empatheias_ooc | TEST DRIVE: February

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*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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[don't worry, he has his Personas at the ready, too. just try it!! despite the fact that this invitation was Akira's idea, he's pretty darn tense when Akechi arrives, shoulders squared and foot tapping against the ground in quick movements. he tilts his head up when he hears the detective's voice, taking in a deep breath to steel himself]

Not my favorite cafe in the city, but it'll do.

[turns on his heel and extends an arm to push the door open, stepping aside to let Akechi enter before him, because lol at the idea of showing Akechi his back right now]

Detectives first.

[ He gives Akira a very long look when they meet in the doorway. It’s clear he doesn’t like the idea of showing Akira his back any more than Akira likes the idea of the reverse, but what choice does he have, really? They can’t just stand at the door forever, and Akechi will admit that his reputation precedes him. ]

How considerate.

[ He steps inside, and once there he waits for Akira to join him. ]

Would you like a corner table, perhaps? Someplace you can keep your back to a wall?

[Akira slips into the cafe behind him, allowing the door to swing shut as he does so. his hands immediately seek out his pockets, and to Akechi's question, he shakes his head]

No thanks. This way.

[and what he actually picks is a table out in the open. not a booth, not one pressed up against a wall. this, he thinks, is better for the both of them. it's harder to cause a scene when you're centered right in the middle of everything]

Have you been to the Welcome Center yet?

[a relevant question, he swears]

[ Akechi is wise to your game, Akira, but he can’t fault the logic. It seems this conversation is to be forcibly civil, which will grate on him to no end, but… well, what can he do? He takes a seat, resting his elbows on the tabletop and lacing his fingers together beneath his chin. While he’s wearing his usual easy smile, it in no way reaches his eyes. ]

Only very briefly. Why?

[forcibly civil is, for now, the best thing Akira can ask for. at least, until they're on the same page. at least, until he can (hopefully???) convince Akechi to not, you know. attempt to put another bullet through his head]

Because it's easier if you know the basics of how this world works before I start explaining all the timey wimey, wibbly wobbly, nonsense.

[someone watches Dr. ~~Who~~ What]

[also? flagging down a server for their orders, tyvm]

If you mean the emotions and all that, then I’m already aware.

[ It’s only because Akechi is quite used to keeping his emotions on a tight leash that the whole cafe isn’t going up in flames right now. ]

So, whatever you’re going to say, go ahead and say it.

[at least there's that, though there's no denying the slightly arid atmosphere that surrounds their table. that dry heat is probably Akira, sorry buddy]

[there's a pause in their conversation while Akira orders himself a coffee (black, as usual), and then lets Akechi do the same, if he wishes. and when the server bustles off again, he continues]

You never answered my question. What's the very last thing you remember?

[ There is a very, very long moment before Akechi answers, where he stares down the boy across from him with a sharp and steely gaze. He's very clearly weighing his options, and apparently feels no need to hide it. He's certain Akira trusts him about as far as he can throw him, and the feeling is honestly mutual.

There's still a part of Akechi that believes- hopes, even -that Akira's nonsense about time being different is just that: nonsense. If this is just a ruse, something to get him to tip his hand should they go back home, then he'll deal with that. He had been about to show himself anyway. ]

Shido's palace. I had tracked you down to the engine room, and was waiting for you to pass by.

[ He spreads his hands. ]

And then I was here.

[there's a brief flicker in Akira's expression, a moment of surprise as his brows shoot upwards. he had already surmised that Akechi was before the incident in the hull of Shido's ship, but he hadn't realized he came to Verens from a point in time that close to his death]

[. . . it does make trying to figure out where to go from here difficult. there's no way Akechi would react well to hearing about what had occurred in the depths of his father's Palace. and Akira has no doubt that all that pent up anger that Akechi had released during their confrontation was still their, packed tightly into an all-too-small box, ready to explode.]

[a pause. Akira drums his fingers against the table and lets out a breath]

How did you figure out I faked my own death? [he asks instead] I was keeping a pretty low profile. Skipping school and everything.

[funny, Akira. you've never been subtle]

[ The surprise that flits over Akira’s face doesn’t go unnoticed, but Akechi just doesn’t know what to make of it. Had he really just walked right into Akira’s set-up and tipped his hand?

Unless, some traitorous part of his brain volunteers, something happens in the hull of that ship. Something he doesn’t know about yet, something that Akira has already experienced. He’s quick to stomp the thought down, shoving it away as he does with a lot of the things he thinks about from time to time.

Instead of dwelling on it, he puts on a smile, and though his tone is light, his words are rife with condescension. ]

Has it ever occurred to you that people would start acting differently in the real world as you go tearing through their palace in the Metaverse? Even before you take their heart, sometimes certain things… shift.

[truthfully? it hadn't occurred to him, but that's only because he and his group had only observed those shifts in grand confessions after a full change of heart. but it does make sense, and Akira merely nods in understanding]

And I can't say that we were gentle, either.

[not that they went in and just wrecked the place, but. they sure did their fair share of fighting when it came to Shido's cognitive beings]

. . . regardless, you did figure it out, and I also remember you confronting us when we were in the hull of his ship.

[another pause, and honestly, as painful as it might be? Akira knows it can't be avoided]

But I remember what happened after that confrontation, too. I can tell you, but only if you really want to know.

[Futaba and Makoto may bring it up regardless of what Akira says, but he's trying to be a little gentler than he thinks his (rightfully, in his opinion) angry team will be]

Well, now you know better.

[ Shido is and has always been absolutely paranoid, but even then, Akechi would admit there was a method to his madness. That he’d just called him out of the blue, demanding the removal of some key personnel at such a strange moment ultimately tipped him off.

Ah, but now they’re getting to the crux of the matter. Akechi had expected it to come up, of course. That was the whole reason for this meeting in the first place, but even so the question is not easily answered. He falls silent, his usual easy smile slipping off to leave a grim and sharp expression in its place. It’s not often that one gets to learn about their own future, but Akechi can’t shake the sinking sensation that he’s not going to like what Akira has to say.

Something thrums through the air, a low buzzing almost too quiet to hear, but its presence is enough to prick the hair on the back of his neck. A little bit of anxiousness slipping under the otherwise well-barricaded door that is Goro Akechi. It disperses when he heaves out a sigh, apparently making up his mind. ]

Go ahead. If you don’t tell me, I’m sure one of your precious teammates will.

[ And of all the people, he’d rather hear it from Akira. Akira Kurusu is a lot of things, but Akechi doubts they share the same penchant for cruelty. Whatever is going to come out of his mouth will likely be the truth. ]

[it's at that point that the server returns with their orders. Akira takes his with a nod, although he doesn't drink from it immediately, instead allowing his finger to trail idly across the edges of the cup]

After you showed up, we fought. There were-- [hm] A lot of things said. Mostly by you. I felt like it was all things you had been holding in for a long time.

[Akira tilts his head back, expression thoughtful, before he brings his cup of coffee up to his lips]

You told us your relation to Shido. Your plan for taking him down. You showed us Loki, and the unique power you had to make people's Shadows go psychotic.

[a shake of his head]

But in the end, we still managed to beat you, although just barely. And in that moment of your defeat, it seemed like. . .

[this is one of two parts that Akira expects Akechi will not take well. still, he levels his gaze at the detective from across the table, firm and unwavering]

It seemed like ultimately, deep down, you were just like the rest of us. Alone, and without some place to belong.

[ He doesn't take any of it well, if the way his level gaze turns into something sharp, brow creasing with displeasure, is anything to go by. Akechi honestly isn't sure what makes him more angry, to learn that he had revealed everything to Akira and his team, or learning that they beat him.

He's done everything possible to ensure that he was always on top, and to have some random collection of nobodies best him is maddening. He hasn't even experienced this defeat and yet something wedges itself between his ribs, a sharp, angry barb that only twists further when Akira dares to compare them. ]

I'm not asking for your opinion. [ His tone is even, but there's something lurking at the edges of his words that almost dares Akira to make that comparison again. ] All I want is the facts.

[a wry laugh, the corners of his mouth twitching]

Of course.

[he doesn't like talking about this dispassionately, though. what happened in the hull of that ship had stuck with all of them. Akechi had betrayed them all, stabbed them in the back, committed crimes for which forgiveness would not come easily-- if at all. but at the same time, none of them had wanted to see him dead]

[and all of them could empathize with the pain of isolation and loneliness]

We asked you to join us in taking down Shido. You never had the chance to answer, because there was a cognitive version of yourself in that ship. That cognition was going to kill you, and then us, all on Shido's orders.

[and now, for the second thing Akira knows Akechi won't take well]

You sacrificed yourself to keep us alive.

[ Akechi knew a long time ago that Shido had a palace, and now and again he would wonder what would happen if he used his power to go tearing through it. Apparently now he has his answer: a cognitive version of himself. A copy of Shido’s own personal assassin. It makes sense.

In fact, it’s the only thing in this whole damnable conversation that makes any sense at all. He knows very well that he was going to confront the Phantom Thieves with the intention of killing them, so why would they extend their hands to him again? (Pity, says some far corner of his mind. Pity for the miserable wretch who couldn’t even finish what he set out to do. The thought just makes him angrier.)

Akira’s last statement takes the floor right out from underneath him, and all anger goes right out of his expression in favor of shock and… something like fear. Something close enough to being afraid that it sets the air buzzing again before Akechi can catch himself and tamp it down. ]

Are you telling me that I… that I die in there?

[he hates that he has to confirm this. and amidst it all, amidst the electricity crackling in the air and the stagnant heat that still seems to settle around Akira, there's a flicker of. . . something else? something small and tiny that Akira stamps out immediately before it can cause any environmental emotional affects around them]

[Akechi doesn't need to see his guilt. his regret over how things ended, over how he was completely helpless to stop it all. how Akechi was the one, single person that he had been unable to save from both himself and society around him]

[not yet]

Oracle-- Futaba-- said your signal disappeared after we heard a gunshot. After that, we never saw you in the real world again. You went "missing."

[. . .]

As far as we know. . . you did.

[die, he means]

I see.

[ He tries his very best to keep his tone level, but it's gone brittle, like he could snap at any moment. The only reason he hasn't is because it's too much to take in. How many people get to hear of their apparent death before it even happens? Akira isn't lying to him, he trusts him at least that far, but it still seems unreal. It's like someone just told him he had a fatal disease when he was otherwise perfectly healthy. ]

So what happened after that? I assume you took Shido's heart, made him confess.

[Akechi moves on, and Akira goes with the flow of the conversation. he won't linger on the most unpleasant part of this if the detective doesn't wish]

That's right. He won the election, but immediately confessed to his crimes afterwards. That should have been it.

[and here is where things get complex]

But it wasn't. The public at large still wanted him to be their Prime Minister, no matter how dirty his hands were.

[ Well that's... unexpected. With a laundry list as long as Shido's, he figured the public would turn on him quickly. As much as Akechi despises his father, this is a safer topic of conversation than his own apparent demise. Sure, he had a hand in a fair amount of Shido's many, many sins, but talking about it still feels a bit less... personal. ]

You're kidding. Why?

[lowers his half-empty cup of coffee back to the table]

Mementos.

[that's his initial answer, but it sure doesn't explain everything, so he elaborates]

The people's palace. The public's collective distorted heart keeps them from being able to think of themselves and form their own opinions.

And so they blindly follow Shido, no matter how horrible he is underneath his idealistic mask.

Mementos?

[ What the fuck.

The involvement of Mementos totally throws him for a loop- one of many loops he's had to deal with today. It's no small wonder he's able to keep track of everything, but he's always had a bit of a knack for mental gymnastics. He's suddenly curious if his father would truly have suffered that much had Akechi prevailed instead of the Thieves, if even in the midst of a different sort of scandal, the people would still follow him blindly.

He shoves the thought away, buries it deep in the corner of Things He Doesn't Think About, because he does not want to deal with the implication that he's doomed to fail no matter what. ]

What did you do? Surely you can't... steal the heart of the entire populace.

We can.

[he's meeting Akechi's gaze again, but there's something harder about his expression this time. something sparking in the backs of his eyes. something. . . fierce and determined and extremely fight-y]

[Akira's always been like this, hasn't he? stubborn and a force of nature to deal with once his mind is made up]

We can, and we will.

[as soon as they go back home, that is]

[ It’s not often he sees that kind of sheer determination from Akira, honestly. Of course, he never took pains to get to know the other boy very well; despite their rivalry, Akira was always going to be an obstacle to him.

The ferocity of it strikes a weird chord with him, something he can’t put a name to. (Admiration, perhaps, if he knew what it meant to truly find others inspiring instead of filing them away into “useful” and “not”, “I hate you” and “I hate you slightly less”.) ]

Well, that still sounds like a tall order. Hopefully your time here hasn’t made you rusty.

[ He maybe sounds a little snide. ]

[Akechi please]

[for the first time their entire encounter, Akira's mouth quirks into a smile. a confident smile]

There are always monsters to fight. As though I'd let myself get rusty.

TEST DRIVE: February

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