EVENT: The Sound of Summer

[trainmasters]

Who: darers, newbies, and everyone else!
When: Day 40, dawn
Where: around the train

[After several hours of Kiss or Dare, the bar lights go off and you're let out into the grey pre-dawn. The Cat isn't one for ceremony, so there's no closing fanfare -- but in the sky are new stars in cobalt, pink, & violet. Congratulations to the winners!

You could go home and get some sleep, but you might have a rough time with that. As the sun appears in the sky, there's a horrible ruckus -- the sound of what seems like a million cicadas suddenly springing to life. They're staying in the canopy, not causing particular problems with buzzing around, but they are deafening.

Occasionally, you may hear one particularly low-pitched cicada noise. If you do, cover your ears, else you become hypnotized, overcome by a destructive urge. Those effected will find themselves compelled to act out violence on inanimate objects -- it's only property destruction, but the longer you're effected the more likely you are to lash out at anyone trying to stop you.

Good thing the hypnosis is broken by hugs, because this will be lasting for awhile.

Maybe it's the noise or maybe it's just bad timing, but the arrival of the cicadas is accompanied by the arrival of some new teammates! As always, the notifcation will appear on everyone's Chains:

WELCOME NEW HEROES

[[NOTES: Announcements and placements are up over here. You're welcome to make team posts if you like, or intro directly into this mingle. The cicadas will be here until next month's placements, so please feel free to interact with them in your own posts throughout the month. If you have questions, please comment to the announcements post. Thank you!]]

Comments

[nihilmancy]

...Sometimes, we don't want to talk about it. Now do you understand?

[schrodingerscockroach]

....

Pretty sure mortified embarrassment is different.

[nihilmancy]

If you say so.

[schrodingerscockroach]

It is. Embarrassment usually goes away in time on it's own.

[nihilmancy]

Whatever staves off the existential panic at night.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Oh no, that's the cocoa.

[nihilmancy]

You mean Xocolatl?

[schrodingerscockroach]

Xoco-what?

[nihilmancy]

You know, Xocolatl. Made from the fermented pods of the fruit, usually served in a bitter, slightly sweetened, and spicy drink. Also called Cocoa. Or Cacao.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Oh.

Different name. Primarily my culture called it cocoa or chocolate.

[nihilmancy]

Pronunciation is close enough.

[schrodingerscockroach]

A little different preparation too. Cocoa can have some spices mixed in, but generally it's more sweet.

[nihilmancy]

They don't prepare it as spicy in the places I've been, as they do in Mihua, where it originates.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Yeah. Chocolate is usually considered a sweet thing. Maybe sweetly bitter.

[nihilmancy]

Interesting. It's a bit of an exotic ingredient where I'm from.

[schrodingerscockroach]

To be fair, I'm from a time where travel on planet is stupidly easy. Crossing the whole globe is like a few hours if you're going for budget travel.

[nihilmancy]

...Globe?

[schrodingerscockroach]

....right. Do you have the concept of planet?

[nihilmancy]

They are the bright traveling stars.

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Oh boy]

And what is the whole of the place you live on?

[nihilmancy]

The world? Specifically in the Ta-Nisuty Kingdom, on the continent of Valakunda on the Eastern Tree.

[schrodingerscockroach]

And where is the Eastern Tree?

[nihilmancy]

On the summit of the Eastern Mountain, in the eastern part of the Ocean.

[schrodingerscockroach]

And where is the ocean?

[nihilmancy]

It spans the whole world, until it gives way to the Sea of Chaos.