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

[moonshaded]

a. everything under the sun;

[In the wake of the past few weeks, few people would be gullible enough to fall for the delights of the orange grove. It's also the perfect time for someone to fall for their soothing temptations - rather, it's the perfect time for someone to have run out of defenses to use against it.

People who find themselves wandering through the repetitive rows of trees in between dealing with the shadow dwelling there might come across a different girl who seems to have given up on her current chore and fallen asleep resting at the trunk of an old, reliable tree. Even more dangerously, they might alternatively find her having dozed off in the crux of some upper branches, nestled in snugly but still at risk of falling the second things go the wrong way. Something glitters close to her face—maybe it’s one of those glimmers of memory that need to be recaptured before they’re taken away on the soft orchard breeze.

Kainé is fitful and restless in her nap, a voiceless name, whimpers, the softest thread of "don't leave" on her lips as her features pinch. She might violently grab someone walking by or begin to lose her balance in the upper branches depending on where she's settled, oranges jostling to roll to the ground. Getting close to her is likely to wake her up, but then, at least, two people can be working together to fix up the grove.]

b. everything under the fog;

[As one of Sunset City's resident cryptids, Kainé can’t be found around the dorms on any sort of regular schedule. Every so often during this week, especially once news of the abandoned temple and dour city residents spreads, she can be found in the lounge, draped over some furniture with her feet up somewhere they shouldn’t be and looking dour.

She either taps a magazine on a tea table or straight-up throws it in someone’s general direction to get attention.]

I’m bored. Feel like killing some shit? Purging Shadows got things on track before.

[It’s the one thing she’s good at. ...Though it seems like they just keep coming back.]

c. wildcard;

[For prompt b, we can coordinate a 3+ person boss Shadow team if you’d like! Fighting is bonding, right? For prompt a, we can go with any level of memloss you’d like to play—just let me know if you have strong preferences.

Otherwise, feel free to write me up a starter with some other prompt! Here are some other thoughts that I didn’t have starters in mind to cover. Kainé keeps weird hours and can even be found out very late at night—maybe finally checking out those stars—for anyone who is also nocturnal and wants to bond under cover of night. Food ventures or days out on the town for shopping or games (let her get a little into fashion or break a crane game) are also a possibility if you have an idea for an activity where one party is a cactus! I’m here for last-minute “bonding” adventures this weekend, so hit me up if you have any different ideas!]

b

[prozaic]

Yes. [A quick, simpler answer!]

I've been a bit too idle as of late, I want to stay sharp. However... we are only two people, and both leaning towards offense. It's best if we can recruit a healer.

[moonshaded]

[If anyone, she probably should have known that Shalem would be up for it. He strikes her as someone, at least, who knows what it's like to kill and have it feel a way it doesn't for other people.

Grudgingly, she pulls her heels down off the table.]

Ugh. If they die fast enough, it's not a problem. [He does have a point. Every support Chosen she knows is someone she'd rather chase out of hell than drag into it, as spirited as they might be.] Got someone in mind?

[prozaic]

[Shalem gives a shrug.]

My favourite healer is Haruka, but he needs a long rest after the week he's had. [That statement is loaded.]

So if we want decide on one of the larger Shadows, we will need to recruit someone else.

[moonshaded]

[Loaded is right, but it'll have to be let go with a side-eye. One of them, probably Kainé, is lucky she wasn't in attendance to help pull Haruka back from his palace. She might have some snarky, scathing commentary to provide otherwise.

Instead, she can only confirm the obvious.] They got their paws on him too, huh?Not many of us left. We'll find someone else.

[prozaic]

[Shalem gives a nod-- he, of course, agrees. The only reason he's not holed up in bed resting after yanking two people out of their Shadow-induced hellscapes is because he simply doesn't want to be down for too long.]

Do you have any ideas who we could bring with us?

[moonshaded]

I kinda just go with whoever's around.

[If she goes with anyone at all... Frankly, it's kind of a marvel that Kainé hasn't gotten herself killed while making an excursion into the Nekiya without thinking. The people with support magic she knows the best are ones whose names she'd also leave out of this. Yoon would be kept safe in the other world if he came with her, but there's no reason for him to fight unless it's necessary when he's still soft despite the world.]

Aerith, maybe. Or we grab a stranger and get 'em used to the place.

[prozaic]

Aerith is dependable. But we can keep looking, regardless, though I'm loathe to bring on one of the children.

[And there are an unfortunate amount of supports among the children. Better than being the damage dealers, but still.]

[moonshaded]

[It's another thing they can agree on. Kainé grunts.] The kids know what they're doing, but they'll get in enough trouble all on their own.

Let's just grab someone before talking about it puts us to sleep.

[If all else fails, there are the phones, but we'll see who bites.]

[metagame]

[Yo.

Someone needed a utility? Because this guy arrived in Nekyia just now to do it! And he compliments Kainé's element nicely while also knowing Shalem. Except he didn't know Shalem was in the party. It might be frosty but...

Eh... whatever. It isn't like Kainé isn't also frosty. Atem's an adult capable of putting aside differences for a common goal, and he can keep the guy alive. Somewhere deep in him he still calls Shalem a friend.]

So who are you targeting?

[Asking so he can prepare ahead of time to perform better as a navigator support.]

[prozaic]

[He is perfectly professional! Which is to say, the attitude he came into this conversation with already.]

Our best choices are Belial, Michael, Dionysus, and Garuda. I do have my reservations about Garuda, however. [He's not good with status effects! Never has been. Plus, if that damn thing starts to fly... good luck getting it down. Shalem doesn't have his true element and his strongest spells here.]

[moonshaded]

[Atem receives a single, short wave of her forearm in recognition. Sure, the room is a witch's tit right now, but that's not her business (until it becomes her business).]

Which one of them's the most in our way?

[They've got strategy cornered, and her priorities are more straightforward. Who's going to interfere the most if left standing?]

[metagame]

May I suggest Michael?

[He stretches his arms.]

If we leave him alone, he'll likely continue to summon more angels. A few here and there are fine... They're relatively weak. About twenty, thirty or so, they'll start to become a problem even for heavy hitters like yourselves.

[prozaic]

Him, hm? [The Sankta-looking one. Shalem thinks about it for a moment, then gives a nod.]

That one has Bless as well, and it's nothing to our own elements. An excellent target, as long as he doesn't fly.

[Then he cracks his neck, getting ready. If he were Catholic he would be amused over being part of the group to take an angel down.]

you know when you really think about they all have a reason to beef with some guy named mike

[moonshaded]

[Atem is right. There's nothing worse than a huge monster that hides behind all of its smaller lackeys.

She gestures with the flat edge of her sword, which she'd been keeping leaned against the arm of the couch where she'd been lazing. It seems Kainé's plans for destructive therapy in the Nekiya were already confirmed whether or not she roped anyone else in with her.]

Let me deal with the small fry when we get in there. Get a big opening hit on the big guy.

[metagame]

Sounds like we have a plan.

[All finished with his warm ups! He does one final check over how many arrows he has, and he nods to both Shalem and Kainé.]

Once we find him, I'll take out his wings to keep him grounded. Ready?

[let's go find mike and beat him up]

[prozaic]

I am, indeed. [He's a bit excited as well. Getting to have a large, humanoid monster and not needing to break away when he summons a lackey? What a rare treat.

here's where i handwave the travel to save on time--

Shalem gives a last few stretches just before Michael's arena, to limber up. And, of course, make with the necessary pre-battle preparations.]

Let's take him unawares if we can.

i can npc mike or we can just pass him around (sfwly)... lmk

[moonshaded]

Enough talk. Let's fry this birdbrain. [Before they trigger combat, she throws a preliminary Rakukaja up on Shalem. He does seem to get trucked every time she's seen him fight...and sometimes when she's just seen him walking around.

Their coordinated efforts allow them to trigger a surprise round! They can get their initial hits before Michael responds.

True to her word, Kainé opens up on the two adds already floating around obnoxiously in the boss arena. Her Giant Slice cuts only air (4), but it probably gets their attention, anyway.]

wildcaaaaard

[gardenful]

[ At some point, Aerith drags Kainé out to the Entertainment District, hellbent on making sure she has some fun. It isn't that she thinks Kainé is incapable of having any fun, but Aerith simply thinks she deserves to have more of it.

So here they are, at one of the more retro arcades the bright lights and whirring of the game machines a nice break from the gloomy skies that hang above them. There are plenty of pinball machines, fighting games, racing games, and first-person shooters... as well as plenty of crane games with all sorts of nearly-impossible-to-get prizes.

Aerith looks like she feels right at home as she glances over at Kainé. ]

Ever been to one of these places?

day out with aerith yaaaay

[moonshaded]

Not really. Maybe a couple of times.

[On the surface, Aerith fits into things in a way Kainé doesn't and doesn't think she ever will. As gentle and kind as Aerith is, Kainé had been waiting for the shoe to drop - either for the world to punish her for that tenderness or for that kindness to run into its limits with her. Living like a clenched fist for the first few weeks she knew Aerith has gradually given way to a much more relaxed state, though. Being proven wrong...is fine, actually. She's a lot more than softness.

The mood around town is getting to Kainé, even now well before she ventures out into the orange grove. Aerith is probably right. Fun might get her to not fully fall into shadow.] They're kind of smug here [the machines??], so if they try anything funny, we'll have a problem. [THE MACHINES??]

YIPPEE

[gardenful]

They're smug?

[ She'll even tilt her head to get a good look inside one of the crane games. There's no way a crane can pick up any of those doubtlessly heavy plushes... ]

Maybe rigged, but I dunno about smug.

[moonshaded]

I don't trust them. They're...

[It's a CIRCUS OF VALUE! quips a unit nearby, the animatronic on top of it flopping back and forth in a whir of color and motion. Creepy...

Kainé shakes her head, looking into the pile of stuffed animals held captive under the flimsy crane scoop.]

You never had problems with machines?

[gardenful]

Tons. But... usually only ones controlled by people. And big ones, too. The kind that tower over you and have big canons attached to 'em.

[ So, nothing like this. It kind of makes Aerith wonder just what Kainé has seen if something so flashy and colorful really gets to her like this. ]

a

[bloodandstars]

[ There's at least three extremely compelling reasons drawing Maika to the orange grove — she's already been making her way around half with helpful intent, half as weak to the allure of a good bite as she ever is. There's a little pulp still lingering between her teeth, the citrus scent still sharp on her tongue, chasing away some nagging feeling that had been dragging her down more by the week.

Whatever she's lost, it's certainly not the memory of Kainé. When she spots the familiar flash of pale hair in sunlight she swerves her steps to approach the tree, making each tread a little heavier to be sure she's not sneaking up on her. Most likely that'll wake her; otherwise, Maika doesn't take long to call out to her. ]

Unless you really do have catlike balance... not the best place to sleep.

[moonshaded]

[Even with Maika's careful approach, there's something defensive in the way Kainé stirs when woken. She clenches, almost like she's looking for another weapon or trying to hold onto something she knows will slip away. The glimmer of something worth remembering twinkles around her head while she's still too sleep-heavy to notice, then dips down behind some other branches. It won't be restored so easily.

She hasn't forgotten Maika, either, though it's funny that today that line between the battle in her dreamworld and her history with Maika in reality seems even weaker, a boundary that shimmers and fades.]

You sleep outside as much as I do, you get used to holding yourself in. [She stretches - there's a little ache when she does. Kainé's been here a long while.] Did you help her? The little girl.