dagung | TDM: MARCH

Entry tags:

* tdm

TDM: MARCH

Test Drive: March

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 character, put one in! This time around, reserves will expire after the first 48 hours of applications being opened. Those first 48 hours will be open to those who have reserves only, so we recommend placing one. It will not guarantee you a spot, but it will guarantee you can post your app immediately when they open.
• Applications Open The 24th! There will be a cap of 30 applications accepted this round, and apps will close whenever we've reached that cap. If there are slots left after the reserves-only period, apps will open to those without reserves. 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!
• 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 Underground

Take a moment. Let your eyes adjust to the dark, your ears to echoing silence, but for the steady drip of condensation down the stone walls that surround you. The tunnels down here are wide, the ceilings high, but they are dim, devoid of sunlight and breeze. The only light, in fact, comes from the shards of softly-glowing shards of quartz lining the ground and the bio-luminescent algae that smears the stone in long, blue veins, pulsing gently, pushing breathable air into the otherwise-stale passageways. The air is damp, but the temperature is moderate - almost comfortable. The tunnels fork off and meander from where you are, some narrowing and some widening, but none seem to lead you to the surface, no matter how long you wander. Is it a trick of the light, that the algae glows a little brighter, pulses a little quicker, when you head in a particular direction? It's hard to sort your senses so deep underground, far from the world above where things make sense. Hopefully you've found a friend by now.

The Crystal Cavern
Many of the tunnels, both wide and narrow, lead to the same place: a massive chamber hewn out of the stone by time, and the drip-drip of water from the ceiling into the central lake. Perhaps you came out toward the bottom, and the ceiling is a thousand feet above you, or maybe you came out toward the top, and the lake is a thousand feet below. There are a hundred or more holes in the sloping stone walls that lead to more tunnels, and something like natural steps down from most of them. In a way, it resembles a beehive, this room acting as a central hub of sorts.

This is also the first place you find signs of life. Short, tough little tufts of grass growing from the thin soil, bone white in color, having long abandoned photosynthesis and chlorophyll. More of the glowing algae. Small, skittering insects - beetles, grubs and worms. The occasional albino rat, much larger and louder than rats have any right to be. Ruffled and capped fungi growing on the wet rock like parasites, some as large as a grown man. Blind, slimy cave fish wriggling around in the still waters of the lake.

And milling around the great stone cavern, slurping up the glowing algae that covers the rocks and grows in lacy sheets across the water, are dozens of great beasts, bigger than horses. Shaped like worms, but with dozens and dozens of stubby, fleshy legs, these creatures are huge, with velvety, multi-colored hides, and though their antennae wave in curiosity when approached, they don't seem aggressive. At least, as long as you avoid the big silk-wrapped bundles stuck to the walls and ground all over the cavern. These are their egg sacs, and if their young are threatened, they'll quickly shoot jets of viscous slime, a quick drying adhesive, that can slow and trap even the strongest adult. If you find yourself in a sticky situation, you better hope someone can wrench you loose - the worms seem content to eat algae, until they've caught prey. Each worm has a long, hooked, chitinous blade concealed within its fleshy jaws to tear and shred, and a nightmarish round mouth full of multiple rows of teeth.

Navigate carefully. There at the bottom of the lake, where it feeds into an underground stream that leads down another wide tunnel, there are a few small rowboats, some missing oars, certainly not enough for everyone. You'll have to share if you want to get out of here. Or you can keep hanging out with the giant wormipedes.

The Procession
As you proceed down the stream by boat, the lighting grows just a little brighter, seeming a little more purposeful in how the glowing algae is planted, how the softly glowing crystals are placed. You start seeing a new type of moss, greyish-green and growing in ragged sheets from the ceiling of the tunnel. Watch your head - it's near impossible to cut through this stuff should you get tangled. For a while, you only hear the soft splashing of the gentle stream, but then... there is a flash of torch light, up ahead.

The boat ahead is longer than the one you use, better kept, and full of people - three Monsters, all whose forms are based on creatures that thrive underground, in pieces of armor, holding spears, and one very elderly Witch woman, seated in the middle, wrinkled hands folded primly in her lap. Her milky gaze stares straight ahead, with something soft and proud in the set of her face. One of the Monsters holds the torch, the other rows the boat, and the third settles down next to her; they speak in hushed voices, with little smiles.

After a while, the rowing Monster slows the boat, before they can bump into a thick, heavy, impenetrable curtain of grayish-green moss that stretches across the whole tunnel, blocking the way, like a gate. The other two help the woman to her feet, and guide her toward the front of the boat - and the curtain of moss. She reaches out for it blindly, and they help her step onto the edge. There is something almost ritual or reverent about the movements, the way they regard the Witch as she touches the curtain of moss... and is wrapped into it quickly, swallowed up, absorbed. After twenty minutes of gentle pulsing, the lump that used to be the Witch is no more, and the whole of the moss pulses with light and magic. The Monsters watch this whole process vigilantly, and once the lights die down, they continue on. The moss parts to allow the boat through, brushing against the Monsters but not swallowing them.

The procession happens a few more times, in separate boats, with separate victims - but all are very, very elderly, and seem proud, even happy to meet their fates. Trying to follow them further after the ritual will have the same thing happen for your boat - the moss will part, and brush over those in the boat without causing harm. If you happen to be infected with the Cwyld, however... you might meet the same fate as the old woman, with the moss reaching and grabbing for you. The procession can be stopped, but drawing attention will draw the ire of the Monster guards, and, strangely, the victims themselves, who will fly into a distressed rage at the interruption.

The Marketplace
Beyond the veil of moss lies... civilization? The cavern is enormous, big enough to contain a city at least as big as Aefenglom, if not larger, though the population at a glance seems to be much smaller. Twenty thousand people, perhaps, give or take. Buildings have been carved out of huge stone spires, or formed by draping cloth around and between the natural stalactites and stalagmites. Monsters tend to be quite tall or bulky, possessing obvious physical strength, while Witches and humans tend to be shorter than in Aefenglom. They all mingle on the streets together, with no immediately obvious class difference. Since there is no weather to dress for, some don't bother to dress at all, though humans at least tend to wear flowy silks or simple clothes made from wormipede hides. The streets are wide and the buildings far-spaced, and many get around on the backs of those worm creatures, having made them saddles and reins.

The stream ends in a lake right next to a marketplace, with many small boats docked on its pebbled shores. The stalls sell all kinds of goods: clothing made from fine silk and worm hide or rat fur, skewered meat (It's bug.), weapons, armor, jewelry made from chunks of beautiful stone. Your arrival is bound to cause a stir though, so keep your head down, and maybe it's time to snatch a disguise from one of the clothing stalls.

Monster guards, occasionally flanked by Witches, patrol the streets and keep the peace, and stopping to talk to anyone will make one thing clear: they are not at all used to outsiders. They won't believe a word you say about being from above ground, and they've never heard of your world or Aefenglom. You're nomads from the tunnels, right? Of course, don't be ridiculous, you can't fool them with tall tales! At least they're usually willing to talk - briefly, of course, everyone is very busy down here, it's morning and many will be heading to tend to the herd soon.

Those who are subtle and pointed in their questions can learn a lot about the vast but also small civilization below the surface of the world. Strength is valued here - the stronger the Monster or more powerful the Witch, the higher their rank in society, and the closer they live to the center, largest spires of stone. Monster-Witch Bonded pairs are the be-all-end-all, and often wear matching wrist-guards or pendants proudly. Pretending to be Bonded to another will put many of the natives at ease, though Monster-Monster pairs get snide comments about how you have to team up to find a good Witch, and Witch-Witch pairs will get odd looks and assume you both have a very strong Monster partner somewhere. It must be quite rare for Witches to go un-bonded here, and any who pass through without an obvious partner may be propositioned by young Monsters showing off their various talents. Unbonded Monsters may be nudged in the direction of any strange, unbonded Witches - usually fellow Mirrorbound - in a poor attempt at matchmaking. Those poor unbonded Witches need protection, right? Or so the locals think.

It's too bad trying to go any farther than the Marketplace will get you stopped by guards and turned back, however. They don't allow nomads into the inner city.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ it's not hard to figure out what this woman is trying to do. byleth glances to her with a grateful look in her eye and nods, leaning against her cane and letting corrin pull her away. to the witch and her bonded: ]

Places to be. Sorry to disappoint. [ okay let's get the fuck out of here— ]

[Corrin kept her pace even but let the woman's weight shift mostly against her arm so they could move at a reasonable speed away from the pushy pair.]

Sorry about that, but you looked like you needed a hand.

[She said in a quick whisper once they were out of earshot, slowing her steps a bit but keeping her hold on the stranger's arm. They could still be seen after all.]

[ okay, this is happening now. she'll let her rescuer help keep her up if it means they're moving faster. once they slow down, she starts leaning on the cane again. ]

It's fine, really. I appreciate the help. My name is General Byleth Eisner, I'm with the Imperial Adrestian Army. [ not that she particularly expects that to mean anything to this woman, at this point ] What are you called?

[Corrin untangled her arm from the woman's once she was sure the cane was enough to steady her, taking a half-step away. Her eyes narrowed faintly at that introduction. So this was...]

[No, she had to be sure. After the others from Edelgard's world had arrived with the wrong memories...]

I'm Princess Corrin of Hoshido. [She said with a little smile, even as her hand came up to slip under her cloak, tugging out the necklace she wore that had a charm in the shape of a a familiar black eagle symbol.]

Does this mean anything to you?

[ that catches her off guard, eyes widening slightly. this raises a lot of questions. ]

I... yes. Where did you...? [ byleth reaches under her own cloak--a similar pendant, in gold with red enamel. the same symbol. ] I taught the Black Eagles House at the Officers Academy. And then, led the Black Eagle Strike Force.

Edited 2020-03-17 22:15 (UTC)

[Corrin let out a relived breath she hadn't quite realized she was holding in. Black Eagle strike force. So, right timeline. Or, close, at least. She glanced down at her pendant again before she slipped it back under her cloak.]

El gave it to me. Ah, I mean Edelgard. [She half-turned to look the woman over. Huh.]

So you're Byleth. She's talked about you a lot.

[At least she didn't say Byleth was shorter than she had imagined. Though she definitely was.]

[ el. something strange twists in her at hearing that from someone else, particularly this woman she doesn't know, but she chooses not to dwell on it.

and wow, thanks for the vote of confidence, corrin. she looks corrin over properly now, trying to figure out what the deal is. ]

You and El are close, then?

[Corrin was in the clothing she always seemed to find herself in in the dreams, her leather-plate armor from Nohr, though without the Yato hanging at her side. Her bare toes curled and uncurled against the gravel sand beneath them, the only outward sign of the anxiety she was feeling.]

We are. She's my bondmate.

[Corrin wasn't sure what she thought of Byleth, really. This woman was so important to Edelgard, part of her couldn't help but be a little jealous of her. But her uncertain thoughts were derailed by something more important.]

Oh, right. Has anyone explained...anything...about all this to you yet?

[Bondmate was going to sound weird otherwise wasn't it...]

El told me... some of it. We found each other in the tunnels, earlier.

[ and this place's concept of bonds isn't completely unfamiliar to her, after a few encounters like that in the marketplace. she lets out a breath. her expression is pretty hard to read, there's some resting bitch face going on.

she tries to fight back whatever twisting feeling is in her stomach. jealousy? is that what this is? honestly, if she followed that impulse and started giving corrin a hard time, then she'd just be acting like hubert did at first. ]

I'm — glad she's had someone to help keep her grounded. She has an incredible heart, but if she's left to her own devices, then sometimes... [ ugh. ] Thank you.

You found...

[Corrin's worries were pushed aside, at least for the moment, and a real smile appeared on her face.]

That explains why she felt so happy earlier. That doesn't happen very that often.

[Corrin wasn't even jealous of that. Anything that made Edelgard feel that...bright...in her mind? Was worth whatever it was. She didn't add that the times she did feel that from Edelgard were often with her...no sense making the situation worse.]

Ah... [She laughed, a slightly embarrassed sound.] I'm glad to, but I think I'm benefiting from it a lot more than she is. She's like a rock, this wonderful stable presence. I think I'm mostly just fluttering around being ridiculous to her.

[ oh. it's... good to hear third party confirmation of how happy the reunion had made edelgard, weirdly? byleth lets out a gentle laugh, barely more than a chuckle. ]

I think I understand what you mean. But really, I meant what I said. And it's good that you're in each other's lives. [ she hesitates, for a moment. ]

I don't fully understand the... situation. [ understatement ] But I don't want to cause problems for the two of you.

[ "i don't want to cause problems for edelgard" being, of course, the subtext ]

[Corrin hesitated, her smiling fading some into a more thoughtful one as she studied the other woman.]

I don't think you have to worry about that. We will be fine, and if...when you wake up from the dream, the only thing you'll have to deal with is how happy she will be to see you for real.

[There was a certainty that came from feeling someone else's emotions, and while she knew that Byleth showing up would change things, she also knew she wasn't going to lose Edelgard.]

Well, that and I imagine she might want to bond with you also. She's...very good at just asking for what she wants.

[And Corrin could remember how Edelgard felt when she'd told her stories about Byleth. It was one of the few times she'd been genuinely jealous she couldn't create that kind of sensation in someone else.]

Edited (that sure was a missing word.) 2020-03-18 02:24 (UTC)

I think you're right. And normally, yes, she is...

[ it occurs to her that, yes what corrin is saying is true. being here doesn't necessarily change anything, not in the long term. a slightly sly, conspiratorial smile plays across her lips. ]

But once, she was too embarrassed to leave her quarters for a month because I saw a portrait of me she was working on.

Edited 2020-03-18 04:02 (UTC)

Really? [Corrin's eyes looked a bit distant as she tried to picture that, and then she grinned.]

I can see that. She's always trying to be great, if she didn't think it was and you saw it...

[She trailed off into a giggle.]

I'm sure she was mortified.

[ something about that laugh is infectious, especially given the topic of their conversation. byleth's smile widens, blue eyes shining with mischief. ]

I thought it was good. [ but... ] She was. El only let me in if I brought tea and sweets. She got over it eventually, but she could hardly look at me during official meetings for weeks...

Sweets, huh? Definitely going to have to remember bribing her with those later.

[She laughed, suddenly stepping a bit closer, a bit conspiratory.]

Did she do that thing where her cheeks get that muted blush and she keeps trying to look really serious but remembering she's embarrassed and looking at the floor?

[ byleth laughs a bit harder at that, nodding eagerly. what is this? it's... nice. ]

Yes, exactly. It's cute. She gave me that look in a meeting and it was all I could think about.

[Corrin giggled.]

I can imagine. I don't think she realizes how distracting she can be.

I didn't always notice. [ she exhales, thinking. there's a lot to sort through here, and she can't emotionally make sense of... most of it, at the moment. ]

El means the world to me, Corrin. I'm... grateful to you, for being there for her.

I didn't either at first. But after a while...it became hard to miss.

[Corrin was a little thrown by that sudden confession, but she nodded.]

She is very important to me too. Of course I will be there for her.

[ she nods once at that. ]

Now that I think back... she mentioned you led an army, as we did. What was it like?

[Corrin hadn't realized how much Edelgard and Byleth had talked about her, but she hid her surprise well enough. The question was certainly distracting at least.]

Ah...well, it wasn't anything like the way El describes your army. We were...on the run from both of my families at the time, finding soldiers where we could, fighting where we had to.

[She turned to start walking again as she spoke.]

Our battles were mostly escapes. Or guerrilla fighting.

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TDM: MARCH

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