repeter | OCTOBER TDM

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! 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ooc: Workshop comment! So if you still would like to have come established CR with a fashionable young man who gets to learn he's a werewolf then by all means let me know! A short summary here though...he's a young man in his early twenties who is a university student studying music. Originally from Spain, he came here to be with his boyfriend but has since broken up with him and is pursuing his dreams instead. Feel free to message this journal or hit me up on plurk at

eiredragon1 or discord at eiredragon1#6217 if you have questions!]

III. Ghostly Fun

[This really is not how he wished to spend his walk home. Normally such a time is pleasant. Quiet even. He simply leaves the bakery that he works at or the university he is attending and it's a lovely walk back to his apartment. Certainly not filled with hideous looking ghosts that find it amusing to steal his coat he was putting on and playing keep away.

Biffy is in quite the huff as he crosses his arms to look upon the creatures with such disapproval. He certainly doesn't recall the city ever having these things before. No, wait. There have been strange things before? Honestly it's all terribly confusing and does not solve his problem.]

I am sure you aren't aware of how much that jacket cost me but if you do anything to harm it there will be consequences.

[Shhhh. Let him threaten the ghosts okay. Or just help him get his jacket back.]

IV. Haunted Rides

[Biffy can't say he sees a reason to not enjoy one of these carriage rides which is why he's here. A pity he doesn't have anyone here with him. Still, he's not about to let that slow him down as he puts on his prettiest smile and slides on over to the nearest person who looks available and not with someone.]

So you're here for one of these rides as well? Would you care to have someone to sit next to? I'm sure it will be far more fun that way.

[And he winks. Hard to tell if he's flirting or not though. But it's Biffy so more than likely that's exactly what he's doing whether you are man or woman.]

Edited 2017-10-18 11:38 (UTC)

[When Biffy comes up to him, he immediately tenses for a moment. He hasn't been able to tell what's what this month. so he just.... stares... at Biffy, as if trying to determine whether he's real or not.

Wait, did this guy just wink at him? An eyebrow raises in confusion. But, all things considered, he'd rather ride with a stranger than by himself with all this creepy bullshit.]

Yea, sure. As long as you're not actually one of the creepy things.

[It's said flat, showing that he's tired more than anything.

Still, he'll be a gentlemen to Biffy, holding the carriage door open for him and helping him up. Little things like that.]

I like think I'm not creepy. Or a thing.

[He pouts his lips at him before smiling as the guy proves to be a gentleman and lets him get in first. Even holds the door open for him. Well, Biffy enjoys that kind of thing and gets in and settles down on his seat while he waits for his companion to join him for this silly little haunted carriage ride.]

I'm Biffy, by the way. Who might you be? Well other than a handsome devil.

[Look. Flirting is his second language. He can hardly help himself.]

[Pft. Look at that pout. Sorry, Biffy, you're going to have to try a whole lot harder than that to make Orion feel any sense of guilt.

Still, though, he wasn't expecting that compliment as he settled in and Orion does a doubletake of the other man.

Orion, on the other hand, wouldn't know how to flirt if it bit him like a snake and gave him magic powers. No matter how much he wants to. Sob.]

Orion. Nice to meet you.

[Orion holds out his hand to shake Biffy's.]

So, uh...

[He frowns awkwardly, clearly trying to think of how to make small talk.]

The fog's not bothering you too much, is it?

[Namely the scary things that emerge from it.]

[How awkward. It's cute actually. Biffy can't help but continue to smile as he takes that hand then settles in for this ride with his companion. Mostly he tunes out the silly ghost story. Something about a black widow bride.

He's far more interested in his companion currently.]

I had some troubles with the ghosts I saw floating about earlier. Took one of my favorite jackets from me when I was attempting to put it on. By some miracle I got it back though.

[Speaking of the fog though...]

I take it that it has been troubling you? You almost seemed unsure if I even existed here.

[Oh, yay, ghosts. Orion might have paled a shade or two. At least.... they're.... real???? Yea, no, that thought doesn't help in the slightest.]

Good thing you got it back. Hopefully they didn't tear it or anything.

[Well, shit. He didn't expect his own question to be turned on him. Thinking things through isn't his strong suit, either.

And Orion knows he's a terrible liar. He's pretty sure Fai doesn't buy it when he says he's fine, even though the blond acts like he does.]

Yea... I don't do well with creepy things. It makes me dread my surroundings.

[It's not a lie. He's just not going to creep out a (good-looking) stranger by telling him about his mental issues right off the bat.]

Fortunately a trip to the dry cleaners will have it back to its former glory.

[Until then he can at least say he has others. Like the one that he's wearing right now. Just the right shade of blue to make his eyes bluer without being too on the nose.

Biffy is very good at fashion.]

Does it? Not the sort of thing that's good for a ride like this then.

[But he smiles and actually gently rests a hand on Orion's. And he sure does wink at him again.]

I'll just have to help you keep an eye out on your surroundings then. I can't let a potential new friend dread going out or I might not ever see your handsome face again.

[If nothing else it'll make him feel better to watch over someone else because he's got a weird feeling about this carriage ride suddenly. And it has nothing to do with the pretty guy next to him.]

[Blue eyes, huh? Didn't he meet someone with really vivid blue eyes once? He can't really remember who it is. He's pretty sure it had something to do with a party that he brought cake to and drank like a fish at the open bar.

...Kind of bothers him that he can't remember who it was, though.

Orion twitches a bit when Biffy's hand rests on his. Followed by another wink. And he's pretty sure he's being flirted with. Until 'friend' is dropped in the vocabulary. And it only serves to increase his confusion when it's followed up with another handsome comment.

Help him, his brain got turned around somewhere.

Still, a second set of eyes might help him tell what's real and what's not. So...]

Thank you.

[Almost unconsciously, he gently squeezes the hand on top of his, out of a sense of security.

And then he realises what he did and freezes. Oops. Shit, he let his guard down. He glances at Biffy, to see if he might have made things awkward. ~~Orion, considering all Biffy's done so far, it's going to be pretty hard for you to make him feel awkward.~~

Thankfully, or no so thankfully, he's too distracted by his faux pas to realise that something's up about the carriage ride.]

Sorry.

[Oh. Oh he's cute.

Orion is actually apologizing to him for giving his hand a squeeze after all the flirting Biffy has thrown his way. It's adorable really and a temporary distraction from whatever is bothering him then.

So he laughs gently.]

For what? For touching me back? I found it rather nice.

[He lifts the hand on Orion's and actually offers it to him.]

Would you like to hold it instead? I promise it won't bite and that I'll enjoy it.

Sandalio "Biffy" de Rabiffano (Sandalio Rabiffano) | Parasol Protectorate Verse

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