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

[ I | Rumble in the Jungle ]

[It's hot. Oppressively so, and that's without taking into account the humidity that, combined with the heat, is wreaking havoc on Sylvain's Northern Sensibilities. It's like being in the sauna, while fully armed and armored, and while some former classmates found said sauna a refreshing experience...

Well. He'd passed out in it more often than not.

And it's dark here, too, which only means it'll grow hotter once the sun rises - to the point where he very nearly decides to peel off his armor and leave it behind. It would be a loss, to be certain, but it might be better for his health...

Or not, as a droning zips too close behind him and clinks off the backplate of that same armor.]

The hell-?

[Instinct has him stabbing first and asking questions later - and the lance of ruin illuminates what appears to be an utterly massive mosquito.

Yeah, keeping that armor on, for better or worse.

For better, apparently, as a rustling in the foliage has him pointing the bug-splattered weapon towards the newcomer. He'll have to be quick if it ends up being a fight - there's no way his stamina will hold out through a long fight in an environment like this - but hopefully the rustling isn't hostile.]

Who's there?

[ II | The Invaders ]

[Eventually, after what seems like an age, Sylvain makes it out of the jungle and onto the beach. It's still stiflingly hot, but it doesn't appear to be as dangerous, and so this time he does peel off his armor. And boots. Because wading into the water to his waist seems like a pretty good plan for cooling off.

If there are monsters in the depths, well... At least he might be able to swim to the surface if they drag him under, if he's not weighted down like that, too.

Ideally, that won't be necessary.

Unfortunately, by the time someone else (that's you!) emerges from the underbrush, he'll have earned himself a sunburn across his cheeks and nose - alas, the life of a pale redhead on the beach - but he notably won't have started venturing to the camp just a little ways off.]

Hey~! I was wondering if anyone else was around.

[Only after offering a greeting does he turn to size up whoever it might be. But hey - he isn't being stabbed in the back, so... maybe you'll be a decent companion for investigating the camp just over there? Hopefully?]

[ III | Wildcard ]

[Feel free to hit me up with an idea for another prompt, or hit me with one of your own!]

(There's a sound in the jungle that doesn't feel as natural as the others. There's thrashing and grunting and she's experienced enough fights to know one when she hears it. She considers fleeing away from the ruckus. The last thing she wants is to stumble upon whatever creatures would be bold enough to start a fight in this jungle. Surely, it must be something confident and strong.

But she'd thought she heard... a voice? It sounded so human to her and she's never been one to abandon someone in need. It overrules her flight instinct and she finds herself going towards the sound. It takes her some time-- she's hardly suited for this sort of terrain and she has to be careful to not run into anything else along the way,

As for Sylvain? From the brush, some sort of winged creature begins to stir. The closer Sylvain gets to it, the more agitated it becomes until it flies out--

And there's a sound in the air, fast and high pitched as an arrow from Sakura's bow pierces right through it its wings, pinning it to a tree for now. If Sylvain follows the path of the arrow, he'll see Sakura, bow at the ready and looking... well, very surprised. She hit it? She actually made the hit?! As cool as it was, when she speaks, it's uncertain and anxious,)

A-are you alright?

Edited 2020-01-20 07:11 (UTC)

[Outwardly, he'd claim that what happened was a beautiful bit of teamwork between them - when the truth of the matter is that recklessness very nearly got the better of him (as usual). The birdlike creature would have done some serious damage, armor or no, and before he follows the path of the arrow protruding from its wings, he makes a very clear point to finish it off, lance slicing through its throat with a ruthless efficiency.

Mostly so it stops making noise, so its thrashing and screeching doesn't alert something bigger to their - because by now it's very obvious someone else is present - location.]

Heh, thanks to you.

[He responds before turning to face her, and when he does, he seems to relax a bit; the tension of battle-instinct draining from his shoulders, even if he is still holding his lance tightly enough that a trained eye would see it's just as ready to be used again as her bow is.

He offers her a bright smile, though, at least - or as close to one as he can manage, considering the heat and humidity.]

Are you? What's a lovely young lady doing out somewhere like this? Ah... other than making sure I don't go meet the Goddess just yet, that is.

( She lets out a breath, relieved to know that she'd arrived just in time. At least, for this instance. By the looks of things, it would appear as though she missed the first fight that had drawn her here in the first place. Lowering her bow for now, she makes sure to keep alert in case anything else comes out of the brush.

Her eyes widen at the... compliment(?) and she can feel her cheeks becoming warmer than they already are. It's hard to tell when dealing with strangers. )

I am. ( Fine? Not really, if she's being honest but she settles for the polite answer instead. ) I-I thought I heard fighting so I came to help j-just in case...

( She studies him carefully. His armor and appearance reminds her of someone she might run into in Nohr but.... not quite. Not that she's an expert or anything! But she's fought enough Nohrian soldiers to just be able to tell. Besides that, someone wearing armor in a jungle like this...? )

Uhm... are you, maybe... dreaming, too?

Sylvain Jose Gautier | Fire Emblem: Three Houses | Witch

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