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

It's a wild beast, Kurusu. I doubt you'd go to lion's den without proper preparation. [Yes, he's entirely certain that the dragons can't be sentient.

He looks at the rocks in Akira's hand and smirks a little, rolling his shoulders back.]

But I suppose you're right on the money with that statement. In order to do that we might have to indulge in good-old fashioned 'looting'.

[Five minutes in your company and your bad habits have already started to rub on him. God.]

Dragon's den, [He corrects mildly.] I wouldn't fight a lion because it would absolutely maul me. Dragons have a lot of variables since I've never..., [He trails off.] Okay, but what are the existing rumors of this dragon? Please tell me it isn't wearing pants. [Natsume was more than enough for dragons wearing pants.]

[He grins anyway, tossing a rock toward Akechi.] See? I'm always thinking ahead. Catch.

Bold of you to assume that a dragon wouldn't do the same.

[Akechi catches the rock easily with his right hand but then just... stares at him and sighs. What even.]

Why would a dragon be wearing a pants? Have you been watching too much Featherman?

[He looks thoroughly perturbed.]

I've fought a dragon before, and it was wearing pants. That might be why I'm less concerned about this dragon, but if it's not wearing pants I can't decide if it'll be more or less formidable..., [He takes nothing seriously, truly.]

A shadow I presume? [Because yeah, they've both seen some weird shit when roaming through palaces and mementos.

He would like to ask why you're like this but that'd be waste of time and energy.]

But I'm positive that this one isn't wearing pants. The rumors consists mostly of people catching glimpses of one, smelling the smoke and brimstone, hearing roars from the deeper parts of the cave. Most locals don't dare to wander further in from where we are currently standing.

[He nods with an affirmative hum of sound, claiming himself another rock. He tosses it, testing its weight, and then rolls it over in his palm, walking his fingers along it to move it around.]

Well, good. We really only need one shadow of Ango Natsume.

[He too walks up to the cart to investigate its contents. With a careful eye he glances over the gems, measuring their worth in his mind. But then Akira drops the name and... he doesn't recognize it. Honestly, it wouldn't be too surprising if the person in the question was one of their mementos targets but that still doesn't negate the question that he's been meaning to ask.

Akira did seem a little different from the last time they had seen each other. At first he had just brushed that off as his memory remembering some details wrong. His height, the slightly narrowed cheeks and thin frame. All of that could be explained by a sudden growth, indicating that the time had truly passed.]

I believe it's my turn to ask this: what happened after Maruki's defeat?

[He closes his eyes and tries to hone in on what might be a particularly good rock, but Third Eye didn't usually work quite the same outside of the Metaverse, either, so he just kind of paws around in the cart like a moron for a minute, winding up picking up three and juggling them a few rounds. He lets one of them clatter back into the cart at Akechi's question, shrugging mildly.]

...exactly what we thought would. [Throwing his own words back at him, but-- he elaborates.] Things went back to how they were..., before. "Our true reality", I think you called it. [He's fiddling with the rocks again.]

[Well, aren't you being cute... Not! He only rolls his eyes at the reply. They had succeeded in shattering Maruki's world and returning to their own, that much he had been sure of. But what came after all interested him.]

Stop holding back, Akira [He almost scoffs his given name out, annoyance creeping to his voice.]

You know what I want to know.

[He looks up at him, then, settling his weight back on his haunches and folding his arms over the edge of the cart.]

Do I, though? You kinda excel at cryptic mind games. [He might have an idea, but he can't just give Akechi what he wants, especially not if being a pill about it gets him to call him Akira.]

And here I believed you knew me better than that. [What are they, little kids being petty at each other by mimicking their earlier statements?? Maybe.

Akechi straightens his back and places his left hand on his hip, moving his attention away from the stones and focusing on the rival beside him.]

I don't have much patience for idle chatter. How long has it been for you since we took down Maruki.

[The banter is one of his favorite aspects of having Akechi Goro in his life, okay, let him relish it. He sighs, shaking his head and standing back up.]

You're mad I'm taller than you now, aren't you. [He's avoiding the question.]

[....]

Absolutely not, you idiot. [ok.. it's bothering him!]

[He smiles in a way that overtakes his entire person, his shoulders pulling up toward his ears and his spine bowing slightly outward from the effort of Standing Up Straight, but he just chuckles and waves a hand dismissively.]

Yeah, yeah. I was leaving Tokyo again after coming back for the summer when I wound up here, to answer your question.

[Still avoidant but he'll take it. At least he can somewhat count the time that has passed between them. It's not awfully lot but they both know just how much can happen in a short period of time.

Accepting the answer he reaches out to pick out a couple of selected gems from the cart and pockets them.]

So you weren't incarcerated for your actions as Phantom Thief? Either Sae-san managed to pull some impressive strings or Japan's legal system has gone soft.

Oh, nah I went to juvie for a bit. [He makes a "hang loose" hand gesture-- brushing off the things he's not especially comfortable discussing at length, as usual.] But my testimony against the former Prime Minister let them pull some strings.

[He claims another rock.] As it turns out, PubSec has a whole file on us-- mostly me, but all of the Thieves.

That must've been very hard for you.

[Isn't he just the most empathetic person out there?? But it's fine, he'll drop the subject. He's sure he'll find more about it in a way or another if it'll ever become relevant again.

He's mostly just annoyed by the fact that Akira might know something that he doesn't. It leaves him open and blind.]

Well, yes. That only makes sense seeing just how many resources were used in your investigation. I wouldn't be surprised if you'd be on government's watch list for life.

[Then he allows another heavy silence fall between them, eyes on the cart but not really looking.]

And Shido was detained and sentenced?

[A shrug of one shoulder, but he doesn't make anything resembling eye contact. He is simply not going to talk about it! Juvie wasn't terrible, all things considered, and he was prepared for it and it was for a good cause, but that doesn't mean he likes cops or having to be in a box surrounded by them.]

[And Akira knows plenty you don't, buddy. Just not about much you'd care about. Cooking, the best way to match lipstick shades, how fast running shoes' soles wear out, putting butter on a cat (not-a-cat!)'s feet helps prevent hairballs and is also hilarious, phthalo blue has three commonly used names, the list goes on..., His head is empty and full of no thoughts, but also full of absolutely useless information that he wouldn't trade for the world.]

[He wrinkles his nose.] Well, at least I'll always have an interesting search history for the FBI. [No he will not elaborate on what he means by that.]

[He lets the silence hang, sliding his hands into his pockets again and nodding.] Yeah. [He leaves it at that-- Shido is a touchy subject, and one he mostly wants to leave on Akechi's terms.]

[Oh. Akechi fully trust you to give those faceless authorities a hell, Akira. There is no reality where he could see that brilliant flame of rebellion would be extinguished or where he would give up his will to take the world. He knows that much.

He's not exactly what he expected the news to bring him. Satisfaction? Maybe. But any spark of triumph and relief and whatnot is only short-lived, tainted by the touch of bitterness and wrath that it wasn't him who managed to bring the man down.]

Good. [And that's all he wants to say about that! Now they both can go on their merry lives (????) without ever mentioning that name again.] I believe we are done here. Did you manage to get yourself a room before deep diving into the flour pit?

[He pockets a few more rocks, somehow coming away with nearly fifteen of them, though Lord only knows where he's hiding them all. An affirmative hum to drop the topic of Shido forever, and he glances sidelong at Akechi with a blank expression.]

...I was under the impression I needed money for that. [He was possibly coming to pilfer rocks to sell to find somewhere to exist.]

You'll be surprised to find out just how forthcoming the locals are. Their willingness to help those in need even put your savior complex to shame.

[seeing that Akira is done playing with the rocks he turns around to leave, fully expecting you to follow him, bud.]

All you need to say that you're new, one of the Chosen and they'll set you up. As long you are willing to work and help them out now and then they'll be glad to provide the necessities for you.

[He follows without pause, hands back in his pockets and posture scrunched like normal, jogging briefly to walk just a pace behind.]

Yeah? That's... convenient. How long have you been here, anyway?

For some time now. [How about that for a vague answer!]

Though, as you can imagine not all is sunshine and rainbows here. We recently were at the risk of facing a food shortage due to refrigerators suddenly breaking. They really tried to mobilize everyone around to help either fix them or cooking so that the ingredients wouldn't go to waste. Then there was the case of people disappearing in nearby forest.

Quite suspicious, don't you think?

[It tells him Enough, and he didn't really expect an up-front honest answer from Akechi, anyway. Another hum of sound as he launches off into a wordy explanation, nodding.]

A little, maybe. Have you been eating okay, with the food shortage? [His priorities are aligned in exactly the right place, thank you.]

[Their priorities are always at the odds: to Akechi that is the least interesting part in all of this.]

Do I look starved to you? [There's again that hint of annoyance in his tone. Meaning, yes. He's eating like usually. Maybe a little more because of Kotone's lunch boxes.]

TEST DRIVE MEME #2

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