redmarsshit | test drive meme: december 2019

test drive meme: december 2019

Redshift: Welcome to the v͖͕̺̲̘̱̜͎o̴̦̣̠̦̘̹͞i̯̖d̛̪̬͈̱̦̝͍̕.

▶ Click here to read what characters will experience when arriving in Anchor.

▶ All TDM threads can be considered game canon, and current players are welcome to either top-level on the TDM so prospective players can tag them, or use the prompts for logs or network posts on the communities. All threads on the TDM can be used for Activity Check.

a. santapocalypse.

As the suns set over the unforgiving landscape around Anchor, a bright light flares in the sky, streaking low and fast across the horizon, throwing off flares of green, white, and red.

The impact...is not explosive. Just another flare of light, and then smoke to mark where the object went down. Whatever it was, it didn't come from the redshift. It came from within the planet's atmosphere, such as it is, and landed barely a few steps outside the city.

Characters who choose to investigate will find something strange at the bottom of the pillar of smoke. They'll find a small ship, one that seems to have been cobbled together with pieces of a dozen different ships from a dozen different universes. The cockpit is busted wide open, a red jacket caught on a piece of glass, with no other sign of the pilot. Except for, y'know, the red ringing the broken glass, but we'll just ignore that, shall we?

Scattered all around the vehicle, some of them scorched on the outside but otherwise unharmed, are boxes, boxes, boxes. None are bigger than a shoebox, and all wrapped beautifully with bows on top. Characters who start opening them will find box after box containing nonsense items that might be valuable to someone, but maybe not anyone here. But if they open enough, eventually they'll find something inside that could only be intended for them, it’s so specific, odd, or precious. Any other box they open after that will be empty.

Those that dare enter will find the ship appears larger on the inside. And it also seems to be mostly made of hallways. Hallways that lead nowhere, hallways that, from time to time, are filled with an ominous...jingling.

The source of that jingling is the reindire.

Twisted, monstrous creatures with talons in place of hooves, they will hunt whoever enters the ship through its halls and even back across the wasteland should characters attempt to run. Most of them can be calmed, even tamed. Eaten, if hunting for venison is your character's jam (have at, SSSSs).

Only one cannot be reasoned with, or easily defeated.

The largest of all the reindire, one with fangs and wings and a lust for blood. And a big red nose that shoots lasers. You wouldn't want it following you back to Anchor, would you? Best to defeat it out in the sands, where it can't do any real harm.

b. keep calm & carry on.

As characters have worked on improving the city, they've knocked a few loose screws back into place and rewired a few polarities that needed reversing and now, a new area has opened up. It announces itself with a loud screech as the bulkheads that kept it blocked off open up. The new space is huge, at first seemingly empty.

This space does what the VR rooms can't. It reads minds.

It won't show scenes from home, no, but it will create a facsimile of a place that your character would find most relaxing. And this isn't the simple visual experience of the VR rooms. This is full-sensory immersion. Characters will see, yes, but also be able to touch, smell, even taste what's on the air in their surroundings. If there is fruit, they can pick and eat it - it won't satisfy them, but they'll be able to taste what's there. If there's water, they'll be able to swim it in, and will even feel wet until they climb back onto the shore or out of the pool.

Some lucky souls will even get Anchor's therapy AI chiming in to their scenes, with suggestions like, "Talk to your anxiety the way you would to a friend. Ask it where it comes from, see what it’s doing for you, and redirect it into healthy self-expression." Or, "Have you tried yoga?" or, occasionally, "I think you really really need a nap."

The focus of the room is to help characters relax. Those rolling blackouts that have been happening around Anchor ever since the room opened up? They’re probably nothing to worry about. Right?

c. the network.

Need to get hold of someone, call for help, ask the city at large a question? Need to ask a friend to back you up on the reindire hunt? Maybe you need to hold your sat phone up to whatever crazy thing you're seeing and send out a recording to double-check if your eyes are deceiving you and what you're looking at is real?

Whatever the reason, the network is going strong, so feel free to include a post to it in your top-levels.

Navigation.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A - Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer

Jacob has never seen a fucker like this before. The demons back in the City, Angel on her worst days, they come close. But it isn't the same. Fangs and talons and wings? Burning jets of light from it's... nostrils?

That's the strangest opium dream he's ever had for sure.

Jacob hasn't met the others. He doesn't want to. What he does want to do is get out of this labyrinth of corridors and find a weapon. He has some, but they're impossible to access under the protective layers that protect him from all the toxins in the air. He's going to have to improvise, and that means grabbing a box as he dashes past and tearing into it.

B - London's Calling

He doesn't actually know what this thing is, what VR means and so he doesn't expect, when he steps in, to step onto a tiled roof. He's a good forty feet above the ground, and below him is a crossroads of streets around a statue, carts and carriages bustling around. Chimneys smoke into the dusk, a train chugs by in the distance.

He breathes it in, the smog and the stench of too many people and horses and the river. He's not been gone long, but he knows he isn't bad, not really. This is a memory, but it's a beautiful one. One he is happy to crouch down and watch, as the sun sets over the spires and chimney stacks.

"Fuck off! Go get your own."

The words can be heard from around a corner, though the sound distorts oddly in these corridors.

Kabal has gathered a small stockpile of presents and is opening them all. So far he's found decks of playing cards with anime magical girls on one side, a singing fish plaque with no batteries, and an entire case of cat themed socks with little nonstick toebeans on the bottom. He's not wearing the useful anti-radiation suits because ~~he's an idiot~~ he figures the mask and respirator hooked up to his waist is enough to keep him from immediately dying, and his skin is one big burn scar so maybe it's impermeable to any radiation.

With his back turned it's clear that he's very armed, two hookswords hanging from his shoulders and ready to attack. Though he hasn't realized there's another person here yet.

"I'm going to give you to Cho to turn you into jerky. Knock it off!" He shoves at the deerish creature next to him, it has it's head in the pile of presents, antlers covered in wrapping paper and ribbon scraps from where it tore one of them apart. It keeps nearly goring Kabal in the chest, but not intentionally, there's something in one of these presents it wants to eat. Badly.

Or it and Kabal would be fighting right now.

Jacob's hearing and reaction times are bloody sharp because even as he tosses away the box containing a Christmas necktie, he manages to avoid the strange man and his attendant reindire.

"Hell's bells," He breathes, "There's more of those things?"

Subtly different, this one looks calmer and doesn't have wings. The bits of coloured paper hanging from hits antler make it look vaguely less terrifying. But it's still up there in things you would not want to meet in a dark alleyway.

"Mate, you night want to move. One of those things is coming this way and it is not full of goodwill to all men."

And so saying, snatches up another box and rips into it, cursing as small brightly coloured interlocking blocks spill over the floor.

Kabal looks up sharply, finally realizing there's someone else here - someone he doesn't recognize. But that's not entirely unusual, it's not like he's going around making friends.

All evidence to the contrary as his reindire buddy jabs him with an antler and keeps digging in.

"Fine. Fuck. Here." He reaches into the pile and rips open a present to reveal what the weird deer monster wants: a cheeselog covered in almonds.

"I already killed a few of 'em. It's this one that won't go away." He shoves at it, but the deer has forgotten he even exists with the presence of smoked cheesy goodness. "Find anything good in any of these boxes yet?"

"If you feed 'em, they'll follow you around forever." Jacob warns, but it's too late. Frankly, he's not sure what exactly the creamy mess the Reindire wants is, but the way it goes about eating it turns his stomach anyway.

He steps away from the creature anyway, and looks back down the corridor again, trying to listen out for the movements of the other Reindire- which was bigger and nastier looking than this example of the species.

"The only things I've found were soaks, bars of soap, scarves and books. Nothing actually useful." He says, although he might have pocketed a few pairs of socks. "Nothing... weapon shaped."

"You just gotta get creative with your soap and scarf weapon crafting. Not only deadly, but embarrassing to be taken out by something that smells like Irish Spring." Of course Kabal can joke, he's got two swords on his back so he's feeling pretty good about his chances. Especially since his current target is a disgusting cheesy mess with ribbons stuck to its antlers.

There's a faint jingling coming from somewhere and Kabal turns to listen, tilting his head and trying to figure out where it's coming from, "I'm assuming that's not the sound of cheerful goodwill."

Irish Spring?

Jacob doesn't get it, but maybe that's because he was born in England in 1847, and hasn't ever heard of Irish Spring soap. Still, Kabal can be forgiven for that: it's impossible to see how old fashioned his clothes are under the protective suit he's wearing.

"More likely to shove the needles into someone's neck mate." He replies, and then yes, he can hear the bells tinkle and jingle, coming closer.

"I don't think so, no. I think that's the sound of a dinner gong." And they're likely to be the main course.

"It can try." He turns to their reindire buddy, nudging it with his shoulder. "All right you. Time to earn your keep - go get it."

Unfortunately, now that it's had a snack it's in no mood to go charging down a hallway and fighting what it knows is a bigger and meaner reindire. With a snort it tosses its head and trots away.

"I'm definitely going to have Cho turn you into jerky later." He sighs, pulling one of the swords from his back. "Guess we're on our own."

"Somehow, I didn't think it's cheesy breath was going to help us much."

Never work with children or animals, isn't that what they say? He has worked with both, and he's got to say kids are far less annoying than dogs at this point. He'll lump monstrous deer into that same more trouble than it's worth category.

He picks up another box, opening it in hope that it's a weapon- he's very much aware of those swords- and is rewarded.

But a very familiar gun, something oddly fitting for inside a spaceship: sleek and white and futuristic, a red stripe down its side. He looks at it, dumbstruck, and that is why he misses the arrival of the huge reindire.

"I hope whatever you just found was a grenade launcher so we can splatter this all over the walls." Nevermind that a grenade in this small space would likely explode them too. Or impale them with flying reindire parts. Kabal is not much of a planner when it comes to .. well, anything.

This thing is much larger than he expected, and has fangs? What the fuck is this thing?

"New candidate for jerky." He gives the sword a twirl before darting forward, disappearing into purple smoke for a brief moment before popping up behind the creature and slicing it across the back of the legs. "He's probably gonna get real mad, you might wanna move."

Which is all the warning Jacob gets before the reindire bellows and charges forward.

Better to deal with this creature here and now, rather than allow it to try to break into the compound.

So Hanzo has been tracking it for some time, following the jingling and drawing back into the shadows once he hears the quick patter of Jacob's fleeing footfalls. He waits for the man to pass before emerging from the alcove he'd ducked into, taking aim with one of his arrows. The metallic tip lights up and rotates slightly in place.

The arrow sails free, wedging itself into the wall ahead, the vibrations echoing down and out of sight. Somewhere, he can sense it brushing up against the beast's movement as it comes closer, and he reaches to ready another arrow.

What's Jacob up to? Who knows? He'll handle this himself.

Jacob skids to a stop, the man who jumped out of the shadows appearing in his peripheral senses. He turns, eyes following the path of the arrow in a greyed-out world, to where it strikes the wall and remains.

"You missed. I'd get going if I were you."

Oh. Wait. It's that grumpy arsehole from the baths. Typical. If anyone was going to turn up it'd be the Electric Wizard or this new, equally disagreeable man.

He glances around, still trying to find something weapon-like, and tears into another box. There's nothing but sickly-sweet smelling soap in there. Clearly one for his new friend.

"Mate, I'm not joking. We need to move."

Edited 2019-12-28 10:26 (UTC)

"Then run."

He's already drawing another arrow, bowstring taut as he turns to angle the shot. Slow. Breathe out. Focus. The head of the arrow rotates again, and this time when he lets it fly, it shatters upon impact.

And several smaller projectiles ricochet off the walls, bouncing and disappearing around that corner, followed by a noise of pained fury. Clearly, they'd found their mark. Hanzo takes another step back, lowering himself to one knee and taking aim once more, waiting for the creature to emerge into line of sight.

He's not going anywhere.

Jacob curses. He's not about to run and leave someone else here to deal with it by themselves. He doesn't know if this man can deal with the monster himself or not, he seems to think he can, but that's neither here nor there. You don't leave people to fight on their own.

He moves into the darkness of the alcove, crouched behind the man and risks undoing the suit he was issued to explore beyond the colony. Hopefully this ship will shield him from some of the toxins as he pulls out the sheath of throwing knives.

And then closes the suit up again before his akin melts or whatever else it might do. At least he's armed now.

And just in time, because suddenly the clatter of talons and the roar of the enraged reindire is in top of them, and the creature stares at them with mad, rolling eyes.

Another arrow looses, and then a second. And then a third. A fourth. Faster than should be possible, in the space of time it takes the creature to charge forward, and though all find their mark in the meaty chest of the beast still it heaves itself forward and bellows in anger.

Then those talons come surging forward, and it's only by the barest of margins that Hanzo leaps to one side, feet pattering up along the wall, only to push off halfway and leap over the creature instead. Landing at its back, he wastes no time in drawing another arrow, though this time his eyes flicker towards Jacob where he's ducked down.

Had he been holding those knives before?

Jacob moves too, although not with quite the same acrobatics as the Robin Hood figure. But he dances away from the monster with no small amount of grace and agility before one of the knives is thrown and sinks into the animal's neck.

Not ask deep as those arrows, but perhaps enough to distract the reindire long enough for the other man to send a few more arrows into the thing. What unnatural powers he has Jacob doesn't know, but he's sure that no normal person can fire arrows like that.

Then again, aside from Charles and Connor, who else has he even known to talk about bows as viable weapons?

As the knives sink deep, the reindire rears up, talons flashing. Jacob has made himself the new target clearly enough. But rising up like that leaves the back of its skull exposed. A moment later and there's a 'thump' and its head jerks. The hellish light leaves its eyes, and it topples forward, a final arrow embedded into its neck severing the spine.

Hanzo rises, reaching to dust off his shoulder, before moving closer to the creature. Kneeling at its side he takes a measured look at the strange feet, the horns, the build of the creature itself before starting to pluck the arrows free. The knives as well, though those he is willing to hand back to Jacob.

They will need to recover what they can, always. There is no guarantee of getting more.

He's joined by the assassin a second later, who crouches down by the animal and rather than pull out arrows, he lets his fingers stroke over the fur. He half expects it to be coarse and sharp, but it's oddly soft.

"I don't understand why it went for me. What's in this place it was trying to protect? None of these boxes have anything precious in them."

The reverence shown to the fallen animal is noted. Odd, but noted. Hanzo's eyes flicker towards the movement before darting away again, a small thoughtful noise following before he reaches for a rope on the belt of the suit.

"I doubt it could have told us, whatever it was."

Jacob hasn't always had such a respect for animals. He's never been one to pet them or coo over them but knowing a man that can turn into a wolf and a woman who becomes something similar to these reindire... puts things into a different perspective.

"No. And likely as not it didn't know anyway. Trained to attack strangers it such like."

Or protect the pilot, whose remains are scattered outside. Its unpleasant, but that's the reality they have to deal with.

"Thank you for the assistance. I haven't seen shooting like that before."

Edited 2019-12-30 21:35 (UTC)

That earns him an odd look, and Hanzo stills a moment, considering Jacob with scrutiny for a moment. Then he returns to his task, binding the rope around the animal and securing it with knots as he goes.

"...you are welcome."

He could have said that he hadn't done it for him, but. There's no real call to unleash his venom on a man who'd done nothing to deserve it thus far. Instead he focuses on the animal, and once he's bound it up sufficiently he hoists the rope onto his shoulder.

Fully intending on dragging it back to Anchor himself.

Jacob stands, as it becomes clear what the man intends to do.

"Might be easier to carry it, between the two of us." He says. "If you drag it back to the colony it's going to get damaged."

He can only assume its wanted for studying. Something like that can't possibly be good to eat.

Sometimes, you can't be all that picky. A deer is a deer, no?

Huffing, he glances down at the beast before eyeballing Jacob. Only a few inches shorter than him -- strange, for an Englishman, which he can only assume from his accent -- it would not be so difficult to share the load.

"If you wish." He nods towards the hind end of the animal, before reaching his fingers through the rope and beginning to hoist the front end up, slinging the legs and head over one shoulder.

Jacob couldn't say, venison isn't exactly a common meat outside of the aristocracy. He's more used to mutton and pork, but he can't imagine deer tastes much like sheep or pigs.

He takes the back legs quickly, rather than force the other man to support the whole thing by himself for long. Its not that heavy between them, but they do need to cross some unpleasant terrain before getting back to the colony.

"Wild animals like this turn up often?" He asks, to make conversation more than out of genuine curiosity. He can't imagine they get into the compound, but even so, it would be useful to know.

Wonderful. Still he feels the need to talk. Hanzo refrains from rolling his eyes but only just. "I do not know. I have not been here for long enough to say with any certainty."

All the better then to make use of the opportunity while it is here, not knowing if they will have another.

test drive meme: december 2019

Jacob Frye - AC Syndicate - CRAU from City of Sin

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