FEBRUARY TDM

[recollecters]

TEST DRIVE

FEBRUARY TEST DRIVE The city of Recollé. What a beautiful, wonderful place. Sure, some things seem a little off sometimes but it's still home. The weather's starting to clear up as little signs of spring appear. What will you do today? I. Spring is in the air and today residents of the city can be found in all districts clearing out the rest of the winter gloom. Snow shovels are replaced for garden trowels as people begin planting flowers, trees, and vegetables. Some residents are in Hollingberry Field over in Viea Village cleaning up stray litter and debris to make the park enjoyable for all. Will you volunteer to help? Are you willing to get your hands dirty, or are you just annoyed that you can't go anywhere without having to side-step a puddle of mud? II. It starts innocently enough. You wake up in the morning, walk into your bathroom to brush your teeth and one of your lightbulbs burn out. That's not unusual. You make a note to buy more lightbulbs next time you head to Freshens. What is unusual is that the rest of the city seems to be experiencing similar problems. One of the theatres at Flix can't seem to get their projector to work and several customers are clamouring to get their ticket refunded. The elevator at the Towers stops working halfway up between floors. Neon signs on some of the shops in Tisse flicker and pop until some of the letters fade. The computers at the Recollé Public Library and Resource Center crash making it impossible to do school work. It's not just outside either. Appliances start acting up. Your phone might ring with a ringtone that isn't your own, but no one else is on the other line. What's causing all of this? It might be worth investigating. III. You realize that it might be wise to check Retrospec to see if any of your fellow residents are posting about similar experiences. You reach for your device, (or perhaps you've managed to wrestle one of the library's computers to work with you) and open the application only to be met with a blast of music. Shutting the app doesn't help. Every time the app is opened, a new song will begin playing on its own. The song changes each time, but they all seem to center on the same theme. The only way to stop the issue is to let the song play all the way through. Good thing you weren't sneaking in some social media time during class or work…were you? Maybe you're one of the lucky ones who escaped having the app automatically downloaded to your mobile devices or appear for you at inconvenient intervals. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore and the next wave of Retrospec users are chosen. New users will hear a very different song as their greeting when the app begins to download, prompting them to notice their profile filled out with their name and upload a picture. The song will autoloop until new users oblige to these steps. Now wouldn't be a bad time to ask fellow users some questions. IV. Billboards, bus stops, and posters make up many of the colorful landmarks in Chata and Tisse. These signs all have a purpose whether it's to advertise new movies at Flix, a special sale at Towers, or a hot new band that will be playing at the Atrium. Too bad things seem to be getting out of hand here, too. What do you mean the sign told you everything must go from the furniture department? Nobody said anything about half-priced movies with all you can eat popcorn! All throughout the city advertisements pop up displaying false claims. Are you one of the residents trying to cash in on these ads? Or maybe you're an employee who has to clean up this mess. Yikes. BONUS. The subway system in Recollé has been down for quite some time now due to construction. It doesn't make travelling through the city impossible, but it does make several people unhappy (including Mayor Mayer.) The non-functional subway has become a part of every day life, but when you pass by over the next few days, you can almost hear the sound of a subway car speeding along the tracks. Any inquiries will be met with disdain, and any attempts to head into the subway station to check things out will be met with construction workers telling residents to scram. It seems that this area is blocked off for now, but that doesn't mean residents can't investigate. Welcome to the recolle test drive meme! All characters will be begin in-game AU'd as Recollé residents. You may use any of the above prompts for ideas or make up your own depicting your Recollé AU! Prompts do not have to be set in the districts listed above. You can review our list of locations for what's available. Please note that TDM threads can be used as samples, can be kept as game canon, and can also be used for bonus points for future item regains. Share a few minor details of your AU, tag around, and have fun! The February 2017 TDM directory can be found here. The February 2017 Workshop can be found here. The mod questions comment is here.

Comments

Gokotai / Koukichi Ashikaga | Touken Ranbu

[5kotai]

II. #TfwOnlyWifiIsReliable
[ (The code for Facebook comments is here, btw!) Obviously when you have problems with technology that can affect day to day life, you make a status post to express your unhappy feelings, right? Look, they even have this mysterious and convenient Retrospec App to encourage it! ]

Koukichi Ashikaga 02/15 near The Towers

I've been stuck in this elevator for 30 minutes... (｡•́︿•̀｡) It's really scary... and the person I called says they can't fix the elevators because they just work on and off. So it's better to wait, I guess? I just wanted to get discount chocolates for my cousin... Why....

IV. False Advertising

[ Behold, the funniest sight: a middle school boy gently pushing some college students twice his size out of the landlady office of this cozy apartment complex. He lives here, even if it's meant for college students and faculty... while he'd normally shy way from confrontation, people start getting testy against the Aunt Landlady and other residents, so the kid has had Enough. ]

I'm sorry, but Auntie doesn't offer a $400 discount off the first two months of rent! She's busy calling whatever ad agency put up that billboard, but it isn't true. So please, go find someplace else if you think it's too pricey...

[ Shove shove shove. If you're a resident or someone here who isn't being a pain, he might approach you with big sheets of paper and markers... He's also back to his timid self once his temper(?) cooled off. ]

Um, if you're not too busy... Can you help me make some signs for the door? People must really want cheap rent...


Bonus. No subway ghosts here
[ If you decided to explore this one particular subway station and sneak past the workers. It's the Cool Thing to do apparently. Maybe you'll find something, like answers to why this wonder subway system was closed down without a good explanation!

...Nah. But by the vending machines in the waiting area, where you'd normally check the boards for estimated schedule times and routes, there's the sound of... crying? Is the Subway closed because it's haunted? Again, nah. Poor Koukichi was dared by classmates into sneaking with them past the employees into the station to grab some vending snacks, only to be ditched. He's huddled by a wall, sniffling. Help the poor fellow out? ]

bonus because we gotta go for dramatic first meetings

[notbunaga]

[She was sure she'd heard something when she was passing by outside. Unlike everyone else, Nobu had no intention of investigating; it was just construction work, right? There was no need to go snooping around, honestly. But in the off chance someone is stuck down there, isn't it worth looking into? Yet no matter how much she tried to convince the people working there someone who shouldn't be down there is down there, they seemed very insistent she just go on her way and not bother them. That's enough to make her genuinely suspicious, but...

Well, that can wait. In need of a distraction, she calls up Yuuko and asks her to be herself in the face of easily riled up construction workers and act as a worthwhile distraction, all so Nobu can sneak into the tunnel while they aren't looking.

After that, it's just a case of exploring for a little bit...she can't hear him right from the start, but eventually she picks up on what she'd heard outside, confirming...yep, that's a kid in the distance. She isn't exactly great at being sympathetic or comforting, but she approaches regardless.]

Hey. [She decides to stop at a distance, one still comfortable enough to talk at.] What're you doing down here?

the best kind of meeting

[5kotai]

[ The worst possible scenario, aside from being here and no one finding him until his family gets worried, or a construction worker finding him and getting in trouble for this, is those schoolmates finding him in tears and never letting this down. That's why he stayed here, until he could calm down and find another exit to the station, despite the odds. But... he's a bit glad to be found by an adult, even if he's still a mess. ]

Hic...

[ It's hard to see with blurry vision, so he doesn't recognize her. Of course, it's also been a long time since they've seen eachother. He doesn't really know what happened to that side of the family, his family simply describes it as a complicated matter. He doesn't mind her forward too, suppressing his sobs to speak properly. ]

I... I got left behind. They didn't think I'd go with them down here, but now...

[notbunaga]

[...figures.

She immediately assumes they might have taken advantage of this boy, but...admittedly it's only because, as a kid, Nobu was kind of A Bad Kid alongside her friend Yuuko. They'd literally be the type of people to dare some shy, unsuspecting type into a dark subway like this and just leave him.

So oops.

But uh, never mind that right now, because right now she's genuinely interested in helping him out of here. So.]

Well, whatever trouble they've gotten themselves into is on them. They'll be punished appropriately for it.

[err]

How about we get out of here? You'll be in serious trouble if the construction crew catches you here.

Bonus 2spooky

[long_live_the_queen]

[There's someone else down here, from the sound of footsteps and the flicker of a phone screen being used like a flashlight. Lucy had jumped an unwatched fence down a set of stairs that had been closed down for actually legitimate reasons—her knee and one of her shoes were a bit scuffed from the unstable stairway.

There was no evidence of a train from here; no sounds of an engine or clattering wheels. Just someone...crying? Shit. It sounded like a kid, though all this dark and echoey space made it sound unsettling and made her neck prickle.

She did not have time for this, ugh.

Lucy didn't stop, still stalking forwards until she reached the vending machines—and turned around one, phone still raised to a potentially blinding eye level.

She didn't say anything, just narrowed her eyes and stood there.

Super reassuring.]

2spooky

[5kotai]

[ With the darkness and echo-amplifying environment of the station, sounds like his crying and a stranger's footsteps are easy to hear. But, he isn't sure who they could be from at all, so he keeps to his spot, trying to stifle his sobs. That is, until Kaede uses her phone to find him. ]

Eep!

[ He shields his eyes from the brightness, but pulls his fingers away when his sight adjust to the change. This lady looks scary, but that might just be the sharp contrast of light and shadows. ]

Who... are you?

[ He musters up his courage to ask that, voice still shaking. Kede isn't wearing a vest or headgear of emloyees... so someone exploring the subway? She wouldn't be the first, and the rumors are what landed him here. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[She doesn't react to his squeaking or flinching, remaining in place.]

Lucy.

[So he probably wasn't a ghost. Unless she had walked into a very strange movie...?

No, that was stupid. Ghosts weren't even real.

Just like that subway car, apparently.]

ii

[axilium]

Belph This is divine punishment. If you really loved your cousin, you would make your own chocolates, using hand-gathered ingredients from the wild.

[5kotai]

Koukichi Ashikaga Nooo, I'm so sorry Valentines Day! (๑ó⌓ò๑)
Koukichi Ashikaga Are chocolates hard to make? I think Ryusei will always say he likes my cooking, but he deserves good chocolate!

[axilium]

[please stop listening to Belph, innocent child]

Belph I'm not sure. I've never made any before. But there's always the Internet!!

iv!

[sharplydressed]

[A TINY TEMPER FOR A TINY KID... That's okay though, because Kiyomitsu has enough temper to spare for like five separate people.

Especially now. Now, when he's been dealing with customers clamouring for free coffees all day, and horses still mysteriously not being a thing, and the subway being sketchy as hell, and government conspiracy theories popping up left and right, and-- Needless to say, he's a little thin on patience. So as Koukichi's pushing these testy kids out, Kiyomitsu just. Clamps a hand down on one of their shoulders.]

Hmmm? Is this the noisy person who ruined my nap? [IF LOOKS COULD KILL.] Y'know, some of us actually pay to stay here. Full price, even! So if it's between some whiny brats who can't deal with not being able to wring pennies out of a hard-working landlady and an actual resident who's just trying to get some rest before work, I wonder who the cops are gonna side with?

[He just shoots from the hip when he's tired, apparently... Plus side is the kids seem too surprised to start anything, and Kiyomitsu's shoving them toward the front hall with some Insistence™ before they can.]

Get out of here before I call 'em for real. [Punks!! And then, to Koukichi:] You okay?

[5kotai]

[ HIS SAVIOR... Being angry is tiring, how do already tired adults do this. Also trying to push full-grown students, but he's very thankful for the help of Kiyomitsu. With his help (and gentle threat), the penny-pinchers scram into the great beyond of campus and Koukichi sighs in relief. Why did Recolle marketing hit betray? It cut into a perfectly good beauty nap and a kid's otherwise quiet evening. ]

Ah, I'm fine... I just don't want them to bother my aunt.

[ He pulls his phone out of his pocket, and opens up a picture of the poster he saw on a nearby university building (prior to Mrs. Sakamoto tearing it down). ]

Is this this a prank...?

[sharplydressed]

Don't worry about anyone bothering her while we're around. I'll tell Yasusada to keep an eye out, too.

[That's honestly the biggest threat anyone could make... Like siccing an Actual Dangerous Guard Dog on some hapless trespassers. BUT HEY that's what they get for giving Koukichi a hard time and interrupting Kiyomitsu's much-needed midday nap!

He'll lean over to get a look at the phone screen either way, nose wrinkling immediately in distaste.]

It's gotta be. There are fake ads up everywhere today. I had some idiots come in expecting to get free coffee just 'cause they were wearing yellow, and almost everyone I've talked to has had customers claiming equally weird things.

[liberal_arts]

Kasen Kaneda The fault lies in our stars, my friend. But perhaps we shouldn't think of it as folly, but instead fortune. Perhaps this was what was meant to happen to you today so you might have an enriching experience that will shape your life from here on!

[5kotai]

Koukichi Ashikaga Oh!
Koukichi Ashikaga Thank you for the encouragement.
Koukichi Ashikaga I think fate is telling me next time, I should save a bit more and go to Chata for shopping. Small stores, no elevators.

[liberal_arts]

Kasen Kaneda Perhaps. Perhaps it will inspire you in any way. But always remember that life's hardships, great and small, help us form into a better person, and we should express that, always.

iv!

[fushichou]

[does Izumi live here now I guess he lives here now

Seeing confrontations at the landlady's office isn't exactly something new; people are always trying to find ways to save money, especially college students, so Izumi nearly ignores the crowd, intent on heading up to his own apartment to get some studying on.

And by studying we all know that means napping.

But he catches sight of Koukichi at the heart of that whole mess and immediately changes course. He claps his hands above his head, trying to get attention on himself. He's tall and strong, he ain't scare!]

Hey, hey! You really got some nerve tryin' to con some kid, you know! If he says something's not true, then it's not true. So scram!

[And if he has to, he'll join in on the shoving because really this is just rude. Once that's all done with, though, he turns toward Koukichi and accepts that paper.]

You might wanna plaster the whole door in this stuff. Your aunt's got good locks, right?

[Safety first!]

[5kotai]

[ His rival from PromGate lives here and so do Punk 1 and Punk 2. ]

She does! That's why Ryusei used to have to sneak into the house through his bedroom window... So I've been told.

[ Mrs. Sakamoto and her son tell him fun stories... So that's why he likes living here! Even when y'all are tall and could sit on him. Anyway, creative help is appreciated! Or... honest factual poster design help is. ]

Why are all the ads weird... One of them said today I could get a waffle cone with free scoops ice cream. Or that if you wear yellow, you can get free coffee.

[fushichou]

[Wow his loser friends, what a terrible fate.

...Okay but that random anecdote about Ryusei? That's got Izumi snorting to keep from straight up laughing. But wow he's imagining the scene and it's great.]

Are you serious? That's incredible.

[He'll have to bring that up the next time he sees Ryusei. But right, important matters. How to fill out this paper without sounding rude.

...Wait, should he even be doing this anyway? What if Mrs. Sakamoto gets mad at him?

(So he writes No discounts, some things are too good to be true and is done with it. Good decisions!)]

Maybe there was some major miscommunication.

[Every...where...]

I'm sure it'll clear up in a day or two. Companies act fast when things are advertised wrong, after all, or else they'd lose more money.

[Izumi doesn't exactly believe this, though, but he's got enough sense to not scare a kid. So many ads being wrong on top of technology losing its digital mind is definitely disconcerting, but Koukichi doesn't need to worry about that. It's nothing they can change right now.]

bonus

[outpunch]

[Investigating stuff at work, investigating stuff after work...Juzo's life got so interesting after this whole subway thing. Except not really, because he hasn't found out much. And getting past those workers was a pain in the ass, for someone his size.

Walking around the station, the sniffling reaches his ears. Oh, could it be that this place is haunted...maybe he should bring his flatmate who's afraid of ghosts?

His hopes to make fun of his flatmate are crushed the moment he notices the boy, however. While Juzo can imagine how he got there (it was probably easy for him to sneak inside unnoticed), he can't fathom why would he.]

Hey, kid. What's your business here?

[5kotai]

[ Well, can't blame a guy for good priorities when it comes to supernatural(?) investigations! This subway fiasco is pretty darn suspicious, it's any wonday if the city expected people to actually buy their excuses. Well, probably not if they don't have quite the right manpower to prevent sneaking about by young folks.

Sorry that you don't get to scare your flatmate, Juzo. You... do kind of scare this kid though. Something about him says "authority" or "I can talk with my fists". Welp ]

I followed some of my classmates sneaking in here... But then they ran away and I lost them.

[ Sniffle. He's not going to break down crying again, but this is not a Fun experience. Torn between not wanting to bother the big guy and asking the big guy for help. Kid life, obviously difficult. ]

II

[tosa]

( His phone has been going off all day so can you really blame him for not answering? How was he supposed to know it was a real phone call?! The fear of god was struck in him the moment he saw three missed calls and 6 unread messages from his mother and one voicemail shrieking at him to answer his phone when she calls or else. It wasn't long after that that he heard about what had happened to Koukichi and even without her request, he would have gone right over.

One his way there, he begins to message Koukichi, )

Ryusei Sakamoto HEY
Ryusei Sakamoto ARE YOUWSTILL.STUCK?
Ryusei Sakamoto Im omw now

[5kotai]

Koukichi Ashikaga Ryusei!
Koukichi Ashikaga I got a message from your mom, she's very upset (╹д╹;)
Koukichi Ashikaga I'm not going to be in trouble, am I?

ii

[antagonize]

Jason Grace Are you still stuck?
Jason Grace I'd start thinking about spelunking out of there after the 45 minute mark.

[5kotai]

Koukichi Ashikaga Spelunking... Like climbing out of here and using the elevator shaft?
Koukichi Ashikaga That would be really cool to do, like in a movie! But I think I'm a bit too short.