synflux | DOWNTIME MINGLE #4

DOWNTIME MINGLE #4

CONTENT WARNINGS: suggestive themes, egg hatching, parenthood.

▶ 001. WINNERS CIRCLE.

During this time period, the Outsiders would typically have been met with a makeshift party with poorly placed balloons and streamers. However, this time it’s just a bulletin board with the following message scrawled out on it:

GOOD JOB:
LOREMIPSUM (K.O.)
REDMIST (600)
NICE TOY (600)
RISK (599)

Even though the mission was a partial success, there are still sponsors who were impressed with the actions of the recognized Outsiders. They also believe those who have contributed are still able to provide relief to the people, and should not be criticized too harshly due to their efforts.

In light of this, the base will have an increase of various lab-made spices delivered by a certain sauce company that heard a certain Outsider has a preference for spicy food. Apparently, the spices pair perfectly with their lab-made chicken.

Maybe it’s a coincidence with a certain network name but the Nice Toy Company also endorses the base and creates a whole line of toy guns in the airsoft and BB variety which replicate antique guns that any collector would salivate over! These are distributed on base and can be seen sold at many stores in Neo Tokyo. There has also been an influx of people who are passionate about fitness and training, sparking a trend for those who work out in bunny outfits. Supposedly, it’s something they’ve seen in a prior battle with the kaiju and so the workout is full of intense cardio, and even bunny hops.

Makima’s face will be found on several brands of what appears to be packaged dog food, however it is unclear if it is really dog food or not. Either way, several hundreds of packages have been delivered to base and are stored as “emergency rations.” Everyone on base is free to grab a snack or two at any time!

For those Outsiders worrying about whether or not they'll be docked pay for only taking down one Imugi instead of both, worry no more! Everyone will wake up one morning with a notification that 300,000 KRYPTOS (~2100 USD) have been deposited into their account. It seems pulling double shifts at their civilian jobs won't be necesssary...

▶ 002. PROJECT EGG.

With the last mission ending in the retrieval of the Imugi eggs, the research teams have been left with one major question: what will they do with them? After some initial discussions, it has been decided that they would keep the eggs and attempt to raise them into maturity in order to see if they could garner more insight into not just the kaiju itself, but of their abilities. It is also their desire to see what the relationship between kaijus and the rifts are, and they believe this would be the best opportunity to do so.

The only caveat to this, however, is who would care for them in the meantime? From previously documented research, they found that kaiju eggs are not easy to raise, especially those who mirror lizard-like creatures. They need special attention that exceeds that of what people would typically expect from egg-rearing. Due to this, LILITH is asking for help from the Outsiders to temporarily tend to the eggs. The Outsiders will be working in shifts to watch the eggs, and are expected to care for them properly. It is noted that for kaiju who have been separated from their mothers, the chances of them hatching are very slim, and so they are not expecting each and every egg to hatch. They are, however, expecting Outsiders to put forth their best efforts in spite of that. At least, it’s one less thing to be blamed for.

Outsiders are expected to sign up for egg raising shifts and will get a single egg to care for. They are to be with the egg at all times during their shift, and negligence will not be tolerated. Occasionally, the staff will send drones to check in and also deliver food items and energy drinks in order to ensure that the eggs are being properly cared for. Eating or destroying the eggs is prohibited.

Coming up with names, however, is encouraged, and Seok Dang has even set up a small contest for it....

▶ 003. OPEN FORUM.

As soon as the order is delivered for them to take care of the eggs, a new download will be prompted on everyone’s oculars. It comes suddenly and without any real explanation. When it loads in, people will find that it appears to look like the “forums” of old. They have various topics already posted, including a bolded one that remains pinned at the top of everyone’s oculars labeled “PARENTING FOR DUMMIES.”

When anyone clicks on it, or even allows their eyes to linger on it for too long, it will automatically open. The explanation at the top is as follows:

I see what you all look up in your free time and I think you could use the help.

Who wrote this cryptic message? Their identity has been kept anonymous, but it seems clear that Outsiders are meant to utilize this to field any questions in regards to the eggs they have been ordered to care for. Some of the questions already include “do I keep them warm by sitting on them?” and “what can I do to provide further enrichment?”

While most of these topics pertain to parenting, if one exits the parenting tab, they will find the forum is entirely opened up for other topics as well, including a GENERAL chat, and a thread created by Seok Dang called “AITA.” Apparently, this was all the rage once upon a time.

[ Note: Feel free to use this not only to discuss parenting, but also to discuss any other topics Outsiders may want to engage in. You can use the code below, or do it without! ]

EVERLIGHT

<lj-raw><div style="width:60%;margin:0 auto;background:#fff;box-shadow:1px 1px 4px 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.15);border:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.1);border-radius:4px; overflow:hidden; line-height:1.7; font-family:tahoma,arial,sans-serif;font-size:8pt; padding: 10px; padding-right: 20px; padding-left: 20px;">
	<div style="display: flex; align-items: center;">
		
		<img src="IMG_HERE" style="border-radius: 50%; height: 50px; width: 50px;">

<div style="width: 10px;"></div>
	
		
		<div style="padding: 10px 5px; margin: 0 10px; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2;">
			<b style="color: #000;">r/subreddit_name_here</b>
			<div style="color: #999;">u/username_here • <img src="https://v.dreamwidth.org/16600326/4131337" style="border-radius: 50%; height: 10px; width: 10px;"> • 1d </div>
		</div>
	</div>

<br />

<div style="line-height: 1.2;">
		
		<div style="font-family:calibri,arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight: bold;">Post Title</div>

<br />

<div style="display: inline-block;padding: 5px 10px;border-radius: 15px;background-color: #f0f0f0;color: #333;font-size: 8pt;font-weight: bold;text-align: center;border: 1px solid #ccc;">Tag 1</div>
		<div style="display: inline-block;padding: 5px 10px;border-radius: 15px;background-color: #f0f0f0;color: #333;font-size: 8pt;font-weight: bold;text-align: center;border: 1px solid #ccc;">Tag 2</div>
		<div style="display: inline-block;padding: 5px 10px;border-radius: 15px;background-color: #f0f0f0;color: #333;font-size: 8pt;font-weight: bold;text-align: center;border: 1px solid #ccc;">Tag 3</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">
			TEXT_HERE
		</div>	
	</div><br />
</div></lj-raw>

REVELATION

<div style="width: 10px;"></div>
	
		
		<div style="padding: 10px 5px; margin: 0 10px; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2;">
			<b style="color: #000;">r/subreddit_name_here</b>
			<div style="color: #999;">u/username_here • <img src="https://v.dreamwidth.org/16600328/4131337" style="border-radius: 50%; height: 10px; width: 10px;"> • 1d </div>
		</div>
	</div>

<br />

<div style="line-height: 1.2;">
		
		<div style="font-family:calibri,arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight: bold;">Post Title</div>

<br />

<div style="text-align: justify;">
			TEXT_HERE
		</div>	
	</div><br />
</div></lj-raw>

BRIMSTONE

<div style="width: 10px;"></div>
	
		
		<div style="padding: 10px 5px; margin: 0 10px; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2;">
			<b style="color: #000;">r/subreddit_name_here</b>
			<div style="color: #999;">u/username_here • <img src="https://v.dreamwidth.org/16600325/4131337" style="border-radius: 50%; height: 10px; width: 10px;"> • 1d </div>
		</div>
	</div>

<br />

<div style="line-height: 1.2;">
		
		<div style="font-family:calibri,arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight: bold;">Post Title</div>

<br />

<div style="text-align: justify;">
			TEXT_HERE
		</div>	
	</div><br />
</div></lj-raw>

REDEMPTION

<div style="width: 10px;"></div>
	
		
		<div style="padding: 10px 5px; margin: 0 10px; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2;">
			<b style="color: #000;">r/subreddit_name_here</b>
			<div style="color: #999;">u/username_here • <img src="https://v.dreamwidth.org/16600329/4131337" style="border-radius: 50%; height: 10px; width: 10px;"> • 1d </div>
		</div>
	</div>

<br />

<div style="line-height: 1.2;">
		
		<div style="font-family:calibri,arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight: bold;">Post Title</div>

<br />

<div style="text-align: justify;">
			TEXT_HERE
		</div>	
	</div><br />
</div></lj-raw>

▶ 004. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our fourth downtime mingle! For the naming contest, we are limiting submissions to one name per character. This is entirely for fun and there is no obligation to participate.

We decided to keep the mingle lighter this time due to the number of player events ongoing. Please do check out the SPA UPGRADE and the ROYAL GALA also occurring this month. Big thanks to Sky and Bijou for organizing these! Additionally, the LOCATIONS page has been updated with both Kyoto and Okinawa. Characters may now visit those locations at any time.

All tags on this log are worth 2 points.

EVENT BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. WINNER'S CIRCLE: The heavy hitters/KO winners of the last kaiju fight receive their sponsorships, including spices, BB guns, training videos, and fancy dog food.

2. PROJECT EGG: Outsiders are tasked with caring for and attempting to hatch the Imugi eggs salvaged from Seoul. They are encouraged to try a variety of methods in order to get the eggs to hatch, as no data currently exists. Not all eggs will survive.

3. OPEN FORUM: Outsiders are provided with an open parenting forum to ask for and exchange egg raising advice. However, a certain someone seems to have also included a general forum for Outsiders to discuss whatever they wish....

code

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Gigan has just let Godzilla in on something. He's not heat resistant, or at least not to the extent Goji himself is. The big guy's been able to drink the coffee right out of the pot with no hesitation, even in his disguise... though with his "power" sealed he hasn't exactly been indulging that habit. Better safe than having third degree burns in the mouth, as they say.

Godzilla hums thoughtfully while drumming his fingers on the table. It's times like this that he's keenly aware of the lack of a tail as a means of emoting. ]

Perhaps not as complicated as you would be thinking. I have found myself forgetting during longer days spent out amongst the civil denizens. The technology's illusion baffles the senses of all, it is quite vexing sometimes. [ A beat to drink, then he sighs. ] Yet necessary. We would not be able to walk amongst the humans without it. The protons outweigh the electrons, as they say.

[ The positives outweigh the negatives....?! Sometimes it's like he's doing this on purpose. ]

Huh, do they?

[That could be "do they say that?" or "do protons outweigh electrons?" because Gigan does not know the answer to either one of those questions. It doesn't seem especially relevant, either. Godzilla . . . he has such a distinctive way of speaking. Because it's a level or—ten—above Gigan's vocabulary, he can't actually identify misused idioms like this. For all he knows they're just what fancy humans say. It's all he can do to mentally translate Gojish to Giganese in his own head to follow the conversation.

He does know that he could correct Godzilla here. That's not what I meant. There's something deeper behind his own connection to this body. But—should he? Right now? Is now the time for that conversation? Maybe not. It's a lot to explain, and Gigan kind of doesn't feel like it right now, not when he's also curious about this too.]

. . . What d'you think of it? Playing human. You like it? Hate it? No one else here is really gonna understand it the way we do.

Hmm.

[ People have asked what he thinks of it of course but the direct question of if he hates or enjoys it? Somehow the simplest question is the hardest one. Godzilla takes a moment to think it over, the drumming of his fingers increasing in tempo. Finally they stop and he nods. ]

Both. Moving amongst the humans, experiencing life as one of them, enjoying their culture and food, these I enjoy. The robbing of my senses, adjusting to movement without a tail, the sense of vulnerability that comes with the lack of natural weaponry... I ill-like that. A mixing bag, as they say.

[ He shrugs and sips his coffee. ]

I lived amongst the earliest humans, you are aware? They built temples for my use as lairs, worshipped me as their deity, in return I protected them. Those were good days, yes, but... not. I did not understand them, as they did not understand me, I was an outsider to them. Here it is different, here I am no god but one of a pack, a single Outsider amongst many, I belong. It is worth the minor vexations, I believe.

[Gigan sips his own coffee as he listens. By now he's figured out how to drink it without burning himself, and he's also becoming accustomed to the taste, beginning to see why it might appeal to people. There is something jittery about the stuff, as Godzilla had warned him—some sensation in his stomach and chest like they might be their own living things separate from his own existence. The more he listens to all of this and thinks about it, the more he feels that sensation. He can feel the phantom awareness of his own tail flicking around behind him, even though it's not literally there.]

. . . I didn't really know what it was like between you and humans. Whatever your whole situation is on Earth, it's not the same as mine, but . . . it doesn't sound all that different either. I'm no god to the Nebulans or anything like that, but we're not friends either. There's no way we could ever see each other that way. Being small . . . things feel pretty different from down here.

DOWNTIME MINGLE #4

▶ 001. WINNERS CIRCLE.

▶ 002. PROJECT EGG.

▶ 003. OPEN FORUM.

▶ 004. AFTERWORD.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject