august mingle

[stellafortunamods]

August Mingle
Welcome to Teyvat - a vast magical world of adventure.
Happy new year....! In Teyvat, that is. It is now January ingame, and Liyue's people go about their disaster recovery efforts with more vigour than before. After all, Liyue's biggest festival is slated to occur in the latter half of the month - the Lantern Rite!

The Rite of Parting - Rex Lapis' funeral - passes without much incident, and Liyue collectively breathes a sigh of relief. With the Fatui being chased out of the yard, it seems that peace will finally return to the harbour city as they rebuild from the storm. You'll also get to watch three million Mora's worth of incense go up in smoke, so there's that.

Eager to focus on the future, Liyue folk have begun discussing the upcoming festival. The Lantern Rite commemorates hope for a new beginning and continued prosperity, and the construction of the festival centerpiece is currently underway. This year's Mingxiao Lantern will soar into the sky amidst thousands of smaller lanterns, and it will take the shape of a fallen Adeptus to commemorate the Adepti's contribution to Liyue's lasting peace.

Unfortunately, you're not quite out of the frying pan yet. With the Fatui gone from Liyue, the Ministry of Civil Affairs turn their attention to solving another issue that has cropped up after Osial's revival and subsequent defeat. Quite a few miners have gone missing from the Chasm, and the likelihood of finding them will only grow slimmer as the days go by. Both the Millelith and the Adventurers' Guild have pitched in to search for the kidnapped people. All clues lead to Nantianmen - and it's just your luck that Geovishaps and their hatchlings have come out of hibernation at around the same time. These lizard-like beings have shells of solid rock, and they seem especially agitated at having their territory invaded. Solving the mystery of the missing miners will take more than just a day's work.

State of the World

With the Lantern Rite set to open on January 21st, all of Liyue have come to visit the harbour to set up their stalls and pitch in to craft the Mingxiao Lantern. Hopefully the miners are found before the festival begins - the Lantern Rite is a festival of reunions, after all. Not to mention the Geovishaps' increased activity will inadvertently lead to them burrowing around in the rocky mountains. There's a small, but non-zero chance of them hitting an ancient seal somewhere and unleashing a buried threat.

Unless... that was their intention all along?

Please direct all questions to August's OOC post!

Comments

[bad_crowmance]

Other than not needing to drink blood? What more evidence do you need?

[whiteshroud]

Well you could be pretending you don't need to drink blood.

[But by that logic, what evidence WOULD work? He pauses]

...I'll let you know when I think of something.

[bad_crowmance]

I won't hold my breath while you do that.

[ He's not sure what would convince Jun anyway. He's a weirdo, but a fun one. ]

[whiteshroud]

Haha, a wise choice. This could take awhile.

[Did he actually believe Crow was a vampire? No. He didn't. But someone coming back from the dead is suspicious. Jun was already making mental notes to keep his eyes peeled for signs of possession, or increased Eclipse activity. If Crow's existence proved dangerous, well...he'll do what he needs to do.

Not that he'll tell Crow that. Best case scenario, it'd spook the guy for no good reason. Worst case scenario, it'd cause a potential possession to escalate and endanger the people of Liyue. Better to keep it on the downlow and let Crow think he's a weird nerd into vampires]

[bad_crowmance]

Heh. I'm a pretty wise guy.

[ Crow doesn't spook that easily and he'd also be fairly confident in his chances of taking on Jun— though how accurate his assessment is on that matter might be another thing entirely.. ]

[whiteshroud]

[Well the kid can take out mechs and Crow didn't even bring his, but hey confidence in oneself is always a great first step. Though, since Crow isn't actually a maneating monster in disguise, Jun won't be looking for a fight anytime soon.]

Wise? Strange, I don't recall you having that trait...

[bad_crowmance]

It probably didn't come up, but believe me it's the truth.

[ He says with complete confidence. ]

[whiteshroud]

Uh huh....

[#Doubt]

That's funny, because I do remember a time during that mission we were trying to work out a request for a proper clothing store, and you decided to contribute a bunch of dress designs that were, uh... [He pauses, trying to think of a good way to put it. ]

A little much.

[bad_crowmance]

All I'm hearing is a lack of appreciation for my aesthetic genius.

[whiteshroud]

More like a lack of appreciation for your libido.

[bad_crowmance]

That's an important consideration with aesthetic.

1/2

[whiteshroud]

[For a quick moment, Jun looks slightly conflicted. Fashion has been a struggle for him for awhile - was the fact he didn't think about that stuff why? Is that the missing piece of the puzzle?]

2/2

[whiteshroud]

[No. That's dumb. Don't let Crow get into your head. ]

Yeaaaah, I think you're overvaluing its importance and you're just horny.

[GO TO HORNY JAIL]

[bad_crowmance]

And I think you're undervaluing it, but I won't deny the other part.

[whiteshroud]

Well, at least you admit it...

[He sighs.]

Fashion's supposed to be about self-expression, right? [He googled it, so it must be true] So for people not interested in that, I'm sure they can get by just fine without considering...that stuff.

[Is he just trying to convince himself? Possibly]

[bad_crowmance]

Fashion's definitely about self-expression. And I'd say that not considering that angle tells its own story, but it's still related.

[whiteshroud]

So even not thinking about sex is related to thinking about sex?

Are you sure it's not just your mind being permanently stuck in the gutter?

[bad_crowmance]

It's not just that! Think about it— someone's dressed from head-to-toe in clothes that cover everything, the first thing you're gonna think is that they're a prude.

[whiteshroud]

Not really. To me, that feels like a very normal manner of dress.

[Because you grew up in a church the HQ for prudes Jun]

[bad_crowmance]

Well, I suddenly have a much better understanding of what your life must've been like.

[whiteshroud]

[Rude!]

What's that supposed to mean?