TDM 001

[etrayamods]

⏵ arrival⏴ Arrival goes as anticipated. Characters awaken in the pristine, new hospital, greeted by Aurora and potentially getting a rundown of what's happening depending on their approach to being dropped somewhere new. The door to their room opens, and new arrivals are left free to explore their new environment. Or what exists of it anyway. Exiting the hospital will show that there isn't much of anything just yet. Generally, Echo can build new facilities before new arrivals awaken, but it appears that this time… well, it didn't happen. The apartment complex exists, standing just beside the hospital, and there are a few facilities that are half constructed, companion bots carrying around rebar and other necessary bits and pieces, but they're not quite ready. Oops. But maybe, just maybe, one of those half-built facilities is familiar - a childhood home, a favorite supermarket, the run-down garage they worked at as a youth, a grounded spaceship in the middle of one of the massive bridges connecting land over rivers. The companion bots will offer quiet apologies if approached; they were expecting new arrivals to touch down, but not quite this early. They'll be ready soon! A few more days at most, they promise. In the meantime, do not stray too far from the hospital. While most of Etraya looks habitable, they have not finished verifying that it's safe for its new inhabitants. The apartment building and hospital are safe, and the land directly around them is fine, but beyond that? Stay away. But hey, the hospital's cafeteria is fully stocked with cuisine from across the multiverse! Please feel free to settle in, choose an apartment, and get to know your new friends. ⏵ water you doing?⏴ Decide not to listen? Well, the companion bots had offered their warnings. Etraya is a new establishment, one that received newcomers before it was ready. And as such, the land has not quite been prepared for their arrival. Wandering off the land the apartment building and hospital are settled on comes with very, very poor results. Take a step down into the river below, and you'll find yourself uncomfortably hot. Or cold. Or hot and cold, because whatever that 'water' is, it wasn't meant to be played in. The only way to resolve the temperature regulation issue, as Aurora informs, is finding a buddy to cuddle up with. Those who are lucky may have a nearby friend they're familiar with and don't mind leaning a shoulder against. Those that don't? Well. . . have fun having a very uncomfortable conversation with a stranger, asking them if it's alright if you lean into them or hold their hand for a bit. Any physical contact will do, as long as it's directly skin-to-skin. Except that's not where the contact stops. Characters will find that, for the next several hours, they'll feel everything that their companion feels. Frustration, anger, amusement, homesickness that comes from being so far away from their families and friends - all those feelings? They're not your feelings, they're our feelings now. No explanation is given for how the empathy bond and the temperature regulation are related, but it may have to do with how since they had decided not to listen, it was time to test how well they could cohabitate with their new friends. ⏵ bonding bingo ⏴ Maybe it feels a little too much like Obi-Wan had when receiving Leia's message, but all new arrivals are their universe's only hope. Except they're not the only ones arriving, and not the only ones who are trying to keep their worlds safe. Instead, they've arrived with several others who carry the same weight on their shoulders. And they aren't meant to go through this alone. The people they've arrived with are both their new companions and their competition. Both comrades to fight beside and enemies to battle against, depending on what the specific mission of the month is. But currently? They're here to bond. It's important to get to know those who they'll be spending the next unspecified but lengthy amount of time with, isn't it? To that extent, Aurora's hologram waits just inside the hospital's front doors, offering bonding bingo cards to those willing to participate. It's not necessary, but she does specify that this is one way to get ahead: cooperation is important, especially given what they're going to face together. Bingo cards are three long and three across, and offer a multitude of activities you can do to check each box off. Some examples include: Learn someone's biggest secret Get into a fight Tell someone something that you've never admitted out loud to Throw a drink on someone Win a game of pool in the apartment building's recreation room Cheat on a card game without getting caught Hug a new friend Get stabbed Steal something important to someone Pull off an elaborate prank on a stranger ⏵ matchmaker ⏴ When the earpiece is put on, a nice green HUD(head-up display) lights up in front of new arrivals. It asks them for their name, which is fairly standard for these. Except it seems it wants them to put together a profile to help pair them off with other new arrivals. For some, this information may autofill with what Aurora was able to discern about them from watching them in their home worlds. But some lucky individuals may catch their profiles before they're posted live, and have the opportunity to edit out information included in fields, even if they're not able to clear it out entirely. Welcome to Aurora's idea of matchmaking. Have fun getting paired off with a buddy or four, with your profiles exchanged between one another. Maybe they're the perfect match. Maybe this is a nightmare in the making. <center><table style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 2;"><tr><td width="260" align="center"><img src="IMG URL HERE" style="width: 245px; border-radius: 15px; border: 1px solid #7F7F7F; box-shadow: #8D8D8D 1px 1px 1px;"><br /><b><big><big>CHARACTER NAME (CHARACTER AGE)</big></big></b><br><div align="justify"> CHARACTER BIO</div></center></td></tr></table></center> ⏵ OOC ⏴ Welcome to our first TDM! We're excited to have you here. For more information on character arrivals, click here. For any questions relating to the TDM please reply below. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ. ⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Comments

damian wayne ( dc comics )

[brat]

⏵ arrival⏴

( damian's initial reaction is to not react at all. to listen, to gather as much information as possible while continuing to act as if he hasn't woken up yet. unfortunately, the only sound he's able to pick up is the sound of the monitor copying his heartrate which is not helpful at all.

so he gets himself up. doesn't say a word to the hologram, which works in his favor as not opening his mouth means he avoids snarking at her.

and unfortunately, he has enough experience with the world to know that while it could be a ploy to attempt to catch him off guard, the likelihood of it being true is not low enough to disregard it entirely. he hears aurora's story, listens to her tell him about the situation they've gotten themselves stuck into. and slides off the edge of the cot to make his way down the hallway, black and yellow cloak (not a cape) following behind him as robin makes his way out to discern what he's working with here.

one may spot him lurking in the cafeteria, hood pulled low over his face so the only thing visible is the scowl twisting his mouth down. or they may find him crouched down on top of a nearby high bookshelf, watching newcomers walk out of their rooms to start. regardless, he doesn't say a word. not yet.

reconnaissance first. )

⏵ testing the waters ⏴

( when given strict orders to not do something, there is no better way to discover why not than to investigate exactly what he's not supposed to be investigating.

he's not touching the water, not yet, but robin is crouched down low just at the edge of the land they're supposed to not leave, eyes squinting under the domino mask covering them as if that will tell him the great secrets of why they seem to believe it's not safe.

there's an atmosphere, within the city bubble. he's able to breathe, the water looks clear, the land beyond it looks just as solid and stable as the land they're currently on. )

»Tt«. ( nose scrunching up, and he reaches a gloved hand out. flicks his wrist, so a batarang falls between his index and middle fingers. ) They're hiding something.

⏵ matchmaking ⏴

Robin (13) Absolutely not.

⏵ wildcard ⏴

( hit me with whatever! i'll run with it. )

( testing the waters )

[captainplanet]

Like what?

[ aang looks around. and where?? ]

[brat]

( i'm uncertain is not an answer he's giving out loud. don't stray too far from their established quarters could mean countless things. they could be covering up something just beyond this land mass. they could be culling the local fauna to make it more habitable for the new arrivals. or they're making rules simply to discern who will follow them, and watchful eyes are waiting for someone to step out of line. a test of sorts. after all, they were pulled in to be tested, were they not?

robin has doubts in the not safe reasoning that had been given. there's nothing abnormal as far as he can see. not that he believes everything he sees either; his lenses can only check for so much, and this world is alien to him. but.

he doesn't look up, but it's clear he is addressing aang. )

Would you expect open waters to be this empty? I have not seen any evidence of aquatic lifeforms.

[captainplanet]

[ hm. that's a fair point. aang hasn't heard any wildlife either. not in the skies or trees or anywhere. ]

It feels like this world is just . . . beginning.

[brat]

I haven't found signs of life from before our arrival.

( confirming the child's hypothesis, at least as best as damian can. he hasn't been here long either, but he has been spending his time searching around what is available. )

It's too empty.

matchmaking

[notthatstraight]

13? Someone please verify this isn't a dating app.

[brat]

It would be a waste of time if it was.

( and a second message, moments later - )

Not that it isn't regardless.

[notthatstraight]

most of them are a waste of time in any case
better to go about it the old-fashioned way
especially if you're a kid

[brat]

There are more pressing matters to attend to.
Regardless, I have no interest in pursuing anything.

arrival

[quantumnomad]

[ Why is there a kid? This whole thing seems unfair, but putting on the fate of a world on preteens is particularly cruel. ]

Hey, you okay?

[ Ben looks straight out of some bad sci-fi, he's wearing a skin-tight onesie that'd look like fetish wear if it were latex. It's not, it's a kind of sci-fi whiteish grey and not quite as smooth as latex. ]

[brat]

( a loaded question with an even more loaded answer. you okay, the man asks, and damian turns towards him with a look on his face: irritation plain as day despite the mask covering his eyes. it's the scowl, that looks like it belongs on the face of someone significantly older than someone of damian's stature.

this newcomer may be wearing a skintight onesie, but it's nothing abnormal as far as damian is concerned. grayson wears similar attire often. )

Am I okay. ( he says okay like the word itself greatly offends him. perhaps it does. ) I have been adequately seen to, considering the circumstances.

[quantumnomad]

[ Ben smiles, a little startled by the attitude, but mostly relieved the kid has an attitude to give. ]

Adequately seen to?

[ He's pretty sure normal kids don't speak like that, but he's here dealing with a multiverse so what does he know? ]

[brat]

Sufficiently looked after.

( if damian words it differently, perhaps he will get the message and leave him alone. there's no need for this plebeian to be asking if he's okay, as if he should be concerned for damian's well-being. he's assuming the concern is due to damian's youth, but his youth has never been a deterrent for damian. )

arrival (bookshelf edition)

[skaikru]

( clarke griffin breaks out of her room (there was never a lock) and frantically looks down either side of the hallways (no one is chasing you) almost immediately. she's dressed in an almost cartoonish black and white striped prison outfit, hem of her shirt torn and wrapped tightly around her left hand. in her right, she holds an empty pillowcase obviously stripped from her hospital bed, and despite having no initial idea which direction to head she is certainly intent on filling it. and subsequently getting the hell out of this place.

reconnaissance is important, but there's also a time and place for it — namely, as far away from unfamiliar territory, which could be a powder keg about to explode for all they know. she will snatch scrap paper and a pen from the nurses desk later, in this moment the priorities are food and supplies.

but sometimes paranoia doubles over on itself and reaches down to the root instinct, that of a prey animal. ears pricked, eyes darting, stomach already in uneasy but cued in to the particular way it knots when passing a bookshelf she freezes. the baby hairs on the back of her neck fight their way through nervous sweat in order to stand up on end.

...but for the life of her, she can't spot anyone other than a few confused bodies milling about halfway down the hall, having just exited their own rooms. tentative, carefully, guarded: )

...hello?

[brat]

( he's quiet.

used to watching, waiting, lurking in corners and behind gargoyles for his enemies to leave him an opening, make a fool of themselves and save damian half the work. he knows how to slow his breathing down, how to blend in and become one with his surroundings. has excelled at hiding in plain sight since he was a mere infant. watching others flee down hallways, searching for answers they won't find - is child's play.

until she comes running down. the prison uniform is not a good look, nor is the knapsack full of supplies. damian can't say he wouldn't be doing the same had he not arrived equipped with his robin gear. but she stops, as if she hears something. feels something, and damian - doesn't move. stays crouched down on top of the bookshelf, using the shadow and the black cloak around him to blend in. watches while she searches for. . . something. from the way she's looking, he doubts she knows what she's looking for. doesn't know where he is either, so what has alerted her must not be superhuman senses, but a well-trained awareness of her surroundings.

good. that will be useful, if not for him, then for her. she speaks up, and damian waits another few moments before he's moving towards the edge of the shelf and - leaping down. lands comfortably on his feet, cloak pulled up over his head. )

Supplies are on the upper floors. If you're looking for rations, the cafeteria is that way. ( casually, as if he hadn't been watching her. damian raises a hand, and points down the hallway. ) It appears to be well-stocked.

[skaikru]

( there's no immediate response to her question, and if she were being completely honest with herself clarke hadn't expected one. would it be preferable to be correct and be immediately acknowledged, or to be wrong and forced to acknowledge that her paranoia has gotten a little out of control? time will tell, or maybe it won't, just so long as she stays alive that's a win. a few more moments pass in silence, save for the distant clamor of other recent arrivals down the hall, and she's almost almost schooled her heartrate back down to normal when —

in her peripherals, the slightest rush of movement coming from above. and clarke backpedals almost immediately, as fast as her prison keds can carry her. she doesn't raise her pillowcase of prizes up to lash out, nor reach for the empty slot on her hip that used to house a gun, but the baseline instinct is there; no one likes being snuck up on.

in the end, it's just a kid though. but clarke knows better than to immediately discount him. once upon a time a thirteen year old girl named charlotte had worn fear as her mask, garnered sympathy and protection, and still slit wells jaha's throat in the night. she hadn't even needed a sleek cape or superior creeping skills, just anger and opportunity. but potential danger aside, this boy isn't lunging at her with the same speed he'd dismounted the bookcase. in fact he's —

oh, he's offering her directions. )

I — ...thanks?

( she has to force her shoulders to relax, but the moderately confused scrunch of the brow comes for free. )

That's actually exactly what I'm looking for. What were you trying to find up there? ( flick of the eyes towards the top of the bookshelf for emphasis, but immediately returning to the whites of damian's domino mask just to pin him in place in her field of vision. )

arrival

[dawn_is_breaking]

[When Dawn sees the familiar black and yellow cloak she gets a nasty jolt, her heart lurching in her chest.]

Robin?

[She asks before she even realizes that she's said anything or that the person wearing said cloak is a boy, a much younger boy than either of the Robin's she knew.]

Sorry....I...you scared me.

[brat]

( he does turn towards the name.

regardless of whether or not he's the robin she's expecting, he is robin. that much is clear, if not from the uniform, from the R embroidered into his chest, visible once he twists around to face her. narrows eyes under the mask, assessing who she could be. robin isn't an unknown, many civilians would know who he is enough to recognize him. given she isn't particularly familiar, he's running under the assumption she may be just another ordinary person familiar with gotham's vigilante crowd.

which means he should keep his attitude to a minimum. robin isn't meant to scare others. robin is meant to be the light to batman's darkness. )

It was not my intention.

[dawn_is_breaking]

[It's bizarre to see a Robin so young, when she met Jason he was eighteen but this boy looks to be not even fifteen.]

My name is Dawn Granger.

[She says, watching him carefully to see if he knows the name.]

testing the waters

[universallyspeaking]

I'd say that's a safe bet.

[ Beryl is experienced enough to know not to sneak up on Robin (especially the very stabby Robin) but also that sneaking up on any of the Bats is near impossible.

Her Talent isn't particularly useful so far-- it's impossible to get tells from a hologram that can control every vocal tone and every gesture perfectly in a way a living thing could not. ]

Wonder if there's somethin' in the water.

[brat]

( the stabby robin is aware of her presence at least, enough he does not pull out his stabby equipment and go in for a hit. instead, he removes a batarang from his belt, and dips the tip of it into the water.

doubts it would tell him anything, considering it's made out of magnesium alloy with a reinforced resin core, so it isn't as if it's fragile, but it won't hurt anything. unless it does. in which case it would be telling enough on its own. )

Perhaps you should test it, Squire.

( his batarang is fine. and he's shaking off the water from it, just in case. )

[universallyspeaking]

Always a gent, aren't you?

[ The batarang comes out fine, which isn't a shock. Those things are built tough. But the lack of reaction to both the batarang and the surrounding ground when the water is flicked off suggests that this might, in fact, be plain old water.

Not that she's about to go swimming in it.

Instead, she plucks a hair from her head and dangles in it the water in lieu of sticking a finger in to see how it reacts to organic matter. ]

Match made in Hell

[cesspit]

Jason Todd (19) He's a snack. The kind you eat in one gulp, like a spoonful of wasabi.

[brat]

( less than a day in another world and todd has already exposed himself. it's not surprising. even if he is judging. )

No.

[cesspit]

Aren't you a little short for this ride?