dagung | TDM: January

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TDM: January

Test Drive: January

All threads can be considered game canon,

the prompts and test drive itself will be

• Reserves Open Today! If you're interested in securing a spot, put one in! We accept applications without reserves too, of course. Reserves will expire three days before the end of the application period, on the 28th.
• Applications Open The 24th! These will last until the end of the month, the 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!

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.

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[He could've taken the blow from the chimera. Despite this being some really weird dream, he feels confident about that much. But he absolutely wasn't expecting Akko to knock him over. He was braced for the chimera's impact, and the different angle sends him to the ground.

Immediately he rolls and picks himself up.]

Keep yourself out of this.

[If he had more time to think it through, he might've told Akko to stay safe. But as it is, it sounds more like an order.

And now it's him charging at the chimera, claws at the ready.]

[Akko is not as quick or smooth as he is, and so she doesn't so much roll as bounce. Still, even as she sits up now looking a little disheveled, she's a little affronted by the order. Does he really expect her to sit back and do nothing? Even if she's not exactly the strongest or built to fight like he seems to be, there has to be more that she can do than sit here. Pushing herself back up onto her feet, her stomach twists a little as the spectators above begin elbowing each other in the ribs or clapping their neighbor on the shoulder in delight over his decision to fight. Some of them look down at her, guffawing at how small and entirely weak she looks.]

[Akko's brows furrow as she adjusts her grip on her wand. She'll find a way out of here.]

Just keep it busy! Don't hurt it!

Aah?!

[Just what does she expect him to do when he was attacked first? Fighting's just part of how he grew up. He's fully aware of how to win one. Though he's never fought anything like this chimera before, he knows how a brawl goes. He hasn't lost one yet. (Do losses in dreams count?)

He's suddenly very aware of the fae's eyes on them. He stills for a moment, grinding his teeth. There's nothing to do but throw himself into this brawl- careful isn't his specialty. Trying not to seriously injure this guy, he knocks him into the ground.]

Got a plan?

I'm working on it!

[There's an underlying tone of don't rush me as she swats the air in his general direction.]

[With such limited resources, they are at a pretty severe disadvantage as far as getting out of here is concerned. Even if this is a dream, she seems to be worse at magic now than she's ever been, which leaves them with his height and brute strength and... Well, Akko isn't quite sure what she's contributing to this situation just yet beyond thinking, but she'll get there.]

[Going down might be an option if she had magic at her disposal, or if she could transform into something that could dig fast enough that they could make a break for it. But there's no way she could cut through this much earth and neither could he. Up is the only choice. She scans the walls of the pit that she can see, trying to see if there's any indication of a foothold, but there doesn't really seem to be. The barriers that let that Fae peer in without falling in also seem to be a problem. It's when her eyes settle on one of the Fae that an idea finally hatches.]

I got it!

[She whips her wand out, extending it to its full length. If she can do the spell just right -- or just good enough -- they have their way up. She just hopes she'll be strong enough to fly and hold his weight at the same time.]

[Distantly he's grateful that Omi was willing to wrestle with him. He picked up a few things from his troupemate. When she says she's working on it, he just lets her have the time. Now's not the time for argument, and if she's working on something, he's hoping it'll actually work.

The moment he sees the wand he's filled with questions.]

Magic?

[A very large part of him wants to say magic isn't real. But this is a dream and the rules get thrown out the window. He has bear claws and this girl's got bunny ears. The standards got weird a long time ago.]

You need anything from me?

[He yells out, as he pins the chimera to the ground, trying to keep the snake part of the guy from biting him.]

[Akko shakes her head even though she knows he probably can't really spare much more than a passing glance her way. He has to stay focused on the chimera, or else he runs the risk of getting on the wrong side of some kind of fang or claw.]

Just trust me!

[She holds up her wand in front of her face, so close that it nearly touches the tip of her nose. This dream hasn't been really kind to her in terms of her magic, but if she can just concentrate... If she can just believe in herself hard enough, she knows she can do this spell. Akko draws a slow, steadying breath, trying to block out all the sounds of this awful, terrible pit.]

Metamorphie... [She raises her wand above her head.] Faciesse!

[Generally speaking, nothing spectacular happens as far as her wand is concerned. No light builds at its tip, expanding until it bursts and envelopes her in light until she emerges transformed. And that's simply because what happens isn't a consequence of magic, but something else entirely that Akko hasn't figured out quite yet. (She only fairly recently noticed the rabbit ears. It's going to take some time.) But wings like a dragonfly sprout and unfurl on her back. They're big. Bigger than strictly necessary, but that might work to her advantage.]

[The spectators certainly seem surprised by these turns of events, but when Akko opens her eyes and looks behind her? She does, too.]

[There's no reason not to trust her. They're stuck down here together. If they want to get out they'll have to work together. Somehow. He focuses his efforts on getting this chimera's limbs pinned down. If they're all accounted for, Juza won't get injured. Probably. That's what he's hoping anyway. And as long as he's got him on the ground, Akko can do whatever she needs to without too much distraction.

He looks up when he hears what he's assuming is some kind of spell or chant.]

Rabbits fly?

[It's just one weird turn after another today.]

[She frowns at the question, her feelings of victory over her success fading a little with irritation.]

I'm a witch, not a rabbit!

[But there's really no time for further explanation. She needs to figure out how to use these wings, which as it turns out, is a little easier said than done. At first, it doesn't seem she can get them flapping at the same time or in a way that isn't completely discordant and ineffective at creating lift-off. But with a little hop and a loud, frustrated growl, Akko finally achieves... Well, she's about a foot off the ground?]

[Look, she's doing her best. Give her a few more minutes. She'll get the hang of it!]

Sorry!

[If they weren't in such a dangerous situation he'd definitely be thinking through his words more carefully, but as it stands? Trying to wrestle down a snake... tail (can he call it a tail when it's got a mouth?) is taking up nearly all of his attention.

He'll apologize properly later. If they can get out of this pit.

Which doesn't seem particularly likely considering how far the pit is and how much Akko can hover.]

[Akko drops back down on the ground, bending over and resting her hands on her knees. She's not exactly exhausted from that little bit, but she recognizes she's putting in a lot of effort with not much by way of results. There's more than a few laughs above them, but Akko forces them to not get under her skin. It's not the first or last time she's been laughed at for her efforts, and it didn't stop her then, it's not going to stop her now.]

[How does a dragonfly do it? That's the real question. It seems so effortless watching them flit around and here Akko is like a rock tied to a helium balloon...]

[She squeezes her eyes shut and gives another effortful jump, this time, she gets a little bit higher. She just has to think of it as riding a broom. It's a more recent achievement to do it on her own, but she knows the feeling of it. Trying not to strain and trying to let it come naturally seems to be helping things along. She tries moving around, and her movements in the air are fairly jittery, but she has control and that's something.]

I got this!

[Instead of trying to fly directly up, she gets her height with bursts of speed in a diagonal, and it seems to work. By the time she stops testing things out, she seems to be about halfway up the height of the pit.]

[He does get distracted by the fact that this bunny-witch-dragonfly girl manages to fly. Just because there are costumes with wings doesn't mean he's expecting them to work, especially not that well. Even with how large they are, it doesn't make any sense to him that they work.

But also he's grateful enough that they do that he can't be bothered to question them too much. At least not right now. Those are questions for the version of him that's not currently being bitten by a snake.]

Dammit. [Soft, mumbled to himself. That's on him. He should've been more careful. Unfortunately, with his limited knowledge of reptiles he has no idea if this was the venomous type or not.]

Gonna get us out of here?

[Akko's not much better as far as determining species is concerned or if it would even matter with a creature like that. But she feels a pang of guilt that he managed to get hurt while she was futzing around with these wings. If only she had been able to pick up the pace and get better at this faster... But there's no time to dwell. That's only going to make it worse and if there are any effects from the bite, give those more time to take hold and make getting him out impossible.]

[She darts his way, dropping in height intentionally to extend a hand to him.]

Come on!

[He has to seriously wonder if she's even strong enough to lift him up. But she did say to believe in her? If it's the only option they've got, he has to hope and believe.

... Man, how cheesy.

He takes her hand.]

[Beggars cannot be choosers in a situation like this. So, even if he's reluctant to do as she asks, he's just gonna have to do it. She's relieved when he extends his hand and takes her. She drops a little for just a second, but quickly course corrects and pulls with all her might. Akko's legs kick in the air as if she's trying to find something to get leverage on while she pulls. It really only serves to send them moving them somewhat erratically around in the air, making the chimera's attempts to leap up after them difficult and largely unsuccessful.]

When I...get you to the top... Run...!

[She has to say this through gritted teeth and in-between grunts, but she gets it out. Just a little further...]

[At least he's used to deciphering slightly mangled speech. It's fine.

He gives a small noise of affirmation. As soon as he hits the ground it's time to start running. Even in a dream, he's sure he has enough stamina to work with.]

You're coming too.

Yeah...

[It's a little difficult to tell whether Atsuko is actually listening to him or not though. She's very focused on getting them more altitude while getting them at least decently close to the edge of the pit (while also trying not to crash into any walls). They're very nearly at the top of the pit when she speaks again.]

You're gonna... [She interrupts herself to grab onto him with her other hand.] ...have to swing up...! The rest...

[She doesn't finish the sentence before she starts trying to give him a little momentum.]

[Don't worry, he got it. At least acting on stage means he's always getting a work out. Autumn's action specialty serves him well here, as he swings forward and manages to roll onto the ground.

Seems like he's pretty used to falling, with how smooth the motion is as he gets up and starts running. Which direction? He has no idea. "Away" is all he's got to go on. Though he does look back to check on Akko.]

[His momentum sends Akko back and down a little, but she's quick to catch herself. It's likely obvious that she's wearing herself with all this flying around, her breathing labored and obvious sweat gleaming on her brow. But there's a fire in her eyes, too. She's tired, but she's not going to give up.]

[She darts herself with the last of her energy back over towards the edge of the pit, over their small wall and raises her wand again for the same incantation. Only this time, with a puff of smoke, Akko seems to disappear. Except not really.]

[She meant to turn herself into one of her more favored forms -- that of a mouse -- to make herself a little more challenging to catch if one is a much larger Fae. It's not what ends up happening as she's not really casting the spell so much as trying to rely on puca abilities she doesn't even recognize having. But she's made herself small (wings still present), just closer to the size of an actual rabbit and with legs and feet to match. She bounces in place a moment and tugs at her ears, letting out a yell of frustration before taking off. There's no time to complain about this dream treating her so unfairly!]

[It's hard for him to tell where Akko's gone once she seems to disappear. With the fae being so large, his line of sight is hindered. If she's gone, then she... probably teleported? Magic'ed herself away somewhere? He hopes they run into each other again.

For now though, he runs until he's all the way out of the fae's party. Despite the wild run, he seems like he's still in good shape. Hardly even winded at all.

But he does take a moment to emotionally recuperate.

What a mess.]

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TDM: January

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