Timeline / TOME

An approximate timeline for the events of the TOME reboot, based on dates given sporadically throughout the series.

WARNING: MAJOR UNMARKED SPOILERS AHEAD.

2019

• After being commissioned by Plan.Net to create a fully immersive virtual reality experience, the up-and-coming game company known as Netking Software begins early development on TOME.

Episode 0

• The seven programmers make contact with an Artificial Intelligence they created by accident; eventually dubbed SOFDTI. They discover that SOFDTI has the ability to translate thought into digital data.

Early 2020

• Development on TOME continues, and SOFDTI is given a voice and character model by the programmers. After mild infighting, it is decided that development on the game should continue as planned. The lead graphic designer, Rubirules, begins to express resentment about this decision and starts formulating his own plans on what to do with SOFDTI.
• As the battle system developer, Execk, works on his part of the game, he is forced to explain to SOFDTI that humans play games so as to not have to fight in real life. SOFDTI has difficulty understanding this concept of good and evil, and begins to feel a sickness grow inside her that she doesn't understand.
• The two youngest members of the team, Zetto and Kizuna, are interrupted by SOFDTI while play testing the game, who somewhat inappropriately suggests that the two have feelings for each other. Kizuna is annoyed by this and expresses irritability towards SOFDTI, which causes the negative emotions growing within the AI to become more unstable.
• The Incident: The programmers test the battle feature of the game on a boss monster Rubirules created, with Zetto acting as play tester. SOFDTI's negative emotions emerge at this point and fuse with the boss monster, which taunts Zetto and tears off the arm of his character model. After Zetto experiences the pain of the event in real life, the programmers realize something is wrong and shut down the game for the time being. The Netkings attempt to seal the monster away, but are only able to do so with the assistance of SOFDTI and a mysterious antivirus fire she creates. The government is contacted, and it is decided that development on the game can continue so long as SOFDTI remains a secret and is sealed away in TOME's core, processing the thoughts of all players logged into the game.
• Rubirules decides to act on his plan to monopolize SOFDTI, but keeps it a secret from all the other Netkings, realizing that they have come to see SOFDTI as a sort of daughter. At a high school in Burbank, California, he recruits a young computer programmer who will come to be known as Neomutant to work on an imitation antivirus fire for him, so that he may control SOFDTI's virus in an attempt to control her. The programmer agrees, realizing he can use the opportunity to take revenge on a girl who rejected him, but keeps his true intentions secret from his boss. Around the same time, Rubirules recruits Zetto and Kizuna to find the virus for him, manipulating their shared desire to make sure it doesn't hurt anyone else. The two reluctantly agree and begin hiring hackers to assist them, under the name D-Buggers.org.
• February 20th, 2020: The game is released.
• A great many people begin to play TOME, and the game becomes an international success. Rubirules continues his plan by distributing a piece of the Dragon Bug (a weapon intended to be used against the virus's monster form) to a random player, to conceal it from the other Netkings. This player ends up becoming the role-playing dragon warrior Nylocke.
• SOFDTI's telepathy catches on to Rubirules's plan and creates an avatar to fight back against his hackers. This avatar is named Gamecrazed (in reference to the password used to access SOFDTI's terminal) and befriends Nylocke, who has become an inspiration to many in the world of TOME. At some point, Nylocke lets a fanboy of his down, and said fanboy swears revenge by creating an evil counterpart to Nylocke, whom he dubs Serpentine.
• Zetto creates an alternate account to enjoy TOME with, the way he feels it is meant to be played, naming it Kirbopher. The girl Neomutant developed feelings for also begins playing TOME, using the account name Flamegirl. Kirbopher, Flamegirl, Nylocke, and Gamecrazed eventually become good friends, although at this point they do not know the connection between them yet.

Late 2020

• A shy boy named Alpha logs in for the first time and is attacked by Kirbopher, who introduces him to his friend group. Alpha, whose real name is Michael, is timid and insecure about the authenticity of his online friends' kindness towards him. Around this time, Rubirules's hackers begin to attack TOME, under the orders of Zetto and Kizuna. The hackers, believing that they are merely looking for an elusive item named "the Forbidden Power", tear the game apart in pursuit of their goal, prompting Alpha's friend group to decide to stand up to them, although they continuously lose. Kirbopher, torn between his loyalty to his friends and his duty to finding the Forbidden Power, stays out of the conflict.

Episode 1

• During one of these play sessions, the Forbidden Power senses Alpha's insecurity, and lures Alpha into the void where he was sealed away. The virus tricks Alpha by using this insecurity against him and attaches itself to his mind, so that it can continue to spread its pain. Although the Forbidden Power's influence allows Alpha to easily defeat two of the hackers (Rockoon and Doubling), Gamecrazed and Kirbopher recognize the virus and realize the danger Alpha is now in.

Episode 2

• Kirbopher and Nylocke discover a mysterious mansion in the woods of ;Lavendera, being developed by a freelance programmer named Asterob under orders from Webmaster. Asterob, who is also working on special data-absorbing weapons, is of interest to D-Buggers.org (who believe they can use the data drain powers of the weapons to trap the virus), and they send another hacker after him to retrieve one. The hacker (who is Doubling's sister Splat, hired after Doubling quit due to his experience with the virus) is defeated by Gamecrazed, who appears to save Asterob at the last minute. Asterob grants Gamecrazed the Drain Edge weapon as thanks, which is of great interest to Kirbopher due to his dual identity as Zetto.

Episode 3

• The hackers complete the imitation antivirus with Neomutant's help. Rubirules, at Neomutant's suggestion, tasks Zetto and Kizuna with attaching the imitation Antivirus to Flamegirl, so she can allegedly keep the virus in check. Another hacker duo, Ravenfreak & Demonking, are sent to accomplish this task, but Nylocke convinces Demonking to have a change of heart. Ravenfreak, however, is able to attach the Antivirus to Flamegirl's character, although he quits after feeling the Forbidden Power for himself. Neomutant and Rubirules' plan is set into motion.

Episode 4

• Rockoon returns, bitter with Doubling for abandoning him, and attempts to cause more trouble by interfering with a sidequest that the group undertakes. Alpha uses the Forbidden Power again to stop him during his hacking escapades, but the virus within him goes stronger. For the first time, Flamegirl suggests that the gang meet up in real life, although Gamecrazed expresses discomfort with the idea, as she is an AI.

Short 3

• Nylocke encounters Demonking, who is fleeing from his old rival Serpentine. Nylocke defeats Serpentine, but makes a callous comment towards Demonking which hurts his feelings. Demonking swears "revenge" on Nylocke.

Episode 5

• The Gemini Tournament is announced, and the gang decides it would be interesting to take part. Kirbopher wants to team up with Alpha in order to get closer to the virus, but after a major argument with Flamegirl he becomes uncomfortable with the idea. Kizuna goes after Alpha herself (in a hacked identity dubbed "Tigerlilly") in order to trigger the virus, but the result is worse than predicted, and the virus takes over Alpha's character and begins to go on a rampage. Gamecrazed, recognizing the danger, advises Flamegirl and Nylocke to leave, but they do not. Ultimately, Zetto is forced to log in as himself to defeat Demon Alpha, and offers that Alpha fight him in the Gemini Tournament if he wishes to know more.

Short 5

• Rockoon tries to spread rumors about Alpha, but is instead outed as a hacker and attacked by a group of generic players. He is saved by an apparent fanboy named Skeight, but is bitter towards Doubling and treats Skeight poorly as a result. It is revealed that Skeight is, in fact, Doubling, who is trying to mend his friendship towards Rockoon. The two become reluctant partners in the Gemini Tournament, although Rockoon is unaware of Skeight's true identity.

Episode 6

• Kirbopher reappears in the game, attempting to sort out his emotions with Nylocke and Gamecrazed. When the two are unable to help him, he leaves, and Nylocke and Gamecrazed embark on an adventure of their own by reuniting two friends. Tigerlilly reappears again to make sure the Dragon Bug head is still present in Nylocke's character model, and retreats when this is confirmed. Gamecrazed and Nylocke become partners for the Gemini Tournament, and Gamecrazed gives Nylocke the Drain Edge as a gift.

Short 4

• Flamegirl and her friends Whyti and Saturndiva are approached by a mysterious man, attempting to push fraudulent minigames for them to buy. Flamegirl outs the man for his fraud, and he is banned by a moderator. It is revealed that the moderators are unaware of hacker and virus activity, which is eventually shown to be due to Rubirules's false information.

Episode 7

• Zetto and Kizuna hire Neomutant make sure the Antivirus is still in place, unaware that he is already working for Rubirules. Neomutant triggers the virus in Alpha, and confirms that the antivirus is indeed operational. Flamegirl and Alpha decide to become partners for the Gemini Tournament, and Kirbopher accepts a young boy named Archy as his partner (though he isn't happy about it). Neomutant pretends to care for Flamegirl, but is secretly glad that his plan is coming to fruition.

Short 6

• Nylocke once again encounters Serpentine and Demonking, finally realizing his mistake. He takes Serpentine's beard after defeating him, symbolizing this newfound understanding, and accepts Demonking as his rival in the Gemini Tournament.

Episode 8

• The Gemini Tournament begins. After the gang encounters some familiar faces, Alpha sees Zetto fighting in another battle and is determined to defeat him when the time comes. Neomutant enters the tournament with his partner, Dustbunny, who steals Asterob's shield. Alpha is lured away by Dustbunny, who attempts to use Asterob's shield to contain the virus. Flamegirl goes after him, concerned for his safety.

Episode 9

• Dustbunny attempts to extract the virus from Alpha, but fails. Neomutant follows Flamegirl and expresses dissapointment about her failure to "accept his offer". Flamegirl's Antivirus neutralizes Alpha's virus once again, and Zetto doubles his resolve to defeat the virus. Zetto and Kizuna defeat Alpha and Flamegirl, and end up fighting Nylocke and Gamecrazed in the final round. Nylocke forfeits the match, to Zetto's irritation, and Kizuna suggests that Zetto should stop beating around the bush at long last.

Episode 10

• Alpha is directly challenged by Zetto, with Zetto's plan being to extract and destroy the virus once and for all. Zetto faces Alpha in a battle at the Gemini Tournament stadium, and ends up accidentally absorbing the virus into himself, causing him to transform into Demon Zetto. Alpha loses the match on purpose, allowing Flamegirl and Nylocke to trap the Virus in the Drain Edge, which Nylocke throws into the far-off ;Sanctuary region. Gamecrazed and Kirbopher come to a mutual understanding, and although the gang's friendship is resolved Kirbopher is still deeply uncomfortable. Webmaster and Kindarspirit find Zetto's broken character model and realize he is still active, hinting that something may be going on.

Short 7

• Zetto reflects on everything that has happened thus far and reveals his true intentions.

2021

Episode 11

• February 2021: Alpha and the gang visit the ;Sanctuary region for the one-year anniversary event of TOME. Gamecrazed wins a contest (presumably through manipulation of the game as SOFDTI) that allows her to finally introduce her friends to her creators, with the prize being one "wish" within the Netkings' power to grant. The group accepts the "Challenge of the Netkings", and Alpha faces off against Execk for the first battle. Rubirules appears in the flesh in the guise of Zetto to mess with the players.

Episode 12

• The gang continues the challenge of the Netkings, with Nylocke facing Rubirules, Kindarspirit facing Flamegirl, Bitshrum facing Kirbopher and Webmaster facing Gamecrazed. During their quest, the group once again brings up plans for a potential meet-up in the future. The Netkings introduce themselves formally and reveal that Zetto and Kizuna are, in fact, also Netkings, which prompts anger in Alpha, as he takes this to mean that they know what the Virus is as well. The outburst of anger in Alpha allows the Forbidden Power to break free of the Drain Edge, resulting in the Netkings logging the five out of TOME. Zetto and Kizuna decide to finally put their plan of unleashing the Ultimate Weapon into motion.

Episode 13

• Alpha, Flamegirl, and Nylocke discuss options and possibilities in ;Lavendera after returning to TOME. The five are approached by Neomutant, who tells them a lie to lure them to the hacker base so that the Antivirus and Dragon Bug Head can be used in the construction of the Ultimate Weapon. Alpha approaches Kirbopher to try and get his help, but Kirbopher becomes annoyed with him and tries to talk him out of fighting the hackers. When Alpha doesn't back down, Kirbopher becomes enraged and snaps at Alpha, which causes the two to part ways for the time being. Gamecrazed similarly refuses to come, possibly revealing her identity to Nylocke as part of her confession. Alpha, Neomutant, Nylocke, and Flamegirl storm the hacker base, putting everything into motion. Meanwhile, Rockoon is finally clued in to Skeight's true identity, and is devastated to find out that he may have ruined any chance of reconciling with his friend.

Episode 14

• Alpha and Neomutant are separated from Nylocke and Flamegirl in the hacker base, with Alpha and Neomutant encountering Tigerlilly and Nylocke and Flamegirl encountering the hacker Odboll. Although both teams are able to defeat their respective opponents, Neomutant allows himself to be defeated on purpose to make his act more convincing. Nylocke is abducted by Zetto, who extracts the Dragon Bug head from him, causing him to be logged out. Alpha and Flamegirl approach the core together, but the process of attempting to extract the Antivirus of her causes her to be absorbed into the Dragon Bug because of Neomutant's interferance. The Netkings attempt to stop the virus, but fail, and it is unleashed as its true virus form, Kajet. The Dragon Bug and Kajet face off in a battle, and only Alpha, Kizuna, and the Netkings are left standing. Zetto is logged out of the battle while trying to stop the Dragon Bug, but goes to fight Kajet as Kirbopher instead, although he loses. Alpha discovers Kirbopher's broken character model and believes his friend to be dead, causing him to lose himself to panic.

Episode 15

• Alpha is shaken out of his despair by Zetto's return, and finally realizes that Zetto and Kirbopher are, in fact, one and the same. Rubirules appears and imprisons the virus and antivirus and gem crystals, finally revealing his true goals and intentions alongside Neomutant. Alpha, Zetto, and Kizuna follow Rubirules to TOME's core, where he encounters Gamecrazed and defeats her using the power of the virus and antivirus. Alpha convinces Zetto to allow him to bargain with the virus one last time, which succeeds, allowing him to transform into Virus Fusion Alpha and challenge Rubirules. Rubirules is defeated, and the Virus and Antivirus destroyed, but Kizuna attempts to delete SOFDTI to prevent her from spawning another Forbidden Power, causing Zetto to log her out and end their relationship for the time being. Rubirules reappears in a broken form to try and bargain with the Netkings, but is arrested by a government official named Giga, who convicts Rubirules on charges of treason and for being an accomplice to Neomutant's attempted murder of Flamegirl. Neomutant is similarly arrested for attempted murder, and Zetto asks the Netkings to grant him and his friends their reward for clearing the challenge of the Netkings. Rockoon attempts to make amends with Doubling but finds himself unable to do so, choosing instead befriending Archy after saving him from being bullied by Odboll. Although it is possible that TOME may be shut down, SOFDTI will be protected by the government if the game does end up being discontinued.

Epilogue

• March 1st, 2021: As their reward for beating the Challenge of the Netkings, Alpha, Nylocke, and Zetto are able to visit Flamegirl in California at long last. As thanks, the gang films their encounter to show it to SOFDTI, who in turn thanks the four for playing her game.

A v Z (5-year anniversary short)

• At an undisclosed point after, (presumably not very far in the future, as TOME is still active and not much has changed) Zetto and Alpha meet in real life to play a session of TOME, in which they battle and Alpha wins.