week zero: mingle

[cyclists]

Week Zero
32 in Competition

On Monday morning, the sun rises on the sleepy village, and when the first ray of light touches the gates at each corner of the village, the previously tightly sealed doors open.

The barriers around the village fall, and leave it entirely open. Each cardinal direction will have a path exiting the village, taking the curious explorers who follow it on an adventure to new territories to be explored. They’ll find that each location that they arrive in appears to be associated with one of the elements. As the Signs had explained the day before, each of the participants in the game possesses an elemental assignment, whether they are aware of it or not.

When they approach the elemental areas, they’ll find themselves more in tune with their new powerset, as if the location invites them to take them out for a spin. The new areas appear to be perfect for training and learning how to use the new skills, or maybe if you’re curious you can discover which of those listed powers you’ve been granted.

Just try not to hurt yourself while you’re out there.

In addition, it seems now that more pieces of the core are being revealed, the river that runs through the village will begin to be dotted with small lanterns floating on the water. Some of them seem to be holding small notes. Try as you might to grab one, they’ll always just barely float out of reach.

Perhaps try sending one yourself and see what results you might get?

Occasionally in the village, you might hear the sound of drums and flutes - is that festival music? - though no matter how you search, you can’t find the source… yet.



Welcome to your tutorial week mingle log! Please see all the links within the log to check out the new updates. In addition, your status page has been updated. In case you missed it, please report all item theft to this top-level where all comments are screened. Private conversations are also open and should be reported under the Week 0 top-level.

A mini-event will also be posted on Wednesday, June 5th, so please keep an eye out for that!

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Comments

[compendiem]

Hm... Growing up with a sibling must be nice. [ It's never lonely, you have somebody to help you or somebody to help. He thinks it would have been nice if he weren't left alone, after his parents' accident. ]

[twinsightful]

[Ah yes, I was waiting for this. Not Kaoru, me. Kaoru doesn't know what Minato's thinking, but there's a slight grin. Growing up with a sibling...well, he picks up the implication that Minato's an only child.]

Our parents were always busy when we were growing up, and the maids and the nannies weren't any fun. So we only had each other.

[And it warped into a huge problem that they're still trying to figure out but he won't say that.] This is the longest we've been apart.

[compendiem]

It's been just a few days.

[ Less than half a week. He wants to ask if Kaoru misses his brother, but that answer seems like a given, and he can't tell if talking more about it will just poke at the wound or not. Family not being here is hard.

Instead, he picks up his WIP headband. ]

We'll get you back. These will be integral in the plan as well.

[twinsightful]

[He doesn't even reply to that. On the other hand, he does look a little embarrassed. Yes, it's been just a few days. On the other hand, it's a few days too many. His focus is on the headbands again.]

You really have a plan for these?

[compendiem]

Yes.

[ He does not elaborate. ]

[twinsightful]

[...Card please tell me what this plan is because I'm crying. Kaoru, on the other hand, decides this still isn't his business.]

Okay. Do you think your plan's going to work?

[The headband looks more cat-earred-shape now...]

[compendiem]

[ laughs... one of the headbands is for Akane because she and Minato talked about them, and the other for Swift Wind may or may not be in combination with the several attempts at apple collecting to curry the horse's favor because Swift Wind can fly and surely that must be the key for escape.

As a backup plan, maybe Lune and/or Sol and/or the Universe (who Minato isn't entirely convinced isn't actually sentient or physically there) will notice the headbands and be jealous of them, and they'll be able to exchange the bands for freedom.

That's the plan. Maybe not a good plan, but a plan. All in all, Minato's answer is confident, and immediate: ]

Absolutely.

[twinsightful]

[I'm going to die. Minato is too much, and maybe it's a good thing Kaoru doesn't know shit. Instead, he's actually finishing up the first headband. Wow.]

Then you're doing better than I thought you would.

[compendiem]

[ This is what happens when there's nobody around to tell Minato what to do, and nobody to probe his brain more and get him to stop what he's doing. ]

Low expectations, huh? Better keep them down there, for now.

[twinsightful]

So that there isn't a risk of disappointment? [He rolls his eyes a bit.] My expectations are usually pretty high but seeing how we can't go anywhere yet I think we all have to settle for what we can.

[Which. Sucks.]

[compendiem]

That's right. I don't want to disappoint you.

[ So Kaoru will have to settle for assuming Minato is no good, until he miraculously does something good and we can all be surprised, even me. ]

...I'm a bit of a slow start, but I'll get there. I'll work hard.

[ He picks up the headband he'd made and sticks it on his head. For a first attempt, it looks fine, even just copying step by step what he saw Kaoru do. ]

How do I look?

[twinsightful]

[He leans in a little too close, scrutinizing Minato's work even as he nods. This is agreement that it's fine that Minato will work hard even if he's slow because what else do they even have here?]

Not bad for a first attempt. It should hold fine.

[compendiem]

[ Minato doesn't back off at all when Kaoru invades his personal space, because maybe he's just nearsighted or something. But he does appreciate it when he can get his space back, reaching around to find grey fabric and thread. ]

Thanks. I can manage the third on my own, I think. Is there anything I can help you with? Before I interrupted.

[twinsightful]

[A tap of the chin.]

Did you ever find Daiba-chan? [Are you still eating flowers, Minato?]

[compendiem]

Yeah, I did.

[ And no he's not!!! They are still valid options, though. ]

She was baking banana bread when I met her. Do you think she knows how to cook blood?

[twinsightful]

That would smell terrible. [First and foremost, but.] Why would anyone need to cook blood?

[compendiem]

[ It doesn't smell horrific, but that's fine ]

Well... You don't have to cook blood, but it makes it easier to eat. Gives it more bite.

[twinsightful]

I see. [...] Are you an alien? Is that why human cuisine doesn't suit you?

[compendiem]

...I might be an alien. [ It would make sense ] But I do like human cuisine, too. They're tasty.

[ Humans are tasty... yeah I'm going to stop here ]

[twinsightful]

[...why.]

I'm off the menu. Just so we're clear.

[compendiem]

Oh. So am I... We're running out of options.

[ There's like 20 actual humans in this game or something??? idk ]

[twinsightful]

We're not eating humans. [STOP.]

[compendiem]

[ lmao ]

You don't have to.

[twinsightful]

Neither do you. We've gone over this. There is actual food.

[compendiem]

Yeah, but... I hear a varied, balanced diet is best. In a place like this, we should stay as healthy as possible.

[ Blood is rich in nutrients, according to Google ]