TEST DRIVE MEME: JANUARY

[simpathis]

— 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 Thursday, December 25th and Applications open Friday, January 1st.
  
  
• 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!

Now with that out of the way, here are some prompts you guys can work from!


PROMPTS

• Prompt A: Things are a bit out of control right now, and that includes your emotions and the elemental cores. Just the slightest feeling will be exaggerated. You were only smiling a little? You're now a walking light bulb. Just a little pout? Strong torrential rain is now over the entire block.

• 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.

• 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: Empatheias is currently experiencing an island-wide blizzard. Several thick inches of snow covers the landscape, and with the city's unusual architecture, falling snow from the eaves of roofs is an actual hazard to be wary about. So what can you do with it? Do you play in it? Throw snowballs? Try to help clear the roads? Or does your mood actually worsen it by creating your own mini blizzard or make a large patch of melt or even turn to rain and pools of water?

• Prompt E: The city is worse for wear and needs help getting fixed up. This can be done one of two ways: physical labor or using positive emotions to help speed the process a long. Which do you try?

• Prompt F: Empatheias doesn't celebrate Christmas, but quite a few of the PCs have decided to celebrate it amongst themselves. Will you help spread the season of joy and free will? Or try to ruin it? Don't forget your emotions will reflect your mood.

• Prompt G: Make your own! It can even involve pigs or a bucket of paint.

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

D

[nobugs]

[While Ki-Ja had just intended to stroll the place, this intention might have changed once he was hit with what could only be described as a wall of snow. Perhaps he might have put it off as an unlucky incident, but when he saw the face of the perpetrator, he wasn't so sure anymore.

Ki-Ja felt a small wave of anger running through him.]

You-! You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

[raijuu]

What? I have no idea what you're talking about.

[of course that smug smirk says otherwise.]

[nobugs]

[That expression said everything! Why did this guy always have to pretend otherwise when he wasn't even really pretending in the first place?!]

You know exactly what I mean! What did you do that for?

[raijuu]

[because it's more fun that way, of course.]

Clearing the streets?

[not...a completely false statement. he was getting back at those kids and thus "cleared the streets" of them. but that smirk is still there, so.]

It's not my fault if you got caught in it.

[nobugs]

How is it not your fault? You could pay attention to your surroundings.

[But cleaning the streets was a useful task now. Especially the elderly people would probably have a hard time to pass them now.

With a bit of a grumble he passes by Hak, before his expression turns into a smirk as well.]

Well then, I'll show you that I'll clean the streets faster than you.

[raijuu]

Ho, the mighty dragon allowing himself to do menial labor.

[He just sets his spear down, leaning against it.]

All right then. Let's see what you can do.

[nobugs]

Don't put it like that. It's not like I never did any menial labor!

[Ki-Ja frowns. Of course his power wasn't supposed to be used for this, but rather just for serving the princess. But said princess wasn't here at the moment and helping people out would be probably something she would want (him) to do.


He let his hand grow a sizable amount before he started to dig the snow aside to clear the path in front of the house they were standing.]

How is that?

[raijuu]

It's not a bad start, I suppose.

[Not bad, not bad. But of course this is Hak and Ki-Ja. What comes next shouldn't be surprising.]

But can you do something like this?

[This time he's actually trying, so he pulls the strings from the spear's covering, the large cloth falling lose as he raises the weapon high in above his head. Again there seems to be actual electricity in the air, a reaction to his confidence, as he spins the spear. One revolution, two, three—and then fwoosh. He gives it a powerful swing downward, and a large wave of snow flies once more. This time there's more of a direction, so instead of a circle it's more of a cone wave in front of him. It clears several feet of the snow, much more than Ki-Ja's.

What a show off.]

[nobugs]

[And again, Hak had easily proved that his strength was on par with that of his arm. How he did get that strong was still a mystery - but there was at least one thing that was sure - it got Ki-Ja's blood boiling.]

Of course I can.

[There was no way he was just going to give up. He smirked, let his hand grow a bit more and it took only a few hand full to get the same amount done. Of course he had to add one more.

Nevermind that said hand was starting to get kinda cold. Kinda.]

[raijuu]

[Yeah that's right he's a human and doesn't need special dragon powers to protect Yona so shoo shoo. (Of course that would only work if Yona was, you know, here.) And so the great "Snow Drift Clearing Battle" of 2014 begun...

Using the most unorthodox "tools" to boot.

Hak is about to go for an even bigger swing when he realizes that in their little "competition" they failed to realize something important: they were flinging the snow onto the local denizens. Uh, whoops?

So at the angry glares, what does he do?

Points to Ki-Ja.]

He did the last two.

[nobugs]

[Oh no, that wasn't supposed to happen! He wanted to be careful, but he got too caught up in the moment to notice. But what was more irritating was...]

Don't blame only me! You started it!

[Still, he had enough matters to bow to the victims of their snow clearing battle with an apologetic expression on his face.]

I am very sorry. We will be careful not to let that happen again.

[He was so free to speak for you here as well, Hak.

Hopefully they weren't too angry. Angry emotions were, after all, kind of dangerous in this place.]

[raijuu]

You're the one who wanted to "prove yourself."

[Though even Hak can realize when he's at fault so he'll also apologize, bowing his head. And in a solemn voice:]

But I'll be sure that this snake doesn't abuse his powers in the future.

[...Well, maybe "apologize" isn't the right word.]

[nobugs]

[Why did Hak have to make everything about him?! Considering he had to live at the royal palace he had surprisingly lacking manners at times.]

You should make sure you're not abusing your own monstrous powers, not mine!

[raijuu]

[Yeah those manners never really existed much and are now thrown out the window.]

Yeah, yeah. [So he says, but clearly not caring. At least the people, although grumbling, are moving away now, and Hak goes to recover the blade of his spear.] Shouldn't you be hibernating, anyway?

[Because dragons, snakes, reptiles, cold. Of course he doesn't seriously think that, but is just another jab.]

[nobugs]

Of course I'm not hibernating! It would be bad if we have to serve the princess but wouldn't be able to do so in the cold!

[Well, his arm did feel a little colder and overall he had the feeling that he might catch a cold more easily than usually, but wasn't that normal for most people in such a climate?]

[raijuu]

[At the mention of Yona, Hak's mood sours. He still doesn't like the fact that he's here instead of back home where he should be. However, he hides his emotions outwardly, even if though the air gets just a little chillier as he sets his spear behind him.]

So long as you put that energy to work here.

[He then walks forward with his usual aloof demeanor, unaware of the possibility of Ki-Ja feeling a bit chilly.

Though if he does catch a cold, Hak will be the last person to nurse him though he really would help out]

[nobugs]

[The fact that there was a little change in the air around Hak didn't go completely unnoticed, either. That's probably one of the feelings he shares with Hak. Being in this place without the princess felt almost like he was back in his village - save for the fact that he was allowed to do more here than back home. Still, it felt kinda... aimless.]

What is your plan from here?

[Perhaps that was a weird question to ask Hak, of all people.

He probably wouldn't want to be nursed by Hak.]

[raijuu]

Plan? [He pauses long enough to tilt his head upward in thought before shrugging.] Just ride this place out until I'm either sent back or we find a way home.

[Find some work, though probably sticking to the "mercenary" route since that's what they've been doing, anyway, and he's more skilled at fighting than the day to day jobs. Which...are also weird. This whole place is weird.]

You?

[Would anyone want to be nursed by him?]

[nobugs]

[So Hak didn't really have a plan, either. Perhaps one couldn't really form a plan, being in a place like this.]

Just... about the same. Unless the princess would arrive, but...

[It wasn't entirely unlikely, considering both of them were here.]

I guess protecting you as well, like the princess told me to.

[raijuu]

No thanks. I don't need your protection. [Dead pan as usual.]

If you want to protect someone, try helping the people here instead.

It's probably what she would have wanted.

[nobugs]

Hm, if you say so. [He'll probably still do it. Since it was an order and all. Plus, he was sure if anything would happen to Hak the sadness of the Princess would be endless. Not that he would have to tell that to Hak.]

That's probably true. That is what we have been doing as bandits, after all.

[raijuu]

Only this time it's back to actually clearing out those bandits from what I've been hearing, as well as some weird monsters.

[Though he has a bit of a grin there. Taking down low-life idiots and tackling big game? Great stress relievers.]