TEST DRIVE: MARCH

[empevents]

— TEST DRIVE: MARCH —

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, February 22 and Applications (Canon | OC) open a week later on March 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 rainbow colored paint darts are back and "improved." The colors match those of the Arehtei, so purple is anger and calm, orange love and hate, pink joy and grief, etc. There are two different versions of these guns:

1. Emotion Seeking. The darts will actually seek out those who match the negative emotion of its type. So if there is a pink dart, it will seek out someone who is currently feeling grief. When hit, the intention is to make them feel the more positive emotion and thus hopefully improve their mood. Keyword: intention. Sometimes it can just make it worse…
   
   
2. Random Target. The darts are completely random and will hit whoever the gun is aimed at. Again, the intent is to help spread positive feelings, even make a happy person feel even happier! But like the other type, it can make it worse instead.

So either grab a gun or be an unwitting target. Note: it's possible to be hit with more than one dart, so have fun with that.

• Prompt E: There is a new type flower that has started to bloom around the island. No one knows its origins, but its scent is so wonderful and colors so vibrant that they are already spreading all over town. However, researchers have discovered something alarming: the flowers are actually absorbing the emotions of those around them and are related to the plant that had produced the apathy toxin from a few years ago. While locals can help collect those already in town, help is needed in destroying and containing the plants out on the island.

• Kill it with fire. Best way is with fire, so grab a torch and help produce some controlled fires. Of course, if it goes out of control, you'll want to put it out fast. There is one side effect to this method. The ash and smoke released from the flowers contain all the emotions they have absorbed, so there may be some unwanted effects happening around the environment. Maybe even influencing your emotions.
  
  
• Deadly aroma. The sweet scent actually carries a type of toxin that relaxes the mind and muscles, making the victim feel so calm that all they want to do is just sit there and continue to be with the flower. Sounds innocuous until you realize that it's just a way for the flower to drain out the emotions to a complete apathetic state. When it's just one or two, it's not as harmful, but when you're in a field of them… Just be careful and wear the mask. Otherwise, you may find yourself lying in the flowers forever. If you see someone in this state, get them out quickly!

• Prompt F: Interior designers have been hard at work designing new things to make homes, buildings, and even the area outside of those two look vibrant and ecstatic, and their newest creation is flooring that responds to your feelings! The color and design will change to match how you’re really feeling at the time… or most of the time it will. They’re being shown outside in wide-spaces, to get as many people to test them and enjoy them as possible, and the color and design is based on what the person standing on them associates with that feeling.

• Mismatching. While most of them will, in fact, work as advertised, there’s a good portion of them that will actually show a random color and design—for example, if you’re happy to see someone, maybe it’d normally be yellow with a lot of hearts! ...But in this case, maybe it’ll be red with a lot of storm clouds, as if you’re angry and upset to see them.
  
  
• Holesome fun. Younger locals have made a game out of these floors as well : one person holds up a card with a certain color and design (you decide), and the person on the tile has to match it exactly, using whatever emotions they can to try and manage it. For example, blue with flowers. Of course, it’s a little harder if you happen to be standing on one of the mismatched ones… Adding to the pressure is a time limit: if you can’t manage it in five minutes, the tile the person’s standing on will actually break and they’ll fall through the ground, thanks to certain nanobots’ rising popularity. Don't worry, you'll be helped out. Or stuck there to be laughed at.

• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include geese and/or potatoes.

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

[cursedmate]

Aye, the emotions here. [He can't help but remember just how hard they fought against the Shepherd's world of 'reason' and what led them to do it. Emotions are powerful things.]

It would be best to err on the safe side, at least until everyone gains a bit more control of their composures. I've read that something called Dunamis might be helpful in that regard. It's some sort of arte that takes control of emotional energy and guides it to be less destructive, if I understand it right.

[laodicean]

Dunamis? Hm. Maybe we should try look into it. I feel like I'm still figuring things out even back home, since coming with Velvet and the rest of you, let alone all this. But if we think of it like an arte it might not be so hard to learn!

[Still, he's willing to try. It sounds like this Dunamis could help. It's certainly interesting, the effect emotions have here, the power of them. It's something many probably took for granted, being able to feel.]

[cursedmate]

[Every so often, Eizen wonders whether they were a bad influence on Laphicet's growth. Considering how things turned out, though, that theory can be easily dismissed.]

Precisely. There are classes that we could attend, I believe, though depending on whether the teacher is human, things may prove difficult for the two of us.

[laodicean]

Why would that matter?

[Laphicet may not yet have really even noticed in his explorations that others might not always be able to see him. He's been far more interested in learning more about the place itself more than anyone's reactions to him or what he might be up to, exactly. Part of him might of course be aware that humans back home couldn't always see malakhim, but it had never been an issue as long as he himself could recall.]

[cursedmate]

Resonance. [It's a simple, almost bland word with a whole ship's worth of baggage.]

In this world, very few humans seem to posses it. It would appear that our individual alignments to these Arehtei beings may serve as a sort of replacement to resonance, yet the locals don't seem to be aligned to any Arehtei at all. [Except maybe Simpathis? It's a little unclear- he needs to do more research into that.] Effectively, that would mean none of the locals can see or hear us.

[laodicean]

I--I hadn't noticed. Yet. But there are lots of others, right? Like us, from other worlds? So maybe it isn't that bad?

[He's not quite sure what to expect or how to deal with this himself yet. But Eizen can probably help him through it. Laphicet would probably manage once he adjusts well enough. It's just getting to that sort of point, exactly.]

[cursedmate]

[Eizen's spent about a thousand years living outside the view of humans and only a mere three within it, yet somehow, those three years have left far more of an impact. He does genuinely miss being able to interact with anyone he wants.]

In the overall, things should be fine. I wouldn't worry too much. We may need to ask for assistance on occasion, though. [Then again, when it comes to shopping in the local stores, he may as well stride right in and slip whatever he needs into his pocket. He could leave some money on the counter if he feels like it.]

[laodicean]

I guess if we need help, we can ask Eleanor.

[So he guesses they could figure it. Shopping might just need to be a case of giving Eleanor the money for whatever they might need or something. But he hadn't considered it in regards to considering it for any potential teachers or the like while here either.]

[cursedmate]

Aye, I'm sure she'd be happy to lend us a hand. Serving as the link between malakhim and humans should be in the job description of an exorcist, regardless.

[Should be. Actual exorcist job descriptions were highly different, but they all know just how wrong that was.]

[laodicean]

Right! So I guess that'll work out. I guess I'll need to be careful about carrying things or bumping into people too.

[If the locals just see some floating books or something. Or bump into him while not being able to see the tiny malak. That might cause something of a scene.

But it's true. The role of the Exorcist should be adjusted some. But then it wouldn't fit the same purpose. The same need that they have right now.]

[cursedmate]

[He feels a little bad for Laphicet, now. When Eizen was that small, he never quite had to deal with humans. He was still living on the mountain back then. It was, perhaps, a bit of a lonely way to grow up, yet being surrounded by humans who can't interact with you is worse.]

If you ever need guidance through a crowd, you need only call for me. I'll muscle my way through to clear a path for you. [He's not even entirely joking.]

[laodicean]

Ah, y-you don't need to! I mean, wouldn't that cause even more of a scene?

[Maybe. Probably. Even without potentially factoring in the whole curse thing that could make it backfire or escalate all the more in the resulting potential panic or confusion of the crowd.]

[cursedmate]

Aye, but it'll be a scene one can make a quick escape from.

[If there's one thing Eizen's learned over the past few years, both from Velvet and from Aifread, it's that there's nothing wrong with causing a scene. What's wrong is getting caught up in it.]

[laodicean]

I--I guess. Let's just hope things don't get that we need to make a scene though.

[Laphicet would rather try about a panic like that. Even if part of him understands where Eizen is coming from. At the same time, it would be easy for him to be getting in other's way if they can't see him, on top of his smaller height given his younger age.]