repeter | OCTOBER TDM

Entry tags:

! tdm

OCTOBER TDM

TEST DRIVE

OCTOBER TEST DRIVE
The city of Recollé...

When the crypt doors creak, and the tombstones quake, spooks come out for a singing wake. Happy haunts materialize and begin to vocalize...grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize...

Every year during the Halloween season, the city of Recollé comes to life with plenty of fall activities for everyone. There's something to do in every district if one were to take a look.

What will you do today?

I.
Family fun seems to be the theme today over in Tribunal Terrace. Several tables are set up and in a semi-circle near Recollé Square with stacks of pumpkins, carving tools, paint and anything else you may need to create your own jack o'lantern. Other stations are set up for face-painting and games to win mini-sized candy bars including a ring toss, bowling, and bobbing for apples. Be careful with the apples though. They like to wiggle and jiggle with their happy little faces staring up out of the water.

...so maybe apple-bobbing is for the brave at heart. Are you the artsy type to carve a beautiful pumpkin? Are you helping to run the games (or even cheating to get more candy)? It's time to relax and let your creativity flow.

II.
Pumpkin-carving not your speed? Never fear, horror is here. Over in Tisse there's plenty to do for those looking for a little more adventure. Several coffee shops have harvest specials made with pumpkin, maple, and pecan flavors. Over at Flix a monster movie marathon and costume contest are taking place (with a prize of two free passes for the best monster costumes.) But the highlight of this district is the annual haunted funhouse.

Anyone daring enough will find the usual spooks and scares in a haunted house, jump scares and fog machines galore. But...the house certainly didn't look so big from the outside. How did you possibly get shuffled straight to the center? No worries. This hall of mirrors will guide you out safely...if the walls closing in don't crush you first. It's a race against time as the halls narrow, and if you're one of the lucky ones you'll escape and exit through the main doors.

For those not quite so lucky, the walls will stop just inches from crushing you completely before the floor drops open and you find yourself on a slide, falling through the dark and tumbling into an underground room filled with plastic skeletons, rubber spiders and more. There must be a way out, right? Hopefully you aren't alone and you can navigate the lair with a friend or two.

III.

Meanwhile, the rest of the city's usual hustle and bustle continues. The shopping districts are busy, students wander the sidewalks after class, and that oddly-shaped ghost appears right in the middle of the crowd.

Wait, what? You could have sworn that ghost wasn't there before. Maybe you don't even believe in ghosts. You may blink a few times to clear your vision, but the faint outline of the ghost remains as a few more of them pop up around the city. They won't speak, but they will cause some trouble for anyone who gets too close whether it's by playing pranks on passerbys, stealing items and running away, sitting on a person and applying a gravitational force so they can't move or other crafty, sneaky tactics.

Are the ghosts messing with you? Or are you going to find a way to mess with the ghosts?

IV.
As the sun begins to set, a strange sort of fog rolls in. Several citizens of the city may not even think it's unusual and others seem to capitalize on the weather. The Churchhill Downs Stables are hosting their annual haunted hayrides through Recollé Woods as soon as the sun sets. There are plenty of carts and chocobos saddled up and ready to go.

Once passengers are seated the chocobos begin to trot forward into the woods as a pre-recorded ghost tour of the city takes place. The stories range from silly ones about two ghost children who like to play hide and seek in these woods to scarier ones about a jilted lover chasing her husband off a cliff at the edge of ocean. For the most part they're a bit cheesy and in good fun, but something about this haunted ride seems a bit...off. Peering into the fog you may see something strange that follows you, be it a monster or a shadow or an object. You may hear things whispering your name and you may see your greatest fear manifest right out of the fog and chase your cart through the woods. Even worse, it seems to follow you right out of the woods and back into the city. No matter where you run or where you hide, the fears from the fog will track you down and they change for every single person in the city.

Will you run or will you fight? You may wish to be careful since the creatures will fight back.

BONUS.
With only a few short weeks left until the end of October, Retrospec's Halloween Mode is in full swing and popping up on new users' devices. Retrospec users will find their application decked out in cheerful Halloween colors, and their userpics in a randomized (work safe) costume. However, there's always a trick to each treat and this time the seasonal mode can't be turned off for new users. Notifications chime with zombie groans, a rousing game of Candy Crush must be played and beaten before you can use your device again, and the new Trick or Treat function has a few upgrades. When a user enables this function, they will be met with the phrase "Trick or Treat?" Users who select "treat" will get one virtual candy! Yay! The catch though is that they will also find themselves in a costume representing that specific candy.

Should a user pick "trick", however, they will find all sorts of harmless but unpleasant things happening to them including but not limited to pranks, being splashed by vehicles driving through puddles of water, being unable to speak in anything but rhymes and other such things. None of these effects last over ten minutes, but the game will show up periodically over and over again and even giving you the option to play the game with others.

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, TDM threads will not count toward your Trick or Treat freebie! Additionally, 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 October TDM directory is here, and your AU workshop is here! Our mod questions thread for this TDM is over here!

Page 6 of 148

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[Why does she always end up hanging out with teenagers lately...

That's what's on her mind as she gives the offered hand a look, then shrugs.]

Won't need it. Not sure if they'll let you bring your coffee in with you, though.

Great!

[ Why does she sound so excited, regardless of the whole comment of 'he lost his eye'... maybe it's because she's not recognized as the heiress, but that's just fine. ]

Oh, right: I should introduce myself before we go ahead and strike some pins out. [ Get it? Strike... ] I'm Mio. And you are?

[ Please don't be a pirate, please don't be a pirate. ]

[Truth be told, it's a little too dark to see who's in here with her, but she can sense a worthless slacker a mile away.

Or at the very least that's what she's dubbed him.

So despite this being what she believes to be a complete stranger, she gives him a light kick in the ribs.]

On your feet.

"And it turns out that the old couple? They had been secretly sacrificing their customers in a ritual to their dark god the ENTIRE TIME!!!! And in vengeance, one of the dying men tried to burn the place to the ground. It didn't work, of course, but the couple still perished. They say their spirits still haunt that bed and breakfast to this very day."

[Just, let her sneak in with you and commentate Mattie. Nothing to see here.]

[She was honestly just passing by, but...]

They don't add flavours to the white ones, so it just tastes like whatever's left over of the animals used for the gelatin.

[Bullshit it's usually pineapple.

But.

This is just how she be.]

[Maggie watches this for a moment, amused, but figures she should step in. She once again has Bienfu do his thing as she grips the paper between her fingers, which is at that moment completely stiff, a sign of its activity. She strikes a quick pose, with Guardian in one hand over her chest, while she points at the ghost with her over hand, smirking a little.]

"Alright, listen here for a second, spirit. You're going to drop the key right now, OR I'LL GIVE YOU A SECOND DEATH!!! You hear me on that?"

[Yeah the paper is not exactly intimidating in and of itself, but the spiritual power the ghost can probably see coming from it is.]

[Bruno bristles a tad because he's a loser who falls for the goading, before he reminds himself to be relatively polite.]

I—I have never even attempted something like this. Therefore, I would have no way of knowing if I was bad at it.

[So there!!]

1) Pumpkins -

Now then, yes, just like that, you're doing wonderful.

[A tall thin woman sits among a group of children as they cut up their pumpkins. Her shock of white hair and her long nose seem appropriate for the season, but it's just the rat mask turned to the side of her head that is the whole of her costume right now. But despite her stern looks this teacher is a gentle soul, and she guides her charges through their crafting task with a gentle voice.]

If any of you are having trouble let me know. [She cuts slowly at her own pumpkin, long fingers wrapped delicately around her knife. She's in no rush to finish since she's not here for herself.

Anyone is welcome to join in, but any troublemakers will be met with a stern look first and foremost.]

2) Haunted House -

[Perhaps it's her own fault this happened, but she has no time to dwell on it. The hall of mirrors was unsettling somehow, for reasons she couldn't quite place. She's always looked a little odd, and she's made the most of it in her life, but surrounded by so many images of herself she couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was...

wrong?

She had been wondering if she truly saw herself with a tail in one of those reflections when she heard the walls shift. The thought was quickly forgotten and tossed aside as she began to run. She almost felt she could taste safety when the floor gave out, and though she leaped to save herself she wasn't sure it was enough. Would someone be there to catch her? Or perhaps would she find company in the pit below?]

4) Take Me For a Ride -

[Freya clutches her coat tighter as the cart trundles along the path. The chill of this fall snuck up on her this year and it feels all the sharper for it. At least the company she has with her helps to provide some heat but she still maintains about a foot of distance between herself and the other passenger. In fact she's been spending more time looking off into the woods as she listens to the stories than she has been talking to or even looking at her companion.

It's not until the end of a story of a woman discarding everything to follow a man only to learn he doesn't even know who she is that she finally speaks up.]

Hrmph. I've never liked such tales. Someone being such a fool for love...they only have themselves to blame.

[And then she hears it, a voice off in the distance calling her name, asking where she is. She turns violently, looking over her shoulder and back down the path as she tries to find the source.]

Togusa has grown very quiet while listening to the story, something akin to melancholy has settled onto his face. He was prepared for a horror story, but something more tragic has affected him deeper than he expected. A woman he doesn't know, but that he feels so deep a love for. But he knows Gentiana well, so why does he feel something for this story?

"I'd say it's the best thing to be a fool about. An old teacher of mine said we're all fools about something," Togusa comments lightly.

But then Freya is turning her head to listen. Togusa quiets, strains to hear what she is searching for. He lets a few moments pass before he asks, much softer, "Are you all right?"

[ girly squeal and shriek aside, nazuna mostly just looks totally terrified in the general direction of this creepy basement, and startled when someone approaches him. he even yelps, a little, but stops when he figures out it's not a costumed actor or something equally horrible. ]

Wha jutht h'ppened?! [ yeah that stutter is not going away any time soon. ] Whereth thith plathe--who're you?!

[ nazuna's been flitting around the family festival since he first got here--once he was relieved of his duty at the face painting booth, he makes his way over to the pumpkins, spotting a familiar figure from class. ]

Hey, Euphichin! [ with a cheerful wave, he comes up right next to her, smiling at her handiwork. ] Do you need some help?

I. ᴘᴜᴍᴘᴋɪɴ ᴄᴀʀᴠɪɴɢ
[Gentiana was never one for fall festivities, especially since they were traditionally family related affairs. Her little family dwindles even now with her dear father currently sick in the hospital. Her foster family done all they could to make Gentiana feel included to their home since she was a girl. She sometimes forget they're not truly blood. Ever since her mother passed years ago, Gentiana takes it upon herself to bring some holiday cheer to her father.

She's decent enough at arts and crafts to fold a dozen or so origami swans but pumpkin carving might not be her thing. With a bit too much effort on her part, she tries her best to carve a face into the side of this medium sized pumpkin only to wince when a splash of red hits the table.

A quiet gasp leaves her as she drops the knife. A thin bead of blood rests upon her finger briefly before trickling downward in thick rivulets. Gentiana moves quickly to reach for a tissue inside of her black leather purse but when she does, she pauses to watch as the blood travels down the grooves of her hands. It's so...unsettling. So surreal. Gentiana never suffered as much as a scrape in her life until now. Of course she has her fair share of emotional scars to bear but an actual wound?

She feels so vulnerable. It's an awful feeling, almost foreign to her. When did she become so...mortal? She chases away the thought quickly with the shake of her head.]

III. gнσѕтѕ
[She gasps once she caught something glowing from the corner of her eyes. It's been a long day for Gentiana, perhaps a bit too long thanks to her students being quite rowdier than usual as Halloween approaches. However, the professor couldn't help but feel somewhat uneasy this season thanks to the sudden appearance of these ghoulish fiends along campus. While she's certain all of this must be some elaborate ruse, Gentiana isn't quite certain.]

There it is again. [She mutters to herself as she stalks closer.] But no one else...sees it?

[The specter before her looks something like a man but it's all transparent in a eerie hue of green. It looks like a giant head with grotesque features, a large pointy nose, angluar cheek bones and sharp pointy teeth. As she approaches, Gentiana realizes that the creature before her seems to be whispering something. She takes another step forward only to pause once the mumbles grow louder but the words aren't coherent.

The professor glances around briefly before reaching her hand towards the ghoul. Her fingers come closer and closer until suddenly, the ghost turns to her and snaps at her hand. The woman jumps a little in fright and quickly withdraws her hand.]

IV. ᴄᴀʀᴇᴇɴɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀ
[It probably goes without saying that Halloween is her least favorite holiday. Why? Well, Gentiana simply don't appreciate all of the spooks and alleged "horrors" that come with it. She deems it as a silly affair, a rather childish one at bet. the woman could never understand why most people are fond of this dreadful holiday but she made her peace with this frustrating holiday years ago. Still, Gentiana finds it rather peculiar that people are so quick to celebrate it over more mundane holidays like Christmas or Easter.

Maybe it has something to do with wandering about in costume collecting candy. Whichever the case, it's something of a miracle to spot her volunteering her services at the Churchhill Downs Stables. While Gentiana dislikes "All Hallow's Eve" with every fiber of her being, she respects the outlandishness of this seasonal event. However, when this thick mist rolls in, Gentiana finds herself on edge.]

It's getting a tad dark. [She mentions to the others along the trail.] It would wise for us to---

[The woman trails off suddenly once a voice within the wind catches her attention. Gentiana glances behind her along the darkened path, her bright green eyes marred with uncertainty. The chocobos start to squawk in alarm and beat their wings but Gentiana remains deathly still.

Something's wrong here. She can feel it in her bones.]

V. ᴡɪʟᴅᴄᴀʀᴅ
[want to do a different prompt? Just hit me up at glacian ~~I really liked the user name, ok?~~]

Edited 2017-10-18 16:12 (UTC)

[ sena's only at the haunted house just for kicks, or to distract himself from all the Happenings that's been going on with himself lately. but having some highschool stutter over some time is really getting into his nerves. ]

Will you just shut up? Did your tongue fall off or something while you tumbled in here?

[ just picks up the rubber spider and toys around with it. it's even made in cheap material? so pathetic. ]

[It was a terrible combination was the two of them, in seeing the figure but then suddenly the cart stops and she looks at Minato a little worried.]

Wait, we're getting off?

[She knows her mind might be overreacting but this feels like a very bad idea. Still she looks at him, almost for him to be the brave one to get off first.]

[Nothing like a self pep talk to do something that might be scary, right? When she gets his attention she offers a nod and a smile.]

Oh, well welcome to the city! Where are you from? [Curiously, she always likes to learn more about new people but with her own question she nods.] I'm not new here but I've never been to a haunted house before, I have to admit.

[At this point she had the top of the pumpkin off but is looking at the scoop and the inside of it. There was a lot of guts inside...maybe she should have chosen a smaller pumpkin? The familiar voice causes her to turn and she sees Nazuna and smiles.]

Hello, Nazuna! Heh, is it that obvious I'm new at this?

I-A;

[Ah yes, fall. The perfect time for Charlotte to nearly freeze in her absolutely adorable outfit! She's helping run one of the stands, dressed up as a cute (and totally sexy) witch, complete with oversized hat. She'll call out to anyone walking by with a cheerful tone.]

[It's one of those ring toss games, so it's not like you need a strong throwing arm, but she's trying to bait some customers and compliments always work, right? Right.]

I-B;

[Charlotte's actually a pretty big fan of Halloween, both for the cute costumes and the chance to stab a pumpkin with a knife and call it art. It's not often she gets to let out her more aggressive side, but today she can be found stabbing a pumpkin gleefully as she works on her carving. It's uh. Well, the best thing that can be said about it is that she's enthusiastic? She's definitely not going to be winning any awards for her pumpkin's face, but she's definitely going at it without a care in the world. Come make fun of her pumpkin-carving skills or give her some advice. Maybe tell her that she doesn't have to use the biggest knife here? Oh my god, someone make this woman stop.]

II;

[The best way to pick up guys is to act like you're a damsel in distress. What better way to do that than with a haunted house? Charlotte is here for this and she's going to find herself a boyfriend.

If you're a man, she'll be jumping at the first jump scare and letting out a small, dainty yelp. How can a yelp be dainty? Don't ask questions, she's been perfecting this for months.]

[She'll even bat her eyelashes!! Surely that will get you to assist her here!

If you're a woman or a kid Charlotte will just laugh at the jump scares. She seems completely at ease here and she might even turn to you with a grin on her face.]

BONUS;

[You can find Charlotte just about anywhere, where she's very focused on her phone. It looks like whatever she's doing must be incredibly important... until you get close enough. You can hear her humming the tune from Candy Crush as she plays and uh... she seems to be absolutely nailing it? Wow. After a moment the phone unlocks and Charlotte huffs.]

WILDCARD;

[If you'd like another prompt, just let me know! You can hit me up on plurk at

pokerap or you can take a look at Charlotte's workshop comment if there's something you'd like to plot with her! For prompt II, Charlotte can absolutely mistake your character for a man/woman/child if you'd prefer to answer one prompt over the other!]

Edited 2017-10-18 16:07 (UTC)

[Speaking of acquaintances, hi Cumore. Don't mind Jaeger appearing from seemingly nowhere to comment from behind you.]

Isn't it spooky...? I've always loved haunted houses, they're so much fun!

[Halloween is his favorite holiday. Are you even remotely surprised.]

[ amazing.

nazuna jumps at the accusation, surprised, and turns around to see a very familiar face stuck in this stupid basement with him. ]

Thena? [ ... wait. he takes a deep breath, puts his hands on his cheeks. calm down, nazuna. ] I mean--Sena?

[ the last time nazuna saw him, nazuna wasn't...talking at all, so maybe this is an improvement. he looks a bit surprised, and comically, one of the rubber spiders in the room bounces off of the top of his head and hits the floor next to him. ]

Whoahhh. Brain sucking? That's so COOL.

[That certainly is a strikingly Halloweenesque ensemble. Is it for the event? Or does he just wear that casually, like Howard with his own collection of black clothing? Howard thinks it's the former, but who knows? Either way, the kid gasps, taking the cake and running off to tell their friends all about brain sacking vampires.]

Thank you. [He says, with a relieved sigh to his new savior. One awkward social interaction avoided!] A question. Do you have more where that came from, by any chance...?

[He's talking about the cake. Look, he can't miss out on the chance for free sweets.]

Today is slightly awkward for Togusa. This month has been harrowing, and even the past week alone has been the most intense of Togusa's career. But it's his birthday. He didn't tell a soul, he thought he's kept it under wraps, but people who have known him longer might still remember even through the chaos. He didn't want to make a big deal, just wanted to let the day pass quietly, with one exception: Gentiana.

Togusa had made a lunch not-date-because-these-aren't-dates with her and no matter what, he was going to keep it. He still feels conflicted when it comes to Gentiana, but the conflict is settling down the more he talks with her. Whatever it had almost been between them, it had vanished when she had left the Retrospec app. And Togusa hadn't known what to do for weeks. It took significant urging to get him to even call her again, try to reconnect, and then he was doing his damndest to make sure that things stayed casual. That he didn't expect too much.

Togusa still appreciates all that Gentiana is, so that he can appreciate the friendship that they are cultivating. But then things slip in, like seeing her in a dream, or thinking he saw her in the fog. He has to believe that he is approaching this the right way.

The smile that appears on Togusa's face when he sees Gentiana in the University coffee shop is genuine, like the horror of the last week can be left behind him for a few hours. It shows on his face that he still greatly enjoys her company, despite everything.

"Hmmmm," she mutters uncertainly, her lip curling in a somewhat rodent like fashion as she scans the treeline. Nothing. Nothing but the chill wind.

"I'm fine. Just my imagination. I did not get much sleep last night." Her preparations for this event for the sake of her students meant a late night before and an early morning of. All worth it even if it did tire her out.

"Perhaps I should have just gone home and gone to bed early." She turned and looked back ahead, bundling up in her coat. "So what was your teacher a fool about?"

[The haunted house seemed like a fun idea until he fell down the hole. He's been here for a little bit now, curious when someone else might come tumbling down. Still it was long enough that Ritsu has made himself a little bit of a bed under the skeletons and fell asleep. It's not until he hears the screaming that he wakes but doesn't make an effort to reveal himself. Instead he talks from under the pile of bones.]

Yaaawn~ Can you be quiet?

[Long fingers and a soft white cloth wrap around the finger as Gentiana stares at it. While her own hesitation halted her, Freya had been moving from the moment she heard the gasp. She was relieved it wasn't one of her own kids, but that didn't mean she wasn't simply going to let someone bleed.]

Careful there. Hold it upright so that the blood has a harder time of feeding the cut. I'll find something proper to take care of it.

[She steps away again, leaving Gentiana with her handkerchief. The white cloth is soaking up the blood well though a soft splotch of red slowly spreads through like a stain spreading through snow.]

Children, everything is fine, but please put your knives down until I'm done helping this woman. [She gives her reassuring order to her students before rushing to fetch a first aid kit.]

"This month will do it to you," Togusa admits with a smile. "Even I'm not immune to it, I've been jumping at everything that moves on my beat. Spooked a whole lot of stray cats."

Togusa's grin gets wider though. "Love." So matter-of-fact. "I didn't know he was such a romantic fool, but in his own words, that is precisely how he is. He's pretty overdramatic all the time, made his lectures interesting. But you can tell it's serious when he actually gets quiet. And he gets that smile on his face, you've seen the one."

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 6 of 148

OCTOBER TDM

funhouse;

no subject

ii

IV

bonus

B.

no subject

Freya Crescent | Final Fantasy IX

IV: WHYYY WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME

no subject

i!!

Gentiana | Final Fantasy XV

I. ᴘᴜᴍᴘᴋɪɴ ᴄᴀʀᴠɪɴɢ

III. gнσѕтѕ

IV. ᴄᴀʀᴇᴇɴɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀ

V. ᴡɪʟᴅᴄᴀʀᴅ

you know what tf is up

no subject

no subject

no subject

Charlotte | Fire Emblem: Fates

II

izumichin ;`A:

no subject

V: Many Happy Returns

btw, help me find icons

iii

1

Want a human pb before she transforms back?