( TDM | #5 )

[spellbindmods]

IMPORTANT: This TDM is something a little different -- it's a mix of 4th Wall shenanigans and test driving. Anyone and everyone is welcome to come and make this spooky experience even more creeptacular, and all threads are canon. Any weird happenings, magic shortages or flip-flopping for new characters will just be considered part of the strangeness of the night.

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.

The foreign moon has come as close to the hub island as it possibly can, and the nocturnal deer aren't the only things acting up at this point. Those with intact spiritual intuition or with the power of emotional understanding will have felt the heaviness in the air, and as the days have dragged on that thickness has only intensified. Tonight that thickness might be explained by the heavy fog that's settled in on the island. However, that doesn't mean it's all that's making the night unsettling. All across the island, spirits are taking shape. They're humanoid in nature and completely devoid of sound -- like holographic projections with the audio broken. They flashstep around at times, and other instances they'll walk around like a normal person. Their mouths move and yet no sound escapes. They tangibility is as erratic as their movements. In one moment they have control over their solid mass, despite being translucent, but other times they can walk through walls or pass right through flesh. Their clothes are indicative of a somewhat modern time period, and sometimes they're indistinguishable from other coven members outside of their blue, sepia-toned hue. Another inconsistency is that their demeanor and actions are as varied as any modern society's. Some of these spirits are confused and angry. Some are trying to go about life as best they can. One might be able to pick up a sword and swing it, while another might want to braid your hair. Ages, strengths, dispositions...they match the state of the person as they once were. But where do new, potential coven members come into this equation. A ▢ Some "new coven members" will come to the island as they are. That's your choice. Others, however, are also affected by the bizarreness of the moonlight. Unlike other spirits, characters affected by the moon will be able to talk, but everything else will match their new spirit friends -- from translucence to physical inconsistency. B ▢ No matter whether your character is spirit-y or 100% as they were, the spirits in question are still going to interact with them. For this prompt, they've run into a kind spirit. Whether this is a child spirit tying to round them up into a game of tag or an adult spirit who is trying to communicate with them in some way, this spirit will be neutral or welcoming to their presence, as well as to the presence of other coven members. C ▢ Other spirits may not be so friendly. While their demeanor will mirror the type of person they were when they were alive, the spirits run on very simple and exaggerated emotions. A person with a gruff demeanor in their life will exist as an aggravated spirit. A person with violent tendencies when alive will exhibit as a malevolent ghost. This is the type of spirit you happen to have encountered. How will this interaction turn out?

Brie's been pretty busy trying to fix the wild boar problem that the island has been having, which the results? It's hard to tell if they're paying off, yet. She's somehow smuggled out some Elto bones and tried to use them as something of an electric fence system around the boar-dense areas. The boars who are alive seem to be reacting well! Others, however, are not. D ▢ Dead boars are now waking up around the island, somehow affected by a combination of magic and the moon's spiritual awakening. Some are a little more like their alive cousins -- undead flesh still pretty much in place. Others are totally skeletal, roaming around and thrusting their tusks anywhere they please. E ▢ These boars and spirits happen to be attracted to several shrines located on the island. While the religious affiliations of these shrines are unknown and vastly differ from one another, the spirits seem to be drawn towards them. If your character happens to be exploring the island and finds one of these unique locations...good luck with that hoard of spirits and/or boar zombies. F ▢ Boar zombie tusks should be avoided at all costs, but there's also another threat they pose: their bite. Instead of turning characters into the undead, their bites or their saliva results in something of an instant poisoning. Characters touched by their mouths will die temporarily, just without the whole gaudy spectacle of death. Everything will stay exactly as normal, except they too will be turned spirited. This counts for new characters and old characters -- so if you don't want your character to go ghost, you should avoid their gnashing teeth at all costs.

Despite the creepy air the island holds right now, let's say you want to do something...normal. No boars, no spirits. Just some good ol' fashioned test driving. You have a few options, though they still may be tinged with the spirit of...spirits. G ▢ Despite the moon causing a lot of craziness on the island, there's a lot of beauty in how close it is. You can't reach out and touch it -- everyone would be dead and frozen to death, let's be honest -- but it does cast a lovely cool glow on the entirety of the island. The moonflowers are in full bloom, with the nocturnal deer dancing around through the foliage. There's a lot to see on the island that isn't necessarily overrun by spooky spirits. H ▢ There's also the issue of NPCs preparing for new characters -- which they did! There's the beginning of a welcome party set up, though it's obviously abandoned. With all the craziness going on, the base camp is thrown into chaos. If your character makes it here from wherever they spawned (or if they spawned here in the first place), they may be confused by the chaos. Asking questions might be good, especially since there's still so many to ask outside of dead people suddenly coming back from the grave. 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!

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Comments

[pigii]

I-I'm over here!

[ she tries to use her sleeves to wipe her eyes, and it gives her enough time to see that dia is only a few meters away. what's weird is that it doesn't seem like her sister can see her, even if she heard her voice... why?

she stumbles as she gets up, but runs as fast as she can towards dia's figure and throws her arms around her from behind. unfortunately, while dia will be able to feel ruby against her, she's still invisible to the eye. ]

Sis...

[idolpedia]

Ruby?

[She hears footsteps, but sees no one. Oh no, oh god. Is she hallucinating now? Has she finally lost her marbles? Would Riko-san have to go back home and tell everyone that she had passed on while she was here due to some unknown hallucinating disease?

And then she feels something! She turns... and nothing is there.]

I think I've gone crazy. I feel you Ruby, but you aren't there?

[The dread and disappointment is there. She can't be sure if Ruby is really here if she can't see her...]

[pigii]

Pigyaaaaa!

[ with how tightly she's holding onto her sister's waist, ruby is sufficiently swept around as dia turns herself. as she squeaks, she squeezes her eyes tight and her magic phases out and she becomes visible again. ]

S-Sis, I said I'm here! You're not crazy!

[idolpedia]

... you have magic too, Ruby.

[Said almost as if it were a realization, as if she must come to terms with the fact that her sister was going to be stuck in this hell hole too. Perfect. Wonderful. Excellent.

BUU BUUUU, of course she couldn't accept this! But it's not going to stop her from removing Ruby's arms from around her waist so that she can properly turn and hold her close.]

Ruby, I'm relieved to find you before anything happened. You're safe now.

[She's going to stroke Ruby's head.]

We need to leave the forest post-haste.

[pigii]

M-M-M-Magic?

[ ruby understands absolutely none of what’s happening. first she wakes up in a weird forest, then dia can’t see her, and then she starts going on about magic? it doesn’t make any sense... stuff like that was only part of fairy tales and picture books, wasn’t it?

still, it’s reassuring for her sister to stroke her head and tell her that things will be okay. she hiccups, wiping her eyes with her sleeves again. as long as her sister is here, things will be okay. ]

I don’t really get it, but... okay.

[idolpedia]

[Are you sure your big sis hasn't finally lost her marbles, Ruby.

Well, for now she's still holding her little sister, close and protective. This is the worst place that Ruby could have ended up. Dia is just as scared as Ruby is... but she needs to be strong.]

There are mean boars that live in the woods, we need to avoid them. We have to go tell Riko-san you're here too.

[pigii]

Riko-san...? [ well, that’s good? but she can’t help but ask... ] What about Hanamaru-chan? And everyone else?

[ and are they safe, too? it’s really good that dia is here, but ruby would feel much better if she knew that everyone else was close by. there’s so many questions that she wants answered, but the mention of “mean boars” makes her gulp down another fearful squeak. ]

And... um, where is “here”?

[ it feels like a stupid question, but it feels warranted. this isn’t uchiura, numazu, or even tokyo... so where have they ended up? ]

[idolpedia]

I'm afraid it is just the three of us right now.

[She doesn't like breaking that news. Though they all three had each other and that is what really mattered in this moment.

She is going to start walking but she will keep Ruby close to her side.]

"Here"... I'm not really sure. I have heard people call it an "Island Hub". Which would mean this is only temporary housing.

[pigii]

Oh...

[ that sure puts a damper on her mood, though it's not like it was very cheerful in the first place. on one hand, it's good that hanamaru isn't in a place like this... but on the other, she'd feel much more at ease if her best friend was at her side.

she clings tightly to her sister's arm, not letting up for even a moment. ]

"Temporary housing"? [ gulp. ] Then that means... We're not anywhere near home?

[idolpedia]

[She didn't mean to rain horrible reality on her baby sister like this, but it had to happen.

At some point they will be exiting the forest and Dia will head for the hut that herself and Riko have claimed.]

We're not near home in the slightest.

[pigii]

[ she's since stopped crying, but ruby is still trembling when they exit the forest. she's trying her best to try and place her surroundings, but none of it looks familiar. ]

How did we get here? Was it magic, like you said?

[ the magic of school idols??? ]

[idolpedia]

Magic is so far fetched, but, I've gotten proof that it exists here.

[Dia sounds tired, she's been tired for the month that she's been here.]

There are other idols here, Ruby. Ones that have already debuted and lead a professional life. Wouldn't you like to learn more from them?

[pigii]

[ okay magic is great and all but like

that last part ]

Other idols?! And not just school idols?

[ for a fleeting moment, the fear of certain death leaves ruby in favour of raw excitement. she had always admired school idols because they were closer in age to herself, but that wasn't to say that she didn't go starry-eyed for those who went pro, either. she looks very excited! ]

I want to meet them!

[idolpedia]

[There we go, the bright look she likes to see on Ruby's face. She doesn't want her sister to be fearful of the unknown. Those are things older sisters are supposed to worry about.

She's leading them inside the hut that herself and Riko had been sharing.]

That's right, other idols that aren't just school idols. They have strict routines and education to follow just like we do too.

Perhaps when we run into Eva-san, I will introduce you to him.

[pigii]

That sounds like fun! Is he your friend, Sis?

[ leave it to her big sister to get acquainted with big-shot idols! but that gets her thinking about things, and her smile drops somewhat as she thinks. ]

Is the magic trying to bring idols together? Like... for a Love Live?

[idolpedia]

Of course, Eva-san is my friend. He us very kind.

[Sweet Ruby. She has to be a little envious of her innocent view on things.]

That would be fun, right? Maybe we should ask if the other idols want to have a concert? It would give us something to work for and something to keep our skills in tune for.