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memepatheias2019-07-19 09:10 am
empevents) wrote in memepatheias2019-07-19 09:10 am
Entry tags:
Test Drive: AUGUST
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 July and Applications (Canon | OC) open a week later on August 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!
• 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: Mystery boxes have begun to turn up not only on people’s doorsteps but also anywhere they go - at their workplaces, dropped off on their cafe tables, even falling out of trees or windows right in front of them. There is nothing special about the boxes themselves - nothing is written on them and they are made out of generic cardboard - but they may contain items such as a set of cute furry animal figurines, a ring of old tarnished keys, or a fancy but stained secondhand fedora. Others, however, have more sinister, mysterious contents, such as a black coat with a muddy hem, a blood-spattered kitchen knife or even what looks like a severed bloody finger. Ask around about who has been leaving these boxes all over the place, and you will get conflicting reports. Otherworlders lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a person suddenly in a hurry to leave the scene will learn that this person behind the mystery boxes can appear as a man, or a woman, or neither.
• Prompt E: Receiving a mystery box has its pros and cons. Some items give so much emotion and energy to a person, exaggerating everything they feel and think. It's a good thing at times, because when one is happy, they truly are HAPPY! When one feels like they're on top of the world, they may end up floating! However, there are instances in which the other person feels like they're drowning due to sadness, in which case, they may feel like they're underwater and need air to breathe. Don't worry! In times like these, all you need is a slap in the face to make you feel better! Or if that's too physically hurtful, others have discovered that crying stops the hyperbole of emotions, too.
• Prompt F: Investigations eventually lead to the founder of the cryptocurrency EmoGold who goes by the pseudonym "Sato" to be the one sending out mystery boxes to people. It seems the emotional currency has taken a dive in terms of exchange rate between EmoGold and Sylvs that he thought giving out mystery boxes to people would make them want to learn more about EmoGold and mining… sadly that didn't work and only proceeded to creep people out! "Sato" is now under custody of the Enforcers, and all the furniture in his house (strange and unique as they may be) is now up for auction! A lamp that looks like a cow and shoots light out of its eyes for 5,000 sylvs going once… going twice… SOLD!
• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include forks and/or snow.
8|
[Thankfully, that good-natured undertone in John’s voice helps. A bit.]
[He’s not sure how to handle such a greeting. Back in the camp, he’d always received some sort of aggressive number, with the occasional tepid response on a good day. Not that John was ever guilty of either—he’d let Kieran be and he returned the favor in kind—but to be met with some semblance of happiness treads just a little too much into foreign territory to be of any substantial comfort to Kieran.]
[And that doesn’t even include the jarring reminder of that awful business after little Jack’s triumphant return. He’d been trying his hardest not to not dwell on how the O’Driscolls captured him, and the horrendous brutality that had ensued, perfectly content with enjoying what this new world had to offer him in recompense.]
[No, it’s better to focus on the positives. He has a fr... no not a friend. Not quite. An acquaintance? Does that even fit? Ah well... in any case, he has someone here who he knows. Someone who, as far as he can tell, doesn’t want him dead. Again.]
[So Kieran offers a dip of his head that doesn’t quite meet John’s eye, but one that’s at least accompanied by a genuine grin.]
Y-yeah, it’s me!
...Howdy!
[Aaaannnnd he regrets that the moment it comes out of his mouth who the fuck actually says ‘howdy’ without sounding like a complete tool good job Kieran you idiot just go ahead and bury yourself now]
B)
... Then again, maybe John's the weird one here. After all, he's the feller talking to a guy whose grave he's visited recently.]
Of all the fellers to show up here!
[At least he doesn't appear put off by that "howdy," right??]
Never once thought I'd see you. Least, not after—er... [Not that this is a situation he could have possibly been in before, but John has a feeling it's not nice to casually mention someone's decapitated body to him. Instead he just gestures vaguely at Kieran's torso and head... which he realizes shortly afterward is probably not much better.] Well. You know.
[
Does he????Uh. MOVING RIGHT ALONG. John extends a hand for a handshake, and if it's accepted he'll give Kieran an amiable pat on the shoulder with his free hand.] How the hell are you doin' here?8|!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[Here he is, standing in front of John Marston--who looks quite a bit older if not entirely wiser--in a completely different world that Kieran can't decide is heaven, hell, or some odd rendition of purgatory, not too long after his own cruel demise that his fellow cowpoke is trying his damndest to both pantomime but not pantomime simultaneously in an odd choreography that begs the timeless question 'What is the appropriate social protocol for meeting up with a dead fella for the first time in what we can only assume to be years?'.]
[It doesn't get much weirder than that.]
[Or so he thinks. He really has no idea what's in store for him.]
[So Kieran, sort of numbly, takes John's hand and gives it a good shake. It's the most normal thing he can latch onto in this most bizarre of situations.]
Oh, y'know. I'm doin' pretty good.
[He pauses, still shaking John's hand.]
I mean, most things are better than dead! Haha!
Hah...
[Oh no he made it worse.]
[He made it muuuuuuch worse...]
[Kieran clears his throat.]
...So, uh, h-how're you?
BD
Yep, that's how John is going to handle this.
What could go wrong??
Oh yeah, and he's going to just... take his hand out of that shake... as gently as he can. No offense, Kieran, but you're making this awful weird.]
I'm, uh, I'm. Well, I'm good. Real good, actually. Aside from bein'... here, I guess.
[Oh, right, there's some context that Kieran is missing.]
Look, uh... a lot happened since you—[Died? Passed on? Lost your head??]
... Since you was around. [Nailed it.] The gang, well, the gang ended. A long time ago now. Things got bad, and we lost some good folks. Some of us was lucky enough to get out, me included.
B|
[His face visibly falls when he hears about the fate of the van der Linde gang. Despite how they treated him, Kieran had finally started to feel like they were sort of warming up to him despite his status as ‘no good, dirty O’Driscoll’.]
I’m sorry t’hear that. Honest.
[Further, he knew how much the group meant to the longer lasting members like Arthur and John—the latter especially, who had started to raise a family within his already existing family.]
[Which begged the question...]
Did Abigail and little Jack get out alright?
[Because it’s one thing to have adults deal with their own messes and their own mistakes. It’s quite another to have a child, especially one as young as Jack, get caught up in the nastiest sides of being an outlaw.]
B]
At least, out of all the mistakes the gang made that last year, they managed not to completely screw that one up.
But when Kieran brings up Jack and Abigail, John lights up, his face creasing into a clumsy, crooked smile.]
Yeah! Yeah, they did. I—we're married. Me and Abigail. Proper like. We're a real family now, her and me and the boy. I've got a ranch, too, a house, out near Blackwater. It's real pretty country! Real pretty.
BU
[So he withstood the angry glares, taunts, and hazing, strung along by the hope that came with the occasional call of his name by people who previously despised him simply because of who he’d fallen in with out of necessity. Those baby steps towards acceptance meant the entire world to him because that’s as far as he’d gotten with any kind of group in years. Those first glimpses of kindness—hell, even some lukewarm neutrality—hinted at the potential for something more... even if there were plenty of people in the gang who’d have none of it.]
[And it’s also why when John’s face lights up with that silly grin that Kieran instinctively matches it. Sure, they weren’t buddies, but John had been one of the more decent (if aloof) folks. He deserved to get out of the outlaw life, to start fresh with his—now proper!—family.]
No kiddin’? That’s great news!
[And just like that, Kieran’s hyper-focused on the positive. Something good’s gotta come out of all that misery, and he’s glad to hear about—even if he won’t exactly be able to see it for himself.]
Your family’s real lucky, sir. Getting a ranch set up ain’t easy.
>BD
He huffs a soft chuckle.]
Don't know how lucky they are, seein' as they're stuck with me. I ain't much of a rancher, but... I'm tryin'. [To his family, to Charles and Sadie, and... to some extent Uncle. And to Arthur, for getting him out of there in the first place.]
Hey, uh, I've been. Well, I've been tryin' to get a ranch set up here. You know, in case Abigail and Jack ever turn up. Still haven't bought the land yet, but. [John gestures at the door invitingly.] You wanna come look at the land out there, help me pick out a good grazing spot?
[John's not sure how much time Kieran's actually spent on ranches—hell, he doesn't even know what kind of livestock is around here to raise—but he knows the feller's definitely closer to a ranch hand than he is a fighter. Who knows, maybe he has some useful experience that John's missing.]
>B||||||||
[At first, Kieran looks taken aback, brow furrowed and jaw slack (but thankfully not hanging open like some kind of buffoon). It’s not until it clicks that John’s offer is made entirely in earnest that his surprise slowly turns into a smile in a veritable roller coaster of high-low-high emotions that can only be brought about by honest feelings and well-meaning surprises. The air around him shimmers and, for just a moment, Kieran swears he can hear birdsong even though he and John aren’t close to any kind of open window (an oddity considering the beautiful outside weather).]
I... y-yeah! Yeah! I’d love ta!
[He’s no rancher—stables have always been where Kieran’s felt most comfortable, but he has some knowledge that he can contribute. A way that he can be useful outside of grooming horses and maintaining their tack.]
Lead the way!
>8DDDDD
Getting his head cut off.He's got a beaky little face, too.Then again, Jack gets excitable like this too, on occasion. Maybe Kieran is like Jack, except... without the shit attitude. That's interesting to think about. John makes a note to talk about that with Kieran someday. Might be nice to have the perspective of an excitable, soft kind of feller when it comes to understanding Jack a little better.
John gives Kieran a hint of a smile that ends up being more just a less unfriendly frown, and makes a broad beckoning gesture at the door as he turns that way himself.]
Come on, then. I found a stable out a ways, I'll show you.
[When he gets to the door, he starts to reach for the handle and hesitates. It looks stable enough, but... Well, he was thinking about Jack and Abigail for a bit there. And he thought about the gang, and what happened, and... Yeah, better assume the worst.
Rather than using the handle, John pushes the door open with his shoulder. The handle, as expected, falls immediately to the ground, all means of fastening it to the door having mysteriously come undone. The door itself—or rather its hinges—groan somewhat ominously but stay more or less firm. John waves his hand dismissively at the handle on the ground as he exits.]
Don't worry about that, that's me.
[That's a good enough explanation, right? Right.]
ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ
[Kieran falls in line behind John as he opens the door, a process that's far more involved than expected. He doesn't call any attention to the busted handle or to the jarring creak of hinges that, moments before, seemed to be working perfectly.]
[John's half-assed explanation is as good as any, though. Whatever weird voodoo that followed Mr. Marston was the same thing that made Kieran's shadows grow ominous and long, or the air around him warm and bright, or tickled his ears with peaceful sounds of nature he thought long lost with his childhood days.]
[Man alive, what he wouldn't give for a nice lake to sit by to listen to the frogs and watch the birds, just for a bit.]
No worryin' here!
[...Kieran pauses, recognizing thoroughly that he's kind of perpetually stuck in a state of panic.]
I mean, y'know, outside the usual.
[In other words, lots of worry. Just not over that door handle.]
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Right, the usual.
[He wheezes a raspy chuckle at Kieran's joke.
... That was a joke, right?
Shit. Uhhhhhh, moving on!! John leaves the broken door handle on the ground, because there's honestly no point in him trying to fix it. He also warily tests each paving stone of the street outside the building before stepping on them. He's tripped more than a few times.]
Things like that, they been happening since I got here. Just to me, seems like. How about you?
ಠ_ಠ
[But Kieran laughs along nervously anyway, doing his darndest to match John’s energy as he bypasses the handle without giving it further thought.]
[He continues to try to match John as he follows behind him, also testing each paving stone as if this were some weird iteration of ‘the floor is lava’ with special rules nobody bothered to make Kieran privy to. Best not to take any chances.]
[The exercise proves a bit much as Kieran misses the first part of what John says. His brow is furrowed in concentration and his eyes glued to the feet of the cowboy in front of him. It’s not until there’s a painfully long silence that he realizes that there was a question somewhere along the line.]
O-oh! Uh...
[Give him a moment as he pieces together whatever sounds his brain caught along with some situational context.]
N-not really. Sometimes I get some shadows and shimmers and whatnot, but nothin’s gone and broke on me.
Sh-should it?