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]

[Luckily for Vash, Kabane never second guesses his sincerity. It doesn't occur to him, even in this alien situation, that someone might have an ulterior motive for complimenting him. Clearly this guy is just a fan of detectives. Who can blame him? Kabane is a fan of Detective Inugami.]

I think I can be strong. [He concedes after trying to consider his achievements objectively.] But I'm strongest when I'm with my friends. Shiki is smart, and Akira is surprising in a pinch. With them, I don't have to worry about anything and can focus on my job.

[Speaking of focus though... He stops now that he's close enough to read what each booth is selling, scans the options and takes in the smells. It all sounds good, honestly.

The only problem is...]

Oh. [He frowns, looks up sheepishly to Vash and admits:] I don't have any money.

[skelters]

Sounds like you care about them a lot.

[ oh, it would make him (not to mention his temporary babysittee) very upset if it turns out that none of kabane's friends have made their way here alongside ... of course, it's definitely something that has happened before (after all, he was somewhat in a similar boat), but it's not something that vash would want anyone else to have to get used to. ] Do they have anything distinctive about them that I could look out for? It can be anything - like what kind of clothes they like to wear, or something! Like my coat for example!

[ there's quite a bit of crowd happening, especially as it approaches mealtime and the delicious smell of food cooking draws people into the area; at least vash being a little bit (okay, a lot) taller than the other, he can help look for his friends while kabane gets some well-deserved food in his stomach??

he returns the other's sheepish glance with a reassuringly bright smile of his own, giving a little shake of his coat pocket - a jingle of coins will be enough of an indication, right? ]

That's alright! It's my treat - call it a welcome gift, if you'd like!

[dorotabeau]

[Kabane nods. Vigorously. He cares about them a whole lot.]

The clothes they like to wear... [He trails off, thinking about his friends' distinct looks. None of them wear anything so eye-catching as Vash's coat, but...] The last time I saw them, everyone was wearing uniforms for school. We were, um-

[On an undercover mission. He can't say that though! It's a secret undercover mission. Nevermind that he's already told Vash that he works for a detective agency. It's still very secret.

The edge of Kabane's lips twitches upward into an unnatural smile.]

We were on a field trip.

[skelters]

Uniforms? For school?

[ that doesn't seem ... very distinctive at all. but then again, he does have a good eye for odd outfits like that - even if his knowledge starts with the various militia and town sheriffs and ends with the bandit gangs.

oh well, it's close enough!

some things don't really add up, though - kabane is young, sure, but didn't he just say that they were colleagues? were they all young?

but vash isn't the sort of person to question it; if you have secrets, you start learning to preserve other's own too. ]

So, you were on this 'field trip' too?

[dorotabeau]

[A quick but certain nod, and Kabane's strange smile vanishes as abruptly as it had arrived. Akira had been so excited about the high school uniforms. Apparently they were very stylish. Kabane preferred his hoodie and gloves though.]

Yeah. We all went together. We were trying to meet someone because we need to ask them important questions.

[Nobody has ever gone on a school field trip in order to interrogate someone. Don't tell Kabane that. He's trying so hard to keep all the important secrets; he's just not very good at it.]

Um. Shiki has gray spiky hair, and Akira is always on his phone. Kon's jacket hood pokes out like animal ears. Does that help?

[skelters]

Gray spiky hair, phone, ears ... [ vash ticks them off on his fingers, before grinning brightly down at the other again as though he's got it; reassuring, hopefully! ]

Alright, why don't I keep a lookout, and you pick out what you'd like to eat? Anything takes your fancy - in fact, I'm pretty hungry too, so we can share!!!

[ that's just his way of trying to distract the other from all the sudden changes, really - not to mention the possibility of them never finding his friends. ]

[dorotabeau]

[Kabane is not a picky eater. He'd happily consume just about anything from any of the carnival vendors present. But given the responsibility of choosing something not only for himself but to share... Kabane is effectively distracted. He nods, glad that Vash is willing to use his height to Kabane's advantage, and runs off determined to pick something both of them can enjoy in exchange.

He returns shortly with a fried ice cream cheeseburger.]

[skelters]

[ distraction from the goings-on at hand is exactly what vash is aiming for by giving the other the monumental task of choosing what food to share ... so that should take his mind off at least for the moment, right?

by the time kabane comes back, vash seems to have wandered away from where he'd left him - but with his height and the bright red coat, he shouldn't be too hard to find. as he approaches, vash will turn his head with a bright, wide smile, revealing that he too actually found something. ]

Welcome back!

I saw they were selling some spiced apple juice, so I bought some - oh!! [ his face brightens at the sight of the ... horrendous cheeseburger in the other's hand. ] That looks delicious!!

[dorotabeau]

[Kabane's eyes sparkle up at Vash when he so brightly approves of his choice.

He knew he'd picked the right dish! That bizarre sweet and savory combination squished together despite such dissonant textures... How could anyone pass it by? The vendor had even been kind enough to cut the burger in half to facilitate the perfect sharing experience. It may have leaked a bit after that, but still!

Kabane lifts the plate as high as he can, so that Vash can take his share.]

I wanted to try it, and the line wasn't long. [For some unfathomable reason.] It's supposed to be like eating a cheeseburger and drinking a milkshake at the same time.

[skelters]

[ if kabane knew just what kind of slop he is used to eating (or not eating, really) before he arrived in this world, he wouldn't look so pleased and sparkling about vash's approval ...

he laughs and waves the other's arms back down to a less aching height, choosing instead to stoop down and carefully pluck a half of the burger from the container. the icecream immediately starts dripping, typically enough - but at least vash doesn't seem to mind it making a mess of it. ]

Haha, that's a good choice, because those are two of my favourites!!

[ it's hard enough trying to balance two cups of hot apple juice in one arm and a dripping ice cream burger in the other, but he somehow manages - at least until kabane can get himself situated enough to take one of the cups. ]

[dorotabeau]

[Ignorance is bliss, and Kabane is certainly blissful tonight. It's rare for anyone to praise his food picks, but that doesn't leave him suspicious. Clearly, he just needed to travel to a different world in order to find a matching set of taste buds.

And now he has.

After Vash accepts his half of the burger, Kabane quickly relieves him of one of his juices. Can't have the giant bean pole tipping over just to avoid a spill. But in his rush to save Vash, he manages to position himself perfectly to catch some fried ice cream drips in his glass.

Not that that stops him from taking a huge gulp.

He looks up to Vash, licking his lips to express his satisfaction. The drinks and the burger combined will be more than enough to recharge them for their search.

He'll have to thank the man for this somehow, whether they find his friends or not.]