MARCH EVENT LOG

[recollecters]

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.

Comments

[belligerentwarrior]

[She drops her own pack and it hits the ground with the clatter of tools, and sets down her flashlight while Pen moves into place. It's a bit of a stretch for her to get a comfortable grip, but this shouldn't be a problem.]

Yep. When you're ready.

[mincingminuet]

Alright!

[And she lets go, taking this as a trust-fall kind of exercise. Also it's kinda nice since, y'know, Fang's pretty buff and kinda hot. She's cool with this development.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[It's not terribly much, really. All she has to do is make sure the other young woman doesn't break an ankle. She can't completely catch Pen, not from this angle, and the grip probably hurts a little on the way down, but hopefully her landing wasn't too jarring.]

And there you go. Freedom.

[mincingminuet]

[Not too jarring at all. She's not a wuss, she's just not so capable of taking a fall like that yet. Once she's down, she spins around and gives Freya the biggest smile.]

Freedom! Thank you! [She dips her head in a faux bow.]

And my name is Pen. What is your name, oh prince who rescued me from my tower?

[She may just be being a butt. But...she does want to know.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[She lets out an amused bark of laughter at Pen's theatrics, giving a grin of her own.]

Aren't you a dramatic one? Name's Freya; I volunteer for the RFD. I take it you'd've dragged anyone out if they were still in there, yeah?

[mincingminuet]

[It's why she's popular, Freya.  Don't judge her because she's theatrical!  Love her for it.]

Freya.  That's a cool name. Very metal.  [she looks back towards the apartment building with a sigh.]

And I think so, yeah. I didn't hear anyone on the lower floors, and since it all hit during school hours I doubt anyone was there. Plus there wasn't anyone else on the roof, and my roommate is out.  There may be a couple more people there that I don't know, but I doubt it.

[belligerentwarrior]

Alright then. [She moves to retrieve their things and her flashlight from the ground.]

We should probably get a move on in that case. You headed out to the supply stations, or takin' off somewhere else?

[mincingminuet]

[Pen takes her bag and hoists it up.]

I guess the supply stations. I'd rather not drive in this mess, so that seems like the best bet.

Besides, you're supposed to make sure I get there right?

[belligerentwarrior]

Sure, princess, but you're a legal adult, remember? [She teases, and Pen gets a gentle poke in the arm with the flashlight.] Can't stop you from wanderin' off unless it's straight into traffic or a short pier or something.

[She moves to head out of the alley.]

[mincingminuet]

[Okay. That's funny. That's actually really funny. So Pen laughs and pokes back.]

Damn right. But I figure it's safer with my prince, eh? Just be happy I'm not asking for the full princess carry rescue. And that I wasn't in another castle.

[Following along she can't help but keep laughing. ]

You're a volunteer fire fighters? Do you go to school or something on top of that?

[belligerentwarrior]

[The laughter does bring a grin to her face, though she keeps her attention ahead, scanning the dark street.] Bloody oath to that.

Just part-time in the EMT-Basic program. Lookin' to get hired on after that. What about you?

[mincingminuet]

[Pen nods her head, content to be led for now.]

I'm a full time student. Second year in computer science. Also professional...YouTuber?

[Which really is her job, as much as class tbh.]

[belligerentwarrior]

Oh, so you're one of those guys. [As they move along the street, Freya continues peering in windows and up at roofs.]

You got a particular topic on there or something? [That's how these youtube things work, right?]

[mincingminuet]

Yep. Me and my best friend. Though we don't do anything particular. At least, I don't? I mean, I do how-tos for crafty stuff and cooking, playthroughs of video games, reviews of stuff. Y'know, movies, new gadgets, books. And sometimes I just ramble and tell jokes I guess? Mostly I try to be helpful with mine though.

Vaan...pretty much does video game stuff.

[belligerentwarrior]

Huh. Sounds like that'd keep you pretty busy. Vaan sounds pretty familiar. Think I've seen him on Retrospec, unless there's more than one.

[mincingminuet]

It keeps me a little busy, yeah. I mean, between school and that? Even though I only do updates three days a week. But it’s fun, it keeps the bills paid, and it makes people happy.

[She flips open her phone and shows Freya a photo of Vaan. And…]

This is him. Probably the only one in the city. It’s not a common name.

[belligerentwarrior]

[She diverts her attention from the dark streets to glance at the picture.] Alright then. I'll keep my eyes peeled for him—seems like a decent guy, the way he roasted a friend of mine on the net.

[She's grinning, at the last part. Anything at Fynn's expense tended to make her smile, long as the whole thing was good-natured.]

[mincingminuet]

He is. He's a total goober, but he's a good guy.

[And seriously man, he's got a sharp wit, despite himself.]

How long've you been out looking for people, anyway?

[belligerentwarrior]

Mm? [The question makes Freya blink, caught off-guard. She scratches at the back of her head in thought.]

Guess I don't really know when it started. It just feels right, yeah? And it's only fair—used to be something of a hell raiser. Still am, probably, but the department doesn't smile on havin' a record.

[mincingminuet]

Oh, not quite what I meant but...that's good.

[She meant out looking for people tonight, you know. But...]

And being a hell raiser's totally okay. I got into a lotta trouble as a kid myself.

[belligerentwarrior]

[Once the misinterpretation sets in, Freya laughs.] Sorry. They've been running me ragged ever since all those appliances started acting up. The last couple days have been something—guess I'm not holdin' up as well as I thought.

And what kinda mischief does a future-professional-youtuber get into?

[mincingminuet]

[Penelope pats Freya on the arm kind of casually, just...friendly gesture.]

Well I got caught shoplifting once. And got into some fights in high school.

[Started them too, over people making fun of her brothers. And won them all.]

Y'know. Kinda ordinary stuff. But also got in trouble for hacking my school's computer system. And the PA system. And a few other things.

[belligerentwarrior]

[Freya glances over, the corner of her mouth turning up in a grin.] Gotta admit, I wouldn't have figured you for a hellion. Not surprised by the hacking, what with your major, but fighting?

[Pen is kind of tiny, after all. Freya's over half a foot taller than her.]

[mincingminuet]

[Pen pulls a face, sticking out her tongue a little.]

Really? My parents were soldiers, so were my brothers. They taught me to stand up for myself.

[Look, Pen may be tiny but she is ferocious!!!! Fear her...or just give her a hug okay?]

[belligerentwarrior]

Really. Five-foot computer nerd that rambles on the internet about video games and cooking? Wouldn't have called it.

[Freya chuckles again, turning her attention back to the street. The center shouldn't be far, now.] But that's good on them. Takin' care of yourself's important.