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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[idealitas]

[ Curiosity is what led Yi Sang through Aerith's door, and Yi Sang remembered what Aerith had said about living in the city... He sees that almost-familiar looking woman and her child, about to approach them as the woman does not seem well. But then that butterfly catches his eyes... He holds his palm for it to land, while his other is held close by as if to shield it. ]

What an odd place for you...

[gardenful]

[ It lands on his palm, its wings flickering through a few different colors before it suddenly bursts into several little butterflies. They flap around Yi Sang for a few seconds before landing on different parts of the car, grass and flowers springing up in their wake. It's as if the train car has been taken over by overgrowth, though the flora doesn't look quite real, either. Rather, it looks like a child's imagination of a meadow, brought to life and fluttering in the nonexistent wind. ]

What if we went on an adventure?

An adventure?

[ The girl's voice is soft, timid, but trusting. ]

To somewhere far, far away.

[ Another butterfly hovers in front of Yi Sang. Will he reach out again? ]

[idealitas]

[ Here's where something poetic about butterflies would go. They were a guide of sorts in Yoon's dungeon, and he knows of a... let's say it's something like the demons they fight for Nekyia commissions, with a butterfly for a head and watches over lost souls that have become more butterflies. Fluttering about with a surprising purpose.

Here though, they also seem to represent a youthful wonder, as their touch on the cold metal of this train brings forth plants and flowers. Followed by a mother's reassuring words to her child... Yeah, the little girl is definitely Aerith. This scene gets a melancholy smile from Yi Sang... It's a much, much gentler and innocent scene of a harsh world overridden with nature compared to a recent scuffle he had.

But, he'll leave it be. When he sees that butterfly in front of him, he reaches out again. Where will he go now...? ]

human experimentation cw

[gardenful]

[ An expansion of his adventure—the flowers fill the rest of the car, brightening up the depressingly dingy conditions of the walls and floor. ]

Without the men in the white coats and needles? Would you get better there?

[ There's an undercurrent of hope in Aerith's tone, as if she truly believes that getting far enough away will get rid of her mother's cough—that if they're far enough away, a real adventure can be had. ]

Yes, sweetheart. I think I would.

[ In contrast to Aerith's, her voice is... melancholy. She has no room to hope for much better once they get past this train car, but she can't let her daughter succumb to despair either, and so she does her best to comfort her.

Before they can speak more, the car comes to a screeching halt and the conductor announces their arrival to the Sector 4 Undercity. The woman takes Aerith by the hand and they leave in a bit of a rush—after all, they have a long way to go.

What does Yi Sang do? ]

[idealitas]

[ He remembers vaguely that Aerith spoke of something related to this , back when Argenti confessed to killing Fuyu and everyone gave their input on the matter. Perhaps as Fuyu's roommate, and one who's been a victim of this, she was the one who had every reason to speak on how she felt. What a strong person... for remaining compassionate through all that. He thinks he might know how this story might end up. He is not that optimistic... He's no doctor, but he has enough sense to realize that the woman probably needs a doctor. But as just a mere passerby in this dreamlike memory, he hopes that no one can see the pain on his face.

He does not get that much time to ruminate though. Those two are on the move, and they are not the only ones to get off this stop, apparently. He does his best to catch up, slipping past the other passengers. ]

Excuse me-- Pardon...

[ But yes, he will follow then. Can he do anything to help? He does not know... But he can try, and it seems that this is the path to go. Or else he end up stranded on an unfamiliar train... ]

[gardenful]

[ Luckily for Yi Sang, he hasn't lost Aerith and her mother for long enough to end up on another train. No, he sees them near the end of the platform, in the middle of this "undercity" that is well suited to the name. It's dark and dingy and the only proper way to describe it all is as metallic. There's metal everywhere—strewn on the ground, in metal fencing, and even up above them as a large metal plate dims the light from the sun.

Should he walk to the end of the platform, he'll find Aerith's mother sitting on the ground, laying up against the platform wall and Aerith hovering worriedly over her. She's coughing again, but there's a sense of resign in her body even as she does.

To someone like Yi Sang, it may be clear that Aerith's mother is close to death. ]

I'll go get help! We need to get a doctor.

[ Although Aerith is hoping for the best, she's still able to understand the gravity of the situation too, her tiny voice filled with worry. ]

[idealitas]

[ How terrible... Both the kind of place this undercut is, and seeing Aerith and mother like this He's a jaded, beaten down man, people die on the streets all the time where he's from... But he can't just overlook this and keep watching, even if it's only a memory.

So he approaches the worried Aerith, leaning down to try and meet her height. ]

Let me help, it isn't right for child to be on their own here.

[ To her poor ailing mither, he kneels down to take a look at her, frowning. He doesn't know if she can hear him in this state, but... He's a mere stranger offering to help in a place as troubling as this, so it doesn't look great in any sense...

Still he can take a chance on it being something a little out of reality as he whispers to her. ]

No one will hurt her, I promise.

[ He gets up, and nods at Aerith. Please trust him... ]

[gardenful]

[ Aerith's mother looks up at him, searching his face for a long moment. It's almost as if she sees right through him—reads his very soul—but the moment passes. ]

...Thank you.

[ Maybe she's desperate or maybe she knows that this man will help. It's hard to say, but she's accepting it anyway.

Aerith seems to as well, giving Yi Sang a nod. ]

You think we can go ask them?

[ She points towards a group of people sitting around a table playing cards. There might be luck in a group, even if they seem to want to keep to themselves as much as everyone else around ignoring the woman collapsed on the ground. ]

[idealitas]

[ Oh-- that's terrifying but it only shows on his face for a brief moment. either her perception is good, its the dream at work (aerith don't perceive him please!!!), or he's just that obvious.

That's alright. He gives her a reassuring nod.

When Aerith points to those men playing cards, he thinks before responding: ]

...I can try.

[ If only to spare her the disappointment if she did it. He'll approach them, trying to sound urgent about the matter. ]

Excuse me, do you know where we can find a doctor? This young lady's mother is sick and needs help.

[gardenful]

[ Aerith trails behind him by a few feet, peeking out around him to get a good look at the card players. They completely ignore Yi Sang as he approaches, only begrudgingly acknowledging him once he speaks. ]

Good luck with that. There’s no doctor around here. Now leave us the hell alone unless you want problems.

[ Aerith shrinks back a bit, surprised by their callousness. ]

L-let’s go find someone else…

[idealitas]

I... do not.

[ Yi is also taken back a bit, despite telling himself in his head that this would likely happen. Maybe that happens when you cling to a tiny bit of hope that things are different. But he turns away, not wanting trouble.

But he looks at Aerith, who is definitely more affected. He offers his hand for her to hold as they continue. ]

Let's see if there's somewhere to get medicine, too. Has she been sick for a while?

cw human experimentation

[gardenful]

[ It's a bit reluctant, but she takes his hand, funneling her stress and anxiety into the way she squeezes tight. Aerith nods, rubbing at her eyes with her free hand. ]

Those men in the white coat kept giving her more and more of those injections. That's when her coughing started to get really bad.

[ Unfortunately, Yi Sang won't be able to find anywhere to get medication. There are a few newspaper stands, sure, but there isn't much beyond that. This seems to be an area of the city that has to fend for itself for the most part. ]

[idealitas]

[ He'll let her squeeze his hand. ]

I see... What a strong woman, it must have been difficult for her. You seem to be healthy though. That is what parents always hope for.

[ Yi Sang can guess she escaped not just for herself, but for Aerith's sake too. He can't hide a soft sigh as their search comes up fruitless, however. It really reminds him of a Wing's Backstreets, and that's not a pleasant thought. ]

To be free will always be better... [ He mutters that to himself, but he believes that sincerely. Hell squeeze Aerith's hand gently. ]

Do you want to head back? Or maybe can you answer me... If your mother has told you anything special about this place? To decide going here.

[gardenful]

[ She shakes her head. ]

All she said was we were going on an adventure. An adventure where she'll get better.

[ But it... doesn't seem like her mother is getting better. Furrowing her brows, Aerith looks back in the direction of where they left her. ]

Let's go back.