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FEBRUARY TDM.
● ● ● T D M . 0 5
… What are you willing to do to erase your regret from existence?
The words ring in your ears as in the darkness of your dream, an ocean-deep blue glow hovers in front of you. Transfixed, you reach out to it... only to hear a different voice, a distant echo of cruel laughter, and with a sudden certainty you know — whatever you’ve just agreed to has changed everything forever.
It is to this laughter that you wake, and as it fades and your heart slows into something resembling a normal tempo, you notice something you should have noticed 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 very much 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 to the other person in the room watching you.
What you do is entirely up to you: yell in surprise when you wake to someone staring at you? Or maybe you’ll try to sneak away before anyone notices you...
2.0 Those with life-threatening injuries find themselves awakening 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, giving an illusion of privacy. But is that a rustling sound you hear? Some footsteps? Perhaps you’re not the only one in need of some medical attention... or you've attracted the attention of those with experience in medical aid, and they rush to your bedside, surprised about this sudden new patient.
It is not just for your injuries that you may want some company, but also for leaving the infirmary — you can’t stay there forever, after all, and will have to make your way through the hallways of the station to the living quarters, and claim a room and a bed there.
Once you’re up, you may notice there’s 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? Best get to know what is now your new home.
3.0 When trying to decide where yo go, you may find your way to the armory, where you can try to work the machine there to make yourself a weapon — perhaps to replace one that didn’t come with you to the station… or maybe you want to be prepared for the future. The recently-returned team members will surely recommend having a functional weapon with you.
And speaking of weapons: to put it to good use, head to the training room, where the entire purpose is to provide you with a space to spar and train to your heart’s content!
4.0 After you’ve exhausted yourself training, it’s time to grab a bite. For that, you should head to the kitchen, which is equipped with all the basic appliances you might need, and ingredients for most regular dishes... and large amounts of chocolate. Weird.
5.0 A welcome reprieve to the cold, dark space that surrounds the characters can be found in the sunlight room. A skillful illusion surrounds 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. It seems that the illusion reflects the season — the leaves have fallen, a layer of white covers the ground, and the air is crisp and clean. If you follow the path, it leads to where a bridge rises over a brook that has now iced over — but maybe don't try your luck walking on it, as the ice may crack underneath your feet and you'll find yourself plunging into the freezing water.
Regardless of whether you like the wintery atmosphere, it is easy to forget you are in space at all. Perhaps that gives you comfort, or just makes you miss the real nature all the more.
6.0 If you’d rather choose tinkering over 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 containing 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 make!
7.0 If it’s items you’re lacking, though, some time after your arrival, the earpiece alerts you to a new message.
Indeed, the platform near the personal quarters is still whirring with power, and new items form neat piles on it. There’s clothes, shoes, dishware, skincare, books… even a couple of CDs, and a few cute stuffed animals. So sort through what there is and grab what you want, before someone else does!
Eventually, you’ll find yourself at the doors of the the simulation room — it has been equipped with a new simulation to take you through possible mission-like scenarios so it’s best to prepare yourself and see what it has in store for you.
8.0 The doors slide shut behind you and the room goes dark. Small pinpricks of light will start to build on each other until you’re surrounded by grey skies overhead and grassy green lawns, a row of old stone columns lining your vision. It seems you’re in a courtyard of some kind, but that’s not all. Something tugs at the hem of your sleeve or nudges at your leg, a warm presence that feels comfortable and ultimately very familiar. They look up at you, or maybe they meet your eye-level, a creature that varies in size, shape, colour, and form depending on what reflects you best. This creature, known as a compalion is a physical manifestation of your spirit or soul and will stay by your side on this journey.
You can stay here and get to know your compalion, or you can take your new companion and explore the campus. Because, if you do move forward past the line of columns (a hallway it turns out), you’ll find that the small cluster of buildings forms an academic campus of some kind.
a) They cannot go any further than a few yards away from their person; the further the distance, the more painful the separation will feel.
b) Your compalion will shift into one form throughout this simulation and can be any creature that best mirrors your personality.
c) They can be as small as a flea and as large as a small elephant; get creative!
d) Whether they speak to you in your native tongue is entirely up to you (some speak, some don’t)
e) Basically daemon rules apply.
9.0 While it might seem like fun to spend hours just exploring the old buildings with your compalion and any Orbers like you that you might bump into along the way, it’s important to remember that you have a goal to achieve: follow the clues and retrieve the orb. Your compalion might offer an idea or two for where to go, or it may just be voicing the thoughts in your head, but it’s not a bad thing to follow your heart (or your gut) as it were. You might find that the rooftops of the campus buildings are easily climbable to get a good vantage point of your location. (Just be careful not to slip and fall! The height from here is quite dangerous.) A clocktower stands proud in the distance among a cluster of other campus buildings, marking the time.
Inside, you might be led down dark stone halls and into a series of classrooms: including reading quarters, study rooms with old leather couches and warm carpets covering stone floors; lecture halls with stiff wooden seating and individual desks to match, a chalkboard with indiscernible scribbles half-wiped away; and a laboratory that deals with something a little less modern than you might be used to, or perhaps with its twisty vials and bubbling potions, it suits you perfectly. There is the large library filled from floor to ceiling with books beyond imagining.
If you look out from the tall arch-shaped window from a classroom, or if you’re outside and you tilt your head up to the sky, you might notice that the sky appears to be darkening further, growing heavy with what is inevitably an oncoming rainstorm. If you’re inside, it might be best to stay indoors; if you’re outside, perhaps it’s time to find some shelter. Or if you’re determined to find that orb outside, risk you and your compalion getting wet.
● ● ●
N O T E: 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 Team up with another Orber and their compalion to find the orb's location.
B Climb into the clocktower and ring the bell.
C Explain your best theory regarding your compalion’s manifestation to a fellow team member.
F Y I
• This TDM covers the month of February.
• TDM threads can be used as samples for apps. In fact, we encourage it!
• Reserves are currently open!
• Apps open February 24 and will remain open until February 28.
• 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:
time to explore old buildings!
His compalion may not be the right guy, and maybe it was unfair to it that he's thinking that way, but it's quiet presence was calming. Like fitting a piece of a puzzle into place, even if it's not quite the right one at the moment. A temporary placeholder.
That gets run into by a lizard when he opens the door.]
Whoa there.
[... That's a very threatening-looking lizard.]
... Is that a dragon?
no subject
He looks at this boy, eyebrow raised.]
Indeed.
[Then he looks at the... What is that thing? and raises both eyebrows in surprise.]
What, exactly, is your friend?
no subject
The question has him glancing at the compalion, who glances back at him as if sharing his thoughts, before they both look at Malleus.
His eyebrows furrow at the horns-- cosplay? or digimon? or dragon?-- but he does answer, even if he's keeping himself firmly rooted to the spot, neither coming nearer or farther, just a little out of the way for incoming people.]
He's-- called Gabumon. He's not the Gabumon I know, but...
[He is one, which is fitting if he knew the reason for the manifestation. Gabumon was basically a piece of his soul, his companion for life, and perhaps a reflection of the better parts of Yamato.
Once he notices the sky darkening though, he steps out a little more to give Malleus some room to come in.]
... You're not a simulation, are you?
no subject
Are you referring to me or the Gabumon?
[He enters the building, his small dragon going around him as he does. No wonder it crashed against someone!
When Malleus raises a hand to pet it, the dragon's head is right there, and he smiles.]
no subject
[Which is his roundabout way of saying that he's definitely part of the simulation. Gabumon was never so silent. Heck, he'd know how to calm Yamato down because he's quietly stressing out in this place. This one simply holds onto him like a weight, trying to keep him grounded. It wasn't quite the same, but he was never that good at consoling himself, and probably never would be.]
This place isn't like anywhere I've been to. I just want to know which are real and which aren't. Don't you?
no subject
Not really. This is a simulation of some sort, so I don't think any of it is real. [A small pause.] What does your world look like, if not like this?
no subject
[If it did, it didn't look like Japan. It was a bit old, but maybe it's an old world charm? There are places like that all over Earth, and the surroundings look similar enough that he could've just landed in a foreign country, and not somewhere in space.
He glances at Malleus instead, patting a spot on his own head to indicate where Malleus' horns are growing.]
We don't have anyone who has horns, unless it's a costume. I've only ever seen them in fantasy stories. This place too... I was testing out just how realistic it is, but the fact that you can feel everything makes it hard to imagine it's just a simulation.
no subject
[The horns.
That would explain the man's weird reaction to everything.
Malleus touches his own horn and smirks.]
Curious about them? They're real, not part of the simulation.
no subject
[He turns away awkwardly, the words a bit muttered as he pulls his hand back from the compalion to cross his arms, a bit flustered. It wasn't wrong, after all.]
I know that.
[He says instead, a weak refute.]
Never mind. More importantly, who are you?
no subject
Isn't it a bit too rude to ask people who they are in that way?
[Though it is refreshing being asked who he is, considering everyone in school knows him.]
Malleus Draconia, who might you be?
no subject
Ishida Yamato.
[English? Maybe it sounds it to him, but that's definitely not Japanese. Not that he should consider it anyway given Japan doesn't have dragon people as far as he knows.]
From Japan, if you've ever heard of it. I heard not everyone's from Earth around here.
no subject
[Interesting. This Ishida Yamato guy is from somewhere Malleus doesn't know. It doesn't sound like any place he has read about.]
If we're all from different places then I must learn about your Japan. Do you have gargoyles there?
no subject
Uh... Gargoyles? Like the stone statues?
[Like. What? Why is that the first thing he asks about a different world?]
no subject
[Malleus sighs, does this human not know what gargoyles are?]
They're not stone statues, they're gargoyles
no subject
What do you mean then?
no subject
Gargoyles are architectural carved fixtures used for the draining of rain water. Do not mistake them for grotesques, which are stone statues.
no subject
Yeah, he's not sure what to say about that.]
Those things you find high up on tall buildings, right? Aren't they still statues made of stone though?
[Not that he's arguing its function, though that's interesting to know. However, it does not really disprove his point.]
no subject
A statue is something made for decoration, gargoyles have a purpose. So no, it's not a statue.