elnyan | ❪ test drive: #1 - the overflow ❫

Entry tags:

test drive

❪ test drive: #1 - the overflow ❫

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.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[yes]

I wouldn't mind if you did. But do you feel obligated to because I can't see, or because you like me, Junpei?

[Does he need need to remind him about the last time he underestimated Snake?? He can has dolphin echolocation and he can run very fast, Junpei, god. No, it's clearly because Junpei is a sucker for Snake, and that's fine. He definitely knows he's still looking at him.]

Speaking of which, that is my only jacket here. Since you sent me hurtling into the unknown, I feel you're obligated to provide me with yours until it's clean.

Why are those my only options...?

[Like, one of them is even true, but why can't he have a little more agency here? The extent of Junpei's cleaning will ultimately be throwing Snake's stuff onto one spare bed and his own stuff onto the other, but never mind that for now.

In other news: this deal sucks.] That's 5-year-old logic again, Snake.

Well, I think it's only fair. You insisted I exert myself and get covered in strange substances, and now you must pay the price.

[This deal is great? Snake is great. Even though he can't see, he's still making the effort to turn in Junpei's direction to look at him expectantly.]

Do I need you to remind you of my stats? 25/M... You know.

[he didn't insist on anything that lewd]

Seriously? Can I get a stay of repetition for your A/S/L? [That's the dumbest sentence he's ever had to say, and he talks to furniture. He still doesn't see why he should give up his cool leather jacket for this guy other than he usually just goes with it... Come on.]

What's wrong with your shirt?

[His A/S/L is the best thing he's ever said in his life?? Junpei just has no taste in jokes and Snake's going to ignore him. Except like, for the jacket.]

It's outer space. It's rather cold, don't you think? And it would cover my shirt from any potential spills you'll pull me into next.

[Stop telling him your A/S/L!! He knows! He's right here witnessing all of these things, Snake.]

It's my jacket. [He just got it back...] It'd be easier to do your laundry than sacrifice myself to the freezing void of space.

[Which is really what would happen, for real.]

[For real. If Snake ever opened his eyes, he'd be rolling them right now.]

So you know how to do laundry here, Junpei? Enlighten me. [got 'em]

[okay first of all you come into his space house]

Uh— Well, how hard can it be? It's just land laundry in space, right? ["Right," he says, like Snake knows. It's to stall, as he desperately tries to remember what the laundry situation in DCOM was. That's as close to space as he's been, so-!!]

Look, I'm not an astronaut, but I think I can figure out a few more buttons.

So, if you're going to be pressing the buttons... I'm glad you've offered to do my laundry, Junpei. It's sweet.

[And then he smiles, like it's settled. And, like Junpei is actually going to do his laundry, he undoes his tie to drop it with his jacket.]

I'd get to it in the morning.

Hey, that's not— come on! [Snake?? Boy?? He didn't offer to do anything. Although there's something off about making a blind man do laundry... especially in space. Like, he's taking his clothes off and just throwing them around.]

I'll think about it, but I'm keeping my jacket.

We'll see. [a beat] You'll see.

[haaa... more blind jokes. Snake is perfectly capable of handling his own life, and under different circumstances, might have argued that he is the Best at it. But for now, he's just going to kick off his fancy shoes and make himself comfortable in his own bed. Junpei can clean it up for him tomorrow.]

I'll hear you in the morning, Star. Try not to be too loud.

[Ha ha, very funny. Junpei watches him make even more of a mess and wonders if he's really like this, or this is just a carefully constructed act to get him to clean up the room all by himself. It could honestly be either.]

...Right. [He can't call him Light even to be funny, it's too... Light.] Uh, good night.

[So that's that, leaving Junpei with the rest of the evening to stare at the ceiling and brood about their new home away from home (forever). It quickly becomes a lot harder to stay upbeat about it without Snake being rude to distract him from the crushing reality of this—the world, gone, everyone gone or locked up in an ice cube tray for people—there was really no point to anything they did in any of those other timelines, was there? This option is automatically worse than the ones they had - everyone who didn't make it here already died, and they couldn't help...

So there's no point to anything. This is what Junpei considers for an extra hour or two, before he actually remembers to turn the lights off and try to sleep. In his dirty t-shirt, which is gross—when he wakes up in the morning and Snake is still out cold, he isn't surprised. Could spend some more time brooding, orrrr—

Time to explore. Give him another hour or so, and then he's going to wake Snake up with another musical button on the button panel. He's got more powdered donuts and - gasp!! - some Space Clothes he, uh, found somewhere. Good morning, jerk.]

[Snake is out cold for the duration of Junpei's existential crisis. In the hour Junpei's left on his really long quest for donuts and clothes, he's risen from slumber, take the other pillows and blankets from the unused beds, and went back to bed buried under them. His hair is just sticking out from the pile.

So when Hell Music turns on, he's far too comfortable to be getting up? Junpei is just going to see his burrow himself under one of the pillows and curl in on himself like it's going to save him.

Muffled, from the depths:] Turn it... off...

[Junpei's plan is perfect. He's not sure why he's up before Snake- he really thought Snake would be up at the crack of dawn (or its space equivalent), for some reason- but he'll work with it. He's back and setting up his Donut Tray (he got a tray, also, from the mess hall. There are only donuts on it) for a whole ten minutes, music playing, before he really takes in this... scene.

Snake, buried in pillows and blankets. Junpei looks at the other beds, and just in case, his own—this guy?]

Turn it... up? [He can't actually do that, he thinks, but he's going to say it anyway. No, he'll just put his tray down on his own bed and shuffle over to look down at this display. Snake is supposedly in here somewhere.]

This, by far, is the weirdest thing I've learned about you to date.

[Just the suggestion of turning the music up has Snake groaning into his pile of seven pillows. Seven whole pillows. Which, by the way, he's pulling over his head in some attempt to keep ignoring Junpei. There's just an outline of his body under all this mess now.

But like, he still has to correct him though. So he just sort of waves his blanket covered hand in Junpei's direction while he mumbles.] It is... not the weirdest thing you've learned about me, because this is normal behavior... the strangest thing I've told you-- [yawn] --is that I can run backwards down stairs, however true it is. Go to bed...

[He won't believe that until he sees it. Receipts, Snake. Show them.

That said: that's a fair enough point, Junpei has to concede. He scoffs, folding his arms and frowning... until he realizes that's not enough to get through to a blind guy, especially one who's buried himself under so much bedding. He compensates with taking a step forward, bumping his legs against the bed and genuinely sliding his knee onto the mattress to nudge at Snake's side.

Or just close to it, because Junpei's a little short, but the effort is being made. He's here and he's awake.]

It's 9 in the morning, I'm already up. [He's been Exhausted for so long it doesn't mean anything to him anymore. That's the only reason he's awake and functioning this early.] Get up, I got more donuts.

[Okay, but leaning on his bed is really unnecessary? There are no buttons being pressed, here. Junpei's establishing that leaning over Snake and nudging him while he's still trying to sleep is just okay for their friendship now, and Snake hates it, but it's woken him up too much to keep sleeping.

Now he's going to think about this all morning? Ugh. He drags the pillows over his head off enough to sit up, his hair sticking all sorts of different ways. He's not even "looking" at Junpei because he's not awake enough to care about where he is. Enjoy him just facing the wrong way.] If you just wanted to join me in the more comfortable bed, Junpei, you could have asked. Are donuts really a proper breakfast...?

[In Junpei's defense, Snake already established holding hands everywhere. This clearly is how you make a lazy rich fuck (who is also blind) get out of bed? Junpei is an expert.

He's not done doing this really annoying thing, by the way. That's still happening, even if Snake won't "look" at him.]

It's too early for that, Snake. [For what??? Wonder.] Donuts are a great breakfast! You're lucky I didn't eat them all without you.

[For what!! It's too early for Snake to be wondering all these things, he hates this. Instead he's going to focus on keeping himself wrapped in three blankets as he nudges Junpei's leg off the bed with his own. If he can't stay in bed, he's taking half the bed with him.

Holding a pillow to his chest to lean his head on isn't really helping his stern image, but whatever.] Bring the donuts here. [join him]

[There's no way this is actually Snake. He's ruining Junpei's still undisturbed vision of him as a princely, regal kinda dude like this, which is frankly pretty inconsiderate. Junpei is actually, legitimately too surprised by this display for a long moment to do anything.

What a shitty prince. He'll take a step back, think about it, and then go over to his bed and back to grab the whole tray which only has a still-wrapped package from the vending machine on it. What is the tray for? He still didn't grab napkins. The music is still playing.]

Uh... here. [Let him just nudge the tray into Snake's chest pillow. Here, eat. Weirdo.]

[How can Snake ruin an image of himself he didn't know Junpei has? Really, it's Junpei's own fault for not telling him he had higher expectations. Snake might have improved by more politely asking him to let him sleep. Yeah. That would happen. Right.]

Why did you... [He starts, sighing as he takes the tray. He moves back like he's allowing Junpei more space to sit next to him despite their being a whole bed, setting it down on his lap to feel for the donuts-- Wait a minute.]

Did... Did you... bring breakfast in bed for something still in plastic? [Is that what's happening?? He's opening a package of those tiny donuts right now! On a tray!!] Is this real? Am I awake right now?

It wasn't supposed to be breakfast in bed. [Jeez!! Don't make him sound like a maid service or Snake's personal assistant... You do one nice thing for a guy and he just complains. Typical. He's still standing there, not moving.]

The tray's for, uh, not spilling sugar everywhere. Again. [Was it? All along? It's up in the air, but considering his jeans are still a little sugary from yesterday, this is actually a real benefit of The Tray.] Tray use is a really serious- [don't say field] -topic, Snake. People everywhere are buzzing about it—tray size, materials, whether or not it has separate food sections... Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.

[Snake is just... going to sit here? He just sits here, holding this donut package open without taking any out, processing that this is real. He's awake right now. Junpei is just this ridiculous. Giving up in 3... 2...]

I don't know how you could betray my trust that you're finally a normal person, Junpei. [He finally exhales a sigh. He's had enough of today, and it's early morning to him. He's reached his capacity. But also, here, take the first donut he's holding out carefully, over the tray.] Here.

[Snake, is that a terrible pun?! Unfortunately this does not only encourage Junpei to invent more total bullshit in the future, it makes him genuinely happy to hear something that... silly. This is spelling "pipe" all over again.]

Man, what are we doing? [trays..... puns... He takes the donut and finally sits down, so he doesn't have to loom over Snake while they eat their very balanced breakfast. Chew...] I looked around for some clothes. Or- I found some clothes, actually. Now we can put off doing laundry! Or... something.

It wasn't my plan to put off doing anything, but... that's thoughtful of you. [Signs Snake doesn't have full consciousness: He's being nice? He's also eating this donut at like half speed and talking when he hasn't swallowed, forever tarnishing his regality.] I'm choosing to trust you have enough sense of style, now.

[Something's eating at him though, and it's not about space. He drums his fingers over the tray... the tray.] ... Did you get this from the cafeteria only to go to a vending machine? They must be serving real meals!

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