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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
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[However, he had slept in worse places in his youth. That was a few decades ago, and he wasn't any better for it. No matter, if his coat was dried out by then, it would be a blanket that he would even consider sharing with Jinx if she felt like sleeping.]
We may have to consider finding our own food than relying on others to do it for us.
[He sat up more and lifted his arms so that he could accommodate her bandaging him.]
But I am open to suggestions. You have been here longer than I have.
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Huh? But why? ( she somewhat understands his reasoning, but when it comes to people like usagi or shinchi who helped her along thus far... )
Some people have been kind enough to help me. If they know good places to eat or whatever, why not take their advice?
( jinx returns back to wrapping him up, only a few more layers and that should be enough, she thinks. hopefully the kit comes with little clips to keep it all in place. )
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[He had eaten a lot of vermin as a boy. His family was very poor, and he was just another mouth to feed after a fourteen-hour shift in the fissures. He had to learn to contribute or go hungry quickly. It's why he never, ever forgot where he came from, and it's where he learned the gift of trading up.]
But the use of freely given information should never be discounted. We should be cautious though. Everyone here is a criminal, no?
[Criminality had very little weight in the undercity. It was a free city that traded in all manner of goods that others would consider illegal or elicit. There were rules, but loyalty had once bound them together. In the end, it was about survival and profiting even at the cost of the weak.]
I don't want you to go hungry.
dont mind me, just goofing around with the narrative by throwing in some german (:
but even if the enforcer believes she is innocent, she is in straight denial. her crime is waltzing into her life and brainwashing her sister to be on her side. so is it wrong to have a little faith on people like usagi, shinichi, scott, and ragna for instance? with the clamps ready, jinx slants forward to put them all in place. and ta-da, es ist vollbracht, gut gut. with all of that finished, she scoots up the rest of the materials and shove them all back into the kit. maybe it's better for her to keep this on hand (even though it doesn't belong to her) in case for another future emergency. )
I won't, I promise.
( except she kinda is already. )
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It wasn't that he was against any kind of allies; he knew he was going to need his fair share and that meant offering something else in return of value. It would take him time to determine if someone was worth his loyalty, and that would take time. He wasn't exactly one to trust that easily, especially in a foreign place where he knew there would be a least a small handful of people looking to kill him from the get-go.]
Good. We'll find you something to eat now that we're done here.
[The moment that the bandages were secured he was already pulling his clothing back on. It would need a good wash, but for now, he wasn't going to waste time on that. No, he wanted to be away from the inn and finding a safe spot to rest while Jinx likely sought food.]
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the teen does a quick inspection over the gemstone -- no cracks to be seen or any indication of foul-play. just it's usual smooth and cool surface that she finds oddly satisfying whenever her fingertips touches it. although she had laid her eyes on this stone so many times, it's still so mesmerize to look at. maybe it's also enchanted with a spell to have anyone gaze upon its mystic aura. )
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And there it was. The hextech gemstone. It reminded him of his brief negotiation with the Talis boy. He closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. That's where all of his carefully laid plans had gone all wrong. He had underestimated the boy.]
Are you bringing that with you, or are you finding a new hiding spot in the inn here?
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I'm bringin' it. Dunno who else can bounce around or fly here.
( because surely someone in this world can and she wouldn't want to take any chances of someone stumbling upon it. especially when she had already put it on display for everyone to see when she arrived here on the network. on her feet now with both the bag and kit in her possession, jinx takes a step to stand beside him -- waiting for him to lead the way. )
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[He watched her for a long moment then simply nodded his head. He propelled himself into motion with some effort, making for the back door rather the front. Leave it locked for now and people could find their way back in long after he and Jinx had slipped away to find a safe place to hide out.
Yet, he stopped once they had entered into a kitchen on the other side of the bar and looked to Jinx.]
Grab something to eat before we leave.
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she didn't take note they were in the kitchen straight away, but when she does, her face lights up like she just received the most biggest present she could ever asked for. tittering, the teen scurries off to see what this kitchen had to offer -- opening fridges, cabinets, or essentially anything with a door. his daughter manages to score a few things in her little hunt. a few bread rolls (with one already in her mouth), baked potatoes, hard boiled eggs, pastries, and some sort of pottage (in which she poured into a bowl). the owner of this inn is fairly lucky jinx had limited hands and the bag she used to store everything (besides the pottage bowl) -- along with a jug of fruit juice is becoming a slight nuisance to carry. otherwise, there really wouldn't be anything left behind besides crumps for the rats. )
( fighting to keep everything in her hands and balanced, she waddles her way back to her father with an enormous grin on her face. she simply can't wait for them to find a place to rest while she guzzles this down like a wildebeest. the teen isn't sure if her findings will be enough to subdue her hunger, but this has to do something for her. it's way better than how she had been eating anyway. )
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He watched her gather all manner of food items in an awkward balance, coughing into the back of his hand as she approached.]
Shall we?
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( translation: yes, they shall. it's hard to say anything with a bread roll jammed in her mouth. if only she could chow down on it now, but that would mean it will fall to the ground! maybe she can lead them to some abandon homes that she stumbled upon a week or so ago when she wanted scott to demonstrate his ability. but will an abandon cottage have furniture inside? one can only hope or at least a couch for him to lie on. and whenever they do head outside, look at that — it looks like the sun is on its way to set. )
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As she knew the town better than he did at this point, he would follow her and study the lay out of the place.]
TIMESKIP A LITTLE BIT —; i'm not done rping with you!
during that time, jinx had eaten everything she had scavenged as the two of them settled in the main living room area. jinx is currently sitting on the floor, cross-legged behind a coffee table. there's also a nice comfy couch if silco wishes to lie and rest for a while. and if he did decide to nap, she'd be quiet the entire time. instead, she'll be fiddling with her charm -- checking if there had been any recent updates on the network (answer: not really) then explores other functions. his daughter discovered last month these things have a private and filter function if one wanted to switch any conversations to be more exclusive via network. she hadn't told anyone about her newest discovery yet, not even her sister. and she has a half of mind to keep it that way. she's working on trusting her father and her sister, but... having hidden conversations is a lot like lying, isn't it? if she can prevent the lying cycle from repeating itself, she'll do whatever she can to make it so. )
<3 <3
Silco took none of the food for himself; he was too sore to consider eating anyway. No, he found himself a spot on the couch and within minutes of testing it out under his weight he even lay down. His feet hung over one of the arms, and he pillowed his head on one of his arms as he lay on his side. There was, technically, enough room for Jinx to perch precariously too. He did sleep fitfully, unable to fully get comfortable and mentally exhausted and knowing he was safe with Jinx.
Still, it wasn't long and he was awake again and watching her fiddle with the charm. The way she was focusing on it.]
I expect that's more than jewelry. Show me how it works?
[While he was interested and could probably figure it out himself, Jinx had always been a quick-study on gadgets. It would be faster and give them more opportunity to bond over her interests.]
no subject
Right! So... this thing connects to the, uh, announcements thing. You can record your voice, make a video hologram, or have it write out what you're sayin'.
( she lifts up the necklace and lightly taps the center of the charm. the jewelry spark to show it's being activated and rearing to go: )
You can say, "Call..." then the name or "network" and it'll connect to someone or the thing. If you wanna write, you say "Text..." or "Video" if you wanna broadcast yourself.
( of course with her saying "call network", the charm is already beaming up to do its thing, in which jinx quickly taps on the center twice with her fingernail to deactivate it. )
no subject
So there is an overall network for people that have similar devices? And does it only broadcast to everyone?
[He was going to fiddle with his once he discovered it and filtering or private functions would be his bread and butter. Silco was a man of secrets, though none from Jinx. He had always maintained honesty anywhere that he could with her, understanding how betrayal had made her suspicious. Ever since Vi had come back, he had found Jinx doubly suspicious of even a hint of untruth.]
Does it display your current location if you broadcast yourself to the network?
[There were going to be many backroom deals in his future. He sighed as he considered how he was starting from the ground up on this one.]
no subject
Yeah, everyone has one of these. And... you can have private conversations with it or broadcast to everyone but leave a few people out of it.
( ugh. but maybe telling her father this won't backfire somehow. everything is out in the open now between her, him, vi, the gemstone, all of it. so what reason is there to lie now or keep secrets from her? )
The location, I... I don't think so. Vi was lookin' for me while we were talking once and she couldn't find me without me telling her so...
no subject
He reached out with a hand to touch Jinx's shoulder lightly with his finger tips.]
So I can keep in contact with you even when we're apart and it will be strictly us. Good.
[He nodded his head where it rested on his arm, and he was putting together all that needed to be done. He would need to find his own charm then and unlock all of its secrets.]
Good. If we are to have a place of our own, the necessary secrets to hold it together until it comes to fruition will be built on this device. I'm going to need you by my side for that. [His successor, as he had always intended.]
cw: issues.
and that's what makes vi and him different. her sister is just so quick to let anyone in and toss her further and further down the list of importance. jinx is fine with her sibling having other people in her life as long as she remains on top of everyone else... like it should or meant to be. she was in her sister's life first so why does she need to share the spot with someone?
but with silco, that dynamic is not like that at all. with him, she knows she will be first and nothing will ever top her or shove her off her pedestal. 'he needs me. he needs me, he needs me, he needs me.' her eyes are large and doe-like to him, nodding obediently and willing to do whatever he wishes for her to do to make him feel comfortable. after all... after what she had done to him, jinx is more than prepared to do just about anything to make it up to him. )
no subject
Jinx was supposed to be part of that, but he had let her in quickly. It wasn't going to be a problem he told himself; she was his daughter and he was far more loyal to her than anyone. No one could mess with her without going through him first, and he wielded a power few could consider standing up against unless they were stupid.
But then the choice had come: Zaun or Jinx. If that boy had known even a fraction of what Jinx meant to him, he wondered if that demand would have been put on the negotiation table. Too late for that now. The tale of Vander the coward and his children had come home to roost for him in that moment.
The moment the dream of Zaun died with little more than a whimper.
His fingers remained lightly on her shoulder as if to ground him to her, to remind himself of the lesson he had refused to acknowledge when he was executing his plan to kill Vander. At her expression, it reminded him of when she had still be struggling between Powder and Jinx, small and crying often while drawing under his desk and curled around his legs like a cat. Blue eyes peering up out of the dark of that space at him.]
This time we'll build a kingdom for us.
no subject
Are you feeling better?
no subject
It was dark enough that his mutilated eye glowed in the increasing dark. So did her newly purple eyes he noted. No doubt most people would be frightened of glowing eyes in the dark, and it didn't matter either as surely most people would be at the beach with the festival? Or in bed.]
No, not particularly. However, it is expected and I will feel better as I heal. How are your hunger pangs?
no subject
It's better. ( she says finally, taking the end of her braid to play with by making miniature twists. her tongue rolls around behind her lips in slight apprehensiveness. it appears she wants to say something or bring up something, but... it's a little awkward. however though, if they are to travel from village to village as planned, they will come across it eventually. so.)
When... — When I got here, I... uh. I made a tombstone. For you. I-In the forest. ( as he can figure out quickly, yeah... pretty awkward now, isn't it? )
Guess I oughta get rid of it?
( or is that still disrespectful? what's the protocol of handling a grave when the dead comes back??? )
no subject
He nodded his head in response, offering a soft 'hmm' as way of verbal response. He knew the satisfaction would be relatively short lived, and she'd have to eat again. Once he had rested a bit longer, he knew he needed to think of a way to source freely accessible food for her until the Shimmer wasn't at a concentration to keep her at top level and running through all her energy.
Yet, his fingers curled against her shoulder when she told him about the grave marker. His eyes flicked from staring ahead over to her sitting so close by.]
Why did you choose to make one in the first place, Jinx?
[They didn't have many graveyards in Zaun; they would take up too much room. People were often memorialized in art around the city instead. That was a better depiction of memory and tended to last longer than some body rotting in the ground.]
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