recolle | (no subject)

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

Your past was desperate to get his family back.

[ Nanashi frowns at that. He can understand what it's like to lose someone important....and do anything you can to bring them back. Yuu's past self had it rough. ]

You don't feel the same way as him, right?

I didn't want to lose them. Not again. And I still don't -- I won't here either.

[At least. He hopes not. Not if he can help it. Even if for now, those without the app were missing. But even so, Yuu couldn't let that happen to Mika. Couldn't let anything happen to his best friend. Mika had already been through enough here. Let alone those memories. Yuu stabbing him. Yuu knowing the other was a vampire. That that was what he had to get back from Retrospec.]

.....Maybe. If there's some way to stop them. To stop the...changes we go through. If it would help Mika.

Mika?

[Whoa, hold up.]

I think that's the first time you've mentioned that name to me. Who are they?

[Nanashi assumes it's a friend from the way Yuu is talking. Understandable that Yuu wouldn't want to lose people in this life too. He nods to that sentiment. ]

Mika! My best friend. And in our memories of that alternate Japan too. It's just I've moved a lot since we first met at the orphanage, and then a couple months back he moved to Recolle and got the app too. So....so that's why. If there's some way to deal with Retrospec or control what we get back. I'd want to try. For him.

[Dealing with his own demon? Dealing with his seraph gene? Doesn't seem to matter or come into the equation of importance if Yuu could somehow negotiate or force control in helping Mika somehow. In not letting him suffer transforming into a vampire.]

He's really important to you. I get it. We won't let anything bad happen so don't worry.

[Nanashi can try to sound reassuring for a friend.]

I'll try to help out Mika when I can. What does he look like?

[He's never seen this person around so a short description should work.]

About my height and age. Slightly taller, a little older. Blonde hair, blue eyes.

[As for what he wore, well, that varied of course. But it wasn't usually anything quite as casual as Yuu. Given Yuu tended to live in jeans, sneakers and hoodies though that probably wasn't so difficult. Especially with how much money Mika's foster parents had.]