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

welcome party

[incompletely]

[ (Un)luckily for Sally, she gets caught in the act of staring, because Tenn notices right away. He's used to being stared at, but it's unusual to get one that's as intense as the way she looked at him. Well, normally he'd let that slide, but since they're stuck here together, he may as well try and see what's up... ]

Do you need something?

[oinkoink]

[Oh, good. Great one, Oink. Now he's coming over! She tries very hard to shrink even further against the wall, holding her plate of snacks so hard you'd think she's afraid it'll get stolen.]

Nope. Nothing. I'm not looking for anyone.

[That...wasn't what he asked. She frowns at herself.]

I'm fine.

[incompletely]

[ ...Huh. ]

Are you sure?

[ He doesn't look convinced, but he's also not the type to press the issue. So, instead, he grabs a bottle of water that's placed on the refreshments table nearby, and hands it over to her. ]

...Here. Remember to keep hydrated, too.

[ Especially with how flustered she looks!! Also he's just very diligent about drinking water, so. ]

[oinkoink]

[Sally takes the water without really thinking, but stares at it just as intensely as she'd stared at him. It's like she's waiting for it to turn into something else in her hand.]

Why do you care?

[...is not what she meant to say, but she blurted out the question just the same.]

[incompletely]

[ Ah?! Tenn's eyes narrow, almost defensively -- he's certainly taken aback by her question, but even then, his tone isn't hostile. ]

Is there a reason for me not to?

[ He doesn't know her, yeah, but that doesn't matter much. They're all in this awful situation together. He may as well try to be kind, even if she doesn't seem too receptive to it. ]

[oinkoink]

W-Well, because...

[People who look like you don't care about people like me. People who look like you aren't nice to people like me. She can't just say that to his face! It would be so rude! Well, ruder. She'd already been pretty rude.]

It's a waste of your time to worry about me.

[incompletely]

[ Ah- that... His expression softens a little, not out of pity necessarily. He just feels...sad. She's a total stranger, but her demeanor, combined with what she's been saying, kind of says a lot already. ]

It isn't. Don't say that about yourself.

[ His shoulders relax. ]

I may not know you, but you haven't done anything wrong. It's fine to be tense in a situation like this, and no one should have to face it alone.

[ ...if that's what this is about, anyway. He's just guessing. ]

[oinkoink]

[Sally winces slightly. If only he could hear her inner monologue, he'd know just how poorly she talks to herself.]

I'm pretty used to going it alone.

[Not that it ever worked out all that well for her. But, then, when she thought she'd teamed up with people...that hadn't exactly worked out well, either. Maybe she was just unlucky no matter what her circumstances.]

[incompletely]

[ Used to going it alone, huh? He can't say he doesn't understand that, because he's the same. He chooses this way of living, though. Maybe it isn't the same for her. Knowing this makes it hard for him to try to force the "you're not alone" agenda on her, because he understands this feeling in his own way.

He frowns a little and pauses, unsure of what to say. After a brief moment though: ]

You aren't the only one.

[ ... ]

If that's how you prefer to do things, that's fine. It might not be so easy with what this "goddess" is trying to do, though. So...if you have to pick someone to team up with if that situation arises, you can contact me.

My name is Kujo Tenn.

[oinkoink]

[Preferred...? No, if she had to pick, she wanted to be surrounded by people who would support her. You couldn't just snap your fingers and have a support system, though. If that's what the game was here, she could only assume it was to try and get her to let her guard down.

Just the same, she finds herself responding to the introduction with one of her own.]

I'm Sally. Sally Timms.

[She couldn't bring herself to offer him any kind of reciprocation. To tell him that he could call on her, too. Even if she gave anyone that option, it's not like they'd actually pick her. She'd just be a useless teammate.]

...and thank you, even though I can't say I really believe in what we were told we're here for.

[incompletely]

It's nice to meet you.

[ He'll at least meet her with a smile, one that's been absent since he stumbled upon her. ]

We were dragged here so suddenly that I can't blame you for that. [ Maybe he shouldn't have been so quick to believe in it, himself. ] I think these kinds of matters should be handled on our own terms.

[ The whole...making connections thing. (He desperately needs this, though, even if he doesn't realize it.) ]

[oinkoink]

[Is it because they've been talking for more than ten seconds, or is it because she knows his name now? Is it because that despite herself, a really cute boy just smiled at her and she's just that desperate? Sally isn't sure, but she blurts out more words than she has so far in their conversation.]

It's like--putting aside the magical teleportation aspect of it all. Have you ever been to a party you don't want to be at where all the adults bring their kids and put them in a room together and just demand they play nice? It feels like that.

[incompletely]

[ At that, he sighs: ]

I have, many times. I'm an idol. We go to events like those all the time.

[ Where they're expected to go for various reasons to mingle and play nice. Tenn has accepted that this is part of the job a long time ago, but he knows what she means. ]

Even so, this is unlike anything I've experienced. Traveling to another planet entirely isn't part of my job description.

[oinkoink]

An idol? Like, a pop star?

[Like, a Backstreet Boy? Sally finds herself wondering, again, if that was true, why was he wasting his time talking to her? Her? She was, like, the absolute antithesis of an idol. The kind of person who made you feel uninspired. Who you looked down on as what not to be.]

Yeah, no, I think interdimensional travel is a pretty uncommon part of anyone's resume.

[incompletely]

Yes, like a pop star.

[ BACKSTREET'S BACK, ALRIGHT -- except his group's name is TRIGGER, but eh. He's not used to being described that way, but he supposes it scans for someone who isn't as familiar with idol culture.

Luckily for Sally, Tenn does not consider himself any "better" or "higher" than his fans, or ordinary people. They are his driving force, after all, and he's grateful. ]

I hope that doesn't concern you. Nobody knows who I am here, anyway.

[oinkoink]

[Sally shakes her head, more awkward than ever.]

No, not really...

[It just reaffirmed her earlier confusion as to why he was even bothering with someone like her. Regardless, at least she's still talking.]

I guess we're all on equal footing, if none of us knows anyone else.

[If they really are each from a completely different world. Sally still wasn't sure how much of it all she believed.]

[incompletely]

Of course we are. So...you can just call me Tenn.

[ He is sincere about this. He's a firm believer in giving people courage, hope, where he can. Maybe he's being pushy about it, but that's who he is. He likes lifting people's spirits.

Maybe dropping some formalities with Sally will help, he thinks. ]

I look forward to working with you.