synflux | TEAM BUILDING EVENT #3

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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ that would mean they would leave set behind and he won't allow that ( insane ) ]

Okay. We can call it that.

[ Set sounds so agreeable at that moment, voice pitched bright and shining as he thoroughly stabs his needle into Sebastian's shoulder to placehold his stitching as he leans around him to see what he's doing. Arms loop loosely around the demon's waist, his chin coming to rest on one shoulder as he peers, curious and seeking all in one go; it's not like Sebastian is warm at all, but neither is he sucking the warmth out of the air like some massive sinkhole. It's a little annoying, but it allows Set to whisper into his ear: You might want to pretend to have body heat. They know what you are, but that's still important.

It's as much a helpful hint as it is a selfish desire. If Sebastian can pretend to have body heat somehow, like he pretends to have kidneys that Set can pummel, then he wins! Yay! Set winning is way more interesting to him than convincing other people that demons are just the same as humans. ]

— oh, Silco is very angry with you. I tried speaking with him about it, but he has the type of personality where everything done in opposition to him is done out of spite. I adore him for it, he's one of my best friends. Like you!

[ Is there no better enrichment for a war god than to see vicious competition and interactions between two individuals he loves so much? Especially when they're AWFUL CREATURES, BOTH OF THEM. Set keeps his voice very quiet as he speaks with Sebastian, wound around him as though they were dear friends cuddled up against the biting cold. When really, they're two predators practically posturing in an enclosed space. ]

I know. I also knew you'd sit here and take it because you're very well-mannered. I did say that I know a lot about you, from the time "you" and I spent together in the world before. You... I would not say it was "trust" between us, but we had a very sensible understanding of one another. After all: we would persist beyond world's ending, so any grudges would be detrimental to that.

[ This would surely play out differently if they were elsewhere, but that has to be some of the fun of it too. It’s easy to imagine that if this were Kenos, his reaction would be sharper, but here? He’s playing a part, and it’s one that he’s committed to, even to his own detriment. His jaw tenses as the needle sinks into him, but it’s surely out of irritation more than any pain. He closes his eyes while Set unfurls onto him, but he opens them again to give him a small glance for the quiet advice. That look is a little sharper, but only just, and only for a moment.

He sighs and looks back down to continue his neat, even stitches. But Set gets what he wants, since gradually, Sebastian does start to warm up. It’ll take a few minutes, but it’ll also be clear why he runs cooler, since the warmth isn’t quite right either. Temperature regulation is one of those sense that Sebastian lacks, but honestly, this works for Set too, really… He just has a demon-shaped space heater now. ]

Did you also make messes for me to clean up there?

[ There’s a little sarcasm in his tone, but this is a stupid question, because of course Set did… But his voice dips softer, low enough that it would be a pleasant murmur in the background to anyone else, but he switches languages too. He’s quite sure that no one else gathered here will understand the ancient Egyptian that comes as easily as if he spoke it daily. ]

I do not doubt it. I have lived a long time because of prudence, so it is indeed sensible to come to an agreement with a divine entity. You do not seem like the righteous sort that takes issue with my existence, besides. [ Like. Clearly not, considering how Set is wrapped around him at this very moment… ] Friends seems a strange word for it, but I also have only been called someone’s friend once before in my existence. That human is dead now.

[ It’s matter-of-fact enough that it’s clear that it’s not because Sebastian killed him. He’d be sure to gloat about it if it were, even when he’s playing nice. He mentions is only to note its rarity and how it pairs with a fleeting life—a fellow nigh-immortal creature calling him such is more significant. ]

It was Mr. Silco that I was more perplexed by, as I could not imagine why I would go through the trouble of angering another divine entity, much less killing one, you see.

[ That too is matter-of-fact, but it’s punctuated by the sort of thing that’s so very Sebastian. The thread comes to its end, so after deftly tying it off, he picks up his little scissors to snip off the rest. In everything about this, it could only be coincidental that it happen now, at this point of conversation, but… There’s enough room to wonder, pointed as it feels. ]

I pushed him just a tad so that I might see what it was about the man that so appealed to me. I got my answer, and indeed, I imagine he is attempting to plot my downfall for it at this very moment.

TEAM BUILDING EVENT #3