triumvirmod (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
triumvirmod) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
bondedmeme2026-05-12 04:59 pm
triumvirmod) wrote in bondedmeme2026-05-12 04:59 pm
TEST DRIVE MEME | #01
Test-Drive-Meme #01
Welcome to our first ever TDM! This is open to all players looking to join our game or simply have some fun. Play on this TDM does not equate to intent or obligation to apply to join. Players on this TDM should follow all game rules and Characters should meet all game suitability standards per our FAQ. TDM threads are considered game canon for characters who join! The Moon Pact is in power for the full duration of this TDM, putting Sun Pact characters as in service. Moon Pact bindings are presently glittering silver and Sun Pact bindings are unpolished brass. Pact and Class can both be freely player assigned and swapped at will for the purpose of the TDM.
Overseer, Awaken and Conquer
CW: Descriptions of dubiously consensual touch, choking, hallucinations, falling.
The Hands that Grasp
Consciousness wanes. From calm oblivion reaches a pair of elegant hands. Fingertips caress, trailing physical form, mapping curves and divots. Some dark or desperate compulsion leans into the comfort of this touch. The hands dig in. Clasping tight at the neck and pull downward. Down and down, through unclear space, through unclear time. Your character awakens with a start. Where they last felt those hands grasping into them, a collar now rests. Prying does not budge the solid metal, which is either of silver or of brass. Before their eyes is a pane of stained glass. Inscribed in a language all can read are the words Overseer, Awaken and Conquer.
The Glass Coffins
Overseers awaken, contained within a coffin of ornate, metal framework and glass. For some, a light push will cause the lid to swing open. For others, the enclosure may stick or prove too heavy to budge. Breaking free is an option, though mysteriously, the glass fully repairs itself within minutes of sustaining damage. Other Overseers may be present throughout the hallways, willing and able to aid in opening stubborn coffins. That is, should their unlucky inhabitants be able to get their attention through the sound dampening barrier. Overseers continually awaken, either individually or in batches, throughout the month. This will last until the day of the upcoming solstice.
The Gilded Cradle
Innumerable rows of glass coffins line the interior of a grand cathedral tower. Somehow, the name of this stained glass spire is imprinted in the mind of all Overseers. This is known as the Gilded Cradle within Absentia. Where or what is Absentia? How did they arrive here? Why are they here? The answers to such questions remain unknown. These names are as far as the foreign memory serves Overseers. The foggy corridors spiral downward, a staircase connecting floor after floor of largely unopened coffins. Many have glass too hazy to see within. The hallways are heavy with the scent of lavender tinged magic and lightning storm ozone, made visible as a thick haze in the air. Through this fog, Overseers may notice one another or they may see phantoms running by. People familiar to them. Chasing after these figments is a foolish endeavor, they will pick up speed into the thick of the fog. There, they will disappear. This can leave unsuspecting Overseers teetering on the topmost edge of a stairwell or allow their momentum to throw them over the central railing. A fall to the Cradle's ground floor isn't enough to kill an Overseer turns out, but it will injure. Beginning your journey battered is merely an added misfortune.
The Castle Constructs
When Overseers leave the Gilded Cradle, they find they're trapped within an abandoned castle. While exploring they find no other living creatures other than fellow Overseers. Throughout the halls and rooms of the castle rest Constructs. These figures are shells of either iron or brass, with a variety of gargoyle-like appearances. They stand with their wings tucked around their bodies. Littered throughout the location, their placements can often clue in to their former duties as the Castle attendants. These Constructs remain completely inert until two Overseers of the same Pact pass by. Iron Constructs react to pairs of Moon Pact members, while Brass Constructs come alive near pairs of Sun Pact members. When awakened, they unfurl and stand to a height ranging from around three-to-six foot tall. The Constructs promptly begin to carry out butler-like duties, as if they were long ago set to a schedule of operation. When presented with a task they can no longer seem to accomplish, they merely pantomime the action before moving onward. (These NPCs can be player controlled and are non-hostile unless attacked first.)
Locked In
CW: Survival themes, food insecurity, exchanging sex for goods and services.
➤Attentive characters will discover quickly that Constructs bring extra rations as room service to those in Power. This at first appears exclusive to the Moon Pact within the Hall of Overseers. The Constructs do this when Overseers have sex in the luxury of the lower floor rooms. However, the Constructs range of understanding is a bit impaired, so fucking in the courtyard also works to call food and drink, regardless of Pact alignment.
➤For those seeking a more direct approach to acquiring extra rations, there's always robbery. The Constructs are not highly fortified. Their routes from the kitchen to the Hall of Overseers are easy enough to intercept. They do resist Overseers who attempt to steal from them, defending the food if attacked. Overseers who damage Constructs find they simply curl back into their wings, where they become both immobile and invulnerable from further damage. They will repair themselves in time and do not... appear... to hold a grudge. The Overseers whose meals were hijacked might, though.
The Kitchen
The kitchen of Absentia is vast, meant to accommodate for a castle population in the hundreds. Long abandoned, any food reserves have turned to dust or rot. All that remains are a series of strange machines, humming with dull magic. Only operable by the castles resident Constructs, hungry Overseers would be advantaged to activate the inactive Constructs scattered nearby. Once occupying the kitchen, Constructs are more likely to provide a meager serving of food to Overseers who have used magic recently or who hold Influence. (Characters playing this TDM with no canon powers may presume they hold (1) Influence for this and subsequent prompts.)The Hall of Overseers
To the west of the Gilded Cradle there lies a long, rectangular housing structure, framing a vast courtyard. Rain from the storm overhead patters down constantly. Rooms for Overseers line the open air hallways overlooking the nature within the central outdoor space. At this time, those of the Moon Pact enjoy the lower floors of the indoor sections, with luxurious accommodations. These include private rooms with a fireplace, claw foot baths with clean running water, a variety of furniture, and a plush bed. The upper level indoor rooms are for the Overseers presently in service, the Sun Pact. These rooms are all shared and scarcely furnished. Hammocks and bunk beds are provided to house three or four Overseers per cramped room. These upper location hallways have shared bathroom spaces and no private amenities provided. Overseer names are engraved upon the door frame of their assigned rooms. There is no access given to rooms without this engraving. Overseers need to be invited in to rooms they do not own or share. (Rooms are fully self assigned by Players and can change freely between threads. Pact is likewise self assigned, but should match the room type described above. Moon Pact characters are free to invite Sun Pact characters into their rooms, and visa-versa.)
The Hands that Feed
As Overseers settle in, they find resources are thin and accessible castle space highly limited. There is no exit from the castle at this time. Trying to fly out over the top of Hall of Overseers courtyard results in perpetually being turned around by the Storm until exhausted. Overseers who try to smash windows or break through the architecture find their magic or strength immediately drained. Teleportation leads back to where one attempted to leave from. The trap feels inescapable. This inevitably creates an air of frustration and futility within the awakened Overseer ranks. All there is to do is to make do.➤Attentive characters will discover quickly that Constructs bring extra rations as room service to those in Power. This at first appears exclusive to the Moon Pact within the Hall of Overseers. The Constructs do this when Overseers have sex in the luxury of the lower floor rooms. However, the Constructs range of understanding is a bit impaired, so fucking in the courtyard also works to call food and drink, regardless of Pact alignment.
➤For those seeking a more direct approach to acquiring extra rations, there's always robbery. The Constructs are not highly fortified. Their routes from the kitchen to the Hall of Overseers are easy enough to intercept. They do resist Overseers who attempt to steal from them, defending the food if attacked. Overseers who damage Constructs find they simply curl back into their wings, where they become both immobile and invulnerable from further damage. They will repair themselves in time and do not... appear... to hold a grudge. The Overseers whose meals were hijacked might, though.
The Courtyard
The courtyard at the center of the Hall of Overseers is a public space with five distinct sections. At the center, there is an ornate fountain that serves as the most reliable, public spot for clean drinking water. The fountain depicts the three Classes, though all of them are partially destroyed. The Ruler has their hands broken off, the Dragon is missing its head, and the pegasus shaped Herald has a hole in its chest. Grimly, the water flows from each of these missing pieces into the pool below. This space is open and visible to all, especially from the higher rooms of the Hall. This central location serves well as a social hub and meet up point for Overseers to congregate, though it is perpetually raining here.
➤Heralds and Dragons experience their first urge to transform within the Courtyard. They are able to resist it, if their willpower is sufficiently high, but the compulsion is strong. Dragons feel a need to shed their skin, to fly and be free. There is not much room for multiple, large dragons to do either of these things. Mind your wings! Heralds begin to feel territorial, wishing to reinvigorate the long dead space. Heralds are able to terraform within the confines of garden planters as they see fit, but they may find them destroyed by Dragons or usurped by other Heralds. Miniature territory disputes may serve as practice for times ahead. Rulers can hear mysterious whispers throughout the Courtyard, but especially nearby the fountain. If they acknowledge these whispers aloud, they will get a response. Those Rulers who listen closely can hear the mocking words "you're not leaving this time."
The other four quadrants surrounding the central fountain are overgrown and wild, contrasting the initially desolate central area. These spaces are each themed to a different season; spring, summer, fall, and winter. Once Overseers enter one of the gated in spaces, the area within appears larger than the outside barrier suggests. The temperature varies wildly between each, though the Storm over head remains consistent. Each contains a singular hideaway which the Constructs will bring food to. These shield Overseers from outside view, but may turn out to be in hot demand. Mind yourselves if trying to sneak into one of these spots for privacy, they may already be taken! (Each hideaway may be customized at player discretion to suit their threads. A single piece of furniture for leisure may be present, like a lounge or hammock. Some ideas for natural spaces would be hidden behind a waterfall, beneath a canopy of trees, a frosty cave, or an alcove hidden by fallen leaves.)
➤Heralds and Dragons experience their first urge to transform within the Courtyard. They are able to resist it, if their willpower is sufficiently high, but the compulsion is strong. Dragons feel a need to shed their skin, to fly and be free. There is not much room for multiple, large dragons to do either of these things. Mind your wings! Heralds begin to feel territorial, wishing to reinvigorate the long dead space. Heralds are able to terraform within the confines of garden planters as they see fit, but they may find them destroyed by Dragons or usurped by other Heralds. Miniature territory disputes may serve as practice for times ahead. Rulers can hear mysterious whispers throughout the Courtyard, but especially nearby the fountain. If they acknowledge these whispers aloud, they will get a response. Those Rulers who listen closely can hear the mocking words "you're not leaving this time."
Grief Hath Mates
Class Scenarios
Note: The following prompts are available for all Players, though abilities should always match up with a character's present Class! Class for characters on the TDM can change between threads, but should not change mid-thread. This fully locks down upon acceptance to the game. Characters are presently "unstable" in their Pact and Class assignments, so all threads can remain canon, even if they contradict Pact or Class assigned later on. Any changes made to shared setting environments below are temporary, so feel free to play with destructive and creation powers as specified.
RULERS
➤Rulers who attempt to speak to the Constructs will find they are reacted to in a way the Dragons and Heralds are not. Constructs do not speak back, but they are more attentive towards Rulers regardless of their Influence level. If asked where something is, Constructs will dutifully guide the Ruler to the location in question if it exists. Sometimes, Constructs will open up previously locked doors. None of these lead outside, but they offer some new clues to how the castle once operated in the past. Rulers can open up additional rooms to explore such as a drawing room, a music room, a wine cellar, and a smoking room. These rooms all have basic supplies for their given activity, including aged wine and cigars in the latter two respectively. Rulers with clever tongues or manipulative sensibilities can convince the Constructs to leave them “in charge” of a room. This grants the Ruler a key to the door they can leverage as they please. (Players can play their Ruler as if they hold exclusive control of a room, but this is not imposed TDM-wide. Multiple Rulers can each claim the same type room, no player actually holds full IC/OOC control.)
DRAGONS
➤Dragons are going to be the first to snap under such cramped conditions. Their natural urges are to spread out and fly, not be stuck within a castle. The more volatile Dragons will find their natural instinct is to go Berserk. Berserk mode can be engaged in either their humanoid or Dragon form, though Dragons can only transform at this time within the confines of the Courtyard. If Dragons are causing trouble in the Courtyard, luring or forcing them out of the Courtyard at large forces a Dragon to return to their humanoid form. Getting in fights may not be productive, but it might provide some enrichment to Overseers wishing to challenge each other or keep the peace. (Reminder: Dragons, regardless of form, are especially durable and may prove difficult to subdue! Rulers are best suited to this task, given they have a natural advantage over Dragons. Heralds can make their own attempts, it is simply more risky for them given how fragile they are.) Dragons of more even temperaments can make themselves productive by using relevant elemental magic around the castle. The castle interior is lit only by the dull glow of the sun or moon, which are often dulled by the cloud cover overhead. Providing temperature control or lighting could be a great ease to their own mental state, as well as benefit their fellow Overseers.
HERALDS
➤While cooked rice, dried meat, and pickled vegetables are largely what is being provided, there is a distinct lack of fruit or alcohol coming out of the kitchen. Heralds may find themselves especially desperate for these. Within the courtyard only, they can flex their newly found Class abilities to rapidly influence nature. Heralds may find themselves having vivid daydreams about their favorite fresh fruits from home. These fantasies manifest, growing the imagined fruits from nearby vines, bushes, and trees. This can happen deliberately or entirely by accident. However, due to the imperfect nature of both memory and imagination, these fruits are never fully accurate recreations. The taste and quality of the fruit end up heavily influenced by a Herald’s own subjective experience and are prone to exaggeration. Any fruit from any world is allowed, these simply cannot cause any magical effects. Devious Heralds which imagine poisonous fruits can injure, but not kill fellow Overseers. Such produce can be used to make alcohol by those with the knowledge and wherewithal to do so. Any manner of food is in demand and Heralds have this to provide. Replenishing energy though sex is always an option to help produce more or better resources of this kind.
OOC Info
What happens next?
On the 21st of June, the Pacts will turn over. For the IC duration of the TDM, the Moon Pact are in power. Those assigned to the Sun Pact will start the game off proper as the faction in power. Characters who are accepted into the game will be freed from the confines of the castle. The game will greet new players with a Mingle Event and Network Introduction Post, once all applications are processed. The storm will pull back at the start of July, allowing even further world exploration and Territory claims. Our first plot event will focus on discovering the threat that the Lost Souls of this world can present.
Can I reserve my character before applying?
If you want to claim a character spot in advance of applications opening, our Reserves Page opens on the 10th of June, through to the 15th. This is not required for application, but highly recommended even for original or obscure characters. Reserving provides an instant-pass through 1st month game Activity Check! It also provides Moderation with an idea of incoming player numbers!
How do I apply to join the game?
Head over to our Application Page. These open up on June 15th and close on the 20th. The game officially opens on the 21st of June, barring any unexpected delays.
Is there an OOC space I can discuss potential plans?
Take a look at our Enable-me-Please for OOC discussions and plotting!
no subject
[What a strange man. Good thing Ellwood is also a bit of a freak.]
Shall I spit the wine into your mouth like a gargoyle?
no subject
Daan will pass the bottle back and swallow what's in his mouth and already half way down his throat... His voice does come out a little hoarse, after.]
Spit in my mouth before I can even call you Sidney freely-? I think not.
no subject
Seducing my mother before me is just as backward, if you ask me.
no subject
[Daan doesn't demand them back just yet. In part because it's another rather cute sight. The young soldier double fisting a wine direct from the bottle and a fat cigar. Something about it feels well earned. Been through enough, here's your prize... some addictions to make you feel the slightest bit better. Some addictions to pass the time.
It also feels like a challenge to himself. How long can he resist? (Which is he resisting most- the wine, the cigar, or- ... Daan puts a hand in his pocket, stays leaned to the mantle.]
Or perhaps I'm more upside down, as you called it.
no subject
His eyes fix on the other side of the fireplace, where Gaunt is leaning, smoking his own cigar. He's still staring there as he speaks.]
Perhaps you're not real at all. A figment.
no subject
Or maybe a demon is haunting him, just the same as Daan.]
Who are you talking to, lad? The Pocketcat?
no subject
You, of course. So yes, the cat.
[Time to make it seem like he's not mad. He looks up at Daan.]
You're a fake Englishman. So perhaps you're fake completely?
[Whoops, that makes him sound more mad, actually.]
no subject
[Daan looks at his own hands. He's actually checking, looking to see if he's become something he shouldn't. No claws, no terrible, reaching, elongated limbs wrapping their way around him. He's still just him.
It's only a matter of time. He'll be caught one day.]
You're right. I'm just a blank. Don't worry about who I am, Ellwood. It's no concern to you.
[His throat is dry. The first addiction to crack him is the alcohol. Damn.]
Give me the wine back. If you please.
no subject
Fine. He's haunted, he's mad. It doesn't matter.]
Come and get it.
no subject
He is an empty page, filled in by others to suit their whims for a time. Who he is only lasts until they turn to another page. His soul was born blank.
So, there's nothing accusatory nor enticing in his tone. Pure neutrality. Ellwood would need to apply such coats of ink himself.]
You want me to be your butler, Ellwood?
no subject
[He doesn't want to be served and he doesn't want to yearn for a fantasy he can't have. He's done that for years already.]
I just want... I don't know.
[He wants to be touched. He wants to touch Daan and know he's real. Gaunt would leave and he could fill this page with a tryst that means nothing. To keep it from being filled by another bloody poem or by feminine hands and soft lips on that fucking cigarette instead of his own.]
no subject
The reply is loaded into the chamber of his throat. He thinks, Ellwood is a young man spoiled with privilege and all he could have ever wanted for. He'll line himself up to be shot down. Daan will deliver the mercy, he'll storm out, hurt. That'll be the end of this unfortunate dalliance.
Ellwood doesn't fall for it. Daan has to swallow that proverbial bullet. The worse part of himself is diffused by Ellwood's earnestness. His unexpected humility.
Daan rubs his lips against one another. They are not soft. They're cracked and dry, they hook small parts against one another, unable to be smoothed out. He urges softly, a whisper over the crackle of fire]
Why don't you come stand with me, Ellwood? Leave the vices behind a moment.
[Daan wants to size him up. He hadn't really noted, who is taller between them? Ellwood looks to him, deliberately slight. Daan is simply long starved down that way. He has an average height, though, around 5'10"... if Daan had been any taller, he'd probably not have lasted long in those foxholes. Being small is a benefit in modern warfare, makes one harder to strike with the very real bullets intended for them.]
no subject
Ellwood is shorter than Daan by at least a few inches, with a somewhat boyish frame. He's thin the way most soldiers are, the way most people are in Europe now due to the food shortages. The best food is saved for the men fighting, but it's still meager and terrible most of the time. He's fit; he's always been athletic and was on the first XI, but there's also something dainty and graceful about him.
There's still ink smudged on his cheek.
He leans a shoulder against the mantle, facing Daan. He wishes he felt confident and playful, the way he might've in Maitland's room. He just feels hollow now, and something about the way Daan sees through him makes him feel vulnerable.]
cw: some more very dark implications in here
Doesn't he look supple, old sport? Take a bite of him if you like!, he'd hear that cheerful voice in his ear, feel the tickle of plastic whiskers at the back of his neck. Urges given towards unspeakable darkness and Daan would turn away on the spot. Tell Ellwood to leave, even.
But Ellwood looks like a man and not a boy. Daan considers that very seriously. Ellwood has lived a man's struggles, braved war and fought like a man. Seen good men die around him in arms, no doubt. No doubt. No doubt...]
Can I touch you? I'll stop the moment you ask. [the very moment]
no subject
Daan asks what Ellwood wants to hear, and it's a relief that he's read all of this correctly, and that he doesn't need to continuously pine for this man. He doesn't know if he could handle any more pining.]
Yes. Please.
[Behind Daan, he sees Gaunt turn and leave.]
no subject
And then firmly rubs that ink from Ellwood's face.]
You had a smudge.
[... ... he might get left pining if he doesn't do something about Daan.]
no subject
Christ. It's tender and sweet, but Christ. Does he really fancy himself Ellwood's babysitter?
He rolls his eyes with a huff of an exhale.]
Thank you, mother.
[Fortunately, Ellwood is not shy. If he has to be the one to pursue this, he will.]
Can I touch you?
no subject
... only if you call me no such thing ever again.
[his hand doesn't leave where it's cradling Ellwood's jaw, fingers spread loose at one side of his neck, able to be leaned into for support. The collar gets in the way somewhat. A reminder they are both still prisoners... but Daan has one, too.
They are trapped in the same cage, Daan's cell is just better appointed at the moment.]
no subject
[He mirrors Daan, putting a hand on his jaw, softly. Though the gaze he fixes him with is a bit hard.]
I'm not a child. I've done all this before.
BIG CW for past csa. please tell me before you read if it needs a topic dodge I gotchu
Ellwood can't be saying things like that to Daan.
He swallows nothing, sure even just the silence says something about Daan's past he can't put into the air between then. He only ever told his wife about what he endured. She always wanted to hear more about the forest and the rabbits-
It had comforted him back then to confide in her. He just can't do that, now. Ellwood just needs to read his silence as the boundary it is.
His jawbone audibly clicks as it unlocks, reaffirming,]
You're grown, Ellwood. I can tell.
all good! cw for CSA here as well
He tries to be reassuring, stroking his long dainty thumb against Daan's cheek.]
I am. I know what I want. It's all right.
<3
Daan only wants what he can have. At least in this moment.]
Have you always been interested in men?
[that could be heavy topic, but about now, it feels practically air light.]
no subject
The question seems odd. Whether in and of itself, or just oddly placed, he can't quite tell. It's not something spoken of aloud almost ever, and he would have thought it obvious to Daan by now where his preferences lie.]
Oh, yes.
[He says this with a faint smile. Gaunt, and almost every other boy he knows, would deny their own homosexuality with outrage. Ellwood doesn't see the point. Anyone who knows him knows this about him, and he doesn't particularly try to hide it, except to avoid disciplinary action.
He doesn't know where Daan is going with this, and doesn't want to poke at anything sensitive for him, so he leaves it at that for now.]
no subject
[Daan's never concerned himself with an identity on the matter. He likes some people dearly and others he's repulsed by. Always a mixed bag. He's fully attracted to Ellwood. He always loved his wife completely. Nobody was ever the lesser option if he cared for them.]
How do you like things? [so plain, so forthright, but Daan prefers to be matter-of-fact with sex. He's also still holding some tension, so he's sunken into a sort of analytical default. Diagnosing the situation, even... he could stand to be less clinical, honestly.]
no subject
Ellwood's next question, do you want me? is answered by Daan's question. He shrugs.]
I can go either way. And you?
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
phone keeps autocorrecting Daan to Dawn... homophobic
"autocorrect homophobia" should be what Daan calls this move
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)