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

["Demons". Are they the same as animals? The same as titans? If so, then, who's trapped inside? No one, maybe. They might not have ever been human at all. Armin hasn't gotten a good look. He's entirely out of his depth - unsure if they'd sooner eat he or Yuri than a piece of dead meat. Can they be reasoned with? A deal struck?

[If so, is he willing to knowingly, potentially poison a being capable of thought and negotiation?

[It never fucking ends.]

Something to keep in mind. [He'll poison himself first.

[No. Can't. Needed. Must survive. Must keep moving--]

For now, the luggage is a good call. [Something else to consider - that he's suggesting they take as much food as they can with them, so that...what? Everyone will just trust the two of them to distribute it fairly? He's the Commander, isn't he? He could make that determination. But this isn't his army, and he doesn't want the responsibility of determining who eats when and how much.

[Fights will break out. People will rip each other apart if they're starving long enough. Why is it always on his shoulders? Why does he put it there? Why isn't he selfish enough to take the butter and the nuts and go off on his own?

[Why does he even try?]

What I think is most wise...is to leave food here, as well. Take enough of the essentials - those fats and proteins, or things that won't go bad quickly - that we'll be able to assist others in a pinch, or survive ourselves, and that's all. ["We" not as in "we are doing this together," but "we" as in "don't you steal food out of people's mouths either".]

The rest, we should leave for others to deal with as they see fit. [Let them eat the breads and cakes and fruits; save the emergency food for emergencies. That's his plan...]

It isn't fair to take too much, so. That's what I'd suggest.

[Mystery books are a poor primer for sleuthing a person in the flesh; survival stories, surely worse. But there’s a grain of truth, reality, in just about anything.

[People are selfish. Where there are limits—food, time, attention—there are fights. This nightmarish static will snap someday, and really, it won’t matter, because everything they do is worthless, amounts to nothing, and no one will cry when they’re picked off by forces bigger than every last damned soul combined—

[Yuri has got to stop entertaining thoughts like that. They’re fit for a fiction, not a good life. The prompt dismissal of the poisoning suggestion is noticed, as is the pivot to leaving rations for others. Hidden hands wring her own wrists. Be careful. Someone’s listening.

[She should get off this train, she thinks. For now, she’s with him.]

…Right. [Delayed, and somewhat deferential. Or is it dismissive? Will Armin even remember this conversation tomorrow?] Of course. I wouldn’t dream of stealing.

[But if it was necessary—]

I’ll… find better storage.

[With a small dip of her head, she motions to leave the cart. He’s welcome to join her; welcome not to. It’s unwise to turn one’s back on a body.]

[That's why he waits for Yuri to go first. He can't tell if she's nervous, or if he's nervous, and only imagining that she is. He follows her out of the cart, raising his voice just a bit for her to hear as he walks behind her.]

I'd hoped that would be your answer, though, please know, I wasn't doubting you. [Of course he was. People are selfish.] You'll have to forgive me. I'm used to taking charge in situations such as these - only for the benefit of everyone [Like the women and children who were vaporized at the Liberio seaport?], of course.

That's all that I want now too.

[She can’t tell if she’s nervous, and it’s gnawing at her like a rodent’s teeth on its own snare-trapped leg. Maybe she shouldn’t have moved; it’s too late now. Armin walks behind Yuri and she moves her hands accordingly, back to the front, finger-tangling and tugging restrained to split ends.

[The raccoon can wait.]

That’s… [“Only for the benefit of everyone.” Easy to say…] …altrustic. [Not a lie. Maybe. What was Portrait of Markov if not an extended meditation on trust, its pitfalls and its benefits… A few hours isn’t nearly enough data for a sound judgment. Moreover, Yuri’s distracted.] But I agree that it’s a good approach, of course.

It looked like there were plenty of stocks for all of us. [Dwindling numbers. Hunger.] For some time, at least.

[Altruistic. One could call Armin that, maybe. Others certainly have. At times, perhaps it's true.

[He doesn't think of himself that way at all.

[So, he won't address it.]

For some time.

We have a plan now. [He glances at the overhead compartments, lifting up to pull one open. A bag nearly falls on him, causing him to stumble back. He does manage to catch it.]

Maybe this. [He holds it out for Yuri like a an olive branch, but the tree is diseased.]

[Every single one of these compartments is infested with the rot of whatever brought them here. Yuri takes it.

[She checks it briefly before prying it open; no tag, no lock, no other features that might identify its owner. It’s all but empty, just a blanket or two smushed in, similarly nondescript.

[A nod, then. It works. They have a plan. Yuri doesn’t reach for an additional container; there are more bags than there are people. She’ll come back, she thinks; won’t settle for the first that happens to fall her way. If she kicks herself later for that hesitance, so be it.]

Strange. [Musing aloud, partway back to the dining car.] A crashed train to an unclear location, and luggage belonging to no one.

Mm. [Armin takes only a moment to "consider" this. Behind her again, he shakes his head.]

Not no one. The dead, if I had to guess.

It’s a fair assumption.

[A glance over her shoulder.]

What if its owner came back?

[That's a...curious question.]

From the dead...?

It’s not impossible.

[No moreso than a traincar to Hell.]

Where I’m from—we have stories about that sort of thing. [A girl limp on a poster—] Spirits who can rest are the ones you don’t hear about.

[Their house. Their mementos. Their schoolroom, maybe.]

Ghosts, you mean. [Acknowledgement; not a question.

[Ghosts aren't real. Not where Armin comes from. Some believe in them, but there's no evidence. Maybe having your head shot off and surviving anyway counts as coming back from the dead, but aside from that...]

Do you have personal experience?

[Ghosts. Zombies. Worse. Yuri nods.

[As for the question:] Through stories, mostly. [By which she means, entirely. But that’s not a lie.] The lore varies, of course—but they have restlesness in common. Debts unsettled, often.

[The dining car reopens to luxuries for the living. Yuri drifts towards a platter with cooked meats; the smell that remains isn’t wholly unappetizing yet.]

Are you familiar?

Sorry. By personal experience, I do mean - have you encountered this phenomenon before yourself? [Answer the question, Yuri.]

We have stories like that as well, however, no evidence to speak of.

[A beat.] I haven’t. [Another.] Admittedly, nothing that can be evidenced.

[She didn’t get a chance to find out. Best not to condemn the possibility to the past, however.]

I was only thinking… the circumstances we’ve found ourselves in aren’t unlike some of those stories. That’s all.

[A fictional gnaw is easier to ignore.]

[Armin nods just once.] Right you are. There's no telling what to expect. [He's only been awake for hours.]

That's true almost anywhere. We adapt.

[Another glance at the food. His lips tighten a bit.] That being said...

I can't operate under the assumption that the dead will come back for their belongings.

Some of this food will spoil before too long. Maybe we ought to see if the others want to eat.

[There is, however, the matter of testing the food's safety. Armin's made a decision that he's made a thousand times before.

[If he's wrong, he'll die - that's the "worst" result.]

Let's not waste time testing on demons. The food appears to be fine, and we don't have many options regardless. I'll give it a try.

[Let him poison himself, then. Rot along with every other liar—]

I suppose that’s sound.

[If he leaves, will he stop listening?

[Yuri lets him eat first.]

[He's done the talk. Now, it's time to act.

[He makes no show of it, taking one of the butter cubes from his pocket and unwrapping it, popping it in his mouth. Of course, normally, he wouldn't find plain butter to be all that appetizing, but it's...

[Divine, really. Salty, but not unsweet, and soft in a way that melts instantly in his mouth, coating it.

[Hunger gnaws within him, rising up the back of his throat until it feels like it's burning. He feels his fingers curl around the wrapper; discards it quickly onto the cart.

[He's been hungry before. He'll be fine. Fat. Calories. He has a little now.]

That's that, then. I guess we'll just have to keep an eye out for any symptoms.

[The butter is eaten. Simple. Unceremonious. If there’s anything startling about it, Yuri can’t tell; Armin finishes with “That’s that, then,” and her stomach turns. It might be hunger, mirroring. Might not.

[Her head feels too light.]

We will, then.

[If he starts to gag, what would Yuri do? Would she be able to?]

Will you be staying here? [In the dining car.]

~~[Colossal titans will tap on ya shoulder at 3am like]~~

[Armin shakes his head, leveling his gaze at her; he wears a smile, confident, sharp.]

I won't be doing that, no. My first order of business is to get people fed with what we have here, so long as I don't notice any side effects in the next hour or so. After that, we'll need to look for somewhere to go, away from this train - before nightfall.

That's my plan. [And he nods.] In the meantime, do what you can to keep yourself safe. Exercise caution with those demons. I hope to see you on the other side, Yuri. [Wherever that may be - if there's another side at all.

[Typically is, in his experience, even if you can't see it.]

[What ominous parting words. Were this a novel, it’d be foreshadowing for sure—the other side of life, a rift, a war. Maybe simple as one looking into a broken window, and the other peering out.]

You as well, Armin.

[She won’t eat a thing while he’s around. This time, Yuri can watch Armin depart.]

[That she can. The first few steps he takes toward the exit of the dining cart are facing her, smile as placid as pleasant as ever.

[At the threshold, he turns, black coat rising and falling in a wide sweep; he's gone.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[DAY 0] TDM.

cw: food insecurity/scarcity/starvation

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cw: nuclear weapons, crimes against humanity, child death

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cw: suicidal ideation

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normal brackets from a normal girl (we can move toward a wrap if you wish or not :}a lmk)

:)c WE GO WHERE WE GO

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what's this tensionnnnnnnnn are we neeeeemieeees