EVENT ★ WINTER WONDERLAND

[futurologists]

HOLIDAY PREPWORK The sun might still be AWOL, but that doesn't mean it's time for a vacation! The goblin community seems even more motivated to get their holiday preparations together, working tirelessly to brighten up the grim atmosphere. To that end, they've enlisted the help of the ALASTAIR recruits that've been bumming around. Characters that signed up will be invited or roped into the goblins' various holiday traditions and events. Though they may refuse or fail these tasks, for every one that isn't accomplished, characters will suffer one effect from the curses list for upsetting the holiday balance. Note that those that didn't sign up can still help with tasks out of the goodness of their hearts, they just won't be assigned anything themselves or suffer any curses. Additionally, though PCs are magically bound to work with some partners, they may team up with others as well. GREETINGS FROM LLOYD ALASTAIR sends their holiday tidings! Some characters will find special deliveries addressed to them by name from the mysterious Lloyd of HR. The packaging might be messy and overtaped, and some of the gifts are less nice than others, but it's the thought that counts. MISTLESNOW The first snowfall of the year arrives, and though this may not bode well when there's no sun to melt it away, for now it's pristine and beautiful. Flurries and gentle snowstorms continue for days, blanketing all of Chantes and the outskirts. With it comes a uniquely magical weed epidemic. Mistletoe grows off every surface it can, stems and shrubs of it creeping off of anything it can cling to, including trees, archways, lanterns and buildings. This parasitic plant is a notorious holiday tradition, but in Chantes it packs an extra punch: when two characters step under it together, they'll find themselves magically rooted in place. Mistletoe's spell can only be broken by a kiss, and while chaste exchanges usually work (kisses to the hand, butterfly or eskimo kisses, etc.), more stubborn weeds do exist. This effect lasts until characters smooch or the weed dies from lack of sustenance, which could be anywhere between several hours to a full day. Mistletoe can be destroyed by a third party in a pinch, but be careful not to get stuck under the plant as well! As an OOC note, feel free to be creative on the range and strength of the mistletoe, but please respect other players' boundaries! If you would like to break the mistletoe with a hearty handshake or have your character be immune, be our guest. HAPPY HOLIDAYS All the hustle and bustle aside, the festivities themselves are peaceful and joyous -- and thanks to the ALASTAIR recruits, not punctuated with death or ominous Chimera motifs this time. A large bonfire continues all night with food and mulled wine aplenty. It's time to kick back, make some snow angels, and relax.

Comments

[boneafide]

[Oh, what a cute smile... And he can notice it's genuine, too. He's seen his fair share of genuine and fake to know the difference.]

The pleasure is mine as well, Rin! I'm glad you're here- I realized after I started making your snowperson, I had no idea what you looked like, so...

[Over there is a small blob of a pile of snow.]

But now I can remedy that!

[defenceless]

[looking around, her eyes fall on the shapeless lump of snow he indicates.]

Well, your brother didn't lie. You are friendly.

[boneafide]

Yes, that's me! Friendly, loveable, popular Papyrus! Sans is pretty good at not lying. He's also pretty good at not telling the truth! He's very multi-talented, when he tries to be.

Anyway!

[He gathers up a large batch of snow, dumping it onto the small blob, and begins to make it more person-shaped.]

I don't think I've ever had to do hair like yours before. This might be a little difficult.

[defenceless]

I have faith in you. It's a very cute hairstyle, isn't it?

[she doesn't feel uncomfortable at all serving as a sort of impromptu model. rin might even inch closer, cutting into his range of sight, so he won't have to look far for the finer details concerning twintails-moldng.

but saying that, papyrus... what.]

Papyrus, isn't not telling the truth the same as lying?

[boneafide]

One of the cutest I've ever seen!

[ Not that he's exactly a hair expert, since, you know... Skull. Either way, he keeps working on the snowperson and his efforts to make them more Rin-shaped continues.]

Not really. Lying is about intentionally saying something to mislead. Not telling the truth just means not saying it at all. Sometimes the reason people don't say the whole truth is to protect something. It's not always the best option... but if the thing you're protecting is more important than the truth, I wouldn't blame anyone for not saying anything.

[ Oh look, the Snow Rin looks a little more human shaped now! The hair is going to be difficult. If Papyrus had a tongue, this is where it'd peak out from his mouth in concentration. ]

But I do prefer honesty myself!

[defenceless]

[her smile never seems to leave her, and rin listens patiently as he continues.]

So you think lying by omission is okay?

[she's only half paying attention to her snow sculpture self at this point. he's doing well, though! and it's pretty remarkable to watch a skeleton build a snowman, more than she'd anticipated.]

[boneafide]

[Papyrus is quiet for a little bit.]

If it's what someone has to do to protect someone, I think it's okay.

NEVER WORRY ABOUT EDITS WITH ME

[defenceless]

[rin's response may be surprising:]

That's fair enough. It does seem like your brother wants to protect you.

[boneafide]

... Wait, what?

[ HE MEANT HIMSELF, HE HAS LIED TO HIS BEST FRIEND TO PROTECT A HUMAN ONCE, IT WAS AWFUL AND HE HATED IT.

WHY IS THIS GIRL TALKING ABOUT SANS. ]

[defenceless]

What... what?

[she's confused.

did she say something wrong?]

[boneafide]

Sans isn't lying to me. He just doesn't like talking about things sometimes. He has a lot of bad days. Just because he doesn't tell me everything doesn't mean he's lying that way.

[ Yes, she said something a little wrong. ]

[defenceless]

[papyrus...]

I didn't say... Your brother, Sans. I didn't say he lied to me.

[he just seems like the type who would lie, if he had to. to protect his younger brother he treasures so much.

—which may not have been any better to imply. oops.

rin waves her hands, trying to distract him from it. she is covering for a social faux pas with a sentient skeleton during winter in a city inhabited by goblins. alastair is sure a ride.]

Listen, don't worry about it, all right? He's a good big brother. And with what you two have had to deal with, you're allowed to have bad days or not talk or do whatever you like.

[boneafide]

[ No, she didn't say Sans lied to her. She implied Sans lied to him.

Papyrus is quiet again, focusing more on making this snow person of Rin, trying to distract himself, since her waving this off isn't really helping. He's working on the hair now. ]

...

I think I got your nose wrong. Can you fix it? I'm not used to making noses that aren't just holes!

[ Guess that's how he's going to deal with this. ]

[defenceless]

[she frowns, deeply, when he's not looking right at her. she would like to pretend she's stronger, but the truth is that she's taking this as a problem she has to fix, or a favor she'll have to owe him someday, to make up for herself.

for the moment, her solution is to consciously push it all away and tiptoe nearer to papyrus, venturing out one gloved hand. gently, she sculpts the snow into an awkward, pointy nose shape.]

Of course. Mmm, it's just—you have to work with pretending more is there. Because we have more there.

[it's way bigger than her nose is.]

[boneafide]

[It is much bigger than her real nose. But...]

Good job!

[He turns to look at Rin to see how he did in comparison, and so far, Snow Rin actually looks pretty decent, all things considering. Coals for eyes, too big a nose, and her hair is not quite perfect, but pigtails in snow sculpture is difficult as it is. But the rest looks pretty good!!

If Rin's still frowning, he'll give her a small smile back. She didn't mean to say anything wrong, so he forgives her already. No need to make up for anything.]

I think I should have brought ribbons to put in her hair.

[defenceless]

[it's sort of amazing how skeletons can smile, or even show other emotions.

she isn't quite smiling yet when papyrus turns to her again, busy with trying to perfect the nose and evaluating the finished product of "snow-rin", but a tiny grin comes back once she knows he's hoping to reassure her.]

Well, we might be in luck. What if I showed you some magic?

[boneafide]

I would love to see it!!

[ For Monsters, magic is simply a way of talking. It's so prevalent in their lives, that it's something very openly used, talked about, etcetera. He doesn't know how it is for humans, but it doesn't seem like the kind of thing one uses frequently, let alone shows people. It's a little sad to think about, but Rin actually wanting to show him some of her own is very exciting. ]

[defenceless]

[and he has it right. in her world, magic is shut up, hidden, blocked from the vast majority of humans and studied by only a chosen subgroup. it's been replaced by science and technology, and miracles are spoken of as fragments of beliefs or pages in storybooks. normally, she would not have told papyrus she practiced magic in the first place.]

Some of mine, anyway. [rin hums to herself.] I've forgotten monsters are different. You're made of magic, so it might be nothing.

[she's happy enough with it to continue, though. rin drops to the ground and scoops up a group of long sticks.]

[boneafide]

It's never nothing!

For monsters, using magic is the best way to communicate, because it can say emotions better than words sometimes. Even if it's something small, like crying magic tears that make a hat, it's still important.

[ This was on it's way to being nice until he talked about a hat made of tears, wasn't it. ]

[defenceless]

[rin's version of magic is also rather bittersweet. so, strange as the example is, she really does understand it. offering him a sympathetic smile, she stands.]

Here we go.

[holding out the bundle of sticks gripped between both of her hands, she closes her eyes. slowly, a blue ethereal glow surrounds them.

right before his very (skeleton) eyes, the hard wood of the sticks flops to something almost like ribbons. the twigs lose their stiffness, it seems. they appear perfect for hair ribbons for the snow tsundere.]

[boneafide]

[ Papyrus, if he had eyes, would have experienced them widening in surprise. The sticks turn into ribbons right before him, but what really catches his attention more than anything is- ]

Blue!! You used- blue magic?!

[ Yeah, that's what he's latched onto. ]

[defenceless]

[she's laughing as she passes the handful of vaguely wooden ribbons over to him, gesturing to indicate he should begin tying them up in "her" hair.]

That's just the way it looks when I perform magic. That's my magical energy coming out and doing the spell...!

[boneafide]

[ He takes the ribbons, wrapping them around the snowpigtails, and making a cute bow on either side. ]

Does magic appear only as blue in your world, or are there other colors??

[ Because if it was other colors sometimes, and Rin has blue colored magic specifically-!!!! ]

[defenceless]

[sorry, papyrus.

watching him while he puts the ribbons in place, rin self-consciously twists a section of one of her own twintails around her finger.]

—Sadly, a lot of it looks sort of bluish or greenish, at first. Always glowing, too. But there are plenty of possibilities. It all depends.

[she offers him an apologetic smile.]

It's the same for monsters, too, isn't it? Different colors, different effects?

[boneafide]

Different monsters have different colors, yes. I am a blue specialist! Undyne uses green, if you ever come across her- she's a fish lady.

[ Well now he's a little embarrassed, he assumed Rin might also use blue... But it turns out all magic is blue to her? ]

Well! You showed me your magic, so I should show you mine! If you want!