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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. |
Zelda | Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | Witch
[Zelda is not touching the food.
Oh, sure, she'll play along with the vaguely insectoid guests of this spontaneous soirée - following along as they gesture her towards the endless feast with too-familiar smiles and sweetly meaningless words, even nodding politely when their conversations turn to her - but her hands remain folded in her lap, and her general demeanor during her time seated at the table leans more towards impatience and wariness than anything resembling genuine enjoyment of the festivities.
She doesn't trust any of this, not one bit, even if it feels like a dream. And so she excuses herself from the table eventually, taking instead to wandering around the perimeter of the banquet space. One might find her speaking with one of the beetle-like guards, whose conversation is much less fanciful than that of the Fae partaking in the feast.]
"Ordinary" guests? [She parrots the guard's insistence, drawing herself up with a bit of affected insult as she does.] The Princess of Hyrule attends this historic meeting of the courts. Surely the Queen would not insult our Kingdom by describing its representative in such a way.
[The guard... does not seem impressed by her attempt at bluffing her way into Places She Is Not Meant To Be, and directs her back towards the feast. The Princess huffs a little in frustration, crossing her arms across herself as she's turned away.]
It was worth a try, I suppose...
a coalition of interests;
Ah-- ow, ow, ow, ow...!
[Zelda has long, pointed ears. This trait seems to have garnered the interest of several Unseelie fae, who are now amusing themselves by pulling on them. They want to see how long they can stretch, they say! It doesn't seem like they can stretch at all, but that's not stopping them! For science!
It is taking all of Zelda's considerable restraint not to lash out and force them to stop - if this is "friendly" banter, she doesn't want to know what they do to those they consider their enemies - but still, her pleas are very clearly spoken through gritted teeth.]
I can hardly offer you anything if you do not-- [A particularly sharp tug causes the words to die on her tongue, replaced by a yelp of pain.] Please, cease this!
a treacherous adventure;
[Part of the Dewaint Forest is now on fire.
Listen, it's easy to panic when a) your normal abilities aren't working, b) a terrible creature that reminds you far too much of a Redead pulls itself up from the rot blanketing the forest floor and c) the very roots buried in the earth beneath you rise up to ensnare you while in the presence of the not-Redead. She just wanted to get away from all the ear pulling and pranks and maybe find a way to wake up from this weird dream, okay. She didn't ask for this.
Fortunately, the fire seems to be containing the initial threat that spooked her fairly well, but Zelda doesn't stick around to see it. She runs instead, as fast as her legs will carry her through the overgrown underbrush.
Hopefully she runs into you instead of more of those things.]
wildcard;
[pm this journal or just hit me with your best shot, idc]
a treacherous adventure
Although it’s worth noting that being run over by Zelda as she flees the very fire he seeks is probably the closest he’s been to any woman other than his sister in... a while.]
H-hey! Wait! Where are you going?! Civilization’s the other way.
[Civilization smells a little like burning.]
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Anyway, Zelda scrambles to steady herself after crashing into someone else who has apparently gotten themselves lost in these endless woods (why else would he be telling her to run back?), reaching out to catch his shoulder briefly for balance. It takes her a moment to give voice to an answer to his question beyond just shaking her head, as she's panting not unlike she's been running a marathon. Maybe she has - this place is rather like the Lost Woods but Even Worse.]
N-- Nothing lies that way save the cursed dead. [And fire. You know, as you do.] Should you value your life, stay away from there.
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[He echoes her, as his eyes open wide enough that he looks about to panic. He does in fact value his life just enough to not want to die at the hands of the undead.
The way he came was a whole lot of nothing as he passed, but there’s no question when it comes to deciding between cold, shin deep mud and zombies (zombies that might be on fire).]
T, take me with you! You have to take me with you!
[He reaches out to grip her hands. It’s a good thing that he can’t sweat through his white gloves.]
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She is absolutely not in a state to bring someone out of a panic attack, but she forces her voice into an as even tone as she can manage when she asks:]
Which way did you come from?
[They've got at least two directions that do not lead Out, so it's time for some high-stakes process of elimination.]
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[One bit of swamp looks the same as the other, but he has one helpful marker: The fires that he was walking towards. All he has to do is angle himself back to where he was when he was approaching them and then behind him must be where he came from. It’s so simple that it’s almost amazing that he has the presence of mind to pull it off.]
I came that way. Definitely!
[He waits for her to decide which way to go, though. The gentlemanly thing to do, obviously, is let the lady tread first into danger.]
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Right.
[Zelda doesn't mind taking the lead here, at least. She prefers it, in fact, even if the whole situation is giving her major flashbacks to escaping Ganon's tower as it collapsed. Neither remaining direction looks more promising than the other, unfortunately, and so when she starts pulling Nobukatsu one way, it's a decision based entirely on gut feeling. Not that anyone needs to know that but her.]
Come on, we need to run!
[Please be faster than you are decisive, random guy!!]
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Thankfully it’s working out, for once. He prefers taking orders when things are going poorly and he is capable of running so long as he has two legs, heavy with mud though they are. More thankfully, Zelda is competent.]
Wh, when do we stop?!
[All too soon. He has done nothing short of jinxing himself and down he goes as soon as the words leave his mouth, tripping over a dead tree root like a sack of potatoes.
But as quickly as he tries to get to his feet, the tree root tightens around his foot. It starts to pull itself up – white eyes and mouth, with a twisted over-sized body rising up from the water and mud.
It’s not a tree, and it’s not happy with Nobukatsu screaming and kicking it in the face.]
sorry this is so late! rl kicked my butt
She should keep running, she thinks briefly. She can't afford to die here. It'll slow her down. She has to survive.
But instead she closes the distance between them. She can't blast the creature with fire as she did several hundred yards ago - not without the risk of hurting Nobukatsu as well - so she reaches out and tears at its form where she can, trying to force it to let its prey go between all the kicking and screaming. Not the greatest tactic for her, given her slight and waif-y build, but when all you have is a hammer and you're not entirely sure how all your magic works--]
Do you-- have anything else to hit it with!
no worries! ive been getting the old 1-2 from it as well
Options like his sword – with his hands shaking it’s a challenge to draw it at all. He only wears it as a sign of his station but that doesn’t mean the blade is dull. He sinks it into the monster, narrowly missing his own foot.
It doesn’t feel like cutting flesh. The limb restraining him cleaves apart like a plant stalk rather than a human wrist.
There’s not much time to appreciate his freedom; even short an extremity the thing in the mud keeps rising, and it’s far larger than it appeared at first glance – especially its mouth. Nobukatsu stops fussing with the fingers still gripping his ankle as soon as he sees the white expanse of its mouth open wider.]
Back… back to running!
[He gropes for Zelda’s hand. Running really is the best idea.]
a taste of faeryland
Interestingly, the fae themselves seem to have no care for whatever lies beyond in those hallways ("private quarters," he'd been told as well, upon a brief inquiry), which makes it seem all the more strange that it would be kept so guarded.
The self-proclaimed princess doesn't have any more luck than the rest of them, though her annoyance is more palpable than most. When Akira approaches, it's with hands in his pockets and a hint of a commiserative smile. ]
It was a good try. Pretty convincing. [ Just not to that one guard, apparently. ]
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It does not appear they hold much regard for titles from realms beyond their own, unfortunately. But... thank you. My pride appreciates it.
[She's... not quite copping to all of it being an act...]
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I'm not sure they hold much regard for any of us. [ For as much as all of the non-fae are welcomed as guests, it's hard to tell why, exactly, they're here. No one he's spoken to or overheard seems to know for sure, aside from the basic information surrounding some meeting between Courts and a Queen, and just as often as he's seen guests being pranked and cursed by the winged creatures.
But his eyes are sliding back to the guard nearby. ] It probably wouldn't be too hard to sneak by.
suddenly this is all i never knew i needed
... But it's an intriguing proposal, certainly; one that speaks to both her desire to find out what is truly going on here as well as her frustration with the general attitude of the fae attendants of this banquet. Can she trust it, however? It's quite a lot to ask of a stranger, when she has little clue as to what the consequences would be if they were caught.
She lowers her voice when she asks:] Do you have a plan?
what an unlikely pair of troublemakers *~*
[ It's usually his teammates who come up with the plans; Akira just helps execute them. But he's been through enough of them that he may be able to swing something with the help of his new possible-partner-in-crime. Slipping past one guard is the most basic of basic, after all.
Despite his answer, he appears to be considering the options, fingers coming up to worry at a lock of hair as he glances here and there. Asking a non-guard fae for help is unlikely to yield any results. There's always bullshitting their way through with some false reason, but considering how the guard didn't bat an eye at her previous claim, Akira doubts that would work. A good, old fashioned distraction might do the trick. His mind slips back to his acquaintance from the dining table earlier who seemed to come into some kind of magical aptitude in this place—that sure would be useful right about now, but Akira hasn't seem him since.
His eyes slide back over to the woman before him. If only... ]
... You wouldn't happen to be able to do magic, would you?
she's already got a mask and a ninja alter ego i'm just sayin
It... does not take the form I am accustomed to-- [A fact that deeply unsettles her, truthfully, but she presses on regardless] --but yes, I do possess a certain amount of magical ability.
[Whether or not it will be useful depends on what kind of ideas he has. He seems to be putting a bit more thought into their situation and surroundings that she doesn't believe the next words out of his mouth are going to be to brute force an entry with magical power, but there's only one way to be certain that they won't.]
I would rather avoid hurting anyone, directly or indirectly, however. As frustrating as our "hosts" are with their guests, I would not wish to see how they treat those they consider their enemies.
[she just got out of being on the run from a magic monarch-type entity okay she doesn't want to go back--]
phantom thieves smash edition!!!
His thoughts are interrupted as she continues. Glancing over, he offers something like a reassuring half-smile. ] Nothing like that, don't worry.
[ As curious as he is about what lies in those hallways, and as little as he trusts the fae surrounding them, it doesn't seem like enough to resort to violence. They're not exactly being threatened here—and yeah, he doesn't really want to cause a ruckus that could potentially land them in hot water. ]
I was just thinking a distraction would work. Something harmless. [ They only need a guard to look away for a moment. ] If you could make some kind of light or noise...
p l e a s e (i never saw it coming)
A distraction, hm...
[A light show would typically be child's play for her, but as things are now she's less certain as to the extent of her abilities. It's has to be something simple, but also not something that could be waved off as another prank. Something the stoic guards would actually care enough about to investigate...
Setting the floral canopy on fire a little crosses her mind, but that would probably run up against the "harmless" stipulation of their plan. Better not risk having the whole thing come down accidentally.]
What about the lights on the table? [She asks with a small gesture to the shimmering orbs running down the banquet table at even intervals.] I could attempt to break one or two... perhaps they would take offense to their decorations being disturbed?
[And there is a not insignificant amount of intoxicated seeming fae that the finger could be pointed at if things go south...]
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Akira nods his approval of the suggestion. ] That might be enough.
[ And, well, there's only one way to find out for sure. ]
Do you know how close you have to be to do it?
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[If she can do it but only if she's right next to the thing, that doesn't really help them, does it. She spares another glance around the hall before waving for Akira to follow her towards a section of wall relatively close to one of the guarded doorways. Perhaps it's a little risky trying this near a guard, but hey, if it works, then they can slip right in.]
Shield me from view as best as you can, and I shall see what I can do.
[She's short and waif-y, that should be pretty easy, right?]
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Got it. [ He's not exactly bulky, but he is taller than her. Akira hopefully does a decent job of blocking the guard's sightline as he casually shifts into it, sliding his hands into his pockets as he look towards the dining table. ]
Do your worst, Your Highness.
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... A boy she doesn't know the name of, she realizes. But it's a bit late for proper introductions at this point, isn't it.
She shoves those thoughts aside and refocuses on the task at hand. It's... difficult, to be certain of what she needs to do to give this new magic she possesses form, and a few moments pass where nothing happens save an increasing amount of frustration appearing on the princess' face. If she could just blast it, that would be one thing; if she could gesture more freely, that would be one thing. But she doesn't want to accidentally end up doing anything that might draw attention back to them...]
F... Forgive me. This magic does not follow the rules I am accustomed to--
[A little stage fright isn't going to stop her from trying again though...! She'll get it eventually, just give her a second!]
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It's fine. Nobody's noticed. [ Finding the frustration on her features, he offers some encouragement: ] Take your time, don't get into your own head.
[ Akira really isn't sure how the magic here works, but this much he's certain of. Overthinking and stressing rarely lead to a good outcome. ]
no subject
[Zelda exhales, a cleansing sort of breath. She can't deny the wisdom in Akira's advice, even if it something she's not necessarily very good at following in practice. Calm down, breathe, don't imagine into existence more pressure than there really is. This boy seems like a patient sort, if it should turn out that she really can't do this after all.
After spending a few more seconds to clear her head, she turns her attention back to the orb. So if the most straightforward options won't work, what will? What can cause something to appear to break all on it's own? Of all the things, it's the clinking of bubbly champagne flutes that gives her inspiration.
She concentrates, drawing circles in the air with her finger. And gradually as she does, Akira's odd ears might be able to pick up a new and strange ringing noise, like someone running their finger over the edge of a wine glass. The sound increases in pitch and volume, and the orb seems to vibrate slightly with energy-- until finally it shatters, bursting into millions of little sparkles of glittering light. Zelda gasps, a hand lifting to cover her mouth as she does.]
It worked...!
[And no one is more surprised by that fact than Zelda herself, but hopefully it's startled a few others...?]
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More importantly, it causes a small-scale ruckus. The sound she was generating was starting to irritate a few of the fae closest to the orb; when it suddenly explodes, there are surprised yelps and the buzzing of wings as they move away from the table.
Akira shifts enough to catch the guard in his peripheral. He hesitates, seemingly unsure about leaving his post, before moving towards the table.
And that's their cue to scoot.
He doesn't need to say anything, only shoot a look towards his partner-in-crime before taking a quick but casual steps towards the abandoned entrance to the hallway. ]
sorry for lateness! rl knocked me out for a bit
that's perfectly okay!
thank!
(no subject)