expiationlogs | TEST DRIVE MEME #11

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TEST DRIVE MEME #11

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.

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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)!

♡

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ ok grandpa let's get you to bed etc etc ]

Uh huh. [ He looks her up and down, and then down at the ground. ]

So, you made it up here, but I'm a little worried how you expect to get me back down. To be fair, I'm pretty sure I'd make it out of the jump no problem, but well.

New world, new rules. I don't like to chance these things without a little bit more controlled experimentation, don't you think?

[literally that

Her ears flick as she listens to him. This guy likes to talk, huh?]

I'm stronger than I look. I can just carry you down.

[She's worried about what he means by 'experimentation'. Better to not let him try it...]

Yeah? Well, I've met kids that are pretty strong, so I wouldn't be surprised.

[ Man, he is still naked, though. ]

You got a blanket or something to go along with the help? No offense, but it's about to get awkward.

[ Sure, there's the under-armor but. Well. He's trying to not appear as a wild sci-fi man in what looks to be not a sci fi situation here. ]

Not on me, sorry. Don't worry, though, I'm sure I've seen worse.

[She lived on the streets for long enough that seeing others doesn't really bother her... Usually.]

That's fine, I guess beggars can't be choosers.

[ It's a little awkward, but what CEO hasn't engaged in a little public nudity before? He could never pass this round of 'never have i ever' and so he reaches out to see if she'll take his hand.

Hey, at least he seems strong. ]

Hopefully we won't attract a crowd, huh?

If there's a crowd, I'll kick their asses.

[She hates nothing as much as people who show up to gawk at those who are down on their luck... But regardless, she reaches out and takes his hand.

She'll pull him towards her to lift him in a carry, and if he doesn't stop her, she's just going to... nimbly jump from the cage, to the rooftop, to an awning, to a ledge, to the ground. Smaller jumps, but still impossibly nimble for a normal human.]

No, no. Don't worry about it. I naturally draw a crowd, you see. I don't mind it.

[ He says while she starts jumping from the cage and down. Boy, he really is sounding like a crazy person, isn't he?

Tony, your experience is not universal. ]

And really, the cage was enough of a draw, don't you think? If they're coming, they're coming.

[ But now that they're on the ground... Hm.

Well.

This might be worse. ]

You said something about clothes, yeah? [ he's doing the hands instead of a figleaf move here, as soon as she lets him down. ]

[Hm. She probably should have considered this more sooner. She had been planning on telling him to stay put and she'd go steal something for him real quick, but... Could she trust this guy to not wander off?

Does the Owl Pocket have anything? No, probably not... Smoke cloud wouldn't do any good... Shadow clone to keep him in place? Just give him her clothes and transform?

Why are there no good options here. Why is thinking things through so hard.]

... Look, I can grab you something quick, but you have to promise you won't wander off while I'm gone.

Wander? [ A laugh. ]

I'm lost in what's probably an alternate universe — maybe the past? — and I'm being offered clothing.

No offense, but I'm pretty certain I'll stay here until I can wander without scarring the locals, yeah?

[ There's... at least a certain...logic?

Kinda? ]

[Surprisingly good logic, even! Fauna nods.]

Be right back, then.

[She then heads off!

It takes her about ten minutes to return, with some simple clothes. She basically had to eyeball his size, so they may not fit, and they're definitely not fancy- It looks like she probably got them from a bargain bin somewhere. But they're clothes, at least.

She almost tosses them to him, but thinks better of it at the last second to hand them over instead.]

If anyone asks, these are the clothes you showed up in, and you don't know anything about any missing clothes from anywhere else.

Hah. Don't worry, mum's the word.

[ He's pretty quick. Someone seems pretty adept at getting dressed in a hurry, and while the clothes don't fit — short in the leg, shirt so tight his arms barely fit and he has to leave a few buttons undone... it at least covers up the worst of it.

Somehow? It works? Guy looks like he'd fit in with a pair of boat shoes on, really. ]

So, now that I'm clothed, and I'm on the ground. Mind filling me in? Where am I and why exactly, am I in a cage?

Hopefully that question isn't too crazy, is it?

[ Sir... she already thinks you've lost it. ]

[Hm. It's a fair question, but... Fauna doesn't want to upset him. Maybe it would be best to try to break it to him gently, in case he takes it poorly...

... but on the other hand, Fauna's level of social skills, and tact, are... well, nil.]

This place is called Aldrip. You've been accused of some crime or another, and they think kidnapping you here will help. The whole place is... Um, how much do you know about computers?

[She knows next to nothing, but that's beside the point.]

[ He scoffed. ]

Do I know much about computers?

[ like, tony, not everyone in the scattered universes knows you, dickhead. ]

You could say that I'm a fair hand at them, yeah.

[ The false modesty exudes from his tone like ooze. ]

[... does she believe him.

probably not. but still.]

Right. So... This whole place is something called a "simulation"- Apparently, a computer runs this whole reality like a cage. And it's run by something called an "AI". That's in charge of it, trying to make us atone for some crime or another. It's all bullshit.

[ He's happy to play along, up until the minute there's the AI and computer.

No, as soon as she says that, he runs a hand through his hair. ]

Oh come on. An AI?

[ Does he just assume he AI is obsessed with him? Yes. ]

If they wanted to keep me trapped, they shouldn't have made it so easy for me to get out of it. [ What's that mean? ] An AI, really? That's it? As if I haven't coded my fair share of them for fun?

If you know how to get out of this place, then do it right away.

[She doesn't seem hopeful, though....]

I'm just looking for the people I can beat down.

Oh? A violent type, are you?

[ He looked around, as if he were hopeful there was a terminal. No luck, of course. ]

Don't worry, I'll be out of here soon, but you know, these things do take a little bit of time. I don't even know what it's encoded with, how it's programmed, what type of AI it is, or what language it's made with.

So, as much as I can say I'm good, I'm also not stupid. I also can't talk to it from here, so...

[ A shrug. ] Give a guy a few hours, at least?

It's what I'm good for.

[She shrugs, but...]

... Uhh. Language? It talked to us over the network before...

[not that kind of language.]

[ He sighed. ]

Not like that. Internal language, like coding? We have DNA and our information is encoded in that, right? Well, computer programs have their own internal DNA, and the language can vary from one to the other, depending on complexity and need.

[ He's starting to sound a little less like a crazy guy right now, at least? ]

So a simple program might use something like JAVA, or C-sharp, but as we get more complex, we'll see other languages come into play. It could also be a new one, since this still could be another multiverse, given that I don't know who you are. Generally, I know most useful people where I'm from, so I'm still not convinced we're also subjected to something like that.

Coffee? Music? Look, I dropped out in middle school, I don't know what you're talking about.

[She's so confused. But... She at least is paying attention to the last part.]

... I don't exactly know who you are, other than an old guy who loves the sound of his own voice. But "multiverse" sounds right. At least, I'd never heard of flying mutants or "quirk" heroes before this place. And I met someone from ancient history, too.

Doesn't surprise me. It's an experience you don't forget, and it's not surprising there'd be some unusual characters.

[ He doesn't know about "Quirk" heroes, but mutants draws his attention. ]

What kinds of mutants do you see around here? I'm familiar with my own world's, so if they're people I know...

Uh... They're called "X-Men"? Even though one's just always been a girl, and one's still a man?

[... listen, she admitted she's not smart.]

Oh, yeah, they never really got to the whole gender-neutral thing.

[ He says, with a shrug. ] I think it's supposed to be like a "Man" as in the species, rather than gender, or something.

[ So, hey, at least he knows them. ]

Who are they, just out of curiosity? Could be useful.

[ ~~Please be emma please be emma please be emma~~ ]

Rogue, Morph, and Scott.

[... Should she be sharing all this info...? But she was asked, and as usual, her mouth responds much faster than her brain.]

Maybe more? But those are the ones I've met.

Huh.

Isn't he dead?

[ A beat. ] Sorry, Morph, I mean. I know Rogue and Scott, of course. I'm good friends with the person who leads them.

[ So, not a bad person to mention them to. ]

Well, I suppose I'll see. It's not like I haven't seen someone come back from the dead before.

TEST DRIVE MEME #11

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