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EVENT

Reverted
The city of Recollé...have you looked beyond the city lately? It may be time to do so.

I.

The good news, perhaps, is that everyone is back in their original bodies. The last few weeks may have been trying and embarrassing for several of you, but never fear! You're all in this together.

The nice thing about returning to your original body is that everything else seems to disappear along with the unintentional swapping. Your dreams on the evening of the 16th and the 17th are unoccupied and you're blissfully alone. Hallucinations fade away and the city almost feels brighter and cleaner. The messy paint job from May and June slowly flakes off to reveal a sparkling almost-new landscape below. All buildings, landmarks, flora and fauna are back to their original colors. The sky, however, is still painted a strange wash of colors and symbols.

The other nice thing about returning to your original body is that it's much easier to feel the sudden, sharp pain on your palm at midnight on the 18th, a needling high-pressure pain that lasts for all of 30 seconds. Upon looking at your hand, however, you'll notice something new.

In bright red font there's a new marking that reads: 13 Days:23:59:59.

58. 57. 56...

The timer steadily counts down, each second synced with each beat of your heart. As the days pass by the timer will slowly shift from the red to a dark, ominous purple. The glow of the mark becomes harder to ignore, and there doesn't seem to be a way to remove it. Good luck with that.

II.

The Retrospec app doesn't seem to be much better. The scrambled messages and posting errors seem to have stopped and users are no longer receiving messages and pictures about themselves.

In fact, the app seems to be quiet for a while.

As users continue to use the app they will find that any post, comment or message that they send via the app will be tagged with a different ID. Instead of their name, all messages will be from Alpha##### or Beta#####. The string of numbers will be unique for each user and cannot be changed at any time. Individual mailboxes will be attached to your name, but the Alpha/Beta ID has made its way there, too.

Over the course of the rest of the month, Alphas (those who have had the app for at least a year from August 2017) will find that messages to other Alphas are sent more easily than to Betas (those who have had the app for less than a year from August 2017) and vice versa. Messages to anyone from the opposite "faction" may drop out half-way or appear blank entirely. It might be wise to find a better mode of communication in the meantime.

III.
Even if you're alone in your dreams, you're not alone in the waking world. No one is free from the timer on their palm, though they may come to find that it impacts some users more than others.

Some users will experience a steady pulsating in their hand as the timer counts backwards, each second ticking by. Standing still just long enough will send the pulse out of their hands and through the rest of their body, over their arms and through their feet straight into the ground.

The earth begins to shake under these unlucky users, little quakes and trembles that spread out and seek out anyone else nearby. Whether you know this person or not, whether you're alone or several of you are impacted by this earthquake, the ground beneath you splits open and you're pulled straight down into the crevice, falling aimlessly. Instead of finding your own life flashing before your eyes, you'll find yourself witnessing events, faces, and memories that are important to the user the pulses came from.

On the outside of things, the user will promptly collapse into a coma-like state no matter where they're at. Inside their mind, however, a scene begins to set itself to welcome you as you land. It isn't a memory and it isn't a hallucination. It's a construct of someone else's innerworkings that have trapped you and blocked you in.

As the haze around you dissipates, the puzzle you received earlier this month floats in front of you. Whether you have finished building it or not it is now fully completed and all of the words have faded except for "Gordian Knot."

Your cell phones will not work in these dreamscapes, and even Retrospec seems to be disconnected. It's up to you to venture further into someone else's mind and help them untangle whatever mystery is hidden within themselves.

IV.
So about that timer. As time begins to run out, more and more people begin to experience dream dives and encounter the knots of others that they must fix. Even inside the dreamscape, the timer glows just as brightly as it had out in the real world and it continues counting down.

At least it gives you a sense of time and just how many minutes, hours, or days you've been stuck inside someone's subconscious. You might even realize that the timer is directly tied to just how much time you have to unravel the knots of your friends, loved ones, and strangers.

Easy, right? Take caution, citizens. The monsters and demons lurking in the corners of someone else's psyche can manifest to something quite powerful. You will not wake up and be booted out of someone's dream if you are attacked, but your physical body and mind will shut down and remain unconscious for one week.

Be careful how you approach these knots, however! Should you change any part of them too much, the host will find themselves rejecting this new information. Too great of a change will result in the loss of an important memory to them and no way to recover it inside the dive.

Even with these possible losses divers are responsible for fixing what's gone wrong and relieving the knot wound tightly in the host's mind. Venture forward, explore, and break it apart to awaken then. You will be greatly rewarded for your effort.

Failure to break the knot and save the host from this comatose state will result in all parties suffering a loss. At first it may not be obvious, but over time it will be clear an important memory or item has left your possession.

Is it just limited to dives though? Some users will feel that even with successful diving they don't quite feel like themselves. It seems as though there's some further self-evaluation they must meet in order to fully recover who they are...or were, as it may be.

Tick-tock, Retrospecters. Mind the time.

BONUS.
Ever since he moved in back in February, the lights have always been on in Zee's office and home at the top of the Towers. Office hours are whenever he feels like making them and he's usually reachable by phone, email, or app.

However, beginning on the 18th, messages to his inbox begin to go unanswered. Checking the inbox itself will reveal a change as well.

Delta#02018329 is no longer receiving messages.

On the 19th, the lights go off permanently. Beginning on the 20th, anyone who ventures to his office will find the building empty and locked, no sign of Zee at all. Reaching out to him receives a bounce-back error message.

Any previous correspondences with him will remain, though his name has been replaced with his Delta ID.

It's hard to say what's happened, but after some time, all users will finally receive a message from Delta#68422.

Stop him.

No other messages will be sent or received from this account.

Welcome to

recolle's August event, part 2!

As notated in the plotting post, the dreamdives are now live! Players are in charge of creating their own unique dive experiences for characters to explore and play through. These can be as harmless or as dangerous as you'd like. However, please be sure to let us know here if your character will be failing a dive and what memory/item they will be losing!

For Prompt II, characters IDs will be comprised of the following: The date your character first appeared on Retrospec (so in Zee's case, that was 02/01/18) and the last four digits of your character's IC inbox as found in the HTML (in Zee's case, 8329.) These IDs will be more relevant in September, but for ease of playing/making sure no one ICly overlaps please use these numbers!

Friendly reminder that if your character will be keeping their new AUs, please reply to this comment on the OOC plot post! As per Prompt IV, characters who are failing to recover their original AUs will begin to notice something is off and will not be able to accomplish what is needed to regain their original AUs. What this is is up to you!

As per the plotting post, threading out successful dream dives will earn you a free memory! Qualifying threads must be at least five comments from you and can be from you either hosting a dive or participating in one. Please note that failed dives will not be eligible for freebies.

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

Are you are you're OK? Did someone use magic on you?

[The feast then magically appears in front of them. Chicken and turkey legs, rolls and Yorkshire puddings, mashed and sweet potatoes, and a variety of vegetables. Goblets were filled to the brim with pumpkin juice. This magical appearance of food doesn't seem to faze Draco at all. He picks up a roll and bites into it.]

I mean, how could you not know you're at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? You just got sorted into your house. The same as me. Slytherin? And how many times do I need to tell you the name is Draco?

Edited 2018-08-23 20:24 (UTC)

[Lillian leaned back away from the food, unable to hide her shock. But this was...normal...? And he was talking about magic and the hat had talked to her and just..]

...Must've, I guess. Ain't sure I'd know if they had anyway, right?

[She sucked in a breath as her gaze shifted back to him, and her hand came up to tug at her ponytail, an awkward, nervous gesture. And one she hadn't done much in years, her brain pointed out, but...]

Maybe ya just look like a Derek, huh? [She finally managed with a little smile, slightly forced, just trying to find her mental footing.] Guess Derek Malfoy does sound silly.

[Draco huffed at Lillian's last comment.]

It won't sound silly when I beat you in every exam.

[He looks at her empty plate.]

Are you going to eat? If you don't grab something soon it's just going to disappear.

[He pushes a plate of turkey legs towards her. He had noticed her pull at her ponytail and gulps. She may be weird... but she was kinda cute...]

Um... wh-what classes are you looking forward to taking?

Good thing I ain't gonna care if you do, huh?

[She just smirked at that, looking down as he was pushing food towards her. She wasn't hungry, she'd just eaten dinner and...that didn't make any sense. After a few seconds she reached out to pull one onto her plate. Keeping up appearances.]

Classes? [Right this was a school. She sat up a bit straighter again, trying to focus. What were magic classes? And shouldn't she know that if she was going to school here?! And yet...]

...Magic...animals?

[God that sounded pathetic. Also made up.]

[Again Draco gives Lillian a confused look.]

You mean Care of Magical Creatures? We can't take that until we're third years. Though we might cover some of that in Defense against the Dark Arts.

[Draco takes a bite out of his turkey leg.]

As for me, I'm looking most forward to potions.

[Lillian pushed her turkey leg around her plate absently.]

Oh. Well Potions is probably cool too.

[She leaned her elbow on the edge of the table and rested her chin on her hand, her attention mostly on him. Why was she so sure his name was derek...]

Why? [She smirked.] Need to make a love potion or somethin'?

[At Lillian's mention of needing to make a love potion, Draco's face turns bright pink.]

N-no...

[His voice comes out very weak and embarrassed. He looks down at his plate of food.]

B-besides, I'm pretty sure that's advanced magic... I d-doubt I have the skills to do that yet.

[He takes a peek at Lillian from his plate.]

Is that something you're interested in? L-love potions? You're pretty daring for a a first year...

[Draco, how would you know that? You're also a first year!]

[Lillian giggled at his embarrassment, even as she shook her head.]

Nah. What would I need somethin' like that for, huh?

[She finally picked up her turkey leg to take a bite, chewing a bit before she gestured at him with it.]

So 'Derek' really doesn't mean anythin' to ya?

[Draco shrugs.]

I don't know. Girls seem to be all into that kind of stuff. Not that I am...

[He frowns at her last question. His voice comes out a bit dishearten.]

No... I told you my name is Draco. I wish you would call me that. [A beat.] Who is this Derek? Is he... s-someone you like?

[Lillian opened her mouth to say no then paused, because...huh. Finally she chuckled.]

Dunno. Had a weird flash...

[She hsook her head.]

Anyway, what do we do here when we're done eatin'?

[Draco noticed the pause and tries not to frown. He doesn't know whether to be happy or sad. She sort of likes this Derek guy? Yet... doesn't like this Derek guy? Draco continues to struggle to understand why he felt so conflicted about this. She was just a girl! A girl, who is clearly not aware of the wizarding world around her even though she grew up in it! He straightens up at her question, trying to show more confidence than he really had.]

We're probably going to go to our dorms. It's my first night here too obviously, but I heared the Slytherin dorms are in the dungeons. Just stick with me and you'll be fine.

[He sticks his hand out to her to shake.]

What do you say? Lets stick together and help each other out this school year?

[And I'll prove to you I'm way better than this Derek guy!]

[Lillian hadn't been expecting that, and she sat up again, her expression uncertain. This all felt familiar somehow. Which made no sense but then neither did thinking he was named Derek so...hm.]

[After a thoughtful second, probably just slightly too long, she reached out to shake his hand.]

Sure, why not.

[As soon as their hands shake the world around them disappears and small Draco vanishes. Yay! Lillian has passed the first level of Derek's psyche!

At first everything is silent and black, but soon everything seems to brighten and the sound of chattering voices starts to grow louder and louder. A school bell rings and the sounds of books and bags being shuffled are also noticeable.

You will find yourself in a Freshman English Literature class at Recolle University. In the seat next to you is a nineteen year old Derek, talking to a girl to his right. She is very beautiful, with very curly brown hair. She laughs at something he says and then waves good-bye leaving the classroom. Derek's eyes follow her every movement until she exits. Once gone, Derek slumps in his chair, his face slightly pink and just looking down at his hands in his lap. You should probably see what's up with him.]

[Lillian had not been expecting that, and she gasped as the dream shifted and her own memories suddenly reasserted themselves. Woof. She grabbed onto the nearest wall as it faded, then glanced down at herself, doing a quick mental patdown. Okay. Not eleven. That was important.]

[Okay. Okay. This was a dream then. Derek's dream. When he wasn't some kind of creepy albino magic boy anyway. What had that been about?]

[She spotted him across the room just as the girl was walking away. So, this was...another memory? And he was clearly smitten there, judging by his face. She smirked. Okay. More familiar territory.]

[A moment later, he'd find Lillian sliding into the seat next to him, her expression sly and conspiratorial.]

So she's cute, huh?

[Derek's face instantly goes red and his head whips around to look at Lillian.]

You saw that? Ugh!

[Derek covers his face with his hands. He then starts mumbling.]

W-what did you think?

[Lillian couldn't hide her laughter at his surprise, leaning back into the seat she had grabbed again, and turning her gaze after where the girl had walked off.]

Mmm...like I said, she's cute. I would definitely flirt with her.

[Derek's eyes widen in slight alarm, and then points a finger at Lillian.]

No, no, not again. I saw her first. I know we've been friends since we were seven and we share a lot of things, but stop flirting with the girls I'm trying to flirt with! Besides, she just recently got our of a relationship a few months ago.

[Once again, this is not quite the "Derek" Lillian knows. In this part of the dream, Derek sees Lillian as his childhood best friend who lives in the same dorm as him, only one floor difference.]

[Lillian was a bit thrown off by that, but after a few seconds she decided to just roll with it. Besides, Derek was fun to tease regardless of the situation.]

Hey, ain't my fault you got good taste. If you moved a little faster, I wouldn't have time to steal 'em away from you, would I?

And like I've tried to say before, I'm waiting for the right moment. You can't just rush into these things. Like for example. She got out of a serious relationship a few months ago. I'm trying to give her some time to heal. I'm trying to be considerate.

Derek. [Lillian rolled her eyes.] There ain't gonna be a 'right' moment. There's just now, or never.

[She glanced over at the direction the girl had gone, then back at him.]

If you keep sittin' here waitin', and I run after her to say hello, what do you think happens?

[Derek's eyes narrow at Lillian]

You wouldn't!

[She just looked so smug.]

I don't know. Maybe.

[A grin.]

You really gonna take the chance?

[Derek turns 90 degrees in his desk so that he is facing Lillian. His right hand gripping the side of his desk, his left is wrapping around the back of his chair. It is almost as if he is trying to restrain himself from lunging at her.]

Lillian... I know we're best friends, but I swear, if you do anything to mess this up for me I'm gonna...

[He actually has no idea what he's "gonna" do since he can't really every bring himself to do anything to Lillian, but his really starting to panic.]

I ain't messin' it up. You are. [She rolled her eyes and gestured after the girl again.]

Just go see if she's busy Friday.

And if she is, then what do I say?

[Lillian, if you are wondering if he had this much trouble asking you out in AU1, the answer is, yes.]