![[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}
AUGUST TDM.
● ● ● T D M . 0 3
… What are you willing to do to erase your regret from existence?
The words, when they die out, leave you in emptiness — despairing, all-consuming, the kind that invites only the worst thoughts. What have you done? What have you agreed to do?
But then, from the emptiness, a golden light shines, and as you reach for it —
you wake up.
1.0 Perhaps it was less the golden light in your dream and more the insistent feeling of something metallic poking your side repeatedly, making beeping noises… wait, beeping noises?
When you look down, you’ll see a small robot staring at you and looking less than happy (maybe it has something to do with your disheveled state, maybe it's still mad about having to clean up after a certain pizza-induced mess). When you get up, it unleashes a series of beeps — and then furiously starts to scrub the floor.
Yes, the floor — instead of waking up in a bed, you find yourself lying on a hallway, white walls and white floor surrounding you. You don’t have long to stare at the minimalistic look of everything around you before the little bot starts poking you again, the word MOVE blinking across its visor.
So better get out of its way! Perhaps you’re on the hallway on your own and leave on your own… or perhaps there’s someone else, sleeping near you. Maybe do them the courtesy of waking them up before this little angry bot does! Or perhaps you’re the poor soul still sleeping and needing a rescue before the beeps make it to you.
2.0 If you need a visit to the infirmary, the situation may be more dire — perhaps there’s blood on the wall that you wake up against, your clothes may be dirty or ragged… whatever it is that has happened to you before waking here and has left you injured, it sure doesn’t create a reassuring sight. Best get to the infirmary as soon as possible.... with some assistance, perhaps.
Once upright, 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 The most pressing question that you might ask yourself is: but where will I stay? The question is answered once you walk through the winding white corridors to the common area. Behind it, there are three types of rooms: those with one bed, two beds and four beds. The rooms are clinical yet clean, and sparsely-furnished — and most importantly, most are occupied. So be prepared to get some roomies!
4.0 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.
And speaking of weapons: to put it to good use, head to the training room, where the entire purpose is to provide you with a space to spar and train to your heart’s content!
5.0 After you’ve exhausted yourself training, it’s time to grab a bite. For that, you should head to the kitchen, which… seems to be filled with a lot of leftovers: takeout boxes with an assorted collection of pizza slices, kung pao chicken, lamb curry... not to mention the entire tray of chocolate brownies. Feel free to eat your fill — or if takeout isn’t your cup of tea, open one of the large fridges to pick fresh ingredients and make your own lunch.
6.0 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. A new addition is a flower garden where there once was a meadow — now, roses, camellias, lilies and dozens of other flowers sway in the wind, all varieties in their own flower beds, with a winding path of stones leading through them. The path leads to where a bridge rises over a sparkling, babbling brook.
Here, 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.
7.0 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!
8.0 If it’s items you’re lacking, though, some time after your arrival, the earpiece alerts you to a new message.
Indeed, the platform near the personal quarters is still whirring with power, and new items form neat piles 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 If you’ve been given a particular body change that might aid you in this mission, do not use it to your advantage.
B Team up with a fellow Orber to uncover the hidden location.
C Get up on stage and put on a performance during the simulation. Your song choice will determine the outcome of success in your investigation.
F Y I
• TDM threads can be used as samples for apps. In fact, we encourage it!
• Reserves are currently open!
• Apps open August 27.
• For any questions regarding TDM, please direct them here. For questions about the game, please refer to the FAQ.
FOR SOME FUN:
Have a listen for some clues about the second mission.
(Hint: there are four clues in total.)
no subject
Banter with him feels natural, and the fact he just rolls with her criticism and keeps on going makes her feel more at ease.
Whatever's going on with how this place pulls in the Doctor and his companions out of order in his timeline doesn't matter so much now. He's here, she's here, and it feels not at all as intense and horrifying as it did in those initial moments on the TARDIS, or the crash landing that happened after.
There's not a trace of regeneration sickness or anything either. This is good.
And it's hard not to feel gravitated to be in close, until the point she's right in his orbit and trying to look up at him sneakily through her eyelashes to get a better peek at his face.]
Yeah, well, you best play nice. No matter how many brains you have and how easy it'll be to outsmart them.
no subject
[He doesn’t think anything of it. From the smug grin plastered on his face, it’s clear that the Doctor is well within his comfort zone and not sulking like the grumpy old fool he is.]
Even pudding brains need a little spice in their routine. Them and their weapons and gadgetry! All very flat and boring as a squashed loaf of bread.
no subject
[She says it with fond exasperation and a roll of her eyes. She's not including herself in the pudding brains category, but she also isn't completely against him calling everyone else that at the moment. Her attention is on something else that she's deemed far more pressing.
So she reaches out to grab at his hand that was just gesturing at his guitar to get him to be still and listen.]
How long have you been here? There's something you need to know.
no subject
[There he goes again. Making assumptions. Assuming that the two of them found themselves stuck again in their usual wacky space-time adventures.]
That should be good news, yeah? No dangerous parasitic creatures trying to eat away at our toes this time around.
no subject
Don't say that. Our next mission's bound to be filled with toe eating parasites if you say that.
[Still, she's able to get that out with a half-hearted laugh. She gives a little information away. Next mission, implying she's been here for a while without him.]
The last mission didn't go very well for your previous self. He very nearly turned into a monster. River was able to keep an eye on him, but I had to stay behind.
[She casually drops the bomb of information in his lap to watch his reaction and see what he'll do with it.]
He's here too. Not a monster anymore, I'm happy to say. But...definitely here. With us. In one place, just like before.
[You know, when they encountered Sandshoes and Grandad and had a big old adventure.]
no subject
Ah.
He lets out a small dry laugh as he walks backwards with his guitar resting on his side.]
I see what this is.
This is you [He points to his chest.] having a go at me. Although, your punchline could use some work, overall, I give you a D+ for the effort. Don’t quit your day job.
no subject
Shut up and listen to me, Doctor.
[It feels painfully easy to just boss him around like this.]
Your previous self is here. River is here. And now we're both here. [She gestures between them.]
Do you really not see how complicated this can wind up being?
no subject
Before he does/runs/says/yells about anything, he takes a moment to scrub down his face. Now pacing back and forth on his side of the lab. He’s done this before: seeing himself in the past and having to stop an entire Zygon invasion all the while. And he’s certainly seen River plenty of times out of sequential order to know how to go about that.
If he’s here, then that means there is a deep-rooted regret he has yet to confront. And he hasn’t a clue what that might be.
But that’s not really the problem now, is it?
The Doctor stops mid-pace, snaps and points a finger at Clara.]
Where are you?
[His tone is terse and sharp.]
no subject
Here, obviously.
[She goes for the smartass remark first, shrugging her shoulders and playing innocent. But she isn't actually stupid enough to actually play dumb and think it'll work.
The look on her face becomes increasingly anxious as she starts to twirl the ring on her thumb. The only way out of this is just being bluntly honest.]
I don't want you to think you need to avoid me just because I'm from before you must be.
no subject
[He stops mid-step. Before he even goes off on some lecture on the ramifications of these two being here, he bites down on his knuckle. He’s hesitant.
Hesitant because he realizes that the Clara in front of him isn’t the one he’s ventured with for the past several years. A vast rollercoaster of fast-beating hearts, sweat and tears. It’ll be like starting from scratch and, yet—
The Doctor walks up to Clara, his Clara, and embraces her in a hug.]
Tell me I’m at least letting my hair grow out.
[—He’d do it all over again. Just for her.]
no subject
She doesn't realize there are tears in her eyes until she's hugging him in return, and feels the warmth treading down her cheeks. Instead of wiping them away, she allows the tears to fall.
Her Doctor is the same man, deep down. There isn't anything to be upset about, anything to be afraid of.
She hugs him tighter, burying her face up against him.]
I must have rubbed off on you, if you're worried about your hair. Which has gotten a little too...fluffy, I should add.
[She teases him lightly, sniffling just a little. When she finally pulls back, she's got tears in her eyes but she's smiling. Her Doctor is always kind, always there for her. How ridiculous she was to think his face changing meant that would ever be any different.]
no subject
…Still, she’s right, but he won’t admit it out loud out of his own stupid ego.
As she pulls back, he keeps his eyes on hers; Puddles of reckless emotion, innocence and sincerity. He hadn’t realized how young she looks. Back when he referred to Clara as the Impossible Girl. It was only yesterday that he was a silly, dashing-young traveller who ran for centuries.
All a clever ruse to show the universe he had something to prove.]
I would say less worried and more intrigued by how I created a nesting ground for birds. Besides—
[Letting go of their embrace, he turns and combs a hand through silvery-grey curly locks.]
I’m rather partial to the unkempt grooming routine. Haircuts are for snails.
no subject
I'm not going to even begin to pretend that makes sense.
[Haircuts are for snails indeed.
Her touch drops from his hair down to his cheek, where her palm presses firm and her thumb runs along his jawline. Her eyes are still on his, up until the moment she feels she might be making things uncomfortable.]
But I'm so glad that you're here, Doctor. So much has happened.
[And oops, her hand drops away so she can pull in for one more quick hug. So much has happened, and she takes comfort in his presence. It's easy to feel safe with him there.]