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expiationlogs2024-02-11 08:51 pm
TEST DRIVE MEME #7
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 February TDM is going to be forward-dated to February 19.
Our CALENDAR is here to help to remember dates. That means RESERVES will be opening on February 19 and APPLICATIONS will open on February 22. After this, applications will next open in April 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.
Sure is cold out here. For new arrivals, even moreso: they find themselves waking in this strange new place in the middle of Aldrip, most of them harmlessly sprawled on the ground. Some may have landed in a snowdrift. A few unlucky folks may have appeared in one of the fountains or on a rooftop. Either way, their unfortunate state is on display for all to see. It may be embarrassing, but hey, at least it makes getting help a bit easier.
Locals and Chosen alike will be happy to brief newcomers on where they are and what's going on. Welcome to Aldrip, many will say, though they're clearly very busy. Newcomers will quickly learn that they're preparing for a delegation from a neighboring city, a diplomatic visit that should hopefully ease tensions between Aldrip and neighboring Ketsora, after one of the Chosen attacked the latter city. Apparently Aldrip agreed to host a lavish party for the Ketsorans, but they're a long, long way away from finishing it. Attitudes are tense, but cautiously excited; who doesn't like a party, right?
Oh, and don't mind the toads. They're fine. Everything is fine.
FESTIVE PREPARATIONS
As a show of good faith to the Ketsoran delegation, Aldrip's locals hastily turn the events center into an elegant reception hall. Apparently it's Ketsoran tradition: visitors to your city should be welcomed with a lavish party--the more days and expenses paid, the better. Aldrip is determined to make this party generous and opulent enough to appease their neighbors to the south. There's a long, long list of things to do in preparation–not just setting up for this party, but rebuilding and cleaning up damages left behind from January's events.
i. REBUILDING
Aldrip’s run-down state was of little concern right after January’s tense situation, but now that they have guests to impress, the locals are working themselves into a frenzy trying to get the town back to normal. Any Chosen seen with idle hands will be asked, cajoled, guilted, or outright volunteered into helping the clean-up process. This isn’t limited to rebuilding or clearing rubble: some may be put to work cleaning up public spaces, like the inn or the many businesses in town that could use some love. Some will even be asked to tend to green spaces or clear out monsters lurking too close to the town borders. Chosen-run establishments that are necessary to the community, such as the clinic, will also receive extra attention, getting their supplies and maintenance requests handled quickly.
ii. WORK HARD, PLAY HARD
Naturally, the other focus is on preparing for the party itself. The entire town is getting decked out for this: fresh paint on buildings, colorful flags, banners, and lanterns strung in public places and gathering spots. Local businesses will be putting their best foot forward, and some may need extra help to make that happen. The Chosen will find themselves pulled into this prep work as well, not just in the events center but around the rest of the town as well. They may be asked to run errands for businesses, work on decorating, prepare a delicious menu of food, or even to practice an act they can perform at the party. Better brush up on those juggling skills.
As always, we leave the type, scope, and placement of any of this work up to players!
A MASKED AFFAIR (19-23)
iii. ALL DRESSED UP
Aldrip’s tailors and seamstresses have their work cut out for them. All the way up to the first night of the party, and even in the evenings between party days, they’ll be doing their level best to make sure everyone in town, locals and Chosen alike, look their absolute best for the ball. They may even grab some reluctant characters off the street to deck them out in the latest fashions. They do take requests, of course, but those Chosen with no opinion may find themselves at the whim of the tailors’ creativity. There’s no telling what they’ll come up with.
Tailors are available to alter, clean, or completely change characters’ costumes between party nights, but they may come up with something less elaborate after more than one go-around. They may even be less altruistic about giving things for free.
Not everyone is lucky enough to get these ornate getups free of charge, unfortunately; some of the clothing shops in town got hit pretty hard by recent events! Chosen who pick certain shops may find that they’re asked to work to earn it in a variety of different ways. Some characters may be asked to model new fashions outside of shops, or to run errands for the shopkeepers. They could find themselves distributing flyers to advertise for the store, cleaning up, cooking meals, or any number of different tasks. We leave the options in your capable hands.
Please note that this event is a masquerade, meaning that masks aren’t just encouraged, they’re required. Tailors will often offer to provide a mask, but if there’s another way a character would like to obtain a mask, please feel free to utilize it.
iv. FOR LUCK
Aldrip’s locals certainly are a superstitious bunch, which might explain why they decorate the elaborate formalwear with certain motifs, designs, or colors. Some of the Chosen wearing embellished clothing may find that it enhances certain aspects of their personality or appearance. For example, Yellow can encourage a sunny disposition, or a heart could make them seem more desirable. Perhaps a flower brooch makes them smell like roses, or a peacock design has them preening and strutting. Maybe matching patterns could even inspire feelings of friendliness or affection. On the other hand, raindrops or dark colors may make them feel a little gloomy. Please note that this is optional, and that the range of effects is entirely up to you.
NIGHTS AT THE BALL (19-23)
Thanks in no small part to the help of the Chosen, the events center has been transformed into a lavish dance hall. Thick velvety curtains drape from ceiling to floor, adding an air of luxury to the whole event. Servers carry trays of delicious, exotic foods and drinks, offering them to attendees. Various performers and acts will rotate through the space as the week progresses, featuring different types of music, dramatic numbers, joke telling, acrobatics, and any number of other things.
Some may see familiar faces working in various capacities throughout the week. That’s right! Some Chosen may choose to–or be volunteered to–work during the event as bartenders, servers, cooks, entertainers, game runners, etc. Maybe they need the cash? Or…maybe they’re just bored.
Partygoers may find, oddly, that their masks make it suspiciously difficult to recognize their friends–they may even have trouble recognizing their voices. Some may even mistake a total stranger for someone they know, or vice versa. Either way, it’s strange, isn’t it? Almost as if the masks are obscuring peoples’ identities.
v. SAVE ME A DANCE
A local at the door is offering dance cards to those who will. Those who choose to participate in this fun game will find that they’re missing something–or several somethings, around 4-8. These could be any number of things, including but not limited to: physical items, appearance traits, memories, powers, attributes, or anything else you can think of. How do characters get them back? By dancing with other Chosen, and writing their names in the dance card. Who knows? Maybe you’ll make a new friend!
vi. ALL FUN AND GAMES
Some of the gaming tables from the casino make a return, as well: there are small rooms in the back for blackjack, darts, pool, and other games. There are other games, too, for people who will. A flower vendor encourages people to buy single roses in different colors, each with their own meaning in the language of flowers. Various scavenger hunts ask people to find people wearing certain colors, patterns, or shapes in their elaborate clothing. Some even play games like charades.
At the stroke of midnight on each night of the party, the band stops playing their music, just for a moment. They count down to the last chime of the clock, and then everyone removes their masks. Surprise!
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. To help with this, the SOTG for February is here. 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 |
| The Case Study of Vanitas | Vanitas |
| Circle of Magic | Sandrilene fa Toren |
| The Dresden Files | The Archive |
| Dungeon Meshi | Mithrun |
| Final Fantasy VII R | Aerith Gainsborough |
| Final Fantasy VII R | Cloud Strife |
| Gnosia | Sha-ming |
| House M.D. | Dr. Gregory House |
| The Locked Tomb | Gideon Nav |
| Metro Exodus | Colonel Miller |
| Naruto | Kakashi Hatake |
| Onmyoji (Netflix) | Abe no Seimei |
| Original | Astralin Turnont |
| Persona 3 | Aigis |
| Persona 3 | Minato Arisato |
| Persona 4 | Naoto Shirogane |
| The Tarot Sequence | Addam St. Nicholas |
no subject
Oh. That's good.
[ It's definitely a relief given Ken's youth. And on top of that, there'd... been sacrifices made along the way in hopes that the boy would survive.
Only after receiving Kotone's reassurances does Minato take in his surroundings. The farmhouse itself is quaint despite its generous size. It's easy to imagine it nestled within greener fields once the weather warms up. Not a bad place to spend the afterlife, all things considered.
There's a chill that's been gradually creeping in. His uniform's blazer offers a little bit of warmth, but it's not nearly enough for the wintry air. He pauses for a moment, glancing out at the snow-covered grass. It's nostalgic, even if the last time he'd faced a snowfall hadn't been a particularly pleasant memory.
Minato frowns as he considers Kotone's final statement. ]
"Most"?
[ A mix of the living and the deceased. ]
I guess this can't really be the afterlife then.
[ Food for thought, he supposes. ]
no subject
[She shrugs as if unconcerned; it's not that she doesn't care about the mystery, exactly, but she just trusts that there are more than enough people working to solve it. She can poke her nose into their investigations instead of running her own.
Leading them around to a side door instead of the front door, she opens it into a small mud room so she can change out of her work boots. No point getting dirt and snow all over the house! She nods toward the extra slippers in the corner if Minato wants to take a pair for himself, because,] If you get snow everywhere, you're the one cleaning it up!
[She opens the door into the kitchen, warm and inviting with a fireplace against one wall and a strange assortment of old and relatively modern. Everything about the house itself screams turn of the (20th) century, save for the electric fridge. That, and the kitchen is covered in plants; from the centerpiece on the small kitchen table to the creeping ivy lining the doorframe, if it's not a surface that would be in use for cooking or eating, there's some kind of plant on it.]
The guy who owned the house really liked plants, [she explains, somewhat unnecessarily.]
no subject
He takes care to tap the tip of his shoe a couple times against the floor by the door. It's the courteous thing to do especially as a guest, to get rid of as much snow as possible while outside the house. Only then does he slip his shoes off to replace them with the extra slippers, neatly placing his own shoes side by side out of the way.
Minato wanders after Kotone, gaze sweeping over the home's interior. The greenery swallowing up the kitchen adds character. Most importantly, it's cozy and warm, adequately staving off the winter chill. ]
Yeah. I can see that.
[ His attention returns to his company as a question based on Kotone's statement comes to mind. After all, no explanation, no matter how banal, is truly unnecessary to Minato.
"Owned?" ]
What happened to him...?
no subject
He disappeared. [She presses her lips tightly together and turns away, busying herself with preparing the teapot.] That happens sometimes. People are here one day and gone the next. Sometimes they come back in a week or two with new memories of their time where they come from, other times they're gone for longer and don't remember anything from being here.
[With her back turned, she shrugs as if it's no big deal.]
So since he was letting me stay here for free when he was here, I figured that I might as well keep the house and farm in order for him! In case he ever comes back.
no subject
He watches quietly as Kotone grabs the tin of homemade cookies, hanging back a bit to give her space to work. She seems rather at home in this kitchen. Maybe she's called this farmhouse her home ever since she'd arrived in this new world.
It must be difficult to lose someone who'd opened their home to her. ]
Mm. Maybe he'll be back someday.
[ And though Kotone's not facing him, Minato raises a hand and taps a couple fingers over his heart. ]
But he's not gone, not really. Not if you can still remember him.
[ It's a lesson he'd learned the hard way. ]
no subject
[She hopes so, anyway. Not only because taking care of the farm is a lot of work (technically she only really helps out the locals who'd been hired by Astralin before his disappearance, but it feels like a lot of work to a city girl), but because she misses him. There's still a little magic ice sculpture of a flower in her room that he'd given her, almost a year ago now.
When she finally does turn, resting back against the countertop while waiting for the water to boil, it's with a small, almost wry smile as she nods in agreement.]
Unbreakable bonds, right? [She raises her own hand to her heart, gripping her blouse like she might to summon her Personas.] I know.
[Speaking of bonds... she lowers her hand and clasps both in front of her, still with the same small smile curving her lips.]
So... you were the leader of SEES, huh?
no subject
But before he can agree, her next question catches him a bit off guard. His eyes widen, almost imperceptibly, accompanied by the slightest arch of his brows. No one outside of SEES was supposed to know about that. Kotone had only specified she'd been a Gekkoukan student, and as far as Minato knew, the only Gekkoukan students who were aware of the group were those who were a part of it.
It's a rare moment where Minato finds himself searching for the correct response.
...well, this is Aldrip and definitely not Japan. It likely won't make a difference if he has to disclose details about the group. ]
Yeah. ...how did you know?
no subject
Kirijo-senpai and Aragaki-senpai told me about you. [Maybe the revelation about Shinji being here isn't as dramatic in the wake of her earlier explanation that "some people are dead, but some aren't," because as far as she knows, Shinji is in a hospital bed in the real world.] They respect you a lot!
[She hesitates, taking the time to choose her words more carefully.] It was weird for me and Ken-kun when they said that, 'cause where we're from, I was the leader of SEES.
no subject
He has no reason not to believe Kotone's telling the truth, and in a way, it's somewhat reassuring to know there are others familiar to him that landed in Aldrip too. It's less clear with Mitsuru, but maybe this is where Shinjiro ended up after that full October moon.
Minato shakes his head. ]
I just did what they asked me to do.
[ Even now, he doesn't think leading SEES was that great of an accomplishment.
And though Kotone's final revelation was, under normal cirumstances, the most surprising one, Minato's expression remains pensive. Given everything that's been disclosed -- sure, why not? Alternate timelines can totally be a thing, and that premise would explain why he can't recall ever seeing Kotone around Gekkoukan.
He's always been fairly open-minded... ]
How did it go?
[ It's an intentionally open-ended question. He's stepping aside, falling into his natural rhythm of allowing Kotone to direct the conversation as she pleases. ]