empatheias_ooc | TEST DRIVE: MAY

— 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.

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.
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.

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.
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...

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.
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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Mipha listens quietly and then smiles, slow and amused. He sure does talk smoothly, doesn't he?]

I see. More of a businessman than a fighter, I take it? [She looks to the creatures on the shore and then back, expression gentle] I apologize for taking the choice away anyhow. Though there may still be quite a few left roaming around--I wouldn't mind leaving them for your... associate to handle.

[Of course, he did say it wouldn't be his first choice and she tilts her head in silent question of that]

[ 'Businessman'... yes. ]

More of anything than a fighter. [ With a smile. Because she so obviously means well. ] And you're entirely too kind.

[ ...Why did she pause before saying-- ] [ Because you paused, that's why. Like a fool. ] [ Ugh. Excellent work, very natural, no one will be able to tell there's anything damaged about that relationship, you might as well have just called him your friend with air quotes. ]

[ Pleasantly, with no real sign of that little detour: ] But that won't be necessary, I assure you. I think, for people from my world, these [ indicating the furradiles with a flick of the wrist ] would make for a poor return on investment.

[A thoughtful hum, but Mipha's careful not to give away much of what she might actually be thinking. It's strange, to be investigating the tasks like this, but she figures there are plenty of stranger people around here. Still...]

You should be careful. What would you have done if you came here on your own and they tried to attack you? [She frowns, clearly concerned] You could have been in a lot of trouble. [He did indicate fighting wasn't his strong suit, didn't he?]

[ She's been nothing but compassionate from word one. Worried that she might have frightened him, apologetic that she might have 'stolen' his intended task, willing to help him with whatever else he might need, and now this. ] [ He reminds himself that she isn't from his world, isn't even the same species he is, and has no ulterior motive for this show of kindness. She's probably just... a good person. ]

Of course. Thank you for your concern. [ Spares another, more considering glance for the furradile, and then info dumps. ]

While the abbreviated description the task provided of these creatures was not especially enlightening, I did gather from it that we would be dealing with a true carnivorous predator, and one roughly comparable to the Crocodylinae.

Fast, surprisingly agile, probably vicious, and certainly known to attack animals of my size. [ A little flourishing hand gesture to encompass all skinny 5'11" of himself. ] But, being a true predator, fundamentally lazy.

[ Hands slide into his pockets and he regards the water. ]

I thought the odds of being attacked, provided that I kept a reasonable distance from the water's edge, were reasonably low.

[Mipha can't help but smile, amused.] All very logical conclusions. [It's praise without a hint of mockery; it was the most logical and reasonable conclusions and not one most humans would initially come to right away. A predator was a predator, after all, and most seemed to assume they'd be attacked by one without provocation; the fact that this boy had already concluded that he had a low chance of being attacked if he kept away is telling.

Still, Mipha bows her head then]

I am Princess Mipha, of the Zora. [And then she straightens and smiles, a tad sheepish almost] However, my kingdom and my people do not exist here, so please just call me 'Mipha.'

[ His own smile crooks slightly at that; being praised for clear thinking takes him back to the last time he was in a classroom, or even before then -- his very early childhood, his mother. He'd taken Mipha to be roughly his own age, but that was, itself, a faulty assumption... ]

[ And now, introductions. ]

Lelouch. [ (Don't think of her, but gods the resemblance is--) ] It is both an honor and a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mipha. [ And he bows, very lightly, as he would have to any princess from his own world. ]

Pleased to meet you as well, Lelouch. [She steps further out of the water then, shaking her limbs a little to shake off the excess water clinging to skin and jewelry] I believe this will prove to be a fated meeting. I'll admit, I'm intrigued to see where it will lead.

[In the meantime, however... She looks at the small pile of bodies with a concerned frown.] I'm afraid I'm not quite sure what to do with these. [it seems a waste to just. leave them here... Surely they can be eaten or something, right?? But even for Mipha's strength, there's too man for her to carry back. She might've gotten a little overzealous here.]

[ Oh really. His eyebrows lift fractionally, because -- well, perhaps that's just common parlance on her world, a polite nothing appropriate for any meeting (in which case, why, what sort of society would place such emphasis on fate in every conversation--), but... ]

Indeed.

[ And he's saved from having to respond any further (there's probably a ritual phrase to return the sentiment--) by her dilemma. ]

Ah, yes... [ His eyes dart over the corpses, tallying... approximating weight... ] You'll need a trolley of some sort. And even then, possibly multiple trips.

[She tilts her head thoughtfully.] I suppose it's a small price to pay for the safety of everyone else.

I hope, at least, they're useful enough animals that they won't be wasted. [That is, she hopes almost every part of it can be used somehow.] Do you suppose they're edible?

[The smile on her face says she might be a little joking, but there's a hint of sharp teeth that says she miiight also be a little serious. Hey, who turns down possible free food sources??]

TEST DRIVE: MAY

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1/...3? i'm bad at predicting these ahaha

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done!

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1/2

physically the longest tags in existence i am sorry about him

no it's okay don't worry at all!!

<3 phew

sorry for the delay!

<33 it's okay! and, fwiw from a stranger your mipha is gr8

AJdhfl THANK YOU she's v. different from my usual type so I'm glad people are enjoying her!