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.
eyestitch: (Default)

iv. hi robyn

[personal profile] eyestitch 2017-04-24 06:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[It took her about half a day to stop erupting into girlish screams at the sight of the oversized insects and only about half an hour after that to start looking at them with a sick fascination instead. They were so big! So grotesque! It's just hideous!

And after that, it took no time at all to realize no one elsefound it the slightest bit strange.

No, as far as strange thing go, this girl crawling on top of the residential fences is much more problematic. Unperturbed, Nui looks up at Allison with one hand shielding her eyes (both of which are present) with one hand. She sighs breezily.
]

Jeez, I wonder...should I call the cops or the circus?
Edited (oh my christ my keyboard had a fit and just posted this unfinished...ok.) 2017-04-24 18:20 (UTC)
seeker: (02.)

hi shay!

[personal profile] seeker 2017-04-26 08:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[The enormous, horrifying centipede from hell has not stirred. It's curled up by what looks a lot like a dog house, and only the spasmodic twitching of its many, awful limbs lets Alison know she's dealing with a live one.

Which is really, really gross. She doesn't quail at most things, but who liked centipedes?

She's about to jump over the second fence when the voice makes her start. Her grip goes white-knuckled on the fence board, then relaxes.]


The circus, definitely. [A quip that's only slightly breathless, her voice low and perhaps a bit strained, if one knew what to look for.] Always wanted to be a lion tamer. Can you get out of the way?
eyestitch: (72)

sigh all of my icons rn are from when she's completely lost her shit

[personal profile] eyestitch 2017-04-27 06:20 am (UTC)(link)
[She drops the hand shielding her eyes, popping off a sweet smile. The weird things go away fast enough. They've disappeared before, and Nui hasn't even had to rub away her perfectly set eyeliner to shake them out the way she's had to drive away some other weird things in this town.]

A lion tamer, huh? Well... I guess I can see it! You've got the look for it.

[She doesn't get out of the way, not yet.] Are you gonna hop on down?
seeker: (11.)

it kind of makes this conversation more charming though

[personal profile] seeker 2017-04-27 07:27 am (UTC)(link)
[Alison, who never skips arm day, is nonetheless beginning to feel the burn. She relaxes, by the barest of fractions, which is a mistake. She won't break anything, falling from this height. Probably. But something might twist, or she would end up with a lot of unpleasant bruises. Her grip tightens again.]

Sure, if you want me to fall on you. [This conversation is beginning to make her, for lack of a better term, antsy.]
eyestitch: (71)

it adds to her charisma, right?

[personal profile] eyestitch 2017-04-27 06:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[It would just be terrible if she fell, wouldn't it? Nui would hate to cause an accident just by standing in the wrong place.]

No way! Don't judge a girl by her looks. I could probably catch you. [After lingering just long enough that it's clearly, painfully intentional, she steps back far enough that Alison now has a place to land.]
seeker: (11.)

that's one way to put it

[personal profile] seeker 2017-04-28 12:14 am (UTC)(link)
[The disbelieving expression on Alison's face speaks a thousand words. She hefts herself up by her now aching arms, and hops off the fence to land in a crouch.

She feels it all the way up her thighs, but...nothing broken. Or twisted, and no bruises. Though now came the harder part — getting around this...person without alerting the giant centipede, which she is beginning to think is an insane figment of her imagination. If it wasn't, wouldn't a lot more screaming be happening?

Right?

...Well. Maybe the best thing to do would be to ask. The white-faced person being dragged along by the moth has since disappeared around the corner. Alison breathes in, steels herself, and says, in a low voice:]


I take it you don't see that.

[She doesn't specify what 'that' is, since it should be pretty obvious.]
eyestitch: (69)

[personal profile] eyestitch 2017-04-28 05:16 am (UTC)(link)
[Nui's lips come together in a curious, delighted little "o" as she watches those acrobatics. Alison's question makes her pause.

What to do? String her along like a crazy person? No, she's probably going through exactly the same things that she is, the slow dissolution of her reality that she's trying to let wash off her back like water.
]

Nope, I see it! What's the problem? Everyone else is acting like it's fine, so it's probably not a big deal!
seeker: (01.)

[personal profile] seeker 2017-04-30 03:17 am (UTC)(link)
You're seriously asking me what's the problem.

[Deadpanned, not a question so much as a disbelieving statement. The centipede moves again, a bizarre and unsettling twisting of its limbs in the air, and Alison feels goosebumps of mingled unease and disgust rise to life on her arms.] Even if everyone else, [A wave of her hand to indicate the whole of the area they're in] is acting like it's normal, it doesn't strike you as, I don't know, completely bizarre, that we're seeing giant bugs?

[Her voice hasn't risen, but lowered to a sharp, disapproving hiss. If she wakes that thing up and it comes after them, they're sitting ducks.]
eyestitch: (71)

[personal profile] eyestitch 2017-04-30 03:50 am (UTC)(link)
I'm just saying you probably shouldn't sweat it! [She flaps her hand dismissively.] You'll get all like, sweaty. See?

[Nui looks into the distance, her expression flattening. Something in her longs to keep the game up, but she's getting bored.] Sure, I could freak out, but then more people would freak out, and I'd look totally crazy, right?

Besides, it'll probably go away in... [She pulls out her phone, spattered with acrylic adornments and headphone jack charms.] Just a second!
seeker: (11.)

[personal profile] seeker 2017-04-30 06:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[Jesus, how does she use that phone? Alison eyeballs the bedazzled monstrosity with something akin to fascination. She wonders if this girl is a figment of her imagination too. It would account for this entire conversation.]

How can you be so sure?