repeter | FEBRUARY TDM

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FEBRUARY TDM

TEST DRIVE

FEBRUARY TEST DRIVE
The city of Recollé. What a beautiful, wonderful place. Sure, some things seem a little off sometimes but it's still home. The weather's starting to clear up as little signs of spring appear.

What will you do today?

I.
Spring is in the air and today residents of the city can be found in all districts clearing out the rest of the winter gloom. Snow shovels are replaced for garden trowels as people begin planting flowers, trees, and vegetables. Some residents are in Hollingberry Field over in Viea Village cleaning up stray litter and debris to make the park enjoyable for all. Will you volunteer to help? Are you willing to get your hands dirty, or are you just annoyed that you can't go anywhere without having to side-step a puddle of mud?

II.
It starts innocently enough. You wake up in the morning, walk into your bathroom to brush your teeth and one of your lightbulbs burn out. That's not unusual. You make a note to buy more lightbulbs next time you head to Freshens. What is unusual is that the rest of the city seems to be experiencing similar problems. One of the theatres at Flix can't seem to get their projector to work and several customers are clamouring to get their ticket refunded. The elevator at the Towers stops working halfway up between floors. Neon signs on some of the shops in Tisse flicker and pop until some of the letters fade. The computers at the Recollé Public Library and Resource Center crash making it impossible to do school work.

It's not just outside either. Appliances start acting up. Your phone might ring with a ringtone that isn't your own, but no one else is on the other line. What's causing all of this? It might be worth investigating.

III.
You realize that it might be wise to check Retrospec to see if any of your fellow residents are posting about similar experiences. You reach for your device, (or perhaps you've managed to wrestle one of the library's computers to work with you) and open the application only to be met with a blast of music.

Shutting the app doesn't help. Every time the app is opened, a new song will begin playing on its own. The song changes each time, but they all seem to center on the same theme. The only way to stop the issue is to let the song play all the way through. Good thing you weren't sneaking in some social media time during class or work…were you?

Maybe you're one of the lucky ones who escaped having the app automatically downloaded to your mobile devices or appear for you at inconvenient intervals. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore and the next wave of Retrospec users are chosen. New users will hear a very different song as their greeting when the app begins to download, prompting them to notice their profile filled out with their name and upload a picture. The song will autoloop until new users oblige to these steps. Now wouldn't be a bad time to ask fellow users some questions.

IV.
Billboards, bus stops, and posters make up many of the colorful landmarks in Chata and Tisse. These signs all have a purpose whether it's to advertise new movies at Flix, a special sale at Towers, or a hot new band that will be playing at the Atrium. Too bad things seem to be getting out of hand here, too. What do you mean the sign told you everything must go from the furniture department? Nobody said anything about half-priced movies with all you can eat popcorn!

All throughout the city advertisements pop up displaying false claims. Are you one of the residents trying to cash in on these ads? Or maybe you're an employee who has to clean up this mess. Yikes.

BONUS.
The subway system in Recollé has been down for quite some time now due to construction. It doesn't make travelling through the city impossible, but it does make several people unhappy (including Mayor Mayer.) The non-functional subway has become a part of every day life, but when you pass by over the next few days, you can almost hear the sound of a subway car speeding along the tracks. Any inquiries will be met with disdain, and any attempts to head into the subway station to check things out will be met with construction workers telling residents to scram.

It seems that this area is blocked off for now, but that doesn't mean residents can't investigate.

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!

The February 2017 TDM directory can be found here. The February 2017 Workshop can be found here. The mod questions comment is here.

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II.

[ Leo’s had days where it felt like everything was going wrong. Who hasn’t, right? That’s just how life rolls sometimes, no big deal.

On the other hand, when things are going wrong all over the city, that’s not just life showing some tough love. The only good thing about getting ten messages from his boss on the way to class is the extra cash that’ll show up on his paycheck later. But hey, things going haywire keep Leo and his mother employed. It can’t be all bad. Just… new.

At least, that’s what he’s telling himself as the computer he just fixed shuts down again. Whoever said the third time’s the charm can eat his boot. ]

I’m a good mechanic, [ Leo grumbles, frowning at the circuits before him. Everything looks clean, just like the first time he looked. Nothing’s burned out or anything, and nothing’s too dusty, which is shocking considering just how old the computers here are… But once again, he’s stuck with a dark screen that won’t turn on. ] I like challenges. This is nothing.

[ He starts as an alarm starts blaring, and suddenly his phone lights up with a few more messages - one from his mom, one from a friend, and another from his very frazzled boss asking him to head out somewhere else as soon as he’s done here. ]

This is the last time I make house calls, [ Leo sighs, pushing himself to his feet. ] Hey, anyone want to tell me where that alarm’s coming from? Unless you like it, I mean, I don’t know about you, but it’s music to my ears.

III.

[ Everything is (mostly) quiet in the library, except for the occasional frustrated exclamation as the lights flicker and computer screens flash with errors. And yet, of all the things they’ve asked him to fix while he’s there, Leo gets stuck with the coffee machine, of all things. Guess some of the librarians need a little motivation to get through the day. No judgments here - not everyone has Leo’s infinite stream of energy.

With the machine working again (he’s tested it about three times, just in case it pulls the same trick as that computer from earlier), he heads back out in the main part of the library to report to the librarians, phone in his hand as he scans his messages for the next project, ready to move on if they’re done with him here.

That’s when something pops up on his screen and starts blasting music loud enough that Leo drops the phone in surprise. The librarians, of course, take this as a personal offense even as he scrambles to grab the phone and shut it off… except that it won’t shut off. It just keeps playing the song, regardless of what he does, so all Leo can do is flash the librarians a grin and duck outside the first exit he finds.

He definitely did not download this app, Leo thinks, frowning as he takes in the profile page and quickly fills it out just to see if that will let him shut off the stupid music. It doesn’t stop until the profile is completed, and Leo breathes a sigh of relief once it’s finally quiet again. And suddenly, when he looks back down, he’s more intrigued than annoyed. But first thing’s first: he’s going to give whoever put this stupid app on his phone a piece of his mind. ]

look if you’re going to hack into my phone to play music you could at least pick a decent song

[ That’ll show ‘em. ]

BONUS.

[ The moment Leo hears a train in the supposedly shut down subway, he knows he has to investigate. The only question is when, and who’s coming with him. And really, he’s not picky about either of those.

The next chance he gets is a few days later, after school when he’s not scheduled for work. He heads straight to the subway station, loitering just far enough away to scope out the entrance first. There’d be no point in trying if the construction workers are still guarding it, after all. ]

I don’t see anyone, [ Leo says, looking around one last time before making a beeline. ] They blocked it off, but it shouldn’t be hard getting past it. Let’s go!

WILDCARD.

[ Throw a prompt my way and I can roll with it! Feel free to contact me first if that’s more your speed. ]

Edited 2017-02-16 22:30 (UTC)

[So maybe Bucky doesn't really know this kid. Like, at all. But, look, when you hear some kid talking about mysterious trains running on the closed subway at lunch, you gotta track him down after school and get in on whatever this is. You'd be a lunatic NOT to check this out.]

Ugh, finally. I was starting to think all you wanted to do was stake the place out.

[He doesn't even bother looking around as he follows Leo towards the station.]

So tell me again, Mr. "Shouldn't-be-hard", how exactly are we getting into the station now?

Excuse me for not wanting to get caught, Mr. Tall Dark and Emo, [ he shoots back mildly, keeping an eye out for more construction workers as they reach the entrance. You’d think if someone had to tag along, they’d at least have learned Leo’s name first. ]

Come on, it doesn’t look that hard to get around the construction. If they really wanted to keep us out, there’d be more than just a few signs and a lame barricade fence.

[ A quick once-over, and he’s found their entrance. One of the posts holding up the barricade is loose, and Leo manages to shimmy it out of place before grinning up at Bucky. ]

Voila!

Oh. ...Huh.

For all the fuss they keep making about keeping us out for our own safety or whatever, you'd think they'd put up better barriers.

[Not like he's complaining. All the easier for them to get in and out.]

Well. No time like the present.

[Because Bucky is gonna waltz right through that barrier into the station.]

Lucky for us, they take it for granted that most law-abiding citizens won’t mess with the construction, [ he says with a laugh, setting the barrier back in place behind them so the workers won’t find anything different at first glance.

Then it’s into the tunnels. Leo stops for a second, unsure of which direction to head first. But then... ]

Do you hear that? It sounds like the subway’s still running somewhere.

[Yeah, okay, so hanging out with a 16-year-old isn't exactly his normal sort of gig. But Leo's not your run-of-the-mill 16-year-old either. Dante's got a smirk stretched across his face as he pulls up to where he'd agreed to pick the boy up; the two of them have got plans to shake the city tonight and frankly he's looking forward to it.

Once he's there, he'll shoot Leo a text.]

sitting outside. i'll pop the trunk so we can load up

you ready?

[ He’d told Mom the boss had him working late tonight and headed out earlier that evening with his stash in tow. This would never fly on a school night, he thought, grinning when his phone lit up. ]

born ready

[ Leo heads out, looking for all the world like a delinquent student heading home late from detention with a book bag slung over his shoulder. Dante can probably guess what that’s for when he drops it in the back. By the time they’re done, the city’s never going to know what hit it. ]

Time to put on a show!

[Excellent. Dante puts the car in gear and they're off again, pulling back onto the streets. No sense in sitting around suspiciously while they talk, right?]

This ought to be good. So--do you have the list of places we're going to set them up? I remember a couple places, but not all of them.

[ Never one to sit still for long, Leo has the timer in his hands and starts fiddling with it as Dante drives. Gotta make sure everything’s timed just right. ]

I figured we’d start small since you’re new to this and all, [ he says, flashing Dante a sly grin, ] and set some up around the observatory. Y’know, give them something new to observe.

Obviously we’ve got to put some around Tisse - we’ll just have to be careful with all the people around. [ Not for the fireworks, of course. No one’s going to get hurt on his watch, or Mom will literally kill him. ] The Towers are perfect. Everyone would see it from there.

[ He hums thoughtfully. ]

It’d be risky, but if you’re up for it, we could leave some around the Terrace, too. The cops are going to be so mad about that, though.

[New. Dante snorts as he starts heading them toward the observatory, smirk crossing his face at the unspoken challenge. All right, so maybe he's never set off fireworks at strategic locations around the city to cause chaos and mayhem, but that doesn't mean he's never done anything else!]

Definitely the Terrace. What's the fun of it if we aren't leading our officer friends on a merry chase through the city?

[They'll absolutely have to make sure the timing's right, though. If they're caught because they're too close to the scene, it'd ruin the night for sure.]

There's not anything on these that the cops'd be able to trace us by, is there? No "LEO MK. II" written on the side of a shell?

[It's probably obvious by his expression that he thinks Leo's smarter than that, but... just gotta check.]

Now you’re speaking my language.

[ Leo laughs. ]

I’m not that dumb, dude. My stuff’s got a special touch, but nothing they’ll be able to link to me.

[ He’s more worried about his mom than the cops, anyway. She might know it was him and ground him immediately, but he’ll live. As long as they don’t get caught tonight, and Leo is counting on Dante for that one. ]

And what kind of loser names their stuff MK. II anymore? If you’re gonna be cheesy about it, you gotta take it to the next level. Like, I dunno, “Dragon’s Breath” or something.

[ Kids these days have no creativity. ]

Dragon's Breath? [He snorts, shaking his head.] What is this, a kid's game?

[Next thing you know Leo's going to want to build a dragon of his own or something!]

I guessed you were smart enough not to do something like that, but it doesn't hurt to double-check.

We've got a pretty good spread throughout the city, but why don't we start by making them work a little bit? [He's glancing at Leo sideways now, that same smirk on his face. Hush, this is fun!] I know a warehouse just north of here that would be perfect as a red herring. We drag them out of town, make them search for us out there, that gives us some extra leeway on our end inside the city.

Better than MK. II, [ he shoots back. ] You know they actually name most of these things after flowers, right?

[ smh you know nothing, Dante. But okay, he’ll admit that’s a better suggestion than he’d have expected from someone who’s never done this before. Maybe people actually do learn something at college. Who’d have thought? ]

You know, if we do this right, we won’t need a red herring, [ Leo says pointedly, glancing up briefly from his timer. ] But sure, if it makes you feel better to start in some warehouse, fine. I’ve got extra.

[Another snort, this one accompanied by a bit of laughter.]

Hang on, are you turning down the chance to wreak more chaos? We may not need a red herring, but think about watching them speed out here just in time to see more fireworks coming from the city and turning around to come right back.

[And actually, he didn't know that they named fireworks after flowers. His brand of mischief usually doesn't focus on drawing the cops' attention. But hey, there's always a first time for everything, right?]

Um. Excuse me? When do I ever turn down more chaos? [ Besides when mom or Roderic are looking. Don't judge him, he has an example to set, or something. ] I'm just saying, I could totally time it so we wouldn't need the distraction.

[ Don't insult him, Dante. Leo takes his projects very seriously, and dares even more so.

Still, there's a curious glint in his eyes when he looks up. ]

Where are you planning on hiding while we watch them head out there, then?

[ It's easy to hide when you're just one kid. But a whole car? What's he planning to do, hide out in an alley with the lights turned off? ]

Oh, I don't doubt it. Believe me, I know what you're capable of.

[Kind of. Dante's sure that there's more where this comes from that he hasn't seen yet--but that doesn't change the fact that he has no qualms about Leo's abilities. The work he did on Dante's own car is enough to prove that!

At Leo's question, though, Dante grins.]

You'll see. Just leave it all to me.

[He takes a turn at the next intersection, heading them north of the town. It's not too far beyond the city, close enough to still be within the city limits but far enough that it'll be a ways out for the poor cops assigned to respond to it. As they near, Dante points it out, a host of dark, squat shadows in the night.]

There it is. We'll probably need to set these ones for ten minutes or so to give us time to get out of the complex. What do you think we should start off with, firepower-wise?

[ Leo raises his eyebrows incredulously. They may have been working on the car for a while now, but he’s behaved well enough around Dante so far. Mostly. He hasn’t left any surprises waiting in the car, at least, like he would for some of his other friends.

But okay, sure. Trust the college guy. They’re supposed to be smarter than high schoolers, right? Leo would wait and see what he’s got to offer. He shrugs and goes back to his timer, finishing just a few minutes before they arrive. ]

Well, we have to get their attention, so I say we start with the mortars, [ Leo replies, eyeing the warehouse. It’ll get the job done. ] I’ve got some that’ll do a crossette pattern. Green, too, so they won’t blend in with the city lights or whatever. They’ll definitely see it.

Perfect.

[They circle the warehouse complex until they reach the back, where Dante shuts off the headlights before pulling off the road entirely. The only light in the car is the aqua backlighting of the dash (as dim as he can make it for the moment) as they cross silently from road to dirt and into the trees of Recolle Woods.

There's a gap between a couple of the trees that's just over large enough for his car to slide between, and beyond that a decent-sized clearing where Dante shifts them into park.]

We won't stay here the whole time, but we don't have to worry about someone seeing the car while we're inside this way.

[Once the two of them have gotten out of the car and Leo's backpack retrieved, Dante leads them through the trees to where they butt up against the chain-link fence that surrounds the complex. It might be apparent to Leo that the bottom of the fence is pliable enough to pull up and worm beneath if one were so inclined.

Dante, however, is gesturing to it with one hand as he grabs the links with his other.]

Over or under--your call.

[And with a practiced movement that might give away how many times he's done this, he's scaling up the chain-link fence to drop down lightly on the other side.]

[ Huh… Okay, so maybe Dante could handle himself, after all. Leo hadn’t even thought about someone seeing the car while they were inside - the problem with not having his own car yet, maybe. He’s used to doing this on foot. ]

Never been one for limbo, [ he decides, slinging the bag over his shoulders and following Dante up and over. Getting inside isn’t a problem - Dante has that covered, too - and thankfully there’s no alarm. Big security flaw, he thinks idly, but all the better for them as they head to the roof. Before long, he’s on his knees and digging through the bag for those crossettes. ]

How’d you even know about this place, anyway?

[ College party, maybe? Not that it matters; Leo is more concerned with getting their stuff set up. Three should be good for the first wave, he thinks, maybe four for the next one? That way the police will know it’s not just some fluke or a blown transformer, and they’ll have to check it out.

It’s almost too easy. He half expects something to go wrong, but they’re doing this right so far. Even the timer is simple enough to set up - less complicated than something that should be linked to him, at least. The last thing either of them need is to get caught. Mom would skin him alive. ]

Okay, timer’s ready to go, [ Leo announces after a few minutes of fiddling with it all. ] Now we get out of here and make everything go boom.

[As Leo works, Dante's keeping lookout--well, as much as one needs to look out. They're two dark figures in a dark, unused, unpatrolled complex, hidden in the dim light of the sliver of moon in the sky. Really, he's enjoying the crisp clean air of the wind and the way it hits him in a manner completely different to when he's on the ground.]

When I was younger my old man's job took us to lots of different cities. I made a habit out of exploring them. Finding the places everyone else ignores, learning the best places where people get together at night... [A shrug.] This warehouse is far enough in that lights aren't noticeable from the roads, and because of the location sound isn't an issue either.

We have a lot of parties out here.

[When Leo announces that he's done, Dante squats down to take a look at everything. There's no way for him to follow everything Leo's set up, but he can at least appreciate the skill in setting it up!]

All right. Back to the car. Once we're back inside the city limits, there's an overlook near the zoo that'll give us a great vantage point to watch from.

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commandertoolbelt - 2017-02-24 17:36 (UTC) - Expand

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commandertoolbelt - 2017-02-24 22:16 (UTC) - Expand

Leo?

[ guess who is also at the library.

guess who looks shaken up by the noise that's been happening throughout the entire day but also looks worried for his brother.

sticking his head out of the exit at first, he finally pushes the door wide enough to properly get out of the building. oof! ]

Are you okay? Mrs. Crabbers looked like she was going to scold you for a second.

[ Leo huffs, hands on his hips as he frowns at the door behind Roderic. ]

Sure, I’m fine. Everything else is going crazy, but I’m just peachy.

[ The sarcasm isn’t directed at Roderic, of course, but sometimes it’s out of his mouth before he can even think about it. And today has been a Day. Once he sees Roderic’s face, though, Leo forces himself to take a breath and offer him a wry grin. ]

She would think I set it off on purpose, wouldn’t she? You got me, Mrs. Crabbers! [ he cries dramatically, clutching his screwdriver to his chest. ] There was nothing interesting happening today, I had to shake things up a little! I was just so bored.

[ it was just the thing that had roderic's face light up in tentative hope, needing to cover his mouth with both hands to not laugh out too loudly. ]

But I know you didn't do it. [ his voice is impassioned and certain. not only because of the loyalty he feels to leo but because of one practical fact- ] It happened at school today too! The fire alarm went off and everything.

[ he almost wished he had a phone of some sort on him at the time. the look on the teachers' faces were pretty funny. ] Is there some sort of all city, um, wide mal... mal-function with stuff?

[ he stumbles over some of the bigger words he just used, seeing as how he only learned about them a few days ago. but- he's using them correctly in this situation, right? ]

[ See, that's so much better. Leo hates seeing Roderic all nervous like that. ]

The school too, really? [ He sighs, running a hand through his hair. ] Guess it really is all over the city. I just wish I knew why...

[ But! He puts on a hopeful grin for his brother. Can't have him getting upset over all this, can they? ]

Don't worry, bro, we'll figure it out. And who knows? Maybe they'll even shut down the school until everything's fixed. It'd be like a snow day, just... everything around town going crazy. A crazytown day!

Crazytown Day? Um... It doesn't sound like a fun holiday.

[ due to how noisy it would be, mostly.

the sudden blare of an alarm or the ring of someone's phone still has him startled every now and then. so the idea of every thing around being noisy is bleh.

but! he tries his best to see the good in everything. ]

Ooohh wait... Does that mean you'll get a break too cuz ? And we get to spend time together? [ he can get behind that! ]

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FEBRUARY TDM

Leo Valdez | Percy Jackson & The Olympians

bonus

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SO LIGHT IT UP UP UP

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ii;; (hello!!)

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