TEST DRIVE: JUNE

[simpathis]

— TEST DRIVE: JUNE —

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, May 25th and Applications open Monday, June 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! Reminder: We only require one sample and it can be done in either format.
  
  
• IMPORTANT! We have made a change to our sample requirements, so look over the Applications page!

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? The following emotions will have more effect than usual: hope, despair, fear, and bravery.

• 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: The latest entry in the hot 'Forgefires' series is about to come out, and lines in front of bookstores are blocking the streets! How will you get to your destination when your path is full of frenzied cosplayers who don't dare move lest they lose their spot in line? You might want to be careful, too—some fans are getting into heated arguments about their favorite characters so things might start literally flying if left unchecked!

• Prompt E: Things have been getting a little gloomy lately, so a group of youths have designed the first ever Verens Rock-Paper-Scissors Tournament. Somehow you've won through the lower ranks, and are now a finalist. The state of the city is riding on you (or so they claim), so face your opponent and somehow manage to make this farce exciting enough to lift the moods of the spectators (mostly kids). Just be careful. If you do poorly, you might find a tomato or two thrown at you.

• Prompt F: Welcome to FEAR FACTOR! An exciting new brand of entertainment where contestants participate in various challenges that touch home to the most innate fears humans share. Lying in a pit of creepy crawlies; climb up high, precarious structures; go one-on-one with wild animals—can you handle it? Are you brave enough to go for the 1 million sylv prize? Or will fear cripple you and leave you with nothing!? Only one way to find out! Oh, and one more thing—your emotions will definitely effect everything, so if you're climbing up that rusty, half broken steel tower and it starts shaking, that's probably because you're scared out of your wits. Don't let it crumble!

• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include giant cheese wheels and/or bucket of nails.

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

[tenyearslost]

[Oz--perhaps wisely--has no intention of pressing Oswald about Jack, at least not yet. Whatever guesses he's made about Oswald's thoughts and feelings, he'll keep to himself unless he has a reason to bring it up. Oswald has surely noticed that Oz's eyes lack the reflective emptiness of Jack's, but they're no less obersvant, and even now he's watching Oswald's expression as much as he's keeping tabs on the crowd around them.

Their angry neighbors don't seem to bother him, though. He continues rambling happily, espousing the virtues of his beloved series. He could probably keep this up for as long as it takes to get in the bookstore, if he felt like it.

But this is Empatheias, and a glare like the ones aimed at him usually serves as a warning. And sure enough, a spark of electricity makes him yelp, interrupting his cheerful monologue.]

Ow! [He winces, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck. RUDE.] I was just talking!

[redstainedking]

[Surprise or no surprise? Oswald was listening to every word spoken, even if it could appear he had little to no interest in this book series, but that was simply how he was at times.

This was definitely a beloved series, characters attached to, and the more Oz went on about it the more it the less he even thought to liken it to something Levi might have written. Oswald was a little more focused on this subject--

There had been a small explosion of feathers, a few of the larger ones hitting some around in the face, from above at the interruption. Harmless, even if it did get a few more amongst the crowd riled up. He'd not been expecting it, oops.]

I suppose they're not fond of another series being spoken of while waiting for... This.

[tenyearslost]

Well! They'd just better accept that Holy Knight is a hundred times better than this--ow! [Another zap and oh, it's on. Little lightning bolts are crackling around Oz, too, though they aren't zapping anyone. He's just as aggressively devoted to his series as he's always been, and this would likely go downhill if it weren't for the fact that the line is moving!!

They've been standing still for ages, and in the excitement, Oz is all but forgotten. He grumbles a little, but shuffles forward along with everyone else, and the bolts of electricity die down. He's being ridiculous, he knows. This is Oswald, not Kevin or Gilbert or any of his Empatheias friends. And now that they're not chasing each other around time, Oz can look at him for who he is--Lacie's brother, Jack's best friend, Alice's uncle. He should be on his best behavior.

He's also Gilbert's former master, and Oz misses his own best friend dearly. So once everything's settled back down, he glances at Oswald with a small, slightly hesitant smile.]

Gilbert used to read it with me, when we were kids. [Rather, Oz forced him to read it and play pretend knights and servants, but details.]

[redstainedking]

[... He's never doing this again. Of course that never wouldn't stay in place, but it was odd in a way, a faint frown in place at the literal electricity in the air created over speaking of another loved series while waiting for another-

The line was moving, shaking his head as he moved up along with it as to not aggitate whoever was close further, or again as things seemed to taper off just due to the movement. A little less of a wait.

Silent he did look back down towards Oz when he spoke up about Gilbert - He'd had another life after the tragedy, it was easy to forget, having only seen what felt like glances of the grown man Gilbert had become. Far from that worried child who was anxious about his first ceremony.]

He used to read with his little brother. [And Jack, and him... Memories that were enough to almost bring a smile to that otherwise muted expression of his. Sometimes Alice would be included, one of the few times they could behave around eachother.]

[tenyearslost]

[It's really a pity Gilbert isn't here, to bridge the inevital gap between them. Because at the end of the day, Oz is not Jack. But he belongs to Jack. And if he remembers how it felt to be wielded against Glen Baskerville, the tragedy's finest instrument, then surely Oswald must remember too. So much happened after that, in much more recent memory, and he knows Oswald doesn't really hold it against him. But B-Rabbit is still a part of who he is, and the foundation of their relationship will always be rocky. Whatever Oz manages to make out of it, he's not exactly expecting miracles.

But this is... nice, actually. They didn't have much chance to talk about Gilbert's regained memories, so to hear about them from Oswald is a new experience. He won't forget what he's told.]

What kind of stories? [Oz has trouble picturing it, but he's well aware how much Gilbert cares about his brother. Even if it mostly takes the form of aggressive mother-henning.]

[redstainedking]

[Oswald had never wanted to fight Jack, not when everything had been falling down aroun them. No matter how angry he had gotten at Jack, at himself for turning a blind eye to what Raymond warned him of. What he had saw himself. Denial wasn't a pretty thing.

There were many things he wished he could have changed, but he knew better. It took a lot for him to finally remember that he did.

And Oz wasn't Jack, he'd been a plush rabbit once upon a time if he was indeed that same Oz Alice had carried around with her. Had treated very roughly and cared for. The B. Rabbit that Jack had used to attack him, that had ultimately killed him once. It wouldn't be fair to hold that against him, wary as he might have been during their first meeting here. He had ultimately trusted Oz to do what needed, that he could do what needed to be done to save both worlds Lacie had loved.]

Some were of brave knights who needed to rescue a princess, or various other adventures. [He didn't always hear the full story himself.] Sometimes I believe Jack made up stories to tell them when he visited.

[At least he could say the name now without anger, it had taken time.]