TEST DRIVE: MAY

[empevents]

— TEST DRIVE: MAY —

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 Monday, April 24th and Applications (Canon | OC) open a week later on May 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: Elios’ land was a great place to hold this year’s festival, but it’s always best to leave a place as you found it. This is especially important for the surface, as there’s a lot of work put into trying to heal the different domains that span the land down below Verens. Anyone who volunteers for cleaning duty is getting paid, and vouchers to several of the cafes up in Verens as a reward! For anyone not interested in cleaning but interested in a new closing ceremony of sorts, they can instead attend a fireside dance that will be held for the next few nights at the site of the festival once things are tidied up.

1. Cleanup Ordeals. Not too much mess was left around luckily as most people who helped organize the Festival understand the importance of cleaning up the mess you make, but it looks like the tent areas have a lot left to clean up and take down. Removing flowers and string lights, packing up fabric and blankets, and generally picking up trash here and there left by festival goers is the main job. It’s a big job, and the festival organizers encourage anyone with special skills or dunamis practice to use whatever they have at their disposal to speed things along.
   
2. Fireside Dance.It’s a small, simple gathering done once the sun has gone down and the sky is dark. The fire is stoked hot, surrounded by worn black stones painted with Elios’ symbol in red and orange tones of paint. The dance is a quick one, requiring two circles, an inner and outer one. Partners on the outer circle travel the inner circle and wind up dancing with each person in turn. Luckily it’s pretty quick to learn and everyone spirits run warm to match flushed cheeks. At the end, each participant is asked to throw a small twig into the fire and express a moment of love or hate, in the pursuit of balance.

• Prompt E: During the festival this month there was a curious prize at one of the game booths. Some of the Elios plushes from the bobbing for ducks booth seem to not have been plushies at all! After a few days of having one in your possession, The plush will engulf in non spreading flames and burn completely out, revealing one small egg, white or black. Depending on your mood the past few days, the egg will either hatch a leathery or feathery winged creature. Hopefully you’ve been in a good mood! Luckily, the creatures are only around long enough to perform their duty before winking out of existence again.

1. Bad Egg. Negative emotions have lead to a sour and dark winged creature who is up to mischief. They will not listen to their “owner” and instead are quite often out to make things difficult for them. 3 misfortunes or specific instances of bad luck will happen over three days to their possessor while they run amok. A claw shaped trinket is left behind as a reminder to try and enjoy life and not get caught up in bad moods.
   
2. Good Egg. Positive emotions will lead to a happy, bright and angelic feather winged creature. They’re mischievous as well, but often in gentler ways, and sometimes try to play cupid for their owner. These playful creatures will grant 3 small wishes over three days for their owner, such as desires for better weather, tastier food or small trinkets. No wishing for a million sylvs here! Once it poofs out of existence in a puff of glitter it leaves behind a small pearl as a reminder to value the things they have and experiences they get that make live worth living.

• Prompt F: A small ring of Circus performers from Thesthai have traveled up to Verens and set up a tent out near lake Niras. It’s a small Circus performance, a prelude to something that might be bigger in the future. All performances are done by the Circus members themselves, from acrobatics and magic tricks, to displays of fearless daredevilry with the help of Verens steam-punk inspired vehicles. Overall it seems to be garnering a lot of attention, causing a several day repeat showing of the activities. Performancy plays a central role in some setups, and they seem to be the most popular...

1. Animal Experience.Enjoy the animal menagerie, all sorts of creatures are here. They’re all well taken care of, and seem to enjoy the food and pettings they’re getting from the attendees. Happy animals make for happy animal loving customers afterall! There IS one catch.. mischevious circus performers will cast performancy on those who aren't paying enough attention to their surroundings, and circus goers in the menagerie area may find something new if they look in a mirror. Animal ears and tails and a host of other features! Don’t worry. It’s temporary and all in good fun.
   
2. Carnival Games. Carnival type games have been set up outside the main tent, including a lot of familiar games that may have been seen during the Zephyras Flower Festival. Ring Toss, water laser races, darts, and the good old fashioned strong arm competition are all part of the setup. The prizes here range from simple small toys to bigger 4 foot tall plushies. Careful though, some of these setups might actually be rigged. The house has to have an advantage, in the end. Where would they make their money?

• 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

Yonah | Nier

[whitescrawled]

c

[A magical amulet that lets her talk to eeeeeeverybody here....that is AWESOME and she has to try it immediately.]

Hello! Can everybody hear me? [ah wait she should've thought of something to actually say to everybody first uhhhh] --umm what's...your favorite color! I like pink. But blue's really pretty too, huh? Like the sky. I also really like the red Devola and Popola have - I don't know if you know them but they've got really pretty red hair, and oh yeah, there's white and yellow and grass and chickens and purple and brown and--

e-2

[She'd been frightened at first, when her cute little plush had burst into flames--then curious when those flames left behind an egg. Maybe it was a chicken! A magic chicken?...A magic chicken with four feet and rainbow eggs!

Of course, rather than a magical mutant chicken, the result was a cute little angething. Which was...even better!(?) Regardless, there is now a young girl chasing her new winged friend around town, quite possibly bumping into you in the process. She's incredibly out of breath! Not dangerously so, but they've obviously been playing tag for a good few minutes now.

Exercise isn't her strong point.]

W-wait...Keine...wait for me...!

E-2 !!

[renyawn]

Augh—!

[ the problem with bumping into something the size of a soccer ball: it tends to roll like a soccer ball -- and rolls and rolls and rolls, remarkably in the same direction as the gently swooping angelthing before it puffs at last to an outraged halt. ]

What in the name of uma-no-ashi -

[ cue stream of yowled, grumbling fury. ]

E=nyansan^2

[whitescrawled]

[the gently swooping angelthing gently swoops back at the sound of angry yowling, landing (gently) on yonah's head as if it hadn't just caused a terrible accident.

yonah, meanwhile--well she doesn't exactly rush over to help him, but she does kinda stop and stare with that wide-eyed look you might expect from a curious kid lacking any remorse whatsoever for kicking you.]

--Did you--did you hear that, Keine? It talked! [and it's speaking gibberish!]

1/3 - what a moe eclawtion. : (

[renyawn]

It? It? How dare you speak as if I'm merely -

[renyawn]

[







look, he just got kicked, he's not at his best right now. ]

[renyawn]

[ puffs up

while frozen in place. not a hair stirs; not a muscle twitches where he's standing, right in the middle of the road.

that's normal cat behavior, right. ]

[whitescrawled]

[..............is that normal cat behavior

has she ever actually seen a cat before

she blinks. frowns. checks behind her just in case there's something back there?

......reaches out to maybe gently shake the angry puffball.]

Hey...are you okay? Why'd you stop talking? Did you turn into a stuffed animal? I'm sorry I kicked you, okay? I promise I'll be careful! Come on, turn back!

[renyawn]

P-pah!

[ instantly wriggling back to life and puffing even more, it is a miracle. ]

What treatment is this for anything, living or dead or made! Put me down!

[whitescrawled]

--You're alive!

[dropping the puffer!]

Thank goodness! I don't know what I'd do if you stopped being alive somehow.

[renyawn]

[ ?!!?!?!?

he lands with a surprisingly dull thud for something furry. from the ground, low and simmering - ]

. . . don't . . . claim pacifism if you're going to be so careless!

[whitescrawled]

[hey hey it's really hard to keep hold of a wriggling puffer! she had to crouch to grab him though so at least he didn't fall very far...]

huh? passyfism? is that your name?

E-2

[foxtastic]

... Keine?

[ he's never heard that name before, nor has any idea why he's suddenly interested, but being bumped into did get his attention. with his tail swaying calmly, he turns around to spot the little girl. ]

Who's that?

[whitescrawled]

[oops she bumped into a stranger--a stranger asking a question! which is enough distraction to skip the apologies, apparently. instead, she points! at the little flying angelthing behind him!]

That's Keine, over there! We were playing tag, I think.

[foxtastic]

[ he blinks, rubs his eyes... oh, it's so bright but it looks cute as well. small and feather winged, it keeps its distance away from the two of them? ]

Hm... playing tag? So, you need to touch it to win?

[whitescrawled]

That's right!

[look at it, bobbing up and down just out of reach...or that's what it was doing, because now it's swooping in to fly a loop around the fuzzy man's head.

yonah watches it spin for a moment...]

--You've got ears!

[foxtastic]

Doesn't everyone?

[ though, he wiggles his as a response as well. he knows what she's trying to say. watching the thing move around him for a second, he quickly returns his gaze to Yonah. ]

Here, you can get a better look. Just don't tug on them, okay?

[ he goes down on one knee, bowing his head. ]

[whitescrawled]

[!!! free ear touches! she happily reaches out to (carefully) pat them, awed by how furry they feel.]

They're so soft..............do you think I could make my ears wiggle too, if I tried?

[sudden topic change! still petting though.]

[foxtastic]

Oh! Uh... I don't know. Human ears don't seem as flexible as fox ears.

[ and he reaches out to touch hers, rubbing one. ]

Can you feel your ears? Kind of like how you can wiggle your fingers? Try it!

[ then again, it's not entirely the same... ]

e-2

[halfjill]

[ bumped into...!! ] What is it-- [ she could've sworn she heard her name--

actually, come to think of it, that voice is vaguely familiar. kaine watches the creature flutter past her, then reaches to try to catch yonah when she bumps right into her. easy there, girl. ]

Hey, kid. Don't go running around into people like that... [ she makes an effort to sound slightly less mean about the admonishment, though. ]

[whitescrawled]

[it is her name! only not really, the kid named the thing after her.

there's a little surprised gasp when she gets caught - but the break is honestly kinda welcome, she's been running a little more than she should and she needs to catch her breath. stopping! breathing! looking up at--]

Oh! Kaine! I didn't know you were here too! [hello friend!!]

[halfjill]

... Yonah? Hey... [ recognition dawning a little... yeah, she barely goes into the village, but. yonah is important. and the way nier talks about her so often, she might as well feel like she personally knows her more than she should. ]

What are you doing here?

[whitescrawled]

[yonah doesn't really have any friends, so...even if kaine weren't memorable in her own right, she'd still rank pretty high up there.]

I don't know...I was thinking maybe it's a dream, but dreams don't usually last this long. [she adopts a serious thinking pose, ner new pet fluttering over to land on her head as she considers the issue.]

Ummmm.....oh! What are you doing here, Kaine?

[halfjill]

Hell if I... [ n-no, she can't corrupt yonah with swears... ] Heck if I know. One moment I was... [ about to be petrified into stone, and-- ]

I was taking a nap and found myself here when I woke up. Maybe something knocked us out and dragged us here.

Are you all right? Seems like you've made a friend. [ but that's good, at least. ]

[whitescrawled]

[teach her all the swears! she's a fast learner!

also the idea of getting knocked out and dragged here is kinda scary...she frowns a little at the thought, though mentioning her new pet distracts her quickly enough.

yonah shakes her head! and then nods it once she realizes that could be mistaken for a no. (the creature falls off during this, but insists on settling back in the same spot once it rights itself again.)]

--That's right! It hatched out of an egg! I thought it was going to be a chicken, but it wasn't. Isn't that weird? [she reaches up to awkwardly pat it, trying to look up at it despite the impossibility of seeing the top of her own head.] I named it Keine, because it's white.

[halfjill]

[ cute... ] What kinda reasoning is that?

Even if it's not a chicken, maybe it's still edible. [ ..... girl has a one-track mind. ]