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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
It takes Minato a moment to figure out how to answer Yu's question. If he and Kotone were both second-years at Gekkoukan, that could definitely mean they were classmates. It's not like he knew every single face within their year. Maybe she was mixed in with the faces he'd never gotten to know.
But she'd called herself the leader of SEES, and unless there was a second group of SEES members running around at the same time, that's an inexplicable contradiction.
Minato settles on:]
...I don't know.
[ The axe is back in Minato's hands as he walks over to the next log. He inspects it silently, measuring in his head the best way to portion it. Only after he's satisfied with that mental map does he glance back at Yu, a slight frown on his face. ]
Maybe there were two different Gekkoukan Highs.
[ It's a wild thought, but it could explain why both of them remembered leading SEES. And with that, Minato lifts the axe, bringing its edge down to cut partway through the wood. ]
Or maybe not. I guess it doesn't really matter.
[ Not like it would change anything... ]
no subject
He's heard something like that before.
It takes him a minute to place it, but when he does, he has to pause another moment to process it. Mitsuru had said something like that, that she remembered a different leader. That it had felt like--]
... an alternate reality, maybe.
[It clicks into place fairly easily, after that. The feeling of similarity --or rather, Izanagi resonating within him, another Fool-- and his subsequent seeking out of other comparisons. But Minato's dismissal bothers him a bit, too. Maybe because of his own circumstances, where nothing had been coincidence. Everything mattered, and he still makes a habit of seeking out the patterns.
It's the same, here. Judging from his next words, he's clearly heard about this from someone.]
It does matter. You're the other wildcard. [Said plainly; casually.] Mitsuru Kirijo told me about you.
[He neglects to say how much, of course; that he shares the same power. Maybe he's still a bit reticent when it comes to talking about himself.]
no subject
Minato leaves his axe wedged partway in the log. He keeps one hand on the axe's handle to keep it steady. Other than that, he seems to have forgotten his current task. Instead, his gaze shifts to Yu. Though the other teen speaks matter-of-factly, there's a subtle resolve behind those words. ]
It's not worth dwelling on.
[ He offers Yu a small shrug. Despite his words, there's a small smile on his face. Alternate realities, additional wildcards -- it doesn't matter to him, and it's why he can accept Yu's words as the truth. It's why he can't find it in him to feel surprised that Mitsuru's made her way to Aldrip too. The information is helpful. That means the Mitsuru who's landed here must be from his own timeline. ]
I guess there's nothing that says more than one wildcard can't exist.
[ But then there's the slight, curious tilt of the head. ]
...how do you know that term? Did Kotone or Kirijo-senpai tell you about it?
no subject
The way Minato seems to roll with things makes a faint ghost of a smile tug at his expression.
It's only natural that he raises the question, though, and that is where Yu pauses. Akira had sort of just blurted everything out, when they first met, but that's never really been his style. Then again, it felt kind of foolish, the way he and Kotone had danced around the subject for so long. It's not like they're keeping secrets, here; he's used his Personas plenty of times in public before.
Alright. That cinches it.]
I'd heard about it before I met them. [He dusts off his free hand, sliding it into his pocket.] It's the same for me.
[The same power, the same arcana. The same long-nosed friend in common.]
no subject
Oh.
[ The single syllable is spoken casually, as though Yu had just pointed out it was going to start raining. Minato falls silent, thoughtful. His hand remains on the axe's handle. He's not ready to start prying the axe free to go back to chopping wood just yet. ]
Cool.
[ That makes three of them. It had surprised him a little to learn of other Wild Cards, but the effect is more subdued thanks to already meeting Kotone. How many more of them were running around in the wild?
His gaze lowers a bit as he takes in the rest of Yu's appearance. It moves intentionally, as though Minato were searching for something. But because he doesn't find what he's looking for, he frowns a bit, confused. ]
...where's your Evoker...?
no subject
He doesn't have an answer to that. But it's kind of amazing, in a way.
Minato's nonchalance is both surprising and kind of funny. All of them seem to go with the flow, in a way, but Minato seems to take that to a whole new level.
As to the question:] The... [He mimics a gun with his fingers, and then shakes his head.] I don't have one. It seems we all summon our Personas in a different way.
[Between shooting yourself in the head and ripping your own face off, he's starting to think he got the better end of the deal.]
no subject
[ No Evoker? Huh.
Fortunately, Yu follows up immediately with an explanation. And because Minato's already accepted that there are not only parallel universes, but also several Wild Cards running around at once, it makes Yu's explanation quite easy to accept.
It makes sense. After all, the Evokers were developed through the Kirijo Group. Without that conglomerate's existence, those pieces of technology probably wouldn't exist.
His wood-cutting assignment is long forgotten as he cants his head a bit at Yu. ]
Can you show me?
[ A demonstration is much quicker than an explanation. It doesn't look like Yu has any special equipment on him for Persona-summoning, but maybe it's something indiscreet like a watch? ]
no subject
Igor would probably know. Not that he would say it in a way that makes any sense.
Yu nods at the request; he's not trying to conserve his energy right now, so he doesn't mind. The truth is that he doesn't need any equipment: the card that appears isn't a physical card, it's a manifestation of magic, and shattering it in his hand is what makes his Persona appear. It just feels right to pick Izanagi -- he's the one that's been with Yu the longest, the closest thing he has to a "main" Persona.
Izanagi looks a little confused. Kind of like bruh what am I doing here?? but Yu sort of just shrugs in Minato's direction.]
That's how it is for my whole team.
no subject
Minato stares up at Izanagi and offers the Persona a small wave.
The whole card-shattering thing for Persona summoning sure seems convenient. Without their Evokers, Minato and the rest of SEES are toast. ]
Oh. That's cool.
[ Though his words are directed towards Yu, Minato still hasn't taken his eyes off Izanagi. The Persona stands tall, clad in a dark coat and lethal-looking weapon in hand. Which "face" of Yu's does this Persona represent? ]
...I don't recognize this Persona. What's their name?
no subject
... ... ... He's overthinking this whole thing again.]
Izanagi. [Questions of affinity aside, there is fondness in his tone. They've been together a long time, by now.] He was the first one I awakened.
[Having little to do other than look intimidating, the Persona disappears soon after. Yu looks at Minato, then, curious.]
What about you? Which was your first?
no subject
...it must be a heavy Persona to bear. ]
Orpheus.
[ Minato responds simply. It's a question that only calls for a single word. Orpheus, Master of Strings -- he who traversed the land of the dead for his beloved, failed miserably, and ultimately met a violent demise after scorning the gods.
He recalls the giant sword clutched in Izanagi's hand. In comparison, the only weapon available to Orpheus was the lyre upon his back. And even then, the instrument was best suited for supporting and reinvigorating allies. ].
...he's different from yours.
[ It's an understatement shrouding how deeply he's considering the contrast, especially considering the contemplative expression settling on Minato's features. Of course the two Personas had their differences. He's not bothered by it. Rather, it's a fascinating divergence to him. ]
no subject
He was something of a tragic figure, right?
[Hello. He's a nerd. After he realized many of their Personas were figures from mythology, he started reading up on it. Orpheus, who lost his love in a moment of doubt...a lesson about faith, trust, and the harsh reality of iron-clad rules.
He wonders what they all say about them.]
Probably, [he agrees after a moment.][Knowing they all had the same power, the same story...if they were all the same, it would be hard to feel like their own person. Even Minato and Kotone's personalities are different -- which makes it easier to differentiate, even if they share so much.]
no subject
[ That's one way to put it. But had it been a moment of doubt that caused Orpheus to look over his shoulder? Or had it been the fact that he was overcome with the sheer amount of love he held for another that he could not help but turn to her? Perhaps the pull had been too great -- like the gravitational force of the Earth that secures the moon to its side, or a sunflower's instinct to turn its face sunward.
Perhaps Minato had loved others that deeply too. ]
There's only one way to know those differences.
[ And it's something both of them were well-acquainted with, isn't it? Through sharing in one another's company, differences and similarities alike are revealed over time. ]
We can find out what they're like.
[ It's about as close to an "I think I'd like to spend time with you again," that anyone will get out of Minato. ]
no subject
Of course it brings a smile to his face.]
Couldn't have said it better myself. [There's some irony in him saying that, but he just sort of goes with it, honestly.]
I look forward to learning more about them. And you, too.