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

If you're not going to say it, then I have no reason to be wet and cold here with you. You can just be like that yourself. See ya, Fyfy!

(enjoy that anger, let it build, scream if needed, because all that there is on dazai's face is that absolutely maddening, happy smile. like he's told chuuya - fyodor being here means one less problem to worry about back home. here, he can keep an eye on him. here, they together will definitely find a way back - and well, isn't that incredible?

to see fyodor have no other choice but to solve this puzzle to get them home, to the book? he might as well just pull a chair and watch, the book is really not going anywhere now.

he's even waving as he swims to land. ah, he'd love a picture of fyodor's mad mouse expression. it's golden.)

[ dazai's involvement in his life usually means his plans are derailed and thrown into chaos. while yes, perfection is dull and dazai as a chess partner will make this place more interesting, he did not miss dazai. not even a little.

fyodor watches him swim back and follows at a sedate pace, keeping a safe distance before he clambers onto land making sure to toss some looks of utter annoyance at dazai.

truly, if fyodor had not missed dazai on some level, he wouldn't even be indulging this little dip. he hates his body because the moment the slightest breeze touches his cold, wet self... he sneezes. loudly. ]

(the sneeze does make him look back at the man. it'd be less than beneficial to recreate an enemy posture in front of what is now a common goal.

he'll approach again, hands up with his palms showing, an unspoken agreement that he will not touch as he sighs.)

Listen, alright? I know I tried to drown you, and then you tried to drown me or whatever, but I don't remember any of that. If you want to murder me still, that's fine and dandy, but can it just be for literally anything else? I really have no idea what that whole thing was about.

[ for having such a feared and notorious reputation, fyodor truly looks pathetic here in his wet clothes, hair tangled up, and the traitorously delicate outline of his body on display thanks to said damp outfit. he looks at dazai as if trying to parse the other's thoughts alongside his own.

they are rarely not on the same page and as frustrating as it can be it is also exhilarating to have found an equal. ]

Oh, so now I need a reason for wanting you dead?

Well, do you have one? I can think of plenty of reasons why you wouldn't want to kill me right now.

(his hands do drop to his side, and he'll step a little further to run fingers through his hair, trying to rid the strands from the water that hasn't dripped off. this is not so bad to him, he's been floating in way too many bodies of water to count, he's used to the way the clothes stick to his bandages, against his skin.

fyodor, however, will get a cold. not very good for dazai's plans, so he'll gesture towards town.)

I got some money in a few conning bets, so we should get something to eat and not scream through glass for once. Poison my soup then, alright?

[ fyodor makes no attempt to hide his thoughts; it's useless. dazai might not be able to read him with the same ease he does other, nor fyodor is able to read dazai as an open book but there is an implicit level of understanding. he can see a white flag when it's waved in his direction though he's trying to see if there is a gun behind.

he is regretting the impulsivity of shoving dazai into the water now. ] Substituting screaming for poison? That's a rare upgrade.

[ dazai wants something, that much is clear, and fyodor has no objections to hearing him out. however: ] By my calculations you've just arrived here recently and by your own admission you remember the moments before-you said yourself that you were bored and eager for a change of pace.

Is this place not just exactly what you wished for?

(he wouldn't call it a gun, but a microscope. there's no intention to harm fyodor as they are, alone in a new world that seems to like to point fingers and, although not yet, leave a cloud of expectations for punishment that hasn't yet been doled out.

at least he's not mad at the murder attempt. kept it interesting, really, even if it didn't come close to succeeding.)

It is doing great for my legs, I will say that. How did we survive in that teeny space when we're tall is a mystery, Fyfy, but mostly-- no! So far, I can definitely say what we were doing was more interesting.

(what is left in the air is a question - shall we make it interesting again?)

Losing a chess partner, regardless of the circumstance, is quite a sad thing, Dazai-kun. [ and that is all that fyodor is saying on the matter; it isn't that dazai is wrong, he had a thing to finish seeing through back in their world but he also knew that at the end of it dazai would be dead and he would be short a chess partner.

such things were inevitable but.

he begins wringing his shirt out making sure not to take it off while trying to do so. he's not accepted nor declined the invitation for soup. ]

I have to agree. So, shall we play in different ways?

(them, against the system that has taken them from their glass boxes, from their own game. his clothes, drenched, leave a trail of water as his bare feet walk towards concrete, stretching his arms over his head.

fyodor will follow. he's sure.)

Are you really walking around here barefoot? [ fyodor hopes there is glass somewhere along the way. preferably soon.

he stamps his feet, shoes damp and uncomfortable and— next time he's attempting to kill dazai it'll be away from water. ]

Play in different ways? [ he cocks his head to indicate he's listening as they walk. ]

Us against the system, apparently! Two pawns, unknown board. Should be fun, Fyfy!

(the request to drop the nickname was not processed, as we can see, and he wiggles his toes before he steps into the nearest restaurant.)

I've been spending my money on better things!

Please buy some shoes, Dazai, you're not some pauper in a romance novel.[ or he'll buy them for you if he's feeling generous, who knows.

now back in the shade of the establishment, fyodor sneezes once more.

he comments not on the nickname because that is just encouragement for dazai. instead, he follows onto the next pressing matter: ] Us? As in, you and me? Working together?

I can be. Who would know I'm not?

(aside from the ones who have breathed the same air of where he'd grown up. it does make him quite happy, he did burn a lot of bridges back home, after all.

and it does make him unhappy at the same time. some were still being built.)

Ah, I'll tell you all about it once we're all settled in. Don't worry about it right now.

(all.)

I would. [ because truly he's the only one who matters in this particular question. dazai and his friends or whatever, they're unimportant. they're lesser in fyodor's eyes.

his gaze sharpens at the 'all'. then, does he know about gogol being here? or does he mean himself and the godling?

he 'tsks', then shakes his head. ] Our resources here are limited, unless of course, you intend to have Chuuya-san punch a hole through this entire town in order to make everyone submit?

And why would I care if you do? What will you do, dress me up like a doll?

(absolutely not allowed, he isn't quite fond of other's sense of style. either way, he'll raise his hand for service, and well, while he won't explicitly say who he has met, fyodor definitely has met chuuya for him to say that.)

If that slug is here, perhaps that could a proper option. A foolish one, mind you - just because they've submitted doesn't mean they'll be able to send us home.

You should care, is that not what allies do at the very list according to your agency?

[ now he's just being a dick.

fyodor runs his finger along the edge of the table, a faux-coy gesture as he looks at dazai. ] Bzzt, wrong answer, Dazai-kun.

Let's try again.

About my lack of shoes? Absolutely wouldn't care either way.

(so, bzzzt right back at you, fyodor. you care about their well-being!! but there's still that smile on dazai's face, obnoxious as he orders two bottles of booze for them - forgetting completely about the fact that they might benefit from eating.

or did he.)

Ah, this is something that I believe should be debated in a group. It would be best if you were patient and graceful, fufufu...!

[ he looks distinctly annoyed, but politeness dictates that he serves and so he does, pouring dazai some of the alcohol onto the glass before moving to do the same for himself. he could've used the second bottle but no, best they both drink from the same one at the same time. harder to poison someone or trick them into drinking a stronger mix that way. ]

Absolutely not, I will not be in a room with you and Chuuya-san. [ not unless he had a failsafe; and his refusal to do near both of them together is an indication that he has not found one as of yet in this world. ]

(smart, albeit there's no reason for such drastic measures. dazai doesn't intend to poison him as of now, not as it is. instead, he laughs a little, cheering for the first time with clinking glasses and actual proximity after so long locked and bored.)

And your reasoning, when you have Gogol at your disposal?

You mean the man who came up with an elaborate and very thorough death-trap game to try and kill me with?

[ fyodor trusts nikolai not to kill him unless it is entertaining on some level; he can't be sure the other won't feel it amusing to leave fyodor to face double black alone in this place. and yes, he can think of ways of killing them but he doesn't have the same resources. ]

No, I'm not inclined to cooperate. [ he taps his jaw, where the bruise is still visible. it could be a trick of the light given fyodor's deathly looks but it is there. he's obviously had some healing done to hide it. ]

Which I will tell you again, I have no clue about.

(why is it that he has to keep repeating this? jesus.

either way, he sees where fyodor points and taps, and there's a moment he laughs, pulling his shirt up to reveal the bandages, and with his other hand, he separates some around his ribs to show his own bruises.)

Look, Fy, twinsies!

(and then, the smile turns into a line, and he drops the shirt, grabbing his own drink to down. he's gonna need a third bottle.)

I'm the first one to dunk on Chuuya, but believe me, if I'm involved, there will be no attempts on your life or well-being. This happened before I reached him, I assume.

[ he gives a considering hum, eyes flicking down to the bruises, the way the bandages cover the skin, the scar he can almost see in his mind's eye. the way dazai's body curves, elegant, repulsive to him despite the way it draws his attention. he'd say it repulses him because it calls for him to look, like seeing grotesque images on a medical textbook.

he sips his drink after tapping the edge of the glass against dazai's. courtesy, always. even for his enemies. ]

Perhaps. And if I feel the need to pay him back for this injury, will you get in my way? [ an eye for an eye is one of fyodor's methods of operating. try to drown him and he'll try to drown you right back and set you on fire for good measure.

but he's also not arrogant enough to think he can hide the entirety of any plans he comes up with here from dazai. the two are one of a kind after all. ]

Naturally not, should you be fair and make him pay only for what was given and accepted? I will get in your way if you go beyond that.

(a part of him cares, after all, but this isn't the point. they'll need to find balance in their mania, after all, if all of them plan to survive, thrive and conquer this place. one-upping each other in a world where they don't know when the next shoe will drop and how feels childish, not to mention foolish.)

I intended to present all this with all of us present, but since you are adamant in getting it out of the way - I believe we should all be under the same roof. That way, Chuuya and I will be able to keep Gogol in check when you're vulnerable, as well as we can be muscle if we're both in agreement with tasks. Gogol can be near you, which I am inclined to believe he'd enjoy very much, and you and I can put our minds together against this place. On top of all else, I believe you'd like to keep an eye on me, wouldn't you?

[ surprise blooms on his expression like an open wound; he expected the proposal of collaboration but not cohabitation. he's spent the better part of a year with dazai, unwilling roommates in glass cages.

the topic of revenge is put side, the terms have been stated but fyodor isn't known for playing fair so that will eventually all come to a conclusion. he's a planner but he knows how to exploit an opportunity when it is given. he enjoys being beaten sometimes, it keeps things interesting, it keeps them less perfect, less boring.]

My, you've given his undue consideration. And in return for this you get to use my intellect alongside yours, as well as making sure I don't stage a hostile takeover in this place.

[ because, whether gogol likes to be close to him or not, or anything else...fyodor does not care for those little human details. tools, those are the only things worth of value. ]

Let me put your mind at ease in that regard, being king has no appeal to me. Whether in this place or back home or another version of purgatory. And I am not opposed to us collaborating, in fact, it's very much a requirement if we are both here.

[ he places his elbow on the table, leans his cheek on the palm of his hand observing dazai placidly. ] You understand that your proposal is an unstable molotov cocktail, yes? The type your teenage self probably tried to drink.

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1/2

2/2 tw; suicide mentions