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.

houndedby: (pic#11684562)

[personal profile] houndedby 2018-01-28 02:21 am (UTC)(link)
[Sandor eases when he hears Jon's voice. Just a little. He's not sure what he thinks of him, but he likes him a lot more than he likes most people. That's saying something.]

It's a dragon. [He says, pointedly.] And there's no girl here to control it.
underwhelms: (oh boy! eh!!)

[personal profile] underwhelms 2018-01-28 02:22 am (UTC)(link)
[ Cam is JJ's kind of captive.

He can't help it—he laughs when Cam decides to run his mouth instead of take the first opportunity to haul ass. His jubilance doesn't last too long however, when another guard, armed with a mighty dangerous lance, charges at him. JJ barely has time to yelp before he's dashing forward, grabbing the bound Cam and hauling him along as he books it.

Not that there's many routes of escape. It's not just the guards after them, but the Olympian spectators as well, roaring in outrage that these plebs would dare escape the justice that they so clearly deserve.

The crowd surges at them, and admittedly their changes of escape are starting to look slim. ]


Please, tell me you've got a weapon hidden somewhere!
uninjured: (Default)

[personal profile] uninjured 2018-01-28 02:23 am (UTC)(link)
IT IS A GAME TWO TRUTHS AND ONE LIE.
WE MUST STATE THREE THINGS ABOUT OURSELVES, ONE BEING A LIE, AND THE OTHER HAS TO GUESS WHICH IS LIE.

I BELIEVE IT TO BE A SIMPLE YET FUN GAME!
stillenacht: (an aside (concerned))

what dreams? I see no dreams. /eats them like cotton candy

[personal profile] stillenacht 2018-01-28 02:27 am (UTC)(link)
[ Siegfried didn't know the answers to Lancelot's questions and he frankly didn't really care. He shrugged, testing the tightness of his bonds and finding them rather lacking because the guards hadn't had time to do proper knots when there were so many of them to truss up and herd together. ]

We can't alter what's been done, but at least in this version we might be able to do some good. How are your bonds? Loose enough?

[ Loose enough anyway that they might be able to help each other when no one was looking. Because, as much as he'd like to just rip them off through sheer strength, the damage to their hands and arms may compromise their ability to do anything. That would only be a last resort. ]
catfident: (pic#11847110)

stasis

[personal profile] catfident 2018-01-28 02:28 am (UTC)(link)
Have you tried giving her a kiss?

[ The voice comes from nearby, a slight woman slanted against another pod as though she hasn't a care in the world. Her tone's light, almost teasing, perfectly in tune with the rest of her and completely at odds with the otherwise somber nature of the stasis unit. ]

I hear that's what happens in fairy tales.

[ But this isn't one, and she well knows it. ]
shikomizue: (pic#10797447)

storm

[personal profile] shikomizue 2018-01-28 02:29 am (UTC)(link)
[Takasugi sits up without a sound, one sprawled leg folding upwards. He rests his arm on it, the other supporting his limber posture. The scene that unfolded, for all of its expected violence, had left him agitated.

He wants to destroy it.

All of Takasugi's poise is betrayed by a small gleam of sweat on the back of his neck, hair clinging to skin.]


Aa? [Takasugi agrees - but he intends meet devastation with devastation, until nothing remains.]

How do you plan on doing that? [His question is nothing short of wry.]
wallofbriggs: (003)

[personal profile] wallofbriggs 2018-01-28 02:29 am (UTC)(link)
[Given she's meet Lancer and had several run-ins with Archer, it's strange this is actually the first time hearing about any of this. Then again, most people aren't egotistical either.]

Perhaps not. Doesn't change that you're an insufferable braggart as well.
tutorb: (Arguing with a phantom)

2b or not 2b

[personal profile] tutorb 2018-01-28 02:30 am (UTC)(link)
[ Or a keen mind, when keen eyes are in short supply. She has spent quite a lot of time here in these modules, whenever she is given the opportunity to return to them. Perhaps out of the selfish wish to experience something other than the bleak nothingness of her own prison, no matter how unpleasant the false sensation may be. ]

[ Almost no matter. Her desires do stop a little short of the screams and smell of burning flesh from further up the line, but though her wrists are thin, her bonds are tight. Luckily, amidst the roiling crowd of imaginary people, a rebellious mind stands out in stark, highlighted loneliness upon the pages, and Sandra's sightless gaze locks easily, beckons powerfully without the slightest shift in her expression. ]

[ His intentions, likewise, are perfectly well Read. She turns her face away as he presses in, a sneer pertinent upon her face, though not so much for him. ] Have you people nothing better to do than to gather like flies and harangue your prisoners of war?

[ Rhetorically uttered, barely worth voicing—she's no fool, of course they don't, no one does, time and time and time again—but rather, murmured to maintain the glamour over their unspoken alliance until he has her freed. Her bound hands inch toward him, a shrug of the shoulder shifting the thick fabrics of her raiments to partially obscure them. ]
houndedby: (pic#11684560)

[personal profile] houndedby 2018-01-28 02:31 am (UTC)(link)
[The gasp is basically water off a duck's back, at this point. He'd be more surprised if she didn't react to the way he looks, so he moves on.

Being so close to her is something he thinks nothing of. She's pretty, it doesn't need to be thought of beyond that. He knows what she thinks of him already, so he just focuses on the task at hand.

Occasionally, he needs to writhe around and swat at some vines trying to snake around him. He growls, as if he means to intimidate them away, eventually deciding that grabbing a hold of the vines and wrenching them away is more effective.

He rises up, offering a hand to help her out of the mess.]


Come on, quickly now.
vorrutyer: (explaining everything (badly))

[personal profile] vorrutyer 2018-01-28 02:32 am (UTC)(link)
Or perhaps, the explanation is...

[ He opens his hand, inviting Miles to finish the thought. ]
bornofgods: (pic#11994422)

training modules

[personal profile] bornofgods 2018-01-28 02:35 am (UTC)(link)
[ Inhabiting the positively insulting role as a farmhand, Ozymandias has similarly paid little regard to his desgination. It will take more than a new outfit to change his countenance. Dressed in an ensemble of what he regards to be rags, his eyes are reflexively drawn to Bazett’s flashy display.

The woman’s going to… punch the dragon? This is something he will have to witness. ]


Do you require aid? [ He offers, hardly cutting as impressive a figure as he normally would. However, there is a chance she will feel his presence as a Heroic Spirit. ] Or, is your endeavor simply to beat the dragon with your fists until he is slain?
dendarii: (sawed-off maniac)

[personal profile] dendarii 2018-01-28 02:35 am (UTC)(link)
[ He's silent a long moment. Stubborn. But - despite all this arguing, he can't quite believe his own logic. It's ridiculous. Komarrans hoping to place Byerly on the throne? Impossible.

He begins to pace again, even unhappier this time. ]


You can't ask me to believe that Barrayar is gone.
originallutece: lowkey so you keep talking and digging yourself in (talk; unimpressed but like)

[personal profile] originallutece 2018-01-28 02:35 am (UTC)(link)
[Her expression suggests she doesn't quite believe that. Not that she thinks the woman is lying, per se, but there's nothing ordinary about someone who calls themselves a heroic spirit.]

Don't pout. You're hardly the first animalistic person to wake up here, and you can say I've had a fair bit of practice spotting them. Add to the fact I'm a genius, and you hardly had a chance.

[. . .]

Come along. We'll get nothing done if we talk here.

[Y'KNOW, WITH THE SCREAMING AND ALL FROM THOSE STILL BEING BRANDED.]
shikomizue: (pic#9306736)

mess hall

[personal profile] shikomizue 2018-01-28 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
[There's a distinctive clink of glass as Takasugi sits, two seats between himself and the other man wasting his time lingering. Whatever Takasugi's drinking, it's stronger than tea, an alcoholic bite the only requirement he's looking to fill.]

Want a glass?

[Formality met with formality, Takasugi doesn't wait for an answer to pour himself a cup full.]
vorrutyer: (nose in the air)

[personal profile] vorrutyer 2018-01-28 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not asking. No.
dendarii: (emaciated)

[personal profile] dendarii 2018-01-28 02:37 am (UTC)(link)
It can't be gone. Planets don't just disappear.
poolhall_killer: (suspicious)

[personal profile] poolhall_killer 2018-01-28 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
[Of all the things to say, even rudely. Venom crosses his arms, his growing irritation hidden by that hair.]

There's no need for such vulgarity, sir. I don't plan on approaching the pods in such a lewd manner.
vorrutyer: (punchable intensity)

[personal profile] vorrutyer 2018-01-28 02:40 am (UTC)(link)
[ A shrug is Miles' only answer. ]
ausuben: (pic#11825061)

twists are fantastic things

[personal profile] ausuben 2018-01-28 02:41 am (UTC)(link)
[ that is a startlingly simple yet very observant and effective way to make a guess for identification.

Although Lancelot does not expect to be approached, his expression remains as is upon making eye contact with the individual. It's easy to tell this one is not like the others both from the quick glimpse of attire had as well as the fact the other seems to have caught some type of detail that none of the other attackers have.
]

Enough to hold my own. [ enough to be considered unparalleled in skill in his country, actually. Although, this virtual reality tour has not given him the comfort of any weapon, nevermind his familiar twin blades. Therefore, "enough" is more than satisfactory an answer without lying or boasting, especially when he has yet to identify why he's being asked in the first place.

Of course, he would hope if the other is also a refugee they would naturally be of like minds and assist one another, but Lancelot still has the fresh sting of betrayal burning his skin from back home. It causes him to be very conservative compared to his usual extension of trust.
]
dendarii: (sawed-off maniac)

[personal profile] dendarii 2018-01-28 02:43 am (UTC)(link)
It can't. I can't believe that everyone is gone. Gregor and Da and -

[ He keeps pacing, turning in place. ]
playingfetch: (you can stand right there if you want)

[personal profile] playingfetch 2018-01-28 02:44 am (UTC)(link)
:O

By the way, even if it was a threat, I still wouldn't mind seeing the face of the prettiest girl on the station. We could at least turn our cameras on, if you ain't opposed.
larsenist: (pic#11878873)

adds to flood of texts...

[personal profile] larsenist 2018-01-28 02:44 am (UTC)(link)
[ un: Joker ]

What's up.

[ maybe s/he's writing a novel but is too shy to share... (no...) ]
vorrutyer: (the vorish sideeye)

[personal profile] vorrutyer 2018-01-28 02:45 am (UTC)(link)
It means you're Emperor, you know.

[ His voice is flat, without its prior mockery. ]
dorzalta: (Default)

[personal profile] dorzalta 2018-01-28 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
His look shaves another piece of her heart away, leaving a gaping hole, a screaming chasm. Viserion. Jon. So many lost and suffering even before them, and she wonders how one person could possibly shoulder so very much without crumbling beneath the weight of all that knowledge.

What's worse is that she could not be with him. It was far easier to shoulder such a burden with another, if for nothing else, than to know one is not alone. His father would not know of the dead. And his sister? She may, but she wasn't north of the Wall when the Night King's armies rose. On the ship, after she'd lost Viserion and had almost lost him... Dany shakes her head, ignoring the roaring thoughts in her mind as she presses to her toes and slips her arms around his neck.

The memory of him at her door is still so very vivid in her mind. The wild look in his eyes. The wonder in them, as if he was just as amazed as she that such a moment could be happening. She'd resolved that he was hers and she would protect him as fiercely as she would one of her own, but if she'd been in that terrible room, she'd already failed him.

"I don't recall being awake." She tucks her nose against his throat, breathing him in. Her arms tighten around his shoulders, and she's unsure if it's more to comfort he or she. Both? "Just dreams. That's all I had. A woman spoke to me."

She pulls back only when--"Every day?"
thequitecontrary: (aware)

[personal profile] thequitecontrary 2018-01-28 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
[Mary watches him work, also stealing a good look at his face while he's not paying attention. It appears to be the result of a burn, one that Mary is amazed did not take his life. It's left him disfigured, but he doesn't seem to be any worse for wear for it. Only an idiot would pick a fight with this man.

Once he manages to cut the vines around her and offers her his hand, there's a brief moment where she wonders if it's a good idea to go with him, a man who asks what might be in it for him if he helped her. She does not like the implications of that. But then, her other option is to sink back into the vines and be tied up again. Mary decides to take her chances and allows him to pull her up.]


Thank you.