ximiliugh | AUGUST TDM.

Entry tags:

! test drive

AUGUST TDM.

● ● ● T D M . 0 3

// PART I. all that glitters  

… 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.

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// PART II. the new staycation  

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.

// VIVECA.AI

Hi everyone, just letting you know there’s a new supply drop. It should be a little more… well, organised than before. If you made requests for items earlier, you should find them in a separate pile near the platform.

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!

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// PART III. bright young things  

(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.

“Hello, there. Care for a drink? I’m afraid you won’t be allowed to continue until you do, and I assure you this is entirely safe. All effects you might experience remain only so long as you participate in this simulation.

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.

“One thing you should know: there is an orb within this club. This drink will aid in your ultimate retrieval of the orb. To better blend in with our patrons, you may experience temporary changes within your body. Good luck.”

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.

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F Y I

• TDM threads can be considered game canon so long as all parties involved agree to it.
• 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.

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FOR SOME FUN:

Have a listen for some clues about the second mission.
(Hint: there are four clues in total.)

▶ NAV

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Rise and shine

[It takes Yelena a moment to orient herself and make sense of the hard floor beneath her and the incessant beeping beside her. She sits up slowly, frowning at the robot as it continues to poke at her. Instead of standing, as it clearly wants her to she pokes it back, equal parts irritated and curious.

Of course, that only makes it beep more rapidly and louder in response. She thinks, if robots curse, that’s probably what it’s doing. She huffs and stands, then, as the word MOVE starts blinking more rapidly at her and the little machine starts poking at her ankles.]

So pushy. Fine, whatever.

[She mutters as she leaves it to its business. If she sees anyone else asleep on the floor as she heads down the hallway she will poke them lightly with her foot.]

Wake up, before the robot yells at you.

Exploration

[Yelena wanders the halls for awhile just trying to get a feel for the layout of the place. She peeks into various bedrooms taking note of which ones are occupied. Many of them, as it turns out. She doesn’t hurry to choose on for herself yet, instead opting to continue exploring.

She eventually finds herself at the kitchen and honestly, can’t help but stare at all the leftover take out lying around.]

This is space food?

[Somehow, it’s just not what she was expecting. After a moment of consideration she shrugs and grabs herself some lamb curry. Why not? It’s there for the taking and she’s hungry.]

Do You Believe In Rock n Roll

[Yelena has been given assignments her entire life. Most of them have been unpleasant, violent things that she had no control over. She was expecting something similar here. Why wouldn’t she? Violence is what she’s known for most of her life, and undoing a regret is no small thing.

So she’s more than a little surprised to be given a task to perform a song in the club simulation. At first she doesn’t know what to make of it, but once the surprise fades and she thinks about it a little, she knows what she has to do.

She hops on stage as soon as it’s clear and chooses a song.]

'a long, long time ago,
I can still remember how that music
used to make me smile…'

[She’s performing “American Pie.” The original. Not Madonna’s version. Not a radio edit. The original song by Don McLean that clocks in at over 8 minutes long. It’s her song and she is singing every word.

Once those 8+ minutes have passed and the song is over, she steps off the stage, entirely satisfied with her accomplished mission.]

Wildcard

[If you don’t like any of these prompts, feel free to hit me with something else!]

Edited 2021-08-20 20:30 (UTC)

[ Well, this really isn't what Natasha had expected to walk in on, but since Yelena's only halfway through the song, Natasha is going to take a seat in the back and listen.

She's trying not to dwell on how long it's been or what her regret might change between them, because if she hadn't wound up on the run, would she have reconnected with Yelena at all?

The thought does complicate things for her, but for now, she's going to wait until the end of the song to call attention to herself and then she'll be the well-dressed redhead clapping with a little too much gusto as she approaches the stage. ]

[Yelena hears the enthusiastic clapping and can’t help but look around for the source. When she finds it she stops and stares. It takes her a moment to make sense of what she’s seeing. She wonders if the lights in the club are playing tricks on her, or maybe whatever was in that drink is making her see things.

She didn’t expect to see Natasha again. She didn’t expect to see her here. Although, as she thinks about it, they certainly both have had their share of regrets.]

Natasha?

[She's uncertain. Still not sure the simulation isn’t messing with her somehow.]

No, I'm actually your fairy godmother.

[ But then she stops to meet Yelena at the side of the stage and there's something a little wet in her eyes as she looks up at the woman who both is and isn't her sister.

Yelena is a complication that Natasha doesn't know how to categorize. Friend isn't enough and family feels too simple for what they are. Natasha feels protective of her, even though she knows she doesn't have to protect her. ]

Nice song choice.

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Yelena Belova | MCU | ota

Do You Believe In Rock n Roll

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Kitchen

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Kitchen

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Kitchen

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kitchen

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Do You Believe In Rock n Roll

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rise and shine

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Exploration - Kitchen

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