WEEKS 7 & 8

[linkupmods]

WEEKS 7 & 8

THE SEASONS TURN...

Time really passes, doesn't it? Before you know it, you're halfway through the time that the goddess Braphine has promised that you'll be here, your home away from home. You are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, maybe, even through all the challenges and eventful (!) twist and turns that have followed you through your stay here. Surely there can't be anything else lurking in the wings, right?

Through the efforts of all of Braphine's chosen, the city definitely is starting to feel a little bit cheerier, in contrast to the temperatures that are starting to cool as the seasons in Sunset City turn and the leaves change their colour. The Shopping District and the Entertainment District look and feel decidedly more warm, and a quick trip into the Nekyia also show that the haze has cleared from both districts, with the Shadows lurking much fewer in number.

Further exploration will find that the haze has thinned to explorable levels in the Nekyia Fashion District - there are Shadows to be cleared, after all. Maybe if you are lucky, they might drop you a little something in reward for your efforts.

DO YOUR PART FOR CHARITY!

On Saturday, there's a notice pinned in the lobby of the dormitory:

CHARITY EVENT FOR THE TEMPLE OF BRAPHINE
9/21
FLEA MARKET AM
FORMAL MASQUERADE BALL PM
Come and support the temple when we need it most!



Yes, you read that right: There will be a Charity Event for the Temple of Braphine, hosted by no one other than her devoted followers. They sent this over to the dorms to request the Chosens' assistance, it seems, and as the flyer says, this is an all-day event to take place on September 21st.

In the morning, there will be a Flea Market! There's a note from the hosts that they'd like the Chosens to either find a vendor to assist, provide entertainment, or participate as vendors in the Flea Market. At night, a ball will be held with live music, dinner, refreshments, and an open dance floor for all. They are not asking for your assistance with the ball, however; rather, you are automatically invited as esteemed guests and are encouraged to dress your finest for the occasion!

Given that this isn't for another week, however, it is highly encouraged that you shop around to find an outfit you'll look snazzy in for the ball. You can also start preparing merchandise to sell; or maybe, perhaps, you'd like to save that street performance for the Flea Market? Either way, you've got a long week ahead of you…

…but it won't be all rainbows and sunshine.

KEEP DREAMING.

Late into the night on Saturday, you will dream. What that dream consists of varies with each individual, but you will have one, even if you've never dreamed before. This dream could be a core memory, or perhaps about something you've always wanted, your worst fear...the list goes on.

The next day, anyone who enters the Nekyia will find that, aside from the strange "Palaces" that have popped up, things aren't right yet again…but for an entirely different reason. No matter where you are, you enter the Nekyia to a hallway full of dressing rooms. It's a fairly long hallway, because venturing down it will eventually lead you to a door that has your name on it.

Why don't you journey there and find out what awaits?

–

After seeing "Sayaka" and finding your door, you'll find something even more strange.

That dream you had last night? Well, it's here. Your dream may manifest as a small, contained landscape from your dream; a creature that you may have dreamt of might be scurrying around; another version of you, different from a Shadow; or you could be unlucky and have one of your memories on full display for everyone to see.

This phenomenon will last for the next two weeks, and dreamscapes will shift with the different dreams characters have. It won't be a one and done ordeal, unfortunately…but there is, perhaps, a way you can stop it.

(OOC: Sayaka's top level is NOT time sensitive, nor is it a mod-run event. This can be treated like a regular top level to be tagged at your own pace!

Please see the "A Dream Unraveled" commission for some details on what's causing the dreamscapes to appear! Welcome to your dreamwalking/memory share event!)

WEATHER FORECAST

Temperature: hot and humid, but gradually getting cooler! Surprise showers may occur during these two weeks when you least expect it, so stay sharp and don't get drenched!

Characters who journery into the Nekyia when it is raining may find HP-restoring items dropped during combat with Shadows.

COMMISSIONS

REAL WORLD COMMISSIONS

BATTLE OF THE BRANDS

Two boutiques on Amaranth Avenue have been at war with each other - figuratively, at least. The sweet lolita brand Cookies for Mice and the punk brand Panthera Punks started out merely vying for advertising space, but have now been taking rather pointed pot shots at each other in their marketing. As the shops are across from each other, it’s plain to see the owners are taking it personally as they can’t seem to stop glaring at each other from across the road. Won’t somebody help mediate before it escalates any further…?

AN ALTERNATIVE CANVAS

Up-and-coming makeup artists are looking to land a job with a new makeup brand in the area, and their final test: finding a model (or two) to model their work and prove their skill. Characters will find that these artists are on the prowl for willing (or not so willing) faces - but at least you’ll be compensated for your patience as they endeavor to make you look your best?

FISHY FUN FASHION

Saffron Street has been chosen to host a highly regarded fashion show! The theme: aquatic life. They need models of all sexes and sizes to walk the runway in ethereal clothing that brings to mind deep sea creatures like bioluminescent jellyfish, or even angler fish! For those who are not brave enough to walk the walk, volunteers are needed to help maintain the large, specially made tanks the city’s aquarium has generously lent out for the occasion. The tanks are full of friendly fish and plant life to create the perfect backdrop for the show! …You know how to use diving gear, don’t you?

NEKYIA COMMISSIONS

THE LION AND THE MOUSE

She thinks she’s so great… I’ll show her! We don’t need her prissy, holier-than-thou attitude around here! We’ll see how she behaves when her shop’s reduced to shreds…

It seems the owner of Panthera Punks having beef with the owner of Cookies for Mice isn’t just a real world problem - she has her very own Shadow in the form of a level 30 Narcissus. Take him on in battle and help to loosen its grip on her in reality before things get much, much worse.

HER HEART WON'T GO ON

How could he… After all I’ve done, after all the money I’ve spent… He leaves me behind for her?! I’ll make him pay… I’ll make them both pay!!

It seems one of the local models has had a rather nasty breakup, and the ex and other woman may end up suffering a rather harrowing fate if all these feelings of anger are left to fester… Characters who follow these angry rants will find themselves face to face with a Level 32 Leanan Sidhe, a jealous lover all too willing to enact a very real harm on those who wronged her. Fight back against the Shadow and teach her the value in moving on from a lover who was never worth her time to begin with.

A DREAM UNRAVELLED

Deep in the Nekyia, whispers and wails can be heard; a fashion designer bemoans their dearth of ideas, and hotly defends their choice to steal their designs instead. After all, this was their dream, and they can’t give it up now - no matter the cost.

Characters may find the Unfaithful Dream-King in a nest of collected dreams of the populace - including some of Braphine’s own chosen. He will be a powerful opponent for sure, but it seems solving this particular Shadow problem is the only way to ensure everyone can have a good night’s rest once more.

Once he is defeated, he will drop a rare item. Who knows, maybe this will help you in your journey ahead.

(OOC: Please turn in your threads for this commission on the rewards page to receive a stat boost item, valid for one time use during any battle.)

OOC

READ ME!!!!

Welcome to your log for Weeks 7 and 8! Feel free to use this log for any developments that happen during the next two weeks. There will be no log posted next week, but a top-level for the charity event will be posted instead on next Saturday!
For plotting, please feel free to head over to this post on the OOC comm to post your plotting top levels.
For Nekyia commissions, you can assume that the Shadows will respawn until they've been beaten enough times to go back to normal.
Don't forget that the deadline for applications and character swaps is on September 28!

ic comm | inboxes | ooc comm | full nav

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Comments

[unweathered]

1. Rainy days

[On a particularly rainy day, Schneider can be found in a couple of places. You might find her outside, under a red umbrella, frowning pensively as she lets the rain drops fall on her hand. If you approach her, she might ask]

...have you ever seen the rain fall in reverse?

[Or you might find her in the kitchen for once, making what looks and smells like a delicious pasta. But Schneider stares at it for a long time, her face paler than usual, before she moves to throw it away. Stop her???]

2. Dreaming of a different world #1

[You find yourself somewhere very dark, very cold. It smells like herbs, soil and blood. And in the distance, there's Schneider, impossibly still, covered in blood, laying on a stone tableau. Is she alive? Is she even breathing? Even here, the sound of the rain is intense]

3. Dreaming of a haunting memory #2 (cw: gang violence, blood etc)

[This scene opens with a man begging for mercy, then a gunshot, a loud bang that echoes in the alleyway. It stinks of piss and trash, and the suited men walk away, trudging through the mud, laughing and swearing to himself.

"That's what you get for cheating us, Grecco."

But, in this alleyway, there's more than just the quickly cooling corpse. A younger Schneider steps out from the shadows, dressed in an oversized black jacket and a red dress, moving to the corpse. She's trembling, but it's not clear whether it's from grief or rage.]

...papa...

[Or maybe both]

4. Come get your items

[Apparently, the for sale sign worked on getting rid of the last thing, so Schneider just puts out a pair of military id tags and a bracket watch

She wont actually sell these, but depending on who it is, she'll be having fun teasing them]

5. WILDCARD COMMISIONS/OTHER DREAMSHARES

[hmu if you would like anything]

3

[bloodandstars]

[ In some ways, it's a familiar scene. Why shouldn't she dream of this, when she's seen things like this who knows how many countless times? The grimy alleys, grimier people. A quick murder for gain or revenge or both.

The little figure is familiar, too. Maika doesn't really have any notion of protecting children from the idea of death — but it's still what shakes her out of her thoughts and finally prompts her to move, reaching out for the girl's shoulder. ]

It's too late. He won't hear you now.

[ And lingering here feels unwise. ]

[unweathered]

...why did he believe uncle about this country? Freedom. Riches. All of it. Lies.

[ Schneider looks up and in her gaze is a rage burning bright. It's an uncanny look in someone so young.]

All of them. All they do is steal, kill from people like us. Why?

[bloodandstars]

[ Was Maika much older than this when she lost all faith and hope in people? Probably not. But she finds her voice gentling a little anyway, closer to the one she uses with Kippa — when Kippa isn't doing some dumbass thing that's about to get her killed, anyway. ]

Because he trusted family, probably. And because he wanted it to be true. ...Wanted a better life for you and your sisters, I'd wager.

[ The man lying dead nearby might have been stupid, but she has no reason to think he didn't care. Mindful of the anger burning bright in those eyes, Maika shakes her gently. ]

Walk with me, before they come back. Tell me about those people.

[unweathered]

[Aside from her hair and eyes, there's nothing about Schneider at thirteen that is reminiscent of how Schneider at eighteen dressed or carried herself. Her dress is a drab gray thing, her shoes worn and old. She's even skinnier as a child, as if underfed or chronically ill. She gives a little nod as she follows Maika out of the alley, even as the dreamscape begins to twist and distort]

...they said we needed to give them protection money. To protect us from bad people. Then they wanted money from our shop and our farm. We do not have a coin to spare. Father said he could talk to them.

[bloodandstars]

[ She's so little — weak and underfed, and Maika knows the look pretty well. She takes Schneider's hand in her cooperative state, keeping this child version close to her side.

Not great that it occupies her only limb if a fight comes up. But... well, maybe dream logic will let her do something. ]

Protect you from everyone but themselves, huh? [ Her poor stupid father. And his poor kids. Maika's grip tightens a little. ] There are always people like that. No matter how little someone else has, they still want it. They know you can't stop them.

[unweathered]

... I'll stop them. I'll protect my family.

[ The alleyway seems endless, before the walls fall away into a dark void. The path below them becomes dirt and it stretches out into nothingness, until they see a church in the distance.

Schneider isn't wearing a drab gray dress anymore but an oversized suit jacket on top of a black dress. She's slightly older now, better fed and yet...]

I can be strong enough for all of them.

[ And then they're at the church, hearing wailing and crying in the distance as the sermon drones on. The sound of rain is all around them, but not one drop dampens their clothes.]

[bloodandstars]

You'll be strong, alright. Sometimes, strength is even enough.

[ The worst part, probably, is knowing how it ends. That's how dreams like this always are. The hope is devastating when you know what's waiting after waking up.

Maika listens to the rain, the sound of it blending with the lull of a sermon she hardly hears. She's never even been attentive to her own Goddess; and nothing she's heard from Schneider has inclined her to think she owes more respect to that one. ]

...Do your gods ever answer?

[unweathered]

Never. [Schneider trembles as the priest's voice rises and falls, her sisters and mother weeping and wailing. Whose funeral was this one now? She can't remember] I prayed endlessly. Mama and Papa said salvation will come to us, but we are plagued with sins. The disease of the soul. So pray until God's grace reaches us, even when there's not enough bread for communion.

[Her expression darkens and a familiar sardonic little smile tugs at her lips]

But he never once answered. Not me, not my sisters. Not them. We're all the same in the end.

[bloodandstars]

Even gods only want what they can take from the weak. If adoration is free, then why should they work for it? People don't fear gentleness.

[ She doesn't know what true gods must be like. But if they don't answer anyway, then what good are they? Maika looks at the crying around them, at the superficial calm of Schneider's face. ]

...If you want to cry, I wouldn't tell. It wouldn't make you weak.

[unweathered]

...I do not know how to anymore.

[Grief is heavy, rising up in her throat and choking. But she hasn't cried once despite it. She just squeezes Maika's hand a little harder]

[bloodandstars]

That's the way of the world, isn't it? It's too easy to forget what's good for you.

[ How to cry, how to give vent to those feelings without choking on them, without being dragged under by them. Maika's brow furrows as she squeezes Schneider's hand in reply. ]

[unweathered]

Is crying good for you?... my eldest sister once told me that we need to pray for absolution. That suffering is our only currency.

[ Schneider looks out onto the scene and tugs Maika to take them away]

What do you think?

[bloodandstars]

[ Maika follows, completely failing to suppress a grimace at that thought. ]

Pile of shit. [ No offense to Schneider's sister. ] Suffering doesn't have some innate value. It just... happens to you. And keeps happening until you can make it stop. Praying to be forgiven, to have your pain eased... it's just a desperate attempt to give meaning to what you can't escape.

[unweathered]

That's right. We can only make meaning ourselves.

[ Schneider is quiet, her young face solemn as they continue walking. It's a bloody scene after scene, anguish and blood and desperation permeating the air. As they walk, Schneider gets older and older...

And then, they're in a smoke filled bar, listening to an offer

"We will protect arcanists like you and... didn't you have a sister to be found?" A man says, though his visage is twisted and distorted, as if Schneider can barely handle remembering him. Rage consumes for a moment]

[bloodandstars]

That's right. That's why we keep living.

[ One of the reasons, anyway. Maybe one of the more important ones.

Maika takes in the scenes around them, half attentive and half... simply watching Schneider. The progression, the toll it takes on her. It's not surprising. She'd seen plenty of herself in the way Schneider carries herself, the confidence and the willfully projected strength. You didn't develop that by accident, or by living in peaceful times.

It all brings her to where she is now. Or to this memory, this turning point. She glances over at Schneider again to read her expression. ]

[unweathered]

If you will protect my family from the storm then...ah, I suppose I'll go pigeon hunting on your behalf then?

[Schneider is all smiles, a mask of flippant apathy to murder. She still holds onto Maika's hand as they walk away, the fog growing deeper and deeper around them]

...we need to leave.

2

[strawsandals]

[ He doesn't like the look of this place. It's incredibly cold, reminiscent of the chill in his own Palace. There's someone lying down on a stone – oh, that won't do.

Yoon runs over and sees... ]

..Schneider!

[ Hey, uh, he's gonna try to heal her? Hello??? ]

[unweathered]

[Schneider stirs a little, eyes fluttering open as she draws in a gasp of breath. If Yoon is paying attention and has his hands on her chest, where the bloody wound is, he might notice something a little odd.

There is no heart beat. Yet, there is still the faint rise and fall of her chest, and her pulse, while weak, still flickers]

Ouch...it hurts. This is...too rough...

[Oh. This isn't the face she was expecting to wake up to]

[strawsandals]

[ There are other ways to protect people, Maika said. Yoon knows this, and he's going to save Schneider this way. He can fix this.

He'll cast another big heal on her. He's making note of the...lack of a heartbeat. Huh. ]

What happened?

[unweathered]

A memory...no, dream. [Schneider's breathing begins to even out, less rough. She feels a little more steady now. She tries to move her arm, raising it to the ceiling. Ah. It aches like it's real. How strange.]

I should have died here. They wanted to make me an example.

[strawsandals]

[ His eyes go wide. She shouldn't be surprised, she knows how he feels about violence. ]

An example of what?!

[ He'll try to help her up, if it doesn't hurt much. ]

Come on...let's get you out of here. It's just a nightmare.

[unweathered]

[ She winces but she picks herself back up, each breath drawing pain. But she remains resolute in standing]

Fuck. Nightmares shouldn't hurt this much.

[ There's only one exit out of the dark basement that would have become her crypt. And all around them, the sound of the rain echoes, carrying a familiar scream that chills Schneider to the bone]

...Marian?

[strawsandals]

[ He's here to support her if she needs to shift her weight on him. He's focused entirely on getting her somewhere safe – if such a place even exists – but that scream is what gets him to pause. ]

Where are they? Tell me where I need to go.

[unweathered]

[ Schneider wobbles a little but straightens]

My sister...this way. [ It's just a nightmare. Who knew what would be waiting for them in the end? But Schneider sprints down the corridors and winding paths until they reach another door.]

They were torturing her for so long, I--

[The door slams open and there's Marian, lying prone on the ground. There's shattered glass all around her, and on a table nearby, are two bottles glowing with a mysterious liquid]

Marian!