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

(naturally so. a promise, after all, moves his feet and hands. sigma required saving, and thus, that's what dazai would most likely do if it was on him to do such a thing.

on the side, that ability? as important as air these days.)

Ah. Well. You're... Welcome! Come on, let me take you around town! Ah, leave him there, he'll be fine, come on, come on! You know me, but I don't know you! Let's drink! Fufufufu!

Huh?

[ This is? Not where he expected this to go? Honestly he isn't sure where he expected this to go at all, but being dragged away from his booth for drinks definitely wasn't anywhere on the hypothetical list. ]

Hey, wait a minute, just like that?

Why not? What are they going to do? Charge you with... Work neglect? Ah, you already seem like a worrier... Did Nikol's charming personality bother you a lot, too?

(it's called clown-to-clown communication, his friendship? relationship? somethingship? with nikolai. he can imagine if sigma thought dazai was infuriating, how else would he regard his fellow terrorist? his hand is wrapped around sigma's wrist, and goodbye, booth, they're walking away!)

"Nikol?" Gogol isn't what I would ca--aaaaaaaah?? [ And they're off! With a good luck wave from the supportive local when Sigma does indeed look back with worry. ]

I--I could have been lying about all that, you know!

You definitely could! You're not, though.

(not a single sign of deception was scanned by that keen detective eye of his, so, not a single concern should bloom. instead, goodbye locals, he'll drag sigma far far far away from there.

to door. on top of it, the sign says 'lupin' - the interior also tells the same to anyone who ever been to the place back in Yokohama. dazai's keys spin, and the entrance to the basement opens. with a little bow, he gestures for sigma to go ahead.)

Rules say that the ones with the longest hair go first!

[ The further away they get from the celebrations, the more curiosity mixes with his concern. With all the fuss of arriving, explanations, preparations, and the exhaustion that came with everything he hasn't had much chance to explore the town so he has no idea where Dazai could be taking him. Nowhere dangerous, he thinks, or would like to think, and the door at least seems nonthreatening enough.

The fact it's either Dazai's place or he has special access to it is something worth noting as well. By this point he can't keep his curious glances every which way to himself even after he takes the offer with a polite nod. ]

Seems an odd rule to have, but alright.

It's the rule of the world! Didn't you know at all?

(stop making fun of the grown man with toddler age, dazai... but alas, it's easy for him to just go behind the counter, pick the first drink he finds, two clean glasses, and back to where the one customer is sitting.

with the bottle opened, he pours, pushing one of the drinks towards sigma with his index finger.)

You don't have to look around like I'm about to bite you, or the place is going to swallow you? You said I saved you, not that I kicked you or anything! Ah, but I suppose, since you're from the other side as me, you should hear what we have been up to, mhm?

I'm just curious!

[ Very curious indeed, but too polite to inspect the offered drink too much before having a sip. Best case scenario everything's normal and he gets a little help with all that tension still stewing in him. ]

I'd appreciate that, yes. From everything the locals have been saying I've missed quite a bit in only the past week.

Ah, that? That can totally wait! You'll hear it from everyone else! I just thought to tell you that us, people from our universe, have an agreement, very important to your survival! Ah, but if you want to hear about the huge monster that took everyone to fight on its behalf, ah, I totally can not tell you about the first thing!

(a sip, a little mischievous giggle as he put the glass down on the wooden counter, tapping his finger against it a few times.)

[ Now hang on a minute, you little-- ]

Fine, I'm listening. What's the agreement?

Peace! Momentaneous, at least. Helping me means we can figure something out faster, so Nikol can go back to his love-murder thing. Chuuya and myself will put our own abilities on the table should there be a consensus need, I keep an eye on everyone, and ah, I suppose everyone gets to keep an eye on me, which seems... A little voyeuristic! It's been going well, however, no voluntary murder attempts!

( :) YOUR LITTLE WHAT!!!!!)

[ His eyebrows raise at Chuuya's name--he's here too? In his right mind and everything?? Gracious, a good time for a peace agreement indeed. ]

So it's just a ceasefire? That doesn't seem unreasonable.

[ A. Thought. ]

Would I also need to offer my ability to everyone involved?

Mhm, no? If it helps me, probably? Ah, we would need a meeting to discuss specifics like that? It's been a while! Ah, Nikol lives right next to me, too. You'd please would too, so I could keep an eye and provide protection!

(isn't that simple?)

Live right next to you? As in, next door?

Correct! It's myself and Chuuya in a room, Nikol on the next one, so you can either sandwich us, or live with the clown.

[ Geh. He's pretty sure he can trust Gogol not to kill him or anything, but still... ]

And what would he have to say on the matter?

Want me to ask him?

(real quick, a text to nikol--)

Ah, wait a second, we don't have to decide this right now!

You're the one who asked!

I was, but...!

There's still more to talk about, isn't there?

Like what, exactly? Is there more about our ominous adventure you'd like to share? By all means, I'll even grab some of the snacks in the kitchen!

Yes. Yes, there is in fact more I could tell you.

[ Only about ten minute's worth, but if it's to put off having to potentially deal with Dazai and Gogol at the same time for a little longer... ]

I'm listening.

(no more liquor in his cup, however. more pouring!)

[ And he'll need a swig from his own glass before he gets into this. ]

You said you already heard some of it. Was it just the attempted drowning?

That's as far as everyone remembered it.

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