Week 1

[linkupmods]

WEEK 1

AWAKENING.

You were taken. That much is obvious when you come to your senses and see the world around you. You feel a little groggy – just how long were you asleep for? – but you should otherwise be alert, enough to realize that the surrounding area is unfamiliar to you. You are in front of what appears to be a modern dormitory (or, well, just a large building, for anyone who's never quite seen anything like it before). The area is decorated with balloons, streamers and other miscellaneous decorations with a giant "WELCOME" banner spanning across the front entrance.

You have a moment to look at the people around you. Strangers. No one here looks familiar to you whatsoever. Furthermore, it feels like there is something stirring in your heart, waiting to be brought to light, waiting to speak your truth...

You might need more time to let that sink in, but that time is interrupted by a voice.

"Oh wow it actually worked- Um, I mean! Hello!"

The speaker is a short, plain-looking young woman with dark hair in a bob cut, her hand raised to catch everyone’s attention.


"Welcome to Sunset City! The goddess Braphine needs your help, so she’s called all of you here to fix this place. Fortunately, it should only take about three months of cooperation, I think? Probably. So...

Welcome to your new home away from home!"

The young woman - Mina - goes on to explain the current situation: everyone here has been summoned by the goddess of community and connection, Braphine, in order to rebuild the connections of the people of Sunset City. Lately, the people have become more and more isolated from each other, getting into fights and arguments over the pettiest of details.

While Mina doesn’t know the details, exactly, what she does know is that the goddess instructed her to prepare these dorms for residents ("that’s you!") and to more or less act as her representative. Mina will also note that everyone’s dorm rooms have already been labeled with their names, and that the goddess has deigned to gift some in particular with the means to defend themselves - which is to say, when characters do eventually make it to their dorm rooms, those who did not arrive with one will find their gifted weapon waiting for them with their name handwritten on a tag attached to the item.

For now, people can use their phones to access an app that will allow them to see any currently open commissions - complete the commissions, and they will not only help the community, but also earn money and rewards! And if your character doesn’t know how to operate a phone, well... Mina will patiently guide them through the process, don’t you worry.

If your character has any other questions, they may talk to her at the party, or otherwise contact her via phone!

WELCOME PARTY.

After speaking with Mina, you may have an idea of what you're supposed to be doing here. Things don't have to be all work, though, because despite the state of the city, you are allowed to have fun and get to know one another.

Mina has graciously set up a welcome party for everyone, which will have refreshments inside and outside the dorm, and games available for people to partake in throughout the day at their own leisure! Indoors, there are a variety of board games for you to mess around with. Outside, there's a pool, basketball and tennis court set up with appropriate equipment. Of course, you aren't limited to just those, as there's a small open field at the dormitory where you can play ball in other ways, too. Interestingly enough, there are also some training dummies available for you to use...maybe to put your weapons to use?

Don't forget about the arts and crafts section inside, either, where nametags are laid out for you to create your own (or others')! You can also use this section to create decorations for the dormitory, your room, or even something to give to a fellow dorm mate.

EXPLORE.

You're free to explore the town, too, at your own leisure, to get used to your new home. The city is bustling with people, but for some reason, many of the residents don't have good vibes. They seem unsettled, unhappy for whatever reason. It's not pleasant, but nobody will go out of their way to bother you, unless you trip into them or initiate pvp yourself.…The random trash scattered around various parts of town might make it hard to avoid the former, though. Be careful not to trip on a banana peel, a stray canister, or even something as large as a throwaway tire on the side of the street. The residents will not react positively if you try to interact with them in any capacity.

That being said, for all that the city seems gloomy at a first glance, there is surprisingly an advertisement for a go-kart racing contest coming up in three weeks, and the go-karts are two seaters! The flyers posted around town read that this is a competition for pairs; the driver's seat (left) has a gas pedal, and the passenger's seat (right) has the brake. Looks like the events are being hosted by one of the popular arcades in town, too. Even so, there are prizes for first, second, and third place; the grand prize consists of a good amount of cash, a trophy, and one (1) free night at one of the hotels in Carnation Court for both people. Why not team up with someone and enter the competition, or just find some people to practice with?

(OOC: Please see our OOC section for sign up details.)

NETWORK.

So, about those phones...there's a non-zero chance that you may post your live thoughts onto the network without meaning to. Likewise, you may also unwillingly comment on someone's post with your thoughts while reading it. Yes, this phone grabs from your psyche, for better or worse! Well, mostly worse, but oh well. There isn't a fix for this "bug" just yet, but you can still use the network intentionally! Just don't be surprised if you get a bunch of notifications for a post you didn't even know you made.

COMMISSIONS

TOP MODELS

A local boutique is looking for people to model their clothing, but they plan on taking group photos instead of single shots. This will be a summer-themed photoshoot with summer outfits (not necessarily swimsuits!), and the photographer (who is cranky, sorry) plans on encouraging all kinds of interactions between their subjects for some unique photos. Participants will be able to keep the outfits they wore for the photoshoot! How nice.

CLEANUP

You've seen the questionable state of the city streets. Should you feel like doing your part by cleaning up some of the trash, you may find something valuable hidden in all the rubble. And who knows? Maybe some of the residents might actually respond kindly to your efforts... (Cleaning up can unearth things like jewelry; collector's items; small, old electronics -- just to give you an idea! Go wild.)

PVP ENABLED

Basketball, volleyball, soccer match anyone? Monopoly? Uno? Or, better yet, a sparring match with your fellow dorm mates…? Whatever you feel up for, Mina would like residents to get some friendly ("friendly") competition going in the spirit of getting to know one another.

LEAVE YOUR MARK

The arts and crafts area has a large paper canvas taped to one of the walls with a "DRAW ON ME!" post-it stuck to it. There's a lot of room to be creative with this, and yes, you will get paid for just decorating the dorms a little bit through this commission!

OOC

READ ME!!!!

• Welcome to your event log! Currently, Personas and Elements are NOT in play but you have your weapons with you regardless. These things will be unlocked when we introduce the Nekyia in Week 2.
  
• Please use the OOC PLOTTING POST for all plotting purposes. Please do not plot in Discord.
  
• If you would like to sign up for the Go-Kart Contest, please fill out the form and submit it here! There will be a follow up to this in a Week 4 mini event. :)
  
• Furthermore, we have a very big series of events we are planning to do in later weeks. We will OOCly give details and open signups early in Week 2, with the introduction of the Nekyia. Keep an eye out for that as well!
  

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Comments

[moonshaded]

[It's trite and allows Kainé some ire while also indulging her sloth. Pissed as she might be, she can't be assed to act out on it just yet. Since she swears as easily as breathing - if that wasn't obvious enough to Maika already - it doesn't expend that much energy and isn't that big of a deal.]

What're you talking about? It tastes fine. [It might even taste more than fine if the food was coming from any other source. Fucking delicious, even. This faint praise is about all Kainé is prepared to spare at the moment.] Crapsack dying world or no, take what you can get. Said with the implied tone of "stop being a little bitch, packrat:"] What, worried there's poison and you can't handle it?

[What a weird thought to cut in with no initiative. She's pretty sure she must just be going stir-crazy with her head being silent all the time.]

[bloodandstars]

Not the taste.

[ Although, yeah, she does arch an eyebrow for a second again at some of those combinations. Not like she really cares — she's eaten more disgusting things all the time — but she can't say she crafted them that way. Well, to each their own. ]

If there's poison, I can't smell it. [ Although her nose does twitch reflexively at the thought. But the smells are so flat still: sugar and stale air and people. She couldn't even say if all of them are human. ] That's either really good or really bad. So either I'm already fucked, or it doesn't matter.

[ And the insouciant, unhurried way she's working on her cupcake says she truly doesn't care. A little louder, just in case any would-be-poisoners happen to be lingering near them: ]

And it'd take something a lot stronger than human poison to slow me down anyway. I'd have plenty of time to find the stupid bastard who tried it and light them up first.

[moonshaded]

[At the very least, it doesn't seem crafted so much as it seems indiscriminate, just the instinctive devouring of someone who can eat bitter or deadly foods and find them as delicious as a frosted cake.]

So you'd be fucked, or not? [Kainé tilts her head to the side, chin lifted in snarky question. Maika is kind of contradicting herself with that one, isn't she?

Kainé knows she regained consciousness in the dormitory square feeling a little off - more than normal, even, the ghost of a tear on her cheek that hopefully went unnoticed - but that's not a vulnerability she's going to throw open without knowing how it's affected others.]

It'd be the small fry who gave us the warm welcome, but it wouldn't have been her idea. [There's a silent pause for her to polish off the last of her food.] Anyway, this stuff's fine. [She dusts her hands off.] Damn, that hit the spot.

[bloodandstars]

[ It's rude to point out her contradictions — but then, Kippa and Corvin do it all the time, and Maika's finding she's gotten strangely used to it. It doesn't make her temper spike the way it would have not all that long ago. ]

Well, I'm on goddess-knows-what planet without a single recognizable moon and no fucking gate back to mine. Or I'm in some kind of sedative-induced hallucination prison world. Again. I'm fucked either way.

[ Although considering the last hallucination she's not exactly enthused about what happens if she gets poisoned here... but she licks the last of the frosting from her fingers anyway. ]

She's too timid even for a poisoner. I think we're safe. [ Although there's a slightly amused emphasis on that we, since it's apparent that the woman across from her isn't worried at all. Helpfully, she points to the next table of food over. ] Gonna need those too?

[moonshaded]

["Again" is an absolutely fucknuts modifier to attach to that situation, but it's not like it's farfetched. Not a single person here has been through the same stuff. What are the odds of them all stumbling into the same shady conspiratorial underground operation? Maybe it's just another piece of the veil crumbling off the world. Kainé doesn't want to think about it too hard. It just really isn't her business right now.]

Nope. I could've put away a boar, but that's enough for now. Do what you've gotta.

[She waves her hand dismissively at the adjacent table before returning her arms to their elusive crossed wallflower position over her thinly-clad chest.]

Name's Kainé, but I could just keep calling you "fucked" if you want to keep it casual. [Her tone is sardonic but not weird about it. It really is Maika's choice if she wants to introduce herself or not.]

[bloodandstars]

[ Oh, good. More food for Maika to hoard against some future need — at least scoping out the table keeps her from lingering on thoughts and questions she can't settle. Like whether she's actually missing her own capacity to feel that kind of hunger or not.

She glances back at Kainé for the name, her eyebrows lifting briefly in surprise. Right... trappings of civility, even in a situation like this. Whatever the fuck it is. ]

Too casual. Then you could be talking to anyone. It's Maika... Halfwolf. [ She sizes up Kainé's stance in consideration. ] I'd offer a handshake, but I'm not taking my chances on losing this hand.

[ Was the personal space restriction only on faces, or everything? That's a gamble she'd rather try with someone else's limb. ]

[moonshaded]

Yeah, if something happened then you'd be shit out of luck. [When the swearing compactor in fancy underwear somehow reminds you of civility, Maika, that should probably be a little alarming... especially when she's barely skirting the bare minimum threshold. The initial threatening burr has mostly dropped from Kainé's voice, just leaving it rough-edged and aloof.

Wolves used to be a real pain in the ass in the desert, so Maika's name draws out a flare of memory within her. That kind of nonsequitur would be better suited to someone else, though. She's not the type to jump down roads like that.]

You taking off with that? Gonna go throw up a tent in the wilderness? [It's been so long since she let herself be around so many people - since people even acted like they wanted her around. The thought of sharing close quarters with a group like this makes her skin crawl. She wouldn't exactly blame somebody for feeling the same way.]

[bloodandstars]

[ Maika cocks her head slightly, a wolf's gesture mapped to a very human body as she attunes herself more closely to the sound. The calculations she had been making on Kainé's initial approach shift and refactor along with the shift in her voice; less overt threat warranting less posturing in return.

Goddess. She hates that Corvin was right. On long days like today, sometimes the empty bravado is so tiring. ]

Not a bad idea. In weather like this? No need for a tent in the first place. And the air in this place—

[ It doesn't smell wrong, because nothing smells like it should. But it's too close and too warm with too many people. ]

What, were you thinking the same? I'm pretty sure there's enough space out there for more than one of us. This planet can't be that small.

[moonshaded]

I'm used to it. Being alone is way easier. You'll get plenty of turf to yourself.

[This doesn't necessarily sound like camping out is always her preferred choice - rather, there's a dismissive resignation there, as this is not only something that "just happens" but also something that can't really be changed.]

A soft, fluffy bed would be the tits right now... but not worth it if I'm just gonna get tossed out my ass for being a freak. [Why even count on it? Besides, if she wakes up from that dream again, nobody needs to see that... at least maybe she could do it looking at the stars.]

cw: casual cannibalism mention

[bloodandstars]

[ Being alone is easier. Maika prefers it, even. And it's stupid that Kippa's admonitions should ring in her ears when they're so empty here.

"You need to remember that you're not alone, miss..." But she is, here. And it's better that way. So she's definitely not feeling any part of her iron spine softening a tiny bit at that admission. ]

...What, after their freak goddess pulled us here against our will in the first place?

[ But obviously, wanting to use someone and being disgusted by them have never been mutually exclusive. Maika reflexively sniffs the air again — but it doesn't tell her anything, and all she knows is the woman in front of her looks human. ]

I don't know what passes for normal in this world or yours. You eat people in their sleep or pry into their minds?

[ Are those her only two dealbreakers? Maybe. ]

[moonshaded]

[Maybe it should be different now with her humanity restored like this. There are more places she can walk around and maybe even get a little welcome, a few places where she's recognizable now, and a few places where she isn't immediately ostracized.

But the habit dies hard, and it's not like she was ever normal.

It's not exactly comforting that she can figure Maika walked out of a shithole that might be closer to her own hometown than this city, but it does mean that she can cut through a whole lot of the bull. Kainé's shoulders relax; maybe she sees someone who's just doing their best and who isn't going to make all the worst assumptions about her.]

Everybody's got hobbies, [she snorts.] Those aren't usually mine.

[bloodandstars]

[ This place might have robbed her of the sharpest of her senses; scent, night vision, hearing, all of it dulled around the edges. But she's not so incapacitated that she can't see the shift in body language. From wariness to slight easing, the exhaustion about the edges that's hard to fake.

It could be an act. But if it is... So what, right? Even like this, she's more than strong enough to guard herself against one opponent. One unknown is no riskier than another... And there's logic to staying in these close quarters, instead of the open air that gives all angles of ambush. She can make the logic square up if she tries. ]

Good enough for me. Then you're a better bunkmate than plenty I've had. I won't promise I'm a quiet sleeper, but I won't kick you out and I'd kill the first stranger who tried to let themselves in.

[ And if your standards are poor enough, that probably passes for security. Nevermind that Maika hasn't actually outright asked Kainé to room with her. ]

[moonshaded]

Now it's you watch my back, and I'll watch yours? You changed your mind fast.

[There she goes again, calling out what sounds like hypocrisy in Maika's words. Keeping to themselves in whatever wilderness is on the outskirts of the city is a far cry from a hasty truce agreement.]

I can take care of myself. [It's a wall put into words, defensive - a reminder to herself as much as it is a rebuff.] What made you change your tune?

[bloodandstars]

Do you want a truce, or not?

[ Snapping is the first reflex, still, always. Nothing else about her body or this world might feel like it should; but the anger is always the same.

So is the logic, though. If it were her — she wouldn't trust a turnabout like that. And she wouldn't trust someone offering something for nothing. Good thing it's nowhere near that altruistic of her. ]

I can take care of myself, too. But not by making stupid decisions just because I'd be a lot happier sleeping in the dirt than in a city surrounded by people who might just want to string me up when they realize what I am. I don't know what your world thinks is wrong with you, but a freak has one less reason to hand over a monster to the people with guns and torches. And a room with a window exit and an easychoke point is a lot less of a tactical pain in my ass than an open field somewhere where I don't know the terrain. You get your fluffy bed, and I get slightly better odds than average.