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

i. pumpkins

[Fauna's not dressing up- Why would she need to? People seem content to assume her fox ears are part of a costume, and leave her alone. So she's just investigating around... Spotting the pumpkin booth, it seems easy enough. So she picks one up, looks at the challenge... and slams it back down.]

Hell no.

ii. funhouse

[Fauna's mood only seems to be getting worse as the month goes on. She's already prickly at the best of times, but now she's even more irritable and snappish than ever. She needs a place to cool off, a place to be alone... so she tries the funhouse.

And there, her reflection shows too much. A boy with scruffy, black hair is found by a glowing goddess. The boy transforms- The fox-armored figure people have seen Fauna turn into. The figure hands out strange seeds, and people transform into monsters, and the armored figure soon fights those monsters. The boy then is consumed by fire, turning into Fauna.

"You still want to destroy it all." The voice haunts her. "You haven't changed. You're just so desperate that someone might love you that you're faking-"]

Shut up!

[... Fauna punches the glass, her fist transformed into gray armor. She turns to glare at anyone else around, to see if they saw.]

iii. witch hunt

[By the time of the witch hunt, the reason for Fauna's anger becomes apparent- She seems to just be radiating heat. The effects of her sentencing are burning her up. Even if it's cold out, she just gives off clouds of steam, and it does nothing to help her.

Someone tries to direct her to the witch hunt. She grabs a hat... and leaves a scorch mark on it from her hand.]

Tch...

[She's trying to leave, but it's crowded. She's going to just try to force her way through the crowd, but be careful- If she touches you, you might get burned.]

Well, that's one way to react to a pumpkin~.

[How curious and amusing. Whether she minds or not, he draws closer, intent on figuring out what the fuss is all about. Aren't these things supposed to be "fun", anyway? Even he's starting not to think TOO much about his costume.]

C'mon, was the challenge that bad?

[A fox mask? She's just sort of giving that mask the stinkeye. It can't be there to mock her, right?

But still, she glares.]

You're welcome to try to find it yourself, if you're so curious.

There something the mask did too~?

[He's teasing her, lopsided smile and all, but all the same he takes it off and holds it out in a way she can observe it at her leisure.]

Take it up with the costume tent, but I think it's harmless.

Anyway, I can sift through these damn things all day, but that still won't tell me which one was yours~.

[Her fox ears twitch, but she shoves the mask back away.

Her body is... a bit too hot. Chuuya may notice that it's a bit like she's burning.]

Sounds like a personal problem, then. Not my problem if you're too blind to keep track of one pumpkin.

[He notices the heat, an eyebrow lifting at its intensity as much as her reaction. Still, he doesn't seem too bothered. A calm before a storm.]

I was busy trying to figure you out. You obviously wanna play the game, dontcha? Otherwise, why'd ya pick one of these up?

[And, after he fits the mask back to his hat, he taps a pumpkin bobbing on by. Slowly, it floats up out of the water and hovers before them, defying gravity as she knows it.]

Well? Will this one do?

[He's polite enough to let her read it; it'll be her prize, after all.]

[Her eyes narrow. A show-off, huh...]

I don't want to play the game, I just want the prizes. Food's all I'm here for.

[She's ignoring the pumpkin, in favor of Chuuya.]

[What's with her now? Are all the people like this here? He doubts she wants him any closer, so he utilizes gravity to hand it over and she still..! He can really pick them, huh?]

Ok, Flares, have it your way, but something tells me that won't be easy unless you play.

[So he turns it. Exhales as the message makes him realize his crime all the more. Defining his humanity without even knowing something as basic as...]

You said you were here for the food, right?

"Flares"? My name is Fauna.

[Well, given that she's a Japanese girl, it's probably a fake name. But that's beside the point, right?]

Yeah, I am. So what?

Fauna, huh?

Well, Fauna aren't there food stalls down that way? [he jerks his thumb over his shoulder after he shifts that pumpkin under his arm.]

Since you're here for food, let's go check it out.

[A pause. Since she said her name...]

Oh, and my name's Chuuya, by the way.

... Do I seem like I have money?

[She's dressed like a punk, but... Still, no money.]

I was trying to get the prize tickets from this game.

Does it look like I'm tryin' to get ya to pay? 🎶

[He jerks his head towards the stands again.]

So, you coming or not? There might be more tickets in it if we go together. [It's the only hint he gives before he turns on his heel and starts towards those stalls at such a careful, casual pace. A hummed tune not far behind.]

... Fine.

[She doesn't trust this guy, but... Food. Food's important. And if he tries anything, she can just mug him for his money and leave.]

I'm looking for meat, for the record.

That's all? Huh. You really don't wanna see what all the fuss is about with these food stalls? They smell pretty good, you know.

[He keeps a few paces ahead. If only because he figures she has something going on with the heat he felt earlier when offering her his mask. It won't stop him from carrying on a conversation. After all, there's no reason not to. Even he wants to enjoy something he's never experienced before. Even if it's somewhere... like this.]

Edited 2024-10-26 00:24 (UTC)

Meat's great. It keeps you full longer than whatever these other guys are selling.

[It's an easy answer, from someone who seems used to not always getting food.]

[It's that statement that makes him wonder if she's ever gotten the chance to try any of these things, either. Does she even want to..?]

So, even after we find the best meat one of these stands has to offer, you still wouldn't wanna try another speciality they offer here?

[His head tilts with that. Geuine. Curious. Just what the hell is this place to make others struggle so much? It reminds him of his days in the slums and he doesn't like it.]

[She shrugs.]

I guess if I can? But that seems like asking for trouble, when I'm already full enough.

TEST DRIVE MEME #11

fauna | original character | current

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gag answer: chuuya's whimsy 🎶

powerful whimsy

it's gotten him so far. :>

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