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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.
Hazel Lockwood | Original Character
[this isn't the first time that Hazel had found herself in some sort of liminal white space completely cut off from any meaningful reality, but it'd be a lie to say that she'd felt any better about the second go round. while there was no skeletal serpent emerging at the end of things to collect her the fear of its presence was very real, so much so that Hazel very nearly rolled straight off the hill she'd been deposited on from how violently she'd start back to wakefulness.
...in a way, she'd really hoped that her eyes would have opened on the afterlife.
but there truly was no rest for the wicked, and so her infernal saga continued unabated. the parchment in hand barely merited a single unamused glance before it was tossed aside (just add littering to the long list of sins) but the windmill creaking off in the distance? now that seemed like something worth checking out. the young woman's heart cried out for the novelty of the seaside, but the practical part of her soul knew it was better to investigate civilization first. get the lay of the land, figure out what fresh bullshit there was to deal with, and then go splash around in the tidepools.
except...it's just flour. sacks and sacks of flour? all sitting out by the windmill as if no one had even the slightest worry that some asshole was going to walk off with them and bake the world's biggest fucking loaf of Italian bread. she couldn't tell whether it was merely her suspicious mind or a genuine inkling of something being wrong here, but the whole thing felt impossibly off to her the more she stared at those unassuming boxes. that people apparently came and went without so much as marking off what they were toting away really only hammered that paranoia home. maybe they were hiding something in the bags..?
it felt like an asshole move to just slash the things open even if these people were engaged in smuggling, so Hazel instead set about checking the contents of all this goddamn flour in a more rudimentary way. shaking the heavy things to and fro, flopping them on the lids of their boxes, hefting them and trying to feel for something hard pressing against the burlap...losing her grip on a fresh sack and having it explode on the ground after falling from a particular high stack of crates........]
Shit.
[and if someone happened to have been coming around at that exact moment and got caught in the floury shrapnel? double shit.]
o2;; we got weights in fish!
[fishing's fun, isn't it? who doesn't love the great outdoors, especially with that added spice of healthy competition? winning just feels so good when you do it by following the rules!
which is all well and good, except at some point in your own pursuit of piscine glory you're either going to hear some odd rustling in nearby bushes or simply pass through those selfsame shrubs yourself, at which point you're going to stumble across a hunched over figure and the distinct scent of fresh fish.
but, I mean, it's not that odd, is it? people are already cooking up plenty of fish; that was the whole point of this little activity in the first place. this young woman was probably just getting a headstart on filleting her catches to decrease the strain on all the volunteer chefs. that's really nice of her! looking at all those fillets already spread on the ground, it definitely would've been a bit of a burden to expect other people to prepare them for searing.
...oh, those are rocks in her hand now. she is absolutely sandwiching a shit ton of rocks between these fish fillet and shoving the entire thing into her largest intact catches. that's. that's definitely a decision being made here.
Hazel has her back turned to her unknowing audience at present, but if the other person has any intention of acting they better do so quickly. it won't be too long before she inevitably catches an unfamiliar figure at the edge of her vision, and if that happens? this cheater is probably going to be pelting whoever caught her out with those rocks.
the choice is yours, my friend!]
wildcard;;
[I am super down for threading any of these prompts, so if something else seems more appealing to you please toss it my way! c:
more info about Hazel is on her journal, but the tl;dr is that she's a zombie servant who was improperly resurrected and is just generally having a bad time constantly. if your character is sensitive to that kind of magic they're absolutely free to recognize Hazel for what she is! the magic holding her together is notably very slapdash and gives off a repugnant energy.]
1
and then at Hazel.]
You know, there are sacks that're closer to your height. Unless you like wasting flour.
[she kind of looks like a judgmental mom right now--]
no subject
Yeah, I fucking love throwing shit all over the ground. If somebody else wanted it they shouldn't have fucking left it laying around.
[sullen teenage mode, activate. she'll finagle whatever bag of flour she wants, you're not the boss of her!!]
no subject
but she's used to sullen teenagers. she's still raising Cody, who on top of all of his powers she can't quite help him with has a plethora of other problems.
this girl isn't going to be the end of her. if anything, it makes her relax even if she raises her eyebrow. this sort of thing is actually familiar.]
Seems like they're moving it to me. You should probably come down from there before you're the next thing that falls.
no subject
...well, it's mostly familiar.]
Be a lot fucking funnier if I nailed somebody in the head instead of the flour.
[does this look like Monday Night Smackdown to you, Hazel? her frown would deepen and she'd remain stubbornly in place, although she would be contemplating whether she could nail a flying elbow from this paltry height. ...probably not.]
Not like they seem all that interested in fucking hustling, anyway. Kind of feels like they're not even gonna notice the missing bag for hours.
no subject
[she's torn between judging in a Mom way and being amused. there is a quirk to her lips though, so maybe the amusement is winning out somewhat.]
It doesn't seem like there's many volunteers. Maybe we could put your strength to use in that way.
no subject
Maybe. But from where I'm sitting it doesn't look as rewarding as being a pain in the ass.
[however, after a moment of swinging her legs in contemplation Hazel does jump down from where she'd been perched atop the crates. looks like negotiations are open, should you choose to engage in that kind of idiocy. to Hazel she figures engaging this way will either net her good information about this place, good pay, or both. how can you lose?]
no subject
Leanne is just going to let the comment hang in the air as she keeps staring her down with her most Mom look she has. but then, Hazel's finally on the ground again, and Leanne grins almost as if she's won.]
Ah, but you'd get bored of being a pain in the ass eventually. Especially with me.
[she's no nonsense, but she'll also let someone be a pain in the ass until they get tired of it too.]
Have we decided we're going to help take the flour?
no subject
Hazel had hopped down of her own volition, with her own selfish interests in mind, but the second she touched the ground and took in Leanne's face she'd feel as if she'd committed some heinous mistake. why the hell was this woman grinning like that? it was enough to make her seriously consider climbing back on top of crate mountain, and her gaze would continuously drift back to her abandoned spot throughout their conversation.]
You're seriously underestimating how long I can be a pain in the ass with no fucking reward.
[it is, in fact, her default setting.]
We have not, but I'm definitely open to watching you struggle for a while. Should be a solid ten minutes of entertainment.
[she's decided that if it looks like Leanne is going to break her foot then she'll step in and actually lend a hand...but otherwise her inclinations are firmly in the 'supervising' category at present. who doesn't love a stranger walking next to you and criticizing your technique?]
no subject
And you're underestimating how long I can tolerate you.
[Cody hadn't been a bad kid really, but there had been a few moments of standoffs that had lasted quite a long time. she's willing to wait out a tantrum.
she shrugs.]
I'm not going to do anything until you help me. So are we just going to stand here and stare at each other?
2
Right now, though, she's just exploring. It's two parts learning the lay of the land, one part enjoying the beauty of the nature and the weather, and one part happily observing other people having fun. Peaceful fun. With apparently no chance, or little chance, anyway, and little fear, of violence breaking out.
The rustling has definitely drawn her attention. Who knows, maybe it'll be a cute animal? When Elle peers around the bush to find someone hard at work at... something... She decides it's best not to announce herself yet, feeling like it'd be rude to interrupt. (Never mind that it's kind of rude to accidentally spy.) As she watches the bizarre scene, she tries... tries... to figure out what's happening here... Why is this person filling these fish with rocks? Is it... setting up these fish as bait for other fish... some... how...?
Elle, unthinking, leans forward to try to get a better look. Making her very own rustling noise, because it's a bush, and bushes aren't very sturdy or quiet. Oops.]
no subject
to her credit, Hazel doesn't stiffen up immediately when she hears the telltale sign of something lurking in the nearby bushes. this is still a relatively rural area and it's not completely out of the question for animals to try and skirt around the presence of a human. it very well could be a chunky squirrel or a confused bird, and then wouldn't she look stupid getting all up in arms over nothing? talk about subconscious guilt.
except, you know. she lifts her head to turn and look in the direction of the sound and is instead met with either the world's ugliest squirrel or a set of very human prying eyes. two guesses which option she's going with.]
Hey!
[her entire body goes rigid in an instant, ready for battle despite the fact she could totally have tried to explain away all this shit? but no, we're immediately choosing violence. she's got a hand full of fish fillet and a hand full of rocks and - and, no, ok, maybe we're a little flustered at actually having been caught out because that is definitely the wrong hand she's choosing to swing at mach speed.
sorry, Elle, but there's a lot of fish meat and guts hurtling your way now. think fast!]
no subject
Listen, Elle could be an ugly squirrel if she really wanted to!!Oh no. Elle's startled the poor person. Which totally makes sense, it's a totally reasonable reaction to realizing you're being watched, no matter what you're doing. That's so fair.
And. Well. Okay, this is definitely the first time Elle's ever had fish chunks thrown at her. That's a new one to put on the list. But it's better than being shot at! Even the rocks are a step up from her typical wasteland experience.
Still, Elle's kneejerk response is an undignified squawk followed by falling back on her butt. It's not enough to put her out of the fishy splash zone, though the bush shields her from a lot of it.]
Hey hey hey hey -- [Her mouth is moving on autopilot, no planning or forethought whatsoever. Which is why her next words are,] Don't waste your fish!
[......... yeah, she doesn't know what that's supposed to mean, either.]
Uh -- I mean -- That -- I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Time out, time out!
no subject
Don't waste the fish?
[she's sorry, what.
Hazel had hoisted herself up onto her feet by this point and was rapidly approaching the bush Elle had tumbled into, but that total non sequitur draws her to a halt the instant those words hit her ears. what does that even mean??? she hadn't even thrown the good chunks at her, let alone the rocks still clutched in one now baffled hand.]
What the hell kind of fucking apology starter is that?
[she still has a weapon, so she feels like it's allowable to take a few moments of diversion to figure out the thought process here. probably.]
no subject
[Elle has definitely not forgotten about those rocks. She isn't eying them, really, she's making a point of not doing that, but... Maybe she should stay here on the ground for the time being. She knows it's a less threatening position. Maybe, hopefully, it'll help defuse things.
Though she thinks her stupid mouth might've already started that process.]
1
This is comin' out of your wages, not mine.
no subject
unfortunately, her sense of self preservation hadn't been the greatest even when she believed she had something worth preserving in the first place. now? all she's left with is that moronic desire to potentially make things worse for herself by mouthing off. like, what's he going to do? break her jaw? that shit clicks right back into place now.]
Nah, I locked that shit in when I joined the union. Not my fault you decided to go freelance instead.
[she was actually unaware that money was involved in this weird little endeavor at all, considering how nonchalant everyone seemed about hefting the sacks around when they did show up to grab some. or was this guy just being as sarcastic as she'd volleyed back? her eyes would narrow lightly, trying to suss out whether or not she should be trying to pursue some pocket change here.]
no subject
Help with one of these crates, and maybe I'll put in a good word with Gil.
no subject
You actually think I can lift half a fucking crate of flour without breaking my arms?
[there isn't even any sarcasm in that question, she sounds genuinely incredulous about this invitation. like, her? her. that bag of flour he got battered with was probably about a third of her own actual weight. what kind of pythons of steel did this guy think he had that he figured this was a decent idea?]
no subject
So what are you gonna do then, stand around and bitch at everyone who's actually doing work? Make yourself useful.