NOVEMBER TDM

[recollecters]

TEST DRIVE

NOVEMBER TEST DRIVE The city of Recollé... What do you mean the city's behaving for once? I. The Mayor's growing desperate with Thanksgiving right around the corner as those gosh darn turkeys continue to elude him. The birds that escaped at the beginning of the month continue to wreak havoc over the city as they mingle with the crowds and lay their golden eggs in less than convenient places. However, with the clock counting down to Turkey Day, the birds appear to be a little more aggressive. You may find yourself actively chased out of a shop or your classroom by one of these wild birds gobbling angrily all the way. Perhaps a bird is nesting in the middle of the sidewalk forcing you to take a new path. Or perhaps you've come across one of their golden eggs, but be careful! It doesn't take more than a gentle touch now for these eggs to explode, showering anyone nearby with surprises such as candy, shaving cream, mud, bugs, plastic cars, crayons or other small tokens. Will you attempt to catch the birds to turn them into city hall for the $50 reward? Or are you too busy running around to avoid them? II. Even with the turkeys on rampage, that doesn't damper the holiday season. Citizens from all over the city are preparing for the festivities of the month. Over at Tribunal Terrace several members from various volunteer groups and the Community Center are organizing their small annual Thanksgiving day parade that kicks off the city's potluck dinner. Grocery stores are swamped with shoppers picking up last-minute supplies for their big meals and you may find yourself fighting for that last jar of gravy. Over at the community theater, children prepare for their Thanksgiving pageant and it's a flurry of activity from costumes to rehearsals to last-minute stage preparation before the big day. There's plenty of work to be done whether you're acting in the pageant or working on-set. The theater will need as many volunteers as possible to pull this show off. Granted, there are plenty of things to go wrong in the chaos. One of the parade floats begins to drift away from Tribunal Terrace and rolls down the street on its own leaving volunteers to chase after it and fight off an onslaught of turkeys. Lights blow out in the theater and some wiring and set pieces need to be repaired. And did that person's grocery cart of food just hit your car? Good luck. Are you prepared for your celebrations and willing to help your fellow neighbor? Or are you a last-minute straggler left high and dry? III. Earlier in the month several stores had discounted prices on all things blue and it looks like the prices just keep dropping. With green fully restored to all items in the city, items such as clothing, art supplies and food change prices every hour, on the hour. The city of Recollé knows a good bargain when it sees it and hundreds of people hit the streets to snatch up what stock they can. It's like Black Friday came early and after a while some stores can't even keep up with demand. Maybe you're among the crowd hunting for just the right shade of green for your holiday packages, or perhaps you're some poor sap who got called into work at 6am on your day off to deal with a swarm of customers. No matter who you are though, you will find yourself having to answer the age-old question: which color is better, green or blue? IV. The blue skies have only been back for a few weeks before the gray of winter rolls in again. The wind picks up a little and the ocean crashes against the shore down at Peach Beach. The city grows dark each day beginning at about 4:30pm and the temperature drops little by little. It's on November 18th that residents will find that there's a bit of frost on their windows when they wake up that Saturday. Toward the early afternoon, the first snowfall of the season begins. It's nothing much, mostly flurries that swirl and dance through the air and cause a burst of excitement among people. Some residents may even remember it's very similar to the Founder's Day holiday. Though this won't be the last time it snows in the city, there's something magical about the first sign of winter as fall exits. Get out there and build a tiny snowman or catch snowflakes on your tongue. At least the turkeys seem to retreat from the snow itself. BONUS. Over the course of the month residents will find that the spotty reception they've always had has grown even worse. Static rings out over the line and long-distance calls stop going through. Emails bounce back despite numerous attempts, and don't even think about getting clear audio or video through Skype. No matter how hard one tries, by November 30th it will become incredibly clear that all phone calls, texts, emails and video chats to people outside of the city have been shut down. The internet will continue to function as normal (browse and share those cat videos to your heart's content) and inner-city communication functions just fine. You can try calling your service provider...but who knows if you'll get through? And last but not least in the world of inconveniences, in some instances your calls and emails may be rerouted to fellow Retrospec users. Sorry about that! 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! For current players, please remember that TDM threads can only be used for bonus points, not regains. Please note: you will need a reserve to apply, and current characters must have full AC posted at the time of their reservation. Your November TDM directory is here, and your AU workshop is here! Our mod questions thread for this TDM is over here!

Comments

[dumber]

[ ethan gets ready to deny it— it’d be bad news if he looked any more guilty of taking apples, food. she saw everything and by now, he wants to leave, he wants to bow and say, hey, thanks for the help, like any citizen would, and be on his way, maybe settle for, well. nothing, or maybe chips at smaller shops, those were easier.

but what she says, word after word, is what gets him to stare wide eyed. she saw everything, a stranger, and she’s asking him, a stranger, to share with her. she’s even smiling, not frowning or getting ready to tell him to beat it. apple pie. he doesn’t know what to say, and for a few minutes, doesn’t even know if this is real anymore. ]

Miss . . . Are you— seriously–?

[ he has to look around them, and point to himself. was she really talking to him? and doing what he thought she was doing? ]

[constellates]

[She's seen it happen before - when Yato collapses somewhere on the ground because he's run out of money and he's hungry. Yato isn't a bad person? It's probably a mistake to apply that kind of thought process to everyone, but she's gonna try it anyway. So when he points to himself, she nods.]

Yes, you.

[But she does look sheepish a moment later, reaching up to play with her hair self-consciously.]

Xотеть... but only if you... want to?

[Still though, she tilts her head and smiles.]

I do not think you are a bad person. [she doesn't think anyone's a bad person so like realtalk never trust anya's blind faith ever] So it would not be good if you are hungry. You cannot stay warm in winter if you are hungry.

[dumber]

[ there’s a whole spectrum of emotions doing flips inside him that he doesn’t know what to do. his mouth moves, but no words come out. there’s a girl, a really nice girl offering him apple pie, smiling at him, seeing him as a good person— things he doesn’t get often. things not even his parents have done.

ethan almost wants to punch himself just to double check he’s not going crazy, because he’s sure been noticing some odd things around town, but . . . he doesn’t get that far. he can feel his eyes sting and his face going completely red, down to the neck. ]

I’d—I’d, love that, really, miss . . . [ at this point, it was hard, really hard, to say no. only someone who’s hungry, and doesn’t know where their next chance at a meal, would know what that felt like. ] I’m just— [ he still feels completely out of place, and guilty. the invite isn’t turned down, definitely not, beginning to smile in disbelief and duck his head. ] I’m, Ethan.

[ he might be holding in tears. ]

[constellates]

[he almost cries just like yato too. it's official. she's terribly endeared.

there's still a soft smile on her face and her hand automatically reaches out, as if to try to get him to lift his head again - but she pulls back a second before she actually makes contact. it's a little late but she realizes that while she has no sense of personal space or boundaries, it's probably best not to scare him.]

Anastasia... but please, call me Anya. It is nice to meet you, Ethan.

[and with that, she'll hold out the basket that she was holding in between the two of them, bringing one finger up to her lips in a small 'sshhh' gesture.]

Вот... If you have more, put them here and I will buy. It will be our secret, yes?

[- that he was gonna walk out with them, that is.... it's okay, she assumes people will do desperate things when they're hungry. she has no intention of holding it against him]

[dumber]

[ alright, so— ethan needs to breathe. no tears will fall today!! only enough to make his eyes and nose red as those very apples. of course, she’s already got enough apples in that basket to feed ten, there was really no need for more. even if there was one more in his other sleeve, but he finally looks up, with a nod. ]

You too. Anya. [ he can’t believe it!!! wow!!! it’s only a word, but how the boy manages to put so much genuine emotion into it is a mystery (he’s just honest). ] Thanks.

[ what a nice name. he wonders where she’s from-? anyway, as easily as he had slipped it into his hoodie, he slips it back into the pile and racks he took it from. ]

Can I carry those for you?

[ he’ll carry anything ]

[constellates]

[the honesty is appreciated and warms her heart. she looks up at his eyes and nose and does a little nod. if he wants to hold onto the basket, that's fine, she'll hand it over to him... in a moment! for now she'll set it aside very briefly so that she can open her arms to him]

Cкоро... soon!

But - do you want a hug first?

[since his eyes and nose are red..... she might be watching him a little too closely considering that he's a stranger and all, but she knows that sometimes you just?? need a hug????]

[dumber]

[ THIS IS TOO MUCH FOR HIM sweet lord. first apple pie and very sweet girls, then there are hugs with those two things together. he’d love hugs, like dogs like pets. the last sort of human warmth he’s had like this was granny, and that wasn’t even his actual grandma.

she made the most amazing food, too— you know what they’ve always said. yolo. ]

I— yeah.

[ she receives, right then and there, the most genuine and tight (but equally gentle) hugs a boy can give. ]

Thanks.

[constellates]

[she loves hugs so that's perfect with her. she mirrors him exactly, rising up to her toes just so that she can give him a proper, warm hug. he's gone through a lot of things, hasn't he? if something as simple as a meal makes him almost cry....

she hums happily at that, a pleased little noise almost like a chirp]

Пожалуйста. You are welcome. You are always welcome.