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?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I. Arrival

['I can feel everyone's power, coursing through my body. Now I can rescue them from inside this place.' She was reaching for them. She was almost there.

Almost...

Almost...

Please... almost...

She was going to envelop Chaos within herself. She was going to separate Chaos from the Cauldron, to allow the creation of life and darkness to go back to its proper form.

But then, at the last second, at the last breath of a blink...

She... was pushed back. She was warm.

Had she died? White light surrounded her, endless and beautiful and warm, a sweet, familiar scent filling the air.

But then... then it was gone.

Where... where was she? What was this place? Has Chaos... Has Chaos and the Cauldron and everyone else disappeared?

She was in a soft, light blue gown, she looked at her hands and saw her brooch beside her. Usagi reached out and grabbed it, holding it close to her chest. She saw a parchment and read it, her eyes widening as she read her "sentencing." Had... had she failed?

She didn't have time to focus on it because the warmth and scent and light all immediately disappeared and she's falling. No! No no no!

When she comes to again, she's atop a whole bunch of... seeds? She sits up, several grains and seeds in her hair. Usagi clutched her brooch close to her chest as she let out a breath. Where was she now? Seeds? The dusty, earthy smell that accompanied seed and grain filled the air and after getting out, she was barefoot and in a soft gown.

Usagi looked all around her now that she was out of the silo and made her way to the group of people she saw. Should she transform? At the very least, she would then have shoes. She shook her head, seeds and grain coming out of her hair and tumbling to the ground with each step.]

Excuse me... I'm... could you... could you please tell me where I am? How did I end up in there? [She looked back to the silo, more seeds falling out of her hair.]

II. We Like to Party

[Having gotten housing and some new clothing (especially shoes) taken care of, Usagi figured she would look around the town. Which was how she somehow got roped into helping set up for the big celebration that was going to happen.

Usagi wasn't exactly in a setting-up-for-a-party kind of mood, but it was in her nature to help. She was helping put up a colorful banner when a wind kicked up.

And Usagi was a massive klutz even when she was on her own two feet, never mind on a ladder trying to put up decorations.

The ladder wobbled and Usagi lost her balance.]

UWWAAAAAAAAAAAAH! [And down went the rabbit, she clenched her eyes shut, prepared to hit the hard ground... only... she opened one eye and then another when she realized... she had either just landed someone or had been caught.]

III. Let it Grow

[Usagi loved plants, maybe not to the degree that Makoto did, but she didn't steal down to Earth as Serenity just for Endymion. She had also wanted to be amongst real nature. So it was only right to help replant the flowers, trees, and shrubs. She knew she could very well restore everything with her own magic but well, maybe it wouldn't work? Better to go about it with their ability.

She planted a seed and then used the magic that the fairies gave her and held her hands out.]

Okay how do I do this? Do I like say 'grow!' or something? [Her tongue was sticking out of her mouth as she was deep in thought trying to figure out how to use the blessing the fairies gave her. Only, nothing seemed to be working.] Aww come on... please grow? Is there a magic word to this thing?

[She wiggled her fingers.] Hocuus pocus? Abracadabra?... POOF? [She sighed and looked around.] Hey, do you know how to get this thing to grow? Is there something I need to say or do oooor? [She trailed off, gesturing to the planted seed.]

IV. Wildcard
[If you have an idea for a prompt, please don't hesitate!]

You're in a land of those who've been sentenced to crimes. Who would have thought such a bright light would end up here too?

[The voice comes from behind Usagi, though it's hard to say how long she's been standing there. Galaxia knew of Sailor Moon's arrival almost instantly, though it's hard to believe it actually true.

Until she saw it with her own eyes of course. That leads to more suspicions. Sailor Moon has a pure light, so why is she here among those carrying shadows.

Galaxia takes a few steps forward, but it isn't nearly as threatening as their encounters were before.]

Did you succeed? The cauldron is it...?

[Free from Chaos or did she ultimately do as that little girl wanted and wiped everything out. She's not sure why she's asking, here it doesn't really matter, but maybe she's hoping for some sort of closure.]

[She spun around and inhaled sharply as she saw Galaxia. Yes, she had claimed Galaxia to be her friend and ally but to see her again? So many mix of emotions overwhelmed her and the corners of her eyes pricked with tears. Why did it have to be Galaxia? Was she never going to see the others again? Were they both dead? She didn't FEEL dead.

Some part of her blamed Galaxia for all this, for her being here, but she shoved the feeling away. It would have come to this, in some fashion. Chaos was always going to seek her out and he would seek to join them together no matter what.

Usagi clenched her crystal closer to her chest, exhaling. She stared at the Senshi of Destruction and then turned her head, more seeds falling from her hair.

Figures she'd be found like this.

At her question, she closed her eyes and pressed her lips together.]

I don't know. I... was trying to envelop Chaos into me. At the last second... I was pushed back. Then there was this warmth a... calm before everything went dark.

And now I'm here.

[She shook her head and handed Galaxia the parchment paper 'Refusing to end the Galactic War' written on it.]

This is what they're saying is my crime. [But Galaxia had been there when Usagi refused to destroy the Cauldron, refused to end the cycles of life in exchange for "eternal peace" or, however long the peace would be until a new Cauldron formed.]

[Galaxia eyes the parchment paper, but doesn't take it. The crime listed .. doesn't make sense. Unless destroying everything was truly the right answer. But, how could that be? It won't end war. At least not forever.

There has to be something else going on here. Something with this world that isn't right.]

I don't know why you'd be brought here, but there are dangers on this world. Not strong enough for you or I, but don't know what purpose this place serves.

[She thought it was a prison (maybe it still is) for what she did, but that doesn't make sense with Sailor Moon here as well. -- And some of the people she's met seem far too noble. Annoying. But noble.

Galaxia looks to the side before crossing her arms.]

Perhaps this is what kind of life exists after death, but still ... it seems strange.

Maybe it's because I failed to stop Chaos?

[But then, why wouldn't that be what was listed as her crime? And admittedly, she absolutely killed Wiseman, Nehellenia, Metallia, Zirconia, and a slew of others. So why not list that instead. Why was choosing life the crime? She takes back the parchment and shakes out a few more seeds from her hair and then looks back up at Galaxia.]

If this is where we go after death, I wonder if I've been here before. [Not only did she die as Serenity, but she had died enough times in her act of self-sacrifice to have been here several times. Did Saturn know about this place?]

How long have you been here, Galaxia? You seem to know what's going on. [Galaxia only died moments ago, and while the other rarely lost composure, but she had the sense that she been here... well, more than just a couple of hours.]

A few months.

[Though it's hard to believe it's been that long already. The time has gone by like it's nothing.]

But I only know what I've observed. They call those brought here the chosen. But beyond that no answers have come.

[Galaxia considered herself chosen but that was far different than anything here. She gestures towards the direction of the town.]

There's a garden with statues of those brought here. I wonder if you have one now.

A- what? But I just... I JUST saw you. [How long was she dead for? Was this one of those weird time shenanigans things? Ugh, where was Setsuna when you needed her?]

Ah! Then, we should check out the garden! If this place is where we go after death, and if I've been here before but just don't remember it, then I'm sure to have a statue already, yeah?

[She takes Galaxia's hand without even thinking, much like she had before.]

Let's go see!

Usagi Tsukino | Sailor Moon

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Let It Grow

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