❪ 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

[competing]

[ oh... yeah that sobers him up considerably. ]

yeah... it definitely couldve gone better



but thats okay
everyones okay now, even if theyre all kind of asleep
theyre still safe
and thats what we were trying to do in the first place anyway so
so it all works out
whats there to complain about, yknow?

[motivation]

you always this cheerful?

[ because wow. ]

[competing]

[ isn't it better than the alternative? ]

why whats wrong with it?

[motivation]

[ dutch wouldn't know. her default isn't exactly cheerful, though she's capable of cheerfulness -- sometimes. ]

nothing
it's just a bit odd

[competing]

[ in contrast, lance defaults to that optimism, though he isn't without his own moments of sadness. if he can help it, he'd just rather lean towards the former. ]

it is?

[ ... ]

whats your world like?

[motivation]

what's it matter now?

[ it doesn't exist anymore, after all. and maybe it's a good thing that this is text, because he might have missed the sarcasm earlier, but it also means he's spared the biting tone that comes from loss, now. ]

[competing]

because
because its still home
even if you cant ever get back to it

[ it had been his quiet mantra, back during his loneliest moments up there in space, lightyears and lightyears away from his mother's hugs. he struggles now, to have it ring even louder in his mind, but he knows he will have to.

because it's better than the alternative. ]

[motivation]

[ dutch isn't fond of sentimentality. she's been raised to think it a weakness, vulnerability that she can't afford -- but she's rejected many of khlyen's lessons and made others her own. whether to be soft or hard is a choice she can make these days. it's her choice.

so fuck it: ]

what if home was never a place?

[ for so long, she's refused to think of the quad as home. it still isn't, not as much as johnny is her home, her gravity, not as much as having her team and something to fight for, pree and alvis on westerly.

and still, the quad is hers, was hers: a place she'd wanted to protect, at least. doesn't that make it home, in a way? ]

[competing]

[ it is a sentiment lance can understand, and one he cannot help but resonate loudly with in this moment. is he upset that he'll never be able to experience earth's rain again? that he'll never get to dive headfirst into her oceans? of course. he thinks a part of him will always ache for that, that familiarity.

but for every memory of that rain, those oceans, is about a dozen more of experiencing them with a friend, a family member. for every piece of earth is a smile or a laugh or a tear he's shared with someone he holds dear. someone who may not be awake right now, standing right here with him, but they are, at the very least, here. safe and sound and within arm's reach. which is definitely a lot better than the immeasurable distance between them before.

he'll miss his universe, his earth. but the ache is dulled with the knowledge that everyone he couldn't live without has come with him. ]

i guess that means its easier to keep with you

[motivation]

[ a lot of dutch's history isn't the kind she'd like to remember, but -- it wasn't all bad. even with khlyen, it wasn't all bad. there had been times when he'd given her hope when she'd needed it the most.

khlyen is dead; even the orbiters cannot change that (she thinks). she's not sure she'd want him back, regardless. he isn't home; he hasn't been for a long time. home is johnny and d'avin, it's pree and alvis, it's her team, it's a purpose. ]

guess so
most of home is in a coma right now

[competing]

ehh its not so bad
i mean we woke up from it well enough right?
besides
if theyre anything like altaan healing pods
the more time spent in them the better

[ this is not his first healing pod rodeo, friend. ]

[motivation]

altean?

[ asking questions is infinitely easier than addressing the way it makes her feel to see her team, her friends so still and motionless. ]