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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. |
no subject
They're lucky he doesn't just stumble and fall flat on his face when they relocate.
Cam is obviously accustomed to it, and when he starts shouting orders—JJ obeys. They only have a precious few seconds while the mob is just as confused as JJ, and he doesn't waste any time in resuming their unprofessional escape. It doesn't help that JJ has no idea where they're going, but when he spots an alley way, he doesn't waste any time in ducking in. ]
I'll see if there's anything to untie you with. [ He offers while they catch their breath, though he does spare a moment to look up. ] Do you think you'll be able to climb?
[ Up the side of the building and onto a roof. ]
no subject
Once they're (momentarily) safe down a dark alleyway, Cam takes the chance to catch his breath. At JJ's question, he casts his gaze upwords.
Uhhh that looks kind of tall.] Sure. [If this kid can do it, he can too, right?]
I might have a dagger— [He raises his hands above his head, twisting to get a look at his multiple dagger sheaths. Last time he was in one of these weird hallucinations he at least had Nimbus on him and—Ah hah!] There! [Trusty thigh dagger.]
Grab it!
no subject
He hadn't really been looking at Cam, so it takes a moment for him to spot the dagger (saucy), and he doesn't waste any time in grabbing it, carefully taking ahold of Cam's hands so that he can cut his binds without cutting his skin. ]
Okay.
[ He holds the dagger back out to Cam. The shouts outside the alley are only growing louder and more enraged. ]
You can climb up first. Unless... You can teleport up there?
no subject
Cam sighs with relief as the bonds are cut away, shaking his hands out before taking the dagger back and tucking it away.]
I can't use that spell again for awhile.
[Besides, Dimension Dooring to a place he's never seen before gets a little dicy. Especially when it's somewhere high up. Nobody wants to randomly pop out over a lot of nothing.
He brushes his hands off, sizing up the wall,]
Alright!
[Cam leaps up off of the ground with a dramatic oof, grabbing onto one of the bricks that sticks out a little further than the others. Hanging mere inches off of the ground, Cam raises his right leg, feeling around for anywhere he can find purchase. No luck. He does the same with the left leg.]
Ah- Ah-hah!
[His boot catches on a small bit of brick at the edge of his leg's reach. With way too much grunting, he slowly hoists his lower half that way, but lacks the ab strength to really do anything with it, and he hangs there, uselessly with one leg up, and the other leg slowly inching it's way up the wall to join his other leg.]
no subject
Hey! Are you okay?!
[ HE DOES NOT LOOK OKAY. JJ doesn't get the jacket to offer Cam a hand however, just to get him started on the climb, when he hears a shout at the opening of the alleyway. Eyes going wide, he jerks to see a group of people, maybe soldiers maybe not, but they're carrying weapons and it makes his blood go cold.
They don't have the time to learn a new skill right now. ]
Forget it! We've got to run!
[ And before Cam can pathetically inch back down the wall, JJ just grabs him and well.
Pulls him over his shoulder so that he can book it in the opposition direction. ]
no subject
Woah!
[Cam cries out as he is suddenly hoisted off of the wall and flopped over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes. There’s a brief struggle, as Cam’s green cape swishes uselessly over his head, blocking the man from seeing anything that’s going on, but finally he manages to pull the cape aside. And is immediately greeted by a pursuing crowd of angry faces.]
Uah! Don’t stop!
[With a short incantation, he touches JJ’s back, sending a wave of magical energy into him. JJ will find that he feels stronger, making carrying Cam twice as easy as before.
(Almost as if, were they in a game system where numbers dictated someone’s ability, JJ’s carrying capacity doubled.)]no subject
Especially once Cam hits him with those magical steroids. ]
Thanks!
[ He has no idea what's going on, but he's not about to complain. Maybe it's just his natural aptitude for athletics kicking in?
It would be great if Cam could give him some magical navigating powers too, because he still has no idea where he's going, jerking back when he turns toward an area that's too crowded. Thankfully he has good reflexes and stamina on his own, swerving away from their pursuers, ducking into another alley way, and scrambling on top of a dumpster, eyeing the rest of the wall with determination. ]
Hold onto my back. I'm going to climb!
[ He's like a younger John McClane. ]
no subject
The chase is a bumpy one, and just when Cam thinks they've lost their pursuers, they turn the corner into a new crowd. This is kind of like the times that he got to ride on Elora's wolf form, only less comfortable.
They finally stop, on a big trash storage container, staring up at another wall.]
What's with you and climbing walls?
[At least this one looks more climbable than the last, and after a moment of debating whether he wants JJ to let him go and give Cam another chance, the sounds of their pursuers in the distance convinces him to just go the fastest route. He grabs onto JJ's back, holding on tight.]
Ready!
no subject
I like heights!
[ Which isn't... exactly true. But at least it feels safer.
And this wall is certainly much easier to climb, using the windows as leverage, the brick rough against JJ's bare hands but not enough to slow him down. It almost feels as though they've pulled it off when a few of the men stumble into the alley, shouting and picking up rocks to throw in their direction. ]
Ow!
no subject
(Thankfully it misses and just hits JJ)]Hey!
[He sees other stones being prepared to throw. It's a little awkward, but Cam pulls Nimbus out, taking careful aim below and-
One of the men cries as he gets a dagger in the arm. Not the best aim. Cam shoves his arm in the space between him and JJ, pantomiming reaching for another dagger that he doesn't have.]
Yeah! You want to be next? I won't miss next time!
[Blessedly, two of the three men hesitate, one turning to help their bleeding friend and the other just weighing his options. Hopefully it buys JJ enough time to clear the rest of the wall.]
no subject
So really, Cam had save their butts, but because JJ gets the final move, he ends up looking like the hero.
And he absolutely acts like it, letting Cam drop to the floor while he stands there, enjoying the last vestiges of Cam's spell (how will they get down?), hands on his hips and a wide smile on his face. ]
See? I told you I'd be able to do it.
[ Climb the wall... Though he'd never explicitly said that. ]
no subject
Once they are over the wall, Cam rolls off of JJ, his boots making a soft sound as he lands on them. And now that they're immediately out of danger... man JJ looks way cooler than Cam feels. Still, Cam will puff out his chest.]
You mean we did it.
[Hopefully JJ has totally forgotten Cam's super flashy attempt to climb the wall by now. And with a flourish, he raises a hand and there's another poof of clouds as his dagger—the same one as before— appears in his hand.
If he can make the dagger appear in his hand why did he make JJ grab it from his thigh?]