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TDM 016 & 4th WALL EVENT: NO WALLS BETWEEN US
| TDM 016 & 4th WALL EVENT: NO WALLS BETWEEN US |
00. An Arrival and a Broken Wall?! You should be coming out of the water, the Nameless Island's own inherent energy drawing people in. It's like being suspended between realities and abruptly pushed from behind through a rift in dimensions. It may make you sick, or that might be the motion of the ocean, lifting you to the surface and carrying you to shore. Waterlogged and covered in sand, new arrivals should be greeted by robots who welcome them with towels and bracelet devices. The A5 card already loaded up, and if you don’t manage to get away from them quickly enough, they should usher you toward the Laid Bare Spa, where new arrivals will be offered free massages, a sauna, hairstyling, and their clothing may come up permanently missing. But you should be given a complimentary towel to leave with if needed! Should. That’s how things are for newbies - and maybe today, some newbies will arrive the usual way. Others might be surprised to hear that there is another "you"... already here! If and when you finally meet this other "you," there's simply no way to agree on who the so-called real version is. Your histories may be the same or they may be wildly divergent, but those little differences don't change the fact that you are who you say you are. Some islanders might even find themselves running into a much older or younger version of themselves. Duplicates and doppelgangers, you say? People who look and sound familiar but are just a little bit off? What strange anomalies have washed up from the ocean! On the other hand, maybe you’re not new here at all, or so you think. You’ve definitely been on this Island for months already. You can't exactly remember what you were doing here before, but you have the modest home and personal effects to prove that you existed. You’ve always been someone who greets new arrivals at the shore. You know very well how things work on the island, and how many of the buildings are abandoned and in dire need of repair. You know that beyond the city lingers a thick fog that obscures much of the wilderness from view. Wander too far into this fog, and you will find yourself mysteriously looping back to where you began, your memories of what you were doing and how you got there erased. You know all of this. You’ve already claimed a place to live in the now, whether a rundown apartment in the City, a tent on the beach, a bed in the barracks, or your own space at the House of Worship. You’re a veteran at this by now. Aren’t you? I. A WHOLE NEW YOU The fog has thickened off the shores of the Island and in the areas that have still been obscured. So thick that it looks not unlike the heavy clouds of the recent storm. But late into the night and early into the morning, the fog seems to encroach on the Nameless City even more, blinding and catching Islanders traveling through in areas normally free of its effects. Anyone who gets caught in the especially heavy mist might find themselves suffering from more than just the usual amnesia. The fog no longer only takes memories, but can also alter your memories... and you. You may forget your time on the Island. You may forget your life before. But you’ll remember something else. You’ll remember a life entirely different as if you lived it yourself: you are a merperson who has always lived here, in the waters around the Island. Those grand underwater cities look like ancient ruins to others, but to you? You still see them as beautiful and palatial as the day they were built. You are a Native whose memories are fuzzy, but you certainly remember living your entire life here in great happiness and luxury. And once you step out of the mist, you might even find yourself physically changed to match what you recall, with fins or tentacles and gills to allow you breathe beneath the waves. You might be completely transformed, or just enough to make life underwater as easy as it's ever been. Someone else attempting to free you of these delusions will find that the more they try to force you to remember your true life, the more real and convincing your undersea life begins to feel. You must embrace this new (old?) life, embrace this new you in all ways and live it to its fullest. Completing Auspicious Acts will help bring out glimpses, hints, flashes of memory and recognition that perhaps this is not who you once were, and allow you to return to your former self. But the longer you take to embrace this, the harder it might be to let go. Some of these changes could become permanent. II. LET XXX BE YOUR GUIDE Things have been strange, not just for the people of the Island, but the robots as well. The typically welcoming robots that offer their assistance in guiding new arrivals or encouraging Islanders to visit the various locations seem to be scarce. There are fewer of them running around the entertainment district and other establishments. To ensure that new arrivals continue to have a pleasant Island experience, robots will be recruiting Islanders as mentors and guides: mentor guides, if you will! Volunteers will lead other Islanders around the Island as a means of helping them become better acquainted with the locations available here for your fun and entertainment, and they will be rewarded with credits for their hard work. Guides and sightseers alike could be someone fresh and new to the Island, someone who insists they’ve been here for years, or even someone that a robot randomly dragged off the street. Mentor guides will all receive a very form-fitting and revealing uniform - no two are the same! - and, of course, a glossy paper map of all of the available sights on the Island. The pictures are big and detailed, and cute sex toy icons point out various key sights such as the recreation center, the bath house, and the library. There are even suggestions for which Auspicious Acts are the best for each location! Strangely, none of the maps list the same suggestions, so each map encourages its own unique experience. Mentees will also find that their mentor’s voice is very appealing. So appealing that just listening to them speak is enough to get you feeling some kind of way. The more they talk, the more of a reaction you have. Your body begins to burn or itch and it’s very hard to pay attention to their words when thoughts about all the things you could be doing to them instead keep coming to your mind. The only way to relieve these thoughts might be to make your mentor stop talking altogether, or follow through with some of those helpful map suggestions. Maybe you need them to mentor you in more ways than one? III. SITCHES GET GLITCHES You’re walking down the road, or in your own home, or visiting a friend and suddenly something happens out of the corner of your eye. There’s a soft pfzzzzzzt and the feel of static on the skin. You turn and realize that the wall is suddenly gone. Or, maybe the glass in a store window disappeared. Perhaps someone’s clothes just vanished off of them in the middle of the street, or the chair you were sitting in at the cafe suddenly poofs right from under you. It’s as if the world around them is malfunctioning - little glitches that can last for seconds, hours, or even days before returning to normal on their own. Nothing that could seriously harm someone, but enough to be quite inconvenient. At least completing an Auspicious Act in the affected area or with the affected person seems to put it to rights immediately. Unfortunately, this doesn’t stop these glitches from happening again. You may be concerned, and the robots understand, but if asked they will insist it’s just the world adjusting as the Augur welcomes so many new people! Nothing to be worried about, obviously. It will take time for fluctuating energy levels to adjust, that’s all. Some robots might even say it’s the perfect time to enjoy having so few barriers between you. Embrace the open nature of the Island and share yourself and your home with others. Walls are only meant for keeping out what you could be letting in! OOC Notes:Enjoy a mini Fourth Wall event, Islanders! As such, this test drive meme is open for anyone to create top levels, not just prospective players. Current player characters, characters you want to play in the setting but can't app full-time, drive-by castmates, duplicates, canon AUs, characters that normally would not be allowed such as fandom AUs and genderswaps (not including characters under 15), formerly dropped characters, etc. are all encouraged to come in and play! As all other test drive memes, this one will be game canon. Characters who fourth wall but do not app will disappear after a few days to a week, along with their home (if applicable) and all of their possessions. Please label your top levels as to whether you are test driving [TDM] or fourth walling [4W]. (Of course, you are allowed to change your mind! But our rules regarding appable characters will still apply.) Since auspicious acts are an integral part of this event, potential and current players can swap one Auspicious Act on their card for one of their choosing, if needed for any of the prompts. As usual, prospective players can use an Act and swap it onto their card if they choose to app into the game. If you have any questions, please ask them below. N A V I G A T I O N |
no subject
It puts his face into a lot more context, but it's not possible for him to be the same person, is it? She's not sure she has place to doubt after all she's seen lately, but she just spoke to Duo.
She looks almost startled when he says his name, brow creasing. Now she's frowning. ]
I-- how? I just spoke to you and you were very much younger and very angry about seeing me.
[ He brings up Mars again and she starts to get up. She's slowly getting steadier on her feet. It feels like her body's recovering from a horrible flu with how weak it is. Whatever that light was, it ripped out all of her energy. ]
I have never went beyond the colonies. Not yet, at least. Developments for Mars are in the talks currently but... not enough has been done to warrant me going there. Why would I be undercover?
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[ The idea that they had 'just' spoken wasn't that wild. After all, he'd just washed up on the beach, so he very well could have blacked out for that entire conversation as well. Younger, though? And never gone past the colonies...
Maxwell's eyes are narrowed at her in deep scrutiny, but she genuinely doesn't seem to be pulling his leg. So either both of them were cloned without their knowledge, or there is some kind of time travel fuckery afoot.
Why him? Why does this shit always happen to him - ]
Whoah, you gonna be okay there Princess? [ He watches her wobble as she stands. Notably, he doesn't rush to help her. ] You got like... somewhere to go?
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She stops once she's up on her feet and nods. ]
I'm okay... or I will be, I think. Before I came here, something happened to me. It won't sound real but - it was a spell. Like... magic.
[ And then she frowns again, looking away. ]
Not for now, at least. The boys have a cabin, but I didn't want to stay there and get snarked at every time 'you' had to go to the bathroom.
no subject
Listen, I just emerged from the ocean on a planet that ain't Mars onto a beach that I've never fuckin' been to in my life. And now I'm talking to Relena Peacecraft, President of the Mars Federation, who doesn't remember going to Mars. Who, might I add, is convinced she just talked to a younger version of me.
[ He shrugs emphatically. ]
Nothin's that crazy right now.
[ Then he sighs. Right, she'd mentioned she had a fight with him. Er, young him? Well, that would explain it. Young him was a right asshole, though he doesn't remember having it out for her specifically all that often.
He throws up his hands. ]
Oh, c'mon. Don't look like that. You were the Queen of the World, you're really gonna let some street punk nobody bully you out of your bed like that?
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[ Relena isn't sure if she'll get an answer, but he's at least more likely to give him more than the guards ever would. Possibly. ]
I don't think he's -- you're -- some street punk. I just don't know what happened to make him so angry at me. I'm not sure if I did something from when I was 'here before' or... you're right, though, I probably shouldn't let his attitude chase me out. I've been in a dirt floored prison for two months with no privacy and hard cots. I'm a little... done. To be frank. No offense.
no subject
Is it really fair to tell her all that?
She's a completely different girl, like this. From before, before everything got so twisted around. Maybe, if everything she's saying to him about magic and prisons is really true, the whole sordid story about Mars and the fact that Heero's gotta kill her again is just more shit than she needs right now.
He hums and nods along. ]
That's all I've ever been, Princess, which is exactly why you should listen to me now and not my shit from back then. C'mon, let's get your place back.
[ Plus if his other self is really holed up in there, Maxwell might just be able to scrounge up some whiskey, which would be a plus right about now. ]
no subject
He gives her no verbal details, though, so she doesn't push. She doesn't have the energy to and she feels like he probably doesn't have it, either.
She pulls a smile, though only barely. ]
Even if I'm angry at him, I can't help but wish you wouldn't talk about yourselves that way. But, sure, let's go. At the very least, I think they'll be even more curious about you. Er... sorry if I'm a little slow.
[ She starts to walk along, more focused on balance than keeping a good pace. ]
My friend there, Himeka, might teach me magic soon if this isn't some... I don't know... purgatory. I don't know much about it yet, so I don't know what that light was they pulled out of me. Honestly, I feel like I was beat with a wet sack.
no subject
All this talk of soul lights and magic is incredible in the literal sense, but... since he's almost positive that Relena doesn't do LSD, she must be telling him the truth. ]
I gotta tell ya. If this were purgatory I'd be waving you goodbye on my way down another stop, so... I think we're good, heh.
no subject
I'll take that to heart. Sorry, that place was so strange and the person who brought all of us there had no interest in letting us leave, even though I was a 'failed' summoning, I guess. That's why I was tossed down into a dungeon. I'm still not sure what makes me so dangerous...
no subject
[ His jaw snaps shut mid-syllable. Fuck, he really needs to get a better control on that mouth of his. There is, of course, a reason why it was Duo Maxwell always ending up in OZ jail cells - and it's a reason that Maxwell has neither acknowledged nor taken measures to correct in his old age.
He sighs. Now he's gonna have to say something less vapid to give her something else to chew on for awhile. ]
You never did really get how much sway you have with people, y'know. You and Heero both. Just by... hell, I don't know, existing with principles that you don't wanna give up.
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She keeps quiet, putting her curiosity in her back pocket for later. She watches him out of the corner of her eye. ]
No... I suppose I don't really know how much I do... or don't. I admire Heero, I think he can persevere through so much more than I can. If he were there in my place, he'd have already escaped and gotten my cell mates free. I want to be able to do what he can. I want to be useful to them when I get back.
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Was. It feels more like a 'was,' now. Whatever strides Heero had made towards becoming his own man in the war, he walked back completely when he jumped in that freezer on Preventer's orders. That's how Maxwell felt about it.
Maybe he's still a little angry. ]
Yuy is just bull-headed. You've got a brain and a way with words. When you write down ideas and make them ideals, that shit makes waves, y'know. [ He chuckles dryly, gesturing to himself, to the cassock that's still too wet and too heavy to even be close to drying. ] How do you think preachers even have a job?
no subject
I think we all did a lot in our time during the war, and while I appreciate the vote of confidence, an ally of mine there is right: I won't be able to protect anyone with words there. I'm not a princess or queen or vice minister. I'm just a 17 year old girl stuck in a hole. So... I have to be much more than a brain and I'm going to have to be it very soon, or he'll have had every right to call me cowardly.
no subject
Yeah, and we were just a gaggle of 15-year-old basket cases with war machines, big whoop. All we could do was kill. We needed you. He needed you.
[ But then he hums, considering her point. It sounds like she's teetering on the precipice of a decision she has been struggling with for some time. Much as he resents the idea of an asshole bullying Relena into changing, she's the one living that life. She knows better than he does what it's gonna take to survive. ]
You'll do what you have to, 'Lena. You always do.
no subject
She reaches over to grab the end of his sleeve gently, as if trying to urge him to pay real attention to her words. ]
Duo, I couldn't have done any of it without all of your support. Without Heero's encouragement and protection... all of that together got us to where we are now in my time. I truly believe that.
[ She lets out a sigh. She will do what she has to do. What she 'has to do' is what worries her. ]
I just hope whatever that is doesn't end up being something that I can't live with.
no subject
Honestly, Princess? I hope you can't live with it. The world needs more people like you and less people like us.
[ And yet, they keep doing it. They keep creating children who can kill without a thought and still sleep soundly at night. ]
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You think so? Ah... I'm sorry, Duo, it's not your responsibility to hear me gripe over this. I have to face whatever choices I have to make regardless.
[ She sighs. This Duo is a lot more amicable, though maybe it's just as age thing. She wants to ask so many things, but she's not sure she has a right to know. That braid being gone is a big deal, clearly. Something good... something bad... something she shouldn't pry into. But at least she can ask: ]
So... how are you? Other than being here.
no subject
It isn't all bad. He kinda missed this Relena, he realizes. ]
Oh, me? Couldn't be better.
[ He smiles amiably, exactly the kind of detached, grandfatherly smile one would expect of a man in a priest's uniform. It's a practiced expression. The younger Maxwell would have found about 10 different things to complain about by now, no doubt. ]
How are you holdin' up? You're the one who washed up looking like a wreck.
no subject
Me?
[ She wonders how to answer that. Horrible, if she's too honest and better if she's being relative. She's not sure what answer would best sit with him. She wishes she knew him a bit better. ]
Well... better than I was. I can walk now and Heero got me tea and some lunch. I had the first shower I've had in months. Other than getting in a tiff with you and wandering around angrily in a towel for a while, it's an improvement over what I was dealing with before.
no subject
It's also surreal for him to hear about Heero Yuy casually fetching lunch for Preventer's current Enemy #1. It sends a weird pang through him, which manifests in a crease between his brows. No doubt if Yuy thought he had a choice, he'd rather spend the rest of his life bringing Relena her tea than following his orders to eliminate her.
They really have it good here, don't they? Save for whatever is going on between her and the younger Duo. ]
I didn't happen to mention what my damage was when I was arguing with you, did I?
[ He huffs a cynical laugh. He thinks he can already guess the answer. ]
no subject
She has to leave. She can't dream of this place or of home yet.
Her own brow creases now as she considers what the younger Duo had said. ]
Excuse the unladylike language, but he was angry Heero would have 'his head up my ass' and would ignore him. Saying he was jealous seems arrogant, but I guess that's the only word for it. Really, I just wanted a place to sleep... and to not be alone for a while. I can't help that I wanted to see Heero. I don't want to 'steal him away' from anyone, I swear.
no subject
Now that Maxwell has been so painfully reminded that he was a teenager once...
What the hell is his younger self thinking? Of course he ain't shit next to Relena. Of course, this Maxwell is 30 years removed from the dynamic the three of them shared in the 'before times,' as it were. It's hard for him to put himself back into that headspace, back into all the feelings he had when Heero was still in his periphery - still someone within his reach.
He's certain of one thing, though: ]
It ain't your fault.
no subject
I don't know about that. Heero said I was here before. I'm mad at Duo, but I'm afraid maybe I did something to make him so upset at me. Maybe I gave him a reason to be so upset just at seeing me.
[ She makes herself go back to walking after a silence. She can't hold him up when they're in sight of the cabin. ]
I won't know because he won't talk to me. And I don't want to bother Heero with it. I'm only here for a little while, I'm sure, so I don't want to cause him more trouble.