+++ 奇跡国 - Miracle Country +++

[And in a flutter of sakura petals, suddenly everything returns to normal. That wasteland sweeps away, the vegetation and water growing out to cover the proper main island of Miracle Country. And you’re back to normal, too! Everything that just happened… was it a dream or another life? Those memories will linger, regardless.

You’ll find that with the abrupt change, though, that some of the other effects still linger, too: relationships from that ‘world,’ that expectation that there won’t be enough food or water, residual abilities you had then, your own abilities being slow to return. Don’t stray too far into the forest, either – there are worms out there now. And they're a little uneasy with this suddenly new, foreign environment.

But welcome back. The sakura trees are blooming today – and hey, there’s plenty of food and water after a few weeks of dire scenarios. Maybe it’s a little too abundant. A few areas around Miracle Country are a little flooded with the rush to return to normal.]

[The days pass, and more and more creatures begin to show up on both lands. The border between both sides is now the best hunting area, with easy access to creatures from either side, nevermind the possibility of sneaking around to get some other supplies, to gather info, to steal weapons. Maybe even simply visiting to have a chat, nothing says diplomacy can't be attempted, right? Much as the memories everyone holds say it hasn't worked out so far...

Ah, speaking of memories, they'll be getting a little fuzzy these days. Now and then, you'll feel like you can't recall certain things, some encounters, past events, stories you've heard. Or maybe you remember them, but they're not what you expect. Small flashes of people you can't remember ever meeting here. Locations that aren't anywhere to be seen, neither here nor back home. Like dreams that feel too real, too solid, too important to you, to merely be some construct of your imagination.

Is it the confinement, maybe? A longing for a different life, now that everyone seems trapped here and left to fight a battle not even their own? But then, why is it that some of those memories resemble a trap, as well? Trying to manage in an unknown world, the feeling of helplessness, the bonds you couldn't have made otherwise.

On this clear night, with a full moon visible from either side, these visions will be clearer than ever, more powerful than before. And if the ruins of some destroyed building seem familiar all of a sudden (haven't you seen that exact shade of pink before? Were the ruins the sand covers ever this colorful?), or the vegetation over at the other side looks oddly shaped (like the vines and trees on one area are forming a bridge, all of a sudden), well, it's clear something might be changing. Your own abilities might be shifting, as well. Is your magic not working as it should, doing new things, unable to do the usual spells? Is your aim off, or suddenly incredibly accurate? Does your trusted weapon suddenly feel inadequate? Let's just hope your skills in this world didn't involve things like flying, or aren't needed at a crucial moment, such as when fighting a giant monster, right? You wouldn't want a malfunction at that time, afterall.]

🌸

[[Our CLAMP AU event continues!]]

[It’s another beautiful day in this wasteland, isn’t it?

You know how it is here – you’ve been brought here from your own world, maybe months ago, maybe years ago, but very little has changed: the two sides fighting for the much-needed but depleted supplies, the harsh conditions of this battered desert landscape, the tensions that run high on the worst of days or simmer towards the boiling point on better days.

There’s been a tentative peace between the Dragons of Heaven and the Dragons of Earth these last few weeks, though... Very tentative. You’ve all had enough on either side to warrant a ceasefire on all the fighting – not needing to interact with anyone on the other side. Nobody really knows when all this fighting started – only that it keeps going and no resolution has worked so far.

This isn’t your original world. You still want to go home – but it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen anytime soon. You’ve been brought here to fight on these two sides. Hopefully you can survive this, because this place is certainly not doing you any favors.



Because now the supplies are running lower and the monsters lurking out in the sand, or beneath the water, or in the limited vegetation are getting more aggressive, fueled by their own hunger. Maybe it’s not such a peaceful day, after all.

You’re all in need of supplies. One side has the water and vegetation, what you desperately need to survive another day. But the other side has the clothes, medical supplies, shelter materials, hunting materials. Supplies on both sides are running low – it’s “spring”, after all, and so the plants haven’t yet started to grow back fully, and the underground locations in the old city are running low on the stockpiled medical supplies. You’ll have to find a new cache soon.

But not all hope is lost…

A large sand worm – the first of the season! – has been spotted near the border between the two territories. It’s a good chance to get a leg-up on the other side: the meat can be used for food, its poison for weapons and antidotes, its skin for clothing or shelter, its teeth for tools. Of course, it is dangerous, so it’s important to be cautious. Especially if you run into the other side while hunting! Or maybe you’re sneaking across into enemy territory to steal supplies by force. It’s been known to happen. But you better make sure you don’t get caught or there could be real trouble.]


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[ooc: Our (belated) anniversary/CLAMP day event begins - CLAMP AU! Go here for information/plotting.

Happy CLAMP Day!]

[This new world is holding up. With the warriors fighting the monsters attacking, and the priests and priestesses giving their own power to heal the sakura, the crumbling world recovered enough so that it would not collapse entirely. The sky cleared up a bit, the buildings are now staying in place... It's tiring, though. Battle after battle, the loss of energy, people's blood being spilt. You should be able to tell by now, you won't manage to hold on forever. Something has to change. Something has to give in.

When the ground shakes, and the largest creatures so far make their appearance, it feels like the answer - they're heading straight to the biggest tree in the middle of it all. Grab your weapons, or be ready to give up your life energy, and meet them there, hopefully for the last time. It won't be the only thing to change. In the middle of the battle, and with the help of those able to aid it, the central tree's power will grow stronger, and stronger, until it overflows, its magic too large for it to contain. The tree will break, releasing a darkness that will trap everyone, swallow them into the tree itself...

... And then you'll wake up. The fighting is over, things are silent now, and you'll find yourselves in beds scattered across the usual Miracle Country, covered in sakura petals. For those who were injured, fighting or protecting the trees, they'll find that they've been bandaged up, the energy given up by others having acted as a price for the cure. Were you asleep for a while? You'll feel fine now, aside from the lingering injuries that will already start to heal faster than should be possible. You may get up, leave the beds, and look around. Everything looks normal - the tree is back at its usual place, strong and unmarked, in full bloom as always. The other trees are blooming just as pink for the day.

Don't think your efforts went unnoticed. The general peaceful atmosphere appears to make it easier to rest comfortably and heal, for those who need it. The clothes and weapons you used are now yours to keep, fixed up and good as new. The rooms at the hotel are all freshened up and sparkly clean, ready to receive their usual guests - you'll find fresh flowers set up near windows, nicer bedsheets and towels, and so on. There are picnic clothes and baskets set out around the islands, near the beds or the temporarily all-pink trees, where you can enjoy a meal with others, if you'd like. Even the Usyagi, usually distant and strange, seem cheerful today, floating around and giving away colorful balloons to people (and look around - if you get one that looks like it shines, you'll have a good dream that night).

Of course, it's April 1st! A day for celebration in this world. Welcome back.]

[[Our Sacred Sakura event ends! Happy CLAMP day!!]]

[The rain from the last few days is finally starting to clear out – and a good thing, too, because it’s April 1st! As is tradition with Miracle Country, the world wants to help celebrate this important birthday – both Sakura and Syaoran’s, as well as missing friends – so what’s that in the sky?

As the clouds clear out, it’ll become clear that there are… presents hanging around, quite literally.

There are presents hanging mid-air and all around today, with little tags attached with “catch me” and “gift me” or “for Sakura-hime”, as these presents are meant for her. Inside, there are replicas of all of both Sakura’s precious memories – you might find a stuffed animal shaped like Mokona, or plushes of puppies or kitties, or perhaps something more simple like a hairpin from one of the worlds she visited. There’s the possibility of finding an old lantern, kitty memorabilia, toy replicas of racing dragonflys, or flower crowns. There’s a little bit of everything, and some generic items, too: hair decorations, flower bouquets, pretty decorative boxes, jewelry, or new shawls and scarves – all with specific themes from the worlds they come from.

They’re everywhere today! Hanging in the air (and there are plenty of hot air balloons around in order to guide along and retrieve them), as well as scattered around the park, near the lake, along the bridges leading to the other islands, as well as at the other islands themselves. The presents might even move around, following you along to try to encourage you to catch them and give them to Sakura – or you can keep them for yourself, or gift them to someone else. They might knock against your head if you prove to be particularly stubborn, then float away before you can make a proper grab for them.]


[ooc: Open mingle for everyone - and obviously backdated to April 1st. Sakura will have a top comment for those who'd like to interact with her specifically. Otherwise, go wild and have fun!]

[Happy (belated) CLAMP day, everyone! We're following our tradition and having an event for the date.

This year, it's a memory sharing event. Characters will find that they're holding a feather (or perhaps more than one), and they'll know that this feather contains a memory. It could be anything, big or small, happy or sad, that much is up to you. Now, they hold these representations of their own memories for a reason! They're meant to hand them over to someone else. In doing so, the person they give the feather to will experience this memory in a vision. There's a catch, however; the person receiving this memory has to be someone who didn't experience it or witness it too.

Now, if they decide they'd rather not give it to anyone, they'll realize the memory contained in that feather is slowly fading away from their own memories. They'll forget names, faces, events from the memory, until they eventually forget it entirely. Sometimes the memory fading will be a lot faster, and they'll know they have to act quick and don't have the luxury to be sitting around considering who to trust with it. They'll know that, unless shared with someone, the memory will be forgotten entirely. Or, well, "entirely", as Kiseki would have mercy and return it to them, after several weeks (how much is up to you).

The memory exchange will happen when someone else touches the feather - and it means that, yes, you can force someone to see your memory, or you can forcefully view them yourself. And while feathers with memories only work once and then disappear, they could reappear with the same memory in them later.

Of course, the event isn't mandatory, your characters being affected by it at all is entirely your choice.]

Who: Anyone/everyone!
What: April 1st things!
Where: All over Kiseki
When: April 1st!
Rating: NC-83
Warnings: Flu...ff...?

Summary:

It's April 1st! Which means both Syaoran, both Sakura and Watanuki have their birthdays... And Kiseki is celebrating, as usual!

The whole place will be decorated with star, bird, cat, teddy bear and butterfly motifs. All trees throughout the islands will be changed to blossoming sakura trees. There will be small tables set up around the park, with all sorts of apples (as well as food made with them, such as apple pies), birthday cake, and plenty of alcoholic drinks.

Towards the evening and during the whole night, all lights will go out completely, and a lot of small lights will appear all over the world instead (quite similar to The Glow's powers). The stars themselves will also appear to be shining brighter than usual.