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

[thirdprogenitor]

[ There's a certain sort of warmth, or something close to it that she feels at Mika's words concerning his need for her. It's nice to think that he still needs her- still wants her around and she can't help the smile that tugs at her lips, glancing away as if to hide such a thing. She turned him into the very thing he hates, against his will for that matter yet he still needed her around? Still wanted to have her presence in his life? It's... sweet, though the sentiment feels strange to her.

His explanation, however, caused those crimson red eyes of hers flick their gaze back over to him. So it was Yuu's blood he drank. Somehow, she's not all that surprised given his overwhelming determination to find and protect him at whatever the cost. If there was anyone Mika would please, regardless of consequences to himself, it would be Yuu. ]

So you'll listen to him but not to me? You really are difficult, aren't you?

[ Her words are meant to tease though the truth isn't all that far from them and she knows he knows that. But she understands his desire to be with Yuu, to protect him and never let him out of his sight. She felt the same regarding her brother once upon a time and she's yet to actually find him after all these years...

...how lucky for Mika to still have his family with him.

Those thoughts are pushed away for the moment, not needed what with red confetti stuck to her fingers and lips and having found the blond again. Roughly, the back of her hand wiped across her mouth in an attempt to rid herself of the bloody confetti that had caused her temper to flare in the first place. ]

So he's here with you then. You're both safe?

[sanguisdolore]

[ Even if she had meant to come off as teasing, there was no denying the truth that resided within what she'd said. It wasn't something that Mikaela himself could deny, as the one other person who had a higher value than anyone really was nobody else other than Yuu. Other people came after, which would stand to reason to why not even Krul had been able to convince him to drink blood and accept what he was.

For years, he'd been told his life would be made much easier if he just gave in and each time he would resist with the words saying he didn't want to become a monster before he was able to reunite with Yuu. It had been impossibly painful but he'd been driven by pure stubborn will to not give in, though he'd come SO painfully close a couple of times that it had scared him. How his body had been taken over with instinct and the desire to drink human blood to the point of physically hurting him, and he never wanted to go through something like that again. ]

...I suppose I am.

[ It's somewhat of a simple admittance but who is he to shy from that truth, mutely watching her as she attempted to fully get rid of the confetti that had caused her ire to start with.

Not the best impression he would have wished for her to have to this place. Verens was undeniably not the worst place they could end up, the worst being the backlash from their emotional effects and the little-known arehtei that seemed to run this land or something to that effect. That was all something he figured he would have to explain to her in time once they could sit down; he did owe her that much. ]

Yeah. We haven't had any problems since his arrival. He adjusted quite well.

[ Which was no surprise to anyone. Yuu was the kind of person who adapted well to his surroundings and rolled with it, especially since he'd arrived here in chains and hadn't really figured out much of the emotional aspect here. Well, he'd tried to explain it some but part of it had likely gone over his head so he couldn't exactly be sure of how much of it'd sunk in.

It was with his gaze on her that he glimpsed a small spot she hadn't gotten with her hand before, hesitating for just a second before moving to kneel down and reaching a hand up to carefully wipe away the last little bit of bloody confetti that'd been left behind. ]

...Are you going to be alright now, Krul?

[thirdprogenitor]

[ Krul blinked the moment Mika knelt before her and for a moment, she stared to him with an almost curious expression. It was only when he lifted a hand and wiped away whatever she had missed in terms of confetti that her gaze softened and she stared to the blond who now shared the same pair of red eyes with her.

Fingers slowly combed through blond strands of hair and rested at the back of his head after a moment. It was then that, gently, she pulled him towards her and embraced him on his knees just like that. There were no words whispered, no heart beats quickening, no flush of colour to cheeks. All there was in the moment was silence and a gentle caress of fingers through his hair.

Moments like these were often kept between the two of them but with how empty the street seemed to be at the moment, it was almost as if they were within the confines of her room and she can't help but recall those earlier days for a second. This difficult "child" of hers who struggled against his acceptance of her ultimately saving his life and granting him immortality had finally become a full-blooded vampire and while she hadn't been there when the transformation had finally been complete, she felt a sort of relief that he had accepted his fate (regardless of the circumstances) and chose the life of a vampire rather than waste away to a mindless, crazed demon.

She had already lost her brother that way, to think that Mika had been close to doing the same...

Flecks of glitter fall around them from the sky, causing her to glance up and fingers to still in his hair. Was this a result of what she was feeling with having Mika here like this? ]

How annoying.

[ Fingers slipped out of his hair and she glanced off to the side, gaze falling to the empty packet of blood that she had discarded after the confetti disaster. ]

Keep an eye on him. Trouble seems to enjoy following him.