memepatheias | TEST DRIVE: July

Entry tags:

*test drive

TEST DRIVE: July

— TEST DRIVE: JULY —

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 June 24th and Applications (Canon | OC) open a week later on July 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.

Now with that out of the way, here are some prompts you guys can work from!
PROMPTS
• Prompt A: How about giving the emotions a try?

• Prompt B: Refer to the Task Board and choose a task your character may be interested in taking up. For this prompt, you could have your character ask for help, already be in the middle of the job, or react to it in some way. Perhaps they were an unfortunate victim or want to create a job countering an existing one. You could even have a prompt making a job request. Creating jobs for the purpose of the test drive is absolutely doable.

• Prompt C: How about giving the amulets a go? Start a telepathic conversation and see how it works. Remember, the amulets are sending out the owner's thoughts so might want to be careful about how the stream of consciousness goes...

• Prompt D: With Eurus (summer) in full swing, some citizens have decided to combat the heat by staging a citywide water balloon war. Participants are given colored wristbands identifying them as part of the game, and everyone also gets a satchel full of water balloons to throw at each other. There are a number of stations set up throughout the city to get more balloons and some additional events set up in one of the parks in the city.
1. U Mad?: Those wristbands are meant to show who's playing the game and to keep uninvolved people from getting hit with a balloon, but of course it happens. Maybe your aim was off or you just happened to be in the area when it happened, but now there's an angry drenched person yelling at everyone. Work together with your fellow participants to calm them down, but be careful not to get too worked up. Anger might heat the water, and since they're already angry, you don't want to push things further and make them steaming mad.
2. All Ballooned Up: Or maybe you've decided not to go around throwing balloons at people and would prefer to help with one of the many resupplying stations set up throughout the game area. Which basically means handing out badges and filling lots of water balloons. Lots and lots of water balloons. Seriously, by the time today ends, you'll probably never want to see another balloon for the rest of your life. But while you're doing that, there's plenty of chances to converse with people playing the game. Or if you've decided to start a mini water war with the other people at your station, it's not like anyone's going to care about some of the balloons being used. Just leave some for everyone else, okay?
3. Bomb's Away!: For those who want something a bit more challenging, in one of the city's parks, they've set up what appear to be mini catapults loaded with water balloons. Participants are paired off and given a really quick spiel about channeling their emotions and using them to deflect the balloons, but it's not in depth enough to really make sense, nor are the people running the catapults really expecting anyone to actually do it and are really just here for throwing tons of water balloons at people all at once. Do your best to try and figure out how to work with your partner to emotionally shield yourself before you end up bombarded by the water catapult.
• Prompt E: The Verens Research and Technology Centre has published a well-meaning but condescending new initiative: educate the pirates of Briarlan in the ways of science, namely, research and development… despite the fact that they're almost more advanced than Verens. Helpfully, the pirates have decided to play along anyway, since they don't have any plundering to do for now. Any Otherworlder who would like to be a volunteer in the resulting studies will be well-compensated for their time and any trauma they may be on the receiving end of.
1. Walk The Plank: The pirates are very eager to test the buoyancy of people of all shapes and sizes, especially when acted upon by the stress of societal upheaval and banishment from the collective. To put it simply, they want to know how fast it takes a person to walk the plank. The deep end of a pool will serve nicely for this. All anyone needs to do is walk to the end of the diving board—sorry, the plank—and step off the end into the water. The kicker? The water is infused with negative emotions and is likely to dredge up some painful memories. At least the pirates are amused.
2. Medicinal Mayhem: The scientists are desperate for some order after their last adventure with pirates and are conducting something a little more restrained… is what would be the case were they not also desperately in need of a new patent before the end of the fiscal year. With some encouragement from the pirates, they are testing a new medicine to help combat the common cold and are generously compensating any and all guinea pigs. Side effects include temporary synesthesia, unstable hair and eye colours, the inability to speak in anything but rhyme, and believing that no one can see or hear you. Fortunately, these side effects only last an hour.
3. Whodunnit: Thank you, helpful participants! To show their gratitude to all their volunteers, the Verens Research and Technology Centre’s pirate outreach division is hosting a fancy dinner party. Black tie only in theory, but no one is monitoring the door and no matter how many people attend, there always seems to be enough food and chairs to compensate. Turns out, it is actually a murder mystery party, so better pair up! A helpful character card will be included, and will feature something like: “Your names are Rune and Roz Redmond and you are in the import-export business.” Hopefully the next time the lights go out, no one else will have fake-died.
• Prompt F: Duke Barry, one of the wealthiest heirs in Verens, has met the love of his life on a trip to Theasthai. The woman who has agreed to marry him is a popular stage actress, Speghan Sparkle, and thus the wedding has become the talk of the city. In fact, every single person in Verens is invited to Mr. Duke's large estate, and the wedding has a royal theme to go with it, too. Make sure to dress nice, for the whole world may be watching!
1. Joyous Entry: Anybody who enters the large estate will immediately be heralded by a fanfare, and the announcer will give them a made-up title (Lord, Duchess, Lady, etc) followed by their real name. Then, they'll either announce something that they actually accomplished in life, or they will make it up if the visitor didn't provide anything about themselves in their RVSP card (example: "famous for wrestling with alligators!"). Though, in some cases, perhaps the truth will be less embarrassing than the lie... either way, whatever they are announced as, it's what they will be known as for the rest of the evening.
2. Meat and Greet: Before our fake royalty ties the knot, why not take advantage of this ceremony and grab some free food? It's a perfect time to meet all the other guests as everyone enjoys various collections of wine, meat and desserts. Just remember to be polite! Anyone who starts a food fight or even so much as insults a fellow guest will spend a night in the dungeon. Yes, they can put you in there. Not a bad place to make friends either, however...
3. Try Another Castle: A group of less-than-intelligent lizard men have crashed the party in an attempt to steal "Princess Sparkle" for themselves. For some reason they think that this is an actual royal wedding and that Miss Sparkle is an actual princess. They're not very smart creatures, but they come in large numbers and they must be stopped immediately! Did anybody bring weapons to this party? If not, try jumping on their heads... assuming one can jump that high! Save the princess, save the wedding!!
• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include red hot chili peppers and/or peanut butter.
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!

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[Connor lifts his gaze towards the stranger, and he attempts to straighten up from his defeated posture so he can present a better face to this person; it's not in his programming to appear helpless unless it would be a benefit the task at hand.

He shouldn't be having these things happen. These... errors. That's all they should be, temporary malfunctions, because he is a machine. The only reason he felt anything like true emotion was because he was connected to a deviant's irrational memories, and he's not a deviant. That didn't come from him, and this place must just be reacting to sensations like emotions. That's all.

Although the red flickering continues around him with even larger clumps of lines and grids, the clouds at least begin to slow their wintry assault. When Connor answers, it's with a weak smile, and he attempts to match her casual tone, his voice at least steady for his efforts.]

I should probably start bringing an umbrella.

[ Jill figures it's not in most people's programming and honestly, she thinks little to nothing of it, just that he's lifted himself up and his hopefully more comfortable now.

She wishes she could do more to help people who seem to be new to this place; she can't imagine the stress of the emotional effects on top of everything else. Especially since they seem to indicate something about the person attached to them. Sometimes immediate, sometimes more personal and intimate, sometimes... well, it could be just about anything, couldn't it? ]

For snow? That how it's handled where you're from? [ She doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary for someone who might be new here and it certainly doesn't occur to her that he might not be human in any sense, traditional or otherwise. So, she simply shifts nearer and smiles tight. ] You okay? Can be a bit stressful.

[Connor realizes how odd it must seem to mention an umbrella and not something like a coat or scarf, and he shakes his head a little helplessly as he explains his reasoning, folding his arms against both the slight chill and the uncertainty he's experiencing.]

I don't usually feel the cold. I'm not supposed to, anyway.

[He turns his head to the side as he stares off into the crowd and at the oddly-balanced buildings in the distance, his LED still flickering yellow. He considers for a moment whether to bother this stranger with his malfunctions, but—she did ask, and perhaps it will help him to talk about it and get some advice.]

I was designed to adapt to new situations, but... I suppose it's a lot to deal with at once.

[ It is, but to each their own. It's not like it was hailing or anything. In that case you'd need more than just something to stay warm or dry. There's a strange sensation about him right now, like she can almost feel the cold that affects him -- but only almost. It is visible to her, at least. ]

...right. I mean, you don't have to justify it to me.

[ She's pinning it as him being from a tropical region or something like that still. The snow thing is maybe not a common thing, but whatever that strange blinking is... Jill's never seen anything like that. He seems nervous about it, if not shy.

It makes her feel kinda bad. ]

You're a little confusing in how you explain things, but it's no big deal. You're not alone in that. [ She lifts her baseball cap off her head from front to back with a slight twist that messes her fringe up but she take the opportunity to get into his personal space and drop her hat on his head. ] Not an umbrella, but it'll do for now. C'mon -- [ She gestures while taking a few slow steps beyond him, throwing a wink over her shoulder. ] -- we'll get you an umbrella. Maybe a pair of gloves.

[There's a brief flicker of surprise on his face when the hat drops on his head, but he accepts it and her offer without any protest, giving Jill a slow nod and following her with his eyes as she starts to step away.]

Right. Thanks.

[So he steps along with her, leaving the hat at the slight angle it fell onto his head rather than trying to straighten it. Matching her pace, he tries to clarify things a little better, though hesitantly.]

Sorry—I don't mean to be unclear. I'm used to people knowing I'm a machine, but I guess that's me making assumptions.

[It should be easy for him to adjust to this, to dump his preconceived notions and build back from the ground up. It just requires gathering information, something he's trained to do. Still...

He needs to step back mentally, reframe the situation and consider where he should be and how to get there from where he is. Right. This woman is offering him something helpful, and he's unnecessarily dumped more irrelevant internal reasoning on her. The usual polite thing to do is:]

My name is Connor. [There's something almost apologetic to the tilt of his brow as he turns his face to her. He's hoping he can make a slightly better impression this time.]

[ Is it that he's unused to kindness? It's hard to say, but she figures in this situation if someone hadn't been helpful or considerate to her then she might start to feel like she was buried alive. It's disconcerting to put it mildly and horrible if you really start to consider all the possibilities that come with being here. It's enough to make anyone have an anxiety attack.

She doesn't really notice the hat thing, just figures he's being shy and awkward about it being offered to him in general. ]

...oh. [ That's a first, isn't it. She doesn't mean to be rude, but she side-long glances at him, tries to figure out if there's anything that's meant to give it away. ] Well, doesn't really make a difference to me. You're still a person. I guess, I don't know, you won't rust, right?

[ They'll have to speed up if that's what he was worried about. Luckily she does wear layers, she'd just have to take off her overshirt and hopefully that'd be enough? This situation just keeps getting weirder for her. Weird like pokemon, weird like being in some weird fantasy steampunk alternate universe -- that kind of weird. ]

Hey, Connor. [ She's more languid now, twisting toward him so she walks almost-backwards but not quite. She extends a hand to him, chest level. ] Jill. I'm used to people knowing I'm a human, but that's me making assumptions.

[ It's a friendly little joke, hopefully showing that if he's used to some strange reaction about him being a machine (however that works) that it's nothing that really matters to her. ]

Don't know what it's like where you come from, but there aren't... machines like you where I come from. Sorry if I seem to be gawking or anything like that.

I don't rust— [Almost casually, he holds his hand out slightly from where it was resting on his arm, deactivating the skin to let it fade away and reveal the white plasticlike material underneath.] —thankfully. It would be pretty poor design if I could get damaged by a little rain.

[He actually does smile at the mild humor, and for some reason it helps to reassure him a little. The chill abates somewhat as the skin reappears with a blue light, as if it's being reprinted over his hand. It's an intentional thing, partly because if she's weirded out by the fact that he's an android, touching a plastic hand would probably be even more bizarre. With a more open, friendly look on his face, he does actually shake her hand after that, and hopefully it feels normal enough to make up for the rest.]

It's okay. I've probably been staring at some people, myself.

[ DON'T DO THAT ]

[ Although he doesn't seem to be in any pain, her initial reaction is to try and make him stop. If not discomfort then he might draw attention to him in a way that not everyone might be considerate about. ]

You'd be the first I've met, so I wouldn't know. Glad to hear it, though.

[ It bothers her, though. Not because he's not human but that he talks about himself like an object. A "poor design." Is that how it is where he's from?

She doesn't at all mind the hand thing, though. Not touching. If anything, she's somewhat empathetic. She grips his hand, careful but not so soft that it's gentle. It's normal. ]

Strange place, I know. Still sorry if I seem a little too curious. It's unfair and I know I wouldn't like it. [ The way she moves is smooth and with confidence, if not comfort. ] Well, no big deal. To me, at least.

[Whoops. A note for the future: people may potentially be more startled by the skin thing than anticipated. It's yet another thing he'll need to adjust to, he guesses, especially if he wants to make a good first impression.

He matches Jill's grip for the handshake after a second of uncertainty; he knows it's a polite greeting between humans, obviously, but he's still new to actually doing it himself. Androids aren't usually greeted with that kind of thing.]

I don't mind. Really. [Connor pauses for a moment, considering how to best get it across sincerely, rather than simply trying to make her feel better. Which, he is, but he's also genuinely okay with it, and he has to put into words why that is.] It's a lot easier answering questions about what I am than focusing on what I don't know about this place.

[He's not opposed to challenges, mentally speaking, and he does want to learn more about Verens and the world as a whole. It's just that trying to do that all at once is too overwhelming for him to handle, and for once he can actually appreciate distractions from his goal. It gives him time to process everything.]

[ And in some cases, not just startled but perhaps judgemental. Although she'd like to think people would treat him the same as they might anyone else here. They're all strange in their own way, aren't they?

Jill notices a certain stiffness, but doesn't think it's as odd as it might be. ]

Well, alright. [ She expects that's usually how most would respond, so she doesn't think much on that, either. It's a new experience, but not one that bothers her, really. He's no different than any number of the non-humans here. ] Is that would you'd prefer, though? I mean, not sure what questions I have -- like I said, this is sort of a first for me. Just want to make sure you're not hurt or anything?

[ Because, you know. The rust thing. But since that doesn't seem to be the case, maybe it's just the uncertainty of how other people here would take him? And the stress. There's definitely the stress of all of this, the anxiety and the fear and not knowing if you're having a vivid hallucination or not. ]

...hm, well. Do you eat? Sleep?

[The concern is a little heartening, even if a part of Connor denies that he's capable of feeling reassured, or even perturbed enough to need reassurance. He's going to find it too difficult to deny his feelings the longer he's here, but for now he's attempting to put it all in a box and lock it away. Despite the brief smell of fresh flowers, of course.]

I'll be okay. Most things that wouldn't harm humans won't do anything to me, either.

[And one of those notable things is of course something she ends up asking about. It's nice that she's continuing to humor him, even if it might not necessarily be something she wanted to do on her own, and he smiles a little for it.]

I can't eat, but I can enter a low-power state that's almost like sleeping. I don't dream or anything, though.

[Yet. He'll find out about how this world has modified him later.]

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TEST DRIVE: July

yeah yeah yeah yeah

regular show fistpump

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