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XOXO ❅ VALENTINE'S EVENT
One major problem with being the group that's responsible for solving all kinds of problems in the myth world is other myths can kind of be dicks about it. That's why, on Valentine's Day, Cupid shows up, quickly offloads his kid (the toddler Baby Cupid), and runs off to take care of spreading love on his holiday, with barely a how'd you do. He doesn't even say thank you.
To be fair, you can't fault him too much for only trusting the Guardians to babysit his kid in these dangerous and uncertain times, especially when children at risk against the fearlings.
Still, that means there's a giggling toddler, about 2-years-old in appearance, but maybe with the mental age of a 4 or 5 (he is definitely old enough to understand he's being naughty and deserving of a time out) flitting around the Pole causing all kinds of Valentine's related problems. Fortunately, the toddler has learned that he's not quite old enough to know the right times to help people fall in love (Adult Cupid just helps things along when they're already falling, or when they need help falling back in love, of course).
Instead, Baby C is doing what his father taught him to do and causing all kinds of tricks to try to get people to admit feelings that already exist or manufacturing ways for them to become closer to each other.
HONESTY ARROWS ♥ Baby Cupid isn't shooting magic arrows that cause anyone to develop feelings for each other but he sure is trying to make sure people talk about whatever feelings they have. Anyone hit will be compelled to blurt out various truths about themselves, their personal history, and their feelings to whoever is around them and will have difficulty stopping or drawing themselves away. In fact, if someone walks away they'll feel compelled to find someone else to confess to. The effect wears off anywhere between 5 minutes to a half hour.
TATTLETALE ROSES ♥ Vines of roses are now growing all over the Workshop. For those who are in love, they take the form of the face of the person they're in love with. The more they try to hide it or deny it from someone they're talking to, the more of them bloom with the person's face.
THORNY VINES OF CLOSENESS ♥ The rose vines have their own annoying purpose: bonding! For people that clearly need to become friends, fall in love, or fall deeper in love, thorny vines will wrap around both people, forcing them into a little cage together. The thorns fortunately won't poke them - they seem to be maneuvered in a way to just make sure there are no gaps to escape through. The vines are magically reinforced and can't be opened with any physical or magical means. After that, one of two things will happen:
1) A card will fall from the ceiling of the cage saying: Tell each other how you really feel about each other!!! This will happen if the cage thinks they need to affirm the status of their relationship, whether they need to admit they're in love, admit they've been bitten by the friend bug if they're reluctant to, or really need to talk about how much they mean to each other as friends. Only then will they be let out of the feelings shame corner.
2) If the two don't know each other, or both people could afford to get to know each other better multiple cards will drop from the ceiling with icebreaker questions, as if they're a bunch of new hires at an orientation.
How many will they have to answer before they're released? Who knows! But they have to answer them honestly or the cage won't open.
CANDY LONELY HEARTS ♥ People who are on the lonelier side and in need of support might find a candy heart on a random surface. The messages on them are on the platonic side (Like "You rock!" or "Shine on!") They'll feel compelled to eat them (even if they're on the floor). When they do, a glowing red thread will appear and tie itself around their finger. Briefly, in the air, the glowing string will form into letters that tell the person what they need to do to be release, whether it's telling someone they're lonely, asking for some kind of support, or admitting a vulnerability.
Then it'll whip out and grab someone else nearby, wrapping around their finger as well. Sometimes, two people might eat a candy at the same time and each have a string appear and they'll tie in the middle.
The strings are unbreakable, and they won't be set free until whoever ate a candy talks about their loneliness or vulnerable feelings - regardless of whether or not the other person is an eager listener.
❅ Starters: You can make up your own wildcard effects, feel free! If you do, please consider posting it to the Wildcard comment below so others might be able to pick up the same effect as well if they like them.
❅ Multiple effects: Feel free to have characters slammed by as many of Baby C's traps in the same thread as you want. No reason someone can't have the worst luck and trip three Cupid traps at once or several of them in a row.
Honesty Arrows
This isn't as bad as the horrible little cupid-monsters on the Rig, but Stacia's still not thrilled about getting shot with magic arrows.
"At least you're not trying to take bites of me," she grumbles as the toddler flies off to, presumably, continue to commit shenanigans. At least the North Pole is largely childproofed due to the elves. Come to think of it, maybe she can distract the flying source of shenanigans with the elves!
Cheered by that thought, she proceeds deeper into social territory.
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Which means that she's taken to wandering after it, half out of a feeling of duty and half because she's bored (what do you even DO when you're not trying to keep a Sept from sinking into chaos at all times). And is mostly just observing, watching what it does and what seems to delight it in an attempt to learn enough to distract it from causing chaos for a while.
Maybe. So far, the chaos has been all on the amusing and sometimes even helpful side. She appreciates the toddler's style. So at the moment, she's more coming up with contingency plans for if something goes wrong than actual plans to stop cupid. She's always been more of a hands-off-until-actual-problems-arise person.
So when she spots a younger woman starting to go after cupid, too, she does a quick jog to catch up with her and falls into step beside Stacia.
"Keeping an eye on the kid too?" Stacia will notice that the way she speaks resembles Rowan's a lot, though her pitch is a good deal higher.
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"Yeah," she says. "I don't know how much trouble an unsupervised flying kid could get into here at the Pole, but I'd feel bad if I just let him find out. And since my Rage doesn't excuse me from babysitting in this instance..."
Hang on. Stacia's brows knit together and her expression darkens.
"Son of a fuck."
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"Heh, look at that little shit go--Ow. Fuck."
A moment of awkward silence.
"You, uh, you seem like you're kind of a bitch but also kinda cool."
He sure knows how to make a girl feel appreciated.
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"You seem like a dipshit, but I'm sure that can be resolved by smacking you upside the head enough times," she responds in kind; then blinks in surprise. "Normally I wouldn't say that to your face. Huh."
If he were a Ragabash, she'd suspect she'd just been hit with Slip of the Tongue. She looks around to see if she can spot anyone else, before probing the area she'd been shot.
"What the hell?"
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He audibly facepalms.
"No way I just said that shit out loud."
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Maybe she should get herself a whiteboard and a pen. The Yeti at least have to have chalk and chalkboards, right?
She pats Jake on the arm in commiseration.
"Yeah, I get that we've all got to find some way to survive the horrors," she says. "I'll be gentle when I smack you; you're only human."
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Great job, Jake. That'll show her.
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"This is entrapment," she protests to the world at large before refocusing on Jake. "How dare you. I have enough annoying men in my life who are also sad wet kittens, I do not need more. Goddamnit."
Stupid empathy. Stupid burning rage about abuse and trauma and injustice. Stupid nurturing tendencies.
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That is the truth. Despite his lowkey giant trauma and daddy issues.
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"God, this is just like being back home; I'm getting nostalgia headaches."
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He doesn't really know what to say.
"Should we do something about those little shits?"
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