recolle | JULY EVENT LOG

EVENT

SURF AND SUN
With the peak of summer upon the city of Recollé, many people are enjoying some time off to soak up the sun and hit the beach. Pops of green and blue sprinkle the city again though many people don't notice at all. Citizens remain as content as ever, complimenting one-another on their new tank-tops or asking for recommendations of the best ice cream flavors.

It's almost as if there's really nothing strange going on here.

I.
It's a pattern at this point. Those who have been a part of the Retrospec network for long enough have noticed that strange things usually begin on the third of any given month and perhaps some of you may be expecting it. But this time on the morning of the third, everything seems alarmingly normal.

Speaking of alarms, yours seems to be going off. "But I didn't set an alarm, it's summer", you might say, but it sounds strangely like the "wark!" of a Chocobo repeatedly. Some of you are able to turn off your alarms just fine, but others may not be so lucky. For a few selected citizens, disabling the alarm reveals a special pop-up notification from your friends at Retrospec.

A short message appears: B-I-N-G-O! Looking to collect some of your memories? Ready, set, go.

The message quickly dissolves and reveals an electronic 5x5 digital bingo card, each square filled in with an activity to complete. At the center is a prompt that hits almost a little too close to home, whether that be something you would do yourself or challenging you just a little to complete it. Shimmering just under the words of the center prompt, you can barely make out what appears to be a QR code before it promptly disappears.

Wait. Perhaps you may recall that someone once mentioned QR codes. Or maybe you're still learning how this network works and you're uncertain what it all means. There's only one way to find out, isn't there? Grab a friend (or even a stranger) and get ready to play in all districts of your beloved city.

Then again, maybe you really did get lucky and you weren't saddled with one of these cards, or perhaps you're the type to ignore silly games like this. There's plenty happening in the city elsewhere as everyone prepares for the big Fourth of July celebration. Tisse and Chata are bustling with people stocking up and hosting sales, not at all unlike the Founder's Day celebration. Everywhere you turn you may find yourself face to face with people offering samples or tempting you with the best deals around. Are you a shopper today? Or are you one of the employees counting down the minutes until your shift ends? It's just another day in the city of Recollé.

II.
Even though it's the middle of the summer, it's unusually warm for this time of year. A heatwave rolls through the city, but for some of you it's getting hotter than ever. It may be an ordinary day for you when it happens. Perhaps you're a student who's trying to enjoy their summer vacation. Maybe you're cramped up in an office all day desperately trying to soak in the air conditioning, or maybe you're running around trying to fill your bingo prompts. There's no telling where you will be when you come to realize a small item has made its way into your pocket or bag.

Upon inspection, you find a blue-colored fortune cookie, glowing as bright as the Retrospec logo. Some of you may throw it away, while others of you may accidentally break it or even open it out of curiosity. The moment the cookie is cracked, the glow stops and a puff of smoke emits into the air leaving behind a singular white strip of paper.

A short message: "Learn to walk a mile in someone else's shoes."

The heat intensifies for those who have read the fortune before a cool, calming breeze floats over you. Like the crash of a wave, you soon find yourself overwhelmed with a memory that isn't your own, or the feeling of power courses through your veins, the wind whispering a message of a power or memory obtained . Will you seek out who these memories and abilities belong to? Or will you keep them for yourself for a while? There's only one way to change back to the way you were, even if you don't know it just yet.

Yet even for those who aren't blessed with this fortune the heat's proving to be a bit much. The sun beats down intensely and everywhere you turn there are shops handing out cups of water to help keep everyone hydrated. There are several places you can duck into to borrow their AC, but all around the same time at 8pm on the 3rd, a rolling blackout hits the city. The lights go down and the air units stop working. It begins to have the effect of being cooler outside than it is inside (which you recognize as strange, but with the gray sky overhead it's hard to tell if this means rain or another sunset) and you feel the urge to go outside.

That's when it happens. As if on cue, the crickets begin to chirp and cicadas make their presence known. Fireflies begin to pop up in little groups, swirling around Retrospec users in synchronicity. Those off-network will remark how beautiful the bright creatures are, but don't find this behavior strange at all. However, the fireflies will follow users around the city all night long.

Will you focus on bringing the power back like you may have once before? Or will you enjoy the show? The fireflies will be with you no matter the choice.

III.
Down at Peach Beach a celebration's set up to take place over the course of the next two days. A stage sits on the sandy beach to host a variety of musical acts (including a few open mic hours) and food trucks are parked along the walkway. Some of you may notice that thanks to the fiasco during the food truck rally, several of the trucks have been stopped with parking boots. The boardwalk has a variety of games and specials to offer as well, fun prizes for anyone who plays along, buckets and pails prime for the taking to build sand castles and several carts selling Recollé's famous Peach Beach popsicles and ice cream parked along the docks. Best of all, the sun is high and the water's fine, the scent of the gray ocean wafts toward the sand.

However, for those who venture into the gray ocean you may notice that it takes a little longer than usual to cross the sand to the water, the distance stretching before you. The water's clear as ever and refreshing from the sun, though the waves appear choppier than you recall from the past. Perhaps that doesn't bother you. Perhaps you're a great swimmer or you tell yourself the waves aren't nearly as intimidating as they look. Several citizens are out there surfing and sailing. How bad can it be?

Do be careful if you venture further and further from the shore though; after a certain point far enough from the shore, adventurers may find themselves face to face with large, unidentifiable shadows under the water, a slick slide of something brushing against limbs in a gentle caress before the shadows retreat. Walking further will reveal a drastic dip in the ocean floor and you may sink under, the water strangely clear for being gray. Whatever touched you swims out of sight before you can get a close look, but it's clear its multiple fins and limbs propel itself forward and away.

Following it seems to be futile. The waves grow rougher and should you travel too far, the water will carry you back to the shore almost as if it's protecting you from harm.

Weird, isn't it?

IV.
But life goes on even aside from the weird ongoings of Retrospec. Life goes on, the world keeps turning, and the mayor still loves holidays. The Fourth of July is no exception and the city is bustling with activity.

Much like the day prior, the shopping district and the beach seem to be where many residents gather. Several others enjoy the day in Hollingberry field with friends and family, barbecuing and playing games together. Those with bingo cards will receive another sound of alarm, a startled wark! from their device before there is a flash revealing that one day has gone by since the game began. Those who harbor a power or memory that isn't their own feel the impact a little more heavily, urging them to find their match.

However, the world seems to stop as dusk settles around the city. Citizens hustle and scramble to pick the best viewing points for the annual fireworks show. Street vendors sell glow rings and popcorn and sparklers for anyone who wishes to play with the lights. The Mayor sits atop Seabiscuit in Recollé Square with an ice cream cone in hand, anticipating the time the bursts of color will appear.

At 9pm sharp, the first boom begins. Displayed across the sky appears the history of the city in pops of shimmering color, pictures painted across the dark tapestry above among the stars. With most of the city distracted though, now may be the perfect time to do some last-minute sale shopping or cross off a few things on your lists without question. It may even be the perfect time to sneak away from the crowds and get up to some mischief.

BONUS.
It's quiet around the Retrospec building, but the doors unlock for anyone who ventures toward them. They have been locked tight since the first part of May, but you can't help but observe that this seems to happen periodically. A pattern? Maybe, but who are you to look a gift Chocobo in the mouth?

For those brave enough to enter the building, they will find that rooms that were previously accessible are no longer available. Doors are missing, the elevator refuses to work, and the secretary's desk appears to be as clear of evidence as always. However, soft lights adorn the handrail of the stairs beckoning characters toward the second floor.

There appears to be only one room upstairs and the door is ajar. Is it a trap? Possibly, but further investigation shows that it was simply a careless action. Inside this room is another desk, a laptop seated on its table-top and the room itself not much bigger than a walk-in closet. Scattered around are books on biology and genetics, 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.

What is all of this? A note on the desk reveals that all of this belongs to someone named Maurice and that "he better work harder or he will not receive his school credit."

But what's an intern doing with all of this research? What a great question.

Welcome to

recolle's July 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 based on the ongoings of the city! 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 a note, while you are more than free to use this log to play with the bingo cards and regains swap these are in effect all month! You are free to make your own posts all month long as well and these will qualify for your bingo cards. With regards to the regains swap, as per our notes how your characters switch back is up to you! This could be anything from a hug, a synchronized dance, a duel, etc. Be creative! There is no right or wrong answer.

Please see our monthly plotting post/event sign-ups posts here and here.

Any questions you have regarding this event may be directed to the mod comment here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[There's at least one more person who has been given the chocobo racing tile and is wandering around that part of the beach, watching the huge yellow birds. They may look cute and harmless, but Juzo isn't too eager to do the thing anyway.]

Shit we do for our memories, damn...the faster we do it, the better. Are you up for a race?

Togusa raises a hand to wave at Juzo. He looks between him and the birds and sighs deeply. "It's on the list." He is eyeballing those birds with the utmost caution. "I was a nightmare when those things were horses. Horses are big and dumb and walking death traps if they ever get hurt. Which happens a lot. Because they're also ridiculously brittle for something so big."

"At least the birds are smaller, they weigh less. So they can't take total control of where they go. This has got to be better." He is definitely trying to talk himself into this. "We should do this. The birds are here because they need exercise anyway. Right?"

"Man...are you alright?"

It might be the first time he's seeing Togusa talking himself into doing something. Isn't he always the one who's proactive and all that? Well, at least Juzo's skill to make up excuses might be useful this time.

"Hey, if you don't want to ride one of them we can see which one runs faster...to that huge rock and back, let's say. Still counts as a race, right?"

Togusa waves off Juzo's concern. "We do this, we're going to do this right. I should at least give it an honest try." He finally looks away from the birds to turn to Juzo fully. "Just. You weren't in my class at the Academy. There are pictures." Which are undoubtedly pictures of birds now. But still, the idea doesn't deter him.

"All right." See, he's not afraid. There's no reason why he's going after the smallest of the birds. No reason at all.

The bird looks imperiously down at Togusa. Blink. Blink. 'Kweh?' It floofs up its neck feathers a little. "See? There'll be nothing to it..."

"What did I expect." Juzo can't help but laugh, even though it's not malicious. Half-assed attempts have their pros, but honestly, he starts to wonder if such a word even exists in Togusa's dictionary. This guy's too honest for his own good. At the same time, Juzo is the last person who should call him out on that, so he just shrugs.

Those pictures Togusa mentioned however, they sound like a must see...Juzo is decent enough not to ask about them, though.

"Good luck, man. I have doctor Trevelyan's number." If that was supposed to cheer Togusa up...WELL. He still has a long way to go.

Togusa actually stops and laughs at himself thanks to Juzo's words. "Okay, this is not going to go that badly." Who are you trying to convince there, Togusa?

Togusa moves to the side of the bird, and steps up. He cautiously swings his leg over the bird and settles into the saddle. Okay, this is familiar. See, he can do this.

The bird 'kwehs' and steps forwards. Togusa stiffens for a second, that feeling of not being the one in control of his movement. "Ffff." He reaches over to snatch up the reins. Okay. Okay, he's got this. "Good bird. Gooooood bird. We're just gonna go for a run."

If it was someone else in the saddle, Juzo wouldn't care whether the bird actually listened or not. Togusa's a bro, though. Without saying a word, Juzo watches this interesting duo, a bit concerned about the rider. A simple conclusion is drawn soon enough—the faster they start this race, the better. Thinking that, Juzo mounts one of the Chocobos almost effortlessly, but when he's already sitting fairly comfortable in the saddle, something goes awry and the bird is jumping all over the place

"Hold up, bird." Pulling the reins is enough to get the situation under control, but it wasn't looking good for a while. Juzo lets out a deep sigh and finally turns to Togusa. "Never been a fan of them either. I'm ready now...I hope."

Togusa gets briefly nervous again when Juzo starts to have trouble, too, "H-hey..." But at least he can get control pretty quickly. Okay. See. This is fine. Everything's fine. He takes one hand to pet the chocobo on the side of its neck. Awfully soft.

"At least the same commands work," Togusa points out as he gently nudges the bird with his heel and it starts forwards. "Way lighter." He keeps his pull on the reins gentle, not as hard as you have to pull to get the attention of a horse. The bird claws piff in the sand a few times as it walks.

Togusa nods a little confidently, the tension in his shoulders starts to loosen. "Okay. Yeah. I'm ready." Another nudge, and the bird starts to move a little faster as it leaves the area that the rest of the birds have been kept in. Explore? Kweh?

"At least," Juzo murmurs under his nose, his eyes fixed on the back of the head of the chocobo. Perhaps it's not the best moment to express his preferences leaning towards "traditional" horses. "Not that it changes anything when you're dealing with a disobedient one."

He ruffles the yellow feathers idly just before making the chocobo follow Togusa. It doesn't start moving right away, but Juzo isn't bothered by the delay. The bingo square says "have a chocobo race" not "win a chocobo race", after all.

"To that rock and back? You do the countdown."

"Right." Togusa leans forwards a little, ready for the bird to start moving. See, that's not far at all. He tries to line his bird up with Juzo's, close as they can manage.

"Okay. 3...2...1...go!"

The bird needed no encouragement out of Togusa before it Kwehs in delight and takes off running. Enough muscle memory kicks in that Togusa isn't instantly thrown off the bird, but he does have the reins in a complete death grip at the moment. Breathe. Hey. This isn't so bad.

Togusa laughs as the bird turns out to be faster than he expected. "They get up to speed fast!" he shouts in excitement.

That's a 180-degree change Juzo can observe here, which is somehow amusing. He can't help laughing, despite the fact that his chocobo takes a few steps forward and stops. Every time Juzo tries to prompt it to move, it doesn't listen. Of course.

Being left behind doesn't bother him that much, though.

"Some of them, yeah! Don't mind me, I'll just...chill out here. With my lazy-ass chocobo."

Togusa dares a glance behind him to see that Juzo has discovered the only lazy chocobo. He has a quick amused grin before he focuses back in front of him.

Okay, bird. We're just going to go pass this rock and then turn around and come back. Cool? Togusa sits up straighter in the saddle and pulls back slightly on the reins, tugging harder on the right one to try to guide the bird into a turn.

No reaction. Maybe he's still being too gentle because the bird is so much smaller than a horse. "Come on," he encourages, pulling harder. "Pleeease?" If anything, the bird is speeding up, heading straight for the marker rock.

"Bird. Bird!!" Kweeeh! The chocobo lets out a delighted cry that mixes with a very loud swear word out of Togusa as it takes off from the ground to leap over the rock.

JULY EVENT LOG

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