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

[againstdespair]

[Munakata allowed his attention to flit from the scarecrows to the newcomer, frowning at the bizarre sight of a human with cat-like appendages. He sets that odd fact aside in the face of one of the scarecrows shambling forward to take a swing at him.]

How long? [He repeats the words, wondering if there was significance there, while stepping just far enough out of the way for the scarecrow to stumble past him.] A little less than an hour.

[peacewithouttyranny]

[Ah.. well, that's really rude. But Soundwave appreciates that Junkrat is not threatening him at least.]
I thank you that you don't feel the need to "shove a grenade up my tailpipe"

[Ugh, that sounds terrible coming out of his mouth. Some might find it funny coming out of his monotone voice.

More importantly, what did he just call him? An omnic?
Must be a case of mistaken identity.]

It seems that you may have mistaken me for something else. I am not an "omnic". I am a Cybertronian, a race of mechanical beings like myself.

Nakajima Atsushi | Bungo Stray Dogs

[itsoktolive]

B: ST1004 - Away from home job training.

I see, thank you for cooperating. [Atsushi smiles until the girl he'd spoken with disappears from sight. His shoulders sag and air turns stale and musty around him. It's the third city runner he's questioned carefully and he's still no closer to finding out if the smugglers are working as a group or individually.

He mutters to himself as he spins on his heel and walks back the way he'd come. According to the information he'd recieved when he signed up... He scratches at the side of his head as unnoticed several pairs of small eyes open in the darkness of the alley he passes. One by one, cats pour out of the shadows and pad after him, forming a musical hum of purring.

He doesn't even notice, too lost in trying to puzzle out how to complete his case. Atsushi shakes his head, staring at his feet. At the same time he collides with someone, the cats all swarm over his legs and feet. He jerks back, yelping as he tries not to run them over.]

What, again?! Why does this keep happening?!

D: Bit or 3 bit of 2 - I dream of Chazuke

[A job is a job. The fields bring back uncomfortable reminders of the orphanage yet Atsushi sits, among some of the crops that are threatening to spoil. His voice is soft, yet his words are clear once you get close enough.] What's my favorite food?

[He smiles, the soft wash of familiar voices at work making him smile wider. The Agency is the place that accepted him. Even if he's far from them, just hearing them is enough to put him at ease. For now. Sometimes manifested emotions aren't so bad.]

Chazuke. It's really easy to make! You can use your leftover rice if you have any and there's a lot of things you can add to it...

[He might look a little nuts from the distance. Atsushi mimics how to make chazuke with hand gestures and trips over his words a few times in his rush to talk. He can't tell if he's helping or not. Bit nerve wracking.

Still, he all but leaps out of his shoes when he hears something strange and whips about. A rabbit with glinting red eyes stares right back at him. It's almost like it's saying bring it without saying anything.] ...Y-you again.

F - WATCH WHERE YOU'RE FLYING

...i-is this really necessary?! [He moves quickly his preternatural keeping him from getting stabbed by a scalpel in the back. Just in time for a stethoscope to launch from a shelf and wrap around his neck. Atsushi coughs, tearing it off as his hands turn white and clawed. The stripes form as he hurls it somewhere.]

I thought they were joking! Objects don't just-

[His eyes widen, and he lets out a yell and ducks just in time for a rain of needles to thud harshly into the gurney he'd been inspecting. His panic sends out a blast of invisible force, throwing the instruments and the equipment he'd been hiding behind into the walls. And anyone who got too close. Luckily he's not the violent sort and it's just enough to get anything around him away.]

[againstdespair]

[The blithe question is enough to elicit a stormy look from Munakata, though he soon hides it by shifting his attention back down to the broken glass.]

And? Is that the same etiquette of this world? [He cuts to the chase, not particularly caring about the roundabout prompting.]

[alley_whoops]

[Wow, why is Datz being told to take it easy? Those guys- things- attacked him first. Just doing their job, yeah right. He takes a deep breath, coughs quietly and ends up pulling his scarf up over his nose. The air is getting way too humid for his liking, now.]

Well, they can stop protecting 'cause we can't save the crops if they won't let us get to 'em.

F

[shikilled]

[ And in .01 seconds or so when the objects are sent flying towards Shiki, she just knifes them -- she's literally killing the needles, sighing in annoyance. Why is this task such a pain in the ass? She didn't ask for this. ]

What a nuisance. They might be possessed. [ Or something. Don't ask her, she's not the brains of this operation. All she does is kill in a kimono and jacket, tbh. ] If we want to stop this from occurring again, we should find the source.

[ Putting the knife away, she shoves her own hands into her jacket pockets, turning on her heel. Is she surprised by his tiger hands? Not really. In fact, she's not phased at all, treating this as if it's no big deal. And to her, it isn't.

But at least she's nice enough to wait for him to catch up as she walks away? Since she doesn't think that the source of all this is here, so to speak. ]

[kyoukainokanata]

Definitely not!

[That is strongly said, but the sparkles have not decreased any.]

She does nothing but bully me all the time, even though we're friends and part of the Literature Club together as the only two members!

[They were three, once-- four before Hiroomi graduated, and it's now that the sparkles freeze in midair. No more glitter to them. Despite that, though, Akihito still looks the same as he did before.]

A total ice queen with a sharp tongue and sharper wit. She's cute objectively, even if she doesn't wear glasses, but beyond that... There's no way I could ever like her.

[againstdespair]

[Perhaps it's something about the calm formality, but the girl's words manage to ease Munakata somewhat--at least, enough so that the crackling isn't so loud in his ears.]

I am aware. [He turns his gaze to the broken window, as if silently blaming it for randomly shattering.] This was-- an accident.

[itsoktolive]

Isn't that more than enough time to prove if you were going to damage the fields you'd have done it already? [A few of the scarecrows twist their heads to fix their featureless faces on him. It's really unsettling. Some break from the circle and walk away, as if that's enough for them.]

...if they had eyes it would make this less weird.

[Says the young man with tiger feet. Bricks. Glass houses.]

Even with these emotional manifestations...it should be enough. [One more leaves. He takes a step closer to Munakata just in case he needs to intervene.]

B I don't even play this guy here

[tenimuho]

[Colliding with someone isn't always dangerous, and if it was in this particular case, Flawless would have warned him about it. Same with cats - they're just a lot of cats.]

It seems like they like you.

[They're not swarming over Odasaku's feet nearly as much.]

[demoncompany]

[Guren maintains his smirk. Flat, unimpressed looks are something he's totally used to.]

Aw, c'mon. How are those crops gonna be motivated to feed the masses if you don't want to put 100% into the motivating?

[itsoktolive]

[He blinks. Blinks again. Had she just? Atsushi glances around at the fallen equipment in a daze. Had he?

She's walking away. He pelts after her, ducking around discarded objects in his haste to rejoin her.] There isn't a source! Didn't they say this is the feelings of the people that worked here?

...it really sounds like possession.

[He squeaks and whips a door out in front of them, the scalpel he'd seen aimming right at her, embedding into the wood of the door and shaking in its feverish desire to ward them all.]

Do you think we could stop this?

yes, thank you! especially with hinata

[againstdespair]

[His jaw clenches as 'Kamukura' states his boredom. That was what had turned such a lofty, misguided project of hope into one dripping with despair. Boredom.

He's distantly surprised when a fire leaps to life from the cobblestones, flickering between them. But he isn't an idiot; he hasn't draw his sword because he knows what that manufactured talent could do.]

Then why are you here?

A

[peacewithouttyranny]

[Soundwave, in his alt mode, happens to be resting near the area Munakata is. When he heard the sound of a window shattering, he instantly jolt up and ready his weapon. Million years of war has made it hard for him to break such a habit. Then he remembers that there's no threat here. No war. No Galvatron.

Still in his alt mode, Soundwave revs up his engine and drive out of his spot to investigate the source of the sound.

When Soundwave arrives he spot Munakata and can feel the paranoia coming out of him. Must be the perpetrator then. He decides to approach him anyways and try to calm him down to avoid more damage around the area.

Munakata might notice an armored car(much smaller than an average car thanks to his height reduction) approach him and stop at a fair distance away from him. Then a monotone voice comes out of the vehicle]

I assume that you are not aware that our emotions can have such an impact on this world.

[It's still ridiculous that it is apparently a thing in this world.]

[shikilled]

There always is a source. [ "Worked". That means dead people, naturally. ]

If we can find the corpses of those were here before, I can kill those feelings.

[ An easy, simple job. Of course, Shiki seems rather confident in her ability... to kill things. And if she can't, then that's what he's here for. ]

There is nothing that cannot be killed. Even if that being is god itself.

[goesbananas]

Almost, yes [Less trouble here, and really, he's projecting the same positive thoughts towards the omnic.]

And as for him, he's not agreeable, but there's no real reason to continue our feud here. We have a shared purpose, and his personal goals are completely unattainable so long as he's on Verens. He's mad, but...reasonable.

[goesbananas]

No, not in the slightest.

[Winston interposes one big, strong arm between the doctor and the rabbit, gaze narrowed and unflinching. The Killer Rabbit shifts it's weight, focusing more on the gorilla challenger and squeaking in defiance.]

Things on Verens aren't always what they seem, you know. And I can feel the rage in this little one. It's...like that stupid film about Arthur, with the comedians. Don't let him bite you, alright?

[The creature chitters, taking a step forward, and leaps at the pair!]

See!

[bewrightback]

[There would be violence either way if he made himself a sitting duck! Or in this case, a praying duck...]

Then I'm glad she's looking out for me! Um... This room's looking more and more like a dead end. Maybe we should slip out of here and see if that research folder is in the other room?

[maten_sutra]

You've been passing by me for an awfully long time now.

[It was enough that Gojyo was pissed at Sanzo for whatever reason, and Hakkai didn't want to listen to him about looking for a way out. Sanzo didn't mind going it alone, but he hadn't had the best experience with that lately. A good example of that was standing in front of him right now.]

So how did you end up here, anyway?

All the same, what an amazing guy to bring forth.

[itsoktolive]

They keep doing this! I don't know why they keep coming to me! [The cats wrap around his legs, curling up and purring. One cat dangles from the end of his belt like some furry fashion statement. He yelps when a few start climbing up his back. He tries to catch them but the cats are not being dissuaded.

His despair, even in mild forms is like the greatest cat attractor around.]

[churchbelle]

[Church dude? Well, he supposes that's not untrue—]

Miss, it's real nice of ya to try and make this a fair fight, but you're powerfully distractin' over there.

[Let him kick heads in peace for like, two more minutes! Just two! Then he'll be through.]

[churchbelle]

[Hazel makes a face, tilting his head with a perfectly amiable shrug. The street's the street, Sanzo, he's not banned from the streets.]

Surely a coincidence if I ever did encounter one. What's the big surprise? We were just travelin' together, you and I.

[sunsetsitter]

[Look...he's a church dude. And it's better than just calling him short man.]

Hey, I'd try to help out more, but I'm corporeally challenged, man. What can I really do besides cheer? Ooh, comin' up on your left!

[churchbelle]

[Okay, true, call him church dude freely. He gives her a look - yes, he noticed the first time she shouted cheers that she's a goddamn pink ghost, that's wild - before ducking quickly away from this other dead, less ghosty thing trying to nerd slap him.

He kicks it in the femur, which also pops right out. This is definitely desecration, ooh. Awkward.] —I feel a lil bad for 'em, y'know?

[itsoktolive]

[He scratches at his temples and shuts the door as they pass it.] ...the corpses are the skeletons in the halls? Or am I wrong about that?

I don't think feelings just vanish like that here. [In his experience anyway. He could be wrong. Atsushi frowns, his brows furrowing. Every time she speaks he remembers Kyouka-chan.]

...does it always come down to killing?