june event.

[falsitates]

JUNE 15, 2021

The heatwave has passed and the weather has never been better. The city is full of life once again, and the streets are busy as people return outdoors to enjoy what summer has to offer. Everything appears to have returned back to normal.

For everyone, but you.

The newcomers are given an envelope that is either addressed to their current residence or placed in their belongings. There is no return address, and inside is a New York state government-issued ID. It appears to be authentic. The residents, on the other hand, receive a similar envelope, but with a SIM card. There are no other notes.

Are these your rewards?

  MISSION BOARD

Your phone vibrates.

It doesn't stop until you pick it up and when you do, it's cold. The buttons do nothing as it shuts down, unresponsive to whatever actions that you take. Then, much like last time, white lettering on a black backdrop appears.

WELCOME TO WEEK THREE.
A NEW MODULE HAS BEEN UNLOCKED.
YOU MAY CHOOSE TO IGNORE IT.
OR YOU MAY CHOOSE TO USE IT.
AUDENTES FORTUNA IUVAT

A new section has been added to the app. It reads as 'missions'. There are currently three tasks available right now.

  BEGINNINGS OF A FOREST

The barrier continues to grow in size. Vitae's outskirts are gradually, but surely, expanding, and in its new area is a sea of trees. There has never been a forest surrounding the city, yet one is unmistakably forming. It's small, extending outside for less than a quarter-mile, and asides from its sudden appearance, there's nothing unusual about it. Only trees, the barrier, and the nagging feeling that someone is watching you.

Nobody in the city seems to notice. When questioned, they claim that the forest has always been there. In fact, the city was created in the heart of a forest, and it has remained that way since its inception. None of them are aware of the fact that these trees were never there until now.

It's as though the forest has always been there.

  DECISION TIME

By the end of the day, your phone vibrates again. A new message appears.

ALLY?
BETRAY?

One of the two choices must be selected. Otherwise, you won't be able to use your phone.

Make your choice.

Comments

mod notes & questions.

[falsitates]

⬥ Starting from today, missions will be updated on a bi-monthly to monthly basis. The rewards are typically plot clues, either big or small, but they may also involve items that can aid characters.
⬥ To claim a mission as a player, please comment underneath the appropriate mission thread in the mod notes & questions top-level. To be considerate to your fellow players, please try to only take on one mission. When all claims are taken, the mission will ICly say that the slots are now full and characters will no longer be able to sign up for them.
⬥ Once you complete a mission, please submit it under this month's mission top-level.
⬥ If you have any questions, please ask underneath this top-level. If you have any questions related to a specific mission, please ask underneath the appropriate mission thread. Thank you!

mission 004.

[falsitates]

Please sign-up and discuss all matters related to this mission underneath this comment.

mission 005.

[falsitates]

Please sign-up and discuss all matters related to this mission underneath this comment.

mission 006.

[falsitates]

Please sign-up and discuss all matters related to this mission underneath this comment.

[stormsoff]

So how do we interact with the ally/betray decision? Is this a decision that has to actually be made ICly, and if so, do we need to note it somewhere ICly and/or OOCly?

gotta go less fast

decision time.

[falsitates]

Please submit your character's IC vote for either ally and betray underneath this thread, please!

[curriculumachine]

Does anything else happen if a decision isn't made, besides the phone being unusable?

[infolds]

What happens to the phone if they put the SIM card in... but they have two SIM card slots in the phone?

[curriculumachine]

What happens if someone destroys their phone by say throwing it in the koi pond? Asking for a friend.

[ehero]

( it's time to duel!!!!!! )

[ In the middle of the sidewalk, there is a small child who has no regards for those who actually need to use it. He is kneeled down, playing with a set of cards and occasionally talking to nothing, holding on one-half of a conversation with himself. He should most definitely be in school, but he doesn't seem very bothered by the fact that he's, well, not. Instead, he just keeps on doing his own thing. ]

[ Eventually, a gust of wind will take away his cards and he'll be sent on a merry chase after them. Feel free to find him either pre-wind or post-wind. ]

( here's a normal judai )

[ Not knowing that there is a child version of him running around in the city... Judai will just log into the network and send some text. God, he really needs a new phone. Someone please buy him a phone... ]

whats aude i already forgot how to spell it
and is anyone planning on doing these missions?

( an extra serving of judai )

[ Eventually, Judai does manage to find his younger self and... well, he's taking it actually pretty well. After all the initial confusion and surprise are done and dealt with, the two are hanging out like best buds. They wander around the city, play cards together, and just have a good ol' time. ]

[ If Judai Sr spots anyone that he knows, he'll wave them down with a big grin. Hello!! ]

( wildcard )

( ooc: i'm sleepy. i'm tired. i have to be up for work in two hours. have some shitty prompts )

Normal Judai

[whiteshroud]

Audentes Fortuna Iuvat = "Fortune Favors the Bold".

And I haven't decided.

it's time to d-d-duel, joker now has another part time job as a babysitter

[chemex]

[In most cases, wandering to get the way of the land provides him a map, or something similar. Today, instead, he appears to have been presented a child. He rounds a corner and nearly trips over him, pinwheeling his elbows with his hands shoved in his pockets and rolling onto his toes before dropping back onto his heels, staring down the gaming toddler right in the middle of the way.]

...you're gonna wind up getting stepped on.

closed to styx

[ehero]

im going to check out the fifth mission
anyone want to lend a hand?

closed to deuce

[ehero]

[ Although the heatwave has passed, it's still summer. Temperatures are still high and for some reason, Judai can't seem to cool himself off. People have told him before not to strip, but he can't help it. At least he keeps his pants on, but the shirt is tossed and his shoes are kicked off. Trying to sit underneath the shade of a tree, he tries to think of cold things like icebergs, polar bears, and Mike's heart. Nothing works, though, and soon enough, he's passed out in the grass. ]

[ god fuck bonuses ]

[curriculumachine]

i. a normal summer

[With the passing of the heatwave, Mike's finally been able to get some sleep, and has enough energy to emerge from his hole of an apartment should the need or desire arise. Certainly not early for most people, but mid afternoon into the evening. He can be found in one of three places on these rare daylight excursions:

(1) the convenience store, stocking up on cigarettes and daring to purchase something from the ever-present rotating hot dog selection

(2) in the park by the koi pond, just... sitting there on the grass for reasons unknown

(3) at the bank right before closing, looking very uncomfortable with all the tellers' eyes on him


ii. toly
(closed to one person or group thread)

[He leans against the side of his van, waiting, looking up at the roof of one of the residential attached houses. It's run-down and on the end, next to the alley that leads in behind to a gravel parking area. Mike doesn't seem particularly interested in this adventure when he speaks, slow and monotone.]

Someone saw him over here a couple hours ago.


iii. forest

[One night, when he doesn't have to work, Mike heads into the 'new' forest with a small duffel bag. What is he doing? It is a mystery.]


iv. wildcard
anything goes;

iii

[ehero]

[ Think Mike can get away with calling the cops on Judai and not face the man himself? Well, that's not happening because Judai is also going to investigate the forest and he spots someone very familiar. ]

Hey!

[ Does Mike stop? ]

ii;

[chemex]

[Akira follows his line of sight, then gives Mike a brief once-over.]

Ever played cops and robbers?

I-2

[hippocarnival]

[Maybe the reason is just it's a nice pond... Yuya thinks so anyway.

Don't mind the shadow of someone standing over as they approach, Mike. Yuya smiles down at him.] Have you ever tried feeding them?

[rightminded]

[ it's my first day. ]

[ Given he's just arrived, and the weather is JUST FINE, Akechi seems ... well, very adaptable, for someone who is clearly new here, wearing a Japanese school uniform more suited for the winter months. At the very least he's taken off his blazer and is carrying it over his shoulder on a crooked finger, looking casual and cool. He seems to just be ... wandering around, taking in the sites, so you can find him:

At a convenience store, browsing newspapers and periodicals for job listings;

Standing at the border of the forest, going between thumbing through his phone and querying passing locals about it, to obvious failure;

And then exploring the shrine with a look of open curiosity, examining with particular fascination the lanterns. Should you join him in this location and catch him unawares, he'll startle slightly and laugh. ]

My apologies; I'd thought I was alone. Curious, isn't it? This shrine is very similar to one you'd see in my home country of Japan. It's not the kind of thing I'd expect to see in New York state, and certainly not in this condition. I wonder if City Hall knows of this apparently historic location's run-down state? Perhaps we should petition for its restoration, ha ha.

[ network. ]

Pardon me. I've only just arrived a short while ago. My name is Goro Akechi. To my understanding, I am not the first to arrive here under strange circumstances. According to what I'm reading, there are other unusual happenings as well. It is fortunate, then, that I happen to be a detective. I'm happy to offer my services, such as they are, for whatever use they may be. It is a pleasure to meet you all.

And while I'm here, if I may ask, which did you choose: ally, or betray?

[ wildcard. ]

( ooc: HIT ME WITH ANYTHING YOU LIKE i am open to Things. I'm on disco at skywardlii#5544 or plurk at heartfuls! Also, here's Akechi's app and info. )

shrine

[ehero]

... huh? Sorry, I didn't catch that.

[ dude, you just went OFF while judai was just looking around. ]

Closed to Isaac

[hippocarnival]

[After Yuya stops panicking about panic selecting 'ALLY' he gives the missions a suspicious review... until he reads the last one.]

That has to be the shrine down from the ryokan. I'm going to check it out.

[Maybe one day he'll learn subtlety on the network.]

1/4

[stormsoff]

the what down from the what

[stormsoff]

[ network ]

So uh
listen
more of my powers came back
just
Listen to me
I can see ghosts and spirits and stuff
I'm a spirit medium
That's why I have weather powers.
But something's wrong
There's no ghosts in this city
No spirits
none
nothing
At all.
I don't know how to explain how incredibly freaky that is. It's not normal.

[ highway robbery ]

[ So, being 13 years old and wanting to 1) work for his money and 2) not just constantly ask for money from Malleus, Isaac never has a TON of pocket change. Still, he has some! Not a lot, but some! Enough not to want to lose it!

And yet, today, he happens to trip and fall. When he does, ALL of that pocket change falls out. For some reason, he is MOBBED with NPC's rushing over to steal every last cent, and rushing away again. ]

H-HEY! WHAT THE HECK, GIVE THAT BACK! WHERE'S THE COPS WHEN YOU NEED THEM?!

[ There's too many people to chase them all... so he just kinda... looks like a sad kid who just got all his money stolen. THANKS, ICHI. ]

[ whose woods are these? ]

[ Really this is just Isaac standing on the outskirts of the woods like ... staring ... into the trees.

If you're standing nearby he'll offer: ]

Think it's worth exploring?

highway robbery hahaha

[ehero]

[ Judai arrives too late to see what happens. He only notices a whole mob of NPCs running away from Issac and the poor boy just sitting/lying there. He does manage to grab one of the NPCs by the back of his collar and he drags the now-choking teenager over. ]

What happened?

[ don't pick on his tiny friend ]

[tsunotarou]

Toly, Toly, come take a selfie with me. (Closed to Deuce)

[So the missions huh? They make a bit more sense this time around, less cryptic, and so Malleus wants to try and solve this mystery. He'll make sure his phone is charged before texting Deuce.]

I need your help with a mission.

Forests are terrifying places.

[Malleus had actually gone to the edge of the forest and touched a tree, just to make sure they were real and not a figment of his imagination. Then he went around touching more trees, trying to figure out if any of them were fake, hollow, or a hologram, but nothing. They're as real as the memories of his family about them.

It makes no sense. At all. But the more he looks at the trees, the more he wants to get away from them. Because they just appeared out of nowhere and could be haunted. Somehow.

When he's retreating, he bumps into someone.]

Sorry... Where you going to the forest?

[pursuit]

[ Oh, it's Malleus mail. Deuce checks it right away, only to find himself perplexed. ]

A mission?

[flowerclips]

( seriously guys don't put it in your phones )

I got a weird envelope in the mail!
It has this tiny chip, but I don't know what it is ( ・◇・)？
Did anyone else get one too 【・ヘ・?】

( meet mr fluffball )

[ Niko promised that she wouldn't go outside on her own, so she's been walking around with her new pet dog! The only problem is that she's 4'8" and she has a husky. Even as a puppy, she is smol and is getting dragged around. Is the leash for him or is it for her... regardless, there is an overexcited dog running around and a girl who is desperately trying to stop him. ]

M-- Mr Fluffball! Stop!!

[ Take your pick of either a) prepare to get jumped and squashed underneath both a dog and girl or b) please help this poor girl holy shit she's going to fall on her face soon and get road rash. ]

( he's not very good at navigating )

[ Eventually, Niko gets dragged into the forest. It's not very big, but it's still large enough for her to get lost in, especially after she's spun around a couple of times and she has no idea which way is left or right. Oh no, this place is pretty spooky... and Mr Fluffball seems pretty content to stay here. ]

H-Hello...?

[ She's going to start crying if she doesn't leave this place soon. Or scream. Either one. ]

( wildcard )

( ooc: much like judai's top-level, ヽ(゜Q。)ノ？ )

[silentends]

You got a weird chip in the mail? Just toss it out.

It's garbage. I found something like that earlier.

Didn't think there were more of them.

[infolds]

don't stick crazy things in phones - closed to Noah

cw: post-explosion imagery/gross

[ Connor is outside in an open area, namely the park. The air is great here and he's been looking at the SIM card that he received. He doesn't have to remove his own since his phone has two slots for those, so he inserts it.

The phone blows up in his hands.

Connor screams loud enough for the entire park to hear. He drops the burning parts of his phone to the ground, immediately stamping out the small flames with his foot. There's so much blood coming out of his hands... he thinks he lost a finger. He can't tell. He can't feel it. Everything feels so surreal and kinda blurry. Is he crying? No, he just got blood splattered near his eye somehow.

What a bad day to go for a walk, huh. ]

wildcard

[ I'm not good at writing top levels, so if you want a thread with Connor for some reason, hit me up by PM! ]

[morient]

[ Noah has been taking a walk in the park, trying to enjoy the outdoors now that the weather isn't trying to kill him. However, he doesn't get to spend too long under the trees - there's a scream, and he can't help but feel his body go immediately into a panic response.

But things are different now, aren't they? He gets up from the ground and tries to run towards the source of the scream as fast as he can. There's the smell of acrid plastic, making him think of the previous incidents immediately. ]

Oh no...

[ Just like the previous incidents, then. Somehow, the smell and sight of blood doesn't faze him anymore. He knows what he should do. ]

Hey, I'll help you. Try to breathe deeply, okay?

[ Connor seems dazed, so he skips the small talk and puts his hands together in a now-familiar posture. His catalyst manifests in the air above him, and a soft silver glow begins to surround Connor's injured hands. Calling upon the moon's magic is instinctive for him now, and the spell quickly knits together disfigured skin and removes any metal or plastic shards that have gotten stuck in Connor's hands.

There's a price, of course. But no one has to know that; he has a pair of white gloves on that neatly conceals the extent of crystallization. ]

CLOSED TO ZEKE

[silentends]

[ It's been one thing after another lately. Nier is slowly jogging towards the shrine. He hopes to make a wish for his sister's health. On top of that, he also needs to work out more. By taking this route he can knock out two birds with one stone. He might see a familiar face or two somewhere along the way.]

Hello, Professor Jeager! What have you been up to lately? I was just out for a jog so I didn't expect to run into you.

[ He waves. ]

Is everything okay?

[ape]

[ ah, hello there. ezekiel gives a short wave in turn, but he isn't doing much in terms of physical activity. great to see the other sticking to a routine change! ]

Morning, Nier. [ he has a break until lunch, so it gives him time to snoop around and investigate. zeke only has a hand-sized notepad that's already pages in scribbled and scratched out. ] I'm trying to crack a riddle, here . . . Did you see them on the app?