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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!

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[ wow, out of all the reactions that kokichi could have expected, he definitely didn't think she'd trip over like that. did they get transported to a sitcom or something? kokichi was about to say something about that when he notices that the art pieces are now trying to get physical with their abduction. well, now that's a no-go in his book so he approaches and finally puts his brush into use. thankfully, since the fairies have their attention on her, he can easily suckerpaint them from behind. he only manages to get two of them, though, but the third one, knowing that it's probably not worth it to stick around for a single person, takes off. ]

[ now with that threat gone, kokichi just walks in front of asami. rather than offering out a hand like most people would, he just crouches down in front of her. ]

Are you all right?

[Well. That just happened.]

[She peers up, cheeks flushed with embarrassment and... she was really expecting a hand back to her feet. With a huff, she pulls herself back to her knees and narrows her eyes at the stranger.]

As well as could be expected. Do I even want to know what just happened here?

[She's not yet gotten to her feet. For once it's keeping her close to eye level with him, and then there's the principle of the thing. She'll give him another chance to be a gentleman.]

[ sorry, asami, but no hands will be extended here. he just continues to be crouched down in front of her, his elbows resting on his knees as he holds his head in one of his hands as he just casually waves the paintbrush around in his other hand.

That depends. How much do you like lies?

[There's a tremble in her lips, as though she's fighting off a severe frown. To be fair, he did ask if she was okay, but that's the only part of her first impression that's been positive. She folds her arms over her chest, trying to look as confident as one can sprawled across the ground after face planting.]

I'm an actress, I'm used to lies. But I doubt you could come up with one nearly as compelling as the truth right now.

Nishishi... you'd be surprised at how good some people are at being a liar.

[ his face almost seems to get sinister when he says that line, his eyes narrowing and his smile becoming sharper. however, he quickly goes back to his wide-eyed and wide-smile expression, taking on his cutesy innocent persona once again. ]

But! You're probably right so here's the 100% honest truth! You're pretty much a reincarnation of some super messed up person and as time goes by, you're going to change physically and maybe even mentally to become that person once again. Soooo, while the city goes to hell, complete with monsters and a bunch of dangerous scenarios, you'll probably be having at least one or two identity crises!

[ okay, so, the "super messed up person" part might be a lie/generalization/assumption, this is... pretty much the truth because look, he might really enjoy lying and joking around, he isn't the type to hold back on some harsh truths when he feels the need for it/he has to tell it. ]

Doesn't that sound like a lot of fun?

[Her brow furrows, and she's tempted to challenge him on that point. But that instant the expression changes, she holds back. She can't fight the feeling that saying much more might be a challenge, and she doesn't want to see what he could come up with.]

[Although... wow, would it be tough to top what he just fed her. She stares dumbfounded. It's a cliche that actors are messed up people to begin with, and it's not like she's never been to a psychic in Hollywood. But... the whole description sends a chill through her. It's outrageous, but something about it feels true.]

I'm running around dressed as a fairy. Do you think identity crises are anything new for me?

[She huffs, turning away with a haughty look on her face.] If all that's going on, it might help if people were a little more kind and supportive to newcomers. Just a thought.

[ he can turn her head away all she wants but he continues to stare right at her. honestly, he could be so much worse. he could have just left her alone to deal with those living art pieces or he could have absolutely lied about her new situation, but even he has a heart. he's just being kind of a jerk about the whole thing. ]

Hey, I did help you, didn't I? It's because of me that you're not being dragged off by a bunch of weirdos and going through who-knows-what in who-knows-where! Shouldn't I get a "thanks" for that?

[Her cheeks flush as she realizes he has a good point. Even if he's being flippant, he did bail her out.]

...yeah, you should. Thank you, and sorry for being a jerk. This has just been... a lot. [She still thinks his presentation needs work, but bringing that up again would nullify the apology and make her seem like an even bigger brat.]

[She peers past him to the frozen art pieces.]

So if everything you just told me is true, are things like that pretty regular?

[ wow, hey, he actually got a "thanks" from that. he kind of wasn't expecting it with the attitude she was showing him earlier (not that he could blame her. he honestly wasn't that upset about it), but he'll take it. ]

Yep! This city sure became a real hellhole ever since Retrospec opened up!

[ he continues to idly swing his paintbrush around, glancing back at the pieces of art then back at her. he really doesn't seem bothered by this at all. even though he's only been on the app for about a month and a half, he's taking this like he's a retrospec veteran. ]

There are waaaaay worse things than that as well. Last month, we got a bunch of super duper evil clones and grew all sorts of weird animal body parts. Before that, there were giant monsters, hallucinations, abductions, and way more!

[Maybe that's why it's so much easier to believe, the fact that he's nonplussed by fighting off pieces of art with a paintbrush. She's trying her best to keep her cool, but her eyes get a little wider with each thing he rattles off.]

Good. So not only are evil works of art normal, this is kind of a slow day. Got it. Wonderful.

[She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, tries to remember how to center herself from her five sessions of meditation at that place in Marina del Ray. It works decently well.]

Okay. There's no use worrying about what might happen, we need to fcous on the problem at hand. I'm guessing we should do something about Still Life with Apricots and Pears and Ursa Minor in the Night Sky back there?

That's the spirit! When you're feeling down, just hit that reset button to wipe and hide away all of your sad emotions!

[ does kokichi do that? naaaaaaaah, of course not. he's not talking about this from experience. with the way that he's so flippant about everything, this can honestly just be a random comment. ]

Oh, those guys? Nah, we can just leave them there. What's the point of moving them?

[If only it were that easy. She manages to keep from saying it out loud and finally gets back to her feet, staring at the living art exhibit a moment.]

Is it safe to just leave them here like that, though? What if they start moving again and threaten other people?

So? If that happens then it happens.

[ as she finally stands up, kokichi decides to get up as well. he's... tall, standing at 6'1", so he may loom over her. ]

It's not like putting them back in the museum is going to somehow magically stop them from coming back alive, right?

[Oh. He is taller than she expected. She scoots her feet together and straightens her posture in an attempt to make herself seem even a wee bit taller, but she's still giving up half a foot.]

It's still better than just leaving them here! Are you expecting someone else to clean up the mess? And what about the one who got away?

[She hasn't played a fairy super hero for a few years without learning a little something about the villains coming back at the worse time possible for revenge!]

[ don't worry. kokichi's canon height is 5'1" and he's going to "regain" that height somewhat soon so she can choose to tower over him when that happens :') ]

Why should I care about any of that?

[ he does an exaggerated pose like in the icon ]

Becaaaaaause... it's the right thing to do? Isn't that a good enough reason?

[Her arms are folded over her chest while her eyes are narrowed. It's not quite a pout but it's in the neighborhood.]

Besides, you helped me, so you obviously care at least a little.

That's a little presumptuous, don't you think? What makes you think that I don't have a secret agenda? Like what if I only helped you because I want you to pay me back later down the road?

[ which......... he might actually do because he's not past being manipulative. granted, when he did something similar in canon, it was kind of for the greater good but........ yeah, he's still extremely manipulative in every other case... ]

[He gets a nice furrowed brow in response to that as Asami juggles what he said in her mind.]

If you had a secret agenda, I doubt you'd just blatantly tell me about it like that. [She holds a finger up in the air.] And don't tell me that you're trying to throw me off. No one would actually use such convoluted reasoning!

As for payback, how would you even know if I have anything worth giving you? It's an unreasonable gamble!

[...this is the most aggressive "You must really be a nice guy" comeback ever.]

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