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

[darin]

Shut up.

[ She smacks him lightly with the sheet of heart molds she'd had ready for the chocolates. ]

If you're done being smug pour the chocolate in these things so I can put them in the fridge and get this over with.

[ As he pours the chocolate into the molds she's sort of quietly muttering and counting off to herself. Presumably all the people she's going to give chocolates too. ]

Mom, dad, Akira, sis, Rise, Hinata, and--

[ It's unfortunately instinct, but because Basil is here and she means to count him on her list, she looks up at him. And immediately regrets it. ]

[broroona]

[shockingly, he doesn't catch on. just cants his head and blinks, bowl in hand and ready to pour.]

... And?

[darin]

[ Somehow the fact that he doesn't realize makes it worse!]

.. And some jerk.

[ There! That's fine! None of the people who were getting these were supposed to know about them anyway. Once the chocolate is in the molds Maki pulls out a little notebook with a detailed list of the likes and dislikes of all her recipients. Basil, as elusive as he is however, is not on the list (Maki has no fuckin clue what he likes). ]

What's your filling of choice..

[ She refuses to looking up from her lil list. Practically staring holes into it. ]

If you say something stupid I'm going to put horseradish in yours!

[broroona]

[well that mystery lasted for one tag. slowly, a smile grows before he starts laughing. actually cracking up, his body wracked by the laughter he's trying and failing to muffle. it's brief but genuine. the smile lingers well after he's done.]

Mint. Or orange cream.

[he's looking at her even if she's furiously staring at the list tbh.]

You're really going to have me make my own chocolates?

[another hiccup of laughter before he gets back to preparing the chocolate. or pouring it. or whatever. oh,
he also pulls another mold out.]

What's yours?

[darin]

[ SHUT UP she had to find out one way or another!! She's got a few piping bags filled with store bought fillings laid out already-- no orange since she hadn't been able to plan ahead for his tastes, but thankfully someone else on her list had been partial to mint. ]

No, obviously I'm going to make yours! I never wanted you to help me.

[ She's still not looking at him!! Instead gets busy piping the filling into the molds for the other halves of her chocolates. ]

I like hazelnut or coffee.

[ Finally, her embarrassment subsides a little and she finally manages to look at him again. ]

You know, if you talked about yourself more this could've still been a surprise.

[ AND THEN SHE WOULDN'T HAVE TO ASK ]

[broroona]

There's not much to know about.

[he steals the piping bag filled with either hazelnut or coffee and fills a mold before she can get to it. hers now. fight him.]

[darin]

[ Boy that statement alone set off her fight or flight response. ]

You're kidding me, right?

[ Maki continues with piping the ones she'd started on, not even pausing as she elbows him in retaliation. ]

You know you're like, basically just a teenage waiter and not some James Dean character right? Who says stuff like that.

[broroona]

[he's just gonna make a lil baby whining noise when she elbows him, then swatting at her in retaliation.]

A teenage waiter does, idiot. That's pretty much it. [he shrugs.] I don't have some angsty past. I'm normal. Other people are more interesting.

[darin]

No one is actually interesting.

[ Wow Maki that's one way to try to get a friend to open up to you?? ]

Have you ever considered the possibility that, gee, I don't know-- the people who like you might want to know more about you?

[ She points her piping bag of mint and white chocolate filling at him. ]

Seriously, finding out what kind of chocolate you like shouldn't have been like pulling teeth.

[broroona]

[this all comes as a total surprise that just leaves him blinking in astonishment.]

... You never asked.

[about the chocolate or anything else. how is he supposed to know what people want to know about him? why would he think anyone would care otherwise?]

[darin]

[ She's not used to having to ask! She doesn't really have friends, and most people she socializes with just talk at her!! She doesn't look up from her work, but-- ]

If you were trapped on an island and could only bring one thing what would you bring? If you could be good at one thing that you suck at right now, what would you choose? And, if you have a conversation with any person in the world, deceased or living, who would you choose?

[ She shoots off each question like a bullet, and then looks up expectantly. ]

Well?

[broroona]

[EVEN MORE STARTLED NOW.]

Uh... [god. which was first again??] A first-aid kit. School. Grandmaster Flash.

[he counts her questions on his fingers.] ... Did I get them all?

[darin]

[ She looks at him with some serious scrutiny for a very long few seconds and then goes back to her work again. ]

Acceptable answers, a solid 6 out of ten.

[ And then, there's the smallest of smiles on her face and she kind of half laughs. ]

God, you looked like a deer in headlights. Next time I'll give you a 24 hour notice before I ask you anything.

[broroona]

[wow fuck u]

I can still mess up your chocolate.

[watch your tongue punkoid]

[darin]

Go ahead, I'll take the knowledge that you're not actually totally unflappable over chocolate any day.

[ She's counting this as a win and frankly its made her day. Despite his threats they're basically done anyway? Maki puts the molds on a tray and shoves the stupid things in the fridge, feeling super relieved when they're finally out of her face. ]

You can't complain about how they taste since you helped make them.

[broroona]

I won't because they'll be good.

[Fact: they'll taste amazing. He gives her a little sample of the spatula just to try it.]

What would you do without me?

[darin]

[ Maki gives him a skeptical sort of look, but gives in and licks a little bit of chocolate off the spatula, frowning immediately after. ]

What the hell, that's pretty good.

[ Maki that's not how you react to something that tastes good!! ]

To answer your question-- I would've gone to school probably.

[ She lifts her string figure to make her point. ]

[broroona]

[wow not that.

he raises his tied finger too. and yanks it back a bit just to make her stumble.]

You still would have come home and made bad chocolates.

[darin]

Ow! Don't do that!

[ She says like she hasn't been doing it the whole time.

She gives her own hand another, harder tug, causing him to drop the dirty spatula he'd been holding, splattering bits of chocolate everywhere. ]

[broroona]

[that is basically all the enticement he needs to start a food fight.

aka he is taking the spatula and smearing chocolate on her cheek. Revenge.]

1/2

[darin]

[ She feels like she's watching it happen in slow motion.

There is the most resigned frown imaginable on her face and she does nothing to stop it. ]

2/2

[darin]

Hey, stay still.

[ She doesn't do anything about the chocolate on her own face. But she sticks her whole hand into the bowl, scoops up a nice handful of the stuff and then reaches up and mushes it into his face rather aggressively. ]

[broroona]

[it's so aggressive that she still gives him a faceful of chocolate even as he pulls his head away. doesn't work though. there's just a big, chocolate smear running from one side of his mouth to the other.

instead of showing any type of annoyance, he does a little hair flip and poses.]

How do I look?

[totally not just waiting for her to get close/put her guard down for retaliation.]

[darin]

[ Like a beast satiated, Maki's demeanor lightens immediately. Actually it's probably something he knows all too well, very similar to the difference in her personality before and after a meal at Basil's father's restaraunt (she gets hangry ok). ]

Like a mess. You missed a spot.

[ And get closer she does, standing on her tones and leaning in so she can wipe the chocolate on her palm onto his nose. ]

[broroona]

[CHANCE!!!!

in the few seconds it takes for her to smear chocolate on his nose he dips the spatular back in the leftover chocolate and just

dips it down the back of her shirt.]

You did too.