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

loud sighs i could go on for years about how capcom fucked over aj

[justchords]

This is bad enough as it is, don't make me think about a possible zombie apocalypse, Trucy. (it's not a monday or thursday, he thinks. and really, those are the only days an apocalypse would most like happen on. it sure as fuck wouldn't be a friday or the weekend.

he will also handle the "i love you"s later, but he is... just a tad pink in the cheeks. there are certain things he's not used to hearing, and having so many people ripped from his life, "i love you" is near the top of the list.

at her request to stop, and even turn around trucy what are you doing they need to get the fuck out--

he could almost laugh at how pathetic the zombies are being. truly, it's a sight and even apollo knows he has his shit together more than these dead losers. which doesn't say much, but he takes whatever win he can get. it's when the top half of the zombie from before starts dragging his dead self towards them, reaching out, and apollo swears he heard something about brains.

he pales considerably again, as trucy tries to tug him away, and he obliges, almost scuffing his way around.) We're never coming back here again. Ever.

[heartsome]

Y-yes! I've seen them. Or, well, Sora found me. It's a relief, to have both of them here too. We can be together again.

[Which has been something she dearly missed, the past couple of years or so, given circumstances back home and all. So it's no wonder she's relieved for this here, regardless of the strange situation they're in.]

Ren Kiryuu | Vampire Knight

[romanticlove]

Task Board: GT1106 - Running Deliveries

[Honestly, Ren felt silly doing such menial work but then having something to bide his time with wasn't the worst thing in the world that he could do. In his arms were several packages, some neatly bound together letters (to avoid losing them!) and another smaller package that smelled distinctly of cookies. Unfortunately, because Ren is rather tall in stature and the pile of packages was enough to obscure his view, it wasn't hard for him to accidentally bump or brush against someone now and again.]

Ah- excuse me, I'm sorry. Pardon me, please...

[Polite as could be, he was careful to make sure he memorized and located each destination for his deliveries.]

[ooc: Let's just assume he's been here a few days maybe?]

[gardenboxed]

Ren-san-

[She starts to say. But her mistake is trying to get his attention while in front of him. He bumps into her and both eyes open wide in alarm, and she puts her hands up to try and stop anything from falling.]

I'm sorry!

[Moving around him she smiles bashfully, but with excitement too. She saw him from outside her nearby house, and dashed over to meet him.]

Do you need help? I can carry some of that for you. I'm stronger than I look.

[romanticlove]

[Somehow it always felt the same, hearing her voice and then seeing her. Yuuki had no idea who she was to him and he preferred to keep it that way, as much as it pained him to do so. He wanted to protect his mother this time. If it meant just indulging some sort of friendship and denying his existence and the importance her own had on his life, then he was content to do that.]

Ah- M- Yuuki-chan sorry, I guess I was taking on too much.

[He laughs a bit, lowering his boxes to the ground so that he could see her better.]

If you're free, I don't mind the help. You can carry some of the light packages so it isn't so tall a pile, if you like.

[gardenboxed]

[It's so sureal every time she catches a glimpse of his face. Incredibly, he looks like the adult Zero she's only just recently come to know as well. In fact, both could pass as siblings, despite the discrpincy in their height. Ren is a little smoother, his features more gentle. But the resemlance is so striking, that she thinks it would be easy to confuse them.

He more so resembles the Zero she's come to know at home. And yet.. strangely enough, he's so very different. He's more like the vampire who once saved her.

He's more like Kaname; gentle and kind.

Happy to be encouraged and included she nods and beams.]

I can do that! [ She's quick to scoop a few up into her arms.] I'd like to help. There aren't any schools here, and I'm not sure if there's a job I can do yet. [She actually feels a little discouraged. She doesn't think it's right that Zero is working and providing everything. Shouldn't she help, too?

But then it's difficult. She feels uncomfortable leaving the safety of their small place, too. At least alone.]

What are you delivering? It smells good. [Of course she'd smell the cookies...]

[seasaltkeys]

That's good. I guess it's been a while for guys, right?

[He hasn't really spoken about where they all are in the different timelines.]

[bloodyrose]

[Zero isn't sure if he'll ever get used to it. He's gradually working to get accustomed to this world, but this. . . it's even more difficult to wrap his mind around. Family he never even knew about? His parents were never especially secretive. Or maybe it was the fact that someone within his bloodline - the Kiryuu's being rather famous among the hunters - had apparently gotten together with a vampire.

Or something like that. Again, he's at a loss.

. . .Yet all at once, Zero somehow trusts Ren. Even inherently so. It doesn't make any sense, but right now, that peculiar feeling is the only reason he's letting him even come within view of Yuuki.

So for the time, he isn't going to (or will try not to) be cold towards him.]

You're ultimately going to run into people doing it that way. You'd have better luck carrying them all in a couple bags.

[Yet as he speaks, Zero reaches up to take a fair amount of the packages to clear up Ren's view.]

[justchords]

(his head turns just barely at nahyuta's touch. he wasn't at all a physical person, so any form of contact from him was often meant with great care. he stops his head before he can make eye contact with nahyuta, quickly turning away to rapidly wipe his tears away before finally facing him with still damp, red eyes.

he should never have doubted dhurke, not his words, his actions, his motives or reasons. things may not have ended up the best for apollo, but he never should have tried to use that bitterness to negate dhurke's love for him.

a smile begins to form on his face, nodding in response to show he understands,) You're right. He gave... everything to me. Even if I didn't quite deserve it for how I treated him. Heh... sorry. I was kind of stupid.

[ephemerous]

[Nahyuta gives a soft smile in return, removing his hand as Apollo turns to face him, and shakes his head.] No... After everything you've endured, it's only natural to have doubts. But perhaps those doubts can be laid to rest now.

[And at least he's cleared those doubts, so that Dhurke can be remembered for all of his goodness, not his shortcomings. Even a dragon is fallible, after all.]

When you reunite, in this life or the next, you will have the opportunity to tell him your feelings. Until that day comes, keep his badge close to your heart. [In other words: Nahyuta's giving him permission to keep it, for as long as he wants it.]

[invigorates]

Of sorts... [ they don't have defense attorneys or prosecutors though. people accused of crimes often just have to defend themselves - and if the evidence from the witnesses outweighs their claims, it generally doesn't go well. oops. ]

I see. It sounds as if you have an... interesting occupation.

[ephemerous]

[Defense attorneys didn't exist in Khura'in until recently, either, so they're not so different in that regard.]

It is less an occupation in my homeland, and more of a spiritual duty. In prosecuting their killers, I enact the last rites of the victim, so that their souls are granted salvation.

[heartsome]

It is! They kept me waiting so long before, I went after them myself in the end. So...it's good to have them both back.

[Kairi isn't always the most patient. But still, there's definitely a relief at having both her boys with her here. It's a comfort, and not just because she's still figuring things out and all. But in general, to have them close, at her side again.]

[seasaltkeys]

Yeah...I'm glad for you guys.

[staredown]

I think they're free to feel as they will, however. There's something perverse in being forced to summon a positive emotion for this sort of thing.

[If they were going to hate the work, let them hate it, Abi thinks.]

[staredown]

[It's on the tip of his tongue to say you can't expect reverence from Shu-Ten's descendants, purely by force of habit, but he can't, really, without being seen as hypocritical. That's not fair to Shu-Ten. They may fight, but they fight fair.

Instead, he tries to imagine this Shin-ah. His own flesh and blood-- many generations removed, perhaps, but still his own. He tries to imagine being ashamed of the greatest honor in his life, and it isn't easy to do.

Slowly, he begins:] It is a fearsome ability, and one that is not to be used lightly.

[For a second, he has to look off over Kija's right shoulder, and not at his face, because else he'd remember the expressions of the people who died believing they were being devoured by the Blue Dragon. There was a different kind of terror in their dead eyes that wasn't present when one was killed rather more unceremoniously by Hakuryuu's claws or Ryokuryuu's weapon. Unceremonious, but honest. Real.]

I believe that's why it turns back on me. It ensures my humility. It is a constant reminder that no matter how high the dragon gods have brought me, they can bring me back down just as far.

What you tell me is troubling. I can only believe some terrible corruption happened in the intervening time. I suppose that the passage of time has caused something crucial to be lost. Someone who didn't know it was a holy power would be terrified of it-- something I have constant proof of.

[staredown]

Either it's true, then, or you read my mind.

[And even he can't do that, and he has the special eyes.]

I am Seiryuu Abi, one of the Four Dragons who serves King Hiryuu.

[He feels... warm as he says it, as he looks up at her.]

You remind me of him.

[Still on one knee.]

[heartsome]

I'm glad too. I really am. I just hope your friends come here too. I know having me here isn't....isn't quite the same as her.

[As her Other, the memory witch. But even so. Kairi still hopes for that, even as she keeps digging the goo from the pathway.]

[staredown]

Well, let's think for a moment. One of us is trying to preserve this food. The other is actively sabotaging the first one.

If you want to call someone ridiculous, get a mirror. If you don't break it first.

[........and with that, the pumpkin just. dies. it is unsalvageable. An irritated Abi stalks over to the next one to start over.]

[staredown]

[Not that he isn't used to a little adulation, but...]

It's quite enough, I agree. I neither seek nor desire more than that.

There are three others, of course. I'm not sure which of us would be "first."

["First?" Try "only." As far as he knows.]

[staredown]

However you address Ouryuu and Ryokuryuu is fine.

[Abi looks uncertain, too. His eyes slip from Kija to somewhere far away, and back again. On the one hand, he thinks he might like to hear his name more often... sometimes "Seiryuu" feels a little impersonal. He isn't really a blue dragon god, after all; he just drank its blood and protects Hiryuu in its stead. On the other hand, would it reflect badly on the king if they all started being so casual, so unconscious of their rank? But he isn't sure that was ever important to any of them besides him, anyway.]

If you prefer to be called "Kija," I certainly will. I don't think it's fair for you to speak to me any differently than you do them. I'll ago along with whatever the consensus is.

[Corollary: Should he start calling Zeno and Shu-Ten by their names? Would they like that?]

[herpath]

[Even with the confirmation it's still shocking. He really is Shin-Ah's ancestor. Not only that but he's the first Seiryuu. Zeno and Shu-Ten will be so happy to see him.]

I've been told I look a lot like Hiryuu, but I'm not him.

[It's said as if she's had to tell people that a lot. Which she has.]

Ah, but you should get up, you're cloths are getting soaked!

[She offers her hand to help him up.]

[romanticlove]

[While he was careful around his mother, it was harder to deny his relation to his father. Even worse so that his father knew immediately that he was a vampire. Zero and Yuki's peace of mind were important to him, as much as it grieved him to keep secrets from them like this.

It still surprised him every time he met them face to face.

His mother was much, much younger, and a human child at that. His father was younger too, though not so young that he didn't recognize him immediately on the street. His smell was the same, if slightly more bitter on his palate. It surprised him that he could trust him and yet be suspicious of others around him.]

Ah- I can - [Zero gave him no room for argument, taking it upon himself to correct his mistake and help him. It honestly didn't help that his interactions outside of his family had been limited by years of protection from the outside world that threatened him. He really had no idea what he was doing.]

Thank you very much... Zero-san.

[Speaking so formally with both of his parents was like having something salty or bitter on his tongue. It didn't suit the situation. At least with his mother he could be slightly more playful without drawing suspicions. She was a child.]

[romanticlove]

[Ren can't help but smile at her enthusiasm. It was just so like her... there were so many things that he could draw upon from his childhood that she did even now.]

No schools? What do you do all day?

[He chuckles at her question, realizing she's caught on to the cookies.]

A few packages, I believe some of these are letters, and those are cookies in that small box there.

[Luckily nothing dangerous]

[gardenboxed]

[She laughs a little, lifting a finger up to her cheek to scratch it sheepishly.]

Not very much... [She feels bored most days stuck inside. Or rather, it's not that she's stuck in there. But she's uncomfortable leaving on her own still when Zero goes off to work.] I wonder why they don't have school. [At least then maybe she could meet some people her own age.

. . . Then again she doesn't have a lot of luck making friends back home, either.]

Cookies? Whoever is receiving them is lucky. [She wants some sweets.]

I didn't expect that you would deliver things... [Vampires are super important individuals, right? It's strange to see someone who is a vampire working like an ordinary person.]