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]

[ It's funny, because even though the flashes of color do pull that impulse out of Rutile, it isn't very strong at first. He's been blessed, to be honest. He was blessed to be born where he was born, he was blessed to have a community that accepted him for being what he was, a tight and loving family, and people he could still call family, even after both his parents were gone. His brother, the doctor, the shepherd, everyone at school, all his students—they love him and he loves them just as fiercely in turn.

Even when he had to say goodbye to his home and set up a new life in a place faraway amongst unfamiliar people, they welcomed him and accepted him and oh how lovely and friendly everyone was. Maybe he was blessed here, too, to have Mitile and Figaro and Lennox with him. He was blessed to have reunited with a long-lost familial contact, and even though things were tough at times, they worked it out, worked with one another, forged stronger bonds. Not once did he ever feel like he didn't belong...

But now, that's all gone. His magic's gone, his family's gone, his friends are gone, his purpose is gone and everything he quite obviously took for granted—gone, in the bubbles of the ocean. Everyone has been friendly and welcoming so far, and oh, though he's remained optimistic, he still can't help but think...

He sinks into his seat, his shoulders draw up to shrink himself. The fingers of his left hand gently grip to his opposite sleeve, and he pulls it up—at least, there, on the inside of his right wrist, he has a reminder of what he's left behind. ]

I don't know if I should be here... [ Here, of course, meaning Sunset City. With the tip of a finger he traces the petals of the lily and tries to recall voices. Just anyone's really. ] I don't think I belong here.

[ He's pretty sure he sees some familiar faces in his peripheral vision, but. Is he talking loud enough for anyone to hear him? He doubts it. Maybe if he sinks into his chair some more, they won't notice him.

Maybe movies aren't fun... ]

[vogelfrei]

[ Somehow that admission manages to be a lot more pathetically sad than all of the other sobstories in the theater.... ]

None of us do.

[ They were all stolen away to be here, tossed together like dolls. And a lot of them have found belonging, sure. McGillis feels like a lot of them are natural talents at forging bonds, even. But regardless... ]

You were kidnapped. You need no qualifications for that.

[speedingticket]

[ Rutile jolts when he hears McGillis's voice. He's embarrassed at first, not really sure what to make of the realization that someone heard his moment of weakness, but... After staring at him for a moment, he eases. ]

Right... Everyone was kidnapped, weren't they? No matter who they were or what they had at home...

[ He falls quiet, in thought. ]

[townmusician]

[Movies are fun, but this one just sucks.]

Who cares if you belong here or not? I think we've all embarrassed ourselves enough to make a new island of misfits.

[He's allergic to emotional vulnerability, is all.]

[speedingticket]

[ Rutile slowly turns to look at Haruka, expression wide, and sympathetic. ]

You were embarrassed...?

[ He turns a little more to face him. ]

There's nothing to be embarrassed about by hoping for a place to belong, only to be let down. That...would hurt anyone.

[ he heard u ]

[townmusician]

Who wouldn't be embarrassed saying something like that in front of a bunch of strangers?

[He's! Fine! Or, well. He thinks he's fine. Most people aren't really sympathetic towards him, ever, so Rutile's kind of weirding him out even if that's a normal response.]

[speedingticket]

[ Rutile's eyes drift back to the screen... ]

I know, revealing something you've kept close to your chest isn't always comfortable, or a happy thing...

[ And back to Haruka they go. ]

But I don't think anyone here is a stranger anymore. [ He bites his lip. It's at least that much. Maybe this is presumptuous for him to say, but, ] And I think the people that know you and care about you would be glad you got that off your chest.

[ A beat. ]

At least, the way you and the others responded to me made me feel a little less out of place. I just hope...it's the same for you.

[townmusician]

[The sincerity is... a lot. Initially, Haruka thinks this guy can't be for real. Nobody is that kind, and their first meeting was—well, heated would probably be an understatement.

But he should try not to be so quick to judge people, shouldn't he? So he pushes away the discomfort that comes with being so seen.]

...I'm glad you feel more welcomed, here.

[...Ah!]

I didn't get your name before [ignore that we have that thread ongoing i'm canonizing this now] but... I'm Haruka.

[speedingticket]

[ the fear of being seen? what are you, eastern,

Rutile remembers and doesn't really hold the yelling against him (he's chalking it up to the status effect). But instead of discomfort he feels a warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest, happy that Haruka has chosen to reach out instead of push him away.

That joy shows in his smile. ]

Haruka. That's such a unique and pretty name. [ wow it reminds him of— ] I'm Rutile. I hope we can be friends.

[townmusician]

[ngl he's totally south by birth if he were a wizzie...]

Eh...? It is? [it really isn't!] ...I guess we can be friends, though.

[...Rutile might be his first official Friend here? Because Soujuurou is his pet and Yoon is his son...]

[speedingticket]

[ ok then time to come back to your roots babygirl ]

I'm glad.

[ Some of what weighed on him eases, and he tilts his head, still smiling.

He'll direct his attention back to the present situation, but first, his parting words— ]

I'm looking forward to it.