(no subject)

[recollecters]

EVENT

Re:Surgence The city of Recollé...ready for a homecoming? I. It’s been a few days since you’ve learned that Retrospec has lost track of you and everyone you know. The mystery of where you’ve traveled hasn’t been answered, but perhaps you’re actually safer than they think you are There are no monsters roaming the main parts of the city (though several linger in the outskirts, just as they always have) and all of the buildings and property damage that was inflicted last month seems to have vanished. As time counts down, you’ll begin to notice a few things as the days go on. For one thing, you may hear a strange mooing noise in the distance, almost like a herd of cows you can’t quite find. Bright, sparkling lights blink above even though searching further leads you to nothing but darkness. Every now and then when you look at your feet, an inch of water appears beneath you and sloshes slowly with invisible waves. Most importantly, the ofrendas that spread throughout the city on Halloween are still there but have multiplied in numbers. Several tables and altars are set up in all different districts with your photos and objects of importance to you, but that’s not all. There are hundreds and hundreds of tables lining sidewalks now, making it impossible to walk without passing a line of them and featuring several faces you don’t recognize. The images are worn and faded, and the objects appear to be several decades old ranging from clothing, jewelry, toys, books and more. They seem to be bolted in place and the altars can't be moved at all. It's only about 9pm on the 5th that things begin to change. A loud, almost rumbling moaning noise escapes every crevice of the sidewalk and buildings and a gust of air brushes over you. Hundreds and hundreds of figures begin to materialize around their ofrendas, the sound of their chatter growing louder and louder as they form. It's the season of the dead, and the ghosts of decades past are coming home. Ghosts who passed in the 40s, 50s and 60s seem to be the most talkative but these ghosts range from young to old. They may appear right before you (or right on top of you) and immediately begin bombarding you with questions about the city. Did you sign up to play tour guide? Oh well. With a bit of luck, you may even be able to get some answers out of them. II. Excited to settle back into the city, the ghosts begin to filter and spread out to all regions and engage with those around them. As the sun rises on the morning of the 6th, several of the ghosts begin to chatter and rejoice, sharing with you the good news. “The festivities have begun!” They exclaim, but explanations aren’t offered as they lead you to different regions to join in their celebrations. Over in Viea Village, the mooing from the day before intensifies as you step into the district and find a large herd of cows. Formed in a huddle, these cows are calm and gentle, seemingly waiting for someone to direct them. As you approach them, however, you suddenly find yourself in a particular costume, complete with a small brass bell. Recognizing you as one of their own, the cows begin to moo emphatically and nudge you forward, pushing you ahead to begin a procession through Viea Village. The ghosts around you will smile and wave, watching the parade happily as the cows follow your every step. Will you be stuck leading these cows for the rest of the day? Perhaps someone will find a way to distract the cows and interrupt this parade to save you from further humiliation. Meanwhile, in Enprise, the moment you step into this district you feel a warmth wash over you as bonfires light up the district. A weight appears in your pocket and you find several paper bills of varying denominations. The money also appears to have the faces of people you recognize on them, smiling and waving at you. Beneath your feet, the slabs of sidewalk glow and a semi-familiar square appears. A golden Chocobo token also finds its way next to you as the game begins. The squares around this particular game of Monopoly reflect buildings in the city. You even have the option to buy property temporarily! Throwing your Monopoly money directly into the flames will change the color of the fire as the building you've purchased changes to suit your tastes. Is Expressive too hipster for your taste? Perhaps it now reflects your punk-rock soul. Was the animal shelter too drab to walk through? The walls will change to your favorite color to liven up the city. The possibilities are endless and play as long as you'd like! No one's stopping you from changing the city to your liking, after all. In Apprassage, everything seems oddly quiet until the midnight hours. If you happen to be around in this district from midnight to sunrise, you'll hear the sound of running water. Geysers erupt in front of you, crystal-clear water enticing you to wash your hands and cleanse yourself. Stepping into the spray, your shoes disappear and the water sprinkles over you. You feel refreshed. Your troubles melt away, and your worries seem like a thing of the past. Nothing can bother you now that you've revived yourself and you can't even seem to find it in you to be too upset about your missing shoes. Lucky for you, it seems as though they haven't gone too far as they sit at the end of the street. As you begin to walk, however, the ghosts around you begin to chant in an incomprehensible language as black beans are suddenly thrown at you. The phrase the ghosts chant repeats itself nine times, but the speed of the beans increase as they pelt your back and your shoulders. Why does it seem like your shoes keep getting further away? And how do you stop the beans anyway? Good luck dodging. You're going to need it. Over in Chata, things seem to be peaceful. Entering the district means being immediately hit with the rich scents of sweets and spices, savory treats and tantalizing meals you can practically taste. Your favorite foods are all spread out before you made just the way you like them and separated into perfectly portioned sizes just for you. Best of all? Every single table of food has a sign that says "FREE." Who doesn't love free food? Even better is sharing your bounty with your friends and loved ones. Sharing your food multiples the amount you receive, the meal doubling and even tripling based on how many people you share with. However, those who don't share, or even those who take a bite first without offering to someone else will be in for a nasty surprise as the food turns into solid gold and becomes inedible. Any food you try to eat from then on will have the same results, a hard golden sheen that covers every morsel. If you ask the ghosts how to reverse these effects, they'll all tell you the same thing: make your favorite meal from scratch and share it with your neighbor. It's only when you give that you may receive, and the ghosts are more than happy to help you hunt for recipes. For those prone to wandering Tisse, it's hard to walk anywhere without seeing the large wooden stage in the center of the district. Decked out in lights and bright colors, the stage is filled with everything imaginable to put on a show ranging from instruments, dance equipment, magic props and more. As you watch the shows being performed by the ghosts lingering around (or even by someone you know), it becomes clear that the stage provides everything you need the moment you step up as objects materialize just for you. Do you have a talent you want to share? Now's your chance for the world to see it! And even if you're not usually the type to get on stage, it's hard not to be drawn in by the bright lights and the energy of the crowd. The ghosts will whisper encouraging words, and your feet may move on autopilot toward the stage without even realizing it. Don't be shy! Everyone here is ready to see what you have to offer. Last but not least, Tribunal Terrace has several stations set up around Recollé Square with tables filled with candles, paper, strings and paints. As ghosts mill around, they seem to be working on crafting paper lanterns. These lanterns can be designed to your taste, and if you're not the crafty type the ghosts will be more than happy to help demonstrate how to create these lanterns. Mayor Mayer wanders the premises, admiring lanterns as he goes and excitedly telling the citizens of the city that tonight's the perfect night for this celebration. (This…is said every night. Every night is the perfect night for the Mayor, actually.) As the lanterns are finished, candles are lit and the ghosts begin to release them into the sky, encouraging you to do the same and send your lanterns up up and away. Make as many as you'd like. Supplies are endless, and the lanterns seem to shine even brighter than the stars tonight to lead the spirits through the city and light their path. III. What about the forest and the ocean? That's a great question, and the curious-minded may venture out to these locations just to see what's happening out there. The ghosts have spread out to these parts as well, couples leisurely strolling the paths of the forest or friends celebrating a day at the beach despite the fact that it's November. They're friendly and seem to mind their own business in these parts, strangely, doing their best not to disturb anybody and tending to stick together though they'll watch anyone who lingers for too long. Maybe it's best to keep moving. For those who find themselves in the forest, a sense of peace washes over you as you venture further in and the earth shifts beneath your feet. Large, colorful roots sprout from the dirt and should you step on these roots the trees will begin to light up depicting stories of the city of Recollé. While you may recognize some of these events as things from history or things you've learned about in school, you may also see images from your own personal history highlighted in the bark of these trees. Wisps of light float away from the trees and circle you, a gentle whisper encouraging you to live life and find inner peace. Enjoy time with your friends and focus on the things you want to do. The trees are a breath of fresh air, and though they remain rooted in place those whispers will follow you all the way back to the city as a constant reminder to embrace who you are. Meanwhile, out at the ocean, a long line of ghosts stand on one of the docks and appear to be boarding…a boat? And the ferryman doesn't exactly look too friendly, either. If you're brave enough, you can join the line and see what all the fuss is about. You can board the boat with the living and the dead, and as the ferryman pushes you away from the dock you'll find yourself drifting along the shoreline of Peach Beach. The boat disappears around a corner, venturing into dark caverns and seemingly down and underground. The city rumbles above your head, and the water beneath you turns black and murky as small hand-like figures claw up the side of the boat. They're easy enough to ignore and the ghosts with you merely look sympathetic. There are no cries for help and the hands disappear after some time. As you look in the water again items float past you. This may be a token from your childhood, something that belongs to a family member or even something innocuous that you recognize and feel compelled to reach for. Good luck fishing it out, Retrospecters. The hands come back in full force and if they grab you, you're overwhelmed with a sense of fear and a sharp, burning sensation. Do be careful. The boat ride will only end once it reaches the riverbank and allow its riders to step ashore. In front of you is a silver door that some of you may find familiar from months ago. As you exit through the door, a tunnel unground in the old subway system stretches ahead. Sterile and silver with floor-to-ceiling mirrors on one side and metal panels on the other, this path stretches for miles before dropping you right back in the main empty subway hub to bring you back up to the city. That was fun, wasn't it? IV. It seems that even with Retrospec unable to track you, the city's operating fairly well. Monsters stay outside of the city boundaries, the ghosts are friendly and talkative, and you're still you. There are no monster effects, no body swaps, no strange and unusual events that leave you questioning when everything will end and instead it feels almost like one giant party. The celebrations continue for days and you're given the freedom and time to yourself to recharge and accomplish things you've been putting off thanks to the city's shenanigans. Even the ghosts are beginning to get into it. As time goes on, they're far more interested in the things you're doing and your daily routine. They want to know so much about the city and they'll ask questions, learning about Recollé today and especially learning about you. It seems harmless, doesn't it? They're friendly and stepping out of the past and into the present. It doesn't seem like such a bad idea to help them. Then again…how could you have known what would happen next? It starts slowly at first. Ghosts begin to attract the attention of your friends and family, showing up to gathering they weren't invited to and sharing parts of your history that don't belong to them. They begin to seek out the company on their own, nudging you out of the way and stealing the attention of those you love. While those on the app can see the difference, NPCs will begin to accept these ghosts as real people and welcome them into their homes, celebrating with them and integrating them into everyday life. Too bad that in some cases they're replacing you in everyday life. Your parents may soon believe they've only ever had one child. Your employer might believe you weren't the candidate they hired a while ago. Your teachers will praise their star student and maybe even forget all about you. It's almost as if you're becoming…a ghost? That can't be right. The only person who can be you is you. You can't be so easily replaced…can you? You may have to step up your game and try to convince not only those around you but yourself. BONUS. The Retrospec network seems quiet. Without the company checking in, it's actually fairly easy to ignore the app if you never wanted to open it. For those of you who are a bit more social, however, there's good news! A randomize feature has been added to your chat list allowing you to randomly connect to someone else on the network. There's also a new anonymous feature to temporarily allow anonymous messages to be posted. …that may be a bit too much power to give, but who's watching? Go ahead. Send a message! You don't need to know that posts made to the main network will still have your name attached to them. You also don't need to know that messages sent to individuals will only remain anonymous up to the 10th message before promptly revealing your identity. …oh. You did need to know that? Whoops. Welcome to recolle's November event! Following the game's new format, this is the first event log! The second log will go up and coincide with the game's TDM on 11/17! Characters will be able to explore the city, areas such as Jabberwock Island, Rainbowland (de-Retrospec'd), and Wall Maria, and the four regions (Pesgare, Respatrum, Bosuma, Magatus.) The four regions have returned to normal and match the descriptions on the locations page. As a reminder, you can claim two freebies on this log! -Players may claim one freebie for participating in a death celebration. This thread must be at least 5 comments from you. -Players may claim one freebie for engaging with a ghost and sharing the information with someone else. This thread must be at least 5 comments from you. If you would like to sign up for plot information via ghosts, please see this post here! Those who signed up prior to today will begin receiving information shortly after this log is posted. Finally, 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!