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Entry tags:
❪ test drive #7 ❫
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YOUR STORY BEGINS  The Storm came. You remember darkness, but you don't remember much after that. You don't know how long you slept, but the dreams were short. You remember the expanse of stars and galaxies in your direct view. Every world and solar system ever known to man was present in your dreams in careful, pristine detail. You also witnessed the Storm, which has devoured a fair portion of these galaxies. Your Earth and similar planets were assimilated by the Storm. Somehow, you knew it would be the last you'd see of your world. That was when she told you what happened. You knew that you'd be living somewhere new. The details weren't clear, but you knew it was a part of a deal with the entity known as Darma - once, you might have been able to speak to her, but now you are only met with silence. When you awake, you will find yourself in Thesa Station. Your body is still cold, you're hungry, and the halls seem frighteningly bare somehow. EMPTY HALLS ![](https://i.imgur.com/G8jldQW.png") Despite the absence of Darma and the rest of the Natha Orbiters, the station is still managing to sustain itself. Those that dig within the station’s log will find that it’s currently in some sort of Energy Saving Mode. While Thesa isn’t at risk of failing any time soon, people will notice that the ship will appear more dim and desolate. Malfunctions will be common, and while none seem to be life-threatening (yet), they are notably inconvenient. Fortunately, it seems the Orbiters were prepared for the worst, and in a potential response to these concerning turn of events, they've prepared some help.
The virtual assistant takes a wide variety of shapes, from adorable animals to metal paper clips with googly eyes. Regardless of what form they take, their mission is clear: to help in any way they can. It’s unfortunate, however, that they just haven’t been calibrated properly. Hence, they will appear at the strangest times— in the middle of dinner or an important conversation— sometimes they won’t even offer anything useful. Apparently they were designed after a program that existed once, but who really knows.... However, while they may seem like nothing but trouble at first, there are many occasions in which they can actually help. They are equipped with a whole wealth of information on how to keep the station operational. They can offer tutorials and step-by-step instructions on how to fix various aspects of the station and beyond. Their knowledge is extensive, and if they believe the refugee they're assigned to needs a different kind of help (a lesson in smiling or how to have adequate small talk being some of the many topics they're equipped to teach), well ... they're not against supplying it. Expect some invasive teaching. The virtual assistants are also all synced together. Meaning, if there’s a big enough problem, they can ping one another and assign refugees to help with certain parts of the ship. The only problem is that prioritizing may not be their strong suit. What seems like a simple issue could be exacerbated into a huge ordeal. What someone thinks is a fire in the main hatch could actually be a plumbing issue near the Mess Hall. They also seem to assign people arbitrarily. One can only hope all the refugees get along. SEND HELP  While no specific parts of the station are necessarily offline, a lot of the tasks the station would normally complete on its own will need to be handled manually. Fortunately, the main functions of the station are more than accounted for, however everything else will be up to the refugees. As there is no telling when the Natha Orbiters will return, perhaps it’d be wise to take this opportunity to learn to be a little more self-sufficient on Thesa Station. 1. There are some areas the Station can’t automatically clean without exiting its current emergency protocols. Each of these areas will be marked off on the map provided by Thesa's very own virtual assistant, Yppilc. According to Yppilc, one of the key places that would benefit from a good wash down is the airlock. As a fair amount of foreign matter travels through these doors, special suits will be provided for those cleaning the area. The suits will have a built-in communications system and will also include its own oxygen tank. A helpful feature to have, just in case someone may be swept out into space. Which happens more often than one would think! Cleaning too close to the controls can trigger the doors to open… they’re sensitive. The oxygen tank isn’t equipped to last very long, so you can only help comes soon. GIFTS FROM THESA  The Natha have bequeathed their will unto the refugees, the burden of watching over their dear planet not given without a token of trust. Everyone, those newly awakened and those already settled, will receive periodic urging from Yppilc to visit the VR facilities. These messages will grow more frequent, more frantic, the longer they go ignored - for the sake of sleep, it’s best to indulge the request. Load into the simulation, and the scene is mired by the confusion of battle. You and another stand on a low hanging precipice, overlooking a failing front line. The location and conditions of the fight vary, drawn from the memories and fears of the participants themselves. Olympia and Wyver, locked in a caustic war - and your new home is succumbing. Or your homeland, entrenched in conflict from the past, or from a dreaded future. While the scene laid out before you is chaotic, one thing stands clear; your allies are fighting a losing battle. Comrades fall, innocents flee, and the wounded cry out for help. The program has determined what could best spur you and your comrade to intervene, though the more stubborn refugees may need additional goading from their partners. Your next action determines more than the outcome of the fight before you. Choose wisely - this message is conveyed mentally in a garbled voice that sounds familiar and ethereal all at once. Jump into action and fight. Save an ally - perhaps even your partner in this simulation - from certain death. Or help those who cannot help themselves. Act, and you will find yourself imbued with a new power. Use it, and the scene will soon come to a close. Despite returning to the reality of Thesa Station, you’ll find this newfound power still within your grasp. A gift from Darma, to aid in the battles to come. OOC Note: Feel free to give your character any one power that would be classified as a ‘major spell’ on the ACP rewards table. These powers can fall under any category (Unaffiliated, Natha, Olympia, or Wyver), and must be reported by existing characters and new applicants here under the most appropriate header no later than September 8th 11:59PM EST. Please include a brief description of the power you’ve chosen. You will receive a response within 48 hours if there are any modifications required. SOCIAL-LINKED(in) By some miracle, there are still some quieter parts of the hall. This may be an appropriate time to check out your smartphone. Aside from the expected "Omage" app, there seems to be a new one called Social-Linked. There, you may find a profile waiting to be posted. The app allows for the user to fill it in, but there is also an auto-function! upon pressing it, it will generate a shockingly-honest answer based on the Natha's observation of your history. Roman will be your only friend in this app, with his very own profile: PROBLEMS IN STASIS  1. The ship’s malfunctions have reached the stasis chamber, a long feared outcome finally dawning on sleeping friends and families. Yppilc will be quick to notify all refugees aboard that the pods will need close monitoring. Whether you’re visiting to keep an eye on things, or simply there to see the face of someone dear, be careful. Bumping a control panel, or drawing a hand along the glass could trigger an emergency ejection. Lights blink and a mechanism hisses, and then the pod is gone. With the pod thrust into space, you’ll be left with nothing but a small screen displaying the chamber’s position. There are ways to retrieve it— such as climbing into a suit from the airlock or following Yppilc’s instructions. Regardless of approach, it’s imperative that you stay calm. One error, and you could eject another pod or cut off the view screen entirely. 2. The newly awakened won’t find a moment of respite. The errors that pervade over the rest of the station have altered the contingencies for resuscitation in a majority of the pods. Some may awaken with gaps in their memory, or an old injury yet unhealed. Some may be afflicted with new ailments, such as loss of a sense or severe nausea. Anything could happen, with the computer systems processing so inconsistently. Interfacing with Thesa in any way, from entering the VR simulator to accessing the medical facilities, can cause the same range of side effects, so even established refugees should take caution. FINAL OOC NOTES
As always, feel free to wildcard prompts within Thesa Station!
These threads may be carried over as game canon if players choose. Players are encouraged to submit TDM threads as application samples, but they are not required. Please direct any OOC questions to the questions thread below. Players may submit an AC-length thread HERE from this TDM for 2 Natha REP. The due date for submission is September 16 11:59 PM EST. For this application cycle, there will be a cap of 60 and no reserves. Applications will be open on September 2 12:01 AM EST and end on September 4 11:59 PM EST. Thank you! |
Jehan Prouavire | Les Mis
He's honestly quite surprised, though very pleased with how his little plot is turning out. He'd carefully tilled a nice square of soil
Claire had said that the seeds she'd given him wouldn't work together. That vegetables and flowers should be planted separately, and while most of the flower seeds went into the little window box that Grantaire had fashioned for him, he had some left over.
So he'd planted them next to the vegetables, a little bit away to give the roots room to grow. And now, to his surprise and delight, he can see green in his garden bed.
"Well that didn't take long at all," he muses, delicately touching the leaf of something sprouting. He'd expected to wait months, not the handful of weeks that this growth had taken.
And the window box is doing even better, little stems stretching up towards the sky.
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Gardens were yet another of life's mysteries that Enjolras had little interest in decyphering. Knowledge about it was useful only insofar as it helped him understand farmers and farm workers. And Jehan, now.
He studies the growing things with a puzzle look. "They're growing already?"
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And look at the window box, it's looking really lovely." Grantaire had spruced it up for him, repainting it so Jehan could display it proudly. The flowers haven't bloomed yet, but a few have budded.
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"What will these grow into?"
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The ones in the window box, I know for certain, are flowers. Or at least I hope they are, it's not a very big box."
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As he leans down, Jehan might spot the book in his hand. It's not one of his usual treasures.
"Will they take long to grow?"
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Except for the ones I bought already in bloom, obviously."
He spots the book in Enjolras's hand and tries to peek at it, "What have you got there?"
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"Oh, this." His attention shifts to the book. "You remember I received all those books, from the Natha I think? Some more came, though... not exactly what I was hoping for." He holds the book out to his friend. "I thought you might like this one."
The hardback book has a red cover with the words 'the works of Edgar Allan Poe'. "Not an author I'm familiar with, which isn't a surprise. Look at the publishing date." It's a number of years after 1832.
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I didn't even know American had poets."
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"They have revolutionaries, why not poets?" Surely a moment will be fine. He joins the poet on the grass.
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"Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow —
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream."
He presses the book to his chest, overcome with emotion, and leans over to kiss the corner of Enjolras's mouth. "It's beautiful. I love it completely."
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It is not the first kiss he has ever received, but he acts as though it might be. A blush doesn't trouble his fair complexion (what is a blush! Enjolras is innocent to such things), but he shifts where he sits feeling a little self-conscious about not knowing how to respond to his friend's emotion.
"It's all right, then? Good. I'm glad it's found a suitable home."
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Perhaps if Grantaire were here, as well, but -- this is very nice.
"I know you aren't very knowledgeable in poetry, you find more important things to read. But this is the sort of writing I crave. The sort of writing I wish I could do, myself.
And maybe I will someday, with enough practice."
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Perhaps it's because he knows that Jehan, too, has died for liberty and freedom where Grantaire hasn't.
"Could you read the poem again?"
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"I'll read the whole thing out, this time," he says, leaning with his shoulder against Enjolras's.
"Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow —
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand —
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep — while I weep!
O God! Can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?"
By the ends he's a little breathless, still pink about the nose and cheeks, and he keeps his eyes on the book rather than where his knee touches Enjolras's leg.
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"It is very frustrating, to one moment feel as though I know what the writer is saying, and the next, none."
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And try as he might to keep hold of something, of time itself, it still escapes his grasp no matter what he does. He worries he's wasted time, perhaps."
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He finds himself tempted to follow the metaphor and attempt to pin down a single meaning to the rest of the verses. But this isn't the first time Enjolras has wrestled with the illogical beast that is poetry. "Give me a well-reasoned essay where the writer clearly states his thesis and supports it with logic and argument." He looks up, shaking his head at his friend. "I will leave the poetry to you, Prouvaire."
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As it stands, he has yet to properly help, but he can’t mask his surprise when he sees that hints of green have begun to poke through the soil already. ]
You must have a touch of Demeter about you, Jehan. I could have sworn you planted those just yesterday.
[ It was, of course, not just yesterday, but Grantaire can clearly not keep track of the time. ]
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[ He smiles just a little, genuinely pleased to see Jehan so happy with the results of his work. Grantaire lacks the motivation for such things, but that doesn’t mean he should be unhappy that others do not. ]
What have you decided to plant? Or do you intend for us to be surprised?