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OCTOBER + NOVEMBER TDM.
● ● ● T D M . 0 4
… What are you willing to do to erase your regret from existence?
These are the words that ring in your ears, as a slowly growing red glow surrounds you in this dreamspace, filling you with an acute sense of dread — and whatever it is that you’ve just agreed to might have changed everything forever.
It is this sense of dream that startles you awake, and as it fades, and your heart begins to slow into something resembling your normal tempo, you'll notice something you should have picked up on immediately: you are not in your bed.
1.0 White walls, clinical yet clean, sparsely-furnished rooms. You may wake in one of three rooms: a room with only one bed, a room with two beds, or a room with four beds. Those waking up in rooms with more than one bed notice that they are not alone. Perhaps the other occupants of the room are still sleeping, dreaming the same dream as you just did, or a regular one after returning to the station just barely a week ago … or perhaps you wake up to the other person in the room watching you.
What you do is entirely up to you: yelping in surprise when you wake to someone staring at you is always an option. Or maybe you’ll try to sneak away before anyone notices you...
2.0 Those with life-threatening injuries will find themselves waking up in the infirmary, in a regular hospital bed. Most of their injuries have been treated, and any lingering illnesses or conditions will have designated medicine bottles on the table next to the bed.
White curtains surround the bed on both sides, providing an illusion of privacy. But is that a rustling sound you hear? A set of footsteps? Perhaps you’re not the only one in need of some medical attention.
In fact if you’re very badly off, you might want to hold out hope for some company - you can’t stay in the infirmary forever. You'll have to make your way through the hallways of the station to the living quarters, and claim a room and a bed there.
Once upright, you might notice something in your ear: an earpiece that, when you become aware of it, quickly runs you through the instructions for how to use the network, a recorded message by a female voice that explains exactly why you’re here… and leaves you with a map of the station.
So what else is there to do but to explore, right? Best get to know your way around your new home.
3.0 When trying to decide where you go, you might find your way to the armory, where you can make attempts to work the machine and create a weapon for yourself — maybe replace the one that didn’t come with you to the station ... or maybe you decide to prepare something for the future. Any recently-returned team members will surely recommend having a functional weapon with you.
And speaking of weapons: why not put them to the test and head over to the training room, where the entire purpose of this space is to provide you with opportunities to spar and train to your heart’s content!
4.0 After you’ve exhausted yourself from training, your stomach will prompt you for something to eat. For that you should head to the kitchens and the mess hall, which is equipped with all the basic appliances you might need, along with some more unusual ones (including an ... interesting-looking waffle maker and popcorn machine), as well as ingredients for most generic Earth-based dishes. For some reason, there are also some bags of now-cold popcorn left abandoned over the counters.
5.0 A welcome reprieve to the cold, dark space that surrounds you can be found in the sunlight room. A skillful illusion builds up around anyone who steps inside the room: you can hear the trilling of birds, feel a light breeze caress your skin as you walk through a grass field. The illusion has been programmed to reflect the seasons — the leaves in the trees are currently bright with all the colours of autumn: orange and red and yellow; and the air is crisp and clean. If you follow the path, you'll be led to a bridge rising over a sparkling, babbling brook, a few fallen leaves floating on the water and falling around you like very bright raindrops.
Here, it's easy to forget (for a moment, anyway) that you are in space at all. Maybe that gives you comfort, or maybe it just makes you miss the real thing all that much more.
6.0 If you’d rather choose tinkering with objects over wandering through nature, the lab is guaranteed to provide you with some entertainment. Glass vials and jars of chemicals sit on shelves in a surprisingly beautiful display of colour on one side of the room, while the other side of the room contains stacks of boxes filled with assorted equipment: cords, bolts, panels, buttons, gears, gadgets, gizmos, and thingamabobs. The downside is that the parts available seem to have no apparent method to their sorting. So get digging and you may just find exactly what you need to make what you’ve always wanted to!
7.0 Some time after your arrival, the earpiece alerts you to a new message. If it’s items you’re lacking, you may just be in luck.
Indeed, the platform located near the personal quarters is still whirring with power, and new items form neat piles on top of it. There are clothes, shoes, dishware, skincare, books ... and in one pile, a varied collection of what seems to be Halloween decorations and costumes. So, sort through the piles and grab what you want before someone else does! (But don't forget: sharing is caring.)
Whether you’re a quick study and you’ve become settled into life on the station, or you want to get the full lay of the land (in a manner of speaking) first, if you decide to explore the hall past the control room, you’ll eventually come across the simulation room. It’s been equipped with a new simulation to show you the drill where the missions are concerned, so step in and see what it has in store for you!
8.0 The moment the doors slide shut behind you, the space goes dark and then quickly lights up again, but instead of the blank empty walls you initially walked into, you’re surrounded by colour and lights, the sound of music and chatter, and the smells of deep-fried foods and overly sweet beverages. Someone calls, ‘Step right up, step right up!’ while another voice from somewhere starts to cheer as an electrical sound of a buzzer goes off, announcing its winner for prizes.
It seems that you’ve entered the Carnival simulation, so come on in and have a little fun.
There are booths spread out across these simulated grounds, each one offering food, drink or games. As you wander past you’ll notice that there is a touch of macabre to everything — the colours are black and orange and violet and red, the drinks offered have strange names, some you recognize like ‘Witch’s Brew’ and ‘Eye of Newt’, and some you might not, like ‘Viole(n)t Breeze’ and ‘Undead Essence’. It’s as though all of the things strange and wonderful find themselves spread across the entire universe to unite here.
Once you’ve had your fill of food and games, you can make your way past the little market area to a brightly glittering ferris wheel with carts rotating in a cycle, enticing you to try it out. Or if you’d rather be spooked, there is a hokey little ‘haunted mansion’ to your left that won’t take more than a handful of minutes to move through. Creatures and ghosts will pop out at you when you least expect it, their masked faces exaggerated with paint and some fairly realistic prosthetics to get the adrenaline pumping. Take a friend with you, or go it alone — just try to keep your cool through it all.
9.0 Eventually, once you’ve had your fill of the festivities, you may notice a wooden sign pointing you past the haunted mansion. Pressed on it is a round mark, and you remember that this is simulating a mission — you’re not here to just have fun, but to try and retrieve a simulated orb.
As you follow the path, you’ll find the hustle and bustle of the carnival growing quieter. All around you, there is nothing but woods — and hold on, where did all that mist come from? It surrounds you slowly, the ground seeming slightly damp as you keep walking… and arrive at a graveyard.
So the orb… it’s there, hidden in one of the graves? There’s nothing else to do but to start walking and looking at the gravestones — but when you do, you’ll be shocked to find some of the names are terribly, terribly familiar.
They might be names of your loved ones, people who were still in perfect health back home; and yet here those stones bear their names, along with an epitaph that brings tears to your eyes. And if you move closer… you may experience a flash of colour and light, and a memory suddenly plays out in front of you: the death of your loved one, whoever that may be.
Or perhaps the name you see on a gravestone is something else even more familiar to you: your own. But ... how, right? Reluctantly, your heart pounding, you approach with tentative steps, and yes — the name does not change. It's yours right there ... and it's your own death that you witness when the grave’s spell binds you.
● ● ●
N O T E: The deaths witnessed are intended to be non-canon deaths, so feel free to go wild inventing them -- this also goes for characters who are canonically dead. These are “alternate universe deaths”, not canon.
Additionally, there are three personal tasks provided to each character as they enter the simulation. In-game, each character will be given one task. For the purposes of the test drive, we’re leaving it to players to pick a task for their character and run with it.
A Find the grave of a teammate and witness their death.
B Team up with a fellow Orber win in one of the Carnival games.
C Scare a teammate in the haunted house.
F Y I
• This TDM covers both October and November, so there will be no new TDM for November.
• TDM threads can be used as samples for apps. In fact, we encourage it!
• Reserves are currently open!
• Apps open October 27 and will remain open until November 30.
• For any questions regarding TDM, please direct them here. For questions about the game, please refer to the FAQ.
FOR SOME FUN:
Have a clue for your upcoming mission:
“I’m going to bed, where I may die.”
no subject
Yeah, she's fucking annoying! If anyone put wires in my brain, I'll kill 'em.
[But he might as well try it. Bakugou does as instructed, closing his eyes as he focuses.]
Deku-
[But...there's nothing but his own thoughts. Bakugou's eye twitches as he tenses up, digging his hands into Peter's shoulders as he screams his message out to everyone, both physically and mentally at the top of his lungs, his already fragile patience wearing thin.]
DEKU IF YOU'RE HERE HURRY THE FUCK UP AND ANSWER ME OR I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF!!!!
no subject
He waits as the other man gives the messaging a try and then winces both because of Bakugos' grip on his shoulders and the screaming inside his head. Holy shit. ]
Jesus man, no need to be so loud. Ouch, ouch...No, luck, I guess? He might not be there, sorry.
no subject
[Bakugou shouts. But slowly his grip relaxes and he pulls away, leaning against the wall and looking down.]
Guess the whole regret shit is also true. [He thought he may have just been delirious from his injuries, but apparently not.]
I ain't going back to the infirmary, but I'll go with you. Where's a good place to hang out?
no subject
[ Maybe if they start talking about something else that isn't his friend not being here, Bakugo will stop ruining his eardrums. He thinks the kid really should go back and rest, but Peter can tell already this is a stubborn one. ]
We have a common area and there are also private rooms, plus the kitchen. Are you hungry? [ In Peter's experience, things always seem a little less dire when your stomach is full. ]
no subject
[Bakugou pauses for dramatic effect, smirking proudly before shouting at the top of his lungs.]
BUT MY HERO NAME'S GREAT EXPLOSION MURDER GOD DYNAMIGHT!!!
[Maybe screaming that wasn't the best idea because he winces and coughs after, cursing under his breath.]
What do you mean you're still trying to figure it out? What about that shitty AI?
[Food doesn't sound like a terrible idea though. When was the last time he ate? The wound around his stomach still aches, but since walking isn't excruciating anymore he thinks it's worth the risk.]
I could eat.
no subject
[ That is a lie. Peter's eardrums are definitely not fine, no with Bakugo shouting at him like that. He suspects his ears might be bleeding. And then...The dramatic pause, the smirk, the exaggerated nickname.Peter is trying really hard not to burst out laughing. Seeing Bakugo cough his lungs out sobers him up, and he reaches out in worry to put an arm around the boy's shoulders, even if he might not like that. ]
Cool nickname, really memorable. Mine's Star-Lord but calling me Peter is just fine. [ He starts to lead them towards the kitchen, slowly as to not injure the other man further. ]
Viveca told us that the orbs seek to be whole and that they are also chaotic entities. The reason why the station exists is to contain those orbs and make sure they're not a danger to others. But that's what we've been told, it doesn't mean it's the truth. The orbs are really powerful, and they are sentient, they can talk, and they like to make deals with people...I suppose you can imagine how none of us wants to realize that we're helping the bad guys once it's too late.
no subject
[He definitely doesn't like that, and he tries pushing away Peter's arm before giving up. If Peter's okay with the risk of getting a stranger's blood on him that's his decision. His expression twists into one that's annoyed and almost offended.]
It ain't a nickname, it's my hero name! I've got a provisional license and everything. ...It is cool, huh? [Star...Lord??? That gets his attention and he glances up at him in mild interest.] Do you control the stars? Or have some kinda quirk that acts similar to 'em?
[He might be worth sparring against to help with his recovery. And he's smarter than Bakugou first thought. He looks just as unimpressed as ever, but he's actually caught off guard and takes a second to respond as he processes what Peter might be implying.]
You accidentally help bad guys often?
no subject
The heroes use licenses in your world? Uh...do you get like, health benefits and such? [ He had no idea that was a thing, unless you worked for a specific government, just like the Nova Corps or other police organizations do. The Guardians have always been freelancers, and they sure as hell were never asked for a permit to do things. ]
Yeah, it's cool. [ He says, in the end, because it seems important for Bakugo to have confirmation. ] I travel among them, and I've seen many planets, moons, and space stations before. I have my own spaceship back home. Some years ago I used to have god-like powers but I had to give them up. Is that what you mean' by 'quirk'?
[ Peter shakes his head at the question but makes a face akin to regret. Thinking of Ego will never be easy. ]
Not often, not, but I was almost tricked once by someone who could control my mind.
no subject
Of all the things to ask about being a hero, that has to be the most dull perk. Bakugou stares at Peter, his scowl perplexed.] Health benefits? I mean...yeah? But you can also open up your own agency, get merch deals and make fucking bank. If we didn't have laws, the world would fall into chaos, or whatever. People had to figure out a way to keep more powerful quirks under control. Not that it does shit.
[People would do what they wanted if they felt that they could. His scowl fades and he almost smiles, though it's more of a proud smirk than anything. He's cool. Finally, someone with some fucking good taste in hero names-
Spaceship...
Spaceship???]
SPACESHIP?! How far away is it?! [Why is Peter still here?! He sounds confused, but also excited about the idea. Space travel isn't really a thing on his world. But he sobers up again and grunts in acknowledgement.]
Mn...quirk is just another word for superpowers. But some powers are just cursed. [One for All was cursed...it never lead to anything but tragedy for the host. As much as it may have benefited him to fight someone with god-like powers, he can't blame Peter for giving them up.] Is that what yours was? A cursed power?
[Sounds like Shinso. Bakugou isn't narrow-minded enough to assume that whatever happened to Peter was exactly the same though, so he asks.]
If they could control your mind, how were you fucking tricked?
no subject
Doing superhero work is painful and more often than not you end with injuries. Health benefits are always good, dude, even when one's your age. [ Peter pauses after saying that, making a face at his own word for a moment. Gods, he's really getting old. ANYWAY...] Opening and agency sound like a good option. Honestly, I'm surprised that some people do follow the laws at all in your world. Usually those with a lot of power think themselves superior and just cause trouble.
[ And going by Bakugo's 'Not that it does shit.', Peter infers that it still happens to some degree. ]
What's your quirk? Not super healing, that I can tell. [ He says it casually, making it clear it's a joke. Peter grins at the teen's excited reaction and gives a grin. ]
The best spaceship you'd ever find. Sadly, it didn't arrive with me here, or I would have got in it and flown back to my friends. But if one day you want to see it, I can conjure it up in the simulation room. It's like a really advanced virtual reality room. [ His smile falters after that, a flicker of something haunting, like a bad memory, shown in his eyes for a moment. ] And...yeah I guess you could say that. Cursed. The person who did that was my biological father, for a few days prior, he acted all nice and friendly...and then everything went to shit. It's complicated. He's dead now, so it doesn't matter.
no subject
We got some of the best because we have to. [Injuries, huh? He looks Peter over, trying to pinpoint any movements or listen for any sounds that would indicate injuries or prosthetics. He probably looks weird and way too intense as he basically stares right through Peter with his eyes.] I know. [Of course he knows people do that, he was one of those people.] We had a shitty start when quirks first appeared. A lot of villains trying to take advantage, society fell into chaos, but vigilantes stepped up to fight 'em and save people and eventually we had professional heroes take their place. Your power doesn't make you a hero or villain- what you do with it is what counts.
[He huffs at the joke.] I can blow shit up.
[Still, when Peter mentions the spaceship and then offers to show Bakugou, his glare softens in interest and he suddenly seems a lot more energetic.] Screw waitin' until one day, let's fucking go right now!!! What's space like?
[........Shit.
Bakugou doesn't stop, but he's stunned into silence, a sinking feeling in his chest. He's a jerk, but he doesn't actually want Peter to relive something like that. He has no idea what to say, having never experienced a betrayal on that level. His parents aren't perfect, but they would never try to lie and brainwash him. He withdraws into himself a little, his face unreadable before he finally responds.]
I'm glad you survived instead of him. You seem a lot less obnoxious.