recolle | May Event Log

Entry tags:

May Event Log

EVENT

RISE AND SHINE
Spring is upon the city of Recollé now. The rainy season is starting to pass and the last of the winter chill has officially shaken off. The weather is perfectly spring-like with flowers blooming all over the city and the local wildlife rousing from their hiding places. People everywhere find themselves awakening to the sound of birds tweeting and the sun shining peacefully on them as they're drawn from the world of dreaming.

Too bad that's about where the peace ends today.

I.
It’s a leisurely morning when you first wake up. The sun’s rising and peeking in through the curtains of your room, birds are chirping happily, and you find yourself drowning in your sheets with the floor much, much further down than you recall.

Wait, what?

You don’t think that you’ve shrunken at all. After all, your clothing still fits perfectly fine. The trouble with it all is that all of your furniture has enlarged several times its usual size and the walls tower over you more than before. Getting ready for your day is going to be a challenge, but the outside world can’t be that bad, can it?

Think again. Buildings skyrocket dozens of stories higher than they originally were. The button for the crosswalk dangles over your head tauntingly. The tires for your school bus are coming dangerously close as you try to cross the street. Be careful out there!

Is there a safe path to avoid further incidents? As the days go on, citizens will find that if they look down a series of lit-up circles appear under their feet. Stepping on one will cause the Retrospec app to open, and a song will begin to play. How long will this go on? Unfortunately, Retrospec seems to be working just fine and will autoloop until your path of lights meets someone new. After all, isn't social media about bringing people together? Best get to exploring and seeing what’s out there…or, maybe, who’s out there.

II.
Speaking of exploring, it's much easier to see the wear and tear of the city at this size. With everything much larger you may notice that everything about your nice city isn't quite so nice. Cracks in the sidewalk present a hazard when walking everywhere and there are fractures in the buildings themselves. You may wish to avoid them entirely for your own safety.

But for the more curious residents (or anyone accidentally finding themselves falling into these cracks) a venture into these spaces will reveal something a little mysterious. Swirls of black float through space, occasionally punctuated by flashes of images and words. Presented almost like a movie, you may not be able to pinpoint what exactly you’re seeing but it seems to be calling your name to draw you further in. At first, the interior space in these cracks seems to expand and the images become clear. It’s…space? No. It’s stars, lots of stars and there’s a rumbling sound that seems to echo through the cracks along with voices becoming more persistent as they cry out for help. The swirls and mist become thicker with each step. Will you turn back? Or will you press on and risk getting lost in the echoes of voices you don't recognize and images you can't identify?

Those who turn back will find themselves on another path of light, resetting their device and urging them onwards to find someone new. Those who continue forward though and wish to seek the truth will find themselves assaulted either with a whirlwind of memories they’ve already obtained since they’ve received the Retrospec app or blacked out by the darkness as the mist becomes impenetrable.

How will you find your way back? It may be wise to work together on this one to retrace your steps.

III.
Despite the fact the city's experiencing some sizing issues, responsibilities are still important and these problems won't stop your boss from demanding you show up to work on time. Did you get lost on your way to school? What a bummer that this is the day your professors spring a pop quiz on you. The challenges of every day life are even more challenging and as per usual, many people don't even realize there's something wrong. Though your pencil may be taller than you are, you won't be allotted extra time to write things down. Even worse, navigating past shopping carts and down grocery aisles is nearly impossible, especially in larger, more crowded places like Freshens.

Outside isn't much better. Beginning on the fifth of May, clouds begin to loom overhead as the rainy season reminds citizens it's not over yet. All around you critters begin to jump into action to prepare for the inevitable storm. From this level of the ground it's easier to see ants hard at work hauling items 30 times their body weight. That caterpillar might be good for hitching a ride back home. Watch out for the furry four-legged beast running your way!

Speaking of beasts...well. Just because you're no longer your original size doesn't mean your furry and feathered friends won't be. Maybe you're lucky enough to have a companion you can hitch a ride with. Or maybe you aren't so lucky after all. Your pets may like you just fine, but other people's pets and even the insects will give in to their animal instincts, prone to chasing and sometimes outright attacking citizens (Retrospec users and non-Retrospec users alike.) Can you fight? Guess you'll have to find out.

Oh, and you better hurry...the rain that begins later in the afternoon is most unforgiving. At this size? It's quite easy to be swept away in a flood.

IV.
Do you hear that? Everything seems to be amplified now and with the rain pounding down around you for the next five days the echoes are even louder. This time, however, the words are much more distinguishable. Above the din of a hauntingly beautiful song, you may find yourself being coaxed to come out into the Apprassage Woods, whispered promises of your most sacred desire filling your ears. Perhaps it's irrational, like scoring well on college entrance exams. Perhaps it's something much bigger like seeing a loved one again long after their passing. Whatever it may be, the song is almost overpowering and tempting.

Along the way, bright, towering flowers serve as a guiding light deeper and deeper into the woods. The further you travel, the louder they echo those desires back at you, even louder than the song itself. Strangely, for those who have been gifted with a supernatural sense or the ability to see ghosts, you may find that there are figments flickering through the trees encouraging you onward. You want their help, don't you?

There are ways to break out of the song's trance, but it will take teamwork and effort to ground each other back to reality. It seems as though the rain itself may very well be the culprit. Will you seek to find shelter? Maybe you're lucky and happen to have a pair of ear plugs in your pocket. Do your best to guide each other home. The woods aren't very friendly after dark even with the fluorescent glow of the flowers.

BONUS.
The nice thing about being pint-sized is that it's much easier to go where you probably shouldn't. Should you find yourself back in Tisse and in front of the Retrospec building, you may notice it's much easier to slip under the cracks of the front door. Several of you may have been in this lobby before. Like usual, the lights are on. At this size, however, it's easier to hear the echoes of footsteps somewhere above you.

But don't worry about them. Being this size means that it's more possible now to enter some the previously locked rooms. Some rooms don't have enough space to crawl under, of course, but the two rooms that do will reveal something quite interesting. There isn't much in the way of furniture in these two rooms, but every inch of the walls and ceiling remains covered in maps. Not all of these maps are blank. Some of them appear to have small splashes of color varying in size and shape, like an incomplete picture. Some of them also appear to have images on them, such as a Chocobo, or an apple with a smileyface, or a strange die. Furthermore, after the fifth of May, citizens may notice one of the maps now has a picture of those strange glowing flowers from the woods.

Should anyone be ambitious enough to count in these two rooms (though really, that will certainly take time), they will come to find that there are roughly 110 maps in all. And with a little digging, they can explore and attempt to open drawers and closets in these rooms. Together, they will discover there are an additional 30 maps, including one with a picture of a strange-looking doll.

So you want to learn more about these maps, huh? For anyone who tries to draw or write on the maps, they will find that whatever they deface the maps with stays there! However, the moment you exit the room anything you drew on the map will appear on any surface of your skin that's available. Tearing the maps doesn't seem to work either. The maps can only be removed from the wall in one whole piece.

If one were to take a map from the rooms, they would only be able to get to the doorway before it dissolves into ash and creates a miniature dust storm for everyone nearby. Strangely, the map will reappear on the wall and the cycle will repeat itself for days on end.

The maps really, really don't like being touched.

What does this all mean? What a great question.

Welcome to

recolle's May event! 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 another note, by participating in this log in a thread with five or more comments from you with a character you have not tagged previously, you are eligible for one free memory regain! This means you can claim a memory without a trigger required; we ask that it be low-impact for newer characters, while characters who have been here longer can scale upwards. However please be sure to submit this regain to the regains page and just specify "May Freebie" in the explanation portion of the form. Please see our monthly plotting post for more details.

If you would like to explore parts of the city in their enlarged state, please contact the mod team so we can get you a write-up of what your characters may or may not find! This also goes for if your character has regained any supernatural sensing and you'd like for them to interact with the figments in the woods!

Starting on 5/5, the Echo Flower from Undertale will act as your newest world change! Once the event wraps 5/10, the echoing of desires will stop and they will return to providing white noise and echoing the last thing they heard. These flowers will only remain in the woods.

Any questions you have regarding this event may be directed to the mod comment here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ luke blew off their plans. luke never blows off their plans. thalia's never given it much thought, but if luke tells her he'll be somewhere (or if she asks) he never breaks that word. he'll lie to her and be a jerk and whatever else luke castellan does, but he'll always come when she calls and he never doesn't.

so when he blows off their plans thalia is predictably confused, annoyed, and pissed the hell off all at once. she manages to figure out his location only because she Saw Him go into the woods or something (WAVES HANDS VAGUELY DON'T MAKE ME THINK TOO HARD TY) and when she darts forward to grab at his elbow it's with her most severe scowl. ]

Hey, I thought we were grabbing dinner?

[Okay but you say this like Luke wouldn't just wander off on his own anyway because Luke's Luke, but anyway. This is all true. All of this is true, despite what other flaws Luke Castellan has as a person the one thing is that he never breaks his promises especially when it comes to Thalia Grace. She'll say to jump, he'll ask how high. She'll tell him to meet him for dinner, he'll be there 10 minutes early. Today, however, is different.

Even when she darts forward and grabs him he doesn't seem to quite register she's there. This is definitely Thalia, and that's fine, but his full attention is on the woods instead. Being taller than she is, it's easier for him to shake out of her grip and continue forward.]

Dinner. Yeah. [Luke has a strong will, that much is certain. Luke could ignore the call of the wild or whatever if he wanted to, but...there was that tempting promise. More than anything, he's been wrestling with wanting to understand what he's been seeing of his past. Thalia would have to understand.] In a minute.

[ okay but normally not when she tells him to be somewhere this is bullshit!!!! this is...honestly probably the first time he's been this unfocused at her direction, she is used to having his full attention and does not really. like? the fact she does not have it? what the shit. ]

Our plans were for way earlier than this - and it's raining. You're getting all wet.

[ for fucks sake, luke? ]

[For the most part he's fixated on walking forward but he will at least respond to her. He has enough in him to split his attention that way, but it's easy for him to give into what he really wants.

Thalia's been a focal point for most of his life. Then he started getting memories of what was another life. And there were people and things he didn't know about and so here they are. The rain's not letting up and the walk is taking time but he's entering the woods anyway with Thalia following him for once instead of the reverse situation.]

Lost track of time. [It's a feeble excuse, but he's rolling with it anyway.] Like I said, in a minute.

[It's all he says as they step into the woods and find themselves enveloped in darkness, trees, and giant glowing flowers that seemingly hum around them and also perk up just a bit upon seeing Luke. The one word that seems to be bouncing around that Thalia will hear though is "destiny."

So yeah. That's important.]

[ great. there are creepy flowers whispering about destiny and her best friend is wandering towards them like a moth to the flame. stop? this? ]

And like I said, I'm hungry. [ or she didn't say that, exactly, but normally saying something like that will net the desired response: the two of them going to eat something.

the weird reactions and the lack of interest, like she's barely there, are definitely worrying her. have been worrying her since she grabbed his arm. she's still following along, a dog with a bone, but she's trying to make him focus on her, too, because what the hell? ]

We can come back to the woods another time when it's not late and we don't have other plans?

In a minute. [The tone is almost forceful and he picks up his pace to a jog, starting to prowl through the woods and following the flowers. The word keeps echoing, until Luke speaks up again.]

What about my destiny? [And the flowers echo back, though it may sound like the voice of a young Luke instead. Well that's weird.] Thalia. [Oh look. Acknowledgement.] Wouldn't you want to know? Of course you would. You'd want to know everything if you knew nothing.

["If you knew nothing. What about my destiny?" The flowers respond in kind.] This...don't you remember? We were runaways. This is how we met.

[And there he goes disappearing under some forest brush to follow the noise. What now, Thalia?]

[ she's running after him, obviously? oh my god what an idiot. ]

Of course I remember we ran away, what the hell do you think I assumed after all of it? [ of course she'd never stay in a place without jason. what would be the point? ] Luke - ! Luke, get your ass back here! Your destiny, who cares, we have other things to worry about, like Annabeth and dinner and Jason and our lives.

[ she remembers, a little, caring about things like destiny. about things like having to go somewhere because she was supposed to, for some reason she hasn't puzzled out, but it's not stronger for her than the life she has now. not yet, and maybe not ever. eventually thalia will remember a life barely lived and a world changed when she finally came back into it, and she'll remember choosing to leave that life and swear her loyalty away.

right now all she knows is her best friend is worrying her and she's grabbing for him.

if she catches him, HE MIGHT GET SHOCKED, so. does she catch up? ]

[He's definitely being an idiot, though there's a scowl when she brings up his destiny because uh. He cares? He cares a lot given what he knows and he's not listening because Luke is sometimes a shitty listener.

Something went wrong in the old life of Luke Castellan. He doesn't know what, doesn't know how, doesn't understand what all of these people saw but he knows that with everything happening he wants to be prepared this time. Thalia's focused on this life like he should be, but what if...

Well. Years of friendship means that subconsciously he's still moving at a pace she can keep up and so she does, she touches his arm one more time and there's a sudden jolt of electricity that causes him to yelp and trip out of surprise. He doesn't fall, but he does suddenly stare at her with wide eyes.

Welcome back, Luke.]

...what the fuck was that?

[ look. look. thalia has no idea what the fuck just happened - although it doesn't shock her to shock him, in the sense she definitely doesn't get electrified herself, even if she is startled as hell it happened - so she's standing with her hand out kind of gaping for a second before. ]

I - don't know?

[ like. ]

That was way too much for static electricity, wasn't it?

[He's staring at her hand in utter confusion even while he shakes his head slowly. The spell's currently broken and allows him to put all of his attention on her again.]

Static electricity is like a mild annoyance. Whatever the hell that was hit my whole body, sort of. But not like bad? [He shakes his head.] I mean it was a lot more power behind it than if you briefly zap somebody. What did you do?

I just - really wanted you to stop. I got [ scared, but she veers away from that word hard ] angry, I don't know.

[ it all came out in one electric burst. ]

So you tried to electrocute me. [If he sounds incredulous it's because he is. And now they're in the middle of the woods and under the shelter of one of the stupid flowers and he looks a little confused.] Wait, what are we doing out here? [A shake of his head.] I have a lot of questions suddenly and most of them involve "did you know you could do that" and "what are we doing here."

I don't know! You bailed on our plans and wandered out here and refused to come and go to the dinner we agreed we were going to have.

[ she's. why is she still offended by this he was CLEARLY under the influence here and i need to put in some kinda mem regain request for this but that will happen. later. ]

I didn't. [There's an annoyed little noise as he scrubs his face with his hand.] We're still going to get dinner.

[That's definitely why she's mad. Clearly.] ...did you not hear what I heard, or am I finally really losing my mind? Destiny, Thalia. Dinner is always going to be there but answers might not be.

I heard it, but Luke, can we think about this for a moment? They were whispers. In the woods. At night! I'm pretty certain this is how ghost stories start, and also, all we'd find is like a giant spider waiting to eat us or something.

[ for no reason at all she is reaching out to grip his arm so he can't, like, run off, again, ]

Dinner might not always be there because I will [ not ] ditch you if you keep being weird.

And I can take on a giant spider since we were monster hunters or whatever when we were kids. [There's a slightly bitter laugh following.] Retrospec even sent me a new weapon to match. [Which. Is probably on him and hidden by his coat since I thought I mentioned it and did no, whoops.

Still, he glances at her hand on his arm and his expression softens a little after that.]

You haven't ditched me for the last decade, Thalia. I don't think you're going to start now just because this is a little weird. [There's a pause for a breath as he glances at the flowers again.] It's been weeks. I want answers. Even if the flowers aren't going to give them where else am I supposed to get them?

Luke Castellan, I will figure out how to shock you again just so I can do, if you try to go in there.

[ ... ]

And I won't tell you about my new memory.

[ which is. AN OLD MEMORY, BUT COME THE HELL ON, LUKE, BACK AWAY FROM THE FOREST! ]

[...that's a very tempting offer and he stops long enough to consider it.]

See the funny thing is I know you would just out of sheer stubbornness. [Figure out how to shock him again, he means.] But new memory...you got another one? [To her credit this works seeing how he's stepping back already.]

[ continued here ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

May Event Log

MAY 5TH: LUKE "BIG HUGE IDIOT" CASTELLAN

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

DO NOT LET ME FORGET TO GET A MEMORY OFF OF THIS

stares at all of the memories I have to turn in, fuck

same