MAY TDM

[recollecters]

TEST DRIVE

MAY TEST DRIVE The city of Recollé... ...well. Good luck! I. You might've noticed by now that some things in this dear city of yours are a little...weird. Most of the buildings and landmarks around you are only partially visible and the world appears to be covered in all kinds of strange colors. As you step out the door today, you can't quite shake off the feeling that you're being followed. Every time you turn your head, nothing appears to be in your line of vision but the creeping sensation won't go away. However, with one final well-timed turn you catch it out of the corner of your eye: a large paintbrush dripping in your favorite color, floating in mid-air. The brush doesn't seem to go away no matter how long you look at it, but one of two things happens here. For those of you who grab the brush, you'll find yourself suddenly yanked forward as the brush guides you to a nearby building, bush, or busy sidewalk, the colored paint splattering everywhere but leaving behind a black finish instead of the original color. The brush has a mind of its own as it brings you right next to a friend or a stranger to get to work. They must have a brush, too. For those of you who ignore the brush, however...well...it doesn't like being ignored. As you turn away the brush zips forward and begins to paint your face. And your arms. And your clothes? Hopefully someone will come by and try to help soon! II. With that exciting chain of events out of the way, it's time to get to work! It's not hard to notice what it is you're supposed to do now. Certain members of the city have paintbrushes similar to yours and only those with brushes can restore the city as it was. Individually painting the area will highlight all items in black, but pairing up with someone else's color will allow for a bit of color to attach. Blending the brushes together will generate new, bright colors that will stick! Two reds can paint an object red while a red and a blue can change an object to purple. Of course, you're free to go at it alone. There's nothing stopping you from embarking on this journey with your own two hands. On the other hand the longer you work by yourself, the higher your risks become of unearthing something you may not want. One minute you might be painting a garden bench back into existence when suddenly a sound alerts you that something's wrong. The object seems to warp right in front of you, sprouting teeth, eyes, and even sometimes limbs. Non-stationary objects such as vehicles, animals, postal boxes and more will begin to chase painters around all five districts of the city. Stationary objects will do anything to grab you in their grasp and stop your hard work. The only way to soothe these objects is to mix up a new color and douse them with paint, but that just might be a little harder than it looks while you're on the move. III. The strange thing is that even with a large portion of the city invisible to the naked eye, by now everyone around you has accepted that this is just how things will go. If you talk to your family or friends or teachers or co-workers who are without a paintbrush, they'll simply tell you that even though it started a few weeks ago there are other things in the city to worry about. They'll tell tales of people with powers and weird physical changes that shouldn't be possible and they'll point out the thinning monsters that are roaming the city and cleaning up the stray paint. Despite this, life is expected to go on as normal. Classes are still in session and your employers expect you to be at work on time. Grocery stores are up and running and if you can find them several of your favorite businesses are still open as well. Maybe today you're in class procrastinating on a school project, or perhaps you're staring out the window at your boring job waiting for the next time you can catch a break. If you're brave enough, you might be one of those who wanders the half-missing aisles of Freshens because your family still insists on their cookout this weekend. This appears to be the new norm...so what are you doing today in the lovely "city" of Recollé? IV. Several citizens have been using their brushes to expand their horizons and paint beyond the limits of the city, working to recreate the roads to go back to other regions. While this will require far more work and dedication, some of the paths are outlined and cleared. Granted, with the revival of the roads comes the revival of a few other creatures including monsters of varying breeds. Have you ever fought a monster before? No? Well now's your chance! Some of these monsters are easy to take down but others will hunt and attack. While the paint brushes won't do much to deter the creatures themselves, they're useful to paint new hiding spots until you come up with a plan of attack. That counts, doesn't it? Good luck out there. BONUS. Perhaps the strangest thing of all is that your phone works. It's fully functional, colored and solid without having to repaint it into existence. Being able to send texts and check maps are vital tools in the restructure of the city, but at the same time it comes with something you may not want. The Retrospec app appears on your phone and even without setting up a profile you'll find yourself receiving a message from a Retrospec user named Zee Carlisle. Bad timing, this was really bad timing! Hey newbies, sorry, we are a little swamped with the stabilization process right now but let me kick you to some people who can help out. It's all the text says before you find yourself redirected to a private chat with another Retrospec user. Don't be shy now! Say hi and ask all of the questions you need! 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! For current players, please remember that TDM threads can only be used for bonus points, not regains. Please note: you will need a reserve to apply, and current characters must have full AC posted at the time of their reservation. Finally, please remember that this will be the last application month until September! Your May TDM directory is here, and your AU workshop is here! Our mod questions thread for this TDM is over here!

Comments

[notthatbutler]

[AU workshop comment is HERE!]

I - Paint the Town Plum

[Why did he go outside today.

Dwyer looked at the blank world outside his doorway, heaved a sigh, and tried to go back inside, only for his aunt to shoo him out for some fresh air. It's fine, she said! Nothing to worry about, she said! Go sit in the park and get some sun, she said! Yeah, sure, that'd be great, if he could find the park or the sun or anything. It'd be easier to go back into bed and wait this...whatever it was out, because how is he supposed to be able to do something about it? God, he can't even find a bench or curb to sit on without feeling around like a dumbass, but it's when he finally grasps the arm of a bench that he spots it - a paintbrush, floating in the air, drips of plum paint trickling down. He blinks, rubs at his eyes, blinks again.]

...The hell...?

[Clearly he needs to sit down for a good long while with his eyes closed, because now he's seeing weird things. And he does that for a good five minutes, undisturbed, until the paintbrush is decidedly fed up with being ignored and flies right at him, smearing paint right across his face.]

Augh-!

[Yes, this is how he always knew he would go: assaulted by a paintbrush. Want to laugh at the scruffy teen being assaulted by art supplies as he flails uselessly on an invisible bench, or will you take pity on him and try to explain what's going on?]

III - Keep Calm and Carry On

[Eventually, Dwyer and the paintbrush were able to come to an agreement with each other, and it had become his navigational tool ever since - not that he went to a lot of places to begin with, but still, it was better than faceplanting into walls or tripping over things on the sidewalk that had gone unseen. And it pleased his aunt, who was still pretty blase about all this weirdness, that he could help them make a trail back to the house when she wanted to go to Union Grocery to pick up her organics. So that's what they were doing today. It's late morning, his aunt is still in the front of the store talking to a friend, and he's found himself down in one of the aisles, slowly painting the produce out of boredom. Even if it's just outlining it, it's better to know that you're picking up a box of tea rather than a box of spice packets, right?

Are you painting out some produce, too? Or have you come across Dwyer as he tries not to lean against a half-outlined shelf, trying to rub the dull, mounting pain out of his shoulder from all this work?]

Bonus - You've Got Mail!

[Uh. Well. Hm. That's...this is weird. This is very weird. This is not something he had downloaded onto his phone, nor someone who would be in his limited contacts. Is this a virus? Did someone hack his phone? His aunt, bless her heart, has no idea what he's talking about when he tries to show it to her, so she couldn't have put this Retrospec thing on there herself...ugh, this is stressing him out. His phone is the one thing he has left that's normal and colored. If he loses access to it, what is he going to do? But if this is related to any of the weirdness, then he might as well try to get some answers.]

hello?
uh
is someone there?
or is this really a virus and my phone is bricked
please don't let my phone be bricked
also if it takes a while for me to text back i'm sorry but it's been a long couple of days and i haven't slept well
seriously you'd be surprised how hard my autocorrect is working right now

bonus

[spirithacker]

[Congratulations, Dwyer, the person assigned to help you is an actual child.]

its not a virus
a virus would be better t b h

welcome to everything being terrible
im your guide for the day

[notthatbutler]

[It's a lot better than being asked to download something with a Trojan in it.]

no i think a virus would be worse
i can't just buy a new phone
and all my stuff is on this phone

everything was already pretty terrible before
but alright
nice to meet you

[spirithacker]

this app would follow you to a new phone so it doesnt matter

im shinji

[notthatbutler]

what
no way
that's creepy and illegal i think

i'm dwyer

i

[hareru]

[ welcome to the "i got attacked by art supplies" group, its only member currently being soramaru. sure, the paintbrush and him are doing much better now but he can definitely recognize that scream as the scream of someone getting attacked by a brush.

he runs over to it, his own giant brush in hand, and decides to give some advice. ]

Hey!! Take the brush! You're not going crazy!

[notthatbutler]

[By the time Soramaru gets to him, Dwyer has stopped thrashing, opting instead to cover his face with both arms and let those be relentlessly slathered with paint.]

Yes I am, there's a floating paintbrush attacking me...

[He sounds - well, not resigned or bored, but...there's a bit of a groan to his voice, like, damn, this is really how his day is going to go.]

[hareru]

[ you know what dwyer that's a bit of a mood. but that doesn't mean that soramaru's going to give up on him. ]

That's why I'm telling you to grab the brush. It'll stop attacking you when you do!

[notthatbutler]

[His whole existence is a considerable mood.]

...That sounds fake - gah!

[Oh eugh the paintbrush jammed itself in between his arms to get him in the face again. This is his life, these are his choices.]

III

[cardcaptured]

[Meanwhile, Xiaolang's been using his weekend time wisely, carefully trying to restore whatever places he can, the best that he can. Union Grocery was a place he was rather particular about trying to bring back, as they were one of the few places he knew that carried actual Chinese products, and he wasn't about to go without his favorite brand of black tea if he could help it.

He's so engrossed in his work that he doesn't even notice his surroundings as he steps back some to observe his progress, the half-painted shelf only making itself known to him as he suddenly bumps right into it--

-- and also probably jostling the products on the other side. OOPS. Might want to move if you want to avoid being potentially buried under the box avalanche, dude.]

[notthatbutler]

[Hah, move, like he has any form of reactionary time. He hasn't regained his Avoid stat does not.

So, honestly, all Xiaolang hears is a weak, startled sound before the inevitable avalanche of half-painted boxes comes down on poor Dwyer. At least it's all tea and it's not terribly heavy, but...holy crap, this is a lot of boxes!]

[cardcaptured]

[It's two noises that grab his attention-- the sudden cacophony of small boxes hitting the ground, and the small, surprised noise that gets buried under it. It's easy to put two and two together, and, after uttering a tame curse under his breath, he scrambles over to the other side of the aisle, concern clear upon his face. Crap, crap, CRAP. He should have paid better attention, how did he not see that shelf earlier--

He's quick to move to Dwyer's side, picking up the boxes of tea as fast as he could, trying to uncover this stranger from the mess.]

Are you okay?? I'm sorry, I didn't even see that shelf, and... you're not hurt, are you?

[Again, not that tea was heavy, but you could never be too sure!!]

[notthatbutler]

[He's trying to emerge from the boxes carefully, so he doesn't knock more things over or accidentally damage the packaging. Ugh, it'd be easier to put them back to wherever they belonged if they were their normal colors...]

Huh?

[Oh? Oh there's...someone's checking on him, someone who's not his aunt. Aw great. What a wonderful first impression this makes.]

Um...no, I'm alright...sorry to put you through the trouble...

iii

[maskreant]

[ Akira has been painting the aisles since his own house needs groceries... His own vivid red paintbrush does nothing but create outlines, barely getting any bevels from the prices and labels. It's fine. He can at least tell this is pudding. Some of the paint thinner dogs haven't shown up yet, but he has noticed that the produce section keeps disappearing every time he passes by it.

After depositing some cups into his basket, he notices Dwyer. Uh— ]

Do shelves make good massagers?

[ Just curious. ]

[notthatbutler]

[ffffffffffffffffffffuck shit fuck

He was using his hand, not the shelf, but still

Dwyer jumps, eyes widening considerably. He didn't think anyone was around, dammit.]

Uh...n-no, they...they don't...what a shame, right...?

[maskreant]

[ it was late at night, okay... but Akira will joke about it, anyway. Someone who looks so tired shouldn't be going grocery shopping. He toddles closer since he's also interested in this section. ]

... I guess. You can always ask someone to help you with knots.

[ He paints Dwyer's section now and finally this deep red-purple hue sinks into the items. Nice. ]

Just never ask for a deep tissue massage.

[notthatbutler]

[Oh. That looks so much better. So that's what he had to do this whole time, combine colors with someone else?]

I could. Maybe I will later.

[He likely won't ask his aunt later, he already feels like he's been way too needy.]

What's wrong with the deep tissue stuff?

iii

[twostringsonebow]

[It's unfortunate, but there are mouths to feed in his apartment (though some of those are Silver's responsibility, at the very least) and that means grocery shopping. He usually goes to Freshens for most of his needs, but, well...

Again, it's unfortunate, but this time it's because he likes organic foods and Silver seemed to like Mr. Kimura's homemade hot sauce. Elizabeth would probably appreciate the flowering tea as well... Small pleasures in these trying times, you see.

Dwyer doesn't seem busy though. Outside of painting. Goro takes a quick look around, then clears his throat.]

Um, do you happen to work here..? I'm afraid it's a little hard to find this and that with it being, ah, well. [A gesture. You know. Look at this boy's basket full of stuff, he should've brought someone to help him.] Anyway, do you have any more honey? I quite like the taste of it from here, and I was hoping to try it in a new curry recipe I've been tweaking...

[i'm sorry.]

[notthatbutler]

Huh-?

[Dwyer turns, blinks, and opens his mouth, but then Goro keeps going, and he...well, he is painting the shelves and stock so people can find things. Does he really look like an employee, though?

He just sort of...nods languidly, eyes flickering towards the front of the store, where his aunt is still chatting, and then...to the still invisible aisle opposite of them. He'd been in here a couple of times before, and while he doesn't know where everything is...]

...If there's any honey, it would probably be in this aisle...hold on.

[Time to reach towards the opposite side and paint some broad strokes...ah, yeah, that looks like a jar of something. And is that a bee imprinted on the side?]

Oh. Well, here's one kind of honey...I don't know how well something like that would work in a curry, though...

[twostringsonebow]

[Oh, what luck..! It really is honey, what a cute logo. Goro smiles brightly at Dwyer and laughs a little, putting it in with the rest of his groceries. Oof. He's fine.]

It's actually very good with it! There's a fair amount of recipes that call for chocolate to mellow out the flavors, and this one in particular... Um, it... Hold on.

[Let him just-- get it out of his pocket, because he had it written down like an old person instead of keeping it on his phone.]

Honey, apples, chicken, that sort of thing... I may add molasses to it, or some brown sugar..? Just for a touch of sweetness. It's not a spicy sort of curry, see, rather mild and warm. Thank you, by the way.

[notthatbutler]

Really? Huh. I've never had curry like that before.

[He's likely never had curry before.]

No problem, anytime. Though, um, I have to admit...I don't actually work here. So, I'm not usually here a lot of the time.

BONUS

[fabrefactions]

Unfortunately, no. This is not a virus this is a rea app.
And you won't be able to delete it either, unfortunately. So it may be worth saving the time and effort of trying.

...

Perhaps you should be concerning yourself with an afternoon nap?

[notthatbutler]

i tried
to nap, i mean
couldn't really fall asleep though, and then my phone went off with this and now i'm here
probably shouldn't nap anyway, i'll screw up my schedule

[fabrefactions]

If you are tired, you should sleep. Sleep is important.

[ GOD, THIS HYPOCRITE? THIS HYPOCRITE. ]

You cannot reschedule one of your plans?

[notthatbutler]

believe me
i know
but i can't sleep, so i guess i'm sol

it's not that i have plans it's more
uh
general sleeping schedule?
being awake at normal hours and stuff
if i don't keep it in line now it's gonna suck later