recolle | May Event Log

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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

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oooh, that looks good too!

[Fai stays seated for the time being, grinning up at his new friend. When the corner of the napkin finally comes free he cheers and claps as if John has just done something incredible.]

Ah, of course! One person drinking is lonely and possibly alcoholic. Two is a party~!

[He shakes enthusiastically, only missing John's hand twice before latching on.]

It's lovely to meet you John! I'm Fai~ What are you having?

Good to meet'cha too, Mr. Fai! [ yes, "mister." he's semi-aware of how unnecessary the title is at this moment... but standards of politeness and all. he also becomes keenly aware of how sloshed fai is the moment his hand is missed—not once—but twice. he wouldn't be surprised if his name went unremembered, nor could he blame the guy. ]

Four Roses, bourbon whiskey, neat. [ —or just a shot of it. but it sounds fancier if he says the former instead, even if it's really not that fancy. he dunks his straw into it, pinching it as he takes a sip.

it. yeah. it's basically an awful burn that he's somehow okay with. nothing like the fluffy pink margarita...... ]

[Fai giggles (yes, giggles) at the "Mr." part but doesn't bother to correct it.]

Oooh, that sounds yummy too! Do you mind if I have a sip~?

[He sort of slithers over to the glass, sidling up next to John and batting big blue eyes at him.]

[ ... well, john had been considering offering, but didn't think fai needed much more alcohol in his system, particular of this potency.

but!

things change. lo and behold, he raises a hand to rub at the back of his neck, offering the little straw to fai with the other. ]

It's all you.

Such a gentleman~!

[Fai smiles sweetly and leans over to sip from the straw, not actually bothering to hold the straw for himself. He just lets his new friend handle that for him. After what could only very generously be described as a "sip" (and may in fact be two or three large gulps) he pulls back, grinning and fanning himself with a limp little flap of one hand.]

Hyuu~! That's awfully strong!

Sure is.

[ because oh my god

john mentally lashes himself for that. and he's accepted that he's probably going to be the one, if necessary, to take car of fai if he gets sick. after a moment, he'll lean forward a touch to get a more direct look at fai, eyebrows knitted together.

and while it's only been a minute or so (the effects to come later, surely), he has to ask: ]

... How you feelin'?

[~~Oh my god John you. You are just asking for it here, I'm so sorry.~~

Fai takes the other man leaning forward as the perfect excuse for him to lean forward, until he's barely inches from the other man's face. Still smiling sweetly, and batting big blue eyes at him. When he speaks again he (obviously) smells heavily of booze and sugar from the daiquiri, and his French accent is getting a little more pronounced the more sloshed he gets.]

I~ am feeling wonderful! Thank you for asking, handsome! And how about you~?

~~[ HE DID... though did not actually anticipate this ]~~

[ encrouachments of personal space have never bothered him much, but the thicker french accent is curious and foreign to his ears. and at the comment, john's smile returns, then followed by an unexpected laugh through which he breaks eye contact with his new acquaintance. ]

'Bout as good as can be.

[ he takes a sip of his drink (an actual sip), now thoroughly nursing it as he realizes it's best not to get ahead of himself. ]

But aw, shucks, you think I'm handsome? [ his tone has a teasing lilt to it. he reaches out to lightly ruffle fai's hair. ] You're not too bad, yourself!

[Fai blinks, going from cheery and flirty to shocked in one second flat.]

"Not too bad"? Not too bad? That's... that's like the equi- equiv- that's like saying "At least you tried!"

[With an overdramatic wail, Fai buries his face in his hands.]

[ oops. john's fairly certain that laughing again wouldn't help the situation, though his smile becomes slanted as he attempts to keep a straight face. ]

[ uh, how to rectify this— ]

Did I say not too bad? [ with an apologetic air. ] I meant really, really, really— [ "handsome"? no—well, yes, but he doesn't think that adjective is as fitting. ] pretty.

[ it's a gamble in a few ways; he's not sure how well-taken that'll be. ]

[Yes, John. Laughing would be very, very bad.

Thankfully his little gamble leans in the right direction--Fai's wailing stops and he peeks up from his hands with a hopeful expression. He's definitely not crying, but he's not grinning again yet either.]

Really? You're not just saying that?

Nope, not just sayin' that!

[ not that he really has anything to back his sincerity up... there's a shake of the head to emphasize his answer, and cue (what he hopes to be) an encouraging grin. somehow, he still feels like he should probably tiptoe a bit with this one. ]

Very pretty— And I'm sure you actually must get that a lot, right?

[After a brief hesitation, during which time John professes his sincerity, Fai decides that all is right with the world again. He's right back to his sunny smile, snuggling up to John as if they're well acquainted and not brand-new drinking buddies.

It's... a very good thing John doesn't mind people in his personal space. Fai is practically purring.]

Mmm, sometimes~ But it's always nice to hear it again!

[ what a pleasant, purring kitty... john's somewhat relieved that had worked! not that he thought it would be absolutely detrimental otherwise, but it's good to do right by acquaintances. and, yes, speaking of acquainted: he's perfectly relaxed, even newly without personal space (although he may be hesitant to share the drink again, for fai's sake—). ]

[ he nods, unsurprised to hear affirmation. and because there's been an itch of curiosity, ]

What do you do for a livin', if you don't mind me askin'?

[John is a little shorter (assuming wiki pages can be believed) than Fai usually prefers, but he's cute, so Fai folds his hands on John's shoulder and rests his chin on top of them.]

Oh, you don't want to hear about that, that's boring~

[A hand sneaks out to poke John lightly in the vicinity of his collarbone]

But what about you? I'll bet you do something exciting, no?

[ john can't help the laugh that escapes him at that. remaining mindful of fai's comfort, he leans back a touch and takes another sip of his drink. ]

Yeah, used to farm. A real thrill.

[ it's not said with bitterness; he certainly knows, as he much as he loves it himself, that it's not for everyone. there's a small shake of his head. ]

Nah, just work part-time at a produce store, do some other odd jobs, attend classes here 'n there. [ and as dullish as that might be to admit to, his smile widens to a grin. while fai likely didn't intend the comment to have as much effect as it did, he can't help but feel complimented that he might seem like he'd have an exciting career. ] —You did a hell of a job dodgin' the question, though.

[ which has him suspect that fai is the exciting one here...! ]

Ah, that sounds exciting though! You're not nailed down to a desk or something like that. It sounds very... carefree.

[The hesitation is obviously not because Fai's searching for the right word, but rather sounds a bit wistful. And then he smiles coyly, shrugging a little.]

I don't have any reason to dodge the question! It really is very boring, I wouldn't want you to get tired of me so quickly! I used to have a much more glamorous job, but not anymore. But that's okay! You can be interesting enough for both of us, right handsome~?

[Fai. Honey. This is why you don't go to bars by yourself anymore, you idiot.]

Nah, nothin' like bein' nailed to a desk. [ a beat. ] Grass is always greener, huh?

[ it's a fair point— city life isn't always as lively as media makes it out to be. he tilts his head slightly, picking up on fai's tone and mindful of his body language. he doesn't want to pry too much, even if curiosity does get the better of him from time to time.

there's another short chuckle as he completes that thought. he adjusts his cap (looking for all the world like he might be some bashful, bright-eyed country boy), glancing at fai and flashing a renewed smile that shows some teeth. ]

No promises— I'll give it my best, though. [ he thinks, maybe, fai's current job probably regards him being chained to a cubicle... but then "glamorous" is a curious adjective to use as a contrast, one that compels the imagination, ] What were you, a rockstar or somethin'?

[Fai doesn't really respond to the first part, except to let out a little affirmative hum. He's been drunk long enough now that he's starting to mellow out, less hyperactive and more lazy cat.

...and that is a cute smile, damn it.

A rockstar. Fai laughs.]

Mm, something like that~~ I used to be a dancer. But I don't tell anyone that anymore, so you have to keep that a secret for me, okay~?

[He is so going to regret this when he sobers up. If he remembers it.]

[ as his thoughts tend to lean more conservatively (or just damn naively, rather, in this instance), he assumes that "a dancer" must mean he did some type of ballet, or was a dance instructor, or... oh, well. outwardly, he doesn't show any signs of being as perplexed as he feels. ]

Yeah, 'course! [ whatever the case, john slips his arm around fai's shoulder to give him a reassuring squeeze, before letting it drop again. ] No worries— It's safe with me.

[ but, further misconstruing this, ]

I don't think it's somethin' you should have to keep from people, though... [ like, is he just embarrassed?! a question mark lingers. ]

[Ah, the arm around his shoulder was nice, if far too brief. Fai takes the opportunity to snuggle a little closer, almost looking like he's about to fall asleep. Or he's just very, very comfortable snuggling like this.]

Maybe not~ But it's safer this way. People can't get obsessed and hurt me if they don't know who I am.

[He smiles against John's shoulder]

I don't usually come out to bars by myself either. It's not really safe. But this week really sucks and you're safe to be around, aren't you~?

... That's pretty screwed-up.

[ his voice has a hard note of finality to it; it's a resolute judgment, almost cold in its passing. he's unsure of how much stock to put into the words of an intoxicated stranger, but people just don't make shit like that up— especially considering that a drunken man's words are a sober man's thoughts and all.

were fai one of his family members, he could only think he probably would have taken the initiative to hurt someone in retaliation. they're thoughts at odds with the last statement. ]

Yeah, sure. [ he doesn't glance to him again this time, looking straight ahead. it's difficult to get closer than they already are—to offer some further respite through comfort—but his body language, likewise, denotes he's content with it. ] If you ever want someone to accompany you somewhere, just lemme know.

[Yep, it's definitely screwed up. And Fai is going to freak out if/when he realizes he actually told somebody all of this. But for now it's nice to get it off his chest, and John doesn't seem like the sort (in Fai's drunken estimation) to do anything harmful with the information.]

Mm~ Ou as-tu été toute ma vie?

[Fai opens his eyes, lifting a hand to very lightly flick at a bit of John's hair, playfully.]

I don't suppose I could convince you to accompany me home, could I~?

[...okay let's face it, he's probably going to need help getting home either way. From someone, if not from John. But the tone of his voice is far too flirty for that to be the only thing on his mind, here.]

[ ... there's a slight raise of an eyebrow. the french— is entirely lost on him, as he suspects fai would know to be the case. and although the heaviness of their prior topic still lingers with him, he has to suppress a new, easy smile from spreading as fai continues. ]

I'll make sure you get there safely, yeah.

[ he's not arrogant enough to vocalize anything else— nor could he, in good conscience, act on that. although buzzed, his glass of whiskey is (regrettably, perhaps) much less empty than he'd anticipated it'd be by this point. but he can't say he's disappointed with how the night's turned out— it's been a welcome change from routine. ]

And, when you've sobered up a bit— gimme a ring afterward, 'kay? [ a wink!! ]

[Of course. The problem with finding actual decent guys is they actually care about things like someone being drunk off their ass, even if Fai himself doesn't care about that right now. He'd much rather have someone warm to snuggle up to--among other things.

But he is getting awfully sleepy, and it takes far too long to get anywhere in this blasted town now that they're the size of pixies. Fai lets out a huff of a laugh against John's shoulder and smiles.]

Such a gentleman~

[...the wink is a good sign, though! Fai grins from ear to ear and sneaks over to kiss John on the cheek.]

I'll need your number for that, handsome~

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