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expiationmeme2023-08-06 09:08 am
TEST DRIVE MEME #4
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.
You may find the below link helpful in getting to know themes of the world, locations, the people, and so on.
AS OF AUGUST 2023: We have decided to reduce the waiting period for new updates / canons to two months. So if your canon is two months old, your character is appable as of now.
The last thing you recall is waking in a room of blinding white light. You hear voices around you, speaking in muffled tones; you get the distinct impression that they’re talking about you. And you’re on the verge of figuring out what they’re saying, you’re so close...but then the floor drops out from under you. You’re falling into blackness.
You come to after falling through this dark void, and when your vision clears, you find yourself on a…beach? Many wake up covered in sand, but some wake in the shallows of the ocean, too. Surf’s up!
IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN...
SAND AND SALT (ARRIVALS)
After dusting off the sand (or drying off with a towel, if they had a really rude awakening), newcomers to the area find themselves greeted by the locals and directed to the city of Aldrip, where they can find food, shelter, and dry clothing, should they need it. There's mention of an inn, though some mutter that it's getting a little crowded, so maybe characters should find a roommate or make nice with the locals so they can crash on their floor—at least temporarily. Once they're in town, they'll notice that there is plenty of construction going on: building materials everywhere, half-finished structures waiting to be finished. Maybe you won't be sleeping on the floor for too long, after all.
Those who choose to remain on the beach will find the locals setting up for something that looks like a festival. Colorful tents are anchored in the sand, filling with strange-looking goods, delicious-smelling food, games, and other activities. Locals call this the "Festival of the Sun," a celebration of the hottest days of the summer, where crops begin to swell bountifully and the seas become warm and refreshing. The festival has not yet begun, of course, and there is plenty of opportunity to help out. Chosen who wish to lend a hand will find themselves enlisted to help set up or decorate tents—or even to run some of them, if they're so inclined. Grab the balloons and streamers! (Or…colored scarves and flowers, maybe.)
FESTIVAL OF THE SUN
The festival kicks into gear in the afternoon, and there are plenty of activities to draw attention. There are boat racing competitions and a sandcastle contest, as well as a grand seashell hunt taking place on the beach. All of these are free to enter, and the contests offer prizes both for participation and for winning. Participation prizes are small tokens of memorabilia: seashells, shark teeth, dried flowers, things like that. Contest winners will find themselves gifted a refreshing treat or a free meal.
Other tents boast all sorts of different games, food, and trinkets for purchase. Merchants will accept coins or other goods in exchange, but if you find your pockets empty, they may also have to help work the booths if they need a well-earned break. Better get to work, and don't forget to give your most winning smile!
Later in the evening, the locals light a bonfire and host traditional songs and dances as the sun begins to set. All clean-up work will be left until the morning; according to Those Who Were There—the locals' patron deities, apparently, though they offer little information about them—it's bad luck to work this evening after the sun sets.
THIS IS ECOLOGY
MAKE A FRIEND
It seems there have been new additions to Aldrip and the surrounding areas. Even the locals are surprised to see large, flightless warking birds now charging around the meadowlands in packs, not to mention the cute piglets with bunny ears and other strange animals that seem to have appeared. There’s even something that looks like it’s made of rock roaming around–its bark is worse than its bite, though. You may even find that if you befriend them, you can ride on them.
Most are harmless, but Chosen may find a few more monsters than usual roaming the area, too. It seems best to be careful—especially after dark and in the forest, when some of these creatures feel emboldened to roam a little closer to civilization.
[[WILDCARD: Players can use anything from this post to interact with! It doesn’t even have to be the ones we mentioned in the prompts.]]
STOP AND SMELL THE FLOWERS
It's not just animals that have begun to appear in the area, either. Strange new flowers and plants seem to be cropping up everywhere, as if this is a normal habitat for them. Most of them don't seem harmful, although some of the vines can be a little…aggressive. However, getting too close to some of the flowers and mushrooms could give someone a nasty surprise. This is particularly unfortunate because the locals seem quite interested in the new additions to their town, encouraging the Chosen to investigate and acquire samples.
The pollen from these new flowers isn't normal, so Chosen won't find themselves sneezing too much. Unfortunately, they may find it has some other effect on them, such as sleeping, confusion, temporary loss of sense (sight, touch, taste, etc), powerlessness, forgetfulness, or inability to speak. While these are all examples of effects the pollen might have, this is certainly not a limitation. Just about anything you can come up with—within reason—is fair game.
STRANGE MACHINATIONS
A PILE OF JUNK
Ask the locals, and they'll tell you all about the recent trip to the desert, including how several of them were rescued and owe the Chosen a debt of gratitude. While they're repaying this debt mostly by way of helping with building projects, they've also brought back piles and piles of…broken technology. Mostly tablets: dirty, sandy, scratched up, and missing critical components like batteries and chargers. They've very kindly piled all of these things in the eating hall at the inn, and anyone who wants to check them out is welcome to do so. It's possible that cleaning them up and matching them up with their missing components will activate them, but you may have to sift through a whole pile to do so.
But activation does not necessarily mean they're in perfect working order. They may randomly beep, as if pinging off of certain locations, or make strange static sounds if they're turned on for too long. Some of them seem to ping off of each other, too, beeping more quickly as they're brought nearer to the other tablet they seem to be paired with. When connected to the pair, they seem to stabilize a bit more. Not enough to find anything of value in the system itself, but characters might find that they can now text each other, play one of the games, or send pictures on a local network.. After about ten feet of distance, they fail again and aren’t able to be used on the local network.
GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT
Whatever happened to the locals at the beginning of the month seems to have passed—mostly. Every so often, Chosen might notice the locals acting a little strangely, stopping what they're doing for a second as if they've forgotten something, repeating something they've already said, or even flickering in and out of existence.
These experiences are minor, but Chosen might notice some other oddities popping up occasionally. Some animals seem very…odd, at a glance, like a fox that has two tails or a deer with three eyes. Look again, and you might think your eyes were playing tricks on you, because they appear normal. Fish with transparent scales, plants that change color—these are examples of the occasional oddities Chosen might encounter.
They might also sometimes hear strange noises, particularly at night. Beeping or static like the sounds coming from the tablets could easily wake a person in the night—as can the sound of a voice, perhaps even a familiar one, luring Chosen out of their beds and away from the town. The source of these voices is a mystery, and they always seem to stop before characters get too far, but you'd do well to be careful after dark.
You know the drill–this is the wildcard one. Just because it’s not listed in the prompts above does not mean it’s unavailable as an option. We encourage you to do whatever you’d like to utilize the setting to its full potential. If you have any questions about what is and is not possible, please don’t hesitate to ask!
Click to view:
| CANON | CHARACTER/TOP LEVEL |
| Arcane | Ekko |
| Arcane | Silco |
| Critical Role | Mollymauk Tealeaf |
| Digimon | Mimi Tachikawa |
| Final Fantasy X-2 | Paine |
| Fullmetal Alchemist: Broherhood | Pride |
| Honkai: Star Rail | Dan Heng |
| Land of the Lustrous | Phosphophyllite |
| Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story | Mitama Yakumo |
| Marvel 616 | Quentin Quire |
| Omnicient Reader's Viewpoint | Han Sooyoung |
| Persona 1 | Naoya Toudou |
| Persona 2: Eternal Punishment | Kei Nanjo |
| Persona 4 | Yu Narukami |
| Persona 4 | Yosuke Hanamura |
last updated: 8/16/23, 10:55PM
Mollymauk Tealeaf | Critical Role | ota
[It's weird waking up in sand and waves crashing around with a massive headache when you know for certain you didn't fall asleep that way. Well, minus the water part. There was a lot of water. And fish people.
He sits up and rubs his eyes, blinking blearily at his surroundings. That's... well this is a sight.]
I wanna believe we were at a massive party... [Even when he's 100% sure they weren't. Looking around, he spots a person sleeping and nudges them-] Wake up, you'll turn into a crab. ['Red like a crab' but details.] It actually smells like fried crabs, [his attention gets dragged away to some of the festival's stands, but he's still sitting in the sand, half covered with it, not feeling like getting up yet.]
[Sat at the edge of the circle around bonfire, Molly's holding a bottle with a drink and a glass, but not drinking. Instead, he's been staring at the wonderful bonfire- the dancing and songs, drinking and singing and warmth of the fire, waking up some wonderful memories and for a moment he thought he could hear Lestera's voice calling him to dance. But when he looks around, it's just a pair of people just around the corner, having a dance and laughing.
Molly smiles to himself and looks back to the bonfire, placing the bottle and glass in the sand and stands, wanting to mingle with the people dancing- he'll either return to his drink later or someone else will find it and enjoy it. There's plenty to go around.]
I can dance ONLY, I can't sing- just a warning! [he says to someone who nudges him forward for a dance.] You really don't want me singing.
[Molly's never understood nature, and he usually didn't fuck with it; yes, he's down to try anything, but there's a certain limitation when it comes to shrooms. He's not an idiot to try ANY type of shroom, just those he heard of that have interesting effects.
He's been observing quite a peculiar cluster of mushrooms, poking it with tip of his sword, when one of it popped, like a balloon, which is weird as it wasn't the one he was poking. It made him sneeze loudly and turn away from the powder that flew up in the air. His hands feel sluggish all of a sudden and his sight got blurry. Very blurry. To the point that he can only tell up and down apart, and white color at times.]
Well, fuck me, [he stops in the middle of the road, then tries to feel around for a tree and support.] Anyone there? This wasn't supposed to happen.
[The occasional static noise coming from the weird, plastic thing is actually unsettling. Molly's sitting in one corner of the room, and the tablet is on the table on the OTHER side of the room, and he can still hear it. It's actually very grating. He's been successfully trying to ignore the murmurs that sometimes come from it, but for a second Molly could swear he could hear Caleb say: "Leave me alone, I'm reading." It's interrupted by more static afterward, but Molly is 100% sure it was him. After that, a sound of Yasha sharpening her sword, singing, a maniacal giggle that's Nott (made ten times creepier by static), then back to Caleb talking to Frumpkin or shushing people.
Finally, Molly leaves his place and goes to pick it up, tapping the screen a few times. Then he throws his coat on, pulls the hood on, and goes outside, the tablet still in hand- maybe, who knows this weird magic- maybe outside there's better reception? Maybe Caleb's actually here. Or Nott, he heard only them.
When he spots another person with a device like his, he walks up to them, briskly-] You! You know how to use this, right? Lend a man a hand and teach me too.
[OOC: PM me or poke me at
4
--so she's not in the most amenable of moods when a stranger approaches her and demands some troubleshooting for his own device.]
No magic word?
no subject
Uhhh, [he pauses with a small head tilt and looks at the device,] I don't think so? I mean, I don't get this thing, but I keep hearing people I know, but it disappears too fast.
Do you know how to make it stay longer on? [Maybe he can track them down this way.]
no subject
[In spite of that, she doesn't sound overly irritated. She's more interested in the fact that it's picking up voices he knows... Just like the ones she's been working on.]
Some of them are linked to each other. Having the pairs close together seems to make them more stable.
no subject
My sincerest apologies, Mollymauk Tealeaf, [he even offers a small bow,] I have never encountered a thing like this before so it had completely slipped my mind. I thought 'magic word' would make it work better. [His skills in magic are basic and below, he honestly thought this was the 'solution'.]
Next to each other, huh? [He offers his device to test it out with hers, but looking a bit on edge, expecting everything and nothing.]
no subject
Don't worry about it. I'm Paine.
[She refrains from asking a question about his second name in hopes that it might forestall comment on her own. It doesn't surprise her that he does have a second name--but surely his people can't be called the Tealeaves?
Anyway, that doesn't have anything to do with this technological puzzle. She pushes her device closer to his, but there doesn't seem to be any resonance between this pair.]
Where are you hearing the voices come from? Just the one you've got in your hand, or have you been able to track any others down?
no subject
Greatest pleasure. [No his people aren't Tealeaves, even he isn't a Tealeaf, but it's a long, convoluted story that's perhaps better shared with drinks to keep it all down. Also, right now, he's more interested in the voices he's been hearing because he's a foot away from thinking he went nuts.]
In between the hissing and screeching [he means the static] I could hear people I know having normal conversation. Aside from that, nothing. I came out to see if maybe changing the distance will make it better. If I walk around perhaps...
no subject
How far away is the partner for the one you're holding?
3
So she follows the direction of the sound, only to find an actual person there after all. Granted, Molly looks a little different from most people Ange knows - she certainly hasn't seen anyone with purple skin before, mostly - but he also doesn't really seem like one of the locals.
Maybe a new person who immediately got themselves into trouble? Who knows. ]
What's wrong? [ Ange's voice is calm - perhaps a little too calm, considering the situation. But she has no idea what happened to Molly, and it's not like she can actually see any real danger around them right now.
All she can go off is what he's saying. That, and the way he's leaning against that tree, which makes her figure-- ]
Can you see?
no subject
He stiffens when he hears another's voice, ready to reach for his sword; it won't be of much use fighting her whilst blinded like this but it's a defense. It remains sheathed for the moment.]
I didn't expect the mushroom to explode. Mushrooms usually don't explode. [His reach out for the tree trunk ends with success and he leans against it, starting to rummage around his pockets to find a knife or a dagger.]
And no, I can't. But I think I can deal with it in a moment.
no subject
[ .. which, despite the remark sounding so deadpan, she probably just means as a warning that all sorts of unexpected things can happen here..
But at least Ange doesn't leave it at an unhelpful statement, though she's wondering what to do here. She figures she shouldn't get close to where the powder is still in the air, or she'll just be blinded too. And while she has the ability to attack the plant from a distance, the mushroom has probably already released most of its spores..
(Maybe? Honestly, Ange isn't even close to being an expert when it comes to nature.) ]
You could also follow the sound of my voice. It didn't reach over here, so maybe you'll be able to see again when you get out of there.
3!
Once Mollymauk starts stumbling about, it's time to intervene. He jogs over, feet intentionally loud against the dirt path below. ]
Hello there, friend! Got spored, did you? [ He reaches towards Molly, placing the palm of his hand underneath his elbow for support. ] What happened? Tingly fingers? Itching? Digestive distress?
[ Actually... ]
...wait, can you not see?
no subject
Blindness, yes, it was black and white just a second ago but now it's complete darkness. [And he doesn't like it one bit.]
I do think I can deal with it in a moment. [He needs to get his wits about him and remember what was that he had to do to cure this 'ailment'.] Hopefully it's not temporary because then I can't deal with it.
no subject
[ Claude kind of wants to go harvest them, just in case... but no, then he might get blinded too, and then they're going to be in a lot more trouble than they are now. Later, he promises himself. Maybe if he can borrow someone's glasses and cover his mouth and nose with a mask, he can harvest it and prepare those properties without having to commit to it in the moment.
With that decided, he turns to look at Mollymauk -- an odd looking stranger to be sure, between the horns upon his head and his purple skin. He's never seen anyone quite like it, though by now he's seen enough non-humans to realize that there's far more than just the human race out there. ]
Well, this isn't a great place to wait around for it. What you probably need is to get into town to see a healer. C'mon, I'll lead you there. That way, even if you wanna wait it out, you're not far from someone who can help.
[ Especially if it gets worse. But his eyes don't look so bad. ]
2 (also i'm sorry)
But that's when she spots a rather peculiar looking person. And a big smile spreads to her lips. Red eyes. Purple skin. Horns. Yeah. That all tracks! It's so nice to see that there is actually someone who she could be familiar with. Well, if not then maybe he knows about Palmon!
(Because sorry, Molly. She thinks you're a Digimon.)
She does approach him with a carefree expression on her face and sits next to him.]
Hm? No, it's fine. My feet are too tired for dancing anyway. Is your singing really that bad?
(never be sorry!)
Stopping to actually focus for a moment, he gives the girl a curious look. Okay, young, maybe shouldn't be lurking around at parties like these, he's not known to have a filter sometimes. But she also doesn't look too put off by everything, and who is Molly to judge if one takes into account his history (
or lack thereof).]Fair, that's fair. As for the singing- yes, it's atrocious. [Okay, maybe not THAT bad, but it's still not so good.] Besides, there are plenty of people that sing so much better than me, why take the spotlight?!
no subject
She keeps eyeing him curiously, trying to determine just what kind of Digimon she's dealing with here. In her experience most evil Digimons were pretty forward about their intentions, aside from the weaker ones that had to rely on the wits rather than their strength. But based on this one's appearance alone Mimi would guess he's pretty evolved Digimon.
Besides, Mimi is nothing but trusting. Really.]
I'm Mimi, by the way. Have you been able to find any of your friends yet?
no subject
He gives her a small bow with a flourish before introducing himself-] Mollymauk Tealeaf, a pleasure to meet you Mimi! [This introduction was usually followed by either him rattling off the carnival info or getting a threatening backup from the Nein because politeness sometimes doesn't work. Now, neither follows.
And Mollymauk takes a seat next to her by the bonfire.]
Not quite yet, [although, not for the lack of trying.] But until figuring out what's going on, perhaps it's better this way. And what of you?
no subject
Mollymoo-- that's a mouthful! [And weird one, especially for a Digimon. Especially since it doesn't seem to end with the usual 'mon'. Maybe he's being rebellious and trying something new for himself? Who knows.]
Nuh-huh. No luck. I can't find the rest of DigiDestined or Palmon anywhere. You wouldn't have happen to see one around?
no subject
A confused look crosses his face for a moment as he contemplates- he knows nothing or what even means DigiDestined but Palmon sounds like a name..]
Not sure what DigiDestined is, but I can keep an eye out for your friend. What do they look like?
no subject
But it's his confusion and ignorance that makes her brows knit in a worrying frown. Because really? It's not like she knew personally all Digimons out there but so far pretty much knew about them. So weird?]
Eh?! You don't know? Even though we fixed the distortion for your guys and saved the world.. [She whines. A little gratitude would be nice, you know. But she doesn't let her disappointment to stick too long. It's not fair to get frustrated with Molly here.]
You must be still a child then, Molly.
no subject
Mollymon?Now, it was Molly's turn to look confused- first by the word 'distortion' and 'things being fixed' - you can't fix Exandria, no matter how much you wanted to. Yes, things can get better for some people and you can do your best, but you can't help everyone. That's just... impossible.
Second of all- child?]
Do I... look like a child? [He's not sure if he feels complimented (he looks young) or insulted (he looks dumb). Oh dear...]
I am not sure what you are talking about dear but- I'm pretty sure there wasn't any distortion in my world. Unless you mean political corruption, but that ain't getting fixed any time soon.
no subject
I guess we helped by beating up that annoying Frog King, TonosamaGekomon. Does that count?
[But honestly? This is getting so weird. She had originally assumed Molly to be at least on Adult stage -- perhaps even Perfect? But it's his confusion and ignorance that makes her doubt that. Maybe he's still a new digimon who hasn't had the chance to learn about what happened at the Digimon world all those years ago.
Still! A faint pink flush from the frustration blooms on her cheeks]</small] Just what kind of Digimon are you anyway?
3!
As it is, he watches him poke the mushrooms a bit, until one of them pops, right as he's thinking of going over and asking what he's doing. How cool! Except, now it's released spores and that's usually not good, at least in his experience. The spores ones are bad. The laughing mushrooms are fun. Welp, these are definitely not laughing mushrooms.
He bounds up to him as he stops in the road, half concerned, half taking charge.
Hey, are you okay? I saw what you were doing back there. We should probably get you somewhere where you can wash off and then go to a clinic or something.
Leaving the spores on him can't be good.