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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.
originallutece: no it's fine i'll go to the drugstore myself (talk; siiiigh)

[personal profile] originallutece 2017-04-17 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
For god's sake--

[She takes a few steps backwards, trying to avoid that splattering of raindrops.]

I . . . require your assistance. Would you be willing to share your umbrella?

[personal profile] buncho 2017-04-17 05:10 am (UTC)(link)
[ Mafuyu's not a big fan of sharing, truth be told. But it's rare that she gets asked by somebody who looks like they genuinely need help, and she has the means to help. It'd be nice if she could hand the umbrella over with no fuss, but the hand Mafuyu extends is empty, palm up. ]

I'll trade you.

[ Rosalind can choose what! It'd better be worth it in a teenager's eyes. ]
originallutece: no wait yes i do I TOLD YOU SO (talk; i don't want to say i told you so)

[personal profile] originallutece 2017-04-17 05:15 am (UTC)(link)
[Hmm. Rosalind frowns for a moment, but then . . .]

Twenty dollars, to be given upon arrival.

[Just straight up bribe a teenager, why don't you.]

[personal profile] buncho 2017-04-17 05:17 am (UTC)(link)
Twenty—! Are you serious? Let me see the bill first!

[ Only Mafuyu is already shoving the umbrella into Rosalind's hands, without even bothering to shake off the excess water first because twenty dollars!! She can definitely be straight up bribed. ]
originallutece: a flying cityyyy? (talk; do you want to build)

[personal profile] originallutece 2017-04-17 05:36 am (UTC)(link)
[Oh, good lord-- Rosalind blinks a few times, but takes the umbrella gladly.]

Come here, then.

[She holds it up high enough they might both fit, or at least try.]

I'm not going to fumble with my wallet in the rain. But my name is Dr. Lutece, if you're worried I'll run off without paying you.

[personal profile] buncho 2017-04-17 05:43 am (UTC)(link)
[ The title of a doctor means nothing much to Mafuyu, who toughs out cuts and scrapes and only sees the school nurse if her teacher refuses to let her sit in the classroom bleeding. So hearing a pledge from a doctor only makes her laugh, open and frank as she steps in close to Rosalind's side to get out of the rain. ]

I'm not worried! I bet I can run faster than you, and I'll hunt you down!

[ And she will do it. Look at her and don't doubt she will rip that wallet from Rosalind's hands if she walks away without paying. ]
originallutece: the ojigi tried to eat the delivery boy again (talk; w e l p)

[personal profile] originallutece 2017-04-17 05:59 am (UTC)(link)
[FORTUNATELY FOR ALL INVOLVED, Rosalind has every intention of paying up.]

Do you often hunt down those who shirk on paying you, or will I be a special exception?

[personal profile] buncho 2017-04-17 06:05 am (UTC)(link)
Nobody shirks me!

[ With her hands free of having to hold onto the umbrella, Mafuyu demonstratively pounds her fist into her other hand. ]

I don't give 'em a chance to run.
originallutece: IS NOT A GOOD EXPANATION FOR A VILLAIN'S POWERS (talk; IT JUST WORKS)

[personal profile] originallutece 2017-04-17 06:42 am (UTC)(link)
And is this what you do all day? Or is there a day job?

[personal profile] buncho 2017-04-17 12:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Even Mafuyu would tire of chasing around hooligans all day. Being a hooligan is a step up from that, but she slows and thinks about what exactly she does all day, because they all sort of blur into one big I-do-what-I-want. ]

Most of the time I'm at the arcade, or playing soccer in the park. ...Sometimes I go to school?

[ School sure is an afterthought. ]
originallutece: let's start with part 1 section A and go from there (talk; what do i dislike about you?)

[personal profile] originallutece 2017-04-17 06:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[Oh, buddy. Oh, buddy, no.]

Why--

[No, that never works. Rosalind hesitates, then offers:]

Look. What is it you want out of life, precisely? Beyond simply enjoying yourself: do you have any goals?

[personal profile] buncho 2017-04-17 09:53 pm (UTC)(link)
No.

[ What is there in life besides enjoying herself? She's sixteen, just trying to get by her second year of high school. Goals and all of that are things she's going to worry about until she becomes a senior and is forced to accept that she can't stay a kid forever. ]

I like my life just like this.
originallutece: a flying cityyyy? (talk; do you want to build)

[personal profile] originallutece 2017-04-18 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
You don't have any dreams for a career?

[personal profile] buncho 2017-04-18 12:20 am (UTC)(link)
I dunno. Something I get paid for playing?

[ She thinks video gamers have something like that, or athletes. But she doesn't want to train or partake in tournaments, she just wants to mash buttons and kick a ball around. ]

Come on, nobody thinks about this stuff so early! You can't learn doctor stuff until college anyways!
originallutece: please can we just leave the world to burn (talk; here's the reasons this won't work)

[personal profile] originallutece 2017-04-18 11:46 pm (UTC)(link)
I thought about it at your age.

[Wow, good for you, Rosalind.]

And you can, actually. You most certainly can; the internet was built precisely for that.

[It sure was not.]

[personal profile] buncho 2017-04-19 03:37 am (UTC)(link)
No way! The internet is for Googling words you don't know and checking the score to baseball games you can't watch!

[ And that's it!! All the shared knowledge in the world is wasted on her ]