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expiationmeme2023-05-29 10:59 am
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.
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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[ He looks back down at the spot he'd been tending to, trailing off as if something important has only just occurred to him. ]
...This may have been easier to try if I had brought a lunch.
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Thankfully, Sigma provided the answer.] Oh! I love food, what were you thinking for lunch? Maybe we can grab some after this!
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Oh! I'm one of the newer arrivals, so I don't actually know what all the options are here.
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I'm new too! Where are you from? New and you already know how to do this! You're amazing! I don't know any of the options here, honestly.
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Forgive my manners for butting in without properly introducing myself. My name is Sigma, previously in Yokohama before arriving here. And you, miss?
[ A white lie, but it's fine. His posture relaxes when he remembers the initial question, and he gives a thoughtful noise. ]
Mm...truth be told, the only places I know how to get to are a bar and a bakery.
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And don't worry about introducing yourself, it's not like we went years without knowing one another! We got there!
Oh! Bakery! Sign me up! [She's not old enough to drink.]
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[ He knows in his heart of hearts that bread and pastries aren't an ideal after-work meal, nutritionally speaking. But his heart of hearts also wants pastries most of the time, so an excuse to indulge is fantastic. ]
Bakery it is, then. We can treat ourselves after a hard day's work, hm?
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But uh, so now to get the work. Gotta grow the trees, yeah!
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[ One way to find out! Thankfully the spot he'd been working on isn't too far away, so he can keep an eye out for her needing any additional help when he settles back down. ]
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She closed her eyes and then let out a breath and held out her hands, several little sprouts budding up from the soil, bright green and healthy.]
I DID IT! I DID IT I DID IT! [She ran over to Sigma and grabbed his hand, showing him the sprouts.] Look look look! It worked!
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You did! And so quickly too, you're a natural at this.
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I had a great teacher. Ah, by the way, what happened here, do you know?
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[ With what the place looks like now, after everything, he can scarcely imagine how horrifying it must have been to actually be there even with Dazai's confirmation that the locals hadn't been gassing things up too much. The stories he'd heard when asking around for specifics had been...something, alright.
He can't just go and admit how frightening he found the idea to this girl, though. He of all people is a horrible judge of age, but she's so small, surely she's too young to be burdened with that kind of dread?? ]
Just as many brave people stood up to defeat it, though. If we're lucky, all us who came after need to worry about is helping rebuild.
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[She swallowed. She didn't know this was the result of a monster attack. She was immediately reminded of the damage done by Pharaoh 90 and having to repair the cityscape. She made an idle nod.]
I... see... [Should... should she ask Galaxia about the monster? Would Galaxia even tell her?] Ah- yeah, hopefully, we only need to help with rebuilding.
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[ Wait, "friend?" Augh, roll with it, backtracking now would just complicate things. ]
He's...shaken. And I don't blame him. But, his mind now is only as warped as it had been when last I saw him. [ Said with some lightheartedness, hoping to lighten the mood as much as he can. ]
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I'm glad he's doing okay, and with you here, I'm sure he'll become even more okay! You're so nice!
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[ Offering a sheepish smile at that. Gogol gets the business end of his grumpier moods more often than not, after all. ]
It is good you have someone here, though. Do you think they'd like it if you saved a treat from the bakery for them?
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I don't really know what she likes, exactly, so hopefully when we go I can get something to her tastes. It's the thought that counts, yeah?