EVENT ★ WINTER WONDERLAND, THE RECKONING

[futurologists]

HAPPY (NONDENOMINATIONAL) HOLIDAYS When recruits arrive back at Oska, they'll find the place already full of other ALASTAIR teams visiting Oska, and the castle and grounds entirely decked out in festive cheer. The castle is draped in purple and white finery, with a light dusting of unmelting snow everywhere -- even inside, somehow. Don't worry, the indoor snow has been enchanted to be strangely warm. Dagny has taken it upon herself to add a little plant life in and around the castle: mistletoe, of course. It can be spotted growing in little sprigs out of chinks in castle walls, around from wooden doorframes, or even sprouting out of other, unrelated trees. You're never really safe from mistletoe. And what would the use of mistletoe be without the enchantment? Dagny has made sure that there are enough variant species of the mistletoe to offer something for everyone. Recruits may find themselves stuck under any manner of mistletoe, trapped until they fulfill the mistletoe geas. The Classic: This is the standard magical mistletoe, that traps people in a lightly shimmering sphere until they exchange a kiss. Any kind of kiss will do, just pucker up! The Papilion: This is similar to the classic, but its berries come in brilliant shades of orange and pink. It will only release its catch after a butterfly kiss. Clinging Merriment: This mistletoe is all wrapped up in itself, and climbs whatever surface it's on in twisting spirals. All it wants from its catch is a hug, but make it a good one! The Lively Stepper: This mistletoe seems to shiver in some unfelt breeze, and if you listen closely enough, there's a gentle chime of bells that fades when you lean away from it again. People stuck under this plant will have to dance together, to whatever music they can find or make. Whispering Mary: This mistletoe comes with deep purple leaves and seems to hide within itself. Only after a secret has been shared from each person trapped under it will it flower open and release them. Evening Gown: This mistletoe is a gaudy display, with brilliant green leaves and splendid white blossoms instead of berries. It will only release its catch after they compliment each other -- and the Evening Gown always knows when it hears a genuine compliment, and accepts no substitutions! Catflowers: Dagny didn't put this kind out, and has named them after the suspected perpetrators. She's been trying to take them down when she finds them, but there might be a few she's missed. This thorny sprig of mistletoe will only release its catch after they've punched each other. Sorry about that. THE WINTER BALL Exciting news, passed from recruit to recruit and team to team: the castle will host a ball soon! It's set to be on the second night of team Audentes's arrival in Oska, and it's going to be a truly extravagant affair. Nothing to wear? No fear! The wardrobes in each recruit's room will open upon an enormous display of fancy clothing in a multitude of styles. Once you've settled on one (and somehow, the wardrobe knows the difference between trying on and settling on), the rest of the outfits vanish the next time it's closed. The festivities start as soon as the sun begins to sink. Music filters through the air, growing louder to guide partygoers through the castle and into the dance hall, which was definitely not a room in existence until today. The music flows from no discernable source, sometimes swirling orchestral pieces, sometimes something with a heavier beat, for a different kind of dancing. The selection is as varied as the ALASTAIR teams tend to be. Listen long enough, and you might even hear something from your own home universe. A large glass flower shimmers in the center of the room, under which various recruits have taken to leaving presents for one another. Be sure to stop by and check the brightly wrapped parcels for your name! Team Audentes in particular gets a special gift. The north side of the room is decorated in an unmistakable Christmas theme, complete with an enormous, glittering tree. The care put into these decorations definitely has a personal touch, it might even outshine the rest of the hall's decor. Each member of the team has a lovingly wrapped box complete with a bow under this tree, and upon opening it will find a small, intricately detailed, never-melting ice sculpture of themselves -- very possibly in a ridiculous pose. Those who were acquainted with former teammate Nicholas St. North will find that their sculpture features two figures: themselves, and North himself. And of course, what party would be complete without the food? The kitchen has really outdone itself with its spread of delicious foods, suited to all appetites and palates. From gently steaming roasted bird to strangely colored foreign piles of tiny quivering spheres, there's something for everyone. Including the alcoholics among us: the punch is delicately spiked with that incredibly strong drink of Nalawi, which leaves a pleasantly fruity aftertaste and an immediate alcoholic burn. (Any children partaking will find that their cups have somehow filtered out any alcohol and are strangely juice-only.) ICE MAZE Outside the castle, the courtyard has been transformed. Giant shimmering ice walls have sprung up seemingly overnight, forming endless, winding pathways: an ice maze. Stepping into this beautiful, gleaming maze immediately cuts off all sound from the castle life around, so loud just a moment ago. Inside the maze is only the crunch of light snow underfoot, the sound of one's own breathing, and the echoes that bounce faintly here and there. Throughout the maze one might find bits of warm, inviting clothing. A pair of bright red mittens, a puffy coat that fits perfectly to the wearer, a scarf woven in brightly colored, warm wool. If a maze-goer chooses to ignore and walk past this clothing, they might find that something begins to follow them. It starts as just an unsettling feeling, but put off accepting the clothing for long enough and it may turn into lurking shadows in the corner of an eye, a black shape that's there in one second and vanished in the next. A faint yowl may float down a corridor, vaguely feline if only it weren't so deep. Whatever that came from must have been large. Accepting and wearing just one of the offered clothing chases away this unwanted visitor immediately, and in just five minutes more the ice maze will finally bring you out the other side. Don't take any of its gifts, though, and the maze may just lead you to meet the Yuletide Cat instead. (Which just so happens to be Cherenkov and Crowley sharing a giant cat costume. Don't laugh, they worked hard on it.) THE VILLAGE Far outside the castle, the village has been brought back to warm, glowing life. Or at least, that seems to be the case. Team Hearthstone was recently on a mission to recover an item called the Time Catch, and has used it to temporarily, visually turn time back to a time when the village of Oska was populated and lively. Humanoid villagers, all in various shades of purple and blue, hurry to and fro, talking and laughing in a language that goes untranslated by the magitek jewelry. They don't react to any of the recruits, though, and trying to touch any of them will have your hands passing straight through them. Even the restored village around them is just an illusion. One can walk straight into one of the villager's houses and find the warmth of the fire and aroma of the roasted fowl to be completely believable -- but trying to take a seat at the set table will send you crashing straight to the ground to sit in the illusion-covered rubble. THE SQUIDGE PARK After the festivities wind down, you may want to visit the newest addition to the Oska grounds -- the brand new squidge park. After Audentes's success in its mission on Zeta-12, ALASTAIR has been gifted with a clutch of squidge eggs to look after. Audentes need not worry about the squidges in their absence; there will always be someone in Oska to make sure the jelly-like aliens are being nurtured properly. The squidge park is located off the greenhouses in the courtyard; it's an enclosure containing many artificial habitats so the squidges may interact with different environments to help them grow. Right now, they are just eggs, but with enough love and care, they may "hatch" (read: their amorphous blob selves will grow limbs and enter the larval stage) before Audentes even ships out again. OOC NOTES Blind date assignments for those working to complete the Lonely Hearts Club bounty can be found here. ICly, the match-ups are publicly posted in the ballroom for all to see. The other ALASTAIR teams present consist of everything from humanoids to strange creatures; feel free to handwave them in your threads! The only stipulation is that transferred characters (ex. those who have dropped) are not present. The party lasts for one night, and the following day the rest of the teams will pack up and leave Oska to Audentes. The ghostly village-that-isn't will revert back to ruins at this point, as well. However, all other winter amenities will remain for the holidays! Following the party, characters can expect to be in Oska for several more weeks, with the next mission starting in late January. A more detailed calendar for next month will be up soon! Questions about this log, Oska, or the game in general should be directed to the FAQ. You may submit mission ideas or player plots at any time.

Comments

[moneyman]

[ yeah, "excited and nervous" sounds familiar. it's more like 30/70 for him, but Lance doesn't need to know that. he's playing it cool. kind of.

not really. ]

—Oh, yeah! I've never really... [ shit, he almost admitted he never goes to parties. back up. ] Uh, I've never been to a party this big before. [ he points up at the giant glass flower. ] I mean, look at that thing, right? Pretty cool.

[ nailed it. ]

[competing]

[ luckily for vaughn, lance totally falls for it. ]

Yeah, it's pretty fancy, huh? I don't think I've been in a suit like this since my cousin's quinceanera!

[moneyman]

[ like a true bro. ]

You're ahead of me. I can't even remember the last time I wore one.

[ it's just as well he doesn't remember, because it was probably something super boring. ]

[competing]

Yeah? You look good, though. [ speaking of being a bro. ] It works on you.

[moneyman]

[ oh, no. bro compliments. one of the best kind of compliments. ] You think so? [ he smiles contentedly. ] Thanks. So do you!

[competing]

I know.

[ don't get him wrong he still appreciates the bro compliment... but lance is not exactly in want of any self esteem.

he slings an arm around vaughn's shoulders, raising his glass up in a toast. ]

Things are really starting to look up for us.

[moneyman]

[ self-esteem is a nice thing to have, isn't it? maybe he'll get some someday...

whiiich is why he's not 100% sure if that statement is going to apply to him or not, but for Lance's sake he's just gonna assume it is. that optimism is infectious, after all. he'd clink their glasses together if he actually had one. whoops. ]

Totally. I'll drink to that... uh, at some point.

[competing]

[ lance stares at vaughn's very empty hands. ]

What's up? Not the drinking sort?

[ not that lance is indulging in any either. but he's at least got a nice cup of orange soda to tide him over. ]

[moneyman]

[ he lets out a quiet, nervous laugh, glancing down at the floor in embarrassment. ]

I, uh... I'm a little anxious, so I figured I'd hold off for now. [ a pause while he looks back up at the drink in Lance's hand. ] Though I guess I could get some of that orange stuff, huh.

[competing]

Yeah, the orange soda's banging but... anxious?

[ lance glances around, as if he could somehow make out the source of this... is vaughn, like, being bullied or something. ]

What for, man? It's just a party. No big, we're all just here to relax and have fun.

[moneyman]

[ nah, his days of being bullied are over. he thinks. ]

I uh, I have a date, too. My friends signed me up. I'm not sure what to expect.

[competing]

You do? Dude, you should've told me! Is she not here yet?

[ he starts looking around again with way more enthusiasm now. ]

[moneyman]

[ ohhh boy, this was a mistake. he's used to being the wingman. he's not used to other people trying to be the wingman for him. he glances around nervously, too, even though he doesn't even know what she looks like. ]

I don't think so. I haven't messaged her yet. [ he doesn't want to seem desperate, man. ]

[competing]

[ ................ vaughn pls ]

Why the heck not? Don't you want a date?

[ DOESN'T EVERYBODY... ]

[moneyman]

[ he lowers his voice until he's insistently half-whispering (because that'll help), still keeping an eye out for... something. someone?

he doesn't know what he's doing. ]

I mean, yeah, sure, but— [ he looks back up at Lance, clearly uneasy. ] I don't know, this blind date stuff kinda freaks me out. What if she doesn't like me? We'll still be on this team together so it'd be all awkward and just, god, I really don't know, man.

[ maybe he should be drinking after all. ]

[competing]

[ at this point, lance settles a hand over vaughn's shoulder. ]

Dude, you're gonna be fine. Girls totally dig nice guys like you!

[ ... ]

And if all else fails, just take your shirt off.

[moneyman]

Wh—

[ oh, my god. Lance. no. he shrinks down a little, kind of mortified. ]

I'm not— [ he lowers his voice even more. ] I'm not going to take my shirt off. That's not on the table at all.

[competing]

Dude I didn't say to take your shirt off on the table... that's not classy at all.

[ did he mishear on purpose or not WHO KNOWS ]

[moneyman]

[ ...sigh. he's just going to roll with it. ]

Randomly taking your shirt off at a party isn't classy regardless of whether there's a table involved.

[competing]

But they'll be so distracted by your abs by then, it won't even matter!

[moneyman]

Maybe I don't want them to be distracted by my abs?

[ he sounds more pleading than irritated. not that he's ashamed of it, but man is it a weird thing to talk about for him. he's not exactly a show-off. ]

[competing]

Then what's the point, man.

[moneyman]

[ he's speechless for a moment. it's partially from being so flustered about it, and partially from being unsure what to actually answer with. he's not just going to say "I have shitty self-esteem so I went and worked out a bunch in order to feel better about myself," even if that is the truth. ]

I... don't know? I didn't do it to impress people. Honestly.

[competing]

[ lance doesn't look particularly convinced, but it also doesn't really occur to him that vaughn would have such low self-esteem in the first place. as far as she's concerned, vaughn is a super cool and super good guy! what's there to feel bad about?

but he does sense that he's making the guy uncomfortable, and so he just waves it off, then settles that hand on the man's shoulder. ]

Well, whatever the reason, you should be proud of that. It's not like it's easy!

[moneyman]

[ aww, Lance... what a bro. he visibly relaxes a little. ]

...Yeah. Yeah, it definitely isn't. [ he finally smiles in appreciation. ] Thanks, man. Still not gonna take my shirt off, but I'll try to remember that.