( 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

Geir & Vern | OCs

[rootbound]

b

[it's a good thing that the house that the coven co-opted is large, sturdy, and has a little bit of space around it, because there's a very large snaky dragon draped over it at the moment. he's overflowing almost waterfall-like to the ground, where he appears to be... bracing his elbows against the sand to give himself enough stability to nose with interest through all your possessions. he's already formed two piles: one for discards, and the other, in a careless loop of his tail, for things he clearly intends to keep. there's a skinny young man with glasses scolding him a bit, but the dragon doesn't appear to be paying much attention yet...

Geir was startled enough by the fizz of magic and the sudden change of scenery, but really, things like this just happen sometimes. the power he felt and will have identified to him later as Qri's is clearly something to be reckoned with, but if the mystery god who brought him here isn't going to come out and talk to him, why should he wait for her to explain herself? and in the meantime, this place seems to be filled with interesting sights and sounds and smells. case in point: look at all this stuff!

whatever Vern says, people wouldn't leave perfectly good stuff laying around if they didn't want someone else to take it for their hoard. that's Geir's story and he's sticking to it.]

f
[later, there's a bit of an eye-catching ruckus at the Palai hatchery, if your character is wandering by. Vern -- the skinny human scrub -- is being swarmed by the juveniles. he's wound up overbalanced and sat down with a couple of them pulling on his arms, a third trying on his glasses (he NEEDS those to SEE) and one of the more lizardlike babies trying to eat his long braid. Geir -- the supremely enormous dragon -- has just finished sticking his head in a window to inspect the eggs, and is now inspecting, well, the hatchlings Vern's holding and the ones crowded around his flanks.

Vern looks and sounds extremely put-upon, already frazzled by a few hours of dealing with strangers and crowds:]

They're--they're so small? What do you even do with strange babies?

[Geir answers, much amused but possibly not very reassuring to passerby:]

Aw, they're so cute! They like you! Do you really want them off? The smaller they are the better they bounce, probably.

[oh god]

((all replies will be separately tagged by both Geir and Vern! two for one character deal))

f

[appleofhiseye]

[she could have kept walking past the commotion, and she almost does, but then she hears Geirs comment and is immediately concerned enough to duck inside of the house in order to rescue the children.]

--Children are not for bouncing! Oh, don't let them climb on you like that, they'll get rambunctious.

[with a tired sigh she starts pulling some of them off of Vern, gentle but firm when they make whiny protest noises.]

[rootbound]

Ow, owwwww. How are you supposed to not let them?

[grumpily tries to reclaim his braid from the youngest one, only to huff in exasperation as another baby tries to use him as a climbing tree and two more decide to try the same on Shirayuki.

fortunately none of them have been bounced yet! he might have thought about it a little bit in different circumstances, but these particular kids? well. they look like Geir.]

They're a swarm, I swear.

[appleofhiseye]

[she lets two of them climb on her a bit--they're not human and she's getting used to that part, but kids are still kids regardless. when they start threatening to over-balance her she scoops them into her arms one at a time and sets them back on the ground. it's a wobbly and ungraceful maneuver, but she manages it without toppling over!]

I can't say I've had experience with these children before, but usually you just need to be firm with them. If you don't want them doing something you say "no" very sternly.

[rootbound]

[he leans over to the child who's freshly coopted his arm, face set in its sternest lines.]

No.

[he SOUNDS about as forbidding as one can manage to sound. it has absolutely no effect.

the stare he levels up at Shirayuki is both deeply puzzled and accusatory, though also a bit squinty and ineffectual because. his vision's real bad.]

[rootandbranch]

[PEERS INTO THE WINDOW WITH PROFOUND INTEREST. he thinks their little whiny noises are cute, actually, and croons back to them. he doesn't want to hurt them, he just has no concept of how babies work...

Shirayuki may be somewhat startled by seeing an eye bigger than her head suddenly next to her, though.]

Are you sure? They're squeaky. Squeaky things usually bounce. They're children? How old are they? What are they doing...?

[the questions are eager, rapidfire; a curious snake.]

[appleofhiseye]

[she JUMPS at the sight of his head, actually, and takes a solid two steps back before it registers that he is 1, not trying to eat them and 2, is asking questions and expecting answers. her voice is startled-squeaky when she responds]

Y-yes I'm quite sure you shouldn't bounce them! Children are very delicate, especially since they're still growing, so they need to be treated with care. I...I don't know how old they are. Are you a dragon?

[rootandbranch]

[Geir blinks at her, then very slowly grins, showing all his teeth. it's not that he's in it to scare people, but he doesn't really mind doing it either, and she's so startled. he's not sure whether that's annoying or funny or something he doesn't have an opinion on yet, honestly; it's not like he's talked to enough humans to decide.]

Did you get that on the first try?

[distracted from the dragon question by the babies again, though; one of them runs out the door and straight into his foreleg, climbing as best it can up his smooth scales. Shirayuki can still see the scene clearly through the window as Geir withdraws his head a little and noses carefully at the child.]

Oh! Look at this little guy! Hi, buddy...

f

[baiter]

Don't bounce them.

[Pica, who'd been carefully avoiding the reach of the little lizard children, speaks up from her corner. Why are there some many lizards on this planet...?

She points at the poor man on the floor.]

The parents. They'll eat him.

Re: f

[rootandbranch]

[Geir snaps at the air, his teeth meeting with the satisfying crack of a steel trap closing, and tilts his head to grin down at the newcomer cheerfully.]

Not if I have anything to say about it!

[what is it about her...? he can't quite place the niggling subliminal sense that something smells or feels odd about this human, though she seems normal enough. he inches closer, eyes bright with interest, and nudges one of the babies gently away from Vern and towards her instead.]

Here, you take this one.

[baiter]

[... well, it makes sense a bigger lizard should be able to eat the smaller lizards. That's the rule of nature. Pica puzzles this quietly to herself when she realizes-- oh no.

Right away, she backs up and shoots the dragon a dirty look.]

That's not mine.

[rootandbranch]

It's not ours either.

[he gazes at her yearningly. puppy eyes don't even begin to describe it when the face they belong to is large enough to have puppy play-dates with Clifford the Big Red Dog.]

Pleeeeeeeeease help? They're too much for Vern! I think they're just too squeaky.

[she's there, she doesn't seem unfriendly enough to start trying to kill them immediately; why not get her help? to Geir, it's all very simple. and while he can nose the babies around a bit, and his touch with those long claws is delicate enough, he's much too big to safely handle them if they try to fight or run away.]

[rootbound]

No, they won't, Geir will eat them first.

[he sounds extremely droll. is he joking? like with the dragon, it's very hard to tell. no lizard babies are being bounced, though. he just tries to detach the small one from his hair and sighs when it digs in harder]

Besides, I didn't see humans in any of the food stalls, so either they don't eat them or they have to cook them really well first.

[baiter]

[Pica presses a finger to her mouth, her expression deep in thought. What she's exactly pondering is unknown. After a moment or two, she finally says:]

You have a dragon. Why?

[rootbound]

[shrugs a little, uncomfortably; it's not that he completely didn't expect the question from someone! people are nosy! but it's personal, and it's a stranger asking about his personal life, and, argh, people being people.]

Geir is mine and I'm Geir's. We travel together.

[it's sort of an answer? maybe?]

f

[sigfried]

[ Siegfried will stop at that. Now, the sight is unusual in the sense that he's used to seeing dragons trying to eat people, but... ]

You're not going to want to do that to them, considering your size.

[ And everything else, really. ]

[rootandbranch]

[there's... so much to consider here, really. the more you look, the more consideration is warranted.

Geir, for his own part, turns his head to give the human his full attention. a human warrior is closer to what he'd expect to see in a city like this, rather than a bunch of squeaky lizards. he doesn't mind them... but Siegfried's presence does make it feel a bit more homelike.]

Fine, fine, everyone keeps saying that! So what do we want to do with them? I don't want to hurt them.

[that last might be the most surprising part yet, but the dragon's gaze is direct and his voice is matter-of-fact. Geir's taken it as assumed that Siegfried will accept the situation and has mentally moved on already.]

[sigfried]

[ That is actually the most surprising part of this whole thing. But, Siegfried has seen enough weird things that he's going to have to just roll with it.

Except he knows little about taking care of other small, living things. Uh. Especially these strange creatures. ]

Whatever you do, don't let them climb too high on you.

[ He grimaces. He feels completely out of his depth here and he has the perfect poker face somehow but there is some awkward. ]

Keep a good eye on them too to make sure they don't get into trouble by wandering into it.

[rootandbranch]

[one of the babies climbing Geir's shoulder squalls and slips. taking note of Siegfried's advice, Geir curves his claws around and against his own side, making a cage of them for it to fall into rather than hitting the unforgiving ground. the baby sits up with a chirp and a curious, wide-eyed stare.

Geir stares back at it with much the same expression, then slowly, deliberately stretches his front leg out--



--to gently tip the baby onto Siegfried's head.

(it falls an inch and squeaks and clings to Siegfried's hair. no casualties, except Siegfried's dignity...)]

[rootbound]

So it's okay if someone their size does it, is that it?

[it's eminently unreasonable of him to snap, and he knows it, but social exhaustion and confusion make him cranky at the best of times even when strange babies aren't a factor. He puts both hands around the baby eating his hair and thrusts it in Siegfried's direction. Yes, his braid is still firmly in its mouth.]

If you're such an expert, you take charge of them.

[sigfried]

That's not what I meant, and there's no need to twist my words.

[ Vern, please. Please.

... He stares at the baby though, and then he looks down at himself.

How does he handle this situation. ]

Unfortunately, seeing as my armor would likely hurt them, you're going to have to hang onto them for the meanwhile. And continuing taking charge of them.

[ Nailed it. ]

[rootbound]

I don't have to anything. Neither of us are their parents. If I could remove them we would already have left for somewhere quieter. With less fragile . . . tiny people.

[you can kind of tell he never had to take care of a younger sibling. he yanks at the baby a little harder and winces at the resulting tug on, like, all of his hair]

Do you have anything more helpful to offer here than commentary?

b

[rootbound]

[Vern's not normally against Geir happily hoarding loot, and he wouldn't be concerned about their getting in trouble with regular people in a regular city they'd chosen to travel to, but there is a time and a place, and they've just been transported somewhere out of their own home, gods know where in all the realms, and speaking of gods he really would have preferred to keep out of their sight a bit longer, so the fact that it's likeliest a god brought them here is, in contrast, freaking Vern out a little. he's drumming on Geir's foreclaw with both hands, insistent and as effectual as an ant trying to shift a boulder]

--someone's going to come out and then we'll be in for it! People don't normally just leave valuables lying around on the ground, you know!

[rootandbranch]

That's because if they did, this would happen. If they didn't expect to have some of it taken, maybe they shouldn't have left it out!

[he honestly doesn't understand Vern's anxiety. what exactly are they going to be in for? who is going to try to tangle with Geir -- or, even if someone does, what could they do to make him "in for it" that he and Vern couldn't deal with as it came up? Vern's not making any sense, and Geir says so.]

What are you worried about? A few humans aren't going to fight me for their-- oooh, is that silver??

[at Vern's continued insistence he does hesitate before scooping it up, though. just because he doesn't really get it doesn't mean he won't (at least absentmindedly) listen-- even if he's too distracted by his spoils to hear the note of real distress in Vern's voice.]

[rootbound]

[well no one's come out yet. they could still leave now! easily! it's time for extreme and dastardly measures beyond mortal ken to make Jormungand, the world-serpent, bend to his will and follow his every word--

HA HA PSYCHE he's just flopping right into Geir's claws on top of the silver item (ow), arms folded, scowling]

Geeeeeeeeeir!