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

[littlestbaskerville]

That sounds awful...

Yeah! Like I went to explore and this big crow stole it!

[notyourutopian]

Lily, where did you go?

[littlestbaskerville]

This place that was kind of fun to explore too. I saw a rainbow deer too!

[She sounds like she is dreaming.]

[notyourutopian]

A rainbow deer.

...Lily, are you on Bosuma? How did you...

Are mom and dad with you?

[littlestbaskerville]

That one!

"..."



[The typing dots stop because she doesn't want to admit that no they aren't...]

[notyourutopian]

[Eleanor knows that little sister silence is basically 'no'. Hrm.]

How did you even get out there?

[littlestbaskerville]

[Sorry...]

I just went exploring.

It's okay this nice man took me to get candy too! After he got my bracelet back!

[notyourutopian]

I can't begin to express how many things are wrong with that, Lily.
So just

What's his name?

[littlestbaskerville]

He was nice though! We went to a sweets shop.

Leo.

[notyourutopian]

I see.
Look I'm heading there but it'll take me a few hours.
Do me a favor?
Snap a quick picture of this Leo guy?

Just be subtle about it.

[littlestbaskerville]

He's taking me home though?

...I don't know why you want one but okay!

[Lily takes a picture of the man. His hair is brown and he has a few piercings too.]

Eleanor is so going to develop an ulcer with lily on retrospec...

[notyourutopian]

Thanks

Of course he is.

I will meet you at home then.

Sorry sis~

[littlestbaskerville]

Okay!!

Switch to action? If not, no worries!

[notyourutopian]

[Eleanor had a shorter distance to go, so she was at the house when Lily got there. She lived at college, but she was home at least once or twice a week, and tended to fall into her old habits when she was.]

[So in this case, she was cleaning. Or straightening up. Mostly just to keep from worrying. It was kind of working?]

Sounds good!

[littlestbaskerville]

[Not too long after the messages Lily opens the front door and runs inside.]

I'm home! Tatcher!

[Lily was ready to see the dogs but mostly her dog.]

[notyourutopian]

[Lily would only have the one dog running over to her, as Eleanor's dog was too busy paying attention to her own not-home-enough human. But Grace at least popped her head over the side of the couch and gave her a hello bark before going back to staring at Eleanor.]

Hey Lily.

[Eleanor said as she stood up from straightening things in the living room, brushing her hands off on her jeans.]

[littlestbaskerville]

[Lily hugs the doberman and rubs his head happily.]

Grace! Ele! [Trotting over to her, she gives Grace a pat on the head too.]

I'm back!

[notyourutopian]

So I see.

[Eleanor walked around the couch and over to her sister, looking down at her for several seconds before she sighed and hugged her.]

Please be more careful than that, Lily.

[littlestbaskerville]

[A little confused she hugs Ele back before pulling away.]

I'm fine though! He was really nice and even helped me, Ele!

[Stubborn as always.]

[notyourutopian]

That's...

[Eleanor leaned back, hands on Lily's shoulders.]

That's not the point. If you can...[She sucked in a breath, drawing her hands back.] Look. Now that you can see the app, now that you're...awake. Things are going to be very odd.

And they can be very dangerous. You will need to be careful.

[littlestbaskerville]

[Lily puffs her cheeks a little bit.]

How can a app do that, Ele? I'm okay anyway...What do you mean by awake?

[notyourutopian]

Awake. You'll start...noticing things. That you didn't think were strange before, but are.

[Eleanor hesitated, her eyes flicking away, and then she stretched out a hand. A book on the coffee table suddenly jumped off it and into the air, flashing across the room to settle into her palm. Thanks, telekinesis.]

Like that.

[littlestbaskerville]

[Lily watches then her eyes go wide....that wasn't something she expect to ever see her sister do! For a moment her sister has stunned her to silence before Lily grabs at the book.]

How?!

[notyourutopian]

[Eleanor couldn't help but grin at that. How long had she waited and hoped someone else in her family would start to see this? So that they could understand, but also just, frankly, so she could show off a little.]

[She made no attempt to stop Lily from taking the book, which was just as normal a book as any could be.]

Well, clearly I'm a superhero.

[littlestbaskerville]

[It was amazing and she never expected her sister to do something like this...why would she expect it?

Looking over the book she then looks to Eleanor before giggling.]

Then what is your hero name!