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September 2023 TDM
SEPTEMBER 2023 TDM
You wake up completely alone in an unfamiliar place. The forest around you is awash in the pleasant warmth of late summer. Any time-telling devices have stopped working and nothing looks familiar. But the visitors center has maps and information on the area, and with a bit of looking around you find the name of a nearby town: Ashbrook.
Welcome to Ashbrook's very first TDM. Take a look at our navigation page to get started, or skip right to the prompts below! TDM threads may be kept as game canon.
While Ashbrook is an invite-only game, you do not need an invite to play on the TDM.
Please direct any TDM-specific questions you may have here.
Welcome to Ashbrook's very first TDM. Take a look at our navigation page to get started, or skip right to the prompts below! TDM threads may be kept as game canon.
While Ashbrook is an invite-only game, you do not need an invite to play on the TDM.
Please direct any TDM-specific questions you may have here.
Of Monster and Men
What:
Lost in the woods with friends and 'friends'
When:
Throughout September
Warnings:
Stalking, paranoia, violence, being lost in the woods
With summer nearing its end and school already begun, it seems as if every teen's got a story to tell.
One of them that's pretty popular starts off like any other. Couple of kids go into the woods, one of them goes missing, and gets found later on — but they're not right, it's not them; the rest of the story goes as it goes and the group ends up dying or scared half to it by the week's end, tormented by the Goatman. The story has its variations depending on the person telling it. Sometimes there's a creature staring from the treeline; or unexplainable, not quite human voices calling from outside the campfire's light. No matter what the creature is hard to identify, and you can only really catch it by spotting oddities in the way it mimics its victims.
The stories aren't just stories, though. In any other town they might be, but in Ashbrook, they're warnings. You're cutting through the woods after class, or heading back to the car at the end of a camping trip, or maybe you're even a new arrival stumbling your way home. No matter what, there's an odd scent, sharp and metallic, that's following you around. It disappears when you think about it; maybe it's the mind playing its tricks after hearing the stories, or the stress of being somewhere unfamiliar?
But when you glance at your companion they're suddenly gone; look away and back and they're suddenly there again. It can happen a few times and it does. You try not to think about it, but it nags at the back of your mind — how well do you really know the person beside you? Are you sure they're safe? Are you sure they're really them? You decide to press on, sure you're imagining things.
Until you discover the eviscerated body of the person you've been traveling with.
You hear footsteps behind you.
TL;DR
- There's a Goatman that's said to roam the woods and slip unnoticed into groups, disguising itself as someone else. You won't ever catch it taking someone, just the mangled corpses it leaves behind.
- The Goatman has an acrid scent to it, metallic like blood in the back of your throat, but it doesn't linger enough to tell who it's coming from.
- The Goatman can take on the face of anyone at all. Identifying it is tricky, but possible — but it requires you the know the person it replaced well enough to spot the oddities.
- The Goatman will also play dead while disguised as a member of a group, in hopes of inspiring paranoia in its victims.
- Characters can experience visceral, gruesome deaths in this prompt, due either to the Goatman or to the paranoia of their traveling companions.
Ghost on the Shore
What:
An encounter on a foggy night
When:
Evenings in September
Warnings:
Drowning, compulsive behavior
As summer turns to autumn, fog from the rivers rolls steadily over the town in the early evenings, and only dissipates in the morning's rays. Visibility is low, but it's perfect if you want to go for a quiet evening stroll or pre-dawn jog. It's just you out there — you and one other person.
You don't know if they were there a second ago. And maybe it's just the cover of the fog making it hard to see but... they seem familiar. You feel drawn to follow the path they take. No matter how hard you try they don't slow or respond to yelling, and you never catch up. You eventually find yourself at the river's edge, one foot ahead of the other as you've seemingly started to tread the depths of it. You can't see the person you were following but you're certain they've gone into the water. You just need to follow them, and never mind how cold and swift the river runs.
But maybe that didn't happen. Maybe you thought you heard someone calling your name and snapped out of it. Your first instinct may be to get out of there and away from whatever had you hypnotized in the first place, but then you see it: someone else still chasing after a phantom.
If your first instinct isn't to help, as a decent person should, there's something like a soft voice as the wind caresses your ear, pleading for you not to let them near the water, not to let them sink... and you move, for whatever good enough reason your mind conjures, to help those who have yet to wake.
TL;DR
- Characters see a familiar face on foggy knights. They're driven to follow them, because who wouldn't want to see an old friend or even enemy?
- Unfortunately, characters will never reach that person. They can walk all they want, run or sprint, but the other will remain both unresponsive and just out of reach.
- Eventually, the phantom will attempt to lead their victim into the river, where they will likely drown if not rescued.
- Characters can be snapped out of this trance by a whisper on the wind they can't quite identify. Those that are will be compelled to seek out and help anyone still in a trance. Just don't wait too long, or you'll find the other party willingly taking a dive six feet under.
Toil and Trouble
What:
It's time to learn magic!
When:
Weekends in September
Warnings:
None
A more welcoming rumor is about the Witch of the Woods. The teens describe her as a stern but beautiful woman who's willing to teach anyone who comes seeks her out. Bring her a suitable offering and knock three times on her door in the middle of the night, and she'll answer to teach you what she knows of the supernatural and magic.
... Thankfully, no one has to find out how wrong that is right now. There are flyers, decorated childishly with bat and cauldron stickers, inviting the reader to the "Witch's Retreat". These flyers seem to appear when a Visitor glances away for a second to pick something up, or gently drift down right into their hands. Even the most skeptical, scoff-likely of Visitors will find their interest piqued in the days before it, mind drifting back to the promise of help in their unusual situation.
The retreat itself is headed by a middle-aged woman, who's narrowed gaze inspects the people who've come before she grumbles something under her breath and waves her hand.
"Look in the tree holes for your books and pick a partner to pair with — they aren't the kinds of things you'd want to test on your own. First rule: Always have a third hand. Second: Don't do it in public if you can help it. Final: Don't even try skipping ahead, because they won't answer you."
Whatever that means. It's time to learn magic.
The Witch — if pressed, she'll begrudgingly allow the students to address her as 'Ms. Spinner' — will force characters together with a surprisingly powerful shove of her hand if she passes and you aren't already paired with someone too, so don't think you can get out of this little exercise by going solo! You can't. As far as the promised spirituality goes... listen to the voice within, find your inner peace, and the rest'll come naturally. The Witch isn't too pressed for you whelps to understand off the bat, though she won't leave you out on a limb either.
TL;DR
- The characters — Visitors, as they're referred — are able to learn basic level magic with the help of the Witch.
- Pair up and practice. This is essential to the process, and the Witch will force unpaired individuals to partner up.
- Anything higher level magic won't come to the character; it may feel like there's a kind of blockage, even to those who're used to magic themselves.
- The Witch isn't open to questions about the town in particular (are you here to gossip or learn?) and won't answer anything about it, so stay on task if you want answers to your questions.
A Day In The Life
New Visitors may wake up in the woods, but that's not where they're going to be spending all of their time. They have homes, jobs, work, entire lives they need to attend to. They'd better get to it!
A Visitor will be instinctively drawn towards both their home and job; they will always know how to navigate the former, and may find the tasks they perform at the latter suspiciously easy. Outside of that, their life will be incredibly normal for the first few days. No one will acknowledge the strangeness in the woods, and a Visitor's insistence that they're not from around here will be treated like a joke.
And then suddenly it's weird again. They wake up one day and realize they have a different job, perhaps even a different home. They will lose any instinctive understanding they may have had of their old job and gain similar understanding of their new job. Visitors will retain all of their memories of their previous job, but if they bring it up to the townsfolk none of them will have any idea what they're talking about.
TL;DR
A Visitor will be instinctively drawn towards both their home and job; they will always know how to navigate the former, and may find the tasks they perform at the latter suspiciously easy. Outside of that, their life will be incredibly normal for the first few days. No one will acknowledge the strangeness in the woods, and a Visitor's insistence that they're not from around here will be treated like a joke.
And then suddenly it's weird again. They wake up one day and realize they have a different job, perhaps even a different home. They will lose any instinctive understanding they may have had of their old job and gain similar understanding of their new job. Visitors will retain all of their memories of their previous job, but if they bring it up to the townsfolk none of them will have any idea what they're talking about.
TL;DR
- This prompt is meant to allow players an opportunity to experiment with the role mechanic, without forcing them to retcon their threads if they receive a markedly different role after applying.
- Retconning is, of course, still an option - but if you want to give your character another bit of existential confusion, this is the prompt for you.
OOC Notes
If your character dies... While characters may die during the TDM, these deaths do not count towards a character's death count. If a character dies, they will vanish the instant they lose consciousness. The dead character will reappear safely back at the nearest visitors center, and both they and any witnesses will have only a hazy recollection of the event.
If a character TDMs but doesn't app... You have the option of having your character remember these characters. ICly, characters that TDM but do not apply will simply vanish without a trace under mysterious circumstances.
If you have any questions, please direct them here. Enjoy your new life.
If a character TDMs but doesn't app... You have the option of having your character remember these characters. ICly, characters that TDM but do not apply will simply vanish without a trace under mysterious circumstances.
If you have any questions, please direct them here. Enjoy your new life.
Ala | OC
98... 99... 100! Ready or not, here I come!
[ Ala's head snaps up from the damp trunk of her counting tree, blinking furiously to rid the dazzle of summer and focus on the rustle of leaves and that weird bloody smell she has a pretty good idea who it belongs to. It's that scent she goes after, stalking through the trees with the silent steps of a wraith and a black hoodie pulled over her head that helps hide her in the shadows.
Not that she needs to be quiet and invisible to sneak up on her first victim.
You come across a young teenage girl half hidden in the bushes, crouched over a mangled body so freshly dead that blood still weeps from its many gapes and gashes as the girl shakes a shoulder or pokes at a cheek or attempts to tickle a side but finding that her fingers slip straight inside its guts instead. ]
Haha, ew, gross! Oh, come on, don't be a sore loser. [ poke poke ] You lost, so you're It now. Get up! [ ... ] Hey, come on... [ ... ] ...
ii. pretty sure this is how it works
[ Think you can escape the river's siren call just by staying away from the river? Maybe drowning would have been better than being anywhere near the foggy downtown stores within sight of a teenage girl with two dozen chip bags in a messy pile at her feet, switchblade in her hand, and bright smile on her face as she goes !!! and advances towards her next victim. ]
Hi! Hello! Please give me all your money!
misc.
[ there were going to be more prompts but I got hungry and am going to go make lunch now, write me a prompt instead or @ me at
( ii. )
Granted, a teenage girl loaded down with snacks and armed with a knife probably isn't really mundane.
Regardless, Ford doesn't look particularly intimidated by Ala. Only time will tell how much of a mistake that is. ]
Who on earth would walk around with cash at this time of night?
no subject
[ This is mostly hopeful wishing, but adults are the sort of people who carry around cash, aren't they? Kids her age get a paltry allowance of a couple dollars a week, and hers are already spent.
... ]
Or do you carry more cash during the day? I could come back, but it might be too late, then...
no subject
Hardly. Carrying around more than $20 at a go just makes you a target for miscreants and pickpockets.
[ He grew up in New Jersey in the 50s and 60s. He knows how this goes! ]
What do you need money for, anyway? You look like you have plenty of food already.
no subject
[ She holds her hands out expectantly, blade re-sheathed so she doesn't accidentally stab her new benefactor. ]
I'm collecting chip bags! Once I have enough, I'll just need some duct tape, and then I'm ready to be a hero! You're helping out a good cause, mister.
no subject
How will chip bags and duct tape help you be a hero?
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
ii.
[ izō spares a moment to glance at the weapon and then looks around because ??? she wants to threaten.... him?? he isn't dressed like a person who has a lot of money on hand at any given moment either. ]
Hehe, yeah sure, kid. That's cute. Maybe y'oughta try pickin' on somebody yer own size, though.
[ it's possible he's making a mistake... it wouldn't be the first time. ]
no subject
Yay! No takebacksies! How much d'you have on you?
no subject
[ see: izō fails to do this all the time, but it's convenient to point it out right now. he folds his arms and huffs dramatically. ]
What's a kid doin' like this anyway? Yer a kid! [ in case she didn't know!! ] Just turn on the sad eyes around some rich lookin' lady an' yer all set!
[ and leave the threats and muggings to people who don't have the advantage of cuteness... ]
no subject
Aw, but rich lookin' ladies are gonna cry if I do. I don't want to make anybody cry!
[ She flips the switchblade in between her fingers, chewing at her bottom lip for a moment before turning her gaze back up at Izo. ]
You wouldn't cry, would you?
no subject
[ he super totally would, given enough booze. he is a LIAR, and he knows it. izō keeps his eye on that knife, which a smarter person might ask himself where a kid gets knife skills like that in the first place, but you know... whatever. ]
Why ya tryin' t' rob me anyhow? Quit eatin' all yer profit!
[ he means all those chip bags. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
misc, ORIIIIIIIII i would write a prompt for u any day
nonetheless. angela may be without a library, without a book that knows all, but the aloof young woman is ever-curious of things she doesn't know or has doubts on and the witch has provided an interesting experience to explore. seeing others manage it gives her the curiosity too, and so...
... well, ala seems like a little Much just looking at her, but there's a hand at angela's back putting her over to the teen. maybe they'll balance each other out, the witch grumbles, that girl's got too much energy in a lot of different ways to be trying her hand at this magic. ]
...
[ hello. though angela's reluctant to trust a stranger... ]
We're supposed to practice together.
[ yeah. that's good. nailed it. ]
<3
Reading is... hard...
It'll be worth the effort, though, she thinks as she beams up at the other girl and flips her book around to show her the pages. ]
'kay! Soooooo let's do this one!
[ IT'S FIREWORKS. She wants to learn how to make fireworks. Fire + loud sounds + pretty colorful lights, what more could you want ]
no subject
angela crouches down to peer at the book, reading the instructions (it... doesn't seem too hard, surely nothing too advanced that the witch's words would hold water about skipping ahead) and. well. she's never seen them before either, so her interest is already piqued. her eyes scan the meadow'd ground for-- a stick, that should do. ]
"Focus on a point from which you'd like the fireworks to sprout and recite the incantation for fire, bringing to mind the form you'd want it to take. This is the first part. For an audiovisual experience..."
[ ... hold on, she's turning the page. ]
"... For an audiovisual experience, see the incantation for wind manipulation."
[ okay. hold on, let her have the book ala. you can hold the stick. ]
no subject
Agi!
no subject
Don't do that. Or if you're going to, then do so away from me.
[ she'll burn the book... cannot think of a worse fate. angela can and will turn this car around!!! but she's still eager to know herself, so she's flipping to the page. ]
Wind manipulation appears to be one of the more advanced spells. Do you know how to create a vacuum of space?
ii ALA ALA ALA AND ORIII HEHE
[Mayoi had really been trying not to be spotted. Not because he caught onto this girl having a knife, but because the idea of walking near any person on the side walk had been undesirable in general. She spotted him, though, and as she advanced, Mayoi freezes right up.]
M-M-Money!?
[IS HE BEING ROBBED. OH GOD his parents told him scary stories about people like this why did he go outside why did he not simply bury himself in the ground and let the earth reclaim him why can't he wake up from this nightmaaaaaaaare.]
I don't! I don't have any money! I'm a worthless spec of insignificant dirt upon the ground, please don't kill meeeeeee-!
hehehe
It's okay, it's okay, I won't kill you! I can't get credit card info and stuff if you're dead, right?
[ She stops right in front of Mayoi and stares up at him.
... ]
...plus, you're a liar too, huh? If you were a worthless spec of insignificant dirt upon the ground, I wouldn't have seen you. [ So what else are you lying about? not having any money? turn out those pockets, bud ]
no subject
I-I not lying about thaaaat... [About being insignificant, at least. He lies about plenty of other things. Oh god, but she's right there and the blade is so close. Is this how he dies? In the streets thanks to a terrifying little girl??]
[He reaches into his pockets, though, because there's no getting out of this unless he checks probably. Maybe he can stall for time and try to escape...]
H-Here, my wallet- [He opens it, and ...okay there's like two bucks in there. He pulls it out, passing it a strange look before he offers it to her. The rest of the wallet has his student I.D. and a few other affects.] This is all I have, I promise!
no subject
Yay! We can buy two bags of chips with these!
[ whips around to stare at Mayoi before he can think he's off the hook ]
Which one do you want?
no subject
E-Eh...? You ...wanted to buy chips with that money?
[How strangely ...adorable. He think about someone who just had a knife to him moments ago.]
[He quickly shakes his head at her offer, though.]
I-I couldn't impose! Please, enjoy them instead, I do not mind...
i. that sure is a dead body...
He isn't too sure, so he keeps a bit of distance, watching her as he steadies himself against a tree. His body still feels utterly weak, after all.]
Oh my. You should not be touching him right now.
love dead bodies
Huh...?
[ She blinks the daze away, and shakes her head to clear her thoughts. ]
Oh, yeah, huh? If I leave fingerprints, I'll get in trouble. Do you have any tissues?
no subject
Well, he's not too worried. Concerned and disturbed, but not worried. For now. He can understand morbid curiosity after all.]
I apologize, but I don't have those with me.
May I ask what you were doing?
nests on u for misc, I hope witchcraft is okay!!!
"Don't even try skipping ahead, because they won't answer you."
At least having too many questions than answers and having to roll with the punches are both things that have been par for the course for him. There's a girl pretty close to him that doesn't have a partner yet... He's still a little skeptical about this - not about whether magic exists, of course, but whether this is the real deal. Even so, he can still play along.]
So are we going to fight each other for the honor of being the third hand?
[As he settles next to her, it's said quietly and with a perfectly blank delivery.]