dagung | TDM: January

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* 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

[The bow is not helping. At all. So next best thing! She fumbles for something else to hold and then finds...

A leaf!

Dropping her bow, she shelters as much of herself behind the leaf as she can. Like he hasn't already seen her and like this leaf will do any good against the Lance of Ruin. She knows it won't help but she's...

Okay she's not really thinking much at all. She's scared and defenseless.]

I'll scream! I'll do it! I'm bad at a lot of things but I'm really good at screaming!

[...You know what? Fine. He'll let her have a leaf.

It's probably even a really, really big leaf, too, given that everything around here is huge. She probably can hide entirely behind it if she wants!

...Which really just means that he uses the Lance to pull her bow further out of her reach before actually putting his own weapon away. Just to be safe.]

I know you are. Please don't scream... look, it's gone. See?

[Slowly, very slowly, she pokes her head around the leaf. It is put away but she's still wary of him. Allies don't point weapons at each other! She knows that much!]

You're trying to trick me.

[Back behind the leaf she goes. It's no solid door but it makes her feel better.]

[Pot, kettle! Allies don't point weapons at each other!!]

...What I'm trying to do is figure out why you're here. Did I die? Is this hell? I'd believe it...

[Because she should be dead, and they were just about to go face down Hubert and his portion of the army, so... Maybe he did die. Who knows?]

You don't sound very dead. B-but I'm here because I was trying to find a new hole!

[There's a pause and then...]

And then I tripped...and fell...and now I'm...here...

[With a bruised butt.

Hearing something, she goes still before suddenly looking around again. That's why she couldn't find her arrows! They fell out of her quiver! Quickly, she grabs one and then tosses the leaf to find her bow. She has to dive for it but at least it means she can shoot down the mosquito suddenly flying their way.

Letting out a huge sigh, she falls to her knees. And scrapes her knee on the way down. Whimpering softly, she looks down at the injury.]

I can't believe I hit it... Ow...

You don't sound very dead, either.

[Which should... probably tell her something about what her state of being is back home, as far as he's concerned.

Not that there's a whole lot of time for either of them to dwell on that before that droning returns and she's diving for her bow and...

And the mosquito is dead almost as soon as she gets her hands on it, and he's... still alive, Lance back in his hand.

He'd be dead if she wanted him to be, though. His reaction hadn't been quick enough, and so the reality of the situation is she's probably got the upper hand. Even on her knees.

...Especially on her knees, honestly, because he sits on the ground with a sigh not a moment later.]

I can believe you hit it... Thanks.

[And honestly - don't mind the quick healing spell he shoots your way, Bernie. It's better for at least one of them to be in the best shape possible, after all, and with this heat, it'll never be him.]

[His words don't mean anything to her. Not right now. Because of course she's alive. And she's still not figured out there there's multiple timeline issues going on here as well. So basically? Of course she's alive???

(Give her a couple weeks. It'll catch up to her. She's not stupid but also Bernie lives with Bernie logic until reality catches up.)

Realizing that the spell has healed her, she smiles and then grabs some leaves and vines. She doesn't have her needle... Wait she does! Fishing for it, she gets out her needle and thread then starts to sew some leaves together as fast as she can. Honestly she wishes it didn't look so bad but at least she has a fan this way.

Sylvain is bad with heat. She remembers that. With her new creation, she starts to fan him so he can be less melty with the heat.]

I'm sorry. I don't have water. Please be okay...

[Honestly, the whole 'multiple timelines' thing is still catching up with him, too. It's... not really that pleasant to think about.

What is more pleasant to think about is, well... that his spell - while feeling strange was, apparently, somewhat helpful and... she goes ahead and repays him for that by makeshifting a fan out of leaves impressively quickly.

He's absolutely The Worst with heat.

The slight little breeze brought by the fan does mitigate that somewhat.]

Hah... I'll be fine, I think. Eventually. Thanks, Bernadetta.

I'm not the strongest but I...I could watch your back. If you want to take your armor...off...

[Wait oh no. That sounds like she's...being forward. That's not what she means! She just...

Suddenly the speed of the fan gets faster as she squeezes her eyes shut.]

Nevermind! Just...be colder!

[Honestly... it's Bernie. She's thoroughly convinced him that she's not out to kill him, so really the least he can do is not tease her about the potential implications of her offering.]

...If you don't mind.

[Because he's absolutely going to take her up on it. Sure, it involves standing back up to make that easier, but... piece by piece the armor comes off.

And nothing else.

And then he flops back down to the loamy jungle floor, still not cool, but... definitely more comfortable than before.]

[O-oh. He did it. She blinks when she realizes that this is what he's doing. He really does look so warm. All that sweat all over him...

As soon as he's back down, she starts to fan him off again. It's easier than him trying to at the very least. The least amount of effort the better! That's the tactic right now!]

Don't worry! Bernie has this!

[Somehow. She hopes.

She's suddenly realizing she has signed up for a pretty big job here. What if she messes it all up? Taking a deep breath, she tries not to panic. Panicking won't keep Sylvain safe!]

[He sure did do it.

And he's also reaching out a moment later to take that fan from her hands, because really if she's intending to be a sentry to keep both of them safe, then she'll need her hands to fire her bow, if necessary.

He does give her a lopsided smile and a wink as he does, though, just to maybe try and put her at ease somewhat.]

Sylvain's got this. Bernie should try to calm down, alright?

[He takes the fan and she suddenly finds her hands free. With nothing to do. Um...

Grabbing her bow, she puts it on her lap then carefully starts gathering her fallen arrows from around her. Just to give herself something to do.]

I...

[He's right. He's totally right. Her cheeks color and she nods.]

I'm sorry.

It's okay.

[He knows what she's apologizing for... or he thinks he does, at any rate, so there's no need to ask about that, but... well, it's fine. She was always prone to panicking, and time apart hadn't changed that.

It was kind of nice to fall back into step with her after...

Well.

She'd ignored it when he alluded to it, so best to just ignore it for now until it sinks in.]

Hey, so that story you were writing when we were back at the monastery...

[Because she still needs something to do with her hands, Bernadetta starts to clean her arrows. Plucking dirt and plants off them. Making sure they're all ready to go and not broken...

She pauses when he brings up her story.]

What about it?

[She can't believe he still remembers that.]

[He absolutely still remembers her story. It was really, really good! He'd meant all the feedback he'd given her, and would have probably given more, if not for it already being long enough for a few first chapters.]

Did you ever continue it?

[And her cheeks color.]

M-maybe.

[Yes. Definitely.]

But it's silly and...not done.

[It's still so hard to believe he likes it that much. It can't be that good. Right?]

[Ah. So that's a yes. Good. He can't... quite hide how his face lights up at the news, though.]

I didn't think it was silly, so I doubt it actually went that direction, but if it did I'm sure it's just as good. Can I read it?

[Oh. Wait. They're in the middle of a jungle...]

Er... if it's not here, then I'll wait, but...

I...I don't have it here.

[She would have to rewrite it. And then it wouldn't be as good. Not that it ever was...

But, he looks so happy right now. It really warms her heart to see it. Enough so that she smiles a little bit.]

I'm sorry. Maybe it'll come later?

Ah. That's a shame.

[He pouts for a moment, but then lets it go. There's no point in urging her to rewrite it, but if it ever appears, he'll absolutely be first in line to read it.

Besides - her smile right now is more important anyway, and he's smart enough to not comment on it.]

I hope so. You have to tell me if it does, alright?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TDM: January

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