TEST DRIVE #1

[collectedmods]

TEST DRIVE #1

Hi shoppers! Welcome to the first Test Drive Meme for COLLECTED. A few things before we get started:

» For the time being, our TDM’s are closed to those eligible to apply based on our invite system. This means that you must be on one of the mod’s plurklists, or invited as a +1 by someone on those lists. Thanks for understanding!

» TDM Threads will NOT be canon.

» Because of that, feel free to assume/handwave CR, and assume your character has been in the setting for a little bit.

» When the game opens, characters will be able to try their hand at going outside. But, during the TDM, all doors and windows to the outside will be locked, and characters will be unable to venture out there.

» These prompts are not exhaustive - feel free to make up your own within the setting of the mall! Anywhere on the Second Floor of the mall is free game. And if you have any questions about what you can and can’t do (or about anything else) reply to the QUESTIONS comment below, and we’ll get back to you soon.

Most importantly, have fun! And thank you so much for your interest in Collected; we’ve been so stoked over the turnout!! 🧡

PROMPTS

I.

There’s one big problem about getting around the Mall - and no, it’s not the bottom floor that’s flooded.

The other huge problem that the dilapidated infrastructure causes aside from making everything smell weird and leaving tons of crumbled debris around is that at some points in the mall, it’s impossible to get across large gaps in the flooring where it’s fallen through to the waters below. In fact, to access the side of the mall across from where you are right now, there are no paths that are safe for walking across. But there is one way.

One attraction of the mall has stayed (mildly) in tact - and that’s a Hi Wire Bicycle. The one way across to the other side of the Mall is this rusty, dusty bicycle attached to a thick wire, with signs around the attraction describing how much the fare used to be to ride across - if you were daring enough, that is! Obviously, no one’s ridden across this thing in years - much less for the overpriced payment required.

More than that, it seems a little… less than safe. The net that probably provided mall-goers with some degree of self-assurance has aged, sagging and unraveling at the junctures of some of the knots. If you were to fall onto it, would it still catch you…? The wire affixed to the bike doesn’t seem too steady, either, not to mention how hard you’ll have to push against the rusted pedals to get them to move. As it stands, though, it’s the only way across to get to the Second Floor’s other half of stores. Luckily (or maybe unluckily?) there’s a seat for you and a friend. So, at least you won’t go down alone.

To make it across, you’ll have to be brave, be creative, and most of all, be lucky!

II.

A.

Near the heart of the food court, decorations for what used to be Santa’s village are still laid about. How many Christmases ago were these left here? By the looks of things, a lot. A thick coating of dust has settled on the nooks and crannies of what is supposed to be the elves workshop, alongside the seat where Santa must have sat to take pictures with children.

In the Elves’ Workshop, you’ll find a massive amount of animatronic elves. They’re all positioned to be working on toys, putting up decorations, or singing from carol books - it looks like these little guys were put here to perform for kids, not unlike an interactive (and more Christmas-y) version of It’s a Small World. There’s even un-opened (and therefore okay-to-eat!) boxes of chocolate chip cookies that must have been for the Mall-goers around Christmastime stashed inside an open cabinet, which was most definitely only for employees to access.

The only problem is that once you enter and make your way inside the workshop… something strange happens. Is something grabbing onto your clothes? Your hair? Maybe a stray finger? It’s the little wooden hands of one of the elves. Your first thought is that you just brushed past it and got caught on it - but, on the second thought, it’s not letting go. In fact, it’s grip is getting tighter. Painful, even. All while it smiles blankly ahead, eerily still aside from it’s tiny hand squeezing you. Take your eyes off these cheery boys and girls for too long, and you’ll realize they’re not staying put like good little elves - they’re moving closer to you only when they’re out of sight.

If you’re unlucky enough for several to latch onto you, you’d better ho-ho-hope someone can break you free.

B.

Outside the Workshop, more towards where the line to meet Santa would be, there’s a big snow machine. Unluckily for you, the machine’s sensors, which would have known to start putting out snow whenever people walk by, seem to still be working despite the Mall’s run-down state. As soon as you get near the thing, it starts spewing out tons of fake snow. It’s completely unlike the delicate sprinkling you’d find in a shopping center: it’s plain blasting you with the stuff, more like a hose than anything else. Too bad that the part of the machine that broke was whatever controlled the volume and speed of the snow instead of the sensors, right?

The fake snow is sticky and old, and will stick to you and the floor the more you get caught in it - better hurry and stop that machine!

C.

There’s a huge, luxurious chair that was most certainly reserved for the Santa employee in the center of the village area - tall and wide enough for at least a few people to clamber onto. Even though the paint is chipping off parts of the throne, and the wood is decaying in places - it still doesn’t look too bad, all things considered. Even the camera is still sitting in front of the chair, balanced on a tripod as though there were kids coming to take pictures with Santa today.

You’ll find that walking into the frame of the camera with more than one person causes the camera to go off. The camera will even print your picture, and never seems to run out of film - no matter how many times it fires. Did it catch your bad side, the first time? Feel free to try again! Dress up, find props, take pictures with your newfound companions to your heart’s content!

The only thing to be wary of is that in every few photos, someone else is in the photo. It’s a smiling, bright-eyed child, despite their transparency compared to you and your companion in the image. Judging by the sitting pose, and the performative smile, the added kid is none other than a reflection of a child who had taken pictures here with Santa long, long ago.

III.

With the size of the mall, and the variety of the stores inside, it’s only natural to think to forage for items that might be of use - there’s got to be something left behind here that will help you, right? Or a portal home?

Not too far from the department store you’d wandered in from, there’s a clothing store with an… interesting problem, for lack of a better word. The store has been overrun with rats. Big ones, too, scurrying about the floors and what’s left of the shelves, gnawing on what remains of the carpet and the remnants of cardboard packaging. Anyone sane would steer clear of this mess!

But, there’s something off about this store. Not only do all the rats somehow stay mysteriously contained within the walls of the store, never scurrying out of it, and with no signs of other stores being infested at all, but there’s also something that’s very familiar to you in this store. It could be a weapon, an item of clothing, or something as simple as your most favorite phone charm - point of the matter is, the rats have a hoard akin to a dragon’s behind the cashier’s counter, full of trinkets and belongings to all who have come through this place. They’ll work to keep their paws on what they have, too.

If you want your special something back, you’ll have to brave the vermin.



NAVIGATION

Comments

raylan givens — justified

[ultimatums]

» ONE

[ Raylan's certainly never been dumb enough to attempt a high-wire bicycle in a regular mall; trying it out in this place would be like asking for trouble. But there's a certain rubbernecking instinct that has him lingering around nearby sometimes, leaning casually against the fencing with one leg crossed over the other at the ankle, thumb hooked in one of his belt loops, on the off-chance that someone might decide that today is the day. Hell, he's old enough at this point to accept that sometimes you just want to see someone either succeed in a madcap stunt, or be there when they fail to make sure they don't break their neck in the process. Whenever someone looks like they're considering it, Raylan has... well, they're not exactly words of inspiration, but they're certainly words for them. ]

Y'know, after all his years of high-octane death-defyin', it was heart disease that killed Evel Knievel.

» TWO (C)

[ The flash startles him, the way certain people get startled when they hear engines backfire; he'd been ambling with his usual loose, loping gait, but now he's tense, standing straighter, shoulders squared as he peers around for the source of the light. Jesus, a camera – he's getting twitchy. He puffs out a sigh and aims a sheepish smile at the person who'd been coming in the other direction; seems like they'd crossed paths at just the right time to set it off. ] Well, shit, I hope I wasn't blinkin', [ he says, stupidly, because he might not be a dad but he's close enough to one for dad jokes. ]

» THREE

[ Raylan has lost his hat.

It's only been missing a few hours, as far as he's aware, but it feels a little funny without it, like going out into the world with only one sock on. He remembers taking it off and putting it down somewhere, and it's only after searching high and low – retracing his steps, like his momma would patiently tell him to do whenever he lost something as a kid – that he realises what's happened. He stops in the doorway, hands on his hips, his expression square between a grin and a grimace, shaking his head a little. It's right there, behind the counter: an off-white stetson, with a rat sitting right in the crease at the top, and another on the brim, as if it's some sort of novelty-shaped couch. There's no two ways about it: he's gonna have to go in there and get it. He sighs, lifting a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. ] Son of a bitch. The hell does a rat want with a hat anyway?

» NETWORK

Anyone happened to locate a bottle of bourbon?
I'll settle for whiskey considering the circumstances

» WILDCARD

[ throw literally anything at me! alternately hmu at crowders if you want something specific, i'm all ears! too many exclamation marks! ]

one!

[takeroot]

I've not the faintest idea who that is, but may he rest in peace.

[And here's Constantin, definitely considering getting on this high-rise death machine, however stuck on step one: how to get on it in the first place without ending his stunt man career before it begins. Does it... self balance? Does he need to vault over the back of the seat and just go?

Luckily his new friend here in the hat will surely help! So--]

Now that we both stand idly beside this... thing, would you do me the favor of keeping it steady while I puzzle out the rest?

[It's almost as if he doesn't know how to ride a bicycle, but surely no one would be that reckless.]

[ultimatums]

[ Oh, good. The reason Raylan's been standing here for the better part of a half hour, just hoping beyond hope that someone would be reckless enough to give this a go. He pushes off the fence to move a little closer, watching with frankly open interest at this point, somewhere between bold amusement and genuine trepidation. It wasn't all that long ago that he watched a real shitkicker run headlong at him with a knife, trip into a hole and stab himself in the throat, so he's not exactly keen to see another death in pursuit of dumbassery so soon. ]

I can do that, sure, [ Raylan says, although he's reluctant to go quite so far as to be his new buddy's passenger here. ] You really don't know Evel Knievel?

[takeroot]

[Excellent, that gives Constantin the freedom to unceremoniously crouch down next to this bike and reach out to push one of the pedals with his hand. The sound it makes is awful, but oh, look, it does move. This thing is definitely mostly rust by composition, at this point...]

Should I? Was he a bold and infamous adventurer? Perhaps he published a collection of essays about his death-defying stunts?

[How else would anybody hear about his deeds or his heart, honestly... Très impossible. Meanwhile he's squeaking these gears again, painfully.]

[ultimatums]

[ The nails-on-a-chalkboard squeak makes Raylan's face twist into a grimace, one thumb hooked in his pocket. As he's leaning over to peer down at the oily black water beneath the net, he reflexively puts a hand on his hat to make sure it doesn't slide clean off his head. ]

He just kinda... did 'em, [ Raylan says by way of explanation. ] For entertainment. He used to ride a motorbike up a ramp and jump it over cars or buses or what have you. One time over a bunch of rattlesnakes, if I remember right.

[ A pointed pause. ]

See what I'm gettin' at here?

[takeroot]

[Constantin squeaks the pedal back and forth a couple more times, eyebrows raising as he considers the many exploits of some guy and his many snakes. Ah--]

Thrill-seeking, then? [He can respect that! At the same time:] What... is a bus?

[And a car, and a motor, and a bike that isn't stuck to this wire, specifically, but baby steps.]

[ultimatums]

[ Generally speaking, a bus is pretty easy to explain, but this guy seems — no offence — old-timey enough that Raylan has the feeling that saying a large car that carries many people is not gonna cut it. Boy, this is hard. ]

Well. It's a big... uh, vehicle. Like a cart, but it runs on gas, ain't pulled by nothin'. Point is, it's a pretty big vehicle, pretty tall and wide. Listen, that thing's squeakin' up a storm — you sure you wanna risk gettin' on it?

network

[oomfies]

yeahhh, i do. BUT i only have those novelty mini shot bottles

[ultimatums]

What'll you take in trade?
I can offer a bite of folksy wisdom or some lint I just found in my pocket

[oomfies]

....i need something to clean my glasses with
if you have that i'll give you some

[ultimatums]

Can't you just go into one of the clothing stores and grab yourself a whole t-shirt for that?

[ This is extremely counterproductive to getting these bottles but... whatever. ]

[oomfies]

do u think i have time to go find shirts that aren't for wearing??
there are barely enough as it is dude!

[ultimatums]

Don't most people just kinda get the corner of their own shirt and give their glasses a spit shine?

two!

[lifespanned]

Haha, that camera's still working? I thought it'd be busted.

[ Misa, too, is alarmed by the sudden flash, stopping to look between the camera and the man. Like him, she doesn't seem more than a little surprised over it - she's more curious than anything, even smiling as she steps in to take a closer look. Then, the camera starts making a whirring noise, and - ]

Look, it's printing it! I guess we'll find out if you blinked.

[ She hums, awfully cheerful for being in this place, and beckons for him to follow her on over to check it out. ]

[ultimatums]

[ Raylan's not exactly thrilled at the idea of having his photo taken, but that's more of a general aversion to the concept than anything specific. So he does a big sigh and trails closer, dragging his feet as much as it's appropriate for a grown adult to be doing that. ]

Where'd you get that pep in your step? [ he asks as he's approaching the camera, because honestly, if he could also get over his miserly grump over being stuck in a mall of all places, he'd be much less tightly wound. ]

[lifespanned]

I might not look it, but I'm pretty tough! It takes more than this to bring Misa down.

[ She answers simply, smiling all the while. All things considered, this shitty situation is still better than solitary confinement or being executed for crimes against the government. Or any of the other worst moments of her life. Like all things, she's trying to weather the storm best she can and stay bright while doing so. The pictures finishes printing, so she pulls it from the slot, waving it a bit so it can develop quicker. ]

Not that I'm enjoying being here, though. Who would?

[ultimatums]

Oh, there's people out there that'll enjoy anythin' you care to name, [ Raylan tells her with some confidence. ] Or at least capitalize on it. We all oughta consider ourselves thankful there's nobody here just yet lookin' to install themselves as some kinda Mall Emperor. How're we lookin'?

[lifespanned]

[ She nods, sort of nonchalantly, while she peers over the image. She's sure someone sooner or later will declare themself Mall Emperor, but she'd like for that to be put off for as long as possible. It's only after a few long moments that her brow furrows a little, bringing the photo closer to her face as if by surprise. ]

Well, we look okay, but... [ Slowly, Misa turns the photo towards him, revealing the young boy who's sitting in the chair in the background of their photo. He's just sitting there innocently, beaming, slightly translucent compared to the solid image of them. Her eyes wander back shakily to the empty chair behind them. ] That's so creepy...!

three

[knifegf]

Nice hat.

[ a blunt observation delivered by a woman with a light russian accent, who quietly sneaks up on raylan from behind and steps just beside him as she makes her remark. the sight of the rats congregating around a cowboy hat gets a toothy grin, which she directs his way after taking in the situation. ]

They are just adorable, don't you think so?

[ not really, no. ]

[ultimatums]

[ Good lord. Raylan doesn't startle, but he tenses up a little, hearing a voice come out of apparently nowhere like that. And then she keeps talking, and he just has to throw her a sour-faced squint. ]

Not really. Never had much affinity for rats myself. [ His nose scrunches a little. ] When I was about twelve this kid Waylon brought his pet python into school and fed it a mouse in front of everyone. Somewhat soured me to rodents and snakes alike.

[knifegf]

[ a pleasant, even giddy smile, pops up on her lips accompanied by a snicker at his comment about the python eating a mouse. ]

Waylon must have been fun at parties. [ if he had the python along with him that is. ] C'mon, don't be such a baby. The rats are more afraid of you, cowboy. Just go up there and take it.

[ultimatums]

[ Raylan wedges his hands firmly on his hips and lets out a pinched sigh. ] In my experience, fear is an efficient motivator for violence, [ he says, looking longingly at his hat and hoping beyond hope that it's only ever been a couch to these damn things, and not a toilet. ] Fear makes you twitchy, makes you act irrationally, without thinkin'. Just 'cause somethin's scared of you, that don't mean it ain't a threat.

[ Beat. ] And by the way, a stetson does not a cowboy make.

[knifegf]

[ villanelle's smile drops, pointing him a look that asks "are you serious?", and then musters up her best sounding... ""southern"" accent. ]

Whatever you say, partner. [ it's very bad, obviously a parody of some clint eastwood film she was forced to watch once. ] I'll handle it if you won't.

[ she shrugs, rolls her eyes, and starts to walk toward the rats and their new hat-couch. she is by no means an altruistic person, but she has been learning that doing good deeds for people can win her favors with them. getting his hat back for him can gain trust, an invaluable currency. ]

TWO (C)

[windowsills]

[ It's a good thing Raylan speaks first because Alex stands stock still, her eyes wide as an owl's and mouth curved into a perfect "o" of shock. There's something in her expression that is just as spooked as Raylan probably feels, something that can't quite mask with her fists curled tight under her borrowed military jacket.

She blinks and then offers up a smile. One that is generic like someone who is too used to wearing a pleasant expression just because. ]

I'm sure it's fine. You looked very good until--

[ The surprise is making her Ms. Foot-in-mouth syndrome. Alex clears her throat awkwardly. ]

No one's operating the camera. It was an understandable shock.

[ultimatums]

[ Raylan has a whole second to preen over that almost-compliment before he needs to get over himself, but he's still wearing a very small, slightly satisfied smile as he eyes her from under the brim of his hat. ]

Guess it don't matter either way, huh, [ he says, throwing another look, abruptly scowling, over at the camera, which is currently belching out a picture. Out of sheer curiosity he ambles over to take it, giving it a critical look. It's a little funny looking at a photo of himself, since those are fairly rare; besides official passport-stoic ID photographs, he doesn't think he's actually been in front of a camera for years. ] Well, I don't think this is gonna be on the front page of National Geographic any day soon, but— [ Huh. On closer inspection, besides Raylan and the woman, there's a third figure in the photograph that he doesn't remember seeing, and after frowning at it for a moment he holds it out to her. ] You see a kid runnin' around here a minute ago?