Recollé Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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repeter2018-10-17 05:34 pm
recollecters) wrote in repeter2018-10-17 05:34 pm
OCTOBER TDM + EVENT PT 2
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OCTOBER TEST DRIVE - EVENT EDITION The city of Recollé... …is a mess. But that’s probably unsurprising to many of you who have been fighting back to cure the creatures of the night. The golden moon hangs high in the sky and casts its eerie glow over the city. Each day, more members of the Retrospec app fall victim to various strains of the monstrous viruses in the air. Though some of you have discovered temporary cures, they aren't working as well as you've hoped. Even worse, on the evening of the 17th, the moon shifts and wavers in the sky, transitioning from its rich golden color to a deep blood red. The sky remains overcast, never quite dark but the sun refuses to appear. Most importantly? The infection begins to spread further...better hurry. I. - OTA It starts with a rustle. A crinkle. A dry, crackling sort of noise and when you wake up on the morning of the 18th you'll find yourself surrounded by tall, towering cornstalks gently brushing against your window. While plenty of the stalks are healthy several others are dried out and intertwined. The longer you stay in any sort of shelter the louder the rustling becomes and an increased sense of urgency grows, driving you outside and straight into the heart of a large cornmaze that's taken over the city. The stalks seem endless and stretch high into the sky, the tips seemingly touching the moon and providing very little in the way of direction. For those with the ability to fly, soaring up into the sky will lead to an aerial corn maze that's even harder to navigate. Digging your way under will lead you to mounds of roots, too tough to cut through no matter what you try. You could use fire if you really wanted, but do keep in mind that dry stalks will ignite very easily and the flame will spread faster than expected. As for cutting the stalks down? When one's cut down, two more grow back. Work quickly and you can make some progress. Wandering through the maze isn't as hopeless as it seems, at least. Sure, it's incredibly easy to get turned around and lost but as you keep walking you'll find buildings in their appropriate locations to act as landmarks. You might even run into a few friends as you're looking for an exit. However, friends aren't the only creatures looming among the maze. Large, overgrown crows with beady red eyes caw as they linger above, attempting to peck you at every turn. The birds are prone to swarming in groups and will chase anyone who's out in the open for too long. Venturing further into the maze will cause the birds to grow suspicious though and as you walk away from the outer portions they'll stop following you just as something appears in your line of vision. Another person? It may even look like someone you know, though they can't see you with their back toward you. As you approach them, the birds may caw a warning but it's too late. The figure turns around and you come across someone else. The same rustling noise as before becomes louder as the scarecrow advances on you, corn husks spilling from its hands to wrap around your limbs as other scarecrows come to join it. Those who have been on the app for some time will find themselves dragged deep into the maze, disappearing between the stalks. As the scarecrows walk and pull you along, they bind you with their corn husk limbs and your muscles seem to relax against your will. The deeper into the maze you disappear, the less mobility you seem to have. Your clothes soon feel itchy and your hair feels brittle to the touch. A copy of your current outfit appears on the scarecrow that ambushed you as your own clothing fades away into well-worn flannel and patched denim. Hopefully you still have the strength to fight, or you may find yourself alone and abandoned. Those who are brand new to the app, however, will find that the scarecrows have something different in mind. Rather than dragging you deep into the fields, they begin to march along the paths, gathering straw to stuff into your sleeves and the back of your shirt. Patches of mis-matched fabric are placed on your clothes and you find yourself hoisted six feet in the air, tied up onto a pole and looking out at the endless rows of corn. Someone has to protect the crops from crows, don't they? Too bad the scarecrows will just leave you hanging. II. - OTA You would think that the problems would end there. It's bad enough with scarecrows and birds, but as the moon continues washing the city in a soft red glow the primal instincts of the infection take hold. Those who have been infected in the last few weeks will find that the monster side of your personality begin to take its toll. It becomes harder to fight off the instincts to infect and take control, humanity wearing thin even in the daylight hours. On the other hand, at least your luck is better than those who aren't on the Retrospec app at all. In the previous days, your fellow citydwellers had hardly noticed that anything was amiss. Seeing truly is believing and while they could see the changes around them it was all in the Halloween spirit. Your physical changes and your abilities are smoke and mirrors, fun and games, and things they never quite took seriously. Perhaps they should have though. Perhaps if they had, they would have been prepared for the changes brought on by the blood moon. Unlike those on the app, citizens around you will begin to shift and change without any signs of stopping. The monsters in them break through their skin and alter their physique, animal-like instincts immediately shutting down any signs of human life. Sprouting fur, teeth, claws and other tell-tale signs, the monsters around you are the final products of the infection. These are the end game, prime examples of what you can be. And they want you to join them. With their sights set on anyone who isn't like them, they'll be relentless in their attacks to try and change whoever they can reach. Vampires will drink blood, werewolves with bite, mummies will bind and merpeople will lure you in with their siren song. There's nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Everyone is at the risk of becoming infected should you get caught. But you may be able to trick them into fighting their own kind. Monsters by nature want to control, and certain breeds of monsters will attempt to assert their dominance over one another. By leading them on and luring them out, you may be able to pit them against each other for a clean getaway. Traditional warding methods will have minimal success as well, but it's easy to become overwhelmed. This sense of control will even reach those of you who have been infected in the last month. You may love your friends and your family, but if they're an opposing monster, tensions rise and tempers fly leading to fights you may regret if you aren't careful. Don't be afraid to ask for back-up. You have to learn who to trust sometime. III. - IN GAME CHARACTERS ONLY The Retrospec mailbox sits proudly along the side of Wiffle-Waffle, completely untouched and surprisingly free of monsters and corn stalks. While several of you have approaches this place recently for assignments to help quell the infection, the mailbox seems to have a different idea today. Plastered on the wall next to the mailbox is a chart divided into categories, and as you linger to read a small, wrapped bundle will vault itself out of the mailbox and straight into your arms (or, if you're not paying attention, your face.) While the item you have been gifted is randomized, it's easy to locate on this chart. The package begins to glow a soft blue, and in your head you'll hear a small, clear voice. "Into the woods, it's time to go, I hate to leave, I have to, though. Into the woods, it's time, and so I must begin my journey…" As you venture through the corn maze city and fight the night, the voice continues to repeat the phrase until you find your way out of the maze and into the line of trees. Untouched by the maze, the woods are dark but the path is clear. Following the wisps of light and the voice guiding you, it becomes hard to avoid stumbling upon a clearing with twelve stone pillars, each partially colored with a ring of light surrounding its base. For each pillar, there's also an emblem shaped like one of the varieties of monsters attached to the front. The red pillar is for harpy, red-violet is for vampire, purple for shade, blue-violet for werewolf, blue for ghost, blue-green for merpeople, green for slime, yellow-green for zombie, yellow for robot, yellow-orange for mummy, orange for golem and a red-orange for demon. The mouths of these twelve emblems hang open, small enough to fit something particular...like a vial. Before you have time to wonder, a black wolf approaches from behind the trees. Some of you may recognize him as the wolf that's lingered around the cemetery this month, but to others he may be a stranger. As he looks at you, he woofs indignantly before he trots ahead toward the harpy, vampire, and golem pillars. The mouths of these emblems close, a sign that these vials have been found and must be returned to their rightful place. Though he cannot speak for himself, anyone in the woods will hear that same mysterious voice once again as the wolf begins to dig up nine empty vials to carry with him. "Come what may, follow the path and never stray. Only you may draw out the power to light the pillars and drive out the darkness. Fight back." As you look at the pillars, one of them lights up as someone in the city defeats a wayward creature. The ring inches upward, a sign of progress and an example of what you must do. With the collection of cure items on hand, you'll be able to combat anything that comes your way so long as you work together and create the right tools. Reach out to your friends and find those who have items to make yours stronger. Stun the creatures of the night, learn who you can trust, and work quickly to stop the infection from spreading even further. IV. - TDM CHARACTERS ONLY This may be old hat for everyone else by now, but this is very, very new to you, isn't it? Without pause, everything around you suddenly comes into clear focus. You’re not sure what you’ve missed or even what’s happening, but survival instinct kicks in the moment you set foot out of your home. With the city in a state of viral outbreak and several citizens succumbing to their disease, you'll find it hard to go very far without coming face to face with a creature of some kind. Just as this monster looms over you, ready to transform you into one of its own, a blinding white light wraps around you and you’ll find yourself in a brand new outfit. As the light fades, a magic wand materializes in your hand. With an "E" proudly embroidered in the hem of your skirt and a tiara on your head, the monsters begin to back away from you as they eye the wand nervously. Adorning the top of the wand is a clear crystal radiating with power. As the wand meets the eye of a monster, the gem will change to the appropriate color and a powerful beam of light will begin to drive the darkness out in threads and waves. While these powerful wands seem to be the key to fully curing the outbreak, you can't work alone. It will take the combined efforts of residents with cure items from the mailbox and your magical skills to advance upon a creature and exorcise them. As they're fought off with cure items and blinded by colorful hypnotizing light, creatures will begin to rapidly fade to their human selves. While those who are on the app will simply feel fatigued, the remaining citizens of Recollé will fall unconscious in a deep sleep. Nothing you do now can awaken them, but there's still an ample number of threats they face. It's…maybe a little suspicious to be found hovering over someone unconscious, isn't it? A friend will help you move. But a true friend will help you move a body. Good luck, Retrospecters. You'll have to move them to safety, and fast. BONUS. - OTA As the days bleed into the nights and you fight to reverse the effects of infection, a few changes begin to take their toll. The corn stalks begin to dry and even rot as the month continues, the maze becoming easier to navigate toward the end of October. The scarecrows begin to back off, and the birds take a look at you and caw in panic as they fly away in the other direction. Nothing about your situation has changed, but the results begin to show. On the 24th the corn maze begins to fall away in chunks. A winding golden path appears beneath your feet, outlining the roads of the city, and for the next week it becomes harder to walk smoothly. With each passing day, you sink into the ground inch by inch, never quite disappearing, but feeling yourself being pulled under until October 31st. The sky lights up. A wolf howls as twelve beams of light rocket into the air and form one solid column, flooding the city with bright colors as the remaining monsters are quelled and the darkness fades away. As of this day, all monsters are reverted back to their human form. The nightmare seems to be over. Creeping ever closer to Halloween night, you find yourself exhausted from the efforts put forth and as you glance down you notice your hands have begun to fade. Translucent and in some cases see-through, the process spreads slowly. Your body begins to fade away and transform, bursts of color appearing on your skin that light up the area around you including your semi-skeletal frame. Weren't the monsters defeated? Why is this happening now? Asking around never hurts, but maybe a pair of gloves will help. BONUS 2. - OTA On the evening of Halloween, the moon changes to a soft blue and rises higher into the sky. Jack-o-lanterns and strings of light suddenly adorn every shopfront and the chill autumn air sends a breeze through the town. The first thing you think of this evening will materialize over your body becoming this year's Halloween costume. As you look around, piles of sweets, savory dishes, and drinks galore pop up on tables on the sidewalks seemingly out of thin air. Live music begins to play, and those who have fallen asleep rise again to partake. It's...a party? It's a party. A Halloween party takes place on this evening to brighten the spirits of everyone. As everyone around you begins to mingle, you'll find that your phone beeps to notify you that the Retrospec app has entered Halloween Mode. Now decked out in cheerful Halloween colors, with userpics in a randomized (work safe) costume, Halloween Mode comes with a Trick or Treat function. When texting others over the app, users who are asked "Trick or treat?" will have the option to give a treat. If they do, a virtual candy will be gifted to the other user. If they do not, the user who asked the question will have the option to play a "trick" ranging from vandalizing someone's userpic with snap chat filters, choosing a new Halloween scheme for the other person's app, sending the other user into a round of a cutesy Halloween maze game or other light-hearted tricks only lasting up to 10 minutes. Go ahead, give it a try! Post a message and see what happens. It's easier than thinking about how strange this whole month has been, or how it's even stranger that framed photographs of you begin to appear on some of the refreshment tables as well, surrounded by your favorite treats and objects. Oh well. That sounds like tomorrow's problem. If there's ever a time for a celebration, today's the day. Welcome to recolle's October event pt 2 and our TDM! Please read these notes carefully.-All characters who are TDMing 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! -While only current players may post top-levels using prompt three and TDM players may top-level with prompt four, all players may respond to others who post with these prompts! -If you are TDMing this round, please indicate this by including TDM in your subject line! This will help the playerbase know who is who. -As a reminder for current players, you may still claim multiple freebies! These include: -One freebie for infecting (or being infected by) at least three different characters (this can be on the mod-posted log or in your own logs/inboxes.) -One freebie for exploring with a partner or a group and finding items to begin creating protective gear to ward off the infection. -One freebie for threading with a character that is test-driving. All of these threads must have at least five comments from you to be eligible. To submit for your freebie memories, please link us the appropriate thread with the trigger explanation of "freebie." -As a special note, we will also allow current players to use a thread from this event/TDM for their AC proofs! As this ties into a game-event, we are making an exception. However, your other proof(s) (at least ten comments) must come from sources outside of this log. Likewise, as this is an event log instead of just a standard TDM, you may use this log to trigger regains as normal. -Please note: you will need a reserve to apply, and current characters must have full AC posted at the time of their reservation. This means for players reserving second characters you must link us your full October AC, and players reserving second and third characters must link us to your September and October AC! Finally, you can visit October's AU workshop here! Any questions you have regarding this event/TDM may be directed to the mod comment here. Be sure to review the mods' question thread on the plotting post for important information as well! |
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Crow's hands lift from his head when he thinks it's safe, the hand that had previously been holding onto his shirt collar now falling limp like a dead fish at his feet.
Who had--
...
....He knows that voice. It's that one girl from his history class--the A student who seemed to be making it her mission to have everyone follow suit.
What's she doing here--and WHY does she have a stun rod? He has so many questions, like four off the top of his head.
That is..until he sees her glowing cheeks, flecked with little scales that he is SURE isn't Halloween makeup or anything she's had since class a few hours ago.
Make that five questions.]
L-Luci?
Is this what they teach girls in self-defense classes, now? Cause damn.
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[ Cryptic. Also probably accurate, since Lucille can't directly point to where she would have learned those moves. A little bit of softball practice, and some past life benefits. He wouldn't understand. Probably.
Crow will be lucky if those are the only questions he ends up with by the time she's done. But Lucille does have one of her own, her head tilting as she crosses her arms smartly over her chest. A curious smile spreads across her lips. ]
So you can see them, then? Those weird scarecrows wandering around.
[ It's fine if she sounds a little crazy to him. If he's a Sleeper, he'll forget all of this by tomorrow, so there's no harm in asking. Besides, she has always been something of an oddball. She can just default to that explanation, if pressed. ]
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[Let's go with the former, because he's starting to wonder just what metal-as-heck self defense this girl goes to.
Brushing some of the straw out from under his shirt that the scarecrow managed to get down his collar, he looks back up to see the grin on her lips. He has to say, there's something...otherworldly about that face of hers right now.]
...Uh yeah, who COULDN'T?
Pretty hard to miss we're all in some kind of B-rated horror movie...
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[ Is she trying to say that he should be terrified of her as well? Considering what she knows she is, that's a safe wager. While Lucille has had no problem turning people she doesn't know, a familiar face puts a damper on things. He should probably keep his distance.
Her smile dims a bit when answers her question, the last lingering hope that someone else she knew had been spared from Retrospec's grasp. It's a complicated look that she gives him, hovering somewhere between relieved and quietly apologetic as she sighs to herself. ]
That's exactly what I said, not even a month ago. [ Word for word, in fact. Weird. Anyway. ] I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but that won't changing anytime soon.
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[If there's one thing he's learned in life, it's that women are forces to be reckoned with when they want to be. And if they've got a stun stick....well, there's no reason to even elaborate on why he thinks that, is there?]
...
[But he notices her face fall, and his own softens ever so slightly. Whatever's going on, she's awfully somber about it... And that's saying something when it's coming from some kind of bioluminscent mon--being. Person.]
Come again?
[He's not naive enough to think this is a dream, but he certainly didn't expect this to be something that would become the new norm.]
You mean the scarecrows and the corn maze? Or is that just because it's Halloween? [At least he's perceptive.]
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But ah, he's clever, that will make this easier. Seeing his countenance shift, Lucille's arms fall back to her side as she shifts into a more comfortable standing position. She glances behind her, toward the smoldering straw man. Slowly, she starts to pull off one of her gloves. ]
If I had to guess, the latter. This month has been weird for a lot of us.
[ A point that she illustrates, holding her bare hand up, palm out. Her fingers are webbed; the word EPSILON tattooed on her palm.
Lucille holds her hand out to him, expectantly. ]
Can I see your phone? I want to confirm something. [ She pauses. ] Don't worry, it's not contagious. Well. Not in that way.
no subject
But ah, it seems he was right on the money. With the time of the year, it was a little too fitting. ]
Something about that doesn't surprise me. Might be the scales...I've heard of glowing complexions, but you're really living by that now.
[The words catch his eye, and there's a moment's hesitation before he fishes in his pocket for his phone, pulling out a receipt or two before eventually finding it in one of those cargo pockets. Whatever it is she wanted to see, he might as well go along with it.]
Ah, here ya go.
[Don't look at his photos they're all screenshots of his 5 star pulls on his gatcha.]
who is this Kotori girl and why is she all over your phone, Crow?
[ Lucille is now really the time? And yes, she does mean literally. She has a tail. Maybe if he asks nice, she'll show him. He's even welcome to join her in the water if he's brave enough. She won't let him drown, promise!
She fully expects him to blow her off, so she flashes him an appreciative smile when he does hand it over. With a few deft strokes of her finger, that smile turns a bit sardonic as she offers the device back to him. ]
Yep, that's what I thought.
[
He's a whale.There it is, that app, waiting for him to find it. Poor guy. She reaches to put her glove back on, before tilting her head slightly, a rueful smirk pulling at her lips. ]It looks like you're stuck with us, for better or for worse. This is going to sound so cliche, but welcome to your new normal. [ A beat. She looks genuinely sorry about this. ] Trust me, you'll get sick of hearing that after the third or fourth time.
[ Again, she glances at the scarecrow lying there on the pavement, but there's a little more urgency in her movements. Once her attention is directed back to Crow, she draws her lips together in a fine line. ]
I can tell you a little more about what that means, but it probably isn't a good idea to stand out in the open like this. Those things are a lot more ravenous than a lot of us are, and I doubt you want the creepy-crawly crud they're spreading around.
no subject
I understood that reference.
[Crow you could NOT encourage her, you really could. But here you are playing up a possible zombie outbreak by making mermaid jokes. He'll have to pass on the whole drowning thing, he's allergic.
A Crorca whaleHis eyebrow raises, though, as she flips through his phone looking for something, only craning his neck over to take a peek when she sounds like she finds it. It's...not something he remembers downloading, but he's made a lot of late night store-app choices out of pure curiosity it's hard to remember.]My new normal, huh. Pretty hard to top my current one, but I can't really deny it.
[He'll take his phone back now, idly flipping through it to see the app for himself. It's not something he's going to investigate this moment, what with all the scarecrows around still wanting to shove straw into his shirt, and Luci's whole scaly situation...but things to take a look at when he has downtime, for sure.]
Sounds like a plan...I'm not so sure I want to be out here in case those guys do decide they want to make a scareCrow out of me.
Get it.
no subject
Oh yeah? Well now I'm curious. You can tell me all about it while we walk. Do you live near here? That might be a good place to wait until the hay horde here passes.
[ She could probably protect the of the both of them for a time, but that plan is unideal. She remembers what it's like being a noncombatant when the city decides to show its fangs.
ScareCrow... Oh that's really good, she's a little mad she didn't come up with that one herself. She disguises her snicker by curling a gloved hand near her lips. ]
I'd have to be a bird-brain not to.
[ Hope you're happy with yourself, Crow. ]
no subject
Yeah, my place isn't too far...I think.
[The giant corn maze does make it a little bit more of a toss up, but he thinks he can navigate it pretty okay...almost two years in Recolle have gotten his navigational memory down pat.]
...
[Did she just try and joke back at him? Is this how the walks going to be? Because bring it on.]
Robin' me of all my good jokes, are we? How unpheasant.
[Come, follow this awful disaster.]
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Lucille gives him an encouraging smile. ]
You should be able to retrace your steps, in theory. And to make sure we don't get turned around—
[ She takes a step toward the corn wall to their right, grabbing a few of the long stalks and forcefully bending them at a 90-degree angle. ]
It'll have to do. If I knew something like this would happen, I would have brought something better to mark our path.
[ Just add it to the list of things she needs to carry with her. You know. Along with the lighter. And a glass cutter. And all kinds of things no one in their right mind should have on their person.
Walking back toward him, she continues to beam sunshine with her smile. Oho, a new challenger appears. ]
Well, I guess I can sparrow few, as long as you're willing to go a-dove and beyond for a good punchline.
[ Lead on, oh Disastrous One. ]
no subject
Probably.]
As long as my house looks the same, it should be a piece of cake.
[But watching her mark those corn stalks, he's suddenly struck with an idea, meandering over to her work and digging in his own pockets. It's not much, but he's able to pull out blue medical tape, tearing off a piece to wrap the two bent cornstalks together.
You're not the only one with questionable pocket contents~ Except his are supposed to be for school.
They'll understand.]
Hey...you're not bad. That's fine--toucan play at that game. Owl bet you're about to run out of 'em soon.
[He'll just start leading before the scarecrows die of bad punchlines.]
no subject
[ 8-bit world was weird, and she was only aware for the later half of it. Compared to the glitches that they had to fight, a corn maze and scarecrows aren't the worst thing in the world.
Leaning in to see, Lucille watches him wrap the medical tape around two of the stalks. Oh, that's smart. Yet another thing for the list.
Following behind she smirks as he challenges her. Crow, you have no idea what you're stepping into. She tips her chin up, a smooth and confident grin on her lips. ]
Wow, you have a lot of gull. You think I can't keep up? Like pelican-'t!
[ This is the closest anyone will ever get to a swear from her. Congrats, Crow. ]
no subject
Still, though, he'll keep up the punfest.]
Haha!
Look at you, keeping pace with an ol' guy like me! [Crow you're 21.]
You're falcon hilarious~ [He can hide that language too!]
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I'm glad you think so!
[ But she can't let him get too cocky (u g h). ]
And I'm no spring chicken either, you know. [ Lucille you're 18. ] But I think we should put an end to this heron now, before one of us ends up with egg on their face.
no subject
So he won't. Bird puns are easier.
...? Hold up hold up there, starling.
[Excuse you, girl. Let him take one look at you for a second.]
I swear. If you're older than me...
[GIRLS ARE FOUNTAINS OF YOUTH, TRUE, BUT SHE CAN'T BE.]
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The question catches her by surprise, and as her head tilts toward him, Lucille smiles pleasantly. She doesn't mind the attention, but... ]
How old do you think I am?
[ DANGER DANGER DANGER. ]
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Crow puts a hand to his chest, eyes staring off into the middle distance.]
Ah yes, the true gamble of life and death.
[YOU'RE NOT GETTING OUT OF IT NOW, CROW.]