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𝚂𝚢𝚗𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚡 𝙼𝚘𝚍𝚜 ([personal profile] synfluxmods) wrote in [community profile] synflux2025-09-14 11:49 am

DOWNTIME MINGLE #10

DOWNTIME MINGLE #10
CONTENT WARNINGS: none

▶ 001. WINNER'S CIRCLE.

The return to Neo Tokyo is a quieter affair than usual, but that doesn’t mean that LILITH isn’t proud of her angels. After dispatching them to deal with smuggling rings and bringing in their latest set of Outsiders, there’s a little celebration in the cafeteria; sushi, yakiniku, tempura and other various seasonal foods are on offer, just… Don’t ask where the meat comes from.

The celebrations of the victories in Mexico are not to be ignored, however, and the traditional celebrations of the winning outsiders is business as usual:

GOOD JOB:
SOBA & R.A.P.H (K.O.)
JUSTISH (600) & GODDESS OF DEATH (600)


And, as might be becoming familiar to the Outsiders, the celebration of the victors comes with its own impact on the cityscape of Neo Tokyo.

The more fashionable of folk might notice a new trend flooding the market, especially popular with teenage girls who lean towards the more lolita fashion. The trend is a simple gothic one, nicknamed zen lolita, with black on black, thick earrings and zori shoes with sharp designs that all seem to call back to traditional Buddhist monk style. The sparks of colour in this style come from white and silver accessories - finger and nose rings, dangling chains with small, animal charms. While much of the style can be found in thrift stores and downloaded through the style chips, a significant amount of it can only be bought in high end, expensive boutiques.

Meanwhile, in the arcades of Neo Tokyo, a new game has become popular. Players enter a virtual simulation room and can use dual virtual swords to slash at incoming targets while listening to music. Targets can take on the shape of alien spaceships, asteroids, and even space robots. To win, you have to fight to the beat with certain songs having greater difficulty. Hardcore players can also purchase upgrades for their virtual swords to trigger special effects. The upgrades are all named after famous swords with some of the most impressive ones being Excalibur and Arondite.

Another emerging hit teen trend is a brand-new pizza from one of the bigger chains in Neo Tokyo. Painting their windows with reds and greens, little cartoon turtles and party balloons and celebrations, with mascots that are being sold as keyrings and plushies alongside the food. The main attraction is the new dish on offer: a Mutant Turtle Pizza! It’s a fairly simple dish, designed as a calzone (you can customise some of your fillings!) with a turtle shell crust, wrapped in paper matching their cute mascot design. If you come in cosplay, you get 10% off!

Those in Redemption might notice something… Odd going on outside room 006. In the weeks after the return from Mexico, deliveries have been made almost around the clock, the weary drivers dropping off box after box and bouquet after bouquet. It seems as if word of a certain someone’s hard work in fighting the kaiju has been heard, and they want to show their affection. Various bouquets of sunflowers, roses, tulips, daises and orchids can be found littering the floor, in various shades of blues, purples, yellows and white. At least it smells wonderful.

▶ 002. LOST IN TRANSLATION (TEXT MINGLE.)

Auto-translation software allows everyone in the world to communicate with each other, regardless of where they are from or what language they might speak. Everyone has it automatically installed and for the most part, this allows for seamless and instant translation no matter who they are talking to.

One day, everyone will receive a system message that consists of broken characters, code, and gibberish. After that, they will find that they have some trouble communicating with others. For some people, it might just be a few words not translating correctly, but for others, the miscommunication is more extreme.

The translation software might completely fail, resulting in Outsiders not being able to understand each other at all. They will have to rely on vintage translation services or body language Synthia will issue an explanation:

"We all know the results of modern projects. We are now solving the problem. Thank you very much."


"It seems instead of translating to multiple languages, she translated through multiple languages. Sorry. There is currently a problem with the translation software. We contacted support and they're working on it."

For the next few days, everyone will have to make do with broken or incorrect translations when speaking to each other. Even characters from the same world and country might find themselves suddenly speaking a completely different language. This might result in people saying the opposite of what they mean or the things they say might end up translated through multiple languages before the final result. They might even accidentally confess a secret that they did not mean to say. Eventually, a patch will be issued and things will resume as usual. This effects both text messaging and normal speaking.

▶ 003. CAULDRONS & KAIJU.

It seems as though September is for fun, and with it comes a rush of people in Neo Tokyo taking part in an exciting craze that seems to ebb and flow in popularity throughout the year: a class-based, live action role-playing game that is all the more exciting thanks to technology permitting light shows, downloadable costumes and guild systems. LILITH is quick to encourage the Outsiders to take part, in the interest of team-building and developing connections across the four groups on base.

The game itself is simple: organise yourself into a ‘party’, download your costumes and class features (such as light shows for magic users, custom weapons for your melee and ranged) and various upgrades to transform your features into different ‘races’ - your bunny and cat people, lizardfolk, and so forth. Once your party is together, you travel through a scavenger-hunt style series of games, puzzles, PvP and PvE fights to get to the final ‘dungeon’ - raid a dragon lair and get some gold and various other prizes. Try to create a balanced team of tank, magic user, support and damage dealer!

LILITH is more than happy to help set up the Outsiders with what gear they need, and makes the following recommendations for the ‘style’ of play for each team - and they recommend a mixture of all four for the best “party-comp”:
BRIMSTONE are the tanks. Ranging from dedicated, focused Paladin-style warriors using various different weaponry to Barbarians who use their rage for offensive purposes, they’re encouraged to don armour, get their HP buffed and lead their party into their quest. They can take more damage than the rest of their party and have special abilities to get monsters to focus on them.

EVERLIGHT find themselves as physical based damage dealers. This could be archery, swords, knives or their bare fists to hit for as much power as they can muster. They’re encouraged to do what they can to bash their enemies to pieces, and are more adept at 1:1 combat than groups. Their skills focus more on high damage ceilings for those who get to grips quickly and critical hits.

REDEMPTION are the support. This can range from straight-up HP healing skills or using buffs and debuffs to make it easier for the tanks (and those unruly DPS!) to survive whatever fight comes up ahead. Regen or shields, they could also be the Healer-DPS and heal by killing the enemy before it kills their party - with a little bit of poison and strength sapping magic, they’re nothing to scoff at.

REVELATION get to enjoy the fascinating and wonderful world of magic users. This could be using a wand, a book, or sheer natural talent to cast a variety of spells to get rid of the enemy as swiftly as possible. Elemental magic (your fire, ice, earth, lightning, etc) mixes with staggering areas of effect skills to try and make quick work of any threat that might lie ahead. Mages are far more useful for groups of enemies than single target, but are still devastating.
The actual ‘roleplay’ part of the event takes place with a series of different ventures for Outsiders to get themselves busy with across Neo Tokyo:
  • Various puzzles and riddles to crack between different markers on their maps.
  • Traps to trip players up and make them question everything.
  • Mysteries that need to be solved before they can move on to the next location.
  • Nature itself fighting back against the questing parties.
  • There are various fun elements uploaded onto their implants to make the game more engaging as well, as if they were playing in the simulation room: a HP tracker, item lists, spells and mana, party group chats and various other features. This will help when one of your party gets poisoned and loses -1HP per step they take… Uh oh! Feel free to have fun with whatever your imagination can come up with.

    At the end of the trail is the dragon’s lair, where they’ll face various lair-based obstacles: smoke and fog, 'toxic' fumes and clouds, dragon breath (of various elemental flavours), terrain difficult to walk through, etc. All of this is created via a holographic simulation, of course, but it feels very real! Winning parties will win a treasure chest of “gold”... It’s chocolate, and therefore fake, but you get a really cool certificate and a place on the leaderboard for how fast you beat the dragon!

    ▶ 004. AFTERWORD.

    This is Downtime Mingle / Team Building #10. All comments in this event count for 2 points towards September AC. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask them below.
    EVENT BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)
    1. WINNER'S CIRCLE: The winners of the Mexico mission influence Neo Tokyo with lolita fashion, simulation videogames, flowers in the Redemption wing and a new pizza to try!

    2. LOST IN TRANSLATION: LILITH's auto translation gets a bug and Outsiders must communicate by other means until it is fixed. Some effects will cause people to speak in a language they don't know or even confess a secret they did not mean to say.

    3. CAULDRONS & KAIJU: A dungeon & dragons style simulation game! Outsiders must build a team and work together through various puzzles to reach the dragon's lair, slay it and steal the (chocolate) gold.

    redangelofpreventingharm: (But...)

    [personal profile] redangelofpreventingharm 2025-10-15 06:01 pm (UTC)(link)
    "Well we should be able to keep one for ourselves. Pets are good ways to help with stress relief." And they were fluffy! Unless you got a nonfluffy pet. Which is also acceptable! But he nods in agreement. "They all need forever homes where they can be safe and well fed and loved."

    Annnnnnnnnd there's the pouting because oh no that sounds like sad adorable kitties who needed love. "Aww..then I'm really glad that you got them out of there. What if it rained??? That would have been awful."
    makesascene: (Wary/dry/skepticism real)

    [personal profile] makesascene 2025-10-19 08:31 pm (UTC)(link)
    "Pretty sure our dorm has specific rules about it, so, eh." He says, trying to keep things vague in public. They were still making progress in the busy line. People talking amongst each other and causing a ruckus about the Kaiju fight that spawned the calzones. "I've been looking around online, seeing if anyone is looking for kittens. Got a few bites. Still- you should at least hold them before they head anywhere."

    "Me too. Kind of wish I could find their mama, but, they're old enough to not need milk, so I guess it works out." It felt wrong the kittens weren't with their mother, but there wasn't anything they could do.
    redangelofpreventingharm: (EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!)

    [personal profile] redangelofpreventingharm 2025-10-19 11:19 pm (UTC)(link)
    "Those are stupid rules," he mutters, knowing why they probably have them but also who can say no to pets? Pets are good for destressing! After a bad kaiju fight or something who could say no to petting a fluffy friend???

    The fact that Leo is talking about how he should get the chance to hold the kittens before they get adopted makes his older brother starry eyed all over again.

    Yes there is the quiet little "eeeeeeeeee" followed by "I can't wait to see them."

    He has his priorities straight.
    makesascene: (Relaxed/pizza time/chillin')

    [personal profile] makesascene 2025-10-20 08:38 pm (UTC)(link)
    Leo can't help but laugh a little at the quiet squee happening on his brothers part. It is just... nice to see Raph excited about something. No turmoil, no arguments, no kaiju fights, just normal Raph excitement.

    "Just don't go naming any of them. That's literally the first step on how we end up keeping them." He warns, already aware there is a fifty fifty chance of it happening. Sure, Leo jokingly named two of the kittens, but they were stolen by Power. So he didn't have to worry about that.
    redangelofpreventingharm: (But...)

    [personal profile] redangelofpreventingharm 2025-10-20 11:07 pm (UTC)(link)
    As much as the eeeeeeeeeeeeeee has started, it tapers off so he can pout a little bit.

    "But...butbut...they need names...? Everyone needs a name, lil bro."

    Raph Logic™ at its finest.
    makesascene: (Argumentative/c'mon dude!/grump)

    [personal profile] makesascene 2025-10-26 04:13 pm (UTC)(link)
    "They're numbered because we are so not keeping them." He says firmly. Not surprised Raph would want to name the kittens. Leonardo is at least aware enough to know if they cross this bridge, its all over.
    Edited 2025-10-26 16:14 (UTC)
    redangelofpreventingharm: (*fingerpoke*)

    [personal profile] redangelofpreventingharm 2025-10-26 08:07 pm (UTC)(link)
    "But...but...numbers aren't names..."

    Still following Raph Logic™ here.
    makesascene: (Unimpressed/Uh-huh/Borrring)

    [personal profile] makesascene 2025-10-26 08:30 pm (UTC)(link)
    "Because we can't name them. Or you'll end up with like forty kittens." Leo explains with a sigh. Oh, this is such a losing battle, isn't it?

    "If you end up adopting kittens..." It is the start of a threat, but Leo has no idea where to take it.
    redangelofpreventingharm: (But...)

    [personal profile] redangelofpreventingharm 2025-10-26 08:32 pm (UTC)(link)
    "But adoption centers give them cute names like Spaghetti and Dipper so they have names, not just numbers. Everyone deserves a name."

    Raph Logic™ equates to pouting about the cute animals needing names.
    makesascene: (SIGH/eye roll/BORED)

    [personal profile] makesascene 2025-10-26 08:33 pm (UTC)(link)
    He pokes his brother in the chest plates, leaning in to squint at his older much taller sibling. "I know you. If you name a single kitten, you'll form a emotional bond and never be able to let go."
    redangelofpreventingharm: (Totally Not Sulking)

    [personal profile] redangelofpreventingharm 2025-10-26 08:36 pm (UTC)(link)
    He frowns as he gets poked in the plastron, folding his arms across his chest as he's totally pouting about it. "...we should be allowed to keep at least ONE kitty..."
    makesascene: (Unamused/for real dude/ugh)

    [personal profile] makesascene 2025-10-26 08:38 pm (UTC)(link)
    "How would you deal with it if we lost the cat due to the base exploding?" Leo hates having to be this guy about a pet, but.... he does not want his brother going through some emotional turmoil due to things going badly. "They've had to fix up this base once already, Raph."
    redangelofpreventingharm: (Oh Fux)

    [personal profile] redangelofpreventingharm 2025-10-26 08:59 pm (UTC)(link)
    "The base exploded??? It's not even safe there????"
    makesascene: (Whiny baby/sulking/nnooo)

    [personal profile] makesascene 2025-10-26 09:25 pm (UTC)(link)
    "I don't know if it actually exploded! I'm saying, anything can happen-" He starts a bit too loudly before awkwardly coughing into his hand. Okay, yeah, they are getting looks now.

    Leonardo drops his voice a little. "I'm just saying, a kitten is not a good idea right now."

    Not that he could stop Raph if his brother decided to do it anyway, but... he had to get a word in at least.
    Edited 2025-10-26 21:25 (UTC)
    redangelofpreventingharm: (Totally Not Sulking)

    [personal profile] redangelofpreventingharm 2025-10-26 09:47 pm (UTC)(link)
    The fact that they're getting looks now makes him straighten and kind of laugh awkwardly at the other people around them. "Sorry, sorry--we're gettin' heated about our table top game..."

    He sighs and puts his hands into his pockets. "Alright, alright...fine."
    makesascene: (Casual/smug/leaning in)

    [personal profile] makesascene 2025-10-29 04:47 am (UTC)(link)
    "You know how it is, fellow gamers." He says easily enough, waggling his brows at people. He earns a few eye rolls and muttering as people go back to their conversations.

    "Normally, I'd compromise and go 'what about naming them after colors', but... you know, that's how pops ended up keeping us." Leo says quietly back.
    redangelofpreventingharm: (Default)

    [personal profile] redangelofpreventingharm 2025-10-29 05:55 pm (UTC)(link)
    He has to keep himself from snort laughing at the fact that his brother is just so damned cringe. But it works and the others back off from listening to their conversation.

    "That's just the Hamato way of adopting children," he replies, thinking about their father. "So...we could do that but Pops ain't here to ask about grandchildren."
    makesascene: (Reasonable/Chatter boy)

    [personal profile] makesascene 2025-11-05 12:48 am (UTC)(link)
    Being cringe on main does a good job of keeping people from listening to their conversation as they move through line. Shockingly they're almost to the counter at this point. Calzones shall soon be theirs.

    "The Hamato way is 'oh shit, look at this weird creature I found' and naming it. You're treading real close to fatherhood. Next the kittens will mutate and you'll be a single father." There was no chance of the kittens actually mutating, but Leo had to joke about it. Though Leo is distracted easily enough. "...I can't believe this line has been so long, omigosh."
    redangelofpreventingharm: (*fingerpoke*)

    [personal profile] redangelofpreventingharm 2025-11-05 12:55 am (UTC)(link)
    He's at least glad that they've managed to shake off the eyes and ears from the normies. Which he hates because he's bad at keeping secrets, but whatever, it's important. Soon there will be calzones though! Huzzah!

    "You say that like I'm not already practically one," he answers, thinking about how much of the actual rearing of children he had to do once their father kind of...just...stopped giving a crap. Having a depressed dad sucks.

    "Mmm, well, it's a celebration - makes sense that people would want to get a new treat."
    makesascene: (Satisfied/Pleased/Neutral)

    [personal profile] makesascene 2025-11-05 12:58 am (UTC)(link)
    Raph outright just acknowledging that fact feels... weird. Uncomfortable. There are a few things that usually go unsaid in their family and that is one of them. "Well. At least you would pick these ones." He says with an awkward shrug, a little uncomfortable but forging onwards anyway. He could play this so, so, so cool. Watch this.

    "We all deserve a little treat, you especially. Big puncher on campus." He teases, trying to keep the tone light.
    Edited 2025-11-05 00:59 (UTC)
    redangelofpreventingharm: (Default)

    [personal profile] redangelofpreventingharm 2025-11-05 01:07 am (UTC)(link)
    The discomfort doesn't stop him from just answering. "I'd still pick you guys." He's the eldest - even if his little brothers drive him utterly batshit at times, he still cares about them. He always will.

    He laughs softly at that. "At least I got to punch one in the face."
    makesascene: (Vulnerable/guilty/oh im a lil guy)

    [personal profile] makesascene 2025-11-05 04:57 am (UTC)(link)
    The genuineness of that does not stop the discomfort train any! Leonardo opens his mouth and closes it. "I dunno- how. I mean... we're pretty annoying. We also keep randomly eating poison..." He couldn't even imagine what he would be like if he had been randomly picked to be in charge of everyone. He would be a completely different person.

    "You'll probably get to punch a bunch of 'em in the face. Let's just try to not get separated again." He hated that, actually.
    redangelofpreventingharm: (Default)

    [personal profile] redangelofpreventingharm 2025-11-05 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
    If he has or hasn't noticed the discomfort yet, he doesn't let it on. Eldest sibling rights to make the youngers squirm, after all, that was his right. "You're still my brothers." And he was used to them never listening to him. He figures that's why he'd be a very tired dad like Pops was.

    "I'm okay with that. Ever since they told me about them I wanted to punch them in the face." He reaches to ruffle his brother's head of hair, since their cloaking allows it and he gets ruffle rights too. "Wasn't Donnie with you anyway?"
    makesascene: (Bored/UGH/waiting)

    [personal profile] makesascene 2025-11-05 05:14 am (UTC)(link)
    The shorter teenager groans at the hair ruffling. He swats at Raph's hands, but even then he seems a little pleased, too. Not that he was going to tell Raph that. "C'mon, my hair!"

    He sticks his tongue out, "No. I think you guys went to the garden, and I was stuck with the bug problem." He rephrases it just enough, given they're in public.
    redangelofpreventingharm: (Totally Not Sulking)

    [personal profile] redangelofpreventingharm 2025-11-05 05:23 am (UTC)(link)
    Nope, this is big brother privileges and you're being all uncomfy about talking about serious things so he's going to give it another ruffle or two. "Yup, that's your hair. Congrats."

    But he lets up on it. "Huh. I thought he was with you. I didn't see him in the garden." He frowns a little bit at the thought. "I think he's been avoiding me."

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