starsand | 【MINGLE】 August Mingle

August Mingle

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welcome to august

July may turn to August, but the summer heat remains. Wind and Water spirits do their part to cool civilians with cool breezes and refreshing rain showers, while standing fans remain more popular than AC units as a means of beating the heat. All sorts of shops and food stands are popping up around the city, which offer refreshing cold drinks and ice creams for the low low cost of 'thank you.' It's the final stretch before the hot summer begins cooling into autumn.

It's also a time of appreciation for Fallen Stars. The Wonderment Talent Show was a great success and the amusement park is here to stay! The civilians are stunned by yet another miracle brought about by these amazing visitors from another world. They shower the Fallen Stars in small gifts and appreciation all month. The general atmosphere of the city is hopeful and excited, with a teasing question being passed around: "What kind of miracles will the Fallen Stars bring about next?

ARRIVAL

Arrivals happen a little differently than usual this month. Normally, a 'Fallen Star' would simply blink and end up in the city of Starsand. Their sudden appearance does not surprise the natives, who instead flock with concern and empathy for the other worlder's situation. Natives usually offer free food, clothing, and other resources to the new arrivals. They will even direct them to free housing options and help them learn the lore of the city.

But this month is a bit different. When people arrive in Starsand, they are flocked by the natives. The native population is extra excited to see them and extra excited to help them. New arrivals this month may find themselves receiving extravagant gifts, buffets worth of food, and high-end housing. The reason? Natives eagerly tell them that Fallen Stars are bringers of miracles. They can do amazing things that change fate, so everyone in town is eager to support them however they can..!

CLEAN THE TRAIN

Speaking of the Fallen Stars and their miracles.

Recently, some of the Fallen Stars discovered that there used to be a train on the lowest level of the city. Hidden deep in the forest and trapped on old, rusted train tracks sleeps the once proud Starrider Express. It is a black steam engine with purple streaks and it's also... rusted, covered in plantlife, and neglected. This train could once leave the city and take people to distant locations, but it has not been able to move in years. It requires a combination of faith magic and tlc in order to get it moving again.

That's where the Fallen Stars come in! The train's tiny kami has requested help in cleaning her train and spreading the word about it! For the first half of August, Fallen Stars are being asked to come down to the first level and help with this project. Weeding, painting, greasing, oiling, decorating... So much is needed in order to get the train ready to move again! But once her train can move, the little kami has promised to help the Fallen Stars with their future travels!

Check here for a Starnet Discussion re: What to do!

THE JOB FAIR

August also marks the last month of summer vacation for students living in Starsand City. Saint's Crossing Academy is a K-12 school located on the top level of the city and they are opening enrollment for Fallen Stars. In order to get the word out, the city has decided to hold a job faire at the top level's marketplace. Fallen Stars will be able to learn about the school, employment opportunities, and even take business classes in order to open their own business in the city.

Visiting the stalls has a few perks too. For one, people can try on every company's uniform using spirit magic. how exciting wow. Visiting stalls will also produce extra Starling this month, which can be exchanged for treats or luxury items. Including things like pool toys, fancy swimsuits, and loads of sunscreen. But why would that be important..?

NOTE: This prompt is being used to check interest in opening a proper school/SoL portion to the sandbox!

WONDERMENT WATERPARK

To celebrate Wonderment Amusement Park being a permanent establishment, the park's spirits are trying something new... a waterpark! Half of the park is now being used for water-based attractions. Some are simply water-driven rides, but there are whole pools and many waterslides. There is even a lazy river that drifts around the park. At night, the pools are able to stay open thanks to the fish shaped spirits that swim through the water and glow like stars.

While basic swimsuits are freely provided, fancier ones can be obtained using Starling. There are plenty of floaties and other water toys to rent or purchase, all of which can be customized using Starling.

COOL DOWN w/ CURSED ICE CREAM

Partially because of how grateful they are and partially because it's hot as heck, civilians are offering a lot of free ice cream this month. Everything from popsicles to ice cream cones to parfaits; If it's cold and refreshing, then someone is probably offering it for free! After all that the Fallen Stars did in the last month, this is the least that they can do.

All treats are made quickly and efficiently thanks to spirit magic. This doesn't just apply to ice cream, but to all foods and products sold in Starsand City. Usually this just means that things are made easier to obtain and scarcity isn't such an issue... But it also gives room for mischievous spirit to be, well. Themselves. Thinking that it's a way to show their appreciation, some of the spirits are adding a bit of extra magic to the free snacks. They think that a little prank will make the Fallen Stars happy!

If yelled at or called out, then the spirits will always back off and reverse the effects... but otherwise, the effects last until they 'melt' in the heat. The best way to get them to go away quickly is to make yourself hot again.

The pranks include...

For Popsicles: Check your popsicle stick and pray that it says "good fortune!" Eating a popsicle will cause the fortune at the end of the stick to come true. That might mean incredible luck or a terrible curse. Bad luck won't endanger anyone's life, but it may manifest in the form of comical spirit pranks.
For Ice Cream: There are many flavors of ice cream and many effects to go with it! Fallen Stars who eat flavored ice cream may sometimes experience a physical change: This might be a new hair colour, animal ears, or height changes. This is not an age changing prompt!
For Parfaits: Parfaits require that you sit at a table and they're easy to share... Which is great, because the cursed parfait will force you to sit at your table until you share it with someone. The spirits will write the rules of their silly game on a cookie that sits under the first bite of whipped cream: Share Me or Stay With Me. Once the whole parfait is eaten by at least two people, the curse will be broken and you can leave your chair again. Until then: You and the chair are glued in front of the table!
For Freezie Pops: Ice pops will give some Fallen Stars really persistent brain freeze. This prompt isn't fun and the spirits show a lot of concern when it happens! The best way to cure the brain freeze is with warm hearted friendliness: Holding hands, chatting, and getting to know someone will cause it to fade faster. Otherwise, it can last up to a whole miserable half-hour!
For Iced Lemonade: A mood changing treat. It's supposed to make the Fallen Stars who drink it feel sweet, cheerful and confident! But sometimes it turns out too sour and they end up grumpy instead. While it won't inflict depression, it can cause a 'sour mood.' Bah Humbug.

... As always, spirits are not trying to get anyone killed or injured! If anyone seems to be in serious physical or mental danger, then a stronger spirit will always step it to reverse the prank.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ He's not really sure why people are cleaning up this scrap heap. He's not up to date, and he's not trying to be either. No, he was actually in his cat form skulking around watching the humans mill about and work to see if he can piece it together himself.

So he enters the car Kaito's working in, sniffing curiously at the uprooted weeds before pouncing on one of the larger ones and kicking at it with his back paws. He's making quite the mess of the pile, and his bell was jingling as he amused himself with the weeds. So much for trying to figure out what was going on. ]

[ Kaito startles a bit at the noise, but quickly calms when he realizes the situation at hand. He's dealt with cats plenty before - his grandma used to keep one at home, as well as feed the strays in their rural neighborhood. He's always been more of a dog person at heart, but he won't say no to any furry critter who passes his path.

So he reaches out slowly to pat Cheshire on the head - maybe scritch him behind his ears. ]

Hey there, little guy. You know I'm gonna have to clean all that up, right?

[ Cheshire tenses when he sees the hand coming at him. He enjoys being petted, but it's been a long time since someone he doesn't know has approached him in a non-hostile manner, so he drops the weed and skitters out of reach with his back arched cautiously.

... almost as though he'd understood what Kaito said, he kicked some of the weeds that had spread that far back towards the pile. Generally speaking he doesn't care, but on the off chance this guy is like Vincent...

Well, he'd like to keep the eye he has.

Reasonably he could turn back into his chain form if he needed to fight him off, but he'd rather not have to. ]

[ Kaito's hand stills, and for a moment, he looks at Cheshire with wide eyes. But that look quickly fades into one of sympathy. ]

Hey, I get it. I'm way bigger than you. But I'm not gonna hurt you! It's not like it's any mess I can't clean up myself. Not your fault; you were just playing around.

[ It's funny, the way he addresses the cat as if he were an actual person, and not just a skittish little furball. This has nothing to do with Kaito Momota's intuition - this is just how he treats all living things. ]

[ Being talked to like an equal has always been something Cheshire has enjoyed. It's part of what endeared him to the Intention as much as he was- she treated him like a friend and not just as a cat.

He doesn't completely lose his caution, but it lessens enough for him to slowly inch towards Kaito's outstretched hand. He smelled like weeds of course, some kind of odd human soap that smelled far too strongly for his poor nose, and a little bit of sweat since it was hot outside (Cheshire, with his black fur was positively dying in this heat.) But aside from that, he didn't smell anything of consequence. This person didn't have a Chain. ]

Mrrrp?

[ Not having a Chain made him significantly less of a threat to him now, so he hesitantly rubbed his face against Kaito's hand. ]

Edited 2022-08-13 05:58 (UTC)

[ Aww. The look on Kaito's face softens, and he goes to scratch Cheshire right behind one of his tiny black ears. That's always what his grandma's cat enjoyed most, back in the day.

If only Ryoma was around. He'd probably be enjoying this. But he'll worry about that later. Right now, he's too busy trying to endear himself to this cat. ]

[ How long has it been since he's gotten ear scratches like that? He shifts his head to guide Kaito's fingers to a better spot, purring softly as he did so.

After a moment he pressed up against Kaito's hand, padding closer and sniffing at his leg before flopping down onto his side, extending a paw to bat at the leaf of a nearby weed. ]

[ Kaito grins when he sees him flop, happy that he's managed to make the kitty comfortable. ]

You wanna stick around, little buddy? I'm kinda busy, but I'll do my best to be good company!

[ Which means periodically petting him in between doing his job. For now, he goes back to pulling weeds, focusing entirely on the ones within arm's reach for now. ]

[ the second Kaito's eyes are off the cat the pressure against his leg seems to shift. ]

Mrr... Maybe Cheshire can help? What are you doing with the plants?

[ Should Kaito look down now, the cat had shifted into a far more humanoid form, looking at him somewhat expectantly from where he was laying sprawled next to him. ]

[ ......

...

What.

Kaito shrieks, lunging backwards until he's braced against the wall of the train car. How - when - what????? ]

How long have you been there?!

[ Maybe that should be a question with an obvious answer, but Kaito's brain is still catching up. ]

[ Cheshire yowled and hissed, jumping back with the fur on his tail and ears fluffed. His giant clawed hands scored the floor in his haste, though it isn't like they wouldn't have to replace it anyway. His bells jingled as he settled back down. ]

Cheshire has been here the whole time! You said Cheshire did nothing wrong why are you yelling?? Humans are so loud...

[ His tail flicked with annoyance as he licked his paw and tried to smooth the fur on his ears back down. ]

[ Kaito's eyes catch on his ears, and suddenly everything clicks into place. ]

You're...

[ He blinks, a few times, trying to process this. ]

Holy shit, that's awesome! You can turn into a cat?!

[ Or... turn into a person?? From a cat?????? ]

Cheshire is a cat! Or he was. He is technically a chain now.

[ He's at least a little more cognizant of the fact that he isn't completely a cat anymore, which was exciting, but he's also still very much like a cat in his mannerisms still, so it was habit to say as much.

his tail continued to flick irritably as he looked to the weeds. ]

You did not answer. What are you doing? Can Cheshire help?

Oh, I'm just pulling the weeds.

[ He points to one before reaching out and yanking it out of the wall. ]

Plants aren't supposed to grow on trains, you know. So if you see something green, just tug it right off!

[ He switches gears with remarkable ease....... ]

【MINGLE】 August Mingle

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cw reference to eye injury

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