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SPRING TDM.
● ● ● T D M . 0 8
The words ring in your ears as in the darkness of your dream, a teal glow pulses, slowly enveloping you. It is not a feeling of comfort that surrounds you, though — as a distorted voice whispers in your ear, you feel it: cold dread, and a sudden certainty that everything is about to be irrevocably changed.
It is to this daunting realization that you wake, and as 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 a few days 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.
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.
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.
With an illusion so authentic it may leave you longing for some hot chocolate, 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 As you wander back towards the common areas, you may notice a room off to the side. The room takes up a chunk of the common area, and on its unassuming door is a little plaque that reads, 'The Ximusic room'. Should you enter, you will find a sound-proofed practice room that contains — yes, you guessed it, band equipment that even the most musically inclined should be satisfied with. So pick up an instrument, saunter up to the microphone to belt out your favourite tunes, or take a seat at the side of the room and enjoy others' playing.
8.0 If it’s items you’re lacking, though, some time after your arrival, the earpiece alerts you to a new message.
As you make your way to the platform, you'll see there is nothing amiss in the neat piles of items 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!
(CW: POTENTIAL BODY MODIFICATION)
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.
Step past the threshold and the doors will slide shut with a quiet woosh. Nothing suspicious; nothing to worry about. But before you can really get a sense of your environment (a grey, large-ish empty room, no furniture, no discernable objects to provide markers), the room goes dark, and then … there’s really no other way to describe it: the room transforms.
You find yourself in a club. The music is upbeat, loud, but not too loud. Down a short flight of steps flanking the bar and seating is the open floor with more tables and booths bathed in a warm, dim glow of light, and at the very end of the room is a stage with its bright spotlight showcasing its performers — though, at the moment, the stage is empty.
9.0 When you take a step forward, you’ll feel a presence gently push at your chest or your shoulder — a tall and jovial man resembling a well-dressed bartender from the top up (the rest of him appears to move along wheels) approaches with a tall flute glass in hand. Its contents are sparkly and blue.
Will you proceed? Please respond ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.”
There’s something a little strange about his voice, a cadence that doesn’t sound quite natural even when the simulation is so realistic otherwise. Once you’ve given your consent, the bartender continues.
10.0 It seems the bartender wasn’t lying. Once you’ve allowed the drink (tasty, sweet-but-not-too-sweet, effervescent, with light notes of your fondest childhood memory) to settle in your stomach you might experience a myriad of effects on your body, ranging from a change in skin colour (pink? green? blue with spots?), an additional limb or two (or three), a tail or wings, or cybernetic parts such as lie-detecting eyes or a tongue that can uncover truths and lies in others. If you happen to find another Orber within the room and both of you have consumed the offered drink, you might find yourself experiencing a full bodyswap.
None of the changes are painful; if anything, they might not even be noticeable until you look into a mirror, look down at your limb-in-question, or your companion points it out.
11.0 The moment you approach the stage, a performer will appear as if out of thin air and begin to sing, her voice strong and smoky and melodic. Her enthralling performance could put you into a trance, but you have an orb to find and a personal task to accomplish, so it’s time to put your best foot forward and do a little investigating.
Talking to some of the patrons might prove fruitful as some of them are convinced that the stage has never sounded or looked so good, like there’s something giving performers that extra oomph that no one can explain. It might be wise to wait until that last performance before you sneak up there — or maybe you want to do a little snooping around now, you know, while everyone’s distracted. Strategize with your fellow Orbers and uncover the location of this hidden orb.
● ● ●
N O T E: The effects of the drink and the level of changes your character experiences is entirely up to you. Patrons of this fine club won’t bat an eye if you look a little like them.
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 Say the opposite of what you mean during the simulation.
B Create a scene with an unsuspecting teammate.
C Get up on stage and put on a performance during the simulation.
F Y I
• TDM threads can be used as samples for apps. In fact, we encourage it!
• Reserves open February 19!
• Apps open February 24.
• 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 about the upcoming mission—
no subject
Not exactly a chill day, but by comparison? Sitting here alongside Iris while his color slowly came back was practically a vacation. Once Finn's sure Iris has no more lunch left to lose, he offers an arm to help him stand. There was a row of stools set up alongside a small breakfast bar; still in the kitchen, but at least more comfortable place than the vomit covered floor.]
Huh? [The question catches Finn off guard, smile going sheepish. Whoops. Kinda thought he'd gotten away with that one.] Aw man, I dunno. Never met a guy named after a flower, I guess? I haven't hung out around a lot of other humans until I came here, so that stuff misses me sometimes. Won't be the last time I screw up, trust me.
Anyway, it's pretty! Suits you, bro. [He holds up a quick thumbs up, before jutting it over his shoulder towards the rest of the kitchen.] I'm gonna clean up the puke. You want a glass of water?
no subject
It happens pretty often, where I'm from. [ he speaks up after a moment, finger idly scratching lines along the counter's surface. ] Being named after flowers, I mean. [ truthfully, it's a sign of extreme unoriginality on the parents' part but. ]
Humans aren't that common where you're from?
no subject
Hehe, yeah, you could say that. [ Finn laughs ruefully, fishing a set of rubber gloves out from under one of the kitchen sinks. ] Like, we used to be everywhere a thousand or so years ago? But my whole life, I thought I was the only one on the entire continent. I know now that there were a couple others, but... well, they'd been changed a lot. I don't think even they remembered they were human, y'know?
[ He hasn't talked much about this much here, actually. The contemplative look on his face is in sharp contrast to his position scrubbing vomit off the floor. Seemingly realizing that, Finn chuckles with a shrug. ]
Sooo... maybe humans name boys after flowers where I'm from too, right? Hehe, still got a lot to learn over here. [ Finn knocks twice on his own head. The universal sorry for being a dumb-dumb gesture. ] Tell me more about what the humans you live with are like, gimme a little education!
no subject
Uh... I don't know, they're — humans, I guess? [ how does one describe a concept he's never really had to consider would be alien to anybody? ] There's um... There's different kinds... Different races...
[ there's a long pause as he fiddles with the glass, wondering just how much is safe to say.
but he figures, if he can't safely talk about it here, all the way in freaking space, where else can he do it? ]
Then there's the demiflora. They're human too, just... with certain abilities.
no subject
A word Finn's never heard before does put a halt to his scrubbing, though. Demiflora? It sounded like two things that made sense smashed together into something totally new. Curiosity prompts Finn to sit up a little straighter, peering at Iris over the counter that separated them. ]
Oh, word? Like magic biz?
no subject
though truth be told, iris already thinks the stuff he can do is pretty dang magical.
(...the scarier stuff notwithstanding. we don't talk about those.) ]
I guess you can call it that. Depending on the type of demiflora you are, you can do stuff like control water or make things levitate or create portals.
[ he chews on his lip, fingers ansty on the counter. he shouldn't be going around advertising it, in the off chance someone from his world does show up here... but he's clearly waiting to be asked what he can do. ]
no subject
He stands fully, leaning on the counter in genuine interest. ]
Whoa, sick. Wizards in my world usually stick to one kinda magic, too. Like, grass or ice or... hunting. They're super secretive about it, though. [ After how much they had to trade of themselves for their powers, Finn couldn't really blame them. ] Have you ever met one of these demiflora peeps?
no subject
Yeah, they're pretty common. But most of them live in secret, too. [ he might not have gotten the reaction he'd been hoping for, but he finds he's still relieved to be able to talk about this with someone, even if it is an outsider. in many ways, iris himself is still one. ]
The rest of the population... don't really trust them. Most of the time, demiflora are hunted down.
no subject
Hunted down? [ Finn sounds downright crestfallen as he repeats the words back to Iris. ] Why?
no subject
I don't know.
[ there were your typical reasons, he supposes. ]
Fear? Envy?
[ sometimes demiflora parts were collected and sold to the highest bidder to be displayed like some kind or trophy — or worse, to be used for the very powers the demiflora was persecuted for in the first place.
whatever the reason, it doesn't really matter to iris. he didn't get it either.
(though he supposes the worst reason is not having much of a reason at all.) ]
Either way, those that can hide they're demiflora do it to stay safe. And those that can't... just hide.
no subject
He could be such an airhead sometimes. ]
So... what did you do?
[ Almost as soon as he says it, Finn's shoulders tighten. What sounds compassionate and cool in his head comes out the exact opposite; prying and presumptuous. Hastily, he adds: ]
I mean, you don't have to tell me, I just... that kind of stuff, it sucks.
no subject
he can't help but hear lilium's voice right now, calling him out for the spoiled little kid he could be at times. ]
It was... a little different for me.
[ the tower may not have actually been made of ivory, but boy does it feel that way now that he's out of it. was life easy in there? no, not really. but in any ways it was better than being hunted. ]
I was never very good at doing what I was supposed to do, anyway.
[ for now, he thinks he can just leave it at that. ]
So, um. If there weren't any humans where you're from, what was there?
no subject
He cracks a crooked smile in response to Iris's glib self assessment, reaching across the counter to knock the guy's shoulder companionably. ]
Yeah, well, you'll get along just fine here, then. Everybody's really bad at coloring inside the lines. [ Bad boy central, buddy. Enjoy the buffet. ] In a good way. You can make some of the best friends of your life around here, y'know?
[ He nudges the glass of water a few inches closer to Iris before answering his actual question. ]
As for me, uh... I dunno, anything you can think of, really. People made of candy, people made of slime, people made of fire, wizards, dogs. [ He's listing off on his fingers, looking as if he's straining to list even close to 5% of what's there. ] We've got a pretty big goblin population in Ooo, I guess? Oh, and lots of princesses.
It's lonely sometimes, I guess, being the only one like me? But it's also not so bad. Like, my ex is a fire-person, so that got a little complicated... but the rest of it is just, kinda, my life. You get used to it.
[ He grins, gesturing out towards the Ximilia hallways. ] Now I live in a ship with wall to wall humans and every day's a new kind of weird. All relative, right?
no subject
all relative, finn says. iris looks at the empty glass in his hands, how water would have been his first choice to offer too, if it had been the other way around. maybe they're all different, but maybe they're all the same where it matters most. ]
I don't think we've got any of that back in Seattle. But I'm not really the best to ask, either... I only just started getting out a couple weeks ago.
no subject
Satisfied that whatever look he got back was affirmative, Finn heads over to the sink.]
Getting out? [That sat strangely in his mouth. The hiding Iris mentioned, is that what he meant?] From where?
[Maybe it's because of his own vulnerability in this conversation, but Finn has at least enough sense to realize that maybe that question was over the line. He lifts a hand, smiling nervously from the far counter.]
Uh, only if you want to talk about it though, dude. I'm like, pro at changing subjects.
no subject
still, some lessons are still fresh on his mind. like learning when to keep his mouth shut. ]
The.. place I was living at before all this was kind of cut off from the rest of the world. [ for their own good, he'd once believed. now he's almost certain it was simply to keep them all in the dark, and indebted. ] So a lot of things are still pretty new.
no subject
[ Remembering something, Finn perks up with a snap of his fingers. ]
Oh, dude, the sim room! You gotta let me take you. Y'know, to make up for making you puke!