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

[weirdnecro]

[Magic is weird. And this is weirder.]

More or less.

Dreams...it depends. I mean....

[She gestured to the jungle and the fae village. All bizarre.]

The world we were pulled into doesn't look like this. This looks like a possible past.

[stopfen]

[She shrugs, waving a hand up slightly.]

But if it's a dream how do you know the information is correct?

[weirdnecro]

No way at all.

[She shrugged.]

That's why I take these dreams with a grain of salt, and assume nothing for certain.

[stopfen]

That means I could just ignore everything you've said.

[She's not going to, just pointing it out. ]

[weirdnecro]

Exactly.

[She may not, but Sokie is still pleased in Mikasa thinking for herself.]

No matter if this is a dream or real life, nothing and no one else should control your actions.

[stopfen]

[That may have been the wrong thing to say. Because Mikasa stills, taking a breath. Whatever snark and bad attempts at jokes she might have had fading. ]


.. Do you actually exist?

[or were you just a person the dream had made up. Repeating something she's already seen told. Only in a nicer way. ]

[weirdnecro]

[Sokie blinked. She hadn't expected that reaction. But then...she hadn't realized Mikasa's connection to Eren.]

Last I checked.

If you want to check my existence, ask me something that I will only know. It can be based on my world, on myself-something that you don't think your mind would make up by itself.

If we meet in the waking world then- you can ask me again. Privately, if you don't mind. I'm a private person.

[stopfen]

[If Mikasa was honest, she'd already been told more than she could have made up. But she'd been told things like that multiple times in her life. Enough for it to echo back with Eren's pushing.]

You said a lot about magic. How does that work?

[weirdnecro]

As in, how can you use it, or how does it work in general?

Because those are different answers, considering the nature of the beast.

[She tucked her hands into her back pockets. Mikasa...looked like a woman under pressure. How this happened, she had no idea. Was it something she said..? Or did?]

[stopfen]

[the latter question would be better for their purposes. Given Mikasa didn't have a clue. But she'd rather not have another conversation where she barely understood. ]

How you use, what for?

[weirdnecro]

Combat, healing, every day application, seeking information, shielding, vanity...

I used a shield spell between you and the fae. You can also, of course, ensure that people see what they want to see via illusions. Fae are experts in that.

[stopfen]

[There's a scoff at the first part, so vauge. Then her eyes narrow. ]

You're saying that I'm like them?

[weirdnecro]

[Vague sadly because it could be very specialized. But well...Sokie sighed, and brought up a hand, tugging her ear.]

I was talking in a general you, but unless you have ears that naturally curve up into points...

[stopfen]

[Her hand reaches up to touch one of said ears, like she hadn't already. Giving the point a small tug and... Yupp that's attached. The sigh that escapes is almost a hiss when it passes her teeth. ]

They don't. They've only been like this since the dream started.

[But she deflates when arm drops. What was happening. ]

[weirdnecro]

[Yeah she thought that it would be a surprise. And a nasty one at that. She'd seen it before.]

I figured. That happens. Not to everyone, but some of us.

[stopfen]

... Just another part of the dream.

[It was entirely just the drea]

[weirdnecro]

Mmhmm. So, nothing to worry about for now.

And no reason to attack me either.

[stopfen]

[She blinks, raising a hand to wave. Patting the air, calm please.]

I... I wasn't.

[Why would she do that?]

[weirdnecro]

You have a pretty intense look for someone who wasn't gonna.

[That hand! Is gonna get! A high five?]

Here. High Five.

[stopfen]

[???

Whatever grump that was on her face just dissolves into confuse. Why? What? Why'd you just slap her hand?]

...Huh?

[What was that about?]

[weirdnecro]

[Ah, there it is. Much better. Sokie grinned.]

It's a gesture known as a high five.

Also, I like it better when you don't look like you're going to beat me to a pulp. It's very reassuring.

[stopfen]

[Mikasa is still just very confused. Mouth set in an awkward line with pursed lips.]

...Did I really look like that?

[weirdnecro]

Uh huh. A lesser person would have felt threatened with that scary look on your face.

[She really looks young, doesn't she. Too young to take care of a child, barely being more then one herself.]

Though I'm sure some children would find it assuring.

[stopfen]

Oh... I thought I'd gotten better at not doing that...

[She probably should be more upset about that. But she had scared people before, she'd just put it down to them being surprised. But Sasha had mentioned it. Sasha had even gone as far as to push and pull at Mikasa's face to change the expression.

She's broken out of that thought, and nods. Still looking concerned.]

The new recruits follow me around a lot.

[Fifteen year old kids, waddling after a nineteen year old.]

[weirdnecro]

Old habits die hard.

[Here, she'll come over and give Mikasa a friendly pat on the arm. Poor thing. She's all fierce but...she's still very much a kid.

Granted, Sokie can feel that way about most of the population of Mirrorbound and such, so.]

But I'm not surprised-about the grimaces nor the fact the kidlets follow you around. So-

[She made to step away,]

Why don't we dip our feet in the ocean for a bit? You can tell me about the recruits, and things about your world. I find this sort of thing fascinating.