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

[ilfochrome]

[ ...well he can't just ignore that laughter, can he? ukyo approaches the very tall blonde haired man; just close enough to get a look at his state of being but still respecting and giving him an ample personal bubble. ]

Does it still hurt?

[vogelfrei]

... it does not.

[ And actively thinking about it, that may be contributing to this feeling like an out of body experience. Pain of the caliber he'd experienced before coming here doesn't just vanish. ]

I'd go so far as to say it feels like I was never injured at all.

[ So maybe scratch 'feels' like an out of body experience - is this even his body? Is this place real at all? ]

[ilfochrome]

[ the smile he offers is small and solemn. ]

...that's good. But you still experienced the injury in the first place, haven't you? Even if it's vanished, rewound, or numbed, it still happened. It's hard to forget things like that.

[vogelfrei]

Not just difficult, I'd say it's impossible.

[ If you know a man's past, you can control him. That goes for everybody in the world. ]

But it's done. I've been injured and healed, so right now I have to look at the new cards I've been dealt.

[ilfochrome]

[ nod. ]

What do you think of them?

[vogelfrei]

[ How does he answer this diplomatically... ]

They're... quaint. And not credible.

It's hard to believe I have been brought back from the dead to do community counseling - there would be easier ways of fixing your city's social issues. The cost of bringing us here cannot have been cheap.

[ilfochrome]

[ ( ! ... )

his green eyes go wide before narrowing in apparent concern. ]

That injury was fatal?

[vogelfrei]

I'm certain of it, yes.

[ Maybe there is some kind of magic spell out there that can heal you from a bullet to the chest, but even if he were to concede the existence of such a thing... He remembers how it felt. McGillis has experienced plenty of pain in his life, and certainly lost consciousness a few times. This had been different from all of that. ]

It makes being here a fascinating experience.

[ilfochrome]

[ he looks away then back again, not really a fidget but more unsure of where to look.

softly: ]

If it's your first time experiencing a death, I think you're taking it pretty well.

[vogelfrei]

[ 'Well', huh? McGillis can't help but smile self-deprecatingly at that. Certainly, he is walking upright and figuring out his next steps, just as he's always done. ]

It's the first. I wasn't aware you could experience it more than once, but the afterlife is proving to be full of discoveries.

[ Maybe his whole life has been a series of deaths and he's just continuing the same path here. ]

[ilfochrome]

Yeah, you can. But I don't think this is the afterlife either. I wouldn't be here if it was.

[ he smiles just a little. ]

[vogelfrei]

That's a very confident statement.

[ Ukyo voice: I Am Never Going To Die. ]

[ilfochrome]

It's coming from experience. Or something like that, but it's a bit—I don't think you need to worry about it, since it only applies to me.

[ his smile grows a bit more, something apprehensive and apologetic. ]

But either way, this is some type of life and not a final resting ground.

[vogelfrei]

Lucky me, cheating death like that...

[ It's darkly funny to him. ]

Though judging by the expression you're making, cheating death isn't precisely the key to happiness.

[ilfochrome]

[ ah, the smile drops, voice somber. ]

...it's not cheating it really, is it? Not if you experience all the pain and memories that go with it.

[vogelfrei]

That depends on who you ask, doesn't it?

The man who killed me surely would think of it as cheating, regardless of how much pain I experienced.

[ Tough luck, Gaelio. It seems like McGillis is simply a cockroach that can't be snuffed out. ]

[ilfochrome]

I think if you faced death one hundred times, a thousand times, you might begin to feel otherwise.

[ that's not quite McGillis' point though, so he adds. ]

But right now, in the world you came from, there's no real cheating at all. You're here, and not there. If you return then maybe, but will it be the same world? Irregardless of the flow of time, you might return to one practically the same but with a minute difference. There's countless parallel worlds, and finding the right one... I guess that remains to be seen.

[vogelfrei]

[ McGillis raises an eyebrow. Those 'thousand times' do not feel like much of a hypothetical here, which under normal circumstances would mean that this man is totally delusional. Right now, McGillis isn't sure what to believe. ]

It depends on how much you're willing to stretch 'out of sight out of mind'. Believing someone to be dead does not make them so - not when there is still a chance they might return sometime, however slim. "Functionally dead" is still a conditional state.

[ilfochrome]

Hmm... it all gets really confusing after a while, doesn't it? Either way, I hope you're able to get something out of this. Continuing to have hope, however minute that might be, is important.

[ despite the extraordinarily strange topic, his smile is calm and at ease. ]

[vogelfrei]

'Hope', huh? I'd prefer to call it purpose, but maybe it amounts to the same thing.

[ Hope as a primary motivator feels too passive for McGillis' tastes. He'd rather seize his own destiny - good fortune can certainly help, but one cannot solely rely on it. ]

[ilfochrome]

Yeah, that's another way of looking at it. The other guy would probably agree with you there too. [ ??? anyway... ]

By the way, I'm Ukyo.

[vogelfrei]

[ ...? Well, McGillis will file this one away for questioning later. ]

McGillis Fareed. You can just call me McGillis. It's nice to meet you, but it will be nicer once I've obtained a change of clothes and can face you in a presentable manner.

[ilfochrome]

Oh, yeah. [ oops, sometimes you just get into deep philosophical discussions, it happens. ]

Sorry to keep you. I don't think I'm the best person to ask, but if you need any help adjusting, you can ask me.

[vogelfrei]

Still a better person to ask than most, judging by our conversation.

[ He thinks 'died once' puts him overall closer to 'potentially died hundreds of times' than to 'didn't die'. ]

I'll keep it in mind and I'll see you later.

[ He has no plans whatsoever spilling his emotions to Ukyo but the logistics of it... he might get back to that discussion. ]