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TDM: April
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aefenglom's test drive! All threads can be considered game canon, should you choose to do so; regardless of if you pick specific threads to remain canon to the game, the prompts and test drive itself will be. This will be touched on later in-game, so it's fairly important to note! Aside from that, here are some quick reminders:• Reserves Open Today! If you're interested in securing a spot, put one in! We accept applications without reserves too, of course. Reserves will expire three days before the end of the application period, on the 28th.With that taken care of...
• Applications Open The 24th! These will last until the end of the month, the 30th, with the game formally beginning on May 1st. The application page can be found here.
• If you have any questions about the game or the world, please refer to the FAQ page; if you still have questions, feel free to ask them! For questions specific to the test drive, please ask them on the appropriate thread.
• For the purposes of the test drive, your character will have access to all magics taught by the Coven if they're a Witch, and as much of their shifted form as you'd like if they're a Monster. Feel free to play around and experiment with each!
• Test drive threads can be used as samples for your applications!
You feel like you're floating. Around you, colors and sounds and smells swirl as if trapped in a whirlpool, vibrancy and hue ever shifting. The more you watch them, the less solid they are; they only become clear out of the corner of your eye. The area around you begins to feel more solid as well, until your feet are on the ground, the wind brushes playfully against your face -
and you know one thing, and one thing alone: this is a dream, and an incredibly realistic one at that.
The Tea Party
The air turns a sweeter smell, almost like a bakery; the gentle laughter and chatter of living creatures filters in through leaves that brush against you, hanging from winding vines that hang from above. Flowers in shades of orange and red glow faintly among the greenery, their petals curling in shyly once they're paid attention to. As the area comes more into focus, the shadows of insect-winged forms become clearer, flitting about - talking about some kind of party, about a Queen, about the Courts meeting on neutral ground for the first time in a thousand years.
You're not entirely sure what's going on, and it doesn't seem as if anyone's noticed you've arrived - but three different paths unfurl in your mind's eye, vague in shape and meaning.
 A Taste of Faeryland... Following the voices, you find them: smaller-than-average humanoids with thin limbs, a variety of wings (prismatic butterfly, fuzzy moth, delicate bee - all of it), large, glittering compound eyes, antennas fitting their winged insect-type... Those familiar with the tales of the fae might recognize these Monsters as something similar. They greet you as if you were an old friend regardless of your appearance, inviting you to sit down at the table - which seems to go on forever in the large dining hall-esque canopy of nature they have set up, lined with elegant porcelain tableware and shimmering orbs of magic. The food is similarly endless, ranging from the familiar to the unusual, and careful observation (or just plain digging in) shows the following effects: breakfast foods make you glow and emit colorful sparks, brunch foods get you floating as if filled with bubbles, lunch foods will make you feel as if you've taken part in happy hour, dinner foods will make you insatiably hungry, and dessert will make you feel as if you should simply stay in Faeryland forever... It's possible to mix and match these with effects, but do be careful. The creatures present speak in high, lilting voices about nothing in particular at all - if asked anything serious, they merely give the character a curious if disproving look and say it's impolite to speak of politics over a meal. Ask something a little more lighthearted though, and they laugh and still... don't quite answer, patting your hand and asking if you'd like an extra slice of buttered bread and jam. The tables aren't exactly the best place for eavesdropping and learning what's going on, it seems - but there are plenty of exits out of the dining hall. Large, beetle-like Fae stand guard at the entrances of various hallways outside of the hall in the castle though, preventing anyone from entering them. When asked, they simply reply these are to private quarters that ordinary guests aren't allowed into and refuse to budge on the matter. |
 A Coalition of Interests... The Seelie and the Unseelie Courts of the Fae - whether you know them or not, evidently it's a big deal that they're meeting tonight. Or over several days and nights; the Fae themselves seem to be in a bit of an argument over how long they actually want to stay in the same company as their counterparts, neutral ground of the Dewaint Forest. Regardless, there are no marked differences between the two physically, and they all speak of a singular Queen heading them; behaviorally, though, that's another thing entirely. Those of the Seelie Court are quicker to engage in conversation and prefer it one-on-one, hardly allowing a word in edgewise and getting irritated when interrupted; their pranks are usually mildly malicious, with spells causing uncontrollable laughter, color changes, and charms to make the charmee fall in love at first sight with whomever they see first peppering their repertoire. Returning to their good graces is fairly easy - the gift of something pretty as an apology tends to work, but each Fae has their own very particular gift they like. If it's messed up even a little bit, they won't accept it, and will merely play another trick upon the giftee. Those of the Unseelie Court, meanwhile, are a little harder to talk to; they prefer to prank and trick first to test those they might be interested in as a group, not unlike children trying to get the attention of someone they like by pulling their hair. Their pranks usually range from genuine hurt (such as pulling hair, stinging nettles, or simply beating them with bound vines) to curses (losing one's voice, the head of an ass, or full-scale animal transformations). Withstanding these, or standing up to these Fae, earns as much of their ire as it does their respect - the truly respectful human will be subjected to headpats and collars, like a pet. |
 A Treacherous Adventure... As beautiful as it is outside of the main dining hall and newly-grown castle (just for the momentous occasion itself, going by the rumors!), Faeryland as a whole is mired in danger. The wrong step sends one tumbling down a rabbit hole full of interesting sights, landing in a wide field of drooping flowers that snore softly and scream bloodcurdling loud when awoken. No matter how long one walks, discovering both familiar and unfamiliar sights, never ends in finding the castle again. In fact, it's much easier to find yourself accidentally going deeper into the woods. The exceptionally tall trees of the Dewaint Forest show hints of decay and rot, the smell of the dead barely covered by the flowers desperately growing across the blackened bodies of Fae and other animals that wandered too close to the growing infection in the area. What look like corpses will tremble and rise when they sense someone is close by - their eyes and mouth are pure white, contrasting with the darkness around them, and throughout the shell are cracks of a similarly pulsing whiteness; it smells magical, it feels incredibly heavy and overpowering, and it might just be too powerful for those most sensitive to the corruption and to magic. The shadowy creatures' wings are larger than normal and monstrous, with their bodies held up by the dew-crying flowers that simultaneously hold them back yet sneak their roots closer to grab those who awakened them and drag them closer. Where the monster begins and ends with the corrupted nature it's made its bed in isn't completely clear, but one thing is: it's very, very hungry. Thankfully, it's a good thing some of you have new abilities at hand, and some of you have a few neat changes to help. Teaming up makes things go quicker, and once defeated, these creatures bleed white magic and disappear in ashy smoke, shell breaking off in bits to reveal a dried-up corpse of a Fae. Nothing else remains, not even a hint to their identity, and the more of these monstrously-turned Monsters characters meet, the bigger and more terrifying they get. |
Kyo Sohma l Fruits Basket l Monster - prob Turnskin because Cat?
[Kyo isn't entirely sure what to make of it all. It's....a lot. Mirrors and talk of monsters and witches and magic? Well, he knows about some sorts of magic, of curses, given his family. And his particular curse most of all. But still, Kyo isn't sure what this means for things back home.
By now, Kyo is undoubtedly more used to Tohru's cooking. It isn't that he is not willing to try new foods, or that he has anything against free food. He's just....understandably unsure about all this. If it weren't quite so elaborate he might have assumed it was some sort of prank perhaps.
He's more curious about what the guards might be keeping them from. And who else might be around, as he glances, scanning the crowds for any potential familiar faces.]
Wonder if anyone else is here. And what else is...what those guys are guarding.
A Coalition of Interests - Unseelie:
[Sure, he's used to people being curious about his hair. Given it's naturally that red and bright, unlike most Japanese with their darker coloured hair and all. Still, that's really no excuse for these people - fairies? whatever, to be flitting around and pulling at his hair. Kyo's patience for it is wearing thin as he keeps telling them to knock it off. Which eventuates of course to him losing his temper and being about to reach to actually stop one when it happens.
The little burst of magic that ends with a poof and suddenly a ginger house cat sits, looking rather bewildered, in Kyo's place. It's mere seconds later that Kyo realizes what happened and his fur stands on end as he bristles in frustration.]
A treacherous Adventure:
[He isn't Haru. He's not that hopeless with directions. But of course it is easy to get lost when he has no idea where he is or where he is going exactly in his explorations. So that does not mean he isn't able to somehow make a wrong turn somewhere and lose his way.
He pauses, giving a start with the screeching flowers when they awaken, let alone the corpses? His furry cat ears that almost blend in with his hair pique up at the noise and sight, the slight fur starting at his arms standing on end as the claws at his fingertips come out, fangs making his lower lip bleed as he bites it in habit of thought as he considers his options.]
What.....?
unseelie;
Sorry! [He offers without remorse. He's certainly not putting Kyo back down.] I got excited 'cause I'm not the only pet anymore.
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He blinks before glaring at the other in annoyance, but it's probably a good thing, else someone might have stepped on him or tripped, given the crowds at the moment. He tilts his head when the other mentions not being a pet anymore. Was this some sort of test everyone had to figure when they got here or something?
It could be worse, given he's used to being a cat, but still.]
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[He continues contentedly on, unfazed by Kyo's early defensiveness. A couple of cat scratches are nothing to this vampire.]
But funny too! They act like they don't like anybody, but they get all excited when anybody pays attention to them.
[The fae on his shoulder promptly tugs on his cheek. Hard. Mary just chuckles.]
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[The cat's hair stands on end as he idly tries to reach (futile, but still tries) to swat at the fae at the other's cheek. He is rather irritated with them, as his tail swishes a little and he pouts, glaring at the little fae.]
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The fae just sticks out her tongue, smugly making fun of him for not connecting with that swing.]
You can still talk! That's so cool! I've never been scolded by a cat before. I bet that's why they did it!
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Can I keep you? Just until you're not a cat anymore? Please! I'll even protect you from their pranks!
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Still, he doesn't lash out or shake his head so that is....probably some kind of begrudging agreement from him.]
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Then, it's official! [He affirms when Kyo doesn't scratch him again. That's clearly consent.] From now on, when I take cat naps, I'll have a real cat to take them with!
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Hopefully the fae get bored of him running around as a cat sooner rather than later.]
Cat naps? I'd hope this doesn't last that long.....
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[Reeeeaching in to scratch behind Kyo's ear.]
How's this feel?
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[Okay. Maybe he shouldn't have said that, but still. He gets distracted from freaking out too much in admitting that when Mary reaches and starts scratching at his ear. That....actually felt pretty good.
And also maybe a little -- a lot, mortifying when he starts to purr, adjusting his head in giving Mary better access.]
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You were already a cat?
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[Of course, having Kyo getting all pissy and frustrated at them and the situation was probably all the more amusing so it is probably futile to bother protesting and trying to get them to change him back, but still. He tries anyway. Surely him yelling at them won't make this any worse than it already is, right?
Probably wrong, but hey.]
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Didn't you just hear? He's my cat now!
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Not that he is thrilled at being claimed as anyone's pet or property, but that was something to deal with later? Preferably outside of the area of potentially annoying fae keeping finding more ways to amuse themselves at his expense.
The fae might also find Kyo shifts in trying to reach to join his paw in with that finger.]
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faeryland!
Surprisingly, he's not the only one curious about it. The comment nearby draws his eyes over. ]
"Private quarters," they said.
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[Well. It might be. For all that Kyo can tell. But he can't help being curious, and uneasy about this situation, this place still. So naturally he is suspicious of this place and wants to explore if possible. Though that might depend on getting past the guards to investigate.
If it is just bedrooms then he would figure that quickly enough and just come back.]
Only one way to find out for sure.
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There's something innately tempting about an area that's been restricted. The fae around the dining area haven't been the most forthcoming with information, either, so if they could learn more about the place without having to ask... ]
How are you planning to get past? [ That's step one, after all. ]
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[Which is yeah, obvious and also probably going to draw attention. So probably not the best idea. Then again, Kyo wasn't one for strategy, for planning much ahead. Kyo frowns, pouting as he considers.]
....I think we outnumber them. But that'd definitely draw attention if all of us just rushed them to get past.
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Which isn't looking to be helpful. Normally he'd find a ledge overhead to climb up to and just sneak around far above anyone's sightline, but the entire place seemingly being made out of plants nixes that option. There's always swinging past on a vine—but while that sounds fun, it would definitely attract attention.
There's another moment of thought before he arrives at the next possible solution. ]
How about a distraction?
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[Sure. In theory Kyo might easily distract people here somehow or rather. And this guy might well be stealthier, given Kyo is about as subtle in general as a sledgehammer, not to mention him standing out with his bright hair and all. But if he could help somehow, figuring this might make them a little more progress in finding out more about this strange place?]
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[ Not that Akira lacks the belief that this guy could do it if needed—he's just confident in his own ability. Stealth is kind of his wheelhouse, after all.
The matter of how to stage a distraction, on the other hand, is less certain. ]
As for the distraction... I'm not sure, but I only need a moment to get past.
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[Pestering them with questions? That depends on the guards actually answering and conversing with him. He can't just cause chaos by transforming into a cat. Then again with the magic and fae enough maybe that wouldn't surprise anyone, here. Still, even if Kyo is normally one to just react in the moment, even he knows some things are better with having at least some sort of plan?]