JULY EVENT LOG

[recollecters]

EVENT

SURF AND SUN With the peak of summer upon the city of Recollé, many people are enjoying some time off to soak up the sun and hit the beach. Pops of green and blue sprinkle the city again though many people don't notice at all. Citizens remain as content as ever, complimenting one-another on their new tank-tops or asking for recommendations of the best ice cream flavors. It's almost as if there's really nothing strange going on here. I. It's a pattern at this point. Those who have been a part of the Retrospec network for long enough have noticed that strange things usually begin on the third of any given month and perhaps some of you may be expecting it. But this time on the morning of the third, everything seems alarmingly normal. Speaking of alarms, yours seems to be going off. "But I didn't set an alarm, it's summer", you might say, but it sounds strangely like the "wark!" of a Chocobo repeatedly. Some of you are able to turn off your alarms just fine, but others may not be so lucky. For a few selected citizens, disabling the alarm reveals a special pop-up notification from your friends at Retrospec. A short message appears: B-I-N-G-O! Looking to collect some of your memories? Ready, set, go. The message quickly dissolves and reveals an electronic 5x5 digital bingo card, each square filled in with an activity to complete. At the center is a prompt that hits almost a little too close to home, whether that be something you would do yourself or challenging you just a little to complete it. Shimmering just under the words of the center prompt, you can barely make out what appears to be a QR code before it promptly disappears. Wait. Perhaps you may recall that someone once mentioned QR codes. Or maybe you're still learning how this network works and you're uncertain what it all means. There's only one way to find out, isn't there? Grab a friend (or even a stranger) and get ready to play in all districts of your beloved city. Then again, maybe you really did get lucky and you weren't saddled with one of these cards, or perhaps you're the type to ignore silly games like this. There's plenty happening in the city elsewhere as everyone prepares for the big Fourth of July celebration. Tisse and Chata are bustling with people stocking up and hosting sales, not at all unlike the Founder's Day celebration. Everywhere you turn you may find yourself face to face with people offering samples or tempting you with the best deals around. Are you a shopper today? Or are you one of the employees counting down the minutes until your shift ends? It's just another day in the city of Recollé. II. Even though it's the middle of the summer, it's unusually warm for this time of year. A heatwave rolls through the city, but for some of you it's getting hotter than ever. It may be an ordinary day for you when it happens. Perhaps you're a student who's trying to enjoy their summer vacation. Maybe you're cramped up in an office all day desperately trying to soak in the air conditioning, or maybe you're running around trying to fill your bingo prompts. There's no telling where you will be when you come to realize a small item has made its way into your pocket or bag. Upon inspection, you find a blue-colored fortune cookie, glowing as bright as the Retrospec logo. Some of you may throw it away, while others of you may accidentally break it or even open it out of curiosity. The moment the cookie is cracked, the glow stops and a puff of smoke emits into the air leaving behind a singular white strip of paper. A short message: "Learn to walk a mile in someone else's shoes." The heat intensifies for those who have read the fortune before a cool, calming breeze floats over you. Like the crash of a wave, you soon find yourself overwhelmed with a memory that isn't your own, or the feeling of power courses through your veins, the wind whispering a message of a power or memory obtained . Will you seek out who these memories and abilities belong to? Or will you keep them for yourself for a while? There's only one way to change back to the way you were, even if you don't know it just yet. Yet even for those who aren't blessed with this fortune the heat's proving to be a bit much. The sun beats down intensely and everywhere you turn there are shops handing out cups of water to help keep everyone hydrated. There are several places you can duck into to borrow their AC, but all around the same time at 8pm on the 3rd, a rolling blackout hits the city. The lights go down and the air units stop working. It begins to have the effect of being cooler outside than it is inside (which you recognize as strange, but with the gray sky overhead it's hard to tell if this means rain or another sunset) and you feel the urge to go outside. That's when it happens. As if on cue, the crickets begin to chirp and cicadas make their presence known. Fireflies begin to pop up in little groups, swirling around Retrospec users in synchronicity. Those off-network will remark how beautiful the bright creatures are, but don't find this behavior strange at all. However, the fireflies will follow users around the city all night long. Will you focus on bringing the power back like you may have once before? Or will you enjoy the show? The fireflies will be with you no matter the choice. III. Down at Peach Beach a celebration's set up to take place over the course of the next two days. A stage sits on the sandy beach to host a variety of musical acts (including a few open mic hours) and food trucks are parked along the walkway. Some of you may notice that thanks to the fiasco during the food truck rally, several of the trucks have been stopped with parking boots. The boardwalk has a variety of games and specials to offer as well, fun prizes for anyone who plays along, buckets and pails prime for the taking to build sand castles and several carts selling Recollé's famous Peach Beach popsicles and ice cream parked along the docks. Best of all, the sun is high and the water's fine, the scent of the gray ocean wafts toward the sand. However, for those who venture into the gray ocean you may notice that it takes a little longer than usual to cross the sand to the water, the distance stretching before you. The water's clear as ever and refreshing from the sun, though the waves appear choppier than you recall from the past. Perhaps that doesn't bother you. Perhaps you're a great swimmer or you tell yourself the waves aren't nearly as intimidating as they look. Several citizens are out there surfing and sailing. How bad can it be? Do be careful if you venture further and further from the shore though; after a certain point far enough from the shore, adventurers may find themselves face to face with large, unidentifiable shadows under the water, a slick slide of something brushing against limbs in a gentle caress before the shadows retreat. Walking further will reveal a drastic dip in the ocean floor and you may sink under, the water strangely clear for being gray. Whatever touched you swims out of sight before you can get a close look, but it's clear its multiple fins and limbs propel itself forward and away. Following it seems to be futile. The waves grow rougher and should you travel too far, the water will carry you back to the shore almost as if it's protecting you from harm. Weird, isn't it? IV. But life goes on even aside from the weird ongoings of Retrospec. Life goes on, the world keeps turning, and the mayor still loves holidays. The Fourth of July is no exception and the city is bustling with activity. Much like the day prior, the shopping district and the beach seem to be where many residents gather. Several others enjoy the day in Hollingberry field with friends and family, barbecuing and playing games together. Those with bingo cards will receive another sound of alarm, a startled wark! from their device before there is a flash revealing that one day has gone by since the game began. Those who harbor a power or memory that isn't their own feel the impact a little more heavily, urging them to find their match. However, the world seems to stop as dusk settles around the city. Citizens hustle and scramble to pick the best viewing points for the annual fireworks show. Street vendors sell glow rings and popcorn and sparklers for anyone who wishes to play with the lights. The Mayor sits atop Seabiscuit in Recollé Square with an ice cream cone in hand, anticipating the time the bursts of color will appear. At 9pm sharp, the first boom begins. Displayed across the sky appears the history of the city in pops of shimmering color, pictures painted across the dark tapestry above among the stars. With most of the city distracted though, now may be the perfect time to do some last-minute sale shopping or cross off a few things on your lists without question. It may even be the perfect time to sneak away from the crowds and get up to some mischief. BONUS. It's quiet around the Retrospec building, but the doors unlock for anyone who ventures toward them. They have been locked tight since the first part of May, but you can't help but observe that this seems to happen periodically. A pattern? Maybe, but who are you to look a gift Chocobo in the mouth? For those brave enough to enter the building, they will find that rooms that were previously accessible are no longer available. Doors are missing, the elevator refuses to work, and the secretary's desk appears to be as clear of evidence as always. However, soft lights adorn the handrail of the stairs beckoning characters toward the second floor. There appears to be only one room upstairs and the door is ajar. Is it a trap? Possibly, but further investigation shows that it was simply a careless action. Inside this room is another desk, a laptop seated on its table-top and the room itself not much bigger than a walk-in closet. Scattered around are books on biology and genetics, notes about evolution and hybrid animals. Comic books and horror movies sit in a neat pile in a corner near a small TV, screen frozen on a large monster of some sort. A table in the back is home to a few fossilized items in jars, along with empty coffee cups and house plants. In another corner is a clothing rack with a handful of costumes and a sewing machine sits on the floor nearby. Tacked on the wall is a reminder of the dates of the Recollé ReConvention. What is all of this? A note on the desk reveals that all of this belongs to someone named Maurice and that "he better work harder or he will not receive his school credit." But what's an intern doing with all of this research? What a great question. Welcome to recolle's July 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 based on the ongoings of the city! 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, while you are more than free to use this log to play with the bingo cards and regains swap these are in effect all month! You are free to make your own posts all month long as well and these will qualify for your bingo cards. With regards to the regains swap, as per our notes how your characters switch back is up to you! This could be anything from a hug, a synchronized dance, a duel, etc. Be creative! There is no right or wrong answer. Please see our monthly plotting post/event sign-ups posts here and here. Any questions you have regarding this event may be directed to the mod comment here.

Comments

[parodeity]

[ ooc: please feel free to hit up my plotting comment (with regain swap + bingo card details! you can either comment there or hit me up via pm or lucylovespluto if you would like a special prompt, and i will happily write you one! from the 3rd to the 17th he will be regain swapped, but any other date he will not be! ]

i. and bingo was his name-o

[ over the next few weeks dave will simply be approaching people he recognizes - or anyone he spots doing anything retrospec-related or reacting to anything strange - and flashing his phone at them, bingo card displayed prominently on it in red. ]

Hey, want to try to do a thing together? One of my squares for one of yours. [ "looking to collect some of your memories" is enough of a draw for him to try. ]

ii: learn to walk a mile

[ he's getting off from flix, the movie theater, when he finds the cookie in his pocket. dave's almost used to weird shit showing up around him at this time, but a pause doesn't give him any kind of memory of a blue cookie. his or not his? it might be like the damn commemorative coin with the horses...

it's a fortune cookie. standing outside in the summer heat (in black jeans and a long-sleeved shirt and shades, because he has a theme, and smelling too much like movie-theater popcorn) dave simply does what one does with fortune cookies and absent-mindedly cracks it open.

he reads the fortune.

learn to walk a mile in someone else's shoes? what the fuck does that even -

then it's hotter an there's a breeze and a slight twich of a grimace as a new memory flies by. monster moons, nice, he thinks that makes as much sense as anything else -

his eyes widen behind his shades as he feels the other changes sweep over him. it's impossible not to notice your own heart ceasing to beat, and his left hand flies to his chest before he ascertains he's still. standing. so...that's...okay? he...guesses?

he's going to be in so much trouble, holy shit. ]

Goddamnit. And I still smell like popcorn, too.

[ this is not a priority concern, dave. ]

iii. i'd like to make myself believe

[ it's not like dave sleeps a lot on a usual basis but when night comes and he isn't even remotly tired and simply ignoring it he has no issues following an inexplicable urge to go outside. it's summer, he has zero plans beyond part time jobs, and he's too unsettled to not. maybe this is how he can get certain things back, or walk in his own damn shoes?

he pauses at the fireflies, noting they only follow certain people, and glances down at his phone. he's been trying to to bingos absently ever since he acclimated that afternoon (note: he has not acclimated but he's really good at pretending he has) so. ]

Yo. I got a few mason jars in my 'dex if you wanna pretend we're like, nine years old and wanna catch some fireflies. Although this feels like it'd be like shootin' fish in a barrel?

iv. beachtime fun

[ this time dave hasn't even ditched the jeans and long-sleeved shirt combo (plus shades) for swim trunks, though he does go barefoot when he's on the sand, converse shoved into his sylladex as he stands ankle-deep in the water. he doesn't seem to mind anything getting on his jeans, as he stares out at the gray water.

he doesn't react to anyone approaching until he speaks: ]

Does anythin' seem weird to you...? [ he's not going out there but something is weird. ]

v. well he has all this chalk

[ since some of his bingo cards required him to use chalk, dave has a huge box of it in all colors (sans blue and green), and given that he decides he needs to Do Something with it even once he's finished his squares (or even if he hasn't, getting distracted). as such, he can be found in Apprassage working on the sidewalks or the streets when they're clear at all times of day and night. he can't really draw but that isn't stopping him from making colorful sbahj-style drawings everywhere, and more and more frequently intricate geometric patterns that are just shapes and colors and much better-done than the actual attempts at drawing.

there's chalk enough all over his hands and the knees of his jeans to make them a mottled mess, and even some chalk on his left cheek, whenever you come across him.

whatever your reason for pausing, he just offers up a stick of yellow chalk. ]

Wanna help?

vi. snapchatty

[ also throughout the month he can be found wandering around with his camera (...cameras, since he has one non-digital and one digital) and taking pictures of random shit all around the city. a melted ice cream cone on the peach beach pier; fireflies at night; your right shoe; some architecture; a dead bird maybe; some birds fighting over a fry...nothing actually seems to be immune, although a lot of the things he gravitates to are on the weirder side.

he doesn't really ask permission to shoot anything, but just winds the film after, or looks at the screen of his digital camera and goes "hm". ]

i

[glaciers]

[Shouto's been looking at his own bingo for a while now, but when Dave approaches him with his bingo, Shouto will flash his own back.]

Which one do you want to do?

[parodeity]

[ SUP BRO. dave looks at the card - ]

Well, we both have the "rumor" one. What if we just start a rumor about ourselves?

VI

[notyourutopian]

[Between one moment of taking pictures of strangers and the next, Dave would suddenly find a kid standing in front of him. She looked to be able eleven, with chin-length dark hair, pale skin and grey eyes, dressed in a pair of jeans shorts and a pretty nerdy shirt. Between the eyes, the hair, and the mouth, it's pretty easy to see she's Eleanor's sister.]

[She was looking up at him over the top of a pair of wire-rim glasses, her expression narrow, a bit disapproving really.]

Shouldn't you ask people before taking their pictures?

[It was half a question and half not. About fifteen feet behind her, Eleanor was standing outside of the Good Bean, reading over the daily menu posted outside and looking a bit grumpy. Seemingly unaware her sister had wandered.]

[parodeity]

Maybe I should, but then I might miss out on some pretty cool shots? Like your shirt. Can I take a picture of that?

[ he can recognize eleanor in this kid, and does glance around to see if he can spot her - ah-hah.

but he's serious about the shirt because math jokes are a+, okay. ]

i

[frisyr]

Yeah, sure!

[ He peers over Dave's shoulder ]

What haven't you got?

[parodeity]

[ dave has this with the center square "go one whole day without telling a lie". ouch. ]

This is what I have, how about you?

JULY 3RD: ROXY STRIDER

[parodeity]

[ well. it's early morning of the 3rd and he's been switching off between couch surfing elsewhere and staying at home every so often. this time he was technically elsewhere, but first thing in the morning he knocks on roxy's door and holds up a few bottles of neon nail polish whenever she answers. ]

Wanna do my nails while we write odes to Janet? If you happen to have that square.

[ he has not yet lost his pulse because that would be nearly impossible to do with someone painting his nails. why this. so he's still mostly chill and kind of half-smiles when he makes the offer. ]

vi

[frisyr]

Hey! Hey Dave, there you are!

[ Emil runs over, and waves. ]

Oh man, you were so serious, you even brought your camera.

--Oh that reminds me!

[ He takes the sword out, which he's wrapped in a scarf to make sure it doesn't hurt anyone. Dave can keep the scarf. ]

I hope you don't mind that I borrowed--I mean stole-- this! From you.

v

[truedetective]

[Chalk vandalism isn't technically vandalism. After all, it's hard to be mad at a vandal when their work goes away in the next rainfall. So she doesn't say anything, for once, to the young man working on his chalk art.

Until he talks to her.

And she sees who it is.] Oh.

It's you. [So enthusiastic.]

i

[maskreant]

[ Akira blinks slowly when Dave approaches him, but doesn't question it at all. With the strange events already tumbling down Recolle's metaphorical hill, he's quick to brush off these kind of encounters aside.

Squinting, he scours the digital bingo sheet. ]

Grant me a wish.

i

[notbunaga]

Depends. You know how to juggle, Dave?

[Because she sure doesn't.

But she regards him with a familiarity that shouldn't be there, not to mention that dead eyed stare she has might be suspiciously familiar...]

v

[dryeye]

[Aizawa's on his way back from a small trip for groceries, if the casual wear and plastic bag slung over an arm is anything to go by. He'd picked out this sidewalk for the bit of cooler shade on it, mostly, discovering the chalk scribbles riddled all over it only after the fact.

Was he expecting to find Dave at the end of the chalk trail? Not really. But here's Dave anyway, apparently, covered in chalk dust from head to foot and already offering up a yellow stick of it.]

You sure you want to ask? Fair warning, I never liked art much. [Dryly, but he is accepting the stick of yellow anyway, surprisingly. Appraising Dave's chalky self now:] Taking full advantage of your summer break, Strider?

ii

[splinten]

[Well he was trying to approach Dave to update him, and then Dave stopped. And now he is wondering why. But he raises a hand and steps forward.]

Dave, you okay?

iii

[ghostdrives]

[Being that exams are over now, Aria found herself a little bit of free time and a night off. It seemed like a perfect time to go out for a walk with Miki. Sure she has AC, but when you're dog has the need to go, you have the inexplicable urge to go outside and you're not walking into a literal oven? You take it, no questions asked.

But the walk isn't going very smoothly with these fireflies following her. The shiba constantly wants to catch them. When she hears him nearby, she can't help but laugh.]

We'd probably have better luck than him at catching them. [Gesturing to her nearly bouncing dog. What a dork.]

But uh... what do you mean by a "dex"?

i

[crudest]

[The funny thing is that their squares line up in certain spots.

And Baren recognizes his kid well enough from the Retrospec discussions. Not distant enough to be a stranger, but not close enough to be a confidant. He considers it for a long moment before starting:]

How well can you keep secrets?

vi. to get to our bingo thing

[eyestitch]

[It's sunglasses-at-night guy! What a weirdly incomprehensible person. Nui feels like she probably shouldn't be able to stand somebody like this, but there's also something strangely intriguing about this guy taking a photo of an abandoned granola bar and packet of oatmeal at a bus stop.

She observes his filming for a while, only bounding over to investigate once Dave turns the screen around to examine it.]

Oh, is it something interesting? Let me see! [She peers.] That'd probably be way easier to write a sonnet about than Janet!

iii

[catsudon]

( the rolling blackout had meant heading home earlier: earlier relative to him helping lock everything up and getting the generator running to keep the rink running the under-ice cooling system to avoid dealing with an unplanned total meltdown.

he doesn't expect to run into Dave on his way back to his apartment. nor did he expect to be a firefly beacon, and he's not happy about it: it was too apparent not everyone was getting firefly swarmed. whenever these things happen it's either life and the universe reminding him that no one really gives a shit in the long term (he's less pessimistic about that these days, with dave and anya and karkat) or it's Retrospec.

these days, he jumps to conclusions about Retrospec and tries swatting fireflies further away. they'd been a nuisance on the bus, to say the least, and aren't much better walking in the open air. )

Is there any possible way to shove all of these into those jars at once to get them out of my freaking face?!

( he holds a hand out, they're apparently doing this. Yuri would have preferred a net, capturing fireflies has to be possible, right? whole nets of these things would be an improvement to walking around with flashing pinpoint lights in his eyes. )

iii

[feistytrader]

Are you kidding? Let's see how many of these little guys we can shove into one jar.

[Silver's a little too enthusiastic about something as simple as catching fireflies, but hey. You've got a partner in glowing bug crime, Dave. Let's rock.]

v

[bloodbiter]

[While passing by, she slows to look at the drawings he's working on. There's a small smile on her face as she observes how... abstract, she supposes, the images are. As he offers her the chalk, though, she barely hesitates before nodding.]

Definitely.

[Reaching out to take the offered piece of chalk, she sits down, carefully arranging her sundress so it won't get too dirty from the drawings.]

What were you working on? It looks very... interesting.

iii

[wordcarvings]

[ Honestly, Koutarou should be trying to prepare for his sister's arrival the next day, or at least catch some more sleep because he knows that will drain him, and instead he's out wandering, to get some fresh air. ]

Huh? Yeah, sure... Okay.

[ He's finally had a proper look on the bingo card too, but to be honest, he would have said yes even if he had not had that in a square. ]

i!

[sharplydressed]

[AH DAVE, always a blessing... Kashuu's got his own bingo card out and ready, even if he 100% does not look like he's up for actually being out here doing these wild things. Exhausting.

...But the whole memory thing is pretty tempting, so.]

Lemme see what you've got first. Some of these are really stupid.

v

[admiringly]

Sure.

[ She slips her phone into her shorts pocket takes the chalk with zero hesitation and squats down by some of his earlier drawings. Somehow, this seems like a very Dave thing to her. ]

I'll help shade. [ She starts crosshatching on some of his SBAHJ-like drawings, hoping this will make them look better. ] Dave, do you know how to ride a chocobo?

wildcard!!

[voideity]

[ let's say roxy takes dave to the towers on the fifth for summer shopping!! and they may as well stop to look into the jim's registry shit, because they both have that square. ]

Ok, our mission for this shitty bingo square is to find the cheapest shit on Jim's registry and buy it. I guess for his wedding? That sounds like a wedding thing. Aren't wedding registries usually really expensive? Maybe we can buy like, one plate each.

i.

[shinyidea]

Yes! Let's do that!

[what a smart stranger - trading squares is definitely the way to go to attack this. ]

What do you need?