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

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.

[quintessent]

[He just gave them the old razzle dazzle.

Allura perks up when Lance acknowledges her, relieved to see a familiar face in her dream. (And makes a note not to tell the real Lance that she was dreaming about him.) One of the stone-tipped spears pokes into her side, and she gives a sharp Hey making all of the villagers tense up. She sucks in a breath, then meters it back out.]

That's right... I am here in peace.

[Hands outstretched. See? No weapons. The villager that seems to be heading the group gestures to Lance, telling him to come over and - well, they're definitely making gestures and asking him about her ears. Why do they look like that? The whole crowd, Allura included stare at him expectantly. At least a few of the spears have lowered.

Speak wisely, Lance.]

[loverboi]

[ you bet he did.

while he also makes a mental note to never tell allura he dreamt about her (for the uptenth time), he sees the spear poke allura's side. lance almost acts with the intent to pull her away, thinking that the villager's about to stab her; luckily that isn't what's going on, and he stops himself before he can do anything unnecessarily.

but before he can say anything, he's being motioned to come over. and then they start asking about her ears. well then. ]

Uhhh.

[ he's nailing it. ] I mean, does it really matter? You guys let me through with these [ he holds up his hands and shows them his webbed fingers again. ] so I don't see the harm in letting someone in whose ears are different. Y'know?

[quintessent]

[There's a tense moment that Lance's webbed fingers causes a stir among the villagers (reconsidering if they should trust him) and Allura's eyebrows arc up high on her head. She almost opens her mouth to ask about it but they're in the middle of a very tense situation and she just holds her breath.

Finally the group grumbles some agreement - coming to some decision that she's more monster than Fae (which she'll take) and finally they lower the rest of their spears, leaving them with a final warning to stay in line.

Allura releases the breath she'd been holding, and Lance will be treated to one small hug - relief, and glad to see him, even if it was just a dream.]

Thank you, Lance. They weren't listening to me at all.

[loverboi]

[ he doesn't like it when they refer to allura as a monster, because she's anything but that; but in this world, this odd dream they've wound up in, "monster" has a different meaning. he doesn't think he'll get used to it anytime soon, but it is what it is. mostly he's just glad that they're finally off of her back.

and that he gets a hug from her as an added bonus. nice. he hugs her back, and when they pull away, he smiles at her. ]

Hey, it's no problem! I'm just glad you're out of that mess. [ he laughs a little. ] They sure don't mess around here, huh?

a, leggo

[battlebound]

[ What the hell is this about? While Steak isn't by any means unfamiliar with fighting monsters which tower over him, this is something else entirely. The dense jungle makes it difficult for him to get a good hit in on anything, and so, his best plan becomes running.

Luring them somewhere more open, ideally.

Or at least, it is until a fireball explodes against the thing that's chasing him, and Steak stops, blinking, and looks for his apparent saviour. ]

Not yet!

[ Yes, there's another monster, but he can't let this one get away. Whatever damage she's done might just be enough for Steak's swords to slice off limbs and at least render the thing immobile.

Otherwise, who knows who it might harm? ]

:D

[quintessent]

What do you mean, not yet?!

[She stares at him incredulously when he doesn't take her very clear and good advice to run. In fact he looks like he's about to square off against the thing, his swords looking like tiny toothpicks in comparison to the angry, hulking mass of creature.

But. He's not in this alone. With no weapons to her person (other than this strange magic she's been bestowed) and not close enough to just grab him and make him run with her, she gives a frustrated noise before summoning forth another fireball, this one landing on the creature's back, drawing it's attention away from the man. And towards her. This is fine. Especially considering that they're going to soon be joined by the second monster.]

If you're planning on something, now is the perfect time!

[battlebound]

[ This is entirely fine. He's already rushing towards the monster with swords drawn, slicing furiously at the first site she attacked, and these things are truly massive, so he can't expect to slice it clean off as he might like, but...

Well, cutting a muscle in two will be enough. And the scent of blood engulfs their entire vicinity as he does, splattering over him as the thing continues shrieking.

That will have to do for now, the sounds of the other is too close. ]

Come on!

[ He dives out of the tangle, tentacles extending towards her as he sprints past, hoping the felled, injured monster will entice the other into stopping and feasting. Into dealing with their problem for them.

And then they can deal with the second, hidden behind a nearby tree. ]

this icon is reserved entirely for tentacles.

[quintessent]

[He's covered in blood and there's tentacles extending in her direction, but she'll have time to be grossed out about that later - accepting one of the outstretched tentacles with her hand as she starts running beside him.]

What are you?

[Now is the best time for that. Especially now that there's a monster lumbering out from the tree, a shaggy, furry beast, enticed by the action that's going on. But it doesn't look immediately interested in killing the two. Instead it just peers curiously at them.

She has an idea and, holding onto Steaks... appendage, she pulls him along with her, moving to climb on top of the creature. Who wants to hitch a ride?]

Come on, we can use this!

and the tentacles are reserved for...ahem.

[battlebound]

[ They're not pleasant things, but they are useful, like right now. ]

A Chimera. [ A blunt, quick answer given as they move, and he barely gets settled before she's pulling him back towards the monsters, alarm on his face as he figures out what she wants to do. ]

Are you insane?!

[ He says, while following her lead and climbing. ]

A

[bravelyathome]

[Of all the things to stumble on! This is just her luck. It's a monster fight and a pretty but powerful lady fighting it. The fire is a good sign but the angry monster? Not so much.

In a panic, she screams and unleashes an arrow that pierces one of the eyes. Her bow hands are trembling after but it's...something. For a second, she seems startled by her own action before she turns to dash away.]

Th-this way!

[She remembers seeing a place to hide back the way she came. They can fit both of them easy.]

[quintessent]

[The arrow pierces the monster's eye and the ground trembles with the force of it's roar of pain. But in that time Allura's made her way over to the other girl, glad that they're of a similar mind and they run. It's a miracle neither trips over any of the branches in the forest floor – adrenaline fueling their flight and Allura makes sure that the other girl is not left behind.

Their destination: a gnarled, twist of thick branches under one of the trees. It's all big enough that they can crawl under but (hopefully) out of the reach of any long, monster claws.]

Get in! [Allura gestures for the girl with the bow to go first, standing watch for any pursuing monsters. She's not sure how much of that magic she has in her, but the human is shaking and trembling – in no condition to fight, despite her impressive shot earlier.]

[bravelyathome]

[Taking advantage of her small size, she gets in as deep as she can go, giving the other woman room to get in with her. And out of reach. That's the other key part of all of this.

Biting her lip, she looks out of their hiding space.]

Are you okay?

[quintessent]

I'm fine- [Then she sucks in a breath, eyes locking on something in the distance.] It's coming-

[She hushes the girl before scrambling in after her.

It's not too hard to fit them both. Allura's jumpsuit - while not providing much protection, is great for squeezing into small areas, and she presses her back against the dirt and mud that makes up the wall of their hiding place.

From between the branches, they can see the footsteps of the angered creature, coming closer, then sniffing around- searching.]

[bravelyathome]

[It turns that going quiet to hide? Something Bernadetta is extremely good at. She goes so still and so quiet that one might even forget she's actually still in that hiding place.

But she is and she's staring hard through the branches. The thing is searching for them. Trying to find them.

This is bad. So bad. Her heart hammers in her chest but she continues to stay perfectly still, clutching her bow tight.]

c-i

[scatmaam]

Dreams are fleeting, my lady... You'll find the end to this one, as you would any.

[ The voice belonged to a dark woman, masked and dressed in a fur cloak (and seemingly having fur of her own), a blood red spear propped against her shoulder as she sat herself beside Allura, taking a canteen from her side and passing it towards her companion. ]

It's scotch. [ Something to take the edge off such an unpleasant dream, one would figure. ]

[quintessent]

[Allura looks up, from the canteen offered her, all the way up to the woman's eyes. A human, perhaps? But not entirely, it might seem. But she doesn't stare, instead she takes he offered canteen curiously.]

I've never heard of it. [Scotch? But it's a dream, as the woman said. The reminder is some comfort, knowing that no matter how twisted or terrible a dream gets, she'll wake up. The only question is what she'll wake up to.]

Eugh- [She gets as far as holding the canteen up to her face before she gets a whiff of it.] It smells terrible. What kind of drink is this?

[scatmaam]

[ Scathach chuckled, smile obvious despite her mask. ]

Malted barley, aged in an oak barrel for six years. It's a spirit, my lady.

[quintessent]

[That doesn't seem to give her too much comfort and the face she's pulling remains. She doesn't really have any room to talk, given that her castleship operates primarily on food goo, but she's still iffy about human foods.

But if it takes so long to make, surely it much be precious.]

Thank you... [Schooling her expression into something more curious, she finally sets the bottle against her lips, taking a swig that is probably too big-

And the face comes back, and she swallows hard,] Oh! Ah- It tastes like.... rubber? And wood.

[scatmaam]

Rubber? [ Scathach almost sounded offended, taking the canteen back with perhaps a bit more force than strictly necessary, giving it a sniff before turning narrowed eyes back to the royal beside her. ]

Rubber, she says... You'll get a proper tongue for this stuff yet, I'll see to that.

b

[yesdoubt]

[Thankfully, the guy Allura ends up pointing to is good at improvising, and after the initial habitual hesitation of being pointed out by a woman he doesn't know coming from the industry he comes from, he rushes over, looking for all the world like she's his best friend that he just found again. He'd managed to smooth-talk his way in earlier, and while the natives still look a little doubtful, a few of them ease off a bit when he intervenes.]

That's right! I've been looking for you since I got out of the forest, I was so worried... [Thank god he has acting experience, it makes lying about this sort of thing convincingly a thousand times easier. He even starts looking her over like he's searching for injuries, before giving a perfectly choreographed pleading look to the ones still pointing weapons.] It's okay if she comes in with me, right? I don't know what I'd do if she had to go back out there.

[The sincere-sounding concern in his voice is enough for them to be waved on rather brusquely, and Momo starts gently leading her back the way he came from, bowing his head slightly to the natives.]

Thank you. [He's waiting until they get out of earshot before he asks Allura any other questions.]

[quintessent]

[It's a good thing that he's good at fibbing, and it's only luck that the native's attention is drawn to Momo because Allura's poker face could use some improvement. She manages to school her expression when he's looking her over, trying her best to look like someone who had been looking for him. Which is vague concern mixed with a lot of emphatic nodding. Letting him take the reigns as she tried not to ruin it for the both of them.

But it does the trick and they're waved along. At least with a human chaperone, she can be trusted. She's tight-lipped until they move a few feet past the entrance before she risks talking.]

Thank you. [Emphatically. She checks behind her, paranoid that they're being followed, but his fib seems to have worked.] I thought for certain they were going to turn me back out into the forest. They kept insisting I was some kind of... [She drops her voice,] Something called a Fae.

[yesdoubt]

[Momo waves one red-nailed hand at the thanks, glancing back over his shoulder as well just to confirm their privacy before he speaks. You don't avoid scandals where he comes from by being sloppy, so it's very much a force of habit thing to check over his shoulder before he says anything compromising.]

Yeah, I think they're the things living on the beach I came from earlier. They've got human slaves, it's screwed up, so I can't really blame them for being suspicious. [As overall energetic as Momo's manner is, there's a weight to those words that says he's not just throwing something out frivolously. As much as they might feel targeted, if the alternative was having people in this settlement dragged off into slavery, Momo's more than prepared to put up with it.] By the way, before someone catches us out for not knowing each other's names - I'm Momo.

[It'd be a very easy way for their lie to get found out if they thought of something on the spot and then couldn't keep it up.]

[quintessent]

[The nails catch her attention, but she doesn't mention them for now, just a splash of color that catches her eyes before they go back to Momo. Her own hands are folded politely in front of her as they're walking.]

Human slaves? That's horrible. [She sounds rightfully disgusted by the concept. No wonder they were so suspicious of her, and she was worried if she would continue to be confused for the same. It's surprising, too. Humans in her universe have not traveled far past their galaxy, save for the five that she knew. But not only do they seem to be native here, but many of the 'outsiders' she's met have been human as well. As far as dreams go, it's curious, to say the least.

With a nod in agreement and in greeting,] My name is Princess Allura. This is the first civilization I've seen since I 'woke up' here. Everything else has been forest and monsters, so far.