( TDM #9 | FAUX 4TH WALL LOG )

[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. For this app round, you can utilize both a linked sample OR a written sample!

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 game-given 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.

IMPORTANT: This TDM should be treated like a 4th wall of sorts. While the threads can be considered canon, it can be a character free for all -- you're allowed to toss in any character, duplicate or AU that you'd like for a surreal experience.

IMPORTANT AGAIN AND NEW: This is post, while an OOC TDM, does count as a log! Any threads on this post can be used as activity outside of AC bonus and considered game canon if you do so wish.

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. For some of you, the shock is a bit more sudden. You've packed up your belongings and you've been escorted through the city into a building similar to the one utilized during the jailbreak -- down a pothole-like door that's extremely similar to the other one you might have been familiar with during that same incident. There's a long tunnel with no windows that you travel through, slowly but surely. It's dimly lit, and you can see others in front of you -- don't worry about any repercussions for cutting in line. You eventually get to a closed door and your monitor escort opens the large turnstile for you, gesturing for you to continue onward. The walk won't be much longer, they reassure you, but they won't be traveling with you from here. After a fifteen minute walk, you'll reach another door, though this one is much more manageable when it comes to opening it on your own. Once you step through, things are certainly...different. A ▢ As soon as you step outside, a sort of blackness hits you. It's hard to describe -- it feels more like everything around you, even the people, become a void. The blackness is a concept, not a color. Then something comes into focus...it's something you recognize? Or maybe something that you're unfamiliar with altogether. There's a person there, or maybe you're alone for now. For a few minutes you're in a classroom, but then it's a clearing. This entire experience, no matter what it looks like, leaves a strange taste in your mouth...it's like the one you may have found in your mouth once you discovered that magic you were told about for the first time. That isn't to say these voids are endless. In reality, the space around you is tainted, but you still exist on this plane -- the outside of Shehui. Things feel very real, but once you force yourself to move outside of these spaces, you mind your shoes are firmly planted in grass that is inches long, potentially surrounded by other people with no idea what's going on; they too have just escaped their own little void. From here you can feel it near to you -- you can sense the magic that's seeping out of somewhere, and you can even see it if you squint. The air around it shimmers with a certain sparkle. It's, again, hard to accurately put into words. But you can see these voids once you really focus on them. However, you can't see the people who happen to be trapped inside. B ▢ Once you reach these safe havens of non-magic, raw and in its purest form, you'll find yourself in a reality that is somewhat...overgrown. There aren't any buildings outside of the giant dome structure of Shehui in the background, as far as you can see. There are trees and plains, grassy fields and the occasional oddly-colored deer. If you look hard enough, you can find a small pond here or there. Just watch out. Magic can leak into that water, and that means... C ▢ ...ingesting that contaminated substance carries that magic with you. Absorbing this magic directly into your body creates that void, except it's contained within you. Once you do, you carry around whatever you might see or hear with you. This might create a comical scenario, like you're ordering from an invisible pizza man. It may also trap you in something more sinister. This magic can use your mind against itself. Whatever is in that void, which can last for hours, is up to you...whether you can control it or not.

[ OOC: For this TDM, characters testing in can create their own scenarios and interact with characters in very bizarre and imaginative ways. Want your character to be the judge in a murder trial, roping in other characters as defendant and accuser? Or maybe you'd like to do something different with your character -- age them up, give them different powers? Anything can happen in these voids of concentrated magic, and that also means anyone can appear. Your creativity can create any situation you'd like to put your character in, and these situations can also pull in other characters. Everyone is there, after all! Characters can also take a break and do some minor exploration -- though more info will come out about the setting and potential in a later post, don't worry. For ingested magic, the character will be in a scenario like the one mentioned above, except it won't be a potentially public experience. For instance, your character can project a horrible experience into the void in Prompt A, but in Prompt C? That horrible experience would be stuck in their own mind...speaking on the negative end of the spectrum, anyway!

GAME NAVIGATION

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Narsus | The Heroic Legend of Arslan

[courtpainter]

A: Gilan

[This is a beautiful, bustling seaside city, and you are in the marketplace. Everything is low-tech; there are guards here and there in mail or leather armor, wielding nothing more advanced than swords and spears. The dusty, sun-baked street is lined with stalls selling goods from many lands, silks and jewelry and spices and fresh produce. As you walk along it, the merchants cheerfully display their wares to every passerby, looking for the next sale.

At the end of the street, the docks are visible. A ship is docked there, full of crates of goods to be displayed in the market. A man on deck whips the scarred and ragged slaves that are bringing them down the ramp, shouting for them to work faster.

A man dressed in a white cloak and light blue tunic is standing near the docks watching this with an intense stare, apparently oblivious to the cheerful air of the rest of the scene. When he notices someone else nearby, he smiles pleasantly at them.]

Either I'm having a lucid dream for the first time in my life, or these merchants are flouting the will of the Crown Prince. Would you care to accompany me while I find out which? [He can handle himself in a fight, but backup is never a bad plan.]

B: Reality?

[Sooner or later, he'll manage to escape from the void, and wander through the forest. Magic is a bit outside his experience, but Narsus is insatiably curious. Right now, he's examining a brightly-colored flower that's growing from a vine.]

Do you have anything I might use to take a cutting of this? Assuming I ever get home, I'd like to try to see if they'll grow near my cabin.

[That is, he'd like to paint them, but he didn't arrive with any art supplies.]

C: Nightmare

[Really truly, he's not used to magic, okay? And the water looked clean, and he was thirsty. Now he's dodging around the grassy meadow with a fierce, focused expression, swinging and parrying with an invisible sword. He glances over his shoulder and his eyes widen with something like panic.]

DARYUN! [Now he's turning and running in that direction like his life depends on it - hope you're not in his way.]

b

[dividepain]

[ Laphicet had noticed the man just a little while ago and decided to see what is he planning to do. The moment he comes closer it becomes apparent that he's been examining a beautiful flower. ]

I do! [ He pulls out a small knife out of his bag, smiling softly just like it was normal for boys his age to carry such things on themselves. ] Here.

[ Perhaps it would be better to leave the flower be, but Laphicet doesn't say a thing. It's so stunning that he'd like to pick up one for himself, too. ]

Have you seen another flower like this somewhere around, mister?

[courtpainter]

[It's not so strange in the time and place he comes from for a little boy to be carrying a knife, but this one does seem a little young to be here on his own - younger than Narsus' own charge, at least. Narsus smiles down at him as he accepts the blade.]

That's very kind of you. [Deftly, he cuts away the flower and a good sized section of vine and leaves. He coils the vine around itself, careful not to damage the leaves or flower, and slips it into one of his voluminous sleeves before returning the boy's knife.]

I'm sure if we look around a bit, we can find you another.

[dividepain]

I just came in prepared, that's all! It's nothing.

[ He's meticulously watching Narsus cutting the flower away for future reference. It doesn't take much to tell that he's especially careful. ]

We've been told that we might need a few things.

[ Knives being one of the most important items that might come in handy. Other things were mentioned on the list but Laphicet mainly brought books with himself. This kid has priorities. ]

Do you have a garden back at home, mister?

[courtpainter]

It's fortunate that you did - I'm afraid I arrived at a less convenient time. [He was just checking over a few maps before bed, weapons already set aside for the evening - within reach, but not on his person.]

We have a small garden, yes. It's mostly vegetables, but I'm sure Elam won't mind adding something a little more decorative. [He tilts his head, still smiling pleasantly.] How about you? What's your name, child?

[dividepain]

If you need something, I'll try to help!

[ With that said, Laphicet pats his bag just like all the solutions for the upcoming problems might be hidden inside. ]

I thought that my friend would like it. It's such a pretty flower, after all!

[ He's puffing his cheeks at being called a child. Which is so adult of him, by the way. ]

Laphicet. And who are you, mister?

[courtpainter]

My name is Narsus. It's good to meet you, Laphicet.

[He looks around a little.] Is your friend around here somewhere? I'd hate to worry them by separating you.

A and oh my god one of my favorite characters from anything!! *A*

[teratias]

[Waver's reaction to such a request was to first stare, completely confused by the man's bearing (way formal) and then to doublecheck the words he was saying.

...jeez. Another poor person dragged into this. Waver's sigh spoke to a weariness that was pretty out of place on a 19 year old.]

I mean, if you've got an idea of where you're even going, fine. But if I tell you what's actually going on, you don't get to think it's a dream. Got it?

eeeee I caught a Waver! (plz don't let Narsus meet Rider though)

[courtpainter]

[He was expecting an agreement or refusal to help with the slavers, so a different response makes him look down to assess the speaker. But what really gets his attention is the completely unfamiliar way this young man is dressed. He regards Waver evenly for a long moment, trying to process the unusual sight, before he answers.]

Well, I can't say I've ever dreamed anyone quite so outlandish as yourself. What do you mean by 'what's actually going on'?

(no that's department of bad ideas. and older waver and narsus would be....sure a combo.)

[teratias]

Hey! What part about me qualifies as outlandish?!

[Waver's arms fold across his chest immediately, and the scowl on his face is really too petulant to belong on a nineteen year old.]

I mean, he'd get on great with Rider. riiiight up until he found out what he got famous for...

[courtpainter]

Look around yourself. Do you see anyone else dressed the way you are? [He makes a sweeping gesture with his arm, indicating the warm, bustling Parsian city all around them, full of a distinct lack of sweaters, collared shirts, or neckties.]

Now. Tell me what you wanted to say.

ahahah well you know fate/ totally ignores that part...and someone else's canon is basically persia.

[teratias]

[Oh, well, that's at least a fair enough statement. Waver huffs, and gives up that particular argument.]

Step one. Does your society have magic, witches, wizards, or anything in a similar vein?

between Narsus and Iskandar I have done so much research on ancient history lately

[courtpainter]

[Narsus purses his lips, carefully considering his response to this question.]

It's...not clear how much magic is truly the domain of humans, and how much is power granted through the will of the gods, ever-capricious as they are. There are stories of dark sorcerers that might be sought out by one willing to pay a terrible price for power; until recently, I'd discounted these as unlikely rumors, inflated in the retelling.

[He looks grimly at the scene before them, now quite serious.] To re-create the past would be far beyond any magic I've witnessed thus far.

I feel you that's been me since I joined this fandom.

[teratias]

That wasn't what I asked. I asked if it was there. Not for extrapolation, not for gods being involved, not for stories. I asked if it was plausible. The shorter answer would have been yes.

[Waver frowns.]

Good. The next part is easier then. This is magic beyond what you've witnessed.

[courtpainter]

Without context, how could you know I was not some credulous fool seeing magic where there was none? I can't imagine there are no charlatans wherever you come from, people who claim grand powers and peddle illusions. [Surely, surely people don't change that much from place to place.

But that's not really the important thing here, anyway.] What sort of magic is this, then? And more importantly, how do you know of it?

[teratias]

There's a pretty heft difference between people who do magic tricks and actual fact mages, thank you very much.

[Really, he has approximately no place being this snooty or being this big of a dick to the new guy. But Waver is...tired. And frustrated. And there is nothing like a good argument.]

First off, I'm a mage, so I actually know how to clock magic. Secondly, and this is the part that's important to you: you're a part of a large group of people, myself included, who have gotten picked up to be a part of a larger group of magic users. I don't know if the term coven exists in your world, but you're now a part of it.

C.

[poisonparadise]

[The well-dressed man seemingly from a few centuries after Narsus had nary a second to move when he heard a voice nearby. Though he fancies the idea of letting the poor man run headlong into that nearby wall, the despaired cry changes Valerius’ mind in an instant. Whatever could -that- be about…? Could there be regrets behind this? He had to know.

So yet again, Valerius puts on a mask of kindness and gently braces the other man’s body before he can pitch himself into a painful injury]

Now, I don’t know who you’re calling for, but that wall was certainly not going to be of any help in finding them.

[courtpainter]

[In his rush, he missed seeing the enemy soldier off to the side, who is now holding him back. The words don't make any sense for a moment, not in comparison to seeing his best friend so badly wounded across the battlefield, and there's nothing but fury in his eyes when he looks up to meet Val's gaze. He doesn't bother responding with words - just backs up a step and swings his sword at the man in his way, aiming to cut him down so he can move through.

It would have been quite a fierce blow if, you know, he was actually holding a sword. Instead, his empty clenched fist completely misses Val's midsection.]

[poisonparadise]

[Valerius sighs as the blow misses. Even if he had been hit, he was hardy enough to take it with minimal winding. He raises his eyebrow at the strange man and prepares himself for another hit, this time ready to catch another fist. He looks more annoyed at this than anything else, a sneer finally appearing on his face. Oh, how he longed for just one ice spell to stop this man in his tracks]
Well, that could have worked out better…[It’s just a mumble, before he tries to reach out again] Whoever you’re looking for isn’t here! It’s just a mind game...tch.

[Although deep down, he wanted to know who they were...this Daryun...perhaps they were connected to this man’s despairs? Regrets? ...Sins?]

[courtpainter]

[Narsus' eyes narrow, visibly confused by the way his sword seems to have just passed through this soldier. His gaze flickers back to something only he can see behind Val, and anguish crosses his face for just a moment - but Daryun doesn't seem to have moved, even though he's been delayed

and that created enough uncertainty for Val's words to make it through. He refocuses on the man standing in front of him, squints and shakes his head as if to clear it: the illusion is beginning to waver, the appearance of armor and tabard fading in and out to...something else, a style he's not familiar with.]

You're real. [His tone is strained, speaking more to himself than to Val, trying to will his mind to see through the enchantment.]

[poisonparadise]

That I am. [The man’s smile is wide, the corners of his mouth nearly reaching the pair of reading glasses perched on his nose. He nudges them upward and places a hand to his chest, as though it wasn't obvious enough that he wanted to be looked at.]

Although, given the nature of this...exit, I could see how many could become confused...I myself was in such a trance moments before.

[courtpainter]

[He shakes his head again, his vision slowly beginning to clear - too slowly, really, but at least he can tell that the man in front of him isn't really a Lusitanian soldier, and the figure of a dying Daryun is looking more like a gruesome marionette by the moment. It's still hard to look at, so he focuses on Val instead.]

Quite. I apologize for trying to strike you...I wasn't seeing you as you were. [He glances at his still-clenched fist, and slowly uncurls his fingers. He sees the sword drop from it, though it's now insubstantial, but there's no change in weight.] At least the vision rendered me ineffective, as well.

[poisonparadise]

[Valerius is staring Narsus in the eye, his gaze unblinking. When he gets the other man’s focus, he tilts his head.] That wasn’t a terrible swing, if I had to say so. I’m certainly grateful that there was no real weapon in your hand.

[He holds up his hands and offers a pleasant smile.] It’s no trouble, in any case. [Moving his hands to the small of his back, he raises an eyebrow] Now, I don’t mean to pry….But that seemed like an awful scene you were seeing...What do you suppose it was? I saw something similar in my own trance earlier, and I can't quite put my finger on its origins.

[Something to do with regrets, perhaps? Valerius hoped so.]

[courtpainter]

[The behavior is odd, and Narsus isn't quite sure why someone would be so uncertain of what they'd seen. But he's still disoriented, so he's willing to go with it, not having any real reason to conceal the basics of his vision:]

...A battlefield. [He glances over Val's shoulder again, wincing just slightly at the memory of the vision, although thankfully the wall is now coming into focus.] I was...running to the aid of a friend, seeing him hurt. I thought you were an enemy soldier blocking my path.

[poisonparadise]

[Much of how Valerius acts is odd, but he himself finds the whole “trapped in a memory void” thing particularly so. He tilts his head as the other man refuses to make eye contact with him, and remains attentive]

Ah, so you come from a place plagued by war? I’m...terribly sorry to hear that you saw something so unfortunate. [His face lightens up to a sheepish expression] Though it’s funny you thought of me as an enemy. I couldn’t use a sword if my life depended on it…

[He’s more of an ice-spike using necromancer type. Thankfully, no one in the coven will ever find out about that latter part.]