ateratooc | TDM: Winter

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test drive

TDM: Winter

Test Drive Meme: Winter。

WELCOME TO ATERAT

All prompts are optional but can also be used as game canon if you and the other agrees. In addition, current players are welcome to use any of the prompts provided here for interactions within the game setting. The prompts below act as little mini events for current or new players to interact with for the duration of the Test Drive (a new Test Drive will go up in March).

You’re not required to use any of the prompts provided here, of course, and are more than welcome to go your own way (we even encourage it)! The setting itself centers around character exploration and is designed to allow you to do whatever you’d like with it. As such, you can refer to the links below for more ideas!

Arrival & General Information | Setting | Locations & Employment | Residences & Housing Info | Rules & FAQ

I. A Cup of Warm and Cozy。

The world certainly is a snowy, slushy mess for most of the Winter. Snow doesn't accumulate in any sort of devastating way, but it does leave walkways, streets, and sidewalks in need of regular clearing and what's left behind has a habit of freezing in places, making walking treacherous for people and mounts alike. The weather is bitter and wet with overcast days and leaving everyone in a generally meh mood.

As a means of lightening the mood, the Market District Tavern has begun serving steaming cups of warm apple cider, adult and child-friendly alike, via a partnership with Fanci over at Grave Concoctions. The staff assure you there's nothing harmful in the drinks, just a means of lifting your spirit on these dreary days and nights, and that is exactly what the cider does.

Anyone who helps themselves to a cup, whether it's alcoholic or not, will feel just a little more optimistic about, well, just about everything! They'll find themselves feeling as though whatever problem they might have been facing, either at home or in the city, really isn't that big a deal and hopeful that, no matter what, things are going to turn out alright.

What's more, they'll find themselves a lot more sociable than they already are. Do they tend toward solitude or at least tend to keep their feelings close to the chest, only letting a select few, or none at all, in? Well, they'll feel a lot more open about whatever they tend to keep to themselves and inclined to share with whoever may be around. Not the person the feelings are directed toward or about a situation in which they're involved? That really doesn't seem to factor into the equation. Hopefully things won't get too awkward before the cider runs its course.

Fanci never said there couldn't be side effects, after all.

II. Give a Little Bit。

The spirit of Yule inspires the natives of Aterat to kindness and many charities crop up that last throughout the winter months. Soup kitchens seem to be the most common, with fare available for any who find themselves less fortunate through the winter, offering a hot meal and a warm place to eat it in the form of reinforced tents that have sprung up in various places throughout the Market district, and the natives welcome to lend a hand (or take advantage, whatever suits them, though that may be more frowned upon if they aren't wanting).

There are also various bake sales, rummage sales, and other fundraisers to build funds in order to support the Orphanage for the coming year, as well as food drives to refill the orphanage's larders to support the children who've come to call the place home.

Residents and newcomers to Aterat are welcome to donate their time or money to the cause in whatever way they may want, and those who do so may find themselves rewarded with a charming keepsake to remind them of the world's they've left behind. Namely, those who help in whatever way they'd prefer will receive an anonymous delivery of a charming little snowglobe containing a miniature depiction of a place in their own world that brings them peace.

III. The Dead of Winter。

While the City of Aterat spends the winter months coming together and supporting their community, the farther outskirts become a cold, uninviting place. Strange, then, when the terrain is so dark and chilled, that one may find themselves overcome with the urge to wander. It may be through the southern plains or the outskirts of the forest. It could even be through the foothills surrounding the Academy to the north or the hills beyond the chocobo ranches to the west, but you won't come to yourself until you realize how truly lost you are. Direction means nothing to you in the overcast sky and your only hope is finding another wandering soul to orient yourself, root you in the here and now.

Neither of you planned to be out in this weather, so warmth could be an issue, and it's possible the journey back to the safety of the city will be a long one indeed, depending on how far you've wandered. Strangely, the more you talk, sharing whatever experiences come to mind or just discussing the strange situation you've found yourselves in, the less the biting cold seems to bother you, and the less lost you feel.

In fact, the conversation seems to help you understand, getting back to civilization is as simple as putting one foot in front of the other.

IV. Tell Phone or Wildcard。

You were given a fancy Tell Phone upon arrival, and a solid option is always reaching out to anyone else who might also call this place a home away from home over the network. Alternately, you're welcome to play with any bit of the setting in whatever way you'd like! Feel free to use the Questions thread below if you have any before you get rolling, and remember, we're all here to have fun and be weird!

(Being weird is optional, but really, live a little!)

navigation。

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“It is wonderful to have the company and the assistance in the first place, I assure you.” He responded lightly with a small gesture and a polite smile. It was true, honestly, that he was glad for the help when this was a little outside his usual methods of helping out around the city.

It was also nice to see someone provide him with thoughtful advice and a logical course of action while also suggesting it look nice to ensure people stopped at the table to get what they needed. What he had not considered was including a ‘test run’ with someone playing the part of a person stopping at the table to pick up what they needed. “A wonderful idea. That would be quite helpful to ensure that it’s pleasing to the eye of those approaching and easy to navigate.” He agreed with a smile, before offering a hand properly in greeting. “I’m Yusuke Kitagawa. Who might I have the pleasure of working with today?”

Joshua smiled with a nod. It was nice to be doing this work instead of what he would've been doing back home should the world be saved and everyone make it. He would be asked to take up the throne of Rosaria. That in itself would be no simple task even though the survivors in the secret order would ensure the continuity of the line.

He smiled at Yusuke and was delighted to hear that his idea would be put to use. "It hopefully will help everything be more efficient so they can get on with their day." It hurt him to think that something like this would be so sorely needed back home, and had been needed so many times over in the other lands. The best thing he could do here was to do what he couldn't do there right now.

At hearing the other man give their name, Joshua lifted his gloved hand and lightly touched Yusuke's hand with a slight lowering of his head. "I'm Joshua Rosfield, and it's an honour to meet you Yusuke Kitagawa."

“Agreed. We must do what we can to assist the people who need it while it is in our power to do so. This place seems to be chaotic, often enough, but values community and was welcoming enough to those of us not of this world.” So it seemed right to show support and provide help in return, and Yusuke found it rather heartening to see people working together to ensure that everyone did not go without that which was needed. He had seen far too often the way a city could let people fall through the cracks or prioritize those considered ‘the right people’ over others. To be honest, he would probably count as one such person who needed aid, given his personal and financial situation back in his world. Without the other phantoms looking out for him, he would go without meals himself more often than not, and not just because he forgot sometimes.

“Lovely to make your acquaintance, then!” He responded with a polite bow of his own head. Introductions out of the way, the teen smiled lightly as he turned back to the table to begin tackling their task with energy and a renewed sense of eagerness. “Now, perhaps you can tell me what you think of this current arrangement. I cannot decide if it is easy to interact with or if it simply looks nice aesthetically.” He gestured lightly, placing some bread carefully in place and framing the table lightly with his fingers.

Yusuke's words had him wondering. After all back home, magic..well the dominants were basically chess pieces and used as forces of power and kept as a power play. The bearers..they were treated poorly and the thought of how bad off they were even here turned his stomach even if his father Elwin had tried his best.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Joshua nodded. "A little kindness amidst chaos can do a lot of good." Or so he'd personally found back home. Hopefully this place as was described to him would turn out to be the same way. And he knew that sometimes that kindness had to be extended often to help people get on with their lives.

Smiling at the other's enthusiasm, their hands then unclasped and he turned to look at what Yusuke was referring to. "It could probably use some more food on it, but other than that it looks serviceable. We can still do a mock run through to see how it all comes together."

“Quite!” Yusuke agreed with another smile, tone pleased to hear it. It rather seemed like, odd as it was to think about, that most people brought here were rather inclined towards wanting to help in their own ways. “It’s good to have met such a like-minded individual.” He hoped to learn more about his new colleague as they worked, but there was the task at hand to consider.

But the task at hand was still, of course, at hand. And Jacob offered his opinions and gave Yusuke something to consider and improve upon, as well as keeping him as focused on that as he was on his curiosity. “I had rather wondered that myself, to be honest. I was afraid of crowding it too much and making it look cluttered. So I had considered adding more as it empties, but perhaps we could add a little more like this and it would still look pleasing, while also easier to maintain…?” He asked, nudging a few rows closer together and adding another on the end of each item.

The teen supposed that might be more practical as well, and save them from keeping up if there was a rush in the end.

Joshua smiled, thinking once again of his father and the plans he'd had to help out the people of Rosaria at Yusuke's. "Food and shelter have always seemed to be the building blocks to help others get back on their feet."

They might not be working on shelter at the moment, but food was important and so they were working on it together. He listened carefully to his companion and nodded. "Yes, we will need to keep an eye on it as I've no doubt that others will be emptying it faster than we realize. But a little more should be fine." He smiled at the other's aesthetic sense and helped out to make it a little fuller. After that was done, he went on the other side to check for inventory.

"Let me know when you're ready to do the test or if we need to take more time while I check out our supplies for refilling." Here he was trying to give the other time to get things set right.

Yusuke was careful as he set things out, but tried to not get too sidetracked along the way now that he had someone to keep an eye on how it looked as he went. “That does seem most likely. Perhaps next we could make sure that the stock meant to refill the table as it empties is organized and easy to reach as well as you check it, without being a potential hazard for tripping on.” He mused thoughtfully, tilting his head one way and then another as he set down a final loaf of bread that made the table look just a touch fuller without crowding it too much.

The question gets a small hum, and a final check before the teen nodded. “Once you’ve checked the supplies for refilling, I believe we should be ready for our ‘test run,’ as you put it!” He agreed, lowering his arms and turning his attention to Joshua to help look over the refill supplies.

There was a small laugh. "Right, we don't need to have supplies running out while we're trying our best to assist people." He then looked and saw a few children playing, so he stopped to watch them for just a moment before getting the check on for the stocks in question.

Those children he saw playing a moment ago might be well amongst the number that were needing help, so Joshua doubled down on his efforts. He wished one of his abilities could be to create food, but he could only do fire as that was his Eikon's domain.

As he worked, Yusuke came over and Joshua smiled. "Almost done here."

Yusuke could relate to the desire, but creation was only something he as skilled at when it came to art. And unfortunately, in his experience, his art had also not served to feed him well at times. Though it had certainly lined someone else’s pockets on more than one occasion back in his world… So he understood well the need for a little kindness and consideration of those in need, keeping an eye on those going about their day around them. He did not doubt that there would be people stopping by the table to pick up necessities soon.

“Wonderful!” He responded with a lighter tone as Joshua confirmed he was nearly finished with his current task. Standing by and fussing a bit with a few items on the table to adjust how they were lined up while he waited to do a test run.

Joshua had no real world experience at this, but he had watched the people here long enough to be able to get the gist of what they were doing, how this was getting set up and how it was all going to go.

He felt so lost without Clive even though they'd been torn apart by Ultima's designs on his older brother. But if he could push that pain out of his heart and work and focus on what he could do, that helped.

Hearing Yusuke now, he finished up the last few bits. He stood up and stood back to survey everything, which seemed ready. With the other fussing a bit he patiently waited.

Noticing that Joshua was ready, Yusuke offered a smile and finally stopped fussing with the items on display. “Alright, let us commence with testing the table’s convenience! Would you like to be the person browsing to pick things out, or shall I?” he asked, not having a preference and happy to take on either roll as they tried to decide if the table was sorted well enough.

"You can be the one picking things out, if that will work for you." Joshua replied. He figured he was already back there, so he would have things nearby for the test run so to speak.

This was going to help them help others and Joshua wanted to make sure the people and especially the children were helped out as much as possible.

Joshua’s suggestion gets a small nod and a bright smile in agreement. “I suppose that sounds quite sensible to me, given I’m already standing on this side. Alright, let us begin!” He started, moving to look over the table and considering the staples that he would probably look towards first if he were browsing the table for real.

It seemed to work well enough, but he hummed lightly. “Perhaps we should move the bread somewhat further this way. It seems like it may be easier to pick up without having to worry about bumping other items on the way.”

Joshua smiled and nodded, moving to get to the food. Everything seemed to be prepared, but then the other pointed out the bread. This had him stepping back and taking a look. It was easy to concede to that point.

"Right, I'll get this adjusted. It's a simple minor fix."

“Indeed, it should not be difficult to move them again.” He responded, moving forward to assist in the slight adjustment of the bread’s position. Humming lightly as they completed the task and tilting his head one way and then another as he judged whether it worked better or not. It was a quiet moment before he nods with a pleased smile. “Yes, I believe that the table seems to be well in order and the small adjustment was all it needed!”

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TDM: Winter

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Should we wrap this one?