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

mitsuru kirijo ❄️ persona 3 | current [open prompts]

[icequeenly]

1. FALL CARNIVAL

a. Costumes

[ Not wanting to be the only person not getting into the spirit of things and be without a costume, Mitsuru had eventually put one on. Apparently she's some kind of... swashbucklin' fantasy pirate?

Anyway, she steps out of her changing room, perhaps looking for a mirror to check how she looks in this get-up and apparently not being able to locate one. Best check with some random who also just changed into their costume - or hey, perhaps you're a friend/acquaintance and she actually trusts your opinion. Either way, ]

Does this seem an acceptable costume to you? That gentleman who works here seemed rather set on me wearing the banana one... [ And she has more than a few misgivings about that. ]

b. Pumpkin Pick-up

[ Mitsuru is no coward and she's stubborn enough to not want to back out of a dare, however this particular task the pumpkin has dictated to her seems particularly humiliating. She's not even sure if she actually has to go through with what she's having to ask a complete stranger right now, but here goes.

She strides straight up to the closest person and, ]

Hello. Would you be so kind as to accompany me on a date?

[ Her expression suggests this is an entirely spontaneous romantic gesture and nothing whatsoever to do with being told what to do by a note on a pumpkin from that game over there. ]

2. WITCH HUNT

CW: for the usual Persona 3 gun-to-head imagery.

[ So, ordinarily she wouldn't be bothered about this kind of game but Mitsuru does have a few things she would like from home. Plus times haven't exactly been easy lately, not exactly helped by both of her fellow original SEES members and oldest friends seemingly having left this place... Having a little fun didn't seem like such a bad idea.

Apparently she's willing to be a little creative to get hold of a witch hat too. At the sight of a fleeing Chosen, she doesn't hesitate to point what looks like a gun to her head and summon Artemisia to perform an ice spell.

Don't worry, she's not going to execute them. Just aim to freeze her quarry's feet to the ground so she can easily stroll up and tag them, claiming that hat with a smile. ]

My apologies - but thank you for this.

WILDCARD

[ Want to thread something else? Feel free! Just send me a PM if you want to talk it over first. Happy to add closed prompts for existing CR for some of the darker options eg the funhouse. ]

b

[cupidsammo]

[ —Well.

'Getting asked out' wasn't a bingo square Koharu wasn't expecting to cross off today, though she supposes there were many things about lately this thought could apply to. Either way, she goes stiff for a moment, the wings on her back puffing up. ]

Like... platonically?

[icequeenly]

[ She would have been extremely quick to shoot down anyone who thought she was asking them on a non-platonic date. As such she looks more than a little relieved that the stranger she's targeted for this made a point of saying it before she had to lay down any ground rules. ]

...That would be preferable, yes.

[ Those wings are a surprise and her eyes do widen briefly as she takes them in, even with all the different beings brought to this place those are definitely a new one to her. ]

The duration does not have to be long either.

[cupidsammo]

—Oh!

[ Her demeanor immediately relaxes, putting on a much more amicable air; Koharu isn't oblivious to the way she's being stared at, but maybe if she just acts normal about it... ]

In that case... we could take as long as you'd like! You just took me by surprise, that's all.

[icequeenly]

[ Fortunately the staring doesn't happen for long, Mitsuru is much too polite to let it go any further beyond a very brief reaction. She's quick to look apologetic too- ]

My apologies. It was rather abrupt of me I know.

I take it you've not yet partaken in the grab-a-pumpkin game? I took it upon myself to participate and well... this was the task I was given to complete. I hope I haven't caused any offense.

[cupidsammo]

[ It would be ironic, Koharu thinks, if she took any real offense to anything regarding dates, so with that she shakes her head. ]

Not at all. I did try it earlier, but mine were a little bit sillier...

[ She trails off with a sheepish chuckle. ]

So, I could help you out!

[ And, admittedly, it would be nice not to wander somewhere unfamiliar on her lonesome. ]

2

[nightwild]

[Fauna isn't really participating in the hunt- She feels like she's burning, the effects of her sentencing making it hard for her to focus or participate in these things. But she doesn't have to be participating to see Mitsuru, Evoker to her head.

She doesn't have time to think or hesitate. Maybe it's just part of the costume, someone trying to be scary. Or maybe it's part of Aldrip, messing with people's heads again. She doesn't know- She sees it, and her body is already in motion.

Before Mitsuru can pull the trigger, Fauna is diving at Mitsuru, tackling her as hard as she can manage to try to pull the gun away from her head.]

What the hell are you doing?!

[icequeenly]

[ One of the last things Mitsuru Kirijo ever expects is to be randomly tackled to the ground, perhaps that's precisely why her reactions fail her on this occasion and she finds herself divebombed into a pile of autumn leaves with a uncharacteristically undignified sounding shriek.

She's quick to right herself, sitting up and immediately about to counter with the very same question directed at Fauna but then she is someone who actually thinks. She hadn't meant for anyone to see the actual summon process because she fully realises how it looks. As far as she had been aware the only person who'd been around was her target running ahead with their back to her.

She sighs. ]

I realise how that looked, however your action was entirely unnecessary. I assure you I had no zero intention of harming myself.

[nightwild]

Zero intent- You had a gun to your head!

[Fauna's not backing off yet. She doesn't understand- And with how Aldrip gets, she's not entirely convinced this isn't some sort of weird brainwashy attempt to make someone off themselves.

With the sentencing effect- Fauna's body is extremely hot, like she's burning. Probably enough for Mitsuru to be uncomfortable, even. But it makes it a bit harder for her to think- She just has to act on what she can see.]

[icequeenly]

[ It's difficult to remain calm and rational while being contained by someone who feels like they're burning up, although somehow Mitsuru manages it. ]

Release me at once.

I understand your reaction, however your assumption was incorrect.

It's not actually a gun- here. [ And because she gets the impression that Fauna is much more of a literal person than someone who will get the point with just being rational and talking, she holds out her evoker for examination. ]

It's called an evoker. You'll see it contains no form of bullets whatsoever.

[nightwild]

[Fauna does indeed release Mitsuru, to snatch the Evoker. She stares at it for a minute, then realizes the big problem with her plan.

She doesn't know a damn thing about guns.

How's she supposed to figure it out? She points it at the ground and pulls the trigger awkwardly a few times- click, click, click- but... There's supposed to be some kind of safety, right? And she's fought enemies that just sort of shoot energy bullets from their guns. Is 'no bullets' really enough to prove it's safe?]

If it's not a gun, why did you make it look like one? And why point it at your own head?

b I HAD TO IM SORRYYYYYYY

[garbagecanned]

[... there's a moment where Yosuke freezes. he freezes, and then he turns around slow...ly... to Mitsuru.

as usual, she's both beautiful and terrifying, and he grins.]

Oh hell yeah!! Let's go on a date!!

[................. please, Yosuke.]

oh my god ytfytghj

[icequeenly]

[ Oh dear lord, this is...

Does she really have to actually go through with this? The pumpkin just said she had to ask someone, right? It doesn't technically stipulate that she has to go all the way with this... But then the vendor does seem to be being very particular about these requests and- ]

The duration of our date will be precisely one hour only.

[ ...Well. He was nice to her that time. ]

But I will hold your hand.

LMAO surprise....... it's Him

[garbagecanned]

[he grins a bit and pumps the air with his fist.]

Hell yeah! I scored a date with a hottie tonight!!

[he holds out his hand to her, his smile turning a bit softer now.]

Where first, my lady?

dead

[icequeenly]

[ What an... emotive reaction. She looks at him curiously. ]

"Scored"...? Are you playing some type of game?

[ And as for "hottie"... well, she's choosing not to comment on that part as she takes his hand. My lady. Wow.

Okay, date. Right. What is it that people normally do that would qualify this as such and all within an hour's timeframe? ]

Do you wish to get something to eat? ...Or perhaps we should go on one of the rides first?

[ She might be being judgmental here but he sort of reminds her of someone and they are definitely the type to hurl up their food after a fairground ride. ]

[garbagecanned]

[of course she wouldn't know what that means fgkhd. he... maybe doesn't want to elaborate. she is the one that threatened to ice his balls off once, after all.]

Don't worry about it, forget I said anything.

[he might. sound a little nervous about that!!

he considers the options she poses to him for a moment, humming for a minute.]

What about the rides? Ferris wheels are always romantic!

[oh my God he's so fucking stupid.]

1a

[luneminary]

You look as stunning as ever, Kirijo-san!

[He's trying his best not to get executed himself, but he has to honest! What would you call a beautiful woman other than beautiful?

Ryoji himself is wearing a vampiric ensemble, even though his cute nature does not match with the aesthetic. Still, he seems to pull off the mystery and allure of it all.]

The choice to show off your shoulders is quite divine, I might say it so myself. It gives you a sense of charisma that is unlike your usual look, yet a showstopper regardless. Perhaps you could complete with a look with a change of hairstyle?

[icequeenly]

[ To say that seeing Ryoji Mochizuki again after being home for a time and coming to know his true nature was a shock... Well, that would be a huge understatement. Although, Mitsuru being Mitsuru, she manages to keep a tightly placed lid on any strong emotional react for now. The only giveaway a temporary widening of her eyes. It's strange... to see him again.

But it might actually be stranger that she doesn't seem to feel any ill will towards him. Not after everything. After all, perhaps he too, regardless of what he is, is trying to carve out a different kind of existence here now that he has a second chance, just like Shinjiro seems to be. ]

You seem to know rather a lot about this sort of thing Mochizuki.

[ Her voice contains no hint of anger or malice - if anything it's curiosity. ]

Is that so? ...Then, what kind of hair style would you suggest?

[ Because she really has no clue. ]

[luneminary]

[A lot has happened since their last conversation, and now even Ryoji himself is aware of what he is. Not from memories, no, but from what Kotone has told him, and it has been a bitter pill to swallow. The less Ryoji thinks about it, the better.

Which is why he silently appreciates Mitsuru's decision to keep things the same between the two of them. He doesn't want to be seen as a monster, especially from his friends.]

Just some experience that comes from talking to all sorts of girls! They talk a lot about make up and fashion, you tend to pick up one tip or two.

[For now, he looks up and down with a discerning eye, trying to pull from his own memories.]

I think you would look amazing with your hair tied up. It would make you even more daring with your costume!

[icequeenly]

[ Oh. Well then, that explains it. She had noticed that girls tended to giggle around him, flock to him and generally just act rather immature around him in Mitsuru's opinion, when they had all been back at Gekkoukan that is. She has no idea if he's been getting the same kind of treatment here or not. ]

...How many women would you say that you've spent time with exactly?

[ You know, just curious and all that. She won't judge... Perhaps she's about to regret asking.

While she speaks, Mitsuru begins to do as he suggested, sweeping her red hair up into the ponytail she usually has when "cooking" or doing fencing. ]

Like this?

[luneminary]

[Uh. How does he tell her that he knows pretty much the entire student body back at their school?]

...Enough women to know what I'm talking about! Don't worry about it!

[Real smooth, Ryoji. Best to focus at what's at hand here!]

Just as I thought, you look stunning! Here, let me show you -

[Ryoji may not have a mirror, but what he does have is a device with a camera! And it's very easy to show Mitsuru what she looks like with the tablet screen.]

2

[spiritualize]

[ given the range of abilities riku had already spotted amongst the participants, finding his feet locked in place by ice magic shouldn't have surprised him. and yet, he almost tips over dangerously as his movement is halted, righting himself just in time to feel the hat being liberated from his head. ]

--hey, hold on!

[ instinctively but uselessly, he reaches after mitsuru before catching himself embarrassingly mid-motion. he then sighs, trying in vain to yank a foot from the ice. ]

That was a neat trick, I have to admit.

[icequeenly]

Thank you.

[ She was honestly expecting more of an annoyed reaction than a compliment, but hey, she'll take it graciously. She's not taking any of this too seriously, despite her carefully concealed competitive streak. It just felt like the done thing to join in.

She places the stolen hat upon her head, carefully keeping herself out of grabbing range as she does so. ]

It will melt eventually. I'd say an hour or so.

[spiritualize]

Yeah, I'm not planning on waiting that long.

[ in a flash, he summons his keyblade, fire spell already charged to cast through the tip of it as it meets the chunk of ice. it melts quickly, magic and heated metal working in tandem to chew through it.

yet it's not instantaneous, so he's still trapped there awkwardly for a moment. ]

...this was quicker in my head.

[icequeenly]

[ Ah. Well then. That was unexpected - not that people having magic here is unusual but the specifics of what he does is. The object that he's wielding looks like a giant key? She's not seen anything like that before.

The fact that he's using it to cast fire magic gets her back up a little bit. Predictably, with her ice abilities, fire magic is her nemesis. So she'll maintain her distance, even if her lip curls slightly in amusement when he's still entirely free. ]

I suppose it was rather optimistic of me to think I might have trapped someone with no magic abilities in this place.

Can that key object summon anything else?