TEST DRIVE MEME #6

[expiationmods]

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.

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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.

---

WILDCARD

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!

TOP LEVEL DIRECTORY

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

Comments

lelouch vi britannia | code geass | tdm

[geass]

i. he's gotta kick rocks

[literally. he kicks a glowing rock when he thinks no one else is looking in one of the caves.]

Seriously? This sort of thing happens now? Right when I'm just about to achieve my goal??

[was this part of C's world? was this because of his confrontation with the Emperor? a sort of "side quest", if you will? because he has absolutely no patience for any of this. but he does know that he's gotta pulling his cool back together, but for now he's got to throw one more of the glowing rocks.

and then he stands there, taking a few deep breaths and schooling his face into something more blank. he picks up one of the glowing rocks to examine it better...]

Tch... [it doesn't even really make him feel much better, but he picks one of them up and glances at it.] Maybe I'll look one of these over later and see what they're made of. It doesn't look like anything I've seen back home.

ii. not this shit again

[... he gets hit with a paper out of nowhere while he's walking around the city, and he unravels it and frowns. NOW X (i am up for any of them) is written there.]

This sounds like one of Milly's schemes...

[he's just going to try to move on, though. at least... until he finds that he can't move any further than where he is.]

What the--??

iii. network post; text

[he's just. going to commandeer one of the houses now and lock himself in there because everything outside is just so goddman obnoxious right now.]

It seems the locals here are even more unhelpful than the average human being in terms of gaining information from them. If anyone would be able to fill in the gaps of my knowledge, it'd be much appreciated.

Secondly, are there efforts to escape from this place? Are there any sort of protections in this city from invaders? Or are the other cities in this world largely uninhabited? I did gain a little bit of information about Rumpitur, but the other reports on this app about the cities are sorely lacking.

I will be looking at past feeds on this device, but any sort of summaries that can be made will fill in the blanks on the information I can gain as well as save time.

[puts on my clown nose..... hey so yeah i'm here with this fucking loser, as i said in the prompt, i'm down for whatever on the mistletoe prompt and lmk if none of these prompts work and you wanna tag! we can figure something out. you can catch me at angelonia or trashlords @ discord!]

Text

[chosehope]

[.....]

If you do, please let me know. I would like to be informed about what goes on this world and how we can approach this new area.

[geass]

[..................................................... the name attached to this text.]

Who are you? You have my sister's name.

[coupled with the parchment that he'd gotten on arrival... it makes him feel sick. is this some sort of sick joke?]

[chosehope]

What about you? Mind if I ask why you have my brother's name?

[Especially when she saw it. She knew what happened to him.]

text > video; private bc lelouch is that kind of bitch

[geass]

[the video feed gets cut on SO FAST to a Lelouch whose eyes are already filling with tears.]

Because it is me.

[his voice is cracking, because there's so many emotions going through him right now.]

Nunnally... if it is you... please prove it too.

rocks!

[icequeenly]

[ Mitsuru is aware of the presence of another person in the cave with her before she sees him, mainly because whoever it is seems to have a penchant for kicking the strange glowing rocks around. The sound echoes through the cave chamber and she turns her attention to the culprit just as he appears to be examining another of the rocks in his hand.

And talking to himself. ]

I would leave them where they are if I were you.

[geass]

[listen, he's gotta be dumb and dramatic and he likes the sound of his own voice. why wouldn't he? he sounds like johnny yong bosch.

and on the less serious side, it helps ground him and blahblahblah. but i like the jyb ref myself.

anyway. back to srs rp.

he raises his eyebrow as Mitsuru speaks, even if he's mentally cursing himself for not being too careful about his tantrum. Zero would never be so sloppy at home, he thinks. just because he's out of his element doesn't mean he can lose control now.]

Is there something wrong with them? There may be something we can find out about this world if we study it.

[icequeenly]

[ she thought he sounded really familiar ]

On the face of it, no. However, I wouldn't trust anything in this place.

Have you not felt that odd sensation when you touch them?

[ The vibrating, which is not in any way ominous at all. ]

[geass]

I have.

[he's so used to ominous shit all the time...]

But if there's a way we could make of use of it, shouldn't we do it? I've felt no physical change with my body in my proximity to it. The vibrating makes me wonder if there's some sort of power within it...

ii.

[conflictresolution]

[Silco had noted the new plant life encroaching on the walkways and between buildings and hanging from other foliage. He was not one to appreciate greenery, but he was one to notice the added effects of it. This place was constantly trying to change but only temporarily.

The amphibians throwing paper was new though. He had managed to avoid being pestered so far, but this was the first time he was close enough to watch someone else take a hit. So, it had come from a plant with purple berries?

He tucked his hands into his coat pockets and approached with caution when it seemed the boy was stuck.]

Careful, the creatures here can be unpredictable and cause odd effects.

because this won't end horribly at all

[geass]

[yeah... he can't move.

he looks down at the piece of paper again.

Now Talk!]

At least it doesn't seem that this mistletoe is the traditional kind.

[at least he won't have to kiss anyone.]

It seems it just wants me to talk to someone.

I'm sure they will be friends immediately :D

[conflictresolution]

[The tradition of mistletoe was not one that he was familiar with, and he was perfectly willing to keep being in the dark about it. Plants tended to die where he lived, and it was better that way.]

And what should you be talking about, boy?

[He kept his distance - relatively speaking - but he remained curious enough of someone not moving out of the way of amphibians throwing paper at them.]

[geass]

[listen. he'd kind of been glued in the spot here. when he'd happened upon this, he'd actually kind of had his head in the clouds. thinking. scheming, trying to figure out what sort of place this is.]

Don't know.

[the way Silco calls him "boy" kind of grinds his gears.]

Perhaps they want me to bore you with stories of my childhood. It was quite unremarkable.

[/lies]

text

[nullificates]

and you'd give what for all this data? :)

because this won't end horribly at all pt 2

[geass]

[well. it's a fair question.]

Seeing as how I'm new to this world, I don't have much in the way of coin to buy information with. We could set an arrangement that could benefit both of us... if it'd be more effective, we could meet in person, perhaps.

[he's not Up To Something, no]

[nullificates]

i don't see why not, after all.

(he knows your TYPE he is also not up to something no)

[geass]

[not them both up to something two tags in]

If you'd like to send me directions to the place of your choosing, I'll meet you at your earliest convenience.

ii

[heartstopping]

[Until this moment, Rolo wasn't quite sure what to make of...well, any of this, but he'd been leaning towards the afterlife. Sure, it'd be bizarre if true — he doesn't think he's ever heard of any religion that described the afterlife like this — but it's a pretty natural conclusion to come to given the circumstances.

But when he spots someone familiar, after an hour or two of just wandering around aimlessly, he's suddenly fumbling to think of any other explanation for this place. Because that's—]

...Nii-san?

[...someone he doesn't want to think about dying.

He pauses in his surprise, unknowingly still safely out of missile toad range. For now.]

[geass]

[the voice makes him freeze.

a chill runs down his spine as his head turns to the familiar call, and he recognizes him immediately.

Rolo.

there's a surge of different emotions, as there always is when he sees his not-quite-brother. they all contradict each other and swirl in his heart, but... the last memory of him was Rolo dying to save him. another person on the endless list of people who have died because of him.

but also killed Shirley. also was a thorn in his side at times, but still gave his life for him anyway. it's a debt he'll never be able to pay back. even here, he doesn't think he'll ever be able to repay Rolo. without him, he would've been caught by Schneizel. without him, he wouldn't have brought down Marianne and Charles.

that has to count for something.]

Rolo...

[he still feels like he's probably hallucinating all of this, but at least the missile toad is letting him go... towards Rolo... for chaos reasons.]

You're... you're alive...

[heartstopping]

Am I?

[He'd kind of assumed the opposite, but Lelouch is the crazy smart one so maybe it's better to trust his judgement on this.

Rolo hesitates at first. Approaching feels like it'd somehow shatter this moment, like Lelouch would disappear, or his expression would turn to open hatred again. Rolo isn't stupid, after all – he'd clung to the lie in his final moments, and Lelouch had generously played along, but deep down, he knows the truth. Even if Lelouch is a kind person, enough so to treat him so gently and give him that bit of comfort in the end, that rage had been real.

But Lelouch is approaching him all on his own, and so Rolo can't help if it sparks hope and affection in his chest and he hurries to meet his brother in the middle. Festive frogs spitting paper wads go unnoticed for the moment.]

Are you? I mean...you're okay, right?

[geass]

Yes. To both things.

[he's thinking so fast that he's almost dizzy. how can this happen? he's still got such a fragile grip on reality here, because how does he know he didn't do something in C's world? is he locked in with the Emperor and Marianne? how would Rolo get here, then?]

We need to find somewhere to go. You don't have any lodgings yet, do you? Were you brought here just now as well?

[his gaze looks up and around, and he takes a slow exhale to calm his nerves.]

i - come to me my nerd

[murderingjustice]

[Ever since his rather ominous dream back in the October involving the Lorentia cave, he had been pretty suspicious of the area. So, now that the aurora had suddenly appeared to the sky, seemingly leading to the mountains Akechi curiosity caved (haha, get it?) and he decided to pay the the place a visit. After all!! Investigation was the important part of being detective! Or something.

It's not the first time he's exploring the caves, so he's not necessarily as on edge as someone new might be, comfortably moving around the tunnels while knowing what to pay attention to and what not --- But then a sound of someone whinging carries to his ears from ahead. Frowning slightly, he moves towards the sound and sees a person kicking the rocks around. What is he? a ten? How embarrassing]

Careful. I wouldn't recommend breaking the materials found in here, even in accident.

[geass]

[listen.......... Lelouch is a big baby and he genuinely thought he was alone in here. so when he hears the other voice, he freezes for a moment.

but only a moment. he inhales slowly, and then exhales, making himself relax his shoulders and body as he turns to face Akechi.]

Do you know something about them? I'm afraid my own initial experiments have proven inconclusive.

[murderingjustice]

[Yeah, bro. Akechi isn't buying that. He recognizes a temper tantrum when he sees one (from first-hand experience). He raises a curious brow as he takes a few steps closer, measuring the person in front of him with his eyes. He doesn't think he's seen this one around yet.. Meaning, he's potentially a newcomer.]

Maybe. [He shrugs, forming a small grin on his lips.] But I wonder why your research has proven fruitless. Have you tried throwing them against the walls, yet?

[geass]

[he knows that Akechi's going to annoy him, but all it does is get Lelouch to smile a little bit.]

Honestly, that's the first thing I tried.

[:)]

They're pretty resilient, at least.