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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
No answer comes to mind, so all he can do is stumble out,]
Go with me where?
[He can't imagine her wanting to go to ZAFT with him, so it isn't that.]
no subject
[That question has her leaning over to get a better look at him. In fact, she's very close into his bubble now, ignoring any semblance of personal space simply because it's him. She's very comfortable ignoring many things if they're deemed inconvenient to her at a given time.
Cagalli reaches over and moves some hair out of his face to search for the offending head wound, brow furrowing when she sees none. Good job, healing spell.]
no subject
I don't... what? [He would definitely remember if that had happened!] Are you saying the war's over?
no subject
Cagalli drops her hand and scoots away, eyes falling to the ground. Being dragged here while sleeping and getting the explanation she did is one thing, but having Athrun here and asking her that is a whole new level of incomprehensible.
After what seems like an hour, she manages to answer as best she's capable of.]
Yes, for a few months. I'm in Orb, so are you. Lacus is becoming the Chairwoman of the PLANTs. Kira's with her there. Do you really... not know any of this?
no subject
The truth is probably a good start, though he's loathed to admit not only what a big mistake he'd made, but that it either caused him to miss and forget a great deal, or... what? She's from the future, and it all turns out okay despite his colossal failure?]
...I didn't know. Chairman Durandal told Shinn to take down the Archangel, and Freedom... I tried to leave ZAFT, but...
[Is she telling him, in a roundabout way, that he didn't die? ...Wait-]
You said Kira- Kira's there? He's okay? And you and the Archangel, too?
no subject
Kira's fine, we all are. Meyrin, too. [Cagalli knows Athrun would care about her. It's a part of him she likes and knows it's the same for others as well. He cares deeply, and when someone is hurt, he takes it to heart. If she can ease that a little bit, she'll do it.] A lot's happened since then, and I can explain eventually. Kisaka brought you two to the Archangel, where you got treatment. From there, it gets complicated, but one thing at a time.
[Cagalli exhales again, heavier this time, and she leans against the wall behind them, head tilted back.]
That explains the uniform. And why you look like shit.
no subject
[He does look like shit, he can't argue that. What else can he say, though? It's an unbelievable weight off his chest to hear all of that, and she's right to hold back because he already feels overwhelmed. Everyone he loves is alive. He didn't get Meyrin killed. The war is over. The PLANTs are in good hands with Lacus, and Cagalli is back in Orb. It's... everything he wanted, really. And he gets to see it happen, despite the wrong turns he's made along the way.
With a heavy breath, he ducks his head and presses his hands against it for a long moment, just taking all of that in. He runs his fingers through his hair, eyes clenching. It's okay. It's okay. God, it's so much. He only hopes he wasn't another burden on them all- that he was able to help them in the end, like he should have from the beginning.
First things first-]
I'm sorry. [It's quiet at first, but he tries again, louder, as he lifts his head.] I'm sorry... I never should have left.
no subject
Cagalli leans over just enough to rest lightly against him, arm nudging his side. Times like this, a little contact can do wonders, too. She recalls how bad he felt before, and this is just a senseless repeat of that to her. To him, though, it's raw and fresh and awful all over.]
You did what you thought you had to do. We all did, that never changes. No one's angry at you, just happy you're back and alive.
[She fall silent, then lifts her hand to place on his shoulder. The two of them are a question in more ways than one right now, but they'll always care for each other deeply. He gets a light squeeze for reassurance.]
I'm glad you're all right here, too. What an awful way to arrive.
no subject
We've had this conversation before, haven't we?
[He'd felt so full to bursting of things he wanted to say to her, if he'd survived and their paths were allowed to cross again. Part of him still wants to say it, but she's seen their shared future, she knows already. He ought not bore her with it. Especially since she wasn't wearing the ring like last time... so maybe she'd made her decision. It didn't matter; he'd never stopped caring for her, even when he couldn't stay.]
I wouldn't blame you, if you were angry.
no subject
[That's as close as Cagalli's going to get to starting things herself. She does, however, remove her hand and rest her head on his shoulder instead. He's healed, somehow, but still in a questionable state, so she's gentler than she'd otherwise be.]
I was never angry. [Well, that part's not entirely true.] Not with you. With the Seirans, the Chairman, sometimes the Minerva, but mostly myself. [A small huff escapes her as she thinks, finding comfort in contact with him.] I've made peace with most of it. Dwelling wouldn't help anything. I'm choosing Orb, over everything.
[She hopes the present tense of her statement will clue him in. To what? It's hard to say. Her state of mind, the current events at home, maybe even their situation... except she's not one hundred percent certain what that is herself.]
I know we just got here, somehow, but I don't know where to go from here. I think we can agree on that much at least.
no subject
He's been fumbling and uncertain for ages now, torn between two worlds, having lost his footing while he acted as Cagalli's unknown, useless shadow and then again after Durandal's ZAFT showed its true colours. He'd been angry, frustrated, fearful of all his mistakes, that he'd realized it too late and lost it all. As usual, Cagalli is grounding. He doesn't know what they're meant to do going forward, either, but in this moment it's so easy to settle against her, wind an arm around her shoulders, and nod.]
We're here because of regrets, supposedly. [He doesn't need to ask what hers are. He isn't so egotistical to think they'd be related to him, and there's plenty of time to deal with that later, when they're settled and they know more about how to function in this place. Regret is the cause of their reunion, and the details are irrelevant right now.] I'm not looking to make more. We can... figure it out, if we give ourselves some time.