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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
[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?
no subject
You are the blood of my blood. And better the bad influence I know and can understand than one that might try to harm me.
[She's not implying that he wouldn't harm her intentionally. He's very nearly almost killed her before. But she is fishing for information from him, attempting to see if he's able to focus on the missions and his goal here without wanting to get revenge or harm her.]
no subject
shuri is gauging whether erik would hurt her and it is a seesaw. his rage powered him for so long. and his hurt lay under, the wood for the fire. he had to feed it every day otherwise what else was there? to admit that no world wanted him enough to try?
the implications are. ]
If blood were that important, we wouldn't be here.
[ all that happened would not have happened. erik would have mattered.
he didn't. ]
no subject
And that is only because of Erik. He's directly responsible for her eyes being opened to the truths of her father and Wakanda, and by extension the harsh realities of the outside world.
She notes that he doesn't say anything one way or another about intending on harming her. It's probably best that he doesn't answer.]
It's only because it is that important to me that I chose to be here. Remember that.
no subject
his answering smile is tight. ]
And you're the only one here.
no subject
She isn't sure how to take his words. Leaping into a verbal assault would be like walking through a minefield. But trying to remain patient and calm shows that she's grown and also that she's willing to hear him now. She may sound petulant, but she still asks:]
And what is that supposed to mean?
no subject
Just that. T'challa ain't here. Ramonda ain't here.
[ t'chaka isn't here but erik's not fooling himself into believing t'chaka had an ounce of remorse. t'chaka and zuri could rot for all he cared. he raises an eyebrow at her. ]
Too busy with the Wakanda Outreach Center?
no subject
Shuri visibly bristles and glares up at him. He's good at pushing her buttons.]
I'm too busy with the idiot outreach center here in space to bother keeping track.
no subject
Makes sense. Hard to juggle all that. You get to pat yourselves on the back and what, tell the world what good people you are. Sharin' the wealth.
[ pretending erik never existed. that there wasn't a body at the bottom of the ocean. it was all their idea. ]
Damn, wish I thought of that.
no subject
It was only brother's idea to do it in your neighborhood.
[In his honor. She's guessing Erik won't see it that way.]
no subject
[ he shrugs it off. it would be t'challa's idea. ]
Still feels kinda weird to use my neighbourhood, but avoid mentioning me.
[ it's one thing to choose his own death and burial. it's another to feel like they're burying him historically as well. do the people of wakanda know? does anyone? ]
no subject
[She doesn't get into the fact there's plenty of children who know about Erik, because it's not what he wants to hear right now.
It dawns on her then that he shouldn't know about the Center. He's heard about it somehow, possibly from someone here. Who have you been talking to, Erik?]
no subject
Wilson's a blabbermouth. Be careful or he'll rat you out to Grandpa Barnes.
no subject
I'll be sure to have a word with the both of them then.
[You know, once she's done laughing.]
no subject
Do your best. Still have my ways of gettin' out what I want.