APRIL TDM

[recollecters]

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 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.

Comments

Marcell Csorba | OC

[fairhands]

[ AU workshop is here, you're welcome to get in touch with me there for plotting! You can also PP at paperforest if you wanna hash things out. ]

A
[ This unlucky bastard got caught in the rain, much to his displeasure, and has taken shelter under an awning by one of the street vendors. He's taken off his suit jacket in some futile attempt to keep it from getting soaked, and he took a moment to inspect the damage done to it. Probably looked pretty unhappy, this jacket isn't going to recover...

Now he's taken to reading through the fashion magazines while he waits for the rain to lighten up. He's frowning, which isn't surprising considering, well. Nevermind the buckles, what is with these dresses? ]

This seems rather tasteless...

[ It's probably a bit louder than he intended it to be. ]

B
[ He came to the flower festival for a picnic, next thing he knows he's been accosted and cajoled by a group of kids into making flower crowns with them? Some of them even wanted to put flowers in his hair, and despite his misgivings it was hard to refuse a request this harmless, so...

Marcell can be found his long hair braided with a number of flowers of different colours, and he's holding several flower crowns in his hands. They're all very meticulously made; it seems he really got into it. ]

Excuse me, would you like a flower crown?

[ He has to do something about them, after all. ]

Wildcard
[ Make up your own scenario if you'd like! ]

B

[wantshappiness]

[Yuuri wasn't any good at making flower crowns. Her fingers fumbled over the knots and she kept tearing them.

So when someone offers her one her eyes go wide.]

I can really take one?

[fairhands]

Of course you can. There's no point in me keeping all of them to myself.

[ He holds one out for her. ]

[wantshappiness]

[She accepts it with both hands and a bright smile.]

Thank you! I'm sorry I don't have anything to give you in return...

[fairhands]

It's fine. You can consider it a gift.

[wantshappiness]

That's very kind of you.

[She places it on her head with a smile.]

How does it look?

A

[mettatronic]

[Matty here owns a few umbrellas. He brought not a one of 'em out today - they weren't cheap, and why wear one out when the day looked like it was going to be clear skies and chirping birds?

Looked like.

He's slightly miffed at the day for having played him, if anything, but more than anything now, well... he's trying to save face for having gotten himself soaked. He's underneath the vendors' awnings trying to look perfectly satisfied with having been rained on, sleeking his hair and tossing his bangs to angle them in a window. (It's taking some work - his hair's kind of sticky with diluted hairspray - but 'scuse you, he'll make it work and regard his work with a lifted brow and a determinedly contented smirk. No rain's going to cramp his style or make a monkey out of him, darn it.)

Or he was primping up until he heard the gentleman nearby speak

Turns away from the window.]

Hmm?

[Takes a couple of steps closer - ohh, the contents of the fashion mags. He chuckles lightly, half meant to be heard, and strides over closer and up to the guy's side, putting on an open smile.]

It's fashion, my good man! Quite a bit depends on how you're able to rock it.

[He says with just a bit of a smirk in the corner of his mouth - his own outfit's got more than a strictly-necessary number of buckles on it, and he thinks he looks quite snazzy in it, thank-you-very-much; gotta proudly wear and let out his smoldering inborn rock-star power everywhere he can let it shine.]

[fairhands]

[ 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. ]

A

[fashionable_yapping]

[Guess who's not happy at this downturn in the seasonal fashion? Nina scowls at the magazines she's been reading. There's nothing really wearable in there. She'd been hoping for something new to add to her wardrobe. It really doesn't help her mood that she hadn't been expecting rain, and her umbrella's in her other purse.]

I know, right? Usually the trends're way better than this.

[fairhands]

One can hope this will pass quickly.

[ And he can pray that no one comes to his store requesting an outfit in this fashion. ]

[fashionable_yapping]

I regret buying this magazine. I'm just going to rip this crap up. Or burn it. You got a lighter or something?

[fairhands]

You don't need to go so far as to burn it.

[ CHILD, DO NOT???? ]

[fashionable_yapping]

I wasn't really being serious. About burning it anyways.

[With that, she promptly begins ripping up her copy of the magazine.]

B

[vitis]

[ john's been enjoying himself, certainly, even if flowers are something to be cherished. it's a shame so many have been picked in the height of blossom-- but there doesn't seem to be much helping it. for the moment, anyway.

it looks like he's already had a flower crown pushed onto him, but he shrugs and holds out a hand in acceptance anyway. and then, after a moment in which he gets a good look at marshall— ]

Nice braid.

[ pointing at his own hair. ]

[fairhands]

The kids were, ah, insistent.

[ As in, pestered him into allowing it as they were making flower crowns together. ]

[vitis]

(ooc: marcell*, lordy!)

Looks that way!

[ a laugh. ]

Kids will be kids, yeah. My lil' sister— she ain't nearly as neat 'bout braidin' and things [ or a lot of things, really ], so you got lucky with your stylists, there.

[fairhands]

I suppose I am lucky. The two of them kept making comments about my hair while they were braiding it...

[ Like, "Wow, it's so soft!" and general discussion over how he manages to get hair this nice, as far as he could tell. ]

Oh, how old is she? Maybe she'll get better at it in time.

B

[wherethewildthingsare]

[Well he had intended to patrol around there.]

Have you become a flower child, dear?

[Of course he'd catch Marcell with his hair full of flowers.]

[fairhands]

Very funny, dear.

[ He's gesturing at Ichirou to lean down, still. ]

[wherethewildthingsare]

Are you going to hang one on me?

[He is doing as his husband tells him, though.]

[fairhands]

Of course.

[ He places a flower crown on the pompadour. ]

a!

[undergrowl]

[ If Marcell hadn't spoken up against modern fashion, Koushuu probably wouldn't have noticed him, to be honest. He's focused on getting home mostly dry, having been smart enough to bring an umbrella at the first note of "light showers." The fact that it turned out to be a downpour isn't too shocking, given the way weather is so frequently, but regardless.

The voice has him perking, going on point with his eyes scanning for the source.

When he sees him, he makes his way towards the awning, making sure not to get too close to the castoff from it. He's already pretty damp, and he's going to have to air out and/or wash his gear to make sure nothing winds up stinking or getting moldy, but he also doesn't want to catch his umbrella in it and soak anyone with whatever bounces off. ]

You don't look too happy with that.

[fairhands]

[ ...Oh, he really did say it a little too loud, huh. He looks up from the magazine. ]

Just some...poor taste in the new fashion trends, really. They're ridiculous.

[undergrowl]

[ His eyes drop down to the magazine, and one of his eyebrows raises, just so, as he looks back up at Marcell.

He at least has the good grace to not comment on his sense of fashion. ]

There's jeans with plastic windows in the legs now. [ But he will offend his delicate sensibilities. ]

[fairhands]

[ His fashion sense is perfectly sensible and stylish suits, thank you. ]

...I see. Unfortunate.

[ He's rubbing his forehead, please dear god don't let anyone come into his store asking for that sort of thing. ]