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memepatheias2018-11-19 07:38 am
empevents) wrote in memepatheias2018-11-19 07:38 am
Entry tags:
Test Drive: December
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 25 November and Applications (Canon | OC) open a week later on December 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.
- Enable Me/App This Pls. Talk about your app plans or look for a cast HERE!
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 same committee of natives that decided to tackle Halloween have decided to take on the winter holidays of Otherworlders as well! After interviewing several Otherworlders to acquire some grasp on the traditions associated with these holidays, the committee determines that many of the typical winter festivities just aren’t up to snuff with what they like to see in Verens. So after running away with some ideas and getting the locals involved, there are all sorts of new and unusual winter activities popping up around the city! Which one will you give a try?- Tree Toppers: At various locations throughout Verens, there are massive, fully decorated evergreen trees standing tall for the public to enjoy. However, there are more to these trees than meets the eye, and should you approach, you will see a placard among the boughs: climb to the top of the tree, and snatch the crown at the top to become Winter Royalty! Sure enough, the trees are topped with crowns made of real gold, but reaching the top may not be as easy as you think. The trees are several stories tall, and they are not particularly stable. Perhaps you need a partner to spot you, or maybe you’re racing to the top! Either way, it’s going to take some effort to reach the crown.
- We Won’t Go Until We Get Some: Groups of natives have taken up caroling and arrive at your door to serenade and ask for some figgy pudding. The thing is, they are relentless. They will not leave until they have received some figgy pudding, so if you don’t have any on hand (and why would you), it’s time to take a trip to the grocery store and whip up some of the requested dish. Hopefully you know how to make it...or find someone who knows how, quick! Those carolers are getting awfully hungry, and it’s getting late...
- Elf on a Shelf: Through the course of their “research”, the committee learned of toy-making elves, though they seem to have conflated their understanding of them with another creature from folklore. They have taken imps from the forest, dressed them up in cute red and green costumes, and set them loose in the city, claiming that whoever captures the most “elves” with be rewarded with a giant rocking horse. Some of the “elves” will hide and thus need to be sniffed out, but others still are far more mischievous and are likely to get into your cabinets and drawers. Oh, dear...perhaps you’ll be earning that rocking horse, whether you wanted it or not.
• Prompt E: The recent death of an Arehtei has prompted some people to believe that there may be some Arehtei who have yet to come back, or have yet to be discovered. As such, a team not at all enforced by the local government are going around encouraging others to join their cause: find new Arehtei.- Make 'em Talk: As most Arehtei are like giant animals, the group has captured all kinds of creatures from all over the world and are trying to see if certain emotional reactions will make these creatures talk. Arehtei talk, after all, so it would only be natural for the undiscovered Arehtei to be capable of speech. Perhaps you come by the petting zoo or perhaps you were asked by a member of the team to help out. Your task now is to make the creature before you speak.
- The Monthly Rituals: The various emotions represented by the current living Arehtei are all well and good, but what about emotions such as Hot and Cold, Rich and Poor, Alive and Dead, Woke and Lit? There are apparently so many other emotions that don't fall under the spectrum of what the current Arehtei represent, and the group is now hosting a ritual at the park in hopes of summoning new Arehtei. People attending the rituals are partnered up again and they have to make their partner feel these new emotions. For your efforts, you are given a cup of either peppermint mocha or raspberry iced tea!
- Emotional Effects: Maybe even summoning the long forgotten Simpathis, Arehtei of Apathy, might help. Despite the destructive effects of the lack of emotion, people are encouraged to turn off their emotions for a minute or two in hopes of the emotion drops in people's crystals to help the Arehtei in some way. After all, feeling certain emotions make the emotional state of the world tilt in a particular manner. Should there be a lot of apathy, then the Arehtei of apathy might (re)surface and bring some balance! Just watch out for people suddenly making the ground shake. The glass you're holding might suddenly break, or perhaps the street you're walking in might suddenly lose all its colour.
• Prompt F: Life in Empatheias is generally a peaceful one, but it's also important to be perpetually prepared for any kind of emergency. The Verens General Hospital has issued a half-day mandatory First Aid course for all of its citizen. The staff are aware that these kinds of classes tend to be boring for most people, which is why this one will come with some exciting twists! The first thing everyone will notice is that all the training takes place outdoors. To be precise, it's a forest that looks more like a boot camp. Remember, attendance is mandatory!- Stayin’ Alive: The first course is a classic CPR course - you and a partner are given an instruction book on how to resuscitate a person, then apply those skills on a dummy. That's what seems to be the case for most pairs, but some others won't be so lucky! It turns out that some staff members will shoot poison darts from afar. If you're hit, it's your partner's job to either suck out the poison, or run back to the supply cabin for the antidote. This is the REAL test! Isn't it thrilling?
- I Will Survive: The second course is another much-needed skill when it comes to saving lives; namely the fireman's carry. Once again, you're paired up with a partner, but this time only one has to do most of the work, while the other has to do their best to play their part. What does this course involve? It's an army-style obstacle course, where one has to carry another person through various obstacles. How exciting!
- How To Save a Life: The final course involves performing emergency surgery. Don't worry! The surgery is performed on a test dummy, of course. With the most basic training instructions (which is completely inadequate for this task), you and your partner are tasked with surgically removing the dummy's kidney and replacing it with a fresh one from your medical box. Work slowly and carefully together... and don't panic. Seriously, don't. The staff have also released some monster snakes nearby, just to add to the excitement. Stay calm, and the creatures won't sense your presence. Alternatively, one partner can fight them while the other one works on the patient. First Aid has never been so blood-tingling before!
• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include music and/or jump ropes.
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! - Tree Toppers: At various locations throughout Verens, there are massive, fully decorated evergreen trees standing tall for the public to enjoy. However, there are more to these trees than meets the eye, and should you approach, you will see a placard among the boughs: climb to the top of the tree, and snatch the crown at the top to become Winter Royalty! Sure enough, the trees are topped with crowns made of real gold, but reaching the top may not be as easy as you think. The trees are several stories tall, and they are not particularly stable. Perhaps you need a partner to spot you, or maybe you’re racing to the top! Either way, it’s going to take some effort to reach the crown.
no subject
...Of course, your majesty. How generous of you.
[ Hyde forces a pleasant smile on his face, but it absolutely doesn't reach his eyes as he moves over to lift the jug of wine to fill Gil's golden cup. At least he's getting some alcohol out of this, too.
Jekyll would likely try to politely decline the drink, but fuck that. Hyde pours himself some wine as well, picking up the cup and partaking of the king's wine without hesitation.
Okay. Fuck. He can do this. He can absolutely do this. He's going to make Gilgamesh eat his words, and then Hyde's pudding.
...................................................
At least it was surely entertaining, to watch the Englishman fumble around the kitchen, making an utter mess of everything before ultimately putting the dish into a pan. He's supposed to boil it, and he tries his best to do so, but this isn't the sort of recipe intended for a beginner.
The end result... is absolutely not as pretty or picturesque as he remembers from the Christmas parties Jekyll attended during his human lifetime. ]
no subject
[ Gilgamesh's lip does curl a little at Hyde just... guzzling away at his wine--the part of him that likes to show off is at constant war with the part of him that doesn't like poor people touching his shit. It is a struggle to be Gilgamesh; to be so fantastic and the focal point... of a universe that doesn't deserve you.
He nurses his goblet of wine as Hyde puts the kitchen into a wild state of disarray, the faint droning of the carolers continuing on and on and on, like the new normal for a whistling winter wind. The smells coming from the cooking space... sure are smells. There's the potential for something magical and harmonious, but there's a sense that everything is just one step to the right of being completely in time.
Gil rises from where he's sat to come examine the pan that's to be offered to him, eyes fixed on... that. ]
... do you find yourself amusing, mongrel?
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Whatever do you mean?
[ He responds, with picture-perfect innocence. He'd even sparkle, if he had any idea how to control that stupid emotion magic shit.
Fuck, the pudding, it's... not supposed to look like this? With any luck, Gilgamesh has no idea. Maybe English food always looks like melting slop. ]
no subject
It looks like the sort of meal scraps you'd toss to your hounds after supper.
[ Gilgamesh is eyeing Hyde, frowning quite robustly. Gilgamesh may not know English food, but he knows good food, and so the scowling will continue until the meal improves. ]
You mock me. [ It's a little hissed, Gil's lip curling to bare his teeth just a bit. That may be a Gate shimmering on the edge of a temper tantrum. ]
no subject
Shit. Hyde tugs nervously at his tie, further exposing his throat as the top of his dress shirt pops open. ]
That's just how authentic Christmas pudding is, you know.
I mean, you toss it out to the carolers, right? They're basically dogs.
[ Any attempt to mimic Jekyll's speech patterns have all but vanished at this point, in his desperate attempt to come up with some plausible excuse that will save his own hide. ]
no subject
You're making a mockery of me--for all your talk of 'proper' food and how exquisite such cuisine is supposed to be, you present this before a king?
[ boi.
... but, the punishment should fit the crime. Ritsuka gets really sad if Gilgamesh sentences people to perforation all willy-nilly. ]
Eat it. Prove that your dish is edible, mongrel.
no subject
All right.
[ How bad can it actually be? Maybe it just looks ugly, but it's secretly delicious, like he's actually a misunderstood genius whose true talent goes unappreciated due to all the close-minded fools around him.
Hyde grabs a spoon and dips it into the mess he's created. Up and to his lips it goes, chew, chew, and... swallow. ]
See? It's fine.
[ It fucking sucked.
Holy shit, did it fucking suck.
Maybe he should just toss the whole thing in Gilgamesh's face and make a run for it while the king is blinded by hot viscous pudding. ]
no subject
He's too young to die. Stop trying to hasten the process, you idiot.
Gilgamesh watches, surly and scowling, as Hyde sets to eating (and only looks slightly tense around the eyes, but considering there are Gates in the air, that's to be expected). Watching the Bersassin eat is... somewhat comforting. And now Gilgamesh is being shown up. ]
Hmph. [ He's not about to be outdone by a scrawny little milksop like Assassin. He takes a different spoon, dipping it into the pudding and getting... a small portion, barely half a spoonful. He stares at the slop, eyes narrowed... but, he asked for this.
His mettle is that of a king's. He pops the spoon into his mouth. ]
no subject
But that means... his only real option here is to double-down on the whole pudding scheme. Apologizing or telling the truth are stupid solutions that don't even briefly cross his mind, because he's not some goody two-shoes like Jekyll.
The pudding is hot and wet and definitely tastes like alcohol, and not in a particularly pleasant way. There are also little bits of fruit and nuts, diced into oblivion, that pepper the sludge like the world's saddest birthday sprinkles. ]
Isn't it good? Carolers love this stuff. It's, uh, an English tradition, you know.
no subject
For all his casual arrogance, his second-nature cruelty... there's a bevy of emotions playing out across his face as he sits with his tongue against the pudding sludge, trying to comprehend what's in his mouth, occupying his royal space and tainting his Authority. It's a mockery of decent alcohol, it's weird little chunks, it's a vague... fruit... theme, in the way that a glue factory is horse themed.
Ostensibly, the stuff is there, and the ingredients were put into the slurry, but the alchemy performed hasn't resulted in a human, and Hyde deserves to lose an arm for this. Gilgamesh goes from staring blankly into the future to locking eyes with Hyde, murder filling that slit-pupil gaze as he draws the spoon back out and spits to clear his mouth of the taste, grabbing his cup of wine to wash some of it away. ]
That's horrible. Did you just try to poison me, you mongrel?!
no subject
But Hyde isn't out of the game yet, and he tilts his head in the most innocent puppy-like confusion he can manage. Thank God Jekyll's face looks so weak and harmless, or else this would have absolutely no chance of working. ]
Poison you...? Of course not.
This is an English delicacy.
[ To prove his point, he triples-down on this incredibly foolish series of events by scooping up another spoonful of the mangled Christmas pudding. He'll eat another one if it stops Gilgamesh from murdering him. ]
no subject
It is unthinkable that Hyde would be so arrogant as to try and poison the King of Heroes. It makes perfect sense that Hyde is an idiot and his native food is terrible, however. ]
Your English delicacy is horrific and is barely suitable as a catalyst for clay, let alone eating. I wouldn't feed that swill to the worst of my hunting hounds.
[ ... but.
He would feed it to someone else's shitty dogs if they were howling incessantly... or begging for figgy pudding for the better part of an hour, now, with no succor. He sounds distracted as he speaks, eyes focused outside of the bath house with a sort of growing, off-hand malice born from the sheer desire to be a fuckboy because one can, with no other preemptive planning to it. ]
Are you going to finish the whole portion of your cuisine, fool?
no subject
[ He's back to trying to sound like Jekyll, for whatever mixed success he has in actually doing so. He smiles in an approximation of pleasant politeness.
Granted, he doesn't expect Gilgamesh to eat more of it. If he wants to throw it at the wall or set it on fire, Hyde honestly won't care. ]
no subject
However. [ There's a smile on his lips, at least--it's not a nice smile, or a kind smile, or any kind of positive adjective. ] I would think, with something to added to improve the taste that our poor, starving minstrels outside could finally find their quest for your country's terrible food at an end.
[ That hint broad enough for you, milquetoast? He's honestly expecting Jekyll to catch right on and start blustering about... stuff. Milquetoast stuff. The price of wheat germ. ]
no subject
The king's next comment, however... Hyde's brow furrows. What exactly is he getting at here? ]
Improve the taste?
You mean like, nutmeg, or something?
no subject
[ Oh, bless, it's stupid. Still, there's a long-standing tradition of divinity offering something to mortals with a caveat being that they can't or won't explain the full magnitude of what it is they're offering... and so a Gate shimmers into life, a small collection of brightly colored potion vials in a neat carrier lowering into their owner's hand.
Gilgamesh sets the wooden carrier next to the pudding, various liquids shimmering and full of unknown potential as his majesty gives a magnanimous wave of his hand. ]
You may have the privilege of choosing something of my treasury to add to your terrible concoction, mortal. Then, you may feed your food to the mongrels outside so they stop their droning.
no subject
Wait.
[ Here's where the actual Jekyll would most definitely protest. It's unethical to feed the carolers food that has been tainted with some sort of magical concoction without their knowledge, let alone feed them Hyde's cooking in general. But rather than appear stunned or appalled, there's a glimmer of excitement in his eyes.
As if he doesn't dare yet hope, but... ]
Are these poisons?
no subject
Some of them may be. I collected a great number of poisons, elixirs, and potions during my time on earth; it was beneath me to ensure all of them were labeled. The effects of the vials could be positive or negative.
[ ... a wry smirk, then, eyes narrowing. ]
But either way, it'll improve your offering.
1/2
[ There's an incredibly powerful emotion building in his chest.
Were he truly Jekyll, the feeling would likely be some sort of moral outrage or disgust, a mixture of anger and disbelief... but what actually bursts out of him is... ]
2/2
[ His hair springs up with his enthusiastic reply, his perfectly combed hairstyle now in wild disarray. His glasses have suddenly disappeared from his face, and the front of his vest has popped open, revealing red bloodstains underneath.
He's shown himself, at last, completely unintentionally. He just got carried away in his excitement. ]
Oh man, do you have one that'll shut them up permanently? How about dissolve their internal organs?
[ Thanks to the emotion magic of this world, he's quite literally sparkling, like a kid who's just been given free rein in a candy store. ]
no subject
Maybe Hyde's joy was infectious.
Or maybe this not-so hidden depth to the doctor spoke well for Gilgamesh's chances of entertainment in the future. ]
That's entirely possible. As I said, I never kept track of the full collection of potions I acquired--only the most important ones. This rack's purpose is a mystery to me.
no subject
Which one should I pick?
[ He's talking to himself, rather than asking for Gilgamesh's opinion, since the king has made it clear he has no idea what any of them do anyway. Grinning, the blond Berserker approaches the rack of potions, peering curiously at his options.
Which one looks the most evil? That's a kind of stupid and objectively debatable way to go about picking one, but ultimately, unsurprisingly, Hyde ends up selecting a vial full of a liquid as red as his own crimson eyes. ]
Heh...hahaha!
[ It's with a malicious, almost squeaky little laugh that he pops the seal, gleefully dumping the potion's contents into his sloppy pudding.
Honestly, it's such a disaster already, who will even notice it's been tampered with? ]
I hope they cough up a lung. Literally.
no subject
The possibilities of whatever is going on here are hilarious and Gil's just going to give man a box of matches and the key to a fireworks factory. He can't be held accountable for any mishaps. ]
You'd best mix your concoction until it's presentable and offering it to the poor, desperate minstrels outside.
[ Gil's going to the window to get a good view and his glass of wine, don't mind him. ]
no subject
[ He was already too busy snickering over what might happen to the unfortunate carolers to really think through that part. Grinning, he reaches for a large wooden kitchen spoon and begins to poke and prod the disastrous pudding until he can mix the red potion into the rest of the mess.
Afterward, he grabs a tray and a bunch of little bowls, along with spoons, to start dividing the pudding into. In a smaller serving, maybe how terrible it looks will be less noticeable.
Of course, it would help his case if he hadn't completely switched over to his Berserker form, as Hyde is... not exactly the most trust-worthy looking individual. The blood stains are far from comforting, and his sharp grin doesn't help either. ]
That ought to do it! Heheheh...
[ He lifts the laden tray easily, more than happy to deliver his 'gift' to the carolers. ]
no subject
In fact, no matter what face journey the carolers might've gone through, after a few minutes they're going to look even greener around the gills than they were to begin with. Gilgamesh leans forward in his seat. ]
And here comes the result... [ Is he talking to himself? To Assassin? To the vaguely disapproving voice in the back of his head that sounds like Enkidu? The world would continue to wonder. ]
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