recolle | JANUARY EVENT LOG

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JANUARY EVENT LOG

EVENT

Auld Lang Syne
The city of Recollé...it's a new year and new changes are around the corner. Are you ready?

I.

The nights are long and cold during the winter months. Residents of the city will notice that the sun sets on January 2nd at its usual time of around 5:30pm as the street lights flicker on. Neon signs illuminate the busiest areas of the city and the evening continues on as usual.

The next morning, however, is a little different. The city is quiet and still, the street lamps dying down around 7am and the sounds of morning traffic filtering in from off the streets. But the sun isn't out. The sun appears to be gone and there's no natural light source visible in the city. Those brave enough to venture outside with a flashlight or other light source will only have to glance at the sky to see a large opaque dome enveloping the entire city, faintly reflective in appearance but blocking the outside world. It still feels warm enough outside. It isn't hard to breathe, and the flora and fauna seem to be responding just as naturally as always. But the city of Recollé is pitch black except for the light citizens shine themselves.

The dome stretches incredibly high over the city, but anyone who can get close enough to it via ground or air will find that they can briefly see themselves in the surface. Upon touching the dome it appears to be smooth and almost rubbery in texture despite a shell-like shield appearance. Soundproof and unable to provide clues to what's happening outside of the city the dome is also harmless for those who wish to touch it and examine it, causing it to bounce a few times under light impact. However, do be careful not to trigger its defense mode! Should anyone attempt to damage the dome itself, it will light up with a bright, sickening blue color for three seconds before delivering a shock to its attacker and rendering them unconscious for an hour. Perhaps you'll get lucky and you'll only deal with the too-hot-to-touch surface that self-activates when the dome is threatened, or the spikes that appear at the source of impact. The dome seems to have a temperament of its own. It may be best to treat it the way you want to be treated.

II.

While NPCs comment on the eclipse-like weather, they seem to be going about their usual business and expect the rest of the city to follow along. Classes for the Recollé school district begin on January 8th and employees across the city's businesses are expected to be at work on time and work through these conditions.

On the other hand, there are some workers who seem to have completed their job and have abandoned their worksite for the time being. Some citizens may remember that the old subway system has been under construction for nearly a year now. Others may remember exploring the tunnels that run below and some may even remember certain facilities underground. With the darkness shrouding the city it's easier than ever for anyone to slip into the tunnels...especially given the soft yellow light that seems to illuminate the entrance leading from the city to the rails underneath.

For those up for a little adventure, or just curious to follow the light (or hell, maybe you ended up down here on accident), the light will guide you for roughly twenty-five feet before it dies down again. You're allowed to turn back, of course. There's nothing stopping you. But as explorers venture further into the tunnels they'll hear the echos of a bustling transportation hub and the sound of subway cars moving along tracks a few tunnels over.

Though the tunnels may be dark and empty, this doesn't mean they're without danger. Similar to another tunnel previously discovered, vines and roots will come to life out of the walls to stop travelers. The red glowing eyes follow, but this time they're accompanied by the forms of large rat-like creatures that rush forward to delay travelers further. Bats echo in the caves even if they can't be seen and while the tracks closest to the city appear battered and broken, they remain whole and stable the further you walk into the dark.

Some citizens may have old blueprints or maps to guide them, but they'll find that after a certain point even these won't help as the rail lines lead off the originally discovered paths. It'll take a good sense of navigation or sheer dumb luck to find your way...but where are you going? Is it worth the journey?

III.
Lucky for you, there are plenty of stops along the way. Or, at least, there are plenty of things to explore down below for anyone brave enough to excursion and get past the defeatable plants and rats. At varying points the main path of the tunnel splits off into other rails and destinations making it difficult to map out exactly where these things are going and where they'll spit you out. On occasion, however, you will find yourself facing an abandoned subway car. The lights of the car and the surrounding area are a washed out yellow glow, eerie in appearance and yet enticing all the same.

For explorers who would begin comparing notes, they will come to find there five cars in total, though some seem to be moving on their own. One car appears to be an abandoned passenger car scattered with the remains of life lost. The luggage of vacationers can be opened and ransacked for clues but the newspapers, clothing and items appear to be personal in nature, dating back at least fifty years ago and mirroring the world news and trends from that time period.

A second car is a sleeper car featuring rows of beds and musty sheets, also scattered with the belongings of people who no longer exist.

A third car appears to be a little more useful. With a full kitchen in the back this dining car has everything you need to dine in luxury...sort of. Some covered platters of spoiled food sit out on tables, but some digging around will reveal food and drinks from the modern era including from new establishments such as Big Bang Burger and Freshens brands. These are safe to eat if you're desperate, but they may come with side effects including dizziness, temporary loss of taste, temporary loss of sight, and sudden transparency. The effects will only last for an hour and will even be in effect if the food is removed from the car itself.

If entertainment is more your speed, you may wish to try and find the fourth car filled with old instruments, records, audio equipment, and a strange silver screen at the front of the interior. Stay on the car long enough and the doors will suddenly slam shut, a song playing on the speakers overhead in a crackled, muffled tune. The car begins to move along the tracks and you (and whoever you're with) are along for the ride. When the song ends, the screen may be of interest to you. It flickers to life even without being plugged into anything and a scene begins to play out. ...what is this? It looks like something you've seen before. One of your already regained memories is on display for the entire car to see, and despite being with few other people you may hear the reactions of unseen company. There are the sounds of laughter echoing through the car if the memory is particularly funny, or the sounds of sniffles and sobs if it's a real tearjerker. How are you going to explain that one to your companion?

Oh well. Maybe you won't have to. Maybe you took another route and came face to face with the last car down below. Unlike the other four cars, this one is completely empty. It's a skeleton of a car, lights blinking and broken and the interior ripped to shreds. You can get closer to examine it if you wish! There's nothing to be found inside. But this particular car doesn't like to be touched; the moment anyone lays a hand on it, the engine whirrs to life and the lights focus, headlights narrowing like eyes as the train begins to move right toward you, two metal appendage-like features springing out from the sides acting as its arms. The arms will make an attempt to grab anyone close by, but even if you dodge the train will prepare itself for combat.

You can try to fight the car if you think you can! It can be taken out with enough damage so long as you can get enough hits in before the train charges again. But you may be better off trying to outrun it and disappearing into another tunnel even as it gives chase and follows for a while.

IV.
It's been a long arduous journey for most of you who have ventured this far. You've fought some things, faced some others, and maybe even made some friends along the way. Fear not. The reward may be worth it if you consider a source of light a reward. No matter which tunnel you find yourself stumbling out of or which car you're on they all meet in the center at a grand central hub. The lights are bright down here and though there are no signs of other people there's plenty to look at.

Moving past the trains and the tunnels reveals the beginnings of an underground shopping mall with pop-up shops, vending machines and other fancy kiosks. Some shops appear to be older than others with clothes, toys and goods dating from the 50s all the way through the 80s and 90s. Modern shops appear to be on the rise, too, and you may even find items from Tanaka's Shopping Channel or the Moogle Shop down here with a little looking.

Most importantly, however, there's a shop at the very end of the mall with a blue hue surrounding it and the Retrospec symbol stamped on the sign above the door. The inside gives the appearance of a travel agency or a real estate office stocked with blueprints upon blueprints of the current buildings in Recollé. There are miniature travel guides as well, though some are more faded than others. "Welcome to Rapture", "Welcome to Tokyo", "Welcome to Gaia", "Welcome to New York", "Welcome to Egypt", the list goes on and on. Some of the guides are blank, but those who have regained several of their memories will find that their home guides will have information that corresponds with their memories and nothing more, landmarks they may find familiar and other facts they know to be true. There will be no new information found in these guides that travelers do not already have.

Lastly, there's a large book on the table: "Welcome to Recollé." Flipping through this book details the history of the city and the story of how the four founders traveled far to settle on Earth to create this city decades ago. The city was originally to be a safe haven, a central hub much like this subway station, until the Retrospec project could reform everything. However, the city became a home to the founders, the founding families, and others that were rescued throughout the galaxy who'd lost their planets. The book goes on to explain how Retrospec created their original headquarters in a bunker in the woods hidden from prying eyes so they could do their job with utmost secrecy. Retrospec was never to be looked into by ordinary people and the original company had less than 10 employees working for it.

This subway station, it says, used to be the way that travelers from other worlds would arrive to the city of Recollé and a way that they could leave to explore other parts of the planet at their leisure until the system was shut down sometime in the 1970s due to the collapsing of several tunnels.

There are several pages at the end of the book, too, but the text is illegible. Instead, in bold letters written in sharpie are the words "LET'S REWRITE HISTORY" and dated 2007.

The guides can be taken out of the office, but the book is bolted down to the table. Photos can be taken of the information though.

At the end of the day, 6pm sharp, a loud electronic recording will echo through the mall: the last train is now boarding. Please make your way to the station to return to the city of Recollé. Returning to the station at 6pm (and only at 6pm), you'll find a brand new subway car fitted with modern accommodations and fixtures. The train will depart at 6:30pm and return all travelers to the start by 7pm. When the last passenger is off of the train, it will begin to move backwards and take off to return to its start point.

Weird.

BONUS.
Meanwhile out in the city it's just as dark as ever. The dome blocks out light for days on end with little sign of letting up and leaving citizens to figure out their own methods to shed some light on the situation. Several shops begin to provide discount pricing on flashlights and candles. For those brave enough to enter the woods there are plenty of dead branches to carry back and start fires around the city and in fireplaces.

No matter which way you accomplish it, however, all new sources of light produce a prism effect. The colorful lights won't appear with street lamps or storefronts but the more creative the light source the brighter the colors will be. On the other hand as soon as those lights turn out again the rainbow disappears. With enough teamwork, citizens may just be able to generate enough light to brighten the inside of the dome with colors but it will take a little extra thinking and a few extra hands.

Welcome to

recolle's January's event!

The prompts are simply loose guidelines for you guys to play with and make up your own fun adventures for the entire month of January! You may also create your own logs or inbox threads based on these prompts. Any questions you have regarding this event may be directed to the mod comment here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[This is true, but Lalli believes in Joanne. And that people have jumped on Retrospec employees for their word choice not conveying the message people wanted, which he...gets...]

Mmn. No outside help, then. Or not-dome aliens that can attack us.

[But if Minato's not reacting, that also means...] I hear something. Probably spirits.

Could be too thick to hear the help from outside...

[ That's how it was in the book too, except that dome was transparent and allowed both sides to see each other, though the purpose was mockery rather than to provide hope.

He studies Lalli's expression, trying to figure out whether the spirits are something to be worried about, but he can't tell and this is outside of his area of expertise. ]

Can you hear what they're saying? Should I cover the light or keep it out?

[ Does it matter? ~magic~ things don't follow physical rules, probably. ]

[Honestly, Lalli's not so sure, either. He'd gone hunting for ghosts with Prompto, sure, but not even that was enough for him to really get a feel for these beings as a whole. His uncertainty will be clear in his hesitant tone even to Minato.]

It doesn't...sound like anything interesting? Just usual ghost stuff... They might just leave us alone. A lot of them do that.

[ Is usual ghost stuff rattling chains and wailing warnings, or floating around indistinguishable from the breeze to normal people such as Minato who definitely is not magic anything, as far as he knows. ]

I hope so... We can follow the dome out of the forest if they give us trouble.

[ A sounder plan to him than running through the forest and getting lost under two seconds. ]

[Floating around and talking sadly to themselves, mostly. Bunch of whiners. Scary whiners, because he never knows when he's going to hear something that sets him on edge, or when they're going to stop being so aimless and actually focus on him. It was bound to happen one day.]

...Ghosts don't always care about walls and stuff.

[With this, he shuffles closer to the dome to glance between it and Minato. There's no guarantee it would work, but...whatcha think...]

[ ... ]

Could you maybe... talk to a ghost and ask it to go through the wall, and report back what's on the other side?

[ Is this the plan? Enlisting the help of a ghost? Because he is 100% behind it if Lalli thinks it's possible. ]

I can try...

[sooo unsure

Lalli lowers his gun even more, just in case the spirit took it as an act of aggression and decided to avoid them. It would be just his luck for everything to work until they caught sight of him. He's not...entirely sure how to do this either, but he knows that sensing spirits was part of his other self's magic --which he did by singing. There are two people he trusts enough right now add the gentlest, sing-songy lilt to his voice as he calls out.]

Um. Hello, spirit. We need help, and I can try to help you, probably.

[...ehhh, he can't tell if one is actually coming closer or just coincidentally drifting in this direction.]

It's now in this forest that you call home. Can you help us and go through the dome?

[Whether it's the time, the rhyme, or luck sublime...the spirit of a man, he thinks, approaches, so his gaze drifts up to the apparition's face. This close, the flickering definition was...spooky. Lalli suppresses a shiver and points over to the dome.]

Is there anything bad on the other side? Um... Something to make us run and hide?

[Aaaand off it goes. Minato should be able to tell by how blankly Lalli is now watching the black wall.]

...This is weird.

[ There's nothing but blind trust from Minato because he can't see ghosts and for all he knows, Lalli is just sing-talking into the ether to mollify Minato's curiosity. He tries to see where Lalli is looking, but there's nothing he can focus on except from pretending to follow what's going on every time Lalli turns his head or gestures.

He looks from Lalli, to the wall, and back. ]

...What's weird.

[ Does the ghost not want to go through? Is it not coming back? What's happening? ]

Doing this. It feels weird.

[Telling ghosts what to do in some shitty poem... Sorry it wasn't something exciting. Just Lalli feeling so awkward he wants to curl in on himself.]

...Doing... what?

[ Is the ghost doing something? Is Lalli doing some sort of invisible magic he can't see? Minato's really confused and he feels really dumb and useless for not knowing what's going on, this is great. ]

[Vague gesturing...! At his mouth and then at the air because ?????? gosh suddenly talking is hard.]

I feel like an idiot talking to things no one else can see. And I have to sound weird... Oh!

[He straightens up a little again and his gaze drifts to follow along his new invisible friend, but it doesn't take long before he's frowning.]

He says there's nothing to worry about... Maybe he's just a normal person and ignores weird stuff, like the people that aren't on Retrospec?

[ Uncertain feelings all around, except for this ghost who is apparently okay with things and Minato can't decide whether that makes him feel more or less okay. "Nothing to worry about" is what people say when the rest of the world is on fire but they don't want you to panic, so this could be a very well meaning but lying ghost? Or a genuine one. It's impossible for him to tell, even if he could see it. ]

Right... If there are problems outside, maybe they're just invisible.

[ Like on the other side of the city or anywhere else that isn't this tiny section of the dome. Or maybe invisible completely like some toxic gas that the ghost can't tell because it's already dead. ...Minato steps away from the dome a little. Just in case it's gas. ]

Is it up for answering more specific questions, or do we have to help it first?

[ He heard Lalli sing that promise. ]

Spooky.

[no...let him live. let him be an oathbreaker.]

I don't know. He's not being...buzzy. [whatever that means] What do you want me to ask?

Edited 2018-01-10 02:51 (UTC)

[ Oh my god, Lalli asked a ghost bee for help, this must be why it thinks everything is fine. Okay. Okay, what sort of questions can he ask that Lalli will be able to decipher as an insect...? Simple yes and no questions...? Something about flowers?? ]

Are... the flowers okay...?

[literally what the fuck]

The flowers.

[ He's very concerned. ]

[are you fucking

Lalli looks back to the ghost. Flatly,] I don't know why he needs to know, but I guess he... Mrrh, has his reasons. How do the flowers...look? Are they okay this season?

[he's going to feel like dying when he remembers that song-spells are only necessary when wanting to exert power over spirits that wanted to resist. Like, actual spell shit. Communication is just in his blood.]

It's winter. There aren't a lot of flowers.

[ He's trying to bridge communication here okay? That's why you use simple words for dogs and gestures for bees.

He really appreciates this, honestly. Even if he's dumb and forgot about winter and can't tell if the plants outside are scarce because it's winter or because there's an apocalypse going on outside. ]

...Great... [ What else to buzzy ghosts care about? Flowers. The sun? He looks at his watch, but the sun would have set outside already. Air and temperature aren't things ghosts can tell either. ]

I guess that's all I have. So long as the flowers are okay. Or whatever's left of them.

[What was so!! important!!!!! about flowers!

Whatever. Lalli shakes his head to rid himself of that nonsense and turns to look at the ghost again.]

Okay. What should we do for you? Er -- so that you can be happy, too?

[There, that rhymes. And makes sense, he's pretty sure.

...This request, though...]

"Something minty and warm" that you can mingle with and settle "among the vapors"...? [looks at Minato. you speak idiot ghost language, with your flower stuff, come on, help.]

[ Something minty and warm... Working at the Tea Kittle, his first thought goes to any of the varieties of mint teas he likes to warm up and wake up, but he has to remind himself that this is the ghost of a bee that they're helping here. Something that can help a bee settle... ]

Alright. I know what to do. We need to stop by the Tea Kittle.

[HE REALLY DOES SPEAK IDIOT GHOST LANGUAGE]

Oh. Okay.

[He'll just...go with it. It probably won't hurt. He addresses the ghost again to let him know they'll be right back, and gives a tiny wave. He seems to find this agreeable...]

Follow me.

[Since you suck butts at walking around a forest, apparently. Lalli isn't a master scout, like his other self apparently was, but catching differences to help imprint a map in his mind was easier for him all the same. Grandma had taught him early on that getting lost in the forest could mean his death, too, so that helped. Back to the path!]

[ It's his job to understand animals and that includes dead bees. Minato follows Lalli out of the forest, eternally grateful for his help because every single rock and tree looks exactly the same. Once out of the forest, he can get his bearings a lot better, looking to the Towers high above the rest of the buildings in the city to use as a beacon to guide him to where his workplace is.

It's as cat themed as ever, the door giving a mechanical cat chirp in lieu of a bell when Minato opens the door and steps inside. ]

[Lalli...doesn't go in... He's staring at the cafe and looking like he's going to give up and die.]

[ It pays well and he's managed to avoid having to wear cat ears as part of the uniform so far. Minato won't be inside very long, just long enough to sneak some things out from behind the counter to stick inside his coat pockets and then he's out again. One of these things is a ceramic teacup— cat... themed... its tail makes up the handle— that he can't carry around in his pocket without risking breaking it, so he hooks his pinky through the handle and carries it like that. ]

Let's head back.

[It's cute, he supposes, since he does in fact realize his grudge is irrational, but...ugh... What's the big deal...

anyway, unless Minato has something in particular he wants to chatter about, back to the ghost!]

JANUARY EVENT LOG

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