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❪ 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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[Is that a soft punch in your arm Riku? It just might be. It doesn't mean that he's wrong though, and Sora's not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve and tell his best friend just how much he admires him, how proud of him he is, how he hopes that one day he'll be as strong as he is to have gone through everything he has and come out of it stronger and wiser than any of them could have foreseen when they were small.]
Just you wait, I'll catch up with you in no time, and then Kairi will too when she wakes up and the three of us will be unstoppable.
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He can't help but tilt his head a little at Sora's words though, as though they don't quite make sense to him (and really they don't, because)...]
Catch up to me?
[Despite his joke just now, it's not like there is anything with him to catch up to. …Unless Sora means his skill with the Darkness, which Riku honestly doubts.]
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[Oh. There's Kairi.
Sora stumbles a little in surprise as his feet stop working momentarily before he runs up to the pod. He hesitates before he presses his palms to the cold glass and then looks back over his shoulder at Riku, worry painted all over his face.
The last time he saw her like this, her heart had been within him, and Riku-
It brings back a lot of bad memories.
It occurs to Sora then that it must have been so much worse for Riku, seeing both of his friends this way. He feels bad for keeping him waiting for so long.]
Do you think she's okay in there?
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Because… isn't Sora the Keyblade Master? Hasn't he already proven to be when he had called the Keyblade back from Riku's undeserving hands? Light, Donald and Goofy had always known – isn't that how they had reintroduced Sora to him when they had met up in Traverse Town – "Oh, and guess what? Sora’s the Keyblade master."
(Riku remembers the way jealousy had curled in his stomach like it was yesterday, how he'd thought back to that day and the promise made to him… and he now still feels shame for it. This is precisely why he has the Soul Eater and not a Keyblade. No matter how Ansem and Maleficent might have manipulated him back then… they are not to blame for the Darkness inside him, not wholly.)
He is glad that Sora is too distracted by Kairi to pay any attention to him right now, allowing him a moment to catch himself, enough to get a grip on himself once Sora asks his question. Five months here have taught him to look at those pods and not think about Hollow Bastion or Castle Oblivion anymore.]
Yea, I'm sure of it. The natha promised… and you were fine too, weren't you?
[Aside of this whole 'from the future' business, but well. Whether that's because something is wrong with Sora or with Riku is debatable at this point.]
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[But he hadn't been harmed at least, and Kairi looks okay at least. She's just sleeping, safe in that pod. She almost doesn't look herself like that; Kairi should be smiling with roses in her cheeks and laughing in that way that makes him want to laugh along with her until his belly hurts.
They should all be awake and laughing together as a trio, the way they hadn't been able to for so long now.
Then he has a brainwave.]
Say, do you think we can get the Natha to wake her up for us? I mean, we're going to help them, right? If we tell them Kairi can help them with us... they'd have to wake her up too! She'd just hate it if she woke up and knew she'd been left out of another adventure. And then that way, we can all get stronger together, like we're supposed to!
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['Kinda weird' is just touching the tip of the iceberg really... Riku has no idea what to think about that future that Sora has laid out for him so far. (Does he really dare to hope for this… for a Keyblade, the power to protect the things that matter… for a chance to overcome Ansem's Darkness inside him and go back home?)
It won't really matter until they've dealt with the Storm… probably.
As for Sora's brainwave…]
…I guess it won't hurt to ask at least? I'm pretty sure they'll say that she'll have to wake in her own time though.
[Something or other about how everyone needs time to recover from the strain of the Storm or so. Light, if Riku knows.]
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[If Sora's disappointed by that theory, he only lets it show on his face for a split second before looking between Riku and the sleeping Kairi with a half smile.]
Say, do you think she'll keep us waiting on purpose? You know, like payback for how long we kept her waiting?
[He hopes not. He already misses her and she's right there in front of them. But...]
Hey... I'm sorry I kept you waiting Riku. You shouldn't have to keep watching me sleep so much.
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Nah, I doubt that. If she had any choice in this, she would have woken first to be able to rub that under our noses.
[He has no doubt about that – Kairi is probably sick of waiting, of being kept waiting and of keeping them waiting alike. As for Sora…]
Don't worry about it. ['I'm used to it,' he wants to say jokingly – Sora had been prone to taking naps back home too after all. But no… Sora is being serious, so Riku will be too.] No matter how much you sleep, I'm always going to be there when you wake up.
[One way or another at least… even if he only can act from the shadows.]