OCTOBER TDM

[recollecters]

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!

Comments

[promisedyou]

Not at all!

[ If she did, she'd be talking about that person by now. ] That's the reason why we're going boy hunting in the first place, sis.

[penalizing]

I've never been boy hunting before, I dunno these things!

[ Granted, it probably would've been a little strange for her sister to have not mentioned a crush up to this point, but still. ]

What exactly are we gonna do, anyway?

[promisedyou]

Then obviously I have to show you the ropes, as your older sister.

[ She says this so confidently, even though she's never been boy hunting before. Not that Kotone needs to know that. ]

As for what we're going to do... let's invite a few boys with us to the haunted house! They shouldn't be able to resist if I tear up, right? ☆

[penalizing]

You don't think that'd be too embarrassing?

[ The logic of the scared girl being comforted by the brave guy checks out... she's just afraid she'd be more prone to shrieking in terror than crying in this situation. ]

Plus, who knows what creepy things they've put in there to spook us...

[promisedyou]

Not really.

[ An almost immediate answer coming from her. ]

But are you scared, sis? Don't worry, just as long as you remember that it's all fake in there, everything will be OK!

[penalizing]

I'm not scared!

[ Said defensively, as she crosses her arms over her chest. ]

You just don't know what might be in there, is all! Bowls of jello that are made to feel like eyeballs, people jumping out of the shadows... it doesn't sound very romantic.

[promisedyou]

Mm...

[ Mio taps her chin with quite a bit of a sneaky grin, not completely believing her sister, but not saying anything to say that she doesn't, either. ]

But it's the clinging onto the boys and having them comfort you that's the romantic part! And after that, they'll treat you out to a nice dinner, too, maybe some ice cream. That's the best. ☆

[penalizing]

I don't think that really works with guys we don't know, Mio... It'd be one thing if we had boyfriends, but boys we just met?

[ Somehow she has a feeling that teenage boys are just as likely to point and laugh at them as offer actual comfort... ]

[promisedyou]

You never know until you try, that's my motto!

[ No, it is not her motto but she's making it her motto now, deal with it. ]

Besides, I'll kick their ass if they're rude. [ Not that she knows how proper ass kicking works, but she sure can make an attempt. ]

[penalizing]

[ She can't help snickering to herself at that last comment... Mio may be the tomboy of the two of them, but she still can't see her sister actually beating anyone up. ]

I don't think that would work so well...

[ She's going to tease her sister for her lack of physical strength, in part to ensure that the conversation doesn't turn back to her fears of the haunted house. ]

[promisedyou]

Oh, you think so? Maybe I should start going to the gym, then...

[ She's not all that strong physically, but that doesn't mean that she can't beat a guy up. ]

Oooor you know, I could just kick them where they're weak. But only if they piss me off. ☆

[penalizing]

You should act like more of a lady, Mio...

[ Shaking her head. It's so like her sister, though, that she's not really surprised. ]

Otherwise, even the guys that like you will be too afraid of you to say anything!

[promisedyou]

I can act like a lady!

[ She puffs out her cheeks just a little bit, looking a little frustrated as she folds her arms over her chest. ]

Besides, they're not going to be scared of me. That is, if they don't give me a reason to.

[ Of course it goes back to that... ]

[penalizing]

Still... I think it might be better if we start with something a little easier. Haunted house doesn't really sound like first-date material.

[ She's sticking with the excuse of not knowing whether or not they'll be jerks, not that she's afraid. Because she's not. ]

[promisedyou]

[ Mio sighs in slight disappointment. ]

I suppose so... we could just go for the other carnival games.

[penalizing]

[ On the contrary, Kotone looks quite pleased with this change in plans. ]

I think that'd be good. Maybe we can even make them win us some cute stuffed animals!

[promisedyou]

Ooh, that's definitely a good idea!

[ Mio claps her hands together with the biggest grin that she could possibly muster up. ]

I can't say no to free, after all.

[penalizing]

And that way they'll get to show off how strong and manly they are, too!

[ She thinks guys like that? And she certainly wouldn't complain about seeing such a feat of skill, or the prize afterward. ]

[promisedyou]

I wonder if they'd end up making it into a competition... see who's the better one at shooting for things.

[penalizing]

They might! Especially if they're both trying to impress us.

[promisedyou]

That, at least, would be pretty entertaining to watch!

[penalizing]

Which one of us gets to date the winner, though?

[promisedyou]

Isn't it obvious? As the older one, I get dibs! ☆

[penalizing]

[ She didn't expect Mio to say anything differently, but she still pouts regardless. ]

That doesn't seem very fair...

[promisedyou]

Well, I need the date more than you do, sis. But if he's not my type, I guess you could have him! Although if he isn't my type, I'd doubt he'd be yours...