empatheias_ooc | TEST DRIVE: NOVEMBER

Entry tags:

!mod,
*test drive

TEST DRIVE: NOVEMBER

— 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.

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.
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.
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.

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.
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.
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.

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.
Flying equipment. The various medical equipment has also taken life, scalpels and needles flying everywhere and stethoscopes ready to strangle.
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!

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[...There's a time and place for that son, and it's not here.] Well I hate to inform you, but it doesn't look like it's being very effective right now.

[He dodges another skeleton that had lunged towards them. He then kicks it aside before it reaches Nahyuta.]
You might want to try reciting their rites when they're actually down, son. This is a stubborn bunch, I doubt they heard even a single word you've said.

Whether they listen is of no consequence. The scriptures passed down from the Holy Mother have power all on their own.

[... But Dhurke is risking his neck to keep Nahyuta safe here, so maybe in the interests of stopping Dhurke from getting hurt, he sees the sense in not remaining here as a sitting target.]

Then do you propose we fight our way through?

Considering they're attacking us, defending ourselves would be the best course of action here. [He's not exactly concern these things will do anything serious to them. They're not very tough skeletons, but there's a lot of them.]

Wow, look at this guy! [He actually pulls one of them over, keeping it at arm's length. In a sea of white coats, there was this one with horned rimmed glasses, a funny bowtie and a lab coat with a ridiculous amount of color on it.] This guy must have been a riot when he was alive!

[...That skeleton is sure trying it's damndest to claw at Dhurke's face right now while he was amusing himself. They were going to fight these right?]

[Predictably, Nahyuta doesn't look very amused.]

Father! Please do not disrespect the dead, no matter how eccentric you find their manner of dress.

[He can't believe he's having to scold his own father on this...! And yet he can, because Dhurke.

He must have offended another of the zombies (this one more moderately dressed), because it comes charging at them, hands outstretched. Nahyuta moves to intercept it, tripping it up and then slamming his elbow into its decaying shoulderblades with a crunch.]

Holy Mother, forgive me--

It was meant to be a compliment! In fact, I'm sure he probably would have found it humerus! [The skeleton's teeth started chattering. Was it actually laughing? One of the others didn't seem to like all the attention mr. fancy dress was getting and decides to come at Dhurke.]

Uh-oh, looks like your friend wants you back. Sorry about this, but it was nice chatting with you!

[He tosses his pal right on into the other, knocking them both back into a desk. Dad is having too much fun when there's danger all around them. Please stop him.]

[That pun doesn't even work in Khura'inese, get out of here, Dhurke. Nahyuta drops the zombie he'd been fighting to the floor, growing more and more displeased with the other man's conduct by the second.]

Father! If you are going to treat this situation so flippantly, I can go no further with you. We are already disturbing these wretched souls without making matters worse.

[... Though even if Nahyuta was stubborn enough to let Dhurke go ahead on his own, he would worry enough to go running after him before long, but he won't mention that.]

All right, all right. [He says with a wave of his hand. He goes too far sometimes, he knows, but really it's just how he handles these situations.
...His son could use a laugh too. Both of them really.]

May your souls find peace. [He standing over the two poor skeletons he tossed into the desk when he says this and then he returns his attention back to his son.]

Let's go find what we came here for then. [He gives Nahyuta a pat on the shoulder as he walks passed him, trying to get ahead of the zombies before they overwhelm them.]

[Nahyuta still looks offended, but he can't stay angry at Dhurke for long, especially after that pat on the shoulder. He bows to the corpses and offers them a silent prayer to aid their souls to the Twilight Realm, then turns to hurry after Dhurke. The sooner they finish their business here, the better.]

Yes. Perhaps if one of us provides a distraction, the other will be able to search unhindered.

[...Distractions that don't involve trash-talking dead people.]

Well then, I offer myself as the first line of defense. [He cracks his knuckles in anticipation for a good brawl. At least he be more efficient in taking them down and not apologize for it everytime. They reach another room down the hallway as Dhurke waits for Nahyuta to enter before shutting the door behind them. It's not going to stop that mob, but it'll slow them down at least.

Thankfully there were not as many living corpses roaming the new room they entered.]

The materials we need should be somewhere in this room. I'm counting on you to find it. [He was resolute in his voice, expecting Nahyuta to protest that Dhurke was throwing himself into danger. He's not going to hear any of it. He made the decision to protect his son and he's not going to back down from it.]

[Nahyuta follows in after him, and as expected, looks ready to argue the point. Dhurke has done enough of risking his life for others to last an entire lifetime; surely he should be granted a reprieve from it here.

But he can tell his father has already made up his mind. Dhurke has always been more stubborn than anyone he knows, both as a father and as the leader of the Dragons. Therefore, he's forced to acquiesce.]

I will. And I'm counting on you not to do anything rash.

[He believes in Dhurke's abilities, of course, but he's also seen him act a lot less serious than the situation deserves. He doesn't want him to take any unnecessary risks.]

I won't, now get a move on already. [He will probably still do something reckless regardless at some point. For now, once he's certain the barricade he placed on the door will hold for a while, he'll follow after Nahyuta.

He would take a more conservative stance, only striking the ones that got too close. Things were going rather smoothly for the time being, with there being fewer undead to deal with. He hasn't felt the need to use both his arms yet, although there have been a few close calls. He probably should just pick up something to use as a weapon, but he had always preferred hand-to-hand.]

Any luck yet? [He'll ask after some time has passed and hearing nothing from his son. He's eyeing the door. That barricade was basically a timer for how long they had.]

Yes, Father. [It almost feels like the old days, working together on a mission like this. He picks the nearest set of shelves and starts rapidly flicking through the files, taking any documents, notes and graphs that might be of interest. Honestly, this would be a lot quicker if he had Ema here with him, her scientific knowledge always invaluable as it is -- but he wouldn't wish a dangerous environment like this on anyone.

Once he's done, he slides the notes into a satchel he brought with him, and responds to Dhurke.]

Give me a little more time. I still need to check through the equipment.

Sure. [Though he says that with assurance, it seems to be lacking in his usual wit. His attention was on the door, the barricade was coming undone. It would only be a matter of time before-

Something suddenly grabs a hold of one of the sleeves to his jacket and pulls him back. Good thing he was near the cabinet table to stop himself from falling over entirely. The undead he had taken down were crawling beneath him, latching onto his shoes, grabbing onto whatever they could grab to keep him from following after Nahyuta.]

Um, I'll be with you shortly. [This won't take long, he hopes.]

[Nahyuta doesn't initially notice that anything is amiss, crouching down to rifle through cupboards and drawers for any equipment still in good condition. Mostly it just seems to be junk, but...

He's distracted when Dhurke speaks up and there's sounds of movement on the other side of the room. He gets to his feet and looks around, tensing when he spots those skeletons latching onto Dhurke.]

Guard yourself! [Nahyuta can't anticipate him having any problems, but he's ready to intervene the second Dhurke looks like he's in trouble.]

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TEST DRIVE: NOVEMBER

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