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)
recolle2019-05-07 08:25 am
recollecters) wrote in recolle2019-05-07 08:25 am
(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
CONTENT WARNINGS:
Slight medical/body horror (optional needle usage/physical changes/ailments) in prompt 5
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.
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?"
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?
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!"
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?"
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?
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.
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 torecolle'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!
Welcome to
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!
no subject
He's... he should know who she is. Hell, he should have already had this conversation with her by the time they meet proper. Or whatever. By now she's gotten used to thinking about things abstractly, sort of. Time is fake, and at the same time, time is the realest damn thing she's ever experienced. Either way, Anna isn't mad, or at least not visibly.
"Why can't I just kill him."
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Nevertheless, he seems to give this a little more thought this time.
"You know what a hydra is, don't you? Cut off one head, two more grow back until you find a way to kill the source. Killing Vanderweele himself without tracing the source is a little like that." He turns back to the board, writing up the names of the four regions surrounding the cities.
"...once I'm officially on staff, I can do some more research. Retrospec's kept a lot of their information locked tight. I'm pretty sure they're only offering me a position because I told them things nobody should know."
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"This entire time, I haven't even been chasing the thing that will fix it?" She's still not mad, not at Zee. A little at Zee. "Who the hell is Clarence working for?" And before giving him a chance to answer, she shakes her head. "I know you don't know yet. Do you know in three and a half years?"
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"No, no that's not really what I mean I think?" He sounds a little unsure, but that's partially due to also not fully disclosing everything he can see. He turns again to start drawing a hydra. "He's working for himself, but there are several things he's going to have rooted that if those aren't destroyed the whole thing will carry on and make it impossible to stop him in his tracks. By this point in time, and your current point, those things have been in play for decades."
He taps his marker on the white board in thought. "In three and a half years...I've seen two different paths that can be taken. That's where things get blurred."
It's also, possibly, why future!Zee decided to meddle with time three and a half years into the future but this Zee doesn't quite get it.
"Retrospec, in the beginning, gave him the ability to outsource if the company's history is actually right. What does that tell you?"
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She knows damn well from her own experience that she could be in a different place, maybe a better place, if she'd been able to make different choices. And she only knows that with the perspective granted to her by being older. By having lived through it and having seen where her choices took her.
Her metal footsteps stop a moment or two after he finishes talking. "How long has Retrospec known that time travel is possible, Zee?" Because July of 2018 couldn't have been the first time.
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"Probably longer than they'd ever admit. It's the only way to explain things, but…maybe not all of them knew about it. You know what I mean?" He shakes his head, holding up both of his hands for Anna to look at.
"If the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing, you could end up with a huge problem. But there's no proof that they do or don't know about this."
There's a pause though. "...how did you even get here?"
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She hadn't been able to figure out how he managed to pull all of that off while he was imprisoned, and he hadn't. It was right there the entire time; maybe he never got imprisoned in the first place, or maybe he found a way out well into the future, but if he knew that time travel was possible and he'd known for longer than any of the founders were ever willing to admit, he didn't need to be out of prison at the same time as the disasters.
She's looking away from him when she catches herself pacing again, her thoughts bouncing back and forth in her head wondering what exactly she can do with this information, and she doesn't even process that she's been asked a question for another couple seconds.
"You gave us the coordinates," she says like it makes sense. "In 2019. You didn't know what they were, but I punched today's date into the app and I ended up here."
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"…future me is awesome." No, okay, maybe that's not what he should take from this but he seems very pleased. "That means it works then. This whole timetravel thing. And other coordinates probably work, too? What are the other ones?"
Almost excitedly he turns, yanking a thin notebook out from a pile and thrusting it under Anna's nose. Inside, she'll find…well. She'll find a lot of numbers. "They show up every couple of days."
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She's stunned by how many dates there are, really. If these are all... no, she can't make assumptions like that yet. "Future-you only gave us four other dates. One in the 13th century, two in the 20th, and one in 2017." That's the one she's looking for specifically, but any will do. She already knows Zee gets visions, but the way he said it makes it sound like he's not the one writing them.
"You considered spreadsheeting these things?" she asks, the absolute irony of using her office skills not lost on her.
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"I don't know. It's not me, but it's my handwriting?" So that's also something he's not sure about, though more of a reason that he's paying attention to them. "Some of them I see in visions, and some of them are already in the book. For a long time I wasn't even sure what they really were."
There's a huff though. "Too much time and also there's the whole risk of someone else finding them." It's not really an answer, but. "...if these are dates, it might help to see what century we should even be focusing on."
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"We've both seen Jurassic Park," she starts. "We both know what chaos theory is. My guess is that these are... disturbances. Dates where something changed because someone changed it." It makes as much sense as anything else right now. She's not used to having to think in four dimensions. "You're an oracle, right? You'd be able to tell when a timeline got forked. So my guess is that some... future version of you is writing these down, or maybe you just go into some kind of magic trance or whatever. I don't know."
She walks up to his desk and leans on it, letting the seams in her robotic skin peek from where her joints should be. "But Vanderweele's making these moves, is the point. He's going back through time and making sure everything falls in his favor."
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"So what are you suggesting then? We start chasing him through time and stopping him?"
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"Look at how many of these there are," she says, focusing back up. "And more coming by the day. We'll all be long dead before we can change anything if we just keep going back to five minutes before he fucks with something and try to stop him. We need to find the thing that was important enough to him that he decided to do all of this in the first place." A pause. She might have something, and she flips to the first number on the first page and slides it forward with her finger pointing directly at it. "We need to find his first trip."
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"Even if he didn't change anything during his first trip, it's a confirmation that he's able to do it. It wouldn't stop him from jumping back and forth as much as he wants." That's a problem. That's a major problem.
"So let's say we found his first trip and you time-jumped or whatever and encountered him. What then?"
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She's back on her bullshit, even though she knows it's not the right answer right now. "Think about it. He jumps outside of the normal timestream one time and we hunt him down whenever he ends up. I kill him there. He never comes back from his little time warp, so anybody he told about assumes he died. That it was never as safe as he thought it was. And that's the end of people thinking that time travel is worth it."
This is. A lot, considering it's right off the top of her head. She's laying down her railroad tracks while the train is coming. And she's smiling. "We make an example out of him, and we save the world."
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So he's not saying she shouldn't kill him, unlike his older counterpart. It's just about being clever.
"So we pick the best time and the best strategy. Make sure that the plans he laid out elsewhere don't come into fruition."
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"Okay. So... when did you start getting these numbers, then? When did they start coming to you?" Because that's the day he started fucking with time. That's the actual day of his first successful trip—not when he warped to. That's the main timeline. That's when the best time would be. Right? "Please tell me you remember."
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"About eight months ago? Beginning of February, right after Founder's Day." February 1st. "For a while it was just weird, and then they started showing up faster and faster until I was having trouble keeping up. But I'm pretty sure I grabbed all of them."
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"God, of course. The whole city was distracted. It was the perfect time for him to pull whatever fuck shit he wanted without anybody even noticing he was gone." She's. Thinking, now. Come on, Anna. You've lived here almost a decade. Has anything changed about the Founder's Day festivities? Shit, she wouldn't remember anyway, would she. She wasn't on the app. They'd have to go back and see for themselves.
"So we can do the data analysis on this and figure out where he's focusing and how many things he's changing. Or we can go to the very first date you started getting these numbers, track him down, and stop him from going anywhere in the first place." She gives him a confident, determined look with the only eye she has left. "You may not know this about me yet, but I'm a fan of direct action."
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"Okay." Give him a moment, he's erasing something on the board to draft up what looks like a flow chart with the appropriate date written at the top. "So let's say you go back in time and track him down during Founder's Day. What would be your course of action from there?"
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"We go JCVD on him and time cop his ass? Torture doesn't work, fucking obviously, but if we bring him somewhere where he can't do his shit and interrogate him, we can figure out what he's doing and who else he's telling to do shit in his name. If he's got tendrils in everything." Like that giant fucking eye beast back in her current time.
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"There's also the chance he won't actually be truthful though. So unless we have him hooked up to a lie detector or something...interrogating him might not work efficiently."
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Back on task. "There's no chance in hell he tells us the truth. And I don't know what he cares about, so we can't incentivize him. So... do we know anyone who can. I don't fucking know, cast Zone of Truth at him? Nobody on the app can when I'm from, far as I know."
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He folds his arms over his chest. "There are a few magic users, I think, from what I've seen. And there's always the regular police department but I don't trust normal police for something as complex as this. Maybe psychological warfare will work on him. Just get him to admit the truth without realizing that's what he's doing."
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"God damn it. Matthews. You're going to make me work with Matthews?" She looks... kind of disgusted at herself. "He wants to make Vanderweele suffer. He wants to draw this shit out with magic that he doesn't know how to use or control yet. He wants to suck out Vanderweele's soul, which, like, fuckin' good luck," she adds quickly while she paces the room, "And make him, I don't know. Pay for everything he did to us. I fucking get it, but once we have Clarence, there's no goddamn point in dragging it out a second longer than we need him!"
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