The Storm came. You remember darkness, but you don't remember much after that.
You don't know how long you slept, but the dreams were short. You remember the expanse of stars and galaxies in your direct view. Every world and solar system ever known to man was present in your dreams in careful, pristine detail. You also witnessed the Storm, which has devoured a fair portion of these galaxies. Your Earth and similar planets were assimilated by the Storm. Somehow, you knew it would be the last you'd see of your world. That was when she told you what happened. You knew that you'd be living somewhere new. The details weren't clear, but you knew it was a part of a deal with the entity known as 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 — Regardless of your will, you find your body doesn’t respond to you immediately. Instead, you hear a voice begin to resonate deep within you.
 I have seen much... But what I am not accustomed to, is being unable to see.
It was never our wish for those we saved to go through such an ordeal. People... are unpredictable. And you, Refugee, still continue to surprise us. That is why we cannot allow you to die just yet.
Refugee, I no longer have plans to intervene with this world — I have already done too much. Here on out, what happens below... must be resolved by you, its people, and fate. You and your friends before you have proven yourselves. Our eyes are upon you, and our hearts with you.
The Natha have become aware of how ill-prepared many of their new refugees are for the hardships below. While Darma has decided against direct intervention, the other Orbiters echo the opposite sentiment. With their homes destroyed and the ongoing trials that await them planetside imminent, they do not want refugees to descend without knowing exactly what they're getting into. Therefore, Roman and Zasere have set out to host a workshop in order to train the refugees for complex environment of El Nysa.
A new area has opened in Thesa Station: the Exhibition Hall. This vast open space has been configured to rival the size of the Hangar Station, with the north and south ends decorated accordingly. Refugees that have managed to return to Thesa will notice that the north end strongly resembles Olympia, while the south is a near replica of Wyver. Upon entering, you're given a goodie bag containing some postcards from either cities. There will be a variety of workshops available throughout this area. Each workshop is held in its own unique training room, separated only by high-durability glass for individual demonstrations to be observable to all in the vicinity. Workshops will focus on a few major topics that refugees should keep in mind when they reach land.
I — A HALL DIVIDED
The north side of the Exhibition Hall is fashioned to look exactly like a small section of Olympia. There are ghost-like projections of its people, seemingly going about their businesses as if to demonstrate their everyday living. There is even enough space for them to setup an example of a typical starter dormitory, and it wouldn't be a coincidence if it reminds you of room displays of the furniture stores back in your homeworld; Roman has been particularly inspired by magazines of various worlds.
Refugees who have been living or have visited Olympia will be highly encouraged to "sell" the Empire to the newly awoken. Until you find someone who is willing to do that, you'll find a fancy brochure inside your goodie bag, highlighting the benefits of choosing Olympia... however, there seems to be an earlier draft of it floating around, also.
Over on the south side is decorated will all kinds of tropical plant-life. Strangely enough, crossing the threshold of north and south, you'll also get a taste of the jungle heat, or is that only your imagination? Regardless, the presentation is to mirror the north: the Wyver people are shown as projections, making the space feel as populated as the canyons of Wyver. The sample living space is quite different here; all around, tents and wooden shacks are built to demonstrate what refugees might expect when living here. Similarly, refugee who are currently residing in the jungle city are also encouraged to talk about life there. The same brochure highlights this for the newly awoken.
On either side, you will be able to grab small trinkets from either cities; samples of food and wines, stickers, pins and buttons, and even photos of some of the more well-known natives. Wait, are those paintings of older refugees? Weird, but it's supposedly what you would expect from a convention for Darma's planet of El Nysa.
II — BLENDING IN
When you deal with natives, it's normal to feel a bit of anxiety. As far as you're aware, the natives don't know that you not only came from space, but other universes entirely. After this crash course, hopefully you will have the confidence to maintain a sane conversation with a native without getting any strange looks!
- A) One side of the demonstration room shows various scenes from Olympia and Wyver. They seem to be showcasing the day-to-day interactions of regular natives, but you might find that some of the projected individuals in the examples are strangely familiar, even under all the effects and filters. In fact, after taking a closer look, you'll find that these are relatively poor imitations of the refugees that have arrived before you, even though you're assured that they're just a coincidence.
 — This is Focket and Warrior 67. They were both refugees that were exiled from Olympia for a quest that resulted in all those involved being framed for a biological warfare attack! Focket and Warrior 67 decided to run off to Wyver where they currently live a peaceful quiet life allegedly. And that's the beauty of El Nysa! If you accidentally commit treason in one city, you may try your luck in another!
Before long, it becomes very clear that the instructional examples are meant to be the pre-existing refugees that arrived on the station to greet you. After all, there aren't many talking raccoons or white-haired soldiers with visors. Perhaps they're an early-riser from home, or a stranger that you met in the Mess Hall, or even in this very room with you. Makes you wonder where they got this from, doesn't it? At the very least, one thing becomes very clear: The Natha Orbiters weren't lying when they said they were watching.
- B) While there are ample 3D renders and projections all around the floor that anyone can have access to, you will immediately notice that there is an excess of them in the corner. These are renders that were wrongly coded or mistakenly conjured up, hence... you might notice "Koralle" is looking a little furry, or that one of the Wyvern Shamans look a little more fish-like. Either way, these renders still manage to serve a purpose.
In this corner you will be paired up with someone. Either you or them will be given a "role," and you must convincingly act and converse as such. For example, if one of you are given the role of "Wyver King," one of you must act accordingly, and the other must treat them with the proper respect. From there, the renders will judge.
If they give you a pass, you'll be allowed to the exit. If you don't, then you might be here for a while. As a general hint, things that seem to give people extra "performance points" are: mentioning certain landmarks, figures, or other key details relating to El Nysa (see: the brochure). This is a workshop for this purpose, after all.
III — PLANET NYSA EXHIBITION
Perhaps you've heard of this prior to opening your eyes here on Thesa Station: a promise of power in exchange for diligence and loyalty. Show them you are capable of "earning your keep," and the Natha Orbiters may bestow you with powers of your own.
In this workshop, the Orbiters are now allowing refugees to physically test these powers; this time, outside of the comfort of the virtual reality modules. From healing spells to the ability of flight, the sky is almost the limit with these newfound abilities. These powers are temporary, however, and do not last any longer than an hour. You're free to sample as many abilities as you'd like. But, once one is in effect, you cannot gain another without the first one running out its course.
Closest to the exit was the wildlife exhibition, summoning renders of both flora and fauna of Olympia and Wyver. This was meant to showcase the types of wildlife those heading planetside could expect. Don't let the promise of "projections" fool you! These renders are as poisonous, as dangerous, and as realistic as you might expect if you were seeing the real thing. In fact, they have become so unruly that some may have escaped their stations and are running amok, terrorizing everyone (Especially Zasere, who prepared them himself). On the bright side, you've still got those nifty borrowed powers, right?
Monsters aren't the only things you should be worried about. All over, the plantlife that found exposure from the chaos. From the broken glass that once contained them, some flora will have effects that may temporarily ail refugees in its vicinity. Be sure to check their labels if you are caught! Roman has begun handing out gloves and gas masks for this special occasion, being unwilling to destroy the specimen himself. He encourages all to contain them rather than kill!
While most of the flora and fauna have been handled rather quickly, the more agile ones can be seen around the station. One may have found its way to your meal in the Mess Hall, another may be hiding in the bathroom facilities. Wherever they are, it never hurts to practice some caution. Hopefully this gets cleared up before Darma catches wind... but even she would admit this is the most lively Thesa Station has been since that July many months ago.
IV — SOCIAL-LINKED(in)
By miracle, there are still some quieter parts of the hall. This may be an appropriate time to check out your smart phone. Aside from the expected "Omage" app, there seems to be a new one called Social-Linked. There, you may find a profile waiting to be posted. The app allows for the user to fill it in, but there is also an auto-function! upon pressing it, it will generate a shockingly-honest answer based on the Natha's observation of your history. Roman will be your only friend in this app, with his very own profile:
| ●●●●○ THESA |
  |
ROMAN
@romannoodles (∞), Thesa
I WAS A: Butler! I still am, and I'm happy to serve all of the new arrivals!
I'M SKILLED IN: Cooking, cleaning, anything that involves making your life better!
I'M LOOKING FOR: Consistency!
ALSO, I'M: Not entirely certain if the "auto" profile function is to your liking. Feel free to edit if it is not to taste!
So, have you decided on making your own profile? Perhaps you used the "auto" function on accident? Regardless, once your profile is out there, it's out there. And like the Omage app, it will match you with someone. NOTE: Please use the form below to fill out a profile! Whether it's auto-generated or filled by the character is up to you!
Far away from the chaos, you managed to find the massive section on the station 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.
Feel free to wildcard prompts within Thesa Station!
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 THREE (3) NATHA ORBITER REPUTATION POINTS after acceptance here. Please submit by April 17th. Network threads are not eligible.
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.
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His own smile was small, a slight shake of his head. ]
What matters is that you're here now. I've so much to tell you, to share with you. [ Being gentle and careful, this time Reign slowly pulled Shell into a proper embrace. ] Welcome, Shell. I've missed you.
[ He sniffled, trying to hold back his tears. Was it fate that had Shell waking up not long after Mephisto's death? Reign didn't know, but he wasn't going to question it. ]
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...why don't you tell me all about it while we go for a walk?
[And get out of this cold and dark place... unless everything was like this? He had no idea, after all.]
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There's a lot of interesting things on this station, and then I can take you down to the Nysa planet.
[ There was so much to explain, so much to tell. He didn't want to overwhelm Shell though, so he started slow. ]
Oh, are you hungry? [ The question was how would Shell react to the massive supply of human blood, blood that some humans were willing to give, to let themselves be drunk from. ]
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Ah, no... that's all right. I don't think I have much of an appetite right now. [Gonna just dive away from this topic as quickly as possible--] What were you doing up here anyway? Did you know I was going to wake up?
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At the questions, Reign's expression fell. He didn't know if he should burden Shell with his grief, especially when everything was still so fresh for the blond. ] No, I didn't know you were going to wake. I come up here almost every day to talk to you, even if you were still asleep then.
[ He took in a deep breath, trying to muster up a smile for Shell. ] The situation down on Nysa hadn't been going well, tensions going high. It's... peaceful here.
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[But he won't press for now -- both for Reign's sake, and his own.]
Nysa... so that's the planet we're meant to live on now. [Tensions, huh. Just what happened down there to have Reign seeking solace up here?] What kind of place is it? Generally speaking.
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Reign could tell Shell about the political turmoil between Olympia and Wyver, but he'll avoid that, and instead focus on the goodness of both places. ]
It's vastly different from ours, that much I can say. Come on, let's find somewhere comfortable so I can tell you all about it. [ That place being the lounge, Reign taking Shell's hand in his and leading him there. Once they've settled down did Reign continue. ]
So far the two cities we're allowed to travel to are Olympia and Wyver. I'm currently living in Olympia. It's much cooler than Wyver. Oh, oh! Did you know that there are dragons in Wyver?! They really exist! [ At least Reign was getting excited about telling Shell these things. ]
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[Because everything here is new to Shell, bruh, he just woke up!!]
D-Dragons!? You mean like the ones out of fairy tales? [...] Is... the world down there dangerous?
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Reign nodded enthusiastically, almost bouncing on the couch. ] Just like the fairy tales. Ah... well, the old ancient dragons kind of died out, so the smaller ones now are not that dangerous.
[ All right, the dragons were still plenty dangerous if unsupervised. ] That depends on where you are. Most of the time, it's fairly safe. [ His lips quirked. ] But I'll take care of you!
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[In pretty stark contrast to Reign's enthusiasm, Shell looks... tired. But he smiles when he sees how excited Reign is, trying to push his last memories home out of his mind.]
[It's hard. But he's hoping Reign's enthusiasm might be contagious if he just stays around it long enough. He certainly has no intention of leaving his friend's side right now.]
I feel like that should be my line... but I guess I'm not in much of a position for that right now, am I?
[N-Not when he can barely take care of himself right now.]
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[ Through his enthusiasm, Reign noted the tired look in Shell, and he toned down his excitement, lips pulled into a small smile.
There was so much that Shell had to learn and realise, to acclimatise in this new world. If anything, Reign didn't want to rush Shell too much. ]
We can take this one step at a step. [ He reached up and ran the back of his fingers down Shell's cheek. ] I'm sure that you'll soon find your footing here.
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[But then he thinks better of it, instead turning his head into Reign's hand and closing his eyes. After the whirlwind of learning One was alive, only to be left by him and then have their entire world destroyed, the last thing Shell wants to do is push away the last emotional attachment he might have left.]
Mm... if you're the one saying so, then I have to believe it.
[Since Reign would never lie to him, right?]
You said... Olympia, is it? What's it like? Have you been living there this whole time?
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That's right. Olympia is where I'm living now, though when my batch of refugees first got sent down to the Nysa planet, we ended up in Wyver instead. There's a familiarity to its society and technology compared to ours, though slightly more advanced.
[ Perhaps he should have grabbed one of those new brochures Roman newly designed for Shell. ]
Wyver is way too humid for our kind.
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Is the climate that different down there? I guess it is a different world, but-- [Wait]
Does that mean there aren't any other vampires as well?
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Even Olympia is less cloudy and more sunny, although they've four seasons so it's not too bad.
[ A beat. Well... ]
I haven't met any from our world, apart from you and I. But there are other kinds of vampires. Chiropterans, they call themselves; Diva is the Queen, and Solomon her Chevalier.
[ Was this too much information for Shell? Wait until Shell found out that Diva was also Reign's queen, so to speak. ]
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A queen...? [Like a monarchy? Or is this a queen-bee sort of situation? He decides not to ask for clarification on that, instead--]
Are they friends of yours?
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[ Be prepared, Shell!!!
Reign smiled widely. ]
Diva is my queen!
[ How would Shell take it? If Diva were to be in their world, she would have most certainly be considered a Blood Lord. ]
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[And it has nothing to do with Blood Lords.]
...ahh, I see. [Somehow, out of everything, this throws him for the biggest loop, mixed feelings abound -- but it's not like he can't smile and feel happy for his friend.]
Congratulations, Reign!
[And here Shell always thought Reign preferred men!]
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Then it hit him, realising what Shell may have thought when he referred to Diva as his "queen". ]
Ah! I mean... Well, I consider her my queen, but not in... that sense.
[ He leaned in, cupping with a hand as he whispered lowly. ]
We haven't done anything before.
[ Shell was always his number one! Although that spot was slowly including a certain demon, which he'll resolutely not think too deeply about. ]
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Oh... oh, I get it, then! ...I think.
[Then what did he actually mean?? Was he just subservient to her, then??]
[Of course, just because this Diva person wasn't a love interest of his didn't mean that Reign hadn't found someone else. He wants to ask, but... he also doesn't want to know. He feels strangely conflicted about it, despite knowing he has no right to be.]
...what other kind of people have you met?
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[ Reign couldn't help digging that in, this banter almost something normal that they surely had done before. Perhaps he could explain better when Diva was present. After all, Reign did subject himself to be her servant, of a sort.
He also decided to drop "the bomb". ]
She'd considered me for her mate as well, so she could have a baby.
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A few humans, surprisingly. There's a larger number of them here compared to home. One of them has the ability to transform into a tiger, or merely with tiger features; another can control gravity, it seems.
[ A breath. ]
There are a lot more. [ Kind of steering away from mentioning a certain demon, not that Shell would know about him. Reign felt bad for not sharing everything, but he wasn't quite ready for it. ] I'm sure you'll find them fascinating in their own ways.
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[The "jealous" comment gets him pouting, but then he says that and Shell is outright sputtering.]
Wait-- wait, back up a second! [That tiger and gravity and more humans than back home business will come up in a second, but for now--]
She wanted to have a child with you? Just what did you mean by "queen", anyway?
[So how often does Reign get to see Shell being jealous or protective over him? Basically almost never, right?]
[Apparently it doesn't actually take all that much to draw this side out of him.]
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Awww, you are jealous.
[ Unable to help it, Reign leaned in and gave Shell a hug, squeezing briefly before letting go, holding up a finger to make his statement. ]
I offer her my servitude, of course. But I'm also her potential bridegroom? I don't know. [ He furrowed his brows. ] It sounds complicated coming from her. To be honest with you? She feels more like a younger sister.
[ Especially since that time when Diva stormed in and literally almost broke into his house, demanding not to be ignored. ]
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[For a very very wide range of reasons at this point, some of which might be too sad to admit to himself (it's not like he ever thought he was Reign's only friend -- but Reign was certainly his.). Hearing about Reign's wide range of friends that even included humans stung in a way he wasn't really sure how to explain. He just knew it was irrational, and not really worth voicing.]
A younger sister... [What a weird impression Shell was getting at this point. She sounded rather young -- maybe she just had a very particular upbringing?] All right, I think I get it now. You tease.
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/WRAPS THIS UP to focus on intro log stuff instead