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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[speedingticket]

[ Phew. Hopefully, no one will hear any of them scream in this secluded corner.

Rutile flashes Shalem a look of thanks before he steps into the stranger's personal space, hands still folded behind his back. Though at this point his smile has dropped, even if his expression is still serene. It is indeed the face of a teacher disappointed by a student who's missed too many homework turn-ins. ]

That wasn't necessary. Nor was stomping on my friend's feet.

[ The stranger struggles against Shalem's grip, but doesn't manage much (7). ]

You do realize we can't let you go if you're going to act like this towards the author or the other guests. [ He lets that sit there before continuing. ] Please be honest—why did you come here?

[prozaic]

[Shalem only just barely manages to hold onto the intruder, but at least he does (10). It would have been bad if he didn't! He used up all his cool points earlier...

Though the intruder, the would-be troublemaker, doesn't manage much better. They do try to get a second wind, and manages an attempt at a response (9), something along the lines of vandalism for "cool points" but that falls in the face of the thought just not being... coherent. Or even solid. Why vandalize in front of a crowd of people, during an event like this.

And Shalem is thinking that exactly, because he looks at Rutile with an eyebrow raised-- he really doesn't believe this excuse.]

[speedingticket]

[ rip shalem's cool points...

And also the intruder's cool points. Rutile glances at Shalem in return, but even though he makes no outward change in expression, he'll see it in his eyes. He's not buying this either. ]

Putting on a public display to harm and embarrass others isn't very "cool." The negative attention and disappointment you'll get from vandalism isn't the sort you want to carry with you into the future. Wouldn't you rather take that energy and use it for something other people would love you for instead?

[ Rutile's persuasion doesn't go very well (2) and the intruder does not seem to take it at all. They leap forward, wrenching themselves from Shalem's grasp, but this, they fail at as well (2). Instead, they trip over their own feet (or Shalem's, even), and fall face first onto the floor. Ah... ]</small.

[prozaic]

[Everybody's fumbling today... And Shalem worries that if they take too long, people will start to notice. He picks up their fallen intruder, hands under their arms like a kitty. And just holds them like that.]

I believe... our friend here meant to do more than just simple vandalism. They wouldn't have snuck into the library and specifically chose that room to enter. They were looking with purpose, don't you think?

[He tilts his head down, looking for something... Then spots a strange bulge in the back of the hoodie (12). Shaped like a gun, but too rounded around the edges.]

Can you reach back here, Rutile? I think I see something in their clothing.

[speedingticket]

[ Ah, that's an effective hold. Rutile knows because he's been held like that before a lot.

Rutile nods—he had a feeling. At least Shalem can articulate it a little better than Rutile's vague sense of unease. Though a good enough excuse and he would have believed the intruder, so...good thing mister snake is here.

Either way, he does as he's told and pulls up the intruder's hoodie. When he does, his eyes widen, and his gaze snaps back to Shalem. Because what he sees is...?! ]

[prozaic]

[A lil water gun.]

Hmm. The weather is not right for someone above a certain age to be carrying around a water gun, is it?

[speedingticket]

[ Rutile would walk around with a water gun if handed one, and he's twenty, so he's going to ignore that comment and remark on the season. ]

You're right. It's a bit cold for water guns.

[ He reaches out and grabs the water gun from its strappings, the intruder giving a little ouch as he's...not super gentle about it. Rutile turns it over to study it before resting it in his hand like he's going to use it. He looks at the nozzle, and. pulls the trigger. ]

Wah—!

[ He isn't sure what he was expecting to happen, but at least it was just water and nothing more sinister.

He's soaked. ]

[prozaic]

[Their captive wriggles free in the confusion of Rutile spraying himself with the water gun! (11) They manage to get a few steps away from this dark corner before Shalem pounces on them and wraps his arms around them properly. (11... again...)]

Are you all right? [That's for Rutile. What if that's acid??]

[speedingticket]

Um... Yeah, I'm fine. [ Wiping away the water from his face like a startled cat...

He looks at the gun, then at Shalem—there's a big frown on his face, and the water dripping from his bangs makes him look kind of funny—before looking at the stranger. ]

You're lucky this was just water. [ Why does that sound like a threat. ] What were you planning on doing with this?

[ Except the stranger decides they don't want to play nice anymore (6) and they lash out verbally instead. They call both him and Shalem very unkind things, offer thinly-veiled threats, and struggle in Shalem's arms, though they don't break free.

Rutile doesn't let his temper get the best of him. Instead, he turns a sharp gaze to Shalem in a silent signal, clearly out of patience—Kick this dude out. ]

[prozaic]

[Shalem gives a nod.]

I'll be right back. [Because he's not about to just let this person out through the back door and just end it there. He's going to drag them a good ways away, even if other people will see.

His captive struggles all the way (10) but the serpent manages to hang on just barely, even as he opens the door and walks to the next block and dumps them in an alley. And then walks back, at a much faster pace without an annoying shit in his hands.

First thing though, he checks on Rutile.]

[speedingticket]

[ When Shalem comes back, he'll find Rutile just managing to wring out the last of the water from his hair. He's draped his sweater over a nearby chair to dry and is just hanging out in a plain t-shirt. The water gun is nearby, too, but emptied of water.

When he notices his return, he gives a small, tired smile. ]

Thank you, Shalem. I'm glad we handled that without making too big of a commotion, but... [ He sighs. ] I was hoping that would go a little better.

[prozaic]

Some things just don't go according to plan... Especially when someone like that is in the picture. [Someone scrappy, he means.]

You're not feeling cold after being sprayed? [Hell, Shalem is chilly thanks to the air conditioning, which is why he doesn't remove his jacket, and hasn't this whole day.]

[speedingticket]

[ As Rutile combs his fingers through his drying hair, he purses his lips. That's exactly why he feels like he could've done better, or made a better effort to understand the other person. Mithra's...well, everything didn't stop him, so... ]

Hm?

[ The question draws him out of his thoughts, and he blinks. ]

Oh, I suppose I am, a bit. [ It is chilly. He reaches for his coat and sweater and they're still kind of damp in places. ] Mm, maybe I'll go back to the dorm and change once this event is over.

[ He probably won't get sick in the meanwhile?? ]

Let's hope that intruder doesn't come back until then. Where did you put them?

[prozaic]

An alley a block away. I'd made sure that people saw, so they're likely to cart our little friend away.

[Shalem tilts his head at Rutile, and at the clothing he needed to set aside... And decides fine, he can survive an afternoon without his jacket. He pulls it off, and hands it to Rutile. It's nice and padded!]

[speedingticket]

[ Rutile's looking at the damp spot down the front of his sweater when he sees the movement out of the corner of his eye. It takes him a moment, but he does eventually realize it's for him to borrow. ]

Oh... Are you sure? You're not going to be cold, are you?

[ Tentatively, he grasps the coat. Wtf! This is so nice of him?! ]

[prozaic]

Don't worry about it. [That's a lie! It's a bit too cold for him in here, and he's starting to feel the usual lethargy seep in.

But still, Shalem keeps his smile straight.]

I might take a nap, however. If I do... wake me when it's over?

[A nap would be as good an excuse as any to explain away why he's slow and sluggish.]

[speedingticket]

[ Oh! Rutile beams a little bit as he slips on the jacket. ]

Thank you!

[ It is already warm! Yay! ]

Of course. Do you want me to go see if I can get you some tea to keep you warm in the meanwhile?

[ The library kitchen probably has something. A quick glance at the clock tells him the reading won't be finished for a little while yet, and he'd feel bad if he took Shalem's only source of warmth, so... ]

[prozaic]

No, no. Don't worry about it. [Do not perceive him... He'll just nap, really. Even if it'd start out for show, it's best for him to just conserve energy that way.]

I'll just nap, all right?

[speedingticket]

[ Rutile looks like he's about to keep arguing with him, but ultimately gives in. He offers Shalem a bright, gentle smile, and nods. ]

Then I'll leave you to nap.

[ Shalem doesn't know that Rutile is absolutely plotting to come back later, when he thinks his clothes will be dry, to drape Shalem's coat over him like a blanket and collect his own things to keep himself warm in exchange. No tea, sure, but he can be chaotic good in other ways.

He whirls on his heel and flashes a smile over his shoulder. ]

I'll come wake you when it's over! Or if I need backup again!

[ which probably won't happen, ]