TEST DRIVE MEME #3

[expiationmods]

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?

Comments

[supersaver]

[With a cheerful smile, Ochako deposits a hefty serving of the stew into the bowl, making sure there's an even distribution of veggies and that savory broth, too. She's actually quite proud of how this came out - it's not on her her mom's family recipes, so Ochako was literally just kind of tossing things into a pot from memory, and it came out real good (though it is very difficult to mess up a basic veggie soup).]

Hm? Oh. Eeh...you must not have gotten an explanation when you arrived then. Hold on. [She flags down one of the volunteers to just watch her station for a few minutes, just so Ochako can talk more easily without getting distracted by other people wanting to be served.] I was dropped off here, too. I was actually sleeping before arriving in that big ol' silo thing, and I seriously doubt anyone'd be able to kidnap me.

[UA's defense system during the war was...insane, to say the least. Principal Nezu made is like a true fortress.] But anyway, a local here told me we got transported to a whole other world. And considering I've never heard of the city you just said...I'm starting to believe it. I've also never heard of this city, either - Aldripp I think it was? I'm from Musutafu - in Japan.

[opheliac]

( another world? the concept of it isn't too surprising, really. after all, the hextech's main function is teleportation and fiddling with the right coordinates, it can take anyone or anything to a different realm. the probability of that phenomenon was at least ninety-five point five percent of it working.

but jinx hadn't expect herself to be transferred to an entirely different place. although, it explains why the people and locals so far look nothing of her people back home. especially their attire. )

Did they say how we got transported? Or with what? ( could it be the crystal's doing? did someone discover a way to bring subjects to them? no, the hextech doesn't work like that. but there's still a lot of things about the gem she is ignorant about. and her without the scientists' notes or the stone on her person, there's no way of exploring that hypothesis. )

[supersaver]

Mm, I'm afraid not, I'm sorry... The details I were given were pretty vague, or so involved I couldn't make sense of what the person meant without context.

[In all honesty, it still sounds to farfetched even for Ochako to believe. Sure, warp and teleportation quirks exist back home in her world - they captured a League of Villains member who had perhaps the strongest warp quirk in Japan, possibly in general - but even that strong quirk wasn't able to warp people across dimensions, or to a whole other world. Besides, Kurogiri was locked up tight and under constant surveillance...there was no way he'd get free unless a massive attack were staged on where he was being held or something, and no news reports featured that at all.

...Yet.]

I can ask anyone else that shows up here for a bite, though. Places to eat and gather like this are a good source of getting information. And people tend to talk when they're in good company, with good food. [It's just some sort of unspoken rule. People tell stories or just answer questions around a dinner table, or when they're at a bar or something. At...least that's what Ochako's experienced in terms of the former. She's way too young to be drinking anything that isn't soda.]

[opheliac]

( well, the other is definitely right about that. living above and underneath the last drop all her life, drunkards do tend to talk when they're in a good mood or need to vent out their feelings.

and the brothel is another source of those spilling secrets. the problem is, though, jinx isn't necessarily the type to chat with others to get information (unless they are chuck). her lips thin at ochako's explanation, souring over the fact she may need to mingle than just... people watch. but if they truly are in a completely different world, then she doesn't need to worry about anyone in piltover coming after her. she can start anew. the broth in her hands might have cooled off by now, so jinx scoops a bit with her spoon and takes a slurp. )

And you haven't seen... anyone with short reddish-pink hair, have you? With a lotta tattoos, wearing a red jacket, "VI" tattooed on her cheek?

( jinx doesn't know why she is even asking. she made it clear the two of them are no longer sisters and they should just part ways. but... there's a part of her hoping still. )

[supersaver]

[Ochako didn't say anything about talking and mingling. She just said people tend to spill their guts when they've had good food and drink - you hear a lot of idle talk just passing by, eavesdropping, or being the one who serves. People tend to ignore those of a working class - they're just...heh, extras in a scene - and a little half-pint like herself? Well, what sort of threat could she be, right?

However, she knows that it's better to ask around for info than to just wait around and hope a golden egg falls into your lap. Ochako's always been proactive, and being so personable and friendly definitely works in her favor - people tend to want to help you out if you're nice, polite, and friendly. Or if you help them first - you scratch my back etc.]

I'm afraid I haven't, no... Not yet, anyway. And I don't suppose you've seen a young boy with curly, green hair and freckles, have you? Or maybe a blond boy with spiky hair and deep, red eyes? You, uh...you can't miss him. [It is impossible to miss Bakugou.] I...actually am looking for a lot of people.

[Nineteen, excluding herself, to be exact!] ...Haven't seen any one of them, yet.

[opheliac]

( a boy with curly, green hair and freckles. jinx takes a minute to think back if she came across anyone with that description. sure, she breeze through the people and locals when she got out of the can, but... someone with green hair would had definitely caught her attention. the same goes with a boy with red eyes.

she shakes her head, almost showing sympathy. )

No. Haven't seen 'em. ( jinx takes another taste of the broth. )

I think a lotta folks headed to the Inn or somethin'? Trying to find a place to crash and junk.