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 Saturday, March 25 and Applications (Canon | OC) open a week later on April 1st.
  
  
• OC Reminder! Just a quick reminder that original characters are 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: The Flower Festival is soon, and that means that a lot of caterers, cooks, restaurants and anyone involved with cooking are gearing up to participate in the celebration. This means that there’s plenty of places that are offering food at enormous discounts, or running food related events outside of their stores. One particular setup is in the center of the market area, where tables upon tables of food have been set up as a sort of buffet: pick what you want and pay as you leave! Unfortunately, someone mischievous has created a real problem. The buffet has turned into an all out food fight and it doesn't look like it’s stopping anytime soon...

1. Join In. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Might as well join the fun since it’s happening anyway, and you’ve probably already found yourself victim to an errant pizza slice or something already. Grab a handful of whatever is nearest you or pick up a spoon and get that food flying!


2. Pay up. The fun can only last so long, and none of the vendors are happy. While the food fight has been broken up, the place is still a mess. Participants and people caught up in the crossfire are all being blamed equally. Grab a mop and a dustpan and get cleaning. Or, try and argue your way out of being taken to the local enforcers station and given a hefty fine.

• Prompt E: It’s already spring, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t people who are still interested in a few last minute winter escapades. Luckily, with cores and emotion fueled dunamis, things like this aren’t exactly off the table yet. A small portion of Lake Niras has been turned into a winter wonderland, down to a thick layer of ice that’s almost strong enough to be skated upon. However, this isn’t what it’s being used for. The local Polar Bear club has decided to hold a springtime version of their usual event and currently has open registration for those who think they’ve got the willpower to take the plunge in the icy water.

1. Dive Deep.Strip down to your skivvies or don a bathing suit and jump in! The challenge is to stay in the longest of 4 or 2, or to just beat your personal best. In lieu of joining up yourself if you don’t feel like freezing your tush off you’re more than welcome to lead the cheerleading team!!! ... Who are all dressed as different interpretations of Sosyne...


2. Maintain The Cold. Those who aren't the participating kind might find themselves attracted to the more “Stage hand” like portion of the club event. Those who have practiced dunamis, the art of using your emotions to create all sorts of manifestations under control, might be able to help maintain the frigid temperature in the air that’s causing the snowfall. Or, if you’re just a really negative person you could be unintentionally making it worse. Otherwise, there’s always a need for a few extra hands at rotating the frozen water cores which are helping keep the water particularly icy. Just be careful and try not to get too excited or you’ll melt the cores!

• Prompt F: Ghost tours have become all the rage in Verens, and tonight you find yourself coming along, either willingly or by having one of the organizers pester you into it. But being a guest isn’t the only way to participate—they’re taking volunteers to “assist” as well, to help spice things up and improve the mood. Harness your emotions to make the atmosphere more sinister, or just hide in some bushes or around some corners to surprise someone with an old-fashioned “boo!”

1. Sewers Dark and dank, the tunnels underneath the city are already a good place to scare or be scared. The tour takes characters through a lesser-used portion of the sewers, meaning it’s slightly less smelly, but there’s still plenty of opportunity for spooky stories. Don’t get caught by the mossgator or the restless spirits of its victims...


2. Inside the Memory Tree The giant tree that stands in the city’s square hasn’t always been a safe place, especially the dungeon-like spaces inside. The twisting wood and vines have been home to all sorts of monsters that have been a threat in the past, from moving plants with sticky vines to shadow creatures with sharp teeth—or so the tour guides will say. The tree may not have been around long enough to have much history to it, but that doesn’t stop them from playing it up.


3. Abandoned Buildings
Always a necessity for any ghost tour, this leg of the trip will take characters past and through a few rundown places, including an old warehouse, a creaky mansion, and a set of dirty apartments. Don’t forget all the dark alleyways in between, or the stories of long-past serial killers who choked their victims to death right over there…

• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include maraschino cherries and/or knives.

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

A/C

[minenameis]

[Ever since Frog had arrived here, he'd always had his original goals in the back of his mind and an eagerness to return to his unfinished business. He was also aware that the person he was searching for could very well turn up in the same place as him, whether or not it had anything to do with the infernal Lavos... yet, he never quite expected that day to come.

There's a moment's pause as he recognises the figure of the man before him, even picking him out through the falling rain. Rain which, given the chill that was now running through Frog's body, suddenly turns to snow. The immediate area around him has also drained of its colour, reflecting his shock at suddenly facing his foe. He could attempt to strike while Magus was seemingly distracted, but he knew better than to jump in blindly. No, he would face him fairly, head to head.

Well, he might be alone at present, but in his heart, he knew that he was never truly alone. Now was as good a time as any. The Masamune aglow, he draws the blade with the slick sound of wet metal and holds it before him.]

Magus!!

[lordofthefiends]

[The rain suddenly turns cold. How curious indeed. Knowing that the weather here is somewhat affected by emotions, Magus looks up to see an all-too-familiar figure before him. Ah yes, the frog that followed Cyrus around.

And the Masamune.]

Hmph. It's you.

[He stands up, though there's nothing in his stance that suggests he wishes to fight. No, it's more just mild irritation, and perhaps mild fear that the Masamune glows brightly before him.]

And here I thought we had put aside our differences.

that icon |D

[minenameis]

[The grip on Frog's blade tightens as Magus stands, anticipating a battle... but oddly enough, the mage doesn't appear to be preparing for such a thing himself.

But no, perhaps he was simply feigning relaxation to provoke Frog into dropping his guard. Something which he has no intention of doing, though the statement that follows from Magus gives Frog cause for confusion - his once vigilant stance wilting somewhat.]

On the contrary, I hadst thought our feud to be as strong as ever!

[...thinking about it though, Lucca had come from a point in his future, hadn't she? Could it be that Magus had also come from another point in time? One where they had... reconciled?]

...and yet, thou hath given me reason to doubt it. Dost thou believe-eth thou art forgiven?

[lordofthefiends]

I was never under the assumption that I had been forgiven.

[After all, even if they were technically on the same team, the two weren't actually kind to one another. He's just a temporary ally, a means to an end. But if Frog no longer sees it that way, then Magus has no hesitations to dispose of him.

The rain - or snow as it is now - seems to change with this new resolve. A chilling wind blows, scattering the flakes every which way. Is it the black wind? Perhaps.]

If you still wish to fight me, then so be it. You have the Masamune, after all.

[He grips his scythe, holding it out to the side as he sweeps his cape back. The glow of the Masamune makes him squint his eyes instinctively, but he'll face it regardless.]

[minenameis]

[Not forgiven then, but neutral enough to stop fighting one another, it seemed... at least for as long as they needed to. Though he hasn't sheathed his sword, Frog does seem to be faltering somewhat, the chill of the wind, whatever its source, causing his muscles to tense up momentarily.

Upon landing in prehistory he had still been fixated on Magus' trail, fully prepared to end this, but... for some reason the image of that blue-haired child from Zeal wouldn't leave his mind. Something that Magus may or may not pick up on via the amulet's telepathic link, if he focussed on it long enough. Sometimes it was impossible to hide one's thoughts and feelings in this place.

Not just that, but that hellish creature Lavos and the destruction it had left in its wake. Given the extent of the damage it had wrought across time and space, perhaps it really would be foolish to throw away the potential to ally with someone as powerful as Magus.

...and yet, to do so would be an insult to Cyrus' memory, wouldn't it?

Gripping the Masamune tightly once again, Frog raises the blade triumphantly. He couldn't let the moment pass, not while he was here to face Magus alone, with little fear of losing any more of his dear friends.]

En guarde! The time hast come. I shalt slay thee, for Cyrus and everything he stood for!

[Cue one angry hopping frog leaping at his foe with a fierce downward strike of his blade! Though as the battle ensues, his enemy may start to realise that he isn't quite battling at his full potential...]

[lordofthefiends]

[Somehow, Magus knew that their alliance wouldn't last forever. Once they defeated Lavos - if they defeated Lavos - then who is to say that Frog would not get it in his head to avenge his dearest friend? It wouldn't matter at that point.

One hand grips the amulet, the closest thing he has to the memory of his childhood now. With how hard he grips it, he perceives some sort of flash of emotion, a picture of his own self as a child. It's not a memory from his own eyes, though... It's as if an outsider looks in to see the somber, pale face of a lonely child: a child who was about to lose everything. Frog had known. He had seen that lonely child trailing the skirts of his elder sister.

Frog is also a formidable swordsman and had nearly killed him that time when he brought along Crono. (Dear Crono, yet another casualty to Lavos... The fool.) So when he attacks now, it's obvious that he is not using his full potential.

Magus is quick to raise his scythe to block the sword. As he counters with his own weapon, Frog may note too that Magus lacks the power he once had. After losing much of his magic to Lavos, he had built back up his repertoire of spells for the most part, but the strength and conviction just isn't there. It is a damn shame to lose a decent swordsman as an ally in the fight against Lavos, after all...]

Cyrus is gone, and so is Crono. [He jumps back, pulling on the leather of one of his gloves.] Yet Lavos still lives.

[minenameis]

Crono?

[As the name is uttered, there's a loud snapping of bubbles popping as they spout from Frog's mouth - something he might have been more distracted by had he not generated them out of pure shock. As much as he didn't like to admit it, Frog knew that Magus was right; that no matter what he did, Cyrus was gone... he couldn't bring him back just by killing the man who had murdered him. He knew as well that Lavos was very much alive and constantly growing in power as time progressed. Fighting like this... they were only wasting their potential to solve things, together. But Crono...]

What hast thou done with Crono, fiend?!

[It seems that Frog is without the knowledge of his friend's demise, though the aforementioned child's warning that one of their number would soon perish had lingered with him every since they had met. Suddenly being hit by that knowledge and from his worst enemy nonetheless was enough to cause his hands to tremble slightly, though he did his best to hide it. He knew too that while Lucca was present here, she had claimed to come from a point in his future and had witnessed a great many things that he had yet to experience. That she seemed sad and distant a lot of the time whenever the subject came up... was this what she was hiding the whole time?

Perhaps it was unfair to plant the blame on Magus just because he was his long-term foe and one who stood right before him, but forgive him a moment of premature grief.]

[lordofthefiends]

[While Magus certainly is not surprised to see Frog show grief at the passing of his more recent friend, what piques him is that Frog seems... not to have known. He was there, wasn't he? He had been the one to admit back then that fighting Magus wouldn't bring them back.]

Hmph. I did nothing. The pool fool got himself killed.

[As if he needs to remind him.]

And I'm sure you'll be next if you keep up this squabbling.

[minenameis]

['Got himself killed'? Surely not from a simple lapse of concentration... Crono had shown himself to be a skilled swordsman, even to the likes of Frog. So what exactly had happened to lead to his friend's death? He could only hope that it wasn't another moment of sacrifice. Cyrus, Crono... he couldn't bear for people to throw their lives away for his sake any longer.

He shakes his head, still shocked and disbelieving, but Frog takes a breath to steady his nerves. This was no time to lose his head.]

...'twould seem that it was no fault of thine that led to his demise. I hath no knowledge of this incident, however, nor do I recall that we hath ever put aside our differences. Mayhap thou hath arrived here from yet another point in time?

[lordofthefiends]

[Had Magus actually succeeded in that fight against Crono and Frog when he had been summoning Lavos, he would not have hesitated in killing the both of them. The lives of humans were just pawns to him: a means to an end. That's how he had lived as the lord of the Mystics...

...But it was all for nothing. Lavos would have killed him regardless. It should have killed him when he was a child and spared itself the trouble. But Magus isn't angry right now; he's just annoyed. Weary.]

Hm. You truly don't remember, do you?

[No, "remember" isn't the right word.]

I suppose this would not be the first instance I've encountered you from a different point in my life.

[Seeing that Frog hasn't moved to attack him, he relaxes slightly, slipping his scythe back into his cape. The weather seems to calm down now somewhat, the wind returning to normal and the snowflakes tapering off so far.]