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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.
aziraphale | ota
[ Aziraphale would like to speak with a manager. Oh. He supposes Cupid is the manager, in a roundabout way. Not strictly available. Not especially helpful just now, then.
Which is to say it's all fun and games and trying to dodge arrows until the rose vines start growing in around him, with the sort of alarming numbers that come from thousands of years of denial and repression and all that.
To anyone who's seen Aziraphale out and about on missions or at the Pole since first arriving, and the most regular company he keeps, the face on the roses is likely very familiar. ]
Oh. Oh, dear. Oh, no.
[ Old habits win out most of the time with Aziraphale, and the old habit that comes to the forefront in the moment is mild panic. Heaven and Hell aren't in this reality in the strictest sense, at least not in the forms that would be the most concerning, but-- well, who's to say, really. Heaven observes. It's what they do. Anything is possible.
What if they see? But even after that initial burst of panic settles, looks frankly irrational all things considered, he has to consider: what if literally anyone else here sees and then tells Crowley about it?
Good Lord, what if Crowley sees these? Can't have that.
Local angel can be found... basically anywhere, fruitlessly trying to prune and redirect the rose vines putting him on blast, not really thinking about how that's a metaphor for basically his entire existence. It only seems to keep getting worse, though? Nothing is working, can't believe the worst thing that has ever happened to anyone ever is happening to him, personally, etc. ]
VINES OF CLOSENESS.
[ He takes it back. This is actually the worst thing that has ever happened to anyone ever, happening to him personally.
Aziraphale, on his end of this cramped little thorn cage, could not be more clearly exuding an energy of "I hate every single thing about this but god help me I'm trying to swallow that hatred to be polite." Look, he loves people. Generally. Conceptually. He loves learning about them.
But he's also an introvert who really rather prefers to engage with that sort of thing on his own terms. This is the nightmare scenario. ]
Right. Um. Hello. [ World's most short-lived strained smile contender: activate.
He gathers up a handful of icebreaker cards, fishes out a little pair of reading glasses, and starts rifling through questions. The glasses seem to have no real impact on how much squinting is required.
Aziraphale stops on one that seems to nab the bulk of his attention and frowns. ]
I don't suppose you could tell me what an "emoji" is. [ He technically speaks every language and is an avid reader, and yet... emoji... tf. ]
WILDCARD.
[ For everything under the sun. Open to playing with honesty arrows, candy hearts, other misc. wildcard options, planning closed threads, whatever! Feel free to hit me for plotting! ]