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.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Please leave any questions here! You may also use this as a place to request an interaction with either navigator.

To further investigate a location, please use the following form:

Characters: minimum of two
Location:
Action: what specifically are they looking for/doing
Thread: link where this is happening

the train;

[A sticky situation, huh? Well, what else is new? There is nothing for Armin to do but jump into action. He's a Commander, after all, right? A failed one, sure, but there is that every irritating impulse to continue fighting anyway. If he couldn't do it back home, why now?

[Because people are going to die if he doesn't.

[Amidst the panic, he tries to command what attention he can. Those beginning to spiral into distress or wander toward the forest will find him in their path, blue eyes locked on theirs.]

Please wait. I understand that you're confused, but we need to tread carefully. [His eyes move to the forest.]

Whatever they are, they aren't coming toward us. Come back to the train. Let's put together a plan.

tech support;

[Armin's never been one for pride. The device on his wrist is entirely foreign to him. Amidst the chaos, he's been trying his level best to figure out how to use the strange watch, but the technology is overwhelming at best - incomprehensible at worst.

[He searches for someone using their device and makes a casual bee line.]

Excuse me. [His voice is amicable, but serious. Tensions are high wherever they turn.] I'd like to ask for your help. I'll return it in kind, of course.

[He lifts his wrist with the attached device.] It benefits us all to work together right now. Please, allow me this lesson.

rescue; cw: violence

[He's tired of watching people fucking die.

[You've found yourselves in the claws of a demon. Armin tried to warn others not to go into the forest.

[Of course, there's a certain type of person who will always refuse to listen.

[So, he makes his entrance. With two razor sharp blades, larger than machetes, in each hand, he launches himself at the creature, severing limbs until he can reach the head and cut it off clean.

[This one was easy. This one went well. The next one might not, and Armin isn't invincible anymore.]

Please excuse me. [His voice is tight. Without your permission, he scoops you up under one arm, then uses the other to fire a grappling hook into one of the trees. The two are flung from branch to branch. Where are you headed? Either back to the train or back to the town, depending on when Armin manages to snatch you. He'll relay that information kindly, despite your personal temperment.]

concert hall cover;

[Armin learned the hard way about the concert hall. Falling asleep in the middle of the street certainly isn't ideal, but considering what he saw when someone tried to enter just before, he's actually grateful that he never made it in.

[Someone else is about to make the same mistake.

[He doesn't know how long he'll have to keep himself awake before the music takes him again too, but he's seen what he's seen - he can't let it be.

[So, he rushes over, shouting, firm, as if a command:] Hold on! Cover your ears now!

wildcard;

((ooc: Hi! I'm Panthera! I'm dying to explore this setting as much as possible and get all sorts of interactions, so please feel free to throw me anything. Armin will generally be running around trying to rescue people, tend to the injured - will also be investigating everything they can, and may come up to your character to try joining in on their investigation, etc.. If you want to plot, you can PM my journal, or catch me on plurk at

pantheraliam; would love to add people planning on joining))

Edited 2024-08-29 18:47 (UTC)

✮ i. the train - COMP.

[Somehow, this isn't the strangest situation Shun'ya's been trapped in.

It's still certainly strange, though, and there's a disorientating fogginess to his thoughts that has him certain a demon is to blame for his current predicament. Some kind of illusion, maybe? A pocket dimension trap? Well, whatever's going on, Shun'ya knew better than to run around like a headless chicken, sticking his nose into random dark corners and getting it snipped off.

So, as most of his... fellow captives bumrush off the train in a panic, he calmly seats himself on a (somewhat bloodstained) trainseat and takes stock. He's a bit bruised and has some cuts, but he dismisses them as unimportant. No, what has his attention was...]

Who do you belong to, hm...?

[He's speaking to the odd looking, uh, gun he's turning over in his hands, inspecting it. No magazine port, though it has a trigger and- oh!

The 'gun' folds outwards the moment he experimentally depresses the trigger, creating a holographic screen on either side of it. It's loud, bright, cumbersome - and undeniably a COMP.]

"Heya, boss! My name's Ala-!"

Nope. [Shun'ya promptly closes up the COMP and cuts off the AI.] Not today, Satan.

[Definitely the work of a demon. Sigh...]

✮ ii. the train - looting.

[After coming to the conclusion that the COMP is undeniably his, and his existing demons were permanently locked in their summoning tubes by some mysterious, albeit unconvenient, power, Shun'ya decides to go snooping along the train.

And by snooping, I mean shamelessly opening every single unattended piece of luggage he comes across and picking through it for anything important or useful. Hell, he even liberates a backpack along the way, emptying it out of its useless contents to fill it with more useful stuff: blankets, spare sets of clothing (even if they weren't his style) and some socks. He even lucks out with a pair of trainers his size that he keeps 'just in case'.

And if a fellow captive doesn't stop his unrestrained looting of the luggage, he'll eventually end up in the dining cart, portioning out some of its food rations into his (stolen) backpack. He's not taking more than he needs, really, but he's not being stingy either.

You may want to get in there fast before he takes all the good stuff, though.]

✮ iii. outside - exploring.

✮ a. church.

[Shun'ya can be found in the church, exploring it very intently. The skeletons clearly don't perturb him, and he's paying a lot of attention to the angel statue, as if expecting it to be more than it seems. If anyone approaches him, he's amicable to it, if openly wary - but he'll be more than happy to accept their help in investigating the church...]

✮ b. houses.

[Shun'ya can be found in one of the houses, scoping it out as a potential safezone, though he does become distracted by the photographs on the wall. He takes one off, in fact, gazing intently at the people on it with a semi-puzzled, semi-disturbed expression. If anyone walks in on him, though, he's very quick to set the photograph aside and dazzle with a friendly greeting...]

✮ c. hospital

[The hospital... well, Shun'ya spends exactly five minutes in there before noping the hell out, but he lingers near its entrance, his posture easy and unbothered considering their dangerous surroundings. If he spots your character approaching the building, he'll raise his hand and call out:]

Hey, that place is a deathtrap, just so you know!

[Doing his Good Samaritan duty! ...and also trying to gauge who'd be good to team up with, to brave the hospital for its potential (drugs) supplies...]

✮ iv. wildcard

[OOC: Shun'ya will be wandering around the town trying to investigate his situation, but he also won't hesitate to rush to the defence of any characters who look like they're struggling to fight off demons or just look like they're struggling in general. He's also very familiar with demons, in case anyone wants their character to have an explanation on them outside of the COMP AI.

So feel free to toss anything my way, I'll roll with it! He has an info post here if you want to know more!

(Note: His icons are a little sparse at the moment, so please excuse that. I've commissioned some but I'm still waiting on them haha.]

(ooc: Despite the canon title, this is a horror game. Character info & content warnings in journal.
(Between canon point and memory alteration, Yuri is behaving substantially less timid than usual. How quaint!)

wrong track
[Yuri ought to be panicking.

[Lightheaded. Ravenous. A cacophony of sound and broken glass, figures strewn throughout the car. She wants to find someone; can’t recall who. In the pocket of her blazer, cell phone nestled as usual, retrieved, hijacked by one voice or another—neither trustworthy, surely both listening. A switch; orange, blue, orange, blue, mocking; she contrasts both options thoroughly, fixated, differences in tone noted, memorized, clues in an ever-unraveling horror, blood roaring—

[She’s so entranced by the damn phone that she walks right into you. Typical teenager.]

Ah, I’m… sorry…

[An initial sputter, and then it trails—as if questioning the need for apology at all. The device blips; Keigo considers you an “ally.” It considers everyone in this train an ally.]

Are we… familiar?

carriage return
[There’s no need to run blindly into the fray. Yuri can later be found lingering in the train, whether haunting the cabin, sifting through luggage, or eyeing the dining cart. She has no interest in being the first to die; other people can pick through morsels beforehand, long before Yuri peels herself from the wall.

[Still, hunger gnaws. If you don’t catch her watching, she’ll be rummaging through the supplies herself. A luggage solid enough to kill a man is pulled aside, stocked; but this isn’t just a supply run. Yuri pilfers through the stores with intention. Looking for something....]

under the light (cw: violence, sexualization thereof)
(note: Location, and by extension the specific demon, is a wildcard. If you don’t have a preference, I’ll randomize it!)

[Anticipation snaps, one way or another. There’s no point in stagnation. Yuri has left the train, and every twitch of adrenaline has been building towards this moment: a demon, entangled with the young woman; in her hand, a knife, ornate patterns marred crimson—whose blood, lost in the motion. The gouges are relentless. COMP dropped nearby, buzzing furiously; something—friend, foe, worse—close, close, close.

[Would you like to interfere?]

[obligatory wildcard]
(Hit me up via journal PM for a custom starter! I don’t use Plurk.)

Edited (word repetition my beloathed (+obligatory wildcard)) 2024-08-29 20:41 (UTC)

[He’s chosen a decent target; Yuri’s been on her damn phone practically since waking up. She’s seated on a train car (not in the proper way, of course; it’s overturned, as with just about everything else), and the young man’s approach visibly startles her.

[From one screen-fixated fugue to another, anyway. Eye contact is fleeting and strangely difficult. There’s a delay before she remembers to speak, focused more on gauging the device he’s been left with—and whatever it may be saying.]

—Ah. Of course, the… [Another beat, and then a blatant scan of the young man.] Help with your AI, you mean?

a. talking to myself on the way to the station (train)
[The moment she wakes up, Alice's mind races through her checklist. Any injuries? No; she's covered in blood, but none of it's hers. (It doesn't disturb her as much as it should.) What about immediate threats? The growing mass of eyes shining in the darkness send a shiver down her spine, but it doesn't look like they're about to make a move. What's the situation in her immediate environment? Safe, at the moment, filled with enough people screaming their heads off that Alice should be able to slip away without too much trouble.

Alice usually travels light, so checking her belongings is pointless most of the time, but she does it anyways just to be thorough- and is rewarded for her efforts with three enigmas. She ignores the gem and the COMP for now, instead focusing on the real mystery: the half-eaten candy bar in her hand.]

Ugh. I don't even like chocolate.

b. pictures in my head of the final destination (hospital)
[Under normal circumstances, Alice would avoid the hospital like the plague. It doesn't just look like a deathtrap, it feels like one- her every instinct yells at her to save herself the trouble and find somewhere safe to bunk down for the night instead.

...but these aren't normal circumstances, and a hospital ripe for pillaging is too juicy an opportunity to pass up. So here she is in the pharmacy, checking the contents of pill containers with her mouth drawn into a thin line while her twitch Hare of Inaba keeps lookout.

It squeaks and nearly bolts when someone new turns the corner, but Alice just sighs and gives the demon a scritch between the ears to calm it down.]

You know, if you have time to gawk at strangers, you might as well actually help.

c. all lined up, all the ones who aren't allowed to stay (cemetery)
[The search for a place to bunk down for the night that wasn't already filled with screaming survivors attracting too much attention for Alice's liking led her to the church. The skeletons don't bother her, really. But what she finds in the cemetery does: a gravestone labeled simply,]

ARKOS JUNGHART

...figures. [Alice's face is meticulously blank. After a moment, she gives the gravestone a vicious kick.]

d. trying to save myself, but my self keeps slipping away (church)
[Alice leans against one of the stained glass windows, illuminated by the light of the fading sun as she tosses an unlabeled pill bottle up and down. She'd risked life and limb for the handful of powdery teal tablets inside. So why is she hesitating to take them?]

What am I missing?

e. wildcard
(find me at

aerialism if you want to plot out something else!)

Edited 2024-08-29 20:46 (UTC)

[cw & permissions here - please look before interacting! He is third semester flavor (bad flavor).]

hospital

[The first time he ran into 'Akira' ended in disaster. A phantom dissipating under his heel, a memory burning white hot in his chest of a steel table coated in imaginary crimson drops.

It's the second time he's been deceived by an illusion of him. There won't be a third.

Voices? Ignored. Other floors, other problems - he doesn't give a single shit about whoever else is wandering these halls. Being alone is a saving grace as he navigates through the decrepit, broken building.

Overturned, nameless pill bottles, beds and machinery out of order, rusted, destroyed by time and whatever is roaming these halls.

He's peeling and picking at the edges of illegible labels - on edge, tense. Another person walking into the room will be met with sharp, sudden turn.]

Walk on, if you would. There are other rooms to explore.

[He isn't in the mood to figure out if it's an illusion. Go away! Thanks!]

school

[Of course there's a goddamn blizzard in a school! This is, by far, the shittiest and most extensive palace he's ever been in.

An intent to explore halted by intense winds, a painful chill, icy air forced out of his lungs with every motion forward. Death is everywhere and he isn't interested in becoming another skeleton in this world's not so metaphorical closet.

Pushing forward - stopped by logic. He can't see - palms numb, face coated in an icy sheen. Another person becomes visible in the mess - someone he bumps into. Unintentional, but he's irate all the same. As if he was the one accosted in a storm. As if the other person is an idiot and not him, who's standing right alongside them.]

Why would you come this far?

[He's here too?? Don't worry about it. It's different - don't question it. Akechi Goro doesn't make mistakes - just happy little "accidents".]

church

[At church, he's away from whatever groups are forming and taking refuge on an empty pew, eyes shut. Not asleep, but he needs a goddamn break.

A break that ends when a piece of wood from the ceiling just-

Whacks him right on the head. Incredible. Slapstick comedy at its finest and all he can do is open his eyes - look at the offensive wood with all the murderous intent he can muster.

Maybe he'll get a concussion. Maybe that will eject him from this reality.

Something's muttered under his breath. A ceiling studied, as he scoots to the side a couple paces and opts lean against an arm closest to the aisle. Unreal.]

wildcard

[hmu with whatever!! ♥ if u wanna custom starter or to plot smg, dm or plurk is

spicypillow]

[He's so terribly, terribly out of his depth; he doesn't let it show, nodding confidently, despite not understanding the question. He lifts his wrist with the device attached.]

This device I've found. I've noticed that others have similar devices too. AI - remind me what that acronym stands for, would you? I can't say I'm used to this sort of technology at all. [And maybe it's not wise to reveal that, but when the enemy is a forest full of monsters, the army becomes the people trying to survive them. He is in no position to reject help.]

[A burst of bright light flashes in a window to Shun'ya's left (he might recognize the skill as Trafuri), followed shortly thereafter by an IV rack hurled through the selfsame window, which is in turn pursued by Alice tumbling through the hole she just made.

She picks herself up nonchalantly, ignoring the cut on her cheek and instead directing her attention toward the crazed Hare of Inaba nibbling ineffectually at her hoodie's sleeve. With a put-upon sigh, Alice scrolls through her COMP and summons her Shadow to cure the bunny of its madness with Patra.

It's only then that she pays any mind to Shun'ya, affixing him with a flat stare.]

I'm aware.

Edited 2024-08-29 21:01 (UTC)

“Artificial intelligence.” [Monika would know more about this, Yuri thinks. Monika doesn’t seem to be present. But Monika is a good listener.]

In short, it… isn’t a real person, most likely. [Yuri closes her phone. She’s been unable to access anything else on it.] It’s an automated voice, programmed to inform and assist you.

If, of course… you take it at face value. [Is she being deliberately cryptic? It’s what she knows. It certainly doesn’t occur to her that half of the measly explanation might go over the young man’s head. Her free hand moves to weave through the ends of her hair, an old habit. Familiar. She can’t shake the feeling....]

[Armin can do an awful lot with new and confusing information.

["Artificial intelligence" - a man-made facsimile of something able to relay information in a way commuincable to humans. Sure. Easy. How? Not important - not right now.

["Automated" - "auto" is "self"; it can operate on its own. "Programmed" sounds odd, but it follows a set of rules laid out, ostensibly by the person (real) doing the "programming".

[So, someone creates a program for an articial being to follow on its own; ostensibly, once the "program" begins, that AI will continue to follow it.

[That's what Armin manages to glean, and it takes seconds. As for what he knows versus what he doesn't, the chasm feels insurmountable, but this is how knowledge begins. It's far better than nothing. He nods.]

It would be wise not to. You're right about that.

[He holds up his device again.] If you're able, can you show me how to recall the messages that have already been delivered? I heard the voices when they spoke, but there appears to be writing on the surface of the watch as well. I'd like a chance to read it now that I've had a little time to get my bearings.

[Yuri cannot fathom why she’s not in a blind panic, but perhaps it’s only the calm before the storm. She’s certainly not throwing herself into the madness (not just yet, anyhow)—and so the moment finds her, too, seated and still. Her attention has been preoccupied by the conflicting AIs on her phone.

[Nothing wrenches it away quite like one of the greetings coming to auditory life. For about a sentence and a half. And then—]

You know this voice?

[The words escape her before she can hold back; from across the traincar, they may sound quiet, but the question isn’t soft-spoken. Curiosity gleams across the gun’s metallic surface. For now, Yuri’s device goes ignored.]

[“It would be wise not to.” He’s no slouch, then; that’s good.

[Yuri nods. A watch is a terribly inconvenient surface for reading, but the concept isn’t unheard of. Unsure if she should stand and draw nearer, she pockets her phone and reaches towards his device—a silent offer to toy with its settings herself.

[It’s automatic. He has no reason to trust her with it, really; but she appears unarmed, and he decidedly does not. It’s a fickle game, this. They’ve gotten this far.]

[He doesn't mind her touching the watch - allows her to - but...]

Please, if you don't mind - show me each step slowly. I want to learn how to do this myself.

I. TRAIN
[Although dressed in a school uniform, there's a teenage girl who looks remarkably composed with everything that's happening. She isn't panicking, giving the cut on her leg from broken glass only a cursory look, a peek out the window to see that this doesn't look like any part of Da'at she's seen before... but she does seem to be surprised most of all to find others here. If she spots them trying to leave the train car, she'll hurry after them, hopping over scattered luggage and gently touch their arm.]

Hey -- you shouldn't rush out there when it's not safe. Would you like me to go with you?

[She's not sure if she's talking to an ordinary civilian or at least someone who can fight, so she'd like time to take stock of who she's helping, too.]

II. SCHOOL
[Tao had wondered, sometimes, if she could go back in time, she could have changed something so that the horrors she had seen at Jouin High School could have been prevented. The irony now being that she is once again outside a school hearing the screams and cries of victims -- or maybe just demons -- and now she's even worse than useless. She's lacking her saint powers here, and she hasn't found a demon to recruit, yet.

She sucks in a breath and picks up a splintered piece of wood that looked like it had been used to board up one of the windows, but has since been torn away. An improvised weapon, for all the good it will do.]

If anyone is still alive... [she murmurs to herself under her breath,] I have to try.

III. CHURCH
[The church seems like a natural place to find refuge from demons, so Tao heads there, lingering to look at the rusting angel statue before heading inside. Finding no one around, she sits down at a pew with a relieved sigh... which quickly becomes a yelp of surprise when she realises sitting further down the same pew is a still-clothed skeleton.]

E-even here?!

[She looks around and spots more poor victims seated around, her heart pounding in her chest. When she's had a little time to recover from the shock, she steps towards the altar and clasps her hands together, offering a silent prayer for their souls.]

IV. WILDCARD
[Anything else! She's familiar with demon summoning, even if she hasn't tried it herself yet, so she might be able to help your character if they need an extra tutorial buddy. Feel free to pm me or hit me up at

moonsilver!]

Honestly, I’ll be figuring it out as I go, but…

[It’s likely not difficult. Despite the devices’ external differences, the COMP controls seem to be the same—right down to having multiple voices, with the same exact script. Should that be unsettling? They both are....

[After some careful fiddling, Yuri once again remembers she’s supposed to be talking. There’s a tightness in the back of her throat, as though affected by the contact, hesitant to… what, show off? She attributes it to the overarching paranoia. But this is relatively basic technology; that’s no secret....

[Her own COMP has yet to retaliate for any wayward button presses. She has yet to try. Blue, orange, blue, orange… Someone else’s device isn’t the time to experiment. (But it could be, and that might be better than her own—)]

This setting [demonstrating as she does, finally, speak] toggles between the voices. And here’s the map both refer to—though, as they note, the dots are… different.

[It’s on the red with the demo. None in the train.]

[It's more than overwhelming. Armin has never been a prideful person, but even he's a little embarrassed at just what a fool he is when he comes to this. Softly, gratefully, he asks:]

One more time, if you would, please - and...navigating to the other map, as well.

[There's a pause.]

How...could it possibly know where the location of our enemies and allies are...? Not that we're to trust that information, necessarily, but...still...

[The same technology that one uses to target an air strike, maybe, but Armin barely knows a thing about that, and it doesn't seem nearly as precise...

[None of this seems possible; that's how he manages to stomach it.]

_{[ An extremely affected titter, titter comes from just out the corner of her eye.

Wow, when did THAT guy get here. He sure seems profoundly hard to miss: tall and eerily, gray-tinged pale, with feathers in his hair that are such an exact match for its shade the question's raised if maybe they're just, part of him? (they are.) ]}

What interesting priorities.

_{[ despite the situation, this guy seems to basically ooze with the self assurance of an ambling big cat. danger who. mystery where. he's toying with the gemstone he was left with: a blue sphere with a large gouge in its side, showing off a brilliant red core. ]}

You sure are, lady. Damn.

[Shun'ya barely blinked at her, er, dramatic entrance (exit?), one hand resting on the pistol holster strapped to his belt in a relaxed manner as he swept a quick glance over her and her demon servants. She seemed like she had them under control fine...]

You're handling those demons of yours well. Got experience with 'em?

[The navigation is repeated, then; more deliberate, a point made of moving her hand away to show the screen in full between presses. An afterimage lingers: Yuri’s had to stop, slow down like this before, let someone catch up. A specific instance thereof, nil.

[Swipe the thought. The map is blue. “Allies” cluster together, or so it appears. Yuri couldn’t guess which she and the the device’s owner are.]

It’s sophisticated tracking for sure. My guess is that it’s connected to our devices in their own rights; that sort of technology isn’t unheard of. [Her phone is still in her pocket. She hasn’t tried leaving it behind yet—hasn’t dared.] Outside, I can’t say....

[That grip again. Pricks over her shoulder, dripping down her neck. Yuri knows fear.

[Smoothly as she can manage, she pulls back; it’s all in his hands, now.]

I don’t recognize those. [A nod to his gear. He offered a return.]

Not personally, but I can make a good guess as to its nature.

[He sets the COMP down on his lap, resting a hand across its metallic surface as he flashes an easy, relaxed smile towards the young girl. He catalogues her detachedly, his gaze barely shifting as he assesses her threat level...

Unknown, for now.]

You okay? Not suffering from any bad injuries? You seem pretty calm, considering.

[Empathy was not - his thing, but it was easy enough to fall back on rote scripts for disaster situations with potential injured civilians. Are you injured? Are you okay? The basics.]

Fine.

[The only goddamn reason he listens to this random kid shouting orders is because of the mind numbing drowsiness that begins to afflict him. Sound is the key, so it seems. Lullaby, maybe. No ailment reducing ability to rely on for the time being. Sleep isn't new to him. Danger less so.

He keeps going, both palms pressed tight against his ears. Time to see what's crackalackin in the concert hall, though he doesn't go to the door. He eyes the side of the building, looks high up, creeps around foliage to find anything that could be used as an entrance.]

[It's a fair question, but for some reason, it still irritates Alice. Maybe it's because he reminds her of Giallon.]

Out of all the junk that was in my pockets when I woke up, the chocolate makes the least sense. Everyone else has a gadget and one of those gems; only the candy doesn't fit the pattern. [She glares at the wrapper. Exactly half of the bar is gone, as if someone left part of it for her.] What kind of loser would even bother messing with me like this?

Edited 2024-08-29 23:23 (UTC)

[Shun'ya pauses at the train's exit, adjusting the strap of his (stolen) backpack that he has slung over one shoulder, stuffed full of necessities he looted from the nearby luggage. When he turns to her, the pistol and the tanto attached to his belt were readily apparent, and across his chest was a holster that contained peculiar tubes. This was a man clearly prepared to forge out into dangerous parts unknown.

But his expression was warm and reassuring, though his eyes... well, not quite, but they're not unfriendly, at least. They're just very sharp. Assessing.]

Kind of you to ask, miss, but I can take care of myself.

[He pauses, giving her a slow, considering once over. He didn't see any weapons or summoning tubes that she wore openly, but...]

How about you? Civilian? Or nah?

[She appears calmer than she’s been in… several days.

[People are dying outside.

[That’s a problem.]

It… may take some time to settle in properly. Hah.

[She doesn’t look forward to it.]

But, ah… no. I’m not injured. [Punctuated with an idle tug at her sleeve. Eye contact is difficult; Yuri’s flicker only briefly to the young man’s smile, but otherwise remain on the weapon.] I’m more curious as to what’s going on.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 111

[DAY 0] TDM.

questions/investigations

Armin Arlert | Attack on Titan | ota (please see CWs in journal nav)

Shun'ya Iijima | Soul Hackers 2 (Canon OC) | ota

Yuri | Doki Doki Literature Club!

local fake person offers tech support

Alice Machias | Metallic Rouge | OTA

goro akechi - persona 5 royal

omg u love armin

iiic

YOU BET

no subject

i - COMP (cws in journal!)

no subject

no subject

Tao Isonokami | Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

no subject

no subject

a. please bear with me as i get used to doing nonecats style again

no subject

no subject

no subject

concert hall

no subject

I

no subject