( 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

[cadventuretime]

[SNRK.]

You thought about kissing me? Wow! And all I was suggesting was that we go on a date!

[But if it's trouble that she's after... oh, this zombie can oblige.]

[witchwithoutacause]

If I was into you, 's not like I'd be that patient.

[ Wouldn't be her first kiss, certainly. ]

And this doesn't look like a place with a lot of date spots.

[cadventuretime]

Hmm... yeah... its a shame that all the zombie boars have terrorizing the people in town [(lie)]. There used to be a lot of people in the town but now they've taken to sleeping on the beach [(true)].

[She stretches her arms above her head.] And with new kids like you popping up, new folks are going to have to go wandering in town and risk a boar attack [(not untrue, but definitely unlikely)] Its a shame that nobody is brave enough to do anything about it [(WHOPPER lie)]

[witchwithoutacause]

I don't mind a little camping trip every now and then, but there has to be a stop to this, right?

[ And yeah, if more people are - that stretching emphasizes some anatomy for a moment - if more people are showing up, this just gets messier with people wandering around. ]

Listen, if you know a solution just point the way and I'll solve it.

[cadventuretime]

What we really need is somebody with the stones to go after those zombie boars and make them go away.

[She shakes her head. Sizing Amanda up...]

So if you see anybody that looks tough and can fight, pass the word along and hopefully we'll get the whole thing sorted before things get too out of hand.

[witchwithoutacause]

[ Amanda crosses her arms, and nods over at a slightly-dinged up broom leaning against a tree. ]

Get me a weapon with a little more substance than that and you've got your girl.

[cadventuretime]

[...like a fiddle. Hehe]

What you--?

Really??? [Her inflection is equal parts surprise, incredulity, and delight.]

[witchwithoutacause]

Honestly, I've been thinking it since I saw those things, but it's not like I carry a sword on me all the time y'know?

[ She swordfought a living suit of armor that one time, some pigs can't be nearly as scary. ]

But without my wand, I need a real weapon.

[cadventuretime]

Well... I may have something that might work.

But we're going to have to go to my house.

[...]

Do you think you can behave?

[witchwithoutacause]

I can probably keep my hands to myself, yeah.

[ And hopefully Rotty can do the same. ]

Name's Amanda.

[cadventuretime]

Rottytops, nice ta meetcha.

[So with a smile and a wink, the zombie girl saunters her way down to the beach. Along the way, the haunting moonlight beads down on the silhouetted figures of the ghosts. A majority of them seem to be going about their business, walking to and fro with a purpose that only makes sense to them.]

[As they are getting closer to the shoreline, the zombie girl decides to break open the conversation.]

So, where are you from?

[witchwithoutacause]

[ That wasn't her alive name for sure. Rotten, definitely, but is that name like, a boobs joke?

Amanda grabs her broom, following along with it across her shoulders. ]

Boston.

[cadventuretime]

[Either that or the state of her brain.]

[They reached the boardwalk and she leads Amanda down a left turn.]

Never heard of it!

[Which isn't surprising, really.]

[witchwithoutacause]

[ Maybe! Amanda needs to stop thinking about boobs. ]

Yeah, seems like a lot of people here are from... interesting places.

[cadventuretime]

But that's better, isn't it? With everybody coming from so many different places, that means that there are lots of different stories.

[Suddenly in the middle of the shacks, there seems to be one that stands out.]

[witchwithoutacause]

Lots of different interesting weirdos to meet. I like some adventure in my life.

[ Amanda's not paying much attention to the shacks, just following Rotty and taking in the... view, such as it is. ]

[cadventuretime]

I like weirdos. And I like you.

[Heh.]

Here we are! You can come inside, or stay out. It'll just be a second.

[She opens the door, inviting Amanda in.]

[witchwithoutacause]

Takes one to know one.

[ Well, she is a witch.

Fearless, confident, Amanda follows Rotty in. ]

[cadventuretime]

[The inside of her house looks like it'd be right at home in a haunted house, but also has the tell-tale marks of being lived in. For one thing, the wood dust and coffee smell is very pronounced in here. Likewise, there's a little hammock that seems to be made out of coarse shipping material, and a table and chair set-up.]

[In one corner there is an area that seems to be where all the nick-nacks and junk is being preserved delicately in an unceremonious heap. This is exactly where the zombie girl goes when she rummages through a small pile of junk.]

[Of course, its not long before she gets what she wants -- a weathered shovel. It seems pretty sturdy and heavy, but the wood is starting to crack, and the metal is showing signs of wear.]

Here it is!

[witchwithoutacause]

[ Lived in. Uh huh. Still, there's no corpsey stink, so maybe Rotty's not that smelly herself if she 'lives' here. It's... not bad? Amanda grew up with a big soft bed and a nice bedroom that she constantly wanted to climb out of in the middle of the night, so she understands the appeal of simplicity.

Amanda raises an eyebrow. ]

That's gonna break.

[cadventuretime]

[Zombies, at least the sentient kind, are known to be constantly on the move because they aren't exactly a welcome presence in communities (lowers property values). So they make it a habit of being on the move and living simply. Plus, she's more the type that sees home as a place to throw down your junk rather than the place to spend your time.]

[She looks at it.]

What, this? No way! This guy is sturdy as a rock. I've dug up at least three graves with this thing and it didn't even buckle once.

Besides, what reason would I have to give you something if I thought it might fail?

[...uh...]

[witchwithoutacause]

[ Amanda can respect that. Her own life was full of fragile expensive bullshit that felt super pointless until she went overseas for school.

And yeah, Amanda's looking at the shovel. The shitty ass shovel. ]

Listen, dirt's one thing. I'd use this to rob graves too. Fighting? Not so much.

[ She takes a step back, although she puts her hands on her hips to not look too defensive. ]

You think you can't take me so you want me to lose a fight, so you can eat my brains.

[cadventuretime]

[...ding.]

[Though were she honest, Amanda seems resourceful enough that she'd probably find a way to make her work, broken shovel or no.]

Whaaaaaaat? Pfff--no! That's silly! You're silly!

[Okay fine, she can put up a little more of a straight face. Just a little.]

And that is the closest thing I have to a weapon. If that's not good enough, you're going to have to look somewhere else.

[witchwithoutacause]

[ Amanda doesn't like distrusting people, exactly, but she's no fool. Still, it seems shortsighted to go around getting your fellow captives in a strange world killed. ]

Yeah, silly and alive.

[ Relatively unperturbed. One of her professors almost started world war three. ]

At this rate I'm gonna have to carve a sword out of a rock.

[cadventuretime]

Well, before doing that, talk to a kid named Dirk. You'll know him by the spikey shades that look like two triangles.

He seems to like using swords, I seem him practice almost every day.

[That is actually 100% sensible.]

[See, she can be helpful, you just have to cut through the bs first.]