GOD CURSE: Skadi's Wildlife Preserve

[asgardsartist]

Who: anyone!
What: skadi's curse is turning folks into a variety of creatures. mayhem likely ensues
When: 17th - 20th
Where: anywhere, but extra in skadi's district
Notes: see THIS INFO-POST for deets. also, my deepest apologies for the lateness of this log - something moderately urgent came up and ate my log-writing time.

---

Creatures. They're one thing that this city lacks - Skadi has touched the minds of a mere handful of Wanderers and already she recognizes some of the common differences between their world and this one. In the background of nearly every memory she's seen, there have been creatures. Bugs skittering. Birds flying,, chirping. Mammals, lizards. Sometimes creatures even more mystical.

It's unfortunate, really, that this city is polluted by quite so many Wanderers and yet no creatures roam. A dilemma which, as far as Skadi is concerned, has a rather obvious solution.

Between the 17th and the 20th, many individuals (both within the boundaries of Skadi's domain and outside of them) will be going about their day and find that, painlessly and in the span of a blink, they've taken the form of some sort of creature. There's no real explanation. It may last for a few hours; it may last for an entire day.

As what can only be described as the curse lingers on, many find that their form isn't all that seems to be changing. Foreign needs and urges cling to the periphery of their minds, driving some to act at times as their animal form might, whether or not they're even familiar with that animal in the first place. It likely doesn't even occur to them that they're acting strangely until the curse has worn off and their form has returned to normal.

But where did this magic come from? Some may catch the subtle clue, if they're paying attention. There's the faintest orange haze around their vision, only really discernible when they look at a source of light (or anything purely white) and see it tinged slightly orange instead. Some may just dismiss it as how that creature sees, but others may recognize the hue from the Skadi's banners and streamers at the coin hunt and seek the goddess for some sort of relief.

As the days progress, the creatures get stranger and more fantastic. And then, as quickly as it started, the curse disappears.

---

This is a catch-all log for anything relating to Skadi's curse, spanning from the 17th - the 20th. See the notes at the top of the post for more information!

Comments

[channellings]

[uhm, wow. okay, when she puts it that way...

klaus turns back to her once more, slowly and carefully, still cautious about the possible murder weapon atop his head.] Alright, well, you got me there. I've never dealt with problems like that.

Although, I bet if I tried to go into any of those kinda places right now, there'd be some objections.

[demonicbeauty]

[She laughs softly.]

I don't know about that. You may not be Human, but you're very pretty. People like what's pretty.

[A universal truth, although she doesn't dwell on it.

Something about his "right now" has her on edge, but she can't quite place it...]

[channellings]

[‘pretty,’ she says. to be fair, he's ‘pretty’ in some peoples' opinions while he's a human, but that sounds too smug to repeat, even for a unicorn.]

Also... a fair point. [his chuckling fills the link between them.]

Guess I've got that going for me in this form.

[demonicbeauty]

Form?

[Now that perks her interest. Both because it's new information and because she's lost her other form. She would give anything to get it back, short of her hair. She could blend in so much better.]

You can shapeshift?

[channellings]

[at the shapeshifting comment, klaus chuckles, shakes his head a little too haphazardly, yet manages to avoid any injury.]

God, I wish. That'd be one of the coolest powers ever. [another faint shoulder twitch.] I've got no idea why I look like this suddenly.

[demonicbeauty]

Oh.

[Well, that's a lot of new information to parse out. Ariadne eyes him now, trying to spot any difference between him and a regular unicorn. But she sees nothing.]

What do you normally look like?

[channellings]

[because the only difference between this unicorn and any other unicorn is that he's not supposed to be one. whatever's happened, which he'll later figure out, has simply graced him with an equine beauty.]

Uh. Tall, pale, green eyes, dark hair? Super attractive. [to himself, at least.] And human, I might add.

[demonicbeauty]

[Human. Well, that's slightly alarming. She tries not to let the fear show, but she can feel her pulse speeding up a little bit.

Her fingers flex. It's a reflex. She's not sure she really has to defend herself. Anyway, she couldn't if she wanted to. Her talons are just gone.]

I...

You're Human?

[channellings]

[he notices the instinctive gesture because of course, he's too observant for his own good, even in an unnatural form. klaus blinks then slowly, measuredly, moves his head to see her better.]

Y...eah... Is that a problem? My bad, I know I should've probably mentioned something when you started talking about all that [an awkward beat] kinda personal stuff.

Don't worry about it, though. I won't tell anyone.

[demonicbeauty]

[It's terribly awkward. Because Ariadne loves Humans. She really does. But her whole life she's been told not to trust them. And here she is, accidentally spilling her guts to one.

Albeit one in a very different sort of form.]

I...I feel like I should be apologizing to you. I made...assumptions.

[channellings]

[perhaps that's the joke? telling this secret to one of the least trustworthy-looking people out there— oh, but wait! he looks like a frigging unicorn. in her defense, who would assume some human just happened to turn into a magical creature?]

No reason to. We all suffer from foot-in-mouth syndrome every now and then. If you're as lucky as I am, it can even be an everyday occurrence.

[demonicbeauty]

[She gives a puzzled look down at her foot.]

Well, I could put my foot in my mouth every day. But why would I want to? Feet get very dirty, you know.

[The sad part is the confusion is genuine. The happier part is she seems to have calmed down a little.]

[channellings]

[oh no, what the actual hell? where did this girl even come from???]

No, it... it's an expression. Means you have the tendency to make an ass out of yourself.

Er, wait, [a beat, another shake of his large head,] you probably don't know what that means, either? Like, saying inappropriate or embarrassing stuff. Sometimes, people just don't know when to stop. [and he's one of them, unfortunately.]

[demonicbeauty]

[There's just the slightest hint of a smile in the corner of her mouth.]

I know what an ass is.

We have plenty of donkeys back home.

[Is she kidding? Making a joke? She might be making a joke.]

[channellings]

[keeping in mind the fact she's smiling (even just a little!), klaus would hope she's making a joke.

unfortunately, he can't smile back, so an airy little laugh between their telepathic link will have to do.] Okay, good, then you understand that!

Sticking your foot in your mouth can kiiinda be equivalent to being a jackass.

[demonicbeauty]

Well, you're much prettier than a jackass.

[And she really does mean that.

Ariadne shakes her head a little bit.]

I'm sorry for the way I reacted. It's just that I've never really talked to a Human like this before.

[channellings]

Aw, gee, you're real sweet.

[she... probably won't think that once he's human again.]

No apology necessary. Although, now I have to ask: haven't talked to a human like what before?

[demonicbeauty]

[She pauses to give the question careful consideration.]

Honestly, I guess.

If that makes any sense.

[channellings]

[it makes more sense than she's giving it credit, that's for sure.] Yeah, no, I totally get where you're coming from. I'm sure a lot of humans give you shit because of how you look.

Which is ridiculous? You're gorgeous, regardless of skin color. Fuck what other people say.

[demonicbeauty]

[Ariadne doesn't know nearly enough about fornication to really appreciate how one could fornicate words.

She nearly asks.

But, really, she's more touched by his kindness than anything else.]

Thank you. I think.

[A pause.]

No one's ever said anything like that before. Not to me, anyway.

[channellings]

[oh w o w, how good that she didn't ask, considering klaus wouldn't quite know how to explain it isn't like that. the f-bomb can be used for so many other things besides sexual connotations.]

You're welcome. [some brief stalling on his part as well then he adds,] Nobody's ever complimented you before? Now that's just sad.

[why the hell not? were humans prejudice against green people wherever she came from? regardless, at least he's given her something and if that doesn't happen to be enough to remember him by, the sudden shift – literally a blink-and-you-miss-it type thing – going from a unicorn back to human leaves him sprawled on his backside, eyelashes flickering somewhat confusedly.]

Oh. Sure, I guess... this is fine, too? [while he's interlocking his fingers over his abdomen and clicking the toes of his sneakers together, he slants her a glance from his periphery.] Hello again. In the proper shape, this time.

[demonicbeauty]

[Her only compliments, really, are more along the lines of "good job, stealing this thing, Airy" or "great work spying on that thing." Not bad compliments to have. But more utilitarian than what Klaus is offering.

But all of a sudden, that doesn't matter so much any more because she's looking at a sprawled out Human.

Not as pretty as a unicorn, perhaps. But still pretty. In the way that all Humans kind of are.

She falls back on one palm, blinking in surprise. But it turns into a shy smile when he's talking to her out loud, instead of in her head. Much, much better.]

So. This is who you are.

[She nods.]

How very nice.

[channellings]

[airy, please, do not stroke this fool's ego anymore. it's already bigger than it needs to be and he'll soak up whatever compliments he can get. particularly when he's almost certain he resembles some kind of tall, lanky raccoon.

his instinctive reaction was reaching to rub his eyes, to see if she's legitimately green or if his vision had been different as an equine. when nothing about her appearance seems different, he lets out a quiet, thoughtful ‘huh’ and shrugs, playfully buzzes his lips.] Aw, shucks, you're such a sweet-talker.

[loosening his right hand, there's a brief flutter of fingers then he tacks on,] And I was right about you. You're gorgeous, buttercup.

[demonicbeauty]

[There might be a vaguely purple flush across Airy's cheeks. But she doesn't say anything about it.

Instead, she's drawn to the print on his hand.]

What's that?

[She only nods politely to his hand. In Alastrian culture, it's actually quite rude to talk about or look at someone's palms.]

[channellings]

[seeing her turn purple is a bit worrisome; she's not holding her breath, is she? doesn't look like it, so he can only assume it's something else.

thankfully, she provides a distraction in the form of asking about his palm tattoos.]

What, these? [klaus upturns his hands, revealing the hello inked across the right one and goodbye across the opposite.] Just my tattoos. [if she's paying close enough attention, there also happens to be a small umbrella logo on his left wrist, too.

he has more, but the rest are (blessedly) covered by his clothes.]