THE THINGS I GAVE YOU.
» THE BANK — INTRODUCTORY NOTES
District 2 is open, bringing with it access to new and interesting locations—including the city's main bank branch. The bank is a large building with a stone exterior, wrought iron grating on the windows, and large, heavy metal doors that take surprisingly little effort to open, their hinges silent and well-oiled.
Early in the day on July 19, characters in the vicinity of the bank will hear first a low, metallic creaking sound from inside the building, like metal straining against metal. This is followed by the sharper noise of locks disengaging, and then the large, heavy doors on the front of the building swing open slightly, enough to let a person through.
Directly inside the doors is the bank lobby, and beyond that is the main banking floor, with elegant marble flooring and dimly lit chandeliers. It would appear that this was once the main commercial bank of the city, although it is now completely empty, with no tellers behind the counters and no cash in any of the drawers.
You may rifle through the tills and filing cabinets to your heart's content, but similar to the files in City Hall, there is no useful information to be found—all the papers are blank, or are empty forms without any personally identifying information. There are no monetary devices to be found either; this is, after all, not a city that operates on a cash system, so there are no coins or paper bills in any of the tills or, indeed, anywhere within the bank.
What you might be able to find, though, is a rack of delicate, burnished brass keys on a wall toward the back of the main banking hall. Each of these keys is attached to a stamped metal keychain bearing a name on one side and a number on the other. Some of these may be names you recognize, and some of them may not, but they are all names belonging to current residents of the city, and each key corresponds to a safety deposit box within the vault at the back of the building. Can you remember what you stored in that box for safekeeping? Maybe you had better go find out.
At the back of the main banking hall is a vault secured with a large circular metal door. The door is currently unlocked and propped open; it can be closed, but cannot be locked (intentionally, anyway) from either the inside or the outside. The vault contains row upon row of safety deposit boxes, each locked. Participating characters who are in possession of a key can open their own safety deposit box, but it is not currently possible to force open any safety deposit box that does not belong to them. After August 1, players will be able to use their safety deposit boxes to store their own belongings, and break-ins will become possible with prior player permission and appropriate consequences.
Below sections detail the safety deposit boxes for both choose-your-own-adventure players and randomized players! Please see the randomized matches for this event HERE.
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IT'S TRUE, PEOPLE TAKE THINGS BUT RARELY.
» SAFETY DEPOSIT BOXES — A SELF-GUIDED TOUR
For some of you, getting into your safety deposit box is quite straightforward.
You take your key from the rack behind the teller's counter and make your way back through the building and into the vault. It's cool inside, the temperature well-regulated and the air dry. On the walls are rows upon rows of safety deposit boxes, and it may take you a moment to find the one that corresponds to the number stamped on your key. Does that number mean anything to you? It may, or it may not.
When you find your box, it takes very little effort to open it. A slide of your key, a quick turn, and the safety deposit box's door springs open to reveal the metal container within. You remove the metal box from the wall and bring it over to the table in the center of the room, clearly placed there for this express purpose. Maybe there are others around, or maybe you're alone. Do you remember yet, what it was you put in here? Well, there's no time like the present to check.
You open the safety deposit box to find—something that shouldn't be there. It's yours, that much you're sure of, but you didn't bring it with you to the city. You reach into the box to pick it up, and the surge of memory is immediate, sending your mind back to your strongest memory associated with the item in your hand.
Then the vault door swings shut, trapping you inside with whoever else has the misfortune of sharing the vault with you right now. No matter what force you try, the door won't open again. There doesn't appear to even be a mechanism that unlocks the door from the inside, and from within several feet of metal and stone, no one on the outside will be able to hear you shout. It seems hopeless—how long can anyone last, trapped in a place like this?
Should you turn back to the open safety deposit box, you might notice a slip of paper resting on the bottom. The paper looks aged, like it's been in the box for quite some time, and in printed text it reads: "Nothing is yours. It is to use. It is to share. If you will not share it, you cannot use it."
Maybe it means you should let another hold the item you've retrieved from the box… or maybe it means you should share the weight of memory. Try to interpret the meaning in whatever way you can. But should you decide to unburden yourself, and share with someone else the weight of the item you're holding in your hands, you may find that there's a means of escape after all.
Once you free yourself from the vault, for the next several days you find yourself feeling rather honest, like you may not be able to stop yourself from confessing the truth about the item you now carry…
Characters who wish to participate in the event, but who do not wish to randomize the contents of their safety deposit boxes, can open their safety deposit boxes to find an emotionally significant item belonging to the character—player's choice as to what the item is. The only guidelines are that it should be small enough to fit reasonably in a pocket and may not have any magical or weapon properties. Similarly, players are able to choose the memories associated with the items in the safety deposit boxes. The vault door will remain closed until the characters in the vault explain to each other the significance of their items and the memory associated with them, at which point it the vault mechanisms will disengage and the door will swing open as if it had never closed to begin with. However, for the four days following the event, characters who carry their safety deposit box item on their person will feel oddly compelled to tell other characters about its significance and meaning.
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A CRASH-SITE IS SACRED, WE'RE FAITHFUL.
» SAFETY DEPOSIT BOXES — A JOINT VENTURE
For others of you, the contents of the safety deposit box may be considerably more disconcerting.
You also take your safety deposit box key from the rack behind the bank teller's counter and make your way back through the building and into the vault. It's cool inside, the temperature well-regulated and the air dry. On the walls are rows upon rows of safety deposit boxes, and it may take you a moment to find the one that corresponds to the number stamped on your key. Does that number mean anything to you? It may, or it may not.
When you find your box, it takes very little effort to open it. A slide of your key, a quick turn, and the safety deposit box's door springs open to reveal the metal container within. You remove the metal box from the wall and bring it over to the table in the center of the room, clearly placed there for this express purpose. Maybe there are others around, or maybe you're alone. Do you remember yet, what it was you put in here? Well, there's no time like the present to check.
You open the safety deposit box to find—wait, what is that? It certainly doesn't belong to you. Tucked inside the safety deposit box alongside the item is a slip of paper with another name on it, as well as a cryptic message: "Nothing is yours. It is to use. It is to share. If you will not share it, you cannot use it." The item isn't yours, but it does appear to belong to another resident of the city. Maybe your safety deposit boxes somehow got mixed up? It seems like it would be a good idea to find this person and return their property to them.
Whether you encounter the owner of the item in the vault or elsewhere in the city, when it comes time to hand the item over, two things happen. One—the doors are locked tight, refusing to allow either you or the item's owner out until you both understand what the item is and what it means to the other. To unburden your heart is the only way to free yourself.
And two—as the owner of the item explains its significance, you find yourself oddly captivated, resonating strongly with whatever emotion the item's owner most closely associates with it. You may not be able to see the memory that the other person describes, but you can certainly feel the emotions they felt—after all, the easiest way to unburden oneself is to share the load with another. Isn't that right?
Once you free yourself from your enthralled state, and once you have your own belongings returned to you, for the next several days you find yourself feeling rather honest, like you may not be able to stop yourself from confessing the truth about the item you now carry…
Characters who opted to randomize the contents of their safety deposit box during the plotting post, or who plotted a joint experience with another character, will open their safety deposit boxes to find a small, non-magical but emotionally significant item belonging to another player character in the city. They will need to find the owner of that item and return it to them—this can either be inside the bank vault or in another location within the city. Regardless of where the meeting takes place, the character holding the item will find themselves unable to leave until the character who owns the item explains its significance; as they do, the holder of the item will find themselves swept up in the emotional highs and lows of the memories associated with that item, allowing them to share all of the feelings, regrets, joys, griefs, and rages that the owner experiences in the telling. Additionally, for the four days following the event, characters who carry their safety deposit box item on their person will feel oddly compelled to tell other characters about its significance and meaning.
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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.
This month's event headers come from "The Things" and "The Gatherer," two poems by Brendan Constantine. The text of the paper slip comes from Ursula K. LeGuin's The Dispossessed.
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citylogs2023-07-19 08:45 pm
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That letter had things in it that I wanted to say to you because I thought I wasn't going to see you anymore...!!
[His breathing is laboured and his teeth are clenched.]
It's irrelevant now!!
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[ He hits against the floor. Hard. Even the back of his head knocks against it. Katsuki hisses, feeling all of Izuku's weight holding him down. There's yelling from Izuku. Almost desperate. And Katsuki hears those words, he does. Knows that Izuku means it too - because the little shit had thought that he wouldn't be able to face his classmates again.
But not even the blonde knows what Izuku had planned. Beat the bad guys and then what? Die trying or run off into the sunset after?
Katsuki takes a deep breath. Feels something a little tight in his chest. Something that has nothing to do with Izuku keeping him down on the ground. ]
Nothing, Izuku... Nothing you have to say is irrelevant.
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If you heard those things now, Kacchan. You- You would think they are.
[He swallows a lump in his throat.]
You would... hate me. And I ... I can't feel that way again.
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There's only one person he's disgusted by. And it's not Izuku.
His own grip relaxes. There's a lump in his throat that he swallows down. No. No, he's not going to let this own keep going. ]
Never actually hated you... And I.
[ Do it, Katsuki. You've already apologized in front of everyone. Bowed your head. You can say this now too. ]
It was always me. Only said those things because you were already so much better than me and I was too much of a shit to realize that the person I was angry at was me. It was never you.
[ When he looks back up at Izuku, it is because Katsuki is actually the crybaby. It's him. Because he always has this habit of getting all emotional in front of this boy. Every single time they fight like this. Every single fucking time. ]
So nothing you've ever said or could ever say would make me hate you.
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There is a part of him that's so ingrained with his fear of Katsuki's rejection that a part of him doesn't want to believe what Katsuki's saying. But there is also a deep-rooted part of Izuku that craves those things to be true. He wants Katsuki to say those things over and over and over again. But he's also scared of Katsuki saying them.
It's... Suddenly so hard to breathe. Izuku's own eyes well up and he loosens his grip on Katsuki's hands which will let the blond push him away if he wants to...]
K-Kacchan. Can you... really say that?
[He wants to believe it so bad. He's on the verge.]
The things I- I wrote in those letters. They... were all the things I wanted to say to you. About how I ... I feel about you. I don't... know if I can say them out loud.
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Instead he reaches out. Touches the back of Izuku's head. Brings him down because he knows that look. Knows what the wavering of Izuku's voice means. If the little shit is going to cry - ]
Fucking crybaby...
[ Then Izuku is allowed to cry into Katsuki's chest. As if the blonde isn't dealing with his throat going raw and draw. Trying not to spill tears himself. ]
Already made up my mind. Biggest regret was slapping your hand away and I ain't gonna do that shit again.
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He tries to hold in a small sob. His eyes water more as he rests his forehead on Katsuki's chest and tries to breathe.]
I don't want you to hate yourself, Kacchan. I- I know those days are long behind us... I just...
[He is terrified of things going back to how they were. Of Katsuki changing his mind.]
I don't want to ruin what we've already started to fix. If I can... have this friendship. I want to hold onto it for as long as I can.
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Those days might be behind them, but the wounds still are there. They are going to take time to recover. To heal. Izuku being concerned about what Katsuki will think about the contents of that letter is just. That's just one of the many wounds, scars, that need to be mended. It's not going to change overnight and Katsuki said that nothing is expected.
However, he can tell that Izuku does want things to continue to change between them. If that's what Izuku wants, then Katsuki isn't going to push him away from that or discourage him. ]
And the contents of one flimsy letter that I might have burned up have that sort of power?
no subject
Y-Yeah. I ... I- mean. It had some really embarrassing things written in it.
[Things Izuku had planned to confess to Katsuki and then ... never bother him again. It was going to be in that letter when Izuku left U.A.]
But I ... I was planning on trying to say them again when we- we graduate.
[To try and say them so he can- once again- try and let go of Katsuki. Because they could go their seperate ways as heroes then...]
no subject
So how drastic can this be? ]
You always say really embarrassing shit. Hasn't stopped you before.
[ Trying to say it again when they graduate. After this? That day might never come. Especially if he's -
Katsuki's already made the decision though. Izuku has his reasons and Katsuki can't... Force it out. Can't make the demands even though he's wanting to know. He clenches his jaw. Breathes in through his nose. ]
Whatever. Take it then. Put it together when you're ready to tell me because I ain't gonna let you off the hook that easily.
no subject
... Izuku finds it a little difficult to breathe.]
I ... I know.
[Izuku is always talking about something and making Katsuki's ear fall off. But this certain something is just- something else. He's sure it's something Katsuki will hate to hear.]
I don't know if I'll ever be able to tell you, Kacchan. [Because it'll ruin everything. And he can't stand not having Katsuki in his life. Somehow. In anyway. He slowly shuts his eyes tight.] But ... m-maybe.
[He'll maybe. Try.
Then there's the sound of the vault doors clicking...]
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[ Honestly he really doesn't know what could be so bad. Hadn't they been through a lot together? If Izuku isn't going to push him away after all of the callous shit that Katsuki has done, what could Izuku ever do to make the blonde hate him? There's nothing. That's what. Nothing.
But Izuku doesn't believe him. Doesn't trust Katsuki at his word. It hurts, sure, but it shouldn't. Katsuki should have expected that. Something he still has to work towards. ]
Still got a ways to go, I guess.
[ Before Izuku feels comfortable telling him everything - if that's something that Izuku would want Katsuki to work towards.
The doors open. Red eyes shift towards it and there's a huff. ]
What the fuck...
no subject
... It makes Izuku's cheeks flare and he immediately lets go of Katsuki and crawls off of him with a flustered expression. His skin feels hot and his heart is beating quickly. He can feel the tingle where they had been touching. And the sound of Katsuki's heartbeat is still in his ears.]
M-maybe that opened the vault for us, Kacchan. [He laughs... very sheepishly.]
[Maybe he will be able to tell Katsuki what he meant to tell him. Soon. Someday soon. If his heart lets him get enough courage to face it. If he thinks that maybe Katsuki could possibly feel the same way- well... That's hopeful. In the end, he just can't stand the thought of losing Katsuki in any way. He'll die if that happens.]
We- should go...
no subject
What the ever loving fuck?
Katsuki barely hears what Izuku says. All he hears is the word go. And then Bakugou is only partially turning around. Kind of trying to hide his own flustered expression. ]
So go then....
no subject
Ah... Alright.
[This is awkward. Izuku doesn't know what to do. They just had this strangely touching moment and now... what is he supposed to say or do?
He'll move for the vault doors and he pushes them open. They're free.]
We can leave now, Kacchan. It's over.
no subject
Go ahead without me.
🎀
... Is Katsuki trying to hide ... something? His blush?
Izuku feels a strange flutter in his chest. One that he likes a little too much. So he quickly swallows his breath and turns away.]
Okay... I'll see you... later. Kacchan.
[And he'll leave with a fluster. And maybe much more confused than he was before.]