( 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]

[ honestly jade is not seeing it? maybe he expects too much of himself. or thinks he's supposed to be a specific way. ]

Well... I want to ask why you say that about yourself? I mean there are some people bad at being around others, but that does not mean I need a warning of some kind when I talk to them!

[potentite]

[Jake shifts, worrying his bottom lip.]

Umm... a lot of things happened in my session. And I was kind of an asshole to my friends.

[witchhooded]

[ jade ponders this for a moment before responding. ]

It is ok, if you want to tell me. I am not Rose but I can do my best to help!

[ not that jake knows the whole therapy thing with rose? jade thinks. maybe he does?? ]

[potentite]

[Jade is so, so nice and Jake wants to take her up on the offer but he doesn't know what he'll do if (when) Jade hates him. If Jade hated him, too, then what would he do? She's only the person he's been waiting years and years to finally see. No big deal. Just the family he always wanted might wind up hating him and he wouldn't even blame her for it.]

Um, golly, it's... really stupid and convoluted? And all over romance, basically, ugh I really can't believe we were such dunderheads over romance... [He trails off.] ...You don't, um— have to? Listen, I mean, it's just— I pretty much alienated everyone and... It blew heaving chunks.

[witchhooded]

[ well.

before jade answers, she has a question of her own. hesitating, she twiddles her thumbs together and looks at the dirt. really, she doesn't think jake is being fair to himself here. at the very least, there's probably a chance for him to do better. as for her... ]

I will answer you, I promise! But before I do, I guess I should ask this. Is... Dave here?

[potentite]

[That seems like a very odd and completely unrelated question but she seems so nervous.]

No, um— He was? But he vanished a while ago... [He isn't sure if that's comforting or not for her.]

[witchhooded]

[ okay so dave is not here this is still not dealing with the thing. cool, good, doable. ]

One of the last things I said to him was... pretty bad, I think and I feel terrible about it! Buuut I guess I also made a mess with romance! [ she winces before continuing. ] So I guess if there is anyone here who can listen to you, it would be.. [ she offers him an apologetic smile, tilting her head. it's surprisingly seamless following thar nervous expression. ] Me!

[potentite]

[Oh. That's actually a little funny and he cracks a small smile.]

Must be genetic? Sorry. [Even though he's still foggy on where this chicken and egg thing ends and which of them is actually genetically responsible but whatever. It's probably his fault.] I guess the short version is Jane and Dirk both liked me. And Roxy liked Dirk! And also apparently me at some point? And I didn't want to date anyone! I think I knew it would ruin things? But also I thought about it and I realised I didn't have romantic feelings for Jane but I did for Dirk. So we dated for a bit but I treated him badly and used Jane as my punching bag over it too and then Jane hated me and then Dirk broke up with me and that was the last time I saw them before, you know...

[It all comes out in a nervous rush and he swallows, fidgeting.]

Um, Dirk and I are patching up, but... I still balled up everything.

[witchhooded]

I guess it is genetic! [ really, they should just blame john. everything? it's john's fault.

either way, jade can't say things were quite a mess romantically for her, but a strider breaking up with you sure does sound familiar to her. they're slippery little eels. at the same time, it seems like jake thins he deserved that, whereas jade is fairly positive the only thing she could do was back off so davesprite could sort himself out. better to be friends than nothing at all? doesn't seem like this is the part where she talks about her romantic issues, and she thinks revealing the part about saying Bad Things to dave is enough for now. building a bridge so you can relate to someone who you are literally related to... normal people things are a lot. important thing to distinguish though: ]

Soooo, you still like Dirk?

[ if there's any surprise about the whole dude dating a dude thing for her, she doesn't show it. (honestly, jake can be as gay as he wants, just be safe regardless of who youre dating english) ] You are a very sensitive guy, Jake, it sounds like you are already trying to fix your mistakes and make people happy! Hmmm. You know, there is a guy I know who seems to be pretty bad at people, but it is just something of a flaw of his. He's a big old jerky jerk but he is a good friend.

[ jade totally misses karkat and also totally feels bad about the whole. murdering him thing. ] I don't want to tell you that you are wrong... [ uh. ] Sometimes it is hard to do things like normal people do them, I guess! [ jade is assuming jake also has those moment - like trying to wipe down a bathroom with a towel dunked in toilet water, thinking this is totally how normal people clean their homes. ]

[potentite]

[Jade's statement is definitely relatable and he'll get to it in a moment, but he's still flustered from her first part.]

Um, yes. I, um— Yes. I... like him.

[Which, really, is its own can of worms. He still doesn't know if he's really capable of those feelings.]

After he broke up with me, I just... kept wanting him to, um, be around? And... be my boyfriend again, so...

[And he got that via Brain Ghost Dirk mostly, but he kept shattering his own illusion by reminding himself he was fake. God. His own brain won't let him be happy, huh? Or maybe he just won't let himself have those illusions anymore, which is frankly for the best in the long run. But at the time, a little comfort would have been nice.]

But... Yeah, doing things the normal way... People might think we're making mountains out of molehills but from where I'm standing, it certainly looks like friggin' Mount Everest.

[Note: he has not seen Mount Everest he just knows everyone says it's the biggest or something.]

[witchhooded]

[ the liking him part is noted. jade tilts her head, and continues listening - it's very important to know the relationships involved here. hoo boy. ]

Hehe, you know, you cannot actually wash a bathroom with water from the toilet! [ the implication here is that jade didn't realize...you didn't do that. so. ] I think that sometimes it is a little hard to know when people are supposed to be around or not be around... like what kind of water you can use to wash certain things. You are still friends, and it sounds like you have things to sort out on your own! Maybe he does, too!

[potentite]

I don't know how to use a bathroom! [It seems important to reassure her? Like he knows in theory he just hasn't used one since he was about five so.] But, um. I hope he does? I worry about him feeling tethered to me but... yeah.

[But, more important than his inability to handle relationships:]

Um! I, um... is it... okay if I continue to think of you as family? I know the situation is actually a little more convoluted than either of us understood it to be when we were writing our letters but... [Jake tries to gesture but just raises his hand a little before it drops.] I dunno. It doesn't change that you're family to me I guess.

[witchhooded]

[ jade wants to respond about the bathroom comment because there's a lot of things she didn't get until the ship. it's a learning process, getting used to people, and sometimes being dumped into being around them is overwhelming. but it raises a lot of questions: why didn't jake know how to use a bathroom? what was the state of the mansion? the island? man.

he says that he wants to think of her as family still, though, and she gets that, because while jake is jake, he's still something like grandpa to her; not exactly him, but a form of him that she gets to meet. jade wonders for a moment if the only way for her to meet her grandfather, the person who was supposed to raise her, was on equal footing like this. the game always had a weird way of doing things; maybe in the end, she and jake had an equal amount of learning and teaching to do. ]

...Well, yes! I do not know what to call it but family, right? After all, you are still my grandson.

[ although the mystery of who his grandfather is no longer exists, really. ] Although it would probably be weird to call each other grandparents?

[potentite]

[Relief spreads through him as he nods. Part of him worried, especially these days, that once she had the chance to say more than just 'hi' to him, she would realise she didn't want him as family anymore. And if he lost her, the family he'd been waiting for since the first time he got a letter back, well, that would just be the final nail in the coffin. Why bother trying if your own family doesn't want you anymore?

But okay. She does. He's so glad. He's just so, so glad that he has to hug her again. This time he doesn't hesitate, even if his nerves remain a little on edge.]

Um, you can be my grandma if you fancy that! Or I can be your grandson I mean? Or the other way around! I'm happy with whatever we are because we are family. I apologise if I seem a bit sensitive.

[witchhooded]

[ it catches her off guard, the hug - it's something a lot more honest, a little reserved and shy, and completely warranted. initiating a hug feels... different from being hugged, and jade feels exposed for a moment, unable to react beyond assurance. but it feels right, too, familiar and warm. jade resolves to herself that if hugging a family member feels like this every time, there's go to be loads more hugs in the future.

It's a lot like looking under the couch to find the missing puzzle piece you thought you lost years ago.

Her fingers close around the fabric of his hoodie, clenching tight. ]

Maybe we can be each other's grandparents! It's what is true anyway. Honesty is the best policy?

[ haha, honesty in this family ]

[potentite]

[Honesty? Don't know her.

But for Jade, at least, he wants to try. Feelings are so much for him, even good ones, and maybe that's because he knows they won't last, or at least that's how it feels. Like one day he'll just be alone again and maybe that's how it should be, maybe he's too messed up to understand how normal emotions work, how he should feel, how much he's supposed to love people. Dirk can love people and not want them to go away and Jake doesn't want it, either, but trying to stop it from happening isn't something he can do. Maybe that means he doesn't care enough.

He wants Jade to stay, though. He wants Dirk to stay and he wants to see Jane and Roxy and John and Dave, too. He wants it so very much that maybe that's enough. Maybe it's good enough.]

Okay! And I guess um, you can still be my granddaughter, too! And... yes, so... I like this plan.

[He rests his head against hers, just a little. It could almost be accidental with how light it is but he wants to see if that's okay.]

[witchhooded]

[ she's quiet for a moment, as if she can hardly believe the situation; that jake's 1) real 2) feasible 3) literally right here in front of her. letters don't do much for portraying personality, she realizes as his head comes to rest against her's. she smaller than him, enough that it's possibly nothing, but she wants to think it's comforting, like grandpa putting his chin atop her head while she tries to sound out her favorite picture book. (she's not sure if she made up this memory or not, these days.)

so jade lets it happen, and doesn't speak for a moment. figuring out the genetics of their family is absolutely not something she can piece together at the moment, but she knows this is real. maybe memories don't have to be categorized as "made up" or "real", now, and she can have all those things she thought grandpa was doing. (it took her some time to figure out it was probably nothing, perhaps becquerel doing something to make her happy. she owes that dog so many irradiated steaks for taking care of her.)

there's a beat, enough that jade can make out a heartbeat and then she breaks into a grin again. ]

It's a pretty stinking great plan, Jake! I have not had family since I was very young, so thanks for being mine!!

[potentite]

Me either.

[Of course he had grandma but considering the Batterwitch's schemes and his grandma's heroic efforts to stop her, well, she sometimes didn't have time for him. That was okay. He was always proud of her. A legendary witch who spit in the face of true evil, who did her best to fight her before anyone else had started to, who died because of her even after taking Jake far away to try to protect them.

And having a hero to look up to was wonderful and terrifying and lonely. He loved her so much but so many memories blurred and faded over time until they were no better than dreams leaking out of his cupped hands. Her face, her voice, her laugh. But Jade, Jade is solid. She has a beautiful smile. Her voice reminds him of his favourite movies from childhood, not anything specific but that feeling of nostalgia and warm sunny days. She's here and hugging him and she's a hero, too, just like her friends, heroes that they waited for on hopeless days, but he thinks she can be more than a hero to him.]

So! Family, huh. I guess... we have a frightful amount of Christmases and birthdays to catch up on.