WEEKS 5 & 6

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WEEKS 5 & 6

THE CALM BEFORE...

The city has more or less bounced back after the disastrous Go-Kart race. While there are still some people recovering, no one’s hospitalized and there were thankfully no casualties - although there were more injuries than might have been expected, on accounts of some brawls that broke out among the competitors and the audience.

In spite of that, the Shopping District is feeling distinctly friendlier these days. Shopkeepers will take notice of repeat customers and be openly happy to see the better-behaved ones. They may even cut characters a discount on the sly for their patronship!

Perhaps as a result, the Nekyia Shopping District has become clear of haze much like the Nekyia dormitory started. While Shadows still lurk there, they are much fewer in number. Should characters choose to explore some more, they will find that the haze has become thinner in the Nekyia Entertainment District, allowing them to work on cleaning out the various Shadows that reside in that area.

WHAT THE FLUFF.

Meanwhile, back at the dormitory…

…trouble is amiss, but the fun kind of trouble.

On Sunday, September 1st, it seems like there's an event for pets being hosted at the parks near the dorm! That's fine and dandy, but the trouble comes from owners being careless and letting their animals run loose. That's right, some of them have been given free rein to explore, and a number of them have taken a liking to the dormitory!

You might be able to blame Dawn – that cat from the Nekyia who also appears to give you strange items! – because she's got bowls of cat food around her that she's feasting on. It's attracted some pet cats and strays alike. As for the dogs, well, they like people. Enough said.

Why not treat yourself to some animal therapy while you can? And if not, wrangling any animals that manage to get free works too!

SUMMER DAYS.

As summer break draws to a close, the Arcade is desperate to not only redeem its reputation, but also squeeze the last bit of pocket change out of people while they’re still on vacation. As a result, there is an ongoing discount on point cards allowing people to play competitive arcade games - Classics like Mirmo Kart and Street Slayer, as well as shinier rhythm games like Dancerun Stardom and LaiLai Universe Plus!

Of course, the hope is that characters drawn in by the arcade games will stick around for the other offerings - karaoke, bowling, ufo catchers, and even a bar (for those 21+!) And if none of these attractions are enough to catch a character’s eye, there’s plenty of other activities to be found in Carnation Court. Besides the restaurants and bars, there are many themed pop-up cafés and events, and even a few empty buildings with a very reasonable lease fee, should someone want to run an event of their own...

While the mood isn’t as open and friendly as the shopping district, it’s still worth a visit to relax and unwind a bit, preferably alongside Braphine’s other chosen. After all, there are Shadows looming on the horizon...

MESSAGE FROM YOUR RA!

Huh...? That's weird. It looks like a really big Shadow took up residence in the Nekyia. Hold on, I'll set things up so the app will give you the coordinates! Could you please check it out?

COMMISSIONS

NEKYIA COMMISSIONS

FETCH QUEST

I messed up…Mom's gonna be so mad at me for losing track of her dog at that event…

There's a shadow in the Nekyia that's taken the form of a Level 25 Nue. It seems to be growling in despair, and echoing the thoughts of this commissioner. Apparently this person lost his mother's dog at the event and hasn't made an effort to find it yet. Fight the Nue and try to knock some sense into this guy, either by shaking some sense into him or by defeating him; they've got a dog to find, after all.

YOU KNOW THAT WE'RE TOXIC

Leave, Braphine. Leave this world to the people. We don't need anyone. We've only got ourselves.

Seems like someone who might be involved with the vandalism incident might have a shadow here, too, in the form of a Level 24 Mokoi. She sounds like she's going to do something more extreme to the place if she isn't stopped. However, be careful… characters hit with Dazzler from this particular Shadow cannot be cured with magic, and must instead be healed by another person’s touch. It’s time to get cozy with your companions.

GET HEE OUTTA HERE

A powerful Shadow has appeared in the Nekyia and needs to be eliminated asap! Black Frost is a tenacious (if cute?) little guy, and can only be fought after taking down three Level 28 Jack Frosts beforehand. Make sure you ration out your spiritual energy and healing spells, this little Shadow can pack a real punch, being at Level 30! That said, for those who manage to defeat him, he should drop a mascot trading card. Turn this in to the priest or priestess at the temple to unlock a bonus new skill for your Persona!

(OOC: Please turn in your threads for this commission on the rewards page to unlock the new skill, which is separate from your leveling skillset! You may select one elemental skill for light damage to apply permanently to your character's persona. When turning in the skill will be effective immediately once rewarded.)

REAL WORLD COMMISSIONS

FINE DINING

Various restaurants, from fast food and fast casual grub to the fine dining establishments in Carnation Court are trying to outdo each other in terms of promotion, and as such are on the prowl for any free hands to help entice potential customers with free samples and food challenges galore. Grab a buddy and help hawk some bite-sized treats! Or maybe try to beat the record for the biggest burger ever eaten, if you dare.

ALL HANDS ON STAGE

A number of performers were involved in the Go-Kart incident and have yet to fully recover enough to do their parts for the show! For the next two weeks, the Sunset Grand Theater is looking for understudies for roles, as well as stage hands who are willing to ninja around and maneuver props and sets for the actors. The production is a fanciful tale of starcrossed lovers, evil stepmothers, political feuds, and for some reason, a dragon.

PREPARE THE PETS

The pet store in Vermillion Village is looking for some volunteers to help socialize the pets through playtime, as well as feed some of the more persnickety ones. Those who want to pet some adorable balls of fluff and energy can work with the kittens, puppies, and bunny rabbits, while those who are brave enough can try their hand at feeding the reptiles their meals of live crickets and frozen rats.

OOC

READ ME!!!!

Welcome to your log for Weeks 5 and 6! Feel free to use this log for any developments that happen during the next two weeks. There will be no log next week, but we will still be posting a small mini-event on Saturday.
For plotting, please feel free to head over to this post on the OOC comm to post your plotting top levels.
For Nekyia commissions, you can assume that the Shadows will respawn until they've been beaten enough times to go back to normal.
Palaces start this week! Please refer to the Palace schedule here and sign ups for this week's capped Palace here

ic comm | inboxes | ooc comm | full nav

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Comments

[prozaic]

Perhaps I'll pick the brains of someone more experienced than myself. There's only so much that can be put on a document.

But in the meantime, we must concentrate on this. [Rather, Shalem must concentrate on not going insane during a fight. (But it might happen.)

He's still checking for their surroundings, and hears footsteps, little pattering that seems to be heading their way, but for the life of him, he can't pinpoint where or how far it is. (7)

Until something is almost breathing down their necks.]

[fullmoonmutt]

Nah, it ain't that hard to find them. They're loud and annoying. I'll hear it from a mile away.

[ Eli, totally not noticing... the shadow now looming over them... from behind (2)... This will be embarrassing in retrospect, considering his whole thing back home is being able to track demons the best.

Finally comes that muttering, the angry, despaired murmuring about Braphine that the Mokoi is obsessed with, whispering directly behind them. Eli freezes. Wait. Wait a damn second. ]





...it's right behind us, isn't it?

1/2

[prozaic]

[Shalem looks behind them... and then looks forward again.]

I'm afraid so.

[How did these two suckers with excellent senses fail their perception rolls so bad??]

2/2

[prozaic]

[Then he jumps to action, putting himself between the monster and his companion-- sorry for the tail bumping your leg, Eli-- and drawing his staff to deter any action from the Mokoi until they're both ready.]

[fullmoonmutt]

Oi! [ Tail? Tail?! Tail! No, Eli, focus. There's no time to chase tails! ] What do you think you're doing?!

[ Eli doesn't need a snakey meat shield between himself and danger, so he does what he can and hurries to cast Rakukaja on Shalem. He'll now feel moderately defended, wow.

As for the Mokoi, it moves to strike at Shalem, but it's fairly slow and will miss hitting him (7). ]

[prozaic]

[The Mokoi is slow but... Shalem is slower. Unfortunately. He summons his Persona too late, unused to this new way of fighting, so the spell that Orpheus sends at the monster just completely whiffs. (1)

Oh. And the worst part. The worst part. His magic is ice now, rather than fire and lightning, and with the lower temperature comes a hint of alarm in Shalem's mind.]

We need to finish this quickly, because it ambused us. [Before he gets too cold and falls over.]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ Thankfully, Rakukaja does a good job, meaning the Mokoi's next attack on Shalem whiffs as well (6). ]

Let me get ahead!

[ Eli has to duck around Shalem to get to the Mokoi, the illusion of a giant red wolf trailing a chain at his heels as he strikes out at the monster head-on with iced-over brass knuckles (18). It would seem that Eli, too, is an ice baby. Oops.

But the good news is he manages to make the Mokoi back off a fair distance from them. ]

[prozaic]

[And he does let Eli go around, even if he stands his own ground.

It might be obvious that Shalem is used to more defensive tactics, which is not at all what one should do when they have a spear-- or a staff in this case. And he realizes this! So he tries to shake himself, but feels sluggish due to the ice (4) so instead he casts a Rakukaja on Eli as well. Let the snake wake up a lil...]


Be careful.

[fullmoonmutt]

[ He'll do his best! And by best, he means launching another set of icicles at it now that it's at range and missing (7). Although, in its efforts to avoid getting skewered, the Mokoi also fails to do anything dreadful on its own part (6). ]

...ah, shit. Why do I even got a ranged attack if all I do is miss?

[prozaic]

Perhaps it's best to make use of your actual expertise! [Which is clearly close-combat, from all the context clues Shalem is seeing.

Of course, Shalem's best ability is not available to him, but there's nothing wrong with getting up close and personal. In combat, the serpent truly shines because he takes a good swing at the Mokoi's legs with his staff and manages to knock it down, hard. (20)

Shalem's posture might not be the greatest right now, when he's looming over the Mokoi, long hair and loose ponytail all over his face. But Eli might just be able to note the wide eyes and bloodthirsty, fanged grin on his face.]

[fullmoonmutt]

Sure, but running up close isn't always the best idea...!

[ Eli's on his way to join Shalem in looming over the Mokoi (he would have missed an attack anyway rip) when it reacts to the snake already there, giving it such a bloodthirsty look! The Mokoi breaths out a sudden blast of light and sparkles at Shalem, using Dazzler to defend itself (18)! ]

[prozaic]

[This sucks, actually.

Shalem stumbles back, spots now in his eyes and making it difficult to see. Quite difficult, in fact, because his next swing just goes so wide that it hits absolutely nothing (16,7).

And he makes a strangled sound in his throat because ow, his eyes.]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ Crap. Crap! ]

Hey! Pick on someone your own-!

[ Eli's lunge forward to lay a beatdown on the downed Mokoi goes poorly (2) as it lefts a leg and kicks him back right in the gut (12). Eli goes sprawling backward instead, landing on the ground on his ass like a damn fool. ]

[prozaic]

[Where's a Utility assist when you need it... Because Shalem misses again (5, 14), which leaves him open to retaliation from the Mokoi (1), clearly angered by the way he put it down in a nasty manner earlier. Now he's the one down on the ground with a pretty nasty smash of the boomerang to the temple, and with the Dizzy spell still in his system, he knows they won't be able to handle this much right now.]

Let's retreat-- we should recoup. [It's the best thing to do right now, when they had such a bad start. He's already scrambling to his feet, using his staff for balance.] Retreat and come back with a better plan.

[fullmoonmutt]

Grrr!

[ Eli straight up growls at the thought of retreating, but... he isn't entirely some uncontrollable beast. He can't help Shalem if he retreats while Eli remains. ]

Fine... C'mon! [ He'll scramble to his feet and, not afflicted the way Shalem is, will leap over to grab him by the arm and drag him away. ] Here, this way!

[ Strangely enough, that's when the dizziness begins to diminish some, albeit slowly. ]

[prozaic]

[Thank goodness for Eli helping him-- helping him by dragging him along, it's fine, he's weathered worse than this and his arm won't pull out of its socket. in fact, Eli might note how Shalem is heavier than he looks, dragging him along like this. At least until the serpent starts to walk properly, the dizziness finally abating the further they get from the Mokoi.

When he can actually see again and think without issue, he breathes deep.]

This is good enough. [Just some preamble before he starts casting healing spells over both of them. What an odd feeling, casting healing magic when he never had the talent previously.]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ The dizziness abates, yes, up until they're somewhere safe, and Eli releases Shalem's arm. It seems that contact wasn't long enough, assuming they even figure out what cures the debuff in the first place. Eli, however, unafflicted as he is, doesn't notice. ]

The hell was that thing? The other dinky shadows I've fought so far haven't been that annoying...

[prozaic]

Something much stronger, evidently. [Shalem breathes deep to gather himself, but the Medias he's cast have done the trick, and he is less sore now. And less Dizzy, now they're no longer around the monster. He tugs his hair tie off, and reties his hair so it's not all over his face. Not that it helps, the tail is still loose enough for some locks to fall out.]

Hence why we need a plan for it... Otherwise there may be little chance of the two of us coming out of a fight with it on our own two feet. [They might even be considered lucky if they crawled away alive.

Then he starts to shake some feeling back into his hands and arms, before deciding that just shaking his arms won't work, and starts stretching and bending his full body, tail flailing behind him. He'd gotten cold and sluggish because of all the ice magic, he needs to get the blood pumping again.]

[fullmoonmutt]

Run in and punch it is my usual plan, but...

[ That didn't work at all. He leans against the wall of the building they've ducked behind and watches Shalem stretch himself back into shape. ]

You okay? [ It's not that he didn't notice the sluggishness. It's just he wasn't sure what the cause was. ] You looked like you were having a little bit of trouble back there.

[prozaic]

The one spell it cast on me made me... dizzy, for lack of a better term. It's cleared now, but while I was under it, there were spots in my eyes so I couldn't see properly. I suppose that's why I missed all my swings that came afterwards.

[Which is entirely separate from the sluggishness, clearly.]

[fullmoonmutt]

Was that all?

[ There isn't doubt in Eli's voice, only curiosity. His gaze wanders to the scaled tail of Shalem's. Look, he knows snake scales when he sees them. He does wonder but...

Ultimately? Eli isn't clever enough to ask about temperature regulation, so, lol. ]

Okay, so we just need to avoid that next time and hit him hard enough so he doesn't have a chance to use it.

[prozaic]

[Shalem gives a nod. He definitely agrees with that, though he'll simply have to move in quickly, and use his staff instead. Might as well get used to a weapon again, as much as he hates it.

But it's not a blade-- small mercies.]

I have a spell to raise our defenses. Let me cast it first before we move in to fight it again.

[fullmoonmutt]

[ Eli gives a nod. ]

Right. Let's do that. We could try coming at it from two angles, too. I distract at the front, maybe?

[prozaic]

[He so dearly wants to ask if Eli is sure about that... but he merely gives a nod, even if his worry is all over his expression.]

Very well. Let's hope that this time will be much easier for both of us.

Good luck. [He starts taking a few steps back, getting ready for stealth... and he'll find himself remotely successful at it (16), finding nice spots to cover him while he moves towards the Mokoi again.]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ It'll be fine! Probably. Maybe. Just a little. To be a tiny bit more certain, Eli does cast his own defense spell on himself before heading back towards the Mokoi. He gets to the corner it's around, and, after a deep breath, he charges in. ]

Hey! You walking turd! Over here!

[ It turns with a wail, focused on Eli immediately, and Eli launches another round of icicles at it (13). This time, they hit! ]