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

I can't say I've ever consumed wine in this manner, but...

[He leans in towards the bottle cap, cupping his hands and dipping into the wine much like she had. The can't help but laugh a little at the sensation against his skin.]

...what's the point of life it not to expand one's horizons?

[And so, he drinks. He's a bit bolder about it, too, since he also has a clue what to expect. Still, it's strong. When he's done drinking, he makes an expression that reveals as much.]

Well, this won't take long.

[Forget tipsy, this stuff will literally knock them out if they're not careful.]

I told you.

[One more handful, then she'll wait a while, Rosalind decides. She's already flushing; it won't be long before she's dizzy with the stuff.]

Better or worse than wandering the halls all night?

Better, but that isn't exactly a very high bar to clear.

[He'll go for another handful in a bit, but Ardyn wisely believes it might be best to pace himself for a bit longer. He'd like to remain lucid for as long as possible.]

If I giant spider descends from the ceiling and we're both too inebriated to do anything about it, you realize I'm blaming you before I die.

You'll be far too drunk to do so.

[She licks her palm one final time, getting as much of the wine off as she can, before leaning back and resting her weight on both her hands.]

Far more likely: we'll get tipsy, overshare on stupid things, and both of us end up with a little more blackmail material on the other.

Oversharing? That requires for one of us to have a sense of shame. That isn't the case.

[Yes, Ardyn just called himself shameless. He's joking, but it's probably 80 percent true.

Well, he might as well scoop up a bit more wine.]

As for blackmail... well, I merely need ensure that we both drink too much to remember anything. Clearly, the only option is that we wake up in the morning, sporting the most horrid of hangovers possible, and a hole in our memories.

[With that neat little thought, he'll drink up a bit more, thank you.]

I'll agree to that. So long as you promise to tell me something truly spectacular, no matter that I might forget it tomorrow.

Of course. And I would expect nothing but the same from you. Let us tell each other salacious tales, only to forget them when the sun rises. Maybe we'll be back to normal by then.

[Maybe.

But in the meantime, time to get a little more than buzzed.]

[She laughs, which is the first real sign of her inebriation. It's not that she never laughs, but it's usually a quiet thing, not the light, careless thing that had just slipped past her lips.]

Yours are going to outshine mine, I can tell you that already. I didn't even bother with anything salacious until graduate school, and you don't find many exciting people when you're studying for a physics degree.

[Already, he feels the warmth spreading in him. Ardyn laughs a bit in return, but he would have done so even without the wine.]

Come now, I thought all of the science-minded types were a bit... eccentric. You can't tell me that you didn't find yourself in a ridiculous situation all throughout your schooling.

At the very least, you must have blown something up.

Oh, no, I meant--

[Yes, he likely knew what she meant. Rosalind waves a hand dismissively.]

Of course I've blown things up, but that's not a secret. Who hasn't made a flour bomb or two?

[Oh yes, he knew what she meant. But Ardyn will settle for stories of explosions. Though he won't stop her if she wants to share something "salacious" without him prompting.]

Well, I haven't.

It's not hard. All you need is a bag of flour and a long match.

[She shrugs one shoulder.]

Far more interesting was when I mixed chemicals together . . . people like flashy things like that. I could make you fire all colors of the rainbow with nothing more than the chemicals I've stored in my lab . . .

[A beat, and she flashes a grin.]

Which is admittedly considerably more well stocked than most labs.

[His own grin widens, and he laughs.]

Of course. I would expect nothing less.

[He hums with consideration.]

A shame my talents never trended towards science. Imagine the insanity we could have gotten up to together.

Well, now it's your turn.

[This is fun.]

What kind of hell does a law professor and former magic healer raise, hm?

[And this time, a noise of amusement. Excuse him while he gets comfortable, finding a spot to sit down and leaning back on his palms.]

I'll disappoint you. I was not as grandiloquent of a man then as I am now.

[Which is partly a joke, but also true in its own way. In his law school days, he carried the weight of expectations from his family, which often translated in Too Much Reading/Studying, Too Tired All the Time. A certain level of good behavior was expected from him, and he acted accordingly, despite the thread of mischief and rebellion that continued to weave throughout his person. It would be a few years later when such a thread became a knot, twisting at his core, propelling him to unchain himself from all that made him discontent.

But that doesn't make for an interesting story. And so, Ardyn briefly pauses, then continues.]

There was the time myself and a fellow L1 accidentally set one of the library bookshelves on fire.

How precisely does one accidentally set fire to a bookshelf?

[The same way someone accidentally sets themselves on fire, Rosalind. But she's sitting up again, a little grin on her face, eager to hear the details.]

When you hate a citation guide enough to pretend to set a lighter under it, misjudge the closeness of the flame, and actually catch it on fire.

[A vague wave of his hand.]

Matters merely escalated from there. I was merely an observer in the chaos.

[He may have encouraged such nonsense though.]

You make yourself sound far more innocent than I suspect you were. Did you and your friend burn the library down, then?

Goodness no. My amusement would have turned into guilt straightaway if that were the case. Not to mention I might have been kicked out of the school.

[He laughs at the thought, though.]

No, there was a fire extinguisher nearby. It made quick work of the flames eating at the shelves.

Well done.

[She falls back, lying flat against the desk, her hands crossed over her stomach. It's a bit of a vulnerable position, but it's also comfortable, and Rosalind is tipsy enough to prioritize one over the other.]

Mm, let's see . . . [A beat, and then she grins again.] I once made a fellow student cry, does that count?

Of course it counts.

[She can lie down as much as she likes, Ardyn won't judge her for it. Being comfortable is number one priority when everything else is far too big to be convenient.]

But only if you tell me what you said that made them cry.

Him. He, ah, made some rather rude assumptions about how I'd managed to get into graduate-level classes when I was only eighteen, and I proceeded to . . .

[She waves a hand vaguely.]

He was an idiot. Intelligent enough to get into a graduate program, I suppose, but not nearly intelligent enough. I tore apart his thesis verbally, point by point.

[Ardyn offers her a laugh at that. Good for her, then.

The professor leans even further back, neck craned upwards to look at the ceiling. It looks stories upon stories up, and it's almost dizzying if he focuses too much on it.]

Then in that case, I would say he deserved every single razor-edged criticism you threw at him. The proper sort of punishment for a misguided, bitter jealousy.

Naturally.

Sometimes I think about looking him up, one of those times I head back to England. Just to see what became of him. But even I'm not that petty.

[She glances over at him.]

What about you? Anyone you ever got petty revenge on?

[He shakes his head.] I'm not one to hold a grudge. Perhaps that's not exactly a merit of mine; too many times has it been said to me that I'm too dismissive for my own good.

[Mostly by his family. And, well, speaking of family... Ardyn pauses.]

Though I suppose that's not exactly true. I've incurred a type of "revenge" on my family, in the form of not doing what it is they expect of me. I'm sure it gets their hackles up in the worst of ways.

[He grins. Okay, maybe a little pettiness lives within Ardyn, but just a smidgen.]

May Event Log

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