modblob: (Default)
Mods ([personal profile] modblob) wrote in [community profile] redmarsshit2020-04-27 08:43 pm
Entry tags:

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.



seaboard: (you should have left me)

[personal profile] seaboard 2020-05-04 04:48 am (UTC)(link)
Why were so many people so scary?

She missed home.

But his hand goes back to his side, away from that truly impressive sword with an uneasy sigh and rolls her shoulders back into a more comfortable posture - which isn't really. She is still held like a sculpture, back straight, head back, gaze averted from direct contact.

"It was provided to me as dress for this evening, yes, and I am most grateful for their generosity. My Mother's Mother had a piece much like it."
seaboard: (the crunching of your teeth)

[personal profile] seaboard 2020-05-04 04:54 am (UTC)(link)
"Nor I." She leans her head forward, as they speak - and in her way, there is an impressiveness to her stature, at some 5'9 without the headdress, with it and the long patterns of the dress, she is a figure to be easily recognized.

"Truth, if it is not too bold: I have never left my home and my family before."
towhatmatters: (→02)

[personal profile] towhatmatters 2020-05-04 09:24 am (UTC)(link)
At the pat on the back Arthur straightens slightly, peering over his shoulder to quickly decide if it's friend or foe. Most likely friend, given that there are so few people in Anchor and he has yet, miraculously, to make an enemy.

When he sees Jacob's face, he offers a smile, and slouches down again.

"Yeah. Already had some. No clue what most of it is."

But what he had was tasty enough.
towhatmatters: (→03)

No fucking up here

[personal profile] towhatmatters 2020-05-04 09:35 am (UTC)(link)
Lights aren't new to Arthur, but in this particular way they are. For him, lights have always meant civilisation, pollution that blocks the night sky, something unpleasant. This? This he can freely admit is beautiful, and he'd be lying if he claimed to not be stunned by it.

Something that stuns him further, though, is to have a woman suddenly latch onto him and hide her face against him, lingering there until the first fanfare of the music quiets down. If somebody asked, he might prefer to say that he let her stay there because he was simply too surprised to react in time, but the truth is, well ... Clearly she's out of her depth, and he feels sympathy for that.

"Lights, I'm guessing. And music. Ain't gonna hurt you."
towhatmatters: (→05)

[personal profile] towhatmatters 2020-05-04 09:41 am (UTC)(link)
He chuckles quietly, shaking his head.

"No way." The bots are getting closer to Arthur now, and he holds up a hand. "No makeover for me, thanks. I already got mine."

Little but a shave and a trim, and he managed to get out of any makeup. He didn't, however, stop that bot from trying to cover his chest in glitter, and his throat still has some traces of it, because as we know glitter just doesn't go away.

"But you could be so much prettier!" one of the bots tries to insist.
circumspector: (xxiii » singing when you're told)

[personal profile] circumspector 2020-05-04 03:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Angel's eyes dart back and forth at the cutlery in continue perplexed bafflement. Why were there so many other sizes for forks? Who needed this many kind of forks? It's not like any of these fired projectiles.

She thinks.

Might require testing.

"No." She whispers it back, lean into his side to keep up their confused little huddle. "Aren't they all just forks?"
aintyourbro: (yzSA4zf)

[personal profile] aintyourbro 2020-05-05 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
He can't help it, he's just got one of those resting bitch faces. And a giant sword.

She's looking a little awkward averting her gaze like that, so Cloud's just going to make this a little easier and look over the side of the railing at the party below.

"Generosity, right," he says, sounding just a bit skeptical. He can't imagine these robots or whoever runs this place is doing all this out of the goodness of their hearts, there has to be some kind of ulterior motive. Unfortunately, he hasn't been here nearly long enough to even begin to piece together what that might be.

"Looks like they dressed everyone up," except for him, anyway. He wasn't even a little bit interested. "Any idea what this party's actually for?"
aintyourbro: (psr8PcJ)

[personal profile] aintyourbro 2020-05-05 01:52 am (UTC)(link)
Cloud watches this for a moment, maybe a little amused even if it's not evident in his expression. Still, he's pretty done with this robobullshit and slowly reaches for his sword again, nodding over his shoulder at said sword while raising his brows as if to say 'it's not too late for me to chop these things in half'.

"So is this normal around here, or...?"
nockturnal: (pic#13782935)

[personal profile] nockturnal 2020-05-05 01:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Hanzo is going to be strutting around in an outfit much like this, but in dark navy with a gold sash, and a black dragon along the bottom hem of the sash, because he is an extra bitch.

Paired with his new undercut, he's going to be working. It. Y'all wish you looked this good.
nockturnal: (pic#13784364)

Hanzo Shimada | Overwatch | In-Game

[personal profile] nockturnal 2020-05-05 01:40 pm (UTC)(link)
It feels odd to celebrate. Understandably, that's part of the reason the bots have seen fit to throw this party, but for someone as perpetually grumpy as Hanzo, it only provokes a sense of distrust about the entire affair.

That being said, he still shows up.

Largely he appears to be spending his time partaking of the drinks -- though rather than take advantage of the sudden variety, he definitely appears to be sticking to one type of drink throughout the evening. His glass doesn't appear to ever be empty in his hand.

Half of that reason is an excuse not to step out onto the dance floor. Though he will observe from the edges with aloof disinterest and a mildly judging look. Form, skill, appearance, all under quiet scrutiny.

Of course he has to loosen up eventually, rather than simply glide along the edges like a particularly sullen peacock. His tiny blob-turned-dragon occasionally perches on his shoulder or skitters about for reconnaissance, and Hanzo retires to one of the comfortable sitting areas to partake of the hookah. Only then does the tension in his shoulders appear to relax by even the smallest degrees.

Despite his distant demeanor, he will speak if spoken to. Tonight, the dragon's bark is worse than his bite.
borntohurt: (pic#13778693)

[personal profile] borntohurt 2020-05-05 02:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Charles will be in this, but altered slightly. Ditching the tie for his necklace, navy undershirt instead of white. He'll also have his hair braided (thank you Jacob) and his eagle feathers.
borntohurt: (pic#13333859)

Charles Smith | Red Dead Redemption | In-Game

[personal profile] borntohurt 2020-05-05 02:46 pm (UTC)(link)
He's never been extroverted enough to enjoy being at a large party, but he's gotten more used to them, the more of them he's been invited to. In this case, invited might not be strong enough of a word for it...

But once the outfits show up for all of them, it's more or less a forgone conclusion that they'll all be attending.

For a majority of the party, he can be seen with Jacob Frye, the two standing close together and one looking much more intrigued by the goings on and the people around them than the other. But Charles does wander off now and again to investigate the available drinks -- whiskey, please -- as well as the available hookah lounge area. His wolf is also nearby, still more politely than one would expect of a wild animal, but staring up at anyone who gets too near with very intent gold eyes.

He's also available for very awkward, unsure dancing that gets a little looser as the evening goes on, and the drinks disappear.

Anyone who approaches is greeting with a warm nod and a greeting, as it is a party and he is here to socialize. More or less. Look, he's still a little rusty when it comes to being included in these sorts of things.
arcadedragon: (Overthinking)

[personal profile] arcadedragon 2020-05-06 04:20 am (UTC)(link)
"I think so?" They're various sizes and some have more tines than others, but they're all just forks right?

"What happens if we use the wrong one?" This isn't like a formal dinner from when he was a child where he would have been scolded for eating things out of turn. There's no one hovering over them waiting to judge how they ate, even the bots seemed mostly concerned with replenishing the food and drink and not so much with the guests.

He picks a fork at random and stabs something on his plate with it, his posture clearly indicating he's expecting alarms to go off and to be arrested by the dinner police.
arcadedragon: (Defiant)

[personal profile] arcadedragon 2020-05-06 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
Honestly Genji is surprised that Hanzo came, it seems like the kind of thing he would hate. Parties are traditionally more Genji's thing anyway.

How the tables have turned.

Party-boy here is feeling self conscious and awkward and hasn't been to an event in years other than the small celebrations after a Blackwatch mission which were more competitions in getting blackout drunk. He's nowhere near that yet, but he's definitely not on his first drink. Or even his third.

Sitting nearby on one of the cushions around the hookah, he crosses his legs and cradles his current glass between metal fingers. "Have you tried any of these?"

He nods to the glass, whatever he's drinking is bright green.
nothinglikefather: made by peaked (071)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-05-06 05:02 am (UTC)(link)
Jacob is trying to keep that ridiculous little smile off his face, hiding it with his drink more often than not. Instinct tells him that anything could go wrong about now, that it probably will. Everyone here, in one space? Some sort of monster or poisonous gas is likely to be released at any moment but... Charles looks incredibly handsome, Connor and Angel seem to be having a good time, and there is proper alcohol.

It's hard to remain suspicious when the general atmosphere is so relaxed.

Whether the drinks and the food will exist after tonight, he's not sure, but it's a welcome addition. And he has perhaps drunk a little more than is sensible, but only to get to the warm slightly fuzzy stage, stood close to Charles and leaning against him every so often, if only to murmur an observation.

Most of those are along the lines of how handsome Charles himself looks, because he should be told, and the beer relaxes his tongue. And the rest of him, for that matter, and at one point his head is resting on Charles' shoulder, watching the dancers move around the floor.

"You wouldn't get me out there for all the tea in China." He says, but there's a certain note in his voice that says he might be open to persuasion.
nothinglikefather: made by peaked (081)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-05-06 05:26 am (UTC)(link)
"Alcohol!" Jacob says, laughing and settling next to Arthur, gesturing to the robotic barkeeper for two more of the same. Arthur might still have most, or some, of his bottle, left but sharing a drink is always enjoyable.

When the two whiskey glasses come, Jacob will take a swallow and grin brightly.

"Guess you don't get shindigs like this back home?" He asks conversationally. Charles has never really talked about any big parties, he's not sure if that's because he doesn't go to them, or because they were unpleasant memories. But they must happen, even for folk like them.
numerouno: (CV)

[personal profile] numerouno 2020-05-06 05:43 am (UTC)(link)
Scaramouche is beaming when he steps off the runway and into the tented area. A resident applauds his entrance; he gives a smug nod in acknowledgement and tilts toward him.

"I've got news for you, babe: that is the point."

The grin fades all of a sudden as something occurs to him.

"Hey, why'd you skip the line?" But then the smile is back in all its glory. "Get out there, babe!"
gh0stamidstthec0mbat: (tee hee)

[personal profile] gh0stamidstthec0mbat 2020-05-06 05:04 pm (UTC)(link)
"I was rebelling. / Or, something to that effect. / I don't feel like it."

He's already here, there's no sense in leaving only to come back in. Though it does make him wonder if it would happen again if someone were to just pop out to take a piss and come back.
theweakhavepurpose: (The end is nigh)

[personal profile] theweakhavepurpose 2020-05-06 07:13 pm (UTC)(link)
"We should all be fucking wiped out." He snarls that gruffly, before the wolf at his side leans against his leg and he seems to snap out of it, reaching down to pet her ears.

"Don't listen to me. I don't know what I'm saying." It's not even a lie, he barely knows who he is anymore let alone what he's saying. He offers the wolf a carrot from his plate, "I'll get you some meat after I eat. Gotta be patient."

PT eats the carrot but is clearly waiting for the good shit.

Looking back over at Magnus he tries to judge when he's from by clothing alone. It's a little hard when they're all so dressed up, "No robots like this where you come from either?"
macaire: (Default)

[personal profile] macaire 2020-05-06 08:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Anyone else would raise an eyebrow at such a fervent statement. Especially about the demise of his own species, and Magnus stores that away to pick at in the future. Not now, for this is neither the time nor the place. Make connections, extend the paw of friendship. Then find out everything useful.

"I would not dream of holding such a statement against you." He says, as of the strange outburst is forgiven and forgotten. "We all say some things in the moment that do not hold true, or we regret later."

The question of robots, automaton, makes him incline his head. "There is no such thing, or anything close to it. I would believe men dream of such things but they have neither the skill nor science to being it into being."
numerouno: (XCVII)

[personal profile] numerouno 2020-05-07 06:34 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh, come on, babe," he needles. "Where's your sense of showmanship? The crowd will go wild."

Scaramouche sends a limp-wristed gesture his way.
borntohurt: (pic#13778691)

[personal profile] borntohurt 2020-05-07 12:52 pm (UTC)(link)
"I thought you liked parties."

Such is his memory at least. He'd liked them well enough in the City, though...perhaps it was simply that being the middle of the excitement was simply Jacob in his element. Funny. They'd spent that party sitting across the table from one another.

How things change.

Quietly he tilts his head, glancing down at Jacob's head against his shoulder, and the corner of his mouth crooks gently upwards. "Or is this your very indirect way of asking if we can dance?"
nothinglikefather: made by peaked (070)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-05-07 01:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Jacob loves parties. Parties that are casual and relaxed, with friends and people he cares about. He doesn't like formal rubbish, like the sort of parties back in London with fancy clothes and steppy dances.

He's not entirely fond of the suit he's wearing now for that matter, but it's not as bad as some he has had to wear. Besides, Charles looks very handsome in the outfit he was sent over. The dark blue shirt against his skin looks incredible, but blue always looks so good on him.

And of course Charles knows what Jacob wants, even if he won't say it out loud. But the fact Charles knows? That makes him smile a little broader, makes his heart skip a beat.

"Maybe," He murmurs, still watching the other people move with the music. "If you wanted to, that is."
seaboard: (I'll be your mermaid)

[personal profile] seaboard 2020-05-07 02:13 pm (UTC)(link)
For a moment she seems not to hear him at all, her eyes fixed on the lights in that same fearful wonderment as before. Trying to comprehend what she is looking at and understand about it.

But eventually, she does venture a word out of her timid fearful expression. "But however are they doing that? Are there spirits?"
seaboard: (through another song)

[personal profile] seaboard 2020-05-07 02:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Gilia looks down and then back up - well the party was a party, wasn't that the reason for it all by itself? People liked parties, and it's nice to have things that people like.

But it is relieving that this man looks away, her breath easing someone without direct scrutiny, her hands settled to smooth the dress over the tops of her thighs. It doesn't quite bring her to raise her eyes, but she is comfortable like that.

"Is this dressing up? This is how my people... I thought it was a gift of welcoming..." What was he suggesting? That there might be another purpose other than simple kindness?

Her gaze darts up in alarm before she fixes it back to the ground.

"To celebrate their continual habitation of this place. Perhaps this his how the spirits of this place like their pact honoured?"

Page 3 of 27