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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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It's all right, Alex. I know arriving here can be confusing. But your injuries are- I'm going to see what I can do about them right here. Don't be alarmed, it's just a healing spell.
[Because the mark on Sabriel's forehead, that previously looked like an old scar or faded tattoo, is now glowing, shining with light as Sabriel's fingers sketch out glowing symbols in the air.]
no subject
You're... kidding, right?
[It's rhetorical, and the disbelief shows in his voice as he watches. There's no joke to be found in the disembodied glow that she's writing with her fingers.]
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No- and please, hold still. I'm going to deal with your head first, and then try to fix whatever happened to your chest.
[It takes about a minute to finish tracing out the marks for the first spell, and Sabriel wraps it around Alex's head like a bandage, letting the marks sink below his skin and start their work, closing any open cuts before sinking deeper in.]
Right- now your chest. Any broken ribs?
[She'll probably need to use a powerful, generalized healing spell, just to make sure she doesn't miss anything, Sabriel decides before she starts sketching out the first of many marks she'll need for this spell.]
no subject
Her question sinks in after a few seconds, and he shifts his hand lower to check for the pain at his chest. Broken ribs... that seems very likely, considering what he apparently lived through-]
Ah... it's probable, but I don't know. I woke up like this...
no subject
[Sabriel frowns, sketching out one mark after another- about two dozen, all told, arranging them carefully before sending them spiralling into Alex's chest.
There's a flare of light as the first mark touches him, but they sink past his clothes into the skin, closing open wounds before working on deeper injuries.]
Right... don't do anything too strenuous for a few days, or you'll risk the wounds reopening. Just rest. And I'll try to explain what's going on to the best of my abilities.
no subject
[He rolls those words over in his head a few times, brows furrowing; it feels more familiar now that he's in less pain and his head isn't throbbing quite so badly. He won't make any promises about taking it easy, but her comments are a welcome distraction from everything else on his mind.]
I remember... it was a dream, wasn't it? There was a voice that asked...
[He trails off, blinking rapidly. His regret. He'd replied with something, hadn't he?]
no subject
[The spell seems to have worked, at least. And he's starting to recall what happened.]
All of us made the same bargain. Our time, spend reuniting the orbs, in exchange for our greatest regret being undone.
Unfortunately, they weren't entirely clear on some of the details, so let me explain- while this station serves as a base of operations, the orbs have been scattered through multiple worlds. Whenever one is found, we need to track it down and recover it, dealing with any chaos it's caused along the way.
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Is it credible? That sounds like it belongs in a dream and should stay there... wishing can't change the past.
[Though maybe doubting time travel or other such fantasies isn't something he ought to be doing, considering she just used magic to heal him. What can be considered "normal" doesn't apply the same as it used to.]
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[But for all of Viveca's assurances, what price the orb might require still worries Sabriel. She saw what happened in Gyeonje, and to So-Yeon.]
And given the nature of the orbs, it's possible that undoing people's regrets may not mean undoing time. It might just mean reviving people, or otherwise restoring something that was lost or broken.
no subject
[He's had enough postulating about ideals and dreams coming true only to get stabbed in the back for it... ah. Ah, no. One war after another has gone and made him permanently cynical, hasn't it? He really wishes he could channel Kira's optimism more effectively when he starts to get like this. With a heavy exhale, he rubs a hand against his forehead.]
Sorry, forget it. Whether it's real or not, we're stuck here, aren't we? And you just saved my life. Thank you for your help.
[Even if it isn't true, he doesn't need to be stomping down on the potential hope of someone who stuck their neck out for him. And right after he yelled at her, too.]
no subject
[And desperate people are often all too willing to pay.]
But yes- we're stuck on this station with no way back, and the only way we leave is when we're sent to retrieve an orb. And then we're retrieved as soon as we get it.
no subject
Well, whatever it is, he's still breathing, so he'll play along for a while. See where it goes.]
You said you got one already. What was the price?
no subject
[And Sabriel can't mask the contempt in her voice at that- at betraying the people he was responsible for, and for such a petty thing.
Bu her voice softens as she continues.]
Then a young woman stole said orb, and sought to cure her people from said corruption. Once we realized what was going on, the crew chose to ally with her. We helped her find a way to fix what the orb had done in exchange for her giving it to us, but in the end... In the end the fee she had offered to it was her life.
But the orb did... speak to us, when we arrived on that world, giving us various tasks to complete in order for it to lend us its power at the time it's made whole- petty things, mostly. Incapacitate a guard, throw a party, confess something personal... or in one woman's case, not use magic for the duration of the mission.
[Weird, but Sabriel would be willing to do worse to bring her friends back to life.]
Even if our regrets don't end up undone... I think it's for the best that the Orbs end up safely contained, rather than loose to cause more problems.
[But then, she's an Abhorsen. Containing dangerous magical forces is part of her purpose.]
no subject
[Even if the concept of magic items that can do wild things like turn people into monsters, cure such ailments, or speak with people is beyond his realm of usual understanding, the core concept is as solid as any he's ever aligned himself with. Help those who need it, prevent conflict wherever possible, contain or destroy that which can cause massive damage to innocent people. He's done some terrible things in his life, believing in the wrong things, the wrong people. His ledger is too unbalanced for him to be able to turn his back on situations like what she's describing. If he were to come face to face with that, well. He has a feeling he'd do something similar.
Kira definitely would, and What Would Kira Do should probably be his life motto for a while, considering his history of terrible decisions.]
I'll have to see for myself, but if it's really like what you're describing, then I agree with you.
no subject
[That, or they assume there's some way to cheat it and avoid the consequences.]
But it's not all bad. The crew's... well, we're a group of people with very different experiences, but we've all got the same goal, so people try to work together however they can.
no subject
[He's seen it. Hell, he's lived it. Desperate stupidity is a path he's walked a few times already; lives have been lost directly and indirectly by his hands because of it, and he's not even 20 yet. Age only adds to the number of opportunities you get to make more mistakes.]
Is that why you were so ready to help me? [Despite his whole... everything, when she found him. Felt very charitable and risky, helping a paranoid, noisy guy in the middle of bleeding to death.]
no subject
[And it's really as simple as that. Sabriel's not unaware of danger- she's certainly lived through enough of it. But as a powerful necromancer and Charter mage, her assessment of it- and how to deal with it- isn't entirely normal.]
Besides, if you tried to attack me, I could have just immobilized you and then healed you.
no subject
I can't even argue.
[She could probably have knocked him down even without any other magic she might have; he'd been in no state for a real fight at the time. He's probably still not. He'll be lucky if he can walk on his own, and he feels no desire to try. Now that the bleeding has lulled, he's content to sit on the floor and regain some strength back into his jelly legs.]
no subject
[Sabriel moves next to him, sitting down herself and leaning against the wall.]
Get some rest, visit the infirmary, try to meet the other crew. And don't even bother trying to get into the North wing- everyone's tried, but it resists every attempt, whether through magical or technological means.
And I'll try to answer any more questions you might have.
no subject
[His tone is more musing than actively intrigued, though. He's not about to kick off his second chance at life with a break-in, as mysterious as all of that sounds. The whole place is a mystery to him, so he may as well start with what's accessible. ...Like the infirmary, once he feels ready to walk there.]
No doubt I'll think of plenty. Got any advice for a newcomer?
no subject
[And with that ominous sounding statement out of the way, Sabriel turns her attention to his request.]
Trust your teammates- all of us have different skills, all of us want to succeed, and last mission- if we'd tried to do what we needed to do alone, we'd have gotten killed several times over. Teamwork is important.
[Sabriel's just going to repeat that, to make sure he gets it.]
If there's something you don't know about, someone here probably does- I've had to ask about technology a lot, and in exchange I help people understand magic. There's always at least a two week gap between missions, because that's how long it takes the teleporter to recharge. The earpiece you got will let you communicate with the rest of us- it was very useful when we had to split into different groups but still keep in touch.
no subject
Maybe that's why he'd been chosen for this: because he ought to have well and truly learned his lesson.]
The earpiece... [He lifts a hand to his ear, touching it.] I thought I felt it there. I heard a voice too, and... I think I saw something. In my head. [It sounds absurd to say it out loud.]
no subject
[Otherwise, Sabriel would be much more free with silencing spells.]
no subject
[Maybe too convenient? Or at least with the potential to be dangerous. Projecting things into someone's head... he can imagine a few darker uses for that. Still, if there's no alternative and they've been safe up to this point, then for the moment he can put up with it too.]
Well... if you ever need any help with technology, I can give it a shot. I may be new, but I can usually figure out how things work quickly enough. And I owe you one.
no subject
I'll remember that. But right now- I have other matters to attend to.
[Sabriel stands up, brushing herself off.]
Just- try not to be too active, you'll disrupt the healing spells.
[Fast forward to Sabriel meeting 'Alex' in the infirmary after her meeting with Yzak?]
thumbs up
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