Test Drive: January

[empevents]

— 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!

PROMPTS

• 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.

1. 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.
   
2. 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.

1. 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.
   
2. 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.
   
3. 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.]

1. 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.
   
2. 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.
   
3. 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.

Comments

[corpsewarblade]

[Frankly, she wasn’t expecting him to take anything she said on the subject remotely seriously to begin with, but if she squinted that almost sounded like an acknowledgement of her assessment. Maybe she was finally getting better at this!

Still, enough about that for now. She knew when to quit whilst she was ahead.]

Sure, shapeshifting abilities, I believe you. [wink]

So, like... you ever been to this cafe before? Are the drinks always this awful?

I swear, what’s even with this weird place...

[hamnation]

Hmph. Have you never set foot into this cafe before? [He asks skeptically. Considering that Junko's been here longer than even he has, he finds it hard to believe.]

I have yet to peer beyond the veil of the hot chocolate that they are offering. But after being in this world for so long, you should know that almost all unusual occurrences like this can be traced back to the state of your emotions...

[corpsewarblade]

Huh, no, why would I have come here before? I've never-

[And then he mentioned the part that she'd been 'in this world for so long' and her eyes grew wide. That only meant one thing: The real Junko was here somewhere.

It made no sense at all - after all, Junko was still at Hope's Peak as of a few days ago - assuming someone else wasn't controlling Monokuma. And Mukuro herself has no idea how she'd even got here when she should have been dead. How was her sister here too?

None of this made any sense.]

Wait, what did you just say?

[hamnation]

Hmph... I refuse to repeat myself for the likes of you! [He answers her with an unfriendly growl, the air growing hotter from his frustration.]

Tell me, has that molten chocolate seared not only your physical form, but the very fabric of your mind?! [Because doesn't know how else to explain how she's acting.]

[corpsewarblade]

Well I'm gonna be in a foul mood if you're gonna be an ass about it. Maybe that's why everything tastes so awful!

[She huffed, hands on her hips.]

[hamnation]

Don't act as if you have not earned the wrath of a thousand suns. [He crosses his arms and shakes his head.]

And do not forget that you tasted that concoction before you could even sense my presence!

[corpsewarblade]

[Darn, she was hoping he'd forget that part. With his frustration mounting, hers was starting to increase as well, and the scalding hot chocolate on her hand wasn't helping her mood.

She had to find Junko. And she had to avoid Gundham finding out the truth in the meantime.

But whatever she'd said so far only served to make him more suspicious.

The hot chocolate left in Mukuro's mug was starting to bubble - and she glanced over to it with a raised eyebrow. Was that related to her emotions too? What was even with this place?]

Yeah, like you have the power to do that.

[That...didn't even really make sense, even as a rebuttal to the wrath of a thousand suns comment.]

[hamnation]

[Everything was feeling a lot hotter, between both of their tempers! He hasn't even addressed the hot chocolate that's still on her hand, because he hasn't felt the need to. He's sure that if he asked why it's still there, she'd just say something about enjoying the despair that it caused.]

Hrgh... Your insolence knows no bounds. [He's insulted by her words, as nonsensical as they are.] The boundaries of my powers are beyond your comprehension! Y-you would do well to stop doubting me, fiend!

[corpsewarblade]

[Well, one thing was clear, this was unlikely to end well for either of these two. It was strange, really, despite how cold and wintery the outside was, in the cafe if was getting distinctly more heated. Mukuro was somewhat grateful for once of Junko's more revealing outfit. At least it kept her relatively cool.]

You're stuttering, doesn't sound like you've got a lot of power to me... but whatever, I don't really care.

[hamnation]

[It is pretty much a slow trainwreck either way. And a particularly hot one! Gundam sweats a bit, starting to feel the heat, which means something for someone who wears a dark jacket and a scarf on a tropical island!]

S-stuttering?! Nonsense! If- if my words ever appear to be stilted, then th-that is just... your mortal mind lagging in its comprehension of my very language! [It seems like a legitimate enough excuse.] In any case, I do not care about what you do or do not care about!

These two are ridiculous and I love it

[corpsewarblade]

[Mukuro wasn't even sure why she was losing her temper so easily. Perhaps it was all baked into her act as Junko? Or maybe that her ability to deal with social situations outside of her talent was severely lacking?

Or maybe it was just that she had to maintain this ridiculous act without rousing any further suspicion, whilst she needed to go and find her sister now.

And wow Gundham that was...that sure was an excuse.]

Well don't care about what you do or don't care about either, so I guess we're even.

You're still totally stuttering though. I'm not that slow-minded.

[Okay Mukuro thinks she's pretty stupid and fat and ugly and smelly but she's pretty sure that's not her for once.]</small.

Good, I feel the same!

[hamnation]

[For Gundam, it was easy to feel riled up by Junko, even when she's acting unusually. He glares at her, ready to defy every one of her word.]

We shall never be even, you fiend! Not on any scale!

[He sighs.

You only think like that due to your own human limitations. It us no easy feet to process the words uttered by a higher level demonic being such as myself! Th-that is where this illusion of a stutter originates...!

Glad to hear it :)

[corpsewarblade]

[Mukuro never really understood where this whole demon delusion thing he had going came from, but it had certainly been there as long as she'd known him. She was 99% sure that she'd overpower him easily if it came to a fight, but there was always the 1% chance he knew some really obscure martial ability that would give her a run for her money.

More than likely, though, he was just blowing hot air.]

So lemme get this right, I'm being overwhelmed by, like, your super great demon powers or whatever and that's why it sounds like you're stuttering.

Or, you know, totally act like you got flustered when I started questioning your skincare routine. That was totally some demon magic illusion too, right?

[hamnation]

[He does now know a form of emotional magic from this world! But that in itself may not be enough to take down the Ultimate Soldier. Even so, much like a small dog, Gundam will always speak as if he has the sufficient amount of power! As opposed to his scrawny butt getting kicked.]

D-do you have to question and pick apart every last detail? [He sulks as he looks away.] It is impossible for a warlock of my station to do anything as pathetic as "flustering". So yes, it- it can only mean that all of your senses are deceiving you im concert, due to their failure to keep up with the unknowable nature of my very existence!

[corpsewarblade]

[Magic isn't something she's dealt with - that would take her by surprise if nothing else.

Oh wow, was he actually sulking. She didn't think she'd see that anytime soon. She was sure that if she was actually her sister, she'd be enjoying watching him squirm. Half of what he was saying didn't even make sense anymore]

You know, I think my eyes are better than you give them credit for, but... anyway, whatever. Pop quiz. Where was I the last time you saw me? Surely your great warlock memory can remember that one, right?

[That sounded stupid and she knew it, but hopefully she'd flustered him enough that he wouldn't poke that line of questioning too hard.]

[hamnation]

D-do not question my memory, fiend! [That does fluster him, but not in the way she's expecting. It's because the last time he crossed paths with her was a pretty embarrassing incident when he was stuck in the form of a wolf.]

Some... would say that it was the other month, on the Day of Tanaka, during the Time of the Wolf. But that incident has been deemed non-canon! [He's sure that Junko's bringing it up just to rub it in.] ...I cannot be bothered to recall the last time I met with a being as incorrigible as yourself. You are much better off forgotten, Enoshima!

[corpsewarblade]

[Well that wasn't what she was expecting, then again, this was her sister - who knows what it was Junko had done to him the last time they met? She had no idea she was bringing up something that humiliating, unfortunately for him of course Mukuro herself would think turning into a wolf was really awesome, but that's just her.]

Yup, because you can just say something's non-canon just because you don't like to remember it, with, like, reality warping powers or whatever. Come on, it wasn't that bad, was it?

[She grinned, but that grin seemed to falter when Gundham said she was better off forgotten. That... that actually hurt.

Mukuro just broke eye-contact and started fiddling with her hair. None of her classmates - not even Naegi - would ever remember her. When she died, they only ever knew her as 'Junko'. It really was like she'd never existed.

Was that cafe window always open? A cold, snowy blast of wind shot through the cafe, sending some of the cake menus scattering across the floor.]

[hamnation]

[For what it's worth, he absolutely loved and preferred being a wolf! But that encounter with Junko in particular ending up being humiliating and marring the experience.

Gundam shoots a glare at her as she speaks. He's sure that she's saying that just to rub it in. Of course Junko would remind him of the experience just to renew the despair! When he was afflicted with the werewolf flu, he was compelled to seek out the company of others and seek affectionate pats from them. Even from his enemy, Junko!]

Hrgh... Give it up, you fiend! That day is blotted out from all memory! You will not make me recall it... J-just cease at!

[He feels the burst of cold air. One menu slaps into his face, but he doesn't react to it. He remains angry, his fists now balled at his side, while also feeling the despair from recalling that day. Another chill wind kicks up from an opposing window, summoned by his own emotions! And with the heat his anger has been generating, the different types of air start swirling together at increasing speeds, starting to become a literal wind storm of emotions!]

[corpsewarblade]

[Doesn't everyone want Junko headpats though? You know, sharing is caring and all that when it comes to despair right?

Yup, whatever it was Junko had done, it definitely caused Gundham a nice dose of despair - that much was painfully obvious from how thoroughly he tried to deny what happened.]

Sounds like you already have remembered, even without my help...

[There wasn't a lot of energy in her reply, though. Even her anger and the heat it generated seemed to have been thoroughly blown away in the cold ice of her despair. Despair upon despair upon despair.

She gripped onto her blonde wig tightly as the storm raged around them - it would be a problem if that blew right off, after all. Of course, she had to take one hand off to make sure she could hold her skirt down, too. Her sister would never let her hear the end of it if she flashed him.]

[hamnation]

[It feels more like the opposite of caring when talking about despair!!

He really does hate giving Junko the satisfaction of him feeling any kind of despair, even if it was on a very different scale than a type of despair connected to death. He glares once again as she taunts him.]

Th-there is no recollection to be held! [The winds whirl around Gundam as they pick up strength! It's actually a pretty awesome effect in his eyes. His only inconvenience is that his scarf keeps blowing into his face, which he keeps on trying to swat away. It keeps him distracted from Junko's whole situation there, for the moment.]

What is this chaotic maelstrom? Is this your doing too? Hmph... Call it off!

[corpsewarblade]

[But that's how her sister shows her affection! Totally normal, right?

Neither of the two seemed to have much of an idea of the nature of the despair each other was feeling right now - Mukuro had no way of guessing exactly what Junko had done to upset him this much, she only had theories. And as far as she knew, hardly anyone would understand the despair of her own death that held Mukuro in a tight grip.

Still, she agreed with Gundham on the point that this wind needs to stop. The effect is quite awesome, sure, but it's not exactly kind to her, blowing her wig and skirt and tie all over the place. Frankly, it's a surprise she's not letting the wig slip.

Being unused to the whole emotion-effect thing, that was not the first conclusion she jumped to.]

I- I don't know! The wind didn't look like it was getting any worse outside... who even opened that window?

[At the same time, though, it was hard to bring enough energy to the table to even care right now. Her heart and everything else just felt so heavy.]

[hamnation]

[Indeed, it's the perfect storm. Gundam only blames "Junko" because he does not want to admit to feeling any emotions himself, and it's easier to blame all of his problems on the Ultimate Despair herself.

At the same time, her words keeo on baffling. It's almost as if she's unfamiliar with the emotional effects of this world! But that's just silly.

Gundam holds down his scarf, his features bewildered as he shouts at her.]

Isn't obvious?! The windows of man are nothing before the winds of truly potent emotional energy! These winds must carry... the feels of beings within this cafe! Of pure wrath, a-and pure despair! ...That loathsome feeling that is your emblem!!

[His voice keeps growing louder to shout over the winds, because they're getting stronger by the moment! It's even starting to get hard to stay on his feet!]

[corpsewarblade]

[Blaming the Ultimate Despair is perfectly fair, all things considered - the vast majority of problems in their world could be pinned onto Junko. Mukuro was hardly innocent in her part of the events, and was quite happy to bear the blame for her sister.

What he also might find baffling, if he's not too flustered to pay attention, is that she's uncharacteristically not mentioned 'despair' once during their entire talk - at least not until now.

When she was acting as Junko in the killing game, that was obviously not an aspect of her personality she played up, and it wasn't something she wanted to flaunt around here until she'd got her bearings. Especially not with people who already knew her.]

Even I can't just summon despair out of nowhere, you know! Besides, you started it!

[Nope, she's having to keep both hands on her wig now to stop it flying off. Although, she was wondering if it was a futile effort at this point. In the end, she was only going to disappoint her sister regardless, right?

She was only making herself feel worse.]

[hamnation]

[That certainly is another thing that's baffling him about Junko. She hasn't really mentioned despair at all!]

Don't make me laugh, you cur! I am the alpha, the origin point of mankind's devastation, but not of such a troublesome squall as this! [He narrows his eyes while he looks towards her.]

Does this have to do with how unusual you are acting?! You are usually so quick to claim any and all 'despair', Enoshima! And... [He does notice something unusual as he looks at her. Both of her hands are... on her head? He tries to focus on that and not look down.] ...Why do you clutch your own hair so relentlessly?! Every action of yours is utterly baffling, even under the gaze of an All-Seeing Eye!

[He slaps his scarf out of his face again, as the winds continue to intensify!]

[corpsewarblade]

I'm not acting weirdly! Seriously, I spent ages on getting my hair right this morning and this storm's ruining it, don't you get that? Maybe your stupid 'all-seeing eye' is clouded by like, some dark fog or something!

[Clearly the best solution to being questioned is to try and play up the whole airhead Fashionista act. And, well, questioning his 'dark powers' seemed a fairly reliable way of getting him off her case.

The whole situation was stressing her out - the fact her skirt and tie were flapping all over the place brought a flush of embarrassment in her cheeks... and that on it's own brought another flurry of menus in a short, hot blast. Best not to look down for your own sanity Gundam.

She glanced around quickly, cold eyes focusing on the exits. The best way to get out of this mess was to abort the mission entirely and plan a retreat. Only problem was, right now even the chairs and tables were starting to be knocked over by the swirling winds, whilst the regular patrons were most likely trying to get to the doors themselves. No easy way out of this awkward encounter.]

Shit...