MARCH TEST DRIVE

[recollecters]

TEST DRIVE

MARCH TEST DRIVE The city of Recollé... To infinity...and beyond! I. Wake up, get up, get out there, Retrospecters! Today's a new day and with the roads in place thanks to the efforts of Retrospec users, several locations may be explored. With Pesgare three hours south by boat, Respatrum an hour east and underground, Bosuma two hours west through the Recollé Woods and Magatus seven hours north from the city, visitors may come and go to explore the regions and their points of interest. The travel may take some time and the scenery will change around you as you go. Those same monsters from before continue to lurk just outside of the city and on the path to these locations and wild flora sprawls over various pathways. Take some time to study them if you'd like. And speaking of study, along the way you'll find various road signs and warnings along the way including giant man-eating frogs, fire-breathing horses, severe flood warnings and more. In addition you will find large directories in the middle of the road pointing you in the directions of the four locations. However, you'll also find these helpful guys who just want to do a good job and will get to work on these new roads! But wait, shouldn't they be working on some of the unfinished pathways and not the main ones? How do you stop these crazy things anyway? You may have to find a way to subdue the jackhammers or direct them to a new location. Good luck getting them to listen over the noise. II. Then again, with these pathways open now you may find yourself already in one of these new districts and very, very far away from your home. One minute maybe you're driving along, listening to your favorite road trip playlist as you prepare for Spring Break and the next you'll realize a wrong turn has lead you straight into the heart of a snowy mountain. Has this forest always been here? This seaside village is way too crowded! No matter which of the areas you end up in, it will be up to you to find your way out and back without a map on-hand. There's a good chance you can find strangers or maybe even some friends in these regions to fill you in, but there's always something going on to distract from your main goal. In Pesgare, you may find yourself in the midst of a heavy rain shower. While some of you may be prepared and have an umbrella on hand, others will notice that the rain is an iridescent color that falls and curves in arcs. Getting soaked by the rain may invoke a strange desire to cause a scene and yell dramatically at whoever is close by (and perhaps even belt it out if you're unfortunately unlucky.) In Respatrum, the sound of loud cheering and applause draws your attention to a large stadium. In the center of the ring is a man with a red cape, waving it in front of a burning, burly bull. A final flourish sends the bull back into its pen, raring and ready to go the next round. But wait! Without warning, the organizer of the bull fights grabs you by the shoulders and hands you a cape, shoving you straight into the ring with the crowd roaring above you and the bull bursting out of its cage. What a rush! In Bosuma, the creatures of the forest appear to be out and around including rabbits, squirrels, giant woodpeckers and rainbow-colored deer that aren't afraid to approach people. In fact, all of the creatures appear content to welcome these newcomers and show them around the forest. At night, several large, blooming flowers begin to glow in various neon colors. Colored pollen also appears to be falling from the flowers, leaving a mist over you that sweeps over you like a soft waterfall. Depending on the color though, you may find yourself feeling a little different... And finally, what's going in Magatus? Why it's sports! A winter sports competition is going on at the mountain looming above the Magatus ski lodge and the snow is fresh and perfect! However, landing on the slope is probably a bad idea, isn't it? Hope you're ready for a slippery ride down the mountain! III. Back in the city itself, life goes back to normal and several citizens are preparing for spring. The Recollé Community Center has gathered together to start cleaning up the local parks and community areas to plant brand new flowers to brighten up the city. Are you good with a shovel? Come join them in rehousing potted plants, picking up garbage and dead shrubbery from winter's harsh temperatures and more. If planting's not your style, over at Recollé High School several citizens are working together to prepare for the musical production Villainous, as put on by the high school's drama club! Sets still need to be built, costumes need to be finished and advertisements need to be distributed! For you artistic types out there, the drama club would love your support and time to get them ready as the premiere draws closer and closer. IV. Those of you who have lived here for years know that Mayor Mayer loves holidays. He does his best to never miss a celebration of any kind and while sometimes his efforts are smaller and more personal, this year he seizes the opportunity to celebrate an entire weekend dedicated to St. Patrick's Day! Though the holiday is on 3/17, festivities extend to 3/18 for two days of fun. What does this mean? It means that everywhere you go you'll find discounted prices for anyone wearing green, carts selling corned beef sandwiches and cabbage salads, and for those of legal age bars are specializing in green beer and green mixed drinks for miles. Seabiscuit the chocobo rides proudly through the city with the mayor dressed as a leprechaun, encouraging citizens to hunt for his pot of gold that he's hidden somewhere in the city! A series of clues will lead players onward and spreading out through locations such as Expressive, the Towers, Freshens and more. With luck, citizens playing along will find small golden coins emblazoned with a chocobo portrait! Unfortunately, something seems to be in the air and surrounding these coins. Unknown to the mayor, those who pick up these coins will find themselves hit with the overwhelming urge to find someone not wearing green and pinch them as tradition. Whether you're doing the pinching or you're a walking target, the coins' power over you will only wear off when the deed is done. As for the mayor? Anyone who collects more than 10 coins will find that they're eligible for a prize of $50 which can be collected at city hall. Happy pinching hunting! BONUS. The nice thing is that if you're in the city or if you're in one of the new regions, your phone works. Where would we be without technology? It's nice to be in constant connection with your friends and loved ones with the ability to check emails, social updates, maps and more. However, the internet can sometimes be a strange place and you will find yourself receiving a message from a Retrospec user named Zee Carlisle. Hey newbies, how's it going? You're probably pretty confused, aren't you? I think I can fix that. 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. Your March TDM directory is here, and your AU workshop is here! Our mod questions thread for this TDM is over here!

Comments

vane | granblue fantasy

[axeswing]

ii. bosuma

[ Christian has been taking his time distracting himself from... whatever the hell he was doing by playing with the friendly critters of the forest. Honestly speaking, he's probably taken one too many wrong turns and got himself lost but by the look on his face it's evident that he's blissfully ignoring the fact: expression bright and accompanied by a large smile. At least he's getting lost on his day off?

More importantly, he can be seen crouching down in front of a fluffy bunny sniffing at his fingers. ]

What's up, little guy? You tryin' to see if I have any food on me? Well, I just might...

[ But before he can check for anything in his bag, there's a sudden shift in his behavior; blissfully unaware of the orange pollen that blows through the area and completely changes his thought process. He's struck by a sudden hunger.

Oh.

Wow.

That rabbit actually... looks good. And upon closer inspection you may just notice that he's looking at the small animal in a new light. ]

Hmm... I've never had rabbit before, though...

[ Please save the rabbit. ]

iii. community center

[ Being no stranger to volunteer work, those familiar might not be surprised to see Christian here. However those unfamiliar may be quick to realize that he's never unwilling to lend a helping hand to those in need—perhaps you're handling a large bag of garbage or that shovel is being stubborn, soon enough he'll approach with a wide smile. ]

Hey! It looks like you're struggling a little bit, lemme give you a hand!

[ And if there's no hesitating on the other end he's just gonna grab them by the hand! Cause he meant that literally and figuratively, obviously. ]

bonus.

UHHHHH I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON BUT I DON'T TRUST LIKE THAT

[ He was just trying to look for dinner ideas for himself and his girlfriend, what the hell. ]

wildcard.

( of course if you'd like to do anything not listed above with vane please feel free to hmu here on his au workshop comment or via pm! )

bonus.

[livingimpaired]

Well. This is sudden.
Hello.

[axeswing]

WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA
WAIT IS THIS REAL???







hi.

[livingimpaired]

It is.
But there's nothing to be concerned about.
There are many people already attached to this app.
So you are truly not alone in what you are experiencing.





Hello.

[axeswing]

wait why?
i don't even remember downloading this, can't we report this???

[ Better yet, why haven't people reported this already. ]

iii

[floret]

[ Bless you, beefy stranger... Jamie is absolutely struggling... He came out because he wanted to plant some pretty flowers, but for some reason the organizers made an extremely optimistic estimation of his upper body strength. His current task is digging out an invasive plant of some kind by the root, but the dirt is still so cold and unyielding, and there are rocks in unexpected places, and this plant badly wants to stay where it is, and... it's just a real bad scene!! ]

Thank y--

[ Ah.
Now they've joined hands.
Jamie's not upset by this, necessarily, but he is quite surprised. ]

[axeswing]

[ Blissfully unaware of just how odd it is to be this comfortably handsy, Christian continues as if he's done nothing out of the ordinary. In fact it's quite obvious that he's more focused on the work at hand, gently cupping Jamie's hands into his own. ]

Here, I'll push the dirt back and you scoop it out from the bottom!

[floret]

O-okay!

[ Really, what else is there to say??
As they work in tandem, sort of, Jamie silently contemplates a number of things. One of them is how very large and warm Christian's hands are, particularly in comparison to his own (which could be charitably described as "below average"). That leads into a brief imaginary scenario in which Christian gets distracted and accidentally crushes all of Jamie's bones. (It could happen!!!) Then, also, he thinks about how there is actually something the two of them could collaborate productively on, hand-wise: If there were a really tightly sealed jar with a very small opening, then Christian could get the lid off, and Jamie could reach inside! ]

...By the way. Have we met?

[axeswing]

[ Fortunately enough Christian is a gentle giant, meaning as he moves his hands and pushes some of the stubborn dirt and rocks out of the way to create a clear path he's also putting consideration of Jamie's hands. The last thing he wants is to put in this effort and accidentally hurts the smaller individual—if it were to be the other way around then sure, whatever, things like that just happen.

He seems to be concentrating out his work, so much so that the question initially goes unanswered for an awkward second. However when he tilts his head upward and blinks, staring at the other, Jamie will see the wheels beginning to turn in Christian's head. ]

Jamie, right? I thought you looked familiar! Never would have thought I'd see you here of all places, though.

[ Maybe like a library... or something... ]

Your skin is looking nice~ [ Just gonna casually throw that in there since he's already like... that close?? ] You must be taking care of yourself!

hey ashe

[mercurio]

are you hacking me

jazz hands

[axeswing]

i wish i was that smart

[mercurio]

give yourself some credit but also thanks
i think you're texting the wrong person btw

[axeswing]

it's not like i'm saying i'm dumb!
it's just that hacking and stuff is way out of my league
wait then who is this

iii

[adoringpast]

H-Hey! Wait!

[ sena did not need any help! even when his noodly arms couldn't handle lifting more of these boxes. ]

Don't just grab whatever shit you want?! Don't you have any manners?

[axeswing]

[ Sena obviously needs help? Look at those arms... they're about to break. ]

Hey? Hey! Hey!? [ Boy... who are you... ] I'm the one trying to help you out, who are you to talk about manners with a potty mouth like that?

[adoringpast]

[ yeah christian's gonna catch these hands of his, all right ]

Of all the things you have to call me out on... [ huffs ] Anyways, I don't remember asking you for help. Now shoo.

ii

[servileness]

[ Clover was more than willing to pass Christian by without giving him a second thought, but she overhears his last words and whips around to look at him. She's feeling hungry, too, which is why she was beelining it out of the forest, but now there's something more important to do.

She walks over, ready to jump to save the rabbit if she has to. She's not a vegetarian or against rabbit meat in general, but she doesn't think this random stranger is going to go about hunting rabbit in the best way. ]

Hey! Why don't you have a granola bar or something else instead?

[ Her tone is concerned, urgent, persistent. Please take a granola bar instead.

Look, Clover is even fishing one out of her messenger bag to hand it to him. ]

[axeswing]

[ Clover is the true saint we deserve—sure enough if the rabbit could talk it would be thanking her by now.

Christian lifts his head almost immediately, expression going from childlike curiosity to surprise; eyes wide and jaw dropping almost immediately, as if he had gotten caught doing something he shouldn't.

Which, ultimately, he did. ]

Oooooh! You'll give me one? [ Meat sounds good but a granola bar is more accessible. So he stands up on his feet, the corners of his mouth moving up into a smile. ] Thanks! I'm starving~ You're a real lifesaver, miss!

[servileness]

[ Yeah, she saved that rabbit's life, so she can't disagree there. She tries to make a discreet shooing motion at the rabbit to run, but she's not understood. ]

I'll even give you two.

[ She holds up two Clif Bars. All for Christian. ]

I hope it can tide you over until you can sit down for an actual meal.

III

[nachetanya]

[ Natalia's actually used to volunteering from time to time too, but in this case it's court-ordered because of an incident that she was responsible (or at least quietly blamed) for that happened earlier in the month. As such, she's actually in the midst of planting now and frustrated because her prosthetic left arm, while functional, is not actually great for this sort of thrusting labor of the shovel...

So when Christian's over here to lend a hand? She smiles broadly at her friend of a few years who is always a welcome sight. It's probably one of her wider smiles in a while, though that is of course a littler performative. As far as she knows, he's not on the app after all, so... ]

Please do!

[axeswing]

[ Instinctively his expression seems to brighten the moment Natalia greets him with her smile. A familiar face that gives him a surge of energy, completely depleting any physical exhaustion he may have felt earlier. ]

Gotcha~ Here, lemme have it. [ He's indicating the shovel, to which he takes from her hands the second he's allowed to. He places his foot on the step, pushing down into the stubborn dirt. ] I meant to get here a earlier, since I saw you earlier, [ At least he wants to think it was her!? ] but I got pulled around here and there. Sorry about that.

[nachetanya]

Oh no, no, it's fine! Would you really be you if you weren't helping everyone and making everyone in a ten meter radius swoon?

[ It's said with a wink? Because she did back off to allow him to help her with the shovel. That's hugely helpful. She might have new muscles (thanks, Retrospec) but she's still not totally used to them and having one arm which can't be affected by muscles is kinda wonky. ]

iii

[embearass]

[ Frederick himself had been struggling, trying to get some stubborn dead shrubbery into a bag. All those branches just won't agree to get inside the bag. It's really a little frustrating. ]

Ah, thank you, I suppose I should accept your help for the mo--

[ He pauses slightly when Christian's hands cover his. ]

--ment.

It this necessary?

[axeswing]

Huh?

[ Of course, as oblivious as he is, Christian only continues to remain blissfully unaware of just how unwanted his physical closeness might be. It's just a little hand holding between two dudes??? ]

Sure it is! Watch.

[ He's directing his attention to the stubborn branches that just aren't agreeing to go this way and that, some of which would understandably help if they had been broken down but he sees no reason to start back at square one. Instead he just helps in successfully getting the shrubbery inside the bag, releasing a sigh of relief once they have finished. ]

See? It all worked out.

[embearass]

[ All Frederick can do is watch as Christian just. guides his hands so that the branches fit inside the trash bag. He can't argue that it gets the job done, however ]

I... suppose it did.

[ cough ]

Thanks, I guess.