( 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

Red Savarin | Solatorobo

[mech_and_mutt]

Option A: Tireless
[His arrival was as swift and sudden for him as it was for the pack of boars he stumbled into practically the moment his feet touched dry, soft earth-- and he didn't even have the chance to ponder the unusually terrestrial nature of said earth before he was busy fending off some tusked, feral, and very angry pests. And to make matters worse, his usual means for such a fight- his Mech, DAHAK- was nowhere to be seen. Even though he practically never let it out of his sight until now.

At least his own hands and feet didn't fail him. It took some beating and bludgeoning- and the accumulation of a whole lot of bruises- but, in the end, he did manage to fend off the aggressive little beasts.

The fact that they came back only after a few minutes wasn't too surprising. The fact that his bruises and scrapes had somehow already healed by then was a lot more so. But by the third or fourth time the boars had come back for more- and slowly seeming more clingy than aggressive, as though he was the world's most begrudging storybook princess- it was just getting ridiculous.]

Just get lost already!!

Option D:
[Well, even if his muscles stopped being sore only a few minutes after his exertion had ended- again, a confusing point but one he could happily get used to- a bath still didn't sound like the worst idea at a time like this. For starters, it would have been nice to wash off all of that dirt and grit he'd accumulated over his hiking. And boar-fighting.

Yup. It would have been real nice. At least he had the presence of mind to test the water before he jumped in; he'd have hated to imagine what would have happened if he'd plunged waist-deep. Still, a towel around his waist and one rather burned hand wrapped up in makeshift bandages, he took the opportunity to at least enjoy the steam... and the free snacks he ladeled out of the scalding bath with the flat of his sword. May as well make the most of all this.

Doubly so if there was someone there he could talk to.]

Y'seen a small red mecha around here anywhere?

Option E: Where the hut is
[The edge of an island dripping off into a dangerous void? Maybe this place wasn't so unusual after all, even if the scenery down below was a bit different. All the same, it hammered in the fact that he wasn't about to leave any time soon.

Even if it was just to gather his bearings, it wouldn't be the worst idea to take a rest somewhere in a room of his own... But as the rush of newcomers and closing doors started to come into swing around him- especially given how most of what he'd seen of this island so far was dilapidated, infested, or simply weird- he realized he'd have to make a mad dash to get his foot in the door of one of the nice ones.

And, of course, there was no way he'd be the only one to think of doing so.]

Option G: The Unknown
[But perhaps there was something else he neglected to consider; after all, a wandering bipedal canine wasn't exactly inconspicuous.]

D

[songbird_slayer]

[Really, more people should see this as a blessing: Flash-steamed crab was delicious, and all you had to do is deal with their pinchyness until the water got nice and boiling. Madhuri may or may not have enjoyed a few after a bath cut regrettably short by their arrival. Tsk.

...Maybe she'll take a few more. But her gathering of the crustaceans in the wash bin was interrupted by a question involving... something.]

A... pardon? I'm sorry, dear, could you clarify what precisely a 'mecha' is?

[mech_and_mutt]

[The fact that his question so often was met with confusion wasn't half as disheartening as it was disappointing. What sorta backwater place did these people come from?]

It's a big machine that you ride around in. Usually's got a set of arms and legs, some weapons...

[And the reddish tones of the boiled crabs were making him miss his already.]

[songbird_slayer]

Oh... you use magitek! Sorry, no, I haven't seen anything. I've lost mine as well, and she must miss me dearly knowing I've gone.

Here- use my basket. Your arms can only do you so much good before you resort to using your mouth. Or your feet.

[She peeked back.] ...Tail, too. Though I don't think yours is prehensile.

1/2

[mech_and_mutt]

Magiwha? Magic's not really my thing. [But, hey, maybe she actually knew what a mecha was!... or... something close enough to it. Granted, no closer to finding his own, but it was a start, right?

But he shook his head at her later words, holding up a makeshift-bandaged hand.]

No way I'm trying that one twice. That water's boilin' hot. I'm just glad I tried to test it first. ...Basket'll do, though.

[Almost like a response to her remarks about his tail, he tugged up his waist-towel a bit as he accepted it. But speaking of tails...]

Your tail is?

[mech_and_mutt]

[Come to think of it...!]

Since when do humans even have tails? Is that a thing?

[songbird_slayer]

[That word again. Right, hyurs were called 'humans' to most other worlds. Wonder what made hers so different...]

They have tailbones, but they're very small, and- ...oh. Wait, me, right?

Oh, nono- [She raised her hands to point at her horns.]

I'm an Au Ra. We've always had the scales and things, and we're mistaken for half-dragons and things all the time. Though, if you ask me, I don't know -how- a dragon and something humanoid would, er...

[She gestured vaguely.]

Work. You know. I mean, dragons are big, so they'd have some pretty hefty... hefty...

[Now her hands helpfully turned palm-up, as if holding something like a large bag. Yeah, that's it.]

[mech_and_mutt]

So that's what those are. [Here he thought she had some sort of really, really weird... armor, or something.

But speaking of weird, this conversation was starting to take an odd turn, and he was sweating enough thanks to the steam.]

Thanks, lady, I'd never even heard of a dragon 'till now and I already know too much about 'em!

[...A slow glance down the basket he cradled in two hands. He dropped it like it bit him.]

...Can we just go back to talkin' about that 'magitek' thing?

[songbird_slayer]

Aww, the food...! [Tasty, tasty kreb. But their shells would just be easier to crack now.]

Er- magitek? Well, I mean, I don't have it here or I'd show you. But Maggie's off in her home world.

[She stooped to gather up the basket.]

[mech_and_mutt]

'Maggie'?

[That totally wasn't his fault. ...But he's going to pick up the more intact ones for re-basketing anyway, kicking away one of the more canibbalistic ones to plunk into the boiling bath once again.]

...You named it 'Maggie'...?

[songbird_slayer]

Yeah, I dunno. That's what Wedge named it- he's the one who put the heart inside the frame and gave it a soul or something.

[She shrugged helplessly.]

Your guess is as good as mine. But she's a handy 'tek, I'll give her that!

[mech_and_mutt]

[He wasn't going to think too hard on that whole thing about heart and soul. It was probably just a weird metaphor.]

Mine's called DAHAK. [Which, by the way, was a much cooler name.] Didn't have weapons, didn't need 'em. I've had it for as long as I can remember; today might be the longest I've had it out of my sight since... ever.

[Another look into the crab-basket as he finished filling it with the remaining intact crustacean pests.]

...Y'sure you haven't seen it? 'bout two, three times as tall as I am, big arms...?

[songbird_slayer]

[She folded her arms and smirked.]

Pretty sure I would've seen such a thing. They don't hide well, Ser Dog.

Or, perhaps, someone made off with it before you woke up here. Joyriding! Scuffing it up! Putting graffiti all over poor little DAHAK.

[mech_and_mutt]

C-Cut it out! THAT AIN'T FUNNY!

[His hackles raised, one of those crabs was soon repurposed as a projectile, smacking against his bathhouse 'companion' with a dull, crackling splut.]

Look, it's important, alright?!

A

[gymconquering]

Ya heard 'im!!

[Here comes the cavalry, summoned by the sound of struggle - a yelling girl dropping from the trees, but more importantly, some kind of metalzilla charging ahead of her, sweeping its head low and spooking squealing boars in every direction.]

[mech_and_mutt]

[And in the blink of an eye and the shout of a battle cry, it went from a couple boars to some sort of kaiju battle.

It might have been a little bit intimidating were it not also kind of awesome. And hey, it even got them to go away! Red hoped it would stick this time.]

...Well then! Thanks!

[He wasn't even going to question the presence of a human here. He was too busy gawking at the metal... monster... thing.]

That, uh. That thing yours?

[gymconquering]

[Rono doesn't catch being called a thing or doesn't mind it, preoccupied with chasing stragglers away with playful snaps of his jaw. Sapphire's left to stare openly at Red on her own; she'd put together from the word go that he was talking but also maybe a Pokemon, but having a moment to actually take the facts in is something else.]

'Course he is. Call 'im Rono. [She crosses her arms sheepishly.] Lemme guess, you're a stranger 'round here too...?

[mech_and_mutt]

Rono, huh. [Not quite what Red was expecting- 'Crusher' or 'Reptilicus' or something, but it had a nice enough ring to it. Either way, it was probably for the best that the first one he saw was, apparently, tame.] he... seems nice.

[Her question, on the other hand, left him strangely relieved. He clicked his tongue, his chewing bone briefly clattering between his teeth as he turned to face her.]

That obvious, huh? Been at this all morning and still got no idea where I am. ...boars weren't makin' it any easier, either.

Don't suppose you've found anything out here yet...?

[gymconquering]

[A nice pile of basic data on boar behavior and ecological interactions?]

Nothin'. Doesn't look like anywhere I know about, an'...

[I keep running into people who just seem off?

You're a talking Pokemon??

Something's wrong with the ocean???]

...an' it's just fishy. Somethin' did this. Just don't know what, or even everythin' it did...

[She scuffs a foot against the ground, agitated. Normally, getting her bearings would be as natural a process as breathing, but the situation's all upside-down right now, like there's no solid ground to start working from.

Rono lumbers back with a deep, rumbling sigh.]

[mech_and_mutt]

Great. So we're both lost.

[He breathes a long, exasperated sigh out through his nose, staring back out into what may as well have been an indistinct ocean of trees.]

And this whole forest looks the same no matter how you're lookin' at it.

Well, guess we're gettin' outta this together. Wanna just pick a direction and start walkin'? Or maybe that big friend of yours can smell his way back.

Name's Red, by the way. ...Sorry I can't get us outta here myself, but this ain't my usual line of work.

[gymconquering]

[???usual line of work???]

The only thing this fella's smellin' is iron ore [pats his side], but I could already tell ya which way's up into the mountains. [Which is where she's been headed, for visibility purposes, but she's open to other suggestions.]

I'm Sapphire. An' feelin' out the wilderness is my usual line a' work, actually, but this is just...somethin' different.

[mech_and_mutt]

Wait, mountains? [All he saw so far was trees!]

Might not be civilization, but you've felt out somethin'! Which way is it?

...we're not gonna be riding Rono, are we?

[gymconquering]

[Hyup. Can't you feel it, Red? The gradual incline of the land, the trickle of water away from a high point...or maybe that's an outdoorsy thing. Hmm.]

What, ya wanna try? [Rono's amenable! It's...probably not bound to be very comfortable, or sustainable, really? But he'll give it a shot, maybe get a kick out of Red falling off?]

[mech_and_mutt]

[On the one hand, he HAD been walking all morning... but on the other hand, he somehow still wasn't tired. And after seeing Rono's work chasing off those boars, and trying to envision exactly how he'd even sit...]

No thanks, doesn't look too comfortable. I can walk.

[And so he would, but not before striking up a conversation with his new traveling buddy.]

So how'd you two meet, anyway?

[gymconquering]

[What a sweet question to ask.]

My pop gave 'im to me for my fifth birthday. Back then he was just a li'l Aron, maybe this big. [Hands indicate about a toaster size. Rono snorfles. Sapphire jogs a bit to take the lead, talking while she steers them towards higher ground. Saying her dad "gave" Rono to her is a bit of an abbreviation, but not too far off - five-year-olds aren't generally great at catching Pokemon on their own.]