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

3

[grappler]

[Vi had seen drag shows before, and considers this one to be kinda tame. but when you grow up in Zaun... everything's wilder than it really needs to be. but she did enjoy Toph's performance, so she's going to find her after the show.]

Hey! That was impressive out there -- seems like you see that sort of stuff often.

[the demonstration was really interesting too, even if it might have been exaggerated for the crowd. this girl really was something else...]

-- Well, not really see, but you get what I'm saying.

[fieldtrip]

Not you fault normal language doesn't respect blind people, [ Toph says dismissively. She herself ends up using 'see' that way sometimes. There just isn't a better substitute that doesn't sound awkward as hell. ]

But thanks. I was basically mimicking all my opponents from back when I was in the Earth Rumble tournament. Those big knuckleheads were all like that. Dumb flashy moves with no substance.

[grappler]

Earth Rumble? Like wrestling or something?

[or bending... whatever Toph does!! she still can't exactly wrap her head around it.]

But yeah, a lot of people always make things more flashy than they need to be.

[fieldtrip]

Exactly like that, except with earthbending. I was the undefeated champion before I stopped competing.

[ She has to make sure she knows the past tense is because Toph stopped participating, not because she was defeated... ]

Maybe I should start something like that around here.

[grappler]

[Vi would be the same way tbh...]

Oh hell yeah. You totally should. I'd be down to face off against other people without actually trying to kill something.

[she stuffs her hands in her pockets and shakes her head.]

I'll get rusty if it keeps like this for too long.

[fieldtrip]

[ Toph brightens up at Vi's immediate agreement to participate. She smacks a fist into her other, open palm. ]

You're on. Even if it's just me and you, that would be fun, but I bet I can rustle up some others. [ Potentially via harassment. It's good for them. ]

I can make a big underground arena if you can, uh, help me with the lighting and decoration.

[ She recently realized that is an issue in setting up spaces for her when she brought Caitlyn to her basement practice room. ]

[grappler]

I'm sure there's some people who will come out of the woodwork for it.

[she has to pause a bit at the "decoration" stuff... because honestly, she's not quite sure what sort of things they'd be looking for either.]

Definitely the lighting. We'll play the decoration bit by ear.

[fieldtrip]

Sweet. I know just the person to ask to be announcer, too.

[ And she already pays him to read things to her, so it's perfect! Business arrangement already set. ]

I want it to look awesome! Maybe we can find someone else to help with that.

[grappler]

Oh, we'll make it look awesome. I can always drag Caitlyn into it, so long as she doesn't put anything frilly up.

[she doesn't think she would... but there's some some Topside in her, so who knows!!]

Who're you asking to be the announcer?

[fieldtrip]

You're right, she's my student now so I can get her to help out!

[ Toph is immediately excited thinking of ways to harass a student. Does this have anything to do with metalbending? Nope, but maybe she can think of a way to make it a practice exercise... ]

Sha-Ming. He'd be good at it and he needs a job. [ She isn't going to hand out charity; she's offering gainful employment to people she likes, okay? ]

[grappler]

[she does know about that... as weird as that still is.]

And she's my... friend. So it'll be easy between the two of us.

[""friend""]

Don't think I've met him yet. But you can pick whoever, since it's yours anyway.

[fieldtrip]

Whatever you say, Vi.

[ She's not gonna push her on it, but she can't just keep letting it go uncontested... ]

You'll like him, he doesn't respect anyone. [ Yes, this is what she's gleaned of Vi's personality. ]

[grappler]

[good just ~~~let it gooooo~~~, she likes it better that way

but she grins at her comment.]

Oh, I like him already. Maybe you have a common denominator on friends here.

[fieldtrip]

[ Toph isn't letting it go forever, she's just patient. It's worth waiting for the exact right opportunity to hassle her about it. ]

The common denominator is that I'm friends with people who respect people worth respecting. Namely, me.

[grappler]

[she shrugs.]

Fair. Usually I'd argue about the ego... but you are pretty cool, I guess.

[fieldtrip]

Thanks, Vi.

[ She gives her a friendly punch on the shoulder. ]

If you need someone buried in an avalanche, feel free to call me.

[grappler]

[she grins. she can't really help it.]

Don't tempt me. There's already a couple of people that need to be buried.

[fieldtrip]

Oh yeah? Don't be coy, gimme some names.

[ Not that she's gonna run out and crush anyone, but good to know who's on the shit list. ]

[grappler]

Silco.

[she's not going to stay coy. not at all.]

And Gogol, for right now. Maybe I'll be less pissed at him later.

[fieldtrip]

Right, you mentioned him before. No arguments from me on Gogol.

[ assuming Toph has learned by now his actual name......

Anyway, if they're not playing coy, she has something else to ask. ]

Anyone I should know about for Caitlyn? No one's allowed to mess with my students.

[grappler]

[there's a pause. she doesn't know if she wants to tell her about Jinx and Caitlyn's beef...

but she probably should.]

Jinx and Caitlyn don't get along. So... if you see Jinx lurking nearby, shoo her off. Just don't hurt her.

[fieldtrip]

[ That name rings a bell, hold on a second... ]

The girl who was yelling on the network about killing people? ... And you want me to 'shoo her off'?

[ Not a phrase she ever thought she'd hear Vi say, let alone tell her to do. ]

[grappler]

Uhhhh...

[she flounders for a minute.]

She's my sister. So... it's complicated.

[fieldtrip]

Oh.

[ Not this again... ]

Let me guess, you disagree about your dad and didn't see each other for years?

[grappler]

[there's a long silence.

but then she just... out with it.]

More like her "dad" [in air quotes] killed our dad and she doesn't understand why she needs to stay the fuck away from him.

Silco is not my father.