TDM: January

[moustre]

Test Drive: January

Welcome to 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.
• Applications Open The 24th! These will last until the end of the month, the 31st, with the intro log going up on February 1st. The application page can be found here. As a reminder, this will be our last uncapped application round!
• 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!



With that taken care of...

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 Prehistoric Wilde

Thick summer heat hangs heavy over the uninfected landscape like a damp blanket, smothering. The jungle around you is thick and wet, full of the sounds of chittering animals and the high-pitched drone of insects. The flora and fauna are like nothing you've ever seen before, large and alien in colors and shapes, though they bear no signs of the Cwyld. Flowers the size of a man's head and brightly colored in rainbow hues curl their tendrils invitingly, and giant mosquitoes buzz through the air seeking a meal. You can barely see the glow of the twin moons through the thick canopy above. There are no signs of civilization - at least, not the civilization most will be used to; only the distant sound of the river, compelling you to follow its winding path. But will you go forward, or will you go back?

Rumble in the Jungle Making headway through the jungle at night is a chore. The foliage grows thick and the humid heat is oppressive for even those who enjoy the warmth. There are no clear paths here, no easy way through. The canopy of the ancient trees far, far over your head is just as dense, but the faintest moonlight filters through the holes left by the huge leaves in stippling patterns across the musty forest floor. 'Large' seems to be the theme - lining whatever path you pick your way through, there are pitcher plants massive enough to swallow a grown man, with small animals and giant insects being digested down inside the sticky liquid that fills them. The flowers are as big as a man's head, and come in a rainbow of colors, their venomous tendrils curling toward signs of life. The trunks of some of the trees are as thick as houses, and shade the ground beneath them with leaves like umbrellas. The hand-sized mosquitoes thrive in the sticky heat and if not killed first, can make off with a full pint of blood from an unsuspecting person. At some point in your journey, the ground begins to rumble beneath your feet. The farther you go, the longer you walk, the more signs of life become visible: thick, winding trails of crushed foliage, huge, animalistic footprints in the mud. Luckily, to this world, you are small and insignificant, and may escape the notice of the local Monsters - the massive, prehistoric ancestors of today's Monsters. They seem like giants, colossal Titanoboa Nagas with hollow fangs like swords, towering Fauns with the lower halves of mammoths, sabertooth Turnskins, pterodactyl Harpies with leathery wings. Even the parts of them that resemble humans (and they have far fewer human-like parts than their modern counterparts) are larger than any actual human being. They operate primarily on instinct, made even stronger by the full moons above, and perceive the strange new creatures as threats - or food. Sticking to the river seems safest - at least until you run into megalodon Merrow, singing an alien, but alluring, song to draw in prey, or the apex predator of this prehistoric world - Dragons, bigger and scalier than the ones Mirrorbound may know, stopped to drink at the river. All other Monsters flee from the huge reptiles, lest they become food themselves. Luckily you can defend yourself with your new abilities, or your neat changes - you're small, but not totally helpless. Interesting to note... while all other Monster types are represented, there are no Fae or Chimeras in the Wilde here, and the Vampires are more like huge bat-monsters that traverse the jungle on all fours than humanoid bloodsuckers.

The Natives Going backward, away from the distant sounds of the sea and against the current of the river, leads you through dense jungle. How long have you traversed the landscape? Hours? Days? Time passes funny in dreams. Eventually the trees thin out, grow taller and less leafy, and the air becomes drier. Instead of loamy soil beneath your feet, you start to feel rocky, harder earth, and spot outcroppings of stone. The sun begins to rise, which makes it easier to spot people on the horizon, a little settlement coming to life in the morning, nestled where the river forks into two. They're much hardier than the familiar people of Aefenglom, sunburned and dressed in natural, rough fabrics. Their homes, if one can call them that, are shoddy little structures made of sticks and leaves and mud, pressed up against the sturdiness of the stone formations. And, when they spot strangers approaching their village, they scramble for their weapons - crude clubs, stone axes, even just large rocks snatched up off the ground. The translation magic works on them, thankfully. Their speech is halted and simple, but they get their point across. Tell them who you are, or they'll beat your brains in. Monsters might get their brains beat in anyway if they aren't careful, even though they're much smaller than the Monsters these humans are used to. And Witches? May the gods help you if you use magic in front of these terrified, unevolved people, lest they mistake you for a Fae (the word is whispered with fear and revulsion in their voices) and swarm you with simple iron tools. If you're an actual Fae, an obvious Fae? They'll whisk their children into their huts protectively and then run you right out of the village. Violently. The truly observant, or those who can see through illusions, among you may notice something strange, though. Some Fae actually seem to live among them, heavily cloaked in natural illusions, with the primitive humans none the wiser. There are just a few, but all of them look young, twelve or thirteen at the oldest, and they are all scared of their secret coming to light. Fae who get caught tend to be burned at the stake around here.

The Invaders Perhaps you chose to go forward, with the current and toward the distant sound of ocean waves, where the river pours into the sea. More long-time residents of Aefenglom may notice that the shoreline is familiarly-shaped, but wider, bigger, not yet worn down by thousands of years of erosion. There is no bustling Harbor, only the waves crashing on the rocks, small islands dotting the water near the shore. There is no Bright Wall - there is no city, even, only an expanse of beach transitioning gently into an idyllic grove dotted with gauzy, pointed tents, and a beautiful, gilded ship half sunk into the sandy earth. It seems safer than the jungle, at first - until you notice all the Fae. They're more insectoid than the ones many are familiar with, with big, glittering eyes and either bright, jewel-toned wings like dragonflies or butterflies, or delicate, leafy wings in greens and browns. They're also taller than modern, lesser Fae, though not by much, and they're thin and angular, standing on spindly limbs that barely seem able to hold them. Characters receive a warmer welcome here, by the band of true Fae that have made their camp in the grove, though the alien-looking beings have a tendency to treat them like toys, children, or both, cooing over their sizes and their magic. "Look at the little Monsters! Aren't they cute!" "We should make some of our own! And oh, the little humans have magic! Delightful!" It's hard to have a conversation with one - they're condescending at best, and at worst, flit off to another entertainment out of boredom while you're mid-sentence. And entertainments abound in their camp. They're served and tended to like emperors by collared humans - adults and young adults do the heavy labor, including pulling grand little chariots for transportation, though there are some highly-supervised human children running about fetching drinks and fanning their Fae masters with palm leaves. Farther out, a large, deep pit has been dug out of the earth, ringed by a waist-high barrier of logs, a few Fae gathering at the barrier and leaning over, talking in conversational, happy voices. Down below, Chimera gladiators fight for their amusement, while the Fae keep up running commentary, discussing each warrior's chances, new breeding prospects, interesting crossbreeds their fellows have come up with ("She's trying an Arachne and a Turnskin together, how delightful!"). Trying to disrupt the proceedings will only result in the Fae turning their magic on you - illusions and curses, nasty little tricks. Sit down, silly little ones! The fight is just getting good! Or maybe... Maybe they'll toss you into the pit to see what your chances are in battle.

Comments

QUESTIONS

[moustre]

GENERAL

[moustre]

Juza Hyodo | A3! | Turnskin

[sneaksweet]

I. Rumble

[It's not the first time he's had weird dreams, but it's the first time he's felt so lucid during one. None of these monsters are familiar to him. They're all huge and for the first time he actually feels quite small.

Just sitting here forever isn't really an option for him. He'll start walking along the river, guard up. Yet when he hears that alien song near the river he takes a cautious step towards it.]

's a bad idea...

[But he can't help mumbling that to himself.]

II. Invaders

[Turns out he's not cool with weird monsters just sitting around and making other dudes fight in the middle of a pit. They're people aren't they? Even if they don't really look the way anybody would expect a person to look.

He sat there uncomfortably watching the show being put on below for a good few minutes... until he finally couldn't take it anymore and turned to one of the fae, trying to get them to stop the fight.

And immediately he was pushed into the pit, flat on his back and wincing as he gets up.]

Dammnit. [He turns to whoever else is in the pit.] Hey, I don't wanna fight if you don't.

ii

[recklessbelief]

[As it turns out, hamfisted attempts at speaking to the figurative manager of this place is not particularly effective at enacting change to local practices. It was an earnest effort, trying to stop the weird treatment of the humans in the village and this blatantly awful practice of pitting chimeras against one another, but Akko's protests fell on deaf ears that quickly turned into impatience.]

[Thus, she was summarily dumped into the pit just a few moments before him.]

I don't, [she says with a shake of her head. Akko's grip on her wand is tight even though it's proven nothing but useless to her up to this point. One of her rabbit-like ears twitches slightly.] But I don't know if they feel the same way.

[She casts a glance in the direction of their would-be opponents.]

Saber | Fate/Zero | Witch

[arturiarex]

I. Here There Be Dragons

[ A sticky, sweaty, hot jungle is honestly the last place Saber expected to find herself after the end of the Grail War. She was sure she'd be dead or returned back to her own time to wait, suspended, for another summoning. Instead, she's here, with no sign of a magi to have summoned her and struggling through the undergrowth and mud with a cool determination. The skirts of her outfit drag a little and get caught on undergrowth, but she keeps on. And despite the heat, at least her armor and the full-body covering keeps the mosquitoes from taking her blood - and she's quick enough to swat them away when they for her neck or face.

It's still not pleasant. And she finds herself wondering what this place is and why she doesn't have appropriate knowledge. If this is a Grail War, why was there no summoner? And why doesn't she understand anything about this world?

She's found her way down to the riverbank, where the going is easier, and because she needs to cool down. She bends down to retrieve a handful of water and takes a drink of the cool water before she notices the massive form about fifty yards downstream.

Woops.

She slowly slides to her feet, hand falling to the hilt of her sword as the massive creature looks up and notices her - and anyone she's with and opens its mouth to roar. They look like snacks, apparently. ]

Prepare yourself.

[ Looks like she's going to fight. Welp. ]

II. Strangers in a Strange Land

[ Saber opts to go in-land; maybe it's a bit counter-intuitive, but she's following the river, trying to find people. And she does find them. Suspicious, probing people in primitive clothing. Saber watches them for a moment - it looks like a small village and if it weren't for the much more primitive clothing and surroundings, she feels like it wouldn't be too out of place in her old country. People scratching a living out of the bare earth and doing their best to just survive.

Saber shifts her weight and then draws herself up to her full height, glancing at the companions she's picked up along the way. This whole affair still feels like a strange, very lucid dream and she isn't so sure that's wrong. ]

Shall we approach...?

Wildcard

[ Choose your own! ]

i. which might be mean but I thought it was funny. at least she has aefendream witch powers.

[foundfamilies]

[ oh hey look it's someone in the middle of this strange forest-like thing! maybe she should see what they're up to. time to go walking towards this fine person and

Leslie is very brave for a twelve year old, but when some giant monster roars -- a giant monster Leslie hadn't even noticed before that moment -- her body tries to jump at the sound at the same time as her legs decide they're done with business for the day and collapse. So she ends up making it about three inches off the ground as she launches at a forty-five degree angle before tumbling forward onto the ground. She scrambles to at least leaning on her elbows. Her voice comes out in a squeak. ]

To run, right?

[ That's what she wants to prepare to do and is pretty sure everyone would normally do. That looks like something even the duchess would hesitate to face, and in Leslie's mind there is no one anywhere stronger. ]

arthur morgan | RDR2 | witch

[redeemed]

rumble in the jungle;
[ This isn't any sort of dream that Arthur was expecting. The sudden change from sunrise back to night is weird, and he sort of wishes he had grabbed his guns from his saddle, except he supposes that wouldn't have mattered; it's a dream, do you get to keep your thinks in a dream?

They do, apparently, allow giant plants and monsters in dreams, though. Arthur keeps a wide berth from anything that looks like it's got the capabilities of eating him, sticking below trees that aren't being strangled by vines and pausing to make sure that there's noises coming from small birds around him every couple of feet. He turns right the fuck around in a different direction when he comes across the massive web of an Arachne, and does the same when he finds the shed skin of a Naga. He doesn't know how fresh those are and he doesn't rightly want to stick around to find out, thank you.

At some point, he ends up near the river. It's not where he wants to be either, with the distant song of the Merrow, but he's thirsty; he's gotta risk it at some point. Arthur's just lifted himself back up from quickly slurping some water down with his hands only to pause, staring across the river and meeting the gaze of a Faun that mostly some sort of massive deer. Arthur stays still for a long moment like a frozen rabbit before one booted foot slides in the mud and he swears, sparks suddenly bursting from his fingertips. The Faun vanishes, and Arthur, once he's not fallen face-first in the riverbank, sputters. ]

What in the goddamn Hell was that?

the natives;
[ The little homes may be more prehistoric than even Arthur is used to, but they're familiar, in a way. Arthur's been the strange white man among people with every reason to hate him more than once, and he raises his hands to show that he's not armed and, somehow, manages to communicate with them; he's no threat, just a lost man looking for some shelter. The settlement lets him in, and a little while later Arthur can be found learning what he can from them - practical information mostly, like not to follow the songs of the Merrow. He can also be found partaking in an offered meal of meat and berries by a fire, or making a stone knife. ]

Definitely had worse hospitality before, [ he'll chuckle, looking at the people around him fondly. ]

the invaders;
[ Damn his foolhardy nature! Arthur's found the Fae after hearing stories of them back at the settlement, and there's not a wink of good humor in him. They treat the other dreams like pets, they're slavers, and they're- well he's not sure what they're doing with the dang monsters of this world, but it looks like they're breeding them together, and that sounds horrifying. Arthur's trying to behave - honest, he is - but damn, he misses his guns. All he's got is his stone knife and apparently some sparkles when something surprises him, and the damn tall-ass, spindly-legged, fairytale-creatures have magic. He can just hear Sean going on about the Fae now and telling him not to mess with them, and yet...

And so Arthur scowls, tucking his chin to his chest, and watches. ]

Buncha no-good, holier-than-thou...

wildcard;

The natives

[stopfen]

[The comment gets a small hum from young woman. And a nod. Her gear had gotten a few looks and she'd been forced to leave it in a storeroom on the outskirts. She didn't like leaving it but it wouldn't help her at the moment.]

Yeah. They're fine sharing their food instead of just leaving us out there like some would.

[There's no laughter from her. That had been a very real threat when the walls first fell.]

Sion Saiguuji | Di[e]ce | I haven't decided don't look at me

[restorefromsave]

[You know what is absolutely awesome when hanging out in a new world you've just arrived in after a lot of information you are still processing about what in the fuck is even happening?

Wild dreams. That's what is great. Dreams so realistic they might as well be real.]

1. Jungle Fun

[This might be a dream but Sion's never been in a jungle and he's pretty sure he'd never dream up a jungle with carnivorous plants bigger than he is. So he's a little annoyed. Slightly pissed. As he kicks away a plant tendril and ducks around some foliage to hide from a passing mosquito the size of his hand.

And perhaps walks right into you? He's well adept at keeping his senses alert for others in a city and even the countryside but the jungle is... Disorienting, to say the least. Either way the sudden realization he's not alone is startling.]

...!

2. Entertainment

[The fae seem capricious and vaguely threatening in their merry indifference as much as in their merry interest and when you are finally left along from being prodded and cooed at this tall teenager motions you over surreptitiously.]

I must ask if you know what is going on.

3. Fight fight fight

[Well, he's tried to be cautious but he's been shoved in the ring and so have you. It doesn't seem like weapons have been provided so it's just going to be a good old brawl unless you can convince him not to.]

Anything to say before we begin?

1 i'm sorry i waited until computer after all

[speakssoftly]

[Not only is the jungle disorienting, but Joshua is also quite adept at going unnoticed. Frankly he feels a bit dumb for ending up underfoot, since he's been following Sion for a little while. Must have gotten careless.

Here, have his best utterly guileless face.]

Whoops, pardon me.

aerith gainsborough | final fantasy vii | witch

[evanescent]

sprays single solitary mosquito with entire can of bugspray: tell your friends (rumble)

[The air is heavy, oppressive, and so dense and humid that Aerith has resorted to pulling her hair back and away from where it stuck damp, against her back and neck. This does not make the air any less unpleasant, but it helps a little.

This new magic in this new world is strange and fickle, has a slippery capriciousness that she has trouble with, but she manages to get flame to sputter to life in her palms, which comes in handy when it came to navigating the winding paths of foliage in the dark. It also comes in handy when a huge, buzzing mosquito rushes directly at her face, the resonant hum of it loud enough to make her teeth chatter in her skull.

Aerith, who is not easily cowed, shrieks. And the flame in her hands becomes a proper ball of fire that she launches at the bug in a panic. The mosquito twists in the flame, agonized, then lands with a dull thump at her feet, the spindly legs twitching even as the smoking carcass begins to cool.

She bends over, hands on her knees, trying to get her heart rate to return to normal. But she barely has the time to relax when she feels the ground tremble beneath her feet, and wobbles in place before an exasperated and quiet,]

Oh, come on, [escapes her.

She hightails it to a nearby bush, but surely her little magic display (and the screaming), hasn't escaped the notice of the local and unreasonably giant fauna. Hopefully someone's around to help her out!

Hopefully.]

dire dire docks (rumble...2!)

[Though the heat has sent her hair into frizzy disarray, and she's spent the greater portion of the morning killing mosquitoes (which, despite her love of nature, she has developed a great distaste of), her eyes are bright and alert as she takes in the scenery now in the sunlight. It had been made shadowy and ominous in the night, but here and now she finds it beautiful, despite its dangers, and seems to be all unspent energy — every second her gaze turns this way, that way, she points out a plant she has not seen before or a spray of enormous, vividly colored flowers, and when she catches sight of the river proper, she gasps in delighted wonder.

Something else catches her attention though, and she frowns, thoughtful, tilting her head just so.]

Do you hear that...? It's beautiful...

[It's music, naturally, but she doesn't even wait for an answer before making her way forward.

She needs a child leash or something.]

meet me in the pit (invaders)

[Between visiting that tense and quiet village, and meeting the (condescending) Fae, it hadn't taken Aerith long to figure out what was going on, even with the reticence of the poor collared humans who seemed force to answer to the whims of their masters. So naturally, she'd said something about it. Many somethings, actually, and while the Fae had first thought her prattling amusing, it didn't take long for her to rub someone the wrong way, and so...]

Would you let go of me —! You can't just treat these people like this, I don't care who you are — oof!

[She's tossed bodily into the arena, and lands, uncomfortably, on her stomach. For a moment she lies there, blowing a bang out of her face in open irritation, and with a groan, straightens up to regard her opponent.

She is not intimidating even on a good day, but there's a stubborn set to her jaw and an expression on her face that seems to indicate that, even with this, she's ready to throw hands.

But first, she ventures, softly:]

... Do you really want to fight for their entertainment? They're a bunch of jerks.

(wildcard)

[None of these options appeal to you? Well, wildcard it on up!]

dire dire docks

[arturiarex]

[ Saber has maintained an impressive sort of passivity and cool expression, despite the utter miserableness of the climate (and the layers of cloth and armor she's wearing). Her hair is plastered to her forehead with sweat. Despite that, she's relatively glad to have found someone to travel with - even if she's not the most enthusiastic about showing it.

The fact that there's a river and running water is a revelation. What's more, maybe they can follow it to a town or city. She's about to comment as such when the song floats through the air and catches her attention. Much like Aerith, she's spellbound for a moment. ]

I do. Who could be singing all the way out here?

[ Something doesn't seem quite right, but she follows in Aerith's wake. ]

We should be cautious.

lance / voltron / merrow

[loverboi]

a. rumble in the jungle

[ lance has dreamt of running away from monsters before. it's really nothing new, considering that his adventures as a paladin in space have led to meeting some very interesting creatures. but this? being chased down by a sabertooth while also dealing with webbed fingers and toes? yeah, this is the weirdest stress dream he's ever had.

he's definitely running for his life. this sabertooth turnskin is either very hungry or very territorial -- or perhaps both -- and lance was the unlucky guy who pushed its buttons. it's running after lance, and it's running fast. lance is just narrowly escaping it, trying to look for some kind of out but with not much success. it's hard running with webbed toes, he's realizing...

...which is why he trips over himself, rolling onto the ground. the sabertooth stops running and begins to approach, looming over him. snarling at him.

if anyone's nearby, lance will look over with desperation in his eyes. ]

I could use a little help here!

b. the natives

[ "tell us who you are," the villagers say, staring at lance with angry eyes. he looks at them a little nervously before he immediately tries to put on the cool guy act: ]

Name's Lance, Paladin of Voltron. You know, Defender of the Universe, giant robot made up of mechanical lions.

[ he does fingerguns, flashes them a very cheesy grin and there's a glint in his eye. there's a pause on both sides for a moment, though the natives seem only more upset at this introduction. lance immediately goes back into a panic, backing away as the natives start to approach him.

"he's a monster," one of them hisses, pointing at his webbed fingers. lance's eyes widen at the remark. ]

What?! No I'm not, I'm just -- a human who happens to have webbed fingers! For some reason!

[ god, why is he getting himself into so much trouble today!! step in and try to help him, or popcorn the oncoming battle. the choice is yours. ]

c. the invaders - camp

[ lance finds himself at the fae camp with several others. he watches as collared humans pull around the chariots and frowns. he also sees children who are fanning their masters, and that makes him frown even more. for as warm of a welcome as they got, he's finding that he likes this place a lot less than the last.

he walks out from under the tent, armor glistening underneath the sun. he looks pretty bothered by this whole ordeal. it just doesn't sit well with him, treating people (human or otherwise) like this. ]

I...kind of feel like we should do something to help those people. The way they're being treated isn't right. [ he turns to look back at the children, especially, and then he looks down at the ground. ] I don't know. It's just...it might not be our place, but...

d. the invaders - the pit

[ and of course lance finds himself in the arena after he tries to get up and leave. of course he does. he just can't have nice things here, now can he!!!

he looks at his opponent. no matter how strong they look, lance looks very unsure about this, especially with the crowd egging them on, urging them to start fighting. lance makes no move to do anything though. instead, he rubs he back of his head and meets his opponent's eyes. ]

I say we should figure out a way out of here and not, you know...fight each other. Right...?

[ so. what's it gonna be? ]

( c )

[fabrications]

[ Akechi's not having a great day in the first place, and the very uncomfortable air in the Fae camp has really only served to make it worse. And while it's a stretch to say that he actually cares about these collared strangers, it's not inaccurate to say that something about the idea just... gets under his skin.

Still, he doesn't look hopeful when Lance proposes doing something to help. ]

There's only so much you can do to help someone who doesn't want it.

[ He'd tried to talk to a few of them, and saying that he was brushed off is putting it mildly. ]

Mikasa Ackerman | Attack on Titan | Fae

[stopfen]

[...Again? Or it seems that way at first when the heavy footsteps of the colossal titans' fades. Except this time it isn't still. There isn't the white sands or starry sky. Armin isn't there, Eren's voice isn't echoing around them and most importantly. It doesn't shatter and leave her on the rooftop this time.

But she sees the trees. Those have always been the best place for her gear to be used. Even if this stifling heat made the straps uncomfortable. Her casual uniform wasn't as thick as her combat one, but even that might be a blessing here.]

Rumble in the Jungle
A. In we go [The bugs are easy enough to handle. She's quick enough to stomp a heavy boot on them with a grunt. Or swing a blade if she needed to. The boot was actually working better. While she could force the blade through, they quickly grew blunt from the exoskeletons. She doesn't bother swapping them out. It'd be a waste and she'd rather have sharp ones if she needed them.

So she's not all surprised when the tip of one snaps off flying into the bush...She shrugs that off watching it go.]

Try not to waste too much energy on these. [She's not even bothered.]

B. Bad news bears? [But then she hears a much more familiar noise. Something larger. Her body tenses for a moment. Then she's up in a tree, her gear securing her to a branch. If there's someone else there she'll grab them. It's an instinct at this point. Or they're too far and have the climb, or jump into a bush, just not be there. Something about the footsteps didn't sound like a titan, even if they were heavy enough.

But then a... bear? A bear with long teeth? ...She wasn't sure what it was. But it was large. Large enough to knock down the smaller trees and gouge chunks from the larger ones. Then there's another and they're both sniffing, tracking. Making strange calls. She doesn't say anything, barely takes her eyes of them. Only enough to give the other wanders a warning glance.]

The Natives
[Once the initial and very awkward introductions are out of the way. Mikasa isn't really sure what to do with herself. It doesn't take her long to check her equipment. Wincing when her hand touches the handle. She waves it, looking at the scald before rubbing it with her other hand.]

Do you think we'll be staying here long? I don't think we're welcome...

[An understatement. Said completely seriously. But then a child catches her eye. The girl had been staring for a while. But Mikasa hadn't paid it no mind, she'd gotten used to it with Louise. It was harmless. But this girl seemed afraid. Her pupils expanding until her eyes are entirely black. Then she bolts, running from the guests. The air around her wavering.]

What just happened?

The Invaders - probably going with this for game cannon
a. We're the petting zoo attraction [Mikasa wasn't sure what to make of the tall, lanky beings. Jerking her head away when one reaches for her. Aww, look at it's cute little ears~ It makes Mikasa pause and actually reach for them. They mostly felt normal, until she got to the top, where they tampered off into a point. It only earns more cooing from the Fae and a small growl from Mikasa when she grits her teeth. Then it's reaching for her again and she's reaching for a blade.]

B. My child now [The True Fae might have found that more amusing than anything. Because they just titter and keep bothering the travelers, grabbing at them, ignoring when they're shoved away. But all that laughter made them thirsty, and soon a servant is called to bring drinks.

It's a young boy. Pale and shaking. And Mikasa sees red. He screams when she charges at him, grabbing him, tucking his head into her shoulder as she picks him up. Most of the Fae seemed to find that just as funny as the rest of their guests' actions, but one, the one that took the child. They're pissed. Approaching her and the rest of the group spreading their wings. Hissing. That was their's! Not that it has any effect other than making Mikasa clutch the boy closer to her. Responding with her own strange chirps.]


Wildcard
[If you got a prompt you want to play with me or just want to mess with the monster roulette. ]

Invader a

[foundfamilies]

[Leslie is no more fond of being poked at than anyone else, but she's a little more aware than Mikasa seems to be that there are sure a lot of them. Also just in general being annoying isn't worth being killed for??

So as soon as she notices Mikasa preparing to draw a sword (which, honestly, probably gave Mikasa enough time to reach the hilt), Leslie panics slightly. She could try to stop her with magic, but she's too thrown off by her usual shadow magic not working that she doesn't reach for the dream magic when she's panicked.

Instead she just bodily throws herself at Mikasa and grabs Mikasa's sword-drawing hand with both of her own. ...Since Leslie is smaller than the average 10-year-old despite being 12, Mikasa probably could still draw her sword with a bit more effort than usual.]

Wait wait wait! Even if this is a dream, that's really dangerous!

zelda | breath of the wild | witch

[lucubrates]

RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE

[ It certainly feels like a dream. A memory of bygone times, nostalgia nipping at her heels as she traverses dangerous terrain. All that's missing for her is the protection of her knight, silent but reliable as ever. Even the monsters are somehow nostalgic for her, and Zelda can't help but imagine this is something she'd cook up in her nightmares. Beasts driven mad under the influence of a moon that looms threateningly over them, as if Calamity's presence still seeps through even in her subconscious. Perhaps that's to be expected after what felt like an eternity keeping it locked away.

But it's calming, in some way. Walking along the banks of a river, even as she tries to maneuver safely— sneaking, one might call it. It's a bit tricky when you've hair as golden as her's and there's so much of it. Zelda dips behind trees and into bushes, dodges the tremor of creatures that tower over her like mountains. Nostalgia isn't always safe, perhaps. She wouldn't call it fun, either. Perhaps if Link were here...

Gold trimmed blue tunics aren't very stealth inclined. It's only a matter of time until the princess is spotted, realistically. She's done well for the most part, working against circumstance as one might expect her to. All the same, she's fleshy and meaty and a sitting duck.

The banks of the river as dark under the curtain of night and the majority of the light is coming from that damnable moon, so Zelda tries to keep to the darkest parts of her path. The water invites the mosquitoes, though, and when one tries to partake in her, she yells, slapping it off her. Of course, now there's a wound and she's made noise. Wounded animal that she seems to be, Zelda makes a break for it when there's a little too much rustling for comfort. In her haste, she leaps into the moonlight and it's there that she's easily knocked into by something only slightly larger than her. She swears it could be a dragon but such things were the creatures of legend. Her boots slip in the mud, and she skids right into the water. It's not ideal, but she'll take it.

Perhaps it is legend that takes her, because it's gone in a flash. The memory of scales against her is vivid, but maybe...

Well, sitting in the river isn't going to help either. Zelda starts to doggy paddle, slowly making her way to the muddied land that should hopefully spell out some kind of stability. As calm as the waters are...

The music that comes to her ears is familiar but unknown, as if perfectly pitched to resemble an ancient language she'd heard and once thought about studying. It's not the same, no. But the waters are calling, Zelda thinks.

So she stops and turns, and stares where the river bubbles. To someone less entranced by the voice that rises out of the waters, it might resemble the tremble of a monster coming for a feast. All the same... the princess seems to be unable to move. With the amount of noise she'd just made, it might be ideal to do so, but... ]

BALLAD OF THE GODDESS

Poor creature.

[ In the thick of the forest, after escaping her ordeal, she eases into a path that leads away from the water. It'd been an unpleasant place, with the bugs and the monsters, though this is only better if she knows where to hide. She'd taken to trees, climbing them and then trying to leap from one to another. It didn't always work and that shows in how she's gone and dirtied her tunic. It's splotched in places, now, the royal blue turning lagoon green in places. For all her hardships in getting this far, though, Zelda can't help but want to help someone when the time calls for it. She had fallen from a tree, slammed into the dirt with her back and with the action comes a yelp of pain... not just from herself.

It is a strange sight, surely, to cross the horizon and see a young woman hunched over a bat-monster with worry etched into her expression. She tentatively and gently pulls at their wing, and it yowls again— a broken bone, perhaps. ]

Please, hold still... I can't do much for you in this state. [ There's a pang of guilt there. Zelda thinks it's much smaller than the ones she's dealt with prior to this, perhaps a child. It doesn't move to attack, perhaps too wrapped up in it's pain to care. There's something else in her voice, too, something that betrays her worry. Surely, there is something she can do, right? Something... at all?

When a traveler crosses them, Zelda seems ready to grab it and run. But... to be fair, a fellow traveler probably isn't much more dangerous than the creature she's trying to take care of in the moment. ] You wouldn't have something for me to tie it's wing with, would you? I will repay you for your kindness, so do not worry.

THE INVADERS

[ This village seems like it's sent from Hylia at first, with the way the people crowd her. Hyrule is home to a host of different kinds of people, so the Fae don't alarm her, initially. She's had far worse experience in different villages and kingdoms— in her own kingdom, in fact. This grows more and more insidious by the moment, though, with each revelation becoming darker and darker. They settle in the pit of her stomach, and she grows more and more furious by the moment. It's easy to see, for the princess isn't hard to read when you get down to it. She looks away, expression cast in shadow, but blue eyes wet and brows furrowed. It'd started with the strange way they spoke to her, as if she were a thing. Then it was the adults living in servitude, and then she was served a drink by a particularly cheerful fae who had a child fetch it for her.

She keeps close to anyone who seems to be a traveler like herself, as if being near someone who might share in her experience is safer. This place is so alien to her, after all. Is it to you? She can only hope so.

What makes her snap is the pit. ]

I'm going to say something. [ She announces it as if that's final and that's all to be said on the subject. Zelda still works with the idea her opinion has sway here, and it shows in the way she straightens her back and holds her drink out for you to hold. ] Would you kindly hold this for me? I will return shortly.

[ she totally will not ]

DESCENDANT also rumble jungle

[sageprincess]

[It feels like ages since she's had a dream like this, something that feels more like a memory of the foreign land she's fallen into rather than some vivid imagining. Of course, it couldn't come at a worse time, considering the chaos the mirrorbound are dealing with in Aefenglom, but she supposes her body likely needs the rest. Silver linings, and all that.

The jungle is thoroughly unpleasant, however, and no amount of optimism is going to change that. The sweltering humidity is a far cry from the more temperate climate of Kokiri Forest, and the buzzing of the giant mosquitoes is a great deal less charming than that of the fairies that make the woods their home. She follows the sound of water for the sake of getting a breath of fresh air more than anything else, really, but the sound of a scream in the same direction quickens her steps. What she sees when she finally reaches the river is a woman floating, entranced, and a terrible aquatic beast with too many teeth beckoning her closer.

Well, that won't do at all.]

Close your ears! Do not listen to it!

[She calls, voice desperate to distract the girl from the siren's song as she rushes to the river bank nearest her. The jungle's oppressiveness proves beneficial in one regard: there are plenty of vines and such to grab onto to stabilize herself as she leans out over the river as far as she's able, hand outstretched and grasping.]

Please, take my hand...!

Bernadetta von Varley | Fire Emblem: Three Houses | Monster (undecided on which yet)

[bravelyathome]

I. Rumble in the Jungle

[So far Bernadetta hasn't noticed any changes to herself, a fact that is sparing a full on panic attack by some miracle, which has caused her to settle into cautious anxiety. She looks around her as she moves, ever step one that seems so carefully placed. Get closer and you can actually hear her quietly talking to herself.]

Come on, Bernie. It's only a big forest filled with things that want to eat you. You can do this. You...have...to.

[She gently slips into the hollow of a tree and crouches down.]

Ohhhhh! I can't do this! [The young woman looks like a terrified animal as she puts her hands over her head. Much like someone expecting to die at any moment. She whimpers a little bit before whispering again.]

This is why you stay home, Bernie. Otherwise you end up in weird places where you're sure to die!


II. The Natives

[By some miracle she's left her tree hollow. Now she's moved away from the sound she's not recognized (she's only seen the sea once in her life so it's unusual to her) and discovered...

Bernadetta squeaks and ducks out of sight. People! Breathing hard, she quivers a little, glancing around the thing she hides behind. They haven't seen her yet.

Well, time to cope. Somehow. With a story! About...her...]

The young girl stumbles on a village of dangerous people. She knows if she gets too close they'll kill her. Though she trembles she knows she must work hard to survive...

[Everyone copes somehow okay?]


III. Wildcard

[Got another idea? Go for it!]

I of course. Why wouldn't they meet in some ridiculous way.

[unyieldingmarch]

[Well. Edelgard is not making her presence a secret, or her steps any less noticeable. This is but a dream, after all, it must be. So, forward she presses, armed and armored as always...though she pauses briefly in a clearing, ears pricking up at the sound of a voice.

A familiar voice.

...A familiar voice just a few trees over.

Tromping closer, Edelgard peers into the hollow of that tree...]

Bernadetta?

atsuko kagari | little witch academia | puca

[recklessbelief]

i. we got fun and games

[She tries numerous times to get the end of her wand to light up. When that doesn't work, she begins shaking it vigorously, her mutterings getting a little more strained not in a panic but in a frustrated whine. She would be willing to privately admit that she's not the best at magic, but she should be able to do this. (It's a dream, too. So, honestly, shouldn't she be able to do any spell she wants regardless of whether or not she can do it awake?) Why is it not working?]

[There's the familiar sound of the violent swish of her wand in the air as she tries light it again, but it ends up being the last as it's swiftly followed by a yelp,]

No!

[Akko tries to blindly grab after it, trying to snatch it out of the air before it can get too far in its trajectory, but all she manages is air. There is a fairly solid thwack somewhere in the near distance and Akko takes a step towards it only to freeze in her tracks at the sound of a low growl. Akko hardly dares breathe, uncertain of where her wand landed and who it landed nearby, but this... This feels different. Akko's not fearless, but she's never been paralyzed like this before. She's always at least been able to run and buy herself some time.]

[The wind picks up, stirring some of the large foliage above and two eyes glint back at Akko in the dark. She wants to scream or close her eyes and will herself awake, but she can't do any of it. She can only stay stock-still, fear flooding every thought of what to do straight out of her head.]

ii. we got everything you want, honey

[One would assume from the abruptness of the yell and its intensity coupled with some frantic spalshing, someone was getting mangled or consumed by one of the gigantic Monsters roaming the land right now. That assumption would be entirely incorrect.]

[The truth is, Akko has only just now realized some of the changes to her features now that she's stopped to take a drink from the river. While this may be a dream, it's still a bit startling to look at one's reflection and suddenly seeing atop your head two short and fuzzy leporine ears. Can Akko really be blamed for slapping at the surface of the water as she backed away from the water's edge?]

[Quieting back down, Akko creeps back over to the edge of the water to inspect them. Slowly, she reaches both hands up to feel them and seems mildly surprised that she can touch them. (No yelling this time, thankfully.)]

When did...?

[Do you point out that they've been there literally since she's been in this dream or just give her a few more minutes to wrap her head around this concept to arrive at the conclusion herself?]

iii. we know the names

[She's been quiet since arriving in the Fae village. Well. Quieter. Akko tried multiple times to talk to literally any of their gigantic bug overlords, but all she's gotten are little coos and one even went so far as to try and pet her. After a while, she didn't exactly give up, but she started trying to come up with a different approach. Arms folded, a furrow in her brow, Akko considered the situation for a few long minutes until a small human child crashed straight into her. By some small miracle, Akko manages to react quickly enough to catch the drink that threatened to tumble off the boy's tray and set it right. His panic, apologies, and quick departure gets Akko to really look around them.]

[It doesn't take much longer before she turns towards her companion in this village.]

Who's in charge of this place?

iv. we are the people that can find whatever you may need (wildcard!)

((feel free to go nuts and do something else if these don't tickle your fancy! akko's adept at getting into trouble, so honestly, anything is possible. if you wanna run something by me first though, hit me up via pm to this journal or on plurk (rebreather)!))

ii

[loverboi]

Uh, pretty sure you had those for a while now.

[ says someone who approaches her from behind. akko will be able to see lance's reflection in the water just before he speaks. yeah, he's seen her around, so he's pretty confident when he says she's had those ears before.

he's naturally drawn to the water, for more reasons than one, and he looks at his own reflection, holding his hand towards the water. he spreads his fingers -- they're webbed. there's also a handful of scales on his forearm that are starting to form. ]

So...did you not have those ears before you got here?

[foundfamilies]

[ Content Warning: Leslie was a victim of child abuse, so while she doesn’t usually talk about it, her thoughts and actions are often noticeably shaped by those experiences. If you don’t want to deal with the results of child abuse or have any other reason to not want to thread with her, her opt out post is here

IC Note: In all of these threads, Leslie is being followed around by a living shadow (living collective of shadows? it’s unclear). They’re just going to be quietly staying inside her normal shadow, so I’m not going to mention them in any of the prompts, but Word of Mod is that someone who is magically sensitive, such as an experienced Witch, could notice them. I leave it up to player choice whether your character notices or comments on wow, Leslie, why does your mom let you have two shadows stacked on top of each other?? ]

I. Rumble in the Jungle

A) A Beautiful(?) Day in My Neighbourhood

[ You think you’re amazed by the sights of prehistory? Leslie has never been in a forest in her life. She’s fascinated by everything.

Following a small set of footprints in the mud, or just happening to wander in the right direction, will lead to the sight of a child rushing about with wild abandon, looking at everything and anything with great curiosity. At a glance, she appears to be around 9 or 10 despite her hair already being white, and she also definitely doesn’t look like she belongs here. The bare feet (now caked in mud) might not look out of place, but the ruffly nightgown and the plush rabbit toy stuffed under an arm definitely aren’t prehistoric.

Some of the things she might be found doing are probably harmless, like when she tries to jump up to grab at a low-hanging giant leaf (she is still at least two feet short at the top of her jump to grab it) or when she tries to turn over a log from a fallen tree over to see underneath (a similar lack of success given her arms are thin enough that they look like they’d snap if she fell over wrong.

Others might be less so. Biology was not a part of her education growing up, so she’s unaware that bright colours in the jungle generally mean poisonous, or in the case of the curling vines, venomous. All she knows is that the flowers are pretty and she wants to know what they smell like.

In either case, she would welcome company. In the latter case, she really needs it. ]

B. Buzz Off!!

[ If visual discovery isn’t your thing, we have one here for our auditory learners when a shriek pierces the background noise of the jungle. Right now, Leslie has a bit of an insect problem.

You see, about the hand-sized mosquitoes? Leslie’s hands are quite a bit smaller than usual, being only a little over four feet tall, but that doesn’t make the mosquitoes any smaller. She currently has one riding on her back, taking up not a small amount of real estate, while Leslie flails ineffectually, trying to reach her passenger and having much less success than she’d like, even when using her black bunny plush as a bludgeoning weapon. ]

How did — what is — ow! Don’t bite me!

[ She is very rarely managing to finish her thoughts as she is freaking out over this frankly enormous bug. Please help. ]

II. The Natives

A. Astronomy Lied to Me?!

[ After calming down the villagers, Leslie has taken a seat on a flat rock (after dusting it off the best she can), placing her stuffed rabbit on her be-nightgowned lap. She doesn't really need to rest, because this is a dream, but it felt like she'd been walking for so long that she feels like she ought to take a moment's rest. Swinging her legs a little, she looks up at the night sky. It always makes her feel -- hmm? There's something strange going on here.

Getting up, she seeks out the first person she can find who doesn't back away automatically from her, which is to say you. Holding her plush toy in her arms, she tries to get into your line of sight. ]

Hello. Do you -- ?

[ She comes up short. Huh. Your clothes are a lot more like she's used to seeing than from the villagers. This is especially true if you're wearing clothes from Aefenglom, as their Victorian aesthetic isn't that far removed from her own canon's kind of Georgian period aesthetic, but really, just having regular tailoring is enough to make it familiar. After a moment, she shakes her head -- it's a dream -- and resumes her question. ]

Do you see what looks like a second moon, too? What is that?

B. Children Are Children Everywhere

[ Despite the wariness of the general village atmosphere, even here, there are the joyful shouts of children. As Terry Pratchett might say, it's a lovely sound as long as you are too far away to hear what they were actually saying.

On the outskirts of the village, a group of children have set up a very low-tech shooting gallery, which is to say they have a flat rock that they put other rocks on to try to knock off by throwing even smaller rocks. When all you have is a hammer....

One of those children definitely isn't a part of the village, wearing a ruffly nightgown, but it seems she's been roped into the game. When it comes to her turns to throw, the village children are generally using noises or simple words to express more or less "wow, you suck at this." Leslie is not a good aim.

Eventually, though, someone notices that their children are not being as cautious about this outsider than they should be, and they are rounded up, leaving Leslie standing there looking a little confused and disappointed. She dejectedly tosses a few more rocks (they all miss their intended target) before a couple of the villagers come back to shoo her off completely. Look, we're ostracizing you. Don't hog the playground.

Obediently, Leslie scurries farther off before slowing down, looking first frustrated, then determined, as she goes from merely walking away to looking around on the ground for something.

Looking up to see you, she asks: ]

Have you seen some kind of flat rock, maybe raised a little off the ground, somewhere around? Outside of the village?

[ She's not going to just let herself be bad at this game when she has an opportunity to practice. ]

III. The Invaders

[ This is Leslie's grumpy face. She doesn't like being treated like a child, and it's not especially helping that they're doing it to everyone.

The thing that is most concerning to her, though, is the way that the humans here are dressed. The history books she's read are official histories, which means that if there was slavery in the early days of the empire, they certainly never wrote it somewhere Leslie has been able to find it. But even so, something about a collar just feels...bad.

After not finding any success asking the humans working here (and the fae becoming, if anything, even more patronizing when she tries), she instead sidles up to someone who also doesn't look like they belong here. Maybe not quite as much as Leslie, who is dressed for bed with no shoes, but certainly not anyone from here. ]

Are...are the... [ She traces about halfway around her own neck to indicate the collars. ] Is it normal for servants to be dressed like that?

I, a.

[evanescent]

[Aerith's just as mystified and fascinated by the change in scenery, the wild and untamed bursts of foliage, the pitcher plants that swallow massive mosquitoes (and in one instance, a bird) whole. The distant rumble of something large and cumbersome moving in the brush. Even with her own eagerness to explore, she's observant enough to notice a child, especially one that seems so out of place, and she's luckily quick enough to catch sight of that child reaching for one of the vividly bright flowers. She doesn't recognize her, but she knows enough to look out for anyone young and unsupervised.

Aerith scrambles forward, not mindful of the noise she's making, needing to lift her skirts some in order to run and almost tripping over a large, fallen tree branch in her haste to get to the kid before she touches anything dangerous.]

Hey, hey! Don't touch that — be careful!

wei wuxian | the untamed| monster: puca

[weiward]

rumble in the jungle:

[he normally doesn't mind the heat that much, it's too connected to memories of warm days and warm waters at lotus pier, and warm laughter as he splashed jiang cheng. but the heat there wasn't quite as miserable as this. his dark robes don't help, and the fur down his arms makes it even worse.

the fur down his arms...

the sweat catches between it and his long sleeves, and for once wei wuxian is himself irritated instead of being the irritation. he pushes through some of the monster foliage, ducking when giant fronds crack at his face like a whip.  he gives a mosquito the size of his fist a smack with chenqing when it make a dive for him.

he thought that the burial mounds were hell.

his groans turn to fake sobs, dramatic even when there's no one around to see him. but the fear that wei wuxian feels when he looks down and sees a very large, very canine pawprint in the mud is very real. his eyes flash in the darkness before he starts running back in the direction that he came, crashing and tumbling through the jungle in his haste.

he stumbles again, and the sound of footsteps has him trembling and covering his head with his arms. it doesn't matter that they're much lighter than a beast's, in his head, he can only picture one thing.

and his lips can only say one thing, over and over again like a prayer:]

Lan Zhan...Lan Zhan...

the invaders:

Ay - ay! That's easily bruised!

[wei wuxian can be flirtatious at times. and sometimes even a little childish, just begging to be indulged. (shije would. lan zhan would not.) but the fae are taking it too far, even for him.

when he goes deeper into their camp, he likes them even less. a few pinches are nothing compared to what he sees there. and wei wuxian is always quick to make his feelings about abuse and injustice known.

he mouths off for less than a minute before they throw him into the fighting pit across from their latest champion.
 
a few cheers would be nice. some help (inside the pit or out) would be even better. either way, he's going to need one of those fae drinks when this is all over.]

wildcard:

[start us off and i'll follow your lead!]

RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE and a side dish of word vomit i'm so sorry

[taciturnly]

( lan wangji has dreamed of one thing in the past five years, and it isn’t this. it’s a contrite smile, and a film of dirt caked in tears and blood-streaked lines. it’s a grip, not tight enough, this isn’t enough, he isn’t enough. it’s the mangled mass in his chest, at the end of its rope; he’s so damn exhausted, and then he’s nothing at all, his hand empty, a muffled cry in his throat when he opens his eyes. it’s always the same name, but no matter how many times he says it, there’ll never be anyone again to answer its call.

lan zhan. it’s what he thinks he hears when he oddly realizes he can’t wake up. the air is bloated with the stench of mud and sweat and moss, and his pulse buzzes in his ears, heartbeat heavier as he moves through ropy vines dripping off of enormous trees. it’s hot, his head is like molasses, and he feels weaker than he ever has before; his sword is unsheathed, and his golden core is useless. there’s something else in its stead, some kind of force, different, though it’s just a dream, and he needs to wake up.

lan zhan!

he stops. there’s noise, and a distinct voice he hasn’t heard in years. his back stiffens; it aches, because even if he’s always stood tall and dignified, the invisible weight on his shoulders has left him permanently crooked, where his heart is concerned. wei wuxian is dead. he chose to die because lan wangji couldn’t be strong enough to fully and openly stand by his side, and now his voice haunts him. it’s no better than his usual dream, and truth be told, it’s well-deserved.

it’s just. odd. steps approach, branches and leaves slapping against one another, and then there’s a flurry of black and red, a scream, and something crashes into him—someone—causing lan wangji to stagger backward. he doesn’t fall, though when he just as quickly straightens up with his sword at the ready, he catches a glimpse of long lashes, dread on the same face he sees every night, and his eyes widen and his lungs ice over, his knees almost giving in.

he stares, mildly agape, but his breath in the back of his throat, stuck on a name that won’t come out, holds a chasm of old hurts that sting in his eyes, knuckles white around the pommel of his sword.

wei ying. )

Urianger Augurelt | FFXIV | witch

[prophexy]

A - The Natives

[ He's not used to this place, or he might have been more cautious. When he realized there was a village here, people he could converse with and get information, he approached openly, being careful to keep his hands visible but without any hesitation or concealment.

But he's not used to a world of only Hyur and monsters, and he doesn't quite grasp the situation until they've already surrounded him. In addition to his being well over six feet tall and having visibly pointed ears, Elezen proportions are off enough that they seem convinced he's some kind of monster. From what he can gather of their discussion as he stands in the middle of a group, hands in the air, with weapons pointed at him, the only question is whether they should just drive him away or make certain he's incapable of coming back. ]

I assure thee, I mean no harm to thy village. I sought only information. [ He shifts out of the way of a warning jab, and continues doggedly. ] But allow me to depart, and I shall go willingly - thy weapons are wholly unnecessary.

[Help?]

B - The Invaders

[Urianger hasn't spent three years learning to get along with pixies for nothing, right? These Fae are much larger and more insectoid, but the similarities are undeniable regardless. Even so, while well-placed flattery may put them in a good mood, he can't seem to get any useful answers about why they're here or what the deal is with their mortal pets.

Once he's given up trying, they seem content to ignore him while he stands off to the side and tries to assess the situation on his own.]

I would suspect that the difficulty lies less in freeing the bound than in ensuring they aren't recaptured...

C - Wildcard

[ By all means, drag him into something else! ]

B - /rubs hands together

[darkcharge]

[ The Fae don't pester Vanitas for good reason. After a few scorched/frozen wings and a few other mishaps, they are pretty content to give him the space he requires. Vanitas doesn't play well, after all.

When he sees the tall guy standing off to the side, muttering about how to best help the poor fools that have been captured? Eh, he can't entirely help himself but to interject. ]

Are you sure that it is really your place to interfere?

derek hale | teen wolf | witch? maybe??

[scyldig]

welcome to the jungle —

[ even if this giant, weird, unbearably humid forest isn't like the forests derek is used to, it's still a forest. he can navigate it fairly easily. not as well as he might have if he still had the super senses being a werewolf gave him, but well enough to dodge a lot of the larger monsters.

mosquitoes on the other hand? those fuckers are something else. derek's been bit a couple times by now. luckily, none of the mosquitoes have survived long enough to really get a meal but he does now have welts all up and down his arms. and a very pointy stick he picked up to stab bugs with. it was better than getting even more bug guts on his hands and then his jeans when he tried to wipe off his hands.

(look, his clothes are already so sweaty that a little bug juice isn't that huge a deal. it's gonna have to be washed anyway.)

the makeshift-spear is also good for brandishing when derek doesn't hear someone coming soon enough for him to hide. which is what he does when he finally hears footsteps behind him. with a deep frown, he whirls around and holds the stick in a... mildly threatening manner.

what do? ]

the invaders, pre-pit —

[ derek isn't a super personable guy on a good day. he's significantly less so after stumbling across the fae and their collared human children. if he'd had his way, he'd have avoided direct interaction with the fae. sadly, one of them caught sight of him before he could make himself scarce.

still, he sticks to the edges of things, arms crossed over his chest, and resting bitchface activated. he's keeping a close eye on whatever serving children he can keep an eye on. he's... also not listening very well to whatever fae decide to coo over him. that will probably end poorly at some point, but for now he's getting away with it.

and with ducking out of whatever conversation was happening around him to snag the elbow of whatever uncollared, non-fae creature he sees out of the corner of his eye. ]

Hey, wait a second.

the invaders, post-pit —

[ it was only a matter of time, really, before derek inadvertently pissed someone off, probably by ignoring the wrong fae or trying to talk to the wrong human. he ends up in the pit.

the fight is pretty damn brutal. derek's not exactly fighting to kill, but he is fighting to survive. and with a handicap. he's used to using claws and fangs in fights, not fists and feet. as such, by the time the match is over he's--not in the best shape. there's a number of claw marks across his bare chest. most of them are at least partially scabbed over at this point, but there's a few on his side that are still wet with blood. and he's got the beginnings of what's going to be a hell of a shiner.

away from most of the crowds, he gives himself a bit of a once-over. gently touches the edge of the still-wet marks and winces. those are gonna need a bandage at some point. it can wait for now, though. now he just lays down on the ground and stares up at the sky for a while. quiet. tired. already sick of whatever this place is. ]

wildcard —

[ hit me up with whatever! i'm open to just about anything. :> ]

post-pit

[lucubrates]

[ Zelda doesn't think, initially, that he is someone like herself. Drifting from place to place, looking for peace in the dangers of this world. She assumes without asking that this is one of the people the fae have brought here with the interest of making him fight for their entertainment all his life. It's sickening. Children with collars on pass them and Zelda dips a bit in the interest of trying to catch his eye in a friendly, lighthearted manner. Thankfully, resting bitch face and "I've have a bad lifetime" face are no strangers to her. It'd be certainly understandable in the circumstances.

With her ears, it's easy to see she's not human, but she lacks the insectoid appearance of the fae. Truthfully, it's quite obvious she's an elf, but as a Hylian, she has no actual understanding of such a race. All the same, her clothes are clearly meant for travel and they've stained from blood and mud and dirt and mysterious plant fluids she'd like to forgot about stumbling into. The whole ordeal had been rather embarrassing! She's clearly traveled far to get here.

Tilting her head, she gives him a tentative, but apologetic smile. ]

Worse for wear but not down. Right?

Kurumi Ebisuzawa | School-Live! | Vampire

[trusttheshovel]

i - Rumble: Mosquito killer

[Dreams.. Kurumi has them, ones where she lives a normal life with no worries whatsoever to nightmarish ones where she relives the outbreak at school. This is unlike any one of those dreams, though. For one, she's in a jungle. It's hot, oppressive, and dark out here, plus she's underequipped and has no experience whatsoever with traversing this territory. She's an athletic, but damn, she's getting tired quicker than she should be. Her skin is pale and sickly, strands of hair have found themselves stuck to her sweaty forehead, beads running down her face. Two, there are carnivorous plants bigger than the average person and monsters that are trying to eat her. Zombies might be unsurprising, heck she could handle them, but these are rather ridiculously imaginative of her.

Fortunately, she has a mean of protecting herself. Her ever-trusty zombie-killing shovel. The huge mosquitoes were easy enough to handle. They icked her at first, she might've shrieked too in the first couple encounters, but one good swing from her shovel made quick work of these hand-sized bugs.

After her latest bug kill, Kurumi bends over, her hands on the shovel handle for support, panting as she tries to slow down her heart.

Relaxation doesn't come for her though, as the ground beneath her feet trembles. She wobbles and very nearly lost her footing before she yells, exasperated.]

Damn it! What's with this place?! [She knows not what monster she'll have to deal with now, and she's certainly not stupid enough to try and fight them. She better finds a place to hide, fast!]

ii - Rumble Part 2: Changes

[This hasn't been a pleasant one, so far. Most of her time was spent on running, hiding, killing mosquitoes, and running. She's tired, and she wants a place to rest and cool down. She'll find her salvation soon enough. After a bit more of walking and torturing her legs, Kurumi's found herself down to the riverbank. Her eyes are wide and bright, taking in the scenery in front of her in wonder. Needless to say, it was like heaven.

She's thirsty, so she bends down to slurp a handful of water down her parched throat. And that's when she realizes some odd features on her.]

What?

[Staring down at her reflection, Kurumi has only now noticed the changes to her feature. Pale skin, pointed eyes, red irises instead of the usual purple, sharp fang visible from the corner of her mouth. A dream this maybe, but it was still startling to see them. And she's pretty sure these changes had nothing to do with her zombification.

She's been staring down her reflection intently for some time, at times touching her features to makes sure they're really there.]

iii - Invaders: In the pit

[It might've been from the accumulated stress from earlier and her foolhardy nature. But seeing the collared humans subjected to the whims of their fae masters, she has a thing or two to say or mouth off about that. She may be lucky that many laughed her off and then left after they grew tired of her mouthing, but eventually, she's going to piss off the wrong fae.

And the next thing she knows she's thrown at the pit. Her shovel is in her hands, but she hardly looks like she wants to fight. So, no matter who her opponent is, Kurumi just looks at them with discomfort over this whole situation, especially with the crowd overhead encouraging to fight.]

H-hey, I don't want to fight you. [She really, really doesn't. Help figure out a way out of this?]

Wildcard

i

[foundfamilies]

[There were plenty of dangers to a completely curiosity-driven search of an unknown jungle by a twelve year old who doesn't know anything about jungles and is certain this is a normal dream, but for once, it paid off when, several minutes before Kurumi arrived, Leslie had stepped on what she assumed to be solid ground and suddenly vanished. Some plants had grown over a hollow beneath a semi-uprooted tree and, while they were heavy enough that even these mosquitoes could land on them safely, they were not tested for child weight.

The hollow was not deep, thankfully, and she was glad to have found it when a mosquito followed right after and was stopped by the plants. She's doubly glad when the ground starts to shake that she's not out there for whatever that is. (Cave-ins don't occur to her.) For a moment, she rests in the slightly cooler, shaded glorified hole in the ground, but when she hears a voice that sounds human, she finds a small hole to peek through.

...okay so Leslie was generally pretty good about not judging people by their appearance, but the fangs and strange eyes make her pause, at least, and wonder if this is someone else she should be letting in. But that is a voice speaking words that Leslie recognizes, and anyway this is a dream so it probably doesn't matter, so when the ground shakes again, Leslie climbs up the slanted wall and pokes her head back out of the hollow through the plants.]

Hey! Hey, over here!

Sora | Kingdom Hearts | Monster: Puca

[oathkeeper]

[A: rumble in the jungle]

[At first he thinks that he’s been to a place like this before. A dream of some sort to a faraway place that he can’t quite remember all the details of. The trees are so huge and the foliage is so wild that he’s immediately reminded of The Symphony of Sorcery in his part of a shared dream that consisted of so many big and wild plants just like this.

One of the first things that Sora sees is one of those giant pitcher plants growing out of the ground. It lets off a sweet-smelling aroma and it’s almost like those giant pink petals are glowing under the two moons above him. It’s massive and alluring! And he has no idea that it’s filled with a sticky liquid used to digest live animals…!]

Whoa, this place is really weird. Just look at these giant flowers!

[None the wiser, Sora goes up to it and sniffs. Feeling oddly compelled and curious to touch a petal and a weird tiny little thought to try and lick it. (maybe his monster tendencies are already trying to show??) And in the instant he moves his face closer to the giant flower it seems to suddenly snap up its leaves and petals and tosses Sora high up into the air!]

Ahhh!?!

[Agile enough to grab onto some sort of branch or vine Sora suddenly finds himself precariously hanging above the pod of sweet sticky digestion fluid! This is what he gets for trying to lick foreign plants...]

Hey! Someone help me down from here!

[B: the natives]

[Upon finally finding some civilization out here Sora is more than happy to try and make friends with these people. He may be turning into a monster eventually but right now he still looks like a simple boy of sixteen years with bright eyes and a warm smile and the biggest need of a drink of water and something to eat. Is he supposed to feel this hungry in a dream...?

Eventually, Sora does manage to befriend some of the small children that are curious enough about him to venture closer. Sora squats down to their level and gives a simple friendly wave before he reaches out to pick some flowers from the dry ground.]

Hey! I’m Sora! Do you wanna see a magic trick?

[Sora uses the little flowers and a simple (albeit kind of amateur) sleight of hand trick to make the flowers ‘vanish’ inside the cuff of his glove. The kids giggle and shout at the trick and seem delighted!

... But don’t let those wary adults see that Sora just performed ‘magic’ or he might be in for a lot of trouble. Getting burned a the stack doesn’t seem like a great first day?!]

Want me to teach you how to do it?

[C: the invaders]

[He’s not really sure how he ended up in this place. Maybe it was the strong smell of the ocean and the beaches that made him wander out this way? But he’s swept up in the activity and attention finding that a lot of these insect-like fae people are poking and prodding at him. Some of them are getting way too close for comfort! Going as far as tugging on his hair and even poking him in various spots. When one particularly handsy fae touches him square in the butt Sora yelps and jumps forward a step.]

Hey! Would you knock it off?! What’s the big idea with all the poking?!

[She frowns and waves a hand which immediately sparks a spell out towards Sora and he finds his lips suddenly magically shut and he can’t talk!]

Hnhn?!?!

[The lady fae waves a finger.]

"Now, now. Once you’ve learned to show a little respect, I’ll take that curse off. Until then you can keep your cute little lips shut. Otherwise, we’ll throw you in the pit. Now let me see you."

[Sora looks shocked and annoyed! How is he going to get out of this one? Maybe he needs some help from another witch who knows how to dispel curses?! Or a monster can help him sneak away? How’s he supposed to talk to anyone for help?!]

a

[darkcharge]

Well well well. Look a what we have here. Seems like little brother is in a bit of trouble. Whatever will become of him?

[ Guess who happens to be reclining on a branch right across from Sora? Vanitas, obviously. No helmet may mar his features this time and, well, it would appear that he is wearing something like actual clothing, but. Well. Time can change a few things.

His Flood, however, sees fit to jump over to Sora's branch. Watching. ]

raemiel | original | witch

[frostmoon]

in the jungle;
[ This is a dream. He knows this, which is why he's not bothered about not being dressed. It's just a dream. Not that he really needs clothes, anyways - his body is entirely transparent from the neck down, smooth like a carved doll, lacking familiar trappings of human anatomy. The damp air starts to freeze on his skin instead of sticking to clothes (as he has none), leaving blooms of snow on his arms and legs.

Even if he's able to tolerate the heat, it is not pleasant. Raemiel's self-induced tranquility is what lets him keep his metaphorical cool, traversing the jungle towards the sound of water. If there is a river, there ought to be open space above it, and he can then see their location from the sun. He slips through the undergrowth silently instead of hacking through the vegetation, nimble enough on his feet to jump and climb trees. He keeps to himself for the most part, though his unusual appearance stands out regardless.

Once at the river, he looks up at the sky, his blue hair rippling in an unseen breeze. He seems disinclined to speak unless called out to, or when he sees someone in the shadow of a large mosquito.

He bounds towards the offending insect with silent footsteps, a curved blade sliding out the side of his arm. It seems like he's about to clock the poor person in the face, but there's the sound of metal and the mosquito falls to the ground neatly sliced in half.

Much better. The buzz was annoying him, anyways. He retracts the ice blade into his body, folds his arms. ]


the invaders;
[ The Fae. the word is pronounced in his head with evident distaste. Such monstrosities should be killed.... Raemiel has a dusty cloak now, filched from one of the Fae trash heaps. It's merely faded and not actually soiled, so he was willing to wear it and conceal himself. His blue hair still attracts too much attention, so he lingers behind one of the large rocks outside the Fae camp.

If he sees an unwitting person about to stumble into the camp, he moves to their side and drags them out by the wrist. His grip is firm and cold, like ice. ]

Don't. They'll enslave you.

[ Raemiel does not show emotion, but perhaps there was the briefest flicker of distaste somewhere in those pale blue eyes. ]


wildcard
[ hit me with something and i'll roll with it! raemiel is pretty unusual in his appearance so feel free to bother him anywhere, he's not too social but he doesn't ignore people either ]

Re: raemiel | original | witch

[itsjiaheng]

I mean-... that's a take..

[ Jongdae looks own at the icy grip on his wrist, curious how someone's hands could be so cold like that. His own skin -- which is cool to the touch -- is positively warm by comparison. ]

You have like.. experience with them or something?

kaden | fire emblem fates | witch

[nishiki]

I.) it's a jungle out there

[ he's running, and on two feet--- it seems just quick enough to keep enough space between him and what he's getting away from. the leaves smack his arms and at his legs, branches become tangled in his tail as he continues to move as quickly as he can through the dense jungle. with the heavy thudding of something large behind him, kaden's not stopping to smell the roses (because these roses would probably gobble him up, ears and all).

when he makes a turn, he scrambles to keep himself from losing his footing. somehow despite there being tons of things that stick and prod at him as he leaps through a rather dense patch of brambles, he keeps his momentum and he doesn't succumb to the slick, muddy ground. it's only when he realizes that the ground is becoming wetter and less solid, that he probably has to make his stand.

something about strategy. or something.

what's the most unfortunate is that he slams into someone as his thoughts are done wandering, sending himself sprawling to the ground, tail whipping around. from the brush, an imposing and monstrous figure emerges--- one of those huge bat-like beasts, the primordial vampire, looking hangery. ]

Sorry! Sorry... [ he's not apologizing to the bat. no, he's apologizing to whoever he collided with. hopefully they're not prone either, as picks himself up off the ground. ]

... help me out, and I'll pay you back in kind!


II.) do you know what's in the water that you drink?

[ but of course, after all of that nonsense with the vampire and the almost getting eaten alive and kaden's incredibly successful use of magic... he's made his way to the river relatively unscathed. the problem with spending that time running is the dirt! the sweat! the anxiety! oh, and the part where he's a little bruised and cut up, so he's definitely looking a little worse for wear.

this is why a river is great: he can easily use his scarf which has very little use in humid weather as a way to scrub himself off. the sound of water is soothing to his ears, of which his heartbeat has been deafening for the past while. he'll even dip his tail into the river, knowing that's probably the best way to get it clean though the drying part will be incredibly unfun.

but the song of the marrow is lurking, just beneath the burbling of flowing water. maybe this is how someone will come across the dirty kitsune, who immediately covers up his face with his scarf. ]

Wh... I'm not clean, can you come back in five minutes? Ten? Then we can talk.

[ near his submerged tail, the water seems to go still. just waiting. ]


III.) they're afraid of you and me

[ he's been able to camouflage his ear and tail through a bit of magic--- making them disappear and leaving him to look human for the most part. it's why he's been able to get into the native's village without much scrutiny, though he despises not having his kitsune parts freely out. despite all the fighting he's done alongside humans of royal blood, there will never not be some kind of bias against them. the worst of them have poached enough of his people's fur, and the best of them... well. he has hopes for the future, but that's on hiatus for now.

kaden is finally able to sit down, resting his back against one of the huts. he closes his eyes, though his nose is certainly starting to tingle. maybe it's from the dust? the leaves? either way, it's very difficult to hold it in any longer and kaden sneezes. ]

Ugh. Excuse me.

[ the thing he, doesn't realize his ears and tail are now visible. his concentration broken, he goes back to closing his eyes. ]


IV.) wildcard

[ obligatory wildcard, just pm me if you want something different or leave something here! :3 ]

i.

[incinerating]

[Emil had barely managed to get out of the jungle unscathed, and as it is, he's near the water trying to get his bearings and hoping to find some that's clean enough to wash his face. And maybe his hair. As someone who grew up in Scandinavia, he's very, very much not used to the heat and humidity, and he's a complete mess, hair stuck to his cheeks and forehead, flushed all the way down to his collar, stripped down to his high-necked undershirt. Which is built to retain heat. Since he'd just been in Finland.

Not ideal.

What's even less ideal is some loud guy stumbling out of the jungle, loud as hell and slamming directly into him. Emil almost loses his balance, flails his arms, manages to catch both of their weight with a big 'oof' as all his weight falls on the foot he'd thrown backward. Lifting his arms, he pushes the other guy back onto his feet and catches his balance. Before the guy's even done apologizing, Emil is pulling out his short sword.]

Oh my god, are you stupid?! How loud are you!?

[...Emil, you're being much louder and more clumsy than this guy you're criticizing for being clumsy. Not that it matters, because a second later there's a giant bat monster flapping out of the jungle like a nightmare from hell and Emil's eyes go wide.]

Helvetes jävlar, I'm really sick of this dream.

[The guy is offering to help him out and he'll help in kind, and Emil finds himself looking down at his sword. Making a snap decision, he resheaths it and pulls out one of his explosives and a lighter, glancing over at the other guy.]

Fine, fine. Keep it distracted, I'm...I have an idea. Just...you run when I tell you to, okay?

[Glancing over and making quick eye contact, he secures agreement, and the moment the other man makes to follow through, he's circling around behind the creature, thumb poised and ready to light the fuse. It'll take some good timing, and finding a spot to lodge the explosive, but he thinks...he thinks he can manage it.]

cloud strife | final fantasy 7 | monsterrrrr.

[bravers]

ii; the natives

[It's probably time to take a break. He's got no idea how long he's been walking. Long enough for daylight, apparently, though oddly, he's... not that sure if he's seen this sunrise before.

Had he?
Or was this the first time?

He doesn't know. He's very much a person engineered for duress. Augmentation's seen to that. He's not that hungry, when someone else would be damn near ravenous. He could drink, but he's not trembling, and not gasping for hydration, as most would be. His feet sort of hurt, but he's not limping from blisters and who knows what else.

...He's alright.

But he is feeling these things enough to be interested in what looks like a small camp- no, village- integrated with the rocks as best as it can be. It's no town. That's for sure. It looks simple, rudimentary, and basic. Far more basic than the slums underneath Junon and Midgar, even.

The same can be said for the inhabitant's attire. He's quiet as he approaches a small child- a girl, he thinks- by the riverbank. He's careful. He keeps the river between himself and the child, giving her plenty of room. Because he knows. A child, being approached by a grown man? Weird as hell, no matter where in the world you are. Or which world, as the case might be.]

...Uh. Hi.
I'm not gonna hurt you. D'you have any idea where-

[She drops the rudimentary apparatus (a sharpened stick?) she'd been fishing with into the river. She stumbles backwards.

Monster! Monster!!]

What? No. I'm just lost, and I'm looking for-

[Mama, mama! A monsterrrrrr!

...Well. That's not good. He's reduced to staring as the girl runs away, over the rocks.]

...The hell, kid?

iii; the invaders

[Fighting, honestly...

Is something that always comes naturally to him. Whether it's childhood- beating the shit out of kids that probably didn't deserve it, (Sort of) adulthood being gruntwork for a private army, and adulthood being getting into scrapes while travelling the world hunting for one of many black-cloaked men, or just even for some asshole floating theme park's owner's entertainment- fighting was... something expected.

Most of the time.

He didn't exactly expect this. Or the Fae themselves. Or... any of this. Because it's all confusing. He can't remember what got him here. Whether it was expressing disgust for the collared humans or expressing disgust for some... forced union between some recent winners, he's... found himself in the pit. With someone else that pissed off the Fae, apparently.

And for the first time, he's pensive.
Too-bright blue eyes look away. They look at the crowd, They narrow slightly at the jeers of 'just get on with it! Oh, this is so boring...' and then they switch back.

Both of them are unarmed.
And he...

He speaks. Roughly, should this be a complete stranger. He's really not that good with social things.]

...We goin' for this? Because I don't have a problem with you.

[His problem? All around them.]

iv; wildcard!

[Want to try something? hmu!]

iii.

[abandonware]

[What she had surmised immediately upon wandering into this place was that the prisoners, those shackled and collared like animals, were human. And that their captors most obviously were not. Even knowing now that it was all fake... had to be, for humanity was...

Well.

She couldn't just stand idly. Even her, eroded and lost, made to live for, and die for, a lie. She could not allow them to suffer, even now. So she'd fought the strange winged creatures that tormented them so, and naturally...

She'd ended up here, against her will, and she's still struggling and snapping at them even as she's tossed unceremoniously into the hard dirt floor of the arena. She scrambles to her feet, eyes wild, teeth bared, and regards her opponent.

He's—

He's human too, isn't he? Has to be, even with the odd gleam to his eyes. Her gaze lowers some, deferential without even consciously registering it, then cuts to the crowd briefly, sharpening again into something hard and angry.]

No. I'm not going to put on a goddamn show for those things.

[The last word is spat out.]

We need to try to get out of here.

Hector | Castlevania | Undecided

[petcromancer]

A. Rumble in the Jungle

[A primordial land of giant monstrous creatures and no humans in sight? This is a dream come true! Hector has always loved animals, and the more macabre, the better.]

Beautiful. You're magnificent.

[He has his head halfway inside of a pitcher plant, which has some partially-digested rodent inside of it. The circle of life and death at its most basic.

He's absolutely got more curiosity than common sense in every this situation.]

B. Natives

[Humans in the prehistoric era are no different from humans in medieval times. Same shit as always.

At least Hector's used to being shunned. He picks his way carefully around the outskirts of their settlement, trying to keep from drawing their attention while he works to figure out where the hell he actually is.

Luck rarely runs in his favor, though. As he skulks, a rock pelts him in the back. Just a warning shot for now, though Hector knows how quickly people can egg one another one and form a mob.]

Fuck.

[He is weaponless and friendless, and that means he's going to have to retreat for now.]

C. Invaders

[None of the things that should give a person moral qualms phase Hector in this Fae settlement. Humans being made to serve supernatural masters? A-ok! Ungodly creatures being bred to satisfy the breeder's curiosity? Sign him up!

Hector laughs with the fae, asks questions about their operations here.]

This place is wonderful. You should be in charge everywhere.


{{OOC Note: I am thinking of either bringing Hector in as a FAUN or as a WITCH. I'm happy to test him as either, so if you have a preference, just lmk.}}

a

[quickwhip]

[ Right. So. That's... one helluva way to stop a headache?? Or something. Point is, not everyday he sees someone with their head stuck down a fucking plant that's liable to chomp it off in a matter of seconds. Maybe that's what they want?? Hell if he knows. But, against his better judgment and with a sigh, he reaches out to grasp the back of Hector's shirt-thing and gives a bit of a tug to, you know, pull him out of there. ]

You say that now but just wait until it bites your fucking head off.

Morrigan | Dragon Age | witch

[courtintrigue]

[ rumbling 1 ]

[ Morrigan knows when she dreams. Yet this is not the Fade, where the world around her is not under her control but often shapes itself to reflect her beliefs, her thoughts, her desires. This is something different, and she feels somehow different.

She trudges through the jungle as she has marched through many places she would rather not be, driven as much by a desire to find its end as she is by a curiosity to find out what lies beyond. The heat puts a sheen on her skin and makes the hair escaping her pins stick to the back of her neck; it could wilt even a stone golem, she thinks, but she finds it preferable to bitter bone-deep cold.

When she hears what sounds like struggling somewhere in the trees head, she approaches warily to find an unfortunate soul struggling against the advances of an particularly large plant. The blast of ice from her hand is pure reflex, but the magic courses through her in a different way, tastes like a different flavor.

Still, it does its job. The offending tendrils are coated in a thin casing of ice. ]

A plant lover, I see.


[ rumbling 2 ]

[ Walking along the river makes the heat seem less oppressive and provides a welcome change of scenery. She barely stops for a moment until she sees the massive dragon in the distance.

No stranger to dragons, she still finds herself staring because this one is far larger than any she has seen in person before and how can you not admire the power in such a majestic creature? From where she stands she can notice other creatures changing their course when they spot the dragon. It seems an ideal place to rest for a few minutes... as long as she does not draw too much attention to herself. ]


[ grumbling ]

[ Whatever charm there was in the welcome initially given by the Fae has worn off. They are no better than the nobles of the Orlesian court, condescending and self-important. There are questions she would like to ask, if only they had interest in real conversation.

Clearly exasperated with her latest attempt, she rolls her eyes and turns back toward the beach, barely pausing when she nearly runs into someone in her path. ]

I am not cute.

[ The least of her worries, perhaps, but what a ridiculous thing for someone to say to her. ]


[ wildcard - bring your own! ]

[ I match format! personal pref is prose so if that's your pref too don't hold back for my sake. hmu via pm or gratuitousmagic @ plurk if you'd like something more specific! ]

grumbling; lmk if this is okay! i'm so sorry for him

[loverboi]

[ sorry morrigan, lance is not going to make this any better. she walks by him and he hears her grumble something underneath her breath, and he's going to take this opportunity to do something ridiculously stupid. ]

Nope. Because you're gorgeous.

[ he'll flash her a grin and even does fingerguns, too, to make it extra cheesy. the fingerguns are kind of awkwardly posed though since his fingers are webbed, but the effort is still there. pay no mind to this dumb boy, or feel free to shut him up. ]

lee jongdae | oc | vampire~

[itsjiaheng]

↳ { i. all other bloodsuckers are cancelled }

[ It was quiet here, for a jungle. All very lovely and serene. The keyword being was as the loud c r a c k of wood striking wood disturbs the peace. ]

I'm king mosquito, all you bastards are dead!

[ Wielding a long stick like a baseball bat, Jongdae comes crashing out through a wall of flowery vines, swinging at the giant mosquitoes that are still persistently buzzing around his head.

He manages to get one of them after a bit more flailing, knocking it to the ground where he stomps on it with glee. Truly, maybe no one's ever looked this happy to be stepping on bugs.

It doesn't seem to occur to him that there's bigger things out here with a taste for blood than the mosquitoes or anyone else out here at all, for that matter.. ]

↳ { ii. the hunger games }

You're probably wondering how I ended up here..

[ Or maybe not. But it was definitely because he was running his mouth. He didn't even mean to insult anyone, but that's the problem when you talk and you're basically brain to mouth in most conversations. Occasionally you slip up and end up in the pit.

While deciding on a suitable challenger, they've made him dance. Not really dance, because he might've even been willing. More accurately, they've found it entertaining to shoot fire spells at his feet, making him hop awkwardly around the space to avoid a nasty burn.

So he's a little winded already when someone else shows up, which only makes him look that much more exhausted. He's pale to the point of it looking unhealthy and the shadows under his eyes are dark enough to look like bruises. Still, he offers his most winning smile. This is not an ideal time. Bloodsports and hungry vampires probably shouldn't mix, especially if you don't want to end up being a snack. No one here wants that.. ]

Honestly though, fighting for realsies would just be the worst idea right now..

↳ { iii. wildcard }

[ ooc: if you have any other ideas, hmu! ]

i.

[incinerating]

[When Emil hears the crack of wood striking wood, he startles a little, eyes going wide. That's definitely a human noise, though, so he's immediately striking off toward it at a dead run, tripping over things and nearly stumbling now and again, but managing to keep his feet (and surprisingly quiet, considering how he's moving) until he finds the source of the noise.]

Lalli?

[By the time he reaches the source of the sound, he's panting for breath, leaning over and resting his hands against his knees while he fights the stitch in his side and tries to regain his composure.

But the person there isn't Lalli. The realization is pretty disappointing, but Emil takes a breath and gets over it. It's another person, a young man, who's violently swinging a branch at the mosquitoes around his head and yelling at them. Well. Emil can identify with that feeling. What he doesn't get is why he's yelling about being King Mosquito.]

Oh my god, don't tell me you're some kind of person-mosquito.

Allura | VLD | Witch

[quintessent]

A. Rumble in the Jungle
[Maybe you're being chased, cornered by a giant, terrible monster. Seen as a bite-sized snack or just an annoyance underfoot, worth just enough trouble to wind up as monster-food. Either way, it's looking grim and just as the creature loomed up overhead, there's a flash. Light and heat as a fireball explodes against the side of the creature, making it give out a great roar of pain.

And at it's source – a young woman with pointed ears. Looking as surprised as anyone else that she can create fireballs in this dream.

But she shakes out of it – there's still a giant, even angrier monster ahead, and she calls to the person on the other side.]

Run!


B. The Natives
[The relief of finding civilization at long last is quickly dampened by the frosty reception Allura gets. Less human than most, the villagers that she comes in contact with seem to come to the agreement that they can't agree on what she is, which is scary enough. And it takes all of Allura's calm tense diplomacy to keep the spears they're leveling at her from going any further than that.]

Please. I am only looking for a place to rest. [Out of the corner of her vision, a handful of the people are taking up positions around her, in a potential pincer, should things go south. Lifting her eyes, she catches the gaze of another person beyond the crowd, an outsider just like her, but perhaps they've already been tentatively accepted into the village. Or at least someone who isn't currently looking down the wrong end of a spear, and she shoots them a desperate, pleading look.]

I'm- We came together! [She rushes, pointing out her chosen 'savior'.] I was looking for them and we got separated!

[Sorry stranger. Either this is going to help her out or get them both into a lot of trouble.]


C. The Invaders
i. [The Fae are much more accommodating, endeared by Allura's otherworldly appearance and wealth of magical energy. And it's nearly cozy accommodations compared to earlier.

Nearly.

Any of her concerns about the human servants or chimera gladiators is shushed away with charming condescension and she's turned around, shut down and redirected over and over again like a child. At one point one of the fae deposits a wealth of shiny baubles in Allura's hands – before turning her and sending her on her way. Why don't you go look at the pretty water, little human-like? Complete with little illusory butterflies to lead her away.

Simmering from anger, she finds herself at the waters edge. It's beautiful, but it's hard for her to really get in the spirit of it, and she sits down to sulk.]

If this is a dream, I would like to wake up now.


ii. [But she has a plan. She's at the fighting pit when one of the other humans is grabbed – tossed into the pit with a handful of beasts twice their size. Whether the person looks like they can handle it or not, Allura shoves through the crowd to lean over the edge of the log-barrier and her plan – a man-made rope that she tosses one end down, holding onto the other side. It's short enough that whoever it is will have to jump for it, but it's there and they just have a few moments before the Fae decide whether or not the escape attempt is amusing enough to allow, the crowd tittering as Allura yells to the person below.]

Grab on!

[It's a real shame she's about to learn that she can't bench press an average human anymore.]


D. Wildcard!
[I'm up for anything so feel free to throw anything at me and I'll roll with it! Or modify any of the existing prompts, lets do this! Will match format.]

b!

[loverboi]

[ lance, by some miracle, has been accepted into the village. probably because of someone else's help, let's be real. he's walking around when he hears a familiar voice nearby -- ]

...Allura?

[ she's in his dream too, huh? well, not like he's complaining. it's allura, and also Not Keith. he'll take it. she gestures over to him, and lance is quick to come to her aid. ]

She's right, she's with me. She means no harm, so let her through.

Qrow Branwen | RWBY | Vampire

[bolstafir]

i. welcome to the jungle

[It's not that the forest itself is something that's particularly strange for Qrow; places like the Wilde are a Huntsman's backyard. Untamed, overgrown, full of dangerous creatures. But the scale of everything still manages to flummox Qrow, who feels rather like he's somehow missed a shrink ray getting turned in reverse somewhere.

He's shaken out of his musing by the sudden apparent earthquake which turns out to be a couple of prehistoric Faun running past, ignoring his tiny ass even as he falls right on it, super gracefully, as one does.]

Ooooookay, then. That happened.

[He rubs at his face--just how much did he have to drink last night? He is going to have such a hangover tomorrow, ugh.]

ii. oh the humanity

[Ahhhh civilization. Not that Qrow is unused to or unskilled at camping, but it's always nice to come across a village. Find an inn, grab a drink, a nice bed (sleeping in a dream? that's weird, right?), pick up the chatter of the locals and maybe anything serving staff might let slip in friendly conversation.

....The best laid plans. Once he approaches close enough, it's pretty clear that there is definitely not going to be any creature comforts in this place, and what's more, the people are not exactly, uh, eager to entertain. Harbinger outstrips any of those crude weapons, of course, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't hurt, especially when he can't feel his Aura in this weird lucid dreaming state, so he doesn't make any sudden moves. He does, however, turn to his neighbor with a sardonic twist of his lips, letting his shoulders lift and fall in an overdramatic shrug.]

Quite the welcoming committee we got here, huh?

iii. what big (tiny) teeth you have

[Well, this place is just a mess, isn't it. All that complaining about Fae sounded awfully familiar, especially with those kids that seemed to never want to make eye contact with anyone for very long, and now here's an encampment that seems like it could be torn right out of the White Fang's playbook, if they'd ever gotten that far.

He mostly just observes all this with increasing levels of distaste, until a little kid comes to serve him a clearly alcoholic drink of some kind and you know what, he's done playing nice. It's time to get into some trouble. He scans around to make eye contact with the first non-Fae nearby.]

What's with the little brat? That's kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel for supposedly powerful magic users, don't you think? [A slow, deliberate smirk] Unless they're not as strong as they want us to think.

i

[fulgency]

[Although it has been some time since one of these dreams occurred, they still seem to be continuing with their trend of getting stranger and stranger with each passing dream. (Even if this is an accurate reflection of what the land once was, there's really nothing that could prepare you for the size of, well, everything in this jungle.) Ozymandias, not too far from Qrow, watches the Faun as they gallop without so much as a glance in their direction, but manages to keep his balance by place a hand on a nearby tree. He glances over at Qrow when the movement in his peripheral catches his attention, but he says nothing. Although fading, the rumbles would make it difficult to be heard and Ozymandias is actually listening to be sure they are truly fading and something else is not on the approach.]

[When it seems the Faun are merely on the move without a pursuer, he then looks over to the stranger.]

I would advise grabbing onto something next time.