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.
sharplydressed: (careful careful)

[personal profile] sharplydressed 2017-04-19 08:55 am (UTC)(link)
[He's like | | this close to just saying welcome to the club, buddy BUT NO... No, he'll refrain.]

Hm... You're gonna have to be a little more specific than that if you want some help.

[Is he actually trying to be helpful or is he just being a butthead, The Eternal Mystery.]
disaccordant: (02.)

[personal profile] disaccordant 2017-04-23 08:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[STOP]

Just cover me for now while I figure out a way to stop this stupid noise—!

[agggh where is it coming from]
sharplydressed: (judging you for your fashion choices)

[personal profile] sharplydressed 2017-04-24 03:54 am (UTC)(link)
[HE CAN'T, HE'S A MEME.]

So it really is coming from you...

[As if that wasn't glaringly obvious. Why is he choosing now to give this poor barista fool a hard time??

On the plus side, the line is winding down, so at least there are fewer and fewer customers around to give him weird looks.]
disaccordant: (11.)

[personal profile] disaccordant 2017-04-24 10:57 am (UTC)(link)
As much as I wish otherwise, apparently so...!

[After glancing around to make sure the manager isn't around, he pulls out his phone, because maybe that's where it's coming from??

And then he squints because what the hell is this app.]
sharplydressed: (who put you here)

[personal profile] sharplydressed 2017-04-24 11:46 am (UTC)(link)
It's fine, it's fine, you'll figure it out.

[HELPFUL... And he'll flawlessly take the next order, glancing over Brett's shoulder to look at his phone in between shuffling from the register to the espresso machine only to see--

Ah.]


Oh.

[Hm.]
disaccordant: (06.)

[personal profile] disaccordant 2017-04-24 01:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[um]

"Oh"?

[WHAT DOES... THAT MEAN...]
sharplydressed: (reassurance)

[personal profile] sharplydressed 2017-04-25 05:12 am (UTC)(link)
[JUST... quietly and solemnly putting a hand on this poor guy's shoulder...]

Welcome to the worst club ever.
disaccordant: (03.)

[personal profile] disaccordant 2017-04-27 11:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[Brushing that hand off, thanks...]

What's that supposed to mean?
sharplydressed: (in soft winter)

[personal profile] sharplydressed 2017-04-27 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[RUDE... Also that's a good question and Kiyomitsu still hasn't perfected his spiel on how things work in Recolle now, whoops.]

It means you're gonna be dealing with a whooole lot of really weird and annoying things from now on. ...Or at least as long as Retrospec wants to pick on you.

[He's got one quick way to deal with this, though.]

You remember horses now, yeah?
disaccordant: (06.)

[personal profile] disaccordant 2017-04-27 11:59 pm (UTC)(link)
...

[Brett pauses, initially confused, before he thinks about it.

... and then

the look of HEY WAIT dawning on his face is pretty hard to miss—]
sharplydressed: (cool story)

[personal profile] sharplydressed 2017-04-28 12:02 am (UTC)(link)
[HE SEES IT. He's seen it a lot over the past few months on a lot of poor unfortunate souls...]

Right? And let me tell you, that's just the start.
disaccordant: (11.)

[personal profile] disaccordant 2017-04-30 08:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[UMMM]

What the hell is that supposed to mean?
sharplydressed: (serious)

[personal profile] sharplydressed 2017-05-01 12:36 am (UTC)(link)
It means exactly what it sounds like. Like, dancing fruit? I bet those things're looking pretty weird right about now, too.

[Welcome to hell.]
disaccordant: (08.)

[personal profile] disaccordant 2017-05-01 01:19 am (UTC)(link)
[he doesn't want to be here???

He just stares at Kashuu for a few moments, before all he can manage is an incredulous:]


... What?

[As he pinches the bridge of his nose because maybe he's just??? sick???? and his mind is doing weird things to him????]
sharplydressed: (hella redux: return of hella)

[personal profile] sharplydressed 2017-05-01 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
Want me to get an orange out from the back to show you?

[HE'LL MAKE THIS POOR FOOL CONFRONT HIS FRUIT DEMONS. He's been tired since the day he had to start keeping them in a special crate so they wouldn't start dancing out onto the floor and everyone else acted like that was totally normal.]
disaccordant: (06.)

[personal profile] disaccordant 2017-05-02 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
In public!?

[Granted, something in the back of Brett's mind points out that there must be a reason no one else has apparently noticed the dancing fruit until now but

dancing fruit??????]
sharplydressed: (what the heck)

[personal profile] sharplydressed 2017-05-02 10:02 am (UTC)(link)
Yep.

[HE'S ALREADY GOING TO GET IT and indeed, when he comes back out and drops two dancing and smiling oranges on the counter, no one else acts like it's weird...]

People fall into two groups here. ...Or three, I guess? If no one's reacting, they either don't have the app, or they do and they've already kind of accepted that we're just gonna live with dancing fruit for the foreseeable future. If they do react, they're probably people like you who're new.
disaccordant: (08.)

[personal profile] disaccordant 2017-05-03 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
[this is REALLY ALARMING??]

So you've...

[A pause, as he tries to figure out what to say (what do you even say in a situation like this???)...]

... So you've just been pretending that there's nothing weird about this all this time?

[gestures to the dancing oranges???!?

granted kiyomitsu was always kind of weird so maybe brett just didn't notice the signs of insanity]
sharplydressed: (stares dramatically out window)

[personal profile] sharplydressed 2017-05-03 05:49 am (UTC)(link)
[WOW rude, he's totally normal!! And the parts of him that aren't are eclectic, like all true top designers.]

Well, there's not really a second option, y'know? When people won't believe something right in front of their face, you just have to let it go or it'll drive you nuts.