[lovestruck]

username + ID. Lovestruck / 769341
link to sign up post. here
prompt.


After the feast, Genevieve walked outside, feeling quite satisfied after such a large meal. She had perhaps overindulged just a bit, and was feeling rather sluggish, so she’d decided to take a walk in the cold air. Whilst she was a bit afraid, being alone in the dark winter night, she found solace in the gentle breeze and fluffy snowflakes that lazily drifted towards the earth.
As Gen took a deep inhale, a cracking sound resonated behind her and she turned quickly. Oh goodness, what had she gotten herself into? It was surely dangerous to be out alone at night like this. A flash of white, and her assailant revealed himself to her.
The winter cryptid was much larger than Genevieve expected, yet she felt calm in their presence somehow. Something about their eyes was kind, not at all intimidating, their gaze set Genevieve at ease. Gen waved, and spoke softly “Hello there.” At the sound of her voice, the creature seemed to be spooked, and hurried off (although perhaps lumbered is a more accurate description) in the direction they’d come from. “Oh dear.. looks like I’ve scared him off..” Genevieve tutted, frowning. She certainly hadn’t expected the cryptid to be so shy.

[shortstop]

username + id: shortstop + 201714
sign-up post: here
prompt: [241 words]
Dion had finished her food a while ago. It had been delicious and extremely filling, so she stayed seated and comfortable where she was by the band. As the evening approached, the noise of the feast started to fade some and Dion found herself growing tired. She knew that she should probably head back to her room soon and get some sleep. She had a long ride ahead of her on the bus back home tomorrow.
But this was Dion's last day in Kalokairi. It didn't make much sense to the Kalon to waste the day by sleeping. So she stayed up, her eyes once again drawn to the plate that had been set out for the Winter Cryptid. Only this time, someone was at that end of the table.
Dion blinked in surprise, and when she opened her eyes again the person was gone. She stood up quickly, all the noise around her disappearing. Was that who she thought it was? Quickly, she ran into the forest and tried desperately to catch up with the beast. By the time she made it, she was panting heavily.
The beast standing before her was intimidating to say the least. And yet, Dion didn't feel unsafe. In fact, she almost felt...warm? She found herself smiling, and though the Winter Cryptid was covered in a thick layer of fur, Dion was sure that it was smiling back.
"Thank you," Dion finally breathed. "For everything."

[ThatPinkThing]

Username + ID: ThatPinkThing [300398]
Sign-up post: link
Team: soup!
Response: (260 words)


Mau had been in her disguised form when she saw the cryptid. Omi was done talking after the feast, and Mau thought it was fun to blend into the snow with her grey palette. She'd been humming when she heard the branches rustle behind her, prompting her to look behind her.

Mau and the cryptid stared at each other, both analyzing the other. Mau spoke first.

"You're like me," she said, fur shimmering as she changed to her midway form. Omi was still "asleep", so she didn't want to bring him out suddenly. The cryptid blinked. "We're kalons, but we're something... else, too," Mau added.

The cryptid paused, one ear flicking before snuffing once in agreement. "Different," they rumbled. Mau nodded. Silence. After a little while, Mau sat down, and the cryptid kalon followed her lead.

"Why not introduce yourself to the town? They're nice people."

The cryptid shook their head. "Different," they said again.

Mau hummed, nodding a little. "Yeah... being different can be scary. But... if you ever need anything, you can ask the townsfolk. I'm different too, but they were kind to me. Kind to us." She switched forms briefly to her true form, Omi laying in the snow and snoozing. She changed back to her midway form quickly, not wanting to disturb her friend. The cryptid's eyes widened a little and they nodded. Mau smiled as she stood and started to head back to the inn.

"I'm Mau, by the way. If you ever want a friend, you can ask the townsfolk where to find me."

[parker;]

username: parker; - 692500
sign up post: link
prompt: metaphor raised their hand, creating a barrier between the rising sun and their eyes. movement caught their attention, dancing off in the distance and blurred beyond recognition. but movement was movement. one foot in front of the other, they approached the creature, staying low to the ground and avoiding a direct line of sight. despite their attempts, the being's head turned to face them, freezing them in place with its still gaze.

slowly, metaphor lifted their chin, widening their stance to appear powerful. regal even. they paled in comparison to the being before them. frost shrouded its face, its form hulking over the frail frame of the creature below. air stuck in their lungs like ice crystals in the fog. wind swirled fresh growth and fading snow around his face, further obscuring the cryptid. that was who this had to be. the descriptions matched stories told around the campfire as wood gradually whittled itself into shape. horns curving like the twists of an ancient oak coming back to life with the smell of spring.

"you're leaving?"

their words hung in the crisp air before fading. they didn't need an answer as ice melted from the foliage around them. returning their gaze to the beast, they tipped their head forward, bowing with shut eyes. when the world revealed itself once again, the spirit was gone. [224]

[✧ airplane.]

You enjoy one more night of comfortable sleep at the Firefox Inn, but by the next afternoon, you're packed and ready to head home. It seems like just yesterday you came to this village, and your trip is already over. You made a lot of new friends though. Perhaps you'll write. Maybe you'll come visit again.

As you're checking out, Toma gives you a gentle smile, and Yuki leaps on you for a big hug. They'll both definitely miss having you around.

As you're heading out the front door, you turn around and reveal what happened last night. You just want to tell someone. So it feels like less of a dream.

"Oh, you actually managed to spot the Cryptid? They must've really liked your food," Toma says with a hearty laugh. "You know what that means right? Good luck for the rest of the year! So make it count."

❅❆❅

And that wraps up our 2022 Winter Event prompts!
Thank you so much to everyone for participating, and I hope you had a good time! You're all wonderful storytellers full of creativity, and it was a pleasure once again to see the effort and development you put into telling your tales!

Thanks for playing and having fun with me, Toma, and Yuki!
♡

❅❆❅

Make sure you check out the end of event raffle, as is our tradition!

And please give a HUGE thank you to our staff member, Schnuffel Bunny! It was their idea to theme the event after a festival and a winter cryptid. Please check out some of the awesome concept art they made for pitching the idea!

[ cover sketch 01 ] [ cover sketch 02 ] [ cover sketch 03 ]

[ pip in kalokairi village ]

[ pip meets the cryptid ]

[ pip makes a new friend ]