🍇 what strange things grow from little seeds 🍇

[graftage]

WHO: Steinbeck and....YOU!
WHAT: Random effects time! And random Steinbeck prompt times! (IF YOU WANT A PERSONAL STARTER PLEASE ASK/DM!)
WHEN: Summer mid to Summer end
WHERE: Everywhere
WARNINGS: some attempted superpower self harm in one prompt but otherwise nothing else (will update as needed)



1. "Everything you touch ends up with glitter on it, and every time you sneeze, confetti comes out"

ACHOO-!

[Whoah there, that's a whole sneeze and a half. If you're walking by Steinbeck's farm, you may notice him walking up, looking a bit miserable as he wipes his nose, which...looks glittery. Actually, a lot of him looks glittery.]

Ugh, what is this...some kinda cold... [He's murmuring, looking up as he sees someone and waves.] Hey, are you feeling sick at all? I keep just...s...s-sn...

[Oh no.]

ACHHOOOO-!

[And now you're covered in confetti. Whoops.]


2. "A sports announcer voice narrates every significant event in your interaction with others."

[Later after that whole nonsense (and still a little glittery) Steinbeck can be found at the grocery store, poring over the wares. He's grabbed a few things for cooking, looking over a couple of packs of cookies, and he turns to whoever is nearby with a smile-]

[Except he doesn't speak. Because what speaks is a very loud and eager announcement, booming as if its coming over some intercom that clearly is not there.]

AND HERE WE GOOOO-!!! JOHN STEINBECK HAS MET THE EYES OF A HANDSOME AND BEAUTIFUL INDIVIDUAL ACROSS THE AISLE. NOW BRAD, ALTHOUGH HE'S GOT THAT WHOLE TRACK RECORD FROM LAST YEAR ON HIS PLATE, FORTUNES MAY TURN FOR HIM YET! LET'S SEE WHAT HE DOES NEXT-!

[Steinbeck. Freezes like a deer in headlights. (WHO'S BRAD?)]


3. and better things will sprout, won't they? (tw: attempted self harm for superpower purposes)

[He's really trying hard to stay in the shadows here - if you happen to be out in the evening close to the woods, you may see Steinbeck trying to sneak in there with something in both hands. One of them happens to be a knife, the other, a small cloth bag.]

[He doesn't seem to think anyone is following him, even as he casts his gaze over his shoulder a couple times. Once he finds a clearing, he shifts open his collar with a finger, before he flicks open his knife.]

[He moves to raise it directly to his neck, as if he's going to jab it at his own skin.]

[Are you going to stop him, or are you going to watch-?]


4. WILDCARD

[get your personal starters here if you want!! Steinbeck is still open for scavenger hunt and mine shenanigans or whatever you want to do with him!]

Comments

3

[framestory]

[ Ellis catches a glimpse of someone with... a knife? And a bag? Huh. With the recent spooky house in the forest, he wonders what's happening, so he decides to follow.

...

He is absolutely watching instead of stopping him when he gets there though. ]

[graftage]

[The knife jab is quick, pressing the tip of it under the skin with a practiced maneuver that betrays he probably has done this more times than he can count. He flicks the knife closed to pocket it. After that, with blood trickling down his neck, he pulls out what appears to be a seed from his bag to place into the wound.]

[And waits.]

[But nothing happens.]

...Come on.

[framestory]

[ ?????

Excuse me? Sir. What the ever living fuck?! Ellis just stares wide eyed and decides to wait a little longer... is he going to die? Why is he just standing there?! Ellis has so many questions. ]

[graftage]

[He looks more and more frustrated as the time ticks on, even slapping his hand over the wound as if to shove the seed in further.]

Come on.

[But nothing happens.]

[framestory]

[ Ellis... honestly doesn't have much of an opinion on Steinbeck other than he can be funny at times, but this is a little concerning. He's not sure what he's trying to do, but then he steps on a twig.

He has no idea about sounds though. He's deaf, so he just keeps staring from a distance. ]

[graftage]

[It's not working, why isn't it-]

[And then that snap comes.]

[He turns on his heel, looking directly at where Ellis is. In the low light its hard to see, but he's stamping forward anyways, even as the blood continues to trickle down his neck, staining his clothes.]

Hey! Hey, who's there-!?!

[OH LORD HE'S COMING - he's already reaching out to try to grab Ellis by the shoulder.]

[framestory]

[ He can't tell what Steinbeck is saying, but his body language makes it very clear that Ellis should probably leave... right now. He tries to speed off and tries to climb one of the taller trees in the forest. ]

[graftage]

Don't you-!

[But there he goes. Shit. But Steinbeck, undeterred, moves to the tree and starts to climb right after him - unfortunately, he's quite nimble, so he's making good time on the catchup as he tries to grab Ellis by the leg or shoe.]

Where the hell do you think you're going!?

2..........

[dailycooking]

[Ayato is fully prepared to offer a neutral-but-friendly gesture in return, because small talk at a grocery store seems inevitable and it's best to get into people's good graces in a community as small as this...

But then someone starts yelling out of nowhere, and not even Ayato is expecting that. There's a lengthy pause, but then...]

Oya? I wonder if beautiful is just their opinion, or if it's shared...?

[He's not laughing at John, he's laughing at... the situation...? Also, who's Brad? Where is he?]

[graftage]

I...

[He's actually genuinely flummoxed, glancing around as if he can somehow spot the Very Mysterious Announcer, and failing utterly.]

I-I have no idea what that was. [Oh my godddd. He is also ignoring the question THANK YOU!!!] What the hell-?

2

[chronosynthesis]

[Syrlya was just going to say hi! That's all! He has his hand raised and everything and then that thunderous voice comes screaming from the heavens and he freezes with an identical bewildered expression.

Not until it's been silent for a good minute does he slowly look around for... some sort of source. And then settles his gaze back on Steinbeck.]

You... wouldn't happen to have some sort of communicator on you? [What the fuck was that.]

[graftage]

[Steinbeck is looking around wildly, still trying to find the source, before finally fixing his eyes back on Syrlya.]

....No! No, I don't! I'm not just hearing things, right?

[chronosynthesis]

Not unless we are both experiencing the same hallucination. [Hm...] That was very odd.

[graftage]

Yeah...maybe someone's just playing a prank-

[And again, the voice comes over, and Steinbeck winces as he slaps his hands over his ears.]

TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE. LOOK AT THIS, BRAD. GOING BACK TO DENIAL LIKE SO MANY PREVIOUS PLAYS OF THE SEASON! IF HE DOESN'T CATCH UP WITH THE TIMES AND GET AHOLD OF HIMSELF, HE'S SIMPLY NOT GOING TO WIN OVER THIS YOUNG MAN'S HEART, I'M AFRAID!

[chronosynthesis]

[Syrlya jumps, almost dropping his basket as it happens again.] Why is it so loud?

[graftage]

I have no idea!

[He's still got his ears covered just in case.]

Why does it keep talking about me?!

[chronosynthesis]

I--suppose because it's following you around? [Syrlya cups a hand to his mouth, calling up.] Who's there?!

[graftage]

[No one answers.]

Hey, let's...get out of here. Maybe its this damn store.

1

[unsync]

[ It's like you can hear the deflating party noises as Ryuki blearily squints, clearly unhappy with being sneezed on, let alone getting somehow confetti'd into oblivion. Good thing none of it got in his eye(s), which is the most important part. ]

Sorry, what was the question?

[graftage]

[HE IS. CLOSING HIS EYES IN EXASPERATION.]

........I was. Asking if you were feeling sick at all. [A beat.] Sorry.

[unsync]

Uhm, no, no. I can't say I do.

...

Are you okay?

[graftage]

No.

[GESTURES TO HIMSELF COVERED IN GLITTER!!!]

[unsync]

Let me guess.

You've been cursed by whimsy? Heard that's a thing that happens... just. Like, bad pranks.

How long have you been, uh... sneezing glitter?

[graftage]

Whimsy?

[And a groan.]

Since this morning. Please don't tell me its that Goddess doing all this.

[unsync]

I don't know if it is specifically, but it definitely seems to be something that happens to people... at random. I assume.

It happened to me the other day, and Diluc seemed... not that surprised, so.