![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
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 had special robes made by the Seasons long ago. but those had a finite use. many legendary weapons and boons are meant to be only used once. vajra and the divine ones by the gods are the only exceptions. ]
And I'm Aru. Aru Shah.
no subject
( said with his hands held up before him, fist pressed into palm, and a bow of his head. respect! martial respect, at least, and his hands drop back down while he steps back and further into the kitchen. what's out on the counters ranges from familiar to not, though a first glance doesn't let him identify any electric kettle. maybe they did just have one for rangetop...
hence he starts to open lower cabinets, investigating what he finds within. )
Might there be a boiling vessel of some kind hidden away?
no subject
[ aru surveys the area before brightening, seizing upon the kettle. ]
So we fill it with water and then take this socket end and plug it in.
[ which she demonstrates easily, flipping the switch. slowly, steam starts coming out of the sprout. ]
no subject
still, okay, he comes over and looks at it and its waterline, amused in passing because thankfully, whoever last used this left it near full. )
Steaming that quickly? Impressive.
( no, really, usually the ones he knew still took a minute to get up to temperature and sounded like someone gargling rocks, from the faint recollection that niggles out of his hindbrain. but also, why stare at this blessing of technology? he starts peering into a few higher cupboards, and spies one with cups: white and underwhelming, but enough to pull down and set with two polite, distinct clinks near the kettle. )
Do you suspect any one direction in which to investigate for tea?
( he breathes in, seeing if he can catch a scent like... oh come on, is he acting like a dog? (yes. one who is wandering toward a flat panel on the opposing side of the kitchen, which, with his palm pressed to it, pops open to reveal............
..................................... one tin of tea, and a whole lot of. prebagged bags. why? what betrayal in life left them in this situation? why are you like this, space station he never planned for?! )
no subject
We should probably go with the bags for today. Maybe next time we can do it leaf-style.
no subject
he screams, softly, in his own head. no, this sad betrayal, by space. he hums a note of affirmation for the hearing, but gestures toward the bags: )
This is a usual way to present tea?
no subject
Depends on how much of a tea snob you are.
no subject
With great solemnity, he shifts his gaze to her, looking every inch the Rivendell Escapee sans the pointed elegance of their ears. )
This one regrets the admission, but I believe I am indeed something of a tea snob.
no subject
It's fine, your secret is safe with me. Look, we can use the leaves but we need a sieve as well.
no subject
( which is a matter of first shuffling through what else is in this cabinet. a small cylinder in its own casing proves to have one kind of sieve within it once opened; he holds it out to her less for her to inspect it, or even to demonstrate eureka! he's found something useful for once! but as an offering to her: look, we can have worthwhile tea, young woman!
especially as the kettle has finished its singing, only dinged politely it was done with heating the water posthaste. )
no subject
Yeah, that should do it. The rest is pretty straightforward. Tea in sieve. Milk, sugar if you want.
no subject
Milk?
( a quirk of his brow, just a touch; not much of an expression shift, but given by and large he's shown little enough so far, it's something. he sets to collecting the tea leaves and parseling them into the sieve, blanking on why one would...
... okay, now he feels old. while his first thought isn't, tea drunk elsewhere in the world, his brain does leap to milk tea, and a sudden, intense, almost decade old craving strikes him hard and fast out of nowhere. could he even handle lactose anymore? maybe they'd have milk alternatives...
as it is, he's over here, pouring water into mugs and lamenting internally the lack of any teapot for steeping first! okay! now it's one mug at a time... alas. they'll have to wait minutes. )
no subject
Yeah, if you want. How do you drink your tea?
no subject
( plain. just. let him live his plain tea life here, his joys are simple. )
Sweetened, sometimes, but even that, rarely.
no subject
[ aru has no real standing when it comes to tea. ]
no subject
For you.
( He'll take the second steeping, it's fine as it is. Thus he pours more hot water over the wet tea leaves for himself. )
no subject
Uh, thanks. You didn't have to.
no subject
You're welcome. If I didn't need to, then I chose to. You've been assisting me, and instructing; it's fit to pour tea at least the once, hm?
( he smiles a touch at that, more of an expression than he's largely been wearing this whole time. )
no subject
[ and her life is pretty devoid of nice adults. ]
no subject
It is, yes. Unusual?
( for her, that is. )
no subject
no subject
or in the least, small gestures worked in where they can be. )
I hope that we have reason to add more memories to that realm of experience than otherwise, while we're here.
( test drive sadness but HE MEANS IT, very much so. )