OPENING LOG.

[enjoyers]

Characters: Everyone!
Date: August 11th
Rating/Warnings: Nothing as of yet. Mark anything that qualifies a warning in your subject line!
Summary: Arrivals.
You want happiness. A company called RECOVERjoy has offered it to you, so you've signed up with them. Gaining happiness can't hurt, right?

Suddenly you're in a room, an apartment, with three other beds and unfamiliar faces. This is your assigned room, and it's quite crowded. You don't get much of a chance to think as your phone beeps--it's not your phone, maybe you've never had a phone, but there's one in your hand so you check it. It's a smart phone, nothing special about it, but now you've received a text from RECOVERjoy.

Welcome to Joywick! We're so happy to have you!

You've arrived in your assigned room, we hope you like it! Don't worry, you can move out once you've collected enough joypoints. Speaking of, if you'd like to check your balance, there's a special application that tracks it for you right on your phone! Handy, right?

... Did you check? If you did, you'll notice you have no joypoints. But don't despair! We're giving you a special mission. Make three (3) friends and get 200 joypoints! Gee, that's easy! Of course, we can't put a level on something like friendship, so just get to know people. Don't miss out on these easy points! We'll give you more information about joypoints once you're done.

Wishing you happiness,
RECOVERjoy : )

You're in this for 1 million joypoints, aren't you? Might as well get started.

(AFTER THE MISSION HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED OR ONCE 24 HOURS HAVE PASSED)

You receive another text from RECOVERjoy.

Great job on the mission! Or not so great job for those who didn't do it. : (

Well, you probably want more joypoints either way. Here's how! Look for another person. I bet they look fairly happy, right? Why are they happier than you? Because they've got the joypoints you need! The only way to get those joypoints is to steal theirs. How? Take their happiness away. It's easy! Maybe a rumor here, an injury there... but if you want the big points, be creative!
You want to be happy, don't you?

Wishing you happiness,
RECOVERjoy : )

... Not quite what you expected when you signed up. You can't leave, though, you still owe RECOVERjoy 500 joypoints and, well, you came here for a reason.

Comments

APARTMENT LOBBY

[sockswithsandals]

[When you enter the lobby, it is empty. Deserted. Like, boy, is it uncomfortably quiet or what. The only thing that might catch your eye as being out of the ordinary, for, you know, an apartment building's lobby, is the presence of a piece of paper taped to the wall in the far corner.

Look at it. Isn't it inviting? Isn't your curiosity piqued? Should you choose to approach, you will find that there is something written on it -- several somethings, actually, but almost all of them dissolve into unreadable scrawls before anything of meaning can be got out of it. The only visible line is chickenscratched in real small, so you might have to lean in close to read:

HELLO WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE FRIENDS

--and then, once you've read that, some guy who definitely was not there a second ago is going to put his hand on your shoulder from behind HELLO STRANGER

FANCY MEETING YOU HERE hope you like being stared at unblinkingly.]

yes give me the cr

[minus]

( Actually, his curiosity is piqued just enough to where he's gone over to the wall, and leaned in reaaaaaaaaaaaaaally close so that he can take a nice, close look at the piece of paper. Put a finger to his chin and everything, give it a read, nod appreciatively--

at least before some fellow is all up in his space touching him and kumagawa is just gonna turn around really slowly and return the stare. for a long, silent moment. then he's gonna' smile, really slowly. it's fucking disorienting to watch it spread across his face, like he doesn't give a crap that this guy is staring at him in such a way because that's actually pretty normal to him, not it's a smile that looks like a monster that just found its prey

and then: ) 『You remind me of a sexual predator!』

ask and ye shall receive

[sockswithsandals]

[Yotsuya has, naturally, been lurking in, like

the fucking coat closet, or wherever he's able to lurk effectively and watch people look at his brilliant poster. When this kid first walks in and he catches a glance, his immediate thought is something along the lines of, 'Twelve-year-olds are easy to scare, aren't they?' and he thinks this will be a nice, easy thing. The kid will freak, and he will feel better about his terrible day of having to look at other people more than once.

It is, he thinks, a pretty good deal--but then the kid has to go and look at him like that, and smile in that way... It would almost be impressive, until he RUINS THE WHOLE THING with his comment. Yotsuya attempts to hold his expression, but no, it's all over and his blank face twists into a frown and he throws his hand up, aggravated.]

You ruined it!

[minus]

『It's not my fault!』

( The answer is immediate and emphatic, and the short little guy just sort of throws his hands up like he's surrendering. And his smile hasn't gone anywhere, even in the face of the other guy's irritation. It was a clever ploy, if it wasn't so obvious that once you drew near enough, your peripheral vision was compromised and, henceforth, you became an easy target. It's obvious by the way Kumagawa reacted so casually to someone creeping up on his ass that he suspected, or expected this.

He knows all about weaknesses, being the weakest creature on Earth. )

『Oh no, was that your grand plan? If so, it was rather lame. You come off more as a pervert than someone interested in making friends. I ought to know, I'm a pervert too. But not for men like you, I only like cute and small girls, usually under five-foot-three with petite frame. B Grade Ryouiki is my favorite, but F Grade provides the best look at a girl's legs!』

( holy fuck he's chatty what is he going on about now )

why tho

[noisy]

[ please get your grubby mits off of my fancy silk shirt if you would be so kind...

anyway, there is more than an abrupt... jerk of his shoulders... a kind of clenching motion that gets obscured by the pocket his hand's currently residing in. he recovers all the same, however, turning his head to cast a bland look at the sketchy individual breathing down his neck.

... at least...

until he happens to look down. ]

... What are you wearing?

y not

[sockswithsandals]

[Why doesn't anyone scream? Yotsuya makes it a whole five seconds before he simply deflates, lamely, and lets go of this kid to stick his hands in his pockets and slouch in a miserable fashion.

He looks down at himself, after a long-suffering sigh. What could be wrong with his clothes... The best part: they're toe socks, too.]

... Clothes.

evolves into wobbuffet

[noisy]

[ horror of unspeakable horrors ]

So far as I'm concerned, you could be going out wearing paper bags on your feet, and it'd still be an improvement.

[outfoxing]

[WELL HERE COMES an unfortunately familiar face!! He's moving to check that poster out almost immediately because 1) Yotsuya's malformed handwriting is identifiable even at a distance after being subjected to it once, 2) this entire set up screams roof hobo to him anyway and 3) he's pretty bored already whoops.

But is he actually going to be able to approach the poster without any incident...]

[sockswithsandals]

[WHOA ABORT MISSION ABORT there is someone Yotsuya doesn't even want to be pretend friends with on the scene! This actually draws him out of the coat closet! with urgency, to get up in someone's space before his great poster is subjected to

say, llama stickers. Or something.

Yotsuya's going to stand here and fold his arms and just give him that look until he goes away. It's bound to work... it worked before... sort of...]

[plucks]

[Mary gives a short yelp when she feels something grab her, any other noise choked by the fear of whatever ghost or creature might be behind her.

Her shoulders shrink into themselves just like the rest of her would like to do. She doesn't dare move, staring at the man behind her with horrified surprise.

Eventually she yanks away and defensively, childishly seethes at him. She stomps her foot because what the heck.]

That really scared me, you know!

[sockswithsandals]

[FINALLY. The rest of her reaction is lost on Yotsuya, whose face breaks out into a grin the moment she makes a sound. Finally, someone screams. Where he was dead silent and too still before, he is now taking a hop-step back and throwing his arms out to the sides, beaming--although, it doesn't make him look much more pleasant, just. livelier.]

That's the point! You've done well!

1/ I D K icon spam

[partnered]

[ When Neku first catches sight of the little note, he thinks that maybe it's some kind of clue --

Maybe whoever's running this thing plans on leaving them little Easter Eggs like this to make things easier? And while the presentation is kind of... plain, Neku's not one to turn down an edge over the competition. So, after a surreptitious glance around to make sure this isn't some kind of trap, he leans in... ]

[partnered]

[ Only now someone is touching him. Why does everyone keep grabbing at him. ]

[partnered]

What the --?!

[ Cue an undignified squawk of surprise as Neku turns sharply, nearly falling all over himself in his haste. ]

[partnered]

. . .

[ ... really. Did he really just fall for another dumb prank? ]

Rrrrgh!

DONE.

[partnered]

What the hell ?!

Is this your idea of a joke, seriously?

[kingshizuchan]

[There's another that fell into the trap, going straight up to the sign. Reading and trying to figure out the point of scribbling all over the paper. He's even having trouble finding that small print, but it looks like he's read it. Then as that hand goes down, slowly Shizuo turns his head. The expression is blank, maybe even enough to make the guy look slow.]

Do I know you?

[He should, right? Because otherwise why are you touching him like you're familiar?]

[sockswithsandals]

[This is, like, the fourth time today this brilliant plan has completely flopped, so Yotsuya doesn't even bother trying to make his emergency extra creepy face work. He steps back, rolling his eyes with an aggravated sigh.]

No. Nevermind.

1/2

[carsharkkonishi]

[She squints to read the note, getting close to the wall.]

But....there's no one her----

Done

[carsharkkonishi]

[AND SCREAMING A VERY LOUD SCREAM WHEN HE GRABS HER. That was probably the loudest scream she's ever made, and she turns around, seething a bit.]

Why would you do that?!

[sockswithsandals]

[GOOD GIRL--this is the reaction he's been gunning for all day and now, finally, someone has lived up to expectations! He lets go of her as soon as she starts to turn, and his hands are held up in front of him in case she tries to hit him or something!! (so maybe kids hit him a lot, big...deal....) -- but the look on his face is anything but affected by her anger.

He is almost laughing, but he contains himself.]

For that scream!

[ex_surplus655]

[Even if some of the same steps as expected occurred, Mammon didn't need to lean in to make out the letters on that one bolded line.

So someone was taking that sort of approach, were they? Interesting.

He'd been about to turn and walk away when he felt the hand on his shoulder, and a shiver ran up along his back at someone grabbing onto him.

Did they not know what personal space was?

There's an annoyed glance sent the culprit's way from underneath his hood - hopefully the stranger can feel that.]

[sockswithsandals]

[Another one without a scream. How disappointing is the day going to get... there have been maybe two or three actual screams, out of everyone who's gone by; it's not even a significant fraction.

Yotsuya is more than a little put off about this, and yet again, no scream from this cloaked person. There is a moment he doesn't move in the face of that annoyed look, before he sighs and lifts his hand, waving the stranger away while he covers his face with the other hand.]

Forget it. Go on.

[techissexy]

[ she's drawn in by the sign, peering in and looking at the line, so she is totally taken by surprise by the hand on her shoulder and suddenly appearing guy. ]

Ahhh! [ she jumps back, banging into the wall of the corner, banging her head, and instantly throwing her hand back to rub where it it. ]

Oh my god, lurk much? That is so not a good way to make friends.

[sockswithsandals]

[WELL NOW there's no reason to go hurting herself, jeez--but that's more than yet another blank stare reaction, and so he's taking a step back to give her space- and looks like he might burst into laughter at any given moment.

sorry.]

That's not the point! Don't take everything so literally.