synflux | DOWNTIME MINGLE #3

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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.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

— TANABATA.

( A. ) [ The laser guns are his favorite.

Without a doubt, Set has become enamored by the modern advancements in weaponry. Hailing from a considerably more "ancient" era of swords, bow-and-arrows and charioteering, he wholly embraces the festival games more reliant on violence to win a prize. At the shooting range, he hefts the weight of the laser gun in his hands with a feverish severity — reminiscing about some of the modern armaments he'd been able to acquaint himself with.

It means he's not as ill-experienced as he might be, when it comes to using the gun.

He puts the stock to his shoulder, lowering himself to the booth's edge to provide a brace for any recoil. Both eyes remain open, locked upon the target before him — and he shifts his weight, to account for drift. And in his mind, a tittering little voice echoes in his memory: Do you think that you can still succeed if it's my hands holding the rifle?, and he laughs under his breath as he lines up several shots in rapid succession.

The booth attendant mentions something about skill, about luck and Set rolls his eyes. They land upon one of the other Outsiders nearby, to whom he shrugs a little and smiles through his teeth as he corrects the stranger audibly enough for his teammate to hear. ]

— armaments made for war, even used in games, would never be elusive to me. I merely have to get my hands on something, to acquire the skill. It's not that hard.

[ "Hierax", his cover, might be evolving in weird ways.......

( B. ) And just as an aside, he's practically — shining, the moment he spots the little replica Gundams. Yzak... Dearka....... I'm so sorry, but he's bought one of each and immediately can be found assembling them across his lap with the intent to smash them together until they break. Demolition Barbies. If he sees the real ones, he might just try to uh,,,,,, kidnap them. ]

Ah, entire uniforms made for murder — ! [ Are those hearts in his eyes. ] I want them~~

( C. ) [ At one of the small shrines, he cards his fingers through the holographs displayed upon the trees. Turning them digitally so that he can peruse the hopes of others. "Dangling" from one of his fingers is a wish of his own ( maybe ), waiting to be uploaded to the tree by gesture. But, he's hesitating.

Obviously hesitating, as he looks between one of the wishes he's been reading about and the one he might want to hang on the tree. Before long, he pantomimes tearing it in two, deleting the slip of holographic paper from existence. ]

— like hell. [ He spits, baring teeth briefly. ] Who needs strangers reading up on you.

— RENOVATION FUNDRAISING.

[ Fundraising for a library expansion, for them ( and himself ) is not a waste of time.

In fact, Set pours his all into it. Knowledge and information is important to him, so much so that were Thoth around, his fellow god might feel like his domains were being encroached on. It doesn't matter to him, because he could snap Thoth in half with two fingers and that guy isn't HERE. Which means that Set can actually be found manning a stall at the festival; it's the mask stall, because surprisingly? He's not assigned to team Brimstone with all the other powerful, power-hungry freaks. He's a unique powerful, power-hungry freak that's assigned to Revelation.

In fact, he's donned one of the masks. A sleek, black fox that most strongly resembles his own divine helm — and he's hawking wares smoothly and charmingly to attendees. ]

You know, making and wearing masks is one of the oldest human traditions there is. And I bet I can find a mask that best suits you, after asking you just one question.

[ A bit like a "guess your weight" booth, or a game of mentalism. ]

— MONSOON SEASON.

[ And short and sweet,

the moment the skies open and begins to rain, Set stays in the library. Being the desert god, he loathes being wet without adequate reason, and instead takes to stacking materials on any surface he can — flipping through pages to read new and old, while his eyes are drawn to the raging storms outside now and again. A bit hungry, a bit longing for the state of emergency outside, even as he skims a few titles, such as:

— Ἱστορίαι, Historíai,
— The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean,
— Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung,
— and The Thirty-Six Stratagems.

His texts range from philosophical to engineering, historical to essayist... he's kind of a nerd. A nerd that pauses only to look over the edge of one such book and mutter. ]

What? You can shelter here if you do not wish to work any more.

[ Or, wildcard him! ]

[ It takes a while for Tezcatlipoca to slip away from his booth (and to overcome the annoyance of Set so easily besting it), but once he does, he’s fully enjoying the festival’s offerings. He’s doing so surprisingly quietly, too. It’s very obvious that this isn’t a festival of reverence like the sort he’s used to from his people, but still… As a god that oversees a major festival, he has a serious nature with respecting them and a more whimsical fondness.

It doesn’t take him long to drift towards the masks, and even the peek of red hair is enough. The shade is so unique that Tezcatlipoca is sure he can recognize it anywhere at this point. So, he weaves his way through the crowd until Set catches his eye and starts to give his pitch. The first half feels like a joke between them, but the second half… ]

Y’know. Sure.

[ There is a right answer here, and Tezcatlipoca’s serious expression says as much. ]

What’s the question, then?

Hey, Tezkitty. Okay, give me a moment to think.

[ Set remembers Quetzalcoatl had an obsession with lucha libre, the masks and glamor of the show, and wonders if Tezcatlipoca was a god that would don something like that. If he had a divine form, like the gods of Egypt. Set's own mask reflects back on his true helm, although culturally applicable to Neo Tokyo and Tanabata instead.

Tezcatlipoca will let him ask, so he leans on the counter and considers what singular thing will tell him the most.

]

— when did you last give up?

[ He frowns a little at the nickname, but it’s not annoying enough to correct. Besides, expressing any actual distaste means Set would double down on it, he’s sure. ]

…Sheesh. Somethin’ that serious? I’m getting’ a mask, not therapy.

[ He has to complain first, but as he takes a puff of his cigarette, he does consider it. It’s a bit of a difficult question, because to give up on something, he has to have attachment to it in the first place. That’s actually the harder part. But as he just works backward from his time in the Lostbelt through his dual residences in Ilhuicatl-Teteocan and Mictlampa, he frowns a little more, since something does come to mind.

…But it’s also a huge fucking bummer, so he goes with one that’s still technically true. ]

Couldn't tell you exactly when, but in this body for sure. Realizin' that no matter what, my fuckin' aim wasn't going to get better.

[ HE'S SO RIGHT IT HURTS

Asking what bothers Tezcatlipoca in the dead of night is a dumb question, even if it's the one he's asking most people ( the ones he doesn't know, or hasn't met ). This is the god of the night wind, whom operates best in the chill evening air in contrast to his brother; if anything, it'd be a question of what plagues him during the daylight hours, when the world isn't at rest anymore, and disappointments exist all around!

What he gets is a fun little answer, though. One that makes Set audibly go oooooh, through the 'o' of his lips before he bites down on the bottom one. Rather than burst out laughing in the other's face. ]

— that is intensely painful for me to hear, you know. The god of conflict, whom loves weaponry almost as much as me... has no sense of aim? What the hell happened to you?

▶ 001. A JOB WELL DONE.

▶ 002. TRADITIONAL TANABATA.

▶ 003. DR. RATIO'S RENOVATIONS.

▶ 004. MONSOON SEASON.

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

set | ennead ( revelation )

— TANABATA.

— RENOVATION FUNDRAISING.

— MONSOON SEASON.

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Masks

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fundraising

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tanabata; c

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renovations fundraising

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renovation fundraising

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Masks I HOPE I'M NOT LATE...

UR NOT IM ON A DELAY

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