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

[sunsetsitter]

Oof, that's rough, buddy.

[Religion sucks... Almost makes her grateful her parents were more devoted to what the enemy called terrorism than to any god. Having to toddle around a church would definitely have screwed her up even more than she already was.]

Fair enough. Even after going to a few different places, a ton of things in this place seem backwards to me. They're totally gonna understand this weird shit! What are they giving you for it, anyway?

[churchbelle]

Hmm. [It wasn't so bad, at the time... but he'll save his bittersweet church boy nostalgia for another time. He flips a few notebook pages again. Still doesn't make sense.]

They're offerin' a pat on the back and a nice "thank ya kindly," more or less. But bein' in the locals' good graces always comes in handy sooner or later.

[sunsetsitter]

[...Hazel...]

Wow. Or they'll see you as an easy mark to fuck over. At least ask for, like, ten coins. Prove you've got a set, however small.

[churchbelle]

[Hey now, he's a great con artist, don't play.]

Bet I can get one of 'em to buy me dinner. That'll do— it wasn't that challengin' to come make a mess down here.

[sunsetsitter]

[Dinner would in fact do, for someone who has to eat, she's got to agree with that.]

I dunno, not everyone could have given Jerry a proper send off the way you did. What's up with that?

[And subtly drifting off a bit because...because.]

[churchbelle]

[Hm? Back on the Jerry thing again??]

Just a lil somethin' I can do. I know it's unsightly, but it's a way of helpin' people deal with their dead.

[Skipping the details... thaaat's okay.]

[sunsetsitter]

[Jerry will live on forever in her heart.]

At least you know that. [The unsightly thing...] Not everyone would.

[But then, it's easier to tell when something unsettles someone when they're swapping colors like a mood ring.]

Huh. Afterlife past this is kinda a new concept for me. Where do you think they go after that?

[churchbelle]

[Most people don't think so, but enough do. Supposedly. Maybe he's a little sour about this ability, sometimes.]

I'm afraid I can't rightly answer somethin' like that. [Which maybe is a disappointing answer from the guy doing the thing, but it is what it is.] Hopefully somewhere they can be at peace.

[sunsetsitter]

That's always the ideal, isn't it?

[Izabel makes a big show of stretching, then oozes her way sleepily towards the door.]

Pretty sure "peace" is a hot, steaming load, though.

[churchbelle]

Well, ya never know.

[He gives the desk one last glance, then turns to follow her with just this little notebook. That's Enough.]

People got this thing about hope.

[sunsetsitter]

So much that it gets its own god devoted to it here. Ooooh~

[Apparently she doesn't think much of the Arehtei. But honestly, who would? Side note: have fun using doorways like a scrub, scrublord.]

[churchbelle]

[Yeah you know what else is wild? Gravity. Gravity and doorways, man.]

I'm tryin' not to think too deeply about all that. Prayin' to a feelin's stranger than most.

[sunsetsitter]

[Does a little dance flipping off the ground in her private time tbh.]

Hard to take it seriously, even with how everyone's able to do some kinda magic, here.

[Which was another weird thing. She'd seen some pretty terrible things done with magic back on Cleave. And then what Hazel was doing with those little beetles...]

Not that I've ever been one for praying. I'll probably stick to heckling on the sidelines, it's what I'm good at. Now if one of them was a badass, that would change things a bit...

[churchbelle]

[Emotion magic... is weird! He's settled firmly on weird, especially because there's no telling when it's actually going to happen, or what will happen, so far. He made mold bubble unintentionally, before? It was vile.]

Do they do much, really? I haven't seen hide nor hair of anythin' like a church, or a temple at all.

[sunsetsitter]

[That's disgusting in a way she can appreciate.]

I think we're meant to be the temples. [She taps at the crystalline button pinned to her hat.] What with these slurping up our soul offerings, and all. Lazy, gross, and skeevy as all hell, if you ask me.

[churchbelle]

[How does a ghost have a crystal...... Never mind.]

Well, you're not wrong. It's all lil tasteless.

[sunsetsitter]

[fuckin search her, dude]

And trust me, I know tasteless. I have seen some shit over the years, my guy, and while people in charge royally fucking over the little people isn't exactly earning this place any creativity points, it's definitely doing an interesting, creepy take on it. "Carry this or die, feed me your feelings so I can swing around my big dragon fear boner of power"!

[churchbelle]

[Vulgar, but not incorrect!! Hazel shrugs and holds up his new notebook to wiggle it pointedly.]

Maybe these notes're all about what a pain in the behind these crystal things are. We can hope for that, right?

[sunsetsitter]

Awh, sure. I'll believe Jerry and co. are on our side in all this. Not very helpful, but it's good to have allies. Sweet ol' skelebros.

[y...ay, hope? kind of skeptical hope?]

[churchbelle]

[skeletal hope]

Helpful's relative. Let's get outta here before we unearth another would-be tomb full of, I dunno, the night crew.