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EVENT

ENCASED.
"They are unique in the simplicity, the diversity, the related harmony of the forms of life that they enclose." Marjory Stoneman Douglas

The message on the first was probably not that encouraging, but for the next couple of days it appears as though the city remains the same as it was. The paintbrushes from the previous month don't disappear, and the city remains half-painted into existence and a happenstance of colors. The city's quiet and preparing itself for summer...but on the third somewhere around midnight, every user will receive a mass message in their inbox from Zee Carlisle, a man many have heard of by now but that some may not be as familiar with.

Okay. The reason we don't reply to you guys when we post to you every month isn't because we don't care and we're sinister, it's because we're busy. Not an excuse, I know.
But you're thinking too hard about it. The city itself isn't being hacked, literally. It was a figurative comparison and it's kind of like this.
This city and the world you're currently living in exist. Everything about this world is real, you're real, I'm real, etc.
But the layers exist in another kind of...realm, I guess? It's freely manipulated beyond the base of the world and that's what's being messed with.
Did you know it's hard to trace IPs when they're blocked? Leave that to us. We found a way to break through the blocks on the districts though, but it's up to you guys.
Level one. Ready to start generating and get this place back together?

Well that's not ominous, is it?

THE NPCS
What blocks? What the hell is he talking about? It becomes clear the moment you take your first step and a strange, almost invisible ripple appears around you. This ripple might happen right at midnight, or it might occur before or after the time. But not long after daybreak on the 3rd of June, every Retrospec user will notice a few things.

The only people they'll be able to notice around the city are those who are also on the Retrospec networks. Friends and family members without the app seemingly have disappeared before your very eyes. No matter where you go to look for them, they've vanished. Animals are still around, and items still exist, but it's just the people who are lacking.

The strange thing, however, is that even if you can't see them you can still hear them. Maybe you can hear your parents making dinner in the kitchen, or you can hear your professor lecturing about the importance of showing up for your finals on time. Your annoying co-worker is definitely doing that tapping thing with his fingers against your desk and the worst part is that they can't see or hear you. No matter how hard you try to get their attention, it's as if you aren't there.

Trying to call them is a futile effort. Calls are distorted and disconnected, dropping after a few rings. Calling to those outside of the city, however...works? It works! After months and months of being disconnected from the outside world, calls will go through and last for a grand total of 90 seconds. Toward the end, a low, growling noise will filter through the line and distort the phone call and repeated calls to the same person will grow increasingly hard to understand.

But hey. At least that's one thing fixed.

THE MAINFRAME
As of last month, several Retrospec users repainted most of the city into existence but there are still pieces missing! The brushes haven't gone away and while the task of reviving the city is easier now, everything that's been brought back remains a bit unusual. Purple bushes are bright purple and the orange roads are dusted with dirt and drips of colored paint. A lot of the large buildings such as the hospital, the university and more are back though and will need their interiors re-organized. Take some time out of your day to restructure the world around you. You'll never know when you'll need it.

THE SOUL ENERGY
As you begin to notice the veil that separates you from those not on the app, it becomes quite clear that there are two sides of the same city. Everything you know and love is still in one place, but as you hear the NPCs nearby you'll find that there's no way to get near them. Or is there...?

Not long after the first text message, another message from Zee is sent along.

The fastest and easiest way to change what layer you're existing on is to generate the energy. It's hard to explain in its entirety but working together will produce the energy needed to bring them back to this layer. It's not a drain or anything, but only you guys can do it. You know. Given where you exist right now.

Your energy is staying with you, but the levels will change enough to break down the veil. It's not the same as extracting. We're not doing that here. Pick a district and pick a friend or six. I believe in you guys.

Not long after the text, six different links will pop up in your messages, one for each of the districts in the city. Clicking on the links will bring up a map of each district, and each map will have a list attached to it.

TRIBUNAL TERRACE
Over in Tribunal Terrace, the buildings have mostly been repainted but the NPCs aren't present. With the need to reorganize and bring back the police, the fire department and more, there's a list of tasks assigned as written by Zee.

-Volunteer with ReVA to create a community event such as a dance, party or other.
-Create decorations and hang them in the children's ward at the hospital.
-Clean up Recollé Square.
-Discuss crimes or wrong-doings you've committed in this life or the past with one other person.
-Solve a mystery.
-Talk to the dead.
-Take care of the firestation dogs.

Suggestions, mostly. Leaving this up to you what any of this means, but go forward with good intentions to accomplish them.

APPRASSAGE
Several Retrospec users might be stressing about finals and graduations, but it's hard to worry too much when their teachers and classmates are missing. Though the buildings and landscape might be hit and miss, there's a list of tasks assigned as written by Zee.

-Help someone study for their finals.
-Teach someone a new skill and learn a new skill in return.
-Tell someone your favorite story.
-Repaint the stars and go stargazing.
-Paint a self-portrait and have someone analyze it.
-Discuss a dark period in your life and create a display based on that.
-Gather the horses and chocobos and have a race.
-Guide a tour through one of the museums.

Suggestions, mostly. Leaving this up to you what any of this means, but go forward with good intentions to accomplish them.

CHATA
Even with everything a total mess, there's always time to be kind and try to better humanity. Not sure where to start? Don't worry, there's a list of tasks assigned as written by Zee.

-Help someone with their grocery shopping.
-Donate items to the orphanage.
-Attend to the animals at the animal shelter and hold an adoption drive.
-Steal from the rich and give to the poor.
-Start a food fight.
-Reorganize Freshens and move items to different levels of the store.
-Create a Kickstarter for a new business and pitch your ideas to people.
-Start a petition about something you're passionate about, collect several signatures.

Suggestions, mostly. Leaving this up to you what any of this means, but go forward with good intentions to accomplish them.

VIEA VILLAGE
Home is where the heart is, but what is it that you love and value? There's a list of tasks assigned as written by Zee.

-Plant flowers in front of someone's house.
-Create and organize a game day in Hollingberry Field.
-Set up a stall at the Farmer's Market and sell your goods.
-Do yardwork for a neighbor.
-Egg someone's house.
-Talk about your family and why you love them with someone.
-Do something nice for your neighbor like give them flowers or bake them cookies.
-Tell someone about a family secret you've been keeping.

Suggestions, mostly. Leaving this up to you what any of this means, but go forward with good intentions to accomplish them.

ENPRISE
Businesses and empires, items and wares. Enprise's important for those with big goals and big dreams. While those dreams may be on hold, there's a list of tasks assigned as written by Zee.

-Host a fashion show.
-Return wild animals to their cages in the zoo.
-Swim with the sharks.
-Volunteer to deliver packages around the city for the day.
-Rent/buy paintball equipment and start a city-wide game, tagging buildings as you go.
-Analyze your dreams/nightmares with at least one other person.
-Engage in a duel of your choice with someone.
-Pamper someone. Anyone. Any way you can think of.
-Have a public debate with someone.

Suggestions, mostly. Leaving this up to you what any of this means, but go forward with good intentions to accomplish them.

TISSE
Entertainment makes the world go round and there's plenty of entertainment to be found in Tisse. Even if it's just you in the city now, there's a list of tasks assigned as written by Zee.

-Complete the Big Bang Burger challenge (or try, anyway.)
-Buy a dozen cupcakes from the Confectionary and hand them out to strangers.
-Teach a dance lesson at Dancinerate...any kind of dance.
-Beat someone at a video game at the Hubbub Hub Arcade.
-Steal someone's coffee from the pick-up counter at a coffee shop.
-Write a poem about your feelings and share it with someone.
-Create a work of art using whatever you can find.
-Create a large game of crack the whip at the Stardust, skating and convincing people to skate with you.
-Buy someone a drink...anyone...they can even be underaged. (Not that we're condoning that, but trust me, it'll work.)
-Host a performance of any kind at the Atrium.
-Perform one embarrassing stunt in public.

Suggestions, mostly. Leaving this up to you what any of this means, but go forward with good intentions to accomplish them.

What do "suggestions" mean here? It means that while these are ideas, things that push and challenge you and encourage building bonds will work the best. But never fret. There are things outside to do, too.

OUTSIDE
The paint-thinner monsters from last month begin to phase out throughout the month, but several of the creatures around the perimeters of the city begin to move inward, starting to appear around the places that aren't quite filled in yet. Areas that aren't fully painted or areas where tasks aren't being attended to are more prone to being infested with monsters that will need to be defeated.

The roads to Pesgare, Respatrum, Bosuma and Magatus seem to have vanished and any attempts to leave will reroute citizens into the woods or into the ocean. The subway tunnels underground are empty and silent, the sound of trains running echoing through them but no trains come.

Working together to clear out these areas and ensure that certain areas are receiving high enough energy readings is just as important as completing the above tasks.

But then what..?

ZEE

I know, doing tasks for us is getting old, but given your connection to the world you're the only ones with the right kind of souls to generate the energy field needed to wear down the blocks. Work together. Get to know each other. Make this city your own. And report to me as you cross off tasks so I can track the readings of the district. We'll bring them back. Promise.

Welcome to

recolle's June log! The information above provides loose guidelines of things occurring this month, so please feel free to make your own prompts based on these. You are also free to create your own logs and inbox threads.

Characters will not be able to travel to places outside of the city at this time!

As you do these tasks or tasks similar to these, please report them to the correct headers on the JUNE OBJECTIVE REPORTING post in the mod journal! This will help us track what's being done and how it will impact the city for June and July.

As a reminder, you may qualify for a memory freebie in June by threading out one district-objective with at least one person you haven't threaded with before. This thread will qualify when there are at least five consecutive comments from you.

Finally, if you turn in six threads (one for each district) with your character performing an objective, you will qualify for a memory freebie! The threads must be at least 5 consecutive comments long and at least two of them should be with people you have not threaded with before.

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ he'll take the flower, eyeing it carefully before putting it aside. that's so sweet... too bad it's not that easy to butter him up. ]

Basically if we all get together and generate enough energy, we can get some of our "fallen" brethren back. They did something like this last year too, but with a game of bingo instead of... this.

[ it was wild, stupid, and confusing. never again. ]

You don't look that sick though, but... Acai berries are native in Brazil, and it's called the superfood because of the health benefits it brings. [ taps the sign on the table that contains all the nutrients a single berry contain. ] These bowls may look and taste like ice cream, but it's typically eaten for breakfast. Well, it doesn't have to be every morning, but you do you.

( fortunately, miai is far from deterred, and far more interested in what izumi has to say about this strange but fascinating underbelly of the city he'd been living in for a good while. )

I wouldn't say I'm sick; it's really just that I catch colds and the like easily if I'm not careful.

( he does look at the sign with polite interest, but, jeez, if he wanted to see numbers, he'd be taking statistics. he's just gonna trust that those numbers are big. )

Still, you can't go wrong with ice cream for breakfast... ♪ Is it a bother if I come back later for one? I still have a few tasks to do, and I don't think I can carry too much around.

Oh, though, speaking of... Mind helping me with a task right now? ♪

I expected you to have a stronger immune system like that if you're working at a circus of all places... but that's just me I suppose

[ just trust him on this, okay... he knows what he's about, son. he raises a brow at the request though - ]

But that depends. You want me to close up shop now if it's that urgent?

( listen, don't worry about it- the show must go on, as they say )

You're all soft on the inside, hm? Don't worry; it's not that urgent. I don't mind if you need to attend to a customer in the middle of our talking either. I just need to be able to talk about family for a bit, if you don't mind.

[ soft and gooey, ew. ]

You'd just distract me from my work if you'll talk to me about your sudden family woes. [ ... ] Grab one of the tables there. I'm due for a short break anyway.

[ so yeah, shoo shoo, let him attend to a customer or two for a bit. ]

Is family usually such a sad thing?

( he says that, but is obediently taking to a table while izumi works. soft and gooey indeed. he's gonna browse the app or text friends for a bit, since he can't get through replies to his 80000 npc-based group chats )

Well, let me know if you'd like help, in any case.

( izumi seems perfectly fine on his own, but it'd be weird not to offer since he's there and all )

[ he'll be fine on his own, really. once that's done he's flipping over a sign indicating a short break and moves out of his stall to make his way to eichi, two acai bowls in his hands. ]

Here, at least have a taste. [ slides into a seat in front of him. ] Well, usually. This is about sharing family secrets, right?

[ because he's not too comfortable talking about his own family shit, but he figures that he can at least hear eichi out. as usual, the fact that eichi already trusts him this much is weirding him out. ]

Does it count as a secret if I say I love my family? Thanks, by the way.

( ah, he's so clever. he's curiously taking the acai bowl, having never really had one and is genuinely quite eager to test it out. if it's something new, he's a fan. )

Well, both the prompts are more or less the same to me. I don't know if we have anything so dramatic so as to call it a "secret"... Let's see... ( he leans back in his chair with his acai bowl ) My mother almost didn't let me walk 'til I was three because she'd carry me so much? My brother took most burdens for me? I ran away from home?

But those are all also reasons I love them very much. Though it may surprise you quite significantly, you could say I'm the deadbeat in my family. I'd say the fact that I haven't been thoroughly disowned is a strange sign that there exists a type of love that is sometimes unconditional.

( honestly, he talks about this like it happened to someone else, so it almost doesn't seem true. he happily takes a bite from the bowl. )

Oooh... This really does taste like ice cream ♪

Hah. Cheeky.

[ he's so unimpressed, lmao. but wow, those are pretty typical - even he's not surprised by the running away part. ]

You'd gone off to join the circus, then? Guess people like that really do exist.

[ ah, so clever. he takes a thoughtful bite and leans back as well. ]

That is surprising, though. But maybe it's because they still love you even if you're that black sheep? Were they even that terrible to you or is it the usual teenage rebellion?

Can you truly say you love something if you don't embody even the silliest stereotypes?

( he should be more ashamed of being a circus poster boy but listen, if he really did go into stand-up, it'd make a great routine )

Well, not to me, really. Nii-san had it harder, as these things go. I think our dad was fairly disappointed in my general existence, but I hid behind my mother, then my brother. Really, the reason I ran away was pretty silly if I think about it . . . but it worked out?

My brother is even on the app, so I don't have to miss anyone at all.

[ i mean sena's the stereotypical prissy health nut of a model so. touché. ]

All's well that ends well, I suppose? Except not really; you sure are taking these disappearances rather well for a first-timer on the app.

[ that would've freaked anyone at first? either eichi's taking all of this in stride or is dealing with it in his own strange way. hm. ]

Your backstory reminds me of someone I know, to be honest. [ stirs his bowl absently ] He also ran away from home, left his little brother with their parents, and they're both on the app as well. Funny how that's a common occurrence for some families.

[ because running away hasn't crossed sena's mind at all ]

( "taking it well" is a strange way to put it. it's just people, isn't it? it's not that big a deal. )

They aren't really gone for good, are they? We're working on getting them back. There's no sense mourning a temporary condition.

( he seems to be somewhat missing the point, but, well. he taps his spoon to his mouth as he listens. )

Oh, your friend sounds like perhaps Nii-san in another life. ( haha. more seriously though: ) Well, I wouldn't know about the parents your friend had, but I think parents could do to be a little bit friendlier in general, I suppose. If they're a little too stifling, there's not much reason to stay.

You sure are optimistic. A lot of people have stopped doing that after a month, so I wouldn't count too long on it.

[ who knows what's going to happen next month. hopefully their little discussion would help the stabilization for even a little bit.

but his gaze trails off at eichi's other statement. hmm. he does have a point about that - ]

There are certain reasons why children can't just leave their parents' houses, you know. They may not be prepared to live on their own, it might be dangerous if they'd just run away like that without any warning at all... Or maybe they're still hoping.

[ that their parents would love them back. haha. ]

( a month? miai hasn't thought that far, but now he'd like to see if he can last that long- at least, longer than most people, from the sounds of it. it's like a little bet with himself, just to keep things fresh. )

It's hope, generally, that tends to undo us. I can't deny, though, that most children would probably die. Myself, I might have been governed by Grace, or I might have been just lucky . . . But it really depends.

For some people, it's a thing worth dying for— that freedom, I mean. For some others, that hope, no matter how scarce, is more worth their death, instead. If it makes them happy to sing as they are, who am I to judge a bird that stays willingly caged?

[ oh, wow. that hit way too close to home, and it flickered in his eyes despite his usual taciturn expression on his face. it wasn't that he was willing to stay at an empty house, right? he can just leave whenever he wants, and yet...

he takes another bite so that it wouldn't seem that he's thinking to hard on this. it's not as though eichi is calling him that in particular since leo occasionally calls him a songbird, but sena discovers just now that he really hates being called that by other people. ]

It all depends on circumstances, yeah. Especially now that it'd be hard to communicate with any family member who aren't on the app at the moment. And it's not just this month - it's practically impossible to call anyone outside the city for a while now, since last year.

I mean, even I know that hope has its limits. Especially when you're just yearning for something that might never happen at all. But there's no harm in waiting for the right time to take action, is there?

Not inherently, I think. But the longer you wait, the harder it is to move, isn't it? The right time might come, but it's wasted if you're used to being paralyzed. You try to stand up~ and up~ but your bones only creak, and you get left behind.

( he takes his own thoughtful bite, not dwelling nearly as deeply even though in theory he's speaking from his life. )

Well . . . There's a middle ground, I'm sure. If you move too quickly, you lose things on the way.

But I'd rather learn from my losses and try things again; I'm not satisfied standing naive.

( another thoughtful bite )

I'm glad I don't have anyone to contact outside the city, in any case. Not anyone I particularly need to contact, I mean.

Mm.

[ nom. let's just segue into another topic, shall we? sena's simply unable to discuss his own skeletons in the closet right now. he'll definitely think more about it, though. just... not the running away part. it just baffles him for some reason. ]

No one? Not even your job? I thought you work at a travelling circus.

I do, but there's no rush, is there? I'll be able to contact them eventually.

Besides, you could say I've grown up with them, in a sense. Maybe a little like a second family? If I'm not in contact with them, they'll probably just think I'm busy.

( all he really has to worry about is not getting news of any deaths during performances, but, hm, he's not in any particular rush to hear about those )

But doesn't mean that you're temporarily out of a job at the moment? You can't exactly perform with an invisible audience here.

[ and sena can't get any gigs here either... there goes their way of income. ]

Oh ... huh. I didn't think about that.

Well, I picked up a job as a waiter for fun awhile back, and some money left over, so it's likely fine, I think. Worse comes to worst, I crash at my brother's . . . or learn to tame those "monsters" from a few weeks ago and perform here . . . ~?

Edited 2018-06-12 03:51 (UTC)

Monsters? [ slight headtilt. ] You can tame those?

Maybe? Well, I tried, and it was fun, though I did get bit. See? You can tell how cute it was from the bite.

( holds up and arm and pulls down the sleeve, revealing a bite scar from something Really Big, though it's not the only bite mark on him; albeit, the others are far more faded. )

But if it isn't human, I don't see why I can't tame it. Well, even humans aren't that much different compared to animals, in terms of how you train them . . . But people don't come to me to watch humans ☆

( he rolls down the sleeve, his gratuitous illustration Over )

Really, monster-taming might not be such a bad show, now that I'm thinking about it.

Edited 2018-06-13 03:34 (UTC)

[ JESUS FUCKING CHRIST MIAI GARYUU that's so hardcore... and sena's actually a tad impressed by that, if not a little unsettled. this guy... ]

There's still a difference, though. The thing about monsters that have been popping up in the city lately is that we still don't know how much we can tame them. Aaand I don't even like the idea of taming them and accepting them into our bubble. I just want them gone.

[ sigh!!! ]

But if you want to get vaporized and be blown into unrecognizable bits anyway, be my guest. People wouldn't want to see you die in the middle of a show, though. They'd rather pay to see you survive, not for your damn funeral bill.

( he laughs )

What has you so scared? Is it just that they look a little different than what you think a beast should? Because they're dangerous or unnatural?

A long time before the present, people felt that about animals, too. I wonder if there's that much of a difference, maybe, between monsters and animals, between animals and us.

But, well, you're not inherently wrong. Taming isn't such a simple act, and it's true the people want to see us live. But an audience never so much roots for your life as when you're on the verge of losing it. We value performance because our performers live the lives that we don't have the courage or skill to live ourselves - we are their proxies, their body doubles - so the more fantastic the feat, the greater their thrill... ♪

[ g o d, this is what he gets for trying to talk with a clown understudy. ]

It's really not that deep, just so you know. I don't even know how we even got to this topic when we were initially talking about how much you adore your family despite their faults, right? But even if you've got a point about performers like you as the audience's proxy, your family still doesn't want you to get hurt either way, moron.

[ don't mind if he just reaches over to lightly flick your forehead, miai. ]

Even if you claim to be good at it.