moustre: (Default)
moustre ([personal profile] moustre) wrote in [community profile] dagung2019-05-17 02:55 pm
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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.
starseedling: (never stop crying)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-05-19 10:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Jokes on you, Rose, saying that just makes him want to cry more. It's hard, because a big part of him never wanted to shed another tear over Rose Quartz. That had been the mood of the moment - feeling and understand who she was, while also deciding that her choices no longer had to control him or any of the other Crystal Gems.

It's not that easy, though. What she says to him is practically something straight out of his fantasies. He can imagine walking into her illusion room, asking to see her, and the reflections of his own desires conjuring up something exactly like that. It's not fair, how much of a hold she still has on his heart, and probably always will.

As expected, the tears come even heavier. He knows how deeply this is probably affecting her, even the same as it affects him. All for someone neither of them has met.

"I grew up without you," he says, struggling. "Because... Because we couldn't exist at the same time. How can we both be here? I know this is a dream, but... what if it's real?"

The situation is more complicated than just a mother-son reunion.
imperfectporkchops: (you can't charm the laws of physics)

[personal profile] imperfectporkchops 2019-05-19 11:06 pm (UTC)(link)
"It... it feels real, to me?"

What if it is just a dream? She's had some pretty wild dreams before, and done some pretty wild things to make those dreams real. But this... If this is a dream, what does it mean? Does it mean that Steven is real? That he exists somewhere inside her, like a gem in the earth, waiting to be formed? The idea thrills and terrifies her. Like destiny. Like a door closed behind her, too heavy to open.

"At the same time, I'm scared that if I touch you, that you'll vanish," her hands are clasped tightly to one another in her lap, "I'm so sorry, Steven. I wish I could have been there, to see you grow. It was selfish. I'm... often selfish."

starseedling: (please stop)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-05-19 11:27 pm (UTC)(link)
"I know," he says. To how she would have wanted to meet him, but also largely to her being sometimes selfish. He quickly seems to rethink his words, though.

"I'm sorry," he adds, looking down. "That was mean. I don't... I don't mean it like that." He's certainly not here to condemn her. "I just... learned so much about you. More than I ever thought I would. The really good parts and... and the not so good parts."

He runs his hand over his gem, glancing up at her mirror copy, but only for a moment.

"...I know what we are. Where you came from. It's... It's okay. I get it."
imperfectporkchops: (a life and death struggle)

[personal profile] imperfectporkchops 2019-05-19 11:44 pm (UTC)(link)
"What?"

Oh. Oh this isn't a dream at all. It's a nightmare.

"How did you— I never wanted anyone to know about that!" She's up on her feet before she knows it, and for a moment there's real frustration in her, before Rose turns and walks away. Not far, three steps, then she stops, "Who told you? How... How did you find out? Did you... remebber it?"

She never wanted to think about that again, wanted to let Pink Diamond go, let her be as shattered in truth as she had been in fiction. And the only one who'd known was... Rose sagged, shoulders low and defeated.

"...Oh, Pearl."
starseedling: (the answer is yes)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-05-19 11:58 pm (UTC)(link)
It's strange, seeing Rose Quartz act like that. He's learned to know her in phases - first as Rose, and then a Pink. This reaction shows an echo of who she was before, and it's one he understands.

Yet, her mentioning Pearl sends a prickle of resentment down his spine. The selfishness that Rose just admitted to? Memories of Pearl just reminds him of how damaging it could be.

"Don't blame Pearl," he says, taking a step after her. It's not a plea, it's a demand, and it speaks to his own affection for Pearl and the person she became. "You shouldn't have done that to her."
imperfectporkchops: (embrace the cosmic perspective)

[personal profile] imperfectporkchops 2019-05-20 12:10 am (UTC)(link)
"Do you think I don't know that? But what was I supposed to do!?"

She whirls and her eyes are full of tears, angry, and impotent. It doesn't matter anymore what she'd said to Pearl, the chains would have been there even if Pink— if Rose hadn't done it. In the space of a second the anger had faded, looking down at Steven, at his own righteousness. What alternative was there? If it had ever come out...

It wasn't fair!

"I just wanted to be me. And..." It truly didn't matter anymore. Everyone would know, by now, what she was, the lies she'd told. Everyone would look at her and only see Pink Diamond again. They'd treat her like an enemy, or a Diamond, or both, and even Pearl probably resented her for it. Where could she go? Homeworld? "...It's over, isn't it? I'm so stupid."

She sank back down onto the ground, both hands over her face. Who could have predicted that her secret would have been let out by her...self, as a human child, her son. She hadn't even had time to have a son!
starseedling: (human beings)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-05-20 12:19 am (UTC)(link)
It's impossible to know how to feel. He's angry, and sad, and sympathetic all at once - he's spent so much time piecing all of this together. Having Rose react to it, like the real person she is instead of the vision people had imagined, is still overwhelming to behold.

"You are you," he says, and the anger has faded - he's imploring her, urging for her to understand. "If you want to be Rose Quartz, you are. It doesn't matter what you were before, or what the other Diamonds wanted you to be. Even if you were Pink Diamond, you're not anymore."

"I'm not either," he says, more softly. He rubs his eyes. "And you're not stupid."
imperfectporkchops: (you can't charm the laws of physics)

[personal profile] imperfectporkchops 2019-05-20 12:29 am (UTC)(link)
"Of course you're not," Rose replies, from behind her hands, "Look at you, you're so full of potential. You're so... so human. Everything about you has the potential to change; that's all I ever wanted. Rose Quartz isn't even a real person."

She scrubs at her eyes, feeling the weakness inherent in the gesture. It's so childish. How can this little thing, barely yet alive, be so much older than her in the grand scheme of things? She sighs, and pulls up her knees. This is such a terrible dream.

"I am, kind of. I just tried to defend giving Pearl orders. Like a Diamond.Ugh," She put her head down on her knees, "I assume you told everyone. I can't even think about how Garnet must have reacted."
starseedling: (i love you)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-05-20 12:45 am (UTC)(link)
Steven watches Rose submit, and still can't help but be shaken by it. He spent so long seeing her as this ideal being, it's both sad and revealing to have it confirmed that it's not at all true. It would be more affirming if it weren't for the fact that he can see her hurt and wishes deeply that it didn't have to be this way.

He moves closer to her, reaching out his hand a little like he might touch her, though he refrains in the end.

"Rose Quartz is real because she's you," he says, carefully. "Other people being wrong about you doesn't mean that... that you aren't a person."

He looks down at his feet again.

"...We only found out about all of this because... we didn't really have a choice. The Diamonds wouldn't leave Earth alone, and they wouldn't believe that I wasn't you." He knows this will probably hurt her to hear, but it's the truth, unfortunately. "They wanted to shatter me for what they thought you did... finding out the truth was the only thing that stopped them."
imperfectporkchops: (life is too short for me to worry)

[personal profile] imperfectporkchops 2019-05-20 04:07 am (UTC)(link)
Rose huffed a humorless denial at that. The cave absorbed the sound, rattled it around in the corners, then dropped it silently onto the sand, like an unwanted toy.

Shattered. But Steven, half-human... could it even be done? What would become of him without a Gem?

"Well, to be fair, you're not not me," she says, eventually, a little wry. Rose looks down at him, past the veil of pink curls, and uncurls enough to pat the ground next to her. The ground's a little damp, but soft enough for a seat, "You've got a good heart, though. I expect we have your father to blame for that."

Another sigh for that. Greg would know what to say.

"I'm not angry with Pearl. I was gone, I was... you. She would never do anything like that unless she knew it was the right thing to do. I just... Once I escaped all of that, I never wanted to look back again. The only time I ever did, was when I tried to tell your father about it all," She cocked half a grin at him, more sad than cheerful, "Greg didn't even let me talk, he just said that he loved me the way I am, and that the past didn't matter, so long as we could be happy in the present. And we were. Are."
Edited 2019-05-20 04:08 (UTC)
starseedling: (i'm never wearing pants again)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-05-20 07:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Steven watches her, small amounts of frustration and defiance bubbling in his gut. Mostly because he already has the answers to those questions. He knows what happens to him without his gem, and he knows what his gem looks like without his human body.

He's been over this enough times, hasn't he? He sighs, coming forward to accept her offer to take a seat beside her. He's not going to turn that down. Whether or not this is real or some kind of mental trial he's going through, there are some things he's not willing to give up on.

"I'm not you in the ways that matter," he says as he settles down on the stone. He's already familiar with his dad's opinions on the past. The new information had never really changed his opinion. "I didn't do any of those things, but they wanted to blame me anyway. And then when they found out the truth, they wanted me to take your place, like nothing even happened."

What may be a simple statement for her is just a huge lifetime affair for him.

"For a long time, everybody wanted me to be you. But I'm not. This is my gem, and it's my body, and it's my life. I know that, now."
imperfectporkchops: (inspiration comes from a passion)

[personal profile] imperfectporkchops 2019-05-20 10:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Rose lets him finish; she's just grateful that he isn't running away from her in horror. If she met her former self... well, she wouldn't be as calm as Steven is, that's for sure.

"I was trying to make a joke. We can work on it." Rose says, eventually. She sits quiet for a moment, together, nearly touching. Sometimes, it's just enough to share the warmth.

"They tried to make you... be Pink Diamond? Oh, Steven, that must've been so... Hard," She says it less like she understands what Steven went though, because she doesn't, but because she's remembering... or imagining, what it would be like for her, in his place, "I don't think I could have done it, if I were you."

But then she remembers and shakes her head. If. Ha! Well, to heck with it; who knows if this is even real? Rose holds out her hand to him, palm up, a peace offering.

"You might just be the bravest human I've ever met."
starseedling: (because they seem nice)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-05-20 10:19 pm (UTC)(link)
He can't help but soften, hearing her say that. She keeps saying he's human, and he guesses that makes sense - that's everything she wanted for him. If she was really here, maybe he could show her just how 'human' gems can really be.

"It seemed like being Pink Diamond was pretty hard for you, too," he says, smiling sadly. "When I was on Homeworld I kept... having these memories, of how you felt living there. I don't blame you for wanting to leave."

There's plenty of things she should probably take the 'L' on, but wanting to be free isn't one of them. Freedom is really what she wanted for everyone, isn't it?

He lifts his hand cautiously, like he isn't sure what will happen when they touch. All the same, he puts his hand in hers - the first real contact he's ever had with his mom. He used to imagine, when he was younger, that they would hug in an instant, and that it would all be so perfect. Now that he's older, this seems like the only way it could be.

"But... things are getting better. The other Diamonds... they really loved you. Even if they were pretty bad at showing it."

He's not sure they would have changed if they hadn't been confronted with losing her for good. Which just makes Rose being present here even stranger to think about.
imperfectporkchops: (you can't charm the laws of physics)

[personal profile] imperfectporkchops 2019-05-20 10:50 pm (UTC)(link)
She doesn't know what she was expecting. For one of them to go pop, maybe. Or for the two of them to fuse at the contact, forms disrupted by the similarity of their gems. But now that he's put his hand in her own, that seems silly; how many identical gems are out there and nothing happens when they touch except for ordinary, every-day physical contact.

Even so, there's nothing ordinary about this.

"I know they did. But, I think that actually made it worse, if you can believe it," She stops suddenly, caught up in the hooks of memory. Oh, Pearl. But then she shakes it free and smiles for him, closing her fingers over his knuckles. The moment was warm, and it had weight, "I loved them too. But I spent so many thousands of years trying to be... Well. It's no wonder the memories kept leaking out. I'm just not cut out to be a good Diamond, but I make a half-decent Quartz. Right? Well, except for the part where I don't follow orders."

Not that Amethyst, for an example of a Quartz, could ever be accused of obedience. But then, there's just no comparing to their very own Earth-forged Amethyst.
starseedling: ("ha ha ha" he giggled)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-05-20 11:30 pm (UTC)(link)
"Actually," he says, rubbing the back of his head with his other hand. "None of the Quartz I've met have been very good at following orders. But they were all made on Earth, so maybe they're chips off the old rock after all."

Even Jasper, so dedicated to the Authority, had run completely rampant when separated from the power structure. All the Amethysts he'd met, even the ones working at the Human Zoo, had acted more like Pink than anyone else.

"That's... how it works, right? Diamonds kinda... make this weird rock juice which creates other gems?" He laughs softly and awkwardly. "I'm still trying to figure things out, I guess."
imperfectporkchops: (every day should be Earth Day)

[personal profile] imperfectporkchops 2019-05-20 11:52 pm (UTC)(link)
"Woof," Rose has to laugh. What a mess, "Pink really really was the worst Diamond."

Abandoning her post, a disaster of a Pearl, tiny and strange and always making mistakes... and all her gems are wild things, just like her. But still, it's so delightful, to imagine it. All those Gems, living, being happy, being themselves... But then she remembers that, if they're alive at all, it's in no state where any Gem could stay sane, or if it did, feel anything like joy. The war destroyed so much.

"Sort of. It's a little more complicated than that... White knows the most about our history. Most of the gems that emerged on Earth are Pink Diamond's though."

Which makes Amethyst and Steven siblings!
starseedling: (bro you look so cute right now dude)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-05-21 12:09 am (UTC)(link)
They've always effectively been siblings, but it's always nice to have it be literal. Much better than Steven being her mom.

There's so much Rose doesn't know, Steven realizes. Things she probably wouldn't believe! Things that turned out better than even he imagined. There's a giddiness that rises in his chest at the thought - despite everything, the idea of being able to tell his mom about his accomplishments is exciting. Even if he shouldn't have to prove anything at all.

"Being a good Diamond is kind of terrible," he says, thinking about White. "White Diamond had all these ideas about how were supposed to act - but it just made everyone miserable! Even Blue and Yellow hated it, especially once you were gone. If they hadn't thought they had to be that way, maybe you guys... could have actually been happy together."

He bounces a little, in a flash of excitement.

"But they're starting to understand! All those gems in the war - the ones that got corrupted and hurt? The other Diamonds actually agreed to come to Earth and help me heal them! They remember who they are now, and they can stay on Earth if they want!"
imperfectporkchops: (every day should be Earth Day)

[personal profile] imperfectporkchops 2019-05-23 04:37 am (UTC)(link)
"What?" Today is a big day for stunned realizations. Or maybe just for infodumps. Steven, have some pity on the poor lady, "They...wait, wait go back. What?"

Blue and yellow what? And He spoke to White Diamond? And lived!? And then they all came to Earth. To Earth. In person? White Diamond! And they were all... what, reconciled? Educated? Reformed. And then they had— had healed the corrupted gems? On purpose? And for no better reason than that they should be free.

It wasn't just hard to imagine, it seemed... impossible. Rose stares at him, consumed with the oddest sense of envy, and then, because there's nothing else to do, she laughs. Thousands of years and they would never have budged for Pink, not really, wouldn't even listen to her. Nor to Rose, and her armies, and her victories. But somehow, they had been made to listen to Steven. It's just too sad! And too funny! She has to laugh, or she'll cry; or rather and she'll cry. By the time Rose winds down, it's taken on a definite edge of hysteria, and there are tears bubbling out of her like the big pink crybaby she is at heart.

Eventually, she gets ahold of herself, and wipes at her eyes, "I... I'm sorry, that's just... a lot."
starseedling: (this is just like in minecraft)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-05-24 04:00 am (UTC)(link)
He was so excited to share his achievement, he almost forgot how bewildering that must sound to her. How unfair. His hesitation shows in his face, and he reels in his enthusiasm a bit, watching her laugh and cry and everything in between. He lets go of her hand, putting his on her shoulder instead.

"I know. I'm sorry," he says, his cheeks flushed and his gaze filled with sympathetic worry. "It wasn't really just because of me, you know? I think most of it really did come from you."

"They wouldn't listen to me at first, either. It wasn't until... until they finally realized that I wasn't you, and that you were really gone... and that it wasn't because of an assassination or a rebellion, but because you wanted to leave, because you hated it there so much..."

He looks at her with a sad smile.

"When they realized what they'd done to you, they finally started to turn around. It was still hard, but... Blue even said, that if being on Homeworld made you want to run away, then maybe Earth had been a better home to you all along."