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—
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
Which is very.]
H-hey!
[He should be more startled by the big guy grabbing his shoulder like that, especially seeing as he'd previously known him as a very hard hitting opponent, but for some reason he doesn't balk at it, although the urgency behind it is a little unsettling.]
It wasn't too long ago, there was a portal in Mickey's castle, and me and my friends Donald and Goofy, we were in this big, empty world with these huge mountains and suddenly there was this dust storm and then you were there and we fought...
[But then he can't contain his curiosity for much longer before he blurts out:]
But I didn't ever see you outside of the armour and then all of a sudden Riku's turning into you in my dream and you and this lady are calling me Ven and I don't even know a Ven! What the heck's going on?
no subject
But before Terra can explain what this news means for him, Sora suddenly blurts out... something else? About some dream? Where Riku turned into him (what), and then he and some lady called Sora Ven (seriously, what)? And he apparently also thought Sora was Xehanort at some point for... some reason.
'What the heck's going on?' sounds about right to him.
Terra's hand falls away, back to his side, but he just stands there, super baffled and super lost.
He finally manages to muster up an answer for Sora. A completely honest answer.]
I have no idea.
[He has no idea.]
Ven's a friend of mine, though?
[Does that... Does that help anything... He doesn't feel like that's helping anything...]
no subject
I figured you might say that. Man, why do I always get stuck with the questions that don't have easy answers?
[Honestly, Terra looks about as baffled as Sora feels and he feels bad for his new acquaintance. It's not his fault he doesn't know what's going on. He hasn't even told Riku and Kairi about those parts of his dream yet because he knows how crazy it all sounds, and he's just blurted it all out to this guy he's just met because for some reason he was in it and calling him Ven-
Wait. Wait. If Ven's real- and suddenly Sora remembers that Terra-In-Armour had used that name too just before he fought.
It's not much, but it's something!]
Say, is your friend here too? Maybe he can help us find out why I'd be dreaming about you and the blue haired lady-
[And then he stands bolt upright as it comes back to him. That flash of a memory of her from his dream, when he was little... the lady on the beach! That's where he'd seen her!
But... he'd told her his name was Sora, right? Why would she call him Ven?]
Are you friends with a blue haired lady too?
no subject
Yes. My other friend has blue hair. Her name's Aqua.
[That's got to be the 'lady' Sora's talking about. (It's kind of strange to think of Aqua as a lady, but he supposes she is more 'lady' than 'girl' now...)]
But both of my friends are still sleeping in their pods. Or they were last I checked.
[And he checks a lot.]
no subject
[But then... if this Ven person's here too then maybe Sora can go and see him for himself and maybe that might help him get to the bottom of this business. Mistaken identity's no fun for anyone.
But he won't ask to go now. He's just met Terra - at least met him properly anyway- and barging in and insisting on seeing his friends might be a bit rude. He'd feel weird bringing strangers to meet Kairi while she's sleeping. Just call him protective.]
Have you been here a long time?
no subject
But yeah, you have fun with that seeing Ven thing, Sora. Won't leave you with a whole bunch of new questions or anything.]
Just a while. Seven months or so.
[It's not years or anything but a decent chunk of time.]