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memepatheias2019-12-18 05:55 pm
empevents) wrote in memepatheias2019-12-18 05:55 pm
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Test Drive: January
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:- Pre-Intro Log. For the Test Drive, we are using parts of it as a "pre- intro log," which means not only can players go ahead and use the prompts as if the character is arriving into the game for the first time, but this setting will be adapted and continue in the official Intro Log. For TDM purposes the prompts are a little more generic and vague than what will be on the actual Intro Log, but they're relatable enough that can be easily transferred to the official log with a few minor tweaks. For those who do end up applying and entering into Emp, these threads are considered "forward dated" to the Intro Log.
- Date reminders. Reserves open December 25th and Applications (Canon | OC) open a week later on January 1st. Apps will only be open for four days! Because we're on a bi-monthly schedule, the next app cycle after this is MARCH.
- Emotions are key! Empatheias's 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. 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 to collect their emotions and serves as the network device. Remember, communication is telepathic, but it works basically the same as most other network devices.
- First or third person allowed. Your threads can be in either first or third, but we'd advise being flexible about it. If you have a preference, be sure to specify. 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.
- For your threads, put the Character Name and the Canon in the subject line to help readily identify them. You're 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!
• Prompt A: How about giving the emotions a try? Is your character feeling particularly wound up upon finding themselves in a new place? Or perhaps they're finally getting to live out the fantasy dream and are overjoyed! Or they just stubbed their toe and are in a lot of pain. Whatever it may be, this prompt is your catchall "let's try these emotion effects out" for any miscellaneous situation you may think up.
• 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: It's winter in Verens, and the festivities are alive with some new gimmicks. As always, emotions come into play, so be careful where they take you! Try not to destroy the city.
- Beware the Snowmen: Do you wanna build a snowman? All snowmen are affected by the emotions around them, and it doesn't take too much to make them come alive. They have imbibed different emotions around them, so you'll find lovey-dovey snowmen who have no respect for personal space, snowmen jumping up and down with joy, sad melting snowmen, and irate snowmen trying to lob their coal and carrots at you. A few snowmen have managed to get hold of murderous tendencies and will now try to kill you when you pass by. Good luck? It's kill or be killed.
- Bittersweet Chocolate: For those looking for a way to warm up, many cafes have begun to offer hot chocolate which is said to be the best in all of Verens. It tastes delicious, with the right amount of sweetness...except to those who hide their true attitude or personality behind a facade. To people who aren't true to themselves, the hot chocolate will taste terrible depending on how much they conceal, not feel. It'll also burn their tongues pretty quickly no matter how long the chocolate has been sitting around.
• Prompt E: Candles of Remembrance for Selenium, a holiday for mourning and grief, are always going through different changes for each year and the prototypes are distributed to see if it works. Normally, when lit, the candles create an image of a person sorely missed, whether they are dead or still alive. But something went wrong with the candle-making process this time. Various scents and aromas were infused into the candles to help improve moods, but the complete opposite is happening.
- Well, This Stinks: No images are produced from the smoke and flames, but instead, they exude horrible and disgusting smells from memory. They can range from recent events like burned cookies from last week, or the stench of a bloody battlefield from years past. The scent of the candle depends on the character lighting it, so everyone will be able to smell whatever they smell from it. It's very strong, so it's possible someone could actually feel nauseous either immediately or from prolonged exposure. But that's not all. The aroma will elicit varying feelings of regret, disgust, hatred, rage, and overdramatic despair.
- Counter Whiff: On the other end, a different kind of aromatic candle is producing far more pleasing scents, but it's way too strong. It's like getting a bottle of strong, "mature" perfume shoved up one's nose. The scents from these candles have even stranger effects, such as actually knocking someone unconscious; soothing them to sleep right on the spot; or even have strange hallucinations believing that the person in front of them is the one from their memories. The candles also make those affected strangely happy with extreme exuberance, and the emotion effects from their displays of joy are just as extravagant.
- Take a Walk on the Wild Side: Both candles have a troublesome side effect: their scents attract a variety of wildlife from the woods. Deer, skunks, chipmunks, foxes, all sorts of birds, you name it, they've begun to invade the city and zero in on those lighted candles, lingering around them or worse, actually taking the lit candles, which can (and will) potentially start fires. The fires can be put out normally, but strangely enough, after they go out, it is as if the affected structures and items were never burned in the first place. Now they just reek of candle scent. Attempts can be made to remove the scent, but it'll take either a lot of scrubbing or somehow creating emotions that produce a more pleasant scent.
• Prompt F: Boreas, or winter, is in the air and this month the city suffered from a number of wintery effects, partially due to the Arehtei Peromei. Some like the blizzard and mistletoe could be considered typical holiday fare. The werewolf flu sweeping the city, not so much, but that still hasn't stopped the citizens of Verens from celebrating the holiday season. [Note: Scenarios pulled from our current event, and the full details can be read here. Due to the timing, these threads cannot be carried over into the game.]
- Hibernation: A despair filled blizzard has taken the town by storm, bringing a strong urge to hibernate with it. Characters with strong negative emotions will be hit the hardest, but most everyone will feel the urge to take a nap right then and there at some point. There are ways to ward off the emotionally induced drowsiness though as roving bands of carolers seek to keep people's eyes open and spirits light. In addition a number of hope infused lanterns have been strung throughout the city to guide travelers to safety and keep them from dozing off in a nearby snowbank.
- Mistletoe:t's not just the snow either, the town is also plagued by a particularly invasive species of mistletoe brought to the island by Peromei. To citizens' dismay, it isn't ordinary mistletoe or even ordinary magic mistletoe. No, instead this awful plant that lurks in corners and on ceilings is influenced by a combination of Peromei's and Elios's influences to make it aggressive and mobile. It now prefers to slither around and attach itself to moving targets. Once attached to someone, it induces a terrible longing for the sort of love and affection one secretly hopes for the most -- anything from a simple hug to a mom to fuss over you to a new friend you can always have lunch with -- and it won't let go until its victim has found someone who can fulfill that longing.
- Wereflu: In addition to the mistletoe and blizzard, there's also the aforementioned werewolf flu sweeping the city. Thanks to a foolish researcher, the infected are suffering partial or in some cases full transformations into wolflike creatures. The main cure for it is positive attention as like the mistletoe, the afflicted will be driven to seek it out and the more they get, the sooner they'll be back to normal. If left unchecked, it can lead to more feral aggressive behavior, so Otherworlders and natives alike have been warned to be cautious when attempting to help those affected.
• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include paper snowflakes and/or cinnamon.
Re: D2
Junko...
[The inevitable look of disappointment and the stream of critiques her younger twin greeted her with were a surprising source of comfort, and the relief temporarily disappated the anger she'd been expressing. She smiled, taking all of it in.
Of course she had many, many questions about what was going on and where this world was and how was Junko even here? But more importantly...]
I'm sorry for being such a despairing disappointment, Junko. I thought I'd managed to get the makeup done right this time... is it still off the mark?
[No amount of makeup could hide your terrible acting, Mukuro.]
But, what do you mean several years? I just woke up here.
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[...probably, but let's move on.]
And don't worry about it, I know you can only handle so much at a time. So definitely don't bother thinking about that you just got here while I've been here for a few years. Not worth dwelling on. Well, for you, anyways.
[Of course now that she's said it, she entirely expects her sister to think about that one.]
Seriously hope you're not dragging my reputation through the mud with that getup either. I put a lot of work into my image here, so I don't need that getting screwed up again. Well, screwed up by you, I'm probably overdue for doing something, but that's not really the point.
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It didn't strike her that poking it was going to make any potential smudging issues in her foundation even worse than they were already. Perhaps it was a side effect of some emotional insecurity interacting with the weirdness of this world, but she ended up with her eyeliner impressively streaked onto her cheek.]
A few years? But that isn't possible...
[She wouldn't normally question her sister, but unless the last couple of years at Hope's Peak were some fever dream or there was another person running around posing as Junko, it didn't add up.
And of course she was going to think about it, now Junko had brought it up.]
I was talking to you - well - Monokuma, just before I woke up here. If that wasn't you, then who...?
[The thought made her shiver. She wasn't sure what would cause Junko greater despair - the idea that someone else had controlled Monokuma and killed her before she could, or the idea that Junko herself had done it.
She'll get back to you on that dragging your reputation through the mud in a minute.]
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[She'll walk away for a moment while she's talking, returning with a few napkins and a cup of hot chocolate for herself. May as well see what all the fuss is about, right? Or something like that.]
Here clean yourself up, you're making an even bigger mess of yourself and I totally don't need to be seen with something so gross.
[The napkins are chucked in the general direction of Mukuro's face while she continues talking, it being a surprisingly calm moment before she resumes being irritated with the whole thing.]
And what do you think, dipshit? Of course I was Monokuma, who the fuck else is can pull off such a charming act?
[And then just like that, her temper dissipates as she brings her cup into her face, giggling as she takes a seat. It's not quite the same since it's her regular voice, but it's still close enough to the real thing.]
Upupupupu, yup, he may be mass produced but he's still one of a kind! So there's no way I'd let some hack stand in for me there.
[Not that she's calling anyone else who's stood in for her a hack. Or wait, she probably is.]
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[As commanded, Mukuro went quiet and didn't press the topic any further, but the thoughts kept swirling around in her head. She really was stupid, she should be able to stop thinking about that on command, right?
But did she really look that gross? She'll just be hurrying to catch those napkins and clean herself up now and stop disappointing her sister as quickly as she can. As if that was ever a realistic goal.
Maybe Junko was just messing with her when she said she'd been here years, in that case? That had to be it.
If that really was Junko controlling Monokuma, though, that raised a more pressing pile of questions. Now Junko's temper had dissipated, there was one question that rose above all of them.]
So you were controlling him the whole time...I thought so.
Was I at least able to cause you despair, in the end?
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[So she's from the very end then. Well, her end anyways. But that makes it all very clear cut, no spoilers to hide, no weird alternate worlds, it's about as final as you can get really. And she'd like to say she's surprised that they can still talk like this after all that, but she's not. Not in the slightest. She's always going to be herself (outside of that one time) and her sister's always going to be her sister (pretending to be Junko doesn't count).]
But yeah, you did.
[She supposes she could've been crueler about it. Gone on about how could some disappointing stupid smelly ugly waste of space bring her despair or something along those lines, but that doesn't ring quite right to her. The most despair inducing thing to do is admit it.
Well that, or cause a repeat, but this isn't really the time or place for that.]
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[They would always be the Despair Sisters. She would always follow Junko, try and help her achieve the despair she so desperately craved. After all, Mukuro was - in her mind - the only one who had ever really understood her sister.
At least, that’s what she thought... but if that were the case, then she should have seen Junko’s betrayal coming, right?
And perhaps if that were the case, she also shouldn’t have been as surprised that she admitted that truth outright. At least...at least her death had meant something.]
That’s... I’m glad I could do that.
Me too.
The despair of a betrayal... and the despair of my own death. I felt it, too.
[It was strangely cold.
She even found herself gripping onto the mug of awful hot chocolate to try and warm up her hands.]
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[She gets it! She really gets it! Or gets it in her own way if not quite in the same way Junko does. But she gets it! And Junko's seemingly pretty happy about that, instead of complaining or throwing things or anything like that because it's nice to have someone actually get it.
Just don't dwell too much on her sounding like she knows what some of that is like. She'll probably explain it another time. Right now she's just busy being glad that someone finally gets it, little sparkles flickering in and out of existence and in the middle of her enthusiasm, the mug she's holding slips from her fingers, shattering on the ground.]
Oh whoops, hey don't worry I'll pay for that.
[She'll address it to the cafe staff quickly before turning back to her sister.]
But hey, it's not a total betrayal. I did try to warn you, y'know?
[She'll kneel down, like she's considering picking up some of the cup's remains off the cafe floor, before palming one of the bigger shards.]
Sure it wasn't timely, but when we were on the school roof, I totally warned you about what would happen if you let your guard down.
[And to drive that point home, she'll attempt to well, drive that shard home into her sister's face. The cafe staff might move to stop it, but it's probably best to put those Ultimate Solider skills to work and not leave it to chance.]
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Either way, she remembered that warning. She'd put it to the back of her mind at the time - she'd never been injured on the battlefield, so there was no way she'd ever be caught off guard that badly...or so she thought.]
Junko, you're sparkling...
But, yeah, I remember. I knew you'd probably be the one to kill me, eventually, but...
[But not right then.
It was foolish to believe that Junko would stick to the plan, wasn't it?
She was so used to clearing up the messes that Junko left in her wake that she grabbed one of the napkins, and crouched down to help her pick up the fragments... until her sharp eyes caught sight of that shard. In a split second she'd deflected the strike with her arm, and was ready to block any others that came her way.]
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Yeah, I was sparkling. Stuff like that happens here, don't tell me you haven't noticed?
[She's entirely abandoned cleaning up the mess by this point. She wasn't planning on cleaning it all up and with Mukuro working on it, why would she bother? But she is looking at her with yet another disappointed expression.]
I know you're kinda slow on the uptake, but even someone like you should've noticed there's something off about how this world works by now. Then again I probably shouldn't assume you'd notice without me having to point it out to you, so...
[She'll pause for a second and then just throw this one out there.]
Your feelings totally manifest in this world! Isn't that great?
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Mukuro listened to Junko's explanation as she cleared up the mess, wrapping the pieces in the napkin before tossing them in the nearby waste bin. She wasn't going to take the piece her sister still had, unless she dropped it anyway.]
Our feelings manifest? That doesn't make any sense...
[Mukuro was not a particularly emotional person, so perhaps that's why most of the effects she'd felt had just been small ripples so far. But that would explain what happened to that tree when she first woke up... After all, as she'd said, she felt the despair too.]
But a few hours back, I was leaning against this tree and the whole thing seemed to just rot away... whilst I was trying to make sense of what happened to me.
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[She'll hang on to the shard for now, gives her something to do with her hands while she talks as she plays with it like somebody might play with a coin. Also this keeps it around in case she decides to make another attempt on her sister's life while they chat.]
I mean you've always been smelly sure, but even I don't think you stink bad enough to rot a tree like that. Close, but no.
[Nope, never mind, bored with it. She'll stop playing with the shard and toss it into the trash can.]
And I'd ask what you were feeling, but I really don't have to, y'know? It makes total sense that somebody like you would copy me, even down to what happens when I'm in total despair.
[She's not particularly mean spirited or disappointed about it. Well other than the remark about Mukuro smelling. And the thing about being a copycat. At least it wasn't as terrible as it could be?]
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So what she saw was the manifestation of her despair? That made some degree of sense, even if the rest of this world didn't.]
So...similar things have happened around you when you're in despair too?
[And then, more to herself:]
I wonder what a battlefield would look like in a place like this...depending on the extent of the effects emotions could cause, that could swing the tide of the combat if it was exploited tactically, more so than usual.
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[A wistful expression crosses her face while she thinks about that one. Her second death here had been a despairingly wonderful despairingly twisted time. But that was years ago, so she won't dwell on it too much, or at least she won't do that right now.]
I even made an acid rain cloud once except it was literally acid. It was pretty great, but I've never really gotten the emotional mixture quite right to do it again.
[She says this like it's no big deal that one time her feelings made a death cloud. But then again, it's probably not too surprising.]
And of course you would think about dumb shit like that. Then again your lame ass talent's one of the only perks you've got.
[Her mood switches about as fast as to be expected, going from normal to sounding completely pissed off then calming right back down.]
But you're not exactly wrong, I mean it's kinda frowned on around here, but you can totally use your emotions for something like that too.
Also I love your Junko <3
[That was...quite a list. Which only circled around to the fact that unless Junko was making all this up, she really had been in this world for years. And making up a whole set of bizarre stories like that didn't really seem in character for her, she was far more likely to tell the horrible truths and watch others fall into despair once they accepted them. So what was going on...?
Still, right now those thoughts were definitely taking a back seat.]
An acid rain cloud would be devastating if you could control it, but if not it's too unreliable as a weapon. Even if you're targeting a large army, it's not worth the damage if it blew back on your own forces, or if you couldn't call on it reliably when you needed to deploy it...
[She blushed a little at Junko's comment on her talent, but right now her mind was racing a mile a minute as she analysed all the different ways these emotion-driven effects could be put to use on a battlefield. Mukuro could already see that there was a lot of potential that could be utilised to give herself more of an edge.
The thrill as she quietly, excitedly ran through all those possibilities made her skin quite literally light up with a soft, blood red glow.
Always the military nerd.]thank you! Your Mukuro's fantastic!
[Nope, definitely not her. In fact, she's more likely to cause it intentionally instead of it being some sort of unforeseen oversight or anything like that.]
Upupupu, just the thought of any trusted allies getting caught in something like that...
[She was going to say it gets her heart racing, but she's decided not to go that route, instead deciding to comment on Mukuro's sudden glowing.]
Hey, what is that? Seriously, I know your skin's a hell of a lot worse than mine, but that better not be some sort of rash. Even worse, it better not be contagious. Oh wait, it's not that, it's totally not that! No way would you be stupid enough to expose me to some sort of disgusting thing you've picked up. No way! It's totally...
[She'll pause for a moment, like she has to pick from a list of choices for dialogue. But no, she knows what she's going to do and it's going to be completely obnoxious, which probably is very irritating for the other cafe patrons but she doesn't care.]
It's definitely your super gross emotions! That's right! Your totally disappointing battle junkie brain's getting all hot and bothered thinking of different dismal ways to use this on the battlefield, isn't it? Don't even think about lying, everybody can totally see it, plain as day!
Thanks! Glad I can do her justice
It was that point Mukuro glanced down and noticed the glow on her legs, arms and hands - and although she couldn't feel it, she imagined her face was responding in the same way. She was just about to argue that it wasn't some gross rash, unless it was a delayed side effect of the awful hot chocolate anyway, when Junko dropped the verbal bombshell.
Mukuro was probably blushing at the comments, but the glow made it a bit hard to tell.]
My emotions aren't that gross, I just think it's interesting...
[Nope, she'd not even trying to deny the rest of it. And well that argument was made with all the resolve of a wet rag.]
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[This wouldn't even get an option to answer it if it were that kinda thing. There's only one correct answer to her, but that's not exactly out of the ordinary. She's right, no, it's so much more despair inducing than just being right. If she says something, then that's how it is. It's like for them she gets to decide fact from fiction or determine reality itself.]
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[She'd probably have said that regardless of what Junko was actually claiming. At this point, it was force of habit. Something learnt by rote like an order from a commanding officer.
But yes, definitely flustered. And definitely excited over her 'gross combat fantasies'. And with all of that, the glowing isn't going anywhere anytime soon.]
... I'm sorry, I didn't think my...gross combat fantasies would show up like that. This place really can sense everything...
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[She'd say she's hoping Mukuro can manage, but they both know that would be a lie. It's more despairing over the fact that anyone can get used to being here or something like that.]
Sure, you'll never be able to keep a poker face as well as I can, but you can probably manage not glowing red like an old video game boss about to explode.
[See, look at how much (or little) faith she has in her sister).]
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And, well, that was never Mukuro's strong suit to begin with.]
I hope so... is there any way to hide it? Or to fake it somehow?
[She'll just be rubbing at her arms in the vague hope that this would somehow work to make the glowing stop. Spoilers: It won't.]
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[She sure knows that one from past experience.]
But it should be super obvious you can learn to get the hang of it or control it, I mean you know, I'm always in total despair,but you don't see me rotting anything around here, do you?
[The answer's no. She's gotten way too good at things for something like that happen unless she's really overwhelmed. Or wanted it to happen anyways.]
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[She took a glance around, but didn't really need to. She assessed the state of the room they were in already, and all seemed to be in order.]
...Although wouldn't it cause you more despair if you couldn't control it?
[By now she was settling and starting to think more rationally on the problem, the glow was slowly starting to dissipate.
Perhaps that was for the best. Junko's despair aside, she had other matters to concern herself with: ]
I'll have a look around myself, but is there anything else I really should know about this world?
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[Definitely not the kind of thing she'd want happening all the time.]
And there's lots of important stuff to know, but what's more despair inducing? Me sitting here telling you, or leaving it for my poor disappointing ugly sister to stumble her way through this world, attempting to figure it out for herself? No doubt causing me disappointment, secondhand embarrassment and dare I say it, possibly even despair in the process?
[She'll let her sister think about that one for a moment before...]
If you ask me, the answer's pretty obvious. It's a real no brainer, or should be, even for someone like you.
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In any case, the question about what would be more despair inducing made her wince.]
...It would be more despair-inducing to watch me figure this all out by myself.
[It dawned on her that she had a lot of work to do, and very little intel to go by. And it would be harder gathering information if people thought she already knew the ropes by posing as her sister... well, that option would likely cause Junko the greater despair in the first place.
Either way, Mukuro was fiddling with the wig, wondering where the best place to find information was. She was still torn on whether Junko really had been here much longer than she had... Oh. Maybe time had gone on whilst she was dead, and it took a while for her to wake up? That might have been it.]
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