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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
Naoya Toudou - Persona 1
Well, that's rude.
[He dusts off the sand, and realizing that none of his friends are around, wonders if something happened when Maki sent him back to the 'real world'. He idly rubs the single earring he has, thinking out loud.]
Well, it doesn't seem to be home, or there, so maybe there's another force at work here.
[He looks at the nearest person. Looks like he wants your advice.]
Where were you before this happened?
MAKE A FRIEND (PERSONA 1 SPOILERS)
[There is, in front of you, a teenager close to a giant bird Chocobo that slightly towers him. Concentrated by the task at hand, he doesn't notice the other presense. However, instead of trying to get away or trying to catch it, he's singing to it. The bird tilts its head, a little confused. He stops the serenade and -]
So? Are you a demon? Do you want to give me your card now? [Squawk!] Ahh so maybe you're just a giant bird, I guess. Worth a try.
[He stops singing to place his hands on his hips, briefly sighing.]
This would be much easier if Eriko would be here. [Squawk!] Sorry, that's one of my friend's name. She is a demon expert! It made it easier to get cards. [Squawk?] Ahh the cards we gave to Igor so he could turn them into Personas...but to think of it, I don't think I've seen the Velvet room door anywhere here.
[He sits on a rock, to rub a hand on his single earring to think, as the bird scoots a little closer. He's tamed it somehow? Or maybe it's just curious.]
A PILE OF JUNK
[One man's junk is another man's treasure, or, more to this case, the utter confusion of someone still living in 1996 looking at all this fancy technology. He seems utterly fascinated by the devices more than trying to put them back together.]
How can it be so flat and still work?
[A true mystery.]
WILDCARD
[ Any other ideas are welcome! ]
Sand and salt
She also looks oddly familiar.]
Dunno.
[Wait.]
...Toudou?
[Fuck.]
no subject
Yuuki?
[Squints.]
Did you...get a wig?
no subject
The hell kind of question is that?
[Clearly they're off to a great start already.]
[But now she's squinting in turn, because the last time she saw him - which admittedly was quite some time ago - he certainly didn't look this young. And that's giving her a sinking feeling, because she's pretty sure she just left this kind of time-fucking bullshit. ("Left." Was kicked out. Whatever. Her mind is currently refusing to stick on the details, which is probably for the best right now.)]
Toudou. What year is it, for you?
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[So, you know. He blinks at the question, realization setting in.]
1996.
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Last time I was home... [whenever that was]... it was 1999.
no subject
I see...
[A pause.]
So you've got adult responsibilities now.
no subject
I guess...
no subject
Sorry. I was just trying to sound cool and mature despite my age, since you seem to be that type now. Well that, and try to make light of the situation we seem to be in.
no subject
I don't think I'd go that far...
[Being partnered with Maya notwithstanding. Yukino loves Maya dearly, but Maya's definition of "responsible adult" is... questionable, sometimes.
None of which has to do with their current situation. Yukino sighs.]
I wanna say it could be worse, but I'm not willing to believe it isn't, yet.
no subject
[Ahh, there's that protag talk again.]
That's okay. It's good to prepare, just in case. I don't think I've seen a Tadashi store.
[OR A CASINO.]
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Thanks.
Expanding the chain to whatever dimension this is would be pretty impressive, not gonna lie.
[As long as his son doesn't come with. Yukino doesn't think she could handle that level of secondhand embarrassment.]
no subject
It would be worth it just to see Kei's reaction.
[Despite it all, he has his mischievous streak.]
By the way, my last memory before coming here was when Maki return us to our world, so that's why I thought something wrong had happened.
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Oh, he'd haaaaaate that.
[She's pretty sure he's gonna hate that song until he breathes his last. Probably after that, even.
She almost tells him her last memory before coming here, but it's already fading alarmingly. And the last clear memory she has is probably not something she should be dumping on his head. Hell, she's not sure whether it's even a good idea to tell him what life in 1999 was like before she was yanked into Liminal Space.
Instead, she just gives him a dry look.]
I mean, if you wanna get technical, something wrong has happened.
no subject
[Maybe get punched in the face for it - worth it. He does notice that she doesn't tell him back what her last memory is. He won't pry, however. It's in the future. Maybe it's better to wait for it to happen. He had always been like that, regardless. He'd been planning on leaving for three years, and suggest they meet again at her age.]
That's true. [He cracks his fingers before stretching.] I still have my sword and gun, and I can hear my Personas so at least if something attacks us, I can fight back.
At worst maybe I can find a frying pan.
no subject
[If nothing else, it'll be funny.
And then she does a quick inventory check, both physical and metaphysical.]
Personas, check. Throwing blades and rifle, also check, but I'm not sure how well they work right now.
[They certainly look a lot more technologically advanced than the ones he might remember her having. Maybe a little too advanced for 1999.]
BAH I never got the notif sorry
(no subject)
make a friend!
And then- wait. Demons? Cards? Igor-
He knows about Personas. Igor. The Velvet Room. Knowing about the last two is the most important thing, because nobody from Strega should have known about that. Sure, they'd dealt with Strega before she'd arrived, but time here seems to be more of a suggestion than anything concrete. It's a gamble to reveal herself, but- well! Nothing ventured, nothing gained! And if this guy is a threat, better to reveal herself and learn it before Ken stumbles across this man.]
Hey! [She hops down off the rock she'd been perched on with a friendly smile and a wave, trying to get his attention without spooking the giant bird.] You're a Persona-user, mister?
no subject
Yeah! Are you too?
[The fact he seems to both acknowledge it and ask it back like they were discussing the weather is odd.]
no subject
There are a bunch here! Usually people don't really talk about it that often, though.
If you know Igor, do you have more than one Persona?
no subject
We didn't either, but I figure this world doesn't have a Velvet Room or Trish's Fountain, then it's not like it's a bad thing to talk about.
[See? Perfectly logical. Unlike what this stranger is talking about, as he slightly tilts his head.]
That's an odd question to ask...[But he takes it at face value. There's no reason not to trust this stranger in front of him for now. Besides, he feels an odd sort of kinship.]...why wouldn't we have more than one Persona? My friends and I all went to the Velvet Room together to change them...
no subject
I dunno, in my experience, most people only have one. I thought it was pretty rare for people to have more than one! Since they're like... people told me it represents their "true self" or whatever.
["People," as if it's not something she has direct experience with. What can she say, he's weird enough that it's hard to know if it's okay to trust him.]
But you went with all of your friends? That's kind of cool!
Sorry about him also time for some P1...shenegans
Huh. Well, from what I remember, Philmon told us that Persona are representations of our other selves. The self capable of love, the self capable of cruelty...[A pause as he recalls what happened in school.] That and if your heart isn't strong enough, your Persona might end up dominating you. So that's why Persona by themselves aren't good or bad, but rather a reflection of the shape of your heart.
[Then he shrugs.]
I think that's all of it? If either Nanjo or Elly were here, they'd probably be able to talk more about it, honestly.
[He stands up, smiling a little, putting his hands on his hips.]
Sometimes it might have been easier to go alone. Arguments happened about what type of cards we should give Igor to turn into Persona. [Well than and his friends argued a lot in general.] I'm...sorry if it was different for you. [He sounds genuinely confused.] Does it mean your friends only had the Personas they awoke with? I remember when one of the students under the Snow Queen's influence was able to lock away our Personas and we had to get them back in Tartarus.
[...WELL.]
a pile of junk
[ Granted, it's not like Ange is really all that much more familiar with the technology than him, given that she's from only two years later in time than him.. Certainly not enough time to be used to anything even remotely close to tablets.
Which is probably why she looks like she's not having much luck with putting together any of this either as she's sitting there - and it might be part of the reason why she's speaking up to the other, rather than focusing on the devices for another moment.
(Or maybe Ange just can't resist a good opportunity to get in a deadpan remark, her pokerface as impressive as ever as she speaks up.) ]
no subject
no subject
[ See, Ange is willing to believe this, considering the sheer ridiculousness of the events she went through before ending up in this place instead - and, let's face it, this place is by itself fairly ridiculous as well.
And yet she can't help but deadpan about it just a little bit as she speaks up. ]
Just out of nowhere?