logs | (no subject)

(no subject)

LOVE AT FROST BITE

I. COLD HANDS, WARM HEART

From December through January, high winds gradually rise all across the Netherworld, large flakes of snow causing white-out condition. The wind howls and whistles, blades of icy gusts cutting through your clothes as frost clings to your hair and lashes. No matter where you are, you feel its glacial, bone-chilling force, and no matter what you do, you quickly find that nothing keeps you warm. You're freezing, shivering, teeth chattering. Fire and the proximity of others may offer brief reprieves, so bundle up and find a cuddling partner before you crystalize. If you don't have a Soulmate, now might be the time to search for one.

Unfortunately, when it rains, it pours. Some of you may experience sudden, intense headaches, followed by a sense of panic. Your chest tightens. Your head swims. Your lungs ice over, and you know then: someone's messing with your home in the Shadowlands.

► If you're already in your home, stay alert as light goes out: squint through the dark, and you'll soon be able to distinguish an enormous figure. Krampus.
► If you're anywhere in Stygia and are unable to teleport, crossing the Tempest is particularly perilous on your own, though if you explain what's going on to a Ferryman, they'll oblige.
► Luckily, Krampus doesn't seem extremely interested in your Tethers, but it's entirely possible that he damages a few while being in your home. He's mostly interested in you, and whether you've been a good Restless.

If you feel like your character's done a decent job at silencing their Shadow, Krampus will curse them; every full moons through December and January, they'll be compelled to tell a significant lie. A single lie can be told multiple times to different and/or the same people, and multiple lies can also be told multiple times to different and/or the same people. If, on the other hand, you feel as though they've been struggling -- or worse, enjoying its presence -- Krampus will give them a unique coin: everywhere you go, it'll loudly comment on anyone within 10 feet, giving a brief but accurate description of what your character truly thinks of them. You can't get rid of it, but after its first use, it'll disintegrate within a couple of weeks.

II. DON'T LEAF ME HANGIN'

Kiss kiss fall in love, it's mistletoe time! And its provenance is a little gruesome: some Restless have been coughing them up due to the floral disease affecting Stygia's citizens, and for reasons unknown, the plant's made itself a home in tree branches, bushes, and ceilings. Having the time of its life, probably! Some sprites have taken a liking to them, and started worshipping them as flowery entities. It's believed among them that kissing underneath the mistletoe is the greatest way to honor said entities, while refusing to is a terrible affront; the sprites will start following you and pranking you in retaliation.

► If you walk under mistletoe along with someone else and refuse to/do not kiss, you'll be followed by a sprite for 24 hours, during which they'll prank (see list below*) and just generally annoy you. Only one sprite at a time will follow you, even if you walk again under mistletoe within the 24 hours time frame.
► If you walk alone under mistletoe, this unnamed creature will stalk you from the shadows, whispering and trying to coax you closer, promising delightful kisses you'll never forget. In truth, it just wants to devour your tongue, a delicacy. It'll give up after 12 hours, and will never follow you inside your home.
► An old woman sells mistletoe berry tarts in the Marketplace, and claims it'll help anyone who suffers from insomnia. She's not wrong! One bite and you'll fall dead asleep within the hour, and only a kiss will be able to awaken you. Sweet dreams, sleeping beauty!
► If you do wind up kissing anyone under the mistletoe, you'll find it easier to deal with your Shadow through the month, a blessing from the sprites! If, on the other hand, you don't partake in kissing endeavors, your Shadow will seem louder than usual.

Additionally, many patrons in Mirth host festive and/or cozy soirées throughout December. If you feel like dancing, singing, drinking eggnog in good company and eating delicious hors d'oeuvres, wear your ugliest festive sweater and have some fun! Just be careful, as mistletoe will 100% find its way inside these venues!

PRANK LIST

*you can either RNG or choose! all effects disappear within 24 hours. can be pranked multiple times within 24 hours.

► the sprite enchants your clothing to make them colder and colder.
► the sprite swaps your character's voice with someone else's.
► the sprite steals an object that belongs to you and puts it in another character's pocket/room.
► your breathing becomes loud and obnoxious.
► when it snows, you perceive every flake as a human face.
► everything you eat tastes like ashes.
► you feel compelled to scream everything you say.
► you think you are the world's greatest bard, so sing your heart out!
► you gain a forked tongue.
► when breathing out in cold weather, you exhale black smoke instead of white breath.
► anomalous orifices begin appearing on your body, such as mouths, eye sockets, etc.
► you can now hear all heartbeats within 10 feet of you.
► you hallucinate a worm in your chest trying to eat its way out. you can’t feel it, but the skin on your torso ripples as it burrows beneath.
► you feel like your body is slowly melting, like a candle with a too hot flame. it's not.
► your ears constantly hear a repeating brief tune.

ooc note

► As always, check out the Notice Board if you'd like additional prompts! Older quests from previous months are always available as well. You'll also find the Calendar right here.
► If you have questions, check out the plotting post's thread here, or ask new ones here!
► Cozy ambience for your cozy nights in Mirth!
► HAPPY HOLIDAYS ✨

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[This can't be real.

She goes stiff when his hands light on her shoulders. They've been in closer quarters before. Desperate times and desperate measures. He's also seen her naked, which is, um, perhaps not so great to think about. He's aware of Syo, he's seen her at her filthiest, her most pathetic, her most vulgar.

And still, he doesn't turn away.

Her throat seems to have closed up. After her much-needed moment of preparation (a lot of blank staring and a circling mantra of is this happening is this really happening), her palms gingerly settle at his shoulders. She tilts her head up a little. Bites at her lip.

She's a romance writer for god's sake, why is the real life execution so damnably difficult?!

It's his eyes, she thinks. Those smug, sea-green, long-lashed devil's tools. They're unravelling all the research and plotting she's done in anticipation of this moment: her first kiss. Her very first kiss.

Heart-pounding and with stifled breath, Fukawa leans in.]

[ Even without knowing that she's never been kissed before, Claude could guess from Fukawa's behaviour that she doesn't expect affection from others, whether romantic or otherwise. He thinks that they're not so different in that regard, though he's not sure if she realizes it.

But unlike him, she still seems to feel strongly; relationships, people, whether positively or negatively still leave their mark. He wants to be respectful of that. It's a quality he admires.

He's still smiling by the time she's gathered herself, dipping down to meet her when she leans up, pressing their mouths softly together. It's hard not to notice the tension wound up in her body in such close proximity, but Claude, for his part, stays relaxed, even if his heartrate picks up slightly.

The kiss is gentle, warm where their body heat dispels the accursed chill, and Claude doesn't linger for too long, drawing back to peer up at the space above them. ]

Ah.

[ And his voice is back to normal too! ]

Looks like we've done it.

[Whatever Claude might lack, he hides it well. Nothing about his movements betray a wavering confidence. The smile stays on until their lips meet.

It's a small thing. Fond, maybe. Though her heart thuds with a rattling bassline and her head wipes blank, she doesn't have the time to lose anything. There and gone again. Simple, chaste, and sweet. More than she deserves, more than she expected to receive.

She misses the warmth when he draws away. She almost chases it.]

Ah—

[His voice. Of course, of course that's how it works. A smile cracks her stunned repose to allow for breathless laughter.]

Haha...wh-wh-what a cheap trope, huh? L-like fairy tales. Or something.

[Her hands are still on him. He's still got her by the shoulders too. The flush rushes over her cheeks like a tidal wave and she has to look away now, has to touch her fingers to her lips. She shivers. How embarrassing.]

...Claude?

[ He watches her for a moment, careful to make sure that she isn't too upset. When it seems as though she's more embarrassed than anything else, he relaxes, some of the tension easing from him.

His hands drop away though he's loathe to surrender the warmth from the touch, settling his hands on his hips and clearing his throat, which is slightly sore from yelling for so long.

He tilts his head when she says his name. ]

Something the matter?

[ Unable to help himself, he squints at the space above them as if disbelieving that the sprites would wander off so easily. ]

It really is a rather cheap trope though. I wonder if they're worried about the birth rate in Stygia?

[ A joke, since they can't procreate... ]

[Ugh. If he's pulling off, then she really shouldn't keep clinging to him either. The hand that remains plucks away, but it's a slow and stuttering affair. She doesn't quite know what to do with it now. They're still standing in indecent proximity. She's still reeling from the shock.

Until he cuts in with that thought.]

Hwaa?!

[Her head is under siege at once.

"Fukawa," Claude murmurs, corralling her against the ornate bookshelf. He'd cornered her in the palace library, just where he knew he'd find her. "You're aware that the country is in crisis?"

"Oh, Claude!" She turns her face away, blushing a rose pink that near perfectly matches her gown. Her boobs look great and they are large. "You can't possibly mean—"

"I do." One elegant finger curls beneath her chin. She looks up at him, lost in the stormy sea of his long-lashed eyes. "And you...you're the only one I could trust...to carry my child."

She gasps. "You mean it?"

"With all my heart."

"But, here? Right now?"

"Yes." He leans in. "Let people talk."

"Claude!"

...It's been at least ten seconds.]

[ . . . ?

. . . . . . . . ?

Oh god, is she cursed after all? Was the kiss not salacious enough? ]

Fukawa?

[yeah you should have used tongue.]

Ghhk!

[Whoops almost choked on her own saliva there. Fukawa startles back to life, hands flapping uselessly on the air.]

D-don't go saying perverted things like that! [You might awaken something inside her...] A-anyway, I was just — I, I w-wanted to say, um.

[This is actually a little tough. Maybe as nervewracking as the kiss itself. She inhales thinly and plants her feet solid. Out with it now.]

Thank you! For n-not running away. [Pause.] Or pushing me over. Or l-laughing in my face. Or leaving once my eyes were closed...or spitting on me...

[ Perverted??

He doesn't have a chance to dwell on that when she continues, his confusion softening into something more empathetic before he smiles, patting her arm. ]

That would be a pretty terrible way to treat a friend.

[ His head tilts, and he doesn't want to pry but... ]

Have people done that to you before?

[It's still weird, being subjected to so much human touch. Komaru was one thing, she was a girl and she was a bit younger than Fukawa. Quite dim and excitable, definitely over-eager. Claude is a completely different beast. He says "friend", and Fukawa is even less sure of how that's supposed to play out between a man and woman than it is two girls.

Still. Can it really hurt to try?

Though it's little and swiftly erased, she does give him a smile. Whatever they turn out to be, she's grateful for his generosity now. Most people wouldn't give her a sliver of it.]

N-not all at once. And n-nobody's tried to kiss me before. [She shrugs, gaze pinned somewhere safe to the side.] Th-the only date I was ever asked on turned out to be punishment for losing a bet. He left halfway through the movie and never came b-back.

[ Wow. Well, it's not like Claude's unaware of how mean schoolkids can be. He was only at the Academy for a couple of months, but that was plenty of time for rumours to fly across the campus. There could've just as easily been bullying and ostracization.

Claude's not entirely sure how to ease that hurt—he'd never been good at connecting with others, or being particularly gentle himself, but he hopes that by showing her something different, those days will begin to feel further and further away. ]

You didn't deserve all that.

[ He shakes his head, tone both resigned and encouraging. ]

And it might be weird to say this since we're dead, but there's plenty of time to start expecting better things from people. [ ... He goes momentarily thoughtful. ] I don't think anyone's ever asked me on a date either.

[Guess bullying at a royal academy goes a little differently than OTT anime high.

Deserve is a funny word to use. Sure, she was mistreated and ever so sour for it, but at times she wondered if the thousand tiny blows weren't meant to account for the major ones Syo struck. Karma was a bitch like that.

She could say a number of things, how she'd rather wait for Byakuya-sama, how expecting miracles was for fools, but his final words are so baffling that they knock her protests away.]

You mean that? [She blinks at him, stunned stupid.] But...how? How is that possible? Are they b-blind?

[ The disbelief is sweet of her, though she seems to have an unusually high opinion of him—likely because they've had to battle through terrible circumstances together.

Claude doesn't doubt that he has a pleasing face, and he does take care in his appearance, but looks hardly outweigh the controversy that comes with being a leader during wartime. Not to mention that he's not unaware he has a difficult personality, even on a personal level. ]

Looks aren't everything, you know. [ He shrugs. ] If they were, you wouldn't have been bullied either, would you?

[ Well, maybe. Beauty was one thing, by hygiene is another... ]

[Considering all that he's done for her since she arrived, how can she have anything but a high opinion of him? The fact that he's stunning only cements the idolatry in her mind.

Even so, she can't possibly take him seriously when he says crap like that. Fukawa rolls her eyes and grumbles.]

Don't bother t-trying to patronize me. It's ruining the mood.

[She shakes her head.]

Well, whatever. Everything you s-said to me counts for you too, you know! [She even points to him to press it all home.] Just b-because you might be dead, doesn't mean this can't be a second chance for you either! Forget those other idiots. They're obviously too stupid to know anything about human worth!

[Slight pause.]

You are human, right?

[Never can tell anymore...]

Edited 2022-12-24 02:27 (UTC)

[ He wasn't being patronizing, but he doesn't argue when she tells him off, just watching her reaction. She's trying to cheer him up, he thinks, which is... kind of touching. He knows that it isn't often that you find someone who's so considerate of your feelings. ]

I'm human.

[ ... ]

Are you? I would guess so, but I did see that other side of yours take down a giant monster with just a pair of scissors.

[Thank god. Though that doesn't rule out magic powers. Like how Dimitri suddenly confessed to inhuman strength, or Sakura willed her wounds to heal.]

Huh? [She blinks. Then seizes up.] No! Not at all! I mean, I'm human! One hundred percent!

[The fit deflates and she gives a sour aside.]

Though I can s-see why you'd think that. Since she acts like a disgusting d-demon all the time...

She is very...

[ He crosses his arms, trying to figure out how to articulate his thoughts. ]

Sexually liberated.

[ Too liberated. On one hand, he thinks that any woman who implied having interest in physical activities would be branded a harlot in Fodlan, and so he's glad that she can express herself without fear of repercussion.

On the other hand... it's a lot. ]

[Fukawa pulls a face like she just took a whiff of hot manure. That's understating it. Also, is he not aware of exactly how she is "liberated?"]

...Did she try something with you?

[ Her expression... It almost makes him laugh, but he manages to refrain. ]

No, I think she's too infatuated with Dimitri and Sylvain. [ He's not offended. ] I'm sure they can both handle her.

[ Well, maybe. She did take a giant skeleton on singlehandedly after all. ]

[That expression now warps into unimaginable dismay.]

I-I-I — aha. [Swallow. Deep breath.] I'm c-certain that won't be a problem any longer...

[Being that Sylvain promised to kill her if it was. Oof. She should just move out. Maybe there's a hovel in the Hinterlands waiting for her.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

(no subject)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

i'm sorry but also you only have yourself to blame

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject