recolle | MARCH EVENT LOG

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MARCH EVENT LOG

EVENT

RUMOR HAS IT
In the age of modern technology, people keep in touch 24/7. It's hard to find a resident that doesn't own a cell phone, a tablet device, or a computer. It's even harder to find a resident that doesn't use their devices every single day. But the wonderful folks at Retrospec know just how important it is for you to stay in touch with your closest friends. Retrospec also knows how important it is to bond with your friends and learn all about them. Isn't that how friendships are made? Why would you ever hide something from your friends? That just won't do. After all, Retrospec is all about sharing...

I.
In all parts of the city, all residents with the Retrospec app will notice they have one unread notification. You can ignore the notification all you'd like, but you can't do much of anything else either. Do you have an important essay to finish typing for class tomorrow? Are you trying to search for reviews on the latest restaurant that opened in Tisse? That's too bad. Until you check out that notification your device (and subsequently all devices you try to use) will freeze up.

When you finally get sick of being blocked from everything and open the notification, you'll find a video of…well, you. You don't recall anyone filming you, but that's not the most startling part. What's unsettling about this video is the narration over the audio revealing a deep, dark secret about you. The best part is that the video auto-loops so long as you have the app open, but even if the app is closed the video may very well appear on the newsfeed of all Retrospec members.

The good news is that there is a way to delete the video! With a little work (and after suffering the embarrassment of having their auto-loop blast for all to hear), residents will be successful in deleting the video. Willingly showing it to another Retrospec user will allow the video to play as normal, but at the end a "DELETE" button will appear. On the other hand, Retrospec is still new and filled with little bugs and glitches. That video will be deleted but it might be sent out to the entire network as a private message. It might even go viral on the hottest streaming website. But don't worry, these things are happening to everyone. Will you embrace your secret? Or will you be one of the ones desperately trying to hide it?

II.

Those who aren't glued to their mobile devices will notice that spring is starting to roll in as snow melts away. Birds twitter to one another as they nest in the trees and the rooftops of several homes in the city. The flowers aren't blooming yet, but residents know they will be soon.

Today's just like any other day…but it's strange. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, but it almost feels as though you're being watched. No matter where you turn, you can't shake the feeling that there's a pair of eyes following every step you take and every move you make. Occasionally, you'll hear the flash of a camera but you can't catch the culprit fast enough.

Before you can duck into any of the buildings to escape, however, you'll find yourself ambushed by one, two, or maybe even three tabloids reporters complete with camera crew and microphones. The barrage of questions is dizzying, but it seems as though they want to question you about your secret that was publicized on Retrospec. Refusing to answer their questions will only make the reporters angry. Will you give them a full-spread report of your life? Will you run away and lead a pack of desperate paparazzi down the street? There must be a way to get rid of them once and for all!

…you might need some extra help though.

III.
There's a nervous kind of energy in the air as residents carry on with their daily routines. Kids joke about their silly secrets. Adults hope their colleagues won't judge them for the things they've done in the past. It's not so bad though. Everyone has an embarrassing secret they have to live with.

Oh well. Life goes on, and the city continues the way that it always has. For example, those in the Apprassage district will notice that the Recollé public library is hosting its semi-annual book swap. Residents can come trade their old books for new ones during the first week of March. The library will also be holding a bake sale with all proceeds going directly to the Recollé school district. Are you helping out at the sale? Are you perusing the stacks upon stacks of books to see what catches your eye? It's a great way to mingle with people and share stories.

And speaking of sharing stories, residents may look up and notice that a few people leaving the sale have a piece of paper taped to their back. It's not clear where this paper came from. You're fairly sure you didn't see anyone wandering around taping signs to people's backs. The poor sap in front of you appears to be oblivious, but upon closer inspection you may find that this paper reveals another secret about themselves. Will you alert them about this note, or will you let them walk around advertising their secret for the entire city? Think wisely; you might have your own secret taped to you, too.

IV.
Isn't technology supposed to make things easier? That no longer seems to be the case as a power surge blows through all districts in the city. Appliances start to act up. Lightbulbs burn out. Electronic billboards deliver scrambled messages. Toilets back up, audio feedback blows out the eardrums of performers at the Atrium, toasters catch on fire, everything that could possibly go wrong seems to be going wrong. Are you stuck at work trying to calm down an entire store? Are you forced to go into a lockdown at school until they figure out what's wrong with the lights?

It all comes to a head though starting the night of March 4th. Street lamps are bright and shining on the streets of all districts. Tisse is just as crowded and loud as ever with live music and parties. Employees in Chata go through their nightly procedures to close shop for the evening. It all happens so fast, but one minute everything seems to be functioning and the next the city plunges into a complete blackout. All lights and sounds cease to exist.

Are you out in the city? Maybe you were fortunate enough to be at home already, but it's never a bad idea to check on your neighbors. Mayor Mayer seems to be sleeping through the crisis. It's up to residents to work together to solve these issues and try to bring their power back. Groups can link up and search for any knocked-down power lines in the city (and will most likely find them in Apprassage.) There are several emergency generators scattered in the city, but it's best to take a buddy before wandering in the dark. Residents can also create emergency response teams to hand out supplies and direct other citizens to safe zones as the generators begin to kick in. There are no limits to how people can help. In fact...there may even be some residents who have a few unique ideas.

BONUS.
Okay. So your secret's out. No big deal, right? It's out and you've embraced it and life can move on. If only it were that easy though. Over the course of the month of March, several residents may start to experience other tricks of memory. For instance, maybe you order your favorite coffee drink only to discover it doesn't taste quite the same. A trip to the movies might surprise you when the trailer for the next big feature stars someone who looks a little like you. Your favorite song on the radio might get interrupted by a conversation between two people discussing, well, you.

Look around. You may find you're not the only one second-guessing yourself.

Then again, some people just want answers. For those who are sick of Retrospec butting into their lives, you're more than welcome to head back to their offices in Tisse. Getting in won't be easy. In front of the door is a large monitor-type device and an interactive screen. If you want to step into their headquarters, looks like you'll have to grab a friend and play along.

With the success of a fully completed puzzle, the door will unlock and allow characters to step into the lobby. This time, instead of being completely empty, there are a handful of large glass tubes mounted to the walls. Inside these tubes are colored stones of varying amounts, though it's obvious some are more full than others. The doors in the halls will still be locked, vents and windows will be unable to open, and--huh. Didn't there used to be an elevator? Where'd that go?

There's a large sign that says "DO NOT TOUCH" in front of the tubes, but for anyone who blatantly ignores the sign, they'll be hit with an overwhelming sense of homesickness that will drive them out of the building and to wherever they consider home. But on their way there, they'll find themselves at the mercy of those pesky reporters again, this time asking for details about the story they created with the Retrospec building's new security measure.

Welcome to

recolle's March's event! As a reminder, 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 and be as creative as you'd like. As a note, memories in prompts I and II are from your Recollé AU. However, memories from prompt III may hint at a canon memory that your character has recovered! Any questions you have regarding this event may be directed to the mod comment here.

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Togusa has a huge stack for the library, mostly old college textbooks. But he went to Recolle University recently enough ago that they're probably just an edition or two back from things that are still being used. Some students might get pretty lucky off of Togusa's donations here.

Togusa gives a cheerful smile when he spots Detective Wolf and raises a hand in a wave. "Detective. Rare to run into you off the clock."

A conversation he had with Professor Izunia is still sticking in his mind, but he has to forget about it for now. At some point, he needs to broach the subject of the fact that so many minors got their information used on Retrospec without parental permission. But as of the current standing, there is exactly one situation where both a child and parent are on the app, and it's the Wolfs (Wolfs? Wolves? Wolf Family? Wolf Pack? Togusa gets the feeling all of the above would get him punched.)

So no, nothing doing about that subject just yet.

He turns back to Bigby, and is about to mention something else when he spots the piece of paper. "Ah- you've got something-" and he points, because he knows better than to unexpectedly reach a hand out towards the Detective without warning.

Because Togusa also hasn't noticed that he has his own paper: Togusa knows he was right about the Kotano Kato case.

It's hard to justify allowing his eyes to leave his arms with the number of books he's decided to lug around with him, but he dares to roll the dice when Togusa's voice rings in his ears. He can't exactly wave his hands at that moment in time, so the officer will have to settle with just a wiggle of his elbow and a nod of his head. The comment of running into each other was probably not meant to be funny, but it does make Bigby laugh underneath his breath. "Pretty sure we've run into each other in the strangest of places, big guy. A library isn't too far off."

The Retrospec building, for instance?? Coincidental, to say the least. And it's the Woofs, if you have to be proper. The Woofs.

Togusa starts making mention of "something" and that only makes Bigby confused. He's trying to look over his shoulder, lifting the books stacked on top of one another before practically moving in circles to see what the hell he was talking about. Sooner or later, he's catching hold of a piece of paper on the other man's back, prompting him to make the same motion.

"You've got something too, I think―"

"Oh-" Togusa sets his stack of books down for a second, to try to reach around and pull the paper off his own back. The stack of different-sized books slowly slides, and then tumbles partway over. Everything that was balanced on top of a certain trade paperback doesn't make it. Togusa sighs deeply, but he reaches out to snag the paper off of Bigby, before letting the man grab his own.

When Togusa sees what's on his paper, he scowls. "Shiiiimatta..." The swear word comes out in his home language while he crumples the damn thing up.

"This. Is ridiculous." Togusa busies himself with picking the books back up instead of looking at his superior officer, just in case Detective Wolf knows the significance of what was on that paper. He doesn't think Wolf was involved at any level, it was such a minor investigation into a missing person.

Togusa puts the books back down with a small thunk, but hesitates when he sees the offending paperback that caused the landslide in the first place. "How did this get in here?" The white and blue cover has text written in kanji.

The two of them fumbling over the books to try and pull a stupid piece of paper off of their backs is probably the most ridiculous thing going on in the library at that moment in time. It's a miracle that they didn't go tumbling down onto the floor only to warrant the wrath of one of the librarians, many of which abhor Bigby and his willingness to get loud at the drop of a hat if the situation calls for it. Luck would have it that he tries to play nice only for this shit to happen.

For better or worse, the pieces of paper are pulled off and Bigby's setting aside his own tower of novels to take a better look at the one meant for him. At about the same time as Togusa comes a, "Shiiit―" As English as the language can get, really. One of the aforementioned librarians are scowling at the two men as they stand there growling at the words on their papers. He briefly glimpses at Togusa's before it crumples, managing to catch hold about a case involving a certain someone with Kato in their name. Huh. This all got weird.

"You're not the type to put this kind of bull on my back, so who the fuck thinks this was a good idea?"

At least the officer doesn't seem particularly interested about asking why Bigby apparently enjoys Duran Duran of all bands and if it's true. He's instead looking at the text book in kanji, leaving Bigby to lean in and glance. Togusa seems to have more going on than the detective at the very least.

"And what's the deal with you? You're acting strange. I don't like it."

aka Bigby is just trying to get over the fact that someone is calling him out on his musical preferences.

Let's. Take. This. One step at a time. Togusa takes a deep breath. "The papers, I don't know. I don't know how this is even happening. But drop this on top of all the messages and videos that have been going out the last few days. A-" Togusa has to decide on his choice of words, "friend of mine, Gentiana, got put into a very compromising position thanks to Retrospec's glitches." Friend. Because we're still figuring out what is going on on that front. "This is starting to get personal, and I'm wondering how long it'll take before the Department can free us up to take any action."

Togusa isn't sure if Wolf knows anything about the Kato case, the head detective who had been on it left the department at the beginning of the year. But he is hesitant to bring it up, so he'll focus on the utter garbage that is going on with Retrospec instead.

"There's multiple avenues for a civil suit," he glances at Bigby, "if I could just get a name. A deed on the building, a name on the patent for the app. One spot for a foothold, and we could start to do something." Utter frustration.

He rifles through the book out of nervousness more than anything else. It's different voicing this sort of frustration to a superior officer, who could reprimand him for this.

Gentiana rings a bell in Bigby's mind, albeit a faint one. He's pretty sure he met her once during Founder's Day and that was it. No big deal or anything, except the fact that she is also someone caught up in Retrospec's web. He isn't sure what's all tied together with Togusa's sudden anxiety, but it takes a bit of effort not to just pat the guy on the back and tell him it will be alright. When Bigby isn't the one losing his shit, he doesn't know what to do with himself.

"Right. Well, the app has a habit of compromising a lot of people. It's almost better to just pretend it doesn't exist at this point." Because they've pursued the route of officially investigating this before and that has had no success. Bigby doesn't like thinking on that all too much. "The only problem with that is that shit's moving past just the app at this point..."

He stares at his crumpled up piece of paper with disdain before giving Togusa his attention again. Now he really is losing his shit, and he succumbs to his desire by grabbing the man by his shoulder and giving it a firm squeeze and shake. "Hey. It's a piece of paper. Annoying as it is, we've been dealing with worse shit than this before and after Retrospec rolled up. Get it together. Wanna tell me if this is all connecting dots I'm not seeing or what?"

Togusa doesn't get the reaction he expected, which means he actually listens instead of letting his frustration brew more. The tension releases in his shoulders, and he looks at Wolf- at Bibgy seriously. He's not merely a superior officer, but one of the few people in the Department who have found that balance that Togusa tries to strike, and has a life and a family. So listen to the man.

And, okay, maybe he doesn't know. So Togusa will explain what's so upsetting about the paper. "Six months ago was my five-year review. Talk to anybody leading up to that? And nobody was flat-out saying it, but I got all those sideways comments suggesting they were looking at me for Detective. Getting assigned to rotations with all the right people, shadowing one or two of you guys, suddenly getting some advice on the range?"

Togusa stabs a finger at the piece of paper. "And then that happened. Short version is I was looking into a case that wasn't mine while off the clock, and the Detective who was in charge of it," reluctant to name names in front of Bigby, "didn't appreciate it. I get reprimanded, and when it came review time? The last thing everybody remembered was me not doing my job. I deserve it for jumping the gun, but I kept my mouth shut." So what's the point of all this?

"How do these guys," Togusa pulls his phone out of his pocket for a second, "know something I haven't told anyone?"

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