02 - week two

[afflictionmods]

WEEK TWO

When the glitter settles and everyone returns to their dorms - or wherever they intend to sleep for the night, if you’re planning on sleeping at all - your first week of school officially ends. Perhaps it was better than you expected, perhaps it was worse.

Hopefully you learned a bit more about teamwork and school spirit.

Still, this course is going to run for longer than a full week, and come Sunday morning you’re still exactly as you were when you settled down for the night. Still in Estelline, still with that mark on your wrist, still connected to your partner. There are some changes, though. The bookstore has received quite a few books, and those of you who added to the bulletin board and pep rally tasks in the first week will find an envelope taped to their dorm door (or themselves, if they spent the night elsewhere). Inside of the envelope is some kind of voucher! Furthermore, the common area is covered in a bunch of glitter.

Also, there are a ton of eggs in the kitchen – at least 10 dozens.

Florence or Lorelei are still available, should you wish to speak to them.

Finally, you've got some new locations to explore.


SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

TASK LIST

CLUMSINESS AFFECT DETAILS (BEGINS TUESDAY ICLY)

W2 CYOA SIGNUPS
CYOA Signups for Week 2 close Sunday, May 29th at 6pm EST.

THREAD SURVEY
Google form for partner threads, due by Friday, June 3rd at 6pm EST. Optional.

W3 CYOA SIGNUPS
CYOA Signups for Week 3 close Friday, June 3rd at 6pm EST.

OOC NOTE

OOC: Anyone who performed in the Pep Rally (Sabo, Madara, Riku, Shizuku, Herlock, Idia, Flat, Miach) task will be able to redeem a voucher for a prize with one of the NPCs. This can be handwaved, and the prize selection is below.

-Single-serve coffee machine wither a selection of creamer. Comes with packs of coffee beans.
-Popcorn maker and kernels.
-High-quality tea kettle with a selection of just as high-quality tea.
-Carbonation machine (think Sodastream, etc) with flavored syrup.

Any coffee, tea, popcorn, etc. will last characters up to two weeks.

Anyone who participated in the Bulletin Board task will receive a voucher for your choice of two pairs colorful socks with cute animal designs. (Worry frog design available.)

FULL NAV

(CODE)

Comments

newspaper and stuff!

[cheerfuldays]

The newspaper I found specifically details the yearly phenomenon is "much greater and more dangerous than before". It said that citizens were lashing out at each other, violently or verbally; some say they've been isolating; some have been found crying on the streets. The continuation was on the floor in the kitchen... some of it was smudged, like someone had stepped on it with something on their shoes, but I was able to find something important, and I think it might be part of why we have a curfew:

The appearance of unexplainable spherical shapes that have been appearing at night specifically, which Sage mentioned people would 'wander into'. She said she'd felt tempted...

It was dated 5/3/926.

[catarou]

Seemingly strong emotions, building until they burst forth like water through a dam...

[ Uncomfortable! Gentaro frowns. ]

This "yearly phenomenon" escalating to that point is concerning, to put it extremely lightly.

[cheerfuldays]

Based on what was said, I think those spheres might be why everything is so empty. I also am worried that they might still be here- simply when we aren't around to witness.

[catarou]

Unfortunately, I agree.

[ a pause. ]

This is only a theory, of course, based on the information we have. Perhaps they are merely biding their time, so to speak. If this is a yearly occurrence, then it may be that they must... "recharge." Or perhaps it takes that long for them to form.

Sage mentioned that she was tempted to enter. It strikes me as something akin to a siren song, especially if people tend to wander into them.

[cheerfuldays]

Yes, she said she was able to resist- her words. ... That sounds so scary though... and then she was there, all alone...

But if the spheres need to recharge, it could be safe for right now. We'll have to find a way to know for sure.

( thankfully, shin's got an idea! )

[undertakings]

If we can secure the proper equipment, it might be possible to conduct surveillance over the area when night falls... At minimum, we could confirm their presence and ascertain their locations so they don't catch us off-guard.

[cheerfuldays]

That's much safer than trying to search on our own, too. But we have so little... maybe we could set up a tablet?

( lookin at you, tech guys... she is not a techie... she's the anti-techie. it's a miracle she hasn't broken the tablet yet. )

[undertakings]

I don't think it can record that long... but it might be the only tool we have at the moment. We can try setting it up close to curfew.

[alternately: this the time for him to yolo into a black hole instead of the fog]

[cheerfuldays]

I'm not very good with technology, but... Idia is. Maybe he can help?

[exofractured]

A sensible suggestion. The tablets have the ability to record video. While I doubt they have the ability to store as much as we'd prefer, someone with more familiarity with the technology may be able to connect two of them to show the same thing.

[Hm, or the compacts. He'd have to buy quite a few more to even begin to canvas a location well, though.]

[undertakings]

So we use one as a transmitter and the other as a receiver. [Honestly, that really would be the most ideal.]

I don't really know much about electronics, so I can't assist with the tablets... but I can help place or relocate them if needed.

[exofractured]

Precisely that. This isn't the technology I'm familiar with, but I doubt it's complicated to learn. Once we've determined the range and the limitations, I'll leave the placement to your military experience.

[And a beat later, a little grudgingly:]

Marcus may be of use to you in that as well.

[unsinksyourship]

Ooh? Like machine-spheres that may whisk people off to parts or facilities unknown for, what, experimentation or something?

[There's speculation and then there's leaping straight over the moon and into some other dimension like this guy. It's fine, he seems to mostly be thinking aloud -- it's kind of muttering to himself, really.]

[cheerfuldays]

Because of how Sage describe it, I have trouble believing it to be a machine. But I'm not sure what it could be.

[unsinksyourship]

Hmm? Was there something she said that made it seem like something supernatural or alive?

[Alive spheres..... Music of the spheres... Weird siren spheres. You can see the gears turning visibly but it's like watching hamster wheels without hamsters in them. We're doing our best(?).]

[cheerfuldays]

I don't know of any machine that could tempt people into approaching on such a strong level.... but I don't know a lot of machines either, admittedly.

[fabulation]

926...?

That's the year listed on the calendars I found.

[ Either way, hm. That sounds odd, and not at all like a good thing. ]

But, unexplainable spherical shapes can be anything. Maybe even something supernatural.

[ Which he thinks is more likely if they have a certain time where they appear and yet leave no traces behind... ]

[cheerfuldays]

I see... So that matches up, at the very least. And given the state of the bakery, whatever happened here wasn't too long ago.

[cloudalike]

Yes, I wouldn't rule it out. We need to learn more, so much more. Then, perhaps, once and for all, we can confirm whether this is the work of people, gods, or spirits.

[ He nods at Xingqiu, then bows at Shizuku and Sabo. ]

Although I am grateful for the information that's been share so far.

[cloudalike]

I wonder if Lorelei and her assistant are susceptible to the same temptation...

[undertakings]

I don't think a machine would have anything they could be tempted by, but that might be the reason why she has the assistant here in her stead.

[Well, besides the other obvious risk of one of them potentially attacking her.]

[cloudalike]

They are unlike any machines I've ever encountered. [ Which includes war machines; to his knowledge, they aren't sentient. ] If not temptation, then perhaps corruption.

Though I suppose that begs the question of what constitutes their version of uncorrupt.

[undertakings]

There are religions that say being corrupt is an unavoidable part of being human.

[He says it nonchalantly, with no conviction behind it.]

I don't know if that would be the same as their definition, but there are plenty of animals around. It's possible it's like that partially because they haven't been pulled in.

[cloudalike]

Hmm. I agree that we are imperfect, but I do not think corruption is inevitable. It's amazing how much we are able to learn and experience despite our limitations.

[undertakings]

That may be true, on an individual level.

[And yet with the streets deserted like this, what did that ultimately say about the people of this town? About humans?

None of those doubts show on his face as he continues.]

Either way, it’s best to assume that anyone who wanders into one is dead. And that’s as good a reason as any for the Instructor to want to keep her distance.