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Mods ([personal profile] modblob) wrote in [community profile] redmarsshit2020-04-27 08:43 pm
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test drive meme: april 2020

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.

▶ SPECIAL NOTE: We're only a month off from the 1 year anniversary of the first TDM, and we received this request for a fancy dress ball, so we thought it would be funny fun to run with it! This TDM will only have one prompt/event, as the monthly log with a bit more plot-related stuff will be going up on Friday May 1st.

a. an invitation.

There are ears everywhere in Anchor. A maintenance bot here, a surveillance AI there. SINI, restlessly pacing the dark digital hallways as she watches over the things that still matter to her. It doesn't take long for word to get out about Starscream's expedition plans. It takes an even shorter time for that news to circulate amongst Anchor's robo-population.

They know when you're unhappy. They always know.

It's why residents will start waking up one fine day to find gorgeous clothes laid out for them to wear and an invitation to a formal dinner taking place down at the plaza at Anchor’s base. The clothes aren't particularly specific to a character's gender, species, or culture - it's all about what the bots think your character would like best. Even if they're wildly off the mark, the clothes are still made to fit and fashioned beautifully. The invitations are marked "TOMORROW, STARTING AT 6PM LOCAL TIME." A smaller note underneath instructs attendees to see the tailor bot adjacent to the spa if they are unsatisfied with their assigned clothing, and also that the spa bots are on high alert, prepared to beautify anyone who wants some extra pampering and a dash of makeup.

Just be careful. Some of the makeover bots are really fond of glitter.


b. quite the spread.

True to the word of the invitation, the plaza is closed off under large white tents and guarded by bots who encouragingly steer you elsewhere should you try to get inside. They're nice, polite, all the things they've been programmed to be whether they like it or not, but there will be no sneaking by them into the party area.

At 6pm on the dot the day after the clothes arrive, characters will find music playing on all levels of Anchor, broadcast from the musical robots who have been practicing ever since that first tiny party almost a year ago.

Invitations will be taken by a bot in an impeccably tailored suit, and characters will be welcomed onto the red carpet that curves around the edge of the park and into the area cordoned off for festivities. The flashbulbs and cheering of bots that line the carpet echo through Anchor, broadcast along with the music until it sounds like the entire place is full of faintly electronic cheering. Each arrival is greeted with a fresh wave of enthusiasm, their image projected larger than life against the interior of Anchor's dome.

The sides of the tents have been rolled up, revealing the absolutely decadent set-up within.

Rows upon rows of buffet tables laid out with the most extravagant and strange dishes for residents to try. All of it delicious, though not all of it will appeal to every palate. There are sweet dishes, savory, spicy, whatever you can imagine. Appetizers of a hundred different kinds. Fruit plates formed into works of art, showing places and events from around Anchor. There are spun sugar reindire. Tiny plates of hors d'oeuvres that depict the faces of residents, both current and former. One particularly large dish is sculpted in the shape of what looks like an explosion emanating from Anchor's base, near where the locked and flooded rooms were found.

There's a cake near the middle of it all, frosting painting an image of a young, smiling man. Anyone who's seen him will, after a moment, recognize the whole and handsome features of a much younger Creepy Joe - the words on the cake say LET'S CELEBRATE OUR OLDEST LIVING RESIDENT!

While most of the food is at least recognizably from the general stores and from the agricultural level, there are other plants and garnishes that look entirely foreign. If asked where they came from, the bots will simply insist they're part of Anchor’s available resources.

There is also a full-service bar, but...not manned by the usual bartender (for anyone who might ask, the other bots will kindly inform them that the usual bartender is on sabbatical for stress). Instead there's a freshly-built bot serving drinks of all kinds, taking requests for old favorites and mixing up new cocktails based on guests' stated tastes.

The only thing not on the menu is a tequila sunrise.

There's a table full of hookahs and little treats that have various light, pleasant effects. These range from simple mood lifts to treats that will leave characters blissed out and relaxed.


c. dance, our residents, dance!

After people have finished arriving, the band picks up and guests' attention is directed upward toward Anchor's dome, where there's a truly magnificent light show being projected with musical accompaniment. It's spectacular, haunting and beautiful...and it shows more than just lights. It also shows celestial bodies in motion across the planet's dusk-red sky, meteor showers, strange northern lights. The show itself is almost an hour long, and ends with words unfurling across the apex of the dome.


HAPPY +1 ANNIVERSARY ANCHOR #3, THE LONGEST RUNNING COLONY.

STAY HERE, STAY HAPPY!



The show fades away and the music picks up again, encouraging guests to dance.

Go on, dance.

It’s a party after all.


d. 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 to take out the toothy voids? 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.



nothinglikefather: made by peaked (Default)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-05-13 06:13 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm not an expert either." Clothes are functional. They keep the warm in and the wet out and hopefully they have enough pockets for everything you need.

And while Jacob has had some luck in getting things tailored to suit his tastes, he hasn't been allowed to wear things just because he likes them. Assassins have to be more prepared than that. Charles probably has to be more mindful too, making sure he has what he needs and no more or less than that.

The city was different. This place is different.

"That leather jacket you had. The one you wore to the Carry Okay party. That looked good too." He offers, and there's a hint of desire in his words and on his lips as he says it.

"Real gentleman?" He repeats, before those lower wicked words send thrills through every nerve. "I've got a knighthood. Don't come more genteel than me." He moves closer, flush against Charles. "But I can still be a bad influence. We could leave early..."
borntohurt: (pic#12912003)

[personal profile] borntohurt 2020-05-13 07:28 pm (UTC)(link)
"We could. You sure you want to?"

There's a lot to see and do here, and the party won't always be here. These opportunities for comfort are always fleeting, and him?

Well. He's not going anywhere. Not for all the world.

"I know where you sleep, remember," he adds, with a chuckle, as the song starts to draw towards its ending notes. "But if you're tired of the party already..."
nothinglikefather: made by peaked (017)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-05-13 07:37 pm (UTC)(link)
"If you're coming with me? I'd leave in a heartbeat."

In truth, if given the opportunity, he would have stayed back in the quad. yes there is a chance to learn things here, to have a good time with free food, and the booze he's missed for what seems like months but he'd give all of that up if Charles had wanted to stay home.

"Normally it's under you." Jacob chuckles, hand moving from Charles' shoulder to the nape of his neck, the solid muscle strong under his fingers, hair dark and soft. "I could take a little break. There's bound to be a little quiet corner we could occupy for a little while, if you're hungry for something the bar isn't serving?"
nothinglikefather: made by peaked (066)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-05-13 08:01 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm willing to bet Charles is probably better." Jacob says, pouring whiskey for them both and swallowing down half of his. And then pouring some more out.

"Back home, we'd shoot bottles for practice. You do that, in America? Put them on walls, hang them from gutters. If the wind blew them about a bit, even better."

mustact: (→05)

[personal profile] mustact 2020-05-14 12:00 pm (UTC)(link)
He presses a gentle kiss to her forehead, and lingers there as he speaks.

"What kind of flowers?"
circumspector: (xxii »  its safe in cages)

[personal profile] circumspector 2020-05-14 12:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Her fingers lift up to his shoulders, twining around the back of his neck as she sways into the steps with him. Pushing up on her hooves to stretch out her legs so he wouldn't have to strain to stay close.

"The ones on Eden-II. That way, they'd be the exact colour of your eyes when the light hits them. Like the first rays of a sunrise."
borntohurt: (pic#13333827)

[personal profile] borntohurt 2020-05-14 01:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Never took much to turn spark to flame, where Jacob was concerned, and that was in all things. But particularly this.

"Mm. No rush. Just something to consider for later on," he replies almost innocently, before the song finally ends and he nods towards the edge of the dance floor. A guiding hand slips to the small of Jacob's back, pressing firmly as they walk.

"I don't plan on staying in this get-up all night, that's for damn sure."
nothinglikefather: made by peaked (Default)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-05-14 01:43 pm (UTC)(link)
He's almost sorry the dance is over. He was enjoying the closeness, the easiness of it towards the end, when Charles had found his rhythm and forgotten about everyone else around them.

But the hand on the small of his back is more than good enough to repel any regret about leaving the dance floor, and it spreads warmth through him.

"I can help with that." He offers, leaning back against that hand and against Charles' side, his Eagle Vision scanning the venue for a quiet corner.

"There's a little room behind the bar. If you want to... take that jacket off."
towhatmatters: (→19)

[personal profile] towhatmatters 2020-05-14 05:57 pm (UTC)(link)
He shrugs. Maybe Charles is better. It wouldn't even surprise him. Charles has the sort of patience you need to get good at something with practice and consistency. Hosea and Dutch tried their best to teach Arthur those things, but it only got so far.

"Sure, we do that. Kept running into a Mexican who'd challenge me to see who could shoot bottles fastest. He insisted on doing it over and over, even though I kept beating him."
nothinglikefather: made by peaked (Default)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-05-14 07:44 pm (UTC)(link)
"You beat him every time and he kept coming back for more?" Jacob grins, "Sounds like a glutton for punishment."

He calls for the bartender to bring them some empty beer bottles and another full one, because they're going to need something to aim at, as well as something to quench their thirst, right?
itsnotaonesie: (110)

[personal profile] itsnotaonesie 2020-05-14 08:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[He's trying his best not to grin like the biggest dork and kind of failing at it, but fuck it. He tucks his phone away and makes his way over, reaching down and playfully floofing the fabric of her dress a bit.]

You look incredible, I'm the one over here dressed like a dork.
mustact: (→57)

[personal profile] mustact 2020-05-15 12:07 pm (UTC)(link)
"It does not speak?"

It's a little surprising that it hasn't said anything yet. From his experience, they could be quite chatty.

It's a cute little thing, though, isn't it?
vosseeker: (seventeen.)

Starscream | transformers: prime | in-game

[personal profile] vosseeker 2020-05-15 02:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[ OOC: Will match prose or brackets, your choice! ]

a. pretty pretty murder birb

The little robots had done their very best to accommodate Starscream's scale when picking out a suggested outfit for him, but initially it had not gone well. The first thing they'd brought him was hideous and yellow and feathered. "I am not a bird!" he'd shrilled at a volume that could probably he heard all over Anchor, swiping claws at them as they scattered for their little robo lives.

But Starscream knew the eminence of showing up at any function with the intent to make a statement. He was from Vos, after all. So he'd confiscated a few tubs of wax and a few other supplies from the maintenance levels and spent several hours polishing and buffing out the small scrapes and scratches that he'd been ignoring for a while. By the time he was done, his silver plating gleamed and even Knock Out wouldn't have been able to fault the shine he now sported.

Needing more space than his quarters for the next step, Starscream relocated to one of the green space areas and bearing a container of glittery gold paint. Painstakingly he starts to apply it in small glyphs and intricate shapes along the edges of his wings, which necessitates him contorting to try and reach. It definitely doesn't look comfortable despite the obvious stubbornness he's going at it with; he might need a hand.

b. dinner and music.

Starscream had fully expected to have to bypass this portion of the party's offerings, but to his surprise (and mild consternation) the little robots are quick to assure him that they've taken it into consideration! Which is why he can be found sitting cross-legged at the edge of the dining area, picking at a tray full of luminescent little energon gummies, molded into cute shapes like stars and hearts but also adorable chubby planes. Between those and his own cube of the glowing blue liquid that he'd wisely brought for himself, he looks satisfied.

As for the dancing, that much is out. He's simply too large to make it work, so he keeps his seat and settles to watch, but the observant might notice that his wings seem to be keeping time to the music.

c. look up, quite a show

The light show on the dome is impressive and enjoyable. Starscream braces himself back on his hands to watch, and seems strangely... contemplative. Until that last banner comes up.

"What? Number three?"

d. wildcard

Anything that doesn't fit!
Edited 2020-05-15 14:14 (UTC)
vosseeker: (fifty-seven.)

iv-ish

[personal profile] vosseeker 2020-05-15 02:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Even from his position sitting off to the side of the dance area, it's impossible to miss Angel swirling on the dance floor like a golden ornament, light-catching with her markings aglow. It's a pretty effect, he'll admit that, and while the grandiosity of the outfit is probably wasted on him, that Angel seems so entranced by its effect says something.

"I don't think anyone's enjoying it as much as you are," he responds to her question, though he seems more amused by it than anything.
vosseeker: (twenty-nine.)

ii/iii mashup because WHY NOT

[personal profile] vosseeker 2020-05-15 03:18 pm (UTC)(link)
While too large to be seated at the dining tables themselves, the arrangement of the area is such that Starscream can and has settled comfortably in the grass near enough that he can at least hold conversations with those that are. The plaza lighting glints off freshly polished plating and the gold filigrees painted along the angles of his wings.

Starscream's expression is one of perplexion while she identifies her family unit, because he's the first to admit he's not an expert on how organics reproduce (eww) but he's also fairly certain that's a number more creators than the average one has. "Is that not confusing, to have so many?"

His gaze follows hers to the dance area and the way Gilia looks at them. Fully expecting her to excuse herself and join them, for which he wouldn't have blamed her, she instead looks to be holding herself back despite an obvious desire to do exactly the opposite.

"Is something wrong?"
vosseeker: (Default)

4

[personal profile] vosseeker 2020-05-15 03:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Not that Starscream's particularly stingy with basic information, but the statement of a reward is always something worth exploring. ]

At least you can construct a proper sentence, you're already a wing up on half the residents here. What kind of reward?
vosseeker: (fifty-three.)

[personal profile] vosseeker 2020-05-15 03:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Starscream is easy to find, settled on the edges of the food area where he partake and converse without his size hampering things. When he sees Elleru headed in his direction bearing some sort of food vaguely resembling his helm, he looks unsure.

"Is that supposed to be... flattering?"
vosseeker: (fifty-nine.)

a.

[personal profile] vosseeker 2020-05-15 05:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Starscream, who had been coming by to fetch some additional gold paint from the little robots, very neraly stepped on Finnick as the man exited the spa. Only quick reflexes stopped one very heeled pede from coming down on top of him.

"You should be more careful," he huffed, completely ignoring that Finnick wasn't the one who was in the wrong here.
vosseeker: (thirty-three.)

b-iii

[personal profile] vosseeker 2020-05-15 05:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Starscream has been, as much as the size of his frame allows, loitering in the vicinity of the dining area, if only because it's probably the easiest place to garner conversation. The plate of energon gummies the bots had brought him have been half-consumed, and he was surprised to find that they'd been made with high-grade. So he's a little mellower than he might normally be. Still, he sounds skeptical. ]

You hope to find some logical reason for what those drones do, in this place?
vosseeker: (fifty-three.)

buffet

[personal profile] vosseeker 2020-05-15 07:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Off to the side of the buffet area and sitting in the grass, at least one person has noticed her tears, even if he completely misunderstands the reasoning.

"If you dislike them that much, what do you keep eating them..."
macaire: (Default)

[personal profile] macaire 2020-05-16 07:52 am (UTC)(link)
Dear Sir,

The nature of the reward would be entirely dependent on the quality and quantity of the information you are able to provide. It would also be reliant upon what passes as currency here, or trade, or what you yourself would value in an exchange.

As aforementioned, I am willing to be flexible and negotiate on these terms, should you name your price.

Yours sincerely

Sir Magnus Macaire
Edited 2020-05-16 07:53 (UTC)
circumspector: (( MINOTAUR ) » i'm the violence)

[personal profile] circumspector 2020-05-16 11:44 am (UTC)(link)
In that maddening happiness that she is free to have - she cannot find any fault in that simple idea, only that she can't share this feeling with others as openly as it comes to her.

"I gave up a lot to have the freedom to be happy when and where I want to." She breathes it, though it's not a morbid musing, her tongue pressing to the edge of her lips. Her eyes a glassy mirror of the lights of his, where they play in the darkness. "I don't think I know how to do less, now."
Edited 2020-05-16 11:44 (UTC)
towhatmatters: (→03)

[personal profile] towhatmatters 2020-05-16 05:18 pm (UTC)(link)
He huffs quietly. Perhaps it is rather impressive, especially since no one appears to have appointed themselves leader.

"Something to be said for being stuck in the same boat."

Especially when things appear to simply happen to this colony without much warning.
mustact: (→33)

[personal profile] mustact 2020-05-16 05:33 pm (UTC)(link)
That doesn't tell him much except the colour of them, but it doesn't really matter. Something about the way the words sit on Angel's tongue, how she describes them, makes him feel ... loved.

"What do they look like?"

She's talked a lot about Pandora, but not so much about other places.
towhatmatters: (→17)

[personal profile] towhatmatters 2020-05-16 06:00 pm (UTC)(link)
He huffs softly in amusement. They're going to have a shooting contest now? Not sure about that, but he will have more drink.

"Think it was spite."

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