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

aloy | horizon zero dawn

[seeker]

(ooc: Aloy on the au workshop. contact me at godsibb for anything else!)

II. A: BOSUMA

[It takes her an unsettling amount of time to realize that the forest she's in is nowhere near the park she works in. By the time that fog clears into clarity though, it's well past a safe time to travel in an entirely unfamiliar area. The sun is just beginning to set when she hops out of her (previously monster battered — she's remembering now) car to properly explore whatever this...

This fascinating place is.]

Okay, not in Kansas anymore. [She says this to herself with quiet bafflement as she looks up, up, way up at a psychedelic glowing neon plant. From the foliage is a rustle, and she's so fixated on what comes out of the brush (a deer, majestic and shimmering, iridescent), that she scarcely realizes the flower's pollen is beginning to disperse in misty, colorful clouds around her.]

...Definitely not in Kansas.

[She's a little shellshocked.]

B: RESPARTUM

[In another world, in another life, a woman who looked a lot like Alison fought two enormous mechanical monsters in an arena much like this. She'd been lowered from a cage into a dust covered circle, and made to defend her life amongst a jeering crowd or be gored alive.

She'd made it out, no worse for wear. But this Alison's experience with bullfighting is strictly from Looney Tunes reruns, and while fit and quick thinking, she's not really...prepared...for this.]

Hold on —! [She's protesting even as the red cloth is handed to her and she's being pushed out into the arena.] Are you people crazy?! You can't just leave me —

[Her protests are cut short when the bull suddenly charges for her, and she only just has the presence of mind to duck and roll out of the way into a crouch. The crowd explodes in cheers, because this is apparently fun for them. Distinctly unfun for her, but those were the breaks. In the meantime, she's trying to figure out the fastest way to vault up the walls separating the bull from the audience and get the hell out of dodge...]

III. BONUS, TEXT

you know what's great? getting months worth of memories in a matter of moments. i thought...
hm. guess it doesn't matter what i thought, since up until a little while ago, i thought everything was normal. again. i guess. whatever.
does someone want to fill me in on why we have *bull fighting* now?

IV. WILDCARD
[hmu with anything your heart desires. Alison works for Recolle's national park and would likely be helping with the park cleanups, she is a university student, and she's lived here her whole life! She thinks, anyway. So she can be found just about anywhere.

Also up for any additional text prompts!]

B

[aintjustaweapon]

[Lillian hadn't quite known what to expect from the arena, but she'd been curious enough to file into the stands. They couldn't mean actual bullfighting, could they? She was pretty sure that was illegal, and even if it somehow wasn't, it was awfully cruel. And yet there was a bull, stamping unhappily around in the circle as the crowd roared and shouted to rile it up.]

[It was hard not to get caught up in the excitement of it, really, and she found herself cheering as the doors burst open and out came-]

...Alison?

[She just stared down at where the redhead was, her eyes wide. She hadn't spoken to her much in the last few months, really. They'd stayed friends after their breakup but then everything with retrospec, she'd just been so busy and...]

[And Alison just did a diving roll out of the way of the bull. Well that was awesome. But she also clearly looked like she was scared and trying to find a way out. Shit.]

[Lillian started pushing her way down towards the front of the crowd.]

Let me through! Come on, move!

[People parted from the shear force of her shouts (and that accent of hers) until she'd reached the railing overlooking the arena, cupping her hands around her mouth.]

ALISON! Over here!

[seeker]

[Illegal, cruel to animals, she wasn't even a registered bullfighter...there's a lot going on here that seems inherently wrong. She isn't even sure where this is; the setting is totally alien to her. She's holding her own though, her attention split between the bull and the crowd, trying to figure a way out without raising the ire of the animal that was currently trying its best to murder her. She only registers someone is calling her when she hears that distinct accent ring through the cheering roar of the crowd. She turns just long enough toward the crowd to see a familiar face — ]

Lillian?

[What was she doing here? Not that it mattered — Alison's never been happier to see her in her life. She starts to move in a careful circle, keeping her eye on the bull all the while, not wanting to dart too suddenly and end up overpowered.]

[aintjustaweapon]

[Oh thank god, she heard her. Of course, that created the new problem of now what but they could...hmm...]

[She pressed herself up against the railing, looking down at the wall beneath her. It wasn't that high, maybe...if Alison jumped...]

Jump! Can you reach me?

[She called out as other moved closer, leaning over the railing and stretching out a hand. Of course, even if she did, there wasn't any guarantee Lillian could pull her up, but they'd figure that out when they got there.]

[seeker]

[The bull rears back and begins an enthusiastic galloping romp toward her, incensed, apparently, by her escape attempt, and Alison runs like her life depends on it. Which, technically, it did.]

I...I think so! [She tries for a leap and almost manages to get to Lillian, but succeeds only in grazing their fingertips before she drops again. The second try she manages to grab hold though, casting a wary glance over her shoulder to the rampaging bull.]

[aintjustaweapon]

[When Alison missed her hand, fingers twitching to try and catch that barest of brushes, Lillian made a frustrated noise, trying to stretch her arm down further. The second time, they connected, and her frustration turned to triumph, even as she realized she did not have nearly a tight enough grip, and she wasn't quite strong enough to be doing this.]

[Whoops?]

[Her other hand released her grip on the wall so she could lean down more, grabbing Alison's other hand as soon as it was in reach and hauling on both arms. The bull was charging closer, closer still, they weren't going to make it...]

Persona!

[It was a hissed whisper, and suddenly there was a third woman there, behind Lillian, and a second pair of hands were grabbing at Alison's wrists. And suddenly there was far more pulling than there probably needed to be.]

[Just before the pull got there, Alison was hauled up, almost yanked up, over the railing, Lillian with her, the force sending both of them tumbling backwards through the crowd to collapse on the ground, Lillian on her back with Alison on top of her, the persona disappearing just before they all hit.]

[seeker]

[She's prepared to slip out of Lillian's grasp almost as soon as she grabs on, already tensing up, and then suddenly she's being lifted up with so much force that her attention briefly shifts from the bull beneath her and up —

— and sudden, otherworldly intervention was totally unexpected. Alison's eyes widen when she sees the second woman (?) appear out of thin air, but she doesn't really have time to process it before she's hauled up as easily as one might lift a child. She tumbles into the crowd with Lillian, the air leaving her lungs in a huff. She looks up first, both to see if the mystery woman is still there (no) and to take in if the crowd is less disappointed and more angry (disappointed seems to be the case), and then down to Lillian.]

Well...

[Hm.]

That was new.

[aintjustaweapon]

[Lillian was quiet for a few seconds as she gathered her breath and thoughts from smacking her back on the floor, finally letting out a breath, cheeks puffy.]

Mm, yeah. I've had a weird few months.

[She could hear the disappointment from the crowd, but that was probably okay. She doubted they'd do anything. And then her gaze flicked back to Alison's and she grinned.]

Huh. Been a while since you were on top of me.

[Lillian...]

III

[truedetective]

Because some people thought it was a good idea, I imagine?
If you're looking for some sort of coherent defense of it, I can't offer one.

[seeker]

those people are wrong. mostly from an ethical standpoint, but for a lot of other reasons.
i more meant a) when did it start here (ish), as in this place, during this time period, which i'm still reasonably certain is supposed to be north america, specifically the continental u.s., present day, and b) why all of a sudden.

[truedetective]

I'm not remotely disagreeing.
And as far as I know, it's only been available in Respatrum. Which we've only been able to visit for... a very short period of time.
Of course, that implies that Respatrum itself wasn't created out of the ether.

[seeker]

when did entry open to this place? respartrum.

[truedetective]

Within the last month, at most. I don't know the specific details or the exact date, but it hasn't been long at all. Why?

[seeker]

it wasn't around the last time i was aware retrospec was a...thing.
so i was wondering what else had changed.

IIA

[darkinferno]

[Oh, dammit anyways, he hadn't been expecting to come back to Bosuma so soon... but hey, it looks like he's back on his bullshit again! Who knows, maybe this time there won't be any creepy nightmare yetis to fight?

But in spite of it not being where he'd intended to go, Dante can't be upset to find himself amongst the giant trees again. There's a sense of peacefulness in these woods, a feeling of time standing still and an escape from how hectic everyday life can be, and for a while he's perfectly content to wander until he sees a very familiar figure staring up into the trees in the evening light.]

Alison?

[Surprised, he'll break into a slow jog to cross the distance between them.]

Hey. What're you doing out here?

[seeker]

[She's debating grabbing a sample from this unusual plant — she's got gloves in her bag, should be safe enough — when Dante's approach makes her attention shift. She raises a hand in greeting, smiles, brief but genuine.]

Hey. [Sheepishly, she rubs at her neck.] No idea. I didn't even know this place existed until I wandered into it. I'm guessing it's another Retrospec thing?

B

[mincingminuet]

[Okay. So, bull fighting. Pen had seen it a couple of times on trips with her parents to Mexico, but now that she's not seven, it's a wholly different experience. She doesn't like it, and she finds it cruel, but she'd gotten caught up in the crowd pushing towards the arena. She was going to slip away when she caught sight of someone familiar in the ring.

...Holy crap. Was that...?]

Alison! [Well she wasn't leaving now, she was invested. Gripping the wooden wall she vaulted over into the ring, rushing over to her friend. The charging animal rebounds off of a translucent shield that springs up, angling it so it misses.]

You're in a tight spot, babe. You want some help, or am I interfering with your matador dreams?

[seeker]

[This is probably the last possible way she thought she was going to die. Gored by some sort of animal, maybe. During a bullfight? Absolutely not. She's all prepped to dodge nimbly out of the way again when the sudden spout of magic saves her the trouble.

She brightens, smiles too: relieved and more than a little frazzled.] Not at all. I'm so happy to see you.

[mincingminuet]

Okay. I got this.

[It's a bull. A big, angry, stupid bull, and that's fine. It's probably too pissed off for a sleep spell and she doesn't want to kill it. So...]

I'm going to blind it. When I do, you run for the wall. I'll slow him down from there, and get out.

Ready?

[seeker]

I think so. [...] Ready as I'll ever be, anyway.

[It's either that or be stuck down here, but...] Are you gonna be okay?

[mincingminuet]

I'll be fine, babe. It's just a bull.

[She gives Alison a little push and then starts casting a spell.

The blindness settles around the bull's eyes, an inky briny cloud preventing it from seeing. Then she moves to the right, away from it's charge.]

I got a plan, but I need some space to make it work! Scoot!

[seeker]

Okay, okay. Scooting now.

[She's still absolutely worried, but then, she's not the one with magic powers. Not yet anyway, and that's a thought she doesn't want to entertain most of the time, especially not now. So! She makes a break for it as soon as Pen casts the spell and sprints toward the wall like her life depends on it. Which she supposes, it technically does.

The crowd seems more puzzled than entertained by this new change in the arena, but Alison pays their confused murmuring no mind.]

IIA

[heiroglyphs]

[Vera can't believe what she's seeing. In all the incredible, ridiculous things that she's witnessed since "waking up" to the world, this was so far unlike anything she's encountered yet. It would be impossible not to be inspired by the bombardment of light and color now filling the darkened forest. The heiress steps closer, only to catch sight of the incandescent animal standing in the clearing.]

What even is that thing...?

[Lowering herself into a crouch, she steps closer, taking care not to startle the beast, but in doing so brings another flash of color into view-- albeit, a far more familiar one than this. Few people in Recollé have such fiery red hair, and Vera recognizes it instantly.]

...Alison?

[seeker]

[Alison's still half-mumbling to herself, circling the plant with an open sort of curiosity that would almost be awe were it not for the analytical tilt to it. The deer was incredible, true. The plant though, she's got a better chance of studying. Better to return in full daylight when she has a better idea of where the hell she is.]

I've seen bioluminescence in fungi, but this is incredible..usually it's only green. Maybe the composition of the soil is causing it? Should get a sample...

[She's not so focused that she's ignoring her surroundings, however, so when she hears Vera she turns almost immediately. There's already a smudge of dirt along the curve of one of her cheekbones, something she doesn't seem to notice. Nothing new.]

Vera? What are you doing out here?

[heiroglyphs]

I should ask you the same thing!

[The heiress whispers, moving slowly towards the taller girl in an attempt to not startle the giant rainbow deer nearby.]

I spent all of last month in the snow, I thought spending time somewhere warmer would be nice.

[Getting close enough to see Alison clearly, Vera immediately notices the dirt on her face and offers her a handkerchief from the inside pocket of her jacket. Clearly this is more important than anything else that is happening right now.]

You've got something on your face.