announcements! big setting changes!

[imepro]

Hello, Imeeji! Nothing drastically life changing is happening in these announcements, but we've got ~something special~ for you!

• As a reminder, Vector's Tinder game runs through April 22-27. Make sure to submit your character's profile before 6PM PST on Wednesday the 22nd!

• Carly will be running a game starting from May 3rd and ending on May 8th. Bring your own trauma in this emotionshare three-legged race (furi: kissing game/bingo game)!

• Activity check, as a reminder, is cancelled for April, but the Test Drive will still be going up next week. Look forward to it!

• And now - finally! All 9 community upgrades are done and the Settings page has been updated, along with some QoL changes! Since Imeeji's getting bigger and bigger, we hope this will make the page easier to navigate.

Some notes:

• Upon reflection, we realized that adding utilities to every building has a lot of logistic issues. Because of this, and because there was a helpful tie anyway, we decided to add electricity to all buildings and then give both a laundromat and a department store; thus, the following has been added to the Settings page:

Eerily though, as of Day 228, the whole city has running electricity, in case you need an outlet somewhere. The Rainbow Bridge is completely lit, looking almost indistinguishable from a constellation when marveling at it from a distance; the nights aren't so dark, now.

• A clothing repair resource infringes upon future is now's Repair ability, so we could not offer that. Additionally, looking up laundromats resulted in finding most places saying "actually just use the coin laundry that hotels offer if you're in Tokyo" - thus, laundromat was adjusted as an upgrade to laundry room. The following has been added to the Dorms page:

Laundry Room:
Located near the kitchen is the laundry room. Here you can use any number of the washer/dryers to clean your clothes, with everything available to you here; the detergent is industrial strength and leaves your clothes completely free of blood stains, unless you're sensitIV - that's not blood, that's fashion! - but they won't repair your clothes. You'll have to go to future is now for that, or barring that, you'll have to buy more clothing. Worst case scenario, you might have to wear that shirt as a crop top. Oh well.

Every unit has their own detergent and fabric softener selection with various scents and unscents, although regardless of scent the detergent is colored to their unit. This doesn't seem to make a difference in effectiveness, though.

With that out of the way, here are the rest of the upgrades - you can assume they arrived on Day 228:

Amusement Park: Tokyo DismaySea

Welcome to Tokyo DismaySea! It's a wonderful place with a number of water-themed attractions. You can visit the Italian themed Mediterranean Harbor that lets you traverse the port through gondolas, or you can take a dark boat ride through the Arabian harbor directly to the double decker carousel. It's a pretty big place though, so be careful! If you take a backalley winding river through the Mediterranean Harbor and you'll end up in the ruins of an ancient Aztec pyramid; take a wrong turn in the dark boat ride and you won't end up in the Arabian harbor - you'll end up underwater, in the Mermaid Lagoon!

You can find, in general, all the Tokyo DisneySea attractions and locations here, although the exact method of reaching every location tends to be different with every trip, with variations even within the trip: you might have turned left from the American Waterfront to go to Port Discovery, but when you turn back to the American Waterfront, you might find yourself in Mount Prometheus instead, just a half step away from being 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

The restaurants are fully operational; just the same as any restaurant in Tokyo-F, you can order on your phone and you'll receive your meal posthaste; if you're eating in, they'll appear via conveyor belt, and if you're going for takeout, your order will be available at pickup desk.

Of course, that's not all; after all, the rides and the restaurants are only 2/3 of the reason why one would visit Tokyo DismaySea! You can also watch the wonderful shows and parades that the staff put on, which play every half hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Interestingly, every member of the staff that produce the show are all wearing costumes, if not straight up fursuits. The shows they perform are fantastic feats, but - ! As expected of Tokyo-F, they're all a little on the gruesome side, and they're all pretty dramatic.

The staff never stops working, and they don't stop for you. If you have a question about the park, they'll helpfully (and silently) direct you to the front of the amusement park, where you can find not-so-helpful pamphlets that mostly just detail what attractions you could find, if you managed to find your way, ever. There's also a lost and found in the front, which mysteriously has anything you lost on a ride, even if you just lost it a few minutes ago . . .

The fireworks are hosted every night, dazzling and beautiful.

Bakery: Tokyo Freundlieb

A little ways before Hotel Meguro Emperor is the German styled bakery, Tokyo Freundlieb. It offers a variety of breads, cakes, cookies, and even jams. There's even a gift delivery service, although it works a little differently from how you order food there. You can order food for yourself via the menu on your phone, but if you want to send any of their gift packages, you'll have to use the ○Pad that's available at the pickup desk. You'll see that you can order any of the gift packages (or any of the regular menu items) to be delivered directly to a unit's doorstep, along with flowers and a card if you like, and you can have it delivered whenever you like, with a minimum of 10 minutes before the package actually arrives at their door if you order it to be delivered ASAP. Wow! Isn't that nice?

(Note: As of late March 2020, the bakery closed IRL. In order to preserve the website's menu, the link goes to the wayback machine's archived version of the site.)

Ski Resort: Sayama Indoor Skiing Ground

One would expect the Sayama Indoor Skiing Grounds to be disappointing; it's in a building, after all, and generally indoor ski grounds use fake snow - and certainly, from the outside it looks like it would be pretty disappointing for those who wished for it. Step inside though, and you'll find yourself at the base of what seems to be an actual, bonafide mountain, complete with real snow and a sky that's always slightly cloudy (although it otherwise follows the day/night cycle of Tokyo-F).

There are ski lifts that take you to various points of the mountain: easy, smaller slopes for beginners, slightly steeper and higher slopes for those with a little more confidence, and the higher Danger Zone (TM) for the most experienced (or, the most reckless). Equipment is available for all sorts of activities - skiing, snowboarding, tubing, and even hiking, although none can be taken out: trying to leave with anything from the skiing grounds results in the equipment being left behind, as though there were some sort of barrier at the threshold.

The very first ski lift offers a ride, not to the easiest slope, but to the ski lodge that's also accessible from other areas of the mountain. There are always just enough private rooms for however many people are visiting (maybe not enough, oops! time to share with someone), and a large, circular fireplace with blankets and towels and comfortable seating for people to warm themselves up after a long day of snowy fun. The private rooms are all identical: rustic log cabin-esque decor with full-sized beds, in-unit washer/dryer for your clothes, and shower stalls.

At 7AM, noon, and 7PM, food is available in the lobby: the selection is generally limited, erring on the side of heavy, greasy, and high in carbs. You definitely don't want to eat here every day, but its menu seems to be primed to provide lots of energy for a mountainside adventure.

The rest of the view is a mountainscape, unreachable; just like the limits of the city, trying to go past the designated mountain is like going on a treadmill: walk and run as much as you like, you'll always end up in the same place.

The skiing ground is open from 6AM to midnight. If you're inside while the resort closes, you'll be stuck there until morning . . . well, it's not the worst place to be stuck in, except - past close the weather seems to actually change, from cloudless skies to blizzards that clear up right at 6AM sharp.

If you end up getting stuck, you'd better stay inside the lodge until morning.

Art Gallery: Hara Museum of Contemporary Art

The Hara Museum of Contemporary Art is indeed filled with many works of art that spans anywhere from the late 20th century to the early 2000s, with both a souvenir shop and a café that offers merchandise goods (keychains, folders, posters, etc) based off those works of art, as well as foods plated to mimic the works showcased there. However, for the artistically inclined (or otherwise, those who think they are artistically inclined), the real appeal is this: you may submit your artwork in the North Wing, which is otherwise empty, to be showcased. Once you do, the souvenir shop and the café add merchandise and food based off your artwork! You can arrange the artworks as you like, and when you do, there are even little plates that provide your name (or pseudonym) as well as space for a title and even a little blurb. There are frames made available for canvas and paper work, as well as supporting materials if you need them, i.e. wires to hang whatever work. If it's particularly big, you may find it moved the next time you see it, or otherwise the museum to be reshaped to accommodate it.

Park, Museums, Temples, Zoo: Ueno Park

Ueno Park is pretty far away from the hotel, but it's worth the trip. Not only is it one of the best cherry blossom parks in Tokyo, but it's also home to several shrines and temples. There's the Kaneiji temple, dedicated to many objects of worship but primarily to the Buddha of healing and medicine; it's also the burial site for several Tokugawa-era shoguns, has a five storied pagoda and a large pond with an "island" Buddhist temple, Bentendo, dedicated to the goddess of good fortune, wealth, music, and knowledge. Overlooking the Shinobazu Pond and Bentendo is the Buddhist temple Kiyomizu Kannon, which is actually a copy of a temple of the same name in Kyoto - it's like going to Las Vegas for the Eiffel Tower! - dedicated to the goddess of conception. Finally, there's the Shinto shrine Ueno Toshogu, which is believed to be associated with success, victory, health, and longevity; the Tokugawas are primarily worshipped here, enshrined as gods. Here, there is a botanical garden of all kinds of peonies. Every temple offers amulets and charms, although no one's manning the booths.

It's also home to several museums: the Tokyo National Museum, with a collection of national treasures and cultural icons (are they real!? did they get the real treasures here!?); the National Museum of Nature and Science, where you can even see !!dinosaurs!!; the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, with exhibitions of all forms of art changing every day; the National Museum of Western Art - the same as the Metropolitan Art Museum, only the rotating catalog is exclusively European art; and finally, the Shitamachi Museum, with exhibits that reconstruct what life was like in the Meiji and Showa eras.

Interestingly, there isn't any staff for most of the museums; however, at the Shitamachi Museum, you can vaguely see ghost-like outlines re-enacting silent Meiji and Showa period dramas for you, although as usual with their own bloody and over-the-top twist.

There's one last stop at Ueno Park: the zoo. It's home to over 400 species, with even polar bears and giraffes and kangaroos! Somehow, there aren't any people staffed here, and the animals here look pretty . . . wild? Well, they seem to be being fed properly, somehow - you can sometimes catch them eating anything from prepared meat to live prey, if you're lucky.

All locations in Ueno park open at 9AM and close at 5PM on the dot; once they do, all the lights switch off and all the doors and gates lock, barring access. If you were inside one of these facilities when they closed, you'll find yourself being pushed back to the entrance.

Shopping Center: Aqua City Odaiba

A short walk away from the hot springs park is Aqua City Odaiba, a shopping district with a lot to offer! . . . Just, maybe not all of it's relevant to you. For example, every restaurant there is open, as well as the movie theatre (same rules as the other movie theatre), and if you're the religious sort then you can also visit the Shinto shrine, but a daycare? Pet care? I mean, you can put people and pets into the place and set a timer for how long you want them to be in there, up to 2 hours for people and up to 4 days for pets, and they can't leave unless someone lets them out, but . . . . ??? Is this just baby jail now??

Besides that, there are clothing stores that have entirely unit-themed clothing, although in various sizes so you can try them out when you shop - however, you won't be able to leave the store with the clothes if someone from that unit doesn't pay for them at the self-service kiosk. They'll just stay behind and disappear if you try, and then you'll be kicked out. Don't do that!

Even though the shopping mall is available, items must still be paid for unless they're food, in which case food is just free and that's nice. Items that are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand may be free though!

All the "fandom" spaces have been taken over by your idol merchandise. In other words, those areas are cursed now.

Things that might negate a unit's ability are not available, i.e. the clothing repair store is not available and the bar charges for liquor at 100 points per glass (although you can still order it there, at least!). The main draw in this place seems to be #1 the view, so close to the ocean, #2 the food, #3 being able to try out clothes without being constrained to someone else's size, and #4 the baby pen, aka the daycare.

Department Store: OIOI (Marui)

Located between the arcade and the movie theatre, the Marui department store is easily recognized by its stylish OIOI sign. Its target demographic seems to be younger people - fitting for idols! - and the building itself is pretty tall, with 9 above ground floors and 2 underground floors:

9th floor: The food court with a global menu: Italian, Russian, Swiss, Japanese, Indian, Korean, American, and French foods are available here, with quality varying day by day as though it depends on who's working that shift. You don't need to pay, here.

8th floor: Home goods, as well as gardening and indoor/outdoor furniture. Everything is divided by unit aesthetic, and you can't leave without paying the self-serve kiosk at the door: any attempts to take things with you without paying results in you being kicked out of the floor without anything. Repeated attempts get you kicked out and unable to re-enter for 24 hours. It's not nice to steal!

You can only purchase from your unit section, although you can try out everything from every section. Try sleeping in those Heart Soldier Senshi tubes, you know you want to. Everything on this floor is anywhere from 700 to 1000 points.

7th floor: There's a 100 point store for everything you could by for 100 points! Besides that, it's more men's fashion, divided into unit sections and position colors. You can't buy anything that's not to your unit, although you can buy things that aren't your position color and you can buy things that aren't your size. You can't leave the store if you haven't paid for anything, though - same rules apply as the above.

6th floor: It is ENTIRELY shoes, divided into unit sections and position colors, but with every size of shoe available. Same rules apply as above.

5th floor: There's a hobby store here with more home goods, lifestyle goods, life improvement goods, etc! There's also accessories for men here, with bags and watches and glasses and sunglasses. Accessories and such are divided by unit and position color, can't buy outside of your unit, same rules apply as above. Smaller, cheaper items in the hobby store are free to take with you - anything that fits in your palm - but everything else needs to be bought at a flat rate of 200 points per item (or pack of item, if it's like, a pack of folders).

4th floor: Women's wear, lingerie, home decor, lifestyle goods, and cosmetics! Clothing et al is divided up into unit sections, same as above. Cosmetics are sold at 50 points per pack, home decor and lifestyle goods are sold at 200 points per item or pack of item.

3rd floor: Ladies' fashion! Lingerie! A nail salon! A hair salon! A massage center! A reflexology center! The fashion must be paid for, same as above rules, and getting your nails or your hair done is 100 points and can't be anything inhuman, but everything else is free! I don't know what a reflexology center is!

2nd floor: General clothing for men and women and children - most clothes you'll find in all other floors of the store will have sizes for teens to adults, but if you're smaller than the average teen you might have to shop here. Unit division, must pay, same rules apply. There's also a Hawaiian cafe here which is free!

1st floor: Women's accessories, bags, jewelry, cosmetics, etc! Everything is 50-100 points here. There's a matcha tea place here ✨

B1: There's a St**bux, an ice cream parlor, a crepe shop, a mackerel shop if you want!? As well as a supermarket. You don't have to pay on this floor.

B2: It's a lifestyle goods store but it's ENTIRELY filled with idol merchandise, and it's ALL you. All you. All of you. Photos of various times that you could be recorded (stick with fanmail rules), fanworks being sold without permission, promotional materials, walkmans that have just ONE line recorded of an idol's (stick with fanmail rules!) and you won't know until you purchase them, shirts with your face on them, boob mouse pads, dakimakura, voodoo dolls, etc, etc, etc. It's fanmail but . . . all the time. You don't need to pay in this store because you've already lost something more valuable (furi: dignity/innocence/the lack of need to use brain bleach) than points.

Wew! OK, we're done! See you next week ✨