dagung | 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

(Kaden, please... do something about that. Say something.)

Maybe it was a bird?

(She'd never heard anything like it before but then again, everything in this dream world was new and unfamiliar to her. She watches Kaden carefully, though. He'd tried to get up just now, hadn't he? And yet, there he was, still sitting. She wonders if maybe he hurt himself in the jungle and is only just now realizing it but if that was the case... wouldn't he just tell her? And what was this about taking his hand and pulling?)

Oh? (She's never been one to really turn down a request, especially from a friend,) Of course.

(She reaches out with both of her hands, her hands gripping Kaden's as she tries to pull with all of her strength...)

Uhm... Kaden?

(Please, stand up. She's starting to worry!)

Edited 2020-01-20 05:20 (UTC)

[ it's now that Kaden has gone from a mild concern to a full blown worry. as Sakura tries to assist him, he now realizes that whatever is on his tail is now pulling to counter it--- keeping him anchored. the feeling of something tight on his tail is growing firmer and firmer, moving closer to the surface of the water and toward the base. even with her help, it's clear something doesn't want to let go, and that's bad.

really bad. ]

Sakura. [ he looks at her with wide eyes, ones reserved for moments of panic. ] Don't panic, but I think something is... holding onto it.

[ he takes a deep breath. who's panicking? he's not panicking! he just doesn't want her to, that's all! ]

I'm going to pull the hardest I can one more time with you, okay? If it's something scary, you need to think about running as fast as you can.

[ kaden squeezes his eyes tight. no screaming, not yet. ]

One... two... three!

[ it's leaves. a lot of leaves. ]

( Oh no, oh no, she can feel his panic rising and in turn, her own anxieties begin to rise. She gives Kaden's hands a tight squeeze, holding onto them for dear life. She's only trembling a little. )

D-don't say things like that! I-I won't leave you! ( That's it. She's made up her mind and she's not going to abandon Kaden! Whatever happens, she'll stick by his side. If she has to, she'll fight! But she'll never run. ) I'm here for you n-no matter what.

( And she on the count of three, she gives him one more pull! She uses all of her strength. Hinoka would be proud. )

(

And what comes out is leaves. Just leaves.

She stares, eyes wide with surprise as if she's still expecting the worse. Will the leaves come to life and become a giant leaf sludge monster? She doesn't know! But when it becomes apparent that it really is just leaves... )

Ha.... ( It starts off shaky, weak, and breathless but in time, she breaks into a fit of laughter, light and so, so relieved, ) Hahaha!

( She takes back one hand, wiping away at her eyes. Oh, goodness, she was so anxious, her eyes had started to water, )

Haha.... I'm s-sorry Kaden... ha.... I sh-shouldn't laugh...! ( She knows Kaden hates being dirty and his poor, poor tail is now a total mess but ) It's j-just that I was so worried b-but you're okay... fff...

( She can't stop laughing, sorry. )

[ please have some respect for the dead, and in this case the dead is Kaden's will to live. how embarrassing it is, to turn around to see all of the gross jungle leaves built up in his fur? it reminds him of the kitsune who would roll around along the floor of their forest who never paid attention to anything but what was in front of them, their tails leaving trails that could be easily followed.

and this makes him start to swing his tail as quickly as possible which turns out to be pretty slow at first as the debris starts to free itself. ]

C-come on, Sakura! This isn't that funny, it feels awful! [ okay he's doing his best not to cry because that's even more soul-crushing but at this point, anything is on the table for trying to garner some pity. ] What if it was some kind of monster? Or two monsters? Or like five spiders!

[ but it's not going fast enough, and Kaden's growing impatient. without hesitation, he reaches back and points a finger at his tail. a burst of wind from nowhere clears his fur, even providing a bit of lift and warmth: almost hairdryer-esque. it all falls back into the water, but doesn't move with the river... staying inert. ]

Lucky for you I can just... do stuff. [ magic? it's magic, he's sure, but it's a dream. kitsune can't cast magic and he's not carrying a book around. ] You better watch or I might blow some air at you, too!

[ and then the pile of leaves is flung out of the water, landing with a SPLAT right in between the two. ]

Edited 2020-01-21 15:42 (UTC)

( She wipes a tear from the corner of her eye. Ah, it feels nice to laugh but she feels terrible for laughing at Kaden's expense, )

Heh... I-I know, I'm sorry...

( She takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. See? Look, she's regaining her composure. No more laughing! She's still smiling, though. She's about to offer to help Kaden when... Ah.

Her eyes grow wide with surprise. )

Kaden! ( That was magic? It was definitely magic! ) How--?

( But before she can really ask anything else, there go the leaves... right in front of her. )

.... W-was that... you?

I forgive you... this time.

[ wink! but back onto the topic of his newfound powers: ]

I know! Pretty cool, huh? I can just do that here. [ he raises his chin, smugly smiling as he doesn't acknowledge the sudden plop of the leaves that once smothered his tail. they're not important, how dare they appear in the edges of his sight! ] It's a dream anyway, so why shouldn't I be able to do whatever I want?

[ then again, he could think of a thousand different things he'd rather do than get stuck in some jungle, having his tail get dirty, and also be sweaty. maybe he ate something he shouldn't have before he last fell asleep. ]

What do you mean, was that me? Of course it was! My tail is so soft now, do you want to feel it?

[ and he turns around, to give her the proper reveal--- only to find some odd, scaly creature slowly surfacing. some kind of monster with claws and a wicked grin, who sneers at the kitsune who is going pale. ]

Oh... um.

TDM: January

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