JANUARY MINGLE

[stellafortunamods]

January Mingle: A Ballad in Goblets
Welcome to Teyvat - a vast magical world of adventure.
You open your eyes to an unfamiliar sight. A cool breeze flits through rustic buildings and sunny streets, carrying the smell of flowers and wine. The very air itself seems charged with mana, the warm pulse of the land palpable beneath your feet. This is a new world, a world where the elements compose all of reality. Before you is a bubbling fountain, and a key is entwined between your fingers. And that weight on your hip? A sparkling bauble that you've never seen before, yet it feels natural, as if it had always been there.

Asking around nets you the name of this world - Teyvat - and the name of this city - Mondstadt, blessed by the Anemo Archon, Barbatos. Your new home is accessible with the key placed in your hands, though this also brings to mind another question. How will you get money? Food isn't free, after all.

Luckily for you, there's plenty of jobs available for the enterprising Traveler. Be it taking requests from the Adventurers' Guild, or working part-time at one of Mondstadt's many food establishments, Mora is to be had when hard work is involved. The cuisine of Mondstadt is best paired with its wine, served at bars or enjoyed in private with a few friends.

And about that shining gem. locals will tell you that it is a Vision, a sign of favour from Teyvat's elemental gods. With the Vision on hand, you find yourself capable of commanding one of the seven elements. What will you do with this newfound blessing? Use it for good... or for evil?

Mondstadt's liveliness doesn't diminish when night falls. Bards sing through the wee hours of the night, and the lights of the city help keep most evildoers at bay. All seems peaceful, a pastoral idyll of a life that seems more at home in a storybook. Yet for those Travelers who venture out beyond the city's walls and into the ruins dotting the landscape, they may discover hints of a bloodier past now forgotten.

Glancing at any of the calendars in the city will tell you the current date. August 10th was the day you arrived. As soon as the last minute of August 16th slips away, the world around you changes. A blink, and time itself rewinds by seven days. Looking outside, the mown lawns have regrown, the windmill needs fixing again, and the well is once again full. Just what is happening here? It seems only you, Traveler, remembers the week that never was.

State of the World

For the first two weeks of the game, IC time will be looping from August 10th to August 16th. It's currently late summer in Mondstadt, and the trees are just beginning to turn out their autumn colours. The weather is cool and pleasant, with light showers on Tuesday (11th) and Friday (14th). It's also a good time to go out gathering berries and nature's bounty from Mondstadt's forests and valleys.

These two weeks will let us trial out our commissions and regains system and craft improvements for February onwards. There will be no activity requirements for January, so all threads started during this time period can be used for regains!

For all questions regarding January's mingle and events, please head over to our OOC post.

Comments

[whiteshroud]

No, they're from here.

[Ah..he's wondering about his sister]

She's likely back in your world still.

[hwisal]

[ he had been afraid of that ]

I see... [ ...nothing he can do. ] Then, it's good you have found someone you can trust. You met them here?

[whiteshroud]

No, elsewhere.

[Jun offers a shrugging gesture]

It's a long story, really.

[hwisal]

[ and not elaborating means he probably doesn't want to get into it, so Hwi lets it go... np little buddy, ]

Then maybe you can tell me another time. [ just in case Jun feels like sharing.

he's watching the townsfolk as they walk toward the gate; there's something about the bustle of normal life - families out and about, shopping, peddling wares, going about their jobs that feels the same, even if it's far and away vastly different from his village at home. ]

Is your home like this, Jun? [ he's realizing they could be from....... totally different places, too?? kind of curious what his is like!! ]

[whiteshroud]

[Jun will give a nod. It's pretty unlikely he'll tell it...but mostly because it's a complicated to explain to someone who is from a total normie life. Also you know, there's a lot of things he can't say about Zhongli without breaking a certain request and risking getting squished by a meteor.

He can though, give more information about Hwi's next question]

Haha...not at all. I'm from a place much more advanced, technology wise.

[he'd seriously kill for some wifi man.]

[hwisal]

[ what, Jun doesn't want to get pancaked by a meteor?? can't imagine why... ]

What kind of advancements? I've heard the same from others, but it is similar to mine in many ways. [ asks the guy from Ye Olden Korea to the Seal Knight from the far distant future,

tell him about phones his head will explode it'll be great!! ]

[whiteshroud]

[Look Grandpa Zhongli is loving but he's also lil old fashioned ok. Jun knows not to push his limits]

Well...for one, we have vehicles like trains, cars and airplanes that let you travel far quickly. You can travel across an entire country in a matter of hours.

And there's communication devices called phones! They let you have conversations with people anywhere in the world.

[hwisal]

[ >trains
>cars
>airplanes
>cross an entire country in a matter of HOURS???
>PHONE???? ]

...

[ HOW?? how does any of this work?? ] Are you being serious...? Is this because of the magic of your world? These things all sound impossible.

[whiteshroud]

[He gives a little laugh]

No, it's not magic. Normal people like you use this stuff every day. Technology's just come a long way in my world.

[hwisal]

Then you can travel freely? [ ... ] Regardless of your class?

[ 'normal people' can use this stuff JUN WHAT?? ]

[whiteshroud]

[He nods]

Mm. Some inequalities still exist, but most places in the world don't really follow class systems anymore. As long as you have the money, you can travel however you like.

[hwisal]

[ considering the class to which they're born to can determinately decide someone's fate, this sure is something - but it's a nice something. ]

It sounds almost too good to be true. [ wow, Jun's world is so cool?? except for the whole monsters thing, ] You must have seen a lot of the world, then? [ in a world of INFINITE POSSIBILITY that hwi's imagining, Jun goes across the globe on adventures with his friends fighting monsters... it's not TOO far off the mark?? sort of. if you squint. ]

[whiteshroud]

I take it class matters a lot more where you're from?

[He's not about to claim his Earth is perfect- he knows it's not. But he's not going to rain on this guy's parade since it's not like he'll ever go there. So instead, time to ask what this guy has dealt with]

Some of it. My work will take me a lot of places eventually, but currently most of my work is focused in one area.

[hwisal]

They say half of your fate is determined by your birth. [ but struggles of class and societal hierarchies are a bit of a heavy-handed topic, huh... ] To make something of your life is much harder from the bottom, but people do what they can. [ and happiness isn't determined by being born of noble blood, after all!! ]

[ Jun really does 'work' as a monster hunter huh... it's a little crazy to think about, but. considering how different their homes seem to be, maybe that's just normal for kids his age... ]

Do you enjoy your work?

[whiteshroud]

I see... [That sounds harsh, though Jun can relate to it some. Still, he imagines Hwi must be from somewhere at the bottom from the way it seems to haunt him] I hope you can make something of your life, regardless of that obstacle.

[He means it sincerely! And ah, that question...it's tricky. He'll decide to maneuver around it by not answering directly]

It's what I live for.

[hwisal]

[ his smile comes easy, and even warmer for Jun's sincerity-- wow?? what a nice thing to say... he isn't particularly upset about being a lowborn as much as resentful how difficult it made life for his sister, so he's quickly shaking his head. ]

To be honest, I think I already have all I could want. [ he's got Yeon back - and that really is all he ever wanted!! so he's quite happy with his lot in life. ] Maybe it sounds simple to say, but... I'm not an ambitious person. As long as I can put food on the table, that's enough for me.

[ he isn't just saying that, either, he means it!!

but hearing Jun finds meaning in what he does? that makes him pretty happy, too. ]

But you're doing good for others. It's a very selfless way to spend your life, and I hope it makes you happy.

[whiteshroud]

[Oh, is that how it is? Well, Jun has nothing against that. ]

Haha, I see. Simple or not, I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Sometimes the simplest things are the most precious.

[His own motive for getting home, his true motive...would easily be seen as laughably simple. But it was what kept him going]

Thank you, Hwi.

[hwisal]

Wow. That was really profound... Are you a scholar? [ maybe he’s teasing a little, but it’s good-natured from his smile. he’s really glad that Jun understands; maybe they both prize the same kind of things in life? that would be nice. ]

[whiteshroud]

[ ... 💧

Well that just makes him self-conscious. He was just speaking from the heart, not saying anything profound! Just...gah.]

Whatever...

[hwisal]

It's very wise. [ JUN HAHA what a cute reaction, stop... ] You should be proud of it!

But it makes me wonder, what things are precious to you? [ family? friends? maybe people he fights beside? ]

[whiteshroud]

[Nope he's embarrassed now. He makes a little click of his tongue to show he doesn't quite agree. But he sees that's a leading question. It'd be easy enough to answer, but...]

Maybe someday I'll tell you.

[GONNA BE DIFFICULT. TEENS BE TEENS]

[hwisal]

[ he's having flashbacks to certain arguments with another teenager in his life.......... internally closing his eyes ]

I see... [ SO IT'S LIKE THAT, IS IT. ] Then, let's see. Do I have to meet certain criteria first? Maybe save your life in battle?

[whiteshroud]

[No matter the era, some things never change]

Haha, I think telling you the criteria would be cheating. Just be yourself, and maybe you'll earn it someday.

[NO GAMING HIS SOCIAL LINK]

[hwisal]

[ teenagers: eternally unchanging since the dawn of man,

he makes a face, but after a put-upon sigh, he seems to relent. ]

You are a tough nut to crack, Jun. But that is fine - I can be patient for a good cause.

[ like friendship!!! ]

[whiteshroud]

[He gives a soft laugh at that]

So I've heard. I'll pray for your success.

[Nevermind he's the one withholding the info for no good reason]