spellgrinders | ( TDM #8 )

Entry tags:

&tdm

( TDM #8 )

TDMs can be used for anyone interested in the game and/or testing out a new muse.

Test Drive samples are encouraged to be used for your application sample, though they are NOT a requirement.

Feel free to use one prompt, multiple prompts or make up your own!

These threads can be considered game canon upon game opening if you so choose.

Telepathy and magic can be used at any point in time on the TDM, from Prompt A to your wildcard prompt. A specific prompt exists, however, that makes sure all characters have an equal chance to use this mechanic within the TDM. You're encouraged to have characters use telepathy and their magic accidentally or even purposefully on any TDM prompt.

If you aren't set on your character's power yet or want to try out a few, you're still able to use the test drive. Maybe your character is a late bloomer and hasn't fully unlocked their intuitive drive yet. In the case of multiple powers, only prompts that contain the power you choose for your application will count as potential game canon threads.

While only one character can be apped or reserved during a cycle, feel free to post with more than one character if you like! This is for those who are uncertain of their first choice or who would like to try out different characters within the setting.

IMPORTANT: This world is low-frequency. No canon powers or abilities are allowed! Also check out the setting information for more info about Shehui.

IMPORTANT: This TDM won't be canon! It's a little dicey in-game right now, which isn't exactly fair for in-game players who are currently trapped, as well as out-of-game hopefuls who want to get as much CR potential as possible. Think of this as an alternate timeline.

You blink and that's all it takes. At first, the picture doesn't come in clear, like you're waiting for a screen to fully load -- more aptly, it's like you're waiting for a camera to focus so you can find image clarity. Before you happened to rapidly close your eyes and open them, your life was normal...well, normal for you, anyway. Fighting an alien, making a quesadilla, dying. And then that blurry picture suddenly takes over.

There's a lot to take in here -- you feel weird, your surroundings are weird. Everything is just weird. For starters, there's that new piece of jewelry inserted in the space above your chest. That certainly wasn't there before you opened your eyes.

isn't

Yeunai

Here's a love calculator

and

GAME NAVIGATION

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

B. Arriving in the rain

[It's not exactly unheard of for Pod 042 to suddenly be someplace he wasn't previously.

It's rarely a good thing, but it's not unheard of. Such an event would ordinarily indicate a lapse in his memory - a blackout of sorts. As a result, his first action would be to perform a memory recovery and try to figure out his location.

Only... he can't seem to do that. His normal methods of finding out his current coordinates simply aren't working here. And the memory of how he got here isn't corrupted or anything - it's just not there at all.]

Troubling. I seem to be experiencing a significant error.

[Oh, and it's raining. And he can't seem to locate Pod 153 anywhere.

So the tiny, floating robot is just going to duck under an awning for the time being, while he figures out what's wrong.

Generally speaking he's pretty waterproof, but with the other problems he seems to be experiencing, he wants to make sure that he hasn't taken any external damage before he needlessly exposes himself to water.

Speaking of problems, he really needs to figure out how he got to this place. Fortunately, it isn't very long before someone else passes by.]

Tactical Support Unit Pod 042 to local android. I seem to be experiencing a memory error. Are you aware of how I came to be in this location?

C. Matchmaking

[Well would you look at that. Whoever you are, you've gone and gotten yourself matched up with some kind of... tiny, floating rectangle. Good for you, I guess.

As for Pod 042... Well, his voice remains as neutral as ever, but it isn't difficult to tell that he's unimpressed.]

Analysis: The numbers presented does not correlate to any known algorithms regarding how the emotion of 'love' is felt. Additionally, the data available on our identification cards does not contain enough information to be useful in such endeavors.

Conclusion: These machines are a dishonest means for local businesses to encourage us to spend our credits.

H. Wildcard.

[Have a different idea for a thread? Hit me up.]

[ The little guy doesn't have a face but something about him looks awfully melancholy. Mari stands in the rain with her little pink umbrella, and she opens her mouth to answer-- only to realize she's only understood like half of what's come out of this floating robot's mouth. ]

..Um, scusi?

[ That last bit though, she understands. Thank god. ]

Not a clue, but does it matter? You're here and you're alive, right?

Indeed I am. But previously this Pod was somewhere else, with several other units.

[There is a pause. It's impossible to tell on his but he's deliberating about how he wants to phrase this next part.

When he does, his voice takes on a less neutral tone.]

Specifically I am looking for the unit to which I was assigned, her two companions, and a fellow Pod. It is my... duty to look after them, if that makes sense.

It makes sense--

[ He's a man on a mission and she can sympathize with that. ]

Can't really promise that you'll find them but I can keep an eye out! What kind of people should I be looking for?

Your assistance is appreciated. The units that I am looking for are as follows:

[And with that, he begins to project a tiny hologram screen, showing Mari a number of images of his compatriots in the order that he names them.]

YoRHa No. 2, Type B. Also known as 2B.
YoRHa No. 9, Type S. Also known as 9S.
YoRHA Type A, No. 2. Also known as A2.
Tactical Support Unit Pod 153.

[The list is given very, well... mechanically, for lack of a better term. Each image stays up long enough for Mari to get a good look, before he moves onto the next one.]

Any information regarding my companions would be greatly appreciated. If you meet any of them, please tell them that Pod 042 is in this city and is attempting to find and make contact with them.

Edited 2018-01-30 21:05 (UTC)

[ Mari parts her lips into a surprised little :O every time a new image is projected. He's an impressive little guy! ]

You got it boss!

[ And for added effect she throws her arm into a salute, holding it for a moment before the gesture grows just a little slack. ]

Are you going to be okay on your own till you find them? It looks like you're used to keeping pretty impressive company and keeping a lot of company.

Affirmative. I am a Tactical Support Unit, designed for durability and equipped with multiple defensive capabilities. I will be fine.

[Truthfully, he's more concerned for their well-beings than his own. He's capable enough of avoiding confrontation, but the androids most certainly aren't.]

And what of you?

[He may not have the protective instincts toward humanity that most androids have, but he can't help but notice that the girl he's talking to is a kid alone in a strange city.]

Hmm.. what about me.

[ She speaks like she really has to think about the answer to that-- like she hasn't thought about it at all in fact. ]

Well I'd say I'm doing A-Okay.. for now!

[ After all who could predict what this place was going to bring? ]

I'm pretty tough--

[ She flexes her free arm to make her point. ]

-- so I'm doing just fine. But also! Because I have friends here. That's what makes it easier.

[ there's a quirk of the brow. percival leans in, eyes roving over this...little rectangle. ]

I presumed as much. However, your conclusion is a subjective one. [ and he...

taps the rectangle with a lone finger. percival's gaze flits towards the screen again. ]

Greetings, Pod 042. That is your name, is it not?

[When Percival taps on Pod 042, the machine floats backward a few inches before course-correcting and returning to his original location.

If it bothers the pod at all, he makes no comment of it.]

Correct on both counts. But given the information I have collected thus far on the city of Shehui, it seems the most likely. Available data suggests that their society depends heavily on capitalism.

If Unit Percival would prefer, I am able to list the other possible conclusions in order of probability. It would be a waste of time, however.

[Because she's not who he's calling out to when she sees him in the rain. The level of technology in Shehui is fairly advanced compared to the other worlds she's been to now, but it's still a far cry from what she's used to. Seeing that familiar floating box in the rain, it's easy to deduce that this must a Pod unit. Given the color scheme, she's even quite positive that it's Pod 042.

But more than that, she'd recognize his voice anywhere. Despite having gone months without him by her side now, she never quite adjusted to him not being there. Then again, given that she'd lived her whole life being supported by him, maybe that's not surprising. It wasn't until she woke up in the coven alone that she realized just how invaluable he really is. How she was so used to him just being there with her.

To hear him again is, frankly, relieving. She never thought she'd be so grateful just to see her Tactical Support Unit, but here she is, her gratitude all-encompassing.]

Pod. [Of course, barely any of that comes across in her tone when she approaches him. That's 2B for you though. And after a brief pause—] Are you alright?

[It feels a little weird to be asking about his well-being, but it feels necessary. They were in a pretty bad spot the last time she saw him and all. Things might've been doomed for her, and she heard otherwise from A2, yet she wants to hear from Pod himself.]

[To say that Pod 042 is surprised to see 2B is an understatement - although he's hardly capable of expressing it. He and 153 were in the process of reconstructing her and the other androids the last he saw of her, but she hadn't exactly been... alive... so it's somewhat jarring to see her again.

He answers the question, though, without hesitation.]

Negative. An unknown quantity of time is missing from my memory banks, and as a result I have no recollection of how I came to be in this place - or of where our current location is.

Conclusion: I received damage somehow.

[Likely during his attempted suicide attack against YoRHa's final orders - but he doesn't say as much right now. He's too busy processing 2B's appearance.

There's a long pause, and then.]

I am... relieved to see you again, 2B.

Edited (last edit i promise) 2018-01-30 06:06 (UTC)

... Yeah. Me, too. [She doesn't quite smile, but there's an undeniable warmth in her voice.] I'm glad you're here.

[The conveniences of having a Tactical Support Unit aside, it really has been strange to get along without his presence. Neither of them might have been talkative, but his absence was still palpable.

Then again, there's something a little surprising in just hearing Pod say that. And is he talking more than usual, or is that just her? Hm. It is essential that he have as much information about the situation as possible though, so she focuses on that for the time being. How to sum this up as succinctly and informatively as possible...]

This world is called Shehui. I don't think anyone could provide you with the exact details as to how you arrived, but it was via magic. There's supposedly a very powerful witch named Qri that's capable of transporting people across worlds via magic. That's likely why you—and everyone she's taken into this "coven"—don't know how you came to be here. It's the same for me.

[He is most certainly talking more than usual. While some people were off being dead, he was busy developing into an actual character. Go figure.]

Acknowledged. You are suggesting that we are in an alternate universe, or a separate planet, then?

[He isn't sure how to feel about that. On one hand, it isn't as though there was anything left for them on earth. On the other, he was able to utilize the infrastructure there in ways that he wouldn't be able to on another world.

That, and there's the matter of the others.]

Have you been alone here?

[Her Pod's gone ahead and grown up into an actual character all on his own...!]

Essentially, yes, although I don't know which between the two it is.

[Or if it's something else entirely. A separate planet seems feasible enough when the universe is far larger than they could ever expect to know, but given how many coven members come from places with actual magic and whatnot, a different planet doesn't seem to justify having completely different laws of physics and space. But again, there isn't really much left for them back on Earth. While it's concerning that they don't really know how they got here or how to get back, the details of it have never been her top concern.

Besides, she's alive again. She can't complain much about her situation.]

No. 9S arrived at the same time I did, and A2 appeared a few months later. [And given that she knows at least the basics of how things had gone down between the two of them—] They're both fine. We all are.

...

[Oh wow, almost all of his companions are here. He's going to need a second to think about how that changes things.]

...Analysis: Unit 2B's repeated use of the word 'months' is troubling. It suggests that I am missing quite a lot of time, or that a form of time-dilation is occurring.

What is the last thing you experienced before arriving here?

My death.

[And then she woke up with the coven, albeit on a different world than Shehui. It was a little disorienting, to say the least.]

I don't know how to explain the time differences though. 9S and I came at the same time, and he remembers events that happened after my death. It's the same for A2, but she didn't arrive until later.

I see.

[There's a long pause after that. He's honestly not sure what to do next.

Pod 042 has got plenty of data about what happened after that, of course, but he has to be mindful of 2B's mental state. 9S certainly didn't react well to certain information, after all - it follows that 2B wouldn't react especially well to knowledge regarding the true purposes of YoRHA. It's probably better to keep certain things to himself for now.]

Unit 2B was suffering from the effects of a Logic Virus upon her death.

Proposal: Allow Pod 042 to scan for traces of virus, to be certain that it was not carried with her into Shehui.

[She's pretty sure 9S would've noticed something in her systems given that he's still in charge of her maintenance, but maybe it's just a testament to how much she's missed Pod that his standard duties of checking up on her seems endearing. Or maybe he really is concerned? He's certainly a lot more talkative than she remembers, so who knows if he's just changed?]

Sure. That sounds like a good idea.

[ Well, that's one way to dismantle a matchmaker report. But also, Honebami is relieved it's not true. Weapons can be quite gullible.

With some doubts, he still might have believed he was that compatible with a floating box. Not that he can complain on either front, nodding his head. ]

I see. Then it's a con.

[ In his own slight monotone, he's not impressed either. But, he puts a hand to his chin in thought. ]

What information would you need for a more honest result?

[ Yes, he'll ask a pod. His idea of measuring "love" is when his little brother spreads his arms wide to show how much he loves their big brother... That's probably not accurate, but it's very cute. ]

A con or a tradition that began as one, yes.

[The distinction is hard to make without more information on Shehui, but he's seen that this place has some heavy capitalist leanings. Pod 042 has enough data on various capitalist societies to know that he can't rule the latter out entirely.]

There are several complex algorithms that take into account various likes, dislikes, past experiences, stylistic preferences, make and model of the android in question, as well as multiple subconscious factors.

...It makes them more money. Unpleasant.

[ What would a spirit and a sword even buy as a pair? At least someone in this relationship is being sensible about it. Honebami doesn't have such resources to draw from like a robot, but the focus on credits and moderness and shopping... yeah, it's hard to ignore. ]

That's a lot more to take into account. Maybe too much to ask for from people.

[ ...Don't mind him as he gently pokes 042. ]

Or do you use scanners like the foxes...

It could be viewed as such. Being tricked into depleting one's resources is not ideal.

[Admittedly, Pod 042 is pretty much self sufficient - there's not much he needs to live, so currency mostly a frivolity from his perspective. Still, they could come in handy at some point, and it's unwise to needlessly wast them.

He's pushed backward an inch or so as Honebami touches him, before returning to his original spot in the air.]

...I am unaware of the foxes you speak of. Cross-referencing 'foxes' with 'scanners' retrieves no relevant data.

[ What a good life as a pod... Honebami has to make sure he doesn't spend all his credits in one place, but at the same time, how does one do that? Probably by not paying attention. Time to learn budgeting. ]

The foxes where I'm from... are small talking foxes that like to collect things. Information too, so they're good with technology. They can look up history, people, geography... It's helpful.

[ Satisfied with pod-prodding, he uses his his hands to space out their size— not much bigger than a pod, incidentally. ]

[ Narsus is openly staring at the floating thing. He doesn't understand any of the technology around here, but he wasn't really expecting this piece of it to talk, let alone be capable of making a romantic match. ]

Dishonest? I suppose you could call it that, but every business has the right to take advantage of festivals in its own way, doesn't it? So long as everyone understands that it's purely for entertainment and not a true prediction of the future - which most people seem to - I think there's some inherent value in it as a cultural tradition of sorts.

[ As he speaks, he continues to peer closer at Pod 042, trying to discern who or what he's addressing. He wonders if it's considered horribly rude here to ask what someone is. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( TDM #8 )

Pod 042 | Nier: Automata | OTA

B!

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C -- i'm so happy to see one of the pods, i love them!

Glad to hear it! I loved them too, and I couldn't resist making an account for one.

a but a little bit of wildcard too

screams

screams back (in excitement)

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C

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C