empatheias_ooc | TEST DRIVE: February

Entry tags:

*test drive

TEST DRIVE: February

— TEST DRIVE: FEBRUARY —

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 January 25th and Applications (Canon | OC) open a week later on February 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: The trade agreement between Verens and Briarlan is in full swing, with the opening of Verens’ very first radio station! As an amplitude moderation (AM) only radio station, it will focus more on news and talk shows than music. That doesn’t mean it’ll lack for education or entertainment, as home radio sets begin to be sold throughout the city. Speaking of which, as a new entertainment business installed in the city’s economy, it can offer something else to the Otherworlders: employment! And a party! Enjoy.

Open Invitation: As soon as the new technology is installed and tested to perfection, the station organises a party to celebrate its grand opening. Invitations are distributed like fliers; in the eyes of the new station, the more party attendees, the better. Held both inside the station and on the block outside of it, there are tables upon tables of cake, cookies, passe horderves, and non-alcoholic beverages. Go ahead and mingle! Every half hour or so, the radio talk show hosts will invite someone on the outside podium to try and entertain the crowd.
What’s Your Favourite Colour?: So, you would like to work as a radio talk show host! It’s open auditions and you’re either the person demonstrating your interviewing acumen as a potential radio jockey, or you're the person being paid 50 sylvs to allow yourself to be interviews on-air. Either way, the day certainly won’t be wasted. Feel free to improvise to your heart’s content or use a handy list of interview questions and suggestions provided by the people proctoring the auditions. There’s also cookies and juice boxes available but try not to talk with your mouth full on air.
Five Nights at Radio Shack: Didn’t cut it as a potential radio personality? Not to worry, the station needs janitors too! Because they hire on week-long contracts, it can be considered more of a temp gig than anything--which is for the best, because the basement underneath the station is dark, vast and labyrinthine. The tasks required are mopping, dusting, taking out the garbage and bringing any equipment from the basement to the ground floor. If there are creaking noises, whispers, giggles, faint voices, all of it can be explained by natural phenomenon or radio interference piping through the walls. Those footsteps, on the other hand...

• Prompt E: A necessary industry of any society is beekeeping, and Verens is no different. Giant bee skeps for equally giant bees need their honey and comb collected, too. Typically, this task is handled by beekeepers and their assistants. It’s a little different this month, however; due to a significant increase in the amount of honey the bees are producing, they’ve recruited outside help. Volunteers get 70 sylvs per day of work as payment and a jar of honey as a goodwill gift.

Honey and Gather: Honey gathering! Due to the unorthodox bees, the skeps are the size of large houses with many twisting corridors and convenient openings for volunteers to enter. The task is simple: in groups of two, wander the hives, collect the comb, and let the honey drain into the buckets provided. Once the bucket is full, bring it back to the closest beekeeper’s household. Get a new bucket, rinse and repeat. Easy, right? A typical large bee is about the size of a person, with the queen being the size of a midsize car. They are friendly enough, although quite curious and prone to brief fits of territorial displays if they feel their home is being intruded upon. Good thing they’re susceptible to Dunamis!
A Queen Imperiled: Unfortunately, opening the skeps to volunteers also makes the beekeeping industry susceptible to mischief and theft. While the worker bees were distracted by the presence of people, a group of poachers managed to get in and steal away the queen bee. Getting her back before she’s sold is imperative, and the beekeepers are willing to pay a hefty reward. Track the poachers to their hideout several few miles away, dispatch them as best you can, and bring the queen back to her people. They need her.
Let Me Be Your Wings: Good news! Now that the queen has been rescued, she is grateful and accommodating to her saviours -- enough so that she is willing to give people a ride back to her home. There’s no need to be afraid, she’s twice as sturdy as a horse. The bad news? Her wing took an unfortunate hit during her capture and she can only make part of the journey. Hopefully whoever rescued her has a plan to transport her the rest of the way back. Ever gone bee walking? It’s a bit less agreeable than dog walking.

• Prompt F: Selenium, the holiday to commemorate and remember lost and loved ones is coming up soon. It will be held in Theasthai, which requires some travel for those in Verens, but with teleporters, it should be easy to get there and get back to the city. It's not the most cheerful of events, but it seems that some of the organisers are more eccentric than traditional. It must have been why they were hired!

The Ring: A few months ago, children (and people who looked like children) received unsigned letters and were found at a bottom of a well in the forest three days later. Investigations led Enforcers to believe that this strange phenomenon was caused by a girl named "Samantha" who passed away in the hospital years ago. In order to let Samantha's spirit enter the realm of the dead properly, the eccentric organiser for Selenium is hosting a wrestling competition at the city square. Samantha's dream was to be a pro-wrestler, and a small festival that shows sportsmanship and competition might help her find peace. Put on a body suit, enter the ring, and tackle your opponent to the ground! Of course, this may or may not be a voluntary thing. . . said organiser can be rather pushy and just shove the suit onto anybody nearby. It's for the sake of the spirits, she says!
Wishing Stairs: One of the temples in Verens has now become a festival attraction. Booths serving small Arehtei-related trinkets can be found at the top of the stairs, and they're lined up leading to the bell at the centre of the temple. Ringing the bell will send a message to the dead, wherever they may be. It's a calling of sorts to them—a means of telling them that Selenium is coming soon and that their loved ones will be connecting with them soon. There is a catch, though. . . going up the staircase up to the temple is a bit challenging. Salt is spread on each step with only two small circular spots for someone to step on. It's said that making it to the top of the staircase without getting any salt on one's shoes means that their wish will come true. Why don't you give it a try?
Shutter: Photographs in Empatheias are still sepia toned, compared to the more modern and futuristic worlds some Otherworlders are from. One of Selenium's organisers got wind of how photos are important to the dead—even more so to those of the living—as it's how they remain alive. One of the halls in the city is now occupied by some Thespian organisers and their Verens counterparts, and they are requesting for assistance in gluing, piecing together, and repairing photographs. The photos are scattered all over the tables in the hall: some are torn, some have ink blots or food stains which need to be cleaned, and some have been folded too much that the creases have deformed the faces in the photograph. Those who wish to assist in this endeavour will receive a plateful of warm butter cookies, hot chocolate, and 200 sylvs. Just watch out, though, because sometimes, the subjects of the photos seem to move when no one's looking.

• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include sunflowers and/or bear cubs.

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!

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[ Grabbing her wrist to stop her panic only make her struggle more, unfortunately. Natsume shuts her eyes tightly as if blocking out the sight of the assailant might make this easier to handle. Not that it helps.

No no nooo, if she dies here she won’t ever be able to start her own YouTube make up tutorial channel or, or become a fashion designer or go to Hawaii or— ] Eh? What—?

[ Finally calming down w (to the extent that she isn’t uselessly flailing at him anymore) Asoko lowers her arms so that she can get a good look at him, squinting through the dull darkness of the room. That, too, does not help as soon as she notices both the ominous stains on his cloak as well as the sword at his hip. The smile only adds a certain creepiness to it all, and the “today” modifier is only icing on the proverbial cake.

Really, she’s just going to shriek again.

And try to kick him in the balls. ] What do you mean “not today”?! How about never?!

[holy shit girl

Just letting out another "Whoa!" as he releases his hold and jumps back this time, creating some distance between them.]

Okay, okay, relax! I'm not going to hurt you!

[He doubts she'll actually calm down with just that, but yeesh. Still, seeing the girl act out and fight is amusing, so his demeanor is really not going to help. Probably.]

[ As soon as he lets go, she’s going to also take a couple steps back, raising two fists up in a wimpy defense. ] I’m warning you, I know— [ Breathe, Asako, breathe. ] I know karate!

[ No she doesn’t, and it’s quite obvious from her stance alone that she knows nothing about fighting anyway. But she hopes her glare alone will tell him to stay away. ] Who are you and what do you want?

[ She’s as harmful as a scared kitten hissing at him, fur bristling. ]

[He's trying very hard not to laugh, but a chuckle still escapes him as he holds up a placating hand, as if trying to appease her threat.]

I'm Ace, and honestly? I was just wondering why a young girl was wandering around down here. It can be dangerous, you know?

[ She just. Stares at him for a long moment before curtly giving her own name. ] I’m Natsume. [ Surname. No need to be more familiar than that. ] And honestly? [ She parrots his own introduction. ] I’m wondering what kind of shady character would be down here looking like he’s got blood stains on him.

[ She may not be smart, but she is blunt. Anywhoo, she still looks warily at him, puffing out a cheek. She just barely refrains from saying that he looks like the most dangerous thing down here. ]

Blood stains? [He looks at her for a moment before he lifts his arm to raise his cloak and examines himself.] Oh, haha, this is just from one of those beast hunts a few days ago. Haven't been able to wash it so I'll probably have to get another.

But I got lost down here so just been trying to find my way out.

[ She makes a face. Monster blood? Ewww. Whether or not he’s telling the truth, she willingly believes him because she’d rather think it’s monster gunk than something human.

But at his second comment, she tilts her head, bringing a hand up to twirl a strand of her hair thoughtfully. ] Lost? Down here? [ That’s. Weird.

Well, okay then! ] You do know you’re in [ Insert name of building here. ] right?

[ She’s only asking because she hopes that’s where he started out and this isn’t, like, some part of a winding catacomb. ]

[Yes, it would be best to believe it's monster blood and that that's all there is to it. Yep. Mmmhm...]

Oh, is that what it's called? [SOUNDS VERY PROMISING...] I remember there was some kind of party outside and then I went inside to use the restroom and then...[A sheepish chuckle.] Somehow ended up down here.

[ Ummmm. Okay. That still sounds strange to her!! ] What, did you mistake a dark basement for going back outside? [ DID HE EVEN END UP FINDING THE BATHROOM?!

And “party” he says...

Squints. ] Hold on. How long have you been down here?

Haha, well, I thought I would eventually either find the door to the outside or the original entrance again. [GONNA HAVE TO ASK TO FIND THAT OUT.]

As for how long... Hm...I suppose a day or two? [Or three.] I'm not used to how the day and night cycles work in this world, though I suppose it doesn't matter since I can't really tell the time here anyway.

You’re joking.

[ What is this, the Twilight Zone? She’s not even the heroine of her own manga, she’s the idiot comic relief, and here she’s playing the straight man! ] You must be.

[A light chuckle.] Sounds like it, doesn't it? [Although apologetic, he's still rather jovial and carefree about it.]

But it's true, unfortunately.

[ This guy... ]

Okay. [ Moving on, clapping her hands and pretending that she is totally taking this in stride. ] Well! You're in luck! I just came down here to get some pens. The stairs up are right over there.

[ OR ARE THEY? ]

Oh, they are? I still have to get my things, but if you show me them I should be able to make it back.

[OR WILL HE?

But that's neither here nor there because they first need to see if the stars are indeed there.

Let's preemptively say they aren't and work with that.]

[ She turns to show him the way towards the stairs. Soon she comes upon the area they should be, only to find that they aren’t there. Asako stops in her tracks, staring blankly at what is now just a row of dusty cabinets instead of the way out. ] Ummm... Oops! Wrong turn. They’re— [ Beat. ] This way, aha~!

[ But traveling in that direction yields the same result.

This can’t be happening. ] I swear that they were right there...

[ Okay, so. She knows she’s not the brightest in the world, but she wouldn’t get lost this easily! She picks another direction to try one more time, but nope. No stairs. ] Don’t. Don’t tell me... that this place is cursed or something...

[Ace is just following along, and it's probably a miracle they don't split up or he somehow wanders off (which is really likely). He's a little amused by the dead ends, but he's also curious as well. He knows he can get lost easily, and others could potentially as well, but this girl seems to have a proper head on her shoulders.]

I wouldn't be surprised if it were, honestly. I got turned around a lot in here, and I even made markings at one point but lost those, too, haha.

[Not the time to be lighthearted and laughing but he is.]

Maybe we should try again from where we were before?

[ Laughs. ] Aha~! Yeah! We should totally just backtrack and maybe the stairs will magically appear again! It's not like you or I haven't tried looking elsewhere for the way out...!

[ And then she scowls. ]

---This is no time to be laughing! This is serious, we could be stuck down here, like, forever!

[ He is handling this a lot better than she is, that's for sure. And she's only growing more upset and scared by the minute. High school life isn't supposed to be like this!! ]

[And just going to laugh at her scowling scolding.]

Don't worry, even I've managed to get myself unlost after at least two weeks. [So helpful. Sad part is that might not be an exaggeration.] And if you get tired, I can always set up another place to camp.

[ Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttt the hell?! ] No, no, a camp? That's not what you should be happy about!

[ Waves her arms. ] And what happened-- you said a couple days, now it's two weeks?! [ Did he lose track of time?! Is that what this sort of cursed place does to a person?! ] That's not progress, that's--whatsitcalled-- regress! [ Can't he see the problem? ]

We gotta get out of here!!

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TEST DRIVE: February

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