( 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

a!

[thatdamnknight]

[another day at the hub, another day spent training. between the magical abilities from qri and making sure his own skills don't dull, flynn has more than enough to occupy his time. the lack of blastia and the inability to train his artes bugs him, but nothing can be done about that right now.

today's training of choice ended up sword training. nice and simple and very enjoyable. a slash here, a thrust there, a parr-- wait, that voice... flynn immediately stops and furrows his brow as he listens in. the mention of a curse causes his lips to curve into a smile. yup, there's no mistaking who that voice belongs to.]

Was there really ever any doubt, though?

[what better way to say hello than by teasing!]

[fangstrike]

[ He can feel his brow creasing more and more as he listens to a very distinct, very familiar voice ring inside his head.

Really? That's the 'voice of comfort' that his brain cooks up in this situation? Those are the words coming to him in this forest? What is he, a little kid now? He's fine on his own. He believes that, sternly. Keep it together, Yuri. ]

And now I'm hearing voices. I figured I'd lose it eventually, but couldn't it wait 'til I found civilization?

[thatdamnknight]

[leave it to yuri to be skeptical. then again, flynn expected no different. to anyone from their world, any voices in your head would only be the product of your own mind and not another person actively speaking to you. the very idea of someone communicating telepathically could only be called absurd.]

I'd say you already lost it around the time you decided that the best way to solve the high tax problem was by pushing the knight collecting those taxes into the river.

[not one of yuri's finest or brightest moments. how that even crossed his mind as a good idea remains beyond flynn's comprehension to this day. ah well, he can ponder the mysteries of that questionable yuri lowell logic another time.]

That said, you're not imagining things; I really am talking to you. As insane as it sounds, the people brought here can communicate telepathically.

[fangstrike]

He got out of the water. And he didn't come back for a while. It gave people a chance to breathe, right? Anyway, I've done much crazier things and I should know that.

[ Even in his head, Flynn won't let that one rest. Really, they were okay, so he doesn't see a problem... and he's already been pardoned for it. So, it legally didn't happen either. Right? ]

I'm not gonna believe that until I actually see you telling me it, insanity Flynn. You know that, don't you?

[thatdamnknight]

That isn't the po--

[he barely manages to stop himself from jumping into yet another lecture on the matter. no no, don't start this up again right now. not only have they done this particular song and dance before (and it looks like the point STILL hasn't sunk in), but making angry faces at nothing could potentially scare people passing by. no one needs that.

flynn takes a deep breath and rubs his temple. lecture later, focus on the important stuff now.]

I do. Where are you right now?

[fangstrike]

[ He stops and decides to look around. He'd just been walking straight, hoping to spot some signs that people had been through the area recently. He's traveled a lot now, but that doesn't mean he's some expert navigator without a good map on hand. ]

Well. I can't give you much to go on. There's trees, so I'm in a forest. I was hoping to find some kind of landmark to help myself but no luck. Sorry.

[thatdamnknight]

[not much to go on is right. flynn hums softly while mulling over the best course of action to take. so little information makes searching for yuri pointless. with so much forest everywhere, he could be anywhere and they could easily miss the other.

that leaves waiting for yuri to find that eventual landmark instead. not flynn's favorite idea, but what else can they do?]

Keep walking. You'll run into something noteworthy sooner or later, possibly even the camp. I'll come find you as soon as I have a better idea of where you are.

[ah! a map might help a bit so flynn tries to visualize the map jay drew up so that yuri can see it for himself. telepathic communication is really very handy once you get past the impossibility of it.]

This is a map of our current location. Let me know if you can't see it.

[fangstrike]

Honestly? I hope you do. Because this conversation is at the point where if you don't, I'm actually going to be kinda worried about how hard I might've hit my head before I woke up here.

[ He talks to himself (sometimes through Repede) a lot, sure, but for as well as he knows Flynn inside and out, he can't replicate him this well. He'd rather this be some strange magic than his brain bleeding or some unfortunate thing. ]

I can see it. Damn. This is really messing with me. I guess I just have to figure out where on it I am right now. I'll get back to you when I find the camp?

[thatdamnknight]

Or maybe you finally gained a voice of reason after 21 years.

[look, as a best friend, one can't pass up the opportunity to be an ass when it arises.]

Yeah, I'll be waiting. Oh and to my knowledge, there aren't any monsters in the forest. There are boars, but they shouldn't be a problem for you.

[they weren't for flynn despite the lack of both blastia and armor. though that does raise the question of if yuri's missing anything himself. regardless of potential missing objects, flynn has the utmost faith in yuri coming out victorious against something as weak as a boar.]

[fangstrike]

Me? Never. I'll die before you see that.

[ And an ass he expects. At least it doesn't feel so delusional when Flynn is railing against him instead of falling in step with him. ]

Boars, huh? Well, if I run into one, guess dinner's on me.... so long as I can haul it out that far, I guess.

[ Dragging a boar a few miles is worth having a say in who gets to cook their food that evening. He just got here and, if it's all real, he doesn't want to be up half the night suffering through the consequences of trying not to hurt Flynn's feelings over his 'cuisine'. ]

See you soon. Hopefully.

[thatdamnknight]

[far be it from flynn to argue. if yuri kills one then it's all his to cook. that said, he fully plans on returning the favor sooner or later.]

Alright, but next time, I'm cooking. I have the best new recipe for you to try.

[flynn's excitement comes across loud and clear. what is this fantastic recipe? pork brownies. almost as good as the beef brownies he'd made before. beef simply can't be beat, but pork suffices well enough! the ratio of hot sauce and cocoa powder finally balanced out so the flavor is like nothing else! adding a bit of red peppers probably helped enhance the phenomenal flavor. yuri's bound to love it!

may god have mercy on yuri's tastebuds.

if yuri does stumble upon the campsite, he'll find flynn near the outer edge of it and still in the middle of training. the sword he received feels differently in his hand than the knight sword so the sooner wielding it feels natural, the better.]

[fangstrike]

S.... sure....

[ His stomach is already churning, traumatized from past experiences and unable to cope with more potential injury. He'll suck it up when the time comes. He always does. It's better for everyone that he makes himself a target and save them the grief.

God help him in his time of need.

Stumbling into the campsite brings some relief. Yuri likes the outdoors! He does! But not being lost without any information. He's not enough of a hermit to enjoy total isolation.

And there's Flynn, waiting for him. Hopefully not ready to swing that sword in his direction. At home, he's been making a bad habit of it and Yuri's not about to admit it kinda hurts his feelings. Maybe. A little. ]

Yo. Flynn. Where'd you pick that thing up?

[thatdamnknight]

[ah, there it is, that voice and not in his head this time. flynn lowers his sword as he smiles warmly at yuri. what a sight for sore eyes. seeing his best friend never fails to brighten his mood. ...usually. those couple times the last few months back home were uncomfortable at best and ended up straining their bond like nothing else. flynn hated it. meeting up with yuri and not having an oppressive atmosphere hanging over them is so so nice.]

A friend gave it to me after I mentioned not having a sword myself. I'm still surprised he gave it to me without asking for anything in return.

[only flynn is allowed to be altruistic to that degree! he managed to repay that individual with some delicious beef brownies but it still doesn't feel enough. however, sharing all those details with yuri can wait until discussing a more important topic, namely their present situation.]

It looks as though you got here without any trouble. Did the map help?

[he mentions the map to further help convince yuri of the whole telepathic communication deal. that really did happen and yuri isn't going crazy, well, crazier.]