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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:
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"Most witches have a certain talent. I have any number of spells, but I know a fair bit about healing."
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She wondered if anything might repeat, a theme or phrase, if intention changed anything or if it was just the words.
Out of everything that was different in this place learning about another power had her most curious.
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Now she has a better idea of how they came to be some of that makes a little more sense.
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She was more surprised than she sounded, keeping her voice leveler. That one was very different from what she knew -- those that had the potential never found out until later.
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"All witches can use magic. We try not to start teaching them until they're 12 or 13." When they can also teach them about control and responsibility. Toddlers and magic are a frightening combination.
"You can't always keep children with natural talent from using it younger."
no subject
It didn't run in families, there wasn't a way to predict it. The only other person in her family that could channel was her niece, though it was possible she didn't even know that.
"Teaching after that... is more complicated." Not the teaching aspect but how people got to it.
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"How do you ever learn to use it?" As one of the older and more skilled in her community, she often helps those still learning. She wouldn't dream of sending them out in the world and hoping they figure it out on their own. "To us, witches are born to witches."
And apparently the occasional pair of daemons, but maybe now isn't the time for a lesson on other Creatures.
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If they're strong enough in the power to complete their training. And don't die trying.
"But many refuse, try to live without channelling." Again, if they don't die trying. "People are afraid because of our history."
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Diana had learned that the hard way. She'd found out it wasn't something she could run from, and whether she liked it or not, it would always draw attention. There were some things Sarah and Em hadn't been able to protect her from.
"I guess the history you remember isn't pleasant."
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"We can't change what happened but we can help the world the best we can."
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But whatever it might have been, she can offer agreement on the last point. "Our power's better spent doing good."
She's felt destructive power, the kind it takes to end a life. She doesn't want to ever feel it again.
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It's nothing that's ever mentioned, things each of her sisters knows and has no need to speak of. She's not bitter about it, Moiraine knows exactly why people's attitudes are as they are even if it can be a little frustrating. But to hear of similar elsewhere, to have a sort of confirmation-- perhaps it's the only time she'll add a voice to such a thing.
"But it's easy to when all you know is your own life, not believing what else there may be. Or what it could mean."
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And she's always believed you get back what you put out into the world. She'd betrayed that belief when it came to Peter Knox, and she's still waiting for the consequences.
"To much power can go to a person's head, especially if it isn't used well." Knox had been a good example of that.
"We all like a little bit of convenience, getting a few things done with words instead of work. But it doesn't hurt to fix a neighbor's fence post now and then, cure his daughter's upset stomach." So to speak.
no subject
At least whilst you were training, there were times now where Moiraine lit a fire with a weave for speed even though she was more than capable of doing so herself.
"It can be as dangerous to us as others. They're hard lessons to be learned but necessary ones."
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Moiraine's next words make her stiffen, a sharp reminder of recent events, and she sips too cold tea. "Sometimes the magic bites back."
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"It's a sickness, something that will eventually kill a channeller if they're not instructed in use of their power."
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And not the only one. Drawing too much power would burn you out and kill you also. The Source was more dangerous to themselves than anyone else. Not that anyone would know.
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Sarah isn't completely sure how that works or what it would mean, but she's trying to match it to something in her understanding. Like drawing from a battery. Or maybe it's more like touching lightning.
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Of the universe, of all of the worlds connected to theirs.
"We use it, like water running over a wheel. Always there, never ending."
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She likes Moiraine, so she doesn't ask to be rude, but there is a dose of skepticism. Of course witches have their own beliefs, with plenty of deities to choose from, the Goddess at the top of the list. But she's still having trouble grasping the idea of The Source, this unfiltered reserve of natural power that magic users of her world are apparently able to tap into.
no subject
"Your magic comes from the earth. Nature and the world also. It may be similar."
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Diana might be something different, maybe her magic is like touching this Source.
i just finished s1 on my rewatch and i'm loving the show again!
"Are you able to fly?"
moving along!! s3 is such a good season for Sarah content. I was so happy.
"No. I'm more connected to the earth." And she has almost no elemental ability to speak of, despite her talents as a witch. That had been Rebecca's gift. And Em's. "For some of us, the use of spells comes more easily. For others, elemental magic is easier."
And for some, like Rebecca, both seem to come easily. Sarah hadn't been so lucky. Neither had Em. Just another way they'd complimented each other.
excellent! s2 and s3 are new for me so it's gonna be great
i apologize if i've spoiled too much for you!
oh you haven't! some of it i'd already seen 😭
crushing. written her from the novels off and on for a bit too, so sometimes i forget
i can't believe they did it
it was one thing i'd really hoped they'd change from the books.
(no subject)