(no subject)

[joybound]

Who: you??
When: Day 48, evening and night
Where: the library and beyond

[As sun sets today, everyone will receive a message on their Chain:

☆: Good Evening my precious, charming heroes!
☆: It's been awhile since we had a party, so I was thinking you guys could use a pick-me-up.
☆: If you're interested, come down to the library ♥

Should you take the suggestion, you'll find the library has been decked out in fairy lights, with pink glittery star-shaped decorations all around. In the hallway are tables with trays of fruit tarts and fizzy drinks, and there's cheerful electronic music playing over the intercom.

In the center of the library, there's a new hexagonal bookshelf, accessible from every angle. It spins, allowing passengers to browse without bumping eachother around, and on it are a new collection of books. Some you might recognize from home -- if you ever wrote a book yourself, or had one written about you, it's here. Everything from formal biographies to grade school story projects has been brought in, in a delightfully embarrassing celebration of the passengers.

And if that wasn't enough to make you blush, there's also a slew of new books about you... The trains Heroes have been written in to a variety of fairy tales. In one story, you may find yourself a knight on a white horse rescuing your teammate and riding off into the sunset. In another you're a fairy godmother. You may even be a witch or a dragon! Given enough time, you'll probably find a story that puts you in just about every role, in a cast with just about every other passenger, teammate or no.

Be careful, though -- at random chance, reading a story about yourself might make you feel like acting out that role in real life! Those effected by this will consider other characters from that story to be their roles as well -- if your teammate was your Prince Charming in the story, you'll think they are in real life! All in a harmless, bond-promoting way, of course. This effect will wear off after an hour or so, and one character can be afflicted multiple times.

Will you get lovingly teased by over-the-top fanfiction? Probably. Will the library be covered in glitter forever? Definitely. Is it worth it...?

Well. Prince Cardamom thinks so. He's also joined in for the night, and will gladly play out stories with you, or face your ire. Enjoy the party!]

[[OOC: There's a prince toplevel here, though as always threads are subject to mod energy levels. If you'd like to handwave your character asking questions/etc, please feel free to poke Cleo#9893 @ discord and I'll work out what kind of information you might get! Thank you!]

Comments

[ruinatings]

[Rufus is braving the glitter to check out the horrible stories. There's fanfiction of course, but as for things from home: you'll find a book full of newspaper clippings... At first they're pieces on the golden boy of the nobility, the charming and accomplished son of a Duke. Then they turn into bits about leading the nobility in a civil war. They only get worse from there, but Rufus is trying to find all copies and spirit them away, so.

There's also something else, though: those in modern worlds may recognize an idol-style photobook. Yep. An official book of nothing but professional photoshoots of Rufus in various tasteful but definitely sexy outfits. Somehow, this seems to be a thing that actually exists.

He's gathering that up too.]

How lovely.

[[Note: the newspaper book would involved spoilers for trails of cold steel 3 & 4 so please keep that in mind before addressing it!]]

[crimeson]

[mmm the newspaper clippings

Randy's gonna wait to drape himself over Rufus' shoulders until he's got the photobook in hand.]

Oh yeah, the fun kinda propaganda~

[ruinatings]

It was effective...

[He'll just hand that to Randy. Take it it's embarrassing.]

[crimeson]

Can't blame people; you're gorgeous!

[he's perfectly happy to leaf through it for instance.]

[ruinatings]

[Hff! Compliments from Randy make Rufus feel warm and fuzzy, but he's trying not to let his face turn red.]

Yes, well. I suppose it has merit if you can enjoy it now.

[crimeson]

[flaps the book happily]

Nice, professional photos of you are great! A lil classier than I'd have gone for if I had any say, but, well...

[propaganda, not raunchy magazines.]

[ruinatings]

You have my physical presence if you need a more extensive view.

[and you are EMBARRASSING, RANDY]

[crimeson]

I'm happy to take you up on that whenever!

[SHAMELESS]

[ruinatings]

Of course you are.

[picking up another book to add to his pile -- some sort of report he wrote when he was still a teenager]

I wonder if we can burn them all.

[voreaciously]

[80H comes across thins with Rufus on them and she tries not to look, but that idol book is catchy. My, that's a very good angle--ah. She shuts it.

Anyway.

She arrives in front of him with a small stack of items, her face its polite neutral.]

I believe these are yours.

[ruinatings]

[tight pants 80H]

Oh. Why thank you.

[He'll add those to the pile then.]

This is an invasive "party", isn't it?

[voreaciously]

[she saw NOTHING with her exquisite android memory]

Quite. Though, I must say, very often at parties people believe the private business of others the topic du jour--hosts very much not excepted--so I cannot say it is very different in that respect.

[ruinatings]

True. You'd expect it to have a little more decorum, though.

[Aristocrat parties are good at side-talking. This is way too overt!]

[voreaciously]

That would require a modicum of self-awareness, I wager he thinks it is helping.

[A rare touch of annoyance.]

Shameless and irresponsible, honestly.

[ruinatings]

I assume he's humiliated you as well, then?

[voreaciously]

I am more referring to what seems to be an unfortunate habit. First the Secrets trial and now this.

[she hates it, thanks]

[ruinatings]

Yes, it's certainly an unfortunate trend.

[Goddess forbid Olivier have that kind of magical power...]

I was thinking of burning as much as possible. Would you like to help me try it?

[awakenerd]

....Is this... a photo book? Did you pise for this?

[ruinatings]

It was a planned political maneuver.

[awakenerd]

...To get people distracted by your looks?

[ruinatings]

Charm is a key point of diplomacy, Rean. Make people love you and they won't question your decisions.

[awakenerd]

That is a frightening line of thought.

[ruinatings]

I've been called a frightening man many times.

[awakenerd]

Because you are!

[ruinatings]

Ahaha!

[Rean's not wrong!]

But it's much easier to make progress if I convince people otherwise. Thus, this book.