UN: Zodiac | Happy July!

[kaisoumods]

WHO: Everyone!
WHERE: Libra App
WHEN: July 1st
WHAT: Zodiac Network Post
WARNINGS: None!

[As June comes to an end, so comes the heavy rains and thunder that indicates the arrival of the water element month. You can't see the spirit vein through the thick clouds and deluge of water, but it's shifted into shades of blues. Everyone's devices will emit a soothing wind chime sound as a new Zodiac post appears. The chime will sound even if you have your phone turned off or on silent, and will not stop until you read their messsage and comment to it.]


Fidelio and Basilio have left the app.

[The post then continues on.]

Hello and thank you for using the Libra app.

Happy July everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful Pride season and a good summer so far! I myself had a wonderful month, as I decided to take some time off - which is the real reason for my absence! [It was not, she was in the office every day] All and all, I'd say it was a wonderful start to the summer!

Anyway, enough about me- time for some announcements! The Kaisou Anime Convention will be happening at the Civic Center this weekend! The convention will be taking place every weekend, and there will be several family friendly panels sponsored by Zodiac- so dress up like your favorite ninjas and animes and check it out!

Also, this friday please come check out the firework show in Blue Fish Park! Zodiac is one of the many sponsors and we're excited to light up the night sky for the holiday! Please don't let the weather forecasts of heavy downpours all weekend be enough to discourage you! You gotta try to think positive after all!

Well, that's all for now! Try to stay dry and have a wonderful week!

[Note, no matter how much positive thinking you do, the firework show will definitely be rained out]


This post is sponsored by the Papa's Omniria! Try out our special Starlight Spangled donuts today!

[Users will have the option to choose their own display names and userpics if they haven't already. If nothing is chosen, the app will use their real name and a quick photo taken of them from their camera's phone.

Please note that there will be no city log this month, with the next event log being posted on the 15th. As such, players are free to make their own posts and mingles regarding city events. If you want more details on what's happening the city this month, it can be found here.

If you haven't responded to AC, you still have until 11:59am EST today to do so! Once you do, you'll be removed from this post. ]

Comments

[paraselenic]

[Oh god someone who explains things upfront so he doesn't have to pull up google himself. Refreshing.]

So they create things like videos as sponsored ads. A commercial that has a human connection that people can relate to, and if they do multiple, the fans connect with that person and are more convinced to buy something that individual approves of.

It sounds very effective.

[whiteshroud]

Mm, that's right! So if you see an online influencer doing plugs for a product, make sure to do your research! There's some that are good, but every year it'll turn out some influencers didn't do their due diligence with researching their sponsors and it'll turn out they were pushing a scam.

[Important information so this boomer does not get scammed]

[paraselenic]

[Give him a little credit Jun he's just stupid with tech, he can tell when products look like shit.]

Naturally. You can tell by vague phrases or stock compliments. If they say 'unlike anything you've ever seen' or 'you won't believe', without accurately quantifying what makes it so superior to other products, then its often the money behind the influencer talking.

They are much like "Made for TV" commercials. One of my previous coworkers would watch a lot of them and would sometimes believe everything they said to be true.

[whiteshroud]

[Look he has to make sure a boomer doesn't get scammed ok. Just in case]

Haha, I guess those kind of tactics can be found anywhere. I'll have to remember some of those key terms myself.

Oh no, did they? But those things are so clearly scripted and badly acted....

[paraselenic]

[The amount of damage to his reputation for not engaging in online discourse properly needs to be studied.]

She was...a bit sheltered as a child. She never recognized any TV shows, but always knew commercials. It's my belief that they were the only things her parents let her watch.

[whiteshroud]

Oh...

I understand. I didn't get to watch much TV as a kid either. [Or any] Once I was able to start watching more, I did feel like it took me a bit to recognize what you could and couldn't trust on there. No wonder she was confused.

[paraselenic]

Yes, I didn't grow up watching much television either, but I had other skills to help me in seeing what was fraudulent or not.

[Nothing prepares you for that more than outswindling swindlers.]

[whiteshroud]

Really? What kind of skills?

[paraselenic]

[Ah...]

One might consider it a bit...uncouth.

I was a bit of a wanderer as a child, and had to get by in whatever way I could.

[The most toothless way to say 'I was a stray and had to steal.']

[whiteshroud]

Oh, I understand. I know a few people with backgrounds like that...

[It's ok he connected the dots]

It must've been difficult, but it sounds like you've come a long way from that.

[paraselenic]

You are correct.

If you can believe it, I couldn't speak for quite some time into my childhood. I'd never learned how.

[whiteshroud]

[ ! ]

I can. I didn't really talk either for a long time. I could use a little telepathy to my siblings, but...

It has a way of making you feel invincible.

[Not that he really minded that so much these days. Jun did better in the shadows than in the center of attention. But still.]

[paraselenic]

Telepathy. That does bridge the gap a little, if have the side effect of feeling like you don't need to learn.

I am glad you overcame it as well. Lack of communication can lead to misunderstandings.

[Said with a certain someone in mind.]

[whiteshroud]

Mm, it did have that effect. I didn't really start putting in effort to try until I was put into situations where telepathy wasn't an option.

[When he was around normal people, in other words. Can't really use telepathy on people unaware of the supernatural, not unless you want it to backfire.

But no say it ain't so. That certain someone never fails to communicate]

Thank you. I'm glad you overcame it too. With how eloquent you sound, I don't think I ever would've guessed.

But it also means I'm sure you'll get the hang of using this app. Learning an app is much easier than learning how to speak.

[paraselenic]

[There's a smile behind that screen.]

Putting it into that perspective, you're right. I don't really regret posting, either--It's helped me get to know people on a level I wouldn't otherwise.

[He certainly feels more connected to his coworkers, now.]

[whiteshroud]

Yeah, that's a great way to look at it! This app is full of good people, I'm pretty grateful for it.

[Sure there's regular bouts of peril, but Jun can safely say his life has improved a lot since joining the app]

I'm Jun by the way. Jun Nightroad. Nice to meet you.

[paraselenic]

[It's certainly extended his social reach already--and wolves fare better when they are in a pack.]

Jun Nightroad. It's wonderful to meet you. If it is not too bold to ask, is your name pronounced with a hard "J", like the month, or with a "Y" sound?

I just want to be sure I do not mispronounce should we meet in person.

[whiteshroud]

Haha, that's not bold at all! It's very considerate, actually.

It's said like the month. And Nightroad is said how it looks.

[paraselenic]

[His tail swishes a little at that praise, not that Jun can see. But it comes across a little in the tone of his text.]

Thank you for the clarification. It's a wonderful name that flows easily on the tongue.

[A small part of him wonders what his surname was, if he ever had one. In younger, halcyon days he would've asked for his mentor's before he broke off from him, or he would've asked to share Hugo's, but he never found the courage.]

[whiteshroud]

[Lycaon can't see it, but that makes Jun smile and puff up a little in pride. ]

Thank you. It's a name I'm proud to have.

[Nightroad wasn't his birth name, rather a name given to him much later by the man who adopted him. A man who gave him a real chance at living life the way he wanted]

Though I don't think I caught your name.

[paraselenic]

[You should be proud, Jun. Your name is one of the few things no one can take from you.]

[Lycaon feels this might be a bit redundant for Jun, but he won't leave him hanging for an answer.]

Lycaon. Like the King in legends. Though I do not intend to have the same ill reputation.

[The name Lycaon wasn't often associated with a benevolent being. A man who'd done unspeakable deeds and was turned into a werewolf. But he didn't mind. He was proud of it. Like he'd just told Jun, it was his, and his alone.]

But...I'm afraid I do not have a surname.

It's possible I had one, but it's a miracle I remembered my given name when I lost my parents.

[whiteshroud]

[Lycaon huh... it's a name that strikes some familiarity thanks to his knowledge of greek myths, but it's not a story he knows greatly in detail. Still, he's not about to judge him for it]

I figured. It's okay, I've known at least one of other Jun who was an asshole. I think every name has at least one of those.

[So just because one king lycaon sucked doesn't mean the Lycaon here was. Simple as that. BUt the part with no surname... it does give him pause. He's knew kids like that back in Krusnik. Who had no recollection of their family's names, or no desire to use it.

The easiest answer would be to tell Lycaon to make one up..... but he knows that's not the same. Not when it comes to family names- as they were proof that you belonged somewhere. At least, that's how Jun viewed his own. ]

... I'm sorry to hear that.

I hope you find a surname one day, even if it's not your birth one.

[paraselenic]

[Definitely not one you put in Baby's First Greek Myths, that's for sure. No matter how enticing 'doggy man' is.

He can't help but chuckle at Jun's comfort. This young man truly knew how to shift the conversation ever so slightly to make someone feel at ease. It was how they'd first interacted in this thread, after all.

People like him are extremely kind.]

Thank you. But please, do not worry for me. I suppose even if I found my old surname, it would belong to the young pup who'd lost his parents and not the wolf who grew up despite their abandonment.

I'm confident there's one out there for me, waiting.

[whiteshroud]

[Well you know, unlike Aidios the Lord didn't pick His knights based on whose the hottest. Personality might have been a factor. Maybe.

Still, while Jun wasn't the most chatty of people.... he knew how to listen. And he was good at empathizing. ]

...Mm, I would see why you'd feel that way. Carrying a family name when the family wasn't there for you can ring a little hollow. Like wearing an outfit that simply doesn't fit.... even if it's nicely made, it'll always feel uncomfortable.

[He doesn't know the circumstances that Lycaon lost his parents- but honestly, maybe it doesn't matter. There wasn't really any motivation to honor thy mother and father when they had failed to honor their own duties]

I'm sure there is. Maybe you'll even find it this city. People on the app seem to have a way to find families, whether by blood or by choice.

[paraselenic]

You're correct. Surnames carry a weight to them unlike any other. You're a person trusted with holding onto a legacy, given a sense of belonging. Even if my parents had simply passed away instead of abandoning me, there is no legacy to uphold. There's nothing to belong to.

[He supposes he COULD make his own and start one, if nothing else. But like Jun had stated, it's not the same.

But Jun's little comment does spark some hope in him, though he won't show it in any visible tell. You can't take the pup out of the wolf entirely.]

I've noticed there are many here that gather together to form their own families. Maybe that's the answer I'm looking for.

As childish of an indulgence that is.