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

[lothrat]

[The first name draws a complete blank from Ezra. The second, well... He shrugs, because no, he doesn't know that much.]

He told me a little bit about Luke? [A beat.] Wait, he's the one you were talking about on Tatooine.

[Because surely there's not more than one Jedi that crazy.]

[sithkabobed]

In a way, yes.

[Most schools don't have kids learning how to bend the very fabric of reality with their minds while fighting each other with laser swords, but the concept is still roughly the same. The thought's enough to bring a much-needed smile to Qui-Gon's face.]

As for the other Jedi, I'm sure they'll be more than happy to teach you. I can personally vouch for Obi-Wan and, while I'm sure Luke may feel tentative at first, he'd have his own unique perspective that will prove valuable.

[He won't mention Kylo Ren because really, outside of the whole flirting with the Dark Side thing, the guy could use a heck of a lot more training, himself.]

[oratorical]

[she shakes her head at his question. Sure, Luke had lived most his life on Tatooine, but he wasn't a Jedi when he lived there, as far as Leia sees it.]

No. Luke lived on Tatooine, but he wasn't who I meant.

[lothrat]

[He means it. He really does. Ezra doesn't have to be able to read Qui-Gon through the Force to see that the offer is genuine. And he genuinely thinks the others would be open to the idea, too. Even so, caution flickers in Ezra's chest for a moment. Does he really want to agree to this? Master or teacher, that's still a position of authority he'd be letting these people have. People he doesn't really know.

What would Kanan say?

He tries to picture his master, tries to picture him being here for this whole conversation, tries to guess what Kanan would think. It's not as easy as he would have thought. Once, maybe, he knows Kanan would have urged him to agree. Hadn't he told Ezra before that he wasn't sure how good a teacher he would be? That that was why he wanted to let Master Luminara teach him? But that was a year ago - a year that they've both spent learning, getting used to each other. A year for their bond as master and apprentice to grow. Would Kanan be so eager now to let anyone else train him?

Listen to the Force, Ezra. What does it say?

The words come in Kanan's voice, calm and clear as if he's there with him right now. Ezra closes his eyes, just trying to listen and feel. The Force is there, all around him, in the air, in the trees, in the ground. Even the withered grass at his feet still stirs with it, some of its color beginning to come back. He can feel it in himself, and in Qui-Gon, the man's presence a bright, warm beacon, solid and encouraging.

And he thinks, for a moment, he can feel a hand on his shoulder.

When he opens his eyes, he doesn't necessarily feel any more or less sure he got an answer. Is that the Force's way of telling him that this is his decision to make? Or is it just that he's not that good at understanding what it has to say? But either way, it's helped settle him enough that he feels like he can answer the first question he asked himself.

What does he want?

I want... knowledge.

Tentatively, he takes a breath.]

I think... Well, if you guys are willing, I could give it a shot?

[He's not going to say he'll try. No need to invite quotes about do or do not, in case Qui-Gon got the same lectures as Kanan.]

[lothrat]

Oh, no, I meant Master Kenobi. Though Luke, too, I guess.

[Could have been clearer with his pronouns there, oops. Oh well, easy enough to clear up.]

I still think he's crazy for picking there to hide. I mean, even on Lothal, I've heard about the Hutts. If they'd figured out who he was, he'd have been lucky to be blackmailed at best.

[oratorical]

[it's the best place to hide when hiding from someone who hates sand

Leia frowns, scrunching her nose at the mention of Hutts and what they may or may not have done if they knew Obi-Wan and/or Luke were Jedi way back when. Because she can imagine, and it's not something she wants to think about.]

I don't think there is a best-case scenario when dealing with Hutts. Assuming they would even believe that in the first place.

[because while she knew Jabba knew what Jedi were, how much Jabba believed Luke was one, or even actually cared about it, was questionable.]

[lothrat]

[Plenty of other desert worlds to pick from. Maybe he should have picked Jakku.]

Would it really matter what they believed? If all they knew was that the Empire wanted him, that's still bad enough.

[Definitely no best-case scenario here.]

[oratorical]

[she raises an eyebrow at his claim. Sure, Hutts could be persuaded to cooperate when needed, but she had little idea where that line was drawn, especially considering her own experience.]

I had a considerable imperial bounty on my head, and Jabba the Hutt saw no need, to my knowledge, to turn me over to the Empire.

[her, or Luke, really. Jabba had to know the Empire wanted the both of them, and he wanted to execute Luke anyway.]

[lothrat]

But would you really count on the Hutts not to-

[Ezra cuts off abruptly, eyes widening with alarm.]

Wait, Jabba the Hutt captured you?!

[oratorical]

We were intending to rescue someone, but it didn't go as planned.

[to, you know, say the least. There was their main plan, then the number of contingencies planned for, and Leia would've preferred if things had just gone to the original plan. But it all worked out in the end, and that's what mattered.]

It's nothing to worry about now.

[sithkabobed]

[Despite the months Qui-Gon has already spent in Verens, the way that the environment consistently reacts to their emotions never falls short of fascinating, and in this case, heartening. He has no intention to twist Ezra’s thoughts to mirror his, but to see the boy consider a different path than the one set before him brings a sigh of relief.]

[A gentle wind brushes them both.]

I am happy to hear it.

I could get in touch with both on your behalf if you’d like.

[lothrat]

I... Yeah. I'd appreciate that.

[It's not that he's afraid to ask himself. It might just be better if Qui-Gon broaches the subject, making it less like Ezra's already gotten his hopes up. Which he hasn't. He knows better.

(He might have anyway, just a little, but watch him deny it to anyone who asks.)]

Let me know what they say, alright? Just... Make sure they don't feel like they have to say yes.

[The last thing he wants is someone feeling obligated to teach him anything. That way just leads to bad feelings.]

[lothrat]

Now, you say.

[Obviously, she made it out alright if she's here and talking to him now. Still, Ezra knows all about plans blowing up in your face. There's clearly more to it than that.]

That still sounds like a story and a half. You gonna tell me more than that?

[sithkabobed]

I will be happy to do so.

Although something tells me they won't feel pressured.

[Not just because Ezra is a good and promising student, but because Qui-Gon has his ways of persuading other people even without using those infamous Jedi Mind Tricks. He doesn't expect to have to utilize any negotiation techniques, but it helps with the confidence in his tone.]

Now for our first lesson, let us find that brook for a relaxing round of meditation.

[...some of that confidence may have been swapped out for cheekiness with that one.]

[lothrat]

[Since when are Jedi Masters supposed to be cheeky? Isn't there some rule in the universe against that? (If there is, he knows Kanan breaks it all the time, but Kanan's allowed. He's Kanan. And technically he's not a Master yet.) A grimace forms on Ezra's face at the reminder of their original plans.

Figures. He should have known he wouldn't be getting out of this.

But even if he hadn't already agreed out of guilt, now he has his own promise, freshly made to Qui-Gon, to at least give being a student a try. He can't exactly try to get out of meditation now.

Dammit. He can't put a finger on how exactly Qui-Gon did it, but somehow he feels manipulated. This won't be the only lesson to include meditation. He's sure of it.

Still, he's not about to go back on his word. Grumbling under his breath, he starts forward again.]

Yes, Master Jinn.

[oratorical]

Perhaps later.

[Because "story and a half" is putting it lightly, really, and parts of it are still things she doesn't like to revisit. Besides, there were more pressing matters than all that history for her.]

Out of curiosity, what was the last thing you remember from home?

[lothrat]

[Ezra eyes Leia at the evasion, but it's impossible to say what prompted it. Maybe it's a long story. Maybe it's a sore subject.

Or maybe Leia's grown up to be one of those adults who push kids' questions off because they just don't feel like answering.

I'll ask her again later, he promises himself. Her answer when pressed about it a second time will be a lot more telling.

Though speaking of telling...

His expression drops, mouth forming a line on his face. How does he even answer that? How much does she even want to know? If she's just trying to place him in her mental timeline, details probably won't matter that much - which is just as well, since he doesn't know exactly how much he even should say. It's hard to know that when they haven't even finished the mission yet.]

Did we ever tell you about Malachor?

[If the answer to that is no, then he has another way to tell her what his time frame is.

It's just not something he really wants to bring up if he doesn't have to.]

[romanticlove]

Though I do have to ask - did you do anything besides work before coming here? You seem like you're going to grow up to be a work-a-holic, Mr. Hunter.

[He's joking, of course, and hopefully Zero catches on. Still - it's nice to be able to talk to his father about trivial things like this.]

Free time isn't a bad thing. It means you can spend more time with others, doesn't it? Or doing things you enjoy.

[romanticlove]

Hmm. Have you ever had a monster cookie?

[He doesn't actually consider one his all time favorite, off the top of his head, but those were loaded with different flavors. His mother should enjoy such things. If he talks about something he knows she might like this means she wont worry so much about making him unhappy, right?]

They're very good - chocolate chip, candy pieces, oatmeal, and peanut butter all rolled into one cookie.

[romanticlove]

[He can tell almost immediately that this girl isn't human - for one, humans didn't typically have familiars that they conversed with. The girl in front of him was small, not unlike his mother, in stature but carried an elegance that he associated with the few Pureblood vampires he had met.

Ren, being cautious as can be, can't help but be on his guard. He had learned from an early age not to trust strangers so easily. His parents had often been afraid that he might be hurt by someone who didn't like the fact that he was born - half a vampire and half a hunter.]

It could possibly be the box of cookies I am delivering, miss...?

[The question hangs in the air, expectant to have a name to attach to this new face.]

[thirdprogenitor]

[ Cookies. Typically not the sort of thing that Arukanu consumes for food and so, she tilts her head with a curious albeit calm expression on her pale face. ]

Really? Cookies?

[ Her gaze shifts up to the one-eyed bat, as if speaking telepathically to the creature before he flutters off the stack of packages and comes to rest on her shoulder instead.

Arukanu has become familiar with Yuuki's scent but... this clearly isn't Yuuki. So, again, it begs the question with why the one-eyed bat decided to visit this boy. Still, she smiles, his question concerning her name disregarded. ]

A delivery boy? Are cookies all you deliver then?

[gardenboxed]

[Talking about her favorite treats is always something Yuuki is happy to do. A monster cookie, he says? The ingredient list alone goes on and on. Eyes widening, she shakes her head.]

I've had them separate before... [Is there such a cookie where they are all combined. Where can she get a cookie like this!?]

[bloodyrose]

Of course. I sleep.

[Tr. . .ue. . . Honest. It's called napping in class. Regardless, yes, he catches on, those words very dry.]

I guess. At least I can cook here. Although I'd like to be able to keep Yuuki within sight when I'm able. [a slight frown crosses his lips, brows knit.] With how she is, here. . .

[staredown]

Do you listen to everything this Hak says?

[He gives a terse bow and demures.]

It isn't that your hospitality isn't appreciated, but I would hate to be an imposition on you. Don't let Ouryuu convince you to take in every stray dragon you see, please.

[romanticlove]

Do you? That's good. I'd hate to see you overwork yourself. It would cause Yuuki-chan worries, don't you think?

[Now he's just teasing, trying to get a small reaction out of him.]

I think Yuuki-chan is stronger than she looks, but you're right - she could use someone like you to keep watch over her. I do what I can in your stead but she's still -

[He can't think of a word but it doesn't matter. Just the thought draws a bit of a laugh out of him.]

She reminds me of my sister, actually.