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expiationmeme2023-02-27 01:04 am
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.
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.
I
She does reach out to take it, her thorns sparking around her at the strange magic as it lands in her hand and it speaks directly into her mind before it disappears. She debates following the feather but she's also heard that people come here on the brink of death and she can't get over the thought that someone might need her help. After a few moments of irritated indecision, she summons her rifle from the subspace it's stored in and goes to find out who needs help.
She wasn't really expecting this. From what she can tell, this person with wings has crashed into the tree and is using the wing to cover themselves. Carefully, she approaches and takes a look.]
Are you still alive?
no subject
The question drifts to him as if from far away and strikes him as absurd. No, he isn't alive. He isn't dead either. He's surpassed the natural process of life and death.
More sounds trickle in between his feathers: Movement, the wind, bird song, tree branches swaying... With it comes awareness of sensations in his body. Aches at first but beneath it the feeling of his feathers against his skin; small, intimate sensations he hasn't felt in almost half a decade.
Slowly, the black wing rises and stretches out and Sephiroth stands, swaying slightly like he's taking his first steps.
He sees Shionne standing close by and silently stares at her. He is apparently unaware that he is completely naked.]
no subject
Her eyes grow larger and larger as his naked form is exposed for everyone and she lets out a shout of surprise as she covers her eyes.]
You're naked! Why are you naked?!
no subject
Well, he supposes, he'd been dragged here from his cave where he'd been rebuilding his body in a cocoon of crystalized mako. Why would he be clothed?
The wing flexes and he pulls it in close, covering himself as he focuses inward, thinking about his uniform. It is a part of him, part of his self-image, maybe he can conjure it the same way he is able to call his sword into his hand.
Inky shadows creep up along his body from his ankles, then burst outward with a flash of jade light.
When his wing flaps outward again he is fully clothed in black leather.]
...My apologies.
no subject
Once she starts to hear some strange noises, she peeks through the spaces of her interlaced fingers, watching as he gathers shadows in a way that reminds her a great deal of the monster in her nightmares. However, it's also sort of fascinating to see the way they form his clothes and move over his body as if they have a life of their own.]
It's... It's okay. Are you.... Are you alright? You looked like you hit the tree somehow and... Do you need healing?
no subject
I will be fine.
[His voice purrs out in a soft rumble, which is simply how he speaks. The wing flaps a few times then dissolves into drifting feathers.]
Perhaps... you could tell me where I am?
[Not Gaia, he knows that much. If it were, he would be able to feel the Lifestream and the rising chorus of the Reunion. Both are silent within him.]
no subject
That would hardly be fair.]
Are you sure you don't need healing? [She'd still do it, even if she walked right away afterwards and never spoke to him again.
And then he asks where they are.]
From what I've gathered during my time here, this place is called Expiation and we're all being accused of some crime that we're supposed to prepare a defense for.
no subject
[His feline eyes sweep across the surrounding terrain. If it is a prison, it is a very picturesque one.
This is a new world, he thinks to himself and waits to feel the rush of dread that should bring. The dread never comes. Instead, he feels a glimmer of excitement in his chest at the idea of finding new experiences. He wants to explore every mountain, know every soul, learn every fragment of history, and then, well... Then he'll see. Maybe he will simply fly away from this planet, maybe he will consume it and use it as a vessel to travel back to Gaia.]
They never accused me of a crime.
[He's assuming that would have happened when he'd plunged, walked, flown, or drifted through that place with all of the light and voices. With how disoriented he'd been he might as well have been hanging still, if not for the feeling of movement in his stomach.]
no subject
[She looks around as well, seeing the village in the distance and the mountains to the other side of them. It's not a bad place, but there's a part of her that really wishes she was back on Dahna.]
Everyone I've met has had some sort of note of "welcome". It was either near them or with their belongings. [She pulls out her own and sighs.] Nothing anyone has tried so far has been able to destroy them, but you probably can't mount any sort of defense without knowing what they're accusing you of.
no subject
Well... I see no such note.
[Unless that little scroll tangled into his hair is it. He doesn't notice it.]
I assume that means I'm free to leave.
no subject
It's in you hair, right behind your left shoulder.
[Her mouth tilts into a half-guilty, half-amused smile.]
Sorry. I suppose that means you're stuck here with the rest of us. Until we find out what's actually going on.
no subject
The scroll finally drops loose and he picks it up. With restless fingers, he opens it and starts to read...
He reads his name, his height, and various other statistics about himself that should all be classified information.
Then, at the bottom...
You have been charged with matricide and in accordance with the doctrine of this world, you have ▬▬ until you will face your sentencing. Prepare your defense adequately or face the repercussions.
His delicate features twist into a grimace. Of all the crimes he could be accused of why this? Matricide, the murder of one's own mother... He's never known or met his mother. Unless it means Jenova? Or, if it is being particularly cryptic, his mother Planet?]
...Who did you say ran this world?
[As he asks, he starts twisting his fingers against the parchment to tear it in half but even with his enhanced strength the material never yields. He crumples it into his fist instead and focuses his glare on Shionne, though his anger is clearly not directed at her.]
no subject
Of course, she's not the most trusting of people, but she hasn't met anyone here that's truly dangerous or unkind. Except for Vholran Igniseri, but any Renan Lords would see her as hostile and vice versa.
His question pulls her out of her thoughts and she grimaces as well.]
The people of Aldrip call their gods Those Who Were There, but the day-to-day things are handled by a group of elders. They seem to think their gods are very hands on with their lives.
[She does sympathize with the desire to destroy the paper. It doesn't catch fire. It can't be shot, cut, torn. And if you throw it, it turns back up. So, she still has it in her dress pocket, left to rot and be ignored if she can.]
no subject
Sephiroth commits the name to memory.]
Elders.
And how amenable are they to being approached by strangers with demands for answers?
no subject
They've been relatively easy to speak with, but they don't have a lot of answers so far. I've heard "trust in Those Who Were There" more than a few times, so to say they're useful answers would be a lie.