dagung | 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

[Body language can certainly be faked, but he feels at no risk with this man in his company. An even more complex phenomenon to face. The interaction with so many strangers, unbarred and unbidden, forces Itachi to confront social interaction he's avoided for the better part of his life.

Fortunate, in this case, the man is not hoisting unnecessary small talk upon him. That demeanor is casual, but at least it isn't irritating or too demanding of him.]

And what does the process of bonding involve? It seems to have some permanency. As well as intimacy.

[Like... getting married. Itachi is content to lead them for now, taking a circuitous route around the outer edge of the market to begin to learn his surroundings.]

From what I hear, there's some kind of ceremony you do together, and then a Witch connects you. Uh, magic-wise, obviously, but also mentally.

[Which is the part that Qrow really super hates, because he knows it's hot mess hours in Qrowville 24/7 and sometimes he can barely stand living there himself, let alone tying someone else to his disaster wagon.]

Couldn't give you more details than that, though. Seems like something I'd rather avoid.

[He can't avoid it forever, but he's currently a bit in denial of that fact. And he's sure as hell going to push it off for as long as he possibly can.]

[A ceremony... he's reminded of the cave, of the aged woman, of pulsing light in moss seemingly possessed of its own will. Dreams create unnatural and unusual landscapes, but he'd never seen anything like what he witnessed then. What would a ceremony bonding together witch and monster be like?

Intense. Worse, if it means a mental connection. Itachi's jaw tightens, the only physical signal to show he's heard and processed the other man's bare-bones explanation.]

Yes, likewise. If it can be avoided.

[Just then, they're stopped again on the street by a pushy merchant who waves what appear to be matching pendants in their faces.]

Recently bonded, hmm? How about something pretty to show your commitment to each other? Eh? What do you say?

[Itachi freezes, and... stares... unhelpfully.]

Edited (html betrayed me) 2020-03-19 22:59 (UTC)

[Ugh. This is the last thing he has the patience for. Where Itachi freezes, Qrow shoots them a glare that says fuck off, but he doesn't go for the full Confrontational right off the bat.]

Not interested.

[He grumbles, trying to wave a hand to shoo them off, until the merchant makes the mistake of trying to be manipulative. Bonds are most stable when you show how much you care for each other, you know. You don't want him to explode, do you?

The merchant has time to regret this as Qrow gets right up in his face, knocking the stupid pendants out of his hand and stepping on one.]

How about we show our commitment by tossing your whole damn inventory in the lake?

[There's a sense of nostalgia when Qrow steps in, authoritative, turning away the merchant's efforts, reminding him of another man as brusque and tall. He looks down at the crunch of one of the porcelain pendants, shattered by the heel of a shoe. It's not typically in Itachi's nature to intervene, but he makes an exception this time - a quick step which carries him between both merchant and Qrow.]

It's all right. [This is said to his temporary monster companion, then to the merchant:] Your wares won't be necessary for our bond. We'd prefer something else.

[A lie, since there's no bond to speak of, but Itachi says it smoothly before moving away. He doesn't touch or gesture toward Qrow - but it's obvious by his body language he expects to be followed.]

... I'll have to ask what he meant by 'explode'.

[For all he'd mentally compared Itachi to Raven earlier, the move toward conciliation is more reminiscent of his other old teammates; if anything, she would have been more aggressive than he was. Qrow follows after Itachi, but the question draws a frown, and a pause. He wants to say I don't know, except. That's not quite the truth, is it? And Qrow has been a liar, a spy, knows to hold his cards close to his chest, but....it's not for nothing that he got so angry at that merchant. Those around him coming to harm because of him is one of his deepest and most painful insecurities, and guilt claws at his heart when he thinks of holding back on the information he does have just because the concept of bonding makes him uncomfortable.]

....I've heard it's supposed to get harder to manage, the longer you go without a Bond.

[He hadn't looked into the details of that, far more interested in the workings of the city, the Coven, the Looking Glass House--in going home rather than settling in and Bonding, and it strikes him now. That must be the endgame for Witches, then, right? Goddamn it.]

[There are risks, then. It would illuminate some of this civilization's urge to push their witches toward their monsters, as well as the obsession revolving around strength. So the witches can be protected from an untimely end, from an overload of ability. Itachi processes this new information with a slight downward curve of his mouth, a half-crescent, subtle indication of emotion beneath the glass-like coolness of his exterior.

Itachi routes them around the next stand, taking a wide berth to avoid another overeager merchant.]

I see. I've been told some of the other world beyond this dream, but I have no certainty I will wake up in it. Still, I've not yet tested my full capabilities as a witch.

[He looks at Qrow, interest changing.]

Are there also risks for unbonded monsters?

[He frowns in return, long years of habit warning him to keep quiet about his own weaknesses, but ... they're working together, at the moment, and there's no real reason to expect any kind of threat from Itachi. Especially when it is common knowledge that going bondless is hard on everyone.]

....Yeah. You could lose control of yourself. Witch magic is supposed to balance us out.

[Realizing now what happens to witches if they don't eventually bond....well, it feels a little less like being a burden, but he still hates the idea of mentally linking himself to someone like that.]

[His immediate thought goes to Sasuke, a fixation easily revisited after all these years of preoccupation. Still, he doesn't allow himself to linger on concern for too long, with everything else at hand. It can be addressed later.]

So this effect is of mutual benefit. One can't survive without the other.

[Itachi's not thinking of himself or the future; he'd rather remain objective for now.]

You must come from the other place as well, Aefenglom, beyond this dream. Have you been there long?

[Thankfully he already got the 411 on all this shit.]

TDM: MARCH

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