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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[It's worrying, and it tugs at his humanity to wonder if he would ever be able to make it in time. It's not enough to pull his mind completely out of the mire, but maybe that's for the best since his next idea to save Minato comes from the unflinching belief that he doesn't need the bubble around his head anymore. It's been getting tough to breathe with it, anyway...

The new water gremlin slides his hands up around Minato's jaw and into his hair to keep him in place while he moves his own face closer and envelopes the other within the bubble as well. Working on instinct instead of his fears, he brushes his lips on the other's cheek before pulling back with a swift kick. Free of the bubble himself now, he briefly struggles, but with a few desperate claws to his neck, fresh, bloody gills are formed and he's able to return his glassy eyes to his friend. Calm down, friend!! Breathe in your new bubble!]

[ This isn't how he wants to die. He had wanted it to be peacefully in his sleep, painless and unaware and this is neither of those things. His eyes sting trying to keep them open under the water— sees Lalli, super close, and that's what gets him to freeze in place long enough for the bubble to be transferred and for him to take his first breath. It's also his last, because he immediately tries to grab it and give it back to Lalli, forgetting it's not a glass ball and him trying to get a hold of it just causes the bubble to pop, water rushing back in.

And now they'll both drown.

Except, he remembers, vaguely, once upon a time, about insisting that he could swim and not drown and he will keep that promise— by reaching out to grab Lalli by the wrist so he can drag the both of them up towards the surface. ]

[The instinct rises to be indignant as the bubble disappears, even as he's dealing with gills weakly struggling to filter blood and suck in oxygen. As automatic as it should be, the incomplete transformation is making adrenaline flood him and make things...sharply blurry. He may have been calm while Minato was drowning, but the confusion of two mindsets creates enough of a panic that he doesn't take well to the other's rrrrescue attempt? Whatever this is meant to be. Little water gremlin was fine down here! Rescuing him was dumb and unnecessary!

His pupils narrow and he lets out a bubbly hiss to try and convey this. With his feet -- elongated and tipped with thin, razor sharp fin-claws that slipped out of his boots and tore his socks to shreds long ago -- Lalli pushes him away and, luckily, up. Free of that awful grasping sensation brings his panic levels back down a good bit, so while he still wants to lash out, the part of him that has a huge dorkish crush on this dude manages to channel that feeling into a swift stroke upwards. He can swim by himself and he's faster, nyeh.]

[ can't help anybody if he can't even help himself--

This is the thought that echoes in Minato's mind, and he still hasn't found a good retort to that one. But he's let go and pushed up and let to float like the sea jellies he's always envied, carried by the current Lalli creates when he swims up past him before Minato makes his way up as well. Can't talk. Can't breathe. Familiar feelings that he pushes past and focuses instead on catching up to Lalli. ]

[Lalli doesn't break the surface, especially now that the rush of water has cleared out most of the blood and made it easier to breathe underwater. With his space secured, he curls himself into a tight ball and simply floats there, watching Minato get closer and closer to safety. It was a steady enough pace now that he was sure the idiot wouldn't suddenly keel over, but there is the little hum in the back of his mind that brings back that worry he'd felt in the forest. Drowning... Minato did it too much. This was some kind of stupid fucking curse.

Once they're at about the same level again, Lalli reaches out to pat at his head. You okay?]

[ If it's water, he'll somehow find a way to drown in it, whether it's a three foot deep swamp, the hotsprings at a fancy spa, or the kiddy pool at somebody's birthday party. The ocean following a shipwreck is at least somewhat understandable. Minato shakes his head underwater, hating the way his hair floats up and leaves both eyes exposed, but his bangs fall flat against when he finishes pushing up towards the surface and breaks through it, filling his lungs with sweet, sweet air again. It takes him a bit breathe normally without feeling like his chest is being crushed, but all the while, he waits for Lalli to come up as he treads the water.

...

He sticks his head back under the water, what are you doing. ]

[Staring is what he's doing. Staring so much that it almost seems as if he can't blink, really, but there's a light in his eyes when Minato comes back down to suggest he's delighted by the turn of events, and he opens his mouth to gurgle out a few bubbles. Hello.

Ah, actually -- let him mime a circle around his head, then hold out his hand, palm flat, to signify to just...wait. Let the bubbles do their thing.]

[ Minato is very bad at charades and stares right back at Lalli. Don't open your mouth and lose those precious few bubbles of air?? What does a circle mean??? Whole. Complete. Sun. Plate. He has no clue and none of these sound right in context, so he just points up, hand breaking through the surface and feeling oddly heavy.

Up. Air. Talk. Home. This is where he wishes he had some sort of telepathic mental link with Lalli so he can convey these thought-- and if not thoughts, at least the words. ]

[Up? Ugh, gross. Lalli wrinkles his nose, making the top layer of his skin crack and reveal some shiny scales beginning to peek out. He'd really rather not, and goes to make an X with his arms, but...even like this, he finds it difficult to pointlessly refuse Minato's requests. With another bubbly sigh, he uncurls himself and goes the last foot or so to peek his eyes -- irises and pupils enlarged to take up the majority of visible eye space -- up out of the water, and nothing more. What!!!]

[ Good enough, as long as he can hear. But how to say this nicely? ]

I think maybe you're allergic and you should get out of the water.

[ Flaking skin? Dilated pupils? If there's a storm going on in Pesgare, there's definitely something spilling out into the ocean here, and he doesn't quite like it. ]

Let's find another boat and go home.

Mrrrh.

[That's stupid, and his shoulders hunch up irritably to convey as much. Go home? To an empty apartment where he was constantly reminded of death and the fact that he would be alone until he died?]

I... [His voice is a bit raspy, and the slits in his neck have gone back to struggling. Ugh, he's so thirsty, the dryness was making it difficult to talk... Breathe.] I'm useful here.

[Just here.]

[ You're useful to nobody if you're dead, which is what Minato thinks, hearing his voice and recognizing the struggle to breathe. ]

You can be useful in a scuba suit and stuff too. What if something happens and you're trapped down there?

[His growl turns into a gurgle as he dips his head below water again to think. It...isn't fair. It isn't fair because this is Minato, and Minato could drag words out from him when he'd rather shut himself off. He'd accept it eventually...]

I'll be fine. I feel it... [because his idiot fish brain keeps trying to get him to go down] No one will come for me, so no one will get hurt.

[ Mmhmm. "Fine" is a word Minato uses too much for it to actually mean what it's supposed to. He pokes a finger at Lalli's forehead, if it'll annoy him enough to come back to the surface to respond. ]

If nobody comes for you, that's you getting hurt, isn't it?

[He doesn't fully emerge, just tipping his head back and dragging his hand up through the heavy water and taking hold. Hold his hand, before it becomes a fin, please... That would make him happy.]

It doesn't hurt. It's calling me.

[ tell him these things or he won't know. He will hold Lalli's hand, though, tugging up on it ineffectively because they're both in the water and he can't lift anybody like this. ]

Hang up and tell them you'll come back later.

[...? This pose... Curiosity piqued more easily right now, Lalli allows himself to be raised up some, and keeps their joined hands off to the side while drifting a little closer. His other hand hesitates, but soon settles on Minato's side, like he's seen in the movies. Are they dancing, now? He had a thing about that, didn't he? Could you even dance in water, when all you did before was drown? Hm.]

No one else needs me now.

[ No, unfortunately Minato cannot dance in the water, especially when he has to tread it in order to keep afloat, and barely able to avoid kneeing Lalli in the gut every time he starts to slip a little under.

If this is Lalli changing his mind, he'll take what he can, removing that hand around his side but only to grab a hold of it and start swimming off... towards Recollé...

god, the boat ride took hours. The trip back by swimming is going to take months. ]

[ -- Hey. Hey, this isn't dancing. Hey!!!!! Lalli grumbles and starts to resist, even if his tugs to get away are pretty weak. Not only is he a twig, but he spent all day moving rubble and stuff! Give him a break!]

Nnno. I need to go back. It needs me. You can come with me! Just let...go!

[And the water seems to be agreeing with him, swirling unhappily before a small jet shoots out to squirt Minato in the side of the head like a sick mock-up of an Evoker.]

[ Half a second ago, Lalli insisted nobody needed him?? Whatever protest Minato was going to make, he only manages a splutter as the water hits the side of his head. But he still doesn't let go. ]

I can't breathe down there. Can you?

[Lalli sighs and goes limp, but keeps his legs slowly kicking to retain the distance between them -- as much as their joined hands allow.]

You just let the big bubbles go over your head... Just calm down down there, and you'll get one.

[He's very disappointed in you, Minato.]

[ That sounds incredibly fake and illogical, but he presses his lips together in silence anyways, holding back the retort. He's the death-seeking idiot here, not Lalli; that's been established time and time again. ]

Okay.

[ Okay. Better get all the information he can while they're still above water and can talk. ]

What're doing down there?

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APRIL 2018 EVENT LOG

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