JUNE TDM

[recollecters]

TEST DRIVE

JUNE TEST DRIVE The city of Recollé. The kids are out for the summer and the weather's just fine. The sun's shining brightly, not a cloud in the clear gray sky. Everything seems at peace and citizens are out and about, smiling to one another and enjoying each other's company. Oh, and this thing (complete with cardboard cut-out) has currently taken the place of the founders' statues in Recollé Square. But that's probably not a big deal.  What will you do today? I. What is this thing? Why is this thing here? For those of you in Tribunal Terrace today you may wish to investigate the five-foot-tall spinning wheel. How did it even get here? And where did the statues of the founders go? Even if you cannot answer those questions, it's hard to ignore the urge to give it a spin. Check out those colors go 'round and 'round. Depending on what number you land on, you will find a notification pop up on your phone with a short list of…words. Are these supposed to be qualifications? Weird. That was a waste of time. However, the moment you walk away you will find yourself accosted by various recruiters wherever you go, congratulating you on your impressive resumé and leading you to an office in Chata. Their offices have been equipped with tabletop-sized spinning wheels much like the one in Recollé Square that will spin 'round and 'round, determining the position you qualify for. Are you ready to show how these traits make you the perfect applicant? It looks like you have time to consult with your fellow candidates before your turn comes. Or perhaps you've managed to resist spinning that wheel. The recruiters absolutely love your willpower and determination and want you to join their team! For those who can resist, they will still find themselves whisked away by recruiters to the same office and thrown straight into training to prepare for interviewing their neighbors. Recruiters will set up pairs of interviewers and applicants, leaving them alone to ask the hard-hitting questions and pick the most qualified candidate. Do your best and beat out the rest! It's your time to shine. II. Just because school is out for the summer doesn't mean Apparassage is quiet. Students and faculty alike are bustling about already preparing for the next school year. Campus tours of Recollé University run every two hours, and there are open house tours of the local elementary, middle and high school. Perhaps you're a future student exploring the campus and getting to know your future classmates. Maybe you're faculty or a student guide wrangling the kids and keeping them in line. Or you just might be one of the unfortunate ones who have found yourself with six weeks of summer school. However, no matter where you find yourself in this district things get a little tricky when you're ready to leave for the day. The sidewalks outside of the buildings have all disintegrated, revealing a large void leading to nowhere beneath your feet. Without a clear path it seems impossible to escape, but stacked at the entrances of every doorway are large tiles with the letters of the alphabet carefully printed on them. When you look across the devoid path, you may notice you have a partner in a similar position with their own stack of letters. Get ready to expand your vocabulary. Building a bridge of connecting words may be your only chance of getting home before sunset. Strangely, as the letters are laid out they seem to suspend mid-air enough to hold your weight as you make your way carefully across this pit. Balance and precision are key in this game. The stack floats along behind you as you cross the void, letters seemingly adding to the pile to provide more materials to build. But like all games, there can be only one winner. Those who clear their letters first will arrive outside of the district safely, free now to come and go as they please. For those who do not clear their stack in time, you might have luck jumping from word to word to cross the finish line. Try as you might, if this is the method you follow, the moment you land on the winning word to leave the district the letters will glitch out, sending you plummeting into the void and landing on a long slope down to the bottom. Upon landing, you will see a series of chutes and ladders one can use to climb back up. Some ladders lead back to Apparassage. Some lead straight into Tisse, and some even lead to unexpected places. Where will you end up? The journey is up to you now. III. The days are longer, the nights are shorter, the sun is shining and it's noticeably warmer. Isn't it a perfect time for a summer potluck? The citizens of Recollé seem to think so and have all gathered today in Hollingberry Field with friends and loved ones to share food and fun. Kids chase after each other in friendly games of tag and hide-and-seek while other attendants mingle with one another, piling plates of food and sharing with their neighbor. Why, even Mayor Mayer is out today for this summer kickoff with his lovely red Chocobo, Seabiscuit. As the evening begins to wind down, however, there's a startled cry from the Mayor as he realizes someone has kidnapped his beloved pet from right under his nose. Was it you? How about you? Everyone has become a suspect and it's up to you to solve whodunnit. The Mayor provides everyone with a pen and a pad of paper divided into three sections for a suspect, a method, and a location. Grab a friend (or even a group of strangers) and get ready to interrogate each other to crack this case. (With a little looking, however, it's easy to see that Seabiscuit's merely wandered down the hill away from the park. But maybe it's better not to tell the Mayor. He seems very adamant about this game.) For anyone who manages to solve the case, the Mayor will be immensely grateful and reward you with a valuable prize! Congratulations! However, for anyone who fails to solve the puzzle, or even anyone found guilty of this heinous crime, by order of the Mayor you will be subjected to jail time for a full half an hour. (The Mayor can't stay too mad at his citizens. He loves them all.) IV. A nice, leisurely stroll through the entertainment district of Tisse seems to be in order. Summer sales are aplenty and now's the perfect time to shop 'til you drop. On the other hand, that doesn't seem to be the only thing dropping in Tisse. Do you hear that? Perhaps it is easy to ignore the sounds of stone crashing to the ground. Construction isn't unusual in this district. You think maybe you passed an ongoing demolition on your way inside a shop. But the crash happens again, and again, and again, a loud string of booms growing closer and closer. Are those buildings tipping into one another? Or is it your imagination? You may not have time to answer while the string of events is put into motion. A crane swings overhead, knocking into a well-placed boulder that begins to roll down the street. Cranes, pulleys and wires move in sync as the ball rolls right toward you. Will you run? Will you collide right into the next set of traps? You may recall learning about this type of experiment once upon a time, coming to realize the elaborately planned Rube Goldberg machine spans the entirety of the city. Maybe you're one of the lucky ones and you find a safe shop to dive into to escape. Or perhaps your sole focus is to run and get as far as you can, failing to notice that the large boulder herds you right to the end of the district and into a caged-in area. Make yourself comfortable. Someone from the outside will have to free you. But hey, maybe you aren't alone in this trap. Misery loves company, doesn't it? BONUS. The Retrospec app is at it again, just as useless as it's always been. After downloading to your device and allowing you to upload a profile picture, the app seems to take over your phone. Any time you open your phone to use it, a splash screen appears prompting you to pick one of the brightly colored wedges (or one of the two grayed out ones.) It's time to exercise your brain and buff your trivia stats. Answering a question from your selected category will allow you to use your phone once again, but if you get it wrong? Retrospec will encourage you not to give up and try again. ...or, you know, you could ask someone to help figure out the answer. Hey, that person looks like they're bursting with knowledge! Perhaps it's best to see if they can help you stop this madness. As usual, any attempt to get the company to reply are futile. Once a question has been answered correctly, phones will return to their usual functionality until the next time it settles into idle mode. 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! Your June TDM directory is here, and your AU workshop is here!

Comments

Laphicet l Tales of Berseria

[laodicean]

[I had Ideas for this kid here forever ago. Either happy family au sort of deal or growing up with Magilou's Menagerie sort of circus theme. Thing. And because I am awful and did not realize the hilarious and horrible implications of the more normal name 'Michael' that is. What I'd probably go with if I apped him. Yeah.]

ii:

[He's touring the school, but of course he doesn't quite expect...this. On his way out. Michael pauses at the edge of the tiles, wide-eyed and confused. Perhaps even a little hesitant as he sees the void below.]

Wha--?! Does this happen all the time?

iii:

Do you think Seabiscuit is okay?

[What if he was hurt and that was why he couldn't be found? Because he couldn't move if he hurt his leg or something? Michael can't help but to fret, as he turns to ask the person nearest in his worry for the pet.]

iv:

[Michael is, unfortunately, still young. So his legs aren't quite as long and fast as some others. But that doesn't mean he isn't trying, to keep himself ahead of the boulder even as he panics. Tries to focus on not tripping over and falling flat on his face.

He's partly panting from the exertion and also possibly screaming, yelling. Probably not the most coherently but still.

Help?]

IV /superman theme plays

[scarlet_devil]

[ And who just runs towards the boulder? None other than Émilie Écarlate, heiress to the Écarlate fortune... who proceeds to stop the boulder that should have squashed her with her bare hands.

Yes, that just happened. ]

iii

[totallynotanoni]

[OOC: Katherine actually knows Magilou to some extent, enough for her to give Kath a headache at least. How close is Michael to Magilou in this au?]

I'm sure he's perfectly fine, kiddo. If he was hurt, Seabiscuit would have called out for us by now. Chocobos are very, very loud.

[Putting on a friendly smile, Katherine tries lower his worries a little small. She's a bit buzzed by this point, yet there's still a sense of reassurance in her words (Even if their a bit of a white lie because she really doesn't actually know). She's got a pen and paper from the mayor herself, although her own has been set aside in favor of a cup of water. Kath drinks responsibly, after all. Most of the time.]

Laurent | Captive Prince

[anguinous]

[III.]

[ This. Is really.

Excessive.

The bird is right there. Right there. It took Laurent very little time to find it, and yet here they are. Assisting the mayor in his investigation of the crime.

Laurent is fully tempted to roll his eyes and move on, but equally some childlike part of him can see the funny side and he has nowhere else to be. So he turns to the person closest to him, schools his expression into a serious frown. ]

Well, then? Where were you at the time of the crime?

[BONUS.]

[ He's... quite sure he didn't install any sort of game on his phone, yet here he is. Laurent stares at the splash screen, lofts an eyebrow at the question it presents him with.

Chablis comes from which French wine region? ]

Burgundy.

[ He answers under his breath, somewhat unconsciously as he taps the answer and is given back control of his phone. He frowns warily.

Locks his phone.

Waits a second.

Unlocks it.

What ear did Mike Tyson bite in a 1997 fight dubbed "The Sound and the Fury"? ]

Mike Tyson?

[ Laurent lofts a bemused eyebrow. Is this some bizarre new form of phone security? It doesn't seem very secure when he could likely search for the answer on a laptop. He sighs heavily, resigning himself to the possibility of malware and having to have his phone wiped.

And here he'd hoped to have a quiet day in the library. ]

[Wildcard!]

[ Laurent's AU workshop is here! He's starting Recollé University in the next few months to finish a final year of a fancy business degree and is very rich and very French. ]

Bonus.

[reticence]

[ Faolan glances across at the other man from where he had parked himself nearby for the remainder of... However long Laurent intended to spend at the library. He'd already paced his way once around his seat, on the pretense of looking for a book but really he'd been scouting the area, looking for any other occupants of this corner of the library and analyzing what sorts of trouble they might cause.

Books, as he understands, are Laurent's happy place. He'd been all set to leave him to it, and as such he hadn't been listening to anything he'd been saying. Which he's sure will go over well, should he find that Laurent had been addressing him... ]

...sorry?

THE WILDEST OF CARDS

[riveres]

[Severin agrees to meet Laurent near a cafe. Their relationship is a little... strange. His parents set them up to hang out with each other, but aside from from their country of origin they don't have that much in common. But Laurent is willing to actually his sort of snobby, awkward self around, for what he does not know. Still he hasn't had a companion in a while. (It's far too early to use the word 'friend' alright?)

He looks up when he comes.]

You're late.

[Sorry that he couldn't be nicer.]

tiffany "tifa" hart (tifa lockhart) | final fantasy vii

[godshand]

I. she got 9

Ooo, big suspicious spinning wheel. [Tifa's usually on the other end of these things, hawking some energy drink for which she has dubious belief in, or some protein drink that she's occasionally supposed to smile and pose with. This big, interactive game piece is...]

Weird. [She says this with a baffled laugh. Where's the the obnoxious product placement? She's encouraged though to spin, spin! And so she stretches her arms, and cracks her knuckles, and spins the wheel, with great enthusiasm, and perhaps more flair than necessary. It goes whirling, amidst (some genuine and some exaggerated) oohs and ahhhs, and she allows herself to preen. Just a little. Didn't want anyone thinking she was too bigheaded. Anyone could spin this thing, after all. Not as well, but hey. It wasn't a competition.

It stops after...a long while, and few seconds later, the familiar ding of a text message notif sounds. She reads it, and gradually, becomes more puzzled.]

Okay. They've got three out of four, but self-entitled's kind of a stretch. A rude one. And I only wore those stockings once.

[The closest person to her, she nudges with her elbow to get their attention. She's still smiling when she asks:]

So what the hell is this? What'd you get? Is it more flattering? How'd they get our phone numbers?

IV. once she played in an extreme gladiator show

[The first boom she ignores. Construction work in the afternoon wasn't really anything to be freaked out about. The second is enough to rattle the windows of the shop she's in though, and the third she finally decides to step out and —]

Holy...

[Are you also staring at this slowly encroaching giant boulder? Because a second later Tifa snaps out of it as adrenaline kicks in, and grabs you. Probably! If you let her. She's also not above throwing someone over her shoulder like some kind of superhero, if you're small enough for her to pull it off.

Or even if you aren't.]

Let's go, let's go!

[She'll get the details later, maybe. Or maybe you can slow her down...or try to get her to see reason.]

IV. b

[Success! Sort of. Now safe inside a store, Tifa (and perhaps, her involuntary companion) has a second to regroup.

She's not having good luck at regrouping.]

What is going on? Why is the town trying to kill us?

[She looks somewhere between upset and furious.] This is ridiculous. You can't just put anyone in these sorts of extreme competitions. Someone could get seriously hurt.

[She still thinks she's competing for something.]

BONUS.

[As a wonderful end to this action packed day, her phone seems to be locked up by some kind of virus. Nice.]

How am I supposed to know how many chromosomes a turkey has off the top of my head? I'm not a nerd. I can't look it up, either?

[She's not a nerd, but maybe you are! And maybe you aren't offended enough at being called a nerd to help her out.]

WILDCARD

[Have you ever wanted to play with Tifa, except a louder, more self-absorbed version? This prompt is for you! here's her at the workshop if you need ideas.]

IV

[true_noir]

[Her eyes widened at the sight of the boulder. Seriously, Retrospec? Seriously?!? She'd seen giant house centipedes the size of saint bernards because of being shrunk not that long ago. She did not need this. Frozen for a moment, she whispered softly under her breath, barely audible to the woman grabbing for her wrist.]

Merde...

[Oh wait, someone was... did she know... no wait, no time. Run, run like hell! She turned and started bolting, needing no further prompting and keeping up with Tiffany as they hurtled ahead of the speed of that thing.]

Alley? It can't go down an Alley, no?

iv-b

[negativism]

I think we've moved past the "friendly competition" part of this a while ago.

[ David's half-debating between trying to placate her or just shaking his head, but he's at least got enough sense to try and keep his expression more neutral. Ish. ]

Though I'm actually kind of impressed at how far they're going with this, if it weren't for the fact we nearly got crushed by a giant boulder.

How have you been, by the way? [ Because why not have small talk with your ex-girlfriend while you two are trying not to get killed. ]

Sigrun Eide | Stand Still Stay Silent

[knivstikker]

I. confidence alone does not mean you've aced the interview

[When was the last time Sigrun actually interviewed properly for a job? Oh yeah, it was at the YMCA a couple years ago, when she replied to a Craigslist looking for child sports mentors for their summer program. And hey, she'd managed to get hired onto that just fine! Even if she had to quit because it interfered with her band practice. Hey, she needed those Saturday afternoons open, okay?]

[But that's okay. She's got this. She can feel it in her bones, with the way she's got shoulders back, chin up; no one is going to stop her from becoming a--] ...what the drit is a 'larp'. [She mumbles to herself. SHRUG. She turns to you, her partner in crime, as she scans this character sheet. It's just playing pretend, right? Okay, she can do this!!] Let's go, nerd. I'm a-- [reading] troll mage. Gross! What'd you get stuck with?

II. not suitable for children

Alright kiddos, this is just like doing drills! [Sigrun announces loudly, watching as the ground dropped off into a nightmarish abyss. It was just a little drop. No big deal. And those ladders looked like they'd be a good leg and arm workout, besides being an excellent teamwork exercise.] Everyone pair up and start stacking!

[This is normal. There is nothing alarming about this children's sports coach telling some middle-or-high schoolers to jump right into an apparent spelling bee of death. What are you, some kind of wuss? You know your coach doesn't accept quitters. Now get out there and spell!]

[...Only it looks like you're paired up with said teacher. And from that look on her face, she's not backing down from the challenge either.] Hit me with your best shot, kiddo.

wildcard

[HMU with any prompts based on stuff we've talked about on the workshop or other ideas!]

I

[frisyr]

[ Emil has no idea how he got here, really. He just kept following some stream of actions like he's at a Flying Tiger store, and suddenly he's at the checkout unaware of how he wound up with a basket full of things. Except instead of having cheap paints and a donut floaty, he has an interview with a very tall woman who's a... troll mage?

What the fuck is a troll mage?

Wait, did she say dritt? ]

I'm a...

[ He looks ]

What's a tavern wrench?

[ It says "wench." ]

Ritsu Sakuma | Ensemble Stars

[strayknight]

II

[Having to play a game just to get home seems a little extreme, especially since all he wants to do is sleep. If the only way he can get back is to play then he will play the best he can. Even if he was a slacker he is at least good at finishing his work when he has to.

Throwing out a word he lets out a sigh and looks at it.]

S-T-U-P-I-D…Stupid. That should work.

[He has a small smirk look at the person he’s playing with, even if they might fall to their death he can at least mess with the other person a little first.]

III

[Why did he have to help find this missing Chocobo?

The threat of jail time isn’t a huge threat but he doesn’t want to deal with it either. Ritsu taps at his chin for a moment and looks around noticing someone already working. Drifting towards them he moves a hand to their shoulders.]

Hey! Any clues?

[He might be hanging onto them a little bit…humor him?]

ii

[adoringpast]

[ And Sena just. Throws him a look because fuckin' really.

Fine. Two can play that game. He'll input DUMBEST. ]

You have to put in longer words so that we can get out faster, just so you know.

shou suzuki / mob psycho 100

[chargebomb]

3. [ shou is actually pretty good with animals. he finds Seabiscuit quite easily, and part of him is actually pretty tempted to just lead the stray bird over for his reward, but...

he likes animals.

so he'd rather spend the rest of the day hanging out with the runaway pet rather than return it to its rightful owner. he'll casually ride Seabiscuit around, take a nap with the creature under a tree, happily feed it some of the potluck snacks--ones suitable for birds, he wouldn't like to make it sick. if you see him with the bird, he might just look like the criminal who'd kidnapped it after all. he'll just casually wave at passerby, apparently totally obvious, though. ]

Want to pet him? He's friendly!



bonus. [ sadly, this kid is less smart when it comes to random trivia. for the most part. he's clearly struggling with his phone, frowning as he loses round after round in blind guesses. then finally glances around and decides to accost the nearest stranger for help. ]

Oi, can you help me with this question or help me jailbreak this thing? It's getting on my nerves!

'What is Santa's name in Denmark?'... How should I know something like that?


[ workshop here! ]

3

[digthefuzz]

[Kurt's stunned as he sees the kid just chilling with the chocobo.]

What- you stole Seabiscuit! [He points dramatically at him.] The true culprit is you!!

David Song | Original Character

[negativism]

i. - all i can do

Are you fucking kidding me.

[ David doesn't look very impressed as he's been dragged to the office, even after showing some (apparently) surprising restraint in not spinning the ... new statue that was in the square. At least he's pretty sure he hadn't seen it before. The question now is just what did he get himself dragged into this time.

Even if it is a bit more reassuring that there were others that had gotten involved as well. It made him feel at least a bit better, though now he's sure that he's going to get reprimanded. And by "reprimanded" he means given large amounts of shit toward by his boss.

And lord knows he didn't need that from Yoon-sung today.

Anyway -

He looks annoyed for a few moments before his expression relaxes slightly, ruffling his hair awkwardly. ]

Sorry - they tossed me in here before I could grab my morning coffee, and being late isn't an option for me, so let's just get this over with.

bonus. - original bet

[ ..... and all things considered, random trivia popping up on his phone isn't nearly as bad as he was expecting. It's still a pain since he can't access his browser or messages, though. ]

Cute. Though I guess it could be worse.

[ He frowns before looking up - he's already tried a couple different questions to unsuccessful results - and gestures for the person closest to him to come closer, tilting his phone toward them so they could see the screen. ]

So, uh - I'll be the first to admit trivia usually isn't my gig. Mind helping for a sec?

[ The question - well, in question - is "What percentage of the cucumber is water?" Answer is 96%, btw ]

wildcard. - safe intoxication

( AU workshop comment is here! also feel free to PP me at wolfknights for any other plotting! )

wildcard

[vendettastool]

[ It's six am do you know where your charge is? He certainly wasn't where he was suppose to be - ie. sitting blearily at the table trying to will coffee into his system by sheer brain power. He also wasn't sitting in front of ten million computer screens trying to get one last line of code unstuck from hundreds of almost similar lines of code. He wasn't at his desk pretending to be engrossed in his paperwork, or trying to build a house out of pencils underneath his desk.

No. Yoon-sung was currently climbing through the window of the breakroom and looking very much like a cat that realized the human they were trying to avoid had just spotted his daring escape. ]

Um. Hi.

Domon Kasshu / David King | G Gundam | OTA

[hypermode]

I - Camouflage is spelt wrong though

[ David is now, apparently, a B Movie Actor. With his years of professional wrestling experience, acting in bad action flicks should be easy! Should be!

Only he's had a foam sword and a tub of camo paint shoved in his hands and he's been asked to prepare for an audition. And nothing else. ]

Isn't there a script? Even bullet points will do?

[ He waves the foam sword about to emphasise his point, and it flops around unrealistically, because it's not a very good foam sword. ]

Even Sakura's cosplay weapons are better than this... Can I just switch to a kendo stick?

[ He can't pretend to fight like this! ]

III - Is this game in kayfabe?

[ Holding a piece of paper, David looks around the area, clearly identifying Seabiscuit just down the hill. If this was supposed to a game, it's a pretty shit game. ]

What if I just put my name and then rode off with Seabiscuit into the sunset? I'd technically be right.

[ Yeah, that's the first idea he has. ]

IV - I knew I should have picked up parkour

[ David is, all things considered, a fairly good gymnast, and in peak physical shape. Both of these things are a real blessing right now, because he's running like hell from a giant boulder threatening to crush him. ]

Out of the way! Out of the way! Do you want to die?!

[ He turns a corner at full speed, leapfrogging over an al fresco table as he tries to shake off the feeling of deja vu.

He's definitely never been in an Indiana Jones movie. Definitely not. ]

Does anyone know where there's a ramp?!

i

[gudaguda]

[ Sakura was also slated to be a b movie actor, which causes her much consternation as she's dressed in a ridiculous cyberpunk android meets samurai nightmare outfit, with a floppy weapon problem. ]

I told you! I mostly stand around and look pretty!

[ she's yelling as she get dragged onto the same set that David's waiting at ]

I don't know how to act!! Or fight or anything!!

one (jasmine LASTNAME) | drakengard 3

[selfloving]

i. at least it's not scientology;

This is asinine.

[That's about the third time she's said that today. The first was her refusal to spin the job wheel, the second was the following apprehension by the recruiters.

Jasmine has continued with her conviction to this entire exercise being asinine all the way to the interview room. She's barely looked at the questions the recruiters gave her, and she hasn't bothered to practice at all with any of the other people the recruiters sniped to be interviewers.

But if you expected her to not take the interview process itself seriously just because she thinks it's ridiculous, guess again. As soon as someone else is sitting across from her, Jasmine lifts her clipboard into writing position and opens with a question that should be easy for any interviewee to answer. Welcome to the hot seat.]

Out of all of your qualifications, which do you think is the most suitable for this position?

iv. you've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?

[One of you is inside the cage, and one of you is outside. Spoilers: Jasmine's the one outside. her brown eyes are narrowed thoughtfully.]

Oh, it actually caught someone. I didn't think that was possible. [Her tone's a little flat; she doesn't sound surprised at all, even if her words make her sound like she is.] I don't suppose you want to stay in there.

[There's the slightest curve to her mouth, now, like there's a barely contained laugh hiding in there somewhere. Despite the fact that she might be amused about this giant mousetrap's unexpected success, she also is quick to start circling the pen, looking for a latch to help this poor trapped, unathletic and/or stupid person out.]

bonus;

[Jasmine hasn't had a lot of trouble unlocking her phone so far. She's gotten her Retrospec account up and running; she's sent a few text messages; she's checked her bank account manager.

Now, she's sitting at a cafe, latte in front of her and a spread of books and papers nearby. She logging into and idling out of her phone repeatedly, occasionally stopping to writing something down or pausing when one of the questions genuinely stumps her. Occasionally, she'll drop in a brief "how interesting" or comment on the huge disparity between question difficulties.

Intrigued in the trivia game as she is, it would be easy to come over and spy on her repeat plays. Or there might be someone else on the other end of the phone, keeping score with her and sharing questions with each successful round. It all depends on what type of person you are.]

wildcard;

[Choose something else! Prose and brackets are both fine; I'll match your format! One's AU workshop comment is here and I can be reached at antiquating if you want!]

I. i apologize...in advance

[godshand]

Qualifications for what? Have we figured out what, yet?

[Asks Tifa, in a stage whisper, for perhaps the third or fourth time today. She thinks it's asinine, but in a vaguely befuddled and amused way, not a way that causes actual irritation. She's let this whole surreal thing roll off her back like water.

It does not occur to her that she's actually being interviewed with any degree of seriousness. And so:] Okay, let's go. I can hold my breath for a really long time. I can bench press 150 lbs. I have a fan club. A guy paid me five thousand dollars to punch him in the chest once. I almost got a BA in music performance?

georgina mendez // original

[thesilence]

III

[Given her confusion about, well, everything, she's not sure where at all to start. Honestly, if it were up to her, she would've already just gone to rodeo the bird and called it a day.

But it's a game, and sure, why not? Kill some time, do a little something.

Hands on her hips, she glances about. Who could possibly serve as someone to hassle as a second in command, someone who could look tough while she could just give a puppy eyes?

You there! She's going to gently tap you on the shoulder. Should you choose to answer this call, you'll see this on her notepad:]

buddy up?

[She looks younger than she actually is, admittedly, what with her short stature and her propensity to wear oversized military jackets with ripped skinny jeans. You know, military chic, that kind of thing.]

IV

[And that certainly is a giant boulder, rolling down the street, and that certainly is one Georgina Mendez, running for her dear life whistling as shrilly and loudly as she possibly can.

While she was trying to get people to move out of the way, she just runs and slams directly into this cage. She bounces back, falling flat on her ass with a frown. Geo sighs, clicks her tongue. It's been precisely one minute and she's already miserable. Nothing from here looks like she could worm her way out of the cage.

Slowly, she turns her body to face the outside, propping her wrists on her bent knees. Whoever gets close enough is going to hear a really loud whistle. Please hear her. Please save her.

Or maybe you're stuck in this miserable hole too...]

iii

[judgementkazzy]

[ You picked the right person today, Georgina. As Kaz Kiryu fits the "look tough" category quite easily, while still being a huge pushover in every other department. ]

Hm? You're looking for Seabiscuit too?

[ If she can't speak that's totally cool, he's just making sure he's got the right idea here. ]

Oscar/Severin Kimura | Lupin The Third

[riveres]

II: et ben y en a encore!

[Dance HAS no seasons or 'proper' college terms so it is taught year round in Recolle U. Severin is kept busy and with regular employment in between preparations for the big summer and winter programs in the dance company. It's good work, being an assistant. Of course he knows damn near every building in the campus like the back of his hand. Like any TA, he was once a student here before gaining his bachelors in dance. He swears he would know even the tiles in every building.

Because of this intimate familiarity, some of the doorway titles are missing and replacing with... large s*rabble pieces? Even stranger is that the blank pieces... look foreboding as hell, like bottomless pits.]

What in the hell?

[He manages to take a couple pieces before turning to nearest person near him to help. He does want to get home.]

IV: i waved my arms and flapped about

[He just came back from the shoe store with the most nice pair of boots and he was originally going to wear them going out in Tisse on the weekend, but he wanted to break them in today, sweaty boot feet be dammed. He doesn't notice construction as much as he should, but anyone would notice the BOULDER rolling through the streets.

Severin takes off running, sort of shocked he can run this well (and this quickly) in heels. He shouts a warning towards a fellow pedestrian that is busy on their phone.]

Boulder... coming!

[You try being articulate while running for your life.]

BONUS: i'mma take that bitch to college/i'mma give that bitch some knowledge

[...This is why Severin doesn't allow people to touch his phone. They have downloaded that horrid Retrospec app, he had tried to warn the people he knew about it, but it's seemed to fall on deaf ears. Now he's sitting on a bookstore's floor, eyes focused on the app which makes him go through hoops for him to even access it.

He doesn't even know half of these questions.]

What team did Vince Lombardi coach to two Super Bowl Victories?

I don't even follow American Football...

[Reminds him of people that used to pick on him in High School. But he doesn't want to fail... if he hears R*ck A*tley's voice again, he'll break this phone.]

WILDCARD: drowning in blue

[OOC: Got something else in mind for Os-I mean Severin? Hit me up at plurk @pashchan, or take a look at his AU workshop post!]

[bonus] Only canons get name changes, btw.

[scarlet_devil]

[ Well, of course the app is doing something stupid again. Trivia questions, really? She hates Jim.

She's not fond of people sitting where she might trip on them either. ]

...Is there a reason you're sitting on the floor? [ And that's definitely a French accent. ]

Katherine Takada (Kasen Ibaraki) l Touhou

[totallynotanoni]

ii.

[There's a lot of things Katherine's had to get used to over the last few years working here. A coworker with a knack for painful puns, eccentric (and often off-putting) students, and the occasional awkward call from Mom. She could handle that just fine.

This...she wasn't prepared for this.]

What the hell? Where did the path go? When did they put all of this together?

[There's a few minutes of her attempting to find a way around the obstacle, shortly followed by a sigh of defeat.]

Ok, fine then, [Her head turns to her newly christened "opponent".] how do you want to do this?

[She was so going to need a drink after this.]

iii.


[She really needed a drink after that whole Scrabble fiasco, and the potluck was serving. So when she was done dropping off her stuff at home, she grabbed the closest bus to the feast. Getting there, she met up with a friend or two, and then went for the nearest drink she could find.

And then she got roped into the hunt for a missing hors-chocobo (what the heck?.) Yeah, typical day in Recolle.]

Pardon me. [She taps a person on the shoulder. Turning around, they'll find her holding a beer in her only hand, the notepad tucked under her arm.] Would you mind answering a few questions for me?

[She hates to do this, but she really didn't want to sit like an idiot in that bouncy castle. Even if it was pretty far off from a real one. She would know.]

iv.

[Yeah, to think she thought walking home would be good for her health today. Think again, there's now giant boulders roaring down the street at her like some hazard in a cursed temple. And while Katherine does try to keep a regular exercise routine, she's no Montana Sam.

Fortunately, a shop door opens on the side, leaving her the ideal window of opportunity ]

Coming through!

[She, and possibly a few other people, manages to throw herself through just as the boulder is upon her, possibly slamming someone on the way in. The boulder roars past as Kath lays their panting, trying to prop herself up on her arm.]

What the hell was that?

Wildcard

Feel free to introduce any new scenarios, I really need the experience! Kasen/Katherine's AU Workshop is here. She's a student guidance counsellor at Recolle University, and tends to be rather critical of others (Although in a well-meaning manner). Also she only has one arm.

IV

[long_live_the_queen]

[The sidewalks might have been crumbling away into the abyss and the Square might have been overtaken by an obnoxious wheel and even more obnoxious job interviewers, but Lucy still had to work. The warehouse was offering increasingly irritating hours, so here she was at a cafe in the afternoon, drinking coffee in an attempt to wake herself up before the evening shift. And sulk at a table off to the side. She was very good at sulking.

The door behind her slammed open, and Lucy bolted upright and stumbled away from the table, turning. What was that sound?that?


...she knew that face. The voice was different, older, but—that arm. There was only one. Just like Lucy remembered.]

What.

[Still processing. Give her a moment.]

Hoozuki | Hoozuki no Reitetsu | AU Hitoshi Long

[hellofadeputy]

[ooc: Link to his workshop post is here!]

I. Job Placements

[It likely says something about Hitoshi that he's rather calm about this entire ridiculous scenario. Then again it isn't like his words were all that bad. Expert, secret identity, diplomatic immunity, sawed-off-shotgun... They can certainly lead to some unique prospects.

So while he waits his turn for his interview, he casually reads a magazine article. Nothing that interesting really. At least if you're not interested in the proper care of goldfish. If you are then maybe that's fascinating!

Either way, he looks up when someone approaches.]

Did you wish to sit here? [He means the seat next to him.]

III. Investigations!

[The good thing about having worked a wide variety of jobs is that he's well prepared to be an investigator. Honestly he wonders if perhaps he wouldn't be well suited to the police department. At least that way he'd be sure they would have all of their paperwork well organized. Ah well, he's not working for them so it doesn't matter really and the Mayor has asked him to do this rather irritating task.

Sighing, he looks over the clues that he has so far before stopping someone who happens to be walking by.]

Good afternoon. Do you have time to answer a few questions?

Bonus: Trivia Fun!

[For whatever reason, Hitoshi is remarkably good at trivia. It could be the variety of jobs he's had or it could be that he enjoys trivia game shows a lot. It's hard to tell but whatever the answer is, he's had no problems accessing his phone throughout the day. So here he is opening it up to use it again and looking at the question.]

Which singer's 2000 autobiography "Chasing Down the Dawn" detailed her life growing up in Alaska?

[A pause and then he types in the answer.]

Jewel.

[Ta-da! Phone is open. Need help getting into yours? Just come and ask him! He's busy lighting up a cigarette while he flips through messages so he's free.]

zero (rose SOMELASTNAME) | drakengard 3

[blacksong]

i. of course she's ready to fight

[Is this giant wheel dumb? Probably, but it's not like Rose has anything better to do. And she's proven right when she spins the wheel and gets a random list of words on her phone for all her trouble. Seeing "shady" actually gets a short laugh out of her, but she has no idea what "dingo repellent" is supposed to mean. After tucking her phone into her back pocket, she makes her way from the wheel to go on with the rest of her day.

Or so she thinks.

The second a recruiter approaches her, there's already a scowl ready on her face, but the sudden horde of them—all yelling about positions and jobs and offices—is the last straw.]

Fuck off already, will you?! [One of them shoves a pamphlet in her face in their eagerness to talk the company up, and Rose tears it out of their hand with a vicious yank.] Try that one more time and I swear—

[Help a poor girl out of getting accosted by recruiters? Or maybe swoop in to save the recruiters because that's definitely a fist she's balling her hand into, oops.]

iii. there's only one thing she's here for

[AND THAT'S FOOD. Rose isn't really one to mingle and socialize, but the promise of free food means she's out and about during the potluck, happily pigging out on the food everyone's brought despite bringing nothing herself. No one said you had to bring something to get something, right?? Except no, she's just rude and cheap and doesn't care enough to actually bring something.

By the time the mayor starts running around to shove pens and papers into people's hands, she's on her third plate of food. (With her own pen and paper dropped plainly at her feet. You can't grab onto anything when you have a chicken leg in one hand and a plate in the other!)

If you happen to be standing nearby, she turns to you as she says around her bites of food:]

You think he's ever gonna realize? [Since behind them down the hill is... Yeah... That's one hard-to-miss giant red bird.]

WILDCARD ME UP

[Zero's workshop comment is here if you wanna read that up first, but HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT.]

3

[true_noir]

[Chloe was definitely more sparing in her eating habits at this. She did enjoy Potlucks, but more for socializing than for the food. This was a good way to end up regretting the overindulgence the next day if you weren't careful, after all.

But, as she stood there, looking away from Rose initially and not noticing her, she was surprised by someone speaking to her. Her eyes turned towards the woman and she swallowed a little harder than planned, those eyes opening a little widely. Did she know this woman? She looked a little familiar, somehow, but she couldn't immediately place it, though it felt a little awkward and uncomfortable for some reason.

Oh right, she'd said something? A glance and she smirked, shrugging.] Probably not. I think it is more an excuse for a game.

Kouran | Original Character

[frostflowers]

[ AU workshop comment is here! ]

II
[ it just started with her going to school so she could use the art room, but now she's here playing...Scrabble, she guesses? Life-sized Scrabble. It would be fun if it wasn't for the whole 'void beneath your feet' thing.

She turns to whoever her partner is, holding some of the tiles in her arms. ]

How do you spell 'rhythm'?

[ Kouran's spoken English isn't terrible, but she's less great at written English. ]

Bonus
[ Trivia games are fun!

Only they're less fun when they're stopping you from using your phone.

But really, the biggest issue Kouran has with this is that there are whole categories she can't really answer much at all, she only kind of knows American entertainment and pop culture. After a while she tries to approach someone for help. ]

Excuse me, do you have a moment?

bonus

[notbunaga]

[Same shit, different day. It seems like every so often they're being thrown newbies; there's a pattern to be recognised, but as far as she's concerned it's pointless. They could easily alter the pace they're bringing in new users on a whim, so she doesn't think much of it.

All it means is more people bother her these days about whatever the app is doing to their phones, or why it vanishes on computer screens, or why some shitty mp3 won't stop looping--]

Look, if you throw a stone in the next crowd of people over, I'm sure whoever you hit is gonna be another retrospec user. Go bother them if you--

[Wait.]

...

[Now that she's actually looking at this person, she's realised...

Well, shit.

There're a lot of conflicting emotions. Truth be told, one half of her wants to pinch her arm to make sure she isn't dreaming. There are some people she left behind in Japan she always wished she could've brought with her, Kouran being one of them. The fact she's here, right in front of her, almost seems like retrospec is just messing with her.

And another part realises that if she is real, confronting her means confronting the fact she just up and abandoned her without saying a word.

Running away got her into this mess, but running away could also get her out of it, right?

...no, she isn't gonna do that. Kouran's not the person she ran from so...

She decides to just...turn to face her. Give her one look up and down.

And just...]

...you got taller than me.

[Yuuko did too.

Life isn't fair.]

king hassan | fate/

[hassan]

(Pretend he actually looks human rather than the skull knight because I have no icons for that. also basic ass au info here)

iii.

[If looks could kill, he'd have burned a hole through their bouncy prison and stepped outside already to go home. Being accused of stealing seabiscuit was one thing, but the Mayor all but ignoring him as he attempted to explain the situation to him and being escorted to ""jail"" was another thing. Once he was out of here there was going to be hell to pay.

For now, he's just taken to waiting this out...but he gives off a very unapproachable aura. You may want to sit this one out and leave him alone.

...except after some time, he stands up (it takes him a minute...he's old...) and turns to the wall behind him.]

Enough of this.

[Stabs his fucking cane through the wall. The castle is deflating. He's escaping through the hole he just tore into it.

NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO ESCAPE or else you'll be smothered underneath the rubber.]

bonus

[To be frank, he had no idea how to use this damn phone to begin with. Adding in an app without permission and a bunch of trivia shit like this is just??? He's lost.

So he approaches the nearest person he finds and-]

Who is k-e-dollar sign-h-a?

[Yeah]

bonus

[grandorders]

Ehhh... don't tell me someone requested her songs for a funeral.

[ Here is Shiyoko, your adopted child. That sweat drop is massively visible on her head because her grandpa is practically asking about things she would thought she'd never have to explain. ]

[pragma]

i. i didn't want this job anyway

[ what makes you think leon couldn't just stand up and walk away - ah, right. some big and suspicious looking guys in the back. maybe that lock on the door. he spares it yet another tired, wary glance before looking down at the piece of paper in his hand again. "combover, shallow, sob story, dragon." what the fuck.

slumping a little in his chair, he turns towards a neighbor and not so subtly frowns at the similar square of paper in their hands. ]

Does yours also sound like the description of an ill-conceived cartoon character, or is it just mine?

bonus. an ego bust.

[ leon could be anything, and the one thing he isn't is someone who asks for help, even if he gives the wrong answer seventeen times in a row. nope. the way he figures it, if he keeps cycling through questions eventually he'll arrive at something he does know. who the hell would know which company was the source of some deadly gas leak in bhopal? or what the fuck is the capital of pitcairn islands? he doesn't know this shit.

statistically he should have come across something he does know by now, but his luck is rotten. there's not a peep out of him, but you might spot a guy glaring at his phone screen and tapping away to no avail. ]

bonus

[bloodtingling]

[ his leon alarm is going off in his head. owen can't really explain what it is, but sometimes he'll just turn and look and see his good friend, his good pal, his buddy, his bro, his man, leon fuming over some thing or another. most people would adverse to approaching leon when he's upset over something, but (un)fortunately, owen, more often than not, doesn't feel any sort of apprehension when approaching leon when he's like this.

it's just another day in the life.

which is why he just automatically latches himself to leon's side, grin on his face. ]

And what, may I ask, has you looking at that?

lance | voltron legendary defender

[cargoed]

[ au workshop here! c: ]

II. RECOLLE UNIVERSITY

[ honestly? lance doesn't really know what he's doing here. which is....okay, so that's only half-true. he does know what he's doing here. he's taking a tour of the campus because the last call he had with his mom had definitely told him that he needed to go on this tour and take a look at where he'll be going next year for school.

so, really, he knows. but also he doesn't? because he steps onto campus and already feels like he's out of his depth. he wanders through the courtyard between the large buildings, with a little time to spare before the next tour, feeling more like he's avoiding something rather than being here for something. and he didn't even have to be in summer school classes this year! he doesn't have work today, either, more of a decision of his boss' rather than his. which means, really, his anxiety is rooted in the actual college aspect of this and not much else.

so lance wanders, definitely lost, avoiding something he doesn't want to admit he's avoiding and starting to get a little hungry. ]

Hey! [ he waves someone down - there's a 50/50 chance he knows them, but it doesn't matter either way. ] Do you know if there's a cafe around here?

BONUS

[ so the thing is - lance has been at this for ages. which can equate to approximately twenty minutes - bent over his phone, most likely yelling frustrated words out into the area around him. trivia that he has no idea how to answer, but is completely locked out of his phone until he does. it's a struggle, and anyone nearby is probably - against their will - brought it to it. right up until there is a loud exclamation of triumpth. ]

Aha! You can't beat me with movie trivia!

[ and then, a moment later. ]

hey so what are the chances the trivia bs is like...
summer homework from school.
A REALLY DUMB WAY TO DO IT BUT IT MAKES SENSE RIGHT?
D:???????

WILDCARD

[ choose your own and i'll run with it! :D ]

BONUS.

[lycannerd]

I don't know...

It somehow looks like a torture trap to me!

[RIP to his free time on reading his e-books and his mother's texts.]

aranea highwind | ffxv

[ladya]

iii. guilty of neglect
[ Having been ruled guilty of the crime of neglecting her duty as Seabiscuit’s bodyguard, a volunteer position that she accepted extremely half-heartedly if only because she couldn’t muster up the energy to reject, Aranea’s sentencing as guilty and her subsequent imprisonment onlyt serve as icing on the cake.

She’s always hated potlucks. ]

Guilty, my ass. [ Aranea mutters audibly under her breath, eying the gaps between the plush bars with great interest. If there’s anyone with her in the jail cell, whether actually guilty, wrongly accused, or somewhere in the middle just like Aranea is, her comment is made directly to them. In the advent that she is alone, and someone is simply watching her, well…

She makes the same exact remarks. ] Time to bust out of here. Hey, think I’m skinny enough?

[ A wry smirk on her face, a wink if she catches anyone’s eye in particular, Aranea turns sideways and attempts to shimmy herself out from between the bars, pausing in her attempt at jail breaking to peer out in the direction of any possible onlookers. ]

iv. attack of the bras
[ Spending her time shopping for clothes isn’t a halfway bad idea to burn some time. As a civilian, Aranea is shocked by just how much time that she does have to waste at any given moment, as well as the sheer sparsity of her wardrobe.

Having dived somewhat off course as she exits from a very pink underwear store, she’s about to re-examine the receipt just to confirm the score that she just landed — when at the very corner of her eye, the woman catches a very large boulder from the corner of her eye. Cursing, very loudly at that, she begins to frantically run away in the opposite direction before the life is snuffed out of her.

Either on the way, or upon colliding into the caged-in area, the lacy bras and underwear (ahem, red and black colored thongs) come flying out of the bag in succession. perhaps, they land on you in some way. ]

bonus. app abuse
[ Wherever and whenever Aranea receives the rather persistent alert to download Retrospec onto her phone, her eyebrows furrow together once she’s presented with a list of trivia questions. They all appear banal, just the type of crap that she can’t be bothered to fill her mind with. Those complex aeronautical calculations? Far more important.

And so her eyes slide to the closest available person to bother. ]

Uh, excuse me. [ The attempt at pleasantries are as forced as they appear. ] Any chance that you're just so smart that you happen enough to know who — [ Glance back down at her phone screen, then back to maintaining eye contact. There’s also a smack of gum somewhere in there. ] Who the first king of Jerusalem was?

wildcard.
[ Feel free to make your own prompt, if you wish! My TDM comment is up here, for your reference. ]

bonus!

[mercurio]

[well, well, well... what have we here? surely it couldn't be one miss highwind, most badass chick in the city, asking him for help, could it? prompto stops, tries to assess if this is a prank or a joke of sorts, but then realises that she is, in fact, asking him a real question.]

[an eyebrow shoots up]

Huh.

[he takes an exaggerated pose, crossing his arms and cocking his head to the side. why is he pretending to act cool?]

Are you sure you want to ask me for help? "Do you even know how to proofread"?

[he's not cool]

I had PTSD after that mark for weeks!

[totally, not.]