#gsw:event

[orchardisland]

━━       EVENT 03 : THE ECLIPSE

"Did you see what happened last night?” A young man whispers to his coworker, peeling the corpse of a bird from his freshly snow covered windshield. The red moon still lingers in the sky, strong as ever even midday. “This is, like ... some apocalypse level shit.”

The television inside the convenience store blares loudly enough to hear outside. Several people have gathered around it inside, their purchases still in hand. The news is on, and an anchor is seen reading off a report. 

“Min Nakyung, age 25, was found deceased last night inside her apartment. Her adjacent neighbor, acclaimed scientist, Dr. Nora Wang, has been reported missing. There have not yet been any further news regarding the investigation. There will be updates to the case as evidence is gathered. If you have any tips about the death of Miss Min or Dr. Wang’s disappearance, please reach out to the police department.”

There is an image of an empty podium that appears next, microphones poised in front of it. Silently, Moon Boram enters into frame, her four children filing after her. The entry seems rehearsed, each of them placed in specific spots; her more successful children closer to her frame.

She wears a dower expression, hands folded at her front. “I speak today on behalf of my father, Mayor Moon.” She sniffles, procuring a handkerchief from her breast pocket. “He has fallen ill and will be absent from public appearances until his health improves. From this point, I will be serving as a representative for any conferences. The mayoral position remains secured but th--”

A yellow line runs across the screen and it shuts off. The lights above flicker and the illuminated beverage fridges grow dark. 

“The power’s out!” The store owner exclaims. He steps out from behind the counter to step outside, investigating the shop next to him that has also gone dark, the customers inside clamoring with curiosity. 

A deep one-note of a siren blares out for no more than two seconds and the next moment, the entire island goes dark in the hour of dusk.

━━    EVENT ACTIVITIES & SUMMARY

Following Moon Boram’s announcement on November 11th, the island will be undergoing a clear change. The mayor is seemingly missing, alleged to be ill by his family and the full moon remains, tinged red. Additionally, Min Nakyung, has seemingly been found murdered, Dr. Nora Wang has gone missing, and Sibipaldaewang, the alleged deity, has been killed on full display, and his body draped over a mountain for a day has already vanished.  Worst of all, the power outages show no sign of improving. Cellular and landline phone service can only reach within the island, and only for so long. Some doors are extra sticky, the elevators are out, and much of the modern technology will be defunct. Fortunately, the island’s clear dedication to living off the grid (mostly) has equipped many living outside of Dangam-eup with the ability to prepare for such a thing. Perhaps it is a good thing that the weather has gotten colder and snow dusting the ground, at least we can haul our refrigerators outside. You will have to figure out some way to get through this. Oh, and deal with the strange feeling that moon gives you. Something is very wrong.

━━    INTERACTIONS

In universe, this event will take place from 11/11 TO 11/25 but can be written about in its duration to 12/12. This event will get an additional part in December, and there will be much to write about!

This event is unavoidable. The island takes control.

If you decide to thread anything, tag all posts with GSW:ECLPSE. This includes all new threads written between the story drop and this post written in reference to the happenings. (As a clarification going forward, please wait until the official event post is up before you write about any subject matter in a story post.)

Submits sent for the Wishful event will apply to your characters permanently and carry on throughout the story. Characters will have to deal with these consequences. 

Random encounters relevant to your character might be sent out at any time, especially if you might be privy to any certain secrets. You never know!

[gswhan]

calm before the storm // @gswdohyun

By some miracle, Yoo Hangyeol attends the festival for a second day.He has been content in watching the festivities play out from afar. The lighthouse permitted him a decent enough view for the past two yearsㅡand while it always seemed to he a good time, he did not find himself worthy enough to enjoy. It's only Dohyun's urging that coaxed him out of his usual self-isolation initially, a promise for a close family friend.

The reclusive lighthouse keeper steps outside to meet the sun again without much protest to meet the people he rejected on such a wide scale, internal and external.

He walks in tandem with Dohyun, her jovial disposition radiating like a beacon of light, particularly when next to him, a perpetual black hole of nihilistic tendencies. They balance each other out in a curious wayㅡtheir own form of Yin and Yang. Perhaps his should put aside his facade for the day and allow himself to enjoy the festivities, indulge in the various food stands and activities, allow himself to spend time with a friend ( one who actually seems to care for him ).

Hangyeol shields his face from the sun, eyes narrowed, hand held above his brow. Through the brightness of midday, he eyes a stand with hats, many of them embossed with the same cartoon squid found on the event flyers. They are visibly novelties meant for tourists and especially enthusiastic residents. He feels drawn to purchase one, anyway, sacrificing some of his dignity for the day. ( At the very least he didn't reach for one with dangling paper tentacles. )

"So... what do we do now?" Hunger claws at the inside of his stomach. He masks his slight discomfort by placing the dark blue hat atop his head. "You're taking the lead here, Hyun." Oddly, the shortening of her name rolls smoothly off his tongue. It's almost like they're in childhood again. Almost. "I haven't been to this... festival since I was a kid. Even then, I don't remember much about it."

[orchardisland]

━━       EVENT 02 : FESTIVAL OF WISHES (PART 1)

It seems a bit strange ━ the island is already bustling around for another festival. The strange incident at the Seaside Jubillee seemed just like yesterday, the sun still beating heavily from above and the waters warm. A chilled wind runs through Gwasuwon. But as the leaves change and the grass loses its vibrancy, a blossom of bright orange can be seen throughout the island. Persimmon and pumpkin season have arrived and such marks the coming of the Festival of Wishes.

There are still remnants of grief throughout the island, residents still scarred from what happened a mere month ago, but they all understand that life must go on to move past the misfortune. Mayor Moon arranges for the fall and Halloween festival to go on as planned, much to the urging of his trusted advisor. 

When you turn on your television, his face appears standing in front of a podium with the island’s insignia. His appearance is distorted by the camera, an obvious case of editing occurring, with many of the closeups focusing on his daughter, Moon Boram, or his wife standing closely to his side. Any shots of him are from a distance but you can still faintly make out the strange gray texture to his skin and his bulging eyes. If you noticed it, you would think that they were trying to hide something.

He coughs and his voice sounds bloated, “The township of Dangam-eup will, this year again, be holding the Festival of Wishes as planned. An increase in security presence has already been arranged,” He blots at his forehead with a handkerchief. Slowing down the footage would reveal a residue too murky to be sweat on the fabric. “I urge the citizens of Gwasuwon to have a wonderful time and newcomers to see the beauty our humble island has to offer.”

The program ends and there is a flicker of a young woman’s face, then yellow. It’s too quick for you to catch it, even if you pause and go back.

A heaviness still lingers in the air, and fortunately, this festival takes place nowhere near any bodies of water. Many of the residents have already begun their preparations for the festival, carving out their wish tokens in advance, tending to their crops, and even preparing costumes and stories to tell. The get together sees many familiar faces, smiles reemerging slowly but surely. Their teeth sink into the skin of a persimmon and walk along with a wish in their head.

Behind the persimmon tree, a dark figure lurks.

━━    EVENT ACTIVITIES & HISTORY

Yet another festival... because it ended so well last time. It doesn’t seem like anyone will learn. The Festival of Wishes is only recently marked as Gwasuwon’s official Halloween seasonal celebration. Although taking place on 10/10 in the past, the dates were moved to accommodate the recent popularity of Halloween. In the past, it was only two days, meant to pray to the gods for a good fall harvest and warn the children of the reaches of greed. DAY ONE sees many opportunities for vendors and it comes with plenty of persimmon and pumpkins on display and for sale whole or in delicious sweets. This day is also one of praying for wishes, of which will be written on charms and hanged on an empty persimmon tree. On DAY TWO, there is typically an emphasis on telling scary stories to the island’s youth, particularly related to the island and told around a bonfire but for those older, there is a scary movie night with a large projector showing the classics. DAY THREE’s addition is relatively recent an modern, being the day where everyone dresses up in costume, usually as urban legends, ghosts, and other frightening or fun things and roams about the island. Of course, with modern times come the addition of the island’s more vibrant young people throwing Halloween costume parties as they so choose. Individuals have been particularly cautioned from straying toward the abandoned village on these days.

━━    INTERACTIONS

IC, this event will take place on 10/29 to 10/31 but can be written about from 10/2 to 11/2.

Your muse has the choice to attend or not attend any of the days, that will be up to you entirely! However, whether or not this will benefit or hinder your muse in the future will be left to fate.

If you decide to thread anything, tag all posts with gsw:wishful.

Stay tuned for a second part later as usual! Random encounters will be taken care of first.

[orchardisland]

━━       EVENT 01 : PART 1

You step outside, salty air from the sea sticking to your tongue. It is a surprising reprieve from your day indoors. You take one more step further; stretching out to loosen your stiffened limbs. When you move to hold out your arms, you are hit with a force that encompasses your forearm. A piece of paper sticks to your skin. Your fingers pry it from the spot, holding it up to inspect it carefully.

A pair of jovial cartoon squids look up at you expectantly, colorful words printed beneath them. It seems to be an announcement for this year’s Seaside Jubilee, something Gwasuwon keeps in tradition every late summer. The bottom half of the flyer is torn, omitting something but you cannot be too sure as to what. You shrug, deciding to remember the details but the moment you move to shove the paper into your pocket, the wind rips it from your hands ━━ on to the next target, it seems.

When you arrive at the festival on the day of, you are met with more smiling faces than you have seen in quite some time. It is another breath of fresh air, just like the one you took some days before. Though, you cannot help but feel something is...off about the atmosphere ━━ even with all the festivities and the smell of good food enveloping you.  

" Today, we humbly accept the gifts long bestowed onto us by Sibipaldaewang. The offering of his children to feed our own! " A voice echoes through the space on land before the harbor. A group of shaman wearing their ceremonial dress. One of the women cries out in the form of song, retelling the story of the colossal squid deity that is said to uphold this very island. You can see some of the islanders emerging from the beach, beyond them, some have their hands dipped into a shallow outcropping where many small squid have even corralled. A child holds one above his head, gleefully giggling to his father while he shows off his prize. Not too far from them, a men stand before a drying rack, displaying the practice of the island's famous dried squid treats.

The small smile that creeps on your face is soon gone. You swear you can feel it ━━ the ground shaking beneath your feet ━━ but no one else around you seems to panic. Maybe it is it just your imagination.

OOC  //  Welcome to our first opening event! This will seem mundane at first but it will soon give way to something that will kick off the true events in store for the island’s fate. After this post a plot drop/encounter will be presented in context of the event. More details will be found within it when the time comes.

━━    EVENT ACTIVITIES & HISTORY

Initially, the event is presented as a hands-on festival. You can catch squids with bare hands, see the course of squids drying and even taste delicious squid dishes. The first festival was held in August, 1907, meant as a celebration of sea surrounding the island and reverence of the deity said to be quite literally holding up the island. It is an event enjoyed by both local residents and tourists, meant to bring them together for a fun celebration and opportunity to meet. When the activities during the day come to a close, there are still things going on at night. Musicians from the area and other residents with talents put on performances and sing songs. Then, there is also a display of fireworks over the harbor. Typically, this festival takes place for two days right before chuseok to usher in a time of family reunion and relaxation.

━━    INTERACTIONS

IC, this event will take place on 9/8 to 9/9 but can be written about from 9/4 to 9/25. 

Your muse has the choice to attend or not attend either day, that will be up to you entirely! However, whether or not this will benefit or hinder your muse in the future will be left to fate.

If you decide to thread anything, tag all posts with gsw:seaside & gsw:event.

Something dark is brewing here. While things seem rather mundane and celebratory, nothing is truly as it seems. It never is on Gwasuwon.

Stay tuned for a second part that will be posted within the next few days as our first  interactable encounter!

[gswhan]

patchwork / @gswxjun

Hangyeol's head is spinning — as full and overbearing as a hurricane. The crimson threads that pour down his arm and hand resemble paint in the foggy mindset adrenaline has put him in. He does not feel the pain, not yet. A jagged cut from a sharp rock runs down his arm; the length of a finger, positioned in way that could prove deadly should he be made to wait any longer. It's directly parallel to a scar of a similar length, though clean in its execution.

He remembers being rushed to an emergency room just like this after the attack. There are still panicked voices surrounding him, pale face of his younger sister glued to his side. His dry lips mumble, "When did you get here?" but the voice only seems to be in his head.

The stubborn man is placed atop a cushioned chair in one of the rooms. He can hear the frantic voice of a nurse informing the doctor she will depart to retrieve fluids to make up for what Hangyeol has lost. He shakes his head. "I'm fine... Just slap a bandage on it and get me outta here, doc. I need to make sure that —" He pulls himself to his feet, only to stumble backward into the chair. "Need to make sure everyone's okay and that thing..."

The door to the room is cracked, waiting room visible. A large crowd of people hover around the area. Some pace, some sit, heads in their hands. Those with less serious injuries appear to be relieved albeit shaken from what just happened.

[gswmiri]

@gswhyemi

there weren't many things in the world that son miri would admit to being scared of. and there weren't many things that actually did scare her. but, the one thing that she feared above all else was the past. in particular, the idea of her past catching up with her. that was exactly what had lead her to gwasuwon. there was a very scare chace of any part of her past catching up with her in such a remote place, so far away from the people she never wanted to face ever again.

maybe she had become too comfortable with her new life, slowly letting her guard down as the habitants of the island came to know her as the person that she wanted them to see. there was nothing to be afraid of in her new life. and slowly, over the years, miri had become much less fixated on the need to hide.

miri had actually come to enjoy the island life and was all too excited for the chance to attend the fesitval of wishes. this year she was lucky enough that she didn't even need to worry having to miss anything while being stuck at work.

with a sweet already clutched in her hand, miri made her way towards the next booth, following her nose towards whichever treat she could buy next. she's almost too preoccupied looking at the selection in front of her to notice the other girl who was eyeing up the booth.

every ounce of safety that miri felt suddenly evaporated as she looked up, eyes locking with the other girl for a moment. but the moment was all that she needed to remember. in an instant her flight instincts kicked in and she quickly spun around, praying that the hyemi didn't recognize her as quickly as she had.

[gswyeonhee]

premonitions // @minhyun-gsw

The festival's first day is adorned with a variety of holy objects. Elaborate and colorful paper fans dangle overhead, all hand made by the local shamans and their young disciples. The colors resemble the stripes on Yeonhee's hanbok sleeves. She cannot deny the beauty of the practices, still possessed with the same admiration she had since she was a girl. She stands behind the stage with the others, most of them elderly woman, standing over one as she mends the embroidery on her skirt while another weaves her long hair into a matron's braid.

The atmosphere still lingers with the smoke of incense and fire. It's a reminder of today's gut — a spiritual ritual Yeonhee participated in for the first time. One of the other mudang makes comment thay next time they are to slaughter a pig and drink its blood to appease the angry gods that have invaded the island this year. It causes the young woman to grimace. She had only heard about the strange attack. It couldn't really be true. Could it? So terrifying that so many rituals needed to be performed?

"I'll be giving readings today. My shrine is nearby so I'll just go get my stuff." Yeonhee speaks softly and politely, the usual front she put before her grandmother had now been transferred to them. But that sweet smile fades the moment she steps away, pace faster than usual.

She exhales a groan. "Seriously, if some fucked shit happens here I will lose my mind... it's just some ... it's just to scare me. That's it..." She keeps the whispers low, attempting to coax herself into a false sense of security as she strolls about the festival crowd. The steps slow only when they almost lead her into another person. A man that she didn't recognize. Not from the past, nor recently. She narrows her gaze.

"The spirits... they tell me something..." She pauses and closes her eyes, reaching into the lapel of her hanbok to procure a brass handbell. The orbs chime when she flicks her wrist, the other lifting up an unopened fan. "They tell me..." One eye opens.

[gswmiri]

open starter!

save yourself.

there’s been a voice in miri’s head for as long as she can remember, whispering her convictions of self-preservation. it’s selfish. she knows that all too well. but she isn’t going to push aside her ideals to help others, no matter the situation. she all too easily could’ve grabbed at least one person when she sensed danger, saving at least one poor stranger from the chaos that was soon to begin. but she doesn’t. all miri does is run without looking back.

save yourself. nothing matters except for yourself.

miri runs as far as she can, finding somewhere to hide while she catches her breath. there’s a small part of her that regrets her choices. there always is. but it’s too late to change that now and she’ll have to deal with it. so she does the only way she knows how. 

she makes her way to the pink room, heart still racing from the events of the day. miri usually keeps her bad habits at home, smart enough to keep her problems out of the views of the public because what would the parents say if they saw her there day after day? but she doesn’t have it in her today and this seemed like the better option. she wastes no time in ordering a drink and finding a corner to curl herself in, alone with the thoughts racing through her mind.

at least you saved yourself. that’s all that matters.