JULY DUNGEON

[citta]

JULY DUNGEON

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→ 7/8: Lockdown Begins

At the stroke of midnight, the world plunges into darkness. From the stars in the sky to the lamps on the streets, it’s as if all the light in the world gets sucked away, sight adjusting to the darkness courtesy of a single source left in the sky: the moon continues to hang overhead, though its brightness still depends on the phase.

Regardless of where the characters are that night, they find that along with light, all other creatures have disappeared as well— from the townspeople to the bear in the castle ruins to all the cats overpopulating the town and its surrounding forest— replaced with the howling of the wind that picks up and continues all night long. For those who venture outside, they may find a breeze blowing by from time to time, the temperature plummeting until they step out of the path— and returning when they step back into it. Strange. Standing on the spot, one would find that the wind does not die down no matter how long they wait, more akin to a river than intermittent gusts of wind.

Following the breeze brings one into town (a godsend to those still in the forest, whether because they had just woken up in the castle ruins or because they decided to camp out in the forest overnight) and towards the school to flow past the school gates. The gates are still locked, but the roaming lights of the security guards are missing, and door to the high school building has been left slightly ajar. Will you jump the gate and enter? The decision should be made quickly, as those who linger to remain outside- or perhaps are still lost in the forest- will find the occasional mass of darkness approaching. Those caught by these Shadows will pass out, to awake unharmed the next morning, so run while you can.

Or learn how to fight back.

In an hour, Lockdown ends, stars blinking back in the sky and the lights and sound returning to the town as the people reappear. Those who were still awake at midnight continue about their business without any notice of that missing hour, and those who were asleep remain none the wiser. Over the course of the month, the townspeople become more and more lethargic, productivity in the town crawling to a stop near the end of the month. Perhaps it's a flu that's going around, or the summer heat finally getting to everybody... or perhaps it's those Shadows that come out each night during Lockdown, escaped from the dungeon to sneak into house after house, never staying very long, but checking each one as if looking for something.

It's anybody's guess as to what that might be, but with the way they will attack anybody outside the dungeon and knock them unconscious, they can't be anything good.

→ 1st Floor

Entering the dungeon during Lockdown, the front door to the high school building swings open silently, halls in complete darkness until one steps past the threshold and find their foot drops, a staircase leading down rather than the usual hallway inside the building. At the bottom of the short set of stairs lies another door that opens out to... outside. Rather than a school building with classrooms and festival decorations, all one sees under the starless night sky are fields of rice and barley and other grains, bales stacked high and bound together to form the entrance to a maze. Will you enter? Walking around the perimeter of the maze reveals no exit on the other side, with the possibility of something to be found within.

The maze is vast, the true path circling around several times before revealing a little shack resting in the center, but is not too difficult to navigate so long as one has the patience to try different paths and backtrack as needed, or the luck to choose the right path to begin with. For the cheaters among us, the walls are not too high that one cannot climb over them, but be aware that doing so will draw Shadows in towards the area. Now would be a good time to learn how to summon your Persona or pick up a pitchfork or other farming tools scattered around the maze, and fight back. Upon summoning your Persona, the darkness lifts slightly, allowing you to see the Shadows for what they are.

Common Shadows that can be found here include: BLACK RAVEN and HYBRID Shadows.

BLACK RAVEN
Type Shadow	Resists Wind	Weak Electricity
At first glance, these Shadows may appear to be regular animals, but as they swoop down from the air and swing their lanterns at unsuspecting heads, it becomes quickly clear that they aren't friendly. Gripped in their talons, they carry a small lantern that they'd use to strike against characters, but they're not shy at using their becks as well. Flying in flocks, they prefer to stay high in the sky where they cannot be reached, diving only to make an attack before quickly retreating back into the air. They're difficult to corner with the large open space and although they're small, they are able to conjure up great gusts of wind with a few flaps of their wings. However, when you're finally able to land a hit on them, they are quickly defeated. Their defences, so it seems, aren't very strong. Feathers and lanterns can be collected as loot.

HYBRID
Type Shadow	Resists Dark, Physical	Weak Fire
These large jittery creatures rarely stay still, jerking and twitching in seemingly unnatural movements. Their large bulgy eyes are constantly moving, hyper aware of their surroundings. The moment they spot an outsider, they unleash a high-pitched cry and begin to charge. They use their long legs to reach out and grab enemies with their long talons. Once they successfully take hold of someone, they will repeatedly slam them into the ground. Should they miss their lunge, they will instead resort to clawing or using their branch-like horns to inflict damage. Physical attacks will do very little to deter the creature, much less stop its rampage, but it will become terrified at the sight of fire. Fangs, talons, and feathers can be collected as loot.

© BOARDMASTER

Upon defeat, Shadows may drop items and/or a small gemstone. Those who have been to the forest shrine may recognize the gemstone as being similar to the ones left inside the offertory box, though these are brightly colored and well polished. Hold onto these for now, and press forward to the shack standing at the center of the maze, which opens up to another set of stairs leading down into the abyss.

→ 2nd Floor

The door opens up fields of rice and barley and other grains... bales stacked in full carts, houses in the distance glowing with the flames of iron furnaces that bring a little more light to the night, and large planks of wood bound together like shields set up throughout the field, broken arrows and the occasional intact bow scattered all around.

Better take a quick look around, because while there is no maze to obscure your path, there is also little preventing the enemies here from seeing you either, unless you use those shields to your advantage to approach the beginnings of a village, fires burning warm even though all the houses remain devoid of people. Bedding exists in some houses, old pots and pans and many sets of wooden chopsticks. A couple of iron sharpening tools may be found, if you need to sharpen your... pitchfork or something.

The BLACK RAVEN and HYBRID Shadows from the previous dungeon continue to be the most common Shadows on this floor, with the occasional ONMORAKI Shadow and the rare F.O.E. CHIMERA. F.O.E.s are at a much higher level than the characters, and it is advisable to avoid them, rather than engage.

ONMORAKI
Type Shadow	Resists Dark, Fire	Weak Light
You'd notice the smell before anything else. Reeking of rotting flesh, these Shadows can be found miles away before they can even be spotted. They come in packs, intensifying their stench and if that isn't enough to incapacitate characters, their loud shrill shrieks will. A plume of smoke follows them around and they use both the smog and darkness to conceal themselves from enemy eyes. In the shadows, they will breathe fire and engulf characters in flames. Dark attacks will be nearly ineffective against these creatures, but Light attacks will reveal their hiding spots and also be effective in defeating them. A scroll with an incomplete purification rite can be collected as loot.

CHIMERA
Type F.O.E.	Null Fire, Light	Weak None
Larger than any other Shadow, these F.O.E.s act as guards of the dungeon. While the Shadows are the disposable troops that wander the area and simply attack whomever they see, the F.O.E.s specifically seek out intruders and attack with the sole purpose of killing them. They lurk throughout the dungeons, using their many eyes and noses to track down Persona users and charge without hesitation when they spot one. Their physical strength is tremendous and a single swipe of their mighty paws or talons will surely knock anyone out. They are unaffected by fire or light-based attacks and they will shrug off most other attacks. Unless you have a death wish, it would be unwise to challenge them in your current level...

© BOARDMASTER

For whatever reason, the Shadows and F.O.E.s cannot enter the houses, so these would be good places to rest and recuperate... and hope the Shadows aren't waiting outside the front door for you to step out. Near the back of the village, however, stands a small nondescript building, a wooden gate barring the entrance. Through the windows, one may see desks and chairs and chalkboards, papers hung up on the walls that are too far away to be read clearly, outside of the gates.

You're all going to get really good at breaking and entering by the end of this month, guys.

The gate swings open, but rather than a straight path to the schoolhouse, it's another set of stairs that await. Down you go...

→ 3rd Floor

The acrid smell of smoke hits at the bottom of the stairs, thick and choking in the sweltering heat of this floor. The same houses stand as in the one prior, but this time on fire, painting the night sky dusty reds and browns, phantom cries of help audible beneath the crackle of the flames although nobody is to be found after the fire is put out and village searched through. The field has been cut down, small structures of metal erected in its place, walls still hot to the touch. Inside, basic swords, axes, and shields can be found, some rusted over with blood, all of them battered and well worn. It's just as well that there are weapons storages to be found here because regardless of how well or not they served the village, they will be more useful for the ones here and now.

On this floor, ONMORAKI Shadows and the F.O.E. CHIMERA are much more prevalent, though other Shadows from previous floors may still appear. This floor also introduces two new Shadows, which are much stronger than the ones previous: the KOPPA TENGU and the TOBI TENGU.

KOPPA TENGU
Type Shadow	Resists Wind	Weak Dark
Travelling in groups, these Tengu-based Shadows will flee once they see any sight of danger. They're less interested in fighting and more preoccupied with being safe, so capturing one may be difficult. They will fly high into the air and blow people away by conjuring large gusts of wind with their wings. They don't have a lot of attacks and their defense is low, so they are easy enough to defeat, assuming that they don't fly away first. Curiously enough, none of the other Shadows or F.O.E.s pay them much attention... A Tengu mask and a blank scroll can be collected as loot.

TOBI TENGU
Type Shadow	Resists Light, Wind	Weak Ice
Although they are solidary creatures, this Shadow is accomplanied by smaller versions of itself. It strays away from the other packs of Shadows and spends its company with a minimum of one to a maximum of three mini-versions, flying around the lower depths of the dungeon. It doesn't attack characters directly. Instead, it uses its mini-versions to cast a wide range of status ailments that either causes team members to fight among themselves or hinders their progress, such as sleep, confusion, charm, or rage. After you are incapacitated, it will rush in with Dark-based attacks, but as soon you are able to snap out of your afflictions, it will retreat and send its minions to immobilize you and your team once more. A Tengu mask and magical healing leaves can be collected as loot.

© BOARDMASTER

On the other side of the area, tall iron gates prevent the characters from reaching the palace behind it. A large number of F.O.E.s patrol the area around the gate and on both sides of it, preventing characters from getting close or they will attack. Perhaps there's another way past them, if not by brute force? Those who picked up the masks dropped by the Tengu Shadows may realize that the F.O.E.s ignore the Tengu Shadows, and may reason that by putting the mask on to disguise themselves, the F.O.E.s will not attack them either.

F.O.E.s are keeping a close eye on anybody who passes through the gate, however, and nobody is allowed past, regardless of whether they're a Shadow, F.O.E., or trespasser.

→ 4th Floor

The gate remains locked and heavily guarded until the 22nd, upon which characters may notice a certain increase in agitation from all the enemies around the area, along with a certain amount of distraction. Every once in a while, a masked Tengu Shadow will approach the gate with a shining weapon or a barrel full of gold on hand, payment to be allowed entrance past the gate and into the palace beyond.

In order to pass, each character must obtain a mask in order to disguise themselves as Tengu Shadows, along with procuring an offering of some sort for the ruler of the palace. From the types of offerings seen going into the palace, it appears that the sharper and shinier, the better. Strangely, none of the Shadows seem to leave the palace after their delivery... It may be wise to get as many people together, and make the first shot count.

→ Mod Notes

⬥ A mod-posted toplevel for Floor 4 will OOCly go up on 7/22 for the boss encounter. ICly, characters will be able to fight the boss from the 22nd through the end of the month.
⬥ To determine the outcome of the boss battle, a minimum of 20 threads across the entire player base from this post is required, with a maximum of 2 threads turned in per player. Threads may involve battling, healing, exploring, discussing, etc as long as the characters interact with the dungeon in some way and must contain at least five comments from you. Please report your threads in the mod top level below. They are due by the end of the month.
⬥ The first time the characters come across a Shadow, their omamori grows warmer and warmer until it's impossible to ignore. All it takes is a touch of the omamori and an intention in mind— whether that's a call for help, something to for defence, or healing— and the character's shadow disappears from under their feet, gets sucked up into the omamori, and manifests as their Persona.
⬥ After this initial summoning, the characters will have the same strengths/weaknesses as their Persona regardless of whether it is actively summoned. Personas may be summoned during the day, but will not be not as strong as they would be during the Lockdown period.
⬥ The Lockdown period of darkness only exists for an hour, to return each night at midnight. There are no portals allowing characters to bypass cleared floors, so it would be advisable to work together to clear out the Shadows and allow for an easier time to reach the lower floors. The Lockdown may end while the characters are still inside the dungeon; one of two things may happen, up to player discretion: 1) they may remain in the dungeon, but for every hour they stay, an entire IC day passes by without their awareness; or 2) they will simply pass out and awaken somewhere randomly inside the high school building in the morning. The security guards are back, so don't get caught!! Or, play it safe and make sure to leave before Lockdown ends.
⬥ For those who choose to remain outside the dungeon during Lockdown, Shadows may be found outside of the dungeon as well.
⬥ Around 7/15-7/18 when the moon is at its fullest, Personas may behave strangely and disobey orders. Personas appear stronger the brighter and fuller the moon is, though becomes unstable once it's the full moon. This is an optional mechanic.

Comments

Mod Questions

[citta]

If you have any questions, please leave them here!

Re: Mod Questions

[overstrain]

heeeey mods

so if a persona goes awry during full moon phase and casts makajama (forget debuff) on a character, are they going to sport some spotty memories of that night? are they gonna forget to breathe? what's happening

[trabryu]

Hey hello mods it's me again!

If one hasn't actually confronted their Shadows (like, the proper ~*YOU ARE PART OF ME*~ event), would that mean their Persona won't really be listening to them? Will the Persona just not bother showing up at all? Is it possible for the Persona to 'fight' (be combative towards) the user?

[evoltlution]

Hiii, mods

Will the characters suffer any effects if they stay inside the dungeon after Lockdown ends (and they wake up the next morning in the school)?

Also how long do the status ailments usually last in/out of the dungeon?

[trabryu]

Hi mods, it's a-me againnn!

Will the houses in 2nd and 3rd floor be barren, or will it seem like someone had lived there before? All the appliances etc inside the house will not be working, I assume?

Thread Reporting

[citta]

Please use the following form:

Player:
Character:
Thread: (may link up to 2 threads with 2 different characters)

<b>Player:</b> <b>Character:</b> <b>Thread:</b> (may link up to 2 threads with 2 different characters)

[overstrain]

Player: Haki
Character: Terrence Nowell
Thread: 1 2

[reveilation]

Player: Card
Character: Tsubomi Kido
Thread: 3, 4

[rabbeats]

Player: Mad
Character: Hibiki Kuze
Thread: 5 6

Re: Thread Reporting

[infiltrationtools]

Player: Archer
Character: Akira Kurusu
Thread: VII. VIII.

[trabryu]

Player: Tsubo
Character: Mondo Oowada
Thread: 9, 10

[reveilation]

i. 7/8
[ It's the howling of the wind and the rattling windows that wake Kido up that night, jolting awake and throwing off the covers of the bed in the guest room she'd been allowed to stay in. Silently, she tip toes out of the room to check on the kids' room next door to make sure they weren't woken from the storm—- but the beds are empty. Kido runs to the parents' room, fist barely touching the door for it to swing open. An empty room.

Heart pounding, she heads back to her room, pulling both jackets directly over her pajamas and runs out of the house still wearing her slippers. It's so dark out, the streets are so empty, she can feel hot tears spilling down her cheeks as she looks from window to window and finds them all dark. ]

Is there anybody out there!? Answer me!! Please...

[ But her voice just gets swallowed up in the wind. ]

ii. 7/9
[ The first time she summons, it was completely by accident. Nekogami emerges from her omamori, black shadow under her feet turning into white smoke, the ghostly form of a large cat that barely has time to grin its fanged grin when Kido just

screams

and runs away.

If you've already figured out this whole Persona business, great!! Please advise. Or, maybe you just assume the ghost cat drifting lazily behind Kido is a Shadow and decide to fight it off— that'd be one way to get rid of it, but also, RIP Kido, you're now responsible for hauling around her unconscious body. ]

iii. 7/9-7/14
[ You know... sometimes you're facing a monster and your own soul monster scares you, so instead of calling for it, you reflexively give a Shadow an uppercut with your fist.

Surprisingly, it works, the Shadow stumbling back, looking just as surprised as Kido is. Unfortunately, her fists alone don't do much damage, so. Help? She'll be anywhere on the first or second floor kicking and punching her way through the Shadows, please save her from herself. ]

iv. 7/15-7/21
[ Darkness.

And then light, soft and warm as it hits her face, sunlight filtering through hazy windows on the hardwood floor Kido's lying on as she awakens to the sound of footsteps, to the school as it opens its doors for the morning and students start to file in.

Several black feathers lay scattered around her, and everything hurts, as if something large and fast had struck her in the stomach and knocked the wind out of her. Her head is throbbing, but all she remembers a glimpse of... something... She can't remember what.

With a sigh, Kido pulls herself back up onto her feet and goes to find some empty corner of the school to sit and pull out a sewing kit. Healing spells are useful and all, but that doesn't prevent clothes from getting torn up, and the purple hoodie she holds in her lap to mend is something very precious to her. The omamori hanging from her pants belt loop is supposed to be something like that too, she supposes, a white flower bud stitched onto a corner of an otherwise plain omamori, the beginnings of a design she hasn't yet decided how to complete. ]

wc.
[ Anything else you'd like to play out with me! Kido's Persona does have a healing spell, so anybody with an attack-oriented Persona who'd like a healer is free to grab her and just put her on healing duty while she covers her ears and pulls her hood over her eyes because she absolutely hates monsters, why is this, why is she even here (she's here because she's unfortunately made fools for friends and they'll get themselves killed in here without her, that's what she tells herself)

My plurk is birdseed for anything you need! ]

iii

[rabbeats]

[ Did she just literally punched a shadow in the face. Hibiki witnesses that, too slow to make his presence known. He blinks as well, just as baffled as Kido and the shadow (onmoraki??? if that's ok) that got punched. ]

I see that you're not all talk.

[ Hibiki says it like Kido didn't drag him across the school hallways or almost strangled him. A white tiger is standing just behind the boy, but contrary to Hibiki he's ready to attack. ]

Do you think you can do this again?

[ Because he sure is going to cast tarukaja on you, Kido... ]

[overstrain]

i. 7/9

[ Hello, darkness, my old friend.

Terry is generally used to his surroundings between pitch black. Spending nights in the wilderness for a long time will do that to you. However, what he didn't expect was that the lights just went out all of a sudden. He has no idea what time it is except that it's nighttime, obviously evidenced by the sky. He would have just brushed the weirdness away, thinking that it was a major blackout in the town, but there's something wrong with that:

He thought he saw a townsperson walking in the street, but all of a sudden, they vanished.

...

That's... not normal, is it? It's probably normal as him learning how to speak an entire language overnight. It's totally abnormal. He's pretty sure they were there and since there's some light from the moon, he can tell. His eyes have no problem adjusting to the dark either.

He's usually lurking around the town or forest at night like an unintentional creeper because he has no permanent lodging, or when he's not bedridden in the hospital for some reason. So that's why he finds it weird that the security guards are no longer scouting around the school. The school door is open from what he can see from the outside.

Just because something is strange, doesn't mean that he should just break in and enter, but everything about this place is really weird, and that's really something coming from an oddball like himself. So he decides to climb the gate. In the middle of climbing though, he catches a mass of darkness in the corner of his eye and that really startles him to the point that he loses his grip in panic and falls back outside of the school property. ]

Ow... what the hell is that...


ii. 7/10 - 7/14

[ Terry is pretty much running around in the first two floors to make sure people who came in here are doing fine, a-okay, and not dying. So here are some options:

1. There's a huge red, bipedal dragon behind him and Terry seems completely unaware. Are you gonna fight it? Drag terry away? Comment on it? Be his guest.
2. Alternatively, he's gonna treat the dragon like a dog and tell it to attack stuff. That's not exactly how you use a persona, but okay. He's never had a summoning power before, so he's not sure how this works, but it seems to be fine so far? Don't fix what's working already. He's got the omamori tightly in his hand though, and he's not going to let go of it.
3. On second floor specifically later on, if you see anyone throwing broken pieces of arrows like a speeding dart at the shadows, that's him.
4. or just gimme a wildcard on these specific dates. go crazy. ]


iii. 7/16

[ The full moon's out and if there's one thing you don't want to lose control over, it's a huge red dragon. Terry is in the middle of the second floor area and he's distraught by the fact that it's going nuts and stomping everywhere. By now he has no idea what the off button is for personas and just assumed they go away on their own when they're too idle. But a raging dragon is most definitely not idle. You'd expect a dragon to breathe fire or something, but it occasionally casts Psi and Makajama in random directions. If you're hit with Makajama, expect your character to forget one thing, whether it be trivial or important or anything in between, for about 5 minutes.

Also, Terry is not in the best of shape either. He should probably watch "how to train your dragon" at some point. ]

iv. wildcard

[ You know the drill. Give me anything. If you wanna hash stuff out beforehand, you can pm me or contact me over at celenza @ plurk. Also, if you intially had a decent thread with him in the intro log and want to see him kill something to drink its blood, hit me up beforehand. I'd like to limit this to 1-2 people throughout the month. ]

i

[reveilation]

[ Running down the street in slipper and two jackets over her pajamas, Kido follows the cold stream of wind to the school, tips of her fingers freezing for trailing along the breeze so she doesn't lose her way. With nothing but the moon overhead, it's hard for her to see anything— but somehow, the masses of darkness is even darker than anything else around, and sometimes she thinks she can hear them growl her direction.

She can definitely hear a thump near the school gates, but the wind rushing past her face means she can't hear anything he says, isn't close enough to see him, and the logical assumption is that this is also a Shadow and it's in Kido's way and so what's she to do besides pull her broken phone out of her pocket and pitch it hard at this Shadow's head? ]

[trabryu]

I. 7/8: BY THE SCHOOL GATES

[ Mondo's used to the dark. He's grown accustomed to having only source of light shining from the window of the storehouse he's been sleeping at for the past week. But on normal days, it's not only the moonlight, there are also lights from other houses and buildings nearby. It's never been this dark, he thinks as he gets up from where he lied. Maybe it's power outage, with how the wind howls. Did something get knocked down?

He immediately regrets his decision leaving the building, because now he's fighting the wind, threatening to push him to a particular direction. He's too bulky to be blown by it, it's not even that strong. But the neverending squall and something that he can't quite make out pulls him in. Despite everything that has happened the past week, he hasn't given up on his instincts, and he follows where it's leading him ー

the school.

You'll find him standing by the gates, hands on the fence. He seems slightly dazed. ]

II. 7/9 - 7/15: FIRST FLOOR

OPTION A - MONDO AND THE BALESSTALK
[ Uh. He surely wasn't expecting this. He's about 99.9% sure he entered the school building. And this isn't what he would normally see. He's in a field? These plants are unusually tall, and as he walks further the denser they get. It's only after he meets a dead end that it finally hits him what this whole place is: a maze.

He looks up, trying to gauge if he can try climbing up the bales, knocking them with his knuckles to see how firm they are. ]

Hmm. Worth the gamble.

OPTION B - BOY (17) TRIES TO FIGHT SHADOWS WITH HIS FISTS
[ Yeah look, Mondo knows. Or more like, he's supposed to know. He's fought (read: mostly running away from) Shadows before, and he stands no chance against them with weapons, let alone with bare hands. But he's not aware that these are Shadows he's facing, and he's just. Ready to fight.

He had his reservations fighting the ravens, but this weirdass looking creature? He's good to go. Steeling himself, he gets into the stance, crouching like a tiger-- okay not really, he's just bending his knees, before finally releasing a strong POW! towards the creature. ]

Rrrraaahhhh!!! Keh! Real men fight with their bare hands!!

[ Well, it does actually cause some damage, but honestly? Not much at all. Someone tell him he will die... ]

II. 7/9 - 7/15: SECOND FLOOR

What in the fresh fuckin' hell's happenin'...

[ It's like he's watching a whole war movie set or some shit. Look, he's been to many, many worlds before through Wonderland, but there's no way it's not gonna throw him off his games. He'll try to find the 'friends' he's made here, cautiously going from behind one shield to another. Does it look like he's having some fun hide-and-seek? Join him!

If not, when caught, he'll be fighting off the smelly creatures with his newly found friend, awkwardly trying to get it to attack. Fight fire with fire, amirite?! ]

II. 7/9 - 7/15: WITHIN THE SCHOOL BUILDING

[ If there's anyone who'd make a wise decision, that person is most likely not Mondo, especially when he's on his own. A sharp, throbbing pain assaults his head together with some ringing in his ears as he comes to. Shit, he can't even clearly remember what happened-- he saw a golden light (read: The Chimera) and before he knows it, he's knocked out.

When he feels like he's regaining some senses, he tries to get up, and finds himself at the corridor of the high school building. Hearing some footsteps approaching, he immediately finds a classroom to hide in, and does the most cliche thing ever: hiding within a cupboard.

Are you maybe hiding in the same classroom? Are you in the cupboard? Did you spot him somewhere? Something else?? ]

III. 7/15 - 7/21: THIRD FLOOR

[ If the smoke isn't enough, the sight of the houses burning make him sick to the stomach, mind playing out memories he was never a part of. He hears all the cries, and it's definitely affecting him more than it should. He'll be navigating around, trying to find a house that's not burning, to see what's in there.

Optionally, you will find him either not moving a finger while a Tobi Tengu inflicts attacks towards him, OR going berserk with attacks without putting up much defense. ]

IV. 7/9 - 7/21: WILDCARD

[ You can find him in any of the floors running around doing something. He'll only be in the third floor at the later dates, though. Any ideas you want to run through me first, PM me or HMU at tsubo! Otherwise, just fling anything my way! ]

ii, 2nd floor

[reveilation]

[ Kido had finally made it out of the maze, not by fighting her way through it, but by keeping quiet and memorizing the layout when she makes a correct turn and sneaking by the Shadows when she can. So it's a shock and a disappointment, even though it should be neither of those things, when she comes down to the second floor and it's just... more field.

There's little to hide behind here, besides the wooden shields and houses in the distance, so while Kido throws a glance over her shoulder at the door back to the maze, she keeps low and gets behind one of the shields before anything can spot her. She's going to be slightly nicer to Mondo as she is to Terrence, and takes the slipper off her foot and throws it at him, hoping it'll hit but not startle him enough that he would yell.

Come over here behind her shield! And bring her slipper back! ]

[bandwidthout]

[ a - pajama party-ready, first night. ]

[Living with a ghost, you learn to tune things out enough to sleep like the dead, so it takes a while for the storm to finally rouse Wyatt. In fact, it almost seems like the wind got impatient waiting for her and swoops on by, making her shiver and squeak.]

Cold! Cold, cold, cold!

[aaaaa, cold. But sudden streams of cold out of nowhere are just weird enough that she feels like she shouldn't ignore it. She pushes herself up, grabbing the topsheet off the bed she's borrowing to wrap around her and her pajamas as she leans out the window, then moves through the house onto the street.]

Hello? Um... Ghost?

[Another breeze, another yipe from the chill.]

Okay, okay! I'm going!

[And so she begins hastily making her way towards the school, looking a mess and talking to "herself".]

[ b - all around the mulberry bush, first night. ]

[She's debating what to do about the school gate when she feels the hair on the back of her neck stand up and hears the shuffle of...not something she's ever heard before. To her, it sounds almost like underwater movement, and when she turns to investigate.

Ah. Hm. Okay then.

Time to scream and abandon her current endeavor, running off to the side. She might...be going in circles around the school's outer wall for A While, howling "I AIN'T AFRAID O' NO GHOST" intermittently like maybe that will trick the Shadows into being intimidated by her enough to give up.]

[ c - backstreet's back alright, early on. ]

[OKAY. She's back. She's back and she's got something she thinks is made of iron, so hopefully that will have some kind of effect against evil spirits, and if not, she's got a purse full of salt shakers. In the past few days swapped out the pajamas for actual clothes -- a summer dress over shorts that have even more salt shakers in the pockets -- and she's got her hair up out of grabbing range in a messy bun. Ain't gonna get her this time, Shadows. She dusts her hands free of the absolutely nothing costing them, then determinedly grabs the gate and gets to climbing.

This time when she's interrupted by approaching spirits, her determined reach for the salt causes her omamori to activate and a young humanoid ghost skips into sight.]

WAUGH -- wuh -- wait! Are you -- helping me? [That's some kind of school uniform, over here, right? Wyatt's pretty sure she's seen something like it in an anime, or two, and this was a school she was being drawn to, so...] Th-thank you! I'll try to hurry!

[...Of course, without much direction, Hanako-san isn't capable of doing much to hold the line. Someone should teach Wyatt to fight.]

[ d - wandering and WILDCARD. ]

[Once inside the "school", Wyatt's nerves have calmed somewhat. She's got someone by her side, after all. Hanako-san... Maybe it's best to not mention how weird it is to see her out of her stall. And. Without a head or body. Maybe that's insensitive to ghosts, and she's already got enough of those pissed off at her, right now.]

We've gone from horror to...some kinda sub-genre. I guess survival horror? If this can even count as a weapon... Hey, Hanako-san! Do you know why I was brought here? Why isn't it a school anymore?

[...and other commentary like that can be heard as she wanders through the maze walls between stretches of fleeing from ghosts. At least there were plenty of twists and turns she could take. Or her chatter comes from inside a house on the second floor, as she quickly realizes they're a safe zone.

Anyway, she's going around talking to herself again is the takeaway. Bump into her anywhere, really. I'm at goblinhood for any plotting!]

b

[reveilation]

[ I

hm

Kido also has just come up to the school gate, not knowing what she should be doing, but watching Wyatt do laps around the school, she's pretty sure that's not it.

As much as hearing the word "ghost" wants to make her turn around and go home, she can't just leave Wyatt out here either, if she's really got ghosts chasing her, so Kido lets Wyatt run another two laps while she works up the courage to walk forward in front of the gate and intercept Wyatt's path.

She claps her hands down on the other girl's shoulders. ]

Oi, shut up and stop taunting it. Ghosts can float through walls, you know? You can't outrun them.

[infiltrationtools]

I. 7/8

[Damn, but it’s windy out there.]

[Old habits die hard, especially when they’re drilled into you by a talking cat, and Akira has already been asleep for a few hours by the time the Dark Hour Lockdown starts. At first he’s just woken up by the noise, groggily stumbling over to his inn room’s window to make sure it was shut tight — but what he sees on the streets makes him stumble for his glasses, and then his clothes.]

[The stars are gone like he’s back in Tokyo, and every single light in the city (including the streetlamps he knows were lit) are gone too. In the darkness, he sees foggy figures moving. He’s not sure what they are, but they’re not shaped like humans. As he watches, one moves into the doorway of a house. Akira remembers what he heard in the dream upon arriving here, and the name and arcana on his little gift — and things start to come together.]

[It’s not safe to go out there. But it’s not safe to stay here, either, and at least out there he can hide in the darkness and make a quick escape.]

[Without another word, he gets ready and heads out, making sure to pack the omamori in one of his pockets. If you’re lucky, you’ll see a humanoid holding a knife slinking through the darkness, instead of a Hybrid. He’s sticking to the walls, masking his steps, moving with purpose. And he’s headed towards where the creatures all spill out from — the school.]

II. 7/9 — FIRST FLOOR

[Armed with a knife, some lockpicks, and lots of practice with sneaking around, Akira’s been making his way through the maze. The staircase going down into another world was just another of the many small pings of familiarity that have been rattling around in his mind. But try as he might, whenever he calls for his Personas, no one comes. The omamori remains cold in his pocket, stripped of contact to his skin.]

[So when his luck finally runs out, and he’s cornered in a dead end of the maze with a Hybrid sprinting towards him, all he can think to do is take the knife and the omamori, and beg.]

[Satanael! Kali! Mara! Anyone, please help me!]

[—And in an explosion of feathers and dark fire, someone comes.]

Arsène!

[The call is loud and joyous and relieved, more relieved than Akira’s ever felt in his entire goddamn life, and anyone in the immediate area can hear him. But most importantly, it’s full of recognition. He doesn’t need to be told what to do; Akira straightens up and the Persona begins taking commands. Like they know each other. Like they’ve done this before.]

[Isn’t that a bit suspicious? Maybe a question for after the battle. Or during the battle.]

III. 7/10 TO 7/15 — SECOND FLOOR

[So you’ve got multiple options here.]

[1. Not everyone has summoned their Personas yet, or can’t do much with them in battle for whatever reason. So if your character is the type who would get rekt by a normal strength Shadow, perhaps a dark-winged angel will swoop in to help you fight it off.
2. If your character has summoned their Persona or can otherwise hold their own with improvised weapons, perhaps the two of them have teamed up temporarily to shield-hop their way towards the town and fend off any monsters along the way.
3. Maybe it’s Akira’s turn to get rekt. Arsène has no healing skills whatsoever, and he hasn’t found any healing items either, so maybe Akira is just walking along with wrapped up wounds — he brought bandages after the first night, but he can’t really fight more in this condition, and he hates wasting days. He’ll probably approach your character and ask if they happen to have any healing skills, which he offers to pay for in gauze and water bottles.]

IV. 7/11 to 7/15 — SCHOOL BUILDING, DAWN

[Akira has no Third Eye. He has no navigator. He has never had to fight an FOE in his life (as far as he remembers). So, naturally, when he comes across a Chimaera he just assumes that it’s the same as the other Shadows, but bigger. It’s fine! He’s a Phantom Thief, he’s rollin’ with Arsène, he’s done this a million times.]

[He is wrong.]

[Akira wakes up in the kitchen cafeteria, lying on the floor face-up. Perhaps you join him in his walk of shame towards the exit, to hop the school fence. …Or maybe the two of you awaken in the same place to a security guard standing over you, looking thoroughly displeased.]

V. 7/15 TO 7/21 — THIRD FLOOR TENGU TANGO

[Akira doesn’t mind the heat normally, but he’s started tying his outer layered shirt around his waist down here. He keeps stopping to wipe the sweat and steam off his glasses.]

[The only thing more unsettling than the fire is the smoldering wreckage after it’s put out, but Akira keeps moving through with something like quiet confidence. Sure, he got obliterated by a Chimaera once or twice, but he’s making his way through the Pal— uh, dungeon at a steady clip.]

[Again, there’s two options.]

[1. Looting chests. None of them seem to have weapons Akira knows how to use, but he still takes a light sword after asking anyone he’s looting with if they want it first.
2. Fighting Tengu. At some point Akira realizes that the Tobi Tengu, the ones with minions, drop healing items when they’re defeated. So he gets the idea to go up to other characters and offer to form a temporary party with them, working together to take down tengu and split the spoils. This option can either be the conversation which then transitions into a Tobi fight, or just cut straight to the fight.]

iii-2

[overstrain]

[ What about both?! Terry is throwing the broken arrows he found on the ground like darts in an attempt to stall them long enough to get his persona to beat them down. Though, he has to admit, this is pretty exhausting to do constantly, even though he should be used to long fights. The big, red dragon that's mauling them is pretty loud and he feels like that's just wearing him down mentally. ]

Hey! Any advice on how to do this efficiently?!

[ Though giving tips in the middle of a hectic battlefield isn't recommended, he'll take any tip he can get so that he doesn't feel like dead weight. ]

[evoltlution]

I. 7/8 Lockdown

[As soon as the lights had flickered out, Killua had been on high alert, extra sensitive to the fact that his nen wasn't working at all here. Seriously, what gives with this place? Stealthy as he is, Killua manages to make it to the school gate before he runs into any trouble.

He's just hopping over the gate when he spots something dark heading straight for another person he vaguely recognizes.]

Hey, don't just stand there! [Before you know it, Killua's darted over to pull you out of the way.]

II. 7/8 Maze

[Because Killua is a cheating cheater who has way too many assassin techniques at his disposal, of course he climbs the maze's walls and ends up drawing the shadows to the area. Oops.

It's new, feeling somewhat powerless against something that he isn't at all familiar with. Without his nen to ward off whatever that is, Killua finds himself thinking, There has to be something I can use to protect myself with--! and with a brush of his hand against the omamori, what looks like a white wolf shrouded in lightning appears before him. Killua stops and stares.]

What the hell is that?

[Yeah, he's in the middle of a fight, but can you blame him for his reaction??]

III. 7/9 School

[You'd think someone like Killua would have made it out of the school before Lockdown ended, and yet here he is, passed out in one of the school's hallways the next morning. Look, he can't mind the time limit if no one tells him about it!

Anyway, step lightly, and please try not to trip over him! Or you can try to wake him up and deal with the cranky kid.]

IV. Throughout the month

» 2nd/3rd Floor
[His persona might be an extension of himself, but sometimes Killua still acts on instinct, using his yoyos to combat the Shadows instead of calling it up. Except, they aren't as effective against these Shadows as he would've liked.]

Tch! [Killua jumps away, then parks himself next to the nearest person, eyes narrowed at the shadow that's following him.] Let's team up. It'll be easier to fight these things off that way.

» In Town
[Later in the month, Killua doesn't even bother hiding the troubled look on his face as he's observing the townspeople just outside of the bakery. It's not like they really notice him watching them anyway, with how lethargic they all are.]

Oy... [Yes, he's talking to you. He shoves his hands into his pockets, voice low when he speaks up again.] What do you think's wrong with them?

V. Wildcard

[If there's something else you'd like to do, just hit me up!]

ii

[rabbeats]

[ Don't worry Killua as Hibiki is here to play Captain Obvious for you. At least he's not here just because of that—a group of shadows this large can only mean either trouble for him because he's reckless enough to check it out or trouble for someone else who got caught up in this mess. ]

It sort of looks like a wolf.

[ There's a white tiger standing by his side before it runs right into the enemy shadows. Hibiki's a bit too cool about this, though...it's not like he knows what he's doing, but he's been living that summoner life for quite a while before, so maybe that will be enough. ]

The real question is are we staying here to take them on or are we running?

[ Honestly, that first option sounds tempting to him, but it's up to Killua now. ]

[flowerclips]

( one - 7/8 )

[ in the end, rei doesn't find zen. instead, she had to learn how to take care of herself and work the small odd jobs revolving around the festival to make do. it shouldn't seem too hard, but she spent a majority of her life in a hospital and then spent her entire twelve years in limbo relying on zen. independence? that's not something she's familiar with. she struggled and she still continues to struggle, but it's something that she has to get through. she pushes through and eventually manages to afford a stay at the inn. things have been going well so far, but then tonight, she's woken up by the loud gust rattling her window. she wouldn't have paid too much attention to it and just gone back to sleep but... huh? didn't she leave the lamp on? why is it dark? ]

[ she fiddles around with the switch, but nothing happens. she then gets up, heads towards the door, trying the switch for the main light in the room, but that doesn't work either. is this a blackout? or is it just something wrong with her room? she slides the door open and pops her head out into the hallway. it's pitch dark as well... ]

H-Hello...?

[ ... this is starting to remind her a lot about a particular dungeon that was also dark, eerie, and had demon babies. she also suddenly remembers the rumors going around about this inn... ]

I-If there's a ghost out there, I-I'm not afraid of you!!

[ .......... she's totally afraid. ]

( two - 7/8 )

[ eventually, rei somehow finds it within herself to go outside. although still dressed in her pjs (the inn owner lent her some so they're slightly big on her, with the sleeves going past her hands), she wanders the front of the inn, trying to figure out what's going on. where is everyone? why are all the lights off? something about this feels really off... ]

[ she steps out into the middle of the street and immediately, the winds start to drag her along. ]

U-- Uwaaah--! W-W-Wait--!

[ she pleads as if that'd stop the current from pushing her along. she's small and light so the gust causes her to start running. she can't put down her feet long enough to brake so please grab her??? because she goes slamming into a pole or something. ]

( three - 7/8 )

[ ... unfortunately, rei does manage to get a small scrape on her knee from that little wind fiasco. that was her attempt in jumping out and falling awkwardly on one knee. ah, so much for not ruining the pjs that the nice innkeeper gave her. ]

[ she sits on the sidewalk with her injured knee. she tries to roll up the pants leg to take a look at it. it doesn't look that bad, but the skin is broken so it looks a little painful. ]

Ow...

[ this night suuuuuuucks :/ as she sits there, she doesn't notice the black blob of a shadow moving towards her... ]

( four - 7/8 )

[ when she first manages to summon her persona, she's surprisingly not... taken back. in fact, she doesn't bothered by it at all. instead, she stares at it in awe and wonder until it eventually fades away. she immediately grabs onto the sleeve of the closest person who happened to also be around and see that. ]

Wow! That was a Persona, right?

[ she has always been jealous that both leader and vice leader's teams were able to have one while she and zen didn't. it was probably due to the fact that rei is dead and zen is a personification of death that prevented them from having one, so this is very exciting...! also, she has no other basis for thinking that these are anything but personas since, well, she has seen everyone summon them back in that school. this seems totally like it! ]

( five - 7/8 )

[ rei gets changed into her normal clothes before she ventures into the dungeon. she can't go around in her pjs all night long, so she gets her new outfit, puts on her flower clips, grabs her belongings, and runs back out. okay, now she's ready to tackle this strange area! even though she feels nervous about the entire thing... ]

[ she steps into the school and immediately, something stands out to her. ]

Is this... a maze?

[ for some reason, this seems to make her feel very uneasy. she brings her hands together... ]

( six - second floor; 7/9 ~ 7/21 )

[ huddled inside one of the houses, she goes around to check up on everyone else who is there. ]

Are you hurt? I can heal!

[ she's used to playing the healer and she's very happy that she can resume this role. ]

( wildcard. )

[ feel free to come up with a prompt of your own!contact me via a pm to this account or a pp to either nothpaws or protag. thanks! ]

four

[rabbeats]

A Persona?

[ He'd rather call it a Demon, but that might just freak Rei out. So he stays quiet because sometimes even a Bunny Boy knows when to shut his trap. ]

So that's how they're called...do you know its name?

[ He's never seen anything like that before. And it was surrounded by bunnies, too. Also, there's something he'd like to point out: ]

You seem really excited.

[tosearch]

1. 7/8 lockdown

[This new place is almost eerie in a way. Airi takes in a deep breath and stares into the seemingly vast darkness. She can sense some shadows and she assumes that she isn't alone.  It feels like someone is off to the side enjoying her torment and confusion. ]

...I'm going to beat you to a pulp...! Fight me you cowards!

[That's when she snaps. A chill runs down her body and she feels a sudden surge of power. Airi drop kicks the next thing that moves. It might be too late to tell her to stop.

All you can do is block it or somehow escape her sudden outburst by running off to the side.]

2. 7/9 F o e

a
[The surrounding scenery is just getting more bizarre by the minute. Whenever Airi takes a step she feels a foreboding sense of dread. Maybe the enemies are getting stronger now. It's unsettling.

Airi thinks that they might be able to run past the other monsters. They seem a little distracted and she'll try to take advantage of it. She clearly isn't strong enough to face them head on. So she'll need some more help and guidance.]

Hey...!! Don't just stand there. Come with me unless you want to turn into bottom feeder.

b.

[The journey so far has been rough and treacherous. Airi's getting more sick from pushing herself too hard. She lets out a brief yawn followed by a loud piercing sneeze.]

Got a napkin? I'm not gonna put my snot all over you. Ugh, I need a break.

[She flops down on her side, exhausted.]


WILD CARD
[ANYTHINGS ON THE TABLE come plot things with me on presages]

2b

[overstrain]

Wha...

[ He just. Stares at Airi like she asked something outrageous from him. Even though he's tired too, what the hell airi ]

Wipe it on your arm? It'll dry later and you can just pick it off.

[ terry no... ]

[jewelhearted]

[ all prompts are for any time of the month. cardia's dressed like this during lockdown, and her persona echidna looks like a very large version of this, sans the bow and arrows. ]

I. FIGHTING

[Cardia is no stranger to fights, but she's always fought people, not...these things. Monsters. There's no other word for them. She hates thinking the word, because it means she's just like them-- and yet. It's complicated. At least she knows how to protect others from her monstrosity. These monsters in comparison are wild and vicious, with no minds of their own, only a thirst for blood and violence. She can't allow these monsters to hurt anyone.

On the first floor, she will be taking out the Ravens with relative ease, since Echidna's large snake body makes it easy to follow the birds into the air. Echidna uses her gaping mouth to snap at their wings, crippling them before flicking them to the ground, where Cardia will finish them off with a resounding smack of the flat side of her shovel. Unpleasant, but necessary, work.

She'll have trouble with the Hybrids, though. She's excellent at dodging, but she can't run very fast, so her struggle with the Hybrids appears to be at a stalemate until finally the Hybrid gets its talons around her and slams her headfirst into the ground. Repeatedly.

Hm. That's a lot of blood. Maybe you should help. And please pick up Cardia's gloves along the way, she seems to have thrown them down for some reason to grip the Hybrid more tightly. Whatever idea she had, it appears that--]

It's not working?!

II. EXPLORATION

[Cardia is one of those who stays in Lockdown. She has no need for food or water (or at least, she knows she doesn't on her world and completely forgot that it might not apply anymore in this world), and so she just keeps going and going, not realizing that it might be a good idea to stop or leave. She'll eventually make her way to the second floor. Sneaking past the FOEs is simple enough. But she can't leave without trying to help the people she hears screaming, and so instead of sneaking to get to the next level, she's instead sneaking to and from the nearest water source with buckets in hand, moving as quickly as possible to put out the fires.

Possibly an effort in vain-- but her conscience won't let her walk away. Even when she starts getting fuzzy-headed from the smoke in the air. Even when her hands start trembling from the effort of carrying the buckets.]

I'm coming, please hang on...for just a little longer...

[Is she talking to the people screaming or herself? Either way, she could be slipping into a dead faint in any moment if someone doesn't stop her.]

III. OUTSIDE OF LOCKDOWN

[Eventually she'll find her way back, and for a few days she'll isolate herself from people. If anyone wants to look for her, or if anyone happens to be passing by, she'll be at the flowershop or at the mechanic shop she's working at, always looking a bit dazed. Sisi is always close by, watching over her, and he might bark in your direction with an imploring look in his eyes, as if to say "please talk with her".]

IV. WILDCARD

[I'm open to any variation of the above prompts!]

ii

[reveilation]

[ Kido doesn't like this place, and tries not to stay any longer than she has to. Honestly, she would have never gone back after the first night, if she hadn't heard of those houses on the second floor, of people screaming as they're being burned alive and so much sorrow and rage passes through Kido's face as she stands before the houses watching Cardia work.

It's futile. The fire is too much, and just burns harder the moment Cardia steps away to get more water.

Kido hates this place a lot. She hates having to rely on her Persona a lot. But she needs its help right now and so she crushes her omamori in her fist and never loosens her grip as the ghost cat emerges from under her feet, the air chilling immediately as pillars of ice strike out through the ground— they melt immediately, but what's left behind is water, and that helps a little. But not enough. ]

[noctolepsy]

i; castle and forest -7/8
[Waking up in a different place isn't exactly a foreign concept for Noctis, given how much he sleeps in the car and in general. What's different is that this place is completely foreign in of itself. A dingy, gross old castle with such minimal light, he can barely find the exit of the area he woke up in. Groaning a bit, body sore and perpetually exhausted, not to mention confused as to where the hell everyone is, Noctis finds the exit of the castle only to discover...

More darkness. Squinting, he can barely make out the outlines of trees or really anything a few feet in front of him. The wind blowing past him feels cold, prompting a shiver as he rubs his hands over the exposed skin of his arms.]

Prompto?! Ignis! [No answer and his heart skips a beat. Swallowing the lump quickly forming in his throat, his voice is a little more nervous, quiet.] Gladio, I swear if this is a joke...

[Trees, no light, and he can barely taste the salt water in the air that was everywhere in Atissa. Is he still dreaming? It felt like he woke up, and the ring he quickly pockets feels real and heavy on his person.

Taking out his phone instead, Noctis curses at his luck at finding it dead and unresponsive. No light to see with, natural or electronic, and he doesn't think he has enough magic right now to light his way with.

But that cold breeze doesn't seem to be winding down, and there appears to be a path of sorts leading somewhere from what little he can tell. He sure would love to know where it leads to, but without much if a choice, he follows it with a grimace.]

ii; in town -7/9
[Finally! Civilization! All his training and Gladio's blasted "roughing it" attitude has prepared him for hikes, but it never helped Noctis in feeling like he was about to fall apart. But at least some buildings are a good sign.

Except it's completely abandoned and doesn't match up with the architecture he's familiar with. If he didn't know any better, Noctis would think that he stepped into a horror movie, or at least a nightmare.

Well there is one person around, and Noct books it towards the man as fast as his body will take him.]

Hey! Uh-huh! Wait!

[But as soon as he gets close enough to reach out and grab his shoulder, the man seemingly vanishes into thin air, leaving Noctis behind frozen in place with a rather haunted look on his face.]

...T-the hell...? [Panicked, he looks around in all directions, and against better judgment.]

Is anyone here?!

iii; first floor - 7/9-7/13
[Eventually, Noctis makes his way to the high school, following that awfully chill wind. After dealing with mystical dog messengers of the Gods, following a windy path isn't exactly the weirdest thing he's dealt with. At the very least it'll lead him to some answers.

Sadly, all he ends up finding is a dungeon. Oh well. Wouldn't be the first time he has to make his way through a maze. Though a maze down a flight of stairs and outside seems more than a little peculiar.

The beasts that lurk about are unfamiliar to him, but he's no stranger to shadowy dangerous figures. The first daemons that come after him, some Black Ravens, don't look too big or menacing. Noctis thrusts out his hand, expecting his sword to form, but...]

What the...?

[Nothing. No shimmer. No flash of light or the feel of metal in his hands. He tries again, and again, and again. Twisting his arm, shaking his enclosed fist in frustration. Nothing comes, but it's quite the comical sight.

He's defenseless, and those Ravens are floating closer and closer.]

Damnit...

[Time to turn tail and run!]

iv; second floor - 7/14
[By some glorious miracle, Noct's been surviving the first floor armed with a broken down bow, some arrows and a few pitchforks. He sure is glad that Prompto or Gladio isn't here to make fun of his weapon choices, but the pitchforks have served him well so far and he's not dead yet.

Though gosh, physically hauling weapons around on his actual person is hell. What he wouldn't give to have a working Armiger again. At least the houses look like decent refuge for now, and he can occasionally be found in one either resting or simply taking a nap.

When he is out though, there's been at least one instance of him getting cornered by a pack of Hybrids. Out of arrows, the bow string now broken and his trusty pitchfork being absolutely not effective on mulitple enemies, Noctis definitely feels backed into a corner.]

The guys'll kill me if I fall to you.

[His shadow moves on it's own, absorbed into the omamori, and out comes a diminutive, and adorable, Persona. Carbuncle cries out as it let's off a fury of fire spells, enough to fend off the Hybrids for now.

Meanwhile, Noctis, continuously confused, looks almost relieved. Finally, a familiar face!]

v; wildcard
[Insert Persona pun here of your choice.]


((OOC: This was A LOT and I'm sorry for the length. I couldn't resist the opportunity to intro Noct in the midst of this mess because the poor guy just can't catch a break. Noct's Persona is largely attack based but it does have a healing spell, so he wouldn't mind tanking so long as someone heals him and gives him an explanation into this whole mess afterwards.

My plurk is delphoxes or I'm also reachable by PM for additional plotting if needed. ♥))

ii

[reveilation]

[ There's a girl running from the other side of the intersection the same time that Noctis does— she reaches the space the man had disappeared after he does, frowning for a moment before turning her eyes up at him instead. She's a bit hesitant, hand shaking as she lifts it to poke him in the arm, and then frowns even more. ]

You're not going to disappear, are you?

[divinate]

7/8: 1ST FLOOR

( Boundaries are something entirely new to Shore. The ocean is open -- territory isn't something fought for among merpeople, and fish coexist within the waters, fighting for survival and food, rather than the flow of the ocean. A gate means nothing. It's akin to a large rock blocking a path, not a sign of warning of trespass.

Jumping the gate is certainly a tall order for the short girl, especially because of her sea legs, ironic phrasing well-intended. This building is large, and she has some context for the look of it, but it's minimal. What's inside...she needs to know.

Instead of what she managed to guess, the inside of this building is...strange. It's come to her attention that this strange dimension she's entered is likely one she's seen before in a bizarre and nonsensical vision. Nothing here makes sense. Nothing here is normal to her, but is that because of her inexperience, or something else?

The rows of barely intrigue her, and Shore brushes them with the tips of her fingers as she passes. No alarm bells ring, she hasn't encountered a shadow yet.

Instead, she's found a lone pitchfork laying on the ground. Interesting. She doesn't recall seeing an item like this in her immediate memory. Maybe something similar...? She holds the pitchfork, points down into the earth, and hops onto the spike's sides with a massive force.

She thinks it's a pogo stick. And she falls flat on her face. )

7/9: 2ND FLOOR

( The problem with Shore in this setting is she has no sense of true danger or strategy. Keep moving forward and whatnot, she's come across a shadow or two, but she's just sort of thrust her pitchfork at it and taken off. Her saving grace is she can run very quickly, since her thrusting is floppy at best.

Being attacked isn't Shore's scene. Merpeople had toxic blood, left alone by sharks and other ocean predators because of their ability to smell what was essentially a poison in the veins. Escaping isn't in her, and having to flee constantly is a chore.

It's also causing her to panic, naivete getting the better of her as reality sinks in. When the smell begins to sour -- and smell being something that she's new to, and is already easily overwhelming -- it takes all she can muster not to immediately cry.

But it's inevitable. Shore takes shelter behind one of the wood planks, hiding instead of running roughshod for once. After peering out from above the edge of the wood and catching glimpse of the creatures, it hits her. Not just the vision of these ugly, dark, disgusting birds, but the memories they bring about. Maybe she hasn't seen these exact creatures, but she's seen similar. One particularly long vision included a large, dark bird with a gigantic iron beak, stabbing small creatures through the appendage and letting out a wail hard to imitate.

If found, Shore is passed out. Partly from the stench that overwhelms her brain, but also from a tear-stained panic attack. She just couldn't take it, especially without the knowledge of using her Persona. )

7/11: TOWN; RAMEN SHOP

( Shore needs a break from all of this trauma and fighting. Actually, right now she'd like to have nothing to do with it! She's learned the word "fuck," and it's really useful. Fuck the dungeons! Fuck shadows! Fuck pitchforks!

Despite the fact that she has no money, Shore doesn't have trouble finding meals. She's basically been eating out of trashcans for a month prior to this whole ordeal, and that isn't changing her...except today it happens to be her lucky day. She knows what "free" means, and this ramen shop is having a competition. Eat 10 bowls of ramen in 30 minutes and you get them all free. Don't finish? Gotta pay for all of them.

This is a challenge she's taking very seriously, because she is very hungry. )

I think I'm gonna be sick. ( Said with a mouth full of broth, some dribbling down her chin. If you happen to be in this same dining establishment, you might find your own stomach souring just because of how voraciously she's slurping all of this down, especially because she's already starting on her sixth bowl. Ten minutes left...go go go. )

7/13: 3RD FLOOR

( After gathering her courage, and having the concept of a Persona explained to her, Shore tries her hand at going back into the school. Because of her panic, running around and trying to avoid fighting is still her modus operandi. She's that one Megaten player who just tries to run through the floors as quickly as they can just to see that they can do it.

She makes it further than before, finally getting through the second floor, but she finally gets cornered on the third floor. A flock of her arch rivals, those ugly smoky birds, surround her. They're dark and shadowy, but she can smell them and see the acrid smoke rising in a ring.

Okay. She can do this.

With a touch of her omamori, there's a wisp of smoke that spirals and grows into this tall figure, features coming into focus quickly. The skin of this Persona shines with the sparkle of scales, making the outlines of the Onmoraki more noticable.

At least, Shore would notice them if she was paying attention to them anymore. )

Oh my God...I made a giant, hot woman? ( SHE'S SO SHINY, A SKINNY LEGEND. But that legend status isn't going to help as the birds circle in closer, and so quickly. )

WILDCARD & INFO

( Melusina knows Dia, Bufu and Dazzler, and Shore would easily use the first and third unintentionally before Bufu because of her pacifistic nature. If your character needs to be healed, she's up for it. Basically, Shore'll do what you say so feel free to use her Persona in a secondhand fashion.

If you want to do something different, hit me up on ships! )

7/11, ramen

[reveilation]

[ ...Heh. Kido's got some odd jobs around town, mostly in restaurants where she can help out with the cooking, especially when more and more workers keep calling off sick and they're short staffed. She's on break at the moment, enjoying her own bowl of ramen— just the one bowl, because she isn't insane- and watching the people take on the ramen eating challenge. ]

Oi, don't throw up, [ she calls over to Shore. ] That's a waste of food. You'd better eat it all.

[ That she had to cook!! So she's extra pissy about a competition like this. ]

[tantantaaan]

☽︎ 7/11 IN TOWN, NIGHT

[ Maybe it's dying will, maybe it's just his luck, but Leon manages to arrive in Hirajiro unscathed.

...Ok maybe he's not so lucky after all.

It's night by the time he reaches the town, and the condition of the town is rather... spooky. He's not really scared of the dark per se, but he can't help feeling worried at the lack of signs of life. Thus, he will try every one of the following:
1. Call out for people ("HELLO??? IS ANYBODY HERE???")
2. Peeking in windows of houses (and possibly knocking on them)
3. Breaking in (???) from the front door
4. When the wind starts to pick up, he'll head to the school, eventually jumping the gate...

Maybe call him out on it?! ]

☠︎ 7/11 IN THE DUNGEON: FIRST FLOOR

Hey!! That's rude! Don't pull on my uniform! Mom says it's expensive, you know?! Ow!! I'm sorry!! We can talk about it!!

[ After progressing quite a bit in the maze, you will find a boy trying to argue with an unkindness of ravens, getting pecked all over instead. ]

No!! Ughhh, stop it!!

[ He'll run away from them, eventually grasping ahold of the omamori in his pocket. With both hands over the omamori, he chants: ]

Kami-sama, Hotoke-sama, Daiya-sama, help me!!

[ For some reason, he includes his groupmate Daiya in his chanting... Well, he is considered the 'titan' of the group, he sort of believes that Daiya can somehow do something about this situation. Unfortunately, he didn't realise the ravens have stopped chasing him as his Persona has manifested behind him. Say hi to Meer-tan. ]

⛏︎ 7/11-7/21 IN THE DUNGEON: 1ST TO 3RD FLOOR

[ Leon will be running around, seemingly having a little bit of fun now that he knows how to summon Meer-tan at his will. He's definitely thinking that this is all just a dream and not reality, so you can tell him off for that. These are the few things that he might be doing:
1. Breakdancing on top of the hay bales
2. 'Chatting' with Meer-tan behind wooden shields like he's on some camping trip, possibly also humming... which will most likely call Shadows over
3. Trying to touch the fire to find out if it's real
4. Challenging Shadows (especially bird ones) to a dance-off
5. Getting one of the status ailments from mini-Tengu's attack (they're weak against Dark-based attacks, so will likely need a hand!!) ]

☼︎ 7/17 BONUS: MEER-TAN GOES NUTS

[ You know how Japan has costumed mascot characters to represent each city? A lot of them look cute, sometimes goofy. But some of them can look rather, well, scary. Meer-tan usually looks goofy, but not today. Not when it's shaking like crazy at Mach speed, uncontrollable.　It jumps, headbangs, rotates its arms, somersaults... every movement possible. ]

Meer-tan!! What's wrong?! Calm down!!

[ Meer-tan can't stop won't stop. In the process, if you're somewhere near, there is a chance of you getting hit by Dazzler, which as the name says, dazes you and make you feel woozy. You might find yourself watching it shake, or worse, try to walk to it. Maybe you'll also begin to shake in a different way?! Who knows... ]

⚽︎ 7/12-7/21 IN TOWN, DAYTIME

[ Leon will be looking for a place to work so he can also get a place to live. For now, though, he'll be singing and dancing at the streets, doing impromptu performances. You can request songs! On one of the days, he'll acquire enough money to buy a soccer ball, which he will also use to perform some lifting. You can also join him playing, if you want to!! ]

❤︎ WILDCARD

[ Same as Mondo, you'll be able to find him in any of the floors running around doing something, and will only be in the third floor at the later dates! Any ideas you want to run through me first, PM me or HMU at tsubo! Otherwise, just fling anything my way! ]

7/11 in the dungeon, 3rd floor

[laconism]

[Is this guy seriously trying to touch the fire??? What the actual fuck. A sweaty, fatigued Red musters up the energy to run over to Leon and grab his wrist, dragging him a safe distance away because he doesn't want to see a dude set himself on fire, thanks. This smoldering heat and smoke is sucking the life out of him, and his new weakness to Fire is making it even worse, so he has to take a moment to catch his breath, keeping his grip firm around Leon's wrist.

Despite being on the verge of collapsing, Red still manages to give the other boy a judgemental stare.]

...Don't... touch that.

[The adorable yellow mouse on his shoulder mimics his trainer's stare, though he also seems to be pretty worn out, ears pointing downward.]

[nekkyphones]

A. It Begins ( 7/8 )

A-1. Night-ier...?

[Neku has just settled down, ready to once again sleep on the streets. It's kind of funny that this is the only time he's chosen to go to sleep and wake up out in the open instead of being forced to by the Reaper's Game. But can he really say that this situation is any better? Because he isn't sure what the heck is going on. This could be anything. And could he be considered alive? The Reapers aren't around. That must be he's out of what he can only describe as purgatory.]

This is too complicated...

[Neku sighs and just at that moment, things start to get strange. It seems that the night has gotten...night-ier. He looks up at the moon, the only thing being his source of light. He slowly takes off his headphones, taking in the silence which is odd since things are usually too loud for his liking.]

Just where is everyone?

[He continues to look around, oblivious to the black mass quietly approaching him.]

A-2. 1st Floor

[This is such a bad idea. This has to be Hell, it has to be! This is some kind of punishment for disrespecting the school system by saying it sucks like any normal teenager would. Now he has to repent for his sins. Or, you know, maybe it's because he stole from the treasure box in elementary school. In that case, he isn't repenting for anything. He deserved those gold stickers and candy.

As cautiously as possible, he descends down the stairs and suddenly finds himself in...not school. Just what kind of BS is going on here? Neku looks at the entrance to the maze and lets out a sigh. He really has to go in there, huh? While he may be technically dead still, he has someone counting on him back where he comes from. Neku enters without a second.

He's not been in there long, having found a pitchfork, when he hears something. He stiffens a bit before he waves his pitchfork around.]

Show yourself! I've got a deadly weapon and I'm not afraid to use it!

B. Exploration ( 7/9-7/11 )

B-1. 2nd Floor

[He is a bit more comfortable with how things work around here. He was able to summon his Persona when he was in a tight spot. Koumokuten said something about thou art I or whatever but Neku had a hard time paying attention to that when his life was in danger. But now that the shock has died down, he is able on confidently to other things. Like this floor.

Neku is in the middle of descending the steps when he suddenly comes to a stop, outstretching a hand out to whoever may have happened to be travelling behind him without exchanging any words. Neku looks back at you, his eyes set in suspicion.]

This is really suspect, right? [He points downward.] We're descending downwards. And going down isn't as ideal as going up, is it?


B-2. 3rd Floor

[Neku Sakuraba is ready to whoop ass and take names. And he's choosing to do both instead of one over the other. Neku is currently approaching the village, looking around at the destruction of it while doing his best to keep an eye out on any possible shadows.]

What the hell happened here? [He places a hand on his chin in thought, thinking back to the temple back when he first arrived.] Does it have something to do with...that?

C. Wildcard

[Feel free to throw anything at me! You can hit me up at wateriswet if you want to discuss something deeper.]

a.2

[appraiser]

[ Oh. Deadly weapons are very bad news, so Ryoji is quick to duck out from behind a bale of barley, hands up in the air on either side of his head like he's seen on cop shows. It's a "please don't kill me" pose, he believes. ]

Hi! My name's Ryoji, and I'd appreciate it if you don't use that deadly weapon on me. I would very much not like to be dead, you see...

Boss Battle

[citta]

DAITENGU (大天狗) TEIKIATSU-NO-SENSO
Type BOSS	Blocks Fire	Resists Wind, Dark, Light
『 You have stepped into a place of reverence. Kneel down and pray your respects, or get out of my sight. 』 Immediately, the human-like enemy strikes. Unlike the previous Shadows, he is not easily fooled by the masks and summons a flurry of fire to the first few unsuspecting characters to enter the chambers of the Daitengu. The battle begins right away, whether the team is ready or not. 『 I am the Daitengu, Teikiatsu-no-Senso, the embodiment of war. Come. I will put you out of your misery. 』 The area is shrouded in heavy smoke. Without a wind-user to scatter the smog, visibility will be low. The boss takes advantage of the blind and attacks without restraint. He uses a combination of both physical and magical skills, ranging from kicking opponents down to burning them with hot flames, before retreating back into the smoke. Rather than recklessly attacking, it'd be wise to permanently clear the air. By making your way towards the very back of the area, you'd find the source of the smoke. Large rectangular boxes hold hundreds, if not thousands, of incense sticks. Although they are magically charged to produce ten times more smog than they normally would, the incense can be easily put out. The room clears and reveals a wasteland. The dead floor sustains not a breath of life. It is cold, bleak, and nothing but a faint shadow of the rich fields of the first floor. 『 You dare to put out the incense? In this place of sacredness? 』 No longer being able to hide in the smoke, the Daitengu attacks directly. Split up and divide his attention, or risk being eliminated all at once. With a powerful beat of his wings, he quickly maneuvers from one target to the next before returning to the dark skies. Overwhelm him with numbers and an onslaught of attacks that even he cannot from escape from. Eventually, he will fall and allow for an all-out-attack. 『 ... let us proclaim... a mantra to praise the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore... 』 He melts away into darkness. All that remains is his fan, black feathers, and an ofuda. It is inscribed with the Daitengu's name.

© BOARDMASTER

pre-battle, assuming they got a bunch of people together, no tag order

[reveilation]

[ cries, where is RO ]

Alright. Those who cannot fight, stay with me. I need healers to stay together and not leave my side, as well as...

[ where is RO... help ]

...Do you think it's better to rush in all at once, or should we split up into two waves in case something happens?