TEST DRIVE MEME #14

[expiationmods]

Test Drive Meme #14

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 the Courthouse (formerly City Hall) and told to perform a task related to their assigned crime. Their only contact at the Courthouse 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 September 2024, that AI needed to be reset as a consequence of some catastrophic systems failures. So far, there has been no downside to this reset–but the AI has also been strangely absent since then.

-In November 2024, a strange event overtook Aldrip and turned it into a week-long eternal night where technology ceased to work. During this time, the simulation that generates Expiation seemed to malfunction, causing a strange crack to appear in the surroundings. Through this crack, characters were able to see some sort of metal enclosure. They could reach a hand in, but little more than that. This crack has disappeared, for now, but what it means for Aldrip's future remains to be seen.

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. Current players may use TDM threads as part of their AC proofs. Applications are open to all this cycle!

You can view our CALENDAR to keep important dates in mind. RESERVES open on April 20th and APPLICATIONS will open on April 23rd. After this, applications will next open in June.

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A TRANQUIL BEACH VACATION... ?

Hmmm… the sun is shining, there’s the sound of waves–

Wait, the sound of waves?

This new batch of Chosen find themselves waking up in what looks like a fishing village. Some of them wake up outside, some of them wake up with their faces in the sand. Others wake up in what seems like an inn? They might not be the only ones in the bed with them, though. There’s not that many spaces! They may find themselves waking up next to another Chosen – or one of the locals, the Naga. They seem like there’s nothing wrong with this though, and even welcome them into their home. Do they want anything to eat? Drink? They can leave the bed even, if they’d like to continue to rest. Whatever the Chosen ask, they’ll give it to them without hesitation. See? Isn’t it so great here? You don’t even want to go to Aldrip right now! Those guys are awful. See what they did to those poor little welcome bots? Some of those Chosen had tried to dismantle or beat them! They’d run to Rumpitur and the Naga – who aren’t amazing with technology, but had been able to patch them up. But they’re very much still just second-rate patched. They can still see where they’ve been taken apart, and some wheels might even be lopsided as they roll around and give out the parchments and tablets.

Those poor, poor, bots.

But! Spring means rebirth, and that means that the Naga are celebrating. They've even been inviting Chosen from Aldrip to come visit! Those merchants they sent over there were inviting them while trying to sell their wares. Watch out though - they may get dragged into helping set up for the party, or help cook and run errands for the festivities to come.

XOXO GOSSIP GIRL

While the appearance of the Chosen in Rumpitur was not expected, the locals seem to take it in stride - and welcome the new arrivals warmly. The small town may not have much to spare, but they will happily share what they have: a bed at the inn, a meal at the restaurant, a couple of fish from the recent haul. The snake people are more than willing to engage in conversation, too, though don't count on them to answer all your questions - they can't tell you what they don't know, after all. Instead, they're likely to steer the conversation in the direction of the other Chosen. They shudder as they speak of them, sighing dramatically as they recount all the reasons why they're not so keen on the newcomers' Aldrip counterparts.

"Have you heard? They've blown up their own city hall three times! How barbaric!"

"I don't understand how the people there put up with them… they have no respect for anything! They even erected statues of themselves without asking for permission!"

"Now I'm not saying they're all like this, but when my neighbor's friend went over to visit, she swore up and down they were sleeping in coffins!"

"I know this might sound crazy, but my mother has seen them wear socks with sandals!"

"Apparently some of them go missing on a regular basis. I'm not saying they're responsible, but one has to wonder what happens to them…"

… And so on and so forth. The Rumpitur residents are eager to share all the gossip, no matter how ridiculous or improbable, and will continue to do so even after the aforementioned Chosen from Aldrip arrive at their town. They advise the newcomers should stay on guard around them, and don't believe what they say easily. The question is, do you believe them?

Oh, and there is one more topic that seems prevalent among the rumors - the villagers whisper about the visitors from faraway lands finally deciding to end their isolation and reestablish friendly relations with the mainland. What could that be about…?



OOC:
Is there any specific gossip you'd like the people of Rumpitur to spread, real or fake? Feel free to comment here, so the players can use it in their threads if they want! If you'd like to submit a gossip about another character, please make sure the player is okay with it first!

AREN'T YOU EGG-STATIC?

It’s Spring time! It’s time to celebrate the new budding leaves in the trees, many with their blossoms on full display. There are birds singing in the trees, an energy in the little animals that inhabited around and in this fair city.

The merchants of Rumpitur are also here to not only sell their resources for a steep price, but as a show of good faith and to attempt to build bonds, they have offered to celebrate the annual tradition of egg hunting within and around the village! There are eggs that are very particular with chromic shells scattered around town, and they are meant to start off the Spring hope of a good year for commerce, friendship, and prosperity.

Never mind that pesky stereotype that snakes eat eggs. These are traditional and celebratory events only!

Everyone is encouraged to celebrate this fun and light-hearted tradition of find and seek! When the event kicks off, the Rumpitur merchants explain that the eggs are meant to be cracked open to reveal a prize inside! Their chromic shells can be cracked and then peeled or they can be smashed (you heathens) to reveal their contents. The chromic egg shell colours do not correspond to a particular prize either, so it’s all fun and games until someone turns into a snake. What? No, nevermind.

Run free and have fun, Chosen! Share your eggs or horde them for yourself!

Edible Effects:(click to expand!)

Milk Chocolate Egg - Nothing! It’s just delicious! Or is it…?


White Chocolate Egg - Characters will manifest angelic qualities such as wings or a halo or white clothing. They are compelled to help others in need and to avoid causing crime! They will even go so far as to stop a crime from happening at all costs… even self sacrifice! These effects will last 24 hours; this effect can be prolonged with repeatedly consuming this type of egg.


Dark Chocolate Egg - Characters will manifest demonic qualities such as horns, barbed tail, red skin, sharp teeth and even leathery wings. They are compelled to encourage and entice other characters to commit crime (do the Chosen really need help with this? No.). These effects will last 24 hours; this effect can have a prolonged duration with repeatedly consuming this type of egg.


Chocolate Peanut Butter-filled Egg - Characters will suddenly be attached to the first person that they see. They are tethered to within 3 feet from this other person. Your new partner for the next 8 hours? Yeah, they can walk away from you, and you have to follow or be dragged along. And yes, if multiple Chosen eat one of these, there can be multiple teethers. What a great bonding experience!


Chocolate and Caramel Egg - Characters can only tell the truth; alternatively, characters can only tell lies. This is not a compulsion so much as their words will change and warp as they leave their mouths depending on the effect they are under. They can resist, but to no avail. Give in and speak your truth/untruths! This effect will last 6 hours.


White Chocolate with Strawberry-filling Egg - Characters under this effect face an escalating compulsion to share a secret, a crime, or a regret about their lives. The longer they hold out, the more painful the experience becomes. They must tell another Chosen; talking to the trees or the Rumpitur natives doesn’t count. This compulsion lasts for 4 hours or dissipates after the compulsion has been fulfilled.


Chocolate with Lemon-filling Egg - Characters experience aphrodisiac effects. They are overcome with the urge to cuddle anyone around them or… you know. On this effect, characters can either be charming or sassy, so they are ready and able to lay down some smooth moves or encourage a little rough play. This effect lasts 12 hours and can be prolonged with repeated consumption.


Chocolate Nougat Egg - Characters are suddenly very drunk or high or hyper-active. They will probably make a nuisance of themselves or at least need help to find somewhere safe. Let all your drunk/high/hyper dreams come true and try not to puke in someone’s flower pots, okay? This effect will last for 8 hours; it can have its effects prolonged or stacked with repeated consumption.


Rotten egg - Seems like you got pranked. Not only does it taste bad but it seems like it will plague a character who eats it with the worst luck possible.

Non-Edible Effects:(click to expand!)

Small useful item - Use is all in the eye of the beholder of course, but these items are something that can find a place. Examples: mini-binoculars, compass, swiss-army knife, engagement ring (looking at you Vi/Cait & Scott/Kotone), etc. Player discretion encouraged.


Small useless item - This is a small item like a toy, a part, or something that may be fun but have little to no use. Examples are glitter, a mini-puzzle, toy car, magic 8-ball, chinese finger-trap, etc. Player discretion encouraged.


Pet - It can be any kind of animal and not just ones born out of eggs. It can only grow to the size of a medium-sized dog, so no horses or elephants unless they are very miniature. Mystical or animals from a Chosen’s home are fine.


Fuzzy hand-cuffs - Do you need more explanation? The fur can be any colour or pattern that a player wishes. These make great gifts for people you like or don’t.


Magical Bullshit McGuffin - Effects unknown. Only one egg has this ominously glowing orb. Leave a comment if your character wants this and it will be RNG, with the results in the next SOTG. No world-ending skybeams will be included.

IS THAT A SIDEQUEST?

The Naga will also offer quests in exchange for food, and favors. Veteran Chosen may find that if they complete them, the attitudes towards them will soften. New Chosen will find the same thing, that the attitudes seem to cool down towards the old ones the more they’re completed.

There’s a snake in a tree!

A baby Naga is stuck in a tree… somehow? It isn’t sure how to get down though, and is screaming and crying. The parents are at the base of it, pleading for the child to come down, and unable to go up there themselves. Help?

Time to fish!

There’s a fish caught in a net off the docks that the Naga just can’t seem to pull up and onto it. This will require a small group of two or more characters to pull it up and onto the dock. But watch out! The more they tug, the more the fish thrashes. While it won’t hurt Chosen that fall into the water, it might be very likely that they get pulled in.

Fetch!

Could you help some of the cooks around the town? They’re kind of busy cooking for all of these newcomers, so they’re going to ask some groups of Chosen to go gather food from the forest. Be careful though, because there’s monsters out there.

Hey, you!

A Naga might try to get the attention of the Chosen and wave them over, saying that they need help building their new home. They’ll teach Chosen how to use the tools, and hopefully you get someone else with the building. Some of this stuff’s heavy.

OOC:
For old and new players (pending acceptance into the game), there will be a reward for helping out these guys in the SOTG. Quests are not limited to these four, and some may be made up by you if you wish! Just remember that they’re supposed to be positive in spirit, and contribute to Rumpitur in some way. Also, feel free to assume that the player submissions on the bestiary portion do show up in the game as we start to overhaul that page again!

ALL GOOD (?) THINGS COME TO AN END

After about a week, it seems like all the festivities are winding down. The older Chosen are starting to get shooed out of the village, and while they won’t completely kick out the newer ones… they’re going to heavily imply that they don’t have enough space for them all to live with them. Some can stay if they really want to, but they may be told they’re going to end up in Aldrip eventually. They all do, at one time or another, end up in the “home city” of the cycle.

Whatever that means!

But that’s just fine though, it’s not like they haven’t been subject to hearing gossip for a week straight. Just fine.

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

[laserguy]

[Scott isn't sure if he'd preferred to have a dad like that, someone that tried to spend time with him, but it's stuff that he has no interest in. Maybe it'd be kind of nice, thinking that he'd actually bother to do shit like that instead of just being gone for work or exhausted all the time otherwise. But also, sounds kind of annoying.]

Yeah, pretty much. [He snorts.] Maybe we should switch dads someday. Might be a nice change for the both of us.

[He briefly looks back at the water, the simple calmness of it. Maybe this really wouldn't be too bad... but he's pretty much staying at Xavier's Institute now. Thinking about it again though, he can't help but let his thoughts stray back to the sentencing that he received.] Hey Tsuna, I got a question that might be kind of weird.

[theskyaccepts]

[Another laugh]

I don't think I'd mind that. My mom might have something to say though.

[If nothing else, Nana and Iemitsu do love each other, and that's something undeniable.]

Yeah? What's up?

[Pretty sure he can handle a weird question or two.]

[laserguy]

[It's not like he was expecting Tsuna to say 'no' to his request, but Scott still feels relief, appreciation clear on his expression and resting there for a moment. He just needs a few seconds to really gather what he wants to say. Looking out at the calm water helps with that-- maybe that's why he picked this spot, before turning his head slightly to face his friend once more.]

...What do you think about the greater good? Like. Would you harm people that you care about for it?

[JUST ASKING FOR NO REASON AT ALL...]

[theskyaccepts]

Yeah, that is kind of a weird question.

[But still, Tsuna goes quiet for a moment, thinking. The thing is, if he could avoid it, he would. But it's hard not to think of the future version of himself, who sacrificed himself to allow a path to defeat Byakuran to be opened. He remembers the way that the future versions of his friends would look at him. But he's also not that Tsuna, and he doesn't know if he'll grow into that Tsuna.]

No...I don't think I would. Or at least, I wouldn't want to. At all.

I think a lot of people who want something for the Greater Good can lose sight of what they have right then and there. And that would be what I want to protect.

[laserguy]

I did warn you.

[He quips, a small smile tugging briefly at him before it disappears so that he can focus on the answer Tsuna is giving him. So, he wouldn't want to do it at all and it's not surprising. More than that, it's... kind of nice, to hear that one of his friends would never go that far for his goal. Or the 'greater good.' There's a line he wouldn't cross and that's hurting someone he cares about.

He's the same, right? He wouldn't harm any of his friends, even if it was for a good cause. He'd just figure out a new way to make things work. Yeah. That's... that's the right answer.

It's just why doesn't it feel fully right?]

Y-yeah, I feel the same. I don't want to harm my friends or really anyone, even if it's for a good cause. It just sounds like a path that would lead to more shit and bad decisions.

[He might be trying to convince himself.]

[theskyaccepts]

Exactly. It's not always the easiest path to walk, but I think it's the right one.

Especially if you want things to turn out with everyone happy at the end.

[It's not a victory unless they're all there. How many times has he told that to Gokudera?]

Is...is there a reason why you're asking something like this? Kotone-san was asking something similar on the network.

[laserguy]

I'll take the difficult path every time.

[If he has to push himself to his limits-- even beyond that to save all this friends, he'd be happy to do so. Maybe even push his friends in a similar way, so that everyone can survive. No one can slack off.

And of course Tsuna figured that out, huh? No point denying it, so he nods, face still stuck in something more serious and rigid.] We were both sentenced, for different reasons. Mine was for the crime that's been on my parchment for over a year.

[theskyaccepts]

[He can be rather perceptive, in his way.]

I guess that's still going on, huh?

Can I ask...what that was for? Or what the sentence was?

'cause you know I'd be with you, on the difficult path.

[laserguy]

[He almost smiles hearing that from Tsuna.

They've been friends for a long time, huh? So... it feels kind of okay to tell him what's exactly on his parchment. It's a trust that he's come to appreciate in this place.]

Jerry wanted me to talk about the greater good and if it's ever okay to hurt people I care about for it. [...] Because according to my parchment, I kill my professor.

[And it's not true. He didn't do that. He'd like to think he never would. Professor Xavier has always been kind to him. But..... there's a version of him that has killed him.]

[theskyaccepts]

That's a big question to ask.

[The sentencing in this place is so inconsistent. It's very weird.

But there's always one more question, isn't there? And an interesting choice of wording.]

Did you...? Or...will you? I guess?

It's kind of hard to imagine you doing something like that.

[laserguy]

[Guess he hasn't fucked up entirely if Tsuna has a hard time seeing that happen. This time, a small smile crosses his face, though it doesn't last too long. He just shakes his head.]

I haven't-- and I hope not, Tsuna. I kind of want to avoid something like that from ever happening.

[Maybe it's a good thing, in a fucked up way? Like if he knows that he might hurt the Professor some way in the future, then he can make sure that it never actually happens. A warning. Right. If he can stop himself from doing something so awful, then maybe it will be okay.]

He's a good man. He's opened his home to mutants from everywhere. How could I hurt someone like that?

[theskyaccepts]

I don't think I could. Especially if he's done something like that.

[Kindness like that shouldn't be ignored after all.]

The...the only thing I could think of, is if he does something. I don't know, something really bad. But, even then, it feels like you could talk to him before doing anything.

[He pulls into himself, not wanting to think about it and even feeling bad for bringing it up.]

But like you said, maybe you can avoid it now, knowing it's coming.

[laserguy]

[It's hard to imagine the Professor doing something so bad that he'd want to kill him over it. Murder the person that is basically Jean's father. It just feels impossible the more he thinks about it. And... and that's good, right? Just keep feeling that way.]

Y-yeah, I'll just make sure it doesn't happen.

[He repeats again, mostly trying to reassure himself at this point. Scott doesn't really feel all too much better about this, but the conversation helped in its own way still. The plan is to basically never commit murder, right. Good plan. And remember all this.

Which is something he wants to do anyway. He wants to remember all the friends he's made in this world. Everything he's learned.]

[theskyaccepts]

[It can be a surprisingly hard thing to do, in Tsuna's experience. He never wanted to...well, Byakuran had to be stopped.]

I believe you can do it, Scott.

We've just got to keep believing there's always another way to do something.

[laserguy]

Y-yeah, thanks Tsuna.

[Always another way, he just has to keep remembering that. Along with the fact that he has friends that really believe in him. It... helps, even if that feeling of not wanting to disappoint them surges even more.

It's fine. In fact, time to just worry about fishing now. He has a good answer to give Jerry now anyway, right?]

Come on, let's catch some fish.

[theskyaccepts]

Anytime, Scott. Really.

[He's happy to help. And it's important to let your friends know you're with them. It goes both ways after all.]

Right. You've got fishing rods? And bait and all that?