dagung | TDM: April

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* tdm

TDM: April

Test Drive: April

All threads can be considered game canon,

the prompts and test drive itself will be

• 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.
• 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.

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i. A Taste of Faeryland
a. What happened to gravity?

This is one strange dream...

[Clark isn't really speaking to anyone in particular when he finally voices his thoughts, but the banquet is so strange he has to react out loud and anyone around him is likely to hear the astonishment in his voice. He's taking everything in, eyes wide despite his own fairly imposing size, especially when compared to their hosts. Even though he's unsure about the food, he's also reluctant to insult the fae by refusing their hospitality. And he's pretty sure it won't hurt him if it's a dream.

Which is why anyone who happens to be nearby will get to see a man dressed in a plain suit suddenly start lifting off of the ground like a balloon.]

Whoa!

[He struggles to right himself, arms waving as he tries to steer against air with no resistance to latch onto.]

Hey, what's going on?! Can someone get me down from here?

[He's starting to sound concerned, like he's afraid of floating away.]

b. This is Fine

[Some time later, after trying to get past the guards and ask some serious questions with no success, Clark finally abandons the softer approach. He finds a spot to change, hoping that coming at the problem from a new angle might yield different results. Instead, he just gets offered more food. It's frustrating, trying to pin down the wily fae who continuously dodge any attempt he makes to get answers about where they are or what they want. They don't even answer him when he asks if this is a dream, and he's already reasonably sure he knows the answer to that.

Sighing, he ends up humoring them by taking a few more bites of food--this time carefully avoiding the breakfast and brunch fare--and after several minutes in he's starting to feel flushed and unusually dizzy. Good job, Clark.]

What's in this?

[This is what he gets for trusting fae.]

ii. Dealing with the Unseelie

[It's really no surprise that Clark is going to react. He barely makes it ten minutes before seeing the fae pulling pranks on people becomes too much for him. He marches right up to a group that is in the middle of teasing someone and tries to stand in the way.]

Hey, that's enough!

[The joke's not funny if the other person isn't laughing. Although he should know better by now. He barely gets the words out before there's a weird shift and Clark feels the world grow around him. The fae keep laughing and taunting as Clark shrinks down and retracts into a small, furry puppy. He barks angrily at the fae now hovering above him, although they seem to be losing interest now that he's essentially dismissed.]

H-hey! Get back here! What did you do to me?

iii. Deeper and Deeper

[When he finally manages to get himself back to the right shape and escape the castle, Clark doesn't hesitate. He needs to find some answers and the fae have proven useless every time he's attempted to deal with them. So he goes snooping around on his own. It's investigating, which is the right thing to do, and his search does at least bear fruit.

Unfortunately, the fruit is apparently rotten. The forest is rotten and smells of death, which he can't help noticing even more than usual for some reason. Clark has to fight the urge to gag, covering his face with his arm when he finds what looks like the source of the decay.]

What is it?

[He's mystified. It's like the creature has fused with the spoiled foliage, a mass of dark corruption that he innately loathes. All he really knows about this creature is that it is bad news.]

Woah! Uh- [Hiccup was sitting a few seats down the table, trying to wrangle some answers out of increasingly annoyed-looking fae, but he notices immediately when the man starts floating out of his chair.] Eating the food, uh, might not be the best idea- [Hiccup trails off, motioning toward someone across the room. Toothless bounds over to them, nearly knocking into the table, glancing from Hiccup to Clark curiously. Why does human fly???]

Little help here, bud? [The dragon's tail sweeps back and forth like an overgrown dog's, and he raises up on his hind legs to his full height, grabbing Clark's ankle in his mouth - teeth retracted, so all he would feel are the hard bumps in his gums (and dragon spit).] Here, do you have, uh, a belt or something- We can tether you to the saddle until this wears off. ...Assuming it wears off. Gods. This is insane.

[Clark's surprise isn't as faked as it sometimes is, because for once he actually has no control in the air. He's free floating, unable to make himself stay in place or even slow down the way he's rising above the banquet table, his arms doing nothing to control his body. He does his best to look down to Hiccup and Toothless, not protesting when he feels the dragon grab his ankle. Someone watching might assume that's just shock, but Clark is used to weird situations and he can tell when someone is trying to help. He lets Toothless pull him back down, using the table to anchor him when he finally reaches the floor again.]

I have a tie? I don't want to cause you two any trouble...

[He tries to hold himself in place while adjusting his glasses with one hand.]

Is... Is that a dragon?

It's no trouble at all. Right, bud? [Toothless tugs him down and keeps a steady grip until Hiccup can hook Clark to the saddle with some leather strips. Toothless' weight should act as the rock to Clark's current balloon state and keep him mostly grounded - at least from floating away completely. The dragon seems perfectly fine with this arrangement, at least, eyeing some of the food now, to which Hiccup tells him,] Don't you get any ideas.

Uh, yeah, he's a Night Fury. Hi. I'm Hiccup, this is Toothless. What did you eat that made you- you know. Float, like that?

[Clark at least does his best to hold himself down long enough for Hiccup to tie him to the saddle and keep him from floating away into the Faeryland sky. He isn't sure what he'd find on the ceiling, but he also doesn't really want to find out. Ever since he got there his usual powers seem to have vanished. Holding onto the saddle, Clark manages to get alongside Toothless and pat his head.]

You really don't want to eat those.

[Even if they did taste good.]

I thought it was a normal egg casserole. It didn't taste weird, but as soon as I finished, I was flying up like a... bird.

Egg casserole, huh? [Hiccup looks thoughtfully at the food, scratching his chin while he mentally starts working out what he's witnessed so far. Vikings don't really have 'brunch', so it's a little hard to make the connection.

Toothless lets out a little mrr of approval, offering Clark a gummy 'smile'. He's helping! He is a helper.]

That's strange. I saw someone else eat something... bready looking, and they started sparking like a Zippleback during Bork Week. [Pretend that makes any sense.] I wonder what the connection is...

[Paris, unfortunately, takes the question rather literally, as he hasn't tried any of the food and isn't aware of the effects. He leans over, studying the sandwich.]

It's... bread, and egg, and ham and cheese? [He think it's pretty clear...?]

[Normally a literal answer would be all he was thinking of, but the strange feeling that has hit him is anything but normal. He knows something has to be wrong, but his only real experience with any feeling like this is the life-threatening kind. Clark staggers and uses a chair for support, trying to push the food to the floor before anyone else falls victim to it.]

No... Don't touch it. I think it's poisoned.

[Paris is... absolutely not the kind of person who should be trying to prop up a man of Clark's size and build, but he will try anyway, at least aiming to make sure he doesn't fall over.]

Poisoned?! S-should I get someone?? [He can heal, but there's no salt water around and poison is not a problem he's ever dealt with, so he has no idea if it would work.]

[It's not really as bad as he's felt before, but he doesn't have a good explanation for why he's suddenly wobbly and disoriented. The first thing he assumes is just that something is wrong, not that he's experiencing a perfectly normal reaction. He almost falls right over onto Paris, but luckily the table behind them is enough to take some of the weight so he's not crushing him.]

No, I don't think so...

[Once he's holding still, he realizes the room is just spinning. He isn't hurting like he expected to.]

Actually, I- think I might just sit down here for a minute.

[Maybe right on the floor.]

[Oof. Good thing for the table, because even part of Clark's bulk is difficult for him to keep propped up.]

That's... probably a good idea.

[But really that's about as far as Paris knows how to deal with anything so he'll just.... sit next to him. In solidarity? Or something?]

[He's doing his best not to fall over on Paris, but he's not really used to sudden bouts of drinking too much. He just doesn't do it, and the otherwise pretty normal situation has him completely surprised. He slumps back in his chosen spot, nearly toppling over, and offers his rescuer an apologetic, but still amused smile.]

Thanks. This has been a weird day.

Dreams are usually weird...

[But this is particularly strange, even for dreams. Even for a spirit communication dream. There's something almost kind of wrong about it, that he can't put his finger on.]

Yeah... I've never felt like this in a dream.

[Or, you know, at all. But this just doesn't feel like a dream to him. A dream where sandwiches can leave him flushed and lightheaded and nauseous shouldn't exist.]

Thanks for helping me. Um, mister...?

Yeah, this does feel... different. [Everything's a little too solid, isn't it?]

Oh, uh. I'm Paris Mercout. ...Paris is fine.

Paris. I'm Superman.

[....that doesn't sound like any kind of name Paris has ever heard but it feels rude to say anything???]

Nice to meet you.

That is a creature that I think we should let be and really we should consider moving immediately. Come on now, we can talk about the wonderful details of what it could be and the cause of it without being in the general vicinity of it!

[The magic coming from the monsters feel terribly heavy and he doesn't like it. He's itching to just keep moving; feeling like staying in once place is a bad idea.]

What those, er, things are- or what I think they are- were lifeforms that have obviously seen better days and the decaying around them is mostly parasitic. It's kind of feeding off them, I imagine, and- Oh dear, there's a few of them aren't there?

I don't quite like it here. [Sorry for the bit of rambling, but the other did ask what it was and Newt has a lot of words on the matter.]

[Newt's suggestion is perfectly sane and reasonable, but Clark's reaction to the same feeling of oppressive dread that the magic corruption causes is to plant his feet and push back against it.]

If it's feeding on everything around it then it has to be stopped. If we let it keep going like this then more creatures are going to fall victim to it. They'll just get hurt.

[And he won't allow that. With or without super powers.]

We need to cut it off from spreading.

[He starts approaching the twisted creature. Cautiously, but with the intent of seeing if he can find a way to trap it.]

Edited 2019-04-21 21:41 (UTC)

[Newt can't help but grab Clark's arm.]

Look, I'd love to help in any capacity as much as the next person, but I really question what you have planned to do. Do you actually know what you're doing?

[It's really a legitimate question and he's not one to let others do terribly reckless things. Hell, as reckless as he can get, they're not in a situation quite yet to just kind of jump to doing anything at random.]

The most, at this point, that can be done is to kill it. I can do that, but keep in mind that this forest is in a state where this isn't the only lifeform in this state here.

[Clark stops short, because he has taught himself to respond to normal force from other people. Not that his usual strength applies anymore, but he doesn't even test it when Newt grabs his arm and stops him, because he doesn't think to resist.]

I'm going to fight it.

[Not much of a plan there, Clark. He does listen to Newt, though. He apparently won't win this just by hitting it hard enough.]

What if we cut it off? It's taking over the plants and creatures near it. If we strip away everything within its reach, it can't get stronger. Then we can deal with it ourselves.

[ peter's still not entirely convinced this isn't mysterio, or even arcade, and though it's tempting to stay in the dining hall and in the castle, he doesn't. there's no familiar tingling at the base of his skull to inform him of danger and though it's not the first time peter's been without his spider-sense, it's still unsettling in a way he can't quite put into words, in a way that forms a knot in the pit of his stomach he can't quite ignore.

the flora is — certainly something else and peter's certain this is one of the weirdest situations he's stumbled into, and he wishes, wishes he knew if and where the danger's coming from; instead, there's an almost permanent feeling of dread that he can't quite decide if it's related to the trees and the flowers and that awful smell— ]

—gh. [ is all he manages when recognition of the stench finally sinks in and the realisation that it's rot and death and decay. when he spots a shadow — person? — up ahead, against his better judgement, he heads towards them, just in time to hear the question.

(hey, he reasons, they sound as disgusted as he feels—) ]

Uh. [ —and stops short; the corners of his lips quirk upwards briefly, and he continues with: ] You know, I'm not sure I can answer that question in polite company.

[ disgusting.

the answer is: it is disgusting. ]

Edited 2019-04-23 20:15 (UTC)

[Clark is definitely struggling with the corruption. It feels wrong, like the rot and slime can crawl beneath his skin just from standing too close. But he's not about to move away when the creature seems to be infecting everything close to it. There are too many other lives exposed to the blackened shadow that tries to devour everything nearby.]

Maybe you should stay back.

[He says that like he'll somehow make more of a difference than Peter against the abomination, even though he obviously won't. He's just another magical creature in Faeryland, potential food for the corruption since he's still learning what he is now.]

It looks hungry.

[He's really trying to figure out if there is anything nearby him that he can hit the creature with. Because his first instinct is just to punch it.]

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TDM: April

Clark Kent | DCAU | OTA

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