TEST DRIVE: JUNE

[empevents]

— TEST DRIVE: JUNE —

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 Wednesday, May 25 and Applications (Canon | OC) open Wednesday, June 1st.
  
  
• 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: On what promised to be an otherwise normal day, a local shopkeeper wanders out of his stall, a scowl on his otherwise glazed expression. Ignoring all attempts at communication, he stumbles down the road… but not without consequence. Did he leech your emotions, leaving you apathetic and listless? Or perhaps you were hit with a projected wash of bitter jealousy, maybe with an accent of grief or rage? Either way, something is going very wrong here. Can you still muster the strength and focus to care, or does everyone around you now have a new problem to deal with?

• Prompt E: Thou reckless child from beyond this world’s ken. Quit meddling in life’s blood, and be not swift to shed it lest a reckoning come.

What the hell was that in your head?! It sounded a little like a crystal communication, but you definitely hadn’t been touching your crystal or trying to acknowledge any messages! Also, it sounded like large number of people all whispering to create a voice, which was weird, and it felt as if thin, icy cold tendrils were slowly reaching into your mind, like a slow brain freeze. Maybe someone was pranking you? The problem is, if you try to reply, you’ll find that your message went to a random crystal somewhere on the island, and with it, that same strange sense of coldness you experienced.

• Prompt F: For mysterious secret Arehtei purposes, Sosyne and Thras were attempting to install a large-scale waterfall outside the Memory Tree, of the sort that had been previously used to display images from other places. But the two of them got into a huge argument over their respective Deus Ex Arehtei cards (Thras believes his is overcosted, Sosyne believes he’s a raging egotistical jackass and also she should have higher attack), and while they were distracted the screen overflowed its drain. Now emotion-charged water washes down the streets of Verens, and as it passes by people it displays the most emotionally-charged memories of their life. What secrets and histories are on display as it washes by you?


• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include flock of pigeons and/or giant rolls of cheese.

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

Mithos Yggdrasill | Tales of Symphonia

[worldsplitter]

C, Image (Mithos)

[Mithos has been around for a while now, but this is the first time he's gone out of his way to make himself known as Mithos. There's a time for everything, after all.

Anyone receiving the message might notice the emotions don't quite match the tone- They're there, but there's a baseline hum of anger, and despair, that refuses to cease, no matter what.]

O-okay, so, I guess this works for showing your face, then...? Hello, everyone, my name is Mithos, and I'm- Well- Not new, I guess? But kind of new. ... I don't understand why I'm here, though. Aren't most of you people heroes and important things like that?

G (Yggdrasill)

[There is one thing Yggdrasill hates more than a lot of other things he hates- He hates almost everything- And that is being pestered. He's a busy angel with quite a bit on his plate- There's no call for annoying him.

As such, he's standing in the middle of the street, birdseed littering the ground where clearly birds where once feeding, and casually zapping pigeons out of the air with finger lasers.

They're not dead, but they're definitely not going to be doing any flying today.]

G. Because she lives dangerously. :D

[ninjainviolet]

[ Okay, Sheena's been here long enough to get a handle on the whole "people being from different times" thing, but still... Seeing Yggdrasil on the street ahead of her brings her to a screeching halt.

And what he's doing sets her blood boiling--to the point that little sparks can be seen emanating from her. ]

Stop!

[ Well, add one ninja to the list of things you hate Yggdrasil as Sheena decides to use a Mirage Seal Absolute on you. Hopefully his accuracy goes down and the birds get away.

Gotta save the pigeons, you know. ]

Can't keep from hurting innocents, can you?

[ She ain't afraid of no Seraphim. Yes, she is. ]

[worldsplitter]

[He blinks at her for a moment, stupefied, before recollection hits. He was just dead and Sheena wasn't generally the one on his radar.

And then his eyes narrow and he lowers his hand, floating slowly towards her. Goddamn status effects.]

No one is innocent. Even beasts carry the weight of their sins.

[ninjainviolet]

[ That's called being a ninja, Yggdrasil. They're not supposed to be noticed.

Oh, she loves those status effects--especially when several of the birds fly overhead, free to go about their business.

Standing her ground as he approaches, she rolls her eyes at his comment. ]

So you say. Just what sin could those birds possibly have to carry?

[worldsplitter]

The burden of being alive is a great sin to carry, but one that all bear.

[He shakes his head softly.]

Death has not changed my views, summoner. Life itself is a sin.

[ninjainviolet]

[ At one time, his words would have had a negative effect on her, but not any more. Thanks to a certain Spirit and red-shirted swordsman. ]

Life is not a sin! Or a burden! Unless you make it that way! everyone's life has value just by the simple fact they are alive!

And if that's the burden I choose to carry, and the sin I want to bear, then I will gladly do so!

[ So, there! ]

[worldsplitter]

[The air tightens like a vice around them both.

He's not- angry, per se, but the words bring a tightness to his chest that the air around them mimics. It's... he doesn't like emotion anyway, but he'd have a hard time putting a name to it. Hatred? Despair? Loss? Confusion? Any number of things are evoked by the reminder of those words. Words that they spoke before he died, in front of Martel, as he failed--

No. The air calms again, loosening a little, though a haze remains around the angel's features. He must not falter.]

If life has value... Then what of those who died in your attempt to seize Volt's pact from me? [Ah, yes, the one thing he can remember about her happens to be a fun one. Twist the knife a bit.] Should that not be the sin you are more concerned about, summoner?

[ninjainviolet]

[ Sheena feels the air tighten around her, but again, she remains in place not letting him get to her either through his words or his emotions.

In fact, she throws her own emotions back at him; her resolve and determination, the love she feels for her friends--all of them--the happiness she felt at the realization that it's okay for her to be alive and just be who she is.

Sheena is Sheena. And that will never change. ]

Oh, don't even try that with me! [ More sparks show up as her anger grows, heating the air around them. That knife had been removed a long time ago, Yggdrasil. ] Do you honestly think I've forgotten about that? That would have been the true sin! Forgetting what they gave up--what Corrine gave up--so I could survive!

And as long as I live, they will remain alive--in my memories and in every movement I make as I thank them by not letting their sacrifices go to waste.

[worldsplitter]

Neither of us is going to change. [Blunter than he normally speaks, but... He's tired. Death takes a lot out of you.]

You will always believe in the sanctity of life. You, and Genis, and... Lloyd Irving. My shadow. [He shakes his head, the haze starting to fade, something resembling sincerity in his eyes.]

Our ideals are incompatible. And those with power shape the world. ... But I do wonder what it would be like had I thought the same as you and he. Honoring instead of seeking to restore. What would Aselia be like then...?

G

[twohares]

[ It all happened so suddenly, Genis wasn't sure what happened first - the cobblestones crumbling under his feet or his heart stopping. Genis stumbled forward, eyes going from the twitching birds on the ground to the angel standing beside them.

It was unreal. And Genis didn't even know what to think. He didn't expect to see Mithos ever again, and here he is, just standing in full angelic form, attacking birds as they flew by like it was completely normal. ]

Mithos- [ The stones still feel like they're trembling under his feet as he carefully steps around the birds. The less he hurts them, the better. The sooner he stops Mithos, the better. ] Mithos, what are you doing?!

[worldsplitter]

[A chill runs down his spine.

Without even a thought, in a flash of light, Yggdrasill is gone and Mithos stands in his place. No need for formalities with Genis- he won't be intimidated, and they're friends. Right? Friends?]

They were- bothering me. One of them pecked at me. ... You'd do the same to someone who hurt you.

[twohares]

[ It shouldn't change anything - it really, really shouldn't, and Genis knows that - but seeing Mithos return to normal makes his heart stop racing just a little.

Mithos is his friend. And Mithos wouldn't hurt him.

He shakes his head and takes a few steps closer. ]

Mithos, they're just birds. You didn't need to attack all of them like that.

[ He reaches out for his hand. ]

Come on. Let's go inside somewhere, okay?

[worldsplitter]

[There's an- unearthly feeling, as Genis reaches out for Mithos. Like the air itself has split, a crack in existence itself.

Mithos is... honestly, stunned. He was hoping against hope they were still friends, but... He's used to his hopes not being realized by other peoples' actions. The sheer intensity of his melange of feelings- Relief, and confusion, and despair, and- Shatters the world around him for a moment before it repieces himself.

... And then he takes Genis's hand and nods in confusion.]

That- Okay. If you're... sure?

[twohares]

[ Maybe it's pure naïveté on Genis's part, but he really wants to believe that they're friends and always will be.

He can't find it in him to smile, and the cracks between the stones under their feet are growing deeper, but he doesn't hesitate to take Mithos's hand just like he did when they first met. ]

Yeah. You don't like the birds, right? So you should get away from them.

[ He glances down at them worriedly. They can...walk still, at least. Though leaving them in the street doesn't sit well with him, leaving Mithos alone doesn't, either.

He'll need to let someone know, ask someone to help them, soon, but now... Now it was better to just get Mithos away. He takes a few steps, looking back to Mithos's face. ]

Come on.

[worldsplitter]

[For all his thousands of years of plotting... Seeing Genis again makes him feel like a lost child in trouble for stealing a friend's toys.

He's not really sure why he feels that way. He's Yggdrasill, immortal leader of Cruxis. Death should be merely an obstacle. But--

The cobblestones crack under his own feet as well, making it rather obvious that he feels how he does, despite his best attempts.]

... Thanks, Genis. ... You know you don't have to do this.

[twohares]

[ Genis shakes his head. ]

We're friends. And if something like this is bothering you, then you should just get away from it.

[ Genis takes careful steps, hand holding Mithos's while his eyes stay on his feet - partially to avoid tripping over the increasingly unstable ground, partially to avoid the birds. ]

To be honest, I feel kind of bad for them...

[worldsplitter]

... Martel... would have thought the same. ...She would have liked you.

[He doesn't say anything else, just quietly thinking, the ground still cracking beneath their feet, Mithos briefly considering pulling his wings out and just flying them over it but knowing that would probably make things awkward, all things considered.

He's- never been in this position, before. Being friends with Genis while Genis knows who he is. It's... unusual, and there's a bit of a mist of uncertainty rising around them too. Sorry, Genis, his emotions are making both your lives difficult, not that that's anything new.]

G

[luxuriant]

[Well, Zelos had been enjoying a nice walk until he came across this. It's too late to turn around and pretend he's not there, so instead his steps slow nearby and he speaks up in his normal, grating voice.]

My, my, are these the games the great Cruxis angels resort to when they're away from home? You should be careful walking around like that. [As Yggdrasill, he means.] Unless you don't really care about a cover, after all...

[worldsplitter]

[The air heats up around them both.

Zelos... Just annoys him, honestly. Not a ton of depth to his feelings there.]

I have no need to take lessons in duplicity from you. You aren't exactly a master of the subject, Chosen.

[He sighs and turns to him.]

There is no need to play the long game I did before. This place has its own gods. Attempting to use Cruxis as I did would merely confuse matters. No, there is no need for Yggdrasill to hide his power here.

[luxuriant]

So, what, you're just going to wreak havoc?

[He doesn't very much want to fight the guy that could easily kick his ass, but for defense purposes, he places his hand at the sword at his waist just in case. He can feel the heat in the air...]

[worldsplitter]

The prospect is... intriguing, in a way. To pit my angelic might against the emotional magic of the Arehtei would be a contest worth seeing.

[He shakes his head, smirking coolly. There's that control he likes feeling again- He sees Zelos' hand move to his sword and it feels like all is right again. Intimidation.]

No. This is... anomalous; these birds were an irritant. But a display of my power, nonetheless. Power begets loyalty, Chosen, as your own questionable followings have proven.

[luxuriant]

[This guy really pisses him off. An irritant, like he couldn't walk down the street and ignore some birds. And then he's talking like he could take on these whatever-they-are... It could be, honestly, and that's what bothers Zelos the most. But those harsh words at the end reel Zelos in as they always do, though.]

Well, I can't deny that. [He's being cautious because from his point of view, he was still carrying out orders from this guy— or playing along, at least. But when was he from?]

But I don't know if your power is going to get you very far, here.

[worldsplitter]

Mm. [The heat in the air dissipates, replaced with... The feeling of rain. Rain that hasn't started yet, but is on its way. A quiet rumbling of thunder, too.

Yggdrasill has not felt doubt in four thousand years, and he doesn't like its sudden comeback.]

The blend of different worlds is... troubling, to say the least. It is fully possible that my power is something others have witnessed before, or that there is power to match it here. ... But that is why I must persevere. I cannot fail again. Martel must- I must return.

[luxuriant]

[He scoffs at that, holding no sympathy for words that only lead to more suffering. Temporarily, fear subsides for attitude.]

I hate to break it to you, but you're not going to do anything for Martel if she's not here. You're stuck. Why don't you go find some kids and play pretend?

G

[deathboss]

HEY!

[Someone does not take it likely that pigeons are being harmed. Or you know, if he'd been zapping any other animal or person.]

What the hell's your deal? Stop that shit before I make you!