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]

< I don't think it can do that. >

[The ticking comes quiet, and yet somehow it echoes off the mirrors in the funhouse.

"Funhouse." It's a cruel joke to call it that, given what's being shown for anyone to see.]

< ...It's different, seeing it from a distance like this. Seeing how I look when I turn the clock. Seeing how far away I am while they do the fighting. >

[starringsecond]

[He can wager his guesses, just from how himself would feel.]

You wish you could join them, but couldn't for some reason, yeah?

[Yuri himself is a man of impatience and action. He wouldn't be able to take something like this, having to watch being able not to do anything.]

From what I could see though, you've been sharing part of the burden yourself. That just means they can do something you can't, and you can do something they can't.

[followyourstar]

< Still... I can't help but feel as if I should be doing something more. >

[They rely on the Sinners so, so much. What if the day comes that they're the one that needs to be relied upon? What if the day comes that no one knows what to do? What if--

The image shifts. To a tattoed man in a garish, leopard-print cape, golden chains wrapped around him. To Dante's twelve companions dead or dying, and Dante themselves fallen, back pressed against a shipping container covered in a pale, membrane-like substance. Alone. Facing death.]

< ...... >

[They look away from the mirror and back towards Yuri, blocking out their vision. No eyes to close, no one to see that they're not looking.]

< I can't do that trick for you guys, just so you know. If you die, you're dead. >

1/2

[starringsecond]

Someone has to make sure to be around to take them home.

[Yuri's own party has everyone fighting in the forefront. Him, Flynn and Karol charging ahead. Judith taking them down from the skies. Raven and Rita providing attacks from the rear. Estelle and Repede dealing damage and healing both. And then there's Patty, who pretty much just does what she wants. They don't really have someone like Dante, who has to stay out of battle no matter the circumstances.

He may not be unfamiliar with death, but the visions reflected from Dante are very hard to watch. He's familiar with getting stabbed or falling from a cliff, or drowning in quicksand, but all of that feels like a blessing compared to the consistent monstrosities in Dante's past.

Yuri doesn't push for the details. He figures they would be as grim as he can imagine.]

And don't worry about me. [He responds by tapping his sword's sheath over his shoulder.] I don't try to make a habit of dying.

2/2

[starringsecond]

...Which does remind him of something he'd rather not admit, and Yuri makes a face that's half embarrassed and half annoyed.

Besides, you actually do come back to life on your own in here. I might have, uh, died once already.

[followyourstar]

[Tick.]

< What. >

[starringsecond]

[Oh god he hates recalling this but now that the cat's out of the bag...]

Yeah, I got stabbed a few months back. There was this virus that drove some people crazy and caused them to kill indiscrimminately.

[Yuri leaves out the detail that the person who stabbed him also kissed him because they don't need to know that!!]

I was there bleeding out on the floor, but next thing I knew I was on a hospital bed, good as new.

[followyourstar]

[Dante should probably be more sympathetic. Unfortunately, as Yuri has seen, death and its undoing has become too common a sight for them for that.]

< Huh. That's... I don't know if that's good or bad, actually. >

[They're not about to take any unnecessary risks with this knowledge in hand, but knowing there's a backup just in case...

Is this the kind of relief the Sinners felt when they went into battle?]

< There's got to be a catch. > [Even their own power relied on them feeling the exact same pain the Sinners felt when they died in order to revive them] < Was anything different when you woke up? Anyone acting strange? Strange beyond that virus, I mean. >

[starringsecond]

Not that I know of. It didn't even hurt, unlike how you seem to suffer everytime you rewind that clock.

[Trust him, that's one of the first things he checked - made sure his memories were intact, did a couple of Artes while sparring, tried his other motor skills - but as far as he knows, he came out of it just fine.]

But knowing this place? I'm sure there's consequences eventually.

[That being said, he does try to judge Dante's reaction to all of that. Sure, the lack of a face makes it hard to see what they feel, but there's other places to look out for: body language and the like.]

That doesn't mean there's nothing you could actually do here, boss. So don't get yourself so down on that too, alright?

[followyourstar]

[No consequences at first, but with the possibility of consequences in the future. They still don't know how to feel. They can't turn the clock for the others, but it might not be necessary. They're still just left with whatever skills they have as Manager, but that's all they had to begin with, right?]

< It's kind of a relief, actually. Not that I plan to test how that works anytime soon. >

[And they know it's selfish of them to think this way, but the fact that they wouldn't have to go through all that pain even if something did happen...]

< But now I know that if I screw up, I won't be taking you guys down with me. I just... gotta make sure not to do it again if it happens. And make sure nothing happened to you guys as a result. And... Uh... >

[Okay, so there's still a significant amount of pressure there.]

[starringsecond]

Yeah, I don't recommend it. It's not instantaneous either - apparently I was dead for a few days.

[Yuri shrugs - honestly? It felt like he got it off easy this time. He's so used to his terrible luck that he was expecting something like a lost limb after it.]

C'mon Boss, you gotta hype yourself up better than that. [Maybe a playful nudge against their waist would lift their spirits up?] I hate paperwork, for one. Can't have you dying on me if nobody else is there to do it.

[followyourstar]

[That's definitely a no-go then. Even if they did have any plans to end up dead (which they don't), leaving a corpse is a very, very bad idea.

The last thing anyone needs is for someone to get their hands on their head.

They let out a couple ticks in approximation of an "oof" when nudged and rub the back of their neck.]

< R-Right. That's definitely going to be a pain if it piles up. > [They're only mostly kidding.] < So I'll try and stay out of you guys's way when things get dangerous. >

< Oh, and... Could you maybe not tell anyone else what you saw? I just don't want anyone to get the wrong idea. You know, thinking that I can do that for anyone. >

[starringsecond]

[Yuri nods, satisfied.]

No worries, I don't think this is something I can just tell anybody, anyway. Bloody deaths aside, this looks...personal.

[There's also the growing concern that, well, at this rate his own demons would start haunting him in these mirrors.]

Besides, I might ask you for the same favor if we don't get out of this hellhole in time.

[followyourstar]

< Right... If it's doing it for me it's probably doing it for everyone else too, isn't it? >

[Or so they assume. And anyway, they were meant to be navigating some sort of maze to get through here, right?]

< You wouldn't happen to know where the exit is...? >

[starringsecond]

I've got absolutely no idea. So clearly, we're boned!

[Don't say that like you're so proud of it, Yuri.]

That being said, it's supposed to be a maze. I'm sure we'd find the exit eventually as long as we keep walking.

[And they better. There's a voice nearby that sounds suspiciously like him and he'd rather not have Dante see him at his worst moments.]