November TDM

[savmods]

Multiversal travel can be disorienting, but there’s no need to worry! All side effects are temporary and lessen with each trip. Your body may experience several sensations at once: being pushed forward as if a hand is resting on your back, momentary and startling blindness, a gentle ringing in your head. You may have difficulty discerning whether it is hot or cold, but where you have been prodded is noticeably warmer than the rest of you. Some may suffer dizziness while others are perfectly fine. You notice that the area you are in is filled with a soft cerulean light and feels slightly humid and dark despite the glow around you. Regardless of your current state, however, the stress of transit forces your body into unconsciousness. Waking up is another story. Or maybe it isn’t. You find yourself in a nondescript room; sometimes with others who have found themselves in the same situation, sometimes alone. Welcome to Avagi Station, your new home.

---

Avagi

That First Step, it is a Doozy: There are always risks to exploring new environments and Avagi is rich with new nooks and crannies to explore. You’re checking out a new corridor that’s been opened, though there have been signs warning that there are areas where structural stability has been weakened by neglect and the passage of time. But maybe things have been going well, you’ve found a few interesting things of note and you’re ready to head back to your bunk for the day. Except when you turn to leave, the floor is giving way without a screech of metal. Hopefully you’ve got some good reflexes and can catch yourself before you topple down a shaft that seems to go down at least thirty or forty feet. Do you call for help or struggle to handle it on your own? And more importantly, how are you getting around this giant hole in the floor now that it’s there? The Buddy System: In order to help new arrivals find their bearings the more experienced residents on board have decided to try out the buddy system in order until the new arrivals get their space legs. The guide is responsible for answering any questions, showing them all the important facilities and making sure their new friend doesn’t wander anywhere too dangerous. And what better way to get to know your buddy than to try and help them find all the supplies they need to be comfortable in their new home? Hopefully the barter blocks have some clothes in your size or else it could get a little bit awkward come laundry day. Shining Bright: The Observation Station is the best place on Avagi to get a look at the storm that rages all around. However today when you stop by there’s something strange and new to look upon. It’s not clear if it’s a change in the environment or perhaps an effect of the living energy that opens the portals but the entire room is filled with softly glowing floating lights. If you venture into the room and dare to touch one of the lights you’ll find that you find a song playing in your mind that fills you with a deep and abiding sense of peace. What you do with that feeling is up to you but it seems that these lights aren’t going to cause any harm then why not let yourself relax in a beautiful space for a little while?

---

Kaittos

This month there is a portal to the planet Kaittos, a peaceful world containing one large land mass and a scattering of lived-on islands across a clear blue ocean. On the mainland, a large city-state occupies the central region and southern coast and resembles what some travelers from some versions of Earth might know of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Bustling and lively, the city is clean and well provided-for due to the temperate climate and the bountiful natural resources found on its northern side; orchards, farms and forests extend into the distance, butting up against a small mountain range. The technology level is low compared to Avagi, with carriages and candles in place rather than cars and electric lights, but the craftsmen of the world have managed some very impressive mechanical feats. Kaittans, the local residents of the world appear somewhat humanoid, but the bipedal race has hooves rather than feet, silvery skin and three eyes with vertical pupils. Although there is no sign of any other sentient species in the world, the locals are nonetheless excited to meet their guests, rather than suspicious or afraid; for some reason, they are not surprised that aliens exist, merely that they are here. Visitors are encouraged to explore the city and partake in an exchange of goods and ideas, to share their culture and stories with the locals. Perhaps there’s a merchant willing to trade a bauble for a story or you want to try something entirely unknown to your palette in the culinary quarter. The possibilities, while not quite limitless, are enough to keep the curious busy for quite a while. OUT OF CHARACTER INFO FAQ | LOCATIONS | RESERVES | APPLICATIONS | NAVIGATION

Comments

[beeped]

My dear Eds, I am truly, truly honored. [It's that terrible attempt at an English accent again. He even couples it with a bow.]

There's a lot to look forward to. You'll need to do something, too. Not to make me a fan of you, 'cause I already am, but you know.

[clussy]

(God, and English accents were the easiest. Someone help this kid.

Eddie's brows scale up and he has to laugh a little.)

Me do something? What do you mean? I hope you don't mean talent wise.

[beeped]

I'm not asking you to be like, going on stage and doing bits with me. But you should do something you like, that you want to do.

[He doesn't want to suggest anything specifically, if only because he'd rather Eddie decide what that thing could be.] Since we don't have school, I guess?

[clussy]

(Truthfully, Eddie's never thought too hard about that sort of thing. He was so busy being preoccupied with not dying on a regular basis, or not upsetting his mother, or fleeing from internalized horrors in the shape of lepers and clowns made external, or getting bullied, or just sitting out by the train tracks alone, that Eddie had never contemplated anything beyond leaving Derry. The greatest goal he could even imagine for himself was leaving his mother, and through some weird slip of time and space, he had managed exactly that.

So what did that leave him with? Eddie's eyes are on Richie, but he's a little blank, his body still. He wasn't funny like Richie, smart like Stan, brave like Bill, capable like Beverly, resourceful like Ben, or strong like Mike. He was just Eddie.

Eddie realizes he's been quiet for too long and he pulls himself together, shaking his head and looking up at Richie.)

I don't really know what I want to do. I mostly just want to hang out with you guys.

(Even his friends here- Laura was so strong. He wasn't good at fighting like she was, nor did he really want to be, and Chara was- Chara was weird. The idea of figuring something out he wanted to do in that kind of way? It unnerved him endlessly. It felt like growing up.)

[beeped]

[Richie would have a lot to say if he knew what Eddie was thinking. Fortunately or unfortunately, mind-reading is just something he is incapable of doing. He settles back down beside Eddie and nudges him.]

That's a start. You know you can hang out with me as much as you want. Maybe you'll discover something here you like, that just wasn't a thing in Derry? And you'll end up being the best at it.

[clussy]

I know.

(And he was glad for that, honestly. It was a nice idea- finding something that he liked to do. Something, maybe, that he was even good at. Eddie pulls a leg up on the bed, turning to face Richie, their knees bumping together. He tucks his knee under his chin and wraps his arms around his calve, looking at Richie.)

I doubt I'll be the best, but maybe you have a point. (He did remember his vague interest in the medic area on board. But he had quickly been told to stay out of it by the adults there, to not try and help even though he had offered. It had just seemed like something they needed help with. This place was a community and everything mattered, right?)

[beeped]

Of course I do, I'm really fucking bony.

[It's not his best joke ever, but he wiggles his elbow toward Eddie for emphasis anyway. His making light of things doesn't change the fact that he believes that Eddie will find something he likes and do great things.]

I have a feeling it's all going to work out.

[clussy]

Does that mean you always have a boner?

(It's a horrible joke, and Eddie fully blames Richie's influence because of it. It just slipped out, and he swats at Richie's elbow because stop.

At least Eddie no longer thought that there was actually a bone down there. When he had first heard that phrase, he hadn't been able to wrap his mind around such a soft bone existing. Kind of like how the first time he heard the word 'blowjob', he had assumed it had something to do with painting (he tries really, really hard to not think about that too hard lately).

Eddie really had no chance in the real world at all.)

If you say so. (Richie was his best friend after all. If he didn't trust him, then who was out there worth trusting at all?)

At least you guys are here now. It already feels better.

[beeped]

I do when I'm around you.

[Ba-dum tish. What a punchline! Richie even holds his hand up for a high five. He is a fucking comedic genius, and it's clear that he thinks he just said the most hilarious thing. He's not thinking of any sort of implication here; rather it's just a half-assed variant of one of his 'your mom' jokes.]

It's a start, innit? Anyway, at least we're going to be getting the biggest goddamn adventure and that'll be fun.

[clussy]

(There was some miracle that Eddie doesn't die from blood constantly pumping into his face whenever he's around Richie. Because there it goes again, full blush.)

Oh my God- beep, beep, Richie!

(He grabs Richie's arm and uses it to push his hand backwards to hopefully smack Richie in his face with his own hand. Similarly, it goes over Eddie's head a bit. It's just Richie being Richie again.)

We've already gone on enough adventures. Besides, space is super dangerous. Probably.

[beeped]

[Eddie's attempt to make Richie hit himself = a success! Richie howls with laughter, and it takes him a moment to calm back down enough to talk.]

Yeah, but we're setting ourselves to go even further than Neil Armstrong, as we don't even have to take like, a thousand math classes to amake it happen.

[clussy]

(There it is again, that funny look on Eddie's face.)

What?

(Because just about none of that made a lick of sense to Eddie Kaspbrak, and his confusion was plain as day.)

[beeped]

[Richie puts his hand on Eddie's forehead.]

Are you sure you're not coming down with something? I'm talking about the guy who went to the moon, doofus.

[clussy]

(For a fleeting instant, Eddie gets stricken with a raw kind of fear that he really was coming down with something. His hand flutters up towards Richie's hand and he makes a small keening noise at the back of his throat.)

Do I feel warm?

(Except that fear almost drops immediately and so does his hand because what?)

Uh? Dummy, we haven't made it to the moon yet.

[beeped]

You feel normal but something's wrong with you.

[Because really, what the hell?]

Uh... yes we have? Like, a lot.

[clussy]

Something's wrong with you.

(Excuse you! Eddie frowns fiercely at Richie.)

No, we definitely haven't. Eisenhower literally just said we were trying to beat out Russia. If we reached space already, why bother hiding it from the world?

[beeped]

Eisenhower! What does he have to do with anything? Reagan's Star Wars! The Challenger!

[Oh yeah, that one actor is president now.

And in his best impression of Johnny-Carson-as-Ronald-Reagan:] Wu's on the phone, Eddie!

[clussy]

(For some reason, Eddie suddenly thought of Mr. Keene and his dry desert eyes staring at him from behind his desk.

I'm not crazy, I'm not, I'm not.

(Your lungs don't have asthma, Eddie, your mind does)

Eddie doesn't quite remember getting to his feet. His memories shuffling like a card deck in his mind, flickering into place. Why was it so hard to remember that one in particular? It was so easy to fall back into it all.

But this didn't make a lick of sense to Eddie. Worst part was that he knew Richie wasn't joking with him at all. Eddie creeps back, his lungs shriveling up tight and uncomfortable in his chest

(You're not sick)

and he has to swallow a deep breath. God, getting his memories back all at once would have almost been better than this splattering thing of going back and forth.)

What are you talking about? Did I- Christ. I can't have forgotten everything.

[beeped]

[--well, that explains the doors, but that hardly matters to Richie right now. It's confusing and terrifying that Eddie seems to have no idea what he's talking about.

Because he should. It's not like any of the things Richie mentioned happened in a vacuum.]

I don't understand, Eddie. You really don't know?

[Not only does he sound confused, but there's traces of fear there, too.]

[clussy]

No!

(He says this with a shrilly quality to his voice. He's missing something huge, they both are, and he has no idea what he's supposed to think. His hands go into his hair briefly, but he quickly yanks them back out. He tracks across the room, and then back over.

Sans would know what to do in this situation. He was a smart guy, always thinking, always looking. What was Eddie missing?

His other memories usually came to him in, at least, pretty logical ways. Stuff would trigger them. So why wasn't that happening with this?

He thinks back to when he'd felt confused about the wheelchair thing too. Eddie turns abruptly around, feeling a crushing anxiety eating at his chest. Was he really that crazy...Or...)

Who's Reagan?

[beeped]

Ronald Reagan?

[He waits for a brief moment to see if Eddie recognizes the name before he continues. And literally just sits where he is, because this is a situation where he's not sure how he can best help besides talking more.

That in itself is a first.]

He's the president? But apparently was some kind of actor, I dunno. They're all old movies so I don't think I've seen any of 'em.

[clussy]

(No, nothing about that name rang familiar. Eddie at least did know the president when he was around, and he shakes his head. Richie wasn't that stupid to mess up the president, so what was this about?)

No. Eisenhower is president.

[beeped]

[Richie's brows furrow as he tries to remember lessons from history class. He's almost irritated that they're even relevant.]

But Ike was like... after World War II? That was a really long time ago.

[clussy]

A long time-. No? It's only been- like. We both were born just when it ended, about. That's not that long ago.

(He gestures between the two of them because really, Richie? They weren't that old yet.)

[beeped]

Eddie...

[He says his best friend's name slowly. Richie is so confused and concerned, but he really doesn't understand how Eddie can be fucking time up so badly.]

I was born in 1976.