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!
idealest: (at the end of my road)

[personal profile] idealest 2018-01-31 04:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Sakichi becomes more perplexed with each answer. He might have forgiven the squirrel assessment on the virtue that some people are just not good at identifying animals, but hamster? Gerbil?? It's like he's entered the Twilight Zone...

He absently pushes Tanuki back onto his shoulder when he feels his new furry partner straying. Be a good raccoon dog thing.

Tanuki might be able to feel the tension in Sakichi's shoulder as he paces down a hallway, just about intent on giving up on this building. Then a face pops up from around the corner: the same lady who pulled Sakichi into the makeup room to begin with. She makes an exclamation, points at him, and

he can't help it

he automatically turns around and starts walking briskly the other way. He spies an open window through a room, makes a beeline, and hops right through it. He stays crouched beneath the window until the sounds of the lady stalking after him die away.

And so... Sakichi is safe, but no step closer to figuring out the mystery of the dome or finding this animal's owner. He huffs and looks at Tanuki on his shoulder. Sakichi has a feeling the shelter won't take an animal no one seems able to identify properly, so... ]


I'll put up some Found posters and see if your owner answers.

[ That's about as reasonable a solution he can think of for now. He stands and starts off for the library... ]
matchbreaker: (Squirrel Girl!)

[personal profile] matchbreaker 2018-01-31 04:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[ By "cult" she really did only meant it as a joking figure of speech. She wasn't even referencing people off the app, the ones that some people have taken to calling "sleepers" (another term she hates). And so while he does listen to the speech as best she can, she also takes this moment to get up two more spoons of this tofu, mostly because she is getting more used to it, or maybe the pain in her mouth is better than to try to process something that threatens the humanity of Toushiro. Which she knows Kei wasn't doing per se but she can't help but feel it any time someone talks about "them" or misaligned souls or... any other things. Every one of them began like that too, after all.

She hates considering that. Ironic, given she knows she'll eventually not be human. ]


Just a little, but it's not necessarily a bad trait. It makes your thoughts seem very complete in your consideration.
Edited 2018-01-31 16:40 (UTC)
livens: 3495591 @ pixiv (GENTLE ♪ i know a secret)

[personal profile] livens 2018-01-31 05:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Maaaaaaybe! ...Well, maybe not for me, but I can do lots of other cool stuff!
evidentiary: pixiv 1499776 (UNBIASED ► truths future)

[personal profile] evidentiary 2018-01-31 05:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Unfortunately, that application itself is why you can now see the dome. Those without it fail to notice certain...oddities.
evidentiary: (SPEAK ► turn back future)

[personal profile] evidentiary 2018-01-31 05:21 pm (UTC)(link)
It would be a rather silly thing to waste hypnotism on...

[ SO NO, IT'S NOT... ]

Mm, it's more that until today, you couldn't see things as they were.
sharplydressed: (and then he sniffs yasu for 30 seconds)

[personal profile] sharplydressed 2018-01-31 05:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[He makes a gunfinger with his free hand to point at Sakichi instead of using his actual laser gun, just in case that's seen as a GESTURE OF WAR and he mcdies the confetti death.]

Bin-go. If you look back, you'll find a looot of things like that. Some are kinda tiny like the fruit faces, but some are pretty big, like that time half the city got sucked into a void. People are different too, y'know? Like, I bet you didn't think these were weird at all.

[Pointing at his eyes now! Which are quite a vibrant red, as they've been for nearly a year by now.]
doesntdiscriminate: (Wtf!?)

Sabo | One Piece [closed]

[personal profile] doesntdiscriminate 2018-01-31 06:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[Bonus]

[Sabo's staring in horrified befuddlement at his apparently demonically possessed phone. All he had tried to do was check his email and instead this loud, peppy song started blearing at him and no matter what he tries to do he cannot make it stop, go away or even be just a little bit less loud.

The sudden sound made Kiwi, who had been peacefully sleeping at on his feet, jerk awake and considering the way she's barking at it Sabo's pretty sure she's come to the same conclusion of possession he has. It is, admittedly, a somewhat strange song choice for a demon but then, what does he know?

Probably not that much considering that once the song is finally over and a video-chat pops up instead what, or rather who, he finds on the other end is not some grotesque being who could have crawled its way out of Dante's inferno but-]


Lavender?
Edited 2018-01-31 18:44 (UTC)
lowgrip: (u10)

[personal profile] lowgrip 2018-01-31 06:47 pm (UTC)(link)
[Nic pinched the bridge of his nose at that, wrinkling like he smelled something foul. He does get a little defensive as she starts over to his motorcycle though. That was the one nice thing he owned, okay, you'd best not touch his baby.]

I mean there's no way to prove it, but there's no way to prove I AM fucked up. Unless I remembered that, but my memory ain't the best. What's it matter to you, anyway?
theveilisin: (She'll attack us both with a fire poker)

[personal profile] theveilisin 2018-01-31 06:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[Lavrenty, for his part, is less considering demonic possession and more that this might in fact be the point where he is just Too Old to understand electronic devices any longer. He's tried to keep up with technology, is honestly rather decently up to date - or so he thought. Perhaps he was fooling himself, and this is meant to be a rude wake-up call.

And then just as suddenly as the music had started, a video is playing instead. No, not a video. A video call. What the actual-]


You know, I really refuse to believe that phones are actually supposed to work like this. And more to the point, as charming as it is to see your face, I don't believe I had you added on any social networks - am I wrong?
liarboo: (I've seen a leopard pattern Zebra before)

[personal profile] liarboo 2018-01-31 07:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[Sanji's coolness did make him a little more nervous at first, but then he reminds himself that even as a kid Sanji was a little more reserved. At least he wasn't looking as scary as when Usopp's phone first mysteriously rung him up! Thinking that allows him to relax a little, and he sits down opposite Sanji, dropping his heavy messenger bag to the ground as he smiles.]

Yeah? Well, look at you, your legs barely fit under the table.

[He unzips his stupidly puffy coat and shrugs it off onto the back of the chair. Underneath it he's wearing a light-weight, unzipped, yellow jacket with a black t-shirt under that, spotted with patches of dust from work he was doing before going out. He forgets to clean up sometimes, mostly because he isn't expecting to meet up with childhood friends from France when he goes to a hardware store.]
doesntdiscriminate: (Down to business)

[personal profile] doesntdiscriminate 2018-01-31 07:24 pm (UTC)(link)
No. I don't think so? I mean, I'm following your shop on instagram but it's not like I have your number. [He trails off and squints suspiciously at his phone.] Or at least I didn't. Hell knows what I've got now.

[He falls back on his couch and rests his head against the armrest with a sigh.]

I take it your phone is also acting all weird and creepy. Or did you just get a very surprising video call?
theveilisin: (Do you think we're criminals?)

[personal profile] theveilisin 2018-01-31 07:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, at first it started playing music and wouldn't stop. I hesitate to mention this, in case it's some sort of new feature, and now I'm sounding old.

[Except now he's relatively sure it isn't, and he's really just teasing Sabo. Look, a man's gotta have his hobbies.]

Also, I seem to be calling you through an app I'm pretty sure I don't have.
doesntdiscriminate: (Oh come on~!)

[personal profile] doesntdiscriminate 2018-01-31 07:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Hold on a sec.

[There's laughter in Sabo's voice caused by the 'sounding old' comment and a smile on his face as he takes a closer look at what's going on with his phone.]

Yeah, looks like it's the same here. Got a song too, so that matches. Maybe someone just really wants us to be friends? [There's a small sound that's somewhere between a chuckle and a groan.] No, honestly I have no idea what's going with this. I mean, I guess it could be some kind of virus but right now that only makes a little more sense than my previous theory of demonic possession, so. [He shrugs is a 'what're you gonna do' kind of way.]
theveilisin: (Universally beloved)

[personal profile] theveilisin 2018-01-31 08:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[Lavrenty laughs in return, a rather wheezy and quiet sound, but not unpleasant for all that.]

I will admit, "demonic possession" does have a bit more flair to it. It's certainly more romantic than "virus".

[And while he's heard of viruses doing stupid stuff to your devices, this just seems so pointless.

At any rate, where's his manners?]


So! How have you been faring, my dear?
strayknight: (pic#11473997)

[personal profile] strayknight 2018-01-31 08:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ritsu was glad he could get a rise from the other.]

I was asleep for some of the time.
strayknight: (pic#11474008)

[personal profile] strayknight 2018-01-31 08:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[Shrugs again.]

I'm not worried~
doesntdiscriminate: (Sunny smile)

[personal profile] doesntdiscriminate 2018-01-31 08:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[Sabo smiles widely, stubbornly ignoring the way the tips of his ears have turned slightly pink they way they always do any time he gets a little bit flustered.]

Yeah, but a hacker at the other side of some keyboard might still be preferable to, I don't know, a gateway to hell appearing in your living room. But sure, let's go with the "romantic" option. [Just because he only has one hand free to do air quotes with is no reason not to do them. ]

Anyway, I've been good. Work's been rolling along pretty smoothly which is always a relief. [Seriously dude, writer's block sucks so bad.] And, you know, up until now stuff's been pretty normal.

[There's a small, whining noise coming from somewhere off camera drawing Sabo's attention away for a moment. When he refocuses of Lavrenty again Sabo's smile, if possible, seem to have grown even wider.]]

Hey, you and Kiwi haven't been introduced yet, have you?
impulsives: (pic#10306706)

[personal profile] impulsives 2018-01-31 08:58 pm (UTC)(link)
...Knowing them, it might be.

[ Well, even if it isn't, it must be related to them at some capacity, since the NPCs barely even noticed it. ]

But I guess people getting hurt by touching it would make sense if they don't want us to do anything stupid to it.

[ beat. ]

Telling us what it's made up of would be a pretty nice bonus, though.
theveilisin: (It seems to me an egre­gious over­sight)

[personal profile] theveilisin 2018-01-31 09:01 pm (UTC)(link)
["Up until now"... does that include something other than just phone malfunctions? Does he mean the strange dome over the city, the one Lavrenty himself had apparently been perfectly content to think of as "an eclipse", even though it's clearly no such thing? He's tried bringing it up gently with people throughout the day, but so far only a couple seem to have noticed.

He just raises his eyebrows a bit in response to the remark, but doesn't ask just yet. Apparently he should say hi to "Kiwi" first?]


I'm going to assume for my peace of mind that Kiwi is a pet of yours, or I'd feel compelled to have a stern word with your roommates parents.
doesntdiscriminate: (Pat on the head)

[personal profile] doesntdiscriminate 2018-01-31 09:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[Sabo snorts in amusement and then the camera angle gets a bit weird as he bends and reaches down beside the couch and brings up a young chocolate brown pomeranian who peers curiously at the screen.]

This is Kiwi. And not one word about the name. It's perfect, just like she is. [Yeah, he totally was the one who named her that.] Say hi to Luvander, Kiwi. [He waves cheerfully at Lavrenty with one of the dog's front paws.]
Edited 2018-01-31 21:36 (UTC)
lienhearts: ([Annoyed] And all my)

[personal profile] lienhearts 2018-01-31 09:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ew gross.]

You're coming on strong.

Like, really strong.
theveilisin: (Just trying to liven up the place)

[personal profile] theveilisin 2018-01-31 09:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[Oh no it's cute.

Well, the dog is cute too, but especially this ridiculous young man showing off his dog to him with such obvious pride. That's the cutest part. Lavrenty hides a smile behind his hand, which is not terribly effective as a tactic, and possibly not meant to be either.]


It's a great pleasure to meet you, Kiwi. [Inclining his head politely like a true gentleman! Because he's not some kind of heathen who is impolite to dogs.] It's a perfectly lovely name for a dog, but a somewhat questionable name for a person.

...Though then again, an old comrade of mine named her child, "Burn". [America why.] She always liked fire.
doesntdiscriminate: (Look up!)

[personal profile] doesntdiscriminate 2018-01-31 10:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[Kiwi tilts her head at the phone and then proceeds to lick Sabo's chin. Presumably this is really meant for Lavrenty and, since this cannot be done over a screen, is pretty much the doggy equivalent of blowing a kiss. At least that is how Sabo decides to interpret it.

He valiantly and with a great show a maturity ignored Lavrenty's poorly concealed amusement though in all honestly, it could just as well be because he gets too distracted by what Lavrenty's saying next. He blinks. Opens his mouth and then closes it again. He takes a deep breath and then tires again.]


Burn? Seriously? If this is actually true and not just you pulling my leg, [Because he absolutely wouldn't put that past him.] Then you have some real interesting friends. And I might feel just a little bit sorry for their kid, no offense. [Well, maybe a little bit of offense because that can't be an easy name to grow up with.]
theveilisin: (The veil is in)

[personal profile] theveilisin 2018-01-31 10:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Alas, I regret to inform you that I'm serious. [Even so, there's a fond tilt to his lips as he speaks.] Cass was always a bit odd. And at least as far as I can tell, her kid rather likes the name, so there's that.

[Although honestly he doesn't feel that a child of Cass' needs any extra encouragement when it comes to eventually turning into a full-fledged pyromaniac. But maybe that's just him.

He pauses slightly, looking on in amusement as the tiny fluffball attempts to polish her owner's entire face, before deciding to actually approach what's on his mind.]


You know, when you said things have been normal until now... did you perhaps mean our unusual celestial conditions as well? [Pretentious twat.]
doesntdiscriminate: (Conversations)

[personal profile] doesntdiscriminate 2018-01-31 11:37 pm (UTC)(link)
There is that.

[There are some more strange camera angles and sounds as Sabo moves around to find a position where he can comfortably hold the phone while still giving his dog the love and affection she deserves. Luckily she's rather tired at the moment and therefore pretty content to lie cuddled up to him, as long as she gets some nice scratches and the opportunity to lick at his hand now and then.]

You mean the "eclipse" that's been going on? [He may not have any hands free to add any air quotes this time but they're still pretty audible on their own.] Or the laser tag festival we're apparently having?