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

[peggy_carter]

"Congratulations, it's a rare thing to capture the heart of a Stark. The eye is another matter." Howard had passing flings the way others discarded used tissue.

"You seem strong and smart, qualities that will serve you well around such intelligent men."

[norabbits]

The comment caused an amused smirk to cross her lips. Catching Tony's eye had never been a problem for anyone of the female persuasion, it was getting to actually know the person he was and not the shell he was portraying that most people never got to do. In some ways it was still true now.

"I have my moments." Pepper knew she was a strong woman and she'd been through a lot. Not the sort of thing that Peggy'd probably been through, but enough. She'd also always been a modest woman though. Not the sort to tout her own praise. Tony already did that enough for both of them, and it never ceased to be incredibly embarrassing. "But you never did answer my question; what year are you from?"

[peggy_carter]

He was so like his father, but that wandering eye didn't make him less of a good man when the situation called for it. What defined the true value of the Stark men was generally anything but what they showed. She firmly believed that Howard had no idea just how good a man he was, contrary to his arrogant bragging.

"Of that I have no doubt." There were many different sorts of strength, someone like Colleen who worked till she dropped and still went in dead on her feet to the factory despite the men who were looking to take her job. Angie who had defended her and stood up to governmental agencies beyond her reckoning just to help a friend. Mr Jarvis who risked his life, not to mention the wrath of his dear wife, to ensure that the people he cared for were safe. Or a skinny, sickly man who wanted more than anything to give his life for his country. Strength was to be found in unlikely places. "I beg your pardon, when I last checked it was nineteen forty-five."

[norabbits]

The answer caused Pepper to press her lips together tightly. That was a far cry before Tony was born, but it was also roughly the year that Stark Industries and, in particular Howard Stark had been under the suspicion of the US Government. Anyone who knew as much as Pepper did would know that particular time by heart.

Still, it was a good point of reference to be sure that Peggy was the Peggy from her and Tony's world rather then another world. She could feel her head starting to hurt at the attempt to deal with temporal theory. Really, Tony would have been better equipped to deal with this then her, Stark Industries dealt if factual theory, not pure theoretical theory. That was what she was good at. "What exactly were the notable events that year?"

[peggy_carter]

"Noteable?" Well then, is the woman wanted to ask her the events of the day there were plenty to go round.

"Let's see, Franklin Roosevelt was sworn in for his fourth term as president of the United States, he died months later in a collapse of his home. The Axis powers were defeated and the war called to an end. Soldiers returned home and life began to return to normal." She watched the woman carefully looking for the slightest hint that this was not what she wanted to hear.

"Oh, yes and there was that time I saved New York and cleared Howard's name of treason."

[norabbits]

The general facts were notable, but not as notable as what she was looking for. There was a passive detachment in her active engagement to them. Mostly a slight nod as she listened but never said anything one way or another.

It was the last part that caught her. It was unlikely that such an occurrence would have happened in two separate worlds (at least she hoped that was the case). Instead of noting her thoughts she chose to comment on the action itself.

"A feat I'm sure he forgot to thank you for." Still, the comment was said with more of an affectionate touch and spoken from a place of endearment. As annoying as it was that Tony rarely if ever thanked her for things she didn't really mind it.

[peggy_carter]

"Howard thanked me in his way." His house in Brooklyn, and later offering her a positing alongside him in founding SHIELD. There was a difference between Howard and Tony there, perhaps Howard had found more of his soul over the years.

[norabbits]

"I'm glad to hear that." Thanking people was one of those things that Tony simply forgot - or left to Pepper to do. It wasn't that he didn't care (most of the time), it was that, much like apologies and gifts, he was horrible at it.

Now she was at a loss of what to say. To say it had moved into awkward territory meeting Tony's aunt who was probably currently younger then she was would be an understatement. At least before she had something to focus on. It would take a few moments before she found something else.

She shifted the groceries on her hip, remembering that they were even there at all. "Oh," She can't help biting her lower lip a little. "I need to get these groceries back, would you like to come with me?"

[peggy_carter]

She nodded and smiled, for all the traits the Stark men shared, Howard had been more generous with gifts and praise. Perhaps he felt it was his social station to be that way, wealthy and brilliant man always in the public eye. Or perhaps she just say that in him because unlike others she was looking for it.

Though it seemed whatever she was after she'd gotten, they feel into a momentary silence.

When Pepper asked for assistance she reached out for a bag. "Only if I can help you with some of those." Her expression was kind and welcoming for as odd as the situation was. "Perhaps I will meet this Tony at some point."

[norabbits]

She offered her one of the bags. She got the sneaking suspicion that if she didn't, the other woman would argue until she inevitably gave in.

"He might be home from work by now." Which sounds a billion times weird still.

[peggy_carter]

Pepper was quite astute in her observation. Peggy would have insisted to help her just out of the need to feel she was doing something.

"Seems odd to think of a Stark keeping any sort of regular hours."

[norabbits]

She couldn't help laughing at the observation; it was exactly what she was thinking. "It certainly is surreal. Usually Tony'd just leave all the work to others and cloister himself in his workshop." Tony, after all, preferred to be cloistered inside working on whatever he decided to rather then doing anything else.

[peggy_carter]

"Howard gets easily lost in his work, I've seen him forgo eating and sleeping for days. Usually a pretty face worked for a distraction." Peggy shook her head. "I half believe that was the reason I was first assigned to work with him."

[norabbits]

"Tony would like the world to believe he's swayed by a pretty face, but he's much more interested in his tech." She continued to move, leading the way to their apartment.

[peggy_carter]

"I assume, given that Tony exists, one day Howard will meet a woman who will be able to hold his attention as more than inflight entertainment." She could say that, he was her best friend and the fact that she wore the amused smile she had while she spoke said much to the degree of scorn in it. Little to none.

[norabbits]

Pepper glances down, frowning. She doesn't want to be the one to tell Peggy that Howard is dead, but she will if she has to. "I can't say I ever knew much about Tony's parents aside from Howard's work with Stark Industries."

[peggy_carter]

"I'm sorry, what year did you say you recalled last?" The wording, the implication was there that Howard had passed even if she hadn't said the words. Past tense was always a giveaway. But if this woman was from the future it was entirely reasonable.

[norabbits]

"Twenty-fifteen." She didn't reprise the statement that she'd known Tony for over ten years, or mention that she'd worked for Stark Industries before that. She was hoping the large time difference would be enough for Peggy not to ask awkward questions.

[peggy_carter]

"That's quite a number of years between your time and mine." Enough that Howard had a family and passed on. A respectable life really, one she never had the chance to have. "Well, was Tony an only child then?"

[norabbits]

Except for the fact that the Winter Soldier killed Howard and Maria when Tony was only seventeen. They probably weren't going to have anymore kids, but it was possible that twenty-year old Tony might have ended up with a baby brother or sister ... possible.

"He was." It's easier to talk about Tony, just as long as they kept moving away from ages and times of death. "According to the media he was a prodigy." Also according to Tony, but no one should ever listen to Tony when he starts bragging about himself.

[peggy_carter]

"I'm not surprised, Howard was as well. Intelligence like that doesn't easily fade away in the family line." Perhaps that sort of brilliance was limited to one child at a time. Howard had been the same way.

"Does he know me?" It was a thought, she felt she and Howard would stay in touch and continue the closeness they had. So she could hope that she might have the same relationship with those in his life.

[norabbits]

That might have been a good thought honestly. Certainly better then the thought that their lives were cut short before they were able to have any other kids.

"An older version of you, yes." She can't help smiling slightly. his aunt Peggy was one of the few people he talked about fondly. "He might make a pass at you now." Less likely then before, but Pepper wouldn't begrudge it seeing as how Peggy is his aunt.