recolle | APRIL 2018 EVENT LOG

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APRIL 2018 EVENT LOG

EVENT

THE WIND RISES
The city of Recollé. By now, several of you have probably heard of the regions just beyond the city and some of you may even plan to travel! With the world at your fingertips, there's nothing stopping you from exploring and learning about the world around you. On the other hand...well. When it rains, it pours.

I.
Pesgare is known for its rainy seasons and even while it storms the markets are ripe with wares, the townspeople are friendly and the little village remains profitable. However, as April continues onward the rain doesn't let up. In the early part of the month disaster strikes in the form of a tsunami. The waves crash and pull the whole city underwater, disrupting the lives of the villagers and the area at least 300 miles out including all fishing boats, islands and more. Strangely, you won't notice until you cross the appropriate nautical points, dragging you straight into the water.

Upon entering this region you'll find yourself unable to breathe at first, struggling until an air bubble fits itself over your head. The need to breathe is no longer a pressing issue and it allows you to get a clear view of the village.

The village itself is mostly intact and the citizens of the village have their own bubble-esque helmets helping them navigate the waters. Delighted by your presence, they'll ask for help with Pesgare's restoration process of rebuilding shops, fixing their wares and even breaking apart a dam a few miles out from the village to drain the water. Though draining will help, it will still take time for the village to dry out.

However, the longer you stay under water helping out or enjoying your stay, the stranger you may begin to feel. Your might find yourself gasping for air every now and then while being in the bubble. Perhaps your throat will remain dry and parched no matter how much water you drink. Or, perhaps, you'll look down and notice the bright shiny scales popping up in patches across your skin.

Do you continue to help or do you abandon ship? You may want to make your decision quickly. The more fish-like you become, the louder the sound of the sea becomes as it calls you home to drag you further into the abyss below.

II.

It starts out innocently enough. One day you're out in the city going about your day, and the next the earth begins to rumble and the ground near the subway splits. The tunnels underground collapse in on themselves as a large region made of chasms, caves and forges uproots itself and begins to float higher and higher into the sky right above Recollé. Anyone nearby can watch as Respatrum floats upward and they'll be able to catch the glimpses of the small fire spirits escaping their hearths, cackling all the way as they race through other parts of Respatrum and even down into Recollé.

These creatures will begin to inhabit large statues of varying kinds, aircraft, and appliances such as stoves, microwaves, televisions and more. The residents of Respatrum will extend a large bronze ladder down from the region in the sky to the city to allow citizens the chance to visit and return the spirits to their rightful hearths, but that's not always easy! While the fire won't burn your hands, the spirits are mischievous and having the time of their lives. Even if you manage to coax them out of their current hiding places, they'll be more than happy to hide inside of you instead.

Those possessed by fire spirits will feel warm and suddenly overconfident, brash and unruly as they do things they may not have felt brave enough to do before. The longer the spirits reside in you, however, the more likely it will be that they make themselves too comfortable. A change of heart alters your personality entirely to be more reckless and dark feathers begin to sprout as large raven-like wings appear. Though the wings will help you fly, the longer you're possessed the harder it will be purge the spirits and bring Respatrum back underground where it belongs.

Items from Respatrum cannot be brought to the city of Recollé and will immediately be possessed by fire spirits to jump back up into the sky. While it's easy to bribe the spirits with games, objects and promises, purging the spirits from these objects will take work and may require you to bring all items (or yourself) to the people of Respatrum to remove the pesky creatures.

III.
For those of you who want to get away from it all and take a vacation to Bosuma, you're in luck! The forest is bright and luminous as usual and the weird night pollen seems to have worn off. Your emotional state seems to be free from influence and you're able to enjoy a nice relaxing stroll through nature.

Strangely though when you try to leave you'll find yourself on a path you know you did not take on your way in. Your feet seem to be on autopilot as you wander further and further into the woods, away from bright flowers and happy animals and deeper into thickets of vines and marshy wetlands. Trying to backtrack leads you on a continuous loop deeper and deeper into the woods as you soon come across a bubbly swamp, lush greenery and a small stone house. As you approach the house (or even as you try to leave), you'll find yourself confused about how you got there and you may not even recognize the people you're with. Who are they? And better question, who are you? Your own name? How could you have possibly forgotten something such as that?

Fear not. While you ponder your name and your mere existence, the door to the house will open and a young woman will step out. Taking pity on you, she'll give you a glance and bestow a new name on you. It may be one with some significance to you or it may be one you've never heard of before. However, with a new name and a new identity comes a price. The witch has waited quite some time for new souls to enter this part of the woods.

Memories are tricky, aren't they? Surely you want your memories of your life back and not just memories of another life you may have lived. The witch is kind and benevolent enough to take you by the hand and make you a deal.

Complete one task for her in three days' time and you'll return to who you once were. If not…well. You'll find out.

Tasks may range from something as simple as being kind to a stranger, performing on stage, collecting half-priced Easter candy or anything that will challenge you. The witch knows your greatest fears and will push you into tasks that conflict with your comfort zones. You're free to return to the city, of course, but the countdown begins as soon as the witch seals the deal.

If the task is not completed in three days time, no matter where you are in the world, you'll find yourself pulled right back to the woods to take on a new appearance. Others will have to find you in the woods and identify you, giving your true identity back and helping you reclaim your rightful memories lest you lose yourself forever.

IV.
Perhaps you're feeling particularly brave and take a trip to Magatus. Known for its bright, colorful lights in the sky and its wintery atmosphere, it may surprise you to find that setting foot into the region sends you straight into total darkness. A dizzying sensation hits faster than you can blink and you'll find yourself knocked unconscious.

Minutes later (or perhaps hours, or maybe even days), you'll awaken thanks to the howl of a wolf nearby and find yourself in a hidden cave not far from the main town. The sky appears to be its same beautiful colors and no injuries are present. Upon closer examination, a new mark appears on your skin and seems to glow an eerie color not unlike the heart stones from February. The color may even be the same. This mark cannot be rubbed off and it glows even through layers of clothing.

Asking around the village will render little answers as the townspeople acknowledge it's a mark and think nothing of it. After some time though perhaps you'll get lucky and receive the answer you're looking for.

"A curse", they say, and they gesture to the forest at the base of the mountains and surrounding the town.

Wandering into the forest seeking an answer, you'll find yourself growing weak and fatigued, energy fading and the mark glowing even brighter as you hear the whispers of several voices around you. Coming from the trees, you'll hear them discussing your personal failures and things you regret, things you've been running away from or things you harbor guilt over. Maybe it's a lie you told your parents, or maybe it's something much, much larger.

Even when you return to the city the mark stays though it doesn't glow as bright. As you ignore the mark, or even as you puzzle out how to remove it, the mark will begin to spread over your skin as more time passes. Without breaking the curse the mark will begin to sting and act as a constant reminder that it's there, bringing forth physical ailments as well. Those who are cursed will begin to feel feverish and delirious, chills running through them and something akin to a particularly nasty case of the flu plaguing them. Nightmares begin to haunt them as well any time they close their eyes, the mark manifesting their failures into their dream-like state.

Whether by word of mouth, trial and error or simply talking it out, it becomes clear that the only way to break this curse is by admitting the failures the trees have brought forth and receiving forgiveness whether that's from who you've wronged, another party involved, or yourself. As the curse is broken, the mark simply dies down and all signs disappear into your skin, leaving you free to return to Magatus without fear of infection again.

V.

But what about those of you who decide to stay home this month? April is the beginning of spring and that includes Spring Break for all Recollé schools. Now seems like the perfect time to kick back and relax, right?

Think again.

At least once a week from April 3rd until April 30th, citizens of Recollé will hear the sudden flurry of papers and impact of boxes as piles and piles of undelivered mail falls straight from the sky (missing Respatrum, somehow) and into the streets below. There are letters and care packages, orders from Amazon.com and important documents and even some "FRAGILE, PLEASE DO NOT DROP" boxes that appear in these piles. As the wind picks up, the packages begin to dance through the street and scatter around the city and you may find yourself slapped in the face by a letter addressed to a friend. A stranger's package might appear on your doorstep. As citizens begin to sort through the mail it becomes clear that these are packages sent from all over the world from outside of the city to those living in Recollé, a backlog of undelivered mail from several months ago until now.

While there are no signs that the outside world is aware mail hasn't come through, the packages themselves are a bit…unusual. Seemingly normal on the outside, as you approach to pick something up some packages may take on a life of their own and transform. Envelopes will open up and reveal razorsharp teeth, shouting the contents of the letter to whomever it is addressed to. Packages will sprout legs and begin to run away to engage you in a game of tag. That pesky wind continues to be a nuisance as it blows heavily and creates a whirlwind of color and letters that trap you in place.

Good luck with your spring cleaning, Recollé! You're going to need it.

BONUS.
While all of this is going on, the cherry blossoms are blooming, the birds are singing, and sometime on April 4th, all Retrospec users will receive a message from Zee.

Jo already gave you the heads up, but we're working with some weird effects that are sweeping in as residual from other places. Kind of makes it hard to gauge just what's happening out there, but hey. At least Maury took a vacation finally. The city itself is mostly fine, but if you're heading out stay in touch as much as you can. That's the only advice I have for you at this point while we're working on tempering the storm and clearing out the effects. The RRI will be taking more volunteers for other assignments as things come up, but that's always the case. That's always going to be the case if this keeps up. Anyway…best of luck, Retrospecters.

Citizens will also find as spring rolls in, small rabbit-like creatures begin popping up...and multiplying...and will be more than content to follow Retrospec users around. They love being fed and exploring, but do take care not to follow them too much! They don't always notice where they're going and could very well lead characters right out of the city and toward one of the other regions.

Welcome to

recolle's April's log! The prompts are simply loose guidelines for you guys to play with and make up your own fun adventures for the entire month! You may also create your own logs or inbox threads based on these prompts.

For prompt 3: please do not give your characters their canonical name as their new fake name! If they do not already remember their canonical name, we ask that you come up with something else. Other characters who do not venture into the swamp will remember your character's name but they will be unable to speak it for the first three days, or until characters complete their tasks. Characters who fail and lose their identities will still have mannerisms of their former selves but will need to be identified by others to regain their true selves.

For prompt 4: the curse mark can be located anywhere and spread anywhere, and it can be any sort of failure your character would personally be affected by! You are also free to play with physical ailments and nightmares as much or as little as you'd like.

For prompt 5: this is only mail coming from the outside and addressed to characters in-game! This is not mail that is outgoing and after this mail will resume its usual "cannot be delivered" status. At this time, phone calls out are still unavailable.

FINALLY: Each prompt is eligible for one free memory! That is to say you are able to earn up to five extra free memories if you thread all five of these prompts. For freebies to qualify, we ask that the thread that you turn in working toward each objective is a minimum of 5 comments from you and shows clear intent to work toward each prompt's goal (i.e. helping in Pesgare, rounding up fire spirits in Respatrum, regaining your name/doing your task for Bosuma, breaking your curse in Magatus, and delivering mail in Recollé). Please note that we will not accept multiple threads for multiple freebies on the same prompt.

Any questions you have regarding this event may be directed to the mod comment here.

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[ Ango probably needs a hug, but first, Shuji has to ask him something. ]

If he hasn’t told you about that, what were you talking about?

[Ah. Right. With a shaky breath, Heigo pulls himself together - and actually appreciates Shuji diverting the conversation so he doesn't break down right here on the street.]

Do you have your phone with you? Look up the "Cherchez La Femme" series of books.

[AKA the semi-popular espionage series about a female spy for Interpol who takes on jobs with multiple layers of deep cover to unravel complex organized crime rings, by Ango Sakaguchi.]

[ Of course Shuji has his phone, who does Heigo think he’s talking to, He fishes his phone out of his pocket and does a quick search.]

Pen name? That makes sense. Sorry to give you a heart attack...

It's alright, of course, you had no idea. Which - is how I'd prefer to keep it with everyone else for now. I have my reasons for keeping any personal information away from that pseudonym.

[That may not be something Heigo has to clarify with Shuji, who seems to be the very soul of discretion when it comes to anyone's business but his own - it's just that being published is usually a matter of pride for people like them, so he wants to make absolutely sure there are no mistakes based on that assumption.]

Anyway. What is it you're trying to do here? Something about a fire spirit? [The vending machine spits out some salted peanuts.] I think it's angry at you, Shuji. The machine, the fire spirit, take your pick.

Edited 2018-04-07 16:55 (UTC)

[Shuji nods when Heigo mentions wanting to keep it a secret - even if Shuji wants practically everyone he meets to know that he's published, if Heigo doesn't feel the same, that's his business. Shuji won't tell.]

I guess it's not happy about being ignored...

[The vending machine spits out a can of Monster to add to the collection of salt.]

Oh, come on, I was only distracted for a minute.

Sorry, I don't think I was clear enough with my question.

[He nudges the can of Monster with his toe very gingerly, like he thinks it might be loaded with explosives.]

What I meant to ask was: what the fuck is going on?

[Only an explosion of energy, Heigo. You're safe.]

The fire spirits that used to live in Respartum and keep it anchored all escaped and started possessing machines, and I was hoping I could convince some to go back to work. Maybe I'd have an advantage as a fellow spirit.

[...that's another thing he hasn't told Heigo about yet, isn't it?]

That - clarifies nothing. What do you mean, you're a fellow spirit?

...So I have ink for blood and I can go inside of books now?

[A lot has happened since Heigo last was in contact with him.]

[And an energy drink shoots out of the vending machine at such high velocity that it nearly knocks one of Heigo's legs out from under him when it hits his calf.]

Ow! Listen, you - [Okay. No. this moment requires focus, and right now Heigo's is being torn right down the middle.] - Shuji, if you're going to make any real attempt to explain yourself, we need to go somewhere else or deal with... this thing first.

[Glaring at the vending machine:] We're having a moment here, excuse you.

[...but no, Heigo's right, so Shuji turns to go. It doesn't really matter where as long as it's not directly in front of a possessed vending machine.]

[They're not too far from a small sitting area, the sort with stone benches and unobtrusive water features where office workers like Heigo sometimes take their lunch breaks outdoors. It seems like it'll do the trick, so he leads the way there and sits uneasily, briefcase tucked between his feet for now.]

When I said that chatting was no way to catch up... I had no idea how right I was, did I?

[By the sounds of it, there are more things in Shuji's heaven and earth than are dreamed of in Heigo's philosophy, so how could he possibly know? All he knows for certain is that he's glad they're together, face to face, instead of poking at a touchscreen to try and find the right words.

He crosses one leg over the other at the knee, toward Shuji rather than away from him.]

I'm not even sure what to ask or how to ask it anymore.

[Shuji nods at Heigo's first statement. He tries to be gentle with the newcomers, but that just means it takes longer for them to get this shock. Everyone gets it eventually.]

It's hard to ask something when you don't have any assumptions to start from. Like 'everyone has blood'. Do you have a pocket knife I can borrow for a second?

[He does have a sharp implement he could use to provide evidence, but it's harder to give yourself a little scratch with a giant scythe. Not to mention that pulling out large weapons is not the most reassuring thing you can do when your conversation partner is already uneasy.]

Edited (ah yes names) 2018-04-19 17:04 (UTC)

A pocket knife...? [All the colour drains from Heigo's face when he puts together what Shuji must intend to do.] You don't have to injure yourself to prove anything to me, Shuji! I believe you!

I just... don't understand what I'm believing.

It was only going to be a little scratch...

[But, okay, fine. Shuji sighs and tries to think of how to phrase things.]

The memories we get from our past lives aren't all we're getting. Sometimes we get special powers, or skills we used to have... or body parts, in some cases.

[He'd say Heigo probably didn't have much to worry about for that last one, but: Howard.]

I do know something about the special powers, as it happens... [Heigo's mouth twists with some complex emotion between amusement and frustration, and he loosens his tie in the classic nervous/uncomfortable way.] Chuuya and I had our first conversation in three years at higher altitude than I would've liked, all things considered, because of his gravity altering power.

[Shuji... probably doesn't even know what things should be considered yet. They're getting along so well since being reunited that Heigo would rather he didn't find out, if that proves to be possible, so that he can have one acquaintance from his college/writing club years whose opinion of him isn't poisoned by his past mistakes.

With a heavy sigh, he pulls out his cigarettes and lights one up, tilting the pack toward Shuji just in case. Less and less people accept cigarettes from him every day, and most people wrinkle their noses in distaste, but offering still seems like the polite thing.]

From what you were saying, though - it sounds like you're more than a superpowered human being.

[Shuji shakes his head when Ango offers the cigarette pack, but it's not with a disgusted expression. They all have their vices to get them through the day.]

In my case, I'm something a little closer to a ghost or a spirit. Past me was human at one point, died, and was summoned again as something not human. I remember that much.

[He remembers the dying, as much as he would rather not. Shuji stares at the ground rather than face Heigo in a painful moment.]

[He'll remember not to offer again, and be particularly careful to exhale away from Shuji from now on - while he can do breathtakingly thoughtless things at times, Heigo's quite good at keeping track of the small but important stuff.

This conversation is not about small stuff, unfortunately. It's massive, and Heigo feels completely lost within its emotional scope now that he's finally grasped the factual side.]

And now... you're becoming that same sort of spirit here?

Yeah.

[Shuji lets that sit for a moment before feeling compelled to offer some kind of reassurance. Whatever he can say that's truthful.]

It's, it's not as bad as it sounds, really! Drinking ink to heal my injuries is gross but efficient, and going into books isn't useful for anything but I've stopped doing it accidentally now, and that thing with the ink marks only happened once when I was really hurt anyway. So - really, don't worry about me, the memories are worse.

[While he may not sound particularly reassuring, that last part is truthful. It just says more about the memories than the physical changes.]

[Well. Ain't that a kick in the head.]

I'm sorry if I seemed to be... making light of this whole thing earlier. I didn't know -

[No, apologies go down more smoothly without added excuses. Besides, how could he have known? He'll leave that just as it is, and take a drag of his cigarette before speaking again.]

But Shuji? I want you to know that you don't have to put yourself out to seem alright for my sake. Whether you're sailing through all of this bullshit unscathed or dragging yourself by the ends of your fingernails, that's -

[It's not like Heigo would be happy to see the latter, but:]

- that's fine. I mean, it's allowed and probably to be expected. You don't have to put a better face on it.

I don't want you to worry. And - I really mean it when I say the memories are way worse. So... if you're going to worry, at least make it about the things that are actually hard for me.

[He's yelled at Oda before for not letting Shuji know what's happening so he can help, and he's sort of a hypocrite there, but he's a lot less resistant to letting other people know he has trouble.]

[Heigo's silent for a long moment, but finally nods with a slow exhale.]

That's not much to ask, really. I won't worry, but I can't guarantee I won't still want to help somehow - with the effect of the memories. It's up to you whether you trust me on the fact that it's not coming from a place of worry, I guess.

I can trust you.

[He doesn't know what happened to ruin Heigo's relationships with the rest of the writing club. He doesn't want to ask. But for this - it's an easy decision.]

...I might have to ask you how heavy of memories you're prepared to deal with, though.

[Not just "I will," but "I can." Heigo blinks very heavily a few times, moved almost to visible emotion by Shuji's vote of confidence - please, God, he thinks to himself despite having no real religious affiliations, let me keep this one friendship and trust unbroken.]

I'm not really sure how to answer right now... can I think on that question for awhile?

Of course.

[Heigo can take all the time he wants - it's not like venting is desperately required right now, if it ever is.]

I should get back to negotiating with a vending machine and let you go, anyway. Sorry to drag you into that.

[That much, he really can take care of by himself.]

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APRIL 2018 EVENT LOG

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