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theelmemeium2023-03-11 01:47 am
shiftmanager) wrote in theelmemeium2023-03-11 01:47 am
Entry tags:
TEST DRIVE MEME #2
Welcome to the second test drive of
theelysium! Test drive threads may be considered game canon if all participants wish to maintain the CR developed here.
The game is invite-only, closed to friends of the moderators and those invited by current players. Current players may submit invitations at any time. If you are interested in joining the game but do not know anyone involved, you may reach out to the mod team to request an invitation for the current app round.
If you have any questions about the setting, here are some links to the game's premise and setting information pages.
Thank you for playing! We're excited to have you.
ARRIVAL
When you came to, you were mid-conversation with someone you've never seen before, nodding along to instructions that seem to evaporate into the air after they're spoken aloud. You've been welcomed into the industry, given your ID and uniform, and escorted to the back of house. It seemed natural then to just go along with it, to be cordial and pleasant, no matter how insincere it might have been.
They asked you to sit for a while and gather your bearings, and so you sit. The rest settles slowly as you adjust and find the rest of yourself returning. At least the couches are soft.
The room is dark, lit only by a rotating set of colored lights that move across a determined track, bathing the collected employees in bright shades of blue, pink, and violet. Some tables are internally lit in fluorescent shades, surrounding everything in a hazy glow. Distantly, a thumping vibration shakes the southmost wall, indicating something terribly noisy on the other side.
But at the north, a wall panel springs to life, revealing a mustached man who smiles at them warmly. They can try to interject, but it seems to be a prerecorded message; he doesn't pause or acknowledge them in the slightest as he welcomes them.
"The Elysium is proud of how well the new employees have been settling in! The service has maintained its impeccable reputation, and early performance reviews are returning with high marks. Things are already improving greatly now that they've weeded out the bad seeds with the last round of firings. And after the things they tried, good riddance to all of them.
"But for now, onwards and upwards! The interior design folks should be just about done clearing out the last of the Valentine's stuff, so that should be the last chocolate heart anyone has to stomach for a while. We've got the requests in for next month, and it sounds like the High Roller wants to see his kid have a good time for her birthday. It’ll get busy pretty soon, so we’ve brought on some more staff to help out. We’ll hold on to the good ones and get rid of the rest. Hope you all still fit into your old prom dresses."
They asked you to sit for a while and gather your bearings, and so you sit. The rest settles slowly as you adjust and find the rest of yourself returning. At least the couches are soft.The room is dark, lit only by a rotating set of colored lights that move across a determined track, bathing the collected employees in bright shades of blue, pink, and violet. Some tables are internally lit in fluorescent shades, surrounding everything in a hazy glow. Distantly, a thumping vibration shakes the southmost wall, indicating something terribly noisy on the other side.
But at the north, a wall panel springs to life, revealing a mustached man who smiles at them warmly. They can try to interject, but it seems to be a prerecorded message; he doesn't pause or acknowledge them in the slightest as he welcomes them.
"The Elysium is proud of how well the new employees have been settling in! The service has maintained its impeccable reputation, and early performance reviews are returning with high marks. Things are already improving greatly now that they've weeded out the bad seeds with the last round of firings. And after the things they tried, good riddance to all of them. "But for now, onwards and upwards! The interior design folks should be just about done clearing out the last of the Valentine's stuff, so that should be the last chocolate heart anyone has to stomach for a while. We've got the requests in for next month, and it sounds like the High Roller wants to see his kid have a good time for her birthday. It’ll get busy pretty soon, so we’ve brought on some more staff to help out. We’ll hold on to the good ones and get rid of the rest. Hope you all still fit into your old prom dresses."
WORKING THE EVENT FLOOR
This time around, the Elysium's resources are dedicated to a massive sweet sixteen celebration. Event spaces are fully decked out with balloons and banquet tables full of candies and sweets, which are all arranged to be bite-sized without risk of ruining anyone's makeup. There are enormous piles of presents stacked everywhere, as requested by the guest of honor.
The Birthday Girl herself can be kind of a handful. Clubs will regularly find themselves tasked with acting as her bodyguard, a fairly standard affair. The trouble is that she’s a shapeshifter and regularly uses that talent to escape discipline or reproach. She might have been a petite brunette at the start of your shift, but by the end of things you may find yourself chasing after a blonde unicorn who’s impulsively decided to go for a gallop through the lobby. She’s prone to obsessing over something for a short while before discarding it in favor of the next distraction, which might prove beneficial to anyone who happens to be on her security team. Even if you don’t have a particular use for that solid-gold charm bracelet she tried to throw in the trash, there’s probably a buyer out there somewhere. Consider it a tip for having to spend an entire day listening to a spoiled rich girl complain about her first world problems. However, it might be best to donate it to one of your co-workers as an apology after the Birthday Girl has ripped up a deck of cards while denying she lost or disrupted a soulful ballad while yelling about how bored she was. At times, she even seems drunk – How did she even get access to tequila?? Keeping her away from the adult-only spaces might turn into a full-time job on its own.
For some reason, the high roller seemed concerned that their event might yield a low turnout. In an effort to stack the odds in favor of success, the resort has invited some extra guests from a number of other places and times. As a result, the event spaces seem particularly packed with bodies, creating a heavier-than-usual demand for service, particularly when it comes to the Spades and Hearts. Is it worth the time it takes to explain to the man in the powdered wig that he doesn’t need to worry about whether the British are coming? Perhaps your time will be better spent making sure that the waist-high green people stop trying to eat the poker chips. They say that the Squid People like to do simultaneous six-armed shots; best of luck to the bartenders tasked with keeping up with the wide variance of body types and needs. And that’s not even getting started with trying to clean up after the slimy trails left behind by the giant slugs.
Most of the guests have never met the Birthday Girl herself, but all of them seem convinced that she's the greatest friend who deserves absolutely all of this. It's something that some employees might experience firsthand, because any off-duty employee who steps into an event space will find themselves abruptly joining the guestlist. Whatever they were wearing before is suddenly replaced with a gown or suit more suitable for a teenager looking to dance the night away. It might be disorienting for some of the elders, if it didn’t come along with the brightness that comes from suddenly reliving a bygone youth, transformed back to the mentality they had at the age of sixteen. Their bodies might be the same, but they'll shed all that emotional growth and maturity that makes old people boring. If you were a preppy teen, live a little and come celebrate! If you were more of a goth, no one will judge you for stomping around sulking as you take advantage of the free food and spend the next three hours complaining about conformists. The important thing is to get people together having their version of a good time. If you get so caught up that you forget to sleep before your next shift, that's a problem for the future.
Diamonds will face different challenges as they do their best to please guests along this theme. Many of them will be regulated to performing generic pop music and birthday standards, trying to lead line dances and inspire audience participation. Barkers and cigarette girls might have a harder time switching tactics to appeal to a party full of people behaving like raunchy teens. Those who normally play classical music will find themselves booed and jeered, and anyone who dresses with a high hemline or a low neckline will find that the level of catcalling is more aggressive than usual. Maybe that’s what you want, though. It sounds like the tips will be nice throughout this event, at least. The adult-only workers might have it easier, but they might want to check passcards for everyone’s real ages every now and again. With everything going on, it’s a little hard to tell who might be cheating the system.
This time around, the Elysium's resources are dedicated to a massive sweet sixteen celebration. Event spaces are fully decked out with balloons and banquet tables full of candies and sweets, which are all arranged to be bite-sized without risk of ruining anyone's makeup. There are enormous piles of presents stacked everywhere, as requested by the guest of honor.The Birthday Girl herself can be kind of a handful. Clubs will regularly find themselves tasked with acting as her bodyguard, a fairly standard affair. The trouble is that she’s a shapeshifter and regularly uses that talent to escape discipline or reproach. She might have been a petite brunette at the start of your shift, but by the end of things you may find yourself chasing after a blonde unicorn who’s impulsively decided to go for a gallop through the lobby. She’s prone to obsessing over something for a short while before discarding it in favor of the next distraction, which might prove beneficial to anyone who happens to be on her security team. Even if you don’t have a particular use for that solid-gold charm bracelet she tried to throw in the trash, there’s probably a buyer out there somewhere. Consider it a tip for having to spend an entire day listening to a spoiled rich girl complain about her first world problems. However, it might be best to donate it to one of your co-workers as an apology after the Birthday Girl has ripped up a deck of cards while denying she lost or disrupted a soulful ballad while yelling about how bored she was. At times, she even seems drunk – How did she even get access to tequila?? Keeping her away from the adult-only spaces might turn into a full-time job on its own.
For some reason, the high roller seemed concerned that their event might yield a low turnout. In an effort to stack the odds in favor of success, the resort has invited some extra guests from a number of other places and times. As a result, the event spaces seem particularly packed with bodies, creating a heavier-than-usual demand for service, particularly when it comes to the Spades and Hearts. Is it worth the time it takes to explain to the man in the powdered wig that he doesn’t need to worry about whether the British are coming? Perhaps your time will be better spent making sure that the waist-high green people stop trying to eat the poker chips. They say that the Squid People like to do simultaneous six-armed shots; best of luck to the bartenders tasked with keeping up with the wide variance of body types and needs. And that’s not even getting started with trying to clean up after the slimy trails left behind by the giant slugs.
Most of the guests have never met the Birthday Girl herself, but all of them seem convinced that she's the greatest friend who deserves absolutely all of this. It's something that some employees might experience firsthand, because any off-duty employee who steps into an event space will find themselves abruptly joining the guestlist. Whatever they were wearing before is suddenly replaced with a gown or suit more suitable for a teenager looking to dance the night away. It might be disorienting for some of the elders, if it didn’t come along with the brightness that comes from suddenly reliving a bygone youth, transformed back to the mentality they had at the age of sixteen. Their bodies might be the same, but they'll shed all that emotional growth and maturity that makes old people boring. If you were a preppy teen, live a little and come celebrate! If you were more of a goth, no one will judge you for stomping around sulking as you take advantage of the free food and spend the next three hours complaining about conformists. The important thing is to get people together having their version of a good time. If you get so caught up that you forget to sleep before your next shift, that's a problem for the future.Diamonds will face different challenges as they do their best to please guests along this theme. Many of them will be regulated to performing generic pop music and birthday standards, trying to lead line dances and inspire audience participation. Barkers and cigarette girls might have a harder time switching tactics to appeal to a party full of people behaving like raunchy teens. Those who normally play classical music will find themselves booed and jeered, and anyone who dresses with a high hemline or a low neckline will find that the level of catcalling is more aggressive than usual. Maybe that’s what you want, though. It sounds like the tips will be nice throughout this event, at least. The adult-only workers might have it easier, but they might want to check passcards for everyone’s real ages every now and again. With everything going on, it’s a little hard to tell who might be cheating the system.
FEATURED GAME: PIÑATAS AND PONIES
What’s a birthday party without some fun on the side? Staff members running the featured games will take a role of either Pony or Handler, assigned independently of one’s normal suit affiliation. Ponies are stuffed into enormous piñata mascot outfits, hunched over and awkwardly ambling with limited sight, all to appeal to the Birthday Girl and her throngs of guests. Handlers are there to act as festively-dressed organizers, charged with keeping order while the ponies and guests interact. Part of these shifts require intense trust between employees; ponies are awfully vulnerable in those outfits, especially when the more chaotic games get going!
On a rotating schedule, Pony/Handler pairs will be called upon to facilitate a number of services. Pony Rides are available to guests who request them. Handlers will help boost up a guest and allow them a casual ride upon a pony’s bright pastel back. This serves as a fun distraction as much as it can become a transportation service. Party shoes hurt, after all! As the party goes on past a week, some guests feel more entitled to demand rides to carry them even short distances.
When not being used as beasts of burden, they are the centerpiece of a running game. During a round of Pin the Tail on the Piñata, guests take turns being blindfolded and sent towards the pony with a long paper mache tail and the intent to attach the tail to the mascot costume. Unfortunately, getting it to fit properly means that the tail piece is fitted with a fairly substantial spike at the end. But it’s fine! There’s no way a guest can get at the person inside the costume even if they miss the cushioned rear end. Probably. Nobody’s actually had a chance to test it before things went live. But it’s most likely safe for employees. Guess everyone will find out at the same time. And hey, maybe if they damage a pony outfit enough, candy might pop out. Fun for the whole family!
Over in the adult spaces, some of the folks on staff have been modifying the costumes to get into ponyplay, but that’s to be expected with those types. They’re always finding a way to have a different kind of fun. (And is that the Birthday Girl trying on a harness?? She shouldn’t even be allowed in that area! Someone should probably do something about that.)
On a rotating schedule, Pony/Handler pairs will be called upon to facilitate a number of services. Pony Rides are available to guests who request them. Handlers will help boost up a guest and allow them a casual ride upon a pony’s bright pastel back. This serves as a fun distraction as much as it can become a transportation service. Party shoes hurt, after all! As the party goes on past a week, some guests feel more entitled to demand rides to carry them even short distances. When not being used as beasts of burden, they are the centerpiece of a running game. During a round of Pin the Tail on the Piñata, guests take turns being blindfolded and sent towards the pony with a long paper mache tail and the intent to attach the tail to the mascot costume. Unfortunately, getting it to fit properly means that the tail piece is fitted with a fairly substantial spike at the end. But it’s fine! There’s no way a guest can get at the person inside the costume even if they miss the cushioned rear end. Probably. Nobody’s actually had a chance to test it before things went live. But it’s most likely safe for employees. Guess everyone will find out at the same time. And hey, maybe if they damage a pony outfit enough, candy might pop out. Fun for the whole family!
Over in the adult spaces, some of the folks on staff have been modifying the costumes to get into ponyplay, but that’s to be expected with those types. They’re always finding a way to have a different kind of fun. (And is that the Birthday Girl trying on a harness?? She shouldn’t even be allowed in that area! Someone should probably do something about that.)
OOC
And here's our first event, ready to kick off March with a little celebration and perhaps a few hijinks. If you have questions, feel free to direct them here.
And if you think this game might be a good fit for some friends, invitations are now open for the upcoming app round.
And if you think this game might be a good fit for some friends, invitations are now open for the upcoming app round.
QUESTIONS
Demitri || NPC
Near the start of the event, a man has grabbed the shift schedule from its place on the wall and is adjusting things with light pencil marks, frowning as he glances up from time to time at the group settled around the common spaces. He mumbles to himself as he edits and adjusts numbers, murmuring about the truckloads that are getting dumped in. Every now and again, he looks up with a small huff, his eyebrows softening in an apology for the ask he's about to make.
"Hey, I know you're not supposed to clock in until later, but is there any way I could talk you into putting in a few extra hours today? It's going to get worse before it gets better, and we're going to need some extra hands if we want everyone to have a minute to sit down today. It's probably going to be bad even with all the new hires."
It might just be the first time anyone has asked for consent since the newest staff arrived. This might be the right kind of leverage to get some other questions answered.
(back of house, to new hires)
The newbies come in usual varieties. Some are frightened and confused. Many are angry and looking for answers no one can give them. When he's off-duty, Demitri lingers around the shift schedule and timeclock, greeting people who look particularly new.
"Hey, I don't think I've seen you around before. Did you just start?"
current employees
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Jane Margolis | Breaking Bad | OTA
Jane's not totally in the dark about how technology works, okay. She can work her cell phone just fine, and she can figure out how to install a VCR on her own.
But this shit is next level. Jane is informed she'll be working the I.T. helpdesk today, and despite her protests that this is a level of technology she's not prepared to work with, she's left alone in a room with only a network of various computers and the persistent hum of the fluorescent ceiling lights.
She swallows and sits down. Completely unsure what she's doing, she hits one button.
The entire building isn't affected, thank God, but certain floors loose power completely and go dark as the lights shut off. Unaware of what she's done, thinking nothing has happened, Jane squints at the computer screen and clicks a mouse. Still nothing, from her perspective. However, on some other floors -- not the ones that have gone dark! -- strobe lights appear from the ceiling along with the steady pulse of club music.
Maybe you're on one of the floors affected? Or maybe you've been sent to find her and figure out what's going on. Either way, better knock on the door and let her know what she's doing.
ON DUTY: RESTAURANT (HEARTS ♥)
Jane usually acts as the restaurant assistant manager, most of the time. Occasionally, she's shunted to other places -- the front desk of the hotel, cleaning rooms, one time they even tried to make her do I.T. but that was such a disaster they just said never again -- but mostly, they seem to have decided that the hotel's 24/7 cafe is where she fits best.
Today, it's overrun by unruly teenagers, and she's made the executive decision to kick all of them out. Fuck the guest list, fuck the high rollers, these munchkins all gots to go. She puts in a very annoyed call to security, and if you're a Club, you might find her standing outside the restaurant with her hands on her hips, saying, "Took you long enough," in a decidedly annoyed tone.
If you're off-duty and a customer yourself, she might come up to you and apologize. "Hey. Sorry about all the ruckus. We're trying to do something about it."
ON DUTY: RESTAURANT
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Jorji Costava | Papers Please | OTA
Hey, kids!
You know what's a great idea? Go up to the strange adult man who is only beckoning to teenagers and people who look like they might be teenagers. This is surely an A+ plan and nothing can go wrong.
Jorji lurks outside the door of one of the adult-only playspaces, never going inside, just crooking a finger to beckon anybody who looks young enough to not be allowed to enter.
"Pssst," he says, when they approach. "I got good deal for you. You want inside? Take a look." He will open a large brown trenchcoat to reveal...that he's totally normally dressed under there, you pervert, but he reaches into a pocket and withdraws several stolen adult passcards.
"Is good deal! You trade your passcard to me. I give you one of these. It say you adult if anybody checks." He makes an exaggerated show of winking.
OFF-DUTY, PT. 2.
If you definitely are an adult and don't pass for a kid, Jorji may attempt to avoid you. To an absolutely suspicious degree. If you're an on-duty Club, he may take off running the second he sees you.
If he thinks you can be trusted, though, he may approach and gleefully tell you of his scheme. "Hey. Hey, you. Come here. I have business opportunity for you. Good opportunity. Make a lot of chips." He grins at you.
Once again, subtlety and discretion elude him.
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Saul Goodman | Breaking Bad | OTA
[Look, Saul has seen some things in his time. But squid people and shape shifters? Those are new. He's not even sure how to really communicate with the squid people, if he's being honest. It's easy enough to tell what they want when they bang an empty glass or eight on the bar, at least, but it's weird enough to frazzle Saul just a bit. So the next time anyone who looks to be human, or has the normal amount of limbs at least, walks by--]
Hey. You'd tell me if you're some kind of alien shapeshifter, right? I'm about at my limit here.
B. Off-duty
[Hidden in various lockers or on the underside of tables, where they're less likely to be noticed by someone who might not be the most receptive to it, your character might find a scrap of paper with an address and a message about either for legal help, or for making money. Something quick and vague enough to entice those who are curious.
For those who follow the address, they'll find themselves at some dingy office squeezed in the middle of a shopping plaza. There's a lot of work to be done, a lot of decoration that needs to be moved around and perfected to the high level of cheese that Saul Goodman prefers for his branding, and that's exactly what anyone stopping by will find: Albuquerque's top "criminal" lawyer with his sleeves rolled up, working on his new branch office. That doesn't mean he's not ready for business, though; whether you're in the game, or just looking to sue someone for stripper-related injuries, Better Call Saul.]
C. Wildcard
[Want something else? DM me and we can work something out here!]
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ancient tags time let's go
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B.
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cw: brief drug mention
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zari tarazi | dctv | open
This is pretty much her worst nightmare. She's stuck in some contract and feels compelled to play along. Truth be told, Zari can't be sure this isn't a bad dream. How did she go from Charlie's show to this? Did they not defeat the Fates as completely as she thought?
It hardly matters. She needs to play along until something does make sense or a rescue comes. That means throwing the best pop show that Dragon Girl can throw together at a moment's notice. Unsurprisingly for those who know her, it looks meticulously planned. In some ways it is. She's reusing dance numbers for songs that are just close enough to the ones she produced back home as a teen or copied back in the day for a fun Catchat video.
It is not like the crowd knows that, do they? She's giving it her all. She invites guests on the stage and lets them sing with her. Zari will even pull in fellow workers into a dance number to get a laugh out of the partygoers when they either fail or succeed at copying her moves. Ultimately she does whatever she needs to keep the energy of the party going. She makes a living as an influencer so this is second nature to her. Inside, she's very much screaming.
off-duty
Eventually, Zari pulls away for a much-needed break. She's focusing on hydrating and trying to get a feel for what exactly is happening here. She does her best to appear bored. Her eyes seem to be following everything if you care enough to notice.
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off-duty
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