memepatheias | TEST DRIVE: October

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*test drive

TEST DRIVE: October

— TEST DRIVE: OCTOBER —

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 September 24th and Applications (Canon | OC) open a week later on October 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: The new season has brought some interesting merchants into town from the outlying cities, and one peddler from Theasthai in particular is creating a lot of buzz with his magical masks that he claims will bring good fortune and riches to the wearer if worn for a full day’s time. Some masks are ordinary and will have no effect, while others...are a bit more unusual. For a modest fee, you may rent one of these masks, but be sure you return them within three days...or the consequences may be dire. Oh, and mind that once the masks have been put on, they cannot be removed until midnight of the following day! Choose wisely...
1. Paper Faces on Parade: Sure enough, many of the masks have strange effects on the wearer’s emotional state. Some may alter their behavior and make them more peaceful or more aggressive than normal, while still others will have more significant effects, like encouraging its wearer to give the next person they see a great big hug or a genuine compliment, whether they like it or not. In cases where the wearer may not go along with their mask’s persuasion, they may find the mask growing tighter and tighter around their head! But if they give in to whatever action the mask suggests, they will find themselves overcome with feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction. It’s not such a high price when it’s just a hug or a compliment, but hopefully your mask doesn’t want you to throw a pie in the face of the next person you see, or even worse, try to kidnap them...
2. Master of Disguise: Yet other masks appear blank when they are put on, and to the wearer, they will continue to appear as a blank, unremarkable mask. But for others who look upon the mask when it is being worn by another, they will see someone important to them who is not currently present in Empatheias. Is it their long-lost best friend they see? An old flame? A bitter enemy? Better think quick! Who knows how they may react to the person they see you as.
3. A Terrible Fate: So, you forgot to return your mask in time, did you? The mask salesman is absolutely not happy, and even if you attempt to return the mask later, he will not accept it. He promises retribution to come soon, and in the next few hours you may start to notice that it almost looks like the moon is getting closer to the island. But that can’t be possible, can it? Yet over the course of the day, it will appear to you as though the moon is rocketing closer and closer to the island, dead set on a collision course! You should tell someone, right? The only problem is...no one else sees the same thing you do. They don’t notice the moon at all! What will you do? Evacuate the city, or submit yourself to asylum? Or commiserate with a fellow offender who neglected to return their mask on time?
• Prompt E: In the wake of the fundraiser hosted by Otherworlders earlier in the month, a certain miniature local celebrity will be making a follow-up appearance at Verens’ mobile petting zoo! Currently set up in the city’s central park, the petting zoo will offer opportunities to both feed and play with a wide range of animals, including goats, alpacas, pigs, rabbits, deer, sheep, and of course, regular-sized ponies for rides. There will also be a few domesticated wyverns available to interact with, for those who aren’t put off by the horns and teeth! While the zoo itself seems to consider its primary audience to be local children, visitors of all ages are welcome and encouraged to enjoy themselves.
1. Feeding Time: Of course, the petting zoo’s primary attraction is the chance to get up close and personal! There are apples and carrots available to be offered to the animals that favor them, as well as plenty of ordinary feed that’s available for a small fee. Some of the animals, however, are less interested in the food and more interested in what their visitors are wearing— goats can be caught nibbling on shoelaces or pant legs, and more than a few hats will be snatched off of heads by curious alpacas. Others are far less mischievous, with rabbits, piglets and fawns that are far more than happy to take any offered snacks and respond affectionately. Whether you’re spending time with one of the more docile animals or having to chase down a mischievous hat-thief, they’re all certainly happy to have visitors!
2. Goat Racing: Taking some inspiration from chicken races of the past, the petting zoo would like to introduce Verens to everyone’s new favorite sporting event: goat racing! Attendees are free to place their bets on goats— all money will go to supporting the zoo itself and continued care of the animals, but the prize is that anyone who happens to pick the winner gets to take one of these little guys home with them for the day! Surely, we’ve all dreamt of temporary goat parenthood. Pick your favorite to win! As it turns out, however, the goats are easily distracted and many will keep wandering away from the race to chew on whatever they can get their teeth around. Some kind and focused encouragement will go a long way towards helping them get back on track, but be careful not to overwhelm them! They’re under a lot of pressure, here.
3. On the Lamb: One of the attendants has accidentally left the gate to one of the pens open, and as a result, there’s suddenly a dozen sheep on the loose! They’re quick to scatter, and many will run off to various parts of the Merchant’s Square and towards Canal Street, with the potential to fan out towards other parts of the city as well. Do your best Bo Peep impression and help to round them up! The sheep are easily spooked and agitated, but projecting a sense of calm and other soothing emotions will help to keep them calm in turn, and make it easier to close in and guide them back to their handlers, while impatience or frustration will spook them further and cause them to flee. Patience is absolutely the key to bringing these lost lambs home!
• Prompt F: Magical Girls are the latest craze in Verens! A local group of enthusiasts have heard enough stories from Otherworlders that they want to create their own festival based around it. Of course, nobody actually needs to be an magical girl to participate, nor does gender necessarily matter. No, this is an event for those who appreciate the genre or just want to have some little fun. For each event, there are star gems to be won, which are traded in for sweet goodies, so why not give it a shot? Extra points for those who come in a magical girl costume!
1. Talent Show: Every magical girl has some kind of skill or ability, right? In this event, anyone can show off their pose, speech, transformation, animal-sidekick... whatever they feel best represents a magical girl! Put lots of enthusiasm into it! Everyone else attending the convention must rate their performance on a scale of 1 to 10. The higher the rating, the more star gems you win!
2. Battle Royale: A closed off part of the city has been reserved for more serious magical girls, where the rules allow any magical girl to challenge the other to a fight. There are no rules for how they wish to engage in fight, apart from the loser having to relinquish all of their star gems to the winner. Do you challenge a fellow Otherworlder magical girl? Or do you form a team with one to beat some of the natives, who also fight as magical girls? Be careful, they're quite good at using their emotional effects to their advantage!
3. Gacha Galore: It's the end of the Magical Girl Festival, and now it's time to turn in your star gems. But there's a twist! Nobody gets to choose their prize, but instead they have to pay 20 star gems and let the roulette pick their prize. If you got what you wanted, feel free to show it off! And if not? Well, maybe somebody can trade?
• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include pumpkin spice and/or buckets.
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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[The tone of voice is one she's quite familiar with, which only helps cool the air around them.

Because it's the same tone her mother uses.

Turning back to her, she readjusts her glasses again.]

My...mother's name is Belle.

[ There is so much she wants to ask - her curiosity urging her to find out more in order to figure out what is going on.

And yet she wants to uncover the answers in ways beyond just questioning. Already Belle knows that there's no way this girl is a child of hers and Gaston's because that would never happen.

Though finding out who the father is is something she can wait to find out. ]

And your name?

[The longer she looks at her, the more sure she is that this is her mother. Or at least, a younger version of her mother. But her confusion has her hesitating a bit, not sure how she can really explain herself, or how much she should explain.

Her name, at least, is an easy question to answer.]

Rosabella. Rosabella Beauty.

[Admittedly, Usagi was never AS close to Hotaru as she was the others, partially because of age, partially because Chibiusa and Hotaru had gotten along so well, she wanted the girls to have that special friendship like she did with the inner senshi. But that didn't mean that Hotaru was any less dear to her than the others.

So, of course, she was at the Magical Girl contest (she had even seen "herself" as Sailor Moon running around but was weirdly used to it by now considering). She had gotten compliments on her "Sailor Moon" hairstyle and laughed it off like old times. But that was not why she was here, she was here to cheer on Hotaru.]

WOOOOO HOTARU-CHAAAAAN! YOU'RE AMAZING SWEETHEART!

[Ah- she was a beautiful woman. Alice wondered if she was a princess. She was beautiful enough to be a princess. She was elegant enough to be a princess... She cleared her throat softly.]

I tend to start with poetry or books with pictures in them! Or riddle books! Or oh! Books with stories about princesses and grand adventures! But would you like me to show you the poetry books, miss?

Oh my.

[There is someone floating around in the air flapping his poor ears like his life depends on it. That looks exhausting... Her own long bunny-like ears twitch as if sympathizing.

But as the boy comes crashing down Momo does her best the flee from her spot to avoid getting slams into!]

Ehhh-! Please! If you're better at landings, do try harder!

[All of the masks are interesting and amusing, but Terra finds watching everyone else entertain themselves with said masks better than browsing. After some hem and hawing over whether to rent one, modesty gets the better of him; he decides on something very simple, nothing flashy or embellished.

A plain, white mask in the shape of a humanoid face. The expression is stoic, and there's holes for the eyes, the nose, and a split between the lips for breathing. He should be inconspicuous in this, allowing him to participate without getting in trouble.

Except trouble follows him, and if you happen to see him wandering the merchants, he looks definitely like someone you've been missing. Unaware, he keeps walking without any notice for you. Rude.]

[The loose sheep aren't having any of Terra. Their initial wariness and dodge of his capture make him, at first, hurt. Insulted? He can't believe he's honestly that terrifying, enough to cause sheep to flee.]

Wait, I--

[It's the frustration that does the rest, bubbling up and spilling over. Small cracks pop into the ground under each footstep as he races after the skittish sheep, as if his feet are heavy iron. Scary! The sheep run the moment he appears, and his frustration only grows exponentially. When there's opportunity to get pincered between him and someone else on the street, he calls out:]

Hey! Those sheep--don't let them get by!

[Somehow, Terra has ended up with two pumpkin spice drinks, something sort of like a good ol' Sbux latte. Unfortunately, he only wants one--uh, only thinks he should have one, so don't be surprised when he either walks up to you or simply hands one of the drinks out to get your attention.] Here.

I already have one. I thought we could share.

wildcard

Totally down for any kind of wildcard whether it's network communication, emotion wrangling, or hijinks!

[Ventus is playing with Chirithy when someone walks up to him, holding out a drink.]

Sure! What’s—

[He stops when he realizes just who it was that asked him. Why that voice is so familiar.]

Terra!

[Chirithy flails when Ventus suddenly lunges forward, practically tackling Terra into a hug.]

Huh?

[Oh! That is a lot of sheep and Roxas has to react fast. It's probably not the best reaction, but the Oathkeeper keyblade flashes into his hand and he sends up a wall of ice to at least block the way.

Though that leads to a lot of confused "baas!" and the sheep possibly heading back towards Terra]

[For a second, his face softens at Ven's realization, but then it's immediately slapped with worried surprise.] The drinks! [It's a juggling act, having to stabilize his footing, harden his midsection for the blow, and try to keep a grip on the pumpkin spice goodness.

Whew. No disasters.] Ven, be careful. [But Terra is smiling anyway, lowering his arms to Ven's shoulders and head. He can't exactly hug with his hands full, but close enough.]

[A]

[A task board... That's something that might have been better utilized within her union for accomplishing certain things, wouldn't it have been? It's such a small thing, and yet...

Well, surely it doesn't matter. Collecting Lux is really what matters in the long run, isn't it? Push back the darkness, prevent the Keyblade War for as long as possible. Invi reaches out, brushing her fingers against the board in curiousity, skimming along and flipping the fliers for anything that might catch her interest.

Most of what is here is not quite what Invi would picture nor expect of something on a task board. Though maybe it's just because she's expecting something more regimented, like something Ira might put up. Something less... aggressive, hopefully.

Then again, maybe not.

If you happen to be looking through the lists next to her, she'll have no problems picking up a conversation.]

Are these tasks normally like this? I never would have expected that someone requesting help could write something so aggressive sounding. Especially wherein they're asking you to jump off the island. [What did you guys do.]

[B]

[If the amulets are connecting peoples... minds? Or would it be more accurate to say their hearts? Then perhaps she should introduce herself. It's only polite, and perhaps she might be able to learn a little more about how this world works.]

Greetings. [She starts, thoughts wavering unsurely for a moment before she continues.] My name is Invi, and I am a Keyblade Master. I admit, I'm not familiar with other worlds as well as I would like to be. I- [Another waver of the stream of consciousness, before the thoughts continue again, perhaps a little more sheepish than before.] Can everyone hear me well enough? I've never conversed with telepathy before. I fear it might be some time before I'm decent enough at it.

[c]

[Without a Union to preside over, it makes things... Awkward. She feels antsy, like she's not doing nearly enough things, isn't directing people where she should, isn't keeping a fair eye on things that she should be. It's ridiculous. It's irritating.

She's a Keyblade Master. She's a Foreteller. She's the leader of the Anguis Union.

She's none of those things here. There's not even any Heartless to destroy, there's no Lux to collect, and no Keyblade War to forestall.]

The Book of Prophecies had nothing about something like this happening. [She says, speaking out loud to no one in particular as she paces back and forth in mild irritation, clearly caught up in her own thoughts and not quite paying attention.]

Surely this is nothing that could have been on the missing page? Unless... [Did the Master somehow predict this too? Is she meant to be here, in this place for some reason? Is there something only she can do to stop the Keyblade war from happening in this place?

Surely there's nothing amiss about a robed woman talking to herself about war and darkness.]

[D]

[This is... Entirely unbefitting a job of a Keyblade master. Corralling a bunch of escaped sheep, and yet, Invi is unfortunately projecting a more nervous aura which certainly doesn't help anything, but with a flash of magic, a group of three of the skittish lambs are barricaded inside of an ice wall, leaving them to bleat balefully as Invi levels her keyblade at them.]

Come now, it's time for you to return home. [Is... Is she scolding sheep? She absolutely is.

Unfortunately, there seems to be one more sheep that wasn't caught, and it's lining up a charge with Invi's back to it, and she doesn't seem to realize it's there.]

[E]

[it's ya standard wildcard. Maybe Invi is conversing with a real heckin cute cat, possibly asking it what it's seen, and you want to know where she got it from? Or maybe you just wanna know what the heck is up with this robed, masked weirdo, who is sometimes carrying around a giant heckin key.]

Edited 2018-09-19 15:23 (UTC)

[Wait a minute. Everything happens so fast, all in quick succession. The person down the street looks an awful lot like--]

Ven...?

[The keyblade? The ice wall. Terra skids to a stop several yards back, and the sheep turn to run toward him again. The frustration is wiped, replaced instead by a flutter of airy confusion. He completely forgets he's supposed to grab the sheep, but thankfully...

...he's not being dumb anymore, so they bunch together around him in the street.]

Ven?!

The sheep!

[Terra yells at her to not let them get by, but quite frankly, Xion is doing the best she can to not suddenly get trampled. Once they pass by, she's quick to try and bolt after them, shouting at Terra-]

Go the around the other side! We can trap them like that! [She'll chase the fuzzy beasts right into Terra, if he listens!]

[Markus doesn't say anything else just yet. If he had a single doubt left, it was gone after Simon met his eyes. The last time that he'd seen Simon, he'd pressed a gun into his hand and felt like he left a piece of himself behind. Every loss, every tragedy, every fallen body in the snow was a chain he carried over his shoulders and the night that Jericho fell had been the worst of all. But Simon was the first, and Simon had been the leader of Jericho before him, for so long that no one still alive remembered when he had arrived, and in that moment on the rooftop he had looked up at Markus with iron determination and something much more fragile on his face.

He knew as Simon shuffled to his feet and stumbled toward cover that he would probably never see him again. But hearing Josh and North argue about Simon's sacrifice had only driven in the knife deeper. They'd succeeded in getting their message out, but it had cost them one of their own. One of Jericho's leaders, a vital mediator and voice of reason between Josh and North's opposing viewpoints. At the time Markus had wondered if anything he could do as leader could make up for that cost. As the death toll rose, and androids kept following him anyway, it got to the point where the options were to keep going or to surrender and be deactivated. So he'd kept going, and done his best to save as many as he could, to not get overburdened by his doubt and grief.

He had almost forgotten how heavy the weight of leadership was until just now.

He takes one step forward, then another, leaving verdant footprints of soft, sweet summer grass in his wake. His hand finds Simon's shoulder (he's real, it's really him) and then he pulls him into a hug, squeezing his eyes shut and holding onto him, arms tight around Simon's shoulders, as if he can imprint on the other android how much he missed him by holding him tightly enough.

The breeze around them picks up, enough to strip the petals off of the flowers at their feet. Between them Markus' amulet warms as it absorbs the strongest drop of emotion he's fed it to date.]

[When Terra calls out, Aurora turns to look at him, her owl on her shoulder and she sees the sheep running towards her and more especially away from him.

Well, if there's one thing she can do, it's help calm down an animal. She began to sing, keeping her voice gentle even as it filled the air and the sheep slowed down until they came to a stop and then began trotting over to Aurora. She smiled at them, gently petting their heads.]

There now, you shouldn't run from him, I'm sure he means you no harm. Isn't that right? [She asked as she looked up at Terra, not a single sign of recognition on her face even though he might easily recognize her, dressed in her blue gown with her crown atop her head.]

Ah! For me?

[She looks down at the drink with a smile.]

It's the perfect weather for something like this; thank you!

Huh?

[Marinette had been busy browsing the menu above, so she didn't notice the tall man until he offered her the drink. Her face lit up in delight.]

Oh! Thank you! Are you sure?

[It really isn't unusual for new people in this world to reach out for help with their amulets. Naminé usually does her best to help, but... something about this message catches her attention right away.]

Um... pardon me... did you say you're a keyblade master?

[The only master she knows is Aqua after all.]

That's right. Invi of the Union Anguis.

Watch out!

[At first, Xion is alright because Terra is alright. He's so focused on the sheep, he doesn't even--

Xion takes off, and he zeroes in. Ven? There's-- There's no time to worry, really, he's still running.] On it! [They can meet up after, and he can talk to Ven about it.

He's not sure he'll need any power from the keyblade, but he draws Ends of the Earth into his hand just in case and takes off to the opposite side with a small burst of speed. There.

He's ready for them!]

They're not usually this bad.

Things just got a little...rough recently and so there's a lot of angry opinions around.

Some people went for it though.

[Which weirds him out. Though it looked like they were trying to find creative workarounds.]

[It's Terra. It's really him.

He just hugs him tighter.]

It's you. I can't believe it.

[It's been so long and Ventus feels a little clingy to him. No surprise since he's always been rather attached to Terra, anyway.

Then he pulls away enough, looking up at him.]

[And Xion is hot on their trail, shooting small bursts of fire at the heels to keep the sheep running while making sure she doesn't accidentally hit one.]

Here I come!

[And the sheep? They're quickly wedged in between Terra and Xion, trapped between two keyblades! Of course, Xion is probably more confident now than irritated, so they don't seem too likely to bolt...]

We've gott'em now!

I... see. That seems rather strange, but I suppose I cannot fault those who find themselves slighted by those not from their world for how things work.

[Even if she can't comprehend it, personally. But... She takes in the form of Roxas and smiles.]

I don't believe we've formally met before this. I'm Invi of Anguis. You're one of Ava's chosen wielders, are you not?

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TEST DRIVE: October

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Invi | Kingdom Hearts: Gacha Hell, and most of this is a repost

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feel free to see Ven in Stereo--

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ven multiplied help

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