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MAY TDM.
● ● ● T D M . 0 1
So what do you say? What are you willing to do to erase your regret from existence?
These words ring in your ears when you wake with a gasp — perhaps the last thing you remember after hearing them is the sense of free-fall, or your throat constricting as tears threaten to fill your eyes. Whatever it is, you can’t shake the feel of dread — that whatever you’ve done in your dream has changed everything forever.
As the sense of dread 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 not alone. Perhaps the other occupants of the room are still sleeping, only to wake up with their heart pounding… or perhaps they have been awake for longer, a spectator to everyone else’s dreaming.
What you do is entirely up to you: try and wake the others from their dream? Yell in surprise when you wake to someone staring at you? Or maybe you’ll try to sneak away before anyone else wakes...
After all, nothing binds the characters to the room they wake up in. If you find your bed comfortable, you may claim it as yours, or try to change rooms. However, there are only eight one-person rooms — so those who want solitude may have to fight for it.
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.
In fact, if you’re very badly off, you may want to hope for some company — you can’t stay in the infirmary forever, 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.
Suddenly, the soft hum of the station is replaced by loud static, like an old radio being turned on. Wherever you are on the station, it’s impossible to miss it — or the clear voice that follows.
With that, the speakers go silent — though if characters follow Viveca’s instructions, the earpiece will provide them with a chance to speak to her again.
True to her word, there is a lot to do and see on the station. When characters leave their rooms, they have the chance to explore all of the Southeastern and Southwestern Wings, and the Center of the station.
3.0 In the armory, characters can try to work the machine to make themselves some weapons to perhaps replace ones that didn’t come with them to the station, or to simply be prepared for future missions... but there aren’t many materials available, so the more the weapon requires, the more chance there is of the end result being less than satisfactory. A gun whose barrel is made out of recycled rings, a sword that’s just the blade and no handle, a knife made out of cheap aluminium — well, it’s better than nothing, right?
4.0 Eventually, when characters get hungry and want to eat, the kitchen and mess hall are ready for them… mostly. What food there is on the station seems to have been stocked for long-term storage: canned foods, dried meat and fruit, dried herbs and seasoning, condiments, some rather musty root vegetables and cartons of chicken stock. It’s certainly not impossible to make good dishes out of those, but it may require some skill.
5.0 The lab provides an interesting space for those who enjoy tinkering and technology — though the parts available are all in large boxes with no apparent method to their sorting. It may very well be that what you need for a hoverboard or a robot dog are in the boxes — it’s just a matter of finding it!
6.0 Meanwhile, those who want to train (or perhaps let off some steam by sparring with others) find the training room suitable for their needs. On top of the entire room existing for the express purpose of training, whether it’s martial arts, weapon skills or magic, anyone entering the room will see a message pop up on their network:
Complete these tasks for a boon:
a. Teach someone a new move or skill
b. Win a sparring match against someone
c. Learn to fight with a new weapon, style or skill
Should you take up this challenge, any time you complete any of the three, you’ll see that one turn light green — a mark of completion. Once all three are completed, you’ll see a new message:
Congratulations! You are now eligible for one (1) boon. Please check in later for submissions.
But when is later? What submissions? Even if you try to ask, no answer comes… all you can do is hope that you haven’t done all that work in vain.
7.0 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: characters will hear birds singing, feel a light breeze on their skin, as they walk through a grass field, a meadow and a small forest. In the middle of the room, a small brook runs the width of the room, and to cross it one must walk over a bridge — wooden, creaky, yet undeniably charming.
There are other things to do, of course… but the only room that requires a mandatory visit from everyone is the simulation room...
For those eager to get started, it might be best to do a little practice run first, huh? When you’ve successfully entered the simulation, you will immediately be provided with a supply satchel containing the following: a grapple hook, a long cord of rope, a flashlight, and a couple of snack bars (these will not actually feed you IRL). And your mission, if you choose to accept it (and you must, right? Otherwise what else are you doing here?) is as such:
There’s an orb buried deep in the Lodgen Mountain Mines — a series of winding underground tunnels long since abandoned now that any and all useful resources had been picked clean — and it’s causing a little bit of a problem down there, but the good news is that it’s yours to claim so long as you can get in and get out. You see, there’s been a cave-in and the culprit is the orb itself. Extracting this valuable object might take a little bit of doing, and if that’s not complicated enough, the orb’s presence appears to be the cause for the mines being in their current state of fragility.
Still: you’re resourceful, and more than that, you’re determined, and you can enter the mines in the following ways: going in from the top and climbing down through the mine shaft; going in from beneath the rubble where a narrow but perfectly safe-ish tunnel opening leads back into the mountain; finding an entry point from the mountain’s side by way of a refreshing dive into the lake that neighbours the mines.
8.0 If you decide to climb into the mine through the mine shaft, there’s a risk of the rocks you’re using as hand and footholds to crumble, or for the rocks to give way against your weight.
9.0 If you decide to go in through the tunnel, be careful you don’t take the wrong prong in the fork of paths. One will get you closer to the orb, but the other might lead you into the darkness where the first thing you’ll notice are several beady little specks of light reflecting off the beam of your flashlight, accompanied by the sharp chittering of large monster rats who haven’t had a decent meal in who-knows-how-long, and are eager to befriend you. It’s probably a good time for that weapon you have on you, or if that’s not an option, maybe there’s something you can MacGuyver from your supply bag?
10.0 Swimming is always an option, but like all unknown waters there’s the risk that you’re not alone, and we don’t just mean your fellow teammate swimming somewhere close by. (Though you might want to continue onwards together, Buddy System Style and all.) There are beautiful, haunting creatures that live in the depths who have the ability to draw their prey towards them through song — Sirens, some might call them. They call to you now, and oh boy, don’t you want to dive deeper? See what secrets they hold? Now would be a good time for your swimming partner to pull you back to your senses or be lost to the waters.
But okay! You’ve made it. Don’t forget that the mines are still in a very fragile state, so it’s best to tread carefully and avoid making sounds that could agitate the delicate infrastructure and risk the whole mission — and your simulated life. This is on you. This is about you.
Or is it?
When you’ve neared the location of the orb, you’ll find that it’s mostly quiet and you’re on your own, except … if you stand still for long enough, you can hear muffled cries for help behind a large wall of rock right by you, sounds that are clearly distressed and panicked. But before you can make any kind of snap decision, there’s a tiny blip of static in your earpiece and a matter-of-fact voice will state that you should probably get going — there’s an orb to recover and you’re nearly there. Anything else you attempt to do is outside of your mission, and time is ticking. Will you listen to the voice or will you try and save the trapped? You might be successful, but time is running against you and the longer you stall the more unstable the mines become.
● ● ●
N O T E: During each mission, characters will be given one personal goal to complete. For the purposes of the test drive, we’re offering three goals to choose from and leaving it to players to pick one for their character and run with it:
A Choose the most difficult or challenging path into the mountain.
B Help a teammate during the mission.
C Retrieve the orb at all costs, leaving any possible trapped individuals to fend for themselves.
F Y I
• TDM threads can be used as samples for apps. In fact, we encourage it!
• Reserves are currently open to those with invites. They will be open for everyone May 26.
• Apps open for those with invites May 26. They will open for everyone May 29.
• For any questions regarding TDM, please direct them here. For questions about the game, please refer to the FAQ.
no subject
but, look, he's helping in his own way. being in the infirmary isn't a good time and he's making it light and fun. maybe just a lil flirty. who's to say! it's taking their mind off the troubles at hand or something.
anyway. perhaps to her approval (or something), gladio does keep his eyes above the waist... though his smile cuts just a little sharper seeing the flush color her cheeks. doesn't comment on it, though. a small saving grace, maybe. he pushes off from where he's leaning and comes further into the room to grab the requested box and hand it over.
he also shifts the top blanket up to drape over her shoulders to give her some decency back. see? he's nice. kinda. )
That's what I mean, if you want to play at being oblivious.
no subject
Thank you...
[ she shifts the box onto her lap, quietly looking its contents over. her lips form a thing line at the side of her bloodied dress. she'd been certain she would have preferred it to what she's wearing now, but after seeing the large puncture right in the center where her chest would be... yeah, she's rethinking that now. ]
I don't suppose you've seen any spare clothing around?
no subject
well. he can kinda guess why she's here. )
No problem.
( he begins to wander around the room, peeking into cabinets and drawers, whatever's around. he finds a plain pair of scrubs (or what looks similar enough to them) and brings them over, tossing them onto the bed beside her. )
That'll probably work until you can get something better.
( he does put some distance between them and keeps his back to her. he's probably gonna be good and not peek. )
Are you feeling alright? I can go find someone if you need help getting dressed.
no subject
she's not normally so rude, but she can't help the dry laugh at his question. ]
I feel... perfectly fine. [ physically, anyway. she assumes he couldn't possibly mean any other way. ] Like nothing even happened.
[ she sounds both in awe of this fact, and slightly troubled by it. healing injuries, even grave ones, she's witnessed. she's even experienced. but healing from death? now that gave her pause. ]
no subject
...well, used to be. things changed and yeah. that kind of comparison isn't the greatest so he's going to steer swiftly in the other direction. that's much easier.
he makes a low sound of acknowledgment, pondering over what her statement actually means. usually, people who have something small wrong with them don't wind up in a hospital gown, so his curiosity is highly piqued. assuming she's likely dressed by now, he glances over his shoulder to check. )
Curious what happened to you. Was it something here?
no subject
No. It was right before I was taken. [ a pause, a slight frown. ] Right before I agreed to come, I suppose.
[ she eyes him, now finally feeling comfortable enough to really take notice. ]
Did you not wake here?
no subject
but, seeing as she's fully dressed for now (bummer), gladio turns to face her, though keeps the distance between them. he rubs his chin in thought as if he could sus out what it all means. he can't, of course, but he gives it a good effort. nothing is really making a lot of sense to him right now — which is kind of annoying, if he's honest — and instead of getting answers to things, he's just winding up with more questions. )
No. ( he gestures with his thumb ) Woke up in a room with a couple other people. Been past here a couple times so far and you're the first person I've seen in here.
no subject
there's. certainly a lot to take in, but mostly because of his size and the oddness of his clothing. a similar level of eccentricity as the very scrubs she wears, but not nearly as colorful. wherever he is from, he does not appear to be from anywhere she'd recognize. but from the sounds of things, he isn't from around here either. wherever "here" is. ]
You've already explored the area? Are there any places of note?
[ curiosity and interest piqued, she looks perhaps the most lively she has since their meeting. it's a meager slice of positivity, but the notion that there could be something useful beyond these walls is an uplifting one she will gladly hold onto.
sadly, she miscalculated how ready her body was to move on its own so suddenly. having been inert for as long as she has, her legs aren't quite feeling up to the task yet. so when she moves to finally take her first step, her leg buckles under her weight and she goes tumbling down. with a yelp, she wildly grabs at the first thing she can reach—
which just so happens to be gladio himself. oops. ]
no subject
well, not the first time someone's taken a nosedive into his chest before.
still, gladio immediately reaches out to catch her, help steady her. thankfully, he's got some pretty fast reflexes so she doesn't eat it on the floor or anything. rather, he curls an arm around her, the other hand presses against her shoulder. (soft romantic kdrama music plays in the bg) there's a split second where he doesn't say anything, just looks down at her, then a slow grin pulls up his lips. )
Seems like you found a place of note yourself.
no subject
I would disagree.
[ even if (if!!) it had been noteworthy, a combination of feeling embarrassed and flustered has her reacting contrarily. she presses her hands flat against his chest and pushes, eager to return the distance between them.
begrudgingly, ] Thank you. [ because she's still nice and polite and can appreciate that he's saved her from colliding with the cold floor. standing in place she tests her stability a few times before cautiously taking a few steps. good, good.
let's just breezily move on then! ]
If you'd woken up in a room, I assume our hosts mean for us to have living quarters?
no subject
still, because he's gladio and he can be nice when he wants to be, he doesn't actually move too far away and he's poised and ready to help her if her legs don't support her well enough just yet. he knows how difficult it can be when you want your body to work and it doesn't quite go the way you wanted it to. )
We can assume a lot, at this point. But, seems like it. Some rooms have multiple beds, some are singular. Not sure why the difference, though.
no subject
[ this observation she takes care to say while looking away from him, not about to offer him any kind of opening at all. ]
But there are no answers to be gained from just standing here.
[ she moves towards the door after a decisive nod of her head. though her strides are determined, it's not like it would take much effort for him to keep up, so she doesn't consider it too rude or dismissive. ]
no subject
so, he falls into step behind her and makes a gesture toward the direction he came from. )
Well since you seem pretty interested in pairing up, the room's are back down this way. Some are nice and cozy with two beds. ( huhuhu 🤭 ) Or one.
no subject
It was just an observation.
[ she sends him a look as withering as someone still trying to be polite can make (though why she's still trying to be polite, she's not entirely sure; maybe she still feels grateful for his help earlier, but she has a feeling that will soon pass). ]
But if you are offering to show me around, I won't refuse.
[ better to work with someone who's already got some lay of the land than wandering around aimlessly, she figures. ]
no subject
but. anyway.
he leads the way back down the hallway toward the living spaces. he does look over at her though. )
Name's Gladio, by the way. Figured we might as well introduce each other after sharing an intimate moment.
( 😏 remember. when he saw her 🍑 )
no subject
I'd — hardly call it that.
[ it was clinical. clinical! ]
But exchanging names isn't unreasonable... I'm Edelgard. [ she forgets to include her full name and her title, that's how much she's off-balance right now. she hopes he's pleased with himself!! ]
no subject
at least he'll get some fun out of being here. )
Edelgard, huh? ( he rubs his chin in thought. ) Kind of a mouthful. ( like urs is any better u fuckin flower. ) Got a nickname or can I make up my own?