WEEK 5

[killerwaves]

WEEK FIVE

21 Vacationers

The weekend sure was something, wasn't it? Tempers flared, explosions burst, and some were treated to an immersive sand bath experience. Come Monday at least, things seem quieter though not in the unnatural still way—the distortions on the islands have receded sometime in the night (with some impressive firework-like booms that may have stirred your sleep, at that; and the waves seem a little higher this morning) and the various amenities on the island have been made orderly again. Though, as always, some traces remain in the landscape; the waterfall looks like it has seen better days, though it's no longer in danger of coughing up debris on your head if looked at wrong.

This week like the rest brings new locations for you to explore, on Kakapo's Nest though it seems like only one of them really fits the vacation vibe. Hope you like snow!

!

WEATHER ALERT:

Bulletin:
Starting Monday morning and continuing throughout the week, pollen counts will be elevated. This is expected to last until late Thursday

!

TASKS:

Breathe Freely:
Enjoy the great outdoors with a fellow vacationer! It's never too late to appreciate nature.
(REWARD: RARE!)

(( Yes, only one task this week which is memshare with someone else. Have fun!
REMINDER: Task submissions are due Friday by 9 PM EST/6 PM PST. ))

(( OOC: Murder proposals are due by Tuesday at 4 PM EST / 1 PM PST, for the current week's murder, which is the last week of standard murder, week 6 being endgame!!

Also, as always, your admins can be contacted for a chat. ))

MONDAY • TUESDAY • WEDNESDAY • THURSDAY

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Comments

[chosenwang]

Oh? I don't know. He's still looking a bit pale.

[diabolizes]

have they? that makes sense

he doesn’t count

[ Since he likes Baizhu. ]

[chosenwang]

Looks like that's the popular one this week.
Can you imagine them ordering from someone a bunch of whips wholesale?

[chosenwang]

They are talking to us from some where.
Maybe in some kind of evil lair underneath the island or in a submarine some where.

[microtransactions]

An arm to swing from all the high beams and random tree roots growing out of the side of a cliff he wants...

[chosenwang]

That would make quite the image.
Think we can sell him on that?

[diabolizes]

do you think they went through the effort to send us a message

[diabolizes]

lol

probably

too bad they won’t let us see their evil lair. i bet my demon-quelling cave is cooler

[chosenwang]

That they want us to be more kinky?

I don't think they would have, but the image is really funny.

[plunges]

MEMSHARES.

[ OOC: I have a short list of memories for Xiao, with brief summaries!

– The Yakshas: A little glimpse into the rise and downfall Xiao's family. There's not a whole lot of actual scenes that are super concrete, so this will be more like a montage (which I will link) that characters will witness than a single, concrete memory.

– The Chasm: (CW: Suicidal ideation) This involves Xiao being trapped underground with a fewo ther Genshin characters. He's on a quest to figure out what happened to one of brothers, known as the "Nameless Yaksha", and I can either give you a battle scene, or a scene involving Xiao's plan to sacrifice himself to save the others.

– The Lantern Rite: This is more of a lighthearted memory in which Xiao is extremely nervous and awkward at dinner.

Please let me know what you'd like in the subject header! I will put closed starters up here, too. Let me know if you'd like a custom starter. ]

SNOW ROOM/COLD STORAGE.

[ In the midst of all the weird memory sharing, Xiao starts to explore the new island that's opened up. It's not what he expected it to be by far, and he's morbidly curious about the new locations. He finds himself drawn to the snow room first, and he can be found searching through the storage containers, squinting at the specimens inside; or wandering deeper into the room and trying to figure out how to get locked doors open. (He can't.) ]

[dupiety]

Likewise.

Regardless, a whip is a decent tool for intimidation.

:)

[He's not being serious. Hopefully.]

[microtransactions]

Oh no!

Good thing there's a new island with a

[ he pauses typing. has to squint at the map legend to be sure because wow these maps are getting messed up. ]

n infirmary on it! By the way, anyone else sideeying how the maps have been getting worse every week?

[microtransactions]

As long as no one tells him it opens him up to being called noodle arms, maybe.

Oh wait. Oops!

[idologue]

[ This fine Monday morning, Lacus can be found at the Beach on Sungems Peak where she is building a sand castle together with her Haro companions. Or maybe for her Haro companions? Mr. Pink is sitting perched on the castle tower and looking as pleased about it as a ball of metal can. Lacus is humming as she reinforces his castles walls and decorates them with seashells.

Later in the day, she can be found exploring the new locations. Which means she's currently in the Cold Storage, looking through all the specimens stored. She's frowning as she goes about it, but otherwise seems pretty neutral about the matter. ]

... now, what were you being sampled for, I wonder...?

[ At other times, you can probably find her wandering about singing her little songs, hit me with something random! ]

MEMSHARES

[idologue]

[ I'm doing personalized memshares for everyone who requests one, which will be compiled in the comments here! If your character would like to approach Lacus about the memory they saw, you can either start a thread in response to the memory or PC me - depends on your preference!

... or tag my other starters and just have it come up there, I'm not picky. ]

[diabolizes]

lol lmao i doubt it as well lol

besides, do the people here have any room to grow in that sense anyway

[handsheld]

ill tell u if you msg him telling him hes a birdkin

Haruka

[idologue]

[ Suddenly you're in the hallway of a spaceship (you know this, intuitively, because you've known all your life). You're peeking in through someone's open door into their room. The man inside is familiar to you. He's watching a concert video and hasn't noticed you yet. The song that is playing is rather upbeat and the performer has sex appeal and energy to match. It's a high tension idol concert, full of fanservice. The crowd goes wild for it.

And the singer looks just like you. Her face, her voice, her hair... You'd have a hard time telling the two of you apart yourself, if it weren't for how differently she moves. She flaunts her body, excitedly, and she looks so happy that it makes something inside you twist.

The man in the room is pleased by what he sees. He mutters his praise out loud, even. ] Hmm, yes. Very nice!

[ You can't stand it anymore. You step into the room, your smile bright like a finely honed dagger. ]

My, which part is it exactly that's nice?

Well, it's like... [ The man startles and whirls around, almost falling over onto his ass. ] L-lacus?! When did you enter? This is my room!

Yes! [ You increase the brightness of your smile and the cheer in your voice. His flailing amuses you, but you won't let him know that you harbor any such impure thoughts. ] There was something I wished to talk to you about. I called out to you, but it seems like I wasn't heard so I let myself in. [ You're lying. ]

Ah... I see. Sorry about that.

I wondered what you were so occupied listening to... so it was that 'Lacus Clyne's live performance.

Huh? Oh yes! First and foremost we must know all about the enemy!

[ You make an impressed noise, ready to really dig in the knife. ] Wow, as expected of Commander Waltfeld! You purposely give of the impression you're carefree, but really you are investigating further by yourself! [ This description suits you better than it does him, which adds to your private amusement. ]

[ He mumbles something about it being easy when you have an interest (you can easily imagine what part of her he's interested in). You pretend you couldn't understand him, and he pretends it's nothing. ]

Everyone in the audience seems so lively... I wonder if everyone prefers this sort of arrangement...

A-ah, yes seems like it. Young people like this sort of thing.

Will you watch for a moment?

[ Before he can really figure out what you're going to do, you begin her song. You steal her movements like she's taken your whole appearance, to the best of your ability. Waltfeld does not yet seem convinced, but easily gives advice for you to improve your pop style dancing.

It will be useful to know this one day. Under the guise of playing around, you are studying the enemy. ]

[dakicover]

I’ll trade mine for something else.

Billy

[idologue]

[ The sky is going to fall. Even if you didn't know for certain that the remnants of a space colony were about to drop into Earth's orbit, the unnatural darkness of the sky and the red reflection on the sea would have clued you in to coming disaster.

Two years. It's only been two years since the war stopped and you were allowed to live in peace. And now it's starting all over again.

But there's a gentle smile on your face. There has to be, because a group of children between 5 and 12 look up at you expectantly, with big confused eyes. ]

Now, come here everybody. Please follow me.

[ You say it the same way you'd call them on a trip. One of the girls recognizes this and proudly announces: Oh, I get it, we're going shopping! Another complains: I still wanna play though...! You can't help but smile, despite it all. These children trust you. You want to do right by them.

But then you notice that one is missing from your group. The Reverend is there, the kids are all there, and Ms. Yamato is there, but... ]

Kira...?

[ You look around and you find him standing by the seaside, staring up into the sky. Following his gaze upwards, you can see it. Like shooting stars, like comets, the debris is entering the atmosphere. And then there it is: red, burning red, a giant foreign body. A dead colony, a graveyard, a warning. It's returning to those who wronged it.

You usher the children into the bunker under the church. You call for Kira to join you. The children grow restless. 'Do we hafta stay here forever?', a boy cries out. ]

Everything will be fine. We will only be here for a little while.

[ You say it in your same friendly tone, always projecting a calm sort of safety. (God knows, these children deserve to feel safe for once.) Just as you say it, something shakes the earth and the lights flicker. The children are agitated. The first tears start to spill. You hold the two next to you tight, you mutter that it's going to be alright, over and over... but that's not enough.

So you do what you do best. You sing, with all the wishes in your heart. You sing like a prayer, like a lullaby. Listen to me. Listen to my voice. Hear my message and hear my promise, you beg silently. Above you, your house falls to dust and you know it. ]

Temenos

[idologue]

[ The theater is dark. You're on stage, in your full live concert outfit, and the lights shine only on you. There is nobody here, at least nobody you can see. You're not singing for them anyway. This one concert is for yourself. Your retirement concert, the final goodbye to your old life. It is a prayer that your decisions will be worth it.

You sing as you wait.

The song is just finished when a familiar mechanic voice comes to your ear. Haro! Haro! Lacus! says Mr. Pink and he jumps from the seats onto the stage and into your waiting arms. ]

Why, hello, Mr. Pink! [ You are genuinely delighted to see him. But after that greeting, you turn to the audience, to the boy who has come with your friend. ] I was certain you would bring him here. Thank you very much.

[ Athrun looks at you with a grave expression on his face. There is a gun in his hand, though it is not pointed at you - yet. ]

Lacus.

Yes?

[ You smile sweetly, as if you don't know exactly why he's giving you that look. He comes running, jumps onto the stage and comes to stand in front of you.

This is an inevitable confrontation (18:00-21:40). Through it, Athrun looks at you with eyes full of betrayal, confusion, fear. He looks at you like he's seeing you for the first time, and maybe that is true.

Athrun has never looked at you, not really. You like Athrun. But he is no partner for you, not like this.

And still, he decides to protect you. Your gunmen shoot down the assailants and as you watch them bleed out on the stage floor you think that it's good that none of these weapons had to be used on Athrun. You also feel sorry to the stage for being desecrated like this. Now your life is truly stained with blood. Now you cannot go back.

So you smile at Athrun and say goodbye. You leave to fight the battle only Lacus Clyne can fight.]

[conceivesfrenzy]

its probably fine.

[ hm. ]

closed memshares

[plunges]

haruka + beel

[plunges]

[ x ]

I will maintain the energy flow.

"Understood."

[ Suddenly, you are transported to an underground area, a cavern where he stands next to Xiao. He is surrounded by unfamiliar faces, though given the object that is floating in front of Xiao, Haruka in particular may be able to recall the story Xiao told him not too long ago...about the Fantastic Compass. The tool they needed to emerge back to the surface after being stuck in the underground for so long. A burst of light emits from it as Xiao channels his energy through it.

As yakshas, we must fight for this world. ]

General Alatus, falling in!

[ Xiao's yaksha mask appears, and soon, the entire group, including you, starts rising upward. It's a sudden, rapid descent, though any protests or cries you may make go entirely unnoticed by Xiao himself. You may also notice that there's pieces of Xiao's Karma floating around him, and maintaining the energy flow is causing him a lot of pain. Still, he persists, as the group soars upwards, through the darkness.

The Compass moves, but so do some strange, dark spirits emerging from beneath. There are plenty of them, and they start flying around the group. A few of them hone in on them, and one even goes towards you, but the woman in blue is quick on her feet to eliminate them.

It's a lot to take in...but it's not over just yet.

There's a lot of fighting, a lot of movement as Xiao continues to tunnel in on getting the group out alive. As the strange spirits start to emerge and nearly swallow them all whole, a final, powerful burst of strength sends them higher, breaking free from the darkness that's swallowing them.

Except there's still a bit of a way to go before they reach the surface, and Xiao only has so much strength left in him. His mask breaks. It shatters on his face, and his hand trembles as he tries to continue channeling, but...he can't. He can't, and he knows it. Despite Yanfei's concern, despite the way the group looks at him, Xiao knows he can't keep going.

In a last ditch effort to get everyone out alive, he clenches his fist. Everyone, minus himself and you, are engulfed in a pillar of light – and within seconds, despite the group crying out to him, knowing what he's trying to do, they disappear and they're sent up to the surface.

The Compass cracks.

You and Xiao fall rapidly towards the depths once again.

Xiao closes eyes, knowing what will become of him. Acceptance. Death. ... Peace. ]

[townmusician]

[new week who dis

This time he's not going to spend it all moping! He's determined! (He'll immediately regret this once he starts experiencing the memories of other people!) But he's survived another week, which means he needs to stop being a baby and not be so anti-social this time!

This place would be great, except for the seagull on the beach that's swooped down and stolen his breakfast.]