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

[devilsavocado]

[ Matt nods, sensing that it's going to be a bit of an uphill battle, getting Peter to relax. That's okay.

Better to talk about himself, maybe take some of the heat off of Peter. Spider-Man. Damn. Matt's still wrapping his head around that, too. ]

Yeah, it was. Traded sight my sight for a... world on fire.

[ He shrugs. Like, he knows that's not a normal thing to say, okay. ]

I can feel changes in air pressure, temperature, sounds and smells, it all... comes together in the dark, like pulses on a radar. I can't see -- not colors, or anything like that. But I can feel things.

[ If he's gonna tell him, he's gonna tell him everything. Better he knows, if they really do end up working together. But that is a looong way away, this guy is just a kid. ]

Ah yeah, the Accords. [ Matt does remember hearing about those. Everyone in the legal profession was watching that. ] So, what, did Tony Stark fund the spider or something? You have his tech, don't you?

[spidermenaces]

(they're going to have to take some time, it seems, until things start to make sense, and so far, peter has not yet even asked about the blip. he will, he will, he's just hesitant to learn what comes after that. the feeling of defeat has been weighing on his shoulders - it obviously wasn't all on him, but he was there. he could almost taste the victory when that gauntlet started slipping off the man's fingers, and then suddenly, that taste became of ash.

guilt is a feeling he's getting too used to, and one that he's not going to be able to shake so soon.

either way, the next words are a breeze of awesome in the sea of gloom he'd easily get lost in.)

... Okay, so you-- you see, but you don't see the same way I would. It's almost like, kinda of the sixth sense that I have. You just know.

(not that he said that he has it in the first place.)

... I'm an Avenger, you know, as of a day before I got here. I just think the news didn't make the Earth, since, you know... Since we lost.

(and there it is.)

[devilsavocado]

[ Poor Peter really is carrying a lot, Matt can tell. It's way more than a kid his age should have to deal with -- Matt may fight crime, but it's his choice. He's old enough to make it. Was Peter even done with high school? ]

Pretty much. I wouldn't call it seeing, more like... awareness. I can't not hear things, or smell things, or... well, you get it. It's overwhelming, especially in a new place like this, where I'm not sure what's background noise, and what isn't.

[ Which is the real problem he's struggling here. Being blind sucks, obviously, but being somewhere new is strange. It takes getting used to. ]

You're an Avenger? That's... [ Horrible? ] I don't think I'd heard that. How did that... Did you follow the Chitauri to their planet?

[ That's the only thing that makes sense to him. Maybe the Avengers started a plan to follow them back? But God, who was dumb enough to recruit a kid to the Avengers?? ]

[spidermenaces]

... Yeah, I get sense-overwhelmed too. Do you want me to take you somewhere quieter?

(the darkest goggles were in lieu of the mask he would normally wear. his vision is sharpened, his hearing, his brain perceiving everything around him before he even does. it must suck, though, just how good is this guy's hearing? he should definitely be careful with what he says, even from a distance.)

Uh, is that how they announced it? No, it was... There is this guy, called Thanos. He came to Earth to steal a rock with crazy time-powers. I was on a trip to MoMA, right, with my school, and then that spaceship was just there, so I went... And then Mr. Stark said I should get the wizard who has that rock, and he was beamed up-- and then I just... Snuck it into the ship. Turns out, this guy... He has this theory that he gotta kill half the universe, so he got all the stones, and... Just me, Mr. Stark, some aliens and Mr. Strange, we couldn't contain him. That's why people just turned into dust everywhere.

(after all, he's under the assumption that they're from the same moment in time, not just space.)

[devilsavocado]

No, no. I'm fine. This is already quieter than Hell's Kitchen. And my hearing is -- I can hear heartbeats, Peter. Not just yours, but pretty much everyone around us. I could tell you how many rats are on the dock. [ He pauses. ] Still not as many as New York, at least.

[ He smiles, trying to play it off with a laugh. He's really trying to help poor Peter here. He can't not. He's too much of a martyr. ]

Jesus, Peter. I'm... [ That's so much. Matt sets a hand on his shoulder. That all sounds like a bunch of fantastic nonsense, but Matt can hear the certainty and the pain in Peter's voice. It happened. God. ] I'm sorry. That's... there's no words.

[ He has no idea what Peter is talking about, he is not from the Snap, but that's. Fine. ]

[spidermenaces]

(ew. dude. at least that pulls the smallest laugh out of peter, he's sure matt heard it either way. he'll want to fight matt later, for sure, to test his spider-senses against this insanity.

but, the rest, he sighs, a little cry that could be definitely heard by matt, even if it dies in his throat before it leaves.)

No, I'm sorry. Did you-- did you survive it?

[devilsavocado]

[ Matt squeezes Peter's shoulder, wishing there was more he could do. They'd just met, so a hug seems like it might be too much. But you know, if you wanna hug him, Matt will just be awkward and stiff, he won't push the kid away. ]

I don't know, Peter. This is the first I've heard of it.

[ He can tell it's wrecking Peter, though. All this pressure and weight on a child? That's not right. He shakes his head. ]

I'm sorry, I wish I could offer you more comfort than that.

[spidermenaces]

...

(well. there's a reason why a lot of movies of time-travel don't tell people about the future, but in this case, peter has no reason to believe matt knowing would change anything. either he would get snapped, or he wouldn't, and it's not like they had any say in the matter.

the question that still looms on him is very simple - why did dr. strange just offer the stone like that? he did say there was only one chance for them to win, from all the alternate realities he viewed... so that must be how victory could go. he has to trust that dr. strange did what he had to do to secure it, even if peter doesn't see it, even if it is just insane to let thanos just snap his fingers and...

but here it is. matt was blissfully unaware, and peter just had to put his foot in his mouth. shit, well, shit.)

It's... It's fine. It's not fine fine, because I'm dead and everything, and a lot of people are too, but I guess you are just from... The past. So either way, you're okay at home right now, right? I... I hope we are going to figure it out, I think Mr. Stark is still alive, he'll definitely figure something out, I trust him.

[devilsavocado]

[ Matt can sense the way Peter's panic rises, the obvious guilt and turmoil rolling through this poor kid. It'd be too much to handle for an adult, never mind a teenager. He's just gonna work himself up into a panic attack if he keeps going like this. ]

It's okay, Peter. Take a few deep breaths. It's gonna be okay.

[ Matt sets his other hand on Peter's shoulder, steadying him. He may not know Tony Stark or the Avengers or be up in the Big Leagues where Peter is, (or be able to control whether this is the afterlife or not? God forbid,) but he can still talk to a kid who's stressed and scared. ]

Tony Stark is a genius -- he saved the Earth before. He'll do it again. You don't have to worry about that anymore, okay?

[spidermenaces]

(how does he know peter is a little freaked out?-- oh, yeah, heartbeat. he probably can smell the adrenaline on peter's sweat, a little creepy, but he gotta say that this is awesome in so many levels, if only that was in the front of his mind.)

Yeah, I hope so. Yeah, yeah, but no, I'm sorry, it's who I am, I'm going to keep looking for people that are from our Earth, because I gotta know. But, you didn't ask my question, are you fine at home? Like, alive-fine.

[devilsavocado]

[ The things he knows about you will shock and scare you, Peter. Don't worry about it. Now that you know, you're getting the full treatment though, so even if Matt doesn't look directly at Peter, he does a pretty close job of it. ]

I can tell you're a good kid, Peter. It takes a lot of strength to use your powers to help people. But don't get so wrapped up in knowing that you make yourself miserable, okay?

[ Matt would know all about that. ]

I'm fine. Things back home are... well, things are fine. [ Saying it twice doesn't necessarily garner a ton of confidence.] Hell's Kitchen doesn't see as much of the super stuff as some parts of the city. That's why I'm there—to keep people safe.

[spidermenaces]

... Yeah, I'll do what I can.

(no promises, because matt wasn't there. he doesn't know how close they were from avoiding all this, if quill hadn't lost his shit, and if all that was happening just-- worked.)

Uh-huh.

(he's not buying the double fine, because didn't peter himself just do that, kind of?)

Yeah, Hell's Kitchen is kinda far, and I have school and all, can't be out so late, and homework, so I was happy when you came around. New York needs all the help it can get.

[devilsavocado]

[ Matt smirks, patting Peter's shoulder and ruffling his hair. Sorry, Peter. You're baby. ]

Trust me, you've got enough problems without having to worry about mine.

[ He means that in the nicest way possible. ]

Exactly. And now you've got people looking out for you, like me. We might not know how we got here, or why we're from different times, but we'll figure things out. This place can't be any weirder than New York.

[spidermenaces]

(his hairdo is now a bunch of curls going everywhere, thanks, matt, he had put effort the morning he made it!! but it's fine. he'll tell him if he tells him.)

Yeah, that's... Actually true. It's nice. There's a lot of people here, and they're people who met another me's, or I met another thems, so it's... Good to be almost on the same page, you know? We should get going, I'll get a place for you for the time being. They got this inn.

[devilsavocado]

[ Who cares about your hair when you're blind (that's a lie, Matt does his hair.) ]

That's... that's pretty odd. Maybe this place exists between universes or something. That's just my guess though, they don't teach theoretical physics in law school.

[ Haha, get it. A joke. ]

I'd appreciate the help. If I'm stuck here -- which is sounds like I am -- I'd rather have a roof over my head.

[spidermenaces]

I gotta say, I'm not sure. The multiverse being a theory has always been debated? But it's insane when you start to think about it too much, like, how does it work with the quantum, and that changes so much about how we should understand things, but like, the physics kinda checks out.

(NEEEEEEEEEERD

but, alright. there's no more suit, just a peter parker, and that makes it much easier for him to just take a blind man to the inn as him, so he doesn't raise much suspicion. he'll gesture, a habit, before he starts walking.)

Yeah. I live in a little house, I share it with a friend, we stuck two beds in a small bedroom and that's kinda it, you can get one of those, too. I know they got apartment buildings, and also like, that inn I said before. You got options, is what I'm trying to say.

[devilsavocado]

Sorry, kid. That's way above my pay-grade.

[ God, he's glad he only fucks with Hell's Kitchen, so to speak. Imagine if he ever tried to do more?? Hahahahaha...

But Matt lets himself be led -- he is blind, after all. And he appreciates the help, when everything is new and overwhelming for all that he's trying to act like he's got everything figured out. ]

That's pretty convenient. Guess I'll figure things out, find what works for me.

[ Like an apartment with roof access. That's what he wants. ]

How do we pay for anything? Can't imagine this is free.

[spidermenaces]

I mean, that's just advanced physics, not Avengers stuff, I don't think. I don't know -- I turned down the first Avengers invitation and now I'm one. But. In space. It's not like I got the whole, you know, information on every Avengers mission.

(he still definitely thinks that was a test from stark, even if it wasn't - still, it makes him sound cooler that way, so he's definitely saying it. they'll go through the beach to get to town, so it should be fast.)

[devilsavocado]

I was more of a humanities than a STEM student, in undergrad. I did pre-law, ethics, languages... that kind of thing.

[ It was law all the way for him. He's a big nerd, just not for science. ]

Hey, don't worry about it. It's not on you to have all that figured out. I'm sure you're doing your best, Peter. And I appreciate the help -- I might have powers, but I'm still blind.

[ And the world is largely made for people who can see. ]

[spidermenaces]

I go to Midtown School of Science and Technology on scholarships, so you know, we get languages and stuff, but most of it is science - lots want to go to MTI and stuff. I'm, uh, in academic decathlon and stuff.

(he's just blabbing now, simply because it's what he does - the travel to the city should have a get to know you, right? he just sounds like a nerd, but it's fine.)

Yeah, I got you, man. If you're hungry, we can stop by my place. And -- I think the houses are free. They're kinda just up for grabs and stuff.

[devilsavocado]

Somehow I'm not surprised. You seem like a smart kid, Peter.

[ He means that, of course. With that many academics in his roster, the kid would go far... well, if being Spider-Man didn't kill him. Which. Yeah. He's not going to mention it. ]

I'll think about it. You don't have to worry about me too much -- an inn or an apartment is more what I'm used to. This city's so quiet compared to New York, I've gotta take what I can get.

[spidermenaces]

This place doesn't have a school, by the way.

(THANOS KILLED HIM, OKAY... SO, LIKE... nothing to do with spiderman... it was a 50/50 chance... that everyone went through...)

I mean, yeah, but you know. Food.

[devilsavocado]

It doesn't? That seems like an oversight. You... I mean, you should be in school.

[ Matt can see where this is going. Peter wants to buy him food. If it will make him feel better, he'll gladly accept, even if he acts like Peter is twisting his arm about it. ]

I suppose I could eat.

[spidermenaces]

I mean. There's a lot of teens here, they seem to just do their own thing and stuff.

(he'll fire a quick text to gwen - letting her know he has a visitor, because you know, manners.

buying, for someone perpetually broke, is a little uuuh-- but he has food at home, he can definitely make a sandwich. also, he's not very worried about matt and spiderstuff lying around. so, that's the first stop is his place. it's-- not much. a bunk bed, a desk, a small kitchen, a closet, a bathroom, the end.)

Feel at home, I'll get you a sandwich started!

[devilsavocado]

[ Matt makes a face like "that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen" but he doesn't say anything. Kids aren't really his area of expertise, and considering his own experience with his religious upbringing, he's probably not the guy to set up some kind of disciplined system for the youths of Aldrip.

Well, he's gonna think about it, that's for sure. ]

Thanks, Peter.

[ He follows Peter easily to his home, taking in the details that even Peter himself might not notice. Things like dust, smells, clutter, food... Matt steps in and holds himself rigidly -- not because of anything Peter has done, but because he's scoping the place out in his mind. When you don't need to see, you don't need to "look around" to look around. ]

Does someone else live here with you?