( 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

[witchhooded]

[ damn. that's a lot at once, and jade's not sure if she did the right thing asking. dirk doesn't seem to mind giving up information and she appreciates that, thinks it's great and finds him easy to talk to, but.

hopefully she didn't coax it out of him? hmm. ]

That's... really nice of you to say, thanks! There isn't much to me, but I am interested in that me, too. She was Jake's grandma, right?? Hehe, I bet I was a pretty cool old biddy! [ the addition of old here isn't necessary but jade also doesn't know how biddy is used these days so you know ] Iiiii don't know what I did but if it made you respect, I guess it was pretty much exactly what I was supposed to do?

[ this is just how you talk in homestuck ]

[splinten]

[Jade please.]

Jake's Grandma founded Skaianet, a company that competed with and helped fight against the Condesce's many-tentacled Crockercorp. She is very likely the first of the resistance fighters who took up the cause against the Batterwitch's tyranny.

[witchhooded]

[ ... those are some really big shoes to fill? oh my god. she's going to disappoint jake. is this what anxiety is ]

To be honest, it had to be someone, right? So I guess I can see why she would do that. [ so in other words jade is saying she would start a rebellion. cool ] I hope I don't disappoint you! I am only sixteen.

[ she's only sixteen ]

[splinten]

[don't bring in 1D you aren't francy]

Like I said, I don't expect you to be her, any more than I'm whoever I was on your side of the Scratch. It's more what Jake said about you based on your letters that confirmed you'd be a really cool person to know.

[witchhooded]

[ that's... a good point. she's kind of surprised by how not...bro dirk is. at least, from what she heard of bro from dave and his weird puppet stuff. ]

Well, you are very cool to know too, Mr. Strider! You know stuff about me but I do not know much about you aside from how very capable and cool you are.

[splinten]

Do you... want to know something?

[witchhooded]

Yes! We are friends now, right?

[ he's stuck here forever. there's just no going back anymore. ] You already know I can build stuff, what about you?

[splinten]

[They... are? He has no idea what to do.

The Harleybert effect.]

I build things too. Robots, mainly. I do some AI programming too.

[witchhooded]

[ dave might have mentioned that once? programming, that is. no details, though. ]

I had a robot! It was a dreambot and recorded my dreams!

[ grandpa seemed to know in advance that her dreams would be very, very important. ] I could keep up with it but I did not build it. I think Grandpa did. Jake, I mean! [ or maybe he commissioned it from dirk. who knows. did you make the dreambot dirk ]

[splinten]

[Grandpa should never entrust anything to Bro.]

Huh, you mean your experiences on Prospit? That's interesting. I'd like to see how he managed to establish the connection between your Dream Self and the robot's functioning. With Prospit in the Medium, I imagine it could only work if he tapped into your sleeping consciousness as the transmission point.

[witchhooded]

[ unfortunately that bot did not survive, and unless there's a lot of work done, it will likely never exist in game. probably. ]

It blew up! So I don't know if I will ever see it again. Maybe in my dreams.

[ it's funny because it's a...dreambot...? jade doesn't exactly know how to make jokes? ]

[splinten]

[Oh my god Jade.]

And/or your afterlife.

[Which is now. HA HA]

What about furries? You showed at least some knowledge about the subculture.

[Also. The ears.]

[witchhooded]

[ why, you can almost hear the whizzing of dreambot jade right now!

anyway, jade uses furaffinity so you know, not really anyway to avoid having this conversation. ]

The fursuit? Well, I don't really see the point in things like that! I would still be in a girl in a costume, so there's no fooling anyone there! Really, it is so silly, it is a load of baloney and completely pointless. But it is so cool to mix the finest quality of humanity with the elegance and nobility of the animal kingdom, I think.

[ says

... the girl with dog ears..... ] I am aware of the fun animal friends kind, not the other kind. [ jade has a fursona is what shes saying ]

[splinten]

[Huh.]

Weird how that runs in the family exclusively down your side of it. Maybe you'd even like Avatar.

[witchhooded]

Really? I asked Jake to tell me about that one since I do not think I can watch it with him here!

[ im going to have to watch avatar, arent i ]

[splinten]

It's about blue furries in space reliving the plot of Dances with Wolves on endless repeat.

[witchhooded]

Blue is a good color but not as good as green. [ just saying. ] I have never seen Dances with Wolves, are there dancing wolves in it?

[ ....are there dancing wolves in avatar ]

[splinten]

No.

[No.]

[witchhooded]

That is a waste of a perfectly good title! I would very much like to see some dancing wolves.

[splinten]

Agreed. Unfortunately, I can't think of any dancing wolf movies off the top of my head.

[witchhooded]

[ there is a long pause.

jade mulls this over.

she really considers it.

and then: ]

We could make one of our own!

[splinten]

[...]

[...]

[...]

[...]

Hell.

Fucking.

Yes.

[witchhooded]

[ she feels like this is the point where she uses slang. despite living with davesprite for so long, slang isn't part of her vocabulary much - so jade considers her options carefully. ]

It would be pretty dope, dude!

[ NAILED IT ] Maybe we should design some wolfies together later?

[splinten]

[Well done, perfectly executed slang.]

Any time, bro. You're on.