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

[A little crazy was healthy, anyway.]

Huh. Look at that. I think it likes you. [She drawls sarcastically, shoving gloved hands in her jacket pockets.]

So, what's the dome done to you, today? Or this a hobby of yours?

Just don't like being told what to do.

[Nis spit on the ground, snarling at the spikes like he could intimidate it down. Usually worked with like, people. Didn't work with inanimate(quasi-animate?) objects as well. Go figure.]

Though I guess it's kinda a hobby, too. I like smashing shit up. This thing is a tough customer, though.

'Course it is. It's you and a little tire iron against a several-mile-wide dome. You're gonna need a bigger plan.

Not that I'd bet anything'd work. The dome'll shove off on its own in a few weeks. Probably. These things usually do. No sense in scorin' an ER visit over it.

[He scoffs, blowing his hair out of his face for a moment.]

I ain't goin' to the ER, don't worry about it. Ain't got that kinda money.

[He slings the tire iron over his shoulder, grabbing at the other end with his free hand.]

Probably just end up in some shady back alley gig, gettin' my organs harvested to pay my bills, yeah? Not that any of mine would be worth anything.

[The dome, apparently deciding the threat has passed, slowly retracts its spikes. Freya gives it an amused glance. On a whim, she stoops down to gather snow.]

'specially not after you scare off your would-be buyers, goin' on about the dangers of the big scary dome. This is obviously some freak eclipse, don't you know?

[Freya half-heartedly chucks her snowball at the dome, earning tiny blue sparks on the contact site.]

I've never been accused of being a credible source, ya' know?

[After all, he was a notorious drunken brawler at best. Scruffy, clad in leather and with an eyepatch, he never pretended he was trustworthy. He regards the chucked snowball, watching as the dome gives off some sparks. At least it didn't seem to reach out and zap the girl, right? So, range works.]

And you're what? Cool with all of this? It ain't even like I got anywhere to be, it just makes me crazy feeling like I'm trapped.

[Freya remains quiet for a moment, propping a hand on her hip and staring at the dome as she considered the question.]

Yeah, guess so. Don't you get me wrong; I miss the sun and the stars, and if hittin' a wall would get them back, I would. But you've got to pick your fights, you know?

[She tilts her head, looking back at Nic.] And the dome's not bad, compared to the other BS. Not that you'd believe me yet if I told you why.

[Nic gives a grumbling sigh at that. Yeah, he's gotta pick his fights alright. Problem is, he's picked 'all of them' and that was kind of a principle of his. Let no fight go unfought! Really though, he thinks this one is a loss. Didn't mean he didn't make an attempt though.]

It just makes me anxious, is all.

[He pressed his lips together as he stared the woman down with his one remaining eye.]

Yeah, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say whatever you'd tell me I'd call bullshit on, but you know? Whatever, right? Fuckin got a huge dome over this damn city n everyone thinkin' it's some kinda damn eclipse, I dunno what the fuck is going on.

Probably never did. Ain't nothin' new. So. Whaddya propose, we just... sit this out? Wait for it to pass, like some kinda flu?

Don't blame you. The dome might not be a hazard on its own, but it's not exactly natural, bein' caged in with no light like this.

[Freya shrugs.] But, you've got it. These kinda things tend to pass at the end of the month. Pretty rare that they don't. Then we get a couple relatively free days before some other pain in the ass plagues the city.

[It really bothered him, honestly. On some primal level, Nic was feeling trapped and anxious. He didn't even want to leave, really, he just wanted the option to be available if he so chose.]

I gotta live a whole month like this...? God. I'm gonna need to keep myself fucked up all month or I'll lose my damn mind.

How come I ain't notice anything like this before...? [He had been from here, after all. Nothing like this ever happened as far as he knows. How confusing.]

There's a lot like that. There's probably an app on your phone that you didn't download, yeah? I still don't know what havin' that has to do with realizing this isn't normal, but that's how Retrospec works.

[Freya removes her hands from her purpose for the sole effect of a sarcastic jazz hands.] Everyone without the app goes about their drone-like lives thinkin' life's wonderful and great and normal. And if you've been in the city for the last year? You've been through dog-sized pet bugs and a stint as four inches tall and monster attacks and not noticed a damn thing.

I mean, MAYBE. It's not like I look at my phone... often...

[It might be a burner. Or maybe he just hated to talk on the phone and/or he had debt issues. Not a big deal, right? He hardly paid attention to what apps he DID download.]

Yeah okay. You did say I probably wouldn't believe you so you definitely realize how nuts that sounds, right? You sayin' there's an app for Insight??? Sounds like a load o' bull, but I mean hey. Whatever. I could just be tripping right now. Maybe you ain't even real. Maybe the dome ain't either, and I'm just wailing on the side of a brick building or somethin' somewhere.

[That sounded unlikely but he wouldn't write it off. IT sounded more likely than having an app that made him suddenly able to notice crazy stuff going on around him that he had simply not noticed for the past year.]

[She saunters closer to his bike as Nic talks, looking the vehicle over.]

Right, right. 'Course it sounds crazy. Guess there's no way to prove it if you're convinced you're on something. No way to prove it at all.

[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?

JANUARY 2018 TDM

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