( 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

Comments

izumi sena ★ ensemble stars ★ tdming

[annoyings]

A.

[ izumi sena probably needs a tw for being an overbearing stalking creep and i'm very sorry.

when you blink, fuzzy and out of focus, you aren't presented with a nice medieval town or a beautiful landscape, but rather, a photography studio. it's bright, and there's a big, white backdrop set up, a young man kneeling in front of it with his hands on a camera. it's as if he's taking a picture of someone, and he's... ]

That's it, that's it ~ smile for oniichan, Yuu-kun ~ ♪ [ ...obviously extremely enthusiatic about it. he's practically slobbering over the camera, to be honest. ] Y~u~u-kun, you're so beautiful, this is why you need to give up your stupid ~ useless dreams and come back to me. You were destined to be a gravure model, after all ♪♪

[ but. abruptly, he blinks, looking in front of him. he has yet to turn around to you. ] ... Yuu-kun? [ and it's a little more menacing sounding, just for a second, because yuu-kun is gone. he stands up, turns around, and spots a person standing there he's never seen before. at first glance, izumi sena is beautiful, a model, something finally carved out of marble, but he's just as cold, and the look on his face could freeze hell itself. ] You. What the hell did you do with Yuu-kun? What are you even doing in here?

[ uh oh. ]

A2.

[ another blink and you miss it magical interlude takes you to a beautifully lit blue and white stage, where that same silver haired young man stands, holding a sword. he's not actually a knight, but rather an idol, judging by the microphone on his ear, the pack tucked into the belt of his gallant looking outfit. the stage itself should have a few other people on it, but currently, it's empty, and sena taps his sword against the ground.

it's sharp. who gave him a sharp sword. ] Honestly, you would think after all of that fuss, he could at least show up on time. Where the hell is he?

[ tap tap tap. he looks up, and happens to spot the poor person who came into this particular void. ] You. Can you help me with this costume? Make yourself useful. [ and sure enough, when he turns around, there are three or four buttons undone up the back of it--the spot he couldn't actually touch. ]

B.

[ there's nothing like realizing everything you thought was normal might have been a lie to really put you in a mood. though izumi comes back to reality--if you can call it that--a little surprised, perhaps a bit dazed, he looks from left to right and presses the tip of the sword he's still carrying into the ground, looking around him. nose wrinkling, he scowls. ] What the hell is this?

[ when no one answers, izumi sighs, a long: ] So~o annoying. [ and starts walking. there's not much to see, or much to do, but at one point, he stops near the pond. sitting on the edge of it is one of the deer, beautiful, pinkish in color and getting a little too close to the water. izumi looks at it for a moment, then squats down, holding out his hand. ]

Hey... hey. Watch out where you're drinking, huh? [ the deer looks at him for a moment--they stare at each other, and then the deer takes a tentative step forward, two, three, until izumi reaches out to gently put his hand on its head. his face changes from impassive to smiling, warm and soft, as he scratches it gently where it's ducked towards him. it seems like an awfully tender moment. don't spook izumi. (or the deer.) or do. ]

B. let someone else suffer under cranky Sena's wrath

[eccitato]

[ For the past month, it's just been Leo. Sure, he's made a few friends - even some idols! - but he hasn't had his Knights. He hasn't had Naru to fuss over his hair and makeup before a shoot or a live, no Rittsu to take a nap with under the kotatsu, no Suo to pester and mentor. No Sena, no Sena at all, not a bit of nagging the entire time.

But he hears a familiar phrase, as he's trying to figure out what's going on with the coven this time. Everything about his curiosity is flung straight out the window, and he perks up immediately, wondering if it's another magic trick that comes with their relocating. He doesn't know, but he doesn't care.

He's not risking missing any of his Knights, let alone Sena. A dozen songs filter through his head at once, and Leo goes straight for where he hears that voice. And then, no matter what, he sees him. He sees Sena, looking soft and beautiful with a cute deer. Look at him! Sena Izumi has always been gentle with animals, and it warms his heart.

... so yeah, he has to ruin the moment. ] Sena! [ Incoming. ] Sena!!!

i feel bad for whoever that is

[annoyings]

[ the deer stands straight up, startled, and it scares sena, too, enough that he swears. the deer, terrified, splashes through the pond water. ]

Ousa--fuck! [ which gets sena splashed, of course, and then leo is coming at him at the speed of light, and he barely has enough time to throw his arms up in the air to try and receive him. leo might be small, but izumi is all bones and no muscle, which means that he immediately falls flat on his back, nearly diving into the pool himself with it. ]

Ousama! [ he snaps, temper flaring immediately as king and knight go flopping down into the dirt. ] What the hell do you think you're doing?!

[ there's no feeling of missing here, because as far as sena's concerned he saw leo maybe twenty minutes before he got here?? so instead, he just has to deal with an annoying, clingy ousama.... ]

I'll say kind words for them

[eccitato]

[ Maybe, just maybe, Leo will explain this. As it is, however, he's a wrecking ball swinging through and taking out Sena without an ounce of hesitation. He'll apologize to the deer, to him, eventually, but he's so focused on just how lonely it's been without his Knights. ]

Sena, Sena - [ He wraps his arms around him, absolutely clingy. There's no better definition for it.

Maybe it's been twenty minutes, for him. But it's been a month for his king, short a month as February is, and he sounds so happy to have him there. Maybe a little teary, too, but elated for it. ] I missed you so much..!

this is why you aren't allowed to leave

[annoyings]

[ ugh. the ground is cold, leo's way too heavy for being such a pipsqueak, and now he's wet. sena lifts his head up an inch or so off of the ground to actually look down at leo, who isn't being any weirder than usual, but...

something's off. he's not sure what, aside from the fact that he just stepped into a fucking field surrounded by deer and nothingness, but something's off with leo. this weird situation can wait a second. ]

Get off of me, I just saw you. [ he pats his back, once, a little harder than necessary, probably, but the hand settles between his shoulder blades and stays there, even when he starts to try and sit up. ] What are you crying about?

yeah tbh......

[eccitato]

[ A part of him realizes that this doesn't make any sense whatsoever, but that certainly doesn't stop Leo from doing it. He'll take him to his room - if they can make their way back to it, anyways - and let him dry off, but he just wants to stay right here, in the hopes that he's real. That this isn't fake, like other things that have happened.

Still, he sits up as Sena starts to. A little sniff escapes him, but he doesn't get weepy. He just sits in Sena's lap, instead, chin wobbling the slightest bit, his hands curling into tight fists against the familiar uniform that he wears. ]

I haven't seen you in a whole month!! [ He didn't want it to happen again, but it did. ]

[annoyings]

[ sitting up with leo basically in his lap, izumi's ready to scold him for knocking him over--seriously, his uniform's covered in dirt and he's all muddy--but then leo goes and says that.

he blinks, brows furrowing, and stares at him, not removing his hands from his chest. ] Wait. What?

[ that's...crazy. he literally just saw leo. izumi reaches a hand up and pokes him between the eyebrows, once, twice, three times. ] Are you forgetting things again? Aaah, how annoying.

[eccitato]

Umuuu - [ The noise is immediate, when Sena pokes at him. Leo swats his hand away, releasing him if only to do it, before he reaches again, tugs at the uniform. ]

No, no, I've been - I've been remembering everything I can, but not this! This one is real, it is. [ It's just that he doesn't know how to tell him that, how to prove it. But it's as he's thinking that he realizes that he has some kind of evidence of it, so he makes a show of snapping his mouth closed and straightening up where he's seated.

His thoughts are loud and clear, regardless. ] I promise, I promise, Sena, I'm telling you the truth!

A.

[unlightmusic]

[Um, a photography studio... was not exactly something Suzu expected to see on the other side of a door drifting in The Void. It's kind of a let down, to be honest. It'd be cool to end up in like, the Underworld or something awesome like that. Anything, really, but definitely not like this.

And, well, hearing someone gush over another person so... intensely... Um, did she interrupt something private? Actually, the more she was hearing, the more she was getting uncomfortable. Her face couldn't help but contort into a slightly disgusted cringe. Maybe she should just... leave---

Ack. Too late. He noticed her! He's huge (comparatively) and there's a scary look in his eyes!! STRANGER DANGER! No, wait, this goes beyond just stranger danger! It's a whole danger of another level! However, Suzu can't let him sense her fear! Not only because she's a rebellious Fallen Angel, but because her survival instincts are telling her to...!

She does her best to act like his oppressive aura is nothing to her, as she lets out a huff and shrugs dismissively.]

Haah? The hell if I know! I just followed a door here, not like it's any of your damn business. [Yes, good. Smooth delivery. Very 「Rock N Roll」. Keep it up, she's got this.] And likewise, a wingless 「Lucifer」 like myself doesn't care enough about your boyfriend or whatever to do anything to him, or know where he ran off to. Look, I don't even wanna be here, so I'm just gonna turn around and---

[Hold on. It's then that she notices the emblem on the scary guy's uniform. It's... very familiar... Likewise, as she much as she didn't wish it to be so, she also felt like she saw this guy somewhere before...

Like on billboards... Or on TV... Oh shit.]

... Wait, is this the other school? [Like, it couldn't be that easy to get home, is it?! But wait, if this was the other school, that means...! Suddenly, her terrible fury and aggression become very genuine.] Oi, creeper guy! Where the hell is this?!

[annoyings]

Haa? Who let an insolent little girl in here? I'll really send you straight to hell if you don't tell me where Yuu-kun went.

[ yeah, sena is absolutely going to use that downright oppressive aura to leer over this girl. seriously? the only girl that's supposed to be in this school is the producer, and even then...

but. the "other school" gives him pause, and he puts his hands on his hips. ] This is Yumenosaki, which you would know if you managed to sneak in. Tch~ that Emperor'll be less than happy when he learns someone broached security. Especially a little girl.

[ he sounded too happy about that?? ]

[unlightmusic]

[The oppressive aura and cold threats would normally affect Suzu and have her cowering in fear, but not today. There was one reason why she’s standing her ground, fully embracing her rebel persona even in the face of potential death(?): The chance to finally see that person again. She absolutely won’t let it slip by.

In response to the threats, she just places a hand over her eye patch in a defiant chuuni pose.]

… Hmph, seeing as you’re so happy ‘bout reporting this, I should’ve known you were just another mutt kissin’ up to authority. No surprise you can’t comprehend what I’m saying; alas, my words never reached beings of a higher order. Let me spell it out for you. [She says the next few sentences slowly, with exaggerated enunciation:] I don’t know where this “Yuu-kun” went. I don’t know who he is. I don’t even freakin’ care. Also, quit callin’ me “little girl.” I’m a third year, dammit.

[Never mind that at this time point she landed in, green Kimisaki uniforms equated to a second year. Trivial details not worth arguing over! There is something far greater at stake.]

Anyway, that’s not important. You. [She addresses him again, venomously, folding her arms across her chest and glaring daggers.] Have you seen a girl with brown hair and a pink cardigan around here? She goes to this school now, right? Hurry up and tell me!

[annoyings]

[ oooh, very scary. all of this is just annoying sena (of course it is) and the way she starts speaking slowly to him practically makes his haunches raise. god, he hates girls, they're so annoying and this one's no different! his scowl turns particularly thunderous, going from slightly annoyed to raining hellfire and brimstone in about a second. ]

[ his voice is nothing but mean, the lightness to it faked. of course he's seen the producer around, that girl sticks her nose into everything, even knights.

...though, for girls, she's not that bad. izumi isn't slobbering over her like the rest of yumenosaki, and, apparently, like this girl. another one? it just pisses him off. ] Why should I tell you that? Sounds like you're a stalker.

[ POT, KETTLE ] You've got some nerve talking to me like that. You wouldn't be the first person to dress up and sneak into the school... and you did it wearing the wrong uniform. Are you an id~iot?

[unlightmusic]

Oi, I don't wanna hear that kind of accusation comin' from you.

[Her response to being called a stalker is abrupt and blunt. Hypocritical, much?

Strangers are scary, guys more so, but anger and irritation is quickly replacing fear the more they speak. How long Suzu's obsession-fueled courage will last is anyone's guess, but at this rate she's ready to fight a rhinoceros if that means getting to see that person. Likewise, the atmosphere in this room is quickly becoming reminiscent of those paintings with a dragon and tiger fighting each other.]

Are you sure the idiot isn't you? What's wrong with dropping by to a nearby school to see an old friend, huh? I didn't even sneak in here, anyway. It's a waste of my time and breath to explain, so I ain't gonna. Also, seeing that you didn't outright say you don't know such a person, I'm guessing you have seen her. You better not be bullying her. I'll make sure you'll burn to death with the flames of hell if you do.

a2, because idols helping idols???

[idolpedia]

[Frankly, Dia was getting tired of travelling between voids at this point. She hates that she's even thinking that. The stage was familiar to her, any stage really. She was taking in what it felt like to be in front of an open area with the lights beating down.

Ah, what she would give to sing again.

Her content moment with herself is unfortunately interrupted.]

If you want help with something, there are much nicer ways to ask you know.

[Though she sounds annoyed, it looks like she still might be coming over?]

DIA YOU DONT DESERVE HIM

[annoyings]

[ the look that sena gives her goes beyond disinterested. it's like he's examining a speck of dirt on his favorite loafers. ok but he needs help so. ]

And no one pays you for your opinions. [ with a scoff, he brushes off his shoulders, then reaches back to try and get the small buttons in place himself. stupid itsuki making these outfits needlessly complicated. ] Unless you're not the help, in which case, I'll be happy to call security on you for sneaking in ~ ♪

AND YET HERE SHE IS

[idolpedia]

I'm not hired help.

[She kind of just wandered in here, really unsure of how she got here in the first place. But she can't stand to see such sloppiness in a costume. Half buttoned and drooping far too much.

She's going to bat his hands out of the way and button those buttons and straighten out any creases she sees.]

I don't know how I got here, to be honest. But it would be unsightly for you to even think about performing with your costume falling off.

this poor girl

[annoyings]

Tch -- [ there are probably bigger problems here than sena's costume, if this girl isn't help, but for the moment, izumi shuts up about it, turning his nose up and letting her button in. ]

I'm not performing yet, anyway. Leo-kun's late, as usual. [ somehow this is scathing and fond at the same time?? what is izumi sena. ]

save this girl

[idolpedia]

[Sorry she's busy for a moment, making sure this outfit is straightened out. Ignoring this bad attitude, honestly.]

Leo-kun? [She muses to herself a moment.]

I met a Leo Tsukinaga-san back in Shehui. I would hope that he somehow ended up outside of that place with the rest of us.

honestly yeah

[annoyings]

[ ah, finally, this has caught sena's attention. he looks back over his shoulder at her the best he can, brows furrowing. ]

You know him? [ that's not that surprising... leo could probably make friends with a rock if he tried hard enough. ]

a2

[allbroea]

[ jusis isn't quite a knight, either, though he does more or less look the part and carries an equally sharp sword. he actually knows how to use it, though, and has no idea what an idol is, so the stage is a bit of an eyesore. the closest thing he has for context is the opera, but that's not usually quite this flashy.

moving on from the flashy stage to the equally flashy occupant—jusis blinks at the request, if it could be called that, and crosses his arms. he's standing his ground here. ]

I suppose I could, for an individual who asked politely.

[ that's a mild response for him, but he doesn't have the necessary context to make a more impressive effort. ]

[annoyings]

Excuse me? [ there, wasn't that polite? (no.) he stares at whoever this helper's supposed to be for a second, eyes narrowing. ] Which one of us is the idol here, again? I must have forgotten. So~o annoying.

[ with what is a frankly monstrous eye roll, he reaches in the back of his uniform to try and get the damn buttons by himself. ] Who let you in here, anyway?

[allbroea]

[ this exchange is reminding him of a certain intolerable noble, and he has to stifle a laugh at the boy's clumsy attempt to take care of the buttons. it would be a shameful display for a noble(?), but he knows his fair share of nobles who make shameful displays anyway.

the matter of who let him in is a little less humorous, especially since he's not sure who he's even speaking to. ]

I let myself in. [ does he want to play the haughty game ... ] Shouldn't you be grateful? You'll never reach those by yourself.

[annoyings]

[ it's entirely possible sena is allergic to being grateful so here he is.

he folds his arms over his chest, regarding whoever this person is as one might regard a speck of dust on your shirt. ] The rest of my unit or the designer would have come in eventually. They're allowed on this stage, unlike you.

[allbroea]

[ on the other hand, jusis unfolds his arms and makes his way to center stage. they're sharing now, but only because he wants to get a better view of the room.

he knows what all of these words mean, but not in the right context. he gets the feeling that even if he asked, he's not likely to get a straight answer. ]

I don't see anyone stopping me. [ because they're in a goofy magic void and it's not real, but that's a little mean to thrust on someone, even someone with an attitude. ] What are you supposed to be, anyway? An actor? What if I had been a fan?

[annoyings]

[ he's getting a Look, because what is izumi sena but mean. ]

I'm an idol. And a model, actually, and if you'd been a fan, security would have had you thrown out before you even made it to me. [ also he would've done a heel face turn and seemed like a Cool Guy Knight in comparison to...well, this. ] There's no reason you should be in here.