TEAM BUILDING EVENT #3

[synfluxmods]

TEAM BUILDING EVENT #3

CONTENT WARNINGS: medical content

▶ 001. WELL DESERVED REST.

With no sign of upcoming city-level threats, LILITH has made the decision to provide Outsiders with a well-deserved break: there will be no official missions for the month of December. Outsiders are free to roam the city, continue their usual civilian jobs or take a holiday to any of the locations available via data portal. During this period, LILITH leadership will also be taking time off and any attempts to contact them will be met with an ‘out of office’ return email unless it is an emergency. (Dr. Spim is still around, but … he is a cat and doesn’t answer anyway... unless he feels like it.)

That isn’t to say it’s going to be a completely quiet month, of course. Our players have kindly prepared several player plots that anyone is welcome to join. Please refer to the top level here for links to the relevant plots. An updated quest has also been listed here.

Additionally, the Outsiders Program has successfully finished its first year! LILITH will be giving all Outsiders old and new a thank you bonus of 500,000 KRYPTOS (approximately 3230 USD) to spend freely on their holiday. Try not to spend it all on pachinko!

▶ 002. LET IT SNOW.

Starting December 1st, the temperature in Neo Tokyo will take a dive as the country enters into winter. The first signs of snowfall will occur on December 1st, and as it continues, the city will be transformed into a winter wonderland. The shops and restaurants of Neo Tokyo are capitalizing on the approaching festivities, putting up Christmas lights, Christmas trees and decorations. Many stores are having sales on warm clothing and popular gifts. Isn’t it the perfect time to find some nice gifts for your friends?

While only a suggestion, it is encouraged to support the integration of the orphans from Transylvania by taking them out on a winter adventure.

Winter activities found in Neo Tokyo include:

- Christmas Winter Illuminations. Certain parts of the city will be lit up in Christmas lights and holographic, winter-themed illuminations. Stop by at the right time and there might even be a drone show to watch.
- Ice sculpture building. Artists have gathered in Yoyogi Park to showcase their latest ice sculpture creations. Outsiders may view the attraction or join in on the ice sculpture contest. Winners will get prize money.
- Ice-skating. The Yokohama Red Brick Ice Rink is open again and characters are free to go skating with their friends. As a part of its latest attraction, the ice has been fitted with microscopic nanobots that light up when touched, causing the ice to glow or showcase striking colors as people skate across it.
- Playing in the snow. Even under threat of kaiju, the people of Neo Tokyo take the time to have fun when they can. Through the streets, there are people making snow angels or pelting each other with snowballs.

Characters may visit Las Vegas, Kyoto or Okinawa using the data portals. Kyoto and Okinawa continue to be uninhabited, but they can camp there if they wish. They are free to book a hotel and enjoy their holiday in Las Vegas too, where the city will have its own brand of winter activities (winter illuminations, Christmas shows, ice-skating and holiday-themed Vegas shows). While the weather is still cold, it will be snowing in Kyoto but not in Okinawa or Las Vegas.

▶ 003. SNUGGLE UP.

All the lights and festivities happening in the city are putting some strain on the power grid, and this leads to occasional bouts of power failure during the month of December. These seem to be happening in the base and throughout the city of Neo Tokyo, and they last for a few hours each time. With hospital equipment running on back-up generators, it isn’t a huge cause for concern, but it certainly is an annoyance; especially with the weather so cold.

LILITH robots will be offering Outsiders on the base extra blankets (traditional and emergency foil blankets) along with heat packs to get through the cold. Starting a fire within the base will not be allowed since it is a hazard, so those who still need the extra warmth will need to find other creative ways to obtain it. A snuggle never hurt anyone, right? There is one operational fireplace in the Library, and Outsiders may notice an influx of small tables throughout the base with self-serve hot beverages on battery operated kettles, such as tea, hot cocoa & artificial coffee. As Outsiders congregate around the base, snuggled up in their new festive blankets, perhaps now would be a good time for some classic party games such as Never Have I Ever and Two Truths and a Lie.

▶ 004. TAKE YOUR MEDICINE.

Dr. Spim takes regular cat naps anyway, so he doesn’t see the need to take a holiday. As a result, he has continued to work tirelessly on finetuning the cure for the vampiric disease. Throughout the month, he will make several requests for volunteers (those with and without the vampiric disease) to participate in the ongoing clinical trials.

The serum he is testing will not cause harm to the body, but it might result in any of the following side effects:

- Dizziness, fatigue and difficulty coordinating movement.
- Fever, chills and a desperate need for warmth.
- Mood changes, which can present as euphoric or depressed or both.
- Hallucinations or delusions.
- Increased hunger, thirst or other physical needs (interpret as you wish.)
- A ravenous need for blood (for vampires.)

Certain volunteers may encounter no side effects at all, while some may experience all of them. Luck of the draw, really. The side effects are not permanent and last for a few hours. As always, Dr. Spim will explain the possible side effects and get consent before administering the medicine.

By the end of the month, a stable cure will be finalized and LILITH robots will deliver it to all those affected by the vampiric disease (if your character was already a vampire, don't worry about it). It is highly encouraged to take the medicine! Dr. Spim has no time to chase down the people refusing to take their medicine, so he might pay some of their friends to do it for him. He is a cat. He has better things to do (such as knock this beaker off the table….)

As an OOC note, please do not let your character remain a vampire unless they are already a vampiric character. The vampire event in Transylvania was meant to only have temporary effect.

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our third team building event! All tags on this log are worth 2 points and will count towards December AC.

We have a lot of player plots this month, and are using this log to encourage players to participate in the player plots since the event itself is light. As a reminder, the mod team will be taking a break during the month of December and will not be answering any questions at this time.

EVENT BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. WELL DESERVED REST: Outsiders enjoy a quiet month with no kaiju attacks, but are provided plenty of things to do (via player plots) and they are welcome to use the data portal to travel to Okinawa and Las Vegas at this time.

2. LET IT SNOW: Heavy snowfall turns Neo Tokyo into a winter wonderland with many snow related activities to participate in such as ice skating, ice sculpture making, etc. LILITH encourages the Outsiders to allow the misplaced orphans to participate in some of these activities.

3. SNUGGLE UP: The power outages strike again, this time from too many festive lights that overheat the generators. LILITH provides Outsiders with emergency blankets and hot beverages during times of outages.

4. TAKE YOUR MEDICINE: Dr. Spim trial runs an antidote for the vampiric disease that struck Outsiders during their mission in Brasov. He takes volunteers who are both vampires and not. Finally, a cure is made, and all Outsiders are asked to take it (please do not let your character remain a vampire unless they are already a vampiric character.)

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Comments

cw: injury and eye stuff man it's silco it's to be expected

[zauneyete]

[ Of course it is, he almost snaps. ]

That's what it is, to lose everything, Geto. I was left to die, or perhaps... [ He ran fingers down his lips, considering. ] No, more accurately, I went to ground, and never recovered. Though, when you don't want the dangerous ideas, it would make sense.

[ Silco had been left to deal with it alone. The pain, the toxins, the way it ate at his skin, taking even his eyelid, leaving him with an eye that quickly went cloudy, his vision loss and pain had been just a lingering, painful lance through his head as his cornea deteriorated and the layers of his eye peeled away from dryness, driving him more and more mad. He remembered it, the hand on his neck, choking the life out of him. He hadn't even needed two.

He'd relied on him, after all. They both had. They'd had nothing but their wits and their fists, so little compared to the guns and jackboots from the enforcers.

They'd had nothing. They'd been nothing. Just an inconvenience for the Pilties to squash down, and then Vander had needed only the faintest of motivation. Silco's unwillingness to just give up. ]

The only thing that would surprise me, is if he took the fight up again. He wanted to deal with our oppressors. Play their games, play nice with them, and let them have what they always wanted. A compliant, silent working class that never dared to make a sound of protest.

That is when I would change things. It will not happen, therefore... Well.

[ A spread of his hands. ]

I'm...happy you and your friend reconciled. Perhaps there is hope for old friends in some strange worlds.

oh man silco ;;

[gorb]

You're right to fight back. You're not the kind of man to show their belly for the sake of scraps. ( It loses some of the gentleness he usually speaks with, turns more serious. He eyes Silco up as he says it, a little more intent than usual. ) That's what Satoru wanted too, do you know? To change things from the inside. Brick by brick, remake the whole thing. I wanted to knock it down. It's funny how these things repeat, ideological opposites in people who without that would not stray from each other's sides. But it takes more than most want to give, and that is why you and I are forced to be what we are. Only a monster can make such sacrifices.

( It depresses him that these things seem more prevalent, isn't sure what to do with that knowledge. In the end he drags his tongue along his teeth, almost irritated. )

Don't take anything I say too badly, Silco-san. The week could turn to a new one and I'll want to throw him off a building. Things are different from our youth, it's just that I'm a fool. ( A little in love from the beginning, he's coming to realise, stupidly intertwined. Silco does not seem like a romantic though, and Geto keeps that to himself. There's no point wearing his heart on his sleeve these days. It doesn't work out. ) I don't feel like shopping anymore. But I do feel like lining Tezcatlipoca's pockets more. A proper drink? On me.

SMILES CREAKILY........

[zauneyete]

Neither had he been. [ he said, with the sort of finality of what a true loss of self was. Silco would have never expected it, for someone who he'd grown up with, worked with, staged a revolution with to have ever given up the fight. To think there was something worth more to protect than their cause. No, cowards who lost their way should pay for such foolishness.

Silco would never, could never.

He would, for the exact same reason. ] But don't worry, I won't hold it against you. [ much. ] We all have our foolish weaknesses, don't we?

And a drink would be precisely what we need to drown it. [ At the bottom of a river. ] I'm sure Tezcatlipoca would hardly mind the company, either.

it really takes someone writing it down to realise THE HORROR.

[gorb]

( An easy smile, unworried. ) I've yet to see yours.

( Maybe his daughter, but Geto isn't the kind of person to see something like that as foolish. He already knows the things he's done for his own, and Silco's fierce fondness of his Jinx is a mirror. Certainly he's felt more easy around the man since they discovered their mutual fatherhood, and if it makes him a little more fond then that's his business. So if there was anything else, Geto hasn't noticed it. Maybe his fervent desire for power, but that too is something he cannot fault. It's not exactly a fact that bothers him though, he's not looking to undercut anyone here. )

Or a captive audience. ( Tezcatlipoca, he means. He likes to talk when their paths cross. But that's fine. ) As long as the liquor is strong I don't care about much else. Let's hope the rest of the world has forgotten it's existence.

hehehehe i think about it all the time.......

[zauneyete]

Oh?

[ Silco knew it. It was his daughter. He knew it deep in his black pit of a heart that she was his weakness. When he'd seen her on the bridge, in just exactly the —

No, he knew his weakness, even if Geto does the kindness of obfuscating it. As long as she is not here, however, and her soul is not inert in the hexgem he keeps secreted away in his rooms, he is fine. It's almost...freeing. Having her not here, in its own way. He knows he wishes he could hold his daughter — despite the fact that when he last saw her they had been fighting — but he does not have to worry about it. It is a secret he keeps to himself, only a few know of it. Geto, of course, being one of the few.

Most of who knew also had a child, something precious that they guarded, the knowledge of their own weaknesses. ]

Tezcatlipoca is... an interesting person. God, I suppose. [ Silco was used to him, of course, but that's to be expected. He'd had a hand in his summoning, in his own way, back where he had been before. ] Well, let's get there before this crowd knocks into us again, hm?

😭

[gorb]

He's certainly that.

( Interesting. Though Geto thinks it's only through dealing with Satoru during his formative years that he doesn't want to punch Tezcatlipoca in the face. There's something a little too self-assured in the god when they meet. Not quite annoying, but adjacent. Or maybe it's just that the gods have a habit of peering at him and assuming things. Often right, but unwanted. )

I've been working on him for a discount, but he remains surprisingly stubborn. ( Teeth flash, amused, as he neatly sidesteps a harried man trying to catch hold of a child's hand while holding several boxes. ) As his acolyte, do you think you could put in a good word for me, mm? Pity for the unemployed dead of us.

[zauneyete]

[ He laughed. ]

Are you kidding me? He's harder on me than the rest of you. Makes me pay every time. [ The unemployed dead, he says. He supposed that would put a damper on motivating him to do much here. Dead? Couldn't be him. :) ]

I suppose that's what I get for spending time around gods, hm? If you want a deal, I think Set would have a way to hoodwink your way into getting what you want. He's quite clever, you know.

[ Honestly, smarter than him. Silco is... smart. Brilliant, even, but he is rigid. He's a planner for logistics and the machinery of large industries and people. Set has that chaotic tactic about him that Silco finds that works best against gods and demons alike. ]

[gorb]

( A snort of amusement. ) Really? What's the point in having friends in high places then? Tch, I expected benefits.

( He's not quite that close to Tezcatlipoca himself, but surely Silco? It's all in jest anyway, the playful widening of eyes, the looseness of his shoulders. They get paid for killing Kaiju and it's not like Geto spends much of his money. Cigarettes, alcohol, cup noodles. It doesn't take much. )

And he is. That's why talking to him gives me a headache. He says he's no longer omnipotent but it's like arguing in circles regardless. He knows too many things. Was he like that in your old world too? The one you knew each other in?

[zauneyete]

Oh, worse.

[ He said, with a roll of his eyes. ] I think it's a god thing. They know so much, and have so much experience that they don't even need to have omnipotence to understand what we are like. After all, they had worshippers for a reason, too. Gods like Tezcatlipoca and Set are... perceptive.

They use that as a tool as much as you and I would. They just have several thousand years on us.

[ He'd be bitter about it, but...well. He's grown used to accepting this. Being a mortal who parlays with gods often means he understands who he is. ]

Playing their games requires learning how they think.

[gorb]

They could be perceptive elsewhere.

( Set, specifically. They've only spoken a handful of times and yet each one the god has been charming and far too sharp. Geto fears he's one carefully batted set of eyelashes away from just doing something unspeakable. So while Silco's used to it, he remains unfortunately needled. )

You'd think with how many strong personalities we have here they'd mind their business, but I suppose then that wouldn't be as fun. It must be stranger for them, all that power reduced. And I'm sure they can handle themselves if someone were to take exception.

[zauneyete]

Hm.

[ Well, he doesn't disagree, they are nosy, but then again... they had so much power, so much knowledge, a place like this was probably simple. Or perhaps, more likely, they enjoyed outsiders more, because they were interesting. A god could never resist something interesting. ]

Correct. And I think... when one has that much life and experience, anything...unique is likely more interesting than anything else.

I think we're supposed to take it as compliments.

[gorb]

( He pulls a face at that, nonplussed. )

Would you? If they didn't already have your companionship? Did you before you knew them well enough?

[zauneyete]

It was disconcerting, with Set, at first, I think. I didn't put up with it in the beginning.

[ Set had touched him, something Silco had recoiled at violently. He'd reached out for his scar upon first meeting. ]

But the place we were in before had a way of...evening the playing field. We were the only ones willing to make deals, and that... well. I became used to him.

[ He doesn't share the deepest truth, that in Kenos, they were the same in a way that could not be described. Their shards had begun to resonate with one another. ]

Tezcatlipoca was easier. He hated Quetzalcoatl as I did. [ A shrug. ] So when I killed her, it was as if I'd summoned him there personally.

[gorb]

From what I know of them that makes sense. Personal space seems beyond Set. But I am glad that you managed to find an even footing in the end.

( He at least knows that being on the god's side is better than the alternative. Curiosity is better an emotion that anything else upsetting them might inspire. ) It's a little funny, actually. I spent so long playing at the persona of a religious man, but I never quite believed. It just seemed an easy way to do what I want. You can get away with things under the guise of benevolence.

( They've reached the bar by now, Geto moves forward to pull the door open, offering a sharp little smile. )

But to be faced with it is different.

[zauneyete]

Hah, Set? Personal space? [ He shrugged. ] We came to an understanding. [ Really, what it was is that Set and Silco had become... well. Oddly codependent on one another. He will not admit it to anyone, but without Jinx in that world... it had been a comfort, to have someone who understood. Silco would never share it, or even whisper it, but there is a comfort in being Known, and touching someone who understands. To be a touch-starved person, who fears being close to others... ]

You never believed in it?

[ He slipped in, going down the stairs to the bar. ]

Color me surprised. I've never really believed in them myself, but... considering where I am from, it is hardly surprising.

[ If gods did exist, and left the Undercity to rot as it had, well... ]

Some people believe in spirits though. [ A laugh. It sounds bitter, and derisive. ] Maybe someday I'll share our old wives tales with you.

[gorb]

Not really. I played the part of it when I was younger, because it was what is expected of a young man with honour, and I liked tradition well enough. I still do, most of the time. But the role I was playing didn't exactly have heart behind it. People are blind when it comes to religion, they'll overlook certain things. It helped me reach my goals.

( His temple became a haven for those looking for relief, which in turn gave Geto the power he needed. ) Maybe I might have been more devout had things not taken such a turn, but I also had a secret rebellious side, so who knows? ( A heavy, overly dramatic little sigh. ) It's actually a little fun, being here. I'm seeing what I might have been left to my own devices.

( Piercings, certainly. He's even considering a tattoo. Maybe looking like a yakuza bad boy is his new goal. )

Oh? ( It's at least a little quiet for the time of day, Geto making his way up to the bar. He understands that tone. ) Are they particularly scary, Silco-san? Or perhaps small?

[zauneyete]

Hah, think of all the rebellion you can get up to here, as well.

[ It's with a slight curl of his smile, and a tip of his head. ] The only traditions you have to mind are those you actually want to, after all. Nobody can stop you from breaking what does not work.

[ To be fair... coming from Silco...

He doesn't exactly seem very reverent toward tradition, does he? ]

Our spirits are... long dead, if they ever existed at all. People believe in them even still. [ A snort. ]

We have one that miners will swear by, that keeps them safe. [ A scoff, as his hand rapped on the surface of the bar. ] Plenty die in the mines, so who knows if they even exist.

[gorb]

You never know, it could be like my world. You just might not see them.

( He can't imagine it would be the remnant of something kind, because in Geto's life that's just not how things are. Loss of life, the cruel kind, often breeds a different monster. But some curses do offer protection, or better yet, they direct their violence elsewhere.

He leans one elbow on the bartop, lazily winding his fingers through the air. ) My parents thought I was going crazy the first time I spoke of a cursed spirit. Who's to say it isn't similar? Those with tales see something that other people cannot. Would that comfort you? Or the opposite? Knowing they existed?

[zauneyete]

[ He closed one eye, and shook his head. ]

Knowing they existed only proves the point that my world was cruel beyond measure, and should have been destroyed long ago.

[ He'd once thought to, after all. ] To have so much power to do something, and yet do nothing at all? [ He laughed. ]

They may as well have killed us all, and left us to rot at the bottom of the fissures. I would have preferred that to whiling countless generations away into the grinder that was another man's profit.

[ Silco... ]

[gorb]

( He hums, then offers up his wrist for the server, offering to pay for Silco's drink too. )

You'd prefer nothing to having those in power hold more above you?

( Not unkindly, just curious. )

There's too much of a fight in you for that, Silco-san. I think you'd fight even annihilation. You'd make a fierce curse, actually.

[zauneyete]

[ He laughed. ]

I would burn us all down to remove the profit from them.

[ He speaks it plain. He made a motion to the bartender, who knows Silco well enough to know what he wants. ]

You are right, that I would not prefer it, but if I had no choice? Or only the two presented? I would prefer that.

How many of generations of me and mine were put through the grinder just to get to me? How many aborted revolutions? How many times have we tried, and failed, and only made them stronger in the meantime.

I do not want us to be nothing, but that these spirits are kind tales to encourage us to have hope, to keep moving even when we are worn down...

I detest it. There are no spirits encouraging us to fight, after all.

Or rather — their stories are not ones we remember.

[gorb]

Oh, I see now.

( That makes a little more sense. Pointless hope was certainly not Silco's style. He also knows a little about how that kind of story could be used to encourage more suffering. The rallying against that isn't wildly out of pocket. )

I suppose some people need things like that. Reasons. But I can understand why you would not agree. You're a practical man. Full of practical means. Spirits would mean nothing to you, when they actively work against what you desire. Or their tales do. There's a little of that where I am from. Be good, or you'll be carried off into the night. Be good, or you'll get eaten. It doesn't matter if you're good or not, really. If something hungry catches your scent then goodness will not factor in.

( He shifts, settles. )

Tell me something of your world you do like then, Silco-san.

[zauneyete]

[ They're probably far too like-minded for their own good, really. Geto and Silco just seem to have that understanding.

His fingers drag against the table in thought. ]

I like many things, actually.

[ As if one would know it. ]

The smell of the caves in the fissures in the early morning, when the mines are shut down. The sea air rushing through the caverns, it's always just a touch rotten, mostly salty. It reminds me of when I was a boy, and the air was so thick we could hardly breathe.

[ He says it fondly. ]

I like that my city encourages Strength. Not always physically, but to survive one must be sharper, stronger, or more driven than others. It makes us so much more than we could be otherwise. We do so much with so little. Imagine if we did not have to scrape to survive?

[gorb]

There's a laziness in peace.

( Not that he's accusing Silco's people of that, certainly not. But it's a commentary just the same. ) Those who don't know struggle think they have all the time in the world to reach greatness. They take it easy, they linger, the hard work is all tasked elsewhere, no? Your undercity, my sorcerers. It's a waste. Of resources, of life. The ones who won't use it well take it all.

( It's frustrating, though perhaps here it does not affect Geto as much as it would Silco. He has shrugged off some of that weight with knowing nothing changes after his death. There is little he could do. But had he survived? Then things might have been different. He might have bitten at the bars enclosing him. )

Is that what you'd do? If you are to wrest control back? Let your people advance?

[zauneyete]

Precisely.

[ He agreed simply. Geto understands.

It is fascinating to him, that these people of power had truly none at all. They were as servile as Zaunites were, there was rebellion, but most were content to be fed, and to make their way. They did all of the work, and did people even know that they exist, even if obliquely?

Were they even remembered? Considered? ]

They will have to. Even if we free ourselves from Piltover's chains, we are... useful. At their doorstep, rich with resources. They could take us so easily, not just Piltover, but those from across the sea.

Freedom will only be the first step. Then we will have to grow. We will have to become stronger, even still. We compete against one another as much as we compete with the outside. It makes us better, weeds out the weak.