memepatheias | Test Drive: May

— TEST DRIVE: MAY —

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 24th of April and Applications (Canon | OC) open a week later on May 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!
For any concerns or questions, head over to this top level.

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: Perhaps one may have heard that Verens used to be a floating island, and it was! When the island then ended up on the surface, creatures which explorers have called "Dinosaurs" (quotation marks included) were discovered inhabiting the plains and the mountains in a far off area. It's time to go back to the jurassic world for a very important mission: gather as many Amaranthus Rubus, red pearl-shaped fruits that heal any and all wounds on one's skin. The hospital needs it! As such, one needs to prepare.

Explorers do not wish to harm the "Dinosaurs", as they are afraid the "Dinosaurs" would go extinct should any danger be placed unto them. This means that one's option when encountering volatile and aggressive "Dinosaurs" is to run away. A fun run is now being held in Verens a few days prior to the trip to the "Dinosaur" plains, where 50 sylvs and a t-shirt that says "I successfully ran away from a 'Dinosaur'!". The colour of the shirt is random, though, but there are as many as the colours of the rainbow. Maybe trade with somebody else who's finished the run if you don't like yellow so much.

• PROMPT E: Once the preparations have been made, it's time to set forth into the land of the “Dinosaurs”. As you enter their domain, it may be difficult to resist the temptation to interact with these rare and unusual creatures, and some of the “dinosaurs” are indeed tranquil and herbivorous. Go ahead and feed the long-necks leafy branches and if you're feeling daring, climb up on their backs for a ride! However, many of the “dinosaurs” are quite a bit more dangerous, and they are very territorial. If you cross paths with the a pack of raptors, prepare to run, fight, or distract. All explorers have been supplied with strips of alluring jerky to placate the beasts. Who knows, you might even make a friend! Be careful not to lose and hand, though.

The Amaranthus Rubus is thickest near the home of the most terrifying “dinosaur” of all, the "Tyrannosaur", and if you are daring enough to approach the lair of this creature to reap the fruits, you may not even have the chance to run away before the creature corners you, roars, and...wiggles his sad, little arms. It seems poor old "Tyrannosaur" just wants some kind of tool to extend his reach! Help him out and he will let you go. Or refuse, and he'll eat you. Sounds reasonable, right?

• PROMPT F: It seems like the land of the "Dinosaurs" isn't so bad after all! Perhaps "Dinosaurs" and man can co-exist, but for that to happen, much research will have to be made regarding a "Dinosaur"'s way of life. Now aboard the ship to head back to the city, researchers are talking about another excursion in the future that's solely for researching on "Dinosaurs" - various species, what they eat, their excrement, and the like.

The trip back to Verens is a little long. Perhaps you're just resting in one of the rooms when there's an explosive sound that can be heard. Oh no! It looks like the engine's running out of steam! Luckily, there's a steam generator in the ship, but steam can only be made through cooperation, anger, and sadness. The entire ship needs your help to get back to the city safely, and if you have to hold someone's hand, slap them, and yell at them to get them to manifest their emotions tangibly, then do so!

• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include swords and/or stones.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I need you to run a straight line through as many obstactles as possible. I can get us out, but I need to concentrate.

Usually only do this with another person for like ten seconds, so the sooner we lose them the less likely I'll break.

[Its not like it takes much concentration to maintain, but better safe than sorry. She'd rather not have him run into a tree.]

[That's all a very vague explanation, though his expectations are clearly given. It's the lack of context that should bother him, really, if not for the suggestion beforehand: take a leap of faith.

He doesn't know her, but he'll forestall his questions, giving her the benefit of the doubt and trusting in her confidence for now. Markus is, at his core, very good at that.

(Well. Forestall most of his questions, at least.)]

And where will you be in all of this?

However you can best run carrying me. No way I can keep pace, but I need to touch you to make it work.

[So hey, her own risk on that leap of faith. He goes down, so does she.]

[Good to have clarified before they dove straight into this plan, for certain. But now that expectations have been a little more defined, he nods, looking back down.]

Then unless there's anything else you think I should know before we start, better sooner rather than later. Don't you think?

It's going to feel really weird. [So you know, fair warning. But she's moving up and closer to his branch.]

Just keep running no matter what until we can't see any trace of them.

[He's steady, balanced, only moving his eyes enough to track her movement closer below, and then shifting slightly in the event he does need to scoop her up and make a mad dash for it.]

'Feeling' really weird is relative. [To, you know, someone who's synthetic and not organic.] But I'm ready.

Probably not the worst feeling, at least.

[She's got a good sense of balance, at least. Managing to get up to him all right. And at least she's light. Thanks, street life.]

Right. Just hit as many obstacles as you can. [Grabbing onto his arm, ready to pull herselg up on his back. Or get scooped up, whichever he prefers.] Let's go.

[For the sake of running, at least, it'll be easier to heft her on his back and carry her that way.]

Yeah, got it.

[A leap of faith, indeed, instilled with a mote of assuredness. They'll surely get out of this alive, won't they? With how swiftly and determinedly Markus bolts down from branch to branch, heading to ground, at least he moves with confidence that belies that much.]

[She'll hold on tight, though careful not to 'choke' him. Kind of a pointless gesture for him, but it's not as if she knows better.]

[She watches as they go down, sees the raptors, and it's timing because it had to be the moment right after he hits the ground or else they'll go too far. But she's very good at timing.]

[There's the thud of hitting the ground, raptors moving for them, and Dani focuses. Normally there's a cool sensation when Dani makes someone intangible, but well, that does take feeling. At least her intangibility isn't known to mess up on machines, not without her deliberately breaking a thing, anyway. ]

[But whatever claws or teeth that might have gotten close instead just goes right through them.] Go, go, go! [As well as most anything else, only sometimes timing it to flicker his feet safely back to tangibility whenever they start drifting into the ground.]

[It's not a feeling that he experiences, no, but his sensors are informing him of something strange and impossible happening to his body -- warning messages in the corner of his HUD, relaying these oddities.

He ignores them.

Teeth snap at him, moving right through him. Markus' eyes widen, fighting against the impulse to try to dodge at swiping claws, realigning his priorities when she yells at him to go.

And so he does. Following her directions of trying to careen through as many obstacles as possible, and that includes both dinosaurs and trees alike, the world whipping past them.]

Keep going. Nothing is gonna touch us, I got this. [Various encouragements, one part to keep him going, another part to keep her focused.]

[Intangibility wasn't hard, but she doesn't usually go longterm, let alone manipulating parts of other people in precise placements. It was important to keep herself on track.]

[But mostly focused on that, she does, and well, there's only so many trees and brush a pack is willing to hunt through.]

[It's true, and trusting her to keep her word, Markus practically flies through any tree and nettled undergrowth he can find, beating back instinct to go around them and instead adjust his priorities to go through them.

The raptors can only weave through the trees so much before they begin to lose ground altogether. Efficient pack hunters as they are, they can't upend the rules of the universe by passing through solid matter, and so after a stint of running -- Markus still moving as fast as his android legs can take him, which isn't anything to scoff at -- they're finally lost amongst the trees, having found their way to safety.]

I think they're gone. [He finally offers, only after being completely certain that they are.]

[Really, Dani is grateful he could make the run. Whenever she's had to phase someone to save them, there's always this freak out about the whole going through solid matter thing. It makes it a lot easier he could just trust her when she said they'd be fine.]

[She can hear less crashing now. After all, they're moving more or less silently so sound meant raptors. And more and more, the sound faded even if her focus was more on Marku's legs.]

[But now there's more or less silence and Dani waits until he's clear of any brush before finally releasing the intangibility.]

[Then groaning and letting her forehead bump against his shoulder.] Ugh, head rush....

[Markus eventually lurches to a stop, registering the sensation of her being quite solid next on his shoulder.

A quick turn around confirms that they're out of danger, but Markus decides to keep pressing forward in a hurried walk.]

Are you all right?

Yeah. Just usully a few second thing, let alone doing precise stuff on another person for a while. Takes a lot of focus.

But you're a good. Most people scream or go into shock when I do that. [Gonna give him an appreciative head pat.]

Test Drive: May

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