Link Up! Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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linkingup2024-08-08 07:00 pm
linkupmods) wrote in linkingup2024-08-08 07:00 pm
Week 2
WEEK 2
WAKE UP, GET UP, GET OUT THERE.
- Saturday rolls around and characters may see that there are notices from Mina, saying that everyone will be taking a trip at noon sharp on Saturday, and to have their weapons. Whether characters pay this heed or not, they will in fact hear a ding from their phones at noon, their screens glowing a sunset red with the word "TRANSFERRING..." the only thing to be seen. And then, just like that –
You all enter.
The new world before you can be described in one word: twisted. It doesn't feel great, but it doesn't feel extremely awful, either, depending on how you look at it – it's a distorted version of the already grim city that you've been brought to, and you are specifically in the shopping district. Everything seems to be darker shades of red, yellow, and purple, if you can see it through the haze ominously floating about.
That feeling of something stirring in your chest seems to grow stronger, more potent, burning with the desire to be let free…
…and you, all of you, are surrounded. Various monsters and demons are threatening to attack you, looking at you like you are their prey. That's because you are…but you don't have to be for long. The moment that you engage in battle with them, no matter who strikes first, is the moment your emancipation begins.
Welcome to your awakening.
You feel a surge of energy rush to your palm – for some, it burns like a fiery blaze. For others, it sparks with electricity; perhaps wind circles around it, or a mysterious frost begins to blanket it. Maybe you have a mysterious pink aura around it, or a bright turquoise light; a dark, sinister glow or a calming light. Whatever the case may be, it drives you to place your hand over your heart.
You latch onto something. It is not your chest, it's not your heart, but it's something deeper than that, something from your being. You pull, you drag it out, and there is no bloodshed or any sort of pain, only a very bright light and some struggle as you unearth what is within. You finally, finally feel free as a new part of you literally stands before you. Say hello to your new friend: Your Persona.
Your new skills feel intuitive, and you feel like you can navigate them well enough to at least try to survive. You don't need to question how or why you understand them just yet; all you need to do is let yourself experience your power, and you'll stand a chance.
And with that, it's time to fight.
(Note: Weapon attacks will always deal Phys damage, but Phys spells will naturally do more than just whacking enemies with your weapons. Go wild, dodge, parry – combat is more freeform here than it is in Persona, so play this out however you'd like.
Furthermore, you'll be able to see everyone's cool Personas! You just won't be able to really interact with them directly.)
???
- (Picrew by ~danidoninha!)
After the battle, there's the sound of a whistle. Turn your heads towards the source, and…huh? A cat?
"Alright, newbies, it's time to roll out."
…And it talks???
She says it with a scowl on her face, and soon, she leaps up – poof, and suddenly, there is a cat train in front of you. Weirdly enough, this cat is the one driving it. How did she summon the train…who knows.
"Get in, unless you wanna get your asses kicked!"
And sure enough, she's right, because there seem to be more enemies flocking towards you. She will drag you all in whether you like it or not.
SAFE AREA.
- And, after a quick ride on the cat train, you find yourselves back at the dorms! ...Kind of. Much like the rest of this alternate world, it’s distorted in shape, though there’s none of the haze you saw when you first arrived. It seems this area, at least, is safe - characters would be wise to note it as a location to base any Nekyia operations out of in the future.
Mina is also here! She looks, quite frankly, relieved to see everyone show up alive in the train. The train, by the way, is gone, because it seems like your mysterious cat friend is now back to her…first…form? And seems to be on her way out. Back to Mina, though:
“Thank goodness... Okay, um, app hiccups aside...
Welcome to the Nekyia - the world of the unconscious. As you can see, the unconscious version of the city is, um... Very, very messed up. The more commissions you complete, the more connections you forge, the more bonds you repair, and the more Shadows you take out will help return the Nekyia to normal - and with it, the real world!
The people of this world don’t have the power to summon Personas... You’re the only ones who can save this city from the influence now. So please...
Help me fix this city from the inside-out!”
Mina has also set up a folding table set up with divinity cookies and water bottles from “Ambrosial Water Co”, judging by the labels. Characters who partake in these proffered snacks will find them rejuvenating - literally. Using a Persona’s abilities takes spiritual energy, but these snacks replenish one’s energy to full again with a single bite or sip. Any characters who want to try venturing back into the thick of the Nekyia today are free to take some with them, but do take care! Mina is only providing snacks for today, and after this characters will need to monitor their energy levels on their own.
Characters with further questions may ask Mina and she will do her best to answer! You can also try to catch the mysterious cat from earlier, too.
To go back to the real world, all characters need to do is press the "RETURN?" button on their phones. Much like the "TRANSFERRING..." message, this is the only thing on their screen.
All phones will now have a Nekyia app that will enable them to come in and out of the Nekyia at will.
OOC
READ ME!!!!
- Welcome to your Week 2 event log!
- Here is your promised Persona debut. Fighting is very flexible, so please just thread the fights in whatever format you'd like.
- A reminder for those of you who have gotten their Level 10 skills: These do not unlock ICly until Week 3, starting on 8/17.
- As always, please let us know if you have any questions! Enjoy!
no subject
Argenti's hand tightens on his spear, and he turns around to face Fuyu. His eyes are hard with displeasure. Unfortunately, he feels that he has context for what exactly kind of subjects those are, considering what Fuyu's research work entailed.
It unsettles him. The kind of evil that just might be lingering in their midst. There's a brief moment where he calms, turning his attention towards Fray, unlike the harsh glare he leveraged towards Fuyu. ]
...Yes. I feel it...it's not very pleasant. I suppose we may be required to share what we wish to keep hidden away, or something so dark it is unfortunate to be voiced aloud.
[ Then, he turns back to Fuyu, and recalls something else too. Even if he too will share his own secret soon enough. But a pertinent question bubbles up first. ]
Those research subjects. They were people, weren't they? Is that how you treat people in general? To be used and disposed?
cw cannibalism
That's right. How would I treat them otherwise? There had to be experiments. Lots of trial and error. Talking it out? Building bonds? Saving the city? I'm not that charitable and I never will be about people in any way.
cw: cannibalism
The cure for zeno--you asked about it before. It's to eat someone that's afflicted with the same disease. Otherwise, they go mad and start doing it on their own--to find prey, to eat them while they're alive. Are you happy now? That you know. The truth is an ugly thing.
no subject
He doesn't have all the context he needs for Fuyu's... everything, but this is enough to make it perfectly clear why Argenti's deeply bothered by the man's words. The truth is an ugly thing, indeed.
Fray holds out a hand to hopefully keep Argenti at bay for just a little longer.]
My secret is my identity. I am not "Fray Myste" - I never was. I borrowed the name and his corpse to serve my own purposes.
[There's more he wants to say, and that secret threatens to continue spilling - and if it does, Fray isn't sure when it would stop.]
Is that suitable? We can continue this once we're out.
1/2
He's made his judgment. This man is not only evil, but he is a liability. It is a Knight's duty to destroy evil.
But, Argenti then sees Fray's hand, and he takes pause, turning his attention back to the man, because even in the haze of rage, that's all it takes from the other man. It's strange, isn't it? For what it's worth he looks surprised and conflicted, questions on his face. But, his gaze flickers to Fray's eyes. His own purposes? A corpse? ]
I am sure you had your reasons, and even though I am curious about what those are...I am sorry you had to reveal that right now.
[ He closes his eyes for a moment, acquiescing to Fray's request. Even if he does not respect Fuyu, he respects Fray enough for this. Even if the words are torn from his throat, hating every second of it. ]
...I've killed two of my former compatriots before without hesitation when they transformed into an Omen of Evil.
[ And then just like that, Fuyu right before them, in Argenti's mind, blooms into such a creature; hissing cries that are defined at a bare minimum as speech, as well as a form of foreboding shadows that lies hidden in a human shell.
As soon as the barrier falls, he thinks:
The darkness ends here. ]
2/2
I only ask that you not interfere.
[ Then, Argenti looks at Fuyu, eyes ice-cold. Any warmth or apprehension present in the moment where he spilled something he considered a terrible truth gone; though it isn't like he directed that towards the other man. Whatever he is feeling tips straight into stone cold ferocity that feels almost unnatural.
Though, there is a small part of him that wonders about what Fray would think. ]
I'll finish you off here. You are a liability to us all. And to whomever else you may decide to toss away for your wretched research.
[ Argenti simply says, and steps forward, towards the other man — towards Ushirono Fuyu. Without hesitation he tries to run him through with his spear, his heart a clear target. The intention of course being, an attempt on his life. ]
no subject
cw: cannibalism, death, hallucinations
[ There isn't much room because the barrier dissipates just then, so Fuyu has no time to back away. The spear runs through his heart. All he can have is a physical one, with the metaphorical having died a long, long time ago.He almost sees Natsu standing behind Argenti, peeking from the back. The frail young girl holds out her hand.
"You're free from your revenge, big brother. Let's go home... together."
All the efforts into his research had already gone to waste the minute he woke up in that underground facility. Trashed laboratories of the only facility that researched Zeno, that was capable of researching its cure... is no more. He didn't want to think about it, but he's faced with his demise. He truly keeps doing unnecessary things. There was no need to put his notes together. It's why he succumbed to Zeno in the first place. It was a doomed project--all for his deceased baby sister, Natsu, who was a victim of Zeno and was the first to be tested of the cannibalism theory--
He hates it. He hates it a lot.
He feels his strength losing fast, but he's petty enough to throw his knife with his remaining strength, grazing Argenti's cheek.
The light, if there were any, is now gone from his eyes.
Ushirono Fuyu is dead. ]
no subject
F-- Fuyu...?
[He's on the ground, bleeding, and-
Huh...?]
no subject
no subject
She kneels at his side, taking in the grotesque portrait before her. As she claps her hands together in prayer, the words she murmurs aren't that of a typical plea to a goddess.]
What could have led to this...?
If you had allowed for those connections... those bonds to form...
Would that god's trick still have been enough to break it...?
[...
She closes her eyes and nods, as though receiving a message. And with that, quietly, she sets to work removing the body.]