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

[imperiosity]

[he's 99.9% sure here that ukyo doesn't mean in a tent or any other kind of cover, but you know what? different strokes.]

...Well, whatever. None of my business if you wanna camp out in the middle of a city, but don't come crying to me if a pom goes and bites your ass while you're sleeping.

[do poms even actually do this, who knows, not important!!]

So what're you here for? Gathering supplies?

[ilfochrome]

[ wow? sometimes he uses a sleeping bag, but most of the time he doesn't so the assumption isn't wrong. ]

A pom? [ ??? ] If I get bit by anything it's usually by territorial geese. But they're more loud than actually painful.

I wanted to see what the dorm was like, now that most people have probably settled in and are elsewhere.

[imperiosity]

[a world without poms... how sad... i say like aaron wouldn't kick their asses casually]

Guess they don't have those where you're from. Pretty surprised you're still sleeping out there after being attacked by wild animals though.

[It'd be one thing if Ukyo seemed like a jaeger or had some occupation that required being constantly on the move, but he didn't hold himself like a fighter and dressed like a normal (if eccentric) guy.]

...? Well, as much as I like having the whole place to myself, it's still your room, dude. As long as you don't leave the door open when you leave, you can do whatever you want with your half.

[ilfochrome]

[ eccentric's right, he has a skirt on? we think it's a skirt, otomate fashion is wild. ]

I'll take animals over rolling into a lake, but I'm used to both, actually.

[ really makes you wonder why he continues to do this to himself, smh. ]

...mmn, I'll probably use it for storage then. But I'll need to get a trunk first, since I usually have one at the start of a loop.

[imperiosity]

[maybe butt skirts are all the rage over there, you never know!!]

Pretty sure that just means you suck at choosing your sleeping spots, man.

[although a pond is better than a road, he supposes?? and storage space is fair if he's not touching it otherwise, but also what's this about loops.]

A loop? The hell's that supposed to mean?

[ilfochrome]

I move a lot when I sleep and I can be really mood when I first wake up.

[ more reasons aaron should be happy he doesn't need to deal with him!

focus on that and not how ukyo suddenly doesn't want to explain. ]

Oh, uh, don't worry about it. It's something that only applies to me. It shouldn't be that much trouble to get a trunk and I don't really need any other furniture.

[imperiosity]

......

[honestly, ukyo should probably be just as glad he wouldn't need to deal with aaron wandering inside at ass o'clock and smelling of booze so it's fine probably

but anyways, ukyo is so obviously being weird and avoidant about this that he doesn't even feel like playing along.]

...Damn, you're about as subtle as a brick to the face. Look, it's obvious you're hiding something. If you're not gonna spit it out, at least have the balls to say you don't wanna talk about it.

[ilfochrome]

[ oh. he blinks once, an impressively muted reaction for all the (awkward) energy he's had during this conversation. ]

You wouldn't believe me if I told you. And it's less that I don't want to talk about it and more that it's difficult to talk about, and it doesn't concern you.

I'd like to keep things simple if I can, for everyone's sake.

[imperiosity]

[simple, huh.]

A little late for that. You already forget we've been hauled off to a whole other world because some 'goddess' wanted us to do her bidding?

[aaron will step closer to ukyo so that they're actually facing each other as he leans his torso forward, hands on his hips.]

Now, your business is your business. And if whatever's going on with you has nothing to do with why we're here, then go ahead and keep your secrets. But keep dropping breadcrumbs like that, and my curiosity might just get the better of me.

[ilfochrome]

.......

[ it's impossible for him to miss that encroach into his space even if he wasn't very aware of their positioning in relation to one another. his relative alertness, contrary to the rest of his flailing would have been noticeable to aaron, though being paranoid(?) doesn't a fighter make. it's not like he holds himself in any imposing way, and his voice, though not high-pitched, has a certain softness to it.

all of that changes rather suddenly; his posture shifts and instead of leaning back like he was a few seconds ago he stands taller, exerting his full height difference. his gaze grows sharp, murderous. the biggest difference though is his voice, rough in tone but also in timbre. ]

Hoh? Haven't you heard about curiosity and the cat? [ grin. ] But sure, I'll indulge you. [ since aaron has done him the favor of leaning forward, and because mercifully he does not have anything sharp on him, he opts to just punch him square in the face. despite his seemingly noodle status (prior noodle status?), if it connects, it will absolutely hurt like a bitch because he did not hold back one bit. ]

[imperiosity]

[the one thing he should be thankful for is that there at least some warning here in the way ukyo's demeanor just shifts -- of course, the verbal response also conveys plenty, so aaron is able to just barely avoid taking the full brunt of the punch. as it is, he only manages to hop back a little and angle his face so that he takes it as a glancing blow in the cheek instead of something far more direct, but the impact is still enough to draw blood when his teeth cut the inside of his mouth. he definitely felt that, and he's probably going to need some ice at some point, but getting into fights is nothing new, even if he did let his guard down way too much this time.

in any case, whatever surprise was present on his face vanishes as he quickly straightens up and spits out a small glob of blood off to the side before wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of a hand. while his eyes don't take on the same murderous glint that ukyo's have, there's a clear challenge in there as a sharp grin spreads across his face.]

The stray's got some bite in him, huh? Well, if that's the way you wanna play it, then sure -- let's play!

[and without much ado, he'll step forward as his right leg snaps into a low kick aimed at the area above the side of the knee, in hopes of causing a stumble or numbing the leg outright.]

[ilfochrome]

I have more than just bite. [ usually the fights that he gets into like this are unfair by design: a bullet through his heart, a knife through his side from nowhere. he's gotten used to reacting as much as he can in those circumstances even if it's pointless, so here, where he has actual warning? his reflexes are quite good.

he shifts, ducking down, so the kick lands on his upper leg rather than his knee. it's a good blow and aaron will feel it connect, but it doesn't seem to bother ukyo any, at least for the moment. in reiteration he goes for a quick blow to his gut, hoping to take the next second or two to scan the room for weapons. ]

[imperiosity]

[he's gotten into fights with plenty of drunks and other weirdos with a high threshold for pain, so a lack of reaction to his kick isn't new per se. still, the follow-up is quick enough that aaron's forced to take a step to the side just so he can barely twist himself out of the way, which will definitely give ukyo enough time to take in the state of the room.

while there are no neon lights pointing to a conveniently placed knife or what have you, there are a pair of sheathed swords propped up against the wall by aaron's bed (as well as an adult(?) magazine on said bed ig). besides that though, there isn't really much else in the room outside of the default furnishings.

in any case, aaron's only going to need so much time to recover before he's ready to roll again, this time with a fist aimed at ukyo's jaw.]

And where the hell do you think you're looking?