WEEKS 11 & 12

[linkupmods]

WEEKS 11 & 12

YOU CAN'T GET OFF THE RIDE...

The dream king has been vanquished, and with it, everyone’s dreams have returned to normal. For those who have had trouble sleeping in the past few weeks, that’s a relief, right?

You know what they say - one step forward, two steps back.

The border between the Nekyia and the real world is thinning - watch your step, Chosen. With your Shadows still haunting you at every opportunity, turn the corner and you may find yourself suddenly in the Nekyia, tendrils of dark fog curling around your feet even though you’ve spent so much effort trying to clear the previous districts of fog and shadows. Blink, and you’ll find yourself back where you were in the real world, with everyone looking at you quizzically because for a moment, you disappeared.

Braphine’s temple is oddly silent. Where there were once priests and priestesses around the courtyards and the main building, now, when you visit, there is nobody around to attend to you. Walking through the halls of the temple now feels fraught with danger, almost - look into a mirror for too long, and your Shadow may end up looking back at you.

Speaking of attendants – maybe you should check in on your local priestess.

Thanks to everyone’s help with the Business District, it is now... actually, it’s more or less the way it always has been. People are still standoffish, and there’s a tension in the air - it feels like just one little spark is all that’s needed to start an argument or a fight.

In fact, it isn’t even only the Business District suffering these effects. Though specific individuals may retain a fondness for characters who helped them, the population overall seems to have regained its old vitriol towards each other. The Chosen saw for themselves the positive impact they were able to have on the City - what in the world could have reversed it all...?

TEMPTATION TOUCHED MY TONGUE...

You blink, and it’s there. Blink again, and it vanishes.

Perhaps your eyes are playing tricks on you, but where there used to be a park just outside the dorms, now lies a large orange grove. It does, however, look a little shadowy around the edges, like it’s not supposed to be there - and the strange thing is that it can only be seen by Braphine’s chosen. Asking any of the passers by will just net you bewildered looks.

Despite the roiling storm and the grey clouds outside, the sky in the orange grove is clear when you enter into it.

You are surrounded by the smell of orange blossoms, and as the scent envelops you, a strange feeling of unsettlement starts to build.

The oranges are in the right season for harvesting, and somehow you get an irresistible urge to pick one and bite into it. But biting into it comes at a price– you start to forget. It could be a memory, a part of you, or worse, one of the bonds you have made here.

The more of the oranges you eat, the deeper you fall into the grove, and perhaps, just perhaps, you might come into contact with a familiar face that gives you a warning before you fall too deep into it. Keep eating and you won't just forget. You’ll start wanting to eat things that aren’t meant to be eaten too.

After meeting with “Schneider”, you realise there’s only one way out of this hazy mess: help others to help yourself. It could be collecting little memories that glitter like “stars” amongst the trees, and walking people back to the scattered fragments of themselves.

Or it could be helping the shadowy farm workers, who look at you with disdain and ask:

“You city folk here to do some real work for once? Hurry up.”

They ask you to do a number of chores: chopping up firewood, cleaning stables, harvesting the oranges (but don’t you dare eat them without permission) and planting new trees. There’s also a church that you could help clean up and donate your funds towards which makes the shadowy figures very happy. Schneider will not be.

Each successful chore completed is another “part” of yourself returned, and the better equipped you are to help the people around you. Better start working.

It’s odd though. When you look outside the orange grove, it’s almost like the raindrops are moving in reverse.

(OOC: Schneider's top level is NOT time sensitive, nor is it a mod-run event. This can be treated like a regular top level to be tagged at your own pace! Welcome to your memloss event!)

WEATHER FORECAST

Gloomy. Grey skies about, and the sun seems to have hidden itself away for some reason. When it isn’t raining or storming, there somehow seems to always be the sound of thunder rolling in the distance. Eagle-eyed characters may even notice a metallic glint through the clouds, every now and then...

Characters that venture into the Nekyia during these two weeks will find themselves occasionally being afflicted with Dizzy during combat. Watch your step.

COMMISSIONS

TREASURE THE TEMPLE

Without the Priest or Priestess to care for the temple, it continues to grow dustier and more dismal by the day. Characters who work together to help with upkeep - dusting, sweeping, wiping down surfaces, even airing it out by opening up the windows - will not only receive the regular rewards, but also find themselves imbued with a gentle desire to spend some time taking care of those they care about, too.

MASTERS OF THEIR ELEMENT

There are Level 50 Shadows to be found in the Nekyia, though thankfully they are not on the prowl. One can be found in each cardinal and intercardinal direction: Garuda in the East, Surt in the South, Scathach in the West, and Fafnir to the North, as well as Dionysus in the North East, Michael in the North West, Alitat in the South West, and Belial in the South East. Each of these enemies has punishing attacks, and will need to be taken on by groups of three or more characters. However, upon defeat they will drop a stone that glows with a soft light that corresponds to an element colour (e.g. pink for Psy, red for Fire); offer these to Braphine’s temple to give the goddess strength, and receive a Magatama in that particular element.

(OOC: Please turn in your threads for this commission on the rewards page to receive an Elemental Magatama which deals medium damage to one target in one specific element, and is valid for one time use during any battle. This is only valid for the first turn in of the commission.)

BONDS AND CONNECTIONS

”My connection to Sunset City has been interrupted... I no longer have the strength to support you as I did before. Look out for each other, and keep forging new bonds; they will protect you when I cannot.”

While characters have gained strength from the bonds they’ve forged, there are still those who are freshly arrived with no such defenses; characters who make the effort to establish relationships with faces they have not interacted with much so far will be rewarded. If the character has not been used for a Social Link writeup, they are fair game! Characters may choose what activities they partake in at their own leisure, whether that’s battling alongside one another in the Nekyia or using one of those coupons for a free dinner at a fancy restaurant. They should, however, have a focus on getting to know each other during the activity.

OOC

READ ME!!!!

Welcome to your log for Weeks 11 and 12! Feel free to use this log for any developments that happen during the next two weeks.
Please note that there will be no log next week BUT there will be a network post going up for endgame plot purposes going up once Week 11's palaces are complete!
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 Haruka's palace are underway and will start later today, and our Clover (capped) and Moon (FFA) palaces will be going up later this weekend!
Don't forget to check in with AC to get your endgame unlocks and submit your rewards/Rank 10 social links before 20 October, 11:59PM EST!

ic comm | inboxes | ooc comm | full nav

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Comments

yard sard

[beathollow]

[beathollow]

( at some point in the week, mafuyu is bringing a box to the common room... or posting a photo, in one case. looks like she's got quite the haul!

Racing Suit and Helmet - Safety first! Perfect for motorcycle racing.
Spicebush Fan - A folding fan covered in sprigs of fragrant yellow flowers.
Business Card - A black business card with the name "Van Arkride" in large lettering, for an office named Arkride Solutions. The tagline underneath reads, "Complicated matters only".
Motorcycle - A sick set of wheels perfect for a little battle at top speed on the highway.
Bracelet - A simple silver bracelet with no particularly noteworthy features. From a Courageous Warrior.
Clean Set of Clothes - A plain, oversized long sleeved t-shirt and a loose pair of pants perfect for working out, both in pristine white. The size appears to be for a tall male.
Azeyma's Earrings - Wearing these will give you an experience boost up to level 90! No wait, that doesn't work here.

she mostly sits with a cup of tea, but once she sees you- )

If you recognize something, please feel free to take it.

[imperiosity]

[Is it that time of month again? Thankfully, there’s nothing in that pile that’s all that important to him, but he does recognize the business card, which he picks up and inspects briefly before looking back at Mafuyu.]

I think he’d rather you hang on to this instead of me. Hell, this is practically free advertising for him.

[beathollow]

Oh?

[idealitas]

[ Yi Sang notice on that distinct scent first, picking up the spicebush fan. Mafuyu said they're free to take but this one... He didn't expect it here, and... It's a bit special. He holds the opened fan gently in his hands to now damage any of the flowers and looks down at it. ]

...

[bloodweapon]

[Hey, Mafuyu, a yard sard is a pretty good idea, isn't it? What do you have here— oh.]

Ah, these...

[Azeyma's Earrings, he means. Fray reaches out for them immediately.]

They belong to V'rhas.

[speedingticket]

[ A motorcycle...

Rutile has never seen one before, but his attention fixes on it immediately. Touching the handles, the seat... ]

What is this?

[vogelfrei]

[ Well, Mafuyu probably has the right of it and they should auction off some of the strange stuff they have gotten.

Which is why McGillis is adding some of his own stuff to the pile:

♦ A N*kia brick phone that when turned on, calms the user's mind and alleviates their nerves.
♦ Herba Mystica - A legendary herb originating from the Great Crater of Paldea. Herba Mystica are rumored to have incredible health effects depending on the variety used...wonder which one you got?
♦ Doll Arm - At first it looks real enough to be human, but the wiring on the end confirms it belongs to an animatronic doll of some sort.
♦ Spring Lilies - A handful of pale green lilies with petals that emit a faint, soothing glow. It's said that their light guides departed souls to the Heavenly Mother's side.

And then he's chilling nearby with a book because he's nosy about who picks up this stuff. ]

[supherb]

[Arven's here to peruse everyone's offerings...and he audibly gasps when he lays eyes on the Bitter Herba Mystica.

He rushes over and examines it to make sure his eyes aren't playing tricks on him. Sure enough, it's the real deal.]

No way!

[imperiosity]

[He clicks his tongue when he sees what's on display by McGillis' side of the table. The lilies may be looking a bit droopy depending on when he got those, but they're still recognizable enough. He's not going to pick them up, but he is definitely sideeyeing the hell out of them!!]

Furball must've thought she was being funny when she dropped these off.

[beautifulknight]

[ Well, Argenti has no idea which of these may or may not be someone else's, so time to do some yard sarding!!

1. Hair Clips - A set of four hair clips shaped like black diamonds.

2. Cryptid Sticker Pack - More stickers than you could ever possibly need, all depicting cryptids in cute or silly ways. There seem to be two Mothman stickers for every one other cryptid.

3. Torn Shawl - A teal shawl with a pattern of yellow five-pointed stars along the edge. There's a big tear like someone tried to rip it apart, and blood stains on the fabric.

4. Tomestones - Why are there so many of them?? What might have once held all sorts of ancient information is now totally worthless here. You can't even buy outdated gear!

5. Violet Book - A record of the expedition that the author, Heath, went on within the Great Crater of Paldea. The book has the name “Turo” written on it in clumsy handwriting.

6. Storybook - A children's book about a black rabbit and a white rabbit. The story depicts them as being friends, with the black rabbit having trouble sleeping and leaving home, only to meet the white rabbit...

7. Gladiatorial Trophy - A trophy with a golden laurel embedded at the top and the following written across the base: "AWARDED TO -scratched out- FOR SUCCESSFULLY WINNING THE YEARLY OAKHURST FIGHTING TOURNAMENT".

8. Butterfly hair ornament - An ornate silver barrette with a butterfly design. From a Treasured Apprentice. ]

[bloodweapon]

[Fray was mostly just showing up to say hi to Argenti, but uh...]

...Why are these here?

[He picks up a few of the tomestones with an exasperated look. What's the point of having them here when Rowena isn't around to peddle them to??]

[cleansewithfire]

[ In a rare moment of expressiveness, Sunrise is visibly surprised to see the shawl. ]

This is...

[prozaic]

[Tilts head at the diamond-shaped hair clips. Argenti won't even need a perception roll to note that they're the exact same sort as the ones in Shalem's hair right now, just an entirely different colour.]

Are you willing to part with these, or are you fond of them? [Acting like he's not the true owner... but the truth is, he's not so attached to just a bunch of hair clips, even if they were made specifically for him.]

[supherb]

[While Arven was excited to chance upon some Herba Mystica in McGillis's pile, something in Argenti's pile causes him to stop dead in his tracks with both shock and sadness.]

How'd she...?

[He tentatively reaches for the violet-colored book.]

Re: yard sard

[unweathered]

[She tried getting rid of this crap before so hopefully the owner of it picks it up this time. :T

1. Military ID Tags - A pair of military "dog tags" set in rubber tag silencers, hanging from a chain to be worn. The information on them include an ID number, followed by the letters: 'B WALSH NREL A POS'.

2. Bracket Clock - An ornate antique bracket clock with a small metal handle on top. The clock face hours are in an unknown language, and it doesn't seem to be set to the local time.

3. Seto Kaiba Puppet - A puppet made to look like Seto Kaiba.

4. Crimson Troupe Ticket Stub - A deep red ticket stub for a theater. There are no other details, aside from the white insignia of something called "The Crimson Troupe".

5. A bottle of perfume - Not only is the packaging lovely to look at, but it even smells nice, too.

6. Azeyma's Earrings - Wearing these will give you an experience boost up to level 90! No wait, that doesn't work here.

7. Well-worn Teddy Bear - A stuffed bear that's clearly been through a lot, but you can sense the immense love it shared with its owner.

8. WIP Opera Libretto - A little booklet containing the text for a work-in-progress opera. The language somehow seems ancient, and there are plenty of notes in the margins.

And oranges...so many oranges.

this is hopefully everything god what a PAIN. she's going back to her orange grove now GOOD bye]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ ...Eli's idly browsing all the crap people have set out when the dog tags catch his eye. Wait a second. He steps over and picks them up, checking the name. ]

What the fuck?! That cat stole my mom's tags?!

[imperiosity]

[Well, if everyone else is doing it, why not. He has a whole bunch of stuff to haul out, but here it is:

1. Sacrifice Card - It's a card with the picture of a human skull on it and the word 'SACRIFICE' written below.


2. Worn-Out Ledger - It's full of notes on finances with particularly odd notes on 'pigeon' trades. Lots of money has been exchanged for each pigeon.


3. Extremely Cool Festival Outfit - A full outfit consisting of a haori, hakama, and even a parasol! Doesn't include weaponry though. In a certain man's opinion, the outfit looks very cool.


4. Sound Pierrot - A toy similar to a Dancing Flower, except it's a creepy looking clown instead. When a sound is made nearby it starts to dance.


5. Black rabbit plushie - It's very soft and smells like apples. Despite being very cute, there's a certain sadness to it...


6. Segway - A lovely coral segway adorned with flowers. It's like walking, but a lot faster!


7. Dancer's Bracelets - A pair of simple chain bracelets with bells attached. While they look delicate, they're actually sturdy enough to withstand a lot of wear.


8. Old Photograph - A weathered photograph of a young boy playing with a mischievous-looking puppy.


9. Wooden Box - A small and pretty handmade box. It even smells good.

While he's here, you might run into him trying to figure out how the segway works, or maybe even seeing how the well the haori fits on him, but anyone is free to grab other things as he fucks around, he's not the boss of you!!]

[unweathered]

[Before oranges happen I guess.

Schneider raises an eyebrow at the Sacrifice Card but she's more interested in the worn out ledger]

So that's where that went.

[Damn cat!!]

[beathollow]

--?! Eh? I knew it was making duplicates, but...

( mafuyu picks up the rabbit. )

I really didn't expect to see this twice...

[supherb]

Wha--?! That's...me and Maschiff...

[He picks up the old photograph. There's something extremely awkward about Aaron of all people ending up with this.]

[prozaic]

[Stares at the bracelets. He thinks he remembers those, but it's been a while. Besides, he can't be too sure if they're actually the Crimson Troupe's design or not. They are simple, after all.]

[gardenful]

[ what is one more thread on our lil pile

That segway is easy to spot, the floral pattern atop the coral paint something that Aerith would recognize from a mile away. ]

Hey, I know that segway!

[prozaic]

[He has a bunch of stuff he really care for or even know what to do with... please take them off of his hands.

Portrait of a Grandmother - A child’s crude drawing of a woman. It’s ugly and perfect at the same time.

Violet Book - A record of the expedition that the author, Heath, went on within the Great Crater of Paldea. The book has the name “Turo” written on it in clumsy handwriting.

A trading card of Fray Myste.

Business Card - A black business card with the name "Van Arkride" in large lettering, for an office named Arkride Solutions. The tagline underneath reads, "Complicated matters only".

Gray Top Hat - A grey top hat with a floppy blue ribbon. It's a strange top hat belonging to a very brave person. My lord.

While he's waiting for people to claim their things, he's just playing some tunes on the new electronic piano he bought for Kirumi. No he will not take requests.]

[unweathered]

[ Walking by and then stopping short at the sight of the hat]

...

[Just picking it up without a word. Her Brain is currently Oranges give her a second to stop glitching out]