kaisou | JUNE EVENT LOG

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JUNE EVENT LOG

June Event
Dominant Element: Light
Waning Element: Shadow

Full Moon: June 21st - June 23rd

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Summer is here! Gone are the dark nights of May, with the daylight hours stretching until pretty late. The weather is hot, but not unbearably so. This is the kind of weather that one would call "idyllic summer". Those who have lived in Kaisou awhile will know June is the summer month with the best weather, so it's best to enjoy it while you can. And if you are out after the sun has finally set, they will get to enjoy the Spirit Vein at it's most dazzling. The dominance of light element causes the vein to glow brilliantly with all sorts of colors on the visible spectrum, making it appear like an ever changing rainbow that lights up the night.

Kaisou Pride

♪- I Wanna Dance With Somebody

As is the case every June, Kaisou goes all out with its Pride celebrations. Almost every street corner flies rainbow flags, with fliers advertising street parties and meetups all month. As always, capitalism can't resist getting its claws into this- stores all over the city offer speciality drinks, apparel or treats, trying to entice people in with how progressive they are. How legitimate these efforts are or not are mixed, but if you ever really wanted to try a rainbow boba, now's your chance!

In the middle of June, Kaisou has a massive pride parade, snaking a vast pathway through various districts in the city. Vendors can be found dotted around the route, selling every kind of pride flag you can imagine, along with noisemakers and bubble wands. Rainbow cupcakes and drinks can also be found to keep you fed and hydrated while you enjoy the parade. You can even take part, if you so wish- sign-ups can be found throughout the start of the month- so if you want to strut your stuff in front of the whole city, you can!

The Kitsune are not about to let what is clearly a great business opportunity pass them by! This month, for the price of a secret, they're offering rainbow candy, promising it will help give some energy for extra partying. What they actually do is encourage you to divulge any secrets you have with little to no prompting. They're trying to get a little extra gossip, the sneaks! You might want to get these off the market before more dangerous tea is spilt than if you think your friend looks fat in hats. Find and destroy the rainbow candy to the best of your ability- and if you find someone afflicted by them, be a good smartian and get them out of sight until the candy wears off in a hour or two.

Fabulous Season

♪- Pride Anthem Dance Mix

Never, ever to be outdone or outshone by the city itself, The Vogue Theatre goes as all out as it possibly can. The place is often bedecked with pride flags, but it has gone into overdrive for June. The bar has had tables shifted to allow for more congregating and dancing, with every evening promising parties with bright lights and every pride song under the rainbow blaring through the speakers. The bar has a new mix of speciality pride-themed cocktails and mocktails- with a note on the bar stating that the total drinks sales for June would be divided among various queer support charities in the city- so you are doing GOOD by having a night out here this month. If you're brave enough, you can also try the Vogue's annual Drink the Progress Flag Challenge- an 11-drink-strong competition, if you win, you get to have your picture put up behind the bar. After what is only called "the Venti incident" by staff, anyone taking part in the competition needs to give an emergency contact number for someone who can drag your drunk ass home.

The theatre itself has exclusively queer-centric performances this month. This year's selection is A Strange Loop, La Cage Aux Folles, and Falsettos. During the day, you can also find classes in designing and sewing fabulous drag outfits- along with makeup tutorials and choreography lessons. Anyone is welcome to take part, either as an instructor or as a student, which will be needed because...

The last weekend of June hosts "Fabulous Season" - a drag competition! Drag queens and kings alike are encouraged to enter, with the promise of a $5,000 prize for winning. The dressing rooms in the theatre are decked out and ready for the contestants to use to prepare. Established drag kings and queens from the city are around to provide support and advice- though they are encouraged to help each other, too. While contestants are welcome to duck out of challenges they don't want to do, they will be awarded "Fabulous Points" for everything they take part in and score highly in. Challenges include such things as a lip-sync battle, best drag competition, snatch game (impersonating a celebrity of their choice) and a choreography battle. The winner of the show is the drag act who has garnered the highest number of Fabulous Points at the end of the competition. After the drag race is over, there will be one last big blow-out party to see Pride Month out. The Vogue will be closed for the first week of July, so the staff take a well-earned break so enjoy yourself while you can!

Pink Goes With Everything!

♪- Barbie Girl

ALERT: SPIRIT REALM ANOMALY DETECTED
Element Classification: Light
Danger Level: Low
Designation: Barbie Land
Zodiac has detected a Spirit Gate at Kaisou Beach. We have been reached out to by a resident of the gate for a request of assistance concerning a complex matter. Please visit the Zodiac offices for more information.

The Zodiac offices are bustling as always - they will not comment on what happened last month, if you ask. It turns out Jarry was honest when he told you all that Zodiac doesn't know what happened. Regardless, they have bigger fish to fry, currently. You'll find The Professor (Fuzzy) is still on sabbatical, so one of the interns has been trying to handle things and they're honestly on edge about it. They explain another envoy has come out of the latest Spirit Gate to enlist the help of the app users of Kaisou. Zodiac employees seem a little perturbed by this one, and when you head off to meet her, you can see why.

Waiting for you is a woman who looks like someone who's been Through It. She introduces herself as Weird Barbie- yes, she insists, exactly like the doll. She explains she comes from Barbie Land- Mattel's biggest secret. Her world is where all the Barbies and Kens live their perfect plastic lives, powered by the imagination of the children who own them. She, herself, was the Barbie of someone who "played too hard" with her- which explains her... everything and probably why she keeps doing the splits everywhere. She tells you that the "membrane" between the Real World and Barbie Land is getting thin again. Last time this happened things got "hinky". The Barbies and Kens affected by this need to be snapped out of their existential crises before it spreads to all of Barbie Land. Again.

Weird Barbie tells you to lessen the damage of "Real World Junk" leaking through, you need to blend into Barbie Land. This means you need to be assigned as either a "Barbie" or a "Ken" and live that role to the best of your abilities as you try and fix the existential dolls dotted around the Land. Weird Barbie will tell you the assignments will be regardless of gender or lack thereof- no one cares. All that matters is if you are a Barbie or a Ken.

Barbies: Are amazing, talented and beautiful. You can be ANYTHING you want to be! Literally any job ever. Astronaut? Doctor? President? The world is your oyster! Everyone LOVES you! You live in a Dreamhouse- which you understand is some kind of mansion. It's like the world revolves around you- because it does. You have a fabulous wardrobe at all times. Your feet are permanently on tip-toes, ready for your glamourous high-heels. Your hair is always perfect.
Kens: Basically exist only to simp for Barbies. You get weird, pointless, nonsensical jobs like "beach" or "sword" or "ice cream". These seem more like hobbies than actual jobs, but everyone in Barbie Land act as if "beach" is a legitimate career choice. People tend to forget about you after you've spoken, and if a Barbie is around? Forget about it. You do not live in a Dreamhouse. You live outside. Like a stray animal. You still have a great wardrobe though.

With your Barbie or Ken assigned role, you must now travel to Barbie Land. Unfortunately, once you step through the gate it is not as simple as just showing up in Barbie Land, oh no. You must traverse the needlessly complicated travel route to get there. First, you need to don your very plastic, very YELLOW rollerblades, then you ride a pink snowmobile, drive in a pink campervan, then ride a pink tandem bike, after than you must ride a pink rocketship, sail in a pink boat and finally drive a pink convertible which will FINALLY bring you to Barbie Land. If you want to go back to Kaisou at any point, you must do the same... just in reverse. Why? They don't know, that's just how it is. Real weapons are not allowed in Barbie Land- so any weapons you might have on you will turn into plastic variants. You will also find your powers no longer working.

Life In Plastic

♪- Pink

When you finally make it to Barbie Land, the first thing you're bound to notice is that everything is plastic. Everything. The second thing you'll notice is how pink everything is. Every shade of pink there is! While other colours certainly exist in Barbie Land, it's hard to deny that pink is the most dominant colour palette. The world is dominated by Barbies and Kens, all living their perfect, happy lives. There are a couple of Skippers- Barbie's tween sister and a few Midges - Barbie's pregnant friend. There is also Allan. There are no multiples of Allan. There is only Allan. If you ask him about it, he explains the other Allans escaped into the Real World to form *NSYNC. He's the only one aside from Weird Barbie who seems to be fully aware of what's actually happening. You will be referred to as either Barbie or Ken no matter how many times you remind the citizens of Barbie Land what your name actually is (often with an obnoxious "Hi Barbie!" or "Hi Ken!!"). Allan will remember your real name. Allan is a bro.

If you are blessed enough to be a Barbie, you will be ushered to your very own Dreamhouse. This is a two-storey home, with everything a Barbie could ever wish for. Like everything else in Barbie Land, the whole home is plastic. The walls are see-through, this is so you can see all the other Barbies in their own Dreamhouses and wave at them. And be waved at. Privacy does not exist in Barbie Land. Barbies own a luxurious bed- with a slide that goes right down from your bedroom to the pool. The pool has no water in it- you can stand on it- it's just a sticker decal. In fact, NO actual water seems to exist in Barbie Land at all. You stand under a waterless shower and while you can feel the perfect-temperature water, no water seems to exist at all. It's weird. Barbies will find a fabulous wardrobe waiting for them. You don't even have to physically get dressed! All you need to do is stand in front of it, give a little twirl, and magically the outfit will be on you! While your powers may be nerfed, both Barbies and Kens will find they can just float around- as if picked up by invisible hands and moved from one place to the next.

Regardless of if you are a Barbie or a Ken, you will still feel like flesh and blood, but you will find you no longer need basic things such as food, water or warmth to survive. Which is probably a good thing because there's none of that. The fridge in the Dreamhouse only has fake plastic food which you can mime eating- you can almost TASTE it like it's real though. You can pour yourself a glass of juice, and while no juice comes out and nothing is there to drink, you can swear you're drinking a fresh glass of OJ. The oven in the Dreamhouse is just a decal sticker- so no cooking of any kind can actually go on. Given there's no fire in Barbie Land, that's probably for the best.

Kens, of course, get none of the "luxury" of the Dreamhouse. Kens seem to congregate on the beach, in packs. They have no dwelling of any kind, they just hang around, waiting for Barbie to start her day and bless them with her presence. You can try and sleep in a Dreamhouse if you find a Barbie willing to put up with it- but the other Barbies in the area will find it really weird- that's not where Kens go!!! Despite this, Kens always have a perfect outfit on, though where the outfits come from is anyone's guess. The Kens sure don't know! They just magically appear on them.

Finally, the beach is the most popular place to be! Like everything else in Barbie Land, it's plastic. The sand is one single plastic sheet with ridges cut into it to mimic sand banks. The ocean, similarly, is one sheet of blue plastic, with the occasional raised faux-wave sitting in the middle. Weirdly, sometimes Mer-Babies and Kens will pop up out of... somewhere in that ocean to wave hi to you. Don't think about it too hard. Barbies and Kens alike spent time lounging on sunbeds or playing exciting games of volleyball. Sometimes, Kens get overexcited and threaten to "beach" each other off. It's not quite clear what that is- no one seems to want to ask.

Life's A Beach

♪- Barbie Dreams

And so you settle into your new Barbie/Ken life. If you're a Barbie, you wake up with your perfect hair, go to your perfect job and then spend time on the beach. Kens are just always on the beach. Waiting for their Barbies. Nights are often filled with Dreamhouse parties, with perfectly choreographed dance numbers. The temperature is always perfect, it never rains. Every day is absolutely perfect- and every single day is exactly the same. Forever. You can start to see where there might be a problem here.

You'll soon come across why you were brought here in the first place. Barbies and Kens have started to feel the influence of the Real World. They have started to feel existential dread, and you can often find them standing or sitting around Barbie Land, looking horrified and quietly asking you if you ever think about death. Barbies start to get flat feet, bad breath and worst of all- cellulite! Kens meanwhile start to get increasingly self-conscious about their dependency on Barbie and feel a need to sing their "favourite song" (Matchbox 20's "Push") while staring intently and uncomfortably at a Barbie. It's all pretty... unnerving. This seems to be a contagious problem- when an infected Ken or Barbie spends too much time with another, talking about how freaked they are by the weight of existence- it can spread to the unwitting companion. This is something you need to fix before every Ken and Barbie in Barbie Land is an anxious, depressed mess- this isn't the Real World, after all!

You head up to Weird Barbie's Dreamhouse atop the highest hill in Barbie Land. She lives there with all the discontinued Barbies and Kens- such as Barbie Video Girl (she has a video in her back, who WANTS that?), Earring Magic Ken (it's magic!) and Growing Up Skipper (don't press her arm!). They explain that the last time the membrane between Barbie Land and the Real World was so thin, the Kens tried to bring The Patrichary into Barbie Land and brainwashed a bunch of Barbies into doing their bidding. It was a miserable time and they don't want to deal with it again. Weird Barbie tells you that you need to help the infected Barbies and Kens work through their feelings. Then, they need to decide if they want to go back to their perfect plastic lives or if they want to keep living it rough as humans in the Real World- which means bringing them back to Kaisou with you. She warns anything you do regardless will have an effect on toys in the Real World, so try not to make too big a mess of things, huh? Kids still need Barbies and Kens to be able to enjoy their imagination without the horrors of existence pressing in on them.

What Was I Made For?

♪- I'm Just Ken

So now you have the tricky tasks of trying to help doll-people who have no real experience with reality learn to understand what it is and how to cope with all the feelings they're being bombarded with. It would be wise to team up with another app user to try and figure this out. There are countless options you can pick to help here- perhaps you will show a Barbie/Ken a movie on your phone, something to move them. Perhaps you'll give them a fun day of distractions from The Terrors. Maybe you can sit and tell them stories of your own life. Maybe one of you will try some armchair therapy. Whatever you feel best, go for it- it probably can't mess them up more than they already are. Probably. Maybe while you're at it, you can suggest better living conditions for the Kens, too! What's to stop them from having their own Dreamhouse? Maybe even... a beach house?!

Weird Barbie's words were true. Whatever you do to the Barbies and Kens does have an effect on the Real World too. Those in Kaisou (or those who go back to visit while the realm is active) will find toys mimicking their work in you stores all over the city. You told a Barbie about the time you went to Atlantis? Submarine Barbies are flying off the shelves! Suddenly, Ken's Beach House can be found on sale despite never having existed before. This means some of your... less pleasant memories and stories can appear too if you shared them with a Barbie or Ken. Who is Demon Fighter Barbie really for? No one knows, but they're on sale now!

It turns out the membrane making Kens and Barbie act more alive also works the other way. You might start to believe you really are Ken or Barbie. That this fake plastic life you have, with your fake plastic job (or non-job) is completely real. You start to forget your real name, your real past, your real life. You start to embrace this wonderful, plastic life where nothing is ever sad or complicated. Unlike the Barbies and Kens who might pick the Real World, you really can't stay behind in Barbie Land. It is up to your friends to reprogram you and remind you of who you really are. Luckily most of the tactics you can use on the Barbies and Kens to calm them down do wonders in bringing an infected app user back to reality.

And so you spend your month trying to fix a pile of various existential crises both from doll people and people-people. Eventually, you are able to get things to a decent equilibrium again. Some of the infected Barbies and Kens do decide that they want to continue existing as real people- even if it can be ugly and painful at times, because it has so much wonder too! Others decide that they'd rather sink back into their plastic wonderful lives and forget all about that Thinking About Death nonsense. Either way, the disaster has been averted and Barbie Land is saved!

Aftermath

With Barbie Land restored to normal you can sit and enjoy the plastic perfection for a little while longer- though do try not to be sucked too deep into the world, lest someone has to snap you out of it. You can also go into Kaisou proper to help the Barbies and Kens who chose humanity over the doll life adjust to their new existence. Like most city dwellers, they have no access to the app, but they do remember those they met in their old world- they still won't use your actual name. One of the Barbies even has multiple qualifications and even a Nobel Prize in physics! She takes on a job in Zodiac- covering The Professor (Fuzzy) while he is still on sabbatical. The Professor (Barbie) will be handling your Zodiac missions for the foreseeable- fun! She lives in the Zodiac building with her best friend, Ken.

OOC plotting post can be found here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[I. Hard at Training]

Knuckles was not good at getting along with people. This was simple fact. Knuckles also had spent far too much of his short life training, fighting, traveling the galaxy in his hunt for the Master emerald, and generally doing anything but socialize like, you know, a normal person.

Which meant that, having no particular interest in festivals and such events (unless they involved combat) and not the least clue what all the hubbub in the city was about, Knuckles had been busy with his own matters instead. Having already built himself a rather nice, if he says so himself, hut out in the woods of the park, now he had been tackling a rather more ambitious project. One that entailed not merely building with branches and thatch, but entire tree trunks, into a long series and platforms that looked almost like they belonged in Ninja Warrior.

Yeah, Knuckles was building himself an obstacle course, because jogging and punching trees really only got one so far in training, you know?

So if you happened to find yourself out in the woods of the park, you might just spot a certain red echidna hauling an entire tree along to locations undisclosed. Or later in the month, perhaps you'd see him racing along the paths at top speed before turning off into a barely-visible trail into the woods. Or, heck, maybe you just got lucky and stumbled across the overly complicated obstacle course itself! But however you spot him, the question remained: do you question the little red menace? Or even more boldly, try to stop him?

[II. Detective Knuckles]

It was highly debatable whether Knuckles actually knew what the big deal was with the spirit gates that popped up each month, or if he simply went to 'help' because he was under the impression that's how things were done around these parts. Perhaps he was looking for a purpose of his own... Or, perhaps, he was just bored and hoping for a fight.

It was even more debatable whether he had any real clue what the 'detective' side of his assigned (Barbie) role was supposed to be or do, but that sure wasn't stopping him from living it up anyway. Should you stop by his office, you'd find the echidna dressed in a very nice-looking little suit, feet propped up on his (pink) desk as he leaned back in his (pink) chair. For all the world giving off at least the look of the part, even if his understanding beyond that was more than a little dubious.

(A closer inspection would reveal a stack of--yes, pink again--books piled on the chair to allow him to even reach the desk, but nevermind that.)

"So, you have come to seek my aid in solving some manner of problem, is it?"

At least give him points for getting into the role?

[III. Good(?) Advice]

Of course, there was a mission to do here, and Knuckles was going to carry it out! So perhaps you'll spot him talking to a Barbie, or a Ken, but no matter when or where you catch him, he always seemed to be giving the same advice:

"Have you considered taking on a trial by combat? Few things sharpen the sense and clear the mind as putting one's life on the line."

... He was trying his best with what he had, okay.

[IV. All New Limited Edition]

While Knuckles himself had no real interest in toys, or even browsing the stores in general, those others who do might find something interesting on the shelves. A special new "Echidna Warrior" Barbie series, featuring accessories such as a skull-like headdress decorated with feathers, as well as a spear and bow. All in the usual garish colors, naturally, and somehow managing to look far too cutesy than they had any right to.

That said, it was probably painfully obvious to anyone who'd even seen Knuckles about precisely whose fault this particular variant was, so feel free to give him a talking-to next time you see him. Or just bring him one of the dolls and see how he'd react, if that strikes your fancy!

[Wildcard]

None of these work for you? Feel free to throw in something of your own, or hit me up in PM or on Discord (Altocumulus) if you'd like to plot something!

[So, Knuckles hasn't really seen Takame in action. And when not practicing for his performance this month he felt himself become restless since classes are not as active for the "Summer Break".

And well. If there's an obstacle course. What's a man to do but take a closer look within it as he's found no sign of the creator as of yet. There are plenty of people with the strength to create such a thing...]

Hmm.

Perhaps there were plenty with the strength, but how many had the sheer audacity (read: lack of social inhibitions) to just go and do it without even thinking to stop and consult with, well, anyone else at all?

... Well, okay, even that probably didn't entirely narrow it down, but still.

In any case, it wasn't long before Knuckles returned to the site of his little construction project, more materials in hand. And by that we mean hauling a section of log bigger than he was. He spotted his 'guest' almost immediately, and setting the log down with a thud as he headed over.

"Ah, Takame! What brings you here?"

As if the same question couldn't be asked of him.

[There isn't a hinge to be found in this fucking city, what makes Knuckles stand out is his form. His tail twitched as he sensed someone approach, long before he made himself known by speaking. It was only when he spoke that Takame turned around.]

Ah, Knuckles. [...] I saw this... structure from a fair distance away. [Says the man with greatly enhanced eyesight.] Is this your doing?

"It is."

He sounded rather pleased with himself about that, really.

"The facilities most humans have for training are insufficient, so it was necessary that I create my own."

Knuckles might have also been a bit bored/restless/needing something to do, too.

... There are reinforced facilities about that can accommodate for enhanced strength. Though I am not at full liberty to discuss the details I'm afraid.

[Takame takes "don't talk about fight club" a little too literally, bless his heart. He looked the makeshift obstacle course over, curious despite his words.]

It is an impressive feat. However, it may not be wise to expand it any further as you may run the risk of disturbing others nearby.

[Kitsune, fae and such were still about after all. Oh heavens that is a really wide gap to jump between two relatively thin trunks. His mouth says "don't disturb the peace" but his tail says "wag wag wag".]

"It is not merely a question of how strong they are, but that their scope itself is far too limiting."

Did anyone else have a full-on obstacle course Takame? Did they?

"That should not be a problem, as it is nearly complete now."

Or at least about as big as it was going to get, with Knuckles simply expanding on the existing obstacles as needed. There was plenty of space in the woods for him to run about and deal with more mundane obstacles already, after all.

Mm. I suppose you're right.

[So quick to fold, this guy. He did lay a hand on the side of the sort of course, pushing against it slightly to listen for any noise.]

... Have you checked that it is structurally sound? From what I can determine, it seems to be on this side. But there is only one way to truly put that to the test. [Read: Can he test it? Can he try it? Or at the very least can he punch it to see if it holds up?]

To be fair, Knuckles would happily menace the fight club if he knew about it. Probably be best buds with those fight-crazy demon guys in no time.

But it still wouldn't stop his desire for a more, ah, strenuous training regimen.

"I have been putting it to the test as I've proceeded, however the latest adjustments have not yet been tested."

Guess what Knuckles was planning to do once he finished putting his new log in place?

[...

...

...

...]

... May I? [Please say yes.]

"Of course, if you believe you are up to the challenge."

Though, actually, hang on a sec, something just occurred to Knuckles that he'd never even thought of before.

"In fact, watching another run the course may better show me anything that could be enhanced. What a brilliant idea!"

Naturally, I am.

[But then again, Takame was up for pretty much any challenge. It's with a nod that he walked towards the beginning of the course from the center. Of course, he would stretch first. Arms to grab onto anything where climbing was needed, torso to avoid stiffness on his long injured left flank, legs because of course.

He counts his mark mentally, getting into a starting position and then takes off through the course.

For someone as incredibly soft spoken as Takame, the energy and strength he went through with was phenomenal. His steps were heavy though that was intentional as someone who did wish to test the integrity of it. Anything grabbable or climbable didn't falter under his hands though having a dragon's claws did give him advantage on that front.

By the time he reached the end of it he all but jumped down from a high platform instead of running with a flourish that would make a certain blue hedgehog gawk at its coolness.]

The construction held, but then of course it did, having been purpose-built to stand up to Knuckles' own training needs. Something too flimsy wouldn't last five minutes with him. But seeing someone else run the course offered a chance to spot any weaker points, places that weren't secure enough or, ah, who're we kidding, watching someone run so enthusiastically through an obstacle course he'd made was an unexpected thrill all its own. One Knuckles hadn't anticipated; it wasn't like anyone else had ever shown any interest in training with him before.

"You make an impressive showing," said with his usual blunt sincerity as he went to go make adjustments to a supporting beam that had looked a little loose. "I can see why you've been entrusted with the training of others in this city."

Mm. Of course. [It would be unacceptable if he was anything but impressive. At the comment towards him being entrusted to teach others, though, he felt a little sheepish. He still wondered how he was as a teacher. But one thing was certain.]

My life has been one of constant training much like yours.

A few more tweaks here, a leap and clambering halfway up the structure to make an adjustment there, and Knuckles finally walked over to Takame, apparently having finished fixing things to his satisfaction for now.

"That is the way of a true warrior, is it not?"

Knuckles was not one to judge on quality of teaching. His perspective was probably more than a little skewed.

Knuckles the Echidna | Sonic the Hedgehog (movie-verse) | Open!

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gOOD...ADVICE...

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