SEPTEMBER TDM

[recollecters]

TEST DRIVE

SEPTEMBER TEST DRIVE - EVENT AND FOURTH WALL EDITION The city of Recollé... ...or, at least, a good mimicry of the city. It's been a few weeks since you've found yourself in this digitized version of your beloved city. You've found yourself surrounded by NPC versions of your friends and family who aren't a part of the Retrospec project, you've encountered strange and new places, and the viruses continue to appear despite the fight you've put up. On the evening of the 17th, things change again. No matter where you are, Alphas and Betas will hear the sound of loud clacking, something similar to fingers typing frantically on a keyboard. The dial-up sound rings out, echoing off of buildings and in your ears as a bright blue flash of code scrolls before your eyes. Perhaps it doesn't make sense, but your handheld device might help. It beeps to alert you of a new message, screen lighting up as a navigation app appears and seems to stick. It appears to be an ordinary app like Google Maps or Waze, but the destination is pre-installed and your feet begin to move on their own accord. I. - IN-GAME CHARACTERS ONLY If you're strong enough, you might be able to break free of the mysterious hold that's dragging you across the city and out toward the outskirts of Tisse. It's hard to locate the source of the pull, but everyone will find that as they traverse the city they're all heading in one direction. The navigation app cheerfully blurts out instructions as your body operates on auto-pilot, causing you to stumble through the city and the other districts. You'll find yourself colliding into another user, soon walking in front or behind them as everyone around you begins to form one solid line. The human chain forms steadily and…aren't you lucky? You get to hold hands! Single file, everyone. Maybe you lucked out and you're holding hands with a friend. If you're stuck between two strangers, well, maybe that's a little awkward but the chain is impossible to break. You continue to move. Locked hand in hand with every user in the city, you'll have to help each other navigate, avoid obstacles, and make sure you don't lag behind. Viruses linger and will follow this mass of people, snapping at your heels and attempting to devour anything nearby. Can you fight without your hands? It may be time to find out. The night sky is a bit cloudy and your only source of light is the moon and the glow of lights on buildings you pass by in all districts. The walk shouldn't take you long, but as you venture further away from the center of the city the sun begins to rise and obscures your vision a bit. Has time sped up? Or are you simply walking further than you thought? What an interesting question. II-A. - IN-GAME CHARACTERS ONLY The navigation app leads the group through a long, winding journey that ends just beyond the furthest point of Tisse as the day breaks. As the app chimes, the air before you shimmers as a glass-walled building materializes. Unlike the other buildings in the city, it appears to be solid and smooth, lacking the pixelated quality a majority of the city has by now. The human chain breaks and you let go of your neighbor. You're now free to explore this place. Stepping inside, you find rows and rows of glass cases and chambers off to the sides and in stacks. Accommodated with work stations and instruction manuals, you may find yourself drawn to these computers before the empty cases. While the manuals appear old and frayed, there are instructions one can follow to create the person of their dreams. Are you looking for someone athletic? Simply change the input for a higher muscle mass than your average model. What about someone funny? Copy and paste some knock-knock jokes to embed in their code. It's easy to create anything you desire. The book allows for anything, even those who aren't exactly human. As you code and build, the glass cases and chambers begin to fog up, smoke whirling around inside as something begins to grow and take shape. Be careful! You may have a clear vision in mind of what you wish to create, but the programming may have other ideas… …for those who don't wish to experiment for themselves, or those who are strong enough to shake off those urges, there are several other floors to explore. Unlike the cases downstairs, these ones are occupied and filled with finished models pre-labeled "Projected Example" or "Reboot". Perhaps these faces are familiar to you, or they're someone who looks interesting. A lost friend. Someone from your memories. Someone who you feel doesn't belong encased in glass at all. The possibilities seem endless when it comes to who you'll find inside, but as you continue to stare at the case before you…the glass cracks. II-B. - TDM/FOURTH WALL CHARACTERS. Where are you? The last thing you remember was a wavering, dizzy spell that forced your eyes closed as you fell unconscious. Upon awakening the glass walls around you are stifling and thick, white and blue smoke dances around your ankles as you blink away black spots impeding your vision. Trapped inside a glass case held behind glass walls, it becomes clear that you aren't where you're supposed to be. Any items you had on your person are missing and the palm of your hand burns intensely for ten seconds as a black tattoo forms. Branded as either a "Projected Example" or "Reboot", it isn't easy to understand what these terms mean. Perhaps that isn't what's important though. Rather, what's important is breaking your way out of this glass case and figuring out where you are. Shadowed figures can be seen walking the hallways just outside your case, sometimes alone or sometimes with a friend. It's hard to make out any of their features, but you can hear the muffled words being said. It's only when someone is close to your case that you find your strength. The glass begins to spider crack under the pressure of your hand, allowing you to push and punch as much as necessary to break free. There's no shame in needing assistance, of course. Some cases are thicker than others, and as the glass begins to crack it becomes easier to be heard by those outside of your case. How will you escape? Who will you find on the other side of the glass? It's a mystery and one that will not be answered until you free yourself of your enclosure. Breaking free is easy if you try and it gives you a full range of motion. The glass won't harm you, but sparkles adorn your skin as the sunlight shines through the windows around you. You're free to explore the floors of the building and check out the other glass cases nearby. Perhaps you'll even lend a hand and help others who are trapped. How did you all get here? That's yet another mystery that doesn't seem to have an answer, but more importantly…how do you get out of the building? This place is huge. III. - OTA Lucky for you, this building seems to be a safe haven from the crazy world outside. Though several stories tall and filled with cases and equipment as far as the eye can see, nothing strange seems to be happening and navigating the building is almost a pleasant experience. The glass walls allow for plenty of late-summer sunshine to filter in, giving you and everyone you're with a path to follow. This path, however, won't lead you to the front door. The front exit no longer exists and any attempts to reroute to it will send citizens on their way through the halls of the building again. Several doors and laboratories are found on the journey though you may not enter. Labeled areas such as "memory restoration", "accounting", "legal" and "resources", these areas are scattered and just beyond your reach. As you venture through the building and exit out the back door, the sound of music hits you full-force. Bright lights, thick grass and the sounds of children laughing await you. The grounds are vast and empty of other people. While the area is large and sprawling, it's evident that several iconic pieces of this area are missing. A large sign hangs overhead, greeting you and welcoming you to Rainbowland. Complete with a carousel, children's rides such as spinning tea cups, bumper cars, the hurricane and the octopus, and a midway full of games, this amusement park looks like the perfect place to spend an afternoon. Along with the usual set-up, Rainbowland is host to a special event for the next week. Scattered throughout the grounds are banners and stalls proudly proclaiming "WELCOME TO RETROSPEC." Carnival food of all kinds can be found at these stalls with the Retrospec logo plastered on the side. Eat these foods at your own risk! Sweets will grant consumers super-speed, meats such as hot dogs and burgers kick in a boost of super-strength, fried foods will cause a consumer to move in slow motion and drinks may cause temporary invisibility. Weird, right? The midway has a few strange surprises as well. While most games are easy to play (and free at that, why isn't anyone around to take tickets from park visitors?), there are certain games set up by Retrospec themselves that have equally strange prizes. Stuffed animals of a variety of creatures from other worlds line the shelves (some you may or may not recognize), along with glass dolls of you and people you know. The likeness of these prizes is a little too spot-on; dolls will spout a common catch-phrase and stuffed animals will feel as though they are breathing. Finally, in addition to the Rainbowland rides, Retrospec has provided a wooden roller coaster and a large ferris wheel, both branded with their logo. For those who wish to feel the rush, the roller coaster reaches speeds of up to 60 miles per hour and comes with several hills and one full upside-down loop. Riders, however, will experience brief hallucinations after this loop; as the loop completes they'll find themselves seeing visions of a dark, underground river. The hallucination seems within reach almost as if the cart they're in will dive straight into the water. The ride ends with all riders unharmed, however. As for the ferris wheel? It's just a ferris wheel, several stories high with bright blue, encased cars to give riders a bird's eye view of the entire city and protect them inside. As you reach the top, the car will come to a gentle stop and the view from the window will change. Instead of the beloved city of Recollé, the landscape below is different. Perhaps it's a landscape you recognize, or it's an area of a battle-ridden world. Perhaps you see your friend's high school that they've seen in their memories or islands from another life. Every view is different, but by the time you reach the ground again you're back in Recollé. It's a carnival and it's fun, but several things that don't belong to Rainbowland seem off. Those with a keen eye and who have been around for a while may come to realize one important factor; the symbol is drawn inaccurately. The Retrospec symbol is missing a few loops and the particular shade of blue used is too dark to match. A counterfeit Retrospec...is it possible? Maybe it's best just to stick with what Rainbowland itself has to offer. IV. - OTA So maybe carnivals aren't your thing. No matter! You can leave Rainbowland whenever you'd like and make your way back to the city. On the other hand the city and areas around it may not be as you remember it. "Projected Examples" might not recognize this place at all, but "Reboot" will recognize that the pixelation of buildings, the NPC status of people they may know and the glitches that occur aren't normal by any standards. Exploring the city will allow all visitors to ride the trains and visit the various locations Alphas and Betas have access to, create and travel through the digital scape of half-constructed concepts, and they'll find they're even more susceptible to being attacked by bug-like viruses. These viruses will follow newcomers, snapping and biting to try and devour them. Defeating one will generate two more, and while they aren't as prominent in the digital scape you may find yourself with your hands full. There is no way to reach the outside regions of Pesgare, Respatrum, Bosuma and Magatus at this time, but there's plenty in the city to keep you on your toes. Visitors may have to find lodging for the next few weeks whether that's with friends or strangers, but at least all of the buildings remain standing. And if that doesn't keep you busy enough, the NPC citizens of Recollé are happy to provide you with jobs. If you choose to speak to any of these people, they'll go off of their pre-assigned dialogue and provide you with a small quest. "Find ten bananas and deliver them to someone with red hair." "Pet every dog that you see." "Catch three fish from the ocean and sell them to a neighbor." Some of these quests may not even make sense, but they'll be assigned nevertheless. Upon completion of each quest taken on, a triumphant sound will play from overhead and a banner will appear displaying your new title. Deliver those bananas? "Gone Bananas" will flash over your head. How about those fish? "So Long and Thanks For..." will linger for a while. Too bad no one told you those banners won't go away. When you're alone the title will be hidden, but as you speak to more people in the city the banner reappears, hovering over your head for the entire length of the conversation. The titles will change as you complete new tasks, but it appears as though they're permanent now. Congratulations! BONUS. - OTA Everyone will be equip with a handheld device much like a cell phone but downgraded. Containing only a drawing application, the game of Snake, the Retrospec app and the navigation app to lead you back to that glass building, it's...pretty useless. Technology in the city is hit and miss in its pixelated state, but perhaps it's better to ask the Retrospec network what the next step is. While Alphas and Betas are still posting as their A/B IDs, "Projected Examples" and "Reboots" will find that all posts and comments are tagged as their status and their name. Examples and Reboots will also find that a "Welcome to Retrospec" guide pops up, giving them only a brief moment to read the guidelines before a bright flash appears, snapping their photo for their profile and connecting them to someone new on the network. Whether you're sending or receiving messages, a string of colored text, numbers and code will leave or enter your device. These devices also need to be charged constantly, so be careful when taking them out of the house! You'd hate to get cut off at the worst possible moment, wouldn't you? Welcome to the recolle test drive meme, fourth wall event, and September event part two! Please review these instructions for this particular event! As we are combining a few different options here, we want to ensure players know what options are available. Thank you! All characters who are TDMing 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! Since this is a special event, the TDM is tied with a fourth wall event as well! For players who are fourth-walling characters (canon versions, different canon AUs, CRAU, versions from other games, etc), please label your top-level as "Projected Example." Players who are TDMing to app will fall under "Reboot" and we ask that you label your top-level as such! And finally, characters in-game are not required to label their top-levels with anything. This way, it's easier for your gamemates to know who's TDMing, who's just playing around, and who's already in-game. For Prompt III, any characters who choose to ride the ferris wheel will be able to see the landscape of any canonical world once they're at the top. It doesn't matter if they would recognize it or not, but the image will be brief until the car moves again! Likewise, stuffed animals won from the Retrospec midway games can be creatures your character would recognize from their memories or from other canons they may or may not recognize. Use your best judgment! Prompt IV may be used to create new scenarios and threads based on the prompts from Part One of September's Event! Please feel free to read the prompts in event log one and create your own scenarios for your top-levels. Additionally, you are free to make up your own silly/serious fetch-quests and titles that would be rewarded to your characters. While normally we do not allow this, please remember that current players may earn one freebie by threading with someone who is TDMing! This thread must contain 5 consecutive comments from you to be eligible. In addition, all players may use any threads accrued in this event for bonus points. As a special note, we will also allow current players to use a thread from this Fourth Wall/TDM/Event for their AC proofs! As this ties into a game-event, we are making an exception. However, your other proof(s) (at least ten comments) must come from sources outside of this log. Likewise, as this is an event log instead of just a standard TDM, you may use this log to trigger regains as normal. Please note: you will need a reserve to apply, and current characters must have full AC posted at the time of their reservation. Your September TDM directory is here, and your AU workshop is here! Our mod questions thread for this TDM is over here!

Comments

[long_live_the_queen]

I.
[Lucy had given up on trying to dig her heels in or wriggle away ten, fifteen, some...time ago that probably wasn't all that long in actuality. Not having a watch and not being able to get at her phone easily made telling time difficult. It's much easier to tell Lucy's Annoyed, with how her shoulders are all hunched up and she's muttering grumbly things that may or may not be expletives.

Maybe she knows you! In which case all those grumbles are for display only. Maybe she doesn't, and this weird girl with horns(?) and pink hair has been unreasonably cranky the entire time. She had to touch people. This was mortifying.

There's some viruses approaching, though. Lucy doesn't react, though she must have seen them by now.]

III.
[To be honest, she wasn't too big on amusement parks either. But it was a relief to be out of the building full of glass and experiments where her feet moved on their own. And though there were all the garish lights and canned music blaring over the speakers, there weren't the teeming swarms of people around. That was surprisingly nice.

Lucy still found something to scowl at on this particular booth. She ignored the game part—something with pellet guns—and stood in front of the prize shelf, arms crossed.

There was an...it wasn't a creature. Not exactly. Its carapace was made of a smooth metal shell, its "arms" made of some kind of solid mist or aerogel substance instead of a humming resonance. And it was warm to the touch, pulsing to an erratic heartbeat.

Next to it is something else. It doesn't just stop at four legs; there's six, eight, endlessly many and shifting into and out of focus. Their precise number is hard to pin down, but there's always enough to keep the creature upright. Its posture is quite similar to the vehicle next to it, like they were similar creatures with and without shells. It has a crown of jagged, bone-white horns on its miniature head.

Lucy can't seem to decide which one she wants to frown at more.]

IV.
[At least in regards to the viruses, Lucy was handling things much better. While they aren't targeting her specifically most of the time, a few still swarm in her direction.

And get promptly hurled backwards like some invisible force threw them once they get within two meters of her.

She isn't killing them, though. Instead Lucy's seemed to make a game of grabbing a virus and hurling it into whatever solid, half-conceptualized object catches her attention. Sometimes they crawl back more slowly, sometimes they seem unaffected. Lucy's "collected" quite a few by now, but carries on with her game without a care or the slightest bit of remorse, like a cat toying with a nearly-dead mouse.]

[Wildcard]
[For II, or other prompts as needed! My plurk is blueraven if you'd like to work out something there.]

iv

[echoing_sutras]

Wh... what?

[ Everything was so weird, so different, so alien compared to where she'd been just a day before. This was Recolle but it looked like pixel art. These were her friends but they were different. This was Lucy, but... She was tossing those things around with nothing. She seemed to be almost playing with them, as if sadistically. Kyouko felt like she shouldn't have seen this, seen any of it. Like she'd walked in on some nightmare.

Her legs trembled, unable to move. And yet there was no hiding her voice, loud and clear as ever... ]

Lucy?! Is that you?!

[long_live_the_queen]

[With a blink, Lucy turned. The virus that had leapt at her last was still suspended in midair, gnashing its mandibles irritably. Her hat was nowhere to be found, so the blunt horns on her head were plainly visible. Her expression was unchanging, as usual.]

What?

[This person was...she knew who this was, just the memory seemed distant and hard to place. Her mind seemed so busy lately, like a room full of messy filing cabinets that were all out of order and didn't quite all belong to the same person.]

[echoing_sutras]

Um... Does mom know about this?

[ She literally couldn't think of anything else to say. It was that or sit there in stupefied silence as she still struggled to process everything she was looking at. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[A few more things clicked into place, and Lucy dredged out the memory attached to them. The girl in the house of a foster parent she didn't hate--Kyouko? It was awhile ago, but she could count those places on one hand. They were precious things, so the reminder wasn't at all bad.

Lucy's posture became a little less tensed up.]

Yours? Don't know. Mine's at home.

[echoing_sutras]

Y-... Of course I meant mine, I wouldn't call yours mom! [ Kyouko let out an indignant huff, Lucy's dry wit at least making her forget her own terror for a moment, if only briefly. ]

ii;

[complementing]

[MINAKO PUNCHHHHHHHHH. A creepy sci-fi test tube container is no match for this woman, regardless of whether or not it hurts her, and so it doesn't take that long for her to smash her way out.

The sparkly skin is new. The rather ominous "Projected Example" stamp on her palm is too. But otherwise she feels fine, and seeing the other containers around her, the issue goes from "what the hell happened" to "how the hell do I get everyone else out".]

What [punch] the hell [punch] is this stuff [punch] made of?! It was so easy to break on the inside!

[She might be here a while.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Lucy had been wandering this building for awhile now; after having her feet controlled like that; the relief from getting away from that was quickly replaced by a creeping dread. The walls were too sterile and clean, the exits always far away. It brought up...unpleasant memories.

The sound of breaking glass alerted her, and Lucy turned her head. The sound of a voice snapped her to attention immediately. It was soft and muffled, but hit her mind with the subtlety of a brick.]

--Minako?!

[That was definitely her voice. Her real voice, not a twisted screech of machinery. That horrible moment was still too fresh in her mind, and made Lucy hesitate. What if it wasn't her? What if--there was the sound of shattering glass. What if there was something dangerous in that room?

No.

Lucy was the monster here, the scary thing in the room. Not the other way around. Her steps quickened into a scrambling sprint from a dead stop, and she had to catch herself on the doorknob to keep from overshooting it. She clawed the door open, and burst into the room.

She's good at subtle entries.]

[complementing]

[Minako's head jerks up, turning those fists smacking at the glass onto whoever might be charging into the room to attack her-- but oh, it's only Lucy. Thank goodness. She gives her a relieved smile and gestures for her to come over.]

Lucy! I'm so glad you're alright. Can you come help me with this? Your vectors might be able to crack this glass.

[long_live_the_queen]

[Lucy certainly did cross the room--more than that, she didn't slow down at all. She spread her arms, and threw them around Minako's neck and shoulders as soon as she could reach.

Her vectors did manifest--though not in quite the way Minako asked. They caught the ground to keep them from falling, though the impact wasn't blunted in the slightest. Neither was the embrace, vice-tight and desperate.

No crackle of electricity flared and burnt her nerves. Minako was soft and warm--not a machine, not some horrid caricature wearing her face. She asked things Minako would have, said things Minako would have. It was really her. Lucy's chest trembled.]

[complementing]

[Minako lets out a small 'oof!' upon impact, automatically wrapping her arms around her friend and hugging back tightly, even though she's not sure what brought this on. Her best bet is that something bad happened while she was stuck in the tube for god-knows-how-long. Surely not that long, right?

With Retrospec, anything is possible, so she decides to reassure first, ask questions later.]

Hey...hey, it's okay. I'm here now, Lucy. [She rubs over her back carefully, keeping her voice soothing.] It's going to be alright.

iii

[zerotohiro]

[That's a little unnerving. He's wordlessly wandering up next to Lucy and giving the prizes a once-over, unsure of what he's even looking at. At least this is someone familiar though and it's why he bothers to speak up.]

...why do you think there're so many arms on these things?

[long_live_the_queen]

[Lucy knew someone was there before she looked, glancing at Hiro with one eye and considering her answer.]

No idea.

[ha. ha ha.]

Maybe they're monsters.

[zerotohiro]

[Thanks for that Lucy.]

Maybe. They're pretty ugly monsters though aren't they? [He's trying to get a closer look.] Where're the eyes?

[long_live_the_queen]

[Ugly. Scary. Horrid little things. Lucy's shoulders huddled a bit further despite her self-depreciating joke.]

On the metal one?

[Something hummed very softly, not like a person. It didn't quite seem like a mechanical one either.]

Maybe those things in the front.

[As Hiro leaned in closer, the machinelike monster's limbs moved slightly. Only on one side, right where Lucy was poking at them with a vector. She was trying to be subtle about it.]

[zerotohiro]

Maybe...[He's trying to examine it, but it moves suddenly and he yelps as he pulls his head back.] Hey! [And he looks toward Lucy, gesturing at the creature almost as if to prove a point. The movement was subtle enough that he didn't notice she was the one moving it, but not enough that he didn't notice at all.] Did you see that? Is this thing alive?

1

[megatechbody]

[Mariko glowers, allowing the kid her grumbling. She's not particularly happy about it either, but has the good grace not to try wrenching her new travelling partner's arm out of socket. It's not a big deal, until Mariko spots the viruses and now she's about as sour as Lucy is with the lack of mobility.]

I sure hope you have powers.

[long_live_the_queen]

[Lucy turned back when she heard a voice, grudging at best. She frankly looked remarkably like a cranky cat, and her huddled shoulders and sullen posture weren't helping .]

I do.

[Nothing happened at the moment. The viruses were still too far away. Lucy was mostly still warily staring at the stranger stuck in line with her.]

[megatechbody]

[Lucy can stare to her heart's content, Mariko is keeping her attention on the viruses and their approach. She doesn't like the idea of having to rely on someone else entirely but with her hands occupied, there's not much choice in the matter.]

What can I do to back you up, in case one of those things get too close.

[long_live_the_queen]

[The girl just blinked for a moment, her stare turning briefly incredulous.]

...huh?

[People?? Being helpful and nice to her?? Sounds fake.]

I can't see behind me so well--

[Lucy's attention snapped forwards before she could mention her power's range as a virus put on a sudden burst of speed. That was a new trick.

But it didn't keep a humming, jointless, translucent arm from grabbing it and slamming the virus into the ground. The arm seemed to disappear into her upper back, like a ghost.

There were more viruses coming, though. Not all of them where Lucy could see. She could feel them, but not before they got close enough.]

IV

[belligerentwarrior]

This is what you do for entertainment these days?

[There's really nothing close to genuine surprise in Freya's voice as she wanders up, her lance propped up on her shoulder. Five fish are skewered on one end of the lance, obscuring the twin blades. Her hair's damp, and under her open jacket's only a bikini top. Despite still having the fish in her possession, So Long And Thanks... appears over her as she approaches Lucy.]

Really, a day job does a lot for boredom, you know.

[long_live_the_queen]

[Lucy didn't feel any remorse over tormenting worse-than-bugs.

She did feel remorse at there being witnesses. At least, certain witnesses. She didn't throw the next virus away, just held onto it with a vector while it snapped at nothing with its mandibles. See, she wasn't doing anything now.]

Guess so.

[The fish didn't escape her notice any more than Lucy throwing viruses into walls did.]

What did you do?

[belligerentwarrior]

Fishing, [She answers casually, tapping the spear gently against her shoulder as to not dislodge her quarry.]

Real stroke of luck, really. Saw that old lady from cross the street takin' a walk on the beach as I was goin' for these guys. [A shrug.] Odd job of the month wants me to sell 'em. Told her I'd give her market price, and bring 'em buy after I filleted the lot.

[Freya points with her expression more than anything at Lucy's pile of viruses.] You?

[long_live_the_queen]

[At this point, after coming home to various very dead and very not-from-the-store turkeys and the like chilling out in the sink, Lucy was remarkably unbothered by dead things. Most of the time.

At Freya's question, she shrugged.]

Pest control. Killing them just brings more out.

[She didn't grab another one while Freya was watching, though. Or throw this one into the nearest piece of scenery.]

There's stuff floating over your head.

[belligerentwarrior]

[She eyed one down the street--well, it was mostly a street, or trying to be--beginning to head their way. Freya huffed quietly.]

So what's your alternative? Juggling?

[A glance above.] Yeah, that thing. Seen a couple others like it. [It's her turn to shrug.] Doesn't seem to do any harm.