WEEK 2 MINGLE - ARTEMISIA

[foundationmods]

Things had changed so rapidly in the past few days.

The loss of two of them hung over like a shroud, made even worse by the fact that an innocent person had been executed.

Was this....how the rest of the game was going to go...?🗈

....Even if it was, there wasn't much they could do now. Yuuko herself hasn't shown up in public since the trial, and while some have talked to her, she's been...subdued.

Did the trial hurt her just as much as them?

Regardless, the island is still beautiful, if deadly. Summer continues, beaming down on all of them, the waves of the sea warm and inviting.

But even if things look bleak...

They have something in their hands that will soon lead to the Truth, and the heart of this matter.

And in the air...lies a heavy sense that everything is about to change.

MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

CALENDAR | LOCATIONS | PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS | YUUKO PC POST | BIRDWITCH PC POST

Comments

[chaoscontrol]

What's the deal with all the birthdays.

[Shadow is just gonna help himself to some cake tho]

[excavated]

I don't know. . . I guess Feathers-san picked a bunch of us who have birthdays around this time?

[chaoscontrol]

... I don't remember my birthday. Who knows, it may be around this time of year.

[he only ever celebrated it in space, so...]

[foundfate]

I guess the witch wanted a bunch of bull-headed rams to play this game?

[It's an astrology joke, get it?]

[chaoscontrol]

... Huh?

[Shadow doesn't zodiac, Watanuki. He just gives him a very confused, almost offended, look]

[foundfate]

You know, like the zodiac? The sun signs? The 12 beasts?

[Does any of this sound familiar, Shadow?]

[chaoscontrol]

.... [he tilts his head, but then he seems to recall]

Oh. The constellations and that bit of nonsense about which one you're born under?

[foundfate]

Yeah. Everyone born around this time is Aries, or 'the ram.'

[chaoscontrol]

I don't believe in that. Not everyone born around the same time of year could possibly have the same personalities!

[foundfate]

Well they don't, nobody's going to be exactly the same. Just look at Syaoran and I.

[They're literally the same person, but don't act the same.]

It's more like...linking defining traits? Like Aries tend to be the first to jump in and try new things, and they're stubborn. It's broad stuff like that, and there's lots of room for differences within those.

[chaoscontrol]

Or you might say that the trait lists are so broad and so vague that people can see themselves in them no matter what.

[HE IS SO SKEPTIC]

[foundfate]

Well obviously you're a Capricorn, talking like that.

[He is not being serious here at all.]

[chaoscontrol]

The fish goat? Hn. I honestly have no idea. I don't remember my birthdate. I don't even know what season I was created.

[foundfate]

[Wow, that's...actually kinda sad, and Watanuki falters for a moment before he speaks again.]

Well, er, when would you want it to be?

[chaoscontrol]

[that's what happens when you're born in a space lab.

Shadow folds his arms and looks away]

I don't age. I have no reason to celebrate a birthday.

[and the only two people who knew (and cared) are long gone]

[foundfate]

Birthdays aren't just about celebrating getting old. They're a celebration that you're alive, and that there are people who want to honor you. I would say you have plenty of reasons to celebrate a birthday, especially one of your own choosing. That tends to carry a lot of significance.

[chaoscontrol]

[that all sounds like something for people that have friends. He scoffs again, but some of the bitterness is gone from it, replaced by... sadness?]

Every day is just like the last. What is there to even differentiate today from tomorrow? I wouldn't be able to pick a date even if I wanted to.

1/2

[foundfate]

[No, Shadow. No sadness allowed. He knows that spiral of loneliness too well, and he doesn't want Shadow to fall into it too.

He has to try to stop it.]

[foundfate]

Today, then.

[It's spoken suddenly, as if the idea just came to him.]

If you want to, I mean. Then you'll have at least two other people who want to celebrate your life with you.

[Because he thinks Shadow is an alright person, and he's sure Syaoran would agree with him.]

[chaoscontrol]

... Today? [he looks surprised, pulled from his dark thoughts by the offer. He looks at Watanuki, then looks away. There might be a small flush of color on his cheeks??? No. It's just the light, it must be. Then he laughs a little, just under his breath] ... Isn't today some sort of prank holiday, too?

[foundfate]

It is, but it has other meanings too. Like where I'm from, April 1st is like 'the first day of spring'. It's when people put away their winter clothes and start wearing stuff for warmer weather. Because of that, it also is a day of transition, from the cold of winter to the warmth of spring.

Honestly? It feels like it would be a fitting birthday for you too.

[chaoscontrol]

[The changing of the seasons, from the dark of winter to the light of spring. Seasons are something he still has only minimal experience with. Life on a space station means 70F, low humidity, and artificial light cycles. Earth was, in a way, still very alien to him.

"Why 'Shadow', my dear? You could call him anything. 'Project Shadow' is just a codename."
"It suits him, grandpa. Darkness can be anywhere. But to see shadows, there must be light."

The hedgehog seems distant for a moment before snapping back to reality]

... I will.... consider it.