( 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

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.]

[appleofhiseye]

Perhaps there is a language barrier that needs to be addressed?

[she feels bad enough about giving him ineffective advice that she reaches over and pries the child off of his arm, only to have it latch onto hers instead. it takes another moment to carefully deposit that child onto the ground, wagging a finger when two more try even as she scoots sideways to try and retrieve the stolen glasses.]

No means no! Behave, now, I'm sure you know better than that. He's very tired of you climbing on him, see?

[it means nothing if they can't understand her but she can at least attempt to convey her meaning!!!]

[rootbound]

[deep in his COLD DEAD HEART (no) he sort of appreciates someone trying to help him out, though it also . . . isn't very effective . . . he's reaching blind a bit now, but he can locate Shirayuki's hair and his own red glasses, smears of bright colour

unfortunately this means that they go for the glasses together and he smacks into her in the process. it makes some of the Palai kids giggle, and he hisses in exasperation]

Oh, this isn't funny! Excuse me --

[appleofhiseye]

[she stumbles back and makes a scramble to avoid falling on any kids in the process--which just makes her flop right onto her butt, and immediately the kids cling to her and giggle.]

S-sorry. It's a little hectic in here. Kids are so lively.

[rootbound]

[they pull him back down next to her soon enough with a bump, too. what a good pair of unwilling jungle gyms they are]

I don't even like children! Who put so many of them in one place?!

[appleofhiseye]

[with a sigh she gives up trying to tug them off; they cling to her limbs and her clothes but she doesn't let them grab onto her hair, prying them off whenever one of them attempts it]

I understand the frustration, but try not to take it out on them too much. They're still learning.

[rootbound]

[he gives a loud and aggravated sigh. he has rather too much hair to keep it easily out of the reach of fat little baby hands]

I do what I want!

[. . . he clearly hasn't actually hurt any of the babies yet, though; he could have escaped by now, if he were willing to do that]

[appleofhiseye]

[she bites back a retort, a vague sense of sensibility the only thing preventing her from snapping at a stranger. she does, however, give him a judging look.]

I suppose that's one thing that you and the children have in common, then.

[rootbound]

[his look is equally judging, and he addresses the children hanging onto her]

Please bite her.

[appleofhiseye]

[the children just continue to cling to her because she's a good jungle gym]

I suppose that was out of turn, but you didn't disagree either.

[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...

[appleofhiseye]

[she watches for a moment, torn between wariness and curiosity before deciding that he's fine. probably.

one of the babies starts climbing on her, too, and she's distracted enough to keep it from trying to pull on her hair]

I've never met a dragon before, so it doesn't do any harm to be sure.

[rootandbranch]

[Geir ignores that; dwelling on it more right now won't help him decide if it's irritating or not, and the issue of what he is is becoming boring fast. he's much more interested in the little creature crawling on him! mindful of Shirayuki's advice, he catches and supports the child when it begins to slip - he can feel the fragility of its tiny body now.

the more important question is:]

Hey... do you know who these belong to? Should they be loose like this...?

[appleofhiseye]

Uhm...

[things that probably shouldn't happen to children (in Shirayuki's limited experience):
-being left alone
-being left alone with strangers
-being left alone with dragons
-being left unattended when they are young and need looking after

who is feeding them

is no one worried about their children being kidnapped or squished by dragon feet

what kind of irresponsible parents?????]

I wonder. Their parents shouldn't leave them alone like this.

[rootandbranch]

[Geir grins at her, cheerful and ebullient this time. absolutely zero of the things that occurred to Shirayuki as things that shouldn't happen to children occur to him. he got thrown in the ocean as a kid, that's probably what you do with children in general.]

If you say so. Do you want to go find them, then?

[appleofhiseye]

[well Geir needs better parents!!!]

Mm. The children don't seem very concerned, but I would still like to find their parents. Can you see anyone who seems to be, ah, looking around for a child?

[rootandbranch]

[i mean, true.

Geir lifts his head, then rears up... and up... and up...

he eventually puts his claws on the edge of a building so he can look around, over its roof into the streets beyond.]

I don't see anyone. Maybe they're all supposed to be here! It'd explain why there are so many.

[appleofhiseye]

[that makes him look EVEN BIGGER and she just kind of. stares up at him for a minute. that sure is a dragon.]

It's possible that this is a place for children to stay while their families are at work or school. But it seems very unsupervised all the same.

[rootandbranch]

[Geir unhooks his talons from the edge of the building and returns to the ground unsettlingly close to Shirayuki, surveying her birdlike again out of one eye, then the other. he's feeling easy enough about the conversation; despite her obvious unease, this human isn't hard to talk to.]

Maybe they don't need the help? Most mothers who are lizards or snakes don't stay with their children much.

[appleofhiseye]

[she's doing her best to be polite about it, but every time he gets too close she tenses and keeps a wary eye on the sharp and pointy parts of him. the longer they talk, the more at ease she becomes.]

Is that so? I don't have much--well, I don't have any experience dealing with lizard or snake mothers aside from what I've read in a few books. And I suspect those don't apply here. If that's similar to what's going on here, though, it's reassuring.