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.
b0mbshell: (066)

[personal profile] b0mbshell 2017-04-19 12:41 am (UTC)(link)
[She's going to end up carrying a bag full of water considering this downpour. So he starts putting the armload of groceries into her potential mobile puddle and looks up at her with his sopped, sad dog face.]

Well I guess it's not too bad if you're a fish but those usually don't have to walk home from work.

[Unless that becomes one of the stranger happenings. Thing is, he's not noticed the stuff anyone else has yet, or he'd consider it as a legitimate possibility.]
judgementkazzy: (So the grooves make me move)

[personal profile] judgementkazzy 2017-04-19 12:41 am (UTC)(link)
[ it's ok, he's... got more. Just go ahead and use it like a towel, Kaz is here to help. ]

Sounds good. That works out for both of us.

[ Going out to dinner is way better than going home to eat cup noodles, hell yea. ]
hjack69: (Default)

TELL ME JACK WOULDN'T LOVE TRASHY TV THOUGH

[personal profile] hjack69 2017-04-19 12:42 am (UTC)(link)
I was trying to help you, you little financial-life-ruining shit. Remember? Duuuh, there's scary bugs and stuff, what's a Retrospec, I forgot what horses are.

[ This is a forty fucking year old man who works in higher education. And oh, that last bit has him straightening up with a huff, looking beyond offended. ]

And plenty of people like me! You just have bad taste! [ get ready 4 da bomb: ] You're like one of those jackasses that prefers RC Cola over Dr. Pepper, okay, you don't even know what's good.
creativenonfiction: (8:10 am fuck me in the ass)

[personal profile] creativenonfiction 2017-04-19 12:46 am (UTC)(link)
[Just a few minutes after that "helpful" advice the fight is settled by Kunikida smashing the umbrella into a brick wall. It clatters to the ground, handle bent as much as the wire frame. He picks it up.]

That "pinned" enough for you? [Asshole. The umbrella gets tossed down at his audience's feet, punctuated with a nice anime "tsk" before Kunikida sets to examining the damage done to his glasses. He'll get soaked without the umbrella but whatever. It's not like he's wearing a white shirt.]
clear_eyes: (pout)

[personal profile] clear_eyes 2017-04-19 12:48 am (UTC)(link)
[Rachel sees where he's pointing, and nods, heading over to it and setting the box down.]

The grinder isn't working. It made these crunching noises whenever we tried to turn it on.
judgementkazzy: (Wow Breakin' the law)

[personal profile] judgementkazzy 2017-04-19 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ Spoken like a true rain-running pro, Mafuyu. ]

This way.

[ He points to their right. It's... there's probably something two blocks down. Whether it's a diner or something else, who knows. Any other day, they could probably see the sign, but the rain's just not letting up. ]

Ready?
flowrite: (rommipullo-trc066)

[personal profile] flowrite 2017-04-19 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
[For his part, Fai's just happy that Rhys isn't shorter than he is. He's used to it, but it's always kind of a pleasant surprise to not be the giraffe in the room. Bonus points for Rhys! (And to be fair, pretty much anyone looks macho compared to Fai. Especially with the flower crown.)]

No, I don't think it's lame! Trust me, I know all about lacking free time--and my hobbies are much, much lamer.

[He reads romance novels. Old paperback Harlequins. He will not admit this. Especially not to random cute guys.]

Ah... usually I'm either working or studying or running off to class. Or some combination of all of them. On my occasional day off--such as today--I try to remember what having a real life is like.
skald: (viisikymmentä)

1

[personal profile] skald 2017-04-19 12:51 am (UTC)(link)
Hm? [Tuuri stops and points to herself with her free hand, as if to confirm that she's the one that Luca means... but what she wants is pretty obvious. Her umbrella isn't the largest in the world, but it is adorable, with little black and white cat faces dotting it like polkadots, so that has to count for something.] Oh, sure, where are you headed?

[Tuuri is luckily on her way home from class, so she's got time. The only problem, which she hasn't realized just yet, is that Tuuri is only about five feet tall. The hazards of sharing an umbrella with strangers...]
judgementkazzy: (Tick down to midnight)

[personal profile] judgementkazzy 2017-04-19 12:51 am (UTC)(link)
i saw someone walking a giant wasp the other day
i'm not ruling out giant plants...
judgementkazzy: (切り裂けTenderness)

[personal profile] judgementkazzy 2017-04-19 12:58 am (UTC)(link)
[ me @ kaz every day tbh ]

Just let me know and I'll get it for you next time.

[ You can't just do that for people, Kaz... He follows Yukine anyway, I mean he has his umbrella now. ]

Were you going anywhere, specifically?

[ How long will Kaz Kiryu carry an umbrella for you? Answer: as long as it takes. ]
spes_phthisica: by nique (Rusted from the elbow to the finger)

[personal profile] spes_phthisica 2017-04-19 12:59 am (UTC)(link)
[He nods slowly, trying to think himself into the "new country, new school" situation, but it's hard. He'd been an odd kid, it's true, and he hadn't connected easily with people his age at the time, but he'd also lived all of his life in Recollé. It had never even struck him that he could live anywhere else, not at any time of his life, and he'd been baffled every time people asked him, "Where are you from?" as if the answer could be anything but "Here".

He imagines that being an outsider within your own context can't be nearly as bad as being one with no context at all.

He sips at his glorified syrup some more, careful to take it slowly despite himself. Sometimes very cold things make him cough, and it's the last thing he wants right now.]


I work at a daycare. It helps pay the bills, but really... [He shrugs and smiles.] I just enjoy it. I mean, I'm basically getting paid to play, right? And I've always loved kids.
Edited 2017-04-19 01:00 (UTC)
complementing: (Default)

[personal profile] complementing 2017-04-19 12:59 am (UTC)(link)
[Minako breathes out a sigh of relief and does just that, setting the second box on top of the first. Neither are particularly heavy, just cumbersome, and getting rid of them means she’s free to yell at the person on the phone.]

I’m really sorry, Cherche, this will only take a second--Maddy? You should be talking with the volunteer group you’re with to figure that out instead of calling me. This number is supposed to be for emergencies only. It’s okay. Yeah, I have to go now, bye!

[And she ends the call with another sigh.]

Whew. Okay. Thank you for waiting. I can take one of the boxes back now!
rhygret: (you utter bag of dicks)

it's so perfect, this whole thread is perfect

[personal profile] rhygret 2017-04-19 01:02 am (UTC)(link)
I--what??? What does that have to do with anything??

[ Jack just keeps jumping around between obscure topics like they cohesively make sense and Rhys isn't sure what on earth he's supposed to be following here. How is that smooth talker from the bar this awful in actuality??? Like how. He'd been so handsome and charming and goddddd he'd just been played hadn't he? That whole evening was just him being picked out of a crowd for a fun evening.

S u p e r. ]
judgementkazzy: (So the grooves make me move)

[personal profile] judgementkazzy 2017-04-19 01:04 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ah, kids. Kaz chuckles, his chill very much intact. ]

I wasn't really expecting a flying school bag.

[ Plus his reflexes aren't shit without regains, you could probably take him in a fight... ]

I'm guessing you don't have an umbrella?
flowrite: (trc278)

[personal profile] flowrite 2017-04-19 01:08 am (UTC)(link)
[Blink.

Blink.

After a moment or two of surprise, Fai presses his lips together to keep from laughing again. When he came to the cafe today he definitely didn't foresee making a new friend. Even if she's only in it for the donuts.]


Well, how can I say no to that? Wait here, I'll be right back.

[Before he slips out of the booth he grabs the small stack of case files and tucks them under an arm. There's confidential information in them, it wouldn't be safe to leave them laying around. Everything else is fine--there's not much left in his messenger bag, his trinkets are just trinkets, and his wallet is in his pocket. He does, however, completely miss that the romance novel is still on the table as he moves away to ask for a bear claw at the counter. Oops.]
sivard: (☁ take away all you got)

[personal profile] sivard 2017-04-19 01:09 am (UTC)(link)
Whaat?!

[Boss, oh my god.]

Well, if you just cut it at the step, it's not gonna last forever-- a few weeks, maybe a month tops. That's what you've gotta buy the ones that can be planted in pots. Those can live for years with the right amount of sun and water!

...and so long as you keep 'em away from cats. I don't know what it is with cats and eating plants.
hjack69: (pic#10540290)

probably legit the most trainwrecky thread i've done in this game to date, CONGRATS

[personal profile] hjack69 2017-04-19 01:12 am (UTC)(link)
It means what the hell happened to you? You're like twenty years younger than me, cute, and you still manage to be totally awful. And not just because you work for the IRS.

I mean, partially because you work for the IRS. Like maybe forty-nine percent. But the rest is all you, baby.

[ SO THERE. tmw you wish a thread would never end but it's kind of going that way, because Jack is getting ready to leave in a huff, putting his gloves back on. ]

Also means I'm about to be outie five kay, chief. [ Outie five thousand. Which means outie. He's hip with the kids, see. ] We'll pick this total goddamn mess of a conversation back up when the government inevitably tells me to.
scythegun: (RELAXED ⇝ hahaha wow)

[personal profile] scythegun 2017-04-19 01:13 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not sure what it is with you and cats either!

[BUT HE'LL JUST MOVE RIGHT ALONG NOW THAT THAT'S OUT THERE]

Do they really? Every time I've tried to keep up a plant it dies. I've even killed a couple of those tiny, potted cacti! That's why I leave all the gardening to other people.

[because he's rich, so why not]
spes_phthisica: (I've read the Bill of Human Rights)

c, comment from "flowersoup_ㅇㅅㅇ✿" (why)

[personal profile] spes_phthisica 2017-04-19 01:13 am (UTC)(link)
really cute pictures as always ♥(ˆ⌣ˆԅ)

as for that other thing
omg maybe you're going to think that I'm being kind of weird now but um
did you see a really really REALLY big bug?
like something that should be terrifying to everyone but no one else seemed to notice??
judgementkazzy: (Wow Breakin' the law)

[personal profile] judgementkazzy 2017-04-19 01:13 am (UTC)(link)
[ He also probably has a five-hour energy in there, along with a granola bar and... well. ]

I like being prepared.

[ He shrugs, handing over his spare things. It's a video game protag thing, you never know when you might need this random shit. ]

Maybe I'll add a towel for next time.

[ Is he kidding or not, it's hard to tell. ]
sivard: (☁ think about what you're not)

[personal profile] sivard 2017-04-19 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
Nah, man, it had six legs! Like a giant bug, you know! Didn't look doglike at all.

[He rubs at his head.]

It is my day off, but I haven't been drinking. Not really my thing, unless I'm on a date. Maybe it was the light...
vitis: (a)

[personal profile] vitis 2017-04-19 01:17 am (UTC)(link)
John Becket now that'd be a sight
next mantis owner i see, i'll have to ask

alternatively, make peace with our new co-inhabitants— but retrospec seems more intent on preparing for bloodshed, agreed
least one of those enormous grubs could probably feed a family of six easy
plenty of protein to go round
feistytrader: (gold's hat is huge too)

[personal profile] feistytrader 2017-04-19 01:17 am (UTC)(link)
[...He will get this drawer open. He will get this drawer open if it's the last thing he does.]

I don't see any point in lying about it.
feistytrader: (chillin like a. protag.)

[personal profile] feistytrader 2017-04-19 01:22 am (UTC)(link)
One of these days, you're gonna grab some spandex and try to play superhero, aren't you?

[That would be cool, wouldn't it? Some kind of weird superhero gang.]
vitis: (here's the character introduction)

1

[personal profile] vitis 2017-04-19 01:22 am (UTC)(link)
[ yes, he'd been one of the unfortunate ones to forego an umbrella, this day— as evidenced by his sopping wet clothes, hair, everything. even if he doesn't so much mind the rain, it's managed to sour his mood. but then! a much-unexpected savior.

john's eyebrows raise when he feels the rain relent, pivoting to blink at her with wide eyes.
]

Oh. [ er. ] Thanks!

[ he shifts some bangs away from his forehead, to get a better look at her. ]

I'm John.