RITUAL 32 - end

[manwhofelltoearth]

WHO: you
WHERE: pasture
WHEN: day 86, early afternoon

[after y'all have been going for a good while, the Bubble Demon lifts its head from where it's been chilling on a rock, letting out a pleased-sounding chime. another ripple outward from it marks the end of the ritual and the reversion of the pasture: the bubblefied environment goes back to normal, the floating food and drinks vanish, and saying 'Never Have I Ever' stops prompting funny business. the punch-drunk effect on people who triggered it can also vanish, or linger a couple hours after by player preference.

next to the demon, Argent sputters and finally clambers out of a pile of bubbles where he's been buried this whole time:]

Ahem! Well! I think that mostly went great!

Let's see here -- Peony and Rose, you win for BEST HUMOR! Fantastic job!

And Daffodil and Thistle, you win for MOST HEARTFELT! You're the best!

[winning flocks and participating Weeds get the following:

- memory coins
- a bubble for each person, big enough to sit comfortably in someone's hand. this doesn't pop and can be used as a kind of digital (magidigital?) photo frame: you can put in up to 4 (four) still images or five-second snippets of memory of your choice into it, and it'll scroll through them at random intervals. you do have to pick carefully, as once you put a memory in there it is locked in and you can't change it out for a new one.]

Congratulations and I hope this helped ease some stress, heh. If you've got feedback and all, I'm around causing mayhem, larceny, and general havoc!

[AND YOU'RE ALL FREE. go ahead and use this as a postgame mingle if you want!]

Comments

[finalbows]

[ honk of victory ]

[ became a swan / big cat gryphon at some point of the ritual for some reason ]

[failsaver]

[ head full of leaves and gator innards ]

Congratulations, milord.

[strateelgic]

[Angie what did you do.]

[finalbows]

[ preens wing like he definitely hasn't noticed his shepherd's familiar "lol. lmao. what this time" stare ]

[wants_the_phd]

[WHAT IS THAT?! it has a red collar??? New flockmate?? QUADRUPEDAL NEW FLOCKMATE?????????]

[✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨]

[finalbows]

[ quadrupedal new flockmate that is, suspiciously, missing the exact same back leg angie is.

good thing his big damn wings and comfortable loaf pose don't make that immediately obvious. it's time for elegant posturing because he deserves to get ogled now and then. ]

[wants_the_phd]

[AND GETTING OGLED HE IS!!]

Well hello. Don't think I've seen you around before.

[damegane]

[This bubble was definitely worth bussing his own shepherd for, and he looks at it pensively, trying to decide what to fill it with.]

[manwhofelltoearth]

[the demon apparently left Argent a bubble full of soda as his own ritual reward so he’s just kinda chilling around the pasture while drinking from it through a straw. slurpppp]

[reportinastorm]

Most heartfelt... That's not bad, I guess.

[Turning around her bubble in her hand to look at it from all angles. It's not really telling her anything]

[electricflock]

Thank you, you're the best too!

[who is— no this has to be muffin. he's running around like muffin, he's got muffin's collar. his hair's still auburn. but for some reason he looks like a shorter, less feathery angel devil right now]

[failsaver]

— Milord?

[ frowning, looking puzzled. also his hair is full of leaves and gatordawg innards ]

[electricflock]

Huh?

—you know you have something in your hair?

[failsaver]

I — oh, yeah.

[ plucks out a leaf, sheepish. ]

Sorry, I just thought you were someone else.

[electricflock]

No, you got, um... Here.

[hold still, gonna pick some guts out]

[failsaver]

[ ,,,, ]

Are you... cleaning me?

[ HE KNEW THE GUTS WERE THERE, HE JUST WASN'T BOTHERED BY THEM ]

[electricflock]

I guess?

[yeah he's cleaning them all out, how did this even HAPPEN]

[failsaver]

[ help, ]

Uh, thanks. Is this a cultural thing...?

[electricflock]

Is a you have body parts in your hair thing.

[oh that's a good bit though. eats a piece.]

[failsaver]

[ dude ]




Ahaha, you sure are comfortable with strangers.

[ as for the newbie, he's confused but not uncomfortable. just. wtf. ]

[electricflock]

Sorry, I can stop.

[failsaver]

It's fine.

[ shifts his weight, keeping his head fairly still ]

... when strangers touch me, it's usually to try to kill me, not help me—or eat food. That's all.

This is nice.

[electricflock]

[the end of muffin's tail flicks back and forth]

Is... um, little bit cultural thing, I guess. People where I'm from preen each other to know each other. Is normal to be touchy.

[failsaver]

...

[ slowly, cautiously, he turns. raises a hand to a particularly fluffy part of Muffin's head/body idk you pick a fluffable part.

can he touch? ]

[electricflock]

[he tries to chirp, but it doesn't really work with the Genome mouth.]

Hm?

[he holds still and lets the new guy reach for his head]

[failsaver]

[ laughs, quiet but joyful ]

You're soft.

[electricflock]

Thanks! Is all the petting keeps it soft.

[failsaver]

Mm-mm. Thank you.

I'm... I don't have a name yet, but I'm happy that we met.

[electricflock]

I'm Muffin. When you get your name, I'd like to know it.

[failsaver]

Muffin. It suits you.

I'll let you know.

[electricflock]

[muffin's tail loops up into a happy curl]

Thanks! Until then, is nice to meet you too.

[finalbows]

[ fondly regarding ]




[ only he gets to say this but ]
_{....Banana muffin.}

[electricflock]

[it really is harder to chirp like this, but he's got his tail to be delighted for him instead! it curls up in a happy loop and muffin hops over to tuck himself up under quetzal's wing]

I like it!

[finalbows]

[ snuggles in. he didn't Not miss what it felt like being in a body that just knows how to want someone near it, before having to think about it consciously. ]

You're warm... [ bends head to peek at him, under wing. ] If you overheat, try tying a knot in your shirt. I don't do it just because I have a nice navel.

[electricflock]

Oh yeah, are hotter than me.

[muffin takes the advice, shrugging off his jacket and knotting his t-shirt up. then he reaches out to cradle quetzal's big swan face in his hands, chirping and purring adoringly.

a Genome can't chirp or purr... so he makes the noises telepathically.]

How are you feeling? Is lot of body to keep track of.

[finalbows]

[ fawn over him. yesSss. Isn't he pretty!! ]

Well, I can walk again! But I will require the barest advice on becoming small enough to bow my way through doorframes once more.

...
A little late, but I'm happy we did this... I feel like... I'm already learning a lot, running, mm, some little comparisons, in my mind...

[electricflock]

[he's soooo pretty!! genome or gryphon, there's no way muffin isn't going to pet those lovely white feathers or tickle his funny long whiskers]

You want to? Will be um... Do you feel gryphon instincts? Will be counting on those. Is like walking, your body knows what to do not to fall over.

1/2

[finalbows]

[ the long, wiggly whiskers feel slightly s̸p̶i̶c̴y̵ to the touch, ftr, but Angie remains a whiz at controlling the flow of his own power.

He tilts his head, like he's only just thought to listen closely to a background noise that's been freshly pointed out to him.

... ]

2/2

[finalbows]

[ he couldn't tell you how he did it if you asked him to explain.


when he's in the body of a man again, he's got one arm still wrapped around Muffin, leaning hard on him for support. ]

[electricflock]

[yelps instead of chirping and puts his arm around him too. muffin's tail poofs straight in surprise! then wraps quick around quetzal's leg]

Like that! Works same going other way. Is staying in-between that's hard.

[finalbows]

[ so that's what that feels like on the other end.

for obvious reasons Zidane had only done that when he was very little. ]

I guess that makes sense... like standing at an angle that muscles would be weaker.

...
Hey, Muffin? Should I watch out how much magic I use, like this?

[electricflock]

Want to do something? You're already pretty skilled, so don't think you need to worry too much. Will feel it when you start to push too far. Gets tiring, gets harder to do fine control or shift. Would have to do something real messy to hurt yourself.

[debug_mode]

[beams!]