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.

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4 AM Bruchetta because OBVIOUSLY

[metagame]

[Hey, you know who usually gets up before the ass crack of dawn? Atem. Because his body knows the sun. Though now it's October the sun usually rises later than 5 AM... Yet old habits persist.

So, yes, he's awake, and very curious about who's making such a racket so early in the morning.

When he sees its Schneider he isn't surprised. Somehow this seems exactly the kind of thing she would do. She's simply the kind of person who bakes a truly absurd amount of bread at 4 AM.]

I know they say bread is life, but aren't you going a little overboard?

[unweathered]

You think so?

[ Ah. Hm. Surveying the kitchen. There's not much left that's not bread...]

But there's still counter space left.

[metagame]

Who's going to eat it..?

[He asks as if he isn't grabbing a knife to cut a piece of focaccia for himself. Hey, he lived close enough to the Mediterranean to know that anything with rosemary and olive oil is delicious!! And Schneider wouldn't make such an abundance if she was a poor baker.]

[unweathered]

You, clearly. [ And as a little aside]

There are plenty of scabs around to polish this off when you're done.

[ Some of the best loaves are set aside...for who? Who knows. But Atem will be allowed his fill of the best looking ones too. They're all delicious though.]

[metagame]

Come now, Schneider. You may be years and years ahead of me, but you should know we're both connected by the Great Green Sea. If you thought I'd deny myself a chance for fresh bread and oil for breakfast...

[Yum!]

And without grit, too. That's one thing I don't miss about Egypt.

[unweathered]

[Fufufu ]

White flour is certainly a privilege.

[ That said]

It is good to have someone around who understands the small pleasures of life.

[metagame]

Heh. I like that about you, too.

[He polishes off his small slice of bread.]

Would you want some help cleaning up? 'Cause your flour's everywhere.

[unweathered]

[Oh? When Atem is done eating, he gets a clean dish towel thrown his way]

Mmm. I also like the rare man who knows how to do the clean up properly. Thank you for offering.

[metagame]

[He catches the towel and sets to work.]

My grandpa instilled it into me since I was little.

[That was not his grandpa and it was not when he was young. Yet they're still his memories, secondhand and borrowed, and they persist. He wouldn't be the Atem he is now if he denied them.]

When someone either cooks or bakes for you, you show your appreciation by cleaning.

[He isn't afraid to get dirty like some people either. Haruka!!!]

And while I think you've done plenty already, you've made it clear I'm not going to convince you to stop until you've covered the entire counter. So, if you need any extra help besides cleaning... I'd like to learn.

[unweathered]

[ Ah. Regardless of who cooked and who cleaned, everyone had to do their fair share. She understands that well. Schneider tilts her head in thought and begins to stack up the bread to let them rest]

I'm not a teacher, but if you know how to follow along I won't stop you. Get that mixer stand clean first.

[metagame]

You got it, boss.

[He has never seen a mixer stand before, so it's a little unwieldy for him, but it seems intuitive. If he undoes the latch here... Move the bowl there... Lift the stand this way...

Aha!

Now he has all the parts that need cleaning separated, so he takes them over to the sink to wash up.]

Who's the extra for?

[unweathered]

What makes you think it's for someone else?

[There we go. Bread nicely stacked in a way that lets them rest. Still warm and delicious]

[metagame]

I noticed you set aside the nicer looking loaves.

[He has eyes, Schneider!]

Which means you care what they look like... I may not have known you for very long, but I don't believe you'd go through that much effort if it was for everyone in the dorm. You don't strike me as that kind of person.

So they have to be for someone special. Someone you want to impress.

1/2

[unweathered]

[ sir why are you trying to inflict feelings of cooties on her ]

2/2

[unweathered]

You think I need to impress anyone?

[giggle, giggle. ]

But you're right. I don't like most people here. Though...for the people I do like...hm. I suppose special treatment for them is always important.

[metagame]

[He laughs in turn as he scrubs the mixing bowl clean with dish soap and a sponge.]

They're quite lucky then that you're spoiling them.

[unweathered]

I'm sure they know it.

[So they better be grateful. She'll get the ingredients set up while Atem cleans then]

[metagame]

If they don't... well, I'm sure the bread should set the record straight.

[All done! And after he dries it, he sets it up the way it was before for Schneider, too.]

Do you need to keep the wet ingredients separate from the dry?

[unweathered]

Mm. It helps combine better for the first part.

[Here we go. Schneider measures out some of the ingredients without using the scales, going more by feel than anything else. She knows exactly how much it should weigh]

Here. Add the yeast in.