PARADISA OOC

Emails have been sent to both Team Normal and Team Super!

IC "Midnight" Reaction Post.

And a happy new year ♥

The feeling stops.

The cheer? Gone. The homey warmth? Gone. All at once, it vanishes, and that joy-clouded version of Christmas-at-Paradisa changes. The decorations lose their sparkle and start to look tired, the boughs of the trees sag, and the formerly rich reds and lustrous greens seem dulled.

The fairytale is over, and in its absence is an emptiness, like a house being packed up for a big move.

What happened, Paradisa? What changed so suddenly?




We were originally going to do an event on the 28th-29th, but it was starting to feel cramped. Everyone's really busy with holiday stuff, so it felt like overkill, especially with the finale in the first week of January and the climax from the 7th-9th. So ,here we are letting you know what's going down.

This whole month we've been stressing the "Paradisa loves you and wants you to be happy and feel like you're at home" thing. And now... it's gone. Here's why: Paradisa has decided it likes this group, and when Paradisa likes something... it keeps it.

Forever.





On December 31st, we're doing what we did last year, because people seemed to enjoy that: all drinks take on the effect of alcohol. If your character is the age where being drunk is really not cool (here's looking at you, Ike and Nanako and the like) or you're totally uncomfortable with that (or your character is biologically immune to alcohol), then you're free to bypass it... but we kinda advise playing with it.

Why?

Because at midnight, every character is going to feel a strong, familiar-but-can't-quite-place-it hand on their shoulder, and a familiar voice in their ear, saying:

"Welcome home, forever, Traveler..."

And being drunk when you hear that will be either hilarious or ridiculously sobering.





You asked for "normal people" volunteers recently. What's up?
You'll be getting an email sometime tomorrow with a confirmation, and directions.

When are apps going to reopen/losses coming back/whatever?
Tentative date is January 11th, because we don't want all those new people coming in to distract from the plot.

You said the castle decided to keep them forever... what if I need/want to drop a character?
If you need or want to drop a character in the month of January, we'll just imply they're still there! Any castmates will be able to NPC them for the remainder of the month. If this is a serious problem for anyone, feel free to contact the mods and we will discuss. It's important that we do this, though, since it'll be more convincing that nobody is leaving if ... well, nobody is leaving.



Do you play one of the following?
a) a godmode type
b) a character who frontlines most major events/fights

If so, we need your character names and emails here. We're gonna need you for the 7th of January, and we've got a weird fun thing to keep you busy while everyone else is doing other stuff.

If you play a "middle ground" character who is between both groups, or you just can't decide where they'd fit better... would you rather BE the mystery, or WORK the mystery? You'll still get to play either way!

Hey! Hey! There's a baby deer on the roof! Band together to help him, yo.

It’s the fourth week, Christmas is just around the corner, the world still has that perfect greeting-card quality to it, and there doesn’t seem to be any sign of it stopping any time soon.

It’s getting eerie, isn’t it? Save for whatever entertainment the residents are cooking up, it’s just been so peaceful. Some might be feeling the grain of it by now; since when was the castle ever this loving? There’s a catch, right?

... Right?



PS: IC Discussion here.



When it comes to magic, Paradisa’s got it in spades. Careful with those snowmen you build; they might just come to life and run around.




Residents will find this on their door tonight, heralding the next special day:





Do you have a "normal" character? You know, the ones who never get to do stuff because their level of awesome is usually overshadowed by other residents, and could use some action?

Because as luck would have it, our business is all about them.

Please leave your character’s name and your email here and we'll get back to you with instructions.




We don’t want to impose a blanket of “your character must feel this way” on the castle. Not only does it limit characters’ reactions, but it tends to dull how they’re really feeling. As a result, we’re going to clarify what this means:

If your character would be suspicious, skeptical, annoyed, or otherwise OPPOSED to the castle “suggesting” these things, they are free to stamp their feet and make all the fuss they want over it.

Alternately, if your character would happily take this as an indicator that the castle is taking a happy, new, loving approach and would sing praises, go for it!

Or, really, any place on the spectrum in between those two!





Click here to see the full directory of Christmas-Event posts.

It’s been over a month and a half since the castle evicted the Halloween decorations and monsters, and save for a few violent or loud losses, it’s been quiet. It’s like a hush has fallen over the castle, and it’s more apparent than anything, now that it’s been well over a week since a new resident appeared, or since someone’s gone on a loss.

And yet... there is change. The outdoors grows colder, and the snows deeper –– in many places it’s up to an adult man’s chest, and it always seems to be in perfect snowball condition. The pond is completely iced over for skating, and a large sleigh has been left in the stables with all the rigging to attach to a pair of horses. Old-fashioned toboggans are leaned up against the wall in the lobby, ready to be used.

Every morning, one wakes up with the increasingly nagging, nagging, nagging feeling that Paradisa is now your home. You belong here. You’re going to stay here. Aren’t you happy? And if you aren’t... why aren’t you happy? It’s so perfect here. Skeptics may be inclined to voice their concerns, as the pressure increases.

The ghosts are getting increasingly doting. One can barely get up to put on their shoes before a ghost is bringing them over, and even strolling into the bathroom has a ghost drawing a luxurious bath. The second one gets out of bed, it’s made, and attempts to do things on ones own only results in the ghosts attempting to do it first. Only the firmest of telling offs will get the ghosts scrambling off, desperate to please.

They just want you to feel at home for the holidays, you know.





The 15th marks something amazing: as midnight ticks by, the entire exterior of the castle begins to change.

It starts slowly, as blue firefly-like lights begin to fall from the sky like snow, settling on the castle and casting a cool ambiance over the world. Some lights are the size of pinpricks and other as large as Christmas baubles, they all stop to float around the castle like wireless decorations, lining the bricks, the turrets, the windows.

The lights seem to have a life of their own: they move and flit around as they please, arranging themselves into patterns mimicking the skies of different worlds. Many reach the grounds, as well; any who dares touch them will find themselves “holding” a nebulous ball of swirling energy with a fiercely-glowing core that is warm to the touch.

You may have noticed those silver bells lurking everywhere in the recent additions to the castle. Until now, they were simply harmless, albeit shiny decorations.

But now? They've been enchanted.

Upon hearing the ring of the bells, one may be compelled to lay a smooch on the nearest innocent bystander. Whether it's an innocent kiss on the cheek or full on Frenching is all up to you.

This event will last from the 7th to the 18th! Please use this post to plan out who's kissin' who. ♥

Midnight falls upon the castle, and the clock slowly ticks to midnight. As the hands come together on the “12” and the second needle meets them, snow starts to fall outside, in dusty white swirls. The air is still, the sky is crystal clear, and the world is silent.

The season’s coming.

The first week is a beautiful thing; it’s finally cold enough for the snow to linger, and the grass slowly disappears under a blanket of wet snow that crunches with every step. The trees are finally barren, and every morning the residents of Cair Paradisa wake to misted up windows, warmer blankets on their beds, and winter wardrobes. Outside, chickadees flit between naked branches and the evergreens, and children leave the grounds covered in half-finished snow forts and lopsided snowmen.

Christmas decorations start to come up. Boughs of evergreens and holly wrapped around the bannisters, twined with red and gold ribbon. Little christmas trees, each covered with tiny candles and topped with surprisingly real enchanted doves. Clusters of silver bells, polished to a mirror shine.

The kitchen seems to always smell of fresh cookies and brownies, and every table seems to be stocked with some sort of holiday treat. Bundles of candy canes, dishes of mints, plates of cake. Paradisa’s normally rich dinners seem to be brought up yet another level, and are accompanied by fine wines and juices.

The atmosphere is warm, cheery, festive. Something subtle, some great power, seems to fill every room with some sort of warmth. There’s an abundance of love that makes good moods just infectious... and if you’re a sour puss, well... Scrooge on, you crazy diamonds.

It feels good. T’is the season, and all.


Each resident will find an advent calendar on their wall, crafted from delicate polished wood. It has 31 doors, each with an intricately carved number and golden hinges and locks. Every day, another door unlocks, revealing a foil-wrapped chocolate filled with rich flavoured cremes.

The calendar isn’t unbreakable, so anyone with a screwdriver or even a fork to pry off the locks can forge on ahead. Curiously, some days are empty: 6, 12, 15, 24, 25 and 29.


The first “empty” advent day is Sunday the 6th. It’s subtle, or at least as subtle as Paradisa can be: whatever you order to eat or make has that familiar quality to it. Whether it’s a plate of ratatouille exactly like mother used to make, a perfectly grilled steak that brings you back to your first date with your first love, or a bite of ice cream that reminds you of hot summer days on the beach back home, it takes you back.

There’s something about the experience that just sticks out.

And, of course, it could be ascertained that Paradisa is trying to remind you of home...



Friday-ish: Week two’s mission orders and information on the yearly Christmas tradition.