repeter | OCTOBER TDM

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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!

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[He picks up the card, curiousity winning out from suspicion, and his eyes nearly pop when he reads it. This guy was a CSI agent?]

Ah, um... t-thank you, sir! [Oh jeez, Xiaolang's totally kicking himself for being rude to him earlier. Maybe this was what his mother meant by being more sociable to people?] I'm not really looking to get into that field myself, but I... I wouldn't mind seeing how some of it works?

[When one has a bucket load of school work to do, of course it wouldn't be weird to see someone out so late at night. What was weird was seeing someone by the window. At first, Fuuka didn't seem to pay much attention as she was focused on her work.

However, it didn't take her long before she noticed it was a bit off. She didn't say anything but she did give an occasional glance back at Minato if they should do something]

[ let’s . . . pull you off to the side, old friend. we don’t need more weird looks your way, especially after this. ]

When’s the last time you looked at your phone?

[He sighes, putting his phone back into the pocket of his waistcoat.]You should be more mindful. You never know when there's going to be a situation like this where you'll need it. [If this has been months before, this would have been said more critically, or meanly, but now it's just a gentle admonishment. He cared about her (as a friend!!!!), so he didn't want her to land into trouble while he wasn't around. ~~But boy, does he not know the half of it--~~

But the moment she ducks her head, Xiaolang knew something wasn't right, and he immediately regrets opening his mouth. There were one or two things that had stuck in his head (what was this about work? Weren't they too young for that?), but he refrained from mentioning them, not wanting to make things any more awkward for the both of them.]

That's... that's good. But, uh...! I can still help you with math, if you want! I'm getting used to my classes now, so you don't have to bother Prompto or anything like that!

And, um... [His cheeks are turning redder still, and his heartbeat was picking up again. What was he getting so stressed over?] You can always text me or call me if you... if you need somebody to talk to. A-About anything. Really. I don't mind.

[This is totally what friends do, right??]

[ Minato squints against the sudden brightness of another phone screen, turning his eyes down to his own phone before he can ruin his night vision against the glare; light suppresses melatonin and now neither of them would be able to sleep no matter how boring enzymes are. ]

I would lose them without wires.

[ Headsets in general are bulky too, but while earbuds have the merit of being shareable, he takes the right half in his hand for barely a second before passing it right back to Minako. ]

The sound is different if you only have one. Haven't heard a lullaby since I was a child, anyways.

That's true... thank you for staying with me.

[ since he could, potentially, still squeeze through without her. potentially.

she's about to say something else, to a similar effect, but then cuts herself off. for a second there she thought she saw the walls actually moving, but that's silly? unless it's a mechanical thing. ]

Ah! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to distract you. It'll just seem more fun if it's a friendly competition, wouldn't it?

[ she's done with the scooping, and now mimori pauses as she... tries to figure out what to carve, her hand hovering over the knife.

hmmmm. ]

[Cutter's side of the handshake is confident but also gentle, applying just enough force and lingering long enough to convey him being earnest. There are several rougher patches all over his whole hand where the skin has grown calloused from it being regularly used as a weapon, but he has had those that long that he doesn't even register them anymore. Years of training martial arts are bound to leave their traces.]

Nice to meetcha. Though I guess I can also give you my condolences, since you've got Retrospec now as well. There's no getting off with this particular ride, so you better get yourself a weapon and learn how to use it within the coming weeks.

Mm, let's go then before something else surprises us.

[She puts the puppet away and has a hand ready to hold Minato if he ever wants it. It seems like the right idea, after all her brothers would do the same if she feels as out of it as he currently feels.]

We'd be out of here sooner than if we tried to get out alone. [...] You don't like haunted houses, do you?

[She finishes her task in drying him off, and fishes through her purse for her comb, taking it to his hair before he can scamper off.]

I know you aren't, you wouldn't escape my wrath if you did do something like that.

[It's a pretty hollow threat, since she's far more likely to have an anxiety attack or cry when her boys are in trouble.]

[ He takes Hyperion's point, his eyes going soft, but he doesn't release that perpetual smile. ]

It is not the only thing, but I like to think it does no harm.

[ In his way, that was what he wanted most. Was to cause as little harm to others as possible. It had started all those years ago when his attempts to help his family had instead wounded his mother to the point that she threw him out before he was 18. She'd had such hopes for her two boys, and somehow each of them had spent their time getting arrested repeatedly. He's only seen her once or twice in the last twenty years. ]

How much do you need?

[ Azraq doesn't have a lot of money on him at any one point, but he would gladly hand it over all the same. ]

Maybe less scary on the far end of it all, back in the sunlight.

[ A chuckle. ]

What, no one who would walk through with you and give you a ribbing?

[ He'd offer but he feels a little too old and a little too much of a stranger. ]

[She squints her eyes, but it doesn't really help her much see where exactly Xiaolang is. She leans a little more while her hands grip on the edge of the door just in case.]

The walls look like they're mostly props, I'm more worried about you! Do you see any kind of ladder or stairs?

Edited 2017-10-23 16:18 (UTC)

[She lets out a vigorous 'mhm!' as she does an energetic nod.]

You can really do a lot with talent in drawing like that. Maybe you can even become a special effects artist one day!

[Her imagination is speeding too fast.]

[ There's a pause before he takes her hand loosely in his, telling himself it's better if they don't get separated walking around together, although there's presumably only one exit and everyone will get shuffled through there eventually. ]

This is the first time I've been to one.

[ After experiencing it, he still can't say whether he likes it or not, but he'd walked into the attraction blindly in the first place and probably wouldn't have if he'd known what it was like. If he looks like he's not enjoying himself, at least it isn't out of fear. ]

It's different than I imagined. Very loud, crowded, not like Japanese horror films which are quieter and the characters are alone.

Exactly, you should save the first kiss for someone special-- someone who might be change your destiny forever, oh! Or even your actual true partner.

I don't think this game is for everyone, there's a special magic in firsts and it shouldn't be given away so easily.

[ Without being able to know Apollo's thoughts, Minato is going to do exactly that, trying to find a pair of eyes in the fog so he can at least see whether it's a person they're dealing with and possibly talk things out with before their get their heads lobbed off. ]

Maybe. But I don't think so... Axes are pretty heavy, aren't they? Easier to run with a gun, and just shoot us.

[ They make silencers now, too, so a potential murderer can get a good two or three shots in the confusion before people realize where they're shooting from. ]

[ That's a very real problem, one Minato contemplates as he stares up at the darkness of the chute. He can't see the top of it, but presumably it isn't very far up, so he shakes his head and shrugs. ]

Might happen. But it's no reason to give the idea up. Maybe we can make it before someone falls down.

[ The traffic is supposed to be one-way, but it's intermittent traffic evidenced by how long they've been standing around without any new victims. They can still try their luck. ]

[Her hand is firm but careful, she'd be mad at herself if she scared off her friend by holding his hand so forcefully.]

It's my first time too, actually! I didn't really know what to expect since Ryo-niisan loves horror and Ei-niichan is the opposite, and they put away the movies and novels from me. So I wanted to know what it's like at least, what's it like to scaring yourself.

[And she has more courage going into the haunted house than sneakingly borrow Ryousuke's books, honestly.]

Ahh, I guess this seems more like a surprise house than a real scare house. It would be a lot more different if it were less crowded.

Edited 2017-10-23 17:00 (UTC)

[ All the way from New York... If it's the City Foggy means, Minato has a vague recollection of where it is on the US map, and knows that it can get pretty expensive to live there. They probably stock perfect faceless apples in those stores, if such a variety exists, and leave the unnervingly faced ones for the local areas where they're grown.

There's a little pang of jealousy at the mention of a sister who Foggy got to move together with, but Minato shrugs that off and manages something of a smile in its place. ]

Thanks... Came here for grad school starting next year. Thought I'd move here early to get a job and save up before then.

[ What a child............

The only spine Minato has is the one Shinji's currently breaking, so he just squares his resolve and deals with it, lengthening his strides so that he can cover more ground with each laborious step.

Two turns, a left and the next right, and their view opens up! So does the floor.

Down they go. ]

S-sinister?

[His voice takes on a nervous waver. Things that might come after him? Things that are even worse than kids??]

Like...like crowds?

[What.]

[The more Sakura talks, the more confused Howard looks. Is he...hearing things right?]

Me? A model? [He actually looks behind him in case Sakura is referring to some other (more put-together, actually handsome) person.] Uh. W-why me?

[The free meals sound wonderful, but this is all a bit out of the blue. A sudden thought occurs to him, and he states down at himself nervously.]

Wait. I don't need to be naked, do I...?

Okay.

[ If Isaac says it's fine, it should be, right? ]

...Are you really cursed though?

[ Kouran knew the rumors about the pawn shop being haunted and all -- that's how she ended up going there the first time, actually -- but she'd always kind of just took them at face value. Issac? Cursed?? Why would she ever think that? ]

[I hope that Minato was ready for the child sitting on his shoulders to start screaming, because Shinji thinks that's a pretty reasonable response to the floor opening up underneath them!

Also he's clinging even harder to Minato's shoulders, sorry if you get anything broken there too.]

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Page 87 of 148

OCTOBER TDM

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