thenashira | Game Update: August I 2377

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Game Update: August I 2377

Weather & Recap ⭐︎ By Daylight ⭐︎ By Starlight
🎶 Recommended Listening: Midsummer Dance Hall - GO!GO!7188 〈lyrics〉 ♪
august i 2377
EPISODE 7: Let's Go to the Beach! Swim into a Summer Wonderland!
August 1 - August 7

Constellations: Two out of seven Constellations have been captured.
⭐︎ The Nova Knights possess the Dancer
⭐︎ The Harbingers possess the Three Sisters
Weather: Chalra City's hot hot summer continues! While August isn't quite as hot as it was last month, it's a good deal more humid and stickier. Whether it's a swimming pool or a beach, Chalra City residents are flocking to the water to cool off and relax. Sunbathing in the park is a popular activity on cooler days, and local shops and restaurants court young shoppers by offering special services and sales suited to the student wallet. The highs for the month average around 90°F/32C° with lows around 78°F/25C°.

Recap: Last month was kind of a mixed bag, huh! Despite some victories, the results leave them ringing a little hollow. The Wonder Junction Two-Day Video Game Rental turned out to be a two-fold trap by the Harbingers: one part energy-harvesting plot, one part trap to capture the Nova Knights. Even the monster guarding the stolen energy at the Wonder Junction Two-Day Video Game Rental was meant to trap the Nova Knights, and though they defeated Ludoreticula, the stolen energy was never recovered.

This month has left several Nova Knights in dire states; Harley and Kalim fell into eclipse after their disastrous game trial, and Dirk and Reese were captured and sent to the Abyss when they were exploring the Dark Ocean.

BY DAYLIGHT
⭐︎ It's summer break in Chalra City! The first half of August is a time full of freedom and opportunity if you're a teenager. If you're an adult, it's business as usual but there are way more kids and teens roaming the city at all hours of the day. Public pools and water gun contests are still a popular way to pass the time, but this time of year, many students flock to the nearby beaches to take advantage of their time off. Schools usually assign homework over the break, but who wants to think about homework when there's a whole world of summer fun to explore?

⭐︎ There are shuttle buses every other hour to Littleneck Beach, one of the larger and more popular beaches on the east coast of Atlace. The boardwalk along the beach is one of its major attractions, lined with shops, small arcades, snack bars and more! The biggest shop on the boardwalk is the Seafoam Five and Chime, a variety store that sells all kinds of beach paraphernalia at a budget price. Towels and trowels, sand buckets and boogie boards, sports drinks and sunscreen — the Seafoam Five and Chime has it all!

There's plenty to do on the beach without spending money, too! The water is a comfortable temperature with some pretty decent wave action most days, and lots of beachgoers like to just spend a day under the sun collecting seashells and having picnics on the sand.

⭐︎ The beach is where Chalra City's competitive side shows itself, and there's no shortage of competitive activities to participate in! Beach volleyball and sandcastle building are the two biggest and most popular competitions, but there are also contests for beach scavenging, watermelon eating, fishing, swimming, elaborate swimwear pageants, digging really deep holes, and more! There's something for every competitive spirit at Littleneck Beach.

⭐️ The annual trend wars over the summer's most popular sports drink are being waged once again! Every summer, brands of different sports and soft drinks launch intense marketing campaigns to win the public's loyalty. Nothing's for sure yet, but the classic brand Potari Sweet is enjoying a revival after falling into years of obscurity with a nostalgic ad campaign. New look, same great taste!

The deluge of summer singles have been hitting record stores at light speed, too — what started out as a marketing war between multimedia conglomerates Shinebow Arts and Four Clover Works has become a tradition of releasing sure-to-be-hit singles across the whole music industry. Outdoor concerts have become a summer staple in recent years, often featuring several musical acts with shorter sets comprised of only their latest music. Recent releases include Pastel*Palettes's Hot, Hot! Sunny Love☆Summer! and Afterglow's COMIC PANIC!!!.

BY STARLIGHT
⭐︎ Hope's Prophecy: In the early morning hours of August 2, Hope dreams a hazy premonition of Harbinger activity at the beach. It's not much to go on, but the sound of the surf is the strongest element.

⭐︎ Hideout Status: The massive Aquarium features four beautiful, lonely goldfish. Even mostly empty, the room is still somehow much more soothing than before.

⭐︎ Maomao's Garden: Regrowing ancient seed samples and testing their medicinal properties takes time, and Maomao has been wholly engrossed in her project. She seems to be bringing supplies from her father's pharmacy, but she's investigating the equipment in the Lab to see if it's of any use.

⭐︎ Nautis Updates: Nautis is just as worried as everyone else about Nova Pastos and Nova Justicar being trapped in the Abyss, and she's shoring up enough power to transmit another signal beam to hopefully help them escape before it's too late. In the meantime, though, she doesn't want everyone falling into despair!

> I've been watching a lot of Earth films lately, and I know just what we need: a team-building exercise ᕙ( •̀ ᗜ •́ )ᕗ > I propose a day at the beach! > Earth has such beautiful oceans. It's something to be treasured and appreciated. > I know you all have limited memories of your past lives, but surely you remember how important the Ocean was to Hassaleh. > The fate of our planet was sealed the moment that the Abyss consumed our Ocean. And somehow, I feel it would be the same for Earth. > So take a bus and get in touch with your alien heritage! Bond with your comrades! Get sand in your shorts together! > And hey, maybe visiting the beach will trigger more memories of your past lives ^_^ > But even if it doesn't, you could still build a sandcastle and then destroy it and describe to me what that feels like!

⭐︎ Intel: The Harbingers have begun to target the Nova Knights directly, which means they've acknowledged our magical heroes a real threat. This threat cuts both ways, however; while human identities are entirely disposable to the Harbingers, the same can't be said for the reincarnated Nova Knights, and if the Harbingers were to discover any of their real identities, it could put their loved ones in danger. Nautis now knows for sure that the Harbingers are holding the Three Sisters in the engine room of their ship, so though it seems to be closely guarded, there's still hope of recovering it.

⭐︎ Trapped in the Abyss: On July 31st, Nova Pastos and Nova Justicar infiltrated the Dark Ocean to gather information about the stolen Constellation, but they were caught by the Harbinger Mistiluxia and sent to the Abyss, where they'll remain for the entire first week of August.

Mistiluxia is an even more formidable opponent than Shellustria, and she doesn't give them much opportunity to fight back before they find themselves transported to an empty, howling wasteland steeped in eternal night. The moon hangs eerily low in the sky, and seems to loom ever closer as the week wears on, the only sign of the passage of time. It looks like no place they would recognize on Earth, but there is a vague, uneasy sense of familiarity to it all the same.

As Pastos and Justicar wander through the Abyss, they'll find that they can't come out of supernova — whatever magic that allows them to transform back to regular human form seems to be jammed here. They don't seem to need to eat during their time in the Abyss, but sleep is hard to come by; in fact, the endless night makes it increasingly difficult to tell how much time has even passed since they arrived here.

The Abyss seems utterly devoid of life, and yet, they may encounter twisted reflections of people they know, including other Nova Knights. It's also possible for Pastos and Justicar to become separated while in the Abyss...Sounds like a bad time!

(In other words: other characters can thread with Dirk and Reese while they're in the Abyss, but only as apparitions in the Abyss. Their real selves are still very much out in the world and not in contact with the Abyss.)

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Natalia is, despite everything, a busy girl this vacation. Leaving aside that she's still booked solid in Verdigris House, just because the school is on vacation doesn't mean the Lacrosse team is. It just changes the location of the training. Long runs down the beach to develop leg strength and balance, adjourning to the boardwalk.

A: Emergency Studies (Daylight)

"Huh? The homework? I finished it the first day," Natalia says. "Honestly I was expecting the teachers to show up and pile more halfway through this. You know how it is. But... Why?"

B: Seaside Shrine (Starlight)
Lately, Nova Neos has been seen frequenting a certain shrine at the boardwalk, dedicated to the local protector of the harbor, whose icon is carefully carved from concrete and steel, placed in it.

In particular, she's been seen caring for it, the hard way, with elbow grease and prayers, and standing atop it. Perhaps she likes to feel tall?

C: The Terrifying Stall-Killer of the Boardwalk (Daylight)

Natalia walks, and looks through the stalls with a jaundice eye. Her eyes hum and judge each stall in turn.

Who's with her? And who wants to see what, exactly, she will do?

D: Hope (Closed to Hope) (Daylight)

All right. Are you ready for your appointment later today?

As I'll ever be, I think?

Truth told, they aren't sure. It's the first time they've ever done anything like this, and Natalia has been incredible about getting them an in here in the first place, but they'd be lying if they said they weren't at least a little nervous about all this.

Is there any way I should, like, address your mom when I get there?
Is she big on authority and respect and stuff like that?
I can do that, I just need to put myself in that mindset again

You are the client; 'Miss Koutolika' is fine.

She pauses. If anything she's big on anti-authority. The tale of her and my father meeting... Ah, that's a story for another time, and while talking.

Am at station. Awaiting arrival.

Even if Hope isn't arriving via the many trains in town, Chalra Proper station, on the south side of the Enclave District and the north of the long tail of Historic Chalra (a name given to much of the places not connected directly to the port or, and not wrecked by the shipyards and chip factories of the docks and Computertown).

She's... Certainly dressed. Mother insisted on the stuff she was planning to save for a date, the vaguely scandalous outfit that she still feels like she's going to be arrested in, even though, again, nothing is particularly showing.

Got it
Shouldn't be too long now. Still got some nerves going on but it's fine

It's been too long since Hope has actually ridden the train, but they do like it a lot more than most methods of public transportation. Clean, reliable, generally quiet (which is really good for just sitting and blocking the world out with music), and still enough ceremony to it to make the destination feel really worth it. Like it's always a special occasion.

Eventually the train does roll into the station, and they come out in a slightly more presentable outfit than they usually wear—jeans without holes in them, a plaid button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up (and yes, they're very warm), their hair combed and their contacts out to reveal their natural brown eyes underneath—and they realize that maybe they'd been overdoing it. But it's probably fine. They stow their headphones around their neck and pause their CD player via the controls on the cord, and they look around for Natalia and almost pass right over her.

"Oh, hey!" They walk over quickly, greeting their friend with a weak little wave that doesn't get above their shoulder. "You look good, Nat. I like that outfit a lot."

Regardless of her expression, she still takes a twirl in it. Nat. She turns the nickname over in her head, wonders if she'll keep it. "I will be honest, it feels a bit..."

She's not sure how to put it. Like she shouldn't be allowed? Like it's following a letter and not a spirit? "Like making it look like an accident."

... try again Nat.

"Well, I think I look like I did all of this extremely on purpose," they reply, instantly feeling more at ease now that they can poke some fun at themself. "The important thing is whether you like the way you look in it, right?"

Since the whole purpose of this meeting is to get some new clothes made and everything. "We're doing this for your beach date with Valorous. And for me to feel comfortable being on the beach at all. So we gotta get in the mindset of liking the way we're dressed without caring so much what other people think, right?"

"Ah... you're... right that this is purposeful, but it's. Like I shouldn't be allowed to wear this?" There we go.

"-- Right. the. date." Oh god. She's thinking about Valorous, now. actually dating valorous. She pauses, gets her mind off that. She cannot think about it right now or she'd stand here for hours!?

"My block is this way."

"The date," they repeat quietly, trying not to stall Natalia's brain too much even as they smile about it. It's gonna be fun to watch go down. That's another reason they need to actually get something good; they're not gonna miss this for the world.

"Lead the way. I'm surprised I haven't done this sooner, honestly." There's... temptation here to make an offer to have Natalia visit their place in return, and they squash it down quickly. They'll have to spend their time paying attention to the surroundings so they can get back here without Natalia's help if they need something else made.

"I was thinking a two-piece for myself," they start musing in a way that feels like idle talk but is secretly a last pass at trying to convince themself that they're on the right track. "If I'm not going to jump in at the deep end then why am I showing up at all, you know?"

She has to ignore it. If she does not she will lose focus and that is not allowed.

"How could you have known? I did not tell you the exact nature of my mother's business." Well. She might have mentioned the new bras in passing? She can't recall right now.

Into the old tenements, stuck between the industrial armpit to the east, Computertown to the north, the red-light to the northeast... It's got a lot of character all its own, regardless, sandwiched in as it is. It's not just foreigners here-- most people living somewhat desperate lives spend at least a few months in the Enclave District.

And yet, Natalia is... Welcomed. Occasional brief exchanges are made; aunties seem to love her. Despite everything, this place seems to naturally have a slower pace than the rest of Chalra City.

"Here we are." She hops up the steps in one leap, fumbles in her pockets for her keys. "We are on third floor."

It's the kind of place, they think as Natalia guides them, that they wish their father would use some of his damned money to actually help out. They've already resolved to help infuse their friend's family with business, so maybe they'll stop at some other places local to this district to help them out as well. The condition is to not cause trouble for their father, but what about just normal shopping could cause him any trouble at all?

They're wise enough to keep those thoughts inside, though, as they tell themself to remember the third floor and take note of the building number. "You're a local celebrity," they tease gently while they follow Natalia upwards. "It must be pretty cool to have everyone... like that," they trail off lamely.

She hums as she digs in her pockets. She takes the first flight at a murderous pace before remembering that, in fact, Hope is right there, and comes back down at a more sedate sort of pace. this is not a competition, after all.

She considers. "I am only local celebrity because I walk with the old aunties often and play chess with the old men and the children. I do not think they would miss me much, on the whole. But it is the way of things here-- people help each other."

Inside the apartment is a riot of color, thread, bolts of cloth stacked carefully, a sewing machine, several fashion drawings and designs along one wall, a set of orders on another. The large herb garden has shrunk down a little, thanks to some agreements with Luomen that Natalia won't get into.

... Is that several instances of fuckweed in a row pot hanging out the balcony, too? "Mother? I have brought that person I have told you of."

"Natashenka!" The shout is warm and inviting, the rituals of greeting in the fashion of the Old Country alive and well in the clasping of their hands, the warm smile-- well. The warm smile on Lenya's part at least. "And this, then, is Hope?"

Only a local celebrity because Natalia makes a point to be known around the area, to help people, to talk to people, to become a fixture. It's nice. It's something Hope wishes they could be, too. Maybe one day.

They're reminded, as they step inside, of their own mother's knitting chair on a much grander scale. A clear one-woman textile operation instead of the "one nice warm gift during the holidays" setup that Nona has. They smile, leeching from the joy of Natalia's mother's greeting, and it puts them in exactly the right mood to meet the woman in question.

"I'm Hope, yes. It's nice to meet you, Ms. Koutolika." They bow subtly enough that it might not even register as one, a nervous affectation that's stuck with them for years, and continue as they hook their thumbs in their pockets. "I'm excited to finally get the chance to meet you after how much Natalia and I talked about it the other day. I can already tell you run a very impressive operation."

"Ha, yes, you very much look like the hope I remember," Lenya says. "Thin and lean, with bloody knuckles and a cut in the cheek and the bruises. Yes, of course, I help you."

I can already tell you run a very impressive operation.

"Well, I could not do it without the husband and Natashenka-- Natashenka especially, she has the eye for quality in cloth." Natalia clears some bric-a-brac from the table, carefully, and puts a kettle on rather than live through the embarrassment of being talked up by her mother. "But come, sit, what was it you wanted?"

Ah, and there goes Nat, artfully dodging her way out of being a focal point of her mother's affection, and that draws a knowing glance from Hope just before her mother focuses on them instead.

They sit down and run through their rehearsed explanation in their head, but find the words are harder to wrangle once they reach their mouth. "I was... well, Natalia and I were talking and I realized it would be nice if I could go to the beach. But it's not easy for me to actually go out there since, you know, I'm a trans woman," which is the first time they've said that one out loud to a stranger, and it's not exactly right but it's close enough to get the point across. "So I was hoping to get a swimsuit that makes me look... you know, more natural."

Natalia had never heard Hope put it in those terms. Oh, there was the ask for they/them, and she'd justified that under the basic principle that you addressed people how they wanted to be addressed in absence of a compelling reason not to.

"Ho! Now that one is new?" She pauses, and asks something in the language of the Old Country to Natalia, who freezes.

The response is quiet, but assured.

"Oh, those! Ah, is that all? I remember we had a few in the cell that I definitely wasn't part of. Other way around, too. Turns out all us wild kids were getting the nice vacation in the winter palace at once, eh?" She hums. "Well. I know a few ways to help with compression, but a culotte-style bottom might not be bad either."

Edited 2025-11-08 22:39 (UTC)

"Culotte-style?" they repeat, looking up slightly as they pore through their memory. "That's with the skirt attached? That could be cute... honestly I don't know a lot about what looks good on me, though."

They're grateful to have avoided the minefield of gender stuff, even if it meant having to throw Natalia on top of one, because hoo boy do they have some stuff to work through. They'll spare her mom the worst of it, though.

"Ever since I turned 18 I've mostly just been trying to avoid showing too much of myself. Lots of... bulky, ambiguous silhouettes and things like that. Even this is a little much," they say, pointing at their bare arm skin where they'd rolled up the sleeves. "But I think if I'm going to wear something different, it needs to be really different or I won't have enough guts to go through with it. If that makes sense."

"I have always found people look the best in the clothes that are most comfortable," Lenya says, but is nodding along regardless. "So. Do you pad? I need to know if I'm going to stitch something into the top."

Oh god. Natalia is mortified. Teacups. Where are the teacups. "We'll also likely be on the boardwalk with it."

"-- Eh, a sundress, hm? I think I know someone. Their stitching is not so good as mine, but you do not need it when you are not supporting a full woman, yes?"

They smile through the implication that they're not a "full woman", not flinching in the slightest, and decide to answer that first question. "These are natural," they say, taking it with grace and having prepared for that kind of question on the train in. (It's not like they've become some kind of monster in regards to size or anything, not that that idea's ever appealed to them. They (singular) think they (plural) look pretty good, is all.) Good god, these thoughts must be the kinds of things that Nat is plagued with pretty much constantly, by Hope's reckoning. Time to change the subject.

"A sundress might be nice," they add, looking towards Natalia with gratitude in their eyes. It's good to get some assistance in a conversation that does feel like it's going to get more awkward before it gets any less. "I always did like the way they look on people with the bodies to pull them off." It helps that hips aren't as much of a problem in longer, more flowing garments like those.

As this is going on, Natalia slips an envelope full of Dubloons into the pile. The kettle begins to bubble, and she moves it off the heat with raw precision, pouring it into the service.

"Good. Saves me time." She pauses. "Right. Natashenka, go watch Sergey."

"Mother?"

"I am measuring Hope, no one else sees! We may not be rich, Natashenka but I can give this woman her dignity! More than I had in the fun factory."

Natalia pauses. Looks at Hope. "Mother."

There's a... Rapid, but not heated exchange.

"Eh? Is point, the sundress, it drapes--"

Another quick exchange. "Regardless I leave it up to our guest if they want me to stay," Natalia says, a little quicker, a little more angry than she meant.

Edited 2025-11-09 04:14 (UTC)

Oh, whew. Yeah, this feels a little more familiar; it's a blessing that Hope isn't personally invested in the relationship Nat has with her mother or this would be a little more awkward.

Regardless, they sit politely, trying not to feel uneasy, and they can pick up on the vibes maybe a little bit better than Nat's mother can. "I don't mind if she's here," they reply, smiling the same way they have been even as they feel their shoulders stiffen a little. "I appreciate that you want me to have privacy, but it's not really a big deal. I grew up with a lot of other people around."

In a house big enough for it not to matter, but that's not the point, and they don't add that part.

"Oh! I. Sorry. I had thought--" She had noticed the stiffening, the little signals. "No, I shall go watch Sergey."

Lenya nodded, then, once Natalia had shut the door, "She worries, you know."

There's tension that releases from Hope's body once Natalia leaves, but it's not much of a relief. The slight frown when they look towards the door should say enough before Ms. Koutolika speaks up again.

"She worries a lot," Hope agrees, not really forcing a laugh so much as letting one roll out lightly over their words. "We've only started being better friends over the past few months, but we've talked a few times about all the things on her mind." They aren't sure if this is the right thing to say, but it's probably good reassurance. "She's a good kid."

Edited 2025-11-09 05:41 (UTC)

Lenya goes quiet for a moment and sips her tea. "I know. Do not tell her, but... She is very much why we left. Yuri and I, we could not stand to see another person broken by them, and to my own daughter, no less!"

She shakes her head. "I shall not put this family's troubles on you. Come. I take measurements. Talk or don't."

Inside, a game starts between Sergey and Natalia-- one more suited to Sergey.

They aren't sure they have much to talk about, but, well, that mostly suits them, they think? The measurement-taking is new only with the changes that HRT has bestowed upon them; otherwise, they're familiar with what's necessary. And as the measuring goes on, they do feel themself wanting to at least talk a little just so it's not any more awkward than it has the potential to be.

The questions they ask trend towards the mundane when they do ask anything at all. "How long have you been doing this?", "have you seen any other clients today?", "is it just you and Sergey when Natalia's not here?", things like that. Gently probing, certainly, but they're hoping it's all polite and small-talk-y enough to not raise any eyebrows. They just want to know more about their... designer? Tailor? God, is that something they're going to have to say they have now?

Lenya nods along. "Oh, I've had to make my own for some time. I knew I'd need to make some for Natashenka soon, I just did not think it would be quite so soon, but as for the business, that started only a few months ago", "One, but I do not speak of them, as I will not speak of you", "Ah, no, there are others in the building and when my husband is in from the fishing. There are a few other mothers, as well.",

She's very thorough, while this is going on.

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Game Update: August I 2377

Nova Neos And The Boardwalk Shrine

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