September Event Log

[kaisoumods]

September Event
Dominant Element: Wind
Waning Element: Earth

※
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

[fiddlestick]

[It's true he would like hugs that didn't involve breaking ribs. That'd be great.

Elliot certainly isn't thinking completely straight, or maybe he'd back off. He just knows...it feels better being this close to Rean. Cuddling up like this, not thinking about those books on the table. Having Rean with him, responding to this closeness, agreeing to stay with him...]

Rean...

[He meant to move his head just so their noses don't bonk, tilting it to the side. But as he does that, he realizes how just how close Rean's lips are. If he could just...

He goes for it. Gentle lips press against Rean's, engaging him in a soft kiss]

1/2

[motiv8]

[When Elliot's lips meet his own, there's a brief moment where Rean freezes, unsure how to respond.

Elliot is kissing him. Elliot is kissing him. Elliot is kissing him. Elliot is kissing him.

Why? It's not like it isn't nice. It's not like Rean hasn't thought of this too, in moments he's tried so hard to bury. But Elliot deserves better than him, has always deserved better than a loser like Rean who still can't figure his own shit out after all of this time. After two lifetimes of trying, even.

So why him? Why on earth would Elliot want him?]

2/2

[motiv8]

[The thing is, though, that although Rean is selfless to a fault...

He can be selfish, too. And although he can't understand Elliot right now at all, can't possibly understand why Elliot can't see how he deserves better...

He wants this. And he wants Elliot to know that, doesn't want him to think that his fleeting panic means that Elliot is unwanted. He can't fail Elliot that much, not after all the damage he's already done.

So, as awkwardly as someone who's not had much in the way of practice kissing can, Rean kisses back. His eyes, which had shot wide open at first, flutter back closed, and blindly, Rean tries to find Elliot's hand with his own. Fumbling, he laces their fingers together, palms facing.]

[fiddlestick]

[For a second as Rean hesitated, Elliot had a flash of panic. He gone too far, he really screwed things up this time by taking this too far. Why would Rean ever want-

But those fears are quickly alleviated as Rean starts kissing back. Clumsy and inexperienced as it is, he can tell that Rean is kissing back. Rean wanted him.

No reason not to go all in then.

Elliot has more experienced with kissing, thanks to his ex-boyfriend. So he'll help with guiding the kissing as he continues it. His hand will go to Rean's cheek, adjusting his angle just a little as he guides the other. All the while, Elliot keeps kissing him. There's a desperation to the kiss, one that's coming from a place that badly wants a connection. That needs to have this.]

[motiv8]

[Rean follows where Elliot leads eagerly, and when he feels that desperation against his lips he responds back in kind.

Elliot is not the only one that needs to be needed, and it spills out unwittingly as a soft, mewling little sound into the kiss as he falls further and further into it. His heart is racing, a frantic pounding that blocks out the world around him; blocks out anything but how he and Elliot are connected right now.

He can't even bring himself to care about the initial awkwardness the way he might have if this were anything else, with anyone else. All that matters right now is that Elliot is here, that his lips feel soft and warm and amazing against Rean's. That there's a sweet, light happiness in his chest, fluttering about like butterflies. And that this is okay, all of this is okay, because they're together.]

[fiddlestick]

[Those mewling sounds from Rean were a beautiful melody to Elliot, accompanied by the rhythm of their pounding hearts. It's hard to think right now of how to feel, but he knows there's joy and thrill within him. he certainly hadn't planned things to go this way, but he can't deny he's waited a long time for it. Possibly lifetimes.

So he lets himself enjoy the kiss. Indulging in savoring every little moment of it, every touch of the lips and every little sound that came from Rean. When he finally has to break apart for air, he can't stop his purring]

Ehe...M-Maybe we should find some spot my students won't walk in on us.

[Because boy he does not want to stop]

[motiv8]

[When they finally do separate, Rean follows after Elliot at first, resisting the distance until he absolutely has to acquiesce.

And in response to Elliot's suggestion, he can only laugh. It's a breathy sound, crinkly with the sound of his own purring.]

Y-yeah, that might be a good idea. Don't need to taint the rest of your teaching career forever.

[That, and the little helpers here in the library are maybe starting to give them a Look™. Maybe libraries just aren't the best spots for making out, who knew!]

...Your place, then? Since I'm staying anyway?

[fiddlestick]

Y-Yeah, that'd definitely be bad. Especially when this place is crawling with students.

[As thrilling and tempting as it was to just find a quiet corner, Elliot really wasn't quite ready to risk his career over it. ]

My place works! Hunter will want to stay in the library until curfew. [So they'll have the place to themselves] ...Mind if I turn into your cat and hide in your bag? Just so we're not stopped by anyone with questions.

[Rean leaving by himself won't raise any eyebrows, but Elliot? Well, he's got way too many students who crave attention to chance it]

[motiv8]

Yeah, that's fine.

[Rean's loath to pull away completely, but he has to if they're going to get out of here to continue things. So, with a little sigh, he does eventually break contact, if only to unzip his bag for Elliot.]

Go ahead. I'll get these books put back. [...] Actually, wait.

[He shrugs off the red hoodie he's wearing, folding it up and pressing it into the bottom of the bag.]

There. That ought to be a little more comfortable for you.

[fiddlestick]

[He puts his hand to hand to his chest, touched by the gesture of him putting padding]

Aww. Thanks Rean. [YOU'RE SWEET. He'll take his keys and his phone out of his pocket, putting them on the table] Hold onto these, please?

[And with those gone, he'll glance around to make sure no one but the ghostly librarians are watching and transform himself into an orange cat. He can't help but give Rean a quick head nuzzle and purr before he hops onto the table and climbs into the bag]

Okay, ready!

[motiv8]

Of course.

[Rean takes the keys and phone and tucks them into some pockets. Which pockets? Who knows. Guys get so many pockets.

After that, it's off to put the books back. That's easy enough to do, and knowing he has a cat friend— boyfriend? He doesn't know and he's not going to ask right now— to get back to makes it easy not to linger. Soon enough, he's back to his bag, which he zips up most of the way while still leaving Elliot a gap at the top both for air and to pop his head out if he'd like.]

All right. I'm gonna pick this up, then.

[He feels like he at least ought to give him warning before being hoisted off the ground! But once the bag is comfortably situated over his shoulder and he double checks the area to confirm he hasn't forgotten anything, he starts heading out.

He's walking as quickly as he can without attracting too much attention. Sigh... all this magical nonsense and still no teleporters? It's unfair, really.]

[fiddlestick]

[There's a slight mrow sound as Rean picks up the bag and the stuff inside shifts around. But Elliot soon finds a spot comfortable enough to sit in within the bag. There's part of him that wants to stick his head out and see what's going on, but he resists the urge. There's some people that have seen him in his cat form, so it's better not to risk it.

It takes awhile, but eventually they get out of the library without being spotted. Elliot will direct Rean to where his car is parked, finally climbing out of the bag and transforming into human. It's not too long of a drive back to Elliot's place, and they fill the time with idle conversation.

Finally, at long last, they make it back to Elliot's place. Elliot will unlock the door and let Rean in. The place is thankfully more well kept than the last time Rean was here]

Haha...finally. Make yourself at home! Hunter won't be back till curfew, so it'll be just us.

[motiv8]

[Elliot mews... too cute for this world.

Still, while the travel back isn't that bad— especially with a car involved, thank you Elliot for being the adultier adult— Rean's quite happy when the door to Elliot's place shuts behind him.

It's not like he wanted to stop where they left off before, after all.]

Heh, that interested in what's all in the library, huh? [He smiles.] I get where he's coming from, but I have to admit my interest is... elsewhere, right now.

[He'll move toward the couch, but it's pretty clear he's looking for Elliot to come with him.]

[fiddlestick]

Eheh, yep. He really loves studying. But enough about him for now...

[Why talk kids when it's clearly adult time. He'll follow Rean to the couch, sitting down near him. ]

So...care to share where your interest is now~?

[He knows. He very much knows where. But this is flirting ok]

[motiv8]

Haha. You still kind of sound like a teacher, talking like that...

[Now that they're on the couch together, Rean is wasting zero time in cutting to the chase here. He may be completely dense when it comes to romance, but at least in this one instance he actually knows he's maybe a little too dumb to flirt successfully.

So, with that in mind, he reaches out to brush some of Elliot's bangs away from his face, coming to rest with his palm on Elliot's cheek.]

I think we're a little past that, don't you?

[And from there, he leans forward to claim Elliot's lips in another kiss. It's a little less clumsy this time, at least!]

[fiddlestick]

[He gives a little chuckle at that]

Eheh, do I? Sorry. It's hard to turn it off...

[He'll lean closer to him, putting his hand on Rean's leg to support himself.]

I want to though. With you, I'm just Elliot.

[No teacher, no instructor Craig. Just a young man with the guy of his dreams. A guy who is now kissing him, which Elliot will more than happily return the kiss. His own movements are not clumsy, being experienced enough to know what to do.]

[motiv8]

[Hey, if Elliot knows what to do, Rean can at least follow along with some sense of confidence.

He gives a little sigh of contentment into it, relaxing a little once Elliot returns it. Sure, he's still full of giddy butterflies, but knowing that everything's mutual does a lot to quell the nerves.

Rean is more than happy to be with Just Elliot. He still doesn't have the slightest idea how he's going to even begin to measure up to the kind of guy Elliot deserves, but... at least right now, in this small way, he can try his best to make him happy. That has to count for something.]

[fiddlestick]

[And then the thread was moved elsewhere due to SIN]