spellgrinders | ( TDM

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( TDM | #5 )

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.

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.

die temporarily

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.

There's a lot to see on the island

GAME NAVIGATION

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[Edward has skipped "suspending disbelief" in favor of "roll with the punches but he indignant and pissed off that this crap thinks it can happen when it's not scientifically possible" -- so, basically his usual. The more things change, the more they stay the same.]

Can't promise I've got answers. I'm still trying to figure this place out. Whatever the angle, it's definitely not what they want us to believe. And I've got questions for you too.

[Edward will save any further snark (mostly) for when they've relocated to a less perilous place. Truth is, he's got the boar barricaded off for now, but Roy's questions are (as they are infuriatingly often) entirely too pertinent. And on the nose.]

...I don't know. And kind of.

[How's that for reassuring? He stops his leaning and frowns at the barrier (in its direction; its invisible but he's gotten better at being able to know where they are. Which is good because he face first slammed into them way too often to begin with.]

So far, I haven't hit a limit on the duration. But I gotta keep my mind on it... sort of. And I'm working on the mobile part. It's not really moving them, more like a constant regeneration. Not great at that yet. I can't figure out how the hell any rules apply, so it's all trial and error.

[It's infuriating.

For now though he turns and faces the zombie boar and more or less puts it into an invisible box. Mime-pig.]

That'll hold it for a while. But I don't know the limit of my range yet, so we should probably hustle. There's a basecamp not too far. C'mon.

[A pause.] ...maybe bring your stick.

[ i don't know, and kind of.

for a brief moment, roy mustang wonders what he had been thinking, when he elected to give this teenage the opportunity for the literal keys to the kingdom -- but he keeps that quip to himself, letting his eyes scan over the boar, which now seems to be contained even further -- unable to move right or left, back or forward. put into a box.

left with edward elric, who can put zombie pigs into invisible boxes, with no alchemy, and no gun. because, as per usual, roy did not listen to riza hawkeye, and was not carrying one on his person when he was kidnapped by what sounds like a psychotic witch who gives them magical superpowers.

g r e a t.

he does, however, collect his stick, not taking his eyes off of the pig. and with a well practiced roll of his wrist, the branch is held comfortably in his hand, perfect for hypothetical pig-beating. ]

So much for the reconstruction. [ it's said underneath his breath, in irritation, but he speaks louder, in the following sentence: ] After you, Fullmetal. This is your circus, not mine.

[ aka: where are we going i legit did not read the welcome brochure i was busy ]

[Some of the oddities of Roy's reactions are not entirely lost on Edward -- and while it's tempting to write it all off as Mustang just being in a mood, Ed knows better. For as often as they butt heads, Ed can't and won't deny that Roy is very sharp, that the colonel usually is a few steps ahead of where he lets on to being.

And he's wondering about that muttering now.

That said, none of this stops Edward from rolling his eyes.] And here I thought you were all about being the ringmaster. And this sure as hell isn't my circus. The whole thing pisses me off. I hate being played and strung along.

[And that's what this is, so far as Ed is concerned. Make no mistake.

Regardless of his complaining, he does start off in the direction of homebase, making sure Mustang is coming and keeping up. It as they're walking that he asks, casually as possible.] What's the last thing you remember, before you wound up here?

The circus I'm responsible for is enough work; you can manage this one on your own.

[ it's said dryly, almost dismissively, as he walks -- a brisk pace, allowing his eyes to wander and scan the surroundings, to make sure no murder pigs elect to take advantage of the conversation and the probable lapse in attention.

. . . but then edward asks a question. casually, but roy knows better, and he glances ~~down~~ over at edward, arching his eyebrows slightly. appraising him, for a moment, before he returns his eyes to looking ahead.

and, in a grand display of maturity: ]

You first.

[ he won't be telling edward anything he doesn't need to know thank you very much. ]

Edited 2017-10-23 20:08 (UTC)

Yeah well like it or not. You're part of the sideshow here now.

[For now. Edward is of the mind that he's not going to be stuck here forever. No way. He's got too much to do. He's not sure how he's going to get him and Al (and now Mustang) back home, but it's going to happen.

But.

Wait. What.

Oh no the hell he didn't. Which of them is supposed to be the adult here?? But honestly, Edward doesn't think it's Mustang being difficult for the sake of being difficult-- though he wouldn't exactlt put that past him -- he feels like it's more tactical than that. Shit. With the Colonel it usually was.

A frown and he looks back over~~OVER!!~~ at Roy.]

What the hell is that answer. It sounds like you're hiding something dodging like that.

[So is Edward. They're playing a weird game of information chicken.]

[ there's a (probably predictable) sigh as edward immediately resists, and roy resists the urge to roll his eyes, because (annoyingly), edward is right.

but that, as usual, is besides the point. ]

King Bradley hasn't beheaded me, the last I've checked. And we, for the most part, are fine. So there's little to be concerned with, by my non-answer. Unless you don't trust me.

[ it's a pointed comment, because roy knows that edward does trust him, and therefore it's an unfair push for edward to answer the question. but roy doesn't want to tell edward the entire story unless he has to do so. ]

So -- tell me. What do you last remember, before you were brought here?

Edited 2017-10-23 22:24 (UTC)

[Edward frowns at the words. Roy knows what he's doing, and Edward is well aware of it too. For all the sniping back and forth, Edward does trust this jackass, and he likes to think that said trust is returned. For the most part.]

...damn it.

[That muttered curse is Edward deciding to choose his battles, for once, and let Roy have this particular victory -- because the other choice is an ongoing stalemate and who will that actually help? There's enough worrisome crap going on in this place without fomenting drama between Mustang and himself.]

I was with Winry and Alphonse. [Helpful and specific, isn't it? But he adds, a great deal more telling.] And that bastard, Kimblee.

[A frown.] Al's a few weeks ahead of me, I guess, even if he's been in this place longer. According to him, when he's from, I've gone missing.

[He lifts his chin stubbornly. There. Those are his cards, all laid out.] Your turn, Colonel.

[ so they haven't made it yet. and roy digests that, for a moment, mulling over the information given to him. he has no idea how that's happened, but judging from edward's response . . . he isn't bothered by the missing gaps in memory.

interesting.

most of the story that roy has is happy -- truly. it's a happy ending. but certain parts of the story, edward and alphonse don't need to know . . . like roy going through the gate, and witnessing the truth, and that entire ugly nightmare. that can wait, if it ever gets resurfaced again.

but he can impart a piece of knowledge that he knows will set edward's mind at ease, and roy speaks casually -- lightly, even, with the tone of "i know something you don't know." ]

Brigadier General.

[ the correction is said with the knowing tone that No One is going to actually call him that ]

I was in Ishval, with Lieutenant Hawkeye, headlining the rebuilding effort, following the fall of the Fuhrer. The last I saw of you and Alphonse, you were in Resembool, enjoying your newfound freedom from the grip of the military.

[ he pauses, and glances behind him, to ensure no pigs were following, but as he does so, roy continues: ]

Celebrating your success, I imagine, in getting your bodies back.

[ he says it so casually that he may as well be talking about the weather, but the slightest grin is there. ]

Edited 2017-10-23 23:09 (UTC)

[Edward's eyebrows shoot up when Mustang corrects him on his rank. That alone has the wheels in Edward's head spinning. Okay, so Roy is from further in the future than Alphonse if he managed that kind of promotion. ~~And yeah good luck getting Ed to remember to ever call him that. Ever.~~]

Of course you are.

[It's nearly groaned but, then Edward falls silent, listening. Too curious not to. Rebuilding? The fall of the Fuhrer. Freedom from the military. Those all sound like unquestionably good things. So much so that at first it's difficult for Edward to believe them.

He knows though, knows these aren't the sorts of things that Mustang would lie about, joke about. He's trying to put the pieces together between that outcome and the "present" as he knows it, wondering how long the road was to get there. He almost misses what Roy says next. Casual as it is.

But then the words sink in and Edward Elric freezes mid step. He turns wide gold eyes up to Roy and there's almost trepidation in his tone. For once he actually looks his age, younger and more vulnerable than he'd be happy to think of anyone actually seeing him.]

...what did you say? [It's almost hard to get the words out, like his lungs aren't cooperating with providing adequate air supply.]

[ it's so . . . bizarre, how far removed roy is, from that, now. but even now, he's suddenly struck with the memory of the first time he met edward and alphonse, and how all edward and alphonse could tell him was sorry. repeatedly, and how riza had wondered why roy had bothered to tell them about the state alchemist program to begin with, and how roy had been convinced that edward elric was determined to rise past this, and succeed.

( though roy will never openly admit it, edward reminds him a lot of himself, after the ishval war. young and full of dumb impossible ideas that have somehow manifested into fruition. roy never gave up, and neither did edward, and here they both are. )

and it's because of this sudden memory that roy stops, too -- and he looks at edward, almost surprised that edward seems to be surprised -- and roy lowers the stick he had been carrying, to rest it in the dirt, his tone almost -- amused. ]

You sound surprised.

[ okay, definitely amused, and he turns to face edward more fully, reaching out to grasp a shoulder with a gloved hand. squeezing briefly, almost in reassurance, before gently steering him along. to continue walking, because mindful of edward's shock or not, they have to keep moving. but roy will be the eyes, for the time being, so edward has time to listen. ]

After all of that boasting, bragging, complaining, dragging me into your quest for impossible discoveries, and wasting my resources on traveling the country to seek down hundreds of dead ends and uncovering at least sixteen government conspiracies, you doubted that you could do it? [ there's a soft tsk to himself, lighthearted. ] Whatever will Miss Rockbell think.

[ H O N E S T L Y edward get your priorities in order ]

[Surprised doesn't even cover it. And it's not that he didn't believe that they'd do it. He's believed that since the day they set out from Resembool. Despite all the dead ends, all the things that got thrown in their way, the close calls and the disappointments, that border of despair that he and Al pushed through. Never giving up. He never would have given up.

But to hear that they actually did it -- that the goal they've been chasing for years that always stayed just beyond their grasp is actually attainable, that he will actually be able to put something right, give his brother his life back. And make no mistake, Edward would've traded anything he had to give Alphonse the chance to live his life the way he should.

The hand at his shoulder startles him and gets him back into motion. Right. Walking.

And then Roy keeps talking. This... this jackass. Edward can't hold back a laugh.] Shut up. Al and I were an asset, and you know it. [...when they weren't like wrecking everything in their path, but even that somehow turned out.]

It's not that I doubted it. I was... I was never going to stop until we put things right. [But to actually hear that they did, that they made it.] But hearing that we... that we did it. After everything. You're serious though. We actually got our bodies back.

[H has to tell Alphonse. Immediately.

And well...] Brigadier General Mustang. [A smirk and a shake of his head.] Who the hell thought that was a good idea.

[Actually, Edward thinks it's a good idea, trusts Roy to be the exact person who should oversee rebuilding. For all his many, many, many flaws, Roy Mustang is a good man. Edward believes that.]

Someone has to rebuild what we destroyed.

[ which is normally something he would keep to himself, but edward knows what happened, in ishval, and that's something roy . . . well, he doesn't feel comfortable talking about it, with edward, necessarily, but he also doesn't seem a point in hiding the obvious.

roy helped burn it down. he's going to be the one to help rebuild it. and now that he's healed from the fallout and mobilized to do something productive within the military, he's going to utilize everything he has in order to ensure ishval and the surviving population can live in peace and properity, alongside amestris. ]

It turns out when you assist in saving an entire country, someone thinks you should be commended for it. [ mildly enough, though it isn't the end game. amestris is being propelled toward democracy, and roy is going to steer that ship for as long as he can, in the shadows. he just has to wait for the right move. ] As far as I know, the battle, for the time being, is over.

[ they can live in peace. for awhile, anyway. and all of that, really, is skirting over the main point, which is edward's question, the need for reassurance: did they really do it. and once roy has gotten through a portion of his story, he rewinds a bit. ]

I never doubted either of you, but I have to admit, Central is quiet without the two of you constantly interrupting my day with your nonsense.

[ as if ed and al interrupting his day has ever been an irritation to him, but. you know. whatever. ]

This will be a nice change of pace. I was getting bored.

[Edward does know, and for a while it was hard to wrap his mind around what had happened, what the people he knew and trusted had been involved in. But things were never as black and white as someone might wish them to be. People made mistakes. He knew that way too well. And atonement, well, it was a complicated matter all its own.

His smirk softens faintly into a smile, and he nods.] Good. There's been enough fighting....

[Too much suffering. People deserve to just be able to live their lives. All of this really does sound too good to be true. Edward doesn't mean to be a cynic, but it often turns out that way. But it's Mustang. He has no reason to doubt him on this.]

So you're saying you miss me. Well, that just makes sense. It must be hard.

[And apparently he's recovered from his shock enough to go back to being obnoxious.]

Bored is in short supply here. ...there's something more going on here too, than the party line that we all get fed when we arrive. I haven't figured out what it is yet, but... [But he doesn't like it. And he will figure it out.]

'Missing you' is a stretch. I had to hire someone else to send to the far reaches of the country to do the grunt work. It turns out manual labor is worth a dime a dozen.

[ which is, obviously, the most important part. clearly. ]

[He hates you Roy]

[ but what edward says is interesting -- so the ghosts aren't typical fare of this world, and something has shifted. the status quo, so to speak. which means that, perhaps, his team is here, or they haven't arrived yet. or that the person in charge of whatever happened is planning something new.

great.

teasing edward is easy and normal, and roy has missed the opportunity to do so, even if he's . . . well, younger than when roy last saw him, but he can do so later. ]

Tell me about the so-called magic ability the witch gives us. How did you figure out your ability?

[ and how does it bypass equivalent exchange, which is what roy really wants to ask, but he'll get to that later. ]

[Not typical. And even the typical stuff, Edward thinks the thin explanation they're given is likewise a bunch of crap. Someone is playing with their lives, and that is not okay. And it's starting to be strange. Al was here. Then Ed. Now Mustang. Out of everyone in their world (and he hasn't met anyone yet who seems to hail from the same universe), it's the three of them.

It's strange, but not the strangest part of here.

Edward doesn't bother to hide the way his face twists at the mention of figuring out his ability.]

There was the letter, and all the bullshit it entailed. [And here he sighs.] But that was useless. I guess I could kind of feel something different. And it was a lot of trial and error. I ran into the stupid things more times...

[BUT OMG. YES. THANK YOU ROY MUSTANG. Edward has been ranting and raving about how there must be RULES AND PRINCIPLES AND EQUIVALENT EXCHANGE. And mostly people just tilt their heads at the loud blond child and move along.]

Honestly, it doesn't make any sense. Everyone is so quick to shrug and call it magic, but that's a shortcut. Cheating. Whatever it is, it has to be bound by its own rules. Energy and matter don't just come out of nowhere, no matter what form they take. And no one seems to get that. ...'cept Al.

[A pause and, okay please let him be the first one to do this. Has anyone done this to Mustang yet? God Edward wants to be first. Because the next thing Mustang will "hear" is a very familiar voice right inside his head.] 'And then there's this weird thing too.' [He's in your head, Roy.]

[ no one seems to get that. unsurprising. the non-alchemists in amestris don't get it either. people expect quick fixes to difficult problems in all walks of life, and so many are quick to write it off as magic or the divine when it is typically nothing more than a scientific explanation, once you work hard enough.

the destruction of lior feels like so long ago, but it's a fairly prime example of what happens when common people are told magic is real . . . and they believe it.

but the presence of such a power is worrying. amestris had just come out on the other end of the very example of a man with too much -- the father, and hohenheim, and the homunculi . . . the gate, and the truth, and all of the terrible things in between. it had been two years since the fall of the fuhrer, but the wounds are still clear as day, back home. and to see such power doled out so easily, to people who may not be as responsible or determined to do it right as edward . . .

roy sighs to himself. ]

People being granted power they might not know how to control sounds like a recipe for catastrophe. [ roy is SO TIRED ] But so long as it's not another attempt at creating a Philosopher's Stone or Homunculi or another half-assed attempt at a revolution by a group of beings who shouldn't exist in the first place . . . [ SO. TIRED. ] I don't care how they manage to do it as long as people don't abuse whatever they've been gifted -- the how isn't as important as the immediate 'why.' What kidnapper doles out "magical powers" to her own --

[ but he stops talking, abruptly, because no one has done that to him yet, and he immediately stops walking to turn to stare at edward, eyes wide. definitely caught-off guard.

he doesn't say anything, but the expression is pretty clear.

what in the hell is that. ]

I don't know what it is. The witch is bringing us here for some reason. The story is we're supposed to harvest energy for her -- in order to fuel her and help save worlds. Reeks of bullshit if you ask me. And I haven't been around lone enough to experience it, but Al should tell you about the last "mission" they went on. Not exactly a morally clear cut situation.

[Edward didn't like what he heard of it.

And Roy has an excellent point. Like he so infuriatingly often does. People with no idea how to wield power like this just handed these abilities. And sure some are benign, but some could be dangerous in the wrong hands -- or even hands that with the best of intentions but not the capability to wield it well.

It's a messy situation all around.

But Edward is distracted from stewing on that thought by Roy's reaction to the telepathy trick. Heh. There's a satisfied little grin creeping over his face.]

'Telepathy. We all can do it. You can communicate with anyone else in the "coven" this way.

[The way he says "coven" is a mental roll of his eyes. And then he ditches telepathy to speak.] Convenient, right? [Like hell it is.] And a convenient as hell way for our captor to listen in on us. We gotta assume if she wants, she can hear anything we say.

[ just when he thought the game was over.

roy is no amateur when it comes to dealing with people who are always listening. but he outsmarted the fuhrer, and he will outsmart this . . . whoever she is. not having his team is a hindrance, but having the elrics is definitely a bonus. and learning how to circumnavigate an oppressive regime is certainly nothing new, for him, or anyone else in amestris. all dictators are the same.

still, he sighs heavily -- appreciative that edward cuts out the telepathy, and he runs a hand through his hair, looking . . . well, both tired and moderately irritated. ]

Dictators are all the same. Predictable and boring.

[ ROY IS SO. TIRED. at least king bradley had been a foe that roy could see -- this person seems to be a complete and utter mystery, with a ridicluously shoddy story concerning her own excellence to boot.

what a nightmare. ]

I assume it goes without saying that anything you want to tell me privately can be done in writing.

[ preferably coded, but roy can figure that out later. ]

[No escaping that easily, apparently. Edward, for as far as he knew before this conversation, was still neck deep in the game. Honestly the news that the light at the end of the tunnel is closer than expected, is real and achievable has Ed's spirits downright buoyed.

And all the more determined to get out of this messed up place to get back home, to put things right.

A glance over at Roy as they walk, and the blond nods.] Yeah, I got it.

[In writing. And coded. They'll figure that out, for certain. For now, even if he won't admit it, part of him feels like they have a better chance at taking this witch out sooner now that Mustang is here.]

[ good. and roy is quiet for a moment, sorting through his mind on what he needed to do immediately -- however far removed roy has been from active combat, he is still a soldier, and he sorts through the list quickly and efficiently. safety first, collecting allies second, figuring out his role in this . . .

but after a few moments: ]

No alchemy.

[ it's said in an exhalation, a massive sigh -- an inconvenience, to be sure, and roy slides free gloved hand into his pocket, his other hand still carrying his stick as a weapon. what an annoyance. ]

I was going to force you to build fortifications against the boars to protect the civilians, but I guess we'll need to figure it out the old-fashioned way.

[ though, if alchemy worked, roy supposed he could just do that himself, given the whole . . . truth thing. but he would much rather (1) never tell ed and al that happened and (2) never use that alchemy again. so, edward is the wall-builder.

and, after another moment of contemplation: ]

I haven't found Lieutenant Hawkeye, either . . . or, for that matter, the rest of my team, so I guess I'm going to have to do most of the work there, too.

[ this is the worst. ]

No alchemy.

[Edward agrees, in annoyance and exasperation. Except well, then, there's the next thing Mustang says. Right yeah, too bad he can't be ordered around. Although, honestly.]

If I could, I would've. We could solve a lot of the problems here with alchemy a lot more efficiently than otherwise. But yeah, it's the old fashioned way.

[He reaches over with an automail hand to thump the older man on the back.] Tough break, Brigadier General, stuck out in the field doing the leg work.

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( TDM | #5 )

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