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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
Her fingers curl in at her sides, within her skirts, as Ciri hurries in her direction — the instinct to embrace her is there, almost overwhelming at the start, but she can tell the girl is trying to exercise restraint, almost holding herself back.
That uncertainty lasts right up until Ciri chooses to hug her regardless, and then Yennefer doesn't hesitate, wrapping arms around her in a shared embrace, one hand gently cradling against the back of her head for a lingering moment. They haven't held onto one another like this before, not truly, but somehow it feels like the right thing, something for Yennefer to also ground herself to in the wake of recent losses. ]
As real as you. [ Which begs the question of whether Ciri believed her not to be, in turn explaining the strange look she'd been given beforehand. Yennefer pulls back, but only so far, hands settling against the girl's upper arms and then drifting up to gently cup her face. ] Are you alright?
no subject
Then again, it's as likely she'd be seeing Geralt now. Even while she doesn't want to, for the reason of why anyone's here.
Ciri shifts back when Yennefer does, tilting her head back to meet her gaze. )
I'm still tired. Different sort of scared, but—no one cares here. It's weird.
( She means there's no one hunting her; there's no Nilfgaard, and their opaque reasoning for knowing what she was capable of. )
Are you?
no subject
[ Which isn't to say that Yennefer hasn't weighed over discussing the subject of Ciri a time or two, but discretion has always won out — that, and the instinct to be protective. Even if there's seemingly nothing that can touch her here in the same way, bring harm to her or even attempt to siphon off her power, that doesn't mean Yennefer needed to divulge that information to everyone and anyone she's established something of a relationship with.
Truth be told, the only person she'd ever had any open discussions about Ciri with is no longer present on this station — and she shoves down the brief pang that arises at the thought of him now.
Besides, she's more surprised to have the question she's just posed turned back onto her, and Yennefer blinks a few times before an answer finally leaves her. ]
Of course. [ A pause, and then she concedes, since it's just them: ] More or less. You've been figuring out the station for yourself, I take it.
no subject
She waits for Yennefer's answer, studying her face. She doesn't know Yennefer well, but she feels like she knows her better than she should. It's still strange, to have met and learned of her through a dream before she ever laid eyes on her in person. Complicated, to have been part of Yennefer's want and betrayal that had reneged itself in the end, not without consequence. There were always consequences.
But know her, find a sort of faith and trust for a woman who'd offered herself in exchange for Ciri, no reservations, because she'd understood that much in the aftermath of Kaer Morhen. Family is what they make of it.
So she nods, a brief, half smile at the concession of "more or less." More or less is a place to start from. Or get worse from. The decision not to shrug whatever the less is as "of course" matters in the moment. Probably in all the moments that'll follow. )
Trying. The kitchen's almost making sense. ( Her eyes flick back toward the 3d printer, and she frowns. ) Other parts, less so. The illusion rooms are... interesting?
( Not magic, she knows that, but illusion is the word that makes sense more so than the one she's forgotten. Something with an ation in it. )
no subject
Whatever the state of things, it means that the duty before her now is a simple one — she'd committed herself to Ciri's safekeeping, and she sees no reason to let that change regardless of where they happen to be. She doesn't fully understand the instinct that's come over her either, but perhaps there's something deeper underneath it that she hasn't allowed herself to interrogate yet, in part because she simply hasn't had the time when these missions are preoccupying so much of her attention.
There's likely a longer answer she could have given Ciri, but Yennefer feels she can spare her the details, at least for now, when the girl is still getting her bearings in this place. ]
The common areas are, by and large, more intuitive than you might think. [ Kitchen chief among them, but the simulation room — or how Ciri describes it — is so like the way Yennefer herself had interpreted it upon her arrival that she can't help but smile. ]
It is similar enough, though I only know of at least one sorcerer who can achieve anything nearly that immersive. [ And her feelings toward Stregobor could currently be described as unkind at best. ] Apparently, it's capable of recreating any setting you can call to memory to... well, they refer to it here as "programming," into it.
no subject
( Almost calm, almost nonchalant. Almost isn't the same as truly calm, or the shiver that Yennefer might trace through Ciri in the moment where she inhales, and Voleth Meir is a memory too recent to have been processed, as with so much of what Ciri's faced. Trauma simply is. Trauma stacks, kindling for a conflagration they all must hope won't ignite.
Yennefer already has thought more about homefacing worries than Ciri allows herself, in her scant time here. If she thinks about it, she'll be as frustrated she can't do much of anything, but what was she doing? Trying so much not to be caught up and used or killed for other people's purposes.
Worrying about home in the face of that is harder than worrying about the handful of people she still has to care about. The ones still breathing. The ones difficult to kill.
(Not impossible. Never, sadly, impossible.) )
Programming? Like that machine?
( A jerky nod toward the three-dee printer, where her frustration has failed to produce whatever wooden-like practise sword she'd been looking to make. More for familiarity than need. Really, she should be practising with steel.
Will, she promises herself. For the weight of it, and because Yennefer is here, but Geralt... )
He's not here, is he.
( Let him not be caught up as they are in a regret he's willing to come here for. If it's because she wants to understand him as having accepted more than she feels she can yet, or if it means he wants to be there for them, for her, in ways that being here cannot resolve. )
no subject
[ And it also seems a safer topic to shift toward than anything that might have prompted that more unconscious response from Ciri herself — explaining the station, while something Yennefer might only be partly qualified to do compared to some, is a neutral enough subject that likely won't trigger any underlying feelings.
The same cannot be said for Geralt of Rivia, whose disappearance is still quite fresh — she had not been aware of his vanishing from the station until long after the mission had ended and she'd noticed his absence. There had been much left unsaid between them, things that she had nearly attempted to seek him out and discuss, but with him gone now she has bottled all of those instincts back up again, maintaining a seal around what she would have been prepared to smash and release in who knows how many years. ]
... no. [ It seems crueler, in her mind, to admit to his having been here, when Ciri wouldn't know the difference in remaining unaware. Besides, if there's anything she knows about the girl, she might blame herself or consider it some version of a station exchange. The father for the child. ]
It's only us. None of the others. [ Which would include Jaskier, and any of Geralt's witcher brethren, any of the rest who had been with them at Kaer Morhen — as well as any particular threats, something that might prove more of a relief or a sadness, depending. ]
Have you had anything to eat yet?
no subject
And there's so much worse than death.
She shakes her head. Clears her throat. )
Not today. I was... ( a glance back to the machine. ) Distracted. Have you? I've figured out some of where things are in the kitchen, and where supplies are in the storage room.
no subject
Not yet. [ On some afternoons, she simply might forget, in an effort to prioritize other things — but it's also easy to lose track of time in a place like this, where one cannot track hours passing simply by casting a glance in the direction of the sun's placement. Here, the closest approximation to that occurs in the sunlight room, but Yennefer finds her internal clock is a little more scattered when they're in between missions. ]
If we're lucky, someone's already started cooking.
[ Someone who isn't Yennefer — and she'd be doing Ciri a favor by not volunteering to make anything herself, at least anything that requires an open flame and a level of preparation, but she's been on the station long enough that she can usually finagle her way into a free meal. ] Perhaps that machine will be easier to figure out on a full stomach.
no subject
Time for them both to go see if they can blink beseechingly at people who actually cook, or else make off with the timeless staples of bread and cheese.
(Ciri should not be left in charge of her own health when it comes to diet. Who thinks about these things? Triss might have something to say about it, but guess who definitely is not here, and who is also definitely afraid of Ciri now?) )
If we're unlucky, there's probably still bread and cheese.
( Though she smiles as she says it, and adds: )
Can't be worse than when Lambert cooks.
( She's already setting into motion, leaving the frustration of the three dee printer behind in favour of a meal and anything more settling, with Yennefer by her side. )