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[idolpro]

Who: Idols and idol accessories
Where: Tokyo-F
When: Day 437

[ Idols will start their day today to find red envelopes, each with their idol names, presented to them on a table at their dorm's landing. Each envelope is supernaturally sealed, incapable of being opened except by their designated recipient. Inside each envelope is a gold zan-style hairpin with stripes of silver carved into its stem, and the tip is heavy with a weighty decoration—be it a dragon, phoenix, tiger, butterfly, flower(s), or anything else, they are all inlaid with bright, glowing tiger's eye gemstones.

As ornate as they look, these hairpins aren't just for decoration: upon the recipient touching the accessory, they'll find their clothes magically changing into fanciful Chinese or fantasy Chinese clothing—perhaps vibrant red, regardless of unit, or woven patterns and colors that reflect the idol's position. At the same time, the hairpin knits itself into the idol's hair (if capable, else it pins itself as a brooch) which has also magically been done up fancifully.

Down at the lobby there are more hints toward the holiday, if the red envelope didn't already make it obvious: red streamers and paper lanterns decorate the hotel, along with tiger decorations which vary from elegant wall scrolls to cute tiger plush pillows on the lobby seats. And, if it still isn't clear enough—perchance for those who aren't familiar with the culture at all—a red and gold banners hang from the wall, reading "HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY" and "LUNAR NEW YEAR" and "YEAR OF THE TIGER".

Near the kitchen, there are tables with spreads of Chinese foods from various regions, all available in an all-you-can-eat styled buffet. And, what's more—the food seems to be completely safe! They don't contain even a little bit of status effects. For once, here's a party with safe food.

There are additionally tables with gift bags, once again labeled with each idol's name. These are not supernaturally sealed, and in each bag are . . . well. . . tiger things, along with a note that reads,

300 points per item worn for the day! Max 1,200 points (head/hands/tail/feet

Oh, right, this is an idol show. And oh, surprise, the tiger appendages (optionally) have some sort of status effect thing going on:

• Feel more cuddly/desire cuddles
  
• Feel more mercurial/contrarian
  
• Feel more possessive/territorial
  
• Feel more hungry, both for food and for immaterial things (especially attention)
  
• Feel more brave
  
• Feel more light-hearted/more easily amused

At least they're all fairly mild in effect.

Last but not least, decoration wise, there's also an ominous poster near the elevators. . . Well, who's afraid of a sign, right? . . . Nevermind that if someone were to break a taboo, they'll find themself just slightly unluckier today, on the level of breaking their shoe/sandal laces and receiving the wrong order at the café.

Outside, though the weather is cold, the sun is auspiciously bright today, warmth radiating out the city to soften the chill. Moreover, there's an infectious energy on the streets, one that would surely make a person forget the temperature—long paper puppets, taking the form of dragons and lions and tigers, parade down the street, powered by ghostly dancers and backed up by the orchestra of a marching band and fan dancers. Floating lanterns guide them throughout the city, where they'll circle around the streets ceaselessly until evening.

At the stroke of midnight, idols will find their old clothes back in their closet and their hairpins no longer glowing, but they'll also find they're able to keep the clothing they received from the hairpins. They can also keep the tiger paraphernalia, which have lost their effects. ]

Comments

[crossmyheartandhope]

Ohh, yeah, like them big blue ones for the clothes bars you use for balconies?

[at_heart]

[ Blue he's less completely certain on, but. Different planets. So he says, ]

Exactly.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Thanks, dude. I'll check out the conbini later and see if they got any in.

[at_heart]

Good. [ Moving back around to get at the food himself, because. You know, hungry. But he adds: ] It'd suck if anything happened to that outfit, it's cute.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Right? They're all super nice.

Yours too, dude, you better take care of that one.

[at_heart]

[ Another glance down at himself, then he grins. ]

Sure, but I've got the advantage here. There's a whole lot of me I could spill food on before I had to worry about the clothes.

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Laughing, a little]

I mean, you ain't wrong.

[at_heart]

[ Grin. Better. ] [ Noms another appetizer, and as he's swallowing does it really occur to him that he's already had quite a few of these, and he. Should not still be hungry. Eying Hurry, then the other people around them. ]

...It's good food, but not all that filling, huh?

[ Far from everyone going to town on the buffet, but. ]

[crossmyheartandhope]

Oh yeah?

[Helping himself to a dumpling, now that the sleeves are out of the way. Thanks to the white tiger tail he's wearing, he's also pretty hungry,]

[nom]



[nomnomnom]

S'real good, though.

[at_heart]

[ Mmmm. ]

Yeah. I don't — usually eat this much, especially all in one sitting.

[ He's more of a grazer, really, when he can get it, and more than once he's found himself trying to save some of a meal for later. ]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Helping himself to a bao,]

Well - it's a holiday, ain't it? You're supposed to eat a lot.

[at_heart]

Holidays don't usually make me hungrier.

[ Wry. He enjoyed Friendsgiving a lot, but it was the company. He had a little of a lot of foods he didn't recognize, and tried to save room for dessert. ]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Another bao,]

I mean... now that you mention it.

[at_heart]

Yeah.

[ Beat. Watching Hurry nom the bao, and — feeling hungrier, which is ridiculous. ]

A friend of mine's been acting kind of off, too. More... demonstrative, let's say.

[ You know Zari too, but she's a little embarrassed about Some Things, so discretion, valor, blah blah. ]

—I'm not saying it's dangerous, but. [ Smallest pause. ] I guess we might wanna watch ourselves, just a little.

[crossmyheartandhope]

What, with like -

[Pauses, a dumpling halfway to his mouth]

With the food? Or...

[at_heart]

[ He shrugs. ]

Could be, or it could be the, you know. Magic hairpins that put us all in costumes.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Ah... yeah.

I guess that's true.



[Putting the dumpling down, reluctantly,]

[at_heart]

[ Sees that, and after a few seconds he picks up a dumpling of his own. ]

On the other hand? It's not making me hungrier to eat, which you'd definitely think it would, if the food was what was making us hungry.

[crossmyheartandhope]

...oh. You think?

[at_heart]

Yeah, I mean.

[ Beat. ]

Plus, kind of a weird thing for eating food to do, unless it's also doing something else to us, and the gamerunner wants to make sure to incentivize it.

[ —Whoops, did he make it worse again? Hurry, he really is a little paranoid. ]

[crossmyheartandhope]

...oh.

Yeah. That makes sense.