( 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

[splinten]

I'm trying to be careful with it.

[Because it's that which he fully conceptualizes and while that probably means he can't accidentally kill someone, there are probably a lot of things he can still break.]

If you have a Beginner's Guide to Magic Space Camp, I'll take the pamphlet and skip wasting your time on the basics of where, why, how, and for what.

[spellslash]

Ah, if only it was that convenient. [A lot of dangerous situations could have been avoided if she knew she couldn't touch the fucking swords she magicked out of thin air.]

It's sort of a "practice makes perfect" thing, and not just with the powers. You just sort of go through the motions and get used to it all.

[splinten]

You mean whatever we're doing here.

[Which he's still not sure of? He's also not sure he wants to just be pointed in a direction and assigned a task.

On the other hand, being in a dead session sucked, so this is an improvement at least?]

[spellslash]

Yeah, exactly. Just do what gets you by and keeps you alive at the end of the day.

[That's essentially the best advice she can give for all of life, not just literal Magic: The Gathering.]

[splinten]

[It's good advice. Also rather novel? Usually their jobs involve at least a little dying.]

That would probably be hunting boar. The tip should cover exploring the island pretty decently too.

[Because he will, inevitably. He can't be here and not.]

[spellslash]

Feel free. [Less shit she has to do.] It's pretty big so there's probably stuff I haven't found yet.

And since there's a million mouths to feed, I suggest taking your food into your own hands, 'cuz I'm not hunting 80 pigs on my own every day.

[splinten]

Hunting is one task I have no problem stepping up to. [Although his magic would probably not be good for that. He briefly wonders if he could destroy the 'aliveness' of the boars?

No. No, he definitely cannot fully conceptualize the idea of 'being alive,' no matter how many times he has done the opposite himself. That would go so badly. He'll stick to a sword.]

I am admittedly more used to ocean hunting, which is apparently not an option. [A glance back to SPACE!!] If you had information on what to look for for edible non-meat, I'd take it.

[Oh yeah. There's a pause as this dumb teenager realizes he forgot something.]

My name is Dirk.

[spellslash]

Well, it's not the ocean but, uh...I kind of accidentally created a crab colony in the bathhouse, so you can get some seafood at least.

[Yeah...that one kind of pinched her in the ass.] The trees aren't exactly fruit-bearing...I tried a few times to start crops but horticulture ain't a strong suit of mine.

So basically there's boar, crab, water...everything else is in the house since it's not from here.

Oh, and I'm Brie.

[splinten]

[That's genuinely hilarious? Brie. How.]

Did you also make it so the bath was warm enough to prepare the seafood?

[He nods though to what she mentions and then remembers another social cue he had forgotten and has to remember.]

Nice to meet you.

[It isn't the most effectively delivered.]

Maybe someone in the new group will have a knack for agriculture. [He knows Jake's Grandma was into it, but Jake can be hard to pin down when it comes to admitting his skills and using them. He hasn't asked anyone else he has met if they know how to farm.] My thing was always more technological. Were those spy cams yours?

[spellslash]

It was already kind of like that. I didn't really take that into account, and thus I might have instigated an accidental mass crab suicide. [If only they had butter.]

In my dreams someone will have...I don't know, popcorn magic or pizza magic. That's probably not as useful as making crops grow, but damn would it be great.

Also yeah, they're mine. How else am I supposed to spy on you people?

[splinten]

They chose their own fate, stupidly, ever time.

[Man. Popcorn magic or pizza magic. He likes the sound of that.] My—[brother NOT HIS BROTHER ABORT]—guy I know from home can make things he draws, so maybe you can get a pizza off of him.

There's the option of not. [Not that he seems offended by it. Personally, he is not.] Does that mean access to running electricity?

[spellslash]

Oh yeah -- Dave? He promised me Doritos. I don't really know what they are, but I've been assured I need to eat the Cool Ranch variety.

[Her new quest is to figure out how to make junk food with as many newbie powers as possible.]

And without the spying I wouldn't have gotten such a Dorito promise so there's that. This place doesn't have electricity...I had to steal a bunch of portable batteries; they've been saved for such an occasion.

[splinten]

Yeah, that's him. Doritos are excellent, especially the Cool Ranch variety. You're in good hands.

[Dirk needs to learn to Destroy the non-existence of Doritos. Except he can't, because that's impossible to even begin to imagine. It's too terrible. Also, you know, it's probably impossible for him to actually conceptualize because non-existence is a complicated thing to understand, but mainly the bit where it's too terrible.]

No offence, but spying on us seems like a waste of batteries. Am I missing somethin'?

[spellslash]

Being honest, I'm supposed to watch over you people buuuut I also wasn't in the mood to come out of my room and deal with you. No offense.

I'd rather see newbies setting fires and breaking my house from a distance instead of getting my hair burnt the fuck off.

[splinten]

None taken. Every person has a right to protect their hair in all situations.

[Dirk Strider cares too much about his hair, and it's bad.]

[spellslash]

[She definitely doesn't give much of a shit but that's fire a little too close to her head for her comfort.]

I'd get your friend to draw you a football helmet or something, then. No one's follicles are safe.

[splinten]

No way, Brie. Imagine how much a helmet would ruin this do.

[IM SORRY FOR DIRK STRIDER]

[spellslash]

Fine, fine. But when it gets burnt off and you're bald for a week, don't say I didn't tell you so.

[Would you rather have helmet hair or no hair??]