starsand | 【MINGLE】 December Mingle

Dec Intro

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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.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ 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. ]

[ Oop. Luckily for both of them, she doesn't think she said anything out loud. It's okay!

When Ushio greets her, Ryoko sits up straight and waves back. ]

Oh. Hey, Ushio! Cute dress.

[ Aaah, shake off the cobwebs... ]

Doing some shopping too?

Thanks. A little bit...

[ But more importantly, she saw her friend. She can't help but wonder-- ]

Are ya gettin' presents fer Christmas?

Oh. I'm... yeah, I am. Having a lot of trouble figuring out what to get, though.

What kinda trouble is it? Is it the kinda "I have too many options" thing or do you not have options?

Well... it's somewhere in the middle? It's... um, how do I put this? Kind of a gift and a message at the same time. Like, trying to communicate through the gift itself?

Sorry if I'm pryin' a bit, but... what kind of message, exactly?

[ A brief pause as her face goes a bit pink. ]

Uh... something like... I appreciate everything you've done for me? I'm glad that you're happy here? I... mmm. I really care about you?

[ Dancing around it, but. It's Ushio. She probably wouldn't make fun of her? ]

...ahhh, that... I want to make her happy, as happy as she makes me feel.

Oh!

[ She notices that shift in expression and hums about it a bit. ]

So somethin' like a pendant or a ring, maybe?

[ And then, she flails a bit. ]

Wwwwait, a ring is a bit much...! That, it's coming on really strong?!

[ A ring would only mean one thing?! ]

... Oh. Then go with a pendant.

...that... I can do that.

[ She sighs, staring directly at the floor. Trying to piece together words. ]

Stuff like this is easy to deal with until it involves you directly, huh? Like... you usually know the answer to a question, but the moment the teacher calls on you, you freeze up. Something like that.

...yeah. I've been there.

[ And eventually it was too late--Ushio couldn't tell him her feelings. In the end, the one who shared Ushio's feelings to Shinpei was her. ]

Ya gotta make sure yer really clear 'bout it.

Clear, huh...

[ They're both kind of dumb when it comes to feelings, but if she said it outright... ]

This might seem like a random question, but... what do you feel like "love" is?

I think that's somethin' that ya gotta define for yerself, yeah? I mean... love fer everyone's different, I think. But it's somethin' that's warm.

...Yeah, you're right.

Honestly, I've been hung up on that a lot. Love's kind of confusing, especially if you're not sure how it's supposed to feel. It's not really one kind of feeling though, I'm learning.

It hurts, it can be tough... but, when it's there, there's nothing really better.

It's a powerful feelin', that's fer sure.

[ She would know.

When you save the world with the person you love, when you sacrifice yourself for the person you love... it's a lot. ]

It's what powers the city, after all.

[ ...Which, she can help with that much, at least? ]

I know I'm doing this for a selfish reason, but... at least it'll still help everyone in some kind of way.

Yeah. But... it ain't bad to be selfish every now and again, y'know?

It's not, no.

...It's just kinda hard, I guess?

I get that.

But I believe in ya, Ryoko.

Thanks.

...Um, sorry. Did you still need to shop for stuff? I bet you have Christmas presents to buy too, right?

Ya ain't gotta apologize fer that. I have a few, but it's not like I'm in any rush or anythin'.

Sure, but Christmas'll be here before you know it. Our Cupid Angel of Christmas might be getting something for everyone, but that just means we still have to keep up.

Then I'll just have ta utilize my secret weapon. The Ushio Everywhere At Once System!

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