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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. |
why are you two so weird
It's more than just a little haunting to see red glowing down at him from above, at least when his feet are still a bit uneven and shaky within the soaked guts of the earth below. Still, the reveal sparks obvious alarm in his expression, if only for a moment, and it's enough to make him separate himself from the damp touch of bark.
Seriously, if anyone else were in his place, they'd be really creeped out.
He recovers quickly enough, because at least this someone is reliable, a face and a name that seem to speak of protection whenever they're close. Not that there's anything he can do to stop the stench of the dead, rotting and ever present or anything of the sort, but it's the thought that counts, right? Even the slightest gust of air carries terrible things with it, and he's just... going to do his best to contain his disgust visibly. Nothing's going to stop him from complaining, though. ]
Uh, not really... even if I'm usually not the one crumpled over and begging for help...
[ It's difficult to explain why... -- but. ]
This place is totally rancid and it's throwing me off. Can't you smell that? I can't be the only one... -- and yet people just keep on running even further into the unknown like nothing's wrong.
no subject
( tumbling into the vast unknown, uncertain of tomorrow . . . well, symbolic talk aside, he does know what kaoru means. he can't explain how he knows the scent so intimately, or how it seems to rot in his mouth when he swallows the air, but he understands. it's something too strong and too articulate to be native to his normal set of senses. it's unnerving to know the stench of rot so well. )
But you're right, hence my choice of location. The scent is . . . stronger still, but weaker higher up. It's safer, here, too, from the things prowling the dark. I recommend you take to a branch as well.
no subject
[ But he's listening to the actual advice ( thanks ), because if there's a way to dampen the sick, intoxicating scent of murder and death that lingers all around, then he's going to chance it.
Luckily it's not that tricky of a tree to scale, even for someone who's never that keen on exerting himself, but on the way up and after swinging himself awkwardly over and onto an exposed perch that hopefully isn't as dead as it looks, he notices a pretty nasty nick on his hand. ]
Ah~, lucky me.
[ He holds it up awkwardly, dirty and bleeding, and his heart beats heavy and nervous at how strong that smell is too, because it isn't right... and yet it's encompassing everything that was bothering him just moments ago. ]
no subject
it's when his lips part slightly, intent on making some remark based on his best guess as to what kaoru meant to show him that the scent hits him, curdling at the back of his throat. the smell of blood, unmistakable and uncomfortably nostalgic of home, the scent so strangely vivid against the decaying death around them.
for a flicker of a moment, his eyes had gone wide in uncharacteristic surprise— but he's quick to recover. he just doesn't like how the scent sits on his tongue, unrelenting. )
... Shouldn't you know better than to show an open wound to a vampire? Really, now, Kaoru-kun. ( he reaches for his tie, tugging it loose. ) It'll be infected quick enough in a place like this. Let me see it.
( he intends to wrap it up, to stop off the scent of it and brush it from his mind. it isn't the scent of blood that attracts him, but the open flesh. he doesn't ... understand that, exactly, in words, and he doesn't want to; better do away with it entirely. the concern it might get infected, at least, is real, though it's usually not such a pressing one that he'd sacrifice a tie over it. )
no subject
Fear isn't one of those things. It needs no uttering in order to slide itself neatly underneath a door, to coil around you and consume the lingering traces of your footsteps.
... so when Kaoru realizes he's been holding his breath for what feels like days when it's only been a minute or two, where the soft rise and fall of his chest combined with the murmur of advice are the only things that seem to snap him out of a momentary trance, it's only natural for fear to make itself comfortable. Right. He starts focusing, coming back to the situation and his hand and away from the entrancing smell of iron that's slowly dripping its way towards his wrist.
Something's off. Seriously off.
But it's not like he'll ever admit it. Not now, at least. If he pays too much attention to it or lets that something become noticeable, it's only going to cause more trouble in the long run. ]
Hahah... very funny. You're dedicated to the whole vampire shtick even now? Ah... but, thanks.
[ It's easy to keep his voice steady and like him since he's grateful for the care. If this wasn't some totally wild, far-out scenario he might be more inclined to say like, 'ew, I'd rather have a girl take care of this', but. He's holding out the injured hand expectantly instead. No way it's going to get infected or anything though... right? ]
no subject
ah, what a puzzle kaoru always was; in need of comfort, but reluctant to let himself be comforted in any conventional way. (distractions might be nice, but covering your eyes when you hide doesn't make the oni any less quicker to find you.) it feels at times he's especially averse to rei in particular landing him a shoulder, so rei would rather treasure kaoru's temporary— or, better yet, he would rather they be in a better situation where he has the luxury of enjoying this.
now that he's received permission, he tugs off his tie and, with careful diligence, begins to wrap it around the offered hand, though he's squinting a little, like he does when he's in need of some glasses to steal, as he manages it. )
When among the unfamiliar, it's simply nature to hold on to that which we know.
( oh... that wasn't bad... he feels so wisenéd and pithy... just put him in a quote book and give him royalties. anyway, he finishes tying kaoru up, and seems pleased with his work. it's quite good for someone not only farsighted, but who's apparently having an especially bad fit of it now, he thinks. )
Still . . . eventually we'll need to go. Familiar with graveyards as I am, this parlour is not a place I think would be best to linger long in.
( and then, like a drunk errant, the earth below them swerves sideways and vacillates a different direction, trembling wild as the dead leaves stumble from the tree around them—
but it isn't the earth that's shaking; only the body of the tree. as the shaking calms, there's the yowl of wood cracking, fault lines running from their branch to the trunk to where some great black beast has dug it's claws into it, its mouth yawning in corpse-like confusion. its head swivels with a sickening cracking of bones as it seems to be looking for a particular target—
and both kaoru and rei are above its vantage point on their branch, and it seems it hasn't noticed them— not yet. )