spellgrinders | ( TDM

Entry tags:

!tdm,
npc: brie

( TDM | #1 )

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?

here

its own perils.

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?

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.

Claim your hut, please!

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ akira actually laughs, breathy and downright amused. he isn't sure if the other guy believes him, but that's hardly the point. ]

No. He's one of my best friends, though. I bought his love with extra fatty tuna.

[ and he was broke for quite awhile. ]

[Joshua's believing level is around 60%. But he chuckles at Akira's remark.]

"Well, if we ever end up running into your cat, I'll be sure to give him some myself." [He'll totally make one of his errand boys buy it for him.]

[ where are you finding these errand boys??? can akira have one or two?? ]

Yeah. [ that's a good idea. morgana seems to trust people that give him food. then again, pretty boys with pretty hair and lilting voices may not be near the top of his 'people to trust list.' ]

Maybe he's here already. [ oh!!! which begs the question... ] Your friends here, too?

[Akira just needs to learn how to take advantage of people's kindness. Being able to do so will get you far in life.]

"Not that I'm aware of." [Ha, friends. Akira is assuming Joshua has them.]

[ no the power of friendship gets you farther, okay???? ]

What're they like?

[ so he can keep an eye out for them. that, and akira is kind of interested in what kind of friends someone like josh would have. call it morbid curiosity ~~that kills the cat.~~ ]

[Joshua doesn't know how to friend. Being Composer and being a Misanthrope haven't exactly given him the best skills at being a genuine friend. The power of being a manipulative bastard is all he has.]

"Hmm, well..." [He was thinking of who counted as a friend that he had. Neku, technically? And would Hanekoma count?] "A coffee fetishiest hipster and an angsty teenager, though he has somewhat grown out of that angst."

Edited 2017-06-19 19:56 (UTC)

[ ... those are odd descriptions, but okay. they still manage to wrangle another half-chuckle out of akira. ]

...The guy I'm living with is kinda like that. The coffee hipster vibe. He'd kill me if he heard me call him that, though. [ sojiro would never, ever wanted to be labeled a hipster. yikes!!! ]

But I dunno. Do you ever really grow out of the angst? [ he says it almost ruefully, lips twitching into the stirrings of another smirk. please leave it alone, akira. ]

"Apparently you do. I didn't even know it was possible." [He had made an entire bet that Neku would remain the angsty, nihilistic person he was. A person who reminded Joshua much of himself, if he was more openly hostile and less manipulative and intelligent. And yet he didn't. Neku changed and took Joshua by surprise, and even though his proxy still one him the game, he also proved something to him in the process. Of course, that was another story, and he couldn't let himself get caught up in that. He still was dealing with Akira.

[ and dealing with akira is probably frustrating for entirely different reasons than dealing with neku. ]

People grow up, I guess. [ he isn't entirely sure about that. growing up, that is. adults are shitty, and he doesn't think age is worth much to begin with. it's just a stupid social construct. adults are -- difficult. frustrating. his shoulders tense up a bit. ]

Have you? [ it's a joke ? maybe? ]

[No. Joshua has been fifteen for decades now, and he is well aware of that fact. You can debate what that had done for his sanity, but never growing up had its downsides and benefits. Although granted, he was older in his full Composer form. But even so, he hadn't really grown all that much. Neku... changed that somewhat, but even so, Joshua wasn't fully ready to put his faith in others, even if he wouldn't simply give up on the world again, like he had before.]

"That's... a complicated question."

Is it?

[ he's aware it's a hard question. he's just more interested in why joshua would think it's complicated. at least for akira, it's because he hasn't had too many role-models. he doesn't know what the ideal image of an adult is. ]

Why?

"...I consider myself to have something of an interest in ideas and hypothetical, as you might have guessed. And so as I was trying to piece that out, well... one particular scenario came to mind." [He might as well put something related to his situation out there, just in the form of an interesting hypothetical. Just to cover himself. He kept his tone the same as it always was, made sure his expression was neutral enough to hide any sort of possible indications about his life. Kurusu. Couldn't. Know.]"Suppose you were to find some way to, right now, stop your own aging and achieve a form of pseudo-immortality, so to speak. Literally, you became unable to grow up. What do you think you would be like a decade in the future after that?"

[ what are you going to do if he does know? shoot him -- ? ]

Ah.... [ he thinks on it, hand rising to stroke his chin out of habit more than anything else. ] That depends. I think we're shaped by our interactions with the world and people around us. Some people follow the rules more than others and adhere to authority's arbitrary rules. [ a small shake of his head. no he's not bitter? what are you talking about? ] There's no way for me to know what I'll be like, but I don't think it'd be much different. [ yeah that sounds good. words are hard, okay? ]

...But that's just my opinion.

[Rumors will spread of a new arrival named Akira Kurusu who, before anyone knew he was there, was found dead off the side of a cliff.]

"Hm, how profound of you." [And yet he'd had practically no interaction. Really, he'd had practically none his entire life. Whether as a human or as the Composer, Joshua had been isolated by some factor or another. Perhaps, that is what was the thing that prevented him from changing all along. Heh, he knew some others would definitely agree with that. Still, he could see Kurusu's disdain for authority, and thus felt the need to comment.]

"I was never the most authoritarian person but... I do feel bad for those who set the rules." "A sovereign is not free to simply abuse their own power. If they do, then that creates instability. And inevitably, the people will take them down. The Sovereign's Sovereign is Sovereignty itself. They are put into a box and forced to uphold an order, an ideal, not for their own sake but for others. Other they likely don't even care about." [Now look who's bitter.]

Edited 2017-06-19 20:37 (UTC)

[ akira laughs, a bit hollowly, tensing up at the very idea that those in power are put there and placed in a box. forced to uphold order. ]

Those in power have the ability to make changes. They just don't - they're either too selfish or distorted. [ he feels his hands reflexively curling into tiny fists by his side. it's been awhile since his probation started, but... but the wound hasn't healed. he's not any less angry about the victims that the system fails. ] The power drives them to make stupid decisions.

[ someone's salty. ]

"Or perhaps, there are outside factors that stop them." [he had plenty of those, after all. Sure, he could try and use his position to do good, but he had a role to play and he would play it. He set the rules for the game, but that didn't change its purpose. That didn't change his purpose. To weed out those unfit for a second chance.]

"...Sometimes, those in power have no other choice but to things people consider morally reprehensible because of factors that those who aren't in that position don't know about. Sometimes, they take actions that could be considered 'evil' while also doing unseen good. Not everyone in power is out to keep the little guy down, you know." [That's how he'd always been. he never considered what human morality meant in any of his decisions. He was Composer, and he was the one that set the rules. Those rules could hurt people, but they weren't meant to be malicious or selfish. They were meant to prove to him the content of their characters, whether or not they were worthy of life. Most people? They didn't fit the bill. Even so, he couldn't dwell on his past actions, on whether or not they were right. He had to be right, there was no way he couldn't be.]

Maybe.

[ he won't deny that he doesn't know everything. how could he? he's never been a politician, never studied too much about the economy. he isn't entirely sure what legislations come down the line and what things are for the better or worse of the country. what he does know is about basic human dignity, morality, life. ]

But the system's broken. Victims don't have a voice anymore. Not usually. [ it's softer. ] Maybe not every adult is out to keep people down, but no one is working to fix it anymore. Not as much as they should.

[ which is why he fits, why he tries so hard, why he puts himself in constant danger. because someone needs to. ]

There's a silence there as Joshua plans his response. This was about human systems. And he couldn't deny, that the world as it was... was far from ideal. And it would never be that way. No world would ever be perfect, there would always be victims, more innocent people simply joining the ranks of the dead. Even so, striving for perfection was a noble goal. But Joshua had long since given up on ever saving humanity, on them establishing a society which didn't have victims, didn't suppress some of its members. It seemed impossible to him.

"What do you think it's like, to have the power to change the world?" [He just wanted to know. Know what misconceptions about it that Kurusu had. Not so he could clear them up, he doubted he could do that. He just wanted to know. He just wanted to understand.]

Edited 2017-06-19 21:00 (UTC)

[ akira whistles lowly, through his teeth, staring at the grassy patches ahead of them. the weight on his shoulders is heavy, he knows, and this power couldn't go to waste. the power he had back home. he had to keep helping people - there was no other way. ]

It's a... difficult power to possess. One with a lot of weight and responsibility. [ his hand reaches up to brush back through his messy curls, tangling in them. ] It's a power that you don't choose, but one you have to make the most of. The best of it. If you can. But it's worth trying.

"I can understand that sentiment." [Even so, it did raise the question now in Joshua's mind. Was he using his power in the best possible way? To simply observe, to do nothing. No... he wasn't doing nothing. It was that he had a passive position, to watch and to choose. To facilitate. He wasn't some sort of controlling tyrant, he was more the hands off sort. He didn't rig his games, after all, he only let the winner come about naturally to those who had the strength of character to make it through the week. he was doing his best, and his best was neutral, not good.]

You can understand it, but you don't agree with it. Right?

[ he looks back over at him, undeniably curious. he's used to people finding him odd, strange, a delinquent. he didn't like labels by any means, believed extremely in his own sense of self. but it didn't stop him from trying to understand other people. especially when they had some sort of strong sense of self, too. some struggle. some perseverance towards something. ]

"Indeed. In the world I live in, with the life I lead, I can't allow myself to get caught up in notions of being good. In trying to help others. There is something else I must do which takes precedence over mere altruism. Not to mention," [He has a sense of resolve in his next words.] "Who said what is good is what is right?"

Edited 2017-06-19 21:13 (UTC)

[ ... that's an odd thing to say. to not allow yourself to be caught up in notions of being good and helping others. ]

...Please don't tell me you're a detective. [ he deadpans it, slight levity returning to his features despite it. even if there are no hard and fast rules - or there shouldn't be, in his opinion - suffering is always wrong when you've done nothing to hurt anyone else. ]

"More like someone trapped in a hierarchical system fulfilling the role that they are meant to play." [Although it could be argued that the role of a judge did have some sort of link to detectives, but eh. That wasn't the point.]

That could be anyone.

[ akira says, tone edging towards this side of light-hearted. ] How mysterious, Kiryu.

[ please nasty crimeboy, no. ]

( TDM | #1 )

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