December Test Drive Meme.

[sphererpmod]

TDM
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A new day has come.

So unlike many other places, the Sphere doesn’t celebrate New Years on New Year’s Eve. Instead they celebrate it in s three day festival commencing on January first to the third. The festival starts on the first at dawn with people waking up early to watch the first unofficial sunrise in the Sphere. Unlike most other days, this sunrise is universal, moving into each of the domes and filling them with such a bright light that it looks like an idealized version of a bright summer’s day. Groups of people join together to watch it in the dormitory dorms as well as in several public areas. The agriculture dome and the recreational domes are popular places for such activities and there are several places where there appear to be flowers blooming and almost the sound of birdsong.

Also in the more public places, there are large tables filled up with what seems to be a standard light breakfast of fruit, cheese and various loaves of bread, including a particular loaf of bread that everyone is given either in their attendance or in the dome itself. It’s a circular loaf with nuts on it that’s perfect for sharing. Indeed people keep trying to share a piece with the characters around them.

One thing that’s missing though? None of the places seem to have any sort of caffeine in any form. If questioned about it, someone knowledgeable will respond: “you can’t have caffeine until the sun sets!” The words come with a good natured laugh and characters are then handed a glass of fruit juice.

Out with the old and in with the new.

As the sun is about to set on the first day, crowds gather in the rec dome. There in the middle of the area there’s a large bonfire set up. The smoke billows up towards the top of the dome before it disappears. People gathered around the fires are throwing old possessions into it, some of which are their own and some of them are the possessions of the people who had left. The idea is to unburden yourself of things to face the new year with a clean slate.

There are smaller fires around, and they burn different colors with the smoke being sweet smelling and light. Some people show the newcomers how to gather the smoke in their hands and release it over their heads, in order to clear out dark thoughts and whatever is troubling people. The smoke gives people a slight feeling of euphoria, and makes them feel as if whatever is happening isn’t quite as bad as they think it is.

And we’re dancing through life.

On the second day, the public domes are fairly dead. The merchant dome is closed and only a few restaurants are open, and only those are for delivery. The entire city almost seems to be holding their breath and waiting for something. When the clock turns to eight pm, it’s almost as if the entire city is lit in a combination of stars and candlelight. In the gardens in the Rec dome, a large ball has been set up. Everyone in the city has been given their ideal fancy dress outfit, including mask in order to wear to it. The idea behind it is that the characters are in the middle of their transitional state. Day one was the day they put their old life behind them, and day three will be the day that they form their new selves for the year ahead. Which is why at the ball, people wear masks and have the option to give into some of the things that they wouldn’t normally do.

Wanna eat that there whole pint of ice cream? Go nuts. Wanna drink a bottle of vodka? Hey it’s your liver and it’s not like you can die! Wanna hook up in a dark corner with a stranger. It’s your life and there’s some nice velvet couches over there; out of sight and out of mind.

Dinner is in the form of an elaborate meal, sort of along the idea of Fat Tuesday in New Orleans, no expense is spared and everything is extremely well done and extravagant. Rich food, insane desserts, open bar, everything this night is too excess. At various points in the evening, the sky which has been showing stars shifts into things like fireworks, and glowy nebuleuses, causing people to burst into spontaneous bouts of applause.

All the while, there are various and shifting dance floors with an assortment of music to dance to, including classical, swing, fiddles, big band, pop, R&B, and basically anything that you can think of. The dances that people do there are as varied as the population, the drunkenness level and of course the all important dances of people's native Caucasia.

The party goes until dawn, at which point, the drunken releveries spill onto the streets, and people return to their personal domes singing loudly and off key.

...Is that… a squirrel?

For anyone who has been in the Sphere for any sort of length of time, one thing has stood out: there are no living creatures within the Sphere other than the people themselves. All of the meat has been generated versus harvested, and there’s not even bugs involved. Of course, all of that changes when there’s suddenly a random black squirrel darting in among the trees of the park in the recreational dome. It’s not frightened of people for the most part, unless someone tries to touch it. Then you better hope to god you’re a bard or you’ve got some ranks in handle animal, but this thing does not want to be touched.

Yeah, people who make the effort are going to get bitten or scratched. Yeah, that kinda looks infected. You may wanna see someone about it. Or hope really hard. But either way, at least the clinic is there for you.

Wildcard
Choose your own adventure. Some suggestions: network posts, roommates meeting, before the party, randomly interacting with shops or restaurants, trying to find a job, etc. Go nuts.

Inspiration images

Comments

Rick Grimes ( The Walking Dead )

[redhandle]

A. New Day

Rick is awake early but it's not for the purpose of watching the sunrise or what not even though it ends up happening. He's not particularly paying that much attention to it, though. His mind is still elsewhere as he makes his way around.

Hunger does make itself known, being the main reason he'd gotten up and out so early in the first place. He doesn't accept any bread from those offering it, but he does take some fruit, cheese and bread and finds a place to settle and eat, keeping an eye on his surroundings. He's observing but he's not unfriendly or unwelcoming if someone looks his way or joins him.

B. Out with the Old

[ Rick has nothing to add to the fire that is being started but he is there all the same. It's interesting to watch what people give up but he doesn't particularly have anything that he's willing to let go of and there is very little he has in the first place and it'd been that way for some time now.

There is plenty of internal baggage that would have been good to burn but that's harder than the material.

Rick watches as someone is shown some ritual with one of the smaller fires, looking at it curiously and then shaking his head doubtfully as he overheard the explanation. ]

C. Wildcard

[ Feel free to switch up styles or hit me with something else! ]

[10milliondollars]

Rhys is the textbook definition of Not a Morning Person. Sure, he's dressed and groomed, but he looks none too pleased as he sits and munches on an apple. He hardly spares a glance at the man that takes a seat near him.

"Awful of 'em to not give us coffee, isn't it? My old boss was a tyrant, but he never denied us caffeine like this. Those of us in higher ranks even had personal coffee makers at our desks," he gripes.

[redhandle]

rick glanced at the other and well he’s grown accustomed to not always having things like coffee so he hadn’t thought of it too deeply in all reality but he can still understand the sentiment.

“It is a bit weird,” he chuckled. “It probably could be worse, though.”

At least there was plenty of food after all.

[10milliondollars]

"At least it isn't even a full day." The man's right. It could be worse. He could still be out in the Pandoran desert, running for his life from all manner of beasts and bandits. He finally glances over.

"I'm Rhys." He extends his flesh hand for a handshake.

[redhandle]

Rick nods and then offers the other a friendly enough smile as he gives his hand a firm shake.

“Rick.”

[10milliondollars]

"So, Rick, what'd you do before? Y'know, where'd you come from?" Rhys asks. The man's got a firm handshake, so Rhys assumes he held some important position.

[redhandle]

Rick drops his hand away. “I was a cop,” he said but that doesn’t really cover it anymore. “But then the world kinda went to shit and so mostly I’ve just been a man trying to take care of his people and survive.”

And live, they were finally moving past just trying to make it to the next day.

[10milliondollars]

Well, that story sounds a bit familiar.

"When you say your world went to shit, do you mean an epidemic wiped out a huge chunk of the population? 'Cause there's another guy here with a similar story. He said the dead...came back."

[redhandle]

Rick raised a brow and inclined his head.

"That's exactly what happened."

[10milliondollars]

"It sounds pretty scary." He rubs the back of his neck with his flesh hand. "What did you do? How did you get through it?"

[redhandle]

Rick raised a brow at the question and there’s a little bit of a laugh. “Well, it’s not really over. We just take it fight by fight.”

[10milliondollars]

"That's...still happening? The dead people haven't rotted away yet?" Because of course Rhys is more concerned about the longevity of the corpses than the fact that the corpses are reanimated.

[redhandle]

Rick laughs more heartily at that question. It seems absurd and honestly, they never really had time to think about anything.

"More people die all the time."

B.

[customplates]

[In all honesty, Aaron isn't sure how he feels about the strange ritual, either, but that isn't going to stop him from satisfying his curiosity, and he's not surprised to find Rick there as well. Assessing their surroundings was always Rick's number one priority.

He falls into line beside the man, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants as he does.]

Happy New Year?

[redhandle]

Happy New Year, I guess. It doesn’t really feel like it should be.

[ Not that the passage of time really made much sense back home anymore either but this has a bit of an almost jarring affect on perception of reality. It’s probably to be expected. ]

This make much sense to you?

[customplates]

New Years? [He shakes his head, crossing his arms.] Not at all.

[But he does turn his gaze back to the crowds and rolls his shoulder in a slight shrug.]

As for the ceremony...sure? There are a lot of cultures on Earth who have similar practices: symbolically letting go of the old and welcoming the new.

[redhandle]

[ Rick shrugs. He supposes it's not that strange except for the communal way it's done perhaps. ]

I guess it is a bit like spring cleaning.

[customplates]

[He nods.]

There are several indigenous tribes that have similar things, sort of a...community reset.

[redhandle]

[ Rick pushes a hand through his hair. On one hand he gets it but on the other hand it is hard to see doing it anymore where they come from. ]

Seems like it could be a waste, though. Most things have a use.

[customplates]

[He nods.]

These people have the luxury of not having to realize that, Rick.

[redhandle]

For now...

[ he’s not intentionally being a pessimist but things just aren’t sitting right in the least. ]

But I guess it’s good for them. [ There’s a pensive was to the expression on his face, his worry wouldn’t be lost on anyone most likely. ]

I don’t trust it, Aaron.

[customplates]

[Aaron nods, earnest.]

I don't either, Rick. Don't trust it, but...most of these people? They're like us. Trust them. Me and the rest of Alexandria? We weren't prepared for everything we had to go through, but we stepped up. I think these people will, too.

[He cracks a smile, though, looking over to him.]

I'm good at feeling people out. That's why you keep me around, right?

[redhandle]

[ Rick, anymore, is pulled between the urge to trust and the experience of being burned over and over again. There’s always that desire to believe the best in people after all. ]

How do you know what people aren’t part of it? [ But he smiles briefly. ]

It’s certainly not because you’re a good shot. [ a good natured joke that’s questionable in any validity. They both know there’s plenty of reasons he’d always keep Aaron around. ]

[customplates]

I don't, Rick. Not for sure. [He smiles, though, reassuringly.]

We have to trust at least some of them. [And then that smirk turns slightly mischievous.] I mean, I trusted you and that was after you knocked me out and tied me up.

Marcus Wright (Terminator Salvation: Final Battle)

[anewhero]

A New focus

[ Strangely at the same time, what looked like a normal man traveled the celebrations with little joy on his face. Not every day was he awakened by SKYNET of all people to save the day and John Connor. Something spoke fishy about that. ]

Marcus's eyes scanned for someone and he looked at the other man as he sits down. Terminators were weird. They had to eat to revive their skin and organs but otherwise they couldn't drink and had no need to sleep.

"Hey, stranger. Need someone to talk to?"


B. Out with the old

Marcus has nothing to give up of his past, something he could burn to rid of old memories. Was the old him even still alive at the this point?"