Recollé Mods (
recollecters) wrote in
repeter2017-04-16 09:01 pm
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APRIL TDM
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 ![]() |
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I could've sworn it was still good. [ oh god Jack sees it too ] A-are we sure that's not a puppet? A balloon!? [ DOn'T TELL ANYONE HIS VOICE SQUEAKED ]
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We oughta check when we get back. Just in case.
[ He's not giving up on the possibility yet! ]
That'd make for one ugly balloon. And don't puppets need to be, I don't know, handled somehow? That thing's just... hanging out on the leash like it belongs there! [ That ain't right, that just ain't right!! ] Have you ever even seen a bug that before?
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[ JUST IN CASE. ]
I don't know though, I've seen some really odd balloon races before. [ Thanks internet ] They're usually not that realistic however.
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That's what you spend your free time on? Balloon races?
[ Why is he even surprised. The kid's such a huge nerd, of course he watches balloon races. ]
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Look, even you should know the internet gets weird at 3am.
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Sure, but aren't you usually in bed by ten if there's no exams the next day?
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If there are no exams is the important part there.
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[ well he'll be damned. ]
And instead of actually doing something fun, you go and look up balloon races.
[ why are they friends again. ]
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Breaks are important too you know. And there's that little fact wiki has a random article button.
[ It's a dangerous rabbit hole once you're three tabs in. ]
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Oh, yeah? Well maybe it has something to explain why there is an actual giant moth tied to that lady's leash.
[ surprise we're back on topic now! ]
I don't know what kind of balloons you see in those races of yours, but I'm pretty sure that isn't one of them.
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Nothing that I've come across looks remotely like that. They're a bit more cartoon-y for one.
Maybe you should ask Siri.
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Yeah, see, that's what I thought. [ god help them that means it really is a giant moth. that's not creepy at all. ] And last I checked, moths weren't pets.
[ he grimaces. ]
No way. The phone'll just take that as an excuse to spit out more bug trivia. I don't know about you, Davey, but I wouldn't call telling us which ones are more likely to kill us than each other a fun fact.
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Do you think anyone else is seeing this? [ No one else is standing around gaping like they are though......] I don't think I want to meet Mothra in person. [ Even if it seems to be right there ]
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No clue. Everyone else is acting like taking your overgrown moth for a walk is an everyday thing.
[ what is wrong with you people?! that should be a dog for crying out loud! or at least a weirdly tame cat.
...still. he pauses. ]
Mothra, that's... [ give him a minute. ] That's from one of those Godzilla movies, right?
[ he doesn't remember help ]
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It isn't is, it? [He's seen plenty of odd animals being walked in the city but this is definitely takes a something. (Not cake. Definitely Not cake.)
Pauses though, a small sheepish smile forming.]
I- Yeah. She's part of the old Godzilla series. .... Les really likes them.
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[ This city's been known for some weird stuff happening once in a while, but nothing like this. ]
Wait, wait, she? [ Here we go, getting sidetracked again. ] You mean to tell me some giant moth monster is a girl?
[ He asks as if he even remembers it. Look, he has an idea, don't judge him. ]
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[ Blinks once. Twice. Don't laugh Davey, it'll ruin it ] Female moths are bigger.
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[ And now moths. Why is this city like this.
...Dave. Davey are serious. The look Jack gives him is just. Totally incredulous. ]
Oh, and where'd you learn that one? Was that one of those so-called "fun" facts, or was that another one of your random Wikipedia articles from 3am?
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[ At least you can say it's always interesting. ]
And in fact, it was one of those fun facts that popped up recently. [ DON'T LAUGH DAVID ]
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[ Interesting is one thing. Everything changing in the blink of an eye, though? Jack doesn't remember signing up for that.
He's still banking on the milk being expired, to be honest. ]
You've gotta be kidding me. And you're actually reading those? Nobody cares if Mothra was a girl or not when it's out there destroying cities or whatever the hell it did!