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

[herpath]

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.

[staredown]

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.

[herpath]

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.]

[staredown]

It's enough to be overwhelmed by your own feelings. Having to be overwhelmed by everyone else's seems like a terrible burden.

[...and he sees that shift in the ground -- he sees everything -- but struggles to connect it with its cause. Hmm.]

You... have to isolate him from others? That's what you mean by "jerk?"

[herpath]

[It's easier to let his comment about the feelings of others being a burden pass through her. To her it could never be thought of as such. It's simply natural to think of the feelings of others before her own. To take on their sorrows and joys is something that seems the same as breathing and she would give her life to protect the feelings of those around her.

At the comment about Hak she smiles a little, shaking her head.]

He gets along fine with others -

[By being rude.]

It's really my fault.

[The brown patch seems to grow as she talks about Hak and who's fault it is that they live in the woods.]

I think he was just being cautious ...

[Especially with Soo-Won having been here. It must have been difficult to decide where it would be safest for her to be so that nothing Soo-Won might do would hurt her.]

[staredown]

We can talk about something else if I'm upsetting you.

[He can't quite see the exact cause, but since he's the only thing around to cause her distress... and the distress she's causing to the ground... well, he's a little blunt, but he'd rather not draw things out for her. Cutting out all the rot before it gets to the root, or something.]

I can find Ouryuu for you, as well.

[herpath]

[Finally she notices the ground, her feet shuffling a little as the browning stops.]

Ah! I'm sorry. It's not that, it's just hard to explain why Hak and I are the way we are.

[Without talking about some very, VERY painful things that she doesn't want to talk about and has been avoiding for a while.]

I'm sorry I made you think you were upsetting me. I'm just not very good at not affecting things.

[staredown]

Some things aren't worth explaining. I wouldn't want to know why the other three Dragon Warriors are the way they are, in some cases. They simply are, for good or ill, and that is the end of it.

[He bows.]

There's nothing for you to be sorry for. If you affect things, at least no one is surprised by you.

[herpath]

It's hard to not upset and worry people though.

[She shifts her feet a little.]

I'd rather people not worry too much about me, but they always do.

[staredown]

Or else they treat you like you're not capable of considering the consequences for yourself, or act like your awareness of them means you should stop anyway?

I can sympathize with that.

[herpath]

Do people treat you like that Abi?

[She wants to hug him now. Can she hug him now?]

[staredown]

...

[...oh, he didn't meant to... He's not good at talking to her at all.]

I am exaggerating just a little bit. Sometimes it feels that way. You must know, of course, about the drawback of Seiryuu's powers.

[herpath]

Ah,

[She looks down.]

That's true, but you have other abilities too. It's not like that's all you can do.

[The dragon's powers were important, but they also weren't all that they could do. After all, they were all strong and smart and kind in their own right.]

[staredown]

I don't disagree with that, but it is still the most... noteworthy thing about me. I was an accomplished swordsman and I am a decent general, but those are learned things. Anyone can be as skilled as I am if they apply themselves to it.

[For all the pride in his bearing, he doesn't believe that his pride is his right by nature. He had to earn it, and he sincerely believes that the work he put in towards it is nothing special.]

Being blessed by the gods... is a much rarer distinction.

[herpath]

I think that you were blessed by the gods because of the person you are.

[Don't discount your accomplishments Abi, you're amazing and skilled and even if anyone can learn to fight you still were the one who did it.]

[staredown]

I think I was nearby... Hiryuu was in quite a bit of danger at the time.

[herpath]

Even so, they could have picked someone else.

[But they picked him, so she thinks that it means something.]

[staredown]

Considering who else they landed on... I wonder.

[herpath]

Maybe they picked people that were close to themselves in personality.

[staredown]

It's possible, I suppose.

Either way, it's over and done with, and while I have my complaints, we also have a kingdom for our king. I can't argue with that.

[herpath]

Mmm.

[They do. Hiryuu's kingdom and castle. A place that used to be her home and a happy place. Before Soo-Won destroyed all that. She's been trying not to think about that all this time. About Soo-Won and the things that have been going on at home. This brought them all to the forefront again and the sun necklace seems to tarnish a little as she reaches up to take it in her hand.]

[staredown]

[...the darkening pendant makes him frown. ]

My hitherto undiscovered talent of upsetting princesses is greater than I imagined.

[herpath]

[She practically flails to cover the pendant. Damn Hak for giving her something that seems to be attuned to her feelings. She's pretty sure he planned it that way. What a jerk.]

Ah, no, it's not that! It's not you at all. I just ....

[She deflates a little, not sure how to allay his fears while keeping her own secrets.]

The topic is just a little troubling, that's all.

[staredown]

War? Your Highness may safely leave that to your husband or brothers, whoever will rule in your stead.

[He'll refrain... but not from making assumptions to his heart's content.]

It is a distasteful subject, but it's so much a part of me I forget. You're like Ouryuu-- he can't stand the sight of bloodshed.

Forgive me for ever introducing it.

[herpath]

[Her grip tightens around the sun pendant; unknowingly leaving tiny imprints in her hand. The ground around her seems not to die, but cease to exist at all. A black patch seems to spread around her feet as she listens to his assumptions. There's so much there. So many assumptions to things that she will never even have the slightest option. It isn't even the assumptions about her that anger her. It's the casualness with which he talks about something that would harm the people. The dismissive way he talks about Zeno who gives his everything for everyone and has suffered the most.]

I have no problem with fighting my own battles and neither does Zeno. That's not what I found troubling.