recolle | FEBRUARY EVENT LOG

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FEBRUARY EVENT LOG

EVENT

FOUNDER'S DAY
It's finally here. This is the day the city has been waiting for. It's a day like no other when every resident of Recollé can be found buzzing with energy and excitement. Shops open early. The Recollé High School and University marching bands begin to play, and over in Tribunal Terrace Mayor Mayer strides up to the microphone atop his beloved giant chicken, Seabiscuit.

--wait, giant chicken? You're sure the Mayor has something important to say, but all you can do is focus on the fact that Seabiscuit didn't have bright red feathers the day before. The rest of the Mayor's speech may not get through to you, but it's his last sentence that makes everything official.

"Welcome to Founder's Day! Let's do our part and celebrate the city that we love."

I.
All of the hard work from the days prior has paid off. The weather is slightly brisk with no chance of snowfall until well into the evening and businesses are booming. Shopkeepers and employees working today will have their hands full taking orders from customers and keeping up with demands. Maybe that 50% off deal on wool-knit scarves wasn't such a great idea. On the other hand, residents that aren't working today will find the streets pleasantly busy. Chata has plenty of sidewalk sales to peruse. Music and the scent of cinnamon-sweet coffee will surely lure some people to the businesses in Tisse. School is closed for the day but an open campus tour runs a few times a day at the university, and the Founder's Day play is performed once in the morning and once in the evening at the Atrium.

Are you enjoying a day with your friends? Or are you stuck behind a register wishing you were? Wherever you may be, the spirit of Founder's Day is all around you.

II.
At noon sharp, the bands strikes up again as crowds gather around Tribunal Terrace. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the main attraction! That's right, it's time for the annual Founder's Day Parade featuring the city's newly elected royalty: King Kurt Wagner, Queen Maya Aimoto, Prince Ryoji Mochizuki, Princess Rose Strider, Duke Viktor Nikiforov, and Duchess Arlene Sinclair. The marching bands play with gusto as they stride through the streets, the Recollé High and Recollé University cheerleaders right behind them. Beautiful floats follow in their wake, all decorated with flowers and depicting the historical events of the city. One thing that's different this year, however, is the addition of beads from the King and Queen's float at the end of the parade. The Recollé Royalty's float-helpers sit on the edge of the float tossing colored strands of beads and candy to the audience below. Most residents may not notice, but the beads seem to be shaped like a new logo some residents are quickly becoming familiar with.

Residents will find that wearing the beads will produce some interesting results though. Are you on a romantic date? Your beads might slowly turn red with passion. Are you nervous about one of those floats suddenly veering off and rolling down the hill? Your beads might turn pitch black. No matter what district you're in after the parade these beads will respond to your current mood, and even if you take them off they seem to mysteriously turn back up in your pocket. If you take them off and try to get rid of them often enough, they might just appear around your neck, and you won't be able to remove them for the rest of the day. Then again, this doesn't seem to be a rule so much as a pattern. Perhaps you'll be lucky enough to ditch the beads to your pocket instead of having them prominently displayed no matter how many times you do away with them. Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve. What's up with that?

The beads may not be everyone's first priority. After all, once the parade's said and done someone has to be on clean-up duty. Will you volunteer?

III.
Later, back at Tribunal Terrace, residents who passed by a large metal truck earlier in the week will quickly see what all of the fuss was about as Mayor Mayer walks Seabiscuit down the street, monitoring over a small, gated pen for Chocobo-back rides. You know the Mayor used to own a horse. Seabiscuit has always been a beautiful Palamino with a shimmering coat. Asking most of the other residents, however, will earn you a concerned look. Recollé has always been home to Chocobos. What's a horse?

Nearby there's a petting zoo that has been set up by the same company. Thankfully, those animals look familiar. Goats, sheep, bunnies and other small animals reside in the petting zoo. Are you the type to feed them? Or are you stuck on pooper-scooper duty? Gross.

The Chocobos themselves seem friendly enough, though the little ones are prone to nipping at hair and fingers. Are you brave enough to get closer to take a better look at these mysterious creatures? Do try to be careful...especially since some of them are prone to running away and relocating themselves in other parts of the city. Seems like even the Chocobos want the Founder's Day special from Expressive.

IV.
Mayor Mayer, as good and true as he is, isn't one of the most careful people in the city of Recollé. It would make sense to keep Seabiscuit away from the city's pride and joy, the world's largest ball of red string. If you've been in Recollé for any length of time, you'll immediately recognize the ball. Large enough to see from any district, the ball has been wound and displayed near City Hall for years.

Too bad Seabiscuit isn't one for tradition and this creature does startle easily. It's hard to say what caused the poor thing to become so scared that it kicked the ball right off of its pedestal, but once it starts rolling there's no stopping it. The red ball of string picks up pace, rolling down the streets and unraveling to tangle up anyone in its path.

The string winds its way around the city and all districts, seemingly pulling people in and tying them up with at least one other person. It seems that the only way to undo this mayhem is to find your other half and work together to unravel yourselves.

BONUS.
You don't remember that building in Tisse being there. Was it there before? Perhaps it was empty in the days prior to Founder's Day, but today a small neon sign illuminates the front of the building with the name of its current business.

Retrospec. Huh. Isn't that the name of that app that installed itself on your mobile device? As you've noticed by now, all aspects of the app are available to use. But there's still something ominous about that building. If you're brave enough to go inside, you'll find…

…nothing. The building appears to be empty save for a few chairs in a waiting room-type area and a large fake potted plant in the corner. There appears to be several doors and even an elevator, but it seems no matter how hard you try you can't access any of those. What a waste of time. (And why isn't there a staircase?) There's really no point in staying here when the festival's outside waiting for you. When you try to open the front door to exit though it appears to have locked behind you. Are you alone? Hopefully you aren't alone, that would be quite dreadful.

Of course, you can try a few things to break out. You can try ramming down the door for example. That won't work, but you may certainly try. Though the city is full of creative people with undoubtedly interesting methods of breaking free, residents locked inside Retrospec will find that the only way to open the door is by using the Retrospec app to post a status update, comment to someone else's status, or post a picture from their Founder's Day adventures. Is there a right or wrong way to do this? That's for you to find out. Time to get creative and maybe make a few new friends!

Welcome to

recolle's February event! As a reminder, all characters will be begin in-game AU'd as Recollé residents. As with our TDM, 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 a note, the effects from the beads in the second prompt can last throughout the month if you would like, but will fade as soon as February is over. Additionally, you may post Retrospec updates in your top-levels on this log for the bonus prompt if you wish to keep everything in one place.

As another note, by participating in this log in a thread with five or more comments from you, you are eligible for one free memory regain! This means you can claim a memory without a trigger required. Please see our monthly plotting post for more details.

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ and why even bother saying it at all? jade keeps coming back to the "test" part of the message retrospec had posted, but. ]

I don't know, Jake.

[ and jade even folds her arms, looking thoughtful. ] We will figure it out, though.

It's a good starting point, I think.

[Sure it's a wild and crazy theory but they haven't got anything better, so.]

And at least we're not alone. But it kind of... sucks that so many other people think we're crazy.

[The disappearing app got him some laughs with his friends but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't kind of hurt that everyone outside of a small group thinks he's making up shit.]

[ the idea of being alone in this definitely scares the shit out of her. she'd taken it in stride at first, not letting it get her down and ruin her day because maybe it was just stress. maybe she was finally cracking under the pressure? between school and like. everything with dave, she's been on a roller coaster.

so she gets it. it's scary. jade leans closer to jake and bumps his arm with her shoulder. ]

Thinking negatively will just make you feel negative, and that won't help you at all! Smiiiiiiiiiile. We're in this together! Well, maybe smiling is a little impossible, but. [ her own words are heeded, though, because jade smiles in a way that shows how genuinely she means her assurances. ] It's still true that we are in this crazy shit together!

[Despite his worries, it does get him to smile. Jade is just the kind of person who can get a smile out of anyone, probably.]

Right, yeah. And I wouldn't want to be stuck in this with anyone else. You're smart, Jade, so we need you on the side of good here!

[ if there's any way to get a series of dorky giggles out of her, it's a compliment. ]

Jaaaaaaaaaaake! Thank you. [ her shoulders fall, relaxed, and her expression is more tired than relieved, but ]

Have you pet one of them yet?

[Even if it's because she's tired, he's glad she's doing a little better.] No, I was, uh, having a freak out over it. But they look really soft... Are they nice to pet? They seem, well, friendly.

They are very friendly!!! [ now she has to prove it. jake, there is only thing you are keeping yourself from doing by avoiding the inevitable, and that is enjoying life. sometimes, you walk up to the potentially dangerous monster, and you pet it. sometimes it needs that.

apparently jade is the chocobo whisperer, because she whistles low and a few turn their heads. it takes a little coaxing, but eventually, one of the giant birds moves closer, inspecting the two of them curiously. it's got blue eyes, and green plumage, so jade decides she likes this one best already.

when it's finally close enough, jade demonstrates by placing her hand on its neck, petting more in a circular motion than a up and down stroke. in response, the bird kwarks, because of course it does. ]

Just soft and slow at first! They are so nice, Jake. It will not bite.

[Look it's not like Jake lived a life terrified of monsters in a past life or anything!!

But he grudgingly approaches, moving slow, because he doesn't want to startle the giant possibly formerly extinct bird. He does actually want to pet it anyway. Since it's green, he's kind of extra fond of it, too. Jake reaches up and buries his hand in the chocobo's feathers, stroking them just like Jade is.]

It's so soft... I thought a bird this big might be a little prickly? Like grass.

Yeah. It's a little weird, but... [ jade thinks back to holding a small bird in her hands, feeling the softness of its feathers. it reminds her most of a chicken, not just in appearance. ]

Well, I guess a lot of things that were eventually true seemed "weird." [ gravity must have seemed like a bizarre ass concept back in the day. ]

[The more he pets it, the more he relaxes. God he loves animals...]

Well, this is 'true' right now. [Despite his worries, he doesn't dwell on it.] I don't necessarily want these birds to disappear... I wonder if they're hard to ride? I've ridden horses before but you have a little more room on horseback.

[ at his question, jade brightens. ] Oh, they're not at all!

[ don't mind jade as she literally just...gets onto the back of this poor green chocobo. she's surprisingly nimble for such a small girl. ]

They're pretty much prepared for it. They give the little kids rides all day long, so it's normal for them. Come on! [ notably, the space closest to the chocobo's neck is what she leaves open. it's all you, english. ] I'll help you! It's easier than riding a horse, and I bet Dirk'll love to hear about it later.

[ no, he wouldn't. jade just likes jake and she likes dirk, so. ]

[He really wouldn't but Jake wants to tell him about it anyway. Just maybe later, when he's not feeling betrayed by their existence.

With a groan, he goes to the chocobo's side and just kind of. Stands there for a second staring at it in confusion before climbing up like Jade did, just more gingerly. Look this is so weird to him??]

It's more comfortable than horseback, I'll give it that. [Feathers are soft.] Uh, how do I... hang on?

Just cling!

[ is jade joking? no. not at all. she reaches out, on either side of the chocobo's neck and with a chipper laugh, she shouts: ] They run reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally fast so your grip better be better than good, Jake! When you're ready, just nudge your foot.

[ it's not that much different from horse riding? ...probably. jade's never ridden a horse. she's probably played with a baby bear in the woods, though, so she's not... totally uncool... ]

[Jade why do you have to say all this stuff so confidently?? It makes Jake think she already knows everything about chocobo riding, so he has to trust her on this. He wraps his arms around the chocobo's neck.]

Okay, okay... Just, uh. All right. Giddy up!

[Despite announcing that very dramatically, he only lightly nudges it in the side.]

[ they're off!

...to a slow start, but maybe that's for the best. it's not a gallop by any means, but more of a curious gait, reminiscent of the kind of trot you'd expect a pony to give. jade's gone a lot, lot, lot faster on these things because she made the decision to jump up on loose chocobos too simply. as such. ]

It's not scary at all, is it?

[ might as well see how he's doing with the trot, first. ]

[So far, so good. He's not unfamiliar with riding an animal, this is just... different. But not bad. He stops gripping the poor bird so tightly and leans back a little instead of clinging.]

Oh, cool, this is nice. It's a nice bird.

It is a very nice birdie, and a very pretty color, too.

[ the chocobo is probably used to grips that are too tight, because it barely reacts to jake's loosening grip. jade would place her chin on jake's shoulder to properly see what she's doing, but he is a tall, tall boy (the tallest she knows, maybe? is dirk taller?? everyone is tall to jade.) so she'll settle for an awkward pat on the bird's neck. ]

Good birdie!

[ and then, to jake: ] Assuming this is related to the Moa somehow... pretty cool to be riding one, right??

[Jake pats it, too. What a good birdie. It seems pretty happy that they're riding it, too!]

All right, I admit, this is pretty cool. It's not scary after all. [He glances back, smiling at her.] I wonder if it's as hard to buy one as it is to buy a horse? It'd be fun to own one.

[ that is an excellent question, jake. can jade come over and play with it like she does with evie?? ]

Is it really hard to get a horse? [ ....this is maybe betraying that jade has never ridden a horse since she knows. nothing about owning one, apparently, but whatever. ] I guess it would be the same sort of process. It seems like they've just been pasted over horses?

[Well. Maybe she's just ridden?? And not owned... That makes sense.]

Well, it's kind of a hassle, getting everything you need for a horse. But it might be worth it to have one of these, right? I could let you take it out with you when your family goes camping.

[Being rich is Awesome. Just casually considering buying a horse/chocobo/whatever.]

My dad would eat it.

[ bluntly. she bets he's tried to eat one already. ] Keep your pretty birdie! I want you to take care of it. Do you get horsies when they're babies, like with dogs?

You can! It's a lot of work raising a horse. But I bet these are really cute when they're... chicks? I guess?

[HE... GUESSES THEY MUST START AS CHICKS. since they're birds...]

And probably a little easier. [He's talking out his ass he doesn't know.] I couldn't keep one at the apartment though. Size issues aside, Dirk would probably glare at the poor thing all day.

It's a Strider family trait! They have no sense of fun.

[ this is a thinly veiled comment about dave, but jade's known the striders so long that maybe jake won't catch on?? maybe. jade is doxxing herself. ] Hmm... do you think they have stables like they did for horses? Just... for the chocobos?

[ they're chocobos. jade maybe should have said this earlier, she realizes. ]

[He knows that feel. So well.]

I assume so. I mean, since riding them is still a thing? You'd need somewhere outdoors to keep them. [But he's kind of curious still so—] Did Dave do anything in particular lately to earn that comment or just being himself?

You could keep it at a stable then! That's a thing that people do, right?

[ ...WELL. she lets it hang for a moment, before responding. ] Is there a reason you think it's related to Dave?

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