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

Didn't you know? This whole town is where your fanclub decided to set up shop.

[He laughs at his joke, if only to soothe a bit of his own disquiet, and turns a bit more to better study this newcomer. His hand rests on the holster of the pistol strapped to his belt, with a tanto on the otherside, and a backpack is slung casually over one shoulder.

At a glance he seems totally at ease with the situation.]

Oh yeah? BB wishes they would give her royalties at least.... [ Far too comfortable with the situation, in the same manner that BB herself is in. That says a lot - ]

You come from here, or something like this place huh?

Or something.

[Shun'ya is just as aware that this newcomer is suspiciously comfortable with the situation much like him. His expression is still friendly, and his posture relaxed, but his eyes are sharp and assessing.

Fellow devil summoner? A disguised demon? A crazy cultist trying to peddle themselves as a fellow kidnapee? Really, possibilies are endless. Shun'ya's kind of hoping she was a crazy cultist, to be honest. It'd be something new.]

Not as abandoned as this place, though. Usually have more humans to balance out the killer demon population. What about you, Miss Famous? Come from anywhere as scenic as this?

[ Disguised demon. ]

Of course, BB is as eccentric as they come - ya know ~☆? Usually for BB, more monsters and heroic spirits are running around.

[It's never a crazy cultist... u-u ]

'Heroic spirits'? That's a unique term.

[He shifts his weight more onto his right, bending his left leg at the knee minutely. His old injury was starting to play up, but he made the whole move look entirely casual. Never let them know your weakness!]

So which one are you, then? Monster, or heroic spirit?

Whichever one you want BB-chan to be. [ She then seductively bends over and blows him a kiss. ] If it makes you happy! BB-chan always tries to live up to whatever her fans need!

[Shun'ya doesn't even blink, seemingly oblivious to, or just straight up ignoring, the blown kiss.]

Okay, then I don't suppose you could be a crazy cultist for a bit? I deal with monsters and spirits on a daily basis, you see, so a bit of variety would be nice.

Edited (typo....) 2024-09-09 00:25 (UTC)

[ BB takes a moment to straighten herself up, thinking this request over. ]

Hmm.... What kind of Cultist then? The only one BB knows of, is the sex fanatic Kiara-san. [ CW: sex cult/piece of shit antag still love her tho ]

Really? Only that? You should broaden your horizons a little, miss.

[Really, no appreciation for some good ol' demon-worshipping cults like his predecessors got to enjoy wrangling with!]

Like, the Cult of Gaea? I'll even accept Phantom Society (even if they're just a bunch of chunnibyous that never outgrew their emo phase).

[ She thinks about it - names that she can find on Earth but she is fairly certain these things do not align with what Shun'ya is looking for. ]

BB might end up summoning a demon though if she starts cultish activities?

Is that a problem?

[They were already balls deep in demons, so in his mind adding one or two to the mix wouldn't make much difference, really. Anyway, she might summon something stronger than the trash currently milling around outside, which would mean a useful asset if Shun'ya could wrangle it...]

I mean... I think we've punched past the 'oh no' threshold where demon numbers are concerned, so what's a few more, right? Besides, you might summon something interesting~ wouldn't that be kinda fun?

Yeah but as BB is, she can't beat up the Demon and she wants to be able to summon something SUPPPPERRR BIGGG!! [ A quiet pause, as she looks up into the stars reflecting on something deep inside. ] Then maybe eat it.

Ah, I see... monster, then.

[What a p i t y. Shun'ya taps his bottom lip, still smiling but studying BB with a heavy-lidded gaze.]

Not a monster I recognise, though. Don't suppose you menaced young men in the red light district during the early 30s, did you?

Uwaaa! [ BB flinches at the comment, fake tears filling the corners of her eyes. ] D-Did you call a really cute girl a Monster?

Ehhh!?!? [ Her cheeks flushed, and her big purple eyes glimmered catching the light. While her lashes and flutter about. ] BB-chan only goes after senpai ~ ♡! Only Senpai!!!

Only senpai, huh?

[Her master? Shun'ya's gaze narrows fractionally, but after a pause he clearly decides it's not worth the effort, looking away dismissively at the photographs lining the walls. Familiar faces peer out at him. Creepy.]

Well, s'long as you stick to eating only monsters, I really don't care who you go after. It's a free... demon-infested town, or whatever.

Maybe BB-chan can eat all the demons away, but if BB did something like that... [ Mulling over the information out loud, letting him here what she says on purpose. ] BB would definitely, maybe, turn into a Monster for sure. So BB can't just do that all willy-nilly, ya know ~ ♡? It would make Senpai cry anyway, if she found out her BB-chan was too naughty and not nice.

Well, can't have that, can we? Nothing worse than making your senpai cry.

[Shun'ya's tone hit a bit of a drawl, his smile curving into something definitely more fox-like than genuinely warm.]

By the way, is your senpai in the room with us right now? Does she even know she's your senpai?

Nope, they are nowhere to be found! Which concerns BB-chan a lot! Hopefully, we will find them sprawled out somewhere, resting and relaxing. Considering Master-chan is strong nad powerful, BB is sure they are okay. [ She will regret this later. ] Of course they know they are senpai, why wouldn't they? Do you think BB is insane or something?

Quite frankly, yes. I have a feeling you're thoroughly deranged in some way.

Eh? BB-chan is just a normal girl who is a bit chuuni at times, [ A lie, it isn't obvious, but it is a lie. Her face is blank, and her doe-eyed look peers toward him innocently. ] you can ask Alice-chan ~♡!

Nah, think I'll rely on my gut feeling here... and the evidence before me.

[Shun'ya just gives her a heavy-lidded look that just screams like, 'cmon, I wasn't born yesterday'.]

You're a weird, strange little... girl? Lady? How old are you meant to be?

Sigh! Okay you caught me, I guess BB will have to fully introduce herself now won't she?

Are you gonna spout out some terribly long and chunni-style title now...?

Ehh? There is nothing Chuuni about BB-chan she is legit! 100 % authentic Bad Bitch!

Oh, so that's who you are? Bitchy B?

[DAY 0] TDM.

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i hate when i forget to not gender assign the master LMFAO

loool

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