logs | (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

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

She would be elated beyond belief if he didn't invoke the S-word. She works quickly to mask how the very name makes her flinch, tugging fervently at her hair.]

No! N-no no, no this is a p-private moment! It's not supposed to be shared with anyone. [There's a breathless laugh and her eyes flick to his. He doesn't seem enthusiastic, but he's actually agreed? Of his own free will?

A rare bubble of optimism bounces within the cage of her chest. That creaky smile turns to something decidedly more true.]

Don't worry! I'm not some floozy! I won't tell a soul! I'd let them stick bamboo under my nails and c-cut my feet off before I say a word about it! I promise!

[fukawa is suddenly rattling off a million things, and he's already regretting saying anything. waving a hand, he frowns at her, sighing in exasperation this time.]

Stop talking. Please. This is just... so neither of us have to deal with the chest worm.

[what

anyway

he turns towards her properly. puts both hands on her shoulders. and.

freezes.

now what????????????]

...Close your eyes.

A what?

[MORE CONTEXT NEEDED?

But okay okay okay omg. Fukawa is practically vibrating as he approaches. Is she dreaming? She must be. Ah, his musk tantalizes her nostrils even through the bitter bite of winter air. He has such lovely scarlet eyes, not cold and bloody like that bitch Celes.

Not the person she wants to be thinking of as he puts his hands on her shoulder (aaaaah) then stands tall above her (aAAAAH), locking his eyes to hers (AAAAAHAAAHAAA).

Please be normal about this.]

O-okay... [Her voice is barely a whisper. Emboldened, her palms come to rest oh-so-lightly on his chest. She lets her eyes fall shut.

And waits.]

[she waits.

and he stares at her, waiting, eyes closed. lips ever so slightly parted. waiting. waiting. why is she so okay with this???

this is a sylvain thing. but it's not like he doesn't know how to kiss??? in theory, at least??? it should be... like...

he leans down. it's a challenge, right. like a sword fight. he does this, and he wins. and then they never talk about it again. right.

...

after what is, at this point, literally minutes, he leans forward and

plants the barest, babiest, chastest kiss of all time on fukawa's lips. it is dry. out here in the elements, his lips are not moisturized. he does not part his on lips. it's the equivalent of a kiss from a bag of oranges. there's nothing romantic about this, the unsexiest kiss of all time.

and that's that. his hands drop off her shoulders, and when fukawa opens her eyes, she'll see felix has taken a step back, wiping his mouth on the back of his glove.]

There. Done.

[The wait drags on long enough that she wonders if he's planning to run away. Which only makes her press her hands down more firmly. She is not losing this time. She will not lose! She will! Have! Her! Kiss! SHE WILL.

His breath wafts over her face. The seconds tick by. Her youth is fading. What's taking him so long? Does she smell bad? She made certain to wash up extra just for the occasion, he can't possibly have —Peck on the lips.

She is frozen in place. He might retreat, but her hands are still suspended midair. Her eyes flutter open, mouth still parted.]

...Hwa?

[He calls it done. Is it done? It was so brief. So hurried. So dry.

So...wonderful.

Her hands clap to her flushing cheeks, her eyes sparkle as she gazes upon him. Ah, he wants to keep the taste of her on the back of his glove, for later. Perhaps he'll smell it and think of her.]

Aha...hahahahaha... [If she doesn't stop the tittering now she's going to float into orbit on the giddy bursts of hot air. Fukawa wets her lips. He left little of himself behind, but she'll memorize the sensation all the same.]

Th-thank you. Felix. Haha. I'll cherish this gift forever...

I told you to forget about it. And tell nobody. Right?

[cherish? gift? the wording is outright worrying, but for the time being, he's choosing just to not focus on it. for now, he has to get out of here.]

Okay, well. I'm going home. [he shivers involuntarily, and frowns.] Have a nice... whatever.

I won't! I promise! With all m-my heart!

[And she means it. This will stay between them, a red string of fate tied between their pinkies. She doesn't even mind that he's trying to leave, still floating high on cloud nine.]

You too, F-Felix...please travel safely.

[And the second she stops talking, the wretched coin in her pocket starts.]

He's so handsome, and strong, and secretly kind! If she wasn't promised to Byakuya-sama she'd be desperate to make love to—

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

[She thought she got rid of that fucking thing?! Cue insane scramble to wrest it from her pocket and pitch it into the vortex of snow and wind and desolate eternity. Get thee hence, foul snitch!]

[felix stops dead, stomach dropping. he knows that voice so well. the wretched coinvoice. it's hard to fight the urge to scream. this was a sylvain problem, not a felix problem. where had this weird image of him come from? and why from her? without turning around, he simply responds:]

I'll pretend I didn't hear that.

[just like with her previous words, he can just ignore this. forget it happened, dismiss it into the void. a problem for another time. maybe next week. maybe never.

but as he moves to start again, his own coin pipes up from his own pocket, as if responding in kind.]

She's such a pain. Why is she always bothering me? Sometimes she'll say something that makes sense, but the rest of the time she's just annoying—and now this? Why do girls always say the craziest things?

[ah, great. cool. now they can both ignore what the other person said.

he starts walking again, this time at a clip. good! bye!]

[She only manages to get it in the snow after the damage has been done and her will to live has exploded. She huffs, she puffs, she waits for him to berate her.

And he...is this better? No, if he pretends he didn't hear it, he's protecting her dignity! Her honour as a woman! Yes, that's it! Fukawa could almost laugh, she's gone from sky high to rock bottom to back again in the span of mere seconds. It's the laziest cliché in the book come true, a legitimate emotional rollercoaster!

She takes a step forward, opens her mouth to thank him.

She's such a pain.

And falters.

Felix stops too. Briefly. Then, without a word to counter the intrusive jabs, he keeps walking. She watches him retreat, silhouette thinning against the snow. Her fingers curl tight in the clutch of her mittens.

Should have expected that, shouldn't she? One last dip on the roller coaster. He'd tried to walk way before too. So that was how he truly felt? She was annoying, yes, sure, she knew that. Everyone told her as much. She couldn't figure out how to help it, couldn't figure out much of anything about girlish charm, how to twist people around her little finger. Like Asahina could, or Kirigiri. Like Sakura, or that sniveling bitch Rudbeckia. Like Lottie, whose every move drew ogling eyes, whose laughter could hypnotize and who never met an outfit she couldn't make work. It's so easy for everyone else. Felix wouldn't have fought half so hard to get away if it was one of those girls. She'd bet money on it. She'd bet her whole life on it.

Her lip is nearly splitting beneath her teeth. It's cold out. Fukawa wraps her arms around her middle. She doesn't want to go back home yet. Not if he's going the same way. The library ought to be open. If nothing else, it'll be easy to duck in a corner and prop a hardcover up in front of her face. Nobody would pester her.

They'd just be grateful, wouldn't they? That she's shut the hell up for once.]

(no subject)

sorry this is the easiest thing to boom while i'm doing chores, suffer niji

LEAVE ME BE

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject