TEST DRIVE: June

[empevents]

— TEST DRIVE: JUNE —

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 25 May and Applications (Canon | OC) open a week later on June 1st. Reminder: Our application cycle only lasts 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: Empatheias seems to love festivals! Every festival is always filled with so many people - whichever city might be celebrating it. However, the next coming days has Verens filled with people from all over the world. The Nightingale, as most people know her, is a travelling Fortune Teller who has decided to pass through Verens for a few nights. As such, she's set up a booth. She will tell the fortune of whomever wants it for only 10 Sylvs.

Apart from being able to see one's future, The Nightingale also sells various wares that would improve one's luck, one's love life, one's career, and the like. Buying a blue adamantium bracelet is said to triple one's bank account, while buying a red feather hat would give its wearer more opportunities to meet new people. Just about every item for every possible effect can be found in The Nightingale's Shop, and everything is limited edition! Perhaps one may want to try purchasing an item and see what happens.

• Prompt E: Rumours are going around about how The Nightingale’s fortunes and her charms are effective. Verens is abuzz with stories such as that man who stumbled upon some spare Sylvs while wearing one of The Nightingale’s pendants, or a shopkeeper whose profits shot up threefold in a week after she paid the fortune teller a visit. Everyone’s horoscopes as told by The Nightingale, even those as specific as, “You will accidentally run into a wall in the next five minutes” or “You will be unable to control a particularly odious fart while you are walking with a good friend”, are coming true. A strange phenomenon, to be sure, but those who are perceptive and diligent enough may notice that a person’s emotional state might just have something to do with how fortunes come true. Persons dominated by negative emotions receive negative fortunes, and so on.

• Prompt F: Some of these fortunes sound just a little bit too good, don’t they? And the frequency with which they come true is suspicious on its own. How could the Nightingale be so precise and accurate in all things? Well, as it turns out...she’s not so precise. Or, at least, not in actuality. Her fortunes and charms are, in fact, powerful spells that fool those under their influence to believe they are coming true, when they are, in fact, not. Once she begins to pack up to leave town and head to her next destination, charms will begin to break, bank accounts will fall back to their normal numbers, and newly-found sweethearts will find their eyes unclouded. Will you stand for this trickery?

If confronted, the Nightingale will reveal her true form as a powerful demon witch. She will not hesitate to attack those who provoke her, and her offensive spells are powerful enough to turn friends against one another. Avoid her magical blasts and aim for the talisman she carries! Once the talisman is broken, the Nightingale will disappear in a puff of smoke...but at least she seems to leave behind all the sylvs she collected while in town. Maybe your fortunes aren’t so bad after all...


• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include seeds and/or spoons.

Comments

[dadication]

"We did a lot of stopping along the way and not much of it good," he snapped, admitting that he played a part in the tumultuous of their relationship at the end. Holding things together was all he could accomplish, trying until the bitter end to let Reyes have some mobility to work while also casting a shadow like he was keeping the older man from having anything to do with operations.

He smelled smoldering bark and grass, waiting for the moment when one or both of them would catch on fire. His head snapped back with the punch and his lip split, spilling blood across his teeth and dribbling down his chin. He twisted and struggled against the grasp of claws, noting there were definitely more than the ten fingers Reaper owned in the mix.

One hand moved to clutch at Reaper's jacket to roll them away from the tree enough that he could make an active effort to throw his weight up to straddle Reyes to begin his rain of punches.

"It matters because apparently you still have come capacity to care."

[gr1m]

They both played a part in how that ended, that was for sure. Communication broke down until it was nonexistent when the needed thing was to actually talk, but both of them had their attentions elsewhere; both at fault, both to blame.

He practically snarled at the sudden movement, torso twisting before arms came up as some sort of shield from the assault of fists, forearms taking every blow. For the moment pinned, even with how damned easy it was for him to get out of this. Didn't take a damn thought, seconds, but he remained solid rather than wraithing himself away.

Those extra hands hadn't let go of 76's jacket either, pulling at it as if trying to distract him, or even get him enough off balance to pull him back. Gripping at biceps and the collar of jacket and shirt, those clawed fingers catching at leather and fabric alike in their efforts. These extra limbs didn't pack all of the strength Reaper had in his own, but damn if they weren't stronger than the average man's either. Would have been stronger if they weren't pulling from his own shadow and he could see what he was doing, but it was what he was working with.

"More than just some, jackass!"

[dadication]

From their shared past, there were so many old wounds, so many old regrets and only the two of them knew the extent of how badly things had gone. Ana had been presumed dead by then and they kept their own break-downs in communication to themselves as it all fell apart. They played their parts, bone weary from fighting the world and internally, and now all that pain was coming to a head.

Once on top, he locked his knees tight to Reyes' sides to maintain his position while he punched and punched, not pausing for a moment to do more than rain more down. All of his anger, all of his frustration, all of his pain at and for this man came out as his face screwed up in a mix of being completely furious and absolutely devastated. The blood running down his lips and chin only emphasized the mix.

He had to shrug off hands that were grasping at his clothing between his own punches. As more of them were added to the mix, the less strength to his strikes and he rocked and twisted his shoulders to try to dislodge them even as he kept his position.

"Then why didn't you come for me?! You knew I survived and I suspected you did! If you damn well cared so much, why didn't you come?"