❪ test drive: #1 - the overflow ❫

[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 as you slept. 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 can help. You knew that you'll 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 was all a dream, but somehow, you knew it wasn't — now, will you keep that promise you made to Darma? PROMPT: THE MESS HALL     It's fascinating to the Orbiters how such a dull room can be turned around so completely with people in it. All meals are served by Roman, and while all the food is delicious, some of it is a bit odd. Is that neon green soup? That’s hideous. If you happen to be in the mess hall at a particularly unlucky time, you and the food will suddenly begin to drift. Someone’s got jokes, and they’ve turned off the gravity control. Now it’s just you, your fellow refugees, and the floating sea of food. Wait, did that person just chuck a pie in your direction? 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. Be advised, however, that participating in one of the training modules will start you off favorably with the Natha Orbiters’ in terms of REPUTATION. Once seated and appropriately strapped in, the system will automatically whir to life and the dense foliage and forestry of a section of El Nysa will open up. According to one’s map registry, it clear to see that it’s miles from the outer gates of Olympia, but not as far enough to venture into any other territories. So, in that sense, you’re safe. 1. Or you could have been, but unfortunately the wilderness is home to various types of beasts and monsters hailing from different universes and galaxies. On the bright side, perhaps one of them will be oddly familiar to you. Or maybe someone else who is currently synced is willing to give you that extra helping hand. Fortunately, if you’re powerless, there are options. From telekinesis to flight, there are strange abilities one can adopt and “test” out in the virtual reality. Granted, you’re only limited to one at a time. They say in the near future, some of you may be granted these abilities under certain conditions. But, please practice some caution. You aren’t alone in the system, after all. 2.. Who do you fight for, the VR system will ask you individually before you enter the module. The righteous Olympians, or the free-spirited Wyvers? Whatever your choice, when you enter El Nysa, you will wholly and truly believe your allegiance. A. Working together: You now have to suffer the consequences of your choice, as you and your partner have been captured by guards of the opposite faction. Now jailed and soon-to-be tortured, you must find some way to negotiate your release. Perhaps you’ll find some means to escape without detection. Maybe you’re the “fight your way out” sort of people. B. Facing your enemy: That person you stepped into the VR with? They’re out to capture you. Or maybe you seek to capture them. 3. When you enter the virtual reality, things aren’t exactly how they’re supposed to be. Maybe that’s natural, especially if this is your first time, but the problems here seem a bit more fundamental. Maybe you find yourself under a parental safety lock, and you’re suddenly censored. Exposed back? Censored. Body suit? Censored. Or replaced with a mascot costume. Worst of all? You can’t sign out. Not right now, at least. Regardless, whatever it is— ridiculous filters, body alterations, or even body swaps with other users... you are assured it’ll all be fixed with due time. Zasere sends his humblest apologies and promises no more wire chewing, or so the announcement states. PROMPT: STASIS UNIT     You have found the massive section of Thesa known as the Stasis Unit. There’s no special access required to access 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: HANGAR STATION     You find your way to the hangar station. Here rests are a factory worth of docked mobile suits. You recall how the Orbiters had previously spoken of a "space frontier," but only after seeing this you realize how real their words are. Most machinery have marks of wear and tear, assurance that they have indeed been used before, and an assembly of others are going through repairs and maintenance. No one seems to care that you've just strolled in. In fact, there seems to be a couple of the aircraft that beckon you to take a closer look. Maybe you’ll only look on the outside, maybe you'll be greeted by the hand of a mobile suit extending toward you and welcoming you to its cockpit. You go out and explore SPACE!!! Unfortunately, that mobile suit should have warned you it only had 20 minutes of flight time left in its system. Or, perhaps, you’re a particularly ambitious pilot and you’ve strayed past the designated perimeter. Either way, the HUD display is now blinking with errors, cropping up with a single message: DISTRESS SIGNAL. 1. You’re the poor sap who happened to chill around the Observation Deck. Unfortunately, everyone seems busy with the influx of mobile suits out and about, and the only one who can answer this distress signal is on the Navigation System, well, you. Hope you can figure out the controls fast enough. Guide the pilot back to the safety of the hangar using the most efficient route possible. Keen Navigators will find an instruction manual that provides a shortcut to automatically return a suit back to base. 2. You’re actually sitting in a two-seater mobile suit. Funny how that works, isn’t it? Maybe you were unwittingly dropped down a hatch, or dragged along for a joyride by your ambitious co-pilot. Either way, it looks like help is going to take some time... 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! A Training Module thread of AC length on the TDM may be submitted for 1 NATHA ORBITER REPUTATION POINT after acceptance. QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● world ● map ● reputation ● npcs taken ● reserves ● application calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[assemblage]

[ EDI had once commented that its humor heuristics left something to be desired. Handshakes, though... that's not just manners. That's history. Legion takes the hand as it's offered, grips it with a soldier's pressure. It's what it knows, after all. ]

We are called Legion.

[ Minute pause.

Minuter pause.

Its faceplates flex in silence.

How do you craft a joke like that? Isn't it simply a falsehood? What separates a joke of this nature from a lie??

After a second or two, Legion's hardware emits a peculiar digital chirrup. ]

[speeds]

[ It's uncomfortable, like he shouldn't have offered any of this without actually explaining how much is on show. There's both a similarity and a difference with what he knows when it comes to this stranger though, a reason why he finds himself staying to find out more. Perhaps it's simply because his family are momentarily unable to be by his side, but it's easy to lose track of time alongside someone else. Just for a while here or there. ]

Then... your family?

[ He asks it quietly, because it's what anyone would normally assume if someone said it was someone who looked like themselves. There's something different to it as well, and as the other thinks of the people he's concerned with Edward stays silent. Blank, in comparison. ]

[speeds]

[ He doesn't look back to see if JJ is using the jacket properly or not, but as there isn't the sound of puking or him passing out, his heart rate feels steady, then it should be alright.

This time the laugh is a little louder. ]

True, but there are a lot of bear attacks where I'm from.

[ "Bear" attacks, really. Whenever another coven of vampires came by and accidents were to happen, that's what they were called no matter the area. It was always blamed on wild animals. ]

Though it sounds like you're quite lucky. Will you follow in their footsteps?

[ It's easier to do smalltalk as he shifts another piece of arm into place, keeps his mind occupied from the stench, the feeling under his hands. ]

[exorion]

[What... What was that.]

[Cayde squints and tilts his head forward, quiet for a long moment while he takes that in.]

Was that... A laugh?

[eusford]

( from here! )

When you've lived as long as I have you have a hard time being entertained.

[ Does that answer his question? Probably not. But that should give him a hint if anything else. ]

Have you tried doing either?

[ EVEN THOUGH CROWLEY HASN'T??? EVER?? HAD KIDS... HE'S AT LEAST MENTORED KIDS. He's got experience. ]

[otrazhenie]

[ Who is— Oh. That's right. He hadn't met Rebekah yet, not when he's from. It's so mindboggling to think about, when the whole Mikaelson clan had been such a large part of their lives. But that means he hasn't slept with Rebecca yet, so there's that at least.

None of that matters right now though, it's true. They can wade through all those land mines later, with whatever alcohol they can scrounge up in this place. They'll certainly need it. ]

Why would I kill people? My control is just fine. [ Even with her increased thirst lately, she's managed not to kill anyone. Sure, she's been a little... sloppy, but there haven't been any casualties, she's made sure of that. ]

[eusford]

[ He wouldn't take any offense if she were to speak normally, especially since he continues to hear her crystal clear. Perks to having senses that are seven times stronger than any humans. ]

Hm... [ He puts some thought into her suggestion. While vampires have adjusted to doing things alone, Crowley was often accompanied by his retainers and has proven to be not be completely against the idea of working with someone else. ] I wouldn't mind. [ Said with a lazy drawl, bringing a hand to the slope of his neck and slowly massaging it. ]

If anything it'll be practice for you, and not so much me. The enemies here in this simulation are far too easy.

ii

[speeds]

[ The setting had seemed strange to enroll onto when you're new to the system, but rather than fighting outright (or so he thought) an interrogation kind of VR experience seemed a little more for beginners.

He's just unfortunate with who his apparent opponent is.

Besides, it's a quicker way of learning the laws of this place if you actually have to describe any that may have been broken and enact a sequence regarding that.

When he opens the door and Damon rushes at him, he doesn't actually fight it at first, letting his papers fall to the floor like falling leaves in Autumn. They look like they're in slow motion with the steps that follow, mind you. "Make a sound and you'll regret it" is only valid if he makes a sound, something he doesn't do as he twists quickly to get out of the hold and instead grab the other's arm to push him towards the wall instead. The only reason he resorts to go this far is because it's pretty easy to see who he's dealing with isn't human. The speed, the scent... it means it's probably obvious about him as well already. ]

I think you've misunderstood the terms of your... negotiation.

[r3f4c70r3d]

My dad.

[ It's a rare bout of honesty. This subject is something Angel tends to be cryptic and cagey about, maybe something about Rocket being inhuman brings her guard down a little, disconnects her from how she usually approaches people. ]

Though it wouldn't be purely for my sake, the man was a tyrant. No universe deserves the things he did and is capable of doing again.

[ The level of casual she's displaying right now is borderline eerie, seems like that disconnect extends to the gravity of her words. ]

[eusford]

[ and a stupid oversized jacket that makes no sense but i digress before going onto another tangent ]

It means exactly what you think. [ First and foremost, aware that Chuuya ended up on a hook with no bait and looks up with neither resentment or pity. Rather, he has his usual smile before humming lightly. ] Not in particular, so I'll pass.

[ Chuuya can stay dumb and violent, Crowley's trying to handle this other animal. ]

Do we have any food to give 'em? What do goats even like... grass?

training;

[fakers]

[ on some level, archer had to admit he found it funny that picking "righteous olympians" would get him thrown into this particular situation. he'd made the choice more on a whim, since ultimately he hardly cared who he was fighting for in a training simulation.

in truth, he wasn't too concerned. their handlers didn't seem like the most capable of prison guards, and since this was a training simulation there was probably a correct solution to get out of this problem. it would just require some careful deliberation and then- ]

What? You're... not serious, are you? [ granted, his plan didn't take into account who he was stuck in here with. ] No, of course you are. [ sigh. ] Don't you think you're being a little too brash? [ that said, he'll still move away from the wall. whether or not she can be dissuaded, he doesn't want to be anywhere near there for the time being. ]

[r3f4c70r3d]

[ She does! But at first she's so thrown by even seeing the name that it takes her a moment to notice the missing honorific. Did...did this guy work for Jack? More than that, were they somehow close? Angel is back to being fully on-guard, maybe more so then she was before. ]

Jack?

[ Could this mean that though his plans for the Warrior didn't succeed, that he lived on to complete the Gortys project? That the Vault Hunters failed to stop him entirely? She supposes so, with his intact body sleeping beside her. Fuck. ]

[assemblage]

[ Legion looks away? Is it embarrassed? ]

...Your joke prompted us to run a large number of response simulations at once.

[eusford]

( from here! )

That's your decision.

[ He's not going to tell her whether or not she take offense to it, humans are fickle people and change their minds far too often. The only thing that's "true", in his perspective, is that they are below vampires. ]

Anyway, our mission here is done isn't it?

[r3f4c70r3d]

Haha no. I am far from heroic.

[ and a few minutes later ]

Sorry, this conversation was meant to remain lighthearted

[ a couple more minutes ]

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[r3f4c70r3d]

I will take what I can get. Anywhere would be more welcome than the last planet I was on.

It sounds as though you were a frequent traveler, though.

[revlon]

Given the circumstances, I wouldn't be surprised if there were. But societies need all sorts to thrive, nurses amongst them. A pleasure, Ms Fraser.

[courtintrigue]

I knew little of the sea in my world, but I imagine that sitting stationary in the stars only compares so much.

[eusford]

( from here! )

[ what the fuck is going here ]

I don't know who Percy is but I feel sorry for them.

Because I'm bored, really, and you could say that we're "siblings" to an extent.

Does everything just fly over your head?

[revlon]

I don't think that makes you any less of one, for the record. Especially if you continue teaching as you've said. But very well, Charles.

[ She smiles and holds out her hand. ]

Then please call me Peggy.

[courtintrigue]

One you liked enough to carry with you, it seems. Where did you come from?

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket overtakes her, consumed with a need to keep hunting for Groot, only stopping when it occurs to him she hasn't followed and his ears flick apprehensively at her growl, expecting something to be lurking among the rows. This place is creepy and unsettling. It'd be a good place for someone with bad intentions to go on the prowl.

But that's just paranoia talking- whatever, at least it keeps him alive. He still backtracks to investigate what's eating at her.] What is it now? I-

[And there she goes. To his credit, Rocket does try to follow her, but even on four legs he's only so fast and she is a crazy fast, so he sits down, panting hard from exertion and waits. On the plus side, by the time she's returned, he's regained his composure and doesn't look like he tried to run a marathon after her.

He stands up, looking put-out, even if she's unapologetic.]

Eesh, lady. I know broads can be flighty, but this is ridiculous. [He looks her over, canting his head.] Did you find him?

[dodgingbullets]

[Jane takes a while to respond. Her eyes are glued to the text, unwavering. She's been lying to people about who she is her entire career, but it's never held any weight to her.

Yet, what if she didn't lie?

Several beats pass by, until finally:]

No.

[She doesn't agree, a concise enough answer. And Jane's all about short and sweet.]

i.

[deadthenred]

[ What's on Bucky's plate is something that resembles potatoes, except maybe tinged a little greener than normal. He isn't one to complain— it looks better than k-rations. ]

Take as much as you want. [ He even bends a little, to make the food easier to access. Almost like a bow. ] I can always just get more. [ The concept is strange to him. ]

[presses]

( ah but what if it was your job to help someone from straying too far and you totally failed

the best he can do is make up for it now )

you seem pretty wise so i dont think youd have to worry about it
are the people you care about awake with you?