WEEKS 9 & 10

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WEEKS 9 & 10

AS YOUR BONDS DEEPEN...

The charity event and the dreamscapes have come to an end... and the Fashion District seems a little better than it once was. Your efforts are being recognized, acknowledged by the environment and by Braphine herself. There's still work to be done - the thinning fog allows you to venture even further into the Office District, where there are stronger foes lurking around the corner and in dark alleyways.

Speaking of Braphine, she is pleased by your progress as a group thus far, and has given characters a little blessing: If there is something you've always wanted to tell someone – whether it be how you feel about someone else here, someone at home, a secret you've been holding in, or something else entirely – but have lacked the courage to do so, you may find the strength to say it now. While the God of Conflict forced ugly truths out of you, Braphine would like ones that come from a place of willingness without fear. This sensation will last until the end of your stay here.

How nice, isn't it? To feel like you're finally starting to get somewhere with your fellow Chosen.

The God of Conflict, however, thinks otherwise.

A LOOK IN THE MIRROR...

The world around you has seen a few changes. There are the positives, thanks to your efforts in completing commissions and forming connections, both of which aid Braphine.

However…

If you look in any sort of mirror, window, puddle that will give you your reflection, The God of Conflict is there, looking back at you, gazing at you eerily, freezing you and holding you in place.

"Well, well, well. Fancy running into you here, Chosen. Tell me…do you really believe that you're aiding Braphine in her mission? Do you really think any of the bonds that you've made here matter all that much, so much that it'll stop me, in the end? Don't make me laugh. We'll see how much your flimsy little chains hold up in time."

And then, just like that, he's gone…not without another little gift, though. You will be surrounded by 2-3 Nekyia Shadows once he disappears…in the real world. The Shadows, notably, will not attack unless provoked, and the locals will not be able to see them. As always, the only way you can attack them is through using your Personas; as soon as you engage in combat, you will also disappear to the locals like the Shadows.

For those who decide not to fight them, they will simply stare at you as you leave... but they will each briefly flicker into another form: The God of Conflict. But before you can say a word, they’ll disappear.

However, should you choose to engage in battle with them, any harm done to the environment or the locals themselves through the battle will be tangible. If you slam a Jack Frost into a building, it will leave a dent, in other words. The locals will not be able to see the actual fight, but they will notice the weird explosions and damages happening to them and around them. An important thing to note is that, being outside of the Nekyia, you will drain energy faster as you fight them, but you can defeat them with your Personas as usual otherwise.

THE DARKEST BEFORE DAWN.

So, maybe you didn't spawn a Palace, or even create a weird Nekyia environment like Soujuurou and Joshua have. That, however, does not mean you are free of your Shadow selves.

However, you are trapped with them. If you venture into the Nekyia, every so often when you look over your shoulder, they may be there, watching you, taunting you, following you around, even interacting with people (yourself or others) as if they were corporeal-- blink and you may miss them hovering over your shoulder, and turn the corner and you may just see them in the distance.

What follows your Shadow selves even after you return back to the safety of the dorms are the nightmares... which you find yourself having a little more often than normal. If you happen to stumble into a shared dreamscape, it looks... slightly different from when you last saw it. The nightmares always end the same way, though, even if the dreams are different: your Shadow self is staring back at you, haunting you before you wake up.

For anyone who has already confronted their Shadow selves, however, there is a glimmer of hope. In the Shadow's place is the best version of yourself, reminding you that although this is a nightmare, it does not have to continue forever. You have changed thanks to the people around you. Perhaps this is Braphine's reminder to you that she is still here, and despite her quiet, she's still watching.

Speaking of quiet, though…

…Has anyone checked on Mina lately?

And why does a certain brown cat keep on pacing in the dormitory hallways?

( OOC: A few limitations to keep in mind regarding this prompt:
• Shadows can now appear exclusively in nightmares, in the Nekyia, OR BOTH.
• Since the Dream King has not been vanquished yet, those who want to continue the dreamscape prompt as your nightmares are free to do so (this is optional though). Your Shadows are going to be here regardless!
• In this prompt, Shadows are NOT going to possess any characters. They are haunting you in the Nekyia (and may engage with other player characters, should you desire to go that route)!
• On that note, you can let your Shadows manifest however you'd like – they can yap, they can be completely quiet and stand menacingly, they can appear in quick glimpses and jumpscare you or linger for as long as you're in the Nekyia. They can stick to you or talk to others. Either way, everyone will see each other's Shadows.
• At this time, Shadows cannot be defeated outside of Palaces and mod-run mini-events.
• The same limitations apply to those seeing their best selves over their Shadows. )

WEATHER FORECAST

Balmy weather with a light breeze. Weather looks fair and comfortable for the next two weeks but don't forget to wrap up warmly or risk catching a chill! You wouldn't want to fall sick, would you?

Characters who journey into the Nekyia when it is getting chilly may find that Shadows in combat may be randomly afflicted with Freeze during combat.

COMMISSIONS

REAL WORLD COMMISSIONS

NO HORSING AROUND

The zoo is looking for volunteers! They need hands available to feed and clean up after the petting zoo animals in particular. You won’t be dealing with lions on this job, but you will be face to face with goat kids with a penchant for headbutting, so do take care while you work!

ONE FOR THE BOOKS

A new writer is in town to promote their book at the library! The problem is... very few people signed up for the meet and greet. Library workers are looking for volunteers or, really, anyone off the street who can be convinced to at least attend the poor author’s reading and fill out the room a little. Those who do end up attending will be treated to a reading of a high fantasy tale with romance, trysts, and a surprising number of werewolves, but those who manage to stay attentive may just notice a suspicious individual slipping in partway through... A disgruntled netizen has decided to make a mess of the author’s first meet and greet, and will get violent unless someone stops them.

DABBLING IN DELINQUENCY

Some of the students on the island have decided not to return to the classroom after all - instead roaming in packs around the city and causing general mischief. Try to turn them back on the path of decency! Especially when the boldest of them decide you’re a prime pickpocketing target...

NEKYIA COMMISSIONS

FANDOM WARS

“Disgusting... Anyone could pick up that slop and read all kinds of depraved things... People who write that stuff should just die.”

It seems someone got a little too into fights online about books - because their gripes about today’s tales has created a Shadow in the form of level 39 Thoth in the Nekyia. Worse yet, those who are inflicted by Rage by this Shadow cannot be cured with a simple spell - instead, those afflicted will find themselves venting out their frustrations for their battle companion to hear. The effect ends once the battle is completed, or they finish getting everything off their chest, whichever comes first.

KILL THE LIGHTS

“Don’t they see? There’s so much money to be made! If we just expanded our influence...”

A crooked politician trying to drum up support for military activity has generated quite the shadow. A level 40 Eligor can be found deep in the Nekyia’s business district, muttering to himself about all the profits to be had with a little conflict. Needless to say, things will get very, very bad if he goes through with it - take him down before he can start anything!

HORSING AROUND

The Nekyia business district is overrun with Unicorns teaming up with Ganesha to make quite the formidable team of a fierce fighter and a powerful support. That said, those who defeat the pair may just find that their foes have dropped quite a useful healing item...

(OOC: Please turn in your threads for this commission on the rewards page to receive a Bead Chain, which fully restores HP to all allies (maximum 4 including the user) and is valid for one time use during any battle. This is only valid for the first turn in of the commission.)

OOC

READ ME!!!!

Welcome to your log for Weeks 9 and 10! Feel free to use this log for any developments that happen during the next two weeks. There will be no log next week.
We're heading into endgame and AC is due 30 September, Monday, at 2359 EST! The boon for this month's AC has been updated as well - please have a look!
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.
Palaces are still going strong - sign ups for Atem (here) and Kirumi's (here) capped palaces are still open, and sign ups for our FFA palace will be going up later today.

ic comm | inboxes | ooc comm | full nav

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Comments

[speedingticket]

🌼 a mirror and a street brawl

[ What good is the threat when the one being threatened just got here?

Doesn't matter, it seems, because the result is the same. Rutile stands in the middle of the street, scared and confused (mostly confused) by the sudden appearance of the shadows. Has he even seen any at this point? Unlikely.

Out of seemingly nowhere, he draws his dagger, sharp blade glinting in the pale sunlight. The furrow of his brow and widened eyes lend him an aggression that seems at odds with his normally docile nature. ]

Leave me alone!

[ And he lunges forward, dagger slashing at the shadow in front of him. But the shadow moves just before he makes contact, and perhaps ends up slashing at you instead— ]

🌼 no horsing around

[ A glimmer of home, and Rutile jumps at the opportunity!

He's more than happy to help out with the petting zoo animals, and herding goats and sheep definitely is not outside of his wheelhouse, it seems. He may not have shared much about himself thus far, but should you join him on this commission, one thing is clear: he's no stranger to farm animals.

In fact, he's so comfortable that he almost seems to be slacking on the job... What with the way he ends up dozing under a nearby tree, surrounded by all the petting zoo sheep. He has done an incredible job of keeping them from running away, but at what cost...

Please wake him up so he can get paid. ]

🌼 YES horsing around

[ Anyway, how did the level 1 utility guy wander in here on his own?

Rutile is unaccompanied, yet he walks with determination in his steps and in his eyes, unsheathed dagger in his hand. Should he be worried? ...Probably, but if he is worried or scared, he doesn't show it.

He stops a distance away from the Unicorns and Ganesha to stare at them... After a silent moment of thought, he inhales sharply and pumps a fist. ]

Let's do this.

[ And he's...going in at it? Alone? He doesn't even seem to notice your presence. ]

🌼 fandom wars

[ At least Rutile isn't alone this time! Thanks for tagging along!

Except...when the Rage sets in, he huffs in frustration. He whips his head towards his partner and huffs. ]

Jeez... Don't you have anything for this?

[ You know. The uncurable status effect. ]

🌼 wildcard

(( make something up, i don't mind! sorry i'm too lazy for a plotting post atm...! ))

[goei]

[You say "come get stabbed" and I say "how high". That doesn't make sense you say. I say listen. Here's Izou. He was literally just minding his own busines and behaving for once. He's holding a paper bag full of cheeseburgers and now he's getting stabbed.]

Oi, what the hell's yer problem!? You wanna die pickin' a fight with a manslayer??

[speedingticket]

Wh—

[ Rutile's eyes go wide when he realizes his dagger has slashed, just scarcely, the skin of a person, and not a shadow. He looks at the blade, the small bead of blood, and he goes pale.

It's a good thing he has twig arms and like, no training, eh? ]

N-no, I'm sorry, there was a shadow, and—

[ Said shadow doesn't wait for Rutile to finish his sentence, however. It lunges at him, and with a solid 15, it knocks him to the ground. Or into Izou? Can you see the shadow, Izou? Or did Rutile just fall over on his own in front of you? ]

[goei]

[I'm going to say Izou can see it only because if Rutile got to fight without him, right in front of him, he'd be even more cross. Like the way the picture flickers when you hit an old tv set, his vision judders into the Nekiya as the shadow attacks Rutile and transports them fully into Fight Town.]

There's always some new fuckin' nonsense here...

[Izou draws his sword with his free hand, but barely misses the shadow as he strikes at it. (8) At least it seems to get its attention as it realizes it can't just make easy pickings of Rutile.]

[speedingticket]

[ Friendly fire probably put him in combat, anyway—

Rutile is worried for a moment that the rough-looking man will, in fact, be angry with him, but it seems "shadow" was the right word. And now he has an ally!

For a moment, he watches with awe. A sword...very cool. Rutile takes a deep breath, readjusts the handle on his dagger, and swipes at one of the other shadows. It does, in fact, connect (12)! ]

Yes!

[ Except his celebration doesn't last long, because the one shadow he hits doesn't take kindly to his violence and pummels him in turn (19??!!!), thrusting him to the ground.

The one Izou attacked strikes back firm (14), while the last and third makes a paltry attempt at hitting him but whiffs him pretty bad (5). ]

no horsing around

[cleansewithfire]

[ Sunrise is here...not to volunteer (that would probably be a disaster), but to at least try to look at all the animals from a hopefully safe distance.

It's why when she sees Rutile fast asleep while he's apparently volunteering it takes her a while to approach, though as she gets closer the sheep promptly flee. ]

Mr. Rutile...?

[speedingticket]

[ It's when the sheep scurry away that Rutile is roused from his little nap. He looks around, dazed but seemingly unfazed, and he watches them absently as they run to the other side of the pen. ]

Mm? Oh, hello, Sunrise.

[ He finally registers the voice speaking to him, and he stretches. ]

How are you? Have you come to play with the animals?

[ he remembers he's supposed to be working... he remembers... ]

[cleansewithfire]

I am doing well.

...I would like to play with the animals, but it would only frighten them.

[ Rutile can get the vague impression of a balloon deflating, for some reason. ]

[speedingticket]

[ Awww, no!!!! ]

That's not true. [ Rutile says this with sleepy confidence, and he hoists himself up to his feet. ] Would you like to say hello to a goat or a sheep?

yes horsing around

[idealitas]

[ RIP wanting to get a guy stabbed, but Rng said be nice to rutile and pick a different prompt. This one has a reward too, at least!

So quietly, without even announcing his presence to the guy doing his best to be pumped for a fight against the shadows, Yi Sang gives out a Marakukaja to Rutile to help his defense. He finally got a buff skill from his levels, he's so happy... ]

[speedingticket]

[ Rutile is not so totally oblivious that he doesn't notice the buff that settles on him. Just before the threshold of battle, he stops in his tracks and whirls around.

Well. He didn't notice someone was there. With his bright green eyes widened, he asks the stranger: ]

Was that you? [ You know. That did the thing. ] Will you be joining me?

[idealitas]

[ Yi Sang nods. ]

You seemed very excited to take them on.

[ Maybe to reassure himself that he's got this even when he might not have the levels, but still! To be able to do nice things and help others in his free time... It's nice! He ever had that and had to just watch as chaos unfolded until he had to protect himself...

Yi Sang uses Maeiha on the Unicorns and Ganesha (12, 4). Lucky for them, the unicorn(s) are weak to curse damage! The Ganesha dodges though, maybe he did a funny dance. ]

Go ahead and make use of this opportunity. I will provide support as needed.

[speedingticket]

[ Rutile takes a deep breath, and pumps his fist again. ] Okay!

[ He looks between Ganesha and the weakened Unicorns, and...well. This isn't usually his wheelhouse, so he's not sure who to attack next. He marches his little twinky ass into the fray and stabs one of the Unicorns with his dagger (12), before hopping back out of range (or what he thinks is range). One hit and he'll definitely go down...

The Unicorn, however, doesn't like Yi Sang attacking it, so it retaliates with a Kougaon (5) but whiffs it. Phew! Ganesha on the other hand, stares down at Rutile while he casts Charge on itself. This bodes ill... ]

fandom wars

[townmusician]

[Haruka, who is genre savvy by now, looks Rutile straight in the eyes and says:]

No.

[He tsks, the Little Mermaid crossing her arms behind him and pouting.]

If this is a commission then it probably can't be cured with any spells, so get back to the fight.

[bossy...]

[speedingticket]

[ Wow!!!

Rutile straight up :unkie:s and huffs, sticking out his lower lip at Haruka. ]

Now, it wouldn't hurt to add a please or thank you when asking someone to do something.

[townmusician]

You didn't ask for my help with a "please", either, so maybe you shouldn't get on me over my manners.

[Don't be a hypocrite! He can huff and pout with the best of 'em!!]

[speedingticket]

[ The Rage sets in and it's very hard to remain calm and civil. Will Rutile regret this later when the status effect is gone? Yes! ]

Jeez, is that how you treat someone who just got here? Ugh. [ Rutile huffs, again, and taps his foot impatiently. ] Fine. Please! Do something.

(super smash brothers) brawl

[silentfury]

[Rutile's slash lands true... on human flesh instead of shadow. Thankfully, Yuri is no stranger to being on the other end of a blade and takes the hit with little fanfare. In order to get the other man to stop, he attempts to grab Rutile's wrist (10).]

[speedingticket]

[ Yuri grabs him. Rutile yelps like a surprised cat and stares wide-eyed up at the wall of a man. He seems surprised, shocked, confused, all at once. ]

I-I'm sorry, I...

[ He blinks rapidly, then his eyes dart to the dagger. Is there blood on it?! ]

[silentfury]

[Blood drips off of Rutile's blade, drawn from a gash across Yuri's torso. But despite the wound, Yuri remains as stoic as ever. It's going to take a deeper cut like that to affect him.

He wasn't expecting his attacker to apologize though. With that, he lets go of Rutile's arm. So this isn't someone's shadow attempting to harm him - just another persona user attempting to defend themselves. With a soft sigh, he attempts to sign 'Are you okay?' as a force of habit, then corrects himself and quickly types that message on his phone instead, holding it out for Rutile to see.]

[speedingticket]

[ Oh no, he drew blood...

He looks back at Yuri, not sure what he's trying to get at first by the way he moves his hands. But that thought quickly leaves him when he sees the text on the screen. Maybe he can't talk? He'll think about that later, when he's not bleeding. ]

Oh, no, I'm okay, I'm just—I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. [ Instinctively, Rutile reaches up with his free hand towards the gash and opens his mouth but catches himself. Right. He can't use his magic here. ]

There was a shadow where you were standing, so I just...

no horsing around

[beathollow]

( ...

well... he looks comfortable at least. but when she has to scramble to catch a baby goat from using him as a springboard more than once, she's not willing to entertain the notion for much longer. mafuyu sighs, and ushers the baby goat away before she walks over herself. )

Sir?

[speedingticket]

Mm...?

[ It's a miracle Rutile remained asleep despite being used as a springboard. Maybe he mumbled in his sleep, into the sheep's wool whenever it happened, tone positive but totally incoherent. Maybe this is what happens when he's used to taking care of mini sheep...

At least Mafuyu's voice is enough to wake him up. He lifts his head, smiling, but eyes still closed. ]

Hello, are you here to pet the sheep?

[beathollow]

Sort of? We're coworkers for the day, I think, but- um. I don't think napping like this is allowed, especially when we're supposed to be tending to the animals...

[speedingticket]

—Oh, goodness, you're right!

[ And that's enough to snap him out of his daze completely! He scrambles to his feet, dusts the dirt off his clothes. ]

Gosh, I'm not sure when I fell asleep... I'm so sorry. [ He takes a deep breath and stands at attention! ] Do you need my help, coworker? Tell me where you need me!