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.

logpose: (12.)

[personal profile] logpose 2018-01-28 04:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Everything was too rushed.

...I hate to say it, but he went with them because he was trying to protect me and our other friends.
quipper: ᴀʀᴛ ▴ ʟᴇᴇ ɢᴀʀʙᴇᴛᴛ (OFFHAND.)

[personal profile] quipper 2018-01-28 04:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[ By the hysterical stylings of his new favourite bat, right. ]

Jeepers. [ how truly spooky. ] It's like good taste died with the multiverse. [ Is that too blasé? Better to make light of it, right? ]

Welcome to the winners table.

[ aka "please take a seat, Mr. Gothamite." ]
beknight: ([ bvs ] 47.)

[personal profile] beknight 2018-01-28 04:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[ better to make light of it. anyway the true bonding activity is ganging up on superman lbr ]

Don't mind if I do. [ although, he's keeping an eye on her coffee cup in case a refill's needed. ] What's your name?
illuminescent: (Lucy - in silence)

[personal profile] illuminescent 2018-01-28 04:13 pm (UTC)(link)
You will, I think.

Almost everyone does.

[Without a doubt, certainly.]
noblebeast: (Calm: Fortitude)

[personal profile] noblebeast 2018-01-28 04:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He doesn't need friends! Yes, you do, Bakugou. ]

Those fuckers are all asleep in their pods, so I don't have to deal in theoreticals.

[ He knows they're safe, he already went down there to check and no one can take that away from him, theoretical or not. ]
dontgiveabuckland: (will be the one that you defy)

[personal profile] dontgiveabuckland 2018-01-28 04:16 pm (UTC)(link)
[Cam jumps at the voice, too caught up in his current shenanigans to have noticed the angry woman coming towards him. Her intensity overrides Cam's instinct to be contrary—he's an idiot, but even idiots have a sense of self preservation—and, truth be told, this hallway full of faces was giving him the heebie jeebies already.

He drops his voice to a whisper, looking to and fro for whatever threat this woman was clearly eluding to,
]

Don't we want them to wake up?
badgerlock: (Fitz - please unchain me)

[personal profile] badgerlock 2018-01-28 04:17 pm (UTC)(link)
On the station. My name is Fitz.

[He just eyes Miles again. If this was a dream, certainly he wouldn't be so short and broken, he thinks. In his own dreams, Fitz's nose isn't quite as crookedly broken, and he doesn't have the white streak at his temple.]

We've been rescued, so they say.
vulpining: (pic#11971058)

[personal profile] vulpining 2018-01-28 04:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[ While Tamamo was more use to the glamorous life of royalty and court-life, this was still as brutal as the war she is use to as a heroic spirit.

She didn't pick Takasugi specifically, he was merely the wrong place at the right time. She was focused, more curious to see if this history lesson was able to adapt to variables — to changes in its history.

However, she couldn't have anticipated this. The display was over so fast and Tamamo's nearly throwing off her cloak in a chaotic spur. ]


What was that?! [ Girl, you asked — ] We have to get out of here!
baguablade: (33)

[personal profile] baguablade 2018-01-28 04:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Just how much does he want to reveal? Well, it doesn't matter too much. The True King is gone, sleeping in stasis somewhere, along with the rest of Cain's world. The conflicts he faced at home don't mean much now, do they? ]

He was a man who sought to rule over all the skydoms of my world.
And a man who cared nothing for destroying whatever stood in his way.
badgerlock: (Fitz - come on Chade)

[personal profile] badgerlock 2018-01-28 04:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Certainly common enough.

[He finally cuts through the vine, and briskly he uncurls the leftover from her ankle, and then carefully stands so she keeps her balance.]

You might be served by a knife, Lady...

[Please insert name here.]
quipper: ᴀʀᴛ ▴ ᴅᴜsᴛɪɴ ɴɢᴜʏᴇɴ (FRIEND.)

[personal profile] quipper 2018-01-28 04:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[ she doesn't hesitate, but there's a brief catch in her previously easy rhythm. telling people from gotham her name can be a trip, depending on where they work the night shift (and if they kept up with the news during the glamorous year of her dying). ]

Stephanie Brown, but everyone calls me Steph. [ which is maybe a little casual for an introduction to a middle-aged, professional-looking guy, but it's her whole vibe, so it can't be helped. ]
vulpining: (43)

voice

[personal profile] vulpining 2018-01-28 04:22 pm (UTC)(link)
EH? Y-You!? I should have known!

[ War was funny. Their war. Despite knowing full well Rin's servant met his untimely end, here he seemingly is showing his canines like a damn dog. She grits her teeth, the switch to audio not video almost instantly.

He can hear her — the sickeningly sweet and fragile voice that booms with the energy of Amaterasu. There's spunk to her as she calls him out. ]


And I'm not doing anything unladylike — especially not for you!
ukase: (Game Face)

[personal profile] ukase 2018-01-28 04:22 pm (UTC)(link)
[Geez, this guy clearly needed new friends or any. First leaving flowers like it was all some kind of burial ground and now not even understanding love-hate dynamics.]

Because it will annoy him if he knew and could do nothing about it. Do you not have any friends?
ursulamajor: (08)

Chariot du Nord | Little Witch Academia

[personal profile] ursulamajor 2018-01-28 04:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Stasis Unit, Option 1

[Chariot has spent a long, long time looking at the stasis tube containing Croix Meridies. She looked for all of the ones from Luna Nova; every last person, every single one she could find. The ones she couldn't find... that scares her. Could the Natha save everyone? Or are they gone forever?

It's overwhelming to think about. And Chariot, being the person she is, has trouble thinking about things that she would rather not. She was always good at compartmentalizing; at pushing away the thought that she would never see Akko or Diana again. She didn't see either in their tubes. And there was... a lot she was supposed to tell them both, still.

But Croix's here. Asleep. Unable to respond.]


Oh, Croix. We never did get to sort ourselves out, did we?

[She says it softly, but voices carry in here. And then what happens next will definitely be heard: she stumbles back when she tries to sit on the railing, and falls onto her rear with a clang.]

Stasis Unit, Option 2

[But Chariot couldn't mope forever just ten years. She eventually resumed her search for the students and staff of Luna Nova, which led her to another one: a woman with brown hair, middle aged, and with a severe expression while asleep. Professor Anne Finnelan; a professor, just like her. Chariot looks down at her, with a sigh.

It was a relief to see her here, too. But...

She hesitates a moment. Then, her hand drifts into her robe pockets. Her eyes shoot to the left, then the right. The way is clear. No one is watching. She pulls out a black marker, and then scrawls a frowny face atop the tube.

It has fangs on it. And angry narrowed eyes. And also little devil horns.]


I am such an adult.

Wildcard!

Hit me up on texside-at-Plurk if you have ideas!
larsenist: personal commission / dnt (pic#12040738)

ilit

[personal profile] larsenist 2018-01-28 04:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[ 17, m. wink wonk. ]

Plants, mostly.
I take care of them.


[ does fred like to garden? i can't remember... i feel like he must... ]
vulpining: (pic#12011189)

[personal profile] vulpining 2018-01-28 04:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Okay so that.

Definitely happens.

The look of shock on her face flashes and luckily the man didn't lose his head in the process. The quick scorns makes her cheeks puff out and ears lay flat down against her head defensively. ]


I learned long ago to tune myself out, so — good choice.
inacan: (008)

[personal profile] inacan 2018-01-28 04:26 pm (UTC)(link)
what can i say, i'm a helper
beknight: ([ bvs ] 87.)

[personal profile] beknight 2018-01-28 04:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[ We're not talking about War Games, bye ]

Well, Steph, I'm charmed.

[ Enjoy the dad joke, that's his whole schtick. It's been a long time since Bruce ever honestly tried to connect with another person — Cassandra says he has a whole family. Not him — another man, with the same name and enough inclinations in common. Enough Robins and Batgirls for a small army, effectively trained. ]

[ He has friends. But he can't imagine another child in his house. ]
inacan: (012)

[personal profile] inacan 2018-01-28 04:26 pm (UTC)(link)
wait what
are you saying you got rid of the hammer?
you loved that hammer
vulpining: (pic#11989134)

[personal profile] vulpining 2018-01-28 04:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Pyramids will always wait for you, chill out!!! This is not Assassin's Creed. :/

For now, Caster finally finds herself in that weird half-sleep state where she feels at least comfort after such an oddly cruel display. Her cheeks have long since dried by now and she just rolls her head back with a groan, eyes still shut tightly. ]


It's the inevitability of everything, is it not? The ending... some don't get to see it. What matters is what those people did before... zzz.... before... they perished...
Edited 2018-01-28 16:27 (UTC)
vladpire: (Default)

[personal profile] vladpire 2018-01-28 04:27 pm (UTC)(link)
And what use have you for a... sentient levitator? Perhaps I may offer help in return.
pebblestone: official art (fe:a) (pic#11550774)

[personal profile] pebblestone 2018-01-28 04:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[ he likes weeding..... ]

ahyesgardeningaverywellrespectedtradetellmehaveyouanyherbsthatwouldhelpquellaqueasystomach

[ the whole teleportation thing isn't treating him so well, rip ]
bruxisms: (your grammar is worrisome)

DO NOT TALK TO HIM ABOUT FAKE STANNIS

[personal profile] bruxisms 2018-01-28 04:30 pm (UTC)(link)
When Stannis hears the assertion, his expression darkens even further. Had he not heard the truth of it from Jon Snow, he'd have called her a liar. But he knows well enough that the "Stannis Baratheon" that Jon Snow once knew, for reasons he could still not comprehend, had been driven to utter madness. Still...

"That was not I, my lady," he says, cold fury bubbling beneath his voice, "your Jon Snow can tell you that much. Between the two of us, we have discovered that there were multiple versions of Westeros, with small and large differences between the two of them. For instance, the woman you know to be 'Yara', I know as 'Asha'. And my daughter remained safely guarded at Eastwatch." Though his words may be unbelievable, there is no trace of dishonesty in his voice.

Still, though he knew he was not the one who committed such acts, he could not deny the truth of her other words. If only you knew... that was a hard choosing, he remembers saying to Ser Davos. Does this Targaryen deserve the same honesty that he gave his Onion Lord?

In the end, he supposes that it matters little. She would have it nevertheless.

"He was my king, but Robert was my brother and liege lord. I did not ask to make that choice, nor did I take any pleasure in it. Had we lost, I would have accepted my fate." Though not Renly's, he recalls. In the waning days of the siege, he had considered asking Ser Davos to spirit the boy away to safety, only for such thoughts to be quashed when Ned Stark arrived. Perhaps that would have been a better fate for him. "I only ever did my duty. Nothing more."
larsenist: everything here is just a hot mess (03)

i love

[personal profile] larsenist 2018-01-28 04:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ unsure whether this 'luc/ina' is joking, or truly is not acquainted with modern slang... (sounds like the latter.) ]

I hope it's a nice color.
First time on the network?


[ (an. educated guess.) ]
ukase: (Aim)

[personal profile] ukase 2018-01-28 04:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[This encounter had only a few ways of ending, and Rumlow certainly didn't fear any of them. He had learned a long time ago that, while fear was natural, it had be controlled and mastered or else it would take the edge off of his skill. He had spent years mastering his fears, and HYDRA had helped by exposing him to all of them, forcing him to adapt, accept and change to meet them. He wasn't stupid though; he understood that the HYDRA way was mostly do-or-die and no one would give two shits about him if he croaked. If he was lucky, he'd be burned. If he was unlucky, it was a shallow ditch.

He might have been a handler with the ability to call in the Asset under strict reasoning and protocol, but it was not a situation that came up more than four times in his career. He had been responsible for the Asset, debriefing the mission, making certain the Soldier was suited and geared up, waiting for the pick up. There relationship hadn't been friendly but neither had it been hostile. He admired the Soldier: the skill, the control, giving up everything for a cause to be nothing more than a tool for the machine of HYDRA.

And when their eyes met and the Soldier stepped forward, Rumlow remained exactly where he was, casual and calm. There was no fear that this might end in his death; he knew it was coming anyway, especially after all he had done. If not by a bullet, blade or explosive, by all the nasty shit he had been exposed to in his time soldiering and as STRIKE. He set his com unit on his raised knee to free up his hand and sat up straighter all the same.

He smirked at the comment, confident that while he didn't have control here, he knew where the line was.]
I've been told that a few times, but I always wake up. My crew called me a roach way back when.

[He glanced up to where Rollins' pod hummed softly, like some industrial refrigerator unit at his back.] You won't remember the first time we met, but it was something like this. [He reached back and rapped on the pod he was leaning on.] I was assigned to transport you, and I spent the flight lounging on your tank. Amazing really... you of all of them surviving. No one else could. Never saw you wake up that trip.
Edited 2018-01-28 16:36 (UTC)