EVENT: Welcome to the City! (June 2023)

[citycenter]

WELCOME TO THE CITY!

TOURIST INFORMATION. Directly to the southwest of City Hall, you notice a building. It looks welcoming, with an inviting glass facade and a sign above the entryway announcing it as the "TOURIST CENTER." It's a humble building with a receptionist's desk on the back wall opposite the entrance, empty magazine shelves lining the side walls, and a few spinning brochure racks full of blank pamphlets. Anyone is welcome to peruse the tourist literature, though they won't offer much information, being primarily filled with pictures of the surrounding area—City Hall, the park, a statue garden, and the surprisingly heavily-featured cemetery. There are a few sentences sprinkled throughout about basic offerings of the city, such as apartment complexes and office buildings, as well as a few maps with the same limited scope as the larger version on the wall behind the receptionist's desk. The main feature of the tourist center is the interactive kiosk installed dead in the center, right in the middle of a few rows of uncomfortable chairs that fill the small room. It's noticeably in the way of any would-be foot traffic through the tourist center, and something about the technology seems a little more modern than the computer behind the desk or the landline phone on the wall. The kiosk is a tall silver rectangle, about average adult height, and the upper half is a screen welcoming visitors to touch it to activate the kiosk. If you were to touch it, the screen would come to life with simple dialogue inviting visitors to ask it their questions. However, residents should note that the kiosk is only programmed to assist with exploration within the available areas of the city. It may not be able to answer every question, and tampering with the kiosk may result in unreliable or inaccurate answers! The kiosks are styled after this kind of interactive directory and will display text in whatever language the player character speaks, with optional text-to-voice for characters who are not able to type. (For vocals, think of the flattest, least affected robot voiceover you've ever heard.) The kiosk is programmed to answer questions related to tourism in the city, and can be asked for food or lodging recommendations, directions to various shops and locations in the district, and basic information about the city itself. Characters are able to ask as many questions as they please, but should note that not all questions can be answered in full by the kiosk system and overloading it with questions may yield interesting results. Attempts to hack the kiosk will result in a twenty-four hour shutdown to reboot the system. During the reboot, the kiosk will not be available for further questioning or hacking attempts. Should characters pry the kiosk casing open, they will find the insides completely empty of any mechanical, electrical, or computing components. JUMP TO TOP ↑ | ↓ JUMP TO COMMENTS NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK. It's a brand new day, a mostly-sunny June morning. The sky is blue except for a few straggling white clouds, the sun is warm, and there's a welcome party being held at City Hall. Come on down! There are quite a few activities set up in the plaza just in front of city hall, immediately to the northwest of the subway station. Although there is no one there to man it, there is a barbecue and accompanying table of foods–burgers and hot dogs that stay warm, ice pops in a bucket of ice that never melts, sides and drinks that never go stale. Towards the southwestern side of the plaza is a bouncy house shaped like a carousel ride, and no matter how many people enter at once it never seems to get full–isn't that fun? There are balloons and pinwheels decorating the picnic tables and chairs and a "WELCOME TO THE CITY!" banner hanging from the entryway of the City Hall building. No music plays in the air, but is an old boom box tucked under one of the picnic tables, and to the right of the building's entrance is a raised dais containing the instruments belonging to a string quartet–although where the quartet is themselves, one couldn't say for sure. Still, they probably won't mind if someone takes over their instruments for a little while. There is also an electric keyboard for those inclined, and although it doesn't appear to be plugged in anywhere, it will still turn on. Other knick-knacks and odds and ends offered by the organizers of the party include sidewalk chalk–partygoers may find it especially difficult to remove–bubble wands, and maybe even a few pairs of rollerskates hidden around for those who are especially interested in finding them. The welcome party will be set up by sunrise and will stay through the entire weekend. Characters are welcome to eat the food, drink whatever they want, play music (if they brought a CD or cassette tape, or know how to play a stringed instrument) or play in the bouncy house. Any food or beverage consumed or decorations removed or destroyed will reappear when no one is looking. JUMP TO TOP ↑ | ↓ JUMP TO COMMENTS LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED. The party continues inside City Hall, with a large room just off the main hallway being dedicated to the occasion. Just like the tables and chairs outside, the tables inside City Hall are decorated with champagne glasses and balloons, and there's sparkly confetti dusted along the tablecloths and on the floor. This is where the alcoholic beverages are, bottles and glasses stored on a table toward the back wall. There is, of course, no bartender, but as long as you're of age you're probably welcome to pour yourself a drink, right? (And if you're not of age, well–who's going to know?) There's also a large open space at one end of the room, clearly meant for dancing, although just like outside there's no music playing. But just because there's no music doesn't mean you can't dance, right? And the more you drink, the more you start to feel like dancing might be pretty fun. The party will go all night, so grab a partner and put your best foot forward! Just like the party taking place outdoors, the indoor portions of the party will be set up by sunrise and will continue through the weekend. Inside is the more "adult" party, with tables for conversation and alcoholic beverages readily available. Characters are welcome to take glasses or bottles with them, but should they put them down anywhere outside, they'll be able to find their bottle or glass inside on one of the decorated tables. Characters do not need to get drunk in order to dance, but optionally may feel that drinking more makes them want to dance. JUMP TO TOP ↑ | ↓ JUMP TO COMMENTS WILDCARD. The city is by no means small, and there are plenty of things for you to see. There's no rush in exploring, so feel free to take your time looking around and peering into various nooks and crannies and alleyways—and don't worry, you're not very likely to find anything peering back. If none of the above prompts appeal, feel free to check out the Locations and Maps pages and write your own freestyle prompt using one or many of the available locations. JUMP TO TOP ↑

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junpei | zero escape

[coolerjunpei]

kiosk adventures

[What a bleak tourist center, although aren't all tourist centers bleak... Junpei stands off towards the side of the room, a piece of tourist literature in hand, flipping through it with an increasingly deep crease in his brow as he looks at more and more pictures of the city. He's so right, they are all going to get murdered in this place... and the internet called him a fool...!

Or: at the sound of someone's footsteps, he looks up, nonplussed. Deep down he is panicking, but on the surface he simply looks bored and unimpressed.

He says,]

You know, I think I've been to this exact rest stop before? Only thing that's missing is a place selling off-brand cheap burgers and the worst bathroom you've ever seen.

[And then, holding up the tourist lit with grim resignation,] You see this? They're really pushing the cemetery.


the second one in here
[A bit later, still in the tourist center, he's half-crouched behind the receptionist's desk, trying to feel around the underside of it for Secret Buttons. Or Secret Speakers? Just Secrets.

After a bit, he absolutely whacks his head on the bottom of the desk while trying to stand up. Sorry about this sudden thud in this quiet room, and his outburst:]

Ow, fuck!! [hi] —Christ, who designs a low-hanging desk? Uh...

[Hello, Other Person. How is it going.]

You find anything? Think we should team up?


sorry there's one more: kiosk harassment
[Or: Junpei, after trying to ask the kiosk some normal questions about who's in charge and how fucked they all here, and getting sick of all the "I'm sorry, I can't help because I am a big stupid rectangle" responses (his interpretation), he is now asking it some totally reasonable, patient things:]

what's your goddamn problem?

when are you going to show your face, asshole?

what did you put in us to keep track of what we're doing? is it in the phone?

[And then, um, kind of sheepishly, after he literally slaps nonsense onto the keyboard for a minute:]

how do i make pancakes?

party time

[Once again, Junpei has swung from "fuck all of this!!!!" (rage) to "fuck all of this" (nihilistic resignation). Which is to say he's at this party, somehow, for some reason. It's definitely creepy and kind of pathetic the longer he looks around - a party with kid decorations and no attendees but confused kidnapping victims is a little sad in a grim way - but he's got a freezer pop in hand (the pink one, obv) and he's indifferently kicking a balloon as he meanders around.

So the party is going well. Eventually he comments to... whoever is there, but also just to the Air, maybe Whoever Is Listening (tm):]

So, nobody staked out City Hall? None of us, really? We're already screwing this one up.

[There was an opportunity here and they all missed it!! Himself included! Fuckshit!!!]


bouncy castle
[Junpei lies on the floor of the bouncy castle and lets his dreams take him on a grand adventure.

He's just lying there, literally. Are you abandoning all pretense enough to jump around? He's lying there. Are you just sticking your head in to see what's up with this thing? He's lying there.

He will continue to lie there.]


liquor? i hardly know 'er
[Truly it was inevitable that Junpei gave up and got drunk at this disaster of a function. He's saved it until the evening, at least, when he's finally expired all hope of learning something from the kiosk or raging against the bouncy castle machine and whatever else. It seemed like the done thing.

So here he is, with a bottle of wine that he has been drinking straight from, which he's about 3/4 into. He looks like he's in a better mood while drunk, and he lifts the bottle with enthusiasm to whoever comes by.]

You want to share? They've been making fun of us all weekend with his block party bullshit, so who cares anymore. Hell yeah! We're all royally screwed!

[he's having a great time.]

misc/wildcard

[help i've written so many prompts... if we made another plan/you want something else, hmu! or just throw it at me, i'm down!! he's going to get rollerskates at some point too, absolutely. i'm at jojoveller if you need me. also his plotting comment is here if you need that!

whew ok]

kiosks... dude

[gradenine]

[ roland's just hangin' around, also thinking of other things to ask the stupidass machine. then a thought came to him that maybe he could get ideas from people lining up to ask, so he can't help but look over this guy's shoulder, not realizing that it's junpei -- ]

Seriously? I thought I was the one who's gonna teach you how to make 'em.

[ until now, apparently! hey man it's ya boy keter ]

[coolerjunpei]

[Junpei doesn't expect people to be reading his incredibly valid and legitimate questions, so he definitely startles and whacks the thing again when there's just some guy here talking to him? Jesus, this city is already bad for his heart.]

Shit— uh, wait, what?

[Give him a second to Process... to Recall... and then he looks frankly embarrassed, because he's been caught committing to the pancakes thing that he already committed to--]

Oh, hey. You were offering to teach me...? In that case, should I stop reading this?

[he just thought he was being heckled oops]

party time

[killed]

Now, there's no use in crying over spilled milk, nor in thinking about "what ifs."

[ You can't move forward looking backwards. Hiyori is taking it seriously enough, but it isn't as though the answers are hidden somewhere deep within misery and cynicism. Rather, he finds that even these little breaks in this chaos can tell them something. It's better than nothing.

Either way, he doesn't seem too bothered by anyone's moodiness. ]

Do you believe that we should conduct stakeouts on every area of importance then?

[coolerjunpei]

If that'll help us pin down whoever moved in all this cheap junk while we were messing around online, yeah. Yeah, I do.

[He folds his arms, annoyed; he too was fucking around online, but like, that doesn't make it less aggravating that maybe if they had all collectively been more diligent, they'd have noticed this party being set up by somebody. Surely someone would have noticed.

Like, probably. Maybe.]

And don't give me that bullshit, "what ifs" are all we have to go on. I'm not going to "go with the flow"- [he does air quotes, ice pop in hand,] or whatever. That's how people get hurt.

bouncy castle!

[illicitly]

[A party like this is just what Nie Huaisang needed. He's been good spirits, full of smiles and laughter as he's eagerly tried out all the different foods and festivities. The bouncy castle caught his eye almost immediately with its carousel of bright, colorful horses after he's had his fill of barbecue and freezer pops, he's eager to inspect the structure for himself.

It doesn't take long for Nie Huaisang to quickly lose himself in childish glee, either oblivious or simply indifferent to the fact there's a person just lying there in the way that could easily get hurt. He's never been as graceful on his feet as other cultivators, even with his spiritual powers fully intact, and after a while, that becomes very apparent as he just casually flings himself about without a care in the world.

Right in the direction of the hapless figure lying down.

[It's too late to abort now and he has no means of slowing his fall so if his descent continues, he's gonna faceplant right into him.]

A-Aah! Aaah! Look out!

[coolerjunpei]

[Junpei is having a real one at this party, which is to say, he's broken with reality for the past half hour that he's been lying in this bouncy castle. What's the point, anyway? Every time he brings up completely legitimate points like "we're all going to be hurt by this place" and "no I'm not going to sit on my ass and wait patiently like a good little kidnapping victim," someone gives him attitude... He couldn't even learn to make pancakes at the kiosk...

So what is the point! Who cares! He barely notices when someone else comes into the bouncy castle, only dimly registering that, oh, the whole fucking floor is moving and him with it, but he continues to lie there and let the waves carry him to sweet, sweet oblivion. The other person in here has totally shit balance, it looks like, and Junpei lifts his arms sluggishly from the depths of blissful not-giving-a-damn, as if perhaps to catch them—

oh shit WAIT, ABORT-]

What the hell are you— [Nope, it's too late, he's getting fullbodied by this complete stranger. Does it count as catching him if he catches him with his entire torso... and a faceful of hair, pfftbfbtbt--]

....Ow.

liquor!

[elswhisperer]

No, I don't drink.

[ Which probably raises the question of what Setsuna's even doing here at the world's most unnerving excuse for a party. If this were a real party, he just wouldn't have attended.

Creepy parties thrown by unseen entities, however, need investigating. ]

Don't overdo it.

[coolerjunpei]

What, you don't think I look like I drink responsibly?

[He absolutely does not; he's sitting on one of these pitifully-decorated tables and definitely on a bit of a tilt instead of totally upright, but with just enough finesse left in him to wiggle the bottle pointedly. See this? Could a man who is overdoing it do this?]

I'm fine! Why'd you come in here if you don't drink? There's nothing worth the effort in this entire building...

[He gestures with the bottle to the rest of the room, pointedly. When this party started he was so ready to investigate, but now, ah... this bottle might as well contain liquid cynicism.]

bouncy castle

[nerine]

[what is with all these sad men being victims to the bouncy castle?

Monts is not dressed for bounicng so she's peeking through the open mesh entrance instead. When she sees Junpei just lying there she calls out to him with the mildest of concern in her voice.]

Long day?

[coolerjunpei]

[It calls to them on a spiritual level...

Junpei doesn't answer immediately; rather, he lifts a single hand, to give her a thumbs up raised high above the bouncy floor. Yes, it's been a long day. It's been a long and terrible existence, and so on, and so forth.

Eventually he also lifts his head, just enough to see her standing over there.]

Am I getting kicked out for not bouncing enough?

who am i to turn down 500 kiosk prompts

[laidtocrest]

[Sylvain's first thought is, "I bet this he's one of the weird Device People." He doesn't say that. But this guy gives off a vibe. He's got a certain...mood, one can say. Hopefully not a contagious mood.

Maybe he's wrong? But call it a hunch.

Instead, Sylvain opts for a polite-curious-disbelieving teenager look (he...hopes) in response to all of that. Team up? To be decided.] Why the cemetery?

[coolerjunpei]

[He's got a certain mood for sure, well-spotted. Junpei doesn't necessarily expect everyone around him to get into this particular mood with him - after his banger of a time getting told he was Wrong and Too Negative online, he's settled for being a curmudgeon alone - but he also doesn't intend to censor himself about it.

So: the mood. He brandishes the tourist lit idly, like, why not the cemetery-! But,]

How should I know? It's not like they're going to write "Hey! You're all welcome here!" on the gate to the place, right? That's too on the nose, even for someone sick enough to trap us all here.

[the mood.]

Still, look at how much of this is just... pictures of the cemetery. It's got to mean something.

tourist center

[marmoron]

[ being a stranger to these sorts of interdimensional kidnapping/trafficking hijinks, that bit of commentary immediately catches keith's attention. eyebrow raised as he looks from the tourist pamphlets to junpei, keith asks in a more or less neutral tone. ]

What was in the cemetery of the last place?

[ don't tell him this is some cheesy zombie shit... ]

[coolerjunpei]

Uh— wait, what?

[Hang on, that takes the wind out of his ornery sails for a second, before he realizes he's definitely gone too hard on the bitterness and fumbled somewhere here. Oop-]

Dead... people? I didn't mean— I've been through one of these before, yeah, but... smaller. Like just one building smaller. Still a shockingly high number of dead people, though...

So this- [he gestures with the pamphlet] -is a bad sign.

the second one in there

[blackwaterchild]

[Miu leans over the desk, eyebrows raised in a very unimpressed look when Junpei surfaces]

What are you doing, first of all?

[She's been just hanging out watching him, but.] Did you find anything?

[coolerjunpei]

[What does she mean, what is he doing, is it not obvious--]

I'm floor surfing for pocket change. What do you think?

[No, don't answer that, he waves one hand at her and rubs his head with the other, muttering a few errant swears as he shifts himself away from the traitorous desk edge to sit on the floor, up against the wall. Hi, hey, don't judge the process.]

I just thought maybe there would be something hidden under here, like a secret file or... buttons or a switch for a secret room. Something like that.

kiosk harassment

[earthshine]

[ technology sucks, okay. demanding answers from a temperamental box is, perhaps, not the best use of one's time.

yet here they are. or well, here shiro is being a nosy bypasser, who promptly abandons the bypassing to go straight into observing. he puts zero effort into schooling his expression, outright judgment there in his face as he watches someone jam question after question after question after –

squint. ]

Don't you just add water?

[ to what? pancake mix, of course…? shiro, an ever valuable asset in the culinary world. ]

[coolerjunpei]

[Question after question and he might even have more if the pancakes recipe the kiosk starts to spit out doesn't quell his fussy anger, but he straight jumps when someone speaks right there, jesus, warn a guy--]

Wh— Uh, hello?

[Does he just add water to-- oh shit, right, his own pancakes question. Good god.]

If I knew where to add water, I wouldn't be asking this hunk of junk.

wildcard, my condolences

[eyepoint]

[ junpei is now the victim of a 16yo suddenly grabbing his arm and bodily dragging him to the well-lit, colorfully-decorated stage like she's a golden retriever that's successfully retrieved her ball. did she also manage to have a sip of the champagne? who knows, but her bright cheeks and excited nature seem to imply that she did. ]

Mister, you're dancing with me!

[ brb scrolling through her phone until she finds a video. ]

We'll be dancing to this one.

[ it's the pieyon dance, yes. are you surprised? ]

[coolerjunpei]

[Ah, Junpei has learned his lesson about standing around and minding his own business. Truly, it's a dangerous game he plays, just trying to be idle and loiter at this non-party...

Or: he is bodily dragged, and too confused that this is his life now to fight off a teenage girl, so away they go towards the stage. Huh? Videos??]

Uh, what? I don't know any... [he. watches the video. it takes mere seconds,] I'm not doing that. Are you sure that even counts as a dance?

bouncy bounce

[halbird]

[ yeah, sinclair is sticking his head in. he's mostly looking for don quixote, who has abandoned him like the terrible support animal she is.... bouncy castle is a legitimate place to look, considering how much she'd Adored it.

instead he finds a corpse. there's a sound of surprise — maybe, like, half a yelp — as sinclair squints again and tries to catch (and trace) the unclear features of junpei's face with his unfocused gaze. very little success, of course.

he half crawls into the bounce castle. calls out, shakily, with some obvious difficulty: ]

H-hello? Okay?

House of Bounce

[inlovewithmycar]

[Contrary to popular belief, the bouncy castle is not one of Hell's innovations. Only humans have both the creativity and sheer audacity to create a suffocating inflatable rubber torture chamber that stinks of sweat and other body fluids.

Of course children love that sort of thing. Between the ages of 3 and 10, they're concocting all sorts of little devices that would have made the Spanish Inquisition look like the Geneva Conventions. It's what kids do, the bloodthirsty little devils.

So of course Crowley goes inside; it's like being back at his cubical in Hell if they ever fixed the mysterious leaks and decided to engage in the Fisher Price school of colour theory. He immediately spots a familiar face taking a nap on the rubber floor. Or drowning in despair. He's not sure which, but smart money is on the latter; the guy had seemed to just be hanging on by a thread in the shape of a holofoil card the last time he saw him.

So the demon plops his bony ass down to join him in a bit of wallowing.]

Enjoying the "party" so far?

bouncy bouncy

[nullificates]

(oh, he definitely saw that there's a soul that simply appears to be Just Lying There. too bad, because dazai is great at theatrics, and at lying, and he'll jump right on the man, just to laugh about something today.

oopsie daisy.)

liquor | slides in a year late

[cinaedus]

[ Unlike most of the City's new residents, it isn't until after sunset that Camille discovers the 'party' set out for them. He has seen the kiosk, near enough to his apartment building that he noticed it early on. The kiosk was interesting enough on its own, with its feeble attempts to answer questions, but this— the party proper (if it can be called that)— only strengthens his running theory about why this disparate group is here. ]

None for me, but, here— I recommend drinking this alongside your wine. [ Camille approaches Junpei not too long after arriving; it's hard not to notice someone walking around with an entire bottle in their fist. He extends a bottle of water in offering. His expression is friendly, but likewise there's faint amusement, too, though not unkind.

It is tempting, to remark on the man's cheerful nihilism, but were Camille to wager, the other's mood might be a fragile thing. ]