CITY EVENT LOG

[recollecters]

EVENT

The New Administration Wait, what? *[ooc: please be sure to read all mod notes at the bottom!] The third is when everything seems to start with a bang. On the third day of February, several crashes and bangs are heard and the sound of creaky metal ripples through the air. Those who look outside will see a sight for sore eyes. The moon and the stars brighten the sky and the dome is nowhere to be seen. Instead, anyone in Tisse will find yet another addition to the wonderful city of Recollé. At the very top of the Towers sits a penthouse with wide windows and an empty office building, soft lights glowing and illuminating the area. The city goes silent after that, but at the top of the hour every single Retrospec user receives a text from a user named Zee Carlisle. Nice city you've got here. They weren't kidding when they said I would fit right in. I've always wanted to live in a city like this. Jo, Maury and the rest of the team have given you a little bit of a breakdown in preparation for our little project, but they recruited me to step in. Seems like a lot of you want a more personal experience here with us at Retrospec. So let's talk. Get to know each other. I'll go first. Zee Carlisle, Hiring Manager. Nice to meet you, etc. I've been watching you for a while, Retrospecters. Kind of a unique group you've got going. I like it. Here's the thing. We've been experiencing some problems out of our control for a while now. The director's been trying to keep things under wraps for the last year, but HR and R&D finally convinced the higher ups that we need help. So. You want the whole story? Here's your story. The storms are getting worse. You might've noticed. Calls are down, mail's down, communication as a whole is down and isolating you into this teensy bubble of a city. It's why the dome went up, had to protect our resources and start isolating the sources. More areas and more people even outside of your little group here are being affected, but you guys are the only people who can help us. Some of you passed your assessments with flying colors and I've already sent messages. You'll leave for your assignments in the morning at 9am, congratulations. As for the rest of you, welllll…consider this an interview. You see...as a Hiring Manager, I'm looking for recruits for our new project. The Recollé Restoration Initiative (going forward known as the RRI) is a project we designed here to not only help us, but to help you help us help you. Make sense? Cool. You may ask, "Why should we trust you?" which is a completely fair question to ask. And hey, you don't have to trust me or trust them. But I think you might be interested to know that you and I have more in common than you think. As a user on the network, you can contact me via text, phone or email. I'll also have some office hours and more resources than you could ever dream of. But enough about me. Here's your first assignment. I. On the morning of the fourth, users going through their assessment period (i.e. those of you who are working inside the city) receive a diagram from Zee. In this diagram, a dot labelled "Recollé" sits in the center and in the four cardinal directions are different labelled dots. To the south is Pesgare. To the north is Magatus. To the east is Respatrum. And to the west is Bosuma. Citizens will find that they are able to leave the city limits now and can explore the open areas leading to these four points. While they will not be able to visit them just yet, they will be instructed that they must work together to begin structuring paths, roads, or forms of transportation between the main city of Recollé and these four locations. Zee may take requests and provide items should users ask, but it's up to you to work together and start brainstorming the best ways to create maps and connect these points together. But the best way to do that is to start exploring, right? Hit the road and grab a friend to begin getting a lay of the land. Southward leads residents to the beach while northward leads them through the forest, east and west giving way to desert and open field areas the further they travel. The expanse of directions seems endless, but eventually citizens will find that they will hit a point where they're unable to enter. An "ACCESS DENIED" notification will pop up on their phone, notifying them that they've reached the entry points of the special assignments volunteers have been sent on. But even with restricted access, there's plenty to be done and plenty to take care of as part of the initiative. Flora in the area needs to be identified and the fauna may be a bit problematic if you aren't careful. Some of these plants and creatures may even look familiar to you, but many of them won't! Off-roading and camping are encouraged and despite the fact it's February the weather seems to be amendable to these ventures. Clear as many of the monsters as possible to make way for the paths, report your findings to your hiring manager, and look out for each other as you start to shape the land. II. It's not just the outskirts of the city and open areas that need help. Some citizens who have lived here for a while may remember that February 3rd is traditionally known as Founder's Day, a holiday set up by the city to celebrate the foundation. In the days leading up to the third, banners, signs and all kinds of advertisements have gone up reminding everyone that this year is the 100th anniversary of the city's foundation. However, as the third approaches, Founder's Day comes and goes without any sort of large celebration. In fact, the annual parade is cancelled and instead citizens gather to discuss a more trying matter. Breaking news hits the airwaves that Mayor Mayer, the entire city council, the head of police, the fire chief and other prominent figures of the city have disappeared overnight. As newscasters record TV footage in front of City Hall and the police station, Retrospec users will receive a new message. Uh. Well, that was unexpected. I wasn't really counting on something like this coming up but let's roll with it and count it as part of your assessment. You want your city to keep running the way it did? Find your mayor and the others. But hey...it's your city. What if you didn't? Under your feet, blue pulses of light run under the streets and the sidewalks, energy thrumming beneath you as all lights lead back to the subway tunnels again. Will you be a hero and follow the lights to rescue these people? Or will you be a face of change and leave them to perish and redesign the city? Those who do enter the tunnels will find that a new route has opened, a mouth to the left of the main entrance from the city. Unlike the other dirt-filled vine-and-rat-infested tunnels, this one is a sterile and bright silver path with floor to ceiling panels on one side of the tracks and floor to ceiling mirrors on the other. The path seems to stretch miles and miles under the city and the further you walk, the narrower the path becomes. The sound of wild animals echo through the tunnels from the other sides of the panels, and the mirrors to your left reflect skeletal forms of both people and animals alike. The closer you get to the end though, the louder the sounds grow and the panels to the right slide open to release several chimera-esque creatures who will do everything they can to guard the silver door at the end of the tunnel. These creatures can be defeated by normal means, and they will not hesitate to attack anyone who gets close. Is it worth fighting to save these people? You decide. Those who defeat the creatures and find themselves at the silver door will receive yet another message. Hang tight, I am grouping you with some of the others to finish this thing. III. Later on the fourth, no matter where you are, you may find something heavy resting in your pocket. A small colored stone shaped like a heart appears and even while tucked away safely it burns brightly. Holding it, the heart feels as though it's pulsating and you're flooded with an overwhelming sense of love for something special whether that's a person, an item, or an ideal. All users find themselves in possession of a stone, and soon another text comes through. If you're anything like me, you're probably wondering what's up with the rocks. Had the techs run some tests on these. Don't freak out, but you might want to be careful with them? They're working as fast as they can but bits of your soul energy are tied directly to those stones. You break it or make it lose its shine, well, hard to say WHAT might happen. Users who keep their stones on their person in their pockets or in a bag will find that whatever emotions they're dealing with will transfer to whomever they encounter. Feeling happy that the sun's back? Everyone around you will wear a smile. Stressed out that your loved ones volunteered for a mission and they're out who-knows-where? Everyone around you will pick up that same nervous energy. The stone's color will fade if you ignore these feelings and even worse, fissures may start to form if they continue to be ignored. And though you may not know it yet, shattering the heart is the worst thing you could do: if the stone breaks, the thing that you love disappears from your mind completely. All memories and emotions associated with this heart will vanish without a second thought. IV. What's that smell in the air? Is it love? Close, it's cherry blossoms. It's a sickeningly sweet scent that occasionally blows through with the wind, strongest in the city and more faint the further you travel. However, citizens beware as invisible assailants appear to be on the prowl. Without warning, you may feel the prick of Cupid's arrow from behind. Though the effects only last two hours maximum, they're fairly inconvenient while on assignment. These effects include: -Heart-shaped pupils -A violent whirlwind of rose petals appearing any time you make eye contact with someone new -Your emotions are intensified -Your emotions are flipped. People you have a fondness for may now disgust you, or people you normally argue with may become your best friend Inconvenient, yet manageable, right? On February 14th though things become a bit harder. Yet another message comes through. Hope you've been having an easier time with the residual effects than I am. You know what makes everything easier? Teamwork. And that's what today's assignment is all about. Happy Valentine's Day. The first person that you see on this day may be a friend or a stranger, but soon you will find that a strangely magnetic force binds the two of you together. For the next 24 hours, you and your partner will be stuck together and must work together. Whether this is working on the road construction assignment, the rescue mission or just going about your everyday lives you'll have a built-in companion for the day. Who knows? You may even find yourself stuck with up to two additional people, too. But what if you stray too far from your partner(s)? No worries. A red string will bind your hands together and ensure you're always connected, simply falling away once the 24 hours are up. THE FUTURE. So this is life now, isn't it? A year's gone by since Retrospec's impacted so many lives and it may feel as though you're nowhere closer to answering questions. Perhaps you're just starting your journey with the restoration company. Either way, your help is most appreciated and acknowledged. As you work toward the goals assigned to you, you will be rewarded. For an excellent show of teamwork, at the end of your assessment you will find yourself on the receiving end of a brand new memory or vision of a life lost. Some of you may also receive a ticket in the mail to pick up an item at the Retrospec mailbox by Wiffle-Waffle. A message will be sent not long after. Congrats, you passed. Come to my office in March if you're ready for harder assignments. Welcome to recolle's February event! Please read these notes carefully! Prompt I may be played with however you want! There is really no right or wrong answer, and as mentioned Zee can be reached at his inbox to provide you with any tools your character may ask for to connect the four points to the city. You are free to make up plant names and what effects they have on the eco systems as well and report these back to the NPC if you wish. As of right now, the only monsters roaming the grounds are those in the above bestiary though other earthly wildlife may be found. Prompt II will require some coordination! If you complete a thread with someone in which you defeat the monsters and get to the silver door before 2/16 at 9pm EST, please hit up Zee's inbox! ICly (and oocly) your character will be put in contact with the small group of others who have worked toward this endeavor and given the next step to save these important NPCs. Prompt III will have set consequences! If your character breaks their heart, they will lose memories and feelings associated with something they love. Breaking the stone is entirely optional, and there will possibly be a way to regain these memories later down the line as a reward for the future, but please keep this in mind! The Future will only be applicable once you've met your freebie requirements for this log! Remember, the requirements for one free memory are 15 comments spread across at least two threads (min. 5 consecutive comments each) using these prompts. For the free 10-20 point item, one of these threads must be with a character you haven't threaded with before! A mod-posted Retrospec post may go up if necessary to connect city players with group players, dependent on player action! As always, 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. Happy anniversary, Recollé!

Comments

[sakeplz]

[He giggles and when the car stops, he takes his hand so he can bring him out to go into a large building and straight to an elevator. He's calling his mom on the way up and he hangs up the phone as they step out to a hallway. Opening the door to his ENORMOUS APARTMENT, Jirou waves him inside.]

Momma is on her way! Oh and this is the doggy model! Kenti!

[Said Pomeranian trots up in all his white fluffy glory to be picked up by Jirou who gives him a kiss.]

[dornen_kiste]

_{[ This is all happening very fast and in such a whirl. His brain really can’t quite process it, debating if he wanted to cry from joy or squeak or just outright faint. Okay maybe not the last one because that would be totally uncool, but he couldn’t deny it had come up as an option. Yogi’s attention is grabbed by the dog and he makes the same sound any teenage girl would at the sight of a cute, fluffy animal. He came close, though he didn’t reach out to touch, simply admiring the dog. ]}

He’s even cuter in person! Fluffier too! Such a cutie!

_{[ He really liked cute things okay? ]}

[sakeplz]

Do you want to hold him? Here!

[Suddenly Yogi has a fluffy dog in his arms. While that's going on, Jirou goes and gets himself more to drink, waving for him to have a seat wherever he wants in this apartment.

It's got a beautiful Japanese influence to it while being quite modern as well. A somehow flawless fusion of two different styles.]

Water? Juice?

[dornen_kiste]

_{[ Well, he did want to hold him, but an actual answer didn't seem necessary as he suddenly had an armful of dog. He carefully cradled the little snowball against his chest, petting the back of his neck. He looked around, at first afraid to sit because everything looked terribly expensive and fancy, and ultimately took a finger seat on the couch. ]}

Oh! Um, juice, please? If you have a low-sugar I would appreciate that option.

_{[ Oh, did that sound picky? To demanding? He just knew he needed to avoided to much sugar as part of his diet. It was such a pain when he really did love sweets, but he could only have those in the off season and even then only in moderation. ]}

You have a very pretty home. It feels like it's right out of another magazine!

[sakeplz]

[Kenti is the most well behaved little dog, just relaxing for the person holding him. He really takes after his daddy when it comes to how good he is. (Hint: Jirou's not his daddy.)]

Thanks! I designed it myself when we tore down the wall between the two apartments when Kenta and I decided to live together.

[He hums and then picks up the phone.]

Hiiiiii! Could you go run to the store for me and get me some of that cold-pressed juice we like? Low-sugar please!

[Hanging up, he smiles at Yogi.]

One of the boys went to go buy some for you! He'll be back in about ten minutes!

[Because Kenta's bodyguards love him so much that of course they'll run errands for him too.]

[dornen_kiste]

_{[ He pet the dog, calming down a bit as he did. It gave him something else to concentrate on for a minute and stop freaking out so much to be in the presence of Hirata's son and model. He continued to look around, entranced by the aesthetics. He blinked when Jirou addressed him again, smiling, though the nervousness still tread beneath it. ]}

Oh, thank you very much. I didn't mean to be an imposition.

_{[ His fingers continued to move through the dog's fur, watching Jirou. ]}

Do you design any of the clothes in the Hirata line, Jirou?

[sakeplz]

Any of them? More than half my clothes were made by momma. Including my drag outfits. Wanna see?

[He has a sip of sake and sighs happily at the taste of it. Then he comes over so he can stand next to his new friend.]

[dornen_kiste]

Oh, I meant if you designed too but - I, yes, I would love to see them! I sometimes go to drag shows too. I can't imagine what yours must look like!

_{[ He beamed up at Jirou, basking in the attention and still dazed. He probably would be for their entire interaction. How could he not be when he was speaking with an actual Hirata and in their home and about to see their drag collection?! ]}

[sakeplz]

Oh no I don't. Momma does all of that.

[He leads him into the bedroom (also huge) then into his closet which could be its own room. Going to one side, he shows off the many kimono and dress to be found there.]

What do you think?

[dornen_kiste]

_{[ He follows him, dog still in his arms, because... well, he's fluffy and sweet, and was he supposed to put him down? Well, to late! He walks in behind and there's an audible gasp as he lays eyes on all the beautiful creations. He comes close to them, but respectfully does not touch, even though he wants to bury his hands in some of the fabric and look over every stitch and fold. It's so beautiful and so beyond anything he's done so far. He does well in his classes, but this was another level. It both made his heart race and made him realize how far he had to go still. ]}

They're beautiful.

_{[ Two words, but said with deep sincerity and awe. ]}

[sakeplz]

[He laughs and takes Kenti to set him down on the floor.]

Oh come on. You can touch them! You can even dress me up if you want to! I'll even let you do my hair and make up if you want!

[He waves to all the clothes and accessories and shoes...]

Your choice. Have fun.

[dornen_kiste]

_{[ This was his life. His life as the son of his favorite designer and one of his favorite models offered to let him play dress up doll with him. He honestly thought he might faint from being so giddy and overwhelmed. He looked to Jirou, as if to asses he really meant it and wasn’t making fun of him before nodding to a beautiful piece in mostly shades of green. ]}

Can we put that one on?

[sakeplz]

Honey, I'm your model. You need to pick what I wear and what happens to my hair and makeup. I officially have no say.

[He winks and refuses to offer any further opinion on the matter. He's going to see how this cutie does.]

[dornen_kiste]

_{[ oh, oh okay they were doing this. He flushed and coughed, looking around at everything as his heart hammered. Trying to impress Jirou Hinata no big. No big at all.}

_{He looked around again and after consideration abandoned the green and chose an off the shoulder deep purple affair with a high slit. The fabric was flowy with good motion - he was sure it was beautifully dramatic when Jirou walked in it. Considering the amount of leg, he chose black shoe that came up just past the ankle in a soft velvet texture - didn’t want the shine to distract. At the neck he placed a gold, collar type necklace - not to long, and the tassel like chain in the back a good visual against Jirou’s back. The wrists received understated bangles in gold as well - the right with two, the left with one. Earrings he chose golden tassels and a cuff for one ear. He wasn’t a hair stylist, so anything crazy was beyond him, but he managed a build some volume down the center and create something of an illusion to a thinner side, everything gathered in a sleek tail high on the back of Jirou’s head. Makeup reflected the colors of the dress with dark purples and a hint of red, the lips the most vibrant. All together it had a bad girl of the runway sort of look, seductive and perhaps a touch dangerous. Not his usual style, but it’s what the dress has directed him to, so he hoped Jirou liked it even with his more amateur attempts at makeup and hair.}

_{Sure he was all right with his creation, he smiled shyly at Jirou and motioned to the mirror. ]}

Well? What do you think?

[sakeplz]

[Studying himself, he notes how it all looks. It's understated but dramatic. Yet that is what makes it look so fierce. Jirou smiles as he poses and uses his phone to take a selfie of himself before pulling Yogi in for another selfie.]

Oh. Make sure you give me your media handles. I need to tag you when I post these later...

[And suddenly he hears Kenti barking which means...]

Momma is here!

[He flounces out of the room and how Yogi hears Jirou's opinion is as he sings praises about him to his mother who is apparently just as excitable as Jirou with how she goes about studying what Yogi did.]

Come out! Come out! Momma is loving what you did! I knew she would when I saw myself in the mirror!

[dornen_kiste]

_{[ Jirou really doesn’t give a person time to breathe do they? Already he’s shocked that Jirou likes his work, much less wants to tag him in social - thats huge! And now. Oh god he had totally forgotten Hirata herself was coming! He quickly checked himself in the mirror to make sure he didn’t look crazed or worse - unfashionable. He took a few breaths to steady himself, trying to hide the shake of his hands as he walked out of the closet and smiled his best smile at his favorite designer who was standing literally fifty feet away oh god god oh god oh god... ]}

It’s nice to meet you, Miss Hirata! I’m a huge fan of your work!

_{[ Was he shouting? Please don’t be shouting. ]}

[sakeplz]

[She laughs and says that she hasn't been a Miss in years. It's clear to see where Jirou gets his nature from. Though the designer in her kicks in as she moves around her son to see what was done here.

Lightly, she taps her smiling lips before looking back at Yogi. To tell him how he's very talented.

And to ask him if he would like one of her works since he's a fan.]

[dornen_kiste]

_{[ Yogi's body warred between dying in that moment and weeping. Possibly both at once. As it was his cheeks were read and he was threatening with hiccups as he nodded his head eagerly. ]}

I-I would love a piece, yes! I mean, if that really is okay!

[sakeplz]

Of course it's okay! You're a designer, silly! Have confidence!

[Jirou laughs and drapes himself around Yogi. As is his habit honestly. He does this to basically everyone he meets. Always has.]

So let's try that again. What do you say when someone famous offers you a present?

[dornen_kiste]

_{[ Easy for you to say, Jirou, you're her kid! This was his idol! An icon! He never really dreamed he could be standing here, like this, literal feet from her and having her son draping himself on him. Which he didn't actually mind, Yogi was a tactile person too. It was oddly comforting in its way. He gulped and looked at Hirata again. ]}

I would be very honored, thank you very much!