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

Ango Sakaguchi (Heigo Miyake) | Bungo Stray Dogs

[informantic]

((AU workshop comment for anyone who wants to plot backstory! Feel free to PM about prompts as well.))

I/II: The commute from to Hell, pt. 1

[Heigo's morning commute is already his least favourite part of the day by the longest shot ever. Every morning, he stumbles into the shower after hearing his alarm without quite waking up, dresses in clothes he laid out the night before still half-asleep, grabs the pastry and iced coffee he also left in his path on his way out the door, then crawls his way toward wakefulness on the drive to work - needless to say, this tends to leave his nerves frayed before his day has properly started.

Today he's struggling even by those standards, though. After the fifth or sixth detour that doesn't mesh with his mental map of the city and, sure enough, gets him lost in areas he swears he's never seen before in his life, he finally pulls over at one of the bizarre warning signs (frogs? Are they really headed for the end times now?) and sets about trying to flag someone down. He could be literally anywhere outside of the city, even two seconds from his destination or from one of the new regions, so people on foot or bike traffic could find him just as easily. Please help him. He's so tired.]

II: The commute from to Hell, part 2

[Okay, so now the where, why, and how of the situation don't matter quite so much, which at least helps him to focus his concentration.

Too bad that enormous flaming bull has effectively scattered the rest of it to the wind, leaving nothing but RUN FOR YOUR GODDAMN LIFE in his head.

Thus, anyone in Respatrum who happens to stumble across the bullfighting can find Heigo doing just that, as well as hollering desperately at the crowd when he's able to get enough breath for it:]

STOP CHEERING AND GET ME OUT OF HERE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!! SOMEONE HELP ME!!

IV: Don't kiss me, I'm neither Irish nor festive

[All Heigo wants by the end of the day is to have a peaceful, relaxing drink to soothe his nerves - so of course all of this happens on St. Patrick's Day, when the city is engulfed in much more mundane but just as irritating forms of madness on all sides.

He can be found sitting sullenly in several different bars around the city as he tries to find one where he'll be left alone, and anyone who approaches him will be met with the same sour opening line:]

My eyes are green, they're my exemption.

[It has yet to work; his arms already raw all over from pinches.]

Bonus: Et tu, Retrospec?

If you really want to help, give me the name of the city planner in charge of these current road upgrades.

II

[beneathmoonlight]

[Atsushi has only visited Pesgare so far, and while Bosuma had been next on his list because he simply adores nature, he’d found himself inexplicably lost on one of the bizarre detours outside town. Of course he couldn’t just arrive at the beautiful, enchanted forest; no, he had to stumble his way into the burning hell pit that is Respatrum, and lord is he sweating up a storm.

Well, at least they probably have interesting food here, right?

He’s about to head into town to try and obtain a map when he hears a rowdy crowd cheering in what looks to be a stadium of some sort. He should probably just get on with his business, but then he hears frantic yelling from a familiar voice, and immediately Atsushi runs into the stadium seating area to see none other than Heigo being chased by something straight out of the Last Unicorn.]

HEIGO-SAN!?!?

[He sounds terrified; there’s no way he volunteered for this! Atsushi pushes his way through crowd, enduring angry insults about finding his own seat, and looks down upon the sight of Heigo running for his life.

Of course he has to help!!

He leans over the railing, hand extended as he offers Heigo a lifeline. Heigo could risk getting gored this way, but he can’t run forever, either.]

Heigo-san!! Can you jump? Grab my hand!

[informantic]

[Just the sound of his own name is enough to flood Heigo with relief - thank god, even if this is just one of his "woke up normally but then things got weird" dreams, there's someone here to save him. He holds his glasses steady on his face so that he can scan the crowd while still running, and eventually he's able to make out the familiar figure of Atsushi From The Bakery about to topple over the railing in his eagerness to save him.

Maybe this is a dream after all. The symbolism is really starting to pile up here.

He's not about to take the chance and risk Atsushi's life as well, so drawing on his last reserves of energy and adrenaline, he sprints toward the wall and manages to parkour two solid steps up and grab Atsushi's hand. The crowd all around them erupted into boos and jeers when it became obvious that Heigo wouldn't fight, but now they seem to have taken sides: some are cheering for Atsushi and Heigo, some for the bull.]

Hang on, Atsushi, I just - need to - [With a pained grunt, he swings his other arm up and grabs hold of the railing to balance out some of his weight. In the center of the ring, the bull huffs and stomps and prepares to charge.] - alright, okay, now if you pull on three - I'll do my best to climb - Ready? One - two -

[beneathmoonlight]

O-okay!!

[Atsushi tends to get incredibly reckless when his friends’ lives are in danger, and the thought that he could fall and end up trampled himself never even crosses his mind. He can’t just sit back and do nothing while Heigo is running for his life, and he’s damn glad that Heigo is more agile than he appears. Crowd be damned, Atsushi grabs ahold of Heigo, grunting at the added weight but not daring to let go. He plants his feet under the last wrung of the railing and hoists Heigo up with all his strength on the count of three.]

Look out!!

[He hopes Heigo manages to get to safety with his help, because the bull is charging full speed for the both of them.]

[informantic]

[Between both of their final bursts of strength, they somehow manage to fling Heigo up and over the railing, where he faceplants into the lap of a complete stranger. The stranger flings him right back with disgust, but only far enough for him to land on his back in one of the aisles. One of his lenses is cracked, his poor smoker's lungs are straining for every breath, his beautifully pin-neat suit is rumpled and soaked with sweat, and people all around him are muttering unpleasant things about cowards and certain parts of female anatomy.

But he's alive. There's that. Not often does he find himself this thankful for being alive, which is also something.

And he was saved, which means - !]

Atsushi! Are you - [Trying to sit up only lands him flat on his back again when his arms give out.] - give me some kind of sign you're alright, I don't want to move again for nothing.

[beneathmoonlight]

[Atsushi is absolutely disgusted by the way these people are acting, and he quickly moves from his own spot on the ground to offer Heigo yet another hand up. He looks exhausted and roughed up, but at least he’s alive and not dealing with any extra holes in his abdomen.]

I’m fine, Heigo-san. Let’s get you out of here.

[Luckily the next foolish soul willing to risk braving the bull’s wrath has already jumped into the ring, and the two of them are free to slip off to one of the locker rooms beneath the stadium seats. It’s not the ideal place to rest, but at least there’s benches and what look to be showers...]

What happened? Don’t tell me they just...tossed you in there?

iv

[vitis]

[ oh, even as tipsy as he is, john would recognize that haircut anywhere. hence, delighted and sensing an opportunity to be mildly irritating, he sidles up to heigo's side. and then delivers a very light pinch to the man's shoulder. hi. ]

Nope! Gotta have somethin' more substantial than that.

[ cue a sloppy wink, and john pointedly claps his hand over his shitty green shamrock sticker, because he also clearly couldn't be assed to wear green. he's also wearing one of these ugly things that he probably picked off a bench outside or something. ]

But! Heigooooo. [ a wide grin. ] Havin' lotsa fun?

[informantic]

[Heigo's not sure if he's relieved or doubly annoyed that the sloppy drunk who just pinched him is someone he actually knows - at least not until John makes it clear that he plans to stick around for a conversation, which tips the scales right over to annoyance. Still rubbing at his shoulder (listen, there's a big bruise from a harder pinch right there, he's not delicate or anything), he gives John a long, flat stare before glancing away.]

Don't get me wrong, John, I can get falling-down drunk with the best of them, but not on St. Patrick's Day. Not since I lost my damage deposit for staining my bathroom sink green with the next day's vomit. Besides, my favourite time for drinking to excess is any time the rest of the city isn't doing the same thing.

[John's smile is infectious, though... not enough to put Heigo in a good mood after the day he's had, but maybe enough to lift his spirits from abysmal to foul. He flicks one of the shamrock antennae on John's headband and snorts at the way it bobs back and forth.]

I hardly need to ask if you're enjoying yourself.

[vitis]

[ and ain't nothin' like that snootiness. undeterred, john even tips his head forward when he sees heigo reaching for the band, welcoming the shamrock flick like a cat might welcome their head for a pet.

—except, holy shit. he's instantly overcome laughter at that story. ]

Really? That happened? [ granted, that sucks, but like. ] Oh man, I'm sure you gettin' that drunk would've been a sight.

[ heh. ]

'Cept you'd blend in better now, y'know. Less attention. 'Cause right now you stick out like... a green thumb.

[ GEDDIT?? GREEN?? st. pattie's day?! haha. ... okay he actually just means "sore thumb." ]

[informantic]

[John has such a spectacular gift for missing the point of everything he says that Heigo's sure he does it on purpose. There are other cheerful people in his life, of course, but no one else is quite as aggressive in their good cheer as John.

... which is a better fit for the mood of their current surroundings. He's not wrong there.]

I didn't actually come out to party tonight. The party is just inescapable no matter where I go, like the green alcohol.

[vitis]

Ooooh, what'cha got? Some big ol' business meetin' at the crack of dawn? [ no, john, sometimes people just aren't out to get absolutely tanked. ... nevertheless, his tone does have a hint of genuine curiosity as to the rest of heigo's plans for the weekend. ] I got church.

[ yeah, check out his flawless reasoning.

john leans against the bar, a bit heavily, slipping his chin into an open palm. after waving widely for the bartender's attention, he orders himself a shot of tequila. someone's wallet is going to be really hurting tomorrow-- oh, well. ]

ii b!

[sharplydressed]

[Every day is probably a bad day to go toe-to-toe with a flaming beefy bull, but today? Today just seems like an extra bad day for it. Which is why he'd been intent on passing the whole arena by, just making his way through to the more sane parts of town--

That sure is a voice he recognizes, though?!]

—Ah! What're you doing up there?!

[AS IF HE JUST WALKED TO HIS OWN DOOM ON PURPOSE.

Well, he sure can't leave now. He shoves his way through the crowd instead, scrambling up the side of the ring as the announcer gleefully proclaims that the audience might be in for a two-on-one showdown instead. This isn't what he wanted in life, but here they are...]

[informantic]

Kashuu??

[Heigo can't do anything but gape at the sight of Kashuu hurtling into the ring with him, and he stays frozen like that for so long that he only narrowly avoids being snapped out of it by a flaming, razor sharp bull's horn - avoid it he does, though, sprinting over to join Kashuu with an aggrieved look.]

You were supposed to save me, not join me! What are you doing in here?!

[sharplydressed]

[Meanwhile, Kashuu's just... drawing a sword?! Welcome to the fantasy AU where your barista also stabs things on the downlow, Heigo.]

I'm getting you outta here, duh!!

[It's clear that he did not think this plan through, though... A dashing rescue from above probably would have been better for everyone's blood pressure, but the audience is gathered so tightly around the ring now that escape from the side would be a little harder. Looking at some of those fans, they'd probably be the type to throw them both right back into the waiting jaws of bull death, anyway.

So he... takes a fighting stance, instead.]

Stick behind me, got it? And look for gaps we can get outta here through! I'll keep this guy busy.

[informantic]

[WHOA WHOA WHOA NOW what's with the sword?

While Heigo would very much like to object to this plan of action, as well as demand an explanation for Kashuu carrying around a sword like that, they're still trapped in a bullfighting ring with a vaguely bull-shaped hell demon. Also, Kashuu seems to know what he's doing to some degree, or at least how to look like he knows what he's doing, which is more help than Heigo could offer. Maybe he should defer to someone else this time.]

Alright, alright... [He turns his back to Kashuu the way cornered teams always do in the movies, scanning the edges of the ring and release gates for any sort of weak point.] Saving my life won't get you out of explaining all this, I hope you know.

[sharplydressed]

What do you take me for, huh? I was planning on explaining things!

[Probably, anyway...?! Look, there's a lot of stuff to explain and he may or may not be a fan of giving the Extremely Condensed Version for the sake of his own sanity.

That said, he doesn't even have time to give the super duper deluxe condensed version right now, considering that hell bull is definitely locking on to its target... "Pretending to know what he's doing" is about the extent of Kashuu's plans, so he's entirely winging it as he darts forward, catching one of its horns with the flat edge of his blade. Is this what it's like to be anime??]

Ugh—! Come on, gimme a break here, it's way too early in the day for this!

bonus

[odasaku]

No.

:')

[informantic]

Oh

Odasaku

[WHAT DOES THE WORLD HAVE AGAINST HIM TODAY??]

You're not who I was talking to when I said that, I'm sorry

WELCOME TO HELL ELECTRIC BOOGALO

[odasaku]

I know.

Welcome to Retrospec, I guess.

[informantic]

I don't know why I even downloaded this garbage in the first place.

[Don't complain. Don't be negative. This is a rare and beautiful chance for communication with Odasaku, he can't pollute it with - his own shitty nature.]

Have you been well? I hope you've been well.

[odasaku]

You didn't. It was downloaded for you, without your consent.

I've had better days. And not just because of you.

iv

[livingimpaired]

Don't worry. I was not intending to pinch you.

[ Kei holds his hands up as he takes his seat next to the man. The side of his face looks like it has a particularly vicious pinch. He didn't wear any green today, because he forgot about the holiday. Things like holidays tends to slip away when one is attempting to put out the fire that is his current life choices.

Lifting his hand up, he rubs the side of his face. He flinches just a little over the soreness of it. ] This holiday is really interesting. Normally, people would not get so handsy with a stranger, and yet they feel the need because tradition says so. Tradition and drink.

[ He chuckles as he lifts his head and hand up as he orders. ] Ah, I'll just have a scotch. [ A pause as he looks over at his companion. ] But are you all right? You look particularly run down.

OH BOY

[informantic]

[Everything about Heigo, from posture to facial expression, relaxes considerably when the man beside him clarifies that he's not taking part in the festivities. He glances sidelong at Kei with a neutral smile, then does a double-take at the nasty bruise on his face. It takes impressive restraint to call St. Patrick's Day "interesting" when it's already landed a blow like that.

That restraint and mild-mannered bemusement about everyone running around pinching each other is really what captures Heigo's attention, enough so that he decides to maintain the conversation instead of cutting it off with another curt remark.]

Ah - that's just my face. No matter how I'm feeling, I always get people asking if I'm alright. [Because he's always run down but anyway.] I could do without all the festive handsyness though, I won't deny that. I hope a stranger didn't give you that welt on your cheek, because that's over the line for any day of the year.

<3 forgot to leave a heart

[livingimpaired]

That's fair. My own face tends to leave much to be desired when it is resting, so I understand your plight a little. [ Of course, his resting expression is comes off quite cold. ]

It was a stranger, but the person seemed well-inebriated. [ The glass of scotch is set before him and he lifts it to press it against his face instead of drink. ] I was a little concerned about them wobbling as they were. I ended up leaning over to check and ended as you already see. I concluded they were probably fine.

[ Or tripped into a ditch. He chuckles and sobers up at his own amusement. It isn't the amusement of a person who wishes ill on someone who did him ill, but -- ] In any case, from your own response, you've already had to deal with a lot of strangers' handsyness.

<3!!! i am so excite for this

[informantic]

[It doesn't leave very much to be desired in any other sense, Heigo thinks, but he's far from the sort to speak such passing thoughts aloud; they're too rife with potential misunderstandings, everything from offense to misplaced interest. Instead he just frowns at the story, also thinking that sounds like a trick far too many people he knows would pull.

Heigo can't help but snort with laughter when the man guesses as much, with only one mistake in his assumption.]

No, so far I've known the vast majority of people who have pinched me. I just know a lot of overgrown children who'll take any chance to throw off their adult disguises. [He shifts on his stool to face the man more directly, offering a hand to shake.] I don't think we've met before, have we? Heigo Miyake.