moustre: (Default)
moustre ([personal profile] moustre) wrote in [community profile] dagung2019-05-17 02:55 pm
Entry tags:

TDM: May

Test Drive: May

    Welcome to [community profile] 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.
    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!

    With that taken care of...



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.
curruid_coinchenn: (no sense of self to speak of)

[personal profile] curruid_coinchenn 2019-05-19 06:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Like he hadn't tried that. The suggestion is a little insulting. Instead of lashing out, he decides to entertain himself. This might be good for a laugh. ]

Why don't you try it?
fulgency: (015)

[personal profile] fulgency 2019-05-20 12:56 am (UTC)(link)
[Most would probably ask why it would be necessary for them to try it out when they're not the ones losing power. They might even ask why Berserker appears to be dodging the question or simply conclude that he's already tried to no avail. But most Servants are...you know...not Ozymandias. He shrugs, clearly unconcerned and willing.]

Very well.

[He seems pleased with himself for a moment. But then that moment lapses into another moment. And nothing happens for yet another moment. He seems momentarily surprised by this before clearing his throat and frowning with effort.]

[...]

[...]

[...Aaaaand still nothing.]

[He straightens and as casually as he possibly can be about it says,]


I changed my mind! It doesn't make sense for me to use my spiritual form right now. I have plenty of mana to maintain my physical form on my own.
curruid_coinchenn: (disconnected but not alone)

[personal profile] curruid_coinchenn 2019-05-20 02:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Maybe it's because this felt like a dream that the weakness didn't bother him as much as it should. It's not that he forgot what it's like, just that it had been so long since he'd felt it that it was alien. It made him angry, too, but that subsides to background noise as he watches the Rider.

Good, exactly as he thought. He barks out a short laugh. ]


Is that so, King of Gods? [ The amusement fades as quickly as it came. ] Did you think I didn't try to do that, too?

[ The difference being he did it when there were no witnesses to his frustration. ]
fulgency: (015)

[personal profile] fulgency 2019-05-21 12:58 am (UTC)(link)
[He's plainly offended at being laughed at even if it's brief laughter, but maintains his composure and decides privately to let it slide. Well.]

You could have mentioned that... [he mutters before shaking his head. He lets it slide as much as his pride will allow. Ozymandias speaks again with his more usual, boisterous tone.] I do have access to plenty of mana. The magic here is foreign, but plenty.

Perhaps your odd transformation is preventing you from accessing it successfully.
curruid_coinchenn: (on the path to breaking down)

[personal profile] curruid_coinchenn 2019-05-21 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
I wanted to see you try it before I said anything.

[ Petty? God, yes. Some things didn't change and the petty nature of Cú Chulainn could not be erased by Medb's wish. ]

My rune magic no longer works. I don't consciously use it...This is a dream, isn't it?

[ Usually it was a Master and Servant who shared dreams, not...two Servants. Whatever, it wasn't the weirdest occurrence of the day. ]

So none of this matters...
Edited 2019-05-21 03:10 (UTC)
fulgency: (009)

[personal profile] fulgency 2019-05-21 10:44 am (UTC)(link)
[...Y'all petty and rude...]

[...But. Right. Letting it go. Moving on.]


I wouldn't be so hasty to dismiss this as unimportant. [Not that he'd expect a different response from this particular Berserker.] Dream or not, you have to admit this is unusual.
curruid_coinchenn: (i can almost hear)

[personal profile] curruid_coinchenn 2019-05-23 07:23 pm (UTC)(link)
It's very strange because I don't normally dream. Much less about other Servants.

[ Berserker shrugs. ]

I just don't care, though.
fulgency: (021)

[personal profile] fulgency 2019-05-27 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
[Ozymandias isn't sure if it's a luxury or a curse that Berserker cares so little. Most Berserkers have their hot-buttons or passions of some kind, and he is simply without.]

[He sighs, running a hand through his hair.]


No, I didn't imagine that you did. But simply because you don't care doesn't render it meaningless.
curruid_coinchenn: (i can almost sense)

[personal profile] curruid_coinchenn 2019-05-29 11:36 pm (UTC)(link)
It's meaningless to me. If you want to read into it, it has no bearing on my feelings.

[ Lighten up, jeez. ]

What meaning do you see in it, though? I'm curious.