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

[jamminshield]

Eyyyy! [This guy's got some jokes. Kinda like Dad. ...But that reminds him of how much he misses him.]

Nice to meet you, Just Dhurke! I've been around here for a few months now.

[forcelightning]

After meeting you I've no doubt you would have, but the point still stands.

[ He sighs a little, sounding just a touch defeated. For a former Sith apprentice he's surprisingly loyal. A trait that was one of the things that began to lead him away from that dark path to begin with. ]

It was... nice actually. Saving lives.

[ He colors a little, feeling vaguely embarrassed for admitting that. It was the truth though. A mission that he honestly felt... GOOD about. He very rarely saved people, most of his assignments when he was under Vader were simply assassinating his enemies. ]

[forcelightning]

You know I wasn't actually going to cook them.

[ Because he doesn't know how. Grudgingly he loosens his grip just a bit. He's still a little leery of doing so, these creatures were slippery. He had a feeling they'd all escape if he relaxed his death grip too much. ]

I was hoping they'd get the gist of the threat and behave themselves better.

[ He'd read before that there were some Jedi who could commune with animals. Sadly that was a skill beyond him and he was stuck with just shuffling the critters in his arms until the bitey one couldn't get to his arm again. ]

It doesn't seem to have worked. [ He sighs. ] I'll manage them though.

[toschestation]

[That gets a laugh out of Luke, at least.] Really? I couldn't tell. I don't think they're that good at figuring out what our words mean.

[In the meantime however, he is already carefully stepping his way through the field before tossing the rabbits gently into a few wood and wire cages. Once that's done he turns around with one of the cages and holds it open for Galen.]

They're definitely not the animal for everyone. But they do a lot better if you're calm around them, I think. [So, chill vibes. Jedi mindset, all that.]

[fistfulofbullets]

He reaches for his pistol without thinking, the grip of the talons on his arms making him defensive. They're out of the corner, in the middle of the room, heading to the door. But McCree isn't done here, and he isn't going anywhere with the Reaper.

"I ain't Overwatch, I ain't Blackwatch, and I ain't going anywhere with you." He growls, pulling out of his grip to try and level that pistol at him.

Gabriel Reyes is dead. McCree had buried him, and the rest of Overwatch had forgotten him. And McCree had ran, far and long, trying to avoid the memory of what he'd done. What he'd failed to do. If he had stayed, if he had stayed...

"Your truce don't apply to me, Rey- Reaper." His voice is shaking as much as his hand is. Could he even bear to bury the man a second time?

[gr1m]

"Don't pull a gun unless you plan on using it."

Fingers curled around McCree's wrist then as he crossed the bit of distance he'd put between them when he pulled away to level that pistol. Pushing it away as he stared down the gunslinger with a low growl. "You aren't fit for doing anything other than bitching right now, so you can keep on or shut your damn mouth. Either way? You aren't staying down here."

Reaper had made up his mind, using that grip he had on McCree's arm to haul him, moving so he'd lowered himself to lift him right up onto his shoulder. No matter the fuss and fight, he was still the stronger of the two, had lifted heavier. Simple enough fireman's carry. "You count as Overwatch, and to them? It applies, like it or not."

F!

[followthehearts]

[Well this is an odd twist of fate. They may be on the weaker scale, but spotting a very familiar Keyblade in the other's hand, she can't help but be surprised.]

Kairi?

[Blinking, she shrugs it off. No, she'll ask about it later. Right now they had work to do. She summons her Master's blade, ready to cast Barrier on the Princess.]

I got your back, Kairi.

[fistfulofbullets]

That chastisement echoes in his head like a bad memory- how many times had his commander said something like that to him, if not those exact words? Still, he's taken off guard when he's suddenly hoisted up and over the reaper's shoulder, off balance and feeling too much like that punk kid from Deadlock for him to focus properly.

The shadows waver, intensify, fade, all mirroring his regret and his anger and his surprise. They bristle as hey tries to land a kick on the phantom's chest, tries to squirm out of the hold to get back in a fighting stance.

"What the- Put me down, dammit, Reyes-! I just said I ain't goin' anywhere with you-!"

[gr1m]

All he did was adjust and keep his own balance, strengthening his hold on legs as Reaper headed towards the transporter that would get them out of here. Paid no mind to the struggles other than what he needed to do to keep McCree from squirming himself free.

"Reaper, and you don't have a choice right now." Firmly spoken, growled as it was, kicking the door open when he got there and heading right up the hall way. McCree was definitely not any trouble for him to lift, it was just the movement giving him trouble at all.

"You need to get out of here, and if you are going to be too stubborn about it you're leaving me with no choice."

[forcelightning]

They don't need to know words to understand tone.

[ He scowls but manages to dump the furballs at least half gently into their cage. He feels Biter at least understood and was simply being obstinate because he squished him. ]

...I don't really do calm very well.

[ He was raised to be a ball of anger and hate and just general unpleasantness. He's been improving! But it's difficult. ]

D

[oathkeeper]

We gotta put all our happy good feelings into these crops so they don’t wilt!

[Sora seems overly optimistic about this job. With him and Kairi on the job how could it go badly?]

[He reaches out for a tomato plant and touches it. He thinks about something that makes him happy which is simply that Riku, him and Kairi are all in one place right now. The plant automatically perks up and the red fruit seems brighter.]

It works pretty much like flying with Peter Pan works. Just think happy things and it should go right into the plants! Try it out, Kairi!

[ephemerous]

Apollo... [Nahyuta always tries to remain detached, practical, but he can feel his resolve to do so crumbling when he sees Apollo like this. Apollo would much rather push him away and pretend everything's fine, and yet, Nahyuta knows full well that potion simply brought feelings to the surface that were already there.

What would Dhurke do? Crack a joke to cheer Apollo up with that big, booming laugh of his, probably. Nahyuta might not be much use at that, but perhaps he can comfort him in his own way.]

I... have heard a saying in your homeland. "A burden shared is a burden halved." [He steps over to Apollo again.] If you would allow me...

[This time, he pulls Apollo into a gentle embrace. Consequences be damned -- at least now, if Apollo needs someone to cry on, he can.]

d2

[bewrightback]

[It had seemed like a good idea at the time. They couldn't find any law work, so why not raise some money helping out on the farm? Maybe they could become the Wright Anything Agricultural Association! Well, at the moment, Apollo definitely did seem be becoming 'WAAA'!

Phoenix had been trying to tend to crops elsewhere, but he was drawn towards the scene by Apollo's loudness. And he eyed Apollo and the rabbit's antics with mild amusement.]

What's going on here? Why, Apollo, I bet that little guy just wants to give you a kiss!

(I bet its bark is worse than its rabbite...)

cries

[ephemerous]

Ah, elves. The magical beings from Germanic folklore.

[Never mind that 'Germanic' might not mean anything to anyone from another world. It's kind of hard to have brain-to-amulet filter here.]

Then I hope I will encounter all of them, for they all seem equally intriguing.

E

[seasaltkeys]

[Upon hearing the cry, Roxas instinctively reaches out to whoever it was to grab and steady them.]

Careful!

[Of course, when he sees who it is, he might just end up dropping her in surprise.]

[hopedout]

[ His gaze doesn't shift in the slightest bit, nor does his expression, completely serious. Then again, this is important to him, so he needs to play his cards right. ]

No, that's wrong. I can't speak for all of them. Because I don't know what they've experienced as Remnants.

[ A near immediate rebuttal. ]

However, I can speak for myself. And I can speak for the missing memories that the rest of the rest of the 77th class does not have. What I want to speak to you is not about the crimes that happened. I don't care about that. Whether you believe me or not is up to you. Because what I say is something that is unbelievable.

[ If Munakata doesn't want to believe him, that's fine. He doesn't expect anyone to. ]

It's all something that's happened in the past. But I want you to know the truth. [ Even if he's already decided to bury it all by taking on the role of 'despair', He feels that they at least deserve to know. It's only fair. ] The entirety of the 77th class... they were all brainwashed by Enoshima Junko, their teacher included.

[ He feels like he should apologize, but... how could he? He can't take back what's happened. ]

I want to be open with anybody from our world that comes here, especially since Enoshima is here. Which is why I'm willing to answer any questions.

[lukeim_yurlin]

[Lords, what the hell is this kid so worked up over? Dezel frowns, going over the possibilities and finally concluding that this one must have some serious anxiety issues or...something. There's just so much damn fear and uncertainty coursing over the connection, and all that trembling in the ground beneath...]

[Ah, maybe the root cause is because he doesn't know who's addressing him. Hn.]

Easy, kid. You're getting worked up over nothing. If you can't see me, it's not surprising. Most humans can't.

[As he speaks, Dezel is careful to keep a sense of calm about him. No point in getting the kid worked up any further.]

But if it matters, I'm about twenty paces to your left, laying back under the large oak tree. See the squirrel in the grass? He's next to my boots.

[Of course, it looks like that indicated spot is completely empty. At least the squirrel hanging around that spot seems completely undisturbed? If something or someone is there, it doesn't seem to mind.]

[ephemerous]

Whether they listen is of no consequence. The scriptures passed down from the Holy Mother have power all on their own.

[... But Dhurke is risking his neck to keep Nahyuta safe here, so maybe in the interests of stopping Dhurke from getting hurt, he sees the sense in not remaining here as a sitting target.]

Then do you propose we fight our way through?

A

[bewrightback]

[Phoenix was walking nearby and winced as the glass shattered. As he wondered what could have caused it, he turned his attention to the troubled-looking young man.]

Um... Are you alright?

D-1

[jamminshield]

[And Steven Universe offers some more sheepish backup, folding his hands together pleadingly as he speaks.]

Pretty pretty please?

[...They don't look convinced.]

[ephemerous]

[Dead end... I see what you did there...]

Very well. Come, we must move swiftly.

[Ignoring the zombies, Nahyuta's already striding out of the room with purpose, without waiting for Phoenix to get out of his hiding place. Survival horror scenarios wait for no man!!]

[sunsetsitter]

[Does a little dance flipping off the ground in her private time tbh.]

Hard to take it seriously, even with how everyone's able to do some kinda magic, here.

[Which was another weird thing. She'd seen some pretty terrible things done with magic back on Cleave. And then what Hazel was doing with those little beetles...]

Not that I've ever been one for praying. I'll probably stick to heckling on the sidelines, it's what I'm good at. Now if one of them was a badass, that would change things a bit...

[toschestation]

[HEY. That's his old man ur talking about. ...not that it's wrong....]

That's fine, not everyone does. But if it's something you would want to work on if you wanted to get along better with animals.

[Biter seems peppy even in the cage, making it a point to hop forward to the front of the cage and thump his feet down aggressvely.]

[fistfulofbullets]

He slams his metal fist into the back of the phantom, knows it won't be enough to move him. Feels like that damn kid Reyes dragged out of Deadlock's base, indignant and trying to hold onto himself as best he could. Marigolds. Incense. They make his gut roil and it feels like his stomach has bottomed out from guilt.

His eyes must be playing tricks, staring at the ghosts that follow him. In their dead and hollow eyes, in their shifting shadows and smoke, he swears he almost sees the faces of every regret he ever had. Ana. Gabe. Others from Blackwatch that had died in the field, that he knew had gotten hurt because-

"... Buried you, dammit. Can't bury you again... Can't bury you again..."

[fistfulofbullets]

He whistles low and loud, staring across the little picket line. Shouldn't be too difficult. He spins the chamber of the revolver and, with a smirk on his lips, lines up his shot.

"Ready."

Six shots, neat in a row, and six of the scarecrows drop almost immediately. Which means there are two left, more in the field. He quickly empties the spent rounds, letting the casings drop down to his feet and pulling out some more rounds from his belt.

"You're up, big guy!"