empatheias_ooc | TEST DRIVE: January

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*test drive

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

She was so very very confused. "A cat...named Axel? Wyverns? A dog?" She knew what cats and dogs were, Wyverns sounded like a kind of Heartless maybe. What did any of that have to do with Roxas, though? Got himself a cat?

"I... am confused," she admitted, from under her hood.

"It is a lot to take in," Roxas agrees. It's easy to forget, since he's been here so long, how overwhelming things can be at first. Never mind that he's talking to someone he knows but doesn't know, and there's a large gap between them.

"It might make a bit more sense once we get inside. We're almost there."

And with a few more turns they reach the house. It's fairly big, with two stories and porch but the lights are on and it's warm inside. Roxas opens the door and lets Xion in, making sure that none of the animals rush them.

She stares around, wide eyed, from under her hood. So much colour! Different kinds of lights. Seeing odd things in other worlds rarely threw her anymore. But this was different, because this was where Roxas lived, where he returned to after missions. And that, she expected, should always look like the castle. But this didn't. This looked nothing like the monochrome walls and steady light and cold chill of the castle. What.... What kind of place was this?

She let her hood fall again since no one else seemed to be around, so Roxas would see her confusion and wonder as she stared at everything.

"Here, let's go into the kitchen. I can make some hot chocolate and we can figure things out."

He kicks his shoes off and throws his coat on the couch, seeming to look around for something. The house is probably closer to how he lived in the fake Twilight Town, with the combined mess of everyone else who lived there. Considering the majority of the occupants are male, it's current state could probably be described as well lived in.

Eventually Roxas seems to find what he's looking for and comes back holding an orange cat, who looks relatively content if slightly annoyed at being disturbed.

"This is Axel the Cat. I can show the wyverns when it's not as cold."

"Hot..." she started following him, but her voice tailed off when he took off his jacket and shoes. Her jaw almost fell off. They slept in their coat and boots and gloves, they ate in them, did missions in them, watched the sun set in them. So she was just... starring. Stunned. Don't mind her as she tries to remember how to talk.

It was... it was so odd seeing Roxas like that... like the people they used to watch at sunset. Like the people she saw on missions sometimes. Like... the word hit her like a gut punch. Like people. Like a person. Like a SOMEBODY. But... but they weren't. They didn't get to... Her train of thought was again derailed by the sight of the cat. It... she didn't have a word for it... but... she... there was something... she looked at it and..., something. But she didn't have the words. Her reaction to the cat made no sense to her. Was she more broken than she had been told?

And... why... why did she want to touch it...? Just because it was named Axel?

It's something he's just come to accept over his prolonged existence. That and the fact that he still has residual memories of the fake Twilight Town, and those tend to override the way things were in the Organization.

He smiles, holding Axel the Cat out.

"You can pet him, if you want. He's pretty relaxed about that."

Axel shifts and meows, looking curiously at Xion.

Edited 2018-01-14 02:09 (UTC)

"Pet.... him?" she asked, confused, staring at the small animal in arms not covered by coat sleeves. She had seen things like that with people. But with Roxas, it was just hard to make sense of, especially given the last she had seen of him. "Roxas..." she whispered. "Who...who else is here? Where is here?"

Roxas pauses for a moment, before looking a little embarrassed. He'd been going to fast again. He really should have just asked Xion how much she knew and started from them.

"Right, sorry. Look, let's just sit down and then I can start from the beginning or wherever. This place is...kinda confusing."

He puts Axel the cat down and ushers Xion into the kitchen so that she can at least sit, and takes the seat across from her.

"Well, here is Verens. It's a city on a floating island called Empatheias. I've been here for a little over three years now and like I said, this is my house. It's not just me who lives here though. There's also Machina, Squall and Rinoa, Arden, and Sora."

He looks down at the table, anticipating a lot of questions.

"A lot of this is complicated, but I'll try to explain as best I can."

She followed him into the kitchen. Confusing she could agree with. She took a seat, watching him as if he was the only thing in the world that mattered. Roxas. And he remembered her. And Axel would be back. And...

The thought was cut off in the middle as she choked. "Three... years?" That wasn't possible! How could that be possible? And... And Sora lived here too? But... But not Namine? Or Riku? Or... Axel? She was so confused. But... Three years. How? "Roxas I just..." she swallowed. It was difficult. "Just before I arrived here... I had been..." She closed her eyes. If he couldn't remember, she didn't need to remind him. "We had just said goodbye," she said finally in a whisper. He didn't need to know that it had been like dying, that he had held her as she faded away and drifted to bits, not knowing who she was but crying anyway. He didn't need that pain.

Which made her wonder, not for the first time, how much pain Axel was hiding from the both of them. He remembered what having a heart was like. He knew what they were missing, what he had lost. What she and Roxas had never had...

"Yeah, like I said. It's complicated."

Riku and Axel had been previous occupants of the house. And Arden could count as Riku, if you wanted to get technical or have an uncomfortable conversation. Namine currently lived with Usagi, and considering that the house was at capacity, that was probably for the best.

Roxas shakes his head. He doesn't have the memory anymore but trying to think about it makes his "heart" ache anyway. He's constantly torn between wanting to know and not wanting at the same time.

"Timelines here are all messed up. The last thing I remember was that I was supposed to go back to Sora, and then I wound up here. I don't know if that means anything to you.

Sora's from sometime way in the future. I haven't asked him about it much."

"That... I was going back to Sora when I wound up here," she whispered. "And...And you were supposed to, after me. But that if I went when I did,... that you'd have more time. That you would be able to stay with Axel longer." She looked down at her gloved hands, lacing her fingers together on the table top. "But... how can Sora be in the future? If we haven't gone into him...How can he... be?"

And...why wouldn't Roxas ask? She was sure Axel had, but she'd have to wait until Axel returned to ask him. But she doubted he'd trust her enough to tell her since... since she's just some stranger in the jacket now. Among a group where everyone knows everyone else's views of them. A stranger was deadly, unknown, uncertain. It was why Riku had been such a threat. And why so many of them hated her, she was sure. Roxas... Roxas was Roxas. But Axel? He'd be suspicious. If he didn't remember her, no way he'd trust her. Not enough to tell her the truth.

"I don't know. But this place just lets it happen. I admit I don't really question it, if it means I get to live my own life."

Because he's selfish, and he wants this. Even if he knows he's supposed to go back to Sora. He has a life and he has friends and things he wants to do and he wants to hold on to that for as long as he can. It's part of why he hasn't asked Sora about the future, about what happens to him. Because in a way, he kind of knows. He goes back to Sora, back to not being Roxas. And even if that's the best way to end things, he doesn't want to know. He's scared to think that he stops being part of the story, or that his story ends.

He shakes his head sadly.

"I left the Organization. I guess it was after something happened to you. I wouldn't know what but there's a hole in my memory that I can sort of guess about now. I wanted answers and the Organization wasn't giving them."

"They wouldn't remember me either," she said, simply. "But..." But she would find Namine or Riku or Sora or...or someone. And find out what she had to do, so that when Axel returned... she could go. She was selfish too. She wanted to stay with Roxas. When Axel returned, she wanted to stay with them both. But she couldn't. She was putting Roxas in danger by being here, and she was putting the worlds in danger by not helping Sora to stop Kingdom Hearts....

Roxas wants to ask what the next part of that sentence is, but decides against it. He's quiet for a bit, swinging his legs and trying to think of something to say.

"Anyways, that's kind of the gist of this place. Unless you've got any other questions.

I really do want to get to know you, again. So that I won't forget this time."

"I'd like that, except... Roxas... you will forget me again. You will have to. For everyone's sake. But... if I can... I'd like to stay at least until Axel gets back." So he doesn't have to be alone. She hesitated and then asked, "What are missions like... here?"

The look on Roxas's face very strongly suggests that he is going to fight against that for as long as he can. Because Xion is his friend and you don't forget your friends. But he smiles when she says she'll stay. Maybe he can get her to change her mind by then.

"I think he'd like that. I don't know when that will be but that sounds fair."

He gets up and moves over to the stove to start working on the promised hot chocolate. Now that things have seemed to relax.

"They're not really missions, but there's a task board. People from the town or elsewhere put up jobs that people can take. It can be running errands or delivering something, to fighting monsters. But you can make a living at it."

"He won't remember me, Roxas, but...that's what it should be," she said softly. "I'd like to see him again, but that is because I'm selfish. That's why I stayed as long as I did the first time.. but... I can't stay long this time either, Roxas." She looked down at her hands.

"But until he comes back... We can still watch the sunset. Eat ice cream. I know we never got our day on the beach, but we can still have the icing on the cake..." A small tentative shy smy up at him.

"So... it is like..choosing our own missions? How do they keep everyone from doing the same missions?"

Roxas's brow furrows.

"That's not fair. There's gotta be a way to make that not happen. You deserve to exist as much as the rest of us."

He takes a breath, trying to keep his emotions under control because the last thing they need is him exploding. Eventually, however, he moves away from the hot chocolate and heads towards the fridge, seemingly inspired by something she said.

"Yeah, basically. Depends on the job. Sometimes, they need a lot of help and sometimes it's just a one time thing. But there's lots available."

"Fair?" she gave him a slightly odd look. "Roxas, we were created to serve and obey the Organization. We have n past we can remember because we aren't regular Nobodies. Me even more so than you. Fair has never been a word that can apply to us. I don't deserve anything, Roxas. I'm a puppet, a broken mirror who has put you in too much danger already as it is..." She had been rising towards anger herself, but at the end she fell to whispering. She closed her eyes. "If I wasn't so selfish... you wouldn't have been in half the danger you've been in. There is no fair here, Roxas, and I've never done anything to deserve any of what I have had, but I had it anyway."

She swallowed and opened her eyes again, looking at her hands. "I had you and Axel. Sea salt ice cream. Sunsets. I didn't do anything to deserve any of that, but I got it anyway. If fair were a thing for us..." A deep breath and her eyes closed again. "Then even by that standard I should no longer exist."

They could discuss missions later. If they needed Munny.... she'd do her best not to make him need any more Munny then he already did until she could earn her own. And... And she'd do her best to not use her Keyblade. For him. And to keep from empowering Kingdom Hearts.

There's an odd fog filling the kitchen, emanating from Roxas as he attempts to sort out his feelings, and not let them explode or become too much as is often the case with him. He also needs to find the right words. He doesn't want to start a fight, not now. But he has to say something.

"I don't agree with that! Not anymore. This place, this world, it has nothing to do with the world we were in or the Organization. It's a place where we can start over, and actually allow ourselves to have things. I mean, I've lived here almost four years and I've made friends, had jobs, I even had a girlfriend for a bit.

And maybe it's because I've talked with Sora, and lived with him, but he wants me to live my own life. And honestly, I think he's stupid enough to do anything, even hurt himself, to make that happen and I don't want him to, but I agree with him, at least when it comes to being my own person. He doesn't...He doesn't see me, or us I guess, as part of him, but as individuals. And it's scary but it's how he feels.

So maybe it's all of that but I think that fair is a word that should apply to us. And I think we deserve something, after everything we've been through. And I just know that, even if I don't remember you, it still hurts when you talk like that."

He stands there for a moment, the fog growing thicker for a bit before finally dissipating as he seems to make a decision. He's at the stove for a bit to get the hot chocolate going before turning to the freezer.

There's a bowl of familiar coloured ice cream before her shortly, and Roxas is pouring out the hot chocolate.

"We haven't quite figured out how to get it on a stick yet, but it tastes the same."

Edited 2018-01-20 07:28 (UTC)

She tensed when the fog began, looking for an enemy, trying to figure out where it was coming from. She almost summoned her Keyblade but stopped herself in time. She had promised herself she wouldn't use that anymore. Instead she summoned Firaga into her hand, confused when nothing attacked them. She kept the spell ready, listening as he spoke, but also standing beside the table, making small circles as she tried to find the foe.

She was about to speak, to tell him that she was glad that he could have a life here, but why she never could. Why her being here was dangerous. To him. But then the fog dissipated and...

Her spell faded in the face of the ice cream. Stupid, perhaps. But ice cream was always at the end of the missions. A sign that the danger was past, for the night. She never consciously made that connection, still hadn't, but... sea salt ice cream with a friend was safety. She sat back down, not wanting to argue while there was ice cream, but...

Oh! She reached into a pocket and pulled out everything she had there, setting it on the table. A few brightly coloured sea shells. And... three sticks from ice creams long gone. She lifted one and held it out, offering it to him.

It's surprising, to see those familiar sticks and Roxas is almost hesitant to take one. He hasn't seen anything from Twilight Town in a long time. Winners to, probably, if she kept them. The shells are familiar as well.

He takes one of the sticks though and just regards it.

"You kept them?"

She nodded, taking one for herself and putting the other back in her pocket. For Axel. They weren't winners, but they were still theirs. She put away the shells too, then started to use her stick in place of a spoon to take a bite.

"I kept what little I had," she said, softly.

"It's more than I had," Roxas replies, even quieter.

He'd given his Winner sticks to Axel before he'd left after all. And the Blue Crystal and the bag of munny had been taken from him in the Digital Twilight Town. It still stung, to think of those items.

Eventually he wanders back over with two mugs of hot chocolate with a few marshmallows floating in them.

"I didn't know if you wanted whipped cream or anything."

"Whipped cream?" she asked, confused. But what he said, hurt. Because.. she did have more than he had. She had her memories of their friendship. But she wasn't supposed to exist.

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