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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[Yeah, that smile's just going to earn the stink eye now. You are enjoying this way too much to be innocent, Qui-Gon.]

Opportunity for what? To grow moss?

[That's meant to be sarcastic, but with a sudden, sinking feeling, Ezra realizes that while he's here in Empatheias, that might be literal.]

If one is lucky? Yes.

[Because it's a sign of a meditation job well done! See? There's a silver lining in everything if you look hard enough!]

[He can hear the gentle trickle of water as they approach. Immediately, the air somehow feels... lighter around Qui-Gon. The flowers certainly seem livelier at the very least. Almost as if this small retreat holds genuine, some may even say innocent, sentimental value to the old Jedi, despite the refined way he carries himself.]

[He's not serious. Is he serious? Ezra can't tell. He's not familiar enough with him! Which means Qui-Gon's getting a look of mixed alarm and dismay and are you serious? which even the peaceful surroundings can't quell.]

That's not actually our goal, is it?

[The question is a little bit strained. Because he's not sure he can put it past Qui-Gon to say yes.]

Because if I can't even control my temper enough to break a rock, I'm not sure I can control any of my other emotions enough to do anything else.

[It's okay Ezra, nobody can tell when he's being serious about something. Sometimes not even Qui-Gon himself.]

[He lowers himself onto a spongy, moss-covered rock and folds his legs beneath his body, back straight, and hands folded in his lap.]

And that is precisely what meditation will help with, young Padawan.

[There's only one conclusion that Ezra can draw from that sentence. Qui-Gon really does want Ezra to grow moss. Ezra only barely refrains from groaning now.

Barely.

Maybe not entirely successful.

What has he gotten himself into here?

His own drop to the ground isn't quite as graceful, more the sulky, boneless maneuver that teenagers are all pretty good at doing. Nonetheless, once he's kneeling, he at least makes the effort to close his eyes and sit up.]

Are we meditating on anything specific? Or just...?

[He doesn't want to say emotional control in case Qui-Gon doesn't already have that idea.

(Yeah, he's pretty sure that's a fool's hope.)]

[Qui-Gon spares Ezra a quick peek between his eyelids and an arched eyebrow at that less than elated display, but not much more. Teenagers, man.]

This is just one of many sessions we'll be having, Ezra.

[So why not try and make it seem less torturous than it actually is?]

Why don't you choose the subject?

[How is sitting and contemplating one's faults not torturous? That's usually what ends up happening for him. Ezra cracks his own eyes open to give the man a skeptical look, tempered with surprise at being given the choice.

Qui-Gon wasn't going to turn this into an object lesson focused on the mistake Ezra made?

Ezra hesitates, but... Well, if he's really being given the choice...]

Can we focus on home?

[He knows, he knows they're probably too far away to make any kind of contact, but can it really hurt to try?]

We can, but you may want to be a little more specific than that.

The more narrow the topic one meditates on, the greater the results.

[Which is why you should only focus on one flaw at once. Otherwise, you'd be too frustrated with yourself...]

[...whiiiiich is something Qui-Gon should teach Ezra at one point or another.]

[They'll probably have plenty of opportunities in the future.]

I've tried that already, though. I've tried just focusing on Kanan, but all I get is nothing. At this point, I'll take whoever I can contact, so being open's a good thing, isn't it?

[There is, of course, a very glaring reason why Kanan might not be responding, but Ezra's doing his best not to think about that right now.]

[Talk about eggshells. Damn.]

[How can he approach this...]

Meditation isn't usually employed as a means of contact between the living. That being the case, I sincerely doubt you will hear Kanan.

What about focusing on what you would say to him should he arrive?

It's not? Then how...?

[Does he even want to ask? What if Qui-Gon says there isn't a way to reach across the galaxies? If there was, wouldn't he have already volunteered that information?

Ezra can feel himself deflating, especially once he remembers that Qui-Gon thinks that time's stopped back where they're from.]

I guess... I just. I already know what the first thing I'm going to ask him is. I'll ask him if he's alright.

Believe that he is alright, Ezra.

[It's much easier said than done, and Qui-Gon is well aware of that fact. That's why his tone remains gentle as he gazes at the rippling surface of the water in front of them.]

And if you cannot believe that, then quiet your mind. Listen to your instincts and what they tell you.

[Definitely easier said than done. Even if time's stopped back home, that doesn't mean the sense of time passing has stopped for him. He can't help but feel like life still has to be going on when it is still going on around here.]

It's hard to know what to believe sometimes. Everything's so different here.

[But alright, he's taking a breath now, and letting it slowly out. Release your emotions into the Force, Ezra... Kanan's voice whispers to him.

Stillness. He can do this.

Or at least he can fall silent enough that the only sounds to be heard are the wind in the grass and the water trickling through the stream.]

This world is unlike any in our own galaxy--at least as far as we know.

[Qui-Gon takes a deep breath to start the process of calming his own mind.]

It's easy to fall prey to doubts based on its unfamiliarity. But remember, you have not changed, and neither have your instincts. We are still surrounded by the Force. We have not lost that connection.

[That's another deep breath he's taking, the fresh air invigorating his body and his mind with his newfound rhythm.]

Focus on what you know to be true.

[Focus on what he knows to be true...

He draws in another breath and releases it again, unconsciously matching himself Qui-Gon's rhythm. In and out. Here and now. What does he know?

Not a whole lot, if he's honest. It never feels like he knows enough. But his instincts... His instincts have always guided him. Even before he knew what the Force was, he'd learned to listen to them. What are they telling him now?]

I think... I still feel like I'm connected to our home. Our galaxy. I can't sense it, but... it's still there?

[He hopes that makes sense. It's a hard feeling to describe.]

[Qui-Gon listens intently to Ezra's description even as his eyes remain shut and his stance forward.]

As if it were far away on the horizon and visible to your eye, but just out of reach.

[He's encountered that feeling (and related frustration) as well, albeit with a bit more patience and understanding.]

But what's important to remember is that you know it is still there, regardless of whether or not you sense it.

[Relief, plain and simple, because Qui-Gon understands - understands, and put Ezra's feelings into words.]

Yeah, that's it exactly! It's there, I know it is. I just can't prove it.

[He wants to crack his eye open to look at Qui-Gon, but resists.]

You feel it, too?

I do, yes.

[Just as surely as he feels Ezra's relief. Qui-Gon's always happy to be a source of such catharsis or at least to help another person reach it, so he can't help the slight twitch of his lips despite the subject matter. He can feel home, yes, but he knows what awaits him there. An eternity as one with the Force, although exciting in its own right, seemed to dull in comparison to the knowledge of what will happen; that he won't be there to help prevent it.]

Which is why I find it easier to focus on the here and now--on our current reality.

[A line creases between Ezra's brows.]

You don't want to reach for it, too?

[Ezra, in contrast, wants so badly to get back, to find Kanan and Ahsoka and Maul and help them fight.]

Don't you miss anyone there?

Of course. There are plenty of people who I miss.

[And will miss, and he is sure will miss him.]

But I remind myself that the longer I spend looking up, the greater the chance I'll miss a solution that is right in front of me.

But if you focus on the here and now too much, you might forget where you're trying to go. I don't want to get so used to living here that I stop thinking about how to go home.

[Because that's something that could happen, he feels guilty to admit. Hadn't he already done that once before when he gave up on his parents and just got used to living on the streets? If he hadn't given up, if he'd listened to Tseebo when he'd had the chance...

With his eyes closed, Ezra doesn't see the way the grass wilts, but it almost doesn't matter. He feels like wilting, too. His parents had been alive. If he'd known, he could have done something.]

[Qui-Gon doesn't need to see the grass wilting to glimpse into Ezra's worry. He could never truly understand the Padawan's exact feelings, but he's had enough 'What if...' and 'If only I..." moments to know that subtle change in tone.]

That is also true.

But that is also where balance comes into play.

[He falls silent for a moment, mulling over his next words.]

May I make an observation?

[The wind's already been taken out of his sails, so Ezra just shrugs, a little listless. Qui-Gon might not see that, though, if he's still got his eyes closed, so he adds-]

Sure, I guess.

[He's not really expecting any advice Qui-Gon can give to help when the Master doesn't know what's actually bothering him here.

Balance... How could balance help fix the mistakes he's made?]

You're allowing your past regrets and your fear of the future to dictate your current actions.

[Qui-Gon delivers his feedback free of any accusations, keeping his cadence neutral, if not more on the sympathetic side.]

Dwelling on what could have been won't make it a reality, Ezra. Just as dwelling on what could come to pass is not enough to make it happen, let alone the way you want.

[If that were the case, he'd have many more friends alive by his side today.]

As Jedi, we have to surrender ourselves to those facts and trust in the Force.

It's not fear of the past. It's learning from the past.

[Neutral or not, Ezra still feels a flicker of defensiveness at Qui-Gon's words.]

You have to think about what could happen if you don't want stuff that's happened before to happen again.

[Despite the argument, though, he's not feeling truly argumentative. Maybe it's because of the vague depression that surfaced with his regrets, or maybe it's because part of Qui-Gon's admonishment does strike a chord with him. He really can't make his goals for the future a reality if he doesn't actually do something in the present. So when he takes his next breath and slowly lets it back out, he really is trying to let his feelings go out with it.]

Being a Jedi is hard.

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