TDM #1;

[monstermods]

TEST DRIVE
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one; a rough morning

[The TDM will not be game canon, except for the very first part where characters awaken and interact with the nurse. The prompts will be the same every month in order to keep all the focus and attention on the events in the game itself!]



You wake up dazed and confused, laying on what appears to be a metal cot tucked in the corner of a room, a single window is beaming it's sunlight from the wall right beside you. The room is very small, with only the one bed walled off by curtains that drape from the middle of the room to separate it from the rest of the world. The air smells dusty, with a hint of something metallic that lingers in the back of your throat. You feel tired, and weak. Head dizzy, face warm, and you can't move any part of your body except for the eyes. Panic starts to set in, when you realize that no matter how hard you try to move a leg, or an arm, there's absolutely no response from your body whatsoever. But thankfully or not, you aren't left alone with that panic for long.

You can hear the sound of rifling through drawers. A pause. And then a soft, yet husky voice calls out to you from the other side of the curtain: "Hang on there sweetie, I'll be right with you."

Not a moment passes before a large, clawed hand reaches in through your curtain and grabs hold of the fabric. For a moment, your heart is caught in your throat. You try to get up, to run, but you couldn't get away in time even if you could move. In only seconds, the hand throws the fabric aside to reveal...

...an older looking woman, at least from the head to the middle of her torso. But what's connected to her torso is what startles you the most.

She has the tail of a snake, a corn snake with her colors bright and vibrant as the ones you've seen in pictures. Within her arms is a clipboard and pen, which she picks up and clicks to begin writing something down.

"Well hello there, dear. I'm Ms. Morgan and you're wondering why you can't move, right? That would be my fault, I'm afraid. Until I can get you checked out properly, I've paralyzed you so you don't freak out and make things worse for me."

She continues to write, until hitting the bottom of the page. From there she flips it over, and checks off a few more things.

"While I've got you here, I can at least tell you a little bit about what's going on. It's a long story, but within the last decade a deathly plague has been cropping up here and there. It'll get any critter, whether they're covered in fur or scales, and no one understands where it came from or how we can get rid of it. Our top brains tried and tried to find a way to help the ill, but every single time ended with a failure and another broken heart.

We've really done about everything we could think of, and we'd given up hope for a couple of years. But just recently there's been a breakthrough, and someone had the bright idea to mix foreign DNA with ours and see if any of it could make some kind of cure. I don't really get it, myself but I'm desperate enough to do anything."

Without warning, Ms. Morgan raises her gaze towards you and you're suddenly able to use your limbs again. Though, you feel like you've got pins and needles in every single inch of your body and it makes it a little hard to properly move anything at first.

"But that's where you come in. Before you woke up, I had injected you with a little bit of the plague, and a little bit of somethin' special to help your body acclimate to it better. Our uh.. "leader".. wants to observe your symptoms for a little while, so you're quarantined to this big building for now.

I wouldn't recommend trying to leave, anyway. It's so dang foggy outside that without a guide, you'll be wandering around for weeks."

The older woman then turns the clipboard to face you, and shoves it towards you with the pen. It's a stat page, by the looks of it. Things like your height, weight, and descriptors of what you look like. At the bottom of the page is a line for a signature.

"Now if you wouldn't mind... could you sign this paper? It won't matter much at the end of the day, since you don't really have a choice about something that already happened, but it shows us who is and isn't willing to participate in finding a cure. Aka: who is and isn't going to be a pain in the ass."

You can take the paper and sign it, or you may refuse. Either way, she'll take the clipboard back and start to usher you up from the bed and towards the door.

"I know all of this is a little overwhelming and unfair, but I'm going to warn you that if you start going on some rampage the moment you leave this room you're not going to like what'll happen to 'ya! You'll be thrown in detention for the smaller stuff, but if you do something real bad then you'll get expelled... which is just a fancy word around here for executed.

So be careful out there, sweetie. Don't get into any trouble."


As soon as you are out the door, you are met with about 30 other people standing in a crowd. You begin to scan their faces, one by one. They look about as confused as you do, and the closer you look the more you notice. A number, printed onto the skin of those standing around you. On his cheek, her neck, their arm...






....where's yours?

two; and there was only one bed


It's time to hit the sack after a long, confusing day and you've been given a number and a letter to find your assigned room. Lucky monsters will find themselves with their own room, a single bed that only has accommodations for one. The less lucky will find themselves with one roommate, two beds fit snugly inside. And the unluckiest will have to live in the bunk-bed rooms, which can have two to six bunks in one room. Each room has one bathroom attached, the bigger rooms with more beds will have two. Every room will have dressers and cabinets for storage and a closet to hang clothes.

You'll have to learn to live in peace and share with your roommates, otherwise snide comments and petty arguments are going to be pretty tough to avoid in such cramped rooms! You can always trade rooms if you make friends outside of your dorm, there's no rules about swapping or sleeping over as long as you get a decent amount of sleep every night.

If you're a little hungry, you can head over to the cafeteria to get yourself some grub. From raw meat, bags of blood, and piles of freshly cleaned bones to crisp vegetables and fruits, impossible meat in any form you can think of, and sweets upon sweets made with all sorts of ingredients to accommodate any diet. It's a buffet style room that's serve your own everything, there's even soft serve stations!

There's a curfew for when you're allowed to get yourself something to eat, and when you're supposed to be going to bed. However, if you stay up late the only punishment you'll be privy to is having to go to class with only an hour of sleep.

The curfew, for those curious, looks like this:

DINING HOURS - 6 AM to 10 PM
BEDTIME - 11 PM

three; something's changing

It's been about 3 days since you'd been pricked in the arm with that mysterious liquid, and it seemed like it was any normal shot you would have had to take before entering a new school. No side effects besides a little swelling, at the beginning. But after day three you begin to feel... strange. And you realize that this isn't any old injection.

Shivering, sweating, and a little headache begin to settle and not long after is when your body will begin to change. For some it's extremely painful, but for the lucky it almost seems to work like magic with no feeling to it whatsoever. It may lasts seconds, it may last days, but slowly and surely new limbs start to pop out of your body. Maybe you grow a foot or two in height, or shrink down to six inches tall? There's unfortunately no way to stop it from happening, but that's why you're all at this Academy! If you ever wondered why there were so many creatures that staffed the halls of this school... there's your answer.

They're here to teach you about your new anatomy, and if your changes are bringing you too much pain you can go to the Nurse's office and she can help you through them with painkillers, bandages, ice/heating pads, kisses on your booboos or just a place to take a nap for a few hours until it's all (hopefully) over.

Head on over to the Monster Page to see what monsters you can play around with! The Unlocked monsters will be available as the game progresses!


four; put to the test

In the early hours of a particularly foggy Monday, every student and teacher will hear the voice of what sounds to be six different people speaking at once, in the same tone and infliction in order to unify into one voice. It's unfamiliar, a voice belonging to someone you haven't yet seen. Not that it's known for sure, but it belongs to the Headmaster of Monster Heights. An Angel who views the new monsters as children, creatures they personally gave life to. Their tone gives off that vibe entirely, sounding amused and warm like a loving parent.

Good morning, new friends. It's been about... oh... two weeks, shall we say? Since you were scooped up from your little homes and brought into our loving arms? Two weeks since the beginning of new life, the beginning of new possibilities and yet some of you have really been causing such a ruckus. Arguing with teachers, refusing to cooperate, always wanting to leave and find your way home...

Their voice trails off, and they end with a weary sigh. They shift into a tone of empathy, but at the same time they sound... patronizing. And it's hard to tell if it's on purpose.

We get it. We really do. You don't understand this environment or the vision we have for you, and you would probably rather be somewhere familiar instead.

Trust us, our children. As would we. We only have the energy for plucking you out of your habitats, but we are working on a way to put you back in. It may take days... or months... but we will let you go back. One day.

In the meantime, we must begin your curriculum. And what better way to start than a fitness test? What can you do, now that you're different than before? And what will you improve after a year of learning, growing, and experiencing with your mentors?

We can't wait to see.



It's time for your first test! Every now and then, the students will be asked to perform a few physical tasks in order to see how well adjusted they become to their new bodies. There will be tests to see how high, far, and fast monsters are able to fly. How powerful their magic is. How well they're able to see in the dark, how fast they can run. All these and more will be held all around the Academy, and every time a student finishes a test they are given a "Good Job!" sticker to put somewhere on their body. Each color coded to which test was performed. If you gather all stickers, you may win a prize!*


*prizes vary from a plastic trophy to a foam #1 finger and many other novelty toys made for children who win competitions

**characters who become teachers may help with testing! but they also will be able to take the tests themselves and win prizes

five; a helping hand

Either you were asked to help out, were dragged along because you looked useful, or you asked directly yourself if you could help. There's a noticeable lack of teachers, janitors, cooks, and pretty much any other staff member you could think of so once the existing staff realized that some of the new arrivals fit the bill for what they needed they quickly sprang into getting all the helping hands they could.

You're brought to the faculty room, a large break room that's more like two rooms together, fitted with a conference table as well as a little lounge with two couches, a tv, and a water cooler with hot water options as well. There's a little kitchen that has a microwave, coffee and tea pots, sink, and a fridge. Luckily, the power will never go out in here as everything is powered with magic instead of actual electricity!

On the conference table, there's a large gift basket full of those edible fruit-on-a-stick bouquets with a 'Welcome, new faces!' note set neatly on the table in front of it. Some of the fruit kebabs are dipped in chocolate, some of them are plain!

Teachers are given an assigned classroom, a schedule, and a pamphlet that shows them generally what to expect as a teacher. They choose exactly what they want to teach, but there's usually an obvious reason why they were picked. Someone who arrives with a pair of wings might be asked to teach flying, for example.

There's uniforms for janitors and chefs, and the nurse's aids will be given their own personal first aid kids. Every job has their own little crash-course, and everyone with a job will be expected to still take classes about their new monster body parts and powers. They'll have to juggle their own schedules, picking times out of their jobs to take a class or two. They may also opt to take classes on their days off, as there are always classes being taught every day of the week.


code bases by tricklet

Comments

Natsume Sakasaki || ensemble stars!!

[switchcrafty]

I) nurse's office

[with a foggy brain, Natsume can only stare at the nurse with curiosity. a dream? no, something is Not Quite right, and he can tell. but he can't put his finger on what it exactly is. his ear catches some words she says; paralyzed. DNA. plague. symptoms. then he's given a clipboard so that he can sign a document? something like that. Natsume is used to that, signing forms. when he looks at this paper, it has his statistics on it. and that seems normal, even if the nurse does not. so he signs, and he'll probably regret it later. then he's ushered out the door.

it takes a few more moments to wake up, but, once he does, he realizes that he's not at Yumenosaki Academy, or even anywhere else that would be familiar to him. he scans the crowd, desperately searching for anyone he knows. it's no use. everyone looks just as confused as him. Natsume inhales sharply and tries to get a grip. he needs to keep a cool head. thankfully, he's pretty good about that. maybe he'll start talking to people and see if he can get any relevant information.

he starts moving and then notices he has a weird symbol on the back of his right hand. no, not a symbol. a number. he's never seen that before, and he'd know if he had a tattoo. the number 004. that doesn't bode well for him at all. he shakes his head to clear it. focus, Natsume...]

Excuse mE. [he approaches you after he's casually brushed off the fact that he was given an unlucky number. there's nothing good about this situation, in general. but he'll offer you his most charming smile. the fact that it's forced might not register, unless you are really good about reading peoples' moods] You wouldn't hapPEN to know wheRE we are, would yoU?

II) dorms

[man. it's been a rough day, but Natsume was able to glean more information out of various people. students, he guesses, like him. he also saw a few other creatures, like monsters out of story books. apparently, he is supposed to become a monster himself, eventually... but that is a problem for future Natsume.

when he finds his room, he discovers that there are several beds inside. must be a shared dorm. he's not opposed to this, since he lives in a dorm at his own school. so he might as well make the best of things. making new friends could prove useful. and fun. though he can be a bit prickly on occasion, he's also good at playing nice when he needs to. he is currently sitting on his bed and waiting for anyone else to show up. when they walk through the door, he gives them a bright smile]

Well, well. It appEARS that I am no longer aLONE.

III) courtyard

[several weeks have passed. and, during those weeks, Natsume has evolved quite a bit. he's the same height, same build as before, but there are definitely differences going on with his body. he has fangs, for one thing. and green markings that glow on his cheeks, his arms, his legs. there are small blue and yellow flowers growing out of his hair. aside from the physical changes, there are other things to notice, like the fact that he's standing directly in sunlight. if he doesn't, he starts to get sluggish and droopy, not that he'd admit to that. if you're made of fire, or use fire, he's probably staying away from you, as well.

so he's off to the side, stretching while he waits for the Headmaster to finish. a test, huh? he should be good at this. he's not very active, himself, but he's in good shape due to his idol activities]

I wonder... What my teST will be like. [he smirks a bit. seems like he's in fairly good spirits despite what he's been through. there's a reason for that, one he's keeping to himself for now]

IV) wildcard
[anything else you want to do? hit me up! brackets or prose is fine. Natsume is a Dryad/plant beast for his change in this TDM. also, you'll notice that he speaks with emphasis on ends of certain words. that's not me making typos! that's just his thing]

[le_neuvieme]

"Probably somethiNG to do with your empHAsis," Gideon quips, looking up from where she's stretching out her new digitigrade buffalo legs. It's not the most conventional sort of were, but she wouldn't know anything about that.

"I hope they let me fight something. I really wanna see if these horns are as stabby as they look."

[switchcrafty]

Hm? At first, Natsume is a bit confused, but then he realizes what she means. He brushes back his bangs and stands up straight. He wasn't expecting anyone to answer him, but this is fine. His magic spell worked, apparently.

"They do look staBBY," he agreed, watching her with a smile. "You seem to be takiNG things well."

[le_neuvieme]

"Do I? Sweet. Means the screaming and swearing phase is over for the moment." She winks at him, super glad that she doesn't have to play at being under a vow of silence as a cav anymore. Until anyone tells her otherwise, she's got free reign to do what she wants for the first time in her life, and the effect it has on her personality is almost disturbing, even to her.

"I'm Gideon, what do they call you?"

[switchcrafty]

He chuckles a bit at the wink. This energy is nice, infectious, almost. Natsume smiles and steps a bit closer to introduce himself. He's still staying in the sun, though.

"I am called Natsume. It is a pleaSURE to meet you, Gideon."

[le_neuvieme]

She looks him over without any shame in her open curiosity, pulling her sunglasses down a little to check and see if he - yep, he really is glowing.

"Maybe your test will be if someone else can read by you in the dark," she quips. "I grew up underground, could have used someone like you."

ii!

[feliene]

[Priyet had already had a run-in with the bottom bunk, given that she's summarily Fucking Enormous for a beastie of her build, so she's been on a hunt for a room with a nice roommate (or none at all, ideally), and a little less...restraint on the bedding.

And then she waddles into the dorm room that Natsume's currently perched in and stops dead as soon as she notices him.

That's.

That's a

that's...that's a wholeass]

B-b-b-b-b-boy, boy, boys' dorms?! [Shrieked in a warped, strange voice as she stumbles backwards and falls over her own pudgy little feet.

She, uh.

Boys are not kind to her especially. At least she's no longer human, but that just means that the stares take on a different kind of sticky awfulness that slides across her skin. But man. BOY???? BOY????????]

[switchcrafty]

[oh. oh, that's... not a human at all. Natsume, himself, is not that tall, so this creature has a good few inches on him, at least. he turns to look at her before stumbling back in shock.

and then he gawks. he doesn't mean to, but he does. he's never seen anything like this]

I-I...!

[feliene]

[RUDE. She was human! ...Until she did a silly little spell out of desperation and here we are. But she's totally human underneath all the hair and puberty allegories!

She is also absolutely more than a few inches taller than he is. How much taller? Uh. Who knows. Priyet Fucking Big. Priyet Also Fucking Freaking out, still scuttling backwards with her tail standing on end and her tiny little eyes wide in horror.]

Boy! Are you-- Are you the only one there?! Is this the boys dormitory!? I didn't mean to come in here! I'm not here to hurt you or try to find boys I just want a place to sleep I'm really sorry!

[please don't hunt her she doesn't kill people anymore she wants to be good she swears!!!]

[switchcrafty]

[it talks! well, it talks more that Natsume was anticipating. he holds up his hands and stops stepping back. he is assuming this is just one of the other monsters from this school]

Ah-! [don't say you can talk that's rude] I-I am the onLY ONE here, yes!

[his bad, he didn't think to check if this was a co-ed dormitory. he just wandered right in. by all accounts, he is the one at fault here.

he lowers his arms, clearing his throat]

I can leaVE. If you'd like privaCY.

[feliene]

...Really? It's just you...

[Finally, she stops scooting about like a slug avoiding salt, and just...Looks at him. Yeah, he's...He's probably a little older than she is, but not by much, and...His gaze isn't slimy, sticky, uncomfortable. Not even in the 'you're disgusting and monstrous' way, just...The surprised 'you're monstrous' way. Which is better than the former, she thinks.

Priyet clears her throat and sits up, paws between her feet and tail swishing curiously. What sort of boy is this...He's pretty, but not quite the same sort of pretty as a girl, either. Safe, though. Safe enough.]

It's okay. You were here first. ...Did I scare you? I didn't mean to, I just...Really want a bed that isn't a bunk bed. I'm a little too big. But I can't imagine you'd be happy with sharing dorms with a girl, even if I look like this, right? So I should keep looking.

[switchcrafty]

[...wait, what? a girl? Natsume blinks, and feels even worse than before. that's why she was asking if this was a boys' dorm. he rubs his cheek, a little embarrassed. but at least he doesn't look scared anymore]

...I-it's not that I miND that. [he replies, clearing his throat again] I apoloGIZE. I was startLED, yes. But I was the oNE who entered this ROOM without asking questIONS. I didn't even thINK to check if it was part of the BOYS' doRMS. I just assuMED that everyONE was shariNG.

[feliene]

Well...I can't blame you. This is all so weird, right? It's bad enough that we have to be here, but now we all have to just...Go to school and act like this is normal, until they have results on their research.

I don't know if there are even any girls' dorms or boys' dorms, to be honest. Maybe they don't care? [Maybe they'll all be too busy to worry about hormones. God, she hopes so.]

Um...I'm Priyet. You seem nice, so...We could be friends, if you want. I'm strong. I could protect you, if you wanted it. We should all be looking after each other, I think... [Promise. She's killed 100 mages with her bare (bear? cat.) hands!]

1

[laity]

Oh, I haven't the faintest idea.

[ What a charming young man with such a natural smile. Ky gives one a polite one in return. ]

"Time slipping" seems most apt concept I know to describe our current happenstance. Through some anomaly of space and time we appear to have left our homes and arrived at this...school? Is this what high school was like?

[ He's visited the newer schools, but never for long. The novelty is exciting. Was that real antique medical equipment? Not to mention this PA system...fascinating. ]

[switchcrafty]

[yep, definitely a charming smile on this one. the smile in return causes Natsume alarm, if only because it seems so out of place in this den of confused and scared expressions. but he keeps it up, folding his arms across his stomach. his shoulders aren't even tense]

That would explAIN it, I supPOSE. This certainly isN'T what MY highSCHOOL is like. Though, I'm sure most schOOLs aren't like the one I attEND.

[laity]

You attend school? Splendid!

[ He really does sound excited, like Natsume is talking about some huge achievement. Wow...education. It's so amazing! ]

What do you mean its not like this one? Is it simply the creatures we see wandering or is there another way schools operate?

[ He's so excited by this new information he can't even remember to keep up the regal bearing. ]

[switchcrafty]

[what an odd thing to say. but, yes, education is amazing... sure]

Ah, not quiTE. My couRSE is more of an advaNCED traNING proGRAM for idOLS. The highSCHOOL itself is a schOOL of the perforMING arTS.

[laity]

...What's an idol?

[ So innocent. You see Natsume in Ky's world TV, streaming and the internet hasn't existed in nearly 200 years. Also Japan was destroyed and that was like...where most idols were. ]

Is that a new art form where you come from?

[switchcrafty]

[...........eh?

surprisingly, Natsume does not miss a beat]

An iDOL can mean a lot of thiNGS. In my case, however, it is an enterTAINER. I siNG, danCE, make peOPLE in the audieNCE happy. It is quiTE enJOYABLE to make others smile, you see.

[and he winks]

My schOOL has a whole proGRAM dedicated to training and churning out iDOLS. Not everyONE makes it, of course. Those that DO are able to eaRN monEY by doing it as a profesSION.

01

[gorigori]

[ she looks up curiously-- tilting her head as her heart-shaped attenna perks up. ]

Huh?

[ people might be thinking she's part of this place, there's no other windermerean in sight. she hastily covers her head, shielding the little horn from view. the back of her palm shows her number. ]

'm not part of here if that's what you're asking. It's awful to assume.

[switchcrafty]

[Natsume tilts his head]

That is nOT what I assuMED. I simply wonDERED if you'd heaRD more that me. From the NURSE. Or from anyONE else.

[gorigori]

[ ohhh...

her body stills before she slowly puts her arms down. more than a little flustered, her antenna's glow blinks rapidly in embarrassment. ]

Sorry 'bout that, it's been a rough time. I was, um, busy with some stuff before [ she gestures the room] all of this fell to our lap.

[ though it really isn't the time to dwell on what was going on before so she shakes her head furiously. ]

But nevermind about me! The nurse just told me where we are and there's an epidemic of sorts...? To tell you the truth I still have no clue what she was explaining what we have to do.

[switchcrafty]

[hm. he won't pry, since the stuff from before isn't his business. poor thing, though, she looks frazzled. maybe he can help help her somehow. one calming magic spell coming right up! he'll do his best]

I see. Well, thank yOU for your honESTY. It sounNDS like we more or less received the same spIEL.

[he brings a hand to his chin in thought]

The nurSE did inJECT me with something. I'm guessing she did the saME to yOU. That seems to be a big part of... whatEVER it is we're supposed to be doING.

[gorigori]

[ she nods furiously at his theory. ] That's more or less what happened! She injected me with who knows what, and then she told me to just wait here.

[ she leans over from her seat, hands supporting her head and her rune standing up alert. she scans around her surroundings.]

I don't think it's anything like Var Syndrome so we don't have to worry about mind control at least. [ her brows furrow as she start to squint. ] I'm a little worried though if this will affect my singing.

[switchcrafty]

[m-mind control? they can't really rule that out, can they? Natsume's lips draw into a thin line as he considers what to say. might as well change their conversation to something happier. that should surely help this kitten]

Your singING? Are you a vocaLIST?