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. Reserves open Tuesday, October 25 and Applications (Canon | OC) open Tuesday, November 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 Boreas Harvest Festival is fast approaching, and the farmers are trying hard to work through the bleak weather conditions to get their crops in before they go bad from all the apathy. All hands on deck—but there may be too many unwanted hands roaming around.

1. Scarecrows. The scarecrows that have been set up as a festive reminder of the time of year have unfortunately come under the influence of some errant strong emotions from the farm hands that work in the fields. Unfortunately that includes trying to ward off anyone who enters the fields with pitchforks and is one of them carrying a torch? Maybe if they can be convinced that you are trustworthy they will calm down.
   
   
2. Invading rabbits. There are ton of rabbits ravaging the carrot patches. They're easily frightened, but some are more tenacious than others. Beware of the white rabbit with red eyes.
   
   
3. Save the crops! Several batches are already starting to spoil! The only thing that can save them is dumping as much positive emotions into them. Joy of good food, hope for a bountiful meal, love of eating—whatever will work. Just be careful. Too much and those things might grow and explode…

• Prompt E: Aiada, the Arehtei of appreciation and jealousy, has sent a personal request for those who are interested. There is a small island just beneath Empatheias that she has been cultivating over the many centuries. She wishes to contribute to the Harvest Festival with some seeds and spores. However, the recent atmosphere has also reached down there, and now it's all a mess! Giant mushrooms replaced the trees and there's slime and mold everywhere. The cure? Aside from getting a lot of heavy duty cleaners and pushing it off, appreciation will go a long way to help.

1. Goop brigade. Grab that bucket and shovel and clear the goop out! Just be careful not to have too much get on you—jealousy might take over.
   
   
2. Appreciation balls. To help hasten the effort, Aiada has given several tubs filled with light, green orbs. Once channeled with enough appreciation, they can be used as mini-grenades to help explode and wash the area with more positive energy. Those caught in the blast won't be harmed. If anything, they'll just be very thankful.
   
   
3. Watch the ledges. Careful, it's a fairly small island and the goop and slime has made things slick. If you fall… That's not a good way to go, let's just say that.

• Prompt F: Various parties are interested in the emotion shards scattered all over Thera. But this time around, the focus is on the medical laboratory as the equipment and potential research there is also of interest. For three days those who volunteer are sent back to try and gather as much as possible—but of course this won't be easy.

1. Skeletal Scientists. The remains of the scientists who once worked in these rooms are still lurking, ready to protect their work. Fortunately they're relatively weak nerds, so not too difficult to dispatch. Just be careful.
   
   
2. Flying equipment. The various medical equipment has also taken life, scalpels and needles flying everywhere and stethoscopes ready to strangle.
   
   
3. Questionable liquid. Most of the easy shards have already been taken, leaving the more difficult to retrieve ones left. In particular they're found in strange, dark pink liquid. It's mostly harmless—except that upon contact intense waves of grief and suffering will course through. The longer the exposure, the worse it is. So hopefully a bucket full of it doesn't fall on you…

• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include feathers and/or confetti.

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

[porte_bonheur]

[She was honestly expecting to fall face-first into the cobblestone streets, but thankfully something-- or someone-- managed to catch her before she fell to the ground. That didn't stop her rolls of fabric to tumble to the ground, joining that pastry on the street.]

Ow... s-sorry! [She was used to tripping over her own feet, apologizing for it just came pretty quickly.]

Hehehe whoops! And yess all the awkwardness!

[porte_bonheur]

[Falling face first on the ground really does suck.]

[Falling face first on the ground and then realizing the love of your life your crush just saw it? Double sucks.]

[She let out an undignified squeak as she scrambled up to a sitting position, eyes wide and face red as she flailed her hands a bit.]

A-Adrien! Hi! III'm totally fine! Uh, what are you doing out here?

[Totally natural, right??]

[porte_bonheur]

[The stream of consciousness comes to an abrupt halt, and a sudden surge of confusion, surprise, and embarrassment suddenly floods through the mental feedback. Marinette laughs a little sheepishly.]

Oh no, was I broadcasting that to everyone? Oh God, how embarrassing... I, uh, didn't mean to bug you with that, but thanks!

Ana Amari || Overwatch

[nanoscope]

A
[It had taken some time to get used to everything here; the new world, the strange people, the new... challenges this new world provided. Emotions affecting the world around them was one thing that Ana was still getting used to. She thought that she was a relatively composed person, but even she found that sometimes, strange things would pop up due to her moods.]

[Like right now. She was just sitting at one of the small cafes, enjoying a nice cup of tea. Though made with herbs she'd never heard of before, she marveled at how similar it tasted to the blends she enjoyed back home. Nostalgic joy filled her at her first sip, and she couldn't help the way her lips tugged into a warm smile. It was almost like enjoying a small taste of her old life back home, reminding her of happier times in her youth...]

[She blinked, noticing something purple floating in her vision. Looking up, she notices a few petals floating through the air around her. Lotus petals, if she's not mistaken. She blinks in surprise, then lets out a little chuckle, taking another sip of her tea.]

[This place sure was strange... yet, it did have its charms.]

B - Operation: Sleeping Bear
[Who knew why a bear would need to make a nest, of all things? Ana was beyond asking such questions, focused on their task at hand. If all went well, the job would be simple; go in, dart the bear, and load it and its nest into the strange steam-powered vehicle so that it could be relocated elsewhere. She was the one who opted to put the brute to sleep as opposed to killing it; after all, it was just protecting its nest, a concept that she could understand.]

[She was a respectable distance away, looking at the bear through the scope of her rifle. She'd already swapped out her usual bullets with a tranquilizing dart, and cocked the dart into the barrel before looking at the members of her team.]

I'm ready when you are. Shall we tuck this mother bear into bed?

[Wildcard]
[Don't like the prompts? Feel free to come up with a new one! I'm open to some fun shenanigans :D]

[festumkept]

A little.

[There's no denying that nightmares are a staple of a pilot's life. Although everyone kind of just adapts to it, regardless of how jarring they can be.

But in the end, Kazuki is (also) a terrible liar.]

I'm really okay, though. . .

[malignans]

[Dio pauses in retying his cravat when Polnareff asks his question, but it's not some indication that Polnareff has caught him unawares. Perhaps if he had approached earlier when there was a larger crowd, that might have been possible with the din of the crowd acting as a barrier for such minute sounds, but it's empty enough now that there's very few sounds that could go without Dio's notice. Instead, the pause acts as an indicator that he's acknowledged Polnareff rather than simply noticed him.]

[It's only for a second or two that his hands remain still before he resumes tying it.]

They walk away with their lives, don't they?

[Not that Dio's money is all that tight that he needs to do this. He has other, less savory means of obtaining money and he's already amassed enough that he needn't sacrifice any piece of the luxuries he's grown accustomed to. But even with as uncomfortable as the idea might be that anyone would perceive him as working for money instead of simply taking it as he has before, he's even less comfortable with Polnareff being aware of any semblance of nostalgia — positive or negative — attached to it.]

A

[gr1m]

[All he'd wanted was a quick cup of coffee before going back to one of his safehouses. Was that too much to ask? Apparently so.

It was the petals that had caught his attention, walking by, that had given Reaper pause at first- spotting who they were floating around had caused him to practically freeze up for a moment. The ground cracking beneath his feet while he literally fragmented at the very edges. Wisps of shadow curling from his form, ready to fall apart.

The last time he'd seen Ana was after she'd pulled off his mask and taken his side. How had he missed her presence-

Reaper gritted teeth and moved to turn right around, there was another place on another block he could get coffee.]

[razzledazzles]

Brace yourself.

[Because it's still an explosion, they could slip before the slime melts away! But he... jumps. Straight up, incredibly high, and that's not normal at all. When he's at his peak, he chucks the thing straight up in the air, falling down with a gust of wind before it. It's so much lighter, it takes another moment or so before falling...

Not too far away. It was carried a little by the wind, but now it explodes, and Jae-Ha covers his face with his arms. Nice.]

[fivenareff]

That's hardly an answer.

[Odd, how they can converse like this. It never ceases to amaze him that they can have these moments of . . . well. Civility makes it sound as though they've come to some kind of agreement, and they haven't. But while Polnareff fears Dio, he isn't particularly scared he'll lose his life right now, and that's certainly different.]

You've done this before. I'd ask if you had Ice box you, but somehow I can't imagine him ever thinking of raising his fists to you.

idk why you are freaking out this is fine

[razzledazzles]

Actually, I'm just rather hungry myself.

[So, maybe they were both eager for muffins. He has no idea where a muffin store is anyway, but if they walk in a direction, they're bound to find one! This city isn't so huge. So, he'll lead the way, come on.]

Is this your first time looking at the task board?

[malignans]

[She doesn't move. That's the first thing Dio notices.]

[The second is her obnoxious smile.]

[He looks at her for only a few seconds, his expression remaining entirely unchanged, and then he steps around her, and carries on as though she never existed in the first place. The World follows his master's lead and avoids sparing Junko any further attention than what Dio's distributed to her.]

[What Dio chooses to do, however, should not be mistaken for acquiescing. If he had stopped to speak with her, argued the point that she should move herself out of his way, grown frustrated, and then moved around her or moved her depending whether she managed to strike hot with his temper, that would have been one thing. But in his cursory inspection of her, that smile speaks of someone who was desperately craving attention immediate attention. Whether it would have been good or bad attention would have been irrelevant to her so long as in the moment, his attention was centered on her. Rather than setting himself up for such defeat to a blatant ploy, he takes a different route by denying her any significant attention altogether.]

[#byefelicia]

[nanoscope]

[The cracking of the ground causes her to look up, and her eye widened in surprise at the sight. There was no denying the way her body tensed, the grip on her cup tightening. The last time she'd met him, they had exchanged fists and bullets. Not to mention the sight under his mask...]

[Even now the thought made a cold shiver run down her spine. She'd probably never forget such an image.]

[For a few seconds they stared at each other, the lotus petals blowing in the sudden cool gust that kicked up around her. He seemed as shocked as she was to see him, and she did her best to not immediately reach down and grab a weapon. He hadn't given her reason to yet, after all, and they were both going about their business peacefully...]

[When he turned to leave, it surprised her. She would have expected... perhaps something more violent or explosive. She was almost tempted to let him go, let him have his retreat. But still...]

Leaving without saying hello? [It was probably a bad idea, offering him an opportunity to speak, but their last meeting hadn't left much room for idle chatter. And there was still much she was in the dark about that she'd like to clear up.]

[malignans]

For some, perhaps. Some fight best when they've been back into a corner of some kind.

[And for others, it makes no difference whatsoever. But that kind of person is a rare find, indeed, and not one that Dio anticipates he will see the likes of again. He steps over to where his waistcoat and coat lay draped over the back of a chair, pulling on the waistcoat first.]

Akihito Kanbara | Kyoukai no Kanata

[kyoukainokanata]

A

So they really do do something here, huh.

[Kind of like having spiritual powers. Akihito watches everyone else and their effects from his seat at a café, sipping the coffee and waving away some errant bubbles.]

Like something out of a manga... Or an anime, I guess, since they're moving. Mitsuki would hate it here.

[........]

But I bet she wouldn't be so abusive if her true feelings showed~. Oh, let all the gods hear my prayer now, [clasping his hands as sparkles start to shine around him,] let Mitsuki Nase appear! Preferably wearing glasses! Dark rims to match her hair-- no, no, something light or woody to bring out her eyes!

[Look at all of those sparkles good lord. Don't be blinded!!]


D-2/C

[Getting hooked into helping was not his idea of a good time, especially not with catching rabbits-- but you know what, at least it's not being chased by youma. Small blessings, Akihito, small blessings.]

Ahh, shh, shh, it's okay little guy, don't be scared-- [and the rabbit leaps away from his grasping hands, leaving him atop some of the half-chewed carrots. Akihito sighs, getting on his hands and knees to crawl towards the white bunny.]

The faster we get through this, the sooner you can have some carrots that aren't these and I can go back to...

[He pauses in his advancement, staring down the rabbit.]

Go back to what? ... Moping about Kuriyama-san? [That's a thought that's clearly as day, hello everyone, those carrots are rotting.] ... It's better like this, too. This is practically the best way to avoid her, right? Being in an entirely different world? So I can't be too mad about it.

[He makes another clumsy grab for the white rabbit and ends up with a handful of rotted vegetables, making a face at it as he tosses it away.

... And now that his mind's stuck on her again, all of the crops are ending up this way; take his mind off of things or take him out of the field, preferably before this crop is ruined for good.]


wildcard

[throw me anything!!]

[gr1m]

[There was a spike of a chill, twisting with some heat, the two extreme temperatures clashing together so quickly there was a flash of light—

All the same, her voice stopped his leaving cold in it's tracks. It could be so easy to leave just as he had with his final words to her, and it had already been a month and some days since that 'fateful' meeting. Three old soldiers dead to the world, and yet there they had been.

Someone would be glad to see her if they hadn't already.]

Hi.

[... Reaper didn't even try, or turn around.]

[nanoscope]

[...]

[The simplicity and flatness of that response has the corner of her lips twitching upward. She honestly should have expected that. And that causes a small, half-chuckle to escape her, raising her cup to her lips.]

It's nice to see that after all these years, your sense of humor is still intact.

[malignans]

[You've done this before, Polnareff says and something about Dio's expression darkens even though his pace at tying his cravat does not. He finishes it smoothly, adjusting his collar before picking up his waistcoat.]

[Dio is immensely possessive of his past, and there's always been very little he's ever wanted to part with even among those he trusts. It's not because he believes if someone has a scrap of it that they will possess a veritable weapon. His life as a human, particularly that of when he was a boy, is so far in the past that he believes — no, he knows that it holds no influence or sway over him as it once did. But his time on the streets, searching and scraping like a gutter rat for money and warm meals because his father could provide him with neither as well as his time winning the admiration of Jonathan's peers while grinding Jonathan down into nothing is his.]

I find it hard to believe you came over here to talk to me about boxing, [he says irritably, pulling on and buttoning his waistcoat, after which he unrolls his sleeves and buttons them as well. He's protective enough of his past that he uses the word boxing as a substitution for my past.]

[gr1m]

Something had to survive. [Dryly, and perhaps the answer surprised even himself with how he fell silent right after.

Fingers curled into fists, glancing downwards as the large crack that had formed slowly sealed back together as Reaper finally turned. Arms folded across hi chest, only a few feet away. Funny how something still stung with such a lively reminder.

Ana was on his list.]

[nanoscope]

[She takes a slow sip of her tea, taking a moment to look over him as he turned to face her. Arms crossed, fists clenched, posture just so, defensive... it was surreal, seeing a gesture that was so familiar come from a man that, by all intents, felt foreign to her. It left an unpleasant feeling in her heart.]

[Lowering her cup, she remained silent for a few more seconds. There was no denying the tension in the air, but while he gave off clear defensiveness, Ana instead keeps her posture calm, her body language neutral. She wasn't looking for a fight here.]

[She gestures to the empty seat in front of her.] Would you care to sit down? This place makes very good tea.

[sobored]

[She's going to spend a few seconds staying in place, still grinning while he gets ahead of her. It's fine, she doesn't mind at all that he stepped around her. Nope. It's so hopelessly perfect that she tried to force a confrontation and got nothing in return, so why should she mind?

Oh wait, sorry, she changed her mind about not minding. She doesn't mind the despair of being confronted with her own irrelevancy, she doesn't mind despairing over that at all, which is causing the pavement to crack as the smile fades. It's more that she's decided she minds being denied the despair of what could ensue from a conversation. Which of course she despairs over, but if we spend the time to talk about all this neverending despair train that comprises her mindset, this tag will be a million comments long and never get anywhere.

So since she's decided she minds, she'll continue to let him get a little bit further ahead and then suddenly, she's there again, behind, not ahead of him, she's not magic or anything, she just took a few shortcuts here and there to close the distance. She knows all the good ones in town anyway.]

Hey! You with the parasol! Seriously, you're not even going to say excuse me or anything? Just shove past me with your one man entourage like I don't even exist?

[She sounds and looks offended, but she's also injecting just enough into her tone to sound pathetic too. Like a kid whining for attention. Please notice her banana senpai. Or don't. If he doesn't, that's fine too. She'll just continue despairing over her own insignificance. And all that negativity's got to go somewhere (or would if this weren't a test drive), so it's not exactly like being ignored is a bad thing for her.]

Totally not going to win any popularity contests with that one. Or maybe you will, but either way, you are so not earning any points with me today.

[Who is she kidding, he ignored her and refused to engage in her bullshit, which means he's off to a great start with how she views people.]

[ephemerous]

But I've already removed twelve hours of the ritual to condense it into thirty minutes, Father. If I condense it further, I fear it will not be as effective...

[...It also won't be very effective if he takes so long that they get mauled to death by zombies, but that doesn't seem to be high up on his priority list right now. Oops.]

[gr1m]

[She always did that, kept her calm—

He refused, absolutely refused, to let his thoughts drift further than that.]

I'm sure you've better company in mind than me. Swarm as soon as any of them see you alive, if they haven't already.

[nanoscope]

Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you for quite some time now. It's been far too long, Gabriel, and the years haven't been easy on either of us. Much has changed. [Too much, the words unspoken but hanging there.]

No one is swarming me right now, and even if they wanted to, they'll have to wait their turn. [Besides, she hasn't exactly gone out and openly spoken to any of the other members of Overwatch yet. She's mostly been keeping to herself, sorting through what facts she knows and what she needs to know. Being on 'hiatus' had made her more keen to work alone as of late.]

Unless you have somewhere else you need to be, of course. [Giving him that out, if he wants to use it.]

[gr1m]

I'm sure they'll be disappointed to know they've had to wait behind me, Amari.

[There was a little more bite there, but it died soon enough as shoulders sagged just as soon as they had further tensed. She was persistent, and she was offering him an out; one that he was very tempted to take. Reaper had been avoiding those from their world.

... Other than the occasional prodding of Morrison out of boredom for his own amusement. Overwatch was nothing more than a sad story for him, one that they refused to let go of.] I'm sure you'd be happy to know Overwatch and the terrible Reaper have a truce.

[Spoken as he approached, talons curled over the back of a chair before pulling it out to... actually sit. Even if he had it turned to rest it arms over the back of it.]

[nanoscope]

[A light chuckle.] You flatter me. I'm hardly that popular anymore.

[Still, despite the way he digs his heels into the ground, she's glad he actually decided to sit down. She wouldn't have gotten angry if he had taken her out. Been disappointed, yes, but not upset with him; she was the one who offered it to him, after all. Help reassure him that this was just a meeting between old acquaintances, not an interrogation.]

[Although, a truce... that has her raising her eyebrow, taking another sip of her tea.]

A truce?