thedirectors | EPISODE 1

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episode 1

EPISODE 1 - APPLICATIONS

Applications are closed!

The application process for this game is a little different than your typical RP game. Instead of giving a comprehensive overview of your character, you’ll be filling out a form that’ll serve as a dossier of character information that relates to the mystery at hand. There are two main options if you want to app:

A player can create an alternative history for a canon character to fit the setting. Basically, you’ll be making an AU for your character. Why not have Kermit the Frog fill the role of the bumbling, stalwart detective, or Victor Frankenstein be a shady doctor lurking at the back of the crime scene?
Alternatively, a player can create an entirely original character for the setting.

You can read more about the game setting and the victim here to help you write your application.

If you have a unique character idea, we strongly encourage you to reach out so we can work with you! Our application process is meant to be a back-and-forth between player and mod, as opposed to a one-time submission--kind of like the process of building a character for a tabletop roleplaying game. We’ve provided a list of example character concepts below. Feel free to use them as inspiration for your own characters.

You can reach out to us either via our plurk (

griefstreet) or Discord (wolfnoir#4990) to chat/bounce ideas off!

☛ CHARACTER IDEAS ☚

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A private investigator and assistant duo, a la Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

A divorced couple who unfortunately booked the same train back home and are now being forced to exist in the same space for several days on end.

A diplomat on their way to a conference, who is secretly having an affair with one of the other guests on board. It would be ruinous to their political career if the affair was ever revealed to the public.

The victim's bodyguard/butler, tasked with overseeing their affairs. Obviously, they failed miserably in their job.

A secret agent whose mission is to transport a highly sensitive packet of information back to their home country. They refuse to allow anyone to look at the contents of their briefcase.

An ex-convict desperate for a new chance at life in a new country.

A businessman who was secretly doing under-the-table dealings with the victim.

An assassin who was given a job to kill someone in England. Unfortunately, the murder ends up interfering with their schedule.

A famous celebrity/athlete is doing a cross-continental tour. This tour is a front for unscrupulous, under-the-table deals.

An ordinary-looking individual whose family was wronged by the victim. Now, they seek revenge.

A married couple who work together to swindle and con people out of their money.

An eccentric doctor on vacation who keeps saying very unsettling things. Their bag is filled with all manner of medication and strange tinctures.

A crabby veteran who served in World War I and is making the trip to London to see some old friends.

An American oil tycoon saddled with debt seeks to find some sort of financial relief.

APPLICATION OOC INFORMATION Player Name: Your name.
Pronouns: Your pronouns.
Contact: Your contact information (plurk, discord, etc)
What kind of content do you want us to avoid/skim over? Let us know what sort of content you'd rather be excluded entirely and things you'd just want us to skim over without getting to the nitty-gritty details. Examples might include spiders, drowning, gore, etc....This also helps us figure out what people's comfort levels are.

IC INFORMATION Character Name: Your character’s name.
Pronouns: Your character’s pronouns.
Age: How old is your character?
Original Canon: Put ‘original character’ if creating an original character.

Overview
This section is a quick overview of your character that’s 2-3 sentences long. This is information that all characters would know about yours. Keep it short and snappy, as we’ll be using this for the cast list.

Character Information
This section goes over character information–history, personality, and more. You can write it in paragraph form, or simply use bullet points. You do NOT need to be comprehensive–you only need to include things that might relate to the murder mystery. If you have a unique character idea, feel free to reach out to the mods for additional assistance and brainstorming!

You can use the following questions to guide your character creation process. You do NOT have to answer all of them–they are only here to get you thinking about different aspects of your characters. The only question you are required to answer is what motive(s) your character would have to kill the victim.

How do other people perceive your character? Is this perception correct? What are they really like in private?

What personality does your character have? What are their fatal flaws?

Do they have any significant relationships (friends, enemies, spouses, exes, etc) that may inform their actions?

What is your character’s occupation? If they don’t have an occupation, what do they do day-to-day? (Are they a drifter? A stowaway? A rich heiress who’s never had to work a day in their life?)

What is your character doing on the Disorient Express? (Seeing a relative in England, following another character in secret, trying to assassinate another character only to be interrupted by the murder, trying to escape their previous home, etc…)

What secrets do they want to keep hidden from others? (Are they having an affair with someone? Are they a plainclothes policeman trying to catch a notorious criminal? Are they hiding debts in order to maintain the appearance of someone with their life together? Are they secretly responsible for someone else’s misfortune?)

What relationship do they have with the victim, if any? (Former classmate, rival, confidante, mortal enemy, begrudging acquaintance, etc. Not necessary to answer, but helpful if you need assistance thinking of motives. If you need help brainstorming this, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us about this.)

What potential motive would they have to kill the victim? (Money, revenge, to frame someone else, to protect someone, power, etc…)

Relationships
Pick at least two other characters in the game to have history with. Write a short blurb for each character describing the nature of their relationship and what they know about the other. You must have at least one negative and one positive relationship.

Since this section requires discussion with other players, we’ll be providing a brainstorming post for ease of communication. We ask that players work out the details of these relationships with each other before confirming them. Although we require a minimum of two relationships, you’re welcome to work with other people and add additional ones. Heck, if you really wanted to put in the extra legwork, you can have relationships with all the other characters in the cast.

Relationships don’t have to be mutual–Character A can absolutely hate Character B, while Character B sees Character A as their best friend for whatever reason. We encourage people to play around with this and make it spicy. This game thrives on interesting character relationships and histories.

Below are some examples of relationships to inspire your character creation. You are free to use these for your own application.

EXAMPLE RELATIONSHIPS

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A and B were friendly rivals back in university. Now, A finds themselves falling head over heels in love with B. B is completely oblivious.

A and B were childhood friends growing up–but now, dealing with the other is like pulling teeth.

A and B are siblings. Their relationship is…complicated, to say the least.

A was briefly acquainted with B during college/your career/etc. A finds them pleasant enough, though they don’t ask too many questions about their personal life.

A saved B’s life, once. B feels indebted to them.

A looks down upon B, due to their class/status/personality. A feels the need to “help” B and provide “helpful advice”, and doesn’t see why they might find it insulting.

A hates B for ruining your life. B doesn’t seem to know the extent of what they’ve done.

A and B are partners in crime, and are deeply loyal to each other. A will always have B’s back, even if it means A will be in trouble, too.

A is are B’s servant/assistant. A is kind of irritated about the whole situation, and A is desperate to get a new job.

A and B love sitting back and gossiping about the latest social happenings.

Secrets
(Keep this information secret Week 1. Beginning Week 2, only reveal this information when pressed with evidence or through conversation.)

List one or two secrets that your character would try to keep hidden from others. Provide potential examples of evidence/reasons that could get your character to reveal these secrets–notebooks, secret letters, verbal pressure, etc. You can also reach out to another player and say that their character knows about your character’s secret in a limited capacity, whether through rumors or other means.

If you want these secrets to involve another player character (eg, you want your character to be hiding an affair from their spouse), we highly encourage you to privately reach out to the player and discuss logistics! We love messy and dramatic reveals to throw characters off balance. Just don’t go blabbing to too many people before the game starts, as we want them to remain secrets to the overall group!

Remember, although your character ICly wants to keep their secrets hidden, OOCly, we want these secrets to be alluded to and slowly revealed over the course of the game to add intrigue and drama.

Inventory
You can list up to five unique items that your character would be carrying with them on the train. The items have to be of reasonable size, and should be able to fit inside of a standard-sized suitcase or be stored in the luggage car of a train. Examples of valid items include but are not limited to non-magical weapons, special outfits, instruments, trinkets/baubles, medical supplies, tools, and games.

We ask players to bring items that would make sense with their character–for example, if your character is a doctor, it would make sense for them to bring a doctor’s bag with them, but not a bag of investigative tools.

<center>OOC INFORMATION</center>
Player Name: Your name. 
Pronouns: Your pronouns. 
Contact: Your contact information (plurk, discord, etc) 
What kind of content do you want us to avoid/skim over? Let us know what sort of content you'd rather be excluded entirely and things you'd just want us to skim over without getting to the nitty-gritty details. Examples might include spiders, drowning, gore, etc....This also helps us figure out what people's comfort levels are.

<center>IC INFORMATION</center>
Character Name: Your character’s name. 
Pronouns: Your character’s pronouns. 
Age: How old is your character? 
Original Canon: Put ‘original character’ if creating an original character.

Overview 
This section is a quick overview of your character that’s 2-3 sentences long. This is information that all characters would know about yours. Keep it short and snappy, as we’ll be using this for the cast list.

Character Information
This section goes over character information–history, personality, and more. You can write it in paragraph form, or simply use bullet points. You do NOT need to be comprehensive–you only need to include things that might relate to the murder mystery. If you have a unique character idea, feel free to reach out to the mods for additional assistance and brainstorming!

Relationships
Pick at least two other characters in the game to have history with. Write a short blurb for each character describing the nature of their relationship and what they know about the other. You must have at least one negative and one positive relationship.

Since this section requires discussion with other players, we’ll be providing a brainstorming post for ease of communication. We ask that players work out the details of these relationships with each other before confirming them. Although we require a minimum of two relationships, you’re welcome to work with other people and add additional ones. Heck, if you really wanted to put in the extra legwork, you can have relationships with all the other characters in the cast.

Relationships don’t have to be mutual–Character A can absolutely hate Character B, while Character B sees Character A as their best friend for whatever reason. We encourage people to play around with this and make it spicy. This game thrives on interesting character relationships and histories.

Secrets
(Keep this information secret Week 1. Beginning Week 2, only reveal this information when pressed with evidence or through conversation.)

List one or two secrets that your character would try to keep hidden from others. Provide potential examples of evidence/reasons that could get your character to reveal these secrets–notebooks, secret letters, verbal pressure, etc. You can also reach out to another player and say that their character knows about your character’s secret in a limited capacity, whether through rumors or other means.

Inventory
You can list up to five unique items that your character would be carrying with them on the train. The items have to be of reasonable size, and should be able to fit inside of a standard-sized suitcase or be stored in the luggage car of a train. Examples of valid items include but are not limited to non-magical weapons, special outfits, trinkets/baubles, medical supplies, tools, and games.

NAVIGATION

Main Community:

griefstreet
OOC Community:

dressingrooms
Mod Account:

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

OOC INFORMATION
Player Name: Everett
Pronouns: they/them
Contact:

wolfnoir

IC INFORMATION
Character Name: The Swedish Chef
Pronouns: he/him
Age: Adult–mid 30s? 40s?
Original Canon: The Muppets

Overview
The Swedish Chef is a celebrity chef who’s returning from a tour abroad to promote his bestselling cookbook, “Yöû Töö Cøök”. Eccentric and jovial, the chef will never pass up the opportunity to cook for others–even if his dishes aren’t for the faint of heart. He once catered Andrea Romero’s niece’s birthday party.

Character Information
Under the Chef’s jovial and seemingly simple exterior is an intense love of food. Whether that love of food is aimed in the right direction is something worth pondering. We’ll just say that his personality and performance is what catapulted him to celebrity chef stardom, not his recipes. People rarely insult his food directly to his face. If they did, they’d be facing a very different chef–one enraged by the idea that his food could be anything less than perfect.

The Chef was hired to cater many parties and events, particularly those run by the elite members of society. Andrea Romero was one of his first clients–he was paid to help at his niece’s birthday party, and the rest was history. Romero, impressed by the Chef, offered to put the word out about his skills. Thanks to his help, the Chef became a radio celebrity, his voice heard around the globe in its mock-Swedish glory. The fame went to the Chef’s head. He couldn’t imagine a world without the attention and riches he currently had.

The Swedish Chef was making the trip from Istanbul to London to continue his book tour. At least, that’s what his plan used to be. Before he got onto the train, he received a telegram informing him that the rest of his tour was being pulled on account of the fact that multiple people had gotten food poisoning from the book’s recipes. The chef’s shock quickly morphed into frustration, which was then followed by rage. Just because a few measly people got a little food poisoning doesn’t mean that they have the right to cancel his time to shine!

Romero had lent his men to the Chef to assist with the tour–which meant that clearly, Romero was the one who was responsible for this cancellation. The Chef aims to have a word with him, and it won’t be pretty….

Relationships
The Swedish Chef is married to Lew Zealand, who has been trying his best to support the Chef during this tour. The Swedish Chef doesn’t know what he’d do without him.

The Swedish Chef has a grudge against the critics Statler and Waldorf, who publish regular articles heckling him over his terrible food.

The Swedish Chef was once the cafeteria chef at a high school Kermit the Frog went to. He considers Kermit to be a bright young lad, as Kermit was always polite and seemed to be tolerant of his food. (Or, at least, he would wait until the Chef wasn’t looking to throw it out.)

Secrets
The Swedish Chef’s book tour was canceled on account of food poisoning incidents. Evidence that can reveal this include:

Telegram telling the Chef that the tour was canceled
Articles in the newspaper from Statler and Waldorf panning the chef over his terrible food
Looking over the cookbook reveals that many of these recipes are awful
Talking to Romero and finding out that he put some of his men to manage the tour

Inventory

Chef’s tools (spatula, tongs, frying pan, chef’s knife etc)
A copy of the Swedish Chef’s cookbook, “Yöû Töö Cøök”
A pamphlet detailing the tour destinations
The telegram saying that the rest of the tour was canceled

Edited 2022-08-15 15:47 (UTC)

Welcome aboard the Disorient Express, Eva Ushiromiya! Before we get started, we have a few things for you to do.

Respond to this acceptance with the journal you’ll be using.
Let us know if you want your character to be in first or second class lodgings. You can also reply with no preference. We’ll do our best to accommodate your character!
Link an icon you’d like us to use for your character’s profile!
Request to join griefstreet.
Optional, but recommended: post to our OOC mingle!

Once everyone has their applications in, we will follow up later with another screened comment letting you know what your tasks will be. As a reminder, in lieu of activity check, tasks are simple goals intended to help you set up the big reveal for your character’s secrets. You can approach these tasks at your leisure, and though we encourage people to do their best to fulfill them, you will not be punished if you forget about them.

If you need to add more to your application during the game for whatever reason (inventory, relationships, etc), just let us know by replying to the original comment you submitted.

Welcome aboard the Disorient Express, Artemy Burakh! Before we get started, we have a few things for you to do.

Respond to this acceptance with the journal you’ll be using.
Let us know if you want your character to be in first or second class lodgings. You can also reply with no preference. We’ll do our best to accommodate your character!
Link an icon you’d like us to use for your character’s profile!
Request to join griefstreet.
Optional, but recommended: post to our OOC mingle!

Edited 2022-11-20 01:40 (UTC)

Welcome aboard the Disorient Express, Kotoko Iwanaga! Before we get started, we have a few things for you to do.

Respond to this acceptance with the journal you’ll be using.
Let us know if you want your character to be in first or second class lodgings. You can also reply with no preference. We’ll do our best to accommodate your character!
Link an icon you’d like us to use for your character’s profile!
Request to join griefstreet.
Optional, but recommended: post to our OOC mingle!

Welcome aboard the Disorient Express, Arcade Gannon! Before we get started, we have a few things for you to do.

Respond to this acceptance with the journal you’ll be using.
Let us know if you want your character to be in first or second class lodgings. You can also reply with no preference. We’ll do our best to accommodate your character!
Link an icon you’d like us to use for your character’s profile!
Request to join griefstreet.
Optional, but recommended: post to our OOC mingle!

Welcome aboard the Disorient Express, Linhardt Von Hevring! Before we get started, we have a few things for you to do.

Respond to this acceptance with the journal you’ll be using.
Let us know if you want your character to be in first or second class lodgings. You can also reply with no preference. We’ll do our best to accommodate your character!
Link an icon you’d like us to use for your character’s profile!
Request to join griefstreet.
Optional, but recommended: post to our OOC mingle!

Welcome aboard the Disorient Express, Mildred Bacon! Before we get started, we have a few things for you to do.

Respond to this acceptance with the journal you’ll be using.
Let us know if you want your character to be in first or second class lodgings. You can also reply with no preference. We’ll do our best to accommodate your character!
Link an icon you’d like us to use for your character’s profile!
Request to join griefstreet.
Optional, but recommended: post to our OOC mingle!

Welcome aboard the Disorient Express, Nathan Mahler! Before we get started, we have a few things for you to do.

Respond to this acceptance with the journal you’ll be using.
Let us know if you want your character to be in first or second class lodgings. You can also reply with no preference. We’ll do our best to accommodate your character!
Link an icon you’d like us to use for your character’s profile!
Request to join griefstreet.
Optional, but recommended: post to our OOC mingle!

Welcome aboard the Disorient Express, Eiji Biwasaka! Before we get started, we have a few things for you to do.

Respond to this acceptance with the journal you’ll be using.
Let us know if you want your character to be in first or second class lodgings. You can also reply with no preference. We’ll do our best to accommodate your character!
Link an icon you’d like us to use for your character’s profile!
Request to join griefstreet.
Optional, but recommended: post to our OOC mingle!

Welcome aboard the Disorient Express, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart! Before we get started, we have a few things for you to do.

Respond to this acceptance with the journal you’ll be using.
Let us know if you want your character to be in first or second class lodgings. You can also reply with no preference. We’ll do our best to accommodate your character!
Link an icon you’d like us to use for your character’s profile!
Request to join griefstreet.
Optional, but recommended: post to our OOC mingle!

Welcome aboard the Disorient Express, ‘Fleabag’! Before we get started, we have a few things for you to do.

Respond to this acceptance with the journal you’ll be using.
Let us know if you want your character to be in first or second class lodgings. You can also reply with no preference. We’ll do our best to accommodate your character!
Link an icon you’d like us to use for your character’s profile!
Request to join griefstreet.
Optional, but recommended: post to our OOC mingle!

Welcome aboard the Disorient Express, Hu Tao! Before we get started, we have a few things for you to do.

Respond to this acceptance with the journal you’ll be using.
Let us know if you want your character to be in first or second class lodgings. You can also reply with no preference. We’ll do our best to accommodate your character!
Link an icon you’d like us to use for your character’s profile!
Request to join griefstreet.
Optional, but recommended: post to our OOC mingle!

Welcome aboard the Disorient Express, Toshio Ozaki! Before we get started, we have a few things for you to do.

Respond to this acceptance with the journal you’ll be using.
Let us know if you want your character to be in first or second class lodgings. You can also reply with no preference. We’ll do our best to accommodate your character!
Link an icon you’d like us to use for your character’s profile!
Request to join griefstreet.
Optional, but recommended: post to our OOC mingle!

Welcome aboard the Disorient Express, Laerryn Coramar-Seelie! Before we get started, we have a few things for you to do.

Respond to this acceptance with the journal you’ll be using.
Let us know if you want your character to be in first or second class lodgings. You can also reply with no preference. We’ll do our best to accommodate your character!
Link an icon you’d like us to use for your character’s profile!
Request to join griefstreet.
Optional, but recommended: post to our OOC mingle!

Welcome aboard the Disorient Express, Mabel Mora! Before we get started, we have a few things for you to do.

Respond to this acceptance with the journal you’ll be using.
Let us know if you want your character to be in first or second class lodgings. You can also reply with no preference. We’ll do our best to accommodate your character!
Link an icon you’d like us to use for your character’s profile!
Request to join griefstreet.
Optional, but recommended: post to our OOC mingle!

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

EPISODE 1 - APPLICATIONS

Applications are closed!

NAVIGATION

EXAMPLE APPLICATION - THE SWEDISH CHEF

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