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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.



seaboard: (your feet would touch the floor)

[personal profile] seaboard 2020-05-07 02:24 pm (UTC)(link)
She likes sitting by the hookah. She hasn't touched it herself, she doesn't quite understand why one would want to inhale the smoke, wouldn't it make you cough? Very strange.

But here, in the corner, people weren't quite so ... so... pressing. That and everyone that seems to take of the smoke, becomes placid in a way they might not have been a moment before. Which given the general strangeness of everything.

She says nothing to him when he sits across from her, but in truth, she has an eye more fixed on the dancing in the same longing but has she has not been invited to with someone, she still feels remiss in taking it up herself.

It is only when she shifts and she realizes that she might have gone even slightly into his space ( she couldn't have been more than a foot near him ), that she immediately lowers her head in apology. "Forgive me, sir, I do not wish to intrude."
seaboard: (might help you sleep)

tips all the tags into u

[personal profile] seaboard 2020-05-07 02:30 pm (UTC)(link)
She meets the nod of his head with a more pointed gesture. Without his hand between hers, she opts instead to place her palms to her chest, and lower her head in a sweeping bow that pools her skirts around her feet as she knows to greet others.

"It is an honour, sir." She means nothing but politeness by it. Her smile timid but there, her own fair share taking some of her unsurety and anxiousness away. Not that it makes her less reserved, but at least - she's not quite so terrified.
macaire: (Default)

[personal profile] macaire 2020-05-07 02:45 pm (UTC)(link)
As she leans closer, there is the a familiar scent, a fresh sea breeze and brine. It's strange, certainly not a perfume he has any knowledge of. He has little to do with the sea, but he recalls the smell and the swell of wave and the howl of the wind.

It was unpleasant time. But this is not unpleasent, and perhaps that has something to do with the woman herself. There is something to her... something unusual. He can't put his finger on it precisely.

"Then this is an adventure. One I hope that you will not find too trying." He replies as the begin their tour of the dance floor.
borntohurt: (pic#12911993)

[personal profile] borntohurt 2020-05-07 02:46 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm not a very good dancer." Though it's not refusal, just a warning. He's barely had any kind of practice at all, and the last time he had tried it?

Well. It hadn't been an entire disaster. But.

Both eyebrows lift as he studies Jacob's face, the way his eyes had lit up at the idea. With a small shake of his head, he takes hold of his hand in his, and starts towards the dance floor. One dance.

Surely that couldn't hurt anything. Hopefully, Jacob's feet agreed.
towhatmatters: (→12)

[personal profile] towhatmatters 2020-05-07 02:58 pm (UTC)(link)
"From my understanding, yeah. More or less." He narrows his eyes a little at the bots, and makes a shooing motion. "Don't think you lot's meant to force this stuff on us. We don't want your help. Now scram."

The bots start muttering about how Arthur and Cloud seriously need a makeover, but they do finally leave. Maybe it was the glitter as proof that Arthur has very much already received his makeover that did it.
towhatmatters: (→03)

[personal profile] towhatmatters 2020-05-07 03:03 pm (UTC)(link)
He does indeed have most of the bottle still left, but he has no plans on stopping once he's done with this one.

"Not with the machines, we don't. But I been to a few parties like it, sure. Ain't gonna claim to enjoy it."

After all, it's always been for work. And, sure, that's enjoyable enough, especially with the company of the gang. Although that's been a little soured, now. Maybe he'll be able to think back on the time with Dutch, Bill and Javier without feeling a little sick eventually, because they were some good times, but ... Not right now.
towhatmatters: (→19)

[personal profile] towhatmatters 2020-05-07 03:16 pm (UTC)(link)
At first, he chuckles like he doesn't think that question is serious, but only for a moment. He realises pretty quickly that she very much is serious. Spirits? Really?

"That ain't no spirits, but I don't know how it works either. Just know it's harmless."

Which is clearly the most important thing here, considering how much they scared her. She seems calmer now, though. Maybe it's fine.
nothinglikefather: made by peaked (Default)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-05-07 03:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Jacob is expecting that to be the start of a refusal. So when Charles takes his hand and pulls him forward, he's delighted. He can dance. Ethan had seen to it his children could do everything well accomplished members of society could do, never mind the benefits of balance, coordination and timing.

But that sort of dancing was rarely fun and thus Jacob avoided it. But this? He was certain it was going to be fine.

"I don't care." He promised, squeezing Charles' fingers. He really doesn't, all he wants is the opportunity to have some fun with the man he loves, and do something everyone else gets to do with their partner.
borntohurt: (pic#12911966)

[personal profile] borntohurt 2020-05-07 03:35 pm (UTC)(link)
"Somehow, I had the feeling you'd say that."

It's still a little odd, for him. All these people around, and there's always that half-creeping feeling that someone will throw them a dirty look, or the whispering will start. It's ridiculous, of course. He's been out of his own world for long enough now that he should know it doesn't make a difference to anyone here.

He also knows if anything tried to say anything, particularly pointed Jacob, he might end up tossing them into a nearby table. So it's for the best that nothing of the sort happens, and once their hands are clasped on the dance floor it's just a matter of moving.

Well. Kind of uncertain shuffling, in his case.
nothinglikefather: made by peaked (Default)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-05-07 03:37 pm (UTC)(link)
"Fancy things aren't my cup of tea either. But free food and drink? I'll put on a suit for that.

And of course the opportunity to go round a dance floor with Charles. He would do that again in a heartbeat, even if he did have to dress up like Lord bloody Cardigan.

He takes a happy swallow of his drink and then looks Arthur up and down properly, taking in the details of his costume. And the gun holster.

"Expecting trouble?"
circumspector: (xxi » have you decided)

[personal profile] circumspector 2020-05-07 03:38 pm (UTC)(link)
She pauses, watching him like she's expecting something along the same lines. Flame throwers from the walls or zap collars or something.

But when nothing happens as he uses the first fork she lets out an audible breath.

"Okay, I think that one must be okay then."
nothinglikefather: made by peaked (Default)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-05-07 04:03 pm (UTC)(link)
If anyone tried to do anything of the sort they'd have both Jacob and Charles to contend with. He fondly remembers the fight they got into at the Outlaw, smashing in heads together and watching each other's backs. That was before there was a "them", and there had been plenty of fights since but it had been such a good one.

Still, it's difficult to shake the hang-ups from home that might have got them hanged. Then again, they've both done a lot of things that could end that way. Nothing as innocent as touching hands or shuffling around a dance floor.

Jacob moves his arms, looping them around taller shoulders, and murmuring close to Charles' ear.

"Relax. Just me and you love. No one else."
circumspector: (( twirl ) » don't want your opinion)

even moar

[personal profile] circumspector 2020-05-07 04:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Eyes as gold as her dress that she has no regard for as she drops down onto the ground in front of his big bad wolf like it was her best friend in all the world. Which frankly, it was part of someone who was, so who even cared?

Angel is - to a word - very happily drunk. It was her perfect kind of evening, there were all sorts of new and interesting things to try, she was here with the people she cared about, and she had something different to wear that she would never have picked, and for that, it was met with gleeful excitement when it had first arrived and she had bounding around their shared quarters as much as she was now.

"Hello, Charles." Her smile is impossibly wide and her marks bright white as she sinks her fingers into the wolf's thick coat then lowers the rest of herself down to rub her face against its side. "Hello, Little Wolf, are you keeping Charles safe?"

And with giddy laughter, she wraps her arms around its warm body and takes a happy, drunken sigh. Looking up at Charles from where she is half lying on the floor with a grin. "You look handsome tonight. Like you always do." As she would insist about it to him, ever since the first time he tried to squirm out of the compliment by insisting otherwise.
mustact: (→17)

[personal profile] mustact 2020-05-07 05:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Since their first meeting, Ratonhnhaké:ton has not talked much to Hanzo. The man seems to him to not be very social, which is something that he can understand very well.

However, when Hanzo shows up at this party, surely he expects to at least have to talk a little. That, and Ratonhnhaké:ton thinks they got along well enough, as much as he thought Hanzo was rather rash to decide that the reindire needed to be killed.

So, with a glass of beer in hand, he approaches the edge of the dance floor and watches the dragon curiously for a moment.

He's only seen pictures of them in books.

"Does your friend have a name?"
mustact: (→57)

[personal profile] mustact 2020-05-07 05:57 pm (UTC)(link)
It's a similar enough situation for both of them: Sticking quietly to the edges or next to their far more lively and extroverted partners. That said, Ratonhnhaké:ton may look a bit more comfortable than Charles, because he's always enjoyed celebrations, watching others be happy and lively. Especially people he loves, like Angel and Jacob.

Charles looks like he could use some familiar company, however. Ratonhnhaké:ton nods in turn, and offers a smile as he falls up beside his brother.

"Sudden invitations to parties appear to be a theme."

First the City, and now Anchor. With clothes provided.
mustact: (→05)

iv

[personal profile] mustact 2020-05-07 06:06 pm (UTC)(link)
For a while, Ratonhnhaké:ton is content with simply watching. Angel deserves to be happy, and it's nice to see that something so simple is enough. But eventually he decides that she's been dancing alone for long enough, and steps onto the dance floor.

When he reaches her, he doesn't say anything. Just quietly reaches out to catch one of her hands as she spins, gently tugging it above her head so she can keep spinning even as he tries to catch her other hand as well.
towhatmatters: (→22)

[personal profile] towhatmatters 2020-05-07 06:12 pm (UTC)(link)
"Hm?"

He follows Jacob's gaze down to the holster, and only pauses in confusion for a moment. Wouldn't have thought of it as strange, because the weight of the revolver is so familiar and he hardly ever takes it off.

When he lifts his head, it's with a bit of a wry smile.

"Who knows? So far, I've had plenty of things to shoot at in this place."
aintyourbro: (j9iEbbu)

[personal profile] aintyourbro 2020-05-07 06:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Cloud can't imagine anyone regularly wearing the sort of get up this lady has on. Except for Madam M, that lady's got some interesting tastes, she'd probably be all up on that massive headdress.

He glances over at her briefly, just taking in her whole get up once again before looking back down, "it's dressing up where I'm from, anyway."

As much as he wants to get to the bottom of this whole thing, he doesn't want to spook her any more than he's already managed to just by being himself. Besides, he's getting the impression that she's probably new here too, not really the best source of information. It's fine, he's sure he can squeeze something out of someone else later.

"But yeah, maybe you're right about that," he says, not really sure he understands what it means, but whatever. This whole averting of the eyes thing is probably going to make an introduction awkward, so he turns to face her properly again, "well, either way, it looks like we're all probably stuck here for a while. Guess that makes us neighbors. My name is Cloud."

nothinglikefather: made by peaked (Default)

[personal profile] nothinglikefather 2020-05-07 07:26 pm (UTC)(link)
"Good point." Jacob can admit that much. This place has its fair share of unpleasant and aggressive aliens out to get them. It's been very enjoyable fighting all of them.

"So, you're a good shot?"

He knows that Charles is, especially with a bow. And he's not bad himself, although he doesn't enjoy using guns as much as he likes fighting with his fists. Arthur, who Charles has spoken of fondly, probably is just as good.
aintyourbro: (jKYTgUB)

[personal profile] aintyourbro 2020-05-07 08:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Relieved to see the bots leave without needing to chop them in half, Cloud huffs out a little sigh and crosses his arms again.

"Thanks for the assist," he says, eyebrow cocking while the retreating robot carrying the dress points to wherever it's optic sensors are before pointing at Cloud. He might end up cutting that one later.

"You been here for a while?"
circumspector: (( twirl ) » don't want your opinion)

[personal profile] circumspector 2020-05-08 05:05 am (UTC)(link)
Without even looking she knows him - by every sense that is given to her, she knows it's him that has found her hand, that guides her to turn back under his arm and spin into his steps. That instant warmth and contentment as her heart beats faster like it did the first time he ever smiled at her.

Both her hands settle into his as she comes to face him, beaming up at him, tugging him into her by the next beat of the music. So her chest was pressed against his, her head tilting to face his with that same, silly, grin.

"Do I get to dance with a Handsome Prince?"
livingdeadgirl: (grin 1)

Arrival

[personal profile] livingdeadgirl 2020-05-08 06:00 am (UTC)(link)
Despite the size of the facility, there aren't many people to pull over. But the cavernous halls are only mostly deserted. Not far from the Agricultural Zone, a teenage girl dressed in black can be found running an errand.

A lot of what Ami does around Anchor from day to day falls under "Odd Jobs." At the moment, that means hauling a large plastic basket full of weird alien produce down from the A.Z. to the kitchen. It's significantly more loaded down than she meant it to be, though, and she's visibly having some trouble with it. In hindsight, a cart probably would have been a good idea, huh?

She struggles a few more steps before setting it heavily on the floor and stopping to catch her breath. One of these days, she thinks, she will have her telekinesis back, or maybe a video game inventory, and then this shit will be absolutely trivial.

That's when she notices a stranger approaching. She perks up immediately. Strangers are rare birds around here lately, so he earns her full attention just because he's unfamiliar.

... Or is he? Come to think of it, she might have seen him somewhere before. Back home, maybe? She isn't sure. It's kind of immaterial, though, since she wouldn't mention it to him either way.

"Oh! Hi there," she says, smiling brightly. It's been a while since she played Welcoming Committee, but it's an easy role to slip back into nonetheless.
borntohurt: (pic#12911962)

[personal profile] borntohurt 2020-05-08 12:52 pm (UTC)(link)
It's quite formal, as greetings go. Like the sort of reverence once might expect in a palace. Not that he knows what actually goes on in such places, it just...seems correct.

"Ah...likewise." There's a brief, thin thread of discomfort in his smile as he shifts on his feet, unsure what the proper response is. Returning the greeting seems the safest bet, and this woman doesn't look like the sort that's going to chide him for getting it wrong.
borntohurt: (pic#12911966)

[personal profile] borntohurt 2020-05-08 12:54 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm fine."

He's quick to assure him, of course. Whatever remaining strands of doubt still cling, it has nothing to do with them. With this. For too long he's wandered aimlessly looking for a people and a home, and now that he has them? It's the only certainty in the world or worlds that he knows.

He's happy. As much madness tends to whirl around them, as incomprehensible as everything is sometimes, not everything is so complicated.
borntohurt: (pic#12911966)

Re: even moar

[personal profile] borntohurt 2020-05-08 12:57 pm (UTC)(link)
The wolf leans in to the petting, eyes closing for a moment to appreciate The Good Scritches before giving Angel's cheek a gentle lick. It seems perfectly content to let her stay there and give her affections all night long, if she cares to.

In stark contrast to Charles, who does of course immediately cast his gaze aside with a soft cough. "Um. Thank you." No point in saying anything else, or she'll promptly put him in his place. Just accept the compliment and go on, Charles.

"Having fun?" he observes then, raising an eyebrow at Angel's loose and happy demeanor. Not that she doesn't normally just do as she pleases, in whatever space she's free to occupy, but he's seen that look on her before.

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