repeter | OCTOBER TDM + EVENT PT 2

Entry tags:

! event,
! tdm

OCTOBER TDM + EVENT PT 2

EVENT + TEST DRIVE

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I/II

[So maybe Freya snapped, a little. It's been a long month already, and between getting chased out of her temporary sleeping spots by non-app Instant Monsters, the scarecrows, the actual crows, and the constant rustling and crunching of the stalks that her enhanced hearing won't let her tune out, her frustration boils over.]

[In the nearby vicinity, the ground suddenly shakes and bucks in some kind of extremely localized, freak earthquake. Rock and stones periodically burst into the air, dislodging the roots of the cornstalks although they're quick to regrow and right themselves. And then--it's over, the magic that seized the ground gone. It only lasts for a handful of seconds, but it's enough to shake (ha) Freya's monster pursuers, for now.]

[She's covered in shallow, scabbed-over cuts, and furiously trying to work her way through the maze to the safety of a building, either through following the path or hacking away with her double bladed spear. She looks exhausted and mad as hell, and fixes anyone with even the tiniest sign of infection with a fierce glare. Move or be moved, it almost seems to say.]

[Anyone in need of help, though... She'll stop to resolve the problem. Briefly.]

[[Not interested in infection at this time!]]

Edited 2018-10-22 02:37 (UTC)

Closed to Penelope

[Smashing through a second story window into a face full of cornstalks was not how Freya imagined her night.]

[She'd taken to sleeping during the "day", given the perils of night, so she'd been awake to respond to the strange crinkling and crackling at her bedroom ~~door~~ window. Well, at her little airbnb bedroom, anyway; and she'd been awake to hear the trio of howls that suddenly filled the house.]

[Barring the door only did so much, from the way it rattled and buckled, so diving into the impossibly tall corn maze, dodging and weaving through the family of werewolves soon on her heels. Between their sense of smell and the deadends and unnaturally thick maze walls, it was going to be a long chase, and a long night.]

[From down the street, Penelope spots her target, eyes narrowing. She'd been looking for Freya, and she'd found her and now there were fucking werewolves getting in the way.

Ugh. Time to do something about that.

Slipping behind the family of wolves, invisible and aided by an equally invisible Shiva to keep track of the monsters when she wasn't quick enough to keep up, she makes good time. Waiting for a dead end, or a chance to strike.

There was no way Freya was going to get away this time. It wasn't possible. But those damn wolves weren't going to get her either.]

[Dead ends were inevitable in mazes, giant corn or not. The first of the trio to reach her pounces--and Freya smashes it out of the air with the haft of her lance, feeling a pang of guilt. They were a nice family, and that's probably going to bruise. Or break a rib. Or three.]

[She spins quickly enough to wedge the haft between the snapping jaws of the second, while the third hung at a distance, skulking around the best it could in the narrow passage to find an opening.]

[Between the frantic action, dog odor, and the earthy smell of the corn stalks, Freya didn't catch the faint scent of the tide that usually tipped her off to Pen's presence.]

[Which is just as well. Pen has been bathing in the ocean rather than her shower, so the scent of salt is even stronger lately. It's the only thing that feels right at the moment. Just like it'll be even more right when her partner joins her. It's gotten bad, but she's trying to be good when she's fully herself. Unfortunately, the appearance of non-app using monsters has amped up her internalized Harpy sense of justice and the drama queen in her won't be alright with anyone else getting close to her dear Freya.

Slipping closer, the sounds of combat making her partner stand out like an alarm bell, she crouches out of sight to try and figure out how to make sure this all goes her way. Today's definitely the day she can stop being so damn lonely.

The first thing is obviously to protect her partner, so the familiar shimmering shield of a Bubble spell that Pen does, not caring if it gives away her presence. The second is to push Shiva into action. The spirit appears behind the attacking werewolves, freezing the ground beneath them to cause them to slip up, playfully tittering to herself.]

To your left, dearie. Don't get bitten.

[Realization sparks across her face at the familiar shimmer of the shield, and Freya growls something very rude and Australian under her breath, and twists to deflect the wolf she was currently locked with. The monsters and the sudden, impossible maze was already enough, and Pen chooses NOW to pick up on her trail?]

[She lashes out according to Shiva's directions, regardless, and swats the flanker away.]

You've got some real great sense of timing, you know that?

[Shiva joins in, deciding to assist. It's her own call, but the ice hardens into a thick sheet beneath the off-balance flanker and it sprawls out, sliding along the almost frictionless surface.

From further back Pen releases more magic. Still with the intent to help, because she is nothing if not a devoted and eternally loyal partner, she aims a Blind spell at the werewolf coming at her from the front. Momentarily confused, it snaps wildly, teeth smacking the edges of the shield.]

I said I'd help you, whenever you're in danger!

[Pen's voice, grim with determination, is coming from around a corner. And it's accompanied by another spell, a simple cure to wash away any fatigue Freya might be feeling.]

You think I'd leave you to these things?

You lay off 'em; they're a sweet family, not things!

[Or, in other words, please don't hurt them too badly. Freya's trying not to, but it might be unavoidable.]

[Freya steps forward and besides the blinded one, quickly seizing the poor dear by the scruff and hurtling it into the sea of cornstalks.]

[...but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't grateful for the pick-me-up. The one Freya'd struck before limps back to its feet, growling, but hesitant to approach. So, assuming the blinded one didn't come back, left the one on Shiva's slip-n-slide.]

I haven't hurt them yet!

[She's...made them trip and fall? And blinded one. And that's been it.

The one on the ice starts trying to make a dash for Freya, but ends up coming crashing down on the slippery sheet...skittering on it's belly towards her at a much more sedate pace.]

Maybe give that one a tap out?

[There's a key word in there: yet. Well, not really. Freya didn't think Pen would really harm them, and it was more of a warning not to. And, well, she couldn't really be sure with all this monster stuff going on.]

[She swats the scrabbling canine on the nose with the flat of the blades, eliciting a shrill yelp, then grabbed that one by the scruff as well and hurtled it as far as she could through the wall of the maze. Hopefully they'd get the message and peace out. Which just left...]

[Freya whips around to face Shiva, cautiously leveling her weapon. Now that things were less frantic, she could definitely smell brine in the air; she focused a little more on her hearing and smell, expecting Pen to conceal herself.]

I really don't have to ask what brought you ladies out this way, do I?

[Think. Escape options limited. Buy time. She could call Bahamut, but... there was no end in sight to the height of the walls. That'd limit the buy guy's mobility a hell of a lot.]

[Pen doesn't hide herself. She steps out, and Shiva floats back towards her, not wanting to hem Freya in. She knew how dangerous the weapon could be, and...she also didn't want to piss off Pen when she was in a mood.]

It's a good thing I came along, Freya. You definitely did need my help there.

[She smiles, keeping her distance, and keeping her lips closed tight around the fangs.]

Are you okay?

[The concern is not feigned in the slightest. She is worried. Very worried.]

Could've gone a lot worse, yeah.

[Freya shrugs loosely without lowering her weapon, returning the smile.]

Feelin' pretty great after that pick-me-up. Thanks. [There's a trick in this somewhere. If not now, then soon. She's glad to see Pen--she misses Pen--but the longer the month drags on, the more determined her partner seemed to grow about dragging Freya into this whole monster mess.]

Good. I'd hoped you would be.

[Pen doesn't back off, and she looks down the point of that spear...]

You really don't need that. I'm not going to hurt you.

[Really. She would never, ever do that.]

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