( tdm 12 )

[hownkai]

T E S T D R I V E

leavin’ on a jet plane "Don’t know when I’ll be back again." ABOARD THE MOIRA The Ingress has pulled you in. Your body experiences several sensations at once: being pushed forward as if a hand is resting on your back, momentary and startling blindness, a gentle ringing in your head. You have difficulty discerning whether it is hot or cold, but where you have been prodded is noticeably warmer than the rest of you. Some may suffer from dizziness while others are perfectly fine. Once equilibrium has been reestablished, you will notice you are standing on a long platform and that the room is filled with a soft cerulean light. It's slightly humid and dark despite the glow around you, and nothing is familiar. Shortly after, you are led out and toward the medbay. Inside this room, you are given a physical scan and offered a contract to sign that states you are now part of the crew of the Moira with a specific job. Any questions you might have would be answered in a straightforward manner as well as an explanation about how the Ingress, the thing that has pulled you onto the Moira, is broken and bringing people here unintentionally. This process also consists of a complete work-up of medical history and current health, and afterwards, you are given your MID, a device that is integrated into your hand or wrist with only the slightest pinch. From there, you are guided out of the medbay and to your living quarters. Whether adjusting to space travel has been difficult or not, there is always something to be done. From working to leisure, the Moira offers a multitude of opportunities to get to know your crewmates a bit better. Exploration of the ship is highly encouraged. You may notice a slight change in the artificial gravity every once in awhile; however, more noticeable changes can be found in overall morale of those of the crew. ☄ on your own There are plenty of other communal areas on the ship to explore! Pick a place, and see where it takes you. ( These scenarios can be used as in-game canon. ) The day begins normally. Or almost. The Moira has accidentally fallen along the trajectory of an asteroid barreling its way through space. While most things like this are not uncommon, and the ship is far from any potential danger of collision or risk of debris damaging the exterior, there is something particularly odd about this specific occurrence. The rock itself appears to give off a strange light that is both eerie and alive. Often, if looked at in just the right manner, it will shift colors; so, while one person sees one side of the spectrum, someone else could see something entirely different. At first, things continue on as they usually do aside from the glowing asteroid alongside the Moira, but as the hours go on, that does not seem to be the case. ☄ the hours are breathing resignedly beneath the sky the melancholy waters lie With a rather open view of stars and space, thanks to the skylight above, the pool in the rec area suddenly comes alive beneath the light of the asteroid filtering in. Perhaps it’s some natural response to the chemical composition of the water, or perhaps it’s magic. Yet, regardless of the explanation, those who happen to take a dip suddenly find themselves plagued by despair. The depression and melancholy are not subtle changes either; it slams into you with great force, like a punch to the gut. The longer you remain in the pool, the deeper it grows, like an all-consuming paranoia that settles into the back of your mind and causes your heart to grow heavy. These strong feelings will eventually fade if you choose to leave the pool and dry off, but as long as you remain damp from the pool, those emotions will continue to linger. Even after you’re completely dry, there will be no mistaking just how intensely you felt or why. There is no explanation and might not be. Would you dare a second swim to test whether or not it was a fluke? ( These scenarios can be used as in-game canon. ) ☄ those who have crossed the eyes are not here, there are no eyes here The walls are shrinking in. Every room you step into feels much too small, like there isn’t enough room to even breathe. A crowded place becomes startlingly empty, and no matter how much you run, how much you explore, there is no one there to comfort you or answer your calls for help. Hallucinations run strong between the lulls of obscene loneliness or claustrophobia, and exposure to the glow of the asteroid is really the only thing to thank for that. You’re desperate to claw your way out of the ship—open the emergency hatch in the Cargo Bay, bust the glass of the Observation Deck. What’s worse is that it’s not just you. It’s catching, and the fear of being next is very real. It feels like you’re being watched, that everyone around you is looking and seeing everything you are. Or are not. The only way to make it stop is to admit that you’re afraid of being seen, but who, in the deep madness of the self, has the courage to ever admit the truth? ( These scenarios can be used as in-game canon. ) ☄ the sun in flight rage, rage against the dying of the light Something has drifted its way onto the Moira from the outside. Unlike the faint luminosity they give off, they suck up all the light around them, making them the only source to see by. From far away, they are just flitting balls of light, but if you get close enough to inspect them, they are mean. And have sharp, sharp teeth. Go poking, and they will bite you before trying to fly away while taking that only light source with them. The option to avoid them is quite easy if you’re not the curious sort, but without them around, it will be impossibly dark. As the asteroid moves on in the opposite direction of the Moira, these light creatures begin to dissolve and fade away with it. However, a word of caution: their bites glow. If you don’t manage to find the one that bit you and capture it between your hands, the bite will become a permanent glowing fixture of your body. ( These scenarios can be used as in-game canon. ) OUT OF CHARACTER INFO FAQ | LOCATIONS | RESERVES | APPLICATIONS | NAVIGATION For mature or graphic content, please label. For questions, please direct them to the FAQ. As always, be kind and have fun!

Comments

[hatesimprovising]

Of course.

Taking a moment, Wash sighs harshly and glances out the window to his side. He hates this place. Hates his luck. Kind of hates just about everything, honestly. Folding his arms over his chest, his eyes find Church again, but he doesn't bother going back to hounding him about what he remembers. Knowing that all Church recalls is only from home is all he needs.

"I assume you've run in to Tex by now, if you've been here a few days." Another place he won't be pressing for details. The last thing Wash wants to talk or think about it Tex, but it seems appropriate to at least make sure Church is aware that she's around. Plus, at least if he keeps talking, it keeps his mind mostly off of all of the horrible things that he's been dealing with. "You missed Caboose by about a month. Though I doubt that'll bother you much."

[beside_myself]

He tilts his head and frowns. "A couple? How many times have you been on this ship?" He asks, curious. "... How many bodies have you had?" A pause, then a grin. "Were they all as hot as this one?"

[a_shadow]

She smirks at the compliment, sitting up just a bit. "Twice. And I either had two identical bodies, or they gave me the same one twice. So yeah, this is how hot I am at the max." Is she preening? Maybe a little. It's not like any iteration of Church wouldn't find her attractive, but it's nice to hear it.

[beside_myself]

"Humble as always, huh Tex?" He teases, his grin softening a little. God damn, he missed her. Missed this. He doesn't care if ... some other Church (past Church) was here. He doesn't remember it, so it didn't happen. Which means they need to talk about what he does remember.

He's quiet for a minute, thinking of what to say - a dangerous activity - and eventually decides to just jump in. "So what do you remember? About ... the EMP. The Meta?"

[a_shadow]

Her smirk fades and she lowers her gaze just sightly. "Not wasting any time this time, huh?" she says. Then she raises her eyes to take in the sight of his.

"I remember Wash revealing you were with him, and then you rushing in to join us like you were some big damn hero. And then all hell breaking loose inside his head."

The confusion, the emotion, the attempt by Sigma to take charge of the situation, the interference by all the other AIs—she didn't like to think about it. And then—there was so much going on, it wasn't until the words 'activating EMP' were blared in the room by the computer system that Tex fully understood what was about to happen—which had been too late to allow for her to rush to Church's side.

Their reunion hadn't been much of a reunion at all.

She didn't say all that, though. She dropped her gaze again, looking over his shoulder like she had earlier when things got a bit too emotionally intense. "I didn't have time to say anything to you. Nothing that mattered."

[beside_myself]

Church looks down at his hands, thinking. "Yeah, that's... About all I remembertoo," he says. He remembers the chaos and the fear and the - the acceptance that he was going to die. At least he had gotten to see her one last time.

"We have time to talk now, though," he offers a beat later. "One good thing that came from this shit, huh?"

[a_shadow]

"To talk," she says. Her gaze goes to his face again. With how steadfastly she and Church had avoided talking about any of this last time he was here, it's strange that he's jumping in with both feet this time. Of course, last time he'd decided to go in immediately asking her about the way she had left him in Blood Gulch, rather than the EMP, and she had set the precedent that she wasn't going to respond, so maybe it was the difference of her reaction to his probing.

She tilts her head a little, studying him.

"What else do you want to talk about?" she asks quietly.

[happyclappyhippydrippy]

[It's all good boy, Drift can see where this is going.]

I don't think I'm the one you should be apologizing to.

[psychobabblery]

Just to confirm: The Moira doesn't actually know we're coming, right?

[Hey, you never know.]

[happyclappyhippydrippy]

Oh, that's interesting! I know another Sideswipe. Not very well, but I'd seen him around.

[WEIRD ALL THESE ALTERNATE DIMENSIONS AND SHIT]

[happyclappyhippydrippy]

I... yeah, well, I can't think of any reason anyone else would ever say that to me. And that's dangerous, you should maybe not do that.

[sorry kid he's gonna dad u]

[knaval]

I... don't know what else to say.

[he was still involved? riptide shifts awkwardly like drift just caught him with his hand in the cookie jar.]

[beside_myself]

He shrugs. He honestly didn't think he would get this far. Tex is the type to shut down immediately and he ... isn't much better. "I don't know," he admits. "I guess - how've you been, Tex?"

She's apparently had a whole life going and he got left behind. Again. He's not bitter, of course not. No way.

[happyclappyhippydrippy]

I say we don't worry about it, not until we know more details. All I know is what other people have told me, none of it has even happened for you yet. If anything else comes up, we'll deal with it when it happens. Does that sound fair?

[a_shadow]

She looks at him for a moment, then finally acknowledges the fact that there's a meal sitting in front of her for the first time, picking up her spoon and poising it to eat with. "I've been fine," she says, deciding not to open up about the last few months that she'd been living without him, nor about the first time she'd been here. She has always steadfastly hidden things from him if they would hurt him to know them, and that's not going to change now. He'd hate knowing the things she's gone through on this ship. But she can ease him into learning how fucked up this place can be. Later. "I mean, being alive here is a lot better than being dead at home, right?" she finally adds, looking up at him from her tray.

Ralph | Lord of the Flies

[jiminycrockett]

[Ralph wants to know the layout here. It's better here than on the island in so many ways, food and plumbing and clothes and all that of course. Not being in charge of anything. Adults. None of that really makes him feel safe though.

What makes him feel safe is how complicated and big the ship is. The island, dense as it was with creepers and trees, was small and a simple shape. Hiding only worked for so long there, but here was different. It might still be a fixed space, but it'd be much harder to corner him on here. It'd be even harder if he knew the ship inside and out. So his first few days are filled with nothing but exploration.]

The Galley/Mess Hall

[They Galley was dangerous. A dead end. He could get trapped in there. Besides that, the only places to hide in there were the freezer and cooler, both of which were not only ALSO dead ends, but could be locked from the outside. There was no gap between the sinks and the walls, and no cupboards big enough for him to fit into. The only good thing in this room was the rack of knives, which now had one mid sized blade missing as Ralph makes a quick exit.

Shuffling through the adjacent mess hall, he's a bit more optimistic. There's two doors, and the bar area is good for hiding without being a cage. He could always just vault the counter and sprint. He starts poking around behind there to see exactly how difficult it would be to escape if someone blocked the exit, never mind that he's clearly only 12 years old. Sneaking a beer is the last thing on his mind, but it wouldn't look that way to anybody who catches a glimpse.]

The Altar Room

[He'd been up in the gardens. He's had enough greenery in his life for a while. But under here was interesting. Again, multiple entrances/exits was good. A good place to loose somebody if they were chasing him, he could duck in one way and dash out another and there'd be a good chance whoever it was wouldn't know which door to follow through. But he's got another idea too.

He has a thought that this probably isn't allowed. It feels the same as thinking that his hair is blonde. True, but ultimately unimportant. He casts around furtively to see if anybody is nearby, and when the coast is clear he moves to the center of the room, grabs the end of a thick gnarled root, and pulls himself up. His eyes dart from one door to another, his breath quick in his throat as he climbs hand over hand into the tangles of wood. There's got to be some spots in here that you can't see from the ground. If he could find a few this would be perfect.]

[allsparked]

You've never had anyone on your shoulders?

[Oh and the dad-ing gets a pout, a mighty mighty pout.]

It's not that dangerous, I was paying attention and I did shout a warning so I wouldn't run into you.

[happyclappyhippydrippy]

No, not really.

[no POUTING child god]

Look, don't argue with me, I'm bigger than you.

[knaval]

Yeah... that sounds better.

[he looks away awkwardly again, it's clear despite what he says he won't be able to let it go.]

Um. I can show you... around?

[happyclappyhippydrippy]

[Drift figures as much, but hey a tour of the ship might be a good distraction for a while. Maybe.]

Yeah. Yeah, that's a good idea. They didn't exactly give me a map when I showed up. Unless there's one on this thing.

[He glares at his MID like it just insulted him or something. What even is this shit.]

[wallride]

[you monster.]

I'm gonna keep it then. Maybe see if there's some recycling around here.

[lúcio is going to get fucking shot but he KEEPS AT THE OBNOXIOUS OPTIMISM, skating around reaper slightly.]

Nice view, huh?

[beside_myself]

He knows she's hiding something, but ... for once he's not going to push. There's too much shit going on and he doesn't want to add Tex's angsty back story to the mix. Well. Not now, at least.

"Yeah. I miss all my friends, but..." He offers her a small, almost vulnerable smile. Best way to win her over. "At least I got you?"

YOU'RE DOING GREAT SO FAR

[wallride]

[a faint shadow of worry crosses lúcio's face when adam takes his wub-gun but he quickly hides it, hoping this tall, bespectacled man didn't notice.]

Extremely weird. Hey, man, can I have your name? Mine's Lúcio. Looks like we're stuck here together.

[blinding optimism hasn't failed him yet!]

[allsparked]

Well now you have and look at what you've missed!

Also every Cybertronian is bigger than me, that doesn't make any of you right all the time.

[THE POUTTENING BEGINS.]

[knaval]

I think there is but... it's... not good.

[it's really hard to concentrate right now.]

Like. Vague?