SPRING TDM.

[ximilian]

● ● ● T D M . 0 8

GET IT IN WRITING • YOUR NEW NORMAL • CHANGE OF FACE • FYI

// PART I. get it in writing  

… What are you willing to do to erase your regret from existence?

The words ring in your ears as in the darkness of your dream, a teal glow pulses, slowly enveloping you. It is not a feeling of comfort that surrounds you, though — as a distorted voice whispers in your ear, you feel it: cold dread, and a sudden certainty that everything is about to be irrevocably changed.

It is to this daunting realization that you wake, and as your heart slows into something resembling a normal tempo, you notice something you should have noticed immediately: you are not in your bed.

1.0   White walls, clinical yet clean, sparsely-furnished rooms. You may wake in one of three rooms: a room with only one bed, a room with two beds, or a room with four beds. Those waking up in rooms with more than one bed notice that they are very much not alone. Perhaps the other occupants of the room are still sleeping, dreaming the same dream as you just did, or a regular one after returning to the station just a few days ago … or perhaps you wake to the other person in the room watching you.

What you do is entirely up to you: yell in surprise when you wake to someone staring at you? Or maybe you’ll try to sneak away before anyone notices you...

2.0   Those with life-threatening injuries find themselves awakening in the infirmary, in a regular hospital bed. Most of their injuries have been treated, and any lingering illnesses or conditions will have designated medicine bottles on the table next to the bed.

White curtains surround the bed on both sides, giving an illusion of privacy. But is that a rustling sound you hear? Some footsteps? Perhaps you’re not the only one in need of some medical attention... or you've attracted the attention of those with experience in medical aid, and they rush to your bedside, surprised about this sudden new patient.

It is not just for your injuries that you may want some company, but also for leaving the infirmary — you can’t stay there forever, after all, and will have to make your way through the hallways of the station to the living quarters, and claim a room and a bed there.

Once you’re up, you may notice there’s something in your ear: an earpiece that, when you become aware of it, quickly runs you through the instructions for how to use the network, a recorded message by a female voice that explains exactly why you’re here… and leaves you with a map of the station.

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// PART II. your new normal  

So what else is there to do but to explore? Best get to know what is now your new home.

3.0   When trying to decide where yo go, you may find your way to the armory, where you can try to work the machine there to make yourself a weapon — perhaps to replace one that didn’t come with you to the station… or maybe you want to be prepared for the future. The recently-returned team members will surely recommend having a functional weapon with you.

4.0   After you’ve exhausted yourself training, it’s time to grab a bite. For that, you should head to the kitchen, which is equipped with all the basic appliances you might need, and ingredients for most regular dishes.

5.0   A welcome reprieve to the cold, dark space that surrounds the characters can be found in the sunlight room. A skillful illusion surrounds anyone who steps inside the room: you can hear the trilling of birds, feel a light breeze caress your skin as you walk through a grass field. It seems that the illusion reflects the season — the leaves have fallen, a layer of white covers the ground, and the air is crisp and clean. If you follow the path, it leads to where a bridge rises over a brook that has now iced over — but maybe don't try your luck walking on it, as the ice may crack underneath your feet and you'll find yourself plunging into the freezing water.

With an illusion so authentic it may leave you longing for some hot chocolate, it is easy to forget you are in space at all. Perhaps that gives you comfort, or just makes you miss the real nature all the more.

6.0   If you’d rather choose tinkering over nature, the lab is guaranteed to provide you with some entertainment. Glass vials and jars of chemicals sit on shelves in a surprisingly beautiful display of colour on one side of the room, while the other side of the room contains stacks of boxes containing assorted equipment: cords, bolts, panels, buttons, gears, gadgets, gizmos, and thingamabobs. The downside is that the parts available seem to have no apparent method to their sorting. So get digging, and you may just find exactly what you need to make what you’ve always wanted to make!

7.0   As you wander back towards the common areas, you may notice a room off to the side. The room takes up a chunk of the common area, and on its unassuming door is a little plaque that reads, 'The Ximusic room'. Should you enter, you will find a sound-proofed practice room that contains — yes, you guessed it, band equipment that even the most musically inclined should be satisfied with. So pick up an instrument, saunter up to the microphone to belt out your favourite tunes, or take a seat at the side of the room and enjoy others' playing.

8.0   If it’s items you’re lacking, though, some time after your arrival, the earpiece alerts you to a new message.

// VIVECA

Hello, everyone. I hope you've had time to rest, and those new here have got used to being here. Those who’ve been here for longer know the deal, but to the new arrivals: we've got a drop of new supplies. I hope all of you find useful things among them. Anything specifically requested will come with a name tag. We're working on locating the next orb, but in the meantime... I hope those who have just returned get some rest, and those who have just arrived read up on what is expected of you during missions.

As you make your way to the platform, you'll see there is nothing amiss in the neat piles of items on it. There’s clothes, shoes, dishware, skincare, books… even a couple of CDs, and a few cute stuffed animals. So sort through what there is and grab what you want, before someone else does!

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// PART III. change of face  

(CW: POTENTIAL BODY MODIFICATION)

Whether you’re a quick study and you’ve become settled into life on the station, or you want to get the full lay of the land (in a manner of speaking) first, if you decide to explore the hall past the control room, you’ll eventually come across the simulation room.

Step past the threshold and the doors will slide shut with a quiet woosh. Nothing suspicious; nothing to worry about. But before you can really get a sense of your environment (a grey, large-ish empty room, no furniture, no discernable objects to provide markers), the room goes dark, and then … there’s really no other way to describe it: the room transforms.

You find yourself in a club. The music is upbeat, loud, but not too loud. Down a short flight of steps flanking the bar and seating is the open floor with more tables and booths bathed in a warm, dim glow of light, and at the very end of the room is a stage with its bright spotlight showcasing its performers — though, at the moment, the stage is empty.

9.0   When you take a step forward, you’ll feel a presence gently push at your chest or your shoulder — a tall and jovial man resembling a well-dressed bartender from the top up (the rest of him appears to move along wheels) approaches with a tall flute glass in hand. Its contents are sparkly and blue.

“Hello, there. Care for a drink? I’m afraid you won’t be allowed to continue until you do, and I assure you this is entirely safe. All effects you might experience remain only so long as you participate in this simulation.

Will you proceed? Please respond ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.”

There’s something a little strange about his voice, a cadence that doesn’t sound quite natural even when the simulation is so realistic otherwise. Once you’ve given your consent, the bartender continues.

“One thing you should know: there is an orb within this club. This drink will aid in your ultimate retrieval of the orb. To better blend in with our patrons, you may experience temporary changes within your body. Good luck.”

10.0   It seems the bartender wasn’t lying. Once you’ve allowed the drink (tasty, sweet-but-not-too-sweet, effervescent, with light notes of your fondest childhood memory) to settle in your stomach you might experience a myriad of effects on your body, ranging from a change in skin colour (pink? green? blue with spots?), an additional limb or two (or three), a tail or wings, or cybernetic parts such as lie-detecting eyes or a tongue that can uncover truths and lies in others. If you happen to find another Orber within the room and both of you have consumed the offered drink, you might find yourself experiencing a full bodyswap.

None of the changes are painful; if anything, they might not even be noticeable until you look into a mirror, look down at your limb-in-question, or your companion points it out.

11.0   The moment you approach the stage, a performer will appear as if out of thin air and begin to sing, her voice strong and smoky and melodic. Her enthralling performance could put you into a trance, but you have an orb to find and a personal task to accomplish, so it’s time to put your best foot forward and do a little investigating.

Talking to some of the patrons might prove fruitful as some of them are convinced that the stage has never sounded or looked so good, like there’s something giving performers that extra oomph that no one can explain. It might be wise to wait until that last performance before you sneak up there — or maybe you want to do a little snooping around now, you know, while everyone’s distracted. Strategize with your fellow Orbers and uncover the location of this hidden orb.

● ● ●

N O T E:   The effects of the drink and the level of changes your character experiences is entirely up to you. Patrons of this fine club won’t bat an eye if you look a little like them.

Additionally, there are three personal tasks provided to each character as they enter the simulation. In-game, each character will be given one task. For the purposes of the test drive, we’re leaving it to players to pick a task for their character and run with it.

A   Say the opposite of what you mean during the simulation.

B   Create a scene with an unsuspecting teammate.

C   Get up on stage and put on a performance during the simulation.

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F Y I

• TDM threads can be considered game canon so long as all parties involved agree to it.
• TDM threads can be used as samples for apps. In fact, we encourage it!
• Reserves open February 19!
• Apps open February 24.
• For any questions regarding TDM, please direct them here. For questions about the game, please refer to the FAQ.

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FOR SOME FUN:
Have a clue about the upcoming mission—

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Comments

Jake The Dog | Adventure Time

[doooooog]

[ As far as hospitable environments went, a desolate rock in the middle of some remote galaxy wasn't much to write home about. The view wasn't exactly what you could call beautiful, not unless you were into gray rocks. Lots and lots of gray rocks.

And the restaurant scene? Forget about it. Aside from month-old birthday cake and a dwindling supply of cocktail hotdogs, there wasn't much around for the discerning foodie. According to Jake, anyway. Though considering he was now the sole inhabitant of this rock, who else were you gonna ask? Talk about being a big dog in an desolate pond!

Jake chuckles at his internal running commentary. Maybe not the most original jokes, but slowly starving to death had a way of lowering a guy's standards. He was on week five of his one-way-trip to the furthest reaches of space, courtesy of his now-late father. Conversations with himself (aloud or in his head) were taking on a lot of the heavy lifting, entertainment-wise. Anything to keep the silence at bay. Silences in the vacuum of space could get preeeetty bleak.

Dying was pretty bleak too, Jake supposes, but that was small potatoes compared to the quiet.

So imagine his delight when new voice creeps into his daydreaming. What was he willing to do to erase his regret from existence? Gee, lady, that sounds like a lot of work but hey! If it'll keep this hallucination going a little while longer, let's get existential! ]

I ● get it in writing; two beds

[ Jake wakes up slow, almost immediately wincing from the brightness of the decor. White wasn't really a color Jake would describe as loud, but get enough of it together and it could raise a real din. Over a month spent in the dark reaches of space probably didn't help, either. ]

What deadworld is this supposed to be, anyway? [ Jake mumbles, sitting up and hopping off the bed to do a cursory sniff of the place. He was definitely dead, no two ways about that, but the rest of this place confuses him. Shouldn't he be talking to Death right now or something? Was there an orientation he'd overslept through? Also, why the heck was he still hungry? ] Swear to glob, if starving to death means you get cursed with some sorta eternal tummy ache, me and the head honcho are gonna have words.

[ Running commentary aside, his nose wasn't giving him much information. Jake sniffs under the bed, around the sheets, over to the second bed with the second person sleeping in it-- ]

Aw, dip. [ Jake blinks curiously at the newly-noticed stranger. ] Company.

[ Jake walks over on all fours, hopping up onto the bed to get a better look fellow recently deceased. Upon waking, this stranger will be met with the face of a jowly yellow dog laying down across their chest and looking at them with what could only be described as curiosity. ]

Rise and shine, sleepyhead. [ The dog speaks; sounding both unerringly chill and also decidedly like an adult man. Up to you which is weirder about that. ] Welcome to death.

II ● your new normal

[ It would take a few more repetitions for him to retain everything that Vivica chick shared with them, but Jake was at least confident death was off the table. That new lease on life cast plenty of things in a fresh light for Jake. One, his extremely empty gut wasn't an eternal curse. And two, the scent of his little brother clinging all over the station wasn't a hallucination after all.

He hasn't seen the kid in five weeks. Obviously, Jake was anxious to get searching and get this tearful reunion a-brewin', but here's the thing. Everybody gotta eat, right? Maybe he could knock out two birds with one stone on this one. Trotting off down the hall, nose pressed to the floor, Jake sets off to follow the twin scents of gross teenage boy and delicious space food. ]

a; the kitchen
[ The heart wants what the heart wants, and the nose was definitely subordinate to its heart-boss. Now normally, Jake would prefer to cook his raw ingredients into something greater than the sum of their parts. But man, five weeks of rationing cocktail weenies could make just about any gourmand rediscover the simple pleasures of sticking your face into a vat of pickles and inhaling.

Visitors to the kitchen pantry will probably see the trail of half-eaten pantry staples and spilled food before they see the little yellow dog at the center of it, doggedly chewing open a burlap sack of raw potatoes. ]

b; the armory
[ Stomach now temporarily sated, Jake's journey down the Finn-stink trail continues. His nose leads him next to what appeared to be some sort of... training area? Weapons of every type imaginable lined the walls and Jake finds himself pulling a face as he stood up on two legs to get a better look.

What were they supposed to use all these for, exactly?

Ears perking up upon sensing another person, Jake turns towards them with a wag of the tail. ]

Oh! Hey, buddy, you got a sec? [ He takes a few steps closer, paw raised in greeting. ] I'm looking for someone. Maybe you know 'em?

[ Jake's upheld paw suddenly isn't a paw at all, stretching itself into a... rectangle. A rectangle with two bear-ear shaped nubs on top. ]

I'm looking for a kid that looks like this. [ He nods again to the nubbed rectangle. ] Name's Finn. Kinda loud. Wears a dumb hat. Ringing any bells?

[ The Finn-Shape stretches again, forming a little bell at the end of his arm. Jake shakes it around a little for emphasis but, being made of dog-flesh, it doesn't make much of a sound. ]

c; the sunlight room (closed to finn)
[ Whether it's his nose or directions that lead him here, Jake can tell the moment he sets off toward the sunlight room that he's on the right track. He can feel himself speeding up subconsciously, jogging down the halls past crew members and looking for all the world like somebody's lost dog.

Which... was true, kinda.

Even the promise of his brother isn't quite enough to keep Jake from losing focus just one more time. Walking into the fabricated oasis, Jake finds himself struck still. The sunlight room was beautiful; all white sloping hills and picturesque lakes and soft glowing suns. Maybe it wasn't the real thing, but up to a few hours ago Jake was sure he'd never see anything close to beauty ever again. Who says an echo of something perfect couldn't be perfect too, in its own way?

Nature wasn't the only thing the dog missed, though. Refocusing, Jake sets off running down the hill, voice raised loud enough to shatter the tranquil calm imbued into the space. He was gonna be that guy today, oh well.]

Finn? [ He shouts, stretching his neck to look around while he trotting ahead. There was something almost nostalgic about this, if you stripped away all the space weirdness and mystery. Jake spent most of his life shouting that kid's name exactly like this. ] Fiii-iiiin!

III ● change of face

[ As far as weird rooms Jake's walked into in his life, this one was definitely deserves a mid-to-high rank in his Top Ten Chill Hangs list. The music was pumping and some goofy dude was offering him a drink while making ominous promises about effects he might experience? Jake's never consented to anything so fast in his life.]

---

Yo! Yo, you!

[From the other end of the bar, a dog is waving. He's picked this particular person out for a reason; they, like him, still had their blue-juice in front of them untouched. Based on the diverse colors and spare-limbs around them, Jake has a pretty good idea what the drink was gonna do. Still, even when it comes to body-altering space booze, it always felt like a waste to drink alone.

... Additionally, Jake's was pretty sure the unique properties of his body meant this 'experience' was about to be a dud for him. Getting to watch a non-stretchy entity experience the horrifying joy of a second pair of legs for the first time, well, you gotta find your pleasures where you can!

He waves again to his prospective drinking buddy/guinea pig, beckoning them over to the stool beside him. ]

Don't be shy, pal. Got a toast cooking over here, I needs an audience!

I.

[homeostatic]

( to be fair to Bones, he's usually a light sleeper. residency really beat any chance at sleeping through anything softer than a gentle snowfall out of him, but after the week they've had? yeah, any long-ingrained habits like that are moot. he's out, he's sleeping hard.

mostly, at least. squinting, briefly, when a weight settles across his chest– then scowling restlessly, until the unfamiliar voice grabs the veil of sleep and rends it neatly in two.

his eyes shoot open and he yelps. )

Jesus, Mary 'n Joseph–

( have a shove, strange dog-person, before Bones scrambles backward up the bed in a tangle of sheets and long limbs, spitting fire before he's even caught his breath. )

The Hell's wrong with you?

meet your new sleep paralysis demon bones

[doooooog]

[ So much for the gentle wake up call. The stranger's cry shocks Jake in kind, sending the dog reared back up onto his hind legs just in time for the doctor's hands to make contact.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on whose side you were on, the shove doesn't have much effect on Jake. Instead of toppling the bulldog back off the bed, Dr. McCoy's hands sink into the dog as if he's made of warm putty. Whatever's going on with this dog, the talking appears to be the least bizarre thing about him.]

Whoa, whoa! [Jake holds up his paws, hunched in amicable surrender.] Didn't mean to startle you, bro. Just trying to meet the new neighbors.

[Sensing that a little personal space would go far towards turning this interaction back around, Jake hops down off the bed and stands up fully. He shrugs, by way of abstracted apology.]

This is my first time being dead. Not sure I've got the etiquette down, homie.

b; the armory

[hindsights]

[ when he's been in the armory in the last few days, cal's mostly been training. he's wrapping up for the day when he's stopped, lightsaber already turned off and hanging on his belt.

the other isn't exactly a wookie, no, but not a species that cal's ever seen. still, there's no need to be rude. except, well, that whole arm thing is pretty new and he hasn't heard of anyone doing that so instead of answering any important questions, he blurts out--- ] How are you doing that?!

[doooooog]

[Didn't matter where or when or how Jake found himself -- he'd never get tired of that reaction. A grin cracks across his face. ]

Oh, this? [His hand isn't a bell anymore. Now, it's a perfect recreation of one of the swords on the wall... albeit yellow and furry.] I dunno, man, my hand always looked like this. Maybe your eyes are playing tricks on you or something?

[Sorry, Finn, your big bro does want to find you but first he's gotta do a thing.]

C. LETS GOoooooooooo

[heroooic]

[The sunlight room had really become the most home in Finn’s mind of all the places on the station. Not just for the obvious resemblance to his own home in the Grass lands, but because of its quiet. The lack of electric hum and echoing of acoustically harsh artificial walls. The quiet of this space could swallow you up, and if you closed your eyes, it was like you weren’t even on a space station, a million, jillion miles from home or more. You were just, home. Wherever that was.

Laying on the soft grass, eyes closed, Finn felt like maybe he could go for a nap. The sun wasn’t real, so you couldn’t feel it on your skin, but the room itself was a comfortable, barely felt kind of warm. It was easy to just, let his mind go blank, the mild exhaustion he felt from running himself ragged around the ship just a comfortable reality. Like the ache of sore muscles after a long hike or a good fight.

He was just starting to feel himself slipping toward sleep when the sound of someone calling his name instinctively snaps him out of it. He opens his eyes, sitting halfway up abruptly. At least…he thought he’d heard someone. He looks around, confused.

Man, maybe he was working too hard…he could have sworn he’d heard-]

[doooooog]

There you are, buddy!

[The voice comes from far away, shouted from the opposite shore of the frozen lake. There stood Jake, the same as he ever was, one hand cupped around his mouth and the other waving to grab Finn's attention.

It would be easy, he thinks, to simply step over the ice and bridge the gap between them but... Jake's not too sure where the ceiling is in this place. Last thing he needs is breaking the sun-bulb on his first day.]

Been lookin' all over for ya! [There's an obvious smile warming Jake's shouted scolding, clearly relieved to see him. He never had much doubt about Finn making it through okay these days, but he'd been missing a long time. Finn could get a little broody about stuff like that.] Where the heck've you been, dude?

[Jake's prevailing theory was that Finn must have been mid-rescue when whatever anamolistic wavelength the Ximilia surfed picked them both up from that corner of spacetime. It doesn't occur to Jake, not even for a moment, that they didn't arrive at the same time. It certainly doesn't occur to him that Finn could have been here for three months, without him.

Maybe if there wasn't a lake between them, the look on his kid brother's face wpuld've clued him in. But there was, so Jake just keeps waving.]

I'm gonna come around!

ii, a

[cigars]

[ jake is going to earn a bit of a long stare, paired with tight brows as columbo stares back at him. there's no gasp or scream about a talking dog, even if that's what the detective here very much has on his mind. just a long stare like he's thinking before he raises his hand, shaking his finger in a point. ]

You know, I got a dog. Big one. Heavy. Just likes to lounge around and eat. Beautiful dog, just lazy. But he doesn't talk.

[ as a dog probably shouldn't. but that's not the issue here. ]

Always asking him questions and what does he answer? Nothing. Just stares. Imagine how much easier my life would be if he talked like you. Maybe he'd finally tell me what to call him.

the noise of glee i made upon seeing this tag....

[doooooog]

[ Luckily for both of them, Jake wasn't in a position to do much talking now, chewing as he was on a haphazard mix of yukon golds and burlap. It took a decent amount of effort to get through, which means this strange little man in his rumpled little jacket can get through that entire speech without being interrupted once.

Jake finally swallows, putting an end to that small mercy. His forepaws cross over his chest as he stands upright, sizing the stranger up.]

Maybe he just can't get a word in edgewise, buddy. [He fishes an (unchewed) potato out of the sack, tossing it Columbo's way.] Here, pal, you look like you could use a hot meal.

[The potato was not hot. It wasn't even cooked. But that's neither here nor there.]

I. (Infirmary flavored as discussed)

[locumstudentesquire]

[Ryunosuke has been asleep ever since the mission ended, huddled up on his little bed in the infirmary and totally dead to the world. Exhaustion from that last battle and the long hike just before that would have been more than enough to keep him asleep for a good long while, but there's probably been some medication helping things along, too. You probably don't recover well from being mauled/shot full of poison which burns like fire in your veins, unless you've got something extra to help keep you down.

Now his condition is stable enough for him to be left to wake up on his own, but as it turns out, he's in no particular rush to do so. He's off in lala land, having some kind of bizarre dream about... Having to drive a tandem bicycle with Mr. Sholmes??? They're slogging through the streets of London, trying to get to Whitehall before something terrible happens... Ryunosuke doesn't know what the terrible something is, because Mr. Sholmes won't tell him. He just knows it's urgent, because... Mr. Sholmes said so.

AND YET, despite the large role the Great Detective is playing in alerting him to the nonspecific crisis, Ryunosuke feels like he's the only one doing any pedaling? Mr. Sholmes is actually lounging with his feet up on the handlebars, rattling off some nonsense or another while Ryunosuke struggles twice as hard to get them both there. But it's alright, because they've almost made it, he can see it, he can see their destination, it's just a bit further-- But wait! The London street has inexplicably turned into the Supreme Courtroom where Ryunosuke stood trial back in Tokyo, and suddenly the witness stand is there, right in their path--!? They crash catastrophically, bike and both riders flip over the wooden railing. Mr. Sholmes goes flying and lands perfectly atop the Judge's stand, while Ryunosuke flat on his back on the floor, the bicycle tumbling through the air and landing right on top of him.

Pained and wheezing, he stares up towards the ceiling, while Sholmes stares back down from his perch. "'Pon my word, Mr. Naruhodo... You seem to have gotten yourself caught in a bit of a vicious cycle there, haven't you?" He starts to guffaw at his own joke. Ryunosuke is starting to have difficulty breathing under the weight of the bike... Seriously, what is this thing made of, lead!? It's so heavy, he can't-- Can't...

Groggy and disoriented, Ryunosuke blinks his eyes open as the dream fades away. Something's not right... Where is he? What's going on? What's--

... Dog. Dog face? Inches from his face. TALKING dog face. Talking... DOG...? DEATH?! DID HE JUST SAY DEATH?!]

Wh... Wh... WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHH!!!!!!

[Like a fire has been lit right under his ass, Ryunosuke goes from still half asleep to ABSOLUTE PANIC in about 2.5 seconds, flailing and thrashing in a wild attempt to both get out of bed and also wriggle out from underneath this terrifying hallucination that's apparently trying to asphyxiate him and drag him to the underworld.]

sleep paralysis demon part two

[doooooog]

[ Jake could've maybe, possibly, potentially had it in him to feel bad about the rude awakening. But that was before his new neighbor decides to scream bloody murder inches from his face, sending Jake's hackles up and ears back. Instincts (both canine and common sense) spur him to leap off the bed and get as far away from this screwball as possible, as fast as possible.

Unfortunately, the stranger once again had other plans.]

Isn't this supposed to be a freakin' hospital? [Jake shouts to no one in particular, overtop the sound of Ryunosuke's continuing screams. The man's wild flailing didn't push Jake away so much as the exact opposite, catching the dog's arms and torso in a mess of stretchy, tangled loops. Jake couldn't jump down if he wanted to... and he very, very much did want to.] What he heck are they putting in the IVs here!?

the kitchen

[groupiedrifter]

Dude, are you kidding me?!

My name was on that tupperware of mac and cheese!

[No, he has not seen the dog chowing down yet — he's too busy huffing and puffing and stomping his way into the center of the mess. He's not even mad about the mess; his freaking mac and cheese, dude!]

That was Yelena's world famous mac! Who know the next time-

[He steps closer, notes the smaller yellow wiggling creature, and proceeds to holler at the kind of obvious jumpscare:]

AHHHH!

[doooooog]

[Yelena's world famous mac and cheese was now little more than a smear on the tile floor; just another casualty in the wake of Hurricane Jake. He looks up at the man intruding on his dinner, looking for all the world just like... a very confused dog.

That is, until Newt screams. Jake jumps, hackles up, instincts taking over as he begins to bark overtop the back half of Newt's scream. It's not like it was his native tongue or anything. Sometimes you just had to bark somebody when they startle you like that.]

ii.a

[youre_nicked]

[ In this utterly unfamiliar, acutely unnatural setting, it is an absolute shock to Gina (who is here looking for food herself) to encounter a dog rooting through a bag of potatoes--but, at the same time, a great relief. It's so ordinary! Normal! How pleasant to be faced with something she knows what to do about!

Namely, to approach the dog with shooing hands. ]

'Ere! Gerroutofit! 'Ow'd you get into all this, eh? They put an 'ole building in out of space and they can't keep dogs out of the pantry?

i'm.... she's so good.

[doooooog]

[Oh, yeah right, lady. Jake was not about to let go of the first real food he'd had in over a month, barking a couple times at the advancing human teenager. That she kind of had a Finn-nature to her was totally beside the point.]

Bat-oft-rady! [He growls, words garbled around the sack of potatoes held tight in his teeth.] Hinders-eepers!

III !!

[healingbuff]

[Noi and Jake are on the same wavelength here, because drinking alone is just plain dull, especially when you’re about to put some weird mystery liquid in your mouth. At the invitation for a toast, she breaks out into a big grin, waving back at him.]

Now THAT’S what I wanted to hear.

[Drinking buddy acquired, starts over towards the empty stool, sliding her drink along the countertop.]

So, what? You wanna down these things in one go? Same time?

i. hello stretchy dog, meet stretchy woman

[farr]

[ rita farr is always in dire need of her beauty sleep. on the station, time runs a little bit trickier since there's no actual sun to beam in through windows that simply aren't there, which means, really, that she could sleep just as much as she likes if she has nothing on the schedule. and, unfortunately, until she gets her workshops up and running, the lack of a day-to-day routine aside from her dozing hours leaves her little to be motivated about.

which means she's snoozing quite well right now, up until the rustling noise about the room prompts her to stir, finally blinking awake when she hears the voice —

and seeing a talking dog.

of course she screams, and for a hollywood starlet, what a classic monster movie heroine scream it is as she jolts to sit up. unfortunately, trying to scramble away from whatever creature has stepped into her room has her crawling towards the side of the bed blindly, swiftly falling over the edge.

a solid body falling to the floor would typically result in the sound of a thump, but instead it's the sound of something like a large mold of jello hitting the floor. because instead of a woman there, a giant round flesh-covered blob lays there. all too soon, a voice shouts from it. ]

What, pray tell, are you doing here? Or, more importantly, what are you!? Coming into a lady's room unannounced, talking death, looking like that — that's not how you wake up a person!

ii-a

[dragonmount]

[ well.

that's sure a dog.

rand stands, head canted, looking at this yellow dog in the pantry with an expression like his face can't quite decide what it's doing. and small wonder; he isn't entirely sure what he's feeling. prophecies and aes sedai and space and dragons, and somehow the absolute normality of a dog where one shouldn't be — were there ever dogs on the station? — surprises him past words. ]

Come on, [ he says finally, moving to crouch, stretching out a hand to the animal. ] get away from there, I'll find you some bread.

[ better eating than sacks and potatoes, at least. ]

b; the armory

[deaddrop]

[Natasha doesn't surprise easily. She's seen a hole open in the sky over a major city. She's fought people who were, for all practical intents and purpsoes, gods. She's had video chats with an alien raccoon.

So on the one hand, she could be more shocked by a talking dog.

On the other hand it's a testament to how deeply weird the sight in front of her is that she jerks back, her expression decidedly unsettled.]

What the hell?

{She thought it couldn't get weirder than Groot.

She was mistaken.

It takes her a moment to recognize the silhouette the dog shows her.]

You mean Finn?

I

[atium]

Wh -- welcome to -- ?

[Okay. Sure. Vin has been around TenSoon. Around OreSeur. Talking dogs are not that strange. For her. She just. Isn't expecting this wake up? And never sleeps the best. Kind of comes with the whole being raised living on the streets and all. She's very skittish. And a light sleeper. So it's probably more a wonder she initially slept through his shuffling around. Probably because she was used to some softer background noises of others around the castle back home, about having TenSoon around in her room.]

Are you....another kandra?

[Maybe someone else or another kandra had the same idea as her in shapeshifting into a dog's form? Jake is not nearly so intimidating or huge as her Tensoon, her wolfhound 'pet'. But still.]

ii. a (it is time)

[spikedbats]

[ Look, the past few missions have taught Steve that he desperately needs to learn how to do more than just put his body into mortal danger and hope for the best. Does he know how to handle most of the ranged weapons? Hell no, guns were more of Nancy's forte and if he tries hard enough he can use his many years of sports to his advantage when it comes to swinging blunt weapons.

But those weapons are only going to get him so far, so armory it is.

He's just about to pick one of the many weapons just to get a feel for it, when he hears a voice, startling him out of his ruminations. What he absolutely, definitely, does not expect to see is -- ]

Dog?

[ Okay he hadn't meant to say that out loud, and he's pretty sure he's staring rudely now, so he quickly clears his throat and slaps on a charming smile, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. ]

Sorry, that was...didn't mean to--

[ And then pause...let Jake's words sink in. ]

Wait, did you say Finn?

[ And ooookay the weird shapeshifting is equal parts cool and kinda terrifying in an eldritch way, but then again one of his best friends does have a weird alien symbiote so maybe he shouldn't be judgmental. ]

Yeah, that's -- I know him, he's my roommate.

that wildcard nobody asked for

[swordandshield]

[Felix was feeling...marginally better these days. He still ached after a long day and his wounds were still healing but if anybody told him he was moving slower than usual they would end up with a fist in the face quicker than they could blink. Thankfully, most people left him alone. Whether that was a good thing or not was debatable.

The one person that didn't leave him alone? Well, that was the brat and Felix had resigned himself to that mistake. Own it and all that. It was fine. He could deal.

Though sometimes he wished he'd just let the little boy die back on the last mission. Like when things got really obnoxious. Felix usually just ignored the kid until Finn got the picture but sometimes that didn't work. Unfortunate.

. . .

Anyway, today he was dedicating himself to the training room. His work-outs had been sorely lacking since the last mission but he was determined to get back up to top condition. He hated all these aches and pains and, not that he was admitting it, the slowness. The armor gave him advantage over most obstacles but he knew he had more to give and that's what rankled him.

He was going through a set of martial arts moves on a training post. It was made of something sturdier than wood since Felix tended to practice on it with his armor on as he was doing now. A perfect set of punches, kicks, blocks, and attacks as he went through the various moves. He was working up to a faster speed, and faster, and faster...]

b; the armory

[inventure]

[ there's a little bit of staring on iris' part, but to his credit it's leaps and bounds away from the gawking he'd done the second he stepped out into downtown seattle with lillium. iris likes to think he's doing a lot better sort of just accepting things, especially new things, especially when those new things happen to be strange things.

so — yeah, there's a talking yellow dog warping his own flesh and bones to emphasize his words. sure. somehow, sunny hua is still a far more fantastical creature in comparison. ]

I met a Finn but he wasn't wearing a hat. [ he also almost accidentally maybe killed iris but it's whatever. he got better, they made up. ] Have you tried using the ear-thingy to call him?

[ it's kind of neat, actually, to finally meet a dog in person. even if this guy is more... dog-esque than the dogs iris has seen in picture books. ]

Wildcard; literally anywhere: ...look...I gotta wait for a text post but I had to.

[singlelogbridge]

[There are, Wei Wuxian has come to understand, very few things in life that were certain. The sun would rise (even if he lived on a space station and couldn't see it.) The grass would grow. Life would continue on in spite of all the small tragedies and joys that seemed to the individual to be world ending revelations. Of these things, he was certain.

There were smaller certainties too. Certainties that perhaps wouldn't stand up to a test, but that he felt sure of all the same.

He felt sure of the fact that when Gwen found out that he'd stolen her last lavender bath bomb, she would be webbing him to the wall in retaliation. He was sure that if he asked Chuuta to help him in the kitchen, Chuuta would already be on his way with a meal plan to put some of the greatest chefs to shame.

And he was certain that for all of the perils that might be present on board the Ximilia, it was beautifully, wonderfully, free of all things canine. So it is with the confidence of a man who has walked these halls for a near year and knows them intimately that he turns a corner, casually. Innocently. Only to come face to face with a thing of nightmares.

There. Standing in the hallway. Hideous and yellow, eye sparkling with intelligence and teeth gleaming in the lamplight. There is a dog.

He pauses for a moment to absorb the shock to his system, a pause that would never have occurred anywhere else, and then just as the mangy beast turns its head his way, Wei Wuxian lets out a scream.

He runs. He does not look back. He does not stop until he is back in his room with the wards activated and the door locked.

Nothing is safe anymore.]

I ● i'm so sorry

[hekas]

( the dream fades quickly into nothingness and isis would assume it was the workings of her sister if she did not know for a fact where nephthys was trapped. if it were not her own doing. she feels the cold against her skin, hears the sound of clamoring and wonders what matter of beast it is that dares to move near her. for all she looks helpless, it's been a long time since isis hid and let herself be cowed by any around her.

it's the weight on her chest that shocks her, the boldness of it all. her eyes shoot open, anger flashing in them before they widen and she's met with the sight of a yellow dog and the voice of a man. ) What matter of beast are you?!

( she shoves; not exactly a polite answer to a the question. and yet-- she points an accusing finger. ) What sort of agent of my brother's trickery are you?!

( could set have followed her here of all places? could he have set one of his sand creations on her in another form, not jackal but... whatever this is meant to be?! she draws back, scrambling to sit up in bed and grows more tangled in the sheets and ribbon tied to her hair. ) Speak!

( as if he hadn't already spoken and said hello. let a lady keep some semblance of authority here! )