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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.



vosseeker: (forty-five.)

[personal profile] vosseeker 2020-06-13 09:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Making sense or not, Starscream still bristles like it's an affront to his honour what honour. "I am not," he retorted childishly. "You're the one making a spectacle of yourself at the dining table."
superposition: (But no more apologies)

[personal profile] superposition 2020-06-14 12:56 am (UTC)(link)
[ He doesn't try to stop her or anything, but he does lean back a bit. Little close, lady. His nose wrinkles at her suggestion, but he stands his ground, grasping his coat lapels firmly. ]

Absolutely not.

[ He would not be caught dead in that thing and you can't make him. ]
birdical: (💋 (it seemed so clear))

[personal profile] birdical 2020-06-14 01:21 am (UTC)(link)
[Sorry Qubit, but she doesn't back up even a little. Personal space is a mystery to her.]

Do you not want to attend? You must, if you are here.
writtendestiny: (010)

[personal profile] writtendestiny 2020-06-14 07:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[Poison immediately flushes at the compliment, turning her head away and pointedly clearing her throat. How dare he.]

I don't know if the dress really suits me.

[People don't compliment Poison. She took long enough to get used to hearing it from Peter.]

But-- thank you. They insisted on 'fixing' my hair...
redwinekindofgirl: (049)

[personal profile] redwinekindofgirl 2020-06-14 07:42 pm (UTC)(link)
"I didn't volunteer for anything. If a herd of those things came at me looking for tequila I'd be hiding under the bar."

She shrugs one shoulder, but she can't wipe the smirk off her face at the mental image of it.

"I wonder where he's gone. Where do the 'bots go for R and R in this place?"
writtendestiny: (040)

[personal profile] writtendestiny 2020-06-14 08:53 pm (UTC)(link)
"It looks like him... I suppose..."

She frowns at the image on the cake, her eyes narrowing slightly just for a moment. Maybe it was how he looked when he arrived here? But what was the point of all this? It's all just... strange.

"I don't think anyone's seen him in a while. ... How long have you been here?"
numerouno: do not take (CXXVIII)

[personal profile] numerouno 2020-06-15 04:25 am (UTC)(link)
"Not a lick, babe."

Hey, at least the human has Scaramouche's full attention now.
nothinglikefather: made by peaked (071)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-06-15 06:59 am (UTC)(link)
Oh well.

He takes a swallow of the cocktail, maybe that will make it easier to understand.

"I'm from 1868. Most people are from... about a hundred and fifty years after that? They're used to all these phone and technology things. The most modern thing we have is telegrams, but people don't use those in the future."

A text message is easier.
towhatmatters: (→06)

[personal profile] towhatmatters 2020-06-15 07:17 pm (UTC)(link)
He scoffs.

"You're getting real drunk. I been keeping up."

And if he missed a glass or two that's only because Jacob had to go and get him thinking.
nothinglikefather: made by peaked (037)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-06-15 08:37 pm (UTC)(link)
"You," Jacob responds, "were already nissed as a pewt. I am catching up to you."

Not that he cares. The drink is good, the company is better. He's enjoying this, the first real celebration in a long time that he's actually... liked. Maybe because he's allowing himself to. Maybe because there's nothing to be scared of right now.

Maybe because for the first time in a long, long time, he's happy.
superposition: ((you won't like me when i'm angry))

[personal profile] superposition 2020-06-15 08:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She's quite a bit taller than him, too, which makes it juuust that much extra uncomfortable. He folds his arms. ]

Not in that thing. It's not negotiable. There's a lot of humiliation I'm willing to put up with, but I draw the line at nipple windows.

[ Yeeeeah this is roughly what they gave him. Surely Elleru will implicitly understand where he's coming from! All those... vast differences in personality and cultural context aside. ]
birdical: (💋 (something about the open road))

[personal profile] birdical 2020-06-16 06:37 am (UTC)(link)
[The mention of 'nipple windows' makes Elleru giggle - she doesn't even try to hide her unmitigated delight. Uprights are so prudish, and Qubit seems even more so, but even she can understand why he might take umbrage with a garment that includes nipple windows.]

Then we will ask for something else for you to wear. Come.

[Annnnd she goes to loop her arm around his, further demonstrating her complete and utter disregard for personal space.]
birdical: (💋 (what's this))

[personal profile] birdical 2020-06-16 06:57 am (UTC)(link)
As it turns out, the universe — or at least Elleru — is listening. She steps closer, recognizing Jacob as she leans over his shoulder.

"That depends on what it is you like," she offers. "Do you prefer it spicy? Or sweet?"
towhatmatters: (→21)

[personal profile] towhatmatters 2020-06-16 07:36 am (UTC)(link)
He wouldn't know anything about it. Her confusion doesn't go completely amiss on him, but he can't exactly help her with it. He hasn't seen Joe as he is now.

"Only a couple of months." He finally turns to her, and holds out a hand. "Name's Arthur Morgan."
birdical: (💋 (to find the way to crash on through))

[personal profile] birdical 2020-06-16 08:16 am (UTC)(link)
If there's one thing Elleru loves, it's getting a compliment. She slows in her spinning just enough for her eyes to lock onto Poison, a smile crossing her.

"I like it, and yours, as well. What a night to be as lovely as we are!"

Poison may be far shorter than she is, but that doesn't stop Elleru from reaching for her hand, hoping to lead her in a dance.
birdical: (💋 (find a little in me))

[personal profile] birdical 2020-06-16 08:22 am (UTC)(link)
Elleru might be having the time of her life, but she's aware enough to feel eyes on her; she turns a small circle, trying to look casual as she surveys her surroundings, only for her gaze to fall on a familiar face across the way. Ah, one of the few people in Anchor who can make her feel short by comparison.

A wide smile cuts across Elleru's face as she saunters in Scaramouche's direction, extending her hand toward him once she's in reach. She brushes her nails against the paper flower in his lapel, her eyes glittering as she beams at him, her tone smooth as she lays her other hand at the side of his neck.

"You kept it."
abheirrant: (❧ it only hid so much)

[personal profile] abheirrant 2020-06-16 08:29 am (UTC)(link)
[Carlisle hadn't thought much of the compliment, but he feels just a pinch guilty when he sees just how Poison reacts. He, too, doesn't get many compliments, and has never really learned how to take them. They might compliment the Longinmouth name, but Carlisle himself? No. Not at all.

He doesn't even believe he looks all that good for this event. Just different, as Poison said. Presentable, at best — keeping well hidden what he truly is beneath his skin.]


My hair is the one thing the constructs felt was acceptable. They almost wouldn't let me wear the scarf.
superposition: ((you're not the boss of me))

[personal profile] superposition 2020-06-16 06:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Sure, okay, laugh it up, fuzzball. Get it out of your system. But at least she's not laughing at him, he's pretty sure. He sighs and rolls his eyes, but reluctantly allows her to take his arm and lead him off. ]

Frankly, I suspect she did it on purpose. She's had it in for me for a while now, I shouldn't be surprised.
birdical: (💋 (for a while till you lost me))

[personal profile] birdical 2020-06-16 09:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[That gets Elleru's attention.]

She? Who is she?
superposition: ((what are we talking about?))

[personal profile] superposition 2020-06-16 11:46 pm (UTC)(link)
... SINI, of course. [ Mildly perplexed. Who else would he have been talking about? ] I'm not sure how complete her control over the 'bots is, but she's certainly got enough to leave unwanted gifts.
superposition: ((before the fall))

Qubit | Irredeemable (MoM CRAU) | In-Game

[personal profile] superposition 2020-06-17 01:44 am (UTC)(link)
00 | print( Q.status() )
[ Qubit is... shall we say, less than overjoyed to be here. In fairness, though, this sort of event always puts him on edge. Have you ever been to a party so bad that it turned you off to the entire concept of parties for years? Qubit has. But he shows up to them anyway, if for no other reason that if something should go horribly, horribly wrong, he wants to be close by. The actual likelihood of that - Anchor's robotic revels have, so far, gone off without a hitch - is irrelevant.

Anyway, he needs to put himself out there and meet people. Obviously he needs to know who's here, assess what they bring to the table, what sort of threat they could pose. But more than that, he needs visibility. If anything, PR's more important in a social ecosystem this tiny, and his PR has not been fantastic. He's made a couple of loudmouth adversaries in his time here, which is clearly the only reason everybody thinks he's a standoffish asshole. If he's going to protect these people, he needs to get to work winning hearts and minds, pronto. ]
01 | while spread.hasNew( item ): log( item, instagrammable=True )
[ That's not to say he's uninterested in the festivities themselves, but his interactions with them are more as observer than participant. He doesn't seem interested in the hookah station, for instance, and he won't voluntarily take to the dance floor, though he occasionally watches those who do.

But now and then, he can be spotted eyeing something critically and taking notes or photos with his tablet. He does make sure to document the lovingly rendered "Anchor On Fire" dish and Creepy Joe's cake before either of them get substantially eaten. But the little note at the end of the lightshow elicits a raised eyebrow as well, and not just because of the useless datestamp. ]


"Number three"? Wonder what could have happened to the first two. [ His tone suggests he has no shortage of guesses. ]
02 | tasteTest = foodie.sampleAll( spread )
[ Ultimately, though, what holds his attention most is the food. There's a lot of it, for a start. Way too much for a couple dozen people to go through in one evening. How are their food reserves looking right now, he wonders? And where did some of these ingredients even come from? There are things on this table even he's never seen before, and that's saying something. And interrogating the 'bots gets him nowhere, much like every other time he's ever tried to get info out of them.

But even with his many, many concerns, eventually his inner foodie has to be indulged. Throughout the evening he samples small amounts of a wide range of dishes - things that look appetizing, things that look distinctly unappetizing, and of course anything he doesn't recognize. So at any given time, the plate he's wandering with prooobably has some of the weirder offerings on it.

What can I say, he likes to live dangerously.

Anyway, it's not a bad conversation starter - pointing out something on his plate with a casual - ]
Have you tried this? [ There is a nonzero chance it's moving. ]

[ Alternatively, the Qubit-themed hors d'oeuvre is green cotton candy in excellent imitation of his hair. He's not actually going to eat those, but he does at some point examine one with an air that's not quite either amusement or disdain. ] Hmph. The more things change...
03 | for guest in crowd: { Q.talk(guest) }
[ In between all that, he stops frequently to make conversation with as many guests as he can. And he is cranking his Charisma as far up as it'll go - appropriate eye contact, relaxed body language, active listening, genuine empathy, the whole nine yards. It's not all calculated - he does genuinely care about you guys, you know. And especially once he's had an opportunity to talk with some friends, he'll probably even start to enjoy it. Sure, he can self-isolate for months on end, but he's not by any means an introvert. ]

[ A: Friends and positive acquaintances can expect a hearty hello and very little small talk before he gets to the point: ]

Really, though, how have you been lately? Honest answer. [ None of that reflexive "fine" nonsense! ]

[ B: Strangers and newcomers, on the other hand, get a less exuberant approach. Friendly but polite, testing the waters, trying not to offend: ]

Excuse me - I don't think we've met. I'm Qubit. You're a newer arrival, I take it?

[ C: (Fr)enemies he'll steer clear of if he can - he's not out to pick any petty fights tonight - but, you know, if they seek him out there's only so much he can do. To them, he'll offer a sharp-edged smile and polite disengagement: ]

I'm a little busy right now.
birdical: (💋 (dreams might be filled with lies))

[personal profile] birdical 2020-06-17 01:49 am (UTC)(link)
Oh.

[Her disappointment is palpable. That's no fun, Qubit. She was so ready for the details on his love life.

But no matter — they have business to attend to.]


If she cannot dress you well, I will. We will start with a suit.
superposition: ((you're stronger than you think))

for Carlisle

[personal profile] superposition 2020-06-17 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's a surprise to see Carlisle at this event at all, much less wearing something different than usual said the kettle, and when Qubit spots his friend doing his wallflower thing on the sidelines, he heads directly over there, smiling. ]

Carlisle! I almost didn't recognize you. Couldn't escape the dress code either, I assume?

[ He may or may not have forgotten to put down his food before coming over but shhh he'll figure it out ]
abheirrant: (❧ the sound was soothing)

[personal profile] abheirrant 2020-06-17 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
[Qubit's approach just in the nick of time, as Carlisle was trying to talk himself out of leaving. He's doing nothing but worrying about if his scarf is covering his face, if his outfit is presentable, if people can tell there is a monster their midst — why should he be here if he's not having much fun?

Because he needs the interaction, he reminds himself. He's done nothing but sulk in his own solitude lately, and that unhealthy isolation one of those things that did him no favors, in the end. He needs to at least attempt to be human, even if he's not trying very hard when he's parked on the wall. His eyes flick to Qubit when he's called, and there is a definite warmth that crosses the clergyman's expression, however covered it may be by his scarf.]


They wouldn't let me wear my mask. I was relieved to have an alternative, or I might not have come at all.
Edited 2020-06-17 02:17 (UTC)
superposition: (For idle hands to do)

[personal profile] superposition 2020-06-17 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ Lol implying he has one of those. He shakes his head, not as a refusal but out of irritation at the situation in general. ]

Completely absurd, if you ask me. I'm wearing a suit! Look. Even made a tie tack.

[ He lifts his tie slightly with one thumb, enough to draw attention to the pin securing it to his shirt. This is in the shape of a little "Q" because of course it fucking is. ]

Do you know how long it's been since I bothered with one of these? "Inappropriate attire," he says. Preposterous.

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