DOWNTIME MINGLE #3

[synfluxmods]

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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Comments

[gimu]

Eh?

[ choso manages to not sigh out his disappointment, but only just. the scratching had been so good… alas. instead, he lays his big hands over yuji’s arms, eyes hovering half-closed in apparent bliss. though, maybe an outsider eye may only see a pure and perfect example of RBF. ]

Onii-chan does his best every day.

[eyescar]

No, it's a cute kind of dumb.

[ Yuji closes his eyes, squeezing his brother gently. ]

Like... It's cute.

[gimu]

[ cute… yuji is calling him cute, so it must be so.

slowly, choso runs his palms up yuji’s arms to his elbows, from his biceps up to his shoulders. ]

Oh. That’s good.

[ fingers lace easily and iron-firm over the back of yuji’s neck. ]

Even if you’re calling your big brother dumb, I’m glad.

[ ah, he’s pulling, his whole body is bunched like a spring and he’s pulling at yuji like he’s readying to flip the boy like a sack of rice. ]

[eyescar]

Ah - wait - aniki -

[ Sometimes, Yuji forgets just how strong his brother is, but as arms move up and wrap around him, grabbing at him and twisting him around. It doesn't take much for Yuji to be literally flipped, falling over Choso's shoulders with a shout.

What - what? ]

Choso!

[gimu]

[ he flips yuji like a pancake, and barely waits for the lad to settle on his back before he’s slinging a leg over the boy’s chest, grasping at one of yuji’s arms in a sudden bid to get him in a wrestling pin. ]

Too bad. Your guard is flimsy.

[ with that, he gives in to the intrusive thoughts and dips his head down (pretzeling himself in the process) to chomp at yuji’s forearm. not hard enough to break or hurt, certainly, but enough to hold.






this is what petting aggression looks like in a man of choso’s size, yuji. behold. ]

[eyescar]

I didn't think you were going to attack me!

[ Yuji is pinned. He thinks he'd be able to get out of it if he really wanted to, but for now he's just turning his head to try and pout at his brother, looking suitably pathetic. ]

Choso, you're just - ah, what?

[ Why is he being bitten now?! ]

1/2

[gimu]

[ his head bobs up for a moment only to tip to the other side so he can bite yuji’s arm the other way. hyaghnrfghrfgh. give it a moment.

just a moment. ]

[gimu]

[ after that singular moment of gentle gnawing and the shaking out of yuji’s arm, choso relents, seeming to deem the limb properly masticated. he sits up just enough to wipe the saliva from skin with a swipe of his sleeve, but not enough to let yuji get up yet. ]

Now your senses are sharper than before. This dumb onii-chan imparts important lessons, too.

[eyescar]

I was just trying to brush your hair...

[ He sounds poutingly defeated, collapsing entirely in Choso's arms. Enjoy the solid, bulky weight of your brother, Choso. ]

[gimu]

You may continue at your leisure.

[ but, uh, he hasn’t moved yet. instead, he just sort of sits there, half tangled with yuji in a good, unbudging wrestling hold, an arm sneaking around to pin the poor kid’s head against choso’s radiator-warm chest. ]

[eyescar]

You think I can reach properly from here?

[ He's pouting even more now. ]

Aniki...

[gimu]

Have faith in yourself.

[ nope, still nothing. if anything, he sort of beetles around yuji a little tighter. whatever contest is going on right now, choso must be winning it. ]

[eyescar]

I do! I just don't wanna fight you right now.

[ He sounds like a petulant child more than a teenage soldier. ]

[gimu]

Where is the brush?

[ is this a man or a monkey, twisting around like he is? his free hand pats around for the lost tool, abandoned in choso’s shenanigan. ]

You’re so small, Yuji. Anyone can sit on you if they tried. Have you drank enough milk? Eaten enough vegetables?

[eyescar]

I'm not small! I'm still growing, aniki, I'm only sixteen!

[ Yuji starts to wiggle, now, embarrassed. ]

I eat, you know I do!

[gimu]

Tiny.

[ not so tiny comparatively, but to choso, he is small, will always be small, this precious little brother of his. even if he ends up towering like Eso did.

thick fingers curl around the handle of the brush triumphantly. what better time to make use of it than now?

with the determined intensity of a weird cat grooming session, he begins to brush yuji’s hair back. ]

[eyescar]

Aniki...

[ Yuji is whining like a little kid now, petulant, but he does relent once there's a brush in his hair, letting Choso do whatever he wants.

He's a sucker like that. ]

You're bullying me...

[gimu]

Yes. I am.

[ how astute of yuji to realize. choso congratulates him with more brushing, careful with the bristles as he slicks back pink hair from all points surrounding his face; the temples, around the ears, behind the ears, right up on the crown… ]

With love, as is right and proper. Hold still. You have a cowlick now.

[eyescar]

Isn't that all your fault?

[ Pouting and petulant, he just lets himself completely relax against his brother with a sigh. ]

You messed it all up...

[gimu]

Was it not already messed up? You mess it up every morning.

[ frowning at yuji’s head, he moves the brush in a circle over the poor kid’s noggin, like maybe if he demonstrated how a good scratch felt, then yuji would surely understand its pure joy. ]

[eyescar]

Yeah, but this is worse.

[ It does feel nice, though, and Yuji's not sure if that's because of the attention or because of the brush. Either way, he hums softly. ]

[gimu]

It’s so short it will pop up again like grass.

[ grumping and grumbling, choso brushes and brushes, smoothing down any frizzies with his other hand and somewhat disentangling them in the process.

[eyescar]

Is that bad?

[ Do you hate his hair, aniki...? ]

[gimu]

No. Just puzzling. No one I've known before you had your kind of hair.

[ eso had that little frill, kechizu had nothing at all, and he just plain hates thinking about the Other Two. ]

I don't know how to style or contain something this short.

[ tiny, short pink grass-type... ]

[eyescar]

Do you think I should grow it out?

[ It feels like it would kind of get in the way… ]

We could match then.