recollecters: (Default)
Recollé Mods ([personal profile] recollecters) wrote in [community profile] repeter2017-04-16 09:01 pm

APRIL TDM

TEST DRIVE
APRIL TEST DRIVE
The city of Recollé. A beautiful city you've called home for quite some time. While things can be a little weird, isn't that true of all homes? It's fully spring now, and there are flowers to be found everywhere. April's showers are a familiarity as well, the occasional downpour or drizzle keeping you on your toes.

What will you do today?

I.
April showers bring May flowers, right? Well, there are already plenty of flowers to be had, but that part of the old rhyme being true doesn't save you from the first part of it. While the weather forecasters do their best, their success rate for predicting the rain seems to be about fifty-fifty. Unfortunately, sometimes when they do predict the rain happening, they misjudge how bad it's going to be. Was the sky was clear when you last looked outside? It may not be quite so clear now. Hope you remembered to bring an umbrella today.

But it's not so bad, really! Maybe if you forgot to prepare, someone will share their umbrella with you. Not in the mood to talk to anyone? You can probably find some thrifty umbrella vendors on the streets of Tisse. When in doubt, there are always some loaner umbrellas scattered around in Apprassage at the Recollé Library as well. The library asks that you return any of the mismatched loaners found at the door, but it's not like the system is that strongly enforced. Well, other than the library stamp on the umbrellas, that is.

If you find yourself in Chata today, you could always buy a magazine off the street corners to hold overhead. If you look like you may buy something, vendors don't seem to mind if you idle under their awnings. Check out the latest fashions coming this spring while you wait it out. It looks like buckles are in, but some of the high fashion clothes look a little odder than usual. The hot, new dresses range from large like a billowing tarp to appearing more like an artfully arranged handkerchief than anything else. Fashion sure is weird sometimes.

II.
Recollé Square in Tribunal Terrace boasts a huge assortment of flower gardens scattered throughout the district, though they all appear to be whatever citizens felt like planting at the time. In fact, only flowers in Apprassage seem to match, especially around the University. Today, while the rain's stopped, a large group of people seem to be taking advantage of Recollé Square's mismatching for flower picking, crown and wreath weaving, and bouquet arranging. The activities seem to be loosely led by the city's PTA and some of the other socialite groups from around town. Then again, for long-standing citizens of the city this isn't unusual either. You seem to remember that this is an annual sort of thing even though there isn't actually a name for the event.

Some booths are set up around the park to swap seeds, flowers and food for cash or gossip, the guidelines a little more loose outside of the business districts. It seems as though lot of families are picnicking this weekend. There's even some kind of contest going on for the best flower crown - though usually the city tends to collectively pick a kid for the winner, so your best artistic talents might not get you the admiration you crave.

In addition, there's the most accurately judged flower-growing contest if you've been waiting for this day for a year or more, but that event tends to have the same people involved every year and the majority of Recollé isn't too heavily invested in it. They're here for the picnics and flower crowns, and it seems about the same as it always does. This year, though, there do seem to be more flowers than ever...and for that matter, they're a lot bigger than usual, too.

III.
Despite some of the fashion fiascos the magazines are displaying, maybe you should spend some time shopping this week. It may come as a surprise to you that your clothes haven't been fitting properly as of late. Those skinny jeans are just a hair too loose, and your favorite shirt seems baggier than it used to be. The problem, however, is that every shop you go to seems to stock clothes with the same issues. You're down a size or two or three, or maybe they're just marking everything down wrong. And surely you don't have the time or money to replace your entire wardrobe...will you take your chances? Complain to the store's manager? Or maybe you're an unfortunate soul who has to try and explain the unexplainable. Maybe offering a coupon will appease shoppers today.

IV.
Apparently walking around your neighborhood isn't quite as safe as it used to be - or it isn't safe if you want to trust your eyes. One second the little old lady who lives at the corner appears to be walking her pitbull just as she has every day for the last several years. The next, the pitbull is gone and she's walking a rather angry-looking caterpillar. Blink and you'll miss it, but as time goes on you'll see more and more of these larger-than-life insects wandering around. No matter how hard you try to explain it, the only other people who seem to see this as the least bit weird are people with the Retrospec app.

Oh, do you not have the Retrospec app? Think again. The sound of chirping crickets will follow you until the next time you look at your mobile device or a public computer, prompting you to accept a profile and upload a user picture. Congratulations! It seems as though you've been selected to be a new tester!

...it's going to be one of those days.

BONUS.
While the Retrospec app only infrequently has posts from the company itself - and those have thus far proven to be universally useless - this month there is an onslaught of updates. At least once per day there's a picture of a new type of flower or insect, along with a "fun fact" about whatever the company has posted.

Did you know, for example, that wasps feeding on fermenting juice have been known to get "drunk' and pass out? Ancient civilizations burned aster leaves to ward off evil spirits. Ticks can grow from the size of a grain of rice to the size of a marble. Roses are related to apples, raspberries, cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines, pears and almonds. Houseflies find sugar with their feet, which are 10 million times more sensitive than human tongues. Praying mantises prey on other insects, and perhaps you'd better watch your step.

Wait, what?

As usual, any attempt to get the company to reply about the increasingly disturbing information they're sending out is useless. The daily facts grow less and less useful and eventually seem to be nothing but fun facts about how flowers and bugs could kill you or one another. Kind of unfortunate for you, if this is your first time getting any messages whatsoever from the app. How do you unsubscribe? Good luck figuring it out.

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! The April 2017 TDM directory can be found here. The April 2017 Workshop can be found here. The mod questions comment is here.
scythegun: (RELAXED ⇝ hahaha wow)

[personal profile] scythegun 2017-04-18 07:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Personally, I find it more fun to see what people will believe, but it is important that I make some profit, ja!

[jaeger continues to be an asshole, news at eleven

Anyway, there's plenty of interesting stuff in here besides skulls! Has anything caught your eye?]
fairhands: (pic#11044484)

[personal profile] fairhands 2017-04-18 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Speak of the devil, just when he was thinking about the buckles someone with them shows up. He takes a look at Matty, eyeing his clothes. ...Well, he supposes there's all types of people here.]

Even so, it probably takes a certain kind of person to be able to, ah, 'rock' what looks like an artfully arranged handkerchief...

[ Personally, he thinks fashion should have a little more grace and elegance than this. ]
botamochi: commissioned, dnt (pic#11234852)

[personal profile] botamochi 2017-04-18 07:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[ What the hell? Suddenly he's feeling guilty because he put her on the spot for this cake. The customers are more scared of Takumi than being extorted by Nobu. Maybe they're into that. Either way, there's this look of confusion as his anger finally dispels. ]

... Were you really here for this cake? You don't need to buy it if you're just here to harass me.

[ There's a voice in the back of his mind to take the money since it's a slow day, but his integrity is biting at his heels here. ]

You can buy a slice of this for four dollars and I'll throw the extra pastry with some dog treats in.
feistytrader: (okay then)

[personal profile] feistytrader 2017-04-18 07:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Of course. I can't let you keep it. Hoodies are expensive.

[And maybe, just maybe, he wants to play with the cute little cat. Maybe. This is the perfect excuse!]
secare: (there's a maniac out in front of me。)

[personal profile] secare 2017-04-18 07:59 pm (UTC)(link)
( fingers pulling on the back of his jacket is enough to stop him, halfway glancing back to see who had the nerve to try and stop him like this. it was just an umbrella after all, so what was their deal?

he gives his jacket a little tug to encourage her to let go. )


Excuse me?

[personal profile] buncho 2017-04-18 08:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[ For his valiant attempt, Mafuyu bursts into laughter ]

Yeah, gently isn't the word I'd use either!!

[ and she's still laughing even as she makes it all the way to the bottom of the stands and kicks her shoes off, stuffs her socks inside, and rolls the length of her pants all the way above the knees so she can run out onto the field without worrying about mud. There sure is a lot of mud, the field squishing in between her toes, and she sees Eijun literally covered in it as she comes up to him... passes him... flops down onto his tire like it's one of those inflatable swim rings. ]

But you can't be beat just like that— Get up! Let's go!

[ It's like going sledding in the winter, except her dog's too small and Eijun agreeing to pull her along would be hilarious ]
prometheanflame: (hell2me)

[personal profile] prometheanflame 2017-04-18 08:07 pm (UTC)(link)
The same size.

[Mohammed looks terrified at the thought of Iggy and the beetle fighting. Sure, it's calm now, but the dog is going to be the aggressor and break his little teeth on the exoskeleton and that will be the end of that.]
fairhands: (will stay the same)

[personal profile] fairhands 2017-04-18 08:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[ ??? ??? ????

Marcell has no idea what on earth this boy is talking about -- honestly this sounds a little too dramatic to be real -- but considering he's soaked... ]


Let's get you somewhere dry, first.

[personal profile] buncho 2017-04-18 08:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Mafuyu turns her head to see who he's motioning at. It's a little kid... Looking from the flower crown to that smug little grin he's wearing, she puts two and two together and comes to the conclusion that they were building flower crowns and Taichi lost somehow. Time for revenge. Mafuyu grabs some of the scattered flowers from the table and gives Taichi some breathing space as she approaches the kid ]

Round two! [ flings the flowers at the little boy's face as a declaration of war ] Everyone knows fair matches are best two out of three! This time, we're going to win, or this guy [ points at Taichi... RIP Taichi... again... ] will eat his flower crown!
fairhands: (pic#11044485)

[personal profile] fairhands 2017-04-18 08:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Please imagine he looked at the picture contemplatively.





]


I'm sorry, but I still don't understand.

[personal profile] buncho 2017-04-18 08:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Sparkles in Mafuyu's eyes, she's going to see a dog and beetle fight and she looks entirely too happy about it ]

Iggy? Is that the dog you were calling for before? [ she cups her hands to shout at the top of her lungs— she's loud, voice easily carrying across the park and over the general din of background chatter ] Iggy! IGGY!! COME OUT AND FIGHT!!!
megatechbody: (Mariko Forward)

Motoko Kusanagi | Ghost in the Shell:Stand Alone Complex| Mariko Kawaguchi

[personal profile] megatechbody 2017-04-18 08:15 pm (UTC)(link)
((Her workshop link is Here, if you want to poke around))

I.
Mariko doesn’t particularly consider herself a lucky woman, however - with this downpour - she’s glad that the expensive work laptop was left back home.

Fortunately the rain isn’t uncomfortable besides the amount, so she spends her trip making a game ducking between awnings and store fronts in the occasional dip in intensity. Water has always been a friend and as she works her way up to the street, she finds her old habit of working with the flow of things returning.

Breathe. Move. Breathe. Move.

By the time she makes it to the library’s awning, she is grinning and waiting for the next beat. The goal of staying dry is long forgotten as she wipes the excess water out of her eyes before looking up to the clouds.

II.
Flowers are beautiful and the ones in Recolle Square are no exception. However, as she watches folks talk about and weave and artistically display the vibrant blooms around her, Mariko can’t help the pang of melancholy.

Nothing is permanent, after all, and flowers don’t last very long at all once cut.

She flexes her right hand idly as she looks around, soothing a twinge she isn’t sure is even there anymore.

III.
Weight fluctuations are nothing new- between competitions, plain ol’ teenage metabolism and women’s sizing having exactly jack shit to do with math- Mariko is intimately familiar with the New Wardrobe Tango.

Still, she’s not particularly fond of the fashion around and sometimes she wonders exactly is on the mind of these designers trying to foist high fashion onto everyone else. The distaste for the lack of practicality in the designs draws her ire and for a moment she can’t help but roll her eyes at a pair of aspiring models snapping selfies with the new product. Can’t knock the hustle, but she will knock the game.
Her attention drifts to a pale lavender bodysuit that looks more like a swimsuit than anything someone would wear out and after a beat, she takes it of the rack and holds it up to herself in the nearby mirror.

BONUS.
Of all the things Mariko hates, it’s this fucking Retrospec app. She’s used to controlling her online presence pretty tightly, so the fact that this stupid thing appeared out of the ether on her phone is unsettling to say the least. Insult to injury, the app is a piece of shit too; just a basic reskin of a popular social media site - but the security on this thing is damned near otherworldly and that’s what is making her nose itch.

Scrolling away on her phone, a little notepad before her, Mariko begins looking and every few swipes, she makes a little tick mark on her notepad.


Swipe-swipe-tick. Swipe-swipe-tick.

She’s so engrossed that you just might be tempted to sneak up on her (though if you’re a coworker of hers, you would know how bad of an idea that actually is.)
Edited 2017-04-18 20:17 (UTC)

[personal profile] buncho 2017-04-18 08:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Maybe she would make more friends if she properly went to school and stopped heckling poor people on the streets, but Mizuki is somebody she does not regret heckling because she's getting treated to pasta? Heck yeah. ]

I dunno what Genovese is, but I'll finish it! I can eat whatever!

[ Also joke's on him, she doesn't have any money anyways, which is why she's always so excited about free food ]
prometheanflame: why is this his life (proud mom of four disasters)

[personal profile] prometheanflame 2017-04-18 08:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, but don't--

[He is interrupted by some angry buzzing. Mafuyu is not the human allowed to call for Iggy and it's annoying.

Mohammed pulls on the shoulder of her shirt and reaches into his leather bag.]
You're bothering it. Let's go. I have some of his favorite snacks.
secare: (don't want your money or crown。)

he'll be the best like no one has ever seen!!

[personal profile] secare 2017-04-18 08:19 pm (UTC)(link)
( there's a quick glance back over at the cat, just to make sure that he's indeed unperturbed by their sudden commotion. thankfully, he barely seems to even register their existence. what a good cat.

then kashuu is waving his phone, offering to show him a cat photo, and yukine magically manifests right at his side. never let it be said that he doesn't have his priorities in check. )


Yea, yea. Lemme see.
secare: (let's make tonight such a show!)

[personal profile] secare 2017-04-18 08:22 pm (UTC)(link)
( you disappoint him. )

He's sitting on the bench like a person!! His little arm is even resting on the back! He looks so wise and worldly!
prometheanflame: (????)

ii

[personal profile] prometheanflame 2017-04-18 08:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Mista is a grown kid who doesn't need Abdul's permission. His aunt and uncle had nothing to worry about, Abdul so naively believed. Granted, it's not like the teenager is getting into people's faces and causing a mess, but really? Where five slices of pizza that necessary?]

...You were hungry. [He says, looking up from the plastic basket resting on his lap holding two tacos.]
seventhprogenitor: (76)

[personal profile] seventhprogenitor 2017-04-18 08:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[It's looked for by nature, and Ferid's smile widens. Being challenged is part of the fun.]

Confidence is the only thing that brings people to my stall, dear skeptic, considering I'm quite literally one flower in a field of them at the moment! But I have no issue with demonstrating my talents, if you'd like to take a seat and judge for yourself through my customers.
feistytrader: (say what now)

[personal profile] feistytrader 2017-04-18 08:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[...Well, there's a box. It looks like a locked box, and it sounds like it has something in it.]

Do you have the key for this?
megatechbody: (Mariko Forward)

II.

[personal profile] megatechbody 2017-04-18 08:27 pm (UTC)(link)
You have a beautiful eye.

[The mood the festival brought on isn't quite dissipated, but with all the children playing and the relaxed atmosphere, it's difficult to stay so gloomy. However Kit draws her eye with his precision - and yes, the pretty and clashing Camellia in his hair helped.]

A hobby?
standalonehuman: (TogusaConcerned)

Bonus

[personal profile] standalonehuman 2017-04-18 08:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Togusa is walking up the aisle between desks at the Department when he spots what Mariko is doing, and he stops dead. It's just for a few seconds. Long enough to look at her, get her eye contact, then look meaningfully at her phone and back to her.

And then the little shit is back on his way to his desk, as if nothing at all has happened.

Hitori has been, for lack of a better word, twitchy over the last two weeks. He suddenly called out one morning, with a lame-ass excuse (that came by way of Officer Sakuraka, of all people) that he never followed up on, and has been jumpy as hell since then. Anyone else would miss it, but Mariko knows the boy too well.

Well, time for Mariko to find out why, as he infuriatingly strolls right back up like he's talking a fucking walk, and places a black folder on Mariko's desk. "This is for you, think it got put in the wrong inbox." He holds her gaze for an extra second.
fairhands: (If only there were someone who)

[personal profile] fairhands 2017-04-18 08:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Look mom is not as savvy about this sort of thing, have mercy on him. ]

I don't know about wise and wordly, but it is true he looks like a person...

[personal profile] buncho 2017-04-18 08:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's with a little grumble, but Mafuyu clamps her mouth shut. And also makes little shooing motions with her hand at Iggy. Get out of here, bug, this has nothing to do with you so just go on and fly away home. ]

That's good, then, right? Just wave food around and shout "dinner!!" and it'll come. My dog always comes for food.

manufactured: (002. we burn and coil like cigarettes)

[personal profile] manufactured 2017-04-18 08:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Mhm.

[It's assenting, at least; not disinterested, just...brief while he gets thoughts together.]

My eyes have yet to stop working entirely, you know. Better than can be said for a fair few people, granted.

[...No, really, everyone is just sort of. Okay. With this.]

[personal profile] buncho 2017-04-18 08:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Thoughtful, but also it's going to weigh a ton when it gets wet and she'll drown in it. Maybe she can make it two blocks before it gets too wet, but she'll also want to let her arms swing when she runs instead of holding a jacket over her head to keep off the rain, so they'll just have to go for it. ]

Just point me in the right direction and I'll race you there!

[ Left or right, and hopefully it's exactly two blocks down or she'll overshoot or run off forever, because she's not going to look back and make sure Kaz is there with her ]