repeter | 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Don't make that face... He's awfully weak, except he just got played. Self-fulfilling prophecy has nabbed him by the single dollar and he looks off into the distance as his shoulders slump. Not even the eerie smiles of their recruiters can pull him out of this. ]

You got me. [ Hands raised to emphasize it. ] Your deduction skills are on point as usual.

I'm sure it'll be your name in the newspapers, not mine.

[ Genuine comment this time. ]

Your faith, while not unfounded, remains a source of confidence for me. One of these days, surely.

[And not for solving some made-up crime. The sincerity's done its work, at least, and Goro nudges Akira with his shoulder.]

But I do think you have it in you to win a competitive eating contest, even if it's not with a single dollar. All it is is a matter of pace.

[Follow your dreams! Compete in ~~the Big Bang Challenge~~ an eating competition!]

[ Those words kind of makes him want to take back what he said, but it's fine. The nudge makes his head move to one side like a rag doll, but he looks back down to his qualifications. ]

You think so? I haven't given it a try.

[ Racing the clock does pique his interest, but eating doesn't exactly fit the bill as much. ]

I'd rather be a live action roleplayer.

Considering I really am going to tell them that I'm not interested in this, I'll put in a good word for you instead. Do you want to take my place as the dragon?

[Or maybe as something else. Shallow doesn't fit his favorite purrista at all, so maybe they can mix and match.]

Dragons are cool, but it doesn't fit me as much as it does for you.

[ He doesn't mind exchanging qualifications, but the longer they stay in this office, the more unnerving the recruiters seem. Each candidate that comes out looks drained beyond belief.

Curious. ]

Let's eavesdrop.

[ "Danger" is his middle name, "idiot" is his second one. ]

I'm going to remember that you technically called me cool.

[... That certainly is curious though. Being stared at doesn't bother Goro a lot, but it is true the longer they're here the odder it feels, and with the candidates appearing as they are--]

You know, it is a detective's duty to solve mysteries, and this is one worth looking into. It's almost like their life is being taken from them... or maybe that's simply because it's a draining experience in general.

[But he's down for being a nosy bitch, which happens to be his own middle name. He's no Holmes and Akira's no Watson, but it'll do. It'll do. Goro likes Poirot more anyway.]

Nonetheless, we do need to discern if their intentions are nefarious or not. Do you have a plan in mind? Their eyes haven't left us.

Super cool.

[ If only he could roll his eyes so far back into his head right now. They're almost up next for their respective positions. As candidates come out with exasperated expressions and a lag in their step, the recruiters escort them out with cheerful exuberance. It looks like it takes ten minutes before they're back to their stations with the fake smile, welcoming the next candidates into the interview room. ]

We can either eavesdrop every time the recruiters leave or we go into the interview ourselves—as a unit. If it looks bad, we'll bail.

[ He has your back!! But he wants to do the latter since it sounds enthralling. However, he'll yield since sneaking around is his game, too. ]

[Sneaking around is such a shady tactic. For a bold and upcoming detective, the choice is obvious.]

We'll get the most information doing the second. [...Though.] I can certainly work with the role I have in hand, [the live action roleplayer job,] but I don't think we make a very believable unit.

[ So they're both dumb is what it sounds like. Akira isn't against it, but he has a point. ]

Do you want to go in as a duo of competitive eaters or a pair of larpers? [ How does a team of competitive eaters even work? Does that defeat the purpose? But hm... ] You wanted some kind of rival, right?

We can pitch that to them.

[ Live action roleplaying partners that play rivals to keep an engaging narrative. ]

[Oh. He remembered.

... More importantly, that's actually sounding pretty fun, and Goro bounces his leg idly. He's in the mindset of having this be a more serious mission, but the way he's smiling is absolutely betraying his joy at the narrative they've got going here.]

That's as good as it's going to get, given our options. [Rivals.] Hide your paper -- we'll say the wind carried it off, but it was the same as mine -- and hope that they're not extra enough to have a registry system that tracks the numbers of these wheels.

[Larper partners. This is a day.]

[ It's hard to forget something that makes someone brighten up like they're in a toy store. From the subtle gestures and movements, he can tell his new partner is enjoying himself. He guesses that's what is important, especially when they're already indulging his sense of adventure. On cue, the paper disappears into his sleeve like a magic trick. ]

What paper?

[ They're off to a good start, but they need a solid foundation. He strokes his chin as he recalls his co-worker gush about her larp experience. ]

We need a premise—do you want to stay true to your detective heart?

... Actually, do you mind taking the role of detective? If we follow that, I mean.

[Because he does like it, there's no mistaking that, he's going to be a world-class detective and have books based on his fantastic exploits, every household will know the name Goro Akechi, but--]

I'll play your opposing role as-- as an art thief, or something like that, who false-faces and deceives even the sliest of eyes, who can stand in front of the law with confidence of not being found out through a web of connections, all while planning three steps ahead to obtain an expensive prize.

[He's always favored the thieves, honestly. They have a way with things that fascinates him and, though they're against the law, tend to be good at heart. Moral codes and their own justice. He's a little in love with their romantic adventures, but hell if that's getting directly stated.]

It'll be a nice change of pace, and then I won't mix business and pleasure. [......] And I'd like to see your interpretation of a detective too.

I would just pretend to be you. Detective Prince—Goro Akechi. Filled to the brim with exuberance, charm, and knowledge.

[ Akira's tone actually lifts up to play the part, mimicking the small lilts and variances of Goro's voice. You know what? He'll even add a playful wink to that before he reverts back to his normal, neutral self. Now stroking his chin, he has to seriously think of something to pair off with that vibrant fictional thief. They only have a couple of minutes, so he pieces together what he knows from Investigation Discovery and cyoa stories he read online. ]

Let's go with a upstanding detective, seasoned from his first big debut, only to be stumped by this new art stealing menace. He has been working hard on getting the recognition of the public which he earned and craved, but his great sense of justice hasn't waned from his popularity. Unfortunately, he becomes enamored by the thief's free lifestyle and also succumbs to societal pressures as days go by without the thief in cuffs. Desperation fuels, corrupts, and blinds him.

[ Okay, maybe he went too deep into something they're only going to play with once. At least he doesn't half-ass his work? The recruiters usher them in, saying it's their time to shine. ]

So we're clear on roles?

JUNE TDM

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject