expiationmeme | TEST DRIVE MEME #2

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TEST DRIVE MEME #2

TEST DRIVE MEME #2

Welcome to the TDM for Expiation, a pan-fandom adventure game with fantasy, science fiction, and sometimes subtle horror elements. We ask that top-level comments are reserved for new characters and players looking to experience a taste of the world and overarching storyline. Characters already in the game, however, are free to use TDM prompts in their own catch-alls and logs. Feel free to submit any TDM / prompt-related questions to the corresponding comment below.

New players / characters looking to app are free to use TDM threads as samples in their application. Preexisting players / characters may use TDM threads as part of their AC proofs (with the stated limitations).

You may find the below links helpful in getting to know themes of the world, locations, the people, and so on.

info | world

BE OUR GUEST

You may possess any number of questioning thoughts as you traverse the blindingly white room and are dropped into a darkness beneath your feet, but perhaps those same thoughts will be replaced with an awe and curiosity as you come to. Expiation has you now and you have joined the ranks of the Chosen, a seemingly select number of individuals who have arrived with parchment either in-hand or near them, detailing physical and mental statistics in addition to a particular crime to which you have been accused.

How you choose to spend your time here is largely up to you...

IT'S A WINDMILL, NOT A GIANT

As you begin to acquaint yourself with the lay of the land about you, you'll find that not too far from where you've woken there's a rather grandiose tower windmill. Its blades rotate at a casual pace as it faces the ocean and its accompanying shoreline. It appears to be in relatively pristine condition, implying that it is cared for well and often, likely by the locals of the town of Aldrip, which can be easily spied from the elevated level of land upon which the windmill sits.

Outside of the main structure is a collection of wooden crates in various display. Some of these are closed. Some are open. If you observe for long enough, you'll eventually find that a few relatively muscular sorts arrive on the scene to retrieve some of these crates and take them back the distance toward the town that lingers at the base of the mountains. If you choose to inspect the crates, you'll find some of them filled with heavy canvas sacks that contain flour. If you choose to ask the town locals retrieving them about this, they will explain that the windmill companion you have woken near is just one of the many implements that the locals use to provide sustenance to dining tables, festivities, and more.

You have the option to help the locals carry crates back, potentially to curry some favour with them, or simply take some sacks of flour yourself. Crates require more than one person to carry due to the weight, but two able-bodied adults should be able to handle the job quite well. A sack of flour can generally be carried by one, but perhaps you'll find yourself needing some assistance anyway. Maybe ask one of the others who've woken up near you. It certainly seems you're not alone in this new endeavour.

WHERE ONLY THE BRAVE MAY GO

If windmills and manual labour aren't your thing, you may find yourself drawn to the seemingly mysterious cave at the foot of the mountains, not far from the windmill in question.

The locals refer to this cave as Lorentia. Jagged rocks poke out around the entrance and have been sculpted and shaped to resemble what appears to be the massive sharp-toothed mouth of a dragon. It is possible you may be momentarily stopped by one of said locals who will explain that the Lorentia Cave is a passage system that leads through the interior of the mountains, though due to some collapse of the inside, the passageway does not go in far and is currently blocked off for the safety of local citizenry. In other words, proceed with caution.

If you're still feeling brave and care to take a peek inside, by all means. No one's going to stop you.

The interior of Lorentia Cave consists of both narrow passageways and some larger, more cavernous like rooms. There are assorted mining implements scattered along the ground, propped up against the walls, and carts that are filled with various ores, rocks, crystals, and more. The locals of Aldrip use Lorentia Cave for largely mining purposes and many of the things that are retrieved can be used for the smithing forges, the crafting of weaponry, or fashioning into jewellery and other accessories that are sold locally and taken to other towns on the continent.

There are some crudely designed signs that note to take care and depict simple skull drawings, indicating that certain paths may be a little more dangerous to traverse than others. If you are especially lucky (or unlucky, as the case may be), you may even spot some skeletal remains from some less-than-fortunate souls who got caught in a dead-end path and simply never made it out again.

If you listen closely, sometimes you hear the flutter of wings and a distant roar. Maybe it's best not to linger...

NO SOMETHING FOR NOTHING

MAXWELL'S SILVER ROCK-HAMMER

The townsfolk are welcoming to newly-arrived, something that has largely been met with a fair amount of scepticism and wariness from prior arrivals. That said, they continue to be hospitable, eager to share stories and songs about their land, their people, and their traditions.

A jewelcrafter is displaying their work today, putting their various wares out for locals and members of the Chosen to admire, or perhaps to purchase. Part of their demonstration is opening geodes with rock-hammers and showing off the impressive inside of colour and masterful natural works of art gifted to them by the land's bounty. They may choose to speak a little on how they revere the land, the resources they've been given, and how all of this has been bestowed upon them by the very gracious Those Who Were There, a mysterious and seemingly celestial higher power.

For those who are interested, they have the opportunity to offer some assistance to the jewelcrafter by opening some geodes as well. There's plenty of rock-hammers to go around and the most recent retrieval from Lorentia Cave's mining appears to have been very successful. The jewelcrafter is so moved by the offer of help that he's more than happy to let those who aid him keep one opened geode for themselves at no cost.

Congratulations on your new piece of decor!

FORGING BONDS IN THE FIRES OF PASSION

If you were a brave soul who made visit to the Lorentia Cave and came back with some weapon or armour crafting materials (including skeletal remains), you'll find that the smithies of Aldrip are eager to do business and many of them enjoy their craft for the sake of being passionate about what they do.

They'll waste no time in starting the forge and should you have a specific piece in mind you are requesting, as long as they have the materials on hand, they'll even be willing to show you the general process from start to finish on a rough draft of the piece in question. If you're feeling especially keen to help, they may offer to let you work directly on your project, though they will express apprehension and a wary eye for those who fail to have prior experience with such gruelling tasks.

Once your piece is finished, you can either wear it immediately, learn the best way to maintain and keep your equipment, or put it out on public display to show the rest of Aldrip and its residents, new and old alike. If you choose to let the smithies keep your piece, they'll pay you the cost of the materials you've brought them, plus a small percentage markup depending on how much personal effort you put into the craftsmanship personally.

Better yet, you may have just come out of the situation with a permanent bond. The smithies have an appreciation for those who share similar interests and may be willing to provide future discounts to those who purchase their wares.

FEEDING THE MASSES

YOU'RE A REEL CATCH

Aldrip locals always have a need for food and with many Chosen having recently arrived, that need has increased exponentially, for now they have a larger number of mouths to keep fed and stomachs to keep happy. To help inspire this retrieval of food, Aldrip is hosting a fishing competition and anyone who's interested in participating may do so, provided that they follow the guidelines set in place.

All participants must use local fishing equipment and this will be provided by the various merchants in town free of charge, save for those who wish to keep their fishing tackle. All fish caught within the local rivers, ponds, and the nearby ocean are acceptable for submission. Citizens (local or Chosen) are forbidden from using magic or technology as a means to catch their quarry. Anyone found breaking these rules will be disqualified and will be fish'd (that is, they will have raw flopping fish thrown at them).

The winner of the competition is chosen by having caught the largest fish (determined by size and weight) and will be announced at the end of the competition. The applicable winner may keep their fishing tackle free of charge and have their winning fish cooked in the style of their choice by the locals, which can then be shared amongst the people if they so choose (a fantastic way to make friends). The winner will also have a mediocre fish sculpture awarded to them with their name chiselled into the details in honour of their glorious victory.

OOC Notes:
Both TDM participants and characters already in the game may participate in the fishing competition. Please use the designated comment if you wish to partake. On the 13th of March (after applications have closed for the cycle), the winner will be announced and drawn by RNG. We will announce who the winner is on this TDM post (in these notes), the moderator plurk, and the OOC community.

I'M A [X], NOT A FISHER

If you're not a fishing kind of individual yourself, there's still plenty for you to get involved with.

Aldrip has need of people who are capable of preparing meals, especially seafood. It is probable that many participants of the fishing competition will end up fishing up things that are not fish or eligible for submission, but still edible. These include crabs, lobsters, jellyfish, octopuses, clams, and other related sea life. If you have experience with cooking or simply want to help out, the Aldrip locals will welcome you with open arms and may even pay you for your assistance.

If cooking isn't your forte, you'll find that some of the Aldrip citizens enjoy a betting pool from time to time. If you have some coins or something else you don't mind putting up for gamble, you might just come out with the whole pot if you put your currency on the winning fisher. Anyone found to be attempting to rig the betting pool and competition, however, will be returned their bet. We don't take kindly to cheaters here.

At least not openly.

Fishing can be a sometimes dangerous pastime. You may find a fisher who has gotten themselves accidentally hooked on their line or perhaps when they were freeing a fish, the hook got lodged into their thumb. Aldrip welcomes those who have healing abilities to help assist those more unfortunate situations, so fishers can go back to casting out their lines to make the most of the competition. That said, there's nothing in it for potential healers, just the notion that you've done a good deed.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

» WHERE ONLY THE BRAVE MAY GO

[Of course he was going to help move crates, he's a protagonist. Of course he's also a bit of a dingus, so somehow or another in the process he got covered in flour. No, he will not be explaining how that happened. The point is, he's too curious for his own good, like a human-shaped bipedal cat, so he's still absolutely covered in flour as he goes meandering into the mouth of Lorentia Cave. Ever a thief at heart, he first zeroes in on a cart of Shiny Objects, because of course he does, and picks a few of them up, turning them over in his hands.]

[Should someone see him doing this, he immediately looks up with a casual grin, holding one out.] Think anyone would miss one of these?

» MAXWELL'S SILVER ROCK-HAMMER

[Related fact; he has a bunch of rocks when he makes his way into the town, and happily offers some to the jewelcrafter for appraisal. He subsequently offers to help break rocks, because who doesn't love to smash things with hammers? He gets to break one of his own rocks, too, settling somewhere nearby after the interaction with an arm full of broken geodes in a few colors. He's trying to decide if he wants to name them.]

[Oh, and he's still covered in flour. That's a thing.]

»FORGING BONDS IN THE FIRES OF PASSION

[Luck be a flour-covered Phantom Thief tonight.]

[He's never worked in a smithy before, all his weapons were purchased toys from an airsoft shop, but he does have a pocket full of rocks and stuff. When he shows what wasn't assessed as geodes and broken into pretty decor items by the jewelcrafter to the smithies, they're immediately Excited, and Akira likes to let people talk about their special interests. When the result is being asked what sort of weapon he would want forged, well, he certainly won't say no to a dagger. He was feeling a bit empty-handed without one, anyway, and it just so happens one of his geodes was a pretty ruby color that would look real nice inlaid in the handle of a callback to Joker's dagger. It's a number of hours of work, and he helps where he's able (his arms may look like noodles, but he sure can smack things with a forging hammer!), and the result is probably the most satisfied, flour-covered sweaty teenager with a bunch of rocks and a brand-new dagger the land has ever seen.]

[He's twirling his new dagger on the end of his finger in the middle of the town somewhere just after, and yeah, he's still covered in flour.]

»YOU'RE A REEL CATCH

[Oh he was absolutely built for this. He doesn't compete ~~because I'm late to this TDM by a lot~~, because he's mostly just in it To Fish, but boy howdy, does he fish. Most fish he catches, both large and small, are offered to a local or onlooker shortly after it's caught, but not after he looks extremely pleased about catching it.]

[So now he's covered in flour and wet, so his clothes are starting to get kind of cakey and gross. It's fine, he's fishing!! He keeps a small bucket of fish to the side of his pole, glancing down at them every so often. When approached, if he doesn't give you a fish or you don't accept one, he switches gears just slightly.] If you can point me somewhere I can prepare or cook these, I make a pretty mean sushi roll, if I do say so myself.

[Kotone hadn't had the good fortune to arrive with her really good naginata, the fun green one with the feathers that she'd had to give away her Persona Kartikeya for to that antiques shop dealer. In fact, she hadn't arrived with any naginata at all! And while she could go back to using hockey and lacrosse sticks, she'd rather have something a little bit more formidable? Just in case.

She'd asked the locals last month to forge her a naginata, but now that she's been here a little longer and collected some extra money and favors, she's back with fresh designs sticking out of her notebook, her current naginata on her back, and an armful of geodes to foster additional goodwill. Never let it be said that she expects anything for free! Oh, and she also has her Evoker holstered high on her thigh under her skirt; she's keeping it hidden as best she can, but it's probably a good idea to keep it with her instead of leaving it in her room, especially after the weirdness in the forest.

It's after she's handed over her latest drawn designs of a naginata with additional information about the weight and balance that she notices a boy about her age that she hasn't seen before. He isn't dressed like a local, but more importantly...]

Are you... covered in flour?

[Like, maybe it's dust, but it's white.]

Edited (spelling...) 2023-04-13 01:34 (UTC)

[He's never had a weapon specially forged for him before, so the whole experience is very new, and the enthusiasm of the smithy is very contagious. Not that you'd know he was enthusiastic from looking at him-- his posture is horrendous and his expression is pretty bland. It doesn't help that his glasses are dusted in flower just like the rest of him-- how can he see, actually?]

[He straightens up a little when Kotone questions him, and he knows she's talking to him because he's pretty sure nobody else in the area is covered in flour, or covered in much of anything that could be presumed flour. He flashes her a grin, shrugging his shoulders with his hands still in his pockets.] Yep.

Huh!

[Well, alright. That might as well happen. She snorts a little bit of a laugh and points at his glasses before holding out her hand.]

Let me clean those off for you, at least. [Considering he's covered in flour, there's no way he can clean them on his own clothes, so...]

Did you get in a fight with the boxes at the mill and lose?

[Every time he moves a little dusting of flour rains from his hair.]

[He goes slightly cross-eyed to look at his glasses, realizes that wow, they sure are covered in flour, that explains a lot of why he can't see particularly well right now! Go figure. A breathy laugh at his own expense shakes his shoulders, causing more flour to rain off his person, but he reaches up and removes his glasses, offering them to her. Notably, he doesn't look up to meet her eyes without them.] Something like that, yeah. Thanks.

[Oh my God, that's so much flour, buddy. She takes his glasses in both hands and first just tries knocking at them lightly with her finger to get some of the extra flour off onto the floor. A glance at one of the smiths and she promises to sweep later with a grin, then she uses the hem of her sweater to clean the lenses off. Does that now mean there's flour on her clothes? Yeah, that's fine.]

Here you go!

[And she offers his glasses back, ducking under him a little to try to meet his eyes. She's almost tempted to try to just put his glasses on for him, but she'll refrain for now. After all-]

You're new here, right? My name's Kotone Shiomi. Nice to meet you!

[He doesn't quite startle away from her ducking into his line of sight, but his eyebrows disappear fully into his mess of (floured) curls, and he picks his head up, reaching out to reclaim his glasses. Pausing, he looks at her shirt hem.] Now you've got flour..., [She clearly Does Not Care. He purses his lips, sliding his glasses back on and rolling his shoulders, reaching forward to twist a bit of his hair between his thumb and forefinger-- oh God there is so much flour.]

Akira Kurusu. Nice to meet you too, Shiomi-san. [Ducking his head in a shallow bow continues to dust flour everywhere, Akira you are a menace right now.]

» » akira kurusu » persona5 royal (arrives late without starbucks)

KICKS DOWN THE DOOR MY SON forging social links

oh my god his account expired please bare with my lack of icons.

rip

i'll redo it when i submit his application wheeze

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reel catch.........

i love them already

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Maxwell's

BABY!! GIRL!!!!!!!

THE BOY!!!

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FINALLY slides in here (where only the brave may go!)

and then babygirl.

OPENS ARMS!!!

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