( TDM | #4 )

[spellbindmods]

IMPORTANT: The weekly update post will go up later than usual tonight to give time for any other barrier quest responses to come in. Nothing major will be affecting how old players respond to newbies on this post, so tag away! Threads here do count for September bonus AC for old players.

TDMs can be used for anyone interested in the game and/or testing out a new muse.

Test Drive samples are encouraged to be used for your application sample, though they are NOT a requirement.

Feel free to use one prompt, multiple prompts or make up your own!

These threads can be considered game canon upon game opening if you so choose.

Telepathy and magic can be used at any point in time on the TDM, from Prompt A to your wildcard prompt. A specific prompt exists, however, that makes sure all characters have an equal chance to use this mechanic within the TDM. You're encouraged to have characters use telepathy and their magic accidentally or even purposefully on any TDM prompt.

If you aren't set on your character's power yet or want to try out a few, you're still able to use the test drive. Maybe your character is a late bloomer and hasn't fully unlocked their intuitive drive yet. In the case of multiple powers, only prompts that contain the power you choose for your application will count as potential game canon threads.

While only one character can be apped or reserved during a cycle, feel free to post with more than one character if you like! This is for those who are uncertain of their first choice or who would like to try out different characters within the setting.

IMPORTANT: This world is low-frequency. No canon powers or abilities are allowed! Also check out the setting information for more info about what the hub island looks like and what can be found there.

You blink and that's all it takes. At first the picture doesn't come in clear, like you're waiting for a screen to fully load -- more aptly, it's like you're waiting for a camera to focus so you can find image clarity. Before you happened to rapidly close your eyes and open them, your life was normal...well, normal for you, anyway. Fighting an alien, making a quesadilla, dying. And then that blurry picture suddenly takes over. There's a lot to take in here -- you feel weird, your surroundings are weird. Everything is just weird. For starters, there's that new piece of jewelry inserted in the space above your chest. That certainly wasn't there before you opened your eyes. A ▢ Your character's first experience here will be waking up in a forest. Specifically, located here. It's up to them to traverse and try to figure out where they are, whether they make it to the beach or the main house area. If this new little signet catches their interest, fiddling with it will result in a bit of a neural vibration in everyone else with telepathy. Nothing painful; it's actually quite pleasant. But if they do decide to play with this new jewelry, they're likely to find some seasoned telepaths (aka old coven members) in their brain space, wondering that's up. A2 ▢ Alternatively, new coven members are notorious for being bad at telepathy from the jump. Their panicked reation to this journey or confused mental state may send out some network messages that maybe they didn't realize they were sending out. Or, maybe what's pushing them over the edge are all the other voices already doing exactly that in their brain. B ▢ Unlike the previous coven members who found themselves on the hub, new recruits won't find as many supplies randomly in the forest they're suddenly in. However, like old coven members, they will come across some wild boars that aren't too happy to see the humans have returned to their stomping ground. Your character may also come across a boar with babies in tow, which means that they're even more likely to be aggressive. If your character has useful magic within them somewhere, now may be a good time to discover how to use it...? C ▢ Whether you've braved a boar encounter or avoided one entirely, there's a lot to do and see in the forest, as well as other areas of the hub! Well, "do" is debatable. But! Coven members before them have discovered some pretty nifty locations that can be stumbled upon, from a phallic fertility shrine to tree homes and passageways.

If you eventually make it out of the forest and aren't devoured by a boar, you'll eventually come upon your new base camp. Someone (Genette) will be there with your introductory letter and a brief description of magic you now have. If you didn't discover it earlier...surprise! One thing of comfort might be that you aren't alone in this journey. There are other coven members here, fresh back from a journey to another world. If your character wants to get the lay of the land or understand what's going on a little better, they may want to hit up some of these folk for information. There's a large, gold, floating caravan hanging around next to a bonfire, and there's a back gate open that reveals something of a space pocket containing lots of different things. Luckily for new characters, the Palai from the previous world didn't want them to go hungry...which also means they'll be inundated with shrimp to eat. Hopefully they like shellfish! D ▢ Many of the old bloods in the coven can be found hanging around this area. Of course, a few of them have gone off on their own to do whatever it is they do, but since they just got back this is a good place to hang out if a new character wants to see a familiar face, ask questions or steal someone's belongings. You never know! E ▢ This will also be the place where they're given their first provisions. In a woven knapsack, they'll find a bag of cooked shrimp, a set of clothes (you pick the style) that may not fit, a toothbrush, and three other random objects -- dealer's choice! It's very likely that your character got something useful in there, but it's also likely you got something that your character would never use in a million years, or that doesn't fit. Time to start trading! F ▢ Finally, there's always the chance for your character to explore the big mansion next to the beach area. Actually, they may be asked to lend a hand. Everyone is tasked with unloading supplies from the caravan to the front foyer of the mansion, and there are quite a few trips to be mad. Or, alternatively, your character can slack off and play in the game room that they have. How good is your character at pool?

If you're much more of a loner and don't want to follow the flow of things, there are of course other locations that you should probably check out. Travel to your heart's content and find something new...but there are two other points of interest you may want to discover. G ▢ There's that bathhouse that's nearby, for starters. Your character won't encounter any snapping crabs, like last time, though the water for some reason isn't as hot as it once was. Whatever was previously heating the bathhouse seems to have died out, so there aren't any steamy, comfortable pools to take a dip in. There are, however, acrid waters with pond scum floating on the surface. The showers also spew out a greenish liquid, so any hope your character had at having a relaxing bath is gone. However, the lack of heat and many closed off rooms can make for some nice alone time. H ▢ Your character may want to claim a beach house while they're at it. Some characters have disappeared from the coven over time, and some of these few may have left their belongings before departing. This makes it hard to tell what huts are free and which need to be cleared out. Might as well play roulette and see if you picked one that doesn't have an owner or not. (For the sake of the prompt, you might want to choose the former, just saying). I ▢ Wildcard prompt. Go nuts and utilize your own creativity within the setting. This can mean striking out on your own or utilizing a certain location in a different way. The world is your oyster!

GAME NAVIGATION

Comments

[argenteums]

[ He makes a face at him, annoyance showing on it even if it's not actually menacing in any way (how could he be). With a shove at Noctis' side when he holds up the phone, he groans and looks around himself, trying to pat off the grime already covering his jacket. ]

Says Mr. Mop-Head. [ He mutters, before lifting his arms in frustration and letting them drop to his sides. ]

Well, now what? I'm not stepping in there. It looks like it'll eat me. Why'd we have to look for that damn fishing spot, Noct?!

[armigers]

Because I'm starving, and unless you want to eat a bag of mystery shrimp, fishing is our only choice.

[ What he wouldn't do for one of Ignis' burgers about now. Or even a nice big lake that isn't covered in garbage. He's going to die of starvation at this rate. Or of uncleanliness. At least, no one can claim his room is that bad anymore- definitely nothing close to mselling this rank. ]

Do all the showers spew slime? Go try them out.

[ He doesn't want any of that gunk on his shoes, but Prompto could stand to get better shoes. Might as well send him over there to be a worthy sacrifice. He's also standing closer to them, so by process of elimination...

Noctis gives him an unhelpful nudge in the direction of the showers. ]

[argenteums]

Wh-Wha?! Why do I have to do it? Even those shower handles look like they could eat me.

[ And if not them, then the grime on them for sure. But he does head on over nervously, trying to reach out and investigate the shower- he flicks his fingers at a handle, once, twice, until he gets it turned and- ]

Yeaaargh!!

[ A globulous stream of ick pours on down, causing Prompto to jump back into his equally grossed out friend, clinging to him. An immediate kick to the handle sends the sewage shutting off, but he's still shaking in horror.

Showers aren't supposed to do that, damn it! ]

You owe me for that, Noct! Now what are we gonna do?? This is terrible!! I want out!

[armigers]

[ Oh, that is just wrong. Why would anyone allow the showers to become like this? He qiuckly tries to keep Prompto steady before he winds up slipping on the sludge with all his jumping around and frantic panicking. ]

Yeah, yeah, if I get another bag of shrimp, I'll give it to you. Just don't get any of that on me.

[ They've battled several daemons and all sorts of disgusting creatures in the past, but somehow, this feels worse. Mostly because Noctis isn't sure they'll ever find anywhere with decent indoor plumbing, and that's not a thought he wants to entertain at the moment. ]

'least it's not coming alive.

[ Small miracles. That goo-water looks like it very well could, but thus far, they haven't come under attack by anything. While he should be celebrating that fact, it makes him more suspicious than anything. Spirited away and no one trying to kill them every couple of meters? He refuses to believe it. ]

[argenteums]

[ He's groaning. ]

I'd rather have Iggy cooking the shrimp but at least that was a plus over all of this...

[ He sighs aloud as he steps back next to Noctis, making a face. ]

First we get this weird goodie bag, and now all of this. Tell me I'm having a nightmare here. Did you see Iggy or Gladio around? Maybe they've found a bathing area and aren't telling us!

[armigers]

No news from them, yet.

[ Besides, if they were here, they'd be quicker to find the two of them than it would be to find them. Ignis has always been unsettlingly good at tracking them down when he needs to. It's almost like he has a GPS tracker somewhere on him.

Speaking of which- ]

Is your phone out of service, too? Haven't been able to get a single bar since I woke up in this place.

[ And when he tried to ask the locals, none of them even knew what the hell a cell phone was. He's officially in some kind of waking nightmare with neither phone service nor indoor plumbing available. Someone, pinch him already and tell him this isn't all real. ]

[argenteums]

[ Not cool at all. He's just sighing and looking irritable at this point, before he reaches into his pocket to bring out his phone. ]

It was absolutely D.O.A, dude. At this point, all I want is a shower before I go crazy.

[ He sighs then, motioning to Noctis to follow. No sense sticking around here. ]

So what's all this coven business, anyway? It's beginning to sound really creepy, if you ask me.

[armigers]

Don't know. We were apparently recruited by space witches.

[ 'Recruited' is this place's grand euphemism for being kidnapped apparently. No matter how much they sugarcoat it, it still sucks. Pretty soon he and Prompto are going to end up competing over whose pits smell worse, and there is no real winner in that game. ]

I think I saw more people around that caravan back there.

[ He lifts his hand to point before looking around and noticing most areas pretty much look the same in all directions. This is what happens when you spend your life depending on GPS equipment and maps. He has no idea which way he came from and kind of ends up arbitrarily pointing to the distance to avoid looking as lost as he feels. ]

Over there. Passed it before coming here. We should check it out.

[ And hopefully, Prompto has some better idea of where they're going, or they're screwed. ]