repeter | NOVEMBER TDM + EVENT PT 2

Entry tags:

! event,
! tdm

NOVEMBER TDM + EVENT PT 2

EVENT + TEST DRIVE

NOVEMBER TEST DRIVE - EVENT EDITION
The city of Recollé...

...is way more crowded than usual. Who invited all of these ghosts?

PROLOGUE

As the ghosts begin to crowd around your usual haunts and fit themselves right in among your friends and family members, it becomes harder and harder to discourage them and send them away. Several of the people you know have taken a liking to the ghosts and developed attachments to them, welcoming them as a part of your family. In some cases, these ghosts may have even replaced you in your family. Who are you? Were you ever a part of their lives? It's hard to say now.

Despite the fact that the ghosts have made themselves comfortable, the death celebrations begin to wind down and everyone falls into routine. Ghosts infiltrate your school and your job and your favorite stores, mimicking stories you've told them to others around them to fit right in. Perhaps a ghost problem isn't the worst problem to have, but the longer they stay the more you begin to physically fade away.

It seems futile to try and get them to leave. The ghosts are ganging up together and forming strong packs of their own to take over, and they're ever-so-thankful for everything you've taught them about how to live again. Is there any getting rid of them?

It's only on the 17th that things change, and beginning at 9pm everyone in the city of Recollé is blinded by a vision. A large, dense patch of the earth is in the forefront as the tip of a staff strikes down to make the earth crack and crumble. Four separate landmasses begin to float away in the four cardinal directions. A wintery mass disappears to the north, the sea to the south, fiery caves to the east and a lavish forest to the west. Green lightning crackles through the sky and just like that the vision ends.

As you gather your bearings, four beams of white light arch through the sky pointing to the north, south, east and west. The lights stretch on forever, but for those who are brave enough to follow the light in any direction you will find a large silver door waiting for you. A welcome mat sits before each door, and a quote is engraved on each door.

"Chase your dreams, but always know the road that will lead you home again."

These doors just might be the key to sending your ghostly friends on their way after all.

I.

For those who choose the door to the south, you'll hear the croak of frogs and the chirp of crickets almost immediately. A rowboat awaits for you to paddle your way across a small lagoon, approaching a large manor. It appears gloomy in nature at first, run down and broken, but as you dock the boat the dinginess of the house seems to melt away and a lovely garden appears. The house is spotless and bright, the porch welcoming you ashore and large windows giving you a view into a house that greets you warmly. The lagoon behind you is still and peaceful, and the sound of children's laughter echoes in the wind. Upon further examination, more boats are in the water and little lake-side shanties sit proudly and are stocked with boating and fishing supplies. Despite the fact that you can even see a cemetery on the property to your left upon facing the house, there is no ill-will here.

The scent of delicious home-cooking wafts gently in the breeze and invites you to explore the house and this property. This house revitalizes you, and you feel a sudden surge of energy and warmth. Everywhere you go you'll hear whispers of encouragement and kindness in the voices of your most precious people, and as you linger in the house several ghosts will materialize. For those who peer in the foyer, you'll see identical portraits and busts of these figures with brass plating labeling them as members of the Spinnato family, and at the end of the hallway sits a large stone statue. Bearded with a silver crown inlaid with pearls, Phillip Spinnato continues to watch over his family with a soft smile on his face.

These ghosts wish to welcome you to their family gathering and celebration. There's always room for one more, after all. The table is filled with hot, delicious food and there are party games set up in the parlor and the garden including a turkey-shaped pinata. The ghosts will be incredibly chatty in this area and extend an invite to all living and ghosts alike, asking questions about you and being the perfect picture of hospitality. It's hard to believe, but it's only when you find a mirror and get a good look at yourself that you find your clothing and your appearance have changed to match the Victorian-esque vibe of the house and you appear to be…a bit monochromatic.

There's an easy fix, of course. Though you'll remain colorless should you close yourself off, partaking in the family's meals, one of their games or even just introducing yourself and extending kindness to someone else brings some color back to your face.

And for those who wish to spend some time in the great outdoors, the lagoon by the house beckons you. As you peer into the water several golden koi fish swim around and around, taunting you and tantalizing you. Tied to their tails is a box with your name on it and these fish aren't going to make this easy. Will you try to catch them? You may find a surprise waiting for you, a treasure to take home and cherish forever.

This is a spacious, welcoming place. The Spinnato family would be more than happy for other ghostly guests to join them...you simply have to lead them here.

II.

Heading east will bring you to a different door that's almost too hot to the touch, but as you step through the threshold you enter what appears to be a training yard. A large, spacious area of dead grass and thick trees, you'll want to keep your senses sharp. A building lies ahead of you but as you take a step forward…you may want to run. Immediately. Without warning, several traps begin to activate ranging from bear traps, hidden pits, flying tranquilizing darts and more, honing in on you and following you around the area. The path is long and the building is several yards away, but as you fight off the traps and utilize your strength you'll eventually find refuge at a red brick house. The property is fairly large and there are plenty of rocks and wood piles to hide behind, but it will take a clever strategy and quick skills to dodge your way through. The only way out is to get to the house itself, and as you approach a rabbit-shaped bronze knocker appraises you. A woman's voice speaks from above you, though there's no sign of life aside from you and anyone you may be with.

"Strength of body is nothing without strength of the brain. Answer my riddle and entrance you shall gain."

Entrance may only be granted upon answering a question correctly, and for every incorrect answer the foundation around you grows shakier as though it will collapse under your feet. Think fast.

When the house finally allows you to come inside, it appears…normal, almost. A cozy, lived-in home greets you with a fire crackling cheerfully in the front room and two floors of room to explore. A surge of energy settles in your bones the moment you step through the threshold and you find yourself using even less force than usual to open doors and drawers. Is that couch blocking the entrance into the living room? That's no problem for you! You can move it with one finger now. Did you enter a bedroom upstairs and come face to face with a sudden training dummy? You find your agility and speed stats boosted just enough to give yourself an advantage in a fight to defeat the trap and continue on your exploration.

Most importantly, you will note that this house doesn't have ghosts in it, but there are several family photographs lining the walls including photos of a woman some may recognize as Dr. Mahoney and photos of a younger Joanne Wiseman with her older sister, Janet. In fact, the house almost looks lived in with bedding and clothing in the bedrooms, food in the pantries, and even freshly chopped wood next to the fireplace. Be sure to look up though. Hanging above the fireplace is an oil painting of a short, petite woman with a commanding demeanor judging by the expression on her face. Curly blond hair frames her features and blue eyes seem to follow you as you explore her home. The diamond-studded gold coronet doesn't seem to bother her as the painting turns this way and that. Georgia Mahoney believes you should consider yourself lucky to have made it this far, but she respects your display of skill.

Exploring the property and testing your new skills allows for the insight of the mysteries behind this home. The Mahoney Estate is a training grounds for those who wish to protect those they love and find strength in the more unique places. This is a space in which those who stay here may thrive and grow...but you may have to physically wrestle ghosts through this door and defeat them in combat to pin them here. Good luck with that.

III.

To the west, this door has vines and grass growing around it and as you enter you step right into a mud puddle. That's nice. Before your eyes are miles and miles of woodlands and rivers and little valleys ahead of you. The birds chirp along in a happy sort of tune, and you'll find yourself approached by all sorts of creatures ranging from deer, rabbits, chipmunks, skunks, squirrels and even bear cubs. These creatures have no ill will toward one another and exist in harmony, circling around you and leading you…away…from the door? Wait, what's going on here? Try as you might the animals are insistent that you can't turn back and you must go into the woods and come along with them.

As you step into the woods, something swings toward you, rising from the ground and presenting a two-dimensional set of trees. The animals around you begin to transform into a similar two-dimensional style and the landscape around you appears to be held up by thin paper stands. As you venture through the forest, you'll begin to notice that the pop-up story is familiar to you and you've become the star of the tale. Are you being stalked by the Big Bad Wolf? Are you running away from the huntsman who wants to cut out your heart for an evil queen? Though you may be following someone else's script, you have the power to change your story. How would you change your fate?

It's only when you figure out how to deviate from the story that the walls fall away and you find yourself in front of a quaint little cottage. Your animal companions have returned by your side and as you approach the door you'll find a placard engraved in the wall. The name "CAVENDISH" sparkles in the sunlight and the front door opens with ease.

It's a one-room cottage with a bed and a stove, but the walls are flanked with rows and rows of books. Fairytales from all over the world are crammed in every free space along with ancient runic books in a language that's unidentifiable. Every now and then, however, the spine of a book will glow with a soft blue color and beckon you closer. Pulling the book out of the shelf, you find that it has your name on it, and a quill materializes in your hand. You're free to put them down, of course. But the handwoven tapestry above the bed of the young woman with dark braided hair and green nomadic clothing will try to encourage you otherwise. The stitching at the bottom indicates that Myrtle Cavendish has never left her home, but the thread begins to move on its own to spell out a message.

"Tell your story, young one."

Jars of ink in all sorts of color can be found in the cottage as well and the book in your hand is empty and ready to be marked upon. What will you write about? What sort of story will you tell? It would do you well to remember words are powerful things. After you've written in your book, it's only a short amount of time before everything you've written comes to life. The words lift off of the pages and swirl around you, flying out the door and materializing into people, places and things right in the woodlands. Hope you didn't write about monsters or natural disasters. The stories will be free for all to view and to hear, and the only way to banish them is to write from start to finish. "The End."

Perhaps this is a great home for the ghostly figures that plague the city of Recollé. From here, they can live out their lives however they want, but you may have to entice them with a story of your own to bring them here.

IV.

For those who venture through this door in the north, you find yourself inside the front foyer of a large, isolated castle. Dark and cold and empty, your footsteps echo around you as you venture forward. The door disappears behind you and the strangest part of this castle seems to be that there are no personal touches among the area. There are no photographs or decorations, no warm furniture or delicious scents unlike the other areas you may have visited and cleared. Checking the different floors and rooms, it becomes harder and harder to warm yourself up and find your way. The walls begin to close in and shunt you onto a narrow path through the castle, depositing you in front of a door with a wolf emblem engraved deeply in the wood. With the way you've come closed off, this appears to be your only route for escape.

Upon opening the door, several other doors open simultaneously and lead you into a large round room. You may have just found yourself with friends or family who have been lost in the castle, too. Large mirror glisten on both sides of the hallway as you and your companions make your way down the path. The mirrors themselves are rather easy to ignore so long as you don't pay attention to your reflection having golden eyes…or moving on its own…or jumping ahead from mirror to mirror to follow you. Strangely, now that you're with someone, passages and doors appear inside the walls between mirrors. If you're not looking closely you will walk right past them to wander the halls forever. The sounds of several women weeping echo the further you travel away from the round room, and though you would think ducking into one of the side passages or doors would grant you some relief it's not quite what you would expect. The room you've entered may be suddenly upside down. You may have just entered a chamber of solid ice. Perhaps you've tripped right into the lion's den. Challenges appear for those who try to cheat and you'll have to find a way to get past the illusion that's been specifically designed to challenge you.

Getting past your inner demons sends you straight to the end of the hallway where a shadow-y figure stands before you. Tall and thin with dark graying hair gray and a thin moustache, the man stands in front of a large mirror of his own and presents you with three hatboxes to choose from. The sound of weeping is louder and echoes in your ears, urging you to choose wisely to break the spell and save yourself.

Only one of these boxes contains a hammer to shatter the mirror behind the man. One of the boxes reveals a banshee in a bridal gown, the weeping coupled with shrieking and louder than ever. And the last box brings forth a different shadow-y figure...yourself. The golden-eyed mirror version of yourself appears and blocks your way home. These two other options will force you to choose fight or flight to get your way out of the house one way or another.

In this home, you can only look out for yourself. Good luck surviving. You may wish to pass on bringing ghosts back here.

BONUS.

With these four areas touched by your influence and made safe for the ghostly residences of Recollé, they find themselves drawn toward the doors and begin to vacate the city. They'll try to convince your friends and family who aren't on the app to come with them, of course, but it's easy to deter them and let them fade away once they choose a door to call home.

There's a rumble beneath your feet as you feel yourself moving, an invisible elevator lifting you up and up until it stops on its own. The scenery doesn't change, but all signs of the death-day celebrations have disappeared with the ghosts and the city is as it once was.

Not wanting to miss out on the holiday celebration, Mayor Mayer's quick to make the announcement that there's still time to throw together the Thanksgiving Day parade and begins to pull volunteers to create floats, put together costumes and more. How good are your crafting skills? Looks like it's time to learn how to paper maché.

With the city hustling and bustling again, it's easier to catch up with friends and do your last-minute shopping for the holiday. The stores are even more crowded than usual but supplies are never-ending. A feast is being prepared for all in Tribunal Terrace and there are even several members of ReVA offering cooking lessons if you're into that. For the little ones (or even those of you who just like petting animals) there's a petting zoo set up as well along with several wild turkeys up for adoption. Something doesn't seem right about that...but hey, at least they aren't running loose all over the city this year.

It seems as though the ghostly patrons have faded away to be nothing more than a memory and Recollé returns to a state of calm. The rest of the month is chilly with promises of snow and preparations for the rest of the holidays of 2018. But even as you go about your business, every now and then the rumbling at your feet continues and everything seems to be shifting a few inches at a time.

Welcome to

recolle's November's 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!

-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.

-For prompt 1, attached to the koi tails are prizes! This would be any small 10-20 point item you wish for your character to regain from their canon (i.e. jewelry, a book, a small article of clothing, etc.) Current players who are claiming their free item must submit the regain request as normal and simply mark this as "koi fish freebie" for approval. TDMers, please see notes below for claiming this!

-For prompt 3, stories are not limited to Grimm fairy tales! Please feel free to make up other stories to toss your characters into that they have to rewrite themselves. Likewise, there are no caps on what they can write in their personal books as these effects will not carry over in the main city.

-For prompt 4, we leave the choice of which hatbox your character chooses up to you! If you want them to succeed, that's awesome. If you want to have them face their shadows, that's also fine.

-For current players, you may claim multiple freebies from this log! These include:
-One freebie memory for threading with a character that is test-driving.
-One freebie memory for exploring one of the four Founders' estates.
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."

-TDM characters who app in and are accepted before December are also eligible to claim this month's freebies! Like current players, please be sure to submit your freebie regain threads before the end of the AC period. -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 November AC, and players reserving second and third characters must link us to your October and November AC!

Finally, you can visit November'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

[He tilts his head in thought, trying to think of which lights Rean might even mean. He could tease him and say "nah, just you!" but after a moment he nods.]

The ones that spread out to four points in the city, right? I think we all saw those and went to check them out. Usually the city gives us some kind of warning but I don't think any of us expected something like this to be behind the door.

Yeah, those.

...You think so? [He frowns, thoughtful.] ...and, wait. "Usually?" You say that like this kind of stuff happens all the time.

That's because it kinda does. [There's a sheepish smile and he glances up at the ceiling.] The city's a little...unusual. If you saw the lights but you're asking that question you probably just got the app, huh?

The... app?

[That gets an owlish blink, before something seems to click.]

Oh. I did see I had a new app, and I thought it was just a part of the OS update since it didn't go away when I tried to uninstall it...

Yeah! Yeah, that's...it. [His smile fades just a little and he almost looks apologetic at that.] Welcome to Retrospec. Things are going to get a little weird from here on out if they end up keeping you. There's no way to uninstall it, by the way. We've all been trying for, like, almost two years.

[How else do you greet that information but with a sigh?]

Great. Well... guess I'll have time to worry about it later, once we get out of this place.

...Or figure out what it wants us to do, ideally. I can't imagine it led us here just to spit us back out.

Sometimes it's pretty pointless, but if a bunch of us were led here they're probably hoping for something different. If I had to guess? We're supposed to go forward and see where that takes us. Up for an adventure?

Heh. Wouldn't have wandered all this way if I wasn't.

I'm Rean. And whose party might I be joining today?

John. Nice to meet you, Rean. [There's another bright grin and he gestures for them to start walking forward.] You're taking all of this surprisingly well for having it sprung on you.

Same to you. [Rean smiles back, following along after John.] And, well... the way I see it, I could break down from utter confusion here in the middle of this weird castle... oooor I could keep moving forward and hopefully make it back to my dorm and scream into a pillow there if I still need to.

That's probably the best way to look at it. [For Rean's sake John's going to stay on the ground and not float around like a dumb balloon, but he heads down the hall and tries to figure out where they're even going.] I feel like maybe it is a jerk thing to say "it could be worse", but at least the monsters are gone. This is almost a nicer introduction to everything that happens here.

[Rean is thankful for John remaining ground-bound. As it is, that "maybe" on screaming into a pillow is more like a "probably." Still, he follows along dutifully, glancing around the hallway and searching for some sort of clue to lead them forward.

...God, these mirrors are kind of freaky, aren't they? Rean's just... going to ignore that for now. Staring at yourself in a mirror is weird enough when it doesn't feel like the reflection's boring holes into you.]

I don't know if it's a jerk thing to say if it's true... if this is the nicer introduction, I have to say I'm genuinely kind of scared of whatever I missed. What kind of "monsters" are we talking, here?

[He won't commentate on the mirrors themselves, but he's watching them out of the corner of his eye. The city's pulled enough weird tricks for him not to be a little on-guard as it is.]

Actual monsters. A viral outbreak hit a bunch of us and people got hit with werewolf viruses, vampire viruses, ghost viruses...stuff like that. And a little over a year ago when I first got the app the city was being attacked by a bunch of monsters that live in the outskirts of town now.

[Rean listens to that, then quietly reaches over to pinch his own arm.

Ow. Okay, not a dream. Always good to double-check. Well, John did say things were going to get weird.]

Sounds like something straight out of a horror movie... or a video game. [A beat.] Or both. Well, either way, I guess if nothing like that happens here, I really am living a blessed life when it comes to this thing...

[And it's at this point he makes the mistake of actually looking at the mirror properly. There are several things wrong with his reflection: one, his eyes are not that color. Two, he's definitely not glaring like his reflection is. And three—]

M-my reflection moved on its own...?!

Wait what? [Give him a minute to turn around because that's unusual. Living in a horror movie or a video game, well, that's almost normal for him given what he remembers about his past life but moving reflections shouldn't be a thing.] Are you sure? Maybe it was a trick of the light or something. [He's going to move closer to the mirrors, though instead of watching his own reflection he's looking at Rean's. This is exactly how he fails to notice that his own reflection's walking away...]

Positive— [Maybe John misses it, but Rean doesn't.] And yours just walked off!

[As for his own, it peers right back at John, not at all mirroring Rean's panic. In fact, it just tilts its head at John a little inquisitively, like it's sizing John up for something.

No, Shadow Rean. Don't look at people and try to determine how fun they'd be to kill. That's rude.]

[Whoa. He turns his head to try and see if he can glance at his reflection, but the John in the mirror seems to simply wave before dissolving into a breeze. John looks back to Rean's appearance, stepping closer before making a face.]

What do you think they're doing? [He's also going to tap the glass to see what Rean's reflection does.]

Maybe... trying to lead us onward? Since yours just left, and all...

[In response to that tap, the reflection slams its hand back on the glass in retaliation, staring wild-eyed at John. It's all but asking "you wanna go?," which is an interesting contrast to Rean, who just about jumps out of his skin at that.]

So... so maybe we should do that and... not make it angry...

[haha joke's on you Rean it's always angry]

[John himself also jumps in surprise, taking a step back from the mirror. A visible, light blue wisp seems to be hovering in the mirrors around them but he pays no mind to that. He has a lot of questions suddenly since Rean somehow seems extra calm and his reflection has no chill.]

Okay. Okay, you're right. If we keep going we might leave them behind, too. Let's head forward and see where they go.

[They are pretty wildly different. So what is the truth? It is a mystery... or poorly disguised foreshadowing. One of the two.]

Sounds like a plan to me...

[Normally, Rean would be pretty attentive, but he's more than a little freaked out by Murdershadow here, so that blue wisp is lost on him as well. Regardless, he's more than happy to head off down the hallway and away from his reflection that's still staring at him uncomfortably. He'll even lead this time, if John hasn't started off already.

Of course, his reflection is quick to follow in the mirrors after them, but it's not leading the way. It seems more interested in keeping an eye on these two.]

[Rean can lead, but John's eyeing the mirrors and making sure that reflection's not going to, you know, jump out and possibly kill them. That may be a very real possibility here and he doesn't like it. He's aware of what kind of damage he himself can cause, but he's worried what the mirrors could do to people.

So instead, he decides to keep light conversation and keep going.]

Have you lived here long? You might have noticed some of the other weird stuff that goes on around here. [That's maybe not the most reassuring topic, but preparation for the city never hurts.]

[For now, it looks like those reflections are pretty well restrained by the mirrors. For now.

Something something hatboxes.]

I've been here for a while now. I go to school here. [He considers "other weird stuff" for a moment, trying to decide if he's seen anything recently.] I guess, now that you mention it... I know I saw what looked like... smiling fruit the other day? But I was really tired, so I just kind of brushed it off...

Oh, same. [He assumes he means university since they look close in age.] I moved here last year to start school, too. And...yeah, sorry about that. That's maybe our fault? I was not in the city when the fruit gained faces but those are from our old universe. Sometimes stuff like that becomes a permanent part of this place.

...You know, I feel like I should be comforted in knowing I wasn't just hallucinating, but honestly knowing those are real is kind of more upsetting. Guess I'm limiting my choices in fruits now...

[There's something wrong with eating something with a happy smiling face, okay?]

..."Old universe," though? Now you've lost me.

[implying he was ever truly following any of this, but, you know, details]

You can find some fruit without faces which is a relief, but you get used to it after a while. Sort of. [He may have dancing, smiling fruit at home just because that's how it be sometimes. Still, Rean sounds lost and John realizes he didn't actually explain. The hall seems to get darker and longer as they walk, but that's okay...maybe.]

It's a little hard to grasp at first because it all sounds so fake, but now that you're on the app it's probably better to warn you now than later. When you're on the app, you start to remember things about a life that isn't the same one you're living here. A lot of us remember whole other worlds and people and stuff. That is why I say old universe. Some people remember earth and living totally normal lives but some of us aren't so lucky. You never really know until you start recalling stuff.

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