week one: mingle

[cyclists]

Week One
30 in Competition

As the sun rises on Monday morning, all participants will find themselves awakening with a sense of purpose. Regardless of where they slept the night before, they’ll find themselves compelled to return to the main meeting hall first thing in the morning.

Approaching the hall, however, they will find a large, swirling mass grey in color looming near the sakura tree. This swirl cannot be approached just yet, but seems to be locked and waiting for something more.

As the last member of the village enters the hall, they will find Lune and Sol at the head of the room. Though they’re together, it’s Sol who speaks up first this time.

“Last night, Lune and I were finally able to get some answers. Or, at least, something we can do to help. The core’s still experiencing fluctuations and some instability, but we’ve figured out a place some of it might be coming from.”

They stop, excitedly holding up a scroll.

“This core is connected to several worlds out there. It’s the heart of the universe and everything that happens here can be affected by the outside, and can affect the worlds you come from. We found somewhere that seems to have a source of darkness lurking around…if we find it and clear the corruption, we can help stabilize the core a little more and help protect yourselves while you’re here.”

With that, they seem to lose steam just a little, looking back at Lune for a moment before nodding.

“So, uh…we were able to open a gateway for you to this world. Checking it out might help us pinpoint the source and get this done faster, so…leave whenever you’re ready. There’ll be another gate on the other side to bring you back here.”

That seems to be it, though Sol looks back to Lune again. “Anything else?”

"Look after one another," they repeat again. "And do not believe it is possible to be over-cautious."

The moment participants leave the hall, they will find that the gateway has changed from grey to white, the opening widening enough for multiple people to step through. The Signs will soon take their leave, and all will remain peaceful once more.

In addition, as the week goes on, partners will find that a simple touch (even accidental) may incite the bond between them to grow stronger for a moment. They will experience a swap of memories through their connection, taking a moment to see a piece of their partner's past without any control over what exactly is being shared.



Welcome to your week one mingle! Please note that as of this week, murder proposals are open. CYOA sign-ups are also live, and will close at Tuesday, 8 AM PST. They will be running on Tuesday afternoon and evening, so please be mindful of your own availability!

In addition, ensure that all of your week zero private conversations were reported on the page, and your week one private conversations are reported on that page. If you'll be taking anything from locations, please report that as well.

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Comments

[compendiem]

[ Even Minato isn't fool enough to explain what it means in modern context. It's fine, it's fine, gambling isn't all bad, and that it's a trial of luck and patience isn't a lie either.

He leads her over to one of the slot machines, and gestures for her to take a seat while he pulls the lever first to start the reels. ]

See how each one spins at a different pace? When you pull this again, the reels stop, one by one. Your goal is to time it right so when it stops, three of the same image are in a row.

[forefall]

[ She follows him and takes a seat as directed. She watches him with confusion and suspicion both, and as the slots spin, she frowns. ]

Is that supposed to be worthwhile?

[ She doesn't see how this amounts to anything. ]

[compendiem]

[ He's sure there's some little dopamine surge when you finally get a match sometime in the 6943294th hour of playing, and that's what keep you going. ]

Hm... Some people think it is. If you manage to match three 7's, that's the grand prize, and you win the jackpot. Couple hundred million yen, usually, or more.

[forefall]

[ what is a yen

what is a jackpot




she's not going to ask ]

How long does that take usually?

[compendiem]

[ The most important thing in everything Minato said is the number seven, and he wants to trust that Four knows her numbers. ]

Depends on how lucky and patient a person is. How would you rate yours?

[forefall]

[ her sisters are named from zero to five

she might not know a number over five who knows ]

It's average.

[ Both are shit. ]

[compendiem]

[ Well... the machine will presumably flash and beep or whatever when all 7s line up, so theoretically Four could be blind and still win. ]

My stats are pretty average too, so if we add them together, we'll do well.

[ That isn't how it works, but he motions to the lever anyways. Give it a go. ]

[forefall]

I don't think that's how it works.

[ Don't make me think about math in her era and how much Four would know, but what he says doesn't sound right logically. Average + average doesn't usually equal great.

She pulls the level once, then again. The reels slow to a stop, and they all come up something different. She frowns and looks at Minato with an expression that says, Well? ]

[compendiem]

[ Luck at least should influence each other, but if Four's luck is shit and Minato's is similarly terrible, do two negatives make a positive, or does it become even more negative? ]

...No matches means you have to try again. One pull to start the reels, another to stop.

[ It's... supposed to be fun. People do this all day. ]

[forefall]

[ Is luck to be multiplied or added?

Added, by the way Four is acting and by the way the slot machines are behaving. ]

I can only take bad luck so many times, Minato.

[ But she does it.... once more, and once more, no matches of any kind.

Supposed to be fun doesn't mean going to be fun for Four. ]

[compendiem]

[ ...ganba, Four... ]

It's, uh. I think it's programmed to do this on purpose. If you win right away, you won't feel any sense of accomplishment, right? But if you finally get it after [ five days ] an hour or whatever, it'll be more satisfying. I think is the idea, anyways.

[forefall]

[ She looks at him like he told her to eat shit. ]

If it's made that way, how is that luck? [ That sounds like cheating? ] I don't want to spend an hour doing this. I have other things I could be doing. I don't understand how anyone could spend that much time doing this.

[ It's just... pulling a lever and watching things spin. ]

[compendiem]

It's... luck, but there's also some skill involved. [ probably? ]

The other aspect of it is timing. If you're able to time it right, it shouldn't take an hour. A trial can't be made too easy, right?

[forefall]

[ sounds fake tbh ]

It doesn't sound like a trial with a decent reward. I still don't see the point or the use.

[compendiem]

[ Minato shrugs ]

For some people, money is one of the most important things to them. So it's worth it. I was hoping if we hit the jackpot... we might find the key to this place. A clue to what's going on. Or how the "darknesss" and stuff ties into everything.

[forefall]

[ She pauses, her surprise obvious. ]

... Do you truly think that could be a prize? That may actually have some merit. ... I didn't know that's what you were thinking.

[compendiem]

It might be. Like... an easter egg in a video game.

[ Which are essentially useless to the main game BUT!!!!! they're interesting? they contain information, just not something immediately relevant. ]

If something like that is possible, and we just give up on it because of impatience, that'd be too bad, wouldn't it?

[forefall]

[ stop speaking in terms that four won't know, minato.... (no, please continue)

she only addresses the words she does know. ]

The problem is that we don't know if it is possible. If it isn't, we may be wasting our time. It's a small dilemma.

[compendiem]

[ Easter eggs are a universal experience, clearly, he doesn't even think about that. ]

There's a lot of us. And, statistically, winning the jackpot isn't impossible. I'll play while everybody explores the place— we're all helping each other out, in that way.

[forefall]

[ ...

She narrows her eyes at him. ]

How long are you planning to go at this?