+++ 奇跡国 - Miracle Country +++

[With his last planned event not going as well as expected, and the time of the year asking for a celebration of some sort, Lucifer's set out to hold a successful party this time. Changing his approach entirely, he's booked the ballroom by the garden islands for the night, rather than use the bar.

Knowing him, you might expect something scandalous and inappropriate; instead, it only looks expensive. The place is fully decorated in reds, with small round tables full of food and drinks, and the usual space to dance. It doesn't even look too different from parties that were held there before... save maybe for the presence of Lucifer himself, on one end of the room by the piano he had brought over from the bar. Even the fact that glasses, plates, and other things have a wing motif isn't too out of place there.

He'll have sent out invitations conveniently forgetting to mention who was organizing the whole thing, and noting it's a formal party so people need to wear their best clothes. Certain people might even find that bit's been underlined several times. But of course, if anyone failed to comply with that part, Miracle Country can always help with it, and give them a proper outfit once they're there.

By the late evening, there'll also be a note in the journals, reminding people to not miss the event... And then another one. And another one. Remember how journals don't like it when people don't pay attention to them? Or try to hide them? Enjoy the flashing book following you around, then. It might be easier to simply give in and go, even if it's for a short while...]

[The cold, snowy days continue, and things have been peaceful enough. Then, a sound like glass shattering... It starts. Little light shards, that sparkle around people briefly before being absorbed into their eyes. Throughout the day, it spreads out, catching new victims here and there. For a while, it's like a mirror reflecting their worst selves is at work, bringing out the most petty, irritable, unreasonable sides of people. Or is it that they're seeing others in this same light? Or both?

Every minor annoyance one might ever had won't seem so minor anymore. Little forgotten arguments, those irritating habits of others, any mistake from the past, it's all coming back now. How did you ever get past these things? It's time to bring them back up, to throw them in people's faces, to demand some compensation for them. And if they're confused, if they're denying being so irritating and obnoxious, or having lied to you once, or saying it's not such a big deal? Well, it feels like a great time to start a fight.

From louder vocal arguments to full-on battles if provoked enough, common sense and understanding seem to have no room to exist today. So what if you want to duel someone because they leave their clothes on the floor? Or if you want to take over all the houses because it's unfair others have more space than you? You've suddenly realized it's best to end a friendship of years because they lightly teased you once? More power to you.

Of course, the shards won't be there forever, and once they've disappeared, so will their effect on people... Surely you can patch things up with everyone, right? As long as they don't get the shards next...]

[[Shattered Sight event! Info & questions be here.]]

[Most people around are likely familiar with the cute flower shop in the main island - it's been around for so long, even to those who aren't customers of it, it should be a place they've seen in passing. Now, it's looking rather different, as there's a whole new building next to it!

An old-fashioned sort of place, this funny-smelling store is full of all sorts of strange bottles, varying in sizes, colors and contents. Some are labeled as remedies, some appear to simply be ingredients for other things. There are some more familiar items - things like containers with various sorts of teas, spices, and so on... The common theme is clear once you browse a little: all these items are made out of some sort of herb or plant, and of course, many are made with flowers and the kind of thing the flower shop itself sells.

If you decide to come over and investigate, you'll find the place's new owner, busy checking everything, and... perhaps looking as confused as anyone else might be. Surely he'll manage.]

[[Merlin can be found here, otherwise use the post as you'd like! Feel free to say a bottle's contents had a certain effect, or burned your character's hand, or whatever else.]]

[It's a certain someone's birthday - not that he's told anybody - but instead of celebrating it, he's decided there's an opportunity to celebrate everyone! Once the rain has let up, at least a little, there's a giant message-board near the new houses. It seems to have everyone's names on it, and above is written -

HAVE A VERY MERRY UNBIRTHDAY, EVERYONE!

"What's an Unbirthday? Why, that's a day that's not your birthday! You deserve a chance to celebrate yourself, because you're amazing! And if you think someone else is amazing, be sure to let them know!"

With all the pens and markets waiting at the bottom, it seems to indicate that you're encouraged to write compliments under people's names. Try to be anonymous? Get caught in the act? Only compliment yourself? Give it a try!]

[Halloween dawns a bright and sunny day – crisp and cool, but pleasant. There are appropriate decorations everywhere you look today – jack-o-lanterns, cartoony ghost decorations hanging from trees, candy apples & candy corn, and all that cheery Halloween décor.

The most notable decoration for the day is that you are being haunted… but don’t worry! You have a new friend who’s following after you! These little spirits take the form of an animal that fits your personality – anywhere from a mighty tiger to a little vole – and they aren’t going away any time soon. They’ll interact with you but are impossible to banish. In fact, trying to run away from them just makes them all the more eager to stay close!



If you’re paying attention, however, you’ll know that maybe not everything is well. The trees that have been growing around Kiseki ever since the flood receded are beginning to bloom, slowly, those strange lantern-like plants glowing as the day progresses. Don’t pass too close. Remember – it feeds off negative energy, and it won’t make you feel great.

You know what you’re meant to do in these situations. You’ve been warned of this. You better start that hunt. And don’t worry – your new friends are here to help! If you head into the forest to fight or meet a loose creature elsewhere, your little spirit guide will transform accordingly – to a weapon, to a shield, or perhaps fluctuating between the two. You have options, of course - you can go looking for the monsters, hang back and risk being surprised, or just sit back and let others take care of the mess. Maybe you just want to hang out with your new friend, after all.

The spirits will linger until they are no longer needed. Once they deem that all is safe and that you are alright on your own, they will start to fade until they disappear completely.]

[There's a video broadcast from the Bakery, panning over some recent creations of Sebastian's. There's a lot of cake. Like, a lot. Seriously. And also a sizeable amount of gorgeous-looking cupcakes. Sebastian calm down.

And then the feed switches to show the responsible party, as pleasantly smiling as always.]

Good afternoon, everyone. I apologise for the sudden interruption to your day, but I would briefly like to inform you that, should you wish to, you are more than welcome to stop by the Bakery at any time during the day. As you can see, this is far more than can be feasibly sold during one day, so for today only I will charge nothing for anything. [He breathes a laugh, very good-naturedly.] This is no way to do business, of course, but as Mr Stilinski was always so eager to keep the Bakery open and full of customers...

[Sebastian's honouring that or something?

Look, Sebastian's been good. He's only been killing a few monsters in the forest while doing his usual rounds. And instead of buying meat for dinner he's gone to personally hunt for deer, and then there's been metodical, if somewhat forceful, flaying and chopping in his kitchen. And then there's been delicious gourmet deer steak. Ciel's house - for whenever the infernal world deigns to have him wake up - has been completely redecorated and refurnished. As has the house Sebastian and Time are currently sharing for some reason idek. He needs to channel all this murderous intent into something. Come eat the fruits of his stress baking.]

Thank you for your time, and do have a good day.

[Very Important Notice: should anyone take him up on his offer and come pay him a visit, they will find that outside the Bakery, there is now finally a sign that says, in beautiful cursive: Please leave pets outside. Because reasons.]

[And one morning, it's over. The water starts disappearing as mysteriously and as quickly as it first showed up, retreating into the river and the sea. By the time it's left the main islands' surfaces, and once people have left their shelter, the treehouses disappear as well. All should be back to normal... Except it's clear that there've been some changes.

Some are easy to notice right away: perhaps the most obvious one is that the big hotel buildings have disappeared, leaving behind a series of domed houses for people to live in. They'll find that their belongings have been placed in certain houses. If they were sharing a room before, then those people will get a house together, and others who were alone might find they've been assigned a single house for themselves, or even been paired up to live with others.

Other more blatant changes would be easy to notice, as well. The brand new aquarium, accessed via the east-side of the beach, its massive structure going into the sea itself. Like the housing areas, the aquarium is split into areas that are above ground, and others that go deep underwater. Some areas are built to hold freshwater creatures and look a lot like regular aquariums, but many of its tunnels go deep into the ocean and allow people to watch the different animals straight from the waters surrounding the place. You could even be lucky enough to spot some of the dragons left over from the past events! Among the places on the surface, there's a lounging area with a small giftshop, the more typical fishtanks, and even some open areas where you can pay a small fee to fish (equipment can be rented or bought from the giftshop) or even dive underwater, for the enjoyment of watching the many fish and other creatures, or yet again as a way to fish or hunt for prey. Just remember, the more you stray away from the beach, the more dangerous these waters become.



There's the newly added farm island which means people can ride horses around now, if they wish to, or take care of the new animals in it. A few familiar locations have been moved around, others removed entirely. The forests' caves now hold a mysterious shrine, radiating pure, positive energy.

With an addition of positive energy, comes negative one as well. The Usyagi will be quick to drop notes explaining the existence of certain trees now growing on different areas of Miracle Country, signaling potential monster outbreaks. People's help to contain these outbreaks will be needed, and of course it's not only a matter of helping Kiseki itself out. Should these be left unchecked, there's a risk of a new monster invasion which could hurt or kill those around, so adding a full-time or temporary job as part of the patrols or the guard ready to deal with these monsters might be a very appealing idea.

Overall, there're plenty of new things to see, plenty of things to do, but no one will blame you if, after weeks of dealing with the flood, you simply wish to retire to your new house and sleep for a while.]

[[The Flood Event ends! Further info on these changes to be found here.]]

[The days pass, and the water remains as it is, covering the world people were used to, seeming unlikely to change soon. While some supplies might be running short, there's still plenty of water at the reservoir, and the fish from the expanded sea as well as fruits or vegetables found at the treetops don't seem to be about to run out any moment soon. So, while there're obviously some difficulties, this night could be a peaceful one, to enjoy the unusual view with others for a while, try to manage a fire to gather around, nurse any existing wounds, or simply settle in whichever shelter one's found and try to rest until the following day.



But there's the fog. While the days have so far been clear and rather sunny despite the increasing cold of Fall, tonight there's fog creeping up everywhere, growing thicker and thicker by the hour, coming over from where the most dangerous areas are known to be. With it, comes an unsettling, restless feeling. You might find it difficult to fall asleep. Perhaps you'll be llured by the call of this fog, inexplicably drawn to navigate the dark waters despite the late hour. You might follow this call to the dragons' lair around the reservoir, to find them assigning you a new task, even more difficult now due to the lack of visibility. Perhaps you only end up lost. Or wandering off to areas where an attack might happen... It might be wise to not leave alone, but this fog's influence might strip you of any caution.

If that's the case, well... There's only so many hours until dawn, right?]

[[The Flood Event continues! Go here for any questions!]]

[Nothing seems out of the ordinary at the start. The season has changed with the date, abrupt as ever, bringing with it clear signs of the beginning of Fall, a chilly atmosphere replacing the warmth of summer. However, that isn't the only change today – and to anyone finding themselves near any of the many bodies of water around Miracle Country, the difference will become apparent very quickly.

The ocean, the river, the lake, it all slowly but surely rises and overflows, flooding the surrounding areas more and more every second. Good luck finding shelter, as the water level will continue to rise until the buildings, the forests and part of the caves around the islands are all submerged. The trees will seem to expand underwater, until makeshift bridges form from the tangled growth of branches, surprisingly sturdy. In lieu of the usual places to go, people may notice that clear domes will start to rise out of the water, each with supplies inside like blankets, pillows, and bandages. Be careful not to drop them into the sea! Others may find treehouses above the waters with similar basic supplies, none too cozy otherwise. And in the worst case scenario? There are the usual boats to be found.



Food will be available in the varied amount of fish and other animals to be caught in the water. For those who frequent the river or beach, it'll be clear there's a much higher amount of them, of all sorts of colors and sizes. One thing that doesn't change is the rising danger the closer one gets to the area of the forests, and deeper waters may hold even more frightening enemies, even monsters. More rare fish and other creatures live around these areas, as well. Careful where you fish. For those that can get around, there are a few islands here and there, the most important of which is at the location of the Sakura tree, of course. These hold some large containers for drinkable water, some are full and others empty but refillable.

There's a catch, though. Water dragons will be appearing near the island that usually holds the pure water reservoir, guarding it. Anyone that approaches will find that these dragons telepathically make requests of visitors in exchange for the water. Things like fishing for a rare type of fish, bringing them a specific fruit from the trees in the forests, looking for an item that's lying underwater, maybe seeing a specific type of magic/skill or hearing a story. They can be pretty creative, so it's best to be ready for anything – that is, if you're not too intimidated to approach at all.]

[[Our flood event starts! Go here for any questions.]]

[Here comes a thought…

It’s funny how the mind works, isn’t it? Always working, thoughts constantly coming in and out. Seeing something triggers a memory and a thought along with it, something that might make one smile or sad. Or perhaps it’s the possibility of something happening or whatever weights on your mind as the day pass. They are usually easy to dismiss or even forget by getting distracted by anything else that comes by.

But it’s rude to ignore them, right? So today, instead of them just being locked inside your head, they’ll be everywhere, represented by butterflies of different colors.



Each color might represent what that thought makes you feel, so they might be as generic as blue for a sad one or red for one that makes you happy. Or they could also be colors that make you feel something: if you hate the color green, that might be the one that comes along with your bad thoughts. It all depends on the person and their experiences. After all, thoughts affect everyone in a different way. Which is why the amount of butterflies that follow you around for the day really is up to you and what your mind is usually up to.

You’ll get used to it. Or you should, at least, because they’ll be there, following you, during all day. No shouting or no ignoring them will get them to go away. Have fun with that!]