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

Guinaifen | Honkai Star Rail | TDM

[firekiss]

1. Bazaar hustling:

[Well, a lot sure happened, but Guinaifen's from a space setting, so she's used to adjusting to new environments and new places. Ending up in a new world? Sure, not the first time this has happened, even if she's got some questions as to how it happened and why...

Well, considerations for Future Gui, caps intended. For now, she's hustling, so, Guinaifen's on a street corner. She's juggling. Five balls, she's doing some fancy tricks, bouncing a few off of her feet, clearly in her element, clearly knowing what she's doing. Sure, it's incredibly fucking rough to have to rebuild her following from scratch again, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right?

That's when disaster strikes. Just as Guinaifen's doing a fancy ball flip thing, a dog runs past! Knocks her off balance-]

Who- h-hey! [But she manages to catch one! Two! Three! Four is a near-miss, and five is a lost cause. Five flies into the crowd. Five might be clocking someone in the head if they're not careful.

The dog continues running, clearly giving no fucks, going from somewhere to somewhere.]

2. Obligatory bonfire dancing?

[She somehow ended up in the middle of a line dance, but she can go with this, nothing wrong with a big party. She's also a large ham and is capable of chewing the scenery on command. She's in her element. She's shaking. She's grooving. Dancing is happening]

Think this'll end up on the network later?

[She's been here for the span of the intro log, but listen, adapt or die, and she can adapt. She's very good at adapting.]

3. Network shitposting, un: guinaifen

Hey chat. What's the weirdest thing you ever ate?

[Look, you gotta break the ice somehow.]

4. Or just wildcard me.

[Toss a starter my way, PM if you wanna plot, and I'm comfortable with brackets or prose. So tag me with whichever feels right and I'll match.]

network shitposting? network shitposting.

[starringsecond]

My best friend's cooking.

[Sorry not sorry, Flynn.]

[firekiss]

Ouch! But I know what that's like. My brother does a lot of the cooking. He can make stir fry and fried rice and pancakes (the fluffy dough kind AND the potato-and-scallion kind), but sometimes he just gives up and wildly improvises. Sometimes it's pretty good! Sometimes not so much.

Ever heard of a songlotus cake?

[starringsecond]

Oh man, that's exactly what my friend is like. His cooking's good if he follows the recipe to the letter, but when he decides to try something out of the box...oof. And he will improvise, unless someone else is supervising.

I've heard of lotus seeds and cakes before, but not one that could sing. What does it taste like?

1

[paragonknight]

[ Whether or not such a dexterous lady needs it or not there is someone there to catch her should she lose her balance any further. Very respectfully Argenti places a firm hand at the top of her back.

Squint from the hypothetical crowd and it could look like he's about to dip her midway through a dance. With a great amount of poise yet discernible concern still the knight takes in her current wellbeing. From where he stands the sun backlights him from above like some angelic being. ]

That was an impressive safe from almost certain catastrophe. [ The balls of course. ] young lady-- are you alright?

[firekiss]

[She does need it, but not for the expected reasons, no. She's caught before she can slip further. The guy who caught her? Incredibly dashing, and strangely nostalgic? It's like she's a kid again, and Uncle Stone-Wall (when he was brave, and big, and strong) was there to catch her. Except this guy looked nothing like Uncle Stone-Wall.

But, more than the nostalgia, Guinaifen couldn't help but think that if she ever got this guy on one of her streams, her numbers would skyrocket.]

Uh. [Uh.] Yeah! Yeah, I would've been in worse trouble if it wasn't for you, mister...?

[She hasn't realized that Ball #5 is currently MIA, possibly in the mouth of a dog, but give her a second, she's a bit overwhelmed.]

[paragonknight]

[ Naturally, the first action in a sequence of many is to gently place her back upon her feet again. Once certain that strength in her legs can hold her Argenti becomes a flurry of motion. Using a grandiose motion he splays both arms outwards. A flurry of rose petals scatter outwards from somewhere at the tail end of the movement. ]

My most heartfelt greetings to you! My name is Argenti, I belong to the Knights of Beauty.

[ He's still got his arms held out even after all the rose petals fall and it would be a lot more awkward on just about anyone else- but he's like, you know? So dedicated to the bit that it kind of just makes sense.

Unfortunately probably none of this does anything to lessen any feelings of being overwhelmed. Not when he turns his full undivided attention on her and it doesn't seem like he'll let up soon. ]

May I ask you for your name?

2.

[memori3s]

[ Who has two thumbs and is definitely not in his element? Definitely not shaking, grooving, or dancing? This guy.

Minato would have liked to stay home. Unfortunately, he's friends with one too many an extrovert who makes it a point to drag him outside. ]

...maybe? Do you want to be on the network?

[ Intentionally attracting attention to yourself? That's crazy.

Minato's been sitting near the bonfire the entire time, choosing to enjoy its warmth and observe everything unfolding around him instead of actively participating. And though the teen comes off as disinterested, the white Shiba Inu at his side wags his tail and offers Guinaifen a friendly bark. ]

[firekiss]

'course I would!

[This, however, gets her to set aside the dancing for a moment, and she decides...why not? And plops right down next to the guy. They're two people, by the bonfire.]

Doing numbers sometimes means the difference between being able to eat good and having nothing more than a bowl of rice for dinner. Sure, you won't starve, but what's the point of living if you can't enjoy yourself?

[memori3s]

[ ??? What kind of job would require something like that, thinks the guy from 2009-2010 before the rise of streaming. ]

Are you an actor...?

[ Minato hadn't expected her to plop down next to him, but he's not necessarily opposed to having company. He gazes at the bonfire while contemplating her words. ]

I guess that's true.

[ "Enjoying yourself" still remains somewhat of a novel concept to him. Perhaps it shows, based on how seriously he's considering what might be intended as a lighthearted comment. ]

bonfire dancing

[snowslip]

[ Somebody is not in her element. Not thriving. The grooves are not happening. Marianne had been sitting to the side wallflowering it up when the line had descended on her like a whirlwind. Her quiet protests were lost to the sound of music and finding it hard to put her foot down, she's now shuffling awkwardly in step looking like a pale shadow of the energetic young woman next to her. ]

Um, I really hope not.

[ In fact, she seems to shrink behind the other girl when she spots the cameras. ]

[firekiss]

[One cannot shame a river otter for swimming through water like it's born to it, sleek and playful, one can only accept that is in the river otter's nature.

...or something like that. Anyway. Guinaifen flashes the cameras a grin, someone stop her, before she glances behind her and-]

...hey, you feeling alright? You're looking kinda pale. [It's hard to tell, given the mood lighting, the dancing, the quick glance, but there's a certain amount of paleness to be had with the other woman. Or maybe that's just the way she is all the time? Hard to say.]

[snowslip]

[ Marianne was hoping to go unnoticed that she pales even more when spoken to. It's not that she hasn't been instructed in the art of dance but that her lessons had meant to prepare her for the ballroom and not for prancing joyfully (and some drunkenly) around a campfire. If the Margrave Edmund were here, he might think it undignified. Marianne thinks it charming, really, but...not a dance for her. ]

I'm sorry. [ Shuffle, shuffle, turn. She's keeping in time, but what she lacks is energy to sell the performance. ] I'm no good at this.

bazaar

[demonicbookworm]

[Ruca has never seen anything like this before and he's impressed by the girl's skill. The tricks are really impressive and he would be clapping right now if only it wasn't for the dog that ruined the show. The ball number five just so happens to fly into the crowd and Ruca attempts to catch it.

...But it hits him right in the face.

Sadly, dextrous he is not, but at least the ball is in his hands now. He takes it back to the girl.]

...Are you okay, Miss?

[firekiss]

I should be asking you that question! I'm pretty sure I hit you in the face with a ball. Let's start by you telling me if you're okay, okay?

[The dog, the closest the setting has to a fluffy labradoodle (sturdy and relatively large, with a lot of fluff), trots back to them, tail wagging and it (he, she, to be determined) sits like it's a good dog and not one that just ruined the show. People who didn't know better would probably assume it's their dog.

She's not paying attention to the dog - yet.]

Thanks for getting my ball. I just got here, so it would still be pretty hard for me to replace it if I lost it.

1

[melnik]

[ The busy streets of the bazaar, the sounds of shopkeepers calling out to advertise their goods and the sight of people putting on street performances for a handout reminds Miller of a stroll through a busy market back in his own home, like the one in Prospekt Mira. It's strange, although still a little nostalgic, because in the recently upgraded city of Aldrip, it almost seems that there would be no need for peddling on the streets. There's a store here for everything. Every building is lit up from corner to corner. Yet with the way things tend to happen here, one thing to the next without rhyme or reason, it ultimately doesn't throw him off much.

Allowing himself to move in step with the crowd, he casts a curious gaze at the young lady juggling on the corner--but he had every intention of continuing on his own way. At least until something rushed past him. It was a scruffy dog, brushing against his legs as it darted by to interrupt the show. Guainaifen's balls go scattering just as the crowd does to avoid being hit, and Miller reaches an instinctive hand into the air to catch the flying number five before it collides with him. ]

Damn dog! [ He huffs, but the annoyance fades quickly into an acknowledgement. ] Well, your show must be irresistible for any mutt looking to play fetch. Probably not the attention you wanted.

[firekiss]

[All she can think, as she catches her balls as best as she can and the crowd scatters, is that she's going to die of embarrassment. She's done this for how many years?

...not many, but that's not the point. The point is that she should be better at this. But she's not.

Ball flies, out of the corner of her eye Guinaifen thinks that she's about to see disaster, but then the guy catches it? She jogs up to him. (Not quite an unhurried walk, and not quite the brisk run of someone in a panic, somewhere in between? That sort of vibe.)]

I appreciate any audience, but you're right, I really do wish the dog would've waited his turn. [...] Her turn? [She doesn't know. Moving on.] Anyway, you've got really good reflexes! Mister...?

[nullificates]

you first!!!!! ( ◕▿◕ )

[firekiss]

Way to put me on the spot!

[She has to think about this!]

Uhhhhhhh........ it's not exactly food that I ate but one time I did the 'bite the lighter' challenge. Does that count? Chat LOVED it but Sushang pointed out that doing stuff like that might get my account banned, so since then I stuck to tamer things like bubble tea.

text

[garbagecanned]

my friends curry
or w/e that monstrosity was

[firekiss]

Ouch! Come on, tell us ALL about it and spare no details.

3

[entreats]

Are you trying to put some food vendor from the festival on blast or something?

[ .. apparently Ange is just incapable of ever answering a question sincerely, huh.. Even when it's such an innocent, straightforward question like the one the other posted. ]

[firekiss]

Well, now you mention it......... nothing really stood out as BAD bad but I am pretty new here. A girl like me could use some tips on what to eat and what maybe not to eat.

3

[apeshift]

like intentionally or accidentally? because i'm pretty sure whatever the lunch ladies are serving up at my school cafeteria is of an origin not of this earth.

[firekiss]

Why limit yourself? Give me both, and spare no details of the horror.