【MINGLE】 December Mingle

[starrystorytellers]

Dec Intro

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❤

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dec intro

It’s the final month of the year… and one month until the ‘Fallen Star’ phenomenon will be one year old. One month until this world will have survived a year without a timeloop. And one month until the Wish Maker appears to keep their ominous promise. Come January, this wish granting being will attempt to create a tidal wave of Rumors and flip the city of Starsand on its head. They’ve promised to overturn the power of the Kami of Love and create a sorrowful chaos unlike anything that the Fallen Stars have experienced yet. And the days to prepare for this attack of despair are ticking by fast…

But until then, Starsand City is a blissfully unaware winter wonderland! Snow covers all of the buildings and beautiful sculptures line the streets. There’s some disappointment voiced among the natives about how the snow statues haven’t come to life this year, but it isn’t more than a low rumbling of gossip. Spirits still populate the city in the form of glowing lights, blinking in all colours of the rainbow, but they seem to be avoiding the city center this month. They can mostly be found on the outskirts, such as forests or quieter residential areas. They also continue to make wishes on the Wishing Boards, which are seeing a few more wishes than last month; and a few answered as well.

There is no traditional holiday celebrated in December. The New Years celebrations of Starsand don’t actually start until January 1st. Even the concept of a New Year’s countdown is foreign to the people here, who insist that it’s bad luck to be awake when the year changes. This means that the Fallen Stars are free to celebrate any of their own December traditions. The civilians will show polite curiosity and offer help, but most will not want to engage in the holidays themselves.

(A) NEW ARRIVALS


Arrivals in Starsand are different again this month… but different in a familiar way. While some arrivals may still follow the standard procedure— opening their eyes and being in a new, but friendly city,— Others will find themselves in total darkness. And if their muns want this prompt, they should tag over here so that they don’t get missed!

This darkness seems to go on forever. If characters try to walk, they will see that their footsteps leave glowing ripples on the dark surface. Within those ripples, they can briefly see images of their life flashing before their eyes. Their bodies, too, give off a faint light in contrast to their dark surroundings. After a few minutes of being alone, whether they walk off or not, they will see the glowing form of a girl in the distance…

… Once that encounter ends, they wake up in the city like any other arrival! The city is cold and snow covered, so civilians will rush to the strangers and offer them free winter clothes. The native population is extra insistent on getting Fallen Stars hooked up with free housing and warm food as soon as possible! Just… Beware of the free hot chocolate. When Starsand City calls it ‘hot’ chocolate, they don’t just mean the temperature. It has chili powder in it and is quite spicy!

(B) BETWEEN TIME & SPACE


The Spacetime Shrine has locked itself again this month. The door that usually leads into the shrine’s other dimension isn’t just closed: It’s an empty doorframe of glass, with the usual door entirely removed. Even the natives have taken note and turned it into something of a curious tourist attraction (it’s not like they have anywhere else to tour!) During the day, crowds of people gather here and walk through the empty door frame like it’s some kind of novelty. It’s so busy that there are even food stalls set up during the day, which sell warm drinks and deep fried snacks. No one seems particularly worried, since this shrine and its kami have never done anything for the city to begin with!

But if Fallen Stars wander here during the day, they may find it harder to tolerate. The closer they get to the doorframe, the louder they will hear a buzzing sound. It’s like radio static inside their heads, sometimes making the sound of voices from home. And mixed into the cacophony of noise is a girl’s distant voice, pleading: "Visit me at midnight."

If they do return to the shrine at midnight, Fallen Stars will find that the doorframe is no longer empty. For a single minute, they will see another space through the doorframe. It’s completely black and glitters slightly. A familiar goo seeps out of the door frame… If they dare to step through, they should post over here.

(C) A SNOWY DAYDREAM


Snow isn’t the only wintery delight to be found in Starsand City, though it is certainly a huge appeal. Carving snow sculptures is a popular pastime and beautiful statues of snow can be seen on nearly every street corner. The roads are generally shoveled by the shopkeepers who operate nearby, but a bit of help will be rewarded with a few starling pieces. Thanks to the efforts from last month, the shrines are covered in lights and colourful flowers are miraculously blooming in winter! The cityscape is coated in crystal white, dotted with colourful lights, decor, and plantlife…

But as promised, there is more!

The Kami of Winter has finally made her shrine, which is a huge ice castle located in a forest clearing. The lake outside this three-story castle is frozen solid and perfect for ice skating. When you’re done skating, you can retreat into the castle and get free hot tea. Unfortunately, it isn’t spicy… But fortunately, the castle itself is surprisingly warm and comfortable. The upper floors have icy furniture, delicate sculptures, and a telescope on the third floor balcony. Anyone is welcome to hang around the castle, though the Kami of Winter still isn’t showing herself. People say that she is quite shy, after all

(D) SNOWED IN



For all of the nice things that people say about the Kami of Winter, she is still a mischievous spirit at her core. While her general role in town is to keep the snow fresh and winter weather mellow, she is prone to emotional outbursts… and, with them, bursts of power. One moment, you may be having a relaxing day with snow-laced sunshine. The next, you’re snowed into the grocery store. She’ll randomly dump feet of snow on a place and forget to remove it. After a few minutes (or hours,) she will usually come back and remove the snow. Until then… Well, hopefully you’re a patient person!

(D) THE WISHING BOARD


Many of last month’s wishes were successfully granted, which has boosted faith in the Wishing Board! Unfortunately… It still isn’t the most useful device ever invented. And with the recent snowfall, the monitors often get so cold that they simply stop working. Still, some stubborn spirits are trying to leave their wishes. And thanks to helpful Fallen Stars, they’ve managed to leave wishes despite those technical difficulties! Some of those new wishes include…

01. I want to see everyone eating hot ramen and smiling!
02. I want to form a spirit contract with someone who likes to cook.
03. I want to leave an offering for the new kami.
04. I wish someone would find my ice sculpture and admire my art.
05. I want to see the Kami of Love fall.

code

Comments

Questions & Answers ☆

[starrystorytellers]

Ask a question, get an answer!

Meet Ariel (New Arrivals) ☆

[borderlineconflict]

Arrivals in Starsand are different again this month… but different in a familiar way. While some arrivals may still follow the standard procedure— opening their eyes and being in a new, but friendly city,— Others will find themselves in total darkness.

This darkness seems to go on forever. If characters try to walk, they will see that their footsteps leave glowing ripples on the dark surface. Within those ripples, they can briefly see images of their life flashing before their eyes. Their bodies, too, give off a faint light in contrast to their dark surroundings. After a few minutes of being alone, whether they walk off or not, they will see the glowing form of a girl in the distance…

---

((ooc: This prompt is specifically for new characters, who would like an interaction with Ariel! Either link your top-level or comment here. I don't want to miss anyone!))

kaguya → miyuki → ariel tag order! o7

[lunarcycles]

[ The last thing that Shinomiya Kaguya remember is... graduation.

The fact that this is not a place that she's familiar with gives her a sense of unease, especially when things are so dark. If she were any other person, she'd probably be screaming by now.

However.

She is a Shinomiya.

She must remain calm in the face of adversity. Her eyes coldly look around her surroundings, trying to place for any clues or hints as to where she possibly could be. It's dangerous to walk, but it's more risky to stay put. Observant as she is, she notices the ripples on her feet and her gaze shifts downwards.

Her entire life, from start to this point in time flashes before her eyes and...

...that's enough, strangely, to cause her to pause. They say that the moments before you die, your life flashes before your eyes. Is this that? Traces of concern rest in her brows as she tries to shake it off, speaking quietly to herself: ]

No, it can't be. It shouldn't even be remotely possible. Am I...?

[ She refuses to say the word.

If she says it, that's cementing it as a fact. No, this has to just be a dream. A hallucination. Perhaps she just suddenly got sick.

She makes excuses and excuses in her head, trying to rationalize things, not having noticed that she isn't alone just yet. ]

[blightedabomination]

[I've got a prompt in a toplevel here!]

[ambertrickster]

[What did Kohaku do to deserve being stuck in some weird dark place? That thought is almost immeadiately dashed in favor of examining their footsteps, and their own glowing self. As they are trying to figure out what was going on they see a glowing person, and immeadiately run towards them and call out.]

Hey! Hey, you! What's going on here?

Meet Ariel (Midnight Door) ☆

[borderlineconflict]

The Spacetime Shrine has locked itself again this month. The door that usually leads into the shrine’s other dimension isn’t just closed: It’s an empty doorframe of glass, with the usual door entirely removed. Even the natives have taken note and turned it into something of a curious tourist attraction (it’s not like they have anywhere else to tour!) During the day, crowds of people gather here and walk through the empty door frame like it’s some kind of novelty. It’s so busy that there are even food stalls set up during the day, which sell warm drinks and deep fried snacks. No one seems particularly worried, since this shrine and its kami have never done anything for the city to begin with!

But if Fallen Stars wander here during the day, they may find it harder to tolerate. The closer they get to the doorframe, the louder they will hear a buzzing sound. It’s like radio static inside their heads, sometimes making the sound of voices from home. And mixed into the cacophony of noise is a girl’s distant voice, pleading: "Visit me at midnight."

If they do return to the shrine at midnight, Fallen Stars will find that the doorframe is no longer empty. For a single minute, they will see another space through the doorframe. It’s completely black and glitters slightly. A familiar goo seeps out of the door frame…

---

((ooc: Please reply here if your character is attempting to go through the door at midnight! No more than 2 characters per thread. Alert me if you are doing a 2-way thread. Thank you!))

[unquestioned_loyalty]

[ Naturally when Akutagawa hears that voice, he knows that he shouldn't ignore it. If Ariel is contacting people again it could mean bad things for Yuuto and Dimitri... and that goo that he sees coming from the bottom is concerning as well. He wonders for a moment if he's falling into a trap, but he figures if Ariel is turning into a rumor... well they need to figure out how to deal with that.

Thus he steps undaunted through the door. ]

Ariel? I'm here.

[eldritchwaifu]

[ Weird buzzing door with really specific operating hours? Sure, Zoe doesn't have anything else to do and entrances suddenly going poof is cause for investigation.

Besides, wasn't someone trying to promote this shrine two months ago?

Anyway, it's midnight. Zoe's here, bundled up, even wearing that brown knitted hat she was gifted, grimacing as the goo starts touching her new boots. ]

Ergh... [ Yeah, these have all sorts of warning signs... But you know what? If this means stopping the end of the world (again) then she is 100% ready to get covered in weird goo to speak with whoever is holding midnight meetings at the spaceshrine. ]

Well, here goes...

[ She steps through the doorframe... ]

[loveedition]

[ There's something that bugs Ryoko, seeing the sudden circus pop up around the Spacetime Shrine. The fact that there was all of this sudden interest now that the Shrine seemed to be inaccessible. She wanted to visit, but the cacophony of voices inside her head immediately caused her to back off. "Visit at Midnight"...

So, she's here. Late at night, just about sneaking out of her own house to do so. She's transformed, not sure if she'll be needing to defend this shrine or have to fight at all, really. But, she wants to be prepared for anything that happens.

She can't afford to stand by passively anymore. Taking a deep breath, she attempts to go through the door. ]

[fulgent]

[Gus does hear the voice, when here earlier. So he decides to try and stay up, or wake up at least, in time to investigate. He gets there later and sees the door seems different now. That black and glittery look through the doorframe this time. It has to be something had changed because of the time. Because of the kami here being back? Getting more power at this time or something? He isn't sure. But he does step through. Figuring the voice had to be saying to come back now for a reason.]

....Hello? The voice said to come back about now....

[stavros]

[Of course Kokoro comes. She steps back as the doorframe starts to ooze, hand going to her whip.]

Show yourself. What business have you?

( open )

[loveedition]

x.

[ It's almost here.

Ryoko, for the most part, hasn't taken much of a break in the past couple of weeks. In addition to her normal day to day errands, she still had other obligations she needed to keep. Between the holiday party, the looming deadline placed on her by the Wish Maker, and doing what she can for the Spirits in recalling her stories, she hasn't had much time to rest. This was on top of worrying, occasionally checking the Spacetime Shrine to see what the hell was going on and whether she had the right to tell them off for causing such a commotion.

With so much going on, she's around a lot less in the morning into the afternoon than she could be during the week. She'd spent time prioritizing as she could, but she's hanging in there! If anything, she's still more excited for the upcoming month!

((ooc: this one's the wildcard prompt, feel free to run into her anywhere, this is just the summary of how she's doin this month. if you have any ideas, lmk!)) ]

i.

[ Early on in December, Ryoko can be found at the mall. She's been fluttering around different places, hands free as she window shops, looking through different clothing and hobby stores. Even casually browsing through a video game store, looking through everything, staring as if she's completely lost.

This felt... stupid. Any other time, any other year, this would be easier. This year, she had to make sure this present was good, had to make sure it was something that got across the message she wanted. It could just be a sweater sure, but that didn't seem like it was enough.

After a while, Ryoko can be found on a bench sighing, looking up at the mall's ceiling. What the hell was she doing? This shouldn't be that hard... ]

What am I missing...? [ She knew her well enough at this point, didn't she? So what could it be... ]

ii.

[ Unfortunately, her search didn't anticipate a sudden heavy blanket of snow to fall while she was in a hobby shop. Ryoko had literally just gotten to the door before she noticed that the outside had pretty much all but disappeared under a heavy blanket of freshly fallen snow, leading to her stepping back. Hopefully someone else was in here, because this wasn't good for her productivity! ]

Should we shovel out of here? It could melt, but that would probably take a while, and I can't just stand here all day.

iii.

[ Well, one wish stood out to her, but she'll deal with that later. Right now, the happier ones!

Ryoko had recently started working at a restaurant in town, suggesting and occasionally serving oden but otherwise sticking to their menu pretty well. Turns out that there's an art to making a good bowl of ramen, and Ryoko Asakura was up to the challenge of figuring it out! If you're a Fallen Star, Ryoko is more than happy to take on the challenge and after it's served, smiles and asks. ]

Hey, if it's good, would you mind if we took a picture of you trying our ramen? It's for the wishing board.

[ It's... a weird request, but she can make you look flattering, don't worry! ]

iv.

[ Far past the time everyone else would normally be in bed, Ryoko is out again. This time, she's not looking for Nightmares or anything like that. In fact, she's not particularly on patrol. Her eyes are focused on the wishing board, and she hides herself nearby in order to stand watch. She wasn't allowing herself to stay angry, instead more frustrated than anything. She knew this was a bad idea, that if it was something to fight that she couldn't do it on her own.

But, she can't just stand around. Being a passive observer in this case would mean she didn't learn a thing... and there was no chance that she was going to let someone cause problems for Satou or anyone else. Not this month. Not this time. ]

i

[shellrender]

[ Ushio - dressed up in something that isn't her usual swimsuit for once - overhears Ryoko talking to herself and while she's pretty sure that it's not exactly something that she was meant to overhear...

She can't help it.

... So, she approaches, trying to keep herself casual as she puts a hand up in a wave. ]

Yo, Ryoko!

[ She tries. ]

Oz Vessalius l Pandora Hearts

[satisfice]

Wildcard:

[It's his birthday this month. Oz is still kinda figuring how he feels on that. In not being with everyone from back home. Still missing some friends. But at the same time though. He figures to try make the most of this. To put on a smile for the friends he does have here at least. So he might be out and about asking about decorations for Christmas, asking about stockings or wrapping paper for presents at least for those closer friends he does have here.]

C: A Snowy Daydream

[An ice palace. This is new. Of course Oz is keen to go check it out. To go and see how such a thing is really possible. Magic, the kami abilities, probably. He isn't sure it gets quite cold enough for this back home. He tries skating, apologizing as he bumps into anyone else along the way as he learns to skate, probably while falling over a lot and with a lot of scraped hands and knees through his gloves and pants. But he seems to be more laughing than really upset about falling over at least?]

D:

Hm? Ah. The snow. It's blocking the door. I can't open it....?

[Oz announces to whoever might also be in the library getting some reading material to pass the time while the weather isn't the best. He tries the door again but struggles in attempting to get it open to get outside. The snow having really been falling right outside and piled by the door to get in or out.

.....at least there is plenty of books to read while they wait it out?]

E: Wishboard

Someone....wishes to see the Kami of Love fall....? That can't be right....?

[Oz does not like the implication of such a wish. Remembering that Wish Maker from earlier. He does eye up the other wishes that seem more positive, more innocent and less hair-raising and threatening. But maybe he was reading into it? Maybe the person meant they wanted to see the Kami of Love fall in love themselves with someone? He isn't sure but it still has him feeling a little uneasy, swallowing as he reads the board.]

I could go for some ramen though.

E

[candybreak]

That's bold of them to say outright, but not entirely surprising really.

[While he doesn't know what the Wishboard says at any given point, he knows its nearby as he passes...apparently Oz. He sounds like Oz anyway. He turns and pretends to look over the boy's shoulder.]

Eh? Why would someone wish for ramen when cake exists though?

Gus l Sweet Tooth (Netflix)

[fulgent]

C: A Snowy daydream

[Gus hasn't done this before. Skating. Palaces. Furniture made of ice. It's kind of amazing. To him at least. He will probably be rather wobbly with the skating and likely fall over numerous times in his attempt to learn, in figuring his balance. But he does seem to be having fun. Mostly. He might graze his knees from falling over, ripping his jeans but he doesn't seem to be the most bothered by that. Probably because he has fallen over so many times back home in his exploring the park around where he lived, and when he left further out with Big Man.]

D: Snowed In

Is...the door stuck? Is it just me? Do you want to try?

[Gus had just been popping into the store to grab some snacks. That's it. He had not anticipated getting stuck like this. That the door would be stuck and not opening when he went to leave to get back home. But he is just a kid so maybe someone else might have better luck? Might be stronger to be able to get it open? Gus can't be sure.

Either way at least he has some food to keep him going for a bit...]

E: Dreamboard

Ramen, ice sculptures....offerings to kami...these are ni -- wait? 'I want to see the Kami of Love fall'?

[Wish Maker? He remembers him talking about the other Kami. Gus can't help feeling the hairs at the back of his neck stand on end in being immediately unnerved by this implication. Who else would want anything to happen to the Kami? He figures the rest of the population, even those like him that aren't originally from here, seem to appreciate and want to help the Kami. Gus tenses, eyes widening as he reads the board.]

[veileddreamer]

I. Snow...men?

[Rather than snowmen, Tau has created a small army of snow creatures of varying sizes. Currently, she only just finished rolling up the base of a new one.]

Would you...like to assist me?...It is pretty...fun...

II. Ice Skating

[Tau actually adores iceskating, its one of the few active activities that she'll willingly take part in. She likes dressing up warm and going fast without as much effort as running. So, she's often at the Kami of Winter's shrine, to skate.]

Woah...you are pretty good...Do you know...any tricks?

III. Cozy Time

[Free hot tea was also something Tau wasn't going to pass up. She can be found sitting in the shrine, bundled up with her tea and a sketchbook, drawing parts of the shrine.]

This shrine... really is beautiful...is it not?

1

[fallmushrooms]

Sounds fun! I'm kinda surprised that we can make these when the snow's this fresh. Is it magic?

[Almost to illustrate, she takes out her wand and speaks a few words in a strange language, packing a snowdrift down to just melty enough that it'll be easy to make into snow sculptures.]

ushio kofune / summertime rendering ( ota )

[shellrender]

option i.

[ While getting snowed in might be a problem for literally everyone else, it isn't an issue for Ushio in the slightest bit.

Sometimes not being human has its perks -- this being one of them.

Doors being shut in by snow may not work for the 'data' that is Ushio, but not her actual physical body. The shadow.

If she's stuck with you, she'll ask: ]

Hey, ya want me t' go check things out? I should be able to check out our surroundings.

[ She can go through the cracks in the doors and have her flat shadow wander the snow ground, after all. ]

option ii.

[ Because of all the snowed in prompts, Ushio takes it upon herself to help out! So she types out something on Starnet for everyone to see, under a new chat called #snowed-in: ]

Stuck in the snow?

Call your local Ushio today! She can dig ya out in no time flat, with the low, low price of ONE STARLING.

The Ushio Everywhere At Once Service is at the palm of your hand!

Feel free ta leave any questions in this chat.

[ Ushio........ ]

option iii.

[ Ushio basically promised that she'd help with some investigative work, so she's here in the Shrine of Curiosity. Given that they're looking for books and there's a lot here, she knows that she's going to have to do a lot of work.

She can't use the copies of herself for this, so that's out.

People who walk in might see Ushio glow, a bright aura surrounding her as a sound of something akin to a light flash (kind of what you'd hear for a camera) can be heard.

It happens several times, although it's definitely spaced out.

After a bit though, she gets hungry so... don't mind her eating a huge lunch. She needs the energy. ]

option wildcard.

[ Anything here not working for you? Feel free to use this wildcard option! I'm pretty open to a lot of things, feel free to hit me up on the Discord, PM or tsundereban for plotting. ]

himeko inaba / kokoro connect [scp crau] / ota

[dereban]

( ooc | as a note - I'd like to discuss any negative CR first before having Inaba deal with it! threads that deal with more serious or necessarily unpleasant stuff are alright; feel free to discuss with me either via PM, discord or plurk if you're not sure and a thread is steering in a certain direction, thanks! )

option i.

[ Of fucking course.

This just had to happen while she was trying to restock on food like a packrat that's preparing for hibernation, her cart full of canned food, snacks and boxes of noodles.

It's fine.

She sighs at the entrance of the grocery store talking to herself. ]

How long is it going to be like this...?

option ii.

[ The Wishing Board has been concerning her--especially that last wish.

She's been working on and off on improving the Wishing Boards, so she's hoping that these improvements will work. She's making sure that they have cameras that she can connect her laptop to it wirelessly and be able to monitor all of the Wishing Boards from one location.

And naturally, she's making certain that these are as discreet as possible.

So people might see her tinkering with the Wishing Boards at varying times of the day.

It's fine, don't worry about it. ]

option wildcard.

[ Anything here not working for you? eel free to use this wildcard option! I'm pretty open to a lot of things, feel free to hit me up on the Discord, PM or tsundereban for plotting. ]

i, i'll come back to this later?!

[loveedition]

[ The good news is, Turkey Quest is a success! She was able to find and grab a turkey, and was going to bring it back home to put on ice. Ryoko's productivity had gotten pretty good since her chat with Taiga... but, she still had a few things to do.

For example, an apology--

Which she wasn't really thinking about at the moment, until she had made it to the entrance of the grocery store.

...

She... takes a few steps back, and... just leans against her own cart. ]

...it... shouldn't last too long.

[ ...Maybe. ]

Milo Belladonna | Monster Camp | OTA

[reapwhatyoupost]

☠ i. krampus ☠

[ Even if they’re unofficially (and unwillingly) on a break from social media, an influencer’s job is never truly on pause. At least, not when you’re Milo Belladonna.

That’s why they can be found inside the Kami of Winter’s shrine, aiming their cell phone camera at their face as they try a variety of teas they’ve set out before themselves. They’re also wearing a… rather interesting sweater. One could only guess they must have spent a majority of last month knitting it. ]

Now, how about this one…

[ They pick up one of the teacups with careful, practiced grip and blow on it gingerly before bringing it to their lips. A sip, then a pause to let the flavors wash over them… ]

Hmm… I’m getting plenty of peppermint… I mean, ‘tis the season. Hmm… notes of white chocolate, too… Oh, and is that nutmeg?

[ They’ve cultivated quite the advanced palette over the years. ]

☠ ii. better watch out ☠

Oh my.

[ This is… truly a predicament. They’d just stopped by their favorite café in town to get their usual holiday coffee of choice (iced peppermint white mocha, oat milk, with an extra shot of espresso), when they suddenly found their exit blocked off by a tremendous pile of freshly fallen snow.

According to the locals, this just sort of happens around this time of year. So it seems Milo has no choice but to make themselves comfortable. The café was already a bit crowded when they entered, so in order to secure themselves a seat… ]

Excuse me, dear. Do you mind terribly if I sit here?

☠ iii. black christmas ☠

[ Fortunately for a certain little spirit, Milo is a (not so) professional appreciator of the fine arts. And they’ve been looking for opportunities to revitalize their brand once they return home. Starsand is merely… a fun little vacation they’re having. And nothing screams “vacation” quite like “art tour”.

So Milo can be found taking a stroll around town, snapping selfies with literally every ice sculpture they come across. They figure they’ll need to be thorough if they want to make sure this wish is granted. Plus it’ll give them plenty of pictures to choose from later. They’ve found the perfect way to kill two birds with one stone.

…They definitely don’t realize how strange they look, striking poses in front of even the most childish and crude of snowmen. They’ve probably started attracting all sorts of weird looks from the locals. ]

Luz Noceda | The Owl House

[glyphwitch]

✧ i. slip ‘n’ slide ✧

[ Fun fact about Luz: she’s never actually ice skated before. But that doesn’t mean she’s not going to try. ]

Wh- okay, okay! Steady… steadyyyyy…

[ Right now, she’s just trying to get used to walking in her skates - she hasn’t even gotten onto the ice yet. ]

Oh, there we go, I think I got it!

[ And right as she finds her footing, she steps forward a little too confidently and loses her balance entirely. Before she knows it, she’s lying face down in the snow, arms splayed out by her sides, like some kind of really sad snow angel. ]

Mmrrfffffff…

✧ ii. since we’ve no place to go ✧

[ Luz winds up the unlucky victim of one of these grocery store snow-ins, but she’s making the best of it. She’s holed up near the entrance, surrounded by a variety of snacks, scribbling something on some paper towels she’s opened. She’ll… she’ll pay for them later.

Anyone who comes closer will see that she’s drawing glyphs - complicated combinations, heavy on ice symbols. Seems somebody wants to be the unlikely hero and get everyone out of here early. ]

✧ iii. season of giving ✧

[ Out of all the requests on the wishing board, an offering to the Kami of Winter seemed like the simplest one to fulfill (well, maybe besides eating ramen, but she can do that whenever). The only problem is… Luz isn’t really sure what an offering should consist of. Maybe food? A well thought out gift?

She ends up in a shop with a large display of traditional charms, staring daggers at the selection. Seems like a safe bet… the only problem is, she’s overthinking things yet again. ]

A good luck charm…? No, no, she’s a kami, she’s already luckier than most of us! Money won’t work… Maybe love? Urgh, this would be so much easier if I knew anything about this lady!

3

[fallmushrooms]

I dunno either... What kind of charm would you want? Maybe that'll be better than trying to figure out what a kami we've never seen before wants just from that. She might want the same thing. Unless it's, like, good grades, maybe she wouldn't have use for that one.

[preparade]

i.
[ It was starting to hit Taiga just how much work went into planning anything, especially a party for something as important to her as Christmas. Even with a notebook to try and keep track of all the moving parts--presents for everyone, decorations, those fancy napkins that are just for show, she was certain that there was something even more important that was slipping her mind. Something that she absolutely, certainly, could not forget about. Was someone missing from Santa's list? That would be terrible, but she made sure to account for everyone...

Her list. Every name was crossed out except for one which she circled furiously and marked with a highlighter.

Ryoko.

That's the kind of fervent energy Taiga's exuding as she paces back and forth in the mall, grumbling under her breath in frustration. Ryoko was her closest friend, they had gone through so much together... so why was her mind drawing a blank? ]


ii.
[ When she's not panicking over party preparations, Taiga's being a very helpful person. It might also be a bit self-serving, because labor can be exchanged for starling can be exchanged for goods! Wow!

Whatever the reason for her help, Taiga's hard at work shoveling the sidewalks in front of a few businesses. The shovel is absolutely massive in her hands, and she's definitely struggling with getting it caught in cracks and crevices, but Taiga Aisaka can't give up... except when she's taking a break, laying on top of a pile of snow and staring at the sky. ]

Haa... How much more is there...?


iii.
[ Have a wildcard! Woah! ]

1

[stavros]

[Kokoro's looking preoccupied in the mall, eating an ice cream cone from a vendor even though it's freezing outside, when she spots Taiga and waves with her free hand.]

Hail and well met. I must say it's somewhat strange to see nothing for Christmas... [Even if Japan isn't full-tilt Christmas through the whole last quarter of the year like some countries.] What brings you out here?

Kaito Momota | NDRV3

[luminarian]

☆ i. SHINE BRIGHT! ☆

[ If the Academy for Gifted Juveniles got Kaito used to one thing, it’s exploring any new area you’re given. So when a new shrine is erected, he takes to scouring the new area for clues. Shuichi he is not, and he comes up relatively empty handed. But it does result in him finding the telescope on the third floor balcony, which he will be routinely visiting throughout the month. ]

The stars are so different here…

[ He has his eye narrowed as it stares through the eyepiece, inspecting the night sky not unlike a hunter watching over its prey. Suddenly, he steps back, sighing and running a hand through his hair. ]

It’s almost fuckin’ creepy.

☆ ii. HARD TIMES!! ☆

[ The thing about snowfall this sudden: sometimes you’re not inside when it happens. Sometimes you are outside. Sometimes you are Kaito.

He’s currently lying face down in the snow, a large pile of fresh snowfall weighing down his torso. He might be unconscious. Please help him. ]

☆ iii. UPON A STAR!!! ☆

[ wildcard option! i am more than open to having kaito help with any of the requests on the wishing board, or with investigations for this month. if you have any other ideas, feel free to hit me up on the discord! ]

i

[violetlies]

...Creepy? I thought you'd find potential in it.

[His tone is mildly amused.]

Didn't we already go on about how great infinite possibilities are, mm?

( open )

[myturf]

i.

[ Lounging on a park bench, generally ignoring the snow around her, Karin can first be found on her phone.

Yet again, the board's wishes were mostly annoying requests. It was irritating, evidenced by the grimace on her face as she read through them. It seemed as if her wish went ignored as expected, leaving easier requests as always. Eating ramen? This was going to help them against whatever big bad was looming?

And yet, she sat right up and took notice at the last wish. "I want to see the Kami of Love fall."

An eyebrow quirked, and she rubbed at her chin. ]

The balls to write that kinda thing where everyone can see it...

[ It's interesting. Not necessarily something she had a strong feeling on, but something that's going to lead her to keeping an eye on her phone, and smirking to herself. An idea's coming to mind. ]

ii.

[ Karin's not really one for ice skating. Reminded her too much of the past.

Still, she's certainly one for getting out of the cold for a while and exploring the castle was the simplest way to do that. Karin's spending her time admiring the sculptures, getting a good glimpse at the decor. The whole set up seemed pretty intricate, something that an actual kami should be capable of. Decadent, impressive.

Except, she gets a look at the furniture a bit closer and... raps her knuckles against a seat. The hell was the point of this thing? ]

S'just for decoration, ain't it?

[ She says to no one in particular. ]

iii.

(( okay i'm out of brain energy rn but if you want karin for anything hmu and i can put up a closed prompt for you! she's currently in her rude yakuza baby era! ))

Amity Blight | The Owl House

[blightedabomination]

[A; Waking Up (Meeting Ariel)]

[Darkness.

Is this what it's like, going through the portal to the human world? For all the aid she's given Luz in delving through Phillip Whittebane's diary these past few weeks, nothing could prepare her for this. What seemed like just a second ago she was lost in a swirling cacophony of sound and chaos, struggling to run as the world fell apart around her at the hands of a child god.

Just a second ago, Luz had tried to leave her and the others.

All of Amity's nerves are on fire, buzzing like an entire hive of fire bees, so the silence is almost unbearably loud as her heartbeat thumps wildly in her ears.]

Luz?

[She takes a step forward, but almost immediately stumbles back. A flurry of movement bursts before her eyes; her mother's cold, sharp motions as she dyed her hair green for the first time, her birthday when she yelled at Willow that she didn't want to be friends anymore, Luz drawing a light rune as they sat in a corridor in the Covention center, Belos, the Collector...

Nervously, Amity's hand drifts to her hip, where her flask still hangs.]

Luz? [She calls out again, much more warily.] Willow? Gus? Hunter?

[Something is very wrong. More wrong than things were just moments before. She doesn't move, not wanting to set off another burst of images, but sharp golden eyes scan left and right, trying to find any source of movement...]


[B; Arrival]

[So that was. Something. After everything Amity's been through in the past twenty-four hours, she can honestly say that encounter barely fazed her. Besides, there were more important things to worry about - if this wasn't the human world, where was she? Were her friends safe? Titan, what about the others back home? Her siblings, her dad, King and Eda and all the others... what had happened to them while the world seemed to crumble from the force of that weird kid?]

They're all right... they have to be...

[They're all so strong. Her friends and the adults. They'll... they'll figure something out. So that's what Amity has to do as well. Figure out a way to get out of here, to return to the Boiling Isles or find a way to the human world or something. But... it doesn't seem like she can do anything for now. Now she needs to find someplace to rest and recover, she needs to find food and warmth.

There were some locals starting to approach, but Amity pushes past them. This scrawny girl with dyed-purple hair and pointed ears, covered in scrapes and cuts and bruises, ducks her head down and tucks her hands in close to her - short sleeves and tights don't do well in fighting off the chill - and pushes onward. She's resourceful. She can figure something out herself, if her friends aren't here.]



[C; Snowed In]

[Some people are lucky to be stuck in a grocery store. At least there you have food, water, ways to hunker down and wait the snow out. Amity? Not quite so lucky. She'd been in a clothing store when the sudden storm swept by. Instead of panicking like some of the others there, she just... huffs. Like it's a minor annoyance, rather than a possible disaster waiting to happen.

She approaches the door, stretching up onto her tiptoes to try and see past the feet of snow suddenly piled up in front of it. The door opens inwards, so...]

Can't we just melt our way out?


[D; Wildcard]

[Got something you wanna throw at Amity that doesn't fit into one of the prompts? Put it here! You can hit me up at OwlKnight#3531 on discord if you wanna hash something out first!]

B

[glyphwitch]

[ Luz is on her way to the grocery store when she spots her. She's been running low on snack foods, and even lower on fruits and veggies. Her mind is elsewhere as she walks, still trying to connect the dots between the last few notes she's taken on Epsilon and working on her newest glyph combos. But every train of thought screeches to a halt as soon as she sees that familiar head of hair bobbing down the street. ]

...Amity?

[ No, no, she's been tricked before, seen spirits she mistook for Ghost, had dreams she woke up crying from, clutching her pillow as her sobs shook her body. It could be someone else, it took just be her eyes deceiving her.

She reaches a shaking hand towards her arm and pinches.

Blinks slowly.

When she opens her eyes, she's still there. ]

AMITY!

[ She takes off running, almost tripping over the edge of the sidewalk as she runs across the street with reckless abandon. ]

[ambertrickster]

I. Looking Around

[Kohaku wraps their arms around themselves as they look around the new place, ears flat on their head. Starsand, was it? It looks like it was full of people they could play with...sometime when they aren't so cold. Why were they brought here in winter!? Whatever, they'll just pester the first person they see, until they help.]

Heeeeey, I'm new in town. Care to show me around? Or at least show me where I can find a coat?

II. Hot Chocolate

[They are offered free hot chocolate, which they accept happily. They sit down, not far from where people were walking around to enjoy it. After taking a sip they realize it was spiced.]

Ack. Hot hot hot!

[Even though the spice didn't actually bother them that much, they act like it does, and even uses a little bit of their fire magic, to breath a small flame out of their mouth.]

III. Wishing Board

[Kohaku doesn't really understand the Wishing Board, but they like scavenger hunts, so here they are scouring the city for an ice sculpture. They didn't even know what it was of, but that was a small detail.]

Hey, hey, hey! Have you seen an ice sculpture around here?

I.

[noetetaking]

[Noe stops walking and looks down towards the unfamiliar voice. When he does, his eyes widen in concern.]

Absolutely! Ah, in the meantime…

[He takes off his coat, holding it out in offering.]

Please, take mine!