▶ 001. TEST DRIVE #1 / SIMULATION LOG

[synfluxmods]

TEST DRIVE & SIMULATION #1

CONTENT WARNINGS: forced scenarios, partial nudity, alcohol use, violence & action scenarios, simulation mindfucking.

▶ 001. ARRIVAL / CAFETERIA.

It happens in the blink of an eye -- a dash of time. You're taken from where you were. What you were doing.. it isn't important anymore, and slowly, you give up to desire your normal life. When you awake, figures are looking down on you from a surgical table.

"Yeah, this one will do; let's take them to the rest," That's all you see before losing consciousness again, only to wake up in a pod with many others.

"Your questions will be answered soon enough as I'm sure you will have many," a female, robotic voice says.

Just then, your pod opens in a dim corridor with many others. Your new life is about to begin... whether you like it or not.

The pods drain their stasis fluid which wakens each Outsider. When Outsiders emerge from their pod in only their undergarments which have been supplied to them and head to a locker room in the medical bay, to find a towel to dry off with, a set of gray loungewear to wear as LILITH makes the final decision in organizing the Outsider to their rightful teams. If a character has any accessibility needs, they will be found here. It's about then they will feel a sharp pain at the back of their eyes, almost like there’s a foreign body lodged on the inside of their head. This pain will subside quickly as their body adapts to the changes, but there will always be a sensation of something being not quite right. That their bodies have been changed forever. They would be correct in thinking that. In the pod, all Outsiders have been surgically fitted with ocular and brain implants that will enable them to communicate with LILITH and the rest of the crew, and feed them the information they require. Almost like a computer screen has been loaded into their brains, they will see a loading screen as the implant completes its download. A questionnaire will then pop up, waiting for their answer. A voice, robotic and feminine, will also read along in their brain for them.

█ █ █ LOADING COMPLETE … BEGIN ORIENTATION …

Name:
Username:
Civilian Identity:
Age:
Species:
Origin:

What is the cruelest thing you have ever done?

<raw code><table width="80%"><br><div align="center"><img src="IMAGE_URL" style="width: 200px; border-radius: 15px; border: 1px solid #7F7F7F; box-shadow: #8D8D8D 1px 1px 1px;"> <!-- CARD --> <div style="width:230px;padding:20px 0 0;border:1px solid #f2f2f2;display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:center;align-items:right;gap:5px;background:#fff;"> <!-- CHAR INFO: start --> <div style="width:150px;font-family:courier;font-weight:bold;font-size: clamp(14px, 1vw, 10px);letter-spacing:1px;line-height:1;color:#000;"></lj-raw><font color="#00686E">NAME</font> <lj-raw></div> <!-- CHAR INFO: end --> <!-- COLLAPSIBLE START --> <div style="width:230px;background:#eee;"><details><summary style="cursor:pointer;text-align:center;font-family:arial, sans serif;font-weight:bold;text-align:left;display:flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center;background:#ccc;color:#000;">+</summary> <!-- COLLAPSIBLE: content --> <div style="width:190px;margin:0 auto;padding:7px 0;font-family:arial, sans serif;font-size:11px;text-align:left;color:#000;"> </lj-raw><b>Username:</b> !!ANSWER HERE!! <br> <b>Civilian Identity:</b> !!ANSWER HERE OR SAY UNDECIDED!! <br> <b>Age:</b> !!AGE HERE!! <br> <b>Species:</b> !!SPECIES HERE!! <br> <b>Origin:</b> !!ORIGIN HERE!! <br></br> <b>What is the cruelest thing you have ever done?</b></br> </br>!! ANSWER HERE !!<lj-raw> </div></details></div> <!-- COLLAPSIBLE: content end --> <!-- COLLAPSIBLE END --> </div></div> <!-- CARD name: END --> <!-- CREDIT --> <div style="width:100%;margin-top:-15px;font-size:10px;color:#ddd; text-align:center;"><a title="code credit!" href="http://10billionghosts.dreamwidth.org" style="text-decoration:none;color:#ddd;">credit</a></div></center></table></raw code>

The system will give Outsiders one chance to provide a truthful answer and choose their username and civilian identity. Should they refuse to cooperate, the implant will download the answer directly from their brain (and give them a username or civilian name against their will). This questionnaire will then be posted on the network for all to view and reply to. Almost like an ice-breaker, if you will. LILITH wants all their newest recruits to learn about each other!

Outsiders will receive a quick brief about their situation: They will be told that the year is 2277, and they have been taken to Neo Tokyo, one of the last bastions of mankind in a world terrorized by various Kaiju and monsters. Only a third of the population remain, and LILITH has gathered talented people from other dimensions here as a last ditch effort to save humanity. Outsiders are free to continue asking LILITH questions through their implant, but there’s no guarantee they will provide them with a straight answer …

Outsiders will also notice an implant in their dominant wrist. This implant has a barcode in it that will enable them to purchase goods from the local stores in Neo Tokyo. They will receive a starting balance of 10,000 KRYPTOS (about USD 66), which is barely enough for a few good meals, groceries and supplies. They can view their current balance through a hologram window projected by their ocular implant.

Once they leave the medical bay, they’ll be able to grab a quick meal in the cafeteria and mingle with the other Outsiders just waking up. Today’s menu is stewed pork, vegetables, and rice, all packed neatly in a food ration tray. It doesn’t look too appetizing, but this isn’t exactly a thriving economy.

That familiar, robotic voice is heard again:

"Greetings, my name is SYNTHIA and I will be taking care of you today while the rest of the crew is.. tasked with their other duties. Worry not, my children. You are in safe hands. Please enjoy your complimentary meal which LILITH has carefully prepared. You may then head to your quarters are explore our BASE using the map provided. LILITH has been kind of enough to also offer a festive party for you all. You should all be grateful."

▶ 002. THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS.

With no recent seismic activity, LILITH is confident that Neo Tokyo is at a relative calm - that there are no expected Kaiju encounters for at least the next few weeks. This is the perfect timing for a little festivity, to raise the morale of the Outsiders. LILITH wants its recruits to be well, both physically and mentally after all. It’s time to give back! And so, the planning for the first ever LILITH Christmas Party 2277 begins …

Outsiders will be assigned with various tasks to help with the organizing of the Christmas Party. Unfortunately, even if the party is meant for them, they will still be expected to put in effort to make it happen. Duties include:

🎄Making a trip to the local Neo Tokyo KFC to pick up a massive catering order of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, fries, fried chicken sandwiches, fried chicken wraps and fizzy drinks. Outsiders will have to work together to get the food back to the main base while it’s still hot and fresh or risk disappointing everyone.

🎄Festive decorations! Unfortunately, LILITH is providing no help with this, so Outsiders can either buy cheap decorations from the local stores in Neo Tokyo, or get creative with whatever happens to be around. LILITH did provide a holographic tree, at least? They’ve also provided what appear to be sprigs of artificial mistletoe, but that’s the extent of how far they’re helping with decorations.

🎄Entertain each other! LILITH is mostly depending on the alcohol available to provide the entertainment, but there are karaoke machines and microphones for Outsiders to enjoy. A whole catalogue of holiday songs and other popular songs are available. Christmas movies are also available, but they appear to be generated by A.I. so beyond having some stereotypical Christmas-like themes, they might not make the most sense.

🎄Clean up. It’s back to business as usual once the party’s over, and all Outsiders will be expected to take down their decorations and clean up the mess from the party.

The droll work aside, food and alcohol will be provided abundantly at the party, and from the meager rations being served at the cafeteria, it’s easy to guess that this isn’t a common occurrence. Outsiders are welcome to chat, mingle and relax with the time they have before things start to ramp up.

▶ 003. THE PARTY CONTINUES (?).

After everyone’s settled in, those sprigs of mistletoe will light up very briefly, and a code will be transmitted directly into the brain implant of some Outsiders. Those Outsiders will feel a sense of calm or merry that seems to have surfaced from nowhere, and a desire to engage in physical contact - be it a hug, holding hands, or a kiss. The effect will wear off once they have obeyed that subliminal command, and walking away from the party can cancel it as well.

What’s that about? Well, LILITH might be testing some new persuasive technology …

"Hey, man, sorry I wasn't around to see your welcoming party! I was too busy █ █ █ing, but I'm back now! My name is Seok Dang. I heard you guys will be simulation training with me today! Try not to get killed! .... Haha, I'm just playing. That can't really happen. _{I don't think..} Anyway, I'll go easy on ya this time."

▶ 004. SIMULATION #1.

At different times during the week, Outsiders will be summoned into the simulation room and instructed to don their LILITH-issued plugsuits. They will then be paired or grouped up to conduct a battle simulation. After being ushered into the training grounds, the room will turn pitch dark, and a briefing sheet will be projected from their eye implant.

They will be able to access the briefing sheet at any time during the simulation by simply asking to see it. After each Outsider has read the mission brief, the simulation will begin, and they will find themselves right in the middle of Paris, the city and capital of France. The city looks to be under siege with Kaedan running amok. Though they aren’t fast creatures, their numbers alone are enough to put a large part of the city in ruin; with several buildings falling apart from being doused in acid, fires breaking out from vehicles crashing in the frenzy, and people in all states of suffering and devastation (some burning from the flames and acid, others screaming as they are eaten alive). Those familiar with the city might notice many landmarks of note (the Eiffel tower and the Louvre, for example). Sightseeing is possible in these landmarks as they were coded to be quite accurate to reality, if you ignore the screaming and monsters around you. There are residential buildings, shops and government buildings as well, but less attention was paid to their coding, with many apartments looking quite similar on the inside. VR isn’t perfect, so there might be some funny glitches occurring as well (like NPCs being stuck to a wall or eating their shoe like it’s pasta).

Outsiders will encounter many different rescue and kill scenarios, many of them testing their physical strength, their tactical knowledge and their morality. (We will leave this to players to make up for themselves.) Within the simulation, pain feels very much ‘real’, as do every other sight, sound and sensation, and Outsiders leave the simulation and find themselves in the break room if they are ‘killed’ during it. Outsiders who refuse to participate will be heavily encouraged to do so. They might find the monsters particularly interested in hunting and eating them or they might see a familiar face or voice within the crowd of cowering civilians.

At the end of the simulation, everyone’s score is laid out above their heads in a hologram for all to see. Somehow ended up with negative rescue points from killing more people than you save? Well, you might have some explaining to do.

█ █ █ MONSTER DEBRIEF SHEET:
NAME: Kaendan
HEIGHT: 2 m
WEIGHT: 90kg
CLASS: Gastropoda, Omnivorous (eating plant and animal matter, including humans)
THREAT LEVEL: EASY when cornered alone, INTERMEDIATE when in numbers.
LOCATION: Paris, France (Simulation)
ABILITIES: Acidic slime, which can spit out from its mouth. Use of slime to climb most surfaces. Can surround itself in a cocoon of acid. Teeth contain poison. Body is rubbery, so it can withstand some punching.
WEAKNESS: Heat, salt, dissection. Must be near water source to make all that slime.
EXTRA NOTES: Will use the slime to digest its victims and then eats them once they are melted.

█ █ █ MISSION OBJECTIVE:
✖ Complete destruction of the invasive Kaendan colony before it destroys the city and its civilians.
✖ Rescue of civilian lives
✖ Organize safe and orderly evacuation of civilians to the designated emergency shelters
✖ Protection of safe zone from Kaendan
✖ Preservation of infrastructure, with special attention to government buildings and historic monuments
EXTRA NOTES: Each Kaendan killed equates 1 KILL POINT, and each civilian rescued equates 1 RESCUE POINT. Killing civilians, whether on purpose or by accident, results in rescue points being subtracted. Every Outsider’s score will be tallied up after the simulation ends.


█ █ █ ATTACHED PHOTO:

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our first TDM! All prompts are optional but heavily encouraged. All TDMs are game canon; characters who don't app will be glitched out of this world. Don’t suit your fancy? Feel free to check out our main base and locations page and make up your own prompts! Please shoot TDM-related questions below.

Use the code provided if you'd like to participate in the ice breaker and place it in your top level along with your other prompts. Anything such as civilian name or username can be marked as UNDECIDED if you're unsure of what you'd like your character to have for now.

Have fun with the simulation and feel free to NPC the monster provided along with your character's score and outcome. This is similar to how monster fights will occur.

code

Comments

tsurumaru kuninaga | touken ranbu

[cranekin]

TSURUMARU KUNINAGA

+

Username: 46 ("shiro")
Civilian Identity: Hojo Rindou
Age: ̸̣̖͂█̶̨̨̩͑̒͌̃152-1▓2▓̴͆́̐̐͘͠͝
Species: kami
Origin: Japan

What is the cruelest thing you have ever done?

Leave.

credit

ARRIVAL

(He winces and raises a hand to his eye, sucking in through his teeth and holding his position, tense from the sudden pain. It would be nice to take a moment to figure out the meaning behind it all but when he hears someone approach, he pulls his hand away and turns quickly to see who it is. Pale gold eyes glare in your direction, eyes sharp and bright in an almost wild sort of way...

Once his eye refocuses on its target, both eyes soften and any edge that had been in his eyes just a moment ago passes as if it had never been there. He smiles brightly and laughs.

If you have on your gray loungewear,)

We match!

(If you have nothing,)

You'll catch a cold like that.

(You can also respond to his icebreaker at any time.)

SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS & THE PARTY CONTINUES

DECORATING

(Tsurumaru can be found sitting in the cafeteria. In front of him are piles of colorful paper and... is this someone's report? Do people still use paper for reports in the future??? He's folding paper cranes and stringing some of them together into a long line.

You're welcome to come over and help. If he notices you watching, he'll beckon for you to come over excitably and either slide a sheet of paper towards you or the end of a line of strung up cranes for you to hold,)

Come here, come here! Give me a hand.

MOVIES

(You could also find him sitting down and watching some of the movies. His arms are crossed and he has a serious look on his face. Of course, he's familiar with the holiday but it's only in the most basic sense. It's a winter holiday. A red spirit gives spirits. Children are happy. That's it.

This is a great opportunity to gather important information. After one movie concludes, he nods his head,)

I see. (He sees?) By exchanging gifts, we can draw out the "Secret Santa" and we kill him easily.

(Yeah, they may have just AI generated a murder mystery movie themed around Secret Santa. Except there was no real resolution and now this old spirit is just filling in the blanks,)

I didn't know this was that sort of festival!

(Is he actually being serious? Is someone going to tell him? Hello?)

MISTLETOE

(A cold hand reaches for yours and Tsurumaru let's out whine, )

Aaah, my hands are cold! It's so cold! (He's trying to grab your hand. Or stick it into your pockets.) Help me warm up! You can hold me for a little while.

SIMULATION #1

(Here you are. You've just entered the simulation with Tsurumaru and you're trying to mind your own business and focus on the objectives when he suddenly pinches your arm or elbows you in the side. It definitely wasn't an accident. He went out of his way to single you out and hurt you!? When he finishes, he just watches you like he is waiting for something.

(Come on, do something.))

WILDCARD

Hit me up. I'm open to all prompts. If you want to plan something out, you can DM me or hit me up on plurk yosakoi.

movies

[defendure]

I - well, it normally isn't, but that actually makes more sense than anything else for this film... [ Izuku is having a Time trying to follow the plots of any of these. Tsurumaru making up his own fill in the blank shit is probably a much better way of enjoying them, actually. ]

Though, how would you be sure you had the right one? I mean - I'm still not sure I actually get who the killer even was...I suspect it might have been one of the reindeer.

[cranekin]

Right, right! There were originally eight reindeer until an outsider joined them.

( When the uncool Rudolph joined and suddenly became the leader. )

One of the original must have been angry at him for upsetting their order.

simulation

[wheft]

[ wtf man she's busy reading up on the monster logs here. her reflexes are fast though, and she quickly grabs his wrist when he pinches her arm. ]

Do you mind?

[cranekin]

W'oah!

( How fast. His own reflexes are quite fast but it isn't enough to get away. He half-jumps in response and blinks. Oh, she grabbed him but she didn't really react? Hm. )

Did you feel anything? ( Or-- ) Maybe I wasn't hard enough...?

( AND HE LOOKS AT HER LIKE HE DEFINITELY HAS AN IDEA IN HIS HEAD

(he wants to try again. harder.) )

crimmus decorations

[psyker4649]

[ On one hand: If someone's walked off with a bunch of official documents to turn into origami, Akira sure isn't gonna narc on him. On the other hand: He now has an armful of illegitimately-sourced paper crane streamers, which he's pretty sure means he's an accessory in crime. Not that that's a bad thing necessarily. ]

[ Is crime on Christmas a worse crime, or do you get a freebie because it's Christmas? Much to think about. ]

Uh... 'kay. [ The teenager jostles the cranes at Tsurumaru. ] Is... that all you wanted, or.

[cranekin]

( He starts to arrange the chain, making sure each one is strung in the right place and looks its best. It wouldn't do to have any cranes with crooked wings or turned upside down, )

Mhm, stay still.

( And he's trying to see how far the line will go, )

Do you think this is enough?

( For what........ )

mistletoe

[dissimilar]

[ If asked, Shou isn't sure that he would say he feels anything out of the ordinary, mingling among the unfamiliar faces and unfamiliar lights. Even the sudden hand that snatches out to grab his doesn't really seem to take him by surprise, though the gaze that turns to the hand's owner is a little... severe.

The action that follows is not, however. ]

Go ahead. You can use my hands. [ way to make it sound as inelegant as possible! ] I've heard I run warmer than most [ humans ] people.

[ Turning, he holds both of his hands out obediently. ]

[cranekin]

How generous...!

( And he's quick to grab both of his hands with his. In Tsuru's defense, he is, indeed, quite cool to the touch but he isn't so cold that he should really need to go seeking out warmth. He's used to the cold. )

Ah! You really are warm!

( It feels nice and he huddles a little closer. When he moves, Shou may realize... a few cherry blossom petals in the air. Just the odd petal here or there falling from seemingly no where. )

movies

[plagiarists]

[ Christmas came earlier this year for Sooyoung. So there's a person who wants to kill a Secret Santa? That's lovely. Actually, let's take that one step further because she's never done anything wrong in her life and is a good influence on all people around her. ]

It's one of the best festivals, honestly. [ Nod, nod. ] All the guys wearing red during the festival are Secret Santa's lackeys, so it would be wise to get them out of the picture before luring the Secret Santa out.

[ Is she still talking about the AI generated movie? Or did she mean real life? It is a mystery. ]

Why do you think their suits are red?

[cranekin]

(Maybe he does? Maybe he doesn't? He's sure acting like he'd genuinely be very down for it, though.)

All of them? (Wait, he wants to see the movie again. He needs to do a proper count to see what else he missed during it.) They have me outnumbered. I have to think more carefully now...

I thought it was just a festive color... I had no idea it meant they were all together!

decorating!

[skirm]

( though this is certainly not something wanderer ever truly talks about or mentions to anyone, he is, by all means, good at crafting. centuries ago, when he had the same amount of knowledge as a newborn baby, he had been taught how to forge. a couple years later, to a young child, he was forced to learn how to cook. in a new life granted to him without his consent, he was taught how to sew. it's not a particular interest he has, but perhaps seeing someone turn plain paper into cranes was... a way to pass the time. nothing more.

it backfires soon enough when said someone catches him staring, because of course people will see him and think he's someone who just looooooooves to socialize. how does this keep happening?

wanderer stares down at the sheet of paper slid towards him like it's the strangest object he has seen in his life — and sighs, clearly exasperated. )

And what am I supposed to do with this? I don't know how to make those cranes.

[cranekin]

( The Wanderer lets out a heavy sigh and Tsurumaru laughs. What a burdened boy to let out such a big sigh, )

I'll show you.

( He says while finishing one crane-- perfectly folded with neat, and crisp folds. He grabs an identity sheet of paper for himself and looks over to his companion for the moment to see if he's following along, )

Watch carefully.

decorating

[notbymyside]

[He glances behind himself, like he expects Tsuru to be talking to someone else. But there's nobody there, so he looks back to Tsuru and points at himself with a raised eyebrow, as if to say 'you mean me?']

[cranekin]

( He smiles in acknowledgement and nods his head, )

Unless you can see someone nearby that I can't. A ghost, perhaps?

( Are there ghosts around??? )

mistletoe

[woofwoof]

U-ugh!

[ a gasp and a groan as he fights weakly to keep tsurumaru's fking cold hands out of his pockets but unfortunately: ]

Why! How! [ also: ] My stomach...

[ this is not the warm compress he wishes he had ]

[cranekin]

( They are just two cold people holding each other's cold hands. )

Wah! You're so cold!

( He says and sounds playfully concerned, )

My, my... ( And he's going to start rubbing their hands together. Dont mind him. Yeah, they may know each other but is that really an excuse to act so familiarly so suddenly??? ) We'll have to get you some gloves.

ARRIVAL!!

[kawarimi]

(cursing under his breath at having just purchased five thousand kryptos worth of ad space online, his left eye squeezes shut and is layered over with a palm. he notices the sharp look given to him by another outsider, but in this state, dizzy, still shaking off the surgical anaesthetic, could he even put up a good fight?

grateful the hostility is fleeting for tsurumaru, kakashi sighs out beneath the shirt that's been repurposed as a mask. it looks ridiculous for now, but he doesn't need it for his body, he needs it to protect his face.)

And? (though the rhetoric is defensive, he's quick to calm down. his following explanation, however, is bitter.) This is an old strategy... Prisons engage in it, too. They dress us the same to mute individuality, and this in turn prevents us from acting out. It's for control. We're meant to do their bidding, aren't we?

So... don't get excited you look the same as everyone else.

(jesus christ, lighten up)

1/2

[cranekin]

(If you have the ad space then you might as well use it, Kakashi.

He listens to Kakashi babble and he couldn't roll his two eyeballs any harder. Gods, he's certain he saw the back of his skull for a moment,)

Oh, a scholar...

(A nerd. The word he wants is nerd. If it was in his vocabulary he would beb calling him a nerd. He sounds so completely, utterly, and totally disappointed by the absolute NERDERY of this lecture)

[cranekin]

(But it'll take more than a loser to bring Tsurumaru Kuninaga down. Does the crane bow its head because of mere chirping sparrows? Nah. )

But look!

(INSTANTLY, he seems to recover and he's practically skipping over towards Kakashi now so he can get right up in his personal space.)

We even have the same hair. (And he winks,) See?

Mistletoe

[cleansewithfire]

[ Tsurumaru can grab her hands easily, though he'll find that her hands are cold. Like, there's no warmth at all, weirdly enough. ]

...I am afraid I cannot help with warming your hands.

[cranekin]

(Oh, she's even colder than him and he holds her hands in both of his and gasps,)

You're freezing!

(And he starts to rub their hands together to try and get some warmth,)

Do you have gloves? We can find you a pair.

mistletoe... sure.

[unfriendliest]

[ immediately shrugging him off like ??? why him. ]

Find someone else.

simulation

[blindspotting]

[ He's been occupied enough with attempting to parse out a blank room suddenly exploding into an entire city that it does genuinely take the sudden jostling to realize that there's someone next to him. Trying to get his attention, perhaps, but there's a deliberateness to the way the figure is watching him that makes Shion suspect something else.

He's had the curious attempt to 'test' his perception before, though not for some time. Can you feel this? Do you know who just hit you? It's a familiar enough sort of annoyance that he lifts one eyebrow dryly as he turns to face exactly in the figure's direction. Yes, he knows where you are. ]

Can I help you?

wildcard... lmk if this is okay!

[yuwon]

[ it's just a simulation.

it's a fact he reiterates to himself, if just his mind and body will believe it. it's a strange sensation, as someone who has traversed between worlds and even regressed. but, as strange of a sensation it is, he decides to approach it as seriously as he would any of the tower's other missions. ... in theory. there is probably a natural lapse in realizing this is all little more than pretend, but he does his best.

it's why when he sees a monster approaching this stranger that he slides right in there. utilizing his ability to create a path in the sky, his feet glide in the air, before swooping in, leaning forward, and hoisting this unknown entity right up and over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

no introduction, no words, just carry. ]