TEST DRIVE: JANUARY

[empevents]

— 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 Friday, December 25th and Applications (Canon | OC) open Friday, January 1st.
  
  
• OC Reminder! Just a quick reminder that original characters are currently allowed. Those interested can also use the test drive. OCs do not need to be reserved.
  
  
• 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. We have also 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?

• 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. Creating jobs for the purpose of the test drive is absolutely doable.

• 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: A new card game is sweeping through the streets of Verens: "Magica Ex Arehtei." Players take on the role of an Otherworlder and form battle decks out of minions, monsters, dunamis, and even the Arehtei themselves. It’s insanely complicated in its details, but this hasn’t stopped a seller from handing you a starter deck and all but pushing you into a chair to face an opponent… who may have just been conscripted themselves.

• Prompt E: After a long period of quiet (something about ‘emotional and physical harm to Empatheias’ and ‘manufacturing plush weapons without a Class E(X) license’), toy manufacturers have flooded merchant stalls and storefronts with a new offering, the hyper-cute stuffed Thras. No negative emotions, they promise! Plush Thras is so full of bravery, he’ll inspire anyone who holds him to new heights of courage and valor!

Naturally, magiscience has gone too far, and picking up the doll instills you with vigor, energy, and fearlessness past the point of recklessness.

• Prompt F: Thundersnow! A phenomenon in which a snowstorm is accompanied by lightning and thunder, and not a terribly uncommon one in Empatheias. But today’s thundersnow is more like an apocablizzard -- lighting lashes through the sky and lances down to catch buildings and trees with its fury, all hidden behind whirling sheets of billowing snowflakes that have blanketed the city in a foot of snow with no sign of stopping.

The outside is cold, windy, miserable, and potentially dangerous. Are you trapped in a building you didn’t expect to be in? Or perhaps you’ve joined up with an emergency emotion squad, trying to impose calm or cheer on the raging storm?

• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include lumps of coal or moose.

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

[celestial_wizard]

[ But he wanted to climb in the window! She'd rather him do that than melt the lock. Of course she didn't actually go dashing up the stairs -- all the way. She just trotted up a few steps, then stopped and crept back down to poke her head out. ]

You didn't really think I'd go exploring without you, did you? Come on, silly. It'll only take us a few minutes to poke around, the food will keep that long.

[explodewiththerage]

[As long as she doesn't lock the windows too. Well knowing Lucy she would never lock that to him]

What? Oh you're right! Okay first one up the stairs decides dinner!

[celestial_wizard]

[ She'd never lock the windows. She'd gotten too far into the habit of sleeping with her windows open, even before he started sneaking in.

Wait, what did he say? ]

Wha -

[ He's probably already dashed past her hasn't he? She turns to scramble up the stairs either way, though it wasn't that long a flight. About twenty steps total! ]

[explodewiththerage]

[She asked for it when she teased him about his boast. Now he had a commanding lead!! Would she be able to catch up?]

[celestial_wizard]

[ She's going to TRY at least! ]

Get back here!

[ No fair getting to the top before her! Though she giggles as she sprints up the steps after him, two steps behind. ]

[explodewiththerage]

[So the only way to win was if he let her. Or maybe she suddenly got faster. Either way she somehow caught up just before the last two steps. ]

Make me!!

[celestial_wizard]

[ His taunt just made her want to make him as he dared. OOO. She wasn't going to be able to get ahead of him in time and there were only a few steps left. ]

Fine, I will~!

[ She lunged forward to tackle him - though that ..might actually just end up tripping him up a little by the time he reached the final step. Maybe. ]

[explodewiththerage]

[Of all the things, he actually doesn't even think she'd opt to tackle him outright.]

What the-!?

[ And a tumbling they go only Natsu twist them both so she lands on top of him instead.]

[celestial_wizard]

[ Whoops! That actually could have ended up with one of them getting hurt! Though Natsu prevents that quite masterfully. But Lucy is giggling by the time they hit the floor. ]

Sorry, Sorry - I...

[ Oh. Her giggles stop, caught in her throat - that surprised look on his face was GOLD, but uh.. she..was.. on top of him. ]

[explodewiththerage]

[As if he'd let her just get hurt around him. Not on his watch dammit. So what if he ended up her mattress? That was just how things worked for them and neither of them would change that. Though whoops his hands end up on her hips.]

[celestial_wizard]

[ He's a cozy mattress! Though with his hands on her hips, she squeaks, quickly scrambling off of him, briefly rattled, along with a slight rattle of the walls. ]

Where do you think you're...

[ ... actually it was kind of her fault. Freaking out like she normally would would be really problematic the way emotions work here. ]

[explodewiththerage]

You're the one who who landed on me.

[Though compared to the fact that Lucy was making thing rattle, Natsu didn't even flicker a light. He was very comfortable with their proximity or just physical contact. It is simply normal to him.]

[celestial_wizard]

... I know that!

[ She stopped herself, taking a breath. Caaaalm Lucy. Caaalm. Stop making the walls shake. This was harder than she thought. ]

... anyway, let's.. get back to what we were doing. And I guess you can pick dinner.

[explodewiththerage]

[You know when you're in trouble when the dragon slayer is somehow more more stable. After all his troubles are not centered around his feelings towards Lucy.]

Eh I win? But we both ended up here at the same time

[celestial_wizard]

[ Unfair. SO VERY UNFAIR. .... though it's probably a good thing his troubles weren't centered around his feelings towards her. If they were BOTH having emotional problems like that, whoahoho nelly. ]

Well... technically you hit the ground first. So you get the win. [ She sighed, reaching up to adjust a still life picture that had been left behind. ]

Let's see... [ She opened a door to peer in. ] This looks like it's a bathroom. The other two doors are probably bedrooms?

[explodewiththerage]

Alright then. In that case we're having spicy curry!

[As if it was hard to guess he'd want something super spicy. He does turn his attention to the other two doors and decides to open them before giving Lucy her answer.]

[celestial_wizard]

[ She giggled. Good thing the first thing she went looking for was spices. Though she couldn't find much in the way of the processed kinds, she got plenty of different kinds of peppers and stuff. ]

I had a feeling you'd say that. Spicy curry it is.

[ She sauntered up behind him. ]

So was I right? Were they bedrooms?

[ Of course one of them was more of a 'master' bedroom, and was larger than the other, but they were both rather nicely sized. ]

[explodewiththerage]

Awesome!

[He should have known Lucy would have predicted that answer. Well either way he was getting great spicy food and that's all that matters!]

Yeah they look like it. This one looks on the big side too.

[He's not laying claim on who get which though given Lucy's apartment back in their world he's definitely leaning towards letting her have the bigger one. Or maybe it's a plot to make her feel lonely in a big room at night so when he does sneak in she's not as prone to chase him off! But no Natsu can't possibly be THAT devious!]

[celestial_wizard]

[ She giggled at the enthusiasm, watching him a moment as he inspected the rooms. As worried as she was about things back home, about HIM...she missed this kind of thing. Being able to just...relax and not worry about countries invading, or family or...or anything super serious.

She sighed softly, then realized she was staring at his back and he was confirming her guess. Whoops. ]

Do you want the bigger room...?

[ She kind of would prefer that one for herself, just because her apartment at home was on the small side, but she wanted to give him first dibs if he wanted. Though the fact that she might feel lonely in such a big room didn't occur to her yet. ]

[explodewiththerage]

[Well if she can keep that kind of mentality after he reveals the rest of the things he's learned then future might not be so bleak.]

Huh? Mmmm nah you can have it. You need the room to fill it with books and stuff right?

[Not that those things will help with any potential loneliness.]

[celestial_wizard]

[ Things can't be THAT bad..! ... ahaha...ha..h.a.... ]

Really? You're sure? [ She grins at the question, nodding. ] Yeah, having more room would be a big help. It won't be nearly as crowded as it is back home.

[ ... it will be roomy and ...kind of lonely. BUT he was right across from her so... she'd have to resist the urge to bug him, or make up some kind of excuse if she got lonely. And the bed was plenty bi-- wait, why is she ... ]

We-Well! I think that's pretty much all there is to the place. [ Maybe she'll get a ladder so she can climb up to the roof sometimes. ] You're hungry right?

[explodewiththerage]

[Wellllll....depends on perspective. There's some long overdue answers in there but the ghost feels too steep]

Yeah I'm sure~

[He'd end up invading her room on a regular basis anyway. They both have to know that already.]

[celestial_wizard]

[ Those things can all wait for a long while. Lucy glanced at her partner, flashing him a grin. ]

Thanks.

[ She'd make a comment about him not knowing what he was going to be giving up with all that room to play in, but... yeah, she... has a good feeling he's going to end up sneaking into her bedroom anyway. She won't even lock her door. ]

Well! Come on - you want to help me make dinner? [ She pivoted on her heel, trotting down the stairs to where the food was left out. ]

[explodewiththerage]

[Oh he knows very well. This is one decision he definitely didn't make haphazardly. Much as that would surprise so many people who know him.]

Help? You bet I do!

[It will be a great distraction for both of them.]

[celestial_wizard]

[ Distractions were greatly needed, for a while yet. Hopping over the last step, she padded into the kitchen, glancing around to familiarize herself with everything in it. ]

Hm.. Spicy curry, right? [ She took hold of a couple of the ingredients they wouldn't need, putting them in the refrigerator. After a few seconds spending time getting the kitchen properly prepared, she glanced at her partner again. ]

Here, you can get the chicken ready. Just get the skin off, and debone it - then cut it into small chunks. I'll work on the spices - Oh, and we'll have to boil water for the rice too, that's right.