repeter | JANUARY 2018 TDM

Entry tags:

! tdm

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

II.

[ Call for help, not likely. Andrew has his flashlight out, eyes narrowed at the vine before he takes out his extendable baton and systematically starts to alternate hitting and stabbing the thing until it lets him go.

Let's say that between 'fight' and 'flight,' Andrew doesn't go for flight.

Eventually, he squints down the tunnel. ]

Hello? Anybody there?

IV.

Huh.

[ Andrew was finishing this and that up for the day when the movies started, so it has taken him a bit before he focuses his attention up. But now he leans a hip and shoulder against a wall and looks up. ]

I always liked this one.

Wildcard.

[ Andrew is not a police officer or anything of the kind, but his job is a bouncer, which is kind of like keeping things in order and at least remotely civil, so he doesn't back off or pretend he didn't hear the noises from the alleyway. ]

Hey! You were asked to let go, got any trouble hearing?

ooc: Or start something else! AU workshop thread here.

Edited 2018-01-18 20:57 (UTC)

[Genesis, being just a book doctor, was not quite so fortunate as to have an extendable baton. Well, he had his books, but those were currently in his messenger bag that was laying somewhere off to the side after his initial fall. He did hear someone call out, though, and seized that moment while he was only being dragged and not eaten by whatever had him.]

Yes, I'm here! I need some help!

[He twisted around to try and grab something, anything, to stop the thing dragging him to wherever. He grunted and winced, feeling his knees and elbows scrap along the ground as he tried.]

Hey, what are you doing he--

Never mind, I'm guessing you followed the lights, just like I did.

[ He could recognize that voice easily, and it was better to keep on talking as he ran the rest of the way to Genesis.

Baton applied to the vine, repeat. He's kicking it with a booted foot, too, while he gives the beating a rest to try and pull the other man free. ]

Are you hurt?

[The near sudden release has him landing on his backside, but at least his foot his free. He groans lightly, rolling his ankle. Sore, but likely uninjured. His skinned knees were another story but it could have been worse. He sighed heavily and moved to get up and grab his bag.]

Just my pride. You know me, I like shiny things.

[ Andrew hums, and takes a stance with his arms crossed in front of his body, flashlight to the ground and baton at the ready. ]

You up for going just a bit further, to see if anyone else needs help? Or would you rather head back up ASAP?

I don’t exactly have a means to defend myself, Andy.

[So that would be a no. Besides, he hadn’t heard anyone else when he came down here.]

Unlike you, I’m just a humble book doctor.

All right, stay close to me.

[ He can do the defending. But nearly-panicking Genesis is not going to be a good call in the darkness. He starts in the direction that has the surface slanting ever so slightly up and keeps his voice down. ]

Nothing wrong with what you are and do, all right? That's the point of having some people highly trained - everyone else can rely on us.

Besides, it's not like you'd expect this kind of thing to happen regularly. or at all.

You’re not a cop, Andy.

[He appreciates the sentiment, but he doesn’t like to be reminded that out of all his friends, he didn’t join the army and thus, didn’t have much of the way on combat training aside from his days in learning self-defense. And martial arts aren’t really useful here.]

I’ll be fine.

No, I'm not.

[ If he were, he'd not be here alone - there'd be squads of backup, floodlights, and he'd be able to keep on going and see what happened...

... or he'd be stuck in an office pushing paper as all this was happening. No use wasting time dreaming. ]

Not that I expect you to know how things are down here normally, but let me know if you see or hear or feel or smell something weird?

Aside from the vines that want to eat us? Sure.

[He shoved his hands into his pockets after straightening the strap of his messenger bag. He should be back at the shop anyway, restoring the books that he needed to get to and organize the new books that had been donated. He shouldn't be down here, investigating weird things as though he knew how to fight back.]

So, what have you been up to? You actually enjoy being a bouncer?

What if they weren't trying to eat us? What if they wanted to show us something?

[ It wasn't an argument to try to get them to turn back, he knew quite well that Gen had a point about the whole getting out, but he didn't point another option that was maybe less horrible, it'd feel strange.

He almost looks back towards his friend, though he keeps his eyes on the road. Barely. ]

Well, there are upsides. Like making sure people who behave like asses get shown outside and not let in.

[ And anyone who ever knew Andrew would know how that was likely a big plus. ]

I've read enough novels to not want to consider those "what ifs", Andy.

[There's a reason he stays away from the horror genre of, well, anything. It's not that he'll jump or cling or anything of the sort. He just has an imagination and the last thing he wants is the stress of paranoia to things that might go bump in the night.]

Sounds like an annoying thing to do every night, to be quite honest. I give you kudos for putting up with it.

Edited 2018-01-22 04:34 (UTC)

Really? None of those novels reward finding out what's really happening? That doesn't sound very imaginative.

[ Zack will ask later, 'aren't you curious?' Andrew doesn't put it in quite those terms but... Yes. He's very curious. Not knowing the truth sits wrong with him, even if the truth may turn out to be less than pleasant. Or the opposite of it.

But he sighs, and gives a small hum. Walks a little in silence, then, so, so quietly, a question that might not ever get asked outside of the echoing darkness. ]

What would you have me do?

Angeal Hewley | Final Fantasy VII - Crisis Core | AKA Andrew G. Hughes

II - AU Workshop to come...

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

iv

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject