TEST DRIVE: APRIL

[empevents]

— TEST DRIVE: APRIL —

Welcome to empatheias' test drive meme. This test drive is to help interested players test their characters in the game's environment. We've included a few prompts that incorporate specific elements of the game, though you'll find all of them have a lot of leeway for players to get as creative as necessary. Before diving in, here are a few things we'd like to remind everyone about the game in general:

• Date reminders. Reserves open Friday, March 25th then close Monday, April 4th, and Applications (Canon | OC) open Friday, April 1st then close on Monday April 4th.
  
  
• OC Reminder! Just a quick reminder that original characters are currently allowed. Those interested can also use the test drive. OCs do not need to be reserved.
  
  
• Emotions are key! Empatheias' premise focuses on how anyone's emotions can affect their environment, be it big or small. While not every emotion will cause a reaction, significant ones definitely will. How much effect a character will have will ultimately be up to you, the player. Also, while we're giving a lot of leeway for the test drive, keep in mind that there will be some limits in the actual game.
  
  
• Everyone has an amulet. All characters have a unique amulet that is specialized for them. It will contain all of their emotion drops and it serves as the network device. Remember, communication is telepathic. Otherwise, it works basically the same.
  
  
• Assume the character is already in the game. Because "OMG WHERE AM I IS THIS REAL LIFE" threads aren't going to be very helpful in this test drive! Plus those are going to happen in-game, anyway. So to make things easier, just assume that they've been around at least a week or so. Still learning the ropes, but not a complete "first day" experience.
  
  
• First or third person allowed. Your threads can be in either first or third, but we'd advise being flexible about it. Remember, these threads can also be used in your application for samples! Reminder: We only require one sample and it can be done in either format. We have also made a change to our sample requirements, so look over the Applications page!

Now with that out of the way, here are some prompts you guys can work from!


PROMPTS

• Prompt A: How about giving the emotions a try?

• Prompt B: Refer to the Task Board and choose a task your character may be interested in taking up. For this prompt, you could have your character ask for help, already be in the middle of the job, or react to it in some way. Perhaps they were an unfortunate victim or want to create a job countering an existing one. You could even have a prompt making a job request. Creating jobs for the purpose of the test drive is absolutely doable.

• Prompt C: How about giving the amulets a go? Start a telepathic conversation and see how it works. Remember, the amulets are sending out the owner's thoughts so might want to be careful about how the stream of consciousness goes...

• Prompt D: Many gardeners had tried some new fertilizer and soil product to help produce more vibrant and long lasting flowers for the upcoming Zephyras season. However, the formulas worked a little too well. All over town, all garden patches both public, private, indoor, and outdoor are experiencing an explosion of plant growth so large, small peonies have become king sized beds and tall tulips tower over houses. What's worse, the plants are highly susceptible to emotions, making them more like living creatures than beautiful decorations. Fortunately, last year there had been a plant invasion game and some of the serum to help pacify and help reduce the plants are still in supply and effective against such plant growth. Wildlife control is passing out the guns, so just aim anywhere and fire! Just watch out for the more...carnivorous ones.

• Prompt E: Right before the flowers are to bloom, the island hits a rainy season. Most people have an umbrella, but this city is always inventing something new and potentially crazy. This time, they've come up with some new umbrellas that probably look more hazardous than safe. But they are handing them out for beta testing and asking for participants to experiment and rate their work. Large enough to hold up to two people, perhaps you can help someone caught unawares. Of course, the umbrellas are going to be affected by emotions. In fact, the cheerier you are, the better it is at warding off the rain. But the angrier or depressed, rain will actually start to fall inside the umbrella. It's something they're still working on. And...one final thing. The umbrella does have one serious issue. Because of the materials and design, it's more like one giant lightning rod. However, keeping a calm a steady hand should activate a prototype device that should divert the lightning to an energy source, like a light post. Should. Well, only one way to find out.

• Prompt F: With the rainy season comes more creatures to invade the city. This time it's a hoard of small multicolored frogs that have been flushed out from the northern swamps due to heavy rains. In small amounts and on their own, they're relatively harmless. But now they are becoming more invasive, sticking on windows, filling in wells, ponds, fountains, even managing to get inside buildings to hang around sinks and bathtubs! They're even clogging the sewer system. To make matters more difficult they're considered an endangered species, so they cannot be killed but instead must be safely captured and relocated. One way to gather them is to sing. Preferably something calm to make them come and follow. Just don't make any of the frogs red—that is the only color you have to worry about. If a frog is red, it means it's angry and can spit a harmful liquid. It's not deadly, only a small burn that a bit of ointment will heal, but with a lot of frogs on the loose… Just be careful.

• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include seven jars of jam and/or molded bushels of hay.

For your threads, put the Character Name and the Canon in the subject line to help readily identify them. You're also welcome to use more than one prompt for respondents to choose from. If you have any questions or want to brush up on the game information, refer to the Game Information entry. Otherwise, tag around and have fun!

Comments

Greed | Fullmetal Alchemist (2003)

[ossifragant]

D
[There's something to be said about going from punching a teenager in the face to.... well, this place. It was a little confusing at first, and now it's just exciting.

Especially when he happens upon what looks like a half-plant half... some sort of carnivore plant in one of the gardens. The homunculus really can't help himself; he reaches out to pet at it. Maybe because it's Greed, and thus he exudes a certain amount of chill, but the plant's first instinct isn't to snap his hand off. It still snaps at him, loud enough for him to swear loudly enough for people nearby to hear him, but in the end he just goes back to trying to pet it a moment later.

It.... looks happy?

Can plants purr??]

E
[When the rain comes, Greed is.... surprisingly okay with everything, really. One of the perks of being what he is is not really being uncomfortable when he's wet.

Still, getting the jacket wet is a huge pain in the ass, so the oversized metal umbrella it is.

Of course, this still means that there is a six-foot-something man in leather pants stomping around in puddles, waving the umbrella around, like a madman.]

D

[shadowofpride]

[Pride wasn't allowed to traverse through the town when there was a lot of public activity, so it would be later into the night when he would be present. He was to help with clearing out the plants. Seeing a child carry a gun though was just odd, even if it wasn't lethal.

He was being escorted around by two Enforcers. They were having a conversation and walked on ahead without realizing Pride had suddenly stopped. He looked very displeased when he saw Greed. Of all his siblings, he was the last one he wanted to see here. He casually decided to walk over and spray at the plants he was trying to pet. Maybe he got him too, because why not?]

You're suppose to clear these out.

[ossifragant]

[Greed twists around at the voice, brows raising almost immediately. A kid holding a gun, and two... whoever those people are escorting him. It's unusual, and that means it's intriguing-- something he needs to know more about.]

Clear them out?

[By his tone, it's clear he doesn't recognize Pride at all.]

They seem pretty harmless.

[He says, as the plant behind him tries to take a bite out of his leg.]

Hey! ...Watch what you're doing, little guy!

[shadowofpride]

[There's some brow raising from Pride as well now. Greed is just...Greed, but there's something about how he answered that him seem off.]

Yes. [He aims his gun at the plants that tried to take a bite out of Greed's leg.] They're a hindrance to the town, so stop making friends with them. Though I guess troublemakers do love each other's company.

[ossifragant]

[This is..... odd. He stares for a long moment.]

I don't see how. They're just hungry.

[stanning for the murderous plants 2k16]

They're just plants, anyway. Shooting them in a waste of bullets.

[He's not sure why he cares, but something about this is striking him as odd.]

E

[irabelas]

[Stuck out in the rain again, Dhaveiras hadn't been "lucky" enough to find one of those testing umbrellas. Instead, he's left roaming the streets in the cold, putting up with people precisely like Greed.

The umbrella is so large it nearly forces him off of the sidewalk, and he has to duck to avoid it waving straight into his face.]

Careful, [he calls out to the man, rather than just letting him pass] you may hurt someone with that.

[ossifragant]

[Greed lets out a slight laugh, but he manages to maneuver the umbrella out of the man's way, taking him in for a moment before smirking.]

They are pretty heavy, aren't they? I've never seen anything like it before.

[Well, he's seen an umbrella, but not a gigantic metal umbrella that could possibly get him electrocuted.]

[irabelas]

It looks more like a weapon than any shield from the rain.

[Just, honestly speaking... It takes up more than the sidewalk, from the looks of it, and he's not sure how safe it would be in lightning.] Are you sure it's safe to use?

[ossifragant]

Not at all!

[Said fairly cheerfully, all things considered.]

It looks like it could be a hell of a lightning rod.

E

[greatestcool]

[You know, he really should have paid more attention to the weather this morning. He would've brought an umbrella or at least a jacket with a hood if he'd realized it was going to be raining like this. Ryuunosuke's been trapped under an awning for what feels like forever because he doesn't want his clothes to get soaked.

So when Greed walks by he immediately slips under the umbrella as well, smiling brightly.]

Thanks so much for offering to walk me home, sir! It really is appreciated!

[ryuunosuke no]

[ossifragant]

[ryuunosuke please]


Eh....?

[You know, this is absolutely not the strangest thing to happen to Greed recently, so instead of getting annoyed, he just stares at the strange for a long moment before:]

Have we met before?

[greatestcool]

Nope! I'm Ryuunosuke Uryuu, who are you?

[WHAT A CHARMING, BRIGHT SMILE...]

[ossifragant]

[....Well at least he's honest. Greed looks charmed, actually.]

Ryuunosuke. Nice to meet you. The name's Greed.

D.

[alchemicals]

[...Oh, what the actual hell are you doing here.

You know, Kimbley would actually be perfectly fine with Greed being here if it weren't for the part where he's actually been forced to deal with a lot of things that happened back in Amestris - both due to some people deciding to just aggressively befriend him and try to get him to suck a little less and also because this place is Feelings Island and something something magical bullshit i-am-thou confront your demons.

Basically? This place sucks.

And you sort of also suck for being here, sir, so naturally he's going to disregard all common sense and wander over because- ]

...Guess you really do have a talent for getting rabid things to like you.

[...Because what are you even doing with that plant, apparently.]

[ossifragant]

[By the expression on Greed's face, it's clear he is blissfully unaware of certain events regarding a skull that may or may not have happened.

He looks relieved to see someone familiar; he's been around long enough he figured he'd run into someone he recognizes, and here one of his favorite people shows up.

There's no accounting for taste around here.]

The plants aren't so bad. I figure throwing a steak at them once means they'd happily like you after that. Either that or they'd start trying to devour the wildlife.

[alchemicals]

[...You know, somehow he thought this reunion would be a lot more stabby? But here he is, and here Greed is, and nobody's dying and the only conclusion he can draw from this is somebody isn't remembering something because that's what happened with him and Archer. And since Kimbley doubts he's somehow forgotten a miraculous resurrection, presumably Greed's the one in the dark.

...AND YOU KNOW WHAT, THAT'S GREAT, he can stay that way.]

I don't know about you, but I'd personally like to see what happens if you give plants a taste for blood. Why not.

[ossifragant]

[It's probably for the best, to be honest.

...For Kimbley, anyway.]

It might be kind of funny. You know if there are any butchers around here?

E

[protecttheweak]

[It wasn't everyday Misaki came across someone that made her wonder about Darwin's theories. Because what kind of idiot goes out in the rain with a metal umbrella? No, seriously.

Not that the drowned rat look is much better, but she doesn't plan on getting electrocuted anytime soon.]

Do you not know how lightning works or are you looking to get hit? Because if you are, I'd suggest standing by one of the trees to help.

[ossifragant]

[Well, that sure is an attractive woman yelling at him. It's enough to get him to stop.

Despite the fact that he's in a metal umbrella that should, for all intents and purposes, be leaking, he is remarkably dry under it.]

I can't say I'm worried about lightning either way.

[Do you really want him to stand by a tree, because he will do this just to see how badly the tree catches on fire.]

[protecttheweak]

[Dry or not, it's not the smartest thing anyone's ever done. Then again, it's not the dumbest thing she's known someone to do either.]

Just because there isn't any at the moment doesn't mean it's not possible. Especially considering how volatile some people tend to be.

[ossifragant]

Volatile, eh?

[He's been here for a while, but not so long that he has seem people effect the weather.]

You mean people can get angry enough to cause lightning to rain down on the ground?

D

[thetiesthatbind]

[ Already accustomed to what these plants can do, she has had a couple of bad run ins. One that resulted in a few scratches and bruises so seeing a man trying to pet them is more than a little strange. Homura had in tow one of the guns Wildlife control was handing out but she can't really see a reason to use it just yet.

Not until this man gets the memo the plant is more interested in taking a bite out of him instead of becoming a new pet. Why warn him? Live and learn. ]

I suggest you step back unless you would like to lose your hand. [ She tipped the gun onto her shoulder. Alright fine. She couldn't resist. As much as she knows she can't change other people's decisions, she tries anyway. Call her own form of insanity. ] Or more.

[ossifragant]

Eh...?

[He looks up at the girl, head tilting. He manages to pull his hand away in time to avoid the plant snapping off one of his fingers, but instead of concerned about losing a hand, he just looks rather charmed.]

Can't say I'm concerned.

There's no need to use a gun on a plant, is there?

[....someone never got the memo.]

[thetiesthatbind]

[ Homura aims the gun at the plant and his hand. It isn't loaded with anything toxic to him so spraying him shouldn't matter. ]

Yes, actually, there is. As far as weed killer is concerned.

[ Sorry if she gets your clothes, Greed. It's nothing personal. ]

[ossifragant]

[And that's... enough to cause something. His expression turns into a snarl and there's a sound of what might be a faint thunderclap of some sort in the distance.]

The hell are you doing, kid?

[If he's made about his clothes or the plant, it's not clear, and probably doesn't matter.]