expiationlogs | {Mini Event} Day of Devotion

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{Mini Event} Day of Devotion

DAY OF DEVOTION

This is an entirely opt-in very casual event that has nothing to do with overarching storyline and is just an additional introductory log, and a means for characters to meet. We hope you've all had a very happy Valentine's Day week however you've chosen to spend it!

SCARVES OF LOVE

The season of affection and love of all kinds falls upon Aldrip in the wake of their festivities for Those Who Were There. As part of the celebration, what's referred to as the 'Day of Devotion,' local merchants carry a variety of wares, but none so coveted as their multicoloured scarves available in a variety of prints, designs, and fabrics. Perhaps consider picking one up and giving it to someone who's important to you. No money? No problem! Whilst Aldrip doesn't exactly work on a layaway system or akin to, you'll find the mercantile business owners are quite open to trades and other means of bartering. Maybe they'll give out a scarf or two in agreement for running some errands...

Lucky recipients of these very fashionable scarves will find themselves suspiciously open to sharing positive, warm and fuzzy, or perhaps downright amorous feelings toward the person who gifted them the scarf to begin with, regardless of whether you've known them for years or even just a couple of weeks. But don't worry—the feelings are temporary! Once the Day of Devotion comes to a natural conclusion, your feelings will return to something like normalcy and you'll still wind up with a new fashion accessory. Of course, if you've always been amorous with that special someone, you likely won't notice any sort of change.

Take the opportunity to embrace the celebration, maybe embrace one another a little bit, too, and begin forming some potentially everlasting bonds with others.

BRING PROTECTION

Not everyone is choosing to celebrate the Day of Devotion in the same way. Due to the heightened popularity of the pretty scarves, some of Aldrip's jewellers have been bitten by the green bug of jealousy. In an attempt to compete with the sales of scarves, jewellers are advertising pendants, brooches, and other assorted charms that are meant to serve as warding and protective trinkets. What are they protecting one from? It's difficult to say and the merchants aren't inclined to give a straight answer. But whether you need protection from love, personal feelings, or perhaps something more physical, they've got you covered!

If you choose to give these amulets to others, recipients of them and their related will be compelled to share their true feelings with those around them in addition to the person who gave them the protective charms. This sounds like it could be a good thing, however, that means it covers the array of positive, negative, and every shade in between, without a filter in place. Consider these accessories a potential test of friendships, familial relationships, and more.

Like the scarves, this need and desire to be truthful with your feelings will be temporary, lasting until the Day of Devotion celebration is over. But at least you'll be protected. From something. Maybe. Probably. Or not!

FLOWERS FOR ALDRIP

By now, you may be well familiar with Aldrip's variety of fields that are filled with vegetables and fruits that grace the dinner tables of the town and local cuisine. During the Day of Devotion and weeks leading up to it, you'll find that they're clearing another field and preparing the soil. What for, you won't find out until the actual day of the celebration. Once it arrives, there's a collection of simple carts filled with flowering plants. Locals and newly-arrived alike are welcome to lend a hand in planting them along the neatly tilled rows.

You may find plants that resemble or are identical to plants from your home world. You may find plants that you've never seen in your life. They come in a variety of colours and are accompanied by a lightly pleasing scent that shouldn't be too overpowering, though may still disturb those with allergies.

All who help out with the planting, watering, and other tending, will be rewarded with a bouquet of flowers that can be passed onto others to show your appreciation and other forms of affection. You may even find yourself making a good and lasting impression on the locals by offering some assistance.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, sure, why not? How has this thing been? Have you found good friends?

(he doesn't want peter to be alone, after all, and he can't be around peter all the time. it's just to know he has good company!

he loathes to leave his new nest, but he knows it's easier to talk if fushi's by his shoulder. a small flight makes it, and he beaks the hair just playfully, not to hurt at all.)

[ Awww, Fushi is worried about him 🥺 Peter just smiles as Fushi makes a mess of his hair and scoots to stand on his shoulder. ]

Yeah, I think so! [ Bless him, he engages Fushi completely honestly. ] Friendships can sometimes take time, but I've got a few people I think I can count on.

[ Not everyone has divulged their deepest secrets to him though, so Fushi's definitely at the top of the list, but you know. He's pretty sure Mizuki or Mr. Knight (Maybe even Joel? Maybe?) would save him if they saw him lying in a ditch. ]

How about you? Made any friends?

(peter deserves all the best friends, and he's even getting snuggled against. fushi must really like him, see??)

That's good. I'm still-- quiet. Just you and someone else knows about me like you do, but it's fine. I learned what a phone a service and an electricity is. Do you have those?

(sweet summer 200 year old child.)

[ 🥺 Fushi... Peter will protect him forever. He's got great friends! At home. He'll work on the 'friends here' thing, promise. ]

Hey, that's cool. Playing it safe isn't a bad thing, you're being smart.

[ Especially when you're a pure-hearted alien who could very easily be exploited. Peter may not be the type, but he knows how easy it is for jerks to manipulate their type. ]

Oh, yeah! We had phones and electricity back on Earth before I left. Where I'm from, you can contact people from across the galaxy using long-distance comms. Though flark if I know how that works. But if you have any tech questions for the stuff here, I'll bet I know how they work!

[ Do you Peter? Do you? ]

Edited 2023-02-27 22:11 (UTC)

(that's the norm. fushi can't help but to be interested, and as an owl, it's very easy to just tilt his head all the way as he listens to the information given. not creepy at all, this 90 degree angle he's giving.)

Comms? Do you have a comm? How does it look like?

(hoot hoots in the middle.)

Can we go somewhere so I can change?

[ Not creepy at all, little guy. Groot can kinda do the same thing...? Don't worry about it. Plus owls are cute!! ]

Yep! Well, they don't really do much now. They're basically glorified headphones.

[ He taps his ear, where a plain, grey earpiece sits in his ear canal. He's been wearing it this whole time! Just out of habit, mostly. Or maybe on the hope that one of his friends will finally call? ]

Comms are short for "communicators." Basically they're machines made to receive audio messages from long-distance. Something this small couldn't do intergalactic communication, but my ship has a bigger setup for that, as well as video. Kinda like our necklaces... but big.

[ Kind of, but he hopes that helps explain it somewhat. He also starts stepping towards a an alley that seems at least mostly out of sight. He pops his visor back on his face real quick to scan and make sure it's deserted. ]

Here ya go, this should be safe.

(don't beak it don't beak it don't beak it-- but it is very interesting, and while it's not like he understands every word. headphones, intergalactic, machines, but he'll learn. poor peter.... poor peter.

flying off the shoulder might blow a gust of air on peter's face, to which fushi apologizes once her foot touches the floor. they haven't been seen in this form yet, the blond locks curling and a giggle leaving her mouth when she notices the little mess she's made on his hair.)

... Oops, I'm sorry, Peter. Let me check your hair, really quickly? I'll fix it...

[ It's ok, Peter doesn't expect Fushi to understand half of what he's saying. But if there's one thing Peter has learned, it's that sometimes the best way to learn is by immersion -- and that means inferring what words mean and rolling with everything.

Peter gets a gust of wind in his face -- which is fine, really, his hair was already a mess, so when he retracts his mask all he can do is laugh. ]

Hey, don't sweat it. It doesn't take me that long to fix up in the morning anyway.

[ He practically takes a knee to help her reach him. He can't help but think that with the hair color she could pass for his daughter... It's sweet, really. ]

(rynn was someone special, the owner of this appearance. a wealthy person surrounded by the rules and desires of others, who felt like her own voice fell short where it should matter the most, suffocated by expectations and needs not her own - so she went out to search for her own family in the little booze shop fushi, the old booze maker, and gugu lived. free-spirited and uncaring, just trying to find her own pace and path.

fushi admired her so much. that's the reason why there's a smile on her face as she gently runs her fingers through the strands, removing feathers she'd left behind, and trying to make it resemble what it was before she landed on it.)

... There! Let's go conquer the flarking fair!

(oh no. she learns.)

[ There's no doubt that Peter would have loved her. Just as he's quickly falling for Fushi in their extremely cute attempt to fix his hair and conque the "flarking" fair.

God, but she reminds him so much of Nikki like this. Even cursing, it's so like her. He's going to get sad if he doesn't stop thinking about her, so he simply does! It's fine. Nikki is fine. She has the rest of the Guardians watching her.

Peter smiles wide, every bit the proud "dad" to hear Fushi curse. ]

Yeah, let's flarking do it!

[ Oh, he's a bad influence... ]

(a fist goes up in celebration, while the other takes peter's hand to run-- towards food. it's always food with fushi, it's such an important link to feelings, to people, all things that keep fushi breathing, evolving, learning. so, poor peter, being dragged by a teenager here, and there, and while food is nowhere to be seen, fushi stops when she sees the flowers.)

Peter, look?!

[ Oh, now he really is getting dragged by his tiny little friend. This is soo cute, Peter happily follows. If he'd been a part of Nikki's life would they have done this? 🥹

His much longer legs make it easy to keep up, anyway. He stops at the flower along with Fushi, admiring the bright colors. ]

Whoa, those are pretty cool. Wonder what kind of flower this is.

[ Any signs anywhere? Because Peter doesn't know jack about flowers. ]

... Bird-flower. I'm going to touch.

(which, well, much like a toddler, fushi's instinct is really to just touch everything, even when they definitely should not. so here she is, rubbing two fingers on the petals, coming close and... sneezing on it.

oops...)

[ Oh, this must be what being a parent is actually like, having to watch out for a kid and make sure they don't cause any damage. Who knew Peter would get his chance after all? ]

Whoops, careful there, buddy. Don't forget to cover your mouth when you sneeze, okay? Some of the pollen in these can get pretty strong.

[ Peter does he have a handkerchief in his pocket, luckily. He hands it to Fushi... does she know what to do? Oops. ]

(peter would be right at home with the rest of fushi's people, all very worried, all very protective, even though fushi's much older than all of them.

reason being is the way she takes the handkerchief to use as a hat. thanks. she's beautiful.)

Huh. Allergies? I've never had allergies. Have you?

[ Peter takes the handkerchief and uses it to wipe Fushi's nose. There ya go, buddy. ]

I used to. About twenty years ago, I got a galactic standard shot—it's a kind of medicine—so that I wouldn't get any of the more common diseases in space. There's still a few out there, but I'll still sneeze if I get some of this in my nose.

[ He wiggles his nose to make a point. Anyone would sneeze if they had pollen directly in their nostrils, Fushi. Oh, maybe they don't know? ]

See, our noses are real sensitive. If we get dust or pollen in deep enough, our bodies tell us to sneeze so that that stuff doesn't get into our throats.

(but what the f-- there's a moment where the green eyes goggle, but well, it's peter, so there's no really a lot of complaints other than curiosity.)

... Woah. I've... I've only been poisoned, but I don't think I've ever gotten a disease or anything. Do you turn green? Grow a third eye? What happens out there?

(instinctually, yeah, that makes sense. reason being why that happens is news. fushi is definitely not a doctor. but wait, record scratch.)

... Are there plants in space?

[ Space is wild dude. But without something like this, you'd get so many freaky super diseases that the galaxy would be a lot smaller, I'm sure... ]

Hah, nothing that weird. At least I don't think so? I once got bit by a bug that dug into my leg and started taking over it, but that wasn't really a disease, you know? At most I'd probably just get like a really bad stomach bug or maybe like a rash that won't go away. Humans are pretty resilient, but there's other species out there that would be in some pretty big trouble if they caught an off-planet disease.

[ Don't ask Peter about the time he caught an alien STD on Contraxia, he will deny everything. ]

Oh, yeah! They don't look much like these though. But lots of planets have all kinds of plants. Some of 'em are sentient, too.

... I was imagining something cooler-- but do you mean take over as in control or as in eat...

(she blinks a few times, hand back to peter's to drag him around to look and rub her face on more flowers, normal teen girl behavior.)

Like Groot, right? I've been moss, but moss... I don't remember. It's not like moss has a mind... But I've been many things, so if you wonder how life is as other things, I can tell you.

Oh, I mean like it started piloting my leg, then both my likes, then my arm... it was freaky as scut.

[ This is a real, canon monster from the novelization. But Peter is happy to be led around and follow her -- that's what dads do, right? Who knows. ]

That's right! Flora Colossi like Groot are sentient. There's also this species called the Cotati, but they don't move around like he does. They just kinda sit still and watch and judge people -- I couldn't understand what any of them said, but apparently they're jerks.

[ Peter hadn't given it much thought at the time, since that would be a miserable existence if you asked him, but for a plant... what else would they have to do normally? ]

Man, I'd never thought of that. What's life like for moss... or flowers...? It's not like they got brains, but they've got like... photosynthesis?

(dad of the year. honestly, in a month, peter's been better at father than black hood.)

Woah... That's not how my life was at all. Doesn't your translator have it for them? Is it I am Cotati?

(and there's a shrug. as a moss, there's nothing too interesting to tell...)

I haven't been a flower... But when I was moss, it was very cold... It was a place where there is just ice and snow all the time, so the only... "thought"? Was getting enough sunlight. I've been other things... The wolf was the first, but the ones I spent most in that weren't human were fish.

Nope, I couldn't translate their language either. I think they probably communicate in like, subtle branch movements or something?

[ He wiggles a hand, as if that means something. Well, they only got the Cotati to move thanks to Groot, so he can only guess. ]

They live on this planet called Lamentis. It's actually a really beautiful place. Really peaceful. I guess the Cotati believe in peace, so maybe they probably think people are stupid for fighting all the time.

[ He shrugs. It's a little more exposition that he might give usually, but he knows how much Fushi likes to learn stuff, so he's happy to exposit. ]

Huh. That's cool. What was being a fish like? Is it true you don't realize you're underwater?

[ That's what people say, right? Fish don't know they're underwater, because for them it's as normal as breathing? ]

(the hand that is on peter's wiggles too, only to copy, mimic, laugh a little. who knows what they're saying to the cotati.

part of her just wants to go to space now, see beings as strange as she is, meet people who would find fushi normal and where there are no responsibilities. she can live forever on her own terms, it seems.)

... Take me, okay? One day, we're going to space!

(adventurous fushi, and she laughs at the question. again, things she's never been asked before.)

Mhm... It's a very nice life. You just think about the smells you like, the food you like, and keep away from predators, but mostly the smells... You can't tell you're underwater, it's outside that it's scary, it's just... Like you and I are now! I didn't have good eyesight, so my friend would tell me when there were predators. I used to dig holes as a thanks, too. I spent two years like that.

Edited 2023-03-01 23:06 (UTC)

[ Peter smiles big and wide. He wants that for Fushi too. A spaceship and a dream -- that's all you need out there. No one would even think twice about them there. ]

You can count on it.

[ He squeezes her hand. He really means it. ]

Two whole years? Man, that must've been nice! I mean, predators are something I've had to worry about sometimes, and I'm human.

[ He's mostly joking? But also? Even Peter can admit that having no worries would be a pretty nice break. ]

Can't believe that thing about the water's true. But yeah, I guess to them it's just breathing... Kinda reminds me of how some people can survive in space the same way, they don't need air or nothing, they're just built different.

[ He is not one of those lucky people. ]

Then I'll be able to see all the things you've been telling me about. I think I'll even be a little normal there.

(If Peter Knew The Shit Fushi Goes Through He Would Have A Heart Attack

either way, there's a laugh from fushi. of course it would be like that. humans are fragile, and even humans can be predators and prey, but he doesn't like that either. it's not even for food!! humanity, help out.)

Yeah, it's like you and I are here, but if we went underwater, it could be scary after a while. Isn't it incredible? Many different things.

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