TEST DRIVE MEME #11

[expiationmods]

Test Drive Meme #11

Welcome to Expiation, a pan-fandom adventure game with elements of fantasy, science fiction, and some subtle horror.

THE STORY SO FAR (click to expand!)

Characters have arrived in Expiation, a seemingly idyllic fantasy world where they have been told they will be judged and sentenced for crimes they were charged with upon arrival.

Every two months, several characters are chosen for sentencing, where they’re brought to City Hall and told to perform a task related to their assigned crime.

Their only contact at City Hall is a mysterious and long-suffering man called Jerry.

Over time, characters have begun to realize that not all is as it seems in Expiation: as it turns out, the entire world is a simulation that seems to be run by an artificial intelligence.
This AI claims that its purpose, and thus the purpose of Expiation, is rehabilitating the Chosen after their crimes.

In March 2024, after the destruction of City Hall, the city of Aldrip was forced into an upgrade status. While this upgrade was being implemented, characters were pulled into a false reality where they believed they were natives to the city of Aldrip.

Aldrip has been a bit of a glitchy place for many, many months. However, in Summer 2024, these glitches became difficult to ignore, and pointed at evidence of a catastrophic systems failure. For several months, characters experienced chaotic effects as elements from their worlds and many others were thrown into the setting without warning, even going so far as to import a Gnosia infection.

The AI in charge of Expiation believed that performing a system reset might be the only way to stop the glitches before they could impact the world as a whole.

In September 2024, characters complied with the AI’s request and performed a reset. Although this set the AI back to a default state where it felt more neutral–rather than affectionate–toward the Chosen, several people created a system backup that they hope will return some of the data that has made the AI more sympathetic toward the Chosen.

When Aldrip was reset, City Hall became a Courthouse, and this is the new building where Chosen are now sent for sentencing.

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.

October's TDM takes place on October 21st.

You can view our CALENDAR to keep important dates in mind. RESERVES open on October 21 and APPLICATIONS will open on October 24. After this, applications will next open in December 2024.

Full Navigation

Arrival

Spooky season has come to Aldrip in full force! City and outskirts gardens are full of pumpkins to harvest, trees begin turning red and orange, and there’s a chill in the air that’d have anyone reaching for a cozy sweater. The wind picks up occasionally, howling through the trees, especially near the forest… While the seasonal weather is welcoming, the locals are anything but: they send disapproving glances and keep a wide distance. Unfortunately, this may only be heightened by the new arrivals to the city…

Newcomers to Aldrip face a rude awakening this month. Strange iron cages have appeared on surfaces all over town, short and tall alike, and this is where new Chosen find themselves upon arrival. The cages themselves aren’t terribly hard to open, honestly; the latch is on the outside, and it’s a bit finicky, but it’s not locked or anything. That said, some of these cages are quite high up. They’re sometimes near ledges and windows, but not always, and some new Chosen might need a helping hand to get down.

Yeah. The optics aren’t great. No wonder the locals are a little nervous!

The fall carnival

On the morning of October 21st, a Fall carnival pops up, seemingly out of nowhere. It hasn’t been well-advertised–maybe a flyer or two around town–but luckily for the Chosen, those who work there don’t seem to have the same opinion of them as the locals do. Costumes are not required for the carnival, but they’re definitely encouraged! There is a large tent near the entrance with lots of costumes to choose from, and changing rooms as well, should the Chosen decide they’d like to give it a try. The tent workers will be so excited to help with this process–but they might find some very unexpected choices for the Chosen!

There are plenty of rides, games, and food stalls, so come on down! Some special attractions the Chosen may take note of include:

The Funhouse
Billed as a standard house of mirrors, the Chosen are encouraged to try to get through the maze as quickly as they can. Push your limits! Test yourself!

Inside the mirror maze, the Chosen will find more of a test than they might have expected, at first. As they go deeper into the maze, the mirror reflections seem to change. At first, it’s just little things: your reflection might look in a different direction, or move when you stand still. But deeper within the maze, these mirrors begin to show things about the Chosen that they might not be ready to admit just yet. Some reflections may try to confess to the character’s crime to anyone who may be in the funhouse, even going into detail about it. Some may even show the crime as it happened, or a warped version of that crime. Anyone present can see and hear these reflections.

The reflections will follow Chosen until they find their way out of the funhouse. Unfortunately, that could take quite a bit longer, since those reflections are so very vocal and distracting.

Pumpkin Pick-up
You know those duck games at a fair where you pick up a rubber duck and the bottom of the toy has a prize written on it? Well, we know better than to pick up a duck in a dungeon carnival here in Expiation, so for extra spooky flair, these are small pumpkins instead, with painted jack-o-lantern faces! Picking up a pumpkin should reveal a prize…but what’s this? It’s a challenge instead? Interesting.

Written on the underside of each pumpkin is a truth-or-dare style directive. Players are free to make up any challenge they want, here! If you’re looking for some ideas, we’ve provided some examples in the details cut below.

Click here for a list of example challenges!

Tell someone your biggest regret
Tell someone about the scariest moment you’ve ever had
Confess your deepest shame to a stranger
Take someone’s shoes
Attempt to pickpocket someone without them noticing
Find a stranger and show off a secret talent
Tell someone about the thing you hate most, deep down
Kiss or hug a stranger
Eat something that doesn’t look like food
Tell someone about the cruelest thing you have ever done
Start dancing in the middle of a crowd, but only if there’s no music playing
Tell a stranger about the worst lie you ever told
Ask a stranger out on a date
Set off a small firework without warning
Give away your shirt and do not replace it
Confess your greatest weakness
Put on an extra silly costume
Exchange clothes with a stranger

You get the idea! Feel free to use these as a jumping off point and make up your own–there are no limits to what the pumpkins might say. Once the task has been completed, Chosen may turn the pumpkins in at one of the prize booths for whatever prize they would like. There’s no visible indication on the pumpkin as to whether the task is done or not, so you’re welcome to try bluffing, if you don’t want to complete it…but somehow, the booth worker always seems to know.

Dueling Potions
One of the stalls is a game of chance: two identical potions sit before you on a table. The carnie claims that one is a luck potion, and that choosing that potion will give you excellent luck for the whole day…but how do you tell which is which? By drinking the potion, of course!

There’s a 50% chance of victory, here. One vial does indeed contain a good luck potion, and if you choose that vial, your luck will be incredible for the next 24 hours. Unfortunately, the other bottle contains a bad luck potion, and that will have the opposite effect: for 24 hours, you’ll be plagued by disaster, bad happenstance, and maybe even some extra clumsiness. Does it seem a bit like you need to have good luck to get good luck, here? What, is this a commentary on something? Hmm.

Fortune Teller
Want some woo in your spooky season? A midnight-blue tent covered in stars seems to invite you in. You’ll find a bonafide fortune teller within, complete with crystal ball and heady incense. How fun! They’ll give you a cursory reading, either by palm or with strange-looking cards. You get the feeling that this reading is fairly accurate, but strangely…it’s hard to recite details later, if you try to tell someone else about what they told you. How odd. Maybe it was the incense.

It’s not just a hazy fortune and a nose full of frankincense that Chosen leave this booth with: they also feel a compulsion to speak their minds more than they might otherwise. Whether this is telling secrets usually kept close to the vest, expressing their opinions more readily, readily admitting to crimes they’ve been charged with or other wrongdoings, or some other manifestation of this effect is up to players!

There are plenty of other games, rides, and booths to explore, many of which have perfectly standard fare for events like these. Characters can use these booths to win tickets and get prizes: many booths offer cute stuffies and kitschy toys, of course, but Chosen can also find useful items like weapons, food, clothing, accessories, and things like that.

Witch hunt

Last year’s Witch Hunt was metaphorical in nature–this year, it’s much more literal. A limited number of witch hats are placed on a table in front of the carnival. As soon as the clock strikes noon, the Chosen may grab one and try to keep it out of the hands of fellow competitors. These hats are first-come, first-served, but it really doesn’t matter who starts out with one–it’s who ends the hunt with one that counts!

It seems to be like a city-wide game of tag. The Chosen’s job is simple: obtain and keep a witch hat on their head until the clock strikes midnight. If a “witch” is caught by another Chosen (by way of being tagged), they must hand over their hat, or they’ll be disqualified.

There’s no official sign-up for the hunt, so characters can join in whenever they’d like, or may decide not to join at all. So, what’s this all for? Anyone who manages to have a witch hat on by the time the clock strikes midnight is guaranteed a prize! OOCly, this prize is any small non-magical item from home, either personal or not; ICly, Chosen will not know what this prize is before entering. How do you obtain this prize? There’s an RNG for those who would like a chance to sign up to win an item. Sign-up is optional, and TDMers are welcome to join in! New items will be delivered at the start of November, so any new applicants who win the hunt will be able to obtain their items as well.

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

[followyourstar]

< Oh, Vincent. I didn't even realize it was you. You kind of blend in here... >

[It's the sort of statement they'd usually keep to themselves, but now they don't even seem to notice they've made it]

< You too, huh? Weird, right? I've been trying to remember my fortune, but I'm not coming up with anything. >

[depressionnap]

You're one to talk.

[Vincent has no qualms about a bit of banter back, and he isn't bothered much by the comment. Look, he knows. He knows!]

Mm. I don't like how they can obscure our memories like this, but I suppose due to it being a simulation that isn't shocking.

Either way, we're in the same situation. I cannot remember much of the interaction. Only that... I was not pleased with her accuracy, even if I can't recall what exactly was said.

[followyourstar]

[They rub the back of their neck and shrug sheepishly. Vincent's... not wrong, exactly. Especially not after the whole thing they went through at the entrance to the fairgrounds]

< Really? I was impressed. Maybe because I don't really believe in that sort of thing. I don't really believe in the future having a single, set course. >

[depressionnap]

I wonder how many times I have felt helpless in the face of fate. Yet, even if you know the destination, know that fighting it is a fool's errand, should one not try regardless? Perhaps it is more the sin to dwell and do nothing.

[Huh. That came out more easily than expected. Vincent closes his eyes and frowns, clenching his right hand. Usually he prefers to be more cryptic than that, what the heck]

[followyourstar]

[Dante nods]

< That's what I think too. Sure, you can't stop some things from happening around you, but for the things you can, it's worth a shot, right? >

[They turn their gaze upward, to the simulated stars.]

< There are infinite possibilities out there. So even if it's rare, it's nice to think that maybe this is the one where everything turns out okay. At least... I want to believe that's true. >

< And like you said, being stuck in the past... It doesn't make it any better, does it? Not that there's any past for me to be stuck in. >

[They look back at Vincent.]

< Sounds like you have your problems too. >

[depressionnap]

[Stuck in the past.

Vincent has not moved on for 30 years, and he has no intention of changing that. Yet, for Sephiroth, he must try to do something. For Cloud and the others, he should have done more, he could have done more--]

More than words can truly emphasize.

Are you familiar with the idea of alternate dimensions and timelines? ...Much of that has ended up a concern of mine.

[followyourstar]

[They shouldn't answer this question. They should play dumb. And yet the words come all the same, as if bypassing their common sense entirely.]

< Very. We call them Mirror Worlds. >

[There's a moment of pause, of concern, but they carry on.]

< You've... had to deal with something similar? >

[depressionnap]

...Yes.

It's something that I've fought with. Myself, and others. ...Even right now. [An uncomfortable breath escapes him, and he scowls, disliking how easily the words are spoken.]

It's easy to give up and let things run their course. I regret not trying harder.

[followyourstar]

< You know... > [They stuff their hands in their pockets] < There's nothing that says you can't try now. Not that I know what it is about your past that bothers you so much. But... Can you really say you're the same person then as you are now? >

[depressionnap]

I am an unchanging stone in the river of time. I do not age any longer, Dante. I am as I was thirty years ago, and I am thirty years too late to undo what has been.

...But for now, I can hope to do something for someone else whose future is not yet written.

[followyourstar]

[30 years without aging... It's not something they can easily imagine. Maybe with the technology the City has to offer, but Vincent is not from the City, and Dante has little idea of what the world Vincent comes from is like.

They're curious, so curious to know how such a thing is possible. But before they can ask, Vincent continues, and in that statement's wake Dante is left for a moment without words.]

< What are you planning to do? > [A pause, and they shake their head, correcting themself.] < What do you want to do? >

[depressionnap]

What I want? [A soft, empty little laugh escapes him.] Well, I suppose I want to do what is best for Sephiroth, if you've met him.

Even if I'm probably the last person who deserves to be at his side, I will endeavor to give him a proper chance at a brighter future.

[followyourstar]

[They nod. They've seen him, if only briefly, during the... fair? Training? They aren't sure how to categorize it. But they remember him. The boy with the bright blue eyes with an interest in weapons.]

< I know I can be pretty naive, and I know there's no way I can know everything about how you two know eachother. But... I don't think it matters whether you deserve it or not. >

[depressionnap]

[There's hesitation, because he does feel the urge to speak on his own position in Sephhiroth's life and the sins he's committed. The utter failure he is.

But he does have to concede--]

No, I suppose not. ...Ultimately, it is his happiness I care about most. So, it is his choice.

I can only hope it is enough.

[followyourstar]

< You should tell him that if you haven't. >

[depressionnap]

I... [Vincent hesitates, then he realizes that Dante is probably right. When has anyone ever told Sephiroth that his happiness was that important? Certainly not from Hojo or the rest of Shinra.]

...I suppose you have a point, Dante. Thank you.

[followyourstar]

< You don't need to thank me. > [They shake their head.] < I don't even know how helpful anything I'm saying might be. >

< I hope it works for you two, though. I really do. >

[depressionnap]

I know. I wouldn't if I didn't think it was deserved.

...He deserves better than the lot in life that was given to him. [If Vincent can avoid Sephiroth's plotted future, then he thinks he might be able to at least accept his own sins all the easier.]

[followyourstar]

[A question burns at the back of their mind. And for once, they think it's a question someone might answer.]

< What happened with you two? If it's okay to ask. >

[depressionnap]

[The answer bubbles up out of Vincent before he can remark that it's not of Dante's business. It irritates him, but also he think of distinctly worse people he could possibly share this information with.]

Sephiroth did not know I existed until he arrived in Aldrip. However, I know him, and I knew his mother, who I loved.

I failed to protect her, and I failed to keep him out of the hands of a man who is sick with his scientific ambitions. As a result, the Shinra Company and Professor Hojo have been molding Sephiroth into little more than a weapon for them to command.

All because of my failure.

[followyourstar]

[A company that transformed a kid into a weapon... It's a situation they're familiar with, even if the story isn't theirs to tell.]

< So you're trying to help him avoid that fate now, while the two of you are here. >

[depressionnap]

Essentially, yes. It's complicated, but I'm familiar with Sephiroth's future. I... would like to spare him from it, if it's possible at all.

This is not something he knows. I would ask you keep it to yourself.

[followyourstar]

[Another secret. It feels like they've had to carry a lot of those these days. Another weight on their shoulders. But this one's lighter than some of the others they've carried.

After all, knowing the future holds... can be an unimaginably cruel thing. Even for those events not set in stone.]

< I'll try. This place doesn't exactly make it easy. >

[Not the answer he probably wants to hear, but it's the truth.]

< But it'll have to pull it out of me. >