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

[dorotabeau]

[Kabane observes Scott's approach a little too calmly. The only indicator that he may be more nervous than he's letting on is when his gloved grip tightens around the metal of his cage.]

I want to leave. [He affirms in a soft-spoken monotone.] But I don't know where I am or why I'm here. There might be a reason why I was locked up.

[laserguy]

[He's almost impressed by how calm he is, but then he starts opening his mouth and wow, this kid. Scott can almost picture him standing and waiting hours at a schoolyard because someone told him that it was important. Maybe he's jumped to the wrong conclusion, but that's his current impression.

He stops himself from rolling his eyes behind his shades. Well, definitely good that he popped around, right?]

You can leave because I said so. [Scott states, almost blandly.] You completed your purpose.

[dorotabeau]

[It is an entirely accurate impression. Kabane has gotten better about it over time, but. As witnessed, he falls back on bad habits when confused. Autonomy is nice, but it's also difficult.

Scott's answer gives him pause, and a little frown.]

Um. Are you in charge here then? Is this where the Kyoto kitsune live?

[laserguy]

Yeah, that's me. I'm in charge. Why would you think otherwise?

[He's definitely selling it now, although he's really not trying that hard about it. Instead, he offers a hand to Kabane, figuring that maybe the teen just needs an extra boost.

He also has no idea what the Kyoto kitsune is, so he's just not gonna address that. At least not if he has to.] If you leave, I'll give you some answers.

[dorotabeau]

[Huh. That's a good point. He has no reason to think otherwise. If this person says he's in charge, then he must be.]

Okay. [He nods. Doubts assuaged with flawless logic, Kabane takes Scott's hand and finally hops down from his cage.] If I can choose what answers I get, then I'd like to know where my friends are first.

[laserguy]

[Success. Good job Summers, you really are a genius.

Once Kabane gets down, he nods and releases his hand. Should he continue to try and act like the 'person in charge?' It might be kind of fun, honestly, and Scott could use some fun in his life once more. He totally deserves it. Look, he's not going to make the kid do insane shit-- and he'll actually try and answer his questions.]

Probably back home. [That's the likely scenario, unless...] Who are you friends? Maybe they got snagged along.

[dorotabeau]

["Back home"? Do the Kyoto kitsune have the power to send people back to Tokyo? That could be a problem. Kabane frowns down at his sneakers.]

We're from the Inugami Detective office and... uh- [Is it okay if he mentions Genji? They're human, after all, and Kabane hasn't figured out whether the person he's talking to is human or kemono yet. He probably shouldn't mention their names at least.] the Kyoto police. We had a dog with us too. Mr. Inugami and Mr. Mihai weren't with us, but... I'm sure they were watching.

[laserguy]

[The office is definitely unfamiliar to him, although... he feels like he's heard of 'Mihai' before?? Scott can almost picture someone with that name, but eh, whatever. Probably nothing important or some annoying asshole that he wanted to forget.]

Haven't heard of anyone from that office before. [He doesn't know everyone in Aldrip of course, but it's likely that the kid is on his own. Which, sucks, even if he's being pretty calm about it. It tones down some of Scott's attitude at any rate.] But you can double check later. Maybe they just didn't announce that before.

[He says while trying to be casual, despite everything.] I'm sure you have more questions. I'm still feeling generous.

[dorotabeau]

[Oh, someone has definitely met Mihai.]

Then I do have more questions. [Very important ones! Now that he's not worried about saying the wrong name and sparking a fight, Kabane's undivided attention jumps to Scott's face. His stare radiates pressure. If this guy is willing to answer his questions, then he's going to ask as many as he can until he's satisfied.] Why am I here even though my friends aren't? Are they safe? How can I find them again?

[laserguy]

[He has a pretty intense stare, especially for someone his age, but Scott doesn't flinch or look away. Maybe it's sort of cheating on his end anyway, since his own eyes can't be seen through the ruby quartz of his sunglasses. There's always that 'advantage' of seeing everyone else's eyes but not vice versa.

Scott's still okay to answer these questions, although, he doesn't want to stand around for too long. He wants to at least grab a sandwich or something-- maybe he'll bring the kid along with him. He has to be hungry, right?]

Bad luck. [For why he's here and honestly, that seems like the most plausible answer.] They're probably safe-- like I mentioned, they're most likely back home.

[dorotabeau]

[Bad luck.

That's not something Kabane can fight, let alone win against. His thin lips tighten with a defeated scowl.]

Then... what can I do?

[laserguy]

For now? Try to adapt to this place, find somewhere to live. The inn's a decent place to start. Also? Free tip, make friends. It'll make it easier, believe me.

[Because somehow, he's become the friendship guy. But really, he didn't think he would be so okay right now if it wasn't for all the friends he made. People that supported him, despite how angry he initially was.]

Anyway, I'm hungry and you're probably too. So, we're grabbing something.

[dorotabeau]

Make friends...

[He trails off, losing focus as he stares into the distance. He has plenty of friends, more than he ever thought he would, but he's never really had to make them. They've always just sort of fallen into his lap.

How does one go about making friends?

Eventually, he breathes a soft sigh and nods.]

I understand. I'll do my best.

[Even while following Scott to a food stall, he'll do his best! He's not picky; he can eat just about anything.]

[laserguy]

[That's... not quite the reaction he expected from him. He talked about his friends a lot just now, so Scott figured that mentioning friendship stuff wouldn't be much of a hardship. His reaction says otherwise and the mutant barely holds back his sigh. Well, maybe he's just shy or tired or not enthusiastic about the idea about making a bunch of new friends.

He gets that. He was pretty angry himself when he arrived here without Kurt, Jean, or Jubliee. So, Scott figures that he doesn't need to explain how to make friends. He probably has it handled.]

Great. Glad we're on the same page.

[Scott's so supportive--

He'll grab a couple of hot dogs for them in the mean time and once he pays the stall owner, he holds one out to Kabane.] Scott Summers, by the way.

[dorotabeau]

[Assuming Kabane has anything handled is a mistake, but he's always ready to make an attempt. He'll just have to study up first, stare unblinkingly at some conversing strangers until they get uncomfortable, that sort of thing.

He accepts the offered hot dog and takes one big bite. At least he chews and swallows before he looks up and starts talking again.]

I'm Kabane. Thank you for the food and for answering my questions, Mr. Summers. The people here look like they're having fun, so you must be a good leader.