[DAY 1-]

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The night drags on.

The moon, full and bright, illuminates the world below as demons rise in indulgence of the hunt. All those who are not securely tucked away become prey, whose blood runs freely down the streets, whose screams fill the air in symphony, whose lives are snuffed out one by one as the night grows darker- but not quieter, no. Towards the far west, wind picks up in a deafening howl that tears through the forest violently enough to uproot trees, followed by a thunderous explosion atop the wall that sends large chunks of rock crashing down on parts of the immobile train, creating shockwaves felt all the way into town. Dark clouds gather overhead, smothering the moon and unleashing a downpour that continues unrelentingly until dawn, when the paltry sunlight behind the clouds is only enough to see that the rain that falls is in fact blood, thick and warm, coating the rooftops and the streets. Rivulets trickle towards the east, where they spill over the edges of the world and into the cavernous abyss of a mouth below.

Those who sleep will dream. They dream of being flat on their back, lying on hard metal, a warm breeze caressing their cheek, the faint scent of cherry blossom in the air. They dream of their bodies feeling like lead, heavy and unable to move, hardly able to breathe— and all the while in complete darkness. Whether they give in to exhaustion or struggle valiantly against it, they will eventually open their eyes to a different scene: of somebody's home before here, you and that person reliving the very last memory they had before waking up in the train just yesterday. It's a memory that culminates in darkness. Give in. Struggle. Open your eyes again and again and again, and eventually you will wake up to what you wish were just another bad dream: the unfortunate plane of existence we call reality.

It may not be a good morning, but it's morning. If characters glance at their COMP, they will see a bright number 7 on the screen that disappears as their chosen AI chimes in with a good morning greeting ("Whoa! Congrats on surviving the night, boss!" or "Yikes, you look like shit. Did you get any rest at all?"). Pulling up the map function shows fewer blue ally dots as expected, but perhaps unexpectedly, much fewer red enemy dots as well: there are very few demons to be seen, and those that are, show little interest in hunting unless they are attacked first. The forest is still and quiet, red Mandrake leaves littering the floor in abundance but the demons remain rooted underground, the Hares of Inaba huddled snug within their dens, bird demons taken roost underneath the canopy to keep out of the blood rain. The concert hall is silent today, guards at the door watchful and ready to snipe intruders. Inside the powerplant, the giant Ooze spreads lazily across the first floor, filling the space wall to wall, acid seeping underneath the front doors and burning its way outside. Indoors, outdoors, demons keep to themselves, seemingly sated.

It's almost peaceful. If you didn't know better.

The drizzle of blood tapers off over the course of Day 1, replaced by normal rain once night hits. The water that falls is clear, though bitter and metallic tasting, and the stormy weather continues for several days more. The temperature outside dips, even during the daytime, and the hunger that continues to persist (unless you're BB, who ate a Pixie, maybe) is made worse by the appearance of a hot dog stand that has been set up in front of the school building. Its existence in this place is wholly suspicious, entirely nonsensical, manifested as if out of a yandere devil summoner fever dream— and yet the mystery meat smells divine, and you are so so hungry.

"Hee-ho! Get your hot dogs here-ho! What? What kind of mee-hee-t is in it, ho? Don't worry about it, ho!"

JACK FROST

LOCATION
hot dog stand

STRENGTH
ice

WEAKNESS
fire

INFORMATION:
Jack Frost is a spirit originating from England who brings in cold weather during the winter and is responsible for the frost that forms on the windows of homes and buildings. Though it is usually friendly and innocent, it also has a mischievous personality and will freezes those it dislikes to death, smiling all the while.

SKILLS:
Mabufudyne: heavy ice damage (multi-target)
Megidolaon: mega almighty damage (multi-target)

NOTE: This demon is non-recruitable.

Can anybody resist that cute face? never mind the sales pitch. Jack Frost will operate on a barter system, though it really only seems interested in people's gemstones, or if they're willing to slaughter and bring it a Katakirauwa in exchange for a cold but still delicious hotdog dressed up in any variety of condiment. For those who muster the courage to go demon hunting to earn their meal, they will find that a single hotdog will stave off hunger for up to three days. For those who gave up their gemstone instead, K5 will be screaming at them not to do that, but also, please tell me. Maybe they'll rethink the offer, noticing that the gemstones they'd found on their person now feel slightly warm to the touch- growing warmer when in proximity to another person's gemstones, their colors more vibrant, stones faintly glowing as if with internal light.

Generous as Jack Frost is with providing dubious sustenance, it's a different story when it comes to the vending machine beside its stall. Inside are various drinks guaranteed to be cold, and include bottled water, coffee, teas, juices, blood and tears and many other questionable unlabeled liquids among its touted 100!!! varieties of beverage ("""beverage"""). Two problems: 1) there is no selection button, so you do not get to choose your drink; and 2) the machine will only take macca. Where to get macca? Figure that out yourself and earn your drink gacha.

[ Locked pending: SCHOOL investigation ]

[ Locked pending: GREENHOUSE investigation ]

[ Locked pending: HOSPITAL investigation ]

[ Locked pending: CONCERT HALL investigation ]

[ Locked pending: POWERPLANT investigation ]

OOC

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Since I know a handful of you are still working on apps, this event log in general will be open to all players, but Investigations will be closed to current players only. See below for more information.

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On Day 1 only, wild demon encounters will be scarce and it will rain blood all day, after which the weather will transition into normal rain and demon encounters will also return to normal rates, less during the day and more frequent after dark.

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When characters fall asleep any time in the next several days (including victims of the concert hall lullaby that will begin again starting Day 2, as well as inadvertent naps for those of you who are like lmao yeah whatever, i don't need sleep, i'm fine), they will be able to see the circumstances around other characters' canonpoints. This dream may take the form of being a bystander, or from the point of view of the character, whichever would be more fun/interesting to play.

»

Players can advance time by posting new logs set on the current or next IC date— don't be afraid to advance time as needed! Plot beats will be adjusted accordingly, and there'll be ample warning if plot necessitates a deadline or specific event date for any reason. If you have any trigger warnings, please let me know here! Comments are screened, and warnings will be listed in the log format post for player awareness.

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As characters investigate different locations in the setting, more aspects of the game will be unlocked and will be updated in the post above. In summary, from the previous TDM event, characters have found doors sealed by barriers in the school, greenhouse, and hospital. The concert hall and powerplant are still both heavily guarded by demons that prevent thorough investigation until dealt with.

Comments

[thebomb]

[Armin had the misfortune of running into at least three other people here from his world / reality / whatever you want to call it. Not misfortune because he doesn't care about those people, but misfortune because he hasn't seen them since. It's not a topic he's eager to get into.]

I managed to take a piece of luggage from the train with some extra clothes inside. If you need any, please let me know. You can at least have something clean while you wash your others.

[He begins moving in the direction of one of the houses.]

The demons appear to be less active today, but we should continue to keep our guards up. Are you capable of defending yourself, Tsubaki? [Even given the heavy nature of the question, Armin's words are light, casual, pleasant enough.]

[dancinglight]

[That's would understandably put a whole different kind of strain on the matter. Especially when you had no clue if they were okay or not.]

I may take you up on that offer. Thank you. I can worry about that later though. It's good to know there's something else around, at least.

[Following along his path, she nodded lightly before unsheething her chakrams for a moment.]

My guard has been up since waking up here, so no worries there. My job crystals are pretty useless at the moment, but martial skills will get me by enough.

lmk if you want me to submit an investigation about how much/what kinds of food they can find

[thebomb]

Mm. [Armin nods.] I've heard that a lot of people with special items or abilities aren't able to use them here.

[Martial skills are assurance enough, though. If she's confident that she can protect herself, then Armin has no room to question it.]

I've been checking the houses before anything else. I haven't run into any demons yet. They tend to avoid them, and given how few there seem to be today, anyway...

[He leads them to one of the aforementioned houses, stopping outside of the front door.]

Let's be cautious as we head in, regardless.

It may not be a bad idea honestly

[dancinglight]

[Taking notice of the houses as she cautiously followed along...]

I'm not sure how much we'll find if other people had the same idea as us, but it's still a solid idea to check nonetheless.

[She didn't draw her chakrams yet, but unless she had a reason to, she should be fine. She was agile and quick on her feet. The traits of a dancer can't so easily be forgotten, never mind her experience as Hydaelyn's chosen one. Careful to not make too much noise right away, she looked to make sure the coast was clear.]

[thebomb]

[They have no choice but to scour every inch, really. There's no telling how long they'll be here, and they all need to eat to survive. The gnawing hunger they all feel never dulls - that will become an issue, too, when food is split. It's why he needs his own stockpile as well, to make sure Kate, Alice, and even Ciel are fed enough to stay alive.]

We'll search every inch.

[Armin checks his COMP. There don't appear to be any demons inside. He opens the door, ushering Tsubaki in. After that, they can begin their search.]

[dancinglight]

[Thankfully, they don't seem to have visitors, so they had plenty of time to thoroughly review everything. Leaving Armin one part of the house to check over, Tsubaki opted to check the other side, finding some medical supplies still (mostly) intact. Some of the bottles were opened or evaporated, but she found some salvageable items they could take back with them. She hadn't considered checking expiration dates, but maybe that was something Armin could catch? After all, when you're from a world where you could heal or find people to patch you up with their magicks, stuff like medicine didn't typically cross her mind. Coming back down, she showed Armin some of the stuff she found.]

Do you think any of this is still good?

[thebomb]

[Armin himself has found a wealth of canned goods in the kitchen pantry. He's not one to consider expiration dates either, as they aren't typically used where he's from, but he knows that canned food tends to last a lot longer than anything fresh. It won't taste the best, but that hardly matters when their hunger can't be quelled no matter what they do.

[He pauses from filling his bags when Tsubaki approaches. He looks over the supplies in her hands.

[Looks brightly back up at her.] We'll find use for all of it. You can put it here in one of these bags, if you'd like. Like I said before, I plan to add most of this to the stockpile at the church. Of course, I won't stop you from taking anything you need yourself, first.

Oh my god. IDK how this tag got lost. I'm sorry.

[dancinglight]

[When you don't have a lot of options, beggars can't be choosers. After all, you'll eat whatever is available to you if you're desperate enough. No matter how it may taste. Setting what she found in a bag, she glanced at some of the stuff he found.]

Of course, I'm sure we'll be able to find more stuff as we search the other houses too. I think this is a good enough start.

[Glancing around the home...]

I wonder... Do you think one of these abandoned houses would be safe enough to stay in, provided you find one in decent enough shape?

[There was likely no guarantee of being safe. Not like the church. There was something about having your own place to stay, even if it wasn't the safest. She had been staying in the church thus far, but that hardly seemed like a permanent solution.]

you're all good!

[thebomb]

[It's interesting. Armin wonders where Tsubaki stayed on the first night, then wonders...if she was here on the first night at all. His smile remains amicable, and he gives a certain little nod.]

The houses are largely safe. It is possible for demons to get inside, but I've been staying in one of the houses with a few others, and with the entrances all barricaded, we haven't had any problems.

If you don't mind my asking, did...you awaken on the derailed train like a lot of others here? Today isn't your first day, is it?

[dancinglight]

[Admittedly she had spent a lot of time outside before eventually wandering around the first night, but eventually found her way to the church.]

That is a little surprising to hear. I suppose if I did find something suitable, it would be better to find someone else to stay with me. I imagine safety in numbers makes a difference here especially.

I woke up on the train, yeah. [She didn't mind at all.]

[thebomb]

[Ah. Armin nods. Seems Tsubaki is having some trouble settling in (not that he's not having trouble), though the house he's currently staying at is already filled with more trusted confidants.]

The church and greenhouse also appear to be locations which demons avoid, or have thus far. I believe there's a group of people staying at the church. That seems to be the landing point for a lot of us, and I can see why.

Perhaps you'll think about staying there tonight.

[dancinglight]

I'll be sure to check it out.

[But in the meantime, they have houses to loot.]

Shall we move on to the next location? Unless you've found something else of use here.

[Being here alone was a little unsettling, but it's not as if she hasn't done it before. She'd manage. And she'd make friends and trusted allies here in due time too. It was still too early to say otherwise.]

[thebomb]

[Armin nods.] Quite a few cans of food, and a few other things of use. I'm happy to move onto the next place.

Just be mindful while we're outside of any demons. They seem to be less frequent as of late.

Have you managed to contract with any, yourself?

[dancinglight]

I've kept my guard up thus far, but I haven't had the chance to contract any. I know it would probably be in my best interest to negotiate with a few. Though, if I'm being honest, I don't know what I can trust here.

[thebomb]

[Armin's voice is sympathetic.] I understand. That's the position we've all been put in.

Unfortunately, though, we don't have much choice. Regardless of what these AIs might suggest, we're sharing an environment with these demons right now. If negotiation is possible, we should utilize it. There's a lot that can be accomplished with words.

[Enough to save them all? Armin might have thought so once.]

[dancinglight]

[Thinking on his words, it made a lot of sense. And she preferred negotiation to fighting if it was possible. It was just a shame that Tsubaki was never the political one, good at negotiations. That was something that generally fell upon Alphinaud's shoulders.]

I suppose it's just another thing to get used to here. As long as we're aware that their relations with us can possibly change on a gil, hopefully we'll manage to co-exist with them.

[thebomb]

Don't misunderstand. [Serious words, but his voice is calm.] You should do what's necessary to protect yourself. Don't die on the hill of negotiation, just...

Keep in mind that it's an option.

[There's a pause-- Ah. He quickly adds:]

At least, that's what I've had to tell myself. That's all. I certainly don't mean to lecture.

[dancinglight]

[OOC: Moved over here!]