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FINAL TDM.
● ● ● T D M . 10
The words ring in your ears as in the darkness of your dream, a copper 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. The illusion has been programmed to reflect the seasons — the leaves in the trees are currently bright with all the colours of autumn: orange and red and yellow; and the air is crisp and clean. If you follow the path, you'll be led to a bridge rising over a sparkling, babbling brook, a few fallen leaves floating on the water and falling around you like very bright raindrops.
With an illusion so authentic it may leave you longing for a nice glass of ice-cold lemonade, 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!
Maybe you have taken the warning to be ready seriously, or maybe you’ve heard someone mention the simulation room and want to see what the fuss is all about — whatever the reason for your walking into the room, the first few moments don’t seem too exciting. It isn’t until there’s another person in the room with you that the door suddenly slides shut, and the scenery starts to change.
7.0 Simulation on the Fritz: However, what it changes to is not one of the simulated missions. Instead, the room draws on its occupants. A little flash of memory here, a familiar scene there — the room molds itself after what one (or both) of the people in it know, perhaps a place they’re familiar with: the university library you used to spend hours and hours in studying, or the castle you’ve been trying all your life to conquer.
Or perhaps the room is torn between which person’s memories to draw on, and it ends up producing a strange mix of both: a busy street surrounded by lush forest instead of buildings, or a spaceship sailing on open sea.
As there is no simulated mission, there is no completing it to get out… so look for the little things that are not quite right in the simulation: a shimmer in the air, a grey brick in a red wall — a token of sorts. Finding it will make the simulation die down around you as the room goes dark again.
8.0 Mission — An Open Door: As the simulation starts, the scene that unfolds around you is a gilded hallway. It stretches on and on behind you and in front of you; along its sides, there are countless doors. Some are lavishly decorated, some made of pure gold, some of wood; some are decayed, looking like they might fall apart by mere touch; after a heavily reinforced door comes a door made of frosted glass… and so on.
But the longer you stand in place, the more you start to feel a sense of urgency: you must keep moving… you must find it. The orb. It’s there, behind one of the doors. All you have to do is choose which one to open.
Oh, you can open as many as you want, but be careful: you never know what is lurking behind them. It may be that you open one and step into a room that is nothing but air; it may be you unleash a horde of hungry monsters. Or perhaps you luck out and get a room that is just a room, with lavish couches and plush pillows, and maybe some grapes and apples set in a bowl in the middle of a gold-decorated table.
It’s not just the orb that you need to find, though... because just like in real missions, you receive a message that tells you your task — one that you have to complete, if you want the orb to help you in your quest to undo your regret.
● ● ●
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 Tell someone what you are most ashamed of.
B Let a teammate get injured during the mission.
C Steal something from one of the rooms.
F Y I
• TDM threads can be used as samples for apps. In fact, we encourage it!
• Reserves are now open!
• Apps open September 26.
• For any questions regarding TDM, please direct them here. For questions about the game, please refer to the FAQ.
Have a clue about the upcoming mission—
no subject
( the machine is interesting. he hasn't played with that yet, so jason settles for standing back and watching whatever she's getting up to. she looks like she knows what she's doing, or she's just faking it well enough - so he doesn't watch closely, not in an obvious way. just stays where he's at, messing with the pistol and keeping watch out of the corner of his eye. )
Not that kind of doctor?
( feigning ignorance hasn't failed him yet. if she doesn't recognize him, doesn't call him out, it just means he can continue pretending he has no idea who the hell she is. )
no subject
Uh huh.
[The thing is, she hasn't been here that long on the whole scale of things. When there's idiots who've been here for a couple of years now? Yeah, she's still on the newer side. Still, she's been here long enough to pick up a few things.
While she's not exactly hiding who she is or what she's done, Ivy's also been on good behavior. Smart enough to know when not to cause trouble. No one on the station tries her patience as much as some of the Legion of Doom.
But there are a lot of things that could go wrong with that.]
What, no guesses? There's a pretty big clue.
no subject
( and not already know about her botanical biochemistry career, which really makes him care even less about playing a guessing game. he could do the whole, do you know how many different kinds of doctors there are or you're green bullshit, but why bother. she also isn't calling him out on his bullshit, so he's taking it as good of a sign as any.
considering he's lacking his hood, he's not exactly at his most recognizable either. jason drops the pistol he's working with, moves over to where the sharp and pointy toys are kept. )
no subject
[The thing is, he's not exactly recognizable. He's also not quite the version of himself Ivy knows, and keeping the different Robin and Post-Robin-Careers straight is not, like, her highest priority. For Harley's sake she's tried to get less openly hostile with the Batfam, but learning their life stories is too big of an ask.
On the other hand do you ever really forget someone in a cape who you tried to feed to a giant venus flytrap? What kind of girl would Ivy be is she just totally ignored a sidekick?]
You blend.
[What she wouldn't give for a flytrap now.]
no subject
fingers wrap around the hilt of a nice sword, pulling it down off the wall so he can test the weight in his hand. jason doesn't need it, but why not add another thing he can slice and dice people with to his weapon hoard? )
Huh?
( like he's only half-listening, even if he's making sure to keep most of his attention on ivy. )
no subject
Unlike someone.
Which leaves her the choice of continuing to drop hints, which hasn't gotten anywhere and doesn't promise to get more productive, or she can drop the charade and challenge him directly, which also sort of seems like admitting defeat. It also seems a little like admitting things she doesn't know, which doesn't sit well.
She makes a little, irritated sound.]
So which one are you again?
[She splits the difference, changing tactics slightly.]
The trapeze artist or the boy genius? I know you're not the current middle schooler.
[Did she let him get under her skin? Only slightly.]
no subject
his mouth twists into a very batman-like scowl, but he's still facing the wall full of swords. considers, briefly, how far he'd get if he took a swing with the one in hand at ivy. it wouldn't do him any good regardless: they're both here, he's betting neither of them are going anywhere any time soon, they both know who each other are, they both know that they know.
and ivy's not pulling anything to deserve it either. far from harmless, sure, but a good bit of the harm she's done has been to people who deserve it. which means jason really, really doesn't give a shit.
jason's head tips back to look back towards her, brows furrowed and mouth still twisted down. )
You wanna try that again?
( or is this turning into the fight he was hoping he'd get. )
no subject
In the end, she's not actually looking for a fight, even if she's not going out of her way to avoid one either.
She waves her hand, dismissive at first, then turning the gesture into a broad circle, indicating her own face.]
Aren't you missing something?
no subject
he's not putting it on. just holding it in his hand while the other keeps hold of the sword - as if it's a threat all on it's own. )
Not much point to it here, is there?
no subject
[She doesn't add that the crew member in question was the main characters of 90s Fox hit, the X-Files. The whole situation had been weirder and slightly stupider than usual.]
Safe to assume it's not going to mean much to anyone anyway.
[Which is not even an intentional dig at his notoriety. It's genuinely weird. Ivy isn't used to people not knowing who she is, or drawing conclusions.]
Harley excluded, naturally, but she hasn't been around for a while either.
no subject
here, he doesn't want to be known. but jason's already accepted that it's not happening. the mask gets shoved back into his jacket, hooked inside of it. the sword, he tosses up once before twisting to put it back where he'd gotten it. )
But she was here.
( it's not voiced as a question, but it's one all the same. )
no subject
[The machine finally pings to announce it's finished making the knife Ivy selected. She picks it up, frowning a little as she examines it.
She's less interested in it than she is interested in having something to look at other than Jason.]
But I guess whatever she came here for, she had a change of mind.
no subject
( harley doesn't leave her own behind. and he knows damn well ivy is counted in those numbers. even when she's brainwashing the entire planet. ivy isn't one he handles often, if she opted to take off without harley, jason wouldn't bother second guessing it because it wouldn't do him any good. harley, he's been around enough to feel significantly over-analyzed, annoyed, and pissed off at her all at once.
three steps separated from his usual pissed at anything he could vaguely consider affiliated with joker, so.
ivy's avoiding looking at him, but he's no longer giving her the same courtesy. he keeps himself mostly angled away from her; this isn't a fight, not yet, but he's still got his head turned to look towards her. )
You sure she left here willingly?
no subject
[She doesn't look at him, but there's no missing the sharpness in her tone or the tension in her body. If there had been any plantlife present, it's very possible that it would have been spontaneously sprouting thorns.]
But I don't have any reason to think she didn't leave herself.
[Look, it's not like it hasn't crossed Ivy's mind. Harley and Ivy were seperated for a couple of months, and Harley showed up with two new piercings and a giant welcome placard when they reunited.
But at the same time, it was Harley...]
I trust her enough to believe if she left early, it was for a good reason.
no subject
nothing he can do about it. so he relents. lets his shoulders loosen a little, shifts his weight a little so he's holding himself less like he's ready to lurch for her at a moment's notice and more like he's really feeling: tired and irritated all rolled into one. )
Are we good? Or is this gonna be a problem?
no subject
[Which isn't exactly he same as saying they're good, but she's also not looking for a fight. She's smart enough to know that alienating teammates isn't in her best interest.
And while finding him here doesn't put her in the best mood, now that she's over the initial surprise—at least she can say there are members of the extended Batfamily that she'd like to see less.
Some she'd like to see more too, but still.]
As long as you don't stir shit, then we should be fine.
no subject
( they're here, they're going to have to work together at some point jason imagines, but he can also just pretend they don't know jack about each other. he doubts she knows a lot, but it doesn't take much to burrow under jason's skin and set him off. which--is known well enough in the circles ivy's generally found in. )
Deal? ( there's no offered hand to shake on it. there is a perfectly reasonable amount of distance between them currently, and he's just fine keeping it that way. )
no subject
Maybe it's a sign they're actually on the same page?]
I can live with that.
[Then after brief moment, she adds for clarity.]
Deal.
[Which makes it official. She guesses.]