and every time it rains, you're here in my head, like the sun coming out; ota

[happyberry]

🧙 WHO: Miwako + uuuûüùúūuuu
⚔️️ WHAT: Beach episode, creepy-cute teru teru bozu, and cathartic drunken karaoke! + closed prompts
🕒 WHEN: Throughout first half of June
🗺️ WHERE: Beach, outside the inn, Ren’s karaoke bar
⚠️ WARNINGS: Alcohol consumption.

𝕒 ✿ 𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓬𝓱 𝓮𝓹𝓲𝓼𝓸𝓭𝓮

[ Miwako is sporting a frilly pink lacy bikini and a no-makeup makeup look, with her long pastel pink hair let down fully, hanging all the way to her waist, straightened at first this morning, but made wavy by the seawater. She didn't go to the mission. She just saw a beach party going on on her way home from work and was like "sup, summer," that's it. Y-You think she fought?! In any capacity?! Ha!

She is gonna take a whack at a watermelon, though, and it... is... a little pitiful... The best she gets is a loud, hollow thwump sound. At least that means it's ripe?! ]

Heeeeh.....! Miwako isn't strong enough to break it! Here, you do it, I give up!

[ Well, that was some short-lived bravery. She passes the stick off, defeated, to whoever is standing beside her, feigning dramatics by tucking her face into the crook of her arm and turning away. FAILED! ]

𝕓 ✿ 𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓾 𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓾 𝓫𝓮𝓻𝓻𝔂-𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷

[ Miwako is a noble soul this month for helping clear up the weather by making teru teru bozu dolls for the sprites to marry. She loves this quest, and the basket of sweets in return aren't so bad, either — she happens to love those, too. But find her leaning out her living room window, arranging a whole collection of teru teru bozu... Except... Why do all of hers look like that…?

She's added little curly yarn pigtails to all of them, some with pink hair and some with blonde, with little green or pink flower caps, and they all have big pink or red pouty lips... Some even have eyelashes! They're cute, but... also a little unsettling? She's put too much effort into this. But she's happily adding a couple more when she accidentally knocks over all the half dozen dolls she's already had sitting on the windowsill.

She hails whoever happens to be passing by her window in the street, crying out in alarm for her own klutziness. And whenever whoever finds themselves nearby should happen to look up between the dolls and the girl who made them... why is there such a strong resemblance?! ]

Oh, no! Teru Teru Berry-chan!!! Oi! You, there! Nee, nee, can you help me?! My Happy Angel Berry-chan dolls! Oh, nooo... They fell in the mud... And on her wedding day...!

[ She's wearing a big pink pout to match theirs now... creepycute... ]

𝕔 ✿ 𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝓽 𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴

[ Those who know Miwako may not be able to tell if she’s truly less happy than she seems; she’s fantastically charming at masking her troubles. But after six months here officially, she’s reached a strange tipping point, even if things have been turning up in her favor with her design dreams and her magic. Emotionally, it’s getting harder being spirited away like this. She’s never been alone this long in her life. She doesn’t have her boyfriend/lifelong best friend, she doesn’t have her friends from school at Paradise Kiss, she doesn’t have her sister or her family… She doesn’t even have the cats! What’s more, she’s very close to running out of “Magic Medicine,” and while she’s sure she could find more konpeito candy to refill it, or even something new and different to suit this realm, she’s anxious that the magic jar just doesn’t seem to work as well here in Avalon. Her stomach problems have certainly been far worse this past half year than they’d been in years.

So what’s great for stomach problems caused solely by anxiety instead of a literal placebo? Drinking. Okay, maybe not, but that’s what she’s chosen to self-medicate with lately. But she’s barely eighteen and doesn’t want to drink alone as much as she has been, as it often just makes her feel even more alone; she’s getting restless being pent up at home, too! So, after having been inspired by a recent visit to her friend Jinguji Ren’s karaoke bar, she’s picked up a new weekly habit: karaoke therapy.

Once or twice a week, find her at Ren’s karaoke bar, singing her little heart out, at least two songs per night every time. Is she a gifted singer? No. Is she a bad singer? Also no! But she has an appreciation for music and has her own particular tastes and connection with it. A deeply emotional person who grew up in love with a passionate punk guitarist. Maybe her own song choices* aren’t quite what her boyfriend would choose, but he’s not here, and that’s exactly the point. This is her catharsis. And regardless of what her voice sounds like, what counts is, in that cathartic mindset, she has stage presence and charisma. She looks good up there in her fashionable ensembles every time, doing cute off-the-cuff dances and playing with her light magic to create delightful subtle illusions (when she’s drunk enough to lose the inhibition); and really, just putting on a good show is really half the battle. ]

*((ooc: player’s choice what song is heard or if she’s even gone on stage yet at all! Maybe she’s in the audience watching your character sing! open to all karaoke scenarios!! ))

𝕖 ✿ 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓭𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓭

(( ooc: I need more CR with Miwako big time, hmu on summerdive to plot and chat! hit me with anything! Miwako’s off the walls, she’d harass your character on the street if she thought they were hot, haha, let’s do anything… ))

Comments

[happyberry]

Ahaha, that's okay, right! As long as he's having fun, hehe...

[ She's very amused by Dela's candor in that comment. Poor Donald! She keeps her attention to the garment now as she speaks, but she's smiling all the while. ]

Arashi's pretty good. He's in a punk band. Well, it's kinda punk-shoegaze-et cetera... They're flexible. I have their CDs here! Arashi's the lead singer and guitarist and writes lots of their songs, too. He practices all the time, all his life, though. No time for sailing or flying or anything. Just music and fashion! His papa is a famous musician, also a guitarist in a punk band... Takeshi's on tour a lot, but Ara's always looked up to him, y'know~

[sos_pilot]

[ Fun is a word they could use, yes. And it did score him a girlfriend, apparently, so Della supposes that's a win. ]

Think they've got music players in this world? Cause I'd totally love to listen to your CDs sometime! I have no idea what "shoegaze" is.

[ But it's said with a smile, because she does enjoy learning! ]

[happyberry]

Oh! Yeah! Hold on, I'll get it—

[ Miwako leaves the scarf on the edge of the sink, wiping her hands on a white-and-pink-polka-dotted dish rag before exiting the room. She comes back with a small silver and pink boombox, covered in cutesy daisy and heart stickers. She sets it on the counter, away from the sink, and quickly presses skip on several tracks, a couple of them cutting off the beginnings of a shrill guitar. But after skipping ahead, she finds the song she wants to show off, and a more melodic shrill guitar fills the air. One of the most amazing things for Miwako has been the language magic of Avalon; granted, she doesn't need it herself for this song, being that Japanese is the only language she knows... But she's always tickled pink, pinker than she already is, by how she can listen to music in other languages here and just understand what they're saying, as if she spoke it... That pervasive magical spell over the land is the most miraculous to her on the daily, or at least feels most miraculous when the lyrics of an English song she's always loved but never understood strike her as poetry, when a song hits just right and she knows she'd never be able to understand it back home... It's indeed a magical feeling, and she's excited to share that with anyone else. Talking to people as if they all spoke the same language is one thing, but music makes it more magical, indeed.

She also just loves bragging about her friends, and showing off Arashi... makes him real still, somehow. It's been six months since she's seen him; since she's been kissed or touched or told "I love you." The song draws a wistful look on her face, but she wears a warm smile all the way through it, even though there's a vague sadness in her eyes. She leaves the scarf hanging for a moment, leaning against the counter for a spell to get lost in the music just a little. She grins a little wider come the first instrumental break after the first verses, and inclines her head a little at Dela as she speaks. ]

This is a good example. Arashi wrote this song for me, actually...

[sos_pilot]

Uh - !

[ She didn't mean right this second... and Miwako's already gone. Huh. All righty, then.

Still, this isn't so bad. The music's actually really good, and Della smiles wide, nodding her head along to the beat. She even mimes a few guitar riffs, having no clue about them, but fantasy's always fun. ]

Dude, that's super romantic! It's like he's bragging about you to the whole wide world! You go girl!

[ She playfully nudges Miwako with her elbow. ]

"If music be the food of love", indeed... my brother got a girlfriend because of his band and a song he wrote! Man, maybe I ought to pick up an instrument if I want some extra company.

[ She's just kidding, all in good fun. ]

[happyberry]

"If music be the food of love..."

[ She repeats, muttering to herself, processing this adage. She likes the sentiment.

She smiles widely, though, flattered and endeared. It's comforting hearing this song sometimes, but other times, it makes her so sad. Not this moment, though. Hearing Dela's praise for Arashi (which doesn't always come easy, truth be told) is validating and heartwarming more than the other knows. ]

Miwako would brag to the whole world about Arashi if I could! But I'm not a musician, either... Although— I have started going to a karaoke bar! Maybe you could meet somewhere there, too!

[ Miwako's not expressly interested in meeting someone new here, but she's seventeen and lonesome and has been in this strange world for half a year all by herself and... it's getting difficult. ]

[sos_pilot]

[ Della beams - she may not be a great musician herself, but even she knows karaoke isn't meant to be 'good', it's just about having fun. ]

Count me in, Miwako! I'd love to jam it with you anytime! Maybe you've got a secret set of power pipes in there!

[ A little bit of playful nudging. ]

[happyberry]

Haaa— no, no... But I have fun dancing on stage and getting in the zone, hehe~

[ She does a playful little demonstrative shimmy of her slim shoulders, grinning at the other. ]

Do you, uh— Can you drink...? Sorry, um, I don't—

[ Y'know. The duck thing. ]

[sos_pilot]

[ A soft little chuckle. ]

Easy there! I can drink! Honestly, I'm the same as you on the inside, I can do anything humans do.

[happyberry]

Phew... Okay.

[ The relief she feels is visible, palpable. ]

Sorry, I've um— I've never met a duck. I mean, I have, of course, but like, a duck-duck, a real duck— Err! N-Not that you're any less of a duck than those ducks, I mean! You're real, obviously — a-and a duck-duck, too, I guess! But ducks who, um— can't do anything humans do... You know, right...?

[ Oh, Miwako... Calm down. Take a breath. Dela's probably had this conversation a million times since being here. ]

[sos_pilot]

[ Della watches with amusement, allowing Miwako to babble for a while before calmly interrupting. ]

If it makes you feel any better, we don't have humans in my world, so I'm adjusting to you too.

[happyberry]

…Everyone’s a duck? Really?

[ You can almost see the wheels turning upstairs… ]

[sos_pilot]

No, we've got plenty of different types of people - dogs, pigs, parrots, roosters, geese... I'd say the only thing we don't have are humans.

[happyberry]

…Do you have animals? Like— pets? Or, um— meat…?

[ Miwako is fascinated. This is mind blowing stuff, okay. ]

[sos_pilot]

Oh, I never had a pet. I wasn't the responsible type as a kid. My son Louie once thought of getting a pet snake, buuuuut we shot that down really quick.

And yes, I love chili dogs.

[ this is completely normal and nothing to analyze. ]

[happyberry]

Ah— your son? You're a mama? How many kids do you have?

[ That topic is nothing to analyze, indeed, and so quickly diverted from in favor of something far more personally interesting to Miwako. ]

[sos_pilot]

[ Ah yes, her favorite topic! Della practically beams! ]

Triplet boys, ten years old! Huey, Dewey, and Louie!

[happyberry]

Haaaah! Triplets! And triplet boys — that must be a lot! My niece Alice is an only child and she's only three and she's a handful all by herself...! And there are three or four of us to watch after her, too! Nee, nee, are you married, then?

[ Family is a topic Miwako also does not shy away from. She loves her family, unusual at it is. ]

[sos_pilot]

Nah, but I'm not alone in taking care of them - we live with my brother and our uncle! So there's more than enough help to take care of my little troublemakers.

[ Said with utmost affection. Her boys can be hellraisers... just like her. She's so proud. ]

[happyberry]

Ahh, that's so nice~! Atypical families are special, it's not always just simply "married parents and their children," nee. You know, my mama was a single mother when she was raising my sister, who was an only child then... And all our neighbors helped out! Our whole apartment complex was like a little neighborhood family! Even when Mama and Papa got remarried many years later and had me, our neighbors there still helped them raise me and Arashi and Hiro altogether... Now I live with my sister and her husband and their daughter, and I help them take care of her, too. I never had aunts or uncles around when I was growing up, so living with Sissy's family as an aunt to Alice feels special~

[sos_pilot]

Oh, if we're talking "extended" families, don't you worry - I have that too! I have lots of crazy cousins, uncles, aunts, and then there's our housekeeper and her adorable daughter, the ghost butler - and Uncle Scrooge sees almost all of his employees as our family too! Though he won't admit it right away...

[ She laughs, but it becomes a bit softer, sighing because... well, it's easy to miss family when you're talking about them. ]

... They'd love this place. And I think they'd really like you too.

[happyberry]

[ It warms Miwako's heart just to hear Dela speak so fondly of them all, her smile matching the sunshiny rock music still playing in the background... She's all but forgotten about her cleaning project, practically, so wrapped up in their conversation now. ]

Nee... Do you wish they'd show up here? Your sons. And brother and uncle. I miss my family and my friends, but I can't decide if I hope they show up here or not. I mean— I'll be happy if they do, but... Even wishes have power, na.

[sos_pilot]

Are you kidding? I practically wish it every hour on the hour.

[ But then she sighs a little quietly, with a tilt of her head. ]

... But I know why you're worried. This place isn't exactly safe, we've had our fair share of dangers, and we know they'd get homesick too. I'm just more selfish than other people, I guess.

[happyberry]

No, no, I don't think it's selfish! They're your children — your family! You need to be near them... Not just for them; for you, too, y'know? My sister works so much, she feels bad I babysit so much, like she's guilty she doesn't spend enough time with Alice, sometimes. Just like our mama. But being away from them a long time like this, out of your control? You're a mama, there's no other reaction, is there?

[ Miwako sounds more convicted. She's not a mother... but it's clear she gets it regardless. And that she'd probably be a good mother someday, herself. ]