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TDM: July
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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 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.With that taken care of...
• Applications Open The 24th! These will last until the end of the month, the 31st, with the intro log going on up the 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!
• 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 Living Forest
It feels warmer than it should be. Hot, dry, dark. The sky above all but black- save for the ominous orange glow against the distant horizon. In the gloaming there’s a resonant smell of decay; of musty pine and sun-baked wood and, more worryingly, the distant scent of smoke, of ash. There’s no wind to speak of, and yet… something whispers. The shiver of leaves, the crack of dry branches- and if you listen long enough, almost… the sound of voices in the trees.
 Controlled Burn The forest you find yourself in is still alive- for now. Ash filters through the browning leaves like snow, dotting the path you’ve found yourself on in bone white fragments. Following the rustling leads it to grow all the more frantic, whispered voices speaking without words- or perhaps you simply cannot understand. You feel as though you’re being watched, the tree clusters growing thicker, tighter and- is it just your imagination, or… are they moving? Suddenly before you an old oak splits with a thunderous crack- followed by a deafening scream. Gnarled, blackened hands reach from within the tree, scraping at your clothes, agony wrought through every striation of her features as the infection spreads. Before you, the tree withers as the nymph falls into the dirt, long fingers tearing up the earth as she crawls towards you. Understanding comes to you in stark clarity: the noises through the trees are a cry for help. Before your very eyes the leaves of her once lush hair dries; cracks and breaks away, falling to join the ashen forest floor. With pleading eyes she gazes at you, before her eyes roll back, and she collapses, utterly still. And she’s not the only one; the forest is alive, the very trees reaching for you, roots clawing up to crack open the earth itself in their desperation. Don’t let them touch you, though. The infection spreads quickly. Branching through your veins and leaving your limbs sluggish, heavy, and brittle. The feeling is utterly agonizing, reminiscent of having poured molten lava into your blood. The longer the infection is left untreated, the more, and faster it spreads, the worse the pain becomes. The trees know, they whisper the truth: the only way to cleanse yourself is through the fire. |
 Creeping Fire Not all nymphs have met such a terrible fate. Not yet, at least. Some huddle together, their branching arms clinging to one another as they softly weep. Others walk willingly towards the distant orange glow with grim determination. Still others implore you with wide, fearful eyes to do something- anything to help them. Surely these new abilities you’ve found yourself with must be good for something. They lead you to a natural amphitheatre; the slow sloping blackened earth sinking into a gully bordered by a high rock wall. The heat is the most bearable here; the area cooled by the towering stone. Wilting nymphs huddle together along with sympathetic faun. Those who have skills in manipulating water are a welcome relief; these tree spirits are desperate for it. But this temporary refuge won’t last for long. The infection wants to spread. Like rabies, maddening its’ hosts and raising their aggression. And where better to draw from than the root of this sanctuary? Where the stone wall rises and provides shelter from the fire, so too does it trap these refugees in… Defend against the infected, before all hope is lost. |
 Staging Area Past the disease, the horror and cries for help, there is a genuinely quiet place. It isn’t much, compared to how things used to be, but there’s a clearing scarred at the edges with scorch marks instead of Cwyld, with the beginnings of plants sprouting once more. Baby grass clusters in small groups, small stems pushing out of the ashen ground with hopeful buds. Some earlier bloomers already casting vibrant colors to what was once a meadow. It’s serene, it’s peaceful, it’s an area that’s been cleansed by fire and Cwyld kept at bay by Witches at least a century out of fashion, though they don’t seem to respond to outside presences with how focused they are. Those taking breaks from their turn on the edge offer greetings and air worries about the spreading taking root in the forest, but (like the Fae in the first dream, for those who recall) don’t say much else unique, wondering if they’ll be able to return home anytime soon and if this was truly worth the effort. Of course it is, an older one might snap back. In a war of attrition, all efforts are worthy. However, this isn’t the only camp they’ve set up. There’s one not too far off that begins with frost and ends in a frozen area of land, sound muffled by cold and everything from the trees to nymphs so iced not even a dragon’s flame could melt it. Inquiries about this area result in some sheepish looks, and the answer of how some Witches became a little excited at the idea of putting surviving nymphs and the rest of the flora into a form of dormancy and overdid it, a bit. |
B
It's just a small helping of... something that arguably could be stew, with undercooked potatoes mixed in a thin sauce. It might or might not be beef. The questionable smell doesn't inspire much confidence either, but he'll take what he can get. What with their current situation, he really can't afford to be picky. But Fie hovering around definitely won't make him eat any faster. ]
I just told you-- Yes, Fie. I'm eating that. [ Eventually. ] I'm fine, all right?
no subject
She's not overly concerned, since she knows full well he can manage: Celdic showed her that first hand. Still, this is out of both their elements, but mostly his. Jaeger life had her adapting to things as they came up, and she's skilled at that. Him... not as much.]
This is a weird dream, isn't it? [Leave it to her to bring up the weirdest part about the whole scenario.]
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Boy, "weird dream" is putting it just a little lightly there, don't you think. [ He sighs, softening his frown. She's not wrong though. ]
But yeah, fell me about it. I still feel like I can't make heads and tails out of half of this stuff they've just dropped on us. There's the supernatural, then there's a... supernatural pandemic. [ He pauses, letting out a louder sigh. ] That'll be fun to figure out.
[ He's only got the Erebonian equivalent of a poli-sci degree after all! That might as well be qualified. ]
no subject
Fie shrugs.]
So don't figure it out. We're not exactly here for that. Maybe focus on not exploding first, since that can happen now. It'd make me sad.
[She looks at him with a mock sad face. Don't make her sad, Machias.]
i needed this acct just for this icon
[ He's just making a face right back at her! He knows that! He's knows there's exploding, and death, and fire. And other bad things. And he's trying VERY hard not to think about that. ]
No one's going to explode, all right? We've got this. [ He pauses, seemingly confident. Which subtly fades for a brief moment when he quickly glances back at his notes, then back at Fie. ] ...Yeah.
perfection
[That has her snort. Such confidence, Machias. Really, it's inspiring. Fie sighs a little herself and holds up a fist.]
Of course we do. It'd be dumb if we didn't after all we've managed together. [Her fist moves and knocks him lightly on the head to get his attention. Now it's beside his own. Pound it.]
If anyone's gonna figure stuff out, it'll be you. [Since Emma's not here. Shh.]
( back from exam hell sob )
No pressure, right? It's a lot better than just thinking about trying to get through the day. [ Beat. ] And, well, not exploding.
[ That makes him wince. Damn it, now it's going to be stuck in his head. He doesn't need this! ...Or this sappiness, gross. ]
Well, uh, going back to dreams... "Weird" is a bit of an understatement, don't you think? Just a little bit.
good work rank two
[Maybe.
She grins at his attempt to change topics. Oh, Machias, you silly boy.]
What, you don't normally dream about me?~
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Y-You KNOW that's not what I meant! Stop it!
no subject
[Give her a moment to scoot away a little, for her hearing's sake.]
It's not... super different from what I've dreamed before. [Given her past.] But there's a new layer over this, one where we're all more aware of what's going on.
no subject
For better or worse, you mean. I don't know if it's just me, but it feels like something else is in the air too... I mean, aside from the smoke.
[ It's strange. He's nodding along in agreement, but if he were to actually stop and think about the past dreams, that's where he would draw a few blanks. It's hard to put his finger on any specifics, and it's not exactly on the forefront of his mind anyway. This whole situation they're in has got him on pins and needles. ]
no subject
Mm, it does. Not much we can do about it either way, though.
[Now that he's distracted, Fie reaches over and takes the stew he was working on earlier. Yep, it's hers now.] Needs salt.
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--H-Hey! I just told you I was eating that! Were you even listening!?
[ Machias will reach over and try and take it back! ]
no subject
I fought off a good couple dozen infected creatures, I'm hungry. I need to keep my strength up to keep them from getting you.
[Since his weapon doesn't really work here.]