recolle | OCTOBER EVENT LOG

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OCTOBER EVENT LOG

SPOOKY SCARY SKELETONS
The city of Recollé...the temperature's dropping, the night grows longer, and all around there's an air of unease that comes during the trick or treat season. With Halloween just around the corner, the city seems to be the perfect place for happy haunts...what will you do today?

I.
There's a chill in the air at the beginning of October. The leaves have all changed colors and most have fallen off of the trees in residential areas. However, even with the sun high in the sky the temperature doesn't warm up. The chill continues to bite through no matter where you are, sometimes even following you inside.

And then…well, and then you might just see a face appear.

Whether you're the type to scream or to laugh, once you notice the spirit it will become clear that they're all around you. Some will make themselves visible while others are prone to hiding and playing pranks on residents of the city. That project you were working on for school? Suddenly trashed. What's that weight on your shoulders holding you down? Will random faces appearing ever stop being weird?

These ghosty tricksters are making a new home for themselves and are happy to stick around. They come in a variety of colors, may have way too many eyes to count or other strange and unusual features. Try as you might, characters who are not gifted with supernatural abilities will not be able to understand what they're saying without some form of a ghost communicator. Will you try to banish them? Or will you join in on the ghastly scares?

II.

Things are weird with ghosts haunting the city in broad daylight. But at least you're safe in your own home, aren't you? What better way to end a long day than to change into some comfy pajamas, pile on the blankets and snuggle up to a pillow.

But things aren't nearly as calm as they seem. The little twists and the turns of the city seem to be imbalanced again as Unreality works its magic on Retrospec users.

One minute, you're having a nice dream. Or maybe you're one of those who doesn't dream at all. Maybe you're getting your snooze on in the comforting blank space of your mind. It's all nice and pleasant for a while until the midnight hour hits.

No matter when you fall asleep, between the hours of midnight and dawn nightmares plague your vision. They may range from anywhere between showing up to school with no pants to falling straight off of a cliff to the ocean below. Perhaps you dream of monsters and mayhem, spooks and scares. These range from things that you know to be true of this life, but also, perhaps, some of those pesky memories you've received since your arrival on the Retrospec network. But the good thing is that you aren't alone. You may be able to run from your dreams, but you'll crash right into someone else's instead. You can run from your nightmares, but good luck escaping. The dreamer will have to awaken first.

III.
Ghosts during the day, weird dreams by night. That shouldn't be too hard to avoid, should it? But how can one truly escape themselves…what a great question. It is a question that several Retrospec users often ask themselves as memories begin to come back. Items, powers, things that do and don't belong to you may make you wonder who you truly are and what is and isn't real.

It's faint at first, so light that you may not even notice it. But as October goes on, it becomes much harder to ignore a thick fog that rolls in and settles around the city's perimeters. It's still easy to navigate through Recollé and the different districts but the fog itself is a bit…distracting.

Staying out in the fog for too long proves to be strange on its own. Shadows lurk around corners watching you, and sometimes out of the corner of your eye you'll recognize a figure from one of your past memories. A feeling of dread may wash over you the longer you remain in the fog. However, the most disturbing thing about it is that something's not quite right about the scenarios the fog brings out. Like the nightmares, you recognize that these visions are a little twisted, but there may just be one specific horror that haunts you repeatedly. Without the ability to recognize it, it's harder to know how to escape and unlike the nightmares, these figments seem a little…too…real. They'll loom and outright attack their targets and anyone nearby, engaging with all users who dare try to encounter them.

Unravel the twists in this fog and fight against the visions swarming you. The only thing to fear is fear itself…right?

IV.
Normally the Retrospec building is locked up tight but today the front door appears to be wide open. In fact, it seems as though amidst the fog, the ghosts and other strange on-goings of the city, the door remains propped open and inviting all brave souls to enter and explore.

Stepping into the building, residents will find that the lobby is decorated for the Halloween season. Plastic bats hang from the ceiling along with small rows of pumpkin lights, pictures of witches on the walls and a large bowl of candy on the receptionist's desk. While it doesn't appear like much, residents may also notice two other things. First off, on the desk next to the candy is a large folder of papers. Those nosy enough to rifle through them will find a stack of notes from a certain Jim Halloway with a list of questions, notes, and poll ideas. After the events of August blindsided him and the others at Retrospec, it seems as though someone is taking his job a little more seriously. There are notes also written in an unidentifiable language, but those probably aren't important. Really.

The most important thing of all, however, is that just down the hall there's another door slightly ajar. Residents who have been in the city for a long time know that this doesn't happen often, and those who wish to explore may approach the door and find a set of staircases. The moment you set foot on the first step the door above slams behind you, leaving you in complete darkness. The darkness lasts for a few minutes before there's a slight buzz and fluorescent lights spark above, lighting up a long, winding hallway. A path to another facility, perhaps? The only way out is forward.

The road less taken isn't any easier though. As residents walk down the unnervingly silent, white hallway they will begin to notice that their surroundings will warp the further they get from the door. The sleek walls turn into stone, sometimes dirt, sometimes shrubbery as the hall extends into a labyrinth of paths.

Even Retrospec couldn't stop the anomaly from affecting them this time. The labyrinth begins taking on a life of its own as you work down the paths. Vines crawl out from the walls to almost lovingly wrap around you before constricting and pinning you to a wall. Large, glowing red eyes follow you through various pathways. Parts of the path break away and open large craters into the floor and your greatest fear manifests right before your eyes with every wrong turn. The distinct lack of a Retrospec logo anywhere nearby may be a hint that this wasn't supposed to happen.

Those who fail to get through the labyrinth will flicker out of existence momentarily, disappearing for five minutes before returning just outside in the lobby. But for those who are clever, brave, and have a bit of luck on their side they will find a reward waiting for them.

BONUS. - Only for those who play through IV

The end of the labyrinth leads explorers up and out of the final path, dumping them at the far end of the Recollé Woods. This area is miles from Tisse and further than most people have been allowed to travel thus far. However, waiting in front of the exit is a bunker surrounded by foliage.

The bunker itself has a Retrospec logo on the doors and though it's not the clean, state of the art appearance of the building in Tisse the layout is fairly familiar. There's a receptionist desk but instead of a computer there appears to be a typewriter. A rotary telephone also sits on the desk, but the line seems to be out of order. Dust and cobwebs are thick in the corners of the room and there are a handful of doors in a small hallway that appear to be unlocked. Specifically, there are four doors, two on either side of the hall with four certain animals on each: a wolf, a rabbit, a bear, and a koi fish.

Each room appears to have a certain aesthetic to it, but on one wall in each room there sits a large chart and a contract. The chart contains a list of names, family members all sharing last names but no way of separating how these family members are connected. The contract, however, explains the following in full detail:

Clarence Vanderweele, Georgia Mahoney, Phillip Spinnato and Myrtle Cavendish will embark on a venture to begin saving worlds that are being destroyed across the universe. They will organize rescue teams to scout various worlds and collect "seeds", though what this entirely means isn't made clear. These seeds will then be brought to a safe haven to foster and grow to preserve the worlds while the four founders of the city design the new universe.

There is also a copy of the Retrospec contract signed by Vanderweele, a company designed on reflection and retrospection. The contract outlines the mission of Retrospec as a whole, which is to monitor the stability of the breaking universe, save as many worlds as possible, and regrow the populations.

And finally, with a little digging, explorers may find a copy of a formal letter addressed to Vanderweele tucked under the typewriter itself. Outlined in the letter are the original goals of the Founders, along with a subnote:

Due to the unspeakable acts caused by you and your hand in the demise of Phillip's family line, by order we declare that you are no longer fit for this operation. You will be held in a facility elsewhere to await for sentencing.

Our operation began as a preservation of life, not simply your own. We will begin restructuring to undo the damage immediately.

Residents are free to come and go from the bunker as often as they please. Nothing will change about the setting, and any time someone tries to remove artefacts from the building they will be returned to their rightful positions. The walk back to the city from the woods may take a few hours, but it seems as though it's the only way back after all.

Welcome to

recolle's October event! Here are some notes for you.

The Mob Psycho ghosts will appear and disappear to player discretion! Characters can figure out how to banish these ghosts from their vicinity using purified salt or other spirit-purging aspects. Characters without supernatural sense/ghost sight can see these ghosts but they may appear faint and may not stick around long! However, these are now a permanent fixture in game.

For nightmares and the fog, you may use AU memories, made up AU things, canon memories you have received, and your one pre-approved memory that your character has not received yet to warp! Warping does not mean it has to be the opposite; it can just be twisted into whatever you want. Characters can be injured, but please note that the death penalty still applies in this case. Be sure to check out the mod question thread on the plotting post. Remember: your freebie counts only when your character deals with their warped, pre-approved memory. Please submit this freebie as normal.

You may also create your own logs or inbox threads based on these effects. Effects will go through the entire month! Any questions you have regarding this event may be directed to the mod comment here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

i. (nightmare)
[ Welcome back to school!! It's high school, the seats are hard and cramped, tables tiny, clock ticking down way too slowly— but steadily counting down the last fifteen minutes of class. It's almost time to go; there's sounds of shuffling all around, of students hoping to pack up early and be ready to bolt out the door.

The teacher speaks up from the front of the room: "Alright, settle down class. It's time for a pop quiz!"

Mafuyu might be crying a little, from where she sits in the seat next to you. But it's fine, it's cool, scantrons are being passed around and she can just bubble in all the A's and pray.

"If you fail this quiz, you will have to repeat the year."

Definitely crying now. A lot. Help. ]

Psssst! What's the answer to number one?!

[ "1. _____ is the powerhouse of the cell." She went over this with Kiryu once, but she can't remember the answer. There are algebra questions scattered here and there, but very little of the math she was supposed to learn from Prompto is sticking. So many history dates. She regrets not following up with Terra or Kath. Please help. ]

ii. (fog)
[ The streets become dirt underneath your feet, buildings turn into trees packed thick and heavy with shadow, and the fog weighs on your shoulders with the heat of summer. Wherever you were, you're here in a forest now, the ground damp and silencing your footfalls— and that of a girl ahead of you.

She keeps looking this way and that, obviously unsure of where she's going, so that sheer relief washes over her expression when she sees you, runs towards you with her arms in the air in greeting.

Before you can take another step, though, a hand clamps down on your ankle with surprising strength, holding you there as a dozen or more figures crawl out of the woods, long unkempt hair obscuring their faces as they stumble to their feet and crowd in towards where you stand. ]

iii. (nightmare)
[ Nightmares sucks but she'll just not sleep! What a great idea!! It doesn't work. Trying to stay awake 24/7 just exhausts her, day and night blurring together until she starts dreaming about the fog itself, thick and black as they roll over the city streets of this dreamscape.

She's had enough of that, both dealing with her own problems and getting dragged into others, so she has the perfect plan: avoid the fog. Simple. The moment the air starts chilling and thickening, she ducks into a nearby building, motioning to anybody nearby to do the same. ]

Fog's coming, [ she warns, closing the door behind her once both people are inside, safe and sound and... That sure is the sound of rushing water. There isn't even an ominous drip... drip... drip...; the ceiling bursts open and ice cold water pours down overhead, numbing and with impossible force— the door is locked, windows locked, room filling quickly with water and Mafuyu's swimming lessons with Dave are still a WIP so this is how she dies, I guess. ]

[Why is he in high school again. Why is he cramped in a tiny desk. Why is Mafuyu next to him--oh it's a pop quiz. This is going to suck.

When he receives his question booklet, Mohammed is relieved. Sure, he has trouble with some of the biology questions, but it's not all that bad. He fills in his scantron slowly but steadily and with confidence.]

Psst! PSSSSSSSSSSSSTT!!!

[ Mafuyu gives up keeping her voice down to avoid being heard by the teacher, so that Mohammed can hear her, but of course that just attracts the teacher's attention and Mafuyu has to pass it off as a sneezing fit.

Okay. She has to get through this without talking, which is a pain when she just wants to shout out loud in frustration, but she can do this. Skip number 1, come back to it later. "2. 5x - 5y = 7. What is the slope?" What the heck. She stabs the tip of her pencil into her eraser as she tries to remember what slope is, then sits up straight. She's got this. Mafuyu starts scribbling furiously... on her eraser. Down the side of it: "1. 2. 3. 4. 5." and elbows it off her desk so that it bounces and lands next to Mohammed's feet.

There! Give her answers!! The message couldn't be clearer. ]

[It lands markings-side down. All Mohammed sees is Mafuyu knocking her perfectly normal eraser on the floor, which means that he is obligated to pick it up and return it. He thinks nothing of it when his thumb runs across her markings, smudging the "3" and "4".

He's not even looking at it.]

[ ............picks up her pencil and stabs him in the hand

this isn't even a gag tag. LOOK AT HER, LOOK AT HER ERASER, GIVE HER THE ANSWERS. ]

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