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

[Ai has been trying to get into the foster care system for a while. Saving up the money and convincing the officials that she was a good fit had been tiring. Considering the apathy she felt towards most things, it was a surprise she managed to make it this far.

That didn't mean she expected Luna today. She opened the door and--] Hello?

[Is that her new foster kid? She thinks so (she looks pretty much like the picture she was given, after all) but... Why was she here alone? Well. Maybe that didn't matter.]

My. You showed up quickly.

[At least she didn't show up in her kitchen. That would have given her some concern.] Mmm...Luna, right?

[In case this is someone else. Not that she thinks it is but you can never tell.]

Hey.

[Okay, she looked like the picture Luna had seen. Right. othing to worry about here, right?]

Yeaaaah...I'm kinda early. [She grinned that friendly if always slightly sly grin of hers.] Snuck a look at my paperwork to get your address and I figured this'd be better than some weird awkward 'meet and greet' thing with my social worker hovering over us.

[She leaned a bit to the side to look past her.]

So, can I come in?

[She rubbed the back of her neck underneath her hair. This? This could be a troublesome kid if she took the time to do this. Ai's relatively quiet life would be turned upside down with a child like this.]

So you did. [Which is exactly while there's actual warmth in the small smile she gives.] That wasn't a bad idea, honestly. Third parties always makes things awkward.

[She steps aside.] Of course you can.

[It's not a big house by any stretch. Even with savings and some reluctant help from her family, Ai's jobs couldn't afford that. It was, though, big enough to fulfill the foster requirements. Two bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms, a living room with the small kitchen attached...Nothing too fancy.

The front door opened onto the living room. It's clean, at least, with a tiny heater in the corner. Some scattered pictures of old acquaintances and some star students on a side table. The most unusual thing, though, is a piano in a space that clearly was built for a bookshelf.]

Take a seat. Do you want something to drink?

[Luna looked around eagerly as she stepped inside, taking it all in...it was nice enough, really. She'd stayed in way worse, at least. She shifted her backpack on her shoulders as she moved further in, looking from one thing to the next as she moved through the living room.]

Nice place. And sure, soda if you have any.

[She said. She didn't sit down though, instead walking along to look at the shelves, then tapping a couple keys on the piano, then pausing at the pictures of the kids on the table.]

...They yours?

[She didn't seem old enough...]

Edited 2018-01-22 16:52 (UTC)

Thank you. [If nothing else, she likes keeping the place tidy for her students. She's not a big fan of sugary drinks herself but, well. When children come to your house once in a while it's a nice little treat.] I'll get you one--will cola be fine?

[The question about the pictures gets a small laugh out of Ai. She definitely wasn't old enough for some of them.] I'm a piano teacher. Sometimes parents let me keep pictures of students--most of those were taken during competitions.

Yeah, sure.

[If this worked out she'd probably learn what a terrible idea it was to give sugar to Luna, but that was a disaster for later on.]

Oh, that's cool. Never actually stayed with a music teacher. [Hm.] Stayed with a geometry teacher once, she was really dull.

[She giggled as she swung her backpack off her shoulder and set it down on the edge of the couch. ...Did it just meow faintly in protest at that?]

[She probably would but that was a problem for another day. Luna seemed like she was going to be a handful even on a good day. Ai honestly couldn't wait. She ducks into the kitchen, grabbing a can from the fridge before handing it to her.]

I don't really teach in a school, maybe that's the difference? [Though at the mention she gives a small conspiratorial smile.] Geometry, though. That's a dull subject to begin with so of course living with someone like that would be boring.

[She's about to say more when she hears it. There's a small twitch of her eyebrow at that. Oh, a cat...]

What do you have there, hm? [She's going over to that bag. Sorry, Luna.]

Yeah. She wasn't great for...other reasons either, but eh, whatever.

[Luna takes the soda with a muttered thanks and pops the can open, then freezes up as Ai notices the meow. Well crap.]

Uh...

[The bag is easy enough to open, and inside there's a five month old black and white cat half-buried under a sweater, peering up and out of the bag. She looks a but unhappy at the jostling she just got being put down.]

...My cat?

I see.

[She's not going to pry. If Luna wants to tell her later then she can. If not, well. That's fine, too. Ai was going to ignore the bag until she heard that noise. If she hadn't been a music teacher she might have missed the soft noise.

As it was, though, she looks at the cat. Ai hadn't known Luna even had a cat--something she wonders if her rep knew that. She was more of a dog person and a cat....]

Well. [With a gentle finger she brushes the kitten, trying not to get scratched.] I suppose it's a good thing that one of my students is the son of a vet. I might be able to get a discount on cat food.

[So she's getting two kids for the price of one. Things were definitely getting interesting already.]

[The kitten's wary, pulling her head back a bit, but when the fingers seem safe enough she'll let herself be scritched, though she keeps watching this stranger.]

[Which Luna is pretty much doing too.]

...So you don't mind? [Bringing the cat might've been a little bit of a test.] Place I'm at now does, she's been staying with a friend but that can't really last so...

[So Luna has been trying to figure out what to do.]

...It's definitely not something I was expecting and I'l be honest that I would have rather been warned. [She lets the kitten sniff her and when it seems safe she gives her a few gentle scritches.] That said, I've had cats before.

[...If only because an ex left their's behind. That had annoyed her more than this.] I think you can tell your friend that they won't have to worry about this one anymore.

[There's a shake of her head.] Things really are going to be more lively with you around. [Does she mean Luna or the cat?]

Eh, been kinda keeping her a half-secret. My current foster folks might've freaked out about her, they're kinda...controlly.

[Which is not a word, Luna. The kitten seems to be content to be scratched, though she eventually starts to squirm her way out from under the sweater, half-climbing Ai's arm as she goes.]

Weeeeeell. [Luna grinned impishly.] I can at least promise to not be boring!

[That is a definite understatement. Then she takes a sip of her soda and resumes a bit of wandering, peering at various shelves and things. Not quite snooping but close.]

Can't say I blame you, though. [If she had more ambition when she was younger she would have tried a similar thing. Just to see what would happen. Though, she's trying to move herself so the kitten can grab her own long-sleeve shirt and not skin.]

Then I think we'll get along just fine. [She can deal with difficult. Boring? Well, that would have been annoying. Ai is trying to wrangle with the kitten still so she doesn't pay attention.

There are various books and DVD/Blu-rays on the shelf. There might be one or two piano books or concerts on DVD. That's to be expected, really. The subject of the fictional movies and books might not, if Luna recognizes the titles. There are Recolle versions of Stephen King, Ray Bradbury... The DVDs contain some horror classics as well as sci-fi. (Not to mention a boxed set of the Recolle!Matrix.)

...What. She likes the thrill. When you have an apathy problem you have to get your kicks somewhere.]

[The kitten does successfully grab a sleeve and hangs on whenever Ai lifts her arm out of the bag, at least long enough to flop out of it and roll gracelessly onto the couch with a startled little mew.]

Man, you really like horror stuff, huh?

[Luna said as she read the titles of the books.]

Horror and...space? Guess that kinda makes sense... [SHe takes a sip of her soda and then spins around suddenly to face her.]

So, you got a room I get to stay in? They kinda frown on it if you're planning to stuff me under the stairs or something.

[That... that is adorable. She lets the cat go. As long as she doesn't start running that should work just nicely.]

What can I say? [Hey, at least she doesn't have anything too gory. Just. Suspenseful. She couldn't have the really painful stuff in the front room. Some of that stuff doesn't have any blood--

Wow. THat kid is fast.] Of course. This way.

[Kitty can run free. She moves to the small hallway to the second bedroom which is... Plain.] I had to remove the stairs just for you.

[She can joke, too. It's obviously been used as a guest bedroom/office in the past judging by the basic furnishings plus desk in a corner.] Once you move in we can modify things, of course.

[The kitten sets off to explore the living room as Luna follows her down the hallway to the room, leaning in to peer around the edge of the doorway into it as Ai shows it to her.]

Huh.

[She was not used to comments like that, honestly, and looks up at her, eyes a bit wide.]

What, you mean you'd change stuff if I wanted to change it?

[She sounds genuinely surprised, which is a hard thing to do with Luna outside of insane retrospec stuff.]

[She just hopes she doesn't ruin the piano. That, despite her feelings on it, was valuable. ....but a few wrong notes due to a kitten might be alright.]

Yes. Well, within reason. The color of the walls, the kind of sheets... things like that shouldn't be too bad.

[It might take a bit and some juggling but Ai does mean it. Becoming a foster parent was something that those who knew her probably didn't think she could do. It meant she was making a decision in her life for once and, well.

It was different.] Before I forget--since you did bring the kitten in, you'll have to take care of it's litter. I'll buy it but you'll have to change it.

[That's at least fair, right?]

...Huh.

[There was still clear surprise in that word, and she didn't say anything else just then, instead slipping past her into the room to look around it, a bit of a slow circle.]

Yeah. Okay.

[It was hard to say who, or what, she was saying that to, but she said it with a kind of definitive edge, at least.]

[The cat statement seemed to yank her from her thoughtfulness, and she just grinned and shrugged.]

Oh, that's cool, I don't mind. Used to crummy chores anyway.

[Apparently summoned by their discussion, the kitten suddenly prowled past Ai and into the room to look around as well, pausing near Luna's feet.]

[Somehow, it feels good to be the one surprising people for once.]

I think it's only fair. [She won't ask Luna to do many chores. Ai's already used to keeping herself immensely busy to drive away the boredom but changing a cat's litter box... Well. That builds responsibility, right? Then...]

Speaking of. What's her name?

I mean, I am gracing you with my wonderful presence, but I guess I can do a little extra.

[She snickered at her own joke, then glanced down at the kitten, who had plopped down on the floor by her foot.]

Shadow. Because she's always doing this.

[Hovering by Luna's ankles, following her around, etc.]

I'm honored, truly.

[That laugh of Ai's is truly genuine this time.]

It's a good name. She does follows you around like one.

As you should be.

[Luna gave a solemn nod before looking down at the kitten again.]

It's how she adopted me. She started living outside my window and wouldn't leave.

[There's a light laugh to her voice as she looks down at Shadow.]

So, she just showed up one day out of the blue? Sounds like someone else I know.

[Luna giggled softly.]

If you think that's the first time I've been compared to a stray cat you are really wrong, I'm afraid.

[She turned, walking as she talked, just a slow circle around the little bedroom.]

Oh! So I have a sister. Two of them, actually, but they're both kinda...Mm. Broke? Is why I'm still stuck in the system.

So you'd have to meet them. Or at least Lucy, she's...a little overprotective.

[Apparently the stray cat has a stray older sister cat too...]

I'm not that surprised, really.

[Luna does seem to be a bit of a stray, after all. ...She hadn't heard about any siblings, though.]

Well. I suppose I will, then. We wouldn't want her thinking I'm some kind of monster or anything.

JANUARY 2018 TDM

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)