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

[fistfulofbullets]

McCree can't help the grin that spreads across his face as he sees the Scarecrows lining up, in almost a neat little line. Nice and easy- and really, really dumb. The only thing easier than these straw monstrosities might be a rookie Talon operative.

"Well, you know what they say, Winston- if they only had a brain." He tips his hat up with the barrel of his pistol.

"When I reload, cover me, alright, partner?" Only request he'll really need to make- together, they'll be more than enough to get these Scarecrows knocked down.

[goesbananas]

Winston hums a bar from the old song, popping his thick neck as he considers the request. It's not like his friend ever needed to ask that question. It was more, did he think he was going to even need to reload?

"Naturally. Ready when you are."

Stepping back to give the cowboy some room to work, the gorilla waits for the bang. OR for pitchforks to start flying, one or the other.

[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!"

[goesbananas]

Well, he can't say he's surprised! Winston nods and surges forward, massive arms grabbing the two remaining scarecrows by the head and thrashing them into one another. If they had bones, it'd...probably be pretty sickening but they don't. They're straw. So, mostly it gets torn up and after a quick jerk he tosses the two "lifeless" bodies to the ground.

"That's what you get. Jerks."

[fistfulofbullets]

"Remind me not to get on your bad side." McCree chuckles softly, watching the straw float down around them. He spots some movement in the cornfield, takes a step back.
"Looks like second wave is comin'."

To him, sounds a lot like that old story Reinhardt used to tell about Junkenstein and his mechanical monstrosities coming in wave after wave. Though, he supposes, they swapped out scarecrows for Tin men.

Least they hopefully wouldn't have to deal with a witch or something.

"Should be easy enough. Feels like old times." Even if 'old times' for him meant Blackwatch instead of Overwatch. Least it felt good to be around people he knew again.

[goesbananas]

"Old times indeed."

Winston sets himself, ready to go on the offensive if need be, but mostly staying near McCree so that he's got the cover. The torches are perhaps the most worrisome, since the crops are dry with late fall's lack of rain. Which means, ugh...dunamis.

"Take out the torchbearers as far from the fields as possible. We don't want those falling loose. And I'm not much good with the local magic, myself."