+++ 奇跡国 - Miracle Country +++

[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]

[Today is a regular day in Miracle Country - no more pestering Usyagi (outside of their usual, that is), no sudden life changes, so surely everyone can go around and do their routines without much worry...

That is, for those who don't have the unfortunate encounter with a blur of pink as they walk outside, and find themselves suddenly flying through a magical, colorful tunnel of light, and reappear at... Well, somewhere else on the islands. Perhaps they'd travelled all the way to the museum island only to realize they're now out of this dimensional portal and at the hotel's underground common rooms. Maybe they'd only gone out to buy some snacks, and are now showing up inside a cave in the forests. Maybe they had been heading to work, and now find themselves inexplicably inside one of the trains, travelling to whichever station.

Now, a ridiculous inconvenience combined with pink definitely sounds like Miracle Country's doing, but in this case, it isn't its doing. Turns out a certain magical pink pet has been feeling unwell, and as a result been hiccupping these little portals... And because he does what he wants, he's been moving all over the place, which means catching more unsuspecting victims with it. Perhaps it's a good time to suggest some rest, or maybe look up whether a Lion can safely drink tea.]

[ less apprehensive about the journal function this time, he narrates with a few scrawled words and allows the video to speak for itself like a running silent film. it's parsed together not unlike an old movie montage anyway, of tony and his trusted bot helper dum-e. now that his free rent has run through in the hotel, he's moving his lab to a commercial space. ]

Amazing what you can do on credit in this place. [ he's used to throwing money at his problems, of course, but it was usually of the tangible variety rather than loaned to him by a mystical bank. he's determined to make this work though, and so he's made a few exceptions to the ideas he'd had upon first arriving.

as the video goes on, clearly spliced together through several days, leo also arrives as a mainstay. at first he helps tony stock various equipment but then at some point he seems to just be sticking around. tony seems okay with this arrangement. ]

Stark Mechanics is officially open for Business (?).

[ whatever come see him, profit etc. he can fix pretty much anything or if you want something specific he'll commission anything that's not a weapon. all prices negotiable.

OR if you just want to come bug him or leo or see what the hell they're up to (hint: it's making iron man suits), then have at. ]

[Normally, the Usyagi are off doing their own thing, unless someone requires their assistance - new arrivals, customers at the various shops in the city, people who wish to request something from them. So it might be surprising at first to see them much more present than usual. Unsettling to many, considering their apparent link to the magic of this world, and various events...

What are they up to? Well, should you approach them, or should you ignore them for long enough that they decide to seek you out instead, they'll hand you a little card, and leave. In this card, there's a simple question:

"Truth or Dare?"

Should your characters answer this question, out loud or mentally (maybe they think anyone would pick 'dare'!), the card will then change to a specific truth or dare set out of them, with a note that they must fulfill the requirement (talk about a deep secret, say what they really think of someone they know, help out somebody, insult the first person they meet, get up to the middle of the park and sing a song at the top of their voice, make a new friend, try to steal a cake from one of the shops, and so on) within the next few days. If they picked truth, then it'll be up to them to find someone to tell these things about. If they picked dare, then the same applies, as long as the dare involves other people.

And what if they ignore the note? Or pick one, but choose not to follow through? Well, they'll be pranked by Miracle Country. They'll find themselves with an embarrassing outfit, or realize their shop was invaded by stray cats that won't stop making a mess, or find that their rooms have been turned upside down. Nothing fatal, but it might be easier at times to simply play along... Of course, if you absolutely hate your truth/dare, you could always complain enough that maybe you'll get a different one - usually switching to dares, as people sometimes are more comfortable doing ridiculous things than being honest about some topics.

Oh, and of course, nothing says someone can't get more than one card. So have fun with that!]

[[Truth or Dare post, as you can see! It isn't mandatory, so feel free to use this for mingle purposes outside of these shenanigans.]]

[So far, Mickey's been a lot of talk with little action, in regards to getting in and out of this world. But he's decided it's time to really put it to the test. He stands outside of the Welcome center, the one place many have agreed is 'central' to this world, where everyone enters. He takes a deep breath, and then holds out his big, gloved hands. There's a bright glow within them, and then in an instant, the Kingdom Key D Keyblade appears in his hands, tightly clenched.]

Well, pal... it's now or never.

[Concentrating, he lifts the Keyblade higher, and a bright singular line of light emerges from the tip, shooting straight into the sky. It appears to hit an invisible surface - the shaky form of a keyhole seems to appear - but then both the light an the keyhole evaporate, leaving only temporary sparkles behind. Whatever that was, it was a failure.

Mickey sighs heavily, lowering his arms.]

... Suppose it was worth a shot. I wonder what Master Yensid would make of that.

[Walking around today, you might start to see signs pointing you towards the entrance to the park. And should you follow those signs, you're going to see a pretty, old-fashioned booth set up. Those seem kind of common lately, don't they? Likely because this is another instance where a certain someone wants to retrieve something from their world - and this is the payment:

Bull is sitting a little wooden booth with a sign - Free Kisses! - overhead. And, yes, it's exactly what it sounds like. Doesn't have to be on the lips, of course. But how can you say no to the... big qunari... person? And with such a winning smile, too! Or something. Yes.

Yes, that's right. A certain number of kisses is what's going to get The Iron Bull what he wants.

The Bull, for his part, seems perfectly content with this set-up. Hey, not exactly his idea, but he's also not going to complain if it means he's getting that necklace back. He's gotten himself nice and comfy - comfortable enough stool that also leaves him level with most people's heights around here. He also has a stuffed animal companion, a stuffed nug courtesy of Dorian.

For all intents and purposes, Bull is perfectly happy. If there's any underlying anxiety or frustration, it's definitely not showing on his face.

He's friendly enough, despite appearances. Want to get a kiss?]

[The tremors from the earthquake may be over but things are shakier than ever in the days that pass since the ball. Exposed vampires and their motives have been brought into question. Humans have been turned and fed from in the bloody mess of it all, and even the balance of the kingdom is at stake now. Hunters gather to decide how to handle the situation, while vampires with the most to lose from the leaked secrets must be frantic to keep anyone looking to flee Samara from escaping. No one can simply leave, not now.

But the fact is that neither side can hold out for long either. What will those caught in between do? There's plenty of injured (and vampires crazed by all that blood, even more likely to lose it and attack) and visitors that had nothing to do with the conflict and now dragged into it beyond anything they could have imagined. The rumors are running wild among those recovering and there's the feeling that they all have only moments before hunters and vampires are facing off against one another. Samara may well be on its way to becoming the location of sparking a full out war.]

[Beyond any skirmishes that break out, they won't get to decide -- A powerful wind of black flower petals sweeps through the world in a blur and with that everyone returns! To themselves and their own memories and the familiar landscape of Miracle Country. Typical cutesy Halloween decorations hang everywhere in sight, most so at the park where they'll all return to, greeted by food and drinks and candy alike, and costumes of all kinds courtesy of the same magic. Hope you enjoyed the drama... and Happy Halloween.]