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

[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!!]

[imperiosity]

[He wouldn't even blink an eye if she took both, but he will glance down at the ledger at the comment.]

Damn, this is yours? Gunslinger girl's also a crazy pigeon lady, huh.

[Yeah, that's his takeaway from this apparently.]

[unweathered]

Pigeons sell for a lot. People need to make money you know.

[ this is too funny. she wont bother correcting him]

[imperiosity]

[He's going to pick up that ledger so he can actually read it.]

These pigeons better shit gold with this much cash involved. Who'd even buy 'em?

[unweathered]

[Schneider beams]

You'd be surprised. Mostly it's stupidly rich people.

[In fact, there's something about a large sum being paid to the mayor with 'it's important, don't forget', and some other notes on money going to family. In fact, most of the money seems to be going to her mother with notes on housing repairs, hospital stays for various different women and so forth]

[imperiosity]

[Huh. Sending money to family isn't all that unusual, but perhaps the amount relative to the total is. Even so, what catches his eye is definitely the transaction to the mayor.]

Ever thought of donating a few to the mayor, then? Seems like it'd be easier than wiring them the cash.

[Okay, he knows it doesn't work that way but let him sass!!]

[beathollow]

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

( mafuyu picks up the rabbit. )

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

[imperiosity]

[He wasn't sure who the plush belonged to, one of the teenage girls owning it is well within expectations. No, the surprising part is the one about duplicates.]

...Wait, you already got this before?

[beathollow]

Izou-niisan received it and gave it back to me a few weeks back. Atem and Aerith both also received my aromatherapy bottles- and we can tell they're mine as the birthday tags are still on them.

[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.]

[imperiosity]

[Presumably he would've recognized Arven as a child in the photo, but...]

'Maschiff'? That another dog of yours?

[He still doesn't really know how Pokemon work so yep...]

[supherb]

[Yeah, the duo-toned hair is pretty unmistakable.]

Oh, no. That's what Mabosstiff was when he was little. A while back, he evolved from Maschiff into what he is now.

[imperiosity]

'Evolved'?

[Like, he knows the general definition of the word, but.]

How the hell does that work?

[supherb]

[Unfortunately, Arven is a far cry from the Pokemon expert that his dad was.]

Beats me. It's just a thing that happens to a lot of Pokemon as they grow and mature.

[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.]

[imperiosity]

[If nothing else, the staring does catch Aaron's attention. And since the point of this is to clear out all the junk from his side of the room, he's going to speak up.]

You recognize 'em?

[prozaic]

I'm not quite sure. These bracelets don't have much flair to them, do they? Nor do they have any unique details.

[Then he picks one up and tugs at the links, making the bell jingle. That is when he pauses-- he recognizes that sound anywhere. It's obvious now.]

... That sound is a unique detail, however. I believe... that either I or a peer owns this pair.

[imperiosity]

[The jingling doesn't particularly stand out to Aaron, but since Shalem is clearly familiar with it, that's good enough for him, even if there's ambiguity about who they actually belong to.]

So what's that make these, bestie bracelets or something?

[He doesn't sound all that serious about it, but this is the first thing that pops into his head!!]

[prozaic]

[He's not particularly bothered by Aaron's commentary, because he just says it outright.]

The bracelets of a stage performer. A theatre dancer, to be specific. [He slips both on, one on each wrist. He shakes his arms and the bells chime, light but certainly something that would make heads turn.] In certain numbers, we would wear these to accompany our dances and capture the audience's attention, so their eyes and ears would never leave us.

I've not worn them since I was a child.

[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!

[imperiosity]

[reaches for!!

Anyways, Aaron has zero clue how to use this, so he's standing uselessly on it as he searches for something that will get it moving. Thankfully, Aerith is here and he looks up when she approaches.]

Huh, this thing's yours?

[The colors do kind of match...]

[gardenful]

[ She's just going to watch him stand on it uselessly for a little while longer... ]

Well, sorta. In a town we visited, they had these out for rental to make it easier to get around town. Not like it was hard to get around anyway since it was a resort town, but... I guess it was a fun extra thing to do.

[imperiosity]

[He only gets to go to a resort in the next game, alas!! So for now he only gets to imagine what this town is like, which is probably exceedingly inaccurate since the only thing he knows about it is they rent segways.]

Huh. Did it also have a beach? Because I would've taken that over going to a hot springs town any day.

[No prizes for guessing why he would prefer the beach......]

[gardenful]

It's got a beach, bars, arcades... anything you can think of when it comes to relaxing, they've got it!

[ to see more stacked waitresses..... ]