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

[warmhearted]

[ At first Lailah just watches him with a patient smile, she knows full well Sorey's talents in lying are... well, nonexistent. But that brings back.. a memory? Her brows knit together, a look of concentration as she thinks back. ]

I.. do sorta remember that. [ Not being able to see the app even when it was mentioned. It's strange that all of a sudden she can now then. There's a worried look on her face as he mentions more. What exactly had she been in the dark about..? ] Since January.. are you alright? And Mikleo?

[ There has been some noticeable distance from Mikleo that she's noticed and it's coming to memory now. But her during that time assumed it was her son just being busy with his life, focusing on his studies. Maybe it actually had to do with these things they've supposedly dealt with?

Even though she can't see anything wrong with Sorey she's still gonna fret a little over his well-being just as she would with Mikleo. ]

[openhanded]

[His eyebrows lift as she says she remembers. For a moment he isn't sure how he feels. There's just this-- this tangible flutter of a heartbeat. Because even though that means they've gained someone to help them, it also means she'll be privy to all the ugliness. The spirits wailing, murmuring darkly in the woods. The near-monthly fights for their lives.

The memories that belong to someone else.]

We're fine! We're totally fine!

[His smile is paper-thin regardless. Neither of them have been hurt, thank God, but... where does he start?]

It's just... a lot of weird, inexplicable things. It started with -- horses. And then it was something blabbing our secrets everywhere, and after that...

You know the movie where the scientist accidentally makes his family just a few inches tall? It was like that, but life around us just went on like normal. I still had to go teach at the high school, and Mikleo still had to go to work. I saw some kid fencing a praying mantis with a pencil.

[warmhearted]

You say that and yet..

[ There's a sort've disappointing look only a mother can have as she quietly stares on over to him with knitted brows. Not to say she doesn't believe him, it's Sorey after all. He's a honest and good man who wouldn't lie to her if it was something serious. Or lie at all. She hears it countless times over how bad of a liar he is. But she wouldn't put it past anyone if it meant protecting someone.

Now confusion flutters on her features, hearing the details of recent happenings. Horses...? Blabbing secrets..? ]

..Oh! [ A look of surprise replaces at the comparison. Now realizing how serious he was. Except... the last statement has her snorting a little. ] That sounds awfully buggy. [ haaa-- okay that wasn't a good one, she can do better than that. But it's hard not to be amused a little at the imagery. Though she does hope that poor kid didn't get hurt from it. ]

So you're to say that it only seems to get worse then.

[openhanded]

[And yet... Sorey definitely doesn't linger on that subject. He doesn't need Lailah picking him apart. He needs to do this delicately. That means even though he smiles nervously at her pun, he doesn't laugh... ... sorry, Lailah...]

This guy on the Retrospec app, he taunts us and makes threats, and then... he took away blue and green. It doesn't make sense-- not at all. But that's just part of it. Some people have been getting presents from Retrospec, too.

And some of us have started remembering things that never happened. Things that seem like they happened to someone else, or they were out of a book or movie.

[He takes in a deep breath.]

Mikleo's eyes used to be blue, remember?

[They're bright purple now. And Sorey's eyes aren't green. In fact, he's wearing a lot of gray lately.]

[warmhearted]

[ Though Sorey smiles, it doesn't help with her nerves bundling up. Wanting to make light of the situation of something that sounds just as she thinks- a joke. But it's not, Sorey is serious. Something you expect in movies happening in reality.. Her hands clasp together in front of her, almost too tightly that her knuckles bear white.

But she listens. To hear of strange things happening without her knowledge until now, that everything isn't as.. good as it supposedly was. It's a bit scary. Scary enough to want to block out and ignore. To pretend things are actually still going well.

However, if there's threats and someone taunting them.. isn't it all the more better to listen and learn everything? She doesn't know what to think about the idea of having memories belonging to someone else. Isn't this her life, after all? The life she's grown up to have... to bear.

Yet when Sorey mentions Mikleo's eyes does she visibly flinch. Thinking on it now, of course she realizes the difference. When she speaks her voice is quiet, small, as her head lowers a little with a puzzled look. ]

Of course they're blue! They.. they have to be blue. When he was born, when I held him in my arms.. [ Those soft blue eyes staring up at her with such a watery gaze. It's a memory she never wants to forget. ] Are they not contacts..?

[ That had been the thought now that she thinks about it. Was that not the case? How does someone explain a sudden eye color change? ] ..You believe this all to be true then? [ Not that she wants to doubt Sorey, but all of this is so sudden. It's happening a bit too quickly for her comfort. ] I do not mean to sound as though I do not believe you, Sorey. It's just...

[ Hard to grasp onto right at this moment. Nothing has yet happen to her, after all. ]

[openhanded]

[Sorey lets her puzzle that one out. She's Mikleo's mother, she knows better than anyone what he looks like. Very, very softly, he places his hands on her arms. It's meant to be a comforting gesture. He doesn't like seeing Lailah so down, but everyone has to face the truth sooner or later. He and Mikleo kept it from her for so long-- or she forgot about it, either or.

There's so much he's keeping from her even now.]

It's a lot to take in, [he murmurs.] I know. The reason why Mikleo looks different isn't because he changed the way he looks. He just woke up like that.

He... looks like the Mikleo in his dreams.

[The Mikleo who is not a human, but a water seraph-- a kind of nature spirit or divine being that Sorey protects with everything he's got.]

And I remember him looking like that, too.

[warmhearted]

[ Her eyes raise up to his own at that touch, her hands loosening on one another and she offers a small appreciative smile to him. She understands what he's trying to do. The very fact he's sharing all of this is also something she appreciates. He's doing his best and that's all she can ask for. Her shoulders slump a little with thought and she glances down again with a softer sigh. ]

I see.. [ That she can see clearly. But it doesn't exactly explain it all completely. If anything, she has a lot of questions, but she supposes that's the best kind of reaction one could have. Heavens above.. how much has she been in the dark? How much has she looked away from? It's a very troubling thought.

And yet.. there's a gentle shake of her head. ] Despite that being the case, it is not the Mikleo I remember. [ Not of her memories here. Any others.. she has yet to see. Yet, one thing she does know. ] Even so.. no matter how he changes, he is still Mikleo. [ He is still her Mikleo, her son. ]

You know that too, don't you Sorey? [ If anyone would, it would be him. ]

[openhanded]

[It really is a lot to take in at once. Maybe Sorey shouldn't have mentioned Mikleo's changes. Surely she would have come to that conclusion on her own, with some experience...? She's taking it well all things considered, but the fact remains that he doesn't want her to break down. If he makes Lailah upset, he'll have committed a grave sin against all of mankind. Also, Mikleo would go full medieval on his ass.

Sorey nods when she says that. He isn't going to try to argue that they're the same people, because they're not.]

Of course! He'll always be Mikleo, no matter what. [This is familiar territory, enough that he can spare his best friend's mother a smile.] We made a promise to remind each other of that.

[He digs deep for a moment as he tries to find the right words.]

Whatever Retrospec throws at us, it can't take away the years we've lived or the connections we've made. We all have our own lives and ambitions that exist separate from the people in our dreams. We don't have to throw any of that away just because of something that happened in the past. I don't think we should.

If we choose to take on the burdens that our 'other' selves had, then that's our choice. But no one has to.