I get a little warm in my heart [mingle log]

[hellawrath]

Who: anyone looking for some wintery fun!
What: admiring mysterious icy artwork, warming up by campfires, making a fool of yourself while ice skating, snowball fights?? it's a snow party!
When: Jan 14 and on
Where: Enso, in and around the temple ruins
Warnings: snow-based violence

When you've had to deal with a literal apocalypse every single year for a hundred years, a little battle for the sun isn't really gonna grind your gears that much. Sure, the elf twins are still nobly doing their part every day. Lup is keeping several small campfires going inside the temple ruins, as well as periodically blasting two large stone slabs in the main chamber with a Fireball - those babies radiate heat for hours afterwards. And Taako is graciously handing out truly delicious soup from a huge bowl to anyone who asks nicely. Island Walmart is still a thing too, the large scrawled sign declaring this month's name to be The Hot Spot. Looks like it was Lup's turn on the naming.

But they're also just kinda bored of the whole thing? Like, everyone's so focused on preparing, on gathering and planning and training. There's a place for that, and Lup is pretty psyched for the actual fighting, but this pall of doom and purpose that's fallen over the islands as heavily as the snow? Neither of them is here for that.

So anyone who makes their way up to the temple will not only find the usual warm respite from the freezing temperatures, but also - a ten foot tall ice sculpture of a majestic as fuck unicorn rearing on its hind legs. And a smaller one of a figure with long ears hiding its face in the crook of its elbow, arms pointing upwards do we have a single modern day character who knows what dabbing is. Off to the side in a clearing, there's a twenty foot circle of clear ice that's just begging to be skated on. Just don't admire the artwork for too long, or you're gonna get noscoped with a snowball by a pair of horrible winter goblins.

Comments

OTA | oh, worm?

[achievementhunter]

They've missed out on so many memes.

Walking up to the temple, their intent had been to steal some soup, soak up a little warmth...before they got back into the fray of preparations occurring. But this, right here? This is worth stopping for. A small child in a red cloak stands in front of a dabbing statue, admiring the detail...

Before giving their surroundings a quick, sly sweep of their eyes. It's a rudimentary check at best- excitement overriding common sense in ensuring no one sees what they're about to do.

Which is to say, anyone nearby will witness Chara dipping into a perfect dab in front of the statue, red sleeves swinging wildly.





How gosh dang good.

[demonpuppy]

Chip sees this glorious occasion just as they turn around the corner from the mana pool, stopping to stare for half a moment before grinning and rushing over. Halfway there they hit an icy patch and start to skid, but rather than tumble they shift their stance and slide expertly and tuck into a dab as they do. Whether by sheer luck or the gods of memes smiling down upon them, Chip comes to a perfect stop just behind and beside Chara in a beautiful mirror to their pose.

There are no airhorns blaring, but in our hearts it is true.

[postictal]

The thing is, while Tim's knowledge of memetic goings-on isn't abysmally nonexistent, it's not exactly well-rounded, either, and it really only goes as far as 2014. He catches a glimpse of a pair of arms shooting upward, a face nestled in the crook of an elbow, and he almost smiles at the absurdity of it.

He can't resist calling out that blatant display. It's so endearingly childish coming from a kid who's typically anything but, that how could he not?

"You having a dance-off with a statue, or what?"

[catpiper]

[Hey there, little peapod.

The flash of red is what catches her eye and the familiar small shape makes her look up from whatever garbage she had been trying to shove into her bag. Nope, this little bean is more important and she doesn't say a word, watching them mimic the unicorn's pose with ease. Nice. She approves?? It looks fun. Maybe it's a game she doesn't know the rules to.]

Did you win? Is that how you play?

[tomodachi]

... What are you doing?

[Crow does not understand this meme culture the kids are about these days.]

I MADE THIS ICON FOR YOU

[yallstupid]

[This.

This right here is why he came out to this fucking place. The true reason Guzma braved the ice and snow for this level of bullshit.

The soup and warmth was alluring, as was the opportunity to trade and get a few goods that he may need, but no. He came here for those optimum dank memes. God fucking bless there are others that know how to do the SECOND BEST POSE ON THE GODDAMN PLANET and it's the small, precious babs.

He's so proud. He's so proud of you all.

You filthy memers.]

[hellawrath]

Lup's been gone from the impromptu winter wonderland for maybe twenty minutes tops, just to feed the fires and check on the store, but when she steps back out the statue has gained an audience of super enthusiastic short people. She doesn't even get a chance to be pleased at its apparent popularity with the Kids Today because they're, they're all fucking dabbing like beautiful tiny pros.

And leading them on, a perfectly poised child in a red cloak.

Ears standing on end and practically vibrating with glee, one hand flutters to her mouth while the other reverently reaches for this amazing display but she's stopped in her tracks like she doesn't dare intrude, like it's too good to be true and she emits a squeal of delight that's so high pitched probably only Taako can pick up on it. "This. Is the best day. Of my life." She may be sounding genuinely choked up, here. Just in case anyone thought Lup isn't also a fucking nerd.

[proficienciesouttheass]

Of course, Magnus, who could usually be declared legally blind with how many completely obvious things he misses, barely sees this happening, and is suddenly really excited.

He's not sure why.

"Hah! Nice one, kid!"

Ren | OTA

[catpiper]

A

[Guess what dumbass associated snowball fight with baseball game and decided the same rules apply to both? This girl. This terrible raccoon child who is more than happy to fling a snowball in anyone's direction. The problem is that a) she's purposefully missing and b) she's happy when no one is smacked by them. To the point where she throws her arms in the air, smiles wide-the whole 9 yards.]

I did it!

[What did you do?? A whole lotta nothing that's what. If your character manages to get hit by her, she's gonna look super disappointed.]

b

[At some point in the late afternoon, Ren in her cute as heck jacket, decides to attempt another treasure hunt. Because everything iss covered with ice and that sucks for goblins who are trying to hoard garbage. And yet, she refuses to give up. With all the snow being kicked up by the influx of people moving around, something must've appeared.

And how is this moron trying to find treasure? By scooping snow into huge piles and attempting to dig into the earth as far as she can. Which really just means she's surrounded by a bunch of huge ass piles like she's attempting some kind of bizarre summoning ritual. Stop her.]

A

[souris_keteer]

[When she cheers, he cheers as well!]

Yay, you did it!

... Uh, what did you do, Ren?

b

[unpurify]

[So to say their last encounter had ended horribly would be an understatement.

The Batter had been drawn into this party - he guesses - because of the ice statue. And, well he's never seen snow before. The closest thing in his world to snow would be ash from the Sugar factories in Zone 3 and that's nowhere near as nice as this was.

He only freezes up when he sees Ren, although that's no fault of her own. The Batter realizes that he probably still looks like a monster. If he didn't after that disaster, he'd laugh himself to death.

So he's going to try and get around her while trying not to attract Ren's attention. And good luck Batter because dinoducks aren't made for stealth.

Sorry Ren.]

A

[tomodachi]

... Hey, throw one at me, I've got an idea.

[That idea involves... a stick that Crow has picked up off the ground, that he is going to try to hit the snowball with.

Baseball game, right here, right now.]

b

[covertizer]

[ oh... oh is she making some sort of snow-dirtman? That's the only thing that Akira can think of, looking at all of the piles around her. So... instead of stopping her, he's going to start rolling up his own snow pile.

More of a snowball really.

And then starts rolling it up towards Ren, stopping it not far from her largest pile of... snowdirt. ]

I made you a head.

A

[souldeterminant]

[Frisk, for their part, is no stranger to flying projectiles. The first time they see a snowball fly past, they don't think it was aimed at them anyway; they stop, glancing to the girl who had thrown it. Huh. Curious, they stop and watch for a bit. It's not like her technique is bad, but, um...]

[About the third time a snowball goes vaguely their way while they're just standing there, Frisk finally speaks up.]

Good job.

[and they totally shoot her a thumbs-up.]

A.

[walkietalkie]

❰ it's been an incredibly long time since clementine's been to anything even remotely resembling a party, or even a happy gathering. maybe it was curiosity that brought her here today... or maybe just a sort of half-assed nostalgia. but now that she's here, she isn't entirely sure what to do. wade isn't here (yet?), and she doesn't really know anyone else well enough to gravitate their direction.

so she's milling around, taking in the various activities from afar, when a snowball sails past her chest to land a few feet to her left. she glances to the snowball, then to the cheering girl - ren, she recognizes ren - with a vaguely skeptical look. ❱

... You missed me.

[souris_keteer]

A

[Mickey looks at the unicorn sculpture, hmmming to himself, a hand to his chin. He speaks out loud, but feel free to answer him.]

... Does this mean unicorns actually exist in other worlds?

B

[Snow is more than just fuel for war, you savages. It can also be used for creative thinking. Mickey is humming a merry little tune as he rolls up balls of snow to pile on top of each other, making a snow-man... or snow-mouse, in this case.]

Almost done... almost there... Hmm, could use a little more...

A

[deranged_practicality]

"Only in legends where I'm from, I'm afraid," Isabella said. "But it is curious that our legends represent a physical creature."

Then again, the mice and spiders, among others, of Isabella's world haven't yielded any technological civilizations, so maybe there is some deep commonality in biology that means that even those worlds without unicorns find them reasonable forms of horses.

Chip Abaroa | OTA

[demonpuppy]

Excuse the fuck out of you, Chip knows EXACTLY what a dab is.

However, at the moment they're more focused on a different aspect of the icy additions to the Storyteller's yard; namely, that lovely huge ice rink that is just begging for some speeding slidey action. Chip doesn't have any ice skates, and honestly would probably fall flat on their face if they tried, but their sneakers have been worn down to a perfect smoothness and their linoleum skid technique is top-notch.

They've made a game for themself out of it, actually--a tall pile of snow has been erected near the center of the rink, and each time Chip zips across they chuck a snowball at it mid-slide. They aren't hitting a lot of the time, but every time they do they hoot and holler in glee.

[hellawrath]

Seems like the few impromptu attractions the twins created are working exactly as intended, and Lup is pleased to see so many people taking a break from their doomsday prepper business to horse around in the snow. As she passes the ice rink, there's a kid doing a passable slide-by hit on a pile of snow and she stops to holler with them.

"Hell yeah! Go get em, tiger! Right in the face!" If it had a face, that's probably where it would've hit.

gabe goodman | ota

[ungrieved]

Gabe might not know what a dab is, but he does recognize the strategy inherent to a snowball fight, which is exactly what has him eagerly raking up fistfuls of snow to pack them into an impenetrable snow fort. Don't mind the fact that he's really obviously only in a t-shirt and jeans, and is shivering somewhat violently on top of it. Surely that's psychosomatic, right? He can't actually freeze to death here. It's...fine, probably.

Besides, focusing on warm winter wear is boring. Way more interesting is pelting as many people with expertly-packed snowballs as possible. If you happen to get hit and feel a particularly painful sting, don't fret. That might just be because of the...rocks...that Gabe has taken to stowing inside.

He doesn't seem to mind the fact that his lips and fingers are bluing around the edges, but at least that makes him an easy target.

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet is avoiding the snowball fight as she goes about her errands with the ease of one who has grown up in a culture where 'flinging magical bullet patterns at people' is considered a valid and commonplace form of communicating, when she happens to catch a glimpse of Gabe's increasingly blue lips. She pauses for a couple moments and does a quick mental review of the colors humans usually come in, confirms that isn't one she's seen before, and promptly turns around and heads directly for him.]

[Spider lady incoming, Gabe. Think fast.]

Hello, pardon me? I don't believe we've been introduced, but you look as though you could use something warmer to wear.

OTA

[deranged_practicality]

Isabella really hates cold weather, so huddling close to the fire is about what she can manage. But she's willing to look at the unicorn.

"Quite good work."

Ginko | OTA

[onegreeneye]

So basically forever (read: for as long as Ginko has been around the same people for long enough for them to notice how tired he literally always is) Ginko has been getting people telling him he needs to... relax, or have fun, or whatever. And now actually seems to him like basically the worst time to attempt that, but the more he focuses on getting ready for the upcoming catastrophe the more stressed he gets, and he's pretty sure it's only a matter of time before people start pestering him again.

So. Here he is. Sticking in shaded areas as much as he can, as the gaudy poncho he's been wearing to keep out of the sun is mysteriously absent from his person and the wide-brimmed hat that appeared with it isn't quite enough on his own.

There's also the fact that he generally looks kind of lost? Like, there's a whole lot to do here, but this guy is mostly just standing off to the side, looking with something like concern over the ice rink and the unicorn and the... what is that other sculpture even doing? He doesn't understand anything happening here.

What do people even do at parties?

[ichininyaanshi]

Hello fellow awkward kid what's the mood.

If it's total discomfort, Ichimatsu can relate. At some point, having gotten his fill of the social campfire scene, he's trailed away to the trees on the fringes of the get-together to escape all the chatter and goodwill. Curled into a lonesome ball with his back to a tree trunk, gloved hands wrapped around his knees, he seems perfectly happy to completely ignore his company at first.

Until Ginko starts glancing between the ice sculptures. That look of confusion on the guy's face is so utterly thorough that it kind of annoys him. He looks over.

"... it's dabbing."

Erika | OTA

[bitch4bitch]

Not gonna lie, Erika is... very, very impressed by all this. She's not bothering to hide it, either, looking over the sculptures and weirdly perfect ice rink with open fascination.

Basically, this is one of the coolest (ha ha) things she's seen in a while, and that's even without taking into consideration that one of the sculptures is dabbing.

Of course, with everything being so well put-together, it would be a shame not to have fun with the whole setup - which is why it doesn't take her long, once she's done admiring the sculptures for the moment, to scoop up a snowball and lob it at whoever's in range.

[walkietalkie]

The snowball just happens to hit Clementine square in the back of the head. Maybe Erika wasn't even aiming at her - but if not, it sailed right past the intended target and beaned Clem with impressive precision. Either way, a hand flies up to the back of her head. "Hey -!"

But the objection dies on her lips when she recognizes the woman who threw it. Her scowl dissolves into a vague pleased sort of surprise. "It's you." They haven't talked since they met on the shore. Clem had almost forgotten about her, in all of the doomsday-prepper craziness lately.

ota

[tomodachi]

[A]

[That sure is an ice... thing that is on display here.]

What the heck is this supposed to be?

[It looks like a horse, but with... wings? And a horn? What's a unicorn... and whatever this dabbing motion from the other one is...]

[B]

[Son you better believe that Crow is down for snowball throwing the second he finds out what it is. Albeit, he plays dirty though as he will hide in trees and wait for the perfect target to pass by...

... before nailing them in the back of the head, back, or arm with a snowball from his vantage point.]

Score! Didn't see that coming, did you? Hahaha!!

[Someone knock this heathen child out of the tree with a taste of his own medicine.]

Kyouko (guest starring Yuka) | ota

[daydreamy]

[ So guess what! Kyouko's hometown doesn't get a whole lot of snow. Even though it's cold and damp and not ideal conditions, Kyouko is ready. She's brought Yuka along (because otherwise Yuka would not wind down and have fun) and it looks like they're set to have some fun, no matter what. They're decked out in winter sweaters. They're ready. ]

i warned you about ice bro

[ Ice skating! What's more romantic than ice skating! Well, honestly, lots of things depending on your taste but the important thing here is that your local Reflectors are on the ice. How long they stay on the ice may be another thing entirely.

Kyouko looks to be about .5 seconds away from eating shit with a vengeance at any given time. Yuka appears to be doing... slightly better, though it should be emphasized that this is in comparison to Kyouko.

They're trying. They're trying so so hard. ]

but first let me take a selfie

[ ... or not, it turns out. Kyouko's quite taken with that giant unicorn and she spends a good deal of time ooh-ing and aah-ing at it from a few angles. She starts lifting her hands and letterboxing them so she can squint at the unicorn through her hands. Then her hands drop to her sides and she gives a huge sigh. ]

This is seriously no fair! This is the best photo op I've ever seen and my stupid phone's dead!

[ Grumble grumble. ]

WINTER WILDCARD

[ LET'S JUST HAVE SOME SNOWY FUN. SNOWBALL FIGHTS? SURE. SNOW FORTS? YES. JUST THROW WHATEVER YOU WANT AT ME.

Also, as you can probably tell, both Kyouko and Yuka are available from this toplevel! Just indicate in your subject line if you'd like a response from both of them or from just Kyouko. ]

yuri on ice. YURI ON IC---i'll see myself out.

[covertizer]

[ I hope you were expecting enthusiastic applause because

enthusiastic applause is what you're getting, Kyouko. ]

Do a triple salchow!

[ this shit. ]

Yuka Ichijou | OTA

[shineinside]

[ Yuka wasn't planning on coming to this. She got so fixated in the impending disaster and preparing for it that the idea of stopping to enjoy herself for a while hadn't even entered her mind. Fortunately, Kyouko was there to drag her away from her serious responsibilities and make her relax a little.

And so, the Reflectors show up to Lup's winter wonderland in matching sweaters, ready to forget the troubles ahead for a while... ]

-1-

[ Snow! Now that she stops to admire it instead of thinking of it as a herald of the cold times to come, it really is a beautiful landscape. Especially with that sparkling ice unicorn statue overlooking all of it. Take a minute to stop and just take it all in.

Not as big on the snowball fighting as some people, Yuka instead goes in the building direction. She finds a spot with a lot of relatively unspoiled snow, and sets about gathering and shaping it. It's taking a while, but she's in no hurry. Looks like she's getting started on a snow castle. Listen, she's been to the beach more often than she's played in the snow, so sand castles is where her mind went first, okay?

Still, if someone wanted to join the building, she wouldn't object! ]

-2-

[ It's a long evening of fun, between the ice skating, the snow sculptures, and the snowball fights. At the end of it, all she wants is to get some rest somewhere warm. The end of the day finds her and Kyouko by the campfire, leaning against each other, Yuka looking more relaxed then she has in quite a while.

Jug of wassail at her side in case anyone else needs a drink, she looks into the flickering fire silently for a while before saying anything. ]

...I'm glad that I came to this. I've been so focused on survival, but... taking care of your heart is important, too, isn't it?

[ Wow, that was kind of an embarrassing line, but sometimes she says embarrassing things when she's in a good mood. ]

2

[covertizer]

[ Look at this third-wheeling asshole, who you probably didn't even realise was sitting on the other side of the fire. He's layered himself in both the undershirt and t-shirt from his second outfit, and the hoodie from his usual outfit, and is hugging his own jug of wassail like a hot water bottle. ]

Isn't the word for it "mental health day" or something...?

[ He feels... relaxed and safe. Like every part of him that was wound tight has loosened and relaxed all at once. He feels... light and relaxed all the ways down to the tips of his toes and fingers. ]

It's nice. Getting rid of all the stress.

OTA

[attheclocktower]

A

[She had uh... well, she'd come to check the temple to take stock of the supplies and see how it was shaping up as a shelter? And found... well... not what she expected. Games and... ice and playing? With everything that was about to happen? Honestly, she doesn't know how to react. So instead she's standing there, completely confused, mouth slightly open.

She is absolutely 100% the perfect target to be pegged by a snowball right now. Or dumped in a snowbank. Or something]

B

[At some point, she ends up edging her way into the temple and is poking around in there, checking on supplies and the like. Old habits die hard, and well, it's what she came here to do? They didn't have that long and it felt wrong to waste time. She does note the stones radiating heat - that was something to keep in mind once it got dark. And meanwhile there was-

(Someone please get this child to rest.)]

C

[She can be found other places eventually. She did kind of want to try the skating rink, but as with her investigations in the temple, she does it with this... air of not really wanting to be seen? At the very least being super shy and nervous about it.

Which is coming from an entirely different place, considering this is more about having fun than being prepared.]

B

[shineinside]

[Yuka gets it, she really does. She's been the same way lately, incapable of setting aside the preparations for one day and slowly going crazy because of it. Fortunately, she had a Kyouko to talk some sense into her. Xion might not. ]

The supplies will be fine on their own for one night. You should try to take your mind off things for a while, if you can.