JANUARY 2018 TDM

[recollecters]

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!

Comments

[compendiem]

[ Snapping Usopp's neck would definitely be a very bad thing, so Minato makes to get as close as he can, climbing as high as he can to hook his arm with Usopp's to take some of that weight while still leaving both his hands free to hold the vine steady and cut through it.

Maybe he should have thought this through, because when the vine gives, they have absolutely nothing to hang onto and save themselves from a 10 foot free fall. ]

[liarboo]

[Usopp would much rather drop 10 feet than have his neck snapped so that was okay with him. He hits the ground on his back, the air expelling from him in a loud "WHOOF!"

The vines that weren't cut apart retreat, but it's unclear if they'd try to come back for them. However, all Usopp cares about his gasping for air, tongue hanging out.]

[compendiem]

[ Minato crashes somewhere nearby, on his side and only semi-successfully rolling into the fall before he climbs to his feet. There is always time to breathe later; vines are not that considerate and Minato knows this, getting up the moment he can and grabbing Usopp's arm to haul him up too.

On your feet. We have to move. ]

[liarboo]

[He wheezes in protest as he's forced up, but he stumbles along with Minato nonetheless. As they run, his wheezes take on a quality of trying to say, or ask, the stranger something but it just can't seem to get out just yet.]

Yah-- yah--!

[compendiem]

[ Minato ignores these weird noises until they're closer towards the subway entrance and he can see the light in the little space there is before the stairs back above ground. His own breathing is sort of labored, but not to wheezing point yet, though he can feel his chest tightening with each step. ]

[liarboo]

[He follows him blindly, assuming this stranger knows the city's routes better than he does. His own breathing finally starts to even out, despite his still smarting ribs and back, but it allows him to finally gasp out:]

Your elbow...!

[compendiem]

[ His... elbow...?

Minato looks down at his elbow, expecting it to be bleeding or maybe the bone jutting out, but it's fine and no reason for concern, so he

links arms with Usopp, I guess. Sure, he can give his elbow in support to help him walk. ]

[liarboo]

[Uh, that wasn't what he was trying to say, but he has to admit, it helps a little at the moment.]

N-no--I mean, thanks, but your elbow. [Beat.] When you aim. [A cough.] Don't twist it!

[compendiem]

[ That makes no sense, and then full sense when he realizes that Usopp is talking about archery as the greater context of things. ]

Oh. Yeah, that's sort of a bad habit. From trying to avoid string slap, I guess.

[ He's wearing long sleeves right now, but when he'd first started, his inner arm would be layered with bruises. ]

[liarboo]

[He had more to say on this subject, both because he had been scared of being hit by an arrow and because it was easier to think about shooting arrows than monster vines right now.]

Where are we going...??

[He rasps out, looking over his shoulder in case anything was following.]

[compendiem]

Uh.

[ He stops short, right in the middle of the path. The entire reason he was here was to play vigilante for those who had wandered into the subway and don't want to get strangled, but apart from that, he hasn't been paying much attention to where he's going. ]

To find an exit...? Maybe.

[ Uncertain. But more certain: subways have multiple exits, and they'll probably be able to find one that isn't blocked off, as long as they wander long enough. ]

[liarboo]

You're kidding me...

[This guy drags him deeper into the den of the beast with no plan?? He looks around quickly and spots some scaffolding up with boards covering up whatever construction was going on there. Probably the most obvious place to hide, but he needs to catch his damn breath and maybe close his eyes and try to wake up from this nightmare. He tugs on Minato's elbow that was still hooked with his, forcing him over toward it.]

Here!