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

[spiritedafey]

[Maya flashes a look over her shoulder at Nahyuta as she continues to rummage through whatever she can get her hands on for something that they could use to beat the skeletons. The door on the other end of the room begins to rattle, likely with more skelezombies trying to push their way in, increasing Maya's urgency.]

Helping me find something would be a great first step!!!

[All she discovers are books, glass flasks, books, Tupperware containers, more books. Nothing that strikes her as something she can ... well, strike an undead scientist with.]

[ephemerous]

[That door isn't looking very sturdy, so Nahyuta ignores her initially in favour of dragging a table in front of it, piling some old equipment on top to weight it down further. Staying in place to hold the door shut, he glances around the room for anything that might be useful.]

There! What about those?

[He points to the counter on the opposite side of the room. There's a large tripod, which might be useful for striking or stabbing, and a heavy-looking pair of scales.]

[spiritedafey]

[Maya runs over to the tripod and scales Nahyuta is pointing at and picks them up.]

Think fast!

[She feigns tossing the scales over to him but instead allows them to slide on the floor across the room after a gentle nudge with her foot. There's scratches on the other side of the door as the skeletons begin to try to claw their way through. They have some time before the weight on the door is too much for it to handle. If they work anything like zombies, more noise will attract more skeles.

Maya steps up beside Nahyuta at the door and holds the tripod up like it's a baseball bat.]

You ready?

[ephemerous]

Wait--! [PLEASE DON'T THROW THE SCALES AT HI... oh okay it was a joke. He crouches down to pick them up, testing their weight in his hands. They're pretty heavy, which means they'll be a good blunt force weapon.

Just don't do that again, Maya, this unholy place is frying his nerves as is.]

I am ready. [He reaches down to the table, still blocking the door, even if the pounding on the other side is growing harder and harder.] Once I pull this way, prepare to strike whatever comes through.

[And with that warning, he pulls the tables away. Three skeletons burst through the door all at once, tripping and clawing over each other in their haste to get to them.]

[spiritedafey]

[HA HA PSYCH! That's for all the crap she's had to endure at your hand. Call it even. maybe

Maya finds her balance between her two feet and holds her breath as he slides the table away from the door. Suddenly, three skeletons erupt from the other side, and Maya takes her first swing, successfully knocking one of the skeleton's arms off. That doesn't seem to stop it though, as it continues to fight it's way to get to her, seemingly angrier now that she's taken off it's limb.

One of them ends up reaching Nahyuta and begins to wrap it's bony fingers around one of his ankles, and Maya goes to strike it away but her arm is caught by the angry one while the third one is still trying to get to it's feet.]

EEP!!

[ephemerous]

[When Nahyuta sees Maya's wrist is caught, he swings the scales at the angry skeleton, and the instrument connects with its skull with a sickening crunch. Then he tries to kick the hand around his ankle away from him, to not much avail -- it's determined to try and pin him down while other skeletons begin to move in.]

Curses-- We must stand our ground here!

[Hopefully Maya can see what he has in mind: they might be able to use the doorway as a kind of bottleneck to stop themselves from getting overwhelmed by too many skeles at once.]

[spiritedafey]

[Maya goes in for the swing on the skeleton at Nahyuta's ankle, the tripod landing on it's elbow with another loud crunch, breaking the hand that's wrapped around his ankle away, but the fingers themselves don't seem to falter.]

Hold still!

[Maya reaches down and yanks the bony forearm away, ripping the fingers away from the rest of the arm so that it can do no more harm.]

Yeah, we can stand our ground here but for how long?! The room that they're in is the room we need to get into!

[Is this really worth the money they'll be getting for finishing the task?!]

[ephemerous]

[Probably not. But then, what is the existence of Phoenix and pals if not to get perpetually underpaid?]

I can try a warding sutra to force my way in and keep them at bay. That will give you time to slip inside unnoticed.

[This is either a decent idea or a terrible one, depending on how Maya's faith in the Holy Mother is feeling today. While he waits for her answer, he knocks down the third skeleton, which collapses in a heap on the other two. The skelepile is blocking the path of the rest at least enough to give them a few seconds' breathing room.]

[spiritedafey]

[Well, Nick always did pay for a lot of her food, so it kind of balances out a little bit. Really, his wallet was her wallet.]

Do what you gotta do, Prosecutor!

[She’ll take anything at this point, all she wants is to get in and out in one piece, and preferably without skeleton limbs attached to any part of her body. She gives the heap of skeletons a good kick as payback for all the trouble they’ve caused them and nods at Nahyuta, a newfound determination glinting in her eyes.

This is probably a terrible idea.]