repeter | JUNE TDM

Entry tags:

! tdm

JUNE TDM

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!

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

No idea actually. But I keep searching the internet and I have found no other sign of it? Only people from Recolle who have the app, basically.

[ which is, you know, weird as shit. you'd think if something like this was happening elsewhere it would pop up eventually. ]

If you can manage to jump across that abyss then be my guest.

[Another gesture towards–you guessed it–the cavernous pit between them and safety. He puts down "gregarious".]

[fr

iendship

but yeah surprise judith's an adrenaline junkie and baren loves to live on the literal edge. they're a couple of birds way too comfortable sitting here suspended in the sky]

Only if you mean it - or else you could just break my heart, Jay...!

If that's how you really feel you should know better than to feed the troll.

[ Simmering... Yeah, he can't prove that so he'll focus on scrabble. ]

Not all of these words are meant to be a jab at your character.

[ ONLY 80%!! "Scapegrace" definitely doesn't describe either of them. ]

Wait—[ They might as well make an educated guess, but it's too late. The song starts playing and his shoulders slump. ]

This tune is so annoying... Even worse than being on hold.

...that would be annoying to try.

[...He sounds like Sena, oh no.]

Hmm, how about "Starvation"?

[He puts the letters down.]

You're so prepared.

[ He's kind of impressed?! Yusuke... Well, some tales hold truths in the world, so he won't fault him for reading a wiki on a videogame!! Cause he totally did, too. He examines the brick for a second. ]

If this was a game, it should.

[ But he's going to take it. If there's one thing that is still intact in this world, it's Akira's way of handling puzzles—he kicks the brick in. Bam. They have a small venue to peek into the estate, but nothing else happens.

Well then... ]

[There are only a few brief times that Faolan really has the opportunity to be off duty as he is now -- mostly after he has wrestled the promise out of his young charge that he has planned a day in the heavily secured apartment and if he changes those plans he will let him know otherwise. In the rare opportunity that he does find such a moment to himself, he supposes he should use the time wisely. Which is why he finds himself at the gym, staring down the various cardio options through the glass.

He should probably come to a decision, but one does not rush these things. Not when one actually has a moment or two to linger and fake one's time, without being harassed to hurry it up already...]

[Faolan isn't certain which is more alarming, the sound of the boom or the fact that Tifa has just grabbed him about the arm and looks about ready to toss him over her shoulder and carry him to safety, if she had her way about it.]

What in the name of--

[Of course, it's quite difficult to ignore the sound of a boulder rolling steadily in your direction, so Faolan does not exactly need that much convincing to get a move on. Here is where all that cardio in his free time comes in handy.]

Look, we're going to need to get out of the way!! [he exclaims, as she drags him in rather a straight line, much as the path that the boulder is traveling as well]

[Faolan isn't the sort of man to go around making "friends", especially not so quickly as this, but he has found an easy camaraderie with David. Perhaps it has something to do with the similarity of their circumstances, he reasons with himself. Both of them security men, both of them assigned to charges who make their job... Less than ideal. Neither of them has shared the full story of their positions with the other yet, but they've given enough details to suggest that Laurent and David's charge might as well have been cut from the same cloth, for the headaches they cause. Speaking of which.

Faolan sighs at his phone as Laurent texts him a grocery list, since he will be out for the day, before slipping it back into his pocket. He knows full well they aren't even close to being out of half the items he has listed, and half the items he's going to need to visit a specialty store to pick up, which means he will have to time the day likely within the minute. But at least he has promised to stay in the apartment all day, so that Faolan can go jogging with David, without having to worry about him out on his own.

Though he supposes he can always check in on the cameras, or ping his phone for his location, just in case.

No, no, he is supposed to have this time off, he is supposed to be relaxing. Standing straighter, Faolan forces himself to take a deep breath, and wait for the other man to arrive here at their agreed starting point.]

Your heart isn't that fragile.

[ just. kind of flatly? because it's true, she couldn't break that if she tried, she thinks -- even if she wanted to, which she doesn't.

still. another bit of honesty: ]

I like your company. So... I suppose I do mean it.

[did judith know that baren is actually a giant tsundere

because it'll become Really Fucking Obvious as all he can manage is a very intelligent:]

Huh?

[ - and then he rearranges his face. Fixes his expression with a shake of his head and finally finishing up his show of stretching with an immediate:] I bet you say that to all the cute boys...

[don't compliment yourself, wtf

still he's shaking his head and rearranging his face into something more neutral, the same gently amused grin]

But c'mon, c'mon, if I'm any later to meeting with my sister then I'll be a dead man no matter what I do...!

[ ... Akira is quiet? All the fluffy warm feelings that swelled in his chest when the event happened disappeared as Yukiko overloads him with information. A guardian angel. Those exist? There's an awfully dark emotion that stirs in him, wondering if angels existed, then why—

Another life? ]

So in your past life, you were some kind of summoner. Or some person that can manifest themselves into this... Persona. [ That's the gist of what he got from it? ] Several people are getting visions of their past lives and tapping into their old powers if they had any.

[ It's definitely hard to stomach, but after what he saw he can't write it off as a lunatic's speech. Amagi is also a trustworthy individual by reputation alone. Stroking his chin, there are so many questions to ask and it doesn't seem like she even has answers to them. ]

It's weird, but I'll believe it. You're almost like a superhero.

I can't tell you the specifics, but that's just how it is...

Instead of "hold your horses", people even say "hold your chocobos" now. It goes a lot deeper than just the animal itself being replaced.

Well, it's been a few years...but it's fine.

[It's all fine, okay.

And the mention of the banana has her hold out her hand towards him, as they're walking towards the chocobo now instead of searching for something chocobo appropriate.]

It'll do. Hand it over.

Don't worry about it too much. We aren't alone, and it's not always confusing and scary. In fact, most days it isn't so bad.

Well, if you ignore the big, obvious changes.

[She watched Kath and nodded, not really voicing anything. It wasn't like she hadn't seen her share of clenched fists with regards to the app. It could almost be called a daily occurrence.]

Around two hundred or so. It's hard to keep track at times.

[She glanced out into the street before looking back at Judith with a little curiosity of her own. It was certainly an unusual reaction, but it wasn't the only time she'd seen that sort of reaction. She knew a couple who were like that.]

Well, the phone app is just what everyone who notices that something is wrong has in common. Nobody without it knows it's strange. [A pause and she glanced over.] Do you happen to remember horses for example?

The mayor is kind of like this, I've found. He's not exactly the most imaginative soul I'm starting to see. She chuckled and shook her head before glancing over at the other woman.] And I only call it a game because the 'jail' is a bouncy castle.

Hard to take that seriously, no?

I've had six months of it to get used to it. That, and I'm French. We're good at appearing blase unless someone ruins the wine and cheese plate, haven't you heard?

[She gave him a little grin at that, winking.]

That's not how the law works! [He points accusingly.]

You must have lured him away or something. He belongs to the mayor. There's a whole game going about finding him and all!

[That's ultimately what she was counting on. That he wouldn't write it off as crazytalk because he'd seen. The first person who'd seen it without having one himself, or having been present in some of her memories. They may not know one another well but there's something about him, a kind of magnetism that's hard to deny, and even harder to avoid opening up around. At least a little.]

I guess? I'm not sure, and I sure don't feel superheroic. But I definitely know that things have been shifting around here lately. I don't have all the answers, but it definitely has something to do with that app. The people who have the app are subject to those changes and flashes of memory, and those that don't have it feel almost asleep.

[Sleepers, that's the word she and Yosuke started using for them.]

It started back around Founders Day, in February. And I know it's a lot to take in, but I don't want you being unprepared for it. I like you, and you deserve to know what's happening so you're better equipped for it than I was.

Sorry.

[He mutters almost reflexively, and then he follows after her on the trail of words. But then he saw her stop - and seemingly without any letters, so he looked on in concern.]

...Do you... need a hand, Mom? [He says uncertainly, as his own letters hover near him.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 64 of 100

JUNE TDM

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

wildcard!

iv.

wildcard!

no subject

[1/2]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject