Happy Monster Day!

Monster Day is an internet-spawned holiday celebrated every February 16th. The events? Monster-themed! Time to snag some discounted Valentine's Day treats (or less junky food, if you please) and watch monster-themed movies, listen to monster-themed music -- or if you're a creative, write and draw monster-themed subject matter.

Read on below to get the gist of what your character is in for -- choose a vial, discover what kind of monster theme they'll get. From there, if you'd like to RP a bit or write a monster-themed blurb for your character, I'll be around tonight to play things out. I'll be doing a draw tomorrow (the 16th) and sketch one or two characters in their elemental-tweaked monster forms over the next few days.

Let's say that this event is non-canon, in the same way that playing out certain memes or bantering characters in the cbox are not truly canon. Nothing that unfolds here truly happens in Carista. Nothing may be referred to within IC threads. This is just for my own entertainment for a holiday that is near and dear to my heart.

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It's a dark, stormy night. Your character, wherever he or she may be, is alone. Either they split off from their usual group to investigate a strange noise, or they retreated to the country-side to escape the rush and hubbub of their usual, stress-filled lives for a restful cabin stay.

Whatever the case, out and about on this accursed night, they stumble across an ornate, covered wagon that appears to have had one of its wheels buried in a muddy rut. The single black horse that remains in the yolk snorts a warning to the figure who is struggling to assess the damage as your character approaches, and she backs away from the cart to flag you down. Old and grizzled, clothing soaked near to the bone, it's a wonder that this woman is out in the rain at all. Never the less, she croaks, "you there, lend me a hand!" Either your character's strong arms, small, nimble hands, or acute vision are what she's looking for.

Presuming the job is done with your character's help (which your character will need to do in order to play this game!) the old woman invites him or her inside... into a cozy interior. She wants to reward your character for their help, but she doesn't think that a copper will suffice. Instead, revealing the innards of her wagon's supply of goods, she offers one of a number of glossy vials -- potions, she says, that will enhance strength, clarity of thought, healing properties, speed of reaction... "drink the potion," she says, "and we will be even."

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To play, choose a potion for each character you'd like to submit to this game! The results will be revealed with all else on the 16th. Once the results are in, I will randomly select one or two characters for which to do sketches -- but be warned, there will be a hint of zaniness to this event, so take it with a grain of salt.

Potions
1) A vial of golden liquid. The stopper possesses a stamped image of a bow and arrow.
2) A vial of dark red liquid that smells vaguely alcoholic. The stopper is marked by an image of a bunch of grapes.
3) A vial that smells very vaguely salicylic, though the scrap of cinnamon wedged within nearly overpowers that first waft.
4) A murky vial in which a water lily blossom appears, when shaken.
5) A vial of jet-black fluid, within which something seems tightly coiled but never completely visible.
6) A vial of clear liquid with a white deposit. When shaken, the liquid turns milky -- it smells of saltwater.
7) A vial of red liquid. Its stopper is marked with a dab of silver metal.
8 ) An empty vial with a small strip of gauze at the bottom. When shaken, the gauze appears to vanish into foggy gas.
9) A vial of red liquid. Its stopper is marked by an image of a fang.
10) A vile vial of murky liquid that possesses the faintest sound... of a heart beat.
11) A vial with a few crumbs of bread at the bottom. Its stopper is marked with a feather.
12) A vial with a single, blood-red scale sitting in the bottom.
13) A vial half-filled with a clear liquid that seems to smoke when unstoppered.
14) A vial filled with with golden liquid. Its stopper is also marked with a feather.
15) A vial with a tiny twig at the bottom. It appears to be smoking gently. Its stopper is another that is marked with a feather.
16) A vial filled with a vividly sparkling powder. It looks almost like ground fire opals.
17) A vial that is searing cold to the touch. Its contents are red, and its stopper is marked by an image of a fang.
18) A vial that makes your character's hair stand on end by mere touch. Inside is a cloudy substance that never seems to resolve. The stopper is marked by a feather.
19) A vial whose contents are masked by an ornate, geometric design etched across the glass. The stopper is marked by an axe.
20) A vial that settles out into three distinct colours. It doesn't smell particularly good.
21) A vial of liquid which is highly reflective. Its stopper is marked by a coiled snake.
22) A vial of clear water in which are dissolved a number of scintillating flecks. Its stopper is marked with an image of a coiled snake.
23) A vial of cream-like liquid. Its stopper is marked by a pair of ancient weight scales.

If you're interested, feel free to write in character blurbs, but do so from your player account -- this shouldn't count for any XP!

Iris Ravelli would choose #6

Nam Sung

"Yes, dear," the elderly woman replied, "...after a fashion."

At first, drinking the contents of the vial seemed to have no effect, save to refresh the girl's palette -- rain water was good after sordidly hot days, but this particular vial tasted sweet and tart. A few moments later, however, Name would begin to feel a little bit light headed. Perhaps she felt light bodied, too! It wasn't long before the girl blacked out, and for how long she rested, no one would ever know.

When she awoke, it was still the dark of night, but the wagon was gone, as was the woman. It didn't take long to realize that something had changed, and drastically, however. Nam had taken on very particular aspects.





Leandro Santos

"Ah," the elderly woman replied, a moment after she picked up the vial and put it nearly to her eye. "This is a very powerful potion. Beware, its many strengths carry also a dangerous weakness... and for those whose balance is off..." she tapped a gnarled finger to her lips as though she wouldn't say. But then she smiled, replying, "You, however, you have the soul of a balanced man, I think. You would do this potion justice."

Of course, after the rush of strength and vivacity filled Leandro's body upon drinking the liquid, he would find himself growing very, very weary.

Though it had stopped raining, the pitch darkness of the night seemed to pull away when Leandro awoke. It was as though it were as bright as day. And no wonder!





Miran Floin

"Oh no!" the woman chortled, looking slyly at Miran's choice. "It's more than that. It's something that I think you would quite appreciate, my dear. You're the right age for it, too. Too rich for my old bones." The smile that she gave seemed a little nostalgic, and a little wicked, too. "Why don't you try it?"

When she did, the liquid ran like a warm blanket through Miran's veins, one that quickly began to feel electrifying -- wonderfully so. It wasn't long before Miran actually began to feel the dreariness and the aggravation at being wet leach from her own bones. Suddenly... suddenly life was beginning to feel very much like a game.

Leslie Worthington

There was something to be said for the elderly and their wisdom. Mostly that wisdom ran towards elemental control, relationship advice, sunscreen advice, as well as whose lawn one ought to be on, or not to be on as the case might be, but in this particular instance, it seemed as though the old woman had done right by Leslie Worthington. Although he was already limp as a rag-doll, vile vial was leaving him loopy as well. Luckily, the woman had a nest of blankets hiding to the side of her carriage, almost as though prepared for a drunken man to collapse upon.

When Leslie awoke, he might find that he had never left his cottage at all. Then again, he might also find that some other aspects of his personal being, as well as his persona had... well... changed.





Iris Ravelli

Katsue Hyuuga would very reluctantly lend the ''old lady'' a hand, and choose potion #17, taking the fang as a symbol of strength.

Maya Fay would gladly help her elder and pick vial #4, drawn in the by the pwetty lily.

Dulce Lara-Carriedo would help the lady with hopes of a reward and take potion #10, highly curious about the eerie sound.

Stian Eld

"You might be surprised at what it means to be healthy," the elder woman replied, a gleam dancing in her eyes alongside the lantern light. She watched Stian's hand as the young woman deliberated over her choices, her smile increasing somewhat in that frustrating knowing sense that some elder-folk got when they watched a younger person making a particular kind of decision. When Stian stared at her, the woman ducked her head, spreading a hand placatingly. "Oh, don't worry. You're a smart girl! That particlar vial was made for ones like you." The crinkles around her eyes as she grinned hearly obstructed her vision.

Stian quickly found that the contents of the vial had a calming affect on her stomach. With it, a sense of stability and strength grew and enfolded her torso and mind. Everything seemed to become clearer, sharper... details became more important.



Ronan Cary

Contrary, perhaps, to Ronan's expectations, tinkering with the assortment of vials that the old woman presented did not have the adverse effect of causing the elder to chastize him. On the contrary, she watched his curious exploration of her wares with a self-satisfied expression. When he finally settled on the vial that caused a small zap, she raised both of her bushy brows nearly until they reached her own sodden cap. "Well, there's an interesting choice," she told him. "My, you must be a strong young man. Go gently but with the grace of the Creator," she added, her tone suggesting that perhaps there was a hint of sass to the otherwise reverant colloquialism.

As Ronan consumed the contents of the vial, all the power of the storm outside felt as though it was beginning to thunder through his veins. It was a heady feeling, especially coming from a Grand Master who may have had time to grow jaded with showy acts of his control! So heady was the rush through his system that the world began to spin.

It wasn't until later that he'd wake in an empty field. The wagon might have been gone, but the sense of electric potential certainly had not.



Errol Booker

The reply that Errol got was near upon a cackle as any an old woman could muster. "Are you sure? A big, strong, strapping lad like you? Well!" She finished wringing water from her trailing, mucky sleeves, her smile quieting to a tricksy sort of mirth. "I think you'll find that one a little unconventional... but I think you'll appreciate it."

It wasn't until Errol finished sipping (supping?) the contents of the vial when he began to feel a lofty sort of buzz floating through his system. For someone as hefty as him, the sensation of lightness might have been a new and unique one, indeed.



Belen Cardenas

The woman seemed to eye Belen for a few moments, though finally she leaned back upon her stool, nodding solemnly to herself. "A girl like you seems to have plenty of strength to spare, and yet..." her focus seemed to drift, either due to deep thought, or senility... it was hard to say. When her gaze snapped back to Belen, the former seemed to prove true. "Take that one slowly, and you'll do fine."

Even a little of the liquid seemed to leave Belen with a sense of primal power. Surely the whole of the contents of the vial would have sent her into a frenzy, but even this was enough to leave her needing to sit -- or to break free of the confining space of the wagon. It really was hard to decide!

That was how, several hours later, Belen found herself crouching on the road-side for a rest with splinters in her hair...

Katsue Hyuuga

And moments after consuming the liquid, Katsue would be swamped by a sense of power so strong and so carnal that any civilized thought would be wiped near upon clean -- there was only the pressing desire to cleanse the world of pulsing pustules like her father, and now she felt strong enough to do so without so much as breaking a sweat!



Maya Fay

It was strange: Maya's sense of loving compassion, her love of green grottos... all of it was beginning to make a lot of sense!



Dulce Lara-Carriedo

The elderly woman watched Dulce with a poker face as the beautiful young lady chose the tenth vial of the batch. Either it was the most perfect of them all, or the most foul... but who said that it could not be both? As Dulce drank the contents of the vial, she felt more certain than anything that she would never be brought low by the likes of do-gooders and justice seekers... but then, her precious beauty... that might be a whole other story...

Quote :

He'd been strong-armed into using his 'strong young arms' to help this old woman, but let it never be said that Evan wasn't at least an obliging youngster. Maybe he had been annoyed to be waylaid in the middle of a downpour, but he didn't have it in him to leave a decrepit old creature in the lurch, and fetching someone else would have actually taken more time.

In any case, it had turned out that the wagon itself was lovely. He hadn't noticed at first, in the dark of the drab country road, but once he was putting his back into it, he got an opportunity to admire the ancient, ornate molding up close. Why'd he never considered mobile dwellings an interesting subject of study before this?

It turned out the internal decor matched, and by the time he was standing there steaming rainwater out of his sweater he was too distracted by it to notice at first when the crone uncovered her wares.

"What?" he asked. To avoid perhaps an ancient bony elbow in the side, he paid more attention when she repeated herself.

"Drink the potion, and we will be even."

"What... which potion?" It hardly seemed a good idea to down a brew offered by a strange woman in the middle of the night, favour owed or no. Eyeing the vials, he decided he'd pick one and bring it home to study. "Alright." Some of them did seem to have exceptionally interesting qualities, now that he thought about it.

That shimmering one might be mercury... but not unless her master plan was to poison do-gooders she found on the road. The one that was so cold it burned fascinated him, but the fang on top unsettled him enough that he put it back.

In the end it was the one that set his hair on end that got him. Whatever was in there had to be potent, a good addition to anyone's workshop, right?

"Well, thanks," he said, slipping the vial into his pocket and feeling the tingle of it. The old woman was giving him an unsettling eyeballing, like he was treading on dangerous ground, and so Evan shrugged back into his heavy coat and edged towards the exit. "I certainly will find some use for this..."

Of course, because curiosity does have to get every cat at least once, a handful of days later Evan couldn't resist the urge to take just a sip...

Evan falls victim to #18.

Evan Arceneau

Having a tingling pocket for days on end must have been a kind of agony for the curious, and given the fact that Evan was such a studious soul... well, that must have been a special kind of delayed gratification. It was difficult to analyze the liquid, when he finally got a chance to do so. Certainly, the brew smelled drinkable -- nothing suggested that what he'd snicked had been a kind of poison.

Just a sip later, and Evan found his own veins tingling with the same kind of energy that had been making itself a constant presence in his pocket. Along with the sense of electric vitality came a very certain sense of expansion, of knowing. It was as though his vision stretched further aloft than ever it had before. Not just a teenage proclivity towards all-know-it-ism, Evan was benefiting from a more than healthy dose of prognostigatory powers. What might supersede that, however, was the opportunity to look down on what even a little sip could do. Ah, the joys of transmogrification...