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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.
Candy Lonely Hearts
"Somehow, I don't think this is why I was always told not to eat random pieces of candy I found lying around," she says evenly. As if she needs and excuse to ask for a hug or emotional support!
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Well, monitoring the globe wasn’t exactly minding his own business, but he wasn’t paying much mind to the workshop.
- when it happened. A red thread just lashed out of nowhere and curled around his pinkie finger like it belonged there, and Tim’s reaction is verging on panic. He stands up so abruptly the chair knocks over, because he lives in Santa’s workshop with an assortment of impossible myths and the red thread of fate just found him.
He has to find Kon.
No, he has to avoid Kon.
He hasn’t finished the internal debate over whether this calls for avoiding or finding when his eyes see the other person on the string. That can’t be right. Stacia’s not supposed to the one the other end of the thread. “What did you do?”
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And now they have to emotionally bond. No, and no. Tim shrinks to get away, but the string goes from covering his finger to mummifying his entire tiny arm. Maybe he can burn it off?
Tim is very quickly a fiery little balloon for Stacia, but he is no less stuck.
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"Golly-gosh Tim, but I always eat random things off of the ground! It's definitely not because maybe the magic candy is magic or anything!"
The vapidity drops away, but Tim's frantic failure to escape the red thread is funny enough that she smiles instead of looking annoyed.
"Are you actually going to break out in hives if we have a nice, friendly chat? Because that would be funny."
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Tim is multi-tasking as a fireball until he gives up. Flight patterns a little wonky now, but it straightens out into a circle. "I'm not going to break out in hives if I talk to someone. I just want to choose the conversation for myself. The string could be forcing a Maserati on me: I want to be the one picking it."
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He tugs lightly on the string. With the size difference, the motion won't carry down the line to annoy her more. "I'm open to suggestions."
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"My experiences with holiday-themed trickery are that it's generally best to just roll with it," she says. "Tricksters gonna trickster, and letting them get under your skin just encourages them." She tugs gently on her Tim balloon. "This one doesn't bug me too much; I'm secure enough in my choices and who I am to let myself be vulnerable. Of course, it does help that I can turn into a giant monster if someone tries to take advantage of my good nature."
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Taylor does feel somewhat ashamed over it. It feels like she subjected herself to something a little low, but overall it was harmless, no? Mostly because she's trying very, very hard not to think about the string wrapped around her finger. She knows what's the easiest way to get rid of it, and yet she really, really would like to try a million other ways to break the red string. She always was introverted, and this feels like putting her on the spotlight in some way.
Perhaps that's why, hiding her hand behind her back, she's gone around just talking to others because hey, aiding others in getting rid of theirs the easy way is fine and dandy.
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Ew. She makes a face and shudder dramatically, then slips back into her oh-so-cute-and-chipper routine.
"I don't think we've met before. You one of the people who showed up around Christmas?"
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Esspecially the tormenting billionaires one, unfortunately for people in general she has plenty of experience being a menace and is terrifying good at that, although Taylor hates that of herself. There's only so much justification one can try to give yourself when doing that.
Perhaps it's because of the string that she adds:
"Kind of makes me wish that happened more often."
Mostly because, despite the bitter feelings towards how good she is at terrorizing, bringing positive change by forcing figures of power to submit, especially if it's through sheer fear without harming them otherwise, is something she does like.
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It would be hilarious. Stacia indulges in a little giggle at the thought before resuming the conversation.
"So, I'm Stacia, I'm a werewolf. Don't worry, it's not contagious."
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"I'm Taylor Hebert. Nice to meet you."
Stacia seems friendly, but Taylor doesn't offer a handshake and the such -- she has known a lot of people who don't like such contact. Taylor definitely has her guard up but is willing to reach out, if not with her hand then at least with a conversation!
After a moment, she does give a glimpse of the string tied to her hand.
"Ever saw anything like this? It's like nothing I have faced before."
Okay, it definitely is an effect of the string that she used the verb 'faced' instead of 'seen' or anything similar. Takes her a second to realize what she just said, and her face gets a little bit tense. True, no superpower she has fought against has used anything like this, but this whole day she has been trying hard to keep hidden she's a parahuman.
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"Nice to meet you, too," Stacia returns, thus completing the greeting ritual. "I haven't dealt with anything like this specifically, but I've had some experience with magic feelings talks." She makes a face. "At least isn't one where your brain-to-mouth filter gets disengaged. Those suck."
She shrugs. "Mine basically said that I need to ask for emotional support, but I'm generally good at that anyway. Heck, Bunny -- the Easter Bunny -- and I have a standing daily-hug agreement for whenever he's not super busy elsewhere."
(Okay, she's bragging, just a little. But the Easter Bunny thinks she's cute and gives her hugs on demand! What's not to brag about there?)
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It's true they had to do the duties of Santa Claus, but they sure didn't see Santa Claus at all that day. Are you telling her the Easter Bunny is present around here? And he gives hugs?
Okay, this world definitely has a lot of whimsy. If Taylor were more willing to leave herself vulnerable, she'd enjoy the thought of meeting the Easter Bunny and ask Stacia to take her to catch a glimpse of him, just out of curiosity, but she tries hard to not let that show.
But the strings are good at getting things out of her: "I kind of want to see him--"
She groans and looks down, taking off her glasses and rubbing her eyes tiredly.
"I know mine said I need to let my guard down but it's so hard. I just don't want to."
Less so because she distrusts others, but more because she comes from a place where keeping your guard up when not in a place of safety and relative comfort is needed.
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But still: Stacia has finally met someone who understands how cool it is that the Easter Bunny exists. This magic string nonsense is officially worth it.
"I'm not sure if he's still here; he said he was just dropping by between jobs, but I'll definitely come find you next time he comes by," she says. "Also, you might spot him around anyway, he's hard to miss: there aren't a lot of giant gray and white rabbits carrying boomerangs around here. Just call out 'Bunny!' and he'll at least pause and look around." She wrinkles her nose. "Actually, you should call out his name first if you want his attention at all. He's a martial artist and you look younger than me; he'd feel really bad if he reflexively threw you across the room on unexpected contact."
Also, just because he's a big scary Guardian of Childhood now doesn't mean he's not also a prey animal. But she's not going to put it that way to someone she's just met. She snaps her fingers.
"Speaking of -- and I'm not accusing you of anything -- if you have or have acquired animal-based powers, he will probably smell them on you. He'll keep quiet if you want to keep them secret though, you just have to tell him." She winks. "Consider that me laying the groundwork to indicate that I'm a reasonably trustworthy person, even if you're not ready to let your guard down yet." She shrugs. "I'll be honest, the only reason I'm as unguarded as I am right now is that I know that people here have my back."
Also because she can turn into an eight-foot-tall furry death-blender at will. That's reassuring under a lot of circumstances.
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Unbeknown to Taylor, her power has enough oddities to raise an alarm or two. She's not aware Miguel's senses can pick hers up, and vice versa.
"Not sure a trustworthy person calls themselves that, but I guess that'd be harder to hide during this day."
The strings, the arrows, something would reveal it. Still...
"You know what, fine. Let's see if that's enough for the strings. I'll try to let my guard down and believe everything you just said."
Easier said than done, and Taylor does take a deep breath as if to prepare, but it's really, really hard for her. The string around her finger loosens up, not falling down, but hey, it's far better than how it was before. Taylor did try, she just has a tremendously hard time not worrying about things.
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Sometimes you've just got to let people dislike you. Other times, it's worth it to make them like you against their better judgment. She counts Amigo de las Serpientes' good opinion of her among her greatest accomplishments. If she can get him to like her, she can endear herself to anyone in the Nation if she puts her mind to it.
"So yeah, I don't exactly expect you to trust me, sight-unseen," she says. "All the evidence you've got of my good intentions is the word of the Man in the Moon, and what reason do you have to trust him? I'm willing to put in the work to prove it, is all."