( 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

[knighthooded]

[he doesn't have any choice but to follow Jade's instructions, tilting his head up so everything that makes up a sixteen year old boy doesn't slip underwater. look, Bro lived in a high rise and imparted survival skills that usually involved not falling from great heights, not dealing with the perils in water deeper than a few feet. pools were a luxury, and he never really went.

the stranger gives a command, and Dave throws his arm out to grab onto him, the desire to live outweighing any mistrust he may have had. this person is a life preserver, a miracle. for once, Dave isn't talking, taking every opportunity to breathe instead. Jade will be freed from his weight when he latches onto Percival, and he clings tightly, thinking please, please, let's get back to the shore.

a death here may not stick, but he doesn't want it all the same.]

[lohengrins]

[ it's not the first he's jumped headfirst into waters in some haphazard attempt to save two people at once. jade and dave's weight wraps around his torso, and his head bobs underneath the water as he rises again, gasping for air. he always does this — and this time, his brother isn't here to save him. he's right when he calls him stupid, isn't he? when he calls him weak.

maneuvering his arms isn't especially easy right now, so he suddenly opts to wrestle his sword off his person. it's heavy enough that it'll serve as a buoy as well as sheathed, fortunately, and he gestures it towards the both of them amidst the current. ]

Hold...on...!

[ there's little time to waste. all he can do is propel himself forward using the strength of his legs. hey, they've made distance though! so long as he keeps it up for a few more minutes, they should be fine. ]

[witchhooded]

[ the best quality jade has is that she's reckless, in a weird, premeditated way. if something seems like it'll work, she'll do it no matter how crazy it seems. logically, there's got to be something she can do to move this along and make it less of a shame conga line.

so

mostly she's going to just reach for the sheath underwater. letting go of percy, she nearly gets lost, but her arms are strong enough to fight recoil of guns twice her size, so jade harley knows she'll be sore tonight but she knows that she's not letting go, either. the sword connects, she lets go, the current slaps at her torso but her arms cut through the water until the wooden sheaths at her fingertips. it's so close, but jade courts the impossible as often as she can.

...this is all a fancy way of saying she lets go of percival to grab the sheathe, really. hopefully dave doesn't die in the moment. ]

[knighthooded]

[he won't die, and his flailing is the farthest thing from elegant, but his head is up and he's breathing, and his shades are dangerously close to slipping off his face which would be a spiritual death if he lost them in the water. at this point, he's willing to listen to anything and take whatever flotation comes his way.

at least Jade has sense about this. Dave, if he could, would be furiously talking about his impending doom. but they can make it if they work together.]

[lohengrins]

[ jade pulls away, and a panic surges through his body. not exactly what he had in mind, but one kid is still latched onto him. wincing, percival jounces under the water and reaches an arm forward in some attempt to grasp at jade. fortunately, she appears to be...okay? that doesn't stop him from pulling him towards her.

his head bobs up, yet again, and his nostrils flare with the sting of saltwater before he continues onwards. his muscles ache, his arms are burning against the cool current, and in due time they finally make it to the land. water overwhelms fire s— but not this time, he thinks. it's by a small, small margin, but he hastily buries his nails into the soil, grits his teeth and hoists them up. both of them. at once.

yeah, his entire body is shaking due to the physical strain at this point. but over his head they go. help him out, kids. ]