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kaisou2022-07-03 11:00 pm
July Event Log
July Event
Dominant Element: Water
Waning Element: Fire
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Summertime in the city continues! Throughout the month, the daytime hours will be scorching hot. Not only that, but due to the water element being in effect- everything will be miserably humid, making everything feel much worse. Make sure to dress for hot weather, or hide yourself away in an air conditioned building. The nights will be cooler and give some reprieve, but even then the humidity will be sticking around. About once a week, the city will experience a heavy thunderstorm. More on those in a bit!
Freedom & FireworksAs June ends and July begins, the Pride flags are put away for an absurd amount of red, white and blue ones. Like any American city this time of year, Kaisou has plenty to do for the national holiday. All over the city you will see the classic red, white and blue. Blue Fish Lake Park is having a summer block party to celebrate the holiday. You can go there to hear some live music or play some games like cornhole (where you stand at a distance and try to throw beanbags into the hole), three-legged races, or tug-of-war. There's also plenty of delicious grilled and barbequed food to be had, such as hamburgers, ribs, shish kabobs, potato salad, shaved ice, and of course the coveted mac and cheese.
If you're truly brave enough, there's a chili cooking competition you can enter. Just about every other entry comes from an ancient secret family recipe and they are insistent it is the best. At some point, the competition will get so heated a large fist fight will break out over whether beans should be in chili. The goose will attempt to knock over your pot of chili before it can be judged. There are tears shed. You suspect the grand prize winner bribed the judges. Regardless of your behavior, you manage to make several enemies.
Of course, no Fourth of July is complete without fireworks. And boy, are there fireworks. So. Many. Fireworks. The city will have its grand firework show over Blue Fish Lake, which is an impressive and professional display of pyrotechnics. But the fireworks don't end with just the professional show, as there's plenty of private residents playing with their own sets of explosives. While Kaisou has some laws on the books about many types of fireworks being banned, it's obvious that a lot of people completely ignore that law. Smaller fireworks and sparklers can be purchased in normal stores, while the bigger grade stuff can be found in more shady shops. Some vendors in Undertown will even sell enchanted fireworks that'll do more specialized imagery and movements than normal fireworks. Grab some fireworks to blow stuff up for freedom yourself, or find some earplugs - it's gonna be a loud weekend.
Stardew Valley and the Kanto regions can still be visited throughout the month, though there isn't anything new going on with them. Still, sometimes it's nice to retread some familiar ground.
Storm SeasonWith the spirit vein's summertime shift to the water element comes Kaisou's infamous storm season. About once a week, Kaisou will be hit by a heavy thunderstorm. Shortly before a storm arrives, storm sirens (warning: loud alarm sound) will sound off to warn citizens of potential danger. From there, characters will have a few precious minutes to seek shelter if they decide to do so.
True to their name, these storms will feature constant heavy lightning that can strike you if you aren't careful. Sudden heavy downpours will immediately soak anyone still outside and cause flooding in some areas and basements. Be careful not to drive into any standing water on the roads, as some flooding spots can get deep enough to submerge a car. While there's thankfully no tornadoes this year, there are strong straight line winds that can get up to 100mph, meaning they're strong enough to knock over trees, throw around lawn furniture, and damage the sides of buildings. And if all that wasn't enough, there's baseball-sized hail that'll easily take out a car window or cause some serious damage if it hits you.
These storms will only last a few hours, but they can cause plenty of damage. Power outages caused by down powerlines are common, causing blackouts in numerous neighborhoods from several hours to a full day before the lights come back on. The Zodiac building where otherworlders stay will also be susceptible to these blackouts, and anyone who decided to take the elevator during a storm will find themselves stuck in there for a half-day. Beyond that, there's plenty of volunteer and odd job opportunities focused around cleaning up fallen branches and other debris.
Commence the Beach EpisodeOn the morning of July 8th, Zodiac will send out an alert:
ALERT: SHIFTING GATE LOCATED ON KAISOU BEACH.
Element Classification: Water
Danger Level: Low on the mainland, high on the sea
Designation: El Nido
A new gate has been detected off Kaisou Beach. Initial scouting reports that the mainland is a peaceful beach resort, with plenty of amenities and less humidity. There are rumors of more dangerous elements should you take a boat and sail away from the mainland. Zodiac is unable to confirm what those dangers may be, so take precautions should you decide to do so. Zodiac is not liable for any injuries or deaths that may occur if you leave the mainland.
That said, Zodiac will provide compensation for any investigation reports or valuable items obtained in the realm.
If you swing by the Zodiac Headquarters, the mood of the office is rather relaxed. Some of the staff are talking amongst themselves visiting the realm to get a free vacation - it's not often you get a realm with few things trying to eat your face! If you ask about what happens if you leave the mainland of this realm, they will say that reports are full of untold dangers and bad luck. But what else can you expect from a high sea adventure? Professor Willow doesn't have much to offer, other than speculating if there's sea monsters in the water. Mostly he's occupied with data he's been gathering from the Kanto Realm. Seems pokemon are his first and always love. But as usual, you'll be able to rent out weapons and equipment from Zodiac.
The gate is a hard one to miss. While Kaisou Beach is packed this time of year with regular folks that are trying to cool off in the summer heat, off to the side there is a very noticeable rock formation that wasn't there before. The passage underneath the arch glows a tropical blue color and seems very inviting. Sure enough, that must be the gate. The normal people on the beach don't seem to notice its presence in the slightest, and it should be easy enough to slip past them to head into the realm.
El Nido: A Tropical ParadiseUpon entering the gate, you'll find yourself on a white sandy beach. While it's still warm, it's not the stifling humid heat that blankets the city. Instead, it's an ideal summer temperature, perfect beach weather. The skies and oceans are both an intense blue, the kinds of shades you see on postcards, with white fluffy clouds on the distance horizon of the ocean. Something about the entire scene already feels like a wondrous reprieve compared to previous realms.
As you walk along the beach, you'll come across a village resort. Rather than humans, the village is populated primarily by anthropomorphic birds of various types that are no bigger than waist size compared to a full grown adult. They welcome the visitors warmly, with happy chirps amid their words. They're used to humans visiting their place, so they have set up human sized lodging for people separate from their village to stay if they like. Payment wise they don't ask for much, mostly just things like birdseed, fruit, small rodents, interesting sticks, and other things birds enjoy. Overall they're a friendly and kind flock of birds, mostly interested in making sure your stay is a great one. However, if you do anything to mistreat the birds- you will quickly find yourself being swooped at and attacked by multiple birds.
The lodging is what you'd expect from an idyllic beach vacation. Despite this place being run by a bunch of small bird people, the human rooms are surprisingly modern, with proper indoor plumbing and electricity. There's a restaurant with all sorts of delicious tropical dishes and drinks (no bird meat though) and you can get room service for some extra birdseed. It's an extremely comfortable stay with varying room sizes, though due to the number of people visiting, some of you may end up getting roomed with another person. Or two.
As for activities, there's plenty you can do. You can go swimming in the ocean, even borrowing scuba gear so you can do some scuba diving and check out the gorgeous coral reefs around the island. You can go hiking and survey the breathtaking flora and fauna the land has to offer. You can stay close to the resort and treat yourself to a spa day by getting a relaxing bird-given massage or sitting in a hot tub. And don't forget fun beach games, like playing volleyball or making sandcastles. Or if you venture a little farther, you will find an amusement park situated on a pier over the ocean. You can ride the Ferris Wheel or the small roller coaster, eat carnival food (again, no bird meat), or play carnival games for fun prizes such as stuffed animals or t-shirts.
This is truly an idyllic, wondrous vacation. For once, you guys are getting nice things!
Yay a Pirate Adventure!Too bad some of you refuse to just have nice things huh.
While you're staying in the resort, you may hear rumors floating among some of the birds, especially if you ask what lies beyond their island. They will say there's rumors that there's amazing treasure out there, if anyone is brave and strong enough to seek it out. However, if you press more about it, you'll find out that no one's actually ever returned from sailing out into the sea, so it's impossible to know if the rumors are true or not. They do try to caution you that it is very dangerous to go out there. Also, to try to avoid the pirate ship that sits on their shore, because obviously a pirate ship must have dangerous pirates aboard.
There's only one way to find out, right? As luck will have it, if you wander past the amusement park, you'll find a seafaring vessel next to a dock. It's a large pirate ship, one that is surely large enough to sail out on the ocean. It's the ship that the locals told you to stay away from, but surely it wouldn't hurt to have a look right? Characters who are 15 years or younger will find themselves unable to board unless they're accompanied by another older character - which also might be a telling sign. If you go on the pirate ship, the ship is somehow fully stocked and ready to go on an adventure, despite no clear sign of any crew. In the captain's quarters, there's a treasure map with a route that'll take them to some marked treasure as well as a small chest full of golden coins and gems. Below deck, they will find that there is plenty of food and drink to be had, as well as an entire wardrobe full of classic pirate clothes.
But be warned, trying to take anything from the ship will seal their fate. As they do so, they'll feel a burning sensation somewhere on their body as a skull-and-crossbones tattoo appears. They will also now be magically unable to leave the ship. After about 12 hours from the first person to try to take something, the ship will begin to set sail out into the ocean that so many people tried to warn you about. Looks like you signed up for a pirate adventure, whether you wanted to or not.
Oh No a Pirate AdventureThe pirate ship voyage will last about a week. Characters with the pirate mark will be forced to see it through to the end, even if they attempt to teleport out of there. The ship is enchanted to run itself, but there's books and guides in the Captain's quarters to teach how to run a ship in case you don't trust the ships autopilot. It might be wise to read up on that. Characters can still connect to the Libra network, but any other internet access will be cut off. Also you should take care not to waste your battery - as there's no electricity on the boat.
The trip will play out as followed:
Day 1: Smooth sailing! Characters will have time to adjust to their new sea life.
Day 2: The characters will make landfall on their first island. It's a barren dessert island, full of caves and quicksand. Near the shore, they will hear the call of sirens (img cw: nipples). These siren songs will be alluring to anyone who are attracted to women, making them fall into a trance. If you get too close to the sirens, they will attempt to drown and eat them.
Day 3: More sailing! The sailing is going through some choppy waters, with fog causing the visibility to get worse and worse. Halfway through the day a ghost ship tries to attack yours with cannon balls. Work together and fight them off before they sink you to the bottom of the ocean.
Day 4: You arrive at an island covered in bones. As in there are bones everywhere. Of course, there are many living skeletons here who will come out of the bone piles and try to murder you.
Day 5: It's smooth sailing until late into the day, when a kraken appears and tries to take down the ship. You can try to fight it off to buy time for other crew to make it to the lifeboats, but the sheer size and strength of the beast will eventually prevail- snapping the ship in half and dragging it down into the ocean. Try your best to survive by grabbing a lifeboat or using some ship debris to float.
Day 6: By morning, the now-shipless crew will wash up onto the shores of a new island. Unlike the last two islands, this is a tropical island that's full of life. It's the island that the treasure marked to have the treasure. Spend your day trying to gather what you lost and recovering. Traveling around the island is impossible to do all in one day. They will get halfway around before they need to camp for the night. You'll also have to be mindful of food and water, as all of that was lost with the ship.
Day 7: On the final day, they will finally make it to the other side of island and the spot of the treasure. Luckily there's some shovels nearby. Do some digging and they will unearth a treasure chest. Inside, there's various types of fine jewelry that is enchanted to give the wearer underwater breathing, and plenty of gold that when split among the crew - will give them each about $500 worth. There is also another ship on the shore here, one that looks just like the one you lost. This ship will sail once everyone is aboard, and take them back to the mainland by morning.
Those who were on the pirate adventure will find themselves returning safely to the resort. The bird people will be thrilled of their return and excited to hear of their stories. The tattoos appeared may begin to fade once the adventure is over, freeing them from the curse. Or if you rather, they can keep the tattoo on them for the memory.
The resort itself will be open for any and all visitors until the end of the month. Zodiac as well will be happy to pay you in compensation for any items you bring them. All ends that ends well, it seems.
The dominant element this month is Water! Anyone with an affinity to the water element will find themselves boosted throughout the month. This could mean a boost to their power, having more energy, feeling more inspired with creativity, having better luck on different attempts -- the boost can manifest in all sorts of different ways. By contrast, anyone with an affinity for Fire will be experiencing the opposite. Perhaps their powers will be weaker, they have less energy, they're having a creative block or general worse luck - again it can manifest in all sorts of way and players are free to play with this mechanic as they'd like.
This event is meant to be a low-key fun event! Have your character go on a very dangerous pirate adventure, or just relax in the resort! Anyone who goes on the pirate adventure will get a piece of jewelry that lets them breath underwater, and $500. Totally worth that level of danger right? Totally....
The original OOC plotting post for this event can be found here.
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Just as she hesitates, just a bit and is about to turn back to him, the siren's singing grows even louder, drowning out everything else. The beautiful, haunting melody wraps itself even tighter around Luisa's mind, and once again draws her even further into the water. Even with her height, it won't be long before the water is over her head. ]
if you wanna write some siren NPCs, your own or sharing the same ones, I'm down!
He swims further out before she can be fully submerged, meaning to cut the sirens off before they close in on her. And indeed, as he transforms once he's fully submerged himself, he zips off ahead of Luisa, owing his speed to his impressive, spiny tail fins, which she may notice briefly if not too entranced, before he slips completely out of sight undersea, nothing more than a shadow.
He recognizes one of the sirens from when he'd met them with Luca, right away — a young sea woman who was as biting as she was patronizing, saccharine and sarcastic in the way she pitied Alberto and Luca for their love for life on land. He wastes no time closing the distance between her and her hunting partner, and he and Luisa just behind him, steadily under their spell. ]
Ehi! Basta! Go eat some oysters, will ya! She's mine!
[ He tries to physically block them from her, floating in the water between them as she continues her descent, but the sirens just titter at him, recognizing him of course, too. ]
Oh, child! Not this nonsense again, hehe! Swim aside, boy, it's lunchtime — either join us or go find a different human doll to play with!
[ But as much as his scowl deepens, and this scathing response does shake his nerves some, he's not stepping down. Their total lack of intimidation at him trying to save Luisa, compared to when Luca had saved Luz, just points to how poorly they think of Alberto ever since he blabbed to them that he'd grown up all his life on land... They think he's got severe brain damage, which they made very clear when they'd met the sea monster boys prior to this in private from any human gaze. No matter anything he does now, these sirens will discount him. He's up against more derision than Luca had met when he'd helped Luz out, having merely shocked them then — but that underhand might ultimately just be points in his and Luisa's favor soon enough... If only because it pisses Alberto off all the more. ]
Sure thing!
Meanwhile the second siren who had arrived stops her own singing, though it's picked up by the third one as she regards Alberto with a hard scowl, impatience clear in her face. ]
If you aren't going to let this go, then we'll have to take care of you first.
[ It's all the warning Alberto gets before she rushes forward, reaching out to try and grab at him. ]
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You've been enough of a pest, boy! Go back to the surface you love so much! Be gone!
[ Alberto sticks his tongue out at the siren and shoots past her again, back to the shallows, as he notices how far Luisa has come out, and sees the first siren who'd attacked him eyeing her, singing along again to strengthen the trance. He's quick to put himself between them, much to the siren's annoyance. ]
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The siren closest to the two of them then surges forward again, and it's difficult to tell whether she's aiming for Luisa or Alberto. But when she gets close enough she suddenly twists, aiming to strike Alberto in the head with her tail. ]
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You little shrimp...!
[ Another of the three stops singing and rushes forward to help her apprehend Alberto, while the third keeps up her song, trying to close the distance between herself and Luisa. Alberto tries to make a dive for it to stop her while escaping the ones trying to restrain him, and manages to basically zero-gravity bodyslam her, just ramming himself into her enough to make her shut up for a second and groan in pain. But while that buys them a moment of silence, it also just... traps him. She wastes no time locking her arms around him, managing to keep her hold on him as he squirms and struggles. At first the siren he'd hit heads straight toward them, wanting to get back at Alberto impetuously, but the siren holding him barks at her. ]
Get the girl! Idiot!
[ And with a sort of "oh, right" look, she turns on Luisa with the older, snider siren. Alberto doesn't quit writhing, either elbowing his siren in the belly or trying to peel her hands off him and slide out, but she's really committed to getting him out of their hair. ]
Luisa! Wake up! C'mon, ugh! Stop, hrrrn—! Luisa!
[ The siren moves to cover his mouth, and tries to pick up her song again, after that moment of chaotic silence, though it's less effective as Alberto still thrashes in her grasp; trying to keep him from biting her hand over his mouth is a little distracting, after all... ]
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But there isn't much that she can do underwater, especially as the other two sirens surround her on either side, trying to drag her further in the water. She's strong, and manages to fight them off a little bit, but while she's able to swim she's certainly not as effective underwater as the sirens are. And eventually they are able to grab both her arms to pull her down.
As they do, though, there's a suddenly...pulse of energy that seems to ripple out from Luisa like a shockwave. And it may be a trick of the light, but somehow Luisa's hair is getting darker. ]
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When one of the Sirens turns towards Alberto, Luisa suddenly reaches out to grab her tail before she can get too far, and the siren cries out as Luisa digs suddenly pointed nails into the skin. She pulls her back, while her other hand lashes out at the siren still pushing her down further into the water, catching the siren by the face and somehow drawing blood. Both sirens hiss at her then, and she responds with a growl of her own, air bubbles rising through the air as she bares teeth that are suddenly much sharper than they had been.
And as she glares at the sirens above her, her eyes have taken a more cat-like appearance as well. ]
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Alberto doesn't even give them another glance. All he cares about is getting Luisa to the surface — to air, mainly. Safety all around. He just keeps tugging Luisa up by both her wrists until they breach the water, and then some, only letting go once they reach the shallows, ground finally beneath them again. Then he'll clumsily clamber out while fussing over her, still so frantic. It all happened in such a flash, but that was the most stressful flash of his entire life... ]
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Once her head is above water again she gasps, inhaling as deeply as she can as they, rather clumsily, make their way back to shore. Sometime during the struggle her hair had come loose from the ribbon tying it back, and above water it's much more noticeable that her normally brown hair has actually turned black, with a glimmer of rainbow catching the sunlight, especially as the long curls fall over her face. ]
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As they wade back up, and finally reach the sands, Alberto's still wet and stays his unexpectedly fishy self, staring at Luisa and her... also unexpected self. But now that they're still and can actually speak, in his voice and his movements and expression, he's still very recognizably Alberto. He lets the awkward beat of silence serve as a humorous ice breaker, though, grimacing sarcastically just as he usually might — only with a mouthful of fangs now. ]
...Sooo... Like I said: Lousy song, huh? Opera's better.
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The quiet around them stretches on for another moment or two, until it's broken by Alberto's comment. Despite everything, Luisa manages a small, if exhausted laugh. ]
Y-Yeah... [ She glances up at Alberto with a faint smile, but this close he'll definitely notice the cat-like appearance to her eyes, as they narrow in the light. ] Definitely heard better.
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Sooo... You seem— less human-y. Than before.
[ He sucks in a little sigh, forcing a taut, sarcastic smile with a blip of direct eye contact. ]
Saaame, same...~
[ Great ice breaker, Alberto. Nailed it. ]
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Yeah...Yeah, apparently.
[ Sitting back a bit, she pushes her hair out of the way before looking back to Alberto, this time really taking in his appearance. In normal circumstances she might find it a bit alarming, or even just a little strange, but at the moment she's really more curious about it than anything. ]
Is...Is that normal for you?
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Yeah... Yeah, I-I'm not human. Hah. S-Sorpresa...?
[ He puts up both his hands in a little shrug, splaying his now-four fingers out to show off their webbing and claws. Deflecting with humor though he is, he's taking this reveal pretty well, all things considered, though he's still obviously rather rattled from their fight. ]
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But you're...you're not the same as the, uh...those Sirens, right?
[ She doesn't doubt that the kind of person Alberto is. But is taking a bit to try and get her head around the fact that there are two different kinds of sea people in the world. ]
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No, no, no, no, no! They're crazy and eat humans. I don't eat humans. I love humans. I-I'm even better at human-ing than I am at sea monster-ing, ha...!
[ Which may seem like a brag, and he passes it off like a brag, but it's an absolute truth; he knows far too little about his own kind... so while his "human-ing" skills may indeed be better than his "sea monster-ing" skills, that's really not saying much. ]
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Okay...it's okay, I believe you. Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It's just... [ She pauses a moment to brush away some of her hair, but pauses when she finally notices her nails for the first time and winces. ]
It's just been a lot.
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Yeah... Yeah. ...So, uh, what's your deal? Is this, um— part of your Gift? Or l-like a new Gift?
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It's... [ She hesitates a moment, then shakes her head. ] It's a bit complicated.
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How's it complicated? Wait— Let's, uh...
[ He casts a wary eye past the tides again, double checking the sirens aren't lurking around still. Seems like they know when they've been bested and have decided to leave the pair alone. But just in case... He inclines his head toward the beach and starts slowly side-stepping away from the tides, as if cajoling Luisa fully back ashore. ]
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[ He gives a wry, sarcastic grimace, exposing his mouthful of fangs again. After a couple side-steps, though, once the water is barely licking at his ankles, he shakes himself off, relieved to be in the intense sun again like at home, where he can dry off in an instant like that. And once he does, all at once, he transforms back into his human form she knows, his scales absorbing into his skin and shifting colors, frills turning to golden curls again, his nostrils protruding into a proper nose, his middle finger splitting into two as his webs recede. Where his tail went is anyone's guess, but it seems to have retracted back up into his body in the blink of an eye — even though he's wearing pants... Maybe that's a little bit magical-seeming.
It's not. He just sews tail-holes hidden in the seam in the seats of all their pants. Alberto's ever-widening hodgepodge skillset.Once they've stepped properly back ashore, and he feels the sand between his toes, no longer webbed flippers, he waves her further along, nodding toward a patch of shady palm trees not so far off where they can go rest and talk. Because... woof. They probably both need a second still. As they walk over to it together, he reopens what he's sure is about to be a wild conversation. ]
Now, what's going on?
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