july event.

[falsitates]

JULY 4 ~ 15, 2021

July starts off busy.

With Independence Day approaching, city residents have been hard at work preparing for the upcoming Sunday celebrations. Vitae has always been enthusiastic about the Fourth of July and has made it a city-wide celebration every year. Although it's warned that another heatwave will sweep through the city for the first two weeks of July, everyone still works hard to ensure that they have another memorial holiday.

It's time to unwind.

  MISSION BOARD

Bzzz. Bzzz.

It's your phone. It feels like a brick of ice when you pick it up, providing welcome relief from the heat. It shuts down completely, as usual, until new white words on a black background appear.

NEW MISSIONS HAVE BEEN ADDED.
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY.
SOLAMEN MISERIS SOCIOS HABUISSE DOLORIS

True to its message, three new tasks appear under the missions module.

  FOURTH OF JULY

Despite the oppressive heat, it almost seems like everyone has gone out for the day. Many people hold barbeques or picnics in their backyards or parks, while others bars and restaurants offer day-long specials, such as free drinks or sides with meals. For those without cash or a barbeque of their own, the church provides free burgers and hotdogs to anyone who stops by their parking lot. Juice and pop are given as drinks, but occasionally, when no one is looking, the volunteer pulls out a bottle of beer from the very bottom of the ice-filled cooler. She gives a wink and puts her finger to her lips. Shhhh.


The beach also has its own free barbeque, though there is no hidden surprise of alcohol to be found. Only food and-- wait, a beach?

It first appeared in the early hours of the morning. A section of the forest has vanished at the city's very edge on the south side. In its place. a large beach is found. Although the waters stretch out as far as the eye can see, Vitae has always been a landlocked city. Where did it come from? Residents claim it's always been there, that the city built an urban beach years ago, before quickly changing the subject. It's Independence Day, man! What does it matter? Let's just have a good time!

Although packed, the beach provides enough room for everyone to find a spot and relax. The water is nice and cool and flocked with screaming kids as they splash each other. Apart from the beach's incredibly strange appearance and the concerning questions it raises, everything appears to be at peace.

Later that night, elaborate fireworks are launched in front of the city hall. Many people also light their own and with a fireworks vendor at every corner, there appears to be no end in sight. The sounds of explosions reverberate throughout the entire night and many people stay up to continue partying, celebrating as if this is the city's final Fourth of July.

  DECISION TIME

The following two weeks are quiet, everyone using up all of their energy for the Fourth of July. The city returns to normal and users of the app are left in peace.

Until the 15th.

YOU HAVE SELECTED [ALLY/BETRAY].
CHOOSE A USER.

A list appear below the message. It contains the names and photos of every person on the app. Until you select one, your phone will be unusable.

Towards the end of the day, if you still have not chosen, it stays stuck to your hand and begins to slowly overheat with an ominous timer counting down from ten minutes. It will not be able to be removed, no matter how much force you use. It will only finally let go after you have chosen a name. A new message will appear after you've made your choice.

YOU HAVE SELECTED [NAME].
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ANSWER.
PLEASE WAIT PATIENTLY UNTIL THE NEXT UPDATE.

Comments

[breweries]

[ of course this ""human"" is interested. shylock is perfectly fine with not knowing someone intimately; he's used to being yearned from afar by his patrons, for example. murr was the only one who'd stuck with him through thick and thin... although, it's mostly the other way around, and it's not necessarily a good, heartwarming thing either. ​]

I figure that you couldn't resist finding out about this mysterious friend I keep bringing up. I don't blame you, however. He's a rather... intriguing fellow.

[ boy ]

In that case, let me rtell you the story of a highly curious man, with catlike eyes sparkling like jewels and an intellect as wide as the skies above. He has many a career and accomplishments on his belt, but he is best known as a philosopher around those parts of Western Country. We've been together for many, many years.

Unfortunately, one night is not enough to tell you his achievements. But to sum it up, he had invented a series of contraptions that put our kind in danger ever since. He's charming in every sense of the word, but ideas like that makes him utterly revolting nonetheless. [ and yet he continues to smile like it's normal for him to gossip about his bestie like that ] He's also a wildly eccentric individual who loves something that is impossible to attain, and that became his downfall.

[ he looks at johannes, eyeing him as if he's trying to take a peek at this human's soul. ]

Geniuses like that do not know their limits until it is too late, so I pray that you do not become like him, dear Johannes. Something to keep in mind when you decide to take this as inspiration for your next piece.

[cislunar]

[ ........ ]

Hm.

[ yes, that's it. hm. one short, pleasant hum in response to shylock's in-depth, intimate explanation. the way he meets shylock's gaze is much the same -- distant, thoughtful. a glance like murr's... as if observing the stars.

there's that odd mix within himself again. the slow pull of nostalgia, the intrigue of novelty. this time he does stop rocking the swing, the turning gears in his mind serving as enough stimulation for his restless self.

there's much to unpack there. little questions he wants to ask... frayed strings he wants to pull apart and dismantle. ]

I wonder. I simply cannot judge an Icarus... Ah. That's a story of a man with wings of wax who, despite the warnings of his father, flew too close to the sun; it melted his wings and he plummeted to his death, in case you were unaware. Rather than a cautionary tale, I take that as the inevitable end for those with passion, curiosity and yearning.

[ SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS?

also he's not dead? ]

Your words sound like an epitaph, but you speak as if he's still there. Do you mourn your mysterious friend, dear Shylock? Or...?

[breweries]

[ the way this human is looking at him, though. it's been a while since a short-haired intellectual twink stared at him deep into his soul, but less in an intimate way and more of a "oh i wanna poke at you until you tell me what i wanna hear" kind of way. it's maddening, to be honest. can't guys like him leave his sexy self alone for once?

but no, he supposes that his sexiness would want people to ask him all sorts of things. really can't blame them for that.

he holds his gaze at johannes for a rather long while, lips stretching into a knowing smile. ]

I didn't say he was dead, did I?

[ shylock: i got murr at home
murr at home: ]

Though I suppose I do miss him a little. I can only hope he knows how to care of himself while I'm currently away. [ his poor furniture will be covered in bitemarks and scratches by the time he returns... sigh. ] I didn't think there is a story like that in this world. However the difference is that my friend was able to survive the ordeal, but whether he'd like to try his folly one more time is up in the air.

[ haha.

not if shylock can help it. ]