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

8'D

[copychip]

[It really is a good thing the snake is so calm and lethargic at the moment. He's also feeling calmer too, even though the idea of a live creature tangling up in his wires should be freaking him out. This guy had an incredibly calming aura around him...]

...I can try. Just... don't blame me if I accidentally screw up some of your circuitry.

[Well that isn't very reassuring at all. But it's okay, he knows someone that could probably help if the worst case scenario happens. That's still not very reassuring

He reaches a hand out to the snake entangled in Zenyatta's back, and stops about a centimetre from actually touching him. Even with the calming aura, the idea of messing around with another robot's wires puts him off.]

Mrgh... come on you slithery bastard, get outta there...

[tekhartha]

[Zenyatta begins to nod, then thinks better of it and simply gives a small hum of approval.]

Of course not. It is enough that you are helping me at all.

[If it were a human back there, one without any experience whatsoever, he might be a little more anxious, but he's already decided he's in as good a pair of hands as he could have hoped for in a pinch.

Not that the snake seems particularly convinced of that fact. As its imminent removal hovers ever closer into its sight, it squirms irritably. More than anything, though, Zenyatta is aware of the hand, his sensors recognising warmth, proximity- and hesitation.]

Perhaps it needs some encouragement. I am still somewhat new to this place and its rules, but if I could give off a negative aura [ahahah] and you a positive one, it may come to you more easily.

[copychip]

[He withdraws his hand when the snake starts squirming -- oh god please don't disconnect a wire, he would hate to be the cause of this guy's malfunction.

And he hates to admit it, but he didn't even consider using this world's weird emotion shit to his benefit.]

That could work. A positive aura, huh....

[A couple thoughts and memory pass through his mind before he settles on -- of course -- his current partners, X and Zero. The two Hunters he idolized and respected the most. Despite the weird timeline shenanigans going on, they were both here, and he couldn't be gladder for it.

Axl's surroundings become a little more vivid, a little more full of colour, though with Zenyatta facing away he was unlikely to notice. What would be more apparent to the omnic monk, though, are the unintentional flashes of imagery Axl is sending him, of two robots, blue and red, of similar build to the short Reploid, accompanied by joyful feelings.]

[tekhartha]

[As always the images come in brief flashes, too quick for even his high-spec processor to keep up with, but he sees enough to make out the two taller figures, both clearly the same model of android as this young man- but even if he couldn't he cannot possibly miss the warmth they bring with them. Brothers? He'll have to ask about them once they've dealt with the snake.

Speaking of which. As the world around them shifts into technicolour the snake stirs again: slower this time, and in curiosity rather than aggression.]

You are doing well- it seems to be disentangling itself. [Zenyatta can feel its tail slithering free of the wirework behind his vertebrae; briefly, it occurs to him that it may well end up trying to creep into his younger rescuer instead, but they'll cross that bridge when they get to it.

Besides, he has to provide the stick to the carrot. Silently, intently, he tries to- not blacken precisely, but dim his thoughts. Chaos before order; discordance before harmony. And so, while Axl's world brightens, Zenyatta's shadow grows longer, deeper. The glow of his orbs shifts to a poisonous purple.]

[copychip]

[Luckily for Zenyatta, Axl has no such opening for the snake to crawl into, so he needn't worry about that. He moves his hand a little closer when it starts moving again, thinking intently about X and Zero. Briefly he wonders what Zenyatta must be thinking about to darken his calming aura.]

C'mon, little guy... you like warm things, right?

[To further encourage the snake, he intentionally allows his core temperature to rise a few degrees higher. No where near uncomfortable, just enough to coax the snake out.]

[tekhartha]

[Reluctant though the snake may be, it does the trick- after a few cautious flickers of its tongue against Axl's fingers it slithers forward into the palm of his hand, then up and around his arm in search of the heart of that warmth.

Of course, Zenyatta's cool hostility cracks within the second. If ever anyone needed proof that a mouth was unnecessary for a smile, they'd find it right here.]

There! Excellent work! [With a satisfied little wriggle of his shoulders, now perfectly pest free, he floats around until they're face to face again.] It seems I owe you my thanks. I was worried that I might have hurt the creature had I attempted the extraction myself.

[copychip]

[Ah, now the snake's curling around him... He'll just leave it be for the moment, since there are no cracks or crevices for it to crawl into.]

You were worried about the creature? [He's back to his cheerful, calming self too. He's a little impressed by Zenyatta's demeanour.] Geez, you're one crazy guy. I woulda been more worried about my wires if it were me. It's dangerous to be walking around with your internals exposed like that, y'know. Cantcha get a better shell?

[He's not usually the type to care about what others do, but boy, this is just a biiiiiit much. All the dust and environmental hazards.... augh.]