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Recollé Mods ([personal profile] recollecters) wrote in [community profile] recolle2019-05-07 08:25 am

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EVENT
CONTENT WARNINGS:
Slight medical/body horror (optional needle usage/physical changes/ailments) in prompt 5
Prologue.
It's been a quiet week in the city of Recollé. Nothing has been under attack, nobody's gone missing, and that mechanical eye abomination sits almost peacefully on top of city hall watching over everyone. It's hard to say if the machine is even powered on, but it appears to turn in one of the four cardinal directions each day. North, South, East, and then West. It repeats this pattern, but further investigation will reveal that the glass cover of the eye can't be broken and it seems to be projecting a thin beam of light leading to these directions. Should one follow the lights, they'll find that they lead straight to thick metal pipes buried beneath the ground, all leading straight to Peach Beach no matter which direction they run. Strange, isn't it? The pipes are cold to the touch but pulse under your hand...perhaps now isn't the time to meddle with them though.

Instead, a message comes in from the liaison on the evening of the 7th, just as promised.

For what it's worth, I think the eye is no longer dangerous but getting to the source of its brain is going to be a pain in the ass. Let's not antagonize it for now, but...we might need to split the ocean again.

I can't tell you what these numbers mean. They came to me, and I know they're important, but I don't know why. They're coordinates, so I trust you guys to prepare for a leap through time and do what needs to be done. I'll monitor things here, as usual.

07:07:2017
02:01:1917
05:25:1212
10:31:2015
03:21:1954

You can always plug in the current date and location to get back to where you need to be. That's our failsafe, but make sure you time your return just right. Good luck.


At first, plugging in any of these numbers doesn't seem to have any sort of effect. In fact, it feels as though you're standing in the very same spot and even the area around you appears to be the same. On the other hand, the moment you take a step forward you're pitched face-first into an invisible wall, stumbling out to a new location…

Well. Hope you were prepared for that.
I. The City of Recollé, July 2017
Some of you may recognize this place as the original Retrospec building, the place that once stood where Wiffle-Waffle now remains. Entering the building will show that the Retrospec Headquarters seem to be missing doors and hallways, an elevator permanently grounded to the bottom floor, and a receptionist's desk that's empty. However, lights wrap around the handrail of the staircase, inviting you to walk up toward the second floor. The doors from this floor are missing as well, but there's a door ajar as light streams from it. Pushing the door open reveals a young man in his early 20s, clad in jeans and a sweater vest as he's hunched over a laptop, rapidly typing up a document and steadily working through the reports on his desk. The room doesn't have much space to it, but books about biology and genetics are intermingled with notes about evolution and hybrid animals. Comic books and horror movies sit in a neat pile in a corner near a small TV, screen frozen on a large monster of some sort. A table in the back is home to a few fossilized items in jars, along with empty coffee cups and house plants. In another corner is a clothing rack with a handful of costumes and a sewing machine sits on the floor nearby. Tacked on the wall is a reminder of the dates of the Recollé ReConvention.

And as you enter, Maurice Fitzwilliam suddenly looks up from his laptop and narrows his eyes and asks one very specific question.

"What are you doing here?"
II. The City of Recollé, February 1917
The city of Recollé…though not as you would currently recognize it. The only identifying feature of this land is the miles and miles of peach trees alongside the ocean, the starting foundations for Peach Beach and the woods flanking the area. The land itself seems to be newly inhabited, buildings starting to rise up and foundations stabilized as the people around you are hard at work in making this city into a place that's inhabitable. For those brave enough to venture forward, they may find themselves drawn into the woods, following a path that's less clear-cut than previous paths. Trees grow with tangled roots and the grass is tall and thick. Creatures such as snakes and bears live in these woods and for those who aren't careful where they step, they may encounter these creatures. However, a little bit of walking and dedication will bring adventurers to a wall of thick, green vines and foliage. Hidden just behind the foliage is a door, seemingly brand new and a light peers out from this section of the rocks before you. Sharp eyes will realize that there's a small, familiar logo hidden in the paint of this door as well.

Modernized for the times, the interior of the bunker is clean and orderly. A receptionist desk with a typewriter and rotary phone sit in the lobby, and should one test the phone they'll find everything seems to be in working order. The room is a centralized hub, a narrow hallway leading to four doors with emblems of a wolf, a rabbit, a bear and a koi fish on each. The rooms themselves are locked, but at the very end of the hallway is a large meeting space. Voices can be heard and upon peering inside, one might notice that a door slides open in the wall as the four founders of the city slip through it, the secret passageway closing on its own.

Spread out on the table are several sheets of paper, many of which reflect diagrams of layers, maps of the city, and several contracts and guidelines mapped out. Most familiar, of course, is a contract about the Retrospec project itself:

Clarence Vanderweele, Georgia Mahoney, Phillip Spinnato and Myrtle Cavendish will embark on a venture to begin saving worlds that are being destroyed across the universe. They will organize rescue teams to scout various worlds and collect saplings of the universe left out and lost due to instability of their home worlds. These seeds will then be brought to a safe haven to foster and grow to preserve the worlds in order to rehabilitate, recreate and restructure a universe. Furthermore, the idea behind this project is to undergo the study of layers of the universe and how multiverse theory may be altered to create an offshoot of varying timelines, pull resources and expand the universe as we know it.

With jars of ink in all colors and quills scattered about, it's easy (and tempting, really) to fill in some of the blanks. The company appears to be outlining their objectives and policies and several ideas have been added and crossed out. What's one more? It's not as though they'll really notice, right?

The moment a rule is written, the paper before you seems to absorb it, a distinct, soft click heard from elsewhere as the door behind you locks.

A lone figure suddenly materializes before you. For some, it's a man with a scepter and for some it's a woman with an ancient tome. For others still it's a woman with a sword or even a man channeling a power sort of energy, blue lines faintly glowing in his hands.

No matter the figure you encounter, they all share the same goal. There's an intruder in their midst and they want you gone and away from their research. Enclosed in such a tight space, finding a way out may seem impossible especially as you're fending off someone else's attack. The man with the scepter seems to take on a melee style of combat while the lady knight moves with grace and artful swings of her weapon. Both of these beings can be disarmed with skill and time, and they'll allow you to pass peacefully.

The woman with the tome will attempt to use standard spells against her opponent, anything to disarm or put you at a disadvantage. Elemental spells seem to be her forte along with a range of telekinesis, making objects fight for her. Watch out for chairs, the table, glass objects and other decorations from this meeting room. The only way to defeat her is to remove the tome from her hands and find a spell to unveil the door. She, too, will then let you pass peacefully and even heal you of wounds you receive.

The man with the blue hands, however, won't let anyone escape that easily. Illusions, telepathy and reality-shifting are his strengths. The room will change as he sees fit, reflecting your most inner thoughts or darkest places, stripping you of weapons and utilizing these to defend himself. The best way to defeat him is by breaking through the illusion, but…what will you do when you have the man in captivity?

The choice is yours, Retrospecters. Will you alter history, or leave things as they are now?
III. Odryria, May 1212
The planet you've arrived on seems to be in disarray. What once was a prosperous city with tall skyscrapers and natural streams flowing through and beautiful mountains in the distance has turned into a place where crops have burned and buildings have crumbled, plumes of smoke billow up and away from the ground below. Several flying machines streak across the sky, metal falling apart and crashing down with little warning. Mixed among the smoke are colored wisps, similar to the soul energy several of you have become familiar with. As each new citizen of this world runs and fights, preparing themselves for battle and to help stabilize their world, it becomes clear this is a losing fight as residents succumb to the damages, bodies disappearing and soul energy drifting up aimlessly to be lost forever.

Among the wreckage a mighty roar can be heard, and should you look up you'll find a majestic lioness running through the streets, a young woman clad in jeans, an old t-shirt, a worn leather jacket and sword in hand atop her back. It's hard to recognize her from afar, but some may come to realize this woman is Wendy Guo calling the shots and giving instructions to soldiers on the ground. The sphinx that she's riding seems agitated, large tail swishing and knocking out enemy forces in the air. The enemies in question are relentless, diving down on their prey and swiping to pull the souls out from their bodies, releasing them and tainting them.

Upon spotting a newcomer, however, Wendy and Surina the sphinx come to a halt and peer down at those standing to the side, eyes narrowed before Wendy speaks.

"What are you standing around for? The world's going to shit. Come see me about your assignment when you're ready!"
IV. The City of Recollé, October 2015
An empty classroom on the Recollé University campus is where this coordinate leads, and a quick glance at the calendar gives you an idea that it's Halloween. This particular classroom is decorated with appropriately spooky decor and the atmosphere is quiet. Standing at the front of the room, however, is a young man with brown hair and a lithe, almost scrawny figure. He's standing in front of a white board and appears to be writing fragments of information across the surface.

Missing persons articles are tacked up on a bulletin board next to the white board, all connected together by an array of red string, lines drawn together in a seemingly haphazard pattern. Stacks of psychology books sit on the edge of the teacher's desk and on top of those books appears to be a résumé for one Zachariah Carlisle. He doesn't turn to face whomever has appeared in this time, but as you draw closer it becomes clear that the fragments on the board are lists of the series of events from the last two and a half years of your timeline, beginning with a date four months into this timeline's future. A hand reaches up and the figure before you writes your name on the board, along with a few brief facts about you before he turns, capping the marker and folding his arms over his chest.

"I can't tell if you're early or if you're late, but the future's kind of messed up, isn't it? How can I help?"
V. The Lab of James Halliday, March 1954
Appearing in a waiting room, anyone who finds themselves utilizing these coordinates will be asked to sign in and provide their information for the doctor. There doesn't appear to be an exit to the waiting room, simply a hallway leading north and two halls leading east and west. The lab itself smells sterile and clean, white lights hanging from above as the receptionist (a young woman named Abigail, it seems) appears to be waiting for you to fill out your paperwork.

The turnaround time is almost instantaneous as you're ushered back into an examination room. The nurse is chatty and bubbly as she takes your vitals, writing down information as needed. While the nurse won't actually answer any of your questions about this place, she'll ask about your medical history. Regardless of your answer, she'll assure you of one thing.

"Dr. Halliday will take care of you, honey. Just relax. This will only hurt for a minute."

A prick to your skin is the last thing you feel as your eyes drift closed, an overwhelming sleepiness taking over as you fall into darkness.

The next time you awaken it's in an operating room and a young doctor's shining a flashlight into your eyes. Brown eyes peer at you inquisitively, and Dr. Halliday hums before turning back to his wall of specimens and vials of potions. Jars of half-formed creatures glow a sickly sort of green, all labeled with names such as "chimera" or "harpy" or "minotaur." There's another set of jars labeled names such as "Jet", "Rebecca" and "Dylan." Microscopes, petri dishes and several scalpels await on various tables in the room and the doctor hums again before he taps his finger to his chin.

"I believe I'd like to pick your brain for a moment. Just a moment! It's simply for research, you see." With a grand flourish, the doctor gestures to a computer in the corner along with several case files and notebooks of research. "To create the perfect hybrid…years of research will have to go into this, but gathering as much data as possible will help. These tests are quite simple." The doctor reaches over, opening a case of syringes and medical tools.

"We'll start with this one."

While it's possible to dodge the doctor, some of you may not be so quick and will feel another pinch, the effects of the syringe setting in almost seamlessly. Even if your mind becomes hazy, one thing is certain. You should probably get out of here, and quickly. Unfortunately for you, you'll have to find a space that your phone's signal will pick up and allow you to access the Retrospec app. It's a race against time and the orderlies in the lab approaching you, ready to strap you down for more research. The doctor's research is spread throughout the lab in the three separate operating rooms and three separate examination rooms, and upon further investigation it seems as though you (and whoever you came with) are on your own to find a way out.

Think fast; will you save yourselves, or will you try to obtain more information and stop this operation for good?
VI. ??????
Perhaps you're the type to take matters into your own hands, or maybe you're simply curious. It seems as though the timeline-hopping portion of the Retrospec application allows users to input their own information, giving you the option to type in a place and a time of your own. Unlike the other coordinates, however, the moment you shift to this new time a countdown timer appears.

One hour. You have one hour to see your past or your future history, what could possibly happen in this timeline and what may be waiting for you. While this may seem like a wonderful opportunity, do take care…even the slightest change in your timeline may impact the world at large.

Are you the kind who wishes to study the dinosaurs up close? Or maybe you just want to go backwards to cram in extra studying for your finals. There doesn't seem to be a limit on locations, and the application appears to be programmed to understand regardless of how obscure it seems.

Take your time exploring, adventurers. You may learn something new.
NOTES.
Welcome to [community profile] recolle's May event log!

A few notes about the prompts for this one:

Prompt II: You are free to NPC your own fights with the Founders! They will not speak, but you may use their styles of fighting to create your own scenarios and decide if your characters win or not. If you'd like to encounter Vanderweele and try to defeat him, please see the comment linked in prompt II.
Prompt III: Likewise, you are free to NPC your own fights with the flying creatures on this planet if you don't want an assignment from Wendy. These creatures are fairly ruthless and will attempt to tear people apart to steal their soul energy but they will turn into dust once defeated. Likewise, you may explore the city of this planet itself. Strangely, it's similar to Recollé.
Prompt V: You may also NPC your own routes and encounters in the lab. Orderlies will attempt to chase characters down to strap to tables and continue running experiments, and characters will come across several jars of specimens and research, but the exit can be found in the northmost hallway to make the jump back.

You can claim three freebies on this log!
-Players may claim one freebie for a thread involving a jump to another time. This must be at least 5 comments from you.
-Players may claim one freebie for a thread engaging with something in the time jump whether that's writing out a new rule, helping with the battle, speaking to an npc or etc. This must be at least 5 comments from you.
-Players may claim one freebie for exploring their own coordinates. This must be at least 5 comments from you.

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!

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