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

[ushirono]

[ i thought that read "severely blue-haired" and you wouldn't be wrong

This man might as well merge with the population with how grumpy he is, just like the photographer. However, when the requirement rolls in-, pair of smiles on their faces and holding hands, Fuyu looks like he wants to ascend immediately. Or kill someone. Either way, he's midkey annoyed. Then he looks at the hawaiian-style shirts and shorts.

.......................

He hears Argenti just fine, but he doesn't respond to him. Instead, he just holds the clothes and beelines to the dressing rooms. ]

[beautifulknight]

[ HELP

Argenti watches as the rancid vibes around Ushirono only INTENSIFY!!! But at the same time he beelines to the dressing rooms. ]

Isn't his eagerness and commitment to the task refreshing?

[ The photographer gives Argenti a nasty look that bounces off him like a fortress as the red head makes his way straight towards the dressing rooms himself. Once inside, he quickly puts on the clothing once selecting a proper place of privacy and emerging, for once without his armor. ]

Let me know whenever you are ready for our most glorious and radiant modeling!

[ushirono]

[ gasp argenti without his armor...

He eventually comes out the room, looking resigned and dead like he already has been. I still say that he might as well be a townsperson here. Anyway, he's here in the hawaiian shirt and shorts. He glares at Argenti for a second as if to say "if you comment on any of this, I'll kill you". ]

Let's get this over with.

[ You will pry the smile from his cold hands. ]

[beautifulknight]

[ Not an impossibility!!! He looks like he's shining even without it, tbh.

As opposed to Ushirono who looks like the living dead and blending in well with the residents. He takes the glare as an intense look to indicate his immense commitment to their activities!! ]

Yes, let us!

[ Holds out his hand. Let's take baby steps before smiles...maybe even Argenti realizes that might be a boss-level battle. ]

[ushirono]

[ help

He doesn't take Argenti's hand, but he stands by his side just fine--for a level of relativity. There is no smiling here and Argenti can continue to spin his interpretation for however he'd like.

But he does not smile.




im already understanding the feeling of playing these sorts of characters looks at blade ]

Take the picture, photographer.

[beautifulknight]

[ can you imagine getting blade to do any of those two things he'd snap

Anyway, Argenti is still smiling!! Brightly! Though he has a sense that this is truly going to be a boss battle indeed!

The photographer, who requested both parties to be smiling and holding hands, is dissatisfied and even crankier. Congratulations, this is going well.

They say that both of the two have to be smiling and holding hands. The rancid vibes are increasing and Argenti is honestly okay with them doing neither of those things. Unfortunately, grumpypants#2 isn't. He tries to think about a way to get all parties on board...baby steps... ]

Ah! We certainly do need to get this over with, do we not?

My dear ally...how about we make it look like we're almost holding hands? Well?

[ushirono]

[ Maybe fuyu should just do the snapping in his stead

He just holds Argenti's hand without much cheer. The rancid vibes are basically being sent back at the photographer. Fuck you, mate. ]

Don't call me that.

[beautifulknight]

[ which fuyu I almost asked

In direct contrast, Argenti merely stands there, brightly smiling and sparkling while Ushirono looks like he's going to swallow the photographer whole. Said cranky guy grumps at this state of affairs still.

Oh and Argenti supposes Ushirono is also grumping. But when he makes the comment, the red-head merely smiles at him, and then looks back at the photographer. ]

Here we are! Two individuals posing as dear friends. Please, will you not take a photo of us both?

[ After awhile, the guy grumps, but maybe Argenti's smile convinces him or annoys him into accepting it. Takes a singular shot.

Next interaction because he needs at least a decent amount of shots, he instructs them to pose back to back. Argenti smiles back at Ushirono. ]

Well, my severe partner-in-modeling? Shall we we move onto the next part?

[ushirono]

[ He quietly sighs and wordlessly moves onto the next part. Poses here and there. If there are any "ridiculous" poses, he will grit his teeth but still do it. Smiling though? lol. lmao. no.

But the thing is, even with all this in mind, he sometimes tells Argenti to do little things like "if you put your foot back a little more, that would be better for the pose". He doesn't do it because he cares about Argenti, but rather he keeps looking at the photographer who is making an expression like "you two are pretty but shit at posing for what I want". ]

[beautifulknight]

[ Argenti will...uh. Kind of overshoot whenever Ushirono is making his pointed comments. He is just too Extra for 'a little' and it is clear that he is definitely trying his best he just adds way too much oomph into it. Which, probably, does effect the posing quality.

Though he does look amazing at it, and he can make incredibly dynamic poses. Just, not normal ones that the photographer aims for at times. Argenti, why are you like this???

At least they get through most of their modeling just like this. ]

We make for quite a beautiful and incredible team, do we not?

[ushirono]

[ Argenti really carried the photoshoot despite being extravagantly extra. The photographer probably gave up in the middle and did something like juxtaposition as a theme, because boy, these two are so different from each other.

They're done and they keep these hawaiian shirts. He looks down at them. This isn't the clothes that he wanted....... so he changes back into that bloody raincoat. Christ. ]

... Incredible is certainly a generous word choice.

1/2

[beautifulknight]

[ Juxaposition really would work quite well as a theme. ]

I think it works just as well! Modeling is definitely quite a beautiful, enjo...

2/2

[beautifulknight]

[ But then Ushirono goes, changing back into that bloody raincoat?!

What in the name...no! Why? Why?!?! ]

...That aside, whyever are you changing back into such clothing? Is it not uncomfortable? Surely it isn't exactly ideal to go back into wearing such soiled clothing right away!

[ And...you know...isn't it smelly...?? This is a dire moment indeed. Dear Idrila, maybe he can convince him to shop for clothing, or maybe he can bother plead with the photographer a bit... ]

[ushirono]

I don't remember why I wore it like this, but it's infinitely better than that.

[ He's not wearing a hawaiian shirt. Sorry, but not really. He's also giving Argenti a look as if to say "why should I pay for clothes if he gives them for free". ]

[beautifulknight]

How so? It must not be all that comfortable!

[ Argenti frowns. To be honest, he doesn't think wearing a hawaiian shirt is terrible, but it is troubling for someone to keep walking around in the streets covered in blood even if it's dried.

It's such a travesty, he must attempt to intervene...! ]

...Perhaps he'll be willing to trade that hawaiian attire for a different kind of shirt. I only ask that you consider it. If I am able to convince him, would a plain shirt do instead?

[ushirono]

[ Argenti is trying so hard... I feel bad for him, but also me here like "thank god I don't have to have this man be shirtless anymore".

He looks at Argenti for a moment before just replying: ]

I usually wear a Y-shirt.

[ Apparently it's just a button-up shirt. Hawaiian shirts are basically that, but with more graphics. He definitely doesn't seem to like that art. ]

[beautifulknight]

[ HELP

Argenti's going to whirl on the photographer immediately, smile bright on his face. I guess Ushirono gets front row seats to seeing this knight corner the grumpy man. Is he skilled at this? ...No, not exactly, but he's determined. ]

My severe ally here needs a 'Y-shirt'. Please switch it for his original shirt.

[ The photographer begins to argue with him, and Argenti holding up the shirt gets the man to dead-eye him. For his credit, the argument ends here. ]

I promise I shall bring you more models!

[ ...That seems to do the trick, and it is swapped out for simply a black shirt and he immediately turns back to Ushirono holding said shirt out to him. ]

Well?

[ushirono]

[ He gets front row seats, but wastes it because he can't be bothered. He turns away until Argenti holds up a black button up shirt. Well, his pants are already black. Still caked with blood, but it's better than the raincoat. So he sheds the raincoat and puts on the black shirt.

He looks slightly less deranged now. Congrats!!! ]

[beautifulknight]

[ Oh, most excellent. Even if Ushirono refuses to watch the clown show firsthand.

Argenti smiles with relief, seeing the man no longer in an unfortunate state of dress. He gives a polite bow and thanks to the photographer, who is grumpy and cranky enough to shoo him away. ]

Well. Shall we be on our way, then?

[ushirono]

[ This man doesn't even spare the photographer a glance now that they're done. Wearing black will probably make him expire in the summer heat, but the world will be better off without him anyway. This photoshoot was largely thanks to Argenti and he deserves a thanks and more, but he leaves without saying anything. Gooby... ]