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quaranmeme2017-12-18 09:33 pm
MISTLEGLOW: a kissing meme
mistleglow: a kissing memeSome residents may remember that back in September, a love-drunk and confusion-spell-addled newlywed mage from Gramarye Magic Research let loose some pretty little fairy lights that trapped people in the city in little invisible bubbles until they kissed (and any kind of kiss would do). Well, the same slightly-less-newlywed but no less romantically-inclined mage happens to really, really enjoy the winter season, and thinks it's totally romantic. That particular sentiment is pretty common in the Quarantine - while Hygge is the celebration of familial love, the residents of the Quarantine all agree that that family often includes partners and lovers. Besides that, the folklore of mistletoe as being representative of love and friendship is something that the Quarantine has in common with the universes many residents inhabit.
So, as the last week and a half of December rolls around, residents around the Quarantine will see the result of the resident romantic trying to share a bit of Hygge love - small, glowing sprigs of mistletoe will be floating around the Quarantine, ready to trap people up and make them share a bit of affection.
how it works
● Two or more characters walking under one of these glowing, floating sprigs will get stuck for one hour, trapped inside an invisible enclosure with an approximate three foot radius. The only options are to either wait out the hour, or to kiss! Characters will know they're meant to kiss, because part of the magic spell is the sudden and intense knowledge that they should kiss in order to break free. There is no compulsion to kiss, just the knowledge that that's how to get free. This time, instead of any kind of kiss working, there will be different types of kisses that will work to release the trapped residents depending on the color of mistleglow:
GREEN: FOREHEAD ● BLUE: HAND ● VIOLET: BUTTERFLY
Trapped residents will not know what kind of kiss will work for each color and may have to experiment before finding the right one.
● Post up a top-level for your character with the types of kisses you're interested in threading out, and then go forth and have your character kiss (or refuse to kiss) others!
● This meme is for characters already accepted into the game to play with the mistleglow prompt from this month's test drive meme. If your character is not yet accepted into the game, please use the TDM post!
● This meme is GAME CANON, so any threads played out in this meme can be carried through into the actual canon of the game.
● Much like the TDM, threads on this meme can count for Activity Points, but not the monthly Activity Check.
green
Does feel kinda like we're pirates, right?
[ Which is the last thing he says before the two of them wander, unsuspecting, beneath a glowing sprig of mistletoe. Cisco halts in his tracks, seeing the faint shimmer in the air as the barrier is activated. The knowledge of how to get out of it springs into his mind at once, a part of the magic, though it's really not necessary. He's come across traps like these before, in the past.
Which doesn't stop this from being a very awkward situation. ]
Goddammit.
no subject
A little, but we're not raiding any ships...or homes that have people in them.
[She isn't paying attention to anything hanging above them. Rather, she's focused on doing something so simple and routine that the mistletoe doesn't catch her attention.
...And now they're stuck, aren't they?]
What are you--oh.. [Looking up, she can see it, and now...she's peeved.]
Could wait an hour. There'll still be plenty of day light.
no subject
[ Cisco is running his hands down his face. He really doesn't like the idea of just standing here, awkwardly, in an uncomfortably confined bubble of space. It's somehow more exhausting than walking would be, just trying to stand there, but there isn't really room for both of them to sit, and even if they did it would be on the ground.
But the thought of having to kiss Rey is equally unappealing. Not because there's anything wrong with her, of course, but... it's Rey! He's starting to almost think of her as a kind of little sister at this point, and no way is he letting some kind of creepy ill-thought-out trap turn that weird, even for a second. ]
I don't suppose you could, you know.
[ And Cisco held up a hand, towards the glowing mistletoe, a nebulous sort of gesture that nonetheless conveys the general idea of her using the force to do something to that sprig of mistletoe, the way she'd done with her lightsaber that one time. Hey, it's possible! They probably didn't plan for badass powers like hers, when they were setting these things up. Right? ]
no subject
No, she wasn't going to kiss her friend. A kiss...had to have more purpose than just getting out from underneath a plant. Besides, Cisco was taken! Even if, by an absolute long shot, had romantic feelings for Cisco, she wouldn't try to kiss him because he was taken! She did have values!]
I could what?
[She raised an eyebrow at him, looking up at the mistletoe then back at him. Her expression turned into one of confusion. He really thought..oh boy.]
You mean move it? Doubtful. [And considering she doesn't exactly know what she's doing...She briefly looked up again at the mistletoe, raised her hand and tried to use the Force...
And nothing.]
Well, that didn't work. Didn't think it would, but we only have...what? Fifty-eight more minutes to go?
no subject
[ And he shrugs, giving Rey a small smile, because he knows that her connection to the Force, her ability to use it, can be somewhat fraught for her, like his powers can be for him. It means a lot that she was willing to try, even if it didn't pan out. ]
You know I've gotten caught by one of these ones before. The green ones.
[ That had been with Genji, a few days before. The two of them had had to work out what to do, which had been pretty embarrassing. The one silver lining to that was the fact that at least Cisco knows, now, and can share that knowledge with Rey. ]
I'm pretty sure it... it would have to be... on the forehead.
[ Cisco's not suggesting they should forego the (now 57 minute) wait and get out right away. He's just making sure that Rey is aware of the particulars, that it wouldn't have to be anything more (but that it couldn't be anything less) than a forehead kiss. ]
no subject
You have?
[So he knew what sort of kiss to give to someone? Rey could only hope it wasn't one that would embarrass the both of them. Or, cause Eddie to be upset--really it wasn't either of their faults if the damn plant just suddenly showed up.]
...A kiss on the forehead?
[Okay, that wasn't too bad. At least it wasn't on the cheek or on the mouth...or anywhere else that could be just as embarrassing for both of them.]
Okay, that's...that's not too bad. [It would save time if they just got it over and done with...and she feels silly for asking this.]
Should I kiss you or...should you..?
[Force, help her.]
no subject
[ Cisco doesn't know if Rey knows Genji or not, but that doesn't matter much for the story. He tells it lightly, because he thinks that the best way to ease the tension and make Rey feel a little less embarrassed by this whole scenario is to give her some perspective on how badly Cisco's been embarrassing himself lately, with these traps. ]
We can still wait it out, if you'd rather do that. I'm cool with either call. Whatever you're more comfortable with.
[ The last thing he wants is for her to think he was implying she should be okay with it. He doesn't need gold all that urgently. They'd be getting a later start, but it would be worth it, if it meant Rey didn't feel pressured into going outside her comfort zone. ]
no subject
[There's a nod of her head, and a brief display of pink on her cheeks. She could only imagine what Cisco had to do in order to get out of this stupid little bubble of space. What was the point of getting people together if only to force them to kiss? Shouldn't this be more for...people who have those sort of feelings for one another?]
I was trapped in a bubble like this with another girl, Lola. We basically waited the hour.
[Because like hell she was going to figure out what sort of kiss needs to happen for the stupid spell to break.]
No, we should...we should probably get it over with. I don't want to lose daylight and...it won't mean anything.
[Really, it wouldn't. Never mind she's never been kissed romantically and never really cared about it, but that's besides the point.]
But, I mean..do you want to do it? Or do you want me to do it?
[Really, she should just go for it, but she doesn't want to make Cisco feel any more uncomfortable than he already is.]
no subject
[ It's some relief to him, hearing that this isn't the first time this happened to Rey, even if the last time she had chosen to wait the hour. He feels a little guilty, seeing the blush on Rey's face. This whole situation is just embarrassing for the both of them, and Cisco makes the decision that ending it quickly is the best way to get past all that. So he says: ]
I'll do it.
[ And then, quickly and decisively, Cisco reaches up and takes Rey's head between his hands, pulling her down just enough that he can plant a kiss directly in the center of her forehead. It is fast and perfunctory, but still rather gentle. As soon as he does, there's another shimmer in the air, as the barrier vanishes. Cisco smiles, sighing loudly with relief, and hikes up the backpack he is carrying. ]
Take that, mistletoe.
[ They start in the direction of Rey's speeder once again, and Cisco keeps an eye out for any signs of more mistletoe as they walk. He tries to let it go, to dismiss the whole thing from his mind... but something is really nagging at him and he breaks eventually, asks in a rush: ]
Can I ask you a question that it's totally cool if you don't answer?
no subject
[And dandy? And thinks it'll help people? Rey was utterly confused with the young woman. She wasn't dumb or stupid, but she had a very limited world view of things. At least in comparison to Rey. But, she did seem to have a god heart, just...a little out there for Rey's tastes.
The young woman was still pondering over how they should proceed, but Cisco has already made up his mind about it. He's quick to do it, leaning in close and pressing his lips to her forehead. It's...nice, in a strange sort of way. A kiss that doesn't have any romantic feelings, but it's....it's still nice.
But it's just one between friends. Or maybe she's over thinking, considering the lack of affection she received growing up. She's caught up in trying to process what happened for her to notice the shimmer and disappearance of the barrier.
She just nods her head and starts heading over to the speeder, trying to push those thoughts out of her mind.]
Huh? Oh, yes you can ask.
[What was he getting at?
She hops onto the speeder, offering Cisco her hand to help him climb up.]
no subject
[ Cisco's own interaction with Lola had been limited enough that he's not quite sure what Rey means by that. She had struck him as fairly sheltered, but he didn't remember all that much beyond that. He'd met her at Eddie's birthday party, and a whole lot of other fairly distracting stuff had happened that day. Like realizing he had a bit of a thing for Eddie, for one thing...
He waits until the both of them are on the speeder and actually going before he asks: ]
Have you ever kissed anybody before? Not in the forehead-kiss-'cause-we're-friends-and-we-wanna-get-out-of-this-trap kind of way, I mean. Just kissed somebody.
no subject
[How can she put it lightly?]
It was an interesting conversation to say the least.
[Not one she'd like to repeat any time soon, but at least she knows better than to not look above her head. She won't walk into those lights or those plants again. Not if she can help it.
They hop on her speeder and off. It's easier to travel this way than any other. For the most part, she doesn't take out her speeder unless it was for work. She doesn't want to risk her baby getting damaged...and it was cathartic to walk long distances.
The question gives her pause...and she's thankful they aren't facing each other.]
No, I haven't. I've never kissed anyone because of...romantic reasons.
no subject
[ Cisco doesn't say more, but his skepticism and confusion is plenty audible in that one wordless comment. It sounds like a fairly shallow philosophy, to Cisco. Sure, he knew that sometimes keeping a cheerful attitude when everything was going wrong could really bolster a group, but that was a bit different than seeing looking good and smiling as some kind of public service. Yikes. Anyway... ]
Do you want to?
[ There might be people who Cisco would ask that question in a teasing or sing-songy voice, but he can tell that this isn't the easiest topic to talk about, for Rey. So he merely asks plainly, without any pressure or expectation or humor. He doesn't want to make assumptions, after all. He knows so little about her world still, it's customs related to romance and sexuality and family and all of that. On top of that, she might just not be interested in romance, personally. ]
no subject
[Because Rey hadn't. Hence why she opted to simply stay in the girl's presence and didn't talk too much. She was sure Lola was probably a nice person, but her logic didn't make much sense to her.
As for the question...there was a pause from Rey, trying to figure out if she did or didn't.]
I don't know, to be honest. Never thought of romance...only thought about waiting for my family.
[The people who never came back for her. Maybe they were dead, or elsewhere...maybe they forgot. Either way, the whole...romance thing...she didn't know too much about.]
All I really thought about was surviving until I could see them again.
no subject
When she talks about her family, his grip on her tightens ever so slightly; she doesn't mention them much, but he knows (perhaps because it takes one to know one) that it is a difficult topic, for her. So he gives her an almost-hug, and doesn't question her answer. ]
Well... if I know one thing it's that this place has a way of making you think about stuff you didn't have the opportunity to deal with back in your own world. So if you start having thoughts or if you've ever got questions or need advice or anything, about romance stuff, you can always talk to me. I'm not an expert, or anything, but I can do my best.