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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

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It would be nice to not be alone...? Yuuki looks faintly confused at that, but ah yes. Swords.]

I'm pretty fast now, yeah. [Thanks to the fairy body.] Oh! Sorry, there was a lot going on, so I didn't get around to it. I'm Yuuki!

It's nice to meet you, Asami. So you're an actor?

[That would explain the outfit!]

[She can't help doing a double take upon hearing her name. What are the odds of that? At least it will be easy to remember!]

Yeah. [She fidgets again, tugging absentmindedly on the hems of the costume's sleeves.] I was actually making a public appearance for the show I'm on... though I actually moved here because I wanted to take on a more serious role. It might look silly, but it pays the bills.

And, um, what about you? With that speed and skill, I'd believe you if you told me you were some kind of super hero.

[What was that double take. Did she say something weird???]

Whoa, so you're on TV? That's so cool!

[And she means it! Even if she doesn't have any familiarity with Asami's show. Who'd have thought she'd be running into a bonafide TV actress of all things?]

A superhero? Haha, I wish! I guess if you want to get specific, I'm sort of a fairy now.

[But only sort of.]

It's a pretty silly show, but it can be fun to make. And I like knowing that kids are having fun watching it! I guess it's kinda obvious, but I even play a fairy on the show. It's a small world!

[Her head tilts to the side, then smiles.]

[As she speaks, she ticks off each point with her fingers.] You've already got the costume, some cool powers and a knack for saving people. You're the real life version of what I play on TV.

O-oh! And speaking of that... [She bows to Yuuki.] Thank you for helping me. Who knows what would've happened if you hadn't shown up!

Don't mention it! We all pretty much have to work together to deal with stuff whenever things get weird. ...And now that you have the app, you're probably going to notice weird stuff like, a lot.

[That. Kind of happens. Speaking of, she looks over to the frozen artwork.]

I guess we need to figure out how to get this back to the museum again...

So this is just the beginning, huh? [She sighs, putting a hand to her forehead.] Well, I did tell my agent moving here would be a nice change of pace, and this certainly qualifies.

[She turns her attention back to the artwork and purses her lips as she thinks. They're too big and awkward to just carry, and the museum would probably be mad if they were damaged, bad behavior or not. Looking around, she catches sight of one of the nearby storefronts and snaps her fingers.]

I have an idea. I'll be right back!

[A few minutes later, Asuna is waving back to the store keeper, wheeling a handcart behind her.] We'll have it back in just a little while!

[She rolls it back over by Yuuki, looking at the cart and art a moment.] I told them if they let me borrow this, I'd come back and take pictures later. [A smug little smirk crosses her lips.] I may not be fast or handy with a sword, but I guess you could say I've got my own super powers.

Huh?

[She watches curiously as Asuna runs off, though that curious look becomes a grin once she sees the handcart.]

Perfect! That'll make this a cinch!

[She'll go fetch the pieces! Luckily, her fairy body gives her strength and speed, and whisking the fairies is easy peasy.]

[Once the cargo's loaded, she takes hold of one side of the handle, scooting over to let Yuuki take the other. Given what she's seen so far, the other girl probably doesn't need her help, but it's a good excuse to chat.]

Is turning into a fairy the strangest thing that's happened? Because if that's the worst this app can throw at you, it doesn't seem too bad.

[She's clearly tempting fate, isn't she?]

[Yuuki hums thoughtfully at that, dropping another frozen fairy onto the cart.]

It's probably the strangest... But it wasn't the worst thing to happen.

[Her words are slow and particular.]

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.

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?

[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...

...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?

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.

[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!

[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...

Argh, you too?!

[They can commiserate.]

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

[IT STINKS.]

I can't even check my social media because I'm worried I'll stumble across spoilers. I've been waiting so long for this one, I don't want some random person to ruin all the big twists for me!

I was half tempted to walk play-throughs online, but that just feels like cheating. And the commentary can be so dumb.

[The hardship. It's almost too much!]

Once I get my feet under me here, I should take a few days to myself and just see how far I can get!

Right? It's hard because I still use Twitter to talk to people.

[A gusty sigh.]

...Alright! I'm gonna try to get through homework super fast so I can play some more!

I've never been crazy about Twitter, but probably because I don't mute my replies.

[She puffs out her chest.]

If you can commit to it with school, then I don't have any more excuses! Maybe I'll just make it a quiet weekend at home and get some quality time with my game systems.

I've got too many friends there [read: guildmates] to just disappear for a few months, so I've just had to be extra careful not to look around.

[LIFE IS SO HARD.]

I'll probably be busy this weekend, too... But that just means once I get home after everything, I'll have to reward myself with some gaming time!

Wait, you can have friends on there? [She laughs, but the smile she gives Yuuki doesn't quite reach her eyes.] I've got to keep mine to promote new episodes, so I don't get to have too much fun on there.

[She looks away sheepishly.] I, um, don't have a lot to do now that I'm moved in. Though maybe that's gonna start to change, if these things are any indication...?

Aw, really? They don't let you have a private, personal account?

[Then again, her account is pretty much all just her guild persona. Still, that's not nearly so divorced from her real self as an actress'...]

Yeah though, things get... busy once you're on the app. [A pause. And then, solemnly:]

It's pretty much like reality itself is breaking down. We're trying everything we can to stop the person behind it and keep things from getting too out of hand, though.

I guess I could do that, but...

[She's got a little too much pride to say I don't have anyone to follow me so instead she just trails off there.]

[Asami blinks a few times.]

You're... not joking about that, are you?

[She takes in a deep breath.] And everyone on the app helps? Even if they don't have any useful abilities?

[She nods.]

Yeah... There's usually something anyone can do. Evacuating people from collapsing layers and stuff like that.

But I don't think it's bad if it's too dangerous for you to do anything here and there, either. They say people on the app can get brought back if they die, but I don't know if I trust that... I've never seen it happen myself.