repeter | 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

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She leans over the side of her chair to look at him -- hey man, isn't it cold down there? There's still some slight snow and stuff crusting the grass...]

Well, I wouldn't be so quick to be negative! I'm sure there's plenty of good reasons why there could be a giant dome over the city.

[Please don't ask her to list any.]

But I've been trying to call my family all day, and I can't even get through to them. Like the signal is being blocked or something...

My therapist told me the same thing. "Don't be so fatalistic." Sorry, Doc, but I'm pretty sure I just realized we're living in a simulation or something.

[The cold ground is actually kind of refreshing. Somehow, he's managed to overheat himself, even in this weather.]

List the good reasons. Go ahead.

....The government is protecting us from an alien invasion.

We, uh... are all secretly super heroes and our powers are about to finally emerge and they have to protect the rest of the world from the ensuing damage from us all trying to figure out how to control them.

[sh....rug.....?]

Honestly, I have no idea.

At least it turns out I'm not the only one that noticed.

And here I thought I'd die alone.

[Shintaro what are you doing]

Even if something fishy is going on, we shouldn't jump to death so fast...!

[She doesn't want to die, Shintaro...]

But yeah, I agree, it's nice to finally see someone else that actually finds a problem with this whole situation. But that begs the question, why are we able to tell it's weird and everyone else isn't...?

Our brains operate on a specific frequency that makes us immune to the aliens' mind control.

[Looks over at her.]

They're probably going to dissect us.

I-I don't wanna be dissected! I have too much left to do with my life!

[Foiled by her own aliens suggestion...]

Maybe together we'll be able to fight the aliens instead. Save the world!

...Do I look like I'm in any condition to save the world?

[On the ground, looking like a corpse. He sits up though. Eventually.]

You make a better anime protagonist than I do.

Don't discount yourself so quickly! I'm sure you're perfectly capable of being a good protagonist.

[This is a silly conversation, but it helps with distracting from the worries about the dome.]

We can be a duo, have cool superhero names. It'll be great!

This is the first time I've been outside in six months.

[Waves his hand.]

I'll pass.

[. . .]

And I know "Pathetic guy with no skills to speak of" is more or less the most common protagonist trope––it's pretty unrealistic. Like those guys that are the protags of harem anime...No girl would ever have any interest in a guy like that.

[. . . . . .]

Not to mention you met me, what, five minutes ago?

[Oh, ouch. That's a long time.]

I'm not gonna say you're wrong about that as far as anime goes, but I highly doubt you have no skills to speak of -- even if we've only known each other like, five minutes. And really, as the only other person who can apparently realize that a giant dome is a weird thing, I feel inclined to want to work together.

...Though I don't even know your name yet, do I?

Shintaro Kisaragi.

[Sigh. This is more than he bargained for today, for sure.]

I don't go to the university.

If that wasn't apparent.

By the six months spent inside.

Manami Wells -- Mana. Nice to meet you, Shintaro.

[She offers him a welcoming smile.]

Well, you could've been doing online classes for all I knew. What brings you to campus today, then?

Figure it out yourself, Protag.

[ . . . ]

It's nice to meet you.

I guess...

[Okay, he's getting cold, so he stands up and brushes the snow off of his jacket.]

It doesn't seem fair to you to make random guesses about the state of your life, Shintaro.

[Especially since it was probably some element of disciplinary action, if she had to wager a guess?]

Especially when we could be watching the ever riveting adventures of Kentucky Smith.

Guess you'll never know, then.

[He gives her a Look, muttering something like "what is with you"?]

Wouldn't you rather watch movies inside? [Huff.]

It's cold.

JANUARY 2018 TDM

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