empatheias_ooc | TEST DRIVE: January

— TEST DRIVE: JANUARY —

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, December 25 and Applications (Canon | OC) open a week later on January 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: As the holiday festivities end, the expectation of charity and giving back will be rearing its ambivalent head. Namely, Verens' very own Community and Otherworlder Assistance Centre will be recruiting for its many charitable projects and drives! Like all non-profit organisations of that nature, the expectation is for people to contribute and give without expecting anything in return - so roll up those sleeves and pull out that wallet, because this is going to cost in both time, money, and dignity!

Mr. Top Hat J. Roomba: Looks like you're one-half of the lucky pair who got recruited to go door to door, selling chocolate bars and magazine subscriptions. The money earned doesn't go to you, of course. At the end of the salesmanship, it all goes right back to the charity foundation! Sounds easy, right? Well, not so much. You see, the foundation has had an undue number of thefts lately from its volunteers - and while they're no accusing you, of course! - they are no longer financially comfortable leaving the volunteers unsupervised. Each pair will be followed by a watchful roomba-like device that will belt out situation-sensitive commands deduced by careful monitoring of the situation. It also wears a snazzy top hat.
100% Organic: The Community and Otherworlder Assistance Centre also spearheads an innovation of its very own making: the emotion-sharing program! There are two ways to participate. The first is assisting in imbuing donated cosmetic products with the very essence of happiness and cheer. Having trouble summoning that up on the spot? Not to worry, because you'll be doing it inside The Puppy Room! (Puppies 100% organic. Please, try to keep animal hair out of the bottles.) The second way involves randomly assigning two individuals together for a more traditional approach to emotion-sharing. In this, there's only one rule: don't make the other person cry. And yes, you may also have unrestricted access to The Puppy Room.
It’s The Furry Hour: Lastly, there is the culmination of giving back to the community by putting a smile on each and every child’s face. The best way to do that? Put on a costume, say, this one or this one or even this one, and wander through the streets! Be careful, though -- the costumes are sensitive to Dunamis and any symptoms of emotional distress, regardless of whether or not they’re highs or lows. There are strict fines levied to anyone who dares damage a costume, or you might just end up mopping floors for a month to pay it off.

• Prompt E: Dunamis magic, emotional effects, crystals... one can live in Empatheias without ever really understanding the basics of it. However, it's encouraged to take at least a few courses as it will make adjusting to this new world a lot easier. At the Welcome Center, an eccentric new instructor is offering advanced classes (with a twist!) to new and old attendants. Interested natives can also join the classes as well, and the ones that are available are:

Think Positive! One of the most common types of emotional effects comes in the form of flowers. The most simple example being if one feels overwhelmingly happy, then flowers will start to bloom around them. In this class, Otherworlders will be learning exactly that! To be precise, the class takes place inside a botanical garden, and the exercise is to think positively so that more flowers can bloom. Think negatively, and the flowers will die, or they'll entangle you, or grow poisonous. Easy, right? No! This is an advanced class and controlling one's own feelings is KEY. Because there's also a tiger on the loose. Wait, what? Don’t worry - it only preys on fear and anger, so remember your lessons!
Think Negative! It's also important to know how to harness one's negative emotions, because such feelings are just as valid and useful as the opposite. In this exercise, two students are locked in a meat freezer, and the way to pass the test is to make each other seethe with rage until their fiery emotions bring the place down to room temperature. Make sure to insult each other a lot, and don't hold back! Maybe talking about a painful past can help? Alternatively, what the instructor did not account for, is that passion can be fiery, too. Maybe a kiss will do the trick? Otherwise, somebody will get the students out of there in 40 minutes and give them a nice cup of hot chocolate along with an F.
Think… Neither! Lastly, apathy! It's just as important to know how to harness. This class is a little more traditional, in the sense that everyone is sitting at their desk and watching a slide show. Students can talk amongst themselves in class, but they must not show any emotion! It's a little difficult, however, as the slide show gets more and more outrageous the longer the class goes on. At first it's a series of tasty food, then it's cute animals, and then some scary monsters. After that it moves on to more provocative imagery, such as poverty, graveyards, and... male and female models posing naked. Close your eyes! Or leave the class with the person sitting next to you? Otherwise, just try not to react to anything that comes up on the screen. Knowing when to be apathetic can save your life in Empatheias, too!

• Prompt F: It's out with the old and in with the new! Winter— no— it's not winter that is coming, but rather, the Notus season. Which is winter, technically, but the lovely citizens of Verens and natives of Empatheias call it differently. The season brings about snowfall and occasional storms, which means activities outdoors are limited due to the weather. The various sports teams in Verens have become even more serious with their training. The coaches refuse to let their team members gain weight due to the cold, which is why they're opening their training sessions to the public. Challenge them and win a prize! Make sure these players are given hell, because they won't shape up otherwise.

Hit 'Em High. One of the less formidable teams who play Verens Hoop Ball (patent pending) are the Champsters. Nobody truly knows how the Champsters are in the league when their plays are so awful. The sport itself, the Empatheias equivalent of what Earthlings would call basketball, had only been founded close to ten years ago. There aren't any "legends" yet, but the Champsters are players who will likely never be found in the hall of fame. In any case, they've opened their gym to any contenders who wish to take them on; 1-on-1, 2-on-2, 3-on-3, or even a full-on game. The sad excuse of Hoop Ball players are a sad excuse, needless to say. They play and cry like newborn fawn, and their coach will give anybody who makes them cry a heavy slap on the back and a 500 sylvs gift cheque at Steambucks. Thanks for showing the Champsters how much they suck - maybe they'll get motivated to do better because of this!
There's No Crying in... The managers of the Verens Football (soccer) team are inviting everyone to enter their gym and join their training for the day. All participants receive a 500 sylvs gift cheque to be used at Steambucks! And as soon as one enters the indoor pitch, they will hear the coach of the team screaming his lungs out. "THERE'S NO CRYING IN FOOTBALL!" - and the phrase might strike you as odd. Isn't it supposed to be baseball? And then you hear the muffled sobs of some people at the end of the goal line. . . wait, what? Anybody nearby is going to get yelled at, as well. "Fall in line and add some emotion to each kick!" the coach shouts. And with the intensity of each kick and the added emotions to it, it's no wonder the goalkeepers are getting beaten up. The coach doesn't seem to care, though…
You're on Ice. Apart from the indoor sports being promoted even though it's winter, some Verens officials have frozen the lake just by the outskirts of town for ice hockey and ice skating purposes. There are even cones and other obstacles lined on the ice for people to pass, and the officials are giving out a 500 sylvs gift cheque at Steambucks (AGAIN?!) to anybody who can clear the obstacles. Just watch out for the pucks that are flying every so often. If it hits your head, don't worry! Be comforted by the knowledge that the ice hockey team is doing their best and are making sure they're strong enough for the next tournament.

• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include crayons and/or pompoms.

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

Calcium chloride hexahydrate. I'm Antarcticite. [Their name, but also - what they are.]

I'm not very heavy, and I get smoother, firmer, the colder it is. So this is easy for me. [They hand the skates back, slowly, stepping back out onto the ice.]

If you're going to try for that prize [Even though Antarcticite has no idea what it is] I could lead you through the basics. Ice is easy to move across.

[A quick blink followed by a pause. She's trying to wrap her mind around what he's saying, trying to divine if she's misunderstanding him. And in the middle of that consideration, he's talking about teaching her the basics and prizes.

It's enough to prompt her into talking again at least.]

I wasn't really trying for the prize. It couldn't hurt to brush up on the basics tho--

[Eva's train of thought skids to a halt there.]

Wait. Back up a moment here. I need to get this straight in my head or I'm going to stay awake all night wondering about it.

[A sleepless night spent staring at the ceiling, pondering minerals. Her natural science teacher from highschool would be proud.]

You're saying you're a mineral.

Yes.

[Antarcticite nods, slowly -]

Aren't you? I understand this place is different from my home, but what else would a person be made of? The jellyfish are one thing, but they aren't sentient.

... Well. You've got a point there. People tend to be a combination of minerals though and not so much one specific kind. At least where I come from.

[Either way though, he's got a good point about places differing. At home people are definitely more than one mineral but heck, everyone here is from wildly different places. She hasn't even begun to grasp the intricacies of it all even if the scientist in her is intrigued by the idea.]

Combinations... ah. Like Phosphophyllite. Their legs are different from their body.

[A little more involved than that, Antarcticite - though they're at least thinking in the right direction? It's hard for them to imagine a world where everyone is made of interlocking materials. Wouldn't that get confusing? So much of their identity is centered around what they're made of, it's hard to think of a person not knowing exactly what they are.]

Everyone, where I come from, is mostly one thing. Phos is really the only one, and they weren't made that way. Their legs had to be replaced when they lost their original ones. Phosphophyllite is very fragile.

[Now she seems less surprised or even mildly weirded out and more curious.]

And all of you display properties of whatever mineral you're comprised of?

We're more or less brittle based on what we're made of, obviously. Hair colors differ too. There's a few other things, but I don't really know the others that well. I'm only active during winter, when it gets cold. If it's too hot, I can't form.

Well that's got to be inconvenient. What do you do when you can't form then?

What do you do when you aren't awake?

[Oh. Her eyes widen a little in understanding.]

Typically? Dream sometimes, sometimes not.

I usually don't dream. Sometimes, if it gets cold in the fall, I dream a little. But I'm only awake and conscious during the winter, and that's when everyone else hibernates.

So it's just myself and my teacher. Phos was around just before I came here, but they usually aren't. I can't tell you much about the others, just myself.

[Eva sits back a bit on the bench she's currently seated upon, arms crossed and expression thoughtful. This is a casual interaction and she probably shouldn't be prying so deeply but like with dunamis and the technology here, she can't help her curiosity.

She smiles a little eventually though and moves to stand up on her skates, using the back of the bench for temporary balance. Even if she is a little nosy, the smile is enough to make her seem like a warm person underneath all the curiosity.]

Antarcticite, right? I'm Eva Rosalene. Still want to run through those basics with me?

[Antarcticite doesn't shoot back a 'nice to meet you' or anything - mostly because they've done precious little meeting other people - but they're at least polite enough to nod at Eva before they turn on their heel.]

Have you been on ice much? You said you had before, at least, so it'll be easier than teaching Phos. They didn't even know what it was.

[They hesitate a second, then - ]

And you can call me Antarc, if you want. Phos does. Antarcticite is a lot to say.

A few times, back when I was a kid. Maybe a few times as a teenager too.

[She's working on her balance at the moment. Honestly she's not doing such a bad job. What physical skills she has in memory space have to come from somewhere after all.]

[Antarcticite slides over, once they're both out on the ice - they reach for Eva's shoulders, tilt them slightly to the left.]

You have to move with your center, not your limbs. Try to keep yourself even. If you feel off balance, don't correct for it, just ease yourself back into the center.

[She doesn't fully expect the tilt, particularly in such a hands on manner. She goes along with it though, leaving to the left. Her whole body has to shift but he's right, it is a lot easier to hold her balance now.

There's amusement to her tone as she replies.]

And once you find your center, it's all a lot easier, hm?

[... Wasn't there a song about this?]

TEST DRIVE: January

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