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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.



redwinekindofgirl: (043)

[personal profile] redwinekindofgirl 2020-06-08 07:24 pm (UTC)(link)
"There isn't, but there are plenty of places to hide."

And Julie, for all her feisty nature, is also very good at hiding. She raises her eyebrows at him and tilts her head in the opposite direction from where the robots skittered off to.

"Soooo... are you coming?"
redwinekindofgirl: (076)

[personal profile] redwinekindofgirl 2020-06-08 08:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[She makes a face at him when he laughs, a kind of scrunched up, wrinkle-nose smirk. He isn't someone she knows well, but it's hard not to recognise people here eventually when there are so few of you, and while she doesn't know his name she definitely knows his face.]

Really?

[Okay, so it's not like Julie isn't used to public scrutiny, but that was something else.]

You famous or something?
numerouno: do not take (CXXXIII)

[personal profile] numerouno 2020-06-09 04:13 am (UTC)(link)
Scaramouche is only half-listening until the man mentions his 'time'. The odd turn of phrase captures his interest, his glass pausing in its second ascent, a curious frown tugging at the corners of his mechanical mouth. The cocktail is lowered.

"Your time?"
towhatmatters: (→16)

[personal profile] towhatmatters 2020-06-09 04:42 pm (UTC)(link)
The name Joe is a much more normal name, but doesn't ring a bell for him. 'As long as Joe has', though ... He glances in the direction of the cake meant to celebrate the oldest living resident.

"That who the cake's for?"
towhatmatters: (→05)

[personal profile] towhatmatters 2020-06-09 04:43 pm (UTC)(link)
"Ohh, okay, I'm following now. Taste test it to surprise Charles with later. Works for me."

In fact, he'd be glad to. Charles deserves good things. That man hasn't had an easy life. Sure, more or less no one in the gang had, but if anyone deserved better, it was Charles Smith.
livingdeadgirl: (smile 14)

[personal profile] livingdeadgirl 2020-06-09 06:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Ami's wearing this lil number, but with black leggings because she's kinda self-conscious about how short the skirt is. She's added some red and gold accents to her makeup, and her boots match too, sort of.

She got her hair did in a fancy updo with a red streak, but around halfway through the party this will become irrelevant.
superposition: (And why?)

[personal profile] superposition 2020-06-09 06:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Qubit didn't like the outfit he got "assigned", so he initially tries to show up in a suit and tie like usual. Elleru eventually helps him settle on something like this, but in green.
superposition: (And why?)

[personal profile] superposition 2020-06-09 07:16 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Well, "to have a good time" is not Qubit's main reason for coming. It rarely is, at this sort of event. He's here in case something goes wrong, and he's here to network and observe. Lately he's been letting things fly under his radar that he really shouldn't, and that's got to change.

Complicating the issue, though, are the robots. First there's the gatekeeper, a tall bot wearing an expertly fitted tuxedo - who has decided he doesn't meet the dress code. ]


"Appropriate attire"-?! How is this not appropriate?

[ Sure, what he's wearing is part of his normal wardrobe, and maybe he didn't get around to pressing his slacks, but he has on a vest and tie, that should be more than good enough! A few more robots, these ones small and squat, start milling around his feet, one of them brandishing a measuring tape. He tries to shoo them, but they are undeterred.

Before he has the opportunity to truly make a scene, though, who should arrive but Elleru. The odd inflection of his name is unmistakable. There's the briefest of pauses as he notices her outfit, his eyes flicking downward to Maximum Leg before returning to her face as he nods to acknowledge her. ]


Elleru. If you're referring to the ridiculous getup they left at my door yesterday, then yes. [ Shooting a glare at Tuxbot - ] They conveniently failed to mention that it was mandatory.
Edited 2020-06-09 19:18 (UTC)
nothinglikefather: made by peaked (060)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-06-09 09:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Jacob would have thought it odd, if he hadn't met so many people from other eras. Connor from a hundred or so years before his own, Charles from forty years in the future. People from the dawn of the 21st century. Angel from so far ahead that Earth is a distant concept.

"Most people in these places," He gestures at the party, but he means Anchor, the City of Sin, all of those odd pockets that pull people together from all over, "Even if they're from the same world I am, they aren't from when I am. That make sense?"
nothinglikefather: made by peaked (049)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-06-09 09:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Jacob grins, ear to ear, unashamedly pleased that he's recruited someone else to help him with this little project.

"I'll drink to that!" He says, and swallows the rest of the glass before putting it down again heavily, and this time he pours the drinks.

"Gotta ask you somethin' 'bout Charles. From back in your time. You and he, you were really close, right? Con-fee-dants?"
livingdeadgirl: (smile 9)

A.

[personal profile] livingdeadgirl 2020-06-10 12:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ami's not totally ready for the party at this point - she's dressed and made up, but she's got some time to kill before her hair appointment. Normally that'd be a good opportunity to hang out somewhere and read, but she didn't bring a book, and also the green space is partly occupied by a Starscream.

Now, she's hardly ever talked to their giant-robot-in-residence, and certainly not in person. Mostly she's afraid she'll get stepped on by mistake. But he's not really stepping anywhere at the moment, and anyway she's one floor up and thus safely above him, so she approaches the edge of the walkway to watch.

It's pretty clear what he's trying to do, but it looks like he can barely reach. Which, granted, is a little bit funny, but... in the end, she's too nice to just sit there and watch him struggle indefinitely. ]


Do you need a hand with that?
Edited 2020-06-10 00:33 (UTC)
livingdeadgirl: (smile 7)

Ami Aihara (Aradia Megido) | Homestuck (Recollé CRAU) | in-game

[personal profile] livingdeadgirl 2020-06-10 05:33 am (UTC)(link)
> Ami: Get your party on.
[ Ami was actually thrilled when she heard there would be another party. She's been a little mopey and lonely lately, and she doesn't like it. Who knows, maybe a good party will clear her head! And she can meet some new people, if they have any, or catch up with old people, or whatever. The robots throw good parties. It'll be fun.

The dress she was provided is very much to her liking, if a little short, but that's nothing some leggings can't fix. She even headed out early and got her hair done and played around with some makeup. And she actually looks quite nice, in her own humble opinion! The gold in her eyeshadow brings out the yellow in her eyes a bit more than she'd like, but maybe that's just her being nitpicky. It's fine. It's probably fine.

She'll spend much of the evening mingling, usually with a plate of snacks in hand. (Look, she is a growing girl, okay? She's hungry.) As usual, she's the youngest person here, so naturally it's a little awkward trying to engage a bunch of adults in conversation. But some of them she knows, and she starts to warm up and find her stride even with the strangers as the party goes on. Little innocuous conversation starters, like- ]


[ A: ] They really pulled out all the stops for this one, huh?

[ or B: ] Hey, I like your outfit!

[ or C: at one point, a little later on, you might catch her muttering as she side-eyes the familiar hookah setup that keeps turning up at these events: ] Kinda wish they'd chuck that out the airlock.
> Hair: Explode.
[ It's now two or three hours into the festivities. Everybody's having fun, the dessert table has been lit on fire and quickly put out, and now they're playing a boppy song with a good dancin' beat, which Ami must of course respond to with a gangly but spirited teenager dance.

Suddenly, with an audible POOF and a startled shriek, her hair explodes.

Okay, not in fire and brimstone, obvously. But it does burst out of her fancy updo all at once, and there's a lot more of it than there's supposed to be, swallowing her head and shoulders so she looks kind of like a puffy black crysanthemum on a stalk. Only, you know, with hair.

... Well, not just hair. Because as she's frantically trying to get the unruly curls under control, her hands run into something more solid hidden beneath them. A weight on her skull that's much more familiar.

And that's what takes her from mortified to panicked. Aradia's legacy hasn't bothered her for months - not so much as an intrusive thought or a silly flashback - but now, at a party, in front of goddamn everybody, is when she decides to go hey remember me? youre still turning into me, that didnt stop being a thing that was happening 0u0

She's gotta get out of here. ]


I-I'm okay! I'm okay. Sorry.

[ Okay there's her face, she can see now. With that she makes a beeline for the nearest restroom, squeezing past robots and party guests and stammering embarrassed apologies the whole way. ]

Sorry. Coming through. 'Scuse me. Hair emergency.
towhatmatters: (→17)

[personal profile] towhatmatters 2020-06-10 11:28 am (UTC)(link)
Arthur will happily drink to that too, and immediately have the next drink Jacob pours.

"Confidants? Sure. Always been able to trust him. Turns out he's one of the few I've blindly trusted in my life that actually deserved it."

Where's that bottle? It takes him a moment to find it, because his vision is starting to swim, but then he fills his glass again. And Jacob's, if Jacob's had the time to already empty it again.
nothinglikefather: made by peaked (Default)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-06-10 02:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Jacob preens. He can't help it, a compliment to Charles is like a compliment to him. Charles is good, honest, kind, brave, and handsome to boot and when other people recognise it and say it? It makes him feel good.

But even though the whiskey haze, he knows this isn't about him, it is about Charles. Arthur is an old friend, Charles cares for him, loves him, but not like he loves Jacob. Still, Charles needs to know people feel this way about him.

"You ev'r said that to... to him?"
towhatmatters: (→22)

[personal profile] towhatmatters 2020-06-11 07:56 pm (UTC)(link)
"Sure, uh ... Think so. Maybe not with those exact words, but I've always made sure to tell him he matters."

Although, that had often been about how much he helped the gang, what an asset he was on the job. Had he told Charles how much he appreciated him as a sort of confidant? Maybe he hadn't. Probably should.
nothinglikefather: made by peaked (Default)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-06-11 08:05 pm (UTC)(link)
There's another pat on his back, not quite sober, a little heavy.

"Might appreciate that. Is a good man, but doesn't often get told it. Not that he matters to people."

Charles will say it doesn't matter, that it isn't about being thanked, but Jacob knows that it's important to say these things. To make sure people know how much they mean to you.
towhatmatters: (→10)

[personal profile] towhatmatters 2020-06-12 08:14 pm (UTC)(link)
"No. You might be right."

Something to tuck away for later. Were they getting drunk enough? Maybe. Finish this whiskey bottle. Maybe a beer too? Then it would be enough.
nothinglikefather: made by peaked (Default)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-06-12 08:27 pm (UTC)(link)
"'Course I'm right."

Jacob says, patting Arthur again, and then downing what is left in his glass.

"You're falling behind." He teases, pouring again, "Thought you said you could drink me under the table."
birdical: (💋 (what's this))

[personal profile] birdical 2020-06-13 02:58 am (UTC)(link)
This is party, Qubit. We must dress for the occasion.

[She sidesteps the beeping bot and gets as close to him as he'll let her, giving his outfit a survey, letting her eyes linger on the details.]

I can see you tried. Here, let us go get your outfit. I will help you.
birdical: (💋 (that looks so unique))

[personal profile] birdical 2020-06-13 03:02 am (UTC)(link)
"Do you not think so?" she questions, turning the hors d'oeuvre back toward her so she can take a better look. "It could be better, yes, but they got your eyebrows and the draw of your jawline. And these two candies are your eyes."

Hers is more of a purple blob with pointed ears, but she gives the robots points for effort.
vosseeker: (fourteen.)

[personal profile] vosseeker 2020-06-13 06:02 am (UTC)(link)
[ That was true. Especially in this place, logic was more often the exception than the rule. And he was curious, Unmaker take it all. The part of him that had always been a scientist won't put the enigma of it down. ]

Appeasement, perhaps. Or observation.
vosseeker: (twenty-eight.)

[personal profile] vosseeker 2020-06-13 06:11 am (UTC)(link)
Finnick's easy acceptance of the rebuke, undeserved or not, is at least one way to keep Starscream's demeanor from turning caustic. "Hrm. Not bad speed for an organic, though."

His red gaze slides toward the spa area, realizing that he very likely wasn't going to fit inside to get what he needed.

"I require your assistance," he announced, in a manner that was very much telling rather than asking.
vosseeker: (fifty-three.)

[personal profile] vosseeker 2020-06-13 06:15 am (UTC)(link)
[ Oh. Well, that was going to make explaining things a little harder. Starscream dragged one talon down his face in a very human gesture, unseen. ]

Yes, that is a video. A reproduction of image and sound that can be played back upon command.

The exact circumstance of the change is not known, but in the intervening time, the colony became abandoned leaving only automatons behind.
macaire: (020)

[personal profile] macaire 2020-06-13 06:30 am (UTC)(link)
Dear Sir,

Your explanation is welcome, my thanks. I imagine it has many academic uses.

I see. such a catastrophe normally occurs quickly and leaves little behind by way of explanation, but it does not make the events or the possibility of reoccurrence any less harrowing for the present residents.

What research is being undertaken? On the disaster or on a means for us to leave this place?

Your attention to this matter is most appreciated,

Yours Sincerely,

Sir Magnus Macaire

vosseeker: (Default)

[personal profile] vosseeker 2020-06-13 09:06 pm (UTC)(link)
"I don't spend a lot of time ruminating on the shortcomings of organics," Starscream said dryly. "I have better uses of my time, I have an army to run."

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