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

No, I completely get you! Yeah, models look fantastic, but people under five foot eight or over one thirty pounds have to wear clothes too, you know? People should be able to look good even if they're not the really, really specific body type that fashion models have to be.

[Shuji might be preoccupied with looking stylish to a probably unhealthy extent, but at least he thinks anyone can do it.]

[CLAPPING HIS HANDS TOGETHER in clear delight because this guy clearly Gets It.]

Right, right! Fashion's for everyone. Models already know what to expect anyway so you don't get that great "a-ha" sorta reaction when they find a piece that suits 'em, y'know?

[He's fitted Baren before, he knows the struggle of working with people who already know they're gorgeous.]

[You poor soul, Kashuu.]

Yeah! No offense to models, but they get the good stuff all the time. When somebody who has trouble finding clothes they like finds something they can feel good in, their whole face just lights up.

[He's seen it on other people and it's a beautiful moment every time.]

That's definitely the best part of my job. ...Or at least it's totally tied neck-and-neck with the runway rush.

[He loves all of it in the end... It's why he spent years stabbing himself in the fingers with needles so he could get better and better at sewing.]

Say, are you a designer or anything? Model, maybe? Most people who get this stuff are in the industry already.

That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me.

[He's going to carry it around in his head all day. Someone thought he could be a model.]

No, I just follow this stuff a lot. I'm not planning to go into the industry.

[Oh no, too cute, HE'S TOO CUTE.]

Ah, really? That's too bad. [Granted, he wouldn't wish the industry on anyone who didn't actively want to be part of it... It's a Struggle.] But it's good to know there are people out there who understand this even without being part of it on like, a pro level or whatever. You're the kinda fan people totally die for!

[Kashuu keeps saying nice things and it keeps making Shuji's heart flutter. It's almost enough to make him forget what a total disaster everything else in Recolle is right now.]

W-well, yeah, but with all the work designers put in, you deserve to have more fans who really appreciate your job for what it is!

[The healing power of fashion is vast and a force to be reckoned with.]

I'll get there one day. [SAID WITH SUCH CONFIDENCE like he's personally looked into the future and saw he'd be the next Alexander Wang or something.] But it'd definitely be nice to see the backstage people get a little more acclaim, y'know? We're not out to be the faces of fashion like models are, but without us, they'd totally be stuck wearing plastic bags.

I [obsessively follow] like models and everything, but there just aren't models without designers. But that's how it always goes, people pay all their attention to the parts of the industry that they actually see.

Makes sense. Most designers who really wanna soak up the limelight model at the same time, too...

[He doesn't, personally, but he can obviously see the draw.]

It's normal, but designers should still get more credit. Maybe one day you'll get to Armani levels of fame and people will be talking about Kiyomitsu brand everything.

[Armani exists, if this ends up fourth-walling somebody from a fashion designer anime I am sorry.]

[rip in rest anime armani

Kiyomitsu looks dang delighted by that possibility though, even if he laughs just a little.]

A real household name, huh? Well, I think that's the goal most of us have. If I could reach that one day, I'd be pretty happy, y'know?

I'd like that too someday. Just to be somebody everybody knows. It's nice to know you made a real impact, for sure.

[Even if it'll take a while for him. At least until he actually finishes his novel.]

Right? That's the best part!

[SURE admirers are nice and all, but actually knowing you did something and left a mark and changed lives? Totally irreplaceable.]

What kinda thing d'you wanna be known for then, if not fashion?

[Shuji puffs out his chest some, just a little.]

I'm going to be a novelist! My first book is halfway done already!

[You know, if skipping sections to go back to them later and everything you've actually written needing a good edit or five counts as being done.]

[CONSIDER HIM IMPRESSED. Novel-writing is a whole different ballgame...]

Ooh, really? What's it about? Are you gonna debut it here or are you aiming for like, a bigger audience? I wanna read it when you're done!

[Always here to support the artists of the world.]

[Shuji bounces a little on the balls of his feet as he explains.]

It's a space drama about a man who finds himself uprooted from his civilization and has to redetermine his values and his place in society on a completely different planet - I'm trying to prove that a novel can be serious literature and not just 'genre fiction' like all science fiction gets dismissed as. Just because it's set on Mars or something doesn't mean it doesn't tackle serious themes, you know?

You can totally read it when I'm done! You can get a signed copy even!

You'd better not forget, okay? I really want one! That sounds like the kinda thing my roommate would love too, so I'll push him your way when you're all fancy and published, okay? I'll totally do a promo on my blog, too!

[It's a fashion blog BUT HEY... Books can be #aesthetic, too. While he's not exactly the most avid reader or the biggest sci-fi fan, he'll still advertise the heck out of things he thinks are worth the time and attention. And since Shuji is already a self-appointed friend, he gets all the benefits of knowing Kiyomitsu the one-man advertisement campaign.]

[Kiyomitsu is amazing and Shuji is so glad to have met him today.]

I'll make sure you get one right away! First edition, specially autographed! Thank you for the support~

[Now he just has to... actually finish writing it...]

You're the best! I'll make sure to display it nicely once I'm done reading. I can show it off like, yeah, see? I totally know this guy! Check out his signature, it's super legit.

[AH, FAME... A distant dream, especially now that everyone is just slowly becoming an actual anime.]

[At least Shuji will be a famous novelist anime??]

And I'll buy Kiyomitsu-brand clothes and show them off to anybody who'll listen!

[Which probably won't be that many people, he doesn't have many fashion friends...]