achates | [DAY 0] TDM.

[DAY 0] TDM.

Error in final launch sequence:
Failed to execute MI command:
target remote localhost: 01633
Error message from debugger back end:
Cannot access memory at address 𝟹͚̽𝚡̰̍̂𝟸̠̯̘ͭͧ𝚌̭͉̺͖ͥ𝟿̳̰̒̇ͅ𝟷̦ͣ̉͌̅𝚋͓͎̈̒̀𝟻ͭ̌͂𝟷ͩ̓𝟾̦
Failed to execute MI command:
target remote localhost: 01633
Error message from debugger back end:
Cannot access memory at address 𝟹̖͇͕̃𝚡͉̹̯͇̻̉̓̂𝟸͚̹͈͓̩͚̲̼͒̾𝚌̱̠͙̝̪͇̈̌̂̃̄ͭ𝟿̱̜̪͓̳̹ͤ̊̈́ͦͥ̑𝟷͖̱̝̀̒̇̂̄̈́̓̇ͅ𝚋̥̯͉̹͛͛̊ͤͦͩ𝟻̬̮̈́̋ͯ͛̉̐𝟷̋ͩ̔̔𝟾̼
Waiting for debugger connection...
Debugger connected
Debugger connection lost.
Waiting for debugger connection...
Debugger connected
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Debugger connection lost.
Shutting down...
Rebooting
Download in Progress:
File download complete
Time elapsed during download operation: 00:12:33.131
Rebooting
Launching Demon Summoning Program. . .

You open your eyes to the end of the world, but you do not see it.

Instead what rouses you is screaming and crying, blood and tears: all around you are signs of life. Inside the overturned train, people begin to awaken, sprawled on the ground as if thrown violently from their seats, broken bones and bleeding wounds struggling to rise from the carpet of shattered glass from the windows at their feet. Emerging from the wreck, characters will find themselves at the edge of a dense forest, a towering stone wall at their backs. Bright eyes peer out from the shadows of the foliage, more and more blinking into view like stars in a darkening sky, but despite being drawn to the scent of blood that hangs heavy in the air, nothing steps out of the forest. Not yet.

None of the passengers can recall what happened, what they were doing on a train, where it was going- there's more they can't remember, but overshadowing the gaps of memory are things they have gained in return. A familiar item that is not theirs. A gemstone that feels lighter than it appears, as if hollow inside. And a device that wraps around their wrist (or rests on their head, or hangs around their neck, or however it presents itself to each character) that starts up on its own the moment the character turns their attention to it, as if waiting. Each character's COMP has a "navigator" selected at default, either "A☆L☆A" in bright neon orange, or "K5" in cool slate blue, although the presiding navigator can be freely switched between them.

Heya, boss! My name's Ala, your new navi!

You wanna know something really funny? Go ahead and touch the map on the corner of the screen to enlarge it. See all those little red dots? Those are demons out to kill you. Haha! You're surrounded!

Heya, boss! You can call me Keigo, your navigational AI.

If you touch the map on the corner of the screen, you can enlarge it and see the positions of all your allies. Looks like some of you are already heading out: see those little blue— oh. That one just disappeared. ... Try to stick together.

Along with providing a map with enemy/ally positions, the navigators will walk characters through the demon interaction, recruitment, and summoning processes, with advice varying between the two navigators (click to expand)

Just beat 'em up and force 'em to join! They can't say no if they're dead!

Nobody is immune to bribery, not even demons. What do you even have, though...? No matter what, don't let them get that life stone.

More demons incoming! Ooh, you're screwed. You'd better run! Don't worry, I won't tell.

Let's hide here. We'll wait here until that demon passes, then move!

Look, a body! Are they still alive? Wonder what's in their pockets...?

It's already too late to help. But better them being demon food than you.

Or, you could stay. There is nothing forcing anybody to leave the relative safety of the train. Those who stay behind will find the conductor's cabin empty, save for a small black cat perched on the headrest of the driver's seat that peers out with bright golden eyes at those who enter. Otherwise, there are no signs of a fight or struggle inside the cabin. Elsewhere, there is unclaimed luggage in the overhead compartments with an abundance of clothing and blankets, although characters will not find any of their own clothing except what they're already wearing. The dining cart is still stocked with enough food and beverage to last each passenger at least two days— maybe longer, if people keep leaving/dying... But at the same time, maybe shorter, considering the pervasive hunger that gnaws at the pits of everybody's stomachs, an emptiness that yearns to be filled by something... more.

As minutes stretch into hours, it becomes painfully clear that nobody is coming to help. Everybody only has each other, this town, its inhabitants. The forest is dark and unforgiving, near impossible to navigate even with a map. Strange creatures jump out from the shadows, eyes bright, mouths salivating, hungry. Strong hands claw through the dirt underfoot to grab at people's feet, pulling themselves up, mouths wide open, hungry. Sharp talons swoop down from the skies above, snatching characters up into the air, crushing skulls and snapping spines. Hungry. The demons here seem delighted to see such a feast wandering right into their home; those who are stopped for attempted conversation express surprise that characters are able to see them, but ultimately the hunger wins, and hunger does not listen to reason.

Casualties are inevitable. Blood mist permeates the air, and follows even as characters break out of the forest and across town, all the way to the fraying end of the world. Out in the open, however, the sun rays beat down bright and harsh, and those hungry eyes shy away from the sunlight to remain in the shadows, inside husks of buildings and thickets of overgrown fields. Characters will be able to find refuge in the greenhouse and the church, and some of the standing houses are truly vacant (as opposed to "surprise! there's actually a demon inside!" vacant); the only eyes that follow you are those of photographs hung crooked on the walls, of familiar strangers and forgotten friends. Look, there's a picture of you too.

Other locations require more caution to explore:

The sound of crying can be heard from the upper stories of the school building, thin wails echoing up and down the deserted halls, and human-like shadows peer out from the broken, unboarded windows, as if watching. A barricade inside the front doors makes it difficult to enter from the main entrance, and with most of the windows boarded up, the hallways inside remain dark even during the day. The smell of rot is prominent, heavy and cloying, especially in the auditorium-become-mausoleum that is littered with crushed bones, thin and brittle, every last scrap of flesh already nibbled away. A flock of demons crowd around outside principal's office, where a blizzard blows through the entire hallway, rendering visibility near zero and temperatures below that.

The hospital is also deathly cold, breath visible in puffs of mist that sometimes form into screaming faces, and when all is still and quiet, you look up and see yourself. Shadows form into mirror images of the characters who enter the hospital, silently approaching others and attacking once the person's guard is down. If a demon borrowing your face isn't bad enough, Phantoms go a step further and take the form of people who are close to your character: friends, family, foes. Exploring the hospital may or may not be worth the potential backstabbing, considering the fact that the supplies found are maybe not the most sterile, half the equipment is rusted or corroded, and a lot of the medicine is unlabeled tablets and capsules inside unlabeled bottles (essentially, take at your own risk). Moreover, hordes of all sorts of demon ghosts will bar characters' way down to the basement, gathering in massive numbers anytime somebody tries to descend. Electricity bounces around the top of the stairway down, while bright flames lick the bottom of the stairs; particularly unlucky characters may be hit with a confusion spell, liable to throw themselves headfirst down the stairs to be consumed by the waiting demons below.

Hauntingly beautiful music can be heard from within the concert hall, and listening to their song puts you fast asleep— possibly in the middle of the street if you're not careful— while those who manage to make it past the front doors are immediately frozen in a hunk of ice or electrocuted to a crisp before being kicked to the curb. The concert hall appears to be actively guarded, and it's clear that strangers are Not Welcome. Even the other demons keep clear of this building, drawn to the music but lingering far enough to not be overwhelmed. Characters may have an easier time of initiating conversations with demons from around town or inside the houses nearby the concert hall.

The crackle of electricity can be heard from inside the power plant's upper stories despite the blackout, and the entire building shakes from time to time, as if caught in a thunderstorm, or an earthquake. A slow drip... drip... drip... can be heard throughout the building, of amorphous demons clinging to the walls like mold and leaving puddles of caustic acid Everywhere. Anybody who enters the power plant's front entrance is met with a massive agglomerate of black Ooze that has expanded to fill the entire first floor from wall to wall, floor to ceiling, preventing anybody from going upstairs while it remains. Arms and legs poke out of the demon's body in places, desperately clawing and kicking, weaker, weaker. done.

OOC

Welcome to Day 0! What better meet-and-greet is there than everybody being tossed into the fray to fight for their lives? ('': For convenience, here are the game info, locations, and demon compendium pages; please use these as reference for what more can be found in the setting.

The characters' COMP will turn on only after they notice and focus on it. If they do NOT activate the COMP, they will not be able to see the demons or interact with them in any way other than being killed. Activating the COMP will allow characters to see demons and somewhat understand their language, with an added effect of allowing physical attacks to harm demons, and mitigating the damage taken from demons.

For characters who app and are accepted, please report demon recruitment here. Characters who are just tdming do not have to report. Recruited demons are inclined to listen to their summoner, but are not necessarily friendly at the beginning: if your character shows weakness, the demon may be just as likely to eat them as they are to protect them.

There will be no NPCs in this game other than the two navigators and some key demons. You're on your own for now!

This first event/tdm is open to the public, and can be used for test driving at any time after the game starts. I'll be keeping a pulse on threads for when characters have gotten their bearings and seem to have a general idea of how they want to proceed into the next day, and we'll go from there.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Huh, that would be interesting. If they come close enough to the sides, then you are better off heading to the church or train. [ Her eyes wander, looking outside towards the window. It's dusty and very unclear, but BB can see shapes and objects out through it. ] Stabbing them might work for a few, but it also just might make them hungrier. Everyone is so hungry here. Are you hungry?

I wonder whether they'll always avoid the train.

[ Or why they do, for that matter. She surmises from BB's words that the church must be the same way. Without knowing what repels them from those locations, the Princess doubts whether she can rely on that safety in the long run.

She's not great at relying on anything though. ]

That gnawing sensation never seems to cease. Maybe it's something this place does to us.

Probably not, BB couldn't find anything weird with the train when she went through its components. It is... Basically, just a train. [ A normal train, too normal of a train considering the situation at hand. ] BB has a feeling it will get worse, so, we better figure out how to fix it and soon. Otherwise, our tummies are going to be the front and center of our problems.

[ So there isn't anything unique at all about the train? She can't help but wonder what that means for all of them. Somehow it got them here but it was derailed — was it accident, interference? They have no way of knowing.

If it may not last, there's little reason to stay on the train. ]

It does seem likely, especially with signs that some demons are being confined, or held in reserve, that things could get worse. The hunger being abnormal is something I haven't made sense of.

[ She can't recall ever having been hungry before, nor eating anything. ]

Edited (what are words) 2024-09-16 03:23 (UTC)

Oh man, imagine if they got out and ran around, rampant??? [ A scoff, she twirls a lock of her hair casually. ]

Well ya know, to be frank - [ Shes chatting, like they are just two girlies hanging out together having a fun time. ] BB isn't a human, actually, but here, she seems to be now? She has a physical body, and it feels suppeeeerrr weird ~ ☆! Like, BB never had to eat before - she could if she wanted to. However, here, she has to... It feels like? Also, BB doesn't need to sleep - but she feels her body is kind of... Heavier now? I am pretty sure that is what sleep feels like.

[ Not human? The Princess may not know about that part, but the rest of what BB describes is familiar to her. Recognizable. ]

I didn't need to eat or sleep before, either. [ Something she'd honestly thought nothing of until her would-be slayer had questioned it. How was she to know about it, when it fell outside her experiences? ] It was strange to someone I met in the forest, too.

[ She doesn't know whether it's precisely the same for Mithrun, exactly, only that the sensation wasn't quite right to him either. Whatever the case may be, she lifts her hands to point at the tops of her own ears. ]

His ears have scars here, and his eyes don't match. Maybe you saw him?

Whoa, no way? You too? Maybe this place took all the most powerful people from different worlds, and put us together - maybe they want us to climb back on top and have a battle royale? [ She muses out loud, further testing waters and fishing for information. What Dahlia tells her curiously makes BB's eyebrow raise, taking note as that is someone she would want to talk to. ] Nope! But BB will be sure to try to look for them now. Was there anything else notable about him? Not a killer, was he? We should be careful that one of us isn't secretly a murderer or something, tehe ~ ♡!

[ A battle amongst them while monsters continue to try and eat them? She certainly hopes not. As for being powerful, if that were the case, surely she could have broken free of her prison sooner if that were true.

Still, it's dangerous to appear vulnerable. ]

He had some thoughts regarding whatever's affecting us. It could be some localized influence, which would mean there has to be a source.

[ Mithrun's theory is preferable to the notion of somehow being unwittingly altered in some lasting way. ]

If he's right, then it's a matter of finding that source.

Oh! BB-chan has to talk to him now, they sound like the kind of person BB wants to get to know !

[ She seemed to perk up, coming to the conclusion that this person Dahlia is talking about may be more magically inclined, and know what is going on. ]

Were they... One of us, with a COMP?

Yes, he's like us. [ She's rather confident of this much, given what they had discussed. ] This persistent hunger was strange to him too.

[ Though his abnormal didn't quite match hers, it's close enough to count. This sensation wasn't natural for any of them, but for those who didn't experience the same need or drive, it's all the more pronounced. ]

I think he may be right that something here is doing this to us.

BB thinks so too, but, the issue is why? What point is there to bringing us here, and with what A☆L☆Alala, was saying. It isn't an unusual affair, something like this seems to happen frequently. [ A concerning factor, what sustains a place like this? Is this an apocalyptic world, or just a singularity with one set purpose? ]

...Maybe they're not getting the results they want, and this repeats itself by design.

[ The Princess has experienced something like this. When she wasn't slain, she soon found herself in another version of that basement in far heavier chains.

Perhaps there were changes since the last group brought here. Unlike her situation, the intended result wasn't slaying, but something else. Death here is apparently a failure, not a success. ]

[ Accumulative data analysis? Is someone trying to find a solution, or create a decisive problem? As an AI she would confer to her individual systems, but she is blocked off by those channels and instead relies on her individual unit to conquer what she can from it. Dahlia is right, and her point of view means that this circumstance still may be inherently dire, but also could mean something else - are they looped? Are they looping? A☆L☆A mentioned other parties, other groups - who were in these groups? What purpose will be gained, and what problem had instrumented this into conception? ]

Are part of the involvement without realizing it, [ She places this question in the air tentatively. ] or are we its purpose?

We need more information to answer that.

[ She'd assume they're a means to an end, rather than the end itself. When BB questions it, however, the Princess finds that she can't state which it is with any degree of certainty. They have so little information to go by.

But there must be something to find, right? ]

Whichever it is, I doubt any of us agreed to this.

Maybe. [ Reflective, eyes veering away. ] You'd be surprised by the things people agree to when they want something. Humans are greedy, after all...

Would you have agreed to this?

[ A wave of her hand at the general vicinity. All she wanted was her freedom, and she'd gotten it, so she can't imagine having agreed to whatever all of this is for any reason.

Then again, it's hard to get her head around greed. ]

Maybe, it isn't improbable, nor impossible. [ There are many reasons why BB would agree to something erratic like this. She is, chaotic herself, and if someone she loved was in danger. She would throw herself into hell for them. ] If you run the numbers. Do you really think that it is impossible, for yourself to want to be in a place like this?

I can't think of anything I'd want badly enough to agree to this.

[ All she'd ever been possessed of was a yearning for freedom, for home. Having finally gotten out of her prison, what would possess her to enter another? ]

That so ~~ ? [ It intrigues her, so much like a doll, BB thinks. ] BB won't doubt it! Well, she at least wants to explore a bit more, are you staying here? Make sure you are safe if you are.

[ She doesn't answer that question just yet, because she has one of her own. ]

Do you have a weapon?

Just BB-chans good looks and smart mouth, but otherwise... As she is, no, she can't even fight well. [ That's the truth and without her ability to switch into Pele BB... Well, she is out of luck. Worse than a wet noodle. ]

[ GETS UP.

That's it, that's the tag. ]

I'll go with you then.

[ She picks up the length of iron pipe she has propped against the wall, which is absolutely a NieR reference. ]

Ohhh~? A one-handed weapon? [ Honestly she tries to hold it with one hand, but it is a bit heavy for her. So she takes it into both her hands, and starts to glimmer. ] It is perfect! BB never got a weapon as a gift before!

[ She is absolutely sparkling, ]

BB will call this, Daddy NieR! I will use him WELL! No demon will stand before me, [ She steps back, giving it a good swing and then promptly posing with the weapon. ] and everyone will now fear Moon Cancer Saber BB!

[ In truth, the Princess hadn't expected this much of a reaction. BB is so pleased with the iron pipe that she wishes she could have given her something more impressive.

Still, what matters is that she's happy, ri—

Wait. ]

Daddy near...?

[DAY 0] TDM.

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surprise 2/2

DFSDFSDGSD

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