expiationmods: (Default)
Expiation Mods ([personal profile] expiationmods) wrote2023-08-30 03:07 pm

INFO / FAQ v2


INFO / FAQ

Questions asked from July-on on the old info page under the new mod team still stands. Whatever players have discussed with the old mod team from June and before please comment either here or in the mod contact page as a refresh for what you were told and any changes, if any, to the answers.



About Expiation

Expiation is a pan-fandom adventure game with science fiction, fantasy, and subtle horror elements that explore the concepts of crime versus innocence, definition of atonement, and reflection of self.

An overarching storyline will encourage characters to determine the truth about why they’ve been brought to this world and will be impacted by character discoveries and actions taken during the bimonthly events. Player-run events and plots are welcome during months where there is downtime.

Characters are mysteriously plucked from their world of origin, dropped into the white nothingness of disembodied voices, and told they’ll be treated as 'all of the others' have been. They awaken in this newer world largely pleasant to the eye in the close proximity of a populated town. In hand, they carry documentation and a tablet that accuses them of a crime, whether it be true or false, and they are instructed to simply wait until they face their sentencing.

Expiation is an environment meant to give characters the opportunity to analyze and reflect on their past actions in an effort to define and discover their own self-atonement. They may also perhaps seek forgiveness from others that they may have wronged, inadvertently or direct. It is not necessarily rehabilitation, but rather dissection of character motivation and evolution, based on individual dynamic and relationships with others.

Of course, not everything always goes as planned. The characters also have an opportunity to relish in and advocate for the chaos and destruction, making the world of the Expiation to be one that reflects their own sense of morality and image.

All characters in Expiation are being tested. Every single event, every single miniature event, just about every single thing that characters come up against is a test, including their interactions with the npcs. Every action matters.




Sentencing
We will leave a message on your character’s inbox with our NPC (link to expi account) to meet him at Courthouse for incarceration and to meet the council to get their punishments. If characters don’t go willingly, they will be brought by force by said NPC. Once there, he takes them into the court where they will meet The Council and receive their punishment. These punishments will be tailored to the crime committed or the crime characters have come into this world with. They will have until the Friday before the next event to complete these tasks, or it will result in punishment. Again, these will be tailored to the individual characters who have refused these crimes. While characters don’t remember seeing or talking to the council, they will remember their punishment as well as the reward for completing it: to change their crime to another on their “list of crimes”, or to be rewarded in another way. The other ways aren't specified, but they are:

- Regain a memory from a previous stay, or recover a memory from a memory-altering event
- Gain a small item, could be either theirs or someone else's
- Gain a small ability, or temporary supernatural ability (1 month)

Proof of compliance of the punishment must be threaded out and sent to the mods for characters to receive their reward. These threads don’t have to be complete, but there must be evidence that characters are working towards it in the thread(s) that are sent in. If real life comes up and you’re unable to make a thread, and it’s IC to finish it, please approach the mods and we will work with you on that on a case-by-case basis.

As always, this is opt-in. If there’s a player of a character that automatically is entered in the sentencing cycle via crimes in Aldrip that doesn’t wish to participate, please contact the mods and we will work with you on that as well.

Repetitive crime behavior will be handled on a case-by-case basis for other months. We would like for everyone interested in this mechanic to be able to participate, so there may be a month that an automatic character gets skipped if they commit a crime again. Ex: Vi completes her sentence in October, but if there are more crimes committed between now and the December cycle, she will only be added in if there’s a slot to be filled. That is to say, if there isn’t enough interest in those months to fill the slots assigned, they will be added back in if the player wishes to do so.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly section in the Activity Check comments are to help keep the mods aware of potential crimes oocly. The ic component is the NPC inbox that people may put crimes for Jerry to be aware of.

Sentencing will happen on TDM months as a way to incorporate plot-related nuggets in between event months. As of right now, that's how they will stay.





Arrival
Characters will arrive with inventory they may have been carrying, within reason. If they come with their own phones or other tech, it will power on but it doesn’t connect to any network. If they had anything in their possession that would be considered ‘world breaking,’ they will find that it is completely nonfunctional. Ex: an omni-tool from Mass Effect, that can hack, control devices, and replicate materials.

New arrivals will not always necessarily appear in the same location. They will, however, always be within a relatively safe, if not slightly exhausting, walking distance of a populated town where the locals will probably be friendly.

Probably.

In addition to their base inventory, characters will be provided with a tablet, as well as a parchment detailing the crime they’ve been accused of. To the touch, it feels like ordinary paper, if slightly archaic and out of place. But the parchment is completely indestructible. It cannot be cut. It cannot be burnt. It cannot be destroyed. If lost, the parchment will somehow make it back to its owner.

More information on the tablets and network will be on the page linked above.




Languages
Everything is auto-translated to the recipient's own language. If they try to speak their own language even as a joke it will be translated to the recipient.

Ciphers and codes, however, may be used.




Life in Expiation

Expiation is a large simulated world, consisting of different areas, cities and towns. The one that characters most often wake up in is called Aldrip. More information on the city itself is located on the linked page.

The people of Aldrip worship and revere something they refer to as 'Those Who Were There.' Very little is known of these deities. As for the government: there is rumored to be a council who watches over the law in Aldrip, working as judge, jury and executioner. However, no one has ever seen the members of council or truly know what they’re like. The way the locals and other NPCs react to The Chosen will differ and change depending on the in-game event.

The weather in Aldrip is usually suspiciously pleasant. Despite the rain being scarce it’s not dry or uncomfortable. It usually gets too cold during the nights and the moon is always full. There are some constellations in the sky, but none of them are ones that Chosens would be able to recognize, and every night is a full moon. There are four seasons in Expiation and the weather will change accordingly as stated in State of the Game posts.

The flora and fauna of the continent change slightly when new Chosen come in from a new series and world. After a few days, they may notice that some of their animals or monsters are there, as well as some of their plants. The list of what's here so far is here and here. Otherwise, various earth-like livestock may be found in the form of cows, pigs, chickens, etc.

There is a currency, as shown here. It's earned and spent as someone would with normal money, earned while working various jobs and quests for the locals. Player-run businesses can be found in the comments on Aldrip’s information page.

On arrival, characters may stay at the Inn, where their first month will be free of charge, or find an apartment, other communal lodgings, or have their own house. The initial house that they would move into is a one bed, one bath house with a basic kitchen and a living space. Details on expansion is here on the rewards page.





Death
According to the locals, death is a natural part of life.

All characters in Expiation are susceptible to dying, whether they are human or not. A character dies in Expiation will come back one week after their passing, awakening in their bed or in a familiar place, with their death wounds healed.

However, perhaps not all is as it seems. Characters who find their way back from death may find that something about them seems...off. Some characters may discover that they are missing memories, or that their memories feel wrong, thus making it harder to tell what is real and what has been falsified. Characters may also experience nightmares and emotional changes, such as paranoia and anxiety.

These changes are, for the most part, temporary, disappearing within a few weeks—however, if a character dies more than once, they may begin to find that these new developments become more permanent over time.

If you are planning for your character to die, please notify the mod team.




Rewards
Rewards with extra activity can be redeemed by using the rewards page. This includes approved inventory from home, the ability to run one’s own business, and other like ideas.

Please see the page for additional details, how to redeem, and other requirements.




Drops & Canon Updates
Canon updates and hiatus / drop page are now two separate posts. Please make sure you use them accordingly.

When a character drops, there is no great fanfare. They are simply gone, much in the way they arrived. The record of the crime they were accused of will remain since the parchment that contains that information is indestructible. Any inventory that isn’t on their person will also remain in the world or can be claimed by other characters with player permission.

Characters dropped and reapplied for later will not initially retain memories of their previous time in Expiation (if played by the same player). They can regain these memories by submitting extra AC on the rewards page.

Characters who are going to be updated in canon will be absent for a minimum of one week (or longer, depending on circumstance). Temporarily they will be extracted from Expiation, but upon return, they will not be assigned a new piece of parchment and will otherwise wake up in their lodgings. They will have no memory of extraction. It will be as if they simply had a long, extensive nap.




Applications & Reserves
This is a pan-fandom game, accepting monthly applications for video game, live action, book, film, and other related mediums, including original characters.

have a Player Cap of 70.
We have a Canon Cap of 10. (This refers to the number of characters per specific canon.)

Reserves are a first-come, first-served system and limited to two characters at a time.

Due to our player cap, note that we will only accept as many players as we have player slots, however, we will review all applications submitted during the cycle.

We will not accept child characters, though extenuating circumstances may apply (read: a younger physical appearance who may be thousands of years old, or a character who may be a construct in an age of single digits). Please consider the nature of the game and the age of your character.

There is a two month wait on applying for characters from a newly-released canon. For example, Fire Emblem: Engage released at the end of January 2023. We would begin accepting characters from it by the end of March 2023.

If your canon character has a lack of canon material / information and you are relying heavily and mostly on headcanon to the point where your character is likened to an OC, we will not accept the application.

We accept CRAU characters with the caveat that they must still accurately represent the character in their canon state. If they are too far removed from canon, we will not accept them, but we do understand the desire to move CR without having to completely rebuild it from scratch.

We accept malleable protagonists, such as the Warden from Dragon Age, Commander Shepard from Mass Effect, and the Warrior of Light from Final Fantasy XIV. That said, only one of these can exist [per applicable canon] and they must be applied for without preexisting relationships to canon characters aside from what base storyline dictates. (Exceptions will potentially be made for CRAUs and handled on a case-by-case basis.) We do not accept Fandom OCs.


We do accept duplicates: ex: Cloud from Kingdom Hearts and Cloud from FFVII, or Link from all 300 (/exaggeration) Legend of Zelda games so long as they're not sequels to each other. Ex: Link from BOTW and TOTK would be the same character, and Sora from the Kingdom Hearts series is the same character even with the 60 (/exaggeration) games there are in the series.

You can check the application and reserve pages for additional details, including cycle dates and other requirements.

opheliac: ✖ malagraphic (FISHBONES IN DA HOUSE)

[personal profile] opheliac 2023-09-01 03:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Hello! I'll be first to ask a question (hopefully it's okay to ask it in this one and not the former page).

This question is regarding about the tablets! since the tablet is more bettah and has identity functions and contacts, when one posts on the network will they need to make a username for themselves or will it just say that person's name attached by whatever (TEXT/VIDEO/VOICE) they are doing?

**EDIT**: Oop, a quick follow-up question, speaking of contact names - my character kinda sorta has two names. Will it say "Powder" or "Jinx" in the contacts? (just curious on whether or not i should make her grumpy about it)
Edited 2023-09-01 15:02 (UTC)
solitarysoul: commisioned art (Default)

[personal profile] solitarysoul 2023-09-23 04:09 am (UTC)(link)
how are characters with addictions treated? is that something they'd retain from canon or something that'd be 'fixed' upon arrival?
and if that addiction is hard drugs would they be allowed to arrive with a dose or two before forced to detox in game
emet_sulk: (Default)

[personal profile] emet_sulk 2023-09-23 04:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi mods, Emet-Selch is currently negotiating with Silco about trying to replicate a specific flower from Arcane canon (the one which distils into Shimmer) using Creation magicks. I had in mind some limitations to hopefully make this acceptable if it is agreeable with you all:

- The flower cannot propagate at all, so Emet himself has to make a new flower or flowers every time
- He cannot make them indefinitely since he does have to use his own aether so that functions as a natural limitation of quantity
- Due to the previous restriction, that means it isn't possible to make an industry out of its production but there might be enough to trade around as a rare commodity (beyond what Silco needs for medication) if Emet pushes himself

Would this be reasonable enough to allow him to (at some future point) recreate the flower?
coordinatroll: (just go with the flow)

[personal profile] coordinatroll 2023-10-01 08:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Hello mods! I'm here to ask for a revision (?) of the questions I asked the old mod team here.

I imagine there would be some changes, especially regarding the potential of getting Grief Seed alternatives, considering the souring relationship between the locals and the Chosen, so please let me know how you feel about those!

Thanks in advance ♥
scowlish: (Default)

[personal profile] scowlish 2023-10-11 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Onni's abilities are a weird case, in that his magic is performed by calling on a god/goddess, element, or spirit. Not so weird, except that it is confirmed canon that the further he is from his home country, Finland, the weaker his ability to call on the gods is, despite the luonto, or third part of the soul being the major source of magic.

How would you handle this in game? Is there a possibility of a loophole (like being able to call upon native-to-the-setting spirits/elements/gods or redefining his magic as being sourced from his luonto) that would allow him to still use his powers?
Edited 2023-10-11 23:08 (UTC)
strength_of_will: (Default)

[personal profile] strength_of_will 2023-10-24 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
Hello, are activity proofs still required to take over a business in Aldrip considering that there have been NPCs/residents disappearing from places? I'm just thinking that maybe William would take care of a church/place or worship if he sees it empty.
fieldtrip: (130)

[personal profile] fieldtrip 2023-11-04 08:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi there, just a quick question to ask if you'd consider Toph from Avatar: the Last Airbender eligible for application. She's 12 in canon but I would be looking to play her post-canon at age 13. I can also pretty easily age her up a bit to 15 or 16 if that's allowed and preferable using the follow-up comics and some headcanon.

Although it is a children's show, AtLA deals strongly with difficult themes around war and guilt, so I think she would be able to engage thematically without too much trouble.

Thank you in advance!!
feintofhart: ([ mid phase ] how many ways can I say ta)

[personal profile] feintofhart 2023-11-05 10:46 am (UTC)(link)
Hello, mods! I know you've got a whole flora section (love that!!) but I'd like to ask a few more questions since Claude took over the apothecary.

- Would he be able to get his hands on most traditional plants that are sold in apothecaries (i.e. chamomile, camphor, sandalwood, etc.)?
- Are there any other native herbs that he should know about unique to the setting and used for any medicinal properties, i.e. ability to make potions etc.?
- Is there any plantlife that can be smoked for its psychoactive qualities? (420blazeit)
breakin_ur_lore: (Default)

[personal profile] breakin_ur_lore 2023-11-07 03:01 am (UTC)(link)
To sort of expand upon this old question, if one were to try and ~reach out to the nature spirits~ of the world, would there be any response? Med'an is a shaman and can (theoretically) call upon "the spirit of Fire" and so forth, but it's at least somewhat established in canon that different planets have different versions of these.
partialnecrosis: (:V)

[personal profile] partialnecrosis 2023-11-29 04:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Hello! I apologize if something similar has been asked before, but I have a couple questions about tech we arrive with (as it were) + abilities/stats limitations.

1) Patriot here is on a kind of magic+tech life support in his canon, ultimately powered by Magic Rocks instead of electricity (ironically, he needs the life support because he has the magic rocks growing inside his organs). Would it be functional or would he need to find some other source of energy for it?

2) Patriot can use the Magic Rocks inside himself to basically do psychic damage to enemies (inflict fear, suppress will, etc) and/or buff allies (at the cost of his magic rock disease getting worse, of course). The magic rocks also allow him to regenerate in battle (again at the cost of the disease getting worse). How would those abilities change in Expiation?
2a) He is also naturally extremely physically strong and resilient, on top of the magic regen/damage. I assume this would be toned down, but to what level? Like, just Very Stronk or going into "ok you're clearly not human" territory?

3) Speaking of not human, Patriot is also just a huge (8 ft 3) glowy red eyed deer skull monster man who struggles to speak (bc of the magic rock disease) so he comes off as EXTREMELY threatening and ominous. How would Aldrip locals view him. Would they just banish him to the forest.
strength_of_will: (24 Calm)

[personal profile] strength_of_will 2023-11-30 04:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Hello! If someone were to ask the people of Aldrip what happens to those who commit severe crimes (i.e. the NATIVES who commit crimes rather than the Chosen), what would the general response be? The Chosen are obviously here for rehabilitation but surely someone in Expiation has committed a crime before.
thegtg: (typical)

[personal profile] thegtg 2023-12-09 02:27 pm (UTC)(link)
i was going to ask this on my application but since apps got pushed back and TDM is coming up i'll just ask here-

1. Since Gojo can see "cursed energy", would you say the world of expiation naturally contains cursed energy? Cursed energy here is defined as energy produced by people's emotions that leads to the existence of curses, ghosts, demons, etc. This will basically determine whether Gojo can get away with wearing a blindfold or not, haha.

2. Gojo is going to have to be brutally nerfed but I was wondering if it would be ok if he kept his Limitless techniques that aren't related directly to fighting - ie his shielding and ability to walk on air. Basically he can instantly produce a shield that makes it impossible for anything to touch him. I understand if this is too OP but you never get what you don't ask for, right?
detonating: (you won't get me)

[personal profile] detonating 2023-12-11 08:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi Mods!

I plan on apping in this round, and I'm making my life hard with the canon point I'm choosing (spicy good rp content tho), but the FAQ doesn't quite address it for me.

RECENT MHA MANGA SPOILERS BELOW!!! From where I will be taking Bakugou, he has had what should be a fatal hole blown through his chest. The conclusion just came out over the last few weeks (he "died" well over a year ago now) where another character uses his abilities to sew his heart back together, and then his own quirk basically jumpstarts it again.

How does a "dead" character coming to this game work? Is it the same as the death rules listed above? Can I drop him into the TDM mostly healed, or would he still be wrecked and in need of medical attention?


Thanks so much!
Edited 2023-12-11 20:39 (UTC)
feintofhart: (Default)

[personal profile] feintofhart 2023-12-12 02:07 am (UTC)(link)
Hello mods, sorry to badger you some more! I know this doesn't quite fit in with an FAQ, but I figured it wasn't a player plot either, so here I am! Very much in accordance with a previous question, when it comes to Rumpitur, Claude will be persistently attempting to speak to the citizens of Aldrip, namely:

- What the families/friends of the victims wish to be done for justice (especially those whose business he had personally taken over)
- If the authorities of Aldrip are planning on doing anything whatsoever
- What, legally, would generally be done, in accordance with local laws and relations between Rumpitur and Aldrip, as well as what they would like to be done to either sever ties or to continue working relationships with them
- If the Chosen were to retaliate in any way - imprisonment, reform, execution - if that would reflect upon the people of Aldrip or if the people there would be for it or against it

Basically, with all the debates going on, Claude's primary focus is the preservation of this world's laws and community relations, as well as the people whose loved ones aren't coming back; he sees them as the true victims of the whole thing. Is there anything he would find, or would he be stonewalled in much the same way that William was?
finalrun: (14)

[personal profile] finalrun 2023-12-18 09:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Hello, mods!

I wanted to ask if Nai / Knives from Trigun Stampede, specifically from episode 09, could be considered eligible for application? Technically, at that point in the timeline his age is 5 years, but physically and mentally he is closer to between the ages of 13-15 years old (reference). I understand if it wouldn't fly, but I thought I'd ask regardless!

Thank you!
strength_of_will: (Default)

[personal profile] strength_of_will 2024-02-05 01:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Hello, I have a question about canon updates!

I understand the character won't remember being extracted from Expiation, but in that case how would that reconcile with their update? Do they think it's one long, extended dream of their life continuing on from its previous point? If their update involves physical alterations to their body or other changes, would those actually take effect?

edit: gently poking as I'm still waiting on an answer!
Edited 2024-02-10 15:15 (UTC)
scythedance: i paid for all of these why would you steal them (Default)

[personal profile] scythedance 2024-03-05 01:40 am (UTC)(link)
Hello mods! For memory regain, I wanted to know if it was 9 points per memory, or 9 points in total for all memories to return? Thank you!
izanagis: (Default)

[personal profile] izanagis 2024-03-12 12:17 am (UTC)(link)
HI. for those of us who cannot count, what tier of reward would it be to add a persona to yu's deck? he's got a max of 12 but i was a fool (hahaha) on my app and only put in 10
yamagishi: (Default)

[personal profile] yamagishi 2024-04-01 10:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Sooooo....

I wanted to app Fuuka from Kotone's route. However, I am also curious if it is possible to also take Kotone's route for The Answer? Everything would be the same except that it'll be her instead of Minato.
emet_sulk: (Default)

[personal profile] emet_sulk 2024-04-02 10:33 am (UTC)(link)
Figured I'd better ask again now that the setting is being updated: would Emet-Selch's soulsight (the ability to perceive aether/magic in the world as well as the nature of other people's souls) still be null here? The previous answer was that since aether does not exist, his Sight would not show him anything. Meanwhile, NPC souls would not appear to Emet (players' characters were up to their discretion naturally).

Would this still stand or are there alterations I should be aware of?
quizpersona: (🕊️ iv.)

[personal profile] quizpersona 2024-04-02 08:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Hiii mods!

What with the recent major changes to the landscape I was wondering if it's still possible to navigate one's way to the meadowlands some of the first chosen found themselves in upon arrival? Or has that ~mysteriously disappeared~
solitarysoul: (rifle)

[personal profile] solitarysoul 2024-04-06 04:12 pm (UTC)(link)
is it possible to buy guns in this new city?
emet_sulk: (15 in thought)

[personal profile] emet_sulk 2024-04-10 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
Hello mods! I was wondering whether it is possible for Emet to sneak into the new Council building and try and snoop around? He wants to see if there are indeed some kind of new security measures put in place after Ragna's bombing last month.

(I'm fine if he gets caught or faces consequences/whatever for it.)
ashaya: ( ᴄʜʀᴏᴍᴇsᴛʜᴇsɪᴀ: ᴅɴs. ) (Default)

[personal profile] ashaya 2024-04-12 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
HELLO MODS... i am haunting you yet again.

just a quick question: what kind of operating system/software (if any) do the cellphones/tablet run on? i assume it is probably not anything recognizable, like windows or something, but something unique? or is there nothing there for a person who would want to go into its systems to investigate (e.g., if spock went looking for vpn options for the network, if he went to see if he could fiddle around with its software)? could he try to jailbreak his device, for example.
Edited 2024-04-12 23:46 (UTC)
cried: (Default)

[personal profile] cried 2024-04-21 10:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Hello, mods! I scoured through the previous faq page to find anything similar to Waka's situation, and just wanted to send a question for confirmations sake: Alula is a God that can at times possess her body if she happens to drink blood or witness a person, that Waka herself is obsessed with, bleeding. I wish that was a joke. Similarly Alula has their own personality, but I wanted to touch base to see if they would be an appable character since Waka's powers are dependent on Alula.

I also wanted to ask about mind control. Due to Alula's possession of Waka her eyes are similar to that in appearance and power of a God in canon, this allows her to control individuals to do her bidding while under an euphoric bliss. In canon we've only seen her control a single individual at a time, but it's been proven that God's have the ability of controlling groups of humans at once. This control can last anywhere between a couple of minutes to roughly eight hours, so I was curious of how your team would like this to be nerfed, if at all.

Thank you so much!

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