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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.)
5.0
[ Natasha slides into a seat across from Steve, her own plate full of a post-workout meal, because training is a decent use of downtime and Natasha's not used to being without orders and without people to organize. She's still adjusting to this new team and this new place.
Steve's face is a welcome familiarity, though, and she throws him a little smile before she picks up her fork. ]
Hi.
no subject
When Clint had told them what had happened to Natasha he hadn't had a moment to spare for grief. Not after what she had sacrificed to ensure that they could fix their mistake. There hadn't been time to second guess, to doubt. But something about seeing her now, after it's all said and down, fractures him right down the middle.]
Hi. [His voice cracks slightly over the word.]
I didn't think I would ever see you again.
[It's a simple and painful truth.]
no subject
Knowing that she's not coming back from Vormir, Steve had been the person she'd worried about the most. Now, at least, she knows that it worked and he'd gotten Sam and Bucky back, but back there? She hadn't really known what would come of everything they were doing. She'd been prepared to finish the mission. They all had. It doesn't make the mission easier. ]
I know the feeling.
[ She can feel the prickle behind her eyes. Not a lot of people have seen her cry and she blinks the tears back, but she also knows that after all these years, the two of them can read each other pretty well, so se just sighs and reaches out her hand to his.
Five years. Five years of being the glue that was holding the scraps of a team together. She's going to fix it all. ]
no subject
But he had wanted so much better for her. She deserves so much better.
If he notices the wetness gathering in her eyes he doesn't let on, knowing that her emotions don't often come to the surface like that. But he does take her offered hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.]
It's really good to see you. [And finally he cracks a small, sad grin.]
no subject
[ They've been through so much together. Years as Avengers, years on the run, years after the snap. They've had a lot of time to live in each other's pockets and she's not sure she could have handled it the same way with anyone else. Steve really is a once in a lifetime friend.
She forces a smile, but she can't help the way her face pinches. ]
Sam said you all won, at least, so there's that, right? I've... given up more for less, but I'm sure you've found a way to blame yourself for it, anyway.
no subject
He's also not super fond of the way she's able to read him so easily. He can't help but make a face when she says he's blaming himself, his brows furrowing and his lips pulling down into a frown. There's a hint of truth there and that's why it stings.]
I blame myself for not finding a better way. For taking so long to fix things. There's a lot of blame to share and a lot of it is on me.
[He pauses a moment, almost hesitant to ask.]
What else did Sam tell you?
no subject
[ She laughs and it's small but not without humor. Before Steve, she'd never really mad much. Clint had been a friend, yes, and an important ally, but he'd had a family and Natasha and Steve had always been in a different category. There's no other world to go back to. When they hadn't been Avenging, they'd had small and lonely apartments to go back to and regrets to over-think. Maybe they don't view everything about the world the same way, but Natasha knows that there's something in the very fabric of who Steve is that will always resonate with her own being.
Steve had given her a family of her own in some ways. He'd given her the sort of trust that even Fury couldn't and probably more trust than she'd deserved, but it had made her feel... something all the same. ]
And he seems to have inherited Barnes, which he pretends to hate, but he's not much better at lying than you are.
no subject
Hey, now. I'm sure it's a great looking suit. [A pause.] He added wings, didn't he?
[Any lingering tension vanishes from his shoulders as they fall into friendly chatter. It's familiar and comfortable in the best of ways, reminding him of their time living in Avengers Tower, leading the team together. Before the split, before being on the run, before Thanos, and before they shared a crushing burden of making things right. Well, maybe they still have that last one.]
I knew they both secretly got along. [He looks pleased at being proven right.] I think they just enjoy the bickering.
[Then his expression clears and he studies her for a moment.]
Tell me about you. How have you holding up?