synflux | ( open; ) summer episode part 2?

( open; ) summer episode part 2?

WHO: Any Outsider is more than welcome!
WHAT: Dating shows... I was bullied.
WHERE: Between Okinawa & Neo Tokyo.
WHEN: Throughout the remainder of July (listen, it's a production)!
WARNINGS: Partial nudity, alcohol, potential suggestive topics, and will update 'em as I see 'em!

Throughout the city of Neo Tokyo and even Okinawa, there will be advertisements posted by the hundreds (and spam mail to your oculars by an equal number), desiring candidates for a show. While the aftermath of vegas and other bleak instances might have led way for people practicing some semblance of moderation— opposite to that, the people also need their entertainment, don't they?

Fortunately, there will be an influx of dating shows looking for people to appear. They are offering a fairly decent amount of money and are even offering luxury experiences for free for participants. In this economy and food shortage??? Okay, the food may be lacking, but they do make up for it in various activities they have planned, where people can kick back, relax, and romance?

While there will be any number of shows looking for interested parties, these are the main shows/premises:

SPEED DATING

As the label suggests. People will be expected to sit down and switch through several partners. In their hands will be a card labeling who they encounter and a place to leave a check mark. They will also be given a list of questions that can be answered.

PARTNER SWAP

People can be on a show and swap partners. This doesn't necessarily need to be romantic, either. Have a friend you want to show up with, cool. The only rules are that the pairs who enter together cannot stay together during the duration of the show.

SINGLES INFERNO

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be trapped on a deserted island with other hot singles? Well, now you no longer have to wonder. They will need to cook and fend for themselves here with minimal activities or distraction— but, isn't that the point? All you need to focus on is each other! (* They will be ferried to an outer island by Okinawa). While on the island, which they label as inferno, it's also a rule that one cannot speak about their age, occupation, or any such personal details. All of this will be reserved for "paradise." To go to paradise, two individuals will need to pick one another, and if they do — they are able to go on to completed various luxury experiences together.

For those who would rather find paradise in inferno together, you can presume there are tents that act as shared dormitory quarters where contestants will stay together.

DATE ME

People are free to use this for just general dates. Maybe, you just want to finesse the system and enjoy a fun all-expense-paid for date in which you get to eat like relative kings and enjoy various experiences. Feel free to use anything in the setting to your desire.

SKINSHIP STARTER

... a show where you get paid the more skinship you do. Don't do anything you wouldn't do in a Wendy's though. (That's not how the saying actually goes).

COMMENTARY PANEL

Every good dating show needs those who simply sit and commentate, right?

* It can be assumed any of this is just open to general CR you want to spend time with, too. This is just supposed to be a silly log for chances for characters to get to know one another! Characters are more than welcome to assume they stumble upon this by accident, think it's just a basic job and can't leave, film or unfilmed (minus the commentary prompt), and whatever else! Feel free to tag freely, threadjack, etc!

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You knew, and yet you never spoke up? You really are quite mean.

[ he solidifies again. but, he doesn't actually expect a response from her.

before he does release her wrist for good. though, this time he pulls off a ribbon or piece of material off his wrist, before holding it for her. ] Take it. [ it came as part of the accessories for his outfit. listen, the production needed to make sure they were fully equipped, and what kind of crown prince would he be without any accessories? ]

Rather, it will weigh on my conscience if I were to allow you to sport seaweed in your hair.

[ would it not break? also, wasn't it also quite.... well, slimy? ]

I never said I was nice.

[ And she looks down at the ribbon he offers, blinking. Like she is both surprised and also rather wary.

You think she's afraid of slime, Callisto? Please. ]

... What do you want for it?

[ No one in the City ever really does anything for free. She'd had to offer reasons for her own actions. ]

[ her instant question of what he wants for it... surprises him. he isn't sure if it comes with knowledge of who he is and how he would next try and wriggle his way into another favor with her, or if it's just as she said before. a sense of distrust she's gained through living her life.

whichever, it is he only releases a small exhale. ] Do you see me as someone so lacking that I would ask for something in return for a mere ribbon? [ lol, ] Though, if you are offering one in return for when we get back... [ a ribbon for a ribbon. ]

I'll gladly take it.

Do I look like the type to tie my hair back with a ribbon? Or own one at all?

[ Like. Ever? That's a Tiphereth thing, not that she's going to talk about Tiphereth to him. ]

The best I could hand you is a hair tie. [ And what the hell kind of trade is that? It's not like he has long hair. ]

[ damn, no lore drops today... ]

I, for one, think it may suit you rather nicely, Lady Gebura.

[ his usual smirk is spread across his lips and looks like it has no hint of budging. ] It is called a gift for a reason. [ in that, people choose them. sometimes completely arbitrarily, but a gift was a gift. besides, he'd argue there's nothing he can't have materially. so he isn't going to nitpick. ] Shall I help you?

[ Damn, she hates rich people. But she sighs, reaching out finally to take the ribbon from him before he decides to change his mind. If he's calling it a gift and he's insisting on it, she's not letting him call in a favor for it later. ]

No need. I know how to put my own hair up.

[ he watches her with a vague sense of interest, perhaps checking to see if there was even a hint of her struggling, except all she's really done so far is take it. which also causes his to give a slight sigh of his own.

though, that's all nice and well— ] For accepting it so readily, I do think one thing is a bit lacking. [ no one asked, but he continues anyway. ] Your expression. [ isn't this the scene to be touched? (no) ]

[ Gebura, now gathering up her mass of hair to begin reshaping it into a high ponytail, gives him an unamused stare.

(Will she ever give him an amused stare? Jury's out on that one. ]

If you're looking for grateful tears or some kind of bright smile, you're dealing with the wrong person for that. [ Entirely the wrong person for that. ]

Not quite so extreme. [ he corrects her with a wag of his finger. ]

I just simply expected an expression that wasn't nearly so sour. It's as if you are looking at a wet dog. [ he was going to say dogshit, but then they would have had to censor him. this is probably entirely made up in his own head and heavily exaggerated, but it's true she never looked especially pleased around him.

despite how he behaves, he wasn't nearly as blind as he pretends to be. ]

[ Can't imagine why she wouldn't look pleased! Can't imagine why at all!!

Gebura just continues to stare at him.

And then, slowly and deliberately-- ]

I don't like people who act like what I say goes in one ear and out the other. You're not seeing me as I am, you've been acting like you're seeing me as some kind of form of entertainment to keep you from being bored.

I'd at least look at a wet dog like it didn't know any better.

[ he's a bit taken aback, not necessarily out of guilt or a sudden emotional epiphany, but mostly by her sudden honesty. a form of entertainment? perhaps, he might have approached her a bit like that; despite how he appears on the surface, he was a lot more self-aware than even he'd like (he's just especially proficient at acting around it). it was inarguable that he did receive some semblance of delight in making her troubled, and... ]

But, I have only seen you as your own person, Lady Gebura. If there is anything deficient in how I treat you, you could say that comes from my upbringing. Or lack thereof. [ said like a joke, but it's like he catches himself.

was this the attitude she wasn't especially fond of? ... and oh, was he not supposed to reveal that? well, they can cut it if they don't like it. ]

You could say I am still surprised by the fact that there exists people who can speak with me so candidly. ... enough where you're comparing me to a wet dog, even. [ listen, he may have started with this comparison, but??? ]

[ The ponytail, now secured, swishes back into place, aided by the borrowed ribbon as Gebura breathes out through her nose. She's clearly caught him off-guard, maybe not entirely, but enough. Which doesn't surprise her. A lot of the people in the Nest wouldn't have expected anyone from the Backstreets to speak so bluntly towards them, would have taken their lofty words and their even loftier ideals and tried to dance circles around her, convinced she wouldn't be able to cut them down.

This is the first time since arriving here that she's had someone speak so arrogantly and condescendingly towards her, whether he realized it or not, and it smolders in her chest like a red-hot coal. ]

I'm not one of your people. [ And she stands tall, gaze flickering with the same heat she feels in her chest. ] And if that was something that pissed you off, I'd take a challenge from you any day.

Blame where you came from or how you grew up if you want to, but if you think for a second that I'm accepting that as an excuse to treat me like I'm a joke, then you're an idiot. You want my respect? Earn it.

[ here we are, insulting royalty! Goodness! ]

Edited 2024-07-12 02:26 (UTC)

[ it's the first time such anger has been directed towards him outside of stately affairs. this may have been the first time he's ever reflected on his actions, outside of the fateful encounter at the maze garden on the second prince's birthday banquet, and so it hits a bit deeper than even he expects.

she's not one of his people. that much was clear. no one in this place was. a point of both comfort and contention. a fact he hasn't entirely let go of, and it's a stark reminder, whether he intended to receive it this way or not. when she stands tall, staring at him so intently, he can't help but be caught up in how gallant she looks in that moment. almost as she had something deeper to fight for. though, of course, this could entirely be in his head.

he also gets how royalty and nobility could be seen by the people in general, and doubts its any different for her. as much as he takes advantage of his position as crown prince, it's not like he disagrees with how corrupt the nobles were, or was blind to the backstreets of his own country. enough where even he pondered on slaughtering them all entirely and emptying out the entire royal treasury to give to the people, only to genuinely wish for the empire's genuine demise.

he's not offended. but, he also isn't the type where apologies come out of his mouth easily. feeling guilt was just as much a vulnerability as any other emotion. ] I'm not "pissed off" as you so put it. Though, it is clearly quite different for you.

And how could I treat you as a joke when you possess such strength? [ that would be foolish, wasn't it? but, he does seem to relent to the point. ] Rather than respect, I... [ he stops talking for a moment. this may have been the first time he hadn't finished his thought here. ]

[ did he simply desire the favor from someone who had nothing to gain by being close with him? or was it exactly as she stated and was it just passing fancy for a lady who clearly seemed to dislike being around him? a figure both familiar and ... completely unfamiliar. maybe both. regardless, he breathes out for what feels like the first time since he laid eyes on her in the most intense state he's seen her in.

while normally he may have played this off, may have delivered mocking words of "how would he go about achieving this impossible feat," and other likeminded turns of phrases, but they're lost on him for once. instead, he opts on: ] As mentioned, I am quite tenacious. That has not changed, even if everything else has.

[ it's not saying he would earn it. nor is it necessarily implying that's what he was aiming for. after all, how could he when he barely knows how to think or act outside of his immediate survival. ]

[ Tenacious. She's been called much the same, someone who doggedly clung to survival first, because that was all she could do, and then had diligently worked her way up to a position where she didn't have to answer to anyone. She could make her own choices, act on her own beliefs and if anyone had a problem with it, they could fight her.

She's not entirely sure she likes the idea of tenacity being directed towards her--no, she knows she doesn't like it. Because if that's the truth, it means shaking him, short of stabbing him, is going to be difficult. And despite her reputation, Gebura doesn't actually kill without a valid reason, and annoyance... doesn't tend to count. Unfortunately.

The gaze doesn't really falter, but the anger simmers down to something more level, because at the very least, he's listening. It's not really the kind of answer she'd want to hear from it, but hardly anything other than "okay, got it, I'll leave you alone" would have sufficed, anyway.

This likely looks a little odd, him with no shirt, her with mostly damp clothing, staring at each other. It's fine.

After a minute, Gebura extends her scar-adorned fist, tapping it lightly against his chest. ]

Then that makes two of us. I hope you're ready for that.

[ For the?? Push-back??? ]

[ just two individuals fighting for survival...

for a good moment, he isn't sure how she would react. callisto considered himself fairly proficient in getting underneath people's skin and often believed it the quickest method of seeing what lays beneath a person's immediate exterior. yet, he isn't sure he knows quite how to ready her yet.

unlike the nobles who could feel out their intentions from a single encounter, and within minutes, the recruits here were vastly different. regardless, he doesn't seem to ponder on it for long. what rouses him from these thoughts are way her fist presses against his chest. he looks up to her, once again, surprised.

though, it seems to gradually shift into a small quirk of his lips. for once, not in sardonic humor. ] It will become chilly once the sun sets, Lady Gebura. Let us escort you back to shore. [ fortunately, he was born ready... ]

I don't exactly need an escort, so much as you need to put your shirt back on if you're worried about a chill.

[ And she pulls her arm back, starting to wade back to the shore, because there's really no reason to continue standing in the ocean when she's got a remedy for the original problem anyway. Whether Callisto's learned from this or not, or if that will make any kind of difference, remains to be seen. ]

True, you didn't seem very interested in my body.

[ said as if this is her final opportunity to take a peek!!! jk, he knows she'd rather not, so the statement is rather mute all things considered.

but, he also seems to follow her, picking up the shirt he discarded off of the sand. for once, maybe he will remain quiet for the duration of them walking back to the tents? ]

If you're so interested in getting to know me, I'll give you a freebie--I'm not that shallow.

[ Similarly to most of the City denizens, she doesn't really pay attention to appearances first and foremost. Not even second or third. There are more important things. But back to the tents they go! This is going to be a delightful evening, isn't it. ]

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( open; ) summer episode part 2?

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