simpathis: (Default)
Empatheias Mods ([personal profile] simpathis) wrote2014-05-25 12:36 am

[ game information ]

— GAME INFORMATION —
» ABOUT THE GAME

Empatheias is a world that is driven by emotions, and it is currently starving for it. Characters who are brought in find their emotions are now on full display for others to see, taking form of various different effects such as change of weather or mild destruction. There are god-like guardian beings called the Arehtei, cities filled with their own culture and problems, and large portions of the world that still need to be restored. All in all, it's a jamjar with a living world that boils down to its key element: emotions.

The game itself is an odd mix of world building, plot based events, and slice of life. When not dealing with large scale emotion inducing events, characters have an opportunity to set out to different locations of the world to explore or help restore different locations. Thus while there is a mod driven plot, we also encourage and invite player action to help build onto the world and its expanding lore.

There is a logging community and a network community, [community profile] empatheias and [community profile] crystalnet, and we have a meme community as well, [community profile] memepatheias. Announcements are posted in [community profile] empatheias_ooc. Our IC:OOC day ratio is 1:1. We run on a rolling application basis and monthly activity checks. CR Memes occur after the applications are processed. We do allow original characters, so please refer to the rules on the OC application page.

» ARRIVING INTO EMPATHEIAS

No one knows how anyone arrives into Empatheias—it just happened one day and it's been a mystery ever since.

Characters are pulled out either near or during a time where they experience "strong feelings" about something. This can be taken loosely, but in general the character should have been in the middle of something rather than just sitting around idly daydreaming (unless it was an emotional daydream). Perhaps this strong burst of emotion attracted the world and pulled them in. Dead characters are also allowed and their arrival is a bit more loose. It could be from the moment of death or a little bit after.

Unless noted otherwise, all characters will arrive somewhere around the main city of Verens, or they can also land just outside of the city. Along with a unique amulet found on their person, they will arrive with their usual clothing and any weapons or particular items players may wish for them to have. That includes any random memento. For information about "sidekick" companions and summoning companions, refer to here. Both an OOC Player Intro post and an IC Character Intro log are created right before applications are processed. These entries are linked within the acceptance notices. While you can create your own introduction post, everyone is encouraged to use these logs so as to reduce clutter and to help players and characters mingle with one another. It should be noted that all characters are referred to as Otherworlders by the local denizens. Very original, we know.

» WORKING TOWARDS

There is no known way home—everyone just pops in and out at random. So until a way is found, there is a general goal that everyone brought in can help work towards, one that may hopefully bring about a definitive way to leave this world (ie, endgame).

The world is a mess and everyone is encouraged to help restore it by one of two ways. The first is simple. Just living in the world itself helps improve things as emotions are released back into the world. Focusing on certain emotions helps certain regions, and this leads to the second way. Active help in restoring specific locations, such as channeling emotions, cleaning it up, or rebuilding, will help the world flourish. The more the world is restored, more clues on the world's history is revealed, and this history will lead them to the answers they seek.

» THE ISLAND & THE WORLD

Empatheias is a large land mass that floats around in the sky... or at least, it used to. As of January 2020, the island is no longer rooted and traveling through the sky once more. The island itself is around 1000 square miles (2590 square kilometers), which is just a little smaller than Long Island, USA. There is only one majorly populated city, Verens, with smaller hamlets and towns scattered around the island. The rest is untamed wilderness and mountains.

There are other main cities outside of the island: the desert city Shaarnath, the artistic mountain city Theasthai, and the pirate city Briarlan. All three can be easily accessed via teleporters located within each area.

As for the surface of the world, many areas look as if the apocalypse occurred, but it's slowly healing and there are notable improvements hear and there. Prior to the characters' arrival, all past expeditions met with death and destruction as the atmosphere was too volatile and toxic in most places without proper protection. Currently, however, although it is still dangerous it is easier for people to take on lengthy expeditions to scout out new areas and explore.

More in-depth information about the various locations can be found in the Locations entry.

» LIVING IN EMPATHEIAS

» Residence.
For the most part characters will be living in the city of Verens. An entire section of the Residential Quarter has been cleared for characters to choose from. They can also choose any other apartments or cottages within or outside the city. There are no real apartment systems—just individual small houses and multi-floored building complexes. Players are free to be creative and make up the home their character claims. Just be mindful that while the initial stay is free, rent will be required after a couple of months. The locals' generosity only goes so far.


» Employment & Task Board.
Everyone is going to be dirt poor at first and the locals will be lenient for a little while, but so long as they work they can earn a pretty good salary quickly. So for those looking for jobs, the best way is taking up various jobs and missions from the Task Center found at the Merchant's Square. This building will have large bulletin boards with various job postings that anyone can take up. They range from simple help for errands to more advanced such as clearing out some monsters harassing neighboring farm lands.

Every month we post a Task Board filled with various tasks that characters can take up. There is no formal sign-up except for those that require it, so players can just pick and choose as they will. Players are free to submit Tasks for us to post onto the Board. Characters are also free to create businesses of their own, either as owners or to work at.

The currencies for each city varies, but for the most part people work with sylvs, the currency used in Verens. Shaarnath uses drasks, Theasthai and Briarlan use a bartering system.


» Culture aesthetic.
Everything is steampunk influenced. From the fashion to the architecture, at first glance it may look similar to Victorian England, but the incorporation of gratuitous leather belts in fashion and clockwork structures in everything else gives that unique "industrial revolution" nuance to the city. There are a lot of variations in terms of the style, so we suggest doing a quick Google image search or visit here to get an idea if you are unfamiliar with steampunk.


» Languages.
Finally, thanks to the amulets every language is automatically translated so everyone can understand each other. This includes text. Huzzah.

» CRYSTAL AMULETS

(Note: the term "crystal" and "amulet" are used interchangeably.)

All characters will have a personalized crystal amulet on their person. They can have a customized look on arrival or have it customized later at a local shop. The amulets are important to keep because they serve several functions. Two of the biggest are telepathic communication and protection against the world itself. More information on the "network" use of the crystal amulets can be read here.

» Protection.
As mentioned the world is starving for emotions. Without the crystal the world would drain the emotion energy of people directly and can effectively kill a person after a month. The crystal serves as a ward, "filtering" the user's emotion energy. A portion of it is absorbed into the crystal and the rest is released into the world. This release results in the varying emotion effects.


» Completion.
Crystals are considered complete when they are filled with emotion energy. Natives turn theirs in to collection centers to be used for various means, but characters have the option to either keep theirs or turn them in to their aligned Arehtei. Not only will this benefit the Arehtei, but they have a chance to regain an item from home. OOCly, this is a flat rate of four months being in game. More information on this process can be found here.

If a crystal is completed, lost, or destroyed, it needs to be replaced. Characters can go to the various crystal collection centers around town to pick one up. Once receiving a new crystal, the collection starts all over again.


» Additional tech use.
Crystals are also used in various tech. From powering small appliances to houses and buildings to powerful airships. Different ways of using crystals are constantly being developed, including weaponry. However this is highly regulated as no one wants a repeat of the past.

» TELEPATHIC NETWORK SYSTEM

The crystals can automatically translated everything and everyone, including writing. The game uses a telepathic communication system via the crystal amulets. It works similarly to common network systems, but here are some specifics:

» Image, voice, and text.
Instead of "video" we call it "image" and is the default. Individuals can have mental image representations of their face that can be seen by those they are speaking with. It is possible to display whatever the person is actually seeing, thus using the eyes as a camera. "Voice" remains the same—all the receiver hears is a voice and no additional images. "Text" is also possible. Neither sound nor image will transmit—only actual words will appear to be read. How the text looks is up to the user.


» No caller-id.
Because this is an amulet and not some type of phone, there's no type of "caller identification." It is also possible to alter one's image and voice, and "text messages" have no indicators whatsoever. This actually allows for complete anonymity. However, individuals can learn to recognize those connecting to them, like a sixth sense. This also means there is no contact list, so there is no easy reference as to who is in the world.


» Incoming message notification.
These messages are not "played" automatically. Rather, the intended receiver (or receivers) will hear a distinct "hum" in the back of their mind (like a wavelength) and feel a slight warmth from their amulet. To answer all they have to do is focus. If they know the "caller" they can recognize them through the wavelength. It is also possible to completely ignore the "call," and if they want to call back they just have to remember that wavelength. It works whether they recognize the person or not.


» Post types.
As for the types of network posts, joint, open conference, and private are all possible. By default, there's no threadjacking unless the poster specifies it possible. It's also impossible to "hack" into a conversation.


» Inboxes.
Although we welcome the use of "Journal Inboxes," there's no true "answering machine" due to the nature of telepathy, so characters can't leave telepathic messages behind. Old fashioned letters or messenger birds can be used instead.

» STEAMPUNK & MAGITECH

The technology is best described as early steampunk with traditional fantasy flavors still attached, such as magitech. Modern technology such as computers, cars, advanced modern appliances, telephones, TVs, etc. are not available. Think more 19th century Victorian era, the usual time period steampunk fantasy is based upon. So horse drawn carriages, iron stoves, iceboxes, etc. Basic electricity is available, so characters won't have to rely solely on candlelight and lanterns, but it's more magitech oriented than "normal" electricity.

There have been other small advances in technology, such as polaroid-like cameras, portable radios and radio towers, walkie talkies, and other simple devices. Some of these have been created by players and in general mostly stays within the late 1800s-early 1900s, so feel free to ask if something exists or not.

» Vehicles.
Verens is well known for its airships which are used both for cargo transportation and travel. Shaarnath has motor vehicles designed for the desert and Theasthai has hot air balloons. Other vehicles that have been introduced are early motorcycles and hover bikes.


» Brought in modern tech.
Any modern devices brought in by the character will work for as long as it has its source. If they can find a way to recharge their batteries, awesome. Otherwise it'll become dead and useless, a relic of what could be... That doesn't stop anyone from developing ways to integrate or advance the current game technology.


» Elemental cores.
Elemental cores are special crystallized rock that contains one of four elements: air, fire, water, and earth (only found on the surface). Through these cores, elements can be pulled out and used in their technology, so rather than use electricity or just fire, they can use the fire cores as a source of heat or light energy source. These cores are mined in the distant mountains and can be bought for personal use. For exact details on how they work, refer to this thread.


» Weaponry & Crystal Tech.
In terms of weaponry, firearms have been developed are widely used along with swords and other martial weapons.

There have been recent advancements in crystaltech—technology based on crystals—to further improve technology as a whole. One big focus is technology that can counteract emotion effects, or at least reduce the more destructive effects.

» LAW ENFORCEMENT

The laws of each city are different, but each have a system with their own ruling and punishment system. For the most part, if you get caught, you get punished. A police force exists in Verens called the "Enforcers", but like the real world, pick pockets and a black market do exist—it's not a perfect, pristine city, and neither are the rest.

It's possible for your character to join the Verens' Enforcers, as well as get in trouble with them. The punishment will depend on the crime, with light thievery or extortion carrying a prison sentence, while death may result in a person's crystal being shattered, and therefore slowing killing them. The only instances where leniency will be granted is if the death was for a job, self-defense, or an accident, and it can be proven that it is.

» Murder plots.
Anyone planning murders will want to contact the mods when applicable. We do allow for jail break-outs and for evading and hiding, but if your character is murdering at a high body count or regularly, it may well be noticed. And as player characters are capable of joining police force in Verens, and everyone is the police in Shaarnath, you will want to consider if your characters actions would realistically be noticed, and work in planning that out with the playerbase. There have been crime plots before, and the mods are happy to work with you if you contact us!

In addition, we do stress in-game consequences and we have a mechanic called the "Reaper." More details are written in the "Death" section, but essentially either once the killer has been caught or it's plotted ahead, the Reaper will exact its own punishment. All of this can and will be discussed with us, but this allows to keep things fair as punishments set by the local setting on its own would be inadequate.

» EXPLORATION: EVENTS AND ADVENTURES

Characters can go on grand (or less grand) adventures onto the world's surface. Most of these adventures are mod run, but it is possible for players to make a request and do something on their own.

Some mod-run events will have a specific area that players can explore. With these events there are special missions to help give some guidelines and goals. These usually have a planned intention that can affect either the immediate or distant future events for the game.

Smaller adventures, however, are posted on the Task Board and are localized to specific locations with specific goals. While excursions will provide some opportunities for player influence, adventures are guaranteed to have player actions count. Some types of goals include restoring the area, looking for a particular item, exploring the area, etc. Players can also request a type of adventure via the Task Board.

As to how traveling works for the characters, they will be given the necessary protection and supplies. Protection will take in the form of crystal powered barriers, dunamis, and Arehtei protection charms. Transportation will either be via airship or the use of the teleporters. There are also large land vehicles that can be used in certain locations.

A chart of all expeditions can be found here.

» ABOUT EMOTIONS

Emotions are the core mechanic to the game. No matter how big or small, they can produce varying outward effects and influence the environment immediately around the person. Joy may make the nearby lightbulbs flicker, while despair may wilt the nearby flowers dead. The more intense the emotion, the more intense the effect.

» Positive & Negative.
All emotions are catergorized under "Positive" and "Negative". Joy is a positive, while grief is a negative; being calm is positive, being angry a negative. This refers to how these emotions will typically make your character feel.

However, unhealthy emotions can still fall under "positive" and "negative". Indifference can fall under calm, while a blissful, obsessive love is considered a "positive", even if it may swing towards jealousy, a negative, later on. Positive and Negative emotions aren't considered better or worse than one another, because while some would prefer to be cheerful as opposed to angry, a character's anger can push them forward better than being without it. As they say: sometimes, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Too must trust will make you poor.

For characters who are more apathetic by nature, they will have much more subdued expression and effects compared to the other emotions. However, if they do express any kind of emotion, it will be stronger, even if it is a minor feeling.


» Filling crystals & Emotion Tracker.
This is worth remembering for when you fill out your character's completed crystal, and also for when game events will bring in use the Emotion Tracker. The Emotion Tracker is a form that will ask you to choose the strength of your character's emotions from 0 to 10: with 10 being incredibly strong, such as a blind, environment destroying rage, and with 0 being that the emotion wasn't experienced at all. (Note: This is different from apathy.) While character actions can and will have an effect on the game, the overall emotions during some events will be crucial as to the outcome.

As for deciding the completed state of your character's crystal, each time your character experiences an emotion, "emotion drops" drips into the crystal amulet on their person. Usually inconspicuous, this is how a character's amulet becomes filled. For more information on the benefits of a filled (or completed crystal), please read here.

» EMOTION EFFECTS

Emotion effects can be small and only affect the immediate area around the individual (flowers wilting or blossoming, lights flickering or brightening) or it can be large and alter the island entirely. The latter would require a large mass of emotions. A more medium and individualistic example would be someone having enough rage that windows suddenly shatter and maybe even a wall breaks. Otherwise, players can be very creative in what the actual effect is.

For apathy, it follows the theme of "emptiness" and "loss." Some examples are loss of color, muted sounds, surface distortion, tiny holes, etc.

These effects serve as a kind of physical mirror of what the individual is feeling. Emotions can even affect a person's home and the home itself can warp and twist to alter to fit the owner’s mood.

However, emotions can be overpowered or countered by another person's, and it would depend on the strength of each person's emotions. This helps maintain the balance.

» APATHY

Apathy is a unique "emotion" in how it works. Aside from slower crystal growth, there's no real punishment because apathetic people exist even for the local Empatheians. They even consider apathy as part of the norm. Apathy will destroy some of the emotion drops contained in the crystal, but to compensate any emotion that they do feel is probably going to actually impact them a lot more than an average person. So even if they just feel a little happy, the effect will be greater and the crystal will fill up more.

In terms of effects, it follows the theme of "emptiness" and "loss." So some examples are loss of color, muted sounds, surface distortion, tiny holes, etc.

» AREHTEI & ALIGNMENT

The Arehtei are mysterious beings sometimes referred to as guardians who are supposed to protect and reflect the health of the world. There are eight Arehtei, each one representing a set of emotion dynamics. However, only seven are currently existing:

  • Aiada: appreciation and envy
  • Daimonia: joy and grief
  • Elios: love and hatred
  • Peromei: hope and despair
  • Piphron: trust and distrust
  • Sosyne: calm and anger
  • Thras: bravery and fear
The eighth Arehtei is known as Simpathis, sympathy and apathy. Her whereabouts are unknown and some believe her to be dead. These beings were once corrupted but have been purified thanks to the emotions gathered over the years.

One of the requirements for the game is to choose an alignment. This is mechanic makes the characters "aligned" to a specific type of emotion and thereby aligned to a specific Arehtei. All types of emotions are still absorbed by the crystal amulet, but the aligned set of emotions will have significantly more weight. Players will have to choose which alignment would best fit the character OR, if the character has no particular dominant emotion, you are free to choose whichever one you think you'll be able to work with most. Additionally, emotions can be forced, and there will be events and situations where this option will be available.

It is possible to change alignments, and information on that process can be found here. A chart on the current alignment spread can be viewed here.

Those who are aligned will also resonate with their Arehtei and have more opportunities and priority access to that Arehtei and events revolving around them. Characters can also make "appointments" and personally communicate with the Arehtei. Refer to the Arehtei Scheduler to make an appointment. These can be handwaved or threaded out.

» DIFFERENT EMOTION BASED TECHNIQUES

While the people of Verens don't do anything special with emotions other than trying to keep it under general control, the other cities have developed their own kind of "technique" in using their emotional energy.

» Dunamis.
Also known as "emotion magic," this technique was developed in Shaarnath. Similar to the concept of using one's "chi," dunamis is the practice of controlling and using one's emotions so that it doesn't disperse into the environment as "violently" as it does normally. That is to say, emotional effects are more controlled and subtle. It has also been proven that dunamis can fulfill almost every aspect of living, from replacing the need of actual appliances to medical care. To put it in perspective, where Verens is a place of technology and a bit of magical elements, Shaarnath is more pure "magic" with their use of emotions.

In terms of gameplay, it is possible for any character to learn dunamis and have it augment or add to their own abilities. Those who have no magical ability at all can now begin to learn something similar. Additionally, players can use dunamis to help replace or alter certain canon abilities that would otherwise needed to be nerfed. For example, a canon ability to blow up an entire building in one shot would need to be nerfed. However, in-game development with dunamis could restore that ability to perform in a similar manner. Of course such an action would still need to be reasonable, but it's at least more doable.

As mentioned, anyone is capable of learning dunamis, but it does require time and practice. No one should be a master in the first month; it should take several with repeated trial and error. Fuller details can be read here.


» Performancy.
Theasthai also has their own technique, called performancy. Similar to dunamis in concept, it focuses more on creating special effects for theatre, and so less useful in day-to-day activities, or battle. However, if your character loves to put on a show and wants to create the best real life CGI effects, to mask their appearance or to learn to go unseen until the right moment, then the Thespian's skills can't be ignored.

» GENERAL CHARACTER QUALITIES

Any canon or original character is allowed in the game. For more specifics, refer to the Rules.

» Non-humans.
We do not require characters to be humanized. They can maintain their original form. The only change we do require is for gigantic non-humans to be downsized to a maximum of 8 feet. This is actually more for practical purposes than any other reason. If they were any bigger, they would have a really hard time getting around the city! If the character does not have a set body, it is possible for one to be created. Players can use a canon analogue, humanize the character, or talk with us with whatever idea you may have.


» Character/Species/Canon specific characteristics.
If your character has a peculiar quality or ability that requires some canon mechanic, such as an item, to work or even live, there are alternatives to keep this trait. One alternative is to use the emotions in place of that mechanic. For example, if the character requires a special serum or song to keep them from going berserk, positive emotions can be used as a substitute. Feel free to ask us if you have any question about this and if you have an idea, shoot it at us!

We've had some character/canon specific questions, so here are some links to some various solutions we've had so far: sources of power (soul gems); consuming emotions; mmo anime avatars


» Character doubles+possession.
Characters who are possessed or share a body with another soul or sentient being can be tricky to apply for. By default, a player will always have the ability to control both. However, under certain circumstances, it is possible to separate the two so that both could co-exist in the game as separate entities. This will highly depend on the canon and the character(s) in question. Some in-depth answers we've given on this matter can be found here and here. When in doubt, feel free to ask us with information as to the character and canon in question.


» Disabilities & Illnesses.
If a character has some kind of disability, like a missing limb or damaged organs, then it will carry over. However, if it’s an illness then it’s up to the player whether that illness carries over. If it is carried over, attempts for a cure can be made. If the player wants a cure, then we can grant permission for it somehow happening. This would have to be worked at, but it could be done.

Such things can also be inflicted upon characters. Unless there are healer type characters, the road back to health will be a long one as the medical technology is not modern at all. In fact X-rays are the most advanced medical equipment Empatheias has.

» ABILITY NERFS

For the most characters can retain most of their original abilities. Only the super game breaking god tiered abilities are nerfed. They can either be done away completely or be weakened. Your character won't be able to move mountains or destroy buildings in one hit, but they can still do decent damage (maybe make a giant crater in the street or knock out an entire wall). The same goes for weapons. Weapons can be brought with the character, but if there's something game breaking about it, that ability needs to be altered or removed entirely. Any other abilities can be left as is, but if you have a question feel free to ask us.

In terms of how abilities that utilize specific canon world energy, such as a world's mana type, that is all automatically converted/transferred to use Empatheias's emotion energy. Magic users may notice a slight difference in the feel of it, but they should be able to use their abilities without much issue. This also includes characters from canons based off MMOs, like Sword Art Online or .hack. Rather than there being a system dictating what and how skills and abilities are used, they are translated to be like "natural" magical abilities. So no energy point costs, just actual physical energy and stamina used.

» SIDEKICKS, PETS, AND SUMMONS

Characters that have pets can bring them along into the game. This rule also applies to characters who could arguably have another player play the partner, but the chances of finding that player are extremely low. If you do this, you will have to include the sidekick character in your application and make any notes about its personality. The caveat is that while you can play both characters, you cannot thread exclusively with yourself. If the sidekick is present, you'll have to write "joint" tags if you wish to include the sidekick's presence. So for example, Digimon characters. It is possible for an applicant to apply for their main character and bring the Digimon partner with them. Note: This is only applicable to characters with a sidekick. This would not apply to "pair" characters, like twins. They must be apped as separate characters and by different players to comply with the Playercest rule.

If a character is able to summon certain spirits or creatures, those beings can also be brought along with them. Ability nerfs will apply. Pokemon also fall into this category. There is a limit as to how many can be brought: five (5).

» OTHER RESTRICTIONS

Those who can fly or teleport may try to leave the island and there have been attempts to leave the island via airships and other flying mechanisms. However, the farther away one travels from the island, the weaker the protection. Even with a full amulet, if someone were to try and fly away from the island, it will not be enough to protect them from the world. The world will break the amulet, absorb all of that fluid, and then proceed to absorb from the person, effectively killing them.

If one wants to travel away from the island, they would need to use the means provided for the exploration crews or somehow devise enough suitable protection to go on their own.

For characters who already know telepathy, they can use their own telepathic powers to communicate and can bypass all of the restrictions that amulet users have, except for "hacking." They can't eavesdrop on a conversation.

» DEATH IN-GAME

Death is possible and normally permanent, but for whatever reason, characters do not stay dead. At least in general. If someone wants to drop a character through death, that is totally possible (adds more plot twists). Upon dying, the amulet will crack and shatter, the character disappearing along with it. From a few days to a week, they will later respawn at the edge of Empatheias with a brand new amulet. They will be severely weakened and will need to be treated.

There is a being known as the "Reaper" who watches over the passing of souls. Those who die may catch a glimpse or hear its voice without much consequence. However, if a character dies under dubious circumstances, such as from a convicted death penalty or with a murder or two in their recent history, the Reaper may give them a more personal visit while in hell. Murderers of all kinds will not only get a visit, but they will also receive an additional punishment fit for the crime. We will of course discuss it with the player as the Reaper's punishments have a more "reformative" or "lesson teaching" type quality to it. Life is important, dammit! These punishments are still designed to be as punitive as possible so that the character ICly learns from it and potentially they and others will be dissuaded. So if a death plot of some kind is to happen, there should be substance and good reason behind it.

Another constant consequence is to their amulet. It doesn't matter how much was in it before, it's been completely reset. Even though it will automatically reaccumulate liquid from current and pre-existing relationships, it will be much less as it won't have any that was gained through other personal accomplishments.

There is also something like a penalty, as if the world used some of those emotions to help "recreate" the individual. Thus about a fourth of the liquid will always be taken away. This penalty actually stacks. This means if a character dies again, another fourth is taken. Thus a second death would result in half of the liquid gone no matter what. A third is three-fourths, and four and beyond is the entire amount. Even if there are pre-existing relationships, there's no sudden boost. It's all zero and they have to build it back up. The rebuilding will be faster with existing relationships, but it will still take time.

» HIATUS

There are two options for when a player goes on hiatus. You can either have the character just handwaved that they're bustling about the town and gathering a couple of emotion drops here and there. The other option is to have the character crystalized. Yes that's right. For the entire time you are on hiatus, the character is a crystal statue. There is no penalty in terms of emotion drops for this, but it will probably freak out a few people (and give them some emotion drops). When you return, the crystal will shatter and free the character. For the hiatused character, it will have been as if time had stopped, though they will have a vague sense they were stuck in that crystal.

In terms of Activity Check, hiatuses that last at least 2 weeks will require half the proofs. Hiatuses that are 3+ weeks are completely exempt.

» DROPPING A CHARACTER

When a character is dropped, they simply disappear. In addition, their name will appear on a wall in a room ("Wall of Names")in the Calinede Temple ruines, and a crystal will also appear around one of the shrines dedicated to the Arehtei. Currently it is assumed that the crystal is theirs though there is no in-game proof of it.

OOCly, we post a list of all the characters that were dropped or removed after the Activity Check, and this list would be the same list that is ICly posted in the Residential area at the beginning of the month so characters can see who has disappeared.

If the character is reapplied for, either by the old player or a new one, they will restart from scratch. This applies even if the character remembers everything from their previous stay.

» CANON UPDATE

For characters that are canon updated during their stay, the character disappears but the amulet is neither full nor broken. It remains a strange translucent state until the character returns. The character will reappear either in the exact spot the amulet currently is or somewhere near it in case the amulet is in a place like a drawer. Unlike the death scenario, there is no loss of emotion drops so the character can pick it up right where they left off. In addition, the character's name does not appear on the Wall of Names. The form for canon updating can be found here.

Still have a question? Then just comment to this entry and we'll answer it ASAP! Just double check and view the top level comments to see if anyone has touched on it yet. If we feel that it's an important one, we'll add it to the actual entry. If you wish to contact us in private, you can either use the Confidential Contact or send a message to the journal.
lightningbolt: (Deception is hidden)

[personal profile] lightningbolt 2019-04-27 05:11 am (UTC)(link)
So Psi here and considering one more character because I have a problem and kinda love this game but it's a character with some weird physical problems.

Raiden is a cyborg who needs nutrient gel paste instead of food and he also needs to have his artificial blood externally dialyzed every now and then or he'll die of autotoxemia. If he were brought in these are issues of his I would actually like to play with so would there be a way through steampunk/crystal magic to produce gel paste or externally purify his blood? Is that something at all possible in this setting?

The reason I'd like to play with these issues is that it means he has to rely on other people to keep him healthy. He's a reclusive fellow during this canon point so it's a convenient way to get him to go into town and get him talking to people.

just to clarify: I did note the rules for sick/injured characters, which I suppose Raiden qualifies as, but felt his issues might be even more bizarre because they come from his body being an advanced machine.
Edited 2019-04-27 17:06 (UTC)

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bigdiamondenergy: (hangs up on daughter)

[personal profile] bigdiamondenergy 2019-05-02 12:35 am (UTC)(link)
HELLO FRIENDS so yellow diamond here is from a highly technologically advanced race and is very motivated to not have to rely on her amulet and telepathy for long-range communication (living with her mobile phone spoiled her...). she's pretty technologically adept and if she was to find other tech-y chars to help, would they be feasibly able to develop anything approaching a comm? a very rudimentary comm device jury-rigged together, for example. if yes-- how long? i assume all the parts to make just one would be hard to come by and take a long time to get and fix up. if no, then what would happen with their attempts? would something stop them from being able to develop properly?

i get that the telepathy is a huge thing here, so i'm interested to see how all this would work with or against each other, if at all! thanks muchly <3

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[personal profile] bigdiamondenergy - 2019-05-05 18:56 (UTC) - Expand
untwisted: (12)

[personal profile] untwisted 2019-05-03 06:33 pm (UTC)(link)
So... hypothetically, say it's May and there's an idiot already regretting a drop made in April. They'd have to reapp in June, right?

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tenyearswaiting: (Default)

[personal profile] tenyearswaiting 2019-05-06 10:09 am (UTC)(link)
Hi! I've mentioned in Jecht's app (linking for convenience) that he's presently a fayth made up of pyreflies, a natural spiritual lifeforce in his world. Though I apparently never explicitly stated that it classifies him as a kind of spirit/soul of a sacrificial human. Oops.

Anyway the pyreflies don't really do much abilities-wise, apart from memory share like Auron does in this video. But I was wondering if it's okay to let him make the pyreflies appear and be visible whenever he wants? They're basically floating globes of transparent light with creepy ghostly noises and gives away his status as non-human.

I got myself stuck in a thought loop of whether this was something that needed to be aligned to the game or not. It should qualify as just his natural physical state that doesn't really need anything from the world around him to support his existence.

While I'm here, I'm wondering if the pyreflies' memory share mechanic would work the same too? (Just his own memories. But since crystals and the tree serve that purpose, it's something I can do with or without.)

Thank you so much in advance! And sorry if it's a silly question.
golisolation: (*contracts Filariasis*)

[personal profile] golisolation 2019-05-09 01:21 am (UTC)(link)
So, Guzma was given some Stiggers by Blue so he could attempt to train them like Pokèmon, since he's the bug specialist, and I was wondering how likely would someone be able to actually tame or train these wasps? Is it an entirely lost cause, or would it be feasible with enough time and patience (and obvious caution) to rein these stingy boys in?
Edited 2019-05-09 01:22 (UTC)

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[personal profile] golisolation - 2019-05-09 19:42 (UTC) - Expand
shadowedheart: shadowedheart. (pic#12969961)

[personal profile] shadowedheart 2019-05-12 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
Hello, mods! I feel like I already know the answer to this but I'm feeling paranoid about it now SWEATS so I just wanted to ask: are there mountains that have snow on top of them? Maybe not all of them but some of them? Thank you for answering my silly question!
lightningbolt: (there's no telling where your mind is)

[personal profile] lightningbolt 2019-05-15 07:51 pm (UTC)(link)
So Raiden is a sane, sane man who loves people which means, naturally, he's making camp in the deep forest south of Verens.

My question is how much would one character be allowed to alter a landscape over time? I would love to play with his hostile emotions warping the forest around his campsite and twisting it into despair woods until he either moves to another location or calms the hell down and stops emotionally abusing himself in an attempt to stave off his own humanity.

Is that allowed? To what extent is it allowed if so? Is the presence of a despair-ridden deep wood something NPCs would eventually notice?
Edited 2019-05-15 23:10 (UTC)

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[personal profile] lightningbolt - 2019-05-18 18:35 (UTC) - Expand
lightofchaldea: (Default)

[personal profile] lightofchaldea 2019-06-01 11:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Some crystal-related questions!

How readily known is it ICly that characters can get items from home in exchange for their crystals? Like, is this something that even NPCs would be aware of and may mention if asked?

It's mentioned in the FAQ that natives turn in their crystals upon completion, but what's the reason for this? Does it serve a purpose that's known and characters would be informed of if asked?

If a character were so inclined, would they be able to turn in a completed crystal without asking for anything?
capsulecorps: capsulecorps. (pic#12510894)

[personal profile] capsulecorps 2019-06-02 01:19 am (UTC)(link)
Hi, mods. I'm sorry I'm back. /o\ Just curious. Is it possible for Otherworlders to live in Shaarnath? Like get themselves a home there and all that good stuff. I'm not saying Trunks will want to live there but I mean... Thras is there and all so... just curious. Thank you! o/
golisolation: (pic#13196402)

[personal profile] golisolation 2019-06-02 06:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Sup mods!

So, got a little question about Pokémon and uh. How sometimes those little guys make eggs appear ~*~mysteriously~*~. So, if players had Pokémon who were compatible in terms of making little baby pokémon, would that be possible/how could we potentially handle that? We didn't wanna just go forward assuming it was alright, without your modly stamp of approval! But we basically wanna get some wimpods up in this place, because who wouldn't want these adorable little bug roombas cleaning up Verens?

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crisisarrow: (Default)

[personal profile] crisisarrow 2019-06-17 08:03 am (UTC)(link)
Hello!

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this, but I want to make sure on something since I play both Sheena and Trey.

Trey can tag into Sheena's Wedding Reception post since it's a mingle log, correct? (Don't worry about threading together...that's weird.)

And I can use that for his AC since it's not his post?

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cardshark: (Default)

[personal profile] cardshark 2019-06-22 08:31 am (UTC)(link)
Sooo, I want Grimsley to start an underground gambling ring.

1. Is gambling illegal here? 2. Will he get in trouble for it is people find out? 3. Can he connect to some mafia/gangster types to bolster his starting income?

Thank you in advance!
blueser: (Default)

[personal profile] blueser 2019-06-22 07:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi mods! Two related questions and one completely different question:

1a. I was looking around the setting pages and could only find wyverns directly mentioned as living in Shaarnath. Are there wild or trained groups of wyverns in Verens as well?
1b. Since Blue is a Pokémon trainer and can demonstrate that he has existing experience and ability, would a job in training wyverns be viably considered, even though he's a young teenager?

2. Similarly to above, is there a University or other place of scholarly study in Verens? If so, how easy would it be for a teenager to get a sort of understudy or assistant job with research there, if they demonstrate a familiarity and knowledge with the subject matter? It doesn't seem like traditional degrees exist, so I assume that isn't a requirement.

3. Completely unrelated to the above questions: While I'm sure each of the cities has totally differing opinions and traditions on this matter, are there any common accepted ideas of afterlife? For example, do natives reference or believe in a heaven and hell? Do they believe in reincarnation? Are there mythological figures they accept as connected to afterlife, like a judge of the dead, angels, a Hades like figure, etc? I only saw information regarding the Reaper which references a hell briefly, but it doesn't go into any detail about how the dead get there! To be clear, I'm more interested in the common cultural perception than how the actual PC death mechanic handles this.

Thanks!
unspeakablyevil: (Default)

[personal profile] unspeakablyevil 2019-06-26 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
I got questions about locations!

1) Are characters allowed to travel to the mountain range and/or make a 'home' there? Aku likes to be tall and would probably want to set up residence on a tall mountain. Would this be allowed?

2) Are there any volcanoes on the island?

3) Aku can handle some pretty rough/toxic conditions that most living things can't. If he tries to travel to the Lower World, would his crystal break?

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drizzle: (Default)

[personal profile] drizzle 2019-07-11 05:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Hello, mods! Sorry for the crazy amount of questions but after reading and taking notes of the FAQ, I have a few questions concerning the way Nike will react to this world (which I wish I had thought up but canon wasn't as up to date as the first time I apped)

1. Nike's powers are about emotional and spiritual connections between her and the sky, water, and the feelings of those surrounding her (be it nature and/or living/dead people), what sense will she get about this world's sky and the island; will it be good, bad, cautious, etc? What about the world below? I understand there is lack of emotion due to the vacuum effect going on, but will her spiritual senses notice anything else about it?

2. How will her powers to purify emotions via singing affect this particular world? For the PC, I was thinking of leaving it up to player discretion and maybe putting up an opt-out and/or permissions post; as for the NPC, I'd like to know who it will affect and how much seeing as everyone with an amulet has a level of protection of sorts?

3. She uses a form of telepathy which is done through her connections with her rain partners and for the most part it is purely emotional. Will the amulet allow her to throw emotions at those she converses through telepathy at first? I kinda find the idea funny considering it'll be her first time using telepathy with words, but I wanted to run it by you guys to see if it is possible or not due to the amulet's protections???

4.a The rain song is spoken in an ancient language that is no longer used in Nike's world except for that purpose, which she has some understanding of but doesn't fluently speak it (even though she can only read literature in that particular language while using the canon's modern tongue, ironically enough), will others be able to understand the song due to the translator or will they have a hard time understanding because even Nike isn't completely fluent in that particular language?

4.b Re: languages; what language would the island and sky use, the same language the NPC use or a more older, past language?

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[personal profile] drizzle - 2019-07-16 02:57 (UTC) - Expand

(Anonymous) 2019-08-22 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
so when a character dies in Emp, I understand that the world uses the contents of their current amulet to "recreate" them.

When it does so, does it only recreate them how they physically were prior to whatever causes their death? Or is it possible that it could do so based on an earlier time, like for instance, how they were when they first arrived in Empatheias as opposed to how they are months or years within the world?

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(Anonymous) - 2019-08-22 02:39 (UTC) - Expand
tea_rs: (That's the kind of "human")

[personal profile] tea_rs 2019-08-23 12:26 am (UTC)(link)
When canon updating, how much of the surrounding items touching a person can be expected to "follow" them into Empatheias? I'm thinking of having Hibiki canon updated to when she's, uh, being crushed under some rocks, so how much of the rocks/debris/dust would be expected to come with her into Empatheias upon her return?

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[personal profile] justpastdawn - 2019-08-23 02:00 (UTC) - Expand
rocketman: (Bidoof)

[personal profile] rocketman 2019-09-21 05:04 am (UTC)(link)
inspired by the recent invention plot comes a question I should have asked sooner!

James is researching ways to use crystals and his Pokemon's emotions to amplify Pokemon attacks...

If successful it would only work on Pokemon.

Would it be successful? I'm okay playing this out either way. I know weaponized emotions are frowned upon in the game world, don't know where Pokemon fall in that.

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[personal profile] rocketman - 2019-09-21 06:23 (UTC) - Expand
thememorywitch: (Grin)

[personal profile] thememorywitch 2019-09-23 02:20 am (UTC)(link)
Hi there! This is a character personal question if that's okay:

This month I posted up a log where Naminé tries to connect to the memory tree. She has very similar memory related powers like it does, and I was curious if she would be able to make a connect with it? If so, could she use it to boost her powers maybe? And would it have an affect on the tree?

If you have any questions about Naminé powers, please let me know! Thank you so much!!

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[personal profile] thememorywitch - 2019-09-23 03:28 (UTC) - Expand

current technology

(Anonymous) 2019-09-27 12:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi! I know there's been machinery around Verens and they've usually been on the new/experimental side, but are there anything like robots?

I was also wondering if there's anything close to a list of the type of technology that does currently exist in Empatheias. IIRC the island is now protected with technology from Briarlan, and also has radio towers thanks to them, right? And I remember characters in the past building devices to contain and release emotions, giant projectors were used in Verens, radio technology found on the planet and vehicles existing...

Did I miss a document with a better idea of what inventions are feasible to find in the game?? sorry if I'm mistaken about plot things, I'm going off old info. :( And mega sorry if I'm just missing some document too.

Re: current technology

(Anonymous) - 2019-09-27 21:17 (UTC) - Expand
lightthedarkness: (Usagi) (Default)

[personal profile] lightthedarkness 2019-11-02 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
Hello Mods!

I just wanted to make sure it's okay, canonly, Usagi becomes Serenity at 22. I was wondering if that would be alright here as well. She doesn't become a different person, but her powers are different. I wanted to know if she could and if that would need a canon update of sorts.

Thank you!
renegadeprince: (Default)

[personal profile] renegadeprince 2019-11-02 02:28 am (UTC)(link)
Greetings mods,

Apologizes if this has been asked before and I missed this: How would ki sensing work? Would Vegeta and others from DBUniverse who are able to sense ki be able to sense those from other worlds/of this world (even if they may not call it 'ki' but energy, Empatheias's emotion energy, or something similar), or would it just be blank for them any only able to sense those from their own world? Is there a hard line or more of a case of up to the players involved to decide? Thanks in advance.

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pessiceratops: Chaz with a forefoot raised in greeting (Default)

[personal profile] pessiceratops 2019-11-26 07:45 pm (UTC)(link)
I think I know the answer to this but double checking to be sure! Amulets auto translate languages at all times except when someone is intentionally trying to make a foreign word heard, correct? Similarly, translation works via "language x is spoken, but person b understands the meaning without knowing the words" as opposed to "person a always hears/sees native language y? Thus meaning multilingual characters can switch languages and still always be understood OR choose to demonstrate any of those languages in its untranslated form?

Basically can Chaz potentially teach people tyrannosaur growls by speaking Therapod, is what I'm getting at. >_>
readytobe: (Default)

[personal profile] readytobe 2019-11-27 01:30 am (UTC)(link)
Technology question: since the natives have made radios, would it be possible for a character to make their own radios from scratch - either walkie-talkies or a CB type radio?

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[personal profile] readytobe - 2019-12-15 02:17 (UTC) - Expand
corpsewarblade: (Backward glance)

[personal profile] corpsewarblade 2020-01-17 02:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Hey Mods! So I might have missed this but just a quick question - if a character was faking their emotions, what would happen to the emotional effects? Is there any feasible way of 'faking' them, or would they be based on their true feelings no matter what?

For example if Mukuro was pretending to be Junko and acting like she was super excited by a new fashion thing but Mukuro herself couldn't care less, would there be the weird absence of emotional effects?

Or if she was trying to put across one emotion whilst she was actually feeling something completely different, would the emotional effect be based on her actual emotion or the fake one?

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