February Town Log

[kaisoumods]

February City Log
Dominant Element: Fire
Waning Element: Wind

Full Moon: February 11th - 13th

※
With the arrival of February, the worst of winter is finally past. In the sky, the Spirit Vein will take on the colors of fire, blazing across the sky in hues of red and orange. As such, the temperature will begin to warm to much more bearable weather. While it's still winter, as the month moves on it'll step closer and closer to spring with rising temperature and melting snow. Most of the days are sunny and bright, bringing much needed warmth to the town.

Valentine's Day

The season of love is once again here for Kaisou. Throughout the city, stores and streets are decorated in red and pink hearts along with loads of other romantic themed things. Just about everywhere you turn, there's vendors selling chocolates, flowers, jewelry, as well as mundane items that are trying desperately to be marketed as great Valentine's day gifts. If you're hoping to take your date out to eat for the special holiday, you better make reservations well in advanced- as the nicer restaurants will quickly fill up. But don't worry if you didn't plan ahead, because Papa's Omniria is open with a full Valentine's Day special line up that includes strawberries and pomegranate being added to just about everything - even if it's really questionable if it actually works (strawberry and pomegranate sushi?). Just be careful not to be the first customer of the week, unless you prefer to work through the holiday.

Down in Undertown, the merchants there have also gotten into the holiday spirit. Lots of stores are selling enchanted items used to help keep the spirit of love going: aphrodisiacs, enchanted rose petals, and various potions and enchantments that'll help you in the bedroom. The kitsune have also opened up a shop here, peddling beauty products that they claim will definitely attract a date-- but in reality the only date you'll be making is one to the Urgent Care to clear up a heart-shaped rash, or a date to salon to get the hot-pink dye out of your hair.

Looking for a more romantic getaway? The sparrow clan that live in the El Nido realm can also be found in Undertown, promoting their beach resort. For the small price of delicious birdseed, you'll be welcomed to stay at their beach resort paradise in El Nido. During your stay, you'll be given a 5-star treatment from room service, massages, spas, and a high quality restaurant where you can have a romantic dinner as the sunsets over the ocean. It might be a perfect way to spend a romantic holiday- or simply get away from the winter cold.

As usual, whether you're shopping in Undertown or around the city- you'll find an absence of any kind of true love potions. Those are seen as deeply taboo in paranormal circles. Even than less than moral vendors don't want to risk a visit from the Black Order peddling those.

Black Order Mission: Potion Seller

Speaking of the Black Order, just like every year, there's those people out there who use romantic holiday as an excuse to sell much more dangerous potions. Almost like clockwork, they start to hear reports of some dealing selling "love potions". Sure enough, if you look into it, you find victims who are dealing with the typical array of symptoms: obsessive love, disregards of personal well being, and blind devotion. Though there seems to be something a little bit different from this year's batch, as the victims seem ... more detached from reality than normal. They ramble incoherently more, and any victims that happen to be monsters are acting much more bestial, almost as if they've become feral.

Fortunately, there is an antidote. The Black Order headquarters will send batches of a bitter tasting antidote potion. While normally this clears up symptoms right away, this year? It'll still work, but some of the victims seem to experience symptoms similar to withdrawal over the course of the new few days. Luckily the symptoms will pass within a week, leaving the people back to normal. Still... was someone trying to make these love potions addictive?

Investigations of the source of the love potions will lead to an abandoned warehouse in the Warehouse district. It's a small operation, run by drug pushing thugs that just happen to have some supernatural powers. How they will go about dealing with these guys will be up to the Black Order Guardians. However should they investigate the warehouse, they won't find any sign that the love potion was produced there- it was shipped in from somewhere else.

[OOC: As usual, the results of the Black Order mission will be left up to the Black Order team! Characters not part of the black order can also take part in this plot, though the investigation and the fate of the thugs will be left up to TBO players]

Black Order Mission Results

(As discussed between mods and TBO players)

When the team reaches the warehouse, they are able to apprehend the potion sellers. They will interrogate with legal methods, using a good-cop, bad-cop method. Xie Lian will be a good cop but fail to persuade them. Wriothesley and Ayato will take on the role of bad cop and succeed in scaring the crap out of some of the potion sellers.

From this, they will learn that they heard the potion was devised by a person who goes by the name "H". Unfortunately, they won't get much more information than that, as one of the potion sellers will panic will decide it's better to resist than give up information to the Black Order. He will take a clear potion (the love potions are pink) from his coat pocket and chug it. This causes him to go berserk and fully lose himself to his monster side (which unfortunately, is a flame bear that is now much larger than normal). He will attack the Order, and a few other of the potion sellers will see this chaos as a chance to try to escape -- or to try to fight off the guardians.

When the dust settles, several of the potion sellers are now dead. The rest of them are really freaked out and opt to go quietly into custody. The team will decide to take a few samples of the Love potion to send to the order to analyze, before burning the place down.

Red Strings of Love

At the start of February, those who are connected to the Greek Pantheon (either by being a member or possessed by one), will be treated to a video message from the mysterious number 696-6969. Should you open it, you'll be treated to a full body video of Cupid in all his naked glory. He is completely unfazed by this as he delivers a quick message:

Hey Fam! Heard a bunch of you had moved to Kaisou, so thought I'd say hi. I'd love to drop in and visit for awhile, but as you know I'm totally swamped this time of year. You know, with the whole holiday about me and everything!

So thanks to Aunt Persie and the others in your town, my staff are back to work and more motivated than ever! Thanks so much with that help. Anyway, they wanted to test a new product and felt that Kaisou would be the PERFECT place to do it. So don't be surprised if you see some strings pop up around town- they're totally harmless, swear! You just gotta be emotionally honest if you want them to go away, so if one of you could let people know that if they start panicking- that'd be great.

I gotta run. Happy Valentine's day! Oh, and mom sends her love too- as always, ha. And Uncle D? Love the new arm candy you got, talk about a 10/10, rawr!

Oh oh, and Polly? I heard you sucked at archery again- you're never gonna hit a poor guy in his heel again at this rate. Never knew you had a thing for fishermen though, Uncle Po-Po would be delighted!

Byeeee! Love to you all!

Everyone else in the city will not receive such a message. Which means you have no warning to what's to come... but also you were spared having to stare at Cupid's dick. So, maybe you're the lucky ones after all.

Sure enough, around the city, if you're spending time with someone, you have a chance to have a string appear on your wrists that will tie the two of you together. The color of the string will depend on your relationship with the person: red (romantic), pink (friendship), white (family), orange (rivalry), or candy stripped for the very complicated relationships.

These strings can not be untied or removed by hand. The only way to get rid of them is to be emotionally honest with your feelings towards the other. If both of you manage to vocalize your true feelings for each other, the string will disappear and you'll be free. However if you try to lie or deny? The strings will both tighten and increase - until you two are virtually tied together.

Looks like it's time to open up about your feelings!

OOC Notes

The dominant element this month is Fire! Anyone with an affinity to the water element will find themselves boosted throughout the month. This could mean a boost to their power, having more energy, feeling more inspired with creativity, having better luck on different attempts -- the boost can manifest in all sorts of different ways. By contrast, anyone with an affinity for Wind will be experiencing the opposite. Perhaps their powers will be weaker, they have less energy, they're having a creative block or general worse luck - again it can manifest in all sorts of way and players are free to play with this mechanic as they'd like.

The original OOC plotting post for this event can be found here. There will be a second log about the spirit realm event and a midmonth Zodiac posted on the 15th.

Comments

closed to Harumasa | closed to Ranga

[threebetrayals]

Cousin He Knows

[Kunikaki is at Ragna's r/malelivingspace, mostly because he does try to make a point of visiting once a week and harassing his cousin for food, when a white string appears on their wrists.]

What the fuck.

Cousin He Doesn't

[White string appearing while visiting Ragna? Annoying. White string appearing when he's out minding his own business? That pisses him off.

Kuni lifts up his wrist, trying to find who the hell has the other end.]

Tsuki, I swear to god...

[life_ethereal]

[Harumasa's just minding his own business when he feels a tug on a white string. Absently, he looks over in the direction of the tugging.

He stares at Kunikaki. His brain short-circuits as he blurts out:]

Who's Tsuki?

[More importantly, his brain catches up to ask the better question:]

Wait wait wait, what's this supposed to mean?!

[centralfiction]

[Man, fuck off Kuni he has a shelf now! It even has some books and pictures on it! Some for cooking some for music study, oddly enough. What a weird thing for him to have. There's even -- get this -- a decorative bowl.

That has actual fruits he just eats from.

He is in fact making some food for the little brat, some tonkatsu specifically, and when he went to go grab something for it he felt a tug on his wrist? And at the same time as his cousin:]

What the fuck?

Dr. Ratio | Honkai: Star Rail | OTA

[mediocrites]

i. who ever heard of a time fly?

[The local high school, as you may have heard, is holding an archery contest! Unusually, it seems the grumpy physics professor from the university is participating in one of the rounds. The windy twink who can occasionally be seen giving him pointers on his stance might have something to do with that.

After all is said and done, he's walking away with a prize and a misspelled plaque.] If they're giving away that much in prize money, you'd think they could hire a better inscription service.

ii. emotional displays

[Throughout the first half of the month it's easy to catch Ratio around town hovering over various shop displays, clearly vacillating over gift ideas.] None of the flowers are in season this time of year...are roses and chocolates too much of a cliché, or are they classic for a reason? No, I need to do something more personal...

[He's very much not paying enough attention to his surroundings, so feel free to bump into him or strike up a conversation.]

iii. wildcard

[any other ideas? he's around the university a lot so you can start something there, or hit me up on discord at thornweaver if you want to plot!]

i

[droptheious]

[Varian is not here to join the competition himself, he's here to support his friends. Well, and Jun. Mostly Jun. Sorry guys, he likes you all a great deal but boyfriend trumps everything. Still, he likes spending time with Ratio, so he'll make his way over, not noticing the string forming between them.]

Hey, Dr. Ratio! Yeah, Jun managed to nab one too. They uh... they really seemed to cut corners with the trophy, huh? It's almost as if they didn't even expect someone to win.

i

[neverchanged]

[Aventurine is there when he finally walks off the green, his hands shoved in the pockets of a very warm-looking green peacoat.]

Ah, Ratio. I see you're getting along with Venti. [There's a moment of hesitation before the name, because he almost used a different one.] Want to celebrate your flawless victory with some coffee?

[This might be... an invitation? To ask backstory questions? Maybe?]

ii

[thewarriorqueen]

While not out looking for gifts of any sort herself, there were still groceries and such things to buy. And while Meredith wasn't really the sort to eavesdrop, the thing about talking out loud in public spaces meant other people could hear you whether they meant to or not.

"... Need some advice?"

Or maybe just a person to bounce ideas off of.

ii

[rupturingheaven]

[Maybe it's a little unusual seeing Bailey also looking over the displays--it's no secret that they're single and not particularly looking, after all--but they do like to get a little something for their friends for the holiday.

She was absolutely wandering over to say hello to Ratio, but she tilts her head when she hears him talking over gift ideas out loud.]

Supplement the more personal gift with the roses and chocolates, maybe?

Baizhu | Genshin Impact | OTA

[pharmacologic]

i. business hours

[Bubu Pharmacy isn't a big-box corner store, so you won't find snacks and valentines here alongside the medicines. Still, there is a little corner display where the proprietor has put together a range of products from scented candles and hair dyes to condoms and personal lubricants - the latter angled discreetly away from the door to encourage the shyer customers to peruse.

There's still a space heater behind the counter, but Baizhu does seem in better spirits compared to last month's chill. He's also got notable patches of white scaled skin on his arms, and a little bit creeping up one side of his neck, which weren't there last month.]

Welcome to Bubu Pharmacy! Do let me know if there's anything I can help you with.

ii. out of office

[On his days off, you might catch sight of him around Undertown, browsing the consumables being sold there. He doesn't seem particularly discriminate about what types he's examining, going from warming oils to scented rose petals with equal degrees of mild interest.]

Oh, I don't have anyone myself. Just curious about the selection, really.

iii. wildcard

[come up with something else, or plot with me at thornweaver on discord!]

i

[onahairtrigger]

[Josuke lifts a hand in greeting.]

Just here for my monthly restocking. [The first aid kits at his home, Cygnus, and Meropide aren't going to refill themselves, after all.

Not that it stops him from glancing at the corner display while he's here. He's got a boyfriend, of course he's going to look.

Eventually, he makes his way over to the counter. He's about to attempt small talk about how the weather warming up is clearly doing Baizhu some good, but he pauses once he catches a glimpse of those patches of white scales.]

Oh, huh. When'd those happen?

Ritsuka Fujimaru | Fate/Grand Order | open!

[prunedworlds]

[I. Chocolate-making]

Valentine's day was approaching, and that meant chocolate. Specifically, in Ritsuka's case, lots and LOTS of homemade chocolates for all of her friends and family. And maybe a few extras for anyone else who might be around so they wouldn't feel left out.

For the first couple weeks of the month, she could often be spotted around town, either stocking up on supplies or picking up that one thing she forgot. Or didn't realize she needed. Or she just had this great idea but it needed something else, you get the picture. That said, she'd still pause to greet any familiar (or not!) faces.

"Oh, hi! You're out shopping too?"


On the other hand, if you so much as expressed even the smallest interest, she would gladly show you how to make your own chocolates for Valentine's gifts. Even sharing her supplies, it's fine, she probably bought more than she needed anyway and she can just get more.

"So basically, you kinda have to know what you want to make first, and then figure out how you're gonna do it..."


[II. Threads of Friendship]

Generally speaking, Ritsuka was pretty open about her feelings. Quick to acknowledge others as friends and all that. Still, she could at times be rather oblivious, not to mention that the other half of such connections might not be nearly as open as she was.

All of which was to say that it was still entirely possible she might find herself unexpectedly tied to someone, for one reason or another.

"Uh."


[Wildcard]

Have another idea? Want to plot? Feel free to hit me up in PM or Discord (Altocumulus) or just throw me a tag.

ii

[jackdawvision]

"Hm."

Where'd this pink-and-white string, striped like one of those candy canes or those friendship bracelets, come from, he wonders. He holds it up and squints at it, then at Ritsuka. "What sort of crafts have you been getting into lately?" he asks.

Knuckles the Echidna | Sonic the Hedgehog (movie-verse) | Open!

[ampersand_me]

[I. Gemini Text]

what is a vall in times ?


[II. Red Is In]

Knuckles had, perhaps fortunately, arrived in Kaisou after Valentine's season last year. Why fortunately, you might ask? Well, look no further than to pretty much any time he happened to be around the normies right now:

"Awww, aren't you an adorable little fella, all dressed in red like that! You must really love Valentine's Day!"

"I do not know what you speak of, I always look like this."

The closer the 14th loomed, the worse it got. Please, someone help the poor kid out.


[Wildcard]

Have another idea? Want to plot? Feel free to hit me up in PM or Discord (Altocumulus) or just throw me a tag.

I. text, un: eve

[playtag]

It's a holiday, named for St. Valentine.

Valentine's Day is a celebration about love. A time when people give gifts to those they like.

Rose | FFXIV | WoL OC | Open to Any Established CR

[poisontippedcure]

[Threads of Fate]

[Rose is spending February getting up to what she usually gets up to. Troublesome city or no, she has no reason to actually change her schedule. It'll be fine, she's survived getting kidnapped and tortured, what's the worst the city could do? Make her talk about her feelings?]

[That means she's out and about when the strings begin to appear. Whether it's at work, out with friends, or helping around the Fortress, suddenly something is tying you to Rose's wrist.]

[The most she can do is look down and shake her head, as if she was an mmo protagonist that could only communicate by pantomiming.]

Oh, you have got to be kidding me.

[soulreleaser]

[ Now, it's very strange that there's a thread attached to Veldora at all.

He's very honest about his feelings. To a fault, perhaps; he's loud and proud and verbose and quick to declare people his friends, even if they'd perhaps not like to be so tied to such a living personification of noise and chaos, but that's besides the point. He's forward with people.

So the string around his wrist comes as a puzzlement, indeed.

He knows what the Red String of Fate is from the Texts--it's something of a vague understanding, but he gets the idea of bonded destiny and being tied to someone. He's got at least one bond like that already--his unbreakable vow of fealty and brotherhood with Rimuru would certainly be a red string of some sort, wouldn't it?

But who would warrant such a bond here, in this world, that Veldora wouldn't have already effusively gushed about?

(He tugs the string, thoughtful, and begins to follow it with curiosity burning in his breast. ]

Whomever do you go to, little string?

Beredvyn of Nal (Meredith Nelson) | OC | open!

[thewarriorqueen]

[I. Just a Normal Day]

Meredith, for one, was fairly indifferent when it came to Valentine's Day. So while she certainly wasn't out buying chocolates and gifts, she did still need to pick up groceries every so often, and could generally be found around town as much as usual.

That said, some of the more... enthusiastic merchants certainly tried their best to convince her to pick up something for the holiday anyway.

"No thanks. Really. I'm not even seeing anyone right now... No, I do not need to 'treat myself' because of that, either."

Some people just couldn't take a hint, apparently.


[II. That One Sportsball Game]

Early in the month, a fairly short text post was made to the Gemini network:

"If anyone's interested in watching the Super Bowl let me know, I'll have it on at my place. Snacks provided, just give me a heads up so I know how much to get."

Should any of those who happen to be interested in sports (or just want to see what all the fuss is about, or just want to see what zaniness happens in the halftime show, Meredith won't judge) take her up on her offer, she would indeed have the living room at her cousin's house set up with plenty of space to watch the game. And plenty of snacks, to boot. Cheer on whoever you want, ask Meredith what heck is even going on, and please don't feed the griffin.


[CLOSED to Noctis]

Sometimes, you notice that your friend is having a rough time, and suggest a night out to take his mind off it. And sometimes, because you both had much more important things on your mind, you don't stop to think about your timing. Which leads to having to clear up some awkward misunderstandings, even if things were mostly fine after that.

But Meredith still felt pretty bad about the whole thing, as evidenced by the fact that she was apologizing again as they headed out.

"I really am sorry, I should have stopped to think about it, at least..."

The whole point had been to give Noctis a chance to relax a little, not give him something else to stress over!


[Wildcard]

Have another idea? Want to plot? Feel free to hit me up in PM or Discord (Altocumulus) or just throw me a tag.

[illucesco]

They really hadn't stopped to think about it—mostly, what they'd figured was that the one thing they both had in common was a fondness for this particular restaurant, since Meredith's idea of a fun night out is significantly different from Noctis's, which tends to take place inside, on the couch, playing a video game. And Noctis has not thought about Valentine's Day in years beyond jokingly bemoaning his singlehood.

So the waiter coming by with a bottle of wine had been appreciated, because it's been a long goddamn week. The live band descending on them to play music? Significantly less appreciated. But hey, at least the week can't get worse, he supposes.

He sighs, shakes his head. "It's fine," he says, tugging the collar of his jacket up absently. Probably the jacket and History's Hitmen T-shirt should've been a great big clue to them, who comes to a date wearing their ratty old fandom shirt? "Should've realized it myself, honestly. It's just been a weird week, you know? But I'm fine. Let's just eat hot dogs at the nearest stall."

Edward Kenway | Assassin's Creed

[jackdawvision]

[one: the harbor statue]

[Lately, the statue of the Hydro Archon at the harbor has had a scarf and a knit hat with ear flaps on it, as if someone keeps clambering up to place them on. Today, in the first days of February, if you happen to be out early, you'll find Edward up on the statue, carefully winding the scarf around the statue's neck and adjusting a new hat on its head.]

If it turns out she can't feel this it'll be really embarrassing, hm? [He says to the chef rat at the base of the statue, who is fixing an arrangement of pastries in a basket (with the assistance of Kidd the Pod). Bonnet the rat chitters back, and Edward snorts out a laugh.] It's a logical assumption to make! It's still fairly cold.

[It might be a good time to ask him what he's doing up there.]

[two: extrovert problems | established cr]

[This is beginning to get on his nerves.

The first one was funny, if a bit nerve-wracking. Now, though, Edward looks a little annoyed when the string appears, probably in a deeply inconvenient way—as he was about to leave, or as he was just about to stand up to grab some coffee, or even as he was about to go haring off up a wall. He's dragged back by the string, and snarls:]

Oh, what the fuck, I'll strangle whoever keeps doing this with their own guts. [He flicks out a hidden blade and tries to cut the string, only to wince as it tightens around his wrist.] Damn it. Shit. That's my idea off the table, have you got any?

Two

[bebest]

[Zulius was just about to go trotting off on his otherwise busy day. February means a lot of people having romantic dates, which means he's run off his hooves most days as people filter into the theatre. He's jerked back as the thread appears, watching as Edward tries to cut it away, before raising his hand, turning it this way and that.]

Ooooooooooh~ It's white. Do you think I could paint some black stripes on it and accessorise?

[ That's... not what Edward asked but that's what he's getting! ]

Noa Kaiba | OTA + CLOSED

[blueeyeswhitedoppelganger]

[GIVE ME YOUR STRONGEST POTIONS (Open to non-TBO) ]

[Sometimes day-to-day life in Kaisou goes like this;

There is a sphinx (winged) walking around with a black kitty vest. Make that running around. Make that 'pinning a bizarrely amorous citizen before hauling them against the wall on his hind legs'.

Sometimes day-to-day life involves watching a sphinx somehow pull out a bottle from his vest using a paw, rip the cork out, and stuff the contents down a bizarrely amorous citizen's throat.]

Drink this, the entire thing, thank-you.

[The bottle is emptied. The presumably cured victim proceeds to collapse, muttering on the ground.

The sphinx just sits.] That's one down...

[How Annoying!]

[CLOSED - YUGOT COMPLICATED]

[After all that nonsense, Noa could use a break. And okay, maybe a break doesn't normally entail a house tour, but that's what he's using his break for. He told Yugo he's no longer homeless, not that he was in the first place. Yugo said, 'wow cool can i come over', or something in similar words, and then the city was overrun with illegal love potions.

Great news, the potions are gone and the warehouse is ashes, no thanks to that damnable fire bear. Though, he supposes, it had nothing on that stupid fox in the Ark. Ah, well.

At the Crystal Tower, Noa will thus be waiting near the stairs. Just to make sure someone doesn't get lost.

Can't be too careful.]

Yugo-t Complicated!

[oneracetrackmind]

[Yugo is braving the February weather (and his element being weaker this month, not that he's quite connected the weakened Wind element to his burst of worse luck than usual yet) to finally visit Noa in his new home!]

Hey, Noa! I'm here! [Let's see your new home, Noa!]

Veldora Tempest | That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

[soulreleaser]

text; un: tempestdragon - we commit to the bit in this house

[ a text post will appear on the network. Veldora needs people smarter than him to weigh in on a conundrum. ]

Hekk7 griends!! Dirs anyibe kniw whay these shrjbgs are for???

UN: hikari-vi | Text

[whiteshroud]

Oh you mean the Red Threads of Fate?

They're a very popular fanfiction trope! Usually they show up to help people discover they're soulmates. I guess some mage got some ideas for valentine's day.

sung jinwoo | solo levelling | ota

[lowestclass]

1. // Friendship and Family || open to friends + found family

[ luck is on his side today as he's possessed with a shadow king and not a god; so he wakes up blissfully without a video text from a certain naked greek god. However, he does wake up with an odd sensation on his wrist. waking up groggily from a nap he was taking on his couch, the sound of Seventh Samurai still playing on his tv, he'll stare down at the oddly colored string on him and... stare.

And lightly lift his head, drifting the gaze to where the string is tied.

Be it in his own house or outside it, Curiosity is killing this Black Cat and he'll follow it to its source. Especially strange if its outside; Jinwoo will show up with his usual large umbrella set against his shoulder to protect against the sun, and a confused look on his face as he lifts his arm to show off the string.

Hello??? ]

--Looks like we had the same idea to follow it. But it appears magical, it was way longer than this when I...

...
Sorry. Not important. Did you cast this spell?

1. // No Lonely Hearts Club || Closed to Lapis

[ and then the red string appears. He's sitting on his bed and leading around a certain little nebula-like pokemon in a circle with a box of chocolate-covered cherries he'd bought, teasing her only gently with them before the little creature manages to trip and fall as a... string suddenly comes into view. He lifts his head to stare at the thing before realising it... is tied around his wrist?

He quickly scoops up the now crying little pokemon, quickly offering her the chocolate-covered fruit he'd been teasing her with and quickly moves to go find Lapis to ask if she's seeing this shit.

As the string trails down the hallway and...
...Is attached to Lapis, actually, who's standing in the livingroom. ]

--Ah.

Is.
Is this part of our pact...?

[crisantemo]

[ Lapis had been tending to some of the plants in the living room, fussing over some of the flowers and thinking over new arrangements before she feels a tug on her wrist. There's a pause, a blink, as she glances down and tilts her head. What's this...

At least the "where" of this string is answered when Jinwoo walks in, with one teary baby and the string wrapped around his wrist as well. Well, this is weird. ]

Nope, it's not. I don't really know what it is... [ She's very sure about that. There's always that gentle pull towards Jinwoo with her tether but this is

A far more literal pull. There's an experimental tug as if that will get it to loosen, before she steps over to gently pet the teary Cosmog. ]

There, there, darling... [ Though why does the string feel a bit tigher- ]

Are you able to loosen it at all?

Wriothesley || Genshin Impact || OtA

[loupmorque]

1. // People of The Fortress || open to friends + found family

[ It's his turn in the kitchen in Meropide today. As such, he's hard at work--a kitchen brush in one hand, and a pair of tongs in the other as he continues to coat a slowly cooking rack of ribs in the stove, applying more layers of bold sauce to them as they broil.

So imagine how he jumps when he sees the trace of a string, of all things, close to a heat source???

He lifts his wrist up and stares, openly, at the strange string that's... attached to him? His doglike ears lift and swivel as he turns to look around--either at who might be spending time in the kitchen preparing food with him, or someone that's come to visit for their free meal.

He gives a little laugh, almost in disbelief. ]

It's not safe to tie things to me while I'm close to a stove, you know. Be careful.

1. // ni rire, ni vis || Closed to Furina

[ he's not always in the fortress. After all, his most private home is out in the city; a shared space with a quiet dragon man and the once-Archon of Fontaine, he still likes to spend time here to keep himself from returning to being isolated down in the cold lonely confines of his office.
And maybe, just maybe, he likes being aboveground every now and again, the smell of the air and the coldness of the snow outside.

He's serving tea and cake to Furina while Neuvillette is out on some work order with his Law office, and it's when he places a slice of the fine fruit parfait-like cake in front of her, that he notices she's got a starkly different colored bit of ribbon on her outfit today. Hm. Strange. ]

Red's not ordinarily your color. It's mine. Changing some things up, miss? [ he teases her with a slight lilt to his voice as he reaches forward to poke her nose--only to realise he, too, has the same ribbon on his wrist.

....huh. ]

[majeste]

[ it's nice to spend some time up here, in this spare they share with Nuevillette. here where the world falls away and they are the only people in it. away from the noise, the lights, the pressures of everyday living and from just everything. it's comfortable here, safe, and she is surrounded by the two most important people in her life.

she'd been engrossed in a script when he places the slice of parfait-like cake down in front of her, her gaze flicking up to him with a thankful smile before going back down to the script. the story is a sweet one, of star-crossed lovers fighting to find one another, overcoming trial after trail to finally be together─

wait, what? ]

Hmm? [ she looks up again and he reaches to poke her nose, the self-same piece of red wrapped around his own wrist. ] What are you talkin─ [ how did she not notice it until now? Furina lifts her wrist to look at the flash of red wrapped around it. at the piece of string that binds together hanging momentarily loosely in the air. ]

Oh.

Alhaitham | Genshin | ota

[aquilaconstellation]

[Love is in the air and Alhaitham is a bystander. You might find him on a bench somewhere, one leg crossed over the other, while his attention is on the book he holds in his hand. Next to him sits a bag of donut holes dressed in various red and pink colors and toppings.

Occasionally he looks up to watch the people who pass and listen to whatever snippets of conversations happen despite the airpods in his ears. He looks like he has something to say, but instead turns back to the book. ]

[Wildcard]
[Or you can bother him anywhere else. Go with your heart. 'Tis the season.]

[rupturingheaven]

[Speaking of books, incoming returner of lost things. It's probably unsurprising to see the book in her hand as she approaches, though she pauses after seeing him look like he wants to say something before returning to his book more than once.]

Something on your mind?

Cordelia "Lia" Brooks | Original | OTA

[blossominghopes]

seasonal finds
[Lia, for one, is not nearly as concerned with anything specifically romantic. Anyone who happens across her in the grocery store will find her happily putting some Valentine's themed treats in her basket.

As she picks up a box of heart-shaped snack cakes, she hums thoughtfully to herself.]

Hmm, maybe those slice and bake sugar cookies, while I'm at it...?

[Listen. She does not always have the energy to make things from scratch, damn it.]

post-TBO mission: potion seller, I will beat you senseless
[After that absolute disaster of a mission, Lia is tired. Perhaps you're lucky(?) enough to catch her as she's dragging herself into the Fortress... lightly singed and smelling of smoke. If you stop her here, she'll be more than happy to chat, even if she does seem a bit tired.

Alternatively, one shower later, the door to Lia's room is open as she just engages in a little Floor Time, laying flat on her back and staring up at the ceiling. She won't turn down any company, as indicated by the open door.

Later, she can be found in the kitchen, messing around on her phone as she waits for a pan of brownies to cool. After a few moments, she looks up with a soft "ah"--]

... These're almost cool, if you want one?

wildcard
[If you've got another idea, I'm available for plotting on Discord at novakaisers~]

post-mission

[actnormal]

Knock knock, I've got your stuff Lia--uh?

[He nudges opens the door a little more, carrying the bags of Lia's grocery order only to be stopped by Lia on the floor.]

You okay?

Gilgamesh | Fate/ | OTA + closed to Sampo

[throwmoreswords]

one. reaching for the sky I stand alone - OTA

[ what in the Hell.

maybe he's at the Vogue, keeping his highly-judgemental wine-warmed watch, or maybe he's accepting some sort of delivery of goods and services--but Gilgamesh is staring at the string that's sprouted between the pair of you with the the same sort flat displeasure that a cat would stare at a particularly yappy puppy. ]

What is this?

two. and love just took me by surprise, looking through your eyes - closed to Sampo

[ meanwhile.

Gilgamesh is... comfortable, at least. They've gotten a call about another parcel of ore that needs to be assessed and sent onwards to Blade if it's something of interest, so his mood is better than it has been. He's in such a fine mood, in fact, that he's decided to stop over for coffee--pulling his car into a parking space and sauntering ahead of Sam into one of the little corporate sugar-factories that Sam prefers, pausing to hold the door for his partner with a wry look over his shoulder. ]

I'm guessing you're not to be moved on your choice, even if the sugar does nothing for you?

[anyprice]

I might not be able to taste it--or feel the temperature of the drink for now, but! The thing is!
It still gives me a nice boost of energy that I definitely feel. And besides, if I stop eating or drinking things I like while my body's hit the pause button for now, then I'll become a boring guy. What if, when I get my senses back, because I spent all this time just eating boring things to fill my stomach, my body becomes--gasp--unadjusted to them?

And that I'd have to spend the rest of my days--sob--drinking plain hot cocoa or even--can you imagine-- Plain Black Coffee.

Oh, the absolute horror.

[ even though he's definitely feeling weird these days--stronger than he used to be, with strange powers he can't figure out fully yet--he's still continuing to be his usual self. that's a relief in itself at least, right? ]

Ghilley Adair | FFXIV OC | ota!

[tonberrykin]

one. shopping is an art. i am an artist. please respect me. -do shopping!

[ so like, the stuff in Undertown is clearly supposed to be just a little funky and maybe a bit scammy but man Ghilley loves weird shit like this. his hoodie pouch is slowly filling with things that either imply his romantic partner is gonna have a Weird, Weird night, or he's working to win a scavenger hunt that has 'buy things together to weird out the cashier' as a point possibility. handcuffs are involved. they are fuzzy and pink.

particularly, the kitsune are yapping their yap and Ghilley is staring so, so covetously at the pink hair dye they're repping--if you need to go to the hospital for uncontrollable pinkness then that is a skill issue on your part and you need to fortify emotionally about it. he's futzing through his pockets to attain Ultimate pinkness. ]

two. with all the emotional clarity of a hurricane in a fogbank - do strings!

[ well.

well well well.

if it were just Ghilley being tied up with string, apply pipebomb might've been a viable answer, but since he's tied to someone there's other things that have to be contemplated while he tries not to think about all that weeb red-string-of-fate stuff that came up during anime nights at the Fortress. tugging doesn't work, cutting the string makes it worse... so Ghilley goes for another option!

and no it's not being emotionally honest. ]

So hands are a renewable resource if you have a clever enough healer. And hey! I can probably use an axe with one arm, so it won't go too badly. I'll have us out of this in a jiffy, quick as you can say 'well, your nickname's Stumpy now'.

Hermes | Stray Gods | ota

[doublethumbsup]

1) GEMINI TEXT: un; doordasher
I DIDNT DO IT
THATS NOT EROS EROS IS A BIG BEAR WHOS INTO LEATHER AND NOT STRING
WHY IS THERE SO MUCH STRING D:

[Thus says Hermes, unaware that not everyone got to see that video.]



2) STRING THEORY: friendship edition
[The trouble with being Hermes is their personality. Their golden-retriever type personality. They talk to anyone once and they consider themselves to have made a friend. Normally, that's a good thing!]

[It's less of a good thing when you roll out through a Doorway into the city proper and... look like a crazed marionette for all the pink strings hanging off you. Mostly pink. There's some white, but they haven't noticed for all the pink.]

UuuuuuuUUUUHH?

[Maybe if they stay very, very still, nothing will get tangled up. Which is a great plan if they weren't somewhere public. A street corner? The halls of the underwater fortress? It's a roulette!]


((ooc: If your character has some kind of Greek god connection please feel free to assume there's a white thread, if you like, and confuse the heck out of Hermes.))

1

[aslowburn]

[Oh right. She- she probably should have warned them... about this.

Oops ]

That is this world's Eros. We came across him last year. He has a... love factory. He's about as obnoxious as our Eros used to be, before he became so mopey.

[Persephone, that's depression. Eros has depression. Don't be like this. ]

He was naked last time, too. It's best not to think about it, honestly. At least this time he doesn't seem to have feelings arrows all over the damned place.

Gravelord Nito | Dark Souls | OTA

[end_singer]

Heartstrings

[While the living around him concern themselves with the upcoming holiday, Nito finds himself somewhat preoccupied by the recent appearance of something... rather specific in the Cathedral Hill cemetery. Something familiar.

Anyone who happens to be looking for Nito will find him meandering around a massive stone sarcophagus, gently encouraging plants to grow around and onto it as much as would be natural for the winter weather. A fine time for company, perhaps, whether or not it's enforced by the sudden appearance of colored string.]