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

[11calls]

Sure. [Alex's voice is warm and her answer is immediate. This part is easy.] What would you like to know about it?

[it's probably a good thing that Alex is trying to avoid mentioning demons after all.]

[unknownmoirai]

[She hesitates briefly.]

I don't mean to sound rude but I don't know anything about your Earth. I'm not sure what to ask about. Maybe what you do as a job or where you live?

[11calls]

Of course. I'm sorry. Well, I live in Seattle, and that's in America in the Pacific Northwest part of it. I'm a reporter back home. I was working on a larger network, but now I'm working on a podcast that's a single specific story actually.

Or was, I guess before I came here.

[unknownmoirai]

[She shakes her head and wants to assure Alex that it's alright but it seems silly after she continues.]

I've been to Seattle once but I hadn't stayed very long. [She had traveled through the area.]

What story were you podcasting?

[11calls]

Just passing through?

And it's kind of a long story, really about a ghost hunter who doesn't believe in ghosts.

[There, that's the bare bones of it honestly and that was good enough and wasn't broaching anyone else's privacy.]

[unknownmoirai]

I can't say I've met a ghost before.

[Though she isn't the type of person to say that anything doesn't exist. The realms were vast and not all of them have been touched by the light of heaven.]

Did you enjoy it? It sounds like it would be fun.

[11calls]

He would say something like you never will either.

[Even though Alex doesn't actually laugh, the humor is very clear in her voice.]

It could be, but it got more difficult honestly, in ways I can't really explain.

[unknownmoirai]

That's a shame. I would have liked to meet a ghost.

[She's naturally curious.]

And you don't have to explain if you don't want too or can't. I will never force you but it sounds interesting.

[11calls]

Yeah I would have liked to have met a ghost too honesty. Demons are definitely a hard no but ghosts definitely.

[Alex gets natural curiosity better than most people, honestly. She's kinda like a cat in that way. But...]

It kind of affects more than just me here so...

[unknownmoirai]

Demons are harder to deal with.

[Though she's happy to have never run into one.]

Then we'll talk about something else.

Do you have a favorite place to eat here? I love eating fresh fruits. It might be possible but everything here feels a little unusual. I don't think plants are meant to thrive without natural sunlight.

[11calls]

Yeah. [Alex just sighs softly.] I'll say.

[But enough of that.]

They aren't but we've done it back home in things like the biosphere and in the space station and stuff, I'm assuming it's a similar sort of technology here. But if you like fruits, you definitely should try this little purple stand in the merchant dome? It's at the far end, but they've got some fruits I'd never heard of before I came here, and they do juices and slushies and stuff with them too.

[unknownmoirai]

I'll take a look at it.

[She pauses thoughtfully.]

I have always thought that it tasted differently but I'd like to be proven wrong. I miss the sky. Even though I haven't been here very long.

[11calls]

I mean I guess it's comparable to the whole farm stand/big farm thing so that makes sense.

But yeah, I miss the sky too. And the rain. It always was rainy in Seattle.

[unknownmoirai]

It does.

[She pauses for a little longer this time.]

It doesn't rain here?

[11calls]

[Alex just sighs, and she sounds a bit sad.]

Not really no. I mean, it's kinda like rain when they water things in the agriculture dome? And there was some magical snow before but so far no rain.

I miss it.

[unknownmoirai]

I will too...

[She pauses thoughtfully and then her voice lifts.]

Perhaps we should focus on what we have?

[11calls]

I suppose that's true. I mean things definitely could be worse, even if they're a bit weird.

What's home like for you?

[unknownmoirai]

I don't have a home.

[She doesn't sound sad but as if this is just another fact.]

I've been traveling to find my sister. I don't know where she is or if she even wants to speak to me but I don't stay at any one place for very long.

[11calls]

[She may not sound sad, but Alex does sound sad for her.]

You don't have a home? How long have you been looking for her for?

[unknownmoirai]

Not very long, it's been about six years now.

[Time is very different for an immortal.]

It's alright. It's what I am meant to do.

[11calls]

Six years isn't very long for you?

[unknownmoirai]

It doesn't feel very long.

[11calls]

How long have you lived?

[unknownmoirai]

I am very young.

[Even by human standards.]

I think I'm 24 or 25 now. I'm not sure when I was born.

[11calls]

But six years isn't a long time to you? I mean it's a lifetime to me, and I'm older than that.