone unfamiliar would assume that she couldn't see anything at all behind them. But fortunately it's only a tint on her side, while the rest of the world can't so much as make hint of her eye color or the shape of her irises -- fortunately. ]

Sco... Scott? Hey... Hey! That sounds super American! You're American? Or maybe somewhere else overseas? 's cool! [ And then there's a brief pause, a sudden assumption: ] Am I in America?

[ She sounds a little scared, but don't worry... it's only because she does not know English. Yes it will take her like three more tags until she realizes there's no language barrier. ]

[laserguy]

[Seeing her with those shades... it's kind of weird being on the opposite end of that. He knows that people can't see his eyes at all through his sunglasses, even that he can fully see them-- just in various shades of red. The ruby quartz just functions like that-- or Professor McCoy just designed it as such, he doesn't know. He didn't really ask that many questions when he first got his glasses.

Still, this is new. It's not disconcerting having this happen to him now, but just kind of odd.]

Uh, yeah? I'm from America. [He slowly answers amongst her barrage of questions. If Scott could take a guess, he'd assume she's... Japanese? Probably.] But sorry to disappoint, you're not in the land of the free and home of the brave. You would've seen an eagle fly by if it was.

[He's not serious at all, but it may be hard to tell.]

[cried]

Damn... An eagle would be so cool...

[ She's being serious. But maybe she's not, though she eases out of her enthusiasm as she notices the initial crowd is just hovering somewhere in the background. While she can't tell what they're saying, the constant wander of eyes and hushed whispers makes her breathe a small sigh. ]

Can ya show me around a bit? If you're not busy -- I feel like if I don't find something to do soon I'll get messy.

[ messy = violent, but he can guess that on his own ]

[laserguy]

[Man, he's going to have start charging people for being the unofficial tour guide around here. It sounds like something Kotone would be interested in, honestly, but man he's not that sociable okay. He just managed to be here at the wrong time-- right time, whatever. And he's not just going to leave her alone to deal with all this new crap, especially with the locals still whispering.

Yeah, change of pace sounds great to him. Screw those guys.

So, with a grin that's only just a little forced, a confidence that isn't fully natural right now, but isn't entirely odd on his person either.]

Yeah, sure. I'm actually getting hungry-- up for a sandwich?

[Besides, he is pretty interested about her glasses and stuff.]