Recollé Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
recollecters) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
recolle2019-02-05 05:06 pm
recollecters) wrote in recolle2019-02-05 05:06 pm
Entry tags:
(no subject)
EVENT
PREMISE • RULES • FAQ • TAKEN • RESERVES • APPLICATIONS
REGAINS • HIATUS/DROPS • PLOT SUBMISSIONS • CALENDAR • MOD CONTACT • NAV
REGAINS • HIATUS/DROPS • PLOT SUBMISSIONS • CALENDAR • MOD CONTACT • NAV
Re:Configure
Prologue.
It's on February 5th that every single Retrospec users receives a message from the liaison known as Zee Carlisle. Several of you have visited and expressed concerns already, but none of that mattered in the grande scheme of what needs to be said.
The thing about the city and the layers below is that the metaphysical can easily become the physical with the power you all possess. It's just a "handy" little trick that comes with intermingling soul essence. Thanks to my field agent, we've received some data that'll help advance our research to help track Vanderweele, stabilize the layers and figure out our next step.
The next step, of course, is going beyond.
You're not ready though. I know that, you're not, but I think I've figured out some workarounds. Just be careful and try to control yourselves. You'll need to embrace who you are and take the next step to protect yourselves.
It's not about finding keys anymore. It's about becoming them, generating the doors yourself and getting ready for things out there that're bound to be bad.
Keep balance in mind. And don't try to hide from what's happening. I'm not sure how this is going to manifest but this is all still you.
Well. That's not ominous, is it?
It's on February 5th that every single Retrospec users receives a message from the liaison known as Zee Carlisle. Several of you have visited and expressed concerns already, but none of that mattered in the grande scheme of what needs to be said.
The thing about the city and the layers below is that the metaphysical can easily become the physical with the power you all possess. It's just a "handy" little trick that comes with intermingling soul essence. Thanks to my field agent, we've received some data that'll help advance our research to help track Vanderweele, stabilize the layers and figure out our next step.
The next step, of course, is going beyond.
You're not ready though. I know that, you're not, but I think I've figured out some workarounds. Just be careful and try to control yourselves. You'll need to embrace who you are and take the next step to protect yourselves.
It's not about finding keys anymore. It's about becoming them, generating the doors yourself and getting ready for things out there that're bound to be bad.
Keep balance in mind. And don't try to hide from what's happening. I'm not sure how this is going to manifest but this is all still you.
Well. That's not ominous, is it?
I.
Not long after the announcement, anyone looking in the sky will soon notice something strange happening. While the moon hangs peacefully in the night sky, the second moon that had appeared some months ago begins moving on its own, slowly beginning to eclipse the regular moon. As the two of them overlap one another, a soft blue light emits over the whole city and in your head you'll hear a faint animalistic cry. Some of you may hear the roar of a tiger while others hear the whinny of a horse and others hear the shrieking of a monkey. These sounds only last for a moment…and then there's silence. The moons split apart again and everything seems to go on as normal.
The next day on the morning of the sixth, you wake up and find yourself feeling incredibly chipper and rejuvenated, ready to take on the world and all things in it. Nothing can bring you down today and even those who are usually fussy or angry will find it hard to stay that way for long. Positivity is key here, and as you go about your day you'll find your thoughts are often drawn to capitalizing on positive qualities that you may not even know you have.
This doesn't always mean it's a good thing, however. Just because a trait is positive doesn't mean that it's only meant to do good. Being overzealous and foolhardy can cause a clash and several of you may find yourselves being too caught up in your own traits to notice they'll imbalance the people around you. A person who finds themselves in strong possession of being charming may wind up over-promising several things to several people in order to win favor. Someone who's suddenly lucky at love will have to fend off admirers that come from all sorts of directions. Goal-oriented minds will find that they're creating several to-do lists and pushing themselves too hard to finish all of the tasks at hand. Each trait manifests itself differently for each person, but it's the year you were born that seems to determine which set of traits are being amplified. It's a pattern that will take time to recognize, but talking to one another may help bring this comparison to light.
In addition to the consequences of your actions, the traits you exude will be capable of giving themselves a physical existence in the form of small, ordinary objects. Creation of these objects is for the most part involuntary and users will not always know how these will manifest. Do be careful, however. An overabundance of each trait may get you in trouble and the objects themselves will backfire in ways you may not expect. Those who are popular can wind up generating several friendship bracelets that physically bind them to too many people. Those whose sense of humor has been amplified could bring a laugh-track to life, a small object that cannot be paused and will chuckle at everything that's said no matter how serious it is. It's possible to resist giving in to these traits and avoid generating these objects, but the longer you resist the harder it will be to concentrate on anything else until the creation is expelled. You'll find your resolve weakening and compelled to give in as the days march on, but the longer you wait the more likely the objects will appear unstable. Perhaps it's best to continually create instead. You never know what you might get.
Not long after the announcement, anyone looking in the sky will soon notice something strange happening. While the moon hangs peacefully in the night sky, the second moon that had appeared some months ago begins moving on its own, slowly beginning to eclipse the regular moon. As the two of them overlap one another, a soft blue light emits over the whole city and in your head you'll hear a faint animalistic cry. Some of you may hear the roar of a tiger while others hear the whinny of a horse and others hear the shrieking of a monkey. These sounds only last for a moment…and then there's silence. The moons split apart again and everything seems to go on as normal.
The next day on the morning of the sixth, you wake up and find yourself feeling incredibly chipper and rejuvenated, ready to take on the world and all things in it. Nothing can bring you down today and even those who are usually fussy or angry will find it hard to stay that way for long. Positivity is key here, and as you go about your day you'll find your thoughts are often drawn to capitalizing on positive qualities that you may not even know you have.
This doesn't always mean it's a good thing, however. Just because a trait is positive doesn't mean that it's only meant to do good. Being overzealous and foolhardy can cause a clash and several of you may find yourselves being too caught up in your own traits to notice they'll imbalance the people around you. A person who finds themselves in strong possession of being charming may wind up over-promising several things to several people in order to win favor. Someone who's suddenly lucky at love will have to fend off admirers that come from all sorts of directions. Goal-oriented minds will find that they're creating several to-do lists and pushing themselves too hard to finish all of the tasks at hand. Each trait manifests itself differently for each person, but it's the year you were born that seems to determine which set of traits are being amplified. It's a pattern that will take time to recognize, but talking to one another may help bring this comparison to light.
In addition to the consequences of your actions, the traits you exude will be capable of giving themselves a physical existence in the form of small, ordinary objects. Creation of these objects is for the most part involuntary and users will not always know how these will manifest. Do be careful, however. An overabundance of each trait may get you in trouble and the objects themselves will backfire in ways you may not expect. Those who are popular can wind up generating several friendship bracelets that physically bind them to too many people. Those whose sense of humor has been amplified could bring a laugh-track to life, a small object that cannot be paused and will chuckle at everything that's said no matter how serious it is. It's possible to resist giving in to these traits and avoid generating these objects, but the longer you resist the harder it will be to concentrate on anything else until the creation is expelled. You'll find your resolve weakening and compelled to give in as the days march on, but the longer you wait the more likely the objects will appear unstable. Perhaps it's best to continually create instead. You never know what you might get.
II.
When the night falls, things change and suddenly everything you may have understood about what's happening doesn't make much sense at all. As the sun sinks below the horizon and the two moons rise again, something in your personality shifts and all of your positive feelings fade away. These emotions are soon replaced by something darker and more negative, altering thoughts and ideas to the point that you may feel like you're a completely different person. Moodswings may run rampant, and insecurities will be heightened the longer the night draws on. Some of you may find greed threatening to overwhelm you, or impatience clouding your judgment and causing reckless decisions to be made. While these may not be traits you possess normally, it all comes back to when you were born and what traits the stars seem to have determined to be yours.
While you can still display independent thought and will when you possess your positive traits in the daylight, the amplification of your more negative qualities begin to overshadow all else. Giving in to your darker side is much easier than fighting it off and indulging in these traits never hurt anyone…except for perhaps yourself. While positive manifestation creates objects in abundance to the point of annoyance, negative manifestation seems to generate the metaphysical into a physical being that causes harm. The creation of elements bound to your negative side allows these objects to slowly drain away your energy, zapping the goodness out of you and leaving you as a pale, empty shell. This can be remedied by finding someone who's managed to hold onto some form of positivity, or even going to a place with plenty of lighting to drive back the shadows. Exposing yourself to either of these will help you recognize what traits have possessed you this time.
But what about your "normal" personality? Where has it gone? It's still there buried deep beneath the surface but it's much harder to reach when your less-than-stellar qualities are amped up to the point of consuming you. You may need to find people to remind you of who you once were and allow them to convince you to try and focus on your positive sides again. An imbalance is the likely outcome without someone to check on you. Being alone isn't really an option now, but can you convince others to stay? That's something only you can answer.
Additionally, you'll have to do something about the object you've brought forth in the dark hours. Leaving objects out in the open without binding them to some form of light will allow the creations to begin reaching out and draining anyone nearby. Of course, you can try to destroy these objects as well...but you may wish to remember that time is a factor here.
When the night falls, things change and suddenly everything you may have understood about what's happening doesn't make much sense at all. As the sun sinks below the horizon and the two moons rise again, something in your personality shifts and all of your positive feelings fade away. These emotions are soon replaced by something darker and more negative, altering thoughts and ideas to the point that you may feel like you're a completely different person. Moodswings may run rampant, and insecurities will be heightened the longer the night draws on. Some of you may find greed threatening to overwhelm you, or impatience clouding your judgment and causing reckless decisions to be made. While these may not be traits you possess normally, it all comes back to when you were born and what traits the stars seem to have determined to be yours.
While you can still display independent thought and will when you possess your positive traits in the daylight, the amplification of your more negative qualities begin to overshadow all else. Giving in to your darker side is much easier than fighting it off and indulging in these traits never hurt anyone…except for perhaps yourself. While positive manifestation creates objects in abundance to the point of annoyance, negative manifestation seems to generate the metaphysical into a physical being that causes harm. The creation of elements bound to your negative side allows these objects to slowly drain away your energy, zapping the goodness out of you and leaving you as a pale, empty shell. This can be remedied by finding someone who's managed to hold onto some form of positivity, or even going to a place with plenty of lighting to drive back the shadows. Exposing yourself to either of these will help you recognize what traits have possessed you this time.
But what about your "normal" personality? Where has it gone? It's still there buried deep beneath the surface but it's much harder to reach when your less-than-stellar qualities are amped up to the point of consuming you. You may need to find people to remind you of who you once were and allow them to convince you to try and focus on your positive sides again. An imbalance is the likely outcome without someone to check on you. Being alone isn't really an option now, but can you convince others to stay? That's something only you can answer.
Additionally, you'll have to do something about the object you've brought forth in the dark hours. Leaving objects out in the open without binding them to some form of light will allow the creations to begin reaching out and draining anyone nearby. Of course, you can try to destroy these objects as well...but you may wish to remember that time is a factor here.
III.
There are two moments in each day in which your personalities will come into alignment and you'll have perfect clarity of the situation and who you are. During the hour of sunrise and the hour of sunset, an eclipse-like effect appears in the sky and allows users to grapple with both sets of traits. At the end of the day, you're still you, but these hours will give you the advantage to learn how to cope with veering too far in either direction and learn the sense of balance.
Working together, users will be able to generate items from both positive and negative traits during these hours. They must then learn how to fuse them together and create a balanced concept. Where there's light there must be darkness and while the answer may not be obvious at first, the overlayering of the sun and the moon(s) serves as a hint that perhaps the combination is the key you seek. Strangely, users are able to stare straight at this eclipse without worrying about damage to their eyes. Perhaps it's not as real as you think.
As objects come into being, willed into existence by embracing your positive and negative traits in performing some sort of action or skill encompassing the idea, they will begin to multiply and it will soon be up to users to find what items may match with someone else's items. An item created from love may go well with something created by indulgence. An item manifested from insecurity may react just as well with an item drawn from kindness. Should a user try to form an item created from two positive traits, it will explode into a shower of fireworks that rise up and spark above the city. For those who attempt to shove two negative traits together, a large smoke bomb will go off instead and the items will be destroyed, forcing users to start all over again.
Should users finally get it right and create an acceptable object, something unusual occurs. The object begins to glow and duplicates itself, hovering in front of both creators before they soon dissolve into black and white sparks that wash over you and add a thin, iridescent sheen to your skin. Your phone will beep loudly, announcing that a new feature has been unlocked on your Retrospec app and drawing your attention to a brand new map and a QR code to be scanned. The map will lead to a randomized location somewhere in the city of Recollé, and should a user choose to follow it they will come face to face with another silver door, QR scanner firmly affixed in the center.
Try all you'd like, citizens. These doors will not budge just yet, but the QR code will be accepted. A new message will appear once you've been scanned.
Make some preparations. The doors will open on the 17th and a group will be led down to undo what's been done. You in?
…time to make some decisions, it seems. What will your choose? At least there's a moment's reprieve to decide.
There are two moments in each day in which your personalities will come into alignment and you'll have perfect clarity of the situation and who you are. During the hour of sunrise and the hour of sunset, an eclipse-like effect appears in the sky and allows users to grapple with both sets of traits. At the end of the day, you're still you, but these hours will give you the advantage to learn how to cope with veering too far in either direction and learn the sense of balance.
Working together, users will be able to generate items from both positive and negative traits during these hours. They must then learn how to fuse them together and create a balanced concept. Where there's light there must be darkness and while the answer may not be obvious at first, the overlayering of the sun and the moon(s) serves as a hint that perhaps the combination is the key you seek. Strangely, users are able to stare straight at this eclipse without worrying about damage to their eyes. Perhaps it's not as real as you think.
As objects come into being, willed into existence by embracing your positive and negative traits in performing some sort of action or skill encompassing the idea, they will begin to multiply and it will soon be up to users to find what items may match with someone else's items. An item created from love may go well with something created by indulgence. An item manifested from insecurity may react just as well with an item drawn from kindness. Should a user try to form an item created from two positive traits, it will explode into a shower of fireworks that rise up and spark above the city. For those who attempt to shove two negative traits together, a large smoke bomb will go off instead and the items will be destroyed, forcing users to start all over again.
Should users finally get it right and create an acceptable object, something unusual occurs. The object begins to glow and duplicates itself, hovering in front of both creators before they soon dissolve into black and white sparks that wash over you and add a thin, iridescent sheen to your skin. Your phone will beep loudly, announcing that a new feature has been unlocked on your Retrospec app and drawing your attention to a brand new map and a QR code to be scanned. The map will lead to a randomized location somewhere in the city of Recollé, and should a user choose to follow it they will come face to face with another silver door, QR scanner firmly affixed in the center.
Try all you'd like, citizens. These doors will not budge just yet, but the QR code will be accepted. A new message will appear once you've been scanned.
Make some preparations. The doors will open on the 17th and a group will be led down to undo what's been done. You in?
…time to make some decisions, it seems. What will your choose? At least there's a moment's reprieve to decide.
IV.
For the most part, this is actually fairly tame in comparison to usual Retrospec nonsense. It seems as though this storm can be weathered together and as users seek out one another it's easier to combat these effects with minimal damage. Create objects to manifest doors? That seems fairly simple and though the mysterious preparation message may leave some of you uneasy, it's the right direction to go.
Naturally, of course, there's someone who isn't too happy that light and darkness are becoming balanced and in sync.
On the morning of the fourteenth, positive traits are amplified as usual during the sunlight hours. It's a beautiful Valentine's Day in the city of Recollé. Sweet coffees are on special at both Expressive and A Good Bean. Romantic comedy marathons are queued to air all day long at Flix. Sweet Stems has a discount on flowers by the dozen, and oh look, there are black wispy hearts floating right past you through the air.
Wait, what?
Perhaps you're an overly curious type who will follow the hearts, or you may just be unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. These hearts are slow to move, floating aimlessly until they spot a target upon which they zip forward straight into your own heart. A tattoo manifests somewhere on your person, heart-shaped and black, and you feel an icy chill run through your veins as all kindness, love, and "goodness" are washed away to be replaced by the traits you've combatted in the evenings. Overwhelmed by the effects of the heart, the power within you begins to churn and give life and form to your personal darkness. A musician will be able to play notes that come to life, stabbing their victims and putting them into a deep sleep. An actor will be able to give in to their overly dramatic side and create set pieces around them, manipulating people nearby into "performing" for them. A hair stylist will have the power to create scissors out of their hands and grow out their own hair to use as a lasso to trap those they wish to punish.
The darkness in your heart will generate something different for every single individual, and no "villain" will be alike. Chaos will run rampant during the light hours and those uninfected will have to find a way to reverse this curse. The infected will recognize this as a "kissing disease", and through trial and error the uninfected will have to seek out the new tattooed marks and kiss them away, freeing the characters from their binds and bringing light back to the surface.
Good luck getting to each mark though. It will take teamwork and some clever thinking to outsmart the infected and hold them down. With a little skill, you might just be able to create your own objects to pin down the problem and save the day.
For the most part, this is actually fairly tame in comparison to usual Retrospec nonsense. It seems as though this storm can be weathered together and as users seek out one another it's easier to combat these effects with minimal damage. Create objects to manifest doors? That seems fairly simple and though the mysterious preparation message may leave some of you uneasy, it's the right direction to go.
Naturally, of course, there's someone who isn't too happy that light and darkness are becoming balanced and in sync.
On the morning of the fourteenth, positive traits are amplified as usual during the sunlight hours. It's a beautiful Valentine's Day in the city of Recollé. Sweet coffees are on special at both Expressive and A Good Bean. Romantic comedy marathons are queued to air all day long at Flix. Sweet Stems has a discount on flowers by the dozen, and oh look, there are black wispy hearts floating right past you through the air.
Wait, what?
Perhaps you're an overly curious type who will follow the hearts, or you may just be unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. These hearts are slow to move, floating aimlessly until they spot a target upon which they zip forward straight into your own heart. A tattoo manifests somewhere on your person, heart-shaped and black, and you feel an icy chill run through your veins as all kindness, love, and "goodness" are washed away to be replaced by the traits you've combatted in the evenings. Overwhelmed by the effects of the heart, the power within you begins to churn and give life and form to your personal darkness. A musician will be able to play notes that come to life, stabbing their victims and putting them into a deep sleep. An actor will be able to give in to their overly dramatic side and create set pieces around them, manipulating people nearby into "performing" for them. A hair stylist will have the power to create scissors out of their hands and grow out their own hair to use as a lasso to trap those they wish to punish.
The darkness in your heart will generate something different for every single individual, and no "villain" will be alike. Chaos will run rampant during the light hours and those uninfected will have to find a way to reverse this curse. The infected will recognize this as a "kissing disease", and through trial and error the uninfected will have to seek out the new tattooed marks and kiss them away, freeing the characters from their binds and bringing light back to the surface.
Good luck getting to each mark though. It will take teamwork and some clever thinking to outsmart the infected and hold them down. With a little skill, you might just be able to create your own objects to pin down the problem and save the day.
BONUS.
Beginning on the fifth, a few things will happen. For one thing, anyone who visits the liaison's office any time after this point will find that the door is locked and the office is empty. That's probably nothing to worry about. However, messages will be sent to each user's phone over the course of the next few weeks with status updates.
Users will find themselves in possession of what looks like a digital map of Recollé with several black dots scattered around. As each user successfully fuses an object that manifests a door, a black dot turns white and flashes on the screen. Over time, all of these doors will begin to appear to show users locations that may grant them access to the next layer.
Users will also find themselves in possession of a short biography about themselves. Featuring information such as their height, weight, level of combat and other key notable traits (three best qualities and three worst qualities), these biographies also appear to have notes added about regains you've recovered or events that have happened in the city.
Too bad these biographies aren't just meant for you. The moment you read over them, the biography forwards itself to just about anyone on the Retrospec app and you'll receive someone else's biography to read over instead. Not long after, a video call will connect you to this new person and cannot be disconnected for a minimum of fifteen minutes.
This gives "getting to know each other" a whole new meaning, doesn't it? Maybe you'll learn something useful today.
Beginning on the fifth, a few things will happen. For one thing, anyone who visits the liaison's office any time after this point will find that the door is locked and the office is empty. That's probably nothing to worry about. However, messages will be sent to each user's phone over the course of the next few weeks with status updates.
Users will find themselves in possession of what looks like a digital map of Recollé with several black dots scattered around. As each user successfully fuses an object that manifests a door, a black dot turns white and flashes on the screen. Over time, all of these doors will begin to appear to show users locations that may grant them access to the next layer.
Users will also find themselves in possession of a short biography about themselves. Featuring information such as their height, weight, level of combat and other key notable traits (three best qualities and three worst qualities), these biographies also appear to have notes added about regains you've recovered or events that have happened in the city.
Too bad these biographies aren't just meant for you. The moment you read over them, the biography forwards itself to just about anyone on the Retrospec app and you'll receive someone else's biography to read over instead. Not long after, a video call will connect you to this new person and cannot be disconnected for a minimum of fifteen minutes.
This gives "getting to know each other" a whole new meaning, doesn't it? Maybe you'll learn something useful today.
NOTES.
Welcome torecolle's February event part one!
You can claim three freebies on this log!
-Players may claim one freebie for manifesting an item and dealing with the consequences. This item may be a positive or negative trait, and this thread must be at least five comments from you.
-Players may claim one freebie by fusing one of their objects with someone else's and creating a door. This thread must be at least five comments from you.
-Players may claim one freebie by healing someone from the kissing disease. This thread must be at least five comments from you.
-Please keep in mind that the bonus is a bonus prompt! If you do not want your character's biography floating around for other users to see, you do not have to be affected by this prompt.
-While the Chinese zodiac traits are linked, these are merely suggestions that you can build off of. These traits will be what's most prevalent and attached to characters, but you're free to have others in a similar vein show up. Objects manifested from these ideas into real life may also vary and the above in the log are simply examples.
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 additional information as well!
Welcome to
recolle's February event part one!You can claim three freebies on this log!
-Players may claim one freebie for manifesting an item and dealing with the consequences. This item may be a positive or negative trait, and this thread must be at least five comments from you.
-Players may claim one freebie by fusing one of their objects with someone else's and creating a door. This thread must be at least five comments from you.
-Players may claim one freebie by healing someone from the kissing disease. This thread must be at least five comments from you.
-Please keep in mind that the bonus is a bonus prompt! If you do not want your character's biography floating around for other users to see, you do not have to be affected by this prompt.
-While the Chinese zodiac traits are linked, these are merely suggestions that you can build off of. These traits will be what's most prevalent and attached to characters, but you're free to have others in a similar vein show up. Objects manifested from these ideas into real life may also vary and the above in the log are simply examples.
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 additional information as well!
no subject
[On the morn of 02/06, Crow wakes up feeling the best he's felt in ages. Maybe it was just a delayed effect from Ahmi's session, but his aches were gone, his worries even less so. He felt good and a wanting to do good in the process.
He should be sharing this good mood, shouldn't he?
So that's when Crow hits the streets with his phone, taking up jobs from his phone and offering to help people with their mundane tasks. Look at all these things people need done! Exciting!]
Hey, didn't you put up a little request on Craigslist? I'm here to give ya a hand.
[At least it's not money that's fueling him this time. However, he will get bored about halfway through the task and have to skip out early. But he'll make sure it's mostly done, okay?]
II.5 Final Remix
[Nighttime is another story. Crow's never really been one to be loud and obnoxiously an asshole, and even his worst traits make him somewhat tolerable in public.
However.
It has fed into a weakness of his that he's been mostly able to keep in check: his gambling. While Crow was never all that great about the extra money he made, he never frivolously threw it away like he's doing now, his credit card in hand and punching in the details into his phone. Something he had put a lock on with two passwords to keep him from efforting to put it in.
Well, his need to pull on his gacha led him to look for those passwords, put it in, and is ready to keep pulling. No one's even sure if he's going for something specific. After all, he'd pulled his dream idol just a few weeks ago.
Now...now he's just doing it for the thrill, and it's the one thing that makes him feel alive instead of slipping deeper and deeper into his aggressive, suffocating thoughts of his whole situation in this city. That he'd up and left home without any contact, and virtually isolated himself from his child life.
A feeling that ate at his heart every day and plastered with a smile and a goofy attitude.
If you try and take that phone from him, he may or may not get a little aggressive. But it's just a game, right...?]
IV. Chain of Memories
[It wasn't like Crow didn't notice the little hearts floating around. It's just with everything else weird that's been happening in Recolle: the fire, the zombies, the everything, floating hearts seemed relatively harmless.
It's not til one aims for his heart and buries inside it that he feels his happiness, the one thing he'd slowly started to regain over time, and his general willingness to help others start to leave him, and instead, his greed and loneliness start to take hold.
Should you see Crow, he'll have a deck of cards unlike any other--they're almost like glass, clear and with the different suits and numbers on them etched on their surface. However, from the way he shuffles them, they bend and flick with the same threshold that a normal card would have.
If he sees you, he'll smile, his playfulness starting to show, although not in the same way he'd usually show.]
How about a friendly game?
[He flicks those cards much like you'd start a game of 52 pickup. But instead of them falling to the ground, they hover around him like small barriers and hovering projectiles. That disease is ready to defend itself from any potential threats.
Good luck getting to him...although, there is a kiss that both doesn't involve contact and works from far away, isn't there? Can you think of it?]
Bonus: Birth By Sleep
CROW ARMBRUST: (Joined Oct. 2018). Age 22, born December 17th. Height: 6'1'', black hair (turned floral white), brown eyes (now red)
-Born in Portland Maine.
-Parents left at a very young age, raised by his grandfather Wren Armbrust
-At age 18, grandfather passed away
-No remaining family other than distant relatives in Florida. Held a funeral and left Portland for Recolle
-Care for his grandfather and first aid on camping trips led him to want to pursue Paramedicine
-Used his inheritance from his grandfather to pay tuition and locked the rest away
-Hobbies include: Card games, darts, billiards, fashion, mobile gaming
-Perfect hand-eye coordination
-Weapons knowledge and abilities: Twin orbal pistols, double sabre, basic hand to hand self defense
-Elements: Dark and Water
-Signature dishes: Fish burgers, Lobster Rolls
-Relaxed, laidback, caring, and fun-loving
-Self-sufficient to a fault, secretive, a bit distrusting of others to shield his own heart's most vulnerable parts
-Keeps his darker memories of past life to himself
-Genuinely surprised people go out of their way to care for him
-Can be surprisingly ruthless in his judgement and will hold a grudge, depending on the situation
-Alias: C.
-Closest friends: Rean Schwarzer, Elliot Craig, Astrid Renouf
-Pets: Cat- Pachinko Armbrust
[It's in that moment that all the colour drains from Crow's face, the Cliffnotes of his life story laid out bare for everyone to see. Sure, it wasn't completely tragic...
But it was his.]
Wildcard.
[Want to do something different? Let me know here or hit me up at
II.5 (which is a game i still need to play)
Up until the moment he can't help but snort in laughter once he realizes what he's looking at over the guy's shoulder. ]
You're really gonna pay for that?
I'm replaying the series myself and you're gonna love it ;D
as they say
Hunnies?
Crow turns his head slowly, eyes sharp and lacking the sort of jovial spirit they'd been known for over the course of his time on Retrospec. He seems almost...insulted?]
Yeah, that's what people do. They use money to pay for things.
It's called capitalism.
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James isn't affected. In fact, he's emboldened by it. You wanna start some shit, let's start some shit. I dare you. ]
You're paying money for pixels. For a bunch of tiny dots that light up in different colors for only a little while. It's not even a real thing!
How much are you dropping on this, huh?
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Hypothetically.]
Oh my god you're one of those people. What's it to YOU how much I've been spending?
I need to max out my idol box, which
YOU probably wouldn't understand!
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You're right, I wouldn't, and I don't want to. Because I have better things in my life to worry about.
[ But he does really wanna know how much money Crow's thrown at this. HOW PATHETIC ARE YOU, IN DOLLARS? James must know. So he just slides in real quick and yoinks the phone out of his hand to ogle at it. ]
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Hey!
[That phone does get out of his hand, and, being a millennial by nature, he's just going to go try and grab it back. He's giving you THREE seconds to be civil!]
Didn't your mother teach you to not take things that don't belong to you?!
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Oh my god! Do you even have money left over to buy food after spending it on this? At this rate, you could send these pixel girls to college! You're paying fake tuition!
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I'll figure it out!
[That sure is Crow trying to reach over and grab that phone, even trying to pull James down by the shoulder to reach it.]
IT'S NONE. OF YOUR BUSINESS.
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Bonus
SOOOOOOOOO, did the cat come with that name or did you name it?
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It's the least problematic thing on that list.]
Heh, I named him that
It was either that or Blackjack, but a friend told me I couldn't shorten his name to BJ
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Why not? BJ sounds fine.
But... why Pachinko Armbrust?
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Because it's short for--nevermind
I'll get into trouble
But Armbrust is my last name so I guess that's where they got that part from. Pachinko...well, it just kinda sounds nice
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Pachinko sounded nice? Cats need to be carefully named! You got to take their personality in to consideration!
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Don't blame me if you regretted hearing that answer~
C'mon, give a guy a little credit, though! He was definitely going to be named after a casino game, it was just a matter of which one clicked
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I'm surprised your cat hasn't tried to kill you in your sleep for almost naming it that.
But why a casino game?
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All 22 lbs of him
Well, that part's simple. I'm a gambler at heart, and it's a name he doesn't have to share with anyone else
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bonus because CLEARLY WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH THREADS ALREADY
Rean's dead quiet himself as he looks at the biography on his screen, feeling like he shouldn't be reading this but unable to look away.
He has Crow's, and Crow has his. Funny, mere moments ago, he was horrified at what he was reading, but comparatively...
No remaining family. A bit distrusting of others to shield his own heart's most vulnerable parts. Keeps his darker memories of past life to himself. Genuinely surprised people go out of their way to care for him.
N o r e m a i n i n g f a m i l y
What in the world does he even have to complain about? His problems are so... nothing, so pitiful compared to all of this.
He's not sure if it's the sudden surge of empathy or his own vicious self-loathing that's stinging the corners of his eyes with tears, but it's happening all the same.
What does he say? What can he even say? Nothing comes to mind, but a sound escapes his throat nonetheless.]
Crow...
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All he could do was be okay.
His eyes soften as he speaks, trying to lighten the situation.]
Well.
That's one way for you to find out ol' Crow's backstory. Not the flashiest, and definitely a bit of a downer...
[And he hates repeating these words that have been in his head...but they fit.]
But just your typical sob story.
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He sees the interior of a building, one that he's sure he's seen before but can't quite connect at the moment. Crow's walking over to a window, gazing out into a seemingly endless azure sky. They must be high up – in the air, perhaps? Rean can make out engine noise.
"My past really isn't that big of a deal, you know," Crow says, his voice more downtrodden than Rean's used to. "It's got nothing on yours, that's for sure. If you find yourself thinking 'that's all?' when I'm done, well, I warned you. So. You really wanna know?"
"Yeah." Rean hears his own voice without his mouth moving. "Nothing you say will change my mind. Please. Tell me."
A sigh, and Crow rubs the back of his head.
"All right, you win. Like I said, it's just your run-of-the-mill sob story. Pick up any history textbook, and you'll probably find a dozen others just like it. It's the kind of story that's so common, no one bothers to remember it. Like it never even happened."
And then he's looking back at the phone screen again, those tears stinging at his eyes even more forcefully than before. Why does hearing Crow like this make him want to fall apart...?]
Who cares if it's "average?" [He's not even thinking as the present him responds. It's perhaps more harsh than he intended, but it's from the heart.] It's yours, so it matters. You matter.
[A pause, a shaking breath.]
...Where are you right now? I don't want to talk to you about this over a screen.
[I want to see you.]
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Well, at least Crow can tell what's going on: Rean's remembering SOMETHING. Which lines up with his own memories. That was a familiar line to HIS past life, after all.
Guess Rean had been the one to hear it. It's funny--a small part of him wondered if the Rean of the past would react the same way to hearing a so-called 'sob story', with glassy eyes and a trembling voice. If his past self had a backstory as average as his own. It's something he'll have to sit down with Rean and talk about sometime--the text post wasn't lying in that he'd been a little coy with a lot of his memories up until now.
He owed Rean somewhat of an explanation. Much like now.
It's only when he's become lost in his own thoughts that Rean snaps back to reality.]
Remember somethi-
[He doesn't even get to finish that sentence. Rean's already cutting him off, his words hitting against him harshly, but not undeserved.
"You matter." That's when Crow's eyebrows furrow, a confusing expression underneath that smile as he tries to keep himself composed. Man, did he suddenly hate that this mini bio just sold out everything he'd tried to build a wall around...]
Shh...alright, alright.
I'm close to Recolle park. Meet me by the swings there.
[The park was starting to hit sunset, so the kids and parents had all but packed up for the day. Crow would be insanely easy to find.]
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There's a part of him, still riding off the feelings of the memory, that wants to snap at him a little. Don't hush me. Do you have any idea what you put me through&mdash
...but then again, does Rean?
This is too much already. He's just going to get going.]
All right. I'll see you in a few minutes.
[And he shuts off the video feed, shoving his phone back in his pocket and beelining for the park.
No one wants a swingset in the middle of chilly February. No one, except for these two. Just as Crow suspected, it's not hard to pick out the tall silver-haired man standing by an abandoned swingset. The minute Rean's eyes rest on him, he finds himself walking faster, eventually speeding into a light jog until he's beside Crow.]
Crow.
[It's like his heart is threatening to beat out of his chest, and he doesn't know why. All he does know is that it won't stop until Crow acknowledges him in return, confirms to him that he's still here and that he won't run away from this.]
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What was he even going to say to Rean that hadn't already been said? There were a lot of holes that he had to fill for his life, really. The bio had only given the Cliffnotes version. But what would that change?
Rean was going to guilt himself over this, too, which was the last thing he wanted...hell, he'd probably get those soft eyes, tears fighting to escape. And he just knew he'd crumple.
Rean had that power.
It's not until he hears footsteps that he looks up, pressing the button to put his phone away and pocketing it in his jacket. His smile returns, welcoming Rean as he always did and cantering his head slightly to the side.]
You made it! Didn't need directions or anything.
[He knows he's putting on this face for Rean's own comfort...and that Rean himself wasn't here for that.
But what else could he do?]
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[That comes immediately, but any real harshness his voice might have had to it is lost in how soft it is.]
You didn't... you don't have to pretend that everything is fine for my sake, you know. I don't...
[He shakes his head quickly, squeezing his eyes shut.]
You're my friend, Crow. And you've put so much into taking care of me when you haven't had to, and... these things are supposed to go both ways, aren't they?
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Instead, he gets a more sympathetic smile, one far more genuine as he reaches up to run fingers through that hair.]
They are. I just...didn't want you to worry yourself over something that's old news, that's all.
...
Buuuut looks like I worried you, anyway.
[That hand removes itself as he moves towards one of the swings, sitting himself down on it. It's a bit ridiculous looking, with Crow's height and build, but the swing holds him, and...well, who knows. They might be here awhile.
He'll just pat the one next to him for Rean to sit.]
You want to know everything?
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