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theorememes2025-11-03 08:07 am
TDM #1, arc 1.0: we drift like worried fire
BUFF
Bonded of The Sorrowweld will find that the NPCs are especially friendly to them this month. Seriously, they just keep trying to give you things. It might get annoying.
DEBUFF
For those who are bonded to Tarnished Az-Mehet, you keep seeing shadows out of the corner of your eye on every screen in the ship, even your datapad. Something is lurking.
At first, you feel a pull. In which direction, you do not know. When a portal of shimmering black and glittering stars appears in front of you, it only seems natural to step into it. On the journey, it is as if you see everything: ancient galaxies wheeling through space, cultures born and growing and leaving their planets, lights creeping over landmasses and them winking out all at once. You see the hungry arm of a black hole, an enigmatic smile under a mirrored mask, a fist clenched tight around an endless sword. Fangs shining in starlight, bandaged feet that have traveled so many miles and still remain sturdy, and code shattering under titanium will.
And then your feet touch solid ground again, and what you have seen is suddenly hard to recall, the merest of glimpses springing to mind when you try to think back.
All you know is that you witnessed something enormous, something you probably shouldn't have seen.
As you struggle to refocus your gaze, all you see for a long moment is white. White walls, white floor. Narrow white cots lined up against a wall, screens blinking above them in tones of soothing aqua and mint. You are in a medbay — a highly advanced one, given the lack of bulky machinery — but perhaps the most eye-catching thing about the room is a long window showing endless black and twinkling stars outside.
Before you can give voice to any thoughts, a small robot flutters toward you, and perches on the back of a chair. "Hello, Wayfarer!" the birdform chirps cheerfully. "I imagine you must have many questions; allow me to enlighten you! You have fallen victim to a quantum accident and have been pulled to another universe, but the Ascendants, in their generosity, intercepted your signal and brought you here so that you did not wind up in empty space. You are aboard the Theorem of the Astral Rose; our mission is to explore uncharted space and search for the Song!"
They pause, thinking, their little blue eye aglow, and then brighten.
"Oh! Introductions are in order! I am Starling's Lament in Flight, but you may call me Starling's Lament. I am one of the Hosts of this exploration vessel; we will do everything we can to ensure a safe voyage for you. Unfortunately, at this moment, we cannot send you home. The Ascendants have indicated that their search for the Song may play some key role in doing so." They whistle a merry tune. "Please enjoy your stay!"
When you manage to get your wits about you -- it's a bumpy ride between universes! -- you start to leave the medbay. Starling's Lament has indicated that you are free to explore the ship, and nowhere is off limits to you. As you leave the cool white tones of the medbay behind, a hallway stretches out in front of you. Both sides are transparent, offering a view into the long dark of space beyond. However, unlike deep space, there is currently quite a lot to see.
On the left lays the broad curve of a planet, lush green landmass and white clouds skidding across its surface. Its star is just sinking behind it, lighting up the very edge of its atmosphere in tones of engine-burn orange and ozone blue, as long shadows cast by enormous space elevators creep across the landmasses. Its most eye-catching feature, however, are the hexagonal structures webbed across its surface, connected by fine corridors with all the geometric precision of woven spider's silk. You can just barely see the tiny dots of spaceships flowing around them, docking, embarking, shuttling between them.
"That is the Redline Trading Post." You hear a tiny whisper, and look up to see another robot — a beetleform, this time, with a shiny dotted shell — watching you curiously from its place on the ceiling. In fact, there are a number of other Hosts doing the exact same thing; a snakeform coiled around a barrier rail, a catform with bright yellow eyes peeking around the corner, a chirping droneform hovering some distance down the hallway. They're all fascinated by you. "But we will be departing soon. You will not get to taste the Galactic Snowball Nova-Cream, the shining culinary jewel of Redline. Sorry. I hear it is very tasty."
You look to your right, away from the planet and the Redline post, to gaze out into the depths of space. In the distance, there is a nebula, its gasses lit up in shades of coral pink and deep purple. It is pockmarked with stars both young and old, newborn stellar entities cradled in the depths of its life-making dust. Set against the dark of space, it is a flower in bloom.
It's beautiful, except—
The longer you look at it, the more something nags at the corner of your mind. A memory glances across your thoughts, unbidden. Something you hoped for, maybe; or something you fear. Whatever the memory, as you gaze at the nebula, a small piece of it curls, shaping in response to your memory. It is your face, reflected perfectly. Smiling, or howling in anger, or weeping.
Eventually, the nebula will go back to normal. But for now, it reflects the fears and triumphs of the new Wayfarers, a mirror held up in the darkness of space.
Once you make it into the bulk of the ship, the Hosts inform you that as they have just restocked all essential supplies, they will be throwing a party in your honor, and they hope you will sample the food.
Maybe you're incredibly dubious about this. Maybe you're starving after your long journey. Either way, you find yourself in the mess hall. It's less like a traditional mess hall and more like a park full of food trucks with seating in the middle. The food trucks are bright and eye-catching, Hosts serving huge heaps of food from their interiors, as their signs advertise everything from Earthen Ancient Egyptian food (As Close As We Can Reconstruct It!) to Raxalar Black Stew (New and Improved: Now Free Of Grit!).
Real grass is underfoot, and the picnic-style seating in the middle appears to be real wood. The lighting is a myriad; whimsical string lights strung between the trucks, floating globe lights playfully dancing like fireflies, and the luminescence of a dogform's patterns and a droneform's enormous eyes and a flyform's glittering trail. The Hosts are clearly excited.
And if the food happens to have... some kind of effect?
Well, the Hosts say, that's only to be expected! The attention of an Edict may, for a nano-second, turn toward the start of this voyage, and that's bound to make anything go a little wonky. Also, they've used some ingredients from the local system, and it's only customary there to share some thoughts and ideas and memories when you eat together. How else can you properly get to know each other?
This may or may not look appealing to you depending on your sensibilities, but it does smell incredible. Soft, savory red meat paired with the fragrant, earthy scent of the vegetable. The Red Buffalo is perfectly seared, and if you poke them cautiously, you'll find the spikes are entirely edible, as long as you chew well enough. If Wayfarers eat this, they will find themselves sharing a memory with the nearest person, a vision of the last time they were truly happy.
It seems the Hosts aren't quite sure of the appropriate alcohol content of substances, as this will burn all the way down, chased by a cool, sparkly feeling all the way down one's esophagus. It tastes of sweetly sour plums, and a potential hangover tomorrow morning. Wayfarers that imbibe this alcohol beverage will start overhearing the thoughts of those around them, as if they are perfectly in tune with everyone.
Ah, a perfectly homey looking meal, sweet and savory, gently steaming. These are a must-try for any Wayfarer with a sweet tooth, proudly boasting of the agricultural and apiary skill of a nearby alien culture. The buns are perfectly fluffy, the spiced honey is warming. What's not to love? After eating this, Wayfarers will find themselves and the nearest person sharing a vision of themselves as they might have been had they gone down the worst possible path in their life.
This isn't the Cherry Cola! you may or may not be familiar with, but it's interesting that whatever alien came up with this came up with the same Earth word. Or maybe the Hosts got it from Earth? Either way, it's fizzy, it's sparkly, it makes you feel like you're floating on rainbow bubbles. Upon drinking this, imbibers will telepathically project outward a vision of the most beautiful thing they've ever seen.
Dear god. What is it? Who came up with this? Who is even brave enough to try this? It certainly… has a taste. It… has an appearance. Whether either of these things are good is in the eye of the beholder. Wayfarers adventurous enough to put this in their mouths (or other eating appendages) will find themselves uncontrollably speaking aloud of the thing they long for the most.
Eventually, it comes time to launch.
The Hosts are a blur of activity, some of them packing up more delicate equipment in case of errant gravity waves during initial propulsion, some of them herding the Wayfarers into a seating area reserved specifically for the safety of its occupants during launch, deceleration, and rare turbulence. You are informed that engine flare will be so bright it will rival a star for the next twenty-five hours of engine start-up burn, but you will only need to stay strapped in for half an hour or so.
As the Theorem's enormous engines start cycling, the entire ship seems to hum in melodic song. And after everybody is strapped in, that's when the intensity starts. Gravity seems to want to push everything toward the stern, and Wayfarers are pressed hard against their seats with the inertia. After half an hour, the Hosts cheerily announce that everybody is free to get up and move around — but you might want to stay near a window, as they will be doing a low dive through the nearby planet's second moon's atmosphere, and it will be quite the sight.
Soon enough, the moon becomes visible. It is of unbroken crimson red, though subtle shifting in its surface lets you guess that it's water rather than earth. And then, as the Theorem rolls gently to the side, the view in the windows nearly perfectly split between moon and space, that's when you see them, swimming through the atmosphere.
To call them fish would be inaccurate — they are not in an ocean, or any body of water — and yet, that will be the word that springs to mind for most Wayfarers. Some of them are sleek and small, schooling in packs of shimmering white and ochre. Others are long and pointed, appendages pointed backward to exude a bright pink gas that propels them forward and which trails after them like oil slicks in the air. The locals call them x'enuda, the Hosts tell you, a combination of words that mean to fly and cunning prey.
They swim closer, swarming outside of the window. Some of them swim through, phasing through the shielding and windows alike, to dance gently in the interior of the Theorem, darting to and fro. If any Wayfarers find themselves curious enough to reach out and touch these creatures, they will find themselves similarly phased, capable of passing through matter for the next few minutes before the shared electrical field wears off and returns them to normal corporality. The external shield will catch you if you phase right through the ship's floor, but you may need to swim back up. Others may find themselves suddenly craving company, as if the x'enuda's instinct to remain safe in a school is catching.
"All Wayfarers, please report to the docking bay!"
As you filter into the enormous cavern that makes up the docking bay of the Theorem, you see rows of smaller spacecraft. Some of them are sleek and light, like they'd be as free as a feather during aerial combat, while others are bulky and spacious. Many of them have designs in alien languages on them, or bizarre looking mascots, seemingly for good luck. As the occasional screen informs you, you are free to claim any one of the ships as your own, but first, Starling's Lament would very much like to give a presentation.
Past the rows of ships lays an expansive opening in the side of the Theorem, many stories high and wide, a shimmering forcefield the only thing between you and space. Beyond it, you can see the quickly fading shape of the planet and moons you left behind as the Theorem continues acceleration. It is in front of this that Starling's Lament has set up a large hologram of a star map.
As they start to explain once everyone is gathered, the map currently shows the region of space you are in. It is an enormous quadrant of multiple galaxies, some pinwheeled in shape, some circuler or tube-like. A line arcs across it, heading into what is clearly less-explored space, beyond the area colorfully marked as Alliance territory. Eventually, that line stops at a star, which then magnifies to reveal a six planet system, the second planet from the star circled.
This is your first objective: designation Epsilon-355.
There are many stories of which planets the Last Pilgrim has set foot upon, and yet, nobody has ever verified any of them. This, the Ascendants claim, is the closest match they have found for one of those planets in a scrap of story: a land of golden sand and shimmering glass, where pilgrimages track their way across the Golden Barrens desert. The planet is small and unassuming in the hologram, and the details next to it are scarce: relatively normal gravity, breathable atmosphere. More details will become available as the Theorem gets close enough for in-depth scans.
If there any notes of the Song to be found, they may yet be found in the Last Pilgrim's footprints.
Presentation nearly over, Starling's Lament directs you a series of tables that have neatly assembled packages of gear. Once you have picked your Division, you are welcome to claim the technological tools of its trade. You can also look at the spaceships available to claim, or even just watch out the docking bay door as you leave the planet behind and head deeper into space.
Welcome to the mission, Wayfarer.
no subject
I'm from America
The United States of America is the full thing but America/the US is easier to say
( That one guy believed Godzilla was real... Might as well keep coming up with random shit. He'll be disproven by the next Earthling they come across, he's sure. )
Cars are definitely a thing but they're not like the ones I've been hearing about here
They don't actually run on gas or electricity or whatever back home, which was crazy for me to learn btw
The engines actually contain these blobs that are kinda like energy orbs??
idr understand any of it but some people think they're sentient or whatever so there's actually a huge moral debate and a lot of scientists are trying to find alternatives
My family car broke down one time and the blob leaked out and I stg it made this high-pitched squeal like a boiled lobster🦞
Anyway we should find you new upholstery or a cushion or smth to sit on
1/2
2/2 i can't believe you've done this
Forget the cushion
Are you being fr? Where do you guys get them from? They must last a long time if you're putting them straight in the engine right [ In this episode, Noctis pretends to be a mechanic. ]
You're putting out a bad image of the US btw, not sure if that was on purpose
no subject
And it's not just the US, it's worldwide tech
But yeah they're supposed to last a lifetime but sometimes they seem to just give up??
The factories make them like car parts
Some AI stuff
I don't condone it I'm js that's what the cars run on
Bikes are getting way more popular
How old are you anyway?
Do you have your own car?
1/2
I heard some guy near the food trucks talk about a library so maybe I can look it up idk
He also said smth about night terrors after eating that weird food tho so 50/50 on him as a source of info
2/2
[ Which is suddenly making him feel weirdly old-fashioned. What's that about... Not that he'd trade in the Regalia for anything. And his personal car before that... well, there's no way that made it out of the city. ]
My star's called Eos btw, and the country's Lucis. Yk so we're even
no subject
If you go to the library though hmu cuz I wanna take a look
Not to study or anything just to see what's there
( DON'T THINK I'M A NERD OR ANYTHING )
That tracks though
The you being 20 thing lol
I actually thought you were older bc you handled my crashout like a paramedic
Stone cold but like in a gentle way, so thanks
10/10 bedside manner, would have a crisis around you again
wdym Eos is a star though?
Like you're not from a burning ball of gas are you?
no subject
... should he be flattered by that? ]
So now I get to escort you other places? Is there gonna be crashout pt 2 if you go to the library by yourself? 🫢
Anyway I'm not from a burning ball of gas if you aren't lmao Eos is a star like Earth is a star, tbh they sound pretty similar except for all the people, places, and things
no subject
Ohhh you mean star=planet
Okay even our naming conventions are all wonky but whatever
Wouldn't crashout pt 2 be like way more interesting if I had to muffle my sobs after a wormform or some other robot shushed us?
I'm all better now, promise
( i am decidedly not )
What's Eos like?
Or ig it'd probably be easier to ask what Lucis is like??
Narrows it down a little bit
no subject
[ Is it weird that he means it? ]
Do yk what caused crashout pt 1 yet? Wondering if the Hosts should know cosmic accidents or w/e can cause that, for all the other newbies
And that's a big question, if you wanna make it smaller. Or I can use your Germany answer and say it's where Eosians and Lucians live
1/2
Let's just say it doesn't affect all the newbies and I'm a special case
And I REALLY don't want to talk about it now or possibly ever actually bc I don't trust any of you at all to address it with me in the way I want it addressed
Which is currently NOT AT ALL
2/2
Go ahead and use the Germany answer if you want to for this but
Where do you like to go in Lucis?
Like where's your favourite spot?
no subject
[ Though it's oddly refreshing to have that barrier laid down, once his immediate defensiveness wears off. Because it allows him to realize he can do the same right back. ]
My favorite spot is the city I'm from, Insomnia. And if you want me to get more specific then I'll call a veto bc I'm not really in the mood to talk about it too much, especially when I can't get back rn
Why would you rather live in Germany than the US?
no subject
I already said I was grateful you helped me out so maybe this doesn't wholly apply to you
Lol and to answer your question I'd rather be literally anywhere on Earth rn but beggars can't be choosers
The US, Germany, idc
I hear it's nice there
Moratorium on talking about sad bullcrap we can't change then??
What's your favourite kind of ice cream?
1/2
We could always rewind and you could try it with the "no offence" and we could see
2/2
no subject
No I don't want to talk about it bc I don't trust anyone on this ship
But no offence
I trust you 1% more than them bc you stayed
Do I get the ice cream deets now?
1/2
2/2
Yeah it feels 1% better
So I can tell you I'm into mixed berry which is the right choice. Lemme guess, you're into extreme triple chocolate or smth
no subject
Mixed berry sounds good like a sherbet or something
I like chocolate but I'm actually a big butterscotch ripple guy
Yes I'm 80 years old
Do you like add-ins?
no subject
Nah I like keeping it simple so I can actually taste the fruit and make sure it's quality. One question tho
Wtf is butterscotch ripple??
no subject
Genuinely idk how to describe it
Do yk what brown sugar and butter are??
It's like that but actually good and rippled through the ice cream like little ribbons
no subject
So
Your fave kind of ice cream is one with even more sugar and then butter in it? You're making this up lol
no subject
You mix the brown sugar and butter together and like melt it or smth so it turns into a delicious goo
And then you ripple that shit into the ice cream
So yes it is my fave kind
It rocks
Enjoy your bare berries
no subject
I'll even eat two servings to make up for what you're missing. Do you have an actual fave dessert where butter actually belongs or are you focused on ice cream only?
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