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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Her sun pendant flashes brightly for a moment. It makes her happier then she realized it would to meet the original dragons and Shin-Ah's ancestor is kind of really cute.]

Ah! He was trying to make us feel better. Shu-Ten is a really kind person.

[Really, she didn't mean to get him in trouble with his friend.]

He's even teaching me to sword fight.

He was trying to give you your death of cold. Far be it from me to presume, but I doubt you'd feel that much better.

[Shu-Ten has his redeeming qualities. Maybe kindness is one of them. Abi's not going to swear to that on the record.]

You can do better than him.

If I got sick I'm sure he would have come over to help me feel better.

[Yona has so much faith is Shu-Ten. He's a good person who loves his friends and wants them to feel better. He's just also really awkward.]

And he's a really good teacher. He doesn't go easy on me at all.

[She sounds really happy about that. After having to practically force Hak to teach her and then him putting it off here it's good to have someone willing to teach her.]

He is reliable.

[How long can he argue this without being rude? Just... just have it your way, Yona.]

Not going easy on you isn't the only benchmark. He is skilled in swordplay, but the best masters don't always make the best teachers.

[She looks down, frowning a little.]

He's also the only one who will teach me.

[She looks up again, waving her hands a little.]

Not that I mind. He's a good teacher.

If no one else will teach you, how can you be sure? He is an effective general, his soldiers are trained well, I can say that.

[Don't be so quick to defend him, Yona.]

Very well. I can't say I want to see a woman in combat, but if you could demonstrate your skill for me, we can settle the matter.

[She frowns and offers an apologetic look. She doesn't carry her weapons around with her anymore since Vernes is generally a safe place and she doesn't go too many places. Besides, she doesn't need to be on her guard here ... Unless Shu-Ten decides to ambush her somewhere randomly or something.]

My sword and bow are at home.

[She perks up a little at a thought and the golden sun charm around her neck flashes for a moment.]

Ah, but you could come home with me. Zeno would be really happy to see you.

Don't tell me Ouryuu lives alone with you.

[S-scandal? He blinks rapidly at the thought.]

I would expect that from Ryokuryuu, or Hakuryuu... but Ouryuu... he's the mature one.

[Cheerful, yes, but...]

[She looks confused now. Why does he seem scandalized that she's living with Zeno. It only makes sense that she would after all. Especially now with Kaya gone. It would be silly for both of them to live on their own.]

Is that bad? I used to be alone with Hak all the time before we met the others.

[It's not that he thinks Zeno would do anything untoward... it's that no one should be putting this poor girl in a situation where someone else might think that he would.]

...Well. If it was never a problem before...

[He blinks again. She looks old enough to know better, but if she doesn't... who is this Hak? He shakes his head.]

I'm overthinking. [It must be because she feels like Hiryuu. Of course Ouryuu would keep her close, and...]

Don't pay attention to me. I'm glad we have a few mutual friends.

[She waves her hands a little.]

Hak used to say I had no common sense, so if you think there's something wrong with it maybe you should come live with us too. I know Zeno would be really happy about it.

[Living with two men makes it totally legit.]

Do you listen to everything this Hak says?

[He gives a terse bow and demures.]

It isn't that your hospitality isn't appreciated, but I would hate to be an imposition on you. Don't let Ouryuu convince you to take in every stray dragon you see, please.

[Poor Abi is going to have to get used to hearing about Hak. She can sometimes be like a broken record.]

Ah, I don't really think Zeno's like that, but I wouldn't do anything I didn't want to. I'm sorry if it sounded weird.

[If she's apologizing, does that mean he offended her?]

Weird isn't the word I would use. ['Sudden' maybe. Skittish dragon needs some room to breathe and time to think.]

Probably if you're near Ouryuu, we'll end up seeing much of each other as it is.

[She really does hope she didn't offend him with her offer. In a way it's hard to not feel just as connected to these dragons as she is to the ones she knows well. It's as if they've become instantly family; but she knows that they might not feel the same way. Clearly she let her own emotions run away with her.

The sun pendant seems to dim a little.]

Do you think so? I know I'm not King Hiryuu, but I can't help feeling connected to all of you. I'd really like it if we could all become good friends.

[The truth of the matter was that everyone else really was connected. Yona was the outsider - at least that's how she'd been starting to feel.]

...I would not disparage your friendship.

[He has offended her. How is he so terrible at talking to a little girl ~~only two years his junior but details, details.~~]

I wish only to refrain from abusing your kindness.

[She waves her hands.]

You're not. I wouldn't say things if I didn't want to.

[She really wouldn't ... Unless they really needed it. She would totally offer things to people if they really needed it.]

[But he'd still be setting a precedent, and just because she didn't recognize it as abuse...

Why is this so complicated. Why.]

We can leave it aside for now, and come back to it in the future. I do appreciate it, but I also need to see... what other situations arise.

Ouryuu isn't hard to read, but I wouldn't feel right if you spoke for him, either.

That's true. I wouldn't want to decide something Zeno didn't want. No matter how much I think it's true.

[She frowns again, thinking.]

Do you have somewhere to stay? I can at least help you find a place if you don't have one already.

[He may not want to live with her but she can't just let him live on the streets or something.]

I haven't decided on one. Your advice would definitely be appreciated.

First we need to know if you want to be in the city or outside of it. We live in the woods because it's easier to train and away from when things get weird in the city.

[Like Earthquakes and possessed people.]

How is the city weird?

[He's not sure how much he likes the woods.]

Emotions are important here. A lot of times if you're feeling something then it has an effect on the environment.

[She frowns a little, looking out a little bit.]

A long time ago people lived all over the world. They had different villages and towns that were dedicated to the Ahreti; beings kinda like this world's gods. They made technology from the effects that their emotions made and eventually they went to war with each other.

[As she speaks the sun pendant seems to tarnish to a black color.]

Not many people survived the war, shielded by the few Ahreti that were able to keep their sanity. Because of all that grief and pain sometimes the emotions of those that died become overwhelming. It hasn't happened since I got here though.

So... the more potential exposure to intense emotions, the more danger you're in?

[A world gone mad, in other words.]

It sounds like either most efficient or the least efficient war... War usually is about destroying something, but if you destroy yourself in the process, it doesn't work.

Only when they're overwhelming. Usually when there's a problem it's because of lots of people's intense emotions. Most of the time being in town is just as safe as anywhere else. Hak and I just aren't used to being around people anymore ... and Hak's a jerk, so it's easier to live outside of town.

[She decides not to comment on his thoughts on war. To Yona there's no war that can be efficient because it causes the people to suffer. She's seen so many people hurt and suffer because of fighting that she just can't see anything good about it.

Her emotions seem to betray her silence on the subject because even as she's talking about a different topic the ground seems to start turning brown at her feet.]

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