TEST DRIVE: FEBRUARY

[empevents]

— 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.

1. 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.


2. 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.

1. 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.


2. 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…


3. 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.

1. 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.


2. 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.


3. 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!

Comments

[88dbs]

[Apollo takes a breath to try to calm down a little, but he realizes immediately that breathing deeply down here is a mistake, and spends a moment coughing into his elbow.]

Ugh. Yeah, okay. ...wait, but even if we aren't heading toward the actual exit, shouldn't there be, like... I don't know, manholes or something under the city? So we should be okay either way, right?

[ephemerous]

[Don't breathe in too much, Apollo... Just don't.] That is precisely why I am hoping we will encounter a ladder soon.

[Rather than running the whole gamut of the tunnels and hoping this comes out at the lake or something, finding a ladder to a manhole somewhere would be so much faster. With that in mind, and his spirits a little less gloomy, it's suddenly easier to move in the sewer again as Nahyuta carries on the tunnel trek.]

If worst comes to worst, we have our crystals with us, though it should not need to come to that.

[Maybe they'll even find a priceless national artefact down here and have some heartwarming bonding time, concluded with a near-death experience. Wouldn't that be fun?]

[88dbs]

[It'd be about par for the course. Thanks, Sahdmadhis.

At any rate, the mood seems to be improving a bit, although it's hard to stay positive even with the prospect of encountering an escape route feeling more realistic. Still, they can move more easily and Apollo's pretty sure it's a little brighter in here now.]

Uh, yeah, I really hope not. Let's just keep moving.

[ephemerous]

[Keeping moving is really all they can do at this point, isn't it? So Nahyuta does so, paying close attention to their surroundings as he goes.]

Misadventures such as this do not happen often in this place, I assure you. The city can be unpredictable, but this is the first time I have seen something like this. [They just seem to have a bad case of Apollo's bad luck, probably...]

[88dbs]

[Sure, blame it on the little guy. Of course, it's telling that Apollo's taking a sort of well of course this would happen to me attitude about the whole thing.

But he's looking around as best he can, trying not to let the unpleasantness of the environs overwhelm him or cause more negativity than is really necessary.]

Seems like somebody must be having an even worse day than us if that happened.

[ephemerous]

Indeed. Even with no ill intent, stray emotions here can have such unfortunate consequences.

[As they keep going and round a bend in the tunnel, Nahyuta spots exactly what he was looking for: a service ladder that seems to go up and out of the sewer. The rungs look kind of worse for wear, though, either from wear or disuse or both, so as Nahyuta frowns and turns to Apollo.]

I will go first and see where this leads. Wait here until I call for you. [His tone brooks no argument as he already starts to climb up. If it winds up being dangerous, it's better if just one of them makes the climb, right? That's Nahyuta's logic, anyway.

Hopefully no sewer creatures have their eye on Apollo in the meantime.]

[88dbs]

[Apollo has no choice but to watch Nahyuta climb, and then no choice but to wait. Alone. In the dark, with everything all... gross and smelly and actually, being alone might be even worse?

A minute or two passes, though it feels more like an hour or two, and Apollo shifts uneasily, feeling a little like he's being watched.

...that's ridiculous, right? Right. Except the feeling just grows the longer Nahyuta is gone, and he's really not sure if it's just his imagination-- but even if it is his imagination, it could stop being just his imagination and that absolutely will not do.]

Uh-- [Wait, he's not sure Nahyuta is actually within earshot. ...well, whatever, he knows he's got the diaphragm for this.] Uh, hey, Nahyuta-?

[ephemerous]

[Thankfully Nahyuta can hear him, though there's a slight delay before he gets a reply, echoing back down and into the tunnel.]

Pohlkunka! There's a way out of here, but it's rusted shut. We'll have to find another route. [Really, which one of them is cursing them with this terrible luck? Surely not Nahyuta, when he has the Holy Mother guiding him.] I am coming back down!

[Whiiich is going to take another minute or two, aka another hour or two.]

[88dbs]

[There's a wash of relief as soon as Apollo hears Nahyuta's voice, and right away he feels like he can breathe a little better and the sense of being watched begins to ebb.]

Uh-- okay, sure!

[Or, well, he felt better for a minute, anyway; being alone with the quiet seems to be the same no matter what, and Apollo will likely just be fidgeting like crazy and looking around a little nervously by the time Nahyuta reappears.]

[ephemerous]

[When Nahyuta reappears climbing down the ladder, he still looks disgruntled, and as he climbs off, he wipes rust and dirt from his hands. He's no stranger to misadventures, given all the things Dhurke (and earlier, Apollo) would drag him into years ago, but he really wasn't prepared for anything like this.

He turns to Apollo, surveying him.]

Is something troubling you? [Because he's looking kind of spooked, all things considered.]

[88dbs]

[Apollo jumps a little when he's spoken to, which feels dumb because it's not like he couldn't see it coming, but he composes himself quickly enough.]

I'm fine! Just... weird vibes down here, I guess...

[ephemerous]

[Nahyuta smiles, amused.] Apollo, a dragon does not fear "weird vibes". It may not be pleasant down here, but that is all.

[Much like their childhood misadventures, this is the adult equivalent of being accused of being a scaredy cat.]

I have already recited sutras to ward off evil spirits, so no harm will come to us. Shall we proceed?

[88dbs]

[Rude!! Rude. He has not had to employ the dragon motto this much in like a million years, please cut him some slack.

Apollo sighs, exasperated, which is better than spooked.]

Fine, fine, let's just go.

[Sung to the tune of stop picking on me or I'm telling dad!]