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

[pointzeropercent]

arrival

[When he wakes up, he's not in the trial room anymore, nor is he in the secret room. He's out in the open, staring up at a sky he thought he would never see again. It's a sight he never truly appreciated until now.

He's just going to lay there for a moment and try to process everything he's seen. Don't mind him, he'll move in a moment.]



Searching

[Some hours later, after he's had a chance to launder his clothes and take a shower, Sou will start searching around the dorms to see just who is here. There's a few faces in particular he's looking for, but they're nowhere to be found and he's going to grow more frustrated the longer he searches. Is he the only participant here?

Eventually, he will start talking to the other people here. By that time he's thrown on a friendlier expression, trying to suppress all of the negative feelings he has swirling within him.]

Hi there! I'm Sou Hiyori, what's your name?

[What better way to start than through introductions. It's what he did last time, after all.]



Modeling

[He doesn't really want to model. For one, he's not charismatic enough for that. Also, he really shouldn't be putting his photos out there. But his clothes are too warm for the summer weather and he's going to cook if he keeps wearing his fall gear. He needs something lighter to stay comfortable.

But it's a group photo, so at least he doesn't have to go at it alone! If there's anybody else near the sign advertising the modeling gig, he'll speak up to them.]

I've never done anything like this before...how about you?



Leave Your Mark

[There's a lot of things Sou could draw. He kind of just wants to grab a handful of markers and scribble all over the canvas. He really wants to rip the canvas down and tear it to shreds while screaming.

Instead, he grabs a grey marker and draws a bucket. No mess, no screaming. Though by the time he finishes the drawing, his hand is starting to shake.]

leave your mark

[beathollow]

( no mess, no screaming. but once he draws his hand back, however, there's a water bottle being held out to him. room temperature, because too-cold water can upset the stomach.

mafuyu herself looks... quiet. tired.

kind of like she also has resisted wanton destruction and screaming. )

[pointzeropercent]

[He blinks, and then he looks over to Mafuyu. Boy, this girl looks tired.]

...thanks.

[He'll take it from her. He does a quick-yet-discreet test of the seal though, twisting the cap to see if it pops like they do when you're opening a sealed bottle. Not that he thinks Mafuyu did anything in particular, he's just that paranoid.]

Are you okay?

[beathollow]

We'll have to find out on that last one.

( translation: no, but you carry on.

she doesn't seem to notice the safety check, already looking back to the canvas. there's... a lot already, huh. )

The rooms for us are clean, if you need to go rest. I don't think anyone will judge.

[pointzeropercent]

Not a bad idea.

[...]

Do you...want to go sit down for a bit?

[He's trying to be polite but she does look like she could use a break.]

Modeling

[kandata]

I am not experienced in modeling. However, there is no better time to learn than the present. I am willing to help, were you to need it.

[At the end of the day modeling follows a lot of instructions. Give a vibe, have a pose, wear something, behave in some way...

...yeah, Kirumi thinks she can do it well. It's just one task more]

[pointzeropercent]

[It's alright as long as he's not doing this alone, that was his main worry.]

Let's give it a try then, I bet you would look pretty in the summer outfits they're offering.

[kandata]

That might depend. What sort of summer outfit would it be?

[Nah, it's almost a certainty she'd look great!]

[pointzeropercent]

It looks like a lot of summer dresses? And some t-shirts and shorts too.

leave your mark

[ushirono]

[ This man picks up another gray marker and draws a bucket next to Sou's.

It's fucking terrible with crooked lines and everything. ]

... Did you use all your concentration to draw this single bucket?

[ Why is his hand shaking. ]

[pointzeropercent]

[After a moment, he lets out a breath and pulls his hand away.]

Whew! My hand started to cramp up there! It's hard to draw things with nice, straight lines like that.

[Seemingly the answer is yes, he did.]

[ushirono]

It's a bucket.

[ He sounds incredibly judging despite how his own bucket is terribly drawn. ]

Get a ruler if it's so hard.

[pointzeropercent]

[He looks at his own bucket.

He looks at the man's bucket.]

Is that so...

Modeling

[moodwrecker]

[She's much more composed now that she's here.]

Nope. It's crazy they're asking a bunch of random people off the street to do it for them.

[pointzeropercent]

They must be desperate for people if they're asking random passerbys, huh?

[moodwrecker]

That's how it looks, anyway.

Whatever. As long as we get paid...

[pointzeropercent]

Mhmm. We're all going to need jobs here, so we might as well take what we can get.

Let's get matching outfits, then maybe they'll pay us more for coordinating.

[proposed]

[ It's been a long time since he's left his fortress at all, much less done so much mingling. He sits on one of the armchairs in the recreational rooms, legs crossed, occasionally shifting to find a better position. He's nearly done solving the 3x3 rubik's cube held in his hands when he lifts his head to see the other man, and he continues to twist it without looking back down. ]

My name is Osamu Dazai. Dazai is fine. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Hiyori-kun.

[ The words don't quite match the hollow tone that he speaks in, something devoid of emotion, and the slight polite smile that he offers doesn't reach his lifeless eyes. Or at least not the one that isn't covered by bandages. ]

[pointzeropercent]

[Oh. Oh this guy instantly gives off vibes that Sou is not a fan of. It reminds him far, far too much of a boy he knew once upon a time, someone he never wants to see again...

Despite his unease, he'll manage to keep his smile up. Sou's facade is one that fools most, but if this guy is anything like That Person then he might see right through it. True or not, the thought alone sets Sou on edge. He hates being Seen.]

Likewise, Dazai...san?

[He will let Dazai set the tone here. Especially since he recognizes that name from classic literature and assumes that it's being used as an alias.]

[proposed]

[ Dazai nods to confirm his approval. He's watching, but he fixes a smile into place before pausing in his work and holding up the cube. ]

Have you ever solved one of these? They're supposed to be challenging, but that means that it's just boring if you can easily solve it...

[ He holds it out, offering it in case the other would like to try finishing it. ]

People train and compete to solve it quickly too... But if you solve it in five seconds, then you've only had five seconds of entertainment before you're bored and have nothing to do again. Isn't it better to find something that can keep your mind busy for longer?

arrival

[umurice]

[Well, if he's lying down there long enough, someone is bound to notice. That someone is a young redhead who is going to be looming over him from the space atop his head, crouched down and looking a bit concerned.]

Hello? Are you all right?

... Ah, your eyes are open.

[pointzeropercent]

[For like a moment there, Sou has a look on his face that seems kind of depressing. But that quickly becomes surprise instead as Hiiro leans over his face.

He sits up quickly, the movement most definitely reflexive, and their foreheads are at risk of a collision if Hiiro just stays there.]

[umurice]

[He didn't think he was going to move so quickly, but luckily, Hiiro's reflexes are fast enough to be able to dodge instinctively, avoiding a collision.

He still is crouched behind him though.]

I'm glad! I was worried when I saw you lying flat there! I thought perhaps you'd gotten hurt.

modeling

[skypsalms]

[ not one to be able to turn down someone asking for help very easily, kururu finds herself roped into this less because of her desire for a change of clothes but more because the owner was very(?) persuasive. but hey! at least it seems like she's in good company for the awkwardness. ]

No, I haven't.

[ the photographer gestures to them. what that gesture means? kururu has no idea but she sort...of...strikes...a pose? ]

I've never considered myself to be the type to be a good fit for something like this.

[pointzeropercent]

[Sou honestly has no idea either, so he kind of just. Strikes a random pose too.]

I've never been in front of a camera like this. As much as I hate to admit it, I have no idea what to do.