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

E.

[thirdprogenitor]

[ How she ended up down here, she's still not too sure. Despite the dark and the smell that lingers in the sewers, she doesn't seem too bothered with her being down here; at least she's out of the sunlight. Her one-eyed bat, Arukanu, sits perched on her shoulder, curiously looking about, Krul making her way through the water until she picks up the sounds and crimson eyes glance up to the sudden bright light... and the man that comes with it. ]

Hardly. [ She responds dryly, seeming almost unimpressed. Although, he doesn't appear to be entirely human, so there's that. ] You're in my way.

[raisdiant]

Hm, no, I suppose not...

[At about the same time she gets a clear glimpse of him, Gilles notices that she's not human, either. He makes a thoughtful noise, tapping his chin.]

Perhaps more like a she-wolf that's lost its way.

[He's already committed to this animal metaphor theme, so he's sticking with it. However, if he took in the statement "you're in my way", he doesn't seem to be reacting to it, as he remains exactly where he is.]

And I wonder what such a wild creature is doing so far down in the dark.

[thirdprogenitor]

[ She-wolf. She's not entirely just what that means (they don't exactly exist in her world) and so she continues to stare at him, unimpressed, Arukanu blinking his one eye in curiosity at the strange man.

Although, when he happens to mention wild creature, she can't help but laugh a little under her breath, almost seeming amused. ]

Monster is typically what mine are called. Wild creature is a new one. How cute.

[raisdiant]

Oh, are you a monster too? Somehow, I'm not surprised. You look it.

[She does look like one, and that bat could be straight out of hell, although there's nothing about her that particularly reads demon to him. Not that there aren't different demons from different worlds here. Although clearly, he's the most authentic.]

I am exceptionally cute, yes. Thank you for noticing!

[Gilles twirls his hair.]

[thirdprogenitor]

[ The fact that he somewhat reminds her of a silver-haired vampire thorn in her side back in her world is... not the most flattering of things but for now, she'll tolerate him lest he give her a reason not to.

Nails painted pink brush aside a few strands of pink hair, crimson eyes shining to him with an almost quiet sort of amusement that holds... something else behind it. Though what? Well, that's a little hard to say. ]

Cute or not, you're still in my way.

[ Regardless of how small she is around practically everyone else, she doesn't show an ounce of care about it. ]

[raisdiant]

Am I?

[She reminds him of a denizen of Hell in some ways, but not one in particular at the moment.]

It could be, you're looking at it all wrong. Maybe...

[He trails off and pauses, as if thinking it over.]

...You're in my way!

[Not that he seems to be going anywhere at the moment, but the shadows coiling around him don't seem to have anything to do with the light he's giving off. So wherever he's going or not going, he's at least a little agitated, his wide smile aside.]

[thirdprogenitor]

[ Eyes of crimson slowly glance to the coiling shadows, wondering if this is simply a manifestation of emotions and how to really take such a thing in the first place. With having lost the bulk of her own humanity, it's not as though she's an expert on what emotions evoke what sort of manifestations from others.

So, she smiles a little right back to him, Arukanu flapping his wings some, though he still remains perched on her bare shoulder. ]

Am I? I suppose you do look like you belong down here.

[ Now, Krul. Be nice... ]

[raisdiant]

[Gilles continues to smile, and whatever emotions he has, he doesn't reveal them. He also abandoned humanity centuries ago, so it's unlikely his emotions now are the same as a human's. Which may be why they take the form of shadows within the shadows.]

Oh, but it would be the stubborn cave dwellers that present an obstacle to those of us on an errand.

[He doesn't have any real reason to antagonize her, as he could easily go around, her, but... she's interested him, a little.]

You're the one who seems suited to the dark.

[And he turns up his own bluish light, which in no way affects the emotional shadows looping around him.]

[thirdprogenitor]

[ Something they have in common then: having lost the bulk of their humanity. How funny for creatures such as themselves to end up in a place like this (so dependent on emotions) of all places then.

The bluish light causes her to blink, a touch curious before her attention turned back onto him. Arukanu? Not interested at all and glancing off to some other area around them.

At his observation, she smiles a little, seeming so sweet and harmless. ]

Vampires usually are. [ Though the fact that she wears an enchantment to allow her the ability to move through sunlight helps. ] But you don't strike me as a vampire. At least you're not livestock.

[raisdiant]

[To Gilles, it doesn't matter how sweet and harmless someone looks—some of the sweetest looking demons in Hell are the most dangerous. It's his thought that she might be dangerous that had interested him in the first place.

Fortunately for him, he still has a lot of emotions, even if they are warped. Or maybe that's not so fortunate, but it does contribute to his power, here.]

A vampire? That explains it, then.

[He doesn't specify what it explains, but he seems satisfied by the information.]

Of course not! I'm a nephilim. Nothing could be further from livestock.

[thirdprogenitor]

[ Nephilim. That word alone causes a shift in her mood and there's a brief moment of bubbles blowing up to the surface in the sewer water around her legs. Humans? They're livestock, good only for their blood to be consumed if not killed for those who meddle in things they shouldn't. But nephilim... that's something she's not overly trustful of.

Her eyes sharpen some, not to the point of dangerous but the playful sweetness that had been lingering in them earlier wiped away entirely as she stares to him from where she stands. ]

And just what sort of nephilim are you exactly?

[ Because the ones from her world? Well, let's just say they're nothing more than experiments for the humans to play with. ]

[raisdiant]

[Gilles doesn't like to be questioned, and he reacts with a sniff.]

What kind of question is that? I'm a powerful demon and a Lord of Hell. What more do you need to know?

[Well, not entirely a Lord of Hell, but close enough. He's not going to explain Baalberith and Hell's rankings, because it's complicated, and he also doesn't care to do so. No one here is going to contradict him, so he's not worried about it.]

Not that I expect an outsider to understand the infernal workings of Hell.

[thirdprogenitor]

[ A demon then. Fine. Better than being an angel subjected to experiments by humans and used for his power after all. Though that's not to say that demons in her world were exempt from that sort of treatment either.

Her smile returns to her lips then and she brushes strands of pink over a bare shoulder, though not the one that Arukanu happens to be perched on. ]

Knowledge is power after all. [ She mutters in regards to why she would need to know more, eyes of crimson settling on him again. ] I imagine your blood wouldn't taste very good any way, so I suppose you don't have to worry about that.

[ Human blood is always best, vampire can satiate the hunger for a little. Demon? She can't say she's ever tried that before. ]

[raisdiant]

[He is definitely in no way angelic.]

The right kind of knowledge, for the right kind of person. But most people are useless, like most knowledge.

[Humans don't have power over demons! Not as far as Gilles is concerned. Unless they're abnormal humans, like Solomon, but who cares about him?]

I wouldn't worry, in any case. My blood is far more expensive than anyone can afford! As they'll have to pay dearly for it.

[He's not going to allow anyone to have any of it. If there's blood to be shed, he'll do the shedding.]