September Event Log

[kaisoumods]

September Event
Dominant Element: Wind
Waning Element: Earth

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It's autumn at long last. The summer heat finally ebbs away with cooler temperatures, with the first trees starting to change to bright hues of autumn colors. These cooler temperatures are made even more noticeable by the constant wind that blows throughout the month. Windy days are something of a regular this month. Be prepared for gusts of wind to blow things away that aren't weighed down. The town itself is getting decked out for the season change. Halloween costume shops are starting to open up in empty buildings, and just about every location has some variant of pumpkin spice.

Back to School

With the arrival of fall comes the new school year. Starting September 1st, classes begin at all the schools across the city. Whether you're in elementary, middle school, high school, or at the university - it's time to start the term off on the right foot! The halls and classes are abuzz with students reuniting and talking about what they did during the summer. As expected, most of the students don't seem to remember that dinosaurs walked the earth last month - instead treating those events as bad storms or gas leaks. But there's only so much time to dwell on that, as you're likely more busy with trying to find all your classes and getting a good spot in the cafeteria at lunch.

For those kids who somehow aren't getting enough schooling and wants more, Kaisou High will be holding their annual Spelling Bee competition halfway through the month! Students will go against kids their own age and grade level and asked to spell difficult words appropriate for their age in front of an audience that are abnormally engaged spectators. The spelling bee also has tournaments for elementary, middle school, and college too, so it's open for all ages! There's nothing truly noteworthy about winning the Spelling Bee - just a ribbon, a coupon for a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut, and an English teacher praising their accomplishments -- but sadly, we know for some of you this is more than enough of a prize, so best review how to spell "vicissitudes" just in case.

If you're an adult, or just looking for some education that covers topics not normally found at traditional school, the Enki Education center is launching their fall classes! You can enroll in these classes to learn more about magic, the Spirit Realm, and other related topics. The Enki Education Center is also proud to have their first puppet teacher! The Professor will be passionately teaching about various events in history, both the mundane and the paranormal. Professor Willow will also be continuing his lessons surrounding magical creatures and pokemon alike.

Up in the Air

With the winds being so strong this month, some have responded by doing some more daring hobbies. Throughout the month, a group is offering hang gliding lessons. This group has situated themselves up atop of Moghome, the floating island above the Kami State Park. They are trained professionals, and be happy to give anyone the ropes. Another group on the same island has also set up bungee jumping for anyone willing to take the plunge. Those those who are more physical minded than academic minded, this might be a great way to blow off some steam. You might want to be careful though, the moogles who live in Moghome might try to pull pranks on you, or at least try to get you to do work for them. They really are lazy and annoying guys.

Taking the train out to Stardew Valley you'll find the season has changed there as well. The trees are in full bright autumn colors and there's fall decorations such as jack-o-lanterns, haybales and scarecrows. It's almost an idyllic fall town, really. Pierre's shop is selling seeds for the autumn - pumpkins, cranberries, corn, yams and the like. If you head to the beach, while it's a bit too cold to swim, you might catch sight of a mermaid if you're patient. Fortunately, these guys are much more friendly than their siren cousins you met in July. While some will swim away at the sight of a human, some will come and chat.

If you want to be more productive and in ways that don't just benefit moogles, there's still clean up to be done from last month's disaster. Buildings that need to be repaired, streets repaved, debris to be picked up. It's a good way to get some volunteer hours in and help out your neighborhood. Every bit helps with getting the city back to normal.

Lost to the Muses

It'll happen with little fanfare. One morning in early September, characters with a creative streak will be struck with inspiration. Inspiration stronger and clearer than any inspiration strikes they've had before. Artists will paint or draw better than they have before, Musicians will think up a song destined to make the charts, cooks will develop new recipes, writers might actually write something-- the rush of inspiration and creative is truly miraculous.

However, there's a danger to this swell of miraculous inspiration. As characters indulge in this inspiration, they will find themselves forgetting other things. At first it'll be mild things, such as forgetting to eat dinner or the other tasks you had to do for the day. Things that are normal to forget when you're in the midst of the creative process, right? However if you keep going, the memory loss will grow more severe. You'll forget details about your life, or the names and faces of the people you know. And in truly worst case scenarios, the ones that truly can't pull themselves away, will find that they can't remember anything but the creative work they're working on. Just how much of yourself are you willing to give up in pursuit of creation?

The Muses

Within a week, it'll become pretty clear that something is amiss. And to confirm as such, on September 9th, Zodiac will send a message through the app.

ALERT: SHIFTING GATE LOCATED IN UNIVERSITY DISTRICT.
Element Classification: Wind
Danger Level: Low
Designation: The Great Library of Alexandria
A new gate has been detected in the University district. We have reason to believe it's the Great Library of Alexandria, the realm of knowledge. We also believe it's connected to the incidents of memory loss, and should be investigated further. Anyone who goes to the library must bring a piece of knowledge to donate.

Visiting the Zodiac Office, visitors will notice that Professor Willow isn't here for once. According to the Zodiac member, he and the other members of POKEGO have already gone off to see the realm themselves- as of course professors can't resist the draw of knowledge.

When asked about the realm, the Zodiac member will explain that it was a library that once existed on Earth in ancient times built in honor of the Muses, nine sister goddesses that together are the gods of creativity, literature, science, and the arts. However it was famously set ablaze and in order to save it, the Muses recreated it in the Spirit Realm. The Zodiac member is confident that there should be relative little danger about visiting the library provided you make sure to follow the rules of the library. However, they do caution to avoid requesting inspiration from the Muses, and you should definitely not try to challenge their skills.

To find the gate, one simply has to head out to Kaisou University's main campus. Among all the class buildings and libraries, there's a new building front that seems to have appeared. White columns and stone stairs are hardly unusual among a college campus so it might be easy to overlook, except that the entryway is glowing with an bright energy. No doubt about it, this is the gate.

The Great Library of Alexandria

Stepping through the gate, characters will find themselves in a grand marble hall that would put most to shame. Around the hall are statues of the nine muses, posing in different fashions with objects associated with each one. There are signs with the rules of the library. Even though it's written in Ancient Greek, you find yourself able to read what it says like it was perfect English:

I. Take nothing out of the Great Library, leave it all as you found it.
II. Damage nothing in these halls.
III. To obtain knowledge, you must share knowledge.

In the center of the hall is a pedestal that stands four feet tall. It is here that you place the knowledge that you've brought to share. Books, movies, comics, art pieces, fact sheets, personal notes - anything that could technically be considered either knowledge or art are accepted. Once you place your item on the pedestal, it will disappear and a bracelet made of olive tree wood will appear around their wrist. This is their proof that they are allowed entrance into the rest of the library. Anyone who tries to go into the halls without donating a piece of knowledge will find the entryways into the other wings magically blocked.

Once the admission fee has been paid, it's off to explore the rest of the library! There are several wings to explore, each of them chock full of knowledge. A person could easily spend a lifetime in a single wing and not see everything there is to offer. Even though it offers works written and created in countless languages, you'll find yourself able to understand all of them as if they were written in your native language. That said, any cameras will not work while within the hall, so if you want to remember the things you read- you'll have to take notes. Any character with fire magic will find their fire powers do not work while in this realm either - the library has a bad history with fire okay.

The wings are as followed:

The Literature Wing

This wing is devoted entirely to any work of literature that's ever been written. Novels, poems, short stories, comics, fables - anything that counts as a story would be found within this wing. There's even a section devoted to fanfictions throughout the ages, if that's what you're really about. There are braille and audiobooks with headphones, for those who get their reading through that way. Throughout the wing, there are comfortable chairs and window seats to sit in. The wing is managed by a legion of cats, who are clever enough to understand human language. They will carry books to and from their shelves, bring book recommendations, bring snacks and drinks as refreshments on a little push cart, or just curl up on your lap as you read.

The Knowledge Wing

Next to the Literature Wing, the Knowledge wing contains any non-fiction texts or documents that have ever been written. Any topic of non-fiction is covered here: history, science, mathematics, cookbooks - the list goes on. Interestingly, there are more than just books about this Earth found in these halls. It's possible to find textbooks detailing events or information about other worlds as well - so long as it covers events already taken place (meaning before any OU's canon point). Unlike the literature wing, the seating are set up more as study tables and chairs, but are still comfortable enough to sit in for hours on end. This wing is managed by a bunch of owls, who will fly up and down the aisles with books in their talons. You might happen across the Professor or Professor Willow in this wing of the library, surrounded with books of their preferred subject and rambling on to anyone who will listen.

The Music Wing

A wing designed to have perfect acoustics no matter where you go within the hall. Here you can find every music piece ever composed as well as any type of instrument ever created. There's plenty of practice rooms for any size group (all of which are soundproofed). In the back of the wing, there is a concert hall where you can either perform your own shows, or watch astral recordings of any concert that's ever taken place. Want to see Beethoven perform his famous 9th symphony? You can do that! All the musicians past will appear as ghostly apparitions as they perform. Songbirds are the maintainer of these halls, who will fly by on errands or maybe even stop by to sing along with your performances.

The Theatre Wing

Next to the music wing, there is the theater wing. This area has play stages and movie theaters all set up. You can either watch any movie or show in existence (no worries about streaming rights here!), or rewatch any theater performance that's happened in history in the form of ghostly visages's. Find out how Hamlet was performed when Shakespeare was still alive, or see the first greek tragedy. Mice and Rats are the maintainers of this wing, they will help out pick out movies and also run a concession stand with any movie snacks you'd like to consume during the show.

Of course, not all shows are ones that we passively spectate. Besides the theaters, there is a room devoted to be a fighting simulator. Take any kind of weapon you'd like and choose to fight spectual foes from history and legend. Trade blows with the greatest samurai or battle a beast of legend. While it feels real, no actual injuries will come from these fights. And for those who prefer their battles to take place in the digital plane, there is a relatively newly added room with all the video games you could possibly want.

The Planetarium Wing

The planetarium is the wing devoted to astronomy and the heavens. While there's plenty of shelves of books here with information about space, the main event in this hall is a planetarium. A massive dome that can be set to display the night sky as it appeared at any time or day- and not just on Earth either. You can find out what the sky looks like on any number of worlds. All of them feel hyper-realistic, like you're looking at the real night sky. Bats help run this part of the library, the dark starry skies doing nothing to hinder their assistance with visitors.

The Museum Wing

The museum wing covers all artifacts that relate to knowledge but wouldn't quite fit in the other wings. Dinosaur fossils, vases, paintings, tapestries, all of them are carefully displayed with information about each item. These items have been collected across different worlds and throughout history, with all of them carefully preserved. One room of the museum is devoted to divine donations - donations given by deities when they came once came to visit and clearly the shining gem of the museum. Items such a Dharma Wheel, an apple from the Tree of Knowledge, an actual eye (thanks Odin), and other items relating to knowledge have all been carefully put on pedestals. While trying to steal from the other wings will have magic measures that simply prevent you from doing so, the consequences of trying to steal from this part of the library will lead to much more dire consequences. To reflect that, this wing are patrolled by crocodiles who will guide you to exhibits, but will also snap their jaws anytime they feel you're getting too close to an artifact.

The Mess Hall

With so much to see in this library, it'd be a shame if hunger got in the way. Just head down into the basement, where an expansive dining hall and kitchen await you. The goats that run this part of the library will be happy to cook you up any kind of meal that has ever existed. Or if you're the type to want to cook for yourself, you'll have free access to the kitchen which is full of any ingredients you could possibly want. The walls are lined with cooking tools and cookbooks to help you along as well. Cooking is a form of art, after all.

The Records Wing

The final wing contains records of every person who has ever lived and died. Each person's life is recorded in a hardcover book that is decorated in ways to reflect the person. The length of a book will depend on how long the person has lived, and it will cover events that happened throughout their lives. While you can access records of people that live in different worlds, you can only access records of people who have died (the permanent kind). Not only that, but the keepers of this wing (ghostly apparitions of scholars) will only allow you access to the records of people that are part of your family or somehow related to you.

Hauntingly, AU characters will be able to find books of their past selves among these shelves, as well as the records of their past selves relatives. It will detail their lives in their previous worlds, the events described lining up with memories you've experienced. The causes of death will vary. Some will go on to live long lives before dying of old age, while others will be killed abruptly by something either within or out of their control. But if these books say anything: it's that these memories you've been getting? They're coming from a past life.

Meeting the Muses

While the animal and apparitions do most of the running of the library, the true masters of this place are the Muses. Spend enough time in the library, and you may have a chance to come across any one of the nine sisters. While they are gracious hosts, they carry themselves with a pride that feels dangerous to step on. When asked about the memory loss suffered by some characters, they will explain that them or their sister simply wanted to give them the gift of inspiration and the memory loss is an unfortunate side effect mortals sometimes suffer from their divine gift. However, the damage isn't permanent! All one must do to return their forgotten memories is destroy anything they created while they were under that divine inspriation, and the Muses will return their memories. Doing just that will return their memories as promised, though some might find that their memories have been altered some - as if the Muses were inspired to tweak your past.

That said, the Muses really do love sharing inspiration, so anyone who is tempted to gain their divine inspiration may be offered to do just that. If you take the offer, the muses will draw upong your character's past and your character will gain a free regain that's worth up to 4 points - but in exchange they will permanently lose a memory of equal value (so if it's a 1 point regain, a small memory would be sufficient, meanwhile a four point regain might make them forget their most important person). Just how much are you willing to give up in order to gain?

Overall, the Muses will be happy to have the characters enjoying their library. That said, the Muses take great pride that they are the greatest at the arts and creation. Should you try to challenge them at their craft, expect them to not hold anything back. And whether you win or lose, they will be angry enough at your audacity that you might wind up cursed. So maybe be careful with these ladies.

Aftermath

With memories returned (or taken), the Great library will be available for the rest of the month. Take your time exploring and enjoy this great marvel. Zodiac will be willing to pay anyone who is willing to take notes on their findings in the library, as well as any notes copied from books they think will benefit them. Characters that attempt to take anything out of the library will find themselves unable to leave until they return the item, and anyone who causes damage to the library will find themselves removed from the library and forbidden to return. But all and all, it's shaping up to be a peaceful month.

You should probably enjoy it while it lasts.

OOC Notes

The dominant element this month is Wind! Anyone with an affinity to the wind 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 Earth 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.

Players can use this event to modify their AU histories if they so desire! If you decide to change AU histories, please comment with the changes here so the mod team is aware! As for people willing to take up the deal for losing memories in exchange for a regain, please comment detailing what memories you intend to lose.

The original OOC plotting post for this event can be found here. Another Zodiac Post will be going up September 15th to serve as an intro post for new characters and allow characters to react to developments over the network.

Comments

[couldntsaveone]

Well, I was seven when I ate it. I didn't know what it was. I thought it was just a regular fruit that my friend brought back from his trip. I didn't find out I was cursed until after I ate it. It was a real pain, at first. Since I'm a pirate, not being able to swim and always being set up to drown is kind of a big deal. And it took years for me to learn my powers. But, they're pretty awesome now!

And no, I don't think so. Nobody else seems to know anything about devil fruits here, so I'm pretty sure it's just a thing where I'm from.

[serpentinthegarden]

Seven? You probably needed a nanny.

[ Or somebody to watch him. Who lets their young pirate wander off and eat anything called a devil fruit.

Maybe the same people who would let him punch a pumpkin. ]

So you are supposed to be a pirate. You have a ship?

[ Anthony wasn't sure it counted if he didn't. A pirate needs a ship! If they didn't it was like fancy wine without a fluted glass.]

Maybe you should give up on this pumpkin carving thing. If you want to be a robot a costume shop or home depot might have more of the kinds of pieces you need.

[couldntsaveone]

What's a nanny? I had Dadan! Do mountain bandits count? Or, well, Shanks and Makino were the ones looking after me before her. Shanks is a Yonko, one of the four rulers of the oceans, but he was just a regular pirate then. And Makino is a bartender!

He definitely needed a nanny or somebody to look out for him.

They were only around for a bit, though. Mostly, it was just me and my two older brothers. We would hunt and spar and gather treasure together!

And bold of you to assume anybody let Luffy do anything. Boy has done what he wants since he was a child, even if it put him in danger.

Yup! I've had two. The Going Merry, we had to put down, cause it got too old and broke. But now we have the Thousand Sunny! Franky made it for us and he's maintaining it, so we won't ever lose a ship ever again.

He... talks about his ship like a friend.

I don't know what either of those are. I'll try to be more careful. I think I got it this time. Gentle punch. I can do this.

[serpentinthegarden]

[ He didn't even know what a nanny was?? Where had this kid been. ]

No, mountain bandits don't count! Who would let a bandit near a kid?

[ Or any of those other non-nanny people! They all sounded like terrible influences... which part of him kinda dug. ]

Saying you had to put it down makes it sound like a pet.

[ Anyway he ducked before this 'gentle punch' was attempted. Anthony had been decorated with enough pumpkin today. ]

Remember its a pumpkin and not a rock.

[couldntsaveone]

My gramps! He said Shanks was a bad influence on me, based on the fact that I wanted to become a pirate because of him! So he took me to meet Dadan instead. I wasn't a huge fan at first because mountain bandits had already tried to kill me but she cool! And she was helping look after my two brothers, so it turned out all right.

His entire childhood is a horrific mess to outsiders tbh... Not that he realizes that.

More like a crew mate. It had a soul and everything. We got to have a final goodbye and I made sure it would burn, so it wouldn't just rot in the depths of the ocean, cold and alone.

So yes, very much like a pet.

Not a rock, got it!

This time, he does much better, although he does end up breaking part of the shell and almost breaking it in half. But, at least it didn't explode everywhere?

I think I got it. Now to get rid of the gooey stuff and make it into a robot costume!

[serpentinthegarden]

I could see how a bandit would be a better role model than a pirate.

[ He couldn't. At all.

He was tempted to ask what the difference was as a bandit was only a pirate without a ship, they still robbed from people, but then there was the pirate ship with a soul business and look, he actually cracked that pumpkin. That might have been the only thing about any of this that made sense. ]

Yeah, hollow it out, get some silver paint, and you will be doing the robot in no time.

[couldntsaveone]

Doing the robot?

Eh. It's probably unimportant. Ignore that question.

I'll have to figure out where to get silver paint later! But thanks, this is a lot of fun! I never would have thought of this, I just wanted to eat it.

To be fair, that's typically where his mind goes anyway.

And Shanks was an awesome role model! He gave me this, my treasure!

He gestures to his straw hat but doesn't touch it, not wanting to get it dirty.

I'll give it back to him once I've become a great pirate, king of the pirates!

[serpentinthegarden]

Its a dance.

[ Always answer the unimportant question if only so you can see a kid, dressed in a pumpkin robot costume, actually doing the robot. ]

Do pirates even have kings? I thought the whole point of being a pirate was to avoid authority.

[couldntsaveone]

There's only been one king, Gold Roger. He's the one who started the era of piracy! He challenged everyone to find his fabled treasure, One Piece! It sounds like a really fun and epic adventure, so I can't wait to find it.

He doesn't actually have to become king of the pirates, although he's going to keep fighting for the position until somebody does. For him, it's all about the adventure with his friends and freedom.

Being a pirate is a lot of things! Sure, it's avoiding the World Government and yeah, we did pick a fight with them. And I guess the whole world, by extension.

He shrugs, like that's no big deal. Totally normal, you know? Just gonna go fight the entire world.

It's also about adventure and freedom and parties and making friends and having fun! Being pirate king means I'll have gone to every island and sea in the whole world! Doesn't that sound amazing?

But, back on track for the most important question.

What kind of dance?? Is it a cool one?

[serpentinthegarden]

Gold Roger, not Jolly Roger.

[ Who would name themselves after a flag, really. ]

It sounds made up. There was a 'Golden Age' of piracy that was about freedom, avoiding world governments, and I'm sure they had some wild rum fueled parties... but there was also a lot of thieving, murder, and pillaging too. You make it sound like a holiday.

[ When scurvy would say otherwise! ]

And yea, it's alright. You move your body like you are actually a robot.

[couldntsaveone]

The Jolly Roger is the flag. Gold Roger is the king of the pirates. They're two different things. Mine's a pirate skull with a Strawhat on it!

Oh wow, unpacking Gold Roger would definitely be a Thing. Something that Luffy, thankfully, is not able to do.

I never said it was all glamorous. We're being hunted down by the World Government, after all.

He isn't offended by being called a liar.

Sure, there are bad pirates out there and I hate them. But there are equally bad towns and bad Marines and bad people. Do you only talk negatively about all of those things as well? Not all pirates are good pirates. I don't care if I'm lumped in with the bad ones. It's up to everyone to decide their own opinions, about me, about my crew, about pirates and freedom and adventure. It would be against the point if I tried to convince anyone that I'm one way or another, taking away their freedom to choose how they view me.

Besides, I already said it, didn't I? I'm a pirate. Not a hero. I never claimed to be a good guy.

He laughs, then looks excited.

I bet Franky would love that! I'll have to figure it out and learn it, so I can show him later!

[serpentinthegarden]

[ Please, storyteller at most! There were supposed to be other worlds out there in the universe but Anthony had only ever seen the one he had grown up in (And now also Stardew which overall seemed fairly 'normal') so everything that was being told to him about this pirate-land sounded beyond fantastical.

Anthony carried on listening, his head tilting slightly at the question, 'Did he talk negatively about bad towns and bad Marines?' Obviously. Pointing out people's bad qualities was something that came naturally to him. His Da had found that annoying but knowing what he did about himself now... sort of made sense a demon would noticed those things. ]

Google some videos on youtube.

[ A beat. ]

About the dance not the piracy, robbery and adventure... I'm sure you could find those sorts of videos too. Are you still doing any of that? Can't can you, not without a ship? Pirate has to have something to sail away in or they aren't a pirate. They'd be...

[ Lost for a moment in thought as he tried to dream up some term for a landlocked-pirate. ]

There must be a word for it. There's a word out there for everything.

[couldntsaveone]

What's Google and YouTube?

He's hopeless with technology, okay? His world's tech is vastly different. He can only handle a cell phone because he can talk at it.

I mean, I'm still a pirate no matter what but stealing for no reason is kind of pointless. I usually only steal from ancient cities and other pirates. Sometimes I do get gold if I save a village or country or island. Sometimes we steal some then too. Only fair, right?

And mountain bandits usually are the ones to steal on land. I hate those guys! Except for Dadan and them, but all the rest, they suck!

[serpentinthegarden]

You are a kid that doesn't know what youtube is?

[ That was the saddest and most out of character for a child thing he had ever heard. Most of them LIVED for youtube! But then Anthony did always enjoy diving into the latest and greatest technological things. He might have been biased. ]

Apps on your phone. You have to have them... you've got that Zodiac app, and those two apps are like that. No matter how many times you delete them they will always reinstall themselves. Click on them some day and do a search for 'The Robot - Dance'.

Anyway it looks like you've got this pumpkin pillaging thing down. I'll let you decorate it on your own and take this...

[ He gave the jacket he was wearing a little shake. ]

...to the dry cleaners. They have to be able to get all of the pumpkin goo off of it.

[couldntsaveone]

One last quotation before you go from this ever curious teenager.

What's a dry cleaner?

One that's explained, he'll let Anthony go on his way

[serpentinthegarden]

[ Yeah, just letting that question sink in for a minute... ]

You know for a pirate who has supposedly been traveling the world you aren't very worldly. Take a walk down main street, look at the shops, talk to people.

[ He tossed a wave over his shoulder. ]

Ciao kid~