synflux | ( OPEN ) FIGHTING CRIME BY MOONLIGHT

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( OPEN ) FIGHTING CRIME BY MOONLIGHT

WHO: Every Outsider interested!
WHAT: Catch-all log for cleaning up (or making more of a mess of) Neo Tokyo's crime scene! Refer to the OOC post here for details. Neo Tokyo's current social and political climate can be found under the World / Setting section here.
WHERE: Neo Tokyo, Japan.
WHEN: Nov 2024 & onward.
WARNINGS: Violence, drug use, threats and coercion … whatever else that happens where crime and criminal activity are involved. Please mark for other CWs if necessary!

From the month of November and onward, Outsiders can find recruitment posters around the base for a specialised subsection of an anonymous Neo Tokyo security agency! Feel free to assume that's where most of the directives come from.

Current quests relating to this player plot can be found under < STREET FIGHTER > and < RISE AND THRIVE > on the QUEST BOARD.

People are free to use this log or their own for open and closed starters. However, if you'd like to contribute to the quest chain or setting changes, please remember to eventually submit your links and a summary under the associated quests! Otherwise, go wild!

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Almost overnight, a new fighting ring has sprung up, drawing fighters and spectators alike. Whether you're here to test your skills in the ring or to place your bets, everyone's welcome. Each match will be no-powers, raw-skill brawls—characters can approach them with as much (or as little) seriousness as they would like!

Place your bets, cheer on your fighter, and know that 100% of the betting proceeds go directly to a good cause!

Competitors from all walks of life—each known for their impressive physiques and athletic prowess—will face off in a series of intense individual and team 'quests' testing strength, balance, agility, endurance, willpower, and strategy. In a tournament-style elimination, participants will be whittled down until only one remains, crowned with the ultimate honour of the perfect body.

Like the dating games of yore, this will be televised and all proceeds from sponsor purchases (expect an array of options for protein powders, gym equipment, and fitness classes) will fund the agency and future initiatives.

Example games include: climbing a rope and hanging on for as long as possible, a punishing Atlas/Sisyphus-style challenge where participants hold a boulder indefinitely or push it up an unending incline. Feel free to play out what's fun for you! Dive into the games, make commentary on the grueling challenges, or anything else that strikes your fancy.

Edited 2024-11-08 06:35 (UTC)

* open or closed prompts below. ⤵

a. the agency "interview".

Says here, you were... offered some work previous.

( well, well, well.

with elysium missing-in-action initially, there's only one set of hands left to handle the paperwork in this establishment, or so a certain assassin believes as he props his feet up on a dusty, lacquered desk in front of him—the establishment in question being a small, run-down little corner of an office that was abandoned somewhere in the middle of the city. while it's not the cleanest setup, with remnants of a deceased associate's work tacked to a dirty corkboard in the back and organized in an old-fashioned binder that prompted digital entries when opened, it was at least serviceable. all the kaiju-related tasks overseas and managing the horrific aftermath of them hadn't given them much leeway for clean-up, after all.

izou gives a dramatic, scrutinizing look to whoever he's questioning, while his other hand, not occupied with waving across a digital display, "thoughtfully" rubs at his scruff. )

What would you say yer strengths are? Your credentials for... tackling the wrongdoings in our good ol' Neo Tokyo. Which, trust me. There's a lot of wrongdoing goin' around.

( eat your heart out, sakamoto detective agency. )

b. street fighter, but vampiric.

( a swollen moon hangs over the smeared clouds, visible despite the sea of neon colors that is neo tokyo, and beneath it—

is you and izou, peering from around a wall at a favorite dinner spot of one of the many local gangs. a restaurant that sheltered those with little digital coin in the sweltering summer, that thrives on the sort that style themselves in collared suits and tailored tan jackets. there are rumors in the air of the owner gambling with his cut "product", of him not paying the clan in question on time, and so a little persuasive action is in need. whether that's true or not is up in the air, but. the summit of men pacing and surrounding the entrance says enough. )

... You wanna wait? See what happens?

( could always act like they've got a reservation, but izou isn't sure the place is fancy enough for that. )

c. street fighter, but wildcard.

( if you've got a different idea re: approaching or infiltrating local gang networks, write me a starter or hit me up and i'll see what i can do! izou has street smarts and has even taken on the occasional job to "shakedown" people making trouble for his part-time... so. )

( assume most of these prompts veer closer to the middle of November and onward! )

/ 01 — KISS KISS (DON'T) FALL IN LOVE.

[ Contrary to popular belief… He doesn't really enjoy this sort of work if he can help it. But one lead leads into another, and suddenly he's found himself employed by one (1) host club with the title of, you guessed it, #1 Hottie.

…

The champagne towers get to be a bit much. Even the most expensive wines end up tasteless when you're on your nth bottle of them. His one thought might be that by the end of it, his liver will have definitely seen better days… but it is what it is. One needs to establish their reputation somehow. At any rate! Not quite in the club itself, but somewhere a small distance away, Elysium is collecting himself, arm braced against one of the walls. For one form of it, he looks unwell—until he hears footsteps approaching, at which point he immediately snaps to attention and switches on. ]

Lost? I can help you find your way, if you'll let me.

/ 02 — THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE(?).

[ So you've made it through the interview process. Cool. Maybe you've picked up one of the case files laying around agency, maybe you haven't. Either way, apropos of nothing, a nondescript hummingbird drone has decided to make a perch out of your head. With a determined tilt of its beak, it cranes its head to drop an envelope into your hands—you will take it, one way or another. If that means resorting to increasingly comedic methods (up to and including chase scenes), so be it.

The drone won’t relent until you acknowledge the envelope’s contents, either—and it won’t hesitate to start pecking at your scalp if you don’t get on with it. Inside are two notes—one blank—and a pen as well as a tiny map with an X marking a spot. ]

Hiya. Got a read on a guy heading due west from your location, set to make a handoff at XX hours. I'll leave the details to you—just make sure they stay alive. Think fast, 'cause they're looking like they might be an important lead.

By the by, it's nice to meet you. [ There's a drawing of a cartoon-looking bird. A tern, if you're savvy enough. ] We'll be working together from here on out.

[ There's no address, but it is stamped with a familiar-looking logo for one to be ascertained of its source. Not suspicious… right? Evidently, as anonymous as the sender wants to remain, correspondence does seem possible through handing the bird a note back… if you have words for the owner's conduct! ]

/ 03 — WILDCARD.

( or hit me with your best shot. my plotting comment can be found here, though it's by no means exhaustive! happy to workshop anything under the sun. )

/ 01 — INTRODUCING … CONTESTANT XXXXXXX (DRUMROLL, PLEASE!).

[ … Before anyone can ask what he's doing here—given he was in the hospital just weeks ago and that strength and endurance tests are likely the last thing he should be considering—he's here as… the show's behind-the-scenes content creator! Facilitating communications between the participants and doing whatever it takes to get the audience back at home committed and invested in the personal storylines at play here, maybe even cause a bit of chaos in the process.

Anyhow. We're working with introductions. Starting with introductions, rather. Between your character and Elysium is a ceramic bust that mirrors their physique. He's placing a hand on their bust's abs(???), or short of that, marveling at its arms. Something. ]

Now what's your story? Why do you want to win?

[ If it isn't something that sells he's rewriting the script. Sorry not sorry in advance. ]

/ 02 — WILDCARD.

( hit me with your best shot! my plotting comment can be found here, though, again, it's by no means an exhaustive list of my interests. more than happy to throw out games for us, I just didn't want things to get repetitive. I can make the excuse that they're short of a participant, so he needs to sub in!! Dramatic plot twist!! you're more than free to leave a blank comment for me to put you through the gamut. )

[ It's a dingy little spot, this club, the way in is a stairwell to the basement below a combined tattoo parlor and thrift store, and the sounds of buzzing echo over the street, where Silco's smoking and watching the comings and goings. This is supposed to be a fairly popular spot, all things considered, amongst the regular members of the gang, at least, according to the whispers that he's heard. Gang members all tend to be fairly tight-lipped about some things, but they are gossips when it comes to what they like to do, or anything that doesn't apply to business.

They also tend to be friendly when one plies them with liquor and a free slide of a libation that he'd picked up with some old sticky-fingered habits along the way.

Now, supposedly, there's a way in through the door at the bottom of the stairwell, but one has to give the word. He isn't exactly the stealthiest, but that's why he's hoping to have a little help. Sure, he could just get it via violence, or draining their blood, but Silco knows the value of patience, and he's heard that the place is a popular spot for the dealers and the muscle alike, for multiple small-time gangs, and he'd heard that some of them are always hopeful for getting noticed by larger crews here. Generally, if they need bolstering for a job, they run by this place to recruit.

That's useful, if they can get in. ]

Anything useful?

o1. 'Cause where I live the game to play (strategizing)

[ It's somewhat difficult to tell why the guy is hanging around the space, stinking it up with the wafting of cigar smoke and the occasional scent of dried blood. He isn't there frequently — and if asked, he'll explain that his face is rather well known amongst the gangs, which... to be fair... — but when he does come by, it's always with the kind of sweep of a darkened gaze and a look around the place as if he's looking for changes; or people; or something. A paranoid creature with the eye for trouble.

So while you're here today, he happens to sweep in, his fingers dragging across the back of an empty chair in a way that feels belligerent more than it looks like anything, but it stops when his eyes find... whatever it is that you're working on, and his head tipped, almost curious. Whether it's a file, a profile, or even notes from earlier, his eyes narrow in on it, even from a distance. He slid near, though still keeping his distance, before he says: ]

Now what is that you have? [ It's presumptuous, but he holds out a hand for the file, whether it looks like it's about to be handed over or not. ] Oh now, don't be shy. I'm quite good at this. I'll be able to help.

[ The smile that crossed his lips is... meant to be reassuring. ]

o2. Well, now what can a poor boy do? (street fighter)

[ Gangs are always so... predictable, aren't they? Well, Silco can't say he'd break the mold either, and he's already narrowed things down to a list of locations to check out. Bars, restaurants, to a notable real-estate agency that he suspects is also a front. He knows of one more — the gang he works for uses an investment service, but he's kept that close to his chest for the moment, unwilling to bite that hand that feeds quite yet — but whatever the reason, you've been drug along. Maybe it's because he slid a message over that provided the location, or you drug him — or hell, you're just in the same place — it doesn't matter. There's work to be done, right? Crime to fight, gangs to dismantle... and who better to help than someone who knows this world inside and out?

(A) A lit cigar in hand doesn't seem to dissuade the staff at the restaurant or bar (feel free to make one up, or i can!), where he's already chatting up the staff, though his eyes slide to meet yours, a quirk of his lips, as if he's trying to convey a secret meaning to you. Whatever it is, after a moment, he tipped his head, inviting you over. The people in the said establishment don't seem... wary, necessarily, but they do seem cautious, and their words are hushed tones as they huddle together, talking amongst themselves. ]

I suspect that the back room may be a bit more...welcoming, but getting in will be difficult. Apparently, there's already a group occupying it. Any ideas?

[ His eyes flick to a room with a curtain drawn, where there seems to be a much more lively discussion happening. Not violent (yet) but... boisterous, at best. ] It would be ideal to make it there before anything happens, don't you think?

[(B) Or maybe this is a little bit more sedate of a setting. The real estate agency supposedly helps with cleanup for Kaiju attacks, and helps bring homes to dozens of impoverished families who've suffered losses from the attacks. The walls are plastered with smiling families in front of condos and inside with a pet or two. It's all so... wholesome. The receptionist at the desk has a child's drawing tacked to the cubicle behind her, and she smiles the next client warmly.

The building for Mugen Estate Company seems to be in a nice, quiet section of the district. There's a park nearby, where a family is playing, and even though it's evening, the workers inside are diligent, the store listing long hours, and people mill about on the street like it's just a normal real estate company in a normal part of town. ]

Supposedly, they clean up after attacks, and help build homes quickly for families who need it. [ A sour look on his face. ] As always, handouts are not gifts, but advantages. They do not do this out of altruism, but for other purposes. [ Or is he just delusional? It's hard to tell, but anyone who's spoken with Silco before would probably think the latter. ] I want to know what those are.

[ He looks at you expectantly. To be fair, can he even blend into a crowd? ]

o3. Wildcard!

[ Feel free to toss me something! Anything! You want to go with a different idea, play with one of these and change it, or just work out something else? Feel free! I put my plotting comment down, and I'm happy to work something out on there, plurk, discord, etc! Just hit me up! Or throw me a starter, I'll roll with it! ]

[ Surely no one in their right mind would ask Shinn to do anything undercover after Brasov (probably?), so he is not actually here because he was invited for an interview. He is walking in with a stack of pizza boxes. Does he have the wrong address? Was this a prank order? Did someone in this office actually want a "Bloody Mary pizza, absolutely no garlic"? A side-gig as a delivery driver is full of uncertainty and leads him into some odd places.

Shinn looks from Izou to the run-down office, skeptically. Without zero context, walking into a film noir scene while just trying to make a delivery is extremely bizarre. What wrongdoing is this guy talking about, specifically? Is Shinn about to get a follow-the-red-strings-and-thumbtacked-photos rant against corn on pizza? ]

... I know the city's screwed up, but do you want the pizza or not?

Only if that way is into your arms.

[ but it's not as teasing as it might be with a banter between them, malkuth crossing her own with a... conflicted expression on her face.

... this procedure really was painful in such a way -- she'd come to a host club for the services they gave (her outfit teeming with the energy of a young woman ready to be pampered, short straps and dress ending at her thighs,) but to find elysium working nearby if not at it by the distance? her luck's either really rotten, or really good. she's hedging on the former. but the expression relents and she raises a hand to push him gently against the wall. kind of a "rest" push.

kind of. since her hand stays at his chest, though there's the notable tenseness of someone restraining themselves. ]

Kabru wasn't enough for your wandering hands back by the campfire?

[ …

The thing about being undercover was that you could never be sure who was watching or when. He recognises the figure as Malkuth, and his blood runs cold. Any less accustomed to running recon and his smile would wane—but as it stands, his maintains his good-natured grin, exhaling an amused laugh as his back meets the wall.

Even a hint of implant usage at an unusual time could tip off the more paranoid, keeping them from revealing any of the cards they held close to their chest. ]

Kabru? Can't say the name rings a bell.

[ Superficially, they're back in the business of selling illusions and dreams. Beyond that, it's a thinly guised nightmare as a hand reaches up to the hand at his chest, fingers curling around hers. He leans forward, their foreheads touch. No amount of cologne and time spent outdoors would be enough to diffuse the utter stench of alcohol that's permeated both his breath and clothes—which, if she were to match it to the hosts not on their break, is a perfect match. ]

… Not when there's you and only you. [ The same hand drags hers gently upward. Eyes fluttering shut as their hands come between them, he presses a chaste kiss to the back of hers. ] It'd be nice if that's how it could be.

[ surely this fakeass behaviour rings some alarm bells, ]

[ oh, it certainly does. her nose crinkles at the stench surrounding him, imbibing him, and malkuth is quiet as the flush of intimacy soothes her desire for only a moment. if he were to turn her hand, kiss there, lavish her palm and every fingertip, graze at the thinness of her wrist...

but they're silly, selfish fantasies, stupid and without sense. in truth, seeing him again is nice -- even with the letters, she'd been concerned about him. even with the eventual pictures, she'd been worried.

still, still, she lets herself laugh, taken by the sweet words, before she turns her hand herself to gently grip his chin. it only looks firm, stepping closer as if in true secret as her voice lowers. ]

Well, let's let it be for a little while. How's that sound? I need a partner for the night, and you're a handsome enough man -- I'll take your company for a few hours and we'll see if I don't end up as drunk as you do on your sweet words alone.

[ she does, after all, want to know. and keep him from drinking any further. ]

Got a room to entertain me in?

[ that they can drop the act in? if not, she can work with it. ]

( a lair swimming with the disreputable. izou might've been one of those goons that were easy to crack back in the day, when he was younger, a hand always itching to prove that he was good and useful and strong, but now? now he was simply seasoned in the way of doing others' dirty work and what came with the territory of hanging out in far seedier places than usual, his own cigarette hanging taut between limp fingers as he taps the burning embers and ash tumbles to the backstreet asphalt below.

he itches to prove himself in a different way, where he'd rather cut down the user than be used. )

Could follow a guy. Break his arm behind his back until he spills.

( the password, that is. typical izou, suggesting violence out-right.

he didn't expect to be with silco of all people on this little escapade of theirs, but the guy had a confidence about him that almost commands attention, vampirism notwithstanding. )

( ... huh. that's not the response he expected.

izou glances up from his drawn-up, digital sketches to behold some dark-haired kid he's never seen before giving him a scrutinizing look. he turns up his nose a little, just barely twisting a foot that's resting on desk to say: )

Who the hell're you? No one ordered a pizza.

Edited 2024-11-10 01:39 (UTC)

( a beat, and then: )

... But if you're offerin' it up, I'll take it off your hands.

( for someone else, maybe, as a bargaining chip. DAMN IT WHY IS HE A VAMPIRE )

Edited 2024-11-10 01:39 (UTC)

[ Shinn checks the address on the delivery instructions again and confirms that if this is a mistake it’s not his mistake, at which point he visibly starts to lose interest. He’s got the right place, the guy will take the food, this seems like it will be a thoroughly uneventful delivery. His expression goes a little unfocused and his eyes light up as he logs the completed task on the network, and he starts to answer the initial question with a bit of a grumble (because hey Shinn hasn’t even done anything to deserve this guy being rude to him … in this immediate interaction): ]

Shimo—

[ No, wait, he’s seen this guy around base, he can use his actual name, right? He drops the boxes on the desk. ]

Shinn Asuka. What’s with the weird setup?

We could, but unless you want to eliminate and dispose of him, what good does that do? He'd go running back after, wouldn't he?

[ Silco knew that it would be the sort of thing he would notice, either someone dead and disposed of, or someone panicking and running in afterward, sharing every little detail about them. Which is difficult, given that he's also fairly well known amongst those that know his own occupation. Sure, he was only cooking books, but he was good at it — always had been since he was a boy — and that drew attention.

It didn't help that only months ago, he'd had a turncoat from his own organization murdered in his bakery.

No, he didn't want to draw too much attention. Not until they were in. ]

Perhaps we should try eavesdropping first, hm? The alley nearby might work best. [ A shrug. ] If that doesn't work, then we can try it your way, hm?

[ Surprisingly cautious for a man who'd once suggested he just bite someone. ]

[ Did somebody invite Mr Loose Cannon? Did he simply hear about it? Or has he wandered in entirely by chance?! Who cares! The better question is why is Izou currently looking at a seven foot tall man clad entirely in a bad knock-off mascot costume? And why are there what looks suspiciously like blood splatters all across the chest and face of the costume? Because LILITH's technology sucks and maybe he had a snack on the way here, don't worry about it.

Godzilla himself is wondering why Izou is playing stupid. They've meet before (granted he was shorter in his human-guise then since it was holographic and not physical but still...!) Why is he acting like they don't know each other!

He crosses his arms and snorts, smoke bellowing out from the mouth of the costume. ]

I am Godzilla. That is my dental credits, as you term them. Direct me to those who are causing disharmony so I might remove them.

[ crime isn't exactly anything new to him. even in the better territories, there still existed a whole gamut of crimes and their potential to get entirely out of control were they entirely snuffed out from the start. despite his experience in ending a handful of his own, it doesn't necessarily mean he had intentions of it in this place. even at home, he barely returned from war before all these responsibilities were hoisted upon his proverbial shoulders and yet, here he was in the thick of it, even if unintentional on his part.

why, what individual wouldn't be lulled with a sense of curiosity to hear that a bar or restaurant may have been a potential front. he had no desire to find out the hows and whys, and had he known this to be an effort that aligned with a certain feathered individual, he would have been far less helpful. but, it's in this that he locks eyes with a face he's become all too accustomed to as of late.

he doesn't even have room for relief when it seems they've both landed themselves here. ... and maybe, not even here for the same purpose. he releases a sigh, giving nothing away of his intentions. ] Is there anything to deliberate? For situations like these, is there not all but one answer? [ he looks down at the weapon he keeps at his side. ] Or was that your attempt to make a request? If so, I would suggest you learn to offer a word of flattery or two.

[ how do i get every prompt out of this...

when it came to competitions, yuwon was more accustomed to it being the sort that revolved around actual combat rather feats of physical strength or endurance. not that he felt hew as particularly lacking in that, either. but considering the other contestants could have just as readily been "normal" by most considerations, it did feel a bit ...

well, regardless of what yuwon thinks, or how he frames it, it's true that he and elysium have somehow been casted under the same team. whether this means the challenges thus far had been relatively easy is anyone's guess. still, he's also doing his best to deliberately remain under the radar, not exactly thrilled at the prospect of casting the limelight on himself.

when they announce the next challenge, he casts a sideways glance towards elysium, as if to somehow blame him for his involvement. as if that wasn't clear enough: ] I should really stop associating with you.

( "asuka". such a girly surname for a delivery boy. maybe the kid's feeling opportunistic or something, trying to nab himself a side-job on top of the money he's already making, but izou isn't having it beyond acknowledging that he'll take the food off his hands. if this were a delivery to the wrong place, it wasn't on him to direct them elsewhere, either. he'll just take the win and move on. free food was always a welcome sight to a man who went without that one time he was on the run.

but.

izou turns the name over again in his head, like, where the hell have i heard that before?, until it hits like a hammer and everything comes rushing—the events in brasov, the jeering over the network, and maybe even seeing the back of this kid's head on base somewhere. izou's all limbs as he makes to remove his elevated feet and lean into the desk in a hurry, a palm slamming down on it with enough force to shake his digital screen. )

Shinn?? Ain't you that brat from Yamato who tried to tell me what for? I'm runnin' a serious establishment here against misdeeds and shit. Not a WEIRD one. So park your pizza and then shove off.

Edited 2024-11-10 18:51 (UTC)

Oh. It's you.

[ Shinn slips into surly, dismissive mode in a beat. He has a decent sense of who this guy is from the Yamato comment, and Shinn is even more pissed off than he was before the Outsiders wiped out a village of farmers armed with shovels (and, if he were being fair, which he is not inclined to be at the moment, a sub-population of cultists and/or vampires) in Brasov. ]

What does your serious establishment do, take candy from babies?

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Page 1 of 11

( OPEN ) FIGHTING CRIME BY MOONLIGHT

CHARITY TOURNAMENT.

PH*SICAL 100.

okada izou, fate/grand order

november.

( open )

elysium / arknights / redemption

november & december, open!

elysium / arknights / redemption

C! hee hee

silco | arcane | brimstone

november (open)

a.

01

no subject

no subject

no subject

( 1 / 2 )

( 2 / 2 )

no subject

no subject

A

02!!

no subject

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no subject