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EVENT

REVERTED.
"Every moment is a fresh beginning." - T. S. Eliot

Happy July, Retrospecters. Can you believe it's been nearly a year since the city was under attack and several of you were pulled and lost in Unreality? Time sure does fly, doesn't it? But don't fret. It seems as though the city is in for a real vacation this time...rest easy.

THE BEGINNING
Recollé has been fully restored thanks to the effort of the citizens working to paint the city back to life and breaking down the layers separating the city from most of its non-Retrospec users. The sky is painted multiple colors (a permanent fixture, it seems) and some buildings and plants are extraordinary but everything appears to be in solid, functional condition. All buildings are where they should be. The roads are safe. And everyone around you appears to be preparing for one of two celebrations...

THE 4TH OF JULY
With the 4th of July tomorrow, citizens of Recollé are preparing for their own celebration. Much like last year, the city will be preparing with a large gathering at Peach Beach, food trucks aplenty, discounts at several stores in Tisse and Enprise, and of course at 9pm sharp the beautiful and historical fireworks display will begin. Street vendors sell glowsticks and lemonade as everyone gathers to watch the show in the sky.

This year, however, while the fireworks display still shows events of the city's history citizens may recognize a few new scenes added to the show. As they look up into the sky they'll notice scenes depicting several of the events that have happened over the last year ranging from the Retrospec bingo games to the nightmare fog to the mistletoe bats and more. This year will also include scenery and displays from the four regions around the city. Perhaps you recognize these events a little too well. Care to share the tale with your neighbor?

TANABATA
It seems as though this week is a non-stop celebration though. As the 4th of July ends, several members of the city are hard at work in preparation for Tanabata. Celebrated on Saturday, July 7th this year, residents are hard at work decorating areas in Tribunal Terrace and Chata with massive colorful streamers and moving in several bamboo plants. Stalls are set up and prepared and carnival games line the sidewalks for citizens to play.

On the evening of the 7th, all are invited to attend the celebration and try Japanese cuisine, play a few games, and most importantly write a wish on a colored sheet of paper to hang on one of the bamboo trees.

No matter how citizens choose to celebrate at this festival, for anyone who makes a wish and hangs it on the tree they will soon receive a Retrospec ticket in their mailbox. While your wish may take time to be granted, good fortune is upon you and a free gift has been provided.

THE NPCS
NPCs are back in the city and all is well. They are unaware of the layers they were caught between but they are grateful and happy to see you again! Professors will be lenient of students whose finals have been delayed, employers will inquire about your vacation time, and your friends and family may constantly badger you for time and attention. Isn't that nice?

In addition, citizens of the city may now place calls to members outside of the city for up to five minutes. While that pesky growling problem still appears at the tail end of all conversations, citizens will be able to reach out to anyone in the world and speak for that length of time. Let's just hope your loved ones aren't too bothered by the previous radio silence.

THE DREAMS
What was that about resting easy? Perhaps you won't be able to as well as you'd like. Though everything appears to be fine, the moment you close your eyes beginning on July 3rd, you may find yourself plagued by strange, unusual dreams. As you dream you'll find yourself experiencing everything from wild scenarios set in space or on a pirate ship to everyday, mundane interactions. Your dreams will reflect who you are, but...maybe in a different light. Perhaps your siblings aren't related to you in your dreams, or perhaps your hair is a different color. Maybe you find yourself dreaming about a whole different lifestyle than the one you currently possess. Why, you could even be one of the lucky ones and dream about those memories you've been receiving since you've joined the app.

Then again, you'll also find that you aren't dreaming alone. When you look, you may find that someone has joined you. It's easy to move in dreams and intrude on other people's dreams. You may choose to watch the scene play out or find yourself able to change scenarios within these dreams. Some of you will recognize what is and isn't real, but...what is real anymore? Aren't you curious what it all means?

The moment you awake, however, these dreams will fade away and simply be dreams.

THE QUESTS
If you're looking for a way to pass the time and bring a little adventure to your life, a new feature on the Retrospec app is the quest hotline! By submitting a request, Retrospec will generate a new task for you to accomplish either in the city or around one of the four regions. While Retrospec cannot claim that all tasks will be exciting, all tasks given are important to the functionality of the city.

Or perhaps you're interested in exploring Mementos or Tartarus...? Just what are these new places anyway? Strange.

Happy questing!

THE REGIONS
Travel is available once more for the regions outside of the city, though do watch out for the common monsters that still linger between districts. It will take three hours by boat southward to Pesgare, an hour underground eastward to Respatrum, two hours west via horseback to Bosuma and seven hours via driving north to Magatus. Depending on where you travel though you may find some surprises waiting for you.

Fishing season is at its prime in Pesgare and it's the perfect place for a seaside getaway this summer. The region remains untouched and stable, and the economy is thriving once more thanks to the repairs after their tsunami and the work of Retrospec users.

In Respatrum, the workers in the mines don't seem to mind the heat and continue crafting and creating. Anyone who ventures into these parts will be put to work, but may be rewarded with small tokens and hospitality from the natives of this region.

Bosuma, however, is a little different. The Swamp Witch is nowhere to be found though the forest is alit with bright, blooming flowers, strange multicolored animals and friendly natives from a nearby village in the woods. Monsters lurk the deeper parts of the woods, but one would actively have to go looking for them.

But should one linger in this region for too long, they may soon discover that they'll start to see things...not just things, but people. Vivid, life-like forms of people you've seen in your memories will appear before you even if you're unaware of who they are. They seem to beckon you to come closer, happy to see you and encouraging you to explore the forest further. Some of these forms may engage in combat if the relationship you remember is a hostile one. Should you follow or fight them, however, you will soon find yourself lost in the woods and it may take days to return to the city. Do keep sight of what's real, won't you?

Finally, over in Magatus, for anyone who has ventured there before they may be expecting the snowy mountains and ski lodge. However, it's summer! Snow isn't fit for the summer and as residents approach the region they'll come to find that the ice-capped mountains have been replaced with cliffs, sand dunes and a desert-esque climate. The iced-over lake is now perfect for swimming and further exploration will lead you to a path in the mountains that's the perfect height for cliff-jumping into waters below. This is the perfect region for you outdoorsy, camping types. Just be careful of the scorpions and rattlesnakes out there.

THE CITY
It's summer vacation everywhere. How are you spending your days? Maybe it isn't such a bad idea to listen to Joanne and plan your days with fun and exciting ventures. Parties and meetings and spending time with your friends...it sounds nice, doesn't it? Even if some of you may notice your friends seem...off.

The city is peaceful. Everything seems to be calm and safe, so much that you may not even notice the difference at first. It all begins in mid-July though. One moment you're sitting in a café and the next you realize you're wearing an apron and you feel as though you should be working behind the counter. One moment you're sitting in your bedroom and the next you look up and notice that the items on your wall have changed. These little hallucinations are minimal and only last a few moments, but they will begin to increase as the month goes on and leading straight into August.

But hey. It's probably nothing to worry about.

Welcome to

recolle's July 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.

Regarding Tanabata! If you would like to claim a free 10-20 point item, please head to the regains page and submit as normal! Please indicate that it is a Tanabata freebie.

Characters are free to travel to one of the four regions this month (Pesgare, Respatrum, Bosuma, Magatus), but keep in mind the effects/changes as listed above.

As a reminder, you may qualify for an additional freebie this month by threading out a dream sequence with at least one person experiencing a new AU! This thread must be at least five consecutive comments from you.

Any questions you have regarding this event may be directed to the mod comment here. Be sure to review the mods' question thread on the plotting post for important information as well!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Maybe not, Maybe none of us do...

But are you going to let one event, in which you had NO control over, dictate your entire future? weather you are even going to try to pursue happiness?

If you say things like "I don't deserve a happy ending", then your going to believe it, eventually, regardless of weather you do or not

and...I would hate to see my new friend this sad forever...

Even if I had no control over it, it doesn't change the fact that I was punished for it. I'm all alone where I am. My parents practically abandoned me. Maybe they want to disown me for what I did. Because they won't understand. No, rather, I guess they simply can't.

My sister-- the person who used to be my sister-- became someone else entirely different. She's not even my sister anymore.

I've lost so much, but that's all a part of my punishment. Not having a happy ending is a part of that, too. [There's a pause, and then-] You consider me a friend? You barely even know me.

Weather or not they understand, that doesn't change the truth, which is you had no control over it. You got here to get better right?

[He stops for a moment]

wait...your sister changed? and isn't your sister anymore? My older brother changed too like that, hopefully they will turn back soon.

You didn't listen to other people about your sickness, THAT is what YOU did. So are all the people around you upset? Of course, but I don't think they would want to rob you of happiness just because of that.

[He practically laughs ]

So what if I barley know you? You seem like a good person to me, and we are getting along alright so far. That's enough for me to call you friend.

You DO know your talking to someone who has had everything taken away from them yeah?

If everything gets taken away, it hurts like hell...but...it doesn't stay that way forever, I'm sort of learning that right now...so even if things look bleek, there is a light at the end of the tunnel...

at least I'm assuming its a light and not someone screwing with me using a flashlight

[He says the last part jokingly trying to lighten the mood a bit ]

[She tugs on her arm, looking a little bit uncomfortable as her gaze drops. She doesn't look at him-- she finds it pretty difficult, in fact.]

Yeah. It doesn't make any sense, but at the same them, it feels like something got ripped out of my chest at the realization that I've lost something precious to me. We're twins, after all. We're one half of a whole... and losing that is like losing yourself.

[At least, that's what she feels. What she's always felt, even if she never voiced it.]

"A good person", huh... I don't know about that.

[He looks around a little nervously]

Why not? Unless you lied about being a clean goodie two shoes, and even then, I'm basing it relative to me, and THIS doesn't make you a bad person.

Maybe a bit careless, but not bad.

It's that possible to be so close to someone that they become a part of you?

Of course I'm not a good person. The way I acted is all a lie, anyway.

[She sighs out a heavy breath, resting her hand on her chin a little thoughtfully.]

I wouldn't say it's not impossible, but... I wasn't really close to my sister. Even so, she still means a lot to me. We were together when we were born, after all.

[Al tilts his head to the side]

And all of this is an act too? Cause if anything else, this proves your a good person deep down.

[Blinks a bit processing that]

Would it be as bad if you two were a year or two apart? Or is it just basically growing up together that is important?

Who knows?

[She smiles, a little more gently than the last.]

No, it's... definitely different than that. Like there's a different connection between just regular siblings than twins.

[He smiles back and then laughs heart fully, then takes a deep breath, believing it to be dark humor]

I guess we may never know...

Hmmm, I suppose that would make sense. But you think even with Retrospec messing around...something among siblings would remain...

[Unfortunately, it isn't dark humor in the slightest bit, but if he wants to think that way, she doesn't mind. Or rather... how can she bring herself to even care? But her smile fades as she lifts her head up to the false night sky, staring up at the glittering stars above her face.]

You would think that, wouldn't you? But whether it's Retrospec, or someone else's meddling... [It's at those words that she speaks with gritted teet that she finds her hand subconsciously forming a tight fist, knuckles whitening.] They don't really care about us at all. It's all "the ends justify the means"; as long as they get whatever they're planning done... we don't really matter as people. In the end, we're probably just guinea pigs to their little project.

[He nods his head slowly and sighs, massaging his temples thinking about it for a moment]

I don't know about these people and I have yet to really benefit from whatever they are doing. Without seeing the bigger picture, I can't say one way or the other. If it's for a good enough reason, our suffering might be worth it.

Though I don't remember being asked about this, nor do I see us getting paid for our sorrows.

It's not like we can go to war with Retrospec, could we?

I've been her for a while and I haven't benefited from anything they've done. Even if they say that it's for a good reason, whether it's for 'restoring our worlds' or 'restoring our souls', I don't care about any of that. It's not like I have a world to go back to.

[She can't help but shrug her shoulders.] Even if we did, it's not exactly a good idea to do that now since we're in the line of fire from whoever's been attacking Retrospec.

[He takes a deep breath, then shrugs]

People attacking Retrospec...Geez, like we are in the middle of a war, and we don't even know the sides...

Not that I could really fight at the moment, but it would be nice to at least know who to cheer for.

[suddenly what Mio 1st said clicks ]

wait, "restoring our world" or our souls?

You lost me...

Something like that. I don't really get all of it, but based on the stuff I've read, that's pretty much what they're going for, I'm fairly certain. Of course I could be wrong... but the whole sci-fi bullshit with [not even bothering to hide her cursing as she makes hand gestures] the whole memories, 'project', places reappearing, stuff like that...

I'm not really the best person to talk about this information, since I'm not the one who knows all of the information, either.

[It's too much on her plate as it is. Maybe if she wasn't so stressed she'd care a little bit more, but right now? Not at all.]

It's complicated and while I'd say I don't care-- it doesn't matter to me right now. Not at this very moment.

[He suddenly realizes that he went off on a tangent and blushes slightly]

Ummm, yeah, of course you wouldn't care right now...

Point was...we could always just plot revenge right?

You suppose if we burn their waffle place down that it would still smell like pancake batter until it cooked?

Revenge is supposed to be sweet after all...

[He smiles and chuckles, his attempt at dark humor ]

I don't think that I can actually do something like plot revenge...

[She frowns a little bit, sighing a little melodramatically.] And burning the waffle place is stupid. It's not going to stop them from doing whatever they want.

[His face turns blank]

Yeah...I guess that wouldn't do much...

they could just rebuild their secret headquarters or whatever...

I guess the only thing we can do is try to accept and adapt to whatever fate wants to throw at us

It's not like their headquarters is there, anyway. It's where it used to be, yeah, but the waffle house is just that now at this point, most likely. So burning it down wouldn't do anything.

[Mio's voice is stern, serious as she says those words.]

I don't think accepting fate is necessarily good, either... like, yeah, it's fine to accept the person who you were before. We might not have asked for them, but I fully believe that these memories are ours. I plan on using that knowledge to my own advantage.

But that doesn't mean I'll simply just let people throw things at me. Maybe I can accept Shion. However, I'm not going to simply sit around and let those I care about get fucked around like guinea pigs. I won't allow it.

[Which is kind of ironic because the only thing she can do now is sit around. She can't... do anything, in reality, and it's that reason alone that pains her so much.]

Well crap...I thought it was some Men in black deal and their headquarters were in the basement...

Wait...that still wouldn't do anything would it...

[He shrugs]

I don't know what to think about those, too little to really talk about. I'm pretty sure there is magic there though, so maybe I might have some later?

[He frowns a little bit, realizing this is a bit rich coming from a girl who just stabbed someone because she was sick, what else does this girl need to prove that fate does whatever it wants? ]

What else can we do? When people can change or vanish in a moment? When we can't see who we need to fight or run away from? And yet people keep thinking nothing can shred people apart like we are in a story, but fate can do it easily when that bitch is in the mood.

[He spoke in anger, arms crossed, referring to himself and his jealousy over Mio's attachment that seems to be invincible]

Reality isn't the same as fiction, you know.

[She'd sigh again, but she's already tired of that, so she refrains, shrugging her own shoulders in return.]

Who knows. I mean, you could have magic. Or you could have no magic.

[Maybe it's hypocritical of her to be saying something like this. Even so...]

I don't know. [Her voice is low, and there's something heavy about the way she says it. Like it's difficult for her.] But... no matter how people may say fate is a fickle bitch, I don't believe in that.

Maybe we can't do anything now. We're not alone, so-- [This is extremely hypocritical.] I'll find a way to break down whatever 'fate' might come across. Even if I've made a mistake before, even if I hate myself so much for what happened and blame myself for what I've done to the point where I can never forgive what I've done. There has to be a way.

[He rolls his eyes]

I know that, but it's easier to say "Men in black" then "Secret underground base to some shady CIA or whatever"

[He shurgs]

I just know so far that apparently I got thrown by a freaky elephant like I was a rag doll, while I was on fire or something and got up without any broken bones...

If anything else, that other guy can take a beating!

[He takes a deep breath and rubs the back of his neck]

Then how would you describe fate? I see fate as a cold huntress, who we have to run away from to just have a chance of anything... Fight fate? Well, if you ever find a way, get back to me.

[He says it as if he has been defeated, with some sadness]

[That... isn't what she meant by that, but okay. She listens to his words rather carefully before letting out a heavy, melodramatic sigh.]

It's something that can be broken through. Running away from it? Hah. I'm not going to do that. I'll face it head-on. Even if it means that it'll try to push me back. Because giving up might as well be just like dying.

[He looks at her curiously,then speak coldly, almost spitefully]

Interesting, tell me, how that is going for you?

I'm not dead for starters.

[Because she knows that if she just accepted her so-called 'fate', she wouldn't be alive anymore.]

[He looks at her with a sarcastic "oh really" expression]

Running is not the same as dying! Trust me I would know...

[He takes a deep breath and relaxes slightly]

Not that I don't think Fate deserves a good beating every now and then....