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TDM: MARCH
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aefenglom's test drive! All threads can be considered game canon, should you choose to do so; regardless of if you pick specific threads to remain canon to the game, the prompts and test drive itself will be. This will be touched on later in-game, so it's fairly important to note! Aside from that, here are some quick reminders:• 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.With that taken care of...
• 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. |
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But the kindness, so similar to the A-Yao he thought he knew in the time before the temple, feels so close to hope that he can't bring himself to turn against him. The betrayal between them went both ways, and Lan Xichen at least feels regret for the ultimate end that came without either of them being in control of it.
"Perhaps. I lost my golden core as well. Everyone who comes to this world changes even if you don't see it. We're divided between witches and monsters, and no one decides which side they fall under. Monsters as a whole are considered stronger, but can suffer from loss of control. And I've found that waking up doesn't return us back to our original homes."
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Jin Guangyao looks up at him with a little but of pained expression again, maybe just a little hint of tear in his eyes. Really, are you going to talk about going home when he said his final round of
'fuck you'sgoodbyes with his dying breath, before Mingjue's corpse snapped his neck like a twig? Really? How lucky for you, to be able to think these things, that it might be a choice at all.And...
Still with their hands clasped, Lan Xichen can feel Jin Guangyao's hands tighten, just a little. "Brother, what do you mean by losing control?"
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The pain in Jin Guangyao's eyes makes him turn away, although he still finds himself wondering how much of that pain is real. He wondered that a lot since he returned to Cloud Recesses, closing himself off and looking back, questioning the connection he thought they had. How much of that life had been a lie? He wants to withdraw from that pain, afraid that his heart will waver again, but he feels the grip tighten and looks at them instinctively, unable to resist.
"Without a witch's magic to help calm them, monsters can become violent. They have been saying it's important for witches and monsters to bond, so that a witch's magic doesn't become blocked and backfire and monsters don't lose control. It's not something that would affect this dream, but... It's just what I've heard."
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"You're not a monster either, are you?"
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"I'm not. I suppose that is just my fate." If there's a slight edge to the way he says that, it's one he's only learned since losing his brothers. "No one asks to be brought here and changed, no matter what form those changes take. I thought you would want to know."
His expression softens as he looks away, toward the people around them.
"I don't know many of them, but the ones I have met here are kind. No one judges who they are."
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He doesn't even know what he wants any more, seeing his sworn brother again like this after he thought it was all over. If it's to be forgiven, to hope for some way of fixing what was broken, both for himself and to spite another -- but every time Lan Xichen opens his mouth there's something new that reminds him of how little he understood, growing up in such a privileged position, and how that old forgiveness and understanding had frayed through, demanding explanations and expecting the worst of him. A betrayal, after they had done so much for each other and helped each other in so many ways, without the least bit of reason to even wish him hurt before.
"Thank you for telling me. I'm sure that you think that's true, at least," he replies, more resigned than intentionally hurtful.
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"You're right," he answers quietly. "I can only trust what they tell me is true. If they feel any injury, they don't wish to share that with me."
His gaze remains on the people moving between vendors around them. The questions he was starting to leave behind resurface, once again leaving him with too many doubts. Was the trust between them always a lie? He had firmly believed that Jin Guangyao did value his friendship, but now he's finding it difficult to shake off the thought that maybe he is there now because he regrets letting his brother walk away unharmed.
"I told you because I believe these dreams call us to their world. If there was a chance, I did not want you to be shocked by the things they told you once you arrived. The people who live there are very open about the changes newcomers must endure. I did not receive the news well, but perhaps it is just my own weakness."
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"Brother, you always left a good impression in the minds of anyone you met. I doubt anyone took offence. I can only thank you again for trying to spare me from the worst of the surprises. If, as you say, it is more than a dream, and I awaken somewhere else, and... that these changes are something nobody is judged for... even with new challenges ahead, I think I would still find myself better off than where I was in my last life.
"In this alternate waking world, nobody but you knows who I am, or what I've done. With what you've seen, maybe you can let me know one other thing before the dream ends. Tell me, should I think of this new life as a second chance?" he asks, trying to catch Lan Xichen's eyes again, taking one step forward to counter the one that had been taken away from him.
He shouldn't push his luck, but he needs something to go with, to know which way to let his feelings settle again. Just go ahead and kick him down the metaphorical stairs without some other schemer's interference, if that's what you're going to do. Or forgive him; and while he can't forget what happened, he can at least live without it seething inside him.
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When he catches the movement out of the corner of his eye, he looks back at Jin Guangyao, shoulders tense and eyes dull like he's been standing out in a storm for too long. He doesn't move away, but the way his sworn brother phrases the question, he suspects that there is some text to this. A small part of him hopes even now that Jin Guangyao still cares for him, but how could he ever know the answer to that? And, in the end, it doesn't matter. He closes his eyes with resignation.
"Every new moment should be treated as an opportunity to live better lives. What is it you are asking me to do?"
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"I'm asking you for a second chance. Are you going to hold the sins of another life against me forever? I'd given up on everything from back then, I never even expected to see you again. Yet how am I supposed to turn over a new leaf with doubt following behind me at every step?"
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"A-Yao, if you are asking me that because you worry about what I might say, I..."
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"-no." Pressing onward through that hesitation and suspicion, Jin Guangyao continues in anguish, "I want to know that I was wrong about one last thing at the end, that even though all of it, you can find it in yourself to forgive me." It's completely shameless now, but that's just the way it has to be. "Forget the words that were spoken in the moment of our betrayal and start again as brothers."
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And, yes, perhaps Lan Xichen is being too hopeful once again, but the man clinging to him reminds him so much of the A-Yao he once thought he knew well that all he can do is let out a shuddering breath and reach out to take his arms.
"Promise me. You have to promise that all of that is over and you won't turn to those wicked methods here. I- I cannot look the other way again, after what has happened. But I want to believe the man that saved my life did not do that just because I carry the Lan name."
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It wasn't just because of that, and if it had been, was that so wrong? To hope for a little good favor from a prestigious sect when he had nothing? And to see what he had thought was a true brotherhood grow from it?
"I won't ask it again, Brother," he vows when he looks up with tear-streaked cheeks. "I give you my word that none of those things will happen again. Why... why would they, why would I have reason to? I regret it all. All I can ask is that you believe it." his voice hopeless at the end.
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"Don't hold back what you want to say." His voice isn't as strong as he wants it to be, but he tries to be confident through his response. "You keep so much from me. I used to think that no one could see how patient and noble you really are because they simply refused to see it. I thought that I saw someone different in you because you allowed me to see you. But I was wrong in the end too. I just want you to trust me."
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And that's fine. He shouldn't have to understand it. Shouldn't have demanded so many answers and explanations. Even with it all laid bare like it was, he was never going to truly see, should remain the pure white moonlight above.
"I only don't want to hurt you. But what kind of trust can I have, when you could think that perhaps I only helped you for selfish reasons. Are you happier now that I've said it? Or are you going to pull away again?" he says with an air of sudden desperation, hanging tight to Lan Xichen's robes still.
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"It did hurt to hear the truth, but I would have been more hurt not knowing. I should know, A-Yao. It's not right for you to bear that all on your own. I mourned you. I still- every day I think of new things I could have said."
He places his hands over the ones clinging to his robes, offering what he hopes is some kind of reassurance that he isn't retreating.
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He still mourned him, even after all that? He was probably the only one who ever would.
For once, words don't come so easily. "Brother..." he nearly whispers, unsure how to even respond.
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"Tell me, what should I have done? Should I have been more stern and pulled you away from those people? Would you have been better off in Cloud Recesses? At least then you wouldn't have had to face so much cruelty. If I had pressed you for more answers before, then perhaps you wouldn't have had to go down that path."
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"I only wished for your happiness. Yet how can I know what that is?"
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How could Lan Xichen possibly have done anything, when even a good word from both his brothers hadn't been enough to even be seen by his father in his youth? When he was only even allowed into the sect after risking his life for so long for one decisive move? When even after all that he was given a courtesy name that let everyone know by generational character know he might belong to Jin sect, but was never meant to succeed his father?
The happiest his father had ever made him, in the end, was when he got to watch him struggle weakly before his ignominious death -- and later, looking properly sorrowful yet mildly embarrassed at the funeral while laughing inside at the whispers in the back of the gathering.
A tainted happiness by comparison to what he felt seeing Lan Xichen's smile in the quieter times that followed, helping to rebuild Cloud Recesses, discussing the watch tower plans. Quiet visits that he could always look forward to, not marred by the fears and worries of politics with the other sects. A man who'd only ever shown him kindness and brotherly love up until the end.
"I only ever wished the same. So how could I tell you those things?" he admits. "I spent too long trying to get something that was impossible, but there was never anything you could do about that. So you don't need to ask that question anymore. If we can put the past behind, I will be happy enough as long as you are beside me."
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Part of him desperately wants to take the man at his word now. If they can just forget the past and move on, then, yes, starting a new life would be the dream he always wanted. But that sort of naivety is what had driven him into seclusion in the first place.
"I still wish you would have told me," he says, pushing past the urge to just give in and accept the words he'd been longing to hear. If Jin Guangyao had told him even in the midst of their struggle that he wanted Lan Xichen at his side, he might not have been able to give a clear-headed answer. But now, having had time to sort out his mind, he holds back. "I want to support you, A-Yao, and I want you to have a new life. But I was beside you then, too, and it only hurt us both in the end. You'll forget that too?"
He can't believe it. After seeing the hurt and malice in his brother's eyes right before his fall, Lan Xichen can't imagine that Jin Guangyao is that willing to move on. He hopes he is, but he's not quite the same man he was growing up in Cloud Recesses now. Asking questions has become more and more part of him since he lost everyone else.
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Too much had been revealed in the end, too much deceit and too many falsehoods exposed. It's not so easy to just lie completely with a straight face to him anymore. Why couldn't you just stay in your ignorance, brother? Why did you have to get involved when everything started to fall apart?
There's a long pause before he finally speaks. "I will try. Is even that much so hard to believe now?" he asks, his faint smile a little pained again.
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Lan Xichen smiles and places his hands over the ones holding his robes. He, at least, gets a little peace out of hearing his brother's assurance.
"Of course not. I believe you." Even saying that out loud feels like a weight lifting from his chest. If it's going to be a hard road to peace, then surely he can manage it as long as Jin Guangyao wants to try. And he's wiser now. Maybe this means he'll do things better now that he knows more about the effort and costs it takes to create happiness.
"If I can help you have a new life, then I will do what I can for you."
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