synflux | DOWNTIME MINGLE #3

Entry tags:

DOWNTIME MINGLE #3

DOWNTIME MINGLE #3

CONTENT WARNINGS: natural disaster, forced scenarios.

▶ 001. A JOB WELL DONE.

As Outsiders head back from Okinawa (or, perhaps they are already back, characters were able to leave Okinawa through the dataportal whenever) with plenty of coconut crab and mutated fish, Outsiders can expect to have the cafeteria filled with crab and fish food for the next.. well, undetermined amount of time. The power outages have been restored on the LILITH base, and while Outsiders have been enjoying their change of pace in Okinawa, there has been some celebratory news across the Outsider's ocular implants. It looks like it is a message from the big guy himself! Whoever that is. Wasn't his name.. Eiji something? Elijah?

"I'm not going to waste my time with introductions, because we have more important matters to discuss. First of all, good work. Second, while we have been met with several successes, don't let it get to your head. Third, continue following the lead of Yamakawa. ... This is why I don't do celebratory speeches. CODENAMES MONEYBAGS, DUELWIELD, BUSTERMOVE, CHAINSAW MAN and CURSE... great work. You'll see the rewards of your hard work momentarily. Report to me for a payout."

The announcement won't leave an Outsider's implant until it has been read, but just as the voice said, Outsiders will find a Sampo themed pachinko machine installed by the cafeteria near the vending machines. It looks like it's ready to be played! Why not give it a go? Because who wouldn't want to see this charm willingly.

A lot of toy companies are also wanting their skin in this game and have introduced the set of several actions figures based off Yzak and Dearka's gundams, which can be seen distributed on base. The caveat, however, is that you will need to build them piece-by-piece. Alongside this, there will also be Denji-themed plushies, even if it looks like a cross between a dog and human.

Thanks to Choso, hair care on the base has also gotten a lot better. Due to sponsorships, Outsiders are readily able to access more shampoo and conditioner options. Though, maybe thanks to the pictures on the bottle— buns are now trending.

Maybe give the pachinko machine a spin? Or try Choso's brand of shampoo your team's wing communal shower?

▶ 002. TRADITIONAL TANABATA.

The sun is hot but summer is traditionally festival season in Neo Tokyo; these old traditions have managed to hold up in this gritty society in attempts to keep a positive morale, so some citizens and organizers try to keep the tradition going and lift spirits by celebrating local festivals. Many districts and neighborhoods have their own festivals as well. One day, you might stumble onto a shopping district’s wind chime festival and the next day, you might find flyers for a neighborhood’s morning glory festival.

The largest festival of the month is the Tanabata festival. Since the holiday falls in an odd weekday this year, the main celebration is held the next weekend. Civilians and Outsiders can find various shrines, shopping centers, and community buildings with bamboo branches on display with holographic slips of paper that alternate colors. Characters that pass by may submit their wishes on their implants; a new way to keep the old tradition.

On the weekend, some stalls have been set up for people to celebrate. Attendance is low because of the heat and due to a food shortage, the options are lacking. However, there are plenty of games such as a toy shooting range with laser guns and kaiju targets. There are also goldfish catching games where people can catch a cheap goldfish drone that can “swim” in the air and water and shoot bubbles. As a bonus, LILITH will provide Outsiders with an outfit upgrade to help lift spirits. The outfit consists of a traditional summer yukata or jinbei.

Fireworks have gone out of style due to attracting kaiju attention. However, at the festival’s end, there is a drone light show. Hundreds of customized hummingbird drones take to the sky and create elaborate illuminations and shapes in the sky while music plays.

▶ 003. DR. RATIO'S RENOVATIONS.

Festival season means LILITH also has to get in on the action, and while a certain Outsider named Dr. Ratio has raised concerns over the stated of the LILITH base Library, LILITH has actually listened to his desperate plea to renovate the library. What a perfect opportunity for LILITH to use the festival as a way of raising funds so they don't have to dip into their kaiju payout funds (and pizza party fund.) It's time for LILITH's annual SUMMER FESTA. Every year, LILITH comes together with local organizations like fire stations, police stations, clinics, and nonprofits to promote public safety and awareness. It's a one day festival where people can get information about what to do to stay safe not only during kaiju attacks but in their daily lives. The funds raised at the festival will go to training, supplies, research, and maintaining services.

As usual, LILITH is raising money for disaster relief supplies and renovation projects across Neo Tokyo. Per request, LILITH has agreed to set aside some funds to help renovate the facilities on base, including the library. However, they will task the Outsiders with raising the money.

It's a festival so how they raise the money is both up up to them or they may take the suggestions according to their team placement below. Either way, Outsiders are required to work with other people on their same team but they're encouraged to make it fun. Set up game stalls, sell food, do performances, and ask for donations to raise as much money as possible for their projects. The team that raises the most money is promised a prize while the losers will be punished. Here are the team suggestions below and some of them may have some new, modern twists:

Everlight: Kingyo-sukui, which is goldfish catching with a paper scoop. Managing the takoyaki stands.
Revelation: Yoyo-tsuri, fishing for water-filled balloons with a “fishing pole” with a paper string. Managing the mask stands.
Brimstone: Shateki, shooting at targets for prizes. Managing the sparklers stands.. sparklers shouldn't catch kaiju attention, right?
Redemption: Wanage, ring toss. Managing the onigiri stands.

Outsiders will be given a week to prepare for the festival and they only have a single day to raise funds. In the evening, the winning team is announced: Revelation. All team members will receive can badges and a pizza party. A special donation will also be made to the library on their behalf: A stack full of self help books, yes, REAL books and not holograms or digital books, such as "Overcoming Your Depression for Dummies" and "How to Make Friends 101." Thank you for your effort, Team Revelation!

As for the losers, they will be given options: Sign up or the final fundraising event of the night or help clean up at the end of the festival. The final fundraiser is a punishment game where volunteers from each organization are dunked in tubs of water or pied in the face. It seems like a certain person (Seok Dang) was supposed to be LILITH’s tribute but he is nowhere to be found… maybe one of the other losers will step up and take his place to be dunked in water or pied in the face? Characters may also sign up a loser character without their consent. Come on, be a good sport!

▶ 004. MONSOON SEASON.

Despite the celebrations and attempts to raise morale, the heatwave persists in Neo Tokyo and with it, the problems from the beginning of the month. Food continues to go bad quickly and while fundraising attempts have provided some relief, the city is huge and shelf stable supplies begin to run low again. The energy crisis improves slightly with blackouts occurring less frequently as emergency personnel attempt to intervene. Though the weather is dreary, the renovations must press on! Fortunately, most of the things to do around the Library consist of staying inside. Dr. Ratio has given the following orders which Outsiders may help with in the Library:

- Install better lighting.
- Organize and add more books.
- Set up and secure tables and chairs.
- Add couches to once section of the library to convert it into a lounging area.

Characters may work together to help, or maybe they prefer to laze around and give the newly renovated Library a test run!

After a few days, finally, the rain meteorologists have promised arrives. The skies darken and heavy rain falls on the city which brings much cooler temperatures. People stay inside more often as it becomes too inconvenient to go out when the rain and wind are so strong. The rainstorms grow stronger and eventually become fully fledged storms. The ground shakes from thunder and lightning strikes light up the sky.

Everyone’s ocular implants will frequently give warnings about the weather. LILITH will task Outsiders with assisting across the city. Help evacuate citizens to higher ground during flash floods. After the storms subside, help clear the streets of debris and trees. Some neighborhoods will lose power because of lightning strikes and need their generators restored. However, every time they finish their tasks, a new storm will occur a few days later and they’ll have to repeat.

At first, it seems like the typical summer storm season but meteorologists become concerned when more storms begin to happen without following clear weather patterns and even the locals remark the season seems very active this year… could it be another kaiju? The last time Neo Tokyo had floods, it was sea water, but this is caused by heavy rain. Like clockwork, LILITH's investigating team is on the lookout for energy from a rift or any leads to what could be causing all of the heavy rain. Outsiders are instructed to keep an eye out for any emergency messages.

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our third downtime mingle! While we would typically have a texting prompt, we instead have player plots for this event! Thank you Abbel and Eski for the Tanabata and festival player prompt and Sky for the Library renovations plot! We appreciate Eski for spending 500 bonus points to provide everyone with something to wear for Tanabata. For the character-run stalls as part of the renovation prompt, players are not limited to the suggestions given by the mods and are free to come up with their own stall ideas. Additionally, for characters signing up other characters for the dunk tank, please make sure you get OOC permission from their players first.

Please note also we have added new rewards: the Poison Dagger, Cat Ear Visor, and the Elemental Swords now come in the models Ice and Lightning. Please see the REWARDS page for more information.

All tags on this log are worth 2 points.

EVENT BREAKDOWN (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. A JOB WELL DONE: The kaiju heavy hitters get recognition with.. a pachinko machine and shampoo sponsorship? Outsiders can react to their fellow colleagues about this development, or maybe even talk to the winners themselves around the base.

2. TRADITIONAL TANABATA: It's Tanabata season, even in a post-apocalyptic world! Put on some old, traditional attire with your friends and enjoy a drone show.

3. DR. RATIO'S RENOVATIONS: LILITH has teamed up with the local safety personnel to get in on the festival season. Characters are encouraged to fundraise for renovations at the LILITH base Library. Teams may also visit other teams events and stands to donate, partake in, and.. maybe deliver some competitive harassment.

4. MONSOON SEASON: With the weather being hot and renovations needing done, LILITH works together to improve the Library. A few days later, the weather gets suspiciously intense and Outsiders are instructed to help civilians with power outages, flash flooding, debris from heavy wind and rain.

code

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ (...

Heheh. You sure are.)

Whether it be because of polite paper thoughts, or because practice makes perfect, the tissue does seem to want to listen to her more. Nicer looking, but still unmistakably hers. ]

[ She'll take it. Because! She didn't want to do this in the first place but she's still drying off!! Geez!! ]

Satisfied?

[ Look at it, it doesn't look like it's begging for death now. ]

[ She didn't have to do it, she chose to fall for their tease. ]

It's adorable, Gebura. You did very well for your first time Crafting.

[ Trying so hard not to sound like he's praising a child, promise. He knows positive reinforcement is important. ]

How's the cocoa?

Like it's good enough to dump over your head if you press your luck.

[ No, she's already had most of it. Sugar's good when you're tired. ]

I'll keep the rest of my luck to myself, then.

[ It is, isn't it. Siffrin finally sips at their own, having been too preoccupied with fussiness to tend to themselves. Though that's fine, since it needed to cool a little for their cat tongue. ]

People put marshmallows on it. Too much?

Not really. I'm not really into bitter flavors, and as it long as it isn't too sweet to drown out everything else, it's fine.

[ Something about that sentence has her frowning, though. But also-- ]

... You're really used to thinking more about other people, aren't you? [ Says the one who called him "selfish" once. ]

[ (Mmmmmmmm.

You think Mira would enjoy hot cocoa a lot.

Oh. You've heard something similar to that, once. Do you really?) ]

What do you mean?

You wanted me to promise to come back as soon as I could. The second I came in, you healed me, told me to change out of my wet clothes and brought me here to help dry off completely. You haven't said a word about yourself or even touched that drink since then. Not until now. You also risked yourself in the middle of a storm trying to get a kid's kite back.

[ This is all said very matter-of-factly. ]

It's more like you don't even consider yourself.

[ (... Well, that's because...

... Because...

...

Because... then you're useful, because they'll want to keep you around. If they like you. If you endear yourself enough somehow, because that's how it works, isn't it? When you aren't friends, or even when you are.

There's no reason to keep around someone like you, who doesn't remember anything, who has no home no name nothing--

You set the mug down very, very carefully, and smile.) ]

I'm fine, thanks to you! And it wasn't that bad when she asked me in the first place -- I was just lucky you came around when you did, Gebura, it really picked up.

[ (It isn't a bad thing, to put others above yourself.

It's a good thing! Everyone loves that! That's why the heroes in plays are so beloved, because they're never thinking of themselves!) ]

[ And they're the ones who die first in the City! Fools!!

Interesting, though. That Siffrin hadn't actually addressed the intention of that point. Not that she thought they'd deny it, but circling it so widely to just say "Gee good thing you were there, it was all you and I'm fine" doesn't escape her notice. It has her narrowing her eyes slightly.

She'll keep this in mind. This isn't someone she knows well enough to call out on the spot. ]

Don't rely on luck next time. If you need help, call.

I will, though you're still the only person I have the name of.

[ So she's his go-to, unfortunately for her. ]

Is your hair dry? There's a lot of it, and Mira's takes forever too. Even though that's because it's thick and not long. [ A beat, as if remembering something. ] Mine dried in no time at all.

Try not to need help every two hours and maybe I'll respond.

[ Probably. But she drifts a hand up as she sets her cup down, testing her hair. And...

... Well. ]

Still damp. It'll dry completely, eventually. You don't need to stay out here, you know.

[ (but you'd like to.) ]

The flowers here are nice. In Dormont, you give them to people who are important to you.

That's a pretty common belief, I think.

[ A pause. ]

Are there any ones you really like? [ It's good color education; flowers are incredibly vivid, after all. ]

[ ("She's totally going to give you one, Siffrin!!! Make sure it's romantic!!!"

You can already imagine the urgent words of the two romantics in your family members.)

Hmmmmm.

Siffrin looks around and points at some carnations. ]

They look like ruffles.

[ Excuse you, romantics, this is an educational moment!! ]

... Oh, huh. They're a bunch of different colors.

[ White, yellow, red, pink, pink and white, three different shades of purple... ]

I can tell. There's a lot of shades.

[ They stand up, carefully shuffling around the cups and crouching by the carnations.

(Red, like her hair. Yellow, a brighter left eye. You could paint her with carnations. If you were romantic and attached and you aren't because that would be stupid and silly and dumb.) ]

What's this?

[ The dark ones. ]

[ Gebura stands up after a minute to join them, close but not touching. She doesn't even seem conscious of keeping that minuscule amount of distance between them, just gazing at the darker flowers. ]

Purple, different shades. It's what would happen if...

[ Hm, how to phrase it understandably... ]

... My hair and your eye, if you mixed those colors together. Probably this purple in particular. [ Pointing to the darker purple carnation. ]

[ ... ]

Okay.

[ (You definitely do not get it.

Maybe you can try combining them sometime? Who would have paint, though... A worthwhile distraction to think on. To ignore the small, small distance.) ]

It's easier for you to see my world than it is for me to see yours, isn't it.

Probably. [ as mild as she tends to sound at times. ]

But I think you'll be able to see it eventually. I know I'm not the best at explaining it, myself, which isn't helping.

[ She's a little too succinct and a little too blunt. Maybe the Nest way of speaking would have worked better in cases like this.

But she doesn't really lament her way of speaking. It's what she knows, after all. ]

No, it's fine. Too many words would muddle it.

[ The way she speaks is just right. Enough description, enough comparison, enough to look forward to.

(You like it.) ]

... Do you have any you like?

[ But very much just asking to ask, since he figures she doesn't care much for or about them. ]

[ He is correct!

To her credit, Gebura at least glances around at the flowers before shaking her head.

Slowly. The hair is still wet and getting smacked in the face with wet strands isn't pleasant for anyone. ]

I'm not really a flower person. I guess if anything, the red ones aren't bad.

[ Which red ones? Any red ones, apparently. ]

Because of your hair?

[ Please. No, not because of her hair. ]

No, I'm not that...

[ Vain? Haaaa. ]

Mimicry is largely red and because I received that weapon, I was able to figure out what I really wanted to do back then. So I guess red is just a meaningful color for me.

[ Not even including all the Color Fixer stuff.

(Carmen's hairtie had been red, too.) ]

[ Siffrin turns back to the carnations, reaching out to touch one and remembering the instructions not to. Something about tampering, or disturbing them. His hand falls back to his knee.

Something meaningful...

Was the darkest dark meaningful? It reminds them of everything no one remembers, it makes them feel lonely. But that's the only shade they can think of, that has any meaning to them.

(Even if it's because you're alone.) ]

... Do you remember what I said on the islands? About the beach you took me to.

[ That started her explanation of colors. ]

▶ 001. A JOB WELL DONE.

▶ 002. TRADITIONAL TANABATA.

▶ 003. DR. RATIO'S RENOVATIONS.

▶ 004. MONSOON SEASON.

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject