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.

familydrama: (010)

Velvet | Odin Sphere

[personal profile] familydrama 2018-01-26 08:05 pm (UTC)(link)
the storm;
a. eye of the storm
[These are its last memories.

She knows that what's to come won't be at all pleasant. This is a recreation of the destruction of a world, and there's no way it could possibly have a happy ending. And yet... it's almost hard to believe, as she watches the villagers around them go about their normal, everyday lives.

They don't know. Not a single one of them knows, not until a deafening silence rolls over them. Velvet gasps, although it doesn't make a sound, and glances swiftly to her companion, her lips moving uselessly as she tries to ask what's happening?

They have about ten seconds before the roaring starts.]


b. aftermath
[Velvet awakes on the Observation Deck's floor with a start, short of breath and clammy-skinned. There's something about that entire experience that strikes just a little too close to home, and not just because supposedly they all lived that prior to waking up here.

She forces herself up into a sitting position and grimaces, but her expression gentles somewhat as she takes in the sight of the other person lying beside her. This can't have been easy for them, either.]


...are you all right?
training modules;
a. worship the dragons
[Dragons are held in high esteem and feared in equal measures where she comes from - so it doesn't particularly surprise her that the people of this land seem to worship them.

Although... cutting off an arm seems a little much. She looks vaguely alarmed as the crowd passes it forward, closer to the dragon at the edge of the cliff.

And -

Oh. Oh, god. They've just passed it to her, and they seem to expect her to pass it on to the next person.

Her nose wrinkles slightly as she holds it out to the next unfortunate sap in line.

(That's you, by the way.)]


b. past atrocities
[The simulation builds itself around her, and Velvet lets out a sharp cry as she feels a tug on her hair. The next thing she knows, whoever has hold of it is hauling her along, and she scrambles to keep her footing as they drag her out of the house the simulation had begun in and out onto the streets.

There is screaming. Townspeople look panicked - but the soldier who has hold of her hair glares down at her with loathing. She glares right back.

She still has Graveryl, and that's a relief. Assistance would be appreciated, if anyone in the crowd is of a mind to help, but if this goes on for much longer the simulated soldier is going to find that he picked the wrong person to try and "kidnap" today.]


c. flora and fauna;
[Early evening isn't so bad. Velvet takes a long, cautious look at her surroundings, but it's decidedly more peaceful than the last simulation she went through, and so she allows herself to relax. It almost reminds her of the Forest of Elrit - of home.

She could just set up camp at one of the campsites, but she'd rather explore a little first. So she unwinds her chain from her waist and flicks it up toward a tree branch to pull herself into the leaves.

That's how she gets around in this particular simulation - not on foot. She's following the glow of a luceatia, interested to see where the creature will end up. However, when she spots another person wandering the forest, she pauses while perched on a treebranch and watches them carefully for a moment or two.

It's... probably fine. So she speaks up.]


Have you found anything of interest so far?
thesa station;
a. stasis unit
[There's something almost unsettling about walking past all the faces in the pods. The majority of them, she doesn't recognize; occasionally, though, she'll come across someone she does.

In this case, it's a... rabbit? It's some kind of creature, anyway.

She pauses in front of the unit, then lightly presses her palm to the glass.]


...Cornelius... thank goodness.

[There's an almost palpable relief in the way her shoulders slump ever so slightly.

Apparently she's just that attached to her... pet rabbit...??? With hair???]


b. mess hall
[It's no Maury's Touring Restaurant, and it's no Pooka Kitchen, but Roman's food is... nice. Well, nice is an underwhelming word for it. The food here has all of the scents she likes. Technically speaking, there's nothing wrong it it. She's sure that when she eats it, it will be superb.

But it's not served by the faces that have grown so familiar to her, and that stings, just a little.

Still, it wouldn't do to be rude about it. So she thanks him for the meal, finds somewhere to sit, and prepares to dig in - only to see someone else looking for somewhere to eat.

Hm. Well.]


There's an open seat here, if you would like.

[She's not exactly the type to make fast friends, but there's nothing wrong with being cordial.]
wildcard;
[If there's anything you want to do that doesn't work with the above prompts, hit me with whatever! You can also PM me or hit me up at [plurk.com profile] hungriest if you want to talk something out first.]
blowy: (pic#11930547)

stasis unit.

[personal profile] blowy 2018-01-26 10:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[ there have been a lot of peculiarities involved straight from the start. the visions of the storm. its effects. the fact that asta hasn't opened his eyes, despite the fact that... yuno had been so certain he would. it's an odd set of facts and they don't become easier to comprehend even with his time to explore.

as it stands, he's pretty much done combing through the pods. if anything, it's a reminder he needs to work that much harder for those who haven't completely made it. consciousness-wise, at least. regardless, in the process of leaving, he catches sight of a girl who is ...

talking to an encased rabbit?
] ... [ he shouldn't judge, probably.

but his punitive gaze is probably very clear.
] Are you okay?
familydrama: (006)

[personal profile] familydrama 2018-01-28 09:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[Velvet looks up at the sound of his voice and takes a step back from the pod, lowering her hand to her side. She's not ashamed of Cornelius by any means - but she doesn't have any particular desire to look vulnerable in front of a stranger, either.

And so she nods.]


I'm fine. This is all simply...

[Her voice trails off.]

It will take some getting used to.
blowy: (pic#12041971)

[personal profile] blowy 2018-01-29 12:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[ that trail off probably spoke enough. honestly, they've all lost enough to be shaken and ... impossible confused. uncomfortable? hurt? who is to say how much individual time each person was given to process it, too. it makes him a little more sympathetic. at least from moments ago. ]

Yeah. [ ... ] I figure all the people here were important to someone. [ whoever that was. it's a bit vague, but he supposes in a way she was right in that they'd all have to get accustomed to it. even with that said, however— ]

You can take your time.
familydrama: (002)

[personal profile] familydrama 2018-01-29 07:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you. But I'm all right.

[As all right as anyone can be, after hearing about the Storm and seeing their loved ones fast asleep - but better asleep where she can find them than dead where she can't.]

...you also woke up recently, then?
meinwaifu: (Impossibro ♪)

Training modules A!

[personal profile] meinwaifu 2018-01-27 06:00 am (UTC)(link)
[...no??? He's not touching some dead guy's arm???]

[But he can't just leave the lady hanging, arm outstretched as if it were anticipating some kind of bizarre high-five. So instead, with a little wave of his own hand, he floats it out of Velvet's and onward to the next person. Thankfully, the simulation is programmed in a way that prevents them from seeing this as anything out of the ordinary.]


You don't suppose they're going to ask up to offer something of our own, do you? I'm rather attached to my limbs.
familydrama: (Default)

[personal profile] familydrama 2018-01-28 09:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[Eh. She's seen weirder.]

They may ask, but we are not required to oblige.

[For one thing, it's a simulation. For another, no. Just no. She is not letting a dragon eat her arm. With that limb out of the way (and being passed up to the dragon itself), she turns her attention to it to see what happens next.

Predictably, it gobbles it up in a single bite.]
Edited (we are sounded more like her than we're) 2018-01-28 21:27 (UTC)
meinwaifu: hand chin (Go on ♪)

[personal profile] meinwaifu 2018-01-29 08:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, certainly not! But should they insist, things might get a little ugly around here. The dragon looks peaceful enough now, but I doubt such offerings are being made out of a desire to worship alone.

[And on that lovely note-- it looks like someone is starting to go down the line, asking each person to cut their arm to donate a bit of blood to a large collection bowl. Gross?? Definitely. Some might even seem a bit too eager in just how much they're giving.]
familydrama: (007)

[personal profile] familydrama 2018-01-30 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
[Well. Hmm.

Velvet has no desire to donate any of her blood to this dragon, so as the bowl goes down the line, she's just going to back away slowly and let somebody else get in front of her. They're eager to "worship," at least.]


...I wonder what it is they believe that this will do for them...
meinwaifu: (I'll give him all my love ♪)

[personal profile] meinwaifu 2018-01-30 04:15 am (UTC)(link)
Perhaps it's means of protection? A sacrifice made to ensure their village might live another day. After all, there's certainly nothing else stopping a beast of that size from wiping this little hillside off the map.

[Yeeeah he's gonna just go ahead and join her, passing the bowl along in the same way he did the arm. Predictably, it's offered up to the dragon and eaten, bowl and all, in a single bite.]

Have you seen any of the other simulations yet?
unluckoftheirish: (55)

past atrocities

[personal profile] unluckoftheirish 2018-02-01 04:50 am (UTC)(link)
[Bazett has just shown up, and she isn't sure yet what's going on here. But when in doubt, the guy dragging a lady by the hair is probably in the wrong. And there's basically only one way Bazett knows how to solve problems:

She gives him a powerful roundhouse kick directly in his side, as hard as if her shoes were steel-toed, even when they're not. Hopefully the impact makes him let go of Velvet's hair before he goes flying.]