RECOLLE AU POST

[spirithacker]

Games are hard and we are all very tired, but I stil do want to play out Recolle things, both with the characters I actually had in the game and characters I thought of AUs for. So please consider this a CMO for whoever you want to play off of out of these choices:

Bungou to Alchemist

SHUJI TSUSHIMA

Took five million years to graduate college, but eventually managed it, and published a novel! Hates his past self and everything he stands for. Turned into a book spirit thing that bleeds ink, is dealing with that okay. Cynical, jaded to most unreality things after a couple years on the app. Thinks scythes are stupid weapons even if they do turn into books for easy travel size.

Dazai Osamu

Fate/Extra CCC

SHINJI MATOU

A small child who does not deserve this. Bratty, spoiled as an only child, but bright enough to back it up and doing his best. Has a presence in the online video gaming community without revealing that he's a child. Probably should not have remembered dying twice before the age of ten. Owns a robot with lasers.

Matou Shinji

Tales of Vesperia

DRORIT SHAPIRO

Significantly less anime hair. Still cheerful, still would Fite You if you messed with her friends, but a lot healthier and more conventionally loving relationship with her parents. Dad is a preschool teacher and not Whatever Yeager Is. A nice Jewish girl.

Droite

Fate/Zero

RYUUNOSUKE URYUU

Not a murderer, so there's that. Watches ultra realistic horror movies and would totally watch a snuff film if he had one, but doesn't have any urge to go out and kill people. A student of marine biology specializing in deep sea creatures, aka the most horrifying things on the planet. Most likely to excitedly post a picture of some terrifying thing on the network.

Uryuu Ryuunosuke

Hollow Knight

GREG "GRIMM" THOMPSON

Looks human up until he suddenly doesn't. Runs a circus troupe, but Greg isn't really an appopriate name for that so he goes by Grimm there. Much more flamboyant in the ring than out of it. Had a falling out with his sister, we don't talk about it. Gets Grimmchild as a regain and is pretty awkward about this being his child that looks nothing like him, or like a human at all, but still loves them and spoils them.

Grimm

The Miskatonic

ANNABEL "ANNIE" COOK

Came over from England but her accent isn't nearly as pronounced. A rebellious spirit with a bad relationship with her family. At some point makes a very panicked post about what to do if you suddenly have cravings and she's not saying they're cravings for eating people but they might be cravings for eating people. Learns to hang upside down from the ceiling and starts doing that all the time.

Nutty Annie

Comments

oh man i get to break this in

[protegge]

[Mista's been good. He hasn't contacted Shuji at all. It's what Shuji wanted, so he has to respect that. And if he did try to stay in touch—]

[Well, he knows them. He knows it'd just hurt them both. Even if he forgets why, after a few days, he remembers that it would.]

[It's a confusing way to live. A strange, awful, gut-wrenching way to live. It doesn't get better, as the months go by; he just gets used to it. He gets used to knowing that his boyfriend, who used to live with him, broke up with him at an arcade that he can't quite remember, for reasons that have always just slipped his mind. He gets used to seeing Shuji around every once in a while and avoiding eye contact. The pillows stop smelling like Shuji and start smelling like pillows again.]

[And then one day . . .]

[I think I might've killed people, Shuji.]

[He remembers.]

[Not only does he remember, but he remembers remembering: the process of remembering, one painful, agonizing piece at a time. He remembers forgetting, too, all at once, one time and then another time over. And how Shuji stayed.]

[He might forget again. He knows that. He shouldn't call. He shouldn't.]

[He calls Shuji anyway.]

you're so powerful

[thesettingsun]

[It's painful, because Shuji loves Mista. That has never changed, will never changed. He'd loved Mista so much that he'd stayed with him long past the point where it was obvious that a relationship where he couldn't be completely honest with Mista (because even Mista wouldn't, couldn't believe him), where Mista might disappear overnight or become a disembodied voice, wasn't going to be okay.

He wanted so badly for it to be okay, if he just loved Mista enough.

At least he was able to be honest with Mista about why he left, even if Mista forgot again almost immediately. It wasn't much, but it was something.

Shuji can't count how many times he'd wanted to text or call Mista again. Try to go back to how things were before. Even though he knew it was impossible - he still wanted that so much.

(He'd sent Mista a birthday present. Probably it wasn't the 'right' thing to do, but Shuji's willpower is only so strong, and his love is stronger.)

But now they've defeated Vanderweele. Zee said that all the people who lost Retrospec access should be regaining it soon - not all at once, but a steady trickle, and this time they'll keep their memories. Shuji has tried not to wonder when Mista would get his back, but-

But when he sees Mista's name on his caller ID, his heart is in his throat.]

Mista.

[He can't say anything else. He doesn't dare assume - Mista could just want to patch things up, it doesn't mean...]

💪

[protegge]

Hey.

[His voice breaks on the single syllable. Great. Awesome start. Perfect. He coughs.]

[What did he call to say? He doesn't even know. What could he say? He isn't even sure he believes his own mind right now. Except he does, except it all fits, but it's insane. It doesn't make sense, but it makes so much sense.]

[In the convention center. What happened there — that's what he's been missing. That's what Shuji said, back in the arcade that was fuzzy up until now. That he didn't even remember how they got together.]

[He remembers now. His chest hurts.]

You—

[Jesus, he's already such a mess.]

You kept it safe. My cross.

[thesettingsun]

[He remembers.

Shuji never forgot a second of it. Not even a single word Mista said that day. It's too important, too precious to him. For Mista to forget that was-

But he remembers now, and Shuji was not at all prepared for this. He's tearing up already, and he's sure Mista can hear the sniffles on the other end.]

Of course, of course I did. You kept me safe, so I - I-

God, I missed you so much-

[He's crying. They're mostly good tears, he thinks.]

starts with something dumb

[songinchains]

Why did you call me at 3 am??? Did something happen???? Are you dead????? Youre not dead right

[ Listen Bairre (okay his full name is Fionnbharr but nobody calls him that) is going to assume a whole lot of shit when his best friend who he's had a crush on since they were in school together and it's only gotten worse calls him in the middle of the night and DOESN'T LEAVE A VOICE MAIL SO NOW HE'S TEXTING YOU?? AND HE'S HUGELY ANXIOUS??? ]

perfect

[hagrides]

[Voicemail is for messages that are important, Bairre. This is not an important message, which Greg realizes, although apparently it's enough to call in the middle of the night over.]

Not any deader than usual?

[Who even knows with them these days. Greg's lucky the physical changes have been minimal - eye color and markings resembling a mask. One day he'll wake up as a moth bat and won't that be fun.]

[songinchains]

Okay good??

[ Bairre's changes have been slow, and mostly things he can hide; all-black eyes and horns, mostly. Hair that's a little too wispy and fuzzy to be what he'd know as hair any more. Some sharp teeth in his mouth instead of all blunt ones (which he'd only figured out when he'd drawn blood accidentally, biting his own lip). ]

What did you call me for then??

[hagrides]

Why was past you's accordion another bug. Was it still alive??

[These are the questions that plague the former Nightmare King's sleep.]

[songinchains]

Uhh

[ he has to take a moment to think about this. ]

I don't remember it being alive no

Did it bother you that much??

[hagrides]

I lost sleep over this, Brumm.

[He's never completely put away the childhood nickname.]

[songinchains]

[ Seeing that name now always feels painful, makes a tight and foreign twist of guilt knot in his chest -- though he doesn't remember why. He's not sure if he wants to remember why.

But it's text so none of that shows, it's fine. He's fine. ]

Well

Now you wont lose any more sleep over it

Probably

[hagrides]

[Bairre in a room on fire: This is fine.]

Hopefully not.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry. But it's sweet that you were so concerned.

[songinchains]

[ That's just how Bairre deals with things! By just..never dealing with them much.

Sweet. That throws him off in a unique way, two sets of memories converging in the same unmistakeable feeling.

(It's so embarrassing to realise that even across two different lives he's always loved him.)

This is stupid. Everything is stupid. His face shouldn't be hot but it is. ]

Of course I was concerned!! you called me at 3 am and didnt leave a message

I thought something bad had happened!!

[hagrides]

[Over two lifetimes, Bairre has always been endearing and cute. This Greg knows for a fact.]

Don't people mainly leave messages when it's something important?

[songinchains]

[ And Greg has always been INSUFFERABLE AND STRESSFUL because he can read Bairre like a book, ultimately. ]

When you wake me up with weird questions you text me though

[ Maybe he's just more anxious than usual, for no specific reason. It certainly seems that way. ]

[hagrides]

[sadly, Greg will continue to be Greg, and even being Grimm won't make things any better.]

Maybe I missed hearing your voice.

[Brumm doesn't talk much, but that only means Greg treasures hearing his voice at all.]

[songinchains]

[ If anything, Grimm is worse. Some things always stay the same. ]

Haha okay.

Couldn't wait until tomorrow?

[ Even if he's not involved with the shows Greg puts on at all, in a production or performance role, he still comes to all of them. It was just a thing to do, to support his friend when he was starting out.

Now it's a habit. Or a longing. He doesn't know. ]

[hagrides]

Nope~ Besides, I'm always so busy with the show that I don't get to just sit and talk to you as much as I want.

[He appreciates the support, he really does. Even though Brumm's never taken him up on the job offer, it means a lot just that he keeps coming.]

[songinchains]

That makes sense

[ There's a long pause in which Greg would be entirely forgiven if he thought Bairre had just gone to sleep. ]

I can call you now ifyou want

[ He sends the text off in a rush before he can regret his decision. ]

[hagrides]

[Bairre's answer comes in the form of Greg calling him.

Yes, he does want, thank you.]

[songinchains]

[ Bairre's voice is always on the quiet side, like he forgets what speaking is like. Right now, in the middle of the night, it's no different. ]

...I don't have anything much to talk about.

Just...

So you know.

[ No matter how many years they've been friends, it's always the same. He's bad at small talk, and he always sounds like he's still kind of permanently disbelieving that Greg wants to talk to him.

(He's always been more comfortable with music, but he gave that up, too. Almost. He still plays and practices as time allows, with nobody to hear him.) ]

[hagrides]

That's alright.

[Greg knows what Bairre is like, and he doesn't expect Bairre to change. They could hardly be called friends if Greg thought Bairre was going to become someone else for him.]

How was your day?

[protegge]

I missed you . . .

[But his voice trails off. He remembers missing Shuji. He remembers missing him with two parts of his brain: the part where the memories lived and were shut off, and the part that didn't remember but loved all the same. It's like trying to reconcile two lives lived at once, and it's already giving him a headache. He leans forward, closing his eyes and pressing the heel of his hand against his forehead.]

I missed you, [he says again, quieter this time.] Am I gonna forget again? Maybe I shouldn't have called. If I forget again it'll just hurt you. I shouldn't have said anything—

[Panic rises in his voice in a few quick beats. He's fucked up already, hasn't he — he's made Shuji hurt all over again, in some incomprehensible future where he doesn't remember any of this.]

[thesettingsun]

You won't forget!

[The explanation comes out in a rush - the words can't get out of his mouth quickly enough, the need to reassure Mista overpowering.]

We found out who was causing the forgetting and we stopped him, and now everybody who's forgotten is getting their memories back, and nobody will forget anymore. It's okay now. It's really, really going to be okay.

I want - I need to see you. Can I come over, are you still...?

[At that apartment, that was so long their apartment.]

[protegge]

[Oh.]

[There's a part of him that doubts Shuji. There shouldn't be. But — Shuji went too far last time, didn't he? He went too far and took on too much to stay with Mista, even when it was bad for him. If there's a chance to get back with him, would Shuji lie to him? Would Shuji say he definitely won't forget, even if there's a chance?]

[Mista hesitates. He hates everything that he's thinking. But he has to be sure. They can't do this again.]

I want you to. I want you to, but—

Shuji, you promise, right? There's no way I'll forget again. Zero percent chance. I need you to promise, 'cause I can't do that again, I can't. It hurts.

[The memories, he means. The strange, confusing, awful memories. He can see them through so many filters now; the pain of losing Shuji was, for some time, just pain and confusion, but now it's pain and confusion and guilt, because he knows exactly what he did. He can't do it again, it's too awful.]