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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 |
no subject
and her eyes...
she can see him.]
Where are you?? I'll come find you, and then... and then we can figure everything out!
[he still sounds desperate, and some tears actually roll down his face as well as he notices that she's also crying.]
I'll come right away!
no subject
I-I think I'm by a bar...? Just please hurry!
no subject
...
it is Nunnally. but her eyes are open.]
You... gained your sight back...? How?
[he asks in between gasping for air. give him a minute and he'll actually have a meltdown, actually.]
no subject
Just as she found herself crying once more, she had to momentarily stop herself.]
What...? But I thought...you knew.
[Something wasn't adding up. Did he not know? No, he had to, it wasn't like him to miss such an important detail. What was going on?]
no subject
he falls to his knees in front of his sister, the tears unstoppable now as the reality of it all hits him again. so what if she had different memories? it was... it was Nunnally.]
We'll... we'll figure it out.
[he reaches out in an attempt to hold her hand.]
Right now, I'm just so thankful to see you again, Nunnally...
no subject
...Lelouch, please tell me what's going on. How are you alive? I don't understand any of this.
[As she held her hand out against his, she held it tightly as if she was afraid he might disappear.]
no subject
I'm very much alive, Nunnally.
[he considers what they might have told her. did Schneizel, Suzaku, or the Emperor try to tell her he was dead? but what could they gain from that? surely it'd just hurt her.]
You... are the one who's dead.
[it almost physically pains him to say it.]
no subject
[No, that can't be right. Something didn't add up. Why would he think that she was dead when it was supposed to be the other way around? Holding his hand tighter, she shook her head.]
...But I saw you. Zero stabbed you in front of me, I don't understand...
no subject
[his brow furrows as he considers it more. but he's Zero... was C.C. disguised as him?]
I don't remember any of this. If you told me more, maybe I could...
[??????? maybe he could figure out his own thoughts if he knew more context.]
no subject
You enacted Zero Requiem. You wanted to be the source of all the evil in the world and...had Zero kill you.
[As she said in a low voice, she didn't want to be reminded of it. She was supposed to be stronger than this. She knew she wouldn't ever be able to forget such a thing but to see him alive was enough for her to give a sob once more.]
no subject
You saw it... carried out?
[at least the name itself rings a bell... so he can start to consider the rest of the pieces. it had to have been Suzaku in the Zero outfit, then. even considering for a second that it was C.C. was a mistake in of itself.]
An alternate universe, or maybe--
[his eyes snap up, and his hand tightens a little more on Nunnally's and his tone gets more urgent.]
Nunnally, do you remember the FLEIJA attack that Suzaku launched? What happened after that?
no subject
[She had heard of strange things and yet, it did seem possible. If there were such things like geass in their world, who is to say that other strange things couldn't happen regardless? But she couldn't think much about that.
Right now?]
Um...I remember getting on a plane with the others and they told me everything about what happened.
[Including what Lelouch, Suzaku, C.C, and everyone else. As she continued to hold onto his hand, she took in a deep sigh. If he was from a place where it was before he died, then perhaps, if she told him....]
no subject
he considers for a long moment.]
So... you didn't die. We just... we just couldn't find you after the explosion.
[his voice cracks, and he puts his forehead on their clasped hands.]
I'm so glad you lived, Nunnally.
[even if it's an alternate universe, though he hopes it isn't. that he got to see his plan to its apex and that she had the chance to live a better life...]
no subject
She didn't know but she did know one thing.]
...Yes but you know that I just wanted to live in a world with you.
[She said as she held his hands tighter. Now that he was before their last confrontation, then perhaps it would be possible to prevent his death somehow.]
...Did you know that?
no subject
I know.
[he always knew, deep down in his heart. and he doesn't move his head, not yet, because he just wants to stay in this moment. in this moment, right where he wanted to be.]
I wanted to make a new world for you... and then along the way, it became more than that. It became a fight for the soul of the whole world instead.
[all the blood that had been on his hands... it couldn't have been for nothing. even though something aches in him as she tells him what he already knew in his heart.]
no subject
Biting her lips and fearing that she might cry again, she placed her head down too.]
But you didn't have to die....
[She knew his reasoning why. Even after accepting it, it was still a hard pill to swallow.]
no subject
I do. I've committed too many sins not to. Even though I would love to be by your side forever...
[everything about this is so hard.]
Everything's far past that point.
no subject
She didn't say anything and instead, looked at both of their hands before saying softly this:]
...Not to me, it isn't. There is still always a chance for change.
[With all the war and bloodshed, she still wanted to believe that there was hope. There was always a chance that people could change and it would turn out for the better.]
no subject
his heart squeezes so tightly he thinks he might choke.]
You always thought the better of everyone, Nunnally. Even for people who have caused so much death and hate.
[he loves her so much.]
no subject
[There was so much war and so much fighting. Why couldn't anyone learn that wasn't how to solve anything?]
no subject
I know. That's why it's for the best if you were the one who guided the world I'm creating. You will only guide with light and love... and that's what the world deserves.
no subject
...Even if you aren't there with me?
no subject
It's too late to turn back now. I wanted it to be you and me in the very end, I really did. But... as it turns out, changing the world has its costs.
[he sounds pained as he says it, too. he loves his sister so much that it hurts... and it hurts that he won't get to see her grow up into the leader he knows she can be.]
no subject
Then it seems you have accepted your choice no matter what. [She said before tightening her grip around his hand.]
Then...I have no choice but to agree with it as well.
no subject
Maybe in another life... we'll be able to have a happy life together.
[one that wasn't so filled with pain and trauma, maybe.]