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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 |
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Oh.
[ Then twists - his eyes are deeply pitying, but he also looks like he is trying very hard not to laugh. ]
Oh. Damn, both of them?
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Yeah - sometimes both - [ He's about to say at the same time before he registers that he looks like he's about to laugh. Instantaneously Duo's cheeks almost puff in irritation, and he's leaning forward to grate out a less genial sentence - ]
What the hell's funny?!
[ Duo, recognizing his own expressions without recognizing himself. ]
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[ Yeah, of course the old man is going to finish that thought for him. They're the same person. That also spells the end of every effort Maxwell was making not to burst into hysterics. ]
Oh, man - you're so fucked - I mean, obviously, but not like that -
[ He genuinely cannot imagine a more stressful combination of lovers and of course his dumbass teenage self decided to come to Fuck Island and bone the both of them just because he could. Maxwell is wiping away a tear while he reaches to pull two clean mugs from the cupboard. Effortlessly, because he is tall. ]
I take that 'but better' part back, damn. That's impressive.
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Well, what's the point of havin' two of 'em if not for that?! [ Sometimes, anyway. Other times it's Duo cuddling with Wufei when he's annoyed at Heero or vice versa, or sandwiched in a weird PTSD sleep-over pile. It's bizarre but also fantastic in ways all its own, and even Duo sometimes wonders how the hell he managed to make this work.
Other than right now. But anyway -
Duo at least will take the victory for the but better, though that does leave one point of contention in the air even as he anticipates that coffee with bated breath, already taking a look around for his own stash of cigarettes as is his tradition in the mornings. Not generally so brazenly, but.. well.
He's not alone now, right? This means he's hopping up once or twice to grab a pack he's squirreled away on a high shelf, silently celebrating when he's got it in hand. ]
Still ain't me, though.
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No hair off my ass if you don't believe me.
[ God, him and Wufei? What's that even like. With the image of the 'Master Chang' he has now, the stalwart and eternally grouchy head of Preventer, he can only imagine it'd be like kissing an angry Vulcan.
And Yuy is... well. He doesn't want to think too hard on that right now. ]
I'll take a smoke though, in exchange for making your coffee.
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Look, I'm all for delusions, but no one gets to pretend to be me. [ And here is Duo Maxwell, not yet awake and also stupid as hell for not recognizing himself when he needs to. As if the playing off one another back and forth wasn't sign enough -
Duo snorts as he takes out a single cigarette, shaking his head in a definite 'no' as the lighter also contained in the box follows. ]
Hell no. I gotta smuggle these fuckin' things to even enjoy a whole one..
[ Duo pauses long enough to lean in and light the cigarette he's taken out, leaning back against the table with a little happy hum as he takes a long drag. ]
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[Right on cue, Wufei turns into the kitchen on his way in from the usual morning exercises. Without missing a step, he snatches it right out of Duo's mouth and stubs it out right on the countertop, like an uncivilized animal.]
We have had this discussion several times. [A glance at the stranger. Not much to worry about; back to business.] Are you looking for a repeat?
[Wait. He looks back at the older Duo, this time more thoroughly. Stares. Oh. Oh no.]
...What is this.
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Mornin', Chang. I'd salute, but my hands are full.
[ The old man is now double fisting two black coffees. He pauses to take a loud slurp from each.
Listen, he proposed a fair trade and Duo turned it down. ]
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Wu~ [ Duo begins as if he even stands a moment’s chance to sweet talk Wufei or explain. Any plans of it disappear in to a horrified sound as Wufei stubs the cigarette out on the counter top, mouth hanging open before he snaps out, indignant - ]
No I just want a quiet fuckin’ moment for my cigarette you ass!
[ he’s definitely planning to pick up that bent cigarette and squirrel it away to suck down later. Don’t think he won’t.
But then the second blow comes, those loud slurps of coffee that he isn’t drinking, and soon Duo is full on ready for war. ]
What the hell?! Now you’re at it too?!
[ hopefully no one wanted to sleep in this morning as Duo’s voice ramps up louder and louder, tapping Wufei’s shoulder to get his attention before he explains, half laughing, half hysterical at being denied both caffeine and nicotine in one fell swoop - ]
Dude thinks he’s me!
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[No you can't have this, you garbage-picker, Wufei knows you. Give him that pack, too. No, give it! Give it.]
You're worse than the dog, stop that. [Yes that's an insult to both you and Merry.] Now.
[Now. Wufei gives the older, taller, less... hairy Duo a stern once-over. He is forced, almost against his will, to notice how well age sits on Duo's shoulders, in the faint tough of grey, and the husky voice, and the confidence only grown more comfortable in his insouciant grin. He's had a lot of opportunity in the last few months to ease off a few of his worst self-doubts, and his imagination has no trouble with—
Nope. No. Not going there. No. No.]
You are going to be a problem.
[He'll be having one of those coffees now, thank you. It'd be too early for two Duos at eight at night, let alone eight in the morning.]
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'Ey -
[ He vocally objects when Wufei goes in for one of the coffees, but isn't about to fight him off when a nearly-full mug of burning hot liquid is involved. Maxwell does, however, turn an exaggerated and incredulous expression over to his younger self. ]
The hell did you do to him? Since when does Chang Wufei trust me enough to drink my coffee?
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We need my lighter, asshole! [ Duo says it even as he plays keep away with the entire pack, trying not to crush his cigarettes but also absolutely not allowing Wufei to just take them. For now he’s willing to ignore the comment that the older man is him -
- but only because Wufei brings up poor Merry. ]
Leave the dog alone and fuck off ordering me around! [ He’s well and truly irritated to the point of doing something stupid at this point, which is what drives him to pick up a foot to try and shove Wufei back.
Foolishly. Incredibly foolishly.
Just as foolishly as turning to his older self to answer, obviously growing more and more ruffled between the two : ]
No secrets until I’ve at least had caffeine. It’s fucking insulting you don’t know that if you’re claiming my name.
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Here. You're smarter than this. Act like it.
[He wants hot water for tea now, casually tossing the lighter down to Duo as he steps back to the counter.]
And to answer your question. [This to the older, taller, more... no, dignity has no role here.] It's simple; if you were trying to drug or poison me, you would come to regret it. There aren't any consequences here, except those we make for ourselves. And anyways, you didn't make it for me.
[You made it for the dumbass on the floor.]
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No consequences, huh? Sounds like paradise for a guy like me.
[ And hell for you, Wufei... and yet here the notoriously solitary pilot is, interacting with another pilot like a real damned human being. Maxwell gives him a long, aggressively knowing look, while doing absolutely nothing to help his other self off the floor. ]
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Wufei -! [ Duo yipes as he hits the ground, of course already aware he’s fucked up without the bruises to spare for it. At any rate, the slight daze with hitting his head does the most to snap him out of that tightly wound ball he was becoming.
For now, anyway.
He does, at least, give Wufei a middle finger for his trouble with the coffee, happy for it but also.. why, Wufei?
It does take him a moment to sit up, and with a dramatic bout of noises at that, but he takes up the mug of coffee almost immediately anyway. ]
Eh. Hardly paradise, actually. It’s a real wreck.
[ and probably about to be exponentially worse after this is done and over with. ]
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[A torture chamber with a big fancy cabin, a gundam hangar, and basic income for those who choose not to be celibate, at least. Wufei focuses on rinsing out the coffee maker, the better to achieve his goals expediently.]
Though if you're thinking about how to leave, there isn't any way to do it. I've tried everything.
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[ Maxwell mutters this into his coffee, but not in any way under his breath. Torture chamber, really Chang? He's pretty sure his younger self just confirmed that they're all fucking, so. Rude.
But then, it's just like Wufei to catastrophize everything. That's why he's so good at his job back on Mars; he sees exactly when and where shit will hit the fan and he puts a stop to it. Unfortunately, it's a lot like a man plugging up a bursting damn with his finger at this point, but damn if he doesn't try. They really are the same person...
And yet, different. Maxwell can tell. There is bond here - a sense of comfortable co-existence - between this Duo and this Wufei that he's never seen or experienced before, even back when they were dying together in the thinning air of that jail cell on Barge. It makes him think about what could have been, and he hates that.
Maxwell scowls, scoffing a laugh. ]
Leave? Why the hell would I want to do that? This place is a fucking vacation, pun fully intended.
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But there he goes saying it's a vacation... and it's younger Duo's turn to scoff a laugh in to his coffee cup. ]
Not even close to a vacation.. Deathscythe's here.. they're all here, but you can't hit atmo and there's no real reason for weapons of war to be on planet. So you sit and wait for the other foot to fall, I guess. Or at least the anticipation of a possible foot falling, that kind of thing...
[ Duo sighs, then, and mumbles in that typical cryptic way his older self may only understand : ]
- And then you got all the dumb shit surrounding this.. whole set up.. [ Duo sighs, but then diverts the subject on purpose. He isn't exactly looking to talk about his own (mental) issues with Wufei right there, and he's noticing, more and more - ]
Also, what the hell did you do to my hair?
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[Wufei isn't facing either of them, and he has the forbearance not to actually roll his eyes, but the eyeroll is so present in his tone that he might as well have taken the satisfaction.]
The setup of the entire place, the thing for which we're all being paid, the— the whole point and purpose of this fucking island. [Woah there, Wufei. What did the coffee maker ever do to you? He inhales sharply through his nose, holds it for a moment, and then releases.] That 'shit,' Duo?
[He hates you, almost as much as he loves you. Some days its a near thing.]
Yes, about the hair?
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The older of the Maxwells gets the sense that he stepped in something. In the absence of something smartassed to say, he loudly sips his coffee. He's just gonna keep quiet, lest he get dragged into some kind of lover's spat he never asked for between himself and a guy whom he just recently learned fucks.
By the time both of them have addressed him, his gaze has already drifted towards the window like he's contemplating his quickest point of egress. ]
Oh, that?
[ He laughs. It's the fake laugh, the jokester's laugh, and he's had years over the younger Duo to perfect that beatific smile. ]
Yeah, had it surgically removed years ago. Doctors couldn't save it. Weird that you care, Chang.
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Wufei - [ Duo sighs, knowing he's touched a button immediately. Carefully he moves to stand, the coffee cup already basically drained, as he hits the coffee machine. He probably shouldn't say this follow up as he's reaching to place a hand on Wufei's back, bit he just can't help himself as he cuts an eye to his older self - ]
It's the easiest few bucks I've ever made in my life, but y'know. [ Duo tips his head a little as if saying he'll catch him up later, or something, trying to tend to Wufei's reaction here. ]
I'll watch this, get your tea bags, Wu. [ In other words, stop hurting the coffee machine. It did nothing to you. Still, his eyes linger on his older self for a moment at that laugh, the casual explanation... he knows what it means. Or at least.. he's smart enough to be able to infer using his own ways of coping as a gauge.
Duo's voice is a bit more serious, now, as he surmises out loud : ]
So you cut it off.
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Considering that you don't know me at all, inferior as you are... [Here it is, the Chang coping method: find a bridge, and burn it.] ...I suppose it would be surprising that anyone cared about you.
[He knows it's not your fault, Duo, but honestly go die in a fire.]
And yet here we are. Reaching fun new lows all around.
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Maybe I'd know you if you'd ever sent me a fuckin' postcard every now and then. Or, hell, a candy gram.
[ Typical.
But no, he isn't here to argue with these very real ghosts of his past. Maxwell isn't sure why he's here, actually, but he knows it's not fucking that. He's been ruining his relationships just fine for years without any interdimensional timey-wimey interference.
He pushes off from where he'd been leaning against the counter, waving behind him without looking back. ]
I'm goin' outside for a smoke. Have a pleasant breakfast, kids.
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Well there goes that.. [ Duo mumbles it even as Wufei is finishing his tirade. He knows himself enough to realize he isn't going to stick around after that set of comments - hell, he wouldn't if it was him at the other end of Wufei's fury.
As it stands, he's still curious about his hair, and has a few more things to ask, but trying to stop himself isn't going to help at all. So instead Duo pauses, for a moment, watching as the older man heads toward the door. For a long moment he debates, but then calls after - ]
I still got questions, you know. So don't go far. Or I'll track you down.
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I lost my temper. [It wasn't an apology, because he wasn't sorry at all. Given the chance, he might do it again; there's no point in claiming otherwise. But just the same, Wufei does recognize his mistake.] I— care. I cannot allow him to claim otherwise, just because his own Wufei does not.
[It's easy to see why it might be so; how easy to fall to pieces, after the war, to cut himself off, to isolate and hone his purpose until it was completely incompatible with so petty a thought as friendship.]
I care deeply, about you. And he's an ass.
[That's as close to 'I'm sorry' as he's willing to step. He's far too sober for this shit.]
I'm going to the hangar. That should give you time to make friends.
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