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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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But he didn't, did he? Because now he's in a new space. New machines. And next to no power to fight back what's to come.
Blue brings his hands to his ears. No amplifiers. No defense.
He shakes his head fervently against the assurances spoken aloud.
There's no kindness in machines! They only control...take...erase...
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He steps closer again, reaching out but not touching.
"Not these machines. Back in my galaxy, I'm even friends with some of them. They're people, just different." He's trying to speak calmly, softly, trying to tilt his head down to see the other man's face.
"Listen, we're all here together. We protect each other. You can count on us. If you don't trust the AIs, that's okay. We won't let them do anything to you."
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He doesn't even know the full truth of that, either - that the machine designed his mutation all those centuries ago.
But he's so tired. The fight that brought him here was meant to be his last in all senses of the word, and even raising his hackles like this is a strain.
How...can you say that? With such certainty...
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"Because we protect each other. There are a lot of people here with different experiences and abilities. We're not going to let anything happen to one of our... own..."
Oh, now he realizes it.
"Your mouth isn't moving." Duh, Finn.
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Also obvious - if 'afraid' means 'grab a gun from the wall and shoot him down,' that is. But there's layers to fear, and no man or Mu is fully free of them. Perhaps there'd be time to muse over that later, because as it stands, Blue's overexerted with that pulse of energy. It fades as his face blanches, beaded with sweat. His eye flutters, starting to roll back before his knees buckle.
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"Hey!"
Finn jolts forward and catches him before he can hit the ground, lowering them both down until he can get a better look at the guy. "Hey, you okay? Can you hear me?"
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Faith Finn seems to have, for how certain he is about taking care of others.
Why is he still alive? That dread feeling starts to color into something more despondent as the thought strikes him yet again. He'd lose himself to it were it not for this person focusing so hard on him. The character of his compassion has something familiar in it, but...not entirely. He isn't Mu, but...
Who are you? he wonders, the thought leaving him easily as breathing. You're like me...but not...
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With a little grunt, he lifts Blue up in his arms. If the other complains and prefers to walk, then that'll be a good sign, if Finn's honest. But he's increasingly worried about this situation.
"Is it hurting you? To talk like that?"
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Finn's not a liar. He's confident in what words he'd said - that despite Blue's concern, there could be safety here. He's--
No. Blue's eye refocuses on the closest thing he can find with his head bowed as it is. No, but...if you touch me, I may see...more than you wish to share. From your heart.
Finn may be like him, but he isn't. Which means he may just as well fear him as any other human does out of impulse.
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"Sorry!" He's probably making this situation worse. Instead of dropping the poor guy, though, he just sort of double times it to the infirmary. "Sorry, sorry. It's not far. I'll just- I'll calm down. I'm calm. This is calm. You're fine. We're both fine."
Look, he's great in most high stress situations, really. But this whole panic spiral is born from trying to avoid a panic spiral and everything's just really difficult right now.
He is really bad at first impressions on this station, apparently...
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There are so many unknowns - things that build looming shadows of threat and fear, things that can blossom into greater terrors if left unchecked - but in the midst of this panic bearing down on him, Blue can reorient, push back on the shadows building up in his own heart in favor of helping quell those in someone else.
Blue presses a hand to Finn's chest, and from there imposes a feeling of steadying assurance, seeking to bolster whatever Finn believed to be true about the safety here. He has little certainty to back it up right now, but he can't let this man get himself worked up and lost in a panic; if he's at all truly like Mu, it could do him very real harm.
(Also, there's that thing about possibly getting dropped on the floor. That would hurt. Minor concern, but concern nonetheless.)
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Instead of freaking out about it, Finn lets it help him as he takes a deep breath. "Sorry... Thank you." Though, it was probably mostly to help himself, Finn figures. There's a lot less of a barrage now, anyway.
But they're here now! Once Finn's heart has calmed itself, he makes his way over to the nearest bed. "Do you have more wounds than your eye?"
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It's still so hard to believe: He knew it was him. Doing that. Impressing his own feelings on him.
What...sort of person is he?
"No," he utters - a word aloud, at last. His voice is quiet, and after that single syllable it's gone again.
None...that I know of. Or can feel.
Not that he's checking. He's just peering up at Finn with wonder.
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While the bandage could probably use changing, he's pretty sure that wasn't the problem. Or... gosh, he hopes it wasn't.
"Do you know why you collapsed?" he asks, already digging in a drawer. "Has that happened before?"
Dr. Finn is here to
impersonate a real medical professionalmake everything better.no subject
My body is weak, he explains, and there's a hint of bitterness in the tone of his thoughts. And however I managed to be brought here...I shouldn't be alive, all the same.
Indeed, there's signs of strife here and there scuffed on his clothes, and the edges of his cape are singed. But he's bloodless, save for the eye, which Blue seems to belatedly become aware of as he brings a hand up to press his palm against it and wince.
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But he's certainly not going to question. Just... quietly hope. Regardless, he goes back to his search and emerges with some gauze.
"Maybe you just need to rest. Try to recuperate, especially before the next mission begins. Um-" He lifts up his prize awkwardly. "Are you okay with fresh bandages? It looks like it bled a little."
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Blue has a feeling he's gleaned notion of 'mission' wafting around the station, but details are few and far between. Even now, there's no immediate sense of certainty beyond just...mission. Of what? For what?
As he thinks on that, he starts gingerly picking at the bandaging on his face as response to Finn's query. Hard to do when he can't see what he's doing.
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Either way- "I can clean and bandage it but I'm not a medic. We usually let the, uh... computers handle that. But there's a lot of people on this station. I'm sure someone knows medicine better than I do."
cw eye injury
Despite that, both eyes fix on Finn with an unflinching stare. Searching, trying to understand his convictions. He's not from...anywhere Blue would've known; there's no place in his universe he knows of that isn't untouched by the SD System. Yet there's no trace of it in him...
Instead, there are other notions of conditioning. Stranger things. And beyond that...
Who is this person?
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He moves around a little to see if the eye follows him despite the injury but can't quite tell. So he gets to work on getting some things together to start clearing out all that blood.
"Does it hurt?" Feels like a dumb question but this guy also doesn't seem to be... entirely human? So, Finn thinks it's valid to ask. Also- "Can you see out of it?"
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Yes, comes the reply. Though...it may be hard to be sure. I can see you with more than my eyes right now.
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"What do you mean, more than your eyes?" Finn's brow furrows in curiosity but no fear or wariness. It's intriguing, actually. And he understands how people can be sensed. But he's never confused that strange ability with his own sight before.
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If I close my eyes...I can still see you as those things. And because you know what you look like...your thoughts and feelings...paint that image of yourself on those things.
So I see the you that you are...and the you that you believe you are.
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"Are they different?" he asks after some length. "What I believe and what I am?"
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In some ways, yes. But...Most people I have seen are like that.
We rarely account for everything we are...inside or out...
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