expiationlogs | 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

... No.

[At least it wasn't as quick this time.]

I already have someone.

Wait, really? Since when?

[ Don't tell him he never stood a chance even at their first meeting! ]

And who's the lucky guy, while we're at it? I always felt like it would be tough to ask you out on a date...

[It feels so weird to be talking like this, like children gossiping. Except they're a robot and Death. But, if he's acting normal, she'll do her best too. Maybe even enjoy it a little.]

Minato-san. Although I asked him out, I think... I didn't realize that was strange.

[ Ryoji blinks, a curious look on him. ]

Whoa, you asked him out! This Minato-san sure must have been really special!

[ And this is the part where I, the mun, start screaming. ]

I'm sure it's perfectly normal for you to ask somebody out. You should introduce him to me sometime!

What...?

[Fun gossip sesh over. Thanks Ryoji.]

You don't- You don't remember him?

[When the others' memories were erased, it was only of shadows. Ryoji had plenty of non-shadow-related memories of Minato, though... it wasn't like her case, where everyone forgot about her.]

I- He sits next to me in class... You were close to him, weren't you?

[ Ryoji mirrors Aigis' look of confusion. There's definitely something off here - it's not like Aigis would misremember something like that, but Ryoji knows the names and faces of his classmates very well. ]

No, I'm sure I've never heard of that name before. Kotone's the one who sits next to you, remember?

[ He's sure of his own memories, it's not like him trying to reminisce about his parents or his time abroad - there's no haze surrounding them.

So why does he feel like he just lost something precious? ]

[She shakes her head,]

There's no one by that name in our class.

[Aigis pauses, trying to make sense of all this. She doesn't want to upset Ryoji, which she tells herself is because of Nyx, but...]

Or that is what I remember. I remember going to Kyoto with you and Minato-san and the others. I tried to join Minato-san in the boys room, so I thought it'd be obvious who I was with. However... you don't remember that.

No, I definitely remember Kyoto!

[ There's no way he could ever forget Kyoto, Ryoji internally shivers - there's probably nothing on earth that would wipe the memory of Mitsuru's "execution" from his mind. ]

But you never barged into the boys room...and it was only me and Junpei in our room.

[ Ryoji wrinkles his eyebrows. ]

I don't think you're the kind of person who would lie about this, but I don't think I would just forget an entire person either. What's going on here..?

Then the difference is between Minato-san and Kotone-san.

[She says, like a detective laying out the murder method in a novel.][It's the first thing she can think of to see if this Kotone is someone similar to Minato or a classmate who happens to sit next to her.]

Would you be surprised if my "someone" was Kotone-san?

Wh-What?

[ Ryoji, on the other hand, never thought of himself as a detective, and it's a bit hard to think of someone else being as special as Kotone (to him, at least) - but the more he thinks about it, the more it makes sense. ]

Not really. You would get all defensive and hostile whenever I talked to her... Oh, is that why?

[ If this was an anime, you'd see a lightbulb pop above his head. ]

Whoa, Aigis, I never thought of you as the jealous type!

[She frowns, a little called out. It wasn't jealousy either, Ryoji was dangerous... Is dangerous?]

Either way. Minato-san and Kotone-san must be similar people, their name and gender aside. That was how I reacted when you spoke to Minato-san, as well.

I don't know why we would remember two different people, though.

I guess that's what makes the most sense, but I don't think either of us would somehow remember the wrong person.

[ Ugh, he doesn't have the brains for this. Maybe he should have read more of those sci-fi books at the library, or rack someone smarter about this.

...Someone smarter?]

Oh, we can go ask Kotone later! She's also in here - the first person I've met, even!

[Meeting someone similar to but not quite Minato-san... it makes her nervous for some reason. Part of her can't shake the feeling that this is all some trick. Perhaps Nyx had finally figured out how to mess with her memories, and they hadn't won at all.

Why did Ryoji always make things more difficult? She just wanted to be a cool yakuza.]

Koromaru-san was the first person I met. It's possible he might know something as well.

[Don't worry, Aigis! You can meet Kotone while being a cool yakuza!

At the meantime, Ryoji finds himself easily sliding back to the banter they once had before realizing the inconsistency between their memories. Having one consistent person - or dog, rather - in their lives is a good way to lift one's spirits up.]

So you've met Koromaru-san! I met him the other day, too. My scarf got stuck somewhere, and he save me with - [ Ryoji stops himself, suddenly. ] With his canine prowess!

[ Best not to reveal Koromaru's powers, just in case. Superheroes have secret identities to protect, right? ]

TEST DRIVE MEME #8

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i've been waiting for this

you thought p3 was sad? WHAT IF WE MAKE IT EVEN SADDER.

what if she just responded ok i'm dating kotone then tho

XAKLJALFKJ ryoji would support it regardless. let's go lesbians let's go -

thank you ryoji. the support would not be reciprocated

:(

OH MY GOD i"M SORRY I FUCKED UP THAT REPLY I'M SICK

OH ALL GOOD THEN. yay aigis supports me!!

for now...

i won't ruin my chances this time by destroying the world! promise!