spellgrinders | ( TDM

Entry tags:

!tdm

( TDM | #3 )

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.

Prompts A and B take place on the island above Aimintas, so in-game characters can only utilize these prompts if they know how to get here or you can handwave how they would get there. It's not that deep.

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...

One point of implant is a sandy beach, next to an ocean shore. This may not be that abnormal to you, but there is a point of interest -- there is a huge, pulsating cube that lies inland, covering most of the island. There's about a mile stretch of land surrounding the cube's sides that is forested and sandy, but that's it.

There is the ocean, though the tide is very choppy. Characters may be able to swim across...or can they?

The more fortunate potential coven members -- or those who made it from the island to Aimintas -- are located in the marketplace. There they'll be introduced to the Palai, their strange cultures and attitudes, as well as renewed excitement at the new members. There's getting to be so many coven members that they won't immediately recognize new additions from the old guard, but they're hospitable creatures anyway.

"What do you look for in an ideal partner?"

The land of Aimintas recently experienced some salty rainfall -- actually that's still going on for some reason. When will it stop? Nobody knows.

Because their resources may be limited while new harvesting methods are implemented, the Palai have to limit their use of vegetables, fruits and grains as the ones currently planted may be too damaged by salt water to be used. This has caused some changes to the Aimintas marketplace, reflecting the food rationing.

GAME NAVIGATION

Threaded | Flat

e) palai watching

[ By god's grace, Yusuke has made his way to Aimintas' marketplace from the mysterious island. At first, he was startled and on edge, but the sights, the smells(?), and the scenery have enraptured him. The people of this world are also quite fascinating.

If only he had his sketchbook... For now, he settles with forming a makeshift viewfinder with his fingers, framing everything he sees. Finally, it rests on your character doing whatever next to some Palai that try to hustle them into speed dating. ]

This composition, this angle... The contrasting colors—stay still.

[ As he adjusts his frame so that he gets the perfect angle of your character and the Palai, the Palai are already cooing that Yusuke must be interested you in that way. ]

g) mystery food X redux

[ So... Being a starving artist in the literal and metaphorical sense, Yusuke has accepted the offerings of the Palai. Unfortunately, he has mistaken these fish brownies for fish cakes, though he can't find a reason to say no. They're being so kind? Even though he has heard some warnings from others, he'll take a bite from one brownie since he has always told himself food is mostly for sustenance and flavor is only a luxury the rich can afford.

Chewing it for a second or two, the flavor finally sets in and he instantly keels over onto his knees. HAcks. COUGHs. Water. Help. ]

What sort of fiend would combine fish and chocolate...?

[ Never has he felt something should be expelled from the immediate world till now. ]

wildcard

[ HIT ME WITH ANYTHING ]

Edited 2017-08-23 05:58 (UTC)

B.
Jodariel cut an imposing figure, standing well over six feet tall and sporting a pair of huge, curling horns that grew from the sides of her head and enlarged out her already impressively bulky figure, which stood atop hooves, rather than feet. Adding to that was the fact that her natural facial expression was that of someone who had decided she wasn't going to kill you at this exact moment, but that future murder was a realistic possibility if you said anything stupid.

At the moment, she was heading inland towards the cube, which seemed to be the only major landmark other than the ocean. She stopped when she felt someone else's gaze upon her.

"I know you're watching me, but I have no patience for being stalked. Step out where I can see you."

C.
It took particularly brave children to risk using their slingshots on the demon in their midst. One young Palai was brave enough to try it though and, as a direct result, now found himself both cornered by the enormous woman. After glaring at the now terrified boy for several tense seconds, she finally broke the silence.

"You're a terrible shot. If you want to hit more accurately, you need to change your stance while you aim."

She knelt beside him and started giving him pointers on how to aim better, correcting his stance and giving him a variety of other tips in a surprisingly gentle voice.

G.
After sixteen years of life in the Downside, the fishy concoctions of the Palai were practically gourmet food for Jodariel. Fellow coven members watched in horrified fascination as she ate even the fish brownies with...not exactly pleasure, but certainly a lack of gagging.

"I've had worse."

[ behold, the voice testiest of test drives. ]

👑B
[ The bright sun is a very different kind of searing heat than the one he was expecting, thanks, no thanks Axel, and the change in its position from on the evening horizon up into the height of midday leaves him blinking for half a second longer than he absolutely has to as he staggers backwards on the sand.

After that, his first reaction is to try to corridor back down to the castle basements. This does not work. He tries again. This still doesn't work. He tries again in multiple configurations, putting more force and effort behind it- this still doesn't work. After a point he just gives in and starts pacing furiously up and down the beach as he takes in his surroundings properly and starts trying to figure out what in the worlds is going on.

Of course what this looks like to anyone nearby is a tall, gangly blond man in a heavy black floor-length coat blinking and staring intently off into nowhere in particular for a few moments, then breaking out into irate muttering apropos of nothing. When the pacing starts there's probably some sharp gesturing involved every so often. All the while, the muttering is probably building up into a full-blown rant: ]

...I absolutely do not have the time for this!

[ A sharper eye might notice that he walks as if hiding injury. Moreover, he's probably thinking loudly enough that someone in the vicinity might catch snippets of racing thought process that... mostly parallels the subject of his muttering, if in a bit more detail: destiny islands? no, no, of course not; what's happening in the castle; does that underwater shelf just- end?; the situation has escalated, yes, the others must be updated; how dare these neophytes ]

👑C
[ something something vexen with a bunch of literal children.

or: he is trying to navigate the marketplace. Any thoughts of treating this like a covert operation went entirely out the window earlier when the sheer variety of peoples present made itself apparent, and he concludes that anyone trying to skulk about would have gotten more attention for it. So.

Several things detracting from this attempt: Palai children thinking the tall man in the ridiculously long coat would make for good target practice. To his credit he does bear with it for a while, since it's more of a now-and-again distraction rather than a constant annoyance, but after a point he sighs aggravatedly, summons his shield to deflect the next incoming projectile, and ices the ground underneath the would-be assailant to stop them in their tracks. ]

Come now, you aren't going to get anywhere like that. Let this be a lesson to you to think through your actions before you perform them. Throwing attacks about with casual abandon is liable to get you in trouble some day when you provoke the wrong target.

[ ...What's meant to be a sharp (if lengthy) warning ends up... not that, as the Palai child instead stares wide-eyed and hangs on to every word, enraptured. More kids gather around to ooh and aah at the shield that he's yet to dispell and is still hovering nearby, and would you have it, it's basically an audience of tinies now.

So here he is, surrounded by children, deep into what looks to be the beginnings of a long lecture. ]

👑H
[ got something you want to hit me with? throw a starter at me and I'll roll with it! if there's something you're unsure about or want to run by me first, just toss me a pm! ]

[ "take care... of 9S."

it's not the first time A2 has been deactivated, and while she had thought it would be the last time, it doesn't seem to be the case once she somehow gains mobility again.

the last thing she remembered -- engaging 9S, hesitating before striking him, the sensation of metal piercing through her abdomen, it's as if none of it happened. white greeted her just moments before, the bright white of the tower the last thing she saw before her functions ceased; and white greets her again just as she opens her eyes. the sand is warm against her body as A2 takes stock of herself and her surroundings. three things stand out immediately once she levers herself up.

the first, she's whole and has full capacity of her functions. the second, pod 042 isn't with her. the third, and perhaps the most important one, are the people around her.

they're different from the androids, not just in their appearance but the way they move, lacking that certainty that is both graceful and precise; each movement measured, calculated, and processed with efficiency. and if they're not androids, then they must be-- ]

... Humans.

[ it's murmured to herself, partly in awe and disbelief. after everything that happened in the tower, she knew humans no longer existed. that all of yorha was a lie. but here she is, surrounded by them as if she was meant to walk among them all along. ]

[ there's the odd sight of a white haired woman walking around the marketplace with a crowd of palai trailing after her. A2 ignores their challenges and their stares, most of it directed to the pair of combat bracers behind her, having given up on refusing them verbally. the only time she acknowledges them is whenever one decides to hit her with its slingshot, her form splitting into holographic afterimages to dodge before re-materializing again. but throughout the whole exchange, she doesn't harm them.

it wasn't very long ago when A2 had encountered what was left of pascal's village, when he'd taken the rest of the machine children to safety and defended them from the others. pascal will never remember going back to the warehouse, will never remember seeing the children having taken their own lives, and will never remember the crushing despair he felt when he asked her to take his life or his memories. but A2 remembers it, remembers the voices of the machine children whenever one of the palai approaches her, and while three years ago she would not have hesitated in refusing the palai in a more permanent way, she can't bring herself to this time.

her hands curl into fists at her side as she quickens her pace. ]

[ but even she can't run from them forever.

A2's model ran more on the slighter end compared to the newer yorha models, but it doesn't change the fact that she's still nearly 300lbs of mechanical wiring. so the palai matchmaker that goes to grab her makes a valiant attempt at pulling her down into the free seat, only to realize that she doesn't move at all. the matchmaker continues to tug until A2 breathes a sigh and goes to take the seat herself.

what do you look for in an ideal partner? ]

I don't want a partner.

[ that's it, that's her answer. ]

[ if none of the prompts above work for you, feel free to throw something else at me! alternatively, i'm over at ramparts if you wanna hash things out. ]

Edited 2017-08-27 09:44 (UTC)

[ First of all, she's not very fond of matchmaking. Second, she's (not exactly young, but not exactly old either) not of age. Or rather, she doesn't look like she's of age.

Also, this reminds her way too much of Zaveid's So, what kinda guys do you like?. ]

Obviously no one, that's for sure. And I'm too young for this.

[ She's a thousand something years old, but shhh. ]

[ Edna has seen some bad food. In fact, she has actually made bad food. Usually the gooey stuff she ends up making goes to Mikleo because. Reasons. And he has the best reactions to these things.

Edna, however, doesn't like being given bad food. In this scenario, she's pretty much looking at a fish sandwich, which shouldn't be that bad, except the Palai put the entire fish in the sandwich. ]

… I'll pass. Someone else might be hungry.

[ The Palai chef, however, insists she try. She shakes her head no. This pretty much repeats for a while until she's out of options. Should you be passing this scene, Edna's gonna look for you and plead with her eyes. Save me. ]

[ WILDCARD. Hit me up with whatever! ]

Edited 2017-08-28 13:31 (UTC)

[ i'm still in the process of canon reviewing as a heads up ahhhhh ]

B.

Asbel?! Asbel! Where... am I?

[ Sophie thinks aloud to herself. One moment, she was on Telos Astue, finally preparing to sleep for an important task coming up on the next day. The next moment, she's on an island. All familiarity of her friends' presence and Fodra had vanished. Even with Sophie's heightened senses, she can't pick up any traces of their scent, voice, and footsteps.

She looks worried. There was a lot she needed and wanted to do. If she can cross the water, will she be able to find Asbel and the others? She doesn't know how to operate a boat. ]

[ The Palai youth seem to have taken joy in targeting Sophie with their magical slingshots, seeing her as a challenge and a game. Surely, she possesses the combat prowess take on a bunch of children. She's Protos Heis, a humanoid whose original purpose was a weapon to fight. She's quick enough to dodge most of their attacks, stepping aside and sometimes doing a skillful flip out of the way. But she refuses to harm any of the children.

For when she's unable to simply step out of the way, particles of light gather around her arms, materializing into a pair of gauntlets. She holds up her arms, shielding herself. ]

Please stop. I don't wish to fight.

[ When one of the Palai chefs offers Sophie a plate of fish brownies, she surprisingly accepts it without hesitation. She wouldn't know if that was a "normal" dish or not back in Ephinea or anything. However, when she takes a bite of the brownie, she immediately spits it back out. ]

Blech. I don't want it. [ Rude, Sophie. Spitting and saying it right in where the chef can see her. She pushes the plate back to the Palai. A few other chefs begin trying to offer her other fish delicacies. She's hungry, but she decides against touching any of the offered plates. ]

I miss Cheria's cooking and I miss eating crablettes.

H. WILDCARD

[ Feel free to tag in with any other starter ideas! Or PM me if you're unsure and want to discuss it first. ]

[ A ]

[Richard stands at the shore's edge, eyes fixed in the distance. Although he's quite the skilled swimmer, these waves are unknown to him and they seem rather rough. One wrong move, and he could...]

[...Well, it's better not to risk it, he decides, when he doesn't even know where he's going. His other options appear to be taking a boat or traveling further inland, though he isn't quite sure what to make of the pulsating cube in the distance.]

Hmn. [Richard taps his chin, debating his options. At least as he is, without the others nearby, there's no risk of putting them in any danger. Unfortunately, it also means that neither Malik nor Hubert are around to offer their opinions. Either way, he must find a means to return to Windor as soon as possible. Perhaps he can find someone with a map. Ah, here's someone now.]

Excuse me, but I was wondering if you're perhaps familiar with the layout of this island? It appears I've lost my bearings.

[And that's putting it lightly.]

[ E ]

Well, that's certainly forward of you. Why don't you tell me more about your own ideals first? I've heard that the Palai people generally enter into courtships of three persons, correct?

[Richard offers the admittedly well-meaning match-maker a trained smile, hoping to avoid a full interrogation. It isn't that Richard has never considered what traits an ideal partner might possess, it's simply more that he doesn't feel he deserves such an ideal. Besides, he has a duty to Windor, and in the end whoever happens to be the best match possible for his kingdom's future will likely be the person he marries - regardless of how he might personally feel about it.]

[His gaze trails to the unfortunate person who's been plunked down next to him and gives them an almost imperceptible shrug, as if to say 'well, I suppose we'll simply have to play along for the time being, won't we?']

But if you must ask, I suppose it would be someone trustworthy and kind. And you?

[ G ]

Ah, no thank you...

[Richard holds up a gloved hand, murmuring a polite if decidedly exhausted refusal. This one chef in particular must have taken a fancy to him (or perhaps believes he looks a bit unhealthy?) because they continue offering him their culinary creations. Richard's recent and unexpected relocation combined with the smell of less-than-delectable seafood peeking through layers of bread has left Richard slightly pale around the gills. He's tired, and he's honestly a little hungry, but there's no possible way that he can partake of any of this. They might even mean well - at the least, they aren't telling falsehoods - but Richard simply isn't willing to risk food poisoning.]

[Another platter is thrust under his nose, and this time Richard is forced to stand, backing up from the offensive dish. Maybe he should be watching where he's going as he continues inching away, a weary smile plastered on his face.] I do apologize, but you'll have to excuse me. Perhaps another time.

Edited 2017-09-01 14:53 (UTC)

c.
A duel?

[Nazuna regards the Palai that challenged him warily. First he finds himself in an unfamiliar place, then when he finally manages to stumble upon civilization, it's only to find it filled with people that aren't quite human. And now he's been challenged to a duel.]

So if I agree, will you answer some of my questions?

[To any passerby, because he's short with a slight build, Nazuna definitely does not look like a fighter so his accepting of a duel might look strange.]

Guess there's no choice. Where's the stage then?

[...There might have be a slight miscommunication.]

f.
[Somehow he's been roped into helping preparing fish and even though he's confused about his predicament, Nazuna isn't the type to back down from someone who needs his help. So here he is, in a large bustling prep area of the market, sleeves rolled up past his elbows and holding a knife that's probably as long as his forearm.

There's only one problem: he's not exactly sure how to descale a fish.]

Unyu.... hey, this might be stupid question but do you know what we're supposed to do?

[Hopefully his neighbour knows more than he does.]

Edited 2017-08-31 19:45 (UTC)

B ▢

You know what goes great with falling? Suddenly (and not at all painfully) lying on your back, looking up at a sky devoid of buildings and hearing a fucking ocean. He doesn't even know what to think, he just lies there for a good ten, maybe twenty minutes. When he does move, it's slow and sluggish. Pulling to his feet, brushing himself off, glancing around, and after taking some time to process it all, responding in measure sense.

"WHAT THE FUCK?! WHAT THE FUCK?! THE FUCK IS THIS, THE FUCK IS THAT, THE FUCK'S THE OCEAN DOING HERE, WHERE'S THE FUCKING ROAD, WHERE'S THE FUCKING CITY, WHAT THE-" Yeah.

You get the picture. Someone help him out.

D ▢

"Huh. Getting some serious Disney vibes right now..." Travis, since managing to arrive in Froggy Town with the help of, apparently, people like himself? (Yeah he ditched them, he ain't into no cult shit), had been steadily acclimating to the fact that he was now in some sort of a fantasy, perhaps a final one. But the longer he looked around and appreciated things, the more he felt the quirks gave it a hearty, kingdomy sort of feeling.

His most recent find? A bunch of awesome looking carpets in a stall manned...frogged?...by a yellow pair.

"I bet this feels like kashmir or some classy-" Two froggy faces lit up as Travis' hand reached out, and soon the assassin was blasting into the air, screaming away, "-SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii"

It faded for a moment. Before returning, suddenly and far quickly. "iiiiiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIII-" Thankfully, a collection of crates down the street broke his fall. The shattering and crashing of innocent boxes underneath the weight of an idiot silencing him for a spell, before he weakly finished.

"...it."

F ▢

He wanted some normalcy. Travis Touchdown wanted normalcy. For maybe just a second. It didn't matter. Something that wasn't fucking islands in the sky, carpets possessed by the devil, and magic in general. That's when he saw the sign. "HELP WANTED". And Travis, master of killing and of odd jobs, signed up.

Travis had never done anything with fish before. But much like learning how to clean garbage in space, he learned fast. Then he immediately started to put all effort into S-Ranking it and making the most money.

That might explain the small crowd the assassin had amassed, as he seemingly did the work of three people, all while whistling a certain tune.

( ooc: since this is important, Cinnabar is a five foot tall, #ffffff white and red-headed gem person who is literally made up of his namesake and oozes poisonous liquid. )

h;
( Telepathy certainly isn't a skill Cinnabar has any familiarity with, and not knowing he has it means he's doing a whole lot of panicked network spamming in creepy, disjointed sentences. )

Where is this?
Is this the moon?
I'm not broken.
I'm breathing.

d;

( He's not sure how he got here. The landscape is largely unfamiliar and unlike his home world, which drove a bit of curiosity. Where is this place? What's going on?

Cinnabar has seen a lizard before. Not a lot of lizards, but some -- none as big as this, and none speaking and breathing and walking and wearing clothing and...all of these things that lizards aren't supposed to do.

Through some stealthy scouting, he managed to avoid being seen by any of them, though his luck hadn't lasted. One step on the wrong rug and he was whisked into the air, sailing over the heads of these new lizards and suddenly a spectacle. He's not sure what to do now to get off and wants desperately to avoid confrontation.

That's why he's floating on his own liquid mercury island that's floating slowly just overhead. Sorry not sorry for dripping on you, stranger. )

e;
( For a prompt that's a little more social, let's pretend like Cinnabar got coerced into sitting down and listening to what a huge talking lizard had to say. Something about mating -- genital-less gems don't do that -- or something.

He'd once dreamed about being taken away, but the whole point was to stop existing, not become someone else's problem. His despondency has created some more of that aforementioned mercury, but this time he's boredly using it to create little figures in the air; Cinnabar is trying to mimic the shape of the lizards everywhere, as well as a few more personally familiar shapes. )

[A]

Huh, and just where is this supposed to be? [A small girl, clearly too overdressed for the beach and holding a large grimoire, is glancing around at the surrounding ocean, muttering darkly.] Auguste? No...

[Twin moons. An endless sea that stretches all the way to the horizon. An overbearing humidity...]

I see... so it's finally come to this. Another world.

[Her shoulders shake... is she crying? No what wells up aren't sobs but... laughter. Increasingly loud, maniacal laughter.]

So is this what lies beyond the truth!?

[H]

[If you're down in the city, you might look up to stare the island, the ocean, or just out of boredome... in which case, you might see a small, red-blue-black blur plummeting down towards you. Something is falling from the sky - or someone, judging by the screaming]

at kind of water maintains density withOUT BOUYANCY PIECE OF SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-

[Increasinly loud curses become muffled as a sudden earthen shell covers the falling girl moments before she impacts the ground with a bone-breaking force. Chunks of earth fly everywhere just leaving a dusty crater.... she can't possibly be alive, can she...?]

Heh... hahahah... so there really are things in this world that I don't know. What a nostalgic feeling.

[...she's alive and apparently loving it, carelessly dusting herself off as she cracks her neck, loudly. Dust aside, she doesn't seem any worse for the wear...]

[E]

Get your clammy hands off me before I- [Apparently, the Palai don't care that the girl they've dragged over is both obviously too young and completely uninterested in speed dating. This clearly is a disaster just waiting to-]

What do you look for in an ideal partner?

Cagliostro wants someone who can appreciate her world-class cuteness of course!

[...apparently someone at some point switched the bickering gremlin the amphibian had been dragging along with a completely different girl because there's no way that's the same person giving such a bright eyed, chipper response with gaze full of stars and dreams, sitting cutely on the other side of the table.]

( B )

[Beach. Definitely not the landscape he was looking at last, but not unfamiliar. It doesn't take him long to find one of the boats. Alvin gives it a thorough inspection. Seems solid. But considering the waves and the distance-- going out there alone and unprepared would probably be on par with suicide.

That's why his eyes go back to scanning the beach-- only to ultimately stop on one of the people by themselves on it.]

Wanna give a guy a hand? I can get you to the other side safely.

[Seems shady... but confidant.]

( E )

My ideal partner?

[Well that was unexpected. Surprise registers for a second before he shifts his weight, reaching up to tap his chin.]

Can't say I have a "type". It'd be a real shame to limit yourself like that before you get to know them.

[It almost sounds like a respectable answer. So... why does it seem so shady?]

Well. Can't say I'm exactly the type that settles down easy like that. Picking just one...

[Ah. That's why.]

( G )

[Alvin has seen some poorly executed dishes in his time, but fish and chocolate is a combination that was never meant to exist. Well-meant or not, he's not exactly eager to utterly wreck his insides.

At least. Not alone. Misery loves company.]

Well, I'd hate to keep all this to myself--

[He says, although that is clearly a very average size brownie. Nonetheless he drapes an arm around the shoulders of the nearest person and drags them in, grinning. The smell alone is... well. Potent.]

As they say. Sharing is caring.

[Quoting the child and her talking doll, of course.]

Edited 2017-09-01 05:50 (UTC)

Threaded | Flat

Page 2 of 2

yusuke kitagawa, persona 5

Jodariel | Pyre

vexen 👑 kingdom hearts

yorha type A no. 2 (A2) | nier: automata

edna | tales of zestiria