❪ test drive #4 ❫

[natha]

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. QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● lore ● map ● npcs taken ● atp/emp ● application ● rep/acp calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[gekkajuu]

[It's kind of amazing how Chuuya can say these things so easily. Atsushi would like few things more than realizing his own worth, but the word has a slightly different meaning to him than what Chuuya probably meant: he needs to make it real, first and foremost. Every day, he works hard to live his life the best way he can. And he's been doing pretty well for himself, all things considered! He can't deny that.

But he still has a long way to go. Even here, he hasn't escaped his past completely, though he's certainly grown up a bit thanks to doing everything largely by himself.]

All right... This way.

[After finishing his food, Atsushi leads Chuuya to the sleeping quarters, all of them simple and rather impersonal - but clean, and comfortable. The room Atsushi unlocks is a specific one, mostly because... there is a small tiger cub sleeping on one of the beds.

... Or there was. Atsushi starts worrying when he doesn't immediately spot Daifuku, and he looks under the blankets - as if a lump that size wouldn't be immediately noticeable.]

Oh no... Did he run off somewhere...?

[Nope, no it didn't. Daifuku is, in fact, hiding somewhere to pounce their guest.

... His feet. Their guest's feet. Look, it's only a small cub...]

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Chuuya follows Atsushi without a fuss, too tired to really ask a ton of questions and pleasantly buzzed enough not to care. He can always figure shit out later; he’s an intelligent and resourceful guy, he can make it without someone holding his hand to guide him through everything. Plus, he’s got Atsushi’s number now, so if all else fails, Chuuya can text him or something.

The room looks rather simple and cozy, and while Chuuya kind of misses his luxurious bed back home, this will do just fine.

Chuuya raises an eyebrow as Atsushi looks around for something; is he talking about his roommate or something?]

What are you -

[Chuuya is immediately cut off when a ball of fuzz pounces his feet, and he glances down to see a tiger cub staring back up at him. Chuuya blinks a few times, figuring he might’ve just confused a cat for a tiger cub, but when he kneels down to get a closer look he sees that it is indeed a tiger cub. And oh no, it’s adorable...]

The hell? Why do you have a tiger cub?

[He asks, as if that’s the weirdest thing that he’s seen in his short time here. He reaches out to pet the little guy, rubbing right between his ears with as an uncharacteristically soft smile tugs at the corner of his lips.]

Trying to pounce me, were you?

[...Okay, he might be taking his glove off just so he can feel that silky soft-looking fur...]

[gekkajuu]

[Atsushi has little time to be relieved when Daifuku resurfaces, because how will Chuuya react? Daifuku isn't doing any major damage, but those look like some fancy shoes... Atsushi isn't really afraid of what Chuuya might do, and he doesn't try to intervene, but he's still kind of nervous.

Fortunately it turns out that there's no reason for that. If anything, it looks like Chuuya really likes the cub, and that makes Atsushi a proud mom owner.

Does he really want to start the whole "tigers can come from eggs here" story, though...? Maybe not.]

Well... a lot happened, and he wound up in my care... His name is Daifuku! It looks like he'll stay this small forever, but since he's happy and healthy, no doubt he's meant to be this way.

[Which would be a good lesson for some chibis, right? Right?!]

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Call him a chibi out loud and you won’t need to worry about finding your balls, Atsushi, because Chuuya will castrate you then and there.]

Daifuku...he does look like a mochi, doesn’t he?

[Chuuya sits cross legged on the floor and continues petting Daifuku, alternating between scratching his ears and rubbing underneath his chin. Look at those ears...those paws...those eyes...that tail...oh no, Chuuya is falling in love with this tiny creature...]

What does he eat? Normal tiger stuff? Or magical tiger cub chow?

[Oh no...that tiny nose...Chuuya can’t help but touch it, then he goes for the toe beans, which Daifuku may or may not tolerate.]

It’s kinda funny, the weretiger owning a real tiger.

[gekkajuu]

Right~?

[Whoever thought Atsushi would bond with a mafia over loving a tiger cub? Not Atsushi, that's for sure! But it makes him happy. Maybe Chuuya used to be an enemy, but that's all in the past - and somehow this feels like it proves as much.

Daifuku does get a little more active as his paws are touched, extending his claws, but he playfights more than anything. (Which doesn't mean his claws are blunt, so caution is still advised!) Rolling onto his back, he playfully lashes out at Chuuya.]

It really is... I've even been accused of fathering it! [Birthing it. Same difference. He's still a little weirded out by that notion.]

And he eats meat and fish, mostly. The only thing magical about him is his cuteness~!

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Chuuya doesn’t mind a few scratches, so of course he goes right for the danger zone and rubs Daifuku’s belly with a pleased grin. Big (haha), bad Mafia Chuuya Nakahara playing with a tiger cub and grinning like an idiot the entire time? It’s more likely than you think. He snorts at the idea of Atsushi fathering it in a more literal sense though; that’s just weird.]

Well, you’re kind of his dad, anyway. You look after him and feed him.

[Chuuya yawns again, though his smile never fades as he rubs Daifuku’s belly and pokes his toes.]

He’s forever tiny. That’s kind of magical.

[Let him believe, Atsushi.]

Is this your room, then?

[gekkajuu]

That's different! [Atsushi being childishly whiny? Also more likely than you'd think.] People even said I laid the egg he hatched from!

... That part is a little magical, I guess.

[It's the miracle of life! ... Or something like that. Atsushi doesn't really want to think about it too much. He's just glad that things turned (more or less) normal after that.]

This...? No - it's just a room I chose to use for now... They're all pretty similar, so it doesn't really matter which one you go with, but I took this one to let Daifuku rest up while I went about my business.

I live down on the planet. I don't come here much, unless there's a reason - like checking for new arrivals.

[thetaintedsorrow]

He hatched?? From an egg??

[Okay, that shouldn’t be too hard to believe considering Chuuya has seen some bizarre shit in his day, but it’s still fucking weird. Egg laying tigers...vampires...simulations...what next?

At least Daifuku exists. That’s all that matters.]

Mind if I crash here then?

[He assumes Atsushi is heading home soon, but might as well ask just in case.

Somehow it doesn’t surprise him that Atsushi comes to check for new arrivals fairly often. He must be missing the others in the ADA.]

Yeah? I’m sure there’s people you’d rather see than a Mafia.

[gekkajuu]

[Atsushi just nods, a little awkwardly.]

There are a lot of things here that may surprise you... Well, for now you're up here, so everything's a little less shocking.

[Except that he got Daifuku here, too. Details!]

Not at all! Please make yourself comfortable.

[Should Atsushi... go to another room, then...? Probably, right?! It's no big deal, anyway; there are always other rooms available!]

Well... I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see the people closer to me more. But, it's still nice to be able to talk someone who's come from the same place and knows some of the same people.

[thetaintedsorrow]

Yeah. I figured that wasn’t exactly weird for this place.

[Oh, and there’s unicorns too. Don’t think he’s forgotten!

He appreciates Atsushi’s honestly, and of course Chuuya would’ve liked to see someone more familiar to him, but he has to agree that it’s nice to talk to someone who’s at least a little bit knowledgeable about where he’s coming from.]

Yeah. You’re not the worst person to talk to.

[High praise, coming from Chuuya. Not to mention there’s a hint of a smile as he says it.]

I’m not kicking you out by the way. That’d be pretty shitty of me.

[gekkajuu]

[Oh... Was that a compliment? Chuuya had smiled, and everything! That's the second time since they ran into each other (physically or otherwise) that Chuuya has complimented Atsushi, isn't it? Not to mention the other nice things he said...

It's such a weird experience. Atsushi isn't sure that he speaks the foreign language of compliments yet.]

... Thank you.

[A little guiltily, since Atsushi never meant to be that easy to read.]

Then... I think I will rest a little too.

[Don't worry, Chuu, you get to sleep with the cuddly tiger.

And the cub. Also the cub.]