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TDM: May
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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 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!
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. |
no subject
For now, he just gives the girl a tired look--(though, honestly relieved that she was real, too, not that he's going to just out and say it)--before turning back to look at where Gaston Brown once stood.
It seems touching his back and getting his attention was enough to make the vision disappear, along with the horrible, dreaded sensation that went along with being face-to-face with that man again.
He allows himself a quiet, controlled sigh before turning back to look at her.]
Where the hell are we?
This is far, far, far from Ergastulum.
Can't be good if you're hallucinating too.
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That’s..a long story. I don’t think it’s even the same world.. [ It was still weird to say that. ]
This place has..magic things that can play tricks like that. And witches and monsters from story books..It took me a while to really come to terms with it.
1/2
Magic and witches and monsters...?
He gives her a look.
Just a look, but it clearly reads... You can't be serious.]
2/2
I'd say you're trying to prank me.
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I know it sounds crazy..and it..kinda gets weirder.
[ Don’t look at her like that! She knows you’re judging. ]
The people who come here..like we do..turns out we become either a witch or a..monster.
[ Which actually has her looking over Nicolas for any tell tale changes, though some might not appear just yet. ]
no subject
You're serious.
[You're absolutely serious.
He's really trying to find the punchline here, and he's going to lean forward, as if to break her free of the joke--
...And that's when he finally takes notice of the weird ... gashes on either side of her neck.
A rude man is going to continue to be rude, and move your hair out of the way to get a better look.
Excuse me.]no subject
[ And suddenly his hand is by her neck, she stops, not used to him reaching out to her like that. Not to her face anyway. Then she realized what he was looking at.
...See what I mean?
no subject
[Honestly, Alex, he has no idea what he's actually looking at. He pulls his hand away almost immediately to avoid actually touching her, but...
He's honestly baffled. They're like cuts? In her neck? Except they look...
Ah, he's reminded of fish, somehow. Don't they have things like that on the side of their heads? ....Alex are you turning into a fish.]
See it. Don't understand it.
You're turning into a 'monster' then?
...
No way to stop it?
no subject
Yeah..and no, they didn't say I could stop it..
[ Alex let's out a sigh. ]
More changes are supposed to happen, but there's not set time or order. It's..taking some time to adjust to.
[ Which was part of why seeing him here was such a relief. Everything was changing so much and she just needed something she knew. ]
no subject
Probably the latter, as it could honestly be worse. At least if she turned into some sort of fish-person she'd be able to breathe under water. Isn't there something cool about that?
...He can't really see it being a good idea back in the city, but in a place like this...]
Then you'll just have to learn how to live with it.
I'll watch your back, anyway.
[The friendliest thing he can manage to say, and it still comes across like he's offering to be her bodyguard, instead of protecting her like a friend would.
He's trying.]
no subject
...And yeah, she should have expected he'd say something like living with it. However, what he followed up with had her perking up a little. ]
..Is..that really okay?
[ Don't get her wrong, it made her happy to hear, but after what happened the last time they saw each other. ]
I don't want to get in your way again...
[ Worrick telling her to leave was heartbreaking enough, but if Nicolas did as well..]
no subject
[He takes another moment to speak. He looks away from her with a sort of irritated look in those strange eyes of his, a hand coming up to drag up and over his hair. As if he's wishing she could just read his mind instead--he's pretty bad at getting his feelings across, especially when he spends most of his time acting like he doesn't have feelings at all.
Finally, he turns to look at her again, with a pretty substantial frown on his face.
He begins signing at her again--but this time, slowly. As if he's making sure she gets every word, without mistake.]
I'll be real with you.
When I showed up here, I thought it was because I'd died.
That I'd finally fucked up enough to die from my wounds after overdosing again.
I'm fine with dying. It's amazing I've lived this long.
But now that you're here, it means I'm not dead. And we're a real fucking far way from home.
Those issues back home are gone now.
I got new ones here.
Isn't it stupid to suggest you'll get in my way--
When I'm not going anywhere?
[Idiot.]
no subject
Which is why hearing him say how all that was left behind, home..hell, calling it home, it gave her mixed feelings.
For one, she thought it wasn't hers anymore. Worrick had told her to leave, and she didn't hold that against him. Nicolas may have not said it, but she knew she made things more difficult for him as well.
To have him say she wasn't was so..relieving. ]
Really?
[ It was really okay for her to be around him? Would he really not go anywhere? Forgive her for wanting to be sure.
It was scary to feel this hopeful, that he would be around..that she could lose him again. As much as she'd like to control herself, it's probably still written all over her face. ]
no subject
Far as he knew, he was left for dead as well. Worrick wasn't coming back. Alex should have left. And now they're here.
So as far as he was concerned, there wasn't a job left to do. It was a pretty weird feeling; being 'free.'
When she asks 'Really...'
He gives her a look. A small smirk making its way up his face...
And he reaches out to pinch her nose. A hard nip between his forefinger and thumb.]
I don't like repeating myself.
I get tired.
no subject
[ Her eyes squeeze shut at the pinch, and she quickly starts to slap at his hand. ]
A-alright, alright! Let go!
no subject
You got it, then, right? No more asking funny questions and getting emotional because someone wants to help you. It was difficult to deal with.]
...How long have you been in this place, anyway?
Willing to bet you arrived well before me.
no subject
Since..the last time I saw you at Dr. Theo's clinic..
[ Ouch, Nic. ]