WEEKS 5 & 6

[linkupmods]

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

[emptyself]

[ what sayaka will notice is not the cash register itself (which is woefully empty, sorry!) but the small flower seemingly growing, against all odds, through the gaps of the linoleum floor near it. it glows gently, as if a mere blink of ones eyes would be enough to make that magic disappear forever.

it does not wish to be alone. ]

[destage]

Guys, I found something growing behind here!

[Can she try to pluck it up? She'll be careful to try and get it, roots and all out, but what a tiny, ephemeral little thing...]

...It's okay. We'll get you out of here, alright? Just be careful, self, come on...

[privatedomicile]

[Hearing Sayaka, Jesse goes over to the cash register, and he pulls out his own little flower that he's been holding onto.

Are they the same? And what happens if you, say...put them together?]

[destage]

[Sayaka sees this after she's pulled the little flower out, but...]

You guys found something too, Pinkman-san? Where did you guys find it?

[Either way, Sayaka is here to play flower alchemy and is here to combined 'em, let's do it if we can--]

[privatedomicile]

Oh, this one? It was in that weird bookstore. Careful touchin' it, I dunno if it's gonna take us on a trip into somebody's bad day again or not.

[destage]

Got it. We wound up touching a weird book that took us into a really bad day too...couple of them, actually.

[...Hm.]

Did you happen to see a witch and a boy who looked like a wolf? Or...maybe an elderly person talking to someone?

[emptyself]

[ unfortunately, irony has chosen jesse as its target. because as soon as they put the two of them together, everyone in the store is pulled into another memory, witnessing the scene as if they themselves were experiencing it. ]

As if that were the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, the werewolf pounces towards you, teeth bared and claws drawn, ready to cut you down. But you don’t fret. You don’t stumble. Over a decade of practice has given you all the knowledge necessary for this singular moment. You take a deep breath, and place your life on the line for three, simple steps. Three simple breaths.

With the first step, you dodge the swipe of the giant paw, using that opening to slam your open palm against the werewolf’s chest, right on the tip of the sternum. The bones and muscles of that arm explode and jut out in a burst of reaction force, but you don’t pay attention to it. The perfected beast begins to fall, unable to breathe.

With the second step, you whirl around behind the mutt, side-stepping the falling body entirely. You recognize that, along with one arm, one leg is also shattered, along with parts of the spine and some internal organs. You push through it.

And the third step is to bring the elbow down against the dog’s back, on the other side of the exact same area you had attacked previously. The bones on this arm shatter as well, along with a few more internal organs and vertebrae. You are not numb to the pain–far from that exactly. But the pain is secondary to the meaning of your feat. You stare down with a cold, emotionless glare at the motionless mutt, your prey, and come to a realization that brings you neither joy nor sadness, but fills your hollowed out self all the same:

Finally, your debt has been repaid.

[destage]

[...

It's cold. Cold, brutal, and simple. An execution in all but name, and made so simple it looked almost effortless. Everything about it gets Sayaka to pause, not looking away for even a moment.

The debt has been repaid. The debt has been repaid in blood.]

...Shizuki-kun, is this what you...

[She says that quietly, to herself.]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ Previously, Eli hadn't witnessed the memory of the werewolf. He hadn't known... until right now. Watching the beast get shredded so violently sends a bolt of terror down his spine. Holy shit? Holy shit... This guy is...? Look, it isn't as though he doesn't understand.

Eli's helped clear lycanthrope dens.

People too feral to help, people who didn't want help.

That doesn't stop him from feeling the chill of realization. ]

This guy is... a werewolf hunter?

[ Or, perhaps more simply, a monster hunter. Demons. Their ilk. ]

[silentfury]

[Damn. Yuri can't help but feel respect for the technique and prowess displayed in that memory.]

[cleansewithfire]

A flower...?

[ Huh. What is this supposed to mean... ]

[destage]

Yeah, it's this teeny little thing--I'm wondering how it managed to even grow here!

[It's almost precious???]

[cleansewithfire]

These places do not seem to follow typical logic.

[ So, who knows? It probably also means something, but Sunrise wouldn't know. ]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ ...he's bringing some more kibble along to snack on while trailing over along with the rest. ]

Something growing? What, like mold?

[destage]

No--it's like this little, tiny flower...

[Give her a few seconds--]

It's growing right out of the weird tiles here--ha!

[OBTAINED: ONE FLOWER. Pretty and tiny thing.]

[fullmoonmutt]

How is that tiny thing even growing here?

[ Ah, but here comes another terrible memory. Thanks, Sou. ]

[silentfury]

[With his duty relieved as of now, Yuri arrives in the new shop to see Eli snacking. Is this really the time, man??]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ There is always time for snacks, Yuri! ]

[metagame]

How could something like that grow here..?

[destage]

That's what I'm wondering. Maybe it's something to do with this weird place, but...

[metagame]

Growth despite adversity. [A beat.] Or no reason to keep doing it, and no reason to stop...

[bloodandstars]

Do we really want to go touching more plants?

[ If this one also knocks her ass into a flashback, she'll be mad... ]

[destage]

[Sayaka is already mid-plant touch, she'll apologize if we do get knocked into flashback land--]

[cirquedesang]

[Idol girlies stop wandering off challenge level: impossible.

But he's trailing along after pestering Eli about the dog food, since it seems like she found the important item, here!]

[destage]

[Idols don't idle, what can I say--]