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

[itsoktolive]

[He scratches at his temples and shuts the door as they pass it.] ...the corpses are the skeletons in the halls? Or am I wrong about that?

I don't think feelings just vanish like that here. [In his experience anyway. He could be wrong. Atsushi frowns, his brows furrowing. Every time she speaks he remembers Kyouka-chan.]

...does it always come down to killing?

[shikilled]

No, you're not wrong about that. But these corpses don't seem to eminate the same strong emotions that caused those objects to move.

[ She looks over her shoulder, right into his eyes. It's not difficult to tell that Shiki's own eyes are unnatural. ]

My eyes can see the death of things. If I just traced the lines, [ her lips curl up into a mischievous smirk, chuckling. ] I could even kill you rather easily, boy.

But a human being can only kill one person in their lifetime. The moment they do that, they cannot kill anyone else.

[ She sounds solemn, even nostalgic. It's as if she were quoting words that weren't even her own. ]

But I suppose that's not answering your question. Killing is not necessarily the answer to everything. But if these emotions are not put to rest, it will simply loop itself. Of course, if you have a better idea, I'd like to hear it.

[itsoktolive]

[His brow wrinkles as words are seemingly typed onto the walls.

That...doesn't make sense. ...but people kill more than one person all the time?!

Atsushi pays little attention to them. His thoughts are on the dead and the strange sense of grief washing off of them. Could that be stopped another way? He shuts his eyes, still lost in thought.

I don't know what to do. Is it always a fight?]

This world is...about emotions. Couldn't we use the opposite to balance them out? I don't really have any ideas. All I can do for them is destroy them.

[shikilled]

...

[ While Shiki can see and read those thoughts, she opts not to voice her own. He can figure out the meaning behind her words another time. ]

If you know that, then perhaps you should figure out what emotions fuel this place and give it the opposite.

[ And now she is annoyed because she won't even get to do much. Ugh. ]

[itsoktolive]

[He frowns, just as annoyed as she is and shakes his head.] How should I-

[It's like a soft click in the back of his mind. Atsushi falls silent. What he'd read and heard...and felt.

It's like pulling at the dusty chains in his memories. That sense of sorrow that clouded his days a lot time ago and still linger even now. Fog rises up as the light around them grows dim.]

...sadness.

[He says at last. The hall grows dark and the light that shines through looks like it came from stained glass church windows.]

It's sadness.

[shikilled]

Sadness, huh.

[ She purses her lips slightly, understanding full well that this boy must have gone through profound sadness. Not that it matters much to her. ]

Then you'd have to display the opposite emotion. Do you think you can do it, boy?

[itsoktolive]

[He jerks his head up, his eyes briefly slitted and predatory. Could he? It's like that he can remember Akutagawa in his face, yelling at him.

'You have it all!' Maybe if he can bring peace to these restless, sad spirits...he can prove that right. Atsushi looks about, his eyes flicking over the cracks and damage about them.]

...I think so. Can you?

[shikilled]

... No.

[ An emotion like that is something that she can't have. Especially not in a place like this -- where he isn't here. The person she loves. ]

I haven't had that emotion strongly in a long time.

[itsoktolive]

[He stares blankly at her. The dull almost lifeless look in her eyes tugs at his heart. Atsushi closes his eyes and thinks about the Agency.

It isn't hard. As he taps into his ability, he thinks about waking up in the warehouse with his soon-to-be collegues looking down at him. Their voices and their advice.

Their hands, always reach out to him. They told him it was okay. It's okay to live. The voices of several people become audible...all voices he knows. Joy washes down the hall like a flood or the buzz of an office at work. It's the sounds that bring him a smile.

He can't really control it so if one is playing attention they can clearly hear a playful tone of a man harrassing someone else and their bickering in sharp tones. Dazai and Kunikida, not even around and still disgracing the Agency.]

[shikilled]

Who's that?

[ The blankness is soon replaced with interest; although she knows they're memories, she can't help but ask. Partially because she's bored. ]