dagung | TDM: May

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* tdm

TDM: May

Test Drive: May

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 on up June 1st. The application page can be found here.
• 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!
• While current players won't be allowed to post top levels on the test drive itself, feel free to reference or play with the dreams in-game.
• 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 Eternal Fall

The smell of autumn leaves surrounds you, a myriad of colors sparkling into existence at the same time. Despite the warmth and light, the air feels heavy and stiff, as if on razor's edge. The forest is eerily silent - not a bird, bug, or rodent dares to stir - and when you do hear something, it's the high-pitched crying, whining, weeping, sobbing, howling sounds of something far off. The tunnel of bent branches invites you further with an unpleasant compulsion; though fighting it and turning around finds you in front of a chilly, damp cave alight with the faint, cool glow of bubbling fountains and streams.

The Compulsion
Unable to sway yourself from the call of the forest - or maybe you're simply curious as to where it leads - your feet pull you further and further into the autumnal tunnel. The cry from before grows more distant, but in return, the air weighs even heavier on your shoulders than before. The branches hang lower and lower as well, as if pushed by gravity, until their leaves smack your face, twigs offering small cuts from the thorns protruding from their bark.

But you can't stop. Not now. The end of the tunnel seems so close; but it's seemed that way for a while now, you suppose, and you've already come this far - you might as well stay the course, wherever it might lead.

The further you go, the brighter everything becomes, and you realize it's the leaves surrounding you; they've begun to glow, encouraged by the sunlight streaming in from above, and the wind begins to whisper in your ear. At first, it's only encouraging things, or silly facts - harmless words, but as the foliage begins to shimmer and reflect your image, the wind's words turn colder. Within those reflections on the autumn tunnel, you begin to see your worst moments - morally, ethically, emotionally. The things you don't want anyone else to know, that you'd feel ashamed or struck for anyone - especially those close to you - to see. The wind becomes louder as the scenes play out one right after another, boldly declaring your true feelings as they were in that moment, good or bad.

Worst of all - you still can't bring yourself to turn back, even as your mind begins to free itself from the tunnel's compulsion. Maybe someone else can help out, if they're not too taken by their own memories, or maybe the shock of sharing such private secrets will jolt you and anyone else back to reality. Either way, it's that, or staying stuck watching your worst memories play on repeat for what feels like the rest of your life.

The Cry
While not compelled by any means, you still feel a curious draw down the path in front of you; as you follow the leaf tunnel, with others or alone, you find another, less-traveled path. Following it reveals a large pond colored orange and gold by the reflection of the area it's in, sunlight and shadows playing on its surface. At a glance, it seems to be rather shallow, but that's hardly the truth.

You realize, after a moment, that the crying has continued, evidently coming from the water. Looking closer, the culprit is an infected Merrow, who - upon begin seen - shrieks and dives for whoever's looking at it with the clear intent to drag them down beneath the water. Its claws are extra sharp, its teeth similar to a shark in number and shape, and its scales have turned a pale black; an oil-like substance flows from beneath them and from its gums as well, shimmering the same way gasoline does in the light, and its eyes are the tell-tale white of a Shade.

It isn't impossible to fight it to get away, especially as some of you have new abilities at hand, and some of you have a few neat changes to help that along. Once distance is successfully put between you and the infected Merrow, it howls in a wet, warbly voice, visibly frustrated. Unlike ordinary Merrows, who can walk on land and have legs as long as they stay dry, this Merrow can't seem leave its pond at all, and electricity sparks from it like little static shocks in its irritation. It does dive back under once it realizes it can't reach you, resurfacing as your character's most important person in an attempt to lure them back. The expressions are far too real, too genuine; even those aware it's a Merrow might be fooled. While its voice isn't a perfect mimicry, the song it begins to sing has with it notes of yearning and beckoning to join it, join your beloved person, in the water.

The Cave
Pulling yourself from curiosity or compulsion, the cave behind you - in front of you, if you've turned around - gives off an oddly pure feeling. Like an oasis in a desert, it feels refreshing and calm; incredibly safe, compared to the eerie call of the forest it's in. Within the cave are pools of water that glow and glimmer from the magic runes found around them. The runes shift similar to a mirage whenever you try to focus on them; and try as you might, you can't glimpse what they say exactly.

It isn't so hard to figure out though, as the pools of water surrounded by them have a pleasingly cold temperature, while those without them are near scalding. A few of the latter have runes around them, but they're not glowing like the rest - feeding a little magic into them changes this immediately, and steam rises in a sudden blast as the water cools rapidly. The opposite can be done for the colder pools too - taking their magic somehow or ruining the runes will make them bubble and boil as they surge in temperature.

But that isn't all the cave has to offer. Moving further inward, you get the feeling you're going down - beneath the ground and the enchanting forest. Eventually, the cave widens out to a massive underground lake, multiple waterfalls pouring into it; despite their number and size, the room is completely silent. All tunnels seem to lead to this one room, with a few of them looking more man-made than natural. Traversing other tunnels leads you into a maze that only ever brings you to the lake, or to the cave's entrance, no matter how many different paths you take.

Something different happens eventually though; signs of life begin to appear, or at least signs that life once lived there. Leather pouches rotted by the dampness of the cave hang on sharp nails beaten into the cave walls, with boots in similar condition strewn here and there. Torn, soaking clothing lays in piles in the tunnels, and candles burnt down to their wick's end stand in shelves carved from the navy blue and black stone. There's broken toys and books too waterlogged to read, instruments with snapped strings or clogged holes, and - most peculiarly - smooth, round devices that heavily resemble large pocketwatches or hand mirrors. They refuse to turn on though, either due to age or due to the wetness of the air.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Somnus let out a little hum, wondering what type of life she must have had if she hesitated to call anyone a friend. Not that he was much different- it wasn't easy to make friends as a prince, but at least he'd always had Ardyn by his side, and later, Aera.

"Caren is it, then. I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you but let's be honest, the circumstances are hardly pleasant."

He tilts his head, glancing at her because right now, it's easier to look at her than to face whatever the leaves will show him.

"An Order? A religious one? Was that expected of you?"

He could ask, if he so desired. But it would certainly be brutal in its honesty.

"It may be pleasant later. Who knows? This may be to both of our benefits."

Considering that there was the need for bonds here...it might help. She wasn't sure of it, but she wasn't used to the idea of close bonds and affection like some people had. She could envy people that but-she wasn't sure if she should, or could.

"Establishing Orders?" She laughed, the sound soft and darkly amused. "No. I'm sure I would be considered ill suited for the role of missionary-someone who establishes Orders and spreads the word of God. I was more...a clog in the machine, if that makes sense."

"I suppose it does make sense."

Religion was kind of a sore point as far as Somnus was concerned, considering he'd sacrificed his only family for the sake of the closest thing his world had to gods, so he was more than happy to sidestep the subject. He wasn't about to hand over more ammunition to whatever spirit or monster was playing around with their minds.

"This-" He motions around with his free hand- to the leaves, to the monsters, to the witches. "Would probably be quite hard to process for someone big on religion, anyway."

She didn't want to wax on about religion. While she knew there were zealots that would have done the opposite, and tried to convert, she knew that wouldn't go well here. There were too many unknowns, and a good way to be killed, if only to be made an example of.

"All of this?" She motioned to the leaves, to the world. "They might have a crisis of faith. Which would mean they'd end up blocking the path."

Her mouth quirked, the image of someone in beautiful robes and shrieking on this path amusing in her mind.

"But while this is a strange place...it's not so terrible. Other then forcing us to change into something we weren't. But that's nothing new, is it?"

Somnus let out a hum of discomfort at the idea, the corner of his lips twitching downwards.

"It's usually in my own terms, though."

Or something close to that. But in this place... he definitely wasn't getting that touch. No one asked him for his opinion, no one gave him a choice, and instead his legs were getting more and more useless each day.

"I used to fight against monsters. Used to protect my people from them. So this place... it's definitely not my favorite."

She made a soft noise, offering his hand a squeeze. So muc for calming him down. She needed to get better at offering comfort, not just offer quips.

"You can still make them into your own terms Somnus. It's not fair, it shouldn't be this way, but it is. Maybe for once you can have a chance to think of what you want."

She offered him a crooked smile. "And decide who you want to be. Though I admit, if you decide to just pout, I will go out of my way to make fun of you. Every single day."

That startled a chuckle out of him- which, considering the situation, wasn't a small feat.

It was kind of amusing to him that she was quite openly trying to reassure him, he couldn't remember the last time someone had tried to calm him down like that. He didn't quite know how to react to it, but at least she had gotten him to stop obsessing over the images and reliving the guilt over and over so he wasn't going to look at a gift horse in the mouth.

"Then perhaps I should do just that, to enjoy your company once again." He teased, then glanced in front of them once more. "How come none of this affects you? How come you're so calm?" He was having trouble just keeping a steady voice.

She'll take that victory, and even smile, if only briefly, in triumph. It was assuring that she could get to him, and that he wasn't just stricken with guilt and who knows what other emotions that were surging through him thanks to the whispers and leaves.

"Then you can't get mad if that's what you do. It wouldn't be my fault." Clearly not her fault at all. She'd only be bullying in order to do the right thing!

Though that...well, of course he had to be wondering that. Caren sighed then, and glanced up. He didn't seem to be as badly off but-he might have been hiding it again.

"Oh, I can feel it. It's not that I'm unaffected but..." Her nose scrunched up. She didn't want him to fuss. It was still something she was getting used to.

"It's more that I've accepted the weight. It hurts, but the guilt...there's no point in giving it weight. I can't change what I've done, or what I haven't done. If this means I need to do more? So be it."

Her gaze drifted away, back to the path ahead. "I'll keep giving until I die."

He could get behind that kind of attitude. His own sins were still far too recent, still fresh in his mind to be able to adopt such a calm attitude but he figured... well, time heals all wounds. He just hoped that worked as well when those wounds were basically self-inflicted.

"That sounds kind of-" He stopped for a second, wondering how to word it without offending his new possible-friend. "What I mean is, what could you have done that's so horrible that you think you must sacrifice yourself until your very last breath? That's quite extreme."

She glanced up, an eyebrow raised. She knew how it sounded-it sounded like she had a martyr complex or something similar.

"I haven't done anything so terrible. I've done petty things-everyone has."

She started smiling then, though the expression was more grim and angry then happy.

"It's more out of spite. The circumstances in my world, and the way I was used-I would not have a long life. But at least this way-I could choose how I would go. That I had worth, if only to myself. That would prove them wrong."

Somnus nodded at that, because that was easier to understand than wanting to sacrifice your future for other people's sake. He wasn't a bad person, or at least he tried not to be, but he could definitely be rather selfish at times so thinking about it in terms of spite made a lot more sense to him.

"I'm sorry to hear that." And he really was, she had been nothing but kind to him and spoke in terms he could relate to to get him out of the compulsion. "I wish I had made peace with my sins the way you seem to have done."

She was mildly surprised at his reaction. Maybe it was just because he was still being overwhelmed by the leaves and the whispers; maybe he did understand about being spiteful. She wasn't sure.

She still eyed him, surprised and doubtful, at his support. At least she didn't get hostile.

"I had a lot of time to think." She offered instead. "And I had different obligations then you. Maybe what you can do with this time is to reflect on what you think your sins are."

She offered his hand a gentle squeeze. "And if you wish to discuss it, I will listen. I can't say I'd over much in the way of wisdom."

This guy right here tried to kill his own brother and imprisoned him for ages when that didn't seem to take. It would take a lot more than being spiteful to get a reaction out of him, for sure. Especially when she was implying she wouldn't have that much longer to live.

"I do not mind discussing it. I had my own reasons, I made the best decisions I could at the time and I don't exactly regret them." Lies, obviously, considering how the guilt he felt was clear in how he was reacting to the visions. But she didn't need to know that. "But perhaps not while this place is doing its best to find ways to hurt me. I would also like to get to know your situation back home better."

She'd find that story fascinating rather then shocking. But then, Caren was a little particular. And in speaking to him as to who and what he was back home, there too was the realization that a good king did not always make a good person.

Though his statement of regret and decisions made her quirk an eyebrow, she didn't challenge it. Else, they might end up right back where they had started.

Or worse.

"Another time." She agreed, tipping her head. "Ask away. Some things may be more difficult to explain but I will try my best."

If only in a technical sense.Some details were a little fuzzy, if only due to her sheltered upbringing.

Somnus wasn't expecting to be handed over a carte blanche. He's curious, indeed, but he's also aware that they are both in a pretty precarious position right now when it comes to emotions, and while she seems to have a handle on it he kinda needs to make sure he's still got someone by his side to talk to. Losing her to her own guilt would defeat the purpose.

"You're under no obligation to answer me, of course." He's aware she doesn't need his permission, but it doesn't hurt to play nice.

"But what did you mean when you said you would not have a long life?"

She's certain that he'll be cautious with his questions. And even if he wasn't-well. It would take more then this to shake her out of her stoic defiance. There was no guilt about her possible early death. She'd accepted it as a possibility some time ago.

Even if it meant that some things she wouldn't see completed, should she return to her native world.

"Exactly that. My body..." She paused, a frown forming. It wasn't out of emotional stress, but an effort to think of how to speak carefully. If she was too quick, too cruel, even to herself, it might weaken his current resolve.

"It's fragile. I get injured easily, and I tend to be pulled into harms way. It would only be a matter of time before it broke down. It may be different in this world but-"

She shook her head. "In mine, what my body can do is too useful to gracefully retire. Even if I can't walk, the ability to sense the possessed-even if it causes me injury-"

A shrug. "Human nature."

Somnus had to take a moment to process it, and to think of the right answer. Because while Somnus couldn't exactly relate, as it wasn't the same kind of situation that could be found in his world, the parallels were far too many to ignore.

He had been trying his best not to think about his brother because most of his guilt, anger, frustration at himself was targeted toward Ardyn and how Somnus himself had dealt with the entire situation. But maybe this could help them both.

"My brother- it wasn't the same, not exactly, for in his case he had a choice not to take the demons into himself." He wrinkled his nose, obviously displeased with the way said brother had handled said choice. "I always thought he was being far too naive by allowing himself to turn into a monster.

It makes me feel even more bad for your situation. For you did not seem to have a choice in the matter."

It was closer to the situation then she realized. She winced-not for herself, but more for her screw up. This might end up bringing them back to where they started.

Family, she knew, was supposed to be important. Complicated but-important.

"No." She told him instead. "I didn't. It was more of something that couldn't be helped-more like breathing then a reflex. I could hold it back for a time...maybe."

Her nose wrinkled. "But before long, it would show." She sighed, and glanced Somnus' way. "I'm not your brother. We're both tools, certainly, but we're different."

Tools.

He wouldn't have thought of that word on his own but it seemed to fit Ardyn. A tool of the Astrals, the gods who took and took from him until there was nothing left to take, until he turned into the monster they were trying to stop.

He truly hoped that wasn't going to happen to the woman in front of him.

"You most certainly are." At least that made him smile, even if only a bit. "How old are you, if you don't mind me asking? You're certainly younger than me but you sound wise beyond your years."

She knew what she was. And she knew what should have been her fate. She didn't think God or Gods had anything to do with it.

But here, on this shining path-it might be different. She doesn't know what she'll become here. Who knows? Maybe this man will have influence on her path. And maybe she'll influence him too.

"Nineteen." She raised her eyebrows. At least there was more humor, something more human in her eyes. "And you are...how old, grandfather? Surely far older then I."

"30."

He admitted easily, with a grin. Thank you Lucian genes for having him look younger than he actually was. He was going through far too much to freak out at becoming 30 when he finally hit the number, and he didn't really mind it all that much now.

"Not quite a grandfather, but old enough to know that you're definitely a pretty level-headed woman."

That was, probably, the longest he'd spent not looking at the illusions and listening to the whispers since this ordeal started. Hopefully he was going to remember to thank her later, once he realized this wasn't just a very bad dream.

"Ah. There's eras between us. Eons."

He didn't look as if he was thirty, that was true. But she planned on teasing him gently about it anyway, if only so he wouldn't think of the whispers around them. Though- she didn't expect any gratitude. She didn't remember the last time she'd been thanked, truly, for anything.

"And you're old enough to be a flatterer. Come along. If you keep stroking my ego, I might trip over it."

Somnus would thank her, eventually. He was perhaps not the most thoughtful person you could find, but he had definitely been raised with good manners and he could recognize that he wouldn’t have gotten as far as he was getting into this particular nightmare if it hadn’t been for Caren. It might just… take a little until it clicked, particularly when most of his mind right at that very moment was focused on pretending everything was fine and the forest wasn’t basically turning against him.

“I meant every word of it, but I can stop with the compliments if you wish.” He answered, teasing back. “You don’t strike me as particularly prideful either- and I would know. It takes one to know one.”

She understood. He was going through a lot right now, and the fact he could think enough to tease and joke around a little was an improvement. What could happen later would happen later.

"Please do. I might have to kick you in the shin if you do continue." She made a soft sound of amusement, her eyebrows quirking up.

"Your knee is far too high for easy kicking. In any case-I'm sure you have a lot to be proud of. Being well educated I'm sure, highly skilled...not that I'm complimenting you. Just stating assumptions."

“If you’re expecting me to contradict you, you may be waiting a while. I do have a lot to be proud of.”

He answered, definitely out of his funk enough to keep on grinning at her as she teased him. Truth was, even around people who didn’t hate his guts for how he dealt with his brother turning into a monster, even around people who actually liked him, he didn’t get teased like this often. Came with being a prince, he supposed.

“There’s nothing wrong with being prideful, is there? It is my pride that allows me to go through this place listening to all of these whispers remind me of all my mistakes.”

A beat, and then he added:

“And you could hit my stomach with your elbow, instead. Much easier access.”

TDM: May

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Do you want them to get to The Cry or just handwave the end?

Let's handwave it!