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

Yeah, I haven't either.

[Odd, convoluted nightmares are really nothing new, but... this is all very, very real - not to mention, he's never been to a jungle like this before to have any intimate familiarity with the flora or fauna, and he doesn't recall ever meeting a girl like Sakura.

...Plus, when people show up in his nightmares they're usually someone he's faced down on the battlefield in some way. Not... a cute girl tramping through the underbrush to see if he's alright.

Speaking of - he does do his own part to close the distance, stepping closer towards her as well, if only so there's less chance of her tripping over something. No sense in her getting hurt over nothing, after all.]

Heh. Trying to convince you I'm fine probably won't fly, will it?

[There's a time and a place for that, and... well, sweating but pale is probably not the time.]

( When it comes to the wellbeing of others, it's one of the very few things she doesn't budge on, )

I'm afraid not...

( Which is really just a very polite and passive way of saying not a chance. As she gets closer, she switches out her bow for just a moment, reaching for the bloom festal at her side. Holding it up, she gives it a graceful swing in Sylvain's general direction. Where usually there would be a light there is none and she notes right away that something doesn't seem right. Something is wrong with her magic it feels... almost like she's been silenced but not quite. Muted, perhaps? But perhaps it's because of her natural affinity for magic that something translates between her native magic and the one in this world. There's only a brief shimmer of magic-- a flicker of light from the festal's mirror-- and she manages to cast a very weak healing spell.

It isn't the most effective spell. It would barely manage to heal a scratch but there's a small effect-- the air feels a little lighter and he might feel just the slightest bit refreshed. It's like a brief, cool wind on a hot summer day.

Lowering her staff, she turns it over in her hands for a moment, inspecting it with furrowed brow. No, there's nothing wrong with the equipment and yet... )

S-sorry, there seems to be something wrong with m-my magic.

( The one thing she's actually good at... and she can't seem to do it right. )

[He knows when he's outdone, and polite and passive though she might be... he's absolutely not getting away with this one. And that's fine - a healer who won't budge in regards to someone else's general well-being is admirable. Doubly so when they've barely met.

So he can tell that her magic works differently from his - that staff of hers seems to be the vector for it, and... it barely works. The spell is refreshing, but hardly seems as though it was worth the effort for her.

And that's worrisome. Is she alright? Has she overdone it already, and is only now noticing with him?

Or does this strange place interfere with magic in general?]

Let me try...

[Back home he's... competent at healing spells. His talents will work in a pinch, but they're not as sweeping or all-encompassing as Mercedes', not by a long shot... but he can manage some.

Here, the effect seems to be much the same as he'd experienced from Sakura's spell. A brief shimmer of light over his palms, a faint flicker over her, and only the slightest relief from the oppressive heat.

And it leaves him staring down at his hands for a moment before he offers her a rueful smile.]

There's something wrong with mine, too, so... I'm sure yours will be fine, once we find out what's stopping it.

( She's surprised when he offers in turn to try to use magic. Given his armor, she'd expected him to be more of a physical fighter. Could he be something skilled in magic and weapons like Prince Leo? It makes her wonder if he might actually be a Nohrian after all.

She watches as he performs his spell without the use of any sort of tome or rod as a catalyst. It's not unheard in her world but she thinks he must be a skilled mage to be able to cast magic without some sort of tool. She glances at her own staff for a moment, a vague thought beginning to creep in her mind. Perhaps if they were out of this heat and allowed a chance for her to study herself, she might be able to come up with a theory...

But for now, she focuses on his spell. The effect is familiar but it's too soon to make any sort of conclusions. Even if it's just a little, that tiny bit of relief is welcomed. But it seems like they're both in the same situation regarding their magic, huh? )

I w-wonder what it could be... ( She'll have to put away her staff though, hooking it at her side for now, ) Uhm...

( She's awkwardly unslinging her bow, rearming herself while thinking of what her older siblings would do in this situation. She can just imagine Corrin befriending this man easily and Ryoma proposing they work together and... well, if she imagines their words, she can try to say them for herself, )

It's p-probably best for us to s-stick together. ( Her delivery isn't nearly as smooth, ) I'm... I've only studied the b-bow for a little while but... ( She gives Sylvain a small smile, her best attempt at trying to seem reassuring, ) I'll do m-my best.

[Those Northern Fire Emblem Dark Knights, man. Confusing lot.

But they'll have plenty of time to talk about such things later, once they've awoken and are out of the jungle... likely in between studying the magic of Aefenglom, because reminiscing about home is simply something that would be easy enough to fall into, considering their homes are ~~from the same franchise~~ similar enough.

For now, though, they're stuck with the reality of the situation that magic is... faulty at best. If he had a chance to practice, he might be able to work something out, but that would take a lot of time and a lot of energy - neither of which exists in excess right now, courtesy of the heat and the oversized monsters lingering about.]

I'm sure we'll figure it out.

[And, you know, as if it isn't really a big deal, he does offer her a sideways smile and a wink. They might not figure it out here and now, but eventually they will. Hopefully.

Time for some relentless optimism for the cute girl by his side.]

If that's what you could do after only studying for a little while... Then I'll gladly put myself in your capable hands.

[And he does mean it, too - her aim had been true, she'd reacted quickly when it was necessary... so the length of time she'd been studying the bow didn't really matter right now. Her instincts were good.]

I'm Sylvain, by the way. We ought to properly introduce ourselves, if we're going to stick together, right?

...

( She's grateful that it's dark outside. The last thing she would want is for this knight to see her blushing pink at his honest compliment. Instead, she looks down at her bow and away, frowning quietly to herself as she feels the weight of responsibility that comes with carrying a weapon. Despite her insecurities, she knows she has to be confident if she wants to protect others. )

Sakura. ( Again, she's quiet, wondering if... she should say more. Do titles matter in dreams? She can't imagine it doing any good here and she's never been one to hold her title over others so... she keeps it to herself for now. She bows just slightly, careful and poised despite all of her nervous energy, ) It's uhm, nice to meet you, Sylvain.

( Because even in a nightmare jungle, there's still time to be polite. )

TDM: January

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