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

1/3 - f i g h t

[cirquedesang]

[With the combined power of the three shears-wielders (and their varying levels of desperation), all the ribbons are cut away in relatively short order, actually.

And as the panic settles, Celeste is actually quick to step behind Eli, holding his arm and keeping him between himself and Shalem and Argenti.

Unfortunately, it would seem that the time for peace is over, and Eli, Mafuyu, Izou, Yoon, Arven, Fray, Atem, and Sunrise will all be hit with Majesty.]

2/3 - Battle Mechanics

[cirquedesang]

Majesty

Roll 1d10 to determine the effect Majesty has on you, every time it hits.
1-3: Wow, Celeste sure is the greatest person in the room, isn't he? - Brainwash
4-6: Oh, shit, actually this motherfuckery is scary. Characters will find themselves unable to attack or debuff Celeste, but they can still heal and buff each other.
7-9: You're free! Majesty has no effect on you... this turn.
10: Critical Win: Majesty has no effect, and you are immune to it for the rest of the fight.

Actions

-All actions take one full turn.
-Buffs and debuffs, including Majesty, automatically hit, and last for at least one turn, cleanses take effect at the beginning of the next turn.

3/3 - Other Mechanics

[cirquedesang]

Sharpened Wooden Stake

When stabbed in the heart with the stake (11+ roll on a d20), Celeste will become immobilized.
Anyone may remove the stake to inflict minor damage and allow him to move again.
Celeste may remove it himself, if he rolls a 10 on a d10, but will take heavy damage and [Redacted].

[beathollow]

Huh...?

( ... she was hit with something, wasn't she...? but... ...she feels fine (7)? if not still terribly frazzled and nervous and angry and hurt.

...

mafuyu inhales and casts masukukaja, which will raise the agility of the party. )

[supherb]

[Arven's hit with Majesty and immediately gasps in fear when he lays his eyes on Celeste again. It's like he's seeing something entirely different from the rest of the group- something so horrific that he almost trips over himself trying to get as far away from Celeste as possible.

He didn't want to fight, and now fear is ensuring that he can't stand up to Celeste even when he does.]

H-H-Hestia!!

[He's too scared to attack, but he's able to power through enough to cast Matarukaja- an attack buff for the group.]

[metagame]

[Gooseflesh spreads along the back of his arms. His forehead burns bright as his third eye opens. An attack? A debuff of some kind? But he feels fine (8).

More importantly: Celeste's free, yet the air in Nekyia remains tense.

So it's a battle, huh... Guess it's time to see if his healing practice has paid off.

Atem refrains from attacking, and he doesn't bother to debuff Celeste either. Not yet anyway.]

[goei]

[This is barely even a brainwash. Celeste is very sexy and nice and all the brainwashing really does is take the leash off of Izou as he summons Medea and attempts to slash at Shalem with his sword, but misses (5)]

I'm gonna protect Celeste even if it kills me, you damn bastard! How's that!!

[prozaic]

[Stares at Izou. Stares at him whiffing. And does nothing. Not worth his time. (9 THIS IS A "WILL HE PVP ROLL")]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ Wait, what was that? While Majesty does hit him, it doesn't grab hold... for now (9). Of course. Why would it when he already thinks Celeste is amazing, no brainwashing needed? ]

Celeste!

[ He turns towards him, face full of concern. ]

Are you okay...?

[cirquedesang]

I am, thanks to you.

[...So, has the shadow shifted gears and started to prey upon Feelings, or is that Celeste genuinely breaking through for a moment? It's hard to say.

Maybe it's even both.]

[prozaic]

[You know, he did say he carried at least one flower with him, and he still is right now. So he pulls out one of those white fabric daturas with the black stems, takes aim, and then tosses it like the fond audience to a stage performer towards Celeste (11). The flower does nothing, it's just a fabric flower.]

A flower for a performer, and a boy who once just wanted to keep it to himself even if he couldn't sell it off for a coin.

That one, you can keep in exchange for the one I retrieved from you at the time, or do whatever you want with it. But you should remember that this, [waves a hand at his bruised face,] is a sign that there are more flowers to be getting, and certainly not from strangers.

[cirquedesang]

[The sentiment... perhaps in any other time it would have rung true. Perhaps, in any other time, it might have gotten through to him.

Now, entrenched in the shadow's hold as he is, the reminder of the pain of the past and the shared nightmare is a dagger all its own.

He grinds the flower into the floor with his heel.]

[idealitas]

[ Yi Sang will follow the cute couple's example and cast Marakukaja for the party and raise their defense. An attempt at idiot-proofing... ]

[strawsandals]

[ Celeste is pretty scary, actually, but he still has at least some of his courage in tact so he can cast Marakukaja and raise Arven, Fray, and Sunrise's defenses. ]

[beautifulknight]

[ It's time to fight, and Argenti raises his spear, as if to attack...

...but the guilt from earlier in messing up has him hesitate, so he doesn't at the last minute (7) ]

[bloodweapon]

[Seeing Arven's reaction, Fray's starting to think whatever he was hit with is some kind of debuff that just hasn't worked this turn (7). Instinctively, he casts Energy Shower on himself, Arven, Yoon, and Atem. I want Izou to fight so he is not getting cured. Let him fight!!!]

[metagame]

Thanks Fray.

[Though his cool forehead eye still glows in the dark.]

[bloodweapon]

Of course. I'm not sure what that does, but we'd best keep an eye out for it.

[heh heh, eye puns—]

[supherb]

[The energy shower hits Arven and the fear begins to leave him.

He takes a few deep breaths and wipes his brow. What just happened? Why’d he break into a cold sweat?]

Th…Thanks.

[bloodweapon]

Of course.

[Seems Arven's also confused by it... Maybe he's just being paranoid...?]

[strawsandals]

Thank you!

[ There we go, back in action! ]

[cleansewithfire]

[ Sunrise vaguely realises something just happened, but she can't figure out what (8).

She will not be doing anything yet, instead watching Eli and Celeste. ]

[imperiosity]

[Yep, it always comes down to this. The other people acting strange he can't do anything about, but if there's one thing that he's used to, it's going on the offense. Since Eli is being used as a shield, Aaron will aim a Garula (13) slightly behind Céleste so he can still hit the Shadow and hopefully avoid any friendly fire.]

[townmusician]

[wdym izou got brainwashed this seems like normal izou behavior

Haruka won't be doing anything just yet, just watching and waiting for something more obvious to happen while the Shadow uses Eli as a meat shield.]

ROUND TWO

[cirquedesang]

[What an... uneventful first round. It's curious, given the chaos that had led to this outcome.

It would seem, after so long here in this world, that people have begun to learn to buff one another before a fight truly gets under way. How cute.

With the amount of cleanses that occurred, right in front of his salad werewolf boyfriend, it only stands to reason that another Majesty sweeps over the assemblage. This time, it strikes Yi Sang, Arven, Atem, Haruka, Argenti, Sunrise, Fray, and Eli. Sorry to those hit two turns in a row, it will probably Keep Happening--

The following Maeiga whiffs entirely, but... well, it shows he's starting to take you seriously, at least.

Aaron's Garula does also strike true, and while the wind doesn't do any more or less damage than one would usually expect it to, it does rather effectively break Celeste's hold on Eli's arm, shoving him away.]