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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
Although -- he remembers now. He remembers that full moon and those uttered words:
"This is how it should be."
And despite the person's acceptance of their fate, everyone had felt that loss so deeply, agonizingly, a life cut short even if they didn't have much time left.
Ah.
Minato's gaze drops to the floor. So that's what it is. Still, it's strange having someone level that distress at him. That's never happened before. After all, he'd been explicitly advised he had one year to make the most of things, and he'd signed on that dotted line that he'd accept whatever consequences came his way. ]
...okay. I won't.
[ Or at least, he'll stop because it's clearly upsetting the other person. It probably shows that he doesn't truly understand, given his flat tone. But in truth, he's not quite sure how to handle someone upset on his own behalf.
What should he say? What's the right choice of words in this situation? ]
...sorry.
[ Nailed it. ]
no subject
There's a difference between accepting your death and wanting to die, for sure.]
No, that's not what I meant-- [He sort of releases his hold on the sledgehammer, suddenly finding little interest in doing chores right now. Instead, he runs a hand through his head, obviously trying to say what he wants, head looking off to the side for the moment.]
Don't apologize for dying. Just... look, don't be surprised if other people are upset by it.
no subject
For what it's worth though, he can internalize Scott's final words. After all, it aligns with the way everyone had handled Shinjiro's death.
...back then, he hadn't quite understood why everyone reacted that way. But now, seeing this other teen's response and the way it overlaps -- yeah. Everyone had been pretty upset, hadn't they?
Unlike Scott, Minato's wandering back to his axe and lugging it to a log that's not too far from the other teen. He nudges it with his toe, trying to figure out the best spot to start hacking away. And though it looks like he's just going to go back to his task, Minato speaks: ]
...did you know? No one's ever said anything like that to me before.
[ No one's ever taken the time to pull him aside and tell him anything like that. Maybe there hadn't been any time. Time's a precious resource when you're trying to avert the apocalypse.
Scott seems like a good person though. He's lowkey got those future leader empathy vibes. It's something Minato knows he's missing. ]
...so, thanks.
[ Scott's words might not touch his heart or anything like that, but he can appreciate someone taking the time to at least try. ]
no subject
As the other teen's words settle in his mind, Scott looks back at Minato with a small frown, concern mixed with some distress appearing visibly across his face. A part of him honestly wants to smack the axe out of his hand so that the only thing Minato's focusing on is this conversation, but he holds himself back.]
Do you seriously think that your friends wouldn't be upset that you died?
[Unless he's talking to some friendless loser here, but Scott thinks he's being charitable by not jumping to that conclusion right away. Besides, it's a little hard and depressing to think that the other teen in front of him didn't have a single person that cared if he died or not. Like, fuck man?? Hopefully it's not that and he just. Never considered this before.
He can't fully relate to that, even when he was at his angriest; he knows that at least his brother would care if he died. His parents.]
no subject
He wouldn't want his friends to be upset, not when it was a decision that he had no qualms in making. But maybe Scott's right, that it's only natural, only normal, to be upset when someone you cared about passed away. ]
...I don't know.
[ How would he know? He hadn't been there in the aftermath to bear witness to everyone else's reactions. ]
Maybe you're right though.
[ Minato stops nudging the log with his toe, seemingly discovering a good spot to start hacking away. He doesn't though, and instead, leaves his foot leaning against the wood before glancing back at Scott. ]
...I wouldn't want them to be upset.
[ Life's too short to spend it living with grief. A melancholy smile settles on his features. ]
That's not up to me though, I guess.
no subject
Scott clearly doesn't seem to understand or follow Minato's train of thought, one hand folding against his hip as he continues to just Frown. Guess it helps that the other teen is considering it now at least, saying that 'maybe' he's right, even though it should be 'no, Scott, you're definitely right, because friends care about friends dying.'
He's also really tempted to just blast that log with his powers, because come on man. He gets distractions, but they're talking here!! Only silver lining is that he hasn't resumed chopping it, just leaving it alone for the most part.]
No, it's really not. [He's at first blunt, almost curt, when he says that, but Scott seems to control his temper once more, his next words a little softer.] It sucks losing a friend. Even if you're okay with dying or whatever, others are still going to be sad.
no subject
Too late now, not that he regretted his decision.
Even now, Minato has half the mind to go back to hacking at the log. It would be a welcome distraction from this conversation, from all the new thoughts swimming about in his head.
Scott speaks of loss as though he's intimately familiar with it. ]
...have you lost someone?
[ Did he lose someone? Is he going to lose someone? ]
no subject
His mentor's words swirl in his mind once more as he looks at Minato. He really technically hasn't lost someone, but he... probably will. He knows he will and it hurts so much. Not to mention his friends that died just a few months ago and that grief and anxiety of wondering if they'll actually come back. Maybe even having that thought alone is weird though, because people don't come back to life normally. Still, there was that pain of accepting that maybe they were truly gone.
But with all that... he actually hasn't lost anyone. Not in that permanent way.]
I don't need to lose someone to know that I'll be upset when it happens.
no subject
...yeah.
[ It's the tiniest of acknowledgements. ]
...I guess I'd be upset too.
[ That's why he'd fought so hard, wasn't it? He hadn't cared to do so for himself, but if fighting tooth and nail while getting up over and over again meant his friends could live to see another day, Minato had done just that without a single complaint.
It makes complete sense.
Even now, the log goes untouched, other than his toe resting against it to keep it in place. ]
...It's Minato.
[ He'd managed to go this long without offering his name. Scott's done more than enough to earn it though. And despite the subject matter of their conversation, he offers the other teen a genuine smile. ]
You care about others. That's a good thing.
no subject
...
Minato, though, he'll remember that. Just because of how much of a headache he caused him, god.]
I'm Scott.
[At first it appears that Scott's about ready to resume his task in smashing down some rocks, as he's bending down to grab the sledgehammer once more. However, he suddenly stops, sending the other teen a slightly scrunched expression despite the sincere smile being sent his way. Okay, it's nice seeing him smile like that, but gotta ruin the moment--]
Uh, yeah? I'm not that much of an asshole. Didn't take Being A Complete Dickhead 101 in high school.
no subject
...do you think you're kind of an asshole, Scott?
[ There's no judgment in his voice, only a light curiosity, spoken somewhat cautiously in case Scott didn't appreciate him prying. Scott might not be "that much" of an asshole, but that wording makes it sound as though he might consider himself to be a bit of a jerk. He might not have taken "Being A Complete Dickhead 101" in high school, but maybe he thinks he'd taken "Being A Little Bit Of A Dickhead 101"?
Instead of returning to his task, the log remains forgotten by Minato.
For what it's worth, Scott's been perfectly pleasant, if not a little emotional. But who wasn't, when they were standing next to Minato Arisato? ]
no subject
Yeah, I am. [...] I can be, especially to idiots.
[Or whenever he feels like it!! To be honest, he's been less of a jerk since arriving here, since making a bunch of friends, but Scott would rather just say this. Because that's just how teens work. Otherwise, he'd have to admit that feeling welcomed, feeling like he fits in somewhere, really helped his attitude. Too emotional right now!!]
You're on the border of that line.
tfw I think we can wind this down but idk how HFSKHK
Minato's not quite sure where Scott lands. Maybe he'll find out someday. ]
Mm. I'll try not to cross it then.
[ "Try," he says, just like how he'd later tell Scott he'd "try" not to get killed on purpose. Minato's not in the habit of making promises he knows he can't keep. ]