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Recollé Mods ([personal profile] recollecters) wrote in [community profile] repeter2019-03-17 05:32 pm
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TEST DRIVE
MARCH TEST DRIVE
The city of Recollé...

...probably needs your help.

I.
Like most holidays, Mayor Mayer will come up with any excuse to hold a celebration and have fun in the city. Today for St. Patrick’s Day, the city seems to be awash with shades of green almost overnight. Green ribbons, lights, shamrocks and garland adorn every windowfront and street lamp. Corned beef and cabbage are the specialty at several of the hottest restaurants in the city. Shamrock shake season is back in action, and mint-flavored coffees are available at both A Good Bean and Expressive.

You could just celebrate with some fun and silly traditions today. Or you could slowly realize there’s a distinct hissing sound coming from somewhere near your feet. As you look down, a serpent winds itself around your ankles before slithering off down the street to follow someone else. One by one, several snakes of all shapes and sizes begin rising up from bushes and sewers and tall grass, taking up space on the sidewalks and the streets of the city. Traveling in packs, these snakes slowly start invading the city and turning up in places you may not anticipate, leaving you to have to fend them off and chase them out of city limits.

Mayor Mayer puts out an emergency alert, demanding all citizens work together to fight back against this snake epidemic. Will you work together to get rid of these creatures and release them back into the wild? Or will you find yourself overwhelmed and looking for a place to hide?

II.
At the beginning of the month, two large domes eclipsed the Recollé Art Museum and the Atrium, the city’s concert venue. The "Modern Living" display has been open for a few weeks, depicting life in the city of Recollé with art pieces and sculptures inspired by buildings and famous figureheads of the city including the police chief, the fire department, and Mayor Mayer. But even with that display at the frontmost portion of the museum, it’s the commotion further inside the museum that’s drawing in the crowds.

Word on the street is that people are beginning to see famous works of art run amuck through the city. At first, it seems like they’re just stories, but as you step out of the museum after an educational afternoon (or even if you happen to be in Appraassage), everywhere you look the art pieces begin to take on a life of their own, slipping out of the museum into the city. With these figures running around, the city continues to warp to their familiar backgrounds and create a new image of the city itself. Several citizens have been working to try and persuade these pieces back to the museum, but they could use an extra hand. Some of the art pieces are quite talkative and may even befriend some people! Others, however, seem to want to find replacements so they may spend more time outside of the museum, capturing an unwitting suspect to drag back toward their frames and lock them away.

Luckily, there’s a way to combat them after weeks of varying success. Should you encounter one of these works of art, a simple touch with a paintbrush will freeze them, plastering them to nearby objects for easy portability. Good luck getting them to hold still long enough to find a paintbrush though. You may need to work on the art of persuasion in order to send them back.

III.

The Atrium seems to be having trouble with their electricity issue still, the lighting issue still unsolved as employees look into the wiring and circuit breakers to bring back the power. As employees continue recruiting strangers off the street to try and locate the source of error, you’ll find yourself among these groups that are brought into the dark concert hall and sent on a mission to check the sockets of the building and ensure everything necessary is plugged in.

Even with a light source such as a cell phone or a flashlight, the light doesn’t spread too far as the sound of leathery wings flap somewhere above you. The sockets in the walls are filled with cords that are plugged in or places that spark with silver-white lights. Getting too close is dangerous, and should you lean too close to examine you’ll find yourself getting shocked and blown away from the wall.

A small, electric buzz fills your ears as a closed circuit overtakes you, rotating around your body and providing you with a light source and a dangerous kind of weapon. Electrically charged, anything or anyone you touch will run the risk of being shocked and burned. The lights are out in the wings, and somewhere up above you’ll hear the flapping again as a large, skeletal bat swoops down from the rafters to challenge you. This bat is in the same situation as you are, crackling with electric energy that can shock anything that gets close enough. It will be relentless, following you through the music hall until you find a way to escape, or you fight back and shock the creature into a state of confusion. Light returns to the bulbs above for every hit the monster takes, but that’s still pretty dangerous, isn’t it? Fighting fire with fire is a risky position to be in, but it looks like you don’t have much of a choice here.

IV.
There’s also something weird going on at the Recollé Zoo. A silver door stands out against the brick building, but as you approach it, the color shifts from silver to blue. Should you open this door, you’ll find yourself entering an area with a blast of snow hitting you straight in the face, a whirlwind temporarily blinding you as the door closes behind you. Inside an icy cave, you’ll find several small, egg-like structures with unborn creatures suspended in time. The mouth of the cave lies before you, ergo the exit from this weird region.

Be careful on your way out of the cave, however. Even briefly nudging one of these eggs will cause it to splinter and crack, the creature hatching from the ice and beating its small fists against the ice-eggs next to them. It’s a chain reaction as these little monsters awaken one by one, freeing their brethren and swarming the area. Rushing for the mouth of the cave, you may see them disappear into the snow and dive down, hiding in wait and ready for attack as they trip you up, cause you to fall on your face and temporarily freeze your limbs. You’ll have to fight your way through these groups out into the snow and all the way back to the other exit hidden among the tundra. A silver door can be found on top of a snowy hill, but the journey forward is a long and treacherous one.

Better move fast. The snow shifts beneath your feet and you’ll find yourself sinking down the further you go. Hope you dressed warmly.

BONUS.
The new app on your phone won’t leave you alone no matter how many times you quit it. Retrospec is desperate for your attention, blinking and flashing until you open the new message waiting for you. Upon opening it, however, it might not be the message you were expecting to see.

Hey, welcome, sorry this is so last minute but we’re in the middle of an operation right now. I think this was already in the works before the rest of the team disappeared but I’m doing damage control to get you up to speed. Some of the others might be able to explain it better than I can though. Post to the forum, ask around, and forward all other questions to my office.

Z.


The message disappears just as quickly as it came, presenting you with a directory of people to reach out to. However, all of the names seem to be missing, leaving you with a list of randomly generated letters and numbers. Take your chance and click a name. Maybe you’ll get lucky and find someone helpful.

Welcome to the [community profile] 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, threads on the TDM can be used for bonus points but also memory regains. Players may also earn one (1) freebie memory regain by turning in a thread of 5+ comments with a character who's TDMing.

Friendly reminder that current players must have full, passing AC before submitting a reservation or an application.

Your March 2019 AU workshop is here! Our mod questions thread for this TDM is over here!
undiningaffection: (This is finding infinity)

[personal profile] undiningaffection 2019-03-24 08:08 am (UTC)(link)
Oh.

[Her grip on the handle tightens. She recognizes that tone.]

I won't pry. I doubt it's the sort of thing you'd want to talk about with a stranger.

[She shouldn't let her dwell on this. Lighten the mood, Asami!]

Are there any, um, stranger transformations than yours? I'd hate to wake up one morning and be... oh, I don't know, a giant bug.
sleepingknight: ([Embarrassed] If the sky)

[personal profile] sleepingknight 2019-03-24 08:10 am (UTC)(link)
I don't mind talking about it. It's just...

Having the app can get dangerous.

[She's lucky to have made it out relatively unscathed so far.]

And ugh, don't remind me! I got one memory back of being a bug. Or being in a VR game as a bug?
flametheif40: http://magiicons.tumblr.com/ (come on)

[personal profile] flametheif40 2019-03-24 08:38 am (UTC)(link)
[Al just smiles to shoot back a sarcastic reply, because, what's a better way to bond with strangers then sarcasm?]

Awww, you welcome. It's always nice to know I'm so loved and appreciated.

It's a real gift.

[He doesn't notice what kind of magazine it is but he is thinking]

Hmmm, probably better to save in case we have to take shelter in a cave or small cabin.

So, I guess let's get to it then.

[Al looks at the door and steps outside...and feels the cold right away with her.]
undiningaffection: (Yesterday is nothing)

[personal profile] undiningaffection 2019-03-24 04:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[Oh. That doesn't sound good.]

Do you mean emotionally dangerous or... [Her gaze turns to the art pieces.] ...something more like that?

[Her eyebrows shoot up at the mention of a game.] A VR game with bugs? That sounds weird. Why would you even...? [She stifles a laugh, shakes her head.] And I thought the game where I was randomly assigned a zombie character was weird...
undiningaffection: ([RL] feel lonely)

[personal profile] undiningaffection 2019-03-24 05:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[She tucks the magazine away once again before they leave. She'd really prefer they don't have to take shelter in any other caves because who knows what might be lurking in them, but she's prepared.]

[The cold's not so much biting as it is gnawing, cutting through the hoodie even as she pulls it more tightly around her face. Visibility's terrible, though it seems like the snow is slowing down at least a little.]

I hope you're having better luck seeing out here than I am. [And the snow itself feels a step or two shy of quicksand as it sinks beneath them.] I didn't bring a compass with me, since I didn't plan to go on an arctic expedition today.
flametheif40: http://magiicons.tumblr.com/ (serious face)

[personal profile] flametheif40 2019-03-24 05:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[Al doesn't feel heat well enough normally, but the cold makes that problem much worse. He looks around, and he thinks he sees the outline of a building.

Points to it, shivering
]

I think I see a building that way. Maybe we can wait out the storm there.

If I knew I was coming back here, I would have brought magic soup among other things.
dereban: ❥ all icons are my own unless otherwise denoted. (Default)

[personal profile] dereban 2019-03-25 03:55 am (UTC)(link)
Haha, that's true.

Also yeah, it might sound really Hollywood, but then again, they're already ruining a bunch of weird concepts like this.
sleepingknight: ([Hey!] gentle wind)

[personal profile] sleepingknight 2019-03-25 06:17 pm (UTC)(link)
...Both? I've had to fight monsters before.

[It's actually kind of uncomfortable, because video games so don't prepare you for that real life experience.]

I don't know what past me was thinking, but I'm pretty sure it was just VR. That's what makes up most of my memories, anyway. [But then she brightens, because Asuna said something important there!]

Do you play games too?
undiningaffection: ([RL] is all I need)

[personal profile] undiningaffection 2019-03-25 11:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[It's none too soon, as the cold is beating Asami down something fierce at this point. She nods, pressing forward through the storm even though she's having trouble navigating the snow. Flats aren't exactly the ideal footwear for an arctic expedition.]

I can think of a couple dozen things I'd probably have with me!

[The building's small, and it's seen better days, but it doesn't look like there are any gaps letting the cold air and snow in, at least. She throws open the door, fingers crossed there aren't any other monsters lurking inside.]
undiningaffection: ([RL] Thinking)

[personal profile] undiningaffection 2019-03-25 11:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Maybe that's where I go with this. I do a biopic about all the weirdness. It'd either do big business or people would assume I'm a weirdo.

It's actually nice to think maybe I won't have to worry about that here, though. How what I do might affect my image.


undiningaffection: (Screaming)

[personal profile] undiningaffection 2019-03-25 11:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Really? [She shifts uncomfortably, then forces a smile.] Probably a good thing I took fencing classes for my show, then. I'm sure it's totally the same thing.

[The comment about her past life's memories in a VR space is weird, but that isn't what gives her pause. She's never really talked video games much with anyone except via online chat, and it just slipped out. But... Yuuki doesn't really seem to care all that much about being an actress. She's talking to her like a person.]

I started playing handheld games when I was on set. Puzzle games, old platformers, that sort of thing. I bought a gaming computer with my first big check, even though my mom hated the idea. I keep jumping between RPGs now, mostly.
flametheif40: http://magiicons.tumblr.com/ (Default)

[personal profile] flametheif40 2019-03-26 01:19 am (UTC)(link)
[It took a while with all the snow, he checks on her occasionally

In fact, it looks like no one has been here for a while, it was an older cabin! No electronics in sight, but there is a fire place!

Al closes the door behind them,feeling some relief but still very much cold
]

Not a summer cabin by a lake...but I'll take it.

Oh sweet, a fire place, hopefully there are things to burn!
dereban: ❥ all icons are my own unless otherwise denoted. (Default)

[personal profile] dereban 2019-03-26 04:15 am (UTC)(link)
Hah.

At least you'd profit out of it. Although yeah, not being able to worry about that kind of stuff is pretty lucky.
undiningaffection: ([RL] feel lonely)

[personal profile] undiningaffection 2019-03-26 11:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[His words give her pause. Her grandparents had always dreamt of a cabin just like that. She'd wanted to buy it for them eventually... if only the gig on her show had come sooner. When she answers him, her expression is more pained that it probably should be.]

It has four walls and a roof, and they're all intact. Don't need much more than that, do we?

[She glances to her satchel again, then pulls out the magazine and throws it in, making a point that it goes in face down. The truth is she has several copies in there, along with some eight by ten photos and an arsenal of Sharpies. Leftovers from a less than successful signing, which was the entire reason she'd gone to the zoo to destress. Clearly, that worked out just as planned.]

I've got kindling, though I'm not sure how long it will last us. We could break up the little bit of furniture that's left, but... that feels wrong.
undiningaffection: (Default)

[personal profile] undiningaffection 2019-03-26 11:21 pm (UTC)(link)
A few people recognize me now and then, but it could be a lot worse. For the most part, I think I blend in. It's nice.
flametheif40: http://magiicons.tumblr.com/ (disappointed/indiffrent)

[personal profile] flametheif40 2019-03-26 11:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[Al had started to look around before she said anything, he did look back at her and see the pained expression on her face.

Did she have some painful memory she wanted buried too? He looks apologetic, assuming that was that case. Maybe it wasn't the same kind like his own, but still. He didn't mean his words to hurt her.
]

Yeah, we got what we need.

We don't have to worry just yet, few pieces of wood. Not much but I guess it might burn for a few hours.

If my supply of bad luck is out for today, that could be all we need.

[The last bit was said a bit light-heartedly, referencing her sarcasm earlier.

Al has zippo problems cutting up the furniture, but, he won't say that for now.
]
dereban: ❥ all icons are my own unless otherwise denoted. (Default)

[personal profile] dereban 2019-03-27 05:17 am (UTC)(link)
Well, being recognized isn't necessarily bad unless you have to deal with someone crazy. Some fans are like that...
sleepingknight: ([Capture] the chimes signalling)

[personal profile] sleepingknight 2019-03-27 09:06 pm (UTC)(link)
[AH YES

A COMRADE.

Yuuki reaches out and plants a hand on her shoulder in solidarity.
]

My brother and I play games like, all the time. Did you get that new one a couple months ago? The new third game everyone was waiting forever for!
undiningaffection: ([RL] It's worth the price)

[personal profile] undiningaffection 2019-03-27 11:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Hopefully a few hours will be all it takes for us to get our bearings and find a way home... and hopefully before your bad luck refreshes.

[She sits down by the fireplace, hugging her knees to her chest and finally letting out a long sigh.]

My destressing trip didn't work out quite like I planned, but I guess I can't say it was boring.
undiningaffection: ([RL] Making a point)

[personal profile] undiningaffection 2019-03-27 11:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, I could tell you some stories! Thankfully I've only ever received one marriage proposal at a con, though.

[Someone's forgetting that whole "I've done a few things" lie bit by bit...]
undiningaffection: (Floating through forever)

[personal profile] undiningaffection 2019-03-27 11:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[FELLOW GAME NERD. This whole day keeps getting better and better.]

Really? That's awesome!

[At her question though, Asuna puffs out her cheeks in an impressive pout.] I have it, but between work and getting settled, I haven't been able to play it much at all. I'm so far behind everyone else...
flametheif40: http://magiicons.tumblr.com/ (happy laugh)

[personal profile] flametheif40 2019-03-27 11:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[Al just laughs, "bad luck refreshes". She isn't wrong about that, most of his life it's been rotten luck. He probably laughs harder then appropriate at that.

He sits in front of the fireplace cross-legged, at first, it barely sounds like he is breathing before he comments sheepishly.
]

Sorry that you had to spend your trip with me.

If it makes you feel better, today I was trying to be a normal human being, then this happened.
dereban: ❥ all icons are my own unless otherwise denoted. (Default)

[personal profile] dereban 2019-03-28 12:43 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's okay, she won't call her out on it.



Yet. ]


A marriage proposal sounds awful. Also I wouldn't mind hearing the stories if you'd ever want to tell them.
sleepingknight: ([Ew] where dreams)

[personal profile] sleepingknight 2019-03-28 07:04 am (UTC)(link)
Argh, you too?!

[They can commiserate.]

Between school and all the Retrospec stuff, I've barely clocked any time on it, either!

[IT STINKS.]
undiningaffection: ([RL] is all I need)

[personal profile] undiningaffection 2019-03-28 02:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[If she knew all of that, she'd probably feel pretty rotten about the hard time she's been giving him. There's a difference between being difficult and being a jerk and she would think she inadvertently crossed the line.]

To be fair, the cold and the ice monsters were the biggest problems.

It's never as easy as you'd think, trying to be normal, is it? Granted, I don't burst into flames like you do, but it can still be a struggle.

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