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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
no subject
She hadn't even had to introduce herself the first time. She'd had Junpei and Yukari, and then later, Akihiko. But she smiles anyway, even if it doesn't quite reach her eyes.]
Oh... that's too bad. I'm Kotone Shiomi. I was a second year at Gekkoukan.
[She offers him her hand in case he wants to stand up.]
Nice to meet you.
no subject
At least he's still pretty soaked, so the darker stains of blood aren't too obvious on his shirt. The front of it, at least. He'll leave the coat draped mostly-flat across the sand for now, since it's probably still absolutely sopping wet.]
Shinjiro Aragaki. As you knew from halfway across the beach. [For all his faults, he's always been nothing if not perceptive. hell, he'd spent the last two years doing little more then simply being witness to all the bullshit of the city. Paying attention and noticing these things just comes easily.]
What're you doing out here, anyway?
no subject
Then Shinjiro had been here, and then left her again. Then Ken had told her about all the things that had happened since she died. Their lives had gone on without her.
Still, moping isn't going to solve anything! She lowers her hand and takes a step back to give him his personal space back, instead clasping them behind her back in case they start to shake.]
You're pretty distinctive-looking, Aragaki-senpai, [she teases lightly, even if it feels like her smile might crack at the corners.] Anyway, I was running. What are you doing out here?
no subject
He nods along as she speaks, mentally finding more holes that may or may not exist in what she says. She was a second year. (Transferred out after? Probably. It's the middle of the semester after all, right?) There's a pretty good chance she would have never seen him at school. Akihiko would always manage to ditch his hangers-on before he got too far from school, so she's probably not a stalker. Sure, he might look distinctive, whatever she means by that, but she'd still need to know something and--
Well. Whatever. It'll play out however it plays out.]
Drying off.
[I mean, that's easy enough of an answer. He brings up a hand to comb through his hair, only for it to get caught on too many knots and sand-- Ah, fuck it. He'll just shake it out.]
I landed in the damn water. [He'd give more of an explanation for that.... if he had one. Look, he's yet to connect the dots between "I got shot and died" and "I landed in the ocean."] 'Least it's cleaner than the Port Island harbour. Probably.
no subject
Still, she has no idea how many holes he's poking in her story, though maybe she should have guessed. Shinji's always been perceptive, except when it mattered like realizing that people would miss him if something happened to him, and that he deserves to be alive, etc. etc. All she can do is clench her hands together behind her back instead of reaching forward to laugh and see if she can help him untangle his hair. Maybe he wouldn't punch a strange girl for being too familiar, but it would definitely freak him out! So she'll pass on that.]
Welcome to Aldrip, then! You just got here, right?
[And maybe that explains why she used the past tense was for her second year, not that she thinks there's anything weird about the statement.]
I've been here for a couple months, so I can show you around if you want. Maybe lend you a hair brush...?
[Teasing, again... C'mon buddy, that's going to be a nightmare if it dries like that.]
no subject
He's still gonna take her up on it, of course. Salt water and thick knotted hair is an awful combination. But that doesn't mean he has to look happy.]
Yeah. Never heard of the place, though.
[A huffed exhale, and he bends down to grab that woolen coat, slinging it up and over his shoulder. It's still absolutely dripping and it probably weighs thirty pounds but it's his coat and he's not gonna leave it here. Besides, damn near everything he owns is in his pockets.]
I'll take you up on that. Both offers. Shiomi you said, right? [lmao hes too rude for any -san at the end, sorry girl.
But despite his suspicion and general cageyness over-- this whole damn weird situation, really-- He can at least recognize when someone's going out of their way to help him.]
Thanks. That'd probably be better than laying out here until I rot.
no subject
[At least the scowl doesn't do anything other than brighten her smile, just a bit. If he wasn't at least a little grumpy, she'd suspect he wasn't Shinjiro at all! Still, she watches the way he grabs his coat and slings it over his shoulder -- specifically, watching to see if he's injured at all. It's impossible for her to tell from here if there's blood on his clothes, but if he's hurt, maybe she'd be able to tell from the way he carries himself? She can try, anyway.
It's a relief that he'll let her do this much, at least. It's not like she can't blame him for being suspicious -- if he forgot her, he forgot her, and crying and moping isn't going to do anything except make him awkward and uncomfortable.]
Anyway, yeah, Shiomi's fine. Is it okay if I keep calling you "senpai?" Or is something else better?
[Whatever his answer, she turns on her heel to lead the way to town, expecting him to follow behind her. The idea of him laying out here until he rots... nope! That's a bad one! Hate thinking about that! So she simply won't.]
things that would have been great to read before right now: that part of the FAQ
[Look he feels pretty bad all over. Way more than his usual 'my body is failing me constantly' sort of way. The sleep deprivation and pavement-hitting definitely hasn't helped. And-- you know. Everything else. No matter how much he hates his persona, though, Castor has always kept him healing a bit faster. And anything feels better than actively having shrapnel in your lungs or liver or whatever it was that got all chunked up when he got shot.
Suffice to say: he's not worrying about it right now. He's not doing great. But he doesn't seem to be dying. That's good(?) enough.
A one-shouldered shrug is the basic response to her query about how to refer to him. But after a moment, he'll clarify.]
Yeah, that's fine. Doesn't really matter to me. So where's this Aldrip place? [It feels funny in his mouth when he says it. Way too many consonants. Definitely not anyplace near where he's familiar with.]
NO WORRIES it's tdm so *vaguely wiggles my hand*
Still, maybe she can figure out a way to offer him a place to stay. His old room without telling him it was his. Let him get some rest, let him-- she doesn't know. What is she supposed to do with a Shinji who doesn't remember her? It's hard.]
It'll be easier to explain "where" once we get to the library. I don't have a map on me. [But she can at least try to explain some of the other stuff, even if she's much more the type to let others handle the complicated explanations while she just listens and nods. Needs must, etc. etc.] As for the situation... you woke up with a piece of paper in your pocket, right? Accusing you of a crime?
true in impulse TDMing you cannot be held accountable for crimes
Oh. Yeah.
[That motherfucker of a piece of paper. He'd gotten so comfortably nestled in his self-loathing and unwillingness to be that he'd almost managed to put it out of his mind. So of course he can deflect with dry shitty humor.]
I was surprised they managed to pick just one. [He's not quite the thuggish delinquent he looks like, but lets be real: there's been plenty of shady stuff even from just being part of SEES. Pretty sure taking out that Shadow in the mall counted as breaking and entering.]
What about it?
[Sorry, Kotone. He's not that talkative even on a good day. Guess the explanation's wholly in your court.]
so true
Also uuuggghhh explanations... where's Mitsuru when you need her?? No, wait, that would be worse, because then she'd have to explain it to Mitsuru too, and Mitsuru would probably ask even more questions...!]
Basically we're supposed to be "judged" for those crimes. We're all kind of stuck here until that happens, I think. Town's usually pretty nice, though, if a little bit old-fashioned compared to what we're used to.
no subject
He lets out a slow exhale at that. You know what? More than anything, he's just-- tired. Because it all comes back to this, doesn't it? Over and over. No matter how final things had seemed, no matter how he'd tried to handle it...]
...So it's still not enough, huh.
[It's said down towards the sand as they walk, muttered mostly to himself. Not that he minds if she hears. What would she know about it, anyway. His browlines are inching closer and closer together in a deep furrow, looking down at their path, doing that likely-familiar thing of sinking entirely too deeply into his thoughts. Never a great place to stay for too long.
Ah-- but she's still here, huh. He should... say something to her, other than just weird mumbling to himself.]
So... basically we're all just cons hanging out on a beach? [great conversation save, aragaki, this is why you're such a pro, you fuckin idiot.]
SORRY my brain just like powered off all weekend 😩
She glances back at him, letting him have his Moment without interrupting. It's a lot to take in, and it's possible that the last thing he remembers is, well. October. Her heart twists painfully at the reminder, and she faces straight ahead again, careful not to lose her footing in the sand as she works on keeping her face neutrally friendly.
When he finally speaks up again, she looks back again and shrugs.]
Not just on a beach. Most people spend their time in town, I think. For a "bunch of cons," everybody's been really nice to me so far, though.
[Like, maybe that's more because it's her than any overabundance of nice people though?? His mileage may vary.]
It's like, really rural though. Brace yourself.
Wow not prioritizing a tdm thread hdu (I hope you got good rest!!!)
Another slow exhale, and he shrugs. Beach-Town full of cons, but they ain't bad. Sounds about right.]
"So far"-- how long you been here then? [Not that he can conceptualize the future at this moment, but the words fill the air and the space between them, give him something to distract his attention with.
Her warning of "really" rural gets a questioning sideye. Because he's lived in a midsized city his whole damn life. How rural we talking. No stopping by a corner store at 2 am rural??? No power grid rural? You-will-have-to-grow-your-own-food rural?]
You warn me about that like they don't even got streetlights or something...
i simply played baldurs gate all weekend!!! (it was fantastic)
Hard to say. Six months or so, I think?
[Which is a wild concept that she tries not to think about too much. Every day she wakes up and is still alive is one more than she'd expected, after all! It feels weird to try to count them as anything other than that.
But yeah, it's rural rural.]
I mean... there's electricity! [said doubtfully.] Like, we have refrigerators and stuff, but no TV or internet. What do you like to do for fun, Senpai?
[As if she doesn't know his hobbies are cooking and feeding dogs...]
A correct use of your time tbh!!!
Shit-- okay. So it's a long haul.
[He brings up a hand to rub at his eyes with a frustrated exhale. Six Months. Damn. Maybe he can just say he's guilty and fast track back to being dead.
But then she's starting small talk, and he might look even more pained than he did before.]
I'm not really... I'm not in any clubs or anything. Can't say I have any.
[More lies as she likely well knows.]
M'sure I'll find something to do here. Other than lay on the ground. [you know his only real activity here so far.]
it's so good!!!
[She glances back at him again, a little sympathetically in spite of her best efforts when she hears that sigh. It'll take some work, but maybe she can help him see that it's not so bad, being alive. Even if it's just temporary.
Ah. She still has to tell him Ken is here. That's... hm. Hm. Okay, no, that's complicated. Maybe not. Maybe talk to Ken first and then tell Shinji? Or just let Ken handle it. Is it mean to make a 13-year-old handle this, or is it like, being a leader and delegating responsibilities? Hmmmmmm....
Anyway, welcome to small talk, Kotone will be your guide today, because that's way easier than trying to decide if warning Shinji about Ken is the right thing to do.]
You could join my clubs if you want! [And it's a weird sense of deja vu, because one of them she hadn't started herself, but had nagged a certain someone into making.] I made a sewing club and a cooking club. I got tired of laying on the ground doing nothing.
[Granted, for a busybody like her, that hadn't taken very long at all, but-]
Oh, I help out Astralin-san on his farm, and I work part-time at Dazai-san's bar. I might pick up another job, too...
no subject
(Though. If he knew her and maybe was less sore on the "I hate myself and I'm mad I'm not dead right now" bit... With a bit of prodding, he'd likely agree.)
But he catches his tongue and slows to a stop, staring at the back of her head inquisitivly. And instead of an outright refusal, he'll ask bluntly:]
Why?
[That's not a specific question, Shinjiro. And so he frowns and tries to refine it some.]
Why ask me, I mean. Unless this is your opening pitch for every idiot you find out here.
no subject
The hands behind her back squeeze each other a bit more tightly, and she forces another smile. It's hard, though. It's like back in February, back at the beginning of March, when every day had been a struggle. When everyone had forgotten.]
Sometimes! [she says through her attempt at a smile.] I guess you're saying I should work on the recruitment speech a little more, huh?
[That's not what he's saying and she knows it. And yet, giving him the real reason is too hard to explain.]
no subject
You're pretty bad at this, you know. [And he'll let it go, continuing walking. An acknowledgement that he isn't buying her cheery happy 'oh well sanada-san told me about you so I dashed across the beach and want to invite you to cooking club'.... but also that he won't demand answers.
After all, he can be pretty bad at bullshitting sometimes, too.]
So how'd a second year end up working a bar? The rules must be lax around here.
no subject
Maybe she should be grateful that he's letting her off the hook relatively easily, but it doesn't feel like it. She starts walking again, desperately trying to keep some of that cheer in her voice.]
Well, you said it yourself, right? We're all a bunch of criminals.
[She is trying to make a joke. She is trying so hard. Normally she'd laugh and wink, but as it is, she just manages another little smile as she glances back at him.]
Anyway, I'm friends with the owner. Dazai-san is a really interesting guy!
[Osamu Dazai, former mafioso and murderer, summed up as "a really interesting guy."]
no subject
But she's here, she's offered him information and a hairbrush, and he's not too prideful to turn down either when he's completely lost. She walks, and he follows, trusting wherever she leads if a step up from laying there and doing nothing.]
-Yeah, guess you're right. Hard to act like we got morals now. [Both their dry jokes are strained (if he's joking? Sometimes it's unclear.) But at least they're trying.]
Yeah? Interesting how?
guess who finally got covid lol 😩
Still, it hurts. Lots of things hurt, though, so she does what she does best and keeps that feeling locked deep inside, refusing to let it be audible in her voice.]
Dazai-san is... [Hm...] Pretty unique! He has a lot of history. Maybe he'll tell you about it sometime.
He thinks he's my mentor, though, so he's been teaching me all kinds of things. [Like how to mix drinks and how to lie better. You know, normal mentor things. Anyway, welcome to Aldrip! As they crest a small hill, the town itself comes into view, dominated by rustic, vaguely Western-styled architecture. The general fashion vibe of the townsfolk out and about is decidedly more than a century into the past on top of it, just to add to the #aesthetic. She slows a few steps worth to give Shinji time to take in the sight of the town's outskirts, but doesn't fully stop.]
OH NO I hope it went gently on you! (And then my life was busy lol)
But hey, lookit this! Civilization. Or what passes for it. Super rural, just as she had warned. He'd never thought he's miss concrete and spit-stained asphalt. But hey, guess this is just where he is at this point in time. And he's pretty sure there's no going back.]
...You weren't kidding about it being rural.
[At least he's never been self conscious about sticking out- what with his soaked turtleneck and jeans and carrying that huge shitty coat. Definitely doesn't blend in. But hey- neither does too?
Oh well, might as well open up at least a little. Mostly because he's curious. Everything feels physical and real...? But also completely impossible. And hey, she offered to be a guide.]
So did everyone have to die to get here? Or what happened for you guys?
it did not! and then it was my life that got super busy i'm so sorry 😩
And yeah, it's rural. Charmingly so, some might say. Honestly, she doesn't even mind it too much. It's not like she really used the internet or her phone all that often. Usually people were the ones calling her, and the charms work well enough for that purpose. The shops are convenient, and the locals are friendly (for now... she has no idea this will change in about a month).]
Yeah! [she agrees, offering a wave to one of the locals as they pass by.] It's kind of nice, though, usually.
[But oh. He's asking that already, huh...? Anxiety grips her heart in a vise, and she doesn't answer for a long several seconds. When she'd told Shinji before that he wasn't dead, he really, really hadn't taken it well. Maybe it's better to let him believe that he is...? She'll talk to Ken about it, but after what happened last time, maybe it's better to feign ignorance.
And then there's the bigger question of telling him about herself. Well, if he doesn't remember her, he won't be sad to learn the truth, right? Easier to get that out of the way, at least.
She forces another smile as she glances back to him. No point sugarcoating it for someone like Shinji. He'd hate that, she's sure of it.]
Some of us died back home, but not everyone here. Most of my friends aren't!
[So in short: she's dead, no comment on his fate, and other people didn't die. Lucky them.]