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

oh riku...

[startraveler]

[Aether shakes his head.]

Don't worry. It's not a big deal.

[He's not going to reveal some grand secrets of the universe. He has an idea for his answer and it's a story he's told many times... except this time it would also contain his true feelings on top of it, feelings he doesn't even like thinking about.

But again, in the end it's not a big deal.

He tries to smile to the other.]

I'm Aether. And you are...?

its the sleeper agent activation word for being sappy

[spiritualize]

I'm Riku.

[ a handshake seems too weirdly formal for this, and their hands are full of pumpkin, so riku just inclines his head in acknowledgement. ]

I can go first, if you need a moment to prepare.

[startraveler]

It's fine, don't worry. I can go first.

[He appreciates the gesture, though.]

There is a bit of a story before I get to the point. [He pauses for a moment.] I travelled around with my sister for as long as I can remember, but one day an unknown god appeared in our way. We tried to escape from her, but we were overpowered.

[That's as much as he can go into detail. He sighs a little bit to himself.]

Watching my sister being taken away by that god while I couldn't do anything was the scariest thing. When I woke up I had no idea what happened to her afterwards, but now I know that she's fine.

[But they're still separated and there's so many questions he has to ask her.]

[spiritualize]

[ wow, people here really did have some wild lives back in their own worlds. a god, huh...

riku looks somber as he listens. the scariest thing being the person most important to you being taken away? well then. ]

... I'm glad you know she's okay. Did she come with you, here?

[startraveler]

[Maybe one day you'll know the whole story, Riku. Then you can say that's wild.

Aether smiles a little, before shaking his head.]

No. I arrived here alone.

[spiritualize]

[ maybe we can exchange wild stories once we friendship level up, aether.

riku nods, unfortunately expecting that answer. it doesn't feel like this world is quite that kind. ]

You trust that she's still safe, though. That's good.

[startraveler]

[A lot of leveling up will be needed, but eventually, yes.

Aether's smile looks far more confident now.]

I'm sure she's safe. She's a very strong person.

[spiritualize]

You'll see her again.

[ that had been a personal story to share, and riku's challenge to show off a talent seemed trivial in comparison, and difficult to really lead into. ]

I'm not sure what I'm expected to show off, now.

[startraveler]

[He nods. He doesn't doubt that. Even his sister said so herself. They will be reunited, but what will that bring... only time will tell.

But it's not something to worry about right now.]

Hmm... [Aether thinks about Riku's task.] What would you consider your talents?

[spiritualize]

[ the question, though simple, really trips him up. a few years ago, he'd have answered something boastful - swordfighting, probably, a very different definition to what he'd call that now.

after a while, he shrugs. ]

Magic? Barriers and fire in particular.

[startraveler]

[He nods.]

Magic... I see. In Teyvat we call that elemental energy. Magic is more like... stage tricks. I have a friend who is a famous magician, actually.

[But still, that doesn't really seem like a good example of a "secret" talent.]

What about your hobbies?

[spiritualize]

Hobbies, huh...

[ well. that gives him pause. the past couple of years hadn't given riku much time to really entertain the concept of a hobby, really. he liked reading, but there wasn't much of a way to show off with a book in hand.

a flash of memory hits him and he pulls out his gummiphone, ignoring the annoyance of it lacking a signal and opening the classic kingdom games. ]

My friend and I were comparing high scores on this.

[startraveler]

[Aether curious peers at the device.]

So it's some kind of game? Were you good at it?

[He grins a little. He wants to know more.]

[spiritualize]

It's a set of retro games that we collected. We were pretty close in score, but he beat me on the last one.

[ he opens up "fishin' frenzy", and idly starts playing. the game beeps cheerfully. ]

So I guess this is a hobby.

[startraveler]

[Aether watches as the other starts playing the game.]

I guess that also counts as a talent.

[After a moment of watching, he adds:]

...Can I give it a try, too?

[spiritualize]

It doesn't really feel like a talent. It's just for fun.

[ he hasn't played for a while, though.

with the slight hesitation of anyone handing someone else their phone, riku closes his current game and opens a fresh start for aether, handing it over. ]

Go for it.

[startraveler]

Even if it's just for fun, it still requires some skill. I enjoy cooking and playing instruments. Would those also not be considered a talent since I do them for fun?

[Facts and logic!

Aether carefully takes the device. Riku is lucky he has zero intentions to do anything else, but play the game. He tries the controls first, but quickly gets the hang of it. Playing so many minigames paid off.]

[spiritualize]

[ he can't argue with facts and logic.

in lieu of answering, riku watches aether quickly get the hang of the game, amused and impressed. ]

There's a few other games, if you'd like to try them.

[startraveler]

Oh? Sure!

[He laughs.]

I have to admit this is kind of addicting.

[spiritualize]

Right? I thought they were so dumb at first, but then I couldn't stop playing once we got competitive about it.

[ holds out hand. phone please, he will pick you another game. ]

[startraveler]

[Aether hands him the phone back.]

No other friend of yours got into it? Or was it only you two that were competitive about it?

[spiritualize]

[ after a moment of fiddling, he hands it back with the wayward canary loaded up. ]

A lot of us were playing during downtime, but only me and him got really into comparing scores.

[startraveler]

I see.

[He takes a game and gives it a try as well.]

You know, I've heard they have other games around here. I'm sure you can find more friends to compare scores with. I definitely would be up for it.

[He smiles gently.]

And then, when you meet your friend again, you can show off your scores.