heckinooc | TDM 003

TDM 003 - SUMMER

[ SEE GAME NAVIGATION TO READ UP ON HECK GAME BEFORE PLAYING IF YOU SO DESIRE ]

A: Garden Level - OOPS YOU DIED
[CONGRATS YOU DIED. Sucks for you!! But Abe and Lucy are DETERMINED to get paperwork done and to do that, they need to get to know YOU.

So as soon as you appear, no matter if you're going to heaven or hell, you get slapped with a "HELLO MY NAME IS ____" sticker by one of the sheep. Said sticker has two possible effects:
-The sticker may say your "True" name or a nickname you don't like, or an alias, etc. How did it get there?? Paperwork. There is a chance it's blank and you can write your own name too.
-Whenever they see a person, they will be compelled to shout "HELLO MY NAME IS [their name] AND I LIKE [something they like.]"

We speed therapying this shit. ]

B: SUMMER HELL
[Whether you're a demon or an angel, eventually you may want to visit the HellRaiser hotel below! Hell is where all the HIP HAPPENING THINGS are after all. Want a lava bath? Go to a club? Gamble?? Just get fucking drunk? Hell's your place.

However, despite being the afterlife, even hell is not immune from the heat of summer. And it's taking the whole flames of hell thing literally. So!

-You might be minding your own business, and suddenly part of your body or clothing just, fucking ignites on fire. Good luck with that!
-You may get badgered by demonic vendors, trying to push various summer t-shirts on you.
-You might get roped into some demons fucking EMBRACING THE HEAT. Ever been tied to a giant fire spit oven an open flame?? YOU HAVE NOW. Maybe someone will help you, or you can handle yourself just fine.

Or you might get lucky and none of that happens and you're just vibing. Good on you!!]

C: Heaven is Central Air Conditioning
[Heaven-side, the heavenly hotel is its normal, luxurious self except for one key different. . .A/C. That's right, only the hotels in Heaven have working air conditioning. Fucked up!! So chilling up here might be the right call. You can always go visit the beach too, or any of the delightful coffee shops. Heaven also is the only place to get caffeine. Wack.

Of course, even heaven is prone to wackiness. Newbies may be prone to:
-Like hell, there are plenty of vendors up here, but instead of cash, today they ask for payment in...jokes? Better give your best one.
-Cherubs may be especially pushy and try to get you dressed in extremely stuffy/heavenly clothing. Enjoy your corsets and such.
-At the beach, if you sun bathe too long without protection, oops! You may find your skin (fur, scales, whatever) turning not red, but another ridiculous color.

OR AGAIN, JUST DO WHATEVER. WHOMST CAN STOP YOU?? You have a phone just text strangers do what you want.]

OOC NOTES:
-"Ash this TDM seems kinda half assed" IT'S SUMMER AND I'M TIRED also with July having no themed event I wanted this TDM to be pretty generic so people can hop in without worrying about timelines!
-This TDM is open to all! For now, you do NOT need to join the comm to play in it!
-Post questions for the mods here
-Remember, playing in the TDM does NOT guarantee your entry or app being accepted into the game proper later down the line!
-Apps open!! Be sure to read the rules linked there and check the current taken list!
-For current players: TDMs count as game canon AND threads may be used for AC if you wish!
-Remember regardless of your alignment, you are free to travel to whatever level you wish!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Despite Kaito being basically a whole ass foot taller than them, for a moment Loop looks like they're going to grab him by the collar with both hands. (Paws? Flippers?) There's just a very intense expression on their face! ]

My name - what did you hear when I said my name??

[ Is there even a point? This is just going to be another agonizing experience they get to share with their stardust, isn't it? Hahahaha! Lovely! Blinding wonderful!! ]

[ They shrink back into their cloak, their expression going flat, though their short coat of fur is still slightly puffed up. ]

...never mind.

Woah woah--!

[It's always the short ones that do shit like this! He puts his hands up in a surrendering gesture, trying to calm him, but before he can, the little seal rogue backs off. From one extreme to another. . .

Kaito steps back, scratching his head in confusion.]

You can't ask something so earnestly and then say "nevermind," man! Where's your conviction?? Anyway I heard it, you said it was--uh. You said it was. . .uh. . .it. . .

[Bzzzt. He blinks. Oh. Maybe he didn't say it. . .? A tilt of his head.]

Huh! That's weird. Well, anyway, I think I know what's goin' on. The shock of dyin' gave ya some amnesia, right? Hah, happens all the time!

[ Surviving The Horrors ate their conviction. It's gone now. Who needs conviction anyway?? ]

[ Loop bites their tongue very hard for a few seconds to keep from laughing hysterically. Ow, ow, okay they're good now. Turns out seal teeth are pointier than human ones! ]

[ They plaster on a smile. ] Haha, sure, yeah, that must be it!

[This seems like a normal well adjusted guy. Look at that smile, he's going places. Kaito gives him a thumbs up, tail wagging.]

Well, no use dwellin' on it! It'll be fixed eventually, so don't sweat it. So in the mean time. . .

What would YOU wanna be called? It's temporary, so you call yourself whatever! My name's Kaito Momota--Luminary of the Stars and Ultimate Astronaut! Nice to meet ya.

[ Totally the most well adjusted little guy in this entire garden. They're doing so good. ]

[ They... they don't want to think about that right now. The idea of telling someone else to call them either "Loop" or "Siffrin" feels pretty terrible, actually! But so does coming up with yet another name! ]

[ Quick, what's a distraction. ] Do I have to come up with titles like that too?

[ Now that they're thinking about it, "Luminary of the Stars" is interesting in and of itself, but "Astronaut"... they mouth that to themselves once or twice while whatever effect does translating in Heckin makes dial-up noises. ]

[ Wait... ]

You sailed the stars??

Well, you don't HAVE to but--huh?

[A positive...reaction to being an astronaut...? Fucked up. That's fucked up!! FINALLY SOMEONE WHO GETS IT.

Kaito puffs up his chest, pumping a fist, and trying to will his tail to not go into helicopter mode.]

Y--YEAH, sorta. [He points upward, to the sky!! ....which here is just a view of the underbelly of heaven but,] Three times total, even! The first couple of times admittedly I didn't get that much further than the moon, but the third was...interesting and I can't quite describe it, but hey, we got there before things went south!

But the point is, I'd do it all over again no matter the cost! Exploring the cosmos, seeing your planet from a view like that. . .nothing even competes! So, you get it--you really get it?? Space is so cool, right?!

[ A bit more dial-up noise as "space" used that way gets translated, but Loop thinks they get it. ]

Space is very cool!! [ Their tail thwaps the ground a couple times. ]

[ And in the most serious of tones: ] I'm extremely jealous.

[ They genuinely mean it! Though admittedly the only reason they're able to be honest about that is because it's wayyyy at the bottom of the list of things they'd be jealous about, and not a big deal. They've got... a complicated relationship with the stars and the Universe right now, and also like 99 other problems. ]

[ And it's still a good distraction. ] What's the moon like close up?

Edited 2024-08-12 00:31 (UTC)

[He's so excited. Sorry Loop, despite the universe technically also fucking him over, he's got nothing but good shit to say. It feels so good to be able to nerd out and someone actually at least somewhat understands what he's rambling on about. He makes a grand sweeping gesture, grin as wide as his face.]

Dude, it was SO big! Like, you really can't comprehend it til you really see it. It looks so small and far away and yet you kinda wanna just. . .reach out and grab it! But when you're so close to it, you realize just how small you really are. It's a humbling experience.

[He's gonna leave out how in Ryslig he only knows this because he and his crew crashed into the moon and died and then kinda caused an apocalypse. Only romantical re-tellings now!! He gives a wistful sigh.]

Things are a little different here, but there's an amazing view of the stars in Heaven at night. Which I guess makes sense--some folks call them heavenly bodies, heh. Technically they're just balls of burning gas, but what looks petty and silly to one person can be beautiful to another, right?

[ Immediately, the phrase "tre-moon-dously large" pops into Loop's head. Heh. Maybe they can - ]

[ Mmh. No, they can't quite force themselves to say it. They were just telling Siffrin they need to learn how to move on, and yet the thought of punning at someone aside from... ]

[ Maybe they just, need a few days. That's fine, right? They try very hard not to just shrink behind their cloak again. ]

I wonder if I'd recognize any of them.

[ They're not... sure whether they should remember anything about the stars being burning gas. They feel like they should, maybe? But didn't they... eat one? ]

[ ...they're not gonna worry about it! It'll just give them a headache. ]

[ They pick at the inside lining of their cloak, for lack of something else to do with their hands - ]

[ Um. ]

I can feel my cloak?? [ What is going on ]

Edited 2024-08-12 03:32 (UTC)

Probably not, I don't recognize any myself. But hey, still pretty to look at, yeah?

[Kaito subscribes to the Just Don't Think About It too hard school of thought. Why do stars and space exist in the heavenly plane?? Is it all fake and just appears as such for aesthetic? That's not his problem^TM.

A curious tilt of his head, and he snorts out a laugh at Loop's revelation.]

Uh, yeah? What, did ya think you'd show up here butt naked? This place is weird, but not THAT weird, c'mon.

No, it's -

[ Well okay, yes, that too, they had a little bit of "???" when they first showed up, but - ]

It feels like I'm touching my own skin? [ Even though the texture is still fabric. ]

[ They don't think they like it!! ]

Ya showed up in that, so I'd think you would be used to wearing it. . .

[Oh buddy. Kaito's never encountered someone with this issue before. He scratches at his chin, looking Loop over. Then he snaps his fingers.]

Well, okay, how about this! Wanna swap for a bit?? Clothes, I mean. I'll take your cloak, you take my jacket!

--temporarily, I mean, just til ya get used to it.

[He loves his jacket he will want that thing back!!]

[ Loop shakes their head immediately. There might be something VERY weird feeling about it, but it's still their cloak. It's - it's important and they don't want to let go of it, even temporarily. ]

[ But maybe Kaito is right, maybe they're just not used to something about wearing it again? Maybe if... if you suddenly grow fur, all your clothes... feel like this until you adapt? ] I'll just...

[ They trail off. They were going to say something like "try to adjust it" - after all they didn't seem to notice anything until they were actively messing with the lining. But the cloak seems to be caught on something on their back, and pulling on it stings. They wiggle their shoulders a bit and try one more time, gritting their teeth - ]

[ OW oh okay cloak is suddenly wings now ]

[ apparently wings swooshing open is just, a thing that happens, if you yank on them too hard, ]

[ Think fast Kaito, otherwise you will end up with a fabric wing to the face. At least it'll be soft? ]

[Oh good because Kaito can't even wear his own jacket correctly he'd have no fucking idea how Loop's cloak works. He laughs a little watching Loop wiggle around.]

What're ya doin', tryin to unclip i--[BONK

Bopped right on his muzzle by those cape wings!! It doesn't really hurt of course, it' just a bit surprising, and Kaito lets out a yelp as he stumbles back a bit. A rub of his nose before he stares back at the heavenly seal, a little awestruck.]

Woah!! It's not just clothes? Those are whole ass wings, dude! That's. . .that's. . .

[He pumps a fist. Yooo!!]

Man, that's SO cool!!

[ BETRAYAL. BETRAYAL BY THEIR OWN CLOAK... is what Loop thinks first, anyway. They'd like to think they're, you know, at least resigned by now to having their bodily autonomy stripped of them and being changed into weird new shapes, but they didn't expect it from their clothes too. ]

[ But Kaito's enthusiasm, weirdly... helps, somehow? Maybe this is fine? (The kind of fine that doesn't require them chanting it over and over to make it fine?) ]

...it didn't use to do that.

[ They have no idea how to move the wings on purpose. So instead they apologetically grab the wing in Kaito's face and kind of... reel it back in, folding it down and keeping it squished under their arm. Still feels weird! Doesn't hurt to squish it, just - odd. ]

[ Can they... pull it back into cloak shape, maybe? They try, but with the other wing free (and flapping randomly, though without much force), it's a no-go. ]

Hah! I'd hope not. Most people can't fly with their clothes! But you'd have the coolest coat on the streets.

[Wing cloak!! Lucky seal!! He reaches out, but stops himself from trying to tug on the wings. Be cool Kaito!! Cool and not hyper excited! Just ignore his tail wagging even harder. He does notice the other wing still flitting about, and he barks out a laugh.]

Yeah okay, I can tell you ain't used to wings at all, eh? Same, but I've seen a lot of angels with a bunch of weird wings up here. Try uuuuh--doin' a little spin! Like a little twirl, might make it settle down.

[ What, just... twirl like they're trying to make their cloak flare up? ]

[ ...listen, they're not going to try to pretend they've never done that before. They're sure they have, even if they can't remember. It feels a lot more embarrassing to do it on someone's prompt, though! ]

[ Surely this excitable wolf kid wouldn't be pulling a prank on them, right? Right? ]

[ Well, it's not like they have any other ideas, so they shrug mentally and do a little spin and - whoops it sure does look like a magical girl twirl poofs the wings back into a cloak! Not exactly what Kaito said, but close enough. ]

...hm.

I think I'd like to go back to talking about space now.

[He's never watched a shoujo in his life but at this point he just accepts magic be like this. Who is he to question the wacky way the cosmos works??]

Space IS pretty damn cool!! Man, you have no idea how relievin' it is to meet someone who gets it. Most people look at me like I'm crazy or I've got two heads when I start talkin' about space.

Oh, I know! What's your favorite planet?? Or star!!

[ Hahaha oh no. They don't remember their favorite or any of the names. They understand a bit better why they don't remember than they used to, but that doesn't help! ]

[ At least they have an excuse for the second part. The first - what if they just don't think too hard and pick a planet, any planet - ]

...I don't think we'd have the same name for it, but the second planet from us, going further away from the sun. It was the first one I got to see through a telescope - I liked how it just looked like a bright star in the sky, but when you magnified it you could see its rings.

[ ...oh. When they were just saying stuff, not trying to remember... that's all true, isn't it? They're not totally sure it was their favorite, but - yeah, that was the first planet they saw through a telescope, wasn't it? ]

Rings, eh? Then we're definitely not from the same planet.

[He reaches out to lightly slap him on the back.]

But that's the incorrect! The right answer is. . .ALL OF THEM. How could anyone pick a fave?? See, that was a trick question!

[He laughs, despite Loop's seemingly gloomy nature. Clearly he just needs to be cheered up with MORE stars!!]

But seriously, that's really cool. None of the stars here are the same of course, but maybe you'll find one you like while you're here.

[ Different planets... exciting!! Despite everything, it really is, at least a little bit! Their tail smacks the ground again a couple times. ]

[ It doesn't stop them from jumping when Kaito slaps them on the back, but they're not objecting or anything. ]

If you can't pick a favorite... what kind of planets do you know?

Psh, so many! There's--

[and this is where he lists off every discovered planet NASA has found after listing those in our own solar system. Unfortunately I am not as space versed as he is. Fucking nerd.

BUT AFTER PROBABLY WAY TOO LONG OF RAMBLING:]

And THAT'S why it's practically a miracle Earth even exists! Yeah statistically there have to be other planets with life, but those are miracles too! The EXACT right conditions had to form for a planet like that to thrive!! It's crazy, but so cool!!

[~~But the REAL question, what does Kaito think about Pluto's planetary status,~~]

[oh that is so many ~~even if we assume Kaito only gave some of the highlights reel~~. A planet with rings bigger than other planets' orbits around their star! A planet that rains molten glass! A planet that just casually absorbs almost all light! There is. Simply so much.]

[Loop feels extra small all of a sudden! You'd think that kinda-sorta-not-really being a star would have given them some insight into the Universe, but apparently not! (They are overwhelmed enough to not even comment on all the words they didn't recognize that Kaito is practically guaranteed to have said, like several colors...)]

I knew the Universe wanted us to exist, but I didn't realize how much work it must've been...

[Loop's not quite sure how to phrase the impression they're trying to describe here. Maybe "arranging it"? The words feel too small for something of this magnitude.]

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TDM 003 - SUMMER

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me, double-checking if isat says anything about a moon, (yes)

loop vs the universal horrors

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this is not what I was initially picturing but I love it. I'm keeping it

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wikipedia: "As of 21 August 2024, there are 5,747 confirmed exoplanets" me, staring at Kaito: fear