recollecters: (Default)
Recollé Mods ([personal profile] recollecters) wrote in [community profile] repeter2018-01-17 08:44 pm
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JANUARY 2018 TDM

TEST DRIVE
JANUARY TEST DRIVE
The city of Recollé...

What do you mean the city's behaving for once?

I.
The large opaque dome enveloping the entire city continues to stand tall and firm, though this may be the first time you've noticed the dome itself rather than believe it's simply an eclipse effect. Faintly reflective in appearance but blocking the outside world, the dome still allows the warmth of the weak winter sunlight to seep through. It isn't hard to breathe, and the flora and fauna seem to be responding just as naturally as always. But the city of Recollé is pitch black except for the light citizens shine themselves.

The dome stretches incredibly high over the city, but anyone who can get close enough to it will find that they can briefly see themselves in the surface. Upon touching the dome, it appears to be smooth and almost rubbery in texture despite a shell-like shield appearance. Soundproof and unable to provide clues to what's happening outside of the city the dome is also harmless for those who wish to touch it and examine it, causing it to bounce a few times under light impact. However, do be careful not to trigger its defense mode! Should anyone attempt to damage the dome itself, it will light up with a bright, sickening blue color for three seconds before delivering a shock to its attacker and rendering them unconscious for an hour. Perhaps you'll get lucky and you'll only deal with the too-hot-to-touch surface that self-activates when the dome is threatened, or the spikes that appear at the source of impact. The dome seems to have a temperament of its own. It may be best to treat it the way you want to be treated.

II.
Going about your normal day, the darkness seems endless aside from whatever light can be shed via flashlights, cell phones and interior lights inside buildings. However, as you wander the streets of the city, under your feet a swirl of yellow light appears before darting ahead, bouncing and bobbing its way over snow and concrete to create a clear path for you. It's a little convenient to have a guide to follow, but you're not the only one. Others around you are following their own lights and they all seem to gather right at the entrance of the old subway station. Perpetually under construction for as long as you can remember, the station appears to be wide open for anyone who ventures in.

The light will guide you for roughly twenty-five feet before it dies down again. You're allowed to turn back, of course. There's nothing stopping you...except for the vine that suddenly snakes along the ground and wraps around your ankle, hooking onto you and beginning to drag you further into the tunnels. Now would be a good time to start calling for help.

III.

Back in the city itself, it's hard to say who, exactly, is to blame for the first hit. People are minding their own business and moving on as if everything is perfectly natural as usual. However, in addition to the hustle and bustle small barrels appear on every street corner with an assortment of colored guns. The moment you step up to investigate one of these barrels it becomes a little more clear what, exactly, is happening here.

A bright red, green, or blue dot appears on your skin as the laser light hones in on you. Someone's decided to make you their next target in a city-wide game of laser tag and you have precisely ten seconds to run. For anyone tagged by the guns, a confetti-effect of red green and blue dots will appear all over you lasting for up to fifteen minutes before you're back in the game.

Will you grab your weapons and join the game? Or will you dodge as long as you can?

IV.
As the evening sets in, there's a smell in the air. It's not the usual winter-y scent of peppermint or warm soup or anything like that. No, you soon realize that the smell is buttered popcorn and now instead of the barrels of laser tag guns there are carts containing popcorn machines, bottles of soda, candy and more. These carts don't move and they do not seem to be manned by anybody so feel free to take as much as you'd like! At precisely 7pm, the street lights dim a little and the dome above you starts to...glow? It glows and a picture stretches all the way across the sky as a movie begins to play for your enjoyment. Maybe it's the first of the Galaxy Fights series, or it could be that crazy archaeologist turned fortune-hunter Kentucky Smith. The movies will rotate one after the other for the rest of the evening until 7am when the street lamps come on, but for now grab some blankets and a good seat. There's always time for a movie with some friends.

BONUS.
Of course communication to people outside of the city is still out of the question. Of course it is. There are absolutely no signs of that changing anytime soon no matter how many times you call or text or email. Snail mail is nearly impossible and don't even think about videochatting.

On the other hand, it seems as though the powerlines above are beginning to spark, pulsing in patterns of a bright blue color visible to the naked eye. What's up with that? Trying to get a closer look will only reveal a thick, crackling sort of energy that is surely not dangerous in the slightest and is nothing to worry about.

The energy won't leave the powerlines at all, but instead the next time you use your phone for anything a song activates instead. It's loud and it can't be shut down, but once it ends you may find yourself in a video chat with a fellow Retrospec user. Say hi!

Welcome to the [community profile] recolle test drive meme! All characters will be begin in-game AU'd as Recollé residents. You may use any of the above prompts for ideas or make up your own depicting your Recollé AU! Prompts do not have to be set in the districts listed above. You can review our list of locations for what's available. Please note that TDM threads can be used as samples, can be kept as game canon, and can also be used for bonus points for future item regains. Share a few minor details of your AU, tag around, and have fun!

For current players, please remember that TDM threads can only be used for bonus points, not regains.

Please note: you will need a reserve to apply, and current characters must have full AC posted at the time of their reservation.

Your January TDM directory is here, and your AU workshop is here! Our mod questions thread for this TDM is over here!
stressweets: Sometimes it can be hard for a shy pony like me to stand up for myself. When I first tried it, I didn't like the pony I became, but I learned that standing up for yourself isn't the same as changing who you are. (015. putting your hoof down)

[personal profile] stressweets 2018-01-21 04:10 pm (UTC)(link)
No one would believe you. [ ......probably........ ] You don't get candy until we've finished shopping, Tori. There's no point in getting a reward now when the most you've done is step into a store...
idealest: (can you hear the horses)

[personal profile] idealest 2018-01-21 04:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[ With the camera put away, the frown on Sakichi's face eases a tick. ]

I'm serious. I threw a rock at it, and it shocked me from a distance. I was out for about an hour.

[ He looks back thoughtfully at the dome. There ought to be some signage. What if children were present?? ]

You said you're filming the "Michel Show"?
activatingcombatmode: <user name=sefirot> (39)

[personal profile] activatingcombatmode 2018-01-21 04:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Bucky was around.

[Zack casually shoves some more popcorn into his face.

Andrew is infinity better back up in any situation. James Barnes is still just a kid living on base and barely out of boot camp half the time but he trusts the kid. He called 911 when Zack got knocked out and everything. It's fine.]


Just don't go messing with the dome if you don't have to.
Edited 2018-01-21 16:16 (UTC)
angealwings: (Default)

[personal profile] angealwings 2018-01-21 04:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Andrew huffs, but his eyes stay on Zack for a long moment before he leans back a bit. Raises his face to the movie again, but his interest has certainly waned.

Oh so casually.
]

I would recommend against following lights into the old subway station, too. Not that I followed through to see where that ends, but a vine grabbing you and trying to drag you off in the darkness is not exactly a great thing to surprise yourself with.

[ He thinks that the place should be closed up for random civilians again, but, well. Warning's in order. ]
littlemperor: (11 do you get it?)

[personal profile] littlemperor 2018-01-21 04:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Eh? But I walked all the way here! I'm tired! My feet hurt! It was dark and scary and I came all on my own, so I deserve a reward~! Tsu-ka-sa, buy me candy, okay~? I'll give you a pat on the head if you do~!

[how can you resist this face. these sweet eyes. how he tilts his head Just So..!]
idealest: (the dog days are over)

[personal profile] idealest 2018-01-21 04:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes. Good afternoon, Kashuu.

[ he's still crouched behind the bush though

Sakichi does believe Kashuu to be of credible character, so after a pause, he adds: ]


I propose a truce. Do you accept?
stressweets: "Maybe we were trying too hard." "And instead of forcing ourselves to do something that's not meant for us..." "We each should be embracing our true talents." (017. the show stoppers)

[personal profile] stressweets 2018-01-21 04:51 pm (UTC)(link)
...You can't eat it until we're outside anyway?

[ but just... give him a moment, he's glancing at his bag of groceries... ugh.

all of that's nothing special for normal people, so he doesn't think it actually deserves a reward, but tori's. different. tsukasa'll fish out and open his bag of chocolate kisses, have One. ]


That'll tide you over, right?
littlemperor: (06 it's the secret to my hard work)

[personal profile] littlemperor 2018-01-21 04:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[holy shit it worked. tsukasa really is just like the rest of the masses..! no one can resist his cute face.]

Heheh~. Lean down, you stick! I'll give you a pat on the head, just like I said! Good boy, good boy!

[Come on, lean down, he'll pet your head like a master should~.]
odasaku: (13)

[personal profile] odasaku 2018-01-21 04:56 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm not lying.
stressweets: [...] I feel like I found a piece of me I didn't even know was missin'. (075. the perfect pear)

[personal profile] stressweets 2018-01-21 04:59 pm (UTC)(link)
I wasn't doing it for that. [ HE SHOULD JUST TAKE HIS CANDY BACK ] I figured if I gave you something now, you wouldn't whine about it while we're shopping.
littlemperor: (04 that twinkling little star)

[personal profile] littlemperor 2018-01-21 05:03 pm (UTC)(link)
What an ungrateful servant! Fine, if a peasant like you can't see the worth my hand has, then that's your own fault!

[Candy~. Mmmm, delicious. What else is on his list... "noodles". What kind of noodles did he want again..? Does it matter? Noodles are noodles, right? There's just like, one kind, right?




Oh my god.]


Th-There's so many... Why?!
ohrlyeh: (the outsider)

[personal profile] ohrlyeh 2018-01-21 05:04 pm (UTC)(link)
I do like the fountains but I haven't had much of a chance to try them, since I really don't like parties. And people usually use them at parties...

They're quite lovely, though.
stressweets: I learned how important it is to keep your hooves on the ground, and be there for your friends. (006. sonic rainboom)

[personal profile] stressweets 2018-01-21 05:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Different types of flour, lengths, thicknesses... For different types of meals.

[ ...... ]

Did you think there was only one type? [ ............. oh. ] Did you know there's dozens of types of rice too?
littlemperor: (12 my dancing's shining)

[personal profile] littlemperor 2018-01-21 05:19 pm (UTC)(link)
How am I supposed to know things like that? It's not like I cook my own meals! The servants always did-- do that! They probably know all this sort of stuff!

[... But that's sort of interesting? He guess? For different types of meals... Now that he's thinking about it, they did have a variety of shapes and stuff, but he didn't really think about it... rice, too, lengths and colors. Tori picks up some bowties, tilting it back and forth for the noise.]

Hmph, I guess I'll take these~. They're cute, just like me.

[He has No Idea what he's gonna use them with but he sure as fuck is gonna, at some point, use them.]

Does it really matter the kind of rice you use for stuff? I'm asking you a question, so you'd better answer~. Feel honored!
beneathmoonlight: (What blush)

[personal profile] beneathmoonlight 2018-01-21 05:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Well...I have a small one we could use sometime...

[Glutton, meet glutton.]

I don’t like parties either. I like talking to people one on one, and in a crowd it seems like I’m fighting for their attention, which I don’t like to do, because I don’t want to bother them...

[A soft sigh.]

But anyway, I’m glad I have someone to enjoy books and sweets with now!
me_matey: (from genesis to exodus)

[personal profile] me_matey 2018-01-21 05:56 pm (UTC)(link)
-Nah, she was pretty sure nothing scared Kei, but that still wasn't a reaction she expected, and it showed in the way May kind of... stared at him.-

Hey, uh... Can I see your phone for a sec? -As she was pulling out her own.-
stressweets: Fads come and go, friendship is forever. (072. fame and misfortune)

[personal profile] stressweets 2018-01-21 06:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[ ...He's not as skilled with western types of noodles so he'll have to pass on judging those, but he thinks they'd probably hold onto sauce well...? ]

Sometimes. White rice is pretty standard—I've found the kind here is a little loose, even when cooked, so it's nice for things like stir-fry and fried rice. Brown rice is harder, since it's not polished or anything, and it's healthier too—I only really like it in genmaicha though, which is green tea with roasted brown rice. It pairs well with my favorite dish~.

[ Moving on though— ]

Jasmine rice is a specific type of white rice that's fragrant, and like most white rices you can use it for pretty much anything...? But you should let it cool down before you use it for fried rice, since it's too soft when it's warm. Sticky rice is the type they use for mochiko—you know, the type of rice flour for mochi—because it's really sticky and sweet when it gets cooked. Sushi rice is the standard rice in Japan, but it's called that here because it's usually just for sushi? But we have a ton of it around my house, since we eat traditionally... [ ... ] You use it for pretty much any and every dish that you don't use any of the other ones for, though I think it and jasmine are exchangeable in certain dishes... but sometimes one just pairs better with what you're having.

[ .........ahem, he's looking a little embarrassed about just... talking... but. He cooks a little, he sort of. Has an opinion on things. ]
beneathmoonlight: (Flowers)

[personal profile] beneathmoonlight 2018-01-21 06:06 pm (UTC)(link)
I grew up in Yokohama! In an orphanage, until I was a bit older, then I got adopted.

[Kind of a sad story, but at least it has a happy ending.]

Oh, where do you work?

[Oh, art! He’s never met an artist before.]

Oh, maybe I could see some of your paintings sometime!
beneathmoonlight: (Default)

[personal profile] beneathmoonlight 2018-01-21 06:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[Yogi looks kind of frightened...which, as bad as it sounds, comforts Atsushi a bit, because now he’s not the only one who’s afraid...but at least they have each other now!]

Oh, that sounds so cool! I design cakes, actually! In my spare time, anyway...mostly I just bake large batches of sweets to fill orders.

[He knows nothing about fashion, but he still thinks that it would be fun to design an outfit!]
mincingminuet: (Plotting)

[personal profile] mincingminuet 2018-01-21 06:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Really? Worse than that time I called your jacket a fashion disaster?

[Probably a while ago.]
argone: (The Look)

[personal profile] argone 2018-01-21 06:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh no, you kids all grow up so quick. You'll be...what? Twelve by this time next year?
argone: <user name=cupcakegraphics> (Let Me Live)

[personal profile] argone 2018-01-21 06:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh yes. Interesting, if not pleasant.

[Not that she thinks he'll much mind either way.]

Taste was gone for a while, as were the colors blue and green. Those were pretty hot topics for a while.

[personal profile] compendiem 2018-01-21 06:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He does not, any by her question, he just assumes that she doesn't either and they'll have a grand time of the reenacting the blind leading the blind. He's only pretending, and it's not like all blind people keep their eyes closed anyways, so he chances opening his eyes again and looks off to the side of Megumi's face, down further inside the subway. ]

No, but there should be a map of the underground somewhere. [ As desolate as the place is, it's still a subway station. ] I'm just trying to find any way out of the city, I guess. Kept putting it off.

[ Things happen, and he always turns around, remembering some sort of pressing business or getting cold feet. But he's here now, in the subway that surely leads them outside the confines of the dome, so he's just got to bear with it and hope. ]
maidofmistakes: Apologizing. (So I literally just wrote "sorry")

[personal profile] maidofmistakes 2018-01-21 07:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[laughs] Actually... I'm fifteen. Just, that's kind of the problem. People like you better when you're younger. I mean, in general, not these specific people or anything.
activatingcombatmode: <user name=sefirot> (35)

[personal profile] activatingcombatmode 2018-01-21 07:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[Luckily Zack has had no run in with vines. Everything else? Yeah.]

You're not the least bit curious about what's going on way down there, Andrew? As shitty as it is down there, there might be answers to what's going on. Retrospec has been pretty damn tight-lipped about it.

[When they're usually so happy-go-lucky about everything else. "Everything's fine!" "We're hard at work fixing that glitch!" "Look like we made the oceans blue again!" Sigh...]

People are saying they've seen some brochure with information from fifty years ago down in that subway station.