natha: (Default)
ɴᴀᴛʜᴀ orbiters ❰ mod collective ❱ ([personal profile] natha) wrote in [community profile] elnyan2018-01-26 12:27 pm
Entry tags:

❪ test drive #4 ❫

YOUR STORY BEGINS    

The Storm came. You only remember darkness, but you don't remember much after that.

All you know, perhaps, is that it was cold. You don't know for how long you slept, but the dreams were short, at least. You remember the expanse of stars and the universe that came in view. Every world and solar system ever known was displayed in your dreams in careful, pristine detail. You have also witnessed The Storm, which has devoured a fair portion of these galaxies. It was a dark, thick smog — ominous in appearance and ever foreboding.

Your Earth and similar planets were immersed in The Storm. Somehow, you knew it would be the last you'd see of it. That was when she told you what happened, and how you could help. You knew that you'd be living somewhere new, even though you never asked for it. The details here weren't clear, but you knew you'd made a deal with Darma.

Not long after, you'll wake at Thesa Station — your body is still cold.

It all felt like a dream, but somehow, you knew it wasn't — now, will you keep that promise you made to Darma?
PROMPT: THE STORM    

CW: death
You were awake on Thesa Station. But at some point you, like many other new arrivals before you, wandered into the Observation Deck. Ordinarily, this is where images of The Storm are replayed to remind Refugees of the fate they have escaped.

The Natha Orbiters' technology has evolved. They are aware of your gaps in memory. You may have doubts of The Storm even existing, or of your world's destruction. Though they do not wish reliving those last moments on anyone, they have created an experience that will do just that. Before entering the Observation Deck, you are warned that what follows will not be for the weak of heart. As soon as you step in, you will find that the walls around you begin to transform and expand.

Welcome to the Planet Cespi, in the Circinus Galaxy. Unfortunately, we were not able to save this world from The Storm's Consumption. These are its last memories.

You are surrounded by blue, grassy hills as far as the eye can see and a pleasant breeze. The atmosphere is thick with a sickly sweet smell. Before you lays the scene of a quiet village, with its residents going about their everyday lives. You aren't alone, either, with an equally confused stranger (or perhaps you know each other?) surveying the scene.

Then the world grows completely silent for a full minute. You and your partner are unable to make a sound, verbal or otherwise. Without warning, a deafening roar fills your ears and forces you to double over in pain. The villagers run out of their homes in a panic, finding themselves in just as much pain and confusion as you do. Where there was no sound before, now there is too much for a normal human body to process.

Look up. An expanding mass of energy is swallowing everything you can see. It consumes the earth, the atmosphere, the depths of space — and it is getting closer.

Your only hope is to outrun it, if you can. The people in the village certainly try to, racing past you. Their fear is very real. Their bodies are very real. You may be able to run from it for a time, only able to catch glimpses of this dark and sinister force swallowing everything and everyone. The earth rumbles and separates beneath you. Electricity surges through the sky, and then through your very body.

You fought hard, but it is impossible to outrun the Storm forever. You too will be consumed. Your death is quick, but not painless. What were you thinking, before you took your last breath?

You awaken back in the Observation Deck, next to your new friend.
PROMPT: TRAINING MODULES    

While it’s all nice and well to familiarize oneself with Thesa Station, it is most advised that new arrivals venture out a bit. Not physically. No one is quite prepared for that yet. However, there will be several virtual reality training programs set for those who dare to be adventurous. For those who aren’t and don’t dare, well — good luck, all the same. Once seated and appropriately strapped in, the system will automatically whir to life.

1. When you enter the Natha's newest program, at first nothing loads. You might think this is an error as you look around in apparent total darkness, only able to see your own virtual body if you look down, but soon enough a voice comes to life as if speakers have turned on somewhere.

Long ago, the lands of El Nysa were dominated by the ancestors of the dragons who now live among the people, tamed. It was pretty dangerous! How about a little history lesson?
And then the simulation comes to life—

a. The lush lands that blossom to life around you all at once are real enough to make you forget you're in a simulation — at least for a moment. Those refugees who have been to the planet in reality before will find themselves in territory as unfamiliar as those who are brand new, as this simulation takes place far back in history. Instead of sprawling cities and civilizations, the most you'll find is scattered villages, many of them no more than nomadic campsites at best. You've been outfitted to blend in with the natives and these simulated people won't react to you as a newcomer, but as a member of their village. Are you a doctor, or perhaps a warrior? Maybe you're even in charge! But they want your help, and they want it quickly: a dragon is coming.

The dragon is larger than the mount-sized breeds that exist on El Nysa today — much larger. It's a good six stories in height, bestial, and angry. Maybe it's then that you notice the lands that surround you are littered with scars of scorched earth, some of them several yards across, and there's a reason these people don't live in one place for very long. But don't linger too long on the makeshift grave markers sticking out of the burnt countryside — the dragon is coming.



b. If you're looking for something a little less violent, perhaps another area of the historic simulation will be up your alley. This one finds you on a cliffside, waiting among other villagers for an event the people are talking about in hushed whispers, some of which you can identify as prayer. When the white dragon raises its head up from the depths of the ravine, towering impossibly high over you and the others on the cliffside, it's no wonder most of the natives fall to their knees in awe and wonder. This dragon doesn't attack, only looks at the people on land with an ancient and strange wisdom.

Then it speaks. Not in words, but the low rumbling sound that starts in its throat and becomes a full trumpeting bellow to the sky seems to have meaning, and somehow, you can understand its cry as it entreats the people to praise and worship. The natives around you are already starting to give offerings with their prayers, food and carvings and — blood? Is that someone's arm being offered up?

That's different.



2. Let us now travel forward in time, shall we?

a. The Olympian settlement around you is quiet — until the screaming starts.

Guerilla fighters from Wyver flood the streets, knocking civilians aside and breaking down doors and windows when they find their way barred. They move methodically, advancing toward the nicer parts of town where the politicians reside and leaving terror in their wake.

They're here for the politicians, people say. They're here to punish the people who made the decision to advance into Wyver in the first place. Blood for blood, as the saying goes. Where they'll be taking them once they have them is anyone's guess. A soldier emerges from a building, dragging someone in elegant clothing out by the hair. Looks like they've found one.

Will you rescue them? Make a run for it yourself, lest you be mistaken for one of their targets? Or maybe they've already caught you and some other unfortunate Refugee who's been dropped into this simulation, and the two of you need to figure out a way to escape.

b. CW: branding
You find yourself in the midst of a bustling crowd gathered at the Temple of Thesa. Robed acolytes stoke fires on either side of the altar at the front of the temple, where miserable-looking people who seem to be from a village in Wyver await, bound in ropes.

The priest, at the front of the crowd, picks up a metal brand from the altar and gestures for another acolyte to bring a prisoner forward. The crowd watches with interest as the prisoner is forced to kneel in front of the altar, their arm laid out flat on the marble surface.

Another cry — "For the glory of Olympia!" — and the crest of the city is burned into the prisoner's arm.

The crowd cheers, deafening the cries of pain. The priest ushers forward another prisoner, and then another. Is that a familiar face you see in the lineup, thrust into this bit of history by the simulation's whims? You have to do something. Or are you unlucky enough to find yourself bound? ...Well, hopefully someone else in the crowd has more scruples than this priest.
3. And now, the present.



After all those enlightening scenes, the simulation finally brings you to a more quiet area of Olympia. You are deposited out somewhere in The Outlook, a place the very first group of refugees had to trudge through before they found their homes. You've arrived in the early evening — but sunlight is waning, and soon you'll be under a sky full of stars. Luckily, their old campsites aren't too overgrown.

The intention here is to get you familiar with some of the local flora and fauna. What sorts of plants will you encounter? Do you find yourself under a Verillum Tree, suddenly compelled to be painfully honest and truthful in conversation with a complete stranger? Find yourself behaving erratically in the presence of Whistleweed? Or perhaps you'll have to break the spell of being trapped in a Vena Amoris' vines... with a kiss.

PROMPT: STASIS UNIT    

You have found the massive section of Thesa known as the Stasis Unit. There’s no special access required to enter 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: 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    
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! An AC-length thread may be submitted for 2 NATHA ORBITER REPUTATION POINTS after acceptance here. Please submit by February 18th.

We will no longer be providing overflow posts. In an event where the post hits CAPTCHA, players are advised to move threads to an overflow post on their character journals or create their own catch-all post. These threads remain eligible for REP.

There will be an application cap of 60, and no reserves. Please read here for more information.

prettier: (004)

omage: username: freddieornot

[personal profile] prettier 2018-01-30 05:41 am (UTC)(link)
Alright, calm down Robocop. What happens if we don't comply?
winddaughter: Pocketful of Rainbows (you're disappearing all the time)

[personal profile] winddaughter 2018-01-30 05:42 am (UTC)(link)
that does actually help

I'm Anemone!
eaudevamp: (ᴀɴ ɪᴅᴇᴀ)

[personal profile] eaudevamp 2018-01-30 05:42 am (UTC)(link)
then why not go back to sleep?
the orbiters likely would not deny your request if you wish so.
but maybe you should give this second life a chance.
Edited 2018-01-30 09:04 (UTC)
bornofgods: (pic#11992948)

[personal profile] bornofgods 2018-01-30 05:44 am (UTC)(link)
[ What can he say… Ozymandias honestly wishes that she had been acting. Not because he blames the extent of her fear. However, he can see that that is most certainly not the situation now. Realizing that he will have to ease her nerves as much as possible in this improbable scenario, he reads the mood and settles into a more serious tone. ]

Do not lament. With your ability along with my own, our chances are not low.

[ That’s how he sees the matter. Most humans do not possess the ability to summon lighting, rain or wind, never mind all of these potentially harrowing weather conditions. ]

The first step will be obliterate the beast’s sight. Then, I— we will work to sever the head. [ He swiftly corrects his pronoun, in other to ensure their position together as a makeshift team. ]

Before we begin… Here. [ When Ozymandias performs the spell to strengthen their magical and physical abilities, he simply nods his head, neglecting his usual litany of bold gestures. At the very least, she should feel more energetic, capable of performing on a level higher than her usual norm. ] Do you feel rejuvenated?
colorature: (Default)

[personal profile] colorature 2018-01-30 05:46 am (UTC)(link)
They won't?

[She's not sure she entirely believes him. Solomon's always been sly but...was there really a reason for him to lie?]

We have to make new lives for ourselves...but how? Where will we stay and what will we do?
winddaughter: Gulliver (sitting on my chest)

[personal profile] winddaughter 2018-01-30 05:47 am (UTC)(link)
[look maybe if you dye your hair or something

also you're covered in stickweed

really she's more concerned about that rather than him not being a girl

now that he opened his mouth though, that is a noticeable difference]


Oh! I'm so sorry--you just looked--

[She lets him go in her surprise. Whoops.]
prettier: (011)

omage: username: freddieornot

[personal profile] prettier 2018-01-30 05:48 am (UTC)(link)
a/s/l isn't a thing anywhere unless you're over 40 and looking for a cyber fuck with some sad greasy lorry driver pretending to be a 19 year old polish girl.

So are you?
bornofgods: (pic#11994418)

[personal profile] bornofgods 2018-01-30 05:54 am (UTC)(link)
Hoh? Of course not. I am no miracle worker. I am forced to wait until the mercy of our keepers align with my interests.

[ In truth, he is not overly interested in elaborating on the nature of his relationship with Nefertari to this stranger. Whatever her conceptions, wrong or right… he’ll make no attempt to correct them.

Peering past the subject of his affection, he dwells on this litany of nameless, strange, eternally sleeping faces. ]


Do you wait for a loved one of your own to awaken? [ Then, his eyes meet her own, matching his seeking question. ]
Edited 2018-01-30 05:55 (UTC)
prettier: (012)

omage: username: freddieornot

[personal profile] prettier 2018-01-30 05:55 am (UTC)(link)
Don't know. Not really the kind of thrust I'm familiar with.
allamhigo: icons from thanks punch @ dw unless stated otherwise (Default)

[personal profile] allamhigo 2018-01-30 06:01 am (UTC)(link)
[ He's trying to be reassuring, and her feelings are a little muddled right now. Even still, Lyse lets her gaze shift to X'rhun as she makes an attempt at a smile. She's trying, really, but it's difficult.

Seeing her dear friend here, and knowing that what he did may have been for naught. The work that they did, all undone by some cataclysmic force she can't quite draw to memory. It's overwhelming, and she isn't sure what to do with any of this. ]


Thank you.

[ And she is thankful, even if her words lack any kind of color or luster. Looking back up at Papalymo, her smile sags at the corners. ]

I should be happy that they brought so many of us here in one piece. But I know this isn't what Papalymo would have wanted, if he had anything to say about it. He would have tried to find a way to stop what happened, before it came to this.
pussywhips: pixiv id # 2248 (078)

[personal profile] pussywhips 2018-01-30 06:02 am (UTC)(link)
You have?

[ We got an overachiever here. Meanwhile, Ann tries to avoid studying as if her life depended on it. Which... the opposite might be happening here. Maybe she should've actually taken a look at that flora and fauna guide before stepping into this simulation. Oops.

Then he tips his head closer to hers, and she instinctively leans away (well, as much as she can, anyway, which... isn't much), her eyes widening. ]


Wh-What are you doing?

[ Because it sure as heck looked like he was trying to—oh my god, this is crazy. ]
bravette: with apologies to fans of the other stephen king series 'cause I'm gonna borrow this face (3)

beep beep richie!!!

[personal profile] bravette 2018-01-30 06:05 am (UTC)(link)
[ They must have passed, like ships in the night, footsteps masked by the pounding volume of their own thoughts. She knows if she doesn't distance herself from this room as far as possible soon, she's going to go deaf in the brain. After a few more gasps, she resigns her runaway heart to beating how it may and pushes herself back to her feet, when a booming yell pierces its way through the lofty hall. ]

[ Beverly answers it in kind, though not the least bit articulate—a short, startled bark of a scream that she bites short, head swiveling in search of the source. Frightened as she is, there's no mistaking that for a monstrous bellow, or even a random machine noise, it had been— ]

[ Her name. ]

[ Her name in a voice that, even at the top of its lungs, could bring nothing but relief. A bolt of pure, intoxicating, icy, burning relief, settling her nerves as it does electrify them. Of course, of course, thank God, he'd been missing because he'd already gotten out! ]

Richie!

[ A cry belted in response, halting with either tears or the grim, needling reminder that It is still slumbering in these halls. But it can't be normal sleep these bodies are kept in, after all. They have to be drugged down or frozen, impossible to rouse with a shout or a fairy tale kiss to the glass. Of course, idiot... She'd love to see the dose keeping that thing snoozing, and then triple it. ]

[ That doesn't matter now. What matters is finding him; the shout had echoed terribly, but if she had to guess, it would be far off across the room, at the end of a row. She starts off running (trotting), barely conscious of the twinge in her ankle the little stumble had left her with, but it does make the row seem infinitely longer... ] Richie, where are you?!
fiendennor: (07)

[personal profile] fiendennor 2018-01-30 06:05 am (UTC)(link)
[Diana inclines her head in a nod at Ursula's statement: She has been alone, until just now.

And it has been a little lonely.]
It's been all right. Even if I hadn't known anyone beforehand, the people here are... welcoming and friendly, in my experience. It hasn't been too hard.

[She closes her eyes for a moment.] ...provided you don't dwell too often on those who weren't saved.
playingfetch: (you've been lied to)

[personal profile] playingfetch 2018-01-30 06:06 am (UTC)(link)
[At least Lancer can be glad that's not a standard church garb he had to see Kirei wearing at any point.

But back to the present. The sheer difference in how the girl sounds compared to the girl in the tube she looks so much like pulls a cheerful laugh out of him, entirely without offense. He can't bring himself to get worked up about blue boy.]


I'll pass on that anyway. Truth is, this one—

[He taps the glass.]

—maybe "friend" would be a strong word for it, but I know her. Looks like you do too. Hell, watchin' you do this makes me which I knew where my own tube was. For all I know people were drawing all over that too.
originallutece: do you think he'll pick the wrong fucking lottery number i bet he will (talk; well here we are again at the fair)

[personal profile] originallutece 2018-01-30 06:09 am (UTC)(link)
England, to begin with.

[Not the last place she'd been, but the most recognizable.]

Have you been to see the stasis pods yet?

[personal profile] fiendennor 2018-01-30 06:12 am (UTC)(link)
[Diana's expression turns sympathetic and kind at the admission.

She herself doesn't have any living family, apart from her cousins and aunt, and she's never been particularly close to them. But she's still glad that they're here.]
That must be very hard on you, to see her like this.

Would you like me to leave you alone with her, then? I didn't mean to interrupt your thoughts.
fiendennor: (15)

[personal profile] fiendennor 2018-01-30 06:13 am (UTC)(link)
Do you mean in the general sense of human mortality, or are you referring to something else?
inacan: (013)

[personal profile] inacan 2018-01-30 06:19 am (UTC)(link)
oh my god that was the most british thing i've seen in years

please tell me you're eating bangers and mash right now
prettier: (144)

[personal profile] prettier 2018-01-30 06:21 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah. fat, hot ones. Want me to describe it to you?
thetaintedsorrow: (Pathetic)

[personal profile] thetaintedsorrow 2018-01-30 06:23 am (UTC)(link)
No. Not yet.

[Honestly, he’s been kind of afraid to look. What if someone he wants to see isn’t there...?]

Anyone you know in there?
inacan: (007)

[personal profile] inacan 2018-01-30 06:26 am (UTC)(link)
nah i'm good
turning the british-isms into innuendo doesn't do it for me, too many mental images of my dad's old driver fixing tea after school
it's like thinking about your parents
not sexy
prettier: (074)

[personal profile] prettier 2018-01-30 06:28 am (UTC)(link)
Pretty sure I'm nothing like your parents.

What are you, anyway, a laundrette?
willrevile: (0440)

[personal profile] willrevile 2018-01-30 06:29 am (UTC)(link)
[ He notes the pause, as well as the fractional formality of using his rank now-- maybe it's unkind of him, pushing against Miles's assertion that this isn't real, but he's never one to choose comfort over practicality. Hopefully the guy doesn't just, you know, flip out or something once he decides he's not drunk. ]

Either too many, or not enough. I haven't decided.

[ Seeing them is haunting, but not yet getting a dedicated count on every single person fills him with a tangle of negative emotions. Where are they? Are they absent because they haven't been taken in by whatever large-scale ruse this is, or because they haven't been saved from an event horizon he can't quantify? ]

This, [ he touches the vaguely triangle-shaped badge on his chest, ] is Starfleet. I've seen uniforms I don't recognize with this on them, either from other worlds with the same organization, or from the future. I've seen uniforms I only know from history class. Things I'm not sure my brain would supply if I were dreaming.
inacan: (006)

[personal profile] inacan 2018-01-30 06:32 am (UTC)(link)
nobody is like my parents

full-service, multiversal. you can't afford me.
prettier: (094)

[personal profile] prettier 2018-01-30 06:37 am (UTC)(link)
Really? Every fucking bridge club in Didsbury's full of people like mine.

No, paying for full service isn't something I do.