TEST DRIVE: October

[empevents]

— TEST DRIVE: OCTOBER —

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 Sunday, September 24 and Applications (Canon | OC) open a week later on October 1st. Apps will only be open for four days!
  
  
• 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!
  
  
• Transfer to in-game. If accepted, you can assume threads made on the Test Drive happen in-game if the scenario can reasonably fit. These threads do not count toward AC.

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: With the crystal having been mysteriously stolen, the weather has been nothing but uncooperative, lately. Actually, uncooperative is an understatement. Just yesterday, it was raining frogs! Now, well…

1. In the Sky with Diamonds. You might be walking in the streets or in the safe confines of a building when it begins to hail. It's not just any ordinary hail. Instead of ice falling from the sky, it's little beads and pieces of… you guessed it: diamonds! Some are actually fake, but there are some that are genuine. Only the experienced eye will be able to tell. The catch is, it only rains diamonds for ten seconds. And in this short span of time, people have gone berserk over the stone. Looks like some are eager to sell what they've collected, while some are fighting over what "should be theirs". Are you one of those people opportunistic enough to make money out of this, or are you doing something else of your own?
   
2. One in a Melon. The crazy weather has not only been affecting the people living in Empatheias, but also the flora and fauna. The fruit stands everywhere have been selling all kinds of hybrid fruit, ranging from melons the size of a building to blue grapes that taste like chocolate! The latter sounds oddly delicious, truth be told. The vendors are all for giving free samples to anybody who passes by, too. In fact, there's one fruit stand that seems to be selling really well. Investigate, and you'll be given a slice of pineapple! Take a bite, and it tastes like Hawaiian pizza. Is this heaven or hell?

• Prompt E: It's safer to stay indoors given the strange weather, but you can't help but go out in the streets and explore! You're in a new world, after all. There is so much to see! Of course, when it begins to rain cats and dogs (either literally or figuratively), you look for a place to hide. Somehow, you've managed to enter a building that's dark, only lit by a flame in the middle of the room. There are a lot of hooded men and women surrounding the flame.

1. Welcome! When they notice someone else enter, they all look at the door's direction. "Ah! It seems we have a new arrival. Welcome to the Ortheias. You are now in a world where your magic can change the emotions of people. What is your name?"
   
   It looks like you've entered the headquarters of some roleplaying cult. Try and leave, and they will explain to you that nobody can leave. Nobody even knows why they're here. And then someone will casually whisper to you these exact words: "As an OOC Note, we will all leave in an hour and half from now." Do you create a character, or do you play as yourself?
   
2. Getting Acclimated. With everyone in the room doing their own thing and "gathering relationships", as they so put it, you've been left to your own devices. Do you talk to other people who might be stuck here for an hour and half, or do you practice your "Emanis"? It seems that this fictional world they've created lets each person manipulate the other person's emotions by casting spells. A short display of fire can make someone angry, or making flowers appear out of nowhere might make the other person happy. Of course, these are all fake and the cult just narrates their usage of magic without actually displaying it.
   
3. An Event! Towards the end of the roleplaying session, the "roleplay moderator" announces an event! One of the guardians of Ortheias, the Durathei of fire and ice, Seesonne, has attacked the city of Snerev! A part of the city is now burning, while the other half is encased in ice! What would you do in this situation? People are panicking, so you must stop them from worrying too much!

• Prompt F: While Halloween does not exist in this world, Otherworlders have been present long enough for the natives to slightly change their calendar. For the month of Empta (October), they wish to make sure the Otherworlders are feeling at home by celebrating Halloween! They know nothing about it, but they are going to try and replicate the feeling!

1. Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo. For the rest of Exi (September), farmers are asking Otherworlders to help them harvest pumpkins. Thanks to the strange weather recently, these pumpkins have grown to be the size of a car. They're rather big! What's more, they've also grown legs and can run! It appears they don't want to be caught, but anyone who gives chase will be able to get them to stop easily. Just chop off its legs! And to make it inanimate, one has to carve a face on it.
   
2. What's Your Favourite Scary Story? To prepare for what's to come next month, the natives are asking Otherworlders to go to the Welcome Centre every weekend for a meeting of sorts. One will be able to find refreshments and snacks there, and there are a lot of people listening to speakers who rotate every so often. It seems these speakers are talking about their favourite scary stories. Perhaps you're one of the listeners, or you're speaking and sharing yours! Things are beginning to be spooky, though, that's for sure.
   
3. It Leaves a Good Taste in Your Mouth. Children are selling cookies door-to-door, and the only type of cookies they're selling are maple leaf cookies. It's only 10 sylvs a box, and taking just one bite will send one to heaven! It's so delicious that it might make anyone who eats it react in a strange way (the video is just an example, not the exact reaction). Spectate at how people react to these maple leaf cookies, or be the one that gathers a lot of attention!

• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include cat ears and/or nail polish.

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

[hatesripley]

[She lifts up a finger to say something, but just as quickly her shoulders slump and her hand drops down. It's... a fair point.]

Look, you can just keep your... your logic to yourself. Even if it doesn't make any sense, we made a commitment to this job and we need to give it our all!

[Then, with a lop sided smirk, she adds:] It'd be a disaster if we weren't able to help like we promised. A real catastrophe, even.

[nolongerlonely]

[She nods her head as she finishes brushing herself off. She's alright, just some light scrapes on her hands from catching her fall, but she won't cry. She's a strong girl after all.]

[She looks up at the older girl's proposal, her eyes shining with new determination. She gives another firm nod of her head. It sounds like a good plan, and she's ready to do her part.]

Okay! It'll be easier if we work together! Where should we try to chase it to?

[pactfulfilled]

[Asbel nods, rolling his shoulder once and determining that nothing's been pulled out of place. He'll keep it quick:] Yeah. It went crazy when I hit it, but I couldn't get a clean shot in. And its skin is tough, almost like a shell.

[Fire could help with that. But holy crap this pumpkin is fast...! It could really cause some damage if they don't speed things along. Richard doesn't have to tell him twice.]

Right!

[But before Asbel gets too far, he's unsheathing his sword again. Is it cheating to spam Demon Fang? Well, too bad, because Asbel be spamming Demon Fang. Tried, true, and slightly overrated, the attacks travel along the ground towards the speeding monstrosity. It won't do much in the damage department, but hopefully each hit will buy them a second or two more so they can catch up -- or gain enough time to stagger it. If all else fails, he can Dragon Surge himself closer.]

[What? Hold on. We're supposed to be playing Eye of the Tiger!]

[nolongerlonely]

[Nanako happily copies his gesture, raising her own fist enthusiastically.]

Let's do it! We can win if we work together!

[Oh! Now it was her turn to introduce her character. Okay, then she resumes a more serious expression as she begins.]

Ahem, I am Lumia Angelis. A paladin and protector of the innocent people and animals. I'll keep you safe, Tiger Alchemist!

[riderfist]

[if she won't complain, Makoto won't complain. at least not until they have captured their quarry]

Well, it needs to be someplace it can't keep running, so we have a chance to catch up. We can move in slowly and jump on it when it tries to flee. Hopefully, that is. If we're lucky, that'll do the trick.

[time to look around and see if any actual corners exist, but this is a field ... well, at least there's a structure of some kind around here to use]

Let's try to get it to head toward the building. It won't be able to run through the wall.

[travailler]

O-Oh, you think so? Hehe, thank you. I actually offer my services, like a maid. If you're ever in need of anything like that, just ask. It'll be like having a wife for a day.

[ ??? There are sirens going off, like her sixth sense telling her she has done something fatally dangerous. Where is this sense of impending dread coming from? ]

[lukeim_yurlin]

[There's a moment where Dezel merely gazes down at the girl in his arms, paying close attention to the way she seems to be looking up at him rather than through him. This one can perceive him, apparently, which is good. That makes all this much easier.]

[Cautiously, he decides to toss telepathic communication aside and speak out loud. At this point, they're far enough back from the commotion in the streets that he shouldn't need to raise his voice much to be overheard, anyway.]

Hn, don't mention it. I'm with the Enforcers, so keeping people out of harm's way is part of my job.

[Not...that he wouldn't have done something to help her, regardless of his duties. He did dive off the side of a cliff ledge at home once to save a girl maybe only a bit older than this one.]

Give me a moment and I'll get you back into your chair again.

[That said, he turns his focus on the wheelchair. The air around it stirs gently at first, then swirls up around it, building enough force to push it up from one side and get it upright once more. The wind then nudges it toward them, Dezel coming up out of his crouch with the girl still in his arms so he can use one foot to stop the chair as it rolls up to them.]

[rnjr]

[ It's his turn now to begin to say something before slumping similarly. She, too, has a fair point. ]

A promise is a promise. You're right.

[ A beat, as his eyebrows lower a bit at that pun. Really? ]

I don't think cats are masters of wordplay, either. Are the puns mandatory? Can't we just advertise based on the quality and integrity of the product?

...

Wait, what are we even selling?

[hamnation]

[He grins with pride as she pets the hamster, and the hamster bows with affection as she scratches at it!]

Kehehe... It is true that Supernova Silver Fox San-D, like the other Four Dark Devas of Destruction, are above such inconsequential mortal matters such as gender! [A beat.] Though biologically he is a boy.

Now that you have stroked true power, this contract is complete!

[nolongerlonely]

[Nanako looks towards the building that the nice lady mentions. She understands what the older girl seems to be saying. If they can get it to run towards that building, and then slowly close in on it, they can cut down on the directions it can escape in. She turns back, and gives another nod of her head. She's ready to give this a go.]

Okay, that sounds like a good plan. If I come at from this way, [She motions in an arc with her right hand] and you come at it from the other way, we should be able to move it towards that building.

[lukeim_yurlin]

I was sent home once, right back to the moment I left. I was gone less than a week, then yanked back here again with all of my memories of this place intact.

[The part of about being able to remember this world is important, as people who vanish for longer than about a week typically lose their memories of Empatheias. There are exceptions, of course, but not many.]

Like the way emotions impact this place and us, for starters.

[Asbel might be able to sense a slightly shift in Dezel's demeanor through the connection. Is that...interest? A bit of perking up at the mention of curry? Hmm, could be.]

[jamminshield]

[Steven sparkles happily in response.]

Oh my gosh, that's such a nice name! It'll be an honor to work with you, Lumia! As a Tiger Alchemist, I brew potions that do a lot of things, but most of my potions are for helping monsters to turn over a new leaf!

[terminalbanchou]

[ He just stares at this strange henshin boy, but he's seen plenty of bizarre things in his limited existence. That, and Machine doesn't usually emote, so he could just be looking at something - it still comes off as a piercing stare. ]

I am able to fly, if it tries to escape. Let us begin.

D-1

[travailler]

[ At first, Elphelt is as excited as the locals about raining diamonds. She could find one perfect for a wedding ring, all without paying a sylv. She doesn't know if these ones ate fake or real, but she isn't about to miss out on her perfect ring.

Except she hears a squeaky, frightened voice. At first she thinks she is hearing things, but then she spots the source--a child? What in the world is a little girl doing in the middle of this mib? More importantly, why is the mob not doing anything to help? This must be the mob mentality she has heard of in humans. Diamonds out of mind, Elphelt pushes, shoves, and elbows her way through the swarm of people. A woman in a wedding dress really shouldn't have an easy time navigating a mob, but her brute force is far too much for the swarm of people. In fact, they are in more danger from her than she is from them. ]

It's okay, Miss, I am here.

[ Without waiting for a response--this tiny girl could be squished at any moment--Elphelt scoops her up in both hands...and holds the girl over her, above the heads of the mob. She kicks and hip checks her way through, trying to work her way out of the mob. ]

Woman and child coming through! Not mine, but--Out of the way! Shoo! How rude can you all be?!

[riderfist]

Yes, exactly!

[oh no small child is smart AND nice]

Whenever you're ready, just say the word. We'll get that pumpkin.

[nolongerlonely]

[Nanako giggles sweetly, both at the boy's compliment and his sparkles.]

Hehe, thank you, Tiger Alchemist.

[Her eyes light up as she learns of his potion-brewing ability.]

Wow! What great potions! [She then remembers she's supposed to be a regal paladin, and so she clears her throat again and resumes her faux stoic persona.] It's important that evil-doers be punished, but if they are willing to become good monsters and help protect people, then that's even better.

[nolongerlonely]

[Nanako looks up at the lady offering to help her. She can't help but blinks in surprise when she sees her would-be savior has come to her rescue wearing a wedding dress. But wow, she's pretty! Before Nanako can say anything, however, the lady suddenly scoops her up and whisks her away, carrying her up in the air, over the crowds of people, and safely out of the mass of bodies. Back safely on her own two feet again, Nanako can't help but look upon this super strong, super pretty, super nice lady with complete awe.]

W- wow. You're really strong miss!

[She bows to her rescue in gratitude. Nanako always remembers her manners.]

Thank you for saving me.

[worldcup]

That's true.

[ The smile that Illya gives seems to be unbefitting of someone that looks like she's no older than ten. ] Do you like telling stories like that?

Prompt D

[astralera]

[ Having already gathered a number of diamonds for herself, Era no longer bothers with the gems herself - being so small in stature she favours avoiding frantic crowds whenever possible. She does, however, take action when she sees a small boy nearby (still a fair bit taller than herself, but she would be more surprised if the reverse were true) picking up a few fake diamonds for himself. ]

Excuse me, young ser. [ Era is not one for talking overmuch, but when it comes to sharing knowledge she tends to forget her preference for silence. ] Would you care for me to explain how you might tell the real stones from the fake?

[ let the smol lizard lady explain you a thing small hyur boy. ]

[porkbawl]

It's 2017 where I'm from. Winter 2017. That's why the timing was so inconvenient; I was hoping to spend my December relaxing a bit and --

[ oh god wait a second

He'd been thinking he could study while he was out here, at least, like a little mini-vacation in which he could cram with no time penalty back in 2017, but...

Hachiken clutched his temples and hunched over the table. ]

MY BOOKS.....

[ All his texts were back at his place he had no way to cram. There was no way he'd be able to buy studying materials for a country in a different UNIVERSE all the way out here and WHY

Hachiken's coffee frosted over with a sharp snap. The edge of his cup cracked, too, NOW THAT WAS ANOTHER THING HE'D HAVE TO PAY FOR why was this happening ]

[creatability]

[Ah, yes, of course. The trials and tribulations of dealing with irresponsible rapscallions. At least here there's no school to worry about.]

Well, yes, though we should still comport ourselves as befits any member of U.A. High School. If anyone else shows up...and we happen to bend the rules a little and perform acts of heroism without a license...well, it's for a good cause. And I have my permit anyway.

[So she, at least, can get away with it. Mina though, it depends on where she is in the timeline?]

I think we'll gain a lot of practical, useful experience that we might otherwise not have a chance for.

[deadcenter]

[okay so there were a few problems here-

1. this was a chick that just killed his prey.
2. she was a girl. wearing a dress. god help him.

senji stared at her, clearly very angry that she just killed what was supposed to be his prey, but also he started to become silent. there was... a heat about him, his emotions were going crazy, stirring within, and it was taking everything he had not to let them all out.

honestly, he was mostly upset about her wearing a dress.]

Y...you....! You're just... you're seriously just gonna come crashin' in here, stealin' my kill, and then whipping that fucking skirt of yours around?! That's dangerous as hell!!!!

[pactfulfilled]

Oh good...
Yeah, I think so too. Either way, I won't give up until I've mastered it!

[He's pretty determined, too. But one part of that seemed kind of strange.]

How come most people can't see or hear you? Are you...?

[Is this person a ghost?]

[tempus_fixit]

Hear you...?

[At first she isn't even sure of what he means. Then she stops to concentrate. The ears actually swivel mechanically. Then she starts to pick up something. Sure, it starts out as his familiar croak, but then levels out to a long low trill--]

What... Is that... Is that YOU?

[Yes, no doubt about it now. It was frogsong. He was singing. Did he mean to do that? Or did some magically imparted instinct take hold of him when he tried croaking that loud? Lucca fidgets and blushes a bit. In a weird way, it feels like she just listened in on something private.]

I, I didn't know you could do that!

D-1

[astralera]

[ As someone quite small in stature Era can understand the fright of being trapped amidst a frantic crowd. She has enough sense to equip her codex in place of her grimoire before things become too hectic, and enough time to cast a powerful Adloquium shield upon herself to negate any pushes or shoves coming her way.

It's once she's finished casting that Era hears the little girl's cries and they act as a beacon to her - instead of maneuvering away from the crush of people on her own she pushes forward, following the sound until she finds the small child. It's only once she's in sight of the girl that Era realizes her appearance may frighten her; she looks mostly human, but her scales, horns, and tail have been known to cause upset in the past.

Era pushes the thought aside and leans down just enough to be eye level with the child, smiling comfortingly and reaching out to grasp her waving hand in her own, though won't make any move to pull her closer or guide her until she receives consent of some manner. ]

I can escort you if you wish, young miss.


(( i hope this works alright! ))