dagung | TDM: January

Entry tags:

* tdm

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You don't?

[Sora blinks widely at that. He can still remember vaguely seeing Vanitas in a dream a lot like this one before so he's kind of curious.]

Is it because this is a dream again?

[Meanwhile, Sora wiggles carefully and tries to brace his foot on the trunk of the tree. This would be so much easier if he could just shotlock himself or use flowmotion like usual...]

Look at that. Surprised you can remember that, since Ventus sure didn't. Not at first, anyway.

[ Vanitas leans forward a bit, watching Sora will his perpetual smirk. Oh he won't offer any help. Seeing the brat struggle just a little is entertaining. ]

But no. That has nothing to do with it.

[He shouldn't be surprised that Vanitas doesn't offer any help at all. So he bucks up and grabs onto the branch tightly. He can do it himself anyway! It's all in the upper body strength! And at least that part of him hasn't been stripped away.]

Ventus is around too? Is he okay?

[If he remembers right... Ventus didn't remember much of anything. He wonders if that's still true. He wants to see Ventus.

For now, Sora pulls up with his upper arms and manages to kick off the trunk of the tree and pulls himself up onto the branch. With an easy huff, he swings up to sit on it. ... The branch creaks precariously, though.]

It's weird having this dream again. What even is this place?

He is a bit hairier than what he once was, but I suppose he is well enough. I try to avoid him as best as I can.

[ Yeah he hears that creaking. Vanitas hadn't been about to help Sora do something he could manage on his own. The branch breaking... Different story. ]

It's a place where we are stripped of what we are and are given something else in return.

Hairier...?? What, like a puppy?

[Sora almost snorts with laughter. He's picturing Ventus with a bunch of extra blond fuzzy dog hair and he doesn't realize how accurate that mental image might actually be--]

Uh. So, it really is like a sleeping--

[Before Sora can really finish his thought the branch he's sitting on starts to crack crack crack!! And down Sora goes like a rock in a pond! Towards that pitcher of sticky fluid!]

Ahhh!!

[ Yeah, totally a puppy. Van had been about to answer to that. Answer to both things really. But he branch breaks, like he thought it might. Good thing he had been paying attention, right?

Thus Vanitas commands a gust of wind to blow Sora right back up. Right so that Van can snatch a hand. ]

[What a whirlwind- Sora is tossed up like a paper crane and he yelps quickly while he turns around in the air and he automatically grabs for Vanitas' hand as well. It's with an awkward puff of breath that Sora now finds himself dangling where Vanitas is, clutching his hand.]

Hey-!

[He finds himself staring up at Vanitas. Did Vanitas really just save him from sticky goop death? This seems kind of out of place. It's almost like...]

Can you pull me up? Please?

[ Don't read too much into it, Sora. Vanitas just doesn't see the benefit in the brat dying by being painfully and slowly digested.

...And he might remember their last time in "dreamland" and the conversation they had. ]

Why else would I have your hand, Sora? It would seem pretty counterproductive to let you fall again.

[ So yes, Vanitas will be pulling Sora up. This branch will support them both. ]

[So with another bit of a sigh Sora gets pulled up and he grabs onto the branch himself and pulls up onto it. It's a much sturdier branch than the other one and Sora is sure to stick his tongue out defiantly at the pitcher plant below before looks back at Vanitas.]

Thanks, Vanitas. It would have been easier if I could use my usual skills and stuff. Why's it always me that gets my magic and skills stripped away?

[He really hates being put back at level one!? But wait- Vanitas had said...]

Wait, you said before that we're all stripped? But you just used some magic!

[ Van reclines back on the branch. The Flood has taken off somewhere, probably to go bother someone or maybe even some Fae. So now it is just Vanitas and Sora. ]

Because you let yourself get caught up in other peoples' messes maybe?

[ He shrugs. ]

What this places takes away, it gives you something in return. For me, that's being a witch. Thus I can use magic. For you? Well... Ha. Congratulations on being a monster. Again.

[He leans forward slightly, hands perching on the round of the branch.]

Hey, come on...!

[But then he's suddenly looking very unsure. Vanitas doesn't look like a witch. And yes, he is picturing the other with a pointy hat and a broomstick.]

I don't really feel much like a monster. I'm not even in my monster form right now.

[This isn't Monstropolis!]

[ Careful. Vanitas might cast a spell on you, Sora. That might not be very pleasant. ]

Right now you don't look like one, but you will. You'll get some urges that you'll be compelled to follow through with, little brother. Then one day you'll start growing claws or horns or scales... Or whatever you'll end up getting.

[He reaches up to run his fingers through his hair roughly like he's expecting to find random horns that have sprung up magically in the last five seconds. But since he really has been there and done that before he doesn't seem that perplexed.

He frowns a bit before looking at Vanitas again. Again with the brother stuff...]

I guess it's not the worst thing that's happened to me. But I sorta wish I could have magic too.

[It's so much easier to have magic! Then he tilts his head and blinks.]

But, uh. You do seem a little different, Vanitas.

Wait until the full moon. You may end up losing all sense of self. Thankfully I don't have to worry about that nonsense.

[ Sora's observation though, brings him up sort. Immediately Vanitas frowns, shoulders hunching a bit. ]

I'm not different.

[ Nothing about him has changed! Don't go pointing things out at your convenience Sora. ]

Losing my senses of self? The full moons? What's that supposed to mean?!

[???? What, like rage form but in monster mode?! Sora frowns softly thinking what that's going to be like for him. But he lets that thought drift away as he watches Vanitas hunch.

The other had helped him back up into the tree when he wouldn't have expected Vanitas to do that before. And is even telling him all this information after telling Sora that he didn't need to be here since that last dream. It seems just a little different.]

Do you like learning magic?

[Does he like being here...?]

You'll just have to find out, Sora. I can't tell you what will happen as I don't know what type of monster you'll end up being.

[ He is still on the defensive, unfortunately. Vanitas isn't sure what Sora is getting at here. So what? He's telling the brat what's going on. For all Van knows it could brng him the same kind of despair that it does to Ventus.

Now Van is being asked about learning magic? He shifts, uncomfortable with the question. ]

Learning magic isn't anything new...

[ But... He has improved with healing magic. ]

[Is Vanitas uncomfortable about it? Sora wouldn't know. He's just that nosy about everything. But he did recall telling Vanitas he should find something. Even if it was a dream.

Sora nods at the information. After all, he really will need to just find out what all those things mean on his own. So he grins instead.]

But it sounds really cool, Vanitas.

[ In his own way, Vanitas has taken that advice. At first it had been studying magic. It had been something to do that could distract him from not having some goal or purpose. Vanitas still desires this, but Aqua and Marie had worked towards Vanitas starting to realize that everything he's been through hadn't been right - though he still rejects some of this. And Mira. Well Mira had given him a present in the form of existing out of spite. To prove that he can exist.

So the last three months haven't exactly been for nothing. ]

I guess? It's not like you haven't learned a lot of magic either, Sora.

I know! But this is different, right?

[Sora balances carefully but throws his hands animatedly in the air.]

What other things have you learned? Is it anything like the magic we usually know? Or is it different magic?

[Yeah, he's just going to keep asking a million questions.]

It is different.

[ Vanitas can concede that. The source is different and thus it feels different. He doesn't look as on edge since Sora is straying away from the more personal things... Things that Vanitas hasn't entirely worked out himself. ]

I've been working on illusions and enchantments.

Whoa, really? Hey- Try something on me! I wanna see.

[Sora... Is that really smart to ask?]

Why would you want me to do that? I could knock you right back off of this branch...

[ With a self-made snowball. ]

[Sora waves a hand dramatically.]

You wouldn't! You just said!

[Shoot him with a spell!!! Maybe one that doesn't knock him out or off the branch.]

[ Uh oh. Now there is a shark-like grin spreading across his features. ]

Now when did I say that Sora?

[He falls for it with a pout.]

You said you weren't gonna let me fall again! Didn't you? I just wanna see an illusion or an enchantment.

[He wants to see what Vanitas has learned!]

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