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Recollé Mods ([personal profile] recollecters) wrote in [community profile] repeter2018-03-17 08:46 pm
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MARCH TEST DRIVE

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 [community profile] 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!

[personal profile] informantic 2018-03-19 02:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ah, here we go - they seem to have entered into sane adult conversation, at long last. Heigo was starting to wonder if it was at a premium after the day he's had, but apparently not yet. That's something.]

I refuse to believe any actual planning went into this project, unless those involved were on heavy duty hallucinogens at the time. Which... [Sometimes he does wonder if something of that sort is leeching into the water supply around here, but he he's too tired to open up that can of worms.] ... well, obviously isn't the case, but they cost me an entire day's work regardless of the reasons.
meowchanics: (vlr: grin)

[personal profile] meowchanics 2018-03-20 12:30 am (UTC)(link)
[Despite himself, Sigmund can't help but squint at Heigo through the soft aura of alcohol for a moment. ...Nah, that would be reading too much into that hesitation. Meh.]

Well, it is what it is. You know, maybe they were. This is technically a college town. [Glug.] Or maybe the whole of this state is a computer simulation, and it only just started glitching out. Wouldn't that make as much sense?

[Yeah, adult conversation is probably not happening at this time of day.]

[personal profile] informantic 2018-03-20 06:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Probably more sense, but that doesn't mean I want to think about it too hard. People in my line of work already feel like little more than part of the Matrix - don't make it real for us.

[No, really, don't. Even in Sigmund's light, conversational tone, the words gave Heigo a chill that won't quite pass.]
meowchanics: (ztd: smile)

[personal profile] meowchanics 2018-03-22 06:49 am (UTC)(link)
Don'tcha mean, every line of work? [Sigmund reaches across to give him a friendly thump on the shoulder. He would be more sorry if he was less buzzed... maybe.] Think about it like... ants.

[Ants? Ants.]

[personal profile] informantic 2018-03-22 05:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Substituting insects for computer code doesn't make me feel any less irrelevant as an individual.

[Just a friendly thump, but Heigo still rubs his shoulder sourly, as if Sigmund really socked him one.]
meowchanics: (vlr: grin)

[personal profile] meowchanics 2018-03-22 06:11 pm (UTC)(link)
No no, it's cool! Ants are great. An ant colony boils down to lines of genetic code, but you wouldn't have a colony without any individual ants... And you wouldn't have a computer simulation if it wasn't, ya know, simulating something. [He waves his arm expansively, still ignoring Heigo's personal space.] When you think about it that way, everything about you is essential! Right??

[personal profile] informantic 2018-03-29 05:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Please stop trying to encourage me, you're making things worse every time you open your mouth.

[But... hang on, Heigo's sure he knows this man, he just can't figure out where they might have met. There's something about the way he delivers highly specialized knowledge in an offhand way to make absurd points that Heigo could never entirely forget.]

Have we met before? [Which is kind of a rude question to leave hanging without any follow-up, so Heigo offers his hand reluctantly.] Heigo Miyake.
meowchanics: (ztd: determined)

[personal profile] meowchanics 2018-03-29 06:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[Well, handshakes are cool with Sigmund even before the name really registers with him. Don't mind him if he grips a little firmer than he normally would, he's not driving tonight.]

...Oh, hey, what a coincidence! [Wait, hold that thought.] Uh - Sigmund Klim, Recolle U. You're not that one... writer guy, are you? Journalist? Something like that.

[There we go, thought officially held for at least three seconds.]

[personal profile] informantic 2018-03-31 03:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[Don't mind Heigo if he winces a bit at the firm grip, because he's... kind of a wuss. He's got the solid handshake of a professional and everything, but he's not built for having his hand crushed by overeager drunk people.

Oh. Oh jeez, this is the professor he consulted for a handful of his stories? Heigo almost doesn't want to believe it, but now he remembers the meandering tone all too well and realizes the man in front of him couldn't be anyone else.]


Of course - Dr. Klim. Pleasure to meet you in person. We've discussed some of your areas of particular interest before - [Shit, goddamnit, but he did that under his pseudonym. Well, Klim's very drunk, so maybe he won't remember Heigo confirming his identity as Ango Sakaguchi?] - for - various reasons.

[Excellent cover, Heigo.]
meowchanics: (vlr: grin)

[personal profile] meowchanics 2018-03-31 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, anytime! [He waves airily to disperse the mostly-imagined flattery.] Heh, funny that a writer should call themselves... well, in this day and age, maybe all of you guys are cogs in the less abstract kind of machine. It's a big club, and membership is free.

[personal profile] informantic 2018-03-31 08:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, that... I'm actually an accountant. The topic just seemed like a strange one to broach with someone I didn't know out of personal interest, so...

[Perhaps the most ridiculously bad cover story ever, but Heigo's floundering so badly.]
meowchanics: (ztd: squint)

[personal profile] meowchanics 2018-03-31 11:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, is that so? Hmm.

[Sigmund's eyes narrow briefly in a thoughtful frown. For a second, he looks sober. Does he suspect something?]

Now you mention it... in theory, you could breed an optimised accountant... God, that's depressing. Nearly as depressing as deadlines. It's probably best not to cross those streams.

[Ah.]