( 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

[deem]

If there are more humans here...I should determine your numbers and current status.

[His priorities remain, regardless of whatever else may come]

[bulletbiter]

If you're going to survey, let me come with you.

[ He's still worried, despite 9S' explanation. ]

[deem]

[The surprise is plain on his face, even if only half of it is visible. The way his mouth drops open for a hot second says enough by the time he recovers his composure.

9S wouldn't have expected a human to want to...tag along... Shouldn't such a task be left to someone like him?]

You really want to?

[Is it even a matter of letting him when Julius is the superior here? The wording is strange to him. Almost uncomfortable, set against his programming]

[bulletbiter]

[ For one, he doesn't have much to do, and a survey would let him have more knowledge of what's around. And if it's possible, he needs to know the android better - if only to ascertain exactly how similar they are. ]

I do.

[ Just in case. ]

[deem]

Well, I mean...

[9S supposes he can't exactly object to this, although he finds himself bewildered. Does Julius think he isn't apt to the task? Did he give that kind of impression?

He can't find it in him to decline the request though]

If you're really sure...

[bulletbiter]

I am. I'd like to learn.

[ And he is learning just by working together. ]

[shadowsthedawn]

[It's not a very pleasant feeling. He can feel the Keyblade scrapping up and down his back as Roxas attempts to lever him off the side of the caravan. The problem is, that once the Keyblade moves position, Riku's freed section of back re-sticks itself to the caravan.]

This isn't working.

[358]

... Man, I thought for sure it would.

[ He momentarily summons Oathkeeper too, but poofs both Keyblades away when he decides that "do the same thing that isn't working, but twice as hard" might not be a great idea. ]

How long have you been on this thing, anyway? Maybe it'll let you go after you've done your time.

[apatheia]

[It really would be just like him, wouldn't it, to downplay his abilities this? The more she listens to him, the more it sinks in that perhaps this is not just an hologram, some impossible dream she's too afraid to imagine for herself. By now, he's just barely within reaching distance, and despite all her fear that this is some cruel trick, the tips of her fingers extend.

There's the faintest, faintest brush of her fingers against his hand, warm and real even under his glove, and it truly comes crashing down on her.

This is real, Nines is here, and he's alive.

Overwhelmed, she suddenly finds herself becoming better acquainted with the ground. She might have been built to withstand far more than this, but the realization that she's seeing 9S, the one person more important to her than anything, again despite her death has her spinning.]

You're here. You're... [She has to choke back a sob. Even if she's so well-versed in keeping her feelings under wraps, this is a bit much for her.] You're really here and alive...

[deem]

Well I- [Still think it's a task that Julius shouldn't have to do, but if he really wants to...] okay...

[Scouting with a human certainly falls under the umbrella of things he never expected to do]

[deem]

[That small point of contact, however gentle and glancing, is almost too much. 9S has to set his jaw, lest he fall apart in front of her.

But when 2B falls in front of him, 9S' hands automatically fumble after her. As with so many times in the past, his automatic response is to support her when she's knocked off balance, though it had typically been a reassuring hand on her back, or catching her arm to ground her. He isn't the stronger of the two of them, and he holds no illusions otherwise.

Seeing her in this state makes his chest feel tight, as though it might collapse in on itself. She seems so relieved just to see him...

And for his part, that swell of both happiness and fear only grows]

2B-

[Even now, afraid as he is of what might happen when his life has been a parade of cruel lies, he drops to his knees to be more level with her. His hands hover indecisively for a beat before they settle on her shoulders, a cautious gesture, but one he can't help. Supporting her had given him a sense of fulfillment and belonging his life was devoid of, and somehow, it had always felt right that it was so]

It's... [There are so many things he could say. So many he wants to, so many he shouldn't, and so many he can't-] We're both okay.

[Somehow, impossibly, here they are]

[apatheia]

[For all the countless times she's hurt him, she would have been fine with just being able to protect him one single time, even if she had to give her life for it. That's why she was more than satisfied when she died, why waking up here had been nearly dizzying in how disorienting it was. To be alive to see him alive and well for herself is more than she ever could've asked for.

Just like always, 9S being there for her grounds her. He helps her find her voice again.]

Yeah... [She drags in a shaky breath, struggling to steady herself. Really, whoever designed them with the ability to become so paralyzed by their own emotions had some strange ideas about what was necessary for them.] Yeah, we are.

[And she smiles.]

[deem]

[Seeing her smile, 9S can't help but do the same. He doesn't know how this has happened to why, but her presence is heartening enough, a comforting warmth like sunshine after so many days of dark skies. There aren't words for it — at least, none that wouldn't betray just how much he struggled without her.

It's not that 9S is incapable of handling himself. Any Scanner could, and that's precisely what he was built for. But he understood all too well why Devola and Popola preferred to meet their end together, rather than ensure that one of them survived.

Being the one who remained was far worse than perishing.

Strange as all of this is, he finds himself grateful. He couldn't have hoped to restore 2B himself, and he can't imagine what would achieve it. But he's sure it's her now, really her, and that's more than he ever hoped for]

It's good to see you.

[Those words come with more weight than simple greeting, despite his best efforts. Without the sound of his voice, those words would be inadequate, because there's simply no overstating how true it is.

2B is his family]

[apatheia]

[Those words sound so heavy from him, and immediately, she has to wonder and just what happened after her apparent death. 9S certainly didn't seem to look worse for wear, but even past the shock of seeing each other again, he sounds... worn. Tired, even. She was so sure that he'd be able to take care of himself even without her around to help—he'd proven that time and time again, against machines and even her—but now she questions if that was enough to ensure his well-being.

Part of her wants to ask him what happened, to know he was okay. The other part... She's not sure she even knows how to ask. 9S is usually so eager to talk and share his experiences, even if she feigned disinterest, so much so that when he doesn't, she doesn't know how best to react. She never did.]

Same here. [She eventually settles for that, and isn't that the understatement of the year.] I'm really glad to see you again.

[Words can't even begin to describe how happy she is to see him. As strange at this all is—being alive again, seeing him again, not keeping up her distant appearances like usual—she wants him to know how genuinely and sincerely she means that.]

[deem]

[Somehow, he feels like his black box could thrum its way right out of him, happy as he is to hear something like that. 2B had always made an effort to hold herself apart, to maintain a certain distance between them. There were moments during which that gap was bridged, but these were always brief, marked with a hesitation that he didn't understand for far too long.

On some level, he supposes that it couldn't be helped. There was no way to control what he didn't know at that time, and there was nothing he could do to ease the nature of her role in his life. At least, nothing he hadn't done some brief lifetimes ago.

And he wonders if that didn't just hurt her more, despite his intentions.

But these are things he can't say, can't touch, lest he place more burdens upon her. Instead he slowly rises to his feet and offers her a hand]

We should do some scouting, right? Get our bearings and all.

[Said with a soft, and perhaps more convincing, smile. It'll be like old times, won't it? Except now they're free of a vicious cycle of death and loss. By appearances, at least]

[shadowsthedawn]

I haven't been keeping count. Feels like forever.

[It's probably been at least ten minutes by now, if not more.]

There has to be something else you can use.

[He doesn't want to be stuck anymore.]

[apatheia]

[Like old times but without anything hanging over them. There are the questions of how this is all happening of course, but there's no machine war here. No fear of 9S digging in too deep and finding out too much. No inevitable fate of having to kill him only for it to all start over.

There's a kind of freedom to this that's almost terrifying, honestly. It would be almost overwhelming if not for how long and how desperately she's wanted something like this.

So she takes his hand and stands up, calmer now, steadier.]

Right. There's a lot to see here, I'm sure.

[deem]

[And it seems all of those things are ones they can see together.

9S holds 2B's hand a little longer than necessary, marveling at the warm, solid reality of it in his grasp. But he reminds himself to let go after that lapse, lest it strike her as questionable. As much as he takes comfort in that contact, because it means she's really and truly real and not some cruel trick of corrupted data, he doesn't want to leave her questioning his behavior.

This time, he wants to support her in the manner that he wasn't able to before. And part of that, in his mind, is being someone she can rely on. He'd always striven for that, but in the end...

Well, it seems he has a second chance]

I'll follow your lead then, right?

[Said with a smile that bespeaks the faintest hint of amusement. There may be no YoRHa as it was, but they are what they are...simply with more freedom than they had ever been granted before]

[apatheia]

[Once again, she can't help but wonder at what happened to 9S after her death. His holding her hand for so long didn't bother her in the least—if anything, she marveled at his hand in hers just as much as he did—but she can tell there's something on his mind. She wants so badly to ask, but she doesn't have the slightest idea as to how.

Maybe another time. They have so much time to simply talk now, no missions or objectives pressing down on them. And she wants to hold onto the joy and relief of the moment for as long as possible.]

Don't fall behind. [There's a faint smile just beginning to tug at her lips. She doubts there's anything here that could cause them trouble, but just like old times, right?] I'll be counting on you to back me up.

[deem]

[His own smile broadens. Like old times indeed... It's something he'd never thought he had, and if this is somehow a merciful dream at the end of a violent and painful road, 9S thinks he just might take it. After everything, something like this is better than he'd hoped for, for someone like him]

Just leave it to me. Nobody's gonna outshine me at support.

[He can even muster up a convincing tone of confidence for that, though not for the same reasons he once had. In the past, 9S believed in his ability and in what he could do. Now he's simply determined not to see the same outcome ever again.

Even if it were to destroy him...never again]

[apatheia]

[Likewise, she feels renewed in her desire to protect 9S at all costs. Her own well-being still takes a backseat to his. The only difference now is that she can do so freely, no inevitable execution waiting in the background. There's no secret mission, no need to hide. Even if it cost her her life once more, this is more than worth that.

What a pair, these two.

His reply only makes her smile widen, and she starts walking with a sureness she hasn't felt in ages.]

Then let's get going.

Hibiki Shikyoin ♔ PriPara

[priforprince]

[ A1 ]

[ The laws of physics are funny things. An object in motion tends to stay in motion, even if transported between dimensions in the middle of its flight.

And thus it is that Shikyoin Hibiki, movie star, charisma idol, and Mister Handsome Universe World Prince of the Year, finds her unconscious body propelled backwards through time and space only to smack, full-body, against the side of that caravan. Where she promptly...hangs there. Stuck. Head lolled down.

A few stray letters that came through with due to being on her person at the time lie scattered around. She doesn't notice. She hasn't even registered this isn't where she began her flight. She's passed out. Looks ill, in fact.

Help? ]

[ F ]

For the last time, I'm not -

[ Hibiki has a baby lizard person attempting to climb up her trousered leg, making full use of all four limbs. She steps backwards. ] Direct me immediately to -

[ She backs up right into a bunch of other kids, who decide this is just the best and most interesting thing to have happened all day. Hibiki looks around for something, anything, resembling an adult. Any species is fine! ] YOUR LISTENING SKILLS ARE ABYSMAL!

[ Everybody sticks their tongues out and hisses. ]

[ G ]

....Well, there's no need to panic.

[ Hibiki has located a computer! She has been typing on it for quite some time, and aside from a brief interlude in which she absorbed some of the musical preferences of this particular culture, has been dead-set on her goal.

One hand waves idly, and a cup of hot tea (complete with saucer) appears atop the desk. This is the only useful thing she has learned how to do since arriving here.

She picks up the teacup, inhales its scent, savors this moment. ] To close the curtains on a most unpleasant intermission -

[ She strikes the key to submit her query with her free hand. An error screen pops up. The teacup smashes to the ground. ]

Not found?!

[ That can't be right. Hibiki types some more, heedless of the mess she's made. To no avail. ]

PriPara....is gone?

F

[drizzle]

[The idea of finding baby lizards to be absolutely adorable was a thought Nike never once believe would ever cross her mind. After all, once upon a time, Nike had eaten a caught lizard while remaining in her favorite spot on the mountain she was raised in. Somehow, she felt guilty over having ate any in the past.

Whatever the case, her train of thought will escape her after overhearing a loud voice claiming something about being hard at hearing. She couldn't help feel curious over the ruckus. Arriving to the scene with a small lizard in her arms while two more are hiding behind her boots, Nike can't help find the scene to be very comical. It was clear the children really took a shining to them. With some playfulness, she'll decide to meddle for a bit.]

The more you struggle and resist, the more they'll want to get to know you in a very personal level.

[Lizards and climbing are definitely traits one associates with them since they're always found climbing on something. It must be a positive thing wanting to be something they'd want to climb. At least, she thinks so. Clearly, they were doing just that.]

[priforprince]

CASUAL ACQUAINTANCE IS FINE!

[ But she shouldn't tsukkomi yell. Hibiki takes a deep breath, attempting to reassume her usual noble, calm demeanor. This is a paltry issue for one such as herself. Nothing she can't handle. In fact, she shall tolerate it! Such is the greatness of her heart. ]

A side-effect, I suppose, of underexposure to genius. When someone of staggering talent arrives in a bereft land, it's only natural the inhabitants would be overwhelmed.

[ A venturesome child, smaller and younger than the others, heads for her torso. ]

[drizzle]

[Her overreaction will catch Nike off guard as it almost pushes her to the ground from her position. What was that? What was even that? It was pretty obvious her expression was screaming those worlds, but...

The other girl's boast of her genius will catch her attention. Nike was almost close in asking if she was kidding, but instead decided to voice something else before the very thought gets transmitted.]

...maybe instead of saying all of that, why don't you prove it to them? It could help in getting them to stop using you as a pole to climb on...

[After all, as much as Nike found her a little odd, she was intrigue to see if she could back up her words.]