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

REGROUP; PART 2

[linkupmods]

[ richard might want to stand back, because the moment the snowflake pin is pushed into the groove, the door rumbles.

and it opens.

thankfully, the floor is not lava.

if anything, it just looks like an ordinary shopping mall. some of the stores look abandoned, but they are clearly clothing and accessory stores. there are many doors to go through, all heading upstairs, however, so you might want to pick one and go through it. safety in numbers and all that.

you clearly haven't reached your destination yet, because the countdown timer is still going. ]

[ ooc: groups of three or more please! please wait warmly for top levels. once you've grouped up, please roll 1d20 per person. encounters will be decided based on the average of the group's rolls. ]

DRAGON COUTURE

[linkupmods]

[strawsandals]

[ Yeehaw we're going to Dragon Couture! (12) Yoon looks over at the rest of the group. ]

Be careful, everyone...

[cirquedesang]

[And there surely will be no ill effects by also bringing a (1) over here--]

[emptyself]

[ soujuurou doesn't know what couture or atelier mean so he'll just go in this direction :) what can he see with his (15)? ]

[metagame]

[Nope, he's not helping, because he's still petulant over Mafuyu and Aubrey. So he stands there instead, arms crossed (8).]

i misread...

[beathollow]

( but shes following dad!


and rolled a 4. )

[supherb]

[Arven sticks close to Mafuyu and keeps a vigilant lookout for anything that might want to pop out at them...or just anything eye-catching in general (20).]

[linkupmods]

[ everyone in this group gets jumpscared by a giant dragon coming to life.

no, i'm kidding.

or am i-- because above all the clothes racks and the display cases of chinese-themed outfits and hanfu etc. etc. there is a giant dragon statue hanging from the ceiling.

it looks like there is something in its mouth. ]

PEGASO ATELIER

[linkupmods]

[prozaic]

[(13)

Well. They're splitting up again? He hates this because that tends to be a disaster.

Shalem hangs back to see who goes where, and then chooses a door.]

Whoever comes with me, stay close, please. If you note something dangerous, tell me immediately. [Because he won't hesitate to use his body as a shield. And also it's a good distraction from the clothes-- no, don't look, or else he might decide to lift one of them and go home with suspicious Nekyia threads.]

[idealitas]

[ Listen he's here for Don Quixote and her love of fantasy horses I guess. (9) Too bad he didn't get a good roll, so he's just staring at the price tags.

Wife I know this shit is bougie as fuck. ]

[ledbythewind]

[Oh... this is the sort of fashion he's used to. Not sure he wants to look at the price tags, but he'll be looking around otherwise (12).

... hmm. He kind of likes that shirt...]

[moonshaded]

[She'll follow the king of trash mountain, we guess, with a 15. There's a certain allure to the fashion... it's not like she doesn't think about it, but she must be just a little too focused to get distracted by pretty clothes right now.]

[pointzeropercent]

[Dives in here too.

He's going to follow the others in and start looking around. If there's a back room or fitting rooms he's going to beeline for those to look around. (18)]

cw: gun violence ha. character death HA.

[linkupmods]

[ listen i have expensive taste and so does [redacted] because everything is very expensive and classy and fancy, although hm. strange that no one is manning the store.

is now really the time to be shopping, though? because there's one of those memory bubbles you've been seeing in the nekyia in one of the dressing rooms, which sou will stumble onto when he peeks into the back.

touching the memory bubble pulls the entire group into a completely different scene, silent observers of the following: ]

set the scene. characters will now find that they are standing in the middle of a narrow set of back streets, of which the defining feature is a massive, colourful mural. If you listen hard enough, you can hear the music of the city. vibrant, but unintrusive, an ever-present hum in the background.

there is a boy with orange hair and way too huge purple headphones standing in front of the mural. his name is ██████████████.

enter, stage right, the remaining two players in this tapestry of a memory - the blonde boy who’s been a constant in all the memories that have been playing so far, with a gun in hand, and a new stranger with whisker-like marks, one that has his own weapon and his own agenda.

you get to see it play out in real time, the confrontation that ends with the blonde boy defeating the man with whisker-like marks, sending him running away to lick his wounds.

but what you all see is what happens after–

instead of saving the orange haired boy, you get to see the blonde boy turn the gun on him and shoot him in the chest.

the boy with orange hair goes down, his body falls, right in front of the vibrant mural, his blood red on the ground underneath him, and it's bright, full of life, unlike the boy bleeding out on the pavement. so unlike the thoughts in his head, muddled and gray and washed up.

the blonde boy laughs as he approaches, the sound bright and piercing and another dissonant layer in the city's music, and he drops something– no, throws it at him, really.

"Have fun, ████–”.

[ when the dream bubble fades and they're back in the store, at the cash register, there is a small gray pin that they can pick up. ]

SHEEP HEAVENLY

[linkupmods]

[beautifulknight]

[ Let's check out this place... with this lovely roll (1) ]

Hopefully we'll find something useful.

[ Probably not from him?? ]

[moodwrecker]

[Hello she's still hanging out with our local knights and rolling pretty badly with a 8.

Still checking her phone...]

The timer's still going.

[linkupmods]

[ we love love ♥

sheep heavenly is... empty, for the most part, but it's obvious that this brand caters more to cutesy, bright girls' apparel, with clothes and accessories featuring vivid, contrasting colors or patterns, such as spots, hearts and stars.

there's plenty of storage racks and nooks and crannies around, though, and the store is fairly dark - dark enough that they're unlucky (avg of rolls 5) enough that they get ambushed by a level 34 bugbear, who immediately fires two marin karins, both at argenti and aubrey, although they both miss (5, 10), but fray gets hit with a pretty bad life drain (19).

better sort that out, quick. ]

PART 3 - ROOFTOP

[linkupmods]

[ the elevators open up to a rooftop. this high up, you can see the entire city from here - or well, whatever city is available in the nekyia, anyway. fog and all.

but above it all, you can hear the city's music.

when everyone converges on the rooftop, the timer stops.

there is a figure at the edge of the rooftop.

you know who it is. ]

[prozaic]

[The timer is beyond Shalem's thinking at this point, because he's more concerned about what's before them, and who. This feels like an arena, and they are once again about to take part in battle.

He hates it.

He puts his staff away, wrapping his tail around it and pressing it against his back. Barehanded, to show he won't spring into action-- or he may just do the same thing he did to Soujuurou. He's willing to do that again, but he thinks he'll have to regulate his strength a little more.]

[moodwrecker]

[At least the timer's stopped - after that little scene, she at least has a little more context for what it might have meant.]

...So what's this supposed to be? Another game?

[strawsandals]

[ After the horrible experience the Dragon crew went through, Yoon is decidedly very tired of being here, but he's committed and it's clear that this person – Joshua, he was told – needs help. More Shadow things, he assumes. So he's just...here.

Watching, on standby, ready to jump in and boost or heal anyone who needs it. ]

[metagame]

[He jerks out of the elevator, measured and mechanical with each step burdened (from sheer force of will), onto the roof. Doesn't hear the music. Doesn't speak to anyone (yet-- he will when Joshua opens his dumbass mouth). One hand on the Millennium Puzzle remains vice-like, the other he bares the blade of his khopesh. He waits. And will continue to wait until the battle begins.]