empatheias_ooc | TEST DRIVE: JUNE

— 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Roy raises a brow at the comment. "What a sad existence," he murmurs - though, really, who is he to judge? He shrugs one shoulder, lets it go. To each their own, he supposes, and as long as he isn't trying to get across the street, then they really aren't actually bothering him.

The question nets Fenris a sardonic look. "Aside from myself? No. I have not."

Fenris feels entitled to judge, just a bit, after some 'cosplayers' accosted him and wasted his time, mistaking him for one of theirs. Instead of minding their own business.

Ah,so the man was a soldier or a mercenary. Fenris now takes a more thorough look at him, though it's just a quick glance.

"And now myself as well, as I would say I was something akin to a mercenary, back in Kirkwall. Is it a tradition in your country not to wear any armour, or are you a mage?"

Though even mages wore armour - or properly enchanted robes - if they had even a scrap of common sense.

There's a part of Roy that desperately wants to laugh at that comment, if only because it brings to mind an army comprised solely of Alphonse Elric lookalikes. It's a quick moment, kept under guard, though someone near them laughs aloud and perhaps the air around them seems, for a moment, a little brighter.

"Our military doesn't tend to invest in armor," Roy replies lightly, mirth dissipating quickly as he, unbidden, thinks of a few things the military did invest in: experimentation, willfully starting wars, to name only a couple. "Perhaps we should."

He glances at Fenris, expression now deliberately neutral, opting for a light, questioning tone. "Though I'm not just what you mean by mage."

Somehow, the atmosphere seems tense for a moment, maybe there's even slight buzzing sound on the edge for hearing, just for a few seconds.

Meanwhile, Fenris's eyes clearly show disbelief for a fraction of a second before he schools himself. How could anybody, no matter what strange land he hailed from, not know of magic? That was impossible and so, this warrior had to be lying.

"What I meant to ask is whether you have any weapons beyond that which is natural. Do not think you can convince me you come from the land of no magic. Maybe you just recognize it by another name."

Alright, there was no reason to be hostile just because the man was a liar, so Fenris remains neutral for now.

"Or will tell me you've never seen anybody use spirits, or nature, or ice, or fire, to their advantage, in the way that not many can?"

Roy reacts to the sudden tension almost instantaneously; if there was doubt that he is a soldier, it might well be banished by the tense lines of his body, ready to react to even the most nebulous threat. This is how he has survived battle before: almost hyper-aware of his surroundings and he resorts to it even here, because this is not home.

His voice, though, is as light as it was before and his hands are in his pockets. He allows a mirthless smile. "Oh, I have seen some people use such things to their advantage. I think I see what you mean." He looks up, eyes tracking heavenward but not quite seeing. There's still tension in the air, but it's heavy and still now. "Fire and ice and earth. I see."

Fenris nods, and at least he's calmer now. It doesn't seem as if there was any lie involved, after all, only misunderstanding. As far as he knows right now, at least. And he can see Roy's readiness, that's also a satisfying confirmation that mage or not (hopefully not, but he doubted his luck), the man was a proper warrior.

"People who can use such abilities are called mages where I come from. And they don't always wear armour, even when they work as soldiers or mercenaries. That's why I asked if you were one. It seems that you at least know some of mages, so I don't need to explain further."

Still, it's hard to believe there's somebody who doesn't know the word 'mage'. But it's just as he thought - there are mages in that man's land, they just calle themselves something else.

Still, whether the man was a mage (by any other name), it didn't matter right now, did it? He didn't seem hostile. And as a fellow warrior of whatever kind, he might know a bit about things that Fenris was interested in. No, not the way back to Thedas - after several days it was becoming apparent that nobody here knew anything about that, unfortunately.

"I apologise, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Fenris, and for the last several years, I've been working as a mercenary."

Sometimes, at least.

"Have you heard of any job offers? I've been here for a few days, but I've yet to hear of anything. Or I just don't know the places where I should look, yet."

Roy's relief is palpable - though unintended to be so - when Fenris does not pursue the line of questioning. It's in the air around them, bleeding tension away in a small, quiet breeze. It's paranoia, pure and simple; Roy does not like to broadcast his strengths or weaknesses here. He hasn't been here so long that he's comfortable in any way.

"An honor, Fenris. Colonel Roy Mustang of the Amestrian military." In lieu of holding his hand out to shake, he simple nods in acknowledgement. It's a subdued greeting, but Fenris seems a reserved man.

"I cannot say that I have." Roy's expression turns a bit sardonic. "I haven't looked much myself, though."

Fenris feels the release of tension, and now he's quite certain that Roy Mustang is a mage, one who's glad of keeping it secret. An apostate, certainly. But there was no hostility from this apostate so far, and Fenris no longer insulted mages on the first meeting, as long as they made no threats to his life or his freedom.

"Amestrian."

So, the country would be called 'Amestria', 'Amestrius' or something of the like. Again, an unknown name. Another proof that this island, and all of their land, are separated by vast distances, indeed. Or worse, they may be accessible, if one wanted to travel between them, only by crossing Fade.

"On this strange island, you probably won't be surprised to hear I don't know of your country. Is it a strong empire or somthing smaller?"

He is slightly curious of those lands he's never heard of, and if he knows anything of soldiers, the ones who fight of their own volition, at least... they do often love to brag. Although this man did not seem a braggart.

Roy dips his chin in acknowledgement. No, on this 'strange island,' he certainly doesn't expect many people to have heard of Amestris. It's both chilling and relieving; it tells him that home is very, very far away but it also says that there were people safe from the machinations of the homunculi. It's good to have a reminder of that.

"Amestris," he says, and he's speaking a bit slowly, "is full of good people, and she has a bright future." Then, he grins lopsidedly and looks askance at Fenris. "Pretty good military, too, if I do say so myself."

Good people there, too. Can't say much for the leadership of late.

Fenris smiles, as what Mustang says reminds him of Aveline. The guard captain would surely praise her men as well, if she found herself somehwere nobody's ever heard of them. It was good to see somebody else taking pride in his men, too, it meant he probably wouldn't throw them to dragons just for money and power.

Roy Mustang must be some kind of commander, Fenris realized. He could feel that kind of vibe from the man. And not a corrupt one, if all he said was true.

"Are any of your men here with you, or have you been kidnapped alone?"

It is a kidnapping, no matter what method was used - and Fenris still doesn't understand what kind of magic was used to take so many people, from so many foreign lands, and he's no mage, but it must've been the kind of power that many demons would seek. So if the mages who've done it still weren't possessed, they had to have strength beyond his imagination.

But he tries not to think about it, because he already knows from experience how this accursed amulet he's been saddled with would react the moment he does, and he doesn't want any stranger to see something so pathetic.

TEST DRIVE: JUNE

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