A TRAIN COMES INTO THE STATION.
You wake up on a train.
Your phone is buzzing. It's in your pocket, in your hand, on the seat next to you. It's a normal phone, and you're on a normal train car. One of the lights flickers, a little further down. The world is very quiet. It feels like you're right where you're meant to be. On the phone's surface is a white screen and the words—
WELCOME TO THE CITY. BEGIN ORIENTATION?
▶ NO
Please take a moment to complete your orientation.
Once you're finished, the subway doors slide open to let you out onto the train platform. To your right, the platform continues on and eventually ends; to the left is a set of stairs that will lead you up into the station itself. The platform is quiet, clean, empty—there's no one else around, and the only sounds you can hear are your own footsteps, your own breaths, and the occasional faraway sound of a creaking pipe or rush of air. The train you disembarked will stay there as long as you do, its doors still open, until you finally decide to venture up into this new locale.
As you make your way up the stairs to your left, you find yourself in the belly of City Hall station. The station is large, a sprawling underground mini-metropolis of corridors and storefronts. Here, you may find others like you, freshly-arrived city residents from other realms (or even your own). There is also a subway map, which will give you an idea of the layout of the neighborhood, and ticketing machines, which can currently only be used to buy tickets to a handful of stations located on lines 1, 2, and 9.
If you're hungry or in need of any kind of supplies, there are plenty of storefronts inside the subway station as well—snack stands, convenience stores, restaurants, clothing stores, a pharmacy, and a variety of empty shops that may or may not have ever been in use. Everything is unlocked, and you can take whatever you need.
Characters may stay on the train platform indefinitely, and may re-board and re-disembark from the subway as many times as they like, but the train will not depart nor will the doors close. Once they go up the stairs into the train station, they may hear the train doors closing and the train departing. Another train will not arrive, no matter how long the character waits. Only once they come up the stairs into the station itself may characters encounter their fellow newly-arrived residents and take advantage of what the city has to offer.
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WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
The station is located in the city center. It has three major exits that lead to areas of interest in the district, but there are several other smaller exits that lead in other directions around the neighborhood. You are welcome to use any of them, but may find the north, southwest, and east exits to be the most welcoming.
TO THE NORTH
The northern entrance to the station leads up into the sunlight and puts you out in a brickwork plaza. There's a modest building in front of you, three or four stories of stone with a welcoming facade. There's a sign above the entryway—it says City Hall. You may be tempted to explore, if you're interested in learning more about the city and how it functions, but prepare to find yourself disappointed—the folders in the records rooms are full of empty, blank sheets of paper, and the logbooks and balance sheets are similarly devoid of information.
Immediately to the southwest of City Hall, you will find a small building that houses the tourist information kiosk. 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!
TO THE SOUTHWEST
The western exit of the station takes you up into a city park, lush and green with a very light fog still hanging about the trees. There are lampposts on the walkways and benches where you could rest, and plenty of flora, although you can neither see nor hear any signs of animal life. You walk the paths that meander idly through the verdant grass and you feel a sense of peace, some of your unease about this place easing into a pleasant calm. The air smells fresh, like it's recently rained, and you'll find the grass ever so slightly damp should you decide to take a seat.
As you make your way deeper into the park, the trees grow denser and the smell of soil and plant life grows stronger. This is the older part of the park, very nearly a forest, with ivy climbing the trunks of the trees and plants and shrubs growing riotously around their bases. As you turn a corner, you find yourself first in the statue garden, although the statues are harder to see now, choked as they are with ivy. There are many statues, some partially obscured, some fully—very few of them still stand free of the vines and clinging roots. (It doesn't feel quite as peaceful here.) If a statue's face looks a little bit familiar, you may not want to look at it too long.
Continue down the path and you will find yourself in a graveyard, one that seems centuries old. Most of the headstones are worn away by time and covered in moss, rendering them impossible to read. The few that are free of moss are blank, or bear only suggestions of names too faint to be understood. (Was that the name of—no, it couldn't have been. Could it?) Many of the headstones stand at an angle or are toppled over completely, having been subjected to either strong winds or the roots of the trees that grow up from some of the graves, spreading branches toward the sky.
TO THE EAST
The final exit of the station, to the east, puts you out on a quiet surface street. Are you hungry? Or are you paralyzed by choice? There are plenty of restaurants, offering options of almost any food you can imagine. You could try a convenience store—it's well stocked, and the items there seem free for the taking. How about a restaurant? There's no one to take your order, but when you look in the kitchen, there's something on the stove, and it's just what you've been craving. Imagine that.
A few blocks down, you come in through the lobby of a tall building and find yourself in a corporate office. The fluorescent lights are steady and unforgiving, and the cubicles and offices are empty. There are a few pieces of paper on desks, a few folders left in organizers, but everything is perfectly blank. Despite how empty and quiet the office is, it nonetheless gives you the feeling that just a few minutes ago, this place was bustling with workers going about their daily business.
You enter another building and find yourself in the lobby of an apartment complex—finally, a place to rest. The first door you try opens easily into a completely empty living room, freshly vacuumed but without a single piece of furniture. It's a nice apartment, quiet, but with a little too much echo for your taste, maybe. Still, and perhaps oddly, you have no trouble envisioning what life here would be like.
The second door you open leads to an apartment that feels lived-in. Why does it feel lived-in? It's fully furnished with items that seem to go together perfectly, true, but the feeling is more than that—the room feels like someone was just here, maybe standing right in the kitchen only moments before you swung the door open. The air is a perfectly comfortable temperature, and it somehow smells like home despite that you've never once set foot here before. The refrigerator is stocked, and the cabinets are full of spices and flatware and kitchen utensils.
As you look around the living room, you find that there are pictures in frames on the walls and some of the flat surfaces—a seascape, a field, a shot of a city park bench. In each of the photos there's something just slightly wrong with the angle, as though the photographer were aiming for a subject that can no longer be seen.
Characters are welcome to explore the district around the City Hall subway station to their heart's content. The City Hall building itself contains several floors of offices and file rooms, but none of them contain any particularly interesting information. Nonetheless, characters may wish to team up with other newcomers and try to find some hints about the nature of the city. They can also spend a while in the park, the statue garden, or the graveyard. In the blocks surrounding the station there are plenty of options for food and housing, as well as office buildings, storefronts, and alleyways to look around. There are no workers in any of the buildings, and there does not seem to be an honor system for payment, nor any consequences for taking food from the stores or setting up camp in an apartment or office building.
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I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM.
Have you ever visited the ice cream parlor located in District 2? It's a pretty quirky little joint!
When you walk in, what you'll likely notice first is the colors. Everything is bright, almost oversaturated—the pink of the leather seats, the teal of the walls, the red of the menu sign hanging over the counter. By all rights it seems like these colors shouldn't go together, but somehow they do, or maybe that's just because being in an ice cream parlor puts you in a good mood. It smells like waffle cones, and overhead, there's music pumping through the speakers at just the right volume, providing some nice background noise to your decision-making process.
Wait, music?
There's a jukebox at the far end of the shop, which seems to be where the music is being chosen. As you head over, the song comes to an end and the jukebox machinery shuffles through its options before landing on a new one. The song sounds sort of familiar, doesn't it? And the longer you listen, the more the lyrics really seem to speak to you. It costs money to pick your own song, so if you happen to have some coins on you—or if you're really, really determined—you can choose the next round of tunes.
When you're done at the jukebox, you can go check out the serving area of the shop. Behind the counter you can see milkshake mixers and waffle cone makers; there are ice cream cakes in the freezers that line the wall; and when you approach the main counter you can see the tubs of ice cream in almost any flavor you can imagine.
Pick a flavor, whichever one's your favorite! Do you want it in a cone or in a bowl? There are regular cones and waffle cones, and all kinds of toppings—sprinkles, syrups, gummy candy, mini marshmallows. Decorate your ice cream however you want, the sky's the limit when it comes to choices! You can even come back for seconds if you want, or thirds. Who's going to say anything about it, after all?
But the more of your ice cream you eat, the more you start to feel… strange. Maybe you're starting to get angry, or sad, or giddy—maybe you feel romantic, or feel like you want to tell a secret to a stranger, and you're not really sure why. You also can't quite seem to stop eating your ice cream, and the more you eat, the less worried you feel about whatever's happening to your emotions. After all, why be concerned about that when you have something so delicious in front of you?
| Flavor |
Effect |
| Strawberry |
You find yourself compelled to seek out strangers and tell them a hidden truth about yourself |
| Rocky Road |
You find yourself compelled to seek out strangers and convince them of some egregious lie |
| Vanilla |
You are overwhelmed by a sense of total calm, and can only speak in aphorisms and platitudes |
| Rainbow Sherbert |
You are overwhelmed by amorous feelings towards whoever is near you and try to cuddle or kiss them |
| Chocolate |
You feel suddenly morose about something in your past and cannot stop crying until someone consoles you |
| Bubblegum |
You become uncontrollably giggly and giddy, and can only speak in rhyme |
| Caramel Ribbon |
You become angry and perhaps even violent, trying to attack anyone who comes near |
| Mint Chocolate Chip |
You suddenly have a common but exaggerated phobia (for example, a fear of heights where the step down off the curb is too much) |
When characters first enter the ice cream parlor, they may notice that there's music playing overhead! That's from the jukebox, and the lyrics of the song may sound like they're particularly apt for a character's circumstances. Players are welcome to choose their own jukebox songs for their characters—it doesn't need to have appeared in canon, but characters from modern times are welcome to recognize the music being played. (Players can also feel free not to pick a real song at all, and instead just describe the overall sound of the song and content of the lyrics!)
This is an ice cream parlor, so of course there's also ice cream to be had. Characters can serve themselves whatever flavor combination they want, but shortly thereafter will find themselves suffering certain emotional effects depending on what flavors they chose. These emotional effects, shown above, will last for roughly an hour before slowly dissipating, and their intensity depends on how much ice cream the character ate and whether they were able to recognize what was happening and stop eating. Not every flavor has an emotional effect, so players can also choose to have their character eat a normal scoop and go about their day.
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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.
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citycenter) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
citylogs2023-08-02 12:00 am
no subject
[Chongyun pauses, thinking for a moment. But after a short pause, he nods.]
I remember that night. That was the night that we were able to see the Conqueror of Demons, and meet Mr. Zhongli and that strange bard friend of yours... but that was a few days ago, wasn't it?
[So he's remembering the same things that Xingqiu is, but from Chongyun's perspective, a few days had passed since then.]
So you're saying the last thing you remember was Hu Tao escorting us home?
no subject
That's right, there was also Venti who almost mistakenly revealed his secret but the barb was quick-witted enough to comprehend that Xingqiu didn't want to reveal that he had authored a book.
Yes, that's exactly what happened. Xingqiu would have immediately agreed had Chongyun not mentioned that elapse time after the festival. A few days ago? That's not right... He knows his friend well, Chongyun isn't the kind of boy to play pranks or tricks on him, what Chongyun is saying is the truth he knows. ]
That's right. We bid each other goodnight and soon after I found myself here. I Cannot explain the discrepancy between our recollections. But you said we last saw each other a few days after that? I have been here for as long as mentioned, I've spent time taking notes of my time here...
no subject
Yes, a few days had passed since then, less than a week since Lantern Rite. It was just the other day we had gone for lunch together, at Wanmin Restaurant.
[He knows that Xingqiu could be prone to pranks, but Xingqiu's countenance doesn't strike him as false or misleading. He has every reason to believe that Xingqiu is telling the truth.]
If you were truly here for two months, and don't remember those few days... could something have happened during that time? Or does it have something to do with this place? Hmm... I wonder if something like this was ever recorded in my family's records on evil spirits or their domains...
[Could it be some bizarre domain where time flowed strangely? He's not too sure himself, if he's being honest.]
no subject
This city is mysterious enough — he still cannot explain how he found himself on that train — perhaps it can affect people's perception? Well, he isn't going to assume what manifested itself for that lunch date was a spirit otherwise there would be no story for Chongyun to tell.
Time perhaps or as Chongyun mentions this whole area could be something akin to an adeptus' domain? ]
Without any clues all we will have is suppositions.
[ Which are about as helpful as having nothing. They need concrete evidence one way or another, admittedly he hasn't been successful in finding information but he believes this may be a shared experienced among everyone that's found themselves here.
For now, he will focus on what's ahead because a few more steps and they'll be standing before the fortune teller. ] How about you try your luck with her? I didn't get anything particularly helpful but for once your luck might be better than my own.
no subject
[He blinks and looks up at Xingqiu, before looking at the mechanical fortune teller.]
Oh? This... machine? How do you think it could help?
no subject
Yet, here he is guiding Chongyun deeper. While he does steal some glances back at him — mostly to make sure the heat and heavy scents aren't affecting his friend. ]
Well, perhaps it will provide some guidance on what to do here? At least, I am curious about what it has to say to you. Aren't you curious too? Besides, it's very much harmless. [ Despite it's gloomy and frightful appearance. ]
no subject
Hmm... alright. If you think it might be helpful, I'll give it a try.
[He approaches the machine, looking it over.]
How does it work? Have you tried before?
no subject
Quickly he motions Chongyun to step forward and come closer — to the fortune teller, certainly; otherwise how else would he present his question? ]
I've come here before, so yes, I have received a fortune. I'll share it with you once you're bestowed one of your own. As for how you can receive a fortune, well, all you have to do is pose a question. Although its reply may require some interpretation? Go on.
[ He'll step aside giving Chongyun plenty of room to face the fortune teller, and while he appears entirely composed and calm Xingqiu is actually excited as well as curious to see what fortune Chongyun receives. ]
no subject
Alright. If you think this will work, I will do my best.
[He turns to the machine before him, looking at the wrinkled lady in the glass case.]
All I have to do is ask it a question? Hmm... [He pauses for a moment, thinking of a worthy question, before nodding.]
Okay. My question is... Now that we are here, what is the purpose for our stay? Why have we been chosen?
[The machine whirrs to life before him, and he stares in surprise as the lights flicker and the robot lady cackles. A small slip of paper is printed out, and Chongyun takes it before reading it over.]
"The fall of slow rain upon the barren field will lead you to the house which shelters your destiny"..?
no subject
The fortune teller's appearance may repel some; he imagines that even when it was once in pristine condition there may have been some hesitancy from people to approach her with their inquiry. Is that what Chongyun is experiencing now? Yet the pensive expression on the exorcist's face (along with his training) makes Xingqiu think otherwise; a serious boy like Chongyun would, of course, take a moment to contemplate his question as if it were the only one he could make. ]
That's right... [ And upon confirming the mechanics of the fortune teller he gets to hear Chongyun's question, noting there is a similarity to his own and so he expects that his friend will receive a reply that has nothing to do with the present situation.
After a flash of lights and whirling mechanical sounds that as always do nothing but make the fortune teller appear more ghastly a slip of paper comes out delivering her answer. He can't help but step closer, leaning close in an attempt to read the fortune; it's completely unnecessary with Chongyun reading it out loud. ]
Well, that's an improvement from the fortune I received.
no subject
This doesn't make any sense. What is it talking about?
[Still frowning, he looks up at the machine, as if it would give him further answers.]
Why have a machine that gives out riddles that don't make sense disguised as fortunes? Is that some other kind of tactic to trick people out of their mora??
[His comments are a bit more heated than usual, and he catches himself as he realizes it. He takes a quick, steady breath.]
Woah, calm down Chongyun... [He reaches into his pouch to get one of his popsicles. It looks like the heady air of the shop is starting to affect him.]
no subject
However, right now, he would focus on his exorcist friend. It's not surprising that some perceived injustice would provoke anger in him what is unusual is how quickly he was riled up. It's the work of the shop. The warm incensed air has finally made its effects obvious but as amused as he is, right now perhaps it is best to keep Chongyun calm. Gently he rests a hand on Chongyun's shoulder. ]
If you view this from a different lens, then perhaps it's only meant to entertain. Of course, if someone were to view this as a legitimate reading then it makes a lot more sense to dispense a riddle that can be interpreted in all manner of ways. When I first asked for a fortune my own said your shoes will make you happy today. That had nothing to do with my question...
[ As he speaks he slowly begins guiding Chongyun out of the shop, the cool air outside would more than help him than just a popsicle alone surely. Besides, he has a few more things he needs to explain. For Chongyun to survive he needs to make it obvious that there is no currency exchange here. Of course, just taking things feels strange, as someone raised in a commerce guild it had seemed incredibly unrealistic but somehow this place has managed to sustain all its new residents. ]
no subject
Thank you. I don't know what came over me, I just... I think it was too warm in there.
[Which would be a problem for someone else, but for Chongyun, all it takes is one small lapse in judgment to have him having a Yang-fuelled episode.]
I think it just upsets me because... well, talismans, wards, and such objects are normally used by people to drive away evil spirits, right? So then, why would there be a shop dedicated to offering false hope under the guise of a legitimate means of protection from evil spirits? And in a city as strange as this, such a location would be easy for those unsuspecting to fall victim to... [He pauses, frowning.] Well, normally I would call such an obvious act a scam, but that would require someone running the scam, wouldn't it?
[Perhaps it's simply because he just hasn't been here long enough, and is falling back on old arguments that he is used to having back in Liyue, where scammers and charlatans looking for quick Mora are quite frequent in the exorcism circle. He looks down at the fortune in his hand.]
But it just begs the question... why? Do people really find this sort of thing fun..?
[He's quite at a loss here, and looking to Xingqiu for enlightenment. It's not like he has a good idea as to what people consider fun anyways.]
no subject
Nodding once he does confirm that Chongyun is correct. It was not just warm, it was uncomfortably so. The heavy perfumed scents lingering in the air made breathing just a tad more difficult.
And now they are getting to the root of Chongyun's issue with the shop once more. Normally he would agree that such a shop could draw in unwitting customers seeking aid and relief from the supernatural. The shop's exterior, with its bright lighting and marketable mystique, would also garner the attention of those who are simply curious perhaps spreading misinformation. In this mysterious city, perhaps, it could cause trouble in the future. ]
It is an obvious scam. But what is obvious to some people isn't so easily discernable by others. That's why there are people that become victims of fraud. But you are right to say that in this strange place, people who may be seeking some form of relief or tools to ward off spirits may end up finding themselves here. The trouble is like you mentioned no one is operating that shop. More importantly, it has come to my attention that you haven't noticed this yet. All the shops here are unmanned. So there is no monetary gain being made.
Still, it's possible that misinformation may be spread. However, I do believe that the fortune teller in the back of the shop should make it obvious the type of establishment that is. Even so, some people feel some form of relief even when knowing some charms and talismans have no mystical properties. I assume others may just find them aesthetically pleasing and are simply looking for decoration.
Do you know where the fun is? It's really what you make it. If you move forward with serious intent then you aren't taking a lighthearted approach. Listen I told you my first fortune. That came from me wanting answers no matter where I got them from. However, the moment I thought of it only as a game, my second fortune was far more entertaining. Hm. If you ever come across my friend Izuku you can ask him about it since I don't recall its exact wording.
[ He takes a couple of steps forward now away from the shops. ] Come on, we should get you settled in for now.
no subject
I have noticed that none of the shops are manned, but... someone must have built it in the first place, right?
[Chongyun may be grasping at straws here, and he frowns as he looks up at the building behind him.]
Aesthetically? You think people would want to wear talismans purely for decoration? But isn't that a bit... [He trails as he frowns the thought puzzles him; as someone who works with banishing evil spirits, why would someone want to wear talismans for decoration? But he keeps listening to Xingqiu's advice, his frown melts into a more contemplative look.]
So, you think that approaching these false spiritual stores as more of a game than a legitimate business is the fun of it? But... [He frowns, before shaking his head.] I'm afraid I still find it quite strange. But you're right; I should focus on getting settled, rather than upset at a strange shop.
no subject
He realizes Chongyun isn't fully satisfied with his words, more than likely he is thinking beyond the shop itself. That place probably draws people seeking aid and those who know better. Right now, there is no use in fretting over it. Chongyun doesn't need to lose sleep over the shop. ] People do all sorts of strange things Chongyun. For example, there are probably people who feel at ease here, perhaps they don't mind being far from home. And then those who want answers like you do.
But since we're not going anywhere... How about I show you where I'm staying? It might be a good place to start, I'll even invite you to dinner and to stay with me for the night.
no subject
[There's a lot he doesn't understand, and a lot that is confusing him. But he figures that if Xingqiu is able to explain it, he can follow Xingqiu's guidance. That might be for the best, given he's been in this strange place longer.]
[At the offer to see Xingqiu's dwelling, Chongyun's contemplative look brightens to a more positive one, and he nods.]
Oh, yes! I think that's a good idea. I would be happy to see where it is you are staying, and see if there's enough room for me somewhere nearby as well.
no subject
[ He won't accept his idea being rejected, that's why he's already urging Chongyun to follow after him towards the apartment building. Truthfully, if it wasn't obvious, he wants to spend more time with his friend now that he has the opportunity. It would be silly to squander this chance despite the circumstances. Really, because of the situation they are in what he said isn't a lie either. They could work to keep each other safe.
In the end, Xingqiu will do everything he can to persuade Chongyun to reside in the same apartment with him. ]