( 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

[remitting]

Really?

[ His comment goes right over her head, and she looks confused, wondering if that means he just doesn't know what books are. It's a bit hard to imagine, but then again, she doesn't know anything about him or his life... if it really was an honest mistake, then she feels bad now for assuming wrongly. ]

Um, it's okay...! But... books aren't garbage at all, they're actually really helpful! You can learn a lot from them and find information you can't find anywhere else... so it's important to take good care of them!

[ She steps closer when he holds up the one he's holding, peering at it curiously. That sure is a language she doesn't recognize, and now she starts to realize what he actually meant by 'senseless garbage'. ]

I can't read it, either... wait, are all of the books here like that?

[drunkle]

[ As she peers at the book, he suddenly lets it drop in her hands - better catch it! ]

Every.

[ Then he adds another book on top of the one he handed her. ]

Single.

[ And another book. ]

One.

[ Bam! Now he's given her four books in total to hold. Only four, out of the 17 that are piled up on his study table, all thoroughly glanced through. ]

So, what do you make of it? At this rate they're more useful as toilet paper and napkins than anything else. [ why so crude!!! ]

[remitting]

[ She scrambles to grab it, breathing a small sigh of relief when she succeeds, only to immediately have three other books dumped on her. They're heavier than she thought they'd be, and as she staggers a little under the sudden weight they almost spill forward out of her arms, but she manages to get a better grip on them and keep the books pressed against her. She looks pretty pleased with herself for a moment before turning her attention back to Qrow. ]

S-still, that's no reason to throw them on the floor! Just because you and I don't know this language... um, there are a lot of people here, so... there's a chance one of the others might recognize it, right? And maybe they could translate for us!

[drunkle]

[ Qrow takes a drink from his glass of well-aged liquor as the little girl speaks, and only sets it down once she's done making her point. Fear not, he's listening! Even if he doesn't think they'll find someone like that. ]

Heh, you're really not gonna let this go, are you? Tell me, have you noticed something off about this place, or is this kinda experience a regular occurrence for you? This isn't a school camping trip, you know.

[remitting]

[ She's not sure she believes they will either, but she still wanted to point out the possibility existed. While she has trouble asserting herself most of the time, when she does manage it she can actually be pretty stubborn. It's a family trait!

But her face falls at his next question, and she looks down, focusing instead on the cover of the first book on her pile. ]

Of course I have...! I... I think there's a lot that's off about, um, well, everything right now. I mean, just being here at all is really strange... it feels like it should be a dream, but... [ Her voice quivers a bit. ] I know it's not.

[drunkle]

[ As a matter of factly: ] No - it's definitely not a dream.

[ Man, she looks like she's about to cry, though. Age has made him a little rough around the edges but he's not cruel, so his expression softens slightly and there's a pause before he asks her his next question. ]

Are you scared?

[remitting]

... Yes. [ She's not going to try and lie, she knows it wouldn't be believable. But it's not herself she's afraid for; aside from the wild boars, she hasn't really seen anything that makes her think it's dangerous here, but even if that weren't the case, her safety still wouldn't be her highest concern. ]

I-I don't know if... if I'll ever see my family again... and that's such a scary feeling. I don't want to make them sad... not when they've already had to worry so much...!

[ Ada had done her best not to up until now, but she does start to cry as she says that, and though she quickly hides her face behind the books in her arms, she can't stop her shoulders from trembling or a quiet sob from slipping out. But it's only for a minute, and then she clenches her fingers and shakes her head from side to side, as if she's shaking the tears off. She has to get it together, she's embarrassing herself in front of a stranger...! ]

I'm sorry! I shouldn't be crying like this, it's not helpful in any way...

[drunkle]

[ She may be embarrassing herself, but he's not judging her for it. When she explains herself, it makes sense for anyone in her shoes to be more than distressed. Still, Qrow sighs and finally gets up, standing tall at nearly seven feet as he relieves the girl from her books and sets them back on the table.

His back is turned to her, giving her a moment to recompose herself without having to hide behind books. ]

Nothing is helpful right now, so you might as well cry yourself dry. [ ??qrow??? ] People can try to fight fear their whole lives, but you're better off letting it in for five seconds. Let it take over, count to five, and you boot it the hell back out. Don't dwell on it, and never stop moving forward.

[ On the table lies a ragged abandoned shirt that nobody has yet to claim, or perhaps they did find it and didn't want to wear something so depressing. Either way, Qrow rips off a small part of the sleeve and offers it as a tissue to the young woman. Sadly, that's all they have right now. ]

My family is counting on me, too, so I need you to keep it together. Can you do that?

[remitting]

[ The feeling of the weight of the books being lifted away startles her, and Ada reaches out for them instinctively, not wanting to lose her cover just yet. But she's too slow to stop them from being taken away, and she lets her hand fall as she watches Qrow's back with apprehension. She's sure that he must be angry at her now — while she certainly doesn't think he's unkind, as she tends to assume the best of just about everyone she meets, there's a part of her that sort of expects most people to snap at her at times like this, when her emotions get the best of her and she ends up burdening others with them. It doesn't take away from those people's goodness in her mind; it's only natural that they'd be annoyed at her weeping, she thinks.

And that's why when he begins to speak, she's honestly surprised to hear reassurance instead of the harsh words she believed were on the way, and she stands silent and still as she takes in what he's saying. Let it in, count to five. Never stop moving forward. She's starting to feel calmer just from listening, and when he holds the makeshift tissue out to her, she accepts it gratefully and takes a moment to clean her face.

Although she still looks a little shaken up, she's settled down a good deal by now, and she takes a deep breath before nodding in affirmation. ]

I... I think so. And, um... thank you so much for your kindness.

[ It's a short and simple phrase, but she really, truly means it. ]

[drunkle]

That's not necessary.

[ He realizes that she means it, which makes this all the more difficult. He can't let anyone get close to him for their own safety, which means he doesn't want her learning to rely on his brand of kindness.

What he can do is teach her to be stronger, so that way he can only watch out for her from a distance, just as he does with everyone else. First step, give her a task! Make her feel useful, since that seems to be important to her. ]

You're good with books, aren't you? Take a seat and go through some of these, in case I missed anything.