WEEKS 7 & 8

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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!

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Comments

[cirquedesang]

[Flea market? What flea market? That's clearly just set dressing for all this. Celeste is in his element, openly and obviously having a great time. He can be caught at any point during the day either performing or helping others with their performances - as a spotter, stagehand, or even a ~lovely assistant~ from time to time.]

Cyr

[Braphine saw fit to bring him from home Cyr wheel in hand, so he's finally making good use of it. Perhaps most surprisingly, the different acts he puts on throughout the day and into the night are varied - from technical to whimsical, taking inspiration from other shows than the one he's in at present, or even, later in the evening before the ball, veering somewhat sexy (and, surprisingly, the fashion brands seem to like that one, too. It certainly gets eyes on their merchandise and a demand for a specific item...).

Bookending the performances themselves are when he's most likely to actually be taking some downtime as well - or as close to it as one can, when performance adrenaline is buzzing - either backstage beforehand, or off to the side afterwards.]

Hanging Out??

[...Are people supposed to bend like that?

Throughout the day, he's been doing, just, the most. Workaholic nature on full display for anyone to see. And at some point, someone surely convinced him to just. Pause, maybe? Rest?

Impossible.

Sure, he's not running around, or helping others with their acts, but he sure is staying warm for his own by... well, he'd call it stretching. Anyone sane would call it becoming a pretzel, when poses like this one are the least strenuous and most comfortable on the list. He can be interrupted, though!]

hanging out

[goei]

[Of course Izou had shown up for ALL of the performances especially since our darling Mafuyu was one of them, but seeing Celeste do his crazy wheel stunts (how Izou would describe it if asked) really... Was something else.

But he told himself he could be composed enough to talk to Celeste and compliment his talent, only to find him.... Continuing to be unfairly seductive??]

Why the hell're you sittin' like that!?

[cirquedesang]

[Let's be real, the only times Celeste also actually chilled out to watch would be for the ones our darling Mafuyu was participating in, too... but that means Izou can't talk to him then because they wouldn't be paying attention. So. That's right out.

(And Izou isn't wrong, they are absolutely crazy wheel stunts.)

But! He does look up at Izou (for once) when he's? Asked? And even has the gall to look a little bit confused for a second or two before settling back into the baseline amusement he has at the barking.]

Why not?

[goei]

I almost feel like I aughta be worried if ya even got any bones, lookin' at you sittin' like that.

[He is also visibly struggling with where to look. The face!! Look at his face Izou!!! Don't get distracted by muscles!!!]

[cirquedesang]

Maybe I don't.

[He does.]

Do you want to check?

[He will reposition himself though... not to get up or anything, unfortunately?]

[goei]

[He simply has to look away at this point ]

I told ya to quit pickin' on me like that!!

[cirquedesang]

How am I picking on you now?

[Okay, but he'll have mercy and stand... For now. The second Izou looks disappointed all bets are off.]

[goei]

[For now he's just relieved he can look at Celeste normally.]

Fer, y'know, saying shit like that! I may not be the brightest guy here but even I know whatcha mean about "checking fer bones".

[cirquedesang]

[Well he wasn't going quite as far as implied (this time), but. Well. That it could even be a question is, apparently, the problem.]

And you believe I'm just picking on you when I say things like that?

[goei]

[The tragedy of this being at the flea market so Celeste doesn't have The Threads]

Well yeah. Yer like the kinda sexy vampire lord they write those romance novels about and I'm just a... y'know.

[Scruffy murder hobo.]

[cirquedesang]

[The realest tragedy of them all it's true...]

I am far from a Lord, Izou~ [Remember when he said he'd been in the ✨garbage✨ before after your palace?

...He'll take the 'sexy vampire they write romance novels about' comment as a compliment, though.]

You're a... what? Handsome sword genius? [He didn't say cute this time!!]

[goei]

[Listen people can go from rags to riches or vice versa it happens!!!]

I mean, obviously! But like, it's different!

[It simply just is different. Because he says.]

[cirquedesang]

[Sure! But he's still a circus gremlin.]

Is it? How so?

[Yeah, can't just "because I say so" your way out of this one.]

cyr...

[fullmoonmutt]

[ Fuuuuck, why did they set up their stand in direct view of the performances again? Right, because no one wanted to miss them while running the cookie stall, but! But! It does not help that Eli is immediately distracted from hawking cookies whenever Celeste does his thing with the weird hoop.

It's bad enough that he's gotten prodded, nudged, or even snapped at by now for spacing out watching the show. Frig, this isn't going to get better. Inevitably, once he can tell Celeste is between work, he passes the hawking to poor Aubrey and tells them he's taking a break.

Said break is going to 100% be taken up by Eli tracking down where Celeste is taking his own break. ]

H-hey, Celeste. How long you got before you're back on?

[cirquedesang]

[Luckily(?) for Eli, any staring goes entirely unnoticed on account of he's, you know, in the middle of a performance and thus being watched by lots of people. Tragic, since the extra ammunition to tease him with would have been great to have...

But, hey, maybe after this he'll know to throw Meaningful Glances over towards the cookie stall for good measure.

Ultimately, he's not hard to track down at all, lingering as he is near the stage, but it's also unlikely anyone will bother him with someone else around actually, you know, encouraging this break-taking.]

Hmm? [If he perks up a little more when Eli comes over... no he didn't, you didn't see that.] Oh, I've been filling empty time, so-- [Could be ten minutes, could be two hours--] But you've been so busy with the cookies, you must have missed it so far, no? I can text you next time...

[For once it's his turn to make incorrect assumptions!]

[fullmoonmutt]

Missed it... uh, no! No, actually. We set up the stall so we could see the stage from there, you know, all the time, so I've seen a lot of... [ Crap, crap, does he say a lot of the performances or a lot of— ] ...you.

[ Though after he says that, he does still manage to look embarrassed. ]

And the other performances, too! Of course. I mean, everyone's really good.

[cirquedesang]

[Oh. So it's the opposite of what he'd assumed, then. Instead of none of the performances, Eli had watched all of them...

And with how embarrassed he's looking, he can guess it was to the detriment of cookie-hawking.]

Everyone is really good.

[A nod of agreement! Before his expression shifts to something a little more familiar, a little more conspiratorial.]

But you didn't come over here looking for everyone.

[fullmoonmutt]

[ He didn't, no. That's true. ]

Nah. I saw you were off-stage, and I have, like, an hour break from selling cookies. I was, you know, just wondering if... you wanted to hang out or... look around the market or... do stuff.

[ Do stuff. How very descriptive of him. ]

Unless any of that would get in the way of this stuff. I mean. It's not that important, and we got the ball coming up, too.

[cirquedesang]

[Do stuff. He could pick on the very descriptive nature of that, but... he also doesn't want to chase Eli back to cookie stand hell right now.]

I'd love to.

[And just to cut off any further backpedaling, his hand immediately goes to Eli's. Something something buddy system-- No, there's no pretense of that right now.]

Let's go do stuff.

[...Okay maybe a little teasing.]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ Look, Eli's just excited to hold his hand. There's no more pretense at all. It's kind of silly, to suddenly feel that lightheaded from something that stupidly simple. ]

Right. Stuff.

[ Eli did not think ahead of what stuff could entail, so Celeste is right to tease him. He has to... think, for a second or two. ]

Uh, wait, are we thinking public stuff, or private... stuff?

[ Still not very descriptive, but he's getting there. Simply walking around the flea market holding hands is just as appealing as sneaking away behind the temple somewhere. ]

[cirquedesang]

[And Celeste might just be using all that teasing to distract himself from that light, giddy feeling. Not that that's an easy feat.]

Well, that depends on how much more of me you want to see right now.

[Because both options - or even the secret third option of finding a place to sit and people watch together - are equally appealing at the moment and Eli is right that they have the ball coming up, too - though which that will lead to is also anyone's guess.]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ On one hand, Eli finds the idea of seeing more of Celeste so incredibly appealing right now. On the other, he can already foresee either someone from the performing group coming to look for them or, worse, someone from the cookie stall. People used to showing off might be less scandalized than any of the kids he's working with... ]

I'd like to see a lot more.

[ Eli at least admits it in that embarrassed way he has. It's the roof all over again. He wants something, but he knows it's a bad idea right now. ]

Just... maybe when we have more time. [ Eli is his own cockblock, it's wild. ] Maybe we can sit somewhere instead?

[ He's guessed the third secret option. Well, part of it. The people-watching will come naturally. ]

[cirquedesang]

[...Honestly, as appealing as secreting off together is, the cookie stall does have Mabosstiff's reliable nose to track down anyone (Eli) who might go missing for too long, so while the performance squad might be less scandalized, they're also the less likely group to find them if they do sneak away.

But, that is at least a direct, sober answer, so-]

Later, then.

[Eli might be his own cockblock, but now that's on a countdown timer... And Celeste will squeeze his hand before turning to pull him off somewhere, letting him sit with that while they find somewhere to settle in.

It is easy enough to find a nice little bench in the shade, close enough to the action that neither of them will have to sprint back, but far enough away that it's a little quieter, a little less crowded, here.]

[fullmoonmutt]

Yeah. Yeah, later.

[ yeah, later when he sees what celeste is wearing there and immediately dies instead Okay, but really, putting it on a countdown timer only makes it more exciting to Eli. It gives him time to daydream, though hopefully not to the point of ignoring customers... ]

Maaan, I did not think people would actually want all those cookies we made. [ He says with a groan, flopping down to sit on the bench next to Celeste once they get there. He's been on his feet for hours by now. ] But I don't think I've had more than three minutes to myself since we opened the stall...

[townmusician]

[The idea of performing at a market like this... it feels very much like something IDOLiSH7 would do, a quaint, wholesome marketing gimmick that fits their brand. It's not something that Tsukumo would set ŹOOĻ up for, especially not with Utsugi as their manager, but that's not the reason Haruka hasn't signed himself up for performing himself. It's not beneath him, but...

Well, there's a whole lot to it, and he wasn't around for the planning of this whole thing, anyways. Still, he's curious about what talents the rest of Braphine's chosen might have, so there he is, watching Celeste perform.

When its over, Haruka isn't sure what to do, but... His industry-preferred manners kick in for once, and he approaches Celeste feeling oddly... shy?]

Your performance was really good.

[And also very sexy but he's not! Going to think about that!]