![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
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
no subject
It’s…not that bad, anyway. I’m kind of like. Mostly over it. [ It was a truthful statement, although, Jake would understand the complexity behind it. ] I don’t want to be annoying, or weird. I just want to be her friend, you know?
[ He felt both annoying and weird even having to say it. Sighing, Finn rests his head in his hand. ]
no subject
Yeah, buddy, I know. And I bet you will be. [He cranes back to look at him, trying to inject a little enthusiasm back into the kid.] Just gotta get outta your head a little, do something fun!
no subject
[ That was always the problem, wasn’t it…getting out of his head, the overthinking and anxiousness that followed it. Finn frowns, letting his gaze fall back on his collection of paper birds, each one slightly better than the last, but still not perfect. He takes a fourth napkin, folding it diagonally, carefully.
Anything to avoid catching Jake's eye.]
...There is this one other girl. We've been kinda hanging out, I guess?
no subject
Oh?
[Unlike before, his curiosity is more sweet than sinister. Finn's obvious anxiety about Gwen put a bit of a damper on the whole thing. ... Only for the time being, obviously.]
Go on, man.
no subject
Yeah. Her name's Ziggy. She's the only person my age here. We hang out sometimes. I took her to this movie deal Newt was throwing. [He tips one of his birds back and forth, yoyoing between a giddy smile and a persistent frown.] But yeah, I dunno. I don't know if she thinks of me that way. I think she just thinks I'm funny. But maybe less funny haha more... y'know, like I'm funny.
[Finn pauses, lips pressed tightly together, face pink.]
--So, yeah. See? I do have fun. It’s not like…all training and making myself miserable. [ Even if that was a lot of it, just, by happenstance. ] No big dee.
[ He folds his paper in half again, with some real concentration. Maybe Jake won't push it. ]
no subject
C'mon! Don't leave me hanging! [Jake reaches down with his gut, opening the oven door to an explosion of incredible smells. This bad boy was ready and Jake could practically hear his brain fuzz out in anticipation. He turns both the burner and the oven flame of, going in search of oven mitts.] I wanna know what this girl's like!
ZIGGY
Uh, she’s…really awesome. Super smart, but not in a nerdy way, like…in a cool, funny way. Witty, I guess? [ In an observational way, that sometimes almost teetered into mean, but…Finn found that charming, even if he was leaving off voicing that out loud. ] She’s also kind of…hot-headed? And, uh…impulsive? But also really brave and she’s not bad in a fight, especially considering she started learning a lot of that griz here. She does a lot of training with like, Wei Wuxian and Felix and stuff.
[ Finn nods slightly, his tone admiring, everything he was listing, positive traits in his book. He turns the paper bird over in his hands, looking nervous while he continues, aware Jake was probably staring him down. ]
She’s really pretty too. Not that that’s important…it’s just…an observation. [ Woof, shut up, Finn, his brain was screaming, stopping himself dead short of the mortifying act of describing to Jake the exact color of her hair. ]
Anyway, when you first meet her she seems a little prickly, and she’ll probably call someone an asshole, but, she’s actually really sweet. [ And she would probably kick his ass if he said that to her face ] She’s…complicated. But I think she has a really good heart…
[ Once again Finn felt a creeping dread of being embarrassing coming over him. Of maybe being too…intense. ]
You’ll like her.
1/2
2/2
They were out the other side on this one. And, if Jake's honest, it made him feel relieved more than anything else. Glad, too.]
Yeah, I bet I will. And I won't salt your game or anything, promise. [Not at first, anyway.] I'm in my chill-Jake era, bro. Very trustworthy.
[As he crosses to the kitchen with a wide grin, Jake can't quite help an affectionate hat tussle as he moves toward the kettle.]
I missed you, ya dork. [The statement seems to come out of nowhere, and yet not at all. A shared thought that comes unbidden.] Go get some plates.
no subject
That mean it’s ready? [ This had to be the tenth time he’d asked. But he was up, already fetching a set of plates from one of the cabinets. They were ceramic and white, seemingly the popular aesthetic of everything that came built in with the station. He sets them down on the table, grabbing some silverware while he was at it. ]
no subject
[He bumps the oven closed with his hip, taking a deep sniff of the meatloaf. Oh, that's the stuff.]
I gotta find some sprinkles in this place... [That's muttered to himself more than Finn, already on the hunt.] You got any more crushes I should know about in the meantime?
no subject
No.
[ It's more for show than anything else. He was the little brother, Jake was the big brother, and this was the rhythm they had. He... really missed it, and marinating a little felt comforting on a level the teenager wasn't fully aware of. ]
Are you gonna lay off that so I can tell you about the rest of the crew or not?
no subject
ITACHI
There aren’t too many people left. Other than ones I don’t know too well. [ Despite his admirable effort to talk with nearly everyone on the ship, he’d only had a couple of months, and some people were less communicative than others. Some were more scarce than others, and looking over the list reminded him that there were people on this crew Finn had barely even seen, nevermind spoken to.
There was a…notable, but complicated exception. ]
There is Itachi. [ Finn pushes his arrangement of paper cranes closer together, chewing on his lip while he considers what he wants to say about Itachi. What he wanted Jake to know. ] I don’t…know him super well. I know he’s a really great fighter, he’s always training early in the morning, but he kind of keeps to himself here on the station.
[ Finn was struck by just how very little he actually knew of the man. Next to nothing really. And yet, the moments they’d shared had been impactful. Thinking back on Alydhion still made Finn’s chest tighten; both times, there had been blood, and fear. But the two moments also couldn’t have been more different, and it left Finn’s mind swirling with more questions than it did concrete feelings.
He doesn’t realise how long he was quiet, when he finally spoke again. ]
He saved my life on Alydhion, though. He probably wouldn’t bring it up ever, but…I would’ve ate it for sure if he hadn’t been there. So I…think he’s a good person?
[ Did someone saving him make them a good person inherently? It felt like an oversimplification that Itachi himself wouldn’t approve of, but Finn didn’t know how else to think about it. There was no reason for it other than kindness; Finn’s death wouldn’t have changed the mission in any way. And even beyond his actions…the people who trusted and cared for this man that he barely knew? Wei Wuxian, Gwen…Finn trusted them, and it lent an air of safety and goodness to Itachi by proxy. He couldn’t imagine anything else. ]
no subject
He saved your life? [ Jake plunges a knife in, carving Finn a healthy slice before heaping it onto his waiting plate. Its immediately followed up with bacon and (of course) sprinkles. Savory and sweet. Classic combo, a la Jake the Dog. ] Dude, he can be as much of a loner as he wants, I'm still gonna shake the guy's hand.
Anyway... [ Jake grins, placing the plate in front of Finn with the customary: ] Just how you like it, pal.
no subject
But that thought is brushed aside instantly in the face of food; all of the time and good smells and waiting finally coming to their pay off as Jake places the plate in front of him and Finn grins, eagerly pulling it closer and taking a big bite, seemingly unfazed by how hot it still was.
And it was exactly as Finn remembered it; because Jake always made it exactly the same way. No recipe, entirely by feel. Maybe that was ultimately more consistent than any recipe would be. Maybe that’s why Finn couldn’t get a replicator to make it the same, no matter how many times he tried. A recipe didn’t allow for adjustment or reflect the different environments or ingredients available. It didn’t have a specific taste or goal in mind, as much as it was a collection of parts. Food wasn’t just a series of replicatable steps but an act of care and attention. And love.
Finn chews, taking another bite and smiling happily. ]
Thanks Jake, it’s perfect.