Test Drive: April

[empevents]

— TEST DRIVE: APRIL —

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 March 25th and Applications (Canon | OC) open a week later on April 1st. Apps will only be open for four days!
  
  
• OC Reminder! Just a quick reminder that original characters are 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!
  
  
• Transfer to in-game. If accepted, you can assume threads made on the Test Drive happen in-game if the scenario can reasonably fit. For new characters, these threads do not count for activity check. However, these can be supplementary threads for players already in-game.
  
  
• 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!
  
  
  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: Arehtei Amusements is a new company in Verens seeking to bring Arehtei themed festivities to the people of the city. This might've not been the best idea as it's not endorsed by the creatures themselves and coming up with festivities for some of them can be a bit of a stretch, but they've already incorporated, so it's a little late for that now. Anyways, first up is Piphron, which might not be the best or the easiest choice, but it's too late to change their focus now. So visitors to the Piphron Party will find a few activities awaiting them:

1. Catch of the Day: One of the first activities people will notice resembles a game of frisbee. But with blindfolds! What better way to build trust if you can't see or at least that's the line of thinking here. Participants will be grouped together and whoever's turn to catch will be blindfolded and have to rely on their partner's directions to catch the flying disc. Everything about this seems like it was a better idea than on paper, but it's probably too late for that now. Especially if one of them is flying at you!
   
2. Leap of Faith: For those who want to try out something with less of a chance of getting hit in the face with a frisbee, there's also a trust fall activity going on. But unlike the regular team building exercise, this one seems to have been taken to the extreme and mixed it with bungee jumping. After a brief lesson in Dunamis, one person will be escorted to a platform to fall off it and work with their partner on the ground to slow their descent using emotion magic. And don't worry, it's completely safe! The area under the platform seems full of what looks like foam padding, so there's nothing to worry about if someone messes up or falls too fast.
   
3. Paper Trail: The Arehtei have two sides and since balance is important, they've also tried to incorporate feelings of distrust into today's activities (besides the feelings of skepticism one might have from watching this nonsense and learning the event organizers are planning on more things like this). The organizers were trying to set up a mock murder mystery to try and sow feelings of suspicion or distrust in good fun, but it seems like someone's stolen the sign up sheet listing all the roles! So now they're asking for help to recover the sheet and the culprit responsible! It could be anyone, but odds are they're still in the park somewhere. Or more likely, the wind blew the paperwork away when someone wasn't looking, but they don't seem to be considering that one, so good luck hunting for the mystery thief!
   

• Prompt E: Whether he finds you on a random street corner, inside a grocery store, or at the library, a butler who introduces himself only as Benson is handing you an invitation and informing you that the illustrious Count Dunnit has invited you to stay at his manor for the weekend with a few other select guests. The Count has yet to name an heir for his abundant fortune, and he apparently has decided to bequeath his estate to whoever he enjoys spending the weekend with the most. How can you possibly refuse? However, should you choose to join Count Dunnit and his other guests at the manor, you may find that this weekend is more than you bargained for...

1. Curious Cuisine: Upon arrival at Count Dunnit’s manor, all guests will be invited to partake in a sumptuous dinner of all sorts of rare and exquisite Verenthian delicacies. The food comes in all sorts of strange varieties and colors and aren’t the sort of things that one can find at any restaurant in town, though perhaps for good reason. Whether or not any of this is appetizing is debatable. Have you ever tried grilled wyvern tail? How about bat wings? Snakes? Just snakes? Well, if the cuisine isn’t to your liking, towards the end of the meal, the lights flicker out and when they return, Count Dunnit has crumpled down into his seat, dead as a doornail. Things just took a turn, didn’t they?
   
2. In the Dining Room with the Candlestick: So, Count Dunnit is dead, and everyone in the room is a suspect. You’re a suspect. Anyone here might have killed him to steal his fortune. So it falls to you and your fellow guests to analyze the evidence and discover who the culprit is! Dunnit was poisoned, ostensibly, so starting your investigation in the kitchen and interrogating the staff may prove fruitful. However, it also appears that Dunnit has a stab wound in his back, leaving you to find a knife. To complicate matters further, there is also an injury from blunt trauma to his head. Anything might have caused that. How will you investigate the murder? And moreover...can you trust your fellow guests?
   
3. Goodnight Sweet Prince: As your investigation continues, it becomes clear that there are simply too many variables in this situation for there to be any one culprit, and all clues point to the murder being a joint effort by the members of the staff in an effort to prevent any of the guests from receiving the fortune they feel they rightly deserve. Once the jig is up, however, they release a sleeping gas into the manor and make their escape before anyone can pursue them. These sleeping gas has some extra special properties that make those under its influence particularly cuddly and snuggly when they lie down for a little nap. You may wake up closer to someone than expected. Maybe they’re a complete stranger and you can both agree to never mention this again...or maybe not!
   

• Prompt F: As the years go on and more people begin to get a grasp of their Dunamis magic, Mr. Bubbly, a man with a vision wants to start training exceptional children to become the island's first official superhero group. He believes that by teaching them to harness their Dunamis by an early age, as well as instilling in them a strict moral code, they'll be ready to defend us from anything in the future. The name of this class? The Umbra Academy. Meanwhile, another man with a different set of ideals, Lord Saline, wants to begin his own program, The Astra Academy. While his school teaches young minds to control their Dunamis as well, he is viewed more as an extremist who wants to tear down the wealthy. While the schools are aware of each other, they have agreed not to clash directly.

1. First Class: As both academies officially begin class, they are going to need both students and teachers. Anyone aged 17 and under is welcome to join either group, be it as a student or a teacher. Anybody over that age will have to apply as a teacher/guardian, as the students are largely made up of ten year olds. Either way, whether you're a student or a teacher, you are tasked with standing in front of the class and introducing yourself. Talk about your world and most importantly, what it means to be a hero! Be prepared to take questions, too.
   
2. The Clash: Astra Academy's first mission is underway! Lord Saline has tasked both students and teachers to break into the vault of a museum, using only Dunamis and non-lethal methods when disposing of guards. Ideally this is meant to be a stealth mission, so it's best not to get caught at all. The target? A pink diamond, belonging to a corrupt owner, which Lord Saline intends to sell and distribute to the poor. Meanwhile, the Umbra Academy has a mission of their own! Their students and teachers are to stop an ongoing burglary of a popular museum. If it wasn't obvious so far, it quickly becomes clear that both groups are sent to the same location, with the goal to prevent the other from succeeding. Looks like it's the clash of the academies!
   
3. The Last Stand: Eventually, it's revealed that Mr. Bubbly and Lord Saline are in fact the same person, a legendary con man known as Jet. He created both academies and pit them against each other so he can steal the pink diamond for himself, which he succeeds. Now, even though they're officially disbanded, it's going to take the full force of both academies to catch this criminal mastermind before he gets away. Jet commands a luxury airship full of well-paid guards and mercenaries, which is easily tracked down by our heroes. Using your lessons of stealth and combat from either class, it's time to find your way around his cronies and get that diamond back!
   

• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include spiders and/or capes.

Comments

kairi | kingdom hearts

[keyofflowers]

(( ooc: NO SPOILERS for kh3 in the top level here. i will mark if anything gets spoilery in any threads. LET ME KNOW if you do not want spoilers when you tag in or if you're okay with them. i will default to no spoilers if i don't hear. THANKS!!

i will also match your style. i've been in a prose-based game the last two years SORRY I DEFAULTED but i am fine with brackets! ))

B task board - birds

Normally, Kairi liked birds. She had plenty of experience with seagulls back home on the Islands and knew enough about all of the other birds that she could at least enjoy them. So she'd taken this task on, thinking it would be as easy as luring a seagull away with a bunch of food.

How very wrong she was.

This is turning out to be an exercise in futility. She has enough of a positive and upbeat nature that it really shouldn't be that hard. Yet these grumpy birds keep one-upping her. Every time she thinks she's found a way to lure them off, they turn around and go right back to the roof they've apparently claimed as "theirs."

So here she is now, staring up at the birds on the roof in question, with one hand at her chin and one hand resting on her hip. "These birds sure are stubborn," she sighs.

E-1 Curious Cuisine

Kairi isn't honestly here for the bequeathing. She isn't the type of person to care about money or inheritance or anything like that. Mostly, she's curious about this man and what type of dinner he is offering to whoever else he has invited. So, here she is at the dinner table, eyeing some of these entrees and generally being very unsure if she'll actually eat any of them. They don't exactly look palatable.

At least none of it is still moving. That's a plus, even if the thought makes her stomach flip over unpleasantly.

"This doesn't look like any dinner party I've been to before," she comments to the nearest person, trying not to look as put off as she feels. There's no point in offending the host, after all.

F-1 First Class

Kairi stands when it's her turn to introduce herself. She's sort of been taking notes as everyone else started and she has an idea of where to start. At least by now she has more experience being a hero.

"My name is Kairi," she begins seriously. "I'm from the Destiny Islands, same as Sora and Riku. Being a hero... is hard to put into words. It isn't all about what you do or what morals you follow. It's about who you are, how you act when you're around people or away. It's about... fighting with all your heart to save someone. Being a hero takes courage. But it also takes humility and modesty, knowing that you're always working towards that goal of being a hero and helping people, but never being afraid to stop and learn. At least... that's what it is for me and that's what I've been trying to do for a while now."

She pauses, realizing that she's gotten maybe a little too emotional about it all.

"Sorry, that was probably too much." She smiles anyway, hoping to use this as a way to meet people. "So, I guess... does anyone have any questions?"

E-1

[rekindled_flame]

[[OoC: I am open to spoilers, Lea's canon-updated to post-KH3 but I can leave things vague/omit things if need be!]]

[How Lea had gotten an invitation is anyone's guess, but the redhead wasn't about to turn down a free dinner. He eyes the strange food, and grins at Kairi's hesitance.]

Come on, where's your sense of adventure? The wyvern tail's actually pretty tasty.

[keyofflowers]

(( ooc: ive played kh3, so im good on spoilers! no worries here ))

[ in all honesty, the wyvern tail is the one piece that looks the most appealing out of all of them. but it still doesn't really appeal to her. she just isn't sure about a lot of things related to this dinner. ]

Is it? [ she asks dubiously. ] I don't know if I can do it. Something just doesn't feel right.

[ about the meal or the entire night is up in the air at this point. but at least she's got lea here with her. that's something. she does manage to smile at him, though it's smaller than normal. ]

B

[tailsneverfails]

[ If she looks hard enough she'll see a man in a long black coat on top of the roof as well with a bunch of birds on top of him. He was so still that he could have been mistaken for some kind of scarecrow. In fact, that almost seemed to be the case, except for the fact that the ground around this house was rumbling a bit.

He hears kairi speak up from the ground and opens his sharp eyes.]

Stubbornness isn't even the half of it.

[keyofflowers]

[ kairi honestly hadn't seen anyone up there with the birds, so she startles a little bit at the sudden voice. ]

Oh! [ and then she squints to try to see who just spoke. ]

What is it, then? Do they just really like it here?

F1!!!

[oathkeeper]

[Sora doesn't really need dunamis magic lessons. He's lived on this island for a whooping almost-three-years so he actually knows a lot about the magic. He could probably teach this class! He really shouldn't be posing as a student because he's nearly a master at emotional magic--

But he gets to be a student with Kairi. So a little white lie to get him into the class with her is okay in his books... Right? Right.

He's sitting there with quite the proud grin on his face as she speaks. Listening to her talk about what being a hero means to her makes his heart swell. It's all the things he knew she'd say and more. He nearly has to use his own magic to keep fireworks from popping at his own joy.

His hand shoots up.] Can you tell us your best story about you being a hero?

[Or tell Sora to get the heck outta here for pretending to be a student, that works too!]

[keyofflowers]

[ if there were fireworks, kairi probably would have given sora a look. not that she would be mad, exactly. more likely she would be embarrassed. so she just settles for appreciating his enthusiasm and his company while she works on something new. ]

A story about me? Hmm...

[ she probably should have seen that question coming, especially with sora here. she could say a lot of things, like how fighting next to him made her feel like an actual part of the group, like she isn't just going to be left behind for the rest of her life while sora and riku go off as keyblade wielders and save worlds. but she also remembers how her real chance at being a hero against darkness had ended, right before she was brought here. ]

I'm still in training, Sora. You know that. [ it's a gentle tease, even if it's true in her mind. she folds her hands behind her back as she thinks. she's just gotten done with a mini-speech about how being a hero isn't just about fighting. she can pick a story that isn't fighting. ]

Do you remember when you were turned into a heartless? You sacrificed yourself to save me, to wake me up and give me my heart back. Donald and Goofy took me away, but you followed us. I was scared because the heartless were coming and one kept following me. But when I stopped to watch, I knew it was you. And I knew I wasn't going to abandon you, no matter what form you were in. Now that I've been training with Merlin at home, I know I really do have a lot to learn about fighting and combat. I also know that I won't stop trying to help and protect people. Even if that means a tiny heartless that's following me.

[ she smiles at him, fondly, the smile of a best friend who will never let him die. maybe this time she really will be able to protect him. ]

E-1

[madetodoevil]

A green plant woman with a rose-like coif, wearing a fancy red dress, is the closest to Kairi... and, seeing as that plant woman doesn't need to eat, she doesn't seem especially bothered by the strange cuisine. She's just smiling, enjoying the fine dining experience. New experiences are so rare for her that nearly everything entertains her.

Rather smugly, she says, "I've never been to any dinner party, dear."

[keyofflowers]

Kairi doesn't seem the least bit bothered by her companion's appearance. She glances around at the rest of the guests, and the host on the other side of the table. It could be worse, she supposes, but this still isn't helping in the long run.

"I don't know if this is the best example of a dinner party," she admits wryly. "Well, no, I guess the party isn't so bad. Everyone seems friendly enough. The food isn't exactly what I'm used to."

B!

[astericus]

( totally fine with spoilers!! xion's canon point is the end of days still, though! )


"Maybe we should try climbing?" Xion tries, standing near Kairi and looking up at the birds herself with one arm resting behind her back and the other shielding her eyes in an odd, almost mirror-image of the girl next to her.

"Or do you think if we're up there they'll just come back and land on us?" Because look. Birds were cute, and all, but she's not so sure how she feels about a bunch of them landing on top of her.

[keyofflowers]

"They might," Kairi answers thoughtfully, watching the birds still. It's an odd sort of standoff. Neither of the girls really wants to give up on their quest, and yet these birds are being so odd about not leaving. "I can't tell if they're acting like normal birds."

To be honest, she's a little afraid of the idea that the birds' emotions might be able to affect things the way hers can. Or maybe the birds can be hurt or manipulated with emotional responses. Not that Kairi wants to hurt them, but if it's true, that's something they will need to be cautious of, too.

"If they do try to land on us, I'll just make sure to be the more appealing perch," she adds on, smiling at Xion. Kairi doesn't mind being a bird perch, as long as they don't decide to start pecking at her.

B

[thunder_mother]

Lucy had been passing by below when the rustling of wings had distracted her. Then she'd heard a young woman's voice, and had been curious enough go and find her. It hadn't been difficult to match up 'grumpy birds' with the request she'd seen on the Task Board.

"I take it they're still not moving?" Lucy asked, shielding her eyes as she looked up at the roof.

[keyofflowers]

At this point, Kairi isn't surprised to see someone else approaching. She'd be more surprised if she were the only one interested in solving this problem.

"Not yet," Kairi admits. "They'll hop away a little bit, like they're thinking about it, but in the end they go right back where they were. I'm really not sure what to do about them now."

E1

[boundbynaught]

[ OOC: Good with spoilers. We'll assume this is after he gets back from canon update and has his own body again. ]

"I thought I was getting invited here because of being the Snow White's bakery store manager," Arden confesses quietly, "but looking around the room..." He looks up and down the table. "I don't see many people I recognize as bakers and cooks."

He sits back in his chair with a small sigh, crossing his arms. "Guess it was just random chance after all."

His mild complaint over, he looks over at Kairi not really enthused by the meal options. "Do you want me to try them first?"

[keyofflowers]

Kairi is glad to have at least one friend here with her, even if she doesn't know him all that well yet. It makes such a daunting event a little less scary.

"Maybe," she agrees with a slight frown. "I'm not sure what to think. There are so many of us. It makes me wonder if this is the real purpose we're here or if there's some other one."

She's been doing a bit of thinking since she got the invitation. Maybe there really is another reason why they're all here, a less pleasant one. The event itself isn't doing much to help her unease. And the food options even less. Kairi frowns down at the bat wings.

"Only if you want to," she answers. "I don't think I'll be trying anything." She won't force Arden into anything if he really doesn't want to, but she won't say that his opinion wouldn't help in the long run.

B

[getting_better]

"Stubborn is a word for it I suppose." Says the eagle owl that quietly landed next to her. Well, "says" isn't really accurate, more like communicated via some telepathy or the like.

"Oh hello. Don't mind me, just watching." Bishop says before he gets comfy and starts to preen himself.

[keyofflowers]

The owl is pretty and majestic and Kairi appreciates the company. By now, she has gotten used to a lot of things and a telepathic owl is just normal.

She smiles at him for a moment before returning to gazing at the birds on the roof. "It sounded from the task board like they were intruding, but I'm starting to think that might not be the case."

B!

[opelucidspartan]

Drayden honestly would not paid much mind to the birds on the roof as he passed by if he hadn't caught what Kairi had said. He had gotten used to animals residing on roofs and even being something of an annoyance, but they were really nothing more than just that back home in Opelucid City. Well, until someone complained but that was his lot in life back home. Here and now however, he could hardly ignore a small girl attempting to puzzle out a dilemma.

"I have found that birds tend to be stubborn when they have found a home. What all have you tried?" Because maybe he can help her figure it out on her own, or even give her a hand. At least he sounds like he's curious about her answer.

[keyofflowers]

Kairi glances over at the newcomer as he speaks, happy to have the extra help. She's about to give up at this point, thinking that maybe moving the birds isn't a viable solution.

"I've tried luring them away using food, kindness, anything imaginable, but they don't seem to want to go anywhere," she says with a sigh. "I was thinking they were the intruders at first. Maybe I've got the wrong idea."

Maybe the birds got here first and the person inside just picked a house with birds on it. In that case, Kairi might just give up on the task and let the birds be. Especially if they aren't giving anyone any trouble.

E-1

[sjokolade]

[I'm fine with spoilers! I've been spoiled anyway!]

[Kairi wasn't the only one who found the dishes to be questionable. While Anna didn't mind trying new things, there was only so much she could take. Between the bat wings, snakes, and that weird looking tail thing, just how was she suppose to eat this?

Not only that, she kept on looking at certain plates. Just in case if any of them might be alive and kicking]

You're telling me! What kind of place would want to serve this stuff?!

[keyofflowers]

[ kairi is definitely in the same boat as anna at this point and she glances sympathetically over at her fellow redhead. ]

Maybe it's something normal for him? [ she suggests, though her tone is a little more dubious. ] I don't know if any of this is normal for this world, though. It's definitely not normal for mine.

f-1

[lightblooming]

[ Much like Sora, Aqua doesn't need any magic lessons, but it never hurts to attend one of these all the same. Who knows? She might pick up something she doesn't know from these lessons. And while she didn't expect to see Kairi here, it's definitely not an unwelcome surprise either.

When Kairi finished, Aqua can't help but smile. ]

I don't have a question persay, but I do have a comment. I think that you're on the right track to become a hero that others can count on.

[keyofflowers]

[ knowing what she does now about the other keyblade wielders, little though it is, kairi swells with pride at aqua's words. so much so that the air around her begins to shimmer a little, giving off warmth to equal her happiness at the compliment. ]

Thank you, [ she says warmly, smiling brightly at aqua. ] That means a lot to hear you say that. I'm trying my best because I want to be able to help like you, Sora, and Riku do. And everyone else.

[ she just keeps getting shoved to the sidelines and she's tired of it. ]

E-1

[sortofprincess]

[So Evie's a little surprised to have gotten a dinner invitation from a Count, but not too much. Seems like maybe he got a whiff of who her mother is? Hard to say.

Thing is, what's being offered for dinner doesn't actually shock or surprise Evie. She'd had worse on the Isle of the Lost. In fact, the whole meal reminds her of that hellhole. Food has gotten so much better since she moved to Auradon, it's hard to keep a straight face and remember what it was like to live on leftovers, rotten fruit, and molding discards.

But that's not going to stop her from trying to find the good in this dinner party. There has to be something.]

Never anything quite like this. But it's fun, right? We'll meet new friends and get a.... unique dining experience!

[Poor girl's trying to convince herself as much as Kairi. Just keep smiling, just keep smiling...]

[keyofflowers]

[ at this point they both need to be convinced and kairi latches onto evie's attempt. this isn't the best dinner party she's been to, but it could probably be worse. ]

That's one way to look at it, [ kairi says dubiously, though she smiles not long afterwards. ] I definitely haven't had an experience like this. Though it could be a lot worse. At least everyone seems nice enough so far.

[ and no one's been turned into a heartless or a nobody yet, so that's a good sign, right? ]