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

[goei]

[Squinting.]

You suggesting I wouldn't have kicked their ass hard enough the first time? You doubtin' my skills?

[skypsalms]

[ hi. ]

No, not at all. You suggested it first. You said you were worried about stubborn people coming back with reinforcements and guns.

[ and you know. how he would kill them because he didn't want to deal with that... ]

[goei]

I'm saying that some people are thick headed enough that no amount of beatin' is gonna stop'em! That's why when they come back they bring backup!

[NOISE OF FRUSTRATION.]

What's a little girl know about this shit anyway!? Just listen to what I'm tellin' you!

[skypsalms]

I think I know enough.

[ should she be laughing at him? no, but she's going to giggle at his frustration. sorry.... ]

I'm very stubborn myself, and I know I wouldn't accept defeat until there was absolutely no hope for me.

[goei]

[POINTS!!!!]

See! Yer exactly the type of moron I'm talking about!

[skypsalms]

[ she's just gonna keep laughing. ]

I know; that's why I said all of those things.

[goei]

[KURURU NO!!!]

So you were just makin' fun of me this whole time!? You better get down on your knees and grovel before I show ya what I do to people who make fun of Okada Izou!

[skypsalms]

[ i'm crying because looks at canon and just also looks away. we'll revisit the part where he says who he is later because right there this is something more important to address: ]

No, no. I wasn't. I was speaking from experience.

There is someone I respect that isn't afraid of a fight or back down from a challenge, and I respect him because he never backed down and won fights even if the odds were stacked against him.

To win those fights and never have killed anyone in the process—simply crushing their reasons for fighting him—I think that's much more impressive.

[goei]

[She claims she isn't making fun of him... But!! Still!!!]

You say you ain't making fun of me, but you are sayin' I'm weak for killing people. Am I understanding you correctly now?
[He still seems mad but at least he's not about to fly off the handle.

[skypsalms]

[ she really isn't!!!! ]

I wouldn't say weak but—killing someone takes away your ability to understand one another.

[ kururu doesn't want to say killing someone is easy because it's not. it absolutely isn't but for someone who can kill easily... maybe it is harder? ]

And if you can't come to understand one another then it'll just cause more conflict later.

[goei]

I understand people plenty. They'll play nice with ya as long as you've got something that's useful ta them, and then when you're more of a hassle than an asset, they throw you away.

[He humphs.]

Tryna get close to look fer anything else is just setting yourself up for a harder fall later.

[skypsalms]

[ ah. now where has she heard this before? hmm... ]

If you close yourself off then doesn't that become a self-fulfilling prophecy?

[ a gentle voice as she makes sure to not sound condescending. ]

But, you know, it's not one person or two people or even a group of people who should define your worth. You'll always be useful to someone even if that someone is just yourself. [ ... ] Except that right here and right now there are people who need you.

The people here value you. They need your help.

[goei]

[It all sounds like something Fujimaru would say, and a small part of him wants to just accept it as is. But this isn't his master, and as far as he's concerned, Fujimaru is a singular presence and to expect anyone else to actually sincerely be the same kind of compassionate lunatic as her is just reckless. One person is an exception to the rule. He can't let that trick him into letting down his guard to everyone.]

They don't need me, they just need bodies.

I ain't the kinda guy to back out of a job even if I ain't agreed to it in the first place, but I'm here to help fight whatever it is we're gonna be fighting later. That's what I'm useful for.

So if yer lookin' ta make nice with me, you better kick rocks, girlie.
[He got too comfortable with their little art project, idiot that he is! He's putting his walls up properly now. Self-fulfilling prophecy? Maybe so. But at least he's used to it being this way.]

[skypsalms]

[ damn, isn't this behavior she's frightfully familiar with—the way he lashed out at her in response to her words. the situation is clearly different and she doesn't understand him like that other person, but it doesn't mean she can't learn. even if he wants to push her away. ]

Perhaps that's exactly why they need you here. [ because she's just going to focus on that good part of him than the rest of deflection. to her, that's the important part. ] It's not every person you meet that is willing to help—even the littlest bit—when they're brought in to do something unknowingly.

[ imagine the whiplash that might happen if the goddess goes and says the exact opposite to whatever she's saying here. ]

My name is Kururu Sumeragi. [ she'll give him a curt bow. ] It's my pleasure to have met you, Okada Izou.

[goei]

[Who is he reminding her of Naru, I'm curious. I ask as if I don't know exactly two other Air Gear characters. Unless we're counting Agito/Akito as two characters. Then I know three.]

It ain't-
[GOD, this girl is relentless. Everything's got a silver lining or something like that, he's heard an expression something like that before.]

Tch. Yeah, good to meet ya, Sumeragi-san. Even if I think yer way too optimistic about all of this.

[Agrresive finger point.]
But I ain't here to "help" like some sorta well meanin' hero, I'm here to do a job. Don't get it twisted. That's why they call us heroic spirits "servants" when we're summoned. Got it?

[skypsalms]

[ she's just going to keep on smiling right at izou even when he points at her and comments on her "optimism"; it's not the first time that someone has done that. though— ]

You don't have to be a "hero" to help people. [ a short laugh. ] In fact, you don't even have to be a considerate person to help others. Sometimes the only thing someone needs is an example of how they could live differently.

[ because she definitely did not miss this: ]

...and I'm assuming that you're talking about something different from this situation when you're talking about being summoned.

[goei]

Eh. I guess technically since you people ain't servants, but to me it's more or less the same. I get summoned, then once I've done my job, I'm dismissed back to th'throne.

[He pauses, and frowns. In this case he better get sent back to Chaldea since he wasn't done there by any means.]

Anyways I ain't a hero, considerate, and the only example I could give somebody is how ta not live so I ain't helpin' nobody by yer rules.