( TDM #7 )

[spellbindmods]

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 Shehui.

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 ▢ Perhaps the signet in your chest isn't the most pressing matter right now. You notice that the building you're in (Chips!) is pretty large -- but even that isn't the most demanding thing capturing your interest right now. It's the video game you're in front of. Maybe it's Duck Hunt, or a zombie killing game that involves those huge red and blue guns. There are a variety of arcade games in Chips!, after all -- but are you Player 1 or Player 2? B ▢ After a strange incident a couple of days ago, the area around Anmung tower has been essentially dead. This may or may not be lucky for you -- since you're on the top of the observation deck, and all. If you're afraid of heights...oops. It's not that people aren't allowed to be up there, it's just that there aren't too many people. The view is still pretty good, though! C ▢ Let's say that you just want some answers and information about the strange signet you now have. You may find some success in asking around, but be warned: not everyone in Shehui will know what the fuck you're talking about. If you're lucky enough, you may eventually run into a coven member that will be able to explain. D ▢ Since your character didn't show up via any special means, they may not know that magic is a bit taboo in Shehui. If their new magic manifests, it might be a bit of an issue. Locals certainly won't like it, and they'll definitely attract the attention of more than a few monitors. The good news? This is also a pretty good way to snag the attention of a coven member who is here to help! E ▢ Let's get back to some fun stuff. Your character is enveloped in darkness for a brief moment, something clasped in their hand. Lights, camera, action -- the glowing screen that suddenly flashes on turns out to belong to a karaoke booth TV! You and and someone else have been locked in this booth for an hour -- at least there's a mini bar and some snacks! F ▢ For something not so fun, the snowfall has stopped in Shehui, except for those residences and businesses who want to keep paying for it. A lot aren't willing to cough up the credits, so it's safe to say the streets aren't. Everything is frosty and slippery, from melted snow to frozen water littering the sidewalks. Watch your step or you could hurt yourself...or bump into an unexceptional stranger! G ▢ Finally, you may have had the fortunate luck of ending up in the coven's apartment complex. There are names on the door to all apartments, if you want to go exploring. Whether you find the name of someone you recognize, or maybe you just want some shelter from the cold weather, knock knock...is anyone home? H ▢ Wildcard! How will your character react to this strange world?

GAME NAVIGATION

Comments

[oneirism]

[The feeling of his forehead resting against her own, however briefly, causes her to tense in surprise for a brief moment - gold blinking owlishly into gold, before she relaxes once more. This is so new, having someone be this close to her, that wasn't her sister or one of the dead.

But it's nice, and so she wants to cling onto this feeling, just for a little while.

So she stays put, before he pulls away - relieved she isn't the only one to have lost a part of her, even it's upsetting to hear that he's lost the same. And when he calls it a blessing of all things, Lapis can't stop that soft, bitter huff of laughter from escaping her - even if she accepted her powers, she knows that they would never be a blessing.

The understanding in his gaze, however, eases the growing uncertainty about telling him - about pushing away one of the few people who don't seem so scared of her. Even if it's only because he doesn't know.]

It's not really a blessing, since I can hear and speak to the dead. For years my only friends were the dead, so to not be able to see and sense them feels... ["Lonely" is the word that comes to mind, but Lapis pushes that aside - she never admitted to her loneliness before, and she never will.

So with a shake of her head, she pushes that aside, turning the topic of conversation back to him once more.]

Though, before I teach you about snowmen, what power did you have?

[sunderings]

The capacity to communicate with those who have gone from the mortal realm... [ Hers is a self-depreciating laugh, a sound which Sion knows all too well, for many a time he has held himself in the same regard: not as someone, but something to be kept away and hidden from others, if only for their benefit. But the ability which she'd revealed to him is nothing if not both startling and signifigant in its power for in his own realm—worlds away from here—the voices and influences of dead were preserved only in relics of old, and never accessible by way of simple channeling alone. ] ...what else might it be, if not an extraordinary blessing?

[ Rather than turn to the idea of snowmen, or the question she's posed to him, he slips his right hand out of her hold, if only so that he might be able to stroke his thumb along the back of her wrist in fleeting caress. Inexplicably, he is drawn to her—their similarities, their differences—and it will be a wonder if the shopkeep does not believe them to be involved in a way which is by far more profound and deep than newly-met acquaintances. ]

Gifts are meant to challenge us, and we will never be without our hardships because of them, but--... [ Challenges, such as being unable to feel the warmth of Lapis' breath, or the material of her jacket beneath his fingertips. Hardships, like facing the world alone. ] I know you used your ability to help others, where you were able, and I am sorry you are without it now.

I vow to you now that I will do all within my power to see you safely returned to your home, my Lady. We will find a way to return to where we belong.

[oneirism]

[To hear him still call it a blessing, even when he knows what it is now, causes her eyes to widen for a moment - surprise and shock clear on her expression, however briefly. Her power has been called a number of things over the years, but never a blessing - not even her Grandmother, her mentor in these abilities, called it as such.

It makes it hard to think of a response, only able to furrow her brows once more - unsure of what to say, since isn't it obvious what else her powers could be? A curse, something terrifying, horrible. And yet, that isn't what he says - and this confusion, this brief vulnerability, that lets the flush to rise to her cheeks at the caress.

But she's quick to force that away once more, not noticing how the shopkeeper watches them with barely stifled giggles, already having assumptions of just how close they are. Lapis just forces her expression to become impassive once again, though she can't stop the smile tugging at her lips once more, giving the hand still in hers another gentle squeeze before she loosens her hold.]

I'll just need to do my best to use my new powers to help people here. And thank you, Sion. [For what he called her powers, for his kind words, for his promises.] I vow to do the same for you.

[Then her smile takes a teasing edge to it, a playful light shining in her eyes.]

Though, that wasn't an answer to my question. [But, she won't force it (for now) and instead glances around the shop, before spotting a selection of gloves nearby - not hesitating to drag him over, looking up at him expectantly so that he will pick out a pair. They need to go back into the cold eventually, so she wants him to be at least slightly prepared.]

[sunderings]

[ ??? On the wings of her oath (a beautiful promise, something which should have never been within his grasp, but somehow is all the same) she smiles—mischievously, boldly teasing—and she sees him whisked away toward a winter-clothing display??? A display of gloves, to be exact, the garments sitting in a quaint arrangement of hanging rows. This--... is truly modern convenience, isn't it? Apparel, mass-produced instead of tailor-made, and in every color which Sion might have ever cared to imagine. And just for a moment, Sion finds himself overwhelmed, for while he'd very much been in his element while their hands had still been linked, their discussion of magic familiar grounds, this manner of 'shopping' is so very new to someone who hails from a time of oil-lit lamps and horse-drawn carriages.

Ah... what to do??? ]

What do you think of the blue?

[ —he asks with an incline of his head, his golden eyes seeking out her own, awaiting her opinion. After all, she is better versed in this than he, the King who is suddenly rather boyish, reaching to card a hand through the fringe of his hair in a rather sheepish gesture.

(From afar, the shopkeep can no longer stifle their giggles.) ]

[oneirism]

[At least she's kind(??) enough to stand back and let him choose - her vow was to help him get back safely after all, and that means making sure he's prepared for the cold weather outside. Though she gets the feeling he's a bit out of his element, his clothing hinting to a place where items of clothing in such a large quantity and in such a variety isn't exactly common.

It's why when he asks of her opinion, she doesn't hesitate to step forward, quietly appraising the gloves he inclines his head towards. The sheepish gesture prompting another smile to tug at the corner of her lips, before reaching for a pair of blue gloves to offer to him - approving of his choice in colour.]

I think blue would suit you, though you should try them on first. [The sound of the giggle catches her attention, golden eyes glancing over at the shopkeeper, who quickly tries to stifle themselves - lips pursing as she looks back at her companion]

Did we do something funny?