( TDM | #1 )

[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.

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.

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. Depending on your situation and ability to acclimate, you may not fully understand what's happening. A dream, a hallucination. But when you feel the trunk of the trees surrounding you, it's oddly...real. The smell is real. The moisture on the ground is real. The small grass snake you find slithering close to your feet seems very real as well. There are a few other sensations that also begin to feel a little more like reality with every passing second. Like the fact that your intuition is trying to tell you something that doesn't seem plausible. One is more obvious -- you now have a new piece of jewelry inserted snuggly between your collarbones. Maybe that's when you realize it is real. When you realize that there's no delusion here -- you aren't where you once were. But if that's the case...where are you? A ▢ Your character's first experience here will be waking up in a forest. Specifically, located here. It's up to them to traverse and try to figure out where they are, whether they make it to the beach or the main house area. There's also a mysterious trail of soft, felt bags, tied off with thin rope, leading your character to what appears to be a specific destination. These items can be as useful as a granola bar to as seemingly useless as a stapler. Let's just say that some of these mysterious objects are pretty out there. They're free to travel off the beaten path, but that comes with its own perils. Maybe your character has a power that could fend these creatures off...? They aren't exactly happy about sharing their territory.

After an hour or so of trekking through the forest, you finally come upon a break in the tree line that reveals to you an area that appears to be inhabitable. Your first stop is the large mansion that sits in the valley of the opening...if anyone is here or there's a way to get out of here, the house makes the most sense, right? There are a variety of rooms in this mansion, and you're free to explore them. You also spy a lot of crates sitting in the middle of the floor in one of the main rooms...are you curious enough to open them? B ▢ Feel free to have your character explore the mansion (the won't find much but you can take some liberties with the TDM), and they're free to open these mysterious crates. In them they'll find edible fruit and bread, modern clothing in a variety of sizes and portable medical kits. Characters who apply using the TDM are free to carry these objects into the game opening. If you want some specifics, there are a few rooms of note: the game room (containing a working pool table, non-electric pinball machines and a card table with supplied chips and multiple decks), the cellar (filled with a variety of liquor and wines, all aged quite well) and a large room upstairs that contains a glass ceiling and a variety of books in a foreign language. One more thing -- if you happen to go rummaging around, you may find tiny pin cameras. They're minuscule...you may not even notice them unless you look hard enough. At this point you notice that you aren't alone -- there are other people in the same boat as you! When they're around you, that signet you feel in your chest tingles slightly. The sensation isn't unpleasant, but instead like a warm tingle is spreading from their neck outward. You instinctively attempt to talk to your fellow kidnapping victims, and that works just fine...but what are all these voices you hear in your head now? Are you crazier than you thought you were? C ▢ Here's where you can play around with the telepathy mechanic. It's likely your character won't be used to it which can lead to accidental broadcasting. If they happen to tap the signet purposefully or try to pull it out, everyone within a radius of 100 feet will feel a throbbing pain in their head. But your character won't know that, will they? For those more inclined to adventure, there's also another building to investigate. From the outside, it looks very circular and unidentifiable, but upon entering you'll discover that it's a fully-functioning bath house. D ▢ Despite containing steamy water and luxury bathing accommodations, the bathhouse is currently being overrun with crabs. The not-so-smart members of this species have fallen into the extremely hot water, flash boiling themselves after being unable to get back out. Others are a little more intelligent but equally aggressive. Characters: watch your toes and be cautious if you really want to take a much-needed bath! They may also want to check twice before using the restroom, otherwise the experience might be more painful than they're used to.

Exploring the mansion and the bathhouse was fun and all, but aside from the crates they didn't prove to be very useful. When you came into the clearing, you also saw a row of very colorful buildings down near the beach. It makes sense that this area may be more beneficial to any escape plans you have, and taking a dip in the ocean might be nice! It's not until you reach the beach huts that you realize that murky blue color you spied wasn't the ocean. It's outter space. There goes any hopes you had of swimming to safety. E ▢ Time to explore the beach huts! Most of them are abandoned, but your characters will notice they seem to be more livable than the mansion somehow. This is in part due to a little note tacked to the door of each beach hut that reports in scrawling script "Claim your hut, please!" Will your character listen or reject the sinking feeling that they may not be leaving anytime soon? Some huts are also bigger than others, and a few even contain small sinks and softer beds. Grab these while they're available! Even though it turns out the ocean was a lie and you're precariously close to falling off the edge of the world, the area around the huts is decidedly beachy. Sitting on the beach is a lobster trap, though about 10 times the size of any you might have seen before. Inside are more felt sacks, though larger. The weirdest part is that peering through the bars, you notice each has a nametag attached. The reason you know this to be true is because you just spied your own name written on one of the labels. There's also something else underneath it. The descriptor may not mean much to you yet, but it will soon: it's the title of their newfound magic. In each felt sack is a sort of starter kit: a set of dated and drapey plainclothes, a bag of dried boar jerky, a leather flask filled with water and a small tube of sunblock (the writing is in a bizarre pictograph language, but the giant picture of the sun on the tube should explain the purpose). There's also a rolled up paper tied with a string that reads as follows: "Welcome. Things will be explained in due time. For now, understand that you have been blessed with a gift of magic. Look into your brain and feel the instinct for both. Practice makes perfect." F ▢ Here's the official prompt for playing with newfound magic (and telepathy if you want more practice). It's likely characters have already accidentally broadcast their thoughts, utilized the C prompt or used their magic inadvertently, but maybe this new information and small explanation has motivated them to try and see what they're truly capable of. Don't worry. If they're lucky enough to stick around, all will be explained. ...What if you're a wildcard, though? Someone who doesn't play by the rules and follows a different path, no matter what direction the world may be guiding you in? This island is large and contains many areas of interest, from crystal streams to hidden locations. Maybe you want to do something different...so break the mold and explore! G ▢ 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

[imsorey]

[the jeans are really cool, but from there he hovers a little behind John to see what's in the next crate, obviously curious]

I wouldn't want to live in a dusty house, so I'd have cleaned it up if it were mine too. I haven't run into anyone who lives here yet, but I'm guessing they'll be around soon enough. Then we can ask ourselves.

[windeity]

[He doesn't mind the hovering at least and he's even subtly shifting so that Sorey can see when he pops the top off of the crate and reveals...oranges? Lots and lots of oranges, and he immediately sticks his hand in to pull one out. It seems to be ripe but not on the verge of rotting so that's something.]

I hope you're right. It sort of feels weird to be going through all their stuff, but if they aren't back yet maybe they won't mind. [That's probably not how that works. Instead though he's also handing an orange to Sorey.] Here. You seemed pretty hungry and these should be okay whenever you run out of bread.

[imsorey]

I don't want to eat all of their food.

[But he takes the orange, because he is very hungry. It's been a long time since he's eaten and the owners might not mind if he promises to pay them back. It's a compromise he can accept in dire situations.]

...Hopefully they don't mind too much. Maybe they're expecting us.

[windeity]

If these crates have even more food I do not think you need to worry about eating all of it. [He's also taking an orange for himself and starting to peel it.] If they were expecting us they will be back soon. But I wonder why us. I'm still not even sure how they got us here.

[imsorey]

[...Well if they're going to eat the food anyways, then Sorey finishes off his bread and starts peeling his orange.]

I was hoping to ask them a few questions when...whoever it is shows up. Assuming that it was a "who" and not a "what" that brought us here in the first place, and assuming they're here. We don't have a lot to go on at the moment so it's a lot of guessing.

[windeity]

[And so here they are. Hopefully whoever owns the house doesn't mind that they're probably leaving orange peels on the ground and such.]

Are you used to being dragged places by mysterious whos and whats? [That's such a casual question, and yet he's absolutely serious about it.] It seems sort of silly to bring us here if they are not here, but maybe we just have to go out and find them later. Quest a little, that sort of thing.

[imsorey]

[they can leave the orange peels in a nice...pile...in a crate]

I don't have any experience with being dragged to mysterious places. If I want to check out a mysterious place I usually do it myself.

We should probably check out the rest of this place before deciding they're not here. I didn't get a good look at every room, how about you?

[windeity]

[Sorey you are a much better houseguest than John...there's a solemn nod though. That's the best way to do it. It seems like a good idea to wander forward and find answers on your own, especially in a place like this. Doesn't answer much, but he can agree with that.]

I didn't get much further than some of the rooms downstairs and then this main one. The ones I checked were empty though. That's what makes this even more mysterious.

[imsorey]

If it's a mystery, who better than us to solve it?

[Just because they're there, and they have nothing better to do. But that's totally a reason.]

You in?

[windeity]

Absolutely! [Oh okay there goes half the orange? This apparently is more important and there's excitement in his tone. Everything else be damned, at least this is something he can work on right now.] May as well cover the ground together.

[But wait. Give him a second before he's extending a hand.] I'm John.

[imsorey]

[Taking his hand and giving it a firm shake; they're partners in exploration now.

But Sorey keeps his own orange because he can eat that later.]

I'm Sorey! It's nice to meet you, John. The, uh, weird circumstances aside. It could be weirder, right?

[windeity]

[That's because Sorey's a good boy.]

Same here. [Handshake done, he's still practically ready for liftoff to start on their next adventure.] Considering how I have met some of my friends? There are way weirder circumstances to meet people. This almost seems normal.

[imsorey]

I...can't really argue that.

[laughing a little and shaking his head, almost in disbelief]

Maybe the trick to making good friends is to meet them in unexpected circumstances.

[windeity]

That's how I met all of my best friends, sort of. I mean we met on the internet years ago but after that everything went sort of weird. You can be very different from people, but if you have something unexpected to bond over at least you have that in common. It's not a bad way to meet people.

[imsorey]

[He opens his mouth to ask what the internet is and then decides that's probably a conversation best saved for later.]

You don't have to be the same kind of person or like the same kind of things to get along either. As long as you enjoy each other's company that's all that matters.

But bonding over weird situations helps too. I'm sure that one has a pretty high friendship success rate.

[windeity]

There's that, too. [John tends to get along with almost everyone so it's not like he can even fathom the idea that Sorey's not right about that.] Have you already talked to a lot of the people who have arrived here?

[imsorey]

A few; I haven't spoken to everyone I've seen around, but I've tried to.

[The mansion in particular has been interesting enough to look around that he quite forgot about asking people questions for a bit.]

There's more people than I expected who have no idea where we are. I can't help but wonder if this whole place is full of just people like us.

[windeity]

Then it makes even less sense why they would bring all of us here. If everyone is just as clueless as the next person, there's no telling what we are supposed to do next. [There's a shrug.] The one person I spoke to that comes from the same place I came from isn't sure how we got here either, so...maybe it's some elaborate prank?

[imsorey]

It seems too elaborate to be a prank. Unless you think this would be a normal one?

[He has no idea what people from other worlds consider pranks]

[windeity]

Well. [Nice and simple.] This would not be the first time timelines have been crossed and people have tried playing pranks on us. [Like. Those times people tricked other people usually ended in death but.] I wouldn't call it normal, but it also would not entirely surprise me.

[imsorey]

...You must have a pretty exciting life.

[Not that Sorey doesn't, but it usually doesn't involve timelines crossing.]

[windeity]

Yeah, I guess you could say that. I do not even know how to explain it half the time. At least this seems a little more explainable and I think that is saying something.