synflux | TEAM BUILDING EVENT #1

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TEAM BUILDING EVENT #1

TEAM BUILDING EVENT #1

CONTENT WARNINGS: forced scenarios, violence & action scenarios, thalassophobia, mass death & injury from natural disaster.

▶ 001. GET ALONG PROMPT

LILITH is highly invested in the physical and mental well-being of its employees. A happy and connected workforce is a strong workforce, after all. However, SYNTHIA has picked up on many instances of discontent between Outsiders - people being blocked by each other on LINE, or teetering on the edge of having a fight (you know who you are and so does SYNTHIA, surprise!) That just won't do. Outsiders who cannot get along will fail miserably when it's time for teamwork. That is why this month's team-building exercise aims to spread positivity amongst the Outsiders. We all gotta get along in the middle of a crisis.

Whether you are looking someone in the face, texting them, or staring at their profile on the network, you receive a prompt from SYNTHIA, followed by an image (exactly as pictured, Shutterstock watermark and all):

"LILITH promotes a positive working environment. Why don't you pay this Outsider a compliment or do something nice for them? Or else :) Noncompliance will result in disciplinary action."

True enough, ignoring the prompt a total of 5 times will result in characters being transported to their rooms and put under house arrest - ahem, time out for a total of 2 days. It doesn't hurt to play along, right? As a note, the prompts become especially persistent when you're faced with someone you dislike. Should Outsiders try to leave their room during this time, they will find the automatic doors do not open the typical way (retina scan and thumb print.) They are trapped! Perhaps asking SYNTHIA for some mercy with positive compliments directed her way will do the trick (it won't, bu you can try!) Remember, Outsiders can speak to SYNTHIA anytime. She's everywhere all the time. Consider her your prettier Alexa. In fact, she might be flattered by that compliment.

▶ 002. TEAM ACTIVITIES.

You've had your fun back at the MAIN BASE. Now it's time to work. Outsiders will be sent back out towards Tokyo Bay while LILITH's research crew continues to try and detect the source of the strong waves. The city is in disarray after the tsunami, with the less secured buildings torn down and many lives lost. Morale within Neo Tokyo is at an all time low even with civilians comforting one another. Each Outsider will receive a small mission brief marked in the colours of their respective team as they are once again flown via helicopter to the designated area.

REDEMPTION:
Outsiders within REDEMPTION are tasked to spread joy in the streets and at the hospital. Be creative in how you wish to do this, whether it's putting on a performance, a skit, or spreading kindness with gifts and sweet gestures. Those with a Style Upgrade are encouraged to use their chip to don funny and eye catching costumes to entertain the civilians. Those with a healing upgrade are highly encouraged to help medical staff.

REVELATION:
Outsiders within REVELATION are tasked with babysitting duties. Many parents are still recovering in the hospital and there's no one to watch their children while they recover. A lot of pets need looking after too! Make sure the children and furbabies are fed, clothed and getting enough sleep. This can even include filling in for classrooms that have recently lost their teacher. Outsiders in REVELATION are encouraged to keep a tally of the census and go looking for lost children if someone seems to be missing.

EVERLIGHT:
Outsiders within EVERLIGHT will be tasked with keeping the people fed and the local businesses running. This can mean organising a soup kitchen, preparing homecooked meals for the civilians and delivering hot meals door to door. It can also mean helping local businesses with repairs to their shops, bringing them supplies and filling in for the staff they might have lost. The city might have just been hit with a tsunami, but that doesn't mean it needs to shut down!

BRIMSTONE:
Outsiders within BRIMSTONE are the luckiest of the lot - they get to be clean up crew. They will be mandated to wear hazmat suits in outrageous colours along with breathing gear. Why? Because they will be scrubbing the whole place of rubble, dirt, debris and corpses. Yes, corpses. Outsiders within BRIMSTONE will be given a census and tasked with identifying any dead body they find. They will then need to transport the corpse to the nearest LILITH disposal truck on a stretcher, where LILITH will cremate it properly. Note that they will be some survivors in the mix, so be prepared to administer first aid and conduct rescue operations accordingly.

Within certain parts of the city (the sewers, in particular, which have flooded with water), the natural flora seems to have been poisoned by a mysterious element. Toxic, monstrous plants are coming alive and attacking anything they see! They bind and strangle Outsiders with their vines and sting them with their nettles. These plants need to be dealt with before they overgrow. Fire & ice works well on them.

"Good afternoon, Angels of LILITH. Please pay close attention to the brief sent to you. We have specific duties for each team. Once you have done enough work, you will be prompted to help another team with their tasks if you desire. Our research crew is searching for the source of the kaiju and we have received information it is in the ocean. Please be ready in case it makes an appearance again before we can find it. You will be staying in Moonlight Inn & 11 Hours hostel once again as we should remain close by. Thank you for the cooperation."

Outsiders will need to finish their team missions. However, if they have time afterward and want to do some overtime, they are more than welcome to help the other teams on their missions.

▶ 003. IT ISN'T OVER YET.

Those who remember the mission brief two weeks ago will know that the first shockwaves are usually the sign of an impending kaiju. LILITH is conducting their own investigations, but with a fresh and energetic workforce it only makes sense to ultilize it. All Outsiders will be given orders to collect samples and bring it back for ongoing testing. By samples, they mean contaminated fish or ocean life remains, or samples of the toxic plants appearing in the sewers.

For Outsiders braving the sewers, they will need to don the silly hazmat suits issued to BRIMSTONE for their own protection and fight off the monstrous plants to clip some samples. It's encouraged to get leaves, stems, seeds, flowers or the whole plant if you can manage it. (Note that collecting the whole plant in a sample container will result in said plant hissing and striking you through the glass.)

For Outsiders who feel like taking a swim, they will be given diving suits and ordered to take a dive in Tokyo Bay. Once in the waters, they are to hunt down and capture any contaminated fish or marine life they can find. This means tuna fish with three eyes or octopi with two heads and 16 legs. It's encouraged to capture them live, but LILITH will also accept remains or waste samples. (Note that the available oxygen in the tank is limited and attempting to swim too far from Neo Tokyo will likely result in an Outsider drowning. )

▶ 004. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our first CR Building event! All prompts are highly encouraged but OOCly optional. Characters are encouraged to participate in their team-specific missions but can help out the other teams if they have time. Feel free to ask any event-related questions below!

As always, you are free to check out our main base and locations page and make up your own prompts!

Please note that all tags in this log will count for 2 reward points each. Have fun! The next log will feature the kaiju fight and will be posted on FEBRUARY 1st in lieu of a TDM.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[From up on that ladder, Raidou seems to be suddenly snapped back to reality by Bakugo shouting up at him. He really hadn't noticed anyone coming by for a minute, there.

As soon as he turns to Bakugo, up pops the same message in his field of vision. Synthia has been extra insistent about this with Raidou, whose mood and demeanor has been monitored and deemed to be not up to par. Clearly what he needs is better relationships with his fellow Outsiders. Open up, make friends!

Raidou sighs from his perch.]

... Yes. Again.

[No shit. The guy looked like he was dazing out of existence up there rather than washing the window he was ostensibly facing it for in the first place. Damn, he knows it's cold and all, but that doesn't give you a reason to freeze to death on top of a ladder while window washing. Embarrassing as fuck way to go, Shashou.

The answer comes in the form of that sigh, well before the other boy bothers to make words. Great. Bakugo rests his hands on his hips in annoyance, glaring through the prompt in his vision up towards Raidou.]

Just ignore it. They're the ones that stuck us in this shithole in the first place.

[He was pretty much done up here, but coming down meant dealing with Bakugo. Hanging out up here seemed like the better option. After a moment of hesitation, he climbs down.]

It'll go away if you just do it. Otherwise it keeps popping up. I really don't want to know what happens if you don't.

[Raidou thinks back to the mistletoe, and the compulsion it gave him. Reaching out to grab a stranger by the hand not once, but twice. The scandal!

He folds his arms, looking at Bakugo looking really unsure about this. The warning pops up in his field of vision again, bigger than it was before. Synthia has noticed some tension with this coworker.]

You, um. I think you're probably nicer than you like to let on, for whatever reason.

[So there. Raidou's bluntness isn't something everyone gets to see, so consider yourself lucky(?). It actually takes a moment for his warning to clear from his vision, Synthia taking a moment to determine whether or not this is actually a compliment. Good enough.]

[Don't say "dealing with him" like it's a fucking chore! He could be one of those real big bully assholes and shake the ladder while Raidou's up there! And he's NOT doing that. Huffy bastard.]

What the hell are they gonna do? They need us working and healthy. Fucking us over something like this is pointless.

[While Bakugo has been around two "compulsion" events now, the mistletoe and the hot springs, neither has really managed to sink into him enough where something he'll snarl about later occurred. Thankfully.

An ashen brow arches when he notices Raidou looking at him. Weirdly... What's up with his damn expression? He looks sick. Or stuffed up.]

If you're gonna puke, face that way.

[And points to the window Raidou was just working on. Implying he should, you know, open it first. At least until the guy randomly blurts out something completely stupid. Bakugo's eyes widen, before abruptly twisting his face into an expressive snarl.]

YOU WANNA TRY SAYING THAT AGAIN, CONDUCTOR FACE?! I'LL SMEAR YOU ACROSS THE WALL!

[Apparently someone's a lot more stubborn than Raidou. That or deliberately defies the prompts.]

[Matter-of-factly:] I'm certain you heard me.

[To his credit, and probably to Bakugo's even greater annoyance, Raidou is completely unphased. He expected this. It's half the reason he said it. Cold gray eyes stare at him from under the brim of his hat, arms still folded.]

You do something nice while still calling people names. While yelling and raving. I don't understand it. If you truly hated everyone, you would keep to yourself and not bother.

[Raidou's aware he's not the only one who gets this treatment from Bakugo. Maybe it's some sort of machismo thing? Raidou's never really quite understood guys like that, but he's met plenty. Though perhaps not one this aggro, though.

However, Bakugo's outburst has made it so that Raidou is suddenly given the compliment prompt again. Clearly this coworker needs more support! He blinks in surprise, then frowns.]

Another?

[ooc: the mods responded. looks like rude compliments will work? bahah~]

[DON'T CHALLENGE HIS THREAT WITH LOGIC!! That's not what that threat was encouraging!]

Keep that shit to yourself.

[Ironically, unphased people are a 50/50 with him. At one point, their nonplussed reaction means he shut them up and can stalk off with a "win" under his belt. At another point, the silence just riles him up more because they're not responding. Burning red glare right back at that hat-eaved gray pair.]

I have to work with you assholes on missions; it's just going to screw with my success if you're all half dead and pathetic.

[Sure, watch him explain away exactly what Raidou is hitting on the head perfectly. He's not going to admit that's precisely what's going on. Though he isn't lying about wanting to make sure his team is in good shape. It's going to be a risk to all of them, and the people they're trying to save, if the Everlight Outsiders are weak. (And if they happen to be the best team LILITH has ever seen, well fucking awesome victory.)

Which also means that prompt comes up again and Bakugo snarls at it. He guesses that's what the "another" means.]

What the hell are they trying to push here? We haven't been slacking off or failing.

Edited 2024-01-17 03:20 (UTC)

[Raidou knows exactly why Synthia is hammering him with these prompts, but he won't admit it. He's been too solitary, too distant. Though the AI is trying to couch it as getting him to make more friends and establishing healthy connections. Try again, Kuzunoha!

Raidou's shoulders tense as he struggles to come up with something, looking away now.]

Our team is good. Have some faith in us.

[Nope, no good. He gets another warning, and huffs sharply.]

Fine. Your concern is for our team is... commendable. Thank you for the concern.

[It's just like that damn Denim Head, Midnight-sensei and his teachers, and the other heroes who bitch about Bakugo's "attitude" and language. He doesn't care about that crap! If people are so weak they can't handle some cuss words or blunt language, they're never going to make it far in life! Grow up, toughen up, and shut up!

He doesn't need it from this stupid AI as well...

Even though it seems to be very stubborn on the issue. Even if he tries to close out of the prompt, it pops right back up with that damn image and it's prerecorded message. Which is also getting... even more annoyingly sweet about it.]

Our team's going to be the best. [Bakugo doesn't at all doubtful about that. As for having faith in them...] Once they earn it.

[None of that works either. It's specifically suggesting that he should compliment Raidou specifically, dammit.]

You're really trying for it today, aren't you, Shashou...

I have nothing to do with this.

[Don't blame him for Sythnia's whims. At least Raidou's last compliment seems to satisfy her again, and the prompt vanishes. He relaxes, but not too much, as he still has to wait for whatever it is Bakugo might have to say. His arms stay folded, his glare sharp.]

Just-- go ahead, so we can go back to what we were both doing.

[Which was what for him, exactly? Those windows aren't getting much cleaner.]

How literal are you...

[Grumbled under his breath so he doesn't actually encourage an answer. Raidou would probably try to give one. Bakugo knows very well what this damn program is trying to force him to do and he's digging his heels in out of pure spite. No one TELLS him what to do, least of all how to act around others. He's not changing his life just cause some mechanical bitch feels offended.]

Haa?! Don't order me around, Shashou! You're not begging for a damn compliment!

[Which makes the prompt show up again, flashing more demanding this time. Bakugo's snarling head jerk suggests he just threw if off the table more than swiped it away.]

PISS OFF!! He's not even sad!

[Well... Raidou did look melancholic up there when Bakugo first saw him. But the guy always looks dour!]

I'm not ordering you. It's just-- practical.

[He doesn't have all day. Neither does Bakugo. An idea occurs to him that he doesn't like.]

... You should just say something before she forces you to. And you say something you don't want to.

[It's a jumped-to conclusion, but after that mistletoe, it's a reasonable one.

However, at that "sad" remark, Raidou blinks in surprise before turning away, brow furrowed. Looking like he's been accused of something.]

This isn't practical; it's manipulative!

[More towards the AI than Raidou. His head twitches back in anger at the proposed. Half because it's stupid, half because it's not entirely unfounded either. This damn thing also drags embarrassing answers to stupid questions out of their heads and splashes them up on their profiles at different times too. What's stopping it from doing something like that now?

But the thoughts get paused when Raidou reacts like that. Wait, "sad" and suddenly the guy's looking away like he's a dog getting reprimanded or something. Bakugo stares at him for several seconds before shoving his hands in his pockets, shoulders hunched slightly in annoyances.]

At least you're good at cleaning. [Prompt. Fucking hell!] The dorm'd look a lot shittier without you.

[Well, it's a compliment. Hopefully it did the trick. Raidou still looks away, opting to look at the floor instead of Bakugo.]

... Thank you. Has your notice gone away now?

[Yeah the notice has gone away, but Bakugo's not really focused on that right now. He's still looking at the guy, brows furrowed in suspicion.]

What are you moping over?

...Nothing.

[Bakugo wouldn't really care, or so Raidou assumes. He would much rather be able to slap on a smile and pretend everything's fine, but he's just not that kind of person. He shifts uncomfortably while being looked at, before deciding to turn to his cleaning supplies and pack up.]

You don't-- It's not a concern.

[There's no bite in that statement, which is delivered quietly. Like a statement of fact.]

Bullshit. [Oh he has learned more than enough that "nothing" said like that means anything but nothing. It's not his place to pry, and normally he wouldn't give a shit, but the AI's been annoying about compliments. Stick it to the bitch, right? Plus it's not going to help him if Raidou's beating himself down into a funk when he's needed.

No one's happy to be here (as far as he figures) but this dour mood doesn't seem like it's reality check gloom.]

Is that why you're washing windows?

It gives me something to do. [He says nothing after that for several moments. What would he do, say something about what happened to him, only to get berated for being weak, for being a failure? He's doing a good enough job of that on himself. The terrible feelings he was mired in were something Raidou's never experienced until now, and it's harder than he ever imagined to bounce back from.

He folds up the ladder, then stops while holding it, looking out those windows.]

I was the Capital's summoner, and now I am Neo Tokyo's. My feelings are irrelevant to my duties. My will is for the people of this city, just as it had been in my home. That much has not changed, even if I am Kuzunoha in name only now.

[From the deadpan delivery of this, these lines have an almost rehearsed feeling. Like he's said something similar to it many, many times.

He picks up his bucket of supplies with one hand, and threads his arm through the ladder to carry it on his other shoulder. He looks at Bakugo now, eyes cold.]

I just want to work.

Edited (html, my nemesis) 2024-01-18 04:29 (UTC)

Uh-huh. [Something to do to stave off boredom is different from something to do to distract from issues. He's no stranger to blowing off steam or engaging in activities to vent frustrations or sequester away to let his mind wander and figure things out on his own. Away from people who want to pry and offer advice or encouragements, shit he doesn't want to deal with. Bakugo's never liked letting others help him, whether it's with physical tasks or emotional problems. He expects Raidou to be the same.

So it's surprising when he actually stops and offers an insight.

What he hears is a split down the middle. Some would see it as an admirable adaption to the circumstances. Some would see it as traitorous cowering. Bakugo narrows his eyes for a different reason, even though he feels both of those responses.

Meaning the ladder gets stopped before it can tilt, caught on one side by the blonde's hand. Those cold steel eyes don't intimidate him, and he glares right back with hard red.]

I wasn't asking the fucking title that wants to work. [The robotic position this guy possesses.] I'm asking the person who felt sadness enough to stop working and stare out the window.

[Not the Capital's summoner. But rather the unnamed human boy that carries a will of his own.]

[Raidou is taken aback by this, not expecting such a question out of Bakugo, knocking that cold gaze away. That human being down in there was definitely struggling to hide, or maybe to be seen. Raidou bites his lip to stifle his expression.

His mind goes to Seimei, as it does all the time since he arrived, and how he acted like he cared. How Raidou had fallen for it. He can't let himself fall for it again. Doing so had cost him everything.]

That person died along with Kuzunoha Raidou the Fourteenth.

[He would've take more satisfaction out of apparently sucker punching this guy, but he's more concerned with at least punching through the surface and getting an answer from the armored train conductor. People who put on that blank mask of indifference, covering themselves in cold and distance, have reasons for it...

Raidou apparently knows that, considering that brief slide of his lip between his teeth. Trying to hide something so intense, he has to physically stop himself? Damn, that's telling as fuck.]

Don't fuck with me. That person was just looking out the window. And he just bit your damn lip too.

[Bakugo tightens his grip on the ladder, eyes burrowing into Raidou.]

I don't care what position or role you have; you're not a fucking robot and you suck at pretending to be one.

[And that's exactly why he failed at his duties and was defeated. Because he wasn't an emotionless robot after all.

His head dips again, but when he meets Bakugo's eyes again, there is more resolve there.]

Do you care? Because up until now, nearly everything else you've ever said to me would lead me to believe otherwise.

[It's not harsh or accusatory. He almost sounds disappointed. Why was it, of all people - the person who flies off the handle over nearly everything, and called him names - that he was standing here doing this? Does he care or does he just want to get a rise out of Raidou? It wasn't making sense to him.]

[He meets the resolve without backing. There are arguments to being an expressionless robot, hardening yourself against emotions and going against the world with metal between everything and you. But there's a cost to that.

And when a robot fails, it has no hope of getting back up and going again. Not unless someone else does that for it. Or fixes it and improves upon it. All things the robot can't do on its own. Just a pathetic machine with no hopes of improving itself after a failure.

Bakugo bristles at the blunt question. ]

Don't put it like that, dammit! What you said is fucking stupid.

[He crosses his arms over his chest, glaring at Raidou.]

I didn't give a bath to some soulless robot. [For example.] Listening to you talk like that pissed me off.

[Bakugo saying those things makes Raidou glower at him for a moment, but he wasn't wrong, was he.]

I'm sorry. It's just--

[Should he be sorry? He didn't know. He struggles to come up with what to say next.]

I don't what I'm supposed to do. I don't know how--

[How to deal with this grief, something he's never had to do before. He just doesn't recognize it for what it is, or how to make it stop. Not knowing what else to say, Raidou shakes his head.]

[Despite his horrible attitude, Bakugo's annoyingly perceptive, even with other people's emotions. Minor tells on their expression or tone, along with their posture or words, can say a lot about how they feel or their intent.

Why the hell's he apologizing? ... Bakugo's glare eases off into a more normal RBF frown.]

You don't have to say anything. [Though the dismissal is there to give Raidou a way out, it's not the best way to handle something balled up and stuffed inside. He should know that well enough himself.] But it'll be easier to talk about it.

[Seeing him clearly struggling to deal with something, Bakugo pushes the ladder up to rest it against the wall again.]

Do you talk better while fighting or resting?

[Raidou rubs the back of his neck, before managing the faintest of smiles.]

During neither, probably.

[He does have to think about it though, since that's not something he's ever been asked. When fighting or sparring, all thoughts are gone from his head except for the battle in front of him. Talking then would only be a distraction, and he doesn't want that.

More than that, accepting the offer, if that's what that is, is also a struggle. He talked a little about this with Lucy, but that was against his will. Maybe if it was voluntary, it would be easier.]

I... suppose the latter.

▶ 001. GET ALONG PROMPT

▶ 002. TEAM ACTIVITIES.

▶ 003. IT ISN'T OVER YET.

▶ 004. AFTERWORD.

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