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!
  

ic comm | inboxes | ooc comm | full nav

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Comments

[fullmoonmutt]

Too bad. Kind of sucks to be alone but I'm getting the feeling everyone is.

[ No one from the same world, even different Earths. Weird as fuck. ]

Turned? Uh, like, back when the demons first invaded, the ones who could change humans into something else kidnapped tons of folks and made them into their own personal troops. We have a way to help them regain most of their humanity now but the physical stuff is, uh... like...

[ There's a hint of hesitation, but he'll go for the most obvious difference between himself and a regular person. He bares his teeth and reaches up to pull back one side of a lip further to show off how he has a wolf's teeth, not a human's. ]

Thith.

[ This. ]

[bloodandstars]

It's starting to look that way.

[ It really sucks when the pithy things she wants to say aren't even true anymore. But whatever. He's giving her more useful information now and she can refocus on that...

And on what he's showing her. She leans in to take a look, her eyes lit half with curiosity and half with something just a little like envy. ]

You're... a human, with goddess marks? [ What the fuck. She blows all her frustration out into a sharp sigh. ] ...Shit. What a way to get them. At least teeth are something you can use.

[ But there's definitely not a single trace of envy in her voice now, that's for sure. ]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ With what now marks...? ]

What the fuck are goddess marks?

[ He has no clue. They're simply what's left of a change that was forced upon him. There's more, of course, but he won't list off everything having lycanthropy offers. On paper, it's great. In practice, it's... also great, mostly, right up until it isn't. ]

[bloodandstars]

[ She jabs a finger towards his teeth, not actually close enough to poke. Despite the wrestling antics, she does in fact respect personal space. ]

Those. Or a tail. Slit pupils, claws, gills. For arcanics, even if we're born looking human, usually those appear when we age. I've never heard of a human growing something like that. And plenty have tried.

[ Demons, huh... ]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ That earns a, well, a scoff. ]

Yeah, well, I've had all of this bullshit since... what? Six, I guess? I dunno. Don't even know why that bitch wolf bothered. A little kid isn't going to make for a good soldier.

[bloodandstars]

Maybe your demons aren't so clever. What do wolves know but teeth and hunger, anyway?

[ And six is a shitty age to have that happen, but Maika doesn't know how to show sympathy to someone taller than hip-high on her. ]

You got away? Since you said you got "most" of your humanity back.

[fullmoonmutt]

Yeah... I guess...

[ It's not as though he can confirm or deny that. His memories of that time are vague, something left to dreams and nightmares barely recalled in the morning. ]

But yeah. Mom and her crew cleared out the den and killed the demon, but they couldn't bring themselves to off a kid. They decided to take me with them instead.

[bloodandstars]

Not much smarter than your demons, then. What use did they have for a kid either?

[ Well, he made it to this big age, so. Apparently it worked out. ]

[fullmoonmutt]

...people don't usually like to kill kids, that's all.

[ There is more to it but he isn't going to get into it. ]

Mom adopted me once they figured out they could manage my condition. I'd just be some wild beast if they hadn't rescued me, okay? So I ain't complaining.

[bloodandstars]

[ There's a lot she could say to that. But she gives a grunt that's at least apology-adjacent. ]

I'm not the best at believing in people doing things out of the goodness of their hearts. ...Sounds like you got lucky.

[ From the tone, she probably means that sincerely. ]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ There's an expression that flits across Eli's face, his thoughts drifting to how many problems taking him in had caused. It's sincerely tired, too tired for someone as young as he is, but...

It's gone soon enough, and he won't comment further apart from agreeing. ]

I know. Really lucky.

[ But it's time for a topic change. Enough about him. He shouldn't be talking about this stuff with someone he barely knows. ]

What about your monsters? Dracul, Old Gods, that stuff? What are they like?

[bloodandstars]

[ She tilts her head a little, but if he's not volunteering more then she's not going to press. ]

If you want the history, you'd be better off asking a cat. But I know what anyone does. [ Well. More than most, about some things. ] The Old Gods came to our planet a few thousand years ago, maybe even before humans first crawled out of the ocean. They fought the Dawn War with the Ancients. Most say they're dead now, just towering husks reminding everyone what exists beyond the stars.

[ A pause, before she shrugs a little. No one from her world to keep secrets from here, huh? And if there are, it'll be the Blood Court, who already know. ]

They're not. They're just sealed, and some of them are pissed about it. Maybe some of their human cults are in for a big surprise one of these days.

[fullmoonmutt]

Why would I ask a cat anything? They can't talk?

[ Hello? A cat? A cat well-versed in history? What is this, a JRPG? But he listens with some interest beyond that question. He's warming up to the idea that other worlds exist, and hers, at least, seems like it might not be Earth. ]

Huh... I sure hope we don't have anything like that snoozing on Earth somewhere. We have enough problems. So, what happens if they get unsealed? Another war? End of the world?

[bloodandstars]

How do you make them stop talking? It's always "poets" this and "Ubasti" that.

[ Goddess. Does his world have only the mutant silent cats? That's kind of eerie. But she shrugs a little and tries to let that slightly terrifying suggestion roll right off of her. ]

Probably depends on who wakes up and what comes through. We've already got another war as it is. Some cultists think the Old Gods would be weapons for their side if they'd just wake up. Some even crazier bastards think they'll give us the power to return to travelling the stars.

[ If she had to give her own guess? Hm. Maika considers that a second. ]

...Maybe the end of the world. Maybe not. They eat things. Animals, people, energy. Either they'll end up eating each other... or they'll suck the whole world dry and empty it out. Maybe just a little faster than everyone else is ending the world all by themselves.

[fullmoonmutt]

That's easy. If they're yowling at you, usually they just want some of your food.

[ Have you tried chucking bits of your dinner at them, Maika? ]

Christ, though, guess those things should stay down for the count. Cultists think some random ass god would be on their side... Why the fuck are cultists so stupid? All they ever do is get eaten first when everything goes south.

[bloodandstars]

If only that were all they wanted from me.

[ She's thrown so many things at cats... None of it seems to help. ]

Maybe people desperate enough will believe in anything. Even — especially if it's stupid. Let me guess, your demons have their own admirers?

[fullmoonmutt]

[ can't believe maika has palicoes and she's complaining ]

Well, sure. Far as they're concerned, the world ended. May as well get on the weird cultist train for a better chance of not dying. At least, I feel that's probably how it is for most of 'em.

[bloodandstars]

[ proof that Maika really CAN be mad about anything tbh ]

Delusion is the refuge of cowardice. The poets say that, too.

[fullmoonmutt]

Sounds like poets say a lot of stuff. Wouldn't know. I've never met one.

[ eli don't you read-- oh, nevermind. ]

Well, whatever happens, I hope your world doesn't get eaten or whatever. S'long as it exists, you can usually recover. [ His managed! Kind of! ] Alright. How about we go grab some water from the kitchen? I figure we're pretty much done here.

[bloodandstars]

Your cats really don't talk.

[ Creepy! Unsettling! Honestly, 1000x worse than the demons. But so it goes sometimes. She gives a shrug of ambiguous agreement. ]

You can recover from anything, as long as you survive. I'm not gonna let those bastards eat anything. Same for your demons, though.

[ With a nod, she'll hop up and move to head that way with him. She's probably tapped out for wrestling for now, so. No point arguing with sense. ]