TEST DRIVE #2

[collectedmods]

TEST DRIVE #2

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

» This TDM is open to any players who are interested in applying. Collected is an invite-only game, meaning that invites come from being on the mod plurklists, but for this round, our TDM is open to anyone who has an interest. If you are interested in applying but do not have an invite, please PM our mod account (collectedmods) with a link to your toplevel on this TDM and we will extend an invitation to you! Please note that you can only reserve and apply if you have an invite.

» As was the case in the first TDM, TDM threads are not canon. Because of this, feel free to assume CR for the ease of threads.

» While we’ve listed out some prompts here, feel free to make up your own prompts using the setting, or use any of the prompts from our last TDM as well!

» 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! 🧡

PROMPTS

Have you ever been to a parking lot circus? Well, they exist, and you’re in luck - the circus has come to town! Or rather, it’s come to the mall. For a limited time, a big top has appeared in the dusty, desolate parking lot of the mall. You’ll find a big tunnel vacuum sealed to the front doors of the mall that allows access to and from the tent, so how much could it hurt to go inside?

The tunnel and tent seem to have been crafted with the same skill as the mall was - it somehow keeps the toxic air from outside out. The only difference between the mall and the tent is that the big top doesn’t do as good of a job of keeping the blistering heat out - it’ll protect you from burns, but it’s going to be pretty hot in there underneath the summer sun! Be sure to bring a cold drink on your way in.

Inside the tent, you won’t find any staff or performers, unfortunately. Everything inside the tent seems to be in mint condition, though, strangely enough, as though restored to its former glory - not unlike how some of the stores in the abandoned mall revert back to their pristine states sometimes. While there’s no performance to catch, there is plenty to look at and experience:

I.

Right after coming in through the fun tunnel, the first thing to your right is a collection of popcorn machines, the same kind you’d see at an amusement park where kernels must be poured in. You’ll find several unmarked bags of popcorn right near the machines, and they look decidedly not rotten, unlike most of the food in the mall.

Things are never that easy and simple here, though! Pop a bag of these bad boys and consume some of it and you’ll find yourself with one of the following afflictions:

A. Caramel corn flavor: Loss of sight. Hopefully you trust your companion enough not to attack or steal from you, because you’ll need to navigate to somewhere safe until this one wears off!
B. Extra butter flavor: Loss of hearing. No matter how hard you try, it seems you can’t hear anything around you anymore! Learn to communicate non-verbally with your companion, and quick!
C. Cheddar flavor: Literally just food poisoning. You won’t be feeling so hot!

The only saving grace of these cursed popcorn bags is that there’s an antidote to be found if you have a careful eye: an inscription on the popcorn machines appears once they’ve been warmed from use, and it says, in the case of illness, have a taste of each flavor to get back to square one! You’ll have to suffer a bit more to get back to normal quickly, but.. it’s better than waiting out the effects, right?

II.

While there are no performers to be seen, their costumes can be found in the wardrobes in the back of the circus. They are typical of what you’d expect of a circus: colorful, frilly, and easy to put on, given their stretch. There are even props and accessories lying around like clown noses, jewelry, hula hoops, juggling balls, the whole nine yards. Given the horrible state of all the clothes and other fun items inside the mall, it might be tempting to take some of these outfits and items to repurpose them for your own wardrobe and use.

But be careful: donning these clothes or taking these items will give you the abilities of that circus performer. Wear or pick up anything belonging to a:

A. Clown, and you’ll feel like you need to make your companion laugh. Whether that’s through corny jokes, physical comedy, or other means, you won’t be able to resist.
B. Trapeze artist, and you’ll be blessed with great flexibility, and feel utterly fearless. Maybe that translates into being unafraid to speak your mind, or maybe you’re feeling brave enough to walk the tightrope - either way, nothing’s scaring you anymore.
C. Animal tamer, and you’ll want to train your companion to do tricks and follow your will (and not in the fun way, unless you’re into that).

Costumes of all kinds are here, though, so feel free to find anything that might belong to a circus performer and have the costumes possess you!

III.

All good things must come to an end, sadly. Whatever material the tent and tunnel is made of is not completely as sturdy as what the mall is built of - and after a fun day of activities, the tent and tunnel will begin to deteriorate and be destroyed.

Due to the radioactive sun outside, the top of the tent and tunnel will start to burn and get holes in it eventually, which will let in toxic air and harmful rays - not only that, but fires will start catching inside the tent as well. You’ll need to high tail it out of the circus and head back to the safety of the mall unless you want to fry in the horrible conditions outside. Exposure to the sunlight from outside will give you painful burns and welts, and it’s near impossible to inhale the thick, poisonous air from outside without keeling over.

While you’ll be able to survive limited exposure, it’s not wise to get stuck out here. Besides, you’ll find that upon returning to the mall, your wounds will mysteriously begin to heal, slowly and painfully. So, run quickly, and make sure not to leave anyone behind!

NAVIGATION

Comments

Narciso Anasui ❀ Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

[disassemblage]

❀ A: POPCORN;

[ For the average person being stuck in a mall might have been a dream come true, even in this decrepit piece of shit someone might have been able to find the good in the situation. For Anasui this place wasn’t much better than the prison, in fact it was arguably worse considering that going outside could be potentially lethal. If he weren’t desperate he wouldn’t have wandered into the disgusting heat of the circus tent, finding that the only true solace he found here was that it was clean.

He honestly hadn’t known what to expect, taking in the details quietly as if he were scanning for threats. He couldn’t have seen them anyway, things were different here in the way that there wasn’t an overabundance of stand users lurking around every corner. His instinct told him that the popcorn was something better left alone but his stomach had other ideas and scavenging really was a pain in the ass. The flavours might not have been that appealing, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. It was with an irritable click of his tongue that he chose the caramel corn, tearing it open and dumping it into the machine unceremoniously. ]

Better than nothing, I guess…

[ Famous last words. With any luck someone would stop him or help him, then again trying to steal something from a blind man might be more up your alley since he's a dick. ]


❀ B: ESCAPE;

[ Anasui wasn’t sure how it had gotten so late or how he’d managed to stay in the hellish heat of the tent for so long, what he did know is that the holes had appeared rather suddenly and the air was far too thick for it to be considered even moderately safe. The cough that came with that first wave of noxious air was violent, his arm coming up so he could bury his face in the crook between his elbow as more sunlight streamed in through those growing holes above his head. ]

Fuck…

[ He could see things starting to catch fire, pinholes above him burning some of the flesh on his forearm as he winced. The gathering couldn’t be called much of a crowd, but others clambering to make their own exit was a hindrance to his own escape and that was a problem. There were few that he valued above himself and not a single one of these people fell into that category, he could have shoved them to the side in the attempt to keep himself safe but even that would have taken far more time than any of them had. Man, woman, he didn’t care who was directly in his way but they were getting a shove that was not friendly in the least bit. ]

Don’t just stand there like a dumbass, get through the fucking door!

[ Charming. ]


❀ WILDCARD
[ As always, if you don't see something here that works for you we can just go with the flow! OR you can always hit me up on discord @ wryyyligion#8888 or doitsun! If you want to do something in particular, let me know! I'm willing to add more starters or discuss w/e!! ]

Popcorn

[getstoned]

[ Things Jolyne wasn't expecting, a circus. Considering she was told there wasn't a way out this seemed like a good chance to make sure if that really was the case, this had to be set up somehow right?

Although once making it into the stuffy tent she was met with someone that was a little more than familiar. ]

Holy shit, are you serious now? We're stuck in an extreme Dawn of the Dead situation and your fuuuuckin' thought is to get yourself some popcorn?

... Is that caramel?

[extinctive]

[ sorry claudia, he's drawing up a blank here. though he lets out a light chuckle as he shakes his head. ]

Can't say I heard about that one. But hey, good to know that there are other stones like that. Makes you wonder what else this place is hiding from us.

[damnpire]

For a long moment, D just continues to stare at Sabriel from under the hat without answering. And then he agrees with, "Yes." If this bothers him at all, he doesn't show it.

But he's very use to illusions, and dimensions, and powerful vampiric abilities.

"Do your dead react to music?"

[goldenize]

Sun's undead. [ she'd be loading a pistol and getting back on the rocketship if she had one. ] Doesn't really do so hot without someone to wake it up in the morning, you know?

[ it's almost flippant enough to feel like a joke. but when she continues with a shrug, it's clear she's not making things up - or at least that she doesn't believe she is. ]

I mean, all nine of the Houses are on dead planets. They're only habitable now because he dragged Dominicus back kicking and screaming. [ a beat, and then- ] Actually, did the sun have to reboot in the past day or so? That might be a good place to start.

[goldenize]

Ayup. [ and then, at the oedipal commentary- ] -okay, point taken, but go easy on me? One: she was really hot, and two: she wasn't my mom at the time. Besides, I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to think about hot girls again without remembering them taking off God's shirt, so really, I'm the victim here.

[ but they can't stay on oedipus and unfortunate connotations about her father forever. more to the point, she'd really rather get off (heh) the topic entirely. so when harrow succinctly summarizes her day from hell by telling her it's complete nonsense, all gideon can do is shrug her bony-ass shoulders. ]

You're the one with the head for formulas. I'm just reporting in.

[ it sounds insane to her too. but harrow hasn't accused her of lying - she's said it's the best explanation they have. which sounds suspiciously close to her necromancer trusting her, just like what comes next sounds suspiciously close to her necromancer being grateful for her presence. she's sorely tempted to tease, to be an utter shit in harrow's moment of weakness.

instead, her hand twitches, as if it intends to reach for harrow of its own accord, and gideon mumbles- ]

Yeah. It's... been a while, hasn't it.

[ nine months of watching harrow in silence, like trying to struggle to the top of a lake in a dream. nine months of gasping sights and sounds and memories where she can find it, in tiny gaps in harrow's brain-based defenses. and now, even with the shittiest circumstances imaginable, harrow is here, speaking to her - being glad for her presence.

her bastard, traitor hand raises, just a little - fingers extending harrow's way from a short distance - and drops. instead, she takes a step back and executes a deep bow, a fairly decent mockery of the kind of the thing drilled into cavaliers from birth. ]

Lady Nonagesimus, [ and there's the shit-eating grin, ] your cavalier, Gideon Nav, will stand at your-

[ that's about as far as she gets before she just passes the fuck out, straight onto her face. the sword in her hands, whether by cosmic mercy or by loaded instinct, is pushed to the side; this close, it should be clear that the blood at her ears is sudden and new. ]

[goldenize]

[ see, she's about to respond to his suggestions - to ask where the popcorn went, or to say how she really doesn't want to leave right now, but if he brings her some she'd be happy to try it, or some shit like that - and then there's a second voice in the room with them, and gideon just freezes in place. after a moment, she manages: ]

Sorry. Didn't notice your, uh. Friend? [ a beat. ] Just checking, is this the kind of thing not being blind would have helped with?

KLAUS HARGREEVES | the umbrella academy

[4bromo]

P O P C O R N

[ It's unbearably hot. Sticky. Worse than a sauna filled with German tourists and none have a Würstchen worth a deutsche mark. If it's a carnival, it's supposed to be fun, so why isn't he having any? The funnel cake is covered in maggots, there's no delightfully flexible acrobats to say hello to. God, there's not even drugs.

Bottom lip resembling a toddler's diving board, Klaus snatches up a bag of popcorn. He glances at the back— he's watching his sodium— but oh fuck it, who even cares. Who even cares! A careless rip of the plastic and he's pouring it into his mouth in a waterfall of salt, oil, and.... cheddar?

A minute of angry gnashes and he's starting to feel much, much better. No. Wait. That feeling isn't better. It's a little hard to tell sometimes, wires all so crossed but— Klaus stop the internal narration, your insides are attempting by force to become your outsides! Oh godohgodohgod. He looks around, desperate, and wrangles the nearest arm with chipped glittery nails.]

Hey... mister... maybe ma'am. Could you... help me out? I'm really not feeling so—

[Popcorn waterfalls again! This time mixed in a violent spew of stomach acid and this time right onto whoever was so unlucky to be in his grasp.]

Great.

[skeletonize]

( harrow is in the process of rolling her eyes at her cavalier's feeble, sapphic excuses, but by the time she finishes her point, her gaze flicks back to rivet on her. her eyes fly wide with shock, and though it's virtually impossible to see under a thick layer of alabaster and charcoal, the color drains from her face in a dizzying moment of horror and fury. of course from her own perspective, she has never met God, but even in his many attempts at fostered familiarity, harrow had ever maintained her fervent zeal for their Resurrector.

so the thought of God becoming intimate with those, his Hands and Gestures, she —

might have honestly preferred passing out herself in this moment, or screeching shrilly for her to be more mindful of her sacrilegious comments, but instead she pinches at her nasal bridge, squeezing her eyes shut again. ) Griddle, if you insist on any further pulverizing blows to my psyche, you will only have yourself to blame for any injury to my brain.

( she could accuse of her of lying, certainly. at this moment, she is enshrouding her thoughts in a delicate, gauzy veil of suspension of disbelief, though one where she also quarantines any disrupting thoughts (such as the fact that God, apparently, Fucks) before she loses all coherence. as boorish and unbearable as gideon can be, she has to believe that she would have no reason to lie to her — not unless she has found one in the nine plus months temporal disparity between them, but if that's the case, it is a bridge that will be burned when it is gotten to.

and as for being grateful that she's there, well... appreciate it while it lasts, because it certainly won't (not without caveats, anyway).

harrow wouldn't have been able to pay witness to the aborted gesture, still having her eyes closed as she forcibly shoves everything she has seen and been told in the last five minutes through mental compression. she opens them when she senses the far more impactful movement of gideon stepping back and dropping into a bow — though the image of such a thing being wrought out of her own flesh and bones was an appalling one to her. where it seemed apt for other cavaliers, proper chivalry is woeful and ill-befitting of gideon nav, all because she knows that to be the case and milks it for all it's worth. lady nonagesimus, eugh... she would almost prefer the "tenebrous overlord" nonsense —

but then she collapses face-forward onto the cracked linoleum, causing a small sound of alarm to catch in harrow's throat before she lurches forward, ) —Nav?! ( for the moment forgetting the two burly skeletons that stand guard at both entry points to the area. for a split second she hesitates in reaching out to touch her — her own body, though otherwise spiritually occupied. the situation is awkward as all hell even without a vague worry that the universe might peel away at the seams and crumple inwards if she reached out to touch her, but she does it anyway, at the very least endeavoring to roll her onto her side so she can get a clear look at the tell-tale crimson ribbon of blood flowing from her ear. though momentarily unconscious, she is stable and as far as harrow can tell, there is no cranial injury; therefore she is abjectly useless in anything but trying to narrow down what the hell is happening. the hemorrhaging again? it happened again earlier, also — when she had called her by name...

at the dawn of a more complete understanding of what she had meant, harrow raises the trailing end of one of her sleeves to dab the blood away, murmuring under her breath, ) So, this is what I had done to myself. But, why... ( she trails off, turning it over in her mind. there are the obvious, mortifying, sentimental reasons, to be certain, but... surely there was more to it. does it have to do with the soul...? )

[damnpire]

No.

[It's a shame she cannot see the flat look D lets himself show around the eyes at the interruption. Very rarely does any irritation slip by. Maybe it's easier to do because she is blind.]

You don't have to worry about him.

[He sounds as level as he did before. The second voice begins to make a noise, but D squeezes his left hand, and nothing makes it out except a startled sort of grunt.]

[bindsthedead]

[Sabriel's about to tell her to be serious, to stop joking. Then she realizes she isn't joking.

And things just got even stranger than Sabriel thought possible.

And far, far more horrifying. Dead things on that scale...]

A necromantic working at that scale would require massive amounts of Life on a regular basis. [And Sabriel doesn't want to dwell on that any more than she has to.]

But- the sun here doesn't feel dead, so we're not where- wherever you're from. And nowhere I'm familiar with- if we were, the sky would be blue not orange.

[bindsthedead]

"Necromancy is inherently musical, yes." Even without the bells, a limited amount of control over the Dead was possible- whistling, singing, and rhythmic clapping were all tools of last resort.

"It's also not the only sort of magic I have experience with." And for most things, Charter magic was far more useful, with less chance of disastrous consequences.

Costumes, B

[313_248_317_60]

[Connor turns at the sound. Stares, eyebrows raising, at the human playing dress-up. His hands are empty for the moment, but the second whip-crack flicks the edge of Connor's sleeve, marginally displacing the fabric.

He reaches to straighten it.]

Damaging Cyberlife property is a criminal offense.

[The words are as blandly polite as his smile. The glint behind the android's eyes, however, looks considerably less placid.]

I wouldn't recommend it.

[313_248_317_60]

It's happening to both of them. It's not internal, not a malfunction of his code. It's just this place.

"Of course."

It's hard to say whether the mutter is directed at himself, or her. Still, the rigid tension in the android's frame bleeds out a (very) little. 'Spells' draws a slight twitch of an eyebrow, but considering the human is literally healing before his eyes, he opts to postpone any discussion of impossibilities.

"Androids don't feel pain," he informs her instead.

Just in case she was wondering.

[glitterwar]

Oh ho? [Yeahh, Yachiyo really has no idea what that means. But the confusion is not nearly strong enough to break through the spell and role she has chosen for herself.

She lifts her chin up and looks at the taller man with an expression that just dripped amused arrogance.]

You say so? But you ought to know that there will always be repercussion for skipping the ring. [And with that she points the stage with her whip.] The play cannot go on if the actor is missing.

[darkbound]

Magic breaks it, huh...

[ well that's lame. she does understand that not everything back at home is meant for magical use, but for something so advanced -- ]

Too bad they didn't take that into consideration. I mean, think of all the cool stuff it could do if you added just a little magic! Like...ooh, I know! One of these popcorn thingies being able to...to... [ she pauses. looks like she needs a moment to think on this. ] To do this!

[ she snaps her fingers and holds out her palm. there's a light that emits from it, like a flashlight. it's not that cool, probably, but claudia's trying to make a point. ]

[darkbound]

Yeah! ... Well, okay, I haven't seen one here myself, but if you do see something that looks like a magic...orb thing [ she moves her hands so they make a circular motion, giving him an idea of the size at the very least. ] then tell me, okay?

I need to get my hands on one of those, and you'll be able to see it for yourself! So...win-win, right?

[bindsthedead]

"Then you're very fortunate." Sabriel's not sure if he's telling the truth or not. He seemed to stiffen up before, but perhaps that had been surprise, not pain.

"But- what is an android? And where is Detroit? Is that the country you come from?" She's asking partially out of curiosity, and partially to distract herself from the pain of her own wounds healing.

[oomfies]

[ There's a moment where Lottie actually considers saying 'yes', because it's not like she really understands the nuance of technology and everything within it. Ultimately, she shakes her head no - brows pinched and lips pursed. ]

I mean.. No. Not really?

[ She kneels to fumble around for a bowl (or something) for her to shove these snacks into. Her hands reach to open a compartment below, sticking her head in while she speaks, ]

I don't know if there's any manuals for them here but you can find them at the food court. It's the little rectangular thing with a door and a timer. It's supposed to heat up food fast so you don't have to use a stove.. Or a fire, if you still use those.

[collectedmods]

Characters who are sensitive to the supernatural won't find anything odd or off about the actual circus itself, or the general surroundings of the mall. It'll just be a regular old mall circus camped out in the parking lot!

[313_248_317_60]

[Connor's lip curls, disdain arcing his brows higher. Does the human seriously think she can can just commandeer the nearest android for her game? That wouldn't work on a docile AX unit, and his own programming allows him considerably more leeway to respond.

Speaking very slowly—as if spelling out a rule for an idiot child—he reiterates.]

You have the wrong model.