expiationlogs | TEST DRIVE MEME #8

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TEST DRIVE MEME #8

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!

♡

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

(you know what? she has an amazing point, which his index finger gesticulates to demonstrate. still, he didn't know how old she was! this argument could go on forever.

to him, however, this encounter is not half as heartfelt as it is to her, it is a matter of awe to the wonders of the world more than anything else, though. another spider, another universes, perhaps this is not the afterlife, but salvation in a way? he doesn't know. there's a lot to piece together, and those are things he can't really find out in five minutes, a day, a week. he has to go home.)

I believe the term for most of us would be 'nerd'.

[Come on, Peter! She's not ancient being!! But he has her laughing, at least. It's not been often that anyone could make her laugh, these days. Miles was the first person to in years. Maybe making one friend opened her up to the possibility of more? But then again, as bad as it hurt being separated from Miles, did she want to do that to herself again? When her goal was to find her way back home?]

Okay, nerd.

[She sure is going to redirect, mostly for her own sanity. Which means she's going to start pacing around him, to get a better look of the suit he's wearing. She's even going to poke one of the extra legs. Kind of reminds her of Peni's mech, which makes her sad in a whole new way.]

Nice suit, by the way. Crazy tech. You make it yourself?

Nerd to nerd? If you're one of us, then I bet you're a nerd too.

(yes, best save, good job me.

the suit is intuitive, almost too connected to him, so when she pokes the metal, it moves away from the stimuli a little bit as a response, immediate.)

No, it was Mr. Stark. Ironman, if you have him around?

Never said I wasn't.

[But Peter was always a bit more nerd than her. She danced. She played the drums. Even if she was a straight A honors student, even if she was in a special private school for nerds. She was still a bit of an outlier, with her punk vibes.

His next question has her pause, though. She turns back to look at him, finally diverting her attention from the fancy suit.]

Ironman? Not a clue. [Another pause.] I.. do think I've heard my dad mention a Tony Stark? He's some sort of big shot weapon's contractor. Made some big deal with the PDNY for new guns or something.

(this feels like a long conversation that they're going to keep going at. it's a lot to compare, to see where they are in terms of similarities, differences, and who they are, being the same role, a different person.

so, he will sit, the suit retracting the extra limbs. perhaps if they let the cat come to them, it might also be easier if they aren't trying. cats, right?)

Oh, that used to be Mr. Stark-like, yeah! He stopped dealing weapons, he's now in the Avengers, like I am! The group that protects the Earth, there's a lot, a lot of people! Oh, man, it'd be so cool if you had your own Avengers!

[Oh, there's so much they could compare! She got to hear a little, with the other spider-people she's met, but they were more focused on trying to stop Kingpin and, y'know, not dying. The timetable moved too fast, she was only there a couple of days. There wasn't time to sit and just... talk.

Of course, she also didn't want to get close. Didn't want to get attached. But Miles. God, Miles just had to wear her down, and force himself into her circle.

She missed him so much.

She watches Peter sit, and a part of her told her to stop, to close back up, to not let herself enjoy a moment with a sweet, dorky Peter. Maybe the universe was trying to tell her something, by pulling her away from her home all over again, and putting her in the path of this Peter.

So she sits, letting him ramble about "Avengers".]

Sorry, my Earth isn't that exciting. It's just me, fighting the good fight.

(for a second, just a second, he's allowed to forget what he had just gone through. thanos - and the insane shit that he just witnessed, with himself one of the last to be blown away by the wind, specks of dust, and then no more. for one second, it's a break, a breathing moment, and he gets to be starry-eyed about things he's passionate about.

a change from thinking of death, destruction, calamity and disaster, with the weight of failure too crushing to bear.

so, for just this moment, he's smiling fully.)

Oh, that's so not cool. You said this isn't your first time universe-hopping, so maybe you can visit mine after--

(oh, the moment dies.)

Yeah, but last time was different. Maybe. Still unclear if there's a supervillain hiding somewhere with another Super Collider.

[Did she maybe just drop some cool lingo to get his interest back? Because she sure did notice that pause, and the falter in his expression at the break of his sentence.

Something bad happened, didn't it? Before he got here?]

A super what now?

(it works, but he is also forcing himself into it a little bit. as much pain as she is holding, so is he.)

Kingpin and Doc Ock made a giant particle accelerator, specifically to bridge across dimensions. That's how I got pulled from my dimension into another. The first time, anyway. We had to blow the thing up, before they destroyed everything. Or, Miles did-- the Spider-Man in that dimension, after the rest of us made it back home.

[that was a very quick summary of the events, but she kind of doesn't want to mention the Peter of that universe dying. Poor kid doesn't need to have another crisis.]

... Do you think we can make that here? Send everyone home, too? Do you know the specifics?

(this is not where he belongs. it does mean he dies, probably, most definitely, but it is the right thing to do. he couldn't save earth - maybe he can do this.)

[That...was not why she brought it up. Gwen frowns, and she's standing again, pacing without even realizing it.]

I-- I don't know. That's like. Way advanced science. Genius level science. Not to mention even Kingpin and Doc Ock couldn't get it right. Theirs nearly destroyed all of our dimensions. And they knew what they were doing!

[Not to mention the size of it, the manpower needed to build it, run it, the parts, or if that would even work! She remembered vividly the portal that pulled her into Miles' dimension. That wasn't how she got here. It was a completely different experience, so she couldn't even be sure it would work to get them back, if they could somehow replicate it.]

We couldn't even figure out how to disable it ourselves. If it wasn't for Peter and his goober-- [nope. nope, she's stopping, because they had the plans, but that's still irrelevant for the moment. The goober was to disable the collider, and it wasn't like she had it or the plans here anyway.]

It's not a good idea. We would just make things worse. [or, yanno. Kill everyone and destroy dimensions.]

(oh. oops

there she goes, walking, pacing, and explaining, she did not like his idea at all, huh? every break she gives to breathe, he opens his mouth to interject, but closes it almost immediately because she is really not having it, until she stops.)

But you know what went wrong, right? We don't have to build it. We can project it, and if you really don't think it's a good idea, then it was just a fun side project.

Edited 2024-04-17 02:29 (UTC)

I don't know! Maybe? Even if I did, it's still too dangerous. We could destroy this place, and every dimension every person came from.

[Granted, yes, Kingpin and Doc Ock were trying to tear the portal wide open, but still! Just because they weren't afraid to rip open the fabric between dimensions didn't mean it was a good idea, or safe to do in any capacity.]

You weren't there. You didn't see what this thing could do. Tearing the fabric of reality like that... it was bad. And it was almost a whole lot worse.

Okay, Gwen-- Okay, okay, we aren't doing it.

(yet. he'll think of something. knowing it's possible brings a swarm of thoughts and hypothesis in peter's brain, and who knows, there are other people here. people who know more, if they made it to aldrip in the first place.)

Breathe, okay? One breath, two breaths.

[...Okay. She's listening. She's breathing. She's crossing her arms, but not in an angry way. She looks more like she's trying to comfort herself.]

....Sorry. I shouldn'tve snapped. It's still really fresh, how bad it was. And--

[and if it were possible to build safely, she could have a way to see Miles again. But. She doesn't. She can't. Unless he gets pulled into this weird dimensional situation, too.]

And just because the bad guys break the rules doesn't mean we should too. If this Council brought us here with that sort of tech, we'd probably need to use it to go back the same way, anyway. And destroy it on the way out, so they can't keep doing this.

No, it's on me, I shouldn't have pushed. I take it back, okay? You're okay.

(he'll retract his hand armor so he can set it on the girl's shoulder. seems like all spider-people go through some ridiculous difficulty that they can't even begin to process, huh? it's okay. he'll retract the whole suit right after, leaving him on a shirt, pants, and a hoodie. it's fine, this makes it a little more... normal.)

You've been through a lot, haven't you? What happened?

Haven't we all? [y'know, just Spider things.

She sighs. She doesn't want to talk about it, not really, but she owes him an explanation, doesn't she?]

All of us lose somebody. That's how it goes. All the other Spider-people I've met have, too. For me... it was Peter. My Peter. My best friend. He... died, and I couldn't save him. [It wasn't like it was her fault, really. After he turned into the Lizard, what was she supposed to do? He caused the building collapse that ultimately killed him, but everyone still blamed her-- or Spider-Woman, anyway.

But that's not even touching on the super collider shit.]

(he has to wonder if they've lost the same people. parents, at least the peters, and their uncle, too. it also makes him wonder if the people who survived the snap are going to feel the same way as her. if they made it. it's not about him, though. he can hear it, he can understand it. his hands lock with one another as he sits on the grass, securing his knees.

that sucks so bad.)

... I'm sorry, Gwen. I'm probably definitely not helping, am I? If you want, I can... You know, leave you alone and all that. If that helps any.

[Her Peter didn't lose Ben, but the others did. Ben was still very much alive in her dimension, just Peter-less. But she lost her mom-- long ago. It was just her and her dad, now. And it was fine, their life was full when the Parkers were there, but then... after losing Peter, it wasn't the same. She could barely look at them without feeling so much guilt.]

No! No, it's not-- I mean, yeah, it's hard, but you're not the first Peter I've met since.

[He's probably the most similar, even if just in age, but still.]

After Peter died, I... isolated myself. I didn't want to lose anyone else. I didn't make any more friends. Not until that Collider pulled me into that other dimension. That was the first time I felt like I wasn't alone. That what I was going through wasn't the end, just the beginning. That.. that I had friends. [She takes a deep breath, before she continued.]

But I lost them too. They're alive, yeah, but I have no way to get to them. To see them again. So when you brought up using the Collider-- If it worked, yeah, that's great! But I know it won't, I know it's not a good idea. If it were that easy, I would have done it myself, just to see them again.

[And it feels selfish, to want them here with her, while she's dealing with whatever multidimensional force that brought her and all these other people here. No, they need to be home. With their families. Safe. Happy. Like it was supposed to be.]

(that's heartbreaking. she's too cool not to be around people, to not be, but he can't blame her. the life they lead is a difficult one, and to relate is so difficult when no one knows what is going on, developing a whole relationship that is filled with secrets and could go wrong at any minute is the hardest. he's not one to have many friends, anyway. part of him can relate, but not for the same reasons, naturally. all he can do is listen, hope that helps.

he doubts it.

and further into his thoughts, peter's pretty sure he won't be able to break through to her easily. to lose and to lose, and to lose doesn't do wonders to be open to the possibility of losing again.)

You're too awesome to do that. Isolate yourself and stuff? I think you deserve better, but I get why you think that way. I-- I died, too, with half the universe. Now I'm wondering if that's going to happen to the people who made it. I couldn't stop it, either. I get that, too.

[At first, all she's hearing is the same things Miles had said. She deserves better, she's better than that--- but then he tells her his own fate, and her head whips around to lock eyes with him again, only with a look of surprise.]

Oh my god, Peter-- [And now all she can see is her Peter again, body broken, whispering his last words to her as he dies, and she's unable to do shit---

No. No. This isn't her Peter. It's not the same. It sucks, most definitely, but she can't let herself fall into that pit of despair again, especially over something completely out of her control.]

My pity party seems stupid in comparison. I'm -- sorry. That all that happened to you. You're just a kid! The fate of the universe shouldn't be on your shoulders. [But it was. It was on all their shoulders, because with great power comes great responsibility.]

(is that how tony stark last thought of him? he couldn't possibly have made it any harder, with how he clinged to the man for dear life as it was flaking out of him. the last words he managed to get out were an apology. he did the best he could, throughout and out, and it wasn't enough. none of them were.

he just really, really wanted to help stark. help the world. and he left with half of it.)

No, it's putting things in perspective. When I jumped to it, I didn't even think that it could make someone feel like you are right now. I'm sorry, too. I just couldn't stand by.

[She can't pretend to know what his life was like, back in his dimension. Did he have May and Ben? Did he have a Gwen, or maybe an MJ? Either way, whoever he had or hadn't lost, she knew how Peter was. She could tell he was just as impactful on the ones that loved him, and how much it would hurt to lose him. It stung to her, and she just met him. It wasn't fair, but she also couldn't blame him, either.]

Honestly? I...would probably do the same. I have done the same. I just got lucky. [She got back to her dimension by the skin of her teeth. She was so freaking lucky. A lot of them were, repeatedly. But the Peter from Miles' dimension wasn't so lucky, either. He died too, paving the way for Miles to take his place as Spider-man there.]

I know the people that care about you are probably upset, but I also know they're incredibly proud. What we do-- it's not easy. But we make a difference, even if it doesn't always seem like it. [it's something she has to remind herself of, frequently. Especially since her father is literally the cop trying to take her down.]

It's...nice. To have someone to talk to about all this, again.

Yeah, I got lucky a few times, too. A wizard went through the alternate possibilities for it, and he said it was a one in fourteen million chance. That's more luck than any of us could have, right?

(and he gave the one thing that could redo everything away. he just offered it, and he remembers, he remembers it clearly - he said that if it were between peter, stark, or the time stone, he'd let both perish. he must know something, must have seen something, and hasn't explained anything due to it. some sort of time-mastery thing? don't tell the involved what will happen.

one chance. one.)

... Yeah. I don't have anyone like that, it's kinda like, my first time talking about it to someone who is like me and my age? So that's cool. I hope it helped you a little, too. Thank you.

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