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

[melnik]

[ When he glances up from his phone and sees her waving, his face drops in a combination of not being able to believe the gall and also relief that he might be able to get himself out of this mess. The relief part doesn't last very long. He squares his shoulders and exhales a breath with animated frustration. ]

Me? Aren't you the one who tried to steal this dog? At least have the decency to explain yourself!

[ He isn't exactly confident that there's going to be a good answer at this point, but... ]

[bombdevil]

[ Um wow, harshing her mellow much? Reze frowns, petulantly disappointed at being lectured. ]

What the heck! I didn't try to steal him- I did. Give me some credit here.

[ The dog seems at ease despite its guardians clear lack of it. That part she finds kinda sweet, actually. ]

Not a lot to explain becauuuuuse, well, I didn't really think about it?

[ She shrugs, bashful in the face of her confession. ]

The whole thing was gross! He might not be the cutest puppy but he didn't deserve any of that.

[ The costume, being forced to do stupid tricks for pity and cheap laughs, etc. ]

[melnik]

[ Okay, while he admits that that's true, it is only true on one rather unfortunate condition. One that he is quick to point out in response. ]

Yes, but only by roping me into it!

[ Though considering he more or less haplessly allowed that to happen, he probably doesn't really have as much room to argue with her as he seems to think he does. He has to admit that the disposition of the poor dog is actually rather nice even if it is potentially only the result of stupidity...

Either way, as much as he isn't interested in dealing with it, he does seem to relax a little at her explanation despite how impulsive the move seemed to have been. He sighs, resting a hand on the back of his neck. ]

I'm sure there must have been a better way to go about fixing that. Like it or not, he still belongs to that man. Now we're both going to have to explain ourselves.

[bombdevil]

[ Oh, he's really lecturing her. It's not just a slap on the wrist but a moral lesson. Annoying.

Her frown is mild, sulky. But internally, she's thinking about how she wants to fight a grown man. ]

What the heck - what are you my dad?

[ Reze huffs and reaches over to pick up the dog, resigned to the fact that he was clearly not going to be any help in getting rid of it.

Time to move on and find some other sucker. ]

"Hey! You two!"

[ Reze's head whips around, dog in her hands.

It's the man from before, the pooch's actual owner. He's stomping toward them red in the face, his oversized loafers making him look more like a clown than a magician. ]

Wow, blast from the past much?

[ She seems mildly surprised but mostly unbothered by the fact that this man is stomping, huffing and puffing and very aggressively wagging a finger at them both. ]

"Who the hell do you think you are! I had to cancel two shows - Robert is my headliner. You know what that means?! He's the face! The star! The one people line up to see!!"

[ Reze ducks behind Miller with Robert, putting him between her and the hack magician. ]

Like anyone was actually even there..

[ That's the thing she finds most offensive of all. ]

[melnik]

[ Sorry, Reze. At face value at least, these shenanigans are not going to fly... but it seems like they would have kept it at the level of a mildly frustrating encounter for the both of them if she had just been able to leave with the dog. Miller starts to sigh again, though maybe this time with a slight relief as she goes to scoop the dog up, only to see the performer from before angrily making his way towards them.

Despite the way he was scolding her for getting him into this mess, when he sees the attitude they're being met with, he quickly goes to meet the magician and allows her to harbor Robert behind his back. If they're not going to settle this like men, they aren't going to settle it at all! ]

Slow down! This is all just a misunderstanding. She was only concerned about the welfare of this dog.

[ Miller shoots at look to her at her comment. Not helping their case! ]

Isn't that right?

[ Anyway, he will try to level with the guy, give him the chance to clear things up... ]

I never intended to take him... but I had to track this girl down first. He is your pet, isn't he? Not just some traveling sideshow you parade around.