TEST DRIVE: NOVEMBER

[empevents]

— TEST DRIVE: NOVEMBER—

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. Date reminders. Reserves open Saturday, October 24th and Applications open Sunday, November 1st.

• 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? The following emotions will have more effect than usual: fear, bravery, grief, joy, anger, and calm.

• 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.

• 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: Thanks to the destruction created by Sosyne’s wrath, several infrastructure problems have been… uncovered so to speak in one of the busiest sections of the city. Nearest one of the commercial areas, much of the streets have needed to be re bricked, and upon pulling up the destroyed pathways an infestation of spiders in the sewers has been discovered. The worst part though, is that these are anything but ordinary spiders.

Huge, fat, and aggressive, the spiders are extremely territorial and tower at an amazing 4ft tall at their largest. The smallest are the size of a small dog, and are even faster than the large ones. Now that there is a hole to the surface from their lair they’re escaping and causing quite a mess. Buildings are covered in webs and citizens of the city are alarmed and quite afraid.

Either you pick up a weapon and help beat them back, or perhaps your own fear of spiders is preventing you from helping?

• Prompt E: Outside one of the smaller hobby shops there seems to be quite the gathering! Thanks to the cooler air, it’s more hospitable to have gatherings outside. Several tables have been set up, with each table offering a different engaging game to play. One has a rather complicated looking card game -- a rock, paper, scissors sort of setup, but instead of elements -- emotions are the name of the game! The biggest twist though, is the one that’s the most evident.

Full of sudden anger after pulling their next card from their draw pile, a player nearby suddenly slams down their deck in a rage. Their opponent shrinks back, eyes glued to the upright Sosyne card now displayed on the table. Ah - hah. With a confident flip of their wrist they play a Peromei card -- one with a strong aura of hope. The opponent straightens their back as the hope springs from the card and slams into the Thras card. It’s a complete defeat of anger in the face of hope.

Upset that their CERTAINLY flawless play got countered, the Thras player stands up and shouts at his opponent before flipping the table over and scattering its contents all over the ground. Still angry, they stomp off before they can be confronted, leaving you and whoever else to clean up the mess in their wake.

Careful though, keep in mind that depending on what card your hands touch you might just wind up experiencing that emotion yourself.

• Prompt F: The sudden appearance of Daimonia’s crystal structure over the lake has quite a few people interested. In fact, it’s become a bit of an attraction, and as with most popular places for sightseeing -- with crowds comes garbage. A couple of more enterprising individuals have tried to sell foods and other goods along the beach, to mixed success. But in the end, it definitely means there’s garbage strewn up and down the beach.

For a few coins and the chance to loiter on the beach yourself, taking up a shoulder bag and a stick to spear the garbage sounds like a good idea right? Just try not to accidentally step on the surge of hundreds of tiny sand colored crabs that are trying their best to pinch toes that get too close.

• Prompt G: Make your own! Do what you like, just make sure to include scented candles and starfish if you’re up for a challenge.

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

Lloyd Irving | Tales of Symphonia

[boredalready]

D

Okay! [So, big hairy spiders are nothing new to Lloyd. And any chance to stretch his sword arm is a good day for him! And, well, he's more brave than smart anyway. So, when he heard that there were vicious, giant attack arachnids, he couldn't resist.

Here he is, dual swords in hand, shining blue and red as he pulls them from his sword belts.]

Let's do this!

E

[He's seen some pretty bizarre things since his arrival, but the card game is probably the most severe. Watching the guy stomp off after tossing over the table like a poor sport makes Lloyd second guess helping to clean it up, but he can't leave it like that. Dwarven Vows # 1, 2 and 134 all state that it's pretty much his responsibility to help since he's there.

Damn Dirk and his stupid vows.

Cautiously, Lloyd leans over to pick up the nearest card, a mint green color that reminds him of some dessert Regal liked to make for Persea. As soon as his gloved fingers ghost across the waxed paper, his face shines and he snatches it up to look at it closer.]

I never noticed, but this is a really nice color. Oh, and that breeze feels great. I bet I could go practice for a few hours and not get overheated. What do you think?

[Yes, he's got the Aiada card thrust out at you to take.]

Wild Card

[Pick something different! I will roll with the punches!]

E

[chasestherabbit]

[ She takes the card and is hit with a wave of appreciation. She smiles. ]

You're right! The weather's perfect for a spar. How about it?

[boredalready]

[Still caught up in Aiada's influence, Lloyd can't help but appreciate the girl's enthusiasm. But he might have done even without it. There are few people as energetic as Lloyd, okay?]

Yeah! Let's get the rest of these cards picked up and then we can spar until dinner time!

[chasestherabbit]

Sounds good to me!

[ Lloyd might find his equal in energy levels in Koto. She quickly adds this next part: ]

The loser who collects fewer cards has to do whatever the winner says!

[ -and dashes to get a head start on Lloyd, reaching for a card in his close vicinity. Almost... almost... ]

[boredalready]

[As if he needed any more ammunition to go full out on this!]

Alright! And then we'll spar until we can't move!

[The swordfighter leans over and snatches up the nearest card, thankfully another Aiada card.]

Nice try! But you'll have to move faster than that!

[chasestherabbit]

[ That's only the first card. She's not going to be too discouraged. There's plenty of cards left after all. She snatches up a nearby card. Thras.

Yikes.

Koto was already a driven girl, but now she's burning with determination now. The temperature around her rises by several degrees. ]

I can do one better!

[ She shoves her hand into her pocket and pulls out a strange looking hammer - its body made of a clear material with multicoloured orbs insides like its own contained solar system. The hammer expands and she uses it to sweep a pile of cards into the air. She leaps up and grabs 4 in quick succession, (Another Thras, a Peromei, a Piphron - and luckily the last one Sosyne - calm, cancels out what would've been a very unstable sequence of emotions) but her fingers can't reach the rest before her feet are soon back on the ground.

Six cards remain in the air, slowly falling back down. ]

[boredalready]

Whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooa!

[That is cool and even if Lloyd wasn't under the influence of Aiada, that would have still gotten his attention.]

I can do better than that!

[With a bright glow showing up on his gloved right hand, he steps forward with both swords drawn and lets them go in an X-slashing fashion, stirring up a strange wind that moves the cards in a tiny cyclone as he shouts "Tempest!". He lunges forward and snatches them all up, the last one a pink Daimonia.

He lets out a laugh of pure pleasure and shows the girl his full hand of seven cards.]

That was fun! We should do something else.

[chasestherabbit]

[ She was just about to jump up and try to swipe the rest when they're all blown out of reach. Well, she's lost; she walks over and shows her hand of 5 cards ]

I didn't know I gave you an air advantage. What a way to lose! [ She huffs, but quickly gets over it. She stretches after the work out and places her hands behind her head. She looking at Lloyd expectantly. ]

Anyway, you're the winner, so you call the shots.

D!

[replicannot]

[If there was one hobby Luke had, it was probably fighting. Since most jobs on the request board were for monster exterminations, Luke felt right at home.]

[Taking such a job was exactly how he'd ended up here, fighting giant spiders. Thankfully, he wasn't alone. Someone else had picked up the job, and they'd decided to fight the spiders together.]

[Luke can't help but stare as Lloyd gets into an attack stance. Were his swords glowing? That was so cool!]

[The redhead soon follows suit, drawing his own weapon as he prepares to rush the enemy.]

Yeah, let's go!

[boredalready]

[Lloyd has other hobbies. But there's nothing quite like fighting. The rush of adrenaline, the swinging of swords and the crackling of artes. He loves it all. And since he doesn't have to fight humanoids, he's very much into this prospect.

Dwarven Vow #1: Let's work together for a peaceful world. It's practically his duty!

Besides, when your dads go through all the trouble of making you cool swords like his, it's a shame to let them go to waste, right?

With a beaming grin, Lloyd jumps forward and stabs at the first arachnid's head with the fire-based sword, closing in quickly the with the ice one right behind it. There is no fear, no hesitation in his actions, just the pure desire to get rid of the pests!]

Hey, you use a sword too! Let's see how many we can take down.

E

[shanghaiworld]

... Sure? [She just wanted to see why a table was flipped.] But wouldn't you still heat up if you worked hard enough? Heat outside and inside are a little different.

[boredalready]

[Don't look at Lloyd. He's still not sure why it happened.]

Uh, yeah, I guess, but that's part of the fun! You practice until you're all hot and sweaty and this nice breeze cools you off and then you do it all over again!

[shanghaiworld]

Yeah, I can't say I know that feeling. I'm one of those in-door magic types.

[Only she's less of a dork and her name doesn't rhyme in a childish fashion like someone you know.]

[boredalready]

We can fix that! Let's go! Today's too nice to waste inside!

[Enthusiasm and appreciation for all things physical has Lloyd's name written allllllllll over it. And since Genis isn't here, guess who's going to be his new mage-like buddy?

That's right. You.]

[shanghaiworld]

... Huh? Hey! What!?

[Alice is a bit too stunned to properly react to this dragging away.]

[boredalready]

My dad says you get sick if you stay inside all the time. Best thing for young people is exercise.

[Way to sound like an old guy, Lloyd. He's not pulling on her arm roughly, so if she wants to really get away, she can. But he is insistent.]

Books'll always be there when you get back. Let's take a look around this part of town. I still don't know what's to do here.

[shanghaiworld]

I'm not young though! I mean, I'm young for what I am... but I'm not human either!

[Nor is she elvish, as noted by the sheer lack of pointed ears.]

And you don't know what books I have! They could sprout legs!

D

[420barkit]

[While Lloyd was busy announcing his badass shounenry, Repede was already running ahead of him, dagger out and striking the nearest spider. Come on kid, the spiders aren't going to wait for you.]

THANK YOU!

[boredalready]

[Not one one to be shown up by a dog, Lloyd jumps forward and slices a spider in half with a loud shout of "DEMON FANG".

Guess who's skill set is close to Yuri's, Repede?]

I wish Noishe would do something like that back home!

YOU'RE WELCOME

[420barkit]

[That actually reminded him more of Flynn, but less reminiscing and more beating up spiders! Here came a small mob of them as Repede charged forward and moved passed them with ease using Falling Leaf. With a quick turn and a flick of his tail, he leapt through the crowd using Light Spear, scattering the spiders onto their backs. Now he was just showing off.]

I love Repede,okay?

[boredalready]

[Well, okay, so maybe it is closer to Flynn, but at least his cooking isn't going to kill the entire party.

Lloyd stands back and watches the dog flip and stab and use artes. It's so cool. Suddenly owning a 4000 year-old proto-being isn't anywhere near as cool as it was after learning it from the elven elder in Heimdall.]

Hey, behind you, dog!

[Lloyd steps closer and uses Psi-Tempest, flipping through the air in a circle and slicing the three spiders that were going to bite his new acquaintance with ease.]

Where are all these things coming from?

As you should! There's nothing to hate about this dog.

[420barkit]

[Oh no, let's not talk about Flynn's cooking.

Repede glanced behind him and watched Lloyd do his thing. Kid had some bite behind his bark, good. He made a disgruntle noise at his question. Hell if he knew where, he just wanted to make sure they didn't hurt anyone. Bravery no doubt radiated from Repede, putting pressure on any nearby spiders. He wasn't afraid of them, he fought scarier things than these guys.

Some of the spiders even started to shy away from such a powerful emotion. Some of them tried to skirt around to try their luck with Lloyd. He gave a warning bark as the spiders crawled toward Lloyd.]

Repede is perfect. That is all.

[boredalready]

[Fair enough. So long as no one mentions Raine-sensei's cooking. Lemon-stuffed rice...

Bravery is totally on Lloyd's list of acceptable emotions, but he's starting to get a little angry too. The spiders aren't as obnoxious as Desians, but they are getting out of hand.

He notices that the spiders are starting to skitter away from the dog and he frowns and turns his head. A little late as one has reached behind him. Of course it's the biggest and the most disgusting of the bunch. Only the dog's bark allows him to lift his sword arm in time to keep the arachnid's mandibles from closing around his head.]

This is getting crazy. Could really use Genis's magic. Even Zelos or Kratos would be nice right about now.

[He grunts as he pushes back with his sword, the fire-based weapon starting to glow brighter until it sinks into the creature's flesh.]

D idk what I'm doing but I will tag you Mako!!

[mechanize]

Combat protocol initiated. [ Well Kunzite isn't going to complain if Lloyd is willing to help? Though the mechanoid could handle these few spiders on his own. However he's grown enough to realize that he can't do everything on his own, so, he will nod as he own spiria emerges in the form of two robotic arms behind him and two ethereal blades of energy on his actual hands. ]

Enemy data collection and battle formation recording. Proceed with caution, enemies have long range abilities.

Levycakes, you gave me a robot.

[boredalready]

[He's not too sure what's off about his guy, but he talks really strangely... Almost like those computers in the Human Ranches. Except, he and his friends destroyed all the Human Ranches so the Desians and Cruxis could stop torturing the humans of Tethe'alla and Sylverant.

But those weapons are cool. Spiders are forgotten for a minute.]

Whoa! What're those? They look so awesome! What do they do?

[Guess who's enthusiasm for battle has shifted?]