EVENT 023

[sticksandbonesmods]

TAKE ME BACK TO NEO EDEN

CHAOS IN PARADISE

The more problems get solved, the more others start to pop up. Sure, some heroes saved the children in the manor — who are no longer children — but those siblings are now comatose, and the manor is on permanent lockdown, black briars blocking every possible entrance and Corrupting anyone who tries to get in. Sure, some sneaky hopefuls hid a magic circle to help maintain the fog barrier (and keep the Forest out) in a secret location, but now the magic in the Grove feels off. Your spells come out more powerful as intended while the world is out of balance, and it seems like they will for some time.

Maybe in your haste to fix all the Grove’s issues, you forgot about a certain skeleton spirit who shows up every April in some attempt to help you cheer up. Perhaps you remembered, and were hoping he’d arrive. Either way, Mr. Bone-Jangles clatters into the Grove in broad daylight, waves hello to those of you lingering in the centre of the Grove, and snaps his phalanges.

Immediately, a magenta-coloured, swirling portal opens up underneath your feet, and your friend’s feet, and that friend’s feet, until most of the centre of the Grove is consumed by it. Those of you on the outside, free of the portal’s reach, may witness it: everyone caught in it gets pulled into the rift, Heimr and Ydalir and Mr. Bone-Jangles included. In the next blink, the portal is closed and they’re gone, leaving behind flowers where each of them fell.

For those of you who got caught in the portal, you’ll find yourself at the entrance of a city, where a sign reads: WELCOME TO NEO EDEN.

4 C0LD W3LC0M3

Trying to turn around and walk outside the city causes your nose to crinkle as you slam facefirst into an invisible barrier. You can see other buildings outside this barrier, natural as a landscape could come, and yet you can’t progress. The skies are a somewhat odd purplish-blue, though you can’t tell if that’s because your eyes are straining against the bright neon of the city lights or not. Underneath the arcing city sign, a police car labelled “NEO EDEN P.D.” passes by, the robotic simulacra of human law enforcement inside giving everyone a friendly wave before it keeps driving, seemingly having come from beyond the barrier and thus warping into the space, as far as your eyes can tell anyway.

Mr. Bone-Jangles helpfully guides you further into the city, past the holograms of normal humans in neon-glowing techwear going about their business. They don’t respond to anything you do or say, seemingly on a set path, living their daily lives. The city is packed enough to be claustrophobic, cars and holograms rushing past, a stark change from the small-town vibes of the Grove. Those of you who fish in your pockets as you wander will find that your magic notebooks have been replaced with cellphones, and all prior notebook correspondences are there, as well as any new ones. The cellphone does nothing other than connect to group chat, but this one is clearly cooler — you can send emojis, stickers, and GIFs without drawing them.

…those on the other side, however, are getting each GIF drawn out frame-by-frame in the notebooks. Please don’t spam GIFs at your friends.

Additionally in your pockets is a small plastic card — a debit card, for those of you who are familiar with them — containing 1,000 Credits, the currency here. You didn’t think your shells would be useful, did you? Simply tapping the card at any facility that takes payment will subtract the necessary amount… but 1,000 Credits isn’t much. It’s enough to buy a thousand candy bars, but unless you’re frugal, it won’t last you the month. Luckily, it looks like every store on the nearby shopping strip is hiring! From restaurants to clothing stores, to empty buildings that you can make your own business out of… surely this capitalistic nightmare will be tenable!

The lack of animals is noticeable as you head further into the city, toward what signage says is called “Mania Square”. The birds, instead of being your typical Grove plantanimals, are robotic. There’s a severe lack of any pests despite the garbage in the alleyway dumpsters — no bugs, no rodents, no raccoons. Mania Square itself contains a fountain big enough to swim in, the centre focal point of the public plaza, but Bone-Jangles hooks a sharp left and leads you to the apartments instead. Up three stories are small studio rooms for each of you, your names written on the door placards in your own handwriting, and the insides are customized to your exact preference already. A notice pinned above your kitchenette tells you rent is due by April 30th… you hope you aren’t here for that long.

4R3N’T Y0U H4V1NG FUN?

Despite the standard day and night cycle, some of you may notice this place still doesn’t feel quite right, a bit outside of time. That shouldn’t stop you from having fun! And should you need to go back to the Grove — or if you’re someone looking to get into Neo Eden in the first place — you need only to gaze into a mirror placed in each of your bedrooms or apartments and wish to go home… which may lead you to fall catastrophically through it to the other side. Try not to hit your chin on the ground.

Life goes on regardless. In this city, there’s a lot to do. You could go shopping at the strip mall near Mania Square, where Heimr and Ydalir have set up a temporary shop to continue to provide for everyone’s needs. They’ll still take shells, but there’s nothing much they can do if you run out of Credits — both will gently suggest you find work in Neo Eden. You guys own businesses back at the Grove, it can’t be that bad, can it?

The good news is, Mr. Bone-Jangles and his entourage of skeletons who you swear weren’t originally here 12 hours ago are happy to help you get a job, where the interview process involves simply “showing up and asking your holographic boss if you can be employed”. Starting your own business is more difficult — you’ll need a loan from the bank! — but not impossible. Any hologram humans that come in to buy things will ignore you, get what they want, and leave. The only time you can interact with your fellow neon-coloured humans is when they’re making a purchase, at which point their items will digitize and they’ll leave. All very odd, but at least the customers aren’t rude to you… or your skeletal coworkers who have joined you for back-breaking labour.

After work, perhaps you want to head to the amusement park — Thrill Point is an utterly massive one to the far northeast of the city past the river that cuts through the digital roadways. With drop towers, roller coasters, rides for little babies who hate heights and fun, and tons of food stalls to stop at, you could feasibly spend all night here and almost forget that you have to be at your next shift in the morning! If you seek a different thrill, Arcadia is a nightclub southwest of Mania Square, where the music plays all night, the liquor flows freely, and anyone under 21 who enters gets marked with an X on the back of their hand by a harmless laser beam. Just outside Arcadia is a small photo booth named “The Swap”, and if you enter with a partner, both of you hitting the “TAKE PHOTO” button will bodyswap you for 12 hours. It will also print out a funny photo of you as a keepsake. Enjoy being someone else for a while!

Head to the Rent-a-Ride, where you can rent any vehicle on wheels — electric scooters, cars, motorcycles, hoverbikes — as long as you can pay the expensive fee. Speeding will get you a ticket from your local robopolice; breaking standard civilian laws will get you arrested and thrown into the unmanned city jail. And try not to tailgate or crash your ride — not only will you be on the hook for vehicle damages, but you’ll be shafted with a ludicrous hospital fee. Seriously, people live like this?

But, if a calm walk through nature is more your style, City Park and its digital trees to the north may suit your needs. The fish in the river here can be fished up by hopeful anglers, though all are wiggly, inedible robots. Hm.

WELCOME BACK

By April 30th when your rent is technically due, a text message goes out to everyone’s phones… and consequently the notebooks, too, from two different senders:

REMINDER: YOUR RENT IS DUE TODAY! PLEASE PAY 3,000 CREDITS OR FACE EVICTION.

DONT WORY. I WIL RESKYEW U

The messages from the second sender will get slightly more ominous as the day goes on.

GRAB SUMTHING U WANT 2 TAKE WITH U
I WIL REETORN U HOM

HAS ANY1 SEEN MY WIFE
FOWND MY WIFE :)

R U REDY 2 GO?

By evening, hopefully you’ve grabbed something to take back home — something you can feasibly carry without a struggle — because a portal is yet again opening under your feet. In a split second, you’re back in Aldric’s Grove, holding whatever you came with, your cellphones reverted back to notebooks. Mr. Bone-Jangles is nowhere to be seen, but he reappears a few hours later to hand out personal apology notes to everyone reading: “SORY, TRIYD 2 SAV U :(“ before he and his merry band mope back into the woods. He hopes you had fun while you were away.

Next time anyone heads out into the woods, all seems normal… minus the amount of fungi that have started to sprout in absolute droves across the forest floor, unwilling to be torn up from their roots or killed in a way that matters.

Spark Notes

summary

Chaos in Paradise: Mr. Bone-Jangles is back and here to kidnap you to a new location. This is a cyberpunk-esque city known as Neo Eden. No, he does not ask if he can do this first.
4 C0LD W3LC0M3: Further in Neo Eden are your apartments at Mania Square, where rent is due by the 30th. Your notebooks have been turned into cellphones, and you have a debit card with 1,000 credits on it for your shopping expenses. Seems like you'll be here a while.
4R3N’T Y0U H4V1NG FUN?: If you need to move to and from the Grove, there's a portal accessible in everyone's bedrooms via a mirror. Here, you have the freedom to do whatever you want: Rent a car, ride a roller coaster, get a job, start a business - the city is your oyster!
WELCOME BACK: And then all of a sudden, the neon paradise is ripped away from you as you're transported home. You can take back an item with you to remember your time here, if you want. The forest itself has started to grow mushrooms in droves, ones that can't be pulled up or killed. Hm!

out of character

It's already April! What the heck! We hope everyone enjoys this event; please feel free to make up businesses/buildings/things to do, you aren't constrained to what's been written in the post.

updates

- A small shrine close to the inn has appeared in the Grove. Affogato's spirit is tied there, to a black raven figure carved from smooth stone.
- The spell strengthening the Grove's fog wall is buffed.
- Sinann has been powered up, and therefore can enter its human form and go on land. It will largely still be by the river.
- Suri's creations are now and forever weak to poison.
- Pearl has made a terrible rainstorm back in the Grove.
- In Neo Eden, Add has enhanced the jail and made Jail2, which has far more security measures and functions as an escape room of sorts. Please see Add's toplevel below for further details.
- Jail2 has partly collapsed due to White Lily Cookie.

submissions

❖ Questions
❖ April Plotting
❖ Past Life Plotting (Closed to Game Members)
❖ Investigations

code

Comments

[outofsynth]

[Min does not see the funny side of it at all and shows no sign of relaxing. He actually glances around like they might be in trouble already even though the pants are still very much in tact.]

It's not fine! What if you break them?

[He is so stressed right now, and definitely not in the mood for Ryan to try and brush him off so casually.]

My clothes are fine. I don't need to buy new ones just because I can.

[chickenchoicejudy]

Dude, I'm not going to break them! They're so plastic I don't know if they even can break!

[He huffs a little bit, but the irritation doesn't last long.]

And it's not just because we can - we're staying here for now, so shouldn't we be checking out everything while we still have the chance? There's all kinds of future fashion, future food, probably sick future music at the future club--

[He could go on and on and on--]

[outofsynth]

That doesn't mean you should chance it!

[If they were cheaper, fine. 200 credits though? That goes beyond being a little indulgent. He gets that everything here is new and exciting, and maybe Min is a bit of a downer sometimes, but one of them has to be if they want to be able to eat for the month.]

We can check things out. We just have to be smart about it. And... we'll probably need jobs if you want more than the basics. I don't think we're going to score any gigs with a mini-synth.

[chickenchoicejudy]

[Ryan rolls his eyes, but he at least listens enough to take off the plastic pants before they rip. They're in the middle of a conversation though, so he doesn't bother going back in the changing room - it's not like any of the holograms care if he strips to his underwear anyway.]

We could always get you a regular synth? Then we'd make the money back performing, right?

[Oof, hang on, he's a little stuck in the plastic-- there we go, his leg is free now, and the other leg is a lot easier after that.]

I wonder what they cost around here...?

[outofsynth]

[Min-Gi looks very much like he's about to protest, but given how worried he is about him ripping the plastic? He thinks better of it, turning his back and trying to block him as best he can. None of the holograms seem that bothered, but he's still scared of them getting into trouble for indecency.]

I don't think we could get one here even if we pooled our money.

[Which is genuinely disappointing. It's not like he doesn't want a full-sized synth. He misses his Barold, and he bets the synths in this world would be beyond his wildest dreams.

But things are also expensive, and even if they could somehow snag one with their pooled funds that would still leave Ryan without a guitar and both of them with nothing to buy essentials.]

[chickenchoicejudy]

[Ryan doesn't need the blocking, but he's not about to say so. It's kind of sweet of Min-Gi to just do it on his own and protect the dignity he doesn't have.

The buying a synth thing is definitely a problem though - not just for being able to play shows, but he knows Min would be checking out every single setting on a future synth that he possibly could, if he was able.]

Yeah. I guess not...

[He sighs. There's still some other things in the changing room, but the mood's kind of gone now. Maybe he'll come back for the see-through pastel rainbow pants some other day...for now though he reaches in the changing room and grabs the black pants he came here in.]

This sucks, man. We made it so far without having to get any other jobs, and now we have to get them just because we got dropped somewhere weird for like, the third time?! It's dumb!

[It's dumb and it's distracted him from putting his own pants back on for a little too long. He got too caught up in complaining so he's still just holding them draped over his arm.]

[outofsynth]

[Someone has to put in the effort to protect Ryan's dignity. That, and potentially both their arrest records. He glances back to offer Ryan some sympathy when he thinks it's safe, but apparently he still hasn't got around to putting them back on and Min's head whips right back around.]

Yeah. It sucks, but it's not like we didn't know it could come to that.

[They've actually been pretty lucky to avoid it until now. He doesn't point that out though. It doesn't seem helpful when the actual circumstances that have put the brakes on their career are so wildly beyond either of their control.]

We could maybe get you an amp if we budget right.

[The sentiment seems a little hollow, but it's something. Maybe it'll take some of the sting out of them having to take up jobs neither of them really want.]

[chickenchoicejudy]

[They did know, and it's something they've had serious talks about back home. But it just feels unfair when they were doing everything right before now, just like it felt unfair when they got pulled into the Grove just as everything started going really well. It's just one thing after another--

But...he doesn't want to get sucked into that when Min-Gi's trying this hard to make things right. Ryan shakes his head, and finally moves to actually put his pants on.]

Dude, no. I'm not going to get a full set-up when I know you can't.

[It was different when they were kids and not really in control of their own money. He had to beg his family for his guitar, promising that if they got him one they wouldn't have to get him anything for Christmas or his birthday. He would up getting a "real" instrument before Min-Gi (not counting Min's viola), but he wouldn't have been able to do anything about that in middle school. He had to take what he could get, when he could get it.

Now that it's entirely on them, it feels wrong to get himself set up while Min only has his mini-synth. If feels like...rushing ahead, sort of.]

[outofsynth]

[It does feel unfair, but Min-Gi doesn't want to be the one holding Ryan back when it actually is possible to set him up. He appreciates Ryan being willing to hold himself back, but he doesn't need to every time he gets an opportunity that just isn't there for Min.

He keeps his back turned as he shrugs, sort of glad that Ryan can't his expression and pick out any sort of conflict. Maybe Ryan would be in a better position to perform than Min if he did get an amp, but he trusts him. He knows that Ryan wouldn't leave him behind again.]

Why not? Just because I can't buy a new one here it doesn't mean I might not have a chance to get back my Barold, at least. Ydalir might be able to help if I save up enough shells.

[chickenchoicejudy]

Because performing without you sucks.

[His pants are back on now, and he moves beside Min and puts a hand on his shoulder, both to let him know he's done and to reassure him.]

Seriously. I can wait. If you can buy your Barold with seashells, then I can get an amp with them too. We don't have to rush it just for me, okay?

[It would be worse if he didn't have his guitar at all, but he can stay in practice mode until they both have the seashells or the credits or whatever. This whole thing sucks but it sucks for both of them. Making Min-Gi sit in that by himself just to get an amp sooner, when Ryan knows he won't even really want to play without him anyway, sucks.]

[outofsynth]

Okay.

[This is far from the first time Ryan's expressed that sentiment, but it still warms him to be reminded that his presence is just as important to Ryan as Ryan's is to him. He could easily have taken the excuse, or even bought one just for practice, but Min's not about to push when Ryan's already said no. He can show his appreciation better by taking him at his word.

Min-Gi relaxes into the touch, trying to come up with something to lift the moment.]

We can still have fun though. Like, if we get jobs, and we're not spending money on expensive equipment... we'd probably actually have some disposable income.

[chickenchoicejudy]

[It works easily - Ryan brightens, and easily gets excited about the possibilities again.]

There's so much here, man. Like, a whole theme park?! And I bet that club is really cool too - Arcade? Arcadia. Wait, I bet there's an insane future arcade here!

[He'd put the clothes he tried on back, but there's already a little robot zooming into the changing room and picking up after him, so they're good to go when Min-Gi is.]

We should check out a future music store too, even if we can't buy anything. You know, like when we were kids!

[outofsynth]

[His enthusiasm is welcome. They'll have to be sensible, but if they have jobs? They might not even have to pick and choose which of those they do.]

Dude. I bet the arcade here is so good. It's probably like Tron or something.

[It does suck that buying back what they need is still out of reach here, but Ryan's right. They can still at least look at the music store.]

We should totally check out the music store still. There's probably even one somewhere around here.

[chickenchoicejudy]

[Ryan gasps.]

You think they have those sick motorcycles that have the light trail behind them?! That'd be SO cool.

[Not that that has anything to do with arcades really, but the idea of seeing one in person is absolutely wild.]

--oh! Yeah, since we're in the shopping district. We could go now, if you want? ...Did we need any other stuff?

[They literally didn't need the stuff they're in this particular store for.]

[outofsynth]

I don't know. Maybe. It seems like that kind of future, right?

[It's not a difficult train of thought to follow, though Min seems less enthused than Ryan. It would be cool to see a futuristic motorcycle. Maybe no so much to ride.]

We could go. I wasn't really looking here.

[That was all Ryan, and after seeing the price tag of one pair of uncomfy pants he's even less tempted to try and find anything for himself.]