memepatheias | Test Drive: April

Entry tags:

*test drive

Test Drive: April

— 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:

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!
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.
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...

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?
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?
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.

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.
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!
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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Prompt B - Birds]

[Oh gosh. How did she get herself into this. She just thought she'd offer to lend a hand, but these birds aren't going anywhere, and now she's covered in... guano. This is so unhealthy.

She peers over the roof at the nearest person available and yells down to them.] Um, hi! Could you lend me a hand?

[Prompt C]

[There's a young, teenage girl peering into the amulet, constantly adjusting it so that it shows her own face in full. At first, she seems a little shy about introducing herself, the blush on her dark cheeks obvious.]

Hello! My name's Connie Maheswaran. It's really nice to meet you all.

I've got to say, going to other planets is one thing, but I've never been sent to another dimension before... [She raises her fists in front of herself, her shyness fading altogether.] But I'm so excited! This place is just like my favorite book series, The Spirit Morph Saga!

If you ever need any help going on, you know, some kind of epic quest, just let me know! I'm your girl!

[Prompt F - First Class]

[Connie stands a little shyly at the front of the room, arms crossed over her stomach, a light blush on her cheeks. She always hates this part - introducing herself. You'd think, in comparison to everything else she's been through, it'd be no problem, but the brain is irrational like that.

After a moment of silence, she speaks, smiling awkwardly.]

I'm Connie Maheswaran. I'm thirteen years old, and I'm a Crystal Gem. Um, not that you know what that means... but anyway! It's really nice to meet you all.

Um, being a hero... I used to think it was all about self-sacrifice. You know, being willing to give up everything for the right cause. But being a hero's not about that. Being a hero means... being strong in the real way. Supporting your friends. Always having their back. Standing up for what's right. It means bravery, but it doesn't mean being foolish.

[She nods.] That's what being a hero means to me.

[Steven had volunteered to attend the class along with Connie, because it looked like lots of fun! And when she was chosen to speak, he tried his best to be supportive. Sure enough, when she made her speech, it was simply heart-warming. In fact, he was quick to rise from his desk to give her a standing ovation.]

Bravo, bravo! That has to be one of the greatest hero speeches I ever heard! [He grins proudly, while starry-eyed and emanating a soft pink aura.]

[Some of the other students snicker at Steven's boundless enthusiasm, but Connie doesn't mind. She only grins at him.]

Thanks, Steven!

[The teacher asks if she wants to take any questions from the class.] Uh, sure! Why not? [She looks out at the class.] Does anyone have any questions?

[He really hoped that the rest of the class would join in, but they didn't seem keen on doing so. Soon he let his applause die out, but he flashed a grin back at Connie while sheepishly sitting back in his seat.

And then, he's quick to raise his hand.]

Ooh! Ooh, I have a question! Over here!

[This is kind of fun. It's like actually getting to go to school with Connie.]

[Sorry, Steven, not everyone's as enthusiastic as you are.

But she still doesn't care, as long as Steven is here. So when Steven raises his hand, she eagerly points to him - this is pretty fun.] And you, sir?

[It's okay. This just means he'll have to try harder to hype Connie up.]

Well, Madam Speaker... [He says in a lofty tone, while just barely suppressing some giggles.] ...who I have never met before! ...Is it true that you're one of the best sword fighters ever?

[She's barely not giggling herself. The other kids seem to find this all very dorky (or boring), but that's hardly going to stop her.

In an equally lofty tone and a deeper voice, she says:] My good sir, it would be most unbecoming of me to brag, but I will say that many a strange creature has, in my time, tasted the edge of my blade.

[Steven snorts and lets out a few giggles before he goes on.]

Wow! You sure sound like one of the coolest heroes ever, Miss Connie Maheswaran! You know all these great things about heroes, and you're super awesome with a sword...! You've got it all! What else could you want in a hero? [He gives a shrug and looks around, only to see that the rest of the class isn't exactly being swayed.]

Oh c'mon! What else could you guys want?

[She sighs. The class' lack of enthusiasm is starting to get to her.]

It's fine, Steven. Don't worry about it. [Her words, though, are belied by her frown.]

Does anyone else have any questions...?

[He deflates a bit at how resigned Connie sees, but he still tries to flash her a supportive smile. He wants to ask another question to try to raise her cred, but they probably should let someone else take a turn at asking questions...

Soon enough, someone does speak up. A boy sitting near the back of the class who looks like a troublemaker. Without even raising his hand, he asks if "twig like her" can even really pick up a sword, and some of his friends chuckle in response. Steven is quickly bothered.]

H-hey, that's not nice! Of course she can!

[Her cheeks turn a darker shade of brown at the boy's comment, her frown deepening as she looks at the ground. She shouldn't let this bother her. She's gone through so much, and it's just a kid being a kid, right?

She tries to remember what Garnet said to her. "Take a moment to think of just/flexibility love and trust," right? She takes a deep breath and tries to stay calm, focused. As she focuses on being calm, an old apple on the teacher's desk slowly begins to become bright red and shiny again.

Once she's calm, she turns to the boy and smiles.] Did you know swords are lighter than you think? I bet you can lift one too!

[Before the boy can respond, she looks away from him, officially putting him out of her mind, and says:] Anyone else have any questions?

[Steven was bothered enough by that question that he gave off hints of steam. Still, watching Connie's response impressed him and helped to calm him down a bit. She handed that so gracefully! Even so, he can't help but chime a bit.]

That, and Connie's one of the strongest people I know. I bet she could carry five swords if she wanted!

[The teacher than urges Steven not to talk out of turn and to let the other students have a chance. As for the troublemaking kid, he seems to have been silenced by her answer and doesn't have any comeback prepared.

The next person to raise a hand is a mousy young girl with glasses sitting in a corner of a room. She shyly tells Connie that she reminds her of ther hero of one of her books.]

[Connie is super touched by the young girl who speaks next. She reminds her so much of herself, or rather, who she was not too long ago - a mousy young girl who likes books. She can't help but feel almost protective of her.

Trying to keep her emotions in check, she says, smiling:] Thank you very much! That means a lot to me. You know, I really love books too - my favorite's this fantasy series called "The Spirit Morph Saga." It has this really cool girl hero who can use magic and has her own familiar!

I never thought I'd get to be a cool hero like that. But maybe, one day, you'll be able to become a hero too.

[The girl is touched by that response and smiles widely. And that feedback helps to wash away some of Steven's lingering anger, and instead he starts feeling a lot warmer, the positive feelings emitting some sparkles in the air.]

That's right! [Steven adds on.] I wish they had those books here. But even if they don't, you can still become that kind of hero here!

[The teacher then informs them that it's almost time for recess and asks if Connie has any closing remarks.]

[Connie feels that sense of warmth too - a sense of gratefulness that she's made this young girl happy. It literally radiates off her, casting her in a slight white glow for a moment. For a moment, she's surprised, looking down at her hands - she's still not used to this. But then the teacher asks her if she has any closing statements and the glow fades.]

Um, closing remarks? Sure! I just want to say that Steven is right - you can become that kind of hero here. You can become the hero you've always wanted to be here. Because... anyone can be a hero, even if - especially if - you think you can't.

[She smiles at the class.] That's all! Thank you for your time, everyone.

[Steven grins widely as he watches her. She was really glowing brilliantly for a moment there! And after her remarks are done, he once more gives a standing ovation. But this time, he's not alone. The mousy girl joins in, and more of the class also joins in, if with less enthusiasm. Even the troublemaker does too, though his are a bit slower and sarcastic.

With class dismissed for recess, Steven waits for Connie out in the hallway.]

Connie, that was great! You did so well!

[Connie is overjoyed by the people clapping for her. She feels an immense sense of relief - relief that she did well, relief that (mostly) she wasn't made fun of. She's literally glowing again by the time she leaves class, and when see sees Steven in the hallway, she has to not run over and hug him. She settles for taking his hands in hers instead, smiling brightly at him.]

Thank you, Steven! I did my best.

[Steven's smile grows wider as they claps hands. And the air around them grows more comfortably warm.]

You did? That would explain how you were the best! [He says with a giggle.] You... had a tough crowd, but I think they're all really starting to come around!

[She giggles too.] Yeah! I think so too.

That shy girl... she reminded me a lot of, um, me. You know?

[he nods along.]

So it wasn't just me who thought that! It's like you when we first met... She's a little Baby Connie!

[She laughs at that.] Aww, a baby me! You're right! I must have been super adorable back then.

[She can't help but notice that she's still glowing.] Um, Steven. This doesn't seem to be turning off...

Of course! [He recalls fondly. It's not like she ever stopped being adorable, either-

And he giggles at her observation, while a warm pink glow surrounds him.]

That's a good thing! It means you're feeling that happy right now. The emotional effects just highlight that!

Oh, yeah! I guess I am really happy. [She laughs to herself.] The emotion magic here is so cool! I can't wait to learn everything I can about it.

It is, isn't it? [He says, emitting sparkles as he giggles.] It's like the world's putting a frosting on top of the cupcake of what you're feeling! There's a whole lot to learn about it - and about the art to control it, dunamis!

That's such a good way of putting it!

[She smiles even wider, if such a thing is possible.] Wait! We can learn about it together, right, Steven? You can teach me!

Connie Maheswaran | Steven Universe

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