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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 |
you know what i want
Yosuke finds himself under the mistletoe with Yu, not having really thought of it. he'd mostly just seen his best friend and wanted to interact.
but now he's got the "NOW KISS" note in his hand, and his heartbeat is already starting to pick up.]
... Looks like they do.
[his voice sounds kind of strangled, especially due to everything he'd been considering for the past week or so. how they had almost kissed when he'd come back to life. how he probably wouldn't actually get to kiss Yu, because Yu probably thought he was terrified of that sort of thing and maybe he was just caught up in the moment.
well. he is terrified of that sort of thing, but not in the way Yu would probably expect.]
You don't think Susano-o would be able to blow them away or anything?
it's HAPPENING
Right?
... Right?? Of all the cheesy manga plots, of all the hokey dorama conceits, there's no way they wandered into this train wreck waiting to happen. He must be dreaming. That's it. None of this is real.
Thwack! Another paper hits him in the back of his neck.
Okay. So it's not a dream.]
I... [Oh. Wow. Why does his voice sound like a squeak? That's embarrassing. He clears his throat and tries again.] I don't think so, somehow.
[He tries for a smile, a little lopsided, a little awkward. There's no reason any of this has to be uncomfortable.]
Fire, maybe? I could try Kikuri-hime.
[Ha ha ha. See, that's a joke. He's sure that won't work either.]
no subject
Will you leave us alone???
[huff!!! his feelings are so mixed about this actually... because of what had almost happened when he'd found himself alive again here.
almost comically, the barrage of paper doesn't stop. where do they keep getting that shit?]
Why are they so forceful, goddammit--!
no subject
...
Ohhh this is it, isn't it, the edge of insanity.
But there's nothing for it, at this point. The toads have spoken, and unless they want to get pelted with papers for the rest of their life, they're doing to have to do something about it. So he does, decisively enough that he doesn't have to second guess himself: he darts forward and plants a kiss directly on Yosuke's cheek.
Then, quickly, he adds,] Did that do it?
[Hopefully it'll at least be enough to keep Yosuke from freaking out. Maybe.]
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that for once, he was kind of flustered into silence.
he feels his face get red hot, but the frogs keep pelting them with papers. their croaks almost sound like they're booing them??
Yosuke laughs, a little nervously as he turns to Yu.]
Are they really wanting us to make out? Right here??
[his voice is squeaking and he feels like he might pass out because... he doesn't know how to feel about any of this right now. but at the same time, he's not that scared.]
Usually people would say to "get a room" instead, right?
[FORCED AWKWARD LAUGH]
no subject
Yosuke is taking this surprisingly well, actually. Yu has taken things in stride so far with this whole thing, but this moment... feels different. Somehow. Anyway, Yosuke's getting kind of hyperbolic, so Yu gives him a soft laugh and a withering look.]
You don't have to go that far. We could just...
[... it's easier done than said, but-- this is still tough to do when they're stuck to the floor. Yu leans closer, somewhat cautiously, until they're close enough that he feels Yosuke's breath on his face. He gives his friend a bit of a searching look, like he's trying to gauge his level of readiness.]
It doesn't have to be a big deal.
[He says that, sure, but he also has to swallow a lump in his throat.]
no subject
but the jokes flee from him again when Yu's face gets so close to his own. it reminds him of the last time they'd been so close... and he wonders at what point he'd decided he'd be okay with this sort of thing. it's almost like something clicked in his mind when he pushed Yu into that boat, and maybe from watching Yu date around and knowing he was kissing and doing other things with other people. he'd been... so jealous. and for a while, he'd thought he was jealous because Yu could get anyone he wanted.
but he's starting to slowly realize that maybe it's because he wants Yu too.
he leans in a little, cautiously. it's kind of awkward, thinking that he might kiss a boy. there were people back home that'd tease him senseless if they knew. but Yu was okay with these things, and he had even kissed boys himself.
if Yu's fine with it, maybe that's all he needs.]
Yeah... no big deal at all.
[he sounds breathy again as he says it, and he gets closer to him to the point where their lips are almost touching but not quite.
he really hopes Yu can't hear his pounding heart.]
no subject
He's liked Yosuke for a very long time. It just took the thought of losing him forever to make him realize that.
He keeps eye contact up to the very last second, as if he's searching the other boy's face for second thoughts. Then, with a slow, almost tentative tenderness, he closes the distance between them with a soft press of his lips. At the same time, he realizes stupidly that his hands are just sort of tensely hanging at his sides. Noticing that, it's like he starts moving on autopilot, moving them up to gently rest on Yosuke's shoulders.
... it's probably taking things a bit too far. And yet, at the same time, this tiny moment doesn't seem like nearly enough.]
no subject
Yosuke's never actually been kissed before, so the return on the kiss is kind of slow and awkward. but he does return it, and his hands move up to Yu's shirt to hold on to him there, ready to push him away... but also ready to make sure he doesn't leave. his heart is racing, and he feels like he's ready to burst, which makes him lean in more for a deeper kiss. his body's reacting on his own at this point he thinks, and he doesn't hate it.
maybe this sort of thing... isn't that bad after all.]
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But it doesn't matter right now. Does it? It's a struggle to turn off the overthinking, but he tries his best, and as they close in on one another his arms slide around Yosuke's back, like it's the most natural thing in the world. He breathes in, deepening the kiss on the exhale, slowly and gently venturing for more. Part of him is still ready to let go if Yosuke does decide to push away. But for now, he's invested in the moment, enough so that he doesn't even realize his feet have come unstuck.]
no subject
he laughs nervously, but... it's not a bad one.]
That happened...
[but he doesn't hate it. instead, he's going to go in to kiss Yu again, out of his own volition this time. the frogs aren't throwing things or making them stick anymore, but he finds that this is what he wants so badly right now.]
no subject
He gives it a valiant effort anyway:] It-- mmf!
[His eyes fly wide as Yosuke kisses him again?? For an instant, he tries rationalizing that maybe he tripped or something, but then the rationalizing side of his brain shuts down entirely. His hands bunch in the front of Yosuke's shirt and he pulls him closer, sinking deeper into the kiss.]
no subject
he never would've expected his first kiss to be Yu, though.]
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It's not working. It feels nice, it feels good, but when he's trying to trace the line of how they got here, nothing about this makes sense, not from everything he understands --or thought he understood-- about Yosuke to begin with. Even after this long away from cases and victims and investigation, Yu can't turn off the questions. He tries to pull Yosuke closer, trading breaths, tries to ground himself in the feel of the other's hands carding through his hair. His heartbeat slamming in his throat. Soft lips and a familiar scent. It's not enough to stop the wheels from skidding off the tracks.
It...it's the last thing he wants to do. Really. But he pulls away with a shaky breath.]
Wait-- Yosuke--
[His face is flushed and his breath is coming in short gasps, and he trails off, doesn't even know where to begin.]
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he just knows... that he really liked it. he liked kissing Yu.
and he doesn't know how he feels about it.]
... Sorry.
[he can't even make eye contact with him, and he looks down at the ground as he tries to compose himself.]
I don't know... what came over me.
[he has no idea. maybe he wants to know why the girls at home and both genders here are so captivated by Yu, and for a moment, he thinks he gets it. he kind of gets why now his heart twists sometimes whenever he knows that Yu and Mikey are hanging out, or when he goes on dates with other people in Aldrip.
he just has no fucking clue how to verbalize any of it, or if he even should. maybe this was finally the line that he just didn't cross with his best friend.]
no subject
... But as he watches Yosuke's expression crumple, as he tries to catch a gaze that's steadfastly avoiding him, he begins to wonder just how fragile it all really is.]
N...no, [his throat is dry as he says it, and he has to stop. Swallow. Try again.] It's alright.
[There's a tightness in his chest, so many thoughts and confessions trying to get out that he doesn't know where to start. Or even if he should start. "I don't know what came over me"? Then he...he didn't mean for it to go this far, did he?
(It doesn't hurt to think that, not exactly, more like a dull sting.)
He, too, tries to compose himself, pulls a small but friendly smile into his expression, tinged with a bit of an apologetic look.]
... I guess we both got a little carried away.
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he can't... he just can't think about it.
he runs a hand over his face and chances a look up. that smile on Yu's face... almost like he should be apologizing.
but it's Yosuke himself who should be apologizing. because he went too far this time.]
I have... I should probably go get some groceries or something on the way home.
[SWERVE THAT SUBJECT CHANGE.]
D-Do you need anything?
no subject
A pause, and then he shakes his head.]
... I'm good. But thanks.
[Here is where he would normally ask if Yosuke wants company. It wouldn't be the first time they've run errands together like this. But he kind of... he just... Right now, he needs some time to think.]
I'll-- see you later, alright? Back at the house.
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so he nods, and smiles a little.]
Yeah. See you later, Yu.
[it's going to take any self restraint he has left not to just go and run for it, but he makes himself take measured steps. letting Yu on to the fact that he was freaking out so much probably wouldn't be a good thing right about now--]