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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 |
feast b + mistletoe
[Kotone looks absolutely delighted at the sight of Akechi surrounded by cats. Animals are smart and recognize good people, don't they? Clearly more evidence in her constant fight to convince the older boy of his own worth. Of course, while beelining her way toward the herd of cats (and their unfortunate victim), she fails to notice the little toads keeping a careful watch over their domain.
As she crouches down to offer both hands to the cats to sniff, one of the toads takes aim and splat! sticks both of them in place, followed by a quick shot of paper.
Now Kiss.]
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When Kotone's cheery voice reaches Akechi he, and some of the said cats, turn their attention to her. One cat even trots curiously to meet her midway.. probably to check whether she has food or not. Akechi opens to his mouth to greet her but he doesn't even manage to get a word out before he sees one of the toads jump on the branch and launch its missile at them.]
Kotone! Watch out-- [Aaand it's too late. The missile lands, spreading it's yucky goo and rest history. Ignoring the paper for now, Akechi offers his hand at her, ready to help pull her up.] I'm sorry. Are you alright?
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I'm okay! Stuck, though, [she informs him oh-so-helpfully, taking his hand and letting him pull her upright, even if she can't really go anywhere.] You've finally made a new fanclub, huh?
[The kitties...]
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Ah, yes. Although I must admit that this is a crowd I'm not very good at handling. [One or two he can handle but six?? wait-- is that a seventh now joining them. the felines circulate around them, butting their tiny heads and brushing their bodies against their legs. Yeah, Akechi looks a little bothered, especially since he can't move and avoid these fluffy creatures.]
This place seems to be growing to be more troublesome after each month. Did you see what your note said?
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[Like, she'll take being swarmed by hungry cats and shot at by toads who just want them to be friends than think about what they left behind in Rumpitur.
But oh, the note. It's somewhere on the ground beneath all the cats, so she can't easily grab it as proof, so she's left just shrugging up at him. She's trying to look apologetic, but her eyes betray the amusement she actually feels.]
Oh, it said kiss.
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Akechi inhales deep, holds the air for a second or two before letting it go with a deep, frustrated sigh. Kotone is far from being most troubling person to have here but that doesn't make this anymore easy.
The cats are meowing loudly around their feet.] That is troubling, then.
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[She just got picked up to her feet, but in short order, she's back down again, crouching to pet one of the cats rubbing against her ankle. Hey there, buddy!]
I don't mind. I'll just kiss your hand or something if you want!
i legit thought i had tagged this dlkjjdsl
Akechi, however? He keeps standing there but raises an amused brow as he watches her play with the cats.]
Shouldn't I be the one to do that for you, Kotone? You are the lady, after all.
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Who are you, Scott? "Oooh, boys are supposed to do this and girls are supposed to do this~"
[Sorry boyfriend, she loves you, but she's still going to make fun of him sometimes when it's funny.]
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[He snorts, not at all offended by her reaction. Because well, yeah. Kotone isn't someone who follows the conventional female role. He could definitely see her being the one sweeping others off their feet.]
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[She laughs a little and gives one of the cats a final pat before pushing herself back to her feet and clasping her hands behind her back, eyes sparkling as she grins up at him.]
I don't mind if you kiss me for real, though.
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Though! Her suggestion penetrates (hah) thriugh both roles, leaving him almost dumbfounded and blush creeping on his cheeks.]
Like I said. [He clears his throat.] That would be troublesome. Your lips ought to be preserved, Kotone.
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Then she bursts out laughing, a bright, genuine peal of loud laughter that she only barely manages to clasp both hands over to try to stifle. It doesn't quite work, but sorry-! That's the funniest thing anyone's ever said to her! It reminds of her Theo, in a fond way.]
Preserved for - [snort] Preserved for what?!
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You are in a relationship, are you not. [Although, he feels like things like that doesn't necessarily matter to her. If she's anything like Akira on that regard, but still!] You shouldn't waste your kisses on me.
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Me and Scott already talked about it, so it's fine! My lips had been plenty of places before that, anyway!
[Said with a wink, intentionally raunchy in an attempt to fluster him because it's funny. Also it's true! Like Akira's dick for one-]
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Spare me from details, please. [He huffs, holding back a grimace as his face heats up a little. Look, he's not used to sharing these kinds of stories. Then he sighs] Shall we get done with this?