+++ 奇跡国 - Miracle Country +++

[Now that everyone got to enjoy looking pretty and fancy for a while, it's time for some silliness - not in the form of failed attempts at baking or terrible craft-making.

This time, people will get... sweaters. Yes, as simple as that. Fluffy, warm, cute, and they're even useful, given the time of the year, so what's the catch? Well, for people who qualify for it, the sweaters will magically display a knitted pattern with nicknames the character has. Do they go by many different names? Perhaps a title? The pattern will change accordingly! Do they have no nicknames at all? Too bad, no cute sweaters for you. Perhaps it's time you try and find one.

Is your nickname embarrassing and you'd rather not have it displayed in front of everyone? Oh, but of course, you can't take the sweaters off. That is to say, you can, but it'll reappear where it was. You'll have to endure it for a while - they'll be fully removable by the time the day ends.]

[As many are surely aware, it is once more time for the sappy to rejoice and the cynics to huff! That's right, be ready for syrup and disgusted noises, it's Valentine's Day! With Miracle Country being the land of sparkles and pink, of course we're having some special activities, aside from the usual themed decorations you'll be able to see everywhere. EVERYWHERE there is no escape.

During the day, you'll all find there's a large, very pink tent set out at the Sakura Park, surrounding its namesake's tree. Inside it, you'll be able to find many different stations set out. Some are full of different stationery items, the perfect place to make your own ridiculous and sparkly Valentine's card. There're others for various other stereotypical projects - one for creating your own hand-made teddy bear, one for floral arrangements, even a place to prepare your own chocolates or other appropriate candy. Now you're all set for making a customized, hand-made gift! Or a complete disaster, depending on your skills. Maybe ask around for some help, if you're having trouble.

Should you not wish to engage in the crafts and arts activities set for you, perhaps the evening's plans will seem more appealing! As our cute Usyagi will make sure to inform everyone (they're harder to miss today, as they're all dressed like little bunny cupids), there'll be a ballroom dance at the usual place in the Garden Islands. The bridges and paths leading to it will all be blooming with white, pink and red roses, and once there (because you chose to go, or maybe Kiseki simply dropped you there. We like the illusion of free will, but let's not get too crazy here), you'll find a simple, romantic set up - tables with food and drinks, plenty of space for dancing, slow music...

But of course, what would be the fun of it, without a little magic? Throughout the day, and more noticeably during this night dance, people might notice something odd is happening when they come close to each other. The atmosphere around them, the scents in the air, even their surroundings, might all change, to represent the bond they share together. So maybe Aramis and Porthos will smell gunpowder and melon and some distinct scent that's just them when they stand close together. If Merlin and Freya are outside in the park or gardens, strawberries will grow out of the plants surrounding them. If it's Yona and Shinah, they might feel like lights are brighter around them, or hear the chime of bells.

So be ready for a busy day, get your hands dirty (however you'd like to interpret that, we suppose), take the chance to show off your prettiest clothes, and enjoy yourselves! If anything, celebrate that for once, nothing is trying to kill you, wipe your memories, or embarrass you endlessly. It probably won't last long.]

[Had fun being petty and insecure? Judging your loved ones' actions and confronting them over ridiculous claims? Making a fool of-- well, granted, perhaps it wasn't all that fun. Maybe it's time to be treated nicely, for once! What better way to do this than indulging everyone in a little comfort (since releasing the captives in this world or not disturbing their lives once in a while isn't an option, no, don't be silly)?

Whether you were a victim of the last little mishap or not, today you'll find things could be quite enjoyable. You'll find your beds extra comfy (is that a new comforter? Extra pillows? Nicer bed-sheets?), and realize a table with a nice, big breakfast is all set up and waiting for you. Are you not the type to enjoy indulging in meals? Maybe you'll find a big book that could interest you, instead. Or wake up to the sound of purring, and find a new pet (or visitor) there to spend the morning with you. Or a relaxing bubble bath will be waiting, all set for you. You could go down to the common rooms to find just that one movie you've always loved waiting there to be watched, and the usual seats ready with blankets to curl up in, and plenty of snacks to share with others. You could find that the cafeteria's stocked up on several of your favorite meals.

If you're more the type to enjoy the outdoors, the weather will be nice and comfortable despite the time of the year, and the paths you go through every day will seem prettier than usual, perfect to enjoy a walk with someone else, or at least enjoy your usual routines in a more cheerful way. You could get lucky - find an item you wanted to buy, find the peace of mind to finish that paperwork that's been nagging you in time. No tricks or catches this time, it's just a day to enjoy yourselves and relax.

... Not that you can't be a little paranoid, once you notice things are going so well. Afterall, who can trust this world at this point?]

[Action around the Main Island]

[Some of you lovely people will have been lucky enough to meet this horrible little nightmare as she made her way through your dreams. But walking through the streets and taking in the sights, she looks fairly innocent. However, she's got a list of things that are irking her that grows longer and longer as she walks.

She starts off at the hotels but makes her way over to the park to take a look at the plants. The large tree catches her attention, reminding her of the pink-haired princess and her weird flowered tree dream.]

So trees like this really exist. [She walks around the entire thing, umbrella blocking the sun and practically covering everything but the edge of Edna's dress and her boots from view. Just as she's walking around, her head snaps up, blue eyes blazing.] Hm? Who's there?

[After the park, she goes to the shopping center and stops in front of all the bakeries. Snacks are important and without Lailah and Dezel, Edna really misses good cake. It's only been a handful of days, but she likes cakes. In fact, there might be a little drool. Don't judge.

After that, she heads over to the school so that she can check it out. She thinks it's strange that she hasn't heard anything about it from the Dorky Duo beforehand, especially with the way they drooled over the schoolhouse in Gidodden. She'll wait until she finds someone who looks like they have two brain cells to rub together and stops them.]

Hey, tell me about this place.

[Later, Voice to Sorey and Mikleo only]

What are you two doing? I have something to talk to you about.

[It’s the new year. And with tradition, the first dream of the new year will create the foundation of the rest of that year – either well-wishes or burdens. Enjoy the fireworks as you ring in the new year – you deserve it, perhaps, after such a trying year stuck in this world. Fireworks are sounding, a spark of noise and fire, and it’s exciting… but you might feel a sudden wave of sleepiness – nothing too extreme, but expected after such a long year of various magic and uncertainties.

The next day, though, there is no bright sunny day – instead, there’s an eclipse, the moon steadily moving across the sky to block out the sun. Instead of lasting a few minutes, however, this eclipse will last the entire week. As the moon moves across the sun, lights will begin to flicker out across Miracle Country, light by light. Soon, you’ll be complete darkness.

That darkness won’t last for long, though, so don’t be too frightened… Little flickers of light will emerge, small floating candles hovering in the air and set on certain places – your rooms, the hotel reception, other buildings, and the underground common rooms. You don’t have to be afraid of the dark – these candles won’t abandon you now. You can even go about your normal routine, despite the darkness.

But remember that wave of sleepiness you felt on that first day? It’s back. Like the lights, that feeling of sleepiness won’t abandon you – and no matter how much you sleep, it won’t stop you from nodding off throughout the week.

You and everyone around you will enter a more conscious state of dreaming when you do finally fall asleep. Things will seem vivid, lucid – you’ll remember your dreams with a new clarity you never have before.

And once you do fall asleep, you will find yourself with an ability you hadn’t had before: dreamwalking.

Suddenly, you are not limited just to the landscape of your own dreams – but rather the dreams of others. It could be a simple dream or an extravagant dream – a nightmare or a passing daydream. Symbolism or straight-forward understandings – will your presence warp the dream around you or will you need to locate the dreamer in order to find a way out? There’s no set way to awaken or a clear way to tell whose dream you might stumble into. And there’s no way to keep inquiring people out of your own dream, either.

As the eclipse progresses throughout the week, you will find yourself sleepier and sleepier – falling asleep without intention or without the aid of a bed or resting. Sometimes, you might fall asleep just where you stand, or sit, or in the middle of a conversation. You will fall asleep anywhere and for longer than normal, even through nightmares.

The lines between reality will begin to blur. That strange world you visited – was it a dream or was it reality? That conversation you had with a complete stranger, a dear friend, a precious loved one – did it happen or did you dream it? Did you witness someone in your own dream, visiting you, or were they simply a fragment of your own dream passing through the night? And was it a dream at all?

The lines will only continue to blur throughout the week. This new world you’ve stumbled into – is it a dream? Or, perhaps, it is only Miracle Country transformed, like so many times before. Perhaps you’ve actually returned home, to that moment you’ve been thinking of for so long… Or, perhaps, you have found yourself in a completely different world all together. After all, Miracle Country can’t be the only impossible world out there... right?]


[our anniversary event starts right now! For a reminder on specifics and plotting, please refer to this post]

[Winter is finally here, and of course, it's holidays season as well. With the treehouses gone, Miracle Country will dress itself accordingly, with the Welcome Center, hotels, and other buildings getting snow-themed decorations, christmas lights, and other various things. You might notice that a few of the huts remain, here and there in the garden island and inside the forests - well, the usual cabins in the forest are a little cold for this season, aren't they?

In any case - it's a good time to check out the shopping district to get gifts, or ask about holiday traditions around the multiverse, should you be less familiar with some of them...

The one that's very likely to come up is mistletoe, as these little plants will be appearing along with the decorations; some perfectly harmless and normal, others the magical ones which some of our residents will be familiar with. These'll get people stuck under them until they fulfill one of these randomly-picked instructions, so have fun with that... or, as these could show up anywhere and are indestructible, maybe watch out for them and try to stay close to someone you trust, or even opt for hiding in your room. Don't forget, your handy journals can aid you in finding someone to get you unstuck. Afterall, no one wants to spend the holidays glued to one spot, right?]

[Winter is... nearby! And Miracle Country is now shifting to reflect it. With a little extra this time. Snow will fall across the island, with occasional hailstorms now and then.

But of course, our residents won't be left to freeze. For maximum cozy points, today people will find that the hotels are temporarily gone, and the forests seem to have expanded to take over that area. Accessible through many ladders and interconnected through hanging bridges, large treehouses meant to accomodate everyone have been set up. You'll want to look around to find your own, as rooms don't exactly match: the tree houses are big, some meant to house several people in it (with only the usual mini-kitchens missing from them), while others will work the part of the common rooms such as the cafeteria and other underground locations, holding food supplies, blankets and clothes, or even the TVs and other items like books or electronics available.

You might not even notice this at first, however. Some will not be in one of these treehouses, and instead find themselves in smaller huts found across Miracle Country's islands, even on places such as the beach, deep in the forests, or outside the amusement park! Small and cozy, they can either work as more private housing, or simply be an option to take a short break in while walking around. Some of them will carry fitting items for the occasion - things like bags of marshmallows, chocolates, or even scarves and dry, fluffy socks for anyone who might've been caught up in the storm.

With everything looking so accomodating for the most part, it might come as a surprise if certain events happen during these days, given the chances of them happening seem to be a little higher than usual. Perhaps you'll be lucky and simply get to enjoy the changes as they are. ... If you're not the type to enjoy sharing a space with others too much, though, you'll have to learn to manage - the treehouses and huts will remain this way until Sunday 20th!]

[During Friday, there'll be an easy way to relax after the week. Miracle Country's taking advantage of the last few days before the winter, and so the Usyagi will be flying around, handing out little cards encouraging people to take a boat ride. Even if they don't get one, it'll be clear they're set up specially for the evening, all of them looking new as ever and decorated with small lights around them, ready to take those who feel like accepting the offer over to the beach. The ride will be slow and let them enjoy the peaceful trip over to the beach (or the company of anyone riding with them). Maybe you found yourself on one of the boats with someone you didn't mean to take the trip with? Well, it's either enduring the ride, or jumping into the cold river. The choice is up to you.

Once there, they'll find the beach is also set up to receive them. Lanterns light up the way around seats under parasols, some fancier and set up with tables and plenty of food to be shared, some cozier and meant to be used by fewer people. There'll even be a few bonfires you can gather around, if you'd like.

Late at night, the lights from lanterns or fires will seem to dim, allowing the starry sky to be seen more brightly. It might look a little strange, however. Is that constellation meant to be a pig? Perhaps that one's a rabbit, then. Some might make even less sense. At least it's still pretty to look at, right?]

[The last few days have been rather beautiful and sunny -- so it's about time that stopped being the case.

Perhaps because there's a new arrival today who's from a relatively rainy place, but it seems that the typical late autumn weather has decided to disappear for the time being and it'll be sprinkling all day today.

Not prepared for that kind of weather? You're in luck, since the shopping district will have sales on rain clothes and umbrellas all day. And you might want to stock up since by late afternoon, the wind will pick up and the rain will start falling harder. It won't be long before it's a complete downpour, knocking leaves from the trees and flooding the streets and park with deep puddles (don't fall in or misjudge the depth!).

And because it's so close to winter, don't be surprised if that rain turns bitterly cold, almost sleet and icy as the night falls.

Hopefully you didn't get caught out in the rain! You'll hear it drumming against your windows all day long and well into the night, so maybe now's a good time to cuddle up with someone special and stay warm. Pity those out in the forests, who have to suffer leaky roofs.]


[ooc: This is an open mingle so feel free to use it as you see fit! If you'd like to interact with Lili specifically, go here]

[ The video feed clicks on to reveal a young man of visibly modern stock - the snapback, polo shirt and hoodie combo sort of give it away. He squints dubiously at the camera. ]

Is this thing on?

[ Apparently he decides that it must be, because he stops trying to poke at the thing and starts talking again. ]

Alright, I dunno if anyone can hear me, but my name's Eggsy... sorry, Gary Unwin. Listen - someone wanna explain what the hell's goin' on? Last I knew is the world was goin' to shit and I just finished putting it all back after Valentine nearly got us all killed. Tried asking where I am but all I've got here is a load of fuckin' rabbits in my face, dunno what they're on about.

[ He pauses for a moment. Considers - he doesn't want to give too much away, but at the same time, he's got to make contact if there are any other Kingsman here. ]

Right, and - in case this makes sense to anyone here. Oxfords, not brogues. ... Yeah, 's about it.