test drive meme: december 2019

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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.

Comments

[circumspector]

Huh. Weird. We have lots of stages to what we call AI, all robots, over enough time, have the possibility, if they have even a fractured part of a VI, so to speak. It can be a bit of problem, like if a vaccum cleaner wakes up one morning asking if it has a soul.

Sure they do! That's what being on charge is. A nap to get ready for the next day. Thats what they told me to call it, at least.

[arcadedragon]

I see.

All sentient creatures have souls. Including those that used to be vacuum cleaners.

Omnics in my world don't need to charge. They are autonomously powered. Though they can rest if they wish to. I'm unsure about these, I have not followed them long enough to see what they do.

[circumspector]

They do. But a lot of people don't think that. Some machines are whole space ships, some just open doors. They all think and feel just we do.

I miss them.

But hey, maybe that's what we could do, if you're free. If we follow them around we could find out where they get their power from. See how they run, maybe help them out a little bit.

[arcadedragon]

[A tangible thing he can do to help out? HE'S THERE.]

I miss those from my world as well.

I am free. Where are you?

[circumspector]

sending my location to you now.

I'm the girl with big white horns and a tail. But don't worry, I don't bite unless it's a really bad day.

[arcadedragon]

I'm the one that lights up.

[Who's one for dramatic entrances? THIS GUY. He could just walk up when he spots her, but why do that when you can double jump out of the shadows and do some sick ninja moves? Which is what he does.]

Greetings!

[circumspector]

[ Angel is nothing but a captive audience. It might be a little ruined, given she can hear down to a heart beat at a hundred paces, but she never lets it show, her fingers lifting as she giggles at his display, black eyes crinkling at the edges. Then when he finishes his last flourish, she claps in appreciation, suitably impressed. It's like Zer0, in a way. ]

Hello, I'm Angel. It's nice to meet you.

[arcadedragon]

I am Genji.

[Oh he likes her already. He's usually not greeted with clapping. Ego boost: get.]

You have just arrived?

[circumspector]

[ She just keeps on smiling, dropping back in her hooves, that odd prance they require that clips on the hard floors. ]

I have. Just a couple of days ago, I think. Assuming days work the same here?

[arcadedragon]

I believe so. I haven't counted the hours but it seems that days are similar to home.

Which may be different for you, I'm from Earth.

[And looking at her, with the horns and wings and hooves, he has a hunch she is not.]

[circumspector]

Oh, yes. A lot of people tend to be I've found. I'm from the planet Pandora. Kind of.

[ She's familiar to these explanations of space, hard not to be when everyone was from so far in the past and weren't apparently up to intergalactic travel. But more than that, her tone takes that of explanation without condescending. ]

It's about six galaxies from Earth, so don't worry if you haven't heard of it.

[arcadedragon]

Oh.

[Yeah they have a colony on the moon, that's as far as they've gotten.]

No I have not. But there are many here from places I have never heard of, or alternate versions of those that I do.

[The lighted green visor turns to look around, debating where the best place to go robot watching is.]

I believe the majority of the machines are near the spa and the bar, but we could follow one of the cleaning bots and see where they go.

[circumspector]

I think I can hear some uhm... [ Her animal ears twitch, picking up sound down to a pin prick. Discerning other people from heartbeats, to machines insides whirring. ]

They're this way.

[ And the same exuberance she gives to anything, she steps up to take his hand. Curling her long clawed fingers around his, but they are, for all the danger presented in them, soft, terribly soft. A delicate touch with it.

And with that gentle hold, she leads him in a step, because despite the impressive height of her horns, Angel only reached over five foot on a good day, so she is not particularly hard to keep up with, all told. ]

I think this is the direction of the spa, anyway, from the water I can hear too.

[arcadedragon]

[Oh okay. Hand holding time. He doesn't recoil, but he's definitely not used to anyone touching him. ]

Yes, it's down one level from where we are. You can hear the water from here? It's quite far.

[That's impressive honestly.]

What else can you hear?

[circumspector]

[ She is a simple and happy creature, to hold hands with everyone in the galaxy and tell them they are wonderful, perfect beings. Which is to say, she keeps her fingers there, wrapped loosely around, like she wants to make sure she doesn't lose him. ]

Oh. Down to a heartbeat. Those sorts of things.

[arcadedragon]

Really? Does that not get overwhelming when there are so many people and you can hear... everything?

[He's weirdly enjoying this, someone who isn't afraid of him and doesn't pity him who's just going to hold his hand and head for some friendly robot-watching at the spa.]

Can you hear mine? Or is all the machinery covering it up?

[circumspector]

Sometimes. I mean it did to start with, but life has always been overwhelming for me, so it wasn't hard to get used to something like it.

[ His question though, gets a nod - yes she can. But easier to show it in a way. So she lifts their joined hands up, so she can place her free one over his, then closes her eyes. To shift through the whirring, churning, turning room around them, the mechanics inside and around his body, a thing inhale as in turn, she takes in his scent, that imitate way she knows a person by these little details.

Then with her fingers on the back of his hand, she begins to tap his heart beat back to him. ]

[arcadedragon]

[It's too bad he's wearing a mask because he's smiling so big right now. That is amazing! He likes this strange monstrous person a whole lot already.]

That is impressive! Is it helpful to you in some way to be able to do that? I suppose no one can sneak up on you. All my ninja skills, wasted.

[But he sounds like he's not too broken up about that.]

[circumspector]

[ She pats his hand sympathetically. ]

It's okay. We all have things we are good at. I'm just made for hunting.

[arcadedragon]

I am too.

[He holds his arm up, the panel sliding back to reveal the shurikens hidden inside.]

And for battle. But there is not much of that here. My only other skill is making waffles and I do not think that is very helpful.

[circumspector]

[ Angel's fingers move towards them as the weaponry is exposed. Her touch almost reverential as she ghosts over them. Nothing she appreciates as much as weaponry, any form. ]

Waffles is definitely helpful. Could you imagine how much sadder life would be without anyone at all not knowing how to make waffles? They're a good part of any day.

[arcadedragon]

I went for many years without a waffle. It was a very sad and depressing time.

[Not necessarily because of the lack of waffles, but he can blame that too.]

[circumspector]

Me too. [ Her eyes scrunch up in a smile, despite it all. ]

But now, you definitely have to cook me waffles, after we finish chasing robots. In celebration of all our hard work.

[arcadedragon]

I do not have a waffle pan or I would. I guess I could try and make a pancake, but they are different. I think it would run everywhere if I made it on a griddle.

[To be fair he's never tried without a nice hot waffle iron to pour the batter into. ]

[circumspector]

[ She pauses, thinking a moment. ]

I know someone we might be able to ask. He's very good at crafting things if we tell him what it needs to be, and the other part - I'm very good at electronics.

[ Somehwere between Charles and Connor, she didn't have a doubt it could be made. ]