theooccomm | THE SECOND TDM

THE SECOND TDM

TEST DRIVE MEME

ARRIVING IN A NEW WORLD...

You start to wake up, and immediately you notice something is off. Your body feels weightless and rejuvenated. Any aches, injuries, or illnesses are nowhere to be seen or felt. It's nice... until you wake up some more and realize that you're in an unfamiliar room. Not only that, but you're also in an unfamiliar body.

Whether you were human before waking up or not, you certainly are now. Wearing nothing but a white t-shirt and white shorts. If you had any missing limbs, they're suddenly back and functional, almost like nothing happened, or replaced with a mannequin-esque plastic prosthetic. And there's something else—this palm-sized gem protruding from the middle of your chest. That definitely wasn't there before. There's a faint glow coming from it that pulses with the beat of your heart, and as you look yourself over, you'll notice the veins under your skin are now dyed a new color. The same as the gem.

Luckily, you don't have to ponder over all of this alone. When you check out the room you're in, you'll find that the bed you were sleeping on is a bunk. One of two. That means there are three other beds in this room, and each bed is occupied by a confused human wondering what is going on.

These are your roommates. It's probably best to get to know the people you'll spend the next... however long with.

THANK YOU FOR THE MEAL.

It's time for lunch. The Mess Hall is huge, spanning over the entire floor and not leaving an inch for a single extra room. There are multiple stations with chefs wearing long, white lab coats and fogged glasses who stand and serve food. One serves "Human Food", which has things that most people are used to. Things like scrambled eggs and pancakes for breakfast, hamburgers and pizza for lunch, steak and soup for dinner, and cakes and ice creams for desserts. There's all kinds of drinks as well from milkshakes to teas.

Another serves ""Human Food"", which is a stand that serves most of the same as the previous "Human Food" stand except all of the meat is made of humans. So, uh, be careful to not mix these stands up if you're not someone who needs to eat human meat.

The other stands are all similar-- the food is based off of the human's menu, except one serves things cooked with blood, one has food made with souls, and the last uses energy. Feel free to try the other options even if your diet doesn't demand human and you're just curious what a human soul tastes like. It won't have any negative or positive effect but it might taste a bit gamey.

BE THE REAL YOU.

It's been about a month, and you feel... off. It starts as a fever. Chills, aching muscles, and small symptoms like that. But as the hours pass it gets worse. You start to sweat-- a lot. It's like you're running a marathon but you're barely moving a muscle. And as your body perspires profusely, the aches get so much worse. Aching, then cramping, clawing, itching and the feeling of something moving under your skin.

Then suddenly, without any warning you'll feel a pain so sharp; So burning that it makes your eyes water. Your stomach feels like it's about to empty everything inside and you're so dizzy you can't even think. And then... it happens. Like something from a horror movie, your skin starts to split.

And pushing through your skin, causing it to crack and slough off, are new body parts just waiting to be used. Some might grow fur, some might grow wings. Some become taller. Some have elongated limbs. Whatever happens-- it's uncomfortable, it's painful, and you could really use a hug.

No-- really-- it'll heal your wounds and the process will reverse. It won't hurt, you'll feel rather euphoric and weightless again as your body reverts back to the humanoid form it was before. Your gem will light up as you touch another person, and it can be instantaneous when you turn back into a human or it may take a few minutes.

(This is a post for those who need a sample or want to voice test or simply enjoy the setting. You may choose your monster type for the TDM, but that does not guarantee it will be your monster in game. If you have questions, check out the FAQ and you may also use a wildcard to make up your own scenario if the options are too simple.

The TDM is not canon whatsoever, so you may choose to play with a different monster type than the one given to your character if you're already in game and wanting to tag around on the TDM!

Please no smut on the TDM. That can go to personal journals!)

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Arriving in a new world (cw: mention of acupuncture needles)

[Waking up in an unfamiliar place terrified Harang. It reminded him of the first two months after the emperor had taken his sight. The small acupuncture wounds underneath his eyes had mostly healed since then. The bombardment of unfamiliar sensation and sounds made him sink deeper into that suffocating darkness. It felt like something was embedded in in his chest and his heart raced faster as he felt around the foreign object, a red gem. His hand shook slightly as he struggled to keep his panic from showing.

He could hear someone was in the room with him and his head shot up and turned to the direction of sound. Jeonggo? He bit his tongue. He couldn't risk getting his friend involved. He was all he had left and he couldn't stop the hint of hope in his calm voice.]

Who is there?

Exploring

[Harang couldn't dwell on his despair. He still hadn't had his revenge on the emperor. His vengeance was his lifeline and he refused to let it end here. It was infuriating having to start over after after all the painstaking effort it took to memorize the layout of the palace, but it was just a minor setback. He held onto that thought as he careful felt along the wall and counted the steps in his mind.

His red blindfold brought unnecessary attention. He could move more freely without it, so he went without it as he explored the tower. He used his trained ear as a musician to separate the different sounds and paint a vague picture of his surroundings. There were so many sounds he didn't recognize and it put a strain on his head. He stumbled into the wall with a quiet groan as his head suddenly swam.]

Be the real you - Dryad (cw: plant themed body horror, eye body horror, blood)

[As if his current predicament wasn't bad enough, he had to get sick as well? He didn't have time for this. He stubbornly ignored his rising fever and went about his usual routine of mapping out the tower.

30 steps, 31...Ugh each step felt harder than the last and he leaned against the wall more and more as he struggled to continue. How many steps was that now? His careful counting was dashed from his mind when he felt a chilling pain from his eyes. Why were his eyes hurting again? The sharp pain brought him back to the the day he lost his sight. The terror and anguish the naive young musician felt that day was dragged out of his agonized scream as a pair of red irises tore out of his eyes. He collapsed to the ground and curled in a ball as he struggled to stifle his pain as his body continued to change.

His tears were stained by the blood that stained the red flower a darker red, like how his revenge threatened to dye his world red. His skin changed to a pale, greenish hue and a poisonous vine wrapped down his right arm and around his wrist.]

Wilcard

[Surprise me with your own prompt! Feel free to plot with me on plurk

Nicholaj, Discord@25thNicholaj, or PM, whichever is easier for you. Harang is a new muse I'm voicetesting. He has a Permissions page with an opt up on his journal here. Enjoy!]

[Listen. Hisoka can be in the same vague camp of having things to do and places to be. Even if he no longer has his empathic powers here and can't be overwhelmed by others feelings, he...

Yea, he's still pretty sure he hates it here.

So he's exploring to get some of his own answers.

...Only to watch this guy walk right into a wall with a blindfold on. Excuse Hisoka while he glares at you like you're an idiot.]

You know, that's probably not a good idea.

[Even without his sight Harang could guess at Hisoka's expression right now and he hated it. Oh really? He never would have guessed running into a wall was a bad idea. A bit of his frustration slipped into his light chuckle as he turned in the direction of his voice.]

It was not my intention I assure you.

[Honestly running into the wall frustrated him more than this fool's insensitive remark. His plans were easier when people saw him as a helpless blind man instead of a serpent waiting for the right opportunity to strike.]

Is there something else you were expecting by wearing a blindfold?

[He's not a rocket scientist or anything, but he's pretty sure blindfold plus walking equals easy tripping hazards. Can this guy really have a good excuse?]

Do you always walk with that on?

[Yea, he's still pretty sure this guy is an idiot. The question is just how much]

[His smile vanished. He takes it back. Was this idiot trying to get on his nerves or was he just dense? He hated how he could slowly feel himself sinking into the darkness as his words reminded him of everything he had lost. He cut those feelings off right away with an irritated sigh.]

Do you really think I would be walking around with this if I had a choice.

[He angrily muttered as he took of took off his blindfold. His blind eyes were glazed over and there were small needle wounds underneath his eyes. He clumsily glared in the direction he thought Hisoka was.]

Does that answer your question?

[Hisoka's eyes widen. He certainly wasn't expecting that. He almost feels bad.

Almost.

He probably would have, if it weren't for one flaw in that logic.]

It doesn't explain why you aren't using a walking stick or some other tool to make sure you don't crash into walls.

[Harang's confident smirk fell back in place.]

I have my ways.

[It was a valid question, one Harang was hesitant to answer. His secrets were how he stayed on top in his dark world. His strategy was far from perfect, as his earlier mishap with the wall could attest, but the performance was what mattered. He couldn't let anyone know how fragile the ground he stood on truly was.]

[Yea, that's just going to get a dubious look from Hisoka. Have fun running into walls, he supposes. He can't help but wonder if Tsuzuki would be this stupid if he was blind.

...Probably.]

Do your "ways" equal just crashing into every object within radius? You're going to fall to your death.

[Harang's polite chuckle sounded a bit tense as Hisoka continued to pick at his careful walls. He was painfully aware that his ways weren't as perfect as he wanted others to believe. He has the bruises to prove it safely hidden underneath his clothes. But what was the alternative? Accept how helpless he truly was with his sight taken from him? Not a chance.]

I'm still getting used to the place.

[Just wait until he has this place mapped out, then he will happily lead this smart bastard on a merry goose chase. In the meantime he just came up with a fun idea and his smile curled into a slight smirk.]

If you're worried I wouldn't mind the extra help until I get my bearings.

[He will gladly use him as a stepping stone.]

[Oh, for the love of...

This guy's plan is to seriously crash into walls until he gets "the hang of the place"? And refuses to use a stick until then? Hisoka feels like he should be banging his own head into a wall at this point. Nevermind that this guy is essentially asking Hisoka to be his guide dog now.

He's mostly tempted to tell this guy where he can stick it. But some stupid, small part of him can't help but feel just the slightest bit sorry for this clear idiot.]

...Fine. But I don't like being touched.

[It was one wall, and that only happened because he was too dizzy to hear properly. Still, the help would be appreciated, even if it annoyed him. He missed pestering his friend Jeonggo and his smirk softened a little.]

We share that in common.

[Touch startled him and he hated surprises like that.]

I'm Harang Kang. It's nice to meet you.

[Guide dog had a nice ring to it. There weren't many accommodations for him at the palace. A caretaker and being guided to his destination by maids or guards were the only help he ever received from the emperor who took his sight, along with the constant reminder that he would be useless if he didn't learn how to play instruments again.]

Hisoka Kurosaki.

[It's certainly a relief that Harang doesn't like touch either. Makes it easier for Hisoka, at least. Though using verbal cues is certainly a little harder than pulling. It means Hisoka has to actually pay attention and make sure to communicate the things that might be a hazard to Harang.]

How long have you been here? Or is everyone a newcomer?

[Harang had an idea about that and he pulled out the extra sash the maids and guards would used to lead him.]

Here, you can use this.

[His polite smile fell with Hisoka's question.]

Not long. I just woke up here.

[Which was more frightening to him than he let on and his mouth formed a thin line as he tried not to think about it. It was too easy to sink into that helpless despair, especially with the revenge he clung to being so far away now.]

Any idea who brought us here?

[His position close to the emperor's flower was the only reason that he could think of why someone would want a blind musician like him, but no one had tried to interrogate him. Instead he was met with silence and no clues to go on, which was worse than any pain from a rough interrogation. Maybe Hisoka could be his eyes and see something he missed?]

[Hisoka can appreciate the scarf and accepts holding one end of it.]

I haven't found anything on it yet. ...That's actually why I'm looking around today.

[he'd say he doesn't mind the extra set of eyes, but...]

... I guess this might not be a bad way for you to get the hang of the place while I try to get some information.

[Sight was only one way of seeing. You would be surprised what details he could pick up on with hearing alone, when his ears worked properly that is. He was still feeling a bit dizzy so those tiny sounds most people missed still sounded muffled.

Still, he would give anything to get his sight back. The darkness he lived in was incredibly lonely. Hearing someone next to you wasn't the same as seeing them and he gripped the scarf that connected him to Hisoka a bit tighter as he clung to the fragile connection it gave him.

So he's back at square one? His frustration slipped out into a short chuckle.]

I appreciate the help and maybe I can offer some insight you missed? Two heads are better than one after all.

[His eyes may be useless but he still had his mind.]

I guess so.

[Hisoka gently leads the way onto the exploration. How much can a man who crashes into walls and prefers to go without tools actually know, though? Either way, Hisoka's tone sounds less condescending now.]

Do you have any, then? Insights?

..::|| 1. Arrival ||::..

Hisoka's certainly offput by the new surroundings. Who the Hell changed his clothes?

...Okay, the gem is definitely new. It'd almost be pretty.... if it weren't attached to him. He tries to pull it off, to no avail.

"Damn, that's really stuck on..." he says in quiet irritation to himself. Looking at the stone, he notices the veins in his arms match the lavender jade. Just what the fuck is going on?

Lucky, or maybe not-so-lucky, for him, he finds you, and he has a glare on his face.

"You going to tell me what's going on? Or where I am?" While his tone is agitated, it's hard to tell if it's directed at you specifically, or just the situation. He's definitely ready to be pissed at you, though, if he finds out you had anything to do with it.

..::|| 2. Meals ||::..

....

Yea, no, Hisoka is questioning a lot of this. Especially since he doesn't have his empathic powers right now. Why are they all labeled similarly? Why do they serve the same things? And why in fuck are they all wearing lab coats and goggles?

He's... definitely not pleased with the answers when he decides to investigate, and looks absolutely perturbed.

"Human souls?"

Listen, even normal humans wouldn't want that (~~Okay, he knows like... one person. We don't talk about him. And even then!~~). And when you work as a guardian of death to bring souls to the afterlife, you certainly wouldn't be the type to eat such things.

He manages to find the normal human food stall. But he's scrutinizing it carefully. He's not so sure he can trust it, but his new body has a very real need to eat food right now. In fact, the people behind him (being very forced to be patient right now as he tries to determine if the stall is trustworthy) might hear his stomach growl.

..::|| 3. Real ||::..

No.

Nononononono. This can't be happening!

Just what is all over him?

Feathers, eyes on his arms, legs, and chest, an additional set of arms... Are those halos floating around his neck? It's kind of hard to get a good look at them. How did he trade being a Shinigami for this mess?

Nope, take it back; he doesn't like it.

Though he might be more likely to seek you out if you have similar... deformities, like him.

"How do I make this go away." He's trying very hard to sound calm. It's not going so well. It just makes him sound colder than normal.

Edited 2024-10-19 01:35 (UTC)

Soo Won had been here long enough to learn how to temporarily reverse their transformations for a time. Unfortunately he was terrible at keeping track of time when he was focused on something. He spent too much time exploring and he was stuck as a crimson, eastern dragon again.

He responded to Hisoka's plight with a soft rumble and his golden draconic eyes with a hint of his natural blue narrowed in sympathy. Luckily he had learned to use the powers from his gem a bit and a faint gentle voice echoed in Hisoka's mind.

"I'm afraid it's only temporary but touch reverses the process. May I?"

He leaned his head down so Hisoka could touch his snout. Hopefully hearing his voice made the dragon in front of him a little less intimidating.

A blue dragon is something Hisoka can (mostly) get along with. It doesn't seem too far of a cry from Tsuzuki's shiki. The touch aspect, on the other hand, is a little more intimidating. Even if he's certain that touching a dragon won't bring his old empathic powers back and kick Hisoka's emotions out in favour of someone else's, he's... not really into the whole idea of physical contact.

...But it'll supposedly make this body horror bullshit go away. Dilemmas.

At least the dragon is polite to ask for permission, instead of just pawing him. Unlike some people. He has a few coworkers who could take a lesson from this dragon.

"...Yea, alright..." Hisoka doesn't sound pleased, but he knows when to listen to reason. He reaches out, gently setting his hand on Soo Won's snout.

Their situation was stressful enough without a dragon pawing at him. Soo Won didn't mind physical contact but not everyone felt that way. Hisoka's hesitance was understandable and he wasn't offended by his tone in the slightest.

"Thank you for trusting me."

Soo Won gently leaned into Hisoka's hand with a soft sigh. His eyes started to close with the pleasing, weightlessness that came from his touch. The golden gem embedded in his chest, as well as Hisoka's own gem, lit up. The feel of dragon scales under Hisoka's hand faded and it was replaced by a human touch as Soo Won instinctually reached for Hisoka's hand as he turned back.

"Ah, that's much better! Thank you."

The glow surprises Hisoka, warranting a bit of an almost terrified look from him, as he watches Soo Won turn into a human. Hisoka jerks his hand back a bit as Soo Won reaches for it.

He begins to look at his own features, over his arms, down at what he could see below his chin, chest, ribs... everything, it's all gone.

He lets out a large breath of relief.

"Thanks. That was... weird. What happened? The transformations, I mean."

i.

[Sal thought he was done with this "dimension" nonsense. He thought he was done with all the excitement in his life, and that he would spend the rest of who knows how long with his soul attached to his friend... obviously, since he's woken up with a fully functional body, that was no longer the case.

Previously, he was more or less possessing his friend's arm for the rest of eternity. But now, as he sits up in his bed, he has to get used to having his own limbs again. He moves his fingers and wiggles his toes, making sure everything really did work how it should. That's when he notices on the end of his bed-- a mask. A plastic mask with two belts to keep it on his face. It wasn't like his prosthetic face, but it did look similar. It was close enough that it felt familiar when he slipped it on over his deformed face.

After that? He decides to peek over the edge of his top bunk bed, where he spots one of his roommates. With not much emotion in his voice, he stares at them through his plastic mask.]

Hey. Are you new here, too? Or is that just me?

ii.

[Sal has seen some shit in his life, especially the last ten years or so. He's even seen a cooler full of human meat to be used for sliced bologna, and yet somehow it still shocks him when he enters the mess hall and finds all these different stands serving... well. Human byproduct. Part of him is curious about the taste of a human soul-- but no, no. He will refrain from the impulse to eat one.

Instead, he gets himself a slice of normal pizza and takes a seat next to the first person he sees.]

How are we sure the normal food isn't made with human meat, too? Do you think it's really safe to trust this stuff?

[Harang's red blindfold brought attention to his blindness. While he was exploring he preferred to go without his blindfold so he could travel more freely without notice, but he put it back on in public places, like the mess hall.

He hated crowded places like this. It was difficult to separate all the different sounds without giving himself a headache and he chose a relatively quiet corner for his meal. The dizziness he felt from pushing his ears too hard masked Sal's approach and he subtly tensed when he caught him unawares.

Underneath his blindfold his eyes widened at what he just suggested and his polite mask slipped with the shock in his voice.]

What? Why would you think the food is made of human meat?

[Harang's distant gaze drifted towards the slice of normal pizza he had been given. He was unfamiliar with the food but he thought it tasted good. Now he wasn't so sure.]

Edited 2024-10-21 01:24 (UTC)

[Sal is curious about the blindfold, but as someone who lives with an odd thing on his face he knows not to ask. Instead, he assumes the man is unable to see all the... well. Human parts being served everywhere. And he offers him a calm explanation.]

Because there's some stands serving human meat, so why not all of it? Or what if they put the wrong meat in the wrong food without knowing?

[Harang's eyes widened underneath his blindfold.]

What?

[Sal's assumption was correct. Harang noticed there was less foot traffic around some of the stalls, so he avoided it out of instinct. He thought it was because less people liked the food they served, not that that it was human meat. Why would they serve something horrifying like that? And what if Sal was right and the food got mixed up? He suddenly felt sick and he pushed his plate away.]

It's not just you. [Hisoka says with a hint of irritation, though it's more at the situation than at Sal. He'd been awake for a minute, agitated at what was going on here and his lack of understanding it. Can't he just go home?]

I don't suppose you know how you got here?

No idea. I shouldn't even be alive right now, honestly.

[Sal says that as he gets down from the top bunk, tired of looking upside down already.]

I'm as confused as you'd think I would be since y'know. I'm dead. Or I guess was.

[Hisoka sits up as Sal gets down, looking at him. So, Sal was also once dead. Though he's uncertain just how similar that might make them. If Sal was just a soul, or if he had a purpose in the afterlife.]

I guess that makes two of us...

[Hisoka has an irritated look as he thinks. What on earth could they possibly do in this situation? Clearly he's been put in an area with others like him in regards to arrival in this place. Were they all once dead too? He supposes the only place to start is to find out where they are.]

Well, I guess I'm going to go look around, then.

[He gets up himself and starts heading to the door.]

I'll come along.

[Sal offers, and follows after Hisoka.]

So, you used to be dead yourself? Like, how dead? I was a ghost kind of living in between the realms of reality and the spirits.

Kind of the same. My partner and I went between the Ministry of Hades and the world of the living. We usually collect souls that aren't passing on properly. ...Though my idiot partner usually liked to find some loophole for the souls to keep living anyway.

[Hisoka struggles to be social. But figures he should ask a question in return. Sal was nice enough to follow him in this strange place, after all.

...What did you do between reality and the realm of the spirits?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

THE SECOND TDM

Harang Kang | The Snake and Flower

Exploring

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lol this is great!

<3

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the snail returns! sorry I'm late

No worries <3

thanks <3

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the snail returns! sorry I'm late

nbd <3

Hisoka Kurosaki | Yami no Matsuei

3. Real

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sorry I should have clarified better, Soo Won is a red dragon orz

That's on me; I swear I read "blue" somewhere xD I think my brain scrambled eye and scale colour

sal fisher / sally face

ii.

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the snail returns! sorry I'm late

i

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