Perfectly Normal: A Slice of Life Sim

"Oh, you're headed out?"

Big Sister was standing near the balcony door, staring at some inscrutable point in the distance, scratching her chin. Silas imagined she was calculating some complex mathematical equation again. It was part of her job. "That's rare. What changed?"

Silas paused. "Uh… I dunno."

"Hah!" Big Sis let out a curt laugh, and then two more: "Ha-Ha! Oh, the fickleness of youth. Alright. Be safe. I'll be watching from here, as always."

"...you know, the w-way you say it, it almost s-sounds sinister!" Silas chuckles, holding open the door. "...I-I'll, uh. See you around."


Miko Street was small, sandwiched between two major arterial roads: the 7th and 8th Avenues.

From his apartment, sometimes Silas would peer out from their balcony window (he didn't actually like going out onto the balcony) and stare at the city below. The road to 7th avenue was filled with what looked like a bunch of fast food places, restaurants and cafes. Meanwhile, heading towards 8th avenue, he could see a big park where another street intersected with 8th and Miko, forming a triangular shape, next to some shopping centers and an entertainment center.

All of it, squished into one tiny street. His street. It had been here all this time. He'd known about the buildings, hypothetically he could imagine what was inside them. But he'd never visited a single one.

…no.

…no, that wasn't true. There was something too familiar about everything, but he couldn't quite place it. And that besides, it was illogical. He was… how old was he? He was sixteen or seventeen years old, he guessed. He couldn't just… live somewhere and know nothing about it, right?

Right?

What does Silas fixate on?
[] That intense feeling that these places he's sure he has never visited are familiar. Too familiar. (???, uses Imagination)
[] The sheer absurdity that he has lived here for all his life (as far as he knows) yet knows nothing about this place… how does he function?! (???, uses Smarts)

It was almost dusk, so everyone had probably gone downtown to have fun, or… whatever it was that people did.

He didn't like it here. But at least… there was no one… looking at him. With their big, beady eyes. Not in great numbers, anyway. He could take some comfort in that. Crowds tended to bypass Miko Street. There was more to do on the two Avenues that bordered it, anyway.

Silas stepped outside. He paced around his building for a bit, trying to avoid other people as much as he could. His building was pretty tall. He guessed that made sense, but he felt like he was observing his own home from the ground for the first time in... too long.

He paced away from home, and realized that his tower was on a row of three other towers on this street, which were almost identical. He scrunched up his face, and tried to think about how that could be. Maybe they were built by the same developer. Or... oh. Did he live in some sort of social housing project?

Stepping further away, though, he noticed something shine from the top of his Tower—Tower 1.

He saw long, curved panes of glass, reflecting the afternoon sun. It was a gentle, golden glow.

Oh right, he thought, there's something cool up there.

There was, like... a garden, or something, on the roof of their building. His was special, because Tower 1 was the one with the greenhouse. Towers 2 and 3 just had a boring, flat roof that you could camp out in sometimes if you wanted to avoid your... parents.

What a strange thought he had, just now. He didn't have parents to avoid, so why make that observation?

He returned to his building, and found an auxiliary stairwell. The elevator didn't go all the way up to the top floor. It was a long way up, but... he really wanted to try and climb it.

Just because.

Physique check!
1d20 = 18 vs 10
Good Success! +2 to Habit: Taking Walks. Gain a positive moodlet.

By floor 2, Silas was starting to sweat, but he ignored it.

By floor 5, his floor, Silas realized that he could hear his heartbeat. And that it was racing. Which probably wasn't very healthy. He also, faintly, remembered that he could have just used his key to start his journey from here.

By floor 7, his pace had slowed considerably, he was exhaling hot breaths with every step as he clutched the guardrail. Every now and then he had to take a short break to calm his breathing. But he was fine. He was doing fine.

By floor 9, he was practically dragging himself by the guardrail, his breath was shaky, sweat dripped from his messy hair down onto the floor, and he was very much starting to regret not starting from floor 5.

He had two more floors to go.

He was starting to see stars in the corners of his vision when he finally stumbled onto the 11th floor, falling to the ground and panting, clutching his clothes, cursing his feet, and trying in vain to wipe the sweat from his brow, only for more to form and run down his forehead. Oh god, he thought. This is bad. I'm really out of shape. That… that wasn't that many flights of stairs, was it?

He started to chuckle, which hurt his lungs. Haha. This is pathetic. I should do this more…

He didn't quite hear the footsteps until they were right on top of him. He, vaguely, was aware of a panicked-sounding voice, belonging to a man. And blonde hair. And somebody shouting, "MIYUKI!! WATER!!"

He was feeling kind of dizzy, though, so it was hard to pay attention to what was going on.

When he finally came to, he realized he was… lying down. He was sat on some sort of couch, feet up, with an ice pack on his forehead, surrounded by suspended pots stuffed with flowers, paper lanterns, and fairy lights. A nearby fan was blowing cool air into his face.

"Oh hey! You finally woke up, heh."

Silas moved his hand to his forehead. That was strange. It was dark outside now. He looked to his left, and saw an Amberrish-looking man with long, blond hair nervously twiddling his fingers on a chair next to him. "You okay, kid? How's your heart? Breathing alright?"

Silas jumped. Another person. When was the last time he'd seen another person?! He forgot how to speak, and opening his mouth, all that came out was an ugly croak.

"Hey, hey. It's alright. Save your strength. Can you feel your heartbeat? Just… just… lay your palm down on your chest for me, will you?"

Wordlessly, Silas obliged, slowly feeling his right palm up to his chest. He felt a slow, rhythmic, thump-thump. Thump-thump. His chest rose and fell with his slow breathing. Just as he became aware of the sensation (it was so weird, realizing that he had lungs and a heart all this time, but never feeling them until now), something caught in his throat, and he let out a shallow cough.

"D-Do…" Silas gagged. "Do you have any water?"

"He speaks!" The man beamed. "Yeah, I can get you some. Don't go anywhere."

He returned pretty quickly with a plastic bottle filled with chilled water. There was a young-looking girl following behind him. Silas was uncomfortable with how much she seemed to be staring at him.

Silas took the offered water bottle graciously, and chugged it down in under seven seconds. It was refreshing.

The man crossed his arms. "Did you, uh… walk here from the ground floor?"

"H-Huh?" Silas blinked. "Yeah. Wh-Why?"

"What, are you on the run or something, kid? There wasn't anyone chasing you."

"Hmm?" Silas frowned. Why would he assume that? "N-No! No. I li—I live here. On Floor 5."

"Do you, now?" He didn't seem to believe him. "Why not just take the elevator up to the 10th floor? Walk the rest?"

"The key only works for my fl-floor, though…"

"Still, you walked from the ground floor?" the man asked.

Silas looked away. "...I was feeling arbitrary," was all he could say. "...and m-maybe I… maybe I'm not as… fit… as I… thought I was."

"Well shit, kid. You dehydrated yourself pretty bad. You gave us quite a scare. We were worried we might have to call EMS!" The man tsk-tsked. "And I hate calling the cops."

"He really does, you know." The girl spoke up.

"Anyway," the man cleared his throat, "you really need to have more sense for these kinds of things. You could have been in serious trouble. What would you have done if there wasn't no one up here to find you passed out on the floor?"

"Sorry…" Silas lulled his head. He was right. This was stupid.

Just, in general. Stupid, stupid.

"Hey now…" the man reached over and clamped him on the shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up over it. Just don't make the same mistake, yeah? And the card reader on Floor 10 has been busted for years. You can walk right in, whenever you want. The Garden's open to everyone, see?"

Silas just laughed. "T-Thanks…" He lied back in his seat, and looked around. It was pretty up here. And they were really high up. "...it's alright if I… h-hang out here, sometimes?"

"Now what did I just say," he drawled, chuckling. "Come on up whenever you have the chance! Could always use more company, maybe even another hand for the greenhouse. What's a garden without visitors? You're part of the Tenant's Association, right?"

"I think…?"

"Cool, cool. So you've already paid for it and everything!" He grinned. "All that being said, me and Miyuki were about to turn in for the night, so we need to shut the lights off soon. Now, it can look pretty up here when it's dark—you can see the stars some nights—but I'm assuming you want to head home, yeah?"

"Huh? I can... I c-can stay." It was pretty here. He didn't want to leave yet. Silas tried to pull himself up to his chair, and felt the sore muscles in his legs and chest strain against him. "O-Ow! Aargh!"

"Don't overexert yourself." The man moved to grab Silas by his arms, pulling him to his feet. "Come on—it's nice up here, but maybe you should rest at home. The Garden will always be here when you return. You said you lived on the 5th floor, right? I'll walk you down. To the 10th floor. We'll take the elevator the rest of the way."

He led Silas over to the stairs again. It was a short walk to go down the single flight to Floor 10. Just as Eryk had said, the door into the building swung open without any resistance.

"By the way, I don't believe I caught your name?"

"O-Oh. It's Silas. Y-Yamigawa Silas."

"Pleasure to meet you, Silas. My name's Eryk Nillis, Chief Horticulturist of the Miko Towers Tenant's Association. Just call me Eryk, please."

"Chief… Horticulturist?" Silas suppressed a giggle. "T-That is definitely… a… uh… it's a title, f-for sure."

He shrugged. "Someone has to tend to the plants, eh? And since I'm that someone, I got to choose the title." He laughed. "Miyuki's my niece. Say hi, Miyuki-chan."

The girl tossed him a suspicious glare. "Hi."

"Come on, then," Chief Gardner Eryk said, calling for the elevator. "Let's get you home."

New characters discovered!

When they made it to Silas's apartment, Mr. Eryk seemed surprised when Silas's key actually opened the door. When Silas asked him what he expected, he looked away, and mumbled something about a 'Garden' District.

He invited Silas to visit them at the roof a second time, (Miyuki was silent, staring past him and into his room) and then the two politely excused themselves.

Silas then fell, face-first, onto his futon.


On the next day, every muscle in his body was screaming at him to not move, so he… did that. Big Sis took pity on him, and ordered takeout through airmail, which he basically had to drag himself over to their balcony in order to collect.

The day after that, though… he took the walk to the roof again. He started from his floor that time, and though he still showed up to the Garden exhausted, he wasn't on the brink of death, and Mr. Eryk seemed to be grateful for that, at least.

Really, the Tower 1 Greenhouses was a cool place. They had so many small places he could squish himself into, and Eryk helpfully told him all the 'working hours' so Silas knew what times he ought to avoid so he didn't have to deal with masses of people.

The place smelled like dirt and grass all the time, and it was an… oddly pleasant smell. Still, there was something slightly off about the odor. He couldn't quite place it… but he was sure he'd figure it out eventually.

He… really liked it, up there. He could lie down on a couch somewhere, staring up through the greenhouse windows, and imagine little shapes in the clouds, or he could sit near the building's edge and daydream about a CQB engagement between imaginary Reds and Blues on the streets below.

Some days, he'd stare at the night sky, and imagine great vessels from imaginary spacefaring nations, fighting over supremacy over Earth's orbitals.

He'd been doing a lot of that, recently, actually. Imagining things.

It was fun.

End of the First Turn!

Silas has discovered a new location! He now has new options.

Silas has gained a moodlet!
Moodlets are temporary emotional states which affect how good or how bad Silas is at certain things. Moodlets can stack. They expire at the end of the next turn, unless they are stacked.
Exercising (x1) - Silas is exerting his body beyond its natural baseline. +1 to all Physique Checks.

Silas is building the following habit:
Takes Walks - Silas likes to spend his free time pacing his neighborhood… just because. It helps calm his nerves. (Progress: 2/3, Completion: +1 Physique)



Na-Na-Na-News~ Three~ Nine~ (Three nine!)

"Thiiiis is Minami, here in the studio with Minami's Morning Report! How's everyone's day going? Mine's going swell! The temperature today is a cool 21 degrees, mildly cloudy with little bits of sunshine, aaaand that's set to continue for the rest of the week! Better enjoy that cool air while you still can, because NEWS-39's meteorologists are predicting a hot summer!"

"In local news, the city is abuzz—I tell you, abuzz!—with activity in anticipation for the beginning of classes later this month. Thousands of Miyao-jin boys and girls are dusting off their uniforms in preparation for another year of learning! Or, well, whatever else it is the kids get up to when we're not looking, heh."

"Oh, sorry, was I not supposed to say that? Ha-ha!"

"In international news, our Eastern friends, the Ambernians, are continuing their negotiations with the governments of the Twindixies and United Neowac! It's hoped, by Amberrish authorities, that the three American descendant states can find common ground based on their shared heritage and economic interests. More details at 11."

"That's it for the morning report, everyonneee! I now turn it over to Keiko Fuyuhiko, our ground correspondent, for his opinions on the new section of the Hypermall which just finished construction last month. Keiko-san?"


Silas has 1 more week until the beginning of classes.
Each turn is 1 week. Silas gets 1 Action per turn.

What to do this week?

(All dice are d20s.)

Habits
[] There were many places near Tower 1 where Silas could find a place to plug in his computer and play videogames. Maybe he should find one. Change of scenery could be nice. (Build habits. Charisma check.)
[] The Tower 1 Greenhouse had a beautiful view of the city below. Maybe Silas could just… find a nice spot near the edge of the building, and just… watch people go about their daily lives. (Build habits. Charisma check.)
[] His apartment was organized, but it could never look to sort through all his old stuff. Maybe reorganize the minis, look through his old books, that kind of thing. (Build habits. Smarts check.)
[] There's this public lounge on the first floor of their building that has a bunch of desks and art supplies, funded by their Tenant's Association. Maybe Silas could find something to do with all those colors. (Build habits. Meet people. Imagination check.)
[] His street had a konbini, a minimart, and a couple different shops. There was also a… 'garden' on the roof of his apartment. He could always just… walk around. See stuff. (Build habits. Meet people. Physique check.)

Social
[] Speak to Chief Gardener ERYK BAKER, if Silas can find him while he's free, anyway. (Build social links. Social check DC 10)
[] Try and introduce himself to MIYUKI, Eryk's assistant. (Build social links. Social check DC 10)
(Silas isn't interested in getting closer to people right now)

Relaxation
[] Hang out at some isolated corner of the Tower 1 Greenhouses. Maybe stare at the city, maybe read some of their books. (Gain some positive moodlets.)

Special
[] Actually, maybe he should go pick up his uniform in person instead of letting Big Sis deliver it to his apartment. Would save a little bit on delivery fees. (Possible positive consequences. Smarts check, DC 10)

"Silas."

He was sitting in his room, scribbling in his notebook, trying furiously to figure out the math for another wing of his in-game factory complex for processing crude oil into plastic. Big Sister's words broke his focus, and Silas looked over to her. She was standing in a different corner of the room this time, still staring out a window.

"Silas," she said again.

"Yeah, Big Sis?"

She didn't respond for a moment. "Who am I?"

Silas blinked. "That's… a stupid question. You're my Big Sister! What else is there to… be?"

She shook her head. "I know that. But… how am I? By what means do I exist?"

"I dunno…" Silas scratched the back of his head. "You're t-there. Isn't that enough?"

"I look at myself… my body… and I see someone there." Big Sis continued. "She is a young woman of indeterminate age. Early twenties, maybe. She has two long twintails of improbable length which go down to her lower back, and light-blue hair with gray streaks. She often wears a black blazer, unbuttoned and untucked, over a white button-up shirt. A blue tie. She clips a lanyard to her right breast pocket. She prefers dress pants over skirts."

"Y-You… you are describing yourself, yes," Silas said, but even as he spoke the words, he was confused. Yes, Big Sis always looked like that. But for some reason, he felt like he was looking at her… wearing all these things she was saying she was wearing… for the first time, ever.

"And yet, I look at myself, and I feel—no, I know—that I am not there. I know I am. Yet, my body is not... here. Am I wrong?"

"What are you t-talking about, Big Sis?"

"I don't know…" she shook her head. "I don't know. I think… I need to collect my thoughts. I'll be seeing you around, Silas. As always."

"Y-Yes. Always."

And she was gone.

Silas sat back in his chair, and wondered. His lack of… recollection was starting to really bother him. Who was Big Sister, besides just… his Big Sister?

He was still thinking about the strange deja vu he'd been feeling in his various trips to the top floor of his tower. He'd been here before. He'd been there before. The other day, when he sat on one of the benches near the edge of the Tower, and closed his eyes, he swore, through the ambience of Miyao City bustling below him, he caught a glimpse of something… pleasant.

He felt a flash, and then it would be gone.

Everything was familiar and foreign all at once, and Silas felt confused and… sad. Like he was missing something critically important.

But what?

New Objective:
Silas no Mirai
Silas is having trouble… conceptualizing who his older sister is as a person, rather than as just his Big Sister. A fog settles in his mind whenever he tries to force himself to recall just these simple things. Perhaps he just needs a new perspective. Or an old one?
Objective 1: Gain Base Imagination +3. Base Imagination is increased by building positive habits, and not through Traits.
Reward: Big Sister becomes an interactable Character, more Objectives.


"Hai~, Hai~! Welcome to GOZO Distributions. Can I help you with something, Customer-san?"

Silas suddenly felt very stupid in his cheap RikuRiku T-shirt and shorts and sneakers. The distribution place was fancy, built right next to a big department store that sold all kinds of high-end and low-end fashion for upper middle-class families.

He could tell, because it was crowded, but mercifully most of the shoppers seemed to bypass GOZO Distributions entirely for the GOZO Wearhouse. He could see them through the glass windows, just behind the fancy mannequin showcases. He was glad most of them didn't seem to notice him.

Still, he was standing, in his dingy home outfit, in front of a smartly-dressed woman in a two-piece suit, and he was not feeling very great about the disparity in formality.

"Customer-san?" She was still smiling. "Are you… here to pick up a school uniform?"

"E-Err!" Silas swallowed. "Y-Yes! That is… correct."

"Of course, Customer-san. Do you have a voucher?"

Silas nodded, reaching into his wallet and handing it over.

"Ahh!" Her eyes shined as she read the small voucher through the ticket punching machine. "My son went to Yamaha! Good school. Shame about their music department. Now please wait here, Customer-san, while I go collect your order."

The distribution place was surprisingly quiet, save for the cashier and a few well-dressed workers scurrying around, stocking shelves and racks filled with blazers, button-up shirts, skirts, dress shoes, ties, bowties, earrings(?), dress pants…

It was kind of overwhelming, actually. Why did people have to wear so many layers, anyway?

"Thank you kindly for waiting," the woman said, returning with several neatly-folded stacks of clothing, and a hangar with his blazer on it. "I looked over these measurements, and… you seem a little bit… thin, for this fit, no? Do you want to use our changing room? We can make some adjustments and return this back to you in a few days if it's incorrect."

"O-Oh. Sure. Thank you."

Silas let the cashier lead him over to a suite of rooms in one corner of the building. "Come out whenever you're ready," she said.

The full Yamaha uniform consisted of mostly monochromatic colors. A long-sleeved undershirt that came in either plain white or gray. Gray dress pants, secured to his waist by a firm, brown belt. A heavy bluish-blackish plaid blazer-slash-coat, whatever it was called.. Stylish, black dress shoes.

There were also some pieces he didn't know what to do with. He also had a plaid undershirt that seemed… wrong, to wear with the blazer. He also had a bunch of short-sleeved shirts, plus a nice little black vest, though none of those looked… formal, enough. He was also confused with the neck ornaments—he had five ties, two bowties, and two neckties, all of different colors, and wasn't sure how to wear any one of them anyway.

It was all so… much. He found it kind of frustrating.

He stumbled out of the changing room, already feeling kind of sweaty, and the cashier, quick to notice, guided him over to a little room surrounded on three sides by mirrors. She hummed as she did some calculations, measuring the length between the bottoms of his dress shirt to his knees, measuring his waist and stomach sizes, even holding a ruler up to his shoulders and meticulously noting the difference.

By the end, she seemed… satisfied.

"Hmm! I guess I was wrong! Did you come in for a fitting, already? Your uniform matches you perfectly. It looks like we already did a bunch of modifications for your specific measurements, as well."

"I… m-might have," Silas said, scrunching up his face. Again, a memory that wasn't quite there.

"Well, unless you have any questions, Customer-san… I think we're done here! You are free to collect your things and return home. Do you want a plastic bag to carry these in? They're quite heavy."

"Yes, please," Silas nodded his head. He was already eager to return to the changing room and get this sweltering thing off him already.

As he was undressing, he suddenly had an inkling of a thought of a question he ought to ask the cashier…

Common Sense Check (Smarts)!
1d20 = 2 vs 10
Failure! Nothing happens.

…but he couldn't quite find what it was he wanted to ask. It probably wasn't important, anyway.

The cashier was nothing but polite as she processed the final bits of the order. There was nothing left for him to pay—it had all been taken care of by Yamaha Senior High, she said—and so all she needed was his name and for him to accept the receipt.

"I hope you have a great year, Customer-san," she said, winking. "You look quite handsome in your uniform, you know!"

Silas just nodded, looking away, and excused himself. He wasn't looking forward to the walk back. It was going to be a long one.

He spent much of the rest of the week trying to get more and more used to his uniform. He even took a few walks while wearing it. It… was a lot. The kit really was heavy. Silas honestly couldn't imagine how a normal person could wear this for a whole day. He couldn't get very far from his apartment without breaking out into a light sweat, and when he tried to head up the stairs to the Tower 1 Greenhouse, he wound up reaching the summit of their building hot and stuffy. It wasn't a very pleasant feeling.

Still, though, he felt a bit more comfortable in his own skin, with his own uniform… at least he wouldn't stand out that much once he got to school.

He hoped.

+1 to Habit: Taking Walks (3/3)
Silas has successfully built this habit! Once a habit is gained, it will passively affect his lifestyle, and he will no longer need to invest actions into building it.

Now that Silas is Taking Walks, he can now perform very basic aerobic activities (such as moving from Location A to Location B) without breaking out into a horrifically ugly sweat. He will also passively explore the area around his neighborhood on his free time.

Silas has mitigated one(!) future disaster! Good job?


It was the day before the beginning of classes. Silas was pacing his room, nibbling his fingers, and generally just… trying to keep calm. He was on edge. He felt… barely in control of himself, as he paced and paced, watching the time on his desktop clock tick up and up and up. It was almost noon.

Big Sister was away; apparently she had something really important to do today as well. So he was left all alone in his apartment with just his thoughts to accompany him. And they weren't happy thoughts.

Silas didn't really like people. They were so errant. Unreliable. He preferred things that were easy to pin down—simple logic chains, mathematical relationships between video game mechanics, relationship scores on life sims, probabilities tables for card games.

People were so much harder to deal with. So many externalities.

Nonetheless…

…nonetheless, he still wanted to try. He knew what he was doing right now wasn't healthy. It was stagnating, spinning on his wheels, not going anywhere. He wanted to go somewhere. He wanted to be something more than… than whatever this was.

So he continued to pace, but eventually, he forced himself to sit down, and focus. He had some preparing to do.

He was determined not to embarrass himself tomorrow.

New Objective:
Kiritsu! Rei! Chakuseki!
Silas just wants to make it through the week without dying, causing an incident, or alienating the entire school. He can manage that, right?
Objective: Survive (the first week of classes)
Reward: ???


Tomorrow is an important day. Thankfully, Silas gets to skip the opening ceremony—since it happened a month ago, and he wasn't a registered student yet. Still, the first day of class is going to be really stressful for him.

How will Silas prepare?

[] He'd been avoiding the Tower Greenhouse's residents for a while, but maybe he should try to force himself to show up during a busy hour. Get used to… people. Being around him. (Charisma Check, DC 10. On success, gain a moodlet.)
[] He'll be studying everything. He had already been doing some remedial lessons recommended by the school online, but he just needed to go over everything one more time. (Smarts Check, DC 10. On success, gain a moodlet.)

Silas isn't sure how to wear his uniform. It's stuffy and uncomfortable, especially since it's been getting warmer. How will he show up to class?
[] Just suck it up and wear the whole thing. It's proper. And the right thing to do.
[] Maybe he can leave the blazer at home? No one will mind, right? At the very least, he should leave it unbuttoned…
[] Honestly, maybe he should try getting away with wearing as little of his uniform as possible… it's just too hot! The short-sleeved dress shirt and pants by themselves should be fine.