+++ 奇跡国 - Miracle Country +++

So many...

[ Standing affront the pet shop, the recording starts without Yuuki's knowledge. But that's nothing new in Kiseki. Eyes bright, Yuuki leans forward, one hand resting against the glass, her other holding an umbrella up over head. Yet-- while Yuuki seems wide-eyed and excited, the more docile animals are pressed to the opposite side of their cages, others out right cowering.

The kittens and puppies in the window seem unsure at best, but are clearly nervous. For now, she seems oblivious to their reaction. Or that it's actually her they're attempting to hide from. ]

I wonder what would be the best fit?

[ Find her outside the window or causing a ruckus inside the actual shop! ]

[Today, when you wake up, you’ll find a little glass jar with a stopper beside your bed with a little note that says “do good deeds to fill me & make your wish come true”. From today until Friday, you’ll have this jar by your side and whenever you do a good deed or something kind, a little konpeito will clink into the jar. The better you are, the more it will fill.

But be careful, because bad deeds and cruel things will make the konpeito disappear piece by piece, and you’ll never make your wish come true that way! The more the jar is filled by Friday, the better the prize you’ll get, or ‘your wish’.

The prizes range from little tokens from home to larger tokens. Filled it halfway? You might find a little trinket from your old room, something you remember and often wished you had with you. If your jar is almost full or completely full, your prize will be something larger – a token from home of more substance, something you’ve longed for but couldn’t have here – a picture of a loved one, an old family heirloom, a prized possession.

If you were a bad person this week, and your jar is mostly empty, then sadly you will not be receiving a token from home. But maybe you’ll have one or two konpeito to munch on. For those who don’t have a pressing desire for something from back home, the konpeito can be exchanged for money or other goods.

And throughout the week, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to do good deeds. Suddenly, the stray cats around Kiseki have a tendency to get stuck in trees. Perhaps you see a friend carrying more grocery bags than he can handle. There’s a kid struggling to get something down off a high shelf. Just taking a look around reveals plenty of opportunities and possibilities to be a good person.]

[Yeah he could just write all this, but then he'd be denying everyone a view of his pretty face. Everyone is welcome for his consideration.]

Hello, Miracle Country~ [Sure is a kiss he's blowing to the journal with a smile.] For those who don't know me yet, I'm Ian; I've come here from the same world as Ucchii and King.

[The smile drops and he leans forward to rest his chin on his hand to stare at the journal intently. A black pen is being gripped loosely between his middle and ring fingers, and it gets tapped against his lips occasionally as he considers his words carefully.]

I've been wondering, everyone... How long have each of you been here, exactly? Do you remember what the date here was, and if it was different to what it should have been for you? And what were you doing just before you woke up? If there's some sort of pattern to all this, then those the best places to start looking for it.

[Some of the residents of Kiseki - the female ones, specifically - may not have seen him looking so serious before this. But there are questions to be answered about Kiseki, ladies and gentlemen, and Ian is determined to fill in the gaps in everyone's knowledge.]

Any information further than what the Welcome Ladies can provide would be welcome, too. I'm not entirely sure I buy into the explanations they've been giving. All of the locals seem a bit too... Stepford to be entirely genuine.

[Have they always been like that? Another question for another time, and the hand holding his chin moves away from his face. A quick movement and the pen is flipped into a more correct position for writing, and he scribbles that question down out of view of the journal.]

Well, that's all I can ask for right now. [The smile returns.] I look forward to having everyone's answers soon!

[Because if he acts like he expects it, then he's more likely to get them. A wink and a smooth 'shooting' gesture later don't point out he forgot to put the pen down first, he totally intended it and the video ends.]

[It's time for candy! All around Kiseki, for the following three days, Welcome Center ladies will be offering samples of candy for people to give away. And everyone will receive a little pamphlet, explaining the idea behind this - when someone gives you a piece of candy, you should thank them through a kiss! Kisses on the cheek, hand, etc. are perfectly fine, of course.

But what if you're a grump who refuses to participate, or too shy for it, you happen to not trust Kisekians with anything, or simply don't care? Well, don't worry, because this tradition is just awfully tempting. Your character may find that they simply can't resist giving away candy to others, maybe even to their worst enemy! And sometimes they simply won't be able to stop themselves from thanking this gesture through the necessary kiss.]

[There's a short video recording in Merlin's journal, showing him in one of the common rooms underground, snoring softly as he sleeps awkwardly bent over an open book, a few others piled up next to him.]

[It begins in the park, in the shade of a tree to avoid the light of the sun. He has been to his room, to the library and school. He is angry with you, Kiseki.]

It is cruel to tease.

[Distracted eyes fall on the journal beside him, recording his every movement, his fingers reaching out to touch its cover and binding, concealing its magical pages. One of the many things he doesn't understand, wants to understand, but right now, he can't bring himself to care. There is a heavy disappointment settling on him and a passive expression that could mean any number of things.]

I would have liked to have slept a while longer still.

[For just a second, something wavers in his gaze and he smiles a ghost of a smile, bitterness and annoyance hidden beneath the empty gesture.]

... very cruel indeed.

[Waking, no matter how long, never ceases to remind him of that burning thirst. He finally takes it in his hand, and as he lifts it, so too does the pretense of pleasantness that he is so very good at.]

I hope things have been well, Kiseki. Has it been eventful?

[Video | filtered from Madoka; hackable]
For some of you this will come as little surprise but to others, it needs to be said: If any of you are responsible for making Madoka cry or unhappy, you will pay for as much.

[Too many people lately have been too forward with her, or, worse, not as pleasant as they damn well should be.]

I won't presume to say you cannot befriend Madoka, if she so chooses to befriend you. But don't be so lenient and don't you dare upset her in any way - or you will answer to me. Madoka is kind, and will do much to befriend you all - but that doesn't give you the right to take advantage of that kindness.

So be sure you don't overstep. [And out of seemingly nowhere, she draws a gun from behind the little shield on her wrist, frowning at the journal she's spent all afternoon trying to properly figure out. Anyway, grumpy girl with a gun.]

You've been warned of as much. That's all.

video;;

[ souji watches with puzzlement as the kiseki ladies row away in their own raft. they wave and chatter at him as they vanish into the horizon. weird ]

That wasn't very helpful. [ and now he's stuck on this tiny island ] If they want me to die again, then they should have picked something quicker.

[ RATHER THAN STARVATION... ON THIS ISLAND... he picks up the journal, glances out over the water, and then... tosses it into the ocean after the disappearing raft, so whoever's opening it on the other end might get a few wet spots whoops, before it miraculously reappears on the island next to him. ]

...Huh. [ he's going to keep on doing this, sorry ]

action;;

[ HOPEFULLY THE NEXT THROW DOESN'T CLOBBER SOMEONE IN THE HEAD. Souji gazes at a likely target ahead, which could be you, your raft, a floating tree branch, the water, etc. He takes a step back and tosses the book out over the air and to its intended location. ]

[ except it comes back, right? and despite being weirded out by this at first, he finds it very convenient in order to continue throwing the journal at whatever the hell for his own amusement. okay look he thinks he's in like a purgatory, and what else is there to do??? ]

[After the recent flood, things have somewhat settled down. Or, at least, the water has.

It seems as though it's been forever since the change, at least looks-wise; the old buildings now buried underwater have been corroded and invaded by corals and other marine life. If you dive deep in, you might even start finding treasure here and there - not just the old abandoned items in the hotels and shops, but things like weapons or even gold. Banks of fish are swimming around at ease, their number increasing more and more (and of course the areas where the forests are now submerged home much more dangerous sea creatures). And near the area where the beach was, a gentle, massive manatee-like creature will be found, ready to carry people around, be fed vegetables or simply be happy to play around in the water.

The vegetation is thriving, embracing the change, trees growing all around buried buildings, those which hold the tree houses seeming sturdier, their tops getting thicker and thicker leaves, almost camouflaging the houses from view, but at the same time making it easier to travel above the land, as branches from different trees connect to each other.

The rafts are still around for anyone's use, and during the night, fireflies will show up all over Kiseki to help illuminate the way of anyone still awake.]

This Saturday night, when it’s quiet enough and nothing around you is moving, as the night progresses and you look up at the sky, you see that the moon is, slowly, turning red and then fading from sight – an eclipse, blocking out the moon entirely.

Along with this eclipse, you might begin to hear the steady drip-drip-drip of moving water. Quiet at first, just a few drips and drops, like rainfall or a faucet that forgot to be turned off. And then the sound of water grows louder, and louder, and suddenly the ground feels a little wet. And steadily, as the night fades into morning, the water just keeps on rising, flooding everything. It starts ankle-deep but it slowly begins to rise, inch by inch. There’s no use going for higher ground, though, because the water just keeps on rising.

Soon, as the day progresses, everything is underwater. The buildings crumble down due to sudden erosion, and the entire island is covered. Plants, trees, grass, walkways, hotels… it’s all gone, beneath the water. There are parts, throughout the island, where the water is shallow enough to stand in, so don’t fear drowning. There are other parts, though, that are deep as can be – and if you peer down into the water deep enough, you can see the ruins of lost ships and lost cities, and if you peer even deeper, you’ll see the underwater caves, settled down beneath coral reefs and underwater vents.

There are pockets of dry land, only large enough to hold a few people at once – but fear not, for it is dry land. But don’t be surprised if it suddenly disappears beneath the water and resurfaces elsewhere throughout the day or night. But it isn’t your only means to get out of swimming: there will be rafts floating throughout the watery paradise, and when it comes to sleeping and eating – there are large trees growing high from the water, with tree-houses for your convenience.

Afraid of going under the water? Anyone who braves the deep dives will find that they can hold their breath for much longer than they thought. It might also seem like they’re basically breathing under water. But certainly it makes exploring all the things under the water much easier.