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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
I should... be asking you that. [He grits his teeth, swallowing a wet cough and regretting it almost immediately, but he'd really rather Yzak not know just how bad of a state he's in, just in case things get hairy.] So you're not here to... finish the job, huh.
[It would be peak irony if the last time they'd met was to visit their comrades' graves, only for Yzak to be ordered out to deal with the 'traitor'.]
no subject
And what happened to you in the first place!
Ugh, you're not even going the right way! Here! [ He yanks him (still not-so-roughly-but-also-not-like-he's-handling-something-fragile) in the other direction to begin to drag him off toward the infirmary. And, look, it's not like he's actively TRYING to be a crutch of support for him or anything! But despite how he might be trying to hide it, Yzak can tell he's not doing too hot. So maybe he will allow himself to lend him some support if he needs it! ]
The infirmary is this way, for future reference!
no subject
How'd... they rope you into this, too?
no subject
And Athrun Zala if you think Yzak is just going to let being ignored simply pass, boy, you're in for it in a moment. ]
I'm here on my own accord!
no subject
Right, right. Of course. I'm sure the powers-that-be will do better next time.
[You gotta give him props for trying. Or stay mad because he's gonna keep trying. He's also trying not to cough up blood on your nice white uniform; he wipes at his mouth with a sleeve, instead. Red on red looks much neater.]
no subject
If you're saying something like that, you can't be too out of it.
[ That subtle smartassery in response to Yzak's not as subtle jabs.
But as if to emphasize what he says, he uses his free hand not helping Athrun keep steady to grab him by the collar and give him an extra, tiny yank so he can look him straight in the eye. ]
And stop ignoring the things that I'm asking, bastard! Why are you in such shit shape!? Did something happen at Orb!?
[ Orb, where Athrun definitely was last.
...
Yzak's eyes move from GLARING DIRECTLY INTO ATHRUN'S to, down at the uniform he's wearing.
????????? ]
Why do you even have that on!?
no subject
Knock it off, Yzak.
[He manages to keep his tone just as stubbornly insistent as Yzak himself, but his thoughts are reeling. Did something happen at Orb? Lots of things have happened at Orb, but they had very little to do with him. And why wouldn't he be wearing this? Yzak was the one who wanted him to come back to ZAFT more than anyone, barring perhaps the Chairman himself. He sure loved to bring it up whenever they crossed paths.]
I was with ZAFT... you know that. [He literally fled with the FAITH pin still on, since he wasn't even given time to change before the soldiers came for him, so he's sure it's still at his collar. He can feel the metal brushing against his hand where he wrestles against Yzak's, like it exists to mock him now.] What else do you expect me to wear?
no subject
He looks back up to Athrun, eyes narrowing - still annoyed, now a little suspicious, and a touch confused. What is he talking about? ]
Of course I know that!
But you're not anymore - unless you like showing off how many different militaries you've jumped around to!
no subject
That isn't what I do!
[Or if it is, it's only because he'd been forced into the corner over and over. He left ZAFT the first time because his father showed his true colours, and the second time after they tried to kill him just for speaking out. He left Orb because he was useless, and when he returned they tried to kill him too. ...He's sensing a pattern, actually.]
I just left. That's why I'm like this! That's why I… [...thought they'd sent Yzak to deal with him, like they'd sent Shinn, and Rey. Because a team doesn't mean what he thought it did in ZAFT anymore. He'd thought maybe they were testing the old guard's loyalty and Yzak would be caught in the crossfire of his choices.]
no subject
Even if what he's hearing is really fucking bonkers? ]
Stop squirming around you moron, before I drop you and leave you here!
[ Yzak really says that as if he wasn't the one who just grabbed his collar and shook him around a little and made some ridiculous claims about him to elicit this response. But now that they're back to - kind of a normal position, he's turning into the teleportation room and down toward the infirmary, as his brow furrows and he frowns even deeper. ]
That's why you what? Are you ... are you talking about Gibraltar? You didn't just leave, that was months ago! [ Yzak would know that better than anybody - hearing a buzz from his fellow officers, he and Dearka marching back to his quarters to check the files and figure out what the hell had happened, the mix of pain, anger, grief when they went over the file and assumed the worst, assumed that one of the last three of them left had gone and gotten himself killed. ]
no subject
...Months, [he echoes quietly, stunned and disbelieving at the implications. That he could be MIA for that long, was there not even a report of his death issued? Was a traitor that worthless to them? Though it wasn't as if he had any next of kin to alert. There were only a handful in ZAFT that he thought might care if he died, and one of them had killed him, while another ordered it.]
I just left, [he says again.] My GOUF was destroyed by the Destiny, and I woke up here. That's all I remember.
[What the hell happened in between then and now? Because he should definitely be dead.]
no subject
[ Would that have changed anything? Maybe not. And maybe it was for the best that they didn't know he had lived, since they had to be careful about what they said and what they thought about the so called righteousness of that situation around other soldiers and higher-ups. Even the slightest slip up about it could have been disastrous for them, and despite their grief and their mistrust, Yzak had to make sure that nothing screwed up his ability to lead his team to continue to protect PLANT. ]
You don't remember anything else? [ First he sounds incredulous. ] Are you sure you didn't just hit your stupid head doing something else entirely and lose your memory!?
[ When he says that though, there's a look of contemplative concern growing in Yzak's expression.
Does he really not remember? What the fuck is going on here? Is he playing some kind of dumb god damned joke with me? I'll kill him if he is!! That'd be easy to do right now! Not that it wouldn't be normally, of course! But if he's not pulling my leg, then... ]
no subject
I didn't have time to contact anyone. "Lacus" was in the middle of warning me for speaking out against the chairman when soldiers started banging on my door. [There's a thinly veiled trace of sad irony as he says her name. Poor Meer… though if he'd convinced her to come along, she'd likely have shared the same fate as Meyrin. One innocent life on his hands is enough for this incident.] I went from one of his trusted dogs, to a traitor, to being killed in action in barely an hour.
[It didn't sting like his father's betrayal and a gunshot to the shoulder for daring to protest genocide (nothing would), but it didn't feel great to once again be betrayed by someone whose ideals he had trusted, believed in, been ready to die and kill for if he had to.]
no subject
He does look pretty surprised when Athrun mentions "Lacus," though. ]
That fake Lacus tried to help you?
[ He wasn't particularly fond of that whole double Lacus reveal (like, how dare somebody impersonate Miss Lacus? The audacity), but having not actually met her himself, or learn anything else about her and the fact that she had just seemed to disappear after that all, it was sus.
And everything else that had gone on after that just pushed it all to the back of his mind, anyway. So now he's idly curious about what went on behind the scenes over there. ]
You still could have let us know you were fine after the fact. [ He grumbles. Almost ... pouty? About it. ] Instead of just showing up later like it was no big deal!
-but you should know that already! Because I've already said this to you! And if you're serious about not remembering anything that happened after you were shot down, then I'm going to have to have a talk with Viveca about what the hell's going on here!
no subject
[Probably. Mostly. She seemed like a good kid, well meaning but foolish and lost in her own fantasy of being a star or a hero or both. Lacus left very intimidating shoes to fill, so maybe her success was too intoxicating to abandon. He regrets leaving her behind, but he couldn't have forced her, either. She has to choose for herself if she trusts the chairman enough to risk her life by staying until she's expendable, like him.
He's a little surprised that Yzak is aware that she's a fake, but for those who have met the real thing, it's easier to tell. Or perhaps the secret is out and he really has forgotten everything.]
I'm not lying to you. I wouldn't joke about this. [Athrun isn't exactly known for his goofs with most people, and certainly not Yzak. He wouldn't be able to get away with it like Dearka can.] I don't… remember anything after. I thought I was dead.
no subject
Still, Yzak knows how everything went down in the end. Even he believed in the Chairman's words, once. He still does, in that even someone who later chose the wrong path to go down could still say something profound. Something Yzak can adopt himself to run with with how he sees fit. That's what he did in the first war, still recalling their old commander's words. It's hard to understand the feelings hidden in someone's heart.
Athrun believed in the Chairman, too. Which was why he was in such a shape ... now? Back then? Whichever. Perhaps it was the same thing for that fake Lacus - Meer, Athrun said. ]
Well, you're not dead. Even though we thought you were for the longest time. [ Never going to drop it. But then again does Yzak ever drop anything. He still complains about shit from the academy days. ]
Ugh, so you don't even remember anything about the rest of the war...
[ The good and the bad. There's a flash of something in his eyes, brief and painful, as the realization sets in that Athrun wouldn't even know what happened to PLANT toward the end. Something Yzak himself might not have processed properly yet, despite their post-war cleanup efforts. Every time the memory bubbles up it's along with too many thoughts of we were right there, what if we knew sooner, what if we acted faster, left earlier?
But, that's part of the reason why he's here. ]
no subject
Sorry.
[He won't dance around it or linger too long on what or why the apology is offered. Whether he remembers or not, it's clearly merited, and Yzak is dealing with a lot. Athrun would rather not make things more awkward for them both.]
no subject
You better be!
[ He grouses as he stands up straight again. And Yzak always has good posture, but there's something more pointed about it when he gets to tower over Athrun like this. ]
And, you better heal up fast. I don't care whether or not you're in ZAFT anymore, you're here, and I've already given the best of impressions about where we're from! So I don't want them tarnished! Not to mention our next mission could be soon, so we need to be in top shape for it!
no subject
When have I ever fallen behind?
[Give him a week at most, he'll be in top shape in no time. Or at least near enough that he'll be able to fool people. He's already healed much better than he'd been upon first arrival, thanks to a helpful crewmate.]
no subject
[ And he has not!! Been! Lonely! At all!! Haha only a nerd would get lonely, what kind of loser would miss his friends. Ha ha. Imagine being that lame. ]
We've recently just returned from our first mission, and that took not only quite a bit of time, but a lot of work as well!
no subject
[Challenge accepted, Yzak. And they both know how Athrun can give him a run for his money in almost every category.]
no subject
[ Uh oh there goes his voice, going a couple of octaves up.
IT'S ON NOW, BITCH. ]
no subject
[He doesn't have to say or do anything, does he? Yzak will get riled up even if he just sits here looking zen about the whole thing. It's genuinely a refreshing shift from all the uncertainty he'd been dealing with in ZAFT for months now- with Yzak, he knows where he stands and what his role is.]