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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.)
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Yeah, well, your brother's a killjoy.
[ too soon? oh well. erik doesn't seem to mind it. ]
no subject
Oh, you have no idea. The stories I could tell you...
[Her brother must not be here, if he's willing to openly trash talk him like this. She looks around like he might pop out of nowhere and scold her for chatting up someone that might kill her if he had the chance.]
T'Challa isn't here, is he?
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it makes him uneasy. he knows about the wakanda outreach program but from what he can tell, t'chlla hasn't spoken of erik to anyone. that chafes still. ]
T'challa with regrets? Doubt it. Kinda surprised you showed up at all.
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She watches it go before looking back up at him, eyes sharp and angry. It's not like she can outright tell him that he's her reason for being here. It would be insulting and probably demeaning. So instead of answering him right away she does what Shuri does when she feels backed into a corner. She is obnoxious.
She raises her hand, her middle finger sticking right up in the air.]
And if you had taken the time to get to know me, you would already know my reason for being here. And you would understand how important it is to me.
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Like the time you all spent to know me? I'm not the one with the world's tech at my fingertips. I did what I could with what I had, princess. You're the ones who didn't want me steppin' in.
no subject
And I did what I could with what I knew. Which was nothing until the day we met.
[Being as sheltered as she was, she doesn't think it's any surprise she was kept in the dark. She resents that it happened, but there's nothing that can be done about that now. All she can do is try to move forward and make things right now.]
I keep trying to be better now that I know better. But that cannot change what my father and brother have done to you.
[Her head bows, out of sadness and respect. She sees him and who he is. And she isn't looking to fight him because of it.]
no subject
Talk's cheap. And I'm not lookin' to change it. I learned that the hard way.
no subject
So are you going to hit me...? [She may or may not say that a little loud so anyone nearby can hear.]
Or should I ask what you want me to call you while we are here?
no subject
Relax, princess. I ain't gonna hit you.
[ though it's a legitimate question. he was and would have killed her. erik won't apologize for that nor would he deny it. there's no reason to sugarcoat what he is and any impulse to do so would be anathema to his entire person. ]
And Erik's fine. The other names don't mean much here.
no subject
[Yeah, he's not going to make it a week before everyone knows he's Shuri's cousin. But she's still going to be a brat and tease him like this because he needs to get the full Shuri experience.]
It's not a name. And the title matters to me.
no subject
but at this point, his past is behind him. no one has real leverage over him and no one will. even with his wakandan ties. ]
Fine. Cousin can stay.
no subject
Come, [She suggests with a nod of her head.]
Tell me about this place. And for Bast's sake, can we please find some food?!
[She's 18 and starving, give this girl some pizza.]
no subject
[ erik gestures, ensuring she follows him. ]
And there ain't much to it. Some space station with a few bells 'n whistles.
no subject
Oh honey. No. Shuri looks up at him in horror.]
You call cleaning robots and communicator earpieces bells and whistles?
no subject
I went to MIT. Ain't no Wakanda, but I'm educated. Like I said, it's fancy but I'm not sure how purposeful all this shit is.
no subject
[She feels it's incredibly important to establish that.]
But I can make things more purposeful now that I'm here. Just because something is fancy doesn't make it useful. Or even real. It could be a distraction to hide the truth of what this place actually is.
[Anyplace that has her once dead cousin in it, walking and breathing is definitely someplace she's concerned about being too good to be true. It half has her worried her father will show up just around the corner, and she isn't ready to face that just yet.]
no subject
There's definitely somethin' shifty. Those AI are too quick on the uptake.
no subject
My Griot is quick on the uptake. And able to fully automate Wakanda's systems if necessary. Tony Stark's AI that was uploaded into a vibranium synthezoid form became someone new completely and required my attention to try and remove the mind stone that kept him alive. AI is only as useful as its creator programs and allows it to be.
[Which means Shuri is interested in the AI obviously, but far more curious about who created it and put it in place.]
no subject
[ which raises his suspicions. ]
Anyway, in general, I just don't buy into the schtick here.
no subject
[It's partially asked to see if he knows more than he's letting on, and partially because she wants to try and see if she can figure out if he ended up here directly after his time in Wakanda.
He's at least been here long enough to know where she can find food, and long enough to have an understanding that the AI is snappy on the uptake. She's only just woken up here and hasn't managed to do anything other than this conversation. He has the upper hand, and she'd like more information to try and level the playing field.]
no subject
Two months. We've carried out a single mission so far.
no subject
Only one? [she doesn't bother hiding her surprise.]
I was hoping obtaining the orbs would be more efficient.
[But she's young and impatient and is used to either always having what she needs or being able to make something that can quickly get her access to what she wants. This is really the first time she's ever had to take the long way around to earn something.]
no subject
It's messy. Not the kind of messy you're used to.
[ erik killed a lot of guards. it's not a difficult thing to admit, but it'll be different for her. ]
no subject
Then I will just have to learn how to handle the mess. You're here with me; and you, cousin? Are a mess. So you can help me adjust.
[Is he having fun yet?]
no subject
Really? You want my bad influences all up on here?
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