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Entry tags:
❪ test drive #4 ❫
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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—
2. Let us now travel forward in time, shall we?  a. The Olympian settlement around you is quiet — until the screaming starts.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... 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. |
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[ He's still not convinced any of this is real. Miles continues to look up at the anonymous person in front of him, musing. His gray eyes are bright and curious in the dim light. After a moment more, though, he turns towards Percy. ]
Nor do I know yours, for that matter...?
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[ which is to say that yeah, no, he's not familiar. ancient greek, latin, no problem; but he's not too up on his russian names. (or his russian...anything.)
the guy turns to face him, finally, and percy finds himself wondering for a second -- beyond the stature and appearance, everything different about him -- if he isn't a relation of athena's. it's the eyes: gray and sharp, taking in everything around him, the kind percy's seen on so many of the goddess's children. a space station after the end of the world is the last place percy would expect to run into an unfamiliar demigod, but you never know. ]
Percy. [ perseus, actually, but hardly anyone calls him that. ] Percy Jackson. And I could say the same to you, dude.
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His gaze sweeps up and down Percy with tactical precision, tucking all the bits of information he can see away for later. Young fellow, probably strong? The name doesn't give him any real hints about heritage, but he's also in a different world. He bows a bit, waving one hand in a flourish. ]
Admiral Miles Naismith. [ A beat before deciding to add his last name. ] Vorkosigan. But just Miles, please.
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miles's gaze -- that analytical, calculating intensity -- is one percy's more than familiar with. he's been on the receiving end of it more than once, and he's also seen annabeth and the rest of cabin six size up other demigods that way. in other words, the comparison to athena kids is only reinforced in his mind.
despite everything he's seen and done, percy manages to look pretty normal. he doesn't have any big, obvious scars like his old mentor and enemy luke castellan; just the faint, easily hidden kind that most people don't notice. he's toned and strong from years of running for his life (and, you know, fighting) but he's not -- like, an ares kid (or mars kid, hi frank).
he checks a step backward at the whole flourishing, bowing business, sincerely hoping miles isn't expecting that kind of formality in return, and as miles introduces himself, percy's eyebrows migrate higher and higher up his forehead. ]
Admiral Miles Naismith Vor -- [ gods, he's lost track already. no wonder the guy prefers miles. ] Um. Yeah, Miles is good.
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Anyway. He grins in amusement at Percy's reaction to the bowing. And his name. ]
So where do you hail from, Percy? Not this station, I assume.
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And -- [ he's tempted to say manhattan, but there's no guarantee miles has even heard of the USA. ventures, ] New York City. Please tell me you've heard of it. Or Earth, at least.
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I have, although it's underwater in my version. I hope you're a good swimmer.
[ A joke; he assumes New York isn't flooded just yet if Percy is from there. ]
oh my GOD
You're kidding, right?
[ he suddenly has the terrifying image of his father building a new palace in the middle of central park, cyclopes and mermen going about their business like regular new yorkers. ]
:D
... No, not at all. Earth is - ah, a bit of a dump. Survived global warming and nuclear holocaust by the skin of her proverbial teeth.
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And that makes you -- what, not from Earth? Wait, are you an alien?
[ was that rude?? that was probably rude ]
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Technically, I suppose? But I am human. Just born on Barrayar instead of Earth.
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okay scratch that, percy's post-bronze age history isn't great.
but he's pretty sure he'd know if there was something about humans being on other planets. miles is clearly from another universe, but man. that's a big, weird thought. ]
I've never even heard of it. So that's where people went after the world ended?
[ there's something kind of insulting about the idea of the world ending, even a different earth, after all the world-saving quests he and his friends have had to go on. like, come on. ]
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Barrayar is just one of many. Although we were cut off from the rest of civilization for about seven hundred years, courtesy of our wormhole collapsing.
[ Barrayar is a very, very interesting little backwater, that much is for sure. ]
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[ are there wormhole...mechanics?? ]
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Not possible, I'm afraid. But an alternate wormhole was found close enough to make the route viable again. [ A beat. ] Which resulted in us promptly being invaded, but it worked out in the end.
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(or more like: the universe hands him crazy magic over scifi every day. until now.) ]
Oh. Yeah, it always sucks when that happens.
[ getting...invaded....and all. he's fought off invading armies before, and he is not a fan. ]
So I'm guessing you all got rid of your invaders.
[ he's imagining star wars-style space battles, fyi. ]
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Oh, yes. Pushed them back and invaded a few planets of our own, in fact. The Barrayaran Imperium has three planets in it now.
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instead, he says, ] Okay, three planets. Whoever invaded you. Earth. That's, like, five inhabited planets. Are there...more, with people on them?
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Oh yes, of course. The Cetagandan Empire is eight planets. There's about forty total in the Nexus.
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[ forty inhabited planets. empires made up of multiple planets. it's enough to make percy's head spin. just one planet has enough trouble to keep anyone busy for a lifetime.
which leads to another thought: the gods, if they exist in miles's world at all, are probably on some alien planet right now. talk about a big move. ]
That's crazy.
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He perks a bit at he mention of Hephaestus, amused by that turn of phrase. ]
Is it? I suppose. But there just wouldn't be enough room for all of us on Earth any more. I suppose you've no humans living on other worlds where you come from?