TEST DRIVE: JANUARY

[empevents]

— TEST DRIVE: JANUARY —

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 Friday, December 25th and Applications (Canon | OC) open Friday, January 1st.
  
  
• OC Reminder! Just a quick reminder that original characters are currently 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!

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: A new card game is sweeping through the streets of Verens: "Magica Ex Arehtei." Players take on the role of an Otherworlder and form battle decks out of minions, monsters, dunamis, and even the Arehtei themselves. It’s insanely complicated in its details, but this hasn’t stopped a seller from handing you a starter deck and all but pushing you into a chair to face an opponent… who may have just been conscripted themselves.

• Prompt E: After a long period of quiet (something about ‘emotional and physical harm to Empatheias’ and ‘manufacturing plush weapons without a Class E(X) license’), toy manufacturers have flooded merchant stalls and storefronts with a new offering, the hyper-cute stuffed Thras. No negative emotions, they promise! Plush Thras is so full of bravery, he’ll inspire anyone who holds him to new heights of courage and valor!

Naturally, magiscience has gone too far, and picking up the doll instills you with vigor, energy, and fearlessness past the point of recklessness.

• Prompt F: Thundersnow! A phenomenon in which a snowstorm is accompanied by lightning and thunder, and not a terribly uncommon one in Empatheias. But today’s thundersnow is more like an apocablizzard -- lighting lashes through the sky and lances down to catch buildings and trees with its fury, all hidden behind whirling sheets of billowing snowflakes that have blanketed the city in a foot of snow with no sign of stopping.

The outside is cold, windy, miserable, and potentially dangerous. Are you trapped in a building you didn’t expect to be in? Or perhaps you’ve joined up with an emergency emotion squad, trying to impose calm or cheer on the raging storm?

• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include lumps of coal or moose.

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

[workingon3]

[No no, there is definitely something off about Alexander, John is certain of it. Maybe it's the shock of suddenly being in this bizarre place? Maybe that's just making everything seem weird. He has had some pretty rough headaches since he showed up, maybe it's just affecting his judgement.]

Don't think I've ever been so cold in my life, and I've been pretty damn cold before.

[He laughs, turning his head to share in the joke with his friend, when it finally hits him. He hadn't really been able to get a good look at him before now, but this? This is not his Hamilton.

Well, it is, John can clearly see that it is him. But he's different. Older? Like a lot older. How would that make any sense though?

There is a bright flash of lightning, accompanied immediately by its thunder, as Laurens steps back, the tails of his coat flapping wildly in the wind behind him.]

Alexander?

[allshotsfired]

[...Oh. Yeah that, that was what he'd been waiting for. The moment when everything started to go south, because if he's learned anything it's that the good moments tend to dance on ahead of something worse.

He's not sure if the wind that kicks up around them is from him, the storm, or a mixture of the two.]

...There's a lot to explain.

[If they just keep walking, he can try to focus on getting home, rather than well. Everything else.]

[workingon3]

I'll say...

[It's not like he can't recognize who this is; he'd know that man anywhere. But now that John has gotten a decent look at him, he can't believe he didn't register the differences sooner. Hamilton's... older? That makes no sense though. This place is pretty messed up though, maybe there's been a spell put on him to turn him into an old man? Is that a thing?

John's mind is racing, and it feels like he swallowed a chunk of ice, but he trusts Hamilton to explain everything. After all, if there's anything Alexander is good at, it's talking and explaining things. John follows behind him, quiet for once, and tries his best to steady himself in the suddenly-even-stronger winds.]

[allshotsfired]

[-He'll just. Try not to let all the little worries dig in, like what if this means Eliza's here, and how does he explain anything to either of them? What if the whole situation unnerves John and he distances himself? What if John just plain shoots Burr in the mouth? That last one could definitely happen if he wasn't careful. But how do you sum up "You died and I lived for another few decades and essentially ruined myself" easily? At least without taking a few hours and wrecking a few rooms.

Okay yeah the flash of lightning that just struck a branch... probably came from him. At least he knew the landmark, and it meant that they were getting close to home. He looks back to make sure John's still with him (and um, not singed) and welp, they're close enough that he can worry more about what to say than if they'd get home to say it.]

What do you remember last?

[workingon3]

[John tries to quicken his pace after the branch gets hit. They need to be inside as soon as possible, where they will at least be safe from lightning. He hopes they are near their destination, for many reasons. The least of which is the cold.]

Well first off it was August, so not snowing. I was in South Carolina and had just ordered an attack on some stubborn redcoats when--

[John is cut off as a deafening clap of thunder accompanies a lightning strike not very far off from where he is.]

Shit, did you see how close that was? We gotta get inside asap.

[allshotsfired]

Shit man, was that one you? Okay you know what, we're gonna talk about that inside.

[okay he's going to try and hurry them the fuck into the house and into the spare room, because oh man, if John's effects are similar to his... ]

[workingon3]

[Once inside, John breathes a sigh of relief. He takes a moment to look around at the surroundings, and painfully tries to flex his freezing fingers. He tries in vain to wipe all the snow off his shoulders and out of his hair, before giving up. There's more important stuff to discuss right now.]

So. I'm all ears, Alexander.

[allshotsfired]

[While the brief look of the living room was generally sparse but in decent condition, in the guest room? Oh hell, it looks like something just lost it in there. Bits of wallpaper look torn and water damaged, there's the occasional singe mark on the floorboards, and when Hamilton closes the door it looks like the hinges are just barely holding on. He hangs up his outer coat on the hook and two things become quite apparent. 1) a hole has been hurriedly sewn back together on the cloak and, 2) it matches a similar repair on the vest Hamiltons' wearing, over a rib.

He sits down on the lounge, one of the few things in the room that doesn't look well. Weathered.]

Laurens you've missed a lot, like about twenty-two years, and I've got some guesses on how you wound up here, but you're not gonna like any of them.

[He drops back to Laurens, that's more comfortable, gives him enough distance to even start talking about what happened.]

[workingon3]

[John does notice the repair in Hamilton's clothes, and involuntarily touches one of the many small holes littering his own uniform. Some of his worst fears about this place resurface in his mind, but he tries to quieten them to focus on Alexander.]

What do you mean, I've "missed" twenty-two years? How do you just "miss" a whole score of years? Have you-- have you been here that whole time? Is that why you're so old?

[He paces back and forth for a moment, trying to shake out his excess energy through his hands before giving up and crossing his arms.]

Nothing here makes any damn sense. What're you not telling me?

[allshotsfired]

[He keeps an eye out for any sort of effects on the room from John, it's better than trying to deal with what he has to say.

Also he looks offended for a moment, excuse you Laurens, if anything he's quite the silver fox.]

No, I only arrived a few weeks ago, along with Burr. he doesn't remember how he got here, but for me it occurred about a day after my duel.

[Oh, water spots seeping through the wallpaper, yeah that's his own fault]

-But congress has been a shitshow, seriously. There's been three presidents and only one of 'em's been decent, and that was Washington. And thank god you never had to meet Jefferson, or you probably would've tried to shoot the guy, not that I would've stopped you...

[You know what seems like a good thing? changing the subject, changing the subject and never talking about anything after the end of the war.]

[workingon3]

[John hears the word 'duel', and everything Hamilton says after that sort of fades away. He recalls the last thing he saw before waking up here -- a volley of shots from the British forces directed at him. At first he'd thought he died, but quickly realized this is neither Heaven nor Hell. So he must have been saved, right? It didn't explain why he suddenly had a bunch of holes in his uniform, but it sure as hell explained why he was clearly alive, right?

So maybe it was a coincidence that Hamilton had been in a duel, and had a suspicious tear in his clothes. Or maybe not.

Wordlessly, he walks over to Alexander, eyes on the spot at Alex's side. His footsteps cause louder-than-normal creaks from the floorboards, but he doesn't really notice. John reaches out and touches the stitches, then looks up at Alexander's face, confused.]

Were you shot?

[allshotsfired]

[Well, to be fair the last part was mostly a diversion anyway. And- no, no he can't really keep John from figuring out anything, can he?]

Yes. The guy was a better shot than I expected.

[workingon3]

[A long plank of wood behind Laurens splits down the center with a very loud POP! John can feel himself shaking with anger because someone shot Alexander and he feels like he could throw up and nothing makes sense and every thought he's had since arriving here seems to be happening all at once in his head.

He buries his face in his hands, rubbing at the temples before letting out a frustrated yell. Another floor board pops. John sinks down, sitting on the ground and leans against the lounge, eyes closed.]

Is that what happened to me too then?

[allshotsfired]

[He moves over to be close by John, rests a hand on the back of John's neck. It's an offer of physical comfort, if he wants it.]

Near the end of the war I sent you a letter, later I got one in return, but it wasn't from you. It only said what'd happened.

[That reaction threw him off guard for a moment. Perhaps he was too used to... well, the damage him and Burr could do.]

[workingon3]

So... we're dead? I guess?

[He takes Alexander's hand from the back of his neck and holds it. John can't decide if this makes things more or less complicated. Maybe this is Hell after all. Who knows?]

Was it someone I know? Who shot you? ... Jesus, twenty years, it could be someone who wasn't even born yet. Next time you wanna duel someone get me to do it for you.

[allshotsfired]

[Okay he does laugh, it's a kind of a pained thing, but it's a laugh all the same.]

Well you weren't around at the time, plus then who'd take care of their kid?

[Please don't shoot Burr, the apartment is in his name.]

[workingon3]

[Thoughts of John's own kid push their way into his mind. Now he'll never get to meet her after all. Nope nope nope, just gonna Not Think About That.]

I can't believe something finally was able to kill you. I mean, literally everybody expected me to die in battle but I sorta figured whenever death came for you you'd just punch him in the face and keep on going.

[He tries to laugh, to distract himself from the weight of being dead and what exactly that means for everyone back home.]

I don't think I can get used to you bein' older than me, Alexander. It's weird.

[allshotsfired]

[He pats the lounge, come on get up here and be a little more comfortable.]

Nah, I've always had that guy nippin' at my heels, just it took him nearly fifty years to finally catch up to me.

And you think it's weird? I was expecting to come over in the prime of my life, not with an ache in my side and my back givin' me grief.

[workingon3]

[John climbs up onto the lounge, sitting sideways so his back is against Hamilton's side, his legs draped over the other edge.]

It's weird because I'm supposed the be the older one, my birthday still comes first, no matter how long I was MIA. ... Wait, shit, it's winter now isn't it? I missed my birthday.

[He pouts, vowing to just make it up some other time, maybe once the snow stops. He's gonna have a party, dead or not.]

So what was that you were saying earlier? About Washington?

[allshotsfired]

Hey more than just one, but we got a lot of time to make up for it and show 'em what kinda show us Otherworlders can pull off.

[he relaxes into the touch. At least this? This he can live with. They may be dead, John may think everything is strange, he may have lost so much, but someone dear to him is at his side. It's not enough, but it's something]

Oh yeah, he ended up being the first president, with yours truly headin' up the Treasury. Man, you missed some of the meetings that went down, and the press was brutal...

[workingon3]

Your birthday is coming up though, right? I'll just have to celebrate twice as hard when that comes around.

[He doesn't even want to think about how old Alexander will be though.

John feels a surge of pride, for Washington, for Hamilton, and the entire country as a whole. He's not sure if the room actually gets a bit warmer or if he's getting used to it, but he doesn't worry either way. He cups his hands to the sides of his mouth and lets out a loud "WOOOOOOOOOOOO!"]

Man! Alexander Hamilton, in charge of the Treasury! Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Congrats, man!