expiationlogs | 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

🔥 COULD YOU GIVE ME DESIRE? — ❝ So I would have fire? ❞

IF EVERYTHING DIES — ❝ Oh, why can't you love me? ❞
• cw: arson, schizophrenia, hallucination

A. — PRIVATED TO WHOEVER COMMENTS TO THIS FIRST.

[ throughout the day of the carnival, jinx's been roaming around in her "costume", or more like she's been wearing this dastardly thing ever since it was gifted to her on her birthday. and during the day, she's been tossing little and harmless fireworks at people's feet before scurrying off to her next victim. trick or treat, she learned about that last year, and runeterra had a holiday a little similar to this. not so much to the treat part, but the trick? there was a holiday in piltover where children play practical jokes on the adults until a certain timeframe. it's to allow the kids to get all of their antics out of their systems without any consequences when, all year long, they need to behave civil and appropriate. jinx had always been envious of the children of topside, because why did they get to have a celebration where they can do so much monkey business, but the zaunite children can't? it wasn't fair, but when was life back home ever fair? ]

[ but as the day progressed into nightfall, her bouncy energy dies, and she begins to slug herself around the carnival, her outfit entirely unzipped to expose the top half of her with a vacant expression on her face. it's such a jarring contrast in behavior, but if anyone knows the girl at all, this... isn't uncommon. the bluenette halts in her aimless stroll in front of a tent, which is filled with a few locals inside selling trinkets, and goodie bags to others. they all seem so happy, the smiles on their faces seem so real despite being a part of the system.

...

the teenager steps silently behind the said tent from wandering eyes, her slender fingers disappearing in her suit to her back pockets. what she pulls out is a set of matches, and without any hesitation on her part, she lights it almost too confidently before letting the stick dives to her boots. as the fire gradually paths its way to it's target, jinx side-steps indifferently, then back around to the front of the camp to quietly observe. there's something beautiful about watching the oblivious, and then have their glow drain from their faces — their eyes widen with pure fear, and the frantic movements and panic screams as they try to think logically through a disaster. ]

[ and as the locals sprint out from the burning tent, shoulder crashing into her to make jinx stumble back slightly, the bluenette remains standing there alone. her and this scorching tepee. she isn't smiling, but there's a joy blooming behind her rib cage as she watches the weaves, materials, and the like, altering into ash components of itself.

'What is stopping you from having someone in your life who wants to be there for you?' ]

... Huh?

[ she blinks quickly, searching all around to find the source of that haunting familiar voice, but she sees no one. no one except the locals scrambling hysterically to get away from the steady wildfire, and warn others to stay back.

'I just...want to make sure you are alright after everything that happened. I'm sorry I couldn't have done more to help you, but this isn't like you to be so quiet.'

her heart is racing, and the lump in her throat is thickening a little too much. and just when jinx was about to give up searching, ... there. she sees it. a green bug glides smoothly into her vision, and her face softens in disbelief. ]

Wha? What are you doing here? — I-It's fall season. You're supposed to be getting ready to hibernate. Unless... [ ... ] Ekko?

[ in reality, it's not ekko nor the bug is actually there, but she is completely convinced that the only explanation she is even seeing this insect in this weather, and out of the forest is because he, somehow, got altered into his actual form. glitches were a thing, so... this could be possible, right? the "bug" says nothing, except flutters closer and closer to the blazing tent, and for a moment, jinx does nothing but watch. ]

Where are you going? Hey... HEY! — Ekko, hold up! I'll go with you, let me help!

[ and then she launches herself forward while clumsily shredding the costume off of her figure, then follows after her "guide" inside the burning tepee.

...

someone should stop her before she kills herself. ]

B. — OPEN TO EVERYONE ELSE

[ well, that almost could have been a real disaster, huh? if it hadn't for [CHARACTER] yanking jinx away from the fire, and allow other people to contain the fire, this whole carnival would have been destroyed. as if the chosen need all the more reason for the locals to hate them all.

maybe [YOUR CHARACTER] was one of the people who helped control the fire, or maybe [YOUR CHARACTER] watched it all go down. regardless your role, jinx is now sitting at a table with a cup of water in her hand. will you go over to her to ask if she's okay? scold her for starting that fire? bodyslam her? here is your shot. ]

[It isn't hard to identify the reason for the fire. Clear as day, he'd seen her pull out matches and slip behind the tent, then come back out to stand and look at the tent, while the fire slowly engulfs it from behind. Rushing forward out of the gawking crowd, he helps make sure that the people inside get out safely, but his mind is always divided between that and wondering what the hell Jinx did that for. These people didn't do anything to harm her, did they?

Once everyone's out and safe (because his Quirk won't do shit for a fire), he stomps his way over toward her, where she's still standing watching. She makes everything hard for him, just like Izuku did. Still does, sometimes. Though it's for different reasons - Izuku is soft and doesn't take care of himself, Jinx is constantly toeing the line between villainy and tragedy and it pisses him off that she's like this. Because he can't help but like her. She's charismatic, she's abrasive, she's got this weird vulnerability.

And he's about to address that abrasive, charismatic side, about to call her out for starting the fire, for doing it for no reason, for making him question why he liked her again, when she starts wandering after something that isn't there. She doesn't notice him standing there while she talks to someone - herself? someone he can't see? - and then starts wandering toward the fire. Into the fire, into the burning tent.]

What the-

Jinx!

[Calling her name a few times, he jogs after her, but she doesn't pay attention to him, transfixed on something he can't see, completely disregarding the danger she's putting herself in, like a little idiot. Something in his chest twinges, and he reaches out, grabbing at her upper arm and yanking her back.

She's not going to take kindly to that, he knows it, but he stands his ground because he can take a beating and it's probably the only way to snap her out of whatever she's doing.]

Jinx, what the hell!?

[ it's a good thing for katsuki that jinx is at a disadvantage. normally, she would react so violently where she would pip out her pistol, a bomb, or any other weaponry for yanking on her arm this suddenly. but instead, her eyes glow threateningly, and she rips her arm off of his grasp before zipping off to stand behind him. her fight impulse is front and center, and if katsuki is too slow — she will make an attempt to kick him square in the back so he can tumble forward and have her boot press hard in order for him to stay put.

but that's only if he is too slow. jinx had fought with katsuki before, but that seemed like eons ago. his reflexes might have improved since, and he is a boy who can make explosives merely by his sweat glands. and the flames roaring and causing heat, that's like giving their enemy a loaded gun with all the bullets. so will she be able to success kicking the boy down, or will he grab and keep her still until her fight instincts vanish, and she comes back to her senses? ]

TEST DRIVE MEME #11

JINX ( ARCANE ) / existing character

A. - Let me know if anything needs to be changed!

no subject