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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.
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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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[She's so proud except it's all very obviously sarcasm.]
But hey back to that whole ruining my reputation thing. Like I said, I've worked pretty hard on things here, I've put a lot of work into things and I've got a certain level of quality going, so if you screw that up people are gonna think I've got an impostor out or some sort of shoddy bootleg.
[She could mention that she told everyone here years ago who her sister was and all that, but no, this is way more despair inducing. To have her keep up a charade that stopped serving a point years ago.]
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[The sarcastic insulting didn't even phase Mukuro by now. She was used to it. It was reassuring, almost, it was normal.
For now, she focused on listening to what her sister said about ruining her reputation, nodding quietly as she took it all in.]
I'll try not to disappoint you, Junko...I'm guessing the fact you're Ultimate Despair isn't a secret, here?
[As if not disappointing Junko was ever possible for her.
She had a pained expression. Asking much more detail than that was out of the question, because she'd already been told she needed to figure things out herself, and whilst gathering information on the an unfamiliar terrain would be fairly straightforward... everything else wouldn't be anywhere near as easy.
But that wasn't what was causing her despair right now.
Even when she died, everyone - even Naegi - only ever knew her as 'Junko'. No one except her sister knew about her existence at all. It would be the same here too, wouldn't it? Even without the hurt of knowing this act was pointless here, the first thought alone was still enough to cause her despair.
[The flowers on the nearby tables started to wilt, a few petals falling. She idly picked at the one nearest her, but couldn't find the words to express that feeling of painful isolation. Instead, it just came out as: ]
...Do you really think I look like a shoddy bootleg?
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[Wait, no, she won't confuse her sister further. Don't take that the wrong way, she's not being nice or anything, she just wants to address the other thing too and if she brings up that she got outed as Despair years ago, then that's going to dominate the conversation going forward.]
Well, the point is, it's not really a secret even if a lot of people don't really think too much about it. But hey don't take that comment about being a bootleg too personally, I mean, compared to me who isn't?
[It's not really a big deal to her. ]
I mean I've got pretty much everything y'know? Looks, brains, talent, personality, a great voice, and so on. Trying to pull even one part of that off for one person's an almost impossible feat, let alone all of it! So the way I see it, anybody who tries is pretty much doomed to failure!
[That's not a big deal either, it's just thrown out there super casually like it's just how things are.]
So like, it's not the end of the world, just try your hardest, you're going to disappoint no matter what, but that's fine! After all you're not the only one failing at pulling off Junko Enoshima, and if you don't believe me, just ask Monaka-chan if she ever shows up here. So all you can do really is just do your best and try not to disappoint too much!
[She says this in a chipper tone, but she knows it really is asking the impossible.]
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[Huh, that did come as a bit of a surprise. Then again, with emotions manifesting like that, perhaps that was what gave Junko either way as despair? Still, it was clear Junko didn't want to dwell on the matter, so Mukuro didn't press it, just giving a stiff nod in response before moving on.
Besides, she was more distracted by the despair flowing through her, in any case. She turned the petal she picked up over in her hand, watching as it rapidly shriveled away. It felt...invasive, almost, how the world read their feelings like that.]
True, there's no one else like you, Junko. But... I hope I don't keep being a disappointment here, too.
[Monaca was a whole separate consideration - and deep down she wondered which of the two pulled off being Junko best. Not that it was a competition either of them would win with Junko as the judge. It really was an impossible ask.]
I'll make sure no one here finds out about me, and I'll try not to damage your reputation too much in the process. Is there anything else you need me to do?
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Ugh, do you have to use that word? Seriously? It's so gross.
[It's an overblown reaction, but still keep your hopes to yourself sis, they're gross. Plus, she already probably knows what they are, so it's boring to hear something she already figured out a while ago!]
But I don't have anything I need you to do right now. It'd just be asking for trouble to have you do something when you can't go five minutes, no five seconds without being an emotional disaster on top of being a regular disaster.
[Though despite it being a gross word, if Junko does hope, she'd hope that Mukuro noticed the emphasis on the word now. But Junko will also despair over her not getting it, so she'll be clear about it.]
Don't worry though, even if you're flat, stupid, smelly, ugly, disappointing, dull, and a total pervert, I'll still find a use for you. After all, we're family, right?
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[In some ways, it shouldn't have surprised her that the word 'hope' was enough to upset her sister...but, well, they were Despair after all. There was no room for hope, at least not for them.
She did pick up on that hint, though. Mukuro knew she needed to be ready for whenever Junko needed her.]
Alright, I'll stay on standby, then. And I'll try not to be an emotional disaster...
[She paused a moment at the last comment, before smiling a little, the despair temporarily lessening.]
Yeah, we are... you know, when I'm dressed like this we do kinda look like twins, don't we?
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You're seriously asking that? Didn't I just say something about being gross? Pretty sure I did...
[But that's not a no. She won't say it, but she's in despair over it because to say otherwise would be such an obvious lie.]
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[That sure was a reaction. She really wasn't sure what exactly was causing her sister to despair like that - after all, there was no way Junko would ever consider herself gross.
Still... perhaps if she wasn't such an ugly disappointment, maybe they would look more like twins.]
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[She's not going to dwell on it for too long anyways, it's super boring if she does. And since her feelings have shifted to something else, the color's restored! Hooray?]
But yeah, do your best to get settled in here, you might be around for a while.
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I will...it's really been years since you arrived here, right? So it might be the same for me...
[Not that she had anything to go back to at home, being dead and all.]
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