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expiationlogs2023-12-10 07:04 pm
- !tdm,
- arcane: caitlyn kiramman,
- arcane: jinx,
- arcane: silco,
- arcane: violet / vi,
- atla: toph beifong,
- fh2 termina: levi,
- persona 3 portable: kotone shiomi,
- persona 3 portable: shinjiro aragaki,
- persona 4 au: ken amada,
- persona 4: yu narukami,
- persona 5 royal: goro akechi,
- reiwa no dara-san: dara,
- x-men movieverse: scott summers
TEST DRIVE MEME #6
Welcome to Expiation, a pan-fandom adventure game with elements of fantasy, science fiction, and some subtle horror. As of December 2023, we’re making a couple of structural changes to the way our bimonthly test drive works.
TDM top-levels are now open to all, whether you are already in-game or not. New characters, please put TDM in your subject header so we’ll know you’re trying things out! There will be a directory of newbie top-levels at the bottom of the post. New folks are welcome and encouraged to use TDM threads as samples in their application. Current players may use TDM threads as part of their AC proofs.
The December TDM is going to be forward-dated to December 18.
Our CALENDAR has also changed a bit. That means RESERVES will now be opening on December 19 and APPLICATIONS will open on December 22. After this, applications will next open in February 2024.Full Navigation
You awaken in a room of blinding white light–so bright that you can’t make out any details. You hear voices around you, speaking in muffled tones. It sounds an awful lot like they’re talking about you. You’re on the verge of figuring out what they’re saying, you’re so close...but then the floor drops out from under you. You fall into blackness.
ARRIVALS
i. EVERY WHO DOWN IN WHOVILLE
The last thing new Chosen remember is that black void. And really, in retrospect, it was rather peaceful, wasn’t it? Quiet. Calm.
Quite unlike the chaos they find when they open their eyes. Whatever pulls new Chosen into the world of Expiation seems to be having a…moment, right now, and is summoning people into a variety of different places, all seemingly random, some compromising or even dangerous. Some people may find themselves appearing in the middle of the road, in front of a speeding horse and wagon. Still others, one step away from falling into a ditch or a lake. Some may arrive directly into someone’s kitchen, or shower, or the back room of a store. The point is, these locations are practically unlimited, and are entirely up to you, the player.
Better hope the person who owns this house wasn’t walking around naked at the time. Yikes!
THE WINTER SOLSTICE
The mood in Aldrip is a little less hostile, at least, after November’s harrowing turn. The locals have found slivers of sympathy and respect for the Chosen, not only because they lost people as well, but also because those who returned brought them peace and closure about their missing loved ones. So, in spite of some of the absurd places new Chosen show up, the locals do their best to be welcoming. Some remain a little wary, but many will try to show them a little warmth during this cold season.
At the moment, they seem to be gearing up for some sort of feast, putting out tables and chairs, bringing out warming stoves. But there’s no food cooking and no festivities to be had this particular day, and on 12/21, the Chosen find out why.
ii. THE DARKEST NIGHT
As it happens, Aldrip has a curious custom on the darkest night of the year. It's said that all should lock their doors and darken their lights, as gifts given on this night can be particularly wicked and play tricks on the receiver. True enough, most Chosen will find a mysterious box appearing on their doorstep (or, if they don't have a doorstep, mysteriously on or near their person). Some of these boxes may contain harmless treats or trinkets such as charming talismans to hang, clothing accessories like mittens and socks, or tins of cookies. Some others mysteriously contain nothing.
The next morning, when Chosen with empty boxes awake, they find prankster-like tricks have been played on them during the night. We leave the extent of these tricks in your hands: these effects can be anything you like, from the ability to float to their skin turning purple. Just bear in mind that these should be minor effects, additions, or inconveniences, rather than major powers. These effects will last for at least 24 hours, but could take a few days to wear off completely, at your discretion.
Unfortunately for those unlucky Chosen, the other part of the Solstice tradition is a giant feast the day after that long, dark winter night. The locals seem to go all out for this occasion, bringing out ovens and warmers to keep food piping hot, serving elaborate drinks and sides, and plenty of desserts. Festivities go well into the night. They encourage the Chosen to get involved by bringing their own dishes, but not all of the locals will partake in them–some still seem to feel a bit wary of their otherworldly neighbors. But it’s the Solstice, so they will share their meals, even if some do so begrudgingly.
If they want to try any of the food, the Chosen have to show their face around town…with all the spots, cat ears, or whatever other effects they’ve been afflicted with. No to-go plates here!
iii. ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS...
The morning after doors close for Solstice, strange plants begin to appear around town. Yep, you guessed it, there are different varieties of mistletoe sprouting all over Aldrip, in doorways, hanging from trees, and strung over the town’s streets in a variety of places. Those lucky (or unlucky) enough to chance by the sprigs will find that as soon as they come within range of the mistletoe, they find themselves pelted with small pieces of paper courtesy of tiny Missile Toads living within the sprigs. These papers are different depending on what color berries the mistletoe sports.
White berries: ”Now kiss!” The traditional variety of mistletoe, which demands a kiss. Whether a kiss on the cheek, hand, forehead, etc. will do the trick is up to you.
Red berries: ”Now fight!” One of the two (or more?) Chosen stuck here will have to throw at least one punch for the Missile Toads to be satisfied.
Purple berries: ”Now talk!” Time to open up. The festive amphibians will continue to bother the hapless Chosen stuck here until at least one of them tells a personal secret.
The extent of the Missile Toad interference is up to the players. Some of these little creatures can be easily evaded and will give up on their chase. Some others will simply follow the Chosen until they finally give in. A sub-breed of these pesky creatures will launch a sticky substance beneath the sprigs of mistletoe, trapping people until their conditions are fulfilled.
WALKIN' IN A WINTER WONDERLAND
The wagons that were previously offered to take the Chosen to Rumpitur seem to be stabled. Locals will discourage travel down that way, after everything the Rumpiturians did. While plans are still in the works to figure out what to do about them, as well as how to deal with the source of their recent misfortunes, things between the two towns seem to have fallen into a chilly armistice. For now.
iv. A CRYSTALLINE CALL
The chilly weather brings with it a phenomenon that the locals say happens every year around the Lorentia Caves. Along with an aurora borealis-like phenomenon in the sky above it, there seems to be some sounds like a mournful wailing, or like harsh wind blowing through the caves. Sometimes, though, the sound gets a little strange: mechanical, distorted, even a little tinny. Locals insist that it’s nothing unusual, but no one stops the Chosen from investigating. For now, they don’t find a whole lot: there are no wailing humans or sad robots hidden in the caves at this time, unfortunately!
What the Chosen can do is explore the caves, a strangely peaceful experience despite the rumor of a dragon hidden within their depths. The caves are a little warmer than the cool outside temperatures, and while there are some small nocturnal ratlike creatures that could easily give them some trouble, most of them are more than happy to steer clear of lanterns or light sources, should the Chosen not be in a monster-fighting mood. The caves are almost like a series of tunneled mazes, winding in different directions. When one progresses far enough, they begin to feel a heavy sensation and a sense of foreboding that demands they turn back. This feeling becomes harder to resist the longer they press on, and eventually, they must give in and turn around.
Within the caves, one will occasionally find old weapons in various states of disrepair: swords, shields, bows, things like that. They’re more than welcome to keep these. So, too, are they welcome to take the strange, palm-sized rocks that seem to glow when handled. They don’t seem to do much, for now, although they make a nice reading light. Occasionally they seem to vibrate a bit with energy, but…that’s fine, right? Normal? Maybe??
v. THE WOODS ARE LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP
The wailing sound in the woods has come and gone with the fall, and now the woods seem…quiet. Peaceful. Almost too peaceful, in places. Travel deep enough into the woods and the Chosen will find silent clearings that seem comfortable enough to sleep in. A deep, deep sleep, one they are not easily roused from, and one that they are in danger of not waking from at all, if they’re left alone for too long.
Passers-by will find that touch is what seems to wake the hapless sleepers, in the end: the warmth of body heat, the electric charge of ions that naturally transfers from one body to another. It’s hard to say exactly why this works, only that it does–which is good, because it’s getting cold outside–cold enough that most people won’t want to stay sleeping in the elements, especially if it begins to snow. Those that stumble upon their friends are also susceptible to these effects, of course. The sense of touch is what seems to keep this drowsiness at bay, and the effects wear off entirely once they leave the woods.
You know the drill–this is the wildcard one. Just because it’s not listed in the prompts above does not mean it’s unavailable as an option. We encourage you to do whatever you’d like to utilize the setting to its full potential. If you have any questions about what is and is not possible, please don’t hesitate to ask!
Click to view:
| CANON | CHARACTER/TOP LEVEL |
| Code Geass | Lelouch vi Britannia |
| Code Geass | Rolo Lamperouge |
| Final Fantasy VII Compilation | Sephiroth |
| Final Fantasy VII: R | Aerith Gainsborough |
| Final Fantasy VII: R | Cloud Strife |
| Jujutsu Kaisen | Satoru Gojo |
| LoZ: Breath of the Wild | Link (CRAU) |
| My Hero Academia | Bakugou Katsuki |
| Original | Marie |
| Original | Eve |
| Original | Avalon |
| Persona 3 | Minato Arisato |
| Persona 5 Royal | Makoto Nijima |
| Persona 5 Royal | Haru Okumura |
| Project Sekai | Rui Kamishiro |
| Tiger and Bunny | Kotetsu T. Kaburagi |
| Tiger and Bunny | Barnaby Brooks Jr. |
| Trigun Stampede | Vash |
| Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting | Tooru Kirishima |
iii of fucking course
ah, but a pretty girl can definitely call him over and completely distract him from his mission, she has all the permission in the world! so welcome! so, he comes, and with his height, he nearly towers.)
It does! It has also been getting quite chilly, beautiful lady! You should most likely find something warmer to wear-- although this suits you so well!
no subject
Besides, it's an ugly dress. (Probably. Maybe? Cloud liked it. Maybe it's not? And Madam M had called her... Plain Jane, in a manner of speaking. Hmm.) ]
It's awful to move in. [ She folds her arms here, looking mildly uncomfortable. Overhead, a little white toad watches them with interest, readying up to start harassing when it needs to. The sprig of mistletoe overhead sits innocently, waiting for Aerith to notice it. ]
So, the rain. Is it normal? Just water?
no subject
he has no interest in arm candy, no desire to show off something such as a beautiful companion, but the warmth in his bed peaks the interest -- and she will probably not be it, considering her expression, which! is! fine! he has been rejected before, will be rejected again. try. try. try.
a little empathy goes a long way, though. sheltering his body is his long trench coat, and with full knowledge that it will drag on the ground on such petite figure, he'll remove it to offer her. whether out of genuine concern, or interest, his smile nor his serenely cheerful expression won't show.)
no subject
Well, in any case, she's been without a coat for much longer— she'd truly feel bad taking it from him. But... well... It is winter weather out here, far colder than anything she's ever felt. ]
You sure? [ There's genuine sympathy lacing her features now, looking up at him with curiosity. He can't be that nice. Is he? ]
no subject
I'm fine! These are lined with wool! I'm very warm nonetheless! You can have it for now, yes? Let's get you something warm to drink.
no subject
It's okay, really. You need to stay warm. [ Her gaze trails along the gauze, then she pushes his hands back to him, and smiles softly, as if it might help soften the blow. ] I'll be alright. I'm getting used to it.
no subject
I'm not injured, you don't need to worry, and I'm covered from head to toe! Come on. I have a bar, an office, and we have an inn. All these places can offer you a warm drink, alcoholic or otherwise. Shall we?
no subject
But a bar? He manages to come up with a way that... wait, no, she can't mention that. She just looks at him, interested despite herself and his oddity. ]
You'd do that for me. Really? [ A beat. ] You don't look like someone who would have a bar. [ Not that she drinks, in truth. ]
no subject
here is an arm for her, so they might walk towards it.)
It is a copy of one that I used to go to at home! I'm the owner, but there are a lot of people in here that work there. Let's hope there's a cook today! I would definitely not know!
no subject
That's a really important detail. Do you know Tifa?
no subject
(or, like, he watched other people build it, but he drew it to perfection as a guide. the effects of 'no longer human' must be roaming through her body, an interesting ordeal to see how she reacts upon it for a longer time. will she dare to ask? time will tell as he guides her towards the basement bar he calls a not-home, but definitely lives in.)
You can trust me when I tell you there's not a Tifa here, unless she's just arrived, like yourself!