recollecters: (Default)
Recollé Mods ([personal profile] recollecters) wrote in [community profile] recolle2017-05-03 08:57 pm

May Event Log

EVENT
RISE AND SHINE
Spring is upon the city of Recollé now. The rainy season is starting to pass and the last of the winter chill has officially shaken off. The weather is perfectly spring-like with flowers blooming all over the city and the local wildlife rousing from their hiding places. People everywhere find themselves awakening to the sound of birds tweeting and the sun shining peacefully on them as they're drawn from the world of dreaming.

Too bad that's about where the peace ends today.

I.
It’s a leisurely morning when you first wake up. The sun’s rising and peeking in through the curtains of your room, birds are chirping happily, and you find yourself drowning in your sheets with the floor much, much further down than you recall.

Wait, what?

You don’t think that you’ve shrunken at all. After all, your clothing still fits perfectly fine. The trouble with it all is that all of your furniture has enlarged several times its usual size and the walls tower over you more than before. Getting ready for your day is going to be a challenge, but the outside world can’t be that bad, can it?

Think again. Buildings skyrocket dozens of stories higher than they originally were. The button for the crosswalk dangles over your head tauntingly. The tires for your school bus are coming dangerously close as you try to cross the street. Be careful out there!

Is there a safe path to avoid further incidents? As the days go on, citizens will find that if they look down a series of lit-up circles appear under their feet. Stepping on one will cause the Retrospec app to open, and a song will begin to play. How long will this go on? Unfortunately, Retrospec seems to be working just fine and will autoloop until your path of lights meets someone new. After all, isn't social media about bringing people together? Best get to exploring and seeing what’s out there…or, maybe, who’s out there.

II.
Speaking of exploring, it's much easier to see the wear and tear of the city at this size. With everything much larger you may notice that everything about your nice city isn't quite so nice. Cracks in the sidewalk present a hazard when walking everywhere and there are fractures in the buildings themselves. You may wish to avoid them entirely for your own safety.

But for the more curious residents (or anyone accidentally finding themselves falling into these cracks) a venture into these spaces will reveal something a little mysterious. Swirls of black float through space, occasionally punctuated by flashes of images and words. Presented almost like a movie, you may not be able to pinpoint what exactly you’re seeing but it seems to be calling your name to draw you further in. At first, the interior space in these cracks seems to expand and the images become clear. It’s…space? No. It’s stars, lots of stars and there’s a rumbling sound that seems to echo through the cracks along with voices becoming more persistent as they cry out for help. The swirls and mist become thicker with each step. Will you turn back? Or will you press on and risk getting lost in the echoes of voices you don't recognize and images you can't identify?

Those who turn back will find themselves on another path of light, resetting their device and urging them onwards to find someone new. Those who continue forward though and wish to seek the truth will find themselves assaulted either with a whirlwind of memories they’ve already obtained since they’ve received the Retrospec app or blacked out by the darkness as the mist becomes impenetrable.

How will you find your way back? It may be wise to work together on this one to retrace your steps.

III.
Despite the fact the city's experiencing some sizing issues, responsibilities are still important and these problems won't stop your boss from demanding you show up to work on time. Did you get lost on your way to school? What a bummer that this is the day your professors spring a pop quiz on you. The challenges of every day life are even more challenging and as per usual, many people don't even realize there's something wrong. Though your pencil may be taller than you are, you won't be allotted extra time to write things down. Even worse, navigating past shopping carts and down grocery aisles is nearly impossible, especially in larger, more crowded places like Freshens.

Outside isn't much better. Beginning on the fifth of May, clouds begin to loom overhead as the rainy season reminds citizens it's not over yet. All around you critters begin to jump into action to prepare for the inevitable storm. From this level of the ground it's easier to see ants hard at work hauling items 30 times their body weight. That caterpillar might be good for hitching a ride back home. Watch out for the furry four-legged beast running your way!

Speaking of beasts...well. Just because you're no longer your original size doesn't mean your furry and feathered friends won't be. Maybe you're lucky enough to have a companion you can hitch a ride with. Or maybe you aren't so lucky after all. Your pets may like you just fine, but other people's pets and even the insects will give in to their animal instincts, prone to chasing and sometimes outright attacking citizens (Retrospec users and non-Retrospec users alike.) Can you fight? Guess you'll have to find out.

Oh, and you better hurry...the rain that begins later in the afternoon is most unforgiving. At this size? It's quite easy to be swept away in a flood.

IV.
Do you hear that? Everything seems to be amplified now and with the rain pounding down around you for the next five days the echoes are even louder. This time, however, the words are much more distinguishable. Above the din of a hauntingly beautiful song, you may find yourself being coaxed to come out into the Apprassage Woods, whispered promises of your most sacred desire filling your ears. Perhaps it's irrational, like scoring well on college entrance exams. Perhaps it's something much bigger like seeing a loved one again long after their passing. Whatever it may be, the song is almost overpowering and tempting.

Along the way, bright, towering flowers serve as a guiding light deeper and deeper into the woods. The further you travel, the louder they echo those desires back at you, even louder than the song itself. Strangely, for those who have been gifted with a supernatural sense or the ability to see ghosts, you may find that there are figments flickering through the trees encouraging you onward. You want their help, don't you?

There are ways to break out of the song's trance, but it will take teamwork and effort to ground each other back to reality. It seems as though the rain itself may very well be the culprit. Will you seek to find shelter? Maybe you're lucky and happen to have a pair of ear plugs in your pocket. Do your best to guide each other home. The woods aren't very friendly after dark even with the fluorescent glow of the flowers.

BONUS.
The nice thing about being pint-sized is that it's much easier to go where you probably shouldn't. Should you find yourself back in Tisse and in front of the Retrospec building, you may notice it's much easier to slip under the cracks of the front door. Several of you may have been in this lobby before. Like usual, the lights are on. At this size, however, it's easier to hear the echoes of footsteps somewhere above you.

But don't worry about them. Being this size means that it's more possible now to enter some the previously locked rooms. Some rooms don't have enough space to crawl under, of course, but the two rooms that do will reveal something quite interesting. There isn't much in the way of furniture in these two rooms, but every inch of the walls and ceiling remains covered in maps. Not all of these maps are blank. Some of them appear to have small splashes of color varying in size and shape, like an incomplete picture. Some of them also appear to have images on them, such as a Chocobo, or an apple with a smileyface, or a strange die. Furthermore, after the fifth of May, citizens may notice one of the maps now has a picture of those strange glowing flowers from the woods.

Should anyone be ambitious enough to count in these two rooms (though really, that will certainly take time), they will come to find that there are roughly 110 maps in all. And with a little digging, they can explore and attempt to open drawers and closets in these rooms. Together, they will discover there are an additional 30 maps, including one with a picture of a strange-looking doll.

So you want to learn more about these maps, huh? For anyone who tries to draw or write on the maps, they will find that whatever they deface the maps with stays there! However, the moment you exit the room anything you drew on the map will appear on any surface of your skin that's available. Tearing the maps doesn't seem to work either. The maps can only be removed from the wall in one whole piece.

If one were to take a map from the rooms, they would only be able to get to the doorway before it dissolves into ash and creates a miniature dust storm for everyone nearby. Strangely, the map will reappear on the wall and the cycle will repeat itself for days on end.

The maps really, really don't like being touched.

What does this all mean? What a great question.

Welcome to [community profile] recolle's May event! All characters will be begin in-game AU'd as Recollé residents. You may use any of the above prompts for ideas or make up your own depicting your Recollé AU! Prompts do not have to be set in the districts listed above. You can review our list of locations for what's available and be as creative as you'd like.

As another note, by participating in this log in a thread with five or more comments from you with a character you have not tagged previously, you are eligible for one free memory regain! This means you can claim a memory without a trigger required; we ask that it be low-impact for newer characters, while characters who have been here longer can scale upwards. However please be sure to submit this regain to the regains page and just specify "May Freebie" in the explanation portion of the form. Please see our monthly plotting post for more details.

If you would like to explore parts of the city in their enlarged state, please contact the mod team so we can get you a write-up of what your characters may or may not find! This also goes for if your character has regained any supernatural sensing and you'd like for them to interact with the figments in the woods!

Starting on 5/5, the Echo Flower from Undertale will act as your newest world change! Once the event wraps 5/10, the echoing of desires will stop and they will return to providing white noise and echoing the last thing they heard. These flowers will only remain in the woods.

Any questions you have regarding this event may be directed to the mod comment here.
prometheanflame: why is this his life (proud mom of four disasters)

B

[personal profile] prometheanflame 2017-05-05 03:17 am (UTC)(link)
[Maybe if he just...ignores that girl, nothing bad will happen. Avoiding her also means avoiding the webs. However, Mohammed keeping his distance from Mafuyu doesn't mean the opposite is true. As he passes by the fierce battle waging between Mafuyu and the web, she makes a tactical retreat while swinging the twig, not looking behind her--

The web-covered stick whacked Mohammed on the top of his head, breaking into halves connected by a sliver of wood.

He yelps and grips the spot where he swears he feels a bump forming. There is a bump: the twig that is now connected to him.]

[personal profile] buncho 2017-05-06 12:36 am (UTC)(link)
[ If he hadn't yelled out, Mafuyu wouldn't have even noticed until she tries to bring the twig back for another swing, pulling at Mohammed's head where half the twig's stuck fast. She turns around sharpish— ]

Let go!

[ —and yanks hard to reclaim her stick from the stranger's... the stranger's hand... who is not holding the stick, it's his head, and he's not a stranger and Mafuyu just stares at him for a moment. Narrows her eyes. ]

Come on, pick that up and help me fight!

[ It's a tanto instead of a sword now but it'll still work, maybe! ]
prometheanflame: (hell2me)

[personal profile] prometheanflame 2017-05-06 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
[Fun fact: human hair is stronger than copper wire! Not so fun fact: ripping web from human hair pulls on the scalp, which is incredibly painful. So painful that Mohammed would rather tend to his sore skin and definitely ruined hairstyle than join in on the fight.

Even worse, his half of the...tanto... is dangling from his head by two threads. It would make for an effective weapon when he whips his head around.]


Why...

[personal profile] buncho 2017-05-07 04:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ Because the spider has zero sympathy for him, seeing the swinging tanto as a taunt and rushes towards him now, long legs striking the ground and fangs bared— sorry about your scalp, Mohammed, but Mafuyu rushes forward to shove him out of the way and in the same motion, tears the rest of the stick free off his head and hurtles it towards the spider where it strikes one of the many eyes.

Insert angry spider sounds here.

But it's also recoiled, and that's the opening Mafuyu needs to... run. She's running and leaving him behind if he doesn't find his feet right now. ]
prometheanflame: (hell2me)

[personal profile] prometheanflame 2017-05-07 06:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[YOU RUINED HIS HAIR. IT HURTS LIKE HELL.

Mohammed yelps as he feels hair literally being pulled out of his head. He has to be bleeding, it hurts like it does. (He actually isn't, but some skin did peel off).

Thankfully, Mafuyu running away snaps his attention back to the fight--oh, so she's leaving him alone with the spider? Fine. He's running in the same direction, but turns to the left in hopes that the spider wastes time picking which person to follow.

Mohammed was closer, so it follows him.]

[personal profile] buncho 2017-05-09 03:54 am (UTC)(link)
[ She was worried about him following after her, and only half expected him to split off. That the spider follows him is unexpected though, because she's the one who had dragged him into this and assaulted the spider and riled it up into chasing them. There's still something left in her conscience that makes her take a turn, not running in parallel with Mohammed, but following close enough that she can keep an eye on him and the spider.

Maybe they can trap it somehow, she thinks, sprinting forward to scout out the land and— ]


Anthill hard left! Run left!!

[ Trust her on this! If he can... after she practically scalped him... ]
prometheanflame: (A Respectable Adult)

[personal profile] prometheanflame 2017-05-10 02:27 am (UTC)(link)
[He is in the right mind to retort that ants are just as dangerous as spiders, even more so when they attack in large numbers, so why even run to their home base? Hope in that the spider will eat the ants instead?

But he has no choice if he wants to live. And it does give him another idea. He's not making a hard left, rather, he's turning before the anthill is close. Running straight at it would be a disaster, but if he turns left, then right...

Perhaps the spider can get dizzy from the zig-zagging instead.]

[personal profile] buncho 2017-05-12 07:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ There was some vague plans about the ants and spider taking themselves out, but that's the extent of Mafuyu's plans which are never very developed because things happen and she believes in things sorting themselves out. Usually. She stops and stares at Mohammad running back and forth like that, no idea what he's trying to accomplish but...

it sort of works?

the spider, at least, falters every time he changes direction, tripping over its many legs and almost crashing to the ground at times, but it's also got to be draining for Mohammad, and Mafuyu isn't sure he can keep it up all the way to safety. ]
prometheanflame: (????)

[personal profile] prometheanflame 2017-05-13 07:22 pm (UTC)(link)
[Mafuyu, willing to start a war between animals to save another human. How kind of her. It might have worked, Mohammed thinks to himself as he finds it more different to keep up the speed and constant misdirection. He's stumbling as well with each turn, wondering how a spider is more fit than he is.

Easy, it works out every single day.

The distance between the two is closing, so he gives up his initial plan and makes a beeline for the anthill. If he can even get there alive.]

[personal profile] buncho 2017-05-13 11:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It looks like he'll get there; he's almost there at the opening of the anthill when he's met with an ant that pokes its head out of the hole.

Then another ant.

And another.

Mafuyu freezes where she is because oh crap, she'd only taken into account the workers on the surface— here comes the army of soldier ants, swarming out of the hole like rolling storm crowds ready to engulf Mohammad, and Mafuyu is done being a passive bystander.

A battle cry sounds over the land, stomping feet and crumbling dirt, and there is Mafuyu with a long stick jammed under her armpit to hold up the weight, turning her entire body as she runs so she can sweep the stick across the ground and upset everything that's in front of her in that wide arc. Ants go flying. She goes flying at one point too, an overwhelming number of ants weighing down her stick, but she's! coming! to! help!! wait for her ]
prometheanflame: (hell2me)

[personal profile] prometheanflame 2017-05-14 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
[Both Mohammed and the spider stop, the latter scampering away at the sight of soldiers. The humans destroyed its net, but fuck this, it wants to live.

Mohammed is not as lucky. As the workers scatter, a line of soldier ants head toward him. His feet are hot from all the running, but if he doesn't get out right now--

The ants will be hit with ants. The other soldiers are knocked over by Mafuyu's stick, workers scrambling on top of one another. It can't be real. This kid can't be fighting off beasts that can lift 90 time their weight. Mafuyu included. A group of workers cling onto the end of the stick, attempting it to lift it and her up out of range.]


Jump down! [While the ants are distracted, he runs around the ant party, just under Mafuyu.]] I'll catch you and we'll run!