expiationlogs | TEST DRIVE MEME #6

Entry tags:

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.

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[... ah.

Lelouch pauses for a long moment, looking down at Rolo. yes, of course he wants to hit him. for failing to rescue Nunnally. for killing Shirley. for attempting to take the place of his dearest sister.

he grits his teeth. he hates Rolo for making him feel all these conflicting emotions, because he saved him. without Rolo, he too would've died.]

Not particularly.

[he finally grits out, though he finds that he himself unable to move.]

... It seems as though we may be here for a long time if we don't, though. I assume you can't move, either.

[It's oddly heartwarming that Lelouch says no, even if it seems to pain him to say it. Rolo really needs to raise his standards.]

Yeah. And I don't really want to hit you, either.

[He nods, thinking on it a bit longer, before attempting a smile.]

It's okay if you do, though.

[he really does. but considering his standards are on the ground...

he thinks about it some more. Rolo probably wouldn't even argue with him, would he?]

I assume that you wouldn't argue with me, either.

[since that's the other kind of "fight" he can think of. he'd rather not strike him, but... yanno. if it gets them out of there.]

I guess arguing would be better if you think that would count. But picking something to argue about just for the sake of arguing seems kinda...

[Inorganic? He feels like it'd be more performative, at least on his own end, and he doesn't know how sincere it has to be to work. And he can't imagine anything that get him to really argue with Lelouch.

...Well, maybe he can. More than one, even. But frankly, he thinks he'd rather get punched than open that can of worms. Right now, he can almost pretend everything's alright again.]

[he will never understand this guy tbh.]

Would you really rather I punch you?

[it's like he's almost trying to be nice here!! he can argue with anyone about anything at the drop of the hat, so it's not like that'd be difficult either.]

I'm not saying I want you to. But you're the one who said I wouldn't argue with you. Do you think it would count if it was that halfhearted?

[This feels ridiculous to be debating. He's not sure how any form of fighting is supposed to let them escape this unless it's something supernatural. Like someone's Geass or something? And regardless of what is causing it, the better question is who or what determines what counts as a fight?]

That being said, would fighting without reciprocation even count? Suppose I raised my hand to you, if you don't put up a fight on your behalf, that might not even be successful.

[is he... looking out for Rolo... a little bit?? wheeze. he does need an ally in this place, but it's a little more than that. there's no way to sort it all out right now, because as we all know Lelouch has to overthink every little thing he does ever.

it would be so much easier if he was stuck here with Suzaku, because they can argue about everything all the time.]

[Rolo sighs. This isn't how he'd have imagined this reunion going.]

Fine, then I'll try to block it. Without my Geass, of course.

[That'd be a little too easy.]

[it's okay, they can get up in their feefees later.

Lelouch sighs. he doesn't understand how this got so complicated... (because you opened your big fat mouth) but then it brings to wonder where he'd even make the attempt to punch Rolo. somewhere where it wouldn't hurt so badly -- the fact is out, because the bony structure would just give off so much pain. he knows for a fact that those kind of assaults hurt like hell. thanks Suzaku.

so he decides that he'll go with a more fleshy part of the body... which gives him the idea of punching Rolo in the gut. the worst that could probably happen there is he'd get winded, if Lelouch's punches would even be strong enough for that. even so, he'll go for that.]

Very well, then.

[and here he goes, an uppercut to Rolo's gut--]

[And Rolo easily parries the attempted punch with one forearm. He doesn't even have to square up to do it or anything, and he frowns at Lelouch.]

...You don't have to go easy on me.

[Surely that was just Lelouch pulling his punch, right? He knows his brother skips gym class at every opportunity but good lord.]

[he's absolutely not going easy on Rolo, and his mouth opens to argue it...

but then he decides it's not even worth arguing.

he tries again in a different spot nearby, with his other arm.]

[ oh so now you don't wanna argue

Again, he blocks it with ease, and his frown begins to take on an edge of concern. Or possibly pity.]

Nii-san...

[the frogs are finally satisfied... or maybe they're too just physically pained by the attempt Lelouch is making at fighting with Rolo. they become unstuck, and Lelouch almost topples over in his momentum...

but he catches himself, because i need to give him a small break on this TDM.]

Well. We did something right, anyway.

[he's not going to even talk about what just happened :|]

[They don't need to talk about it. Rolo is already thinking of how he might convince Lelouch to accept some self-defense lessons later.

He was pretty stationary at the moment of release so there's no stumbling on his part, just hands raising like he might catch Lelouch if he really did fall. They drop again and Rolo distracts himself for a moment with lifting his feet to confirm they're actually unstuck.]

It seems like it.

[Which leaves them...god knows where. This whole reunion was pretty heavily derailed, and Rolo's still not quite sure where they stand.]

...You said something about lodgings?

[yeah, this sure has been Something so far.

he unceremoniously attempts to grab Rolo and tries to start marching off, his gaze flitting around to see if there's any more amphibians who might be waiting to strike at them.]

Yes, let's get somewhere off the street. The creatures don't seem to be in the buildings.

[thank god]

[Of course Rolo goes along without question, just nodding his assent. He's just happy Lelouch is touching him, honestly. Not in a weird way. He's just easily satisfied where Lelouch is concerned.

And with an objective in mind, it's easier to ignore all the messier thoughts and focus on the task at hand. Rolo keeps an eye out for both threats and frogs, and when he spies an establishment with an open door and without any mistletoe hanging over the doorway, he nudges Lelouch in that direction and inside.

It appears to be a bar. Or a tavern, maybe. The rustic atmosphere definitely reads more tavern. What matters is that it's a place they can linger without looking suspicious, loud enough with the bustle of festive patrons that conversations won't be easily overheard.]

[Lelouch exhales when they get into the tavern with no mistletoe in sight, and takes in the scene. it seems that it really just was himself and Rolo that was here from their world.

that he knew of, anyway.

he sinks into a chair at a table when he gets the first opportunity to, and folds his hands underneath his chin as he starts to consider what the next move should be. in a scenario like this, he's going to have to work extra hard to figure everything out.]

Have you learned anything about this world, Rolo?

[Rolo trails after Lelouch through the crowded room, just like the good old days. He slides quietly into another seat at the table after a quick look around to ensure no one is paying them any particular mind. Most seem more preoccupied with their own socializing and celebrations for whatever holiday is going on.]

Someone said it was another world, but I don't know how any of this happened. I thought...that it was some kind of afterlife, maybe. Until I saw you.

[He wishes he had more to report, but it's only been about an hour and most of that was spent getting his bearings and coming to terms with not being dead.

He hesitates just briefly before adding:]

But I did have a charm and a piece of parchment on me when I woke up here.

[he drums his fingers on the table as he considers. could it be some sort of remnant of when he killed Charles and Marianne? or is this something else entirely... maybe he'd been stuck on this too long, and he needs to consider another angle. he files that away mentally, trying to switch gears and focus on what he does know.]

I too had both items on me when I woke up.

[his frown deepens as he thinks about it. the murder of Nunnally vi Britannia...]

So are we really going to assume that this world is made for crimes or rehabilitation? [then at least give him a crime that he did do. killing Euphemia, maybe. Clovis. anything but his sister.] It's not like any jail I've seen, and I haven't seen police patrolling, either. It seems like no one's watching us at all.

[even though he assumes that someone or something is anyway, and he won't think for a moment seriously otherwise.]

[Rolo falls easily back into his civilian persona in public, sitting at the table with the slightly hunched shoulders of the meek little brother. But talking like this, about surveillance and future plans and whatnot, a bit of the spy slips in with a coolly thoughtful expression and tone.]

You didn't realize you were under constant watch until Babel Tower, either.

[He can imagine how they're being surveilled here all too easily. Hell, even if the locals aren't in on it, there are fucking stealth frogs hiding in mistletoes everywhere that apparently have both supernatural powers and enough sentience to judge what constitutes a fight. Who's to say those are limited to the holiday season, or that there isn't another kind of tiny unobtrusive creature monitoring them all the time?

The real question is: who's in charge of all this? And how do they know what they know? The murder of Shirley Fenette is a crime that, as far as he's aware, only Lelouch knew about his involvement in.]

[:/]

Because I had no idea why I even needed to be watched in the first place. I didn't even know who I really was.

[there's a dangerous tone creeping into his voice... because Rolo was a part of that. that fake life that the former Emperor and Suzaku were in on.

his grip shifts slightly, and then he makes himself relax. making Rolo feel uncomfortable at the present moment isn't a step he should take. with no immediate exit and no one he knows, he needs to keep his head.

but he knows that at least Rolo will have his back. he'll be sure of that.]

At least I'm aware this time. The locals don't seem like they're watching too intently, or even really care about me when I was asking some questions. There was something about... Those Who Were There at some point, I believe.

["Uncomfortable" isn't quite the word for it. Rolo has enough awareness to notice that tone, but the slight frown that slips onto his face as a result is made more of uncertainty than discomfort. Dealing with people sometimes feels like a puzzle. Even if he's not entirely sure why, he knows that was the wrong thing to say.

But all he can do is make note of it and carry on.]

Those who were where?

[Lelouch 🤝 Rolo
not knowing how basic human interaction works

Lelouch sighs a little.]

Those Who Were There, whatever that means. It sounds like some sort of religion of this place. I couldn't get any sort of explanation other than that.

[he shakes his head.]

Even in a place like this, people still worship useless gods.

[Rolo nods absently, thoughtful.]

...What do you intend to do here?

[He wants direction. Not to be given orders to blindly follow again, but...well, something. Some goal he might be able to aim for, and it's easier to help with Lelouch's than to find one for himself. He made one big leap in the free will department and immediately died, so forgive him if he's taking baby steps now.]

[he taps his fingers on the table.]

I'm not sure. I'd like to see how much information we can gather before I make a decision. It's not like home when I had the Black Knights and the internet at my disposal to find records for me... so it makes it difficult to move not knowing who my opponents are.

TEST DRIVE MEME #6

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)