TEST DRIVE MEME #9

[expiationmods]

Test Drive Meme #9

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.

June's's TDM is forward-dated to June 20th.

You can view our CALENDAR to keep important dates in mind. RESERVES open on June 20 and APPLICATIONS will open on June 23 After this, applications will next open in August 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.

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?

Summer Solstice (June 20th)

The summer solstice, also known as the longest day of the year. Aldrip may have received a big upgrade in size recently, but this special day still calls for celebration amongst the locals, who have a long tradition of celebrating various celestial phenomena. For this occasion, the entire city will be throwing a Midsummer celebration! The festival itself takes place from June 20-24, with the solstice happening the evening of June 20. There will be celebrations before, during, and after the festival as well!

On the shortest day of the year in December, the Chosen were told to stay indoors until sunrise. The opposite holds true for the summer solstice: all are encouraged to remain outside from dusk until dawn, and locals throw a festival to keep everyone entertained through the wee hours of the morning!

The streets of the commercial district are lined with sun-painted lanterns, lit as dusk starts to fall and kept glowing until sunrise the next day. Those lanterns illuminate a lively street bazaar featuring exotic food and drink, curious wares, and lawn/party games of all kinds. The Chosen are encouraged to either participate, or occasionally wager bets on other people who may be competing against one another. May the odds be ever in your favor?

As the sun begins to set, locals light large bonfires. There will be music and dancing—Chosen are encouraged to participate in whatever way they’d like, whether they want to perform or lead a line dance. If they’re not inclined to join in, the fires and music still provide a perfect backdrop for a little relaxing conversation and meeting new friends.

After dark, a large fireworks show begins. All in attendance are encouraged to bring (or find!) blankets to lay out so they can watch the show. Clinking glasses with good friends at the height of the show is considered good luck, so it’s not uncommon to see some folks having a drink during this time. As Aldrip is so close to the ocean, some locals even offer discounted boat rides to get a different view of these fireworks.

At dawn, the locals finally tuck in for a few hours of rest. But don’t worry—the Midsummer festival continues even after the solstice is done!

Midsummer Festival (june 20-june 24)

Locals begin prepping for the festival days in advance, and while they won’t drag others in to help the same way they have in the past, they still won’t turn down an extra set of hands. You’ll even get paid for your troubles, either in money or in favors (free meal vouchers, rent at the inn, etc). There’s no shortage of work to be done, from dragging tables around to stringing lanterns or even collecting sticks for bonfires. Just be careful, locals tell of strange whispers coming from Pessiria Forest at odd times of day and night…

The festival itself has different activities and happenings depending on what area you visit. Most of these activities can be done on any day of the festival. Most of the games and contests outlined here are examples—you’re free to make up others if you feel so inclined!

BEACH EPISODE!!
The beach is a prime location in the month of June, and locals really go all out for this particular occasion, setting up a large beach party with food, drink, and brightly-colored umbrellas to provide some shade.

There are various sporting activities such as beach volleyball, windboarding, surfing, and a large, built-up dune for sand surfing. Most of these are just for fun, but if locals see some really good contenders, they might urge a competition between them.

For those less sporting, there are all sorts of activities and challenges. Kite flying, sandcastle building, and scavenger hunts are particularly popular with the locals. Maybe they’ll ask you to bring back a certain number of round seashells, or to make friends with someone sitting under a pink umbrella…the possibilities are endless, really. There will also be official competitions for kite flying and sandcastle building, so put your best foot (or shovel) forward!

Some enterprising locals have also set up boat tours to take locals and Chosen through the nearby waves. In some places, the light makes it seem almost like you can see something in the distance…but it’s not on the map, right? Maybe it’s just your imagination. Hmm.

HAVE A FIELD DAY
The rolling hills outside of the city make a perfect place for various races and games. Bring your competitive spirit, because there will be medals awarded for winning races! Some common games include: bag races, “wife” carrying (gender, spousehood, and pre-existing relationship not required, of course!), three-legged races, relays, baton passes, and foot races.

It’s not all sporty competitions, though! Some older locals will lead more relaxing activities, such as stretching, meditation, and recreational group dances. These are volunteer-led groups, of course, so if those volunteers have to sit down or step away for a bit…well, they’ll have to ask someone to take over for them.

Those with good animal handling stats are not forgotten either, of course! There will be animal races, as well, on horses or even chocobos. There may or may not even be a petting zoo, pony rides, or other fun, relaxing activities with animals. Sometimes you just need to sit in a pen full of bunnies, okay.

Please do be careful, though: increased activity could make some of the monsters roaming outside the city a little bit curious about what’s going on this close to town…

WHEN YOU’RE DOWNTOWN
The green spaces of Aldrip have been decked out in their very finest, and floral season is in full bloom. Some enterprising gardeners will be unveiling new garden designs in honor of the festival: hedge mazes, giant sculpted topiaries, and elaborate fountains.

While it doesn’t hold a candle to the Ketsoran diplomatic masquerade, the event center will also be hosting several nights of dining and dancing during the festival. It may be a little less lavish, but it’ll nonetheless be quite glamorous—and the food will probably be good, too.

The bazaar from the day of the solstice continues throughout the festival. Additionally, various shops and businesses may choose to provide specials, discounts, and other offers to entice new and current Chosen alike.

THE SPIRE
One of the taller buildings in town has installed a large spire near one of the garden squares. They claim that, as the sun rises to its midday point, light passing through the spire will create an incredible light show. They’re right, as a matter of fact: the light reflects and refracts, scattering rainbows across the square. It’s a dazzling display. When the sun passes its midday point, however, the beautiful color show suddenly turns into white light. Anyone looking at this light will find that they are no longer able to keep track of how long they’re watching it. Your mind may begin to go blank, almost as if it refuses to accept something, some deep truth that the world is trying to tell you…

…

No, that must be your imagination. The light vanishes shortly thereafter—or was it ever there to begin with? The unsettling feeling may remain, but it’ll be harder and harder to be certain of what caused it.

This is fine and also normal.

Wildcard

Make your own fun! Just because it’s not in the prompts doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Have at it! Go crazy! Try not to break anything (too much)!

♡

Comments

2b | NieR Automata | TDM

[execu2able]

i. arrival

[This is... not what she expected. The dream she could write up to some kind of glitching data, but then she awakens to the feeling of grass. She's arrived at the rolling hills, a ways away from where the locals are setting up activities.

She takes a look at the objects she's gotten. She checks the phone, and the little mechanical creature, and the parchment... which she quickly crushes, and tucks it away somewhere in her dress.]

Report. Where am I?

[She seems to expect the little mechanical creature to answer her.]

ii. solstice

[Honestly, 2B just does not get this whole celebration thing. It's the longer day...? What's that even supposed to mean? But humans (and she has learned, quickly, these are real humans) do that sort of thing.

The firework show makes her pause, though. After an initial shock, she stares up at it. It's just like at the amusement park.]

Isn't this... a waste of resources? [Gunpowder is valuable, especially with this world's limited technology!]

iii. beach day

[While everyone else is up to building sandcastles and scavenger hunts and boat rides, 2b has just found a chair and sits near the water.

She's fishing. She's absolutely focused on fishing, totally unmoving. And with that blindfold, it's hard to tell if she's looking -- or if she's even awake.]

iv. petting zoo

[There are... a lot of animals she's never seen before. Wildlife is somewhat limited in her world, and she usually only sees birds or temperate forest ungulates. Those pigs look like strange, tiny, naked boars.

But it's the chocobos that really stop her. She stares at one for a while (who is staring back in the hopes of getting fed).]

I don't understand. What kind of bird can't fly?

v. the spire

[The blindfold does nothing to stop her from being pulled into the trance of the white light. She's there for -- god knows how long. It's peaceful, almost, if it wasn't so disorienting and alarming.]

There's something... [wrong, she means to say, but falls back into the trance quickly.]

vi. wildcard

[Got another idea? have at it! feel free to contact me at larksong

beach day

[idollizing]

[Wandering the edges of the beach, still wearing her colorful bikini, with a sheer sarong wrapped around her hips and big sunglasses on her face, she's watching with interest what people are doing. The divers were fun but then they are gone so she's left with nothing to do.

When she spots the girl fishing, she happily walks over and crouches down, peering into the sea-]

Any luck yet?

[execu2able]

[She doesn’t seem to react to Rise at first. Not until a subtle motion, and she pulls her rod—

Catching nothing more than some junk.]

…The fish are wary here.

[idollizing]

[Rise hums, tapping fingers over her knees, still watching the water.]

Maybe because there are a lot of swimmers around? A lot of splish-splashing.

[execu2able]

[She turns her head, slowly, to see people swimming around. That… would do it. She’d have better luck if she went on one of the boats, but…

She casts the reel again.] It’s not actually about what you catch.

[idollizing]

[Or in the evening- when there's not a lot of people swimming around.

Rise stands up and locks her hand behind her back at the wrists, tilting her head.]

No?

v.

[luneminary]

[The blindfold is scarcely the strangest thing Ryoji has seen here, all things considered. That being said, he's not sure how someone can look like they have been staring at something when there's cloth covering their eyes. Maybe they were deep in thought?

He tugs at one of her sleeves, regardless.]

Hey, are you ok?

[Ryoji doesn't like that spire at all. It makes him feel weird, and it would be best to drag his fellow companion away from it too.]

[execu2able]

[She jerks, reaching for her weapon for a second. But when she comes to and sees it’s just a teenager showing concern, she relaxes.]

…Yes. I just got distracted.

[luneminary]

Oh, that's good!

[He breathes a sigh of relief, but it's not enough to dispel Ryoji's concerns. Would she end up just staring at the spire for hours if he didn't say anything?]

Say, are you new around here? I don't think we've met before, and I'd remember a pretty face like yours.

[In the end, he just wants to get out of here, and he's bringing her along if he could.]

ii; solstice

[laserguy]

[The question that lingers in the front of his mind, just begging to be asked, is 'can you even see the fireworks?' But uh. Look, he's not that much of a rude asshole; he already put his foot in his mouth regarding the two blind dudes a couple of months ago. Besides, it's clear that she's... appreciating them in her own way. Maybe. Okay, more like questioning the use of resources, but.

Scott shrugs, hands in his pockets as he also stares up at the fireworks. The different colors exploding up there really doesn't do much for him, since it's just various shades of red for him, but it's still pretty cool. He likes fireworks, he's like contracted to as an American.]

Nah, not if you have something to celebrate. It's cool.

ii

[humeansfox]

Oh, no, not at all! Fireworks are used to raise the spirits of those who watch them! Moral boosts can be quite useful, can't they?

ii

[everblooms]

[ In the bright sprawl of the longest day, she speaks to people. New friends, old friends, strangers alike. Conversation flows like water between her fingers, slipping away as quickly as its gathered up. Under the fireworks display, when the horizon begins to dip into nighttime indigo, a voice stripped of tone asks an interesting question. It reminds her of home. ]

...Maybe. [ After all, resources are important things. Aerith cannot deny that fighting is an act of preservation, survival. Perhaps even love. ] They could use it for a lot of things. But... hope is a resource, too.

[ And what inspires hope better than a moment of peace, of celebration? Of what could come after the fight? ]

[spidermenaces]

... Penguins? Ostriches?

(he didn't super mean to overhear the questioning, but he was trying to find some type of plants in the wild -- but he does, and he answers.

no suit, just plain peter parker.)