ai_nnihilate: (pic#15661386)
Kuroneko, Satou ([personal profile] ai_nnihilate) wrote in [community profile] starsand2022-05-20 12:21 am

【MAY RUMOR】



.

A Twisted Rumor


There's another rumor circling through the city and this one is getting out of hand. It has twisted and skewed, evolved and mutated into something impossible to ignore:


"If you interact with the Fallen Stars, you'll disappear.


For the past week, this is exactly what has happened. People in town are disappearing and in their usual places are piles of the same black, glittering sludge that bled from the SpaceTime Shrine. People are becoming hesitant to help the Fallen Stars, even asking them to leave properties they once stayed in or not giving them free food and supplies. It's forcing Fallen Stars to help each other out and it's also putting a lot of strain on the Kami, who all insist that the Fallen Stars must be helped. Rumors and their real consequences be damned, apparently.



But there is hope. In a world powered by faith, that sort of power is especially important.




!
Out of Character Notes

  • All setting changes are optional. You are never forced to interact with the events.
  • The OOC aim of having characters kicked out of old housing is to force characters to live together & share information. Your character can keep their home if you'd rather not deal with this prompt.
  • Not all civilians will be cruel. It is possible to find and surround your characters with kind npcs.
  • Jobs will be scarce for Fallen Stars. Prompt B gives them an employment opportunity.
  • Kami and spirits are still kind to the Fallen Stars.
  • Fallen Stars can still use their currency from Maid Week to purchase food and housing.




  • (A) Late Night Stroll
    It's passed midnight when you feel something tug at your hair. Was it the wind or a hand? You can't tell, but you can't get back to what you were doing either. Whether you were sound asleep or focusing on a task, or even deep in conversation, your mind cannot get back on track.

    You can feel that tug again. In the distance, you can hear the loud hum of a out-of-tune radio and hear familiar voices. They get louder as you follow them through the city, until you reach a familiar landmark. The TimeSpace Shrine, which is now oozing more black, glittering goo than ever before. In the darkness of night, it almost looks like a melted sky of stars.

    The sound became unbearable once you got close to the shrine. Fortunately, all that it takes to shut it up is to touch the shrine. Unfortunately, that task will probably feel very difficult. The humming is loud and you can hear familiar voices mixed into the radio static. It's as if someone is tuning a radio that broadcasts your important memories. Whether they are extremely happy or horrendously sad, these moments that should be yours can now be heard by anyone around you.

    Once you touch the shrine, the sound abruptly stops. You may find that you aren't the only Fallen Star who was lured to the shrine tonight either. The humming occurs only on one night and for all of the Fallen Stars, though some might sleepwalk through the experience and not remember it later.


    !
    Out of Character Notes

  • The tugging feeling will stop after an hour, so it is possible for a person to ignore it and never investigate.
  • Memories are broadcast to anyone near the shrine.
  • The sky is clear on this night and the weather is mild.
  • This prompt occurs on a Friday night.




  • (B) Dark Like Stars
    Earlier in the month, you were seeing illusions of people from home. People whose form melted into black, glittery goo when you got close to them. Those illusions stopped appearing, but the puddles they had left still remained. The number of citizens has become thinner and it's speculated that they were somehow the ones who turned into goo, while you mistook them for another person on chance.


    Most people are afraid of the puddles, too. So in order to clean the city, a reward has been announced for anyone who helps. Put the goo in a container, bring it to the Shrine of Curiosity, and you'll be rewarded with whatever you need to survive. Something that might be especially appealing to Fallen Stars right now, when the citizens are reluctant to offer aid.


    For the most part, this is an easy job. You're given gloves and containers and advised not to touch the goo. The containers are a bit heavier than they'd be if filled with water. But they also whisper. That's probably not normal. And if you touch the goo, it leaves your skin itchy. A rash will form, one that looks eerily like cherry blossom petals. Rinse with warm water and you'll be fine in a few minutes.





    !
    Out of Character Notes

  • Payment for this job can be very generous, including permanent ownership of property.
  • It is possible to research the goo.




  • (C) disappearances
    By the end of the month, the rumor of disappearing has grown louder. Those who did not interact with Fallen Stars are fine and well, but the civilians who did reach out with kindness have vanished. The sun sets one night and seems to take these people with it. Shops once held by helpful civilians don't close that night. If they were in the company of others, then they vanished the moment that everyone looked away or blinked. There is no creepy puddle of black sparklegoo left behind this time: Only a few cherry blossoms, which blow away.

    Over the next week days, "missing" signs will be hung all over the city. Among the signs are two for some familiar NPCs: Omichron Yumeno, who has been helping people settle, and Mikale Reed, who owned a cafe that welcomed Fallen Stars.

    But it isn't just the humans. Perhaps you didn't notice before, but there have always been spirits hovering nearby to protect the Fallen Stars. Despite all of the rumors, these warm and colourful glows have persisted to show their support. But once the sun sets, those helpful lights go out. The city, which is usually lit by firefly sized lights all night, is darker than usual as a result.


    !
    Out of Character Notes

  • It is possible to handwave other NPCs that character interact with having vanished.
  • Not all of the spirits will vanish. Mostly the ones who hung around the homes and spaces of Fallen Stars.
  • Omichron vanished while at her house. Her poster goes up two days after vanishing.
  • Mikale vanished while at the cafe. No poster goes up for Mikale.




  • (D) Hunting the Rumor
    It wouldn't be a stretch to assume that the rumor has something to do with the disappearances. And on top of everything, the reblooming of cherry blossoms trees has stopped. Petals now fill the streets and do not return to their trees by morning. No one is picnicking anymore.

    But one cherry blossom tree is in bloom. Another type of gossip is spreading in confused tones: The singular cherry blossom on the bottom level is in full bloom. The first level of this stacked city does not openly acknowledge spirits or kami, so the people there are disturbed to have their tree rebloom. The petals that line the streets are being swept downwards by the wind. Maybe it's worth checking out?



    !
    Out of Character Notes

  • This prompt will be updated as investigations continue. Check this thread for updates!
  • You'll get your monster battle here eventually.




  • How To Solve Mysteries

    Mysteries will be solved with a mix of OOC & IC clue hunting.



    At the top of the event post there will be a Top-Level for "clue hunting." You can use this to tell the mod team what your character is investigating & get answers as to what they will find.



    Character top-levels may also get NPC interactions.








    nightwild: (pic#15423621)

    [personal profile] nightwild 2022-05-31 04:48 am (UTC)(link)
    What, and not being married makes them think you're a spy?! What kind of drama crap is that?!
    mothornly: (pic#15687768)

    [personal profile] mothornly 2022-05-31 09:34 am (UTC)(link)
    Yes! They are more likely to suspect unmarried women of being spies!
    nightwild: (pic#15425199)

    [personal profile] nightwild 2022-05-31 09:39 am (UTC)(link)
    That's so stupid...

    [Not that she's dismissing Yor. In fact, she seems to be boiling with anger on Yor's behalf.]

    Pigs are the same everywhere, I guess. But that's a new low.
    mothornly: ( if you would like to take, please credit <lj comm=tanabata> ) (Default)

    [personal profile] mothornly 2022-05-31 10:50 am (UTC)(link)
    Maybe.... but they're doing their best to protect the country.
    nightwild: (pic#15425199)

    [personal profile] nightwild 2022-05-31 08:00 pm (UTC)(link)
    Are they? They're usually only doing their best to protect themselves, at best.

    If they think not being married is suspicious, they're nothing more than bullies.
    mothornly: (pic#15687835)

    [personal profile] mothornly 2022-06-01 12:07 am (UTC)(link)
    I'd like to think so, at least...

    Well, they probably have their reasons for thinking that, I'd like to say.
    nightwild: (pic#15423171)

    [personal profile] nightwild 2022-06-01 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
    The reasons are that they're jackasses.