❪ test drive: #2 ❫ THE OVERFLOW

[natha]

ORIGINAL POST

THE PROLOGUE     Many people in stasis seem to be medically sound enough to wake up, brother. Are the preparations ready to go? Yes, I've long prepared myself for this. Watching them everyday has been truly rewarding. ... Right. Yeah. Okay, let's get them ready to wake up. We should keep their minds active to ease the transition into consciousness. A simple VR program should do the trick, I think. I will boot one immediately. There! All systems are green. Their consciousnesses are linked. However, their minds appear to be too active... They may be over-stimulated, brother. Huh? How can that be...? Can we pull them out safely? Not from my end, no. This may be too large for us to fix alone. Do you think...? Yes, I think so... It will have to be done organically. Can you send out a message to our refugees? Of course, brother. I will send one swiftly. We must be sure to fix this before Darma returns. There is urgency in the Orbiters' request. Refugees currently in El Nysa are asked via mass message to please return to Thesa Station virtual reality area immediately. Zasere tells them that the next set of Refugees are scheduled to wake, but there's been an issue. On Thesa, refugees will find that the people in stasis are still apparently trapped in slumber. Most of them are complete strangers, but there's a chance you may recognize a familiar face or two. Normally, these people would wake up from their pods without issue, but due to a malfunction caused by the unforeseen force during The Descent, they have to go through extra measures to make this possible. Those in slumber require extra stimulation, something to keep their minds active. What better than a simulation of an area of El Nysa? Keeping their minds active requires an extremely involved simulation. Those subjected to the VR (prospective characters) will find themselves completely immersed in their new environment, believing themselves to be native Olympians. To wake up from the simulation, characters must work together to accomplish a certain objective(s) in the icy tundra. Characters in-game will be aware that this is a simulation, but this is good practice for properly interacting with El Nysa natives, isn't it? An AC-length log thread on this TDM may be submitted for Two (2) Natha REP points HERE. Please read the OOC note at the bottom of this post for the terms. PROMPT: WINTER CAME     The wind in the icy wasteland is bitter and frigid. You are wrapped up in a winter coat, but even still, the cold bites at your skin and leaves you yearning for a warm fire. Perhaps you're a merchant from the city, here to make a delivery, or you're a royal guard, sent to patrol the area. Who are you? The sky is the limit. One thing is certain — you won't snap out of your new identity until you finish a task. 1. Due to the vast diversity of the creatures on El Nysa and the fact that new ones are constantly being discovered, an important objective is to carefully chronicle different species. Unfortunately, to research these new species, they happen to need more than just a visual. More than just fleeting glances in over a snowy hill. Researchers are constantly looking for ways to secure... You guessed it! Blood and stool samples. The supplies for the former will be given. Supplies are offered in a small box; one per person. In this box is a small dart that will automatically procure a small touch of blood, and easily shaken off so the creature will be able to securely escape. As for the latter— well, they'll give you a plastic bag if that counts. Look, sometimes to get a job done, you have to get your hands dirty. Specifically, they seek samples from a newly recorded rare beast known as a Klep. Kleps spend much of their time hidden in caves, so hitting them with the darts will be tricky. They are also nocturnal, but you may be able to lure them out of the cave with fish as bait. When struck with a dart, you must grab the dart and escape immediately, as they will charge you, and killing such an endangered species is illegal. As for stool samples, well... Once you find a pile, you will have plenty of sample to work with. 2. It's cold, to say the least. Too cold to continue forward. Whatever you were doing, you must stop and seek shelter. Looks like your goal is clear, at least. Get warm. Not finding a way to sustain heat, whether it be seeking shelter, building a fire, cuddling up, or all of the above, will likely end in serious consequences. 3. You are stuck in a dilemma. On one hand, you are set to work for Olympia. One the other, you're not completely sure what is really expected of you, or who the man who gave you this mission truly is. You and your partner are meant to protect precious trade cargo for them. You were told that these were essential supplies for one of the outer colonies. They assured you it was mostly food. In loading the cargo onto the supplied wagon with your partner, however, you noticed something inherently off about it. The weight and even the sounds of some of the contents inside definitely don't sound like food. Moreover, some boxes are more obviously more concealed— draped in black sheets and reinforced on all sides. You've also caught wind of rumors that you are potentially being utilized to supply advanced weapons and other contraband to Wyver terrorists in the colonies. But what do you do? Refuse to make the delivery, and people in the colony will surely starve. Try to remove the weapons and only deliver the food, and you will be killed on sight for being too suspicious. Make the delivery as-is, and not only will Olympians die at the hands of terrorists in the future, but you will betray your country. Decide quickly... 4. There are many dangers associated with traveling in such an isolated, harsh environment. You must help each other to survive. Perhaps someone has fallen on thin ice, and requires a rescue. Maybe someone is on the brink of starvation, and you must share what provisions you have. When you come to, you will awaken in Thesa Station. All will be explained to you by Zasere or Sael via telepathic link. Your world is no more. The Storm has consumed it. We offer proof in the Observation Deck if you desire it, but it won't be an easy thing to stomach. We offer you a new life, in our planet of El Nysa. We just ask for your help in maintaining the vitality of El Nysa. What can we offer you in exchange for your help? PROMPT: STASIS UNIT     You have found the massive section of Thesa known as the Stasis Unit. There’s no special access required to access this part of Thesa Station, but refugees are warned that it may not be for the faint of heart. Here, in large pods that nearly cover every square inch of the space, are all of the people the Orbiters have managed to rescue. Your loved ones, your greatest enemy, your next door neighbor— you might find them here. These people are in a state of deep cryosleep. Due to the damaging effects of The Storm, their bodies are not yet ready to be awoken. PROMPT: GET REKT     The Orbiters have noticed that some of the refugees really miss their video games. The technology in El Nysa could be much worse, but it definitely leaves much to be desired. Which is why, after expressing relief that everyone awoke safely, the Orbiters have decided to provide a little fun in the form of video game competitions. Anything from old-timey arcade machines to state-of-the-art computers, consoles, and VR headsets (though you may be a little tired of VR right now...) is available, and yes, they have your favorite games! Enjoy PAC-MAN, Starcraft 2, or perhaps Dance Dance Revolution! Teach a friend how to play. Get unnecessarily angry and competitive. Most importantly, have fun. Keep fourthwalling to a minimum, please. Recommended playing: QWOP PROMPT: OMAGE     Upon receiving your mobile phone, you will be asked to set a username. Voila, you can now access the network! You can choose to send a message to the entire network, specific usernames, or you can try out the Orbiters’ service, Omage, which connects you to a random user. They thought this might be a good way for their new guests to make friends with each other... Connecting to server... Looking for someone you can chat with... You’re now chatting with [username]... Say hi! PROMPT: WILDCARD     You are welcome to write any scenarios in Thesa Station! Characters have been granted temporary access to the Observation Room, and are encouraged to study it carefully. FINAL OOC NOTE     Please give toplevel priority to prospective characters! Current characters wishing to thread these scenarios with other current characters are encouraged to create separate logs. However, threads between 2 current characters are not eligible for Natha Orbiter REP. 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! A TDM thread of AC length may be submitted HERE for 2 NATHA ORBITER REPUTATION POINTS. Current players may submit their thread at any time, and prospective players may submit a thread after acceptance. Please note that threads must contain at least five (5) log comments from your character. A toplevel counts as a comment. Network threads are not eligible. QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● world ● map ● reputation ● npcs taken ● reserves ● application calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

andy dwyer || parks and rec

[awesomenesss]

[overflow from here, continuations to be linked to below, new stuff always if you feel so moved]

janet snakehole

[awesomenesss]

[from here]

i don't think you can do that with checkers
if you coudl checkers man checkers would be alot cooler

[But then again, what does he know about checkers? Nothing. And he's getting bored just looking at the pic.

Which means it's time to save April. He opens up the calculator by mistake (stupid tiny buttons), then closes it, then opens it again, then closes it, then gets a map.

don't move OK?
operation checkers rescue is go

bless u

[ludgattitude]

[ April has pretty much learned at this point to just go with the flow with Andy, which is why she's totally content not correcting him. ]

hurry before i die from secondhand boredom

[ Aaaaaaaand she's staying put.

(Because she's actually really, really relieved that she's not here by herself, and who else would she want around but her husband?) ]

[awesomenesss]

[!!! is pretty much the sum of Andy's thoughts after he reads that text, and he shoves his phone back into his pocket and breaks into a sprint. After like three minutes, he fights his phone out of his pocket again, mid-sprint, and holds it up in front of his face so he can track his own progress. It's like a VR map now. He is in the map, watching himself turn down this corner, that corner--

(And it's by miracle only that everyone else trying to walk innocently down the hallway is actually looking where they're going, and is kind enough to sidestep the guy sprinting with his phone in front of his face.)

--until he turns the last corner and jumps over the threshold into the room with a triumphant:]

Made it!

[Yeah! Whoo, though. Suddenly winded, Andy folds at the waist and puts his hands on his thighs, breathing hard. Wow. Okay. He waves one hand to the room at large. Okay. Yeah. Work it out.

Once he's caught his breath, he straightens up again and scans the room for April. She isn't hard to find, especially not with his keen senses.]

Babe!

[Quick break back into sprint to close the distance between them, and whether or not April stands or stays curled up in her chair, Andy is going to throw his arms around her.]

[ludgattitude]

[ April's trying not to be too impatient while she waits for Andy to come tearing around the corner, but she immediately looks up at the sound of pounding footsteps before he comes barreling into the room.

Yep, yep, that sure is her big doofus right there.

She's doing her best to keep that seriously uncool grin off of her face, but she's some weird mixture of relieved and ecstatic to see him there, and she's on her feet to greet him, but—

Oof, yep, that's one big hug.

She reaches up, winding her arms around his broad shoulders, squeezing him back. ]

Hi.

[ Yeah, that stupid smile isn't going anywhere apparently. ]

[awesomenesss]

[All ecstatic and relieved, Andy (already crushing April, and crushed against her) returns her hi with a big old enthusiastic:]

Hi! Aaahh--

[--Which is half happy growl, half laugh, as Andy rocks April back and forth, shifting his weight from foot to foot, too excited to stay still.]

Dude, isn't this awesome? You're here. I'm here. We're in space--oh, man, I have met some for real aliens, and. Babe.

[Important. He pulls back so he can look April in the face. Still hasn't released her from the hug.]

They are not into probing. Isn't that wild? 'Cause I was sure they were gonna be. First thing I asked about, and they were like, nope. I did forgot to ask about crop circles, though.

[ludgattitude]

[ April's basically 100% used to Andy just being huge and excited about everything (which she loves about him, if she's honest), so she's happy just to cling to him and let him squish her a little. (Or a lot. No big deal.) ]

Maybe they're lying about the probing. To, like, lull you into a false sense of security.

[ Probably not, because the aliens seem mostly okay? But she's still going to be April about it. ]

[awesomenesss]

[Oh.

Wait.]

Nnnno... they seemed pretty cool. [He's half certain, half uncertain about that. Uncertain because April is pretty good at being convincing. Dead pants humor.] And also, not that into probing. One guy actually walked away from me.

[Anyways. He grabs April's arms and leans down so he can look her in the face.]

Okay, what's the first thing you wanna do. We can invent burritos, or we can go to the arcade--or we can look for space suits! Or find a zero g chamber and see what happens when I barf in one.

Actually, I know what's gonna happen with that one, and that is, my barf is gonna float.

get wreckd.

[illuminating]

[It's the combination of his enthusiasm and psuedo-music playing that draws her over to him from watching someone else play Duck Hunt, and by the time he's unleashing his pent up excitement and punching the air, she's wagging her whole self to make up for an inability to applaud, throwing her head up in brief, not-quite howls.

Yes, a joyful, white wolf, if he recognizes them. Otherwise, she probably just looks like an incredibly friendly, big white dog. Certainly bigger than sweet Champion.]

[awesomenesss]

[Okay, so the howling was a little weird, but Andy had been so in the zone that he hadn't thought much of it, maybe dismissed it as part of another game going on somewhere else in the arcade. Now that he's turned around and found this totally kick-ass dog as his audience, he gets it: the dog is doing the howling. He liked it!]

Hey!

[Cool, a dog with good taste! Andy slings the little guitar under his arm so it can rest against his back, and he crouches down to offer the dog his hand for sniffing.]

Aww, heyyyy, buddy, what's up! You like that? Huh? Wow, I didn't know they let dogs in space. [Actually--] No, wait, I did know that. I saw it, in that Animal Planet, thing, that was on before the 'Bad Barracudas' marathon. Yeah, you're famous. Pretty cool, being on TV, and getting to go to space. So you're Russian, huh? Um...

[Carefully, he holds up his other hand. Slowly and clearly:]

Hi.

[He doesn't know Russian. But speaking slowly and clearly will totally get through.]

[illuminating]

[And she goes to him once he's crouched without an ounce of hesitation, still a wiggling mass of fur. His scent is taken in by the customary greeting for canines, before she settles to sit down, all of her attention glued on him, face tilting with interest at everything he says. Most of it doesn't make much sense to her, and not because she's a wolf, but because she's from too far back in the past to know of things like TV or Animal Planet, but it's a strange name, because it just sounds… like earth. Human beings are animals, too, after all.

Wolfishly, she smiles at him, and after his slow-paced Hi, she reaches a big paw up to plant against his palm. Hello. The next moment, she's on all fours again, moving closer to finish up her greeting properly, which entails his hand getting licked and nibbled softly, and her trying to lean against him, all fawning; soon ending up where she's partly standing over one of his bent legs, reaching behind him to chew on the neck of the plastic guitar, her tail all a-wave.]

[awesomenesss]

[Andy actually gasps when the dog puts its paw in his hand. There's a breathless second before he can manage an appreciative,]

Dude!

[Good trick! Champion is the World Champion of dogs, but this guy is probably a runner up. A Space Champion? By default, surely. Because Champion isn't here to claim the title.

By that point, Russian's entry into the Space Championship of Dogs is crowding in close, and Andy laughs, brought out of his reverie and awe at such a kickass show of dog affection.]

Aww, hey-- [He goes in for a hug first, then transfers that action to a brisk scratching at the dog's fluffy sides, buries his fingers in deep and moves the fur around by the handful.] You're a good dog, arencha! Real good! Hey--

[That's 'cause the dog is chewing on the guitar, over his shoulder, and Andy ducks his head so he can kind of peer back there, check out what's going on.]

Holy crap, do you play? Dang, I bet you do. If those stupid cats playing piano on the internet can get on the internet, you gotta be able to play some Guitar Hero, right, bud? Probably something they taught you in Space Camp-- wait, here--

[Now he's going to try to twist around to to get the tiny guitar strap over his head so he can give it to the dog. Not an incredibly well thought-out decision, considering 1) how close the dog is and 2) how its tail is all over the place, and, 3) how small the guitar strap actually is. Maybe he's a little stuck.

He stops twisting. One arm is half jammed through the guitar strap, stuck awkwardly up in the air and pinned close to his body. At least he has this good dog to lean on.]

Wait.

[illuminating]

[No, she only wanted to dig her teeth into hard plastic, and even after he's stuck, this is still what she wants to do. Gnawing is too great a temptation, and so it takes her a minute to realize he is stuck. Her molars are leaving little notches in the guitar neck, and she finally does a double-take of sorts after he's said wait. She waits, blinking plainly at— Oh! Oh…

This is unfortunate. She backs up to give him space, head canting with questioning grumble-whimper. How's this happened? Circling part way around him, she tries to get her teeth under the strap and tugs in effort to loosen him, but considering how he's stuck, she probably ends up just tugging him some toward her too.

Oh, boy.]

prompto!

[awesomenesss]

[from here]

[The wailing tones of the electric guitar sail smoothly out from the speakers standing beside the big screen that they're playing in front of. Andy mashes down on the buttons of the guitar with an expert hand, nodding along with the beautiful slo-jam rhythm.

The spirit this dude puts into an unfamiliar song is inspiring, and Andy grins as he takes up the next line, way more confident in the tune--even if he throws a little Dwyer spice into it, dragging out the words a little more than Van Zant ever did. That jenny says qwa, if you will, undefinable uncatagorizable musical style.]

For I must be-e travelin' on no-www... just too many places I gotta see... yeah, dude! You got it!

[It's a competition, and Andy is obviously the Guitar Hero, but he can still be supportive. Especially because he's kicking ass.]

Don't be afraid to rough it up, y'know, really-- uh, uh, uh--

[He bites down on his lip as he hits that whammy bar.]

Dude, I wonder if they got Rock Band too. That would be sweet.

[punshots]

[ It's hard not to just stop playing altogether and watch this guy jam, because he jams hard. It's a sight to below. No wonder he claimed he was a true Guitar Hero. Those weren't just empty words.

But even with his lack of familiarity with the song, he's starting to get the rhythm of it a bit better. It helps that it's a classic kind of song, the kind that it seems like you've heard before even if you...haven't...that makes sense, right? ]

Rock Band? That would be sweet! I kick ass on the drums! Not bad on the bass, too, aaaand who wouldn't want these golden pipes singin' along to every song? I could almost be a one man band, if I had a few more arms!

[ Whoops, he missed a couple of phrases because of his waxing poetic about Rock Band. ]

Oh, oh, oh - and this bird you can not chanaaaange?

[ Wow, he missed something. ]

[awesomenesss]

[Andy snorts, as he pulls dramatically up on the tiny neck of his tiny plastic guitar to wail on a few sweet licks.]

Dude, if there were such a thing as one-man bands, I would be the best one man band out there. It'd be me, one man, Andy Dwyer. A whole band. With, get this: only two arms. How's he playing bass and guitar? With his heart.

[Well.]

Maybe I'd have one more arm, just in case. But I probably wouldn't use it. It'd just be there. Hey, after this, let's find Rock Band. I'll kick your ass at that too.

[Good natured fun time ass kicking. Like friends. Andy has to pause in his proposal to bite down on his lip again and get out a few more strands of Free Bird.]

God, these lyrics are good. Poetical.

[punshots]

Whoa. Dude. You seriously could. And you'd get, like, super rich, too. Playing the bass with your heart...

[ That's poetical. Prompto's nothing but sincere in his praise. I mean, just look at the way this Andy guy is totally slaying this song. It's inspirational. He's the Guitar Hero they need, but not the one they deserve. ]

You got it, man! It'd be an honor to have you kick my ass at Rock Band.

[ Is there such a thing as being too good of a sport? He doesn't know it. He just keeps jamming, because even if he loses he's having a total ball right now. ]

What do you think they mean? I mean, deep level stuff. Subtext.

theon greyjoy!

[awesomenesss]

[from here]

OK burriteos are sort of like tacos cooler cusins
u take everything u like in a little taco and dubble it
i like meat and meat and meat and cheese and meat and gwacmoley and meat and if i feel i need the enargy more meat
MAYBE red chili on the top and sour cream
u put all that in a big taco and wrap it up real gentel

that's a burritoe

but u can have breakfast burritoes 2
lunch burritoes those are kind of like dinner burritoes but you eat them for lunch
after noon nap burritoes which is what i call it when i get relly hungry after noon and eat a burritoe and fall asleep

u can eat burriteos when ever
u have to try it dude

man i'm hungry

rocket

[awesomenesss]

[continued from here]

Yes.

[Emphatic. If he was at all surprised at that brief outburst, Andy recovers quick. Mostly because he hadn't been that surprised. Raccoons turn quick on you. Even if this is an alien, it's a feeling that's hard to shake.]

Oh my god, dude, are you kidding? Raccoons are crazy. They own the day and the night, they'll go after anyone, they don't even care-- old people, dogs, kids-- where I'm from, Pawnee, they had to shut down my old grade school 'cause these raccoons moved in. Just locked it up and threw away the key. No one could talk them into getting out, not after they got into the grease trap in the cafeteria. That school belongs to Mother Nature now.

And-- And the raccoons.

andy what have you done

[beatupgrass]

Quill acted like they were some weird Earth pest or something. What the hell?

[HE HAS BEEN LIED TO.] They took over an entire freakin' school?

[To be fair, he's imagining this as way more badass than it might really be, but he still feels like his world has been tilted on its axis here. He runs his hands over his ears.] I... This has been eye-opening. [He drops his hands and looks up at Andy with a newfound... well not respect, but at least awe.] Y'know for probably being Quill's brother, you are way smarter than he is.

[Unsure if meant to be an insult to both Peter and Andy or what.]

unleashed a powerful evil

[awesomenesss]

No way, dude, they are so much more than that.

[In Pawnee, at least. The threat is serious. And if he has helped to educate an alien, so much the better. Clearly he did a good job, because he's getting praised for it, kind of, and Andy immediately brightens.]

Aww. Hey, thanks!

[He basks for a moment in that warmth of a genuine compliment... before he breaks to scratch at his inner ear.]

Wait, uh. Who is that again?

[beatupgrass]

Oh yeah, you probably don't know. Your dad's a planet named Ego, and you have a half-brother named Peter Quill.

[He says this all so casually and devoid of any argument. He's convinced himself of this and he doesn't care enough to be gentle.] I mean, that's the only reason you could possibly look so much like Quill. That can't be a common stupid-looking face on Earth.

[awesomenesss]

[Since Andy knows how many brothers he has (all of them full bodied), and also he knows his dad's real name, and how he had real blood and stuff, he dismisses most of that with a chyeah. Ok-ay, sure. Clearly this alien is trying to screw around with him and talk a lot of crap about


wait.]

My face isn't stupid-looking! What's wrong with my face? It's my-- Hey, shut up!

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket tries to cover up a laugh, but he... really wasn't trying that hard at all, so what starts as a subtle snort becomes an actual wheezy laugh within seconds.]

Aw man. That's great. That's exactly what Quill would say, too.

[Most people would respond that way when told their face is stupid, Rocket. It has nothing to do with anyone being HALF PLANET AND QUILL'S BROTHER.]

Cayde-6

[awesomenesss]

[from here]

burritoes delivered?

[Boom. Easy. --Wait.]

can burritoes b delivered to me?



[nailed it.]