TEST DRIVE: April

[empevents]

— TEST DRIVE: APRIL —

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 March 25th and Applications (Canon | OC) open a week later on April 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. These threads do not count toward AC.

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 Verens Emergency Response Teams are running drills to make sure that the Verens populace, natives and Otherworlders alike, are prepared for any and all emergencies. This means large scale obstruction of public areas, traffic delays, businesses closing their doors temporarily in the name of professional cooperation... and, best of all, Otherworlder participation!

1. Alpha Lava: If you asked Team Alpha, they would say they drew the short straw. They are in charge of the volcanic eruption preparedness drill! This includes cordoning off sections of the merchant’s square and residential district to conduct the following tasks: evacuation drills, where random houses are the "willing participant" of loudspeaker announcements telling them they have thirty seconds to escape their homes before they die; dunamis training exercises, to determine who would be most able to hold back or freeze incoming pools of lava; and, most helpful, the role of victim mannequin. Posing still as a statue for several minutes at a time to simulate being encrusted by molten lava is a thankless job, but someone has to do it.
   
2. Epsilon Epidemic: Team Epsilon's emergency preparedness drill is outbreak of a deadly disease! For this simulation, they will be rounding up helpful Otherworlder volunteers and distributing signs for them to wear around their necks. Following that, instructions are varied. Perhaps some people end up in quarantine, informed that Team Epsilon will shoot to kill anyone who escaped. Perhaps some people are under strict instruction to act out their sign to the best of their ability, and will be penalised if they don't! (What's the penalty? It's quarantine, or no gift bag, or both.) Perhaps they are simply dead and have to lie in the street all day. Yes, that's very boring. No, they don't have a choice. At the end of the simulation, all participants are given a gift bag filled with handmade cookies (courtesy of Team Epsilon's very own multi-talented Agent N) and gift certificate for a spa day for two. Most importantly: have fun!
   
3. Gamma Grandstanding: Team Gamma ended up with the newest preparation drill. Its official title is "People With Indeterminate Motives" (PWIM for short) to keep from throwing a wrench in the Briarlan trade deal and offending sensibilities, but make no mistake: it is about knowing exactly what to do if pirates invade Verens and conduct a hostile takeover. Some Otherworlders will be placed specifically in local business - restaurants, independently owned shops, even the zoo - and trained how to protect them from PWIM. Some businesses will be targeted; others will be ignored entirely (hope you brought a deck of cards!). Other Otherworlders will be asked to play the pirates - sorry, PWIM - themselves, complete with lame costumes (eyepatches, fancy hats, fake parrots to sit on a shoulder, itchy peglegs) for the sake of immersion. Arr! Aye, avast!

• Prompt E: Despite the rain and everybody coming down with colds during the month, everyone in Verens is still doing their best to get ready for next month's Flower Festival. And Otherworlders are definitely expected to help with prep work. After all, it's everyone's festival, so everyone should help make it the best it can be! So here's a few ways to help!

1. Sign Me Up: The Festival needs signs! Lots of signs. And lots of signs need lots of painters! Or one incredibly overworked painter, but in this case, they've decided to go the teamwork route, pairing up Otherworlders and having them make signs advertising various games at the festival! Sounds easy, right? But with emotion based paints in play, be careful. Too much negativity between partners and the wording will change, the paint could run, go too far in the other directions and the signs will be practically glowing, but possibly lead to claims of false advertising!
   
2. Special Delivery Flower Festivals need lots of flowers, and people to transport those flowers! And thanks to handy tech exchange with Briarlan, this year there's some fancy containment units for transporting them. They're really just crates with some fancy looking meters attached, meant to open up when they reach the festival grounds. Unfortunately, these new inventions probably could've used some additional testing and are prone to opening randomly sending flowers all over the place! Try and collect as many as possible and bring them back to the grounds, the festival organizers would appreciate it.
   
3. Flower Round Up! Or maybe painting signs and boxing flowers aren't your thing, so how about...corralling them? With all the good vibes in the air, it seems some of the flower arrangements have literally pulled up roots and are running around the festival. And you can't have a flower festival without flowers, so do your best to try and get them back where they belong before they run off to start some sort of flower civilization in the woods*.
   
   *They probably will not form a flower civilization in the woods, but you never know.

• Prompt F: With Verens trading with more and more cities out there, some shopkeepers have gotten an idea to try and increase sales by encouraging both citizens and Otherworlders to shop local by promoting a tour of various business in the merchant district! Though the crystal has been a little negative, they're still hoping the tour goes off without a hitch! After all, it's too late to postpone it.

1. On the Clock: The first stop is Click, Clack, Clock, a clock shop that offers delivery to anywhere on the island! Unfortunately, due to the poor weather, all of the delivery staff are out with colds, so they're looking for volunteers! And yes, you're on this walking tour, but don't be surprised if you're handed a bicycle and a clock and sent on your way to deliver a clock. Hopefully they remembered to tell you where to go before shoving you out the door.
   
2. Shine On: Assuming you haven't been conscripted into the clock store's delivery force, the next stop is at Verens' very own Restoration Works, an establishment for restoring old antiques and making them look good as new. They've set up an interactive demo for everybody, so partner up and practice using your emotions to bring some shine back to some dull scraps of metal! Sorry guys, they're not going to let you work on anything really valuable during the tour, but if you show some promise, maybe they’ll hire you on in the future!
   
3. Polg-Oh No: Finally, the tour will end with a nice relaxing meal at the Sweethearts Cafe. Or it was intended to be relaxing, anyway (who would've thought the antique store would be the calmest part of the tour?), but it seems no place is safe from the Polgo plague. Better keep an eye on your plates, otherwise the second you’re distracted, the small kitten-sized blue bugs might scurry up the table and try and run off with your food!
   
   Even if you’re paying attention, they might give it a shot anyways. So be on your guard and ready to give chase if it happens!

• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include blueberries 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!

Comments

Deadpool

[captain_dp]

B

[Heaving a GIANT melodramatic sigh, Deadpool swats at some of the job postings on the task board, clearly unimpressed with the offerings.]

Boring. Boring. Boring. Too easy. Oh! This one doesn't look so... nope. I was wrong. Still boring.

[It's not visible under his mask but he's totally rolling his eyes right now.]

I've seen better job offers on the bathroom wall at Hooters. Seriously, what the fuck is this shit? Basketballs, glass, spiders, and cats? What? Am I doing side quests to power level to fight the big boss fight?

C

[Deadpool is bored. There's no TV. No Candy Crush. No nudie mags. What the fuck is he supposed to do?! He managed to scare up some paper and had some broken crayons in one of his pouches and decided to do something useful with his time.

Unfortunately, he forgot about the telepathy thing. So he's accidentally started broadcasting to... everyone. Everyone is now privvy to the sight of a badly scarred hand using a blue crayon to color in the mane of a badly drawn unicorn.]

Oooohh yeah. Shake that mane you saucy little minx.

[housewareshero]

[from behind him comes the voice of a possible kindred]

Ya'I know, right? If they're gonna make us work for shit, it's gotta be interesting.

[he pauses]

Sweet katanas.

[captain_dp]

Now there is an eavesdropper who's speaking my lingo!

[He whirls around, cocking his head to one side. You may not be able to see it, but his voice certainly sounds cheerful]

Thanks! I'm thinking of naming them Bea and Arthur because they're smoking hot. [The white eyes of his mask narrow slightly a he looks down] Hey, cool robo-hand.

[housewareshero]

[Ash laughs. If this guy's into the Golden Girls, that's his kink. More young hot chicks for him]

Thanks! You new here?

[he thinks he'd remember the weird-ass getup... But he's met a duck, so, weird is becoming real relative real fast]

[captain_dp]

[Hey, he doesn't discriminate. Young. Old. Whatever. He shrugs, looking around.]

Yeah, wherever here is. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's better than a swift kick to the cajones by Michael Flatley, but it's weird as fuck!

[housewareshero]

[this guy is hysterical. like, hanging out getting wrecked with his old buddy Chet hysterical. Ash laughs, and suddenly the air around them smells like cheap beer and burgers]

You ain't just whistlin' Dixie. There's a bar here run by a duck. About yea high.

[he gestures to demonstrate]

And he wears a tophat. ... And there's some weird shit goin' on with ... I dunno, Toonamis? I think that's what that one guy called it. But on the flip side, there's an Information Center where they give ya a free room and some brochures an' maps an' shit. Oh, and money, but I spent all mine already. That's why I'm lookin' at the worst classified section since my junior year of high school.

[captain_dp]

By a duck? He's not a really pissy detective, by any chance? [He stops, looking around] Why do I suddenly feel like I'm at a TGI Fridays in Jacksonville?

[he shakes his head, smacking his temple with his palm a few times] Might still have a few screws loose from that knife to the head. [He stops, finally registering one thing that this strange gentleman just said.]

Wait... did you just say they just give you money?!

[housewareshero]

[Ash stops cold, eyes widening. when he speaks, it's with reverence]

I love the Jacksonville Friday's.

[sorry, Wade, we're talking about Jacksonville now.]

[captain_dp]

[You can just hear the GRIN as he speaks]

My man. You have excellent taste. That artichoke dip? [He leans back, groaning as he remembers] Sooo good. Not to mention the waitress with gazongas out to here [He cups his hands in front of his chest, demonstrating.]

C

[neverwashere]

[Now, what to comment on first - the hand, or the drawing?]

So if that becomes 3D and glows orange, won't its skin look peach?

[captain_dp]

[Unfortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how they see it) for the speaker, Poolboy is used to voices in his head. This one does sound different than the ones he's used to, but that could just be something to do with this place right? Right. That's totally it. He pauses in his coloring for a moment to contemplate the odd thought.]

But why would it turn 3D? Unless these are magic crayons [He turns the crayon over in his hand, looking it over. The color is Cerulean Blue.] Nah, I stole these from Applebees a few weeks ago, there's no way these are magic. Right? I don't know, though. That Margarita was suspiciously good...

[Welcome to Deadpool's stream of consciousness thoughts. If you don't stop him he's just going to pull an Energizer Bunny and just keep going and going...]

[neverwashere]

[No complaints about playing along, strictly for entertainment purposes. Better than boredom, and an interesting check on when he'd be noticed and what this person's shtick was.]

Oh, but a lot could have happened after Applebees. Was the Margarita spiked to begin with?

[captain_dp]

[He eyes the small pile of crayons rather suspiciously, now]

That's true. Colossus could have had one of those X-Freaks do something to them to try to make me go to Neverland Ranch to get my head checked. It's a little lower than Silver Balls usually goes, but I wouldn't put it past him. But wait... WAS the Margarita spiked? Noooo. Sheila wouldn't do that to me! I dunno what roofies would do to me, now that you mention it. No one's tried to poison me since this dumpster fire started...

[neverwashere]

[None of these people were familiar, and no nicknames reminded him of anyone he knew.]

Now, now, that doodle might look different if you were poisoned, no? The lines wouldn't be neat, it could've had eyes floating next to its mane, and you might've decorated the background in vomit.

And if you are, well - is this dream logic territory yet?

[captain_dp]

[Don't feel bad. His nicknames would confuse people who actually know who he's talking about]

Well, I guess that makes sen- Waaaaaaait a second. That makes TOO much sense. Something smells rotten in the state of Jersey... or however that goes.

Who the fuck is this and why the fuck are you in my head?!

[neverwashere]

[Caught for making too much sense, eh? First time for everything, he supposed.]

Oh, this goes both ways: you're in my head. [And doesn't that stink? See, this was why Dazai communicated with only text - easier to cut down on word association adventures.] As this seems your first time using it, let me welcome you to the downside of telepathy.

If you were looking for a refund, I'm sorry to say no one knows where to get it.

[captain_dp]

[Welcome to crazytown, population Deadpool.

This is telepathy? How the fuck does Professor X keep from going crazy as a loon? Wait... THAT MUST BE HOW HE LOST HIS HAIR! This explains EVERYTHING [no it doesn't, you nutcase.]

So that explains the why. Now, I'll take who are you for $500, Alex. And if you start singing, I'll track you down and shoot you. [too late, a song starts playing in his head.] SHIT.

C

[heronpunch]

...

And what manner of beast is that?

[He knew horses. Heck, he knew wyverns and pegasi. But, never had he ever seen a horse with a blue mane and a horn protruding from it's head.

Not that he had any right to question this. He was a bird.]

[captain_dp]

It's a unicorn, DUH!

[Then he realizes something is off. While DP is very used to voices in his head, this was definitely NOT one of his. He looks around frantically, trying to spot the intruder.]

WHAT THE CRAP ON A WHOLE WHEAT CRACKER?! [He stops looking around the room and closes his eyes for a second before opening them and rolling them up to the ceiling.] Stupid! How the fuck are you gonna spot them if they're in your head, dumbass? Uhhh. Halt! Who goes there?!

[heronpunch]

[A brief chuckle. He didn't understand half of the words that this man was saying, but he understood the sentiments quite well.]

I believe you were the one who made contact first, [He commented in an amused voice.]

I am Reyson, [he continued, seizing the brilliant opportunity to live as just... himself.] And these amulets were what put us together.

[captain_dp]

Nuh-uh!

[a pause as he looks down at his amulet]

wait... these things do that? How the fuck is a guy supposed to get some private time around here?

[another pause] Name's Deadpool by the way.

[heronpunch]

[He's not going to argue. Beorcs were Beorcs, and their whims were things he didn't quite understand.]

There's likely methods to preserve your privacy. I've been envisioning a shield to protect myself when I don't want distractions.

[captain_dp]

Yeeaah I'm less worried about distractions. There are certain things that a man doesn't want an audience for, yanno? I mean... unless you're into that kinda thing.

[heronpunch]

Frankly, I'm not interested.

[He really couldn't care less about a man's personal business.]

But the same idea can be used for... personal business if you really need it.

[captain_dp]

Picturing a shield, huh. That really works? [He starts picturing Captain America's shield.]