repeter | 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Foggy can hear her mumbling something to herself and he politely tunes it out by distracting himself with the ticket in his hand. He turns, giving her a confused glance when she taps him on her shoulder.]

Huh? [He spots the ticket in her hand and her words hit him. He smiles and nods at her.]

Yeah! First time! Just moved to the city at the end of summer so this is my first Halloween here and first time going into one of these haunted houses. What about you?

[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.

Born and raised in New York City. And where do you hail from originally Miss?

I've been in a couple haunted houses but they weren't this fancy and it was a long time ago. My elementary school set up a haunted house where the teachers dressed up in costumes and tried to scare us. It was a loving attempt. The second one was set up by a neighbor in their front yard for Halloween night. While his wife handed out candy he'd sit still on a bench in a scarecrow costume pretending to be a prop and then he'd jump out of his seat just as the kids finally made it to the door. There I was twelve years old in a very cool superhero costume and I screamed louder than the six year old behind me. I couldn't look him in the eye after that night.

[He points up the line toward the haunted house entrance.] No guarantee that I won't shriek while we're in there. Just to be honest.

New York? I've been there once with my parents for a visit. England, my parents moved here a little while ago, though one of them was from the states already.

Those sound like a lot of fun though! Truth be told I'm not very good with scary things, so I will probably scream with you.

[She laughs softly at herself, the idea of the two of them screaming.]

Is this your first Halloween in Recolle also?

[Ahead of them the line moves up and they draw near the door.]

Want to stick together while we're in there? I promise I'll tell you if a zombie bites me.

Yes! Things a little different in England, I have to say.

[Oh, she can feel her nerves getting worse as they get closer.]

Sure, that would be really nice. Oh, I pray for no zombies!

Yeah! Welcome to American Halloween where it's all about consumerism! Decorations everywhere, scary movies, and eating all the candy you can stuff your face with! Not the healthiest version of the holiday but when you grow up with it you look forward to that cavity-inducing treasure trove all year long.

Wearing costumes to work is by far the best part for the adults. I've taught entire classes in character and I like to think my students didn't absolutely hate me for it.

[The line moves up again and Foggy hands his ticket over to the lady watching the entrance. He greets her with a nod and points back over his shoulder at Euphie.]

We're braving this thing together.

I've lived here a little while but never got to partake in things besides watching some scary movies!

[One her dad actually had a role in too. Never mother, she was a more of a thrillers woman and a classy lady.]

Aha, it sounds like a lot of fun already~!

[She then pauses and lights up.] Students? I'm in college to be a teacher!

[At the doors though she tenses and then nods to the lady at the counter. Guess there was no turning back now...]

You're going into teaching? Awesome!

[He turns to offer her a high five as they walk into the haunted house entrance. A recording of evil laughter and screaming plays from a speaker over their heads.]

This will be a good experience for you then. If you can get through a haunted house full of monsters you can face any grouchy student. You'll love your class but they're little monsters in their own right sometimes.

I'm an English and DRama teacher at Recolle High. What are you aiming for with your degree? Elementary, junior high, high school?

[Ahead there's a curtain and a dark room beyond.]

Yes!

[The discussion has her distracted until the laughter gets her to go silent before shaking her head softly.]

Oh, you think so?

Oh that's nice! I want to teach Elementary myself.

[Moving with him ahead she walks through the curtains ready for some spooks.]

OCTOBER TDM

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