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

iii;

[laserguy]

[Supervillain vibe, huh... guess that's kind of fitting. So, this person is new, probably. Okay, he'll bite.]

i guess there is an evil council with a henchman named jerry.

the henchmen always have the dumbest names.

[arachnerina]

[she is fresh meat, but even then, it doesn't take much to get the vibe of the place.]

omg are you serious
jerry???
wow he really didn't want to go with something cooler
jerry
not intimidating at all

[laserguy]

right?? you'd think he try to give himself some sort of codename.

although, i don't want to give him any ideas either. he sucks.

[arachnerina]

i haven't had the fortune of meeting him yet
he sounds like such a wonderful person
can't wait

[she could probably think of some codenames, but where's the fun in that, when she hasn't even met him yet? No, she needs to get a personal experience before she dubs him anything.]

[laserguy]

just think of the lamest pencil pusher. or an accountant. and you got a good idea of him.

take it that you're a fan of comic books?

[arachnerina]

oh
he's that kind of lackey
yikes
and ya
something like that

[shhh this has her real name on it, she's not going to call herself out about being a hero.]

[laserguy]

well sorry to say, there's no superheroes to match the supervillains here.

which is actually kind of weird?? you think someone like that would be brought here by now... but guess they just prefer japanese teens with head demons.

[Don't ask.]

oh wait, deku counts. he's just in training or something.

[arachnerina]

that's
actually weird what the heck
then again heroes are supposed to be good so maybe they aren't out there committing crimes?
then again some heroes are misunderstood and accused of things they didn't do
maybe there's someone here like that

[y'know. Definitely not her. Not when she's texting under her own, civilian name, anyway.]

does someone in charge really like anime? cause that's kind of what it sounds like you're telling me.

[laserguy]

maybe, although the whole crime thing is bullshit anyway. even if your parchment is correct, it's still stupid.

[Anime's from Japan, right? He never thought about that until now...]

i've never watched anime but i think you might be onto something here. although isn't the most popular stuff involve some robot kid?? therefore we should have more robots here.

[arachnerina]

so it IS bs
good to know
i mean i figured anyway
cause mine sure isn't

[she's not going to admit it's MURDER but hey, at least she was kinda used to being accused of that back home, too.]

robot kid is old news
these days its ninjas and demons
some crazy mechas too

[laserguy]

you got it faster than most.

i think they just like demons then, because i haven't seen ninjas or mechs. pretty sure i couldn't miss the latter.

but wait, old news?? what year are you from?

[Geez he's behind everyone in the timeline huh.]

[arachnerina]

fan of comic books, remember?
i know a thing or two about suspicious villain plots
also
totally not guilty so
and wow okay now i'm disappointed
i was looking forward to meeting some real life ninjas and giant robots
oh and it's 2018 where i'm from
i take it that's not the case for you?
either that or you're completely uncultured
or live under a rock
or both

[wouldn't be the first time she met someone pulled from a very different time in the timeline.]

[laserguy]

i was about to say that we're still waiting for the big plot twist, but i think we're in the process of that.

but holy shit, 2018??? that's the latest i've heard, or one of the latest.

[He'd be 51 years old. That's... so depressing..........]

and hey, the only rock i live under is the one dated 1983.

[arachnerina]

i heard people talking about the city changing recently and everyone's memories getting messed up
sounds like a plot twist to me
oh damn okay
cool cool
so i'm practically the jestons to you

[gwen no that's still twenty years older than him.]

[laserguy]

oh so you already heard that much huh? yeah that's the gist of it. actually since you're from the future, would the concept of 'we're actually in a video game' seem plausible to you?

dude that came out like forever ago.

also you can't brag about being the jestons unless you actually have flying cars.

[arachnerina]

i try to pay attention when i'm pulled to another dimension and accused of murder
honestly? yeah i guess i wouldn't be a stretch
but crossing dimensions isn't just theoretical anymore where i'm from either

do flying cars count if they're only flying because supervillans like throwing them?
but we do have video calls
like these phones do

[laserguy]

damn you got accusation of murder? they're not letting you start easy.

[A part of Scott wants to mention that he has that crime too. But. He doesn't want to talk about it at all. It's not true, so it doesn't matter. Besides, she probably doesn't want to talk about it either.]

wait wait so by the year 2018, i can expect dimensional hopping but no flying cars. got it. because yeah, not counting supervillains throwing cars around as flying.

also seriously? supervillains actually exist for you? not just between pages?

[arachnerina]

apparently not

[When has life ever let her off easy? Sigh. Oh, to be a spider-person.]

yeah its crazy right
now i didn't say that crossing dimensions was GOOD
cause it almost ended very very VERY badly
but yeah, it's lame that cars can't fly
smart people with a lot of money aren't exactly looking out for anyone but themselves it seems

[looking at you, Kingpin.]

yeah there's a few running around
seems like New York attracts all the crazies

[laserguy]

okay even if it almost ended badly, it didn't, right? and so it's still really cool. were you actually involved in it??

and okay wow, there's no villains like that in new york. either they're asleep until 2018 or my world is just boring. >:( although we did have this guy decked out in a cape drop an entire stadium around the white house ten years ago.

that was nuts.

[arachnerina]

i heard about it
on the news
some spider-people saved the day
blew up the machine and put an end to it

okay how is that boring??
thats insane?
how did he do that??
seriously that's supervillain energy if i've ever seen it

[laserguy]

spider-man?

[Wait, as in Peter Parker? The other teen he just met? Or another version of Peter. That's possible, between the multiverse and just knowing that there are other versions of him out there.]

it's just mostly boring. like, that is the only really big thing that's happened in the past decade.

um, well, he's a-- his name is magneto, wanted terrorist. he can control metal and stuff. he also controlled a bunch of robots too, all aiming to kill the president.

[If he's going to talk about mutants, he doesn't really want Gwen to have this be her first experience hearing about one. It should be him, obviously.]

[arachnerina]

yeah? you heard of him?

[another world with a peter parker??

little does she know, the twerp she found can't keep his mouth shut.]

okayyyy so that LITERALLY SCREAMS supervillain my guy
killing the president is literally one of their biggest MOs
seriously dude
even his name screams supervillain!!

[laserguy]

[He promised Peter not to tell anyone about his secret identity, but it seems fine just acknowledging that he's in this place. Gwen seems cool and everything anyway.]

sort of? i only just met him in this world, he doesn't exist in mine. maybe he's the spider-man from your place? he'd probably want to meet someone that kind of knows him at least.

[Isn't that how he felt about Quentin in the end?]

okay okay, true. but the thing is, he's been the only supervillain that stepped up in the past ten years. things have been quiet since then.

he wasn't even captured?? he's just been lying low i guess.

[arachnerina]

[...goddammit. Okay, no, it's fine. Just because he met Spider-Man doesn't mean Peter blew his cover. It's probably fine. No biggie.]

uh, yeah! maybe!
i'll definitely keep an eye out
that would be soooo cool if he is :)

[did the smiley face make that more convincing??]

sir your world has no idea how to do the whole hero/villain thing
oh my god
he just
disappeared??
that's so much
i mean i guess it's a good thing there hasn't been anyone else since cause it kinda feels like no one would know what to do??

[laserguy]

yeah, i think you're right.

there's no superheroes. the hero that stopped magneto hasn't showed up either since then. she just disappeared from the public. it really just feels like all this was a one time thing.

life's been normal since then.