TEST DRIVE MEME: JULY

[simpathis]

— TEST DRIVE: JULY —

Welcome to empatheias' first ever 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 Friday, July 18th and Applications open Friday, July 25th. Game will begin Friday, August 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: Create any scenario that could cause your character to display some kind of emotion, be it big or small, and write out how it changes the immediate area. Are there literal sparkles everywhere because they're so happy? Or is the ground starting to twist and warp due to their anger or frustration? Things exploding? Rain clouds? Since this is a test drive, don't worry about any limitations on effects—just write whatever comes to mind!

• Prompt B: The following are generic task board prompts that characters could have taken up as a job.

1. You have to collect X number of materials. Find a partner to make it easier!
   
2. There's a hostile creature attacking some of the neighboring farms. If you got a weapon, they could definitely use your help!
   
3. How about helping around the town? Delivering something, helping patch up a sign, cleaning out some of those rusted gears—the locals would definitely warm up to everyone.
   
4. Make up your own task/quest!

• 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: With the influx of people suddenly appearing, the locals are a bit on edge. So rather than having your character’s emotions affecting the environment, someone else's is affecting them! Maybe they were just passing by and someone had an emotional outbreak of sorts. Now they have to figure out how to deal with the aftermath—or will their own emotions make it worse? Needless to say, NPC godmodding granted 100%.

• Prompt E: Make your own! It can even involve booze and/or cats.

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

IV/Thomas Arclight | Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL

[gimmickpuppets]

( prompt a )
[ After only a week or so of being here, it's easy enough for IV to let his mind drift away from his home, his family-- but it's also just as easy to be reminded. Every time he sees a father and son walk past him, his mood darkens for a number of reasons - anger, jealousy - and every time he sees what he assumes are two brothers, what good mood is shifting into longing, sadness, and ever still, jealousy.

This day out of all the others is no different, casting glares at passing people as he walks around and tries to keep his mood high, but the homesickness is stronger today than it has been. He misses his brothers, and to some extent, his father, and despite being a damn good actor any other time, his expression certainly doesn't hide it, and neither does the cracking ground around his feet with every step he takes.

For now, at least. ]

( ooc: I'm not the best at these things, so if you think of something better, feel free to use your own idea instead! )

[shoubro]

[Shougo was looking around studying the more than interesting architecture around, so he isn't paying attention and accidentally bumps into IV.]

Sorry—

[uh oh. it only took one glance to see that this person definitely looks like trouble. seriously, two-toned hair? and a scar—and those are definitely cracks that had formed behind him, though it looks like some of them were already being repaired by the other positive emotions in the area.

but. yeah. he should probably just...leave the guy alone.......]

I'm just going to apologize in advance for him...

[gimmickpuppets]

Watch it!

[ It's an immediate response - it could've been one of his brothers and he would've snapped all the same - and he turns on the other, eyes narrowed. Though, once he takes the other's appearance in... well, he's innocent-looking enough. Hm. IV's expression softens slightly and he rests a hand on his hip, faking a smile.

At least, until he notices that faking it does nothing to improve the state of the ground beneath his feet. ]

Are you one of the locals?

pfft it's fine it's fine XD

[shoubro]

[dude. no need to get snappy. but given how apparent the other's mood is, it's not that surprising.]

No, I'm not. I'm guessing you aren't, either.

[gimmickpuppets]

Of course I'm not. I don't belong in some run-down place like this.

[ Someone's a rich boy. IV sighs and glances down at his feet - the distraction from his thoughts seems to be helping a little. Still a bit cranky, but not jealous. He gestures to his feet and looks back up at the other. ]

I'll ask you anyway; got any idea how to turn this crap off? Seeing it doesn't exactly improve my mood.

[shoubro]

[shakes his head and shrugs.]

Sorry, no. From what I understand it just happens. I guess one way to do it is try to control your emotions.

[well, for him it's pretty easy because he's pretty neutral and low-keyed all the time.

now he would prefer to just move on and not get himself into something troublesome—and this guy just seems to reek "trouble"—but he could maybe try and help a little.]

Maybe try thinking of something else?

[gimmickpuppets]

[ IV can't help but roll his eyes at that, and he leans in just a bit as if he needs to to get his point across. ]

You think I haven't tried that? You don't know what's going on in my fucking head. It's not that easy.

[ He straightens up and folds his arms over his chest, glancing away as he takes a deep breath and sighs heavily. ]

Whatever. Clearly I'm stuck looking like I'm creating an earthquake everywhere I go. Fantastic.

[shoubro]

[...distance, dude. Shougo just stands there, keeping his neutral, calm outlook. that isn't to say he doesn't feel any discomfort from IV's actions, but he knows better than to get provoked.

so he just looks at him for a moment.]

Well there's not much we can do about it until we figure out how we even got here. [personally he's still not buying that the locals are completely oblivious. but that's just his opinion.] But since you are going to be stuck here like the rest of us, you should try and make the most it.

Keeping things bottled up isn't going to help, either.

[at this point he moves to walk past him.]

[gimmickpuppets]

[ Another roll of his eyes, and another heavy sigh as he walks past him. ]

Try and make the most of what? There's nothing here! You're starting to sound like my brother.

[ ... hey. Hey. IV reaches out to grab Shougo's arm - not tight, just enough to try to get him to pause. ]

You haven't met a kid here that goes by III, have you? Or Michael, whichever. Short, pinkish-red hair, green eyes, thinks he's cute, loves tea and aliens. Sound familiar to you?

[shoubro]

[hey, he tried to give advice. but that's about as far as he had planned to go—until the arm grab. there's a slight look, but he then tilts his head slightly at the question.]

Huh? [...III? Three? nickname, maybe?] No, sorry. [given that description, there's no way he could have missed them.] Why not try asking others using the amulet? Or call out to him directly.

[gimmickpuppets]

[ Using the amulet means actually talking to people, and while he could put on his sweetest fake smile back home while dealing with hordes of fangirls, that's not exactly the easiest thing to do here. He lets go of Shougo's arm and gives a shrug. ]

Maybe, but in case you see him before I do, tell him IV's here and to come find me. I'll make it up to you later however you want or whatever, just make sure he knows I'm here. Hell, if you see some creepy blond kid with a metal mask or some pale and tall quiet man with hair down to his knees, tell them too.

[ He's lonely, after all, and his family is his best bet, even if his father hates him. ]

[shoubro]

[there. is so much to what he just heard that he has no idea where to begin.]

...Your name is "IV"? [as in, the number.]

[gimmickpuppets]

[ IV blinks. That's... all he got out of that? Really? ]

It's not my real name. Our entire family goes by pseudonyms. My younger brother is III and my older brother is V. [ Except inexplicably pronounced 'vee' because he probably needed to be a special snowflake about it. ]

[thatcatfrom101]

[Fortunately, Roy has become quite good at repressing the hell out of his feelings lately. At least, he likes to think so. Then again he hasn't had much reason to walk around with a literal cloud hanging over his head or anything.

Leaning against the wall, puffing on a cigarette, he notices the cracks on the floor first before he follows them to the source -- someone passing through looking rather irritable. Dogmeat lowers his head and whines lightly, probably noticing the sour mood, and stays by Roy's legs.

His brow raises, almost willing to let the guy walk right by without saying a word, but when Roy sees someone in a shitty mood, he just can't resist the urge to bother them.]

Might wanna' tone it down a notch, guy. You're gonna fuck everythin' up.

[gimmickpuppets]

[ Really, Roy? Is that wise?

Hearing the voice, IV almost wants to ignore it - maybe they're lucky and they aren't talking to him - but here? It's difficult to ignore much of anything, really. IV slows to a stop and slowly turns on his heels to look at the man, a hand resting on his hip as he stares him down. ]

I'll gladly fuck everything up if it means going home.

[ Though, he glances down at the man's feet and sees the dog, and there's no hiding how it affects him. IV's expression softens, reminded of his own dog he had when he was younger (his only real friend before shit went down, he reminds himself), and it's... upsetting. Sad, even, and IV lets out a sigh as he rubs a hand over his face. ]

Listen, if it bothers you so much, just take your dog and get out of here. I'll be pacing here for a while.

[thatcatfrom101]

[It's not wise, hence why he does it.

Though he's too busy trying and failing to turn what was just said into some kind of innuendo when he notices how the guy looks at Dogmeat, who by now is staring right back with his monochromatic eyes. The dog still seems anxious, but he's no longer whining. It was weird, in this place Dogmeat seemed ten times more sensitive to other people's bad moods than back home.

Then again, said bad moods make the ground crack here sometimes, so.]

[Roy shrugs, blowing a string of smoke off to the side.]

Don't bother me none. [There's some blatant sizing up happening on Roy's part. After a moment a small smirk creeps to his face.] Just offerin' a little helpful advice.

[gimmickpuppets]

[ Seeing the way the man sizes him up has IV torn between tensing and taking advantage of the situation. Neither is probably the best idea and just letting it roll off his back, and yet...

IV takes a few slow, deliberate steps forward, keeping that hand on his hip as he approaches. This has 'bad idea' written all over it, but, well, IV seems to attract bad ideas. At the very least, his previous irritation has toned down, distracted by this guy. ]

Helpful advice? I wasn't aware being helpful meant telling someone to stop doing something that's not under their control. That's great.

[ He sighs and shakes his head a bit, attempting to shrug it off. Not that it helps much. ]

What's its name?

[thatcatfrom101]

[Being approached would normally have Roy tensing a little, but he wasn't in the wasteland. And even though he knew that didn't mean he shouldn't still be cautious, he allowed himself to remain casual in his stance anyway. He had his rifle -- holstered comfortably at his back -- should he be attacked. And Dogmeat wouldn't let anyone get close to him if they were hostile, so Roy was more inclined to let his wasteland paranoia slip just a little bit.]

Hey, sometimes a simple "calm the fuck down" is enough.

[Not that he thought it would be particularly helpful in this case. He just wanted to bother him.]

His name is Dogmeat. [As the cigarette draws near to its end, Roy pulls it out of his mouth with one final blow of smoke and tosses it to the ground, putting it out with his boot.] You a dog lover, huh?

[Because he totally caught that look earlier.]

[gimmickpuppets]

[ IV honestly has to roll his eyes at that. ]

And sometimes, a simple "calm the fuck down" just pisses people off more. People like me.

[ Though, he's caught off guard by the question, and his immediate need to be defensive about something that could be perceived as a weakness flares up. Folding his arms over his chest, IV glances away and chews on the inside of his cheek a little, avoiding making eye contact with either of them. ]

They're alright. But what the hell kind of name is that?

[ Not that he can talk - he named his dog something that was less a dog name and more a person name. ]

[thatcatfrom101]

I see that.

[That's what drew Roy to even speaking up, in all honesty. If this guy didn't have a metaphorical dark cloud hanging over his head with a glare that kills, he likely wouldn't have even bothered with him. Maybe.]

Dogmeat? [Roy gives a light shrug of his shoulders.] You'd have to ask his original owner that one. I don't see nothin' wrong with it, though. He's a dog. Made up of dog meat. [He huffs out a laugh.] It's direct.

[And Roy likes when things are direct.]

[gimmickpuppets]

[ ... Okay, when it's put like that, he supposes it's an alright name. It gives other implications but, whatever, it gets an amused half-smirk out of IV even for a little while. ]

Alright, I suppose that's okay. At least it isn't some bullshit like 'Fluffy'.

[ Finally looking at Roy, the smirk fades as he steps closer and crouches down in front of Roy, holding out his hand to the dog with his other pressed against the wall behind him. His patience doesn't normally last long, but honestly, he's missed his dog for years, and just for this chance, it's worth taking a deep breath and attempting to calm down his whirlwind of thoughts and subsequently emotions if it means getting the chance to pet a dog.

Congratulations, Roy. This may have been the longest IV's ever been quiet in his life. ]

[thatcatfrom101]

Either way, he's a good boy.

[Understatement of the century, in Roy's opinion. But he has the habit of downplaying the amount of love he has for this dog when talking to other people. Truth is Dogmeat is his best and only friend, and he's not sure what the hell he would be doing if he didn't find him at that scrapyard.

Roy watches carefully as IV kneels before him (oh yeah) to pet the dog. If it's one thing he was used to, it was Dogmeat getting a hell of a lot more attention paid to him than Roy ever had. And the dog responds well to attention, skipping the hand sniffing routine and going right for a lick to IV's face.]

Hey -- he likes ya. [Then again, he liked anyone who wasn't shooting/stabbing/or attempting to hurt either of them.] So, now that you're touchin' my dog, does that mean I get a name?

[gimmickpuppets]

[ The moment Dogmeat goes in for the face, IV settles properly on both of his knees and curls his arms around the dog, more than content to let him lick his face. He closes an eye and turns his head slightly, and maybe there's actually a genuine smile on his face - it's been so long since he's been able to be near a dog. When everything went to shit, they'd had to get rid of it, and things still aren't quite fixed back home so it's not likely he's going to end up getting another one any time soon.

So this? This is really nice. Animal therapy is probably exactly what he's needed all this time. Hearing the request for his name, IV looks up (and it's then when he notices his proximity, gaze lingering for a little longer, but he's behaving himself... for now) with a cocky smirk on his face. He imagines the man notices too, and that's about the only reason for it.

It takes everything he has to keep from saying something more inappropriate in response than just giving his name. ]

It's IV. I guess I should ask for yours in return, huh?

[thatcatfrom101]

[So that's how it is. Roy takes note of the smile on his face as he plays with Dogmeat -- yeah, he totally had a soft spot for dogs. That doesn't mean Roy's going to be showing his any time soon, but it definitely gives him points in Roy's eyes.

Also giving him points, that cocky smirk that he gives when he stares a little too long. Roy looks down to meet IV's gaze, features neutral as he shoves his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. He makes no move to shift this (what most people would deem "awkward") position.]

IV, huh? [He's heard some strange names in the wasteland, most from people who named themselves, so he doesn't have anything to say on it.] Some people call me the Lone Wanderer, but since I think you're an alright cat I'll give you my name. It's Roy.

[He actually gives his name all the time, he's just trying to sound cool, really.]

[gimmickpuppets]

[ "Cat"? IV quirks a brow at that, but he lets it slide simply on the basis that he's the first one here not to actually question his pseudonym. It already makes Roy a bit better than the rest - feels a little like home because of it. Just a little though, because talk about fucking outdated.

Scratching a bit behind Dogmeat's ears with both hands, IV keeps his smirk in place, eyes not leaving Roy's at all. ]

So what about you makes you a 'lone wanderer', hm? No one around where you're from?

[ Boundaries? What boundaries? IV leans in a bit closer, gaze moving straight in front of him before he leans down to invite Dogmeat to lick at his face some more - it's attention, he'll take it. ]