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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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[The idea of recordings is not yet really a thing. Unless one counting documenting via writing, or the likes of the Feruchemists and the way they stored memories in their metals. So this has Vin perplexed and curious as she frowns, turning the disc in her hand as she tries to figure it out.]
I wonder if something like this if it could figure music could also help Sazed, recording his research or something.....?
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You kinda need a CD player. Or a computer that has a disk drive. And I guess they can be repurposed, but they're archaic now.
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[Maybe this was more complicated than she initially thought with it playing back sounds? Vin is so new to this. She's really not sure what to make of this, probably smudging the heck out of the CD with her fingers as she stares at it curiously.]
And these are....old? To you? They're new to me. We didn't have anything like this back home.
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We get all our music digitally. On our phones. But look, it's not a big deal. I'm sure whatever places we land up won't . . . always be tech-heavy. You'll get the hang of it.
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[She might eventually get it. But it's definitely not going to be an overnight thing. Not something she could pick up on the fly immediately. Vin sighs, running a hand through her dark mess of hair. She's unsure whether to be relieved or terrified of the absence of the Mist in what that might mean. People wouldn't die of outside overnight. But at the same time....what had happened to it then?]
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Like horror-movie mist or just like normal mist?
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[So. Yeah kinda more. Leaning to horror movie mist. Not that Vin has any idea what a movie is. Vin gives a shrug. It's. Going to take some adjusting. A lot of adjusting. Given this is inside of course the ash isn't so much an issue but there doesn't seem to be any of that outside either. No ash mounds. Just darkness of the night sky and stars. Those things she could barely just make out back home if she burned Tin to enhance her senses.]
It's coming for longer and longer periods. Affecting even the crops. So it's dangerous. And not really something we can fight, outside of gathering people to Luthadel where it's safer and the Mist isn't around for as long, where we can still grow crops.
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[ aru's life is full of perils, but she didn't live like that the entire time. she had space for existing. for enjoying her friends, her family. she's not sure how she'd deal with it if it was constant. ]
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[It doesn't seem she might be able to do much about all that back home from here. Wherever 'here' is exactly. Vin still isn't necessarily a hundred percent on that in her explorations in figuring her way around this space station and attempting to sort of settle in, as best as anyone could given the situation.]
I'm not sure what I can manage from here but. That dream. Something about helping with our regrets. If that's true....
[Well. Kelsier always seemed to have a plan. Always rolled with things and it had turned out as he expected somehow or other. If she really was able to save him with those orbs. He might change things. Come up with something they hadn't considered.
Plus. She missed him.]
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Yeah. I hope it is. Are you trying to undo the mist situation?
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[She remembers that power. That exhilarating and terrifying power that she knew she had the ability with it to save Elend then and there. Maybe in hindsight she should have. But she hadn't been aware of the truth back then. Of Ruin messing with the records to encourage her to release it from the Well.
Vin's gaze lowers and she brushes some hair behind her ear that barely remains there for a minute before shifting as she shakes her head.]
There's so many issues back home it's hard to know where to start. To prioritize. Everyone has a lot of regrets, things we are trying to fix. People we miss.
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it's hard to untangle. ]
But right now it's just you. I think you're allowed to pick for yourself. You're putting in the work.
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[Somehow or other. Even if she wasn't the one actually ruling the way Elend was. Vin bites her lower lip, trying to push aside the threat of tears that prick at the edges of her eyes. It's all been a lot to deal with ever since they dealt with the Lord Ruler and had lost Kelsier in the attempt. She kept herself going by just. Continuing to push herself. To focus on the matter at hand.
Here? She doesn't seem to so much have that luxury.
She's lost so much. Her brother. Her sister and her mother. Her father too. But the one that really still hurts the most is Kelsier.]
I want Kelsier back!
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Okay. Okay. So . . . that's what you should do.
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[She means it. It is not like she hasn't killed before. Vin on an emotional downswing, conflicted and upset, was something an entire army had experienced and not survived to tell about. Vin's hands curl into fists at her side before she tries to shake it off. To take a breath. She glances back down to the random assortment of things they had been given.]
Sorry. ....What about you? If you want to tell me. Or you can tell me more about these things.
[Not the clothes, those seem self explanatory enough. Vin's own rather standing out with her Mistcloak, her simple shirt and pants otherwise not declaring her true status back home by far. But if they found anything else like those CDs.]
no subject
Uh, I'm good. I just came to check out the stuff. I dunno if the orb stuff is real. First time I've gone to space for a mission.
[ well. real space and not magical space where you got to talk to deities. ]
no subject
[Probably not the same sort as Vin as infiltrating balls pretending to be a noble to eavesdrop and gather information. Or assassin type missions. At least, Vin guesses as much. So she's curious. Calling it a mission as well, it doesn't seem as if she means the basic jobs Vin might assume for a civilian, probably. It reminds Vin of perhaps Breeze and his army. If what they had could really be called that.
But she tries to calm and ground herself, picking up random items and seeing what they were, maybe pocketing something if she recognizes it and figures it might come in handy. Others she might stare at curiously, confused again.]
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Normal teen stuff.
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[In saying that, she was among the youngest of the crew. Obviously. Her and Spook and Elend. It had been something of a miracle things turned out as well as they had, generally, in their attempt to overthrow the Ruler, to take the city and establish their own form of governance in allowing the skaa more freedom.]
Totally normal teen stuff. At least. For me. Along with playing dress up and pretending to be a noble. That was rough.
[She had kind of liked it though. The dresses.]
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What, for like a spy mission?
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[She hated the lying. Was constantly terrified of being found out. Given her skaa heritage on her mother's side. But at the same time, it had been kind of fun, if frustrating when it came to meeting and dealing with Elend. His habit of ignoring her for his books. All her lessons on etiquette and how to be a lady. As if any of that still really applied now.]
That was only for a while though. It isn't like we have balls or such things anymore. But it was how I met Elend.
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Must be nice.
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[So. There was that. Kelsier had cared because he knew Vin had. He accepted perhaps there were exceptions even among the nobility to have good men in that group as well. Vin gives a shrug, a sigh shifting her hair hanging in her face. Because even if Elend was good, honorable. Good intentioned. Not everyone else was. She was realistic in that. That was why she had been working so hard for so long in keeping him safe. From assassination attempts. Talking to him about things others said or did that worried her, her suspicions.]
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[ the opposite of aru . . . who sucked at saving anyone. ]
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[For all Vin's strengths, for all her abilities. She was just one person. Against so much, against so many. Even she had her limits. Even as a Mistborn. Her lips purse as she frowns, her gaze shifting to the side briefly. Loss as just part of life. She grew up with that knowledge given what her mother did. Given the likes of Camon and the others she ended up with in her life on the streets.]
Everyone does. Including me, for all that I can do as an Allomancer, as a Mistborn.
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