empatheias_ooc | TEST DRIVE: FEBRUARY

Entry tags:

*test drive

TEST DRIVE: FEBRUARY

— TEST DRIVE: FEBRUARY—

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 Wednesday, January 25 and Applications (Canon | OC) open Wednesday, January 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: Over two years ago, the ill fated Red String of Fate toy made its debut. At the time it seemed like a solid idea, but as it turned out… it didn’t exactly work as advertised. People found themselves tied together with entirely incompatible people instead of the proclaimed “emotionally compatible” and to top it off, personal, influential and private telepathic communication came out drenched in sap and overly lovey-dovey overtones. It was, without a doubt, one of the company’s least successful product launches ever. And you would think that they would have learned. However, they decided to try again, and… well. It wasn’t exactly all that well thought out the second time around. But third time’s the charm, right? Wrong. Even if this time, it’s in the form of rings that will draw two people together in a “matched pair” rather than a string.

There’s not really anything wrong with believing in true love, but trying to formulate a product that can detect someone’s ideal mate is innately flawed. Which only means that no matter how many times the product is adjusted, it’s just not going to work. Those who wind up with the product shoved onto their fingers (by a sales rep or through actually purchasing the product) will find themselves, once again, pulled by an unseen force to the nearest person they are “compatible with”. Same height, same hair color, whatever. It’s not exactly discriminatory. …Unfortunately as poor a match as they may be, the two cannot be separated until they share a meaningful embrace. So settle in, you might be together for a while.

In certain pairs, normal conversation is often unintentionally made amorous, simply from inflection in voice, or perhaps a heightened affectionate emotion. Or, on the flip side, anger and aggression is increased ten fold, but it’s kind of 50-50 as to what effect will take place, all dependant on which hand they wear the ring. Left, romance, Right? Anger.

• Prompt E: The inexplicably cavernous sewers of Verens are no place for a sane individual, but here you are anyway—dropped there by some horrible emotional shift that made an entire section of street vanish and then reappear above your heads as if nothing had happened. You and the poor fool you’ve been dumped down here with need to find your way to the access tunnels and climb out, or perhaps go the other way and swim out through the Lake Niras outflow. Or just smash your way out, if you’re feeling destructive. But your own emotions will work against you, as you struggle against the terrible scent, the darkness, and the entirely-justified questioning of why your life has taken this horrible turn.

There’s something odd about the way the water and sewage is sloshing around your ankles, almost as if it’s rising. But wait, that can’t possibly be a pair of eyes you see under the oil slick surface… could it? You’ve heard rumors about all sorts of beasties down here but surely your mind is just playing tricks on you.

Remember that part about emotions turning against you? Maybe you’ve been trapped down here way too long with someone who’s just not living up to your expectations, or you’ve got something else on your minds—but the smell around you certainly seems to be growing thicker, the scent growing harder and harder to ignore. The water and grossness at your feet also seems to be growing thicker almost as though it’s curing like cement. The cause? Negative emotions. But are they yours or the person you’re stuck here with? Perhaps you should work through those post haste…

Escape! You’ve made it out, but not without a great amount of effort on both you and your partner’s parts. Did you manage to find a way out through the access tunnels? Or perhaps you really did travel through all that much to the Lake Niras outflow… whatever it is, You’re certainly stinky, and possibly tired and cranky too.

• Prompt F: Some bandits went and stole another airship, only this time the Enforcers are prepared with a few of their own. Join in for some intense air battles. Just don't make the ship explode—they'd like it back in one piece please. Unless you're actually on the bandit team, in which case you probably want to blow up the Enforcer ship.

What's an airship fight without some on deck action? Either the bandits are swinging over to the ship you're on, or maybe you're swinging over there. Whatever the case, it's a full on brawl. Just watch out—those bandits are well-armed with some interesting firearms and weapons. If hit, one of the following emotions will start to take over your senses: unquestionable rage, debilitating fear and panic, and sleepiness. Needless to say, these effects will hinder one's ability to fight.

Can you fly or are you okay with climbing up the full height of your airship? Then grab a few sleep and apathy grenades and throw them at the bandits. Just be careful not to accidentally hit your allies. Otherwise they will be the ones feeling sleepy and want to give up. Also watch out for flying nets and bullets. Those bandits will definitely try to bring you down.

While the enforcers are trying to maintain the integrity of the stolen ship, the bandits feel no such need to hold back and are freely unloading their weapons onto the Enforcer's ships, forcing them to defend themselves. Other than decapacitating the bandit behind the weapon, it's also possible to overload it with intense emotions. Explode it with rage or clog it with happy, loving flowers.

• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include bubblegum and/or toadstools.

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

A: There’s No One Around

[Confused and confounded by the situation, Barriss Offee was decidedly not at her best today. She tried looking on the bright side of things, to remain calm, to remember Master Unduli’s teachings, to trust in the Force, but this was not Drongar. She’d just stepped out of a surgery and into someplace totally different, a primitive seeming place that looked like a fantasy. This city was definitely not anywhere near Drongar, or anywhere else she could think of and that simply shouldn’t have been possible.

And to make matters more complicated, it was cold.

Very, very cold. Going from a jungle with temperatures just on the cusp of boiling to a sudden temperate winter not unlike Mirial wasn’t an unwelcome shift, but she was decidedly unprepared for it. Walking down the streets in her thin robes, Barriss shivered and looked around for places to go, but nothing stood out to her save the humans milling about. Humans that were staring at her, no less, commenting very obviously on the state of her dress and her skin, and try as she might she couldn’t keep from scowling. Who were these people, and why were they acting like she had three heads? These questions and more swirled through her thoughts, clouding her mind, having effects she hadn’t even considered.

Each step came more slowly, each footfall on the cobblestones making a heavier thunk, but that was just the cold slowing her. Wasn’t it? Barriss continued on, until one step came down less like a boot touching down and more like stone grinding on stone. Looking down to inspect her foot, what little thread of calm she had left evaporated, leaving only stark horror. The sudden burst of fear chilled the air even further, sucking in all the warmth around her and turning her words into a breathless cry for help.]

This…this cannot be happening! This has got to be a dream.

E 1: Dianoga Surprise!

[As if the day couldn’t get any better, Barriss was falling. Or rather, landing with a splash in some murky, dimly lit water that was…like the rest of this place, freezing cold. Whether that was from her own frosty demeanor or the winter she wasn’t sure, but what was done was done. Scrabbling to her feet, she looked around and spotted another person, offering them a hand up.

Only as she reached down, something brushed past her leg and made her stiffen. An uncomfortable silence followed, a stillness that often preceded danger settling over the tunnel. Uh-oh.]

Get up. Quickly. There’s something else down here.

Wildcard:

[This is where you throw something at me and I roll with it. If you want to plot something specific then please hit me via pm or plurk at

axiomaticgrue. As a note her canon point is during the Medstar books, early in the Clone Wars.]

Edited 2017-01-19 17:19 (UTC)

Eh?

[out of instinct Zoro is rubbing his head even though it doesn't hurt at all. If anything, it would be his ass since that was what cushioned his fall, but pain is for the weak.]

What do you mean, something else?

I mean that I felt something brush past my leg.

[She holds out her hand again, this time more insistent.]

We need to get out of the water and onto something solid, now.

All right, all right, geez. Keep your pants on...or, well, whatever you're wearing. [Bariss do you even have pants under that outfit?] Are you sure it wasn't just a fish?

[he lets her help him up, might as well, though he's more concerned about being soaking wet and kind of gross than he is about things in the water. He's a pirate, he's seen worse than whatever's down there.

As soon as he's on his feet, though, Zoro turns his head slightly and stretches out with his haki to sense living creatures around them. There's more than there appears to be, but most of the auras around are small, like rats and frogs. For now.]

...where'd it go?

Positive. Fish don't have hair. [Excuse. She is totally wearing pants underneath. They're just short pants, because hello, coming from a jungle planet.

Her eyes narrow as they sweep along the surface of the water, drawing deep on the Force and joining him in looking for a sign of danger.

Except...no. Rats, frogs, a few fish...but nothing large.]

I...I don't know. I know I felt it. I'm not imagining things.

[Her feet shift, moving towards a raised walkway out of the water. Pressing her palms against it, she starts heaving her way out, robes soggy from the fall and body sore from the cold.]

Let's get out of this gunk at least. Maybe it left when it realized there were two of us.

Edited 2017-01-20 05:21 (UTC)

[Ew, hair? Yeah, no, that's not a fish. Zoro lets her go first and then springs up out of the water with just one hand on the rail, the other curled protectively over the three swords at his right hip.]

Maybe, or it might just be biding its time. [he wrinkles his nose] Probably not good eating if it lives in a shithole like this. Damn, how the hell did we end up down here? There's not even a hole in the roof...

[Once she's up and out of the water, she's equally wary. Her hands reach to her belt and unclip a long silver cylinder, during it over in long, green fingers reflexively. No damage. Whew.]

I...don't know. There's a lot about this city that doesn't make a lot of sense.

[She looks up at solid brick, the sounds of city-life filtering down through cracks and drains...]

For a second I thought the ground just disappeared. Either way, we're definitely down it the sewer. Do you see any way up? Ladders or drains we can climb out?

[good warriors always check their weapons first, yep. Zoro can't help but lean over to peer into the water, even though it's murky and all roiled up from their wading through it]

Ladders...

[oh wait that requires looking up. He scans the tunnel as far as they can see in either direction] No, doesn't look like it. Sewers usually have an outlet though, so if we follow the water we should come out eventually. Right? Water always flows toward the sea...

[Great, just great. Not only is it smelly, there's no way out that doesn't involve a seemingly endless walk through sewers.]

Then I suppose we should get moving. It's flowing down this tunnel. And hopefully we'll find an access hatch before then.

[She starts to move, but a motion in the water makes her stop, her Force senses positively screaming in panic. Barriss opens her mouth, but not fast enough to warn about the enormous furry tentacle that slams into the wall right where she would've been.

Stone cracks, and a burning smell fills the air, heat from the appendage melting into the wall.]

By the Force! It's here!

[A second attack comes, this one aimed at Zoro, the same tactic...one big galumphing swipe at him]

[the sense of movement hits his haki a second too late as well, but it's definitely there now, something alive that is much larger than a mere fish. Zoro leaps back and dodges the tentacle, and though both hands go for swords, he can't draw them in time and it's probably good that he can't. The melting wall is a huge alarm point, he does not want that to happen to his blades]

What the hell is that?

[he doesn't stay boggling in surprise for long, though. He's a man of action and here he goes, finally drawing two swords and concentrating a moment to send a solid black coating rippling from his fists down the length of the blades. Just in case. Rather than wait for it to attack again, he curls his arms over his back and unleashes a spiraling slash at this distance, a cannon-strength rush of cutting air that should (hopefully) be just as effective as making contact with his swords.]

Barriss Offee | Star Wars

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