recolle | september mini-event log

MINI-EVENT

All's Well That Ends Well
Summer's officially drawing to a close in the city of Recollé. Students and faculty alike begin to prepare for classes to resume. Vacations come to a close and stories are shared among co-workers. The amount of beachgoers lessens which each day and the nights start to become a little cooler as the leaves slowly change color. Unreality is kept at bay for now. But that doesn't mean the city's entirely back to normal...

I.
It's a beautiful day and many citizens in the city are embracing their last days of freedom. With a long weekend ahead of them, several people pack up and head back down to the beach to welcome the ocean home and partake in the annual End of Summer party. Much like July's celebration, Peach Beach is the place to be for food, fun and sun. The food trucks are back (and seriously, is this the only action they get?) and the stage is set up for musical and theatrical performances. Soak up some rays and spend the day with your friends, and don't forget to take advantage of the end of summer deals on the boardwalk.

However, the party doesn't get too far before there's the sound of a something soaring through the air. One by one, beachgoers will notice several boats falling straight from the sky and down into the ocean creating huge waves that crash against the shore. Tour boats, sailboats, and even a houseboat will plummet down into the water, miraculously avoiding crushing any swimmers. Make way, everyone: the boats are back and they're making a splash.

II.

Perhaps you're new to the Retrospec network and you've spent the last couple of days trying to remove the persistent app. Or perhaps you've been a part of this group for a while and you're currently filled with dread bracing yourself for whatever will inevitably come this month. It's not a bad assumption to make and though it may seem as though all things are normal for once, it all starts with an innocent text message.

From an unknown number, all users will receive a picture message along with a smiley face. Though there's no name or message attached to it, several users may know exactly where this came from.

Try as you might, replying to the text message won't work. No matter how many messages you send, the last half of these messages are unknowingly sent out to various Retrospec users. Likewise, you may receive other out of context messages from other users experiencing the same weird effects. Well that's inconvenient, isn't it?

III.
You know, texting can be considered overrated. Why text when you can settle for good old-fashioned face to face communication? With several new faces in the city and the autumn season beginning to settle in, there are plenty of places to go and people to see to unplug for a while. Now that all of the monsters are gone things seem to run smoothly as you go about your daily business. While there's some debris left around the city, the buildings are all in one piece and NPCs seem to be as oblivious as always.

It may be unnoticeable at first. After all, how many people look above their own head? Not many. At any given moment unprompted and unannounced, a gray wispy cloud appears overhead displaying any thoughts you may not wish to share with the public. While the thought bubble won't remain at all times, it will pop up on and off throughout the month of September changing messages and even changing color when speaking to someone face to face. Think your professor's talking too much? Want to ask out that cute barista? Good thing they can read all about it!

IV.
Even with the embarrassing texts and thoughts, this appears relatively tame by Recollé standards. Maybe the effects of unreality really did mess things up and the team's too focused on fixing it. Or, perhaps, this month's twist is a small one in comparison to the temporal storm of August.

On the other hand, it wouldn't be Recollé if things weren't a little more physical, now would it? Settling back into everyday life, users will find that things seem more vibrant now. Sights are brighter, smells are more savory, and sound is sharper than ever. Sound has become so loud, in fact, it's almost as if the sound waves have taken on a life of their own. No matter where you go or what you do, sound will make itself present in new and interesting ways. Musical notes will float out of your mouth as you sing along to your favorite song. Glaringly red jagged lines wind themselves around the feet of someone being yelled at. Storm clouds follow and drench someone who's crying. Hearts rise up in the air like bubbles and pop into small showers of confetti with every expression of love. Sound is fluid and expression is free; there seems to be zero limits to what shape the noise will take.

What are you doing today, Retrospecters? You may find yourself dealing with one, two, or all three of these strange phenomenons.

BONUS.
Over in Tisse, the Retrospec building is as sturdy as ever. Several of you know by now that there is more to this building than meets the eye, but even with the map in-hand it's impossible to navigate anywhere the building does not wish for you to explore.

Today, the doors to Retrospec are open to anyone interested in visiting. The lobby appears to be empty as usual and the receptionist desk in the center of the lobby is completely abandoned. Surrounding the desk, however, are several items. In fact, these are all items Retrospec users bought from Jim Halloway's wedding registry during July's bingo game. Several of these items are useful, such as his and her towels or silverware,
but other items seem outlandish or useless such as meme t-shirts, rubber ducks, and other assorted odds and ends. A stack of thank you cards sit on the receptionist's desk but it appears they have not been started yet.

Although none of the rooms are available for entry, underneath the television mounted on the wall sits a DVD clearly labeled "for educational purposes only." Should anyone put on the DVD, they will find a variety of clips from events from the last several months. Strangely there does not appear to be anything from the nine groups that were split between reality and unreality. It's a nice review of the year so far, isn't it? Perhaps it's time to explain to some new users just what this world is truly capable of.

Welcome to

recolle's September mini-event! The prompts are simply loose guidelines for you guys to play with and make up your own fun adventures for the entire month of September! While prompt I is only for the long holiday weekend, the rest of the prompts and the bonus can take place over the course of the month. You may also create your own logs or inbox threads based on these effects. All effects will cease on 10/1 at 9pm EST. Any questions you have regarding this event may be directed to the mod comment here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Until the payment actually goes through, you are only a potential customer. And at this McDonalds, we don't serve lies!

[He sighs as he reads her latest line of thoughts.]

...Are you truly hungry? Is that much true?

This is McDonalds. You will take my payment. [ The words shape into arrows that point to him. Take her money.

She won't acknowledge his question, but her stomach growls for her. She won't acknowledge that too. ]

[His eyes widen as he perceives the arrows! But he does definitely hear that hunger.]

...Fine. I was wrong. It seems that your hunger is real. No one can fake a stomach growl which sounds that desperate! So, as my apology, I will take no such payment. Your meal will be on the house.

[He then steps over to a register to type up the order.]

One cheeseburger meal, you said?

[ Don't point out her hunger! She slams her cash on the counter. ]

Shut up and take my money. I don't need your charity.

[Byakuya frowns and slides the money back towards her.]

This is no charity. Don't accuse me of something so patronizing! This is proper compensation for my own undeserved disrespect.

Edited 2017-09-13 12:21 (UTC)

[ And she pushes it back. The only thing that's preventing her from pushing it off his end of the counter is the fact that she's too short to do it without looking like she's making an effort to do so. ]

Exactly, this is a business. You're required to take my money.

[He just slides it right back.]

This is a business. And it's one in which complimentary meals are due in certain circumstances where we are at fault. And I have decided that the circumstances fit well enough! [He's starting to feel tense, as red lines zag out with his words!] I am taking responsibility for my actions and not your money!

[ No. She pushes it back. ]

This is a business and the customer is always right. I'm the customer. Let me pay!

[ With equally red lines zagging out with her words, she's been tense since she heard her stomach growl. Except it didn't. She's dignified, damn it! ]

You were right in the beginning. And I am honoring that by refusing this payment!

[He pushes it right back! Even as her red lines wind around his feet.

At the same time, he has his own thought bubble now, which remarks about how her stomach had growled.]

[ Now she's tiptoeing and waving frantically above his head, hoping to pop that thought bubble. ]

You're honoring nothing! Take my money and give me my cheeseburger meal!

Wh-what are you doing?! Just state the preferences for your order, and-!

[Confused abd disturbed by her wavung her hands above his head, Byakuya attempts to step back from her... only to trip over the red lines and tumble over backwards!]

Whoa!

Edited 2017-09-16 17:09 (UTC)

[ She considers this her victory now. And she's dropping her money over the counter so he can't push it to her side anymore. ]

A cheeseburger meal, regular fries, regular drink, extra lettuce and tomatoes. Make sure they're fresh.

[He gets up, confused... but he does listen to her order, while grabbing the money in his hands.]

...Very well. Your order will be coming right up shortly.

[He then goes to the back to oversee its preparation!]

[ Victory! She shall be beaming with pride until she remembers what she fought for: cheap fastfood. Eugh. ]

[You win this round. Maybe. But soon, her meal will be served to her, just as specified.]

Have your meal, and our full apologies.

[She had better not say anything else ungrateful...]

[ She lifts the top bun of the burger to see if her specifications are there. Oh, they look fresh! Excellent. ]

Thank you.

[ She'll take her tray and eat her burger in peace. Maybe fast food is alright from time to time she thinks, but midway through her soda she starts thinking about how much exercise she needs to burn this off. ]

[He tries to make sure that all of the ingredients are in their best possible form! And he watches as she accepts the meal, giving a proud smirk as she looks genuinely grateful.]

See? It's not so bad to indulge in this type of food. [Even if she thinks she'll need exercise. Whatever.]

[ She smiles back at him, thinking this is why you're fat while taking a big bite of her cheeseburger. ]

[He's surprised for a moment by that thought, but then he crosses his arms in a nonplussed matter.]

I can't deny that it's played some part in it. That's just a simple fact.

[ She grins and motions him to come closer because she's not done with him yet if he's not done with her. ]

[He raises an eyebrow suspiciously and takes a few steps forward.

What could she have to say now?]

[ She's not going to say anything!

She will try to reach out and jiggle his jowls though. ]

[She might get a little of that in before Byakuya attempts to swat her hand.]

What are you doing?! Stop that!

[ She's going to pretend that she was swatted even if it didn't really hit. ]

Why would you do that?

[He affixes a glare at her.]

You're the one who tried to touch me.

(no subject)

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