( TDM | #2 )

[spellbindmods]

IMPORTANT: This TDM takes place on the current world the coven is part of. Please read the linked Google Doc about the world AND be aware that the world is high-frequency, meaning canon magic and powers can be used.

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.

WORLD ONE: AIMINTAS

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... Some of you might open your eyes to find yourself wandering around a sandy area, outside of a large stone house. There's a large glimmering caravan floating around outside, which might intrigue you. There's also a lot of supplies, food, clothing...all just laying around outside. It's worth investigating, right? A ▢ Your character has found themselves arriving right outside the coven's new digs in Aimintas, and there's a lot of confusing stuff to look at. Th ocean in the sky, that floating caravan...your character probably can't get to that ocean, so they may want to examine the caravan. If they touch it, they'll immediately regret that decision -- the caravan has its own defense mechanism, and you can pick one or the other: - A1: Once your character touches the caravan, they can't remove their appendage from it. Kick it? Their foot is stuck. Touch it? Their hand is stuck. Lick it? Their tongue is stuck. They'll remain like this for 15 minutes without magical intervention. - A2: Your character's hand doesn't stay for long, but the caravan holds onto that hand for five seconds while giving your character a pretty excruciating burn. Medic! B ▢ Maybe they're smart and they don't touch the caravan. Let's go through all of this cool stuff on the ground! It might be sort of obvious that it belongs to someone -- a lot of someone's -- but your character is thirsty, confused...maybe there's some water or answers in this pile. And maybe there's also someone who catches your character going through their shit.

Other new potential coven members will find themselves in a completely different part of town. These lucky individuals will have suddenly appeared in the marketplace area of Aimintas, surrounded by walking lizard beings that suddenly turn and take an immediate interest in this stranger. C ▢ The Palai are very interested in the new coven members, and a new humanoid person -- or anyone that doesn't look like them -- will immediately catch their attention. They'll immediately find your character worth of their undivided attention, talking to them about coven-related things...pretty confusing right? If you need help with the short lizard folk, maybe someone will eventually arrive to help you out. On the other hand, you might learn something interesting talking to them. A friend might join in either way! D ▢ Once you break free of the Palai, you'll find that this marketplace is pretty interesting. It's a mixture of primitive and semi-modern technology...or is it totally unfamiliar to you? Never seen a cellphone before? Unfamiliar with the concept of women wearing pants? There's certainly something to see that'll interest your character here. E ▢ Finally, you might be hungry and thirsty after suddenly appearing. The Palai are masters of making food, including a new concoction of theirs that they're trying out in honor of all the new people. It's a sort of bottled fruit juice that has been energized by the Eltos. It's essentially the first Aimintas Red Bull, except on acid. The drink immediately makes anyone who drinks it extremely giddy, hyper and they may potentially hallucinate. It doesn't seem to bother the Palai's biology, but everyone else...oops!

The setting found in Aimintas is pretty expansive, so you have a lot of room to wander around. Here are a few things that might catch your eye if you're really committed to wandering around. F ▢ A house near the marketplace is incredibly special to the Palai people. Characters who wander near here will find a group of Palai who are even more excited about their new visitors: baby Palai. Some are still in eggs and kept inside, but the juvenile Palai are about two feet tall, rowdy and want to play with these new, bipedal creatures. Some of them still crawl around on all fours and are more lizard-like than others. Hope you're good with kids! G ▢ The Palai have constructed a large library in the middle of town. If you wander in here, you'll find a myriad of books in a strange language. The Palai are a rather visual people, though, so many include pictures and illustrations. They also have a collection of computers here that connect to the Aimintas internet, as well as visual media stations that can play videos -- though they're really just powered tablets that play video files. Time to get a little taste of the Palai culture. H ▢ 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

[eternai]

[... bluh. This guy is harshing her vibe. He's way too serious! BB folds her arms, pretending to pout. Though she had offered him help, he doesn't seem eager at the chance to jump for it. Worse yet, he's questioning her entire act. For someone who prides herself on showing off, it's a bit of a sting.

But that's okay. The only opinion she needs is Senpai's. This guy is only an appetizer for her to sate her sadism with. The most important part of this exercise-- yes-- the most important point here is... be yourself and have fun!

That's BB's special lesson for today, boys and girls~!

... ah. Only she can hear this bracket interior monologue, huh?]

Hmmmm.

[She's thinking reeeeally hard. You can tell by the way she's canting her head.]

What can I do indeed? I thought the context would make it clear. Stranger-san is stuck. He needs someone to get him out. If I'm wasting my time on an insect such as him, it means I got an idea for helping him, right? But you don't seem to believe that.

Eehhh, you're so cruel to this young maiden, Stranger-san!

[mekarekt]

[ They are AFK'ing from exploring this Fantasyland they're now a part of. ]

Ten, wait... [ Her gaze raises as if she's thinking about something. Only her lips move, counting down. ] Five, four, three, two─ eeeeeeleven minutes.

[ A big geek is right here, Futaba. ]

All debuffs eventually wear off, though. Fifteen minutes tops, for this, unless you can get support main to get rid of the effect somehow.

D

[eternai]

[BB's seen a lot of strange things. A guy in a massive suit of armor? It's par the course for her. What's stranger is his insistence to try and use a touch phone with his gloves on. Does this guy have no common sense? Or is it something else...?

She hovers beside him, though she's somewhat polite and sits only a little higher than his height. BB idly swings her pointer back and forth as she peeks at the phone over his shoulder.]

Of course it doesn't. You're very ignorant. It needs a gentler touch, Stranger-san. It needs skin and flesh! Didn't you know that?

lulululul

[mekarekt]

C'mon, just go with it.

[ Hana urges, tugging her "mic" away from his face to whisper at him. All the splashing doesn't seem to scare or bother her, either. Despite the fact that she has her precious, pink, modern iphone20 in her hand. If you add water to any electronic that spells bad news.

These fish seem more preoccupied with Lenka, anyway. As soon as the game begins, Hana is recording and getting closer. Her phone is about six inches away from Lenka's hand and the fish.

Back to her caster voice. ]

Team Koi has made the first move! It looks like our Wrestler wasn't expecting that! He should pay a bit more attention to the match, shouldn't he?

[ She changes her voice a little, signifying that it would be someone else speaking. ]

Right you are, D.Va! He's going to have to make a big comeback if he wants to get himself out of this mess.

[decipheringeye]

Even a book about slugs from another world would be at least a little interesting, wouldn't it?

[ Listen, you don't make friends with Marisa Kirisame if you're going to get too thrown-off by people just waltzing up to you and acting like they own the place. ]

Besides, I can read it! This is a history book.

[mekarekt]

[ She should have seen this coming.

From Mr. Meow.

That brief, very brief, serious moment she had disappears with the sound of another one of her giggles. ]

Oh man, you really like cats! That's so cute!

ew

[holy_smoly]

[Did she see this same man walk past a moment ago? ...Yes, there's a certain shabby quality she recognizes. Damn. How inconsiderate. And on top of being here, he has the gall to interrogate her? She angles her head slightly, as though it were possible to physically look down on someone taller than her.]

I am... deep in thought. I simply have a naturally serene bearing that may have misled you.

[storyseller]

[Soft griffon, good griffon. Scheherazade is gentle with her, and with her calm and wondering, she ventures to gently stroke its feathers.]

I cannot say. Perhaps, if there are stories of your kind you know, you would honour me by sharing them?

[storyseller]

And yet... They may come from the Uvi, their enemies...

[inprobus]

[A voice she did not expect to hear from in the least bit will be heard all too clearly. Her attention will turn to her once very well-regarded son protegee, someone with no fear and talent to control the darkness, Riku. An all too knowing smile will appear upon encountering the boy.]

What is this? You, too, have stumble your way into this realm, have you now?

[Mock surprise will be seen for a moment, it was clear it was as fake as her smile was, she was not please at the turn of events in the slightest until she caught his own moment of surprise, even if it was for a single moment.]

And without the Keyblade, no less. Well, well, a world that doesn't accept the likes of it. Now, that is a special treat!

[It was clear that she loved this turn of events from her mocking laughter. This world has certainly become more worthwhile than I originally thought. It was clear she was allowing her elation spill out.]

Whatever will you do, boy? Without your weapon, will you be able to face the likes of me?

[holy_smoly]

...I suppose all of the goddess's creations are worthy of study. By someone. I suppose.

[Translation: no, gross.]

May I ask how you so quickly learned to read this language? I assume you arrived here quite recently, like myself.

[storyseller]

Perhaps, then, I might tell you of the gryphon, called the Simurgh in this form, and the kindness it showed to a discarded child.

It is told, O playwright, that the advisor to Nowzar and great hero, Saam, who had chosen not to be king, was with his wife when she was giving birth. So it was that Saam saw his son as he was born, and saw him for his strangeness, in the deep pallor of his skin, the redness of his eyes, and the whiteness of his hair. These were the colors of the great and terrible demon, and so Saam was convinced his son was the child of demons, and named him Zal for his appearance. Saam knew he could not raise this boy, yet he could not kill him, so he took the infant to the mountain Alborz, the highest peak in the nation. Though the infant cried as he climbed, and climbed as he left, Saam left Zal there, forsaking his own son.

Yet the child's cries were heard by the tender-hearted Simurgh, who made Alborz her home. The Simurgh rescued the child, bringing him to her nest of monstrously large children. These chicks were as Zal's siblings, and the Simurgh his mother. Though they were great and he small, they were careful of him, and under their love he grew strong and wise. Yet the time came when he became a man, and yearned to meet those who were like him. The Simurgh grieved for parting with her beloved son, but in her wisdom, she understood that this was what he needed. To him she said, before he parted, "Take these three feathers of mine with you, s that you will always live under my protection, since I brought you up beneath my wings with my own children. If any trouble comes to you, if there is talk of good and ill, throw one of my feathers into the fire, and my glory will at once appear to you."

Upon returning to his kingdom, Zal met the beautiful Rudabeh, descendant of the demon king Zahhak, whose shoulders bore snakes that devoured his innocent people. Though she came from a demon's line, he was a king, and worthy. More than that, Zal and Rudabeh were in love. So they consulted the priests, who looked to the horoscopes, and prophesied of the child to come: a hero famed for all eternity, stronger than all before, who serves his nation well. No eagle would outsoar him, and no lord would be his equal; with his sword he will make the air weep, and his food will be roasted wild creatures spitted on a tree. Prompt in his monarch's service, bold in battle, their child would become Persia's protector and greatest warrior.

Under this auspicious sign, they were wed. Yet when the child was to be born, the labour was too great and terrible, and Rudabeh could not bring the child through, for he was too large and strong. Rudabeh fainted in her labour, and so Zal came to her, and wept in despair, sick at heart and with tears in his eyes at the prospect that he would love the woman he loved.

Then, he remembered the gift from that surrogate, the greatest and most wise of the birds. He brought the feather to the brazier that warmed the chamber, and threw it into the flames. Immediately, the air darkened, and the Simurgh appeared like pearls raining down from a dark cloud.

The Simurgh said to him, "Why are you sad, why are the lion's eyes wet with tears? A cub eager for fame will be born to you from this silver cypress; he will master all the beasts of earth and air, and terrify leopards, dragons and demons. On the battlefield, his voice will make the hardened hearts of warriors quake. When he throws his spear, it will soar at such lengths that miles will not be enough to count it. For so great a hero, his labour, too, will be anguished, and so he must be brought forth."

And so the Simurgh instructed Zal on what to do, calling for a man well-versed in spells and a glittering knife. The great, wise bird instructed Rudabeh to drink until she could not feel pain, and for Zal to turn away to not witness this. The child must be removed from her abdomen, and when it was set free, he must sew up the cut, and mix a salve of the Simurgh's instruction into the wound to see it healed. Finally, he must take a feather from the Simurgh and hold it to her body, for its shadow would give her strength.

Zal did as the wise bird told him, and both mother and child were saved. When at last Rudabeh came too, and looked upon her great child, she saw how she had escaped peril and pain. In Farsi, to escape is rastam, so she named the child Rostam, who would be the greatest of all heroes. And to this child was given the Simurgh's protection, for the clan of Zal was now, too, her clan.

[storyseller]

It may be that such is the nature of human beings...

[storyseller]

Then I shall tell you the tale of the Golem of Prague.

The Jewish people, living in the city of Prague, were often set upon by terrible attacks for merely being what they were. At last, such attacks escalated, such that the Emperor decreed that the people would be expelled from the city on penalty of death. Such it was that a leader from their community, Judah Loew ben Bezalel, set to work to defend them, and so he took clay from the banks of the Vltava river, and brought them back with him. There, he laboured hard, and studied divine arts, to bring into being a man made of clay: the Golem. He called the Golem Josef, and also Yossele, and his wondrous creation could make himself invisible and summon spirits from the dead. It fought against those who would hurt the people, and defended them from their persecutors.

By the rules of its creation, it cold not be active on Saturday, the day of the Sabbath. A shem allowed it to activate, so Rabbi Lowew removed it each Friday evening. Yet one Friday, Rabbi Lowe forgot to erase the shem, and so on the Sabbath, the Golem became dangerous, acting out violently against those it was meant to protect. In front of the synagogue, the Rabbi grappled with his creation, struggling violently to reach the shem on its forehead. After a long and valiant battle, the rabbi was at last able to erase it, and thus immobilize its creation.

It is said that the Golem's body was stored in the attic genizah of the Old New Synagogue, where it would be restored to life again when the people most needed its aid.

[lohengrins]

[ percival relaxes a bit, features softening ever so slightly as siegfried speaks.

it's strange, he supposes -- the two of them being stranded in a new land, no one else in sigh. like old times. ]

Ha. Alright.

[ he steps forward, beckoning siegfried to keep up. ]

Despite my caution, I'll admit that the people here seem to be...enthusiastic. Discovered anything noteworthy yet?

[storyseller]

[The idea of happiness as a right is a kind one, and one she has never been witness to. She liked this king best when he seemed soft and content. That is when such people are safest: when they do not desire your words, your body, or your death. In those moments, she may relax, even if it is only briefly.

But then the moment passes.]

I am designated by the class name Caster. It is for my storytelling that I was given that class.

[storyseller]

[She isn't so certain about good or bad people, in terms of cats. For herself, she is sure she is a coward, a liar and a manipulator. She is not good.]

It is so that humans are often unkind to animals. As well as to other humans... Again and again, we find the story that those who are unlike must be less worthy. So it is that humans mistreat animals, and each other.

[storyseller]

[FUCK IT'S BB GET IN THE VAN.

She immediately withdraws into herself. BB, she knows, is not an entirely predictable person. That makes her frightening. Further, while Scheherazade has skills that allow her to survive...

Scheherazade does not meet BB's eyes.]

Yes... And I have seen Boudica as well. But our Master is nowhere to be found.

[And so they're all on a time limit in terms of surviving outside that Contract.]

hello!! there are very few of us...but we live

[lohengrins]

[ what.

he looks towards the man, a brow now raised -- puppy-like and somewhat wide eyed, this one was. his intentions likely weren't malicious, he gathers.

well. hopefully.

wordlessly, percival presses the button -- and wow, would you look at that...the screen of the phone promptly lights up. ]

Are you familiar with this device?

[ common courtesy? thanking people for helping you? that can wait for later! he narrows his eyes, and is now clearly captivated by this newfound technology. ]

[yancat]

Cute...?

[Cool? Yes. Handsome? Sure. He'd even say weird, but that wouldn't be his opinion. Cute is a word only reserved for children and small animals.

He scowls.]

No one calls me cute. Is liking cats so strange? I believe we all should.

[storyseller]

[Was that. A headpat? Scheherazade looks at Boudica in confusion, rather than fear. That was definitely a head pat. She gets the sense of being treated like a little sister.

Strangely... it's soothing. It feels safe.]

Yes. A key component of this plan may be to understand those who are our 'coven,' and so our allies. We must also determine how we will continue to access sufficient mana supply for survival...

[mekarekt]

Cool, then I'm first.

[ His scowl doesn't change anything. Not her smile, not her thinking his preference for cats is cute. ]

Hey, I never said it was strange. You're just so serious! The difference between all your seriousness and you playing with your cat for fun is cute.

[ Gap moe. ]

What's your cat's name?

[eternai]

[Yes, it's Scheherazade. There's no mistaking that timid countenance. BB is certain that if she were to even breathe the wrong way towards the woman, she'd quiver and melt out of fear. Out of all the Servants, it had to be Caster, huh? Though, the fact that Boudica is here makes things a little better.

Senpai isn't here, so there's no need to be as over-the-top as she usually is. BB doesn't look as impish as she usually does -- but she isn't happy either. Her expression, for once, is frighteningly neutral.]

I see.

[For all her goofing off, BB is an AI, first and foremost. She's already taking steps to analyze the situation.]

Senpai would've done something brash by this point. Something along the lines of, "I'll help this planet out, no problem! Please rely on me!" or "Scheherazade, I found a new Servant, please get along!"

[HMMM.]

How is your Saint Graph?

np! same here on voice testing adventures

[storyseller]

[Caster's eyes remain lowered to her books, but it is impossible not to sense and know another servant for what she is. Further, while Jeanne's class may be Ruler, she does not give off the impression of one who is Sovereign. Caster's instincts tell her that this woman is more safe than she is dangerous, to her at least.]

Yes... The tradition of the library appears to have shifted to offer increasingly open access to the stores of knowledge. In my time, there were such efforts, but none on this scale. There was too great a cost for books, as with those Caliphs who would offer for each new book its weight in gold.

[unvictory]

Hm...you know, I'd been thinking about mana supplies myself. I think if I don't exert myself I should be able to last for a few hours, but that's being generous...

We'll probably need to establish new contracts in the meantime. We're completely cut off from Chaldea.

[It's a shame, but it can't be helped...even Merlin's endless supply of mana can't reach them here, wherever it is.]

Hah, when did I start taking life in Chaldea for granted, I wonder...