expiationmeme | TEST DRIVE MEME #3

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TEST DRIVE MEME #3

TEST DRIVE MEME #3

Welcome to the TDM for Expiation, a pan-fandom adventure game with fantasy, science fiction, and some horror elements. We ask that top-level comments are reserved for new characters and players looking to experience a taste of the world and overarching storyline. Characters already in the game, however, are free to use TDM prompts in their own catch-alls and logs. Feel free to submit any TDM / prompt-related questions to the corresponding comment below.

New players / characters looking to app are free to use TDM threads as samples in their application. Preexisting players / characters may use TDM threads as part of their AC proofs (with the stated limitations).

You may find the below links helpful in getting to know themes of the world, locations, the people, and so on.

info | world

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN...

BRAVE NEW WORLD (ARRIVALS)

After receiving the paper with your sentence, the whole world quickly becomes dark and you find yourself falling through what seems to be an infinite void. You lose track of time after a while, but as soon as your focus seems to waver, your vision clears and you find yourself resting rather unceremoniously in a pile of seeds used for chicken feed.

Once you make your way out of the grain silo (and we of the moderator team wish you good luck in finding a fun way out of it), you may find that several other people have been dropped into the world just like you have. Some are disoriented, others are panicked, and others yet are simply angry about being brought somewhere against their will. Amidst the chaos of new arrivals to the world of Expiation, the newcomers will find that there are some people in the crowd who seem a little more familiar with what’s going on.

These people will tell you that you find yourself in a strange new world, and that it’s best to make your way to a nearby town called Aldrip to get settled down there. It’s a few hours by foot away from this area, but it’s the only place in the nearby area that can accommodate newcomers like you.

WE LIKE TO PARTY (WE LIKE, WE LIKE TO PARTY)

Recently, many Chosen have emerged victorious from a hard-fought battle, taking out a gargantuan creature that threatened to suck the energy from the whole area surrounding Aldrip if it had not been stopped. Such efforts do not go unrecognised, and in the aftermath, the locals all decided to band together to celebrate their saviours’ heroics. Nothing less than a village-wide party and parade would be fitting for such an occasion.

This is an undertaking that will likely take a significant amount of effort. While the locals wanted to make this into a surprise, many of them lack skills to put the thing together properly. Chosen who want to get involved in the preparation process can put their organisation and culinary skills to the test to create fixtures and food for the event. Better yet, your efforts over the past months have improved supply routes into Aldrip, meaning that the food shortage has passed, and you’ll have just about anything your heart desires for the occasion.

Alternatively, you can choose to enjoy the spoils of your efforts! Once the day of the party arrives, Aldrip will erupt into a full-scale celebration, and all Chosen are encouraged to party as hard as possible. Good food, good drinks and good times will be in no short supply for the occasion. Additionally, those who took to the front lines in the previous event will be revered as heroes and likely spoiled rotten.

THIS IS HOW YOU GET ANTS

PLEASE PARTY RESPONSIBLY

It’s no understatement to say that some of the Chosen like to party hard- and that’s quite alright! A few days ago, the people of Aldrip had already set aside a few rooms in the inn to act as an infirmary for those who had been injured during the battle with the Branded. It took little effort for them to expand this project into a full medical wing for those who would undoubtedly be acting irresponsibly during the festivities.

It’s up to you to decide what circumstances brought you here. Perhaps you were injured in the previous battle, and have been stuck in bed as you recover from your wounds. Maybe you had just a little too much to drink, and you decided to come by while you collect yourself. Regardless of what your reason for being there may be, the people of Aldrip have guaranteed that you will receive the best of care.

With that said, the place is terminally understaffed. Aldrip’s locals will certainly appreciate any assistance they can get- even if your character might not have the best training or bedside manner. Medicine can’t be that hard- what’s the worst that can happen?

MR. MAGNIFI'S MAGNIFICENT MIXTURES

Once word of the upcoming celebration spread, several individuals from outside town came in to offer their services or goods in Aldrip. One such individual came into town riding on a rickety cart with the words “Miraculous Magnifi’s Medicine! Guaranteed to heal what ails ye!” emblazoned in gold on its side. The thing smells a bit off, with a strong chemical scent coming from the back, but the moustachioed man who emerges from the back assures you that all of his “mixes are made with meticulous ministrations!”

Those who buy and consume the potion might find themselves feeling strange over the next few days as symptoms emerge. Some people wake up to find that their hair has taken on a rainbow of colours during the night, that rats cuddle up to them for no reason, or that their irises have been replaced with strange spiral shapes. Feel free to come up with inventive but harmless side effects for the miracle elixir- it’s meant for some good fun.

They’re strange symptoms for sure, and certainly not the advertised cure-all. However, Magnifi is already gone by the next dawn, meaning that no one can get a refund. Thankfully, the symptoms will go away after a few days, but the chaos that ensues in the meanwhile will certainly make for some fun stories.

IT'S NOT OVER

♪♫ LET IT GROW ♫♪ ► (FUTURE EVENT TIE-IN)

The party celebrating the dread beast’s defeat can be heard from miles outside of Aldrip, but the situation is not quite yet resolved. Much of the once-lush forest outside of Aldrip had its life force absorbed from it, leaving little more than profaned ground and an overwhelming scent of rot. Worse yet, there are reports that some of the beast’s severed golden tendrils have taken on a life of their own, creating snake-monsters that threaten the local wildlife.

However, the monsters are not the only new arrivals in Pessiria Forest. Those who go to investigate the area will find that fairy-like creatures have gathered in the profaned land and are trying their best to help bring the area back to its former glory. At first, they seem to keep their distance or ignore you entirely, but after determining that you mean well, they inform you that they can temporarily bless the Chosen with the power to make full-sized plants burst forth from the seeds they plant into the ground.

It’s still going to be hard work. Even with the power to bring plants to life, planting seeds in the miles of dead forest will likely take a very long time. Still, these strange fairies could use the help, and tough jobs can be better if you bring a little help from your own friends. (Or enemies. No one’s going to judge you for who you bring.)

WHAT'S THAT MYSTERIOUS LAUGHING SOUND?

The process of regrowing the devastated part of Pessiria forest is well underway, but the process does not go entirely smoothly. Partway through the process, locals start to report that they can hear a strange girl laughing in the forest in the middle of the night, but no one seems able to track down its source. Curious Chosen can patrol around the forest at night to try and figure out the mystery.

Those who are particularly sharp-eyed might see a faint spectre of a little girl wearing a straw hat dancing about, but she never seems to stay in sight for more than a few seconds. One blink is all it takes for her to vanish.

You probably won’t be able to catch this strange spectre, but it’s become something of a game among the villagers to go looking for her anyways. Some say that seeing her is a sign of good luck, and wave to her before she disappears. Others say that if you see her while holding hands, it will bless you with a lifetime of good love. Almost all of these assertions are probably nonsense- but what will you do about it?

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[ Ah well. If the man is going to just jump right into it? Saves G'raha some poking.

Even if the statement is strange itself. ]

Not this shade, no. [ Of course he would question the eye color. ] Curious that you would not know this already...

[ Implying that Emet-Selch should know. Because when the Exarch had been taken to that illusion of a city - ]

Your arm has a strange marking about it.

I have never met a biased academic in my life. Just as I've never seen footnotes devolve into petty, passive aggressive barbs at other researchers. The work always remains pure.

[hey, he manages a straight face for all of a moment before he's snorting, shaking his head.] Eh, thankfully I got out of that particular culture years ago, for the most part. It sounds as though you have not, not entirely.

[mysterious nerd. one who apparently committed treason, which makes him blink.]

Funnily enough mine is similar. Betrayal of my roots, you could say. [given he, you know, murdered some accidentally he finds that kind of strange to be the focus.] You don't seem particularly bothered by the accusation. Do you deny it?

What they don't know won't hurt 'em.

( and when she is matching beside jinx, she takes one end of her braid and playfully rubs the ends against mizuki's face. )

'Sides, I could say I need 'em for protecting them. Suckers always fall for that.

( as they approach a table, jinx steps on the seating bench, then climbs onto the table -- popping a squat right there on the tabletop with her legs crossed. there's food right next to her in which she leans over to pick off and shove the fruit in her mouth. and if that isn't rude enough, she speaks with her mouth full. )

— Not really the one to lie. So I'll do it with a catch.

[At her startled expression his smirk widens and his cold, alien gaze glimmers with amusement.]

Why, it's quite simple, my dear.

Have you seen the fae creatures around?

[He gesture with one sword at nothing in particular.]

They can bless you with the ability to create plants.

Spread enough green and the source of this desolation might be lured out. Then we can have a bit of fun.

[ It strikes her that the girl is rather reserved. It's not often that she meets someone who talks as little as herself. ]

It's a quiet countryside town surrounded by farmland and meadows.

[ The pace of life here suited Marianne. She was more at ease in the fields than she ever had been as the heir to a noble house. ]

What sort of place did you come from?

No, it wasn't this way before. [ A somber shake of her head. ] We still don't know exactly who's responsibile.

[ For what little good it did, she had provided her account of events to the town patrol. The robed figure at the center of the chaos had escaped undetected, leaving the rest of them without answers. ]

I don't mean to be so glum. [ Marianne adds after a beat. She realizes she's dragging the mood down during a celebration. What would the newcomer think, being told about a frightening attack the first thing upon arriving in a new town? ] What happened was out of the ordinary. Aldrip is a calm and beautiful place normally.

[As much as Echo wants to see the fireworks, his reactions are pretty interesting to her too. She hadn't really encountered much homesickness before, nor has she really thought about someone else's emotions in comparison to her own. But she's intrigued because she actually thinks she may understand some of his response, or at least the loneliness. Funnily enough, fireworks really bring it up for her. But there's enough that she likes about them that makes her try to push past it.]

I see. That...must be difficult. I sometimes feel lonely watching these, too.

[Echo turns back to the fireworks to catch the end of the latest group.]

Yes. Once. It was also very different both from my home and this place.

[To no one's surprise, given how his state of mind must be right now. He grimaces.]

I implore you to have caution around him. Without realizing his current state, I told him what I know... which he understandably did not take well, and may have pushed him into redoubling his efforts to usher in the Great Rejoining instead.

[You were destined to waste away into nothing. It was raw, visceral despair that drove the words out of his mouth, he knows, but it still stings. Elidibus makes a sad noise in the back of his throat and straightens himself out, meeting her eyes again.]

It would be... deeply regrettable if he were to harm you.

That we have. Though I cannot disagree about this being unsettling. The very notion is...

[Does he take offense to the "crime" he's been accused of? Yes. Deeply so. Yet he smiles past it, trying not to drag the mood of the reunion down.]

Well, it is more unsettling to me that those who might have initiated this should know of who I am, from the very basis of the accusation. It must be the same for you, I'm sure. It fits almost too well...

Do you... How odd. I wonder if the differences are any deeper than a mere change in gender...

[Is his background any different? Or did any of his actions change along the way? So many questions, only able to be answered second-hand. But G'raha, with his knowledge of two timelines, should know a decent amount about the Warrior of Light's adventures, this he knows from the glimpse he'd once had at his memories.]

And this Hyur man, he arrived on the First, drawn by your magicks, did he not? Then restored the aetherial balance of light and darkness to the realm, striking down Emet-Selch, and later myself. Do I have the right of it, at least in a general sense?

[That's not even the tip of the iceberg, but without all that came before, the chapter of the Warrior of Light's story that took place on the First would not have happened the same, like as not.]

[ Now, unless you are here to finish me off... he'd said. At the time she'd thought little of it, but now that combined with his choice of appearing as Solus, makes sense. ]

I see. [ She frowns. It's not difficult to imagine how that went. She'd been the one to inform him of his future before and he'd lashed out before angrily storming off. ]

I'll be fine. [ She smiles. ] However, how are you after such a conversation?

[ She bobs her head in a nod before she starts for the nearby river. With this option in mind, all she can think about is how nice it'd be to take a dip in some nice cool water. ]

If we can find some sticks or a thing branch or sapling we would be set. [ She could rig up something for fishing with such things. ]

The pleasure's all mine. I'm just happy to help out where I can, especially after the last few weeks.

[Alphen may not know the first thing about healing artes or medicine, but he's gotten pretty good at talking to people, so he approaches the kid with the same genuine air that he's had while talking to G'raha. Honestly, the man just wants to help out. He's not good at sitting still. So here's hoping he didn't sell that skill too highly. ]

Me? I appreciate the concern, but I will be fine. No amount of harsh words will sway me from my duty, no matter who they come from.

[It is not the first time Emet-Selch has had something harsh to say to a member of the Convocation, but it is the first time he's had such strong words for Elidibus specifically. Motivated by anger and helplessness in the heat of the moment, no doubt, but he cannot bring himself to hold it against him, for he was in that very position once, too. His lips quirk, though it isn't quite a smile in the end.]

Having an unclouded perspective at last is worth the sacrifice and pain it took to get to this point. I only wish he could see that, futile though I know it is to try and sway him at this stage.

( Shinichi dips his torso forward a little, politely. )

I'm Shinichi — Shinichi Izumi. It's nice to meet you, Sawada-san.

I know, right. It feels like we're a whole world away.... well... I guess we are.

Have you heard anything about how we might be able to... get back home?

That's good. I think. [ It really depends on what exactly he considers to be his duty now. ]

Give him time, I'm sure he'll come around. He did before. [ Though he'd had Hythlodaeus back then and she doesn't doubt he was the one that helped bring Emet-Selch around. Without him, she's not sure he would have. ]

( Coarse and vulgar..... they're such abrasive terms. Clearly, the man doesn't have the most favourable view of humans and once again, this reminds him of Migi's kind.... Shinichi's swallowing as he stares to that mean-looking smirk on the other's face. Just what is he dealing with here....? )

Admittedly, I am not certain. My kind infiltrated Earth one evening, and were led by instinct to take host bodies. We may be considered something more like animals than humans, or perhaps like insects.

Perhaps even like a bacteria or virus.

( The parasite is thoughtful as he considers, not revealing everything, but there's no harm in this much. )

I desire to find out just what I am. I suppose you have never seen anything like me, considering your surprise.

Different times and places... Well that's difficult to take at face value but stranger things have been true before.

[ Said kettle is an easy enough find. She goes about attending to it with well practised motions. This at least resembles familiar ground but thankfully it has a more functional purpose and it's no ladies' afternoon tea. ]

[ It's a bit of a distracted motion but she waves off the concern that she thinks this person is a quack. ]

and not to worry. Despite never catching your name I get the feeling that I can trust that you have been diligent—you do seem the type to.

I'm not entirely sure.

[ No point in being anything but completely honest there. ]

Based solely upon my own experience it could be the kind of cruel game one plays with the lives of others...

[ With that Lenore gently places the chicken on the ground to fish out her parchment from inside her coat tailed jacket. She holds it up as evidence. ]

Why else have such pomp?

...He did not expect to be here, either? That... is worrisome.

"I... did not notice the presence of anyone I recognized when I first emerged from the repository of grain, but I imagine it will not be long before someone notices I am gone from where I should be."

Those in Pandæmonium are yet likely still on high alert, given all that has happened.

[A branch or a sapling... Erichthonios' gaze drifts downward, the man looking absently at the seeds in his hand.]

Yet all we have are these seeds...

[It takes a moment for the thought to click. But click it does.]

...Wait, I have it. We can plant some of the seeds near the water, and use the magick we were gifted to make them grow.

[With the blessing, they would grow full and lush, replete with branches.]

...I see. So I was not alone in receiving an accusatory parchment.

[But what could they have accused Themis of? What could Themis have possibly done wrong?]

...Let us talk more of this later. I would know your thoughts on the matter in full, where we may discuss them without...

[Lifting his head, Erichthonios glances around, remembering at last that they were in public and... there are an awful, awful lot of people around.]

...interruption.

[Wait, were there this many people just a moment ago?]

Why didn't you say so? That's a great ssstaar...t...?

[ At first that outburst makes Lenore jolt into a more straightened posture thanks to the suddenness of it. Then, the unexpected enthusiasm for chicken petting makes her chuckle. ]

Of course you can. She's remarkably tame.

[ brows pinched in confusion at the tortured look on the lad's face. Her charmed smiles flags one she catches that; light eyes searching his face for an answer to her mounting confusion. ]

...Are you quite alright?

Feel free to do what you'd like with them! You may purchase them during prompts of the TDM and carry over that inventory into the game.

[That makes Ethlyn laugh.]

Good advice that any knight ought to follow. [She notes that the other lady isn't dancing with the same style as everyone else either, and Ethlyn's steps slow to a stop.] I'll be happy to teach you one that I know--not as rarified as a court dance. Have you ever heard of the Rufty-Tufty?

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TEST DRIVE MEME #3

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Spearfishing? :D

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